Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 6 Articles
Cancer chemotherapeutic systems with high antitumor effects and less adverse effects are\neagerly desired. Here, a pH-sensitive delivery system for bleomycin (BLM) was developed using\negg yolk phosphatidylcholine liposomes modified with poly(ethylene glycol)-lipid (PEG-PE) for long\ncirculation in the bloodstream and 2-carboxycyclohexane-1-carboxylated polyglycidol-having distearoyl\nphosphatidylethanolamine (CHexPG-PE) for pH sensitization. The PEG-PE/CHexPG-PE-introduced\nliposomes showed content release responding to pH decrease and were taken up by tumor\ncells at a rate 2.5 times higher than that of liposomes without CHexPG-PE. BLM-loaded\nPEG-PE/CHexPG-PE-introduced liposomes exhibited comparable cytotoxicity with that of the free\ndrug. Intravenous administration of these liposomes suppressed tumor growth more effectively in\ntumor-bearing mice than did the free drug and liposomes without CHexPG-PE. However, at a high\ndosage of BLM, these liposomes showed severe toxicity to the spleen, liver, and lungs, indicating\nthe trapping of liposomes by mononuclear phagocyte systems, probably because of recognition of the\ncarboxylates on the liposomes. An increase in PEG molecular weight on the liposome surface significantly\ndecreased toxicity to the liver and spleen, although toxicity to the lungs remained. Further improvements\nsuch as the optimization of PEG density and lipid composition and the introduction of targeting ligands\nto the liposomes are required to increase therapeutic effects and to reduce adverse effects....
The adhesion ability and adaptability of bacteria, coupled with constant use of the same bactericides, have made the increase in\nthe diversity of treatments against infections necessary. Nanotechnology has played an important role in the search for new ways\nto prevent and treat infections, including the use of metallic nanoparticles with antibacterial properties. In this study, we worked\non the design of a composite of silver nanoparticles (AgNPS) embedded in poly-epsilon-caprolactone nanofibers and evaluated\nits antimicrobial properties against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms associated with drug-resistant\ninfections. Polycaprolactone-silver composites (PCL-AgNPs) were prepared in two steps.The first step consisted in the reduction\nin situ of Ag+ ions using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution, and the second step involved the\nsimple addition of polycaprolactone before electrospinning process. Antibacterial activity of PCL-AgNPs nanofibers against E. coli,\nS.mutans, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and B. subtilis was evaluated. Results showed sensibility of E. coli, K. pneumoniae,\nS. aureus, and P. aeruginosa, but not for B. subtilis and S. mutans. This antimicrobial activity of PCL-AgNPs showed significant\npositive correlations associated with the dose-dependent effect. The antibacterial property of the PCL/Ag nanofibers might have\nhigh potential medical applications in drug-resistant infections....
The effects of tyrosine on plasma response and cognition in aging are unknown. We assessed\nthe dose-dependent response to tyrosine administration in older adults in both plasma tyrosine\nconcentrations and working memory performance. In this double blind randomized cross-over\ntrial 17 older adults (aged 60ââ?¬â??75 years) received a single administration of 100, 150, or 200 mg/kg\nbody weight of tyrosine. For comparison, 17 young adults (aged 18ââ?¬â??35 years) received a dose of\n150 mg/kg body weight of tyrosine. Tyrosine plasma concentrations were determined before and\n90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240 min after tyrosine intake. Working memory was assessed using the\nN-back task at 90 min after tyrosine administration. Older adults showed a dose-dependent increase\nin plasma tyrosine concentrations (p < 0.001), and the plasma response was higher than for young\nadults with the same dose (p < 0.001). Load-dependent working memory performance decreased with\nhigher doses of tyrosine (p = 0.048), especially in older adults with greater dose-dependent plasma\ntyrosine responses (p = 0.035). Our results show an age-related increase in plasma tyrosine response,\nwhich was associated with a dose-dependent decline in cognitive functioning in older adults...
The aimof this study was to compare gastric residual volume (GRV) in patients given a split-dose versus a conventional single-dose\nof polyethylene glycol (PEG) preparation before undergoing anesthetic colonoscopy. Methods. In a prospective observational study,\nwe assessed GRV in outpatients undergoing same-day anesthetic gastroscopy and colonoscopy between October 8 and December\n30 of 2016. Outpatients were assigned to the split-dose (1 L PEG in the prior evening and 1 L PEG 2ââ?¬â??4 h before endoscopy) or singledose\n(ingestion of 2 L PEG ââ?°Â¥ 6 h before endoscopy) regimen randomly. Bowel cleansing quality was assessed with the Boston Bowel\nPreparation Scale (BBPS). Results.ThemedianGRVin the split-dose group (17ml,with a range of 0ââ?¬â??50ml;...
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is recognized as the most common and lethal form of central nervous system cancer. To cure\nGBM patients, many target-specific chemotherapeutic agents have been developing. However, 2D monolayer cell-based toxicity\nand efficacy tests did not efficiently screen agents due to the pool reflection of in vivo microenvironments (cell-to-cell and cellto-\nextracellular matrix interaction). In this study, we used a 3D cell-based, high-throughput screening method reflecting the\nmicroenvironments using a micropillar and microwell chip platform to draw a high-dose heat map of the cytotoxicity and efficacy\nof 70 compounds, with two DMSO controls.Moreover, the high-dose heatmap model compared the responses of four 3D-cultured\npatient-derived GBM cells and astrocytes to high dosages of compounds with respect to efficacy and cytotoxicity, respectively, to\ndiscern the most efficacious drug for GBM. Among the 70 compounds tested, cediranib (a potent inhibitor of vascular endothelial\ngrowth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases) exhibited the lowest cytotoxicity to astrocytes and high efficacy to GBM cells in a\nhigh-dose heat map model....
High prevalence of STH leads to malnutrition, anemia, cognitive impairment, and growth disorders. Triple-dose albendazole\n400mg is a broad-spectrum anthelminthic; however, its effectiveness varies in every region. This study aims to determine the\nbenefits of deworming using triple-dose albendazole on childrenââ?¬â?¢s nutritional status in Perobatang Village, Southwest Sumba,\nIndonesia.This pre-post study was conducted in July 2016 and January 2017. Children aged 1ââ?¬â??15 years were asked to collect stool\nfor diagnosis of STHinfection (Kato-Katz method), were measured for anthropometry status to obtain the nutritional status, and\ntook albendazole 400mg for three consecutive days. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Prevalence of STH prior to the\ntreatmentwas 95.4%: T. trichiura 85.2%, A. lumbricoides 71.6%, and hookworm18.2%.After treatment, prevalence of STHdecreased\nsignificantly (McNemar test, ...
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