Search

Purpose: To assess the position of implantable collamer lens (ICL) haptic after ICL V4C implantation using standardized panoramic ultrasound bimicroscopy (UBM), to analyze its characteristics, associated factors, and the relationship with the clinical vault quantitatively., Setting: Hankou Aier Eye Hospital, Wuhan, Hubei, China., Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: 167 subjects (323 eyes) implanted with ICL V4C who had a 3-month follow-up with UBM examination were included in this study. The relative position of ICL to the adjacent structure and ICL haptic-related parameters (the final tip point of ICL haptic [ftICL haptic], measured from the scleral spur to the final tip of the ICL haptic, the posterior of the ICL to ICL haptic [ICL arc], measured from the posterior surface of the ICL to the ICL haptic plane, and the height of the crystalline lens from the ICL haptic (lens arc), measured from the anterior surface of the crystalline lens to the ICL haptic plane and other parameters), were estimated on the UBM image. Eyes were divided into 3 subgroups according to the ftICL haptic (Group 1: ≤0.5 mm; Group 2: 0.5 to 1.0 mm; and Group 3:≥1.0 mm, respectively), and the factors associated with the ICL haptic-related parameters and their impact on the clinical vault were evaluated., Results: The haptics could be imaged in the ciliary sulcus, on the ciliary body, and under the ciliary body in 629 (48.7%), 525 (40.6%), and 138 (10.7%) eyes, respectively. The ftICL haptic and the summation of ICL arc and lens arc showed a correlation with the clinical vault ( r = -0.34, P = .00; r = 0.87, P = .00). When the ftICL haptic results were divided into 3 groups, the percentage of eyes that exhibited clinical vault >750 μm were lowest in Group 3. Multivariate regression analysis showed spherical equivalent, white-to-white (WTW), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and iris-ciliary angle (ICA); the difference between the implanted ICL size and horizontal sulcus-to-sulcus (ICL size-STS) were associated with the ftICL haptic. The IOP, WTW, ACV, and the ICL size-STS were significantly associated with ICL arc, while the ICA and lens rise were associated with lens arc., Conclusions: The position of ICL haptic was associated with the clinical vault. Its quantitative evaluation may provide valuable information to help clinicians to select the best ICL size before surgery and understand the formation of clinical vault after surgery., (Copyright © 2023 Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRS.)

The objective of this study is to develop a new hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) delivery system by coating soluble microneedle arrays with mannose-modified PLGA nanoparticles (MNPs). MNPs of different sizes were synthesized. The effects these nanoparticles on the maturation of dendritic cells were studied by flow cytometry. HBsAg-containing MNPs (HBsAg/MNPs) of the appropriate sizes were coated into water-soluble microneedle arrays. The in vitro characteristics of microneedles arrays and the immune responses after subcutaneous administration in mice were studied. The results showed that PLGA nanoparticles with an average size of about 800 nm showed the most significant effects in stimulating the maturation of dendritic cells. In the water-soluble microneedle array, the targeted PLGA nanoparticles containing HBsAg were distributed discretely with a maximum distribution height of about 280 μm with a drug load of 0.98 ± 0.05 μg/mg. The drug-containing microneedle arrays exhibited excellent mechanical properties and improved biosafety. The results of immune responses in vivo showed that the subcutaneous administration of the microneedle arrays induced the proliferation of splenocyte, secreted specific IL-12 and IFN-γ, and promote the production of IgG in mice. This study verifies the feasibility of soluble composited microneedles administration in hepatitis B immunization, and provides new ideas for the development and application of non-injectable vaccine delivery systems., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.)

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious clinical syndrome of acute renal dysfunction in a short period. One of therapeutic interventions for AKI is to reduce ROS massively generated in the mitochondria and then ameliorate cell damage and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. In this study, stepwise-targeting chitosan oligosaccharide, triphenyl phosphine-low molecular weight chitosan-curcumin (TPP-LMWC-CUR, TLC), was constructed for sepsis-induced AKI via removing excessive ROS in renal tubular epithelial cells. Benefiting from good water solubility and low molecular weight, TLC was rapidly and preferentially distributed in the renal tissues and then specifically internalized by tubular epithelium cells via interaction between Megalin receptor and LMWC. The intracellular TLC could further delivery CUR to mitochondria due to high buffering capacity of LMWC and delocalized positive charges of TPP. Both in vitro and in vivo pharmacodynamic results demonstrated the enhanced therapeutic effect of TLC in the treatment of AKI., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Antigen-adjuvant combination could induce a protective and long-lasting anti-tumor immune response. However, exploiting system which could co-deliver melanoma antigen peptide Trp2 (Tyrosinase-related protein 2) and Toll-like-receptor-7 (TLR7) agonists imiquimod (R837) both are poor aqueous solubility is still challenging. Our new nanocomplex was explored for specific delivery of Trp2 and R837 into antigen-presenting cells (APCs). R837 was loaded into mannosylated-β-cyclodextrin (Man-CD) to target dendritic cells (DCs) by binding mannose receptors (MR) on DCs. A fusion peptide (WT) was constructed by incorporating the amino acid region of TAT (cell-penetrating peptide) into Trp2 to improve the TAT-mediated intracellular efficiency. Negatively charged sodium alginate (SA), a biocompatible polymer, which can induce adjuvant responses by affecting the functions of DCs, was complexed with Man-CD/R837 and WT via physical adsorption. The optimized nanocomplex promoted the cellular uptake and showed remarkable efficacy to enhance the secreting of Th1-cytokines. This multi-functional nanocomplex system may allow effective targeting-codelivery of multi-hydrophobic drugs and be a promising subunit vaccine candidate as a potential prevention action of tumor., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a novel formulation of oleanolic acid (OA) solid dispersion (SD), using leucine (Leu) as the carrier to improve OA oral bioavailability., Methods: The OA-Leu SD was prepared by solvent evaporation and was evaluated in vitro using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, flowability, hygroscopicity and dissolution test. The stability of the SD was evaluated using accelerated testing. In vivo pharmacokinetic tests were performed in male Sprague Dawley rats using a liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry bioanalytical method., Key Findings: OA-Leu SD was successfully prepared, and OA was mostly in an amorphous state. More than 80% of OA could dissolve in OA-Leu SD in 20 min, while only 13.4% of free OA dissolved. The powder flow of OA-Leu SD was clearly improved compared with free OA and its moisture absorption was 3.4%. The accelerated testing further demonstrated that SD could maintain OA in an amorphous state at 40 °C for 6 months. OA-Leu SD showed higher relative oral bioavailability (189.7%) than free OA in rats., Conclusions: Using Leu as a carrier produced a SD with good flowability, low hygroscopicity and high bioavailability., (© 2019 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.)

The launched hepatitis B vaccine could induce powerful antibodies, whereas it failed to improve potent cellular immune responses due to that the Th2-type response-induced aluminum adjuvant was adopted. Here, to target antigen-presenting cells under the epidermis and induce potent cellular and humoral immune responses, mannose-modified poly D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) was synthesized and nanoparticle (MNP)-loaded hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) protein was prepared. HBsAg could be slowly released and highly presented to lymphocytes which facilitated to produce long-lasting immunity based on characters of PLGA. In vitro uptake test results showed that MNPs could enhance internalization in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and RAW 264.7 cells. Subcutaneous delivery of MNPs into mice kept humoral immune and strengthened cellular immune responses. Experimental results indicated that MNPs showed significantly modified properties compared with parental PLGA nanoparticles. Thus, the obtained MNPs could be a promising vehicle for hepatitis B vaccine delivery.

Retroperitoneal ectopic pregnancy (REP) is an extremely rare type of ectopic pregnancy. Currently, surgery is the most widely used treatment method although it involves a high likelihood of intraoperative hemorrhage. In this case report, we describe a safe and effective alternative method for managing epigastric REP. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 2 patients with REP in the epigastrium who were treated at our hospital using our nonsurgical method. The treatment involved conservative management by computed tomographic-guided methotrexate injection in the gestational sac. We also present a literature review of 26 case reports and discuss the clinical features and various methods for treating REP. Our experience with the successful treatment of 2 patients suggests that the novel approach of computed tomographic-guided methotrexate injection in the gestational sac may be a safe and effective approach to manage REP. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Metastasis is a major barrier in cancer chemotherapy. Prolonged circulation and rapid, specific intracellular drug release are two main goals in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems to treat metastatic breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the anti-metastasis effect of docetaxel (DTX) in combination with dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in metastatic breast cancer 4T1 cells. We synthesized a pH-sensitive material 4-arm-PEG-DTX with a hydrazone bond and used it to construct nanoparticles that co-deliver DTX and DHA (D/D NPs). The D/D NPs had a mean size of 142.5 nm and approximately neutral zeta potential. The pH-sensitive nanoparticles allowed acid-triggered drug release at the tumor site, showing excellent cytotoxicity (IC50 = 7.0 μg mL -1 ), cell cycle arrest and suppression of cell migration and invasion. The mechanisms underlying the anti-metastasis effect of the D/D NPs involved downregulation of the expression of p -AKT, NF-κB and MMP-2. Therefore, D/D NPs represent a new nanoscale drug delivery system for treating metastatic breast cancer, responding to the acidic tumor microenvironment to release the chemotherapeutic drugs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: In this study, we examined the association between two adiponectin (ADPN) gene polymorphisms, +45T/G and +276G/T, and susceptibility to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients., Methods: A total of 180 T2DM patients were enrolled in this study and assigned to two groups: DPN group (n=90) and non-DPN (NDPN) group (n=90). In addition, 90 healthy subjects were chosen as healthy normal control (NC). The plasma level of ADPN was quantified by ELISA method and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for genotype analysis of the two ADPN polymorphisms, +45T/G (rs2241766) and +276G/T (rs1501299), in all the study subjects. Statistical analysis of data was performed with SPSS version 20.0 software., Results: Serum levels of ADPN were markedly reduced in the DPN group compared to NDPN and NC groups (all P<0.05). The frequencies of TT, TG and GG genotypes and the T and G alleles of T45G and G276T polymorphisms in DPN group were significantly different than the NDPN group (all P<0.05). Notably, T45G and G276T polymorphisms were associated with significantly reduced plasma levels of ADPN in DPN and NDPN groups, compared to the NC group (P<0.001). Significant difference in ADPN plasma levels were also observed between TT, TG and GG genotypes of T45G and G276T polymorphisms. Our results indicate that the T allele in +45T/G and +276G/T polymorphisms is correlated with an elevated risk of DPN in T2DM patients. Haplotype analysis showed that GG and GT haplotypes showed a negative relationship with DPN, while TG haplotype positively correlated with risk of DPN in T2DM patients (all P<0.05)., Conclusion: Our results show that T45G and G276T polymorphisms of ADPN are associated with a significantly elevated risk of DPN in T2DM patients, likely by down-regulating ADPN serum level., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The impregnation method was used to support molecular sieve with active manganese and cerium components to obtain a composite molecular sieve catalyst. The mercury removal performance of the catalyst was studied with a bench-scale setup. XPS analysis was used to characterize the sample before and after the modification in order to study the changes in the active components of the catalyst prepared. The results showed that the catalyst carrying manganese and cerium components had higher oxidation ability of elemental mercury in the temperature range of 300 degrees C - 450 degrees C, especially at 450 degrees C, the oxidation efficiency of elemental mercury was kept above 80%. The catalyst had more functional groups that were conducive to the oxidation of elemental mercury, and the mercury removal mainly depended on the chemical adsorption. The SO2 and NO in flue gas could inhibit the oxidation of elemental mercury to certain extent.

Background: Adiponectin (ADP) polymorphisms associated with diabetes mellitus in several populations. However, no previous studies have investigated its association with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Our study examined the association between ADP-linked SNPs and DPN susceptibility., Methods: We randomly recruited 160 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and 80 healthy individuals., Results: The C allele of rs3821799 increased DPN susceptibility. In normal individuals, GG of rs3774261 carriers had 7.1 times higher DPN susceptibility than AA carriers. The haplotype analyzes indicated CGG might increase DPN susceptibility., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that ADP gene polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to DPN.