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Dictionaries are one of the means of finding vocabulary, especially in foreign languages. Besides, the dictionary also provides other information related to phonology, syntax, semantics, maps, profiles of a person, and others. Although not all dictionaries collect all the information needed by the user. But with a dictionary, it becomes easier to understand a word. The purpose of this study was to compile Kamus Akbar Bahasa Arab (KABA), Al-'Ashri, and Al-Bisri seen from the point of view of lexicography through comparative scalpels by looking at the aspects of the purpose, content, and shape of the three components of the dictionary. Besides, the author also described the similarities and differences among the three dictionaries. This study used a qualitative descriptive method. This type of research is a library research with research objects were Kamus Akbar Arabic (KABA), Al-'Asri, and Al-Bisri. Data collection used of this study was documentation and recording techniques. The data were analyzed using comparative methods. The results of this study showed that the three dictionaries had their advantages and disadvantages. However, observers or Arabic learners can choose one of these three dictionaries according to their purpose

Nanoparticle-based delivery of nucleotides offers an alternative to viral vectors for gene therapy. We report highly efficient in vivo delivery of modified mRNA (modRNA) to rat and pig myocardium using formulated lipidoid nanoparticles (FLNP). Direct myocardial injection of FLNP containing 1–10 μg eGFPmodRNA in the rat (n = 3 per group) showed dose-dependent enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) mRNA levels in heart tissue 20 hours after injection, over 60-fold higher than for naked modRNA. Off-target expression, including lung, liver, and spleen, was

Programmable molecular self-assembly of siRNA molecules provides precisely controlled generation of dendrimeric siRNA nanostructures. The second-generation dendrimers of siRNA can be effectively complexed with a low-molecular-weight, cationic polymer (poly(β-amino ester), PBAE) to generate stable nanostructures about 160 nm in diameter via strong electrostatic interactions. Condensation and gene silencing efficiencies increase with the increased generation of siRNA dendrimers due to a high charge density and structural flexibility.

Background—Stem cell factor (SCF), a ligand of the c-kit receptor, is a critical cytokine, which contributes to cell migration, proliferation, and survival. It has been shown that SCF expression increases after myocardial infarction (MI) and may be involved in cardiac repair. The aim of this study was to determine whether gene transfer of membrane-bound human SCF improves cardiac function in a large animal model of MI. Methods and Results—A transmural MI was created by implanting an embolic coil in the left anterior descending artery in Yorkshire pigs. One week after the MI, the pigs received direct intramyocardial injections of either a recombinant adenovirus encoding for SCF (Ad.SCF, n=9) or β-gal (Ad.β-gal, n=6) into the infarct border area. At 3 months post-MI, ejection fraction increased by 12% relative to baseline after Ad.SCF therapy, whereas it decreased by 4.2% (P=0.004) in pigs treated with Ad.β-gal. Preload-recruitable stroke work was significantly higher in pigs after SCF treatment (Ad.SCF, 55.5±11.6 mm Hg versus Ad.β-gal, 31.6±12.6 mm Hg, P=0.005), indicating enhanced cardiac function. Histological analyses confirmed the recruitment of c-kit[superscript +] cells as well as a reduced degree of apoptosis 1 week after Ad.SCF injection. In addition, increased capillary density compared with pigs treated with Ad.β-gal was found at 3 months and suggests an angiogenic role of SCF. Conclusions—Local overexpression of SCF post-MI induces the recruitment of c-kit[superscript +] cells at the infarct border area acutely. In the chronic stages, SCF gene transfer was associated with improved cardiac function in a preclinical model of ischemic cardiomyopathy., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 HL117505), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) Award Contract HHSN268201000045C), P50 HL112324, Leducq Foundation

Gene-based therapy is the intentional modulation of gene expression in specific cells to treat pathological conditions. This modulation is accomplished by introducing exogenous nucleic acids such as DNA, mRNA, small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA) or antisense oligonucleotides. Given the large size and the negative charge of these macromolecules, their delivery is typically mediated by carriers or vectors. In this Review, we introduce the biological barriers to gene delivery in vivo and discuss recent advances in material sciences, nanotechnology and nucleic acid chemistry that have yielded promising non-viral delivery systems, some of which are currently undergoing testing in clinical trials. The diversity of these systems highlights the recent progress of gene-based therapy using non-viral approaches.

The safe, targeted and effective delivery of gene therapeutics remains a significant barrier to their broad clinical application. Here we develop a magnetic nucleic acid delivery system composed of iron oxide nanoparticles and cationic lipid-like materials termed lipidoids. Coated nanoparticles are capable of delivering DNA and siRNA to cells in culture. The mean hydrodynamic size of these nanoparticles was systematically varied and optimized for delivery. While nanoparticles of different sizes showed similar siRNA delivery efficiency, nanoparticles of 50–100 nm displayed optimal DNA delivery activity. The application of an external magnetic field significantly enhanced the efficiency of nucleic acid delivery, with performance exceeding that of the commercially available lipid-based reagent, Lipofectamine 2000. The iron oxide nanoparticle delivery platform developed here offers the potential for magnetically guided targeting, as well as an opportunity to combine gene therapy with MRI imaging and magnetic hyperthermia., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) Award, Contract #HHSN268201000045C)

Degradable, cationic poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) with alkyl side chains are developed for non-viral gene delivery. Nanoparticles formed from these PBAE terpolymers exhibit significantly enhanced DNA transfection potency and resistance to aggregation. These hydrophobic PBAE terpolymers, but not PBAEs lacking alkyl side chains, support interaction with PEG-lipid conjugates, facilitating their functionalization with shielding and targeting moieties and accelerating the in vivo translation of these materials., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) Award, Contract #HHSN268201000045C), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Grant R01-EB000244-27), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Grant 5-R01-CA132091-04), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Grant R01-DE016516-03), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Graduate Research Fellowship), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (Grant 17–2007-1063)

RNA interference (RNAi) is a highly specific gene-silencing mechanism triggered by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Effective intracellular delivery requires the development of potent siRNA carriers. Here, we describe the synthesis and screening of a series of siRNA delivery materials. Short polyethyleneimine (PEI, Mw 600) was selected as a cationic backbone to which lipid tails were conjugated at various levels of saturation. In solution these polymer–lipid hybrids self-assemble to form nanoparticles capable of complexing siRNA. The complexes silence genes specifically and with low cytotoxicity. The efficiency of gene knockdown increased as the number of lipid tails conjugated to the PEI backbone increased. This is explained by reducing the binding affinity between the siRNA strands to the complex, thereby enabling siRNA release after cellular internalization. These results highlight the importance of complexation strength when designing siRNA delivery materials., Misrock Foundation, American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, National Institutes of Health (U.S) (Grant EB000244), National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (MIT-Harvard Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence. Grant CA151884), National Science Foundation (U.S.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Presidential Fellowships)

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics, mortality, and predictors of SSc-PAH in Saudi patients. METHODS: Retrospective chart review study of SSc patients who were followed for at least 1 year in three tertiary care centers in Saudi Arabia was conducted. Clinical information, echocardiographic findings, and right heart catheterization (RHC) results were collected. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic and disease characteristics. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients with SSc were reviewed. PAH was confirmed by RHC in 40 patients (87.5%, females). Their mean age was 45.43 ± 13.48 years. The mean pulmonary artery pressure was 42.9 ± 12.7 mmHg, the pulmonary vascular resistance index was 19.4 ± 7.7 woods unit, and cardiac index was 2.43 ± 0.68 min/m2. The median time from symptoms to first assessment was 42.8 ± 115.62 months. Most patients (77.5%) presented with functional Class III or IV and more than half (22.55%) were on dual combination therapy. Ten patients (25%) SSc PAH died over a follow up period of 37 ± 7 months. Compared to SSc patients without PAH, SSc-PAH patients had shorter 6-min walk distance (6MWD) (296.1 ± 116.5 vs. 399.59 ± 40.60 m, P < 0.0001), higher pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1755.8 ± 2123.4 vs. 69.8 ± 44.3 pg/ml P = 0.004), and more frequent Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) (90% vs. 35%, P < 0.0001). Logistic regression showed RP (odds ratio [OR] =48.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]; 3.73–633.10) and 6MWD (OR 1.02: 95% CI; 1.01–1.03) were associated with the development of PAH. CONCLUSION: Our cohort of Saudi SSc-PAH patients has a younger disease onset and a lower mortality than what is described worldwide despite late presentation and requirement of combination therapy. The presence of RP and lower were associated with the development of SSc-PAH.

Gene delivery has the potential to treat a range of inherited and acquired diseases. Research has primarily focused on the use of viral vectors for this purpose, due to efficient infection of cells with viruses as well as long-term gene expression. However, the use of viral vectors for gene therapy is limited by safety concerns, production/manufacturing challenges, and limited nucleic acid carrying capacity [1, 2]. Thus, increased attention has been focused on biomaterials including cationic polymers as gene transfection agents [3-5] due totheir electrostatic interactions with plasmid DNA to form cationic nanoparticles. Polymers, including polyethylenimine (PEI), are useful in a variety of gene therapy applications [6-10]. One promising class of polymers, poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs), are degradable and have enhanced delivery compared to PEI [11-13]. Recent studies show that the amine-terminated polymers are generally more effective at promoting cellular uptake and DNA delivery than their acrylate-capped counterparts [14, 15].

Gene therapy holds promise for repair and regeneration of damaged myocardium after infarction. Viral vectors used in most studies, while highly effective, carry concerns of safety and immunogenicity. Nanoparticle (NP)-enabled transfection using polymeric and lipidoid reagents mitigates some of the concerns related to the use of viral vectors. However, these agents have been less effective in transfecting cardiac myocytes, which are primarily post-mitotic and only weakly facilitate DNA entry to the nucleus. Because translation occurs in the cytosol, transfection with RNA obviates the need for nuclear entry. Recent work has shown that synthetic alterations to messenger RNA (mRNA) can prolong its half-life in the cytosol and diminish the host’s immune response. We hypothesized that transfection of cardiac myocytes with lipidoid NPs formed using modified mRNA would lead to high levels of protein expression. Neonatal rat (NRCM), adult rat (ARCM) and human embryonic stem cell-derived (hES-CM) cardiac myocytes were transfected with modified GFP-mRNA NPs using a lipidoid vehicle (Stemfect TM , Stemgent, Cambridge, MA) or Lipofectamine2000 (LF, Invitrogen) and GFP expression was assessed after 24 hours. Average transfection efficiency in NRCM was significantly higher using Stemfect versus LF as measured by flow cytometry (48.5% vs. 6.6% at 20ng mRNA; 47.4% vs. 11.8% at 40ng mRNA, 48.1% vs. 18.6% at 80ng mRNA; 48.1% vs. 28% at 160ng mRNA; n=3, pin vitro and with significantly higher efficiency when using Stemfect rather than Lipofectamine. Gene therapy with mRNA represents a novel approach to cardiac repair and may be preferable to DNA because of the transient window of protein expression and lower side effect profile.

Despite efforts to understand the interactions between nanoparticles and cells, the cellular processes that determine the efficiency of intracellular drug delivery remain unclear. Here we examine cellular uptake of short interfering RNA (siRNA) delivered in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) using cellular trafficking probes in combination with automated high-throughput confocal microscopy. We also employed defined perturbations of cellular pathways paired with systems biology approaches to uncover protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions. We show that multiple cell signaling effectors are required for initial cellular entry of LNPs through macropinocytosis, including proton pumps, mTOR and cathepsins. siRNA delivery is substantially reduced as ≅70% of the internalized siRNA undergoes exocytosis through egress of LNPs from late endosomes/lysosomes. Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) is shown to be an important regulator of the major recycling pathways of LNP-delivered siRNAs. NPC1-deficient cells show enhanced cellular retention of LNPs inside late endosomes and lysosomes, and increased gene silencing of the target gene. Our data suggest that siRNA delivery efficiency might be improved by designing delivery vehicles that can escape the recycling pathways.

The discovery of potent new materials for in vivo delivery of nucleic acids depends upon successful formulation of the active molecules into a dosage form suitable for the physiological environment. Because of the inefficiencies of current formulation methods, materials are usually first evaluated for in vitro delivery efficacy as simple ionic complexes with the nucleic acids (lipoplexes). The predictive value of such assays, however, has never been systematically studied. Here, for the first time, by developing a microfluidic method that allowed the rapid preparation of high-quality siRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for a large number of materials, we have shown that gene silencing assays employing lipoplexes result in a high rate of false negatives (~90%) that can largely be avoided through formulation. Seven novel materials with in vivo gene silencing potencies of >90% at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg in mice were discovered. This method will facilitate the discovery of next-generation reagents for LNP-mediated nucleic acid delivery.

Gene therapy protocols for the treatment of cancer often employ gene promoter sequences that are known to be over-expressed in specific tumor cell types relative to normal cells. These promoters, while specific, are often weakly active. It would be desirable to increase the activity of such promoters, while at the same time retain specificity, so that the therapeutic gene is more robustly expressed. Using a luciferase reporter DNA construct in both in vitro cell transfection assays and in vivo mouse tumor models, we have determined that in the absence of any other DNA sequence, a previously identified 18-base pair enhancer sequence called CanScript, lying upstream of the MSLN gene, has ~25% of the promoter activity of CAG, a very strong non-specific promoter/enhancer, in tumor cells in which MSLN is highly expressed. Furthermore, tandem repeat copies of CanScript enhance transcription in a dose-dependent manner and, when coupled with promoter sequences that are active in tumor cells, increase promoter activity. These findings suggest that the incorporation of CanScript into gene constructs may have application in enhancing activity of promoters used in cancer-targeting gene therapy strategies, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy.

The first kinetic study of specific, stoichiometric monotransmetalations of a heteropolymetallic molecule is reported. The copper(II) center of the target (μ 4 -O)N 4 Cu(Ni(H 2 O)) 3 Cl 6 (D) is specifically replaced by cobalt or zinc from transmetalators Co(NS) 2 (B 1 ), Zn(NS) 2 (B 3 ), and Co(NS) 3 (E). Here, N is N,N-diethylnicotinamide and NS is monoanionic S-methyl isopropylidene-hydrazinecarbodithioate

Transmetallation des complexes (DENC) 4 Cu 4 X 4 (DENC=diethylnicotinamide), par le tris(S-methyl isopropylidenehydrazinocarbodithioate)-Co(III) dans les solvants aprotiques sous N 2

Preparation des complexes par transmetallation. L'eau est coordinee a chaque centre Ni(II) dans les produits transmetalles. Etude de l'isomerisation de [LCuNi(H 2 O) X 2 ] 2 O 2

Preparation et caracterisation des complexes du type (μ 3 -O)(N,py) 3 Cu 3 − x M x X 4 , x=0-2, M=Co,Zn: spectrometrie RPE et IR. Reactivite des complexes tetranucleaires (μ 3 -O)(N,py) 4 Cu 4 Cl 6 vis-a-vis de M(NS) n , M=Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, Hg, ou Sn; NS=derive de l'acide dithiocarbohydrazonique

Transmetallation quantitative dans CH 2 Cl 2 ou nitrobenzene pour donner des complexes (DENC) 3 Cu 3 M(NS)X 4 •DENC ou (DENC) 4 M 2 Cl 4 . Donnees cinetiques. Suggestions de structures

Lois de vitesse pour les transmetallations directes des complexes (μ 4 -O)[NCu] 4 X 6 (N=diethylnicotinamide, pyridine) par Ni(NS) 2 dans le nitrobenzene, donnant (μ 4 -O)[N 4 Cu 3 Ni]X 6