Publications by authors named "Achour B"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the role of the placenta in drug transport and nutrient transfer, identifying key transporters in human placenta and various cell lines.
  • Researchers found significant expression levels of transporters like P-gp, BCRP, MRP2, MRP4, and MRP6, with some notable differences between tissue and cell line models.
  • The findings suggest that proteomic analysis combined with a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model can accurately predict fetal drug exposure and offers a standardized approach for future studies on maternal and fetal drug interactions.
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This study undertook a comprehensive examination of the double perovskite complex BaFeWO, investigating its structural, electrical, magnetic, thermal and elastic characteristics. The study used density functional theory (DFT), specifically the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. It also used different approximations, including the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the modified Trans-Blaha (TB-mBJ) approach, to improve the accuracy of the band gap estimation more accurate.

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Over the past 20 years, quantitative proteomics has contributed a wealth of protein expression data, which are currently used for a variety of systems pharmacology applications, as a complement or a surrogate for activity of the corresponding proteins. A symposium at the 25th North American International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics meeting, in Boston, in September 2023, was held to explore current and emerging applications of quantitative proteomics in translational pharmacology and strategies for improved integration into model-informed drug development based on practical experience of each of the presenters. A summary of the talks and discussions is presented in this perspective alongside future outlook that was outlined for future meetings.

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Precision dosing strategies require accounting for between-patient variability in pharmacokinetics (PK), affecting drug exposure, and in pharmacodynamics (PD), affecting response achieved at the same drug concentration at the site of action. Although liquid biopsy for assessing different levels of molecular drug targets has yet to be established, individual characterization of drug elimination pathways using liquid biopsy has recently been demonstrated. The feasibility of applying this approach in conjunction with modeling tools to guide individual dosing remains unexplored.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzes the physical properties of CoZrZ compounds, showcasing metallic characteristics in CoZrBi and CoZrAs, while CoZrPb shows semi-metallic behavior with significant infrared transitions and UV light absorption potential.
  • - It employs advanced computational techniques like the Wien2k code, Hubbard parameter calculations, and energy gap assessments using GGA and mBJ-GGA methods to explore the optical behavior and thermoelectric properties of these compounds.
  • - The findings suggest that CoZrZ materials, particularly CoZrPb, could be promising for space solar energy applications due to their unique absorption capabilities and exhibit interesting optical phenomena like super-luminescence.
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In vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) allows prediction of clinical outcomes across populations from in vitro data using specific scalars tailored to the biologic characteristics of each population. This study experimentally determined scalars for patients with varying degrees of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), ranging from fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. Microsomal, S9, and cytosol fractions were extracted from 36 histologically normal and 66 NAFLD livers (27 nonalcoholic fatty liver [NAFL], 13 NASH, and 26 NASH with cirrhosis).

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Several software packages are available for the analysis of proteomic LC-MS/MS data, including commercial ( Mascot/Progenesis LC-MS) and open access software ( MaxQuant). In this study, Progenesis and MaxQuant were used to analyse the same data set from human liver microsomes ( = 23). Comparison focussed on the total number of peptides and proteins identified by the two packages.

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Background: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) has been linked to the development of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)and multiple other hematologic malignant disorders. However, the role of HHV-8 in acute leukemia patients is unknown.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HHV-8 in Tunisian acute leukemia patients and in healthy blood donors.

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Interindividual variability in drug metabolism can significantly affect drug concentrations in the body and subsequent drug response. Understanding an individual's drug metabolism capacity is important for predicting drug exposure and developing precision medicine strategies. The goal of precision medicine is to individualize drug treatment for patients to maximize efficacy and minimize drug toxicity.

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Introduction: Alterations in expression and activity of human receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are associated with cancer progression and in response to therapeutic intervention.

Methods: Thus, protein abundance of 21 RTKs was assessed in 15 healthy and 18 cancerous liver samples [2 primary and 16 colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM)] matched with non-tumorous (histologically normal) tissue, by a validated QconCAT-based targeted proteomic approach.

Results: It was demonstrated, for the first time, that the abundance of EGFR, INSR, VGFR3 and AXL, is lower in tumours relative to livers from healthy individuals whilst the opposite is true for IGF1R.

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Biologics are a fast-growing therapeutic class, with intertwined pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, affected by the abundance and function of the FcRn receptor. While many investigators assume adequacy of classical models, such as allometry, for pharmacokinetic characterization of biologics, advocates of physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) propose consideration of known systems parameters that affect the fate of biologics to enable a priori predictions, which go beyond allometry. The aim of this study was to deploy a systems-informed modelling approach to predict the disposition of Fc-containing biologics.

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Blast waves generated by energetic materials involve very fast time variations in the pressure. One important issue for blast wave metrology is the accurate measurement (typical precision in the range of ±5% or better) of the static overpressure peak. For most near field configurations, this measurement requires ultra-fast sensors with response times lower than a few microseconds.

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Crohn's disease affects the mucosal layer of the intestine, predominantly ileum and colon segments, with the potential to affect the expression of intestinal enzymes and transporters, and consequently, oral drug bioavailability. We carried out a quantitative proteomic analysis of inflamed and non-inflamed ileum and colon tissues from Crohn's disease patients and healthy donors. Homogenates from samples in each group were pooled and protein abundance determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

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Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers of hematological malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Recent studies revealed that miRNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (miR-SNP) modulate cancer risk by regulating various signaling pathways. However, their association with altered risk of ALL yielded inconsistent results.

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Model-based assessment of drug pharmacokinetics in liver disease requires quantification of abundance and disease-related changes in hepatic enzymes and transporters. This study aimed to assess performance of three label-free methods [high N (HiN), intensity-based absolute quantification (iBAQ) and total protein approach (TPA)] against QconCAT-based targeted data in healthy and diseased (cancer and cirrhosis) liver tissue. Measurements were compared across methods and disease-to-control ratios provided a 'disease perturbation factor' (DPF) for each protein.

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The impact of liver cancer metastasis on protein abundance of 22 drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and 25 transporters was investigated using liquid chromatography-tandem accurate mass spectrometry targeted proteomics. Microsomes were prepared from liver tissue taken from 15 healthy individuals and 18 patients with cancer (2 primary and 16 metastatic). Patient samples included tumors and matching histologically normal tissue.

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We have developed a family of QconCAT standards for the absolute quantification of pharmacological target proteins in a variety of human tissues. The QconCATs consist of concatenated proteotypic peptides, are designed in silico, and expressed in E. coli in media enriched with [C] arginine and [C] lysine to generate stable isotope-labeled multiplexed absolute quantification standards.

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Building and refining pharmacology models require "system" data derived from tissues and in vitro systems analyzed by quantitative proteomics. Label-free global proteomics offers a wide scope of analysis, allowing simultaneous quantification of thousands of proteins per sample. The data generated from such analysis offer comprehensive protein expression profiles that can address existing gaps in models.

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Precision dosing strategies require accounting for between-patient variability in pharmacokinetics together with subsequent pharmacodynamic differences. Liquid biopsy is a valuable new approach to diagnose disease prior to the appearance of clinical signs and symptoms, potentially circumventing invasive tissue biopsies. However, the possibility of quantitative grading of biomarkers, as opposed to simply confirming their presence or absence, is relatively new.

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