Refractory hepatic hydrothorax is associated with increased mortality with death occurring at lower MELD-Na compared to cirrhosis and refractory ascites.

Background And Aims: Although refractory hepatic hydrothorax (RH) is a serious complication of cirrhosis, waitlisted patients do not receive standardized Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) exemption because of inadequate evidence suggesting mortality above biochemical MELD. This study aimed to examine liver-related death (LRD) associated with RH compared to refractory ascites (RA).

Approach And Results: This was a retrospective cohort study of Veterans with cirrhosis.

Ursodeoxycholic acid is associated with a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduced severity of COVID-19 in patients with cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Studies have demonstrated that reducing farnesoid X receptor activity with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) downregulates angiotensin-converting enzyme in human lung, intestinal and cholangiocytes organoids in vitro, in human lungs and livers perfused ex situ, reducing internalization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into the host cell. This offers a potential novel target against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of our study was to compare the association between UDCA exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as varying severities of COVID-19, in a large national cohort of participants with cirrhosis.

Role of patient and public involvement in implementation research: a consensus study.

Background: Patient and public involvement (PPI) is often an essential requirement for research funding. Distinctions can be drawn between clinical research, which generally focuses on patients, and implementation research, which generally focuses on health professional behaviour. There is uncertainty about the role of PPI in this latter field.

Cycloastragenol is a potent telomerase activator in neuronal cells: implications for depression management.

Cycloastragenol (CAG) is an aglycone of astragaloside IV. It was first identified when screening Astragalus membranaceus extracts for active ingredients with antiaging properties. The present study demonstrates that CAG stimulates telomerase activity and cell proliferation in human neonatal keratinocytes.

Astragaloside IV and cycloastragenol stimulate the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase in multiple cell types.

Two Chinese herb-derived small molecule telomerase activators, astragaloside IV (AG-IV) and cycloastragenol (CAG), have recently been shown to improve the proliferative response of CD8+ T lymphocytes from HIV-infected patients by upregulating telomerase activity. Here, we examined the signaling mechanism of AG-IV and CAG. Telomerase activity in human embryonic kidney HEK293 fibroblasts was increased upon treatment with increasing concentrations of AG-IV or CAG.

In vitro intestinal absorption and first-pass intestinal and hepatic metabolism of cycloastragenol, a potent small molecule telomerase activator.

Cycloastragenol (CAG) is the aglycone derivative of astragaloside IV which has recently been demonstrated to activate telomerase and represents a potential drug candidate for the treatment of degenerative diseases. In the present study, intestinal absorption and metabolism of CAG were examined using the Caco-2 model and liver microsomes, respectively. The results showed that CAG rapidly passes through the Caco-2 cell monolayer by passive diffusion.

Renew, refuel, and rebuild.

We can renew, refuel, and rebuild America with millions of green jobs, but they must be good jobs. Participants at the conference understand that environmental and economic stability go hand-in-hand, that the challenges of global warming are urgent and that huge opportunities exist for building a clean energy economy.

Telomerase-based pharmacologic enhancement of antiviral function of human CD8+ T lymphocytes.

Telomerase reverse transcribes telomere DNA onto the ends of linear chromosomes and retards cellular aging. In contrast to most normal somatic cells, which show little or no telomerase activity, immune cells up-regulate telomerase in concert with activation. Nevertheless, during aging and chronic HIV-1 infection, there are high proportions of dysfunctional CD8(+) CTL with short telomeres, suggesting that telomerase is limiting.

Telomerase antagonists GRN163 and GRN163L inhibit tumor growth and increase chemosensitivity of human hepatoma.

Most cancer cells have an immortal growth capacity as a consequence of telomerase reactivation. Inhibition of this enzyme leads to increased telomere dysfunction, which limits the proliferative capacity of tumor cells; thus, telomerase inhibition represents a potentially safe and universal target for cancer treatment. We evaluated the potential of two thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotide inhibitors of telomerase, GRN163 and GRN163L, as drug candidates for the treatment of human hepatoma.

Lipid modification of GRN163, an N3'-->P5' thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotide, enhances the potency of telomerase inhibition.

The vast majority of human cancers express telomerase activity, while most human somatic cells do not have detectable telomerase activity. Since telomerase plays a critical role in cell immortality, it is an attractive target for a selective cancer therapy. Oligonucleotides complementary to the RNA template region of human telomerase (hTR) have been shown to be effective inhibitors of telomerase and, subsequently, cancer cell growth in vitro.

Novel short oligonucleotide conjugates as inhibitors of human telomerase.

A series of oligonucleotide conjugates were designed and synthesized as novel inhibitors of human telomerase. These compounds contain a relatively short (6-7-mer) oligonucleotide domain, with an N3'-->P5' phosphoramidate (np) or thio-phosphoramidate (nps) backbone, targeted to the template region of the RNA component of the enzyme and various pendant groups attached to either their 5'- or preferably to the 3'-termini. The most potent compounds in the series inhibited telomerase with low nM IC50 values in biochemical assays whereas the cognate oligonucleotides without the pendant groups were significantly less active having IC50 values 100-1000-fold higher.

Oligonucleotide N3' --> P5' thio-phosphoramidate telomerase template antagonists as potential anticancer agents.

Human telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that is expressed in essentially all cancer cells, but not in the vast majority of normal somatic cells. Therefore, the specific inhibition of telomerase activity in tumors might have significant beneficial therapeutic effects. We have designed and evaluated oligonucleotide N3' --> P5' thio-phosphoramidates as telomerase template antagonists.

Telomerase inhibition with an oligonucleotide telomerase template antagonist: in vitro and in vivo studies in multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

The effects of telomerase inhibition with an oligonucleotide N3' --> P5' thiophosphoramidate (GRN163) complementary to the telomerase template region were examined on human multiple myeloma (MM) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cell lines, primary MM cells, and tumor xenografts. GRN163 treatment reduced telomerase levels in all cells and induced more rapid telomeric shortening. Continuous GRN163 treatment for 7 to 14 days resulted in proliferative arrest, morphologic changes, and apoptosis characteristic of cell crisis in tumor cell lines with short (1.

A novel telomerase template antagonist (GRN163) as a potential anticancer agent.

Telomerase, the enzyme responsible for proliferative immortality, is expressed in essentially all cancer cells, but not in most normal human cells. Thus, specific telomerase inhibition is potentially a universal anticancer therapy with few side effects. We designed N3'-->P5' thio-phosphoramidate (NPS) oligonucleotides as telomerase template antagonists and found that their ability to form stable duplexes with the telomerase RNA subunit was the key factor for antitelomerase activity.