ReLink strategy in diagnosed-but-untreated hepatitis C-positive patients in Germany: report from a single center.

Objective: The ReLink project aims to reintegrate diagnosed-but-untreated hepatitis-C-positive patients into medical care and initiate a therapy.

Material/methods: A retrospective search within the practice management system of a single center in Germany identified among 1965 hepatitis-C-positive patients 100 untreated patients with available contact details and meeting all inclusion criteria. Patients were contacted by 2 contact rounds.

Inhibition of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 and activation of A2A adenosine receptors by 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-modified cAMP analogs and their hydrolytic products.

Cyclic AMP analogs containing hydrophobic modification of C(8) at the adenine ring such as 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (8-pCPT-cAMP) and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl-cAMP (8-pCPT-2'-O-methyl-cAMP) can penetrate membranes due to their high lipophilicity and directly activate intracellular cAMP effectors. Therefore, these cAMP analogs have been used in numerous studies, assuming that their effects reflect the consequences of direct activation of cAMP effectors. The present study provides evidence that 8-pCPT-modified cAMP analogs and their corresponding putative hydrolysis products (8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-adenosine (8-pCPT-ado) and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl-adenosine (8-pCPT-2'-O-methyl-ado)) inhibit the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1).

RNAse A-like enzymes in serum inhibit the anti-neoplastic activity of siRNA targeting polo-like kinase 1.

Down-modulation of target molecules in tumor cells by small interfering (si) RNAs is a promising anti-cancer strategy. A major challenge of this approach is the loss of silencing activity of the siRNAs in vivo. Our study aimed at investigating the influence of the serum compartment on the anti-tumor activity of siRNA directed against Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a mitosis-associated serine/threonine kinase.

Inhibition of RNAse A family enzymes prevents degradation and loss of silencing activity of siRNAs in serum.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNA), RNA duplexes of approximately 21 nucleotides, offer a promising approach to specifically degrade RNAs in target cells by a process termed RNA interference. Insufficient in vivo-stability is a major problem of a systemic application of siRNAs in humans. The present study demonstrated that RNAse A-like RNAses degraded siRNAs in serum.