In this study, we selected bacteremic Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from the Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance program. A total of 521 isolates were collected over a period of 2 decades, including 121 from 1998, 197 from 2008, and 203 from 2018. Seroepidemiology showed that the top five capsular polysaccharide types were serotypes K1, K2, K20, K54, and K62, constituting 48.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransarterial radioembolization (TARE) is an emerging treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study successfully developed radiometal-labeled chitosan microspheres (111In/177Lu-DTPA-CMS) with a diameter of 36.5 ± 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOvarian cancer (OC) metastases frequently occur through peritoneal dissemination, and they contribute to difficulties in treatment. While photodynamic therapy (PDT) has the potential to treat OC, its use is often limited by tissue penetration depth and tumor selectivity. Herein, we combined Cerenkov radiation (CR) emitted by F-FDG accumulated in tumors as an internal light source and several photosensitizer (PS) candidates with matched absorption bands, including Verteporfin (VP), Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and 5'-Aminolevulinic acid (5'-ALA), to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobial proteins have recently been found to have more benefits in clinical disease treatment because of their better-developed strategy and properties than traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a truncated peptide synthesized from the C-terminal sequence of pneumolysin, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGold nanostars (AuNSs), with unique physicochemical properties, are thought to be a promising agent for photothermal therapy (PTT). In this study, we prepared PEGylated gold nanostars (pAuNSs) using the HEPES-reduction method. The high photothermal conversion efficiency (∼80%) and photothermal stability of pAuNSs were demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe efficacy of gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-assisted radiofrequency (RF)-induced hyperthermia employing the Kanzius device remains controversial. Different from the Kanzius device, modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) utilizes the capacitive-impedance coupled 13.56 MHz radiofrequency (RF) current and has been approved for clinical cancer treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment, long-term injection of antitumor necrosis factor α antibodies (anti-TNFα Abs) may induce on-target toxicities, including severe infections (tuberculosis [TB] or septic arthritis) and malignancy. Here, we used an immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) hinge as an Ab lock to cover the TNFα-binding site of Infliximab by linking it with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2/9 substrate to generate pro-Infliximab that can be specifically activated in the RA region to enhance the selectivity and safety of treatment. The Ab lock significantly inhibits the TNFα binding and reduces the anti-idiotypic (anti-Id) Ab binding to pro-Infliximab by 395-fold, 108-fold compared with Infliximab, respectively, and MMP-2/9 can completely restore the TNFα neutralizing ability of pro-Infliximab to block TNFα downstream signaling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2019
Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related death in Taiwan and worldwide. Patients with peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer have reduced overall survival and poor prognosis. Hybrid protein-inorganic nanoparticle systems have displayed multifunctional applications in solid cancer theranostics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing frequency of human exposure to PEG-related products means that healthy people are likely to have pre-existing anti-PEG antibodies (pre-αPEG Ab). However, the influence of pre-αPEG Abs on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and therapeutic efficacy of LipoDox is unknown. We generated two pre-αPEG Ab mouse models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) has been an evolutional and alternative approach of nuclear imaging in basic research. This study aimed to measure the I thyroid uptake of mouse using CLI for assessment of thyroid function. Quantification of I thyroid uptake of mice in euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid status was performed by CLI and γ-scintigraphy at 24 hours after injection of I.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiven the ever-present demand for improved PET radiotracer in oncology imaging, we have synthesized 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-6-(2-[F]fluoroethoxy)benzothiazole ([F]FEDBT), a fluorine-18-containing fluoroethylated benzothiazole to explore its utility as a PET imaging tracer. [F]FEDBT was prepared via kryptofix-mediated nucleophilic substitution of the tosyl group precursor. Fractionated ethanol-based solid-phase (SPE cartridge-based) purification afforded [F]FEDBT in 60% radiochemical yield (EOB), with radiochemical purity in excess of 98% and the specific activity was 35GBq/μmol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAttachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules to nanoparticles (PEGylation) is a widely-used method to improve the stability, biocompatibility and half-life of nanomedicines. However, the evaluation of the PEGylated nanomedicine pharmacokinetics (PK) requires the decomposition of particles and purification of lead compounds before analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry, etc. Therefore, a method to directly quantify un-decomposed PEGylated nanoparticles is needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Surgical resection is the standard treatment for localized colorectal cancer, which is the most common type of gastrointestinal cancer. However, over 40 % cases are diagnosed metastasized and apparently inoperable. Systemic chemotherapy provides an alternative to these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The enzyme-prodrug system is considered a promising tool for tumor treatment when conjugated with a targeting molecule. The asparagine-glycine-arginine (NGR) motif is a developing and interesting targeting peptide that could specifically bind to aminopeptidase N (APN), which is an NGR receptor expressed on the cell membrane of angiogenic endothelial cells and a number of tumor cells within the tumor tissues. The objective of this study was to develop a novel targeted enzyme-prodrug system using 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) and an NGR-containing peptide fused with yeast cytosine deaminase (yCD), i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe design, preparation, as well as structural and functional characterizations of the recombinant fusion protein hVEGF-EGF as a dual-functional agent that may target both EGFR (R: receptor) and angiogenesis are reported. hVEGF-EGF was found to bind to EGFR more strongly than did EGF, and to bind to VEGFR similarly to VEGF. Mass spectrometry measurements showed that the sites of DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) conjugated hVEGF-EGF (for radiolabeling) were the same as those of its parent hEGF and hVEGF proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Boronophenylalanine has been applied in clinical boron neutron capture therapy for the treatment of high-grade gliomas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of 4-borono-2-(18)F-fluoro-L-phenylalanine-fructose ((18)F-FBPA-Fr) in F98 glioma-bearing Fischer 344 rats by means of intravenous injection of (18)F-FBPA-Fr both with and without blood-brain barrier disruption (BBB-D) induced by focused ultrasound (FUS).
Methods: Dynamic PET imaging of (18)F-FBPA-Fr was performed on the ninth day after tumor implantation.
Purpose: PEGylated liposomes are important drug carriers that can passively target tumor by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect in neoplasm lesions. This study demonstrated that tumor burden determines the tumor uptake, and also the tumor response, in cancer treatment with PEGylated liposomal drugs in a C26/tk-luc colon carcinoma-bearing mouse model.
Methods: Empty PEGylated liposomes (NanoX) and those encapsulated with VNB (NanoVNB) were labeled with In-111 to obtain InNanoX and InVNBL in high labeling yield and radiochemical purity (all >90%).
The goal of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of targeted and untargeted (111)In-doxorubicin liposomes after these have been intravenously administrated to tumor-bearing mice in the presence of blood-brain barrier disruption (BBB-D) induced by focused ultrasound (FUS). An intracranial brain tumor model in NOD-scid mice using human brain glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) 8401 cells was developed in this study. (111)In-labeled human atherosclerotic plaque-specific peptide-1 (AP-1)-conjugated liposomes containing doxorubicin (Lipo-Dox; AP-1 Lipo-Dox) were used as a microSPECT probe for radioactivity measurements in the GBM-bearing mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPEGylated liposomes are important drug carriers for nanomedicine cancer therapy. PEGylated liposomes can encapsulate radio- and chemo-drugs and passively target tumor sites via enhanced permeability and retention effect. This study estimated the pharmacokinetics and dosimetry after administration of radio-chemotherapeutics ((111)In-labeled vinorelbine [VNB]-encapsulated liposomes, InVNBL, and (188)Re-labeled doxorubicin [DXR]-encapsulated liposomes, ReDXRL) for radionuclide therapy in two colon carcinoma-bearing mouse models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoliposomes are important drug carriers that can passively target tumor sites by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect in neoplasm lesions. This study evaluated the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of 111In-labeled vinorelbine (VNB)-encapsulated PEGylated liposomes (IVNBPL) after intraperitoneal (i.p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we demonstrate that interleukin-4 (IL-4) protects human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line Hep3B from apoptosis induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Further investigation of IL-4-transduced signaling pathways revealed that both insulin response substrate 1 and 2 (IRS-1/-2) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways were activated after IL-4 stimulation. The IRS-1/-2 activation was accompanied by the activation of phosphotidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), leading to Akt and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn studies of cell adhesion, migration, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis, synthetic peptides containing the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) motif have been extensively used as the inhibitors of integrin-ligand interactions. The RGD motif is an integrin-recognition motif found in many ligands, so that the RGD-containing peptides can be used to probe integrin functions in various biological systems. A linear RGD is a tripeptide consisting of a flexible structure that makes the motif bind to its receptor with inefficient chelating affinity.
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