IL-10 producing regulatory B cells are decreased in blood from smokers and COPD patients.

Background: Two opposing B cell subsets have been defined based on their cytokine profile: IL-6 producing effector B cells (B-effs) versus IL-10 producing regulatory B cells (B-regs) that respectively positively or negatively regulate immune responses. B-regs are decreased and/or impaired in many autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions. Since there is increasing evidence that links B cells and B cell-rich lymphoid follicles to the pathogenesis of COPD, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence and function of B-regs in COPD.

Effect of polymorphism rs1799752 on protein levels of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor, in alveolar lung epithelium.

https://bit.ly/3k6aAE8.

Expression of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor, in Lung Tissue of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Increased expression of pulmonary ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, could contribute to increased infectivity of COVID-19 in patients with diabetes, but ACE2 expression has not been studied in lung tissue of subjects with diabetes. We therefore studied ACE2 mRNA and protein expression in lung tissue samples of subjects with and without diabetes that were collected between 2002 and 2020 from patients undergoing lobectomy for lung tumors. For RT-PCR analyses, samples from 15 subjects with diabetes were compared with 91 randomly chosen control samples.

Increased expression of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor, in alveolar and bronchial epithelium of smokers and COPD subjects.

https://bit.ly/2ZazOrd

Psychopathy and Corticostriatal Connectivity: The Link to Criminal Behavior in Methamphetamine Dependence.

Methamphetamine use and psychopathy are associated with criminal behavior; however, it is unclear how methamphetamine use and psychopathy interact to promote violent, economic and drug offenses. Abnormalities in corticostriatal functional connectivity are exhibited in both psychopathic and methamphetamine dependent individuals, which may contribute to criminal behavior through maladaptive and impulsive decision-making processes. This study shows that psychopathic traits contribute to weaker corticostriatal connectivity in methamphetamine dependence and contributes to an increase in criminal behavior.

Heterotelechelic polymer prodrug nanoparticles: Adaptability to different drug combinations and influence of the dual functionalization on the cytotoxicity.

Well-defined, heterotelechelic polymer prodrugs for combination therapy were synthesized by using a combination of the "drug-initiated" nitroxide-mediated polymerization from a gemcitabine-alkoxyamine initiator and the nitroxide exchange reaction using TEMPO-bearing drugs to end-cap the drug-polymer chain-end by a second drug. This methodology was successfully applied to two different clinically relevant combinations, gemcitabine/doxorubicin (Gem/Dox) and gemcitabine/lapatinib (Gem/Lap), showing a certain degree of universality of the synthetic methodology. It also represented the first nanocarrier for the co-delivery of Gem and Lap ever reported.