Biodegradable Thermosensitive PLGA-PEG-PLGA Polymer for Non-irritating and Sustained Ophthalmic Drug Delivery.

Challenges of ophthalmic drug delivery arise from not only the limited solubility of hydrophobic therapeutics, but also the restricted permeability and fast clearance of drugs due to the complex anatomy and physiology of the eyes. Biodegradable thermosensitive polymer, poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide-b-ethylene glycol-b-dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) is a desirable ophthalmic drug delivery system because it can be formulated into injectable solution which forms gel in situ to provide prolonged drug release. In this study, excellent biocompatibility of blank PLGA-PEG-PLGA (1800-1500-1800) thermogel was demonstrated with insignificant difference from saline noted in rat eye enucleation test, in vivo inflammation test upon topical instillation, and subconjunctival injection.

The impact of music therapy on pain and stress reduction during oocyte retrieval - a randomized controlled trial.

Research Question: Does music therapy help in reducing pain and anxiety in women undergoing transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval (TUGOR)?

Design: In this randomized controlled open label study, 209 participants were recruited and randomized into three groups (music group, n = 70; headphone group, n = 70; control group, n = 69). Patients' psychological status was assessed using the visual analogue scale of pain (VAS-P), satisfaction of pain control, state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), Beck depression inventory (BDI), and general health questionnaire (GHQ). Stress biomarkers, including salivary alpha amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol (sCort), were measured before and after TUGOR.

Oligonucleotide-conjugated nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery via scavenger receptors class A: An in vitro assessment for proof-of-concept.

Spherical nucleic acid gold nanoparticles represent a unique nanotechnology in which the spherical arrangement of oligonucleotides enables the nanoparticles to be efficiently internalized into cells expressing scavenger receptors class A (SR-A). Herein, we seek to replace the gold core with a biodegradable polymeric construct and explore their potential applications in targeted drug delivery. Oligonucleotide-conjugated poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) was synthesized and characterized by H NMR and gel electrophoresis.

Micellar delivery of dasatinib for the inhibition of pathologic cellular processes of the retinal pigment epithelium.

The objective of this study was to fabricate dasatinib-loaded nanoparticles and evaluate their efficacy in inhibiting cellular processes of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) related to proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), for which there are no approved pharmacological approaches. We successfully encapsulated dasatinib, a poorly soluble multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor which has great potential for the treatment of PVR, into nanoparticles prepared from micellation of PEG-b-PCL. The size of the nanomicelles was approximately 55nm with a narrow distribution.

Curcumin-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for detecting amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease mice using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be performed with the assistance of amyloid imaging. The current method relies on positron emission tomography (PET), which is expensive and exposes people to radiation, undesirable features for a population screening method. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is cheaper and is not radioactive.

In vitro transport assays of rufinamide, pregabalin, and zonisamide by human P-glycoprotein.

Objective: Epilepsy is resistant to treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in about one third of epilepsy patients. AED export by P-glycoprotein (Pgp) overexpressed in the blood-brain barrier may contribute to AED resistance. The Pgp transport status of many of the recently approved AEDs remains unknown.

A novel Hsp90 inhibitor AT13387 induces senescence in EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and suppresses tumor formation.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). AT13387 is a novel heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor, which inhibits the chaperone function of Hsp90 and reduces expression of Hsp90-dependent client oncoproteins. This study aimed to evaluate both the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of AT13387 in the EBV-positive NPC cell line C666-1.

Two-photon fluorescence probes for imaging of mitochondria and lysosomes.

Novel biocompatible cyanines show not only a very large two-photon cross-section of up to 5130 GM at 910 nm in aqueous medium for high-contrast and -brightness two-photon fluorescence live cell imaging but also highly selective subcellular localization properties including localization of mitochondria and lysosomes.

Natural history and imaging of subtalar and midfoot joint disease in rheumatoid arthritis.

Foot involvement is not uncommon and occurs early in the disease course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Inflammation and ongoing synovitis of foot joints lead to joint destruction and instability, tendon dysfunction, and eventually collapse of the medial longitudinal arch and pes planovalgus that contributes to difficulty in walking and gait abnormalities. This article reviews foot-related problems in patients with RA, focusing on the prevalence, natural history and role of imaging in both diagnosis and management of midfoot and subtalar joint disease in RA.

Role of MIF/CXCL8/CXCR2 signaling in the growth of nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumor spheres.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and CXCL8 (also named IL-8) are strongly expressed in the tissues of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, their role in the growth of NPC has not been fully examined. This study aims to evaluate the functions of MIF and CXCL8 on the growth of NPC tumor spheres.

Highly selective mitochondria-targeting amphiphilic silicon(IV) phthalocyanines with axially ligated rhodamine B for photodynamic therapy.

Two axially ligated rhodamine-Si(IV)-phthalocyanine (Rh-SiPc) conjugates, bearing one and two rhodamine B, were synthesized and their linear and two-photon photophysical, subcellular localization and photocytotoxic properties were studied. These Rh-SiPc conjugates exhibited an almost exclusive mitochondrial localizing property in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (HK-1) cells and human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells. Strong photocytotoxic but low dark cytotoxic properties were also observed for the two Rh-SiPc conjugates toward the HK-1 cells.

An amphiphilic ruthenium(II)-polypyridyl appended porphyrin as potential bifunctional two-photon tumor-imaging and photodynamic therapeutic agent.

An amphiphilic porphyrin appended with a Ru(II)-polypyridyl complex (Ru-P) showing a moderate two-photon absorption cross-section (178.0+/-26.8GM), high singlet oxygen quantum yield and rapid cellular uptake was synthesized.

Targeted inhibition of the EGFR pathways enhances Zn-BC-AM PDT-induced apoptosis in well-differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a receptor often expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, is one of the recently identified molecular targets in cancer treatment. In the present study, the effects of combined treatment of Zn-BC-AM PDT with an EGFR inhibitor AG1478 were investigated. Well-differentiated NPC HK-1 cells were subjected to PDT with 1 microM of Zn-BC-AM and were irradiated at a light dose of 1 J/cm(2) in the presence or absence of EGFR inhibitor AG1478.

An interactive visualization-based approach for high throughput screening information management in drug discovery.

While high throughput screening (HTS) techniques are capable of generating large amounts of biologically significant data, assimilating and mining this information can be extremely complex and potentially crucial information patterns can easily be lost in the mounds of data. The predominantly life-science oriented scientific training of the researchers in this area furthermore, precludes their using complex querying or data-mining algorithms. Keeping in account these challenges, our goal in this paper is to provide a highly intuitive environment for storing and interacting with large amounts of HTS assay data.

Preclinical evaluation of pharmacokinetics and safety of melatonin in propylene glycol for intravenous administration.

Melatonin is a highly effective treatment in different animal models of excitotoxicity or ischemia/reperfusion injury. Due to a lack of patentability, commercial sponsors are not interested in funding clinical evaluations of melatonin. Investigators may initiate small-scale clinical evaluation, and intravenous (i.