Combined drug delivery and treatment monitoring using a single high frequency ultrasound system.

Ultrasound-mediated drug delivery is typically performed using transducers with center frequencies 1 MHz to promote acoustic cavitation. Such frequencies are not commonly used for diagnostic ultrasound due to limited spatial resolution. Therefore, delivery and monitoring of therapeutic ultrasound typically requires two transducers to enable both treatment and imaging.

Ultrasound-Triggered Delivery of Iproplatin from Microbubble-Conjugated Liposomes.

The Pt prodrug iproplatin has been actively loaded into liposomes using a calcium acetate gradient, achieving a 3-fold enhancement in drug concentration compared to passive loading strategies. A strain-promoted cycloaddition reaction (azide- dibenzocyclooctyne) was used to attach iproplatin-loaded liposomes L(Pt) to gas-filled microbubbles (M), forming an ultrasound-responsive drug delivery vehicle [M-L(Pt)]. Ultrasound-triggered release of iproplatin from the microbubble-liposome construct was evaluated in cellulo.

Scaleable production of microbubbles using an ultrasound-modulated microfluidic device.

Surfactant-coated gas microbubbles are widely used as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging and increasingly in therapeutic applications. The response of microbubbles to ultrasound can be strongly influenced by their size and coating properties, and hence the production method. Ultrasonic emulsification (sonication) is the most commonly employed method and can generate high concentrations of microbubbles rapidly, but with a broad size distribution, and there is a risk of contamination and/or degradation of sensitive components.

Combining sonodynamic therapy with chemoradiation for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Treatment options for patients with pancreatic cancer are limited and survival prospects have barely changed over the past 4 decades. Chemoradiation treatment (CRT) has been used as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with borderline resectable disease to reduce tumour burden and increase the proportion of patients eligible for surgery. Antimetabolite drugs such as gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil are known to sensitise pancreatic tumours to radiation treatment.

Evaluation of Loading Strategies to Improve Tumor Uptake of Gemcitabine in a Murine Orthotopic Bladder Cancer Model Using Ultrasound and Microbubbles.

In this study we compared three different microbubble-based approaches to the delivery of a widely used chemotherapy drug, gemcitabine: (i) co-administration of gemcitabine and microbubbles (Gem+MB); (ii) conjugates of microbubbles and gemcitabine-loaded liposomes (GemlipoMB); and (iii) microbubbles with gemcitabine directly bound to their surfaces (GembioMB). Both in vitro and in vivo investigations were carried out, respectively, in the RT112 bladder cancer cell line and in a murine orthotopic muscle-invasive bladder cancer model. The in vitro (in vivo) ultrasound exposure conditions were a 1 (1.

Effects of creep feeding and its interactions with other factors on the performance of meat goat kids and dams when managed on pasture.

Creep feeding and its possible interactions with other influential factors (genetics, litter type, and sex) for weaning traits were studied in meat goat kids and their dams. Kids across 3 yr were creep fed (254 kids; 5 pens) or not creep fed (255 kids; 5 pens) from 30 to 90 d of age. Creep-fed kids had higher ( ≤ 0.

Spontaneous Appearance and Transmission of Polydactyly in Dexter Cattle.

A 3-yr-old Dexter cow and her yearling Dexter heifer calf exhibited polydactyly. Neither animal was linebred within 5 generations. This cow-calf pair represented the first reported occurrence of polydactyly in Dexter cattle in the US or abroad.

Spectral Imaging for Microbubble Characterization.

Microbubbles stabilized by an outer lipid shell have been studied extensively for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The shell composition can significantly influence microbubble behavior, but performing quantitative measurements of shell properties is challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of spectral imaging to characterize the surface properties of a range of microbubble formulations representing both commercial and research agents.

Manganese-free chow, a refined non-invasive solution to reduce gastrointestinal signal for T-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the mouse abdomen.

Commercial mouse chow is designed to provide a complete, nutrient-rich diet, and it can contain upwards of 100 mg/kg manganese, an essential mineral. Manganese acts as a relaxation time-shortening contrast agent for both T and T, and where standard chow is hydrated in the gastrointestinal tract, bright signals are produced when using T-weighted imaging (TWI). As a result of peristalsis, gastrointestinal hyperintensities result in temporally unstable signals, leading to image ghosting and decreased resolution from that prescribed.

Mouse Models of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Key Considerations for Clinical Translation Based on Molecular Subtypes.

Context: In the past few years, research has suggested that molecular subtypes in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) may be exploited to accelerate developments in clinical disease management and novel therapeutics.

Objective: To review MIBC mouse models from a molecular subtype perspective, their advantages and limitations, and their applications in translational medicine, based on a PubMed search for publications from January 2000 to February 2018.

Evidence Acquisition: Publications relevant to MIBC mouse models and their molecular subtypes were identified in a literature review.

The Role of PEG-40-stearate in the Production, Morphology, and Stability of Microbubbles.

Phospholipid coated microbubbles are currently in widespread clinical use as ultrasound contrast agents and under investigation for therapeutic applications. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the coating nanostructure in determining microbubble stability and its dependence upon both composition and processing method. While the influence of different phospholipids has been widely investigated, the role of other constituents such as emulsifiers has received comparatively little attention.

Influence of crossbreeding on meat goat doe fitness when comparing Boer F1 with base breeds in the Southeastern United States.

Understanding fitness level among various breeds is essential for sustainable meat goat production. Research on the relative fitness of Boer F1 does and straightbred base breed has been limited. Meat goat does of various genotypes (Boer, Kiko, Spanish, Boer × Kiko reciprocal F1 crosses, and Boer × Spanish reciprocal F1 crosses) were studied to evaluate breed effects on doe fitness traits and the expression of heterosis over 7 production years.

Drug Delivery Strategies for Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

Few chemotherapeutics have had such an impact on cancer management as cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum(II) (CDDP), also known as cisplatin. The first member of the platinum-based drug family, CDDP's potent toxicity in disrupting DNA replication has led to its widespread use in multidrug therapies, with particular benefit in patients with testicular cancers. However, CDDP also produces significant side effects that limit the maximum systemic dose.

Electrohydrodynamic fabrication of core-shell PLGA nanoparticles with controlled release of cisplatin for enhanced cancer treatment.

Increasing the clinical efficacy of toxic chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin (CDDP), via targeted drug delivery, is a key area of research in cancer treatment. In this study, CDDP-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully prepared using electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA). The configuration was varied to control the distribution of CDDP within the particles, and high encapsulation efficiency (>70%) of the drug was achieved.

Spectral imaging toolbox: segmentation, hyperstack reconstruction, and batch processing of spectral images for the determination of cell and model membrane lipid order.

Background: Spectral imaging with polarity-sensitive fluorescent probes enables the quantification of cell and model membrane physical properties, including local hydration, fluidity, and lateral lipid packing, usually characterized by the generalized polarization (GP) parameter. With the development of commercial microscopes equipped with spectral detectors, spectral imaging has become a convenient and powerful technique for measuring GP and other membrane properties. The existing tools for spectral image processing, however, are insufficient for processing the large data sets afforded by this technological advancement, and are unsuitable for processing images acquired with rapidly internalized fluorescent probes.

Characterization of Contrast Agent Microbubbles for Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy Research.

The high efficiency with which gas microbubbles can scatter ultrasound compared with the surrounding blood pool or tissues has led to their widespread employment as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging. In recent years, their applications have been extended to include super-resolution imaging and the stimulation of localized bio-effects for therapy. The growing exploitation of contrast agents in ultrasound and in particular these recent developments have amplified the need to characterize and fully understand microbubble behavior.

Blepharochalasis: something to cry about.

Blepharochalasis is a rare disorder of unknown etiology defined by loose, atrophic periorbital skin following recurrent episodes of eyelid edema. Characteristic histopathology shows complete absence of elastic fibers. The current case progressed after multiple episodes of crying, which may be related to matrix metalloproteinase dysregulation.

Dermatology Interest Groups in Medical Schools.

Involvement in a Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) allows students to learn about dermatology, partake in service projects, get involved in research, and ask questions about the application process for residency programs. In this article, we review the activities and member involvement of DIGs from 11 medical schools. To our knowledge, this is the first descriptive analysis of DIGs across the United States.

Electrohydrodynamic encapsulation of cisplatin in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery.

Targeted delivery of potent, toxic chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, is a significant area of research in cancer treatment. In this study, cisplatin was successfully encapsulated with high efficiency (>70%) in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) polymeric nanoparticles by using electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) where applied voltage and solution flow rate as well as the concentration of cisplatin and polymer were varied to control the size of the particles. Thus, nanoparticles were produced with three different drug:polymer ratios (2.

Facile and cost-effective production of microscale PDMS architectures using a combined micromilling-replica moulding (μMi-REM) technique.

We describe a cost-effective and simple method to fabricate PDMS-based microfluidic devices by combining micromilling with replica moulding technology. It relies on the following steps: (i) microchannels are milled in a block of acrylic; (ii) low-cost epoxy adhesive resin is poured over the milled acrylic block and allowed to cure; (iii) the solidified resin layer is peeled off the acrylic block and used as a mould for transferring the microchannel architecture onto a PDMS layer; finally (iv) the PDMS layer is plasma bonded to a glass surface. With this method, microscale architectures can be fabricated without the need for advanced technological equipment or laborious and time-consuming intermediate procedures.

In vivo acoustic super-resolution and super-resolved velocity mapping using microbubbles.

The structure of microvasculature cannot be resolved using standard clinical ultrasound (US) imaging frequencies due to the fundamental diffraction limit of US waves. In this work, we use a standard clinical US system to perform in vivo sub-diffraction imaging on a CD1, female mouse aged eight weeks by localizing isolated US signals from microbubbles flowing within the ear microvasculature, and compare our results to optical microscopy. Furthermore, we develop a new technique to map blood velocity at super-resolution by tracking individual bubbles through the vasculature.