Publications by authors named "Zana A"

Background: While literature is abundant on the negative mental health impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, few studies focus on the Central and Eastern European region.

Objectives: We examined stress, burnout, and sleeping troubles among mental health professionals in the context of psychosocial risk factors related to participation in COVID care during the fourth and fifth waves.

Materials And Methods: Mental health professionals (N=268) completed an online cross-sectional survey in Hungary, between November 2021 and April 2022.

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  • * The study focuses on non-internalizing OncoFAP-based SMDCs that release anti-cancer agents like monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) in the tumor microenvironment after FAP-targeted proteolytic cleavage.
  • * Among the tested formulations, OncoFAP-GlyPro-MMAE demonstrated strong anti-tumor activity in both cellular and stromal models, leading to its selection for further clinical development.
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  • - Immune-stimulating antibody conjugates (ISACs) use imidazoquinoline (IMD) payloads to activate the immune system against cancer cells, resulting in prolonged anticancer effects.
  • - A new ISAC was developed with Resiquimod (R848), a specific antibody for Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX), and a special linker designed to release the drug in the presence of certain enzymes and acidic environments.
  • - Stability tests revealed that while the linker can break down, the IgG antibody effectively targets tumors and remains in circulation for an extended period, indicating its potential for targeted cancer therapy.
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Background: In our experience, working with a therapy animal strengthens endurance, maintains motivation, provides a sense of achievement, and boosts overall mental resilience. The aims of this work were to summarize the results of quantitative research on the possibilities of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) among people with neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases and to attempt to assess the effects of animal-assisted interventions in an objective manner and to find supporting evidence based on published literature.

Methods: Our target groups are people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.

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Background: In this study, we examined psychiatric teams in a Hungarian sample before the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of our research is to examine Hungarian psychiatric teams along different workplace psychosocial factors (collaboration management, organization and job, workplace requirements, work-life balance, trust, health and well-being) in order to assess them in terms of hierarchy and competence. Moreover we examine the mental and somatic effects of these factors.

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Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic has focused attention on the importance of critical care and highlighted the shortage of critical care specialists. Due to increasing workloads and high mortality rates, healthcare professionals were exposed to higher levels of physical and psychological stress during the pandemic than before.

Objective: Our study investigated the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the emotional, mental and moral stress of intensive care professionals.

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We studied the antitumor efficacy of a combination of Lu-labeled radioligand therapeutics targeting the fibroblast activation protein (FAP) (OncoFAP and BiOncoFAP) with the antibody-cytokine fusion protein L19-interleukin 2 (L19-IL2) providing targeted delivery of interleukin 2 to tumors. The biodistribution of Lu-OncoFAP and Lu-BiOncoFAP at different molar amounts (3 vs. 250 nmol/kg) of injected ligand was studied via SPECT/CT in mice bearing subcutaneous HT-1080.

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We present the first comparative evaluation of chemically defined antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), small molecule-drug conjugates (SMDCs), and peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) targeting and activated by fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in solid tumors. Both the SMDC (OncoFAP-Gly-Pro-MMAE) and the ADC (7NP2-Gly-Pro-MMAE) candidates delivered high amounts of active payload (i.e.

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  • Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a key enzyme in cancer metabolism and is being targeted for new cancer treatments.* -
  • A spirocyclic compound named 11 shows faster reactivity in inactivating human GAPDH than existing inhibitors and selectively targets the enzyme's active site.* -
  • Compound 11 has been shown to effectively reduce growth in pancreatic cancer cells, indicating its potential as a promising anticancer agent due to its ability to inhibit GAPDH.*
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  • Chiral compounds, like 3-Br-acivicin (3-BA), are crucial because their specific shape (stereochemistry) greatly influences their biological effects, particularly in the case of antimalarial activity.
  • Among the various isomers and derivatives of 3-BA synthesized and tested, only the (5, α) isomers showed significant effectiveness against malaria, likely due to their ability to be absorbed by the L-amino acid transport system.
  • Additionally, the research indicated that the interaction of these isomers with the enzyme GAPDH is key to their mechanism of action, highlighting that the stereochemistry of the compounds is vital for both binding efficiency and overall biological activity.
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Purpose: Small molecule drug conjugates (SMDC) are modular anticancer prodrugs that include a tumor-targeting small organic ligand, a cleavable linker, and a potent cytotoxic agent. Most of the SMDC products that have been developed for clinical applications target internalizing tumor-associated antigens on the surface of tumor cells. We have recently described a novel non-internalizing small organic ligand (named OncoFAP) of fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed in the stroma of most solid human malignancies.

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FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals represent a breakthrough in cancer imaging and a viable option for therapeutic applications. OncoFAP is an ultra-high-affinity ligand of FAP with a dissociation constant of 680 pM. OncoFAP has been recently discovered and clinically validated for PET imaging procedures in patients with solid malignancies.

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Nuclear medicine plays a key role in modern diagnosis and cancer therapy. The development of tumor-targeting radionuclide conjugates (also named small molecule-radio conjugates (SMRCs)) represents a significant improvement over the clinical use of metabolic radiotracers (e.g.

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Imaging procedures based on small-molecule radioconjugates targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) have recently emerged as a powerful tool for the diagnosis of a wide variety of tumors. However, the therapeutic potential of radiolabeled FAP-targeting agents is limited by their short residence time in neoplastic lesions. In this work, we present the development and in vivo characterization of BiOncoFAP, a new dimeric FAP-binding motif with an extended tumor residence time and favorable tumor-to-organ ratio.

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Purpose: The fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is an emerging target for molecular imaging and therapy in cancer. OncoFAP is a novel small organic ligand for FAP with very high affinity. In this translational study, we establish [Ga]Ga-OncoFAP-DOTAGA (Ga-OncoFAP) radiolabeling, benchmark its properties in preclinical imaging, and evaluate its application in clinical PET scanning.

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Starting from the structure of previously reported 3-Br-isoxazoline-based covalent inhibitors of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and with the intent to improve their metabolic stability and antimalarial activity, we designed and synthesized a series of simplified analogues that are characterized by the insertion of the oxadiazole ring as a bioisosteric replacement for the metabolically labile ester/amide function. We then further replaced the oxadiazole ring with a series of five-membered heterocycles and finally combined the most promising structural features. All the new derivatives were tested in vitro for antimalarial as well as antileishmanial activity.

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We describe the development of OncoFAP, an ultra-high-affinity ligand of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) for targeting applications with pan-tumoral potential. OncoFAP binds to human FAP with affinity in the subnanomolar concentration range and cross-reacts with the murine isoform of the protein. We generated various fluorescent and radiolabeled derivatives of OncoFAP in order to study biodistribution properties and tumor-targeting performance in preclinical models.

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Small molecule-drug conjugates (SMDCs) represent an alternative to conventional antitumor chemotherapeutic agents, with the potential to improve the therapeutic window of cytotoxic payloads through active delivery at the site of the disease. In this article, we describe novel combination therapies consisting of anti-carbonic anhydrase IX SMDCs combined with different immunomodulatory products. The therapeutic effect of the SMDCs was potentiated by combination with PD-1 blockade and with tumor-homing antibody-cytokine fusions in mouse models of renal cell carcinoma and colorectal cancer.

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Targeting glycolysis is an attractive approach for the treatment of a wide range of pathologies, such as various tumors and parasitic infections. Due to its pivotal role in the glycolysis, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) represents a rate-limiting enzyme in those cells that mostly, or exclusively rely on this pathway for energy production. In this context, GAPDH inhibition can be a valuable approach for the development of anticancer and antiparasitic drugs.

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Several concepts for platinum-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are presented that exceed the US Department of Energy targets for Pt-related ORR mass activity. Most concepts achieve their high ORR activity by increasing the Pt specific activity at the expense of a lower electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). In the potential region controlled by kinetics, such a lower ECSA is counterbalanced by the high specific activity.

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A fast, simple, instrument-free room temperature synthesis of stable electroactive surfactant-free colloidal Pt nanoparticles in alkaline methanol and methanol-water mixtures is presented. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis suggests that methoxy substitution of chloride ligands from HPtCl occurs in methanol. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies and UV-vis measurements show that solutions of HPtCl in methanol age and are reduced to Pt(II) species over time.

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Understanding the formation of nanoparticles (NPs) is key to develop materials by sustainable routes. The Co4Cat process is a new synthesis of precious metal NPs in alkaline mono-alcohols well-suited to develop active nanocatalysts. The synthesis is 'facile', surfactant-free and performed under mild conditions like low temperature.

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The high costs of polymer membrane electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs) remain a roadblock for a competitive market with combustion engine vehicles. The PEMFC costs can be reduced by decreasing the size of Pt nanoparticles in the catalyst layer, thereby increasing the Pt dispersion and utilization. Furthermore, high-power performance loss due to O transport resistance is alleviated by decreasing the particle size and increasing dispersion.

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Background: Voluntary work plays a significant role in hospice care, but international research has mainly been conducted on the mental health and fear of death of paid hospice staff. The aim of the present study was to compare the Hungarian hospice volunteers with paid employees with regard to attitudes and fear of death, as well as mental health in order to see their role in hospice work and their psychological well-being more clearly.

Methods: The target population of the cross-sectional questionnaire study was hospice care providers in Hungary (N = 1255).

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According to national hospice data in Hungary, approximately 1,600 healthcare employees and volunteers work in hospice care (country population of 9.9 million). The aim of the study was to identify and examine influential relationships among several variables that may affect well-being among female hospice workers.

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