Mucus permeating carriers: formulation and characterization of highly densely charged nanoparticles.

The GI mucus layer represents a significant block to drug carriers absorption. Taking an example from nature, virus-mimicking nanoparticles (NPs) with highly densely charged surface were designed with the aim to improve their mucus permeation ability. NPs were formulated by combining chitosan with chondroitin sulfate and were characterized by particle size, ζ-potential and hydrophobicity.

Breath analysis for in vivo detection of pathogens related to ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care patients: a prospective pilot study.

Existing methods for the early detection of infections in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients at intensive care units (ICUs) are unsatisfactory. Here we present an exploratory study assessing the feasibility of breath VOC analyses for the non-invasive detection of pathogens in the lower respiratory tract of ventilated patients. An open uncontrolled clinical pilot study was performed by enrolling 28 mechanically ventilated (MV) patients with severe intracranial disease, being at risk for the development of or already with confirmed ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Pharmacology of cognitive enhancers for exposure-based therapy of fear, anxiety and trauma-related disorders.

Pathological fear and anxiety are highly debilitating and, despite considerable advances in psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy they remain insufficiently treated in many patients with PTSD, phobias, panic and other anxiety disorders. Increasing preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that pharmacological treatments including cognitive enhancers, when given as adjuncts to psychotherapeutic approaches [cognitive behavioral therapy including extinction-based exposure therapy] enhance treatment efficacy, while using anxiolytics such as benzodiazepines as adjuncts can undermine long-term treatment success. The purpose of this review is to outline the literature showing how pharmacological interventions targeting neurotransmitter systems including serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, histamine, glutamate, GABA, cannabinoids, neuropeptides (oxytocin, neuropeptides Y and S, opioids) and other targets (neurotrophins BDNF and FGF2, glucocorticoids, L-type-calcium channels, epigenetic modifications) as well as their downstream signaling pathways, can augment fear extinction and strengthen extinction memory persistently in preclinical models.

Reacquisition of cocaine conditioned place preference and its inhibition by previous social interaction preferentially affect D1-medium spiny neurons in the accumbens corridor.

We investigated if counterconditioning with dyadic (i.e., one-to-one) social interaction, a strong inhibitor of the subsequent reacquisition of cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP), differentially modulates the activity of the diverse brain regions oriented along a mediolateral corridor reaching from the interhemispheric sulcus to the anterior commissure, i.

Xylem and phloem phenology in co-occurring conifers exposed to drought.

Key Message:

Abstract: The focus of this study was to determine temporal dynamics of xylem and phloem formation in co-occurring deciduous and evergreen coniferous species in a dry inner Alpine environment (750 m a.s.l.

Radial stem growth in response to microclimate and soil moisture in a drought-prone mixed coniferous forest at an inner Alpine site.

Dendroclimatological studies in a dry inner Alpine environment (750 m a.s.l.

Environmental effects on stem water deficit in co-occurring conifers exposed to soil dryness.

We monitored dynamics of stem water deficit (ΔW) and needle water potential (Ψ) during two consecutive growing seasons (2011 and 2012) in a dry inner Alpine environment (750 m above sea level, Tyrol, Austria), where Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Larix decidua form mixed stands. ΔW was extracted from stem circumference variations, which were continuously recorded by electronic band dendrometers (six trees per species) and correlations with environmental variables were performed. Results revealed that (i) ΔW reached highest and lowest values in P.

Assessment of the exhalation kinetics of volatile cancer biomarkers based on their physicochemical properties.

The current review provides an assessment of the exhalation kinetics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have been linked with cancer. Towards this end, we evaluate various physicochemical properties, such as 'breath:air' and 'blood:fat' partition coefficients, of 112 VOCs that have been suggested over the past decade as potential markers of cancer. With these data, we show that the cancer VOC concentrations in the blood and in the fat span over 12 and 8 orders of magnitude, respectively, in order to provide a specific counterpart concentration in the exhaled breath (e.

Comparing growth phenology of co-occurring deciduous and evergreen conifers exposed to drought.

Plant phenological events are influenced by climate factors such as temperature and rainfall. To evaluate phenological responses to water availability in a Spring Heath-Pine wood (Erico-Pinetum typicum), the focus of this study was to determine intra-annual dynamics of apical and lateral growth of co-occurring early successional and and late successional exposed to drought. The effect of reduced plant water availability on growth phenology was investigated by conducting a rainfall exclusion experiment.

Imbricaric acid and perlatolic acid: multi-targeting anti-inflammatory depsides from Cetrelia monachorum.

In vitro screening of 17 Alpine lichen species for their inhibitory activity against 5-lipoxygenase, microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 and nuclear factor kappa B revealed Cetrelia monachorum (Zahlbr.) W.L.

Lanthanide-IMAC enrichment of carbohydrates and polyols.

In this study a new type of immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography resin for the enrichment of carbohydrates and polyols was synthesized by radical polymerization reaction of vinyl phosphonic acid and 1,4-butandiole dimethacrylate using azo-bis-isobutyronitrile as radical initiator. Interaction between the chelated trivalent lanthanide ions and negatively charged hydroxyl groups of carbohydrates and polyols was observed by applying high pH values. The new method was evaluated by single standard solutions, mixtures of standards, honey and a more complex extract of Cynara scolymus.

Dyadic social interaction as an alternative reward to cocaine.

Individuals suffering from substance use disorders often show severely impaired social interaction, preferring drugs of abuse to the contact with others. Their impaired social interaction is doubly harmful for them as (1) therapy itself is based and dependent on social interaction and as (2) social interaction is not available to them as an "alternative", i.e.

Age-dependent climate-growth relationships and regeneration of in a drought-prone mixed coniferous forest in the Alps.

Within dry inner Alpine environments climate warming is expected to affect the development of forest ecosystems by changing species composition and inducing shifts in forest distribution. By applying dendroecological techniques we evaluated climate sensitivity of radial growth and establishment of in a drought-prone mixed-coniferous forest in the Austrian Alps. Time series of annual increments were developed from > 220 trees and assigned to four age classes.

Drought sensitivity of three co-occurring conifers within a dry inner Alpine environment.

We applied dendroclimatological techniques to determine long-term stationarity of climate-growth relationships and recent growth trends of three widespread coniferous tree species of the central Austrian Alps, which grow intermixed at dry-mesic sites within a dry inner Alpine environment (750 m asl). Time series of annual increments were developed from > 120 mature trees of and . Calculation of response functions for the period 1911 - 2009 revealed significant differences among species in response to climate variables.

MALDI-MS tissue imaging identification of biliverdin reductase B overexpression in prostate cancer.

Unlabelled: New biomarkers are needed to improve the specificity of prostate cancer detection and characterisation of individual tumors. In a proteomics profiling approach using MALDI-MS tissue imaging on frozen tissue sections, we identified discriminating masses. Imaging analysis of cancer, non-malignant benign epithelium and stromal areas of 15 prostatectomy specimens in a test and 10 in a validation set identified characteristic m/z peaks for each tissue type, e.

Late Pleistocene climate change and landscape dynamics in the Eastern Alps: the inner-alpine Unterangerberg record (Austria).

Drill cores from the inner-alpine valley terrace of Unterangerberg, located in the Eastern Alps of Austria, offer first insights into a Pleistocene sedimentary record that was not accessible so far. The succession comprises diamict, gravel, sand, lignite and thick, fine grained sediments. Additionally, cataclastic deposits originating from two paleo-landslide events are present.

Development and in vitro evaluation of slippery nanoparticles for enhanced diffusion through native mucus.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the mucus-penetrating properties of neutral nanoparticles comprising poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine) (PAM).

Materials & Methods: PAA and PAM nanoparticles were prepared on the basis of ionic interactions between the two polymers. Nanoparticles were characterized by particle size as well as surface charge.

Design and in vitro evaluation of a novel polymeric excipient for buccal applications.

Background: The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a more effective mucoadhesive thiomer for buccal drug-delivery systems.

Methods: 2-iminothiolane was covalently attached to a chitosan backbone. A preactivation step followed, mediated by 6,6´dithionicotinamide, thiol groups were modified by disulfide bonds formation.

A new type of metal chelate affinity chromatography using trivalent lanthanide ions for phosphopeptide enrichment.

In this study, a new type of immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) resin for the isolation of phosphopeptides was synthesized which is based on the specific interaction between phosphate groups and chelated lanthanide metal ions. In this regard trivalent lanthanum, holmium and erbium ions were chelated to a highly porous phosphonate polymer which was prepared by radical polymerization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) and divinylbenzene (DVB). The developed method was evaluated with peptide mixtures from digested standard proteins (α-casein, β-casein and ovalbumin) as well as with bovine milk, egg white and a spiked HeLa cell lysate.

Working memory and its relation to deterministic sequence learning.

Is there a relation between working memory (WM) and incidental sequence learning? Nearly all of the earlier investigations in the role of WM capacity (WMC) in sequence learning suggest no correlations in incidental learning conditions. However, the theoretical view of WM and operationalization of WMC made strong progress in recent years. The current study related performance in a coordination and transformation task to sequence knowledge in a four-choice incidental deterministic serial reaction time (SRT) task and a subsequent free generation task.

Behavioral and neurobiological effects of deep brain stimulation in a mouse model of high anxiety- and depression-like behavior.

Increasing evidence suggests that high-frequency deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens (NAcb-DBS) may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for individuals suffering from treatment-resistant depression, although the underlying mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. In this study, using a unique mouse model of enhanced depression- and anxiety-like behavior (HAB), we investigated behavioral and neurobiological effects of NAcb-DBS. HAB mice either underwent chronic treatment with one of three different selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or received NAcb-DBS for 1 h per day for 7 consecutive days.

Thiolated hydroxyethyl cellulose: design and in vitro evaluation of mucoadhesive and permeation enhancing nanoparticles.

Within this study, HEC-cysteamine nanoparticles with free thiol groups in the range of 117-1548 μmol/g were designed and characterized. Nanoparticles were generated via ionic gelation of the cationic polymer with tripolyphosphate (TPP) followed by covalent crosslinking via disulfide bond formation using H2O2 as oxidant. The mean diameter of the particles was in the range of 270-360 nm, and zeta potential was determined to be +4 to +10 mV.

Enzymatic degradation of thiolated chitosan.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biodegradability of thiolated chitosans in comparison to unmodified chitosan. Mediated by carbodiimide, thioglycolic acid (TGA) and mercaptonicotinic acid (MNA) were covalently attached to chitosan via formation an amide bond. Applying two different concentrations of carbodiimide 50 and 100 mM, two chitosan TGA conjugates (TGA A and TGA B) were obtained.

Copper inclusion in cellulose using sodium D-gluconate complexes.

Copper containing cellulose material is of growing interest, e.g. offering alternative in the field of antimicrobials.