Nanomedicines: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond

Advancing nanomedicines from concept to clinic requires integration of new science with traditional pharmaceutical development. The medical and commercial success of nanomedicines is greatly facilitated when those charged with developing nanomedicines are cognizant of the unique opportunities and technical challenges that these products present. These individuals must also be knowledgeable about the processes of clinical and product development, including regulatory considerations, to maximize the odds for successful product registration. This article outlines these topics with a goal to accelerate the combination of academic innovation with collaborative industrial scientists who understand pharmaceutical development and regulatory approval requirements—only together can they realize the full potential of nanomedicines for patients.     

Reciprocal Peer Support for Post-partum Patients with Diabetes: A Needs Assessment for the Diabetes Buddy Program

While peer support has been investigated in multiple clinical contexts, its application to the postpartum setting is unknown. The aim was to assess acceptability of a postpartum peer support program for women with diabetes. Observational survey-based needs assessment of forty low-income women with diabetes, receiving care at a major medical institution. Mean age and gravidity were 30.7 years and 3.15 ± 1.67 respectively. 45 % expressed interest in a “buddy.” There was no significant difference between groups desiring and not desiring this program. A majority of respondents desired telephone, text messaging, and in-person contacts (79.2, 72.1, 83.8 %), with 72.5 % of patients desiring diabetes-related activities during clinic waiting time. Many women desire a postpartum diabetes reciprocal peer program for support outside of clinician visits. Patients are receptive to educational services during their wait and outside of clinic time, a potentially valuable opportunity to share important health information.     

艾尔巴韦/格拉瑞韦治疗慢性丙型肝炎患者疗效初步观察

目的 初步探讨应用艾尔巴韦/格拉瑞韦治疗慢性丙型肝炎(CHC)患者的疗效。方法 2017年3月~2018年3月仙桃市第一人民医院感染病科收治的CHC患者82例,被随机分为对照组41例和观察组41例,分别给予聚乙二醇干扰素-α联合利巴韦林治疗和艾尔巴韦/格拉瑞韦治疗,两组均连续治疗24周。采用RT- PCR法检测血清 HCV RNA,采用全基因序列测定法行病毒基因分型。比较两组早期病毒学应答(EVR)、治疗结束时病毒学应答(ETVR)和持续病毒学应答(SVR)。结果 在治疗结束时,观察组血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)水平为(47.9±19.7)U/L,显著低于对照组【(63.5±21.2)U/L,P<0.05】,天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)水平为(55.5±22.3)U/L,显著低于对照组【(81.3±25.8)U/L,P<0.05】;观察组EVR、ETVR和SVR分别为48.8%、63.4%和70.7%,与对照组的41.5%、53.7%和65.8%比,无统计学差异(P>0.05);18例观察组非HCV Ⅰ型感染者EVR、ETVR和SVR分别为88.9%、94.4%和88.9%,显著高于同组23例HCV Ⅰ型感染者(分别为52.2%、60.9%和52.2%, P<0.05),而与对照组15例非HCV Ⅰ型感染者比,无统计学差异(分别为86.7%、93.3%和73.3%, P>0.05);观察组SVR₁₂为87.8%(36/41),显著高于对照组的73.2%(30/41,P<0.05)。结论 应用直接抗病毒(DAA)药物艾尔巴韦/格拉瑞韦治疗CHC患者近期疗效达到,但远期疗效似优于标准治疗方案, 值得临床进一步验证。     

Comparison Between Phenylephrine and Dopamine in Maintaining Cerebral Oxygen Saturation in Thoracic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Fluid is usually restricted during thoracic surgery, and vasoactive agents are often administered to maintain blood pressure. One-lung ventilation (OLV) decreases arterial oxygenation; thus oxygen delivery to the brain can be decreased. In this study, we compared phenylephrine and dopamine with respect to maintaining cerebral oxygenation during OLV in major thoracic surgery.Sixty-three patients undergoing lobectomies were randomly assigned to the dopamine (D) or phenylephrine (P) group. The patients’ mean arterial pressure was maintained within 20% of baseline by a continuous infusion of dopamine or phenylephrine. Maintenance fluid was kept at 5 mL/kg/h. The depth of anesthesia was maintained with desflurane 1MAC and remifentanil infusion under bispectral index guidance. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂) and hemodynamic variables were recorded using near-infrared spectroscopy and esophageal cardiac Doppler.The rScO₂ was higher in the D group than the P group during OLV (OLV 60 min: 71 ± 6% vs 63 ± 12%; P = 0.03). The number of patients whose rScO₂ dropped more than 20% from baseline was 0 and 6 in the D and P groups, respectively (P = 0.02). The D group showed higher cardiac output, but lower mean arterial pressure than the P group (4.7 ± 1.0 vs 3.9 ± 1.2 L/min; 76.7 ± 8.1 vs 84.5 ± 7.5 mm Hg; P = 0.02, P = 0.02). Among the variables, age, hemoglobin concentration, and cardiac output were associated with rScO₂ by correlation analysis.Dopamine was superior to phenylephrine in maintaining cerebral oxygenation during OLV in thoracic surgery.     

Assessment of toxicity using dehydrogenases activity and mathematical modeling

Dehydrogenase activity is frequently used to assess the general condition of microorganisms in soil and activated sludge. Many studies have investigated the inhibition of dehydrogenase activity by various compounds, including heavy metal ions. However, the time after which the measurements are carried out is often chosen arbitrarily. Thus, it can be difficult to estimate how the toxic effects of compounds vary during the reaction and when the maximum of the effect would be reached. Hence, the aim of this study was to create simple and useful mathematical model describing changes in dehydrogenase activity during exposure to substances that inactivate enzymes. Our model is based on the Lagergrens pseudo-first-order equation, the rate of chemical reactions, enzyme activity, and inactivation and was created to describe short-term changes in dehydrogenase activity. The main assumption of our model is that toxic substances cause irreversible inactivation of enzyme units. The model is able to predict the maximum direct toxic effect (MDTE) and the time to reach this maximum (T_MDTE). In order to validate our model, we present two examples: inactivation of dehydrogenase in microorganisms in soil and activated sludge. The model was applied successfully for cadmium and copper ions. Our results indicate that the predicted MDTE and T_MDTE are more appropriate than EC₅₀ and IC₅₀ for toxicity assessments, except for long exposure times.