Five-year clinical outcomes using the bioresorbable vascular scaffold: Insights from the FRANCE ABSORB registry

Central illustration: cumulative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) thrombosis rates after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years.

     

Evaluation of vilazodone for the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders

Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) significantly contribute to the global burden of disease. Vilazodone, a combined serotonin reuptake inhibitor and 5-HT1A partial agonist, is an approved therapy for the treatment of MDD and which has been further investigated for GAD.

Areas covered: This article covers the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vilazodone and provides an evaluation of the clinical usefulness of vilazodone for the treatment of MDD and anxiety disorders. A literature search was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library.

Expert opinion: Studies have shown that vilazodone is significantly superior to placebo. However, vilazodone cannot as yet be recommended as a first-line treatment option for MDD as it is unclear whether the drug’s dual mechanism of action provides greater efficacy than prevailing treatment options. Moreover, more phase IV studies are needed to establish its efficacy and long-term safety in larger and more diverse populations. Although vilazodone may have an additional advantage for the treatment of anxiety symptoms in MDD, here also additional studies are required to confirm its efficacy over and above SSRI alternatives and other antidepressant treatments. Therefore, presently, vilazodone should be considered as a second- or third-line treatment option for MDD and GAD.     

含有黄嘌呤衍生物的N-杂环卡宾金属配合物的生物活性研究进展

N-杂环卡宾(NHC)是一类多功能的配体,能够与过渡金属形成稳定的配位化合物,在催化、药学和材料科学等领域有着广泛的应用。黄嘌呤衍生物具有抗肿瘤转移和抗血管生成等生物活性,且结构易于修饰。将黄嘌呤衍生的NHC配体与过渡金属相结合有望得到具有全新生物活性的金属配合物。综述黄嘌呤衍生物的生物活性,以及黄嘌呤衍生的NHC金属配合物的结构特点和生物活性,并对黄嘌呤NHC金属配合物的研究进行了总结和展望,以期为进一步的研究提供参考。     

Quantification of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor Binding in Depressed Suicide Attempters and Non-Attempters

Objective: To determine serotonin system abnormalities related to major depression or previous suicidal behavior.

Methods: [¹¹C]WAY100635, [¹⁸F]altanserin and positron emission tomography were used to compare 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A binding in MDD patients divided into eight past suicide attempters (>4yrs prior to scanning) and eight lifetime non-attempters, and both groups were compared to eight healthy volunteers.

Results: The two receptor types differed in binding pattern across brain regions from each other, but there were no differences in binding between healthy volunteers and the two depressed groups or between depressed suicide attempters and non-attempters. No effects of depression severity or lifetime aggression were observed for either receptor.

Conclusion: Limitations of this study include small sample size and absence of high lethality suicide attempts in the depressed attempter group. No trait-like binding correlations with past suicide attempt or current depression were observed. Given the heterogeneity of nonfatal suicidal behavior, a larger sample study emphasizing higher lethality suicide attempts may find the serotonin biological phenotype seen in suicide decedents.     

下肢复杂骨折交锁髓内钉治疗粉碎骨折螺钉辅助固定的意义

[目的]探索在交锁髓内钉治疗下肢复杂骨折中粉碎骨折块辅助固定的意义。[方法]下肢复杂骨折78例根据AO分型均为C型骨折，通过交锁髓内钉内固定，辅以拉力螺钉固定。[结果]术后摄片骨折及骨折块达解剖或功能复位，随诊6～24个月，优良率为94．88％（74／78例）。[结论]四肢复杂骨折治疗中，粉碎骨折块的螺钉辅助固定能够加强交锁髓内钉的稳定性，减少断钉、断棒现象，有利于骨折愈合。     

胸大肌肌皮瓣在口腔颌面部缺损修复中的应用

报道２１９例口腔颌面部肿瘤，其中良性肿瘤１８例，恶性肿瘤２０１例，在肿瘤切除后，均采用胸大肌肌皮瓣修复缺损。采用单皮岛肌皮瓣２０１例，双皮岛肌皮瓣１６例，肌皮骨瓣２例。成功２０１例，失败１８例。讨论了胸大肌皮瓣的优点及适用范围。介绍了手术设计、操作方法。分析了成功与失败的影响因素，认为正确，精细的手术技巧是成功的关键因素。     

The human major histocompatibility complex class Ib molecule HLA-E binds signal sequence-derived peptides with primary anchor residues at positions 2 and 9

Human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) and mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ib antigen, Qa-1, share the same substitutions at two normally conserved positions 143 and 147, which are likely to affect binding of the C terminus of peptides. Qa-1 is able to bind a peptide derived from the leader sequence of H-2 D and H-2 L molecules. We developed a peptide binding assay in vitro to compare the binding specificity of HLA-E with the mouse MHC class Ib molecule Qa-1. We demonstrate that HLA-E binds, although poorly, the peptide which binds to Qa-1 and that it also binds nonamer signal sequence-derived peptides from human MHC class I molecules. Using alanine and glycine substitutions, we could define primary anchor residues at positions 2 and 9 and secondary anchor residues at position 7 and possibly 3.     

Exacerbation of Partial Seizures and Onset of Nonepileptic Myoclonus with Carbamazepine

A child had two to three generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures per week unresponsive to phenobarbital (PB) and valproate (VPA). Interictal EEG demonstrated left occipital spikes. When carbamazepine (CBZ) therapy was started, he developed very frequent (4-6/day) complex partial seizures (CPS) characterized on ictal EEG by focal right temporal lobe discharges. The seizure exacerbation, which was associated with development of nonepileptic, multifocal myoclonus, resolved 24 h after CBZ was discontinued. The exacerbation occurred with therapeutic CBZ serum levels, but may have been related to the toxic levels of carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide (CBZE).     

Iron deficiency down-regulates the Akt/TSC1-TSC2/mammalian Target of Rapamycin signaling pathway in rats and in COS-1 cells

Iron deficiency (ID) is one of the most commonly known forms of nutritional deficiencies. Low body iron is thought to induce neurologic defects but may also play a protective role against cancer development by cell growth arrest. Thus, ID may affect cellular pathways controlling cell growth and proliferation, the mechanism of which is still not fully understood. The serine/threonine protein kinase Akt and its downstream target, the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), is known to play a crucial role in the regulation of cell growth and survival. Therefore, we hypothesized that Akt/mTOR pathway could be influenced by ID. Three-week-old male Wistar-strain rats were divided into 3 groups and the 2 groups had free access to a control diet (C group) or an iron-deficient diet (D group). The third group (PF group) were pair-fed the control diet to the mean intake of the D group. After 4 weeks, rats were killed and their brains were sampled. In separate experiments, COS-1 cells were cultured with or without the iron chelator deferoxamine. Western blots of brain samples and COS-1 lysates were used to analyze the expression and phosphorylation state of Akt, TSC2, mTOR, and S6 kinase proteins implicated in the Akt/mTOR pathway. Using 2 different ID models, we show for the first time that iron deficiency depresses Akt activity in rats and in COS-1 cells, leading to a decrease in mTOR activity.