1.Epoetin beta pegol, but not recombinant erythropoietin, retains its hematopoietic effect in vivo in the presence of the sialic acid-metabolizing enzyme sialidase.
Aizawa K1, Kawasaki R2, Tashiro Y2, Hirata M2, Endo K2, Shimonaka Y2. Int J Hematol. 2016 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are widely used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated anemia. The biological activity of ESAs is mainly regulated by the number of sialic acid-containing carbohydrates on the erythropoietin (EPO) peptide. Sialidase, a sialic acid-metabolizing enzyme that accumulates in CKD patients, is suspected of contributing to shortening the circulation half-life of ESAs. Epoetin beta pegol (continuous erythropoietin receptor activator; C.E.R.A.), is an EPO integrated with methoxypolyethylene glycol (PEG). It has been suggested that C.E.R.A. may exert a favorable therapeutic effect, even under conditions of elevated sialidase; however, no detailed investigation of the pharmacological profile of C.E.R.A. in the presence of sialidase has been reported. In the present study, we injected C.E.R.A. or EPO pre-incubated with sialidase into rats, and assessed the hematopoietic effect by reticulocyte count.
2.Statistical modelling of the rheological and mucoadhesive properties of aqueous poly(methylvinylether-co-maleic acid) networks: Redefining biomedical applications and the relationship between viscoelasticity and mucoadhesion.
Jones DS1, Laverty TP2, Morris C2, Andrews GP2. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2016 Mar 4;144:125-134. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2016.03.008. [Epub ahead of print]
Poly(methylvinylether-co-maleic acid) (PMVE/MA) is commonly used as a component of pharmaceutical platforms, principally to enhance interactions with biological substrates (mucoadhesion). However, the limited knowledge on the rheological properties of this polymer and their relationships with mucoadhesion has negated the biomedical use of this polymer as a mono-component platform. This study presents a comprehensive study of the rheological properties of aqueous PMVE/MA platforms and defines their relationships with mucoadhesion using multiple regression analysis. Using dilute solution viscometry the intrinsic viscosities of un-neutralised PMVE/MA and PMVE/MA neutralised using NaOH or TEA were 22.32±0.89dLg-1, 274.80±1.94dLg-1 and 416.49±2.21dLg-1 illustrating greater polymer chain expansion following neutralisation using Triethylamine (TEA). PMVE/MA platforms exhibited shear-thinning properties. Increasing polymer concentration increased the consistencies, zero shear rate (ZSR) viscosities (determined from flow rheometry), storage and loss moduli, dynamic viscosities (defined using oscillatory analysis) and mucoadhesive properties, yet decreased the loss tangents of the neutralised polymer platforms.
3.A performance evaluation of MTBDRplus version 2 for the diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
Seifert M1, Ajbani K2, Georghiou SB1, Catanzaro D3, Rodrigues C2, Crudu V4, Victor TC5, Garfein RS1, Catanzaro A1, Rodwell TC1. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2016 May;20(5):631-7. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.15.0788.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of a recently updated rapid molecular diagnostic test, GenoType(®) MTBDRplus version 2, designed to detect drug resistance in both acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-negative and -positive specimens.
4.Molecular cytogenetic characterization of a new wheat-rye 1BL•1RS translocation line expressing superior stripe rust resistance and enhanced grain yield.
Qi W1, Tang Y1, Zhu W1, Li D1, Diao C1, Xu L1, Zeng J2, Wang Y1, Fan X1, Sha L1, Zhang H1, Zheng Y1, Zhou Y1, Kang H3. Planta. 2016 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]
MAIN CONCLUSION: A new wheat-rye 1BL•1RS translocation line, with the characteristics of superior stripe rust resistance and high thousand-kernel weight and grain number per spike, was developed and identified from progenies of wheat-rye- Psathyrostachys huashanica trigeneric hybrids. The wheat-rye 1BL•1RS translocation line from Petkus rye has contributed substantially to the world wheat production. However, due to extensive growing of cultivars with disease resistance genes from short arm of rye chromosome 1R and coevolution of pathogen virulence and host resistance, these cultivars successively lost resistance to pathogens. In this study, a new wheat-rye line K13-868, derived from the progenies of wheat-rye-Psathyrostachys huashanica trigeneric hybrids, was identified and analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE), and molecular markers.
