Optimising nasal spray parameters for efficient drug delivery using computational fluid dynamics

Experimental images from particle/droplet image analyser (PDIA) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) imaging techniques of particle formation from a nasal spray device were taken to determine critical parameters for the study and design of effective nasal drug delivery devices. The critical parameters found were particle size, diameter of spray cone at a break-up length and a spray cone angle. A range of values for each of the parameters were ascertained through imaging analysis which were then transposed into initial particle boundary conditions for particle flow simulation within the nasal cavity by using Computational Fluid Dynamics software. An Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme was utilised to track mono-dispersed particles (10 and 20 microm) at a breathing rate of 10 L/min. The results from this qualitative study aim to assist the pharmaceutical industry to improve and help guide the design of nasal spray devices.

The metabolic effects of once daily extended-release metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes: a multicentre study

AIM

To investigate the effects of extended-release metformin (MXR) compared with immediate-release metformin (MIR) on post-prandial glycaemic excursion, chronic glycaemia, lipid profiles, insulin resistance and islet function in type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A randomised, open-labelled, positive-controlled multicentre study was conducted on 150 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. After 2 weeks of run-in period with MIR, 150 subjects were randomised into MXR group and MIR group. The patients in MXR group were assigned to take MXR 1500 mg once daily after dinner, while the patients in MIR group were assigned to continue MIR 500 mg thrice daily after meals for 12 weeks. Standard meal tests were carried out at baseline and at the end of this study. Plasma glucose, serum insulin, HbA1c and lipid profiles were measured. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used to evaluate insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and islet beta-cell function index (HOMA-B).

RESULTS

Either MIR or MXR modestly, but significantly decreased HbA1c levels and body mass index (BMI) after 12 weeks of treatment. However, there were no significant differences between two groups. The post-prandial glycaemia at 120 min after a standard meal in MXR group was higher than in MIR group (11.02 +/- 3.08 mmol/l vs. 9.74 +/- 2.61 mmol/l, p < 0.05). Moreover, no differences in the areas under curve of insulin release response, HOMA-B, HOMA-IR and lipid profiles were found within or between groups after 12 weeks of treatment.

CONCLUSION

The effects of once daily MXR on chronic glycaemia, BMI, lipid profiles, insulin resistance and islet function are comparable with that of thrice daily MIR in oriental population.

Triphalangeal thumb-polysyndactyly syndrome and syndactyly type IV are caused by genomic duplications involving the long range, limb-specific SHH enhancer

BACKGROUND

The Sonic hedgehog (SHH) protein produced in the zone of polarising activity (ZPA) is a major determinant of the identity and numbers of digits in early limb development. Preaxial polydactyly types II (PPD2) and III (PPD3) have been mapped to a critical region at 7q36, and subsequently shown to be caused by point mutations in the ZPA regulatory sequence (ZRS), a long range cis-regulator for the SHH gene. Triphalangeal thumb-polysyndactyly syndrome (TPTPS) and syndactyly type IV (SD4) were also mapped to the 7q36 region but pathogenic mutations in ZRS have not yet been affirmed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We performed linkage and haplotype analysis in six Han Chinese families with TPTPS and/or SD4, and refined the disease locus to an interval of 646 kb containing ZRS. In all families, the affected individuals heterozygous at rs10254391 (a single nucleotide polymorphism within ZRS) revealed a remarkable allele imbalance on sequence chromatogram. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we identified duplication of ZRS and found that this duplication segregated with the limb phenotypes in all families but was not detected in unaffected family members or in unrelated control individuals. The duplication was also confirmed by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) in an affected individual. We designed 17 additional qPCR assays and defined the minimum duplications in all six families, ranging from 131kb to 398kb.

CONCLUSION

Both TPTPS and SD4 are due to duplications involving ZRS, the limb specific SHH enhancer. Point mutations in the ZRS and duplications encompassing the ZRS cause distinctive limb phenotypes.

Comparison of vildagliptin and acarbose monotherapy in patients with Type 2 diabetes: a 24-week, double-blind, randomized trial

AIMS

To compare the efficacy and tolerability of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, vildagliptin, with the alpha glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, in drug-naive patients with Type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

This multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm study compared the efficacy and tolerability of vildagliptin (100 mg daily, given as 50 mg twice daily, n = 441) and acarbose (up to 300 mg daily, given as three equally divided doses, n = 220) during 24-week treatment in drug-naive patients with Type 2 diabetes.

RESULTS

Monotherapy with vildagliptin or acarbose decreased glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) (baseline approximately 8.6%) to a similar extent during 24-week treatment. The adjusted mean change from baseline to end-point (AMDelta) in HbA(1c) was -1.4 +/- 0.1% and -1.3 +/- 0.1% in patients receiving vildagliptin and acarbose, respectively, meeting the statistical criterion for non-inferiority (upper limit of 95% confidence interval for between-treatment difference < or = 0.4%). The decrease in fasting plasma glucose was similar with acarbose (-1.5 +/- 0.2 mmol/l) and vildagliptin (-1.2 +/- 0.1 mmol/l). Body weight did not change in vildagliptin-treated patients (-0.4 +/- 0.1 kg) but decreased in acarbose-treated patients (-1.7 +/- 0.2 kg, P < 0.001 vs. vildagliptin). The proportion of patients experiencing any adverse event (AE) was 35% vs. 51% in patients receiving vildagliptin or acarbose, respectively; gastrointestinal AEs were significantly more frequent with acarbose (25.5%) than vildagliptin (12.3%, P < 0.001). No hypoglycaemia was reported for either group.

CONCLUSIONS

Vildagliptin is effective and well tolerated in patients with Type 2 diabetes, demonstrating similar glycaemic reductions to acarbose, but with better tolerability.

Expression of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene predicts cancer recurrence after surgery for localised prostate cancer

The prostate-specific gene, TMPRSS2 is fused with the gene for the transcription factor ERG in a large proportion of human prostate cancers. The prognostic significance of the presence of the TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion product remains controversial. We examined prostate cancer specimens from 165 patients who underwent surgery for clinically localised prostate cancer between 1998 and 2006. We tested for the presence of TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion product, using RT–PCR and direct sequencing. We conducted a survival analysis to determine the prognostic significance of the presence of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene on the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, adjusting for the established prognostic factors. We discovered that the fusion gene was expressed within the prostate cancer cells in 81 of 165 (49.1%) patients. Of the 165 patients, 43 (26.1%) developed prostate-specific antigen (PSA) relapse after a mean follow-up of 28 months. The subgroup of patients with the fusion protein had a significantly higher risk of recurrence (58.4% at 5 years) than did patients who lacked the fusion protein (8.1%, P<0.0001). In a multivariable analysis, the presence of gene fusion was the single most important prognostic factor; the adjusted hazard ratio for disease recurrence for patients with the fusion protein was 8.6 (95% CI=3.6–20.6, P<0.0001) compared to patients without the fusion protein. Among prostate cancer patients treated with surgery, the expression of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene is a strong prognostic factor and is independent of grade, stage and PSA level.

Genome scan implicates adhesion biological pathways in secondary leukemia

The genetic risk factors for etoposide-induced leukemia with MLL translocations remain largely unknown. To identify genetic risk factors for and novel characteristics of secondary leukemia, we profiled 116,204 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in germline and paired leukemic cell DNA from 13 secondary leukemia/myelodysplasia cases and germline DNA from 13 matched and 156 unmatched controls, all with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with etoposide. We analyzed global gene expression from a partially overlapping cohort. No single locus was altered in most cases. We discovered 81 regions of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in leukemic blasts and 309 SNPs whose allele frequencies differed in cases vs controls. Candidate genes were prioritized on the basis of genes whose SNPs or expression differentiated cases from controls or showed LOH or copy number change in germline vs paired blast DNA from the 13 cases. Three biological pathways were altered: adhesion, Wnt signaling and regulation of actin. Validation experiments using a genome scan for etoposide-induced leukemogenic MLL chimeric fusions in 15 HapMap cell lines also implicated genes involved in adhesion, a process linked to de novo leukemogenesis. Independent clinical epidemiologic and in vitro genome-wide approaches converged to identify novel pathways that may contribute to therapy-induced leukemia.

Chimeric immune receptors (CIRs) specific to JC virus for immunotherapy in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a deadly brain disease caused by the polyomavirus JC (JCV). The aim of this study is to develop 'designer T cells' armed with anti-JCV TCR-based chimeric immune receptors (CIRs) by gene modification for PML immunotherapy. Two T cell lines specific to two dominant CTL epitopes derived from JCV VP1 protein (termed p36 and p100) from an HLA-A0201+ PML survivor were generated for TCR cloning. Two distinct dominant TCR alpha chains (Valpha6 and Valpha12) and a unique TCR beta chain (Vbeta5.1) were cloned from the p36-specific cell line, while only one alpha (Valpha8.6) and one beta (Vbeta2) chains were dominant in the p100-specific line. Retroviral constructs encoding CIRs were created with the extracellular domains of TCR alpha and beta chains fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic portions of CD3zeta (ValphaCalphaCD3zeta or VbetaCbetaCD3zeta). Cellular expression and screening for binding specific peptide-HLA-A0201 tetramer confirmed the reactivity of the p100 TCRalphabeta and of one of the two pairs of p36 TCRalphabeta (Valpha12 and Vbeta5.1). Functional tests confirmed CIR-expressing T cells secreted cytokines and expressed potent cytotoxicity on contact with A0201+ B-lymphoblastoid line loaded with peptides and/or with HLA-A0201+ cells expressing native JCV VP1 protein. In conclusion, anti-JCV designer T cells were generated.

Three-dimensional finite element model of the two-layered oesophagus, including the effects of residual strains and buckling of mucosa

This study was carried out to develop a two-layered finite element model of the oesophagus. The outer muscle and inner mucosal layer were constructed individually with different mechanical properties and zero-stress opening angles. With the model, two simulations were performed. First, the distention of oesophageal wall under the pressurized state was investigated, from which the effects of residual strains on the stress distribution were evaluated. Second, the buckling modes were determined using a linear eigenvalue analysis. The self-contact capability in ABAQUS was applied to simulate the folding of mucosa under the muscle contraction. The first simulation indicated that, by taking the residual strains into account, the mucosa undertook a very small portion of stress and the luminal pressure almost transmitted completely to the outer muscle layer. On the other hand, the folding of mucosa was shown to be able to reduce the contractile force of circular muscle to maintain the lumen closure. In conclusion, the preliminary study demonstrated the feasibility of simulating the oesophageal peristaltic transport using finite element analysis.

Expression and clinicopathological significance of oestrogen-responsive ezrin?radixin?moesin-binding phosphoprotein 50 in breast cancer

AIMS

Ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding phosphoprotein 50 (EBP50) is a post synaptic density-95/Disk-large/ZO-1 homologous domain-containing protein that is involved in the linkage of integral membrane proteins to the cytoskeleton and plays an important role in cell signalling. To gain insights into its biological relevance, this study examined expression of EBP50 in two cohorts of breast carcinoma.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Forty-nine breast carcinoma tissue specimens were first examined by both immunohistochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization. EBP50 expression was correlated with various clinicopathological variables. The relative abundance of EBP50 mRNA in breast carcinomas and their corresponding normal tissue was compared using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). EBP50 immunoreactivity was then further independently validated in 120 breast carcinomas on tissue microarrays. EBP50 immunoreactivity was observed in morphologically normal and cancerous epithelial cells contrasting with the adjacent immunonegative stromal cells. An elevated cytoplasmic accumulation of EBP50 protein was readily detected in 73.5-80% of breast carcinomas. EBP50 immunoreactivity was significantly associated with tumour stage, lymph node and oestrogen receptor status. These immunohistochemical observations were further validated using RNA in situ hybridization and RT-PCR. EBP50 immunoreactivity was significantly correlated with the mRNA expression level.

CONCLUSION

Oestrogen-responsive EBP50 may play an important role in tumour progression and might be a potential marker of invasiveness for breast cancer.

The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in planning treatment protocols for hepatocellular carcinoma before radiofrequency ablation

AIM

To evaluate the clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in identifying the tumour number, ablation range and feeding vessels before ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and to compare the efficacy of RFA after CEUS with the efficacy of RFA after non-enhanced ultrasonography (US) without contrast medium administration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 2002 to 2005, 81 patients with 110 HCCs underwent CEUS with SonoVue before RFA treatment (group A). Eighty six patients with 112 HCCs who underwent US without contrast enhancement before RFA served as the control group (group B). The average diameters of the lesions in group A and group B were 3.6+/-1.1cm and 3.5+/-1.1cm, respectively. There were no significant differences in clinical data between the two groups. Regular follow-up after treatment was performed using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). After treatment, complete necrosis was defined as the absence of viable tissue in treated tumours at the 1-year follow-up CECT.

RESULTS

Using CEUS an additional seven small lesions (< or =2.0 cm) were found compared with those found using CECT and conventional US. CEUS showed that 56.4% of lesions (62/110 tumours) were larger in size and 49.1% (54/110 tumours) became more irregular in shape during the arterial phase than on conventional US. Feeding vessels were detected using CEUS in 52 (91.2%) of 57 lesions that were larger than 3.5 cm. The follow-up period was at least 1 year for each case. The complete tumour necrosis rate in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (92.2% versus 83.0%; p=0.036).

CONCLUSION

CEUS can be used to more accurately define the size and contour of lesions, and to detect additional small or satellite lesions and the feeding vessel of HCC tumours. CEUS provided important information for designing the ablation protocol, and might improve the efficacy of RFA.

Identification and characterization of a novel p42.3 gene as tumor-specific and mitosis phase-dependent expression in gastric cancer

Multiple genetic alterations are attributed to gastric cancer (GC); however, only a few critical genes have been identified so far. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel gene p42.3, represented as tumor-specific and mitosis phase-dependent expression protein in GC cell line BGC823. Our data showed that the expression of p42.3 was cell cycle-dependent in GC cell lines. Moreover, p42.3 was specifically expressed in primary GC tissues but not in the matched normal mucosa of stomach, and this gene was expressed in diverse embryonic tissues. Furthermore, significant suppression of cell proliferation and tumorigenicity were detected and G(2)/M phase arrest was observed in cell line BGC823 depleted of p42.3 expression by RNAi technique, and we confirmed the expression changes of cyclin B1 and Chk2 following the silence of p42.3. Taken together, we cloned and characterized p42.3 gene that was specifically expressed in GC tumors but not in normal gastric mucosa, and the gene was associated with M-phase regulation. Moreover, p42.3 might be involved in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis; therefore, this gene might have potential applications in the diagnosis or treatment of GC.

Effect of pioglitazone on the expression of inflammatory cytokines in attenuating rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Pioglitazone, one of the synthetic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARgamma) agonists, has been found to inhibit inflammatory response. However, it is not known yet whether the preventive effect of pioglitazone on cardiac hypertrophy is related to its antiinflammatory function. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of pioglitazone in attenuation of cardiac hypertrophy and its relation to the inhibitory effect on the inflammatory cytokine expression in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. The mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and PPARgamma was measured by using RT-PCR. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was induced by stimulating angiotensin II (Ang II) and evaluated both by measuring surface area of cardiac myocyte and 3H-leucine incorporation. The expressions of IL-1beta, IL-6, ANP, and BNP were significantly enhanced, whereas that of PPARgamma was significantly reduced in Ang II-induced hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. Pioglitazone decreased cardiac myocyte surface area and inhibited 3H-leucine incorporation into cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, pioglitazone upregulated the suppressed expression of PPARgamma and attenuated the increased IL-1beta and IL-6 expression. The effect of pioglitazone might be associated with PPARgamma activation and the consequent antiinflammatory function in prevention and treatment of cardiac hypertrophy.