The Two Sweet Sides of Janus Lectin Drive Crosslinking of Liposomes to Cancer Cells and Material Uptake.

A chimeric, bispecific Janus lectin has recently been engineered with different, rationally oriented recognition sites. It can bind simultaneously to sialylated and fucosylated glycoconjugates. Because of its multivalent architecture, this lectin reaches nanomolar avidities for sialic acid and fucose. The lectin was designed to detect hypersialylation-a dysregulation in physiological glycosylation patterns, which promotes the tumor growth and progression of several cancer types. In this study, the characteristic properties of this bispecific Janus lectin were investigated on human cells by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy in order to understand the fundamentals of its interactions. We evaluated its potential in targeted drug delivery, precisely leading to the cellular uptake of liposomal content in human epithelial cancer cells. We successfully demonstrated that Janus lectin mediates crosslinking of glyco-decorated giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and H1299 lung epithelial cells. Strikingly, the Janus lectin induced the internalization of liposomal lipids and also of complete GUVs. Our findings serve as a solid proof of concept for lectin-mediated targeted drug delivery using glyco-decorated liposomes as possible drug carriers to cells of interest. The use of Janus lectin for tumor recognition certainly broadens the possibilities for engineering diverse tailor-made lectin constructs, specifically targeting extracellular structures of high significance in pathological conditions.

Qualitative and quantitative 1 H NMR spectroscopy for determination of divalent metal cation concentration in model salt solutions, food supplements, and pharmaceutical products by using EDTA as chelating agent.

This paper introduces an 1 H NMR method to identify individual divalent metal cations Be2+ , Mg2+ , Ca2+ , Sr2+ , Zn2+ , Cd2+ , Hg2+ , Sn2+ , and Pb2+ in aqueous salt solutions through their unique signal shift and coupling after complexation with the salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Furthermore, quantitative determination applied for the divalent metal cations Ca2+ , Mg2+ , Hg2+ , Sn2+ , Pb2+ , and Zn2+ (limit of quantification: 5-22 µg/ml) can be achieved using an excess of EDTA with aqueous model salt solutions. An internal standard is not required because a known excess of EDTA is added and the remaining free EDTA can be used to recalculate the quantity of chelated metal cations. The utility of the method is demonstrated for the analysis of divalent cations in some food supplements and in pharmaceutical products.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as part of primary health care in Germany-comparison of patients consulting general practitioners and CAM practitioners: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In Germany, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in primary health care is offered by general practitioners (GPs) and by natural health practitioners, so called 'Heilpraktiker' (HPs). Considering the steadily growing number of unregulated HPs, the aim of the study was to assess characteristics of patients consulting HPs in comparison to patients consulting GPs. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, patients of randomly selected GPs and HPs were asked to complete a questionnaire about their health care status, health care behavior, and symptoms rated on the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP-D). Patient groups were compared based on health care provider (HP, GP with high use of CAM (CAM-GP), and GP with no/little use of CAM (nCAM-GP)) using Kruskal-Wallis tests and analyses of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Altogether, 567 patients (91 of 11 HPs, 223 of 15 CAM-GPs, 253 of 19 nCAM-GPs) filled in the questionnaire. Patients of HPs had a higher education level and were more often female. The most common reason for encounter among all three groups were musculoskeletal problems (30.2-31.1 %). Patients seeing HPs reported more psychological (4.4 % vs. 17.8 %), but less respiratory problems (19.9 % vs. 7.8 %), and longer symptom duration (>5 years: 21.1 % vs. 40.7 %), than patients of nCAM-GPs. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of patients with psychological illness and chronic health problems consulting HPs demonstrates the urgent need for action with regard to CAM therapy in primary care and regulation of natural health practitioners. Appropriate measures with regard to quality and patient safety should be taken given the growing numbers of HPs and the absence of a regulatory body.

A brief patient-reported outcome instrument for primary care: German translation and validation of the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP).

BACKGROUND: Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP) is a patient-generated outcome instrument capable of measuring effects from a wide range of health care interventions. This paper reports the translation of this instrument into German (MYMOP-D) and the assessment of validity and sensitivity to change for the MYMOP-D. The instrument was piloted in a German primary care context. METHODS: The translation process was conducted according to international guidelines. Recruited patients of both general practitioners and non-medical Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners ("Heilpraktiker") in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg completed a questionnaire comprised of the MYMOP-D and the EQ-5D. Responses were analysed to assess construct validity. For assessing the instrument's sensitivity to change, patients received the MYMOP-D again after four weeks at which point they were also asked for their subjective views on change of symptoms. Correlation between MYMOP-D and EQ-5D and sensitivity to change as gradient in score change and as standardized response mean (SRM) were calculated. RESULTS: 476 patients from general practices and 91 patients of CAM practitioners were included. Construct validity of the MYMOP-D was given with a correlation of r = .47 with the EQ-5D. Sensitivity to change for subjective change of symptoms could only be analysed for improvement or no change of symptoms, as only 12 patients reported deterioration of symptoms. Results showed the expected smooth gradient with 2.2, 1.3, and 0.5 points of change for large, little improvement and no change, respectively. SRM for MYMOP-D Profile Score was 0.88. CONCLUSIONS: The MYMOP-D shows excellent construct validity. It is able to detect changes when symptoms in patients improve or remain unchanged. Deterioration of symptoms could not be evaluated due to too few data. With its brevity and simplicity, it might be an important tool for enhancing patient-centred care in the German health care context.

Photoisomerizable and thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide-surfmer copolymer hydrogels prepared upon electrostatic self-assembly of an azobenzene bolaamphiphile.

Photoreactive and thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-surfmer copolymer hydrogels containing 4,4'-di(6-sulfato-hexyloxy)azobenzene (DSHA) dianions are described. The functional hydrogels are obtained in a two steps. First a micellar aqueous solution of (11-(acryloyloxy)undecyl)trimethylammonium bromide (AUTMAB) and NIPAM is exposed to (60) Co-gamma irradiation, and a thermoresponsive copolymer gel is obtained. Second, DSHA is included by shrinking the gel at 50 °C and subsequent reswelling in an aqueous solution of DSHA disodium salt at 20 °C. Reswelling is accompanied by electrostatic adsorption of DSHA dianions at the positively charged AUTMAB headgroups replacing the bromide ions. Gels containing trans-DSHA are transparent yellow at room temperature (λmax = 370 nm), while gels containing cis-rich DSHA are orange (λmax = 460 and 330 nm). Energy dispersive X-ray measurements indicate that 41% of the bromide ions are exchanged if trans-DSHA is used for adsorption, and only 7.5% if cis-DSHA is used. The incorporation of DSHA lowers the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) from 34 to 32 °C. Below the LCST, DSHA can be switched from the trans- to the cis-rich state and vice versa upon irradiation with UV (λ = 366 nm) or visible light (λ ≥ 450 nm). Above the LCST no photoreaction takes place.