Dendrimers and Dendritic Materials: From Laboratory to Medical Practice in Infectious Diseases.

Infectious diseases are one of the main global public health risks, predominantly caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The control of infections is founded on three main pillars: prevention, treatment, and diagnosis. However, the appearance of microbial resistance has challenged traditional strategies and demands new approaches. Dendrimers are a type of polymeric nanoparticles whose nanometric size, multivalency, biocompatibility, and structural perfection offer boundless possibilities in multiple biomedical applications. This review provides the reader a general overview about the uses of dendrimers and dendritic materials in the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of highly prevalent infectious diseases, and their advantages compared to traditional approaches. Examples of dendrimers as antimicrobial agents per se, as nanocarriers of antimicrobial drugs, as well as their uses in gene transfection, in vaccines or as contrast agents in imaging assays are presented. Despite the need to address some challenges in order to be used in the clinic, dendritic materials appear as an innovative tool with a brilliant future ahead in the clinical management of infectious diseases and many other health issues.

A cell-to-cell HIV transfer assay identifies humoral responses with broad neutralization activity.

BACKGROUND: Cell-to-cell HIV spread through virological synapses proceeds in two steps, first HIV particles are rapidly transferred to target cells in a CD4-dependent manner and then coreceptor-dependent events allow for infection or death of single target cells and cell-to-cell fusion. METHODS: 293T or MOLT cells producing HIV particles were cocultured with primary CD4 T-cells or reporter cell lines. The extent of HIV transfer, cell fusion and target cell death was assessed. Inhibition by sera from 19 HIV-infected patients was evaluated and compared with cell-free HIV neutralization using different envelopes from clades A, B, C and E. RESULTS: Sera showed different abilities to protect CD4 T-cells from cell-to-cell transfer, fusion or death when cocultured with HIV producing 293T cells. Some sera were able to block all parameters (a property of IgGb12), while other showed lower activity against HIV transfer despite being able to block fusion and death (a property of antibodies blocking post-CD4 binding steps). Neutralization of cell-to-cell HIV transfer strongly correlated with IgG binding to native Env. Interestingly, sera that efficiently blocked HIV transfer showed broader neutralizing response, as they neutralized a higher percentage of the viruses tested compared with sera showing low CD4 binding site responses (P=0.01). Similar results were observed in a model of T cell-T cell HIV transmission, although this experimental model showed lower capacity to discriminate broadly neutralizing responses. CONCLUSION: Cell-to-cell HIV transfer assays identify sera with broadly neutralizing capacity and may help to characterize anti-HIV humoral responses.

[Peyronie's disease. Evaluation of 3 therapeutic modalities: propoleum, laser and simultaneous propoleum-laser]. / Enfermedad de peyronie. Evaluación de tres modalidades terapéuticas: propóleo, láser y propóleo + láser.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the results of treatment of peyronie's disease with propoleum, laser, and simultaneous propoleum-laser. METHODS: Prospective research. Twenty-eight patients with Peyronie's disease from the hospitals Freyre de Andrade,Fajardo, Clinico Quirúrgico y Habana Campo were studied between May 2002 and August 2003. They were divided into three groups: 1) treatment with propoleum: 10 patients; 2) treatment with laser: 8 patients; and 3) treatment with propoleum + laser: 10 patients. A registered formula of Propoleum powder was employed in daily 900 mg capsules over six months. 30 sessions of laser were applied to the plaque divided in periods of 10 sessions every 2 months. STUDY VARIABLES: age, race, date of disease start/clinical improvement correlation, beginning of improvement after treatment. Data were processed in a statistical software (Epinfo-6) and multivariate analysis with non parametric methods was employed. RESULTS: Mean age was between 4th and 7th decade in all groups. Caucasian race was predominant. The propoleum-laser group achieved the greater diminishment of the plaque among those with one or two years of disease evolution. Pain was not the main symptom in these patients. The greater diminishment of the curvature was obtained in the propoleum groups, with a mean diminishmeet of 10.8 (propoleum only) and 10.3 (Propoleum+ laser) in comparison to the laser group with a mean decrease of 8 and mean increase of 12.6. Mean plaque diminishment measured clinically was 2.3 cm and 1.5 cm in the propoleum groups, respectively, and 1.2 cm in the laser group. Ultrasound measurement mean diminishment was 2.3 mm and 12.16 mm in the propoleum groups. The laser results were not comparable due to the low number of patients in relation to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: 1-best results appeared in the groups treated with propoleum in patients with 1-2 years of disease. 2-Diminishment of the curvature angle, physical or ultrasound measurement of the plaques was greater in the propoleum groups. 3-After the start of treatment, the propoleum-laser group referred early improvements, and the propoleum group referred continuous progressive improvement; only a few patients in the laser group referred improvement. 4-Treatment with propoleum was more effective and laser increased its action, being propoleum in monotherapy less complex in its application and with a better cost-benefit ratio.