Tirzepatide suppresses palatable food intake by selectively reducing preference for fat in rodents.

AIM: To investigate the role of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) agonists alone or combined with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists to regulate palatable food intake and the role of specific macronutrients in these preferences. METHODS: To understand this regulation, we treated mice and rats on several choice diet paradigms of chow and a palatable food option with individual or dual GIPR and GLP-1R agonists. RESULTS: In mice, the dual agonist tirzepatide suppressed total caloric intake, while promoting the intake of chow over a high fat/sucrose diet. Surprisingly, GIPR agonism alone did not alter food choice. The food intake shift observed with tirzepatide in wild-type mice was completely absent in GLP-1R knockout mice, suggesting that GIPR signalling does not regulate food preference. Tirzepatide also selectively suppressed the intake of palatable food but not chow in a rat two-diet choice model. This suppression was specific to lipids, as GLP-1R agonist and dual agonist treatment in rats on a choice paradigm assessing individual palatable macronutrients robustly inhibited the intake of Crisco (lipid) without decreasing the intake of a sucrose (carbohydrate) solution. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing preference for high-caloric, high-fat foods is a powerful action of GLP-1R and dual GIPR/GLP-1R agonist therapeutics, which may contribute to the weight loss success of these drugs.

Neuroadaptations in the dorsal hippocampus underlie cocaine seeking during prolonged abstinence.

Relapse vulnerability in substance use disorder is attributed to persistent cue-induced drug seeking that intensifies (or "incubates") during drug abstinence. Incubated cocaine seeking has been observed in both humans with cocaine use disorder and in preclinical relapse models. This persistent relapse vulnerability is mediated by neuroadaptations in brain regions involved in reward and motivation. The dorsal hippocampus (DH) is involved in context-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking but the role of the DH in cocaine seeking during prolonged abstinence has not been investigated. Here we found that transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) superfamily member activin A is increased in the DH on abstinence day (AD) 30 but not AD1 following extended-access cocaine self-administration compared to saline controls. Moreover, activin A does not affect cocaine seeking on AD1 but regulates cocaine seeking on AD30 in a bidirectional manner. Next, we found that activin A regulates phosphorylation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN2B and that GluN2B-containing NMDARs also regulate expression of cocaine seeking on AD30. Activin A and GluN2B-containing NMDARs have both previously been implicated in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Therefore, we examined synaptic strength in the DH during prolonged abstinence and observed an increase in moderate long-term potentiation (LTP) in cocaine-treated rats compared to saline controls. Lastly, we examined the role of DH projections to the lateral septum (LS), a brain region implicated in cocaine seeking and found that DH projections to the LS govern cocaine seeking on AD30. Taken together, this study demonstrates a role for the DH in relapse behavior following prolonged abstinence from cocaine self-administration.

Pharmacological Evaluation of a Pegylated Urocortin-1 Peptide in Experimental Autoimmune Disease Models.

Urocortin-1 (UCN1) is a member of the corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) family of peptides that acts through CRH-receptor 1 (CRHR1) and CRH-receptor 2 (CRHR2). UCN1 can induce the adrenocorticotropin hormone and downstream glucocorticoids through CRHR1 and promote beneficial metabolic effects through CRHR2. UCN1 has a short half-life and has been shown to improve experimental autoimmune disease. A pegylated UCN1 peptide (PEG-hUCN1) was generated to extend half-life and was tested in multiple experimental autoimmune disease models and in healthy mice to determine effects on corticosterone induction, autoimmune disease, and glucocorticoid induced adverse effects. Cardiovascular effects were also assessed by telemetry. PEG-hUCN1 demonstrated a dose dependent 4-6-fold elevation of serum corticosterone and significantly improved autoimmune disease comparable to prednisolone in several experimental models. In healthy mice, PEG-hUCN1 showed less adverse effects compared with corticosterone treatment. PEG-hUCN1 peptide induced an initial 30% reduction in blood pressure that was followed by a gradual and sustained 30% increase in blood pressure at the highest dose. Additionally, an adeno-associated viral 8 (AAV8) UCN1 was used to assess adverse effects of chronic elevation of UCN1 in wild type and CRHR2 knockout mice. Chronic UCN1 expression by an AAV8 approach in wild type and CRHR2 knockout mice demonstrated an important role of CRHR2 in countering the adverse metabolic effects of elevated corticosterone from UCN1. Our findings demonstrate that PEG-hUCN1 shows profound effects in treating autoimmune disease with an improved safety profile relative to corticosterone and that CRHR2 activity is important in metabolic regulation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study reports the generation and characterization of a pegylated UCN1 peptide and the role of CRHR2 in UCN1-induced metabolic effects. The potency/selectivity, pharmacokinetic properties, pharmacodynamic effects, and efficacy in four autoimmune models and safety profiles are presented. This pegylated UCN1 shows potential for treating autoimmune diseases with reduced adverse effects compared to corticosterone treatment. Continuous exposure to UCN1 through an AAV8 approach demonstrates some glucocorticoid mediated adverse metabolic effects that are exacerbated in the absence of the CRHR2 receptor.

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion of Therapeutic Proteins: Current Industry Practices and Future Perspectives.

Therapeutic proteins (TPs) comprise a variety of modalities, including antibody-based drugs, coagulation factors, recombinant cytokines, enzymes, growth factors, and hormones. TPs usually cannot traverse cellular barriers and exert their pharmacological activity by interacting with targets on the exterior membrane of cells or with soluble ligands in the tissue interstitial fluid/blood. Due to their large size, lack of cellular permeability, variation in metabolic fate, and distinct physicochemical characteristics, TPs are subject to different absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) processes as compared with small molecules. Limited regulatory guidance makes it challenging to determine the most relevant ADME data required for regulatory submissions. The TP ADME working group was sponsored by the Translational and ADME Sciences Leadership Group within the Innovation and Quality (IQ) consortium with objectives to: (1) better understand the current practices of ADME data generated for TPs across IQ member companies, (2) learn about their regulatory strategies and interaction experiences, and (3) provide recommendations on best practices for conducting ADME studies for TPs. To understand current ADME practices and regulatory strategies, an industry-wide survey was conducted within IQ member companies. In addition, ADME data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was also collated by reviewing regulatory submission packages of TPs approved between 2011 and 2020. This article summarizes the key learnings from the survey and an overview of ADME data presented in biologics license applications along with future perspectives and recommendations for conducting ADME studies for internal decision-making as well as regulatory submissions for TPs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This article provides comprehensive assessment of the current practices of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data generated for therapeutic proteins (TPs) across the Innovation and Quality participating companies and the utility of the data in discovery, development, and regulatory submissions. The TP ADME working group also recommends the best practices for condu-cting ADME studies for internal decision-making and regulatory submissions.

Early childhood lead exposure and adolescent heart rate variability: A longitudinal cohort study.

Lead is a known neurotoxicant with many detrimental health effects, including neurocognitive deficits and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. However, few studies have tested the association between lead exposure and the physiological stress response, which in and of itself may act as a precursor to and/or underlying mechanism of detrimental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of early childhood and early adolescent low-level lead exposure on early adolescent heart rate variability, a widely-used measure of physiological stress. Participants were 408 children from Jintan, China for whom blood lead levels were measured between 3 and 5 years (early childhood) and again at 12 years (early adolescence). Heart rate variability was assessed at 12 years while participants underwent an induced stress task utilizing the ratio of low to high frequency (LF/HF) ECG measures. Mean blood lead levels in the cohort were 6.63 mcg/dl and 3.10 mcg/dl at 3-5 years and 12 years, respectively. Blood lead levels at 3-5 years of age (ß 0.06, p = 0.027), but not at age 12 (ß -0.05, p = 0.465), were significantly associated with LF/HF measures while controlling for multiple sociodemographic variables, potentially reflecting a dysregulated stress response with a shift towards sympathetic dominance. These findings suggest that early childhood lead exposure may have a detrimental influence on early adolescent autonomic responses to acute stress, which holds implications for cardiovascular health and overall growth and development.

Characterizing opioid prescribing to adolescents at time of discharge from a pediatric hospital over a five-year period.

PURPOSE: To characterize opioid prescribing over a 5-year period to adolescents upon discharge from one urban pediatric medical center. DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 4354 adolescents discharged with a pain medication after an admission of ≤5 days between January 2015 and December 2019 was performed. Two outcome groups, based on the analgesics prescribed at discharge, were compared: those discharged with a prescription for a non-opioid only and those discharged with an opioid prescription. The association between year of discharge and receipt of opioid, while adjusting for relevant demographic and clinical characteristics, was also explored. RESULTS: Approximately 64% of the sample was discharged with an opioid prescription. Of those, the median daily dosage was 45.0 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) [IQR: 32.4, 45.0]. Year of discharge was associated with decreased odds of receiving an opioid when adjusting for age, race, sex, insurance, pain scores, opioid exposure during hospitalization, length of stay, and undergoing surgery. The odds of being discharged with an opioid decreased each year by 29% (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.71, CI:0.68-0.73). Concurrently, the proportion of patients discharged with nonopioid pain medication increased from 25% of adolescent patients in 2015 to 50% in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, opioid prescribing to adolescents at time of discharge decreased over time in our sample. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: While prescribing has decreased opioid analgesics are dispensed to young patients. Risk of opioid use disorder and overdose is rare in this population, but adolescence is good opportunity for nursing to promote safe prescribing and analgesic use.

High Depressive Symptoms, Low Family Functioning, and Low Self-Efficacy in Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Two Control Groups.

BACKGROUND: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in raising their children, and they are at higher risk for depression compared to parents of children with typical development (TD) and other disabilities. AIMS: (1) To compare prevalence of depressive symptoms among mothers of children with ASD (n = 101), Down syndrome (DS, n = 101), and TD (n = 43) and (2) to describe the relationships among depression, self-efficacy, and family functioning, and describe the mediating role of maternal child care self-efficacy between depressive symptoms and child behavior. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, mothers completed the Social Communication Questionnaire, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Family Assessment Device General Functioning Scale, and Maternal Self-Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: Mothers of children with ASD had significantly higher mean PHQ-9 scores (p < .001), higher proportion of positive depression screening (p < .001), and lower family functioning (p < .001). Better family functioning is associated with less depression, better self-efficacy, and less severe ASD symptoms and behaviors. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between depression and child ASD symptoms, and problematic behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of reported history of depression and low family functioning in mothers of children with ASD are twice the rate in mothers of children with DS and TD. Maternal child care self-efficacy is protective against maternal depression, even in the presence of severe child problematic behaviors and ASD symptoms. Interventions that increase child care self-efficacy and family functioning may be helpful in addressing depression in mothers of children with ASD.

A role for the endocannabinoid enzymes monoacylglycerol and diacylglycerol lipases in cue-induced cocaine craving following prolonged abstinence.

Following exposure to drugs of abuse, long-term neuroadaptations underlie persistent risk to relapse. Endocannabinoid signaling has been associated with drug-induced neuroadaptations, but the role of lipases that mediate endocannabinoid biosynthesis and metabolism in regulating relapse behaviors following prolonged periods of drug abstinence has not been examined. Here, we investigated how pharmacological manipulation of lipases involved in regulating the expression of the endocannabinoid 2-AG in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) influence cocaine relapse via discrete neuroadaptations. At prolonged abstinence (30 days) from cocaine self-administration, there is an increase in the NAc levels of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-AG, along with decreased levels of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), which hydrolyzes 2-AG. Since endocannabinoid-mediated behavioral plasticity involves phosphatase dysregulation, we examined the phosphatase calcineurin after 30 days of abstinence and found decreased expression in the NAc, which we demonstrate is regulated through the transcription factor EGR1. Intra-NAc pharmacological manipulation of DAGL and MAGL with inhibitors DO-34 and URB-602, respectively, bidirectionally regulated cue-induced cocaine seeking and altered the phosphostatus of translational initiation factor, eIF2α. Finally, we found that cocaine seeking 30 days after abstinence leads to decreased phosphorylation of eIF2α and reduced expression of its downstream target NPAS4, a protein involved in experience-dependent neuronal plasticity. Together, our findings demonstrate that lipases that regulate 2-AG expression influence transcriptional and translational changes in the NAc related to drug relapse vulnerability.

Relationship of Weight Outcomes, Co-Occurring Conditions, and Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Study to Explore Early Development.

OBJECTIVE: To assess contributing factors to increased obesity risk, by comparing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delays/disorders, and general population controls in weight status, and to examine associations between weight status and presence of co-occurring medical, behavioral, developmental, or psychiatric conditions across groups and ASD severity among children with ASD. STUDY DESIGN: The Study to Explore Early Development is a multisite cross-sectional study of children, 2-5 years of age, classified as children with ASD (n = 668), children with developmental delays/disorders (n = 914), or general population controls (n = 884). Using an observational cohort design, we compared the 3 groups. Children's heights and weights were measured during a clinical visit. Co-occurring conditions (medical, behavioral, developmental/psychiatric) were derived from medical records, interviews, and questionnaires. ASD severity was measured by the Ohio State University Global Severity Scale for Autism. RESULTS: The odds of overweight/obesity were 1.57 times (95% CI 1.24-2.00) higher in children with ASD than general population controls and 1.38 times (95% CI 1.10-1.72) higher in children with developmental delays/disorders than general population controls. The aORs were elevated for children with ASD after controlling for child co-occurring conditions (ASD vs general population controls: aOR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.14-2.00). Among children with ASD, those with severe ASD symptoms were 1.7 times (95% CI 1.1-2.8) more likely to be classified as overweight/obese compared with children with mild ASD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of excess weight gain in children with ASD, especially those with severe symptoms, and in children with developmental delays/disorders represents an important target for intervention.

Screening and selection of artificial riboswitches.

Synthetic riboswitches are engineered to regulate gene expression in response to a variety of non-endogenous small molecules, and a challenge to select this engineered response requires robust screening tools. A new synthetic riboswitch can be created by linking an in vitro-selected aptamer library with a randomized expression platform followed by in vivo selection and screening. In order to determine response to analyte, we developed a dual-color reporter comprising elements of the E. coli fimbriae phase variation system: recombinase FimE controlled by a synthetic riboswitch and an invertible DNA segment (fimS) containing a constitutively active promoter placed between two fluorescent protein genes. Without an analyte, the fluorescent reporter constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFPa1). Addition of the analyte initiated translation of fimE causing unidirectional inversion of the fimS segment and constitutive expression of red fluorescent protein (mKate2). The dual color reporter system can be used to select and to optimize artificial riboswitches in E. coli cells. In this work, the enriched library of aptamers incorporated into the riboswitch architecture reduces the sequence search space by offering a higher percentage of potential ligand binders. The study was designed to produce structure switching aptamers, a necessary feature for riboswitch function and efficiently quantify this function using the dual color reporter system.

Super-Absorbent Polymer Valves and Colorimetric Chemistries for Time-Sequenced Discrete Sampling and Chloride Analysis of Sweat via Skin-Mounted Soft Microfluidics.

This paper introduces super absorbent polymer valves and colorimetric sensing reagents as enabling components of soft, skin-mounted microfluidic devices designed to capture, store, and chemically analyze sweat released from eccrine glands. The valving technology enables robust means for guiding the flow of sweat from an inlet location into a collection of isolated reservoirs, in a well-defined sequence. Analysis in these reservoirs involves a color responsive indicator of chloride concentration with a formulation tailored to offer stable operation with sensitivity optimized for the relevant physiological range. Evaluations on human subjects with comparisons against ex situ analysis illustrate the practical utility of these advances.

BAZ1B in Nucleus Accumbens Regulates Reward-Related Behaviors in Response to Distinct Emotional Stimuli.

ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling proteins are being implicated increasingly in the regulation of complex behaviors, including models of several psychiatric disorders. Here, we demonstrate that Baz1b, an accessory subunit of the ISWI family of chromatin remodeling complexes, is upregulated in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain reward region, in both chronic cocaine-treated mice and mice that are resilient to chronic social defeat stress. In contrast, no regulation is seen in mice that are susceptible to this chronic stress. Viral-mediated overexpression of Baz1b, along with its associated subunit Smarca5, in mouse NAc is sufficient to potentiate both rewarding responses to cocaine, including cocaine self-administration, and resilience to chronic social defeat stress. However, despite these similar, proreward behavioral effects, genome-wide mapping of BAZ1B in NAc revealed mostly distinct subsets of genes regulated by these chromatin remodeling proteins after chronic exposure to either cocaine or social stress. Together, these findings suggest important roles for BAZ1B and its associated chromatin remodeling complexes in NAc in the regulation of reward behaviors to distinct emotional stimuli and highlight the stimulus-specific nature of the actions of these regulatory proteins. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We show that BAZ1B, a component of chromatin remodeling complexes, in the nucleus accumbens regulates reward-related behaviors in response to chronic exposure to both rewarding and aversive stimuli by regulating largely distinct subsets of genes.

TGF-ß1 monoclonal antibody: Assessment of embryo-fetal toxicity in rats and rabbits.

A humanized monoclonal antibody targeting transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1 mab) has been used in development for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Embryo-fetal development studies were conducted in rats and rabbits using 30 and 25 animals per group, respectively. The TGF-ß1 mab was administered subcutaneously to rats at 0, 2, or 50 mg/kg/dose on gestation days (GDs) 6, 10, and 14 and intravenously to rabbits at 0 or 3 mg/kg/dose on GDs 7, 12 to 19, and at 30 mg/kg/dose on GDs 7, 12, 14, 16, and 18. Maternal reproductive endpoints and fetal viability, weight, and morphology were evaluated. There was no indication of maternal or embryo-fetal toxicity in the rat. Effects in the rabbit were limited to the fetus where the 30 mg/kg TGF-ß1 mab dose produced a slight decrease in fetal weight and an increase in the incidence of retrocaval ureter and an absent and/or malpositioned kidney/ureter in two fetuses. In conclusion, TGF-ß1 mab produced no adverse maternal or embryo-fetal findings in rats when administered ≤50 mg/kg on GDs 6, 10, and 14. TGF-ß1 mab did not demonstrate maternal toxicity or embryo-fetal lethality at doses as high as 30 mg/kg when administered on GDs 7, 12, 14, 16, and 18 in rabbits. Fetal growth and morphology were affected only at 30 mg/kg; thus, the no observed adverse effect level was 3 mg/kg in rabbits. The margin of safety for both rats and rabbits was ≥37-fold the clinical exposure level.

Disposition of Basal Insulin Peglispro Compared with 20-kDa Polyethylene Glycol in Rats Following a Single Intravenous or Subcutaneous Dose.

Basal insulin peglispro (BIL) comprises insulin lispro covalently bound to a 20-kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG) at lysine B28. The biologic fate of BIL and unconjugated PEG were examined in rats given a single 0.5-mg/kg i.v. or 2-mg/kg s.c. dose of BIL with (14)C label in 20-kDa PEG or (125)I label in lispro. Unconjugated (14)C-labeled 20-kDa PEG was dosed at 10 mg/kg i.v. or s.c. Blood, urine, and feces were collected up to 336 hours after dosing. Radioactivity was measured by scintillation spectrometry, and BIL was quantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Area under the curve and half-life for immunoreactive BIL were lower than those for both (14)C and (125)I after subcutaneous and intravenous administration. The half-lives of (14)C after BIL and PEG dosing were similar. The clearance of immunoreactive BIL was 2.4-fold faster than that of (14)C and 1.6-fold faster than (125)I. After a subcutaneous dose of BIL, immunoreactive BIL accounted for 31% of the circulating (125)I and 16% of the circulating (14)C, indicating extensive catabolism of BIL. Subcutaneous bioavailability of BIL was 23%-29%; bioavailability for unconjugated PEG was 78%. For unconjugated PEG, most of the (14)C dose was recovered in urine. For BIL, ≥86% of (125)I was eliminated in urine and (14)C was eliminated about equally in urine and feces. The major (14)C-labeled catabolism product of BIL in urine was 20-kDa PEG with lysine attached. The attachment of 20-kDa PEG to lispro in BIL led to a different elimination pathway for PEG compared with unconjugated 20-kDa PEG.

An Investigative Study of Pancreatic Exocrine Biomarkers, Histology, and Histomorphometry in Male Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) Rats Given Dulaglutide by Subcutaneous Injection Twice Weekly for 13 Weeks.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy has been implicated as a possible risk factor for acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes. Dulaglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist in development for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The effects of dulaglutide were evaluated in male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats to examine whether dulaglutide may induce or modulate pancreatitis. Rats were randomized to dose groups receiving twice-weekly subcutaneously administered dulaglutide 0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 mg/kg/dose (corresponding human plasma exposures following twice-weekly dosing are 3-, 8-, and 30-fold, respectively) for 13 weeks or to vehicle control. Following termination, serially trimmed sections of pancreases were stained with hematoxylin and eosin or co-stained with an epithelial marker and a marker of either proliferation or apoptosis. Efficacious reductions in glucose and hemoglobin A1c occurred at all dulaglutide doses. Lipase activity was unaffected, and there were modest increases in total and pancreatic amylase activities at all doses without individual microscopic inflammatory correlates. Microscopic dulaglutide-related pancreatic changes included increased interlobular ductal epithelium without ductal cell proliferation (≥0.5 mg/kg), increased acinar atrophy with/without inflammation (≥1.5 mg/kg), and increased incidence/severity of neutrophilic acinar pancreatic inflammation (5.0 mg/kg). In summary, dulaglutide treatment was associated with mild alterations in ductal epithelium and modest exacerbation of spontaneous lesions of the exocrine pancreas typically found in the ZDF rat model.

Effects of the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Dulaglutide on the Structure of the Exocrine Pancreas of Cynomolgus Monkeys.

Clinical and nonclinical studies have implicated glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy as a risk factor for acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is critical to understand the effect that dulaglutide, an approved GLP-1 receptor agonist, has on the exocrine pancreas. Dulaglutide 8.15 mg/kg (approximately 500 times the maximum recommended human dose based on plasma exposure) was administered twice weekly for 12 months to cynomolgus monkeys. Serum amylase and lipase activities were measured and 6 sections of each pancreas were examined microscopically. Ductal epithelial cell proliferation was estimated using Ki67 labeling. Dulaglutide administration did not alter serum amylase or lipase activities measured at the end of treatment compared to control values. An extensive histologic evaluation of the pancreas revealed no changes in the acinar or endocrine portions and no evidence of pancreatitis, necrosis, or pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia. An increase in goblet cells noted in 4 of the 19 treated monkeys was considered an effect of dulaglutide but was not associated with dilation, blockage, or accumulation of mucin in the pancreatic duct. There was no difference in cell proliferation in ductal epithelium between control and dulaglutide-treated monkeys. These data reveal that chronic dosing of nondiabetic primates with dulaglutide does not induce inflammatory or preneoplastic changes in exocrine pancreas.

Developmental Toxicity and Fertility Assessment in Rabbits with Tabalumab: A Human IgG4 Monoclonal Antibody.

Tabalumab is a human immunoglobulin G subclass 4 monoclonal antibody that has been under development for autoimmune disorders. Tabalumab has full neutralizing activity against both soluble and membrane B-cell activating factor, a B-cell survival factor. The objectives of these studies were to assess the effects of tabalumab on embryo-fetal development and on male (M) and female (F) fertility in rabbits, a pharmacologically relevant species. Doses were administered at 0 (vehicle control), 0.3 (embryo-fetal study only), 1.0, and 30 mg/kg. In the embryo-fetal study, pregnant rabbits does were given a single dose by intravenous injection on gestation day (GD) 7. In the fertility studies, tabalumab was administered by intravenous injection every 7 days starting 2 (F) or 4 (M) weeks before mating, during cohabitation, and until necropsy (M) or through GD 18 (F). Treated animals were mated with untreated partners. Parental clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, blood lymphocyte phenotyping, organ weights, morphologic pathology, ovarian and uterine observations, sperm parameters, and fertility indices were evaluated along with conceptus viability, weight, and morphology. Exposure assessments were made in all main study animals and satellite animals. No adverse parental, reproductive, or developmental effects were observed in any study at any dose. A pharmacodynamic response consisting of dose-dependent decreases in the percent and number of total B lymphocytes and increases in the percent and/or number of total T lymphocytes was observed in parental rabbits at 1.0 and 30 mg/kg. In conclusion, no adverse reproductive or developmental effects were observed in rabbits following exposure to tabalumab at doses as high as 30 mg/kg and exposures at least 14-fold greater than human exposure levels.

An Enhanced Pre- and Postnatal Development Study in Cynomolgus Monkeys with Tabalumab: A Human IgG4 Monoclonal Antibody.

Tabalumab, a human IgG4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) with neutralizing activity against both soluble and membrane B-cell activating factor (BAFF), has been under development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential adverse effects of maternal tabalumab exposure on pregnancy, parturition, and lactation of the mothers and on the growth, viability, and development of the offspring through postnatal day (PND) 204. Tabalumab was administered by subcutaneous injection to presumed pregnant cynomolgus monkeys (16-19 per group) every 2 weeks from gestation day (GD) 20 to 22 until parturition at doses of 0, 0.3, or 30 mg/kg. Evaluations in mothers and infants included clinical signs, body weight, toxicokinetics, blood lymphocyte phenotyping, T-cell-dependent antibody response (infants only), antitherapeutic antibody (ATA), organ weights (infants only), and gross and microscopic histopathology. Infants were also examined for external and visceral morphologic and neurobehavioral development. There were no adverse tabalumab-related effects on maternal or infant endpoints. An expected pharmacological decrease in peripheral blood B-lymphocytes occurred in adults and infants; however, B-cell recovery was evident by PND154 in adults and infants at 0.3 mg/kg and by PND204 in infants at 30 mg/kg. At 30 mg/kg, a reduced IgM antibody response to T-cell-dependent antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was observed following primary immunization. Following secondary KLH immunization, all infants in both dose groups mounted anti-KLH IgM and IgG antibody responses similar to control. Placental and mammary transfer of tabalumab was demonstrated. In conclusion, the no-observed-adverse-effect level for maternal and developmental toxicity was 30 mg/kg, the highest dose tested. Exposures at 30 mg/kg provide a margin of safety of 16× the anticipated clinical exposure.

Child Eating Behaviors and Caregiver Feeding Practices in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study compared children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing children (TDC) on weight-related outcomes and caregiver-reported child eating behaviors and feeding practices. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Cross-sectional study. Caregivers of 25 children with ASD and 30 TDC, ages 4-6. METHODS: Caregivers completed validated questionnaires that assessed child eating behaviors and feeding practices. Children's height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. RESULTS: Children with ASD, when compared to TDC, showed significantly greater abdominal waist circumferences (p = .01) and waist-to-height ratios (p < .001). Children with ASD with atypical oral sensory sensitivity exhibited greater food avoidance behaviors, including reluctance to eat novel foods (p = .004), being selective about the range of foods they accept (p = .03), and undereating due to negative emotions (p = .02), than children with ASD with typical oral sensory sensitivity. Caregivers of children with ASD with atypical oral sensory sensitivity reported using food to regulate negative child emotions to a greater extent than caregivers of children with typical oral sensory sensitivity (p = .02). DISCUSSION: Children with ASD, especially those with atypical oral sensory sensitivity, are at increased risk for food avoidance behaviors and may require additional support in several feeding domains.

Tunable stringency aptamer selection and gold nanoparticle assay for detection of cortisol.

The first-known aptamer for the stress biomarker cortisol was selected using a tunable stringency magnetic bead selection strategy. The capture DNA probe immobilized on the beads was systematically lengthened to increase the number of bases bound to the complementary pool primer regions following selection enrichment. This resulted in a single sequence (15-1) dominating the final round 15 pool, where the same sequence was the second-highest copy number candidate in the enriched pool with the shorter capture DNA probe (round 13). A thorough analysis of the next-generation sequencing results showed that a high copy number may only correlate with enhanced affinity under certain stringency and enrichment conditions, in contrast with prior published reports. Aptamer 15-1 demonstrated enhanced binding to cortisol (K(d) = 6.9 ± 2.8 µM by equilibrium dialysis; 16.1 ± 0.6 µM by microscale thermophoresis) when compared with the top sequence from round 13 and the negative control progesterone. Whereas most aptamer selections terminate at the selection round demonstrating the highest enrichment, this work shows that extending the selection with higher stringency conditions leads to lower amounts eluted by the target but higher copy numbers of a sequence with enhanced binding. The structure-switching aptamer was applied to a gold nanoparticle assay in buffer and was shown to discriminate between cortisol and two other stress biomarkers, norepinephrine and epinephrine, and a structurally analogous biomarker of liver dysfunction, cholic acid. We believe this approach enhances aptamer selection and serves as proof-of-principle work toward development of point-of-care diagnostics for medical, combat, or bioterrorism targets.