Determination of digital biomarkers of disease progression for digital phenotyping of patients with arterial hypertension.

Background: To compare the effectiveness of digital phenotyping of patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension with traditional monitoring methods over a three-year period. Patients and methods: The study was conducted from January 2021 to January 2024 among 800 patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension at 6 clinics in Moscow, Russia, evenly divided into experimental (identification of digital biomarkers of disease progression for digital phenotyping) and control (standard monitoring methods) groups. The intervention included lifestyle changes focused on increasing physical activity, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, and modifying diet. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental group compared to the control group. Systolic blood pressure decreased by 10 mmHg (p<0.001), pulse by 5 beats per minute (p<0.001), and stress level by 2 points (p<0.001) in the experimental group. Additionally, physical activity increased by 15 minutes per day (p<0.001), and sleep quality improved by 2 points on a scale from 1 to 10 (p<0.001). Results: Multiple regression analysis showed a decrease in the significance of digital biomarkers over the study period, indicating a positive response to the intervention. Conclusions: The obtained results emphasize the importance of comprehensive interventions in managing arterial hypertension and its related conditions. Implementing comprehensive lifestyle changes can lead to significant health improvements and serve as an effective preventive strategy. Further research is needed to explore optimal intervention strategies for promoting societal health.

The Phenomenon of Thrombotic Microangiopathy in Cancer Patients.

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) encompasses a range of disorders characterized by blood clotting in small blood vessels, leading to organ damage. It can manifest as various syndromes, including thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), and others, each with distinct causes and pathophysiology. Thrombo-inflammation plays a significant role in TMA pathogenesis: inflammatory mediators induce endothelial injury and activation of platelet and coagulation cascade, contributing to microvascular thrombosis. Primary TMA, such as TTP, is primarily caused by deficient ADAMTS13 metalloproteinase activity, either due to antibody-mediated inhibition or intrinsic enzyme synthesis defects. In cancer patients, a significant reduction in ADAMTS13 levels and a corresponding increase in VWF levels is observed. Chemotherapy further decreased ADAMTS13 levels and increased VWF levels, leading to an elevated VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio and increased thrombotic risk. Drug-induced TMA (DITMA) can result from immune-mediated or non-immune-mediated mechanisms. Severe cases of COVID-19 may lead to a convergence of syndromes, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and TMA. Treatment of TMA involves identifying the underlying cause, implementing therapies to inhibit complement activation, and providing supportive care to manage complications. Plasmapheresis may be beneficial in conditions like TTP. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent serious complications and improve outcomes.

Comparative Study of Nanoparticle Blood Circulation after Forced Clearance of Own Erythrocytes (Mononuclear Phagocyte System-Cytoblockade) or Administration of Cytotoxic Doxorubicin- or Clodronate-Loaded Liposomes.

Recent developments in the field of nanomedicine have introduced a wide variety of nanomaterials that are capable of recognizing and killing tumor cells with increased specificity. A major limitation preventing the widespread introduction of nanomaterials into the clinical setting is their fast clearance from the bloodstream via the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). One of the most promising methods used to overcome this limitation is the MPS-cytoblockade, which forces the MPS to intensify the clearance of erythrocytes by injecting allogeneic anti-erythrocyte antibodies and, thus, significantly prolongs the circulation of nanoagents in the blood. However, on the way to the clinical application of this approach, the question arises whether the induced suppression of macrophage phagocytosis via the MPS-cytoblockade could pose health risks. Here, we show that highly cytotoxic doxorubicin- or clodronate-loaded liposomes, which are widely used for cancer therapy and biomedical research, induce a similar increase in the nanoparticle blood circulation half-life in mice as the MPS-cytoblockade, which only gently and temporarily saturates the macrophages with the organism's own erythrocytes. This result suggests that from the point of view of in vivo macrophage suppression, the MPS-cytoblockade should be less detrimental than the liposomal anti-cancer drugs that are already approved for clinical application while allowing for the substantial improvement in the nanoagent effectiveness.

Delivery of Theranostic Nanoparticles to Various Cancers by Means of Integrin-Binding Peptides.

Active targeting of tumors is believed to be the key to efficient cancer therapy and accurate, early-stage diagnostics. Active targeting implies minimized off-targeting and associated cytotoxicity towards healthy tissue. One way to acquire active targeting is to employ conjugates of therapeutic agents with ligands known to bind receptors overexpressed onto cancer cells. The integrin receptor family has been studied as a target for cancer treatment for almost fifty years. However, systematic knowledge on their effects on cancer cells, is yet lacking, especially when utilized as an active targeting ligand for particulate formulations. Decoration with various integrin-targeting peptides has been reported to increase nanoparticle accumulation in tumors ≥ 3-fold when compared to passively targeted delivery. In recent years, many newly discovered or rationally designed integrin-binding peptides with excellent specificity towards a single integrin receptor have emerged. Here, we show a comprehensive analysis of previously unreviewed integrin-binding peptides, provide diverse modification routes for nanoparticle conjugation, and showcase the most notable examples of their use for tumor and metastases visualization and eradication to date, as well as possibilities for combined cancer therapies for a synergetic effect. This review aims to highlight the latest advancements in integrin-binding peptide development and is directed to aid transition to the development of novel nanoparticle-based theranostic agents for cancer therapy.

Biomarker assessment in chronic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis: Endothelin-1, TARC/CCL17, neopterin, and α-defensins.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinitis (CR) is characteristically divided into several major clinical phenotypes: allergic rhinitis (AR); nonallergic, noninfectious rhinopathy (NAR); and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS has two phenotypic variants: CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). An area of growing interest is to identify biologic markers that could assess different aspects of CR phenotypes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate four CR biomarkers: endothelin-1 (ET-1), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (CCL17), neopterin, and α-defensins in subjects with AR, NAR, and CRS. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with AR, 43 patients with NAR, 46 patients with CRSsNP, 54 patients with CRSwNP, and 40 healthy controls were included. ET-1, TARC/CCL17, neopterin, and α-defensins levels in subjects' serum and nasal secretions (NS) were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: High NS levels of ET-1, TARC/CCL17, and α-defensins were characteristic for CRSwNP, although only high NS levels of neopterin were found in the CRSsNP phenotype. AR phenotype was characterized by high NS levels of ET-1 and TARC/CCL17. In the subjects with NAR, none of these biomarker levels in serum and NS differed from those of healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: CR can be categorized by ET-1, TARC/CCL17, neopterin, and α-defensins into several disease phenotypes. Further studies are needed to better investigate pathophysiologic roles of these biomarkers in CRS.

Anticytokine autoantibodies in chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Anticytokine autoantibodies (AAbs) involve a great panel of cytokines both in healthy subjects and in patients with various diseases, but their incidence and pathophysiologic role are widely debated. The issue of AAbs in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has never been explored. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to check AAbs in patients with CRS and with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and patients with CRS and without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). METHODS: One-hundred subjects with CRS and 40 healthy controls were included. CRS severity was determined by the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test and Lund-Mackay scores. Levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), secretory IgA, IgG, IgE, interleukin (IL) 1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17A, and AAbs levels in subjects' serum and nasal secretions (NS) were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Forty-six patients with CRSsNP, 25 women (54.3%) and 21 men (45.7%), mean (standard deviation [SD]) ages 34.1 ± 12.3 years; and 54 patients with CRSwNP, 24 women (44.4%) and 30 men (55.6%), mean (SD) ages 37.9 ± 17.5 years. A group of 40 healthy subjects served as controls. In both CRSsNP and CRSwNP groups, serum and NS IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17A levels were higher compared with healthy controls, but there was no difference in the serum levels of cytokines between the CRSsNP and CRSwNP groups. Binding IgA antibodies against IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-5, and IL-8 were found at low levels in NS of both patients with CRSsNP and patients with CRSwNP. The highest levels of AAbs were detected against IL-5 (0.43 ± 0.38 optical density values) and IL-17A (0.51 ± 0.32 optical density values) in NS of patients with CRSwNP. In the CRSwNP group, a positive correlation was found between NS IL-5 and anti-IL-5 AAbs (r = 545; p < 0.001). Positive correlations between anti-IL-5 AAbs with NS total IgE (r = 0.424; p = 0.001) and with NS secretory IgA (r = 0.545; p < 0.001) were noted in the CRSwNP group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CRS, IgA class AAbs were detected in NS, whereas the highest levels of anti-IL-5 and anti-IL-17A AAbs were detected in patients with CRSwNP. Maybe these AAbs indicate disruption of immune tolerance and mucosal autoimmunity.

Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19 and Hematologic Disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematologic diseases are at higher risk of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and more severe clinical outcomes of the coronavirus disease. CHRONOS19 is an observational prospective cohort study with the aim to determine the short and longer-term clinical outcomes, risk factors for disease severity and mortality, and rates of postinfectious immunity in patients with malignant and nonmalignant hematologic diseases and COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 666 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 626 were included in the final data analysis. The primary endpoint was 30-days all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints included COVID-19 complications, rates of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation, outcomes of a hematologic disease in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, overall survival, and risk factors for disease severity and mortality. Data from 15 centers were collected at 30, 90, and 180 days after COVID-19 was diagnosed and were managed using a web-based e-data capture platform. All evaluations were performed in the pre-omicron period of COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Thirty-days all-cause mortality was 18.9%. The predominant cause of death (in 80% of cases) were COVID-19 complications. At 180 days, the majority (70%) of additional deaths were due to hematologic disease progression. At a median follow-up of 5.7 [0.03-19.04] months, 6-months overall survival was 72% [95% CI: 0.69-0.76]. One-third of patients had severe SARS-CoV-2 disease. The rate of ICU admission was 22% with 77% of these patients requiring mechanical ventilation, with poor survival rate. A univariate analysis revealed that older age (≥ 60 years), male sex, malignant hematologic disease, myelotoxic agranulocytosis, transfusion dependence, refractory disease or relapse, diabetes among comorbidities, any complications, especially ARDS alone or in combination with CRS, admission to an ICU, and mechanical ventilation were associated with higher risks of mortality. Treatment of the hematologic disease was changed, postponed, or canceled in 63% of patients. At a longer follow-up (90 and 180 days), the status of the hematologic disease changed in 7.5% of patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with hematologic disease and COVID-19 have high mortality rates, predominantly due to COVID-19 complications. At a longer-term follow-up, no significant impact of COVID-19 on the course of a hematologic disease was revealed.

Development of healthcare and social care services for the elderly population.

Background & aim: The percentage of older people has been growing in all economically developed countries over the past several decades. The purpose of this research was to optimize the healthcare and social care model based on the in-depth study of social, hygienic and clinical characteristics of elderly individuals. Materials & methods: The authors' study included individuals aged 65 years and older. Results: The proportion of elderly and senile individuals increased from 15.3% in 2011 to 18.6% in 2020. The authors found that the existing healthcare system does not meet the needs of the aging population and thus developed a new organizational model for healthcare and social care services designed to integrate the activities of social welfare centers and local polyclinics. Conclusion: Implementation of the authors' model enables a range of healthcare and social care services and allows for management of a patient's health based on individual characteristics.

Gold nanoparticles decorated with ovalbumin-derived epitopes: effect of shape and size on T-cell immune responses.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) can be manufactured in various shapes, and their size is programmable, which permits the study of the effects imposed by these parameters on biological processes. However, there is currently no clear evidence that a certain shape or size is beneficial. To address this issue, we have utilised GNPs and gold nanorods (GNRs) functionalised with model epitopes derived from chicken ovalbumin (OVA257-264 and OVA323-339). By using two distinct epitopes, it was possible to draw conclusions regarding the impact of nanoparticle shape and size on different aspects of the immune response. Our findings indicate that the peptide amphiphile-coated GNPs and GNRs are a safe and versatile epitope-presenting system. Smaller GNPs (∼15 nm in diameter) induce significantly less intense T-cell responses. Furthermore, effective antigen presentation via MHC-I was observed for larger spherical particles (∼40 nm in diameter), and to a lesser extent for rod-like particles (40 by 15 nm). At the same time, antigen presentation via MHC-II strongly correlated with the cellular uptake, with smaller GNPs being the least efficient. We believe these findings will have implications for vaccine development, and lead to a better understanding of cellular uptake and antigen egress from lysosomes into the cytosol.

Neonatal thrombosis.

Neonatal thromboembolism in pediatric patients is a rare but life-threatening condition mainly caused by combinations of at least 2 prothrombotic triggering risk factors such as the central venous lines, septic condition, and prematurity. Other risk factors include asphyxia, dehydration, liver dysfunction, inflammation, and maternal condition. Neonatal hemostatic system is different from one of the older children and adults. Coagulation proteins do not cross the placenta but are synthesized in the fetus from an early stage. In the term neonate, concentrations of several procoagulant proteins, particularly the vitamin K dependent and contact factors are reduced when compared with adults. Conversely, levels of antithrombin, heparin cofactor II and protein C and S are low at birth and fibrinolysis system is characterized by the decreased level of plasminogen and alpha-1-antiplasmin, increased tissue plasminogen activator. These features all tend to be gestational dependent and are more present in the preterm infant. Primarily in this context neonates appear to be at a higher risk of thrombosis than older children. Thrombotic complications reach their peak in the group of children born at 22-27 weeks. The role of inherited thrombophilic risk factors in neonatal VTE development is poorly defined. The presence of inherited and acquired thrombophilia in mother and newborn is also responsible for the development of thrombosis in neonates and should be considered. Thrombophilia in the mother can lead to increased coagulation potential and prethrombotic conditions during pregnancy, causing thrombotic vasculopathy at the placental level. The benefit of identifying thrombophilia in the sick preterm newborns who are in the group of risk for development of thrombotic complications may facilitate the thromboprophylaxis. Further research regarding assessment of risk factors, diagnostics and treatment strategy is required.

Coating gold nanorods with self-assembling peptide amphiphiles promotes stability and facilitates in vivo two-photon imaging.

Gold nanorods (GNRs) are versatile asymmetric nanoparticles with unique optical properties. These properties make GNRs ideal agents for applications such as photothermal cancer therapy, biosensing, and in vivo imaging. However, as-synthesised GNRs need to be modified with a biocompatible stabilising coating in order to be employed in these fields as the ligands used to stabilise GNRs during synthesis are toxic. An issue is that GNR performance in the aforementioned techniques can be affected by these modified coatings. For example if coatings are too thick then GNR entry into cells, or their sensitivity in sensing applications, can be compromised. Here we show that thiolated peptide amphiphiles (PAs) can act as GNR stabilisers and provide a thin and highly-stable coating under physiologically relevant conditions. Additionally, all tested PAs formed highly ordered (51.8-58.8% ß-content), and dense (2.62-3.87 peptides per nm2) monolayers on the GNR surface. Moreover, the PA-coated GNRs demonstrated no cytotoxicity in vitro and, via injection in zebrafish embryos, the behavior and cellular interactions of such PA-coated GNRs were visualised in vivo, in real time, with two-photon (2P) microscopy.

Laser-Induced µ-Rooms for Osteocytes on Implant Surface: An In Vivo Study.

Laser processing of dental implant surfaces is becoming a more widespread replacement for classical techniques due to its undeniable advantages, including control of oxide formation and structure and surface relief at the microscale. Thus, using a laser, we created several biomimetic topographies of various shapes on the surface of titanium screw-shaped implants to research their success and survival rates. A distinctive feature of the topographies is the presence of "µ-rooms", which are special spaces created by the depressions and elevations and are analogous to the µ-sized room in which the osteocyte will potentially live. We conducted the comparable in vivo study using dental implants with continuous (G-topography with µ-canals), discrete (S-topography with µ-cavities), and irregular (I-topography) laser-induced topographies. A histological analysis performed with the statistical method (with p-value less than 0.05) was conducted, which showed that G-topography had the highest BIC parameter and contained the highest number of mature osteocytes, indicating the best secondary stability and osseointegration.

Hydroxychloroquine in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome: rationale and results of an observational study of refractory cases.

BACKGROUND: The current recommended therapy of obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a long-term anticoagulant therapy that affects the final event, namely, when the thrombosis has already occurred. Unfortunately, this schedule is not always effective and fails despite the correct risk stratification and an adequate adjusted dose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2013 to 2020 we observed 217 women with antiphospholipid antibodies and obstetric morbidities who were treated with conventional treatment protocol (aspirin low doses ± LMWH). Among them 150 (69.1%) successfully completed pregnancy with delivery and live birth on the background of LMWH and aspirin therapy and in 67 (30.9%) women despite a traditional therapy regimen, obstetric complications were noted. Later, 56 of these 67 women became pregnant again and were offered traditional therapy plus hydroxychloroquine. Fifteen women refused HCQ treatment due to possible potential side effects. The final cohort consisted of 41 women with positive antiphospholipid antibodies and obstetric and thrombotic complications who received LMWH, aspirin low doses and HCQ at a dose of 200-400mg per day from the beginning of pregnancy. RESULTS: Forty-one aPL women treated with HCQ after failed previous anticoagulant therapy had live births in 32 cases (78%). Adding of HCQ to the combination of LMWH and LDA showed good overall obstetric results and increased the number of live births in another 32 women. So, a total of 182 (83.8%) of initial 217 aPL-women ended their pregnancies with live birth after adding the HCQ to the traditional therapy with LMWH and low doses of aspirin. CONCLUSION: In 20-30% of cases the live birth despite anticoagulation cannot be achieved. Perhaps APS is not just anticoagulation. The study of pathophysiological mechanisms suggests that some patients will benefit from other therapy (in addition to anticoagulant). Therapy that affects the early effects of aPL on target cells (monocytes, endothelial cells, etc.) or before binding to receptors-this therapy will be preferable and potentially less harmful than the officially accepted one to date. From this point of view, HCQ looks promising and can be used as an alternative candidate for women with refractory obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome. Adding HCQ should be considered in some selected patients with failed pregnancy after treatment with anticoagulants.

Health Alliance for prudent antibiotic prescribing in patients with respiratory tract infections (HAPPY AUDIT) -impact of a non-randomised multifaceted intervention programme.

BACKGROUND: Excessive use of antibiotics is worldwide the most important reason for development of antimicrobial resistance. As antibiotic resistance may spread across borders, high prevalence countries may serve as a source of bacterial resistance for countries with a low prevalence. Therefore, bacterial resistance is an important issue with a potential serious impact on all countries. Initiatives have been taken to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing in primary care, but only few studies have been designed to determine the effectiveness of multifaceted strategies across countries with different practice setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a multifaceted intervention targeting general practitioners (GPs) and patients in six countries with different health organization and different prevalence of antibiotic resistance. METHODS: GPs from two Nordic countries, two Baltic Countries and two Hispano-American countries registered patients with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in 2008 and 2009. After first registration they received individual prescriber feedback and they were offered an intervention programme that included training courses, clinical guidelines, posters for waiting rooms, patient brochures and access to point of care tests (Strep A and C-Reactive Protein). Antibiotic prescribing rates were compared before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 440 GPs registered 47011 consultations; 24436 before the intervention (2008) and 22575 after the intervention (2009). After the intervention, the GPs significantly reduced the percentage of consultations resulting in an antibiotic prescription. In patients with lower RTI the GPs in Lithuania reduced the prescribing rate by 42%, in Russia by 25%, in Spain by 25%, and in Argentina by 9%. In patients with upper RTIs, the corresponding reductions in the antibiotic prescribing rates were in Lithania 20%, in Russia 15%, in Spain 9%, and in Argentina 5%. CONCLUSION: A multifaceted intervention programme targeting GPs and patients and focusing on improving diagnostic procedures in patients with RTIs may lead to a marked reduction in antibiotic prescribing. The pragmatic before-after design used may suffer from some limitations and the reduction in antibiotic prescribing could be influenced by factors not related to the intervention.

Health Alliance for Prudent Prescribing, Yield and Use of Antimicrobial Drugs in the Treatment of Respiratory Tract Infections (HAPPY AUDIT).

BACKGROUND: Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics is considered to be the most important reason for development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. As antibiotic resistance may spread across borders, high prevalence countries may serve as a source of bacterial resistance for countries with a low prevalence. Therefore, bacterial resistance is an important issue with a potential serious impact on all countries. The majority of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are treated in general practice. Most infections are caused by virus and antibiotics are therefore unlikely to have any clinical benefit. Several intervention initiatives have been taken to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics in primary health care, but the effectiveness of these interventions is only modest. Only few studies have been designed to determine the effectiveness of multifaceted strategies in countries with different practice setting. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a multifaceted intervention targeting general practitioners (GPs) and patients in six countries with different prevalence of antibiotic resistance: Two Nordic countries (Denmark and Sweden), two Baltic Countries (Lithuania and Kaliningrad-Russia) and two Hispano-American countries (Spain and Argentina). METHODS/DESIGN: HAPPY AUDIT was initiated in 2008 and the project is still ongoing. The project includes 15 partners from 9 countries. GPs participating in HAPPY AUDIT will be audited by the Audit Project Odense (APO) method. The APO method will be used at a multinational level involving GPs from six countries with different cultural background and different organisation of primary health care. Research on the effect of the intervention will be performed by analysing audit registrations carried out before and after the intervention. The intervention includes training courses on management of RTIs, dissemination of clinical guidelines with recommendations for diagnosis and treatment, posters for the waiting room, brochures to patients and implementation of point of care tests (Strep A and CRP) to be used in the GPs'surgeries. To ensure public awareness of the risk of resistant bacteria, media campaigns targeting both professionals and the public will be developed and the results will be published and widely disseminated at a Working Conference hosted by the World Association of Family Doctors (WONCA-Europe) at the end of the project period. DISCUSSION: HAPPY AUDIT is an EU-financed project with the aim of contributing to the battle against antibiotic resistance through quality improvement of GPs' diagnosis and treatment of RTIs through development of intervention programmes targeting GPs, parents of young children and healthy adults. It is hypothesized that the use of multifaceted strategies combining active intervention by GPs will be effective in reducing prescribing of unnecessary antibiotics for RTIs and improving the use of appropriate antibiotics in suspected bacterial infections.

One Peptide for Them All: Gold Nanoparticles of Different Sizes Are Stabilized by a Common Peptide Amphiphile.

The functionalization of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with peptidic moieties can prevent their aggregation and facilitate their use for applications both in vitro and in vivo. To date, no peptide-based coating has been shown to stabilize GNPs larger than 30 nm in diameter; such particles are of interest for applications including vaccine development, drug delivery, and sensing. Here, GNPs with diameters of 20, 40, and 100 nm are functionalized with peptide amphiphiles. Using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering, we show that GNPs up to 100 nm in size can be stabilized by these molecules. Moreover, we demonstrate that these peptide amphiphiles form curvature-dependent, ordered structures on the surface of the GNPs and that the GNPs remain disperse at high-salt concentrations and in the presence of competing thiol-containing molecules. These results represent the development of a peptide amphiphile-based coating system for GNPs which has the potential to be beneficial for a wide range of biological applications, in addition to image enhancement and catalysis.

The effect of surfactant micellization on the cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles stabilized with aerosol-OT.

The toxic action of surfactant used as a stabilizer of metal nanoparticles have been studied with the aim to determine separate contributions of surfactant monomers and micelles to cell viability decrease. Basing on (1) the well-known ability of surfactant molecules to form micelles in solution at a critical micelle concentration (CMC) and (2) the results reported in literature, showing that toxicity of various surfactants increases when their concentration exceeds CMC, we supposed that surfactant molecules and micelles may differ in their toxic effect on cells. This supposition was verified on the anionic surfactant aerosol-OT (AOT) used as a stabilizer of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in studies of their cytotoxicity on Jurkat cells by means of the MTT test. Two samples of AgNPs stabilized with AOT in concentrations higher (3 mM) and lower (1 mM) than its CMC in water were introduced to the cell medium as water solutions diluted to obtain nanoparticle concentrations in the range 1-7 µg/mL. Cell viability changes were registered after 24 h incubation. It was found that AgNPs of similar average size (about 16 nm), synthesized by the same procedure, introduced to the same concentrations in cell medium, produced a different effect on cell viability. Namely, decrease in cell viability was observed for AgNPs with 3 mM AOT, while no noticeable changes were registered for AgNPs with 1 mM AOT. A similar difference was detected for the corresponding dilutions of 3 mM and 1 mM AOT water solutions. We assumed that the toxicity dependence on AOT concentration originated from the difference in toxic action of the two different AOT forms - molecules (monomers) and micelles - present in the AgNPs and AOT solution. The approach was suggested for estimation of the separate contributions of monomers and micelles to the total AOT toxicity; changes of these contributions with AgNPs or AOT concentration were also determined. The results obtained may prove to be useful in studies of the biological activity of surfactants applied both as nanoparticle stabilizers and as agents working in medicine as suppressors of various infections.

Neuron-specific enolase in nasal secretions as a novel biomarker of olfactory dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Olfactory dysfunction is a diagnostic criterion for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). During chronic inflammation and olfactory neuronal damage in CRS, it is likely that neuron-specific enolase (NSE) can leak into nasal secretions (NS) and serum. Therefore, we postulated that NSE levels in NS and in circulation may be indicative of olfactory dysfunction in CRS. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the NS and serum concentrations of NSE with olfactory dysfunction in subjects with CRS. METHODS: The patients with CRS were classified into two groups, depending on the presence of polyps: CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). A group of age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers served as controls. Olfactory function assessment was performed by using Sniffin' Sticks. NSE concentrations in serum and NS were analyzed by using the enzyme immunometric assay kit specific for the γ subunit. RESULTS: The study included 46 patients with CRSsNP, 25 women (54.3%) and 21 men (45.7%), mean (standard deviation [SD]) age, 34.1 ± 12.3 years; and 54 patients with CRSwNP, 24 women (44.4%) and 30 men (55.6%), mean (SD) age, 37.9 ± 17.5 years. A group of 40 healthy volunteers who were matched for age and sex served as controls. Significantly higher serum and NS levels of NSE were measured in patients with CRS compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001). In the CRSwNP group, both mean (SD) serum (83.5 ± 37.6 ng/mL) and mean (SD) NS (6.1 ± 2.3 ng/mL) levels of NSE were significantly higher than in the CRSsNP group (46.4 ± 7.3 ng/mL [p < 0.001] and 1.7 ± 0.5 ng/mL [p < 0.001], respectively). In both the CRSsNP and CRSwNP groups (but not in the healthy controls), significant negative correlations between NS NSE levels and TDI scores (r = -0.63, p < 0.001 for the CRSwNP group, and r = -0.51, p < 0.001 for CRSsNP group) were observed, which meant that higher NSE was associated with worse olfactory function. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated a contribution of CRS to NSE and olfactory dysfunction.

Human Herpesvirus Type 8-positive Multicentric Castleman Disease.

Castleman disease (CD) is rare lymphoproliferative disorder with local lesionsor with multiple lessions (multicentric CD [MCD]-usually with plasma cell or mix cell morphology). Patients with human herpesvirus (HHV) type 8-positive MCD were included in a separate group owing to its extremely aggressive course and the high risk of transformation into HHV8(+) plasmablastic lymphoma. At our hematologic center, from 1996 to the present, the clinical and morphologic features of 87 patients with CD were analyzed. Immunohistochemical examination revealed DNA HHV8(+) lymph node tissue in patients with plasma cell and mixed cell morphology. In 45 patients, plasma cell or mixed cell variant CD was diagnosed. In 21 patients (8%), the manifestation of CD was local and in 29 (9%), it was multicentric. HHV8 was identified in only 6 cases (23.1%) of MCD (5 men and 1 woman, with a median age of 48.2 years; range, 36-77 years). The median follow-up point was 39.2 months. In 4 patients, the mixed cell variant was diagnosed and in 2, the plasma cell variant was diagnosed. In all the patients, constitutional symptoms, generalized lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly were detected. Various laboratory changes were observed, but the most significant were anemia, thrombocytopenia, hypergammaglobulinemia, M-component, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and circulating immune complexes. In 2 cases of HHV8(+) CD, MCD was combined with autoimmune hemolytic anemia and in 2 cases with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At the last follow-up point, 2 patients were still alive after CHOP (cyclophosphamide, prednisone, Adriamycin, vincristine) and R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate [Oncovin], prednisone) therapy with rituximab maintenance. HHV8(+) MCD results in aggressive multiorgan lesions and pronounced changes in laboratory test results. It is characterized by an unfavorable prognosis with a high risk of transformation to plasmablastic lymphoma and a lethal outcome. Timely chemotherapy for patients with HHV8(+) MCD can result in remission and prolong life.

Heat shock protein 70 and anti-heat shock protein 70 antibodies in nasal secretions of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: The issue of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and anti-HSP70 antibodies in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has never been explored. OBJECTIVE: To determine the nasal secretion (NS) levels of HSP70 and anti-HSP70 antibodies in patients with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and patients with CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), and to evaluate their associations with CRS clinical severity and correlation with NS interleukin (IL), IL-5 and interferon λ. METHODS: CRS severity was determined by Lund-Mackay scores. Levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), IL-4, IL-5, interferon λ, HSP70, and anti-HSP70 antibody levels in NS were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Forty-six patients with CRSsNP (25 women [54.3%] and 21 men [45.7%], mean [standard deviation {SD}]) age, 34.1 ± 12.3 years; 54 patients with CRSwNP (24 women [44.4%] and 30 men [55.6%], mean [SD] age, 37.9 ± 17.5 years). A group of 40 healthy subjects served as controls. Compared with the controls (with a mean [SD] NS HSP70 level of 0.05 ± 0.03 µg/mL), mean [SD] NS HSP70 levels in both the CRSsNP group (0.16 ± 0.07 µg/mL) and CRSwNP group (0.21 ± 0.10 µg/mL) were increased (p < 0.001). Similarly, the mean (SD) NS anti-HSP70 antibody levels were significantly higher in patients with CRSwNP (0.25 ± 0.09 optical density value [ODV]) compared with CRSsNP (0.13 ± 0.04 ODV) (p < 0.001) and healthy controls (0.14 ± 0.02 ODV) (p < 0.001). NS HSP70 in subjects with CRSwNP showed a significant positive correlation with the Lund-Mackay score (r = 0.31; p < 0.05). NS levels of either HSP70 or anti-HSP70 antibodies were strongly correlated with NS IL-4 in the CRSwNP group (r = 0.62, p < 0.001; and r = 0.69, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: NS concentrations of HSP70 and secretory IgA anti HSP70 antibodies are increased in CRSwNP (but not in CRSsNP) and correlate positively with the Lund-Mackay score, NS IL-4, and NS IL-5.