Nanomedical Applications of Amphiphilic Dendrimeric Micelles.

In recent years, polymeric materials with the ability to self-assemble into micelles have been increasingly investigated for application in various fields, mainly in biomedicine. Micellar morphology is interesting in the field of drug transport and delivery since micelles can encapsulate hydrophobic molecules in their nucleus, have active molecules in their outer layer, and due to their nanometric size, can take advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, prolong the time in circulation and avoid renal clearance. In addition, nanobioactive molecules (joined in covalent form or by host-host interaction), such as drugs, bioimaging molecules, targeting ligands, "crosslinkable" molecules or bonds, sensitive to internal or external stimuli, can be incorporated into them and showed better activity as anticancer agents, siRNA delivery agents as well as antiviral and antiparasitic compounds. The present work is a review of the information published, which is the most important about the synthesis and biological importance of the confined multivalent cooperation and the ability to modify the dendritic structure, provide the versatility to create and improve the amphiphiles used in the micellar supramolecular field. The most studied structures are the hybrid copolymers formed by the combination of linear polymers and dendrons. However, small dendritic molecules that do not involve linear polymers have also been developed, such as Janus dendrimers, facial dendrons, and dendritic amphiphiles with only one dendron. Amphiphilic dendrimer micelles have achieved efficient and promising results, both in in vitro and in vivo tests, which encourage their research for future application in nanotherapies.

Synthesis and anticancer activity of open-resorcinarene conjugates.

The first example of conjugation of open-resorcinarenes with chlorambucil, ibuprofen, naproxen and indomethacin are presented. The cytotoxic properties of the obtained conjugates were tested against the cancer cell lines U-251, PC-3, K-562, HCT-15, MCF-7 and SKLU-1. It was found that the conjugate with chlorambucil, naproxen or indomethacin (having 8 moieties) was toxic towards cancer cell lines U-251 and K-562, with no activity against non-cancerous COS-7 cells. The conjugates with naproxen and indomethacin showed high selectivity towards U-251 tumor cells.

Chlamydophila psittaci eradication with doxycycline as first-line targeted therapy for ocular adnexae lymphoma: final results of an international phase II trial.

PURPOSE: The pathogenic association between Chlamydophila psittaci (Cp) and ocular adnexal marginal zone lymphoma (OAMZL) and the efficacy of doxycycline monotherapy have been investigated in retrospective series with variations in stage, management, and follow-up duration. To our knowledge, this is the first international phase II trial aimed at clarifying Cp prevalence and activity of first-line doxycycline in a homogeneous series of consecutive patients with newly diagnosed stage I OAMZL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients were registered. Tumor tissue, conjunctival swabs, and peripheral blood from 44 patients were assessed for seven Chlamydiaceae infections by three polymerase chain reaction protocols. Thirty-four patients with measurable or parametrable disease were treated with doxycycline and assessed for chlamydial eradication and lymphoma response (primary end point). RESULTS: Cp DNA was detected in biopsies of 39 patients (89%); no other Chlamydiaceae were detected. Twenty-nine patients had Cp DNA in baseline swabs and/or blood samples and were evaluable for chlamydial eradication, which was achieved in 14 patients (48%). Lymphoma regression was complete in six patients and partial in 16 (overall response rate, 65%; 95% CI, 49% to 81%); 11 had stable disease, and one had progressive disease. At a median follow-up of 37 months (range, 15 to 62 months), 20 patients remained relapse free (5-year progression-free survival [PFS] ± standard deviation, 55% ± 9%). Cp eradication was associated with improved response rate (86% v 47%; P = .02) and 5-year PFS (68% v 47%; P = .11). CONCLUSION: Upfront doxycycline is a rational and active treatment for patients with stage I Cp-positive OAMZL. Lymphoma regression is consequent to Cp eradication, which can easily be monitored on conjunctival and blood samples. Prospective trials aimed at identifying more effective administration schedules for doxycycline are warranted.

Tratamiento médico en pacientes con infestación por Angiostrongylus costaricensis / Medical treatment in patients with infestation by Angiostrongylus costaricensis infestation

Se presentan dos casos de infestación por Angiostrongylus; uno grave, que requirió resección quirúrgica y dos cursos de tratamiento con albendazol para su resolución exitosa, y otro en el que el tratamiento temprano, cuando apenas se sospechaba la presencia de parásitos, permitió al paciente curarse sin complicaciones. La infección humana por A. costaricensis es una entidad clínica acerca de la que existe escasa experiencia con terapia antiparasitaria. Los reportes de tratamiento en la bibliografía son pocos y no concluyentes. Los casos de infestación grave pueden ser mortales si se manejan en la forma tradicional de esperar resolver únicamente la complicación quirúrgica, mientras que el tratamiento temprano puede resolverse el problema sin complicaciones.

Resultados del tratamiento de la leucemia aguda no linfocítica en un hospital costarricense / Non-lymphocytic acute leukemia: results of treatment in a Costa Rican hospital

Se analizan los resultados obtenidos en 42 pacientes con leucemia aguda no linfocítica, tratados con citocina arabinósido, 6-tioguanina y doxorrubicina o epirrubicina. Se obtuvo un 50 por ciento de remisión, una probabilidad de sobrevida libre de enfermedad de 18,43 por ciento, a los 56 meses, en los pacientes en los que se logró remisión. El 38 por ciento de los enfermos tratados falleció antes de completar la inducción por causas de sangrado o infección. En nuestro medio, es necesario una mejor infraestructura de Banco de Sangre, que permita la obtención más fácil de concentrados de plaquetas y mejores sistemas de prevención de infección, para evitar la alta mortalidad durante la fase de inducción de remisión. El estudio demuestra la posibilidad de curación para esta enfermedad en Costa Rica