J Transl Med
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Currently, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase(MGMT) promoter methylation is the most convincing predictive biomarker for temozolomide (TMZ) response in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, technical obstacles prevent this biomarker from being applied widely. On the other hand, microRNAs (miRNAs) are easily investigated in the clinical setting using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. This study aimed to identify miRNAs that could serve as predictive biomarkers for TMZ response. ⋯ Our data suggested that miR-130a could be a predictive marker for TMZ response in patients with GBM, independently of the mechanism by which MGMT acts as a biomarker. miR-130a could serve as a guide for treatment strategy selection in cases of GBM.
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Transient episodes of ischemia in a remote organ (remote ischemic preconditioning, RIPC) can attenuate myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury but the underlying mechanisms of RIPC in the target organ are still poorly understood. Recent animal studies suggested that the small redox protein thioredoxin may be a potential candidate for preconditioning-induced organprotection. Here we employed a human proteome profiler array to investigate the RIPC regulated expression of cell stress proteins and particularly of thioredoxin in heart tissue of cardiosurgical patients with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). ⋯ We provide evidence for thioredoxin as a RIPC-induced factor in heart tissue of cardiosurgical patients and identified several cell stress associated proteins that are regulated by RIPC and may play a role in RIPC-mediated cardioprotection.
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Observational Study
Pharmacokinetic model of unfractionated heparin during and after cardiopulmonary bypass in cardiac surgery.
Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is widely used as a reversible anti-coagulant in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, the pharmacokinetic characteristics of UFH in CPB surgeries remain unknown because of the lack of means to directly determine plasma UFH concentrations. The aim of this study was to establish a pharmacokinetic model to predict plasma UFH concentrations at the end of CPB for optimal neutralization with protamine sulfate. ⋯ A two-compartment model accurately reflects the pharmacokinetics of UFH in Chinese patients during CPB and can be used to explain postoperative heparin rebound after protamine neutralization. Simulations suggest a 24-h protamine infusion is more effective for heparin rebound prevention than a 6-h protamine infusion.
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Clinical Trial
Gastrointestinal delivery of propofol from fospropofol: its bioavailability and activity in rodents and human volunteers.
Propofol is a safe and widely used intravenous anesthetic agent, for which additional clinical uses including treatment of migraine, nausea, pain and anxiety have been proposed (Vasileiou et al. Eur J Pharmacol 605:1-8, 2009). However, propofol suffers from several disadvantages as a therapeutic outside anesthesia including its limited aqueous solubility and negligible oral bioavailability. The purpose of the studies described here was to evaluate, in both animals and human volunteers, whether fospropofol (a water soluble phosphate ester prodrug of propofol) would provide higher propofol bioavailability through non-intravenous routes. ⋯ These data suggest potential utility of oral administration of fospropofol for various therapeutic indications previously considered for propofol.
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Interleukin-12 (IL-12) has long been considered to be effective in triggering an anticancer immune response, however, the dosage has been limited by potential systemic immunotoxicity. Since focused ultrasound (FUS) has been confirmed to temporally and locally open the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the purpose of this study was to elucidate the possibility of combining FUS-induced BBB opening with IL-12 delivery to enhance the anticancer immunological response for glioma treatment. ⋯ This study provides evidence that FUS-BBB opening can enhance immune-modulating agent delivery to the brain, which improve the anticancer immune response in brain tumor treatment.