Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Farah Elawar, Ahmed K. Oraby, Quinten Kieser, Lionel D. Jensen, Tyce Culp, Frederick G. West, David J. Marchant
Summary: RSV infection is a major cause of pediatric hospitalizations and deaths, with limited treatment options. The development of effective antivirals and vaccines is crucial in combating RSV, despite challenges in therapeutics so far. This review provides insight into current research progress and future considerations in RSV treatment.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Arathi Kulkarni, Shuchi Patel, Deepesh Khanna, Mayur S. Parmar
Summary: Celiac Disease (CeD) is an autoimmune disorder caused by the consumption of gluten, leading to inflammation in the small intestine. The current treatment recommendation is to avoid gluten-based products, as there is no FDA-approved medication for CeD. However, several clinical trials are underway to develop pharmacological approaches to treat CeD.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Reyisha Taximaimaiti, Xingguang Luo, Xiao-Ping Wang
Summary: Sleep disorders are common in Parkinson's disease, affecting quality of life. Treatments for common sleep disorders in PD include pharmacological and non-pharmacological options aimed at improving sleep quality and minimizing side effects.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Carin Andren Aronsson, Daniel Agardh
Summary: A higher intake of gluten during childhood is associated with increased risk of celiac disease. Gastrointestinal infections may increase gut permeability and exposure to gluten, leading to the development of celiac disease. Different gluten interventions have been proposed, but further randomized clinical trials are needed to determine their effectiveness.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Aniello Meoli, Lorenzo Ciavola, Sofia Rahman, Marco Masetti, Tommaso Toschetti, Riccardo Morini, Giulia Dal Canto, Cinzia Auriti, Caterina Caminiti, Elio Castagnola, Giorgio Conti, Daniele Dona, Luisa Galli, Stefania La Grutta, Laura Lancella, Mario Lima, Andrea Lo Vecchio, Gloria Pelizzo, Nicola Petrosillo, Alessandro Simonini, Elisabetta Venturini, Fabio Caramelli, Gaetano Domenico Gargiulo, Enrico Sesenna, Rossella Sgarzani, Claudio Vicini, Mino Zucchelli, Fabio Mosca, Annamaria Staiano, Nicola Principi, Susanna Esposito
Summary: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after surgery, with economic impact on health systems. However, there is little data on risk factors for SSIs in pediatric patients, and current guidelines mainly focus on adults. This study aims to provide guidance for healthcare professionals in preventing SSIs in neonates and children, considering non-pharmacological measures.
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Iacopo Olivotto, James E. Udelson, Maurizio Pieroni, Claudio Rapezzi
Summary: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a major cause of cardiac morbidity and mortality, driven by aging populations and comorbidities. HFpEF is a complex condition involving cardiac remodeling, peripheral circulation, and various comorbidities. However, a subset of HFpEF is caused by specific genetic myocardial diseases, which can be targeted by innovative treatments. The prompt recognition of these genetic causes can significantly improve clinical practice and outcomes for HFpEF patients.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Eric V. Li, Robert Esterquest, Minh N. Pham, Evan J. Panken, Channa Amarasekera, Aisha Siebert, Petar Bajic, Laurence A. Levine
Summary: Peyronie's disease is a condition characterized by abnormal collagen deposition in the tunica albuginea, leading to significant physical and emotional impact on patients. Various treatment options exist, each with different effects on clinical endpoints, highlighting the need for personalized treatment approaches. Further research is needed to fully understand the pathophysiology of PD and optimize treatment strategies.
EXPERT REVIEW OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Madelon C. Vonk, Vanessa Smith, Petros P. Sfikakis, Maurizio Cutolo, Francesco del Galdo, James R. Seibold
Summary: Systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) has been investigated with various drug treatments, with high-quality evidence supporting the use of cyclophosphamide, nintedanib, mycophenolate, and tocilizumab. Further research is needed to provide evidence for optimal treatment strategies.
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Rick Dersch, Sebastian Rauer
Summary: This study aimed to update a previous systematic review on the treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) and provide evidence-based recommendations by evaluating the recent literature. The results showed that both doxycycline and beta-lactam antibiotics have similar efficacy in treating LNB, extended antibiotic treatment does not provide any benefit, and the use of steroids in LNB with facial palsy is not recommended.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaoyan Cai, Shiwen Yuan, Yanting Zeng, Cuicui Wang, Na Yu, Changhai Ding
Summary: Osteoarthritis is a major cause of function loss and disability in elderly individuals, with its treatment facing challenges due to multifactorial etiologies. However, emerging therapies show promise in providing benefits for OA management. By targeting specific mechanisms of OA, the landscape of OA treatment is expected to be reshaped in the coming years.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Daniel S. March, Thomas J. Wilkinson, Thomas Burnell, Roseanne E. Billany, Katherine Jackson, Luke A. Baker, Amal Thomas, Katherine A. Robinson, Emma L. Watson, Matthew P. M. Graham-Brown, Arwel W. Jones, James O. Burton
Summary: This study systematically reviewed the effects of interventions on outcome measures associated with sarcopenia in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The findings suggest that intradialytic exercise can increase hand grip strength and sit-to-stand test performance, while L-carnitine and nandrolone-decanoate show potential for increasing muscle mass in the dialysis population.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Saval Khanal, Martin Underwood, Seyran Naghdi, Anna Brown, Callum Duncan, Manjit Matharu, Hema Mistry
Summary: This study conducted an economic evaluation of pharmacological treatments for chronic migraine in adults and found that both Botox and Erenumab are cost-effective options. Although Erenumab had more incremental economic benefits compared to Botox, its cost-effectiveness ratios were above the most common willingness-to-pay thresholds.
JOURNAL OF HEADACHE AND PAIN
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Karsoon Tan, Leiheng Huang, Kianann Tan, Leongseng Lim, Ya Peng, Kit -Leong Cheong
Summary: This study aims to investigate the effects of culinary preparations on the lipid nutritional quality of seafood and its relation to CHD. By analyzing published literature, the study reveals the impact of culinary treatments on the lipid nutritional quality of fish and shellfish. Such information is highly useful in guiding consumers to choose better cooking methods to reduce the risk of CHD.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Valvano, Stefano Fabiani, Sabrina Monaco, Mauro Calabro, Antonio Mancusi, Sara Frassino, Claudia Rolandi, Marta Mosca, Susanna Faenza, Emanuele Sgamma, Nicola Cesaro, Giovanni Latella
Summary: Celiac disease is a chronic enteropathy caused by gluten ingestion in genetically susceptible individuals. The only recommended treatment is a gluten-free diet, but unintentional gluten ingestion or refractory celiac disease with persistent villous atrophy poses a major challenge. This review analyzed data from randomized controlled trials and observational studies to evaluate adjunctive and novel therapies for CD and RCD. Although a gluten-free diet remains the only effective treatment, steroids, mesalamine, and biological therapies have shown promise in managing RCD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Katarina Rukavina, Lucia Batzu, Valentina Leta, K. Ray Chaudhuri
Summary: Non-motor symptoms (NMSs) in Parkinson's disease have a negative impact on the quality of life, but clinical trials mainly focus on motor symptoms. Therefore, there is a need for more industry and researcher awareness to conduct high-quality, large-scale clinical trials targeting pain, autonomic dysfunction, and sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease patients.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Britta Franziska Hettich, Johannes Josua Bader, Jean-Christophe Leroux
Summary: Different methods were explored to incorporate hydrophilic non-membrane permeable compounds into stem cell-derived small EV, with freeze-thawing and osmotic shock proving to be the most appropriate methods for high drug encapsulation while preserving structural and biological vesicle characteristics.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mina Mehanny, Claus-Michael Lehr, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: EVs and MVs provide innovative avenues for safe and effective antigen delivery, with potential applications in anti-cancer vaccination immunotherapy and prophylactic vaccination against infectious diseases.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Leila Pourtalebi Jahromi, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: Bacterial vesicles mediate communication between cells containing various biomolecules. They have the potential for designing diverse therapeutic and diagnostic methods, but technical limitations must be addressed for production, purification, and characterization.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Maximilian Richter, Pieter Vader, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles mediating intercellular communication, showing promise for therapeutic and drug-delivery applications. Researchers aim to enhance their performance by equipping EVs with new moieties on their surface while preserving vesicle integrity. Techniques for introducing these moieties can be classified as pre or post-isolation approaches, involving genetic manipulation, metabolic engineering, physical, or chemical means.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yinyin Bao, Nevena Paunovic, Jean-Christophe Leroux
Summary: Vat photopolymerization technique has shown great potential in the fabrication of medical implants and devices. However, the conflicting viscosity requirements for printing resins present a challenge. Heat-assisted DLP and volumetric printing techniques offer new possibilities by enabling the fabrication of complex and personalized biodegradable structures and circumventing the need for low viscosity resins.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Mina Mehanny, Tobias Kroniger, Marcus Koch, Jessica Hoppstaedter, Doerte Becher, Alexandra K. Kiemer, Claus-Michael Lehr, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: This study found that pneumococcal membrane vesicles (MVs) demonstrate low toxicity and compatibility with various cell lines, showing promising immunogenicity. While death-phase vesicles had higher yields, they did not show superiority over stationary-phase vesicles in terms of uptake and inflammatory cytokine release in primary human immune cells.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michael Burger, Seraina Kaelin, Jean-Christophe Leroux
Summary: Non-viral gene delivery agents mainly rely on charge-based and hydrophobic interactions, while the human protein TFAM utilizes specific protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to form nanoparticles with DNA. In this study, TFAM's properties are repurposed to create a DNA transfection agent through protein engineering. The TFAM/DNA complexes are stabilized by introducing cysteine point mutations and covalently fusing with other proteins to enable endosomal escape and DNA protection. This TFAM-based DNA scaffold shows promising activity in transfecting cells.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Menka Drost, Eleonora Diamanti, Kathrin Fuhrmann, Adriely Goes, Atanaz Shams, Joerg Haupenthal, Marcus Koch, Anna K. H. Hirsch, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: This study presents a method of loading hydrophobic compounds into bacteriomimetic liposomes, which show superior antibacterial efficacy and biofilm reduction compared to free drugs.
Editorial Material
Engineering, Biomedical
Juliane Nguyen, Gregor Fuhrmann
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nicole Kleger, Simona Fehlmann, Seunghun S. Lee, Cyril Denereaz, Martina Cihova, Nevena Paunovic, Yinyin Bao, Jean-Christophe Leroux, Stephen J. Ferguson, Kunal Masania, Andre R. Studart
Summary: This article reports a universal manufacturing platform that utilizes photocurable resins and printed salt structures as leachable molds to shape materials into complex geometries. Through systematic investigation of the printing, debinding, and sintering steps, suitable ink formulations for crack-free salt templates are identified. By infiltrating the sintered molds and leaching the templates, complex-shaped architectures are created from various compositions.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Cristina Zivko, Kathrin Fuhrmann, Gregor Fuhrmann, Paola Luciani
Summary: This study developed a method to isolate and characterize extracellular vesicles (EVs) from human hepatic stellate cells and identified a potential EV marker, the matricellular protein SPARC, after lipid-based antifibrotic treatment. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying hepatic fibrogenesis and finding alternative biomarkers for liver biopsies could lead to more effective treatments and less invasive diagnostic methods.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Elita Montanari, Hanna Krupke, Jean-Christophe Leroux
Summary: Currently, there is a lack of sustained release formulations for highly dosed small hydrophilic drugs. In this study, parenteral lipid spherulites were developed to entrapped and release large amounts of such drugs in a sustained manner. The spherulites demonstrated higher loading efficiency compared to liposomes and showed promising results in increasing the systemic exposure of the drug. PE spherulites were found to be a promising lipid platform for the extravascular administration of highly dosed small hydrophilic drugs.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Leila Pourtalebi Jahromi, Markus Rothammer, Gregor Fuhrmann
Summary: Lipid-based nanocarriers, such as liposomes, have been extensively studied and used clinically for drug delivery. In contrast, extracellular vesicles (EVs), small cell-derived nanoparticles involved in cellular communication, have recently gained attention as potential drug carriers but are still in the preclinical stage of development. To accelerate the clinical translation of EVs, the methods and technologies used in liposome research should be applied in the field of EVs to optimize their therapeutic potential. This review provides an overview of polysaccharide-based hydrogel platforms for drug delivery to the skin, discussing their physicochemical and biological properties in order to optimize EV-embedded hydrogels as versatile therapeutics.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhi Luo, David Klein Cerrejon, Simon Romer, Nicole Zoratto, Jean-Christophe Leroux
Summary: Biopharmaceuticals, such as proteins and peptides, have greatly improved the treatment of various diseases. However, most of these drugs need to be administered parenterally due to their large size and instability. In this study, a novel technology was developed to enhance drug absorption by combining noninvasive stretching of the buccal mucosa with permeation enhancers. The engineered suction patch achieved significantly higher bioavailability in dogs compared to a commercial tablet formulation of a peptide drug. Additionally, a first-in-human study confirmed the acceptability of this dosage form, supporting its clinical translatability.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Nevena Paunovic, Jean-Christophe Leroux, Yinyin Bao
Summary: A dual-polymer resin formulation is proposed for digital light processing of biodegradable elastomers with mechanical properties comparable to Sylgard-184.