Remotely Activated Protein-Producing Nanoparticles

The development of responsive nanomaterials, nanoscale systems that actively respond to stimuli, is one general goal of nanotechnology. Here we develop nanoparticles that can be controllably triggered to synthesize proteins. The nanoparticles consist of lipid vesicles filled with the cellular machinery responsible for transcription and translation, including amino acids, ribosomes, and DNA caged with a photolabile protecting group. These particles served as nanofactories capable of producing proteins including green fluorescent protein (GFP) and enzymatically active luciferase. In vitro and in vivo, protein synthesis was spatially and temporally controllable, and could be initiated by irradiating micrometer-scale regions on the time scale of milliseconds. The ability to control protein synthesis inside nanomaterials may enable new strategies to facilitate the study of orthogonal proteins in a confined environment and for remotely activated drug delivery.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (MIT-Harvard Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Grant U54 CA151884)Marie D. and Pierre Casimir-Lambert FundNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Cancer Center Support (Core) Grant P30-CA14051)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant EB000244

Calcium antagonists and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease: A Cohort study of 11,575 patients

AbstractObjectives. This study sought to establish the risk ratio for mortality associated with calcium antagonists in a large population of patients with chronic coronary artery disease.Background. Recent reports have suggested that the use of short-acting nifedipine may cause an increase in overall mortality in patients with coronary artery disease and that a similar effect may be produced by other calcium antagonists, in particular those of the dihydropyridine type.Methods. Mortality data were obtained for 11,575 patients screened for the Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention study (5,843 with and 5,732 without calcium antagonists) after a mean follow-up period of 3.2 years.Results. There were 495 deaths (8.5%) in the calcium antagonist group compared with 410 in the control group (7.2%). The age-adjusted risk ratio for mortality was 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95 to 1.24). After adjustment for the differences between the groups in age and gender and the prevalence of previous myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, hypertension, New York Heart Association functional class, peripheral vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and current smoking, the adjusted risk ratio declined to 0.97 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.11). After further adjustment for concomintant medication, the risk ratio was estimated at 0.94 (95% CI 0.82 to 1.08).Conclusions. The current analysis does not support the claim that calcium antagonist therapy in patients with chronic coronary artery disease, whether myocardial infarction survivors or others, harbors an increased risk of mortality

Identification of cardiac organ damage in arterial hypertension: insights by echocardiography for a comprehensive assessment

: Arterial hypertension, a widespread disease, whose prevalence increases with age, represents a major risk factor for cardiovascular events, causing damage in several organs, including the heart. In this context, echocardiography has a clear and pivotal role, being able to assess cardiac morphology and detect haemodynamic changes induced by this disease. 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension guidelines on AH identified main echo parameters such as left ventricular mass, relative wall thickness and left atrial volume, for detecting cardiac organ damage. The present review highlights the advantage of additional echocardiographic parameters such as diastolic measurement and both thoracic and abdominal aortic dimensions. An overlook on aortic valve should also be suggested to detect aortic regurgitation and stenosis, both frequent complications in hypertensive patients. In this kind of comprehensive assessment, the combination of standard and advanced echocardiography (speckle tracking echocardiography and, with a lesser extent, three-dimensional echocardiography) could be considered to improve the diagnostic accuracy, stratify prognosis and address management in arterial hypertension

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Corporate social responsibility as a source of employee satisfaction

Corporate social responsibility has received an increasing amount of attention from practitioners and scholars alike in recent years. However, very little is known about whether or how corporate social responsibility affects employees. Because employees are primary stakeholders who directly contribute to the success of the company, understanding employee reactions to corporate social responsibility may help answer lingering questions about the potential effects of corporate social responsibility on firms as well as illuminate some of the processes responsible for them. To begin our chapter, we provide a brief history of scholarship on corporate social responsibility and highlight some of the major challenges researchers in this area currently face. We then discuss why corporate social responsibility may represent a special opportunity to influence employees ’ general impression of their company. Next, we identify four distinct paths through which corporate social responsibility may affect employees’ relationship with their company that correspond to four universal psychological needs: security, self-esteem, belongingness, and a meaningful existence

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Topical Steroids in Bacterial Keratitis, A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To review the outcomes, risk factors and morbidity of bacterial keratitis treated with and without topical steroids. Design and Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Demographics, risk factors, culture results, ulcer characteristics, time to epithelialization, visual-acuity and recurrences were recorded. Patients were classified into 2 groups: 1.Topical antibiotics/steroids (ASG), 2.Antibiotics only group (AOG). Results: Seventy two eyes were identified; 37 were classified in the ASG and 35 in the AOG. Predisposing factors were identified in 87.5% of cases, Penetrating keratoplasty, previous surgery, contact-lens wear and Herpes-simplex keratitides were the most common overall; Microorganisms were indentified in 85.5% and 60% of ASG and AOG respectively. Epithelialization was completed at a mean 17.62  and 16.06 days in ASG and AOG respectively (p= 0.533); Final mean BSCVA was 1.59±1.07 and 1.64±1.21 logMAR in ASG and AOG respectively (p= 0.864). The number of gained Snellen lines was 0.13±0.22 in ASG and 0.14±.0.24 in AOG (p= 0.860). There were no recurrences. Conclusion: Although a non statistical significant delay in re-epithelialization was noted in the ASG, this did not translate into a statistical difference in final BSCVA, gained Snellen lines or recurrence of infection. In our series, adjuvant topical steroids were not associated with an increase in unfavorable outcomes