Perspective Chapter: Magnetoliposomes - A Recent Development as Recent Advances in the Field of Controlled Release Drug Delivery

The authors of this chapter point out that, although liposomal vesicles are widely used in cancer drug delivery systems, their limitations are also known. Therefore, more recently, new developments in modifications of liposomes have rapidly appeared to improve their parameters, including the maintenance of drugs in their structure, accumulation in target sites, and the active mechanism of drug release. Research on the effectiveness of existing liposomal carriers through their functionalization, allowed to propose a promising candidate for multifunctional nanoplatform based on liposomes and magnetic nanoparticles called magnetoliposomes. The presence of magnetic nanoparticles makes it possible to magnetically direct the liposomal carrier to the specific site, and appropriate magnetic field parameters can lead to controlled disintegration of the vesicle and release of the drug. The increasing variety of suggested platforms constantly provides new variants in the structure and mechanism of drug release, which enable the adjustment of the carrier’s characteristics to the specific needs of cancer therapy

Wpływ zmiany wytycznych ASCO-CAP na ocenę statusu genu HER2 metodą FISH w kwalifikacji do terapii anty-HER2 w raku piersi

Introduction. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Polish women. Overexpression of the HER2 protein or HER2 gene amplification is associated with a poor prognosis, simultaneously being an indication for the HER2-targeted therapy. In equivocal cases, the FISH assay is used for the final identification of the HER2 gene status. This evaluation should be performed according to the ASCO-CAP guidelines which have been changed in 2013. The aim of this study was to assess whether and how the changes of recommendations affected the distribution of the FISH results. Materials and methods. The results of routine diagnostic FISH analyses were compared for two independent groups of patients assessed with different evaluation criteria (ASCO-CAP 2007 for n = 680 and ASCO-CAP 2013 n = 851), and also in a group of 763 patients, where both criteria were used simultaneously. Results. A comparison of the results obtained in two independent groups showed that the change of evaluation criteria did not alter the percentage of HER2-positive tests (with HER2 amplification). However, the frequency of HER2-negative analyses (without HER2 amplification) diminished significantly from 76.2% to 61.8%, whereas the equivocal group (with an indefinite status of HER2 amplification) increased from 0.4% to 13.6%. In the group where both criteria from 2007 and 2013 were used, we also discovered statistically significant differences. The frequency of HER2-positive results were elevated from 10.6% to 16.8%. The equivocal results were also found more often, rising from 4.2% to 15.6%, while the number of negative results lowered from 85.2% to 67.6%. Conclusions. The use of ASCO/CAP recommendations for the assessment of the HER2 gene status reduces the group of negative results, and concurrently enlarges the number of positive and equivocal ones. This indicates that the new criteria extends the access to HER2-targeted therapy. Nevertheless, they also raise the frequency of analyses with an indefinite status of the HER2 gene. Our outcome suggests that there is a need for an enhanced FISH-based evaluation of this gene in the last group of patients in order to provide them with an unambiguous stratification to risk groups.  Wstęp. Rak piersi jest najczęstszym nowotworem u kobiet w Polsce. Nadmierna ekspresja białka HER2 lub amplifikacja genu HER2 jest związana ze złym rokowaniem i stanowi wskazanie do zastosowania terapii anty-HER2. W przypadkach wątpliwych rozstrzygającym badaniem jest ocena FISH, wskazująca status amplifikacji genu HER2 według obowiązujących wytycznych ASCO-CAP, które w roku 2013 uległy zmianom. Celem pracy było sprawdzenie, czy i w jaki sposób zmiana zaleceń wpłynęła na rozkład wyników badań FISH w tej grupie pacjentów. Materiały i metody. Analizie porównawczej poddano wyniki rutynowej diagnostyki metodą FISH w dwóch niezależnych grupach pacjentów z zastosowaniem dwóch różnych kryteriów oceny (ASCO-CAP 2007 dla n = 680 i ASCO-CAP 2013 dla n = 851) oraz w grupie 763 pacjentów, gdzie zastosowano równolegle obydwa kryteria oceny. Wyniki. Porównanie wyników uzyskanych w dwóch niezależnych grupach wykazało brak istotnej zmiany odsetka wyników HER2-dodatnich (z amplifikacją) po zmianie kryteriów oceny. Istotne statystycznie okazało się zmniejszenie grupy wyników HER2-negatywnych (bez amplifikacji) z 76,2% na 61,8% przy rozszerzeniu grupy niejednoznacznej (o nieokreślonym statusie amplifikacji) z 0,4% do 13,6%. Grupa badana równolegle wg kryteriów 2007 i 2013 wykazała różnice istotne statystycznie. Zanotowano wzrost przypadków HER2-pozytywnych z 10,6% do 16,8%, znaczny wzrost wyników niejednoznacznych, z 4,2% na 15,6%, przy równoczesnym spadku wyników negatywnych z 85,2% na 67,6%. Wnioski. Zastosowanie nowych wytycznych ASCO-CAP 2013 w ocenie statusu genu HER2 wpływa na zawężenie grupy wyników negatywnych, natomiast rozszerza grupę wyników pozytywnych i niejednoznacznych. Wynik taki wskazuje na rozszerzenie dostępu do kwalifikacji w kierunku terapii anty-HER2. Natomiast istotny wzrost odsetka pacjentów z wynikiem o nieokreślonym statusie amplifikacji genu HER2 wskazuje na konieczność pogłębionej w tej grupie oceny FISH w celu uzyskania możliwości jednoznacznej stratyfikacji do grup ryzyka.

A microfluidic device with fluorimetric detection for intracellular components analysis

An integrated microfluidic system that coupled lysis of two cell lines: L929 fibroblasts and A549 epithelial cells, with fluorescence-based enzyme assay was developed to determine β-glucocerebrosidase activity. The microdevice fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) consists of three main parts: a chemical cell lysis zone based on the sheath flow geometry, a micromeander and an optical fibers detection zone. Unlike many methods described in literature that are designed to analyse intracellular components, the presented system enables to perform enzyme assays just after cell lysis process. It reduces the effect of proteases released in lysis process on determined enzymes. Glucocerebrosidase activity, the diagnostic marker for Gaucher’s disease, is the most commonly measured in leukocytes and fibroblasts using 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucopyranoside as synthetic β-glucoside. The enzyme cleavage releases the fluorescent product, i.e. 4-methylumbelliferone, and its fluorescence is measured as a function of time. The method of enzyme activity determination described in this paper was adapted for flow measurements in the microdevice. The curve of the enzymatic reaction advancement was prepared for three reaction times obtained from application of different flow rates of solutions introduced to the microsystem. Afterwards, determined β-glucocerebrosidase activity was recalculated with regard to 105 cells present in samples used for the tests. The obtained results were compared with a cuvette-based measurements. The lysosomal β-glucosidase activities determined in the microsystem were in good correlation with the values determined during macro-scale measurements

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis L.) Extract vs. Synthetic Surfactants—Effect on Skin-Mimetic Models

Our skin is continuously exposed to different amphiphilic substances capable of interaction with its lipids and proteins. We describe the effect of a saponin-rich soapwort extract and of four commonly employed synthetic surfactants: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS), cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) on different human skin models. Two human skin cell lines were employed: normal keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human melanoma cells (A375). The liposomes consisting of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol mixture in a molar ratio of 7:3, mimicking the cell membrane of keratinocytes and melanoma cells were employed as the second model. Using dynamic light scattering (DLS), the particle size distribution of liposomes was analyzed before and after contact with the tested (bio)surfactants. The results, supplemented by the protein solubilization tests (albumin denaturation test, zein test) and oil emulsification capacity (using olive oil and engine oil), showed that the soapwort extract affects the skin models to a clearly different extent than any of the tested synthetic surfactants. Its protein and lipid solubilizing potential are much smaller than for the three anionic surfactants (SLS, ALS, SLES). In terms of protein solubilization potential, the soapwort extract is comparable to CAPB, which, however, is much harsher to lipids

Ion Chromatographic Fingerprinting of STC-1 Cellular Response for Taste Sensing

Taste sensing is of great importance in both the pharmaceutical and foodstuff industries, and is currently mainly based on human sensory evaluation. Many approaches based on chemical sensors have been proposed, leading to the development of various electronic tongue systems. However, this approach is limited by the applied recognition methods, which do not consider natural receptors. Biorecognition elements such as taste receptor proteins or whole cells can be involved in the development of taste sensing biosensors usually equipped with various electrochemical transducers. Here, we propose a new approach: intestinal secretin tumor cell line (STC-1) chemosensory cells were applied for taste recognition, and their taste-specific cellular response was decoded from ion chromatographic fingerprints with the use of multivariate data processing by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). This approach could be useful for the development of various non-invasive taste sensing assays, as well as for studying taste transduction mechanisms in vitro

Analysis of possibilities and demand for energy in a public building using a tracking photovoltaic installation

In the first part of this paper we present an overview of photovoltaic devices installed in Poland in the years 1960-2015. In the years 2009-2016, approximately 199 MW in total power of photovoltaic devices were installed. The second part of the paper we focus on presenting the research results on the usage of tracking photovoltaic installations in 2010-2016 collected in various periods of their work. PV panels were installed on the building of the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology. In this paper we considered PV installations as an additional source of energy improving the total energetic efficiency of the building via the reduction of energy consumed from public electric and power networks. The installation satisfies up to 30% of annual energy demand of laboratories. However, the break-even period of the system was estimated to be about 30 years because of the high cost of installation

Analysis of possibilities and demand for energy in a public building using a tracking photovoltaic installation

In the first part of this paper we present an overview of photovoltaic devices installed in Poland in the years 1960-2015. In the years 2009-2016, approximately 199 MW in total power of photovoltaic devices were installed. The second part of the paper we focus on presenting the research results on the usage of tracking photovoltaic installations in 2010-2016 collected in various periods of their work. PV panels were installed on the building of the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology. In this paper we considered PV installations as an additional source of energy improving the total energetic efficiency of the building via the reduction of energy consumed from public electric and power networks. The installation satisfies up to 30% of annual energy demand of laboratories. However, the break-even period of the system was estimated to be about 30 years because of the high cost of installation