11 research outputs found

    Highly Specific Blood-Brain Barrier Transmigrating Single-Domain Antibodies Selected by an In Vivo Phage Display Screening

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    A major bottleneck in the successful development of central nervous system (CNS) drugs is the discovery and design of molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nano-delivery strategies are a promising approach that take advantage of natural portals of entry into the brain such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting endogenous BBB receptors. However, the main selected mAbs rely on targeting broadly expressed receptors, such as the transferrin and insulin receptors, and in selection processes that do not fully mimic the native receptor conformation, leading to mistargeting and a low fraction of the administered dose effectively reaching the brain. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify new BBB receptors and explore novel antibody selection approaches that can allow a more selective delivery into the brain. Considering that in vitro models fail to completely mimic brain structure complexity, we explored an in vivo cell immunization approach to construct a rabbit derived single-domain antibody (sdAb) library towards BBB endothelial cell receptors. The sdAb antibody library was used in an in vivo phage display screening as a functional selection of novel BBB targeting antibodies. Following three rounds of selections, next generation sequencing analysis, in vitro brain endothelial barrier (BEB) model screenings and in vivo biodistribution studies, five potential sdAbs were identified, three of which reaching >0.6% ID/g in the brain. To validate the brain drug delivery proof-of-concept, the most promising sdAb, namely RG3, was conjugated at the surface of liposomes encapsulated with a model drug, the pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (PAN). The translocation efficiency and activity of the conjugate liposome was determined in a dual functional in vitro BEB-glioblastoma model. The RG3 conjugated PAN liposomes enabled an efficient BEB translocation and presented a potent antitumoral activity against LN229 glioblastoma cells without influencing BEB integrity. In conclusion, our in vivo screening approach allowed the selection of highly specific nano-antibody scaffolds with promising properties for brain targeting and drug delivery

    Boas práticas ao Serviço do Utente - Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa, EPE

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    O CHTS pretende e ambiciona na literacia em saúde, na vertente do cidadão, que haja mais igualdades em saúde e que, este cidadão perante a necessidade de tomar decisões de forma autónoma (muitas vezes de elevada complexidade), sobre a promoção de saúde, prevenção das doenças ou seu tratamento, esteja informado e com conhecimentos para o fazer. Pretende que o cidadão seja capaz de obter melhor acesso aos cuidados de saúde, usar e usufruir da forma mais adequada e, de forma intencional e consciente, possa obter os maiores benefíciospara a manutenção do seu estado de saúde. A OMS, define Literacia em Saúde como “o grau em que os indivíduos têm a capacidade de obter, processar e entender as informações básicas de saúde para utilizarem os serviços e tomarem decisões adequadas de saúde”, ou seja, a literacia em saúde contempla um conjunto de conhecimentos, atitudes, habilidades e até competências que capacitam a pessoa no acesso, compreensão das informações para que possa avaliar de forma critica a sua relevância no uso responsável desse conhecimento. Foi, neste contexto, que surgiu no CHTS uma nova ótica de leitura e de intervenção das suas equipas multidisciplinares, na consecução de projetos e ações que visam reforçar os níveis de literacia, de forma multidimensional e colaborativa, aproximando-se cada vez mais da centralidade no cidadão, bem como de uma maior eficiência e eficácia dos serviços, qualidade assistencial e satisfação do cidadão e profissional. Deve-se muito à capacidade dos profissionais de saúde, mesmo com diferenças de uns para outros, em identificar as necessidades das pessoas, em estarem disponíveis para promover mudança, a avaliar diariamente o nível de compreensão, capacidades para realizar tarefas prescritas, motivação e nível de mudança comportamental do cidadão, tendo em conta a sua idade e o seu estado de saúde. José Ribeiro Nunes, Enf. Diretor, Prefácioinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Large-scale transcriptome analyses reveal new genetic marker candidates of head, neck, and thyroid cancer

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    A detailed genome mapping analysis of 213,636 expressed sequence tags (EST) derived from nontumor and tumor tissues of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and thyroid was done. Transcripts matching known human genes were identified; potential new splice variants were flagged and subjected to manual curation, pointing to 788 putatively new alternative splicing isoforms, the majority (75%) being insertion events. A subset of 34 new splicing isoforms (5% of 788 events) was selected and 23 (68%) were confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR and DNA sequencing. Putative new genes were revealed, including six transcripts mapped to well-studied chromosomes such as 22, as well as transcripts that mapped to 253 intergenic regions. in addition, 2,251 noncoding intronic RNAs, eventually involved in transcriptional regulation, were found. A set of 250 candidate markers for loss of heterozygosis or gene amplification was selected by identifying transcripts that mapped to genomic regions previously known to be frequently amplified or deleted in head, neck, and thyroid tumors. Three of these markers were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR in an independent set of individual samples. Along with detailed clinical data about tumor origin, the information reported here is now publicly available on a dedicated Web site as a resource for further biological investigation. This first in silico reconstruction of the head, neck, and thyroid transcriptomes points to a wealth of new candidate markers that can be used for future studies on the molecular basis of these tumors. Similar analysis is warranted for a number of other tumors for which large EST data sets are available.Univ São Paulo, Fac Med, Inst Psiquiatria, Neurosci Lab,Dept Psiquiatria, BR-05403010 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Bioquim, BR-05403010 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Lab Bioinformat, Inst Quim, BR-05403010 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Disciplina Oncol, Dept Radiol, BR-05403010 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Mol Endocrinol Lab, Dept Med & Morfol, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Canc AC Camargo, Dept Cirurg Cabeca & Pescoco & Otorrinolaringolog, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet & Evolucao, Lab Biol Mol & Genom Hemoctr, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet & Evolucao, Lab Genom & Expressao, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol, Inst Biociencias, Araraquara, SP, BrazilFac Med Sao Jose Rio Preto, Dept Biol Mol, Sao Jose de Rio Preto, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, Escola Farm, Dept Ciencias Biol, Araraquara, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Mol Endocrinol Lab, Dept Med & Morfol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

    NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

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    Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

    NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

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    Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

    Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

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    As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

    The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

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    © 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine
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