Combating atherosclerosis with targeted nanomedicines: recent advances and future prospective

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is recognized as the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The increasing prevalence of such disease demands novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to overcome associated clinical/social issues. Recent advances in nanotechnology and biological sciences have provided intriguing insights to employ targeted Nanomachines to the desired location as imaging, diagnosis, and therapeutic modalities. Nanomedicines as novel tools for enhanced drug delivery, imaging, and diagnosis strategies have shown great promise to combat cardiovascular diseases. Methods: In the current study, we intend to review the most recent studies on the nano-based strategies for improved management of CVDs. Results: A cascade of events results in the formation of atheromatous plaque and arterial stenosis. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that nanomedicines have displayed unique functionalities and provided de novo applications in the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Despite some limitations, nanomedicines hold considerable potential in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various ailments including atherosclerosis. Fewer side effects, amenable physicochemical properties and multi-potential application of such nano-systems are recognized through various investigations. Therefore, it is strongly believed that with targeted drug delivery to atherosclerotic lesions and plaque, management of onset and progression of disease would be more efficient than classical treatment modalities

In vivo identification of novel TGIF2LX target genes in colorectal adenocarcinoma using the cDNA-AFLP method

Background and study aims: Homeobox-containing genes are composed of a group of regulatory genes encoding transcription factors involved in the control of developmental processes. The homeodomain proteins could activate or repress the expression of downstream target genes. This study was conducted to in vivo identify the potential target gene(s) of TGIF2LX in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Methods: A human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, SW48, was transfected with the recombinant pEGFPN1-TGIF2LX. The cells were injected subcutaneously into the flank of the three groups of 6-week-old female athymic C56BL/6 nude mice (n = 6 per group). The transcript profiles in the developed tumours were investigated using the cDNA amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) technique. Results: The real-time RT-PCR and DNA sequencing data for the identified genes indicated that the N-terminal domain-interacting receptor 1 (Nir1) gene was suppressed whereas Nir2 and fragile histidine triad (FHIT) genes were upregulated followed by the overexpression of TGIF2LX gene. Conclusion: Downregulation of Nir1 and upregulation of Nir2 and FHIT genes due to the overexpression of TGIF2LX suggests that the gene plays an important role as a suppressor in colorectal adenocarcinoma. � 2018 Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The Effects of Percutaneous Mitral Balloon Valvuloplasty on the Left Atrial Appendage Function in Patients With Sinus Rhythm and Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction: Mitral stenosis (MS) causes structural and functional abnormalitiesof the left atrium (LA) and left atrial appendage (LAA), and studies show that LAA performance improves within a short time after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC). This study aimed to investigate the effects of PTMC on leftatrial function by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).Methods: We enrolled 56 patients with severe mitral stenosis (valve area less than1.5 CM2). All participants underwent mitral valvuloplasty; they also underwenttransesophageal echocardiography before and at least one month after PTMC.Results: Underlying heart rhythm was sinus rhythm (SR) in 28 patients and atrialfibrillation (AF) in remainder 28 cases. There was no significant change in the leftventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVEDD),or the left ventricular end systolic dimension (LVESD) before and after PTMC in bothgroups. However, both groups showed a significant decrease in the left atrial volumeindex (LAVI) following PTMC (P=0.032 in SR and P=0.015 in AF group). LAA ejectionfraction (LAAEF) and the LAA emptying velocity (LAAEV) were improved significantlyafter PTMC in both groups with SR and AF (P<0.001 for both).Conclusion: Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy improves left atrial appendage function in patients with mitral stenosis irrespective of the underlying heart rhythm

Controlling Differentiation of Stem Cells for Developing Personalized Organ-on-Chip Platforms

Organ-on-chip (OOC) platforms have attracted attentions of pharmaceutical companies as powerful tools for screening of existing drugs and development of new drug candidates. OOCs have primarily used human cell lines or primary cells to develop biomimetic tissue models. However, the ability of human stem cells in unlimited self-renewal and differentiation into multiple lineages has made them attractive for OOCs. The microfluidic technology has enabled precise control of stem cell differentiation using soluble factors, biophysical cues, and electromagnetic signals. This study discusses different tissue- and organ-on-chip platforms (i.e., skin, brain, blood-brain barrier, bone marrow, heart, liver, lung, tumor, and vascular), with an emphasis on the critical role of stem cells in the synthesis of complex tissues. This study further recaps the design, fabrication, high-throughput performance, and improved functionality of stem-cell-based OOCs, technical challenges, obstacles against implementing their potential applications, and future perspectives related to different experimental platforms