Intramuscular electroporation with the pro-opiomelanocortin gene in rat adjuvant arthritis

Endogenous opioid peptides have an essential role in the intrinsic modulation and control of inflammatory pain, which could be therapeutically useful. In this study, we established a muscular electroporation method for the gene transfer of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in vivo and investigated its effect on inflammatory pain in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis. The gene encoding human POMC was inserted into a modified pCMV plasmid, and 0–200 μg of the plasmid-POMC DNA construct was transferred into the tibialis anterior muscle of rats treated with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) with or without POMC gene transfer by the electroporation method. The safety and efficiency of the gene transfer was assessed with the following parameters: thermal hyperalgesia, serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and endorphin levels, paw swelling and muscle endorphin levels at 1, 2 and 3 weeks after electroporation. Serum ACTH and endorphin levels of the group into which the gene encoding POMC had been transferred were increased to about 13–14-fold those of the normal control. These levels peaked 1 week after electroporation and significantly decreased 2 weeks after electroporation. Rats that had received the gene encoding POMC had less thermal hypersensitivity and paw swelling than the non-gene-transferred group at days 3, 5 and 7 after injection with CFA. Our promising results showed that transfer of the gene encoding POMC by electroporation is a new and effective method for its expression in vivo, and the analgesic effects of POMC cDNA with electroporation in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis are reversed by naloxone

Novel Nanohybrids of Silver Particles on Clay Platelets for Inhibiting Silver-Resistant Bacteria

We develop a novel nanohybrid showing a strong antibacterial activity on all of the tested pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus and silver-resistant E. coli. The nanohybrid consists of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) supported on 1 nm-thick silicate platelets (NSPs). The AgNP/NSP nanohybrid enables to encapsulate bacteria and triggers death signals from the cell membrane. The geographic shape of the NSPs concentrates AgNPs but impedes their penetration into attached cells, mitigating the detrimental effect of silver ion deposition in applied tissues. Moreover, the tightly tethered AgNPs on NSP surface achieve a stronger biocidal effect than silver nitrate, but bypassing Ag+ mechanism, on silver-resistant bacteria. This nanohybrid presents an effective and safe antimicrobial agent in a new perspective

Self-Align-Gated GaN Field Emitter Arrays Sharpened by a Digital Etching Process

Department of Defense (DoD

GaN Nanowire Field Emitters with a Self-Aligned Gate Process

Department of Defense (DoD

Stable and High Performance AlGaN Self-Aligned-Gate Field Emitter Arrays

AlGaN alloys are promising for field emission devices due to their low electron affinities. However, there have been limited demonstrations of AlGaN vacuum transistors so far. This paper combines a new self-alignedgate (SAG) process and digital-etching tip sharpening to demonstrate three-terminal AlGaN SAG field emitter arrays (FEAs). These devices show a turn-on voltage of 19.5 V and an anode current density (JA) of 100 mA/cm2 at an overdrive voltage of 20 V, which are comparable with best Si devices. The AlGaN SAGFEAs can operate in DC mode at a fixed gate-emitter voltage (VGE) with JA of 3-5 mA/cm2 for at least 5 hours without a significant degradation. The gate leakage does not increase after the long DC operation, suggesting high-performance and stable AlGaN vacuum transistors.AFOSR through MURI ESE progra

Decline of Tetanus Antitoxin Level with Age in Taiwan

Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani, and is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of protective tetanus immunity among adolescents and adults in Taiwan, which may provide valuable information for recommendations for tetanus vaccination strategy. Methods: Individuals aged 16 years or older who were visiting a local hospital for health examinations were invited to participate in the study. Participants' serum levels of tetanus antitoxin were measured. A standard questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and information about risk factors. The prevalence of protective tetanus immunity in various age groups was described and sociodemographic factors that potentially influenced the degree of tetanus immunity were analyzed. Results: Overall, 326 persons were included. Of these, 217 (67%) had never received a toxoid booster, while 109 (33%) had received a booster at least once. Among all participants, 95% had protective tetanus antitoxin levels (≥ 0.11 IU/mL), and 60% had protective antitoxin levels without the need of an immediate booster, i.e. ≥ 0.51 IU/mL. Among 70 participants aged > 60 years, 89% had protective antitoxin levels ≥ 0.11 IU/mL, and 31% had protective antitoxin levels ≥ 0.51 IU/mL. Tetanus antitoxin levels declined with age. Male gender, birth after 1955, and prior receipt of toxoid booster(s) were independently associated with protective tetanus immunity (≥ 0.51 IU/mL) by multivariate analysis. Compared with those without tetanus toxoid boosters, individuals with a prior booster had higher antitoxin levels. The percentage of people with protective immunity declined if the interval between the last toxoid booster increased. Conclusion: Waning immunity to tetanus was observed after primary tetanus vaccination or toxoid booster. The public health policy that one dose of toxoid booster after primary vaccination should be emphasized for continuing protection against tetanus

A Comparison among Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Asian Patients with Venous Thromboembolism: A Multi-Institutional Study

The comparison of clinical effectiveness and safety across different nonvitamin K antagonist direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in Asian patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the real-world benefits of different DOACs in these patients. A cohort of 1480 patients with VTE were identified from the Chang Gung Research Database between 1 January 2012, and 31 December 2019. The composite outcomes of recurrent VTE and major bleeding were evaluated for four DOACs. The composite outcomes of recurrent VTE and major bleeding occurred in 9.06%, 9.80%, 8.61%, and 10.86% of the apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban groups, respectively, within 12 months of treatment initiation. The risk of the composite outcomes was similar in the rivaroxaban group and the apixaban, dabigatran, and edoxaban groups, with a subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.49–1.29), 0.81 (95% CI, 0.34–1.95), and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.42–1.39), respectively. No significant differences in the rates of recurrent VTE or major bleeding were observed between the rivaroxaban and other DOAC groups at the 12-month follow-up. According to real-world practice in Asian patients with VTE, the DOAC type was not associated with the differences in the risk of recurrent VTE or major bleeding within 12 months of treatment initiation