Cellular Responses and Tissue Depots for Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Therapy.

Long-acting nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) induces a range of innate immune migratory, phagocytic and secretory cell functions that perpetuate drug depots. While recycling endosomes serve as the macrophage subcellular depots, little is known of the dynamics of nanoART-cell interactions. To this end, we assessed temporal leukocyte responses, drug uptake and distribution following both intraperitoneal and intramuscular injection of nanoformulated atazanavir (nanoATV). Local inflammatory responses heralded drug distribution to peritoneal cell populations, regional lymph nodes, spleen and liver. This proceeded for three days in male Balb/c mice. NanoATV-induced changes in myeloid populations were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with CD45, CD3, CD11b, F4/80, and GR-1 antibodies. The localization of nanoATV within leukocyte cell subsets was determined by confocal microscopy. Combined FACS and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry assays determined nanoATV carriages by cell-based vehicles. A robust granulocyte, but not peritoneal macrophage nanoATV response paralleled zymosan A treatment. ATV levels were highest at sites of injection in peritoneal or muscle macrophages, dependent on the injection site. The spleen and liver served as nanoATV tissue depots while drug levels in lymph nodes were higher than those recorded in plasma. Dual polymer and cell labeling demonstrated a nearly exclusive drug reservoir in macrophages within the liver and spleen. Overall, nanoART induces innate immune responses coincident with rapid tissue macrophage distribution. Taken together, these works provide avenues for therapeutic development designed towards chemical eradication of human immunodeficiency viral infection

Cellular Responses and Tissue Depots for Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Therapy.

Long-acting nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) induces a range of innate immune migratory, phagocytic and secretory cell functions that perpetuate drug depots. While recycling endosomes serve as the macrophage subcellular depots, little is known of the dynamics of nanoART-cell interactions. To this end, we assessed temporal leukocyte responses, drug uptake and distribution following both intraperitoneal and intramuscular injection of nanoformulated atazanavir (nanoATV). Local inflammatory responses heralded drug distribution to peritoneal cell populations, regional lymph nodes, spleen and liver. This proceeded for three days in male Balb/c mice. NanoATV-induced changes in myeloid populations were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with CD45, CD3, CD11b, F4/80, and GR-1 antibodies. The localization of nanoATV within leukocyte cell subsets was determined by confocal microscopy. Combined FACS and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry assays determined nanoATV carriages by cell-based vehicles. A robust granulocyte, but not peritoneal macrophage nanoATV response paralleled zymosan A treatment. ATV levels were highest at sites of injection in peritoneal or muscle macrophages, dependent on the injection site. The spleen and liver served as nanoATV tissue depots while drug levels in lymph nodes were higher than those recorded in plasma. Dual polymer and cell labeling demonstrated a nearly exclusive drug reservoir in macrophages within the liver and spleen. Overall, nanoART induces innate immune responses coincident with rapid tissue macrophage distribution. Taken together, these works provide avenues for therapeutic development designed towards chemical eradication of human immunodeficiency viral infection

Comparative manufacture and cell-based delivery of antiretroviral nanoformulations

Nanoformulations of crystalline indinavir, ritonavir, atazanavir, and efavirenz were manufactured by wet milling, homogenization or sonication with a variety of excipients. The chemical, biological, immune, virological, and toxicological properties of these formulations were compared using an established monocyte-derived macrophage scoring indicator system. Measurements of drug uptake, retention, release, and antiretroviral activity demonstrated differences amongst preparation methods. Interestingly, for drug cell targeting and antiretroviral responses the most significant difference among the particles was the drug itself. We posit that the choice of drug and formulation composition may ultimately affect clinical utility

The mixed lineage kinase-3 inhibitor URMC-099 improves therapeutic outcomes for long-acting antiretroviral therapy.

During studies to extend the half-life of crystalline nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) the mixed lineage kinase-3 inhibitor URMC-099, developed as an adjunctive neuroprotective agent was shown to facilitate antiviral responses. Long-acting ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (nanoATV/r) nanoformulations co-administered with URMC-099 reduced viral load and the numbers of HIV-1 infected CD4+ T-cells in lymphoid tissues more than either drug alone in infected humanized NOD/SCID/IL2Rγc-/- mice. The drug effects were associated with sustained ART depots. Proteomics analyses demonstrated that the antiretroviral responses were linked to affected phagolysosomal storage pathways leading to sequestration of nanoATV/r in Rab-associated recycling and late endosomes; sites associated with viral maturation. URMC-099 administered with nanoATV induced a dose-dependent reduction in HIV-1p24 and reverse transcriptase activity. This drug combination offers a unique chemical marriage for cell-based viral clearance. From the Clinical Editor: Although successful in combating HIV-1 infection, the next improvement in antiretroviral therapy (nanoART) would be to devise long acting therapy, such as intra-cellular depots. In this report, the authors described the use of nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy given together with the mixed lineage kinase-3 inhibitor URMC-099, and showed that this combination not only prolonged drug half-life, but also had better efficacy. The findings are hoped to be translated into the clinical setting in the future

Contribution of Genetic Background, Traditional Risk Factors, and HIV-Related Factors to Coronary Artery Disease Events in HIV-Positive Persons

We show in human immunodeficiency virus-positive persons that the coronary artery disease effect of an unfavorable genetic background is comparable to previous studies in the general population, and comparable in size to traditional risk factors and antiretroviral regimens known to increase cardiovascular ris

Elucidating the clinical and molecular spectrum of SMARCC2-associated NDD in a cohort of 65 affected individuals

Purpose: Coffin-Siris and Nicolaides-Baraitser syndromes are recognizable neurodevelopmental disorders caused by germline variants in BAF complex subunits. The SMARCC2 BAFopathy was recently reported. Herein, we present clinical and molecular data on a large cohort. Methods: Clinical symptoms for 41 novel and 24 previously published affected individuals were analyzed using the Human Phenotype Ontology. For genotype-phenotype correlations, molecular data were standardized and grouped into non-truncating and likely gene-disrupting (LGD) variants. Missense variant protein expression and BAF-subunit interactions were examined using 3D protein modeling, co-immunoprecipitation, and proximity-ligation assays. Results: Neurodevelopmental delay with intellectual disability, muscular hypotonia, and behavioral disorders were the major manifestations. Clinical hallmarks of BAFopathies were rare. Clinical presentation differed significantly, with LGD variants being predominantly inherited and associated with mildly reduced or normal cognitive development, whereas non-truncating variants were mostly de novo and presented with severe developmental delay. These distinct manifestations and non-truncating variant clustering in functional domains suggest different pathomechanisms. In vitro testing showed decreased protein expression for N-terminal missense variants similar to LGD. Conclusion: This study improved SMARCC2 variant classification and identified discernible SMARCC2-associated phenotypes for LGD and non-truncating variants, which were distinct from other BAFopathies. The pathomechanism of most non-truncating variants has yet to be investigated.</p

Elucidating the clinical and molecular spectrum of SMARCC2-associated NDD in a cohort of 65 affected individuals

Purpose: Coffin-Siris and Nicolaides-Baraitser syndromes are recognizable neurodevelopmental disorders caused by germline variants in BAF complex subunits. The SMARCC2 BAFopathy was recently reported. Herein, we present clinical and molecular data on a large cohort. Methods: Clinical symptoms for 41 novel and 24 previously published affected individuals were analyzed using the Human Phenotype Ontology. For genotype-phenotype correlations, molecular data were standardized and grouped into non-truncating and likely gene-disrupting (LGD) variants. Missense variant protein expression and BAF-subunit interactions were examined using 3D protein modeling, co-immunoprecipitation, and proximity-ligation assays. Results: Neurodevelopmental delay with intellectual disability, muscular hypotonia, and behavioral disorders were the major manifestations. Clinical hallmarks of BAFopathies were rare. Clinical presentation differed significantly, with LGD variants being predominantly inherited and associated with mildly reduced or normal cognitive development, whereas non-truncating variants were mostly de novo and presented with severe developmental delay. These distinct manifestations and non-truncating variant clustering in functional domains suggest different pathomechanisms. In vitro testing showed decreased protein expression for N-terminal missense variants similar to LGD. Conclusion: This study improved SMARCC2 variant classification and identified discernible SMARCC2-associated phenotypes for LGD and non-truncating variants, which were distinct from other BAFopathies. The pathomechanism of most non-truncating variants has yet to be investigated.</p

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: mapping the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, and the distant universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median ). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: Mapping the Milky Way, Nearby Galaxies, and the Distant Universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median $z\sim 0.03$). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between $z\sim 0.6$ and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July