Amniotic Membrane Patch Graft in Management of Double Chamber after Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty

Purpose: To describe a novel technique of amniotic membrane (AM) patch graft in the management of double chamber treatment after big-bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). Case Report: A 35-year-old male patient with advanced keratoconus underwent bigbubble DALK. Manual lamellar dissection was done due to failed big-bubble. First-day postoperative double chamber was detected. Air bubbling and SF6 injection were tried without any success. Double chamber resolved by fixation of AM transplantation patch graft (1 × 1 mm) over the Descemet’s membrane perforation with fibrin glue. Conclusion: Amniotic membrane patch graft can be used in the management of double chamber after DALK not responsive to intracameral gas injection

Immune Cell Membrane-Coated Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Nanotechnology has provided great opportunities for managing neoplastic conditions at various levels, from preventive and diagnostic to therapeutic fields. However, when it comes to clinical application, nanoparticles (NPs) have some limitations in terms of biological stability, poor targeting, and rapid clearance from the body. Therefore, biomimetic approaches, utilizing immune cell membranes, are proposed to solve these issues. For example, macrophage or neutrophil cell membrane coated NPs are developed with the ability to interact with tumor tissue to suppress cancer progression and metastasis. The functionality of these particles largely depends on the surface proteins of the immune cells and their preserved function during membrane extraction and coating process on the NPs. Proteins on the outer surface of immune cells can render a wide range of activities to the NPs, including prolonged blood circulation, remarkable competency in recognizing antigens for enhanced targeting, better cellular interactions, gradual drug release, and reduced toxicity in vivo. In this review, nano-based systems coated with immune cells-derived membranous layers, their detailed production process, and the applicability of these biomimetic systems in cancer treatment are discussed. In addition, future perspectives and challenges for their clinical translation are also presented.Peer reviewe

Novel insights into the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection : An overview of current clinical trials

The emergence of the global pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has motivated scientists to find a definitive treatment or a vaccine against it in the shortest possible time. Current efforts towards this goal remain fruitless without a full understanding of the behavior of the virus and its adaptor proteins. This review provides an overview of the biological properties, functional mechanisms, and molecular components of SARS-CoV-2, along with investigational therapeutic and preventive approaches for this virus. Since the proteolytic cleavage of the S protein is critical for virus penetration into cells, a set of drugs, such as chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, camostat mesylate have been tested in clinical trials to suppress this event. In addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the role of CD147 in the viral entrance has also been proposed. Mepolizumab has shown to be effective in blocking the virus's cellular entrance. Antiviral drugs, such as remdesivir, ritonavir, oseltamivir, darunavir, lopinavir, zanamivir, peramivir, and oseltamivir, have also been tested as treatments for COVID-19. Regarding preventive vaccines, the whole virus, vectors, nucleic acids, and structural subunits have been suggested for vaccine development. Mesenchymal stem cells and natural killer cells could also be used against SARS-CoV-2. All the above-mentioned strategies, as well as the role of nanomedicine for the diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection, have been discussed in this review. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Molecular beacon strategies for sensing purpose

The improvement of nucleic acid probes as vital molecular engineering devices will cause a noteworthy contribution to developments in bioimaging, biosensing, and disorders diagnosis. The molecular beacon (MB) which was designed by Tyagi and Kramer in 1996, are loop-stem hairpin-designed oligonucleotides armed with a quencher and a dye (also named reporter groups) at the 30 or 50 ends. This construction allows that MBs in the absence of their target complementary molecules do not fluoresce. Through hybridization with their specific targets a spontaneous configuration change on MBs occur and the dye and quencher separate from each other, resulting in emitting the fluorescence. MBs are effective probes for biosensing because of their extraordinary target-specificity, unique structure, inherent fluorescent signal transduction mechanism, low background fluorescence emission, recognition without separation, and favorable thermodynamic properties. In comparison to other probes (such as linear DNA sequences), MBs with the same number of complementary nucleotides matching their target, are multitasking probes. They have advantages of thermodynamic and photostability, flexible ability for conjugation, higher efficient intrinsic signal switching, and ultra-sensitivity. MBs not only are useful for identifying a nucleic acid target but can also be employed for recognition of various non-nucleic acid goals, including heavy metals and cations, enzymes, cells, ATP, etc. Hence, this review highlights the potential of MBs in the improvement of biosensors and their usage in detection of different analytes such as miRNA, mRNA, cocaine, methamphetamine, actin, thrombin, heavy metal and cations and so on. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Highly sensitive ammonia sensor using newly synthesized carbazole based hypercrosslinked polymer and tin dioxide

Tin Dioxide (SnO2), carbazole based hypercrosslinked polymer (C-HCP), and C-HCP/SnO2 nanocomposites by different C-HCP weight percent concentration (0.05–0.15 %wt.) were synthesized by precipitation method and used as sensing materials for ammonia sensor. These materials were applied for ammonia detection in various temperature (100–350 °C) and ammonia concentration (100, 200, and 300 ppm). The electrical conductivity of materials was measured at different temperature and decreasing of electrical conductivity observed by temperature increasing. The resistance of sensor in air to that in presence of ammonia was considered as sensor response. According to the results, SnO2 had much greater conductivity than different concentration of C-HCP/SnO2 composite under same conditions. The results showed that in maximum sensor response with adding the C-HCP in SnO2, the optimum temperature decrease. The optimum temperature for SnO2 and 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 %wt. of C-HCP in SnO2 composites was obtained 300 °C, 250 °C, 200 °C, and 150 °C, respectively. According to the results, the maximum sensor response observed 0.10 %wt. for ammonia detection at 200 °C. The 0.10 %wt. C-HCP in SnO2 based sensor showed a response three times higher than that by pure SnO2 in ammonia detection. Finally, the repeatability of sensors to the ammonia was obtained suitable in 3 continuous cycle and the response and reduction times of sensors was measured

Bispecific monoclonal antibodies for targeted immunotherapy of solid tumors : Recent advances and clinical trials

Bispecific antibodie (BsAbs) combine two or more epitope-recognizing sequences into a single protein molecule. The first therapeutic applications of BsAbs were focused on cancer therapy. However, these antibodies have grown to cover a wider disease spectrum, including imaging, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. BsAbs can be categorized into IgG-like formats and non-IgG-like formats. Different technologies have been used for the construction of BsAbs including "CrossMAb", "Quadroma", "knobs-into-holes" and molecular cloning. The mechanism of action for BsAbs includes the induction of CDC, ADCC, ADCP, apoptosis, and recruitment of cell surface receptors, as well as activation or inhibition of signaling pathways. The first clinical trials included mainly leukemia and lymphoma, but solid tumors are now being investigated. The BsAbs bind to a tumor-specific antigen using one epitope, while the second epitope binds to immune cell receptors such as CD3, CD16, CD64, and CD89, with the goal of stimulating the immune response against cancer cells. Currently, over 20 different commercial methods have been developed for the construction of BsAbs. Three BsAbs are currently clinically approved and marketed, and more than 85 clinical trials are in progress. In the present review, we discuss recent trends in the design, engineering, clinical applications, and clinical trials of BsAbs in solid tumors. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Detection of Asymptomatic Carriers of Plasmodium vivax among Treated Patients by Nested PCR Method in Minab, Rudan and Bashagard, Iran

  Background: Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread species of Plasmodium in humans and causing about 80 million clinical cases annually. This study was under-taken to detect P. vivax in asymptomatic treated vivax malaria patients to trace la-tent/sub-patent malaria infection. Method: The venous blood of all detected cases with P. vivax in Bashagard, Minab and Roodan Districts in Hormozgan Province from 2009 to 2010 was examined by microscopic and nested PCR methods for presence of the parasite. Results: In microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears, all samples were negative for the presence of the parasites. But, we detected two P. vivax related bands in the electrophoresis of the nested PCR products (120 bp). Conclusion: Following up the malaria cases after treatment by a combination of methods, or new diagnostics such as RDTs can be included in the priorities of ma-laria elimination program in Iran