Synthetic Nanoparticles for Vaccines and Immunotherapy

The immune system plays a critical role in our health. No other component of human physiology plays a decisive role in as diverse an array of maladies, from deadly diseases with which we are all familiar to equally terrible esoteric conditions: HIV, malaria, pneumococcal and influenza infections; cancer; atherosclerosis; autoimmune diseases such as lupus, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. The importance of understanding the function of the immune system and learning how to modulate immunity to protect against or treat disease thus cannot be overstated. Fortunately, we are entering an exciting era where the science of immunology is defining pathways for the rational manipulation of the immune system at the cellular and molecular level, and this understanding is leading to dramatic advances in the clinic that are transforming the future of medicine.1,2 These initial advances are being made primarily through biologic drugs– recombinant proteins (especially antibodies) or patient-derived cell therapies– but exciting data from preclinical studies suggest that a marriage of approaches based in biotechnology with the materials science and chemistry of nanomaterials, especially nanoparticles, could enable more effective and safer immune engineering strategies. This review will examine these nanoparticle-based strategies to immune modulation in detail, and discuss the promise and outstanding challenges facing the field of immune engineering from a chemical biology/materials engineering perspectiveNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grants AI111860, CA174795, CA172164, AI091693, and AI095109)United States. Department of Defense (W911NF-13-D-0001 and Awards W911NF-07-D-0004

Direct evidence of induction of interdigitated gel structure in large unilamellar vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine by ethanol: studies by excimer method and high-resolution electron cryomicroscopy.

Interaction of large unilamellar vesicle (LUV) of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with ethanol was investigated by the excimer method developed by Yamazaki et al. (Yamazaki, M., M. Miyazu, and T. Asano. 1992. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1106:94-98) and the high-resolution electron cryomicroscope with a new cryostage (top-entry superfluid stage) (HiRECM) developed by Fujiyoshi, Y. et al. (Fujiyoshi, Y., T. Mizusaki, K. Morikawa, H. Aoki, H. Kihara, and Y. Harada. 1991. Ultramicroscopy. 38:241-251). The excimer method is based on the fact that the ratio of excimer to monomer fluorescence intensity (E/M) of pyrene PC is lowered in the membrane in the interdigitated gel structure (L beta I), because structural restriction of L beta I structure largely decreases collisions of pyrene rings of the pyrene PCs in the membrane. E/M of pyrene PC in DPPC LUV decreased largely at high concentrations of ethanol, which indicated the induction of L beta I structures in DPPC LUV. Frozen-hydrated DPPC LUVs in a vitreous ice were observed at 4K with HiRECM, and these images were characterized by a pair of concentric circles. The membrane thickness of DPPC LUV which was estimated from the distance between the two concentric lines decreased largely at high concentration of ethanol. The mean value of membrane thickness of the LUV in the absence of ethanol was 3.8 nm, while at 15% (w/v) ethanol was 3.0 nm. These values were almost same as those obtained from the electron density profile of DPPC MLV by the x-ray diffraction analysis in each structures, L beta' and L beta I structures, respectively. These results indicated directly the induction of L beta 1 structure in DPPC LUV at high concentration of ethanol

A STUDY ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PATTERN OF ADMITTED CASES IN NEWLY EMERGED NATIONAL HEART CENTRE

Cardiovascular disease is one of the global leading causes of death . Although in developed countries overall cardiovascular death is declining due to long term decline of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), cerebro vascular and hypertensive heart disease, heart disease is still the leading cause of death. In developing countries prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is in increasing trend and cardiovascular disease pattern is changing. Cardiovascular disease pattern of this region is revealed in this study. Total 300 study subjects, admitted from May 2000 to April 2001, 174 (58%) male and 126 (42%) female and age ranged from 5 to 83 years were analyzed retrospectively. Proportionate distribution of all admitted cases was calculated and arranged in according with sequence order. Rheumatic heart disease was found the commonest, which constituted 27.3%, followed by coronary heart disease (21.7%) and hypertension (20.7%) respectively. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with cor pulmonale (7.7%) was fourth in sequence order then respectively came diabetes mellitus (DM) coexisted with CHD or hypertension, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), cardiac arrhythmia without organic heart disease, congenital heart disease, infective endocarditis, rheumatic fever, pericardial effusion etc. Readmission rate within one year was 12.3% and mortality rate was 2.7%. Conclusion: Rheumatic heart disease is the commonest heart disease followed by coronary heart disease and hypertension. COPD with cor pulmonale, diabetes coexisted with CHD or hypertension, DCM and cardiac arrhythmia without organic heart disease are also common heart diseases. Key Words: Cardiovascular diseases, Disease pattern