Punica granatum (Pomegranate) juice provides an HIV-1 entry inhibitor and candidate topical microbicide

BACKGROUND: For ≈ 24 years the AIDS pandemic has claimed ≈ 30 million lives, causing ≈ 14,000 new HIV-1 infections daily worldwide in 2003. About 80% of infections occur by heterosexual transmission. In the absence of vaccines, topical microbicides, expected to block virus transmission, offer hope for controlling the pandemic. Antiretroviral chemotherapeutics have decreased AIDS mortality in industrialized countries, but only minimally in developing countries. To prevent an analogous dichotomy, microbicides should be: acceptable; accessible; affordable; and accelerative in transition from development to marketing. Already marketed pharmaceutical excipients or foods, with established safety records and adequate anti-HIV-1 activity, may provide this option. METHODS: Fruit juices were screened for inhibitory activity against HIV-1 IIIB using CD4 and CXCR4 as cell receptors. The best juice was tested for inhibition of: (1) infection by HIV-1 BaL, utilizing CCR5 as the cellular coreceptor; and (2) binding of gp120 IIIB and gp120 BaL, respectively, to CXCR4 and CCR5. To remove most colored juice components, the adsorption of the effective ingredient(s) to dispersible excipients and other foods was investigated. A selected complex was assayed for inhibition of infection by primary HIV-1 isolates. RESULTS: HIV-1 entry inhibitors from pomegranate juice adsorb onto corn starch. The resulting complex blocks virus binding to CD4 and CXCR4/CCR5 and inhibits infection by primary virus clades A to G and group O. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the possibility of producing an anti-HIV-1 microbicide from inexpensive, widely available sources, whose safety has been established throughout centuries, provided that its quality is adequately standardized and monitored

Positioning the principles of precision medicine in care pathways for allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis - A EUFOREA-ARIA-EPOS-AIRWAYS ICP statement.

Precision medicine (PM) is increasingly recognized as the way forward for optimizing patient care. Introduced in the field of oncology, it is now considered of major interest in other medical domains like allergy and chronic airway diseases, which face an urgent need to improve the level of disease control, enhance patient satisfaction and increase effectiveness of preventive interventions. The combination of personalized care, prediction of treatment success, prevention of disease and patient participation in the elaboration of the treatment plan is expected to substantially improve the therapeutic approach for individuals suffering from chronic disabling conditions. Given the emerging data on the impact of patient stratification on treatment outcomes, European and American regulatory bodies support the principles of PM and its potential advantage over current treatment strategies. The aim of the current document was to propose a consensus on the position and gradual implementation of the principles of PM within existing adult treatment algorithms for allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). At the time of diagnosis, prediction of success of the initiated treatment and patient participation in the decision of the treatment plan can be implemented. The second-level approach ideally involves strategies to prevent progression of disease, in addition to prediction of success of therapy, and patient participation in the long-term therapeutic strategy. Endotype-driven treatment is part of a personalized approach and should be positioned at the tertiary level of care, given the efforts needed for its implementation and the high cost of molecular diagnosis and biological treatment

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Patient Advisory Board for Chronic Rhinosinusitis - A EUFOREA initiative

Despite the high prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and its impact on patients' quality of life, no European patient organization that advocates for patients with CRS currently exists. To fill this gap and give a voice to CRS patients, EUFOREA has created a patient advisory board, whose goal is to better understand the real-life needs of patients, to raise awareness at political level and to involve patients in the development of novel integrated solutions to accelerate access to accurate diagnosis and treatments. This report summarizes the key discussion points from the kick-off meeting of the board on the 8th June 2018 and provides an outline of the key objectives for the future.status: publishe

Patient advisory board for chronic rhinosinusitis : a EUFOREA initiative

Despite the high prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and its impact on patients'quality of life, no European patient organization that advocates for patients with CRS currently exists.To fill this gap and give a voice to CRS patients, EUFOREA has created a patient advisory board, whose goal is to better understand the real-life needs of patients, to raise awareness at political level and to involve patients in the development of novel integrated solutions to accelerate access to accurate diagnosis and treatments. This report summarizes the key discussion points from the kick-off meeting of the board on the 8th June 2018 and provides an outline of the key objectives for the future

Cytotoxicity of separation orthodontic elastics Citotoxicidade de elásticos ortodônticos de separação

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that there is no difference in cytotoxicity between separating elastics of different manufacturers. METHODS: The present article compared latex elastics (4.0 mm, 4.4 mm and 4.8 mm) of four different manufacturers. The sample was allocated to seven groups of 9 elastics: Group A (American Orthodontics, green color, modules), Groups M1 and M2 (Morelli, blue color, modules and free in pack respectively), Groups M3 and M4 (Morelli, green color, modules and free in pack respectively), Group U (Uniden, blue color, free in pack) and Group T (Tecnident, blue color, free in pack) regarding their possible cytotoxic effects on oral tissues. Cytotoxicity assays were performed using cell culture medium containing epithelioid-type cells (Hep-2 line) derived from human laryngeal carcinoma and submitted to the methods for evaluating the cytotoxicity by the "dye-uptake" test, at time intervals 24, 48, 72 and 168 h. Data were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Results showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between group U and all the other Groups (A, M1, M2, M3, M 4 and T) at 24 and 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Uniden elastics evoked more cell lysis at 24 and 48 h, although, all brands showed biocompatibility from 72 h onwards.<br>OBJETIVO: o propósito do presente estudo foi testar a hipótese que não existe diferença de citotoxicidade entre elásticos de diferentes marcas. MÉTODOS: foram comparadas entre si 4 marcas de elásticos de separação (4,0mm, 4,4mm e 4,8mm) intrabucais de látex quanto ao possível efeito citotóxico nos tecidos bucais, divididos em 7 grupos de 9 elásticos cada: grupo A (cor verde - modular, American Orthodontics), grupos M1 e M2, (cor azul - modular e a granel, respectivamente, Morelli), grupos M3 e M4 (cor verde - modular e a granel, respectivamente, Morelli), grupo U (cor azul - a granel, Uniden) e grupo T (cor azul - a granel, Tecnident). O ensaio de citotoxicidade foi realizado utilizando-se cultura de células da linhagem HEp-2 (do tipo epitelióide, que tem origem em carcinoma de laringe humana), sendo submetido o material ao teste para células viáveis em vermelho neutro ("dye-uptake"), no tempo de 24, 48, 72 e 168 horas. A análise de variância e comparação múltipla (ANOVA) e o teste de Tukey foram utilizados (p<0,05). RESULTADOS: os resultados evidenciaram diferença estatisticamente significativa dos grupos A, M1, M2, M3, M4 e T com o grupo U nos tempos de 24 e 48h (p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: pôde-se evidenciar que os elásticos da marca Uniden causaram alta quantidade de lise celular em 24 e 48h, porém, todas as marcas mostraram-se biocompatíveis a partir de 72h

Soybean-based biomaterial granules induce biomineralization in MG-63 human osteosarcoma osteoblast-like cells through ultrastructural changes and phagocytic activity

Graphical Abstract http://static-content.springer.com/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10856-015-5451-1/MediaObjects/10856_2015_5451_Figa_HTML.gi