scholarly journals Cell Adaptations of Rhodococci to Pharmaceutical Pollutants

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena A. Tyumina ◽  
Grigory A. Bazhutin ◽  
Irina B. Ivshina

Against the background of atense environmental situation, the risk of drug pollution in the natural environment is steadily increasing. Pharmaceuticals entering open ecosystems can cause toxic effects in wildlife from molecular to population levels. The aim of this research was to examine the impact of pharmaceutical pollutants on rhodococci, which are typical representatives of soil actinobacteria and active biodegraders of these compounds. The pharmaceutical products used in this research werediclofenac sodium and ibuprofen, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are widely used and frequently found in the environment. The most common cell adaptations of rhodococci to the effects of NSAIDs were changes in zeta potential, catalase activity, morphometric parameters and degree of hydrophobicity; elevated contents of total cellular lipids; and the formation of cell conglomerates. The findings demonstrated the adaptation mechanisms of rhodococci and their increased resistance to the toxic effects of the pharmaceutical pollutants. Keywords: pharmaceutical pollutants, NSAIDs, diclofenac, ibuprofen, cell responses, Rhodococcus

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupesh Rastogi ◽  
Virendra Kumar

The first legislation in India relating to patents was the Act VI of 1856. The Indian Patents and Design Act, 1911 (Act II of 1911) replaced all the previous Acts. The Act brought patent administration under the management of Controller of Patents for the first time. After Independence, it was felt that the Indian Patents & Designs Act, 1911 was not fulfilling its objective. Various comities were constituted to recommend, framing a patent law which can fulfill the requirement of Indian Industry and people. The Indian Patent Act of 1970 was enacted to achieve the above objectives. The major provisions of the act, provided for process, not the product patents in food, medicines, chemicals with a term of 14 years and 5-7 for chemicals and drugs. The Act enabled Indian citizens to access cheapest medicines in the world and paved a way for exponential growth of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry. TRIPS agreement, which is one of the important results of the Uruguay Round, mandated strong patent protection, especially for pharmaceutical products, thereby allowing the patenting of NCEs, compounds and processes. India is thereby required to meet the minimum standards under the TRIPS Agreement in relation to patents and the pharmaceutical industry. India’s patent legislation must now include provisions for availability of patents for both pharmaceutical products and processes inventions. The present paper examines the impact of change in Indian Patent law on Pharmaceutical Industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (S1) ◽  
pp. 37-37
Author(s):  
Americo Cicchetti ◽  
Rossella Di Bidino ◽  
Entela Xoxi ◽  
Irene Luccarini ◽  
Alessia Brigido

IntroductionDifferent value frameworks (VFs) have been proposed in order to translate available evidence on risk-benefit profiles of new treatments into Pricing & Reimbursement (P&R) decisions. However limited evidence is available on the impact of their implementation. It's relevant to distinguish among VFs proposed by scientific societies and providers, which usually are applicable to all treatments, and VFs elaborated by regulatory agencies and health technology assessment (HTA), which focused on specific therapeutic areas. Such heterogeneity in VFs has significant implications in terms of value dimension considered and criteria adopted to define or support a price decision.MethodsA literature research was conducted to identify already proposed or adopted VF for onco-hematology treatments. Both scientific and grey literature were investigated. Then, an ad hoc data collection was conducted for multiple myeloma; breast, prostate and urothelial cancer; and Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) therapies. Pharmaceutical products authorized by European Medicines Agency from January 2014 till December 2019 were identified. Primary sources of data were European Public Assessment Reports and P&R decision taken by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) till September 2019.ResultsThe analysis allowed to define a taxonomy to distinguish categories of VF relevant to onco-hematological treatments. We identified the “real-world” VF that emerged given past P&R decisions taken at the Italian level. Data was collected both for clinical and economical outcomes/indicators, as well as decisions taken on innovativeness of therapies. Relevant differences emerge between the real world value framework and the one that should be applied given the normative framework of the Italian Health System.ConclusionsThe value framework that emerged from the analysis addressed issues of specific aspects of onco-hematological treatments which emerged during an ad hoc analysis conducted on treatment authorized in the last 5 years. The perspective adopted to elaborate the VF was the one of an HTA agency responsible for P&R decisions at a national level. Furthermore, comparing a real-world value framework with the one based on the general criteria defined by the national legislation, our analysis allowed identification of the most critical point of the current national P&R process in terms ofsustainability of current and future therapies as advance therapies and agnostic-tumor therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Lison ◽  
Saloua Ibouraadaten ◽  
Sybille van den Brule ◽  
Milica Todea ◽  
Adriana Vulpoi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In vitro models are widely used in nanotoxicology. In these assays, a careful documentation of the fraction of nanomaterials that reaches the cells, i.e. the in vitro delivered dose, is a critical element for the interpretation of the data. The in vitro delivered dose can be measured by quantifying the amount of material in contact with the cells, or can be estimated by applying particokinetic models. For carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the determination of the in vitro delivered dose is not evident because their quantification in biological matrices is difficult, and particokinetic models are not adapted to high aspect ratio materials. Here, we applied a rapid and direct approach, based on femtosecond pulsed laser microscopy (FPLM), to assess the in vitro delivered dose of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs). Methods and results We incubated mouse lung fibroblasts (MLg) and differentiated human monocytic cells (THP-1) in 96-well plates for 24 h with a set of different MWCNTs. The cytotoxic response to the MWCNTs was evaluated using the WST-1 assay in both cell lines, and the pro-inflammatory response was determined by measuring the release of IL-1β by THP-1 cells. Contrasting cell responses were observed across the MWCNTs. The sedimentation rate of the different MWCNTs was assessed by monitoring turbidity decay with time in cell culture medium. These turbidity measurements revealed some differences among the MWCNT samples which, however, did not parallel the contrasting cell responses. FPLM measurements in cell culture wells revealed that the in vitro delivered MWCNT dose did not parallel sedimentation data, and suggested that cultured cells contributed to set up the delivered dose. The FPLM data allowed, for each MWCNT sample, an adjustment of the measured cytotoxicity and IL-1β responses to the delivered doses. This adjusted in vitro activity led to another toxicity ranking of the MWCNT samples as compared to the unadjusted activities. In macrophages, this adjusted ranking was consistent with existing knowledge on the impact of surface MWCNT functionalization on cytotoxicity, and might better reflect the intrinsic activity of the MWCNT samples. Conclusion The present study further highlights the need to estimate the in vitro delivered dose in cell culture experiments with nanomaterials. The FPLM measurement of the in vitro delivered dose of MWCNTs can enrich experimental results, and may refine our understanding of their interactions with cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferenc Fekete ◽  
Katalin Mangó ◽  
Máté Déri ◽  
Evelyn Incze ◽  
Annamária Minus ◽  
...  

AbstractCYP2C9, one of the most abundant hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes, is involved in metabolism of 15–20% of clinically important drugs (warfarin, sulfonylureas, phenytoin, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs). To avoid adverse events and/or impaired drug-response, CYP2C9 pharmacogenetic testing is recommended. The impact of CYP2C9 polymorphic alleles (CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3) and phenoconverting non-genetic factors on CYP2C9 function and expression was investigated in liver tissues from Caucasian subjects (N = 164). The presence of CYP2C9*3 allele was associated with CYP2C9 functional impairment, and CYP2C9*2 influenced tolbutamide 4′-hydroxylase activity only in subjects with two polymorphic alleles, whereas the contribution of CYP2C8*3 was not confirmed. In addition to CYP2C9 genetic polymorphisms, non-genetic factors (co-medication with CYP2C9-specific inhibitors/inducers and non-specific factors including amoxicillin + clavulanic acid therapy or chronic alcohol consumption) contributed to the prediction of hepatic CYP2C9 activity; however, a CYP2C9 genotype–phenotype mismatch still existed in 32.6% of the subjects. Substantial variability in CYP2C9 mRNA levels, irrespective of CYP2C9 genotype, was demonstrated; however, CYP2C9 induction and non-specific non-genetic factors potentially resulting in liver injury appeared to modify CYP2C9 expression. In conclusion, complex implementation of CYP2C9 genotype and non-genetic factors for the most accurate estimation of hepatic CYP2C9 activity may improve efficiency and safety of medication with CYP2C9 substrate drugs in clinical practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A317-A317
Author(s):  
Dobrin Draganov ◽  
Antonio Santidrian ◽  
Ivelina Minev ◽  
Duong Nguyen ◽  
Dmitriy Zamarin ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe development of oncolytic viruses for the treatment of cancer has been significantly hampered by their rapid clearance in circulation due to complement and antibody-mediated neutralization. In our recent first-in-human Phase I clinical trial, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of our approach to enhance virus delivery and improve tumor targeting by utilizing an autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) based cell delivery system. Patient sample analysis demonstrated that patients could be stratified based on the level of vaccinia virus amplification in vivo, as evidenced by analysis of persistent viral DNA in the blood.MethodsIn the current study, we evaluated the immunomodulatory potential of vaccinia virus delivered by autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF)-derived cells and attempted to identify immunological correlates of successful vaccinia virus amplification in vivo. To this end, we performed an extensive time-course analysis of cytokines in patients‘ plasma as well as various peripheral blood immune subpopulations using Luminex multi-analyte profiling and multiparameter flow cytometry, respectively. We also analyzed the impact of this therapeutic approach on the innate and adaptive immune subpopulations, including NK cells, myeloid cells, as well as effector, regulatory and memory T cells.ResultsTherapy with SFV-delivered oncolytic vaccinia virus induced a coordinated activation of cytokine, T cell and NK cell responses in patients as early as 1 day after treatment, which peaked around 1-week and lasted for up to 1-month post treatment. The ability of the oncolytic virus to effectively amplify in cancer patients correlated with significant changes of multiple innate (NK) and adaptive (T cell) immunological parameters. Interestingly, patient stratification into groups with transient versus persistent viral DNA was linked to opposing and mutually exclusive patterns of robust activation of NK versus T cell responses, respectively. Our study also identified intriguing cytokine and immune subset frequency signatures present at baseline and associated with successful amplification and persistence of oncolytic vaccinia virus in vivo.ConclusionsOverall, this study establishes the timeline of treatment-related immunological changes and identifies biomarkers present at baseline and potential immunological correlates associated with the persistence of virus amplification in vivo. Therefore, our findings provide new insights into the role of interpatient immunological variability and will contribute to the proper evaluation of the therapeutic potency of oncolytic virotherapy in future clinical trials.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pritesh Desai ◽  
Vikas Tahiliani ◽  
Georges Abboud ◽  
Jessica Stanfield ◽  
Shahram Salek-Ardakani

ABSTRACTRespiratory infection with vaccinia virus (VacV) elicits robust CD8+T cell responses that play an important role in host resistance. In the lung, VacV encounters multiple tissue-resident antigen-presenting cell (APC) populations, but which cell plays a dominant role in priming of virus-specific CD8+effector T cell responses remains poorly defined. We used Batf3−/−mice to investigate the impact of CD103+and CD8α+dendritic cell (DC) deficiency on anti-VacV CD8+T cell responses. We found that Batf3−/−mice were more susceptible to VacV infection, exhibiting profound weight loss, which correlated with impaired accumulation of gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing CD8+T cells in the lungs. This was largely due to defective priming since early in the response, antigen-specific CD8+T cells in the draining lymph nodes of Batf3−/−mice expressed significantly reduced levels of Ki67, CD25, and T-bet. These results underscore a specific role for Batf3-dependent DCs in regulating priming and expansion of effector CD8+T cells necessary for host resistance against acute respiratory VacV infection.IMPORTANCEDuring respiratory infection with vaccinia virus (VacV), a member ofPoxviridaefamily, CD8+T cells play important role in resolving the primary infection. Effector CD8+T cells clear the virus by accumulating in the infected lungs in large numbers and secreting molecules such as IFN-γ that kill virally infected cells. However, precise cell types that regulate the generation of effector CD8+T cells in the lungs are not well defined. Dendritic cells (DCs) are a heterogeneous population of immune cells that are recognized as key initiators and regulators of T-cell-mediated immunity. In this study, we reveal that a specific subset of DCs that are dependent on the transcription factor Batf3 for their development regulate the magnitude of CD8+T cell effector responses in the lungs, thereby providing protection during pulmonary VacV infection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (20) ◽  
pp. 10303-10318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine E. Sunshine ◽  
Brendan B. Larsen ◽  
Brandon Maust ◽  
Ellie Casey ◽  
Wenje Deng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTo understand the interplay between host cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses and the mechanisms by which HIV-1 evades them, we studied viral evolutionary patterns associated with host CTL responses in six linked transmission pairs. HIV-1 sequences corresponding to full-length p17 and p24gagwere generated by 454 pyrosequencing for all pairs near the time of transmission, and seroconverting partners were followed for a median of 847 days postinfection. T-cell responses were screened by gamma interferon/interleukin-2 (IFN-γ/IL-2) FluoroSpot using autologous peptide sets reflecting any Gag variant present in at least 5% of sequence reads in the individual's viral population. While we found little evidence for the occurrence of CTL reversions, CTL escape processes were found to be highly dynamic, with multiple epitope variants emerging simultaneously. We found a correlation between epitope entropy and the number of epitope variants per response (r= 0.43;P= 0.05). In cases in which multiple escape mutations developed within a targeted epitope, a variant with no fitness cost became fixed in the viral population. When multiple mutations within an epitope achieved fitness-balanced escape, these escape mutants were each maintained in the viral population. Additional mutations found to confer escape but undetected in viral populations incurred high fitness costs, suggesting that functional constraints limit the available sites tolerable to escape mutations. These results further our understanding of the impact of CTL escape and reversion from the founder virus in HIV infection and contribute to the identification of immunogenic Gag regions most vulnerable to a targeted T-cell attack.IMPORTANCERapid diversification of the viral population is a hallmark of HIV-1 infection, and understanding the selective forces driving the emergence of viral variants can provide critical insight into the interplay between host immune responses and viral evolution. We used deep sequencing to comprehensively follow viral evolution over time in six linked HIV transmission pairs. We then mapped T-cell responses to explore if mutations arose due to adaption to the host and found that escape processes were often highly dynamic, with multiple mutations arising within targeted epitopes. When we explored the impact of these mutations on replicative capacity, we found that dynamic escape processes only resolve with the selection of mutations that conferred escape with no fitness cost to the virus. These results provide further understanding of the complicated viral-host interactions that occur during early HIV-1 infection and may help inform the design of future vaccine immunogens.


2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Li Cheng ◽  
Jian-su Shao ◽  
Abraham Behrmann ◽  
Karen Krchma ◽  
Dwight A Towler

Objective Endothelial cells (ECs) can undergo an endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) during tissue fibrosis. Wnt- and Msx2-regulated signals participate in arteriosclerotic calcification and fibrosis. We studied the impact of Wnt7, Msx2, and Dkk1 (Wnt7 antagonist) on EndMT in primary aortic endothelial cells (AoECs). Methods and Results Transduction of AoECs with vectors expressing Dkk1 suppressed EC differentiation and induced a mineralizing myofibroblast phenotype. Dkk1 suppressed claudin 5, PECAM, cadherin 5 (Cdh5), Tie1 and Tie2. Dkk1 converted the cuboidal cell monolayer into a spindle-shaped multilayer and inhibited EC cord formation. Myofibrogenic and osteogenic markers - e.g., SM22, type I collagen, Osx, Runx2, alkaline phosphatase – were upregulated by Dkk1 via activin-like kinase / Smad pathways. Dkk1 increased fibrosis and mineralization of AoECs cultured under osteogenic conditions - the opposite of mesenchymal cell responses. Msx2 and Wnt7b maintained the “cobblestone” morphology of differentiated ECs and promoted EC marker expression. Deleting EC Wnt7b with the Cdh5-Cre transgene in Wnt7b(fl/fl);LDLR-/- mice upregulated aortic osteogenic genes (Osx, Sox9, Runx2, Msx2) and nuclear pSmad1/5, and increased collagen accumulation. Conclusions Dkk1 enhances EndMT in AoECs, while Msx2-Wnt7 signals stabilize EC phenotype. EC responses to Dkk1, Wnt7b, and Msx2 are the opposite of mesenchymal cell responses, coupling EC phenotypic stability with osteofibrogenic predilection during arteriosclerosis.


Pain Medicine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 1948-1954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle F Miller ◽  
Gery P Guy ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
Christina A Mikosz ◽  
Likang Xu

Abstract Objective The increased use of opioids to treat chronic pain in the past 20 years has led to a drastic increase in opioid prescribing in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain recommends the use of nonopioid therapy as the preferred treatment for chronic pain. This study analyzes the prevalence of nonopioid prescribing among commercially insured patients with chronic pain. Design Data from the 2014 IBM® MarketScan® databases representing claims for commercially insured patients were used. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes were used to identify patients with chronic pain. Nonopioid prescriptions included nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics/antipyretics (e.g., acetaminophen), anticonvulsants, and antidepressant medications. The prevalence of nonopioid and opioid prescriptions was calculated by age, sex, insurance plan type, presence of a depressive or seizure disorder, and region. Results In 2014, among patients with chronic pain, 16% filled only an opioid, 17% filled only a nonopioid prescription, and 28% filled both a nonopioid and an opioid. NSAIDs and antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed nonopioids among patients with chronic pain. Having prescriptions for only nonopioids was more common among patients aged 50–64 years and among female patients. Conclusions This study provides a baseline snapshot of nonopioid prescriptions before the release of the CDC Guideline and can be used to examine the impact of the CDC Guideline and other evidence-based guidelines on nonopioid use among commercially insured patients with chronic pain.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2365
Author(s):  
Christina E. Zielinski

T helper cell responses are tailored to their respective antigens and adapted to their specific tissue microenvironment. While a great proportion of T cells acquire a resident identity, a significant proportion of T cells continue circulating, thus encountering changing microenvironmental signals during immune surveillance. One signal, which has previously been largely overlooked, is sodium chloride. It has been proposed to have potent effects on T cell responses in the context of autoimmune, allergic and infectious tissue inflammation in mouse models and humans. Sodium chloride is stringently regulated in the blood by the kidneys but displays differential deposition patterns in peripheral tissues. Sodium chloride accumulation might furthermore be regulated by dietary intake and thus by intentional behavior. Together, these results make sodium chloride an interesting but still controversial signal for immune modulation. Its downstream cellular activities represent a potential therapeutic target given its effects on T cell cytokine production. In this review article, we provide an overview and critical evaluation of the impact of this ionic signal on T helper cell polarization and T helper cell effector functions. In addition, the impact of sodium chloride from the tissue microenvironment is assessed for human health and disease and for its therapeutic potential.


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