High prevalence of HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus coinfection among injection drug users in the southeastern region of Yunnan, China

The southeastern region of Yunnan province is a key site for drug trafficking and HIV-1 infection spread from the west of Yunnan and Laos to southeastern China. To investigate the prevalence of HIV-1 infection and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection among injection drug users (IDUs) in southeastern Yunnan, three cohorts of 285 addicts, including 242 IDUs and 43 oral drug users, living in the cities of Gejiu and Kaiyuan and the county of Yanshan were studied. HIV-1 and HCV infections were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and/or polymerase chain reaction. Data on the age, sex, risk behavior, drug use history, employment, ethnic background, and marriage status were obtained by interview. The overall prevalence of HIV-1 infection was 71.9%. The rate of HCV coinfection among 138 HIV-1-infected IDUs was 99.3%. Most HIV-infected IDUs were 20 to 35 years old (86.7%) and were ethnic Han (75.9%), suggesting that the epidemic in Yunnan is no longer confined to non-Han ethnic minorities, HIV prevalence in female IDUs (81.2%) was significantly higher than in male IDUs (68.2%) (p <.05). The prevalence of HIV infection reached 68.4% after 1 year of injection drug use. Needle/syringe sharing is the major high risk factor for the spread of HIV-1 and HCV infections. Large-scale educational campaigns are urgently needed to reduce the spread of HIV and HCV infection in these regions.

In vitro activities of small peptides from snake venom against clinical isolates of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The recent re-emergence of tuberculosis, especially the multidrug-resistant cases, has highlighted the importance of screening effective novel drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study, the in vitro activities of small peptides isolated from snake venom were investigated against multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by the Bactec TB-460 radiometric method. A small peptide with the amino acid sequence ECYRKSDIVTCEPWQKFCYREVTFFPNHPVYLSGCASECTETNSKWCCTTDKCNRARGG (designated as vgf-1) from Naja atra (isolated from Yunnan province of China) venom had in vitro activity against clinically isolated multidrug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. The MIC was 8.5 mg/l. The antimycobacterial domain of this 60aa peptide is under investigation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Development of a nanoporous and multilayer drug-delivery platform for medical implants.

Biodegradable polymers can be applied to a variety of implants for controlled and local drug delivery. The aim of this study is to develop a biodegradable and nanoporous polymeric platform for a wide spectrum of drug-eluting implants with special focus on stent-coating applications. It was synthesized by poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA 65:35, PLGA 75:25) and polycaprolactone (PCL) in a multilayer configuration by means of a spin-coating technique. The antiplatelet drug dipyridamole was loaded into the surface nanopores of the platform. Surface characterization was made by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Platelet adhesion and drug-release kinetic studies were then carried out. The study revealed that the multilayer films are highly nanoporous, whereas the single layers of PLGA are atomically smooth and spherulites are formed in PCL. Their nanoporosity (pore diameter, depth, density, surface roughness) can be tailored by tuning the growth parameters (eg, spinning speed, polymer concentration), essential for drug-delivery performance. The origin of pore formation may be attributed to the phase separation of polymer blends via the spinodal decomposition mechanism. SE studies revealed the structural characteristics, film thickness, and optical properties even of the single layers in the triple-layer construct, providing substantial information for drug loading and complement AFM findings. Platelet adhesion studies showed that the dipyridamole-loaded coatings inhibit platelet aggregation that is a prerequisite for clotting. Finally, the films exhibited sustained release profiles of dipyridamole over 70 days. These results indicate that the current multilayer phase therapeutic approach constitutes an effective drug-delivery platform for drug-eluting implants and especially for cardiovascular stent applications.

Evaluation of the functionality of biodegradable polymeric platforms for drug delivery systems

We present the development of a drug-loaded triple-layer platform consisting of thin film biodegradable polymers, in a properly designed form for the desired gradual degradation. Poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA (65:35), PLGA (75:25)) and polycaprolactone (PCL) were grown by spin coating technique, to synthesize the platforms with the order PCL/PLGA (75:25)/PLGA (65:35) that determine their degradation rates. The outer PLGA (65:35) layer was loaded with dipyridamole, an antiplatelet drug. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the Vis-far UV range was used to determine the nanostructure, as well as the content of the incorporated drug in the as-grown platforms. In situ and real-time SE measurements were carried out using a liquid cell for the dynamic evaluation of the fibrinogen and albumin protein adsorption processes. Atomic force microscopy studies justified the SE results concerning the nanopores formation in the polymeric platforms, and the dominant adsorption mechanisms of the proteins, which were defined by the drug incorporation in the platforms. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility study of carbon nanotube microneedles for rapid transdermal drug delivery

We introduce a new approach for fabricating hollow microneedles using vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) for rapid transdermal drug delivery. Here, we discuss the fabrication of the microneedles emphasizing the overall simplicity and flexibility of the method to allow for potential industrial application. By capitalizing on the nanoporosity of the CNT bundles, uncured polymer can be wicked into the needles ultimately creating a high strength composite of aligned nanotubes and polymer. Flow through the microneedles as well as in vitro penetration of the microneedles into swine skin is demonstrated. Furthermore, we present a trade study comparing the difficulty and complexity of the fabrication process of our CNT-polymer microneedles with other standard microneedle fabrication approaches. Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013.

Retention of the developmental pluripotency in medaka embryonic stem cells after gene transfer and long-term drug selection for gene targeting in fish

Embryonic stem (ES) cells provide a unique tool for introducing random or targeted genetic alterations, because it is possible that the desired, but extremely rare recombinant genotypes can be screened by drug selection. ES cell-mediated transgenesis has so far been limited to the mouse. In the fish medaka (Oryzias latipes) several ES cell lines have been made available. Here we report the optimized conditions for gene transfer and drug selection in the medaka ES cell line MES1 as a prelude for gene targeting in fish. MES1 cells gave rise to a moderate to high transfection efficiency by the calcium phosphate co-precipitation (5%), commercial reagents Fugene (11%), GeneJuice (21%) and electroporation (>30%). Transient gene transfer and CAT reporter assay revealed that several enhancers/promoters and their combinations including CMV, RSV and ST (the SV40 virus early gene enhancer linked to the thymidine kinase promoter) were suitable regulatory sequences to drive transgene expression in the MES1 cells. We show that neo, hyg or pac conferred resistance to G418, hygromycin or puromycin for positive selection, while the HSV-tk generated sensitivity to ganciclovir for negative selection. The positive-negative selection procedure that is widely used for gene targeting in mouse ES cells was found to be effective also in MES1 cells. Importantly, we demonstrate that MES1 cells after gene transfer and long-term drug selection retained the developmental pluripotency, as they were able to undergo induced differentiation in vitro and to contribute to various tissues and organs during chimeric embryogenesis.

中国部分地区未经治疗HIV-1 感染者耐药基因研究

高效抗逆转录病毒治疗(HAART)的应用，极大的降低了AIDS发病率和死亡 率，延长了HIV感染者的生命。但HIV耐药在很大程度上影响了HAART的疗效， 耐药株的产生成为影响抗病毒治疗效果的主要因素。欧洲、美国的耐药监测技术 规范均推荐在新感染未经抗病毒药物治疗的患者中进行原发耐药检测。我国政府 于2003年底出台了艾滋病治疗的“四免一关怀”政策，陆续在全国范围内开展了大 规模的免费抗病毒治疗，监测我国未经抗病毒药物治疗HIV-1感染者中的耐药情 况可以为制定合理的用药方案和减少耐药毒株出现提供科学依据。 根据世界卫生组织(WHO)的“HIV 耐药监测指南”，无偿献血者中的HIV-1 感染者，可以认定为HIV 新诊断未治疗人群。分析了云南无偿献血者的血浆和 外周血单核细胞(PBMC)，研究云南无偿献血人群的耐药状况。 已有实验室血清学方法识别HIV-1 新近感染和长期感染，用BED-CEIA 方 法，在河南、安徽、山西自愿咨询检测(VCT)人群中检出新近感染人群，进行耐 药基因研究, 对照研究了部分长期感染人群。 样品提取核酸后，巢式聚合酶链反应(nested-PCR)扩增pol 基因区(含蛋白酶 区1～99 氨基酸全长和逆转录酶区1～242 氨基酸)。PCR 产物双脱氧法测序，所 得序列与洛斯阿拉莫斯HIV 核酸序列库(Los Alamos HIV Database)标准株构建系 统进化树分析亚型；用斯坦福大学耐药数据库(Standford HIV Drug Resistance Database)分析耐药。 研究发现，云南省2005～2006 年无偿献血者中，有52 例为HIV-1 阳性，其 中49 例血浆和相应的PBMC 样品病毒基因扩增成功。序列分析表明，HIV 病毒 的亚型分布为CRF08_BC (51.0%), CRF07_BC (24.5%), CRF01_AE (20.4%)和B (4.1%)；所有样品均未发现蛋白酶抑制剂（PI）耐药基因位点主要突变，只在6 例(11.7%)样品中发现7 例次PI 次要耐药位点突变；另外，在9 例(18.4%)样品中发现10 例次核苷类逆转录酶抑制剂(NRTI) 耐药突变，1 例(2.0%)发生非核苷类 逆转录酶抑制剂(NNRTI) 耐药突变；针对具体药物PI/NRTI/NNRTI 均只有1 例 有潜在的低度耐药，临床仍对药物敏感。PBMC 和血浆的病毒耐药没有显著差异。 从河南、安徽、山西27 个VCT 检测点2006～2007 年采集的10310 例样品 中，通过WB 和BED-CEIA 检测出新近感染人群63 例，分析成功50 例血浆样 品；河南VCT 长期感染样品中随机抽样，分析成功19 例样品。分析成功的69 例VCT 样品中，HIV 病毒株的亚型分布分别为B’ (95.7%)，CRF01_AE(2.9%)和 C(1.4%)。上诉样品均未检出PI 主要耐药相关突变，只在26 例(37.7%)样品中存 在27 例次PI 次要耐药相关突变；3 例(4.3%)样品出现6 例次NRTI 耐药相关突 变，7 例(10.1%)样品出现8 例次NNRTI 耐药相关突变。通过与斯坦福大学耐药 数据库比对，没有发现针对PI 类药物的临床耐药；但有2 例(2.8%)针对NRTI 类 药物耐药，1 例有M184V 突变导致对拉米夫定(3TC)和氟代拉米夫定(FTC)高度 耐药；1 例样品存在T215Y、M41L、L210W 三重突变位点，对阿巴卡韦(ABC)、 去羟肌苷(ddI)和坦那夫韦(TDF)中度耐药，对齐多夫定(AZT)和司他夫定(d4T)高 度耐药；针对NNRTI 类药物，有3 例(4.3%)毒株有耐药，1 例有K103N 突变导 致对奈韦拉平(NVP)、地拉韦啶(DLV)和依菲韦伦(EFV)的高度耐药；1 例有Y188L 突变导致对NVP 和EFV 的高度耐药；1 例存在K101E 和G190A 双重突变，导 致对NVP 的高度耐药，对DLV、EFV 和依曲韦林(ETR)中度耐药。 比较长期感染和新近感染者之间的亚型和耐药，未发现显著差异。 研究结果表明，云南、河南和安徽未经治疗HIV-1 感染者中耐药处于低流行 状态。亚型分布云南无偿献血者以CRF_BC 为主，河南、安徽VCT 人群以B’ 为主。应持续在未经治疗人群中进行耐药监测。

Separation of drug enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis in the presence of neutral cyclodextrins

This is a selected review, highlighting our results obtained in an extended screening program ("The German-Chinese Drug Screening Program"), with a focus on a set of original data obtained with heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin(TM-beta-CD) as the chiral solvating agent (CSA). The enantioseparation of 86 drugs by capillary zone electrophoresis in the presence of this CSA was successful for 47 drugs. The migration separation factors (alpha(m)) and the migration retardation factors (R-m) were compared with those found for native beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). The patterns thus obtained were also compared with those observed for hexakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-alpha-CD (TM-alpha-CD) and octakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-gamma-CD (TM-gamma-CD), respectively. From the statistical data, it can be concluded that there is a remarkable influence of the analyte structure on the electrophoretic data. A substructure 4H was found in the analyte structure that has a significant influence on the analytes' behaviour. Thus, analytes bearing the substructure 4H do not only have a strong affinity to the CDs but also a high rate of success of chiral separation in all systems reviewed. In light of this, the different ring sizes of native cyclodextrins (alpha-, beta- and gamma-CD) readily explain their behaviour towards a limited test set of chiral drugs. Sterical considerations point to the significance of side-on-binding versus inclusion in the cavity of the host. In addition to the findings from the screening program, numerous references to the Literature are given. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Bioactive, Luminescent and Mesoporous Europium-doped Hydroxyapatite as a Drug Carrier

Bioactive, luminescent and mesoporous europium-doped hydroxyapatite (Eu:HAp) was successfully prepared through a simple one-step route using cationic surfactant as template. The obtained multifunctional hydroxyapatite was performed as a drug delivery carrier to investigate the drug storage/release properties using ibuprofen (IBU) as a model drug

Fabrication, characterization of spherical CaWO4:Ln@MCM-41(Ln=Eu3+, Dy3+, Sm3+, Er3+) composites and their applications as drug release systems

Spherical MCM-41 particles with a diameter of about 150 nm have been successfully coated with CaWO4:Ln (Ln = Eu3+, Dy3+, Sm3+, Er3+) phosphor layers through a simple Pechini sol-gel process. The obtained CaWO4:Ln@MCM-41 composites, which kept the mesoporous structure of MCM-41 and the luminescent properties of phosphors, were investigated as a drug delivery system using aspirin (ASPL) as a model drug.