Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy (BIOMED PHARMACOTHER)

Publications in this journal

• Article: STAT pathway in the regulation of zoledronic acid-induced apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia cells

  H.D. Kiper, B. Tezcanli, A.A. Gokbulut, N. Selvi, C.B. Avci, B. Kosova, G. Iskender, M.K. Yandim, C. Gunduz, F. Sahin, Y. Baran, G. Saydam
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 06/2013;
• Article: Liposomes versus micelles as gene delivery vectors

  D Pezzoli, G Candiani, S Cabras, C Giordano, F Daniele, A Cigada
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 10/2008; 62(8):493.
• Article: Skin vasomotion investigation: a useful tool for clinical evaluation of microvascular endothelial function?

  M Rossi, A Carpi, F Galetta, F Franzoni, G Santoro
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  ABSTRACT: Skin vasomotion is the rhythmic variation of skin microvessel diameter responsible for skin microcirculatory blood flow oscillation, the so called skin blood flowmotion. It can be easily investigated by means of the spectral analysis of skin laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signal. Experimental and clinical findings suggest that vasomotion is partially dependent on microvascular endothelial activity. Based on this, investigation of skin vasomotion, using spectral analysis of skin LDF signal has been recently proposed for the investigation of microvascular endothelial function in clinical setting. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the LDF technique coupled with spectral analysis of skin LDF tracing is a useful and accurate method for the measurement of skin microvascular endothelial-dependent vasomotion in patients with different pathological conditions. In these studies skin vasomotion investigation showed a higher sensitivity in the evaluation of skin microvascular endothelial function than tests based on the simple LDF measurement of skin blood flow response to different stimuli. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether the investigation of skin endothelial-dependent vasomotion can predict clinical and therapeutic outcomes of patients with vascular diseases.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):541-5.
• Article: Thyroid cancer: the impact of emerging technologies on clinical practice guidelines.

  Jeffrey I Mechanick, Angelo Carpi
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  ABSTRACT: Clinical practice guidelines are available for the evaluation and management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Nevertheless, there are uncertainties associated with these protocols due to genomic variations among patients and an incomplete evidence base. In addition, deviations from these protocols are due to physician bias and different levels of training. These shortcomings may eventually disappear as emerging technologies enter mainstream medicine. These interventions include (1) better risk stratification with the routine use of diagnostic molecular marker panels in the cytological analysis of thyroid fine-needle aspiration specimens as well as hybridized imaging modalities, (2) less aggressive therapies in low- and intermediate-risk thyroid cancer patients, and (3) molecular targeted therapy, pretargeted radioimmunotherapy, and novel minimally invasive surgical techniques in high-risk thyroid cancer patients.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):554-8.
• Article: Hemodynamic parameters regulating vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis: a brief update.

  Victoria Ridger, Rob Krams, Angelo Carpi, Paul C Evans
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  ABSTRACT: Atherosclerosis is a chronic lipid-driven inflammatory disease of the arteries. Early lesions (fatty streaks) contain monocytes and T lymphocytes which are recruited from the circulation by adhesion to activated vascular endothelial cells (EC). This process is described as the leukocyte adhesion cascade. Atherogenesis occurs predominantly at branches and bends of the arterial tree that are exposed to relatively low or re-circulating blood flow. Here we briefly review the effects of blood flow and shear stress on the leukocyte adhesion cascade and endothelial cell function.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):536-40.
• Article: Bioactive calcium silicate ceramics and coatings.

  Xuanyong Liu, Marco Morra, Angelo Carpi, Baoe Li
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  ABSTRACT: CaO-SiO2 based ceramics have been regarded as potential candidates for artificial bone due to their excellent bone bioactivity and biocompatibility. However, they cannot be used as implants under a heavy load because of their poor mechanical properties, in particular low fracture toughness. Plasma spraying CaO-SiO2 based ceramic coatings onto titanium alloys can expand their application to the hard tissue replacement under a heavy load. Plasma sprayed wollastonite, dicalcium silicate and diopside coatings have excellent bone bioactivity and high bonding strength to titanium alloys. It is possible that these plasma sprayed CaO-SiO2 based ceramic coatings will be applied in clinic after they are widely and systematically researched.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):526-9.
• Article: Dedifferentiated thyroid cancer: a therapeutic challenge.

  Alessandro Antonelli, Poupak Fallahi, Silvia Martina Ferrari, Angelo Carpi, Piero Berti, Gabriele Materazzi, Michele Minuto, Mario Guastalli, Paolo Miccoli
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  ABSTRACT: Human papillary dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (HPDTC) represents a therapeutic dilemma. Targeted therapy (RET proto-oncogene or BRAF-targeting drugs) are promising treatments for HPDTC. Also PPARg agonists are another exciting field for redifferentiating therapy of HPDTC. However, even if many new approaches for the therapy of HPDTC are emerging, until now a significant clinical impact on survival by the use of these drugs is still lacking. In the future, the identification of patients who are likely to benefit from each therapeutic option will be important. In this view particular importance should be given to development of primary cells from the single patient by fine needle aspiration samples, as recently observed in anaplastic thyroid cancer. In fact, chemosensitivity tests in primary tumoral cells may help in detecting responsive patients and in preventing the administration of inactive drugs to those unresponsive.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):559-63.
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  Article: Magnetic robotic manoeuvring of gastrointestinal video capsules: preliminary phantom tests.

  Federico Carpi, Carlo Pappone
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  ABSTRACT: Ingestible video capsules enable today non-invasive and comfortable gastrointestinal explorations. As such, capsule endoscopy is progressively emerging as an attractively simple wireless technology for optical investigations of the digestive tube and, in particular, as a useful complementary diagnostic tool with respect to traditional probe endoscopy. In spite of this, capsule endoscopes still show at present a major technical lack, capable of seriously limiting their clinical efficacy: their motion cannot be controlled by an external operator. In fact, the lack of a navigation control system makes their movements and orientations totally random, being exclusively driven by visceral peristalsis and gravity. In order to provide motion control properties, a technique based on the application of external magnetic fields, capable of manoeuvring a capsule previously equipped with a magnetic component, was recently proposed. This paper presents preliminary results of the first experimental implementation of this concept with a magnetic robotic system recently introduced in the clinical practice, although for different applications in the field of cardiology. The potentialities offered by this robotic system for magnetic controls of gastrointestinal capsules were preliminarily assessed in this work with manoeuvring tests of a video capsule inside a plastic replica of a human bust. Results showed the possibility of magnetically guiding the navigation of an endoscopic capsule within the considered experimental set-up, by advantageously using the reliable robotic navigation system already employed for clinical applications. Such an outcome encourages further investigations within more challenging experimental conditions.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 09/2008; 62(8):546-9.
• Article: The effect of nitric oxide on the production of cyclic AMP by a human osteoblast (HOS) cell line stimulated with hydroxyapatite.

  Wihaskoro Sosroseno, Erwan Sugiatno, Abdul R Samsudin, M Fikri Ibrahim
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  ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the production of cyclic AMP (cAMP) by a human osteoblast cell line (HOS cells) stimulated with hydroxyapatite. Cells were cultured on the HA surfaces with or without the presence of NO donors (SNAP and NAP) for 3 days. The effect of adenylyl cyclase inhibitor (SQ22536), NO scavenger (carboxy PTIO) or endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor (L-NIO), was assessed by adding these to the cultures of HA-stimulated HOS cells with or without the presence of SNAP. Furthermore, HOS cells were pre-treated with anti-human integrin alphaV antibody prior to culturing on HA surfaces with or without the presence of SNAP. The levels of cAMP and cGMP were determined from the 3-day culture supernatants. The results showed that the production of cAMP but not cGMP by HA-stimulated HOS cells was augmented by SNAP. SQ22536 and carboxy PTIO suppressed but L-NIO only partially inhibited the production of cAMP by HA-stimulated HOS cells with or without the presence of exogenous NO. Pre-treatment of the cells with anti-human integrin alphaV antibody suppressed the production of cAMP by HA-stimulated HOS cells with or without the presence of NO. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that NO may up-regulate the production of cAMP, perhaps, by augmenting adenylyl cyclase activity initiated by the binding between HOS cell-derived integrin alphaV and HA surface.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):328-32.
• Article: Neutrophil elastase and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in the initiation and development of acute lung injury among critically ill patients.

  Seitaro Fujishima, Hiroshi Morisaki, Akitoshi Ishizaka, Yoshifumi Kotake, Masaru Miyaki, Kikuo Yoh, Kazuhiko Sekine, Junichi Sasaki, Sadatomo Tasaka, Naoki Hasegawa, Yohko Kawai, Junzo Takeda, Naoki Aikawa
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  ABSTRACT: Critically ill patients are commonly associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and are at a greater risk of developing acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Under these conditions, large amounts of various cytokines are produced, which either directly or indirectly induce tissue injury and finally organ dysfunctions, through the activation of neutrophils and as a result of release of cytotoxic molecules, especially neutrophil elastase (NE). In the present study, we determined plasma neutrophil elastase-alpha-1 antitrypsin complex (NE-AT) and elastase digests of cross-linked fibrin (e-XDP) in critically ill patients to elucidate the significance of NE in the initiation and progression of ALI and ARDS in the presence or absence of SIRS. We found significantly increased levels of plasma NE-AT in the patients with ARDS, especially when the definition of SIRS was met. Among ALI/ARDS groups, plasma NE-AT, but not e-XDP, correlated significantly with the decrease in PaO(2)/FIO(2) ratio and the duration of ALI/ARDS. Furthermore, NE-AT, but not e-XDP, significantly increased in subgroups whose PaO(2)/FIO(2) ratio decreased by more than 20%. Such correlations and differences between the subgroups were not observed in the non-ALI patients. From these results, we speculate that NE-AT, but not e-XDP, may be predictive of progressive lung injury in the early stage of ALI and ARDS.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):333-8.
• Article: Inhibition activity of sulfated polysaccharide of Sepiella maindroni ink on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2.

  Subo Wang, Yanna Cheng, Fengshan Wang, Lirui Sun, Chunhui Liu, Guanjun Chen, Yuhua Li, S G Ward, Xianjun Qu
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  ABSTRACT: SIP-SII is the sulfated S. maindroni ink polysaccharide (SIP) isolated from cuttlefish Sepiella maindroni. SIP-SII weakly inhibited tumor cell growth without cytotoxicity in vitro assay. Herein, we examined the effects of SIP-SII on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and MMP-9 as well as tumor cell invasion and migration. SIP-SII (0.8-500 microg/ml) significantly decreased the expression of MMP-2 activity in human ovarian carcinoma cells SKOV3 as evidenced by the gelatin zymography analysis. No significant decrease of MMP-9 was detected in the cell line after SIP-SII treatment. The expression of MMP-2 was also evaluated using Western blot analysis. The results showed that SIP-SII inhibited the expression of MMP-2 in SKOV3 and human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells ECV304 after 24 h incubation. Furthermore, the activity of invasion and migration of SKOV3 and ECV304 cells were measured. SIP-SII displayed an inhibitory effect on the penetration of SKOV3 cells through Matrigel-coated membrane in transwell chamber. A significant inhibition of ECV304 cell migration was observed in the presence of SIP-SII. These results suggest that SIP-SII might suppress invasion and migration of carcinoma cells via inhibition of MMP-2 proteolytic activity.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):297-302.
• Article: Nitric oxide levels in patients with atheromatous carotid plaque.

  Lucia Terzuoli, Enrico Marinello, Barbara Frosi, Ilaria Ciari, Brunetta Porcelli
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  ABSTRACT: Nitric oxide (NO), an unstable derived of nitrogen, is released by endothelium in response to physiological stimulus. Indeed, the endothelium is not only a barrier between the lumen and the inner side of the vessel wall but also a metabolically active organ with endocrine, paracrine and autocrine functions. Endothelial vascular cells play an important role in the regulating vasomotor tone, local homeostasis and vascular bed proliferation. NO mediates the vasodilation and inhibits platelet aggregation, expression of molecular adhesion of monocyte, neutrophils adhesion and smooth muscle growth. Atherosclerosis risk factors such as hypercholesteremia, high blood pressure, smoking and oxidative stress inhibit NO production, leading paradoxically to vasodilatation, which affects endothelial function and may lead to ischemic manifestations in patients with arterial pathology. Therapies that increase NO production may improve endothelial vasodilatation. To check whether a decrease or lower production of NO terminates with the initial formation of atheromatous plaque or whether it continues, we determined the content of NO in plasma and plaque of subjects undergoing carotid surgery and in plasma of control subjects.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):325-7.
• Article: Inhibition of reverse transcriptase activity of HIV by polysaccharides of brown algae.

  K C S Queiroz, V P Medeiros, L S Queiroz, L R D Abreu, H A O Rocha, C V Ferreira, M B Jucá, H Aoyama, E L Leite
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  ABSTRACT: Brown algae have two kinds of acid polysaccharides present in the extracellular matrix: sulfated fucan and alginic acid. We have previously isolated and characterized fucans from several species of brown seaweed. The characterized fucans from Dictyotaceae are heterofucans containing mainly fucose, galactose, glucose, xylose, and/or uronic acid. The fucan from Fucus vesiculosus is a homofucan containing only sulfated fucose. We assessed the activity of these fucans as inhibitors of HIV from reverse transcriptase (RT). Using activated DNA and template primers poly(rA)-oligo(dT), we found that fucans at a concentration of 0.5-1.0 microg/mL had a pronounced inhibitory effect in vitro on the avian reverse transcriptase, with the exception of xylogalactofucan isolated from Spatoglossum schröederi, which had no inhibitory activity. The alginic acid (1.0 microg/mL) inhibited the reverse transcriptase activity by 51.1% using activated DNA. The inhibitory effect of fucans was eliminated by their desulfation. Furthermore, only xylofucoglucuronan from S. schröederi lost its activity after carboxyreduction. We suggest that fucan activity is not only dependent on the ionic changes but also on the sugar rings that act to spatially orientate the charges in a configuration that recognizes the enzyme, thus determining the specificity of the binding.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):303-7.
• Article: Effects of Ecklonia cava ethanolic extracts on airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in a murine asthma model: role of suppressor of cytokine signaling.

  Se-Kwon Kim, Da-Young Lee, Won-Kyo Jung, Ji-Hye Kim, Inhak Choi, Sae-Gwang Park, Su-Kil Seo, Soo-Woong Lee, Chang Min Lee, Sung Su Yea, Yung Hyun Choi, Il-Whan Choi
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  ABSTRACT: Ecklonia cava (EC) is a brown alga that evidences radical scavenging activity, bactericidal activity, tyrosinase inhibitory activity, and protease inhibitory activity. However, its anti-allergic effects remain poorly understood. In the current study, we attempted to determine whether pretreatment with EC induces a significant inhibition of asthmatic reactions in a mouse asthma model. Mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) evidenced typical asthmatic reactions, as follows: an increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; a marked influx of inflammatory cells into the lung around blood vessels and airways, and airway luminal narrowing; the development of airway hyperresponsiveness; the detection of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and Th2 cytokines, including IL-4 and IL-5 in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid; and the detection of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the serum. However, the administration of EC extract prior to the final airway OVA challenge resulted in a significant inhibition of all asthmatic reactions. We also demonstrated that EC extracts treatment resulted in significant reductions on matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) expression and a reduction in the increased eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity. The treatment of animals with EC extracts resulted in a significant reduction in the concentrations of the Th2 cytokine (IL-4 and IL-5) in the airways, without any concomitant increase in the concentration of Th1 cytokines. These findings indicate that EC extracts may prove useful as an adjuvant therapy for allergic airway reactions via the inhibition of the Th2 response. Accordingly, this study may provide evidence that EC extract performs a critical function in the amelioration of the pathogenetic process of asthma in mice.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):289-96.
• Article: Titin expression in human articular cartilage and cultured chondrocytes: a novel component in articular cartilage biomechanical sensing?

  Markus L Schwarz, Stephanie H Witt, Barbara Schneider-Wald, Andreas Buettner, Christian C Witt, Johannes Stoeve, Hanns-Peter Scharf, Siegfried Labeit, Stefan Milz
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  ABSTRACT: In striated muscle tissues, the giant protein titin acts as a biomechanically active filament system, coupling stress/strain to gene expression. The objective of the study is to show the existence of titin fragments in human articular cartilage, as in diarthodial joints, chondrocytes are also known to sense and respond to stretching. We have surveyed human cultured cartilage collected from adults with osteoarthritis (OA), without OA and from infants with a set of titin antibodies and primer pairs. Three different antibodies were used for immunolabelling, reacting with titin's N-terminal Z1-Z2 domains, its Novex III exon, and with its PEVK region. An antibody directed to a titin ligand was included, since in cardiac muscle, this has been shown to participate in the transmission of stretch dependent titin-based signals. Our results indicate that although at low levels, titin is expressed in cartilage. Primer pairs detected titin transcripts in cartilage, and consistent with this, antibodies directed to titin's Z-disc region and to its elastic region stained cartilage. Moreover, we also could detect transcription of the titin ligand CARP. Components of the stretch dependent signal machinery in muscle are also expressed in cartilage. Further studies are warranted to address if common stress/strain dependent signalling are conserved in muscle and cartilage tissues.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):339-47.
• Article: Does minocycline have antidepressant effect?

  Chi-Un Pae, David M Marks, Changsu Han, Ashwin A Patkar
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  ABSTRACT: Only one-third of patients undergoing monotherapy with an antidepressant achieve remission of their depressive symptoms and gain functional recovery. Therefore, further exploration of antidepressant mechanisms of action is important in order to facilitate the development of antidepressants with new modes of action. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that major depression is associated with impaired inflammatory responses and deficient neuroprotection. In this regard, we propose that the second-generation tetracycline "minocycline" may hold a potential as a new treatment for major depression. Emerging findings in animal and human studies of minocycline reveal that it has antidepressant-like neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory actions, and minocycline has been shown to perform as an antidepressant in an accepted animal model (forced swimming test). Anecdotal evidence supports minocycline's efficacy for augmentation of antidepressants in major depressive disorder. The following review describes the evidence supporting the consideration of minocycline as a potential antidepressant. We suggest that minocycline may be particularly helpful in patients with depression and comorbid cognitive impairment, as well as depression associated with organic brain disease. We also describe the antinociceptive effect of minocycline and propose a role for minocycline in the treatment of patients with major depression and prominent somatic discomfort and somatoform spectrum disorders. The lack of clinical studies of minocycline for depression is noted. Further studies of the potential therapeutic mechanism of minocycline and its therapeutic implications for major depression are warranted, and may substantially contribute to the development of newer and more effective antidepressants.
  Biomedecine [?] Pharmacotherapy 07/2008; 62(5):308-11.