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Biomedical subjects

A E Smith

Publications and source records attributed to A E Smith.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Partial restoration of cAMP-stimulated CFTR chloride channel activity in DeltaF508 cells by deoxyspergualin.

Deletion of the codon encoding phenylalanine 508 (DeltaF508) is the most common mutation in cystic fibrosis (CF) and results in a trafficking defect. Mutant DeltaF508-CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein retains functional activity, but the nascent protein is recognized as abnormal and, in consequence, is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and degraded. It has been proposed that this retention in the ER is mediated, at least in part, by the cellular chaperones heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and calnexin. We have investigated the ability of deoxyspergualin (DSG), a compound known to compete effectively for binding with HSP70 and HSP90, to promote trafficking of DeltaF508-CFTR to the cell membrane. We show that DSG treatment of immortalized human CF epithelial cells (DeltaF508) and cells expressing recombinant DeltaF508-CFTR partially restored cAMP-stimulated CFTR Cl- channel activity at the plasma membrane. Although there are several possible explanations for these results, one simple interpretation is that DSG may have altered the interaction between DeltaF508-CFTR and its associated chaperones. If this is correct, agents capable of altering the normal functioning of cellular chaperones may provide yet another means of restoring CFTR Cl- channel activity to CF subjects harboring this class of mutations.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1997

Comparison of DNA-lipid complexes and DNA alone for gene transfer to cystic fibrosis airway epithelia in vivo.

Cationic lipids show promise as vectors for transfer of CFTR cDNA to airway epithelia of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, previous studies have not compared the effect of DNA-lipid to DNA alone. Recently, we developed a formulation of plasmid encoding CFTR (pCF1-CFTR) and cationic lipid (GL-67:DOPE) that generated greater gene transfer in mouse lung than previously described DNA-lipid vectors. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that DNA-lipid complexes were more effective than DNA alone at transferring CFTR cDNA to airway epithelia in vivo. We administered complexes of DNA-lipid to one nostril and DNA alone to the other nostril in a randomized, double-blind study. Electrophysiologic measurements showed that DNA-lipid complexes partially corrected the Cl- transport defect. Importantly, the pCF1-CFTR plasmid alone was at least as effective as complexes of DNA with lipid. Measurements of vector-specific CFTR transcripts also showed gene transfer with both DNA-lipid and DNA alone. These results indicate that nonviral vectors can transfer CFTR cDNA to airway epithelia and at least partially restore the Cl- transport defect characteristic of CF. However, improvements in the overall efficacy of gene transfer are required to develop a treatment for CF.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Transient immunosuppression with deoxyspergualin improves longevity of transgene expression and ability to readminister adenoviral vector to the mouse lung.

Animal studies have suggested that the clinical usefulness of recombinant adenoviruses (Ad) as vectors for therapeutic gene delivery may be limited by their immunogenicity. Neutralizing antibodies elicited by capsid proteins reduce the efficiency of vector readministration whereas cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) directed against viral proteins and/or immunogenic transgene products expressed by transfected cells have the potential to limit persistence of expression. In this study, transient administration of the novel immunosuppressant deoxyspergualin (DSG) was found to inhibit the development of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against Ad vector delivered intranasally. DSG treatment of primed mice previously exposed to wild-type Ad impaired the development of antibodies in response to a secondary and even tertiary challenge with Ad vector. As a result, improved gene transfer was obtained upon subsequent administration of a beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal)-encoding Ad vector. Short-term administration of DSG also depressed the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes as assessed by measurement of antigen-specific proliferation and CTL activity, respectively. The marked suppression of CTL activity against Ad vector in DSG-treated mice correlated with improved persistence of transgene expression in the lung.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

Basis of pulmonary toxicity associated with cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer to the mammalian lung.

Studies have indicated that although abundant levels of transgene expression could be achieved in the lungs of mice instilled with cationic lipid:pDNA complexes, the efficiency of gene transfer is low. As a consequence, a relatively large amount of the complex will need to be administered to the human lungs to achieve therapeutic efficacy for indications such as cystic fibrosis. Because all cationic lipids exhibit some level of cytotoxicity in vitro, we assessed the safety profile of one such cationic lipid, GL-67, following administration into the lungs of BALB/c mice. Dose-dependent pulmonary inflammation was observed that was characterized by infiltrates of neutrophils, and, to a lesser extent, macrophages and lymphocytes. The lesions in the lung were multifocal in nature and were manifested primarily at the junction of the terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts. The degree of inflammation abated with time and there were no apparent permanent fibrotic lesions, even in animals that were treated at the highest doses. Analysis of the individual components of the complex revealed that the pulmonary inflammation was primarily cationic lipid-mediated with a minor contribution from the neutral co-lipid DOPE. Associated with the lesions in the lungs were elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) that peaked at days 1-2 post-instillation but resolved to normal limits by day 14. Total cell counts, primarily of neutrophils, were also significantly elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of GL-67:pDNA-treated mice between days 1 and 3 but returned to normal limits by day 14. No specific immune responses were detected against the cationic lipid or plasmid DNA in mice that had been either instilled or immunized with the individual components or complex, nor was there any evidence of complement activation. These studies indicate that a significant improvement in the potency of cationic lipid:pDNA formulations is desirable to minimize the toxicity associated with cationic lipids.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1997

Biophysical characterization of cationic lipid: DNA complexes.

To better understand the structures formed by the interaction of cationic lipids with DNA, we undertook a systematic analysis to determine the biophysical characteristics of cationic lipid:DNA complexes. Four model cationic lipids with different net cationic charge were found to interact in similar ways with DNA when that interaction was compared in terms of the apparent molar charge ratio of lipid to DNA. When DNA was present in charge excess over the cationic lipid, the complex carried a net negative charge as determined by zeta potential measurements. Under these conditions, some DNA was accessible to ethidium bromide, and free DNA was observed in agarose gels and in dextran density gradients. Between a lipid:DNA charge ratio of 1.25 and 1.5:1, all the DNA became complexed to cationic lipid, as evidenced by its inaccessibility to EtBr and its complete association with lipid upon agarose gel electrophoresis and density gradient separations. These complexes carried a net positive charge. The transition between negatively and positively charged complexes a occurred over a very small range of lipid to DNA ratios. Employing a fluorescent lipid probe, the addition of DNA was shown to induce lipid mixing between cationic lipid-containing vesicles. The extent of DNA-induced lipid mixing reached a maximum at a charge ratio of about 1.5:1, the point at which all the DNA was involved in a complex and the complex became positively charged. Together with freeze-fracture electron micrographs of the complexes, these biophysical data have been interpreted in light of the existing models of cationic lipid:DNA complexes.

Cations↗
PubMed1997

Characterization of factors involved in modulating persistence of transgene expression from recombinant adenovirus in the mouse lung.

One potential limitation of adenovirus (Ad)-based vectors for the gene therapy of cystic fibrosis (CF) and other genetic diseases is the transience of expression observed in most in vivo systems. In this study, the influence of various factors on persistence of transgene expression in the lung was investigated. In the absence of immune pressure, such as in the nude mouse, the genomic structure of the vector was found to be predominant in determining the persistence of expression; Ad vector constructs with an E1-E3+E4ORF6+ backbone encoding beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) or the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) produced declining levels of expression while an Ad/CMV beta Gal vector with an E1-E3+E4+ backbone gave rise to sustained, long-term reporter gene expression. The ability of the latter vector to persist was in turn limited in part by the presence of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Adoptive transfer experiments indicated that CTLs directed against either viral proteins or the beta-Gal reporter gene product were able to reduce expression in nude C57BL/6 mice stably expressing beta-Gal from the E4+ vector. Finally, the specificity and strength of the CTL response elicited by Ad vector was found to vary considerably depending on mouse strain haplotype. These results indicate that persistence of transgene expression in a given system is determined by the interplay between several factors including genomic structure of the vector, host background, and immune response.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

Determination of dichlorobenzidine-hemoglobin adducts by GC/MS-NCI.

A method based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-negative ion chemical ionization detection (GC/MS-NCI) was developed for the determination of 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine (DCB)-hemoglobin adducts. Adducts were released from hemoglobin by mild alkaline hydrolysis and determined by GC/MS-NCI after extraction and derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA). 2,2'-DCB was used as internal standard and the recovery of the diarylamine derivatives in the overall procedure was 65-88%. The limit of detection attained was below 0.1 ng/g hemoglobin for DCB as well as for the metabolite N-acetyl-3,3'-dichlorobenzidine (acDCB). The method was shown to be linear up to 150 ng/g hemoglobin. In the NCI mass spectra of the HFB derivatives the dominant ion is (M-HF)-. Due to the presence of two chlorines in the diarylamines, the characteristic ratio of 1.5 for m/z 624 to 626 (for diHFB-DCB and diHFB-2,2'-DCB) and m/z 470 to 472 (for HFB-acDCB) can be observed and used for identification. The method was applied to the determination of DCB-hemoglobin adducts formed in young female Wistar rats after treatment for 4 weeks with 0.006%, 0.0012% or 0.00024% DCB via the drinking water. Two adducts were detectable by GC/MS-NCI after alkaline hydrolysis of hemoglobin samples, extraction and derivatization. The structure of these adducts could be assigned to DCB and acDCB by co-chromatography with the synthetic standards and by the presence of the characteristic ion (M-HF)-. Assessment of the time dependence of hemoglobin adduct formation during subchronic treatment with DCB revealed an increase in adduct levels during weeks 1-3. After this time adduct levels essentially remained constant. In hemoglobin samples isolated from animals treated for 4 weeks with DCB a dose-proportional increase in the total amount DCB- and acDCB-hemoglobin adducts from 8.1 ng DCB/g hemoglobin at 0.3 mg/kg body weight per day (0.00024% in drinking water) to 159.9 ng DCB/g hemoglobin at 5.8 mg/kg body weight per day (0.006% in drinking water) was observed. The ratio of the DCB adduct to the acDCB adduct was strongly dose dependent. At low DCB doses the acDCB- and DCB adducts were formed at similar levels, whereas at high DCB doses the DCB adduct was predominant.

3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine↗
PubMed1997

Antibody to CD40 ligand inhibits both humoral and cellular immune responses to adenoviral vectors and facilitates repeated administration to mouse airway.

Adenoviral vectors have been used successfully to transfer the human CFTR cDNA to respiratory epithelium in animal models and to CF patients in vivo. However, studies done primarily in mice, indicate that present vector systems have limitations. Among other things, transgene expression in the lung is transient and the production of neutralizing antibodies against adenovirus correlates with a reduced ability to readminister a vector of the same serotype. Here we demonstrate that in mice, a transient blockade of costimulation between activated T cells and B cells/antigen presenting cells using a monoclonal antibody (MR1) against murine CD40 ligand inhibits the development of neutralizing antibodies to adenoviral (Ad) vector. MR1 also decreased the cellular immune response to Ad vector and allowed an increase in persistence of transgene expression. Furthermore, when administered with a second dose of Ad vector to mice preimmunized against vector, MR1 was able to interfere with the development of a secondary antibody response and allowed for high levels of transgene expression upon a third administration of vector to the airway.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

Safety of a single aerosol administration of escalating doses of the cationic lipid GL-67/DOPE/DMPE-PEG5000 formulation to the lungs of normal volunteers.

Several groups are assessing the use of cationic lipids for respiratory gene therapy. To date no human data are available regarding the safety of intra-pulmonary cationic lipid delivery. In preparation for a trial of pulmonary delivery of the CFTR gene, we have assessed the safety of nebulised lipid GL-67/DOPE/DMPE-PEG5000 (GL-67A), the cationic lipid formulation to be used in this study. Fifteen healthy volunteers were given incremental doses of GL-67A via a Pari LC Jet nebuliser; three volunteers in each of five dosing cohorts with a week interval between cohorts. Markers of safety included clinical assessment, measurement of lung function, chest CT scan, serological testing and analysis of induced sputum. Measurements were taken before administration and at intervals up to 21 days thereafter. No adverse clinical events were seen or any statistically significant changes in spirometry or gas transfer. There were no clinically significant changes in any of the blood parameters and no CT changes were seen. Comparisons of the cellular subpopulations (neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes and macrophages) in induced sputum showed no significant alterations following administration of the GL-67A. This study suggests that a single application of aerosol formulation of GL-67A does not result in clinically detectable changes when given by nebulisation into the lungs of normal volunteers and provides an indication of a lipid dose tolerated in man.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1997

Preparation and structure of heparin lyase-derived heparan sulfate oligosaccharides.

Porcine intestinal mucosal heparan sulfate was exhaustively depolymerized on a large scale using heparin lyase II (heparinase II) or heparin lyase III (heparitinase, EC 4.2.2.8). The oligosaccharide mixtures formed with each enzyme were fractionated by low pressure gel permeation chromatography. Size-uniform mixtures of disaccharides, tetrasaccharides, and hexasaccharides were obtained. Each size-fractionated mixture was then purified on the basis of charge by repetitive semipreparative strong-anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. This approach has led to the isolation of 13 homogenous oligosaccharides. The purity of each oligosaccharide was demonstrated by the presence of a single peak on analytical strong-anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography and reversed polarity capillary electrophoresis. The structures of these oligosaccharides were established using 500 MHz one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Three of the thirteen structures that were solved were novel while the remaining 10 have been previously described. All of the structures obtained using heparin lyase III contained a delta UAp residue (where delta UAp is 4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-eno-pyranosyluronic acid) at their nonreducing termini. Structures obtained using heparin lyase II contained both delta UAp and delta UAp2S (where S is sulfate) at their nonreducing termini. These results are consistent with the reported specificity of both enzymes.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes against immunorecessive epitopes after multiple immunizations with adenovirus vectors is dependent on haplotype.

Currently, adenovirus (Ad) is being considered as a vector for the treatment of cystic fibrosis as well as other diseases. However, the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to Ad could limit the effectiveness of such approaches. Since the CTL response to virus infection is often focused on one or a few immunodominant epitopes, one approach to circumvent this response is to create vectors that lack these immunodominant epitopes. The effectiveness of this approach was tested by immunizing mice with human group C adenoviruses. Three mouse strains (C57BL/10SnJ [H-2b], C3HeB/FeJ [H-2k], and BALB/cByJ [H-2d]) were immunized with wild-type Ad or Ad vectors lacking the immunodominant antigen(s), and the CTL responses were measured. In C57BL/10 (B10) mice, a single inoculation intraperitoneally (i.p.) led to the recognition of an immunodominant antigen in E1A. When B10 mice were inoculated multiple times either i.p. or intranasally with wild-type Ad or an Ad vector lacking most of the E1 region, subdominant epitopes outside this region were recognized. In contrast, C3H mice inoculated with wild-type Ad recognized an epitope mapping within E1B. When inoculated twice with Ad vectors lacking both E1A and E1B, no immunorecessive epitopes were recognized. The immune response to Ad in BALB/c mice was more complex. CTLs from BALB/c mice inoculated i.p. with wild-type Ad recognized E1B in the context of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I Dd allele and a region outside E1 associated with the Kd allele. When BALB/c mice were inoculated with E1-deleted Ad vectors, only the immunodominant Kd-restricted epitope was recognized, and Dd-restricted CTLs did not develop. This report indicates that the emergence of CTLs against immunorecessive epitopes following multiple administrations of Ad vectors lacking immunodominant antigens is dependent on haplotype and could present an obstacle to gene therapy in an MHC-diverse human population.

Adenovirus E1A Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Effect of the E4 region on the persistence of transgene expression from adenovirus vectors.

The utility of adenovirus vectors for gene therapy is limited by the transience of expression that has been observed in various in vivo models. Immunological responses to viral targets can eliminate transduced cells and cause the loss of transgene expression. We previously described the characterization of an E4 modified adenovirus, Ad2E4ORF6, which is replication defective in cotton rats. We reasoned that gene transfer vectors based on Ad2E4ORF6 would have a reduced potential for viral gene expression in vivo which might be beneficial for achieving persistence of transgene expression. E1 replacement vectors expressing the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator or beta-galactosidase were constructed as series of vectors that differed with respect to the E4 region. Vectors containing a wild-type E4 region, E4 open reading frame 6, or a complete E4 deletion were compared in the lungs of BALB/c mice for persistence of expression. Results obtained with nude mice indicate that nonimmunological factors have a major influence on the longevity of transgene expression. Expression was transient from the E1a promoter with all vectors but persisted from the cytomegalovirus promoter only with a vector containing a wild-type E4 region. Transience of expression did not correlate with the disappearance of vector DNA, suggesting that promoter down-regulation may be involved. Coinfection studies indicate an E4 product(s) could be supplied in trans to allow persistent expression from the cytomegalovirus promoter. In summary, the choice of promoter is important for achieving persistence of expression; in addition, some promoters are highly influenced by the context of the vector backbone.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

Adenovirus vector-infected cells can escape adenovirus antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte killing in vivo.

The recent findings that prolonged expression of certain adenovirus (Ad) vector-encoded proteins, including human alpha1-antitrypsin (huAAT), mouse erythropoietin (EPO), and human factor IX, can be achieved in animals that do not mount an immune response to the reporter protein were obtained with mouse strains which have been shown to be capable of mounting a cellular immune response against Ad vector antigens. This suggests either that Ad vectors expressing nonimmunogenic transgenes fail to elicit a cellular immune response or that an Ad-specific cellular immune response does develop but is ineffective against cells expressing nonimmunogenic transgenes. Here we demonstrate that an Ad vector expressing huAAT administered by intravenous injection does stimulate an Ad-specific cellular immune response but that this response fails to abolish vector-directed gene expression in vivo. Moreover, expression of huAAT remained stable in animals stimulated by concurrent and multiple administrations of different Ad vectors or viruses. We also demonstrate prolonged expression of huAAT in CD1 mice transgenic for the huAAT gene, indicating that long-term expression is not restricted to C57BL/6 mice. These results demonstrate that under some circumstances, an Ad vector can direct prolonged expression of a nonimmunogenic transgene despite the presence of a robust Ad-specific cellular immune response.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

High-quality nutritional interventions reduce costs.

Numerous clinical studies have documented improved clinical outcomes and cost savings when patients at risk for malnutrition receive high-quality nutritional care. A survey of 19 hospitals found that patients who received high-quality nutritional care averaged 12.2 days in the hospital. Patients who received medium nutritional care averaged 14.0 days in the hospital. Patients who received low-quality nutritional care were hospitalized an average of 14.4 days. The survey further revealed that only 7.5 percent of patients at risk for malnutrition actually received the type of nutritional care that was associated with the shortest average length of stay. If all patients in the at-risk population had received high-quality nutritional care, the estimated net savings potential would have been $1,064 per patient. Financial managers can determine the financial consequences of clinical nutritional policies and practices from information and analytical tools that are readily available.

Financial Management, Hospital↗
PubMed1997

An emergency department simulation and a neural network metamodel.

This paper describes a discrete event stochastic simulation of a hospital emergency department, and the development of a metamodel of that simulation. The metamodeling technique used is artificial neural networks, which are trained utilizing the output of the simulation. The performance of the neural network metamodel is compared to the simulation performance for estimating the mean and variance of patient time in the emergency department.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1996

Enzymatic preparation of heparin oligosaccharides containing antithrombin III binding sites.

Two new oligosaccharides were prepared from heparin by its partial depolymerization using heparin lyase I (EC 4.2.2.7) in an attempt to prepare oligosaccharides having intact antithrombin III binding sites. The oligosaccharides were purified by chromatography on the basis of both size and charge and demonstrated a high level of purity by capillary electrophoresis. One- and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy at 500 MHz revealed the structure of each oligosaccharide. The octasaccharide and decasaccharide are DeltaUAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-DGlcNpS6S(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp (1-->4)-alpha-D -GlcNpAc6S(1-->4)-betaD-GlcAp(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS 3S6S(1-->4)-alpha- L-IdoAp2S(1-->4)alpha-D-GlcNpS6S (where DeltaUAp is 4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-enopyranosyluronic acid, GlcNp is 2-amino-2-deoxy-glucopyranose, GlcAp is glucopyranosyluronic acid, S is sulfate and Ac is acetate) and DeltaUAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS6S(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp++ +(1-->4)-alpha- D-GlcNpAc6S (1-->4)-beta-D-GlcAp(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS3S6S(1-->4)-alpha- L-IdoAp2S (1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS6S(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp2S(1-->4)-alpha -D-GlcNpS 6S, respectively. A hexasaccharide containing a similar structural motif to that found in the antithrombin III binding site and having greatly reduced anticoagulant activity was also isolated. The structure of the hexasaccharide is DeltaUAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpAc6S(1-->4)-beta-D-GlcAp++ +(1-->4)-alpha- D-GlcNpS3S6S(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS6S . The octasaccharide and decasaccharide correspond to the predominant structural motif found in porcine intestinal mucosal heparin. Sufficient quantities of the decasaccharide were obtained to examine its interaction with antithrombin III using microtitration calorimetry. This decasaccharide bound to antithrombin III with similar avidity as heparin and showed comparable anticoagulant activity, as determined using an antithrombin III dependent anti-factor Xa assay. Interestingly, while both decasaccharide and heparin bound to antithrombin with nanomolar affinity, very little heat of binding was observed.

Animals↗