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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Vesicular monoamine transporter-2 and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase gene therapy prevents development of motor complications in parkinsonian rats after chronic intermittent L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine administration.

Motor complications after chronic L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) therapy occur partly because of the sensitization to dopaminergic agents resulting from pulsatile dopaminergic stimulation. The loss of presynaptic storage contributes to short duration of action by dopamine. Vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2) controls intraneuronal dopamine storage by packaging dopamine into synaptic vesicles, thereby allowing exocytotic release of dopamine. Using primary fibroblast doubly transduced with VMAT-2 and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) genes, we previously demonstrated the beneficial effects of such double gene transduction in the production, storage, and gradual release of dopamine in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we further evaluate the effect of achieving sustained level of dopamine within the striata by VMAT-2 gene on behavioral response of parkinsonian rats after chronic intermittent L-DOPA administration. Primary fibroblast (PF) cells were genetically modified with AADC and VMAT-2 genes. We grafted primary fibroblast cells, PF with AADC (PFAADC), or doubly transduced PF with AADC and VMAT-2 (PFVMAA) (n = 6 for each group) into parkinsonian rat striata and administered L-DOPA (25 mg/kg/day) intermittently for 4 weeks. For behavioral study, we employed a model of akinesia using forepaw adjusting steps (FAS) that have been well characterized to reflect the effect of the lesion and the antiparkinsonian effect of dopaminergic drugs and transplants. The duration of FAS response to L-DOPA was sustained for a longer duration in rats grafted with PFVMAA cells than in those grafted with either control cells or cells with AADC alone. In PFVMAA-grafted animals, prolonged duration of FAS responses to L-DOPA was sustained even 6 weeks after discontinuation of 4-week intermittent L-DOPA treatment. These findings suggest that the restoration of dopamine storage capacity could enhance the efficacy of L-DOPA therapy and attenuate the motor fluctuations that result from chronic intermittent L-DOPA administration. The gene therapy expressing AADC and VMAT-2 along with systemic L-DOPA therapy could provide a novel treatment strategy to prevent motor fluctuations.

Animals↗

The Clarke Institute experience with electroconvulsive therapy: I. Development of a clinical audit procedure.

Over the past forty-five years, there has been a progressive refinement of the standards of practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The need to review contemporary practice patterns to maintain and further improve those standards is discussed. In this context, the respective roles of medical audits and surveys of practice are described and the methodology of recent surveys critically examined. A procedure for the collection of reliable and complete data on the more than 22,000 treatments administered at one psychiatric hospital is described as the essential element of both an accurate survey of practice and a clinical audit. The audit is designed to retrospectively review and prospectively monitor the practice of ECT to identify the areas of conformity with and divergence from current standards of practice. it is recommended that this kind of audit procedure be an integral part of the present day administration of ECT. It is also suggested as a paradigm for hospital practice auditing with potential application to other specific treatments.

Data Collection↗

Impact of genetic diversity of HIV-1 on diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy & vaccine development.

HIV-1 strains have diversified extensively through mutation and recombination since their initial transmission to human beings many decades ago in central Africa. The high error rate of HIV reverse transcriptase combined with the estimated in vivo HIV-1 replication rate of ten billion new virions each day leads to extraordinary genetic diversity of HIV. Twenty seven circulating genetic forms of the HIV-1 group M are presently recognized, including 11 subtypes and sub-subtypes, and 16 circulating recombinant forms (CRF). Genotypic analyses have provided a better understanding of the molecular diversity of HIV-1, enabling the detection of emerging HIV-1 variants and improving the tracking of the epidemic worldwide. The rapid evolution of HIV within infected hosts contributes significantly to the elusiveness of this pathogen from host antiviral responses. The complex nature of HIV envelope glycoprotein that is inherently resistant to neutralization, the selective infection, progressive destruction and impaired regeneration of CD4+ T helper cells, generation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) escape mutants, together with high genetic diversity with continually evolving HIV variants worldwide, makes design of an effective vaccine a formidable task. Given the rapidity and unpredictability with which HIV-1 genetic forms may propagate in future, a vaccine protective against all major HIV-1 circulating genetic forms is desirable, which could require multivalent formulations. Understanding the kinetics and directions of this continuing adaptation and its impact on viral fitness, immunogenicity and pathogenicity are crucial to the successful design of effective HIV vaccines. In this review, we focus on extensive diversity of HIV-1, emergence of recombinant forms and their impact on diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy, disease progression, transmission, and vaccine development.

AIDS Vaccines↗

AAV gene therapy for hereditary spastic paraplegia type 50: a phase 1 trial in a single patient.

There are more than 10,000 individual rare diseases and most are without therapy. Personalized genetic therapy represents one promising approach for their treatment. We present a road map for individualized treatment of an ultra-rare disease by establishing a gene replacement therapy developed for a single patient with hereditary spastic paraplegia type 50 (SPG50). Through a multicenter collaboration, an adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy product carrying the AP4M1 gene was created and successfully administered intrathecally to a 4-year-old patient within 3 years of diagnosis as part of a single-patient phase 1 trial. Primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, and secondary endpoints evaluated efficacy. At 12 months after dosing, the therapy was well tolerated. No serious adverse events were observed, with minor events, including transient neutropenia and Clostridioides difficile gastroenteritis, experienced but resolved. Preliminary efficacy measures suggest a stabilization of the disease course. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm the safety and provide additional insights on the efficacy of the therapy. Overall, this report supports the safety of gene therapy for SPG50 and provides insights into precision therapy development for rare diseases. Clinical trial registration: NCT06069687 .

Humans↗

Status of therapies in development for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is among the leading causes of visual impairment in the elderly. The FDA has approved only two treatments, laser photocoagulation and Visudyne photodynamic therapy (PDT), approved for the wet form of AMD, a progressive condition characterized by the presence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Current pharmaceutical activities aimed at the treatment of wet-type AMD are largely focused on the development of anti-angiogenic drugs that would inhibit further CNV formation or even reduce existing CNV. However, other lines of attack for the treatment of wet AMD include anti-inflammatory agents as well as new PDT agents. This review will summarize ongoing activities for these different approaches.

Animals↗

[Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults. Further development of therapy based on clinical phase II and phase III studies].

By a review of relevant clinical studies on adult AML no substantial progress can be seen in the eighties so far. After the development of successful chemotherapy regimens during the seventies, further improvement can only be expected in small steps. Clinical studies, therefore, should concentrate on the analysis of the different components and new elements of treatment in order to utilize and combine them more effectively. For this purpose, a standardization of treatment and, for many aspects, a randomized comparison is inevitable. Thus, the role of monthly maintenance as well as of a special type of immunotherapy could be elucidated for the first time by our multicenter trial.

Adult↗

[Apoptosis and its importance in the development and therapy of tumors (review)].

This review focuses on apoptosis and its regulation as a tool of principal control mechanism of tissue homeostasis. Defects in regulation of apoptosis contribute to a various pathological processes, including tumor development, chronic inflammatory diseases, immunological disorders and many others. Apoptosis influences sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy of tumours. Microscopically the apoptosis is characterized by morphological changes, which result in the formation of apoptotic bodies. Apoptosis is an active process, which require synthesis and activation of a set of the specific cellular proteins. Among them, the key role belongs to the family of cystein proteases--caspases activated either through the death receptors or via activation steps starting with the release of a mitochondrial cytochrome c. Activation of caspases promotes the activation of downstream effectors leading to the cleavage of target cellular proteins and genomic DNA. The members of Bcl-2 family and p53 are- the others important proteins influencing the regulation of apoptosis. Enhancing of our knowledge about apoptosis and its mechanisms highly improves the rationale for diagnostics and therapy in oncology.

Apoptosis↗

Swine and cattle enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-mediated diarrhea. Development of therapies based on inhibition of bacteria-host interactions.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) frequently occurs in diarrheal disease afflicting domestic animals. In this paper is summarized the research carried out over the last decade on the two important determinants of virulence that plays a role in the development of the infection, namely the colonizing ability of the small intestine mediated by specific fimbrial adhesins acting as lectins and the production of enterotoxins. Recent progress in knowledge of the phenomenon led to alternative strategies of prevention and cure of enteric infection. Since bacterial recognition of mucosa surface receptors in an initial event in colonization, several approaches based on the competitive inhibition of ETEC adhesion have been developed. This review examines the following approaches: competitive colonization with non pathogenic strains, design of adhesin or toxin vaccines, receptor analog therapy and methods for in vivo suppression of virulence factors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homeodomain proteins in development and therapy.

Homeobox genes encode transcriptional regulators found in all organisms ranging from yeast to humans. In Drosophila, a specific class of homeobox genes, the homeotic genes, specifies the identity of certain spatial units of development. Their genomic organization, in Drosophila, as well as in vertebrates, is uniquely connected with their expression which follows a 5'-posterior-3'-anterior rule along the longitudinal body axis. The 180-bp homeobox is part of the coding sequence of these genes, and the sequence of 60 amino acids it encodes is referred to as the homeodomain. Structural analyses have shown that homeodomains consist of a helix-turn-helix motif that binds the DNA by inserting the recognition helix into the major groove of the DNA and its amino-terminal arm into the adjacent minor groove. Developmental as well as gene regulatory functions of homeobox genes are discussed, with special emphasis on one group, the Antennapedia (Antp) class homeobox genes and a representative 60-amino acid Antennapedia peptide (pAntp). In cultured neuronal cells, pAntp translocates through the membrane specifically and efficiently and accumulates in the nucleus. The internalization process is followed by a strong induction of neuronal morphological differentiation, which raises the possibility that motoneuron growth is controlled by homeodomain proteins. It has been demonstrated that chimeric peptide molecules encompassing pAntp are also captured by cultured neurons and conveyed to their nuclei. This may be of enormous interest for the internalization of drugs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hemophilia therapy innovation: development of an advanced category recombinant factor VIII by a plasma/albumin-free method. Proceedings of a Special Symposium at the XIXth Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, July 12-18, 2003, Birmingham, UK.

Replacement therapy for hemophilia A has evolved from the early use of whole blood, citrated plasma, and cryoprecipitate, to purified factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates, first derived from plasma, then produced by recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) concentrates have provided improved safety for patients with hemophilia A since they significantly reduce the risk of transmission of blood-borne infections. Nevertheless, human- or animal-derived plasma proteins are still included at some step in preparation of all previously licensed rFVIII, thereby introducing the potential for transmission of human or animal pathogens. Anti-hemophilic factor (recombinant), plasma/albumin-free method (rAHF-PFM), a novel advanced category rFVIII produced without the addition of human or animal plasma proteins, has been developed with the goal of providing the greatest possible margin of safety to hemophilia patients. This report, based on a symposium of the XIXth International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Congress, provides an overview of the rAHF-PFM development program as well as current findings from the global clinical evaluation of rAHF-PFM in pediatric and adult previously treated patients.

Adult↗

Specific GABA(A) circuits in brain development and therapy.

GABAergic interneurons are highly diverse and operate with a corresponding diversity of GABA(A) receptor subtypes in controlling behaviour. In this article, we review the significance of GABA(A) receptor heterogeneity for neural circuit development and central nervous system pharmacology. GABA(A) receptor subtypes were identified as selective targets for behavioural actions of benzodiazepines and of selected intravenous anesthetic agents using point mutations which render a specific receptor subtype insensitive to the action of the respective drugs and also by novel subtype-selective ligands. The pharmacological separation of anxiolysis and sedation guides the development of novel anxiolytics, while inverse agonism at extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors involved in learning and memory is currently being evaluated as a novel therapeutic principle for symptomatic memory enhancement.

Anesthetics↗