N-Benzylpolyamines as vectors of boron and fluorine for cancer therapy and imaging: synthesis and biological evaluation

Cancer cells have high-affinity polyamine uptake systems with a low stringency for structural features. Putrescine, spermidine, and spermine have, therefore, been considered as potential vectors for the selective accumulation in tumors of therapeutically or diagnostically useful structures and elements. We envisaged N-benzyl derivatives of the polyamines as vectors of (10)B and (18)F for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and tumor imaging by positron emission tomography (PET), respectively. In the present work, the synthesis, transport characteristics, DNA-binding properties, and cytotoxicity of several N-benzyl derivatives of putrescine and spermidine are described. The fluorinated spermidine derivative N-(3-[(4-aminobutyl)amino]propyl)[(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]amine (N(1)-4-Fbz-spd) may be useful for PET because of its high accumulation in cancer cells via the polyamine transport system. Among the boron-containing benzyl polyamines, N-(4-aminobutyl)([4-(dihydroxyboryl)phenyl]methyl)amine (4-Bbz-put) and N-(3-[(4-aminobutyl)amino]propyl)([4-(dihydroxyboryl)phenyl]methyl)amine (N(1)-4-Bbz-spd) should be suitable for BNCT, because their accumulation in B16 melanoma cells was more efficient than that of borocaptate and borophenylalanine, two reference compounds used in BNCT.

Effect of dorzolamide timolol combination versus timolol 0.5% on ocular bloodflow in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma

PURPOSE

Addition of dorzolamide to timolol in primary open-angle glaucoma shows augmented reduction of intraocular pressure. It is unknown as yet if addition of dorzolamide will alter hemodynamics.

METHODS

Fifteen patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were placed on a medication-dependent 1-week to 4-week washout that included maintenance on timolol. After washout, baseline measurements were taken (timolol). They were studied after a month on timolol or dorzolamide-timolol (Cosopt; Merck, Inc, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey), with the second drug preceded by another month of timolol maintenance and second baseline measurements. At each visit, visual function, intraocular pressure, and ocular hemodynamics were monitored, including indocyanine green and fluorescein angiography and color Doppler imaging.

RESULTS

Cosopt significantly reduced intraocular pressure (14.7 to 13.4 mm Hg, P <.05) and increased arteriovenous passage time (superior temporal artery) of fluorescein dye (2.13 to 1.76 seconds, P =.01) but had no effect on visual function.

CONCLUSIONS

When compared with timolol in primary open-angle glaucoma, Cosopt augments ocular tension reduction and reduces the amount of time required for blood to pass through the superior retinal vasculature.

Contingency management in group treatment: a demonstration project in an HIV drop-in center

This study describes a contingency management intervention applied in group treatment. In an HIV drop-in center, groups were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 35 weeks. An ABB'CA design was used, in which reinforcers were available in non-A phases. In the initial B phase, reinforcers were available only on Tuesdays, and they switched to Thursdays in the B' and C phases. The reinforcer was a drawing that was associated with the possibility of winning a prize. Reinforcers were provided for attending group and completing steps related to treatment goals. The number of drawings escalated with weeks of consecutive attendance and activity completion in the B phases; in the C phase, a fixed number of draws were provided. Overall, the procedure increased attendance, with an average of 0.7 clients (range 0-4) per session in the initial baseline phase to an average of seven clients (range 2-12) during reinforcement phases. The percentage of activities completed also rose from 25% during baseline to 65% during reinforcement phases. These data suggest the feasibility of a group-based contingency management intervention.

Worry and anxiety: is there a causal relationship?

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between worry and anxiety and depression. Path analysis was used to estimate a nonrecursive model which describes the reciprocal causal relation between worry and anxiety. The final model fits the data well and leads to the conclusion that the association between these two constructs is not bidirectional. Indeed, we observed a significant positive effect of worry on anxiety, but no effect in the opposite direction. This result provides a supporting argument for researchers wishing to distinguish these two constructs. Moreover, depression is not directly affected by worry, but is indirectly affected through anxiety.

Simultaneous management of blood flow and IOP in glaucoma

Factors other than intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation must be involved in initiation and progression of glaucoma. An additional element in disease causation may be ischemia in the retina and optic nerve head. Ischemic damage to neurons in the CNS is similar mechanistically and histopathologically to changes seen in glaucoma. Further, glaucoma patients with normal IOP show clear evidence for cerebral and ocular ischemia. Aging and atherosclerosis reduce the ability of the eye to autoregulate blood flow when ocular perfusion pressure changes: the dependence of blood flow on perfusion pressure links ischemia to IOP. Consequently, neuroprotective treatments for glaucoma should be designed to both reduce IOP and improve ocular nutrient delivery.

Experimental exposure of llamas (Lama glama) to Brucella abortus: humoral antibody response

Positive antibody reactions to brucella were observed in the sera of four llamas receiving Brucella abortus Strain 19 subcutaneously at 2-3 weeks post-exposure (PE) using five of eight conventional brucella serologic tests and an ISU-ELISA. Positive brucella antibody reactions were detected in sera of four llamas exposed by intraocular instillation (IOI) of 1.02x10(8) (high dose) B. abortus Strain 2308 at 16-35 days PE using seven of eight serologic tests or an ISU-ELISA. Brucella antibody was also detected in sera of four llamas exposed by IOI of 9x10(5) (low dose) B. abortus using each of four agglutination tests, Complement Fixation test, PCFIA, the rivanol test and the ISU-ELISA at 16-35 days PE. Positive reactions were observed using the Card test, BAPA, SPT, STT, the rivanol test, the PCFIA, and the ISU-ELISA on sera collected on days 42-70 PE, except on one llama, given the low dose; that llama was negative on the PCFIA on day 42. Positive or suspicious reactions were not detected in sera of controls, receiving saline subcutaneously, using the routine tests, with the exception of the CFT. The B. abortus Strain 2308 was isolated from tissues of seven of eight llamas exposed to virulent B. abortus Strain 2308.

The burden of proof and the origin of acquired immune deficiency syndrome

There is a distinct difference in the way that different theories about the origin of acquired immune deficiency syndrome have been treated, with the widely supported cut-hunter theory given relatively little scrutiny, while the oral polio vaccine theory has been subject to intense criticism. This difference in treatment cannot be explained as application of the scientific method. A better explanation is that the burden of proof is put on all contenders to the cut-hunter theory, giving it an unfair advantage, especially given that this assignment of the burden of proof appears to reflect non-scientific factors.

Effect of brimonidine tartrate on ocular hemodynamics in healthy volunteers

While alpha2-adrenergic agonists, such as brimonidine tartrate, significantly reduce the intraocular pressure (IOP), the presence of vasoconstrictor postsynaptic alpha2 receptors on vascular smooth muscle raise the possibility that brimonidine could potentially compromise ocular blood flow. Consequently, the ocular hemodynamic effects of brimonidine were studied in normal subjects. Twelve healthy volunteers were included in this prospective, double-masked, placebo controlled, crossover-designed clinical trial. They received either brimonidine tartrate 0.2% or placebo b.i.d. for 2 weeks. Goldmann tonometry and color Doppler imaging (CDI) were performed at baseline, at 2 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks after the treatment. Fundus angiography using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope was performed at baseline and 2 weeks after treatment to determine retinal arteriovenous passage time. Brimonidine lowered IOP at 2 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks (p = 0.058, p = 0.031, and p = 0.022, respectively). Brimonidine did not affect the retrobulbar arterial velocities measured by CDI, nor retinal arteriovenous passage time. In conclusion, two-week treatment with brimonidine reduces IOP and does not reduce the bulk retinal or retrobulbar arterial perfusion in young healthy volunteers.

Synthetic Hybrid Grafts for Craniofacial Reconstruction: Sustained Gene Delivery Using a Calcium Phosphate Bone Mineral Substitute

These experiments were performed to evaluate the efficacy of a biocompatible bone cement, Norian CRS, engineered as a hybrid graft for simultaneous bone matrix reconstruction and sustained, site-directed gene transfer using an adenoviral vector. Norian CRS was cured ex vivo by mixing a calcium source powder with a phosphate source solution to form a paste. To 1.0 ml of the cement was added 50 microl of a solution containing 1 x 10(8) plaque-forming units of a replication-deficient adenoviral vector containing a bacterial beta-galactosidase reporter gene (AdLacZ). In vitro, fragments of the hybrid Norian-AdLacZ construct were placed into 12-microm-pore culture plate inserts and cocultured with human fibroblasts. The same insert was transferred to a new well of fibroblasts every 48 hours for 30 days, and, after allowing 72 hours for gene expression, fibroblasts were examined for transgene expression by 5 bromo-4-chloro-3-indoyl-beta-D-galactosidase (X-gal) staining. In vivo, the Norian-AdLacZ hybrid was implanted into 10-mm frontal bone defects in 3-week-old piglets. The implant sites were harvested after 5 days and were examined for transgene expression by X-gal staining. X-gal staining of fibroblasts incubated with the hybrid Norian-AdLacZ construct was observed throughout the 30-day period. Transgene expression was also observed about the periphery of the calvarial defects treated with hybrid Norian-AdLacZ constructs. Thus, adenoviral vectors may be incorporated successfully into a synthetic calcium phosphate bone mineral substitute to provide effective, sustained local gene delivery.

Photodetector sensitivity level and heidelberg retina flowmeter measurements in humans

PURPOSE

In vitro models suggest that Heidelberg retina flowmeter (HRF) measurements are affected by changes in photodetector sensitivity. We measured blood flow in a single volume of human retinal tissue in vivo at various sensitivity (DC) levels.

METHODS

The peripapillary retinal regions of 12 normal subjects were examined by HRF under five different sensitivity settings: (1) average DC range below 100; (2) average DC range below 125; (3) average DC range near 150 (normal sensitivity); (4) average DC range above 175; and (5) average DC range above 200 or extremely overexposed. The distributions of flow values were examined by pointwise analysis. All pixels from a common tissue location were analyzed, and the effect of their brightness on the flow measurement was evaluated by ANOVA with Fisher's protected least significant difference model.

RESULTS

ANOVA analysis of image DC level showed that significantly different DC levels were achieved for each of the five sensitivity settings (P < 0.0001). Flow values decreased with increasing DC for each of the 25th percentile, 50th percentile (P: < 0.0001 for each), 75th percentile (P: = 0.0026), 90th percentile (P: = 0.0216), and mean (P: = 0.0004) flow values. The percentage of pixels with values of zero (avascular tissue) increased with increasing photodetector sensitivity (P< 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Improper sensitivity settings alter the detected percentage of avascular tissue and the blood flow measurements in tissue containing capillaries. Consistent assessment of retinal blood flow requires consistent photodetector sensitivity settings between longitudinal images.

[Multiple jejunal strictures caused by gastric heterotopia]

A case of gastric heterotopia was discovered incidentally on a jejunal resection specimen in a 42-year-old patient operated for Koenig's syndrome present for 10 years. This anomaly was responsible for seven chronic ulcers with strictures at multiple levels. Gastric heterotopia, especially in the jejunum, is a rare anomaly, except in intestinal duplications and Meckel's diverticulum. The various complications are a direct result of the activity of the gastric glands: hemorrhage, Helicobacter pylori enteritis, perforation, chronic ulcer and obstructive syndrome; malignant adenocarcinomatous degeneration has also been reported.

Solid-phase microextraction of volatile components from natural grassland plants

The volatile components from nine plants growing on natural grasslands in Auvergne, central France, selected for the broad qualitative and quantitative diversity of their terpenoid fractions, were analyzed by high-resolution gas-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry (HRGC-MS) after static headspace solid-phase microextraction (SHS-SPME). SHS-SPME allowed all the plant material to be analyzed under the same conditions despite its wide-ranging composition. This is not always possible with other extraction methods. Using an apolar poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) phase, numerous terpenoid hydrocarbons, together with alcohols, cyclic ethers, and esters, were extracted. Its ease of use and the high resolution of the chromatographic profiles obtained make SHS-SPME well suited to the rapid characterization of the main components of the volatile fraction of plants. Of the nine plants studied, four (Meum athamanticum, Pimpinella saxifraga, Achillea millefolium, and Thymus pulegioides) exhaled more than 60 different volatile components. Certain terpenes present in large amounts in these plants might help link dairy products to grazing pasture, thus improving food traceability.

Is a general women's health promotion program as effective as an HIV-intensive prevention program in reducing HIV risk among Hispanic women?

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess whether participants in an HIV-intensive prevention program and participants in a general women's health promotion program reported greater HIV risk-reduction than participants in a wait-list control group immediately following program participation and at three-month follow-up.

METHODS

The authors studied 162 Hispanic women ages 18 to 35 years, most of them immigrants. Three-fourths of the sample (74%) reported earning less than $800 a month, 29% did not have a high school degree, and 90% had children. Data were gathered through surveys at baseline, at intervention completion, and at three-month follow-up. Information was collected on sociodemographics, HIV risk factors, and risk behaviors. Crude and adjusted (for demographics and dose) logistic regression analyses were used to assess program effects on participants' risk reduction.

RESULTS

Crude logistic regression analyses reveal that both programs resulted in increased condom use at post-test and follow-up. Only participants in the HIV-intensive prevention program reported increased safer sex negotiation at post-test and follow-up, however, and only participants in the women's health promotion program reported increased HIV testing at post-test.

CONCLUSION

Both interventions increased condom use. The HIV-intensive prevention program appeared to be more effective in promoting safer sex negotiation, and the women's health promotion program appeared more effective in promoting HIV testing. The findings suggest that both approaches may be viable ways to package HIV prevention for short-term behavior change in this population.

Reinforcing compliance with non-drug-related activities

Contingency management (CM) procedures, that provide incentives for specific behaviors, are efficacious in treating substance use disorders. Typically, CM interventions reinforce submission of urine specimens negative for the targeted drug(s) of abuse, but other behaviors can be reinforced as well, such as compliance with non-drug-related activities. This article describes 1,059 activities chosen by 46 subjects participating in one of two CM studies. The most frequently chosen activities were related to recreational activities (going to movies, library, or church) and sobriety (attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, completing worksheets). Over 95% of subjects participated in at least one of these types of activities, and together they accounted for over 70% of the activities selected. Over half the subjects participated in at least one activity related to employment, health, family, and personal improvement, such as applying for a job, attending a medical appointment, taking their child to an event, or creating weekly to-do lists. A detailed description of activity selection and verification procedures may assist in developing consistent approaches across treatment settings, and future research may evaluate further the efficacy of this contingency management approach in treating substance abusers.

Synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and pharmacological profile of 9-amino-4-oxo-1-phenyl-3,4,6,7-tetrahydro[1,4]diazepino[6, 7,1-hi]indoles: discovery of potent, selective phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitors

The synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and biological properties of a novel series of potent and selective phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) inhibitors are described. These new aminodiazepinoindoles displayed in vitro PDE4 activity with submicromolar IC(50) values and PDE4 selectivity vs PDE1, -3, and -5. Specifically, one compound (CI-1044, 10e) provided efficient in vitro inhibition of TNFalpha release from hPBMC and hWB with IC(50) values of 0.34 and 0.84 microM, respectively. This compound was found to exhibit potent in vivo activity in antigen-induced eosinophil recruitment in Brown-Norway rats (ED(50) = 3.2 mg/kg po) and in production of TNFalpha in Wistar rats (ED(50) = 2.8 mg/kg po). No emetic side effects at therapeutic doses were observed in ferrets.

Comparison of titanium vascular closure staples with suture repair of the thoracic aorta in swine

OBJECTIVE

Devices that reduce technical difficulty and anastigmatic time when repairing large vessels such as the thoracic aorta would be beneficial. The aim of this study was to determine if titanium vascular closure staples (3 mm) could be safely and quickly applied in the repair of large vessels such as the thoracic aorta.

DESIGN

Through a left thoracotomy in 10 female swine (110 to 130 lb), an interposition graft (14 to 16 mm textile) was placed into the aorta distal to the left subclavian artery. Animals were randomized at the time of repair to either running sutures (n = 5; 6-0 polypropylene) or vascular closure staples (n = 5; 3 mm). The anastomosis was evaluated after 2 months with aortograms, and the aorta was harvested to evaluate healing.

RESULTS

The clamp times (mean +/- SD) were 30.8 +/- 8.2 min for suture repair and 24.8 +/- 5.1 min for vascular closure staple repair (p = 0.2). Anastomosis times were 20. 0 +/- 6.2 min for the suture group and 16.4 +/- 6.4 min for the vascular closure staple group (p = 0.4). Arch aortograms at 2 months revealed no significant difference in luminal narrowing between the two groups. Gross and microscopic examination revealed no thrombosis, well-healed wounds with a continuous intimal layer, and no differences in intimal thickness or inflammation between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Vascular closure staples were equivalent to sutures in terms of durability, graft patency, and wound healing at 2 months. Vascular closure staples may offer the trauma surgeon a quick and easy alternative when repairing large vessels such as the thoracic aorta.