The efficacy of vericiguat for heart failure: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of vericiguat was elusive for heart failure. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the efficacy of vericiguat for heart failure. METHODS: PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases have been searched through October 2022 and we included randomized controlled trials reporting the effect of vericiguat versus placebo in patients with heart failure. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo group for heart failure, vericiguat treatment was able to substantially improve the composite outcome of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.78 to 0.97; P = .02), but unraveled no obvious impact on hospitalization for heart failure (OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.79 to 1.00; P = .05), death from cardiovascular causes (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.77 to 1.13; P = .48), death from any cause (OR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.84 to 1.10; P = .56), adverse events (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.84 to 1.08; P = .42) or serious adverse events (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.82 to 1.02; P = .12). CONCLUSIONS: Vericiguat treatment may benefit to treat heart failure.

Protective effect of zinc supplementation on tricalcium phosphate particles-induced inflammatory osteolysis in mice.

Zinc (Zn), an essential trace element, can stimulate bone formation and inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption, which controls the growth and maintenance of bone. However, the effect of Zn supplementation on tricalcium phosphate (TCP) wear particles-induced osteolysis remains unknown. Here, we doped Zn into TCP particles (ZnTCP), and explore the protective effects of Zn on TCP particles-induced osteolysis in vivo. TCP particles and ZnTCP particles were embedded under the periosteum around the middle suture of the mouse calvaria. After 2 weeks, blood, the periosteal tissue, and the calvaria were collected to determine serum levels of Zn and osteocalcin, pro-inflammatory cytokines, bone biochemical markers, osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption area, and to explain its mechanism. Data revealed that Zn significantly prevented TCP particles-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone loss, and increased bone turnover. The Zn supplement remarkably suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6. Immunoblotting demonstrated that Zn alleviated expression levels of ER stress-related proteins such as glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), phospho-PERK (p-PERK), eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), phospho-eIF2α (p-eIF2α), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1-α) and transcription factor X-box binding protein spliced (XBP1s), leading to decreasing the ratios of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α. Taken together, Zn supplementation strongly prevents TCP particles-induced periprosthetic osteolysis via inhibition of the ER stress pathway, and it may be a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of aseptic prosthesis loosening.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnS:Mn/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles for tumor targeting and imaging in vivo.

Fluorescence imaging technique has been used for imaging of biological cells and tissues in vivo. The Cd-free luminescent quantum dots conjugating with a cancer targeting ligand has been taken as a promising biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity system for targeted cancer imaging. This work reports the synthesis of fluorescent-doped core/shell quantum dots of water-soluble manganese-doped zinc sulfide. Quantum dots of manganese-doped zinc sulfide were prepared by nucleation doping strategy, with 3-mercaptopropionic acid as stabilizer at 90 in aqueous solution. The manganese-doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles exhibit strong orange fluorescence under UV irradiation, resistance to photo-bleaching, and low-cytotoxicity to HeLa cells. The structure and optical properties of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, and photoluminescence emission spectroscopy. Manganese-doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles conjugated with folic acid using 2,2'-(ethylenedioxy)-bis-(ethylamine) as the linker. The covalent binding of both 2,2'-(ethylenedioxy)-bis-(ethylamine) and folic acid on the surface of manganese-doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles probed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detection. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity assessment of manganese-doped zinc sulfide-folic acid probes use HeLa cells. The obtained fluorescent probes (manganese-doped zinc sulfide) were used for tumor targeting and imaging in vivo. The manganese-doped zinc sulfide-folic acid fluorescent probes which targeting the tumor cells in the body of nude mouse tumor model would emit orange fluorescence, when exposed to a 365 nm lamp. We investigate the biodistribution of the manganese-doped zinc sulfide-folic acid fluorescent probes in tumor mouse model by measuring zinc concentration in tissues. These studies demonstrate the practicality of manganese-doped zinc sulfide-folic acid fluorescent probes as promising platform for tumor targeting and imaging in vivo.

[Effect of borneol/mentholum eutectic mixture on nasal-brain delivery of neurotoxin loaded nanoparticles].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the absorption enhancen effect of borneol/mentholum eutectic mixture (BO/ME) on nasal-brain delivery of neurotoxin loaded nanoparticles. METHOD: Using microdialysis sampling technique in awake freely-moving rats, the counter per minute (cpm) of dialysates in right PAG of NT-loaded nanoparticles with the BO/ME (BO/ME-NT-NP), radiolabeled with sodium 125I-Iodide, were measured in a gamma-counter for radioactivity. After converting cpm into corresponding concentrations of NT byin vivorecovery of microdialysis probes, the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. RESULT: The BO/ME-NT-NP could be absorbed into the brain, much better to NT-NP and the nanoparticles with borneol or menthdlum only, and the pharmacokinetics accorded with the two-compartment model. The parameters tmax, cmax, AUC, t 1/2(beta) were 0.68 h, 27.32 ng x mL(-1), 132.68 ng x h x mL(-1), 3.1076 h. CONCLUSION: With adding BO/ME as absorption enhancer, NT could be significantly increased in the brain with the help of nanopartilces as carriers, and the time to maximal concentration was short, the elimination process was prolonged.

Intracerebral microdialysis technique and its application on brain pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic study.

Intracerebral microdialysis (IC-MD) has been developed as a well-validated and powerful technique for decades. As a practical sampling tool, it can gain the continuous dialysates of endogenous and exogenous substances in extracellular fluid (ECF) of awake freely moving animals. Also, variform IC-MD probes (IC-MDPs) have grown more exquisite. The implantation of the IC-MDP in certain tissue of brain allows monitor drug distribution and measure drug and corresponding neurotransmitters levels in brain ECF after administration for brain pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (B-PK-PD) study. So it is suitable for IC-MD to B-PK-PD study (IC-MD/B-PK-PD). The performance of IC-MD/B-PK-PD can not only elevate the degree of precision and accuracy of experimental data, minimize the individual difference by reduced number of animals, but also give important information for the prediction and optimization of drug effective dose in preclinical study. In this review, we have discussed various IC-MD/B-PK-PD studies of analgesic, antiepileptic and antidepressant drug. The role of IC-MD/B-PK-PD in confirming and assessing the drug effect before clinic trials is highlighted.