Photochromes, bound to polysulfone via carboxyamide bonds and physically blended in a polymeric matrix, were prepared and their physical and photochromic properties investigated. In order to express ...the photochromic activity, plasticization is required; this is readily achieved by using the swelling solvent, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). The photochromic activity is repressed in the presence of carboxylic groups, and this requires complex blocking of any acidity, e.g., by esterification or amidation. The photochromic activity was expressed in membranes made from functional and blended polysulfones, yet the photoresponsive membranes did not produce a significant electroresponse or, if they did, this decayed rapidly. Obviously, membranes with a much higher degree of covalent binding are needed.
Synthesis and properties of linear and cyclic polysiloxanes with photochromic spirooxazine side groups were investigated. The photochromic groups were connected to the main chains through a flexible ...(CH sub(2)) sub(n) spacer. The number of photochromic groups that can be incorporated in the polymer by a polymer analogous reaction is restricted for the short spacer (CH sub(2)) sub(3) to approximately 50%, while the photochromic groups with the longer spacer (CH sub(2)) sub(6) can be added to practically each polymer unit. The rates of the thermal decoloration reactions are also determined by the spacer lengths and the spirooxazine content. At high content, a deviation from first-order kinetics was observed for the color decay. The effects are explained by the steric interactions of the bulky photochromic groups. Computer simulation of the molecular movement in the macromolecules confirmed the explanation.
We report results of a phase 2, randomized, multicenter, open‐label, two‐arm study evaluating the safety and efficacy of eculizumab in preventing acute antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR) in sensitized ...recipients of living‐donor kidney transplants requiring pretransplant desensitization (NCT01399593). In total, 102 patients underwent desensitization. Posttransplant, 51 patients received standard of care (SOC) and 51 received eculizumab. The primary end point was week 9 posttransplant treatment failure rate, a composite of: biopsy‐proven acute AMR (Banff 2007 grade II or III; assessed by blinded central pathology); graft loss; death; or loss to follow‐up. Eculizumab was well tolerated with no new safety concerns. No significant difference in treatment failure rate was observed between eculizumab (9.8%) and SOC (13.7%; P = .760). To determine whether data assessment assumptions affected study outcome, biopsies were reanalyzed by central pathologists using clinical information. The resulting treatment failure rates were 11.8% and 21.6% for the eculizumab and SOC groups, respectively (nominal P = .288). When reassessment included grade I AMR, the treatment failure rates were 11.8% (eculizumab) and 29.4% (SOC; nominal P = .048). This finding suggests a potential benefit for eculizumab compared with SOC in preventing acute AMR in recipients sensitized to their living‐donor kidney transplants (EudraCT 2010‐019630‐28).
In this study of terminal complement inhibition to prevent acute antibody‐mediated rejection in living‐donor kidney transplant recipients with preformed donor‐specific antibodies, prophylactic eculizumab does not significantly reduce the treatment failure rate compared with standard of care, but biopsy reanalysis suggests a benefit for eculizumab in preventing AMR in these patients. See the article by Glotz et al on page 2865.
In an effort to decrease the rates of smoking conventional tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been proposed as an effective smoking cessation tool. However, little is known ...about their toxicological impacts. This is concerning given that e-cigarette use is perceived as less harmful than conventional tobacco cigarettes during pregnancy for both the mother and fetus.
The goal of this study was to test the neurodevelopmental consequences of maternal e-cigarette use on adult offspring behavior and neuroimmune outcomes.
Pregnant female CD-1 mice were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (
) and exposed daily to either filtered air, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol (50:50 PG/VG vehicle), or to PG/VG with
nicotine (
). Whole-body exposures were carried out for 3 h/d, 7 d/week, from gestational day (GD)0.5 until GD17.5. Adult male and female offspring (8 weeks old) were assessed across a battery of behavioral assessments followed by region-specific quantification of brain cytokines using multiplex immunoassays.
Adult offspring of both sexes exposed to
exhibited elevated locomotor activity in the elevated plus maze and altered stress-coping strategies in the forced swim task. Moreover, male and female offspring exposed to PG/VG with and without nicotine had a 5.2% lower object discrimination score in the novel object recognition task. In addition to differences in offspring behavior, maternal e-cigarette exposure with nicotine led to a reduction in interleukin (IL)-4 and interferon-gamma (
) in the diencephalon, as well as lower levels of hippocampal
(females only). E-cigarette exposure without nicotine resulted in a 2-fold increase of IL-6 in the cerebellum.
These findings support previous adverse findings of e-cigarette exposure on neurodevelopment in a mouse model and provide substantial evidence of persistent adverse behavioral and neuroimmunological consequences to adult offspring following maternal e-cigarette exposure during pregnancy. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6067.
Electronic-cigarette (e-cig) vaping is a serious concern, as many pregnant women who vape consider it safe. However, little is known about the harmful effects of prenatal e-cig exposure on adult ...offspring, especially on extracellular-matrix (ECM) deposition and myogenesis in the lungs of offspring. We evaluated the biochemical and molecular implications of maternal exposure during pregnancy to e-cig aerosols on the adult offspring of both sexes, with a particular focus on pulmonary ECM remodeling and myogenesis. Pregnant CD-1 mice were exposed to e-cig aerosols with or without nicotine, throughout gestation, and lungs were collected from adult male and female offspring. Compared with the air-exposed control group, female mice exposed to e-cig aerosols, with or without nicotine, demonstrated increased lung protein abundance of LEF-1 (lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1), fibronectin, and E-cadherin, whereas altered E-cadherin and PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) levels were observed only in males exposed to e-cig aerosols with nicotine. Moreover, lipogenic and myogenic mRNAs were dysregulated in adult offspring in a sex-dependent manner. PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1), one of the ECM regulators, was significantly increased in females exposed prenatally to e-cig aerosols with nicotine and in males exposed to e-cig aerosols compared with control animals exposed to air. MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9), a downstream target of PAI-1, was downregulated in both sexes exposed to e-cig aerosols with nicotine. No differences in lung histology were observed among any of the treatment groups. Overall, adult mice exposed prenatally to e-cig aerosols could be predisposed to developing pulmonary disease later in life. Thus, these findings suggest that vaping during pregnancy is unsafe and increases the propensity for later-life interstitial lung diseases.
Art therapy has been used in a variety of clinical settings and populations, although few studies have explored its use in cancer symptom control. The specific aim of this study was to determine the ...effect of a 1-hour art therapy session on pain and other symptoms common to adult cancer inpatients. A quasi-experimental design was used (
n
=
50). The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI-S) were used prior to and after the art therapy to quantify symptoms, while open-ended questions evaluated the subjects' perceptions of the experience. There were statistically significant reductions in eight of nine symptoms measured by the ESAS, including the global distress score, as well as significant differences in most of the domains measured by the STAI-S. Subjects overwhelmingly expressed comfort with the process and desire to continue with therapy. This study provides beginning evidence for the efficacy of art therapy in reducing a broad spectrum of symptoms in cancer inpatients.
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