Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Carfilzomib-Loaded Ternary Polypeptide Nanoparticles Stabilized By Polycationic Complexation, Preye Mike Agbana, Ji Eun Park, Piotr G. Rychahou, Kyung-Bo Kim, Younsoo Bae

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Carfilzomib (CFZ) is a second-generation proteasome inhibitor showing great efficacy in multiple myeloma treatment, yet its clinical applications for other diseases such as solid cancers are limited due to low aqueous solubility and poor biostability. Ternary polypeptide nanoparticles (tPNPs) are drug carriers that we previ- ously reported to overcome these pharmaceutical limitations by entrapping CFZ in the core of the nanopar- ticles and protecting the drugs from degradation in biological media. However, preclinical studies revealed that tPNPs would require further improvement in particle stability to suppress initial burst drug release and thus achieve prolonged inhibition of proteasome activity with CFZ …

Nudcl2 Is Required For Cytokinesis By Stabilizing Rcc2 With Hsp90 At The Midbody, Xiaoyang Xu, Yuliang Huang, Feng Yang, Xiaoxia Sun, Rijin Lin, Jiaxing Feng, Mingyang Yang, Jiaqi Shao, Xiaoqi Liu, Tianhua Zhou, Shanshan Xie, Yuehong Yang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cytokinesis is required for faithful division of cytoplasmic components and duplicated nuclei into two daughter cells. Midbody, a protein-dense organelle that forms at the intercellular bridge, is indispensable for success- ful cytokinesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of cytokinesis at the midbody still remains elusive. Here, we unveil a critical role for NudC-like protein 2 (NudCL2), a co-chaperone of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), in cytokinesis regulation by stabilizing regulator of chromosome condensation 2 (RCC2) at the midbody in mam- malian cells. NudCL2 localizes at the midbody, and its downregulation results in cytokinesis failure, multinu- cleation, and midbody disorganization. Using iTRAQ-based …

Ai Renaissance: Pharmaceuticals And Diagnostic Medicine, Ty J. Feeney, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

The explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the modern era has led to significant advancements in the world of medicine. In drug discovery, AI technology is used to classify proteins as drug targets or non-targets for specific diseases, more accurately interpret and describe pharmacology in a quantitative fashion, and predict protein structures based on only a protein sequence for input. AI methods are used in drug development to generate predictive models for drug screening purposes, refine and modify candidate structures of drugs to optimize compounds, and predict a drug’s physiochemical properties, bioactivity, and toxicity. For medical devices, the advancement …

ปัจจัยที่สัมพันธ์กับการเกิดค่าไอเอ็นอาร์ที่สูงเกินเป้าหมายในผู้ป่วยที่ได้ยาวาร์ฟารินที่มีภาวะหัวใจล้มเหลวเฉียบพลัน, รติยา รุ่งเรือง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อ (1) ศึกษาปัจจัยที่สัมพันธ์กับการเกิดค่าไอเอ็นอาร์ที่สูงเกินเป้าหมายในผู้ป่วยที่รักษาด้วยวาร์ฟารินและเกิดภาวะหัวใจล้มเหลวเฉียบพลัน และ (2) เปรียบเทียบการเปลี่ยนแปลงของค่าไอเอ็นอาร์ขณะเกิดภาวะหัวใจล้มเหลวเฉียบพลัน เมื่อแบ่งกลุ่มตามค่าการบีบตัวของหัวใจห้องล่างซ้าย วิธีการวิจัยเชิงวิเคราะห์แบบย้อนหลังจากเหตุไปหาผลในผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับยาวาร์ฟารินที่แผนกผู้ป่วยใน เข้ารับรักษาด้วยภาวะหัวใจล้มเหลวเฉียบพลัน ระหว่าง 1 มกราคม พ.ศ. 2558 ถึง 30 กันยายน พ.ศ. 2566 วิเคราะห์ปัจจัยที่มีความสัมพันธ์กับการเกิดค่าไอเอ็นอาร์มากกว่า 4 ด้วยสถิติการถดถอยโลจิสติคพหุคูณ ที่ระดับนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ p

Retrospective Review Of Phenobarbital Versus Lorazepam For Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome In The Emergency Department, Spencer Hayashi, Savita Bathija, Pharmd, Bcemp, Paul Vanemmerik, Nishat Mujeeb, Chris De Las Alas

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Abstract: According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in the US, alcohol use contributes to up to five million emergency department (ED) visits annually. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that can lead to complications such as hallucinations, seizures, and delirium tremens. For many years, the standard treatment for AWS has been symptom-triggered benzodiazepines, often dosed based on symptom scoring tools such as the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-Ar) Score. In recent years, the use of phenobarbital for AWS management has gained popularity, and studies investigating its safety and …

Clinical Outcomes Associated With Mrsa Naat Utilization., Shannon B. Leighton, Pharmd, Emily Fox, Greg Tallman

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Abstract: A recent analysis by the Oregon Regional Antimicrobial Stewardship Program demonstrated that across the Oregon region, MRSA NAAT from the nares have a high negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.4%. These findings were consistent when stratified by culture site. The high NPV suggests that MRSA NAAT nasal swabs can be useful in promoting de-escalation (e.g., discontinuation) of anti-MRSA treatment. Few studies have evaluated if use of the MRSA NAAT influences anti-MRSA treatment de-escalation, and even fewer have assessed important clinical outcomes related to MRSA NAAT utilization and de-escalation. The goal of this study is to evaluate the frequency of …

Impact Of Pharmacist Concierge Service For Patient With Denied Prior Authorization, Ben Song, Jenifer Smith

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Abstract: Prior authorization (PA) is an evidence-based utilization management process used by managed care organizations to ensure prescribed products or services are safe, effective, and medically necessary for coverage.2 While PA is important for assessing clinically appropriate medication utilization, however, denials can lead to patient dissatisfaction, administrative burden for providers, and delays in patient care.1,2,3 Recent studies on the effect of PA received mixed results. One study illustrated that in an American Medical Association survey about PA, 91% of physicians reported that patients requiring care experienced care delays, and 75% of patients abandoned their treatments because of obstacles associated with …

Acute Pain Management Of Hospitalized Patients On Medication-Assisted Therapies (Mat) For Opioid Use Disorder (Oud), Ryan Bower, Roland Mikkaeil, Emily H. Hsu, Tracee Mock

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Abstract: Buprenorphine has been an instrumental tool in Medication Assisted Therapies (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). For hospitalized patients on MAT, the management of acute pain presents a unique challenge to health care providers. A previous study examining buprenorphine discontinuation patterns on medical/surgical floors found that 11.8% of patients had their buprenorphine discontinued due to inadequate analgesia. Furthermore, none of these patients had their buprenorphine restarted prior to discharge. Discontinuation of buprenorphine in hospitalized patients has the potential for wide-reaching implications ranging from risk of withdrawal to relapse secondary to patient loss during the transition from inpatient to outpatient …

Perspectives On Using Pharmacogenomics To Guide Tobacco Cessation: Survey Results From An American Indian Community, Daniela Mariana Wall

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pharmacogenomics research has predominantly focused on populations of European ancestry, limiting the application for diverse populations such as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. Our community-centric study aims to understand perspectives of utilizing pharmacogenomics to guide tobacco cessation in an AIAN community using a survey with qualitative and quantitative components. We assessed participant (n=273) tobacco usage and cessation history, pharmacogenomics knowledge, and perceptions of utilizing pharmacogenomics in the context of tobacco cessation. We found that the majority of participants (92%) were aware of risks associated with tobacco usage and believe it to be a problem within their community (76%). …

Addressing Inappropriate Polypharmacy: Investigating Perceived Facilitators And Barriers To U.S. Pharmacists' Ability To Recommend Deprescribing, Susanne Steiner

Theses and Dissertations

While the concurrent use of multiple prescriptions (polypharmacy) is common for those with chronic conditions, professional ownership is lacking when it comes to tapering or discontinuing potentially inappropriate medications. Our growing elderly population is especially vulnerable to negative risks associated with polypharmacy. Pharmacists are highly educated and skilled healthcare professionals working as critical touchpoints with patients; yet they are not empowered to deprescribe potentially inappropriate medications directly. This qualitative research study examined the perceived barriers and facilitators pharmacists encounter when pursuing deprescribing recommendations and initiatives with prescribers, healthcare staff, patients, and caregivers. Findings from this study revealed three key implications …

Alopecia As An Early Clinical Marker For Azathioprine Induced Myelosuppression: A Case Report, Nilanjana Dutta , Final Year Mbbs, Dr. M Suresh Babu , Professor, Dr. Subramanian Ramaswamy , Professor, Dr. Mahabaleshwar Mamadapur , Assistant Professor

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Azathioprine is a pro-drug and is metabolized by the TPMT enzyme in the body. In South Asians, Azathioprine is known to cause alopecia and bone marrow suppression in patients with TPMT enzyme deficiency. In India, the prevalence of TPMT mutation varies from 1.2- 10%. A new mutation was detected in 2014, NUDT15 whose incidence varies from 8.5-16%. Patients with mutation in both TPMT and NUDT15 develop myelosuppression faster. In our case, alopecia manifested as the first clinical feature of Azathioprine myelosuppression. Physicians need to recognize early clinical clues (alopecia) to avoid the impending development of myelosuppression and to look for …

Drugging The Histone Acetyltransferase Ep300 Modulates Alternative Splicing At Schizophrenia Risk Genes, Shravani Malay

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. We will evaluate the effects of drugging the epigenetic histone acetyltransferase (HAT) enzyme p300, encoded by the schizophrenia risk gene EP300, on genome-wide gene expression in neural cells. We hypothesize that drugging p300 will affect gene expression and alternative splicing of other schizophrenia risk genes. Our motivation is to identify potential new epigenetic treatment avenues for schizophrenia.

Methods. Prior to my joining the lab, an experiment was conducted using the novel p300 HAT inhibitor, A-485, to modulate genomic regulation in a neural cell line (SH-SY5Y). SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to 10μM of A-485 or vehicle (DMSO) for 24 …

Exploration Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Pathways Utilizing Pleiotropic Agents, Charles B. Jones Iii

Theses and Dissertations

2-(Benzoyl)piperidines (BPs) are at a crossroads of therapy and abuse. These compounds are a hybrid between the ADHD medication methylphenidate and abused stimulant cathinones. Here we use computational molecular modeling, synthesis, mutagenesis, and epifluorescence microscopy to further improve the understanding of and potential treatments for several neuropsychiatric disorders. Utilizing the BP scaffold and controlling chirality and aryl substitution, these agents were examined at DAT and SERT. From these investigations it has now been established that R isomer BPs are favored for DAT while S isomer BPs are favored for SERT. Aryl-substitution can greatly affect the selectivity of these agents with …

Aadej Comm 10 3 2024

AADEJ - The Communicator

The Communicator is the official journal of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ). It is published quarterly, distributed digitally via email to members, and posted on the Association's website, AADEJ.org. Each issue includes regular updates from the editorial team and AADEJ board, as well as feature articles on current issues in the field.

Breast Tissue As A Local Drug Reservoir For Anticancer Therapy In Breast Cancer, Saniia Shchinar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer, particularly the estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) subtype, remains a formidable challenge in oncology. Traditional oral therapies for ER-positive breast cancer, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like Tamoxifen (TAM) and Toremifene (TOR), often encounter issues related to limited bioavailability, metabolic complications, and significant systemic side effects. These side effects include the risk of blood clots, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, menstrual cycle disruptions, and uterus cancer, which can hinder long-term adherence to preventive therapy. The exploration of local drug delivery into breast tissue presents a promising alternative to tackle these challenges. In this study, we explored the feasibility of …

2,3,4 Trihydroxybenzoic Acid, A Plant Secondary Metabolite Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth, Mina Akter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nature offers many sources such as fruits, beverage crops, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, dark chocolate, and wine, that are rich in hydroxybenzoic acids (HBAs). They are a prominent phenolic acids with excellent biochemical and antioxidant properties. Due to the vast dietary health benefits of HBAs such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, immunoregulatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antidiabetic, anticancer properties and cardioprotective capabilities, they are attracting the attention of physicians and researchers alike to understand their mechanisms of action. It is anticipated that the understanding of the role of HBAs for their greater use in diet/supplements is beneficial to reverse common illnesses such as inflammation, …

Perspectives Of Utilizing Pharmacogenomics To Inform Tobacco Cessation: Survey Results From An American Indian Community, Madeline Lousie Davies

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pharmacogenomics research has predominantly focused on populations of European ancestry, limiting the application for diverse populations such as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. Our community-centric study aims to understand perspectives of utilizing pharmacogenomics to guide tobacco cessation in an AIAN community using a survey with qualitative and quantitative components. We assessed participant (n=273) tobacco usage and cessation history, pharmacogenomics knowledge, and perceptions of utilizing pharmacogenomics in the context of tobacco cessation. We found that the majority of participants (92%) were aware of risks associated with tobacco usage and believe it to be a problem within their community (76%). …

Dual Activity Of Aromatic And Heterocyclic Compounds As Anti-Inflammatory And Anticancer Promising Agents, Samar Said Fatahala, Rania Helmy Abd El-Hameed, Mosaad Sayed Mohamed, Neama Abdallah Abd El-Tawab

Trends in advanced sciences and technology

As the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, cancer poses a severe threat to human health. Chronic inflammation has recently been linked to an increased risk for a number of malignancies, suggesting that reducing inflammation could be a useful approach to both cancer prevention and treatment. This review delves into the connection between inflammation and cancer and outlines the current use of anti-inflammatory drugs as potentially effective cancer prevention and therapy strategies. we herein describe the main relation and the mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer outcomes of anti-inflammatory agents; namely Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), COX-2 inhibitors, LOX-inhibitors, Toll- inhibitors, and antioxidant …

Elaboration Of Diquinanes To Access Trifunctional Angular Triquinanes And Designed Dna Polymerase Α Inhibitors, Spencer M. Webber

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Natural products are of great significance to the pharmaceutical industry in the development of new drugs. Diquinane or bicyclo[3.3.0]octane is a conspicuous structural unit existing in the carbo-frameworks of a wide range of natural products such as alkaloids and terpenoids. These diquinane-containing molecules not only exhibit intriguing architectures, but also showcase a broad spectrum of significant bioactivities, which draw widespread attention from the global synthetic community. A more specific group of compounds containing a diquinane moiety with one extra 5-membered ring are called the angular triquinanes.In this work, we have developed a general synthetic scheme to the angular triquinanes. We …

Intervention To Reduce Tobacco Use Among Prostate Cancer Patient And Informal Caregiver Dyads, Trupti Dhumal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in men. Continued tobacco use after prostate cancer diagnosis may affect a patient’s treatment outcomes, quality of life, and mortality. Despite the potential negative outcomes, 10-20% of prostate cancer patients continue to use tobacco after their cancer diagnosis. Considering risks associated with continued tobacco use, there is a lack of evidence-based tobacco cessation strategies to address tobacco cessation specifically in prostate cancer. Given the increasing prevalence of prostate cancer, the ongoing difficulty in tobacco cessation, and the limited evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions in the literature, it is important to prioritize reducing tobacco use in …

Implementation Of Medication Inventory Management Solution At A Critical Access Hospital, Justin Donat, Christopher Adams

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Abstract: Accurately monitoring pharmacy inventory in real-time is vital to providing safe and cost-effective medical care at hospitals of any size. At smaller critical access hospitals, in particular, effective inventory management requires solutions to unique problems posed by floorspace, budget, and workflow limitations. In 2022, Providence Health System (PHS) began systemwide implementation of both a standardized inventory management solution (IMS) and an AI-assisted medication ordering software (MOS). By initiation of this project, larger hospitals in the system had already implemented the IMS and MOS at their inpatient pharmacies to mixed success. In May of 2024, Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital …

Pharmacy Students’ Perceived Ability To Implement The Pharmacist’S Patient Care Process Before And After A Redesigned Case Study Series In The United States, Amy Henneman, Samantha Axtell

Funded Scholarship

Since the incorporation of the Pharmacist’s Patient Care Process (PPCP) into the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy standards, the process has been integrated in a variety of ways across curriculums. A two-semester case-based course was redesigned as a four-semester case-based course formally integrating the PPCP. Pharmacy students completing the original, two-semester course series and those completing the first two semesters of the redesigned course were given a voluntary survey to assess their perceived ability to integrate the PPCP into practice after the completion of each course. A total of 107 pharmacy students, 61 students completing the original series and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Cold Medicine Abuse And Recreational Drug Use, Luis Barco

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Over-the-counter medicines such as cold and cough medications may be abused as an accessible alternative to other recreational drugs in order to obtain a desired ‘high.’ A lack of literature is currently present, with few studies specifically observing simultaneous drug use and cold and/or cough medicine abuse. Using publicly available data from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the researcher sought to help bridge this gap in knowledge by identifying any risk factor relationship that could exist between cold medicine abuse and commonly used recreational drugs. The observed frequency of recreational drug use (marijuana, phencyclidine, ecstasy, …

An Empirical Predictive Model For Determining The Aqueous Solubility Of Bcs Class Iv Drugs In Amorphous Solid Dispersions, Sridivya Raparla

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Poor aqueous solubility persists as a significant challenge in the pharmaceutical industry.Ongoing research aims to enhance the solubility of drugs to deliver them more effectively. Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is a widely used solubility enhancement technique. The absence of a specific model to predict compound solubility from ASDs resulted in a trial-and- error approach to studying solubility enhancement and makes it a laborious and time-consuming process. Predictive models could streamline this process and accelerate the development of oral drugs with improved aqueous solubilities. This study aimed to develop a predictive model to estimate the solubility of a compound from the …

Multiplex Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay For Mycoplasma Contamination, Pimthip Phasutha

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aims to develop multiplex qPCR to detect mycoplasma contamination. Firstly, the specific primers and probes for aligning with specific mycoplasma. were designed from conserved region called 23S rRNA, then, the designed primers and probes were verified their alignment with specific nucleotide of mycoplasma in Bioedit and checked the hairpin, self-complementary, and primer-dimer through Multi Primer Analyzer. After verification, the primers and probes do not have hairpin, self-complementary, and primer-dimer. Besides, the suitable temperature for annealing is 58oC. From the specificity test, it shows that the PCR product was detected at 254 bp which performed at the same size …

ปัจจัยนำของการเกิดภาวะกรดคั่งในเลือดจากสารคีโตนในผู้ป่วยโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2 ที่ได้รับยาในกลุ่ม Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors, อภิสรา เขียวประแดง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วัตถุประสงค์: เพื่อหาปัจจัยนำ (Predisposing factors) ที่สัมพันธ์กับการเกิดภาวะกรดคั่งในเลือดจากสารคีโตน (Diabetic ketoacidosis; DKA) ในผู้ป่วยชาวไทยโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2 ที่ใช้ยาในกลุ่ม Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 inhibitors) วิธีการศึกษา: งานวิจัยนี้เป็นการศึกษาจากผลไปหาเหตุแบบเก็บข้อมูลย้อนหลังในหลายศูนย์ รวบรวมข้อมูลผู้ป่วยโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2 ที่ได้รับยา SGLT-2 inhibitors ณ โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์ สภากาชาดไทยและโรงพยาบาลราชวิถี ช่วง 1 ตุลาคม 2557 ถึง 30 เมษายน 2567 ผลการศึกษา: กลุ่มตัวอย่างจำนวน 310 ราย แบ่งเป็นกลุ่มศึกษาคือผู้ป่วยที่เกิดภาวะ DKA 62 ราย (คิดเป็นความชุกของการเกิดภาวะ DKA ณ ช่วงเวลาที่ศึกษาเท่ากับร้อยละ 1.37) และกลุ่มควบคุมคือผู้ป่วยที่ไม่เกิดภาวะ DKA 248 ราย ส่วนปัจจัยนำที่มีความสัมพันธ์อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติกับการเกิดภาวะ DKA ได้แก่ การติดเชื้อ (Adjusted OR = 28.31, P < 0.001) การปรับลดขนาดยาอินซูลินภายใน 1 เดือน (Adjusted OR = 5.58, P = < 0.001) และการมีประวัติภาวะ DKA ภายใน 1 ปี (Adjusted OR = 8.76, P = 0.038) สรุปผล: ปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อการเกิดภาวะ DKA ในผู้ป่วยโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2 ที่ใช้ยา SGLT-2 inhibitors ได้แก่ การติดเชื้อ การปรับลดขนาดอินซูลินภายใน 1 เดือน และการมีประวัติภาวะ DKA ภายใน 1 ปี ผู้ป่วยที่มีปัจจัยดังกล่าวจึงควรได้รับการดูแลติดตามอย่างใกล้ชิด เพื่อช่วยลดความเสี่ยงในการเกิดภาวะ DKA และเพิ่มความปลอดภัยจากการใช้ยา SGLT-2 inhibitors

The Efficacy Of Plant-Produced Recombinant Insulin Like Growth Factor-1 (Igf-1) In Differentiation Of Mammalian Cell Lines, Kittinop Kittirotruji

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a critical protein hormone with a structural resemblance to insulin, involved in regulating growth, cell proliferation, development, and survival, especially during childhood. IGF-1 exerts its biological effects through the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), widely expressed across various cell types, and is key in the development of muscles, bones, and cartilage. The hormone's levels are influenced by age, nutrition, and hormonal status, peaking during adolescence and diminishing with age. Current medical applications of IGF-1 target conditions such as IGF-1 deficiency, excess growth hormone secretion, and metabolic disorders. To address production challenges, we utilized Molecular Pharming to produce …

The Impact Of N-Glycans On The Immune Response Of Plant-Produced Sars-Cov-2 Rbd-Fc Proteins, Theerakarn Srisangsung

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

N-glycosylation is a crucial post-translational modification that significantly affects immune recognition. The plant-based platform, especially Nicotiana benthamiana, offers scalable and cost-effective production of therapeutic proteins with glycosylation patterns similar to mammalian cells. However, plant-specific N-glycans, such as α(1-3)-fucose and β(1-2)-xylose (XF), have the potential to trigger allergic reactions. This study investigates how various N-glycan structures on the RBD-Fc fusion protein influence the immune response in mice. The RBD-Fc fusion protein was used for vaccine formulation, produced in both wild-type (WT) and glycoengineered (∆XF) N. benthamiana plants. N-glycan analysis showed a predominance of mannose (Man) in RBD-Fc with an ER retention …

Characterization Of Plant Produced Vhh Antibodies Against Cobra Venom Toxins For Antivenom Therapy, Sarocha Vitayathikornnasak

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cobra (Naja kaouthia) venom contains many toxins including α-neurotoxin (α-NTX) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), which can cause neurodegeneration, respiratory failure, and even death. The conventional antivenom produced by animal immunization faces many challenges and limitations. Heavy-chain-only antibodies (HCAb), fusing VHH with human IgG Fc region, offer advantages in tissue penetration, antigen binding, and extended half-life. This research involved the construction and transient expression of two types of VHH-FC which are specific to α-Neurotoxin (VHH-αNTX-FC) and Phospholipase A2 (VHH-PLA2-FC) in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The recombinant HCAbs were incubated for up to six days to optimize expression levels followed by purification by …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Pembrolizumab In High-Risk Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer In Thailand, Thanapol Khuharatanachai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited treatment options. Pembrolizumab, a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor, has demonstrated promising clinical benefits in treating early-stage TNBC. However, its high cost poses a significant barrier to its widespread adoption, especially in upper-middle-income countries like Thailand. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of pembrolizumab for the treatment of high-risk early-stage TNBC in Thailand. Methods: A Markov model was developed to simulate the health states and costs associated with pembrolizumab and standard chemotherapy. Transition probabilities and utility values were derived from …