Clinical characteristics and determinants of the phenotype in TMEM43 arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy type 5.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy type V (ARVC-5) is the most aggressive heterozygous form of ARVC. It is predominantly caused by a fully penetrant mutation (p.S358L) in the nondesmosomal gene TMEM43-endemic to Newfoundland, Canada. To date, all familial cases reported worldwide share a common ancestral haplotype. It is unknown whether the p.S358L mutation by itself causes ARVC-5 or whether the disease is influenced by genetic or environmental factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the phenotype, clinical course, and the impact of exercise on patients with p.S358L ARVC-5 without the Newfoundland genetic background. We studied 62 affected individuals and 73 noncarrie…
Detoxifying antitumoral drugs via nanoconjugation: the case of gold nanoparticles and cisplatin
Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a potential tool to improve cancer treatment. Among the proposed uses in imaging and therapy, their use as a drug delivery scaffold has been extensively highlighted. However, there are still some controversial points which need a deeper understanding before clinical application can occur. Here the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to detoxify the antitumoral agent cisplatin, linked to a nanoparticle via a pH-sensitive coordination bond for endosomal release, is presented. The NP conjugate design has important effects on pharmacokinetics, conjugate evolution and biodistribution and results in an absence of observed toxicity. Besides, AuNPs present unique o…