The anti-granulocyte receptor-1 (Gr-1) mAb, RB6-8C5, has been used extensively to deplete neutrophils in mice and to investigate the role of these cells in host defense. RB6-8C5 binds to Ly6G, which is present on neutrophils, and to Ly6C, which is expressed on neutrophils, dendritic cells, and subpopulations of lymphocytes and monocytes. It is thus likely that in vivo administration of RB6-8C5 may deplete not only neutrophils but also other Gr-l+ (Ly6C+) cells. This study describes the use of an Ly6G-specific mAb, 1A8, as an alternative means to deplete neutrophils. In vivo administration of RB6-8C5 reduced blood neutrophils and Gr-1+ monocytes, whereas administration of 1A8 reduced blood neutrophils but not Gr-1+ monocytes. Plasma TNF-alpha in endotoxemia was increased 20-fold by RB6-8C5 pretreatment and fourfold by 1A8 pretreatment. In a wound model, pretreatment with either antibody decreased wound neutrophils and macrophages. TNF-alpha staining in brefeldin-treated wound leukocytes was increased by pretreatment with RB6-8C5, but not 1A8. Neutrophil depletion with 1A8 offers advantages over the use of RB6-8C5, as it preserves non-neutrophil Gr-1+ cells depleted by the anti-Gr-1 antibody. The loss of non-neutrophil Gr-1+ populations in RB6-8C5-treated animals is associated with increased TNF-alpha responses, suggesting these cells may function to suppress TNF-alpha production.

The design and synthesis of protein-like polymers is a fundamental challenge in materials science. A biomimetic approach is to explore the impact of monomer sequence on non-natural polymer structure and function. We present the aqueous self-assembly of two peptoid polymers into extremely thin two-dimensional (2D) crystalline sheets directed by periodic amphiphilicity, electrostatic recognition and aromatic interactions. Peptoids are sequence-specific, oligo-N-substituted glycine polymers designed to mimic the structure and functionality of proteins. Mixing a 1:1 ratio of two oppositely charged peptoid 36mers of a specific sequence in aqueous solution results in the formation of giant, free-floating sheets with only 2.7 nm thickness. Direct visualization of aligned individual peptoid chains in the sheet structure was achieved using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. Specific binding of a protein to ligand-functionalized sheets was also demonstrated. The synthetic flexibility and biocompatibility of peptoids provide a flexible and robust platform for integrating functionality into defined 2D nanostructures.

The ability of antibodies to bind a wide variety of analytes with high specificity and high affinity make them ideal candidates as molecular recognition elements for chemical and biological sensors. However, their widespread use in sensing devices has been hampered by their poor stability and high production cost. Here we report the design and synthesis of a new class of antibody-mimetic materials based on functionalized peptoid nanosheets. A high density of conformationally constrained peptide and peptoid loops are displayed on the surface of free-floating nanosheets to generate an extended, multivalent two-dimensional material that is chemically and biologically stable. The nanosheet serves as a robust, high-surface area scaffold upon which to display a wide variety of functional loop sequences. The functionalized nanosheets were characterized by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectivity measurements, and were shown to serve as substrates for enzymes (protease and casein kinase II), as well as templates for the growth of defined inorganic materials (gold metal).

Peptoids (N-substituted glycines) are an important class of biomimetic oligomers that have made a significant impact in the areas of combinatorial drug discovery, gene therapy, drug delivery, and biopolymer folding in recent years. Sequence-specific peptoid oligomers are easily assembled from primary amines by the solid-phase submonomer method. However, most amines that contain heterocyclic nitrogens in the side chain do not incorporate efficiently. We present here a straightforward revision of the submonomer method that allows efficient incorporation of unprotected imidazoles, pyridines, pyrazines, indoles, and quinolines into oligomers as long as 15 monomers in length. This improved method uses chloroacetic acid instead of bromoacetic acid in the acylation step of the monomer addition cycle, and allows for the incorporation of new side chains that should enable the synthesis of peptoids with entirely new properties.

Vital signs on presentation are less predictive of mortality in geriatric blunt trauma victims. Geriatric blunt trauma patients warrant increased vigilance despite normal vital signs on presentation. New trauma triage set points of HR >90 or SBP <110 mm Hg should be considered in the geriatric blunt trauma patients.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia worldwide, yet the development of therapeutics has been hampered by the absence of suitable biomarkers to diagnose the disease in its early stages prior to the formation of amyloid plaques and the occurrence of irreversible neuronal damage. Since oligomeric Aβ species have been implicated in the pathophysiology of AD, we reasoned that they may correlate with the onset of disease. As such, we have developed a novel misfolded protein assay for the detection of soluble oligomers composed of Aβ x-40 and x-42 peptide (hereafter Aβ40 and Aβ42) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Preliminary validation of this assay with 36 clinical samples demonstrated the presence of aggregated Aβ40 in the CSF of AD patients. Together with measurements of total Aβ42, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity greater than 95% and 90%, respectively, were achieved. Although larger sample populations will be needed to confirm this diagnostic sensitivity, our studies demonstrate a sensitive method of detecting circulating Aβ40 oligomers from AD CSF and suggest that these oligomers could be a powerful new biomarker for the early detection of AD.

An extremely complex interplay exists between socioethnic factors and outcomes after TBI. Few physicians would claim overt discrimination. Tracheostomy, the factor most directed by the surgeon, was unbiased by race, income, or insurance status. The likelihood of placement in a rehabilitation center was significantly impacted by both race and insurance status. Future prospective studies are needed to better address causation.

A method for the rapid sequence determination of peptoids [oligo(N-substituted glycines)] and peptide-peptoids hybrids selected from one-bead-one-compound combinatorial libraries has been developed. In this method, beads carrying unique peptoid (or peptide-peptoid) sequences were subjected to multiple cycles of partial Edman degradation (PED) by treatment with a 1:3 (mol/mol) mixture of phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) and 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (Fmoc-Cl) to generate a series of N-terminal truncation products for each resin-bound peptoid. After PED, the Fmoc group was removed from the N-terminus and any reacted side chains via piperidine treatment. The resulting mixture of the full-length peptoid and its truncation products was analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, to reveal the sequence of the full-length peptoid. With a slight modification, the method was also effective in the sequence determination of peptidepeptoid hybrids. This rapid, high-throughput, sensitive, and inexpensive sequencing method should greatly expand the utility of combinatorial peptoid libraries in biomedical and materials research.