-Toluenesulfonic acid adorned on MCM-41: an efficient and mild catalyst for the regio/chemo-selective hydrolysis of terminal isopropylidene acetals.

Regio/chemo-selective hydrolysis of a 5,6-O-isopropylidene group over a 1,2-O-isopropylidene group is accomplished to obtain corresponding diols in good to excellent yields within 4-5 hours using the p-toluenesulfonic acid impregnated MCM-41 (PTSA-MCM-41) catalyst in acetonitrile and water (9:1, v/v) at room temperature. Other sensitive hydroxyl protecting groups such as naphthyl, toluoyl, pivaloyl, benzoyl, and benzyl are compatible with this methodology. The low cost of the PTSA-MCM-41 catalyst and ease of separation of product from the reaction mixture are significant advantages of this method, which makes it useful in the multigram scale operation.

Breathing-Assisted Selective Adsorption of C Alkyl Aromatics in Zn-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The breathing phenomenon in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has revealed supramolecular host-guest interactions that could be beneficial for chemical separation in numerous industrial applications. The cost-effective purification of C alkyl aromatics such as o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene remains challenging owing to their similar molecular structures, boiling points, kinetic diameters, polarities, etc. Herein, we report two Zn-based pillar-bilayered MOFs, denoted [Zn (aip) (pillar)] (aip=5-aminoisophthalic acid; pillar: bpy=4,4'-bipyridine or bpe=1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane) that exhibit a breathing effect depending on the adsorbed guest molecules.

Expression of immune checkpoints on circulating tumor cells in men with metastatic prostate cancer.

Background: A subset of men with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) responds to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and there is an unmet need to predict those most likely to benefit. We characterized circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for expression of immune checkpoint ligands in men with mPC as a non-invasive biomarker of immune evasion and immunotherapy benefit.

Methods: Three cohorts of patients were enrolled: 1) men with mCRPC starting abiraterone acetate/prednisone or enzalutamide (pre-ARSI), 2) men with mCRPC who were progressing on enzalutamide or abiraterone acetate/prednisone (post-ARSI), and 3) men with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) starting androgen deprivation therapy.

Circulating tumor cell and cell-free RNA capture and expression analysis identify platelet-associated genes in metastatic lung cancer.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTC) and plasma cell-free RNA (cfRNA) can serve as biomarkers for prognosis and treatment response in lung cancer. One barrier to the selected or routine use of CTCs and plasma cfRNA in precision oncology is the limited quantity of both, and CTCs are only seen in metastatic disease. As capture of CTCs and plasma cfRNA presents an opportunity to monitor and assess malignancies without invasive procedures, we compared two methods for CTC capture and identification, and profiled mRNA from CTCs and plasma cfRNA to identify potential tumor-associated biomarkers.

Carcinosarcoma of Tongue with Predominant Osteosarcomatous Component.

Carcinosarcoma is exceedingly rare in the oral cavity and shows presence of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. We report a case of carcinosarcoma of tongue in a 51-year-old male with predominant osteosarcomatous and squamous cell carcinoma components. There was no evidence of regional or systemic metastatic disease.

Coming of Age in the Shadow of the Taliban: Education, Child Marriage, and the Future of Afghanistan From the Perspectives of Adolescents and Their Parents.

Objective: To understand adolescent and parental attitudes toward education, child marriage, and the changes in matriculation for boys and girls over one generation.

Methods: Two-staged household sampling method was used in six provinces with low educational enrollment in Afghanistan during 2016. Final sample included 910 adolescents aged 12-15 years and 454 parents.

Europium-Based Metal-Organic Framework as a Dual Luminescence Sensor for the Selective Detection of the Phosphate Anion and Fe Ion in Aqueous Media.

A new three-dimensional europium-based metal-organic framework has been synthesized with the newly designed ligand L (6-[1-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1 H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]nicotinic acid). This compound acts as a dual sensor for the phosphate anion and Fe ion in aqueous media. The mechanistic aspect of this selectivity and sensitivity was explored through several spectroscopic methods and then correlated with the corresponding structure.

Circulating tumor cells as a predictive biomarker in patients with small cell lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Background: There are no biomarkers for assessment of disease burden or activity of therapy in SCLC.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective study enumerating serial CTCs in patients with newly diagnosed limited disease (LD) and extensive stage (ED) SCLC. CTCs demonstrating DNA damage and apoptosis based on γH2AX and M30 staining were also assessed.

Enumeration and characterization of circulating multiple myeloma cells in patients with plasma cell disorders.

We have developed an automated assay to enumerate and characterize circulating multiple myeloma cells (CMMC) from peripheral blood of patients with plasma cell disorders. CMMC show expression of genes characteristic of myeloma and fluorescence in situ hybridisation results on CMMC correlated well with bone marrow results. We enumerated CMMC from over 1000 patient samples including separate cohorts of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and high/intermediate risk smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM) with clinical follow-up data.

A Whole Blood Molecular Signature for Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Chest pain is a leading reason patients seek medical evaluation. While assays to detect myocyte death are used to diagnose a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction, AMI), there is no biomarker to indicate an impending cardiac event. Transcriptional patterns present in circulating endothelial cells (CEC) may provide a window into the plaque rupture process and identify a proximal biomarker for AMI.

Multifocal Septic Arthritis Secondary to Infective Endocarditis: A Rare Case Report.

Introduction: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare cause of septic arthritis. We report a patient who presented with multifocal septic arthritis as a result of IE, which is an extremely rare condition.

Case Report: This 69-year-old gentleman presented to the emergency department (ED) with a 3-day history of acute right knee pain.

Efficient reference-free adaptive artifact cancellers for impedance cardiography based remote health care monitoring systems.

In this paper, a new model for adaptive artifact cancelation in impedance cardiography (ICG) signals is presented. It is a hybrid model based on wavelet decomposition and an adaptive filter. A novel feature of this model is the implementation of reference-free adaptive artifact cancellers (AAC).

Development of a Novel c-MET-Based CTC Detection Platform.

Unlabelled: Amplification of the MET oncogene is associated with poor prognosis, metastatic dissemination, and drug resistance in many malignancies. We developed a method to capture and characterize circulating tumor cells (CTC) expressing c-MET using a ferromagnetic antibody. Immunofluorescence was used to characterize cells for c-MET, DAPI, and pan-CK, excluding CD45(+) leukocytes.

Effect of β-cyclodextrin on Rheological Properties of some Viscosity Modifiers.

Cyclodextrins are a group of novel excipients, extensively used in the present pharmaceutical industry. Sometimes they show significant interactions with other conventional additives used in the formulation of dosage forms. The effect of β-cyclodextrin on the rheological properties of aqueous solutions of some selected viscosity modifiers was studied in the present work.

Use of circulating tumor cell technology (CELLSEARCH) for the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions.

Rationale: Cytological analysis of pleural effusions (PEs) has a sensitivity of approximately 60%. We hypothesized that the CELLSEARCH technology (Janssen Research and Development, Huntingdon Valley, PA) currently used to detect circulating tumor cells could be adapted for the identification of tumor cells in PEs.

Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational study.

Development of a method to isolate circulating tumor cells using mesenchymal-based capture.

Epithelial tumor cells can become mesenchymal cells and vice versa via phenotypic transitions, a process known as epithelial plasticity. We postulate that during the process of metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) lose their epithelial phenotype and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype that may not be sufficiently captured by existing epithelial-based CTC technologies. We report here on the development of a novel CTC capture method, based on the biology of epithelial plasticity, which isolates cells based on OB-cadherin cell surface expression.

An uncommon case of an adult with del(5)(q) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Del(5)(q) is a common chromosomal abnormality with favourable prognosis in Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, del(5)(q) is also seen rarely in Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and its significance remains poorly understood. We present here, a case report of diagnosis of an adult 75 year old patient of ALL with a cytogenetic abnormality of del(5)(q32).

Characterization of circulating endothelial cells in acute myocardial infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction (MI), which involves the rupture of existing atheromatous plaque, remains highly unpredictable despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease. Accordingly, a clinical measurement that can predict an impending MI is desperately needed. Here, we characterize circulating endothelial cells (CECs) using an automated and clinically feasible CEC three-channel fluorescence microscopy assay in 50 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation MI and 44 consecutive healthy controls.

Hip resurfacing and osteonecrosis: results from an independent hip resurfacing register.

Introduction: Single surgeon studies from specialized centers have suggested that metal-on-metal hip resurfacing in patients with osteonecrosis of hip joint provides good implant survival and function.

Method: We tested the hypothesis that multicenter results of hip resurfacing, in terms of function and survival, are similar between patients with osteoarthritis and osteonecrosis.

Patients: 192 patients (202 hips) underwent metal-on-metal hip resurfacing at different centers around the world.

Correlation between circulating endothelial cell counts and plasma thrombomodulin levels as markers for endothelial damage.

Increased numbers of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in peripheral blood have been observed in diseases with vascular involvement, and are considered a promising surrogate marker for vascular damage. It was the objective of this study to evaluate the correlation between putative soluble markers of endothelial injury, activation, and endothelial proliferation, and absolute numbers of CEC. CEC were evaluated in 125 healthy donors and 40 patients with metastatic carcinoma by automated CD146 driven immunomagnetic isolation.

The effect of high energy mechanochemical processing on the microstructure, piezoelectric, ferroelectric and mechanical properties of PLZT ceramics.

Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) ceramics were synthesized using a high energy mechanochemical processing technique, using tungsten carbide grinding vials and balls. The ceramic powders were prepared using the constituent oxide powders, which were subjected to high energy milling, without the use of any excess PbO in the starting composition. TEM studies revealed the formation of very fine particles of the order of 30 nm, due to the milling effect.

Endothelial cells in peripheral blood of healthy subjects and patients with metastatic carcinomas.

Background: A lack of standardized assays and consensus of cell definition has lead to a wide variation in the reported range of circulating endothelial cells (CECs).

Methods: An automated rare cell analysis system was used to enumerate nucleated, CD146+/CD105+/CD45- CECs in 4 mL of blood.

Results: Recoveries of spiked HUVECs were linear over a range of 0-1,241 cells (R2>or=0.

Expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule in carcinoma cells present in blood and primary and metastatic tumors.

The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is involved in homophilic cell-cell adhesion in normal epithelia and is frequently overexpressed in primary and metastatic adenocarcinomas. It has been postulated that during detachment and dissemination of tumor cells, EpCAM may be down-regulated. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) may demonstrate this phenomenon as they have successfully escaped their local microenvironment and entered the circulation.

Tumor cells circulate in the peripheral blood of all major carcinomas but not in healthy subjects or patients with nonmalignant diseases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy, precision, and linearity of the CellSearch system and evaluate the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) per 7.5 mL of blood in healthy subjects, patients with nonmalignant diseases, and patients with a variety of metastatic carcinomas.

Experimental Design: The CellSearch system was used to enumerate CTCs in 7.

Nanosuspensions as the most promising approach in nanoparticulate drug delivery systems.

Over the years, controlled drug delivery as well as site-specific delivery have made considerable advances. One area that contributed significantly to this progress is the rapidly developing field of colloidal drug delivery systems. Nanoparticles, one of the colloidal drug delivery systems, may enable new possibilities for therapy that presently have not been investigated.