From Ridge 2 Reef: An interdisciplinary model for training the next generation of environmental problem solvers.

Regional and global environmental challenges have become increasingly complex and require broader solutions than a single discipline can provide. Although there is a growing need for interdisciplinary research, many graduate education programs still train students within the confines of a particular discipline or specialty. The Ridge 2 Reef research traineeship program at the University of California, Irvine, aimed to provide transferable and interdisciplinary skill training to prepare graduate students from different disciplines to address current and future environmental challenges.

The Effects of Nocturnal Hypoxemia on Cognitive Performance in Andean Highlanders.

Many Andean highlanders exposed to chronic hypoxemia are susceptible to excessive erythrocytosis (EE) and chronic mountain sickness (CMS). Nocturnal hypoxemia is more marked than diurnal hypoxemia and includes sustained and intermittent components. The potential for cognitive impairments related to nocturnal hypoxemia in this population has not been extensively studied, but improved understanding may provide opportunities for the prevention of long-term effects of EE and CMS.

IRF8 Demonstrates Positivity in a Significant Subset of Histiocytic and Dendritic Cell Neoplasms.

Histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms, especially histiocytic sarcoma, can show morphologic and phenotypic overlap with immature monocytic neoplasms. IRF8 immunohistochemical staining has been demonstrated to be useful in identifying monoblasts, but it has not been extensively studied in histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms. IRF8 immunohistochemistry was performed on cases of histiocytic sarcoma (HS, n=6), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH, n=25), Rosai Dorfman disease (RDD, n=17), follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS, n=3), and Erdheim Chester disease (ECD, n=5), along with a control group that included a subset of myeloid neoplasms with monocytic differentiation.

Navigating Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm Management through Fukuoka Consensus vs. European Evidence-Based Guidelines on Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms-A Study on Two European Centers.

This study addresses the critical need for the accurate diagnosis and management of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), which are pancreatic cystic neoplasm types holding a substantial potential for malignancy. It evaluates the diagnostic effectiveness of the Fukuoka consensus guidelines and the European evidence-based guidelines in detecting high-grade dysplasia/invasive carcinoma in IPMNs, utilizing a retrospective analysis of 113 patients from two European medical centers. The methods include a comparative analysis of clinical, radiological, and endoscopic ultrasonography data, alongside an assessment of guideline-driven diagnostic performance.

Safety and Efficacy of IL-12 Plasmid DNA Transfection into Pig Skin: Supportive Data for Human Clinical Trials on Gene Therapy and Vaccination.

Gene electrotransfer (GET) of plasmids encoding interleukin 12 (IL-12) has already been used for the treatment of various types of tumors in human oncology and as an adjuvant in DNA vaccines. In recent years, we have developed a plasmid encoding human IL-12 (phIL12) that is currently in a phase I clinical study. The aim was to confirm the results of a non-clinical study in mice on pharmacokinetic characteristics and safety in a porcine model that better resembled human skin.

Electrochemotherapy combined with immunotherapy - a promising potential in the treatment of cancer.

Electrochemotherapy is a novel, locoregional therapy that is used to treat cutaneous and deep-seated tumors. The electric pulses used in electrochemotherapy increase the permeability of the cell membranes of the target lesion and thus enhance the delivery of low-permeant cytotoxic drugs to the cells, leading to their death. It has also been postulated that electrochemotherapy acts as an vaccination by inducing immunogenic cell death.

Intraoperative electrochemotherapy of the posterior resection surface after pancreaticoduodenectomy: Preliminary results of a hybrid approach treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Background: Despite extensive research in recent decades, pancreatic cancer continues to be among the most lethal forms of cancer, with no substantial increase in survival rates. Local recurrences account for approximately 30 per cent of all disease recurrences. With the intent to improve survival, we designed a novel, hybrid treatment strategy consisting of surgical resection and additional intraoperative electrochemotherapy of the posterior resection surface.

Validation of a microwave energy meter to non-lethally estimate energetic reserves in adult sturgeon.

Whole-body (WB) energetic reserves influence fish survival, growth, and reproduction but are typically quantified using lethal methods ( proximate analyses) or interpreted through body condition indices. Energetic reserves can impact population dynamics through influences on growth rates, age-at-first-reproductive-maturity, and spawning periodicity at the individual-fish level, especially in long-lived sturgeon species. Therefore, a non-lethal tool to track the energetic reserves of endangered sturgeon populations could inform adaptive management and further our understanding of the sturgeon's biology.

Synergistic Steric and Electronic Effects on the Photoredox Catalysis by a Multivariate Library of Titania Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that display photoredox activity are attractive materials for sustainable photocatalysis. The ability to tune both their pore sizes and electronic structures based solely on the choice of the building blocks makes them amenable for systematic studies based on physical organic and reticular chemistry principles with high degrees of synthetic control. Here, we present a library of eleven isoreticular and multivariate (MTV) photoredox-active MOFs, UCFMOF-, and UCFMTV--% with a formula TiO[], where the links are linear oligo--arylene dicarboxylates with number of -arylene rings and mol% of multivariate links containing electron-donating groups (EDGs).

Laparoscopic electrochemotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: Technological advancement.

Electrochemotherapy is an effective treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Electrochemotherapy for HCC was initially used in the setting of open surgery. Recently, with the development of newer electrodes, percutaneous approaches have also been performed.

Neuroendocrine Tumor Arising within Mature Cystic Teratoma of the Pancreas: Literature Review and Case Report.

Cystic teratomas are germ cell tumors most commonly found in the ovaries and testes. The pancreas, however, is very rare as a site of occurrence. Moreover, only two cases of cystic teratoma with concomitant neuroendocrine tumor have been reported to date.

Preliminary study of reliability of transcutaneous sensors in measuring intraabdominal pressure.

Early recognition of elevated intraabdominal pressure (IAP) in critically ill patients is essential, since it can result in abdominal compartment syndrome, which is a life-threatening condition. The measurement of intravesical pressure is currently considered the gold standard for IAP assessment. Alternative methods have been proposed, where IAP assessment is based on measuring abdominal wall tension, which reflects the pressure in the abdominal cavity.

Assessing the feasibility of chemical recycling via steam cracking of untreated plastic waste pyrolysis oils: Feedstock impurities, product yields and coke formation.

Chemical recycling of plastic waste to base chemicals via pyrolysis and subsequent steam cracking of pyrolysis oils shows great potential to overcome the limitations in present means of plastic waste recycling. In this scenario, the largest concern is the feasibility. Are plastic waste pyrolysis products acceptable steam cracking feedstocks in terms of composition, product yields and coke formation? In this work, steam cracking of two post-consumer plastic waste pyrolysis oils blended with fossil naphtha was performed in a continuous bench-scale unit without prior treatment.

New era of electrochemotherapy in treatment of liver tumors in conjunction with immunotherapies.

Electrochemotherapy is a local ablative therapy that increases the cytotoxicity of either bleomycin or cisplatin by applying electric pulses (electroporation) to tumors. It has already been widely used throughout Europe for the treatment of various types of human and veterinary cutaneous tumors, with an objective response rate ranging from 70%-90%, depending on the tumor histotype. Recently, electrochemotherapy was introduced for the treatment of primary liver tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Pyrolysis of end-of-life polystyrene in a pilot-scale reactor: Maximizing styrene production.

Chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS) via pyrolysis is of great industrial, and academic interest, with styrene being the primary product of interest. To identify the optimal process conditions, the pyrolysis of end-of-life PS was studied in a pilot-scale unit consisting of an extruder, and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The PS was pyrolyzed with continuous feeding at a pressure range from 0.

Opportunities and challenges for the application of post-consumer plastic waste pyrolysis oils as steam cracker feedstocks: To decontaminate or not to decontaminate?

Thermochemical recycling of plastic waste to base chemicals via pyrolysis followed by a minimal amount of upgrading and steam cracking is expected to be the dominant chemical recycling technology in the coming decade. However, there are substantial safety and operational risks when using plastic waste pyrolysis oils instead of conventional fossil-based feedstocks. This is due to the fact that plastic waste pyrolysis oils contain a vast amount of contaminants which are the main drivers for corrosion, fouling and downstream catalyst poisoning in industrial steam cracking plants.

Association of GSTO1, GSTO2, GSTP1, GPX1 and SOD2 polymorphism with primary open angle glaucoma.

It is becoming increasingly evident that oxidative stress has a supporting role in pathophysiology and progression of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). The aim of our study was to assess the association between polymorphisms in genes encoding enzymes involved in redox homeostasis, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) and glutathione transferases (GSTs) with susceptibility to POAG. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in GST omega (GSTO1rs4925, GSTO2 rs156697), pi 1 (GSTP1 rs1695), as well as GPX1 (rs1050450) and SOD2 (rs4880) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 102 POAG patients and 302 respective controls.

Effect of Phosphine on Coke Formation during Steam Cracking of Propane.

In conventional steam cracking feedstocks, contaminants such as sulfur, phosphine, and heavy metal components, present in trace levels, are believed to affect coke formation on high temperature alloys. To gain an understanding of the role of phosphine coking rates on 25/35, CrNi and Al-containing reactor materials were determined in a plug flow reactor during cracking of a propane feedstock doped with ppb levels of PH in the presence of DMDS. The presence of phosphine decreased the asymptotic coking rates by more than 20%, while it had a smaller influence on the catalytic coking rate.

Primary Hepatic Leiomyoma in a Healthy Middle-Aged Woman: Literature Review and Case Report.

Primary hepatic leiomyoma (PHL) is a rare benign hepatic tumor with unclear pathogenesis. It more commonly occurs in immunosuppressed patients, while only 24 cases have been described among immunocompetent individuals. To date, only one successful preoperative diagnosis of PHL has been achieved.

Development of Lignin-Based Mesoporous Carbons for the Adsorption of Humic Acid.

There is an increasing urge to make the transition toward biobased materials. Lignin, originating from lignocellulosic biomass, can be potentially valorized as humic acid (HA) adsorbents lignin-based mesoporous carbon (MC). In this work, these materials were synthesized for the first time starting from modified lignin as the carbon precursor, using the soft-template methodology.