Biologic Therapy Is Associated With Improved Oncologic Outcomes in Crohn's Disease-Associated Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Patients with Crohn's disease face an elevated risk of colorectal cancer, in part due to underlying chronic inflammation. Biologic therapy is the mainstay of medical treatment; however, the impact of treatment on colorectal cancer-related outcomes remains unclear.

Objective: To investigate the association between prior exposure to biologic treatment and colorectal cancer-related outcomes in patients with underlying Crohn's disease.

Pharmaceuticals in urban streams: A review of their detection and effects in the ecosystem.

The presence of pharmaceuticals in urban freshwater has been considered an emerging issue. Although rivers are better studied, the streams crossing the cities, which are prone to higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals, and with a higher potential to affect animals, plant and human health, were never specifically addressed in a review. Thus, here we performed a literature review on the existing pharmaceutical contamination and impacts of these compounds in the urban stream ecosystems.

Does stage III rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma benefit from neoadjuvant chemoradiation?

Background: This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes of patients with clinical stage III mucinous rectal adenocarcinoma (M) and non-mucinous rectal adenocarcinoma (NM) and evaluate the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. It was hypothesized that patients with M would fare worse with neoadjuvant chemoradiation than those with NM and that patients with M and NM not receiving chemoradiation would have similar outcomes. Moreover, it was hypothesized that patients with M would have similar outcomes regardless of chemoradiation.

3D-printed aerogels as theranostic implants monitored by fluorescence bioimaging.

Aerogel scaffolds are nanostructured materials with beneficial properties for tissue engineering applications. The tracing of the state of the aerogels after their implantation is challenging due to their variable biodegradation rate and the lack of suitable strategies capable of monitoring the scaffolds. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have emerged as advanced tools for bioimaging because of their fluorescence properties.

Recovering Low-Density Polyethylene Waste for Gypsum Board Production: A Mechanical and Hygrothermal Study.

In recent decades, plastic waste management has become one of the main environmental challenges for today's society. The excessive consumption of so-called single-use plastics causes continuous damage to ecosystems, and it is necessary to find alternatives to recycle these products. In this work, a mechanical and hygrothermal characterisation of novel plaster composites incorporating LDPE waste in their interior was carried out.

Transanal ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of short-term outcomes.

Aim: Restorative proctocolectomy with transabdominal ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (abd-IPAA) has become the standard surgical treatment for medically refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). However, it requires a technically difficult distal anorectal dissection and anastomosis due to the bony confines of the deep pelvis. To address these challenges, the transanal IPAA approach (ta-IPAA) was developed.

Chitosan-Silica Composite Aerogel for the Adsorption of Cupric Ions.

A chitosan-silica hybrid aerogel was synthesized and presented as a potential adsorbent for the purification of cupric ion-contaminated media. The combination of the organic polymer (chitosan), which can be obtained from fishery wastes, with silica produced a mostly macroporous material with an average pore diameter of 33 µm. The obtained aerogel was extremely light (56 kg m), porous (96% porosity, 17 cm g pore volume), and presented a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area () of 2.

Retention of Ciprofloxacin and Carbamazepine from Aqueous Solutions Using Chitosan-Based Cryostructured Composites.

Water pollution is becoming a great concern at the global level due to highly polluted effluents, which are charged year by year with increasing amounts of organic residues, dyes, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals. For some of these pollutants, the industrial treatment of wastewater is still relevant. Yet, in some cases, such as pharmaceuticals, specific treatment schemes are urgently required.

Chitosan-Based Beads Incorporating Inorganic-Organic Composites for Copper Ion Retention in Aqueous Solutions.

In recent years, there has been a challenging interest in developing low-cost biopolymeric materials for wastewater treatment. In the present work, new adsorbents, based on different types of chitosan (commercial, commercial chitin-derived chitosan and chitosan synthesized from shrimp shell waste) and inorganic-organic composites have been evaluated for copper ions removal. The efficacy of the synthesis of chitosan-based composite beads has been determined by studying various characteristics using several techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, porosimetry (N adsorption), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Synthesis of Highly Luminescent Silica-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles from Lanthanide Oxides or Nitrates Using Co-Precipitation and Sol-Gel Methods.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are under consideration for their use as bioimaging probes with enhanced optical performance for real time follow-up under non-invasive conditions. Photostable and core-shell NaYF:Yb, Er-SiO UCNPs obtained by a novel and simple co-precipitation method from lanthanide nitrates or oxides were herein synthesized for the first time. The sol-gel Stöber method followed by oven or supercritical gel drying was used to confer biocompatible surface properties to UCNPs by the formation of an ultrathin silica coating.

Luminescent Papers with Asymmetric Complexes of Eu(III) and Tb(III) in Polymeric Matrices and Suggested Combinations for Color Tuning.

Complexes of lanthanide ions, such as Eu(III) (red light emission) and Tb(III) (green light emission), with proper ligands can be highly luminescent and color-tunable, also attaining yellow and orange emission under UV radiation. The ligands employed in this work were poly(sodium acrylate), working as polymeric matrix, and 1,10-phenanthroline, taking advantage of its antenna effect. Possibilities of color display were further enhanced by incorporating a cationic polyfluorene with blue emission.

A Comparative Thermoacoustic Insulation Study of Silica Aerogels Reinforced with Reclaimed Textile Fibres: Cotton, Polyester and Wool.

Silica aerogels are highly porous materials with exceptional thermal insulation performance. They become even more attractive if combined thermal and acoustic insulation is achieved. Silica aerogel composites reinforced with fibres are an ingenious way to surpass the fragility stemmed from the aerogel's intrinsic porosity, and textile fibres are good sound absorption materials.

Improvement of the Mechanical Properties of Silica Aerogels for Thermal Insulation Applications through a Combination of Aramid Nanofibres and Microfibres.

Reinforcement of silica aerogels, remarkable lightweight mesoporous materials with outstanding insulation performance, is still a challenging research topic. Among the strategies used to overcome their brittleness, one of the most effective is the manufacturing of aerogel composites with embedded fibres. In this work, the incorporation of nanofibres together with microfibres in a tetraethoxysilane-vinyltrimethoxysilane matrix is investigated for the first time for the development of novel aerogel nanocomposites.

Surgery for young onset diverticulitis: is it curative?

Purpose: Previously considered a disease of old age, diverticular disease is increasingly prevalent in younger populations. Guidelines on surgical resection have shifted from recommending resection for all young onset patients to an individualized approach. Therefore, we aim to determine demographics and outcomes including radiographic and surgical recurrence rates in patients < 40 years old undergoing resection for diverticular disease.

Reduced Chitosan as a Strategy for Removing Copper Ions from Water.

Toxic heavy metals are priority pollutants in wastewater, commonly present in dangerous concentrations in many places across the globe. Although in trace quantities copper is a heavy metal essential to human life, in excess it causes various diseases, whereby its removal from wastewater is a necessity. Among several reported materials, chitosan is a highly abundant, non-toxic, low-cost, biodegradable polymer, comprising free hydroxyl and amino groups, that has been directly applied as an adsorbent or chemically modified to increase its performance.

Word of caution: Rectal cancer without response to neoadjuvant treatment - Do not wait for surgery.

Background: We hypothesized that prolonging the interval to surgery in non-responders to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT) could lead to worse oncologic outcomes.

Methods: Rectal adenocarcinoma patients with poor tumor response to nCRT (AJCC tumor regression grade 3) were selected. Oncologic outcomes were evaluated according to the time interval between completion of nCRT and surgery.

Carbon Nanostructures-Silica Aerogel Composites for Adsorption of Organic Pollutants.

Silica aerogels are a class of materials that can be tailored in terms of their final properties and surface chemistry. They can be synthesized with specific features to be used as adsorbents, resulting in improved performance for wastewater pollutants' removal. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of amino functionalization and the addition of carbon nanostructures to silica aerogels made from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) on their removal capacities for various contaminants in aqueous solutions.

Thermomechanical Performance Assessment of Sustainable Buildings' Insulating Materials under Accelerated Ageing Conditions.

The reliable characterization of insulation materials in relevant environmental conditions is crucial, since it strongly influences the performance (e.g., thermal) of building elements.

The use of laparoscopy for T4a and T4b colon cancer: are we playing with fire?

Background: The laparoscopic approach for colon cancer has become widely accepted. However, its safety for T4 tumors, and particularly for T4b tumors when local invasion to adjacent structures occurs, remains controversial. This study aimed to compare short and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic vs.

Redo Continent Ileostomy in Patients With IBD: Valuable Lessons Learned Over 25 Years.

Background: Patients with IBD with continent ileostomies may require revision surgeries. There remains a paucity of data regarding outcomes after redo continent ileostomy.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate patient outcomes after redo continent ileostomy.

Aerogel Composites Produced from Silica and Recycled Rubber Sols for Thermal Insulation.

Hydrophobic rubber-silica aerogel panels (21.5 × 21.5 × 1.

Targeted lateral pelvic lymph node excision in the setting of total neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.

Targeted lateral pelvic node dissection in the era of total neoadjuvant therapy.