Phytochemical profile and diverse pharmacology of L.

L. syn. Pierre belongs to the family Clusiaceae, is indigenous to Southeast Asian countries.

Ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles enhanced vascular disruption in fractionated radiotherapy-treated tumours via ASMase activation.

Recent studies have indicated that radiotherapy affects tumour vasculature as well as tumour cells. The use of ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles (USMB) can potentially enhance the effects of radiotherapy through the activation of the acid sphingomyelinase [ASMase or sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1 (SMPD1)]-ceramide pathway. ASMase knockout (ASMase-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice bearing fibrosarcoma (MCA/129 tumour line) were treated with 10 Gy or 20 Gy in five fractions alongside or independently of USMB treatments.

Focused Ultrasound and Ultrasound Stimulated Microbubbles in Radiotherapy Enhancement for Cancer Treatment.

Radiation therapy (RT) has been the standard of care for treating a multitude of cancer types. However, ionizing radiation has adverse short and long-term side effects which have resulted in treatment complications for decades. Thus, advances in enhancing the effects of RT have been the primary focus of research in radiation oncology.

Drainless thoracoscopic surgery should be avoided in primary spontaneous pneumothorax with pleural adhesion.

Objectives: Drainless thoracoscopic surgery, defined by omitting chest drain after surgery, has been demonstrated to be feasible in selected patients for pulmonary resection. However, drainless procedure for the treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax has raised concerns for its safety and thus has been less often reported. We aimed to share our preliminary experience regarding how to select patients with spontaneous pneumothorax for this procedure.

The role of pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase-to-adenosine deaminase ratio in differentiating the etiology of pleural effusions.

Exudative pleural effusion includes tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), parapneumonic pleural effusion (PPE), and malignant pleural effusion (MPE). An elevated pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) typically implies TPE, but the rule may not apply to every individual case. Recent studies proposed that the pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-to-ADA ratio showed a higher diagnostic power than pleural fluid ADA alone in differentiating the etiology of pleural effusion.

Application of Ultrasound Combined with Microbubbles for Cancer Therapy.

At present, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Treatment failure remains one of the prime hurdles in cancer treatment due to the metastatic nature of cancer. Techniques have been developed to hinder the growth of tumours or at least to stop the metastasis process.

The Impact of COVID-19-Related Restrictions on Social and Daily Activities of Parents, People With Disabilities, and Older Adults: Protocol for a Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people's daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults.

Objective: We aim to (1) investigate how COVID-19 restrictions influence daily activities, (2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time, and (3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions.

Acute kidney injury secondary to severe delayed haemolysis in intravenous artesunate use for severe malaria.

The use of artemisinin derivatives has been recommended by the WHO guidelines in malaria treatment largely due to its rapid parasite clearance and safety profile. This case report details the development of delayed haemolysis and subsequent severe acute kidney injury (AKI) 13 days after commencing intravenous artesunate treatment for malaria in an Australian returned traveller. Delayed haemolysis may be an under-recognised complication following artesunate use and if severe, can be complicated by AKI.

Potassium levels after liver reperfusion in adult patients undergoing cadaveric liver transplantation: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Hyperkalemia is a common cause of arrhythmias in patients undergoing liver transplantation. We examined the pattern of change of potassium levels during and immediately after reperfusion of the donor liver.

Materials And Methods: Potassium levels of 30 consecutive adult patients undergoing cadaveric liver transplantation were assessed before and after liver reperfusion.

Is tubeless uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery for pulmonary wedge resection a safe procedure?

Objectives: Tubeless uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), using a uniportal approach and non-intubated anaesthesia while avoiding postoperative chest drain insertion, for patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery has been demonstrated to be feasible in selected cases. However, to date, the safety of the procedure has not been studied.

Methods: We reviewed consecutive patients undergoing non-intubated uniportal VATS for pulmonary wedge resection at 2 medical centres between August 2016 and October 2019.

Predictive quantitative ultrasound radiomic markers associated with treatment response in head and neck cancer.

Aim: We aimed to identify quantitative ultrasound (QUS)-radiomic markers to predict radiotherapy response in metastatic lymph nodes of head and neck cancer.

Materials & Methods: Node-positive head and neck cancer patients underwent pretreatment QUS imaging of their metastatic lymph nodes. Imaging features were extracted using the QUS spectral form, and second-order texture parameters.

How to interpret polysomnography.

A 5-year-old child presents to a paediatric clinic with their parents because of concerns about snoring, which is loud, every night and associated with respiratory pauses. This has been present for 6 months. Can clinical evaluation diagnose sleep-disordered breathing in children or are further investigations required? Should further investigations include oximetry or polysomnography? If a polysomnogram is performed, how are the results interpreted? In this paper we describe the indications for polysomnography, outline the parameters measured and decode a clinical polysomnography report.

Does Hyoscine improve polyp detection rate during colonoscopy? Systematic Review & meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background/objective: Published studies have shown conflicting results regarding the benefit of Hyoscine Butylbrmoide use during colonoscopy in polyp and adenoma detection rates. This meta-analysis was conducted with the aim to summarize all available evidence.

Methods: A literature search was carried out using PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library database from inception to December 2017.

Esophageal Metal Stents with Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer: Safe or Not?

Background: The purpose of this study was to review the risks and benefits of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) with esophageal self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2014 and December 2016, the data from 46 locally advanced esophageal cancer patients who received CCRT at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Eight patients who received CCRT concomitant with SEMS placement (SEMS plus CCRT group) and thirty-eight patients who received CCRT without SEMS placement (CCRT group) were identified.

Small RNA interactome of pathogenic E. coli revealed through crosslinking of RNase E.

RNA sequencing studies have identified hundreds of non-coding RNAs in bacteria, including regulatory small RNA (sRNA). However, our understanding of sRNA function has lagged behind their identification due to a lack of tools for the high-throughput analysis of RNA-RNA interactions in bacteria. Here we demonstrate that in vivo sRNA-mRNA duplexes can be recovered using UV-crosslinking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH).

Transanal endoscopic surgery: past, present and future.

Transanal endoscopic surgery is a safe, established technique to remove lesions in the rectum via the anus. This article reviews its evolution, approaches, indications and evidence for its role in treating benign rectal polyps. The future of transanal endoscopic surgery in rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease is also explored.

Clinical features of patients with esophageal and second primary cancers.

Background: The prevalence of esophageal cancer (EC) with second primary cancers (SPC) is increasing worldwide. This study was aimed to understand the clinical features of EC patients with SPC in the Taiwanese population.

Materials And Methods: Clinical and laboratory data for 180 EC patients with or without SPC were collected between January 2009 and December 2013.

Impact of tissue processing, archiving and enrichment techniques on DNA methylation yield in rectal carcinoma.

Background: Formalin fixation, duration of tissue storage and tissue enrichment techniques can affect DNA methylation yield but these effects have not been quantitatively measured. The aim is to investigate the relative impact of these conditions on DNA methylation in rectal cancer.

Methods: 10 rectal cancers with matched undissected fresh frozen tissues, laser capture microdissected (LCM) formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, manual macrodissected FFPE tissues, adjacent normal mucosa and stromal tissues were analysed for APC and LINE-1 methylation using bisulphite pyrosequencing.

Characterization of electrokinetic properties of nanofluids.

The effects of pH value, surfactant, and electrolyte concentration on zeta potential, particle agglomeration, and thermal conductivity of nanofluids are investigated. The zeta potential of TiO2 (15 nm) nanoparticles in deionized water of different pH values was measured and the iso-electric point was found to be between 4.9 and 5.