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Surface charge-switchable antifouling block copolymer with bacteriostatic properties.
No full textZwitterionic polymers are an emerging family of effective, low-fouling materials that can withstand unintended interactions with biological systems while exhibiting enhanced activity in bacterial matrix deterioration and biofilm eradication. Herein, we modularly synthesized an amphiphilic block copolymer, ZABCP, featuring potential bacteriostatic properties composed of a charge-switchable polyzwitterionic segment and a redox-sensitive pendant disulfide-labeled polymethacrylate block. The leucine-appended polyzwitterionic segment with alternatively positioned cationic amine and anionic carboxylate functionalities undergoes charge alterations (+ve → 0 → −ve) on pH variation. By introducing appropriate amphiphilicity, ZABCP forms distinct vesicles with redox-sensitive bilayer membranes and zwitterionic shielding coronas, enabling switching of surface charge. ZABCP vesicles exhibit 180 ± 20 nm hydrodynamic diameter, and its charge switching behavior in response to pH was confirmed by the change of zeta potential value from −23 to +36 mV. The binding interaction between ZABCP vesicles with lysozyme and pepsin proteins strengthens when the surface charge shifts from neutral (pH 7.4) to either anionic or cationic. This surface-charge-switchable phenomenon paves the way for implementing cationic ZABCP vesicles for bacterial cell growth inhibition, which is shown by the pronounced transition of cellular morphology, including clustering, aggregation, or elongation as well as membrane disruption for both Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). Such enhanced bacteriostatic activity could be ascribed to a strong electrostatic interaction between cationic vesicles and negatively charged bacterial membranes, leading to cell membrane disruption. Overall, this study provides a tailor-made approach to adopt low-fouling properties and potential bacteriostatic activity using zwitterionic polymers through precise control of pH
Knowledge and attitude on childhood cancer survivorship among healthcare trainees: a multicentre study from India
No full textBackground The proportion of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) is rising. CCS often develop several physical and psycho-social long-term adverse effects, with unique healthcare needs. Primary healthcare providers (primary care physicians (PCPs)), especially in LMICs, are often not equipped to handle survivorship care. This study aimed to assess knowledge, and attitude among trainee healthcare providers concerning major issues of paediatric survivorship care.
Methods A multi-centre, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among nursing and medical undergraduate students, and postgraduate medical residents across three tertiary-care teaching hospitals in India—All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry; and Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. A questionnaire with total of 24 questions (14 knowledge-based and 10 attitude-based) was finalised after validation by expert review and piloting. The major domains covered in the questionnaire included knowledge and attitude regarding long-term adverse effects and psychosocial, employment-related issues faced by the survivors. It was administered to the study participants electronically. The knowledge-based questions had true/false responses (scored as 0 or 1 if incorrect or correct, respectively). Attitude-based questions were scored as 5-point Likert scale.
Results Total 898 responses were collected (median age: 21 years, 64% (576/898) female). Among the respondents, 44% were undergraduate medical students, 42% were nursing students and 14% were postgraduate medical residents. The mean (SD) of knowledge score was 8.72 (2.04) (out of 14). On multivariable analysis, only discipline of training predicted knowledge scores regarding survivorship care. Postgraduate medical residents (9.08) as well as undergraduate medical students (8.85), had significantly higher mean knowledge scores than nursing students (8.47) (p=0.004).
Two questions were answered incorrectly by the majority; children and siblings of CCS need additional genetic screening (79% incorrectly answered true), and CCS face intimacy issues in relation to normal sexual functioning (59% incorrectly answered false).
Nearly half (48%) of respondents believed that their knowledge of cancer survivorship issues was inadequate. Majority of respondents (84%) suggested that oncologists should handle long-term survivorship care rather than PCPs.
Conclusion Trainee healthcare providers in India reported inadequate knowledge regarding survivorship care. Improving awareness by incorporating survivorship in teaching curriculum is imperative to equip future PCPs to provide survivorship care across the country
Managing COVID-19 food supply chain disruptions in India: a case study of public distribution system
No full textTo address the food security mission for the economically weaker sections of the population, the government of India has established a Public Distribution System to distribute essential food across the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges and risks in the food supply chain. To manage such disruptions, we developed a simulation model to capture the dynamic behaviour of the pandemic. We analyse the impact by considering three events: increased demand, partial shutdown of facilities, and the COVID-19 pandemic to present supply chain vulnerability. Then, we proposed the three risk mitigation strategies: Redundancy, Responsiveness, and Flexibility to increase the resilience of the food supply chain. The simulation results reveal that the Redundancy strategy is more efficient than the Responsiveness and Flexibility risk mitigation approach. The presented study will help policymakers, academics, and practitioners to mitigate pandemic risk and provide key recommendations for managing the food supply chain
Outstanding reviewers for polymer chemistry in 2023.
No full textWe would like to take this opportunity to thank all of Polymer Chemistry's reviewers for helping to preserve quality and integrity in chemical science literature. We would also like to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for Polymer Chemistry in 2023
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Non-Metastatic Eyelid Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma: A Report in 10 Cases
No full textIntroduction: Eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) is an aggressive malignancy. Surgical excision is the standard treatment for non-metastatic eyelid SGC. This study aimed to evaluate treatment outcomes with use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and any change in ease/difficulty of surgical treatment in such cases. Methods: This was a prospective interventional study conducted over 24-month period. Histopathologically, confirmed cases without any systemic metastasis were included. Clinico-demographic details were collected for 30 patients. 10 patients received NACT using cisplatin and 5-FU. Tumour response was evaluated using RECIST criteria. An ease of surgery questionnaire was used to assess difficulty of surgical treatment before and after NACT. Results: Of the 30 patients evaluated for recruitment, 37% had recurrent SGC and 72% had advanced tumour stage. Ten patients were recruited for NACT. There was partial response in 80% and complete response in 10% cases. Tumour T category downstaging was seen in 50% of cases. While tumour dimensions/volume reduced substantially, surgical ease improved in only 40% cases. Conclusion: A significant proportion of SGC patients evaluated in our study presented with recurrent and/or advanced disease. NACT caused tumour regression in 90% of cases. However, surgical ease improvement was limited, pointing to a need for surgical modification in such cases. Corneal ulceration was noted in 2 cases with large tumours causing a complete mechanical ptosis. Overall, the study introduced an ease of surgery questionnaire and provided insights into benefits and challenges of using NACT for eyelid SGC management
Lung nodule segmentation in CT scans using 3d u-net models with inception and resnet architectures
No full textLung cancer is a significant contributor to global cancer-related fatalities. Utilizing deep learning techniques has the potential to enhance the detection rate of lung nodules in chest computed tomography (CT) scans, facilitating effective diagnosis and treatment planning. Moreover, given the three-dimensional (3D) nature of thoracic CT scans, 3D CNNs can effectively capture volumetric information embedded in the images. This study explores lung nodule segmentation using various 3D U-Net architectures: Standard 3D U-Net (Model-I), ResNet 3D U-Net (Model-II), Inception 3D U-Net (Model-III), and Inception-ResNet 3D U-Net (Model-IV); optimized with a combination of Dice and Focal Loss. These models were evaluated on an L1-patient test dataset. Model-II outperforms all the models, achieving an average dice similarity coefficient (DSCavg)) of 0.84±0.06 and an average Jaccard index (IoUavg) of 0.73±0.09 on the test dataset. Moreover, this study identifies compromised predictions generated by the models and their associated characteristics. Addressing the issues with superior approaches is a crucial aspect to be considered in future work
Recent developments on cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers.
No full textIn recent times, the evolution of cationic polymerization has taken a multidirectional approach, with the development of cationic reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. In contrast to the conventional cationic polymerization methods, which were typically carried out under inert atmospheres and low temperatures, various novel polymerization techniques have been developed where the reactions are carried out in open air, operate at room temperature, are cost-effective, and are environmentally friendly. Besides, several external stimuli, such as heat, light, chemicals, electrical potential, etc. have been employed to activate and control the polymerization process. It also enables the combination of cationic polymerization with other polymerization methods in a single reaction vessel, eliminating the necessity for isolation and purification during intermediate steps. In addition, significant advancements have been made through various modifications in catalyst systems, resulting in polymers with an exceptionally high level of stereoregularity. This review article comprehensively analyses the recent developments in cationic polymerization, encompassing their applications and offering insights into future perspectives
fusarium spp. Causing invasive disease in humans: a case series from north india
No full textOwing to their inherent resistance to different classes of antifungals, early identification of Fusarium spp. is crucial. In this study, 10 clinical isolates were included from patients with invasive fusariosis involving lungs, sinuses, or both. Clinico-radiological data were collected. Samples were processed by standard laboratory procedures. Three gene regions (ITS, TEF1, and RPB2) were amplified by PCR for multilocus sequencing. Fusarium MLST, FUSARIUM-ID, and FUSARIOID-ID databases were used for final identification. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution following CLSI M38-A3 and Sensititre™ YeastOne™ YO9 plate. Pulmonary involvement was seen in all patients, and sino-nasal involvement was present in six. Radiologically, consolidations and cavitations were present in eight and six cases, respectively. Halo sign was present in six; reverse halo sign was also found in three of them. Direct microscopy showed septate hyphae that were morphologically different from those found in aspergillosis. Results of the molecular identification were as follows: two Fusarium irregulare, one Fusarium pernambucanum, one Fusarium incarnatum, one Fusarium sp. FIESC 30, two Fusarium keratoplasticum, one Fusarium falciforme, one Fusarium pseudonygamai, and one Fusarium delphinoides. For both Fusarium solani (FSSC) and Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti (FIESC) species complexes, amphotericin B had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Importantly, for terbinafine, all FIESC isolates had low MICs, while FSSC isolates had high MICs. In some cases, early identification of Fusarium spp. is possible by means of morphology of hyphae on direct microscopy and findings on radiology. Molecular identification, at least to the species complex level, is crucial for the choice of antifungals
Aml-015 clinical relevance of spred1 gene as a novel prognostic biomarker in acute myeloid leukemia
No full textContext
The Sprouty-related, EVH1 domain-containing protein 1 (SPRED1) is pivotal in the initiation, advancement, and advancement of cancer. Nonetheless, the precise molecular pathways through which SPRED1 contributes to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are not fully elucidated.
Objective
This study aimed to explore the feasibility of utilizing SPRED1 as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator in AML.
Methods
Utilizing Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA-2), we evaluated mRNA expression and prognostic significance of SPRED1 in the TCGA-LAML dataset (n=173). cBioPortal facilitated screening of SPRED1 expression-related genes and correlation analysis with methylation status. Linked Omics database facilitated analysis of SPRED1 and its co-expressed genes, while STRING and Gene MANIA databases constructed a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, along with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).
Results
In patients with AML (n=173), the expression of the SPRED1 gene was found to be lower compared to healthy individuals (n=70). This reduced SPRED1 expression was significantly associated with mutations in FLT3, fusion with PML-RARA, and poorer clinical outcomes (P<0.05). Additionally, SPRED1 gene expression negatively correlated with methylation levels on the promoter region, patient age, and counts of basophils, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes, while positively correlating with levels of hemoglobin, platelets, blast cells, leukocytes, and eosinophils (P<0.05). Correlation analysis identified 12,356 positively and 7091 negatively correlated genes, with top positively correlated genes including SLC41A1, PTK2, AGAP1, MYCT1, and PEAR1, and top negatively correlated genes including BAHCC1, STYXL1, CASP2, HSH2D, and ORA13, all significantly linked to SPRED1 expression levels in AML (P<0.0001). Furthermore, PPI and enrichment analyses revealed that SPRED1 and its associated genes were predominantly enriched in the regulation of the Hippo, NF-kappa B, and Rap1 signaling pathways. In terms of biological processes, these genes were implicated in substrate-dependent cell migration, vasculogenesis, and epithelial cell apoptotic processes.
Conclusions
These results suggest that SPRED1 plays a significant role in the progression of AML and holds promise as a potential prognostic biomarker in the disease
Humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination with non-mRNA vaccines in adolescent/young adults with cancer: A prospective cohort study
No full textBackground
Data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responsiveness in adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer patients are sparse. The present study assessed humoral and cellular immune responses post-vaccination in this population.
Methods
In this prospective study, patients aged 12–30 years undergoing cancer therapy (“on therapy”) and survivors (“off therapy”) were recruited. Anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) protein IgG levels were measured at baseline, four weeks post-first vaccine dose (T1), and six weeks post-second dose (T2). Cellular immunity was assessed using activation-induced markers and intracellular cytokine staining in a patient subset. The primary outcome was to quantify humoral responses in both cohorts at T2 compared to baseline. Clinical predictors of log antibody titres at T2 were identified.
Results
Between April-December 2022, 118 patients were recruited of median age 15.4 years. Among them, 77 (65.2 %) were in the “on therapy” group, and 77 (65.2 %) had received the BBV152 vaccine. At baseline, 108 (91.5 %) patients were seropositive for anti-RBD antibody. The log anti-RBD titre rose from baseline to T2 (p-value = 0.001) in the whole cohort; this rise was significant from baseline-T1 (p-value < 0.001), but not from T1 to T2 (p-value = 0.842). A similar pattern was seen in the “on therapy” cohort. BECOV-2 vaccine was independently associated with higher log anti-RBD titres than BBV152 (regression coefficient: 0.41; 95 % CI: 0.10–0.73; p = 0.011). Cellular immune responses were similar in the “on-” and “off therapy” groups at the three time points.
Conclusion
Among AYA cancer patients, a single non-mRNA vaccine dose confers robust hybrid humoral immunity with limited benefit from a second dose