The unexpected presence of a huge cystic hygroma with thanatophoric dysplasia type I: a case report

Introduction: The presence of a thin-walled, multicystic structure posterior to the fetal head and neck with an intact vertebral column is known as a cystic hygroma. Thanatophoric dysplasia is the most lethal skeletal dysplasia. Thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) is an autosomal dominant disorder with two phenotypes. TD type I is characterized by a normal shaped skull with bowed femurs and micromelia, while TD type II is characterized by straight femurs with a clover-leaf deformity of the skull and micromelia. We report here a case of thanatophoric dysplasia type I associated with cystic hygroma, this association needs further evaluation. Case history: A 30 year old woman was referred at 26 weeks of gestation because of marked polyhydramnios. Ultrasonographic examination of the fetus revealed a narrow chest, protuberant abdomen, short curved femur, normal shaped skull with accidentally cystic hygroma were present. No other anomalies were detected. We explained to the patient the nature and severity of the anomaly and the patient preferred the termination of pregnancy. Induction of abortion was done successfully. Conclusion: This case report has highlighted the association between cystic hygroma and thanatophoric dysplasia type I. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature reporting the association of cystic hygroma and thanatophoric dysplasia type I. We believe that this case is useful for obstetricians and pediatricians. We also highly recommend the genetic evaluation of the fetus and parents

Gold(I) Catalysis Applied to the Stereoselective Synthesis of Indeno[2,1-b]thiochromene Derivatives and Seleno Analogues

A gold(I)-catalyzed cascade reaction for the stereoselective synthesis of sulfur- or selenium-containing indeno[1,2-b]chromene derivatives from o-(alkynyl)styrenes substituted at the triple bond with a thio- or seleno-aryl group is described. The reaction involves a double cyclization process through a proposed key gold−cyclopropyl carbene intermediate that evolves by the intramolecular addition of an aromatic to the cyclopropane ring, affording polycyclic structures. The enantioselective version was studied using gold(I) complexes bearing chiral ligands.We gratefully acknowledge MICINN (PID2020-115789GBC21), “NextGenerationEU/PRTR” (PDC2021-120825-C21), Junta de Castilla y León, and FEDER (BU049P20) for financial support. The project leading to these results also received funding from the “la Caixa” Foundation, under Agreement LCF/PR/PR18/51130007 (CAIXA-UBU001). C.V. and S.S.-P. thank Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación) and Fondo Social Europeo for postdoctoral contracts

Ameliorating the Adverse Effects of <i>Tomato mosaic tobamovirus</i> Infecting Tomato Plants in Egypt by Boosting Immunity in Tomato Plants Using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) is one of the economically damageable Tobamovirus infecting the tomato in Egypt that has caused significant losses. It is therefore of great interest to trigger systemic resistance to ToMV. In this endeavor, we aimed to explore the capacity of ZnO-NPs (zinc oxide nanoparticles) to trigger tomato plant resistance against ToMV. Effects of ZnO-NPs on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth indices and antioxidant defense system activity under ToMV stress were investigated. Noticeably that treatment with ZnO-NPs showed remarkably increased growth indices, photosynthetic attributes, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants compared to the challenge control. Interestingly, oxidative damage caused by ToMV was reduced by reducing malondialdehyde, H2O2, and O2 levels. Overall, ZnO-NPs offer a safe and economic antiviral agent against ToMV

Outcomes of tocilizumab therapy in severe or critical COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort, single-centre study

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and safety of tocilizumab, a humanised anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, in the treatment of critical or severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of severe or critical COVID-19 patients (≥18 years) admitted to one hospital in Kuwait. Fifty-one patients received intravenous tocilizumab, while 78 patients received the standard of care at the same hospital. Both groups were compared for clinical improvement and in-hospital mortality. Results: The tocilizumab (TCZ) group had a significantly lower 28-day in-hospital mortality rate than the standard-of care-group (21.6% vs. 42.3% respectively; p = 0.015). Fifty-five per cent of patients in the TCZ group clinically improved vs. 11.5% in the standard-of-care group (p < 0.001). Using Cox-proportional regression analysis, TCZ treatment was associated with a reduced risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11–0.61) and increased likelihood of clinical improvement (adjusted hazard ratio 4.94; 95% CI: 2.03–12.0), compared to the standard of care. The median C-reactive protein, D-dimer, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase and ferritin levels in the tocilizumab group decreased significantly over the 14 days of follow-up. Secondary infections occurred in 19.6% of the TCZ group, and in 20.5% of the standard-of-care group, with no statistical significance (p = 0.900). Conclusion: Tocilizumab was significantly associated with better survival and greater clinical improvement in severe or critical COVID-19 patients. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Foliar Application of Chitosan and Phosphorus Alleviate the <i>Potato virus Y</i>-Induced Resistance by Modulation of the Reactive Oxygen Species, Antioxidant Defense System Activity and Gene Expression in Potato

Viruses pose a serious threat to the sustainable production of economically important crops around the world. In the past 20 years, potato virus Y (PVY) emerged as a relatively new and very serious problem in potatoes, even though it is the oldest known plant virus. Multiple strains of the virus cause various symptoms on the leaves and tubers of potatoes, resulting in yield reduction and poor-quality tubers. Consequently, it would be very interesting to learn what causes systemic PVY resistance in plants. Natural compounds such as chitosan (CHT) and phosphorus have been developed as alternatives to chemical pesticides to manage crop diseases in recent years. In the current study, potato leaves were foliar-sprayed with chitosan and phosphorus to assess their ability to induce PVY resistance. Compared to untreated plants, the findings demonstrated a significant decrease in disease severity and PVY accumulation in plants for which CHT and P were applied. Every treatment includes significantly increased growth parameters, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic characteristics, osmoprotectants (glycine betaine, proline, and soluble sugar), non-enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione, phenols, and ascorbic acid), enzymatic antioxidants (peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, lipoxygenase, glutathione reductase, catalase, β-1,3 glucanase, and ascorbate peroxidase), phytohormones (gibberellic acid, indole acetic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid), and mineral content (phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium), compared to infected plants. However, compared to PVY infection values, CHT and P treatments showed a significant decrease in malondialdehyde, DPPH, H2O2, O2, OH, and abscisic acid levels. In addition, increased expression levels of some regulatory defense genes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX), relative pathogenesis-related 1 basic (PR-1b), and relative phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), were found in all treated plants, compared to PVY-infected plants. Conclusion: Phosphorus is the most effective treatment for alleviating virus infections

Thieno[2,3‑<i>b</i>]thiophene Derivatives as Potential EGFR^WT and EGFRT^790M Inhibitors with Antioxidant Activities: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Quantitative In Vitro and In Silico Studies

Microwave-assisted synthesis and spectral analysis of certain novel derivatives of 3,4-diaminothieno[2,3-b]thiophene-2,5-dicarbonitrile 1–7 were carried out. Compounds 1–7 were examined for cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and A549 cell lines using the quantitative MTT method, and gefitinib and erlotinib were used as reference standards. Compounds 1–7 were shown to be more active than erlotinib against the two cell lines tested. Compound 2 outperformed regular erlotinib by 4.42- and 4.12-fold in MCF-7 and A549 cells, respectively. The most cytotoxic compounds were subsequently studied for their suppression of kinase activity using the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assay versus epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRWT) and EGFR790M. With IC50 values of 0.28 ± 0.03 and 5.02 ± 0.19, compound 2 was demonstrated to be the most effective against both forms of EGFR. Furthermore, compound 2 also had the best antioxidant property, decreasing the radical scavenging activity by 78%. Molecular docking research, on the other hand, was carried out for the analyzed candidates (1–7) to study their mechanism of action as EGFR inhibitors. In silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity tests were also performed to explain the physicochemical features of the examined derivatives

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)