Assault-related facial fractures : does the injury mechanism matter?

This study clarified the injury characteristics and occurrence of associated injuries in patients with assault-related facial fractures. Data from 840 assault-related facial fracture patients were included; demographic factors, facial fracture type, associated injuries, alcohol use, and injury mechanisms were recorded. Assault mechanisms most often included combinations of different mechanisms (57.5%) and resulted in the victim falling (50.1%). The perpetrator was most commonly a stranger (52.5%) and acted alone (57.7%). A total of 123 patients (14.6%) had associated injuries, with the most common being traumatic brain injury. Associated injuries occurred most frequently in patients with combined fractures of the facial thirds (24.2%) and upper third fractures (42.9%). The most significant differentiating factors for associated injuries were the number of perpetrators, falling, the use of an offensive weapon, and if the events of the assault remained unknown. In adjusted logistic regression analyses, statistically significant associations with associated injuries were found for age (odds ratio (OR) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.07; P < 0.001), falling due to the assault (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.49-5.50; P = 0.002), and upper third facial fractures (OR 6.93, 95% CI 2.06-23.33; P = 0.002). A single punch also caused severe injuries and should therefore not be overlooked, as this can be as dangerous as other assault mechanisms.Peer reviewe

Proteostasis Dysregulation in Pancreatic Cancer

The most common form of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), has a dismal 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Radical surgical resection, in combination with adjuvant chemotherapy, provides the best option for long-term patient survival. However, only approximately 20% of patients are resectable at the time of diagnosis, due to locally advanced or metastatic disease. There is an urgent need for the identification of new, specific, and more sensitive biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction to improve the treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients. Dysregulation of proteostasis is linked to many pathophysiological conditions, including various types of cancer. In this review, we report on findings relating to the main cellular protein degradation systems, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy, in pancreatic cancer. The expression of several components of the proteolytic network, including E3 ubiquitinligases and deubiquitinating enzymes, are dysregulated in PDAC, which accounts for approximately 90% of all pancreatic malignancies. In the future, a deeper understanding of the emerging role of proteostasis in pancreatic cancer has the potential to provide clinically relevant biomarkers and new strategies for combinatorial therapeutic options to better help treat the patients.Peer reviewe

Synthetic Route to Dinuclear Platinum(II) Complexes [{trans-PtCl(NH3)(2)}(2)(mu-L)](2+) (L = Aliphatic or Heterocyclic Diamine) as Potential Antitumor Agents, Exploiting the Mutual Activation of Hydroxido Ligands and Ammonium Groups

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of potentially antitumor-active dinuclear platinum complexes of the general formula [{trans-PtCl(NH3)2}2(\u3bc-L)](n+2)+ (L = aliphatic or heterocyclic diamine; n = charge of L) is presented. The procedure is based on the mutual in situ activation of trans-[PtCl(OH)(NH 3)2] and the linker L in the form of a diammonium salt. This synthetic pathway yielded the Farrell compound [{trans-PtCl(NH 3)2}2{\u3bc-NH2(CH2) 6NH2}]Cl2 (BBR3005) in quantitative yield. Using the same procedure, we prepared the new pyrazolate-bridged compound [{trans-PtCl(NH3)2}2(\u3bc-pz)]Cl, determined its X-ray structure, and tested its cytotoxicity against three wild-type and one cisplatin-resistant cell lines