Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in interval debulking surgery for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A single-center, real-life experience.

Background: An improvement in survival without increasing perioperative morbidity in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after interval debulking surgery (IDS) has been recently demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial. This study was aimed at assessing the feasibility and perioperative outcomes of the use of HIPEC after IDS at a referral cancer center. Methods: Over the study period, 149 IDSs were performed. Patients who had at least International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage III disease, with <2.5 mm of residual disease (RD) at the end of surgery and were not participating in clinical trials received HIPEC. Moreover, specific exclusion criteria were considered. These patients were compared with 51 patients with similar clinical characteristics at the same institution and within the same timeframe who did not receive HIPEC. Results: No differences in patient or disease characteristics with the exception of the type of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P =.002) were found between the 2 groups. As for surgical characteristics, significant differences were found in RD after IDS (P =.007) and in the duration of surgery (P <.001), whereas the bowel resection and diversion rates (P =.583 and P =.213, respectively) and the postoperative intensive care unit and hospital stays (P =.567 and P =.727, respectively) were comparable. The times to start adjuvant chemotherapy were also similar (P =.998). Equally, the rates of any grade of both intraoperative complications (P =.189) and early postoperative complications (P =.238) were superimposable. Conclusions: In the authors' experience, the addition of HIPEC to IDS is feasible in 35% for the population. This value might increase with changes in the inclusion/exclusion criteria. HIPEC does not increase perioperative complications and does not affect a patient's recovery or time to start adjuvant chemotherapy. HIPEC should be offered to select patients listed for IDS

Physiological properties of enkephalin-containing neurons in the spinal dorsal horn visualized by expression of green fluorescent protein in BAC transgenic mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Enkephalins are endogenous opiates that are assumed to modulate nociceptive information by mediating synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, including the spinal dorsal horn.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To develop a new tool for the identification of <it>in vitro </it>enkephalinergic neurons and to analyze enkephalin promoter activity, we generated transgenic mice for a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). Enkephalinergic neurons from these mice expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the control of the preproenkephalin (PPE) gene (<it>penk1</it>) promoter. eGFP-positive neurons were distributed throughout the gray matter of the spinal cord, and were primarily observed in laminae I-II and V-VII, in a pattern similar to the distribution pattern of enkephalin-containing neurons. Double immunostaining analysis using anti-enkephalin and anti-eGFP antibodies showed that all eGFP-expressing neurons contained enkephalin. Incubation in the presence of forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, increased the number of eGFP-positive neurons. These results indicate that eGFP expression is controlled by the <it>penk1 </it>promoter, which contains cyclic AMP-responsive elements. Sections obtained from sciatic nerve-ligated mice exhibited increased eGFP-positive neurons on the ipsilateral (nerve-ligated side) compared with the contralateral (non-ligated side). These data indicate that PPE expression is affected by peripheral nerve injury. Additionally, single-neuron RT-PCR analysis showed that several eGFP positive-neurons in laminae I-II expressed glutamate decarboxylase 67 mRNA and that some expressed serotonin type 3 receptors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that eGFP-positive neurons in laminae I-II coexpress enkephalin and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and are activated by forskolin and in conditions of nerve injury. The <it>penk1</it>-eGFP BAC transgenic mouse contributes to the further characterization of enkephalinergic neurons in the transmission and modulation of nociceptive information.</p

Mesoporous carbon-containing voltammetric biosensor for determination of tyramine in food products

A voltammetric biosensor based on tyrosinase (TYR) was developed for determination of tyramine. Carbon material (multi-walled carbon nanotubes or mesoporous carbon CMK-3-type), polycationic polymer—i.e., poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), and Nafion were incorporated into titania dioxide sol (TiO(2)) to create an immobilization matrix. The features of the formed matrix were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The analytical performance of the developed biosensor was evaluated with respect to linear range, sensitivity, limit of detection, long-term stability, repeatability, and reproducibility. The biosensor exhibited electrocatalytic activity toward tyramine oxidation within a linear range from 6 to 130 μM, high sensitivity of 486 μA mM(−1) cm(−2), and limit of detection of 1.5 μM. The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant was calculated to be 66.0 μM indicating a high biological affinity of the developed biosensor for tyramine. Furthermore, its usefulness in determination of tyramine in food product samples was also verified. [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00216-016-9612-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

3,3 ',5,5 '-tetramethylbenzidine as electrochemical substrate for horseradish peroxidase based enzyme immunoassays. A comparative study

The use of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as an electrochemical substrate for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was investigated. HRP activity has been detected using flow injection analysis at a glassy carbon working electrode polarised at +100 mV versus Ag/AgCl in 0.1 mol(-1) citrate-phosphate buffer (pH 5.0). The optimum concentrations were 2 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) TMB and 10(-3) mol l(-1) H2O2. The detection limit obtained after 15 min of incubation was 8.5 x 10(-14) mol l(-1) HRP with the amperometric method. This limit was lower than that obtained using hydroquinone as HRP substrate and comparable to that with the p-aminophenyl phosphate-alkaline phosphatase system. Better performance was achieved with amperometric than spectrophotometric detection using TMB in a competitive ELISA for rabbit immunoglobulin G as a model analyte