Nedaplatin: A Radiosensitizing Agent for Patients with Cervical Cancer

Despite the recent advances in the management of cervical cancer using cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy, substantial treatment failure still occurs, especially in advanced-stage patients and early-stage cervical cancer patients with high-risk prognostic factors. Therefore, efforts to further improve the survival and quality of life of these patients are necessary. Nedaplatin (cis-diammine-glycoplatinum), a derivative of cisplatin, was developed with the aim of producing a treatment with a similar effectiveness to cisplatin but decreased renal and gastrointestinal toxicities. Based on the promising results of preclinical studies, the clinical efficacy of nedaplatin as a radiosensitizing agent was evaluated in patients with cervical cancer. Retrospective analysis of nedaplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) against cervical cancer suggested that nedaplatin-based CCRT can be considered as an alternative to cisplatin-based CCRT in both early-stage and advanced-stage cervical cancer patients. However, due to the lack of a randomized controlled study, nedaplatin-based CCRT has not been convincingly proven to be clinically effective in patients with cervical cancer. Further investigations in randomized controlled trials are therefore needed

Formation of micro-diamond by heat treatment of quenched carbonaceous composite (QCC)

In order to clarify the correlation between the structure and peak position in quenched carbonaceous composite (QCC), which shows an absorbance peak similar to the 217.5nm feature seen in the interstellar extinction curve, structural changes induced by heating were studied in situ using high resolution electron microscopy. As-prepared QCC particles composed of onion-like spherules changed into a structure with well ordered (002) fringes following heating in vacuum. In addition, formation of microdiamond of about 1 nm in diameter took place by heating at 100℃. The metamorphism is discussed based on a specific configuration of sp^3 hybridization existing on the surface of QCC particles

Efficient Chain Extension Reaction of Poly (butylene terephthalate) by using Crystallization

Plastics are quite important materials for not only industrial usages but also our daily life. Many plastics are difficult to reuse because they are susceptible to UV, hydrolysis and so on leading to the reduction of molecular weight. Among them, poly (butylenes terephthalate) (PBT) is a valuable materials prepared by polycondensation reaction, and PBT has the same limitation to reuse. Hence, efficient chain extension reaction for recovered PBT has been needed to improve the properties damaged by chain scission. In this study, new chain extension reaction had been examined by using crystallization as pre-treatment. Isothermal crystallization at 161℃ concentrated the chain end-groups on the surface of the crystals, and chain extension reaction at 210℃, which was lower than the melting temperature of PBT, enhanced the molecular weight significantly compared with the reaction over the melting temperature. It concluded that the pre-treatment of crystallization was favorable for the efficient chain extension reaction and this result provided the new technology for the effective reuse of the plastics

Fatores relacionados à transmissão vertical do HIV em região de alta prevalência

Artigo submetido ao Curso de Medicina da UNESC como requisito parcial para obtenção do Título de Bacharel em Medicina.Objetivo: Nos últimos anos não se observou redução significativa na taxa de transmissão vertical do HIV em alguns locais do Brasil. O presente estudo tem como objetivo verificar fatores, estabelecidos ou não previamente por evidências científicas, associados à transmissão vertical do vírus. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo descritivo de prontuários de crianças expostas verticalmente ao HIV com definição diagnóstica pelos critérios do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil no período de 01 de Janeiro de 2011 a 01 de Janeiro de 2015. Resultados: Analisaram-se 371 prontuários de crianças com definição diagnóstica. Destas, em 350 a infecção foi excluída e 21 foram infectadas. A taxa global de transmissão foi de 5,7%, sendo 6,3% em 2011, 4,8% em 2012, 6,5% em 2013 e 4,7% em 2014. A taxa de infecção nas crianças cujas mães realizaram pré-natal foi de 4,4%, comparado a 30,0% nas das que não o realizaram. Em mães que tiveram diagnóstico do HIV positivo no momento do parto ou pós-parto, a taxa de transmissão foi de 41,2%, comparado com 3,7% nas com diagnóstico anterior ao parto. Mães que realizaram uso de drogas antirretrovirais na gestação, parto e no recém-nascido tiveram uma taxa de transmissão de 2,3%, e as que não o realizaram tiveram uma taxa de transmissão de 13,3%. Conclusão: Existem falhas na implementação de medidas e intervenções preventivas na transmissão vertical do HIV, como a realização do pré-natal de qualidade, uso de drogas antirretrovirais durante a gestação, parto e no recém-nascido e o diagnóstico precoce do HIV nas mulheres em idade fértil

Structural and infrared spectral changes of silicon oxide grains by heat treatments

In order to elucidate the relationship between crystallographic structures of amorphous silicon oxide grains and infrared (IR) spectra, ultrafine grains produced by the gas evaporation method have been studied on the basis of IR spectral measurements and electron microscopic (EM) observations. The shifts and disappearance in the IR absorption peaks of specimen heat-treated in air have been found. The spectral changes have been discussed in the relation with the polymorphism of silica

Electron microscopic and infrared spectral studies on the structure of alumina phases

Alumina produced by oxidation of aluminum in air was studied by infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Infrared spectra of both alumina particles and alumina film oxidized in air showed an absorption peak at 10.8μm, though that of γ-Al_2O_3 particles showed a broad 13μm peak. On the basis of the infrared spectra and electron diffraction pattern, it was concluded that alumina produced by the oxidation of aluminum in air is η-Al_2O_3. The phase transition from η-phase to γ-phase and to α-phase took place at 900℃ and 1100℃, respectively. The relationships between infrared spectra and crystal structure of some alumina phases are discussed