Association between COVID-19 incidence and postponement or cancellation of elective surgeries in Japan until September 2020: a cross-sectional, web-based survey

Objectives This study aimed to examine whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the postponement or cancellation of elective surgeries in Japan.Design and setting A cross-sectional, web-based, self-administered survey was conducted nationwide from August 25 to September 30 2020. We used data from the Japan ‘COVID-19 and Society’ Internet Survey collected by a large internet research agency, Rakuten Insight, which had approximately 2.2 million qualified panellists in 2019.Participants From a volunteer sample of 28 000 participants, we extracted data from 3678 participants with planned elective surgeries on any postponement or cancellation of elective surgeries.Outcome measures The main outcome measure was any postponement or cancelltion of elective surgeries. In addition, for all respondents, we extracted data on sociodemographic, health-relatedcharacteristics, psychological characteristics and prefectural-level residential areas. We used weighted logistic regression approaches to fulfil the study objectives, minimising potential bias relating to web-based surveys.Results Of the 3678 participants, 431 (11.72%) reported experiencing postponement or cancellation of their elective surgeries. Notably, the participants living in prefectures where the declaration of the state of emergency was made on 7 April 2020 were significantly more likely to experience postponement or cancellation of elective surgeries than those residing in prefectures with the stateof emergency beginning on 16 April 2020 (174 (26.02%) vs 153 (12.15%)).Conclusions The proportion of patients whose elective surgery had been postponed was limited during Japan’s first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the declaration of a state of emergency increased the likelihood of postponement. It is imperative to increase awareness of the secondary health effects related to policy intervention in pandemics and other health crises and to use appropriate countermeasures such as standard infectious control measures and triage of surgical patients

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

FNAC of Extra-Skeletal Ewing ' s Sarcoma of the Parotid Gland Case Report

ABSTRACT Extra-skeletal Ewing's sarcoma is a rare soft tissue malignant neoplasm, morphologically indistinguishable from skeletal Ewing's sarcoma. The usual sites of involvement are the soft tissues of para-vertebral region, chest wall, and lower extremity. Extra-skeletal Ewing's sarcoma is rare in the head and neck region and very few cases are reported in the parotid gland. The cytological features of a case of extra-skeletal Ewing's sarcoma involving the parotid gland, an extremely uncommon site for occurrence of this tumor, are reported here. The significance of the fine needle aspiration cytology lies in the early diagnosis and hence better prognosis of this lesion

Fundamental Aspects of Phase-Separated Biomolecular Condensates

Biomolecular condensates, formed through phase separation, are upending our understanding in much of molecular, cell, and developmental biology. There is an urgent need to elucidate the physicochemical foundations of the behaviors and properties of biomolecular condensates. Here we aim to fill this need by writing a comprehensive, critical, and accessible review on the fundamental aspects of phase-separated biomolecular condensates. We introduce the relevant theoretical background, present the theoretical basis for the computation and experimental measurement of condensate properties, and give mechanistic interpretations of condensate behaviors and properties in terms of interactions at the molecular and residue levels

Computer aided discovery of potential anti-inflammatory (S)-naproxen analogs as COX-2 inhibitors

A series of substituted 2-(6-methoxynapthalen-2-yl) propanoic acid (naproxen) analogs were synthesized. (S)- naproxen (1) was treated with thionyl chloride to yield acid chloride (2) which was then reacted with different heterocyclic moieties and aryl acids to yield the (S)-naproxen analogs (3a-k). All the compounds were screened for antiinflammatory activity using in vivo rat paw oedema model and most of the active ones were investigated for their ulcerogenic potential. In silico studies (molecular modeling and docking) were carried out to recognize the hypothetical binding motif of the title compounds with the cyclooxygenase isoenzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) employing Maestro (Version 9.1, Schrodinger, LLC.) software. 2-(1-(2(2-methoxynaphthalen-6-yl)propanoyl)- 1H-indol-2-yl) acetic acid (3k) was found to be the most active compound amongst the series with inhibition of paw edema volume by 62.1%, in silico sitemap score of -0.40kcal/mol and ulcerogenic index as least as 1.19

Vinculin Force Sensor Detects Tumor-Osteocyte Interactions

Abstract This study utilized a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based molecular tension sensor and live cell imaging to evaluate the effect of osteocytes, a mechanosensitive bone cell, on the migratory behavior of tumor cells. Two cell lines derived from MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were transfected with the vinculin tension sensor to quantitatively evaluate the force in focal adhesions of the tumor cell. Tumor cells treated with MLO-A5 osteocyte-conditioned media (CM) decreased the tensile forces in their focal adhesions and decreased their migratory potential. Tumor cells treated with media derived from MLO-A5 cells exposed to fluid flow-driven shear stress (FFCM) increased the tensile forces and increased migratory potential. Focal adhesion tension in tumor cells was also affected by distance from MLO-A5 cells when the two cells were co-cultured, where tumor cells close to MLO-A5 cells exhibited lower tension and decreased cell motility. Overall, this study demonstrates that focal adhesion tension is involved in altered migratory potential of tumor cells, and tumor-osteocyte interactions decrease the tension and motility of tumor cells

Hexagonal boron nitride for sulfur corrosion inhibition

Corrosion by sulfur compounds is a long-standing challenge in many engineering applications. Specifically, designing a coating that protects metals from both abiotic and biotic forms of sulfur corrosion remains an elusive goal. Here we report that atomically thin layers (∼4) of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) act as a protective coating to inhibit corrosion of the underlying copper (Cu) surfaces (∼6–7-fold lower corrosion than bare Cu) in abiotic (sulfuric acid and sodium sulfide) and biotic (sulfate-reducing bacteria medium) environments. The corrosion resistance of hBN is attributed to its outstanding barrier properties to the corrosive species in diverse environments of sulfur compounds. Increasing the number of atomic layers did not necessarily improve the corrosion protection mechanisms. Instead, multilayers of hBN were found to upregulate the adhesion genes in Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20 cells, promote cell adhesion and biofilm growth, and lower the protection against biogenic sulfide attack when compared to the few layers of hBN. Our findings confirm hBN as the thinnest coating to resist diverse forms of sulfur corrosion

Study of Factors Governing Oil–Water Separation Process Using TiO 2

Surfaces which possess extraordinary water attraction or repellency depend on surface energy, surface chemistry, and nano- and microscale surface roughness. Synergistic superhydrophilic-underwater superoleophobic surfaces were fabricated by spray deposition of nanostructured TiO[subscript 2] on stainless steel mesh substrates. The coated meshes were then used to study gravity driven oil–water separation, where only the water from the oil–water mixture is allowed to permeate through the mesh. Oil–water separation efficiencies of up to 99% could be achieved through the coated mesh of pore sizes 50 and 100 μm, compared to no separation at all, that was observed in the case of uncoated meshes of the same material and pore sizes. An adsorbed water on the TiO[subscript 2] coated surface, formation of a water-film between the wires that form the mesh and the underwater superoleophobicity of the structured surface are the key factors that contribute to the enhanced efficiency observed in oil–water separation. The nature of the oil–water separation process using this coated mesh (in which the mesh allows water to pass through the porous structure but resists wetting by the oil phase) minimizes the fouling of mesh so that the need for frequent replacement of the separating medium is reduced. The fabrication approach presented here can be applied for coating large surface areas and to develop a large-scale oil–water separation facility for oil-field applications and petroleum industries.Center of Excellence for Scientific Collaboration at MIT and KFUPM (Project MIT11109)Center of Excellence for Scientific Collaboration at MIT and KFUPM (Project MIT11110)King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Physics Departmen