Interstitial pneumonitis following intrapleural chemotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mucinous neoplasms within the abdomen may disseminate by direct extension through the diaphragm to involve the pleural space. Treatment of this condition is by parietal and visceral pleurectomy followed by hyperthermic intrapleural chemotherapy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this case report a patient developed persistent right upper lobe interstitial pneumonitis and progressive parenchymal fibrosis following intrapleural chemotherapy treatment with mitomycin C and doxrubicin. The condition persisted until death 28 months later. Death was from progressive intraabdominal disease with intestinal obstruction and sepsis associated with progressive pulmonary parenchymal disease. The right pleural space disease did not recur.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This manuscript is the first case report describing interstitial pneumonitis and lung fibrosis following intrapleural chemotherapy. Since pulmonary toxicity from chemotherapy is a dose-dependent phenomenon, dose reduction of intrapleural as compared to intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy may be necessary.</p

Transesterification of sago starch and waste palm cooking oil in densified CO₂

In this work, the synthesis of biodegradable and yet renewable thermoplastics materials through a transesterification reaction of sago starch and waste palm cooking oil (WPO) in densified CO2 as the solvent is reported. The aim of this research is to investigate the potential used of sago starch and WPO as raw materials in the thermoplastics starch synthesis. The starch esters was successfully synthesized using sago starch and WPO as reagent in densified CO2 as shown from the presence of carbonyl group (C=O, 1743 cm-1) in the FT-IR spectra coupled with the presence of the proton (1H-NMR) of the fatty acid in the starch backbone (0.8 - 2 ppm). The product crystallinity decreases as shown in XRD results and resulting with a change in the thermal properties (melting and crystalline temperature) of the products. In addition, the products show a different granular morphology and a higher hydrophobicity compared with native sago starch. This research shows the potential used of sago starch and WPO in the thermoplastics starch synthesis and opens a new perspective on the product application

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Tb3+-Eu3+ Energy Transfer Mechanisms in Cubic A3Tb0.90Eu0.10({PO}4)3 (A = Sr, Ba) Materials

In this study the optical spectroscopy, the excited state dynamics, and in particular the Tb3+ -&gt; Eu3+ energy transfer, have been investigated in detail both from the theoretical and experimental point of view in eulytite double phosphate hosts A(3)Tb(PO4)(3) (A = Sr, Ba) doped with Eu3+. It has been found that the energy transfer is strongly assisted by fast migration in the donor Tb3+ subset. Moreover, the transfer rates and efficiencies depend significantly on the nature of the divalent elements present in the structure and hence on the distances between Tb3+-Eu3+ nearest neighbors. It is shown that the competition between quadrupole-quadrupole and exchange interaction is crucial in accounting for the transfer rates

Dynamics of the Energy Transfer Process in Eu(III) Complexes Containing Polydentate Ligands Based on Pyridine, Quinoline, and Isoquinoline as Chromophoric Antennae

In this work, we investigated from a theoretical point of view the dynamics of the energy transfer process from the ligand to Eu(III) ion for 12 isomeric species originating from six different complexes differing by nature of the ligand and the total charge. The cationic complexes present the general formula [Eu(L)(H2O)2]+ (where L = bpcd2- = N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane N,N'-diacetate; bQcd2- = N,N'-bis(2-quinolinmethyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane N,N'-diacetate; and bisoQcd2- = N,N'-bis(2-isoquinolinmethyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane N,N'-diacetate), while the neutral complexes present the Eu(L)(H2O)2 formula (where L = PyC3A3- = N-picolyl-N,N',N'-trans-1,2-cyclohexylenediaminetriacetate; QC3A3- = N-quinolyl-N,N',N'-trans-1,2-cyclohexylenediaminetriacetate; and isoQC3A3- = N-isoquinolyl-N,N',N'-trans-1,2-cyclohexylenediaminetriacetate). Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations provided the energy of the ligand excited donor states, distances between donor and acceptor orbitals involved in the energy transfer mechanism (RL), spin-orbit coupling matrix elements, and excited-state reorganization energies. The intramolecular energy transfer (IET) rates for both singlet-triplet intersystem crossing and ligand-to-metal (and vice versa) involving a multitude of ligand and Eu(III) levels and the theoretical overall quantum yields (ϕovl) were calculated (the latter for the first time without the introduction of experimental parameters). This was achieved using a blend of DFT, Judd-Ofelt theory, IET theory, and rate equation modeling. Thanks to this study, for each isomeric species, the most efficient IET process feeding the Eu(III) excited state, its related physical mechanism (exchange interaction), and the reasons for a better or worse overall energy transfer efficiency (ηsens) in the different complexes were determined. The spectroscopically measured ϕovl values are in good agreement with the ones obtained theoretically in this work

Novel trivalent europium β-diketonate complexes with N-(pyridine-2-yl)amides and N-(pyrimidine-2-yl)amides as ancillary ligands: photophysical properties and theoretical structural modeling

Eighteen new Eu3+ complexes and their Gd3+ analogues with 1,3-diketonate as main ligands and N-(pyridine-2-yl)amides or N-(pyrimidine-2-yl)amides as ancillary ligands were synthesized. The replacement of water molecules by those amides in the Eu3+ complexes increase the intrinsic quantum yields of luminescence, making them comparable or even more efficient than Eu3+ complexes with standard ancillary ligands such as 2,2′-bipyridine. The luminescence spectra of Gd3+ complexes in comparison with the Eu3+ ones show that efficient ligand-to-metal intramolecular energy transfer processes take place. In most cases the experimental Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters (Ω2 and Ω4) for the Eu3+ complexes show variations as a function of the temperature (77 and 300 K) that overall apparently does not follow clearly any trend. For this reason, geometric variations (on the azimuthal angle φ and ancillary ligands distances) were carried out in the coordination polyhedron for simulating thermally induced structural changes. It has been observed that, in this way, the Ω2 and Ω4 can be satisfactorily reproduced by in silico experiments. It was concluded that, at low-temperature, the ancillary ligands become closer to the Eu3+ ion and the angular variations affect more Ω2 than Ω4, in agreement to the theoretical calculations. The use of N-(pyridine-2-yl)amides or N-(pyrimidine-2-yl)amides as ancillary ligands in Eu3+ 1,3-diketonates looks to be a good strategy for obtaining highly luminescent complexes.publishe

The modulation of the symbiont/host interaction between wolbachia pipientis and aedes fluviatilis embryos by glycogen metabolism

Wolbachia pipientis, a maternally transmitted bacterium that colonizes arthropods, may affect the general aspects of insect physiology, particularly reproduction. Wolbachia is a natural endosymbiont of Aedes fluviatilis, whose effects in embryogenesis and reproduction have not been addressed so far. In this context, we investigated the correlation between glucose metabolism and morphological alterations during A. fluviatilis embryo development in Wolbachia-positive (W+) and Wolbachia-negative (W2) mosquito strains. While both strains do not display significant morphological and larval hatching differences, larger differences were observed in hexokinase activity and glycogen contents during early and mid-stages of embryogenesis, respectively. To investigate if glycogen would be required for parasite-host interaction, we reduced Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3) levels in adult females and their eggs by RNAi. GSK-3 knock-down leads to embryonic lethality, lower levels of glycogen and total protein and Wolbachia reduction. Therefore, our results suggest that the relationship between A. fluviatilis and Wolbachia may be modulated by glycogen metabolism

Seven-coordinate Tb3+ complexes with 90% quantum yields: High-performance examples of combined singlet- and triplet-to-Tb3+ energy-transfer pathways

Seven-coordinate, pentagonal-bipyramidal (PBP) complexes [Ln(bbpen)Cl] and [Ln(bbppn)Cl], in which Ln = Tb3+ (products I and II), Eu3+ (III and IV), and Gd3+ (V and VI), with bbpen2- = N,N′-bis(2-oxidobenzyl)-N,N′-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)ethylenediamine and bbppn2- = N,N′-bis(2-oxidobenzyl)-N,N′-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1,2-propanediamine, were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, alternating-current magnetic susceptibility measurements, and photoluminescence (steady-state and time-resolved) spectroscopy. Under a static magnetic field of 0.1 T, the Tb3+ complexes I and II revealed single-ion-magnet behavior. Also, upon excitation at 320 nm at 300 K, I and II presented very high absolute emission quantum yields (0.90 ± 0.09 and 0.92 ± 0.09, respectively), while the corresponding Eu3+ complexes III and IV showed no photoluminescence. Detailed theoretical calculations on the intramolecular energy-transfer rates for the Tb3+ products indicated that both singlet and triplet ligand excited states contribute efficiently to the overall emission performance. The expressive quantum yields, QLnL, measured for I and II in the solid state and a dichloromethane solution depend on the excitation wavelength, being higher at 320 nm. Such a dependence was rationalized by computing the intersystem crossing rates (WISC) and singlet fluorescence lifetimes (τS) related to the population dynamics of the S1 and T1 levels. Thin films of product II showed high air stability and photostability upon continuous UV illumination, which allowed their use as downshifting layers in a green light-emitting device (LED). The prototypes presented a luminous efficacy comparable with those found in commercial LED coatings, without requiring encapsulation or dispersion of II in host matrixes. The results indicate that the PBP environment determined by the ethylenediamine (en)-based ligands investigated in this work favors the outstanding optical properties in Tb3+ complexes. This work presents a comprehensive structural, chemical, and spectroscopic characterization of two Tb3+ complexes of mixed-donor, en-based ligands, focusing on their outstanding optical properties. They constitute good molecular examples in which both triplet and singlet excited states provide energy to the Tb3+ ion and lead to high values of QLnL

Aquaporin 5 Polymorphisms and Rate of Lung Function Decline in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

RATIONALE: Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) can cause mucus overproduction and lower lung function. Genetic variants in the AQP5 gene might be associated with rate of lung function decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AQP5 were genotyped in 429 European American individuals with COPD randomly selected from the NHLBI Lung Health Study. Mean annual decline in FEV(1) % predicted, assessed over five years, was calculated as a linear regression slope, adjusting for potential covariates and stratified by smoking status. Constructs containing the wildtype allele and risk allele of the coding SNP N228K were generated using site-directed mutagenesis, and transfected into HBE-16 (human bronchial epithelial cell line). AQP5 abundance and localization were assessed by immunoblots and confocal immunofluorescence under control, shear stress and cigarette smoke extract (CSE 10%) exposed conditions to test for differential expression or localization. RESULTS: Among continuous smokers, three of the five SNPs tested showed significant associations (0.02>P>0.004) with rate of lung function decline; no associations were observed among the group of intermittent or former smokers. Haplotype tests revealed multiple association signals (0.012>P>0.0008) consistent with the single-SNP results. In HBE16 cells, shear stress and CSE led to a decrease in AQP5 abundance in the wild-type, but not in the N228K AQP5 plasmid. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in AQP5 were associated with rate of lung function decline in continuous smokers with COPD. A missense mutation modulates AQP-5 expression in response to cigarette smoke extract and shear stress. These results suggest that AQP5 may be an important candidate gene for COPD

Uncommon nucleotide excision repair phenotypes revealed by targeted high-throughput sequencing

BACKGROUND: Deficient nucleotide excision repair (NER) activity causes a variety of autosomal recessive diseases including xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) a disorder which pre-disposes to skin cancer, and the severe multisystem condition known as Cockayne syndrome (CS). In view of the clinical overlap between NER-related disorders, as well as the existence of multiple phenotypes and the numerous genes involved, we developed a new diagnostic approach based on the enrichment of 16 NER-related genes by multiplex amplification coupled with next-generation sequencing (NGS). METHODS: Our test cohort consisted of 11 DNA samples, all with known mutations and/or non pathogenic SNPs in two of the tested genes. We then used the same technique to analyse samples from a prospective cohort of 40 patients. Multiplex amplification and sequencing were performed using AmpliSeq protocol on the Ion Torrent PGM (Life Technologies). RESULTS: We identified causative mutations in 17 out of the 40 patients (43 %). Four patients showed biallelic mutations in the ERCC6(CSB) gene, five in the ERCC8(CSA) gene: most of them had classical CS features but some had very mild and incomplete phenotypes. A small cohort of 4 unrelated classic XP patients from the Basque country (Northern Spain) revealed a common splicing mutation in POLH (XP-variant), demonstrating a new founder effect in this population. Interestingly, our results also found ERCC2(XPD), ERCC3(XPB) or ERCC5(XPG) mutations in two cases of UV-sensitive syndrome and in two cases with mixed XP/CS phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that NGS is an efficient technique for the analysis of NER-related disorders on a molecular level. It is particularly useful for phenotypes with combined features or unusually mild symptoms. Targeted NGS used in conjunction with DNA repair functional tests and precise clinical evaluation permits rapid and cost-effective diagnosis in patients with NER-defects