Integral valorization of Acacia dealbata wood in organic medium catalyzed by an acidic ionic liquid

In this work, a novel delignification process was proposed for the fractionation of invasive species such as Acacia dealbata wood. Organosolv process catalyzed with an acidic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate was evaluated to obtain cellulose-enriched solids and liquid fractions rich in hemicelluloses derived compounds and lignin. Under selected operating conditions (190 °C, 60% ethanol, 60 min of reaction time and 0.6 g 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate/g wood), high solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses and cellulose recovery (87.5%, 88.7% and 88.3%, respectively), with a pulp yield of 43.1% were achieved. Moreover, 62.6 % of lignin was recovered by precipitation from the black liquor (composed mainly by 4.43 g xylose/L, 7.66 g furfural/L and 3.59 g acetic acid/L). In addition, enzymatic digestibility of delignified wood was also assayed. Overall, this work presents an alternative biorefinery scheme based in the use of environmentally friendly solvent and catalyst for selective fractionation of A. dealbata wood.The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish “Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness” (Project CTQ2017- 82962-R) and from “Xunta de Galicia” (GRC ED431C 2018/47 and Centro Singular de Investigacion ´ Biom´edica “CINBIO”). These projects are partially funded by the FEDER Program of the European Union (“Unha maneira de facer Europa”). A. Romaní thanks BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Endothelial Jagged1 promotes solid tumor growth through both pro-angiogenic and angiocrine functions

Angiogenesis is an essential process required for tumor growth and progression. The Notch signaling pathway has been identified as a key regulator of the neo-angiogenic process. Jagged-1 (Jag1) is a Notch ligand required for embryonic and retinal vascular development, which direct contribution to the regulation of tumor angiogenesis remains to be fully characterized. The current study addresses the role of endothelial Jagged1-mediated Notch signaling in the context of tumoral angiogenesis in two different mouse tumor models: subcutaneous Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumor transplants and the autochthonous Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP). The role of endothelial Jagged1 in tumor growth and neo-angiogenesis was investigated with endothelial-specific Jag1 gain- and loss-of-function mouse mutants (eJag1OE and eJag1cKO). By modulating levels of endothelial Jag1, we observed that this ligand regulates tumor vessel density, branching, and perivascular maturation, thus affecting tumor vascular perfusion. The pro-angiogenic function is exerted by its ability to positively regulate levels of Vegfr-2 while negatively regulating Vegfr-1. Additionally, endothelial Jagged1 appears to exert an angiocrine function possibly by activating Notch3/Hey1 in tumor cells, promoting proliferation, survival and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), potentiating tumor development. These findings provide valuable mechanistic insights into the role of endothelial Jagged1 in promoting solid tumor development and support the notion that it may constitute a promising target for cancer therapy

BIOMECHANICAL ASSESSMENT OF AERODYNAMIC RESISTANCE IN PROFFESSSIONAL CYCLISTS: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS

The aim of this study was to measure and compare the aerodynamic resistance (RA) in five different professional road cyclists obtained from a wind tunnel and to establish modification that into a performance improvement. Five professional cyclists from the Kelme-Costa Blanca Team were studied in five positions, four on the aerobike and one on the standard bike. From our results we conclude that establishing small modifications in the aerohandlebars, which result in a more profitable position, can reduce RA. The use of aerohelmet was not shown to be always useful. It is necessary to take into account the technique employed, corrected RA values with the anthropometric characteristics, static vs dynamic assessment when comparing professional cyclists RA

The occupational risk of Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to describe the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in specific occupational groups and to compare them with the general population. We searched PubMedA (R) to identify original studies reporting the prevalence of H. pylori infection in occupational groups. The differences between occupational groups and the general population were analyzed taking into account the direction and statistical significance of the differences observed when comparing each occupational group with a reference group (either recruited in the same study or using an external comparator). A total of 98 studies addressing the prevalence of H. pylori infection in occupational groups were included in the systematic review. Overall, health professionals showed a significantly higher prevalence of H. pylori infection than the general population, especially among those working at gastrointestinal units. Similar results were found in subjects involved in agricultural, forestry and fishery, as well as in sewage workers, miners, and workers at institutions for the intellectually disabled, although differences were less pronounced. Our results show an occupational risk of H. pylori infection supporting the role of oral-oral, fecal-oral, and zoonotic transmission. Studies comparing specific occupational groups with adequate comparators may contribute to better identify groups at higher risk of infection. The recognition of this infection as an occupational disease would result in early detection and treatment, as well as prevention and control of its transmission in workplaces.This study was funded by FEDER through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology-FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the Unidade de Investigacao em Epidemiologia-Instituto de Saude Publica da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862; Ref. UID/DTP/04750/2013). Individual PhD Grants attributed to AF (PD/BD/105823/2014), ARC (SFRH/BD/102181/2014) and SM (SFRH/BD/102585/2014), and a Post-Doc Grant attributed to BP (SFRH/BPD/108751/2015) were funded by FCT and the Programa Operacional Capital Humano (POCH/FSE)

Frailty-Independent Undertreatment Negative Impact on Survival in Older Patients With Breast Cancer

Purpose: The management of older adults with breast cancer (BC) remains controversial. The challenging assessment of aging idiosyncrasies and the scarce evidence of therapeutic guidelines can lead to undertreatment. Our goal was to measure undertreatment and assess its impact on survival. Methods: Consecutive patients with BC aged 70 years or older were prospectively enrolled in 2014. Three frailty screening tools (G8, fTRST, and GFI) and two functional status scales (Karnofsky performance score and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status) were applied. Disease characteristics, treatment options, and causes of mortality were recorded during a 5-year follow-up. In addition, we defined undertreatment and correlated its survival impact with frailty. Results: A total of 92 patients were included in the study. The median age was 77 (range 70-94) years. The prevalence of frailty was discordant (G8, 41.9%; fTRST, 74.2%; GFI, 32.3%). Only 47.8% of the patients had a local disease, probably due to a late diagnosis (73.9% based on self-examination). Thirty-three patients (35.6%) died, of which 15 were from BC. We found a considerably high proportion (53.3%) of undertreatment, which had a frailty-independent negative impact on the 5-year survival (hazard ratio [HR], 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-12.5). Additionally, omission of surgery had a frailty-independent negative impact on overall survival (HR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.9-7.9). Conclusion: BC treatment in older adults should be individualized. More importantly, assessing frailty (not to treat) is essential to be aware of the risk-benefit profile and the patient's well-informed willingness to be treated. Undertreatment in daily practice is frequent and might have a negative impact on survival, as we report.This article publication was supported by National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020)

Sentinel Node Total Tumour Load As a Predictive Factor for Non-Sentinel Node Status in Early Breast Cancer Patients – The porttle study

OSNA is a molecular assay for the detection of sentinel node metastasis. TTL emerged as a concept that seems to accurately predict the status of the NSN. Authors tried to confirm this motion. This is a retrospective and multicentric study that analyzed 2164 patients, 579 of whom had positive SN and completion AD. Logistic regression models were performed in order to identify a suitable cutoff to identify patients who benefit from AD. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis showed a relationship between TTL>30000 and the presence of NSN metastasis (OR 2.84, CI 1.99-4.08, p < 0.001). Logistic regression indicated that the cutoff of 30000 copies/μL better discriminates patients with NSN positivity and allows wide use of these criteria. This cutoff value may safely assist clinicians and patients to decide to proceed or not with an AD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Worldwide Burden of Gastric Cancer Attributable to Tobacco Smoking in 2012 and Predictions for 2020

Background: The heterogeneous patterns and trends in tobacco consumption contribute to regional and gender differences in the burden of gastric cancer attributable to smoking. Aims: To estimate the proportion and absolute number of gastric cancer cases that can be attributed to smoking in different countries, in 2012 and 2020. Methods: Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were computed for 118 countries, using data of smoking prevalence in 2002 and 2011 and published estimates of the magnitude of the association between smoking and gastric cancer, assuming a time lag of ≈10 years. Results: For men, the highest PAF estimates in 2012 were observed in Eastern Asia and the lowest in North America, whereas for women the highest were in Western Europe and the lowest in Africa. Very high Human Development Index (HDI) countries presented the lowest median PAF in men (very high vs. high, medium, and low HDI: 17.2 vs. 20.8 %, p = 0.014) and the highest median PAF in women (very high vs. high, medium, and low HDI: 4.3 vs. 1.8 %, p < 0.001). Estimates for 2020 show a decrease in median PAFs, but the estimated absolute number of cases attributable to smoking in the countries analyzed increased for men (≈154,000 vs. ≈160,000) and decreased for women (≈6200 vs. ≈5600)

Experience with ongrowing juvenile blackspot sea bream (Pagellus bogaraveo) born in captivity, in tanks at diferent temperatures

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Initial experience with targeted axillary dissection after neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients

Background: Targeted axillary dissection (TAD) combines sentinel node biopsy (SNB) with the removal of the previously marked metastatic node. TAD is a promising concept for axillary restaging in node-positive breast cancer patients with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). We aimed to evaluate TAD feasibility in this context. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in biopsy-confirmed cN1 patients. The removal of the clipped node (CN) was guided by intraoperative ultrasound. SNB used indocyanine green and patent blue V dye. If the CN or sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) had any metastatic foci, or the TAD procedure was unsuccessful, the patient underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Results: Thirty-seven patients were included. TAD and SNB identification rates were 97.3%. Every retrieved CN was also a SLN. At the individual level, SNB identification rate was 89.2% with indocyanine green and 85.5% with patent blue V dye. The CN identification rate was 81.1%, being higher when the CN was localized on the intraoperative ultrasound (84.4% vs 60.0%). Nodal pCR was achieved by 54.1% of our patients and was more frequent in HER2-positive and triple-negative tumors (p = 0.039). Nineteen patients were spared from ALND. Conclusion: TAD with intraoperative ultrasound-guided excision of the CN and SNB with indocyanine green and patent blue V dye is a feasible concept to identify patients without axillary residual disease after NAT, that can be spared from ALND, although the need for marking the biopsied node should be further investigated. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Breast Cancer Society