Silica nanoparticles as a highly efficient catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of sterically congested 2-(dibenzylamino)-2-aryl acetamide derivatives from by phthaldehyde isomers, isocyanides and dibenzylamine

A green and efficient method for the preparation of 2-(dibenzylamino)-2-aryl acetamide derivatives via a three-component reaction of an isocyanide, dibenzylamine and a phthalaldehyde derivative in the presence of silica nanoparticles (silica NPs, ca. 42 nm) as a catalyst under solvent free conditions at room temperature is described. The ease of work-up, green chemistry conditions and high yields of the products make this procedure a useful addition to modern synthetic methods. The silica nanoparticles that used in this reaction as a catalyst were prepared by thermal decomposition of rice hulls. Simple, green and cheap method for the preparation of the nanocatalyst represents a major advantage for this process. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. KEY WORDS: Silica nanoparticles, Nanocatalyst, Isocyanide, Phthalaldehyde Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2016, 30(3), 413-420DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v30i3.

Combining in vivo proton exchange rate (k(ex)) MRI with quantitative susceptibility mapping to further stratify the gadolinium-negative multiple sclerosis lesions

BACKGROUND: Conventional gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI is currently used for stratifying the lesion activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) despite limited correlation with disability and disease activity. The stratification of MS lesion activity needs further improvement to better support clinics. PURPOSE: To investigate if the novel proton exchange rate (k(ex)) MRI combined with quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) may help to further stratify non-enhanced (Gd-negative) MS lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From December 2017 to December 2020, clinically diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS patients who underwent MRI were consecutively enrolled in this IRB-approved retrospective study. The customized MRI protocol covered conventional T(2)-weighted, T(2)-fluid-attenuated-inversion-recovery, pre- and post-contrast T(1)-weighted imaging, and quantitative sequences, including (k(ex)) MRI based on direct-saturation removed omega plots and QSM. Each MS lesion was evaluated based on its Gd-enhancement as well as its susceptibility and (k(ex)) elevation compared to the normal appearing white matter. The difference and correlation concerning lesion characteristics and imaging contrasts were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman rank analysis with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 322 MS lesions from 30 patients were identified with 153 Gd-enhanced and 169 non-enhanced lesions. We found that the (k(ex)) elevation of all lesions significantly correlated with their susceptibility elevation (r = 0.30, p < 0.001). Within the 153 MS lesions with Gd-enhancement, ring-enhanced lesions showed higher (k(ex)) elevation than the nodular-enhanced ones' (p < 0.001). Similarly, lesions with ring-hyperintensity in QSM also had higher (k(ex)) elevation than the lesions with nodular-QSM-hyperintensity (p < 0.001). Of the 169 Gd-negative lesions, three radiological patterns were recognized according to lesion manifestations on the (k(ex)) map and QSM images: Pattern I ((k(ex))(+) and QSM(+), n = 114, 67.5%), Pattern II (only (k(ex)) or QSM(+), n = 47, 27.8%) and Pattern III ((k(ex))(-) and QSM(-), n = 8, 4.7%). Compared to Pattern II and III, Pattern I had higher (k(ex)) (p < 0.001) and susceptibility (p < 0.05) elevation. The percentage of Pattern I of each subject was negatively correlated with the disease duration (r = -0.45,P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: As a potential imaging biomarker for inflammation due to oxidative stress, in vivo (k(ex)) MRI combined with QSM is promising in extending the clinical classification of MS lesions beyond conventional Gd-enhanced MRI

Nutraceutical therapies for atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting large and medium arteries and is considered to be a major underlying cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the development of pharmacotherapies to treat CVD has contributed to a decline in cardiac mortality in the past few decades, CVD is estimated to be the cause of one-third of deaths globally. Nutraceuticals are natural nutritional compounds that are beneficial for the prevention or treatment of disease and, therefore, are a possible therapeutic avenue for the treatment of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this Review is to highlight potential nutraceuticals for use as antiatherogenic therapies with evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies. Furthermore, the current evidence from observational and randomized clinical studies into the role of nutraceuticals in preventing atherosclerosis in humans will also be discussed

Retaining Participants in Community-Based Health Research: A Case Example on Standardized Planning and Reporting

Background Effective strategies for participant retention are critical in health research to ensure validity, generalizability and efficient use of resources. Yet standardized guidelines for planning and reporting on retention efforts have been lacking. As with randomized controlled trial (RCT) and systematic review (SR) protocols, retention protocols are an opportunity to improve transparency and rigor. An RCT being conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada provides a case example for developing a priori retention frameworks for use in protocol planning and reporting. Methods The BC Healthy Connections Project RCT is examining the effectiveness of a nurse home-visiting program in improving child and maternal outcomes compared with existing services. Participants (N&thinsp;=&thinsp;739) were girls and young women preparing to parent for the first time and experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. Quantitative data were collected upon trial entry during pregnancy and during five follow-up interviews until participants’ children reached age 2 years. A framework was developed to guide retention of this study population throughout the RCT. We reviewed relevant literature and mapped essential retention activities across the study planning, recruitment and maintenance phases. Interview completion rates were tracked. Results Results from 3302 follow-up interviews (in-person/telephone) conducted over 4 years indicate high completion rates: 90% (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;667) at 34&thinsp;weeks gestation; and 91% (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;676), 85% (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;626), 80% (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;594) and 83% (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;613) at 2, 10, 18 and 24 months postpartum, respectively. Almost all participants (99%, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;732) provided ongoing consent to access administrative health data. These results provide preliminary data on the success of the framework. Conclusions Our retention results are encouraging given that participants were experiencing considerable socioeconomic disadvantage. Standardized retention planning and reporting may therefore be feasible for health research in general, using the framework we have developed. Use of standardized retention protocols should be encouraged in research to promote consistency across diverse studies, as now happens with RCT and SR protocols. Beyond this, successful retention approaches may help inform health policy-makers and practitioners who also need to better reach, engage and retain underserved populations

Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) provided systematic estimates of incidence, morbidity, and mortality to inform local and international efforts toward reducing cancer burden. To estimate cancer burden and trends globally for 204 countries and territories and by Sociodemographic Index (SDI) quintiles from 2010 to 2019. The GBD 2019 estimation methods were used to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 and over the past decade. Estimates are also provided by quintiles of the SDI, a composite measure of educational attainment, income per capita, and total fertility rate for those younger than 25 years. Estimates include 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). In 2019, there were an estimated 23.6 million (95% UI, 22.2-24.9 million) new cancer cases (17.2 million when excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 10.0 million (95% UI, 9.36-10.6 million) cancer deaths globally, with an estimated 250 million (235-264 million) DALYs due to cancer. Since 2010, these represented a 26.3% (95% UI, 20.3%-32.3%) increase in new cases, a 20.9% (95% UI, 14.2%-27.6%) increase in deaths, and a 16.0% (95% UI, 9.3%-22.8%) increase in DALYs. Among 22 groups of diseases and injuries in the GBD 2019 study, cancer was second only to cardiovascular diseases for the number of deaths, years of life lost, and DALYs globally in 2019. Cancer burden differed across SDI quintiles. The proportion of years lived with disability that contributed to DALYs increased with SDI, ranging from 1.4% (1.1%-1.8%) in the low SDI quintile to 5.7% (4.2%-7.1%) in the high SDI quintile. While the high SDI quintile had the highest number of new cases in 2019, the middle SDI quintile had the highest number of cancer deaths and DALYs. From 2010 to 2019, the largest percentage increase in the numbers of cases and deaths occurred in the low and low-middle SDI quintiles. The results of this systematic analysis suggest that the global burden of cancer is substantial and growing, with burden differing by SDI. These results provide comprehensive and comparable estimates that can potentially inform efforts toward equitable cancer control around the world.Funding/Support: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. Dr Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management of Kuwait University and the International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Dr Bhaskar acknowledges institutional support from the NSW Ministry of Health and NSW Health Pathology. Dr Bärnighausen was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Dr Braithwaite acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute. Dr Conde acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council ERC Starting Grant agreement No 848325. Dr Costa acknowledges her grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, IP under the Norma Transitória grant DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Dr Ghith acknowledges support from a grant from Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF16OC0021856). Dr Glasbey is supported by a National Institute of Health Research Doctoral Research Fellowship. Dr Vivek Kumar Gupta acknowledges funding support from National Health and Medical Research Council Australia. Dr Haque thanks Jazan University, Saudi Arabia for providing access to the Saudi Digital Library for this research study. Drs Herteliu, Pana, and Ausloos are partially supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Dr Hugo received support from the Higher Education Improvement Coordination of the Brazilian Ministry of Education for a sabbatical period at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, between September 2019 and August 2020. Dr Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges funding by a National Heart Foundation of Australia Fellowship and National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellowship. Dr Jakovljevic acknowledges support through grant OI 175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Dr Katikireddi acknowledges funding from a NHS Research Scotland Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02), the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/2), and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU17). Dr Md Nuruzzaman Khan acknowledges the support of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Bangladesh. Dr Yun Jin Kim was supported by the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2020-C6/ITCM/0004). Dr Koulmane Laxminarayana acknowledges institutional support from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Dr Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigación, which is supported by Panama’s Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación. Dr Loureiro was supported by national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the Scientific Employment Stimulus–Institutional Call (CEECINST/00049/2018). Dr Molokhia is supported by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center at Guy’s and St Thomas’ National Health Service Foundation Trust and King’s College London. Dr Moosavi appreciates NIGEB's support. Dr Pati acknowledges support from the SIAN Institute, Association for Biodiversity Conservation & Research. Dr Rakovac acknowledges a grant from the government of the Russian Federation in the context of World Health Organization Noncommunicable Diseases Office. Dr Samy was supported by a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Dr Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Drs Adithi Shetty and Unnikrishnan acknowledge support given by Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Dr Pavanchand H. Shetty acknowledges Manipal Academy of Higher Education for their research support. Dr Diego Augusto Santos Silva was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil Finance Code 001 and is supported in part by CNPq (302028/2018-8). Dr Zhu acknowledges the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant RP210042

Applying Wells score to inconclusive perfusion only modified PIOPED II (Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis II) readings in order to optimize the lung scintigraphy diagnostic yield in acute pulmonary embolism detection

Objective: When using perfusion only modified PIOPED II criteria for PE detection, generated non-diagnostic scans are found to be the main diagnostic restriction. The objective of current study is to identify the role of Wells criteria added to inconclusive readings with the intent of enhancing the lung scintigraphy diagnostic yield. Methods: CTPA was performed in 34 suspected PE patients with inconclusive lung scintigraphy. They also were evaluated by Wells score and classified as low, intermediate and high probability. Overall prevalence and the rate of PE for each probability were calculated. Furthermore, NPV for scores 6 were computed. Results: Having a mean age of 59.75 ± 17.38 years, 7 (20.6), 23 (67.6) and 4 (11.8) of cases had total criteria point count 6, respectively. Using CTPA, 5 patients (14.7) were diagnosed with PE. None of the patients with scores 6 were diagnosed with PE, implying that the PPV of scores > 6 was 100. Conclusion: Adding Wells score to non-diagnostic scans allowed identification of PE to be done reliably, and provided further insight into how lung scintigraphy in conjunction with clinical assessment is a practical strategy not only for the patients unfit for performing CTPA but also in all the patients referred for PE evaluation. © 2020, The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine