Surgical-only treatment of pancreatic and extra-pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma. Quality of life and survival analysis

Background: Treatment of pancreatic metastases (PM) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still an issue between surgeons and oncologists, in the era of target-therapy. Methods: Data from 26 patients undergoing resection of PM and extra-PM from RCC, with R0 intention were retrospectively analysed. No one received adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were divided into two groups; Group A comprehends 14 patients who developed synchronous (5) or methacronous (9) extra-PM. Group B comprehends 12 patients that developed PM only. Results: No intraoperative mortality was recorded. Complications occurred in 14 patients (53.8%), all but 2 (7.26%) were graded I and II according to Clavien-Dindo classification. Recurrences occurred in 8 patients (30.8%), of whom, 5 (62.5%) were submitted for further resections in other sites. Three-, five- and ten-year observed overall survival were respectively 88,5% [95%CI: 0,56 – 1,33], 76,9% [95%CI: 0,47 – 1,19] and 50% [95%CI: 0,20 – 1,03]. Disease-free survival was 65,4% [95%CI: 0,38 – 1,05], at 3 years, 57,7% [95%CI 0, 323 – 0,952] at 5 years and 42,9% [95%CI 0,157 – 0,933], at 10 years. QoL analysis, through WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, assessed at last available follow up revealed a mean score of 75,9 ± 11,6 on 100 points. Conclusion: Despite no significant differences in survival between patients affected by Pancreatic or Extra- Pancreatic metastases, PM patients seems to show better outcome when managed surgically. mRCC patients, eligible for radical metastasectomy, tend to have long survival rates, reduced recurrence rates and good QoL. Study registration: This paper was registered retrospectively in ClinicalTrials.gov with Identification number: NCT03670992

Fibronectin-1 expression is increased in aggressive thyroid cancer and favors the migration and invasion of cancer cells

n this study we analyzed the expression levels of markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in several papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) and the relation with tumor genotypes and clinicopathological characteristics. The role of fibronectin-1 (FN1) was investigated by analyzing the effects of FN1 silencing in two human thyroid cancer cell lines. Most of EMT markers were significantly over-expressed in a group of 36 PTCs. In particular, FN1 mRNA levels were higher in tumor vs non-tumor tissue (117.3, p < 0.001) and also in aggressive and BRAF(V600E) samples. Similar results were observed (and confirmed at the protein level) when FN1 expression was analyzed in a validation group of 50 PTCs and six lymph node (LN) metastases. Silencing of FN1 in TPC-1 and BCPAP thyroid cancer cells significantly reduced proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion in both cell lines. Collectively, our data indicate that FN1 overexpression is an important determinant of thyroid cancer aggressiveness

In-situ gelled electrolyte for lithium battery: Electrochemical and Raman characterization

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Spontaneous galvanic displacement of Pt nanostructures on nickel foam: Synthesis, characterization and use for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract In this paper we propose the use of spontaneous galvanic displacement as a promising solution to produce nickel foam electrodes functionalized with interconnected platinum nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses, coupled with X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy show that, under proper conditions, we can overcome the limits of other deposition techniques, achieving a uniform Pt coverage throughout the 3D structure of the Ni foam. We show that such a condition, not deeply investigated in previous literature, turns out to be crucial for the long term stability of the electrodes under constant current stress. The amount of Pt on the Ni foam has been experimentally evaluated, obtaining optimal results with 0.015 mg cm−2 of noble metal in a 0.16 cm thick electrode. Such a low amount corresponds to a Ni foam cost increase of less than 0.1%

Ultralow loading electroless deposition of IrOx on nickel foam for efficient and stable water oxidation catalysis

Abstract Photocatalysis and electrolysis are crucial processes for the development of a sustainable, clean energy system, since they enable solar fuel production, such as hydrogen by water splitting, as well as CO2 reduction. In these processes efficient and robust catalysts for water oxidation are required and the reduction of employed amount of noble metals is crucial to reduce costs and increase the sustainability of the technology. To obtain extremely low iridium loading on nickel foam electrodes we have employed electroless deposition by spontaneous galvanic displacement as a simple, low cost, highly scalable technique. After deposition the Ir oxidation has been achieved by annealing in air at 250 °C. By varying the deposition parameters, an optimal condition has been achieved, with an overpotential for water oxidation of 360 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH solution. The Ni foam coverage with Ir oxide has also a positive impact on the electrode stability, strongly decreasing the degradation rate, compared to the case of bare Ni foam. The average amount of noble metal in the best performing electrode is only 35 μg cm−2 for a 1.6 mm thick Ni foam electrode. The proposed approach is highly promising for gas diffusion electrodes, and can be implemented in electrolytic cells, as well as in fuel cells

Testing a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle for spray application in high slope terraced vineyard

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly used for the spraying of pesticides for crop protection in complex geographic terrains that are not easily accessible by operators. This experiment was conducted to investigate the sprayer performance of a commercial UAV, equipped with different types of nozzles, and compare this new technology with the sprayers usually used on small size mountain vineyards (i.e. a knapsack sprayer and a sprayer gun). Field tests were conducted in a small high slope terraced vineyard. The operative parameters of the sprayers were calculated. Data on droplet coverage, density and size were collected by using water sensitive papers attached with clips to the leaves and analysed. The results showed that the working capacity of the UAV was 2-fold that of the sprayer gun 1.6-fold that of the knapsack sprayer. Droplet coverage, density and size were variable and affected by the position of the targets (water sensitive papers) and the type of sprayer used