Quantitative analysis of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in different extracts from ginger plant (Zingiber officinale) and evaluation of their anticancer effect against colorectal cancer cell lines

Objectives: To quantify quercetin, gallic acid, rutin, naringin, and caffeic acid in the rhizome of Zingiber officinale different extracts in seven different solvents (methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, water, dichloromethane, chloroform, and n-hexane), for the first time, using HPLC/UV. Also, to study the anticancer activity of Zingiber officinale different extracts by evaluating its in vitro toxicity on HT-29 colorectal cancer cell line. Methods: The fresh and dried rhizomes were extracted using Soxhlet (SOX) and maceration (MAC) methods. Separation of compounds was conducted using HPLC. The cell line used for MTT cell proliferation assay antiproliferative; is HT-29 (HTB-38) colorectal adenocarcinoma. Results: The MTT test indicated that powder ginger extracted by MAC or SOX showed high cytotoxicity activity (IC50<50) against HT-29 cells, except water using SOX, which showed mild cytotoxicity activity. The fresh ginger extracted by MAC using dichloromethane and those extracted by SOX using ethyl acetate showed strong cytotoxicity activity (IC50 <50). Conclusion: The phenolic and flavonoid contents of ginger can vary depending on the different extracts from ginger plant. Also, HPLC results revealed that quercetin was the highest in all extracts

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Mortality of emergency abdominal surgery in high-, middle- and low-income countries

Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low- or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI). Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression. Results: Data were obtained for 10 745 patients from 357 centres in 58 countries; 6538 were from high-, 2889 from middle- and 1318 from low-HDI settings. The overall mortality rate was 1⋅6 per cent at 24 h (high 1⋅1 per cent, middle 1⋅9 per cent, low 3⋅4 per cent; P < 0⋅001), increasing to 5⋅4 per cent by 30 days (high 4⋅5 per cent, middle 6⋅0 per cent, low 8⋅6 per cent; P < 0⋅001). Of the 578 patients who died, 404 (69⋅9 per cent) did so between 24 h and 30 days following surgery (high 74⋅2 per cent, middle 68⋅8 per cent, low 60⋅5 per cent). After adjustment, 30-day mortality remained higher in middle-income (odds ratio (OR) 2⋅78, 95 per cent c.i. 1⋅84 to 4⋅20) and low-income (OR 2⋅97, 1⋅84 to 4⋅81) countries. Surgical safety checklist use was less frequent in low- and middle-income countries, but when used was associated with reduced mortality at 30 days. Conclusion: Mortality is three times higher in low- compared with high-HDI countries even when adjusted for prognostic factors. Patient safety factors may have an important role. Registration number: NCT02179112 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Self-assembled monolayers on gold made from organothiols containing an Oligophenyl-backbone

Selbstorganisierende Monolagen aus Oligophenyl(di)thiolen auf Au(111) wurden mit den Techniken STM, IR, XPS und LEED untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Oligophenylthiole sich ähnlich verhalten wie n-Alkanthiole, so werden ebenfalls unterschiedliche strukturelle Phasen beim Ordnungsprozess ausgebildet. Die Temperatur der Thiollösung hat einen Einfluss auf die Oberflächenmorphologie, für erhöhte Temperatur sind die Filme fast defektfrei und man beobachtet große Domänen. Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, dass ein Alkan-Zwischenteil zwischen der Schwefel-Kopf-Gruppe und der Phenyl-Einheit einen Einfluss auf die Oberflächenmorphologie, die Molekülanordnung und die Packungsdichte hat. Für Oligophenyldithiole hat sich gezeigt, dass die Zahl der Phenylgruppen im Rückgrad des Moleküls eine wichtige Rolle für die Orientierung der Moleküle spielt. Biphenyldithiole bilden keine geordneten SAMs, Terphenylthiole hingegen bilden hochgeordnete SAMs