Immobilization of gold nanoclusters inside porous electrospun fibers for selective detection of Cu(II): A strategic approach to shielding pristine performance

Here, a distinct demonstration of highly sensitive and selective detection of copper (Cu2+) in a vastly porous cellulose acetate fibers (pCAF) has been carried out using dithiothreitol capped gold nanocluster (DTT.AuNC) as fluorescent probe. A careful optimization of all potential factors affecting the performance of the probe for effective detection of Cu2+ were studied and the resultant sensor strip exhibiting unique features including high stability, retained parent fluorescence nature and reproducibility. The visual colorimetric detection of Cu2+ in water, presenting the selective sensing performance towards Cu2+ ions over Zn2+, Cd2+ and Hg2+ under UV light in naked eye, contrast to other metal ions that didn't significantly produce such a change. The comparative sensing performance of DTT.AuNC@pCAF, keeping the nonporous CA fiber (DTT.AuNC@nCAF) as a support matrix has been demonstrated. The resulting weak response of DTT.AuNC@nCAF denotes the lack of ligand protection leading to the poor coordination ability with Cu2+. The determined detection limit (50 ppb) is far lower than the maximum level of Cu2+ in drinking water (1.3 ppm) set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An interesting find from this study has been the specific oxidation nature between Cu2+ and DTT.AuNC, offering solid evidence for selective sensors

Chemistry of Protein-Phenolic Interactions Toward the Microbiota and Microbial Infections

Along with health concerns, interest in plants as food and bioactive phytochemical sources has been increased in the last few decades. Phytochemicals as secondary plant metabolites have been the subject of many studies in different fields. Breakthrough for research interest on this topic is re-juvenilized with rising relevance in this global pandemics\u27 era. The recent COVID-19 pandemic attracted the attention of people to viral infections and molecular mechanisms behind these infections. Thus, the core of the present review is the interaction of plant phytochemicals with proteins as these interactions can affect the functions of co-existing proteins, especially focusing on microbial proteins. To the best of our knowledge, there is no work covering the protein-phenolic interactions based on their effects on microbiota and microbial infections. The present review collects and defines the recent data, representing the interactions of phenolic compounds -primarily flavonoids and phenolic acids- with various proteins and explores how these molecular-level interactions account for the human health directly and/or indirectly, such as increased antioxidant properties and antimicrobial capabilities. Furthermore, it provides an insight about the further biological activities of interacted protein-phenolic structure from an antiviral activity perspective. The research on the protein-phenolic interaction mechanisms is of great value for guiding how to take advantage of synergistic effects of proteins and polyphenolics for future medical and nutritive approaches and related technologies

20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years

The administration of endocrine therapy for 5 years substantially reduces recurrence rates during and after treatment in women with early-stage, estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Extending such therapy beyond 5 years offers further protection but has additional side effects. Obtaining data on the absolute risk of subsequent distant recurrence if therapy stops at 5 years could help determine whether to extend treatment

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

"nanotraps" in porous electrospun fibers for effective removal of lead(II) in water

Here, we have put in conscientious effort to demonstrate the careful design of binding sites in fibers and their stability for enhanced adsorption of metal ions, which has proven to be a challenging task until now. Dithiothreitol capped gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are successfully encapsulated into a cavity in the form of pores in electrospun porous cellulose acetate fibers (pCAFs) and their assembly creates a "nanotrap" for effective capture of Pb2+. The enhanced immobilization capacity of AuNCs into the interiors of the fibers and their non-aggregated nature offer enhanced adsorption sites, thus reaching maximum extraction capacity up to 1587 mg g-1 for Pb2+. The remarkable finding from this approach has shown that the diffusion of Pb2+ into the interiors of the AuNC encapsulated porous cellulose acetate fiber (pCAF/AuNC) is in line with the penetration depth of AuNCs. The effectiveness of the pCAF/AuNC has been compared with that of the AuNC decorated non-porous cellulose acetate fibers (nCAF/AuNC). The findings have shown a remarkable improvement in the adsorption efficiency by increasing the availability and stability of adsorption sites in the pCAF/AuNC. We strongly believe that the proposed approach might provide a new insight into developing nanotraps to eliminate the usual limitations including denaturation of adsorbents on supported matrices. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016

Prophylactic Administration of Histamine 1 and/or Histamine 2 Receptor Blockers in the Prevention of Heparin- and Protamine-Related Haemodynamic Effects

The efficacy of prophylactic administration of H1 and H2 receptor blockers to prevent adverse haemodynamic responses to heparin and protamine was studied. The control group (n = 10) received no histamine receptor blocker; group HI (n = 10) received oral terfenadine 60 mg, group H2 (n = 10) received oral ranitidine 300 mg, and group H1 + H2 (n 10) received both terfenadine and ranitidine on the night before the operation and on call to the operating room. Heparin sulphate 300 U/kg was injected directly into the right atrium, and protamine hydrochloride was administered at the conclusion of bypass over at least three minutes through a peripheral route. Following the injection of heparin, plasma histamine-like activity (H-LA) was increased significantly in all four groups. While systolic, diastolic, mean arterial and central venous pressures were decreased significantly in the control group, no significant changes were observed in the HI and H2 groups. Protamine infusion did not lead to an increase in H-LA. Prophylactic administration of histamine receptor blockers (H1 or H2) attenuated the heparin-induced adverse haemodynamic response but did not change the protamine-related haemodynamic effects. Factors other than histamine may play a major role in protamine induced cardiovascular changes.Wo