Background: It has been noted that olfactory and gustatory disturbances may precede or accompany the typical features of COVID-19, such as fever and cough. Hence, a high index of suspicion is ...required when patients report sudden loss of smell or taste, in order to facilitate timely diagnosis and isolation.
Aims/objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of olfactory and gustatory disturbances in COVID-19 positive patients from a cohort representative of Melbourne, Australia.
Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Standardised phone consultations and online follow-up questionnaires were performed to assess clinical features of COVID-19, with a focus on smell and taste disorders.
Results: The most frequent symptoms experienced were taste and smell disturbances with 74% experiencing either smell or taste disturbance or both. Post-recovery, 34% of patients continued to experience ongoing hyposmia and 2% anosmia, whereas 28% continued to suffer from hypogeusia or ageusia.
Conclusion and significance: This study presents the high rates of improvement of both olfactory and gustatory disturbance in a short-lived period. It also highlights the importance of these symptoms in prompting appropriate testing, quarantine precautions, initiate early olfactory retraining and the potential for continued sensory disturbance.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Otogenic skull base osteomyelitis (OSBO) is rare and potentially fatal sequelae of otitis externa. Accurate and timely diagnosis is important due to rising incidence, morbidity and costs associated ...with treatment. Consensus on the diagnostic approach for OSBO has yet to be reached, in particular the utility of imaging modalities.
This study reviews a single institution's high-volume experience of OSBO, with the aim of analysing clinicopathologic features and imaging studies to develop a diagnostic algorithm.
A retrospective review of patients admitted with OSBO from 2009 to 2019, was performed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 103 patients with 106 unique episodes of suspected OSBO were selected. De-identified information including patient demographics, clinicopathologic features and imaging outcomes was recorded and analysed.
HbA1c ≥ 7% significantly predicted for OSBO in univariate (OR 7.83, 95% CI 1.85-33.16, p = 0.01) and multivariate analyses (OR 5.21, 95% CI 1.05-25.81, p = 0.04). The CT/technetium-99m/gallium-67 combination produced better diagnostic accuracy for OSBO (AUROC 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-1), when compared to a CT/MRI combination (AUROC 0.86, 95% CI 0.79-0.93).
Once there is a clinical suspicion for OSBO, diagnosis is established by synthesising results from clinical assessment, pathologic investigations and imaging modalities. The imaging utilised to diagnose OSBO should vary according to the clinical situation and limitations of each modality.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Converting polystyrene into value-added oxygenated aromatic compounds is an attractive end-of-life upcycling strategy. However, identification of appropriate catalysts often involves laborious and ...time-consuming empirical screening. Herein, after demonstrating the feasibility of using acridinium salts for upcycling polystyrene into benzoic acid by photoredox catalysis for the first time, we applied low-cost descriptor-based combinatorial
in silico
screening to predict the photocatalytic performance of a family of potential candidates. Through this approach, we identified a non-intuitive fluorinated acridinium catalyst that outperforms other candidates for converting polystyrene to benzoic acid in useful yields at low catalyst loadings (≤5 mol%). In addition, this catalyst also proved effective with real-life polystyrene waste containing dyes and additives. Our study underscores the potential of computer-aided catalyst design for valorizing polymeric waste into essential chemical feedstock for a more sustainable future.
Computational-assisted catalyst design facilitates identification of a potent non-intuitive fluorinated acridinium catalyst for aerobic photoredox conversion of polystyrene to benzoic acid.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
Post-synthetic functionalisation of commodity polymers such as polyethylene (PE) is an increasingly important strategy for giving waste plastics new 'lease-of-lives' as functional polymers. In ...particular, installing oxygenated functional groups such as alcohols and ketones is valuable due to their chemical versatility for further chemical modifications. However, this is especially challenging for PE due to its unreactive nature, and often requires hazardous and environmentally damaging chlorinated solvents owing to PE's excellent solvent resistance. Herein, we demonstrate a highly selective method to install isolated carbonyl groups on PE using only benzaldehyde and O
2
as a terminal oxidant, without the need for stoichiometric organic oxidants or any hazardous organic solvents. This process relies on the aerobic auto-oxidation of benzaldehyde to benzoic acid, generating reactive radical intermediates in the process that are responsible for both C-H activation and exclusive carbonyl formation. Our method is compatible with copper(
ii
) oxidation catalysts to enhance the extent of PE oxidation, and can also minimise the waste produced as the benzoic acid side product can be easily isolated and reused for different applications. The versatility of carbonyl-containing PEs for further chemical derivatisation offers many exciting options for transforming waste PE into diverse polymeric materials for a materials circular economy.
A solvent-free approach for the post-synthetic functionalisation of polyethylene with carbonyl groups exclusively is described using oxygen as the oxidant, with industrially-relevant benzoic acid being the sole organic side product of the reaction.
Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) is a secreted enzyme critical for host defense. We discover an intrinsic RNase function, serving as a ligand for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of ...receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The closely related bovine RNase A and human RNase 5 (angiogenin ANG) can trigger oncogenic transformation independently of their catalytic activities via direct association with EGFR. Notably, high plasma ANG level in PDAC patients is positively associated with response to EGFR inhibitor erlotinib treatment. These results identify a role of ANG as a serum biomarker that may be used to stratify patients for EGFR-targeted therapies, and offer insights into the ligand-receptor relationship between RNase and RTK families.
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•ANG acts as an EGFR ligand in an RNase catalytic-independent manner•Depletion of ANG highlights an oncogenic role of the ANG-EGFR axis in PDAC•High ANG level serves as a serum biomarker to predict erlotinib response•New insight into ligand-receptor relationship between RTK and RNase families
Wang et al. identify angiogenin (ANG) as a ligand for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). ANG-mediated EGFR activation can trigger oncogenic transformation, and high ANG in the plasma of pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients positively correlates with response to the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Extranodal natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is an aggressive type of lymphoma associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and characterized by heterogeneous tumor behaviors. To better understand ...the origins of the heterogeneity, this study utilizes single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) analysis to profile the tumor microenvironment (TME) of NKTCL at the single‐cell level. Together with in vitro and in vivo models, the study identifies a subset of LMP1+ malignant NK cells contributing to the tumorigenesis and development of heterogeneous malignant cells in NKTCL. Furthermore, malignant NK cells interact with various immunocytes via chemokines and their receptors, secrete substantial DPP4 that impairs the chemotaxis of immunocytes and regulates their infiltration. They also exhibit an immunosuppressive effect on T cells, which is further boosted by LMP1. Moreover, high transcription of EBV‐encoded genes and low infiltration of tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) are favorable prognostic indicators for NKTCL in multiple patient cohorts. This study for the first time deciphers the heterogeneous composition of NKTCL TME at single‐cell resolution, highlighting the crucial role of malignant NK cells with EBV‐encoded LMP1 in reshaping the cellular landscape and fostering an immunosuppressive microenvironment. These findings provide insights into understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of NKTCL and developing novel therapeutic strategies against NKTCL.
Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing analysis and functional investigations uncover the pivotal role of EBV, particularly the viral gene LMP1, in the malignant transformation and progression of NKTCL. Malignant NK cells entertain with immune cells to jointly foster an immunosuppressive TME favorable for NKTCL development. Targeting TME components, including LMP1 and DPP4, emerges as a potential therapeutic strategy against NKTCL.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Petroleum-based polyolefin plastics currently possess highly unsustainable cradle-to-grave linear life cycles. Using them as a resource for the production of new functional polymers not only ...decreases the generated waste but also reduces our reliance on petroleum-derived monomers for traditional bottom-up synthesis of new polymeric materials. Herein, we demonstrate that polyethylene (PE), the most abundant plastic in production today, can be transformed into low-molecular-weight water-soluble antimicrobial polymers. In this proof-of-concept study, organocatalytic C–H aerobic oxidation of PE was first achieved to append reactive oxygenated and chloro functional groups onto the inert polymer chains, followed by further chemical modifications to form water-soluble amphiphilic polymers. Our first-generation polymer showed antimicrobial efficacy against opportunistic pathogenic Candida fungi without appreciable hemolysis even at high concentrations (2 mg/mL). The PE-derived antimicrobial polymer may find applications to combat the spread of fungal pathogens.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
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