Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) modified with Pt and carboxyl groups were designed and the drug molecule-release behaviour was studied by loading cisplatin as a model anticancer drug. The MSNs ...had a high surface area (342 m2 g−1) and dual pores (3.3 and 33.4 nm) with a uniform size. The amount of cisplatin loaded in the nanopores was 74.9 mg g−1. Drug release was approximately two times higher under acidic conditions (pH 4.0) than under neutral conditions (pH 7.3). The cell viability was tested using three types of cancer cells (A549, A2780, and MCF-7). When the drug-free samples (Surfactant-extracted MSNs, COOH-MSNs) were applied at a concentration of 500 μg ml−1, the cancer cell death did not show any differences (Cell survival rate of approximately 82.7–85.7%). On the other hand, cancer cell death was more pronounced with excellent performance when drug-loaded MSNs (Pt/COOH-MSNs) were applied at the same concentration (Cell survival rate 3.6% for A549, 15.8% for A2780, 12.8% for MCF-7, respectively). This result may give more generalised insights in developing effective and universal nanocarrier of an anticancer drug by using multiple cell lines instead of using any single cancer cell line.
Display omitted
•A mesoporous silica with carboxyl groups was designed as a support for loading of cisplatin.•The mesoporous silica was synthesized hydrothermally using tetraethyl orthosilicate and cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate.•The cisplatin as anticancer drug in nanopores showed the controlled release behavior by pH stimuli (pH 4.0 and 7.3).•The cisplatin-loaded hybrid (Pt/COOH-MSNs) exhibited good anticancer activity for three cells, i.e. A549, A2780, and MCF-7.•Pt/COOH-MSNs could give more generalised insights in developing effective and universal nanocarrier of an anticancer drug.
Concentration is critical: Amine/isocyanate polycondensation below the critical gelation concentration cg affords a sol of growing microporous molecular‐network nanoparticles rather than a gelated ...network (see picture, for model of particle: NCO red, NH2 blue, tetrahedral cross‐link point gray). Further growth to form monolithic networks occurs on solvent evaporation, analogous to sol–gel synthesis of inorganic oxide networks.
Biomarkers are needed for noninvasive early detection of gastric cancer (GC). We investigated salivary extracellular RNA (exRNA) biomarkers as potential clinical evaluation tools for GC.
Unstimulated ...whole saliva samples were prospectively collected from 294 individuals (163 GC and 131 non-GC patients) who underwent endoscopic evaluation at the Samsung Medical Center in Korea. Salivary transcriptomes of 63 GC and 31 non-GC patients were profiled, and mRNA biomarker candidates were verified with reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). In parallel, microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers were profiled and verified with saliva samples from 10 GC and 10 non-GC patients. Candidate biomarkers were validated with RT-qPCR in an independent cohort of 100/100 saliva samples from GC and non-GC patients. Validated individual markers were configured into a best performance panel.
We identified 30 mRNA and 15 miRNA candidates whose expression pattern associated with the presence of GC. Among them, 12 mRNA and 6 miRNA candidates were verified with the discovery cohort by RT-qPCR and further validated with the independent cohort (n = 200). The configured biomarker panel consisted of 3 mRNAs (
,
, and
) and 2 miRNAs (
and
), which were all significantly down-regulated in the GC group, and yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.72-0.89). When combined with demographic factors, the AUC of the biomarker panel reached 0.87 (95% CI, 0.80-0.93).
We have discovered and validated a panel of salivary exRNA biomarkers with credible clinical performance for the detection of GC. Our study demonstrates the potential utility of salivary exRNA biomarkers in screening and risk assessment for GC.
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a newly emerging class of materials that show attractive mechanical properties for structural applications. Particularly, face-centered cubic (fcc) structured HEAs and ...medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) such as FeMnCoNiCr and CoNiCr alloys, respectively, which exhibit superior fracture toughness and tensile properties at liquid nitrogen temperature, are the potential HEA materials available for cryogenic applications. Here, we report a ferrous Fe60Co15Ni15Cr10 (at%) MEA exhibiting combination of cryogenic tensile strength of ∼1.5 GPa and ductility of ∼87% due to the multiple-stage strain hardening. Astonishingly, detailed microstructural observations at each stage reveal the sequential operation of deformation-induced phase transformation from parent fcc to newly formed bcc (body-centered cubic) phases. No compositional heterogeneity is observed at phase boundaries, indicating diffusionless phase transformation, as confirmed by atom probe tomography. The transformation to bcc phase occurs predominantly along grain boundaries (GBs) at the early stage of plastic deformation. Simultaneously, numerous deformation-induced shear bands (SBs) having stacking faults associated to the Shockley partial dislocations and thin hcp plates, form within fcc grains. Further deformation leads to the intense nucleation and growth of the bcc phase at the intersections of SBs within fcc grains. These micro-processes consecutively enhance the strain hardening rate, which play a key role in the multiple strain hardening behavior. The in-situ neutron diffraction studies make it clear that the martensite formation and the concurrent load partitioning between the fcc and bcc phases play an important role in the increase in strength. Furthermore, replacing high-cost alloying elements cobalt and nickel with iron, as well as introduction of metastability-engineering at liquid nitrogen temperature, distinguishes the new ferrous MEAs from previously reported equiatomic HEAs. This result underlines insights to provide expanded opportunities for the future development of HEAs for cryogenic applications.
Display omitted
Abstract Objective Although malnutrition is common in cancer patients in Korea, little attention is paid to its risks and consequences. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and ...risk factors of malnutrition in hospitalized cancer patients according to tumor location and stage. Methods Of 14 972 cancer patients admitted to the National Cancer Center, screening examinations were carried out for 12 112 patients and nutritional status was assessed in 8895 patients. Information on age, sex, length of hospital stay, and tumor location and stage were collected from the electronic medical records system. The nutritional status of each subject was assessed using body mass index, serum albumin, total lymphocyte count, and diet and classified into three groups: high risk, moderate risk, and low risk of malnutrition. Results About 61% of hospitalized patients were malnourished and the prevalence of malnutrition was higher in male patients with longer hospital stays (60.2%, P = 0.0101) and readmitted patients (66.6%, P < 0.0001). Patients with liver and lung cancer (86.6% and 60.5%, respectively) and patients with advanced cancer stage (60.5%, III or IV) had a higher prevalence of malnutrition than other patients ( P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis showed that patients with advanced cancer stage and longer hospital stay and readmitted patients were at a higher risk for malnutrition. Conclusion The prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized cancer patients was high and varied across tumor location and stage. Early identification of malnutrition status is required for proper nutritional intervention during hospitalization.
Acute isovolemic anemia occurs when blood loss is replaced with fluid. It is often observed after surgery and negatively influences short-term and long-term outcomes.
To evaluate the efficacy and ...safety of ferric carboxymaltose to treat acute isovolemic anemia following gastrectomy.
The FAIRY trial was a patient-blinded, randomized, phase 3, placebo-controlled, 12-week study conducted between February 4, 2013, and December 15, 2015, in 7 centers across the Republic of Korea. Patients with a serum hemoglobin level of 7 g/dL to less than 10 g/dL at 5 to 7 days following radical gastrectomy were included.
Patients were randomized to receive a 1-time or 2-time injection of 500 mg or 1000 mg of ferric carboxymaltose according to body weight (ferric carboxymaltose group, 228 patients) or normal saline (placebo group, 226 patients).
The primary end point was the number of hemoglobin responders, defined as a hemoglobin increase of 2 g/dL or more from baseline, a hemoglobin level of 11 g/dL or more, or both at week 12. Secondary end points included changes in hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin saturation levels over time, percentage of patients requiring alternative anemia management (oral iron, transfusion, or both), and quality of life at weeks 3 and 12.
Among 454 patients who were randomized (mean age, 61.1 years; women, 54.8%; mean baseline hemoglobin level, 9.1 g/dL), 96.3% completed the trial. At week 12, the number of hemoglobin responders was significantly greater for ferric carboxymaltose vs placebo (92.2% 200 patients for the ferric carboxymaltose group vs 54.0% 115 patients for the placebo group; absolute difference, 38.2% 95% CI, 33.6%-42.8%; P = .001). Compared with the placebo group, patients in the ferric carboxymaltose group experienced significantly greater improvements in serum ferritin level (week 12: 233.3 ng/mL for the ferric carboxymaltose group vs 53.4 ng/mL for the placebo group; absolute difference, 179.9 ng/mL 95% CI, 150.2-209.5; P = .001) and transferrin saturation level (week 12: 35.0% for the ferric carboxymaltose group vs 19.3% for the placebo group; absolute difference, 15.7% 95% CI, 13.1%-18.3%; P = .001); but there were no significant differences in quality of life. Patients in the ferric carboxymaltose group required less alternative anemia management than patients in the placebo group (1.4% for the ferric carboxymaltose group vs 6.9% for the placebo group; absolute difference, 5.5% 95% CI, 3.3%-7.6%; P = .006). The total rate of adverse events was higher in the ferric carboxymaltose group (15 patients 6.8%, including injection site reactions 5 patients and urticaria 5 patients) than the placebo group (1 patient 0.4%), but no severe adverse events were reported in either group.
Among adults with isovolemic anemia following radical gastrectomy, the use of ferric carboxymaltose compared with placebo was more likely to result in improved hemoglobin response at 12 weeks.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01725789.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) after laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) compared with open distal gastrectomy (ODG) in patients with early gastric ...cancer.
LADG has been beneficial in terms of pain, recovery, and morbidity when compared with open surgery with equal oncologic outcome. There has been no clinical study on QOL.
From July 2003 to November 2005, 164 patients with newly diagnosed cT1N0M0 and cT1N1M0 distal gastric cancer were randomly assigned either to LADG or ODG. All patients were asked to complete the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22 questionnaires preoperatively and postoperatively on regular follow-up visits.
Statistically significant differences were observed with a more favorable outcome noted in the LADG group with respect to intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.001), total amount of analgesics used (P = 0.019), the size of the wound (P < 0.0001), postoperative hospital stay (P < 0.0001), and QOL parameters of global health (P < 0.0001). Most of the scales on patient functioning including physical (P < 0.0005), role (P = 0.0011), emotional (P < 0.0001), social (P < 0.0001), and symptom scales such as fatigue (P < 0.0001), pain (P < 0.0001), appetite loss (P = 0.031), sleep disturbance (P = 0.003), dysphasia (P = 0.0024), gastro-esophageal reflux (P = 0.0127), dietary restriction (P = 0.0004), anxiety (P = 0.0036), dry mouth (P = 0.0007), and body image (P < 0.0001) were also significantly better in the LADG group compared with the ODG group.
Comparison of LADG to ODG in patients with early gastric cancer resulted in improved QOL outcomes in the patients followed for up to 3 months in the LADG group.
Dietary education is regarded as an important and useful tool for influencing nutritional status. Since long, dietary education has been performed to improve the nutritional status of patients after ...a gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simplified dietary education on the nutritional status of patients after a gastrectomy. A total of 1,150 patients with gastric cancer underwent surgery between March 2014 and October 2015 at the Samsung Medical Center (SMC). Of these, we used the case-control matching method (1:1 match) by stratifying the factors of age and sex and included 100 patients in each group. The clinicopathologic data of the patients for two years after the gastrectomy were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. The educated group (ED, N = 100) was provided with a simplified, ordinary dietary education at regular outpatient clinic visits that occurred at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after gastrectomy and at 1-year intervals thereafter. The clinicopathologic characteristics and nutritional parameters of the educated group (ED) (N = 100) and the non-educated group (NED) (n = 100) were compared. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of clinical characteristics and serological parameters. Nutritional parameters, which included body weight loss, body mass index (BMI) change, and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), were also not significantly different between the two groups. Simplified dietary education at regular outpatient clinic visits was ineffective in reducing weight loss after a subtotal gastrectomy. Further research or other methods may be needed to reduce weight loss after a gastrectomy.
To compare chemotherapy alone with chemoradiation therapy in stage III-IV(M0) gastric cancer treated with R0 gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection.
The chemotherapy arm received 5 cycles of ...fluorouracil and leucovorin (FL), and the chemoradiation therapy arm received 1 cycle of FL, then radiation therapy of 45 Gy concurrently with 2 cycles of FL, followed by 2 cycles of FL. Intent-to-treat analysis and per-protocol analyses were performed.
Between May 6, 2002 and June 29, 2006, a total of 90 patients were enrolled. Forty-four were randomly assigned to the chemotherapy arm and 46 to the chemoradiation therapy arm. Treatment was completed as planned by 93.2% of patients in the chemotherapy arm and 87.0% in the chemoradiation therapy arm. Overall intent-to-treat analysis showed that addition of radiation therapy to chemotherapy significantly improved locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) but not disease-free survival. In subgroup analysis for stage III, chemoradiation therapy significantly prolonged the 5-year LRRFS and disease-free survival rates compared with chemotherapy (93.2% vs 66.8%, P=.014; 73.5% vs 54.6%, P=.056, respectively).
Addition of radiation therapy to chemotherapy could improve the LRRFS in stage III gastric cancer treated with R0 gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection.
We demonstrate the synthesis of a microporous covalent‐network membrane derived from co‐continuous blends of a porogenic urea network and a polyimide (PI). We show that the urea networks in the PI ...matrix may be thermally rearranged while selectively expelling small molecular fragments, thereby forming a new network bearing reticular microporous molecular pathways. The porous structures enable reverse‐selective gas separation, efficiently blocking carbon dioxide to which most polymeric membranes exhibit selective permeability. The proposed method for fabricating microporous organic membranes with highly tunable porosities using a variety of chemical structures and processing parameters is facile and shows promise for the creation of new membrane‐based molecular‐separation techniques.
Selective networking: Reticular microporous channels are generated in situ throughout a urea‐based network film by selective expulsion of molecular fragments during a thermal rearrangement. The nanocomposite membranes exhibited unusual reverse‐selective gas‐transport properties, rejecting carbon dioxide while transporting different gases.
PDF
