Under dark conditions, we systematically study on antibacterial mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles and found that the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles results from the attachment of ZnO to ...bacterial cell walls and subsequent release of Zn2+ ions to the bacterial cytoplasm.
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To evaluate the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) in the absence of a light source, we examined three different types of nanoparticles that vary in size and the number of oxygen defect sites. Colony forming units (CFU) and various microscopic investigations revealed that the antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles under dark conditions was not related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and nanoparticles transfection, but depended on the ZnO attachment to bacterial cell walls and increasing concentrations of Zn2+ ions in the bacterial cytoplasm due to local dissolution of the attached ZnO.
Background & Aims Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) is an alternative to percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) for patients with acute, ...high-risk, or advanced-stage cholecystitis who do not respond to initial medical treatment and cannot undergo emergency cholecystectomy. However, the technical feasibility, efficacy, and safety of EUS-GBD and PTGBD have not been compared. Methods Fifty-nine patients with acute cholecystitis, who did not respond to initial medical treatment and were unsuitable for an emergency cholecystectomy, were chosen randomly to undergo EUS-GBD (n = 30) or PTGBD (n = 29). The technical feasibility, efficacy, and safety of EUS-GBD and PTGBD were compared. Results EUS-GBD and PTGBD showed similar technical (97% 29 of 30 vs 97% 28 of 29; 95% 1-sided confidence interval lower limit, −7%; P = .001 for noninferiority margin of 15%) and clinical (100% 29 of 29 vs 96% 27 of 28; 95% 1-sided confidence interval lower limit, −2%; P = .0001 for noninferiority margin of 15%) success rates, and similar rates of complications (7% 2 of 30 vs 3% 1 of 29; P = .492 in the Fisher exact test) and conversions to open cholecystectomy (9% 2 of 23 vs 12% 3 of 26; P = .999 in the Fisher exact test). The median post-procedure pain score was significantly lower after EUS-GBD than after PTGBD (1 vs 5; P < .001 in the Mann–Whitney U test). Conclusions EUS-GBD is comparable with PTGBD in terms of the technical feasibility and efficacy; there were no statistical differences in the safety. EUS-GBD is a good alternative for high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis who cannot undergo an emergency cholecystectomy.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a promising treatment modality for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). We evaluated the clinical outcomes of SBRT in patients with LAPC.
We ...retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients with LAPC who underwent SBRT at our institution between April 2011 and July 2016. Fiducial markers were implanted using endoscopic ultrasound guidance one week prior to 4-dimensional computed tomography (CT) simulation and daily cone beam CT was used for image guidance. Patients received volumetric modulated arc therapy or intensity modulated radiotherapy using respiratory gating technique. A median dose of 28 Gy (range, 24-36 Gy) was given over four consecutive fractions delivered within one week. Survival outcomes including freedom from local disease progression (FFLP), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Acute and late toxicities related to SBRT were assessed.
A total of 95 patients with LAPC were analyzed, 52 of which (54.7%) had pancreatic head cancers. Most (94.7%) had received gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. The 1-year FFLP rate was 80.1%. Median OS and PFS were 16.7 months and 10.2 months, respectively; the 1-year OS and PFS rates were 67.4% and 42.9%, respectively. Among 79 patients who experienced failure, the sites of first failures were isolated local progressions in 12 patients (15.2%), distant metastasis in 55 patients (69.6%), and both in 12 patients (15.2%). Seven patients (7.4%) were able to undergo surgical resection after SBRT and four had margin-negative resections. Three patients (3.2%) had grade 3 nausea/vomiting during SBRT, and late grade 3 toxicity was observed in another three patients.
LAPC patients who received chemotherapy and SBRT had favorable FFLP and OS with minimal treatment-related toxicity. The most common pattern of failure was distant metastasis, which warrants further studies on the optimal scheme of chemotherapy and SBRT.
Objectives
To intraindividually compare the diagnostic performance of CT and MRI in differentiating non-diffuse-type autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA).
Methods
...Sixty-one patients with non-diffuse-type AIP and 122 patients with PDA, who underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced CT and MRI with MR pancreatography, were included. Two blinded radiologists independently rated their confidence in differentiating the two diseases on a 5-point scale, and the diagnostic performances of CT and MRI were compared. The presence of key imaging features to differentiate AIP and PDA were compared between CT and MRI.
Results
The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was significantly greater on MRI (0.993–0.995) than on CT (0.953–0.976) for both raters (
p
≤0.035). The sensitivities of MRI were higher than those of CT for the diagnosis of AIP (88.5–90.2% vs. 77–80.3%,
p
≤0.07) and PDA (97.5–99.2% vs. 91.8–94.3%,
p
≤0.031) for both raters, although the difference for AIP was statistically marginal (
p
=0.07) for rater 1. In AIP, multiple pancreatic masses, delayed homogeneous enhancement of the pancreatic mass, and multiple main pancreatic duct (MPD) strictures were observed significantly more frequently using MRI than CT (
p
≤0.008). In PDA, discrete pancreatic mass and MPD stricture were observed significantly more frequently using MRI than CT (
p
≤0.012).
Conclusions
The diagnostic performance of MRI is better for differentiating non-diffuse-type AIP from PDA, which is due to the superiority of MRI over CT in demonstrating the key distinguishing features of both diseases.
Key Points
•
Imaging differential diagnosis of non-diffuse-type AIP and PDA is challenging.
•
MRI has better diagnostic performance than CT in differentiating non-diffuse-type AIP from PDA.
•
MRI is superior to CT in demonstrating key distinguishing features of non-diffuse-type AIP and PDA.
Redox‐active organic electrode materials have garnered considerable interest as an emerging alternative to currently widespread inorganic‐(or metal)‐based counterparts in lithium‐ion batteries ...(LIBs). Practical use of these materials, however, has posed a challenge due to their electrically insulating nature, limited specific capacity, and poor electrochemical durability. Here, a new class of multiwalled‐carbon‐nanotube‐(MWCNT)‐cored, meso‐tetrakis(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrinato cobalt (CoTCPP) is demonstrated as a 1D nanohybrid (denoted as CC‐nanohybrid) strategy to develop an advanced LIB anode. CoTCPP, which is one of the metalloporphyrins having multielectron redox activities, shows strong noncovalent interactions with MWCNTs due to its conjugated π‐bonds, resulting in successful formation of the CC‐nanohybrids. The structural uniqueness of the CC‐nanohybrid facilitates electron transport and electrolyte accessibility, thereby improving their redox kinetics. Inspired by the 1D structure of the CC‐nanohybrid, all‐fibrous nanomat anode sheets are fabricated through concurrent electrospraying/electrospinning processes. The resulting nanomat anode sheets, driven by their 3D bicontinuous ion/electron conduction pathways, provide fast lithiation/delithiation kinetics, eventually realizing the well‐distinguishable lithiation behavior of CoTCPP. Notably, the nanomat anode sheets exhibit exceptional electrochemical performance (≈226 mAh gsheet
−1 and >1500 cycles at 5 C) and mechanical flexibility that lie far beyond those achievable with conventional LIB anode technologies.
Carbon‐nanotube‐cored cobalt porphyrin is presented as a 1D nanohybrid strategy for the development of an advanced lithium‐ion battery anode. The chemical/structural uniqueness of the nanohybrid contributes to the redox kinetics. Notably, all‐fibrous nanomat anode sheets based on the nanohybrid provide exceptional electrochemical performance (≈226 mAh gsheet
−1 and >1500 cycles at 5 C) and mechanical flexibility.
Treatment strategies for small pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) <2 cm in size are still under debate. The feasibility and safety of EUS-guided ethanol ablation (EUS-EA) have been ...demonstrated. However, sample sizes in previous studies were small with no comparative studies on surgery. Therefore, we aimed to compare the safety and long-term outcomes of EUS-EA with those of surgery for the management of nonfunctioning small PNETs.
We retrospectively reviewed patients with PNETs who were managed by EUS-EA (from 2011 to 2018) and surgery (from 2000 to 2018) at Asan Medical Center. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to increase comparability. The primary outcome was early and late major adverse events (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥III) after treatment. Secondary outcomes were 10-year overall (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates, length of hospital stay, and development of endocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Of all patients, 97 and 188 patients were included in the EUS-EA and surgery groups, respectively. PSM created 89 matched pairs. EUS-EA was associated with a significantly lower rate of early major adverse events (0% vs 11.2%, P = .003). Late major adverse events occurred more frequently after surgery, with no significant difference between groups (3.4% vs 10.1%, P = .07). Both treatment modalities showed comparable 10-year OS and DSS rates. The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the EUS-EA group (4 days vs 14.1 days, P < .001), and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency was less common after EUS-EA than after surgery (33.3% vs 48.6%, P = .121).
EUS-EA had fewer adverse events and a shorter hospital stay with similar OS and DSS rates compared with surgery, suggesting that EUS-EA may be a preferred alternative to surgical resection in selected patients with nonfunctioning small PNETs.
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Global climate change accompanied by continuous increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and temperature affects the growth and yield of important crops. The present study ...investigated the effect of elevated temperature and CO2 concentrations on the growth, yield, and photosynthesis of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Superior) crops using Korean Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Research chambers that allow the regulation of temperature and CO2 concentration under daylight conditions. Based on the average temperature from 1991 to 2010 in the Jeonju area, South Korea, potato plants were exposed to four different conditions: ambient weather (400 μmol mol-1, aCaT), elevated temperature (+4°C, aCeT), elevated CO2 concentration (800 μmol mol-1, eCaT), and concurrently elevated CO2 concentration and temperature (eCeT). Under aCeT conditions, the temperature exceeded the optimal growth temperature range towards the late growth phase that decreased stomatal conductance and canopy net photosynthetic rate and subsequently reduced biomass and tuber yield. Stomatal conductance and chlorophyll concentration were lower under eCaT conditions than under aCaT conditions, whereas late-growth phase biomass and tuber yield were greater. Compared to other conditions, eCeT yielded a distinct increase in growth and development and canopy net photosynthetic rate during tuber initiation and bulking. Consequently, biomass and canopy net photosynthesis increased, and tuber yield increased by 20.3%, which could be attributed to the increased tuber size, rather than increased tuber number. Elevated CO2 reduced chlorophyll, magnesium, and phosphorus concentrations; reducing nitrogen concentration (by approximately 39.7%) increased the C:N ratio. The data indicate that future climate conditions will likely change nutrient concentration and quality of crops. The present study shows that while elevated temperature may negatively influence the growth and yield of potato crops, especially towards the late-growth phase, the concurrent and appropriate elevation of CO2 and temperature could promote balanced development of source and sink organs and positively effect potato productivity and quality.
The ratiometric fluorescent probe B6S, which contains pyrene as a fluorophore and imidazoline-2-thione as a reactive site, was developed for detection of hypochlorite (OCl–). B6S displays a high ...specificity toward OCl– in contrast to other reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. The probe has a low detection limit and operates under biological conditions. Moreover, the low cytotoxicity of B6S enables it to be utilized effectively for OCl– imaging in living cells and tissues by using two-photon microscopy. The findings indicate that B6S has the capability of serving as a probe to explore the biological functions of OCl– in living systems.
Background and Aims Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been used as a valuable treatment modality for various unresectable malignancies. EUS-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) of the porcine ...pancreas was reported to be feasible and safe in our previous study, suggesting that EUS-RFA may be applicable as an adjunct and effective alternative treatment method for unresectable pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to assess the technical feasibility and safety of EUS-RFA for unresectable pancreatic cancer. Methods An 18-gauge endoscopic RFA electrode and a radiofrequency generator were used for the procedure. The length of the exposed tip of the RFA electrode was 10 mm. After insertion of the RFA electrode into the mass, the radiofrequency generator was activated to deliver 20 to 50 W ablation power for 10 seconds. Depending on tumor size, the procedure was repeated to sufficiently cover the tumor. Results EUS-RFA was performed successfully in all 6 patients (median age 62 years, range 43-73 years). Pancreatic cancer was located in the head (n = 4) or body (n = 2) of the pancreas. The median diameter of masses was 3.8 cm (range 3cm-9cm). Four patients had stage 3 disease, and 2 patients had stage 4 disease. After the procedure, 2 patients experienced mild abdominal pain, but there were no other adverse events such as pancreatitis or bleeding. Conclusions EUS-RFA could be a technically feasible and safe option for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.
Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is one important member of reactive oxygen species (ROS) familyresponsible for various human diseases. Although many contributions have been made to develop fluorescent ...probes for sensing HOCl, many of them suffer small Stokes shifts, sophisticated synthetic procedure, and slow reaction rate. In the current study, we designed and synthesized an ESIPT based fluorescence probe with diaminomeleonitrile (DMN) as reactive site. The probe can detect HOCl with high selectivity and sensitivity. It also has large Stokes shift and rapid reaction rate. Moreover, it can be utilized to monitor exogenous and endogenous HOCl in living cells and tissues via two-photon microscopy.
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•An ESIPT-based fluorescence probe for sensing HOCl was developed.•The probe can sensitively and selectively detect HOCl with rapid reaction rate and low detection limit.•The probe can be utilized to sense endogenous and exogenous HOCl in living cells via TPM.•The probe can be utilized to monitor HOCl in living tissues via TPM.
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