Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis from Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A 20-Year Single-Center Experience

Simple Summary Multimodality treatment is the standard treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer, but the peritoneum is the primary site of spread or relapse in most cases. Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been introduced in order to improve outcomes, but most studies, including both primary and recurrent cases, are retrospective, non-randomized and heterogeneous. The aim of this study was to report a 20-year single-center experience with this treatment. In our study, it appeared to be a feasible procedure, with acceptable postoperative morbidity and mortality rates, providing different survival benefits depending on the timing of surgery, as long as a complete cytoreduction was obtained. Until the results from ongoing prospective randomized clinical trials clarify the role and appropriate indications, cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy may be considered an effective treatment for selected cases of epithelial ovarian cancer, if performed in specialized centers. Abstract Despite improvement in treatments, the peritoneum remains the primary site of relapse in most ovarian cancer cases. Patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis from epithelial ovarian cancer were reviewed. Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariate Cox analyses were used to identify survival rates and prognostic factors. This study included 158 patients. The procedure was mostly performed for recurrent disease (46.8%) and high-grade serous carcinoma (58.2%). The median peritoneal cancer index was 14, and complete cytoreduction was obtained in 87.9% of cases. Grade IV morbidity occurred in 15.2% of patients, mostly requiring surgical reoperation, and one patient (0.6%) died within 90 days. The median follow-up was 63.5 months. The Kaplan–Meier 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 42.1% and 24.3%, respectively. Multiple regression logistic analyses demonstrated that the completeness of cytoreduction (CC) score (p ≤ 0.0001), pancreatic resection (p ≤ 0.0001) and number of resections (p = 0.001) were significant factors influencing OS; whereas the CC score (p ≤ 0.0001) and diaphragmatic procedures (p = 0.01) were significant for DFS. The addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy to standard multimodality therapy may improve outcomes in both primary and recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer without impairing early postoperative results, but the exact timing has not yet been established. Prospective randomized studies will clarify the role and indications of this approach.
All carbon nanotube fiber electrode-based dye-sensitized photovoltaic wire

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been recently spun into macroscopic fiber, in which CNTs are highly aligned along the axial direction, providing excellent mechanical and electrical properties for a wide variety of applications. One CNT fiber adsorbed with dye molecules functions as working electrode, while another CNT fiber is used as counter electrode. Two fiber electrodes are twined to produce the desired photovoltaic wire with high promise in many applications. In particular, this photovoltaic wire can be woven into textiles or integrated into various flexible equipment which remains challenging to the conventional planar solar cells.
Establishment of a Sheep Model for Hind Limb Peripheral Nerve Injury: Common Peroneal Nerve

Thousands of people worldwide suffer from peripheral nerve injuries and must deal daily with the resulting physiological and functional deficits. Recent advances in this field are still insufficient to guarantee adequate outcomes, and the development of new and compelling therapeutic options require the use of valid preclinical models that effectively replicate the characteristics and challenges associated with these injuries in humans. In this study, we established a sheep model for common peroneal nerve injuries that can be applied in preclinical research with the advantages associated with the use of large animal models. The anatomy of the common peroneal nerve and topographically related nerves, the functional consequences of its injury and a neurological examination directed at this nerve have been described. Furthermore, the surgical protocol for accessing the common peroneal nerve, the induction of different types of nerve damage and the application of possible therapeutic options were described. Finally, a preliminary morphological and stereological study was carried out to establish control values for the healthy common peroneal nerves regarding this animal model and to identify preliminary differences between therapeutic methods. This study allowed to define the described lateral incision as the best to access the common peroneal nerve, besides establishing 12 and 24 weeks as the minimum periods to study lesions of axonotmesis and neurotmesis, respectively, in this specie. The post-mortem evaluation of the harvested nerves allowed to register stereological values for healthy common peroneal nerves to be used as controls in future studies, and to establish preliminary values associated with the therapeutic performance of the different applied options, although limited by a small sample size, thus requiring further validation studies. Finally, this study demonstrated that the sheep is a valid model of peripheral nerve injury to be used in pre-clinical and translational works and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nerve injury therapeutic options before its clinical application in humans and veterinary patients.
The Progress of Stem Cell Technology for Skeletal Regeneration

Skeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis and bone fractures, are among the major conditions that can compromise the quality of daily life of elderly individuals. To treat them, regenerative therapies using skeletal cells have been an attractive choice for patients with unmet clinical needs. Currently, there are two major strategies to prepare the cell sources. The first is to use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which can recapitulate the skeletal developmental process and differentiate into various skeletal cells. Skeletal tissues are derived from three distinct origins: the neural crest, paraxial mesoderm, and lateral plate mesoderm. Thus, various protocols have been proposed to recapitulate the sequential process of skeletal development. The second strategy is to extract stem cells from skeletal tissues. In addition to mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), multiple cell types have been identified as alternative cell sources. These cells have distinct multipotent properties allowing them to differentiate into skeletal cells and various potential applications for skeletal regeneration. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art research in stem cell differentiation based on the understanding of embryogenic skeletal development and stem cells existing in skeletal tissues. We then discuss the potential applications of these cell types for regenerative medicine.
Front Line Applications and Future Directions of Immunotherapy in Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Simple Summary Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with a high risk of recurrence and poor prognosis despite aggressive treatment. The use of immunotherapy has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of SCLC with the introduction of novel, effective treatment options. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the primary type of immunotherapy that have been used, first in the extensive-stage setting and now under investigation in the limited-stage setting. Here, we review the use of ICIs in SCLC as well as other emerging immunotherapy strategies. Abstract After being stagnant for decades, there has finally been a paradigm shift in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) with the emergence and application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Multiple trials of first-line ICI-chemotherapy combinations have demonstrated survival benefit compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with extensive-stage SCLC, establishing this as the new standard of care. ICIs are now being applied in the potentially curative limited-stage setting, actively being investigated as concurrent treatment with chemoradiation and as adjuvant treatment following completion of chemoradiation. This review highlights the evidence behind the practice-changing addition of ICIs in the first-line setting of extensive-stage SCLC, the potentially practice-changing immunotherapy trials that are currently underway in the limited-stage setting, and alternate immunotherapeutic strategies being studied in the treatment of SCLC.
Multifunctional Structured Platforms: From Patterning of Polymer-Based Films to Their Subsequent Filling with Various Nanomaterials

There is an astonishing number of optoelectronic, photonic, biological, sensing, or storage media devices, just to name a few, that rely on a variety of extraordinary periodic surface relief miniaturized patterns fabricated on polymer-covered rigid or flexible substrates. Even more extraordinary is that these surface relief patterns can be further filled, in a more or less ordered fashion, with various functional nanomaterials and thus can lead to the realization of more complex structured architectures. These architectures can serve as multifunctional platforms for the design and the development of a multitude of novel, better performing nanotechnological applications. In this work, we aim to provide an extensive overview on how multifunctional structured platforms can be fabricated by outlining not only the main polymer patterning methodologies but also by emphasizing various deposition methods that can guide different structures of functional nanomaterials into periodic surface relief patterns. Our aim is to provide the readers with a toolbox of the most suitable patterning and deposition methodologies that could be easily identified and further combined when the fabrication of novel structured platforms exhibiting interesting properties is targeted.
The Expression of the Cancer-Associated lncRNA Snhg15 Is Modulated by EphrinA5-Induced Signaling

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their respective ephrin-ligands are an important family of membrane receptors, being involved in developmental processes such as proliferation, migration, and in the formation of brain cancer such as glioma. Intracellular signaling pathways, which are activated by Eph receptor signaling, are well characterized. In contrast, it is unknown so far whether ephrins modulate the expression of lncRNAs, which would enable the transduction of environmental stimuli into our genome through a great gene regulatory spectrum. Applying a combination of functional in vitro assays, RNA sequencing, and qPCR analysis, we found that the proliferation and migration promoting stimulation of mouse cerebellar granule cells (CB) with ephrinA5 diminishes the expression of the cancer-related lncRNA Snhg15. In a human medulloblastoma cell line (DAOY) ephrinA5 stimulation similarly reduced SNHG15 expression. Computational analysis identified triple-helix-mediated DNA-binding sites of Snhg15 in promoters of genes found up-regulated upon ephrinA5 stimulation and known to be involved in tumorigenic processes. Our findings propose a crucial role of Snhg15 downstream of ephrinA5-induced signaling in regulating gene transcription in the nucleus. These findings could be potentially relevant for the regulation of tumorigenic processes in the context of glioma.
Hypergravity-Induced Accumulation: A New, Efficient, and Simple Strategy to Improve the Thermal Conductivity of Boron Nitride Filled Polymer Composites

Thermal conductive polymer composites (filled type) consisting of thermal conductive fillers and a polymer matrix have been widely used in a range of areas. More than 10 strategies have been developed to improve the thermal conductivity of polymer composites. Here we report a new “hypergravity accumulation” strategy. Raw material mixtures of boron nitride/silicone rubber composites were treated in hypergravity fields (800–20,000 g, relative gravity acceleration) before heat-curing. A series of comparison studies were made. It was found that hypergravity treatments could efficiently improve the microstructures and thermal conductivity of the composites. When the hypergravity was about 20,000 g (relative gravity acceleration), the obtained spherical boron nitride/silicone rubber composites had highly compacted microstructures and high and isotropic thermal conductivity. The highest thermal conductivity reached 4.0 W/mK. Thermal interface application study showed that the composites could help to decrease the temperature on a light-emitting diode (LED) chip by 5 °C. The mechanism of the improved microstructure increased thermal conductivity, and the high viscosity problem in the preparation of boron nitride/silicone rubber composites, and the advantages and disadvantages of the hypergravity accumulation strategy, were discussed. Overall, this work has provided a new, efficient, and simple strategy to improve the thermal conductivity of boron nitride/silicone rubber and other polymer composites (filled type).
Evaluation Methodology of a Smart Clothing Biomechanical Energy Harvesting System for Mountain Rescuers

The article presents a methodology developed for the evaluation of biomechanical energy harvesting systems that permits avoiding long-duration outdoor tests while providing realistic input signals and preserving uniform conditions across repeated tests. It consists of two stages: transducer output signal recording and power conversion and storage system measurements. The proposed approach was applied to assess the usefulness of a commercial electromagnetic transducer for supplying a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver used as an active component of a smart clothing dedicated for mountain rescuers. Electrical power yield measurements have been presented together with ergonomic tests results. They all involved diverse physical activities performed by mountain rescuers that simulated their true operations, but were conducted in a training room for the sake of standardization. By providing reliable data on the transducer’s performance under realistic use conditions, the proposed evaluation procedure revealed that the true energy yield was much smaller not only with respect to the manufacturer’s assertions, but also substantially lower than what was expected based on an independent review which used unrealistic and non-uniform excitations. On the other hand, ergonomics ratings given by potential end users were very high, which demonstrates that the evaluated transducer can still be useful for supplying active cloth components with a lower power demand. The study also revealed that transducer location and orientation strongly affect its performance, which must be taken into account at the first stage of the evaluation procedure. Moreover, physical activity type and conditions (such as motion speed and ground tilt) influence the output power and should be carefully considered when composing a typical case scenario for the second stage.
Antioxidant Potential of Physicochemically Characterized Gracilaria blodgettii Sulfated Polysaccharides

Marine rhodophyte polysaccharides have a wide range of described biological properties with nontoxic characteristics, and show great potential in prebiotics and the functional foods industries. However, there is a virtual lack of Gracilaria blodgettii polysaccharides (GBP) profiling and their bioactivities. This study was designed while keeping in view the lack of physical and chemical characterization of GBP. This polysaccharide was also not previously tested for any bioactivities. A linear random coil conformation was observed for GBP, which was found to be a polysaccharide. A significant sulfate (w/w, 9.16%) and 3,6-anhydrogalactose (AHG, w/w, 17.97%) content was found in GBP. The significant difference in its setting (27.33 °C) and melting (64.33 °C) points makes it resistant to increasing heat. This, in turn, points to its utility in industrial scale processing and in enhancing the shelf-life of products under high temperatures. A radical scavenging activity of 19.80%, 25.42% and 8.80% was noted for GBP (3 mg/mL) in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis (ABTS) and hydroxyl radical (HO) scavenging assays, respectively. Therefore, the findings suggest that Gracilaria blodgettii polysaccharides display a good antioxidant potential and may have potential applications in the functional food industry.
Circulating Cell-Free DNA Combined to Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Early Detection of HCC in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Simple Summary Liver cirrhosis can develop into malignant disease over time. Frequent monitoring would be advisable to detect the earliest signs of HCC progress resulting in a possible earlier treatment of the patient. Our study showed that the combination of genetic analysis of DNA freely circulating in the blood of the cirrhotic patients with MRI can represent a powerful strategy to timely identify suspect lesions, which can then be followed up more closely and thus potentially be treated earlier. In this way, personalized medicine can be applied to liver diseases such as cirrhosis. Abstract Liquid biopsy based on circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a promising non-invasive tool for the prognosis of hepatocellular cancer (HCC). In this exploratory study we investigated whether cfDNA and gene variants associated with HCC may be found in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and thus identify those at an increased risk for HCC. A cohort of 40 LC patients with no suspect neoplastic lesions was included in this study. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of cfDNA isolated from plasma was performed on a panel of 597 selected genes. Images of the patients who underwent MRI with hepatospecific contrast media during the study period were retrospectively re-evaluated (imaging was not part of the prospective study). cfDNA was detected in the plasma of 36 patients with LC. NGS-based analyses identified 20 variants in different combinations. Re-evaluation of the MRI images that were available for a proportion of the patients (n = 27) confirmed the absence of lesions in 8 cases carrying cfDNA without variants. In 6 of 19 patients with identified variants and MRI images available, MRI revealed a precursor lesion compatible with HCC and new lesions were discovered at follow-up in two patients. These precursor lesions were amenable for curative treatments. Mutation analysis revealed selective HCC related gene mutations in a subset of patients with LC, raising the suspect that these patients were at an increased risk for HCC development. MRI findings confirmed suspect nodular lesions of early stage HCC not detected with current standard screening procedures, which were only seen in patients carrying cfDNA variants. This opens a perspective for an HCC screening strategy combining both liquid biopsy and MRI in patients with LC.
Identification, Classification, and Expression Analysis of the Triacylglycerol Lipase (TGL) Gene Family Related to Abiotic Stresses in Tomato

Triacylglycerol Lipases (TGLs) are the major enzymes involved in triacylglycerol catabolism. TGLs hydrolyze long-chain fatty acid triglycerides, which are involved in plant development and abiotic stress responses. Whereas most studies of TGLs have focused on seed oil metabolism and biofuel in plants, limited information is available regarding the genome-wide identification and characterization of the TGL gene family in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Based on the latest published tomato genome annotation ITAG4.0, 129 SlTGL genes were identified and classified into 5 categories according to their structural characteristics. Most SlTGL genes were distributed on 3 of 12 chromosomes. Segment duplication appeared to be the driving force underlying expansion of the TGL gene family in tomato. The promoter analysis revealed that the promoters of SlTGLs contained many stress responsiveness cis-elements, such as ARE, LTR, MBS, WRE3, and WUN-motifs. Expression of the majority of SlTGL genes was suppressed following exposure to chilling and heat, while it was induced under drought stress, such as SlTGLa9, SlTGLa6, SlTGLa25, SlTGLa26, and SlTGLa13. These results provide valuable insights into the roles of the SlTGL genes family and lay a foundation for further functional studies on the linkage between triacylglycerol catabolism and abiotic stress responses in tomato.
Development of an Interdigitated Electrode-Based Disposable Enzyme Sensor Strip for Glycated Albumin Measurement

Glycated albumin (GA) is an important glycemic control marker for diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to develop a highly sensitive disposable enzyme sensor strip for GA measurement by using an interdigitated electrode (IDE) as an electrode platform. The superior characteristics of IDE were demonstrated using one microelectrode of the IDE pair as the working electrode (WE) and the other as the counter electrode, and by measuring ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple. The oxidation current was immediately reached at the steady state when the oxidation potential was applied to the WE. Then, an IDE enzyme sensor strip for GA measurement was prepared. The measurement of fructosyl lysine, the protease digestion product of GA, exhibited a high, steady current immediately after potential application, revealing the highly reproducible measurement. The sensitivity (2.8 nA µM−1) and the limit of detection (1.2 µM) obtained with IDE enzyme sensor strip were superior compared with our previously reported sensor using screen printed electrode. Two GA samples, 15 or 30% GA, corresponding to healthy and diabetic levels, respectively, were measured after protease digestion with high resolution. This study demonstrated that the application of an IDE will realize the development of highly sensitive disposable-type amperometric enzyme sensors with high reproducibility.
2D and 3D Immobilization of Carbon Nanomaterials into PEDOT via Electropolymerization of a Functional Bis-EDOT Monomer

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) and conjugated polymers (CPs) are actively investigated in applications such as optics, catalysis, solar cells, and tissue engineering. Generally, CNMs are implemented in devices where the relationship between the active elements and the micro and nanostructure has a crucial role. However, they present some limitations related to solubility, processibility and release or degradability that affect their manufacturing. CPs, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) or derivatives can hide this limitation by electrodeposition onto an electrode. In this work we have explored two different CNMs immobilization methods in 2D and 3D structures. First, CNM/CP hybrid 2D films with enhanced electrochemical properties have been developed using bis-malonyl PEDOT and fullerene C60. The resulting 2D films nanoparticulate present novel electrochromic properties. Secondly, 3D porous self-standing scaffolds were prepared, containing carbon nanotubes and PEDOT by using the same bis-EDOT co-monomer, which show porosity and topography dependence on the composition. This article shows the validity of electropolymerization to obtain 2D and 3D materials including different carbon nanomaterials and conductive polymers.