Impact of COVID-19 on health care and quality of life in women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to explore the impact of COVID-19 on health-care services and quality of life (QoL) in women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) in Ireland and whether the impact varied by social determinants of health (SDH). METHODS: Women diagnosed with BC completed a questionnaire measuring the impact of COVID-19, disruption to BC services, QoL, SDH, and clinical covariates during COVID-19 restrictions. The association between COVID-19 impact and disruption to BC services and QoL was assessed using multivariable regression with adjustment for SDH and clinical covariates. An interaction between COVID-19 impact and health insurance status was assessed within the regression models. RESULTS: A total of 30.5% (n = 109) of women reported high COVID-19 impact, and these women experienced more disruption in BC services (odds ratio = 4.95, 95% confidence interval = 2.28 to 10.7, P < .001) and lower QoL (ß = -12.01, SE = 3.37, P < .001) compared with women who reported low COVID-19 impact. Health insurance status moderated the effect of COVID-19 on disruption to BC services and QoL. Women who reported high COVID-19 impact experienced more disruption to BC services and lower QoL compared with women with low COVID-19 impact; however, the magnitude of these unfavorable effects differed by insurance status (Pinteraction < .05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a large disruption to BC services and decrease in QoL for women with BC in Ireland during the pandemic. However, the impact was not the same for all women. It is important that women with BC are reintegrated into proper care and QoL is addressed through multidisciplinary support services.

Investigation of halogenated furanones as inhibitors of quorum sensing-regulated bioluminescence in Vibrio harveyi.

Aim: Vibrio harveyi is a Gram-negative marine bacterium that is a model system in the study of quorum sensing (QS). V. harveyi uses multichannel QS, mediated by three signaling molecules. The aim of this study was to synthesize and screen a diverse series of furanones for their potential to inhibit V. harveyi quorum sensing. Materials & methods: A library of halogenated furanones was prepared and derivatized using standard Pd-mediated coupling reactions and subsequently evaluated for their effects on V. harveyi bioluminescence. Results & conclusion: Several furanones inhibited QS-regulated bioluminescence, with gem-dichlorofuranone and tribromofuranone compounds proving especially effective. Importantly, a number of compounds were effective inhibitors of V. harveyi bioluminescence but did not have an impact on bacterial growth.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel furanones as biofilm inhibitors in opportunistic human pathogens.

Diseases caused by biofilm-forming pathogens are becoming increasingly prevalent and represent a major threat to human health. This trend has prompted a search for novel inhibitors of microbial biofilms which could, for example, be used to potentiate existing antibiotics. Naturally-occurring, halogenated furanones isolated from marine algae have proven to be effective biofilm inhibitors in several bacterial species. In this work, we report the synthesis of a library of novel furanones and their subsequent evaluation as biofilm inhibitors in several opportunistic human pathogens including S. enterica, S. aureus, E. coli, S. maltophilia, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. A number of the most potent compounds were subjected to further analysis by confocal laser-scanning microscopy for their effects on P. aeruginosa and C. albicans biofilms individually, in addition to mixed polymicrobial biofilms. Lastly, we investigated the impact of a promising candidate on survival rates in vivo using a Galleria mellonella model.

Structure-activity relationships of furanones, dihydropyrrolones and thiophenones as potential quorum sensing inhibitors.

Since their initial isolation from the marine alga Delisea pulchra, bromofuranones have been investigated as potential inhibitors of quorum sensing (QS) in various bacterial strains. QS is an important mechanism by which bacteria co-ordinate their molecular response to the environment. QS is intrinsically linked to bacterial antibiotic resistance. Inspired by nature, chemists have developed a wide variety of synthetic analogs in an effort to elucidate the structure-activity relationships of these compounds, and to ultimately develop novel antimicrobial agents. In this work, we describe advances in this field while paying particular attention to apparent structure-activity relationships. This review is organized according to the main ring systems under investigation, namely furanones, dihydropyrrolones and thiophenones.