Prophylactic Central Compartment Dissection on the Long-Term Outcome of Advanced (N0-T3/T4) Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Aim: To see whether prophylactic central compartment dissection is recommended for advanced papillary thyroid cancer or as part of selective neck node dissection. Central compartment dissection is a technically demanding surgical procedure and carries a higher incidence of complications. The present retrospective case-control study analysed the impact of prophylactic central compartment dissection on the long-term outcome of advanced (N0-T3/T4) papillary thyroid cancer. Materials and methods: Case records of patients operated on for papillary thyroid cancer from 2005 to 2010 were reviewed and patients with Tumour stage 3-4 and N0 nodal status were included in the study. The institutional protocol was to perform total thyroidectomy with central compartment dissection during the early phase of the study period (2005 to 2008) but this strategy was shifted to total thyroidectomy alone during the latter phase. Fifty-five patients were included in the study and 29 of the cohort had total thyroidectomy with prophylactic central compartment dissection as the primary surgery and the remaining 26 had a total thyroidectomy as the primary surgical procedure. Result: Patients were followed up for a median duration of 115 months and found to have no significant difference in the incidences of loco-regional recurrences between the groups. (n:4 (14%) Vs n: 3 (12%) p = .463). The disease-free survival and overall survival were not significantly different in the groups. There was a trend to an increase in the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism in patients who had central compartment dissection. Conclusion: Prophylactic central compartment dissection did not influence the 10-year outcome of advanced node-negative papillary thyroid cancers.

Distribution and sea-to-air fluxes of nitrous oxide and methane from a seasonally hypoxic coastal zone in the southeastern Arabian Sea.

The seasonal variability, pathways, and sea-to-air fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) in the coastal environment, where coastal upwelling and mudbanks co-exist are presented based on the monthly time-series measurements from November 2021 to December 2022. Upwelling-driven hypoxic water's shoreward propagation and persistence were the major factors controlling the N2O concentrations, while the freshwater influx and sedimentary fluxes modulate CH4 concentrations. The N2O concentrations were high during the southwest monsoon (up to 35 nM; 19 ± 8 nM)), followed by spring inter-monsoon (up to 19 nM; 10 ± 5 nM), and lowest during the northeast monsoon (up to 13 nM; 8 ± 2 nM), whereas the CH4 levels were high during the spring inter-monsoon (8.4 to 65 nM), followed by southwest monsoon (6.8 to 53.1 nM) and relatively lower concentrations during the northeast monsoon (3.3 to 32.6 nM). The positive correlations of excess N2O with Apparent Oxygen Utilisation (AOU) and the sum of nitrate and nitrite (NOx) indicate that nitrification is the primary source of N2O in the mudbank regime. The negative correlation of CH4 concentrations with salinity indicates considerable input of CH4 through freshwater influx. CH4 exhibited a highly significant positive correlation with Chlorophyll-a throughout the study period. Furthermore, it displayed a statistically significant positive correlation with phosphate (PO43-) during the northeast monsoon while a strong negative correlation with PO43- during the spring inter-monsoon, pointing towards the role of aerobic CH4 production pathways in the mudbank regime. N2O and CH4 exhibited a contrasting seasonal pattern of sea-to-air fluxes, characterised by the highest N2O fluxes during the southwest monsoon (hypoxia) (13 ± 10 µM m-2 d-1), followed by spring inter-monsoon (12 ± 16 µM m-2 d-1), and the lowest during the northeast monsoon (0.6 ± 3 µM m-2 d-1). Conversely, the highest sea-to-air fluxes of CH4 were noticed during the spring inter-monsoon (74 ± 56 µM m-2 d-1), followed by the southwest monsoon (45 ± 35 µM m-2 d-1), and the lowest values during the northeast monsoon (19 ± 16 µM m-2d-1). Long-term time-series measurements will be invaluable in understanding the longer-term impacts of climate-driven variability on marine biogeochemical cycles in dynamic nearshore systems.

Factors influencing nearshore hypoxia in the southeastern Arabian Sea: A sensor-based study.

Seasonal upwelling and the associated incursion of hypoxic waters into the coastal zone is a widely studied topic over different upwelling zones. However, its persistence or variations over short time scales are poorly addressed. The present study, therefore, brings out a first report on hourly variations in the temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen recorded by an environmental data buoy equipped with sensors, deployed in the nearshore waters of Alappuzha (southeastern Arabian Sea) from April to August 2022. The characteristic feature of the Alappuzha coast is the development of mud banks during the southwest monsoon, providing a tranquil environment suitable for continuous sensor-based measurements when the sea remains turbulent elsewhere. The results showed that despite an advance in the upwelling intensity, there is a significant variation in the oxygen concentration in the study domain on a diurnal scale. In general, the nearshore region was under hypoxia during the first half of the day (00:00 to 12:00 h), which increased steadily to reach normoxic and supersaturated levels during the rest of the day (12:00 to 24:00 h). Statistical analysis showed that winds significantly correlate to the coastal environment's subsurface oxygen concentration. During the morning hours, the wind was weak, and the water column remained stratified over the subsurface hypoxic water layer. The situation changed in the afternoon (12:00 h onwards), as there was a steady increase in the local wind speed (>5 m/s), which was sustained during the rest of the day. A local wind speed >5 m/s can disturb the stratification and enhance the mixing process from 12:00 to 24:00 h. The total kinetic energy of 11.5 J/m3 is the threshold for this oxygen supersaturation. These findings emphasize the role of wind-induced mixing in alleviating coastal hypoxia, highlighting the need for further biogeochemical and ecological investigations into the impacts of alternating oxic-hypoxic conditions in nearshore waters.

HTS driven by fluorescence lifetime detection of FRET identifies activators and inhibitors of cardiac myosin.

Small molecules that bind to allosteric sites on target proteins to alter protein function are highly sought in drug discovery. High-throughput screening (HTS) assays are needed to facilitate the direct discovery of allosterically active compounds. We have developed technology for high-throughput time-resolved fluorescence lifetime detection of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), which enables the detection of allosteric modulators by monitoring changes in protein structure. We tested this approach at the industrial scale by adapting an allosteric FRET sensor of cardiac myosin to high-throughput screening (HTS), based on technology provided by Photonic Pharma and the University of Minnesota, and then used the sensor to screen 1.6 million compounds in the HTS facility at Bristol Myers Squibb. The results identified allosteric activators and inhibitors of cardiac myosin that do not compete with ATP binding, demonstrating high potential for FLT-based drug discovery.

Morphine Perinatal Exposure Induces Long-Lasting Negative Emotional States in Adult Offspring Rodents.

Psychoactive substances during pregnancy and lactation is a key problem in contemporary society, causing social, economic, and health disturbance. In 2010, about 30 million people used opioid analgesics for non-therapeutic purposes, and the prevalence of opioids use during pregnancy ranged from 1% to 21%, representing a public health problem. This study aimed to evaluate the long-lasting neurobehavioral and nociceptive consequences in adult offspring rats and mice exposed to morphine during intrauterine/lactation periods. Pregnant rats and mice were exposed subcutaneously to morphine (10 mg/kg/day) during 42 consecutive days (from the first day of pregnancy until the last day of lactation). Offspring were weighed on post-natal days (PND) 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 60, and behavioral tasks (experiment 1) or nociceptive responses (experiment 2) were assessed at 75 days of age (adult life). Morphine-exposed female rats displayed increased spontaneous locomotor activity. More importantly, both males and female rats perinatally exposed to morphine displayed anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. Morphine-exposed mice presented alterations in the nociceptive responses on the writhing test. This study showed that sex difference plays a role in pain threshold and that deleterious effects of morphine during pre/perinatal periods are nonrepairable in adulthood, which highlights the long-lasting clinical consequences related to anxiety, depression, and nociceptive disorders in adulthood followed by intrauterine and lactation morphine exposure.

Lattice Inclusion of Copper Ions in Ammonium Perchlorate through Co-crystallization: Impact on Lattice, Physical, and Thermal Characteristics.

Ammonium perchlorate (AP) is an important oxidizer extensively used in composite solid propellants. Any alterations in the lattice configuration of AP could bring in a dramatic change in its physical, thermal, and ballistic characteristics though the basic thermodynamic properties could remain unaltered. In this work, we attempt to dope AP with copper nitrate through co-crystallization and examine its impact on the lattice, physical, and thermal characteristics. The effect of copper ion on the crystal morphology, bulk density, friability, moisture content, and the decomposition behavior is compared with normal propellant-grade AP. The incorporation of copper ion into AP resulted in an increase in bulk density and aspect ratio and a marginal decrease in the average particle size. The shape factor remained intact. The presence of copper ion remarkably decreased both the low- and high-temperature decomposition and reduced the activation energy for both stages, confirming the catalytic nature of copper-doped AP.

Stability of the Liquid Water Phase on Mars: A Thermodynamic Analysis Considering Martian Atmospheric Conditions and Perchlorate Brine Solutions.

The stability of the liquid water phase on Mars has been examined on the basis of fundamental thermodynamic principles. The analysis considers the atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions prevalent on Mars. Because of the very low atmospheric pressure on Mars, water cannot exist in the liquid form. However, salt dissolution can reduce the freezing point and elevate the boiling point of aqueous solutions. This is interesting in the light of the discovery of perchlorate, sulphate, sodium, potassium, and calcium ions over the Martian surface. The effect of different perchlorate salts on the freezing and boiling points of water while considering their saturation solubility under varying ionic conditions is key to this analysis. It is shown that under an average atmospheric pressure of 600 Pa, the saturated solution of sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) is stable in the liquid phase in the temperature range between 240 and 275 K. The triple point of water under this condition is shifted to 269 K with a saturation solubility of 14.4 mass % of the salt. However, a saturated solution of magnesium perchlorate (Mg(ClO4)2) renders this temperature range wider from 198 to 296 K, with the triple point being located at 269 K (salt saturation at 13.5 mass % salt). In case the water is contaminated with a mixture of these salts, an increased stability is predicted for liquid water down to 180 K and up to at least 298 K. This is caused by the increased ionic strength that enhances the freezing point depression and boiling point elevation of the solution. Thus, in the extreme and uneventful conditions of saturation by mixtures of salts, liquid water can be stable on Mars between 180 K and at least up to 298 K. Below this temperature, water exists as a glacier and above, as steam only.

Historical and current perspectives on therapeutic potential of higher basidiomycetes: an overview.

Mushrooms are macroscopic fungi which can be either epigeous or hypogeous and is estimated to be 140,000 on earth, yet only 10% are known. Since ancient time, it played a diverse role in human history for mycolatry, mycophagy and as medicine in folklore and religion. Many Asian and western countries consider mushrooms as panacea for a large number of diseases and utilized for consumption as a gourmet food for its taste as well as flavor. In recent years, scientific research fraternities have confirmed that various extracts and metabolites of mushrooms used traditionally are able to treat a wide range of diseases due to their balanced modulation of multiple targets thereby providing a greater therapeutic effect or equivalent curative effect to that of modern medicine. Medicinal mushrooms especially those belonging to higher basidiomycete groups are reservoir of bioactive compounds with multiple therapeutic properties. The present review provides historical importance as well as an updated information on pharmacologically relevant higher basidiomycetes belong to the genus Agaricus, Auricularia, Phellinus, Ganoderma, Pleurotus, Trametes and Lentinus and their biologically active secondary metabolites. This will help the researchers to understand various type of secondary metabolites, their therapeutic role and related in vivo or in vitro work at a glance. The mounting evidences from several scientific community across the globe, regarding various therapeutic applications of mushroom extracts, unarguably make it an advance research area worth mass attention.

Clinical and equipment-related factors associated with the adequate peripheral blood stem cell collection in autologous transplant at a tertiary cancer center in Kerala - A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: PBSC collection using apheresis is the preferred source of hematopoietic stem cells transplantation. However, apheresis procedures fail to harvest adequate CD34 yield in 5 to 40% of patients during the first collection. Therefore, this study aimed to study both the clinical- and equipmentrelated factors influencing CD34 yield among the autologous patients and to compare the collection efficiency of two apheresis equipments(Haemonetics MCS+ and Terumo Spectra Optia). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 69 patients underwent PBSC collection from 2015 to 2018. Frequency, clinical- and equipment-related factors responsible for adequate CD34+ cells (≥2 x106 cells/kg) yield during the first collection was studied. Factors such as collection efficiency, percentage platelet loss and percentage hemoglobin loss were considered to compare the two apheresis system. RESULTS: Two-third (72%) patients of the study population had adequate CD34 stem cells yield during the first collection. Factors such as exposure to lenalidomide-based pretreatment regimen, peripheral blood WBC count and CD34 count are associated with the adequate CD34 yield. Optia had a slightly better collection efficiency than MCS+ (50 and 44; p=0.37). Optia had lower product volume (237 vs 298 ml) and lesser procedure duration (277 vs 360 min), whereas the median Hb loss (3.0% and 2.3%) and mean platelet loss (49% and 34%) were higher with MCS. CONCLUSION: This study infers that the collection efficiency of both the equipments in collecting CD34 stem cells was similar. However, during PBSC collection, procedures using Optia can be preferred to MCS+ on the patients with risk of anemia and thrombocytopenia.

Maleic acid modified cellulose for scavenging lead from water.

Macro, micro and nano fibrillary cellulose with sodium maleate groups was synthesized by the reaction of cellulose with maleic anhydride followed by sodium exchange of protons. In the present work, we demonstrate that these carboxylic groups act as chemisorbants towards toxic heavy metal ions present in contaminated water. The effects of the operating parameters such as resident time, temperature, pH, ion concentration and ion nature on chemisorbability were estimated for a given cellulose carboxylate. The kinetic results for the chemisorption of Pb2+ ion were indicative of an intra particle diffusion model and pseudo second order reaction. The chemisorption is well explained by a Freundlich isotherm model showing a multilayer chemisorption, heterogeneous surface and interaction between chemisorbed molecules. The chemisorption capability was enhanced upon decreasing the dimension of the cellulose fibril. The efficiency depended also on the nature of metal ions, dictated by the stability of the geometry of the resultant complex. The maximum chemisorption capacities of macro, micro and nano forms of sodium cellulose-maleate for Pb2+ were 20 mg/g, 40 mg/g and 115 mg/g, respectively at pH of 5.5. The ion exchanged nano-cellulose maleate could be regenerated by sodium chloride solution without loss of efficiency even after 7 cycles.