Assessment of regulated and unregulated disinfection byproduct formation using chlorine dioxide pre-oxidation in pilot studies and data-driven modeling.

Chlorine dioxide (ClO) has been emerging as an alternative to chlorine for disinfection due to the lower formation of regulated organic disinfection byproducts (DBPs). This pilot-scale study investigated the impacts of ClO pre-oxidation and delayed chlorination on regulated and unregulated DBPs. These included trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), halonitromethanes (HNMs), chloral hydrate, chlorite, and chlorate.

Deposition of metal-organic frameworks within a porous protein crystal superstructure.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit promising catalytic properties for applications in environmental cleansing, drug delivery, and chemical warfare agent detoxification. However, their broad adoption is hindered by poor structural stability in biologically relevant (aqueous) conditions. Protein crystals, by contrast, offer exceptional environmental resilience, particularly in aqueous and intracellular environments.

Copper(II) Ions Originating from CuBTC MOF Act as a Soluble Catalyst in the Friedländer Synthesis.

The copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF), CuBTC (where HBTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate), has been reported as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the Friedländer synthesis of substituted quinolines, which are desirable targets in the pharmaceutical industry. Because of this application, we further investigated the CuBTC-catalyzed Friedländer synthesis of 3-acetyl-2-methyl-4-phenylquinoline. CuBTC was synthesized in-house and used as a catalyst for the Friedländer synthesis.

Mixed Metal-Organic Framework Mixed-Matrix Membranes: Insights into Simultaneous Moisture-Triggered and Catalytic Delivery of Nitric Oxide using Cryo-scanning Electron Microscopy.

The fundamental chemical and structural diversity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is vast, but there is a lack of industrial adoption of these extremely versatile compounds. To bridge the gap between basic research and industry, MOF powders must be formulated into more application-relevant shapes and/or composites. Successful incorporation of varying ratios of two different MOFs, CPO-27-Ni and CuBTTri, in a thin polymer film represents an important step toward the development of mixed MOF mixed-matrix membranes.

Preoperative Evaluation of Thyroid Cancer: A Review of Current Best Practices.

Objective: The incidence of thyroid cancer has significantly increased in recent decades. Although most thyroid cancers are small and carry an excellent prognosis, a subset of patients present with advanced thyroid cancer, which is associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality. The management of thyroid cancer requires a thoughtful individualized approach to optimize oncologic outcomes and minimize morbidity associated with treatment.

Computational Insights into the Mechanism of Nitric Oxide Generation from -Nitrosoglutathione Catalyzed by a Copper Metal-Organic Framework.

The controlled generation of nitric oxide (NO) from endogenous sources, such as -nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), has significant implications for biomedical implants due to the vasodilatory and other beneficial properties of NO. The water-stable metal-organic framework (MOF) Cu-1,3,5-tris[1-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl]benzene has been shown to catalyze the production of NO and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) from GSNO in aqueous solution as well as in blood. Previous experimental work provided kinetic data for the catalysis of the 2GSNO → 2NO + GSSG reaction, leading to various proposed mechanisms.

Surface Modification of Oxygenator Fibers with a Catalytically Active Metal-Organic Framework to Generate Nitric Oxide: An Ex Vivo Pilot Study.

Coating all portions of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit with materials exhibiting inherent, permanent antithrombotic properties is an essential step to prevent thrombus-induced complications. However, developing antithrombotic coatings for oxygenator fibers within membrane oxygenators of ECMO systems has proven challenging. We have used polydopamine (PDA) to coat oxygenator fibers and immobilize a Cu-based metal-organic framework (MOF) on the surface to act as a nitric oxide (NO) catalyst.

Psychological adjustment to initial treatment for low-risk thyroid cancer: Preliminary study.

Background: Low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (LR-PTC) can be managed by immediate surgery (IS) or active surveillance (AS). We compare the psychological impact of these treatments on patients with LR-PTC.

Methods: Psychological data were collected over 1 year, with assessments at the time of treatment decision (T1), at 6 months (T2) and 12 months (T3) follow-up.

Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Frequency and Time Course of the Six Most Common Tumor Volume Kinetic Patterns.

The change in size of the papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) nodule during active surveillance has traditionally been characterized as either stable, increasing, or decreasing based on changes in maximal tumor diameter or tumor volume. More recently, it has been observed that the changes in tumor size observed during observation are more complex with tumor volume kinetic patterns that can be characterized either as stable (Pattern I), early increase in volume (Pattern II), later increase in volume (Pattern III), early increase in volume followed by stability (Pattern IV), stability followed by an increase in volume (Pattern V), or a decrease in tumor volume (Pattern VI). The frequency, time course, and clinical correlates of these six tumor volume kinetic patterns were analyzed in a cohort of 483 patients with low-risk PTC up to 1.

Clinicopathologic and Prognostic Features of Pediatric Follicular Cell-derived Thyroid Carcinomas: A Retrospective Study of 222 Patients.

Pediatric thyroid carcinomas (TCs) are rare and mainly approached based on data extrapolated from adults. We retrospectively reviewed 222 pediatric TCs (patient age less than or equal to 21 y). Lymph node (LN) disease volume at presentation was considered high if the largest positive LN measured ≥1 cm and/or >5 LNs were positive.

Radioactive iodine therapy: multiple faces of the same polyhedron.

The incidence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) has increased in recent decades with early stage, low risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) being detected and diagnosed. As a result, the psychological, financial, and clinical ramifications of overdiagnosis and excessively aggressive therapy are being increasingly recognized with many authorities calling for a re-evaluation of the traditional "one size fits all" management approaches. To address these critical issues, most thyroid cancer guidelines endorse a more risk adapted management strategy where the intensity of therapy and follow up is matched to the anticipated risk of recurrence and death from DTC for each patient.

Specialized Metabolite-Mediated Predation Defense in the Marine Actinobacterium .

The obligate marine actinobacterial genus has become a model organism for natural product discovery, yet little is known about the ecological functions of the compounds produced by this taxon. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of live cultures and culture extracts from two species on invertebrate predators. In choice-based feeding experiments using the bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, live cultures of both species were less preferred than Escherichia coli.

Primary high-grade non-anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective study of 364 cases.

Aims: We aimed to study the clinicopathological and molecular features of high-grade non-anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (HGTCs), a carcinoma with a prognosis intermediate between those of well-differentiated carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma.

Methods And Results: This study included 364 HGTC patients: 200 patients (54.9%) were diagnosed with poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), based on the Turin consensus (HGTC-PDTC), and 164 were diagnosed with high-grade features that did not meet the Turin criteria (HGTC-nonPDTC).

Monitoring a MOF Catalyzed Reaction Directly in Blood Plasma.

Herein, we establish a method to quantitatively monitor a metal-organic framework (MOF)-catalyzed, biomedically relevant reaction directly in blood plasma, specifically, the generation of nitric oxide (NO) from the endogenous substrate -nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) catalyzed by H[(CuCl)-(BTTri)] (CuBTTri). The reaction monitoring method uses UV-vis and H NMR spectroscopies along with a nitric oxide analyzer (NOA) to yield the reaction stoichiometry and catalytic rate for GSNO to NO conversion catalyzed by CuBTTri in blood plasma. The results show 100% loss of GSNO within 16 h and production of 1 equiv.

NATIONAL SURVEY OF ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND SURGEONS REGARDING ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE FOR LOW-RISK PAPILLARY THYROID CANCER.

Objective: Active surveillance for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was endorsed by the American Thyroid Association guidelines in 2015. The attitudes and beliefs of physicians treating thyroid cancer regarding the active surveillance approach are not known.

Methods: A national survey of endocrinologists and surgeons treating thyroid cancer was conducted from August to September 2017 via professional society emails.

Copper Metal-Organic Framework Surface Catalysis: Catalyst Poisoning, IR Spectroscopic, and Kinetic Evidence Addressing the Nature and Number of the Catalytically Active Sites En Route to Improved Applications.

The metal-organic framework (MOF) H[(CuCl)-(BTTri), HBTTri = 1,3,5-tris(H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)benzene] (CuBTTri) is a precatalyst for biomedically relevant nitric oxide (NO) release from nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). The questions of the number and nature of the catalytically most active, kinetically dominant sites are addressed. Also addressed is whether or not the well-defined structural geometry of MOFs (as solid-state analogues of molecular compounds) can be used to generate specific, testable hypotheses about, for example, if intrapore vs exterior surface metal sites are more catalytically active.

Exploring the Parameter Space of -Cresyl Sulfate Adsorption in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have high porosity and surface area, making them ideal candidates for adsorption-mediated applications. One high-value application is the removal of uremic toxins from solution for dialysis. Previous studies have reported adsorptive removal of the uremic toxin -cresyl sulfate from solution via zirconium-based MOFs, but a specific analysis of parameters contributing to adsorptive uptake is needed to clarify differences in uptake performance between MOFs.

Thermogravimetric Analysis and Mass Spectrometry Allow for Determination of Chemisorbed Reaction Products on Metal Organic Frameworks.

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a technique which can probe chemisorption of substrates onto metal organic frameworks. A TGA method was developed to examine the catalytic oxidation of -nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) by the MOF H[(CuCl)(BTTri)] (abbr. Cu-BTTri; HBTTri = 1,3,5-tris(1-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)benzene), yielding glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and nitric oxide (NO).

Copper ion vs copper metal-organic framework catalyzed NO release from bioavailable S-Nitrosoglutathione en route to biomedical applications: Direct H NMR monitoring in water allowing identification of the distinct, true reaction stoichiometries and thiol dependencies.

Copper containing compounds catalyze decomposition of S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in the presence of glutathione (GSH) yielding glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and nitric oxide (NO). Extended NO generation from an endogenous source is medically desirable to achieve vasodilation, reduction in biofilms on medical devices, and antibacterial activity. Homogeneous and heterogeneous copper species catalyze release of NO from endogenous GSNO.

Phase 2 study of vascular endothelial growth factor trap for the treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer.

Background: Several multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have demonstrated activity in patients with thyroid cancer that is refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI). The antitumor effect is attributed at least in part to the ability of these TKIs to inhibit angiogenesis in these vascular tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) Trap (VT) is a recombinantly produced fusion protein consisting solely of human sequences for VEGF receptors 1 and 2 extracellular domains and human immunoglobulin 1.

Detection of Natural Products and Their Producers in Ocean Sediments.

Thousands of natural products have been identified from cultured microorganisms, yet evidence of their production in the environment has proven elusive. Technological advances in mass spectrometry, combined with public databases, now make it possible to address this disparity by detecting compounds directly from environmental samples. Here, we used adsorbent resins, tandem mass spectrometry, and next-generation sequencing to assess the metabolome of marine sediments and its relationship to bacterial community structure.

Prolongation of tumour volume doubling time (midDT) is associated with improvement in disease-specific survival in patients with rapidly progressive radioactive iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer selected for molecular targeted therapy.

Purpose: To assess molecular targeted therapy (MTT)'s ability to affect tumour volume doubling time (TVDT) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients presenting with lung metastasis from radioactive iodine refractory progressive thyroid cancer.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we examined the clinical characteristics, average tumour volume doubling times of lung metastasis and disease-specific survival of patients with lung metastasis from differentiated thyroid cancer who were treated with MTT.

Results: The 5-year DSS from the distant metastasis (DM) diagnosis was 72% with median survival of 8 years (95% CI: 6.

The Delphian Node Revisited: An Uncommon Site of Recurrence.

The Delphian nodes (DNs) are frequently involved in cancers of the head and neck, including laryngeal and thyroid malignancies. Positivity in the DN has been considered a predictor of recurrence as well as an overall aggressive tumor biology. However, little has been written regarding the consequences of recurrence at the site of the DN.