Impact of Spatially Heterogeneous Trop-2 Expression on Prognosis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral cancer often presents with aggressive behavior and a high risk of recurrence and metastasis. For oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is the most frequent histological subtype, therapy strategies include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and EGFR inhibitors. Recently, a Trop-2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) has been approved in the United States of America for the treatment of advanced triple-negative breast cancer. However, this ADC has also been tested in other solid tumors including head & neck squamous cell carcinoma. The prognostic impact of Trop-2 has already been reported for several cancers. We studied the prognostic influence of Trop-2 protein expression on OSCC patients’ survival. The cohort comprised n = 229 OSCC patients with available archived tumor tissue and corresponding non-neoplastic oral mucosa tissue. Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated Trop-2 expression in both the central and peripheral regions of each tumor and in corresponding non-neoplastic oral mucosa. In patients suffering from OSCC with combined high central and low peripheral Trop-2 expression, five-year overall survival (OS) was 41.2%, whereas 55.6% of OSCC patients who presented lower central and/or higher peripheral tumoral Trop-2 expression were alive after five years (p = 0.075). In multivariate Cox regression, the expression pattern of high central tumoral and lower peripheral Trop-2 expression was significantly correlated with impaired OS (HR = 1.802, 95%-CI: 1.134–2.864; p = 0.013) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 1.633, 95%-CI: 1.042–2.560; p = 0.033), respectively, when adjusting for co-variables. Hence, Trop-2 may serve as an independent prognostic biomarker in OSCC. In subsequent studies, the pathophysiological meaning of downregulated Trop-2 expression in the OSCC periphery has to be analyzed.     

Effect of Processing on the Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Quinoa Flour (Chenopodium quinoa,Willd)

The nature and extent of the modification of starch in quinoa, caused by various processes like cooking and autoclaving of the seeds, drum drying of the flour and extrusion of the grits was investigated by measuring the physico-chemical properties - the water absorption, water solubility, swelling power, viscosity and degree of gelatinisation - of the processed samples. Autoclaved samples showed the lowest degree of gelatinisation (32.5% by DSC) of the starch, while the degree of gelatinisation of the precooked/drum dried samples was found to be 97.4% by DSC method. Higher polymer degradation was observed in cooked samples than in autoclaved samples as seen in the gel chromatographic separation. The water solubility in cooked samples (5.44 to 15.58) and in autoclaved samples (7.02 to 9.64) increased with the process time. In the extrusion process, the moisture content as well as the compression ratio was found to affect the degree of starch modification significantly (p <0.01).     

Fetal Undernutrition Modifies Vascular RAS Balance Enhancing Oxidative Damage and Contributing to Remodeling

Fetal stress is known to increase susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases and hypertension in adult age in a process known as fetal programming. This study investigated the relationship between vascular RAS, oxidative damage and remodeling in fetal programming. Six-month old Sprague-Dawley offspring from mothers that were fed ad libitum (CONTROL) or with 50% intake during the second half of gestation (maternal undernutrition, MUN) were used. qPCR or immunohistochemistry were used to obtain the expression of receptors and enzymes. Plasma levels of carbonyls were measured by spectrophotometry. In mesenteric arteries from MUN rats we detected an upregulation of ACE, ACE2, AT₁ receptors and NADPH oxidase, and lower expression of AT₂, Mas and MrgD receptors compared to CONTROL. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and plasma levels of carbonyls were higher in MUN than in CONTROL. Vascular morphology evidenced an increased media/lumen ratio and adventitia/lumen ratio, and more connective tissue in MUN compared to CONTROL. In conclusion, fetal undernutrition indices RAS alterations and oxidative damage which may contribute to the remodeling of mesenteric arteries, and increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events and hypertension.     

Thermal and flammability properties influenced by Zn/Al,Co/Al,and Ni/Al layered double hydroxide in low-density polyethylene nanocomposites

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) containing different metal constituents (Zn, Co, and Ni) was intercalated with different organic anions and has been used as fillers in low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and its thermal and flammability behavior was evaluated. The best thermal stability (∆T_0.5 = 21 °C) was obtained with the LDPE-Ni/Al-dodecyl sulfate (4 wt %) nanocomposite. Addition of hydrophobic LDHs systematically decreases the enthalpy of melting and crystallization compared to the neat polymer. In LDPE-Co/Al-dodecyl sulfate (2 wt %) nanocomposite, the melting and crystallization enthalpies declined by about 45 J/g, indicating a good interaction of the filler with the polymer matrix. A reduction of 20% of the flammability for the LDPE-Ni/Al-stearate (4 wt %) nanocomposite was obtained. On the other hand, Zn–Co LDH as filler in LDPE nanocomposite did not affect effectively the same property. In an innovative study, results indicate that different metal constituents and interlayer anion of LDH as filler can change thermal and flammability properties of the polymer nanocomposite. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48737.     

A Comparison of Fresh Frozen vs. Formalin-Fixed,Paraffin-Embedded Specimens of Canine Mammary Tumors via Branched-DNA Assay

Mammary neoplasms are the tumors most affecting female dogs and women. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are an invaluable source of archived biological material. Fresh frozen (FF) tissue is considered ideal for gene expression analysis. However, strategies based on FFPE material offer several advantages. Branched-DNA assays permit a reliable and fast workflow when analyzing gene expression. The aim of this study was to assess the comparability of the branched-DNA assay when analyzing certain gene expression patterns between FF and FFPE samples in canine mammary tumors. RNA was isolated from 109 FFPE samples and from 93 FF samples of different canine mammary tissues. Sixteen (16) target genes (Tp53; Myc; HMGA1; Pik3ca; Mcl1; MAPK3; FOXO3; PTEN; GATA4; PFDN5; HMGB1; MAPK1; BRCA2; BRCA1; HMGA2; and Her2) were analyzed via branched-DNA assay (b-DNA). ACTB, GAPDH, and HPRT1 were used as data normalizers. Overall, the relative gene expression of the two different origins of samples showed an agreement of 63%. Still, care should be taken, as FFPE specimens showed lower expression of the analyzed targets when compared to FF samples. The fact that the gene expression in FFPE proved to be lower than in FF specimens is likely to have been caused by the effect of storage time. ACTB had the best performance as a data normalizer.     

Preparation of Benzylamine by Highly Selective Reductive Amination of Benzaldehyde Over Ru on an Acidic Activated Carbon Support as the Catalyst

Platinum particles (<1.5 nm) have been shown to behave as bases in their interaction with -alumina. FTIR spectra of adsorbed pyridine probe molecules showed that the acid strength of the -alumina was decreased by the presence of (<1.5 nm) Pt particles. Ammonium chloride treatment converts the primary Pt clusters to H _x Pt _y Cl _z intermediates that de-anchor from the support. Consequently, agglomeration to 8 nm Pt particles was observed following treatment in hydrogen at a relatively mild temperature. For the treated catalyst the IR data of absorbed pyridine show a 3 cm^-1 increase relative to the original Pt/-Al₂O₃ catalyst, indicating a strengthening of the acidity. Changes in the Pt particle size were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy of CO absorbed onto the Pt particles before and after treatment. Consecutive CO and pyridine probe adsorption demonstrated the electronic interplay between the Pt particles and the support. Pyridine adsorption onto the -alumina support of a Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst pre-dosed with CO produces a nearly 40 cm^-1 lowering of the CO peak position, indicative of CO bond weakening. In the case of CO adsorbed onto a catalyst pre-dosed with pyridine, a shift in the pyridine IR spectrum was only observed from the original highly dispersed catalyst.     

Synthesis of Novel Niobium Aluminide-Based Composites

A reactive sintering process has been used to produce almost fully dense composites with interpenetrating networks of NbAl₃ and Al₂O₃. The process involves the reaction synthesis of niobium aluminides and Al₂O₃ from compacts of intensively milled aluminum and Nb₂O₅ powder mixtures. During carefully controlled heating under an inert atmosphere, the oxide reduction by aluminum to form niobium aluminides and Al₂O₃ proceeds at temperatures below the melting point of aluminum. At temperatures of >1000°C, the reaction-formed niobium aluminides and Al₂O₃ sinter. The present paper discusses processing parameters, such as attrition milling, the heating cycle, and the metal:ceramic ratio in the starting mixture, that control microstructure development and mechanical properties.     

Effects of Spray-Drying Conditions on the Physicochemical Properties of Blackberry Powder

The purpose of this work was to study the effects of spray-drying conditions on the physicochemical characteristics of blackberry powder using a central composite rotatable design. Inlet air temperature (140–180°C) and maltodextrin concentration (5–25%) were employed as independent variables. Moisture content, hygroscopicity, anthocyanin retention, color, powder morphology, and particle size were analyzed. A higher inlet air temperature significantly increased the hygroscopicity of the powder, decreased its moisture content, and led to the formation of larger particles with smooth surfaces. Powders produced with higher maltodextrin concentrations were less hygroscopic, slightly lighter and less red, and had a lower moisture content. Anthocyanin retention was mainly affected by drying temperature due to the heat sensitivity of the pigment. The optimal processing conditions were an inlet air temperature of 140–150°C and maltodextrin concentration of 5–7%. Overall, these results indicate that good quality powders can be obtained by spray drying, with potential applications for the food industry.     

Well defined CuI(NO), CuI(NO)2 and CuII(NO)X (X = O− and/or NO 2 − ) complexes in CuI-ZSMS prepared by interaction of H-ZSM5 with gaseous CuCl

In this note an exchange procedure of the acidic protons of H-ZSM5 by Cu^I ions through reaction with CuCl in the gas phase is described. In the so obtained Cu^I-ZSM5 exchanged zeolite the Cu^I ions are in well defined configuration and form with NO mono and di-nitrosyl complexes of high structural and spectroscopic quality. The Cu^I(NO)₂ species are transformed at RT into Cu^II(NO)X (X=O^– and/or NO ₂ ^– ) species which could represent an intermediate in NO decomposition.