The Evaluation of Benign Glottic Lesions: Rigid Telescopic Stroboscopy Versus Suspension Microlaryngoscopy

Rigid telescopic strobo-video-laryngoscopy (RTS) is a primary clinical assessment methodology in the office evaluation of benign glottic lesions. However, diagnostic observations can be made only at the time of suspension microlaryngoscopy (SML). The records of 100 consecutive patients undergoing microlaryngoscopy for benign glottic lesions were retrospectively reviewed. Nine of 100 patients were found to have additional glottic lesions during SML. Sixteen additional lesions were noted in these nine patients. Fifteen of 16 lesions were sulci and/or mucosal bridges. Forty-five percent (4/9) of the patients with additional lesions underwent a management change intraoperatively. Three patients underwent additional surgical dissection, and one underwent less dissection than was planned. The discrepancy in diagnosis between rigid telescopic strobo-video-laryngoscopy and suspension microlaryngoscopy highlights certain key points: (1) During office endoscopy, tangential views of the medial surface of the glottis limit the diagnostic sensitivity. (2) Sulci and mucosal bridges are most subject to this limitation. (3) Informed consent should address the potential need for a change in intraoperative management. It is advisable to discuss the possibility for dissection in both vocal folds, even if a unilateral lesion is observed in the office. (4) Microlaryngoscopy is the final diagnostic step in the evaluation of glottic pathology. Meticulous inspection and palpation of the glottis are recommended during SML.     

A survey on the reactivity of phenyliodonium ylide of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone with amino compounds

The phenyliodonium ylide of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone reacts with aminoesters, ureas, aminoalcohols and aminophenols in refluxing dichloromethane to afford good yields of indanedione 2-carboxamido compounds, that in solution exist in an enol-amide form. The same reactants in a copper-catalyzed reaction afford mainly the corresponding N-arylo compounds. Arylhydrazines are mainly oxidized by the ylide and arylation occurs only in a low yield.     

Fast screening of perfluorooctane sulfonate in water using vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Fast screening of trace amounts of the perfluorooctane sulfonate anion (PFOS) in water samples was performed following a simple, fast and efficient sample preparation procedure based on vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VALLME) prior to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. VALLME initially uses vortex agitation, a mild emulsification procedure to disperse microvolumes of octanol, a low density extractant solvent, in the aqueous sample. Microextraction under equilibrium conditions is thus achieved within few minutes. Subsequently, centrifugation separates the two phases and restores the initial microdrop shape of the octanol acceptor phase, which can be collected and used for liquid chromatography-single quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis. Several experimental parameters were controlled and the optimum conditions found were: 50 μL of octanol as the extractant phase; 20 mL aqueous donor samples (pH=2); a 2 min vortex extraction time with the vortex agitator set at a 2500 rpm rotational speed; no ionic strength adjustment. Centrifugation for 2 min at 3500 rpm yielded separation of the two phases throughout this study. Enhanced extraction efficiencies were observed at low pH which was likely due to enhanced electrostatic interaction between the negatively PFOS molecules and the positively charged octanol/water interface. The effect of pH was reduced in the presence of sodium chloride, likely due to electrical double layer compression. The linear response range for PFOS was from 5 to 500 ng L(-1) (coefficient of determination, r(2), 0.997) and the relative standard deviation for aqueous solutions containing 10 and 500 ng L(-1) PFOS were 7.4% and 6.5%, respectively. The limit of detection was 1.6 ng L(-1) with an enrichment factor of approximately 250. Analysis of spiked tap, river and well water samples revealed that matrix did not affect extraction.     

Synthesis of Some [1,3]Benzodioxoles via the Reaction of o-Quinones with Phosphorus Ylides

3,5-Di(tert-butyl)benzo-1,2-quinone 1c, phenanthrene-9,10-quinone 11, and 1,2-naphthoquinone 18 react with 1-phenylethylidene(tri-phenyl)phosphorane 2j, cyclopentylidene(triphenyl)phosphorane 2k, cyclohexylidene(triphenyl)phosphorane 2l, and tetrahydro-2-furanyl-methylidene(triphenyl)phosphorane 8 to give the corresponding 2-substituted [1,3]benzodioxoles 5–7, 10, 12–14, 20–22 in low to high yields, instead of Wittig products, with exception of 11,12-dihydro-10H-cyclopenta[b]phenanthro[9,10-d]furan 17. A possible explanation for these reaction sequences is discussed.

     

Protoporphyrin IX–β‐Cyclodextrin Bimodal Conjugate: Nanosized Drug Transporter and Potent Phototoxin

Topical or systemic administration of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and its esters results in increased production and accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in cancerous lesions allowing effective application of photodynamic therapy (PDT). The large concentrations of exogenous ALA practically required to bypass the negative feedback control exerted by heme on enzymatic ALA synthesis and the strong dimerization propensity of ALA are shortcomings of the otherwise attractive PpIX biosynthesis. To circumvent these limitations and possibly enhance the phototoxicity of PpIX by adjuvant chemotherapy, covalent bonding of PpIX with a drug carrier, β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) was implemented. The resulting PpIX + βCD product had both carboxylic termini of PpIX connected to the CD. PpIX + βCD was water soluble, was found to preferentially localize in mitochondria rather than in lysosomes both in MCF7 and DU145 cell lines while its phototoxiciy was comparable to that of PpIX. Moreover, PpIX + βCD effectively solubilized the breast cancer drug tamoxifen metabolite N‐desmethyltamoxifen (NDMTAM) in water. The PpIX + βCD/NDMTAM complex was readily internalized by both cell lines employed. Furthermore, the multimodal action of PpIX + βCD was demonstrated in MCF7 cells: while it retains the phototoxic profile of PpIX and its fluorescence for imaging purposes, PpIX + βCD can efficiently transport tamoxifen citrate intracellularly and confer cell death through a synergy of photo‐ and chemotoxicity.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some 4-(isoxazolinyl or 1,2,4-oxadiazolyl) coumarins

Reaction of compound 3 with nitrile oxide 4a affords compounds 5a and 6 in 73% and 3% yield respectively, while reaction of 3 with 4b affords only compound 5b (85%). Reactions of compound 8 with the nitrile oxides 4a,b result in compounds 9a,b . The compound 10 , prepared from 1 and O-methylhydroxylamine, reacts with nitrile oxide 4b to give the oxadiazole derivative 12 . The above referred coumarins are screened for antiinflammatory activity in vivo using the carrageenin rat paw edema and in vitro through their antiproteolytic activity and their ability to inhibit β-glucuronidase and 12-Lipoxygenase.     

Fingerprinting of human bile during liver transplantation by capillary electrophoresis

Increasing rates of success in liver transplantation have increased the number of cases considered. However, liver post-transplant graft dysfunction of liver transplants (TXs) is not fully understood and by applying holistic approaches we can investigate metabolic change deriving from confounding factors such as liver fat content, ischaemia time, donor age, recipient's health, etc. Twenty-six hepatic bile samples taken from liver donors and recipients were retrieved from a total of six TXs, from these one recipient underwent post-graft dysfunction. CE was employed to fingerprint bile collected at 10 min increments in the donors and in the recipients. The electropherograms of these samples were aligned and normalised using correlation optimised warping algorithms and modelled with multivariate techniques. The resulting metabolic signatures were compared; in general donors and recipients showed distinct fingerprints and clustered separately. When a partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was constructed between donor and recipient's samples, a recipient of a 32 year old liver with normal steatosis, and shortest cold ischaemia time showed as the observation nearest to its donor observation, denoting minimal metabolic change. This study proposes CE fingerprinting of human bile as a promising technique to help unravel the complex metabolic pathways involved during transplantation.     

High-Pressure Processing and Ultrasonication of Minimally Processed Potatoes: Effect on the Colour,Microbial Counts,and Bioactive Compounds

HPP at 600 MPa alone, and in combination with US at 20 kHz (200 W), was applied to minimally processed potatoes of two commonly grown cultivars in Ireland. Changes in colour and microbial load (Enterobacteriaceae, total aerobic count, Salmonella, yeasts, and moulds) were monitored in vacuum-packaged potatoes during 14 days of storage at 4 °C. HPP and HPP/US significantly (p < 0.05) affected the colour parameters a*, b*, L*, and ΔE of minimally processed potatoes compared to the controls. Microbial growth was delayed in most of the treated samples with respect to those untreated (controls), while HPP completely inactivated Enterobacteriaceae in both cultivars. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activities were not altered in the treated samples of both varieties when compared to the controls. The levels of chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid were decreased after both treatments, with a significant (p < 0.05) increase in quinic acid in the treated samples as opposed to those untreated. A significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the levels of glycoalkaloids, namely α-chaconine and α-solanine, in HPP- and HPP/US-treated potatoes was also observed. These findings suggest that HPP and US can extend the shelf-life of minimally processed potatoes with a negligible impact on their antioxidant activity and phenolic content.     

Synthesis and characterisation of novel glycoclusters based on cell penetrating heptakis(6-aminoethylamino-6-deoxy)-??-cyclodextrin

The modification of a polyamino ??CD, heptakis(6-aminoethylamino-6-deoxy)-??CD (bpen) with several monosaccharides (Man, GlcNAc, Gal, Glc), specific for bacterial lectin targeting is described. The first synthetic approach, based on disuccinimidyl carbonate-substituted monosaccharides had moderate success, whereas the second approach, based on thiopropanoic acid-linked monosaccharides, was more efficient. Each method gave the best result with a different monosaccharide. Given that bpen is known to penetrate cells, the new products are expected to possess both lectin recognition ability and membrane crossing properties.