The modern landscape of radiotherapy in thyroid malignancies.

Thyroid carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the endocrine system and accounts for nearly 1.5% of all new cancer cases in India. The incidence of thyroid cancers is on the rise secondary to multiple factors including the widespread use of radiological imaging. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment, and radioactive iodine therapy plays a pivotal role in differentiated thyroid cancer. Radiation therapy appears to be an underutilized treatment modality. In this review, we have summarized the role of radiation in the treatment of thyroid cancer.

Platelet-to-albumin ratio and radiation-induced lymphopenia-prognostic biomarker for carcinoma esophagus.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer has a poor survival outcome with 5-year OS at 16.7% despite treatment. Some inflammation-based prognostic indicators like the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been previously studied as potential biomarker for predicting outcome in esophageal cancer. Recently, platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) has been reported as a promising prognostic factor in gastrointestinal malignancies. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively treated patients of carcinoma esophagus to evaluate the prognostic significance of inflammation-based prognostic indicators-neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and a composite inflammation-nutrition index: platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) in esophageal cancer. Based on previous studies, the optimal cut-off value of PAR was kept at 5.7 × 10^9, and 2.62 for NLR. RESULTS: A total of 71 patients of locally advanced esophageal cancer treated between 2019 and 2022, with either neoadjuvant or definitive chemoradiotherapy, were included. Median follow-up time was 19 months [range: 7-44 months]. Median OS and PFS in our study cohort were 11.3 months [range: 7-23 months] and 7.8 months [range: 3-17 months], respectively. In univariate analysis, lower PAR was found to be significantly correlated with shorter survival time (HR = 2.41; 1.3-4.76; p = 0.047). There was no association found between the OS and the NLR [HR = 1.09; 0.95-1.26; p = 0.222]. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regressions found no association between V15, V10, V5, or V2 of spleen and nadir lymphocyte count or between Dmax or Dmean and nadir lymphocyte counts. CONCLUSION: Present analysis found a trend toward an inverse association between PAR and OS. PAR, in the not-so-distant future, may evolve as a novel, convenient, and inexpensive prognostic indicator in esophageal cancer.

Nickel-Catalyzed Alkylation of Oxindoles with Secondary Alcohols.

Herein, we have demonstrated a simple nickel-catalyzed C-3-selective alkylation of 2-oxindoles using a wide variety of secondary alkyl alcohols. As a special highlight, functionalization of the cholesterol derivative was reported. Control experiments, initial mechanistic studies, and deuterium-labeling experiments were performed for the alkylation process.

Human serum albumin-poly(Lactide)-conjugated self-assembly NPs for targeted docetaxel delivery and improved therapeutic efficacy in oral cancer.

Oral cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Here, to prepare a biocompatible tumor-targeted nanoformulation capable of efficient loading of the hydrophobic drug, DTX, human serum albumin was conjugated to poly(lactide) at different HSA: PLA ratios (1:1, 2, 3). The HSA-(PLA)1-3 conjugates were physicochemically characterized by UV, IR, NMR, GPC, pyrene incorporation, and surface tension analysis. Next, the DTX-loaded DTX@HSA-(PLA)1-3 NPs were prepared by the desolvation-self-assembly technique, which was further optimized by DOE. The NPs were characterized by DLS, SEM, DSC, XRD, CD spectroscopy, SDS-PAGE, drug entrapment and loading efficiencies, kinetic stability, drug release, and hemolysis assays. Murine and human oral cancer cell lines, MOC2 and FaDu, were used in monolayers/multicellular spheroids to assess cellular uptake, the extent of cell viability, and apoptosis induction following NPs treatment. The DTX@HSA-(PLA)1-3 NPs were ~ 149-212 nm size range, drug entrapment, ~75-96 %, and loading efficiency, ~21-27 %. The selected DTX@HSA-(PLA)2 NPs showed time-dependent improved targetability towards cancer cells than HSA NPs, indicating the benefit of HSA polymerization in NPs internalization. A time-dependent decrease in cell viability was observed for both the cell lines with IC50 values, 7.12 ± 1.84 and 6.38 ± 1.63 µg/mL, for FaDu and MOC2 cell lines, respectively (48 h post-treatment). The DTX@ HSA-(PLA)2 NPs treatment induced higher apoptotic marker expressions, cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M-phase, DNA damage, and mitochondrial depolarization than free DTX and DTX@HSA NPs. Further, DTX@HSA-(PLA)2 NPs (iv) showed significantly reduced plasma clearance (p < 0.05) and volume of distribution (Vd) than DTX and DTX@HSA NPs. Therefore, the developed polyprotein NPs offer superior therapeutic effect due to their stable drug incorporation, improved cell internalization, and long circulation, revealing their potential as an effective nanomedicine for oral cancer treatment.

Confinement Matters: Stabilization of CdS Nanoparticles inside a Postmodified MOF toward Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Insights into developing innovative routes for the stabilization of photogenerated charge-separated states by suppressing charge recombination in photocatalysts is a topic of immense importance. Herein, we report the synthesis of a metal-organic framework (MOF)-based composite where CdS nanoparticles (NPs) are confined inside the nanosized pores of Zr4+-based MOF-808, namely, CdS@MOF-808. Anchoring l-cysteine into the nanospace of MOF-808 via postsynthetic ligand exchange allows the capture of Cd2+ ions from their aqueous solution, which are further utilized for in situ growth of CdS NPs inside the nanosized MOF pores. The formation of CdS@MOF-808 opens up a possibility for visible-light photocatalysis as CdS NPs (1-2 nm) are a well-studied semiconductor system with a band gap of ∼2.6 eV. The confinement of the CdS NPs inside the MOF pores, close to the Zr4+ cluster, opens up a shorter electron transfer route from CdS to the catalytic Zr4+ cluster and shows a high rate of H2 evolution (10.41 mmol g-1 h-1) from water with a loading of 3.56 wt % CdS. In contrast, a similar composite in which CdS NPs are stabilized on the external surface of MOF-808 reveals poor activity (0.15 mmol g-1 h-1). CdS NPs stabilized on the MOF-808 surface show slower and inefficient electron transfer kinetics compared to CdS stabilized inside the nanospace of the MOF, as realized by the transient absorption measurements. Therefore, this work unveils the critical role of stabilizing the photosensitizer NPs in close proximity of the catalytic sites in MOF systems towards developing highly efficient H2 evolution photocatalysts.