Redox priming could be an appropriate technique to minimize drought-induced adversities in quinoa.

The exogenous use of the redox compound (H2O2) plays a significant role in abiotic stress tolerance. The present study investigated various H2O2 application methods (seed priming, foliar spray, and surface irrigation) with varying concentration levels (0 mM, 5 mM, 10 mM, 15 mM, 40 mM, 80 mM, and 160 mM) to evaluate the efficiency of supplying exogenous H2O2 to quinoa under water-deficit conditions. Drought stress reduced quinoa growth and yield by perturbing morphological traits, leading to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and increased electrolyte leakage. Although all studied modes of H2O2 application improved quinoa performance, surface irrigation was found to be sensitive, causing oxidative damage in the present study. Seed priming showed a prominent increase in plant height due to profound emergence indexes compared to other modes under drought conditions. Strikingly, seed priming followed by foliar spray improved drought tolerance in quinoa and showed higher grain yield compared to surface irrigations. This increase in the yield performance of quinoa was attributed to improvements in total chlorophyll (37%), leaf relative water content (RWC; 20%), superoxide dismutase (SOD; 35%), peroxidase (97%), polyphenol oxidase (60%), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (58%) activities, and the accumulation of glycine betaine (96%), total soluble protein (TSP; 17%), proline contents (35%), and the highest reduction in leaf malondialdehyde contents (MDA; 36%) under drought stress. PCA analysis indicated that physio-biochemical traits (proline, SOD, TSP, total chlorophyll, MSI, and RWC) were strongly positively correlated with grain yield, and their contribution was much higher in redox priming than other application methods. In conclusion, exogenous H2O2 application, preferably redox priming, could be chosen to decrease drought-induced performance and yield losses in quinoa.

Emerging technology effects on combined agricultural and eco-vermicompost.

This study focused on the waste management of livestock manure and wetland plant residues and their increasing effect on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The benefits of nutrient-rich plants and manures are often overlooked. By conducting a soil column experiment with a fully factorial design, this work found that adding the vermicompost amendments of wetland plants [combination of Canna indica (CiV), Cyperus alternifollius (CaV), Acorus calamus (AcV), and Hydrocotyle vulgaris (HvV) vermicompost] to agricultural wastes affected maize growth throughout its growing season. The results demonstrated that the use of combined AcV and HvV wetland plant-based vermicompost as an organic fertilizer increased the plant total nitrogen (TN: 92% increase) and soil organic matter (SOM: 192% increase) compared with those in control CK. Meanwhile, the combination of CaV with HvV increased the shoot biomass by 3.4 and 4.6 folds compared with that in NPK and CK, respectively. Overall, a new approach for transforming ecological wastes into organic fertilizers was proposed.

Salinity and exogenous H2 O2 improve gas exchange, osmoregulation, and antioxidant metabolism in quinoa under drought stress.

Climate change-induced concurrent drought and salinity stresses significantly threaten global crop yields, yet the physio-biochemical responses to combined stress in quinoa remain elusive. This study evaluated quinoa responses under four growth conditions: well-watered, drought stress, salt stress, and drought + salt stress with (15 mM) or without (0 mM) exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) application. All examined stresses (alone or in combination) reduce quinoa growth and net photosynthesis, although salt stress was found to be less destructive than drought and combined stress. Strikingly, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), stomatal conductance (gs ), photosynthetic rate (PN ), K+ uptake, shoot height, shoot fresh, and dry weight were increased by 46.1%, 22.2%, 101.6%, 12.9%, 12.1%, 22.4%, 7.1%, 14%, and 16.4%, respectively, under combined stress compared to drought alone. In addition, exogenous H2 O2 effectively improved gaseous exchange, osmolytes' accumulation, and antioxidant activity, resulting in reduced lipid peroxidation, which eventually led to higher plant growth under all coercive conditions. The principle component analysis (PCA) indicated a strong positive correlation between antioxidant enzymes and inorganic ions, which contributed efficiently to osmotic adjustment, particularly under conditions of salinity followed by combined stress. In short, in combination, salt stress has the potential to mitigate drought-induced injuries by promoting the absorption of inorganic solutes for osmoregulation in quinoa plants. Furthermore, exogenous application of H2 O2 could be opted to enhance quinoa performance to increase its tolerance mechanism against drought and salinity, even under combined stress.

Exploring the inclusion of anatomical variation in medical education.

The role of anatomical variability in safe clinical practice is underappreciated. A lack of familiarity of anatomical variations is at the center of a multitude of medical and surgical errors. The recent rise in litigation due to such errors suggests that patient care may be compromised. This makes the knowledge of anatomical variation essential to medical education. Empirical studies were identified by searching several databases and repositories, and the Medical Education Research Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used to assess study quality. Eight studies were eligible for this systematic review; three of which were conference abstracts. Thematic summary of these studies yielded six themes namely: (1) importance of anatomical variation in medical education; (2) the ideal time to introduce anatomical variation in medical education; (3) important anatomical variations to include in medical education; (4) approaches to teaching anatomical variation; (5) assessing knowledge on anatomical variation; (6) barriers to including anatomical variation in medical education. Including anatomical variations in medical education would improve clinical reasoning and surgical outcomes. Following the completion of this review, three recommendations were made: (1) increasing the emphasis of anatomical variation in medical education; (2) developing more resources for anatomical variation education; (3) investigating the implications of lack of knowledge of anatomical variation in medical education through further research.

Wound complications following surgery to the lymph nodes: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Malignancies that spread to the lymph nodes may be identified through surgical biopsy, and treatment of metastatic disease may be through lymph node dissection. These surgeries, however, may be associated with significant adverse outcomes, particularly wound complications, the true incidence of which remains unknown. Multiple studies have reported their individual rates of complications in isolation. The aim of this study will be to systematically evaluate data that presents the incidence of wound complications in patients undergoing these surgeries. METHODS: We have designed and registered a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies presenting incidence data. We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL for relevant articles. Meta-analysis will be undertaken to synthesise an overall incidence of surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, haematoma and seroma. Subgroup analyses will investigate the effects of anatomical location, primary malignancy and study design on pooled incidence. Risk of bias will be evaluated for each included study using bespoke tools matched to the study design. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide the incidence of wound complications and secondary complications following lymph node surgery. This will directly impact upon the consent process, and may influence the nature of future research studies aimed at reducing post-operative complications.

Synergistic consequences of salinity and potassium deficiency in quinoa: Linking with stomatal patterning, ionic relations and oxidative metabolism.

Quinoa emerged as an ideal food security crop due to its exceptional nutritive profile and stress enduring potential and also deemed as model plant to study the salt-tolerance mechanisms. However to fill the research gaps of this imperative crop, the present work aimed to study the effect of potassium (K) deficiency either separately or in combination with salinity. First, we investigated the stomatal and physiological based variations in quinoa growth under salinity and K, then series of analytical tools were used with model approach to interpret the stomatal aperture (SA) and photosynthesis (Pn) changes. Results revealed that quinoa efficiently deployed antioxidants to scavenge the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), had high uptake and retention of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ with Cl⁻ as charge balancing ion, increased stomata density (SD) and declined the SA to maintain the Pn which resulted the improved growth under salinity. Whereas, K-deficiency caused the stunted growth more severally under salinity due to disruption in ionic homeostasis, excessive ROS production elicited the oxidative damages, SD and SA reduced and ultimately declined in Pn. Our best fitted regression model explored that dependent variables like Pn and SA changed according to theirs signified explanatory variables with quantification per unit based as stomatal conductance (Gs, 51), SD (0.05), ROS (-0.79) and K+ (0.08), Cl⁻ (0.34) and Na+ (- 0.52) respectively. Overall, moderate salinity promoted the quinoa growth, while K-deficiency particularly with salinity reduced the quinoa performance by affecting stomatal and non-stomatal factors.

Differential physio-biochemical and yield responses of Camelina sativa L. under varying irrigation water regimes in semi-arid climatic conditions.

Camelina sativa L. is an oilseed crop with wide nutritional and industrial applications. Because of favorable agronomic characteristics of C. sativa in a water-limiting environment interest in its production has increased worldwide. In this study the effect of different irrigation regimes (I0 = three irrigations, I1 = two irrigations, I2 = one irrigation and I3 = one irrigation) on physio-biochemical responses and seed yield attributes of two C. sativa genotypes was explored under semi-arid conditions. Results indicated that maximum physio-biochemical activity, seed yield and oil contents appeared in genotype 7126 with three irrigations (I0). In contrast water deficit stress created by withholding irrigation (I1, I2 and I3) at different growth stages significantly reduced the physio-biochemical activity as well as yield responses in both C. sativa genotypes. Nonetheless the highest reduction in physio-biochemical and yield attributes were observed in genotype 8046 when irrigation was skipped at vegetative and flowering stages of crop (I3). In genotypic comparison, C. sativa genotype 7126 performed better than 8046 under all I1, I2 and I3 irrigation treatments. Because 7126 exhibited better maintenance of tissue water content, leaf gas exchange traits and chlorophyll pigment production, resulting in better seed yield and oil production. Findings of this study suggest that to achieve maximum yield potential in camelina three irrigations are needed under semi-arid conditions, however application of two irrigations one at flowering and second at silique development stage can ensure an economic seed yield and oil contents. Furthermore, genotype 7126 should be adopted for cultivation under water limited arid and semi-arid regions due to its better adaptability.

Ammonia Volatilization and Greenhouse Gases Emissions during Vermicomposting with Animal Manures and Biochar to Enhance Sustainability.

There is a huge potential for nutrient recovery from organic waste materials for soil fertility restoration as well as negative environmental emission mitigation. Previous research has found vermicomposting the optimal choice for converting organic waste into beneficial organic fertilizer while reducing reactive N loss. However, a great deal of the processes of greenhouse gases (GHG) and ammonia volatilization during vermicomposting are not well-documented. A field vermicomposting experiment was conducted by deploying earthworms (Eisenia fetida) with three types of agricultural by-products-namely, cow manure (VCM), pig manure (VPM), and biochar (VBC)-and crop (maize) residues compared with traditional composting (COM) without earthworms in the Sichuan Basin, China. Results showed that vermicomposting caused a decrease in electrical conductivity (EC) and total organic carbon (TOC) while increasing total nitrogen (TN). The greatest TN increase was found with VCM. The cumulative NH3 volatilization in COM, VCM, VPM, and VBC during experimental duration was 9.00, 8.02, 15.16, and 8.91 kg N ha-1, respectively. The cumulative CO2 emissions in COM, VCM, VPM, and VBC were 2369, 2814, 3435, and 2984 (g·C·m-2), while for CH4, they were 0.36, 0.28, 4.07, and 0.19 (g·C·m-2) and, for N2O, they were 0.12, 0.06, 0.76, and 0.04 (g·N m-2), respectively. Lower emissions of N2O, CH4, and NH3 were observed in VBC. We concluded that earthworms, as ecological engineers, enhanced reactive nutrients and reduced ammonia volatilization during vermicomposting in our test system. Overall, vermicomposting is proposed as an eco-friendly, sustainable technique that helps to reduce environmental impacts and associated health risks.

Suspected dietary-related Wernicke's encephalopathy.

A 64-year-old female presented with fluctuating level of consciousness of unclear cause. She had radiological features of right middle lobe consolidation and raised inflammatory markers, but normal computed tomography scan of head and normal cerebrospinal fluid results. She was intubated and ventilated with nasogastric feeding for four days and had fully recovered after six days. Upon recovery, the patient disclosed that she had maintained an ice cream-only diet for three years prior to this presentation. She was therefore diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy secondary to dietary insufficiency of thiamine, which was acutely precipitated by pneumonia and recovered following establishment of appropriate nutrition.

Mapping safety culture attributes with integrity management program to achieve assessment goals: A framework for oil and gas pipelines industry.

INTRODUCTION: The safety of oil and gas pipelines is an increasing concern for the public, government regulators, and the industry. A safety management system cannot be efficient without having an effective integrity management program (IMP) and a strong safety culture. IMP is a formal document (policies, planning, scheduling, and technical processes) while safety culture is a measure of views, beliefs, and traditions about safety. For regulatory authorities and O&G companies, assessing the effectiveness of both the IMP and safety culture through regulatory audits is a daunting task with indistinct findings. METHOD: An integrated framework based on regulatory audits is developed to assess the maturity of safety culture based on IMP efficacy through risk-based approach by using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). The framework focuses on three distinct aspects, the probability of failure occurrence in case of the non-compliance of regulatory and program requirements, severity of non-compliance, and effectiveness of the corrective actions. RESULTS: Program requirements and performance indicators are translated into assessment questions which are grouped into 18 IMP components. Subsequently, these components are linked with four safety culture attributes. Sensitivity analysis revealed that four IMP components, i.e., organizational roles and responsibilities, policy and commitment, risk assessment, and training and competency, significantly affect the safety culture maturity level. CONCLUSIONS: Individual assessment of IMP and safety culture in O&G sector consumes extensive time and efforts in the auditing process. The framework facilitates the process by pursuing common criteria between IMP and safety culture. The O&G companies and regulator can prioritize the improvement plans and guidelines using the framework's findings. Practicalapplications: The integrated framework developed in this research will improve the existing assessment mechanism in O&G companies. The framework has been effectively implemented on a case of 17 upstream O&G pipeline-operating companies in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

Soil drenching of paclobutrazol: An efficient way to improve quinoa performance under salinity.

Salinity extent and severity is rising because of poor management practices on agricultural lands, possibility lies to grow salt-tolerant crops with better management techniques. Therefore, a highly nutritive salt-tolerant crop quinoa with immense potential to contribute for future food security was selected for this investigation. Soil drenching of paclobutrazol (PBZ; 20 mg l-1 ) was used to understand the ionic relations, gaseous exchange characteristics, oxidative defense system and yield under saline conditions (400 mM NaCl) including normal (0 mM NaCl) and no PBZ (0 mg l-1 ) as controls. The results revealed that salinity stress reduced the growth and yield of quinoa through perturbing ionic homeostasis with the consequences of overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative damages and reduced photosynthesis. PBZ improved the quinoa performance through regulation of ionic homeostasis by decreasing Na+ , Cl- , while improving K+ , Mg2+ and Ca2+ concentration. It also enhanced the antioxidative system including ascorbic acid, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase and glutathione peroxidase, which scavenged the ROS (H2 O2 and O2 •- ) and lowered the oxidative damages (malondialdehyde level) under salinity in roots and more specifically in leaf tissues. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance consequently improved (16 and 21%, respectively) in salt-stressed quinoa PBZ-treated compared to the non-treated ones and contributed to the improvement of panicle length (33%), 100-grain weight (8%) and grain yield (38%). Therefore, PBZ can be opted as a shotgun approach to improve quinoa performance and other crops under high saline conditions.

Chitosan-based Polymer Matrix for Pharmaceutical Excipients and Drug Delivery.

The development of innovative drug delivery systems, versatile to different drug characteristics with better effectiveness and safety, has always been in high demand. Chitosan, an aminopolysaccharide, derived from natural chitin biomass, has received much attention as one of the emerging pharmaceutical excipients and drug delivery entities. Chitosan and its derivatives can be used for direct compression tablets, as disintegrant for controlled release or for improving dissolution. Chitosan has been reported for use in drug delivery system to produce drugs with enhanced muco-adhesiveness, permeation, absorption and bioavailability. Due to filmogenic and ionic properties of chitosan and its derivative(s), drug release mechanism using microsphere technology in hydrogel formulation is particularly relevant to pharmaceutical product development. This review highlights the suitability and future of chitosan in drug delivery with special attention to drug loading and release from chitosan based hydrogels. Extensive studies on the favorable non-toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, solubility and molecular weight variation have made this polymer an attractive candidate for developing novel drug delivery systems including various advanced therapeutic applications such as gene delivery, DNA based drugs, organ specific drug carrier, cancer drug carrier, etc.

Differential response of quinoa genotypes to drought and foliage-applied H2O2 in relation to oxidative damage, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant capacity.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a highly nutritious grain crop, is resistant to abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, and cold) and offers an alternate crop to endure harsh environmental conditions under the face of climate change. Naturally, quinoa genome displays a wide degree of variabilities in drought tolerance strategies. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate drought tolerance variations and stress tolerance enhancement in four quinoa genotypes (Pichaman, Colorado-407D, IESP and 2-Want) thorough foliage-applied H2O2 with the purpose of identifying suitable genotype for water limited environments. The plants were exposed to two watering regimes (75% and 30% pot WHC) and foliage-applied H2O2 treatments (15 mM). The drought stress significantly reduced plant growth, relative water contents, chlorophyll and carotenoids contents and increased ROS production (H2O2 and O2•-) resulting in higher oxidative damage in all quinoa genotypes. Besides, drought stress significantly enhanced the antioxidants (SOD, PPO, and PAL) activity, total soluble sugars, proline, AsA contents and increased the total accumulation of measured inorganic ions in all quinoa genotypes. The PCA analysis indicated that parameters related to osmotic adjustment and antioxidant capacity were more pronounced in 2-Want and IESP genotypes, while parameters depicting oxidative damage were higher in Colorado-407D and more specifically in Pichaman. However, foliage-applied H2O2 effectively improved the osmolytes accumulation, antioxidants activity and K+/Na+ ratio which increased water relations, reduced lipid peroxidation and ultimately resulted in higher plant growth. Overall, 2-Want and IESP genotypes were found relatively more drought resistant, while exogenous application of H2O2 can be opted for more improvement in osmotic adjustment and antioxidant system, which may further enhance drought tolerance, even in sensitive genotypes of quinoa, such as Pichaman.

Current and future management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Objectives: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a chronic disease of the respiratory tract that occurs in both children and adults. It is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), in particular low-risk HPV6 and HPV11, and aggressiveness varies among patients. RRP remains a chronic disease that is difficult to manage. This review provides perspectives on current and future management of RRP. Results: The current standard of care is surgical excision, with adjuvant therapies as needed. Surgical management of RRP has evolved with the introduction of microdebriders and photoangiolytic lasers; the latter can now be used in the office setting. Numerous adjuvant pharmacologic therapies have been utilized with some success. Also, exciting preliminary data show that HPV vaccines may prolong the time to recurrence in the RRP population. There is also optimism that wide-spread HPV vaccination could reduce RRP incidence indirectly by preventing vertical HPV transmission to newborns. Conclusion: To date, the biology of RRP is not well understood, although it has been noted to become more aggressive in the setting of immune suppression. Additional research is needed to better understand immune system dysfunction in RRP such that immunomodulatory approaches may be developed for RRP management. Level of Evidence: 4.

Predictors of Osteopathic Medical Students' Readiness to Use Health Information Technology.

CONTEXT: The advent of health information technology (HIT) tools can affect the practice of modern medicine in many ways, ideally by improving quality of care and efficiency and reducing medical errors. Future physicians will play a key role in the successful implementation of HIT. However, osteopathic medical students' willingness to learn, adopt, and use technology in a health care setting is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To understand osteopathic medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HIT and to identify factors that may be related to their readiness to use HIT. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional approach, quantitative surveys were collected from students attending a large osteopathic medical school. Multivariate regression modeling was used to determine whether knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and personal characteristics were associated with students' readiness to use HIT in future clinical practice. RESULTS: Six hundred four students responded to at least 70% of the survey and were included in the analysis. Multivariate modeling successfully explained the 26% of variance in predicting students' readiness to use HIT (F8,506=22.6, P<.001, R2=0.263). Greater self-efficacy, openness to change (in academic/work settings), favorable attitudes toward HIT use, mobile technology use, younger age, being male, and prior exposure to technology were associated with readiness to use HIT. CONCLUSION: Understanding students' level of HIT readiness may help guide medical education intervention efforts to better prepare future osteopathic physicians for HIT engagement and use. Innovative approaches to HIT education in medical school curricula that include biomedical informatics may be necessary.

TriCurin, a novel formulation of curcumin, epicatechin gallate, and resveratrol, inhibits the tumorigenicity of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide with about 600,000 new cases diagnosed in the last year. The incidence of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-positive HNSCC) has rapidly increased over the past 30 years prompting the suggestion that an epidemic may be on the horizon. Therefore, there is a clinical need to develop alternate therapeutic strategies to manage the growing number of HPV-positive HNSCC patients. TriCurin is a composition of three food-derived polyphenols in unique stoichiometric proportions consisting of curcumin from the spice turmeric, resveratrol from red grapes, and epicatechin gallate from green tea. Cell viability, clonogenic survival, and tumorsphere formation were inhibited and significant apoptosis was induced by TriCurin in UMSCC47 and UPCI:SCC090 HPV-positive HNSCC cells. Moreover, TriCurin decreased HPV16E6 and HPV16E7 and increased p53 levels. In a pre-clinical animal model of HPV-positive HNSCC, intra-tumoral injection of TriCurin significantly inhibited tumor growth by 85.5% compared to vehicle group (P < 0.05, n = 7). Our results demonstrate that TriCurin is a potent anti-tumor agent for HPV-positive HNSCC. Further development of TriCurin as a novel anti-cancer therapeutic to manage the HPV-positive HNSCC population is warranted.

Impact and prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan in the evaluation of residual head and neck cancer: Single-center experience from Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Overview of clinical impact of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans in patients with head and neck carcinomas at our center. METHODS: Retrospective review of posttreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET-CT scans in patients with head and neck carcinomas with risk of residual disease. Clinical outcome served as the reference standard. RESULTS: This study included 93 patients (65.6% males, mean age: 48.8 years ± 17.2 standard deviation) with squamous cell carcinoma as most frequent histopathology (91.4%). PET-CT scans were performed on average 6 months posttreatment. Diagnostic accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of PET-CT for disease were found to be 88%, 88%, and 92%, respectively. A median follow-up of 24 months was available for 91 patients. Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly higher disease-free survival with negative PET-CT as compared to positive PET-CT (P = 0.01) and maximum standardized uptake values of <5.0 (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: FDG PET-CT has diagnostic and prognostic implications in treated patient of head and neck cancers.

Comprehensible knowledge model creation for cancer treatment decision making.

BACKGROUND: A wealth of clinical data exists in clinical documents in the form of electronic health records (EHRs). This data can be used for developing knowledge-based recommendation systems that can assist clinicians in clinical decision making and education. One of the big hurdles in developing such systems is the lack of automated mechanisms for knowledge acquisition to enable and educate clinicians in informed decision making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An automated knowledge acquisition methodology with a comprehensible knowledge model for cancer treatment (CKM-CT) is proposed. With the CKM-CT, clinical data are acquired automatically from documents. Quality of data is ensured by correcting errors and transforming various formats into a standard data format. Data preprocessing involves dimensionality reduction and missing value imputation. Predictive algorithm selection is performed on the basis of the ranking score of the weighted sum model. The knowledge builder prepares knowledge for knowledge-based services: clinical decisions and education support. RESULTS: Data is acquired from 13,788 head and neck cancer (HNC) documents for 3447 patients, including 1526 patients of the oral cavity site. In the data quality task, 160 staging values are corrected. In the preprocessing task, 20 attributes and 106 records are eliminated from the dataset. The Classification and Regression Trees (CRT) algorithm is selected and provides 69.0% classification accuracy in predicting HNC treatment plans, consisting of 11 decision paths that yield 11 decision rules. CONCLUSION: Our proposed methodology, CKM-CT, is helpful to find hidden knowledge in clinical documents. In CKM-CT, the prediction models are developed to assist and educate clinicians for informed decision making. The proposed methodology is generalizable to apply to data of other domains such as breast cancer with a similar objective to assist clinicians in decision making and education.

Characterization of furnace oil bioremediation potential of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria isolated from petroleum contaminated sites of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh.

Spillage of furnace oil is a more frequent event in recent times. In this study, environmental samples from furnace oil spillage sites of the Shela River, the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, were collected after three weeks of spillage. Serial dilution was applied and total seven bacterial isolates were separated as pure cultures. The oil-degrading potentiality of all seven isolates was further assessed, confirmed and compared with the growth pattern in furnace oil supplemented media, 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol test, and gravimetric analysis. After 7 days of incubation, isolates SS3, RW2, and SB degraded 56%, 43%, and 52% of supplemented furnace oil, respectively. The top three hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial isolates were selected as potential and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (SS3), Bacillus sp. (RW2), and Serratia sp. (SB). All three isolates showed significant oil-degrading capacity compared to negative control, when incubated in sterile pond water supplemented with 2% furnace oil, suggesting them as potential bioremediation agents.

Capecitabine for treating head and neck cancer.

INTRODUCTION: With an increasing incidence, over half a million cases of head and neck cancer (HNC) are diagnosed annually worldwide. Various chemotherapeutic agents are utilized to achieve adequate locoregional control. Cisplatin, fluorouracil (FU), and taxanes are often used to treat HNC but these regimens have shown high toxicity and poor patient compliance. Capecitabine is an orally administered prodrug that is preferentially converted to FU in tumor cells in comparison to normal cells. AREA COVERED: In this review, the authors evaluate the role of capecitabine in radical and palliative settings either alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs in the management of HNC. In addition, metabolic conversion, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity profile of capecitabine are discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Various phase II trials conducted on capecitabine in the management of recurrent HNC have shown comparable results and tolerable toxic effects especially in pre-treated fragile patients. Capecitabine, used in induction or concurrent settings in the radical management of locoregionally advanced HNC, have also shown promising results. Randomized trials are needed to validate the role of capecitabine in the management of HNC.