Newly synthesized palladium(II) complexes with aminothiazole derivatives: in vitro study of antimicrobial activity and antitumor activity on the human prostate cancer cell line.

Five new complexes of the palladium(II) ion (C1-C5) having the general formula [(PdL2)]Cl2 with some 2-aminothiazoles (L1-L5), where L1 = 2-amino-4-(3,4-difluorophenyl)thiazole, L2 = 2-amino-5-methyl-4-phenylthiazole, L3 = 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole, L4 = 2-amino-4-(4-chlorophenyl)thiazole, and L5 = 2-amino-4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)thiazole, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental microanalysis and infrared, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the five ligands and the corresponding Pd(II) complexes is investigated. Testing is performed by the microdilution method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) have been determined. Testing is conducted against 11 microorganisms (nine strains of pathogenic bacteria and two yeast species). The tested ligands and palladium(II) complexes show selective, high and moderate activity. There is a difference in antimicrobial activity between the ligands and the corresponding palladium(II) complexes. The complexes have significant anti-staphylococcal activity and activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is better than the positive control. The interactions of newly synthesized palladium(II) complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) were investigated using UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Analysis of UV-absorption and fluorescence spectra indicates the formation of a complex between the palladium(II) complexes and DNA. The high values of intrinsic binding constants, Kb, of the order 104 M-1 and Stern-Volmer quenching constants, KSV, of the order 105 M-1 indicated very good binding of all complexes to CT-DNA. Also, the new Pd(II) complexes show high cytotoxic activity towards the human prostate cancer cell line and insignificant activity towards non-cancerous human fibroblasts. Future research could additionally explore the biological activity of Pd(II) complexes presented in this paper and investigate the possibility of their implementation in clinical practice.

Designing Laboratory for IoT Communication Infrastructure Environment for Remote Maritime Surveillance in Equatorial Areas Based on the Gulf of Guinea Field Experiences.

The steady increase of the world population and economy leads to an increase in both types and amounts of goods transported over seas, which further inevitably leads to an increase of criminal activities in the maritime arena. In order to stifle criminal activities nations are forced to develop sophisticated sensor networks. The backbone of any sensor network is a communication network which connects all sensors with the command centers, most often located hundreds of kilometers away from the sensors. In developing countries, communication networks are very often poorly developed, leaving only satellite links as somewhat reliable means of communication. Henceforth, in this paper, a laboratory for the Internet of Things (IoT) communication infrastructure environment designed to facilitate maritime sensor network design process in areas where communication network is dependent on data transfer over satellite links is presented. In order to successfully describe and develop a laboratory for IoT communication infrastructure environment, necessary data are collected during the design and deployment of a maritime surveillance network in the Gulf of Guinea. The main advantage of the proposed laboratory environment is the inclusion of satellite link simulation in the IoT laboratory environment. This feature provides an opportunity to cover a much broader scope of IoT solutions compared to other IoT laboratories.

Metastasis of Prostate Adenocarcinoma to the Testis.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed carcinoma in the male population. The most typical places of the metastases are pelvic lymphatic glands, bones and lungs, and very rarely it metastasizes into a testis. The prognostic importance of testicular metastasis of prostate cancer is not yet well-known, due to a very few published cases. According to the known facts, it is certain that a metastasis of the prostate carcinoma into a testis is a sign of an advanced disease. CASE REPORT: This work presents a 48-year-old patient, to whom an adenocarcinoma of the prostate has been proven by the pathohistological finding of transrectal biopsy, performed due to the elevated level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Nine years after the initial diagnosis, due to a gradual rise of PSA and tumorous enlargement of the left testis, left inguinal orchectomy and right orchectomy were performed. Metastatic dissemination of prostate adenocarcinoma into a testis was determined by a pathohistological analysis of the left testis. CONCLUSION: The metastasis of the prostate carcinoma into a testis, as a rare localization of the metastatic dissemination, after additionally performed orchectomy along with further oncological therapy, can provide a continuation of a good life quality as well as a control of the disease in a longer time period.

The clinical course of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer after transurethral resection of the tumor with or without subsequent intravesical application of bacillus Calmette-Guérin: The influence of patients gender and age.

UNLABELLED: BACGROUND/AIM: The therapy with intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) after transurethral resection (TUR) of tumor is the gold standard of treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The role and importance of BCG intravesical therapy in various shape of tumors, were confirmed by our previous investigation. The aim of this study was to examine whether incidence of recurrence and tumor regression differs depending on sex and age of patients. METHODS: This study included a total of 899 patients suffering from NIMBC, treated at our institution from January 1, 2007 to March 1, 2013. Two groups of patients were formed: patients underwent TUR + BCG therapy (the group I) and the group II with patients in whom TUR was performed as only therapy. These two groups of patients were divided into subgroups of respondents male and female, age 60 years or younger and older than 60 years. Statistical analysis was performed using χ2 test and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. RESULTS: This research suggests that if the frequency of recurrence is seen as the only parameter, considering all the subjects, the lowest recurrence rate was determined in the male subjects, aged 60 years and younger who had received BCG after TUR. A high statistical significance was found in the incidence of recurrence in patients younger than 60 years, depending on the response to the therapy, while in those older than 60 years, the difference was at the level of statistical significance. This can be attributed to a certain degree of infravesical obstruction in older men. CONCLUSIONS: Sex and age of patients may have a significant influence on the course and outcome of NMIBC. The disease has the most malignant and most aggressive behavior when present in males older than 60 years.

Difference in recurrence frequencies of non-muscle-invasive-bladder tumors depending on optimal usage of intravesical immunotherapy of bacillus Calmette-Guérin.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The therapy with intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) after transurethral resection (ITJR) of the tumor is the gold standard of treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The aim of this study was to compare the frequencies of reccurence between a group of patients submitted to TUR + BCG therapy (group I) and a group of patients submitted only to TUR (group II). METHODS: The patients with NMIBC, a total of 899, treated in our Institution from January 1, 2007 to March, 2013, were included in this study and divided into two groups: group I and group II. These two groups were divided into three subgroups: solitary first diagnosed tumor ≤ 3 cm (SFDGT), solitary first diagnosed tumor > 3 cm and multiple first diagnosed tumors (MFDGT), and recedive tumors (RCT). Statistical analysis was performed by using χ2-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. RESULTS: In the group I a total of 133 cases had reccurence contrary to 75 in the group II, making a statistically highly significant difference. Analysis of recurrences through the subgroups revealed: in the group I SFDGT recurrence occured in 27 of the cases vs 9 cases in the group II; in the group I MFDGT recurrence occured in 49 of the cases vs 31 in the group II (p < 0.001), and finally, in the group I RCT recurrence occured in 57 cases vs 35 cases in the group II (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The obtained results indicate no difference in the frequency of reccurence between the group I and group II regarding SFDGT, but a very high significant difference regarding those with MFDGT and RCT. These results should be taken into consideration in everyday clinical practise.

Scoring system development for prediction of extravesical bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Staging of bladder cancer is crucial for optimal management of the disease. However, clinical staging is not perfectly accurate. The aim of this study was to derive a simple scoring system in prediction of pathological advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). METHODS: Logistic regression and bootstrap methods were used to create an integer score for estimating the risk in prediction of pathological advanced MIBC using precystectomy clinicopathological data: demographic, initial transurethral resection (TUR) [grade, stage, multiplicity of tumors, lymphovascular invasion (LVI)], hydronephrosis, abdominal and pelvic CT radiography (size of the tumor, tumor base width), and pathological stage after radical cystectomy (RC). Advanced MIBC in surgical specimen was defined as pT3-4 tumor. Receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curve quantified the area under curve (AUC) as predictive accuracy. Clinical usefulness was assessed by using decision curve analysis. RESULTS: This single-center retrospective study included 233 adult patients with BC undergoing RC at the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade. Organ confined disease was observed in 101 (43.3%) patients, and 132 (56.7%) had advanced MIBC. In multivariable analysis, 3 risk factors most strongly associated with advanced MIBC: grade of initial TUR [odds ratio (OR) = 4.7], LVI (OR = 2), and hydronephrosis (OR = 3.9). The resultant total possible score ranged from 0 to 15, with the cut-off value of > 8 points, the AUC was 0.795, showing good discriminatory ability. The model showed excellent calibration. Decision curve analysis showed a net benefit across all threshold probabilities and clinical usefulness of the model. CONCLUSION: We developed a unique scoring system which could assist in predicting advanced MIBC in patients before RC. The scoring system showed good performance characteristics and introducing of such a tool into daily clinical decision-making may lead to more appropriate integration of perioperative chemotherapy. Clinical value of this model needs to be further assessed in external validation cohorts.