Assessment of the marine microalga Chrysochromulina rotalis as bioactive feedstock cultured in an easy-to-deploy light-emitting-diode-based tubular photobioreactor.

Marine microalgae have potential to be low-cost raw materials. This depends on the exploitation of different biomass fractions for high-value products, including unique compounds. Chrysochromulina rotalis, an under-explored haptophyte with promising properties, was the focus of this study. For the first time, C. rotalis was successfully cultivated in an 80 L tubular photobioreactor, illuminated by an easy-to-use light-emitting-diode-based system. C. rotalis grew without certain trace elements and showed adaptability to different phosphorus sources, allowing a significant reduction in the N:P ratio without compromising biomass yield and productivity. The design features of the photobioreactor provided a protective environment that ensured consistent biomass production from this shear-sensitive microalgae. Carotenoid analysis showed fucoxanthin and its derivatives as major components, with essential fatty acids making up a significant proportion of the total. The study emphasizes the tubular photobioreactor's role in sustainable biomass production for biorefineries, with C. rotalis as a valuable bioactive feedstock.

CFD-based prediction of initial microalgal adhesion to solid surfaces using force balances.

Adhesion of microalgal cells to photobioreactor walls reduces productivity resulting in significant economic losses. The physico-chemical surface properties and the fluid dynamics present in the photobioreactor during cultivation are relevant. However, to date, no multiphysical model has been able to predict biofouling formation in these systems. In this work, to model the microalgal adhesion, a Computational Fluid Dynamic simulation was performed using a Eulerian-Lagrangian particle-tracking model. The adhesion criterion was based on the balance of forces and moments included in the XDLVO model. A cell suspension of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana was fed into a commercial flow cell composed of poly-methyl-methacrylate coupons for validation. Overall, the simulated adhesion criterion qualitatively predicted the initial distribution of adhered cells on the coupons. In conclusion, the combined Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Phase Model (CFD-DPM) approach can be used to overcome the challenge of predicting microalgal cell adhesion in photobioreactors.

Long-term biofouling formation mediated by extracellular proteins in Nannochloropsis gaditana microalga cultures at different medium N/P ratios.

Biofouling represents an important limitation in photobioreactor cultures. The biofouling propensity of different materials (polystyrene, borosilicate glass, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) and coatings (two spray-applied and nanoparticle-based superhydrophobic coatings and a hydrogel-based fouling release coating) was evaluated by means of a short-term protein test, using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein, and by the long-term culture of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana under practical conditions. The results from both methods were similar, confirming that the BSA test predicts microalgal biofouling on surfaces exposed to microalgae cultures whose cells secrete macromolecules, such as proteins, with a high capacity for forming a conditioning film before cell adhesion. The hydrogel-based coating showed significantly reduced BSA and N. gaditana adhesion, whereas the other surfaces failed to control biofouling. Microalgal biofouling was associated with an increased concentration of sticky extracellular proteins at low N/P ratios (below 15).

Consenso para la apertura y cierre de laparotomía media supra-infraumbilical utilizando metodología Delphi / Midline laparotomy technique consensus using the Delphi method

INTRODUCCIÓN: Una de las vías de acceso a la cavidad abdominal es la laparotomía media, siendo uno de los riesgos más temidos las complicaciones postoperatorias, las cuales pueden disminuirse con difusión de una adecuada técnica quirúrgica. OBJETIVO: Generar un consenso de expertos con pasos clave para realizar una laparotomía media supra-infraumbilical, a través de la metodología Delphi. MATERIALES Y MÉTODO: Por medio de una revisión de la literatura se extrajo el detalle de 37 pasos considerados en el procedimiento, organizado en secciones de preparación, apertura y cierre, siendo evaluados por un grupo de cirujanos de 7 hospitales docentes de Chile, mediante una encuesta online. RESULTADOS: El consenso se alcanzó en dos rondas, con 28 de los 37 pasos extraídos de la literatura, considerados importantes o muy importantes para la enseñanza de la técnica. Discusión: De los 28 pasos identificados como importantes, existe un alto grado de acuerdo para la preparación y apertura de una laparotomía, a diferencia del cierre en el cual no se observa una preferencia clara entre el cierre en una o varias capas entre el peritoneo y la fascia, debiendo analizarse en cada caso específico. CONCLUSIÓN: La identificación de 28 pasos estandarizados constituye un aporte en los programas de formación de residentes y en el desarrollo de modelos de simulación adecuados para la replicación del procedimiento. El aprendizaje correcto de la técnica basado en evidencia es fundamental para disminuir el riesgo de complicaciones asociadas, especialmente en el postoperatorio.

INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, the main surgical technique to access the abdominal cavity has been midline incision laparotomy, being postoperative complications a main concern. Proper teaching-learning methods could help improving the success of this procedure. AIM: Establish an expert's consensus throughout the Delphi Methodology regarding the main steps that need to be considered in a midline laparotomy. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Literature review was conducted, 37 steps were identified and grouped in 3 sections; preparation of the skin, opening incision, and closure. These steps were evaluated online by surgeons of 7 teaching hospitals in Chile. RESULTS: Consensus was reached in two rounds, 28 of the 37 steps were identified as important or very important for the procedure. DISCUSSION: There is a high level of agreement in steps related to preparation of the skin and opening incision. However, there is not a consensus regarding closure of the peritoneum and fascia in one or more layers, being a case to case decision. CONCLUSIONS: Establishment of 28 standardized steps constitutes a contribution to resident teaching programs and the development of simulation materials as an active learning strategy. Satisfactory learning outcomes have a direct impact in the success of the procedure and a lower rate of complications.

Breast cancer PAM50 signature: correlation and concordance between RNA-Seq and digital multiplexed gene expression technologies in a triple negative breast cancer series.

BACKGROUND: Full RNA-Seq is a fundamental research tool for whole transcriptome analysis. However, it is too costly and time consuming to be used in routine clinical practice. We evaluated the transcript quantification agreement between RNA-Seq and a digital multiplexed gene expression platform, and the subtype call after running the PAM50 assay in a series of breast cancer patients classified as triple negative by IHC/FISH. The goal of this study is to analyze the concordance between both expression platforms overall, and for calling PAM50 triple negative breast cancer intrinsic subtypes in particular. RESULTS: The analyses were performed in paraffin-embedded tissues from 96 patients recruited in a multicenter, prospective, non-randomized neoadjuvant triple negative breast cancer trial (NCT01560663). Pre-treatment core biopsies were obtained following clinical practice guidelines and conserved as FFPE for further RNA extraction. PAM50 was performed on both digital multiplexed gene expression and RNA-Seq platforms. Subtype assignment was based on the nearest centroid classification following this procedure for both platforms and it was concordant on 96% of the cases (N = 96). In four cases, digital multiplexed gene expression analysis and RNA-Seq were discordant. The Spearman correlation to each of the centroids and the risk of recurrence were above 0.89 in both platforms while the agreement on Proliferation Score reached up to 0.97. In addition, 82% of the individual PAM50 genes showed a correlation coefficient > 0.80. CONCLUSIONS: In our analysis, the subtype calling in most of the samples was concordant in both platforms and the potential discordances had reduced clinical implications in terms of prognosis. If speed and cost are the main driving forces then the preferred technique is the digital multiplexed platform, while if whole genome patterns and subtype are the driving forces, then RNA-Seq is the preferred method.

Correction to: Persistent major alopecia following adjuvant docetaxel for breast cancer: incidence, characteristics, and prevention with scalp cooling.

In the original publication of the article, Table 1 was published with incorrect caption and values. The Table 1 with corrected caption and values is given in this Correction.

Persistent major alopecia following adjuvant docetaxel for breast cancer: incidence, characteristics, and prevention with scalp cooling.

BACKGROUND: Persistent alopecia (PA) after docetaxel has been recently described. The aim of our study is to establish the incidence and characteristics of PA following adjuvant docetaxel for breast cancer (BC) and to test the ability of scalp cooling in prevention. PATIENTS AND METHODS: BC patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy followed or not by endocrine therapy (and a control group receiving only endocrine therapy) were interviewed in a single institution at 1.5 to 5 years following primary diagnosis searching for PA. A confirmatory prevalence study was later performed in other two institutions. Finally, a prevention study using prophylactic scalp cooling (PSC) with ELASTO-GEL hypothermia caps in patients receiving adjuvant docetaxel was performed. RESULTS: In the initial prevalence study (492 patients), minor forms of PA (grade 1) were recorded with all chemotherapy regimens and aromatase inhibitors. Patients receiving docetaxel regimens at cumulative dose (CD) ≥ 400 mmg/m2 presented a significantly higher prevalence of grades 1 PA (33-52%) and 2 PA (5-12%). Prevalence of grade 2 PA with docetaxel CD ≥ 400 mmg/m2 was confirmed in two other institutions. Overall, grade 2 PA was seen in 10.06% (95% CI 7.36-13.61) of 358 patients with docetaxel regimens reaching CD ≥ 400 mmg/m2, but not in patients with lower docetaxel CD, other chemotherapy regimens, or endocrine therapy alone. In prevention trial, no grade 2 PA occurred among 116 patients receiving adjuvant docetaxel (≥ 400 mmg/m2) and PSC followed-up after a 96 months median time. PSC was well tolerated. No scalp relapses were seen among 30 patients (22% of all inclusions) having disease relapse. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant treatment with docetaxel (CD ≥ 400 mmg/m2) is associated with a significant rate of grade 2 PA, leading to wearing a wig, in around 10% of patients. This toxicity was completely prevented with scalp cooling. Clinical Trial Reference: NCT00515762.

Five Years of Multidisciplinary Care in Hereditary Cancer: Our Experience in a Spanish University Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the evolution of a multidisciplinary heredofamilial cancer unit (HFCU) in a university hospital. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of the activity of our HFCU in its first 5 years of existence. RESULTS: Between July 2010 and July 2015, 1,518 patients from 1,318 families attended our HFCU. Genetic testing was offered to 862 patients. Of those, 833 (96.6%) accepted testing, with available results for 636 (76.4%). Pathogenic mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 were found in 175 patients. Lynch syndrome and adenomatous polyposis were the most frequent syndromes diagnosed (151/175, 86.3%) among 17 different syndromes studied. Of the 404 patients without a previous genetic diagnosis in the family, 62 (15.3%) were found to have mutations in disease-causing genes. Prophylactic surgery and follow-up (33.7%) or follow-up only (66.3%) was proposed for mutation carriers according to international guidelines and patients' preferences. CONCLUSION: We have a high mutation detection rate, genetic test acceptance, and compliance with risk reduction strategies. However, there is room for improvement, especially in genetic testing timing, considering that an increase in the indications for genetic testing is expected.

Review: circulating tumor cells in the practice of breast cancer oncology

The primary cause of tumor-related death in breast cancer is still represented by distant metastasization. The dissemination of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant sites through bloodstream cannot be early detected by standard imaging methods. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a major role in the metastatic spread of breast cancer. Different analytical systems for CTCs isolation and detection have been developed and novel areas of research are directed towards developing assays for CTCs molecular characterization. This review describes the current state of art on CTCs detection techniques and the present and future clinical implications of CTCs enumeration and characterization (AU)

No disponible

Review: circulating tumor cells in the practice of breast cancer oncology.

The primary cause of tumor-related death in breast cancer is still represented by distant metastasization. The dissemination of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant sites through bloodstream cannot be early detected by standard imaging methods. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a major role in the metastatic spread of breast cancer. Different analytical systems for CTCs isolation and detection have been developed and novel areas of research are directed towards developing assays for CTCs molecular characterization. This review describes the current state of art on CTCs detection techniques and the present and future clinical implications of CTCs enumeration and characterization.

Running away from side effects: physical exercise as a complementary intervention for breast cancer patients

The number of breast cancer survivors increases every year, thanks to the development of new treatments and screening techniques. However, patients present with numerous side effects that may affect their quality of life. Exercise has been demonstrated to reduce some of these side effects, but in spite of this, few breast cancer patients know and follow the exercise recommendations needed to remain healthy. In this review, we describe the different breast cancer treatments and the related side effects and implications of exercise in relation to these. We propose that exercise could be an integrative complementary intervention to improve physiological, physical and psychological factors that affect survival and quality of life of these patients. For that reason, the main objective of this review is to provide a general overview of exercise benefits in breast cancer patients and recommendations of how to design exercise interventions in patients with different side effects (AU)

No disponible

Running away from side effects: physical exercise as a complementary intervention for breast cancer patients.

The number of breast cancer survivors increases every year, thanks to the development of new treatments and screening techniques. However, patients present with numerous side effects that may affect their quality of life. Exercise has been demonstrated to reduce some of these side effects, but in spite of this, few breast cancer patients know and follow the exercise recommendations needed to remain healthy. In this review, we describe the different breast cancer treatments and the related side effects and implications of exercise in relation to these. We propose that exercise could be an integrative complementary intervention to improve physiological, physical and psychological factors that affect survival and quality of life of these patients. For that reason, the main objective of this review is to provide a general overview of exercise benefits in breast cancer patients and recommendations of how to design exercise interventions in patients with different side effects.

Chemobrain: ¿podemos hablar de un daño cerebral adquirido por quimioterapia? / Chemobrain: can we consider an acquired brain injury from chemotherapy?

Objetivo: Conocer el deterioro cognitivo producido por la quimioterapia en una muestra de pacientes con cáncer de mama frente a los controles y frente a sí mismas, antes y después del tratamiento. Pacientes y método: Estudio de corte longitudinal prospectivo. Se administró la Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, se evaluó depresión, ansiedad, función sexual, calidad de vida y sueño. Se midió memoria, atención, velocidad de procesamiento, memoria de trabajo, función ejecutiva y fluidez. Tanto la muestra inicial como la final fue de 19 pacientes y 19 controles. Resultados: Las pacientes presentaron diferencias en depresión, ansiedad, calidad de vida, función sexual y calidad de sueño frente al grupo control en el momento basal y a los seis meses. Se encontraron diferencias neurocognitivas entre pacientes y controles antes del tratamiento en memoria y en función ejecutiva y después del tratamiento en memoria, función ejecutiva e índice de función prefrontal. Conclusiones: Encontramos diferencias entre pacientes y controles antes de comenzar el tratamiento, síntomas de ansiedad, depresión, calidad de vida y sueño, en función sexual y en las variables neurocognitivas de memoria y función ejecutiva. Tras la quimioterapia, se observó declive en las pacientes respecto a los controles en: ansiedad, depresión, calidad de vida, calidad de sueño y función sexual y los dominios cognitivo de atención, memoria, función ejecutiva e índice de función prefrontal (AU)

Objective: To meet the cognitive impairment caused by chemotherapy in a sample of patients with breast cancer versus controls and themselves, before and after treatment. Patients and methods: Prospective longitudinal study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was administered and other emotional symptoms like depression, anxiety, sexual function, quality of life and sleep was assessed. Memory, attention, processing speed, working memory, executive function and flow were measured. Both the initial and the final sample were 19 patients and 19 controls. Results: Patients differ in depression, anxiety, quality of life, sexual function, and quality of sleep versus controls at baseline and 6-month. Neurocognitive differences between patients and control group were found in memory before treatment and executive function. After treatment the differences were in memory, executive function and index of prefrontal function. Conclusion: There are significant differences between patients and control group before starting treatment, symptoms of anxiety, depression, quality of life and sleep, sexual function and neurocognitive variables in memory and executive function. After chemotherapy, decline was seen in patients respect control group in: anxiety, depression, and quality of life, quality of sleep and sexual function and cognitive domains of attention, memory, executive function and index of prefrontal function (AU)