Water treatment: Mn-TiO2 synthesized by ultrasound with increased aromatics adsorption

Pharma-products are mostly single or multiple cyclic compounds. They pollute surface water and are persistent in the aquatic ecosystem. When irradiated by UV light, TiO₂ catalysts cleave or degrade organic contaminants in water. Removal of organics by photocatalysis results from a synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis. Synthesis of catalysts by ultrasound (US) produces high surface area and porous solids. Here, we synthesized Mn-doped TiO₂ with a US-assisted sol-gel method. Compared to the classical synthesis, US increased the BET surface area from 83 m² g^-1 to 90 m² g^-1 in the Mn-TiO₂ sample and from 9.0 m² g^-1 to 53 m² g^-1 in the control TiO₂. Accordingly, acetaminophen and amoxicillin adsorption increased from 44% to 52%, and from 34% to 94% for the Mn-TiO₂ obtained in absence and presence of US, respectively. When in a mixture, the two drugs strongly compete for adsorption on TiO₂.

High-performance solution-based CdS-conjugated hybrid polymer solar cells

In this study, hybrid BHJ – bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells were fabricated by incorporating CdS quantum dots (QDs) in a blend of P3HT (donor) and PCBM (acceptor) using dichlorobenzene and chlorobenzene as solvents. CdS QDs at various ratios were mixed in a fixed amount of the P3HT and PCBM blend. The prepared samples have been characterized by a variety of techniques such as I–V and EQE measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The mixing of QDs in the polymer blends improved the PCE – power conversion efficiency of the solar cells under standard light conditions. The improved PCE from 2.95 to 4.41% is mostly due to the increase in the fill factor (FF) and short-circuit current (J_sc) of the devices with an optimum amount of CdS in the P3HT:PCBM blend. The increase in J_sc possibly originated from the formation of a percolation network of CdS. The conjugation of QDs has increased the absorption of the active layers in the visible region. These results well matched as reported, conjugation of CdS in the perovskite active layer increased the absorption and PCE of the devices relative to those of the perovskite films. This increment in parameters is attributed to the decrease in charge recombinations that improved the performance of the doped device.

In this study, hybrid BHJ – bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells were fabricated by incorporating CdS quantum dots (QDs) in a blend of P3HT (donor) and PCBM (acceptor) using dichlorobenzene and chlorobenzene as solvents.

Abstract P5-10-05: Time differences in breast cancer diagnosis among minorities in a large referal academic center

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and leading cause of cancer death in women. BC incidence is lower in Hispanic (H) (91.9/100,000) compared to non-Hispanic Whites (NHW -128.1/100.000) and Non-Hispanic Black (NHB - 124.3/100,000) population; however, mortality rate is higher in NHB (31/100,000) compared to NHW (21.9/100,000) and H (14.5/100,000). Diagnosis delay is a plausible factor that may explain differences in BC clinical outcomes among different race/ethnicity subgroups.

Objective: To compare time to diagnosis (TTD) by race/ethnicity in women with breast cancer diagnosed at Montefiore Medical Center from 2004 to 2012.

Methods: Patients with breast cancer and available race/ethnicity information diagnosed between 2004 and 2012 were categorized into 4 race/ethnicity groups: NHB, NHW, H or Asian. Dates of screening mammogram, diagnostic mammogram and biopsy were obtained. TTD was defined as the time difference between abnormal mammogram and biopsy dates.

Results: 919 patients had ethnicity information, 302 (32.8%) were H. TTD was longer in H compared to non-Hispanics (35 vs 31 days, z=2.2, p=0.02). Race and ethnicity information was available for 834 patients with a mean age of 62 years (SD:12.4). Of these, 252 (30.2%) were H and 387 (46.4%) were NHB. NHW had the shortest TTD (30 days), the highest frequency of Stage I (70%) and lowest frequency of high-nuclear grade (15.6%). NHB had a TTD of 31 days and higher frequency of triple negative disease (18.9%). TTD was significantly longer in H compared to NHW (35 vs 30 days, z=2.3, p=0.02), and there was a non-significant longer TTD when comparing H versus NHB (35 vs 31 days, z=1.9, p=0.0574). TTD between NHB and NHW was not different (31 vs 30 days, z=1.4, p=0.14).

Conclusions: The longer TTD in H vs Non-Hispanics was driven by the TTD in NHW. NHW had shorter TTD and more favorable pathological features which could lead to lower mortality rate. There was no difference in TTD between NHW and NHB but the latter had higher frequencies of triple negative disease. Correlation between TTD and mortality in our population will help to clarify the clinical effect of TTD differences among race/ethnicity subgroups.

 Total (n= 834)Not Hispanic Black (n=387)Not Hispanic White (n=180)Hispanic (n=302)Asian (n=15)Age (SD)62 (12.4)62.965.261.6 (11.9)53.2Stage*     I613 (65.7)239 (61.6)126 (70)202 (67.3)10 (66.7)II242 (25.9)121 (31.3)36 (20)71 (23.7)3 (20)III56 (6)19 (4.9)12 (6.7)20 (6.7)3 (15.3)IV21 (2.3)8 (2.1)6 (3.3)7 (2.3)1 (1)Histology*     IDC697 (75.1)292 (75.5)121 (67.2)224 (74.7)13 (86.7)ILC81 (8.7)34 (8.8)23 (12.8)21 (7)2 (13.3)Mixed140 (15.1)57 (14.7)33 (18.3)49 (16.3)0 (0)Grade*     High253 (28.4)138 (35.7)28 (15.6)73 (24.3)4 (26.7)Moderate426 (48)155 (40.1)86 (47.8)151 (50.3)9 (60)Low210 (23.6)83 (21.5)49 (27.2)62 (20.7)1 (6.7)Receptor status*     ER positive762 (81.8)286 (73.9)162 (90)258 (86)12 (80)PR positive632 (67.8)229 (59.2)137 (76.1)219 (73)11 (73.3)HER-2 positive143 (15.4)70 (18.1)14 (7.8)49 (16.3)5 (33.3)Triple negative115 (12.3)73 (18.9)14 (7.8)21 (7)1 (6.7)Times     Time to diagnosis33 (20-52)31 (19-52)30 (19-44.5)35 (21-58.5)42 (21-72)Screening to Diagnostic22 (14-36)22 (13-36)21 (13-32)23 (14-14)26 (17-37)Diagnostic to Biopsy7 (0-13)7 (0-13)6 (0-14)7 (1-13)5 (0-9)

Citation Format: Acuna A, Gligich O, Khan H, Xue X, Lin J, Sparano J, Anampa J. Time differences in breast cancer diagnosis among minorities in a large referal academic center [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-10-05.

Assessment of Combined Ascorbyl Palmitate (AP) and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (SAP) on Facial Skin Sebum Control in Female Healthy Volunteers

The skin is fortified with a setup of lipophilic and hydrophilic, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) and sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) are reported as lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants, respectively used for skin care. Present study was aimed to assess the combined AP (in oil phase) and SAP (in aqueous phase) via multiple emulsion (ME₁) for controlling sebum secretions in healthy human females. FTIR analysis of AP and SAP was performed for identification. Multiple emulsions (ME₁ and control) were prepared and analyzed for physical stability. Antioxidant activities of AP, SAP as well as ME₁ (with combination of these compounds) were determined by DPPH method. 11 female volunteers were included in a single-blinded, placebo-controlled, split-face comparative study. Volunteers were instructed to apply ME₁ on left cheek while control (without AP and SAP) on right cheek, for a period of 90 days. A non-invasive photometric device (Sebumeter^®) was used for the measurement of sebum secretions on both sides of the face with subsequent time intervals. A good antioxidant activity of ME₁ was observed. ME₁ treatments reduced significant facial sebum secretions as compared with control/placebo treatments. It was concluded that combined AP and SAP supplementations to skin proved a promising choice for controlling facial sebum secretions and could be evaluated for undesired oily skin and acne reductions for beautifying the facial appearance.

The impact of age on nodal metastases and survival in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

In gastric adenocarcinoma, the disparity in lymph node involvement between different age groups has not been thoroughly investigated. The objective of our study was to compare age-associated differences in adequate lymph node harvest and nodal involvement in gastric adenocarcinoma patients.

METHODS

We analyzed data extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database on 13,165 patients diagnosed with stage I-III gastric adenocarcinoma between 2004 and 2011. All patients underwent surgical resection. Statistical comparisons between various age groups were done using the chi-square test and Cox regression.

RESULTS

Among 13,165 gastrectomy patients, proportion of patients that had >15 lymph nodes examined decreases significantly with increasing age (P < 0.0001). When adequately staged, older patients had a significantly lower proportion of node-positive tumors (P < 0.0001). Adequate nodal staging was also associated with improved 5-y disease-specific survival across all age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In gastric adenocarcinoma, older patients are less likely to be adequately staged. However, when adequately staged, they are less likely to have node-positive tumors. Adherence to national guidelines, regardless of age, is associated with improved survival outcomes and may alter multimodality management of gastric cancer in the elderly.

An insidious case of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to acalculus cholecystitis

A 68-year-old man with expressive dysphasia presented with upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage, jaundice and abdominal pain. He was unable to tolerate ultrasound tranducer pressure. His oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) showed large blood clots in the stomach with blood trickling from the ampulla. An urgent CT angiogram demonstrated a 32 mm pseudoaneurysm within the gallbladder fossa. The patient subsequently underwent an endovascular embolisation of the pseudoaneurysm performed by the interventional radiology team.