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A major challenge for the management of advanced-colorectal-cancer is the multidisciplinary approach required for the treatment of liver metastases. Reducing the burden of liver metastases with liver-directed therapy has an important impact on both survival and health-related quality of life. This paper debates the rationale and current liver-directed approaches for colorectal liver metastases based on the evidence of literature and new clinical trials. Surgery is the gold standard, when feasible, and it’s the main treatment goal for patients with potentially-resectable disease as a means of prolonging progression-free survival. Better tumor response rates with modern systemic therapy mean that more unresectable patients are now down-staged for radical resection following conversion therapy but for other patients, additional procedures are needed. In multiple unilobar disease, when the projected remnant liver is <30% of the total liver, portal embolization or selective-internal-radiation-therapy (SIRT) can induce hypertrophy of the healthy liver, leading to resectability. In multiple bilobar disease, in situ destruction of non-resectable lesions by minimally invasive techniques may be associated with liver resection to achieve potential curative intent. Other palliative liver-directed approaches, such as SIRT or intra-hepatic chemotherapy (HAI), which are associated with higher response rates, may also have role in down-staging patients for resection. Until recently, such technologies have not been validated in prospective controlled trials. However in the light of new Phase 3 data for SIRT as well as for HAI combined with modern therapies or radiofrequency ablation in the first- and second-line setting, the clinical value of these treatments needs to be re-appraised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic lipid matrices were developed that allow parenteral drug release for days, weeks or even months. The cylindrical matrices consist of triglycerides or triglyceride/cholesterol mixtures and allow, due to their small dimensions, an application via injection. Pure triglyceride matrices showed less than 3%, triglyceride matrices containing 70% and more cholesterol less than 10% water uptake over 30 weeks. This swelling behavior would allow the use of such matrices even for sophisticated applications such as interstitial drug delivery to the brain where excessive swelling is highly undesirable. The drug release kinetics were found to depend strongly on the fatty acid chain length of the triglyceride and the cholesterol content of the matrices. Increasing the chain length from C12 to C18 allowed an increase in the release of pyranine, a low molecular weight model compound, from approx. 60 days to more than 120 days. Adding cholesterol to glyceryl trimyristate matrices made it possible to adjust the release within a time span varying from days to weeks. While matrices containing 50% cholesterol released pyranine within 8 days, cholesterol contents of 90% allowed a release of the dye for more than 3 weeks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Livestock species are major contributors to the increase of antimicrobial (AM) resistance which is a worldwide concern for both human and animal health. The over-use of AM is widely acknowledged, however, unlike pigs, poultry and dairy cattle, knowledge on potential risk factors affecting AM usage (AMU) in beef industry is limited. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the impact of farm, breed, sex and season of arrival of purchased beef cattle on AMU in Italian beef cattle. Data on 1 063 batches were collected from January 2016 to April 2019 from specialised beef fattening farms located in the north of Italy. Information on breed, sex, date of arrival, performance traits and AM agents used on farm was collected, and the treatment incidence 100 (TI100) indexes per batch were calculated using the defined daily dose animal estimated according to Italian summaries of product characteristics. Factors affecting TI100 indexes were investigated using a cross-classified multilevel model. Farms largely differed in terms of AMU. Males had greater AMU than females (P < 0.001), likely due to their higher susceptibility to disease. Statistically significant differences were observed between seasons of arrival with summer and spring having lower TI100 indexes than winter and autumn (P < 0.001). Indeed, winter is commonly linked to an increase in respiratory diseases in beef cattle. Finally, the TI100it indexes tended to be different among breeds with Blonde d'Aquitaine and Limousine having greater AMU compared to the other breeds. Results of this study provided valuable information on potential risk factors of AMU in beef production which may be useful to address its reduction. For instance, the development of tailored management strategies for specific breeds, targeted approaches to improve the health of males as well as greater care towards batches purchased in winter are possible advice to implement on-farm for a more responsible AM stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silica samples with embedded SnO2 nanoparticles have been produced by sol–gel method with a synthesis modified by the introduction of fluorinated silicon precursors. The structural features of silica network and SnO2 nanophase have been mapped inside the samples by means of confocal micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy. The results show that the detection of residual fluorine into the matrix as Si–F groups is accompanied by network dehydration, by intensity depletion of the D2 peak assigned to three-member rings of coordinated tetrahedra, and by SnO2 nanoparticles with much larger sizes than in fluorine-free material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]