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The kinetics and mechanism of the hydrolysis of tetrahydro-2-furyl and tetrahydropyran-2-yl alkanoates in water and water–20% ethanol are reported. In acidic and neutral media, kinetics, activation parameters, 18O isotope exchange studies, substituent effects, solvent effects and the lack of buffer catalysis point clearly to an AA1-1 mechanism with formation of the tetrahydro-2-furyl or tetrahydropyran-2-yl carbonium ion as the rate-limiting step. There is no evidence of a base-promoted BAC-2 mechanism up to pH 12.

The article aspects about philanthropy in the community. It highlights the impact of social services for investments and private equity in organizations headed by the communities. Information about the Rainier Valley Corps (RVC) startup organization which aimed to serve, train and mentor communities of color.

Zanthoxylum nitidum(Roxb.) DC is a traditional Vietnamese medicine to treat coughs, stomachache, toothache, blood stagnation, and sore throats. The essential oils (EOs) of the leaves, fruits, and stems of this plant were extracted by hydrodistillation and subjected to analysis by gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detector (FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). The isolated EOs were then evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial activity by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay and in vitro cytotoxic effect against 5 human tumor cell lines. GC-MS-FID analysis showed 35, 32, and 25 compounds accounting for 97.6%, 91.7%, and 96.2% of the total EO contents from the leaves, fruits, and stems, respectively. The major compounds of the leaf EO were limonene (44.3%), β-caryophyllene (12.5%), linalool (11.0%), germacrene D (5.3%), and α-pinene (4.9%); the major compounds of the fruit EO were n-pentadecane (34.8%), sabinene (18.3%), and n-heptadecane (4.7%), and the major components of the stem EO were 2-undecanone (72.3%), β-caryophyllene (5.8%), and germacrene D (4.0%). The EOs of leaves, fruits, and stems of Z. nitidumexhibited antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Fusarium oxysporumwith MIC values of 100 µg/mL. The leaf and branch EOs exhibited cytotoxic activity against all tested cancer cell lines, especially A-549 and HepG-2. Findings from the present study provide important knowledge about the potential uses of Z. nitidumEOs as a natural antibacterial and antitumor agents.

Vorinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has received regulatory approval for the treatment of advanced and refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In contrast to the encouraging clinical results obtained on hematologic tumors, only limited clinical efficacy was observed in solid tumors following administration of vorinostat alone. Moreover, vorinostat is poorly soluble, poorly permeable, and extensively metabolized in the liver, rendering its bioavailability too low to exhibit sufficient antitumor effects. This review aims to provide some insight into successful formulation strategies that use physical encapsulation and chemical conjugation to improve the characteristics and achieve better antitumor activity from vorinostat alone or in combination with other therapeutic compounds and/or modalities.

A thin electrolyte membrane is highly demanded for achieving high-performance polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by taking advantage of the reduced ohmic resistance-driven enhanced proton- and water-transport property during the PEMFC operation. However, the thin membrane inherently suffers from poor mechanical properties. In this study, we propose a simple methodological approach that combines the plasma etching and thermal annealing process to construct mechanically stable thinned membrane using commercially available Nafion membranes. The morphological, mechanical, and chemical properties of the modified Nafion membranes were characterized through diverse measurements including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, stress–strain behavior test, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. We observed that the plasma etching process effectively reduced the membrane thickness; however, it induced spike-like structures with hundreds of nanometers in size on the membrane surface, which can cause stress-concentration-induced mechanical degradation of the membrane. By adopting a consecutive thermal annealing process, the roughened surface was flattened and mechanical properties including tensile strength and elongation to break were successfully recovered while maintaining the chemical composition of the Nafion. Interestingly, the modified 15 μm-thick Nafion membrane with the plasma etching and thermal process showed a much enhanced maximum power density of 22.5 and 13.6% under the low and high humidity condition of RH 45% @89.5 °C and RH 92% @70 °C, respectively, compared to that of a pristine 25 μm-thick Nafion membrane.

Motivated by the recurrent formation and intensification of the Ierapetra anticyclones in the southeast of Crete, we investigated with a reduced gravity model the response of the oceanic surface layer to a seasonal wind jet that varies slowly (over several weeks or months) and mimics the Etesian winds. Our study answers why the oceanic response to such forcing is mainly a large and intense anticyclone. We build a dimensionless parameter that integrates in time the Ekman pumping and quantifies the relative amplitude of the isopycnal displacement induced by the local wind stress curl. According to the range of the wind forcing parameter, the oceanic response to a symmetric wind jet could be a symmetric dipole or a strongly asymmetric structure dominated by an intense and robust anticyclone. This intrinsic asymmetry is driven by the finite isopycnal displacements that occur when the wind forcing parameter reaches unity. Since the anticyclonic wind shear for the Etesian wind jet is 2 times larger than the cyclonic one, the asymmetry of the oceanic response is enhanced. Several weeks after the wind forcing has stopped, an intense mesoscale anticyclone which satisfies the cyclogeostrophic balance remains. Moreover, if a similar wind jet blows on a preexisting anticyclone, the latter remains robust and coherent and gets reintensified in agreement with the previous analysis of remote sensing observations. Hence, this paper is the first numerical study which provides a dynamical understanding for the formation of the single Ierapetra anticyclones and explains their intensification 1 year after formation. Orographic wind jets are a driving mechanism for generation and intensification of mesoscale anticyclonesThe oceanic response to a transient symmetric wind forcing could be strongly asymmetricA numerical study that provides a dynamical understanding for the wind‐forced mesoscale Ierapetra anticyclones

Le programme Épidémio-Stratégie et Médico-Économique (ESME), centralise les données cliniques, et thérapeutiques de patients traités pour un cancer donné. Dans les centres volontaires, la sélection des patients tend à l’exhaustivité par l’utilisation d’une approche multi-source et le retour systématique au dossier médical garantissant qualité et validité des données. Le premier volet concerne les patients traités pour cancer du sein métastatique (CSM). Cette cohorte représente 35 % des patients traités en France mais n’est pas représentative du niveau national. La cohorte Cancer de l’INCa est constituée de tous les patients atteints d’un cancer en France depuis 2010 ayant entraîné des soins à l’hôpital, en ville, ou la mise en affection de longue durée (ALD). Les données collectées sont issues du Système national des données de santé. Un travail a été amorcé entre l’INCa et Unicancer afin d’identifier des paramètres pour extrapoler au niveau national les résultats issus de la cohorte ESME CSM.

Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor that has been approved for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and highly aggressive pancreatic cancer. Although erlotinib contributes progressively to cancer treatment, there is still room to develop a better platform for erlotinib-based therapy. The progression of the materials science field has offered many options to incorporate drugs with additional advantages. In this review, we summarize various strategies, including polymeric, lipidic, inorganic and hybrid-based carriers, to improve drug pharmacokinetics, reduce interpatient variability and minimize unwanted side effects. Moreover, the combination of erlotinib with other therapeutic agents or modalities is further discussed as a potential paradigm for realizing better efficacy and/or lower systemic toxicity in clinical practice.

This article reviews the imaging aspects relevant to ligamentous instabilities of the foot and ankle with a focus on MRI and ultrasound imaging. A pictorial review of the anatomy of the medial and lateral ankle ligaments, syndesmosis, spring ligament, Lisfranc complex, hallux sesamoid complex, and lesser toe plantar plate as seen on MRI is presented. Selected cases of ligamentous pathology relevant to foot and ankle instability are presented. The value of imaging in the assessment of foot and ankle instability is reviewed.

Curcumin is a polyphenol from turmeric Curcuma longaL that has been proved to possess numerous biological and pharmaceutical activities, including anti-cancer properties. However, curcumin has only limited clinical applications due to the aqueous insolubility characteristic that reduces its biological availability. On the other hand, using nanoparticles as drug delivery system has potential as it increases solubility of hydrophobic substances such as curcumin. Furthermore, nanoparticles can protect and control release of drug. Therefore, the objective of this project is to prepare nanoparticles by polymeric encapsulating curcumin by 1-3/1-6 ?-glucan extracted from Vietnamese mushrooms to increase drug delivery efficiency and biological effect. Method of the preparation is nano-precipitation. The produced curcumin-?-glucan-nanoparticles (NanoGluCur) takes spherical shape with 60-70 nm in diameter. As expected, water solubility of curcumin increases about 180 times, from 0.6 ?g ml?1to 0.11 mg ml?1. Loading capacity of NanoGluCur is 18.16%. In vitrocytotoxicity and anti-tumor promoting effects of NanoGluCur were also investigated. Results revealed that NanoGluCur is able to inhibit the growth of two human cancer cell lines Hep-G2 and LU-1 with IC50values of 6.82 and 15.53 mg ml?1, respectively, while free curcumin expresses the activity with IC50values of 7.41 and 18.82 mg ml?1. At the concentration of 40 mg ml?1, NanoGluCur showed anti-tumor promoting effects in reducing tumor size by 59.93% and tumor density by 40.52%, while the percentages caused by pristine curcumin were 41.36% and 29.14%, respectively. These results demonstrated dual effect of 1-3/1-6 ?-glucan encapsulated curcumin nanoparticles: higher water solubility and better in vitroanti-cancer effects compared to free curcumin and 1-3/1-6 ?-glucan, expectedly. This observation can potentially open a new approach in research and manufacture of functional foods from medicinal mushrooms.

A mortality study of French Polynesia in the period 1984-92, although limited by the small population living close to the test sites and the high proportion of deaths attributed to ill-defined causes, found no excess of cancer that could confidently be attributed to the 41 atmospheric test explosions in 1966-74. A study of cancer incidence is planned.

In this paper we focus on silicon nanowires (Si-NWs) which were fabricated on transparent conductive substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method using Sn as stimulated catalyst metal. Transparent conductive substrates which we used are ZnO fabricated by direct current (dc) sputtering. Property of ZnO thin film was investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), volt-ohm-miliampere (VOM) meter, and Stylus method. In order to grow Si-NWs using PECVD we need to use metal as catalyst. We used Sn as catalyst to synthesize Si-NWs. Sn catalyst nanoparticles were fabricated by high vacuum evaporation system (SenVact). Size and density of Sn catalyst nanoparticles were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The influence of the thickness of metal layers on forming Sn catalyst nanoparticles was studied. In particular, the factors affecting the formation of Si-NWs such as temperature and rate of gas were examined. Si-NWs' properties were investigated by SEM, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectrocopy.

BackgroundA public health intervention program with active involvement of local related stakeholders was piloted in the Bien Hoa dioxin hotspot (2007–2009), and then expanded to the Da Nang dioxin hotspot in Vietnam (2009–2011). It aimed to reduce the risk of dioxin exposure through foods for local residents. This article presents the results of the intervention in Da Nang.MethodologyTo assess the results of this intervention program, pre- and post-intervention knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys were implemented in 400 households, randomly selected from four wards surrounding the Da Nang Airbase in 2009 and 2011, respectively.ResultsAfter the intervention, the knowledge on the existence of dioxin in food, dioxin exposure pathways, potential high-risk foods, and preventive measures significantly increased (P<0.05). Ninety-eight percentage were willing to follow advice on preventing dioxin exposure. Practices to reduce the risk of dioxin exposure also significantly improved (P<0.05). After intervention, 60.4% of households undertook exposure preventive measures, significantly higher than that of the pre-intervention survey (39.6%; χ2=40.15, P<0.001). High-risk foods had quite low rates of daily consumption (from 0 to 2.5%) and were significantly reduced (P<0.05).ConclusionsThis is seen as an effective intervention strategy toward reducing the risk of human exposure to dioxin at dioxin hotspots. While greater efforts are needed for remediating dioxin-polluted areas inside airbases, there is also evidence to suggest that, during the past four decades, pollution has expanded to the surrounding areas. For this reason, this model should be quickly expanded to the remaining dioxin hotspots in Vietnam to further reduce the exposure risk in these areas.