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In the present study, a new series of different heterocycles was synthesized through base-free Knoevenagel condensation of various aldehydes and active methylene-containing compounds using the hydrothermal developed Ag@TiO

To assess the utility of MDCT tumor–vascular interface criteria for predicting vascular invasion and resectability in borderline pancreatic cancer (BRPC) patients after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). This prospective study included 90 patients with BRPC who finished NAT, showed no progression in preoperative CTs and underwent surgery. Two radiologists independently assessed preoperative vessel-tumor interface criteria. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance for predicting vascular invasions and resectability using surgical and pathological results as the gold standard. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using the κ coefficient. Pathologic vascular invasion was confirmed in 47 (54.7%) veins and 14 (16.3%) arteries. R0 resection was achieved in (82.6%71/86) pancreatic resection. Using criteria of circumferential interface ≥ 180 degrees with contour deformity ≥ grade 3 and/or length of tumor contact > 2 cm to predict vascular invasion, the AUCs for the two readers were 0.85–0.88 for arterial invasion and 0.92–0.87 for venous invasion. Using criteria of circumferential interface ≤ 180° with contour deformity ≤ grade 2 and/or length of tumor contact

Removing organic contaminants such as dyes from water is essential to purify wastewater. Herein, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) and ZnO@N-doped C are effective adsorbent and photocatalysts for the adsorption and degradation of organic dyes. The materials showed effective and selective adsorption toward anionic dyes such as methyl blue (MeB) dye in the presence of fluorescein (FLU) dye. The adsorption capacities of ZnO@N-doped C for MeB and FLU dyes are 900 mg/g and 100 mg/g, respectively. According to UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) data, ZnO@N-doped C has a lower bandgap (2.07 eV) than ZIF-8 (4.34 eV) and ZnO (3.12 eV). Thus, ZnO@N-doped C serves as an effective photocatalyst for the degradation of both dyes under UV exposure. The degradation efficiency capacity of the dye (50 mg/L) is > 90 % using 200 mg/L of the photocatalyst. The mechanism of adsorption and photocatalysis is investigated. The photodegradation pathway of the dye involved the generation of oxidative hydroxy radicals (OH•), which can degrade the dyes. The degradation products of FLU were recorded using mass spectrometry.

Schiff bases represent an essential class in organic chemistry with antitumor, antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial activities. The synthesis of Schiff bases requires the presence of an organic base as a catalyst such as piperidine. Base-free synthesis of organic compounds using a heterogeneous catalyst has recently attracted more interest due to the facile procedure, high yield, and reusability of the used catalyst. Herein, we present a comparative study to synthesize new Schiff bases containing indole moieties using piperidine as an organic base catalyst and Au@TiO

In this report, micropatterns of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) were developed on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces after patterning using 172 nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photolithography. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed on Si substrates through UV hydrosilylation of 1-hexadecene (HD) and 10-undecenoic acid (UDA) were used as hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, respectively. For templating the HD- and UDA-SAMs, the VUV light was exposed to HD- and UDA-SAMs from the slits of photomasks in atmospheric and evacuated environments, respectively. Various oxygenated groups were generated at the exposed domains of HD-SAM, while the COOH groups were trimmed from the irradiated domains of UDA-SAM. The APTMS molecules were immobilized on the domains that were terminated by oxygenated groups after chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The thicknesses of the developed APTMS micropatterns increased significantly by raising the CVD temperature and in the presence of ambient air in the CVD Teflon container as well. The increase in thicknesses was ascribed to the formation of APTMS multilayers, which were mediated by H3N+ ions. Also, the developed APTMS micropatterns on the UDA-SAM patterned by VUV light irradiation in a high-vacuum environment (HV-VUV) were thicker than those on the VUV/(O) patterned HD-SAM due to the presence of inactive oxygenated groups at the surface of VUV/(O)-terminated domains of HD-SAM such as COO-C and C-O-C groups. The presence of water or ambient air facilitated the silane coupling between the silyl groups with the oxygenated and amino groups The combination of VUV photolithography and the CVD method with control of the conditions would enable us to control the thicknesses and shapes of the developed APTMS micropatterns. These findings illustrate the applicability of VUV photolithography for templating hydrophobic and hydrophobic surfaces toward the development of organosilane architectures, which can be feasible for several applications.

Background and aim Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. As CD133 and CD44 are notable markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs) identity, it is thought to be a predictive indicator for colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the cell cycle state of CD133+ CD44+ and CD133- CD44-cells, isolated from primary human colorectal tumors, and to assess the clinical impact of CD133+ CD44+ CSCs on patients' outcome regarding disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Materials and methods Tissue samples were collected from 50 primary colorectal cancer patients. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to isolate tissue CD133+ CD44+ CSCs and CD133- CD44- tumor cells from primary colorectal cancer tissue to compare the cell cycle of both types of cells. Also circulating CSCs were assessed by flow cytometry. Results Higher percentage of tissue CD133+ CD44+ CSCs isolated from colorectal cancer patients was found in G0/G1 phase. However, tissue CD133- CD44- tumor cells were predominantly found in the S phase; there were significant negative correlations between tissue CD133+ CD44+ CSCs and DFS and OS (r=-0.470, P

Formation of precise and high-resolution silica micropatterns on polymer substrates is of importance in surface structuring for flexible device fabrication of optics, microelectronic, and biotechnology. To achieve that, substrates modified with affinity-patterns serve as a strategy for site-selective deposition. In the present paper, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) treatment is utilized to achieve spatially-controlled surface functionalization on a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) substrate. An organosilane, 2, 4, 6, 8-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), preferentially deposits on the functionalized regions. Well-defined patterns of TMCTS are formed with a minimum feature of ∼500 nm. The secondary VUV/(O)-treatment converts TMCTS into SiOx, meanwhile etches the bare COP surface, forming patterned SiOx/COP microstructures with an average height of ∼150 nm. The resulting SiOx patterns retain a good copy of TMCTS patterns, which are also consistent with the patterns of photomask used in polymer affinity-patterning. The high quality SiOx patterns are of interests in microdevice fabrication, and the hydrophilicity contrast and adjustable heights reveal their potential application as a “stamp” for microcontact printing (μCP) techniques.

Background: Nowadays, laparoscopic colectomy is considered a safe and effective surgical technique regarding short- and long-term outcomes, as well as specific oncologic outcomes. The anastomosis can be created intra- or extracorporeally. The goal of our study was to evaluate and compare short term outcomes of extra- and intra-corporeal anastomosis after laparoscopic right hemi colectomies. Aim of the Study: The goal of our study was to evaluate and compare short term outcomes of extra- and intra-corporeal anastomosis after laparoscopic right hemi colectomies. Methods: In the period from December 2014 to January 2019, all patients underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cancer colon who presented to surgical oncology department—south Egypt cancer institute and general surgery department—Assiut University was analyzed. Data like age, sex, body mass index (BMI), operative technique, operative times, blood loss, intra- and post-operative complications, pathology and hospital stay were reported and analyzed. Results: Twenty three (69.7%) patients underwent extracorporeal anastomosis while intracorporeal anastomosis was performed in ten (30.3%) patients. There was no significant difference in patient characteristics and demographic data in both groups (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in operative (operative time, blood loss or length of hospital stay) and postoperative (ileus, anastomotic leak, wound infection, incisional hernia, readmission, reoperation or deaths) details in the 2 groups except in length of the incision which was significantly shorter in the IA group (5.500 ± 1.269) vs. (6.565 ± 1.308) for EA (P = 0.015). Conclusion: No significant difference in short term outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted and total laparoscopic right colectomy. Intracorporeal anastomosis had shorter incision which may decrease wound-related complications.

Paracetamol (PC) is one of the most common non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, pain-killer, and antipyretic drugs. Thus, the development of a cheap, access, and accurate analytical technique is necessary for monitoring the purity of the PC in their pharmaceutical formulations. Herein, a layer of polypyrrole (PPy) was used to modify gold nanoflowers/gold electrodes and then applied to determine PC in the presence of 4-aminophenol. The relationship between the PC concentrations (within a range from 100 nmol L − 1 to 25 µmol L − 1) and their corresponding current peaks demonstrated a linear curve with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 133 nmol L − 1. The synthesized PPy/Au nanoflowers nanocomposite modified Au electrode was successfully used to monitor the purity of the Novadol tablets. Then the electrochemical results were validated by the gas chromatography technique. Hence, the developed electrode displays a significant PC-sensing capability even at trace concentrations, maintaining functionality for reuse without substantial deterioration in its original performance.

Egypt is considered one of the main producers of date fruits in the world. Tamr dry date is widely cultivated in Upper Egypt, however, investigating the chemical components and biological activities of such common variety has not been performed yet. In this study, the chemical components of the Tamr variety and its biological activities were investigated. Results showed that the percentages of sugar, dietary fibers, metal, protein were 61.0%, 13.7%, 2.1, and 2.6%, respectively. Total phenolic and flavonoids were 17.6 and 2.3 mg/100 g, respectively. 17 amino acids, 8 metals, 15 fatty acids, 30 terpenes, vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3), and 5 flavonoids were identified. The presence of phenolics and flavonoids in ethyl acetate extract resulted in high biological activity than chloroform and methanolic extracts. The biological activity of chloroform extract could be ascribed to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids and terpenes. These results are in good agreement with the chemical-biological relationships.

Aim of work: This study aimed to evaluate the resectability rate, rate of conservative surgery, toxicity, local control, and disease free survival for oxaliplatin and capecitabine based chemoradiation compared to standard 5-FU based chemoradiation in locally advanced cancer rectum. Patients and methods: 65 patients were eligible; 33 patients received oxaliplatin and capecitabine based chemoradiation (arm I) and 32 patients received 5-FU based chemoradiation (arm II). Results: The overall response rate in arms I and II were 78.7% and 87.5% respectively. Conservative surgery was done in 81.81% and 53.13% of patients with arms I and II, pathologic complete response (pCR) rate was significantly better in arm I than arm II (30.3% vs. 21.9%, P ; the median disease free survival (DFS) were 30 months and 15 months in arms I and II respectively. Grade III anemia, grade IV diarrhea and severe proctitis were developed in a significantly large number of patients with arm I; in addition deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was developed in 15.15% of patients with arm I but none in arm II. Conclusion: The addition of oxaliplatin to the preoperative chemo radiation increased the response rate mainly pCR rate which was considered a target goal in the neoadjuvant treatment, but it was not recommended because of higher toxicity and no significant effect on DFS in different response groups of arm I when compared to arm II, but longer follow up may be needed to evaluate the overall survival.

Background and aim of work: We aimed from this study to determine the response and local relapse free survival (RFS) of pediatric patients with localized Ewing’s sarcoma treated with accelerated hyper-fractionated RT. Patient and methods: This study was a nonrandomized uncontrolled phase II study and was conducted at clinical oncology department and south Egypt cancer institute; it involved 28 patients with histologically confirmed Ewing’s sarcoma; all of them were subjected to PET/CT whenever possible or MRI with contrast of the primary site, MSCT chest, bone scan, and LDH to ensure absence of metastasis followed by the protocol of accelerated hyper fractionated RT. Results: The overall response rate (ORR) was 92.9% by MRI with significant effect of the type of response on local RFS (P 0.002). The median local RFS of 28 patients with localized Ewing’s sarcoma was 30 ± 8.599 months with 95% CI = 13.147 - 46.853; the 3-year local control was 35%. Conclusion: Accelerated hyper fractionated RT didn’t achieve better results than standard fractionation RT, but it is recommended to be done on a large sample size, and multiple centers, and continued follow up is also recommended to evaluate 5-year LRFS, 5-year OS.

Through 172 nm vacuum ultraviolet light irradiation in a high vacuum condition (HV-VUV), well-defined micropatterns with a varied periodic friction were fabricated at the surface of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) terminated with oxygenated groups. No apparent height contrast between the HV-VUV-irradiated and -masked areas was observed, which indicated the stability of the C-C skeleton of the assembled molecules. The trimming of oxygenated groups occurred through dissociating the C-O bonds and promoting the occurrence of α- and β-cleavages in the C═O-containing components. Hence, the HV-VUV treatment trimmed the oxygenated groups without degrading the C-C skeleton. The HV-VUV treatment influenced the order of the assembled molecules, and the step-terrace structure was distorted. The decrease in friction at the HV-VUV-irradiated domains was attributed to the dissociation of oxygenated groups. (3-Aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) aggregated at the masked areas of the HV-VUV-patterned SAM, where the oxygenated groups worked as anchors. APTMS aggregations did not exist at the irradiated areas, indicating the trimming of the oxygenated groups at these areas. The direct assembling of APTMS on the Si substrate at the irradiated areas was prevented by the remaining C-C skeleton.

Vacuum ultraviolet light irradiation in dry air generates active oxygen species, which have powerful oxidation abilities. These active oxygen species (O) can oxidize the alkyl moieties of polymers, and generate new oxygenated groups such as OH, CHO and COOH groups. Reducing the oxygen content in the exposure environment decreases the rate of oxidation processes. In this study, we examined the influences of the 172 nm VUV irradiation in a high vacuum (HV, −3 Pa) environment on the chemical constituents, surface properties and morphological structure of well-defined VUV/(O)-modified hexadecyl (HD-) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) prepared on hydrogen-terminated silicon (H-Si) substrate. After VUV light irradiation in a HV environment (HV-VUV), the chemical constituents and surface properties were changed in two distinct stages. At short irradiation time (the first stage), the C O and COO groups decreased rapidly, while the C O groups slightly changed. The dissociation of nonderivatizable groups (such as ether (C O C) and ester (C COO C) groups) compensated the dissociated OH, CHO, C CO C and COOH groups. With further irradiation (the second stage), the quantities of the oxygenated groups slightly decreased. The carbon skeleton (C C) of SAM was scarcely dissociated during the HV-VUV treatment. These chemical changes affected the surface properties, such as wettability and morphology.

The investigation of four extracts of Siwi date fruit (70% methanol, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and chloroform) showed good antibacterial, antifungal activities. This study includes evaluation of the antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities with determination of MIC for the four prepared extracts. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was determined against HeLa and HEK293T cancer cell lines by MTT 3-(4 , 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The antioxidant activity was determined by diphenyl-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) iminoaxonium (DPPH) method. New findings are the important elements as Ni and Si beside the essential valuable amino acid valine, and the pentoses xylose and arabinose all proved to exist in Siwi fruit never reported in any other Egyptian date varieties. Other important elements and secondary metabolites are seven unsaturated fatty acids, one phenolic acid, five flavonoids, sixteen amino acids, twenty monoterpenes and five sesquiterpenes beside an appreciable amount of dietary fibers, were also detected. No aflatoxins or pesticides were found in Siwi date fruit. Separation of all compounds was done through extensive chromatographic analysis on PC, CC and HPLC, while final purification was allowed through Sephadex LH-20. Identification of all compounds was performed by UV, Co-PC with standards, amino acid analyzer, atomic absorption, GCMS and ESIMS. HPLC was used for the test of aflatoxins with aflatoxins standard, according to association of analytical communities AOAC. Furthermore, the test for pesticides was done using LC/MS/MS according to the European Standard method EN 15662: 2008.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem. Peritoneal tuberculosis involves the omentum, intestinal tract, liver, spleen, or female genital tract in addition to the parietal and visceral peritoneum. It accounts for ∼1–2% of all cases of tuberculosis. Aims of the study The aims of this study was to analyze the clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings in patients with TB peritonitis and to evaluate the diagnostic methods. Patients and methods This prospective, observational study was carried out on patients with obscure ascites. All patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. Ascitic fluid analysis and calculation of serum-ascites albumin gradient were done. Abdominal ultrasound (US) and computed tomography scans were performed. Laparoscopic-guided biopsies from peritoneal tubercle and unhealthy omentum were taken for histopathology and culture analysis. Results The study included 22 cases. Approximately 77.3% were female. The mean age was 42.6±15.1. More than two-thirds of the cases had fever, pain, and abdominal swelling. No portal hypertensive ascites was found in 86.4% of cases. Ascitic fluid cytology revealed lymphocytes in 91%. In abdominal US, ascites was the only finding in 59% of cases; however, adhesion was found in 22.8% of cases. Lymphadenopathy was observed in 13.6% of cases undergoing abdominal US. During laparoscopy, small tubercles on the peritoneum, omentum, and/or intestine with extensive adhesions were the predominant findings. Regarding the histopathologic findings, TB granuloma was predominant in 80% of cases. Conclusion TB peritonitis was common among middle-aged females. Ascites and adhesions were the commonest findings. Laparoscopy and histopathology were the best diagnostic modalities.

This paper describes a 172-nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light treatment in ambient air towards the formation of nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) micropatterns. Thin layers of zinc acetate (Zn(OAc)2) as a precursor are spun on substrates, and subsequently treated by the VUV irradiation. The VUV treatments lead to an organic-free ZnO films with wurtzite crystalline structures, determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The nanocrystalline ZnO patterns with a fine feature of 1 μm are fabricated on cycloolefin polymer (COP) substrates via the precise VUV lithography. This one-step ZnO crystallizing and patterning process is suited for polymer substrates because the potentially damaging procedures involving acidic etchants and thermal treatments are no longer needed. The present method proves to be a simple, effective, controllable patterning approach, which might be recommended for the future fabrication of flexible devices.

Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of the 21 most common cancers, largely because it is often identified at a late stage, we aimed to determine the control rates, and PFS for patients who received docetaxel-oxaliplatin regimen as a 2nd line therapy. Twenty-five patients with advanced cancer pancreas progressed or failed on 1st line treatments and justified the inclusion criteria were eligible to receive Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 over 1h iv infusion on day 1, Oxaliplatin 80 mg/m2 over 2 h iv infusion on day 2, the cycle was repeated every 3 weeks for 6-8 cycles unless disease progression or severe toxicity appeared. No patients achieved complete response (CR), and the control rate (control rate = partial response (PR = 6/25, 24%) + stable disease (SD = 9/25, 36%) was 60% while disease progression (DP) was demonstrated in (10/25) 40% of patients, the median PFS was 7 ± 0.777 ms (95% confidence interval: 5.467-8.524 ms), grade 3 neutropenia, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting were developed in 12%, 8%, 12% and 8% of patients respectively. Docetaxel-oxaliplatin regimen was an active regimen in advanced cancer pancreas based on our encouraging results without occurrence of grade four toxicities.

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, λ = 172 nm) irradiation of alkyl self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in the presence of dry air alters their surface properties. In this work, UV photochemically prepared hexadecyl (HD)-SAMs on hydrogen-terminated silicon substrates were irradiated by VUV light in dry air, which generated active oxygen species upon excitation of the atmospheric oxygen molecules. These active oxygen species converted the terminal methyl groups of the SAMs to polar functional groups, which were examined quantitatively by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and chemical labeling. At the first stage of VUV irradiation, the surface of SAMs was functionalized, and the ratios of the generated polar functional groups markedly increased. With the elongation of the irradiation period, the SAMs gradually degraded, and the total polar group percentages gradually decreased. The difference between the oxygenated carbon components derived by the deconvolution of the XPS carbon (C1s) spectrum and the chemical labeling of polar groups revealed enormous quantities of ethereal and ester groups that cannot react with the labeling reagents but are included in the C1s spectral envelope. These modifications were reflected on morphological structures of SAMs, which were gradually distorted until a complete amorphous structure was obtained after the complete elimination of HD-SAMs.

We have immobilized 1,2-epoxydodecane (EDD) on hydrogen-terminated silicon (H-Si) substrates by UV photochemical grafting. The surface properties of the fabricated samples showed the formation of h...

Correction for 'Chemical conversion of self-assembled hexadecyl monolayers with active oxygen species generated by vacuum ultraviolet irradiation in an atmospheric environment' by Ahmed I. A. Soliman et al., Soft Matter, 2015, 11, 5678-5687.