Ultrafast Studies of ZrTe3 by Transient Absorption Spectrometer

Two-dimensional (2D) tri-TMDCs carrier dynamics provide a platform for studying excitons through Ultrafast Pump-Probe Transient Absorption Spectroscopy. Here we studied the ZrTe₃ nanosheets (NTs) exciton dynamics by transient absorption (TA) spectrometer. We observed different carrier dynamics in the ZrTe₃ NTs sample at different pump powers and with many wavelengths in the transient absorption spectrometer. The shorter life decay constant is associated with electron-phonon relaxation. Similarly, the longer-life decay constant represents the long live process that is associated with charge separation. The interactions between carrier-phonons at nanoscale materials can be changed by phonons quantum confinements. The hot carrier lifetime determined the strength of carrier phonon interactions. The value of fast decay in the conduction band is due to carrier relaxation or the carrier gets trapped due to surface states or localized defects. The value of slow decay is due to the recombination of surface state and localized defects processes. The lifetime declines for long wavelengths as size decreases. Whereas, during short wavelength-independent decay, carrier characteristics have been observed. TA spectroscopy is employed to investigate insight information of the carrier’s dynamical processes such as carrier lifetime, cooling dynamics, carrier diffusion, and carrier excitations. The absorption enhanced along excitons density with the increase of pump power, which caused a greater number of carriers in the excited state than in the ground state. The TA signals consist of trap carriers and (electron-hole) constituents, which can be increased by TA changes that rely on photoexcitation and carrier properties.     

Metformin Decreases Circulating Androgen and Estrogen Levels in Nondiabetic Women With Breast Cancer

IntroductionDiabetic patients treated with metformin have a lower risk of developing BC or a better BC prognosis. Metformin might reduce cancer growth through direct antiproliferative effects or through indirect mechanisms, particularly the reduction of insulin. In a randomized study on nondiabetic BC patients in natural menopause with high testosterone levels, we observed a significant decrease in insulin and in testosterone levels with metformin 1500 mg/d compared with 1000 mg/d. We present the results of a new analysis of our study on the effect of metformin on the bioavailability of sex hormones.Patients and MethodsOne hundred twenty-four eligible women were initially invited to take metformin 500 mg/d for 3 months. The 108 women who completed the first 3 months continued the study using 1000 mg/d for 1 month. The women were then randomized into 2 groups, and, for the subsequent 5 months, 1 group increased the dose to 1500 mg/d, and the other group continued with 1000 mg/d.ResultsNinety-six women completed the study, 43 receiving metformin 1500 mg/day, and 53 receiving 1000 mg/day. The women receiving 1500 mg/d showed a greater and significant reduction of free testosterone (?29%) and estradiol (?38%), a borderline significant reduction of estrone and insulin-like growth factor-1, and a nonsignificant reduction of androstenedione. They also showed a nonsignificant increase of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.ConclusionMetformin does not interfere with the production of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. Besides, it decreases estradiol levels, basically through the reduction of testosterone. These hormonal changes might have clinical relevance.     

Women's psychological health according to their maternal status: a study in France

This study explored the extent to which the psychological distress of women is related to their motherhood status. A representative sample of 6970 women, aged 20-59, living in France, was interviewed. This analysis was restricted to the 2799 women aged between 25 and 39, 307 of whom had had a baby in the last year. Several indicators of psychological distress were used, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, psychotropic drug use and suicide attempts. Women with babies under the age of 12 months presented no more psychological problems than the other women. The proportion of respondents with scores above 5 for the GHQ was 8.7% for mothers with young babies, 11.4% for mothers of an older child and 12.0% for childless women. Adjusting for age, education, employment and couple status, no differences were observed between the three groups of women, except for a lower level of psychotropic drug use among the mothers of young babies. Overall, regardless of maternal status, a high proportion of women showed symptoms of anxiety and depression. Thus, research and clinical efforts should focus on risk factors for psychological distress in women and on preventive measures beyond the post-partum period.     

3D Printed Customized Facemask for Maxillary Protraction in the Early Treatment of a Class III Malocclusion: Proof-of-Concept Clinical Case

In order to improve fit and comfort, a maxillary protraction facemask customized to the patient’s anatomy was produced by means of 3D face scanning, digital design and additive manufacturing. An 8-year-old patient in need of early treatment for the Class III malocclusion received a rapid palatal expander and a Petit-type facemask, whose components were digitally designed on a 3D scan of the patient’s face. For face scanning, the iPad Pro 2018 tablet (Apple, Cupertino, CA, USA) with the Bellus3D DentalPro application (Bellus3D, Campbell, CA, USA) was used. Facemask components were modelled with 3D Blender software. The rests were 3D printed in BioMed Clear biocompatible resin (Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA), and the bar in stainless steel. For greater comfort, the internal surface of the rests was lined with a polymer gel pad (Silipos, Niagara Falls, NY, USA). The manufacturing procedure of the customized facemask is patented. The patient wore the facemask at night for a period of 9 months. The patient’s experience was evaluated with a questionnaire at 1 week, 3, 6, and 10 months of treatment. The customized facemask was well accepted by the patient and obtained the expected treatment outcome. Furthermore, 3D face scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing allow for the manufacturing of customized facemasks with improved fit and comfort, favoring patient compliance and treatment success.     

The Cultural Heritage of “Black Stones” (Lapis Aequipondus/Martyrum) of Leopardi’s Child Home (Recanati,Italy)

A macroscopic lithological study and physical (hardness, size, weight) investigations, coupled with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) chemical analyses of three egg- and one pear-shaped polished black stones, exposed in the library of the child home of the famous poet Giacomo Leopardi, at Recanati (Italy), were carried out. They are characterized by different sizes: two with the same weight of 16.9 kg and the two smaller ones of 5.6 kg each, corresponding to multiples of standard roman weights (drachma and scrupulum). These features and the presence of some grooves on the rock artefacts, probably for grappling hooks, suggest an original use as counterweight for the four black stones herein classified as amphibole-bearing serpentinites whose lithologies are far away from Recanati (probably coming from geological outcrops in Tuscany). The four serpentinite stones closely match with the so-called Lapis Aequipondus used in antiquity by the Romans as counterweights. Due to the presence of lead rings or iron hooks in these stones, Lapis Aequipondus were also used for martyrdoms during the persecution of Christians in the Roman period, attached to the necks of martyrs that were then thrown in the wells or attached to the ankles of hanging bodies. This is the reason why these stones are also known as Lapis Martyrum, venerated with the relative martyrs, in several churches of Rome. The four black stones investigated probably arrived at Recanati from Rome after the middle of the 19th century. In the past, Christians also called Lapis Martyrum the “devil’s stones” (Lapis Diaboli). This could also be the reason for the popular belief that black stones cannot be touched by people, except those of the Leopardi dynasty. This work contributes to the cultural heritage of Leopardi’s child home, as the four black stones had never been investigated.     

HOXD8 hypermethylation as a fully sensitive and specific biomarker for biliary tract cancer detectable in tissue and bile samples

Background Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are rare but highly aggressive tumours with poor prognosis, usually detected at advanced stages. Herein, we aimed at identifying BTC-specific DNA methylation alterations.Methods Study design included statistical power and sample size estimation. A genome-wide methylation study of an explorative cohort (50 BTC and ten matched non-tumoral tissue samples) has been performed. BTC-specific altered CpG islands were validated in over 180 samples (174 BTCs and 13 non-tumoral controls). The final biomarkers, selected by a machine-learning approach, were validated in independent tissue (18 BTCs, 14 matched non-tumoral samples) and bile (24 BTCs, five non-tumoral samples) replication series, using droplet digital PCR.Results We identified and successfully validated BTC-specific DNA methylation alterations in over 200 BTC samples. The two-biomarker panel, selected by an in-house algorithm, showed an AUC > 0.97. The best-performing biomarker (chr2:176993479-176995557), associated with HOXD8, a pivotal gene in cancer-related pathways, achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity in a new series of tissue and bile samples.Conclusions We identified a novel fully efficient BTC biomarker, associated with HOXD8 gene, detectable both in tissue and bile by a standardised assay ready-to-use in clinical trials also including samples from non-invasive matrices.Subject terms: Diagnostic markers, Biliary tract cancer     

Can Radiotherapy Empower the Host Immune System to Counterattack Neoplastic Cells? A Systematic Review on Tumor Microenvironment Radiomodulation

Despite the rising evidence in favor of immunotherapy (IT), the treatment of oncological patients affected by so-called “cold tumors” still represents an open issue. Cold tumors are characterized by an immunosuppressive (so-called cold) tumor microenvironment (TME), which favors host immune system suppression, cancer immune-escape, and a worse response to IT. However, the TME is not a static element, but dynamically mutates and can be changed. Radiotherapy (RT) can modulate a cold microenvironment, rendering it better at tumor killing by priming the quiescent host immune system, with a consequent increase in immunotherapy response. The combination of TME radiomodulation and IT could therefore be a strategy for those patients affected by cold tumors, with limited or no response to IT. Thus, this review aims to provide an easy, rapid, and practical overview of how RT could convert the cold TME and why cold tumor radiomodulation could represent an interesting strategy in combination with IT.     

Effect of a nutritional supplement used for diabetic foot ulcers on microalbuminuria

We evaluated if a nutritional supplement containing arginine, glutamine, β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate commonly used to improve the healing of diabetic foot ulcers had any effect on the kidney function in the diabetic patients. We hypothesized that the action on the skin may be nonspecific and that the supplement might also act on other structural elements of the kidney. We compared the evolution of the blood creatinine and of the overnight albumin excretion in 16 diabetic subjects with mild to moderate nephropathy 6 months prior to and during the 6 months of treatment. The creatinine level remained stable during the treatment, while microalbuminuria decreased to nearly 50% of the initial value (p < 0.000).     

Selective targeted delivery of TNFalpha to tumor blood vessels

We sought to enhance the selective toxicity of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) to permit its systemic use in cancer therapy. Because ligand-targeted therapeutics have proven successful in improving the selective toxicity of drugs, we prepared a fusion protein (L19mTNFalpha) composed of mouse TNFalpha and a high-affinity antibody fragment (L19 scFv) to the extradomain B (ED-B) domain of fibronectin, a marker of angiogenesis. L19mTNFalpha was expressed in mammalian cells, purified, and characterized. L19mTNFalpha was an immunoreactive and biologically active homotrimer. Radiolabeled L19mTNFalpha selectively targeted tumor neovasculature in tumor-bearing mice, where it accumulated selectively and persistently (tumor-to-blood ratio of the percentage of injected dose per gram [%ID/g] of 700, 48 hours from injection). L19mTNFalpha showed a greater anticancer therapeutic activity than both mTNFalpha and TN11mTNFalpha, a control fusion protein in which an antibody fragment, irrelevant in the tumor model used, substituted for L19. This activity was further dramatically enhanced by its combination with melphalan or the recently reported fusion protein L19-IL2. In conclusion, L19mTNFalpha allows concentrating therapeutically active doses of TNFalpha at the tumor level, thus opening new possibilities for the systemic use of TNFalpha in cancer therapy.