Breath testing as potential colorectal cancer screening tool

Although colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is included in organized programs of many countries worldwide, there is still a place for better screening tools. In this study, 418 breath samples were collected from 65 patients with CRC, 22 with advanced or nonadvanced adenomas, and 122 control cases. All patients, including the controls, had undergone colonoscopy. The samples were analysed with two different techniques. The first technique relied on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) for identification and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The T‐test was used to identify significant VOCs (p values < 0.017). The second technique relied on sensor analysis with a pattern recognition method for building a breath pattern to identify different groups. Blind analysis or leave‐one‐out cross validation was conducted for validation. The GC‐MS analysis revealed four significant VOCs that identified the tested groups; these were acetone and ethyl acetate (higher in CRC), ethanol and 4‐methyl octane (lower in CRC). The sensor‐analysis distinguished CRC from the control group with 85% sensitivity, 94% specificity and 91% accuracy. The performance of the sensors in identifying the advanced adenoma group from the non‐advanced adenomas was 88% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 94% accuracy. The performance of the sensors in identifying the advanced adenoma group was distinguished from the control group was 100% sensitivity, 88% specificity, and 94% accuracy. For summary, volatile marker testing by using sensor analysis is a promising noninvasive approach for CRC screening.     

Identification of anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody signature in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma

Gastric Cancer - Around 10% of gastric carcinomas (GC) contain Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA. We characterized the GC-specific antibody response to this common infection, which may provide a...     

Effects of steric encumbrance of iridium(iii) complex core on performance of solution-processed organic light emitting diodes

Iridium(iii) complexes are the most frequently applied commercialized green and red emitters for organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. Throughout years a significant research effort has been devoted to modify these compounds, in order to make them suitable for cost-effective solution-processing techniques, such as inkjet printing. To achieve this, the inherent tendency of the complex molecules to form poorly emissive aggregates needs to be suppressed. In many cases this has been achieved by an encapsulation of the iridium(iii) complex core with dendritic structures, composed of either passive or charge-transporting fragments. In order to validate this approach, we acquired three structural analogues of the conventional green emitter Ir(ppy)₃, which possess gradually increasing sterical encumberment at the complex surface. Corresponding OLEDs were examined, with three distinctively different active emissive layer compositions in terms of charge transportation characteristics. The results show that in the all scenarios the unmodified Ir(ppy)₃ outperforms the compounds with attached bulky groups. The in-device performance of the emitter is directly related to its charge trapping ability, which is being compromised in the presence of dendritic auxiliary substituents.

Attachment of bulky groups to the surface of irdium(iii) complex core obstructs its charge trapping ability and reduces OLED performance.     

Ratio Between Metastatic and Examined Lymph Nodes (N Ratio) May Have Low Clinical Utility in Gastric Cancer Patients Treated by Limited Lymphadenectomy: Results from a Single-Center Experience of 526 Patients

Background  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the ratio of metastatic to examined lymph nodes (N ratio) in gastric cancer patients who underwent limited lymphadenectomy and had a small number (≤15) of analyzed nodes.