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In this report, we developed novel chlorin/arylaminoquinazoline conjugates for targeted photodynamic therapy of cancer. The synthesized photosensitizers consisted of chlorin- e 6 metallocomplexes (Zn, In, or Pd) conjugated with arylaminoquinazoline ligands with high affinity for epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR). Additionally, the selectivity and antitumor properties of the conjugates were investigated in the EGFR-expressing A431 human tumor cell line in vitro . Among the tested molecules, the In-containing conjugate effectively inhibited tumor cell proliferation at nanomolar concentrations, a rare property for conventional photosensitizers. In in vivo experiments, the conjugates rapidly accumulated at the tumor site in nude mice bearing A431 xenograft tumors. Subsequent distribution analysis among different tissues was carried out using fluorescence imaging and elemental analysis. Finally, we demonstrated that the most promising In-containing conjugate was capable of inhibiting xenograft tumor growth in mice through combinational therapy. This therapeutic approach, combined with the conjugate's confirmed safety profile, highlights its potential for effective and safe cancer treatment.

Anti-cancer targeted therapy is a promising approach. However, the identification of target molecules over-expressed in a wide range of tumors remains a significant challenge. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of cell membrane-exposed heat shock protein 70 kDa (mHSP70) on different tumor cells and to develop a nanoscale delivery system based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that recognizes mHSP70 and uses chitosan core-shell nanoparticles (NPs). Several types of tumor cells (breast, pancreas, colon, prostate cancers, and some lymphomas) expressed mHSP70 as was determined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy both in 2D and 3D cultures. Core NPs were formed by chitosan (C) conjugated to allocolchicinoid, which was used as a model drug (D). mAbs (A) targeting mHSP70 were complexed with succinylchitosan and used as NP shells forming final CAD-NPs. These NPs were characterized by size, charge, and functional activity. CAD-NPs were shown to have additional toxicity in comparison with CD-NPs in mHSP7-positive cells. Taken collectively, this study shows that mAb to mHSP70 can be used as a targeting vector in antitumor therapy.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Image Data Commons (IDC) offers publicly available cancer radiology collections for cloud computing, crucial for developing advanced imaging tools and algorithms. Despite their potential, these collections are minimally annotated; only 4% of DICOM studies in collections considered in the project had existing segmentation annotations. This project increases the quantity of segmentations in various IDC collections. We produced high-quality, AI-generated imaging annotations dataset of tissues, organs, and/or cancers for 11 distinct IDC image collections. These collections contain images from a variety of modalities, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET). The collections cover various body parts, such as the chest, breast, kidneys, prostate, and liver. A portion of the AI annotations were reviewed and corrected by a radiologist to assess the performance of the AI models. Both the AI's and the radiologist's annotations were encoded in conformance to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard, allowing for seamless integration into the IDC collections as third-party analysis collections. All the models, images and annotations are publicly accessible., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people worldwide and is treated with just one broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug (praziquantel). Alternative drugs are needed in the event of emerging praziquantel resistance or treatment failure. One promising lead that has shown efficacy in animal models and a human clinical trial is the benzodiazepine meclonazepam, discovered by Roche in the 1970s. Meclonazepam was not brought to market because of dose-limiting sedative side effects. However, the human target of meclonazepam that causes sedation (GABA A Rs) is not orthologous to the parasite targets that cause worm death. Therefore, we were interested in whether the structure of meclonazepam could be modified to produce antiparasitic benzodiazepines that do not cause host sedation. We synthesized 18 meclonazepam derivatives with modifications at different positions on the benzodiazepine ring system and tested them for in vitro antiparasitic activity. This identified five compounds that progressed to in vivo screening in a murine model, two of which cured parasite infections with comparable potency to meclonazepam. When these two compounds were administered to mice that were run on the rotarod test, both were less sedating than meclonazepam. These findings demonstrate the proof of concept that meclonazepam analogs can be designed with an improved therapeutic index and point to the C3 position of the benzodiazepine ring system as a logical site for further structure-activity exploration to further optimize this chemical series., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Herein, we describe the synthesis of pH-sensitive lipophilic colchicine prodrugs for liposomal bilayer inclusion, as well as preparation and characterization of presumably stealth PEGylated liposomes with above-mentioned prodrugs. These formulations liberate strongly cytotoxic colchicinoid derivatives selectively under slightly acidic tumor-associated conditions, ensuring tumor-targeted delivery of the compounds. The design of the prodrugs is addressed to pH-triggered release of active compounds in the slight acidic media, that corresponds to tumor microenvironment, while keeping sufficient stability of the whole formulation at physiological pH. Correlations between the structure of the conjugates, their hydrolytic stability, colloidal stability, ability of the prodrug retention in the lipid bilayer are described. Several formulations were found promising for further development and in vivo investigations.

In this report, we present a novel prodrug strategy that can significantly improve the efficiency and selectivity of combined therapy for bladder cancer. Our approach involved the synthesis of a conjugate based on a chlorin-e 6 photosensitizer and a derivative of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib, linked by a β-glucuronidase-responsive linker. Upon activation by β-glucuronidase, which is overproduced in various tumors and localized in lysosomes, this conjugate released both therapeutic modules within targeted cells. This activation was accompanied by the recovery of its fluorescence and the generation of reactive oxygen species. Investigation of photodynamic and dark toxicity in vitro revealed that the novel conjugate had an excellent safety profile and was able to inhibit tumor cells proliferation at submicromolar concentrations. Additionally, combined therapy effects were also observed in 3D models of tumor growth, demonstrating synergistic suppression through the activation of both photodynamic and targeted therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Over the past few decades, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has evolved as a minimally invasive treatment modality offering precise control over cancer and various other diseases. To address inherent challenges associated with PDT, researchers have been exploring two promising avenues: the development of intelligent photosensitizers activated through light-induced energy transfers, charges, or electron transfers, and the disruption of photosensitive bonds. Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on the bioorthogonal delivery or activation of photosensitizers within tumors, enabling targeted deployment and activation of these intelligent photosensitive systems in specific tissues, thus achieving highly precise PDT. This concise review highlights advancements made over the last decade in the realm of light-activated or bioorthogonal photosensitizers, comparing their efficacy and shaping future directions in the advancement of photodynamic therapy.

The neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people worldwide and is treated with just one broad spectrum antiparasitic drug (praziquantel). Alternative drugs are needed in the event of emerging praziquantel resistance or treatment failure. One promising lead that has shown efficacy in animal models and a human clinical trial is the benzodiazepine meclonazepam, discovered by Roche in the 1970's. Meclonazepam was not brought to market because of dose-limiting sedative side effects. However, the human target of meclonazepam that causes sedation (GABA A Rs) are not orthologous to the parasite targets that cause worm death. Therefore, we were interested in whether the structure of meclonazepam could be modified to produce antiparasitic benzodiazepines that do not cause host sedation. We synthesized 18 meclonazepam derivatives with modifications at different positions on the benzodiazepine ring system and tested them for in vitro antiparasitic activity. This identified five compounds that progressed to in vivo screening in a murine model, two of which cured parasite infections with comparable potency to meclonazepam. When these two compounds were administered to mice that were run on the rotarod test, both were less sedating than meclonazepam. These findings demonstrate the proof of concept that meclonazepam analogs can be designed with an improved therapeutic index, and point to the C3 position of the benzodiazepine ring system as a logical site for further structure-activity exploration to further optimize this chemical series.

Bimetallic nanoparticles expand the possibilities of catalyst design, providing an extra degree of freedom for tailoring the catalyst structure in comparison to purely monometallic systems. The distribution mode of two metal species defines the structure of surface catalytic sites, and current research efforts are focused on the development of methods for their controlled tuning. In light of this, a comprehensive investigation of the factors which influence the changes in the morphology of bimetallic nanoparticles, including the elemental redistribution, are mandatory for each particular bimetallic system. Here we present the combined XPS/STM study of the surface structure and morphology of bimetallic Pt-Au/HOPG nanoparticles prepared by thermal vacuum deposition and show that thermal annealing up to 350 °C induces the alloying process between the two bulk-immiscible metal components. Increasing the treatment temperature enhances the extent of Pt-Au alloying. However, the sintering of nanoparticles starts to occur above 500 °C. The approach implemented in this work includes the theoretical simulation of XPS signal intensities for a more meticulous analysis of the compositional distribution and can be helpful from a methodological perspective for other XPS/STM studies of bimetallic nanoparticles on planar supports.

A four-step semisynthetic approach towards a highly versatile allocolchicine-related chiral aryne intermediate starting from naturally occurring colchicine was developed, and some of its synthetic transformations were studied. The in situ generated benzyne intermediate afforded a number of non-racemic heterocyclic allocolchicinoids, which were shown to exhibit potent cytotoxicity towards COLO 357, OSA and Raji cells. The proposed methodology is attractive for the synthesis of libraries of new cytotoxic tubulin inhibitors.

We report herein an unusual one-pot preparation of α-benzyl-substituted conjugated enals via ZnCl 2 /LiCl/H 2 O-mediated transformation of styrenes. On the basis of experimental and computational studies, an underlying mechanism including electrophilic addition and hydride transfer with iminium cations has been proposed. The effect of the LiCl/ZnCl 2 /H 2 O combination on the reaction yield has been studied, demonstrating their participation in the activation and the key isomerization of an iminium electrophile.

Preclinical imaging is a critical component in translational research with significant complexities in workflow and site differences in deployment. Importantly, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) precision medicine initiative emphasizes the use of translational co-clinical oncology models to address the biological and molecular bases of cancer prevention and treatment. The use of oncology models, such as patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDX) and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), has ushered in an era of co-clinical trials by which preclinical studies can inform clinical trials and protocols, thus bridging the translational divide in cancer research. Similarly, preclinical imaging fills a translational gap as an enabling technology for translational imaging research. Unlike clinical imaging, where equipment manufacturers strive to meet standards in practice at clinical sites, standards are neither fully developed nor implemented in preclinical imaging. This fundamentally limits the collection and reporting of metadata to qualify preclinical imaging studies, thereby hindering open science and impacting the reproducibility of co-clinical imaging research. To begin to address these issues, the NCI co-clinical imaging research program (CIRP) conducted a survey to identify metadata requirements for reproducible quantitative co-clinical imaging. The enclosed consensus-based report summarizes co-clinical imaging metadata information (CIMI) to support quantitative co-clinical imaging research with broad implications for capturing co-clinical data, enabling interoperability and data sharing, as well as potentially leading to updates to the preclinical Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard.

Here we experimentally demonstrate the topological Faraday effect-the polarization rotation caused by the orbital angular momentum of light. It is found that the Faraday effect of the optical vortex beam passing through a transparent magnetic dielectric film differs from the Faraday effect for a plane wave. The additional contribution to the Faraday rotation depends linearly on the topological charge and radial number of the beam. The effect is explained in terms of the optical spin-orbit interaction. These findings underline the importance of using the optical vortex beams for studies of magnetically ordered materials.

A series of novel heterocyclic colchicine derivatives bearing a C-7 methylene fragment were synthesized via Wittig, Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons and Nenajdenko-Shastin olefination approaches. The in vitro biological activities of the most promising compounds were investigated using MTT assays and cell cycle analyses. Compounds with an electron withdrawing group on the methylene fragment exhibited substantial antiproliferative activity towards COLO-357, BxPC-3, HaCaT, PANC-1 and A549 cell lines. The spatial orientation of the substituent at the double bond significantly influenced its biological activity.

The exchange of large and complex slide microscopy imaging data in biomedical research and pathology practice is impeded by a lack of data standardization and interoperability, which is detrimental to the reproducibility of scientific findings and clinical integration of technological innovations. We introduce Slim, an open-source, web-based slide microscopy viewer that implements the internationally accepted Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard to achieve interoperability with a multitude of existing medical imaging systems. We showcase the capabilities of Slim as the slide microscopy viewer of the NCI Imaging Data Commons and demonstrate how the viewer enables interactive visualization of traditional brightfield microscopy and highly-multiplexed immunofluorescence microscopy images from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Human Tissue Atlas Network, respectively, using standard DICOMweb services. We further show how Slim enables the collection of standardized image annotations for the development or validation of machine learning models and the visual interpretation of model inference results in the form of segmentation masks, spatial heat maps, or image-derived measurements., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Conjugates of the natural alkaloid (a R ,7 S )-colchicine with bicyclic monoterpenoids and their derivatives were synthesized for the first time. Molecular docking of the synthesized agents in the active site of the main viral protease of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was carried out. The cytotoxic properties of the agents against different cell lines and the ability to inhibit the main viral protease 3CLPro were studied., (© Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2023.)

(1) Background: This investigation aimed at developing a series of c-Met-targeting cabozantinib-based PROTACs. (2) Methods: Purification of intermediate and target compounds was performed using column chromatography, in vitro antiproliferation activity was measured using a standard MTT assay and a c-Met degradation assay was performed via the immunoblotting technique. (3) Results: Several compounds exhibited antiproliferative activity towards different cell lines of breast cancer (T47D, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, HCC1954 and MCF7) at the same level as parent cabozantinib and 7-demethyl cabozantinib. Two target conjugates, bearing a VHL-ligand as an E3-ligase binding moiety and glycol-based linkers, exhibited the effective inhibition of c-Met phosphorylation and an ability to decrease the level of c-Met in HCC1954 cells at micromolar concentrations. (4) Conclusions: Two compounds exhibit c-Met inhibition activity in the nanomolar range and can be considered as PROTAC molecules due to their ability to decrease the total level of c-Met in HCC1954 cells. The structures of the offered compounds can be used as starting points for further evaluation of cabozantinib-based PROTACs.

Machine learning (ML) is revolutionizing image-based diagnostics in pathology and radiology. ML models have shown promising results in research settings, but the lack of interoperability between ML systems and enterprise medical imaging systems has been a major barrier for clinical integration and evaluation. The DICOM ® standard specifies information object definitions (IODs) and services for the representation and communication of digital images and related information, including image-derived annotations and analysis results. However, the complexity of the standard represents an obstacle for its adoption in the ML community and creates a need for software libraries and tools that simplify working with datasets in DICOM format. Here we present the highdicom library, which provides a high-level application programming interface (API) for the Python programming language that abstracts low-level details of the standard and enables encoding and decoding of image-derived information in DICOM format in a few lines of Python code. The highdicom library leverages NumPy arrays for efficient data representation and ties into the extensive Python ecosystem for image processing and machine learning. Simultaneously, by simplifying creation and parsing of DICOM-compliant files, highdicom achieves interoperability with the medical imaging systems that hold the data used to train and run ML models, and ultimately communicate and store model outputs for clinical use. We demonstrate through experiments with slide microscopy and computed tomography imaging, that, by bridging these two ecosystems, highdicom enables developers and researchers to train and evaluate state-of-the-art ML models in pathology and radiology while remaining compliant with the DICOM standard and interoperable with clinical systems at all stages. To promote standardization of ML research and streamline the ML model development and deployment process, we made the library available free and open-source at https://github.com/herrmannlab/highdicom ., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A (series) range of potential dimorpholinoquinazoline-based inhibitors of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascade was synthesized. Several compounds exhibited cytotoxicity towards a panel of cancer cell lines in the low and sub-micromolar range. Compound 7c with the highest activity and moderate selectivity towards MCF7 cells which express the mutant type of PI3K was also tested for the ability to inhibit PI3K-(signaling pathway) downstream effectors and associated proteins. Compound 7c inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, and S6K at 125-250 nM. It also triggered PARP1 cleavage, ROS production, and cell death via several mechanisms. Inhibition of PI3Kα was observed at a concentration of 7b 50 µM and of 7c 500 µM and higher, that can indicate minority PI3Kα as a target among other kinases in the titled cascade for 7c . In vivo studies demonstrated an inhibition of tumor growth in the colorectal tumor model. According to the docking studies, the replacement of the triazine core in gedatolisib ( 8 ) by a quinazoline fragment, and incorporation of a (hetero)aromatic unit connected with the carbamide group via a flexible spacer, can result in more selective inhibition of the PI3Kα isoform.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality where light-mediated activation of photosensitizers in a patient's body leads to the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), eliminating cancer cells. One direction that has been firmly established over past years is the conjugation of photosensitizers with various molecules that demonstrate their own cytotoxic activity. As a result, improved selectivity and treatment outcomes are observed compared to those of unconjugated drugs. The attractiveness of such an approach is due to the variability of cytotoxic warheads and specific linkers available for the construction of conjugates. In this review, we summarize and analyze data concerning these inventions with the ultimate goal to find a promising conjugation partner for a porphyrinoid-based photosensitizer. The current challenges toward successful conjugation are also outlined and discussed. We hope that this review will motivate researchers to pay closer attention to conjugates and possibilities hidden in these molecules for the PDT of cancer.

To assess the stability and efficiency of liposomes carrying a phospholipase A2-sensitive phospholipid-allocolchicinoid conjugate (aC-PC) in the bilayer, egg phosphatidylcholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylglycerol-based formulations were tested in plasma protein binding, tubulin polymerization inhibition, and cytotoxicity assays. Liposomes L-aC-PC10 containing 10 mol. % aC-PC in the bilayer bound less plasma proteins and were more stable in 50% plasma within 4 h incubation, according to calcein release and FRET-based assays. Liposomes with 25 mol. % of the prodrug (L-aC-PC25) were characterized by higher storage stability judged by their hydrodynamic radius evolution yet enhanced deposition of blood plasma opsonins on their surface according to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. Notably, inhibition of tubulin polymerization was found to require that the prodrug should be hydrolyzed to the parent allocolchicinoid. The L-aC-PC10 and L-aC-PC25 formulations demonstrated similar tubulin polymerization inhibition and cytotoxic activities. The L-aC-PC10 formulation should be beneficial for applications requiring liposome accumulation at tumor or inflammation sites.

Colchicine, the main active alkaloid from Colchicum autumnale L., is a potent tubulin binder and represents an interesting lead structure for the development of potential anticancer chemotherapeutics. We report on the synthesis and investigation of potentially reactive colchicinoids and their surprising biological activities. In particular, the previously undescribed colchicinoid PT-100, a B-ring contracted 6-exo-methylene colchicinoid, exhibits extraordinarily high antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects on various types of cancer cell lines like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Nalm6), acute myeloid leukemia (HL-60), Burkitt-like lymphoma (BJAB), human melanoma (MelHO), and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells at low nanomolar concentrations. Apoptosis induction proved to be especially high in multidrug-resistant Nalm6-derived cancer cell lines, while healthy human leukocytes and hepatocytes were not affected by the concentration range studied. Furthermore, caspase-independent initiation of apoptosis via an intrinsic pathway was observed. PT-100 also shows strong synergistic effects in combination with vincristine on BJAB and Nalm6 cells. Cocrystallization of PT-100 with tubulin dimers revealed its (noncovalent) binding to the colchicine-binding site of β-tubulin at the interface to the α-subunit. A pronounced effect of PT-100 on the cytoskeleton morphology was shown by fluorescence microscopy. While the reactivity of PT-100 as a weak Michael acceptor toward thiols was chemically proven, it remains unclear whether this contributes to the remarkable biological properties of this unusual colchicinoid., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

In this study, the dependence of the catalytic activity of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)-supported bimetallic Pd-Au catalysts towards the CO oxidation based on the Pd/Au atomic ratio was investigated. The activities of two model catalysts differing from each other in the initial Pd/Au atomic ratios appeared as distinctly different in terms of their ignition temperatures. More specifically, the PdAu-2 sample with a lower Pd/Au surface ratio (~0.75) was already active at temperatures less than 150 °C, while the PdAu-1 sample with a higher Pd/Au surface ratio (~1.0) became active only at temperatures above 200 °C. NAP XPS revealed that the exposure of the catalysts to a reaction mixture at RT induces the palladium surface segregation accompanied by an enrichment of the near-surface regions of the two-component Pd-Au alloy nanoparticles with Pd due to adsorption of CO on palladium atoms. The segregation extent depends on the initial Pd/Au surface ratio. The difference in activity between these two catalysts is determined by the presence or higher concentration of specific active Pd sites on the surface of bimetallic particles, i.e., by the ensemble effect. Upon cooling the sample down to room temperature, the reverse redistribution of the atomic composition within near-surface regions occurs, which switches the catalyst back into inactive state. This observation strongly suggests that the optimum active sites emerge under reaction conditions exclusively, involving both high temperature and a reactive atmosphere.

Two series of heterocyclic colchicinoids bearing β-methylenedihydrofuran or 2H-pyran-2-one fragments were synthesized by the intramolecular Heck reaction. Methylenedihydrofuran compounds 9a and 9h were found to be the most cytotoxic among currently known colchicinoids, exhibiting outstanding antiproliferative activity on tumor cell lines in picomolar (0.01-2.1 nM) range of concentrations. Compound 9a potently and substoichiometrically inhibits microtubule formation in vitro, being an order of magnitude more active in this assay than colchicine. Derivatives 9a and 9h revealed relatively low acute toxicity in mice (LD 50  ≥ 10 mg/kg i.v.). The X-Ray structure of colchicinoid 9a bound to tubulin confirmed interaction of this compound with the colchicine binding site of tubulin., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Colchicine, the main alkaloid of Colchicum autumnale , is one of the most famous natural molecules. Although colchicine belongs to the oldest drugs (in use since 1500 BC), its pharmacological potential as a lead structure is not yet fully exploited. This review is devoted to the synthesis and structure-activity relationships (SAR) of colchicine alkaloids and their analogues with modified A, B, and C rings, as well as hybrid compounds derived from colchicinoids including prodrugs, conjugates, and delivery systems. The systematization of a vast amount of information presented to date will create a paradigm for future studies of colchicinoids for neoplastic and various other diseases.

We describe an attempt to apply the concept of covalent binding towards the highly active allocolchicinoids selected on the basis of SAR analysis of previously synthesized molecules. To achieve the irreversible binding of the agent to the cysteine residues of the colchicine site of tubulin protein, we synthesized a number of new allocolchicinoids bearing the acceptor moiety. Some of the new derivatives possess cytotoxic activity against COLO-357, BxPC-3, HaCaT, and HEK293 cell lines in a low nanomolar range of concentrations. A substoichiometric mode of microtubule assembly inhibition was demonstrated. The most active compounds possess close to colchicine general toxicity on mice., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020.)

Background Radiomic features may quantify characteristics present in medical imaging. However, the lack of standardized definitions and validated reference values have hampered clinical use. Purpose To standardize a set of 174 radiomic features. Materials and Methods Radiomic features were assessed in three phases. In phase I, 487 features were derived from the basic set of 174 features. Twenty-five research teams with unique radiomics software implementations computed feature values directly from a digital phantom, without any additional image processing. In phase II, 15 teams computed values for 1347 derived features using a CT image of a patient with lung cancer and predefined image processing configurations. In both phases, consensus among the teams on the validity of tentative reference values was measured through the frequency of the modal value and classified as follows: less than three matches, weak; three to five matches, moderate; six to nine matches, strong; 10 or more matches, very strong. In the final phase (phase III), a public data set of multimodality images (CT, fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and T1-weighted MRI) from 51 patients with soft-tissue sarcoma was used to prospectively assess reproducibility of standardized features. Results Consensus on reference values was initially weak for 232 of 302 features (76.8%) at phase I and 703 of 1075 features (65.4%) at phase II. At the final iteration, weak consensus remained for only two of 487 features (0.4%) at phase I and 19 of 1347 features (1.4%) at phase II. Strong or better consensus was achieved for 463 of 487 features (95.1%) at phase I and 1220 of 1347 features (90.6%) at phase II. Overall, 169 of 174 features were standardized in the first two phases. In the final validation phase (phase III), most of the 169 standardized features could be excellently reproduced (166 with CT; 164 with PET; and 164 with MRI). Conclusion A set of 169 radiomics features was standardized, which enabled verification and calibration of different radiomics software. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Kuhl and Truhn in this issue.

Aim To improve quality of treatment for senile patients with pronounced aortic stenosis (AS).Material and methods Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valve pathology in cardiosurgical patients. Surgical correction of aortic valve (AV) stenosis accounts for 10 to 22 % of open-heart operations. 125 patients with pronounced AS were treated in the N. N. Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital between 2010 and 2017. This study was based on the implementation of new, minimally invasive methods in our clinic in 2013: balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAVP) of the aortic valve and transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis (TCAVP).Results In the group of patients receiving the drug therapy alone, the in-hospital mortality was 2 %. At the time of maximum follow-up duration (3 years), the survival rate was 50.5 %. In the group of patients who underwent the AV replacement with extracorporeal circulation, the 3 year postoperative mortality was 16.6 %. There was no 3 year mortality in the group of patients who underwent TCAVP. The short-term beneficial effect of BAVP was confirmed.Conclusion An algorithm was developed for medical care of patients older than 75 with pronounced AS; the place of BAVP in the step-by-step management of these patients was determined. Using the developed approach in the management of these patients provided a 32 % (p<0.05) increase in the number of cases of radical surgical care.

Introduction: The classic hemagglutination inhibition reaction (RTGA) is used to determine the level of antiviral antibodies in human and animal serum specimens. During the performance of RTGA the tested sera must be treated with a receptor-destroying enzyme (RDE) to remove serum glycans that degrade the accuracy of the RTGA results. To optimize the amounts of RDE compounds used, it is necessary to know their real neuraminidase activity. This article describes a simple and economical method for testing the neuraminidase activity of receptordestroying compounds using standard reagents and laboratory equipment. Aims of investigation. Design of an improved simple and convenient method for evaluating the neuramin1idase activity using the flu virus., Material and Methods: Here, we propose a convenient method for evaluating the activity of neuraminidase by double-fold dilution procedure with human or animal erythrocytes followed by hemagglutination assay with influenza A virus., Results and Discussion: The method is based on the ability of neuraminidase to hydrolyze sialic acid residues on the cell surface of erythrocytes, that deprives red blood cells to be agglutinated with the flu virus, since these sialic glycans provide virus attachment and hemagglutination., Conclusion: The designed method allows the accurate measurement of the receptor-destroying (neuraminidase) activity of RDE compounds and the comparison of the compounds with each other. This test is necessary to optimize the RTGA protocol when monitoring blood sera of animals and humans after influenza infection and/or Acute Respiratory diseases (ARD). The designed method can be included in the guidelines of regulations for the RTGA protocol, which is used in different laboratories to monitor the epidemic process of influenza and ARD infections., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A new water-soluble conjugate, consisting of a chlorin- e 6 photosensitizer part, a 4-arylaminoquinazoline moiety with affinity to epidermal growth factor receptors, and a hydrophilic β-d-maltose fragment, was synthesized starting from methylpheophorbide- a in seven steps. The prepared conjugate exhibited low levels of dark cytotoxicity and pronounced photoinduced cytotoxicity at submicromolar concentrations in vitro, with an IC 50 (dark)/IC 50 (light) ratio of ∼368 and a singlet oxygen quantum yield of about 20%. In tumor-bearing Balb/c nude mice, conjugate 1 preferentially accumulates in the tumor tissue. Irradiation of the nude mice bearing A431 xenograft tumors after intravenous administration of the prepared conjugate with a relatively low light dose (50 J/cm 2 ) produced an excellent therapeutic effect with profound tumor regression and low systemic toxicity.

We report the crystal structure and crystallization conditions of a first hydrated form of metacetamol (a hemihydrate), C 8 H 9 NO 2 ·0.5H 2 O. It crystallizes from metacetamol-saturated 1:1 (v/v) water-ethanol solutions in a monoclinic structure (space group P2 1 /n) and contains eight metacetamol and four water molecules per unit cell. The conformations of the molecules are the same as in polymorph II of metacetamol, which ensures the formation of hydrogen-bonded dimers and R 2 2 (16) ring motifs in its crystal structure similar to those in polymorph II. Unlike in form II, however, these dimers in the hemihydrate are connected through water molecules into infinite hydrogen-bonded molecular chains. Different chains are linked to each other by metacetamol-water and metacetamol-metacetamol hydrogen bonds, the latter type being also present in polymorph I. The overall noncovalent network of the hemihydrate is well developed and several types of hydrogen bonds are responsible for its formation.

We present the results of an experimental and computational study of structural changes in two polymorphs of tolazamide {systematic name: 1-[(azepan-1-ylamino)carbonyl]-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide}, C 14 H 21 N 3 O 3 S, on cooling to 100 K and reverse heating. No phase transitions occurred in this temperature range. The anisotropy of the thermal expansion was different for the two polymorphs and differed from that reported previously for the hydrostatic compression. The changes in different intermolecular contacts responsible for the strain anisotropy were analysed. Relative shortening of the contacts was related directly to their initial length and reversely to the steric density around them. Increasing steric density is likely to be the driving force for the conformational ordering of the azepane ring under compression.

Enzyme-responsive liposomes release their cargo in response to pathologically increased levels of enzymes at the target site. We report herein an assembly of phospholipase A2-responsive liposomes based on colchicinoid lipid prodrugs incorporated into lipid bilayer of the nanosized vesicles. The liposomes were constructed to addresses two important issues: (i) the lipid prodrugs were designed to fit the structure of the enzyme binding site; and (ii) the concept of lateral pressure profile was used to design lipid prodrugs that introduce almost no distortions into the lipid bilayer packing, thus ensuring that corresponding liposomes are stable. The colchicinoid agents exhibit antiproliferative activity in subnanomolar range of concentrations.

Over the past few decades, hit identification has been greatly facilitated by advances in high-throughput and fragment-based screenings. One major hurdle remaining in drug discovery is process automation of hit-to-lead (H2L) optimization. Here, we report a time- and cost-efficient integrated strategy for H2L optimization as well as a partially automated design of potent chemical probes consisting of a focused-chemical-library design and virtual screening coupled with robotic diversity-oriented de novo synthesis and automated in vitro evaluation. The virtual library is generated by combining an activated fragment, corresponding to the substructure binding to the target, with a collection of functionalized building blocks using in silico encoded chemical reactions carefully chosen from a list of one-step organic transformations relevant in medicinal chemistry. The proof of concept was demonstrated using the optimization of bromodomain inhibitors as a test case, leading to the validation of several compounds with improved affinity by several orders of magnitude.

A new water-soluble conjugate, consisting of a chlorin-based photosensitizing part, and a 4-arylaminoquinazoline moiety with high potential affinity to an epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR), suitable for photodynamic therapy (PDT), was synthesized starting from methylpheophorbide-a in seven steps. An increased accumulation of this compound in A431 cells with high level of EGFR expression, in comparison with CHO and HeLa cells with low EGFR expression was observed. The prepared conjugate exhibits dark and photoinduced cytotoxicity at micromolar concentrations with IC 50dark /IC 50light ratio of 11-18. In tumor-bearing mice, the conjugate preferentially accumulates in the tumor tissue., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Two novel indole-containing allocolchicinoids were prepared from naturally occurring colchicine exploiting the Curtius rearrangement and tandem Sonogashira coupling/Pd-catalyzed cyclization as the key transformations. Their cytotoxic properties, apoptosis-inducing activity, tubulin assembly inhibition and short-time cytotoxic effects were investigated. Compound 7 demonstrated the most pronounced anti-cancer activity: IC 50  < 1 nM, cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, 25% apoptosis induction, as well as lower destructive short-time effects on HT-29 cell line in comparison with colchicine. Docking studies for prepared indole-derived allocolchicine analogues were carried out., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of furan-based allocolchicinoids was prepared from commercially available colchicine via a nine-step reaction sequence. Cytostatic activity, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, tubulin and F-actin expression were studied in vitro in 2D and 3D cultures of normal and tumor epithelial keratinocytes, endothelial and mesenchymal cells. Among the prepared furanoallocolchicine analogues, 14a and 7a displayed the most pronounced anti-cancer activity. These compounds induced two types of effects: (a) cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase as a direct consequence of effective tubulin binding (metaphase effect), and (b) pronounced cell stress (as evidenced by the overexpression of tubulin and F-actin), which was caused by the hyperpolarization of mitochondrial and lysosomal membranes (interphase effect)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A midthroughput screening follow-up program targeting the first bromodomain of the human BRD4 protein, BRD4(BD1), identified an acetylated-mimic xanthine derivative inhibitor. This compound binds with an affinity in the low micromolar range yet exerts suitable unexpected selectivity in vitro against the other members of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family. A structure-based program pinpointed a role of the ZA loop, paving the way for the development of potent and selective BET-BRDi probes.

A series of conformationally flexible furan-derived allocolchicinoids was prepared from commercially available colchicine in good to excellent yields using a three-step reaction sequence. Cytotoxicity studies indicated the potent activity of two compounds against human epithelial and lymphoid cell lines (AsPC-1, HEK293, and Jurkat) as well as against Wnt-1 related murine epithelial cell line W1308. The results of in vitro experiments demonstrated that the major effect of these compounds was the induction of cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase as a direct consequence of effective tubulin binding. In vivo testing of the most potent furanoallocolchicinoid 10c using C57BL/6 mice inoculated with Wnt-1 tumor cells indicated significant inhibition of the tumor growth.

Background: Prostate volume can affect whether patients qualify for brachytherapy (desired size ≥20 mL and ≤60 mL) and/or active surveillance (desired PSA density ≤0.15 for very low risk disease). This study examines variability in prostate volume measurements depending on imaging modality used (ultrasound versus MRI) and volume calculation technique (contouring versus ellipsoid) and quantifies the impact of this variability on treatment recommendations for men with favorable-risk prostate cancer., Methods: We examined 70 patients who presented consecutively for consideration of brachytherapy for favorable-risk prostate cancer who had volume estimates by three methods: contoured axial ultrasound slices, ultrasound ellipsoid (height × width × length × 0.523) calculation, and endorectal coil MRI (erMRI) ellipsoid calculation., Results: Average gland size by the contoured ultrasound, ellipsoid ultrasound, and erMRI methods were 33.99, 37.16, and 39.62 mLs, respectively. All pairwise comparisons between methods were statistically significant (all p < 0.015). Of the 66 patients who volumetrically qualified for brachytherapy on ellipsoid ultrasound measures, 22 (33.33%) did not qualify on ellipsoid erMRI or contoured ultrasound measures. 38 patients (54.28%) had PSA density ≤0.15 ng/dl as calculated using ellipsoid ultrasound volumes, compared to 34 (48.57%) and 38 patients (54.28%) using contoured ultrasound and ellipsoid erMRI volumes, respectively., Conclusions: The ultrasound ellipsoid and erMRI ellipsoid methods appeared to overestimate ultrasound contoured volume by an average of 9.34% and 16.57% respectively. 33.33% of those who qualified for brachytherapy based on ellipsoid ultrasound volume would be disqualified based on ultrasound contoured and/or erMRI ellipsoid volume. As treatment recommendations increasingly rely on estimates of prostate size, clinicians must consider method of volume estimation.

Colchicine site binders--blockers of tubulin polymerization--are potential antimitotic agents for anticancer therapy. To reduce their systemic toxicity and improve biodistribution, encapsulation in nanosized liposomes may be employed. Liposomes present a convenient means for preparation of injectable formulations of hydrophobic compounds, however colchicine as such is known to leak through the lipid bilayer. In this study, newly synthesized triazole-containing analogues of colchicine and allocolchicine, and their palmitic and oleic esters (lipophilic prodrugs) were tested for anti-proliferative activity and apoptosis-inducing potential. In contrast to colchicine conjugates, whose activities ranged with those of colchicine, allocolchicine derivatives exhibited drastically lower effects and were discarded. Liposomes of about 100 nm in diameter composed of egg phosphatidylcholine--yeast phosphatidylinositol--palmitic or oleic prodrug, 8 : 1: 1, by mol, were prepared by standard extrusion technique and tested in a panel of four human tumor cell lines. Liposome formulations preserved the biological activities of the parent colchicinoid the most towards human epithelial tumor cells. Moreover, liposomal form of the oleoyl bearing colchicinoid inhibited cell proliferation more efficiently than free lipophilic prodrug. Due to substantial loading capacity of the liposomes, the dispersions contain sufficient concentration of the active agent to test wide dose range in experiments on systemic administration to animals.

A series of novel pyrrolo-allocolchicine derivatives (containing a 1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl moiety replacing ring C) was synthesized. The tetracyclic ring system was constructed by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of a 1-methylindole-5-boronate with an ortho-iodo-dihydrocinnamic acid derivative and subsequent intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation. After reduction of the resulting ketone, the nitrogen functionality was introduced in a Mitsunobu-type reaction by using zinc azide followed by LiAlH(4) reduction. Structural assignments were supported by X-ray crystallography. The compounds synthesized were then tested against BJAB tumor cells and found to exhibit pronounced cytotoxic activity (proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction). The ketone 24 b was even active at sub-nanomolar concentration. In addition, the antitumor potential of the compounds was confirmed by using B lymphoid cell lines., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A series of novel antimitotic hybrids were synthesized in good yields by linking of azide-containing colchicine congeners with acetylene-substituted tubulizine-type derivatives using copper-mediated 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Obtained compounds exhibit good cytotoxicity against HBL100 epithelial cell lines (IC(50)=0.599-2.93 μМ). Several newly synthesized compounds are the substoichiometric inhibitors of microtubule assembly (R=0.41-0.78). The results highlight the importance of the length of spacer linking the tubulin binding ligands in heterodimeric molecules., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of A-ring variously methoxylated 4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)coumarins related to combretastatin A-4 was prepared by cross-coupling reactions. Cytotoxicity studies indicated a potent activity against HBL100 cell line. Substitution patterns on A-ring had only a slight effect on antiproliferative activity. For most cytotoxic compounds, the activity as potential modulators of P-gp and BCRP efflux pumps was evaluated. The results show that compounds 2 and 7 were able to restore mitoxantrone accumulation (BCRP) at concentrations similar to that of cyclosporine A. Compound 7 was the most efficient to reverse P-gp activity. All compounds were found to potently inhibit in vitro microtubule formation via a substoichiometric mode of action for the most part. Compounds 1 and 2 were found to have an apparent affinity binding constant similar to that of combretastatin A-4, i.e., 1 × 10 (6) M(-1). The molecular modeling of coumarin derivatives was performed on the basis of the molecular structure of 7, as determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The calculations suggested that the presence of a methoxy group out of the plane of the chromenone moiety is an important steric hindrance factor embedding the accessibility of those molecules inside the binding pocket on tubulin.

A series of syn-restricted polymethoxylated 4-heteroarylcoumarins--the isostuctural analogs of combretastatin A-4--was synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction and evaluated for antiproliferative activity. The 4-(1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)chromen-2-ones exhibit a potent cytotoxicity against HBL100 epithelial cell line with an IC(50) value amounting to 0.098 and 0.078 microM, respectively. The two compounds, having an indolyl moiety, potent inhibit in vitro microtubule assembly with a substoichiometric mode of action. A structure-activity relationship was discussed and the indolyl moiety was proved to be a good surrogate for the 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl ring of CA-4.

2-(methoxymethoxymethyl)aryllead triacetates, obtained in situ from the corresponding arylboronic acids, reacted with 4-hydroxycoumarins, leading to 3-(2-methoxymethoxymethyl)aryl-4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives in good to high yields. These compounds underwent a cascade sequence of reactions, deprotection-halogenation-annulation, to afford polyoxygenated tetracyclic 6H,11H-[2]benzopyrano-[4,3-c] [1]benzopyran-11-ones in good yields. Some compounds showed a moderate cytotoxicity against human epithelial mammary HBL100 cells.