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Background: Up to 42% of all breast cancer patients undergo post-mastectomy reconstruction, however reconstructive techniques have not been widely studied in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Reconstructive complications may delay adjuvant treatments; in TNBC, which inherently carries an increased risk of locoregional recurrence, this can greatly affect oncological outcomes. Therefore, we evaluate factors influencing choice of reconstructive techniques following mastectomy in TNBC patients and assess operative and oncologic safety outcomes., Methods: A single institution retrospective chart review identified TNBC patients who underwent post-mastectomy reconstruction between 2010 to 2020. Clinical characteristics collected included demographics, cancer history, reconstructive techniques [autologous-based reconstruction (ABR) vs . implant-based reconstruction (IBR)] and surgical and oncologic outcomes such as complications, recurrence, and mortality. Factors impacting whether patients underwent ABR versus IBR were assessed, as well as differences in outcomes between the two procedures. Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05., Results: During the 10-year period, 52.9% (n=127) of all post-mastectomy TNBC patients (n=240) underwent breast reconstruction, most frequently immediately after mastectomy (97.0%). Most patients underwent IBR compared to ABR (82.4% vs . 14.5%). Patients undergoing ABR were older than IBR patients (54.3 vs . 46.4 years; P=0.040) and had a higher body mass index (BMI; 30.0 vs . 26.1 kg/m 2 ; P=0.007). Patients more often pursued ABR if they had a prior breast cancer history (36.8% vs. 16.7%; P=0.041) or experienced TNBC recurrence (26.3% vs. 9.3%; P=0.034), while primary TNBC patients more often opted for IBR. Reconstructive type did not impact complications (ABR 31.6% vs. IBR 16.8%, P=0.131), recurrence (ABR 15.8% vs. IBR 13.0%, P=0.719), or mortality (ABR 0.0% vs. IBR 6.5%, P=0.593) rates., Conclusions: Factors such as age, BMI, and breast cancer history impacted choice of reconstructive technique among TNBC women. No differences in complications, recurrence, or mortality occur in these high-risk patients regardless of reconstructive technique, highlighting that neither ABR nor IBR is superior in regard to surgical and oncologic safety in post-mastectomy TNBC patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tbcr.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tbcr-22-42/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Translational Breast Cancer Research. All rights reserved.)

Background: Only 42% of all breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy elect for breast reconstruction., Objective: We evaluate factors impacting complications, recurrence, and mortality in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients undergoing reconstruction., Methods: Reconstructive TNBC patients at a single institution from 2010 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, cancer characteristics, reconstruction choice, and complications were collected. Statistical significance was defined at p < 0.05., Results: A total of 131 patients were identified. Average age was 47.8 years, 50.4% were Caucasian and 36.4% were African American. Most patients had invasive ductal carcinoma (90.8%), and most underwent nipple-sparing (41.2%) or skin-sparing (38.9%) mastectomies. Twenty-one patients (16.0%) experienced postoperative complications. Patients with complications tended to be older (52.1 versus 46.9 years, p = 0.052). At mean follow-up of 52.1 months, 14.5% experienced cancer recurrence and 5.3% died. Deceased patients were significantly younger at diagnosis (42.2 versus 48.5 years, p = 0.008) and had a lower BMI compared to surviving patients (21.2 versus 26.9 kg/m2; p = 0.014). Patients younger than age 45 years had higher Ki-67 than those older than 45 years (80.0% versus 60.0%, p = 0.013). Outcomes in autologous- versus implant-based reconstruction were not significantly different., Conclusions: In TNBC post-mastectomy reconstruction patients, age and BMI were predictors of mortality while race, smoking history, reconstruction choice, or type of implant-based reconstruction had no significant effect on these outcomes., Synopsis: The purpose of this study is to evaluate factors that impact complications, recurrence, and mortality in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients undergoing reconstruction. We identified BMI, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and age as predictors of complications, recurrence, and mortality in TNBC.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for T1/T2 pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy remains controversial. We compared positive margin rates in patients with clinical T1&T2 tumors who did and did not receive NAT., Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) found clinical T1&T2 PDAC patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy from 2004 to 2014. Univariate and multivariate regression determined factors associated with a positive margin and survival., Results: 9795 patients underwent surgery for clinical T1 or T2 pancreatic head adenocarcinoma. 8472 patients had data regarding use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies; of which, 774 (9.1%) received NAT and 435 (5.1%) received both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. NAT was found to lower positive margin rates from 21.8 to 15.5% (p < 0.0001) and when radiation was added this rate dropped to 13.4%. Positive margins were associated with worse overall survival (14.9 vs. 23.9 months; HR 1.702, p  < 0.0001)., Conclusions: NAT is associated with a reduced positive margin rate in patients with T1 and T2 tumors. These findings support ongoing and future clinical trials of NAT in T1 and T2, early stage PDAC to determine impacts on survival., (© 2020 The Authors.)

The green fabrication of metal nanoparticles using botanical extracts is gaining increasing research attention in nanotechnology, since it does not require high energy inputs or the production of highly toxic chemical byproducts. Here, silver (Ag), gold (Au) and their bimetallic (Ag/Au) nanoparticles (NPs) were green synthesized using the Gloriosa superba aqueous leaf extract. Metal NPs were studied by spectroscopic (UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD and EDX) and microscopic (AFM and TEM) analysis. AFM and TEM showed that Ag and Au NPs had triangular and spherical morphologies, with an average size of 20 nm. Bimetallic Ag/Au NPs showed spherical shapes with an average size of 10 nm. Ag and Ag/Au bimetallic NPs showed high antibacterial and antibiofilm activities towards Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Overall, the proposed synthesis route of Ag, Au and Ag/Au bimetallic NPs can be exploited by the pharmaceutical industry to develop drugs effective in the fight against microbic infections., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Various tetrasubstituted pyrroles/pyrazoles have been prepared from nitro-substituted 1,3-enynes with aromatic amines/hydrazines via a copper-catalyzed cascade aza-Michael addition, cyclization and aromatization at room temperature. This protocol is also effective for the synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrazoles in high yields.

The pathogenesis of glycerol-induced myoglobinuric acute renal failure involves ischemia, vascular congestion and reactive oxygen metabolites. In this study, we have investigated for the first time, the role of ferulic acid in attenuating glycerol-induced nephrotoxicity. Male Wistar rats were injected intramuscularly with 8 mL/kg body weight of 50% glycerol, glycerol + ferulic acid at the dose of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/kg body weight. After 24 h, the rats were sacrificed and the kidneys were removed for histological and immunohistochemical studies. Furthermore, determinations of lipid peroxidation (LPO) as well as antioxidant enzymes were also analyzed; blood, urine samples were collected in order to quantify renal function and nitric oxide generation, respectively. Glycerol-induced rats showed a significant increase in the level of urinary markers assessed in serum as well as kidney and these were reversed upon ferulic acid treatment. A significant increase in urine nitric oxide, serum as well as kidney LPO, decrease in activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase and reduced glutathione were observed in glycerol-induced rats. Immunohistochemical study in glycerol-induced rats demonstrated an increase in the level of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB). All these effects induced by glycerol were reduced upon treatment with ferulic acid in a dose-dependent manner. To conclude, ferulic acid enhances antioxidants and decreases NF-κB, thereby protecting the cells against stress induced by glycerol.