The objective of this study was to prospectively determine the incidence of venous thrombosis (VT) in the upper limbs in patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). We prospectively investigated the incidence of VT in the upper limbs of 26 patients who had PICC inserted. The inclusion criteria were all patients who had a PICC inserted, whilst the exclusion criterion was the inability to perform a venogram (allergies, previous contrast medium reaction and inability of gaining venous access). Both valved and non-valved catheters were evaluated. Prior to removal of the PICC, an upper limb venogram was performed. The number of segments involved with VT were determined. The duration of central venous catheterization was classified as; less than 6 days, between 6 days and 14 days and more than 14 days. VT was confirmed in 38.5% (10/26) of the patients. The majority 85.7% (12/14) were complete occlusive thrombi and the majority of VT only involved one segment. There was no statistical correlation between the site of insertion of the PICC and the location of VT. Neither was there any observed correlation between the occurrence of VT with the patient's history of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, cardiac insufficiency, smoking or cancer. There was also no statistical correlation with the size of the catheter. In conclusion, PICCs are associated with a significant risk of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEVT).
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a capable therapeutic modality for the treatment of cancer. PDT is a targeted cancer therapy that reportedly leads to tumor cell apoptosis and/or necrosis by facilitating the secretion of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines and expression of multiple apoptotic mediators in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, PDT also triggers oxidative stress that directs tumor cell killing and activation of inflammatory responses. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the role of PDT in facilitating tumor cell apoptosis remain ambiguous. Here, we investigated the ability of PDT in association with hypericin (HY) to induce tumor cell apoptosis by facilitating the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secretion of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines in human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) cells. To discover if any apoptotic mediators were implicated in the enhancement of cell death of HY-PDT-treated tumor cells, selected gene profiling in response to HY-PDT treatment was implemented. Experimental results showed that interleukin (IL)-6 was significantly increased in all HY-PDT-treated cells, especially in 1 μg/ml HY-PDT, resulting in cell death. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expression of apoptotic genes, such as BH3-interacting-domain death agonist (BID), cytochrome complex (CYT-C) and caspases (CASP3, 6, 7, 8 and 9) was remarkably higher in HY-PDT-treated HepG2 cells than the untreated HepG2 cells, entailing that tumor destruction of immune-mediated cell death occurs only in PDT-treated tumor cells. Hence, we showed that HY-PDT treatment induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells by facilitating cytotoxic ROS, and potentially recruits IL-6 and apoptosis mediators, providing additional hints for the existence of alternative mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity in hepatocellular carcinoma, which contribute to long-term suppression of tumor growth following PDT.
Vegetable oils have different unique properties owing to their unique chemical structure. Vegetable oils have a greater ability to lubricate and have higher viscosity indices. Therefore, they are being more closely examined as base oil for biolubricants and functional fluids. In spite of their many advantages, vegetable oils suffer from two major drawbacks of inadequate oxidative stability and poor low-temperature properties, which hinder their utilization as biolubricant base oils. Transforming alkene groups in fatty acids to other stable functional groups could improve the oxidative stability, whereas reducing structural uniformity of the oil by attaching alkyl side chains could improve the low-temperature performance. In that light, the epoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids is very interesting as it can provide diverse side chains arising from the mono-or di-epoxidation of the unsaturated fatty acid. Oxirane ring opening by an acid-catalyzed reaction with a suitable reagent provides interesting polyfunctional compounds.
BackgroundPlant oils have been investigated as a potential source of environmentally favorable biolubricants because of their biodegradability, renewability and excellent lubrication performance. Low oxidation and thermal stability, poor low-temperature properties and a narrow range of available viscosities, however, limit their potential application as industrial lubricants. The inherent problems of plant oils can be improved by attaching functional groups at the sites of unsaturation through chemical modifications. In this article, we will demonstrate how functionalization helps overcome these disadvantages.ResultsIn this work, mono-, tri- and tetra-esters have been synthesized, including 10,12-dihydroxy-9-(stearoyloxy)octadecanoic acid 3; 9,10,12-tris(stearoyloxy)octadecanoic acid 4; and 18-(4-ethylhexyloxy)-18-oxooctadecane-7,9,10-triyl tristearate 5. Pour-point and cloud-point measurements have shown that these derivatives have improved low-temperature properties as compared to the precursor. The tetra ester compound, 18-(4-ethylhexyloxy)-18-oxooctadecane-7,9,10-triyl tristearate 5, had the lowest pour point (PP) (−44.37°C) and the lowest cloud point (CP) (−41.25°C). This derivatization also improved the compound’s thermo-oxidative stability, measured using pressurized differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) and thin-film micro-oxidation (TFMO) testing. 18-(4-Ethylhexyloxy)-18-oxooctadecane-7,9,10-triyl tristearate 5 also had the highest onset temperature (OT) (282.10°C) and the lowest volatile loss and insoluble deposit (37.39% and 50.87%, respectively). Furthermore, the compounds’ tribological behaviors were evaluated using the four-ball method. 18-(4-Ethylhexyloxy)-18-oxooctadecane-7,9,10-triyl tristearate 5 also had the lowest coefficient of friction (μ) (0.44).ConclusionsThe results showed that, in general, these derivatives have good anti-wear and friction-reducing properties at relatively low concentrations under all of the test loads. Overall, the data indicates that these derivatives have significant potential to be used as biolubricant basestocks.
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