Malignant mesothelioma is a diffuse tumor arising in the pleura, peritoneum, or other serosal surface and is closely associated with asbestos exposure. An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. Although there are individual case reports and small series detailing the clinical aspects of mesothelioma, few studies examine a large series of patients with malignant mesothelioma from the clinical perspective. This study reports on the findings of 238 cases of malignant mesothelioma from a private consultative medical practice. Most cases had a history of occupational asbestos exposure. The mean latency was 48.5 yr, with women having a longer latency than men. The mean age at diagnosis was 70. Survival overall was poor (mean 8.8 months), but treatment was beneficial (mean 11.3 versus 6.4 months). Epithelioid histology conferred a survival advantage over sarcomatoid and responded better to treatment. Our data support an inverse relationship between asbestos dose and latency.

Citrate-stabilized silver nanoprisms (AgNPrs) can be easily functionalized using well-developed thiol based surface chemistry that is an important requirement for biosensor applications utilizing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Unfortunately, currently available protocols for synthesis of citrate-coated AgNPrs do not produce stable nanoparticles thus limiting their usefulness in biosensing applications. Here we address this problem by carrying out a systematic study of citrate-stabilized, peroxide-based synthesis of AgNPrs to optimize reaction conditions for production of stable and reproducible nanoprisms. Our analysis showed that concentration of secondary reducing agent, l-ascorbic acid, is critical to AgNPr stability. Furthermore, we demonstrated that optimization of other synthesis conditions such as stabilizer concentration, rate of silver nitrate addition, and seed dilution result in highly stable nanoprisms with narrow absorbance peaks ranging from 450 nm into near-IR. In addition, the optimized reaction conditions can be used to produce AgNPrs in a one-pot synthesis instead of a previously described two-step reaction. The resulting nanoprisms can readily interact with thiols for easy surface functionalization. These studies provide an optimized set of parameters for precise control of citrate stabilized AgNPr synthesis for biomedical applications.

Rapid detection and characterization of pathogens in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) is a persistent problem for modern medicine, as current techniques are slow or provide incomplete diagnostic information. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) allows specific detection of a wide range of targets and quantification of pathogenic burden to aid in treatment planning. However, new technological advances are required for a rapid and multiplex implementation of qPCR in clinical applicatons. In this paper, feasibility of a novel microfluidic platform for qPCR is presented integrating highly sensitive, label-free localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) imaging of DNA hybridization in a recirculating chip design for real-time analysis. Single target and multiplex detection of DNA target amplification are demonstrated, with a limit of detection of 5fg/uL of E.coli DNA for single target PCR, correlating to approximately 300 bacteria per mL. The results of this study demonstrate potential of this platform for simultaneous real-time detection of multiple target genes whithin 15 minutes that could provide live saving benefits in patients with BSIs.

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Die Reduktion der Cu‐Molybdate (I), (II) und (III) in H; wird in Abhängigkeit vom Hg‐Druck und der Temp. (375‐430°C (II) und (III) oder 455°C für (l)) untersucht.