Purpose The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of the near-infrared (NIRF) technology with indocyanine green (ICG) in robotic urologic surgery by performing a systematic... Show morePurpose The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of the near-infrared (NIRF) technology with indocyanine green (ICG) in robotic urologic surgery by performing a systematic literature review and to provide evidence-based expert recommendations on best practices in this field. Methods All English language publications on NIRF/ICG-guided robotic urologic procedures were evaluated. We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) statement to evaluate PubMed(R), Scopus(R) and Web of Science (TM) databases (up to April 2019). Experts in the field provided detailed pictures and intraoperative video-clips of different NIRF/ICG-guided robotic surgeries with recommendations for each procedure. A unique QRcode was generated and linked to each underlying video-clip. This new exclusive feature makes the present the first "dynamic paper" that merges text and figure description with their own video providing readers an innovative, immersive, high-quality and user-friendly experience. Results Our electronic search identified a total of 576 papers. Of these, 36 studies included in the present systematic review reporting the use of NIRF/ICG in robotic partial nephrectomy (n = 13), robotic radical prostatectomy and lymphadenectomy (n = 7), robotic ureteral re-implantation and reconstruction (n = 5), robotic adrenalectomy (n = 4), robotic radical cystectomy (n = 3), penectomy and robotic inguinal lymphadenectomy (n = 2), robotic simple prostatectomy (n = 1), robotic kidney transplantation (n = 1) and robotic sacrocolpopexy (n = 1). Conclusion NIRF/ICG technology has now emerged as a safe, feasible and useful tool that may facilitate urologic robotic surgery. It has been shown to improve the identification of key anatomical landmarks and pathological structures for oncological and non-oncological procedures. Level of evidence is predominantly low. Larger series with longer follow-up are needed, especially in assessing the quality of the nodal dissection and the feasibility of the identification of sentinel nodes and the impact of these novel technologies on long-term oncological and functional outcomes. Show less
Epidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent results regarding an association between Parkinson disease (PD) and cutaneous melanoma (melanoma). Identifying shared genetic architecture between... Show moreEpidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent results regarding an association between Parkinson disease (PD) and cutaneous melanoma (melanoma). Identifying shared genetic architecture between these diseases can support epidemiologic findings and identify common risk genes and biological pathways. Here, we apply polygenic, linkage disequilibrium-informed methods to the largest available case-control, genome-wide association study summary statistic data for melanoma and PD. We identify positive and significant genetic correlation (correlation: 0.17, 95% CI 0.10-0.24; P = 4.09 x 10(-06)) between melanoma and PD. We further demonstrate melanoma and PD-inferred gene expression to overlap across tissues (correlation: 0.14, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.22; P = 7.87 x 10(-04)) and highlight seven genes including PIEZO1, TRAPPC2L, and SOX6 as potential mediators of the genetic correlation between melanoma and PD. These findings demonstrate specific, shared genetic architecture between PD and melanoma that manifests at the level of gene expression. Show less
Traditional photodynamic phototherapy is not efficient for anticancer treatment because solid tumors have a hypoxic microenvironment. The development of photoactivated chemotherapy based on... Show moreTraditional photodynamic phototherapy is not efficient for anticancer treatment because solid tumors have a hypoxic microenvironment. The development of photoactivated chemotherapy based on photoresponsive polymers that can be activated by light in the “therapeutic window” would enable new approaches for basic research and allow for anticancer phototherapy in hypoxic conditions. This work synthesizes a novel Ru‐containing block copolymer for photoactivated chemotherapy in hypoxic tumor environment. The polymer has a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) block and a hydrophobic Ru‐containing block, which contains red‐light‐cleavable (650–680 nm) drug–Ru complex conjugates. The block copolymer self‐assembles into micelles, which can be efficiently taken up by cancer cells. Red light induces release of the drug–Ru complex conjugates from the micelles and this process is oxygen independent. The released conjugates inhibit tumor cell growth even in hypoxic tumor environment. Furthermore, the Ru‐containing polymer for photoactivated chemotherapy in a tumor‐bearing mouse model is applied. Photoactivated chemotherapy of the polymer micelles demonstrates efficient tumor growth inhibition. In addition, the polymer micelles do not cause any toxic side effects to mice during the treatment, demonstrating good biocompatibility of the system to the blood and healthy tissues. The novel red‐light‐responsive Ru‐containing polymer provides a new platform for phototherapy against hypoxic tumors. Show less
The copper center of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa His117Gly azurin mutant is accessible to exogenous ligands through an aperture in its surface created by the removal of the endogenous imidazole... Show moreThe copper center of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa His117Gly azurin mutant is accessible to exogenous ligands through an aperture in its surface created by the removal of the endogenous imidazole ligand. Depending on the exogenous ligand, a surprising variety of type 1 and type 2 copper sites can be obtained that are readily distinguished by electronic, EPR, and resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy. The RR spectrum of type 1 H117G with exogenous imidazole is nearly identical to that of wild-type azurin, indicating that the trigonal geometry and short Cu-S(Cys) bond of approximately 2.15 angstrom have been maintained. With anionic ligands (e.g., Cl-, Br-, N3-), the RR spectra show increased intensity at 370 and 400 cm-1 and a corresponding decrease in intensity at 410 cm-1, suggesting a lengthening of the Cu-S(Cys) bond as the site achieves a more tetrahedral character. An extreme example is the hydroxide adduct of H117G which is green in color and has optical and RR spectra reminiscent of the tetrahedral type 1 site in Achromobaeter cycloclastes nitrite reductase. The fact that the basic RR pattern is little changed in most of the type 1 adducts indicates that the RR spectrum is due primarily to vibrations of the Cu-cysteinate moiety and that its coplanar conformation is conserved. Type 2 H117G proteins are formed by the addition of bidentate exogenous ligands such as histidine and histamine. They have their absorption maxima blue-shifted to 400 nm and their EPR A((parallel-to) values increased to approximately 160 X 10(-4) cm-1, both of which are characteristic of tetragonal Cu sites with Cu-S(thiolate) bonds of >2.25 angstrom. The RR spectra of the type 2 H117G proteins are still dominated by multiple cysteinate-related vibrational modes. However, the vibrational modes with the greatest intensity and Cu-S(Cys) stretching character have shifted approximately 100 cm-1 to lower energy compared to the type 1 sites, consistent with a longer (Cys)S-Cu bond. It is proposed that the tetragonal type 2 character of the bidentate ligand complexes is due to the addition of a fourth strong ligand in the equatorial ligand plane. Show less