Selective fluorescence detection of acetylsalicylic acid, succinic acid and ascorbic acid based on a responsive lanthanide metal fluorescent coordination polymer.

A fluorescent sensor for highly selective and ultrasensitive detection of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), succinic acid (SA), and ascorbic acid (AA) was reported. The water-soluble fluorescent ligand salicylic acid (Sal) was generated through catalyzing ASA by the hydrolase activity of zeolitic-imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) or natural esterase (Est). The Sal can coordinate with 2-methylimidazole (2-MIm) and Ln(III) to form a fluorescent lanthanide coordination polymer (LCP), which has a fluorescence emission peak with the maximum wavelength at 412 nm (the excitation wavelength at 300 nm). Therefore, the detection of ASA can be achieved through the fluorescence intensity changes of LCPs in the system, which has comparable sensitivity and good selectivity (linear range of 0.031-1.00 mM and LODs of 11.72 and 3.22 µM) as compared to a direct reaction between Est/ZIF-8 and ASA for detecting ASA (linear range of 0.05-1.20 mM and limits of detection (LODs) of 4.43 and 4.58 µM). Furthermore, upon the addition of SA and AA, the fluorescence intensity of the reaction system can be enhanced and weakened through changing the energy resonance transfer pathways and affecting the enzymatic reaction process, respectively, realizing their sensitive and selective fluorescence detection. The established fluorescent sensors can work well in a wide linear range of SA concentrations from 0 to 2.50 mM (Est-based reaction system) and 0 to 1.50 mM (ZIF-8-based reaction system) with the LODs of 0.032 and 0.028 mM, respectively. The linear ranges of AA concentrations are from 0.0078 to 0.25 mM (Est-based reaction system) and 0.0078 to 0.13 mM (ZIF-8-based reaction system) with the LODs of 2.54 and 3.80 µM, respectively. The established sensors were successfully used in the detection of SA in rabbit plasma, with a recovery of 84.0%-98.7%. Additionally, the contents of ASA in Aspirin Enteric-Coated tablets and AA in vitamin C tablets were also determined by the developed methods.

Detection of Arsenic(V) by Fluorescence Sensing Based on Chlorin e6-Copper Ion.

The high toxicity of arsenic (As) can cause irreversible harm to the environment and human health. In this study, the chlorin e6 (Ce6), which emits fluorescence in the infrared region, was introduced as the luminescence center, and the addition of copper ion (Cu2+) and As(V) provoked a regular change in fluorescence at 652 nm, whereas that of As(III) was 665 nm, which was used to optionally detect Cu2+, arsenic (As(III), and As(V)). The limit of detection (LOD) values were 0.212 µM, 0.089 ppm, and 1.375 ppb for Cu2+, As(III), and As(V), respectively. The developed method can be used to determine Cu2+ and arsenic in water and soil with good sensitivity and selectivity. The 1:1 stoichiometry of Ce6 with Cu2+ was obtained from the Job plot that was developed from UV-visible spectra. The binding constants for Cu2+ and As(V) were established to be 1.248 × 105 M-1 and 2.35 × 1012 M-2, respectively, using B-H (Benesi-Hildebrand) plots. Fluorescence lifetimes, B-H plots, FT-IR, and 1H-NMR were used to postulate the mechanism of Cu2+ fluorescence quenching and As(V) fluorescence restoration and the interactions of the two ions with the Ce6 molecule.

Construction of Mn-decorated zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 nanostructure as superior oxidase-like mimic for colorimetric detection of glucose and choline.

A Mn decorated zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90) nanozyme (Mn/ZIF-90) was constructed through an effective and rapid post-synthetic strategy for the first time. The Mn in Mn/ZIF-90 exists in mixed valence states, which is doped to the ZIF-90 through the formation of Mn-O bond. The Zn-N coordination structure of ZIF-90 may change the electronic arrangement of oxygen atoms in the free carbonyl groups (-CHO), allowing the coordination of Mn with O. The prepared Mn/ZIF-90 possesses outstanding oxidase-like activity and remarkable stability. Besides, the catalytic activity of Mn/ZIF-90 can be inhibited in the presence of H2O2. Therefore, using the Mn/ZIF-90-triggered chromogenic reaction of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as an amplifier, a versatile enzyme cascade-based colorimetric method for the detection of glucose and choline with good sensitivity and selectivity was developed. The linear ranges for glucose and choline are 6.25-500 µM and 5-1000 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the developed method was applied in the detection of glucose and choline in rabbit plasma samples, and the recoveries are 89.5-107.3 % and 96.0-109.3 %, respectively. In short, the simple and efficient post-synthetic doping method may provide a new thought for the rational designs of enzyme mimics with improved catalytic performance. Moreover, the colorimetric method based on the excellent catalytic activity of Mn/ZIF-90 may be extended to detect other H2O2-generating or consuming molecules and evaluate the activity of bio-enzymes that can catalyze the generation of glucose or choline.

One-pot synthesized copper-imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde complex material with oxidase-like activity for the colorimetric detection of glutathione and ascorbic acid.

Due to the copper (Cu) active sites, its complexes with oxidase-like activity have superior catalytic properties, which can catalyze a series of specific substrates like 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), producing colorimetric reactions for the detection of different reducing small-molecule compounds. Attribute to the competitive coordination effects between water molecules and central Cu ions, most of the Cu complexes can hardly be used in the pure aqueous reaction system. In this study, a Cu-based material (Cu-imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde, Cu-ICA) was prepared using copper ions and ICA through a one-step process in the water solution. After the morphology of the material being characterized, the mimetic enzyme behavior of the Cu-ICA was demonstrated through the TMB oxidation. Compared to the other reported oxidase-like mimics, Cu-ICA has better aqueous stability and oxidase-like activity, and shows a higher vmax. Furthermore, basing on the oxidase-like activity of Cu-ICA, a colorimetric method was developed for the ascorbic acid and glutathione detections with linear ranges of 0.5-5 µM and 0.5-4 µM, and limit of detection of 0.1304 µM and 0.097 µM, respectively. Owing to its excellent aqueous stability and oxidase-like activity, Cu-ICA has bright application prospects in the analysis of reducing small-molecule compounds.

Adenine phosphate-Cu nanozyme with multienzyme mimicking activity for efficient degrading phenolic compounds and detection of hydrogen peroxide, epinephrine and glutathione.

BACKGROUND: With the development of nanotechnology, various nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity (nanozymes) have been reported. Due to their superior properties, nanozymes have shown important application potential in the fields of bioanalysis, disease detection, and environmental remediation. However, only a few nanomaterials with multi-enzyme mimicry activity have been reported. In this study, a novel multienzyme mimic was synthesized through a simple and rapid preparation protocol by coordinating copper ions with N3, N6 (amino), N7, and N9 on adenine phosphate. RESULTS: The prepared adenine phosphate-Cu complex exhibits significant peroxidase, laccase, and oxidase mimicking activities. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) and the maximal velocity (Vmax) values of the peroxidase, laccase, and oxidase mimicking activities of AP-Cu nanozyme are 0.052 mM, 0.14 mM, and 2.49 mM; and 0.552 µM min-1, 6.70 µM min-1, and 2.24 µM min-1, respectively. Then, based on its laccase mimicking activity, the nanozyme was applied in the degradation of phenolic compounds. The calculated kinetic constant for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol is 0.468 min-1 and the degradation efficiency of 2,4-dichlorophenol (0.1 mM) reaches 96.14% at 7 min. Finally, based on the multienzyme mimicking activity of adenine phosphate-Cu nanozyme, simple colorimetric sensing methods with high sensitivity and good selectivity were developed for the detection of hydrogen peroxide, epinephrine, and glutathione in the ranges of 20.0-200.0 µM (R2 = 0.9951), 5.0-100.0 µM (R2 = 0.9970), and 5.0-200.0 µM (R2 = 0.9924) with the limits of quantitation of 20.0 µM, 5.0 µM, and 5.0 µM, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: In short, the synthesis of nanozymes with multi-enzyme mimicry activity through coordination between copper ions and small molecule mimicry enzymes provides new ideas for the design and research of multi-enzyme mimics.

Tris-Copper Nanozyme as a Novel Laccase Mimic for the Detection and Degradation of Phenolic Compounds.

Phenolic compounds are one of the main organic pollutants in the environment that can seriously affect ecosystems, even at very low concentrations. Due to the resistance of phenolic compounds to microorganisms, conventional biological treatment methods face challenges in effectively addressing this pollution problem. In this study, a novel laccase mimic (Tris-Cu nanozyme) is prepared using a simple and rapid synthesis strategy based on the coordination of copper ions and amino groups in Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris). It is found that the Tris-Cu nanozyme exhibits good catalytic activity against a variety of phenolic compounds, the Km, Vmax and Kcat are determined to be 0.18 mM, 15.62 µM·min-1 and 1.57 × 107 min-1 using 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DP) as the substrate, respectively. Then, based on the laccase-like activity of the Tris-Cu nanozyme, a novel colorimetric method for 2,4-DP (the limit of detection (LOD) = 2.4 µM, S/N = 3) detection in the range of 10-400 µM was established, and its accuracy was verified by analyzing tap and lake water samples. In addition, the Tris-Cu nanozyme shows excellent removal abilities for six phenolic compounds in experiments. The removal percentages for 2,4-DP, 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), phenol, resorcinol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (2,6-DOP), and bisphenol A (BPA) are 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 87%, and 81% at 1 h, respectively. In the simulated effluent, the Tris-Cu nanozyme maintains its efficient catalytic activity towards 2,4-DP, with a degradation percentage of 76.36% at 7 min and a reaction rate constant (k0) of 0.2304 min-1. Therefore, this metal-organic complex shows promise for applications in the monitoring and degrading of environmental pollutants.

Rapid and sensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase and glucose oxidase activity through fluorescence and colorimetric dual-mode analysis based on CuO NPs@ZIF-8 mediated enzyme-cascade reactions.

The combined application of nanozymes and natural enzymes has received widespread attention in recent years. In this work, a simple and efficient method was used to synthesize a composite material of CuO nanoparticle-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (CuO NPs@ZIF-8) with multiple enzyme activities (glucose oxidase-like and hydrolase-like activities) to detect the activity of natural enzymes through fluorescence and colorimetric (UV-vis) dual-mode detection. The hydrolase- and oxidase-like activities of CuO NPs@ZIF-8 show an acceptable affinity with l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate trisodium (AAP) and o-phenylenediamine (OPD). Using the developed sensor, highly sensitive detection of natural enzymes glucose oxidase (GOX) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was achieved through both fluorescent and colorimetric analyses with a wide linear range (fluorescence for GOX: 0.86-1.23 × 105 mU mL-1, UV-vis for GOX: 0.081-1.62 × 105 mU mL-1; fluorescence for ALP: 0.042-1.20 × 104 mU mL-1, UV-vis for ALP: 0.0046-1.23 × 104 mU mL-1) and low LOQs (fluorescence for GOX: 0.86 mU mL-1, UV-vis for GOX: 0.081 mU mL-1; fluorescence for ALP: 0.042 mU mL-1, UV-vis for ALP: 0.0046 mU mL-1). Compared to the other fluorescent and colorimetric sensors, this sensor has better catalytic activity due to the addition of GOX and ALP, which can amplify the detection signal and improve the sensitivity. This is the first time that composite material CuO NPs@ZIF-8 with "tandem enzyme" activity was synthesized and applied in the detection of enzyme activity. Additionally, the proposed fluorescent and UV-vis platforms exhibit the capability to detect GOX and ALP in serum samples with satisfactory recovery, indicating potential application prospects in biochemical analysis.

Graphdiyne-polymer composites for a hybrid bound-state pulsed fiber laser.

In this paper, the graphdiyne (GDY)-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films are prepared by a spin-coating method. The PMMA films have the function of isolating GDY from air and protecting the GDY from mechanical damage. The nonlinear optical properties of GDY-PMMA films are probed experimentally. The nonlinear optical responses of GDY-PMMA films with a modulation depth of ∼4.94% and saturated magnetization of ∼0.3M W/c m 2 are proved. When the GDY-PMMA films are applied to an erbium-doped hybrid passively mode-locked fiber laser (saturable absorber), the bound-state solitons, which are also called soliton molecules, can be obtained. The soliton molecule has a time separation of 13.31 ps, and the spectral modulation period of 0.58 nm. Along with the pump power increase, the separation of bound-state pulses becomes larger. When the pump power is fixed, stable bound solitons can be observed without any degeneration for more than 4.5 h. It is demonstrated that GDY-PMMA films have excellent nonlinear optical performance in a near-infrared regime, which we believe can be a novel type of photonics instrument and has a number of properties that are potentially promising in the ultrafast properties of laser.

Recent advances in the colorimetric and fluorescence analysis of bioactive small-molecule compounds based on the enzyme-like activity of nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity have been widely used in the construction of colorimetric and fluorescence sensors due to their advantages of cost-effectiveness, high stability, good biocompatibility, and ease of modification. Furthermore, the colorimetric and fluorescence sensors, which are effective approaches for detecting bioactive small-molecule compounds, have been extensively explored due to their simple operation and high sensitivity. Recent significant researches have focused on designing various sensors based on nanozymes with peroxidase- and oxidase-like activity for the colorimetric and fluorescence analysis of different analytes. In this review, recent developments (from 2018 to present) in the colorimetric and fluorescent analysis of bioactive small-molecule compounds based on the enzyme-like activity of nanomaterials were summarized. In addition, the challenges and design strategies in developing colorimetric and fluorescent assays with high performance and specific sensing were discussed.

Ultra-High Adsorption Capacity of Core-Shell-Derived Magnetic Zeolite Imidazolate Framework-67 as Adsorbent for Selective Extraction of Theophylline.

A core-shell-derived structural magnetic zeolite imidazolate framework-67 (Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67) nanocomposite was fabricated through a single-step coating of zeolite imidazolate framework-67 on glutaric anhydride-functionalized Fe3O4 nanosphere for the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of theophylline (TP). The Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67 nanocomposite was characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Zeta potential analysis, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The material has a high specific surface area and good magnetism, which maintains the regular dodecahedron structure of ZIF-67 without being destroyed by the addition of Fe3O4-COOH nanospheres. The Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67 can rapidly adsorb TP mainly through the strong coordination interaction between undercoordinated Co2+ on ZIF-67 and -NH from imidazole of TP. The adsorption and desorption conditions, such as the amount of adsorbent, adsorption time, pH value, and elution solvent, were optimized. The kinetics of TP adsorption on Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67 was found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. The Langmuir model fits the adsorption data well and the maximum adsorption capacity is 1764 mg/g. Finally, the developed MSPE-HPLC method was applied in the enrichment and analysis of TP in four tea samples and rabbit plasma. TP was not detected in oolong tea and rabbit plasma, and its contents in jasmine tea, black tea, and green tea are 5.80, 4.31, and 1.53 µg/g, respectively. The recoveries of spiked samples are between 74.41% and 86.07% with RSD in the range of 0.81-3.83%. The adsorption performance of Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67 nanocomposite was nearly unchanged after being stored at room temperature for at least 80 days and two consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. The results demonstrate that Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-67 nanocomposite is a promising magnetic adsorbent for the preconcentration of TP in complex samples.

Bismuthene Nanosheets for 1 µm Multipulse Generation.

Bismuthene, as a new two-dimensional material made up of diazo metal elements, has drawn massive attention for its unique electronic, mechanical, quantum, and nonlinear optical properties. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned their attention to the ultrafast photonics fields based on bismuthene. However, the internal ultrashort pulse dynamics has seldom been explored yet. In this work, the nonlinear optical properties of bismuthene nanosheets have been studied and applied in a passively mode-locked fiber laser. The saturation intensity and modulation depth of a saturable absorber (SA) device are about 2.4 MW/cm2 and 1%, respectively. Thanks to the narrow band gap of bismuthene and tapered fiber structure, a special kind of noise-like multipulses has been obtained. The evolution of the pulsed laser is also studied. This proposed pulsed fiber laser based on a bismuthene SA device is well suitable for some applications such as material processing, optical logics, and so forth.

Multiband mucosectomy versus endoscopic submucosal dissection and endoscopic submucosal excavation for GI submucosal tumors: short and long term follow-up.

AIMS: To evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of 3 different endoscopic dissection techniques for upper gastrointestinal (GI) submucosal tumours (SMTs). METHODS: Data for 135 patients withGI SMTs who underwent multiband mucosectomy (MBM), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), or endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE) were retrospectively assessed. The en bloc resection rate, endoscopic complete resection rate, operation time, potential complications and local recurrence rate were compared. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the rate of endoscopic complete resections and pathologic complete resections among the three groups. For SMTs > 15 mm in width, the lowest en bloc resection rate was found for MBM (P = 0.000). MBM was also associated with the shortest procedure time, lowest perforation rate and lowest rate of major bleeding. ESE was the most effective procedure for muscularis propria (MP) lesions but was associated with the longest operation time (P < 0.01). The ESD and ESE groups had similar perforation rates (P > 0.05). No differences were observed in 4-year local recurrence rates among the groups (P = 0.945). CONCLUSIONS: MBM is a simple and effective method for the treatment of small SMTs and achieves clinical success rates similar to those of ESD and ESE. However, ESD and ESE are preferable for larger and deep lesions and are associated with a longer operation time. Nonetheless, all 3 techniques resulted in a low 4-year local recurrence rate. Large-scale randomized clinical trials are needed to further investigate these results.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a saturable absorber for giant chirped pulse generation.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles (FONPs) are magnetic materials with a small band gap and have well-demonstrated applications in ultrafast photonics, medical science, magnetic detection, and electronics. Very recently, FONPs were proposed as an ideal candidate for pulse generation in fiber-based oscillators. However, the pulses obtained to date are on the order of microseconds, which is too long for real application in communication. Here, we report the use of FONPs synthesized by a sol-hydrothermal method and used as a saturable absorber (SA) to achieve nanosecond pulses in an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) for the first time. The proposed fiber laser is demonstrated to have a narrow spectral width of around 0.8 nm and a fixed fundamental repetition rate (RPR) of 4.63 MHz, whose spectra and pulse dynamics are different from the mode-locked lasers reported previously. It is demonstrated that the proposed fiber laser based on a FONP SA operates in the giant-chirp mode-locked regime. The most important result is the demonstration of a pulse duration of 55 ns at an output power of 16.2 mW, which is the shortest pulse based on FONPs for EDFLs reported to date. Our results demonstrate that the FONP dispersion allows for an excellent photonic material for application in ultrafast photonics devices, photoconductive detectors, and optical modulators.

Few-layer bismuthene for robust ultrafast photonics in C-Band optical communications.

The ultrafast photonics of different conventional two-dimensional (2D) materials have been studied intensively. Few-layer structure bismuthene has been reported as a new type of 2D material with high efficient electronics, strong mechanics and outstanding photonics properties. In this paper, a robust ultrafast pulse generation in communications-Band (C-Band) based on few-layer bismuthene has been reported. The characteristics and the ultrafast optical nonlinear properties of few-layer bismuthene have been investigated experimentally. The optical induced deposition method is employed to fabricate the saturable absorber based on bismuthene (BiSA). Most importantly, we also utilize BiSA for the ultrafast photonics, which demonstrates that a high-splitting-threshold robust ultrafast fiber laser with 1.3-ps pulse duration at 1531 nm has been obtained in the experiments. Even though we increase the pump power from the self-starting threshold (i.e. 86 mW) to 314 mW, the soliton pulse does not split. Moreover, the high-splitting-threshold laser operation can be achieved stably even if the lasers are exposed in air for at least half a year. It is demonstrated that the proposed bismuthene nonlinear components can be potentially applied to the optical communications with C-Band (i.e. 1530-1565 nm wavelength) to broaden the communications window.

Few-layer bismuthene for ultrashort pulse generation in a dissipative system based on an evanescent field.

Bismuthene has attracted a great deal of attention because of its unique electronic and optical properties. However, there are few reported applications of bismuthene in nonlinear optical applications. In this research, a dissipative soliton ytterbium-doped mode-locked fiber laser at 1 µm regime with a bismuthene saturable absorber (SA) by using evanescent field interaction for the first time is demonstrated. The nonlinear optical absorption of microfiber-based bismuthene SA is shown experimentally by using a homemade ultrafast fiber laser, whose saturation intensity and modulation depth are about 13 MW cm-2 and 2.2%, respectively. Relying on the excellent nonlinear optical property of the bismuthene SA, the typical dissipative solitons with a repetition rate of 21.74 MHz are generated at a center wavelength of 1034.4 nm. The time-bandwidth product of the pulse is about 23.07 with a pulse width of 30.25 ps. The results demonstrate that bismuthene is a good candidate for application in a 1 µm wave-breaking-free mode-locked fiber laser and nonlinear photonic components.

Efficacy of narrow-band imaging in detecting early esophageal cancer and risk factors for its occurrence.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of narrow-band imaging (NBI) in the detecting early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions and to investigate the risk factors for its occurrence. METHODS: The esophagus was examined with ordinary endoscopy, NBI, and iodine staining. All the lesions were confirmed by histopathologically as the gold standard; NBI and intrapapillary capillary scale (IPCL) scale were compared with pathologic diagnosis. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were calculated. Subgroup analysis was performed between the elderly vs. younger group, and head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) vs. non-HNSCC patients. RESULTS: Ninety lesions were detected with ordinary endoscopy, 108 with NBI, and 120 with iodine staining. All esophageal cancers were detected both by NBI and by iodine staining. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for esophageal cancer and precancerous lesion were 67.8%, 58.1%, and 76.6%; 92%, 89.7%, and 96%; 93.4%, 93.4%, and 93.2%, respectively. NBI endoscopy and iodine staining were superior to ordinary endoscopy for detecting esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions (p < 0.05). NBI showed better detection of esophageal neoplasms in the elderly patients (p < 0.001). The incidence of multiple squamous cell cancers (SCCs) was significantly higher in non-elderly group (p = 0.009). NBI can also detect more esophageal neoplastic lesions in patients with head and neck cancers (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: NBI endoscopy appears as effective as Lugol staining to detect and screen the early esophageal cancer. NBI shows better detection of esophageal neoplasms in the elderly patients. The incidence of multiple SCCs was much higher in non-elderly patients.

Comparison of Endoscopic Resection and Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy in Patients With Early Esophageal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether endoscopic resection (ER) and minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) are safe and effective for treating squamous intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed a total of 99 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed early esophageal cancer between December 2007 and 2011. ER was performed in 59 patients, whereas MIE was performed in 40 patients. We compared the 2 groups according to R0 resection rates, treatment-related complications, mean hospital stay, local recurrence rates, and 3- and 4-year overall survival. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the R0 resection rates between ER and MIE (94.9% vs. 97.5%, P>0.05). The occurrence rate of minor complications in the ER group was significantly lower than that in the thoracoscopic esophagectomy group (11.8% vs. 32.5%, P>0.05). The mean operative time in the ER group was 74±23 minutes, which was significantly shorter than that in the MIE group (298±46 min). The average length of hospital stay in the ER group was significantly shorter than that in the MIE group (P<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the local recurrence rates between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Similarly, no differences were found in the 3-year survival rate (ER: 96.6%, vs. MIE: 97.5%, P>0.05) and 4-year survival rate (ER: 91.5% vs. MIE: 90%, P>0.05) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: ER achieves the same positive results as MIE in the treatment of early esophageal cancer and is associated with a lower complication rate, a shorter recovery time, and a similar survival rate. However, multiple ER procedures were required for several patients in this study.

Multiband Mucosectomy Versus Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Treatment of Squamous Intraepithelial Neoplasia of the Esophagus.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We compared the efficacy and safety of multiband mucosectomy (MBM) vs endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the treatment of squamous intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagus. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 78 patients with squamous intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagus who received either ESD or MBM between January 2009 and January 2011 at the Tengzhou Central People's Hospital in China. We compared rates of bloc resection and curative resection, as well as complications and local recurrence, between groups. RESULTS: Overall, there was no statistical difference in the rate of complete resection between patients who received ESD (95.8%) vs MBM (93%) (P > .05). For tumors less than 15 mm in width, ESD produced a significantly higher rate of en bloc resection (100%) and curative resection (92.3%) than MBM (44.8% and 41%; P < .05). No significant differences were found between lesions less than 15 mm. MBM had a significantly shorter procedure time (38 ± 11 min) than ESD (84 ± 35 min) (P < .05). Major bleeding occurred in 1.85% of MBM procedures and in 16.7% of ESD procedures (P > .05). ESD led to perforations in 8.3% of cases, whereas MBM did not lead to any perforations (P < .05). No significant differences were found between groups in proportions of cases with postoperative esophageal strictures (16.7% vs 14.8%; P > .05) or the 3-year rate of local recurrence (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on a retrospective comparison of patients who underwent ESD vs MBM for squamous intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagus, ESD should be reserved for patients with larger neoplastic lesions (>15 mm), with respect to the success of attempted en bloc resection and the number of curative resections achieved. However, ESD has longer procedure times and higher rates of complication. MBM allows for safe and easy piecemeal resections, and is associated with similar levels of clinical success as ESD for lesions less than 15 mm. Large, randomized, controlled studies are needed to determine which endoscopic resection modality is superior for patients with high-grade intraepithelia neoplasms.

[New ways to improve volatile fatty acids accumulation in sludge alkaline fermentation system].

To improve the hydrolysis and acidification of activated sludge, two new ways, which were adding fermented sludge or sterilized fermented sludge to batch-mode activated sludge alkaline fermentation system, were investigated in this study. Temperature effect was also studied (10 degrees C and 35 degrees C). Result showed that mesophilic condition greatly enhanced sludge hydrolysis and acidification, which resulted in an obvious volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation in the system. These two new ways could improve both sludge hydrolysis and acidification. The hydrolysis and acidification efficiencies of adding sterilized fermented sludge system were 2 and 1.5 times higher than those of adding fermented sludge system, respectively. In addition, VFAs content was nearly constant in a long time in sterilized fermented sludge addition system while it greatly consumed in fermented sludge addition system. The reason for this enhancement of two new ways were different, fermented sludge addition increased the amount of hydrolytic enzyme and acid-forming bacteria, while sterilized fermented sludge addition increased the amount of degradable substances, and the result also demonstrated that strengthen hydrolysis was more important than acidification. Therefore, mesophilic condition together with sterilized fermented sludge addition was a more effective way to enhance VFAs accumulation in alkaline sludge fermentation process.

A tandem trial of HD-NBI versus HD-WL to compare neoplasia miss rates in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine whether the use of narrow-band imaging (NBI) system could enhance the detection rate of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous lesions during endoscopic examination of the esophagus. METHODOLOGY: 113 patients were randomized to undergo endoscopic examination using high definition television (HDTV) narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy or HDTV WL endoscopy. The primary endpoint was the difference in the neoplasm miss rate, and secondary outcome was the neoplasm detection rate. RESULTS: The number of esophageal cancer and high grade intraepithelial neoplasia lesions detected by HD-NBI and HD-WL was 45 and 21, respectively. The neoplasm miss rate per lesion and per patient with HD-NBI showed significant difference compared with that of HD-WL (P <0.05). Characteristics of lesions missed by use of HD-NBI were similar to those missed by use of HD-WL; all missed lesions were high grade intraepithelial neoplasia lesions. Significant difference was observed between NBI and WL in adenoma detection rate (70.2% vs. 35.7%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopy with HD-NBI seems to improve the detection of esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions, high definition may be tested for its effect on detection of esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions in the future. These results indicate that endoscopy routinely using the NBI system for the surveillance of esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions may be recommended.