Evaluation of Low-Cost CO2 Sensors Using Reference Instruments and Standard Gases for Indoor Use.

CO2 monitoring is important for carbon emission evaluation. Low-cost and medium-precision sensors (LCSs) have become an exploratory direction for CO2 observation under complex emission conditions in cities. Here, we used a calibration method that improved the accuracy of SenseAir K30 CO2 sensors from ±30 ppm to 0.7-4.0 ppm for a CO2-monitoring instrument named the SENSE-IAP, which has been used in several cities, such as in Beijing, Jinan, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, and Wuhan, in China since 2017. We conducted monthly to yearly synchronous observations using the SENSE-IAP along with reference instruments (Picarro) and standard gas to evaluate the performance of the LCSs for indoor use with relatively stable environments. The results show that the precision and accuracy of the SENSE-IAP compared to the standard gases were rather good in relatively stable indoor environments, with the short-term (daily scale) biases ranging from -0.9 to 0.2 ppm, the root mean square errors (RMSE) ranging from 0.7 to 1.6 ppm, the long-term (monthly scale) bias ranging from -1.6 to 0.5 ppm, and the RMSE ranging from 1.3 to 3.2 ppm. The accuracy of the synchronous observations with Picarro was in the same magnitude, with an RMSE of 2.0-3.0 ppm. According to our evaluation, standard instruments or reliable standard gases can be used as a reference to improve the accuracy of the SENSE-IAP. If calibrated daily using standard gases, the bias of the SENSE-IAP can be maintained within 1.0 ppm. If the standard gases are hard to access frequently, we recommend a calibration frequency of at least three months to maintain an accuracy within 3 ppm.

Antioxidant and antibacterial hydrogel formed by protocatechualdehyde-ferric iron complex and aminopolysaccharide for infected wound healing.

To better treat bacteria-infected wounds and promote healing, new wound dressings must be developed. In this study, we obtained PA@Fe by chelating iron trivalent ions (Fe3+) with protocatechualdehyde (PA), which has a catechol structure. Subsequently, we reacted it with ethylene glycol chitosan (GC) via a Schiff base reaction and loaded vancomycin to obtain an antibacterial Gel@Van hydrogel with a photothermal response. The as-prepared Gel@Van hydrogel exhibited good injectability, self-healing, hemostasis, photothermal stability, biocompatibility, and antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Moreover, Gel@Van hydrogel achieved highly synergistic antibacterial efficacy through photothermal and antibiotic sterilization. In a mouse skin-damaged infection model, Gel@Van hydrogel had a strong ability to promote the healing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected wounds, indicating the great potential application value of Gel@Van hydrogel in the field of treating and promoting the healing of infected wounds.

Turning Polysaccharides into Injectable and Rapid Self-Healing Antibacterial Hydrogels for Antibacterial Treatment and Bacterial-Infected Wound Healing.

Great efforts have been devoted to the development of novel and multifunctional wound dressing materials to meet the different needs of wound healing. Herein, we covalently grafted quaternary ammonium groups (QAGs) containing 12-carbon straight-chain alkanes to the dextran polymer skeleton. We then oxidized the resulting product into oxidized quaternized dextran (OQD). The obtained OQD polymer is rich in antibacterial QAGs and aldehyde groups. It can react with glycol chitosan (GC) via the Schiff-base reaction to form a multifunctional GC@OQD hydrogel with good self-healing behavior, hemostasis, injectability, inherent superior antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and excellent promotion of healing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected wounds. The biosafe and nontoxic GC@OQD hydrogel with a three-dimensional porous network structure possesses an excellent swelling rate and water retention capacity. It can be used for hemostasis and treating irregular wounds. The designed GC@OQD hydrogel with inherent antibacterial activity possesses good antibacterial efficacy on both S. aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria), as well as MRSA bacteria, with antibacterial activity greater than 99%. It can be used for the treatment of wounds infected by MRSA and significantly promotes the healing of wounds. Thus, the multifunctional antibacterial GC@OQD hydrogel has the potential to be applied in clinical practice as a wound dressing.

Nomogram-based risk assessment model for left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with essential hypertension: Incorporating clinical characteristics and biomarkers.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a hypertensive heart disease that significantly escalates the risk of clinical cardiovascular events. Its etiology potentially incorporates various clinical attributes such as gender, age, and renal function. From mechanistic perspective, the remodeling process of LVH can trigger increment in certain biomarkers, notably sST2 and NT-proBNP. This multicenter, retrospective study aimed to construct an LVH risk assessment model and identify the risk factors. A total of 417 patients with essential hypertension (EH), including 214 males and 203 females aged 31-80 years, were enrolled in this study; of these, 161 (38.6%) were diagnosed with LVH. Based on variables demonstrating significant disparities between the LVH and Non-LVH groups, three multivariate stepwise logistic regression models were constructed for risk assessment: the "Clinical characteristics" model, the "Biomarkers" model (each based on their respective variables), and the "Clinical characteristics + Biomarkers" model, which amalgamated both sets of variables. The results revealed that the "Clinical characteristics + Biomarkers" model surpassed the baseline models in performance (AUC values of the "Clinical characteristics + Biomarkers" model, the "Biomarkers" model, and the "Clinical characteristics" model were .83, .75, and .74, respectively; P < .0001 for both comparisons). The optimized model suggested that being female (OR: 4.26, P <.001), being overweight (OR: 1.88, p = .02) or obese (OR: 2.36, p = .02), duration of hypertension (OR: 1.04, P = .04), grade III hypertension (OR: 2.12, P < .001), and sST2 (log-transformed, OR: 1.14, P < .001) were risk factors, while eGFR acted as a protective factor (OR: .98, P = .01). These findings suggest that the integration of clinical characteristics and biomarkers can enhance the performance of LVH risk assessment.

Prognostic value of lymph node-to-primary tumor ratio of PET standardized uptake value for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a recursive partitioning risk stratification analysis.

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy has become the standard treatment for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). Data on the prognostic value of the lymph node-to-primary tumor ratio (NTR) of positron emission tomography (PET) standardized uptake value (SUV) for patients treated with IC were limited. Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic value of the SUV NTR for patients with LA-NPC treated with IC. Design: In all, 467 patients with pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (CT) scans between September 2017 and November 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Methods: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of SUV NTR. Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate survival rates. The recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was performed to construct a risk stratification model. Results: The optimal cutoff value of SUV NTR was 0.74. Multivariate analyses showed that SUV NTR and overall stage were independent predictors for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and regional recurrent-free survival (RRFS). Therefore, an RPA model based on the endpoint of DMFS was generated and categorized the patients into three distinct risk groups: RPA I (low risk: SUV NTR < 0.74 and stage III), RPA II (medium risk: SUV NTR < 0.74 and stage IVa, or SUV NTR ⩾ 0.74 and stage III), and RPA III (high risk: SUV NTR ⩾ 0.74 and stage IVa), with a 3-year DMFS of 98.9%, 93.4%, and 84.2%, respectively. ROC analysis showed that the RPA model had superior predictive efficacy than the SUV NTR or overall stage alone. Conclusion: SUV NTR was an independent prognosticator for distant metastasis and regional recurrence in locoregionally advanced NPC. The RPA risk stratification model based on SUV NTR provides improved DMFS and RRFS prediction over the eighth edition of the TNM (Tumor Node Metastasis) staging system.

Devastating the Supply Wagons: Multifaceted Liposomes Capable of Exhausting Tumor to Death via Triple Energy Depletion.

The anabolism of tumor cells can not only support their proliferation, but also endow them with a steady influx of exogenous nutrients. Therefore, consuming metabolic substrates or limiting access to energy supply can be an effective strategy to impede tumor growth. Herein, a novel treatment paradigm of starving-like therapy-triple energy-depleting therapy-is illustrated by glucose oxidase (GOx)/dc-IR825/sorafenib liposomes (termed GISLs), and such a triple energy-depleting therapy exhibits a more effective tumor-killing effect than conventional starvation therapy that only cuts off one of the energy supplies. Specifically, GOx can continuously consume glucose and generate toxic H2 O2 in the tumor microenvironment (including tumor cells). After endocytosis, dc-IR825 (a near-infrared cyanine dye) can precisely target mitochondria and exert photodynamic and photothermal activities upon laser irradiation to destroy mitochondria. The anti-angiogenesis effect of sorafenib can further block energy and nutrition supply from blood. This work exemplifies a facile and safe method to exhaust the energy in a tumor from three aspects and starve the tumor to death and also highlights the importance of energy depletion in tumor treatment. It is hoped that this work will inspire the development of more advanced platforms that can combine multiple energy depletion therapies to realize more effective tumor treatment.

TC2N inhibits distant metastasis and stemness of breast cancer via blocking fatty acid synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Tandem C2 domains, nuclear (TC2N) is a C2 domain-containing protein that belongs to the carboxyl-terminal type (C-type) tandem C2 protein family, and acts as an oncogenic driver in several cancers. Previously, we preliminarily reported that TC2N mediates the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to inhibit tumor growth of breast cancer (BC) cells. Beyond that, its precise biological functions and detailed molecular mechanisms in BC development and progression are not fully understood. METHODS: Tumor tissues of 212 BC patients were subjected to tissue microarray and further assessed the associations of TC2N expression with pathological parameters and FASN expression. The protein levels of TC2N and FASN in cell lines and tumor specimens were monitored by qRT-PCR, WB, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. In vitro cell assays, in vivo nude mice model was used to assess the effect of TC2N ectopic expression on tumor metastasis and stemness of breast cancer cells. The downstream signaling pathway or target molecule of TC2N was mined using a combination of transcriptomics, proteomics and lipidomics, and the underlying mechanism was explored by WB and co-IP assays. RESULTS: Here, we found that the expression of TC2N remarkedly silenced in metastatic and poorly differentiated tumors. Function-wide, TC2N strongly inhibits tumor metastasis and stem-like properties of BC via inhibition of fatty acid synthesis. Mechanism-wise, TC2N blocks neddylated PTEN-mediated FASN stabilization by a dual mechanism. The C2B domain is crucial for nuclear localization of TC2N, further consolidating the TRIM21-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of FASN by competing with neddylated PTEN for binding to FASN in nucleus. On the other hand, cytoplasmic TC2N interacts with import proteins, thereby restraining nuclear import of PTEN to decrease neddylated PTEN level. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, we demonstrate a previously unidentified role and mechanism of TC2N in regulation of lipid metabolism and PTEN neddylation, providing a potential therapeutic target for anti-cancer.

Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to HCOOH and CO by a Phosphine-Bipyridine-Phosphine Ir(III) Catalyst: Photophysics, Nonadiabatic Effects, Mechanism, and Selectivity.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is one of the best solutions to solve the global energy crisis and to realize carbon neutralization. The tetradentate phosphine-bipyridine (bpy)-phosphine (PNNP)-type Ir(III) photocatalyst, Mes-IrPCY2, was reported with a high HCOOH selectivity but the photocatalytic mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we employ electronic structure methods in combination with radiative, nonradiative, and electron transfer rate calculations, to explore the entire photocatalytic cycle to either HCOOH or CO, based on which a new mechanistic scenario is proposed. The catalytic reduction reaction starts from the generation of the precursor metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3 MLCT) state. Subsequently, the divergence happens from the 3 MLCT state, the single electron transfer (SET) and deprotonation process lead to the formation of one-electron-reduced species and Ir(I) species, which initiate the reduction reaction to HCOOH and CO, respectively. Interestingly, the efficient occurrence of proton or electron transfer reduces barriers of critical steps. In addition, nonadiabatic transitions play a nonnegligible role in the cycle. We suggest a lower free-energy barrier in the reaction-limiting step and the very efficient SET in 3 MLCT are cooperatively responsible for a high HCOOH selectivity. The gained mechanistic insights could help chemists to understand, regulate, and design photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction of similar function-integrated molecular photocatalyst.

Radiation-induced nasopharyngeal ulcers after re-irradiation with intensity-modulated radiotherapy in locoregional recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a dose-volume-outcome analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the interrelation between radiation dose and radiation-induced nasopharyngeal ulcer (RINU) in locoregional recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS: Clinical data were collected from 363 patients with locoregional recurrent NPC who received re-irradiated with definitive IMRT from 2009 to 2017. Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed with RINU. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to re-evaluate the first and second radiotherapy plans and to identify predictive dosimetric factors. RESULTS: All dosimetric parameters were notably associated with the progression to RINU (p < 0.01) using paired samples Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Multivariate analysis showed that EQD2_ [Formula: see text]D80 (dose for 80 percent volume of the unilateral nasopharynx lesion) was an independent prognostic factor for RINU (p = 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for EQD2_ [Formula: see text]D80 was 0.846 (p < 0.001), and the cutoff point of 137.035 Gy could potentially be the dose tolerance of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: The sum of equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) in the overlapping volumes between initial and re-irradiated nasopharyngeal mucosal tissue can be effective in predicting the hazard of developing RINU in NPC patients undergoing radical re­irradiation with IMRT and we propose a EQD2_ [Formula: see text]D80 threshold of 137.035 Gy for the nasopharynx.

Significant contribution of carbonyls to atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) during the winter haze pollution over North China Plain.

Atmospheric carbonyl compounds play significant roles in the cycling of radicals and have exhibited surprisingly high levels in winter that were well correlated to particulate matter, for which the reason have not been clearly elucidated. Here we measured carbonyl compounds and other trace gasses together with PM2.5 over urban Jinan in North China Plain during the winter. Markedly higher carbonyl concentrations (average: 14.63 ± 4.21 ppbv) were found during wintertime haze pollution, about one to three-times relative to those on non-haze days, with slight difference in chemical composition except formaldehyde (HCHO). HCHO (3.68 ppbv), acetone (3.17 ppbv), and acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) (2.83 ppbv) were the three most abundant species, accounting for ∼75% of the total carbonylson both haze and non-haze days. Results from observational-based model (OBM) with atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) indicated that AOC significantly increased with the increasing carbonyls during the winter haze events. Carbonyl photolysis have supplied key oxidants such as RO2 and HO2, and thereby enhancing the formation of fine particles and secondary organic aerosols, elucidating the observed haze-carbonyls inter-correlation. Diurnal variation with carbonyls exhibiting peak values at early-noon and night highlighted the combined contribution of both secondary formation and primary diesel-fuel sources. 1-butene was further confirmed to be the major precursor for HCHO. This study confirms the great contribution of carbonyls to AOC, and also suggests that reducing the emissions of carbonyls would be an effective way to mitigate haze pollution in urban area of the NCP region.

Characterization of photochemical losses of volatile organic compounds and their implications for ozone formation potential and source apportionment during summer in suburban Jinan, China.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) undergo substantial photochemical losses during their transport from emission sources to receptor sites, resulting in serious implications for their source apportionment and ozone (O3) formation. Based on the continuous measurements of VOCs in suburban Jinan in August 2022, the effects of photochemical losses on VOC source contributions and O3 formation were evaluated in this study. The observed and initial concentrations of total VOCs (TVOC) were 12.0 ± 5.1 and 16.0 ± 7.4 ppbv, respectively. Throughout the observation period, alkenes had the most prominent photochemical losses (58.2%), followed by aromatic hydrocarbons (23.1%), accounting for 80.6% and 6.9% of the total losses, respectively. During high O3 episodes, the photochemical loss of VOCs was 6.9 times higher than that during the cleaning period. Alkene losses (exceeding 67.3%), specifically losses of isoprene, propylene, ethylene, and n-butene, dominated the total losses of VOCs during the O3 increase period. Eight sources of VOCs were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) based on the observed and initial concentration data (OC-PMF and IC-PMF, respectively). Concentrations of all emission sources in the OC-PMF were underestimated by 2.4%-57.1%. Moreover, the contribution of each emission source was over- or underestimated compared with that in case of the IC-PMF. The contributions of biogenic and motor vehicle exhaust emissions were underestimated by 5.3 and 2.8 percentage points, respectively, which was associated with substantial oxidation of the emitted high-reactive species. The contributions of coal/biomass burning and natural gas were overestimated by 2.4 and 3.9 percentage points, respectively, which were related to the emission of low-reactive species (acetylene, ethane, and propane). Based on our results, the photochemical losses of VOCs grossly affect their source apportionment and O3 formation. Thus, photochemical losses of VOCs must be thoroughly accounted to establish a precise scientific foundation for air-pollution control strategies.

Prognostic value of circulating Epstein-Barr virus DNA level post-induction chemotherapy for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A recursive partitioning risk stratification analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA level post-induction chemotherapy (IC) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: A total of 893 newly diagnosed NPC patients treated with IC were retrospectively reviewed. The recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was performed to construct a risk stratification model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied to determine the optimal cut-off value of post-IC EBV DNA. RESULTS: Post-IC EBV DNA levels and overall stage were independent predictors for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). The RPA model base on post-IC EBV DNA and overall stage categorized the patients into three distinct risk groups: RPA I (low-risk: stage II-III and post-IC EBV DNA < 200 copies/mL), RPA II (median-risk: stage II-III and post-IC EBV DNA ≥ 200 copies/mL, or stage IVA and post-IC EBV DNA < 200 copies/mL), and RPA III (high-risk: stage IVA and post-IC EBV DNA ≥ 200 copies/mL), with 3-year PFS of 91.1%, 82.6%, and 60.2%, respectively (p < 0.001). The DMFS and OS rates in different RPA groups were also distinct. The RPA model showed better risk discrimination than either the overall stage or post-RT EBV DNA alone. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma EBV DNA level post-IC was a robust prognostic biomarker for NPC. We developed an RPA model that provides improved risk discrimination over the 8th edition of the TNM staging system by integrating the post-IC EBV DNA level and the overall stage.

Multi-UUV Maneuvering Counter-Game for Dynamic Target Scenario Based on Fractional-Order Recurrent Neural Network.

In this article, a multi-underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) maneuvering decision-making algorithm is proposed for a counter-game with a dynamic target scenario. The game is modeled with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy rules, and an optimal maneuvering strategy is realized using a fractional-order recurrent neural network (RNN). First, underwater environments with weak connectivity, underwater noise, and dynamic uncertainties are analyzed and incorporated into the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set. Then, the maneuvering decision-making model and the expected return of the multi-UUV countermeasure are designed based on the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy rules. Subsequently, to optimize the counter-game maneuvering strategy, a fractional-order RNN is formulated based on the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions. In addition, the existence and uniqueness of the optimal maneuvering solutions as well as the stability of the equilibrium point are discussed. Finally, simulation and experimental results are compared to determine the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The influence of the fractional order on the convergence rate and optimization error of the proposed algorithm is also minutely examined.

Rat tight junction proteins are disrupted after subchronic exposure to okadaic acid.

Okadaic acid (OA), a lipophilic phycotoxin distributed worldwide, causes diarrheic shellfish poisoning and even leads to tumor formation. Currently, the consumption of contaminated seafood is the most likely cause of chronic OA exposure, but there is a serious lack of relevant data. Here, the Sprague-Dawley rats were exposure to OA by oral administration at 100 µg/kg body weight, and the tissues were collected and analyzed to assess the effect of subchronic OA exposure. The results showed that subchronic OA administration disturbed colonic mucosal integrity and induced colitis. The colonic tight junction proteins were disrupted and the cell cycle of colonic epithelial cells was accelerated. It is inferred that disruption of the colonic tight junction proteins might be related to the development of chronic diarrhea by affecting water and ion transport. Moreover, the accelerated proliferation of colonic epithelial cells indicated that subchronic OA exposure might promote the restitution process of gut barrier or induce tumor promoter activity in rat colon.

Modeling and analysis of a metal rubber vibration isolation system considering the nonlinear stiffness characteristics.

In this study, the complete design process of a metal rubber isolator using a numerical method applied in automobile underwater gliders (AUGs) is researched. A ring-like metal rubber isolator that has the potential to reduce the vibration of the AUGs is proposed. In the numerical design method, the equivalent cantilever beam model is used to identify the mechanical properties of the metal rubber isolator, whose accuracy is verified by experiment. The static stiffness and dynamic stiffness are gained through a fitting method, considering different mass loadings. Different material parameters of a metal rubber isolator, such as relative densities, wire diameters, wire spiral pitch diameters, and mass loading from the power system, greatly influence the mechanical properties and stiffness characteristic. The vibration isolation performance of a metal rubber isolator applied in the AUG is evaluated by a nonlinear single degree of freedom dynamic model, which is solved by the harmonic balance method. The linear stiffness component of the metal rubber isolator is the main influence factor for the vibration isolation performance. The nonlinear stiffness component could shift the isolation frequency.

Integrative proteomic characterization of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction.

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been rapidly increasing in recent decades, but its molecular alterations and subtypes are still obscure. Here, we conduct proteomics and phosphoproteomics profiling of 103 AEG tumors with paired normal adjacent tissues (NATs), whole exome sequencing of 94 tumor-NAT pairs, and RNA sequencing in 83 tumor-NAT pairs. Our analysis reveals an extensively altered proteome and 252 potential druggable proteins in AEG tumors. We identify three proteomic subtypes with significant clinical and molecular differences. The S-II subtype signature protein, FBXO44, is demonstrated to promote tumor progression and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Our comparative analyses reveal distinct genomic features in AEG subtypes. We find a specific decrease of fibroblasts in the S-III subtype. Further phosphoproteomic comparisons reveal different kinase-phosphosubstrate regulatory networks among AEG subtypes. Our proteogenomics dataset provides valuable resources for understanding molecular mechanisms and developing precision treatment strategies of AEG.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence of a Ir(III) complex: absorption and emission properties, nonradiative rates, and mechanism.

One recent experimental study reported a Ir(III) complex with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) phenomenon in solution, but its luminescent mechanism is elusive. In this work, we combined density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) and multi-state complete active space second-order perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2) methods to investigate excited-state properties, photophysics, and emission mechanism of this Ir(III) complex. Two main absorption bands observed in experiments can be attributed to the electronic transition from the S0 state to the S1 and S2 states; while, the fluorescence and phosphorescence are generated from the S1 and T1 states, respectively. Both the S1 and T1 states have clear metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) character. The present computational results reveal a three-state model including the S0, S1 and T1 states to rationalize the TADF behavior. The small energy gap between the S1 and T1 states benefits the forward and reverse intersystem crossing (ISC and rISC) processes. At 300 K, the rISC rate is five orders of magnitude larger than the phosphorescence rate therefore enabling TADF. At 77 K, the rISC rate is sharply decreased but remains close to the phosphorescence rate; therefore, in addition to the phosphorescence, the delayed fluorescence could also contribute to the experimental emission. The estimated TADF lifetime agrees well with experiments, 9.80 vs. 6.67 µs, which further verifies this three-state model.

Two-year online measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at four sites in a Chinese city: Significant impact of petrochemical industry.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) management has been recently given a high priority in China to mitigate ozone (O3) air pollution. However, there is a relatively poor understanding of VOCs due to their complexity and fewer observations. To better understand the pollution characteristics of VOCs and their impact on O3 pollution, two-year continuous measurements were conducted at four representative sites in Ji'nan, eastern China. These four sites cover urban, background, and industrial areas (within a petroleum refinery). Ambient VOCs showed higher concentrations at industrial site than at urban and background sites, owing to intensive emissions from petrochemical industry. The VOCs compositions present spatial heterogeneity with alkenes dominated in total reactivity at urban and background sites, while alkenes and aromatics together dominated at industrial site. The VOCs emission profile from petrochemical industry was calculated based on observational data, which revealed a huge impact on light alkanes (C2-C5), light alkenes (ethene), and aromatics (toluene and m/p-xylene). The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model analysis further refined the impact of different petrochemical industrial processes. Alkanes and alkenes dominated the emissions during refining process, while aromatics dominated during solvent usage process. Analysis by an observation-based model indicated stronger in-situ O3 production and higher sensitivity to nitrogen oxides at industrial site compared to urban and background sites. The reduction of VOCs emissions from petrochemical industry would significantly reduce the O3 concentrations. The analyses underline the significant impact of petrochemical industry on VOCs and O3 pollution, and provide important reference for the formulation of refined and effective control strategies.

Failure pattern and suggestions for target volume delineation of carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To review our long-term clinical experience, analyze the failure patterns, and give suggestions for target volume delineation of carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). METHODS: From April 2008 to May 2019, 30 patients with CASTLE treated by postoperative or radical IMRT in our center were retrospectively reviewed. A total dose of 56-60 Gy in 28-30 fractions was prescribed to patients without residual disease and 66 Gy in 33 fractions for patients with residual or unresectable disease. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Treatment-related toxicities were graded by National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) version 4.0. RESULTS: Among the 30 patients, 12 (40%) received partial resection or biopsy. Lateral lymph node metastasis was observed in 7 (23.3%) patients. During follow-up, regional lymph node recurrence occurred in 2 patients and distant metastasis in 5 patients. With a median follow-up time of 63.5 months, the 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 100, 88.9, 78.9, 93.1 and 78.9%, respectively. For patients with no lateral neck node metastasis, prophylactic radiotherapy for lateral neck nodal regions failed to improve RRFS (p = 0.381) and OS (p = 0.153). CONCLUSION: Distant metastasis was the major failure pattern for CASTLE after surgery and IMRT. For patients with no lateral neck node metastasis, the omission of irradiation for lateral neck nodal regions seems to be safe and feasible.

Heidihuangwan alleviates renal fibrosis in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy by inhibiting autophagy.

Renal fibrosis is a common pathway for the progression of various chronic kidney diseases (CKD), and the formation and deterioration will eventually lead to end-stage renal failure, which brings a heavy medical burden to the world. HeidihuangWan (HDHW) is a herbal formulation with stable and reliable clinical efficacy in the treatment of renal fibrosis. However, the mechanism of HDHW in treating renal fibrosis is not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanism of HDHW to improve renal fibrosis. Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, 5/6 Nephrectomy group, astragaloside IV (AS-IV) group, HDHW group, and HDHW + IGF-1R inhibitor (JB1) group. Except for the normal control group, the rat renal fibrosis model was established by 5/6 nephrectomy and intervened with drugs for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected to evaluate renal function. Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE), Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), Modified Masson's Trichrome (Masson) staining were used to evaluate the pathological renal injury, and immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to detect the protein expression of renal tissue. The results showed that HDHW was effective in improving renal function and reducing renal pathological damage. HDHW down-regulated the levels of fibrosis marker proteins, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, and transforming growth factors-ß(TGF-ß), which in turn reduced renal fibrosis. Further studies showed that HDHW down-regulated the expression of autophagy-related proteins Beclin1 and LC3II, indicating that HDHW inhibited autophagy. In addition, we examined the activity of the class I phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (Akt)/mTOR pathway, an important signaling pathway regulating autophagy, and the level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), an upstream activator of PI3K/Akt/mTOR. HDHW upregulated the expression of IGF-1 and activated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which may be a vital pathway for its inhibition of autophagy. Application of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitor further confirmed that the regulation of autophagy and renal fibrosis by HDHW was associated with IGF-1-mediated activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our study showed that HDHW inhibited autophagy by upregulating IGF-1 expression, promoting the binding of IGF-1 to IGF-1R, and activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, thereby reducing renal fibrosis and protecting renal function. This study provides support for the application and further study of HDHW.