Combined Hounsfield units of hepatocellular carcinoma on computed tomography and PET as a noninvasive predictor of early recurrence after living donor liver transplantation: Time-to-recurrence survival analysis.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is an effective treatment for preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. This retrospective study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the attenuation in Hounsfield units (HU) on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) as a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver transplantation as a treatment. Our goal is to optimize its predictive ability for early tumor recurrence and compare it with the other imaging modality-positron emission tomography (PET). METHODS: In 618 cases of LDLT for HCC, only 131 patients with measurable viable HCC on preoperative CECT and preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) evaluations were included, with a minimum follow-up period of 6 years. Cox regression models were developed to identify predictors of postoperative recurrence. Performance metrics for both CT and PET were assessed. The correlation between these two imaging modalities was also evaluated. Survival analyses were conducted using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) to assess accuracy and determine optimized cut-off points. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that both arterial-phase preoperative tumor attenuation (HU) and PET were independent prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival. Both lower arterial tumor enhancement (Cut-off value = 59.2, AUC 0.88) on CT and PET positive (AUC 0.89) increased risk of early tumor recurrence 0.5-year time-dependent ROC. Composites with HU < 59.2 and a positive PET result exhibited significantly higher diagnostic accuracy in detecting early tumor recurrence (AUC = 0.96). CONCLUSION: Relatively low arterial tumor enhancement values on CECT effectively predict early HCC recurrence after LDLT. The integration of CT and PET imaging may serve as imaging markers of early tumor recurrence in HCC patients after LDLT.

Multifunctional pH-responsive hydrogel dressings based on carboxymethyl chitosan: Synthesis, characterization fostering the wound healing.

Antibiotic abuse is increasing the present rate of drug-resistant bacterial wound infections, producing a significant healthcare burden globally. Herein, we prepared a pH-responsive CMCS/PVP/TA (CPT) multifunctional hydrogel dressing by embedding the natural plant extract TA as a nonantibiotic and cross-linking agent in carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to prompt wound healing. The CPT hydrogel demonstrated excellent self-healing, self-adaptive, and adhesion properties to match different wound requirements. Importantly, this hydrogel showed pH sensitivity and exhibited good activity against resistant bacteria and antioxidant activity by releasing TA in case of bacterial infection (alkaline). Furthermore, the CPT hydrogel exhibited coagulant ability and could rapidly stop bleeding within 30 s. The biocompatible hydrogel effectively accelerated wound healing in a full-thickness skin defect model by thickening granulation tissue, increasing collagen deposition, vascular proliferation, and M2-type macrophage polarization. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that multifunctional CPT hydrogel offers a candidate material with potential applications for infected skin wound healing.

Characteristics of tandem repeat inheritance and sympathetic nerve involvement in GAA-FGF14 ataxia.

BACKGROUND: Intronic GAA repeat expansion ([GAA] ≥250) in FGF14 is associated with the late-onset neurodegenerative disorder, spinocerebellar ataxia 27B (SCA27B, GAA-FGF14 ataxia). We aim to determine the prevalence of the GAA repeat expansion in FGF14 in Chinese populations presenting late-onset cerebellar ataxia (LOCA) and evaluate the characteristics of tandem repeat inheritance, radiological features and sympathetic nerve involvement. METHODS: GAA-FGF14 repeat expansion was screened in an undiagnosed LOCA cohort (n = 664) and variations in repeat-length were analyzed in families of confirmed GAA-FGF14 ataxia patients. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate the radiological feature in GAA-FGF14 ataxia patients. Clinical examinations and sympathetic skin response (SSR) recordings in GAA-FGF14 patients (n = 16) were used to quantify sympathetic nerve involvement. RESULTS: Two unrelated probands (2/664) were identified. Genetic screening for GAA-FGF14 repeat expansion was performed in 39 family members, 16 of whom were genetically diagnosed with GAA-FGF14 ataxia. Familial screening revealed expansion of GAA repeats in maternal transmissions, but contraction upon paternal transmission. Brain MRI showed slight to moderate cerebellar atrophy. SSR amplitude was lower in GAA-FGF14 patients in pre-symptomatic stage compared to healthy controls, and further decreased in the symptomatic stage. CONCLUSIONS: GAA-FGF14 ataxia was rare among Chinese LOCA cases. Parental gender appears to affect variability in GAA repeat number between generations. Reduced SSR amplitude is a prominent feature in GAA-FGF14 patients, even in the pre-symptomatic stage.

Nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin, and capecitabine versus cisplatin and gemcitabine as first line chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: randomised phase 3 clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness and safety of nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin, and capecitabine (nab-TPC) with gemcitabine and cisplatin as an alternative first line treatment option for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. DESIGN: Phase 3, open label, multicentre, randomised trial. SETTING: Four hospitals located in China between September 2019 and August 2022. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (≥18 years) with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with either nab-paclitaxel (200 g/m2 on day 1), cisplatin (60 mg/m2 on day 1), and capecitabine (1000 mg/m2 twice on days 1-14) or gemcitabine (1 g/m2 on days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (80 mg/m2 on day 1). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Progression-free survival was evaluated by the independent review committee as the primary endpoint in the intention-to-treat population. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 15.8 months in the prespecified interim analysis (31 October 2022). As assessed by the independent review committee, the median progression-free survival was 11.3 (95% confidence interval 9.7 to 12.9) months in the nab-TPC cohort compared with 7.7 (6.5 to 9.0) months in the gemcitabine and cisplatin cohort. The hazard ratio was 0.43 (95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.73; P=0.002). The objective response rate in the nab-TPC cohort was 83% (34/41) versus 63% (25/40) in the gemcitabine and cisplatin cohort (P=0.05), and the duration of response was 10.8 months in the nab-TPC cohort compared with 6.9 months in the gemcitabine and cisplatin cohort (P=0.009). Treatment related grade 3 or 4 adverse events, including leukopenia (4/41 (10%) v 13/40 (33%); P=0.02), neutropenia (6/41 (15%) v 16/40 (40%); P=0.01), and anaemia (1/41 (2%) v 8/40 (20%); P=0.01), were higher in the gemcitabine and cisplatin cohort than in the nab-TPC cohort. No deaths related to treatment occurred in either treatment group. Survival and long term toxicity are still being evaluated with longer follow-up. CONCLUSION: The nab-TPC regimen showed a superior antitumoural efficacy and favourable safety profile compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Nab-TPC should be considered the standard first line treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm the benefits for overall survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900027112.

Spin-State Control in Dysprosium(III) Metallacrown Magnets via Thioacetal Modification.

Integrating controllable spin states into single-molecule magnets (SMMs) enables precise manipulation of magnetic interactions at a molecular level, but remains a synthetic challenge. Herein, we developed a 3d-4f metallacrown (MC) magnet [DyNi5(quinha)5(Clsal)2(py)8](ClO4) ⋅ 4H2O (H2quinha=quinaldichydroxamic acid, HClsal=5-chlorosalicylaldehyde) wherein a square planar NiII is stabilized by chemical stacking. Thioacetal modification was employed via post-synthetic ligand substitutions and yielded [DyNi5(quinha)5(Clsaldt)2(py)8](ClO4) ⋅ 3H2O (HClsaldt=4-chloro-2-(1,3-dithiolan-2-yl)phenol). Thanks to the additional ligations of thioacetal onto the NiII site, coordination-induced spin state switching (CISSS) took place with spin state altering from low-spin S=0 to high-spin S=1. The synergy of CISSS effect and magnetic interactions results in distinct energy splitting and magnetic dynamics. Magnetic studies indicate prominent enhancement of reversal barrier from 57 cm-1 to 423 cm-1, along with hysteresis opening and an over 200-fold increment in coercive field at 2 K. Ab initio calculations provide deeper insights into the exchange models and rationalize the relaxation/tunnelling pathways. These results demonstrate here provide a fire-new perspective in modulating the magnetization relaxation via the incorporation of controllable spin states and magnetic interactions facilitated by the CISSS approach.

Esophageal Cancer Outcomes After Definitive Chemotherapy With Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy.

Purpose: The effectiveness of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for esophageal cancer treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiation therapy remains inadequately explored. We investigated long-term outcomes and toxicity experienced by patients who received IMPT as part of definitive esophageal cancer treatment. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively identified and analyzed 34 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who received IMPT with concurrent chemotherapy as a definitive treatment regimen at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2011 to 2021. The median IMPT dose was 50.4 GyRBE in 28 fractions; concurrent chemotherapy consisted of fluorouracil and/or taxane and/or platinum. Survival outcomes were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method, and toxicity was scored according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Results: The median age of all patients was 71.5 years. Most patients had stage III (cT3 cM0) adenocarcinoma of the lower esophagus. At a median follow-up time of 39 months, the 5-year overall survival rate was 41.1%; progression-free survival, 34.6%; local regional recurrence-free survival, 78.1%; and distant metastasis-free survival, 65.0%. Common acute chemoradiation therapy-related toxicities included hematologic toxicity, esophagitis (and late-onset), fatigue, weight loss, and nausea (and late-onset); grade 3 toxicity rates were 26.0% for hematologic, 18.0% for esophagitis and 9.0% for nausea. No patient had grade ≥3 wt loss or radiation pneumonitis, and no patients had pulmonary fibrosis or esophageal fistula. No grade ≥4 events were observed except for hematologic toxicity (lymphopenia) in 2 patients. Conclusion: Long-term survival and toxicity were excellent after IMPT for locally advanced esophageal cancer treated definitively with concurrent chemoradiation therapy. When available, IMPT should be offered to such patients to minimize treatment-related cardiopulmonary toxicity without sacrificing outcomes.

Isomeric Porous Cu(I) Triazolate Frameworks Showing Periodic and Aperiodic Flexibility for Efficient CO Separation.

Guest-induced (crystal-to-crystal) transformation, i.e., periodic flexibility, is a typical feature of molecule-based crystalline porous materials, but its role for adsorptive separation is controversial. On the other hand, aperiodic flexibility is rarely studied. This work reports a pair of isomeric Cu(I) triazolate frameworks, namely, α-[Cu(fetz)] (MAF-2Fa) and ß-[Cu(fetz)] (MAF-2Fb), which show typical periodic and aperiodic flexibility for CO chemical adsorption, respectively. Quantitative mixture breakthrough experiments show that, while MAF-2Fa exhibits high adsorption capacity at high pressures but negligible adsorption below the threshold pressure and with leakage concentrations of 3-8%, MAF-2Fb exhibits relatively low adsorption capacity at high pressures but no leakage (residual CO concentration <1 ppb). Tandem connection of MAF-2Fa and MAF-2Fb can combine their advantages of high CO adsorption capacities at high and low pressures, respectively. MAF-2Fa and MAF-2Fb can both keep the separation performances unchanged at high relative humidities, but only MAF-2Fb shows a unique coadsorption behavior at a relative humidity of 82%, which can be used to improve purification performances.

Psoas muscle area as a predictor of low muscle mass in Asian patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease.

PURPOSE: The relationship between the psoas muscle index (PMI) and the appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI) in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) is not yet understood. Our goal is to determine which level of the lumbar spine best represents the appendicular skeletal muscle. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This retrospective study involved patients with cACLD between January 2020 and December 2021. We documented the patients' body weight, height, gait speed, handgrip strength, appendicular skeletal muscle measured by DXA, and psoas muscle area segmented on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Low muscle mass, as defined by the Asian working group for sarcopenia, is less than 7.0 kg/m2 in males and less than 5.4 kg/m2 in females. We analyzed the correlation between PMI and ASMI. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients were enrolled in the study, with 74 being male and 60 being female. The mean age was 63.9 ± 7.7 years old. Significant associations (p < 0.001) were found between PMI of all levels and ASMI. In the analysis of Pearson's correlation coefficients, it was noted that the r value increased gradually in both males (r = 0.3197 at L2, 0.4006 at L3, 0.5769 at L4) and females (r = 0.3771 at L2, 0.4557 at L3, 0.5251 at L4). Similarly, the area under the curve (AUC) values predicting low muscle mass were as follows: for males, AUC=0.582 at L2, 0.619 at L3, 0.728 at L4; for females, AUC=0.685 at L2, 0.733 at L3, 0.744 at L4. The cut-off point for PMI in males was 4.12 at L2, 6.25 at L3, and 8.48 at L4, while in females was 2.61 at L2, 4.47 at L3, 6.07 at L4. CONCLUSION: The Psoas muscle index can be used to assess the muscle mass status in patients with cACLD. Among the various levels that can be used, we recommend using the fourth inferior endplate of the lumbar spine, as it shows the highest correlation. Additionally, we suggest using a PMI cut-off point of 8.48 cm2/m2 for males and 6.07 cm2/m2 for females as a predictor of low muscle mass in Asian.

Three-Step Ferroelastic Transitions from Hexagonal to Triclinic Phases in a Hybrid Perovskite: (1-Fluoromethyl-1-methylpyrrolidine)[CdCl3].

Hybrid ferroelastic crystals have emerged as a hot research topic in recent years owing to their prospective applications in piezoelectric sensors, mechanical switches, and optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, most of the documented materials exhibit one-step or two-step ferroelastic phase transition(s), and those with multistep ferroelastic transitions are extremely scarce. We present a new hexagonal molecular perovskite based on a fluoro-substituted flexible cyclic ammonium cation, (1-fluoromethyl-1-methylpyrrolidine)[CdCl3] (1), undergoing unusual three-step ferroelastic phase transitions from hexagonal paraelastic phase to orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic ferroelastic phases at 388, 376, and 311 K, respectively, with Aizu notation of 6/mmmFmmm, mmmF2/m, and 2/mF-1, featuring spontaneous strain of 0.002, 0.023, and 0.110, respectively. Furthermore, variable-temperature single-crystal diffraction reveals that the phase-transition mechanism in 1 principally originates from intriguing dynamic change of organic cations and synchronous displacement of inorganic chains. This scarce instance of multistep hybrid ferroelastic provides important clues for finding advanced ferroelastic materials.

[Multi-index evaluation of different parts of Amomum villosum].

To investigate the quality differences between the seeds and husks of Amomum villosum and explore the rationality of using the seeds without husks, this study determined the content of protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, epicatechin, quercitrin, volatile oil, water extract, and ethanol extract. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS), and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were determined to evaluate the antioxidant activities of seeds and husks. The quality differences between the seeds and husks were assessed through orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) and analytic hierarchy process(AHP) combined with the entropy weight method(EWM). Significant differences(P<0.05) were observed in all 10 indicators between the seeds and husks. The levels of epicatechin, quercetin, and volatile oil were higher in the seeds, whereas those of protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, water extract, and ethanol extract were higher in the husks. The seeds showed stronger scavenging ability against DPPH and ABTS radicals, while the husks showed a stronger scavenging effect on hydroxyl radicals. OPLS-DA significantly discriminated between the seeds and husks. Furthermore, volatile oil, water extract, DPPH radical scavenging rate, quercitrin, ABTS radical scavenging rate, hydroxyl radical scavenging rate, and vanillic acid were selected as the main differential indicators by variable importance in projection(VIP). Comprehensive scores calculated by AHP combined with EWM indicated that the seeds were superior to husks in terms of overall quality. However, there are still some dominant components and a certain antioxidant effect in the husks. Therefore, it is suggested to using Amomi Fructus with a certain amount of husks or utilizing the husks for other purposes.

Designing dynamic coordination bonds in polar hybrid crystals for a high-temperature ferroelastic transition.

Ferroelastic materials have gained widespread attention as promising candidates for mechanical switches, shape memory, and information processing. Their phase-transition mechanisms usually originate from conventional order-disorder and/or displacive types, while those involving dynamic coordination bonds are still scarce. Herein, based on a strategic molecular design of organic cations, we report three new polar hybrid crystals with a generic formula of AA'RbBiCl6 (A = A' = Me3SO+ for 1; A = Me3SO+ and A' = Me4N+ for 2; A = A' = Me3NNH2+ for 3). Their A-site cations link to the [RbBiCl6]n2n- inorganic framework with lon topology through Rb-O/N coordination bonds, while their significantly different interactions between A'-site cations and inorganic frameworks provide distinct phase-transition behaviour. In detail, the strongly coordinative A'-site Me3SO+ cations prevent 1 from a structural phase transition, while coordinatively free A'-site Me4N+ cations trigger a conventional order-disorder ferroelastic transition at 247 K in 2, accompanied by a latent heat of 0.63 J g-1 and a usual "high → low" second-harmonic-generation (SHG) switch. Interestingly, the A'-site Me3NNH2+ cations in 3 reveal unusual dynamic coordination bonds, driving a high-temperature ferroelastic transition at 369 K with a large latent heat of 18.34 J g-1 and an unusual "low → high" SHG-switching behaviour. This work provides an effective molecular assembly strategy to establish dynamic coordination bonds in a new type of host-guest model and opens an avenue for designing advanced ferroelastic multifunctional materials.

TCN-attention-HAR: human activity recognition based on attention mechanism time convolutional network.

Wearable sensors are widely used in medical applications and human-computer interaction because of their portability and powerful privacy. Human activity identification based on sensor data plays a vital role in these fields. Therefore, it is important to improve the recognition performance of different types of actions. Aiming at the problems of insufficient time-varying feature extraction and gradient explosion caused by too many network layers, a time convolution network recognition model with attention mechanism (TCN-Attention-HAR) was proposed. The model effectively recognizes and emphasizes the key feature information. The ability of extracting temporal features from TCN (temporal convolution network) is improved by using the appropriate size of the receiver domain. In addition, attention mechanisms are used to assign higher weights to important information, enabling models to learn and identify human activities more effectively. The performance of the Open Data Set (WISDM, PAMAP2 and USC-HAD) is improved by 1.13%, 1.83% and 0.51%, respectively, compared with other advanced models, these results clearly show that the network model presented in this paper has excellent recognition performance. In the knowledge distillation experiment, the parameters of student model are only about 0.1% of those of teacher model, and the accuracy of the model has been greatly improved, and in the WISDM data set, compared with the teacher's model, the accuracy is 0.14% higher.

Drug-Eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Effectiveness of Different Particle Sizes in Downstaging and Bridging in Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

AIM: To compare the effectiveness of drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) with different particle sizes in bridging and downstaging in pretransplant hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Assess the recurrent and survival rates after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). METHODS: Retrospective review of 580 patients who underwent TACE using DEB from August 2012 to June 2020 at Taiwan Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Pre- and post-TACE computed tomography scan images of the liver were reviewed, and treatment responses were assessed using modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. Patients were divided by who met the criteria (n = 342) or beyond (n = 238) the University of California San Francisco criteria for successful bridging and downstaging rate evaluation. Each group was divided into subgroups according to DEB particle sizes (group A: <100µm, group B: 100-300 µm, group C: 300-500 µm, and group D: 500-700 µm) to compare objective response rate and post-LDLT survival rate. RESULTS: Overall successful bridging and downstaging rate is 97.1% and 58.4%, respectively, in the group of patients who meet the criteria (n = 332) and are beyond (n = 139) the University of California San Francisco criteria. Group B (100-300 µm) had a higher successful bridging rate (99.5%, P = .003) and downstaging rate (63.8%, P = .443). This subgroup also demonstrated a higher objective response rate in single (93.2%, P = .038) tumors, multiple (83.3%, P = .001) tumors, and tumors with size less than 5 cm (93.9%, P = .005). There are no significant differences in post-LDLT overall survival rate between different particle sizes. CONCLUSION: TACE with 100 to 300 µm DEB particles is associated with a better chance of bridging and downstaging hepatocellular carcinoma patients to LDLT.

Camrelizumab and apatinib plus induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in stage N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a phase 2 clinical trial.

The antiangiogenic agent apatinib has been shown to clinically improve responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in several cancer types. Patients with N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma have a high risk of distant metastasis, however, if the addition of immunotherapy to standard treatment could improve efficacy is unclear. In this phase II clinical trial (ChiCTR2000032317), 49 patients with stage TanyN3M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled and received the combination of three cycles of induction chemotherapy, camrelizumab and apatinib followed by chemoradiotherapy. Here we report on the primary outcome of distant metastasis-free survival and secondary end points of objective response rate, failure-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, overall survival and toxicity profile. After induction therapy, all patients had objective response, including 13 patients (26.5%) with complete response. After a median follow-up of 28.7 months, the primary endpoint of 1-year distant metastasis-free survival was met for the cohort (1-year DMFS rate: 98%). Grade≥3 toxicity appeared in 32 (65.3%) patients, with the most common being mucositis (14[28.6%]) and nausea/vomiting (9[18.4%]). In this work, camrelizumab and apatinib in combination with induction chemotherapy show promising distant metastasis control with acceptable safety profile in patients with stage TanyN3M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Toripalimab plus capecitabine in the treatment of patients with residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a single-arm phase 2 trial.

Patients with residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma after receiving definitive treatment have poor prognoses. Although immune checkpoint therapies have achieved breakthroughs for treating recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, none of these strategies have been assessed for treating residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In this single-arm, phase 2 trial, we aimed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy and safety of toripalimab (anti-PD1 antibody) plus capecitabine in patients with residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma after definitive treatment (ChiCTR1900023710). Primary endpoint of this trial was the objective response rate assessed according to RECIST (version 1.1). Secondary endpoints included complete response rate, disease control rate, duration of response, progression-free survival, safety profile, and treatment compliance. Between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, 23 patients were recruited and received six cycles of toripalimab plus capecitabine every 3 weeks. In efficacy analyses, 13 patients (56.5%) had complete response, and 9 patients (39.1%) had partial response, with an objective response rate of 95.7% (95% CI 78.1-99.9). The trial met its prespecified primary endpoint. In safety analyses, 21 of (91.3%) 23 patients had treatment-related adverse events. The most frequently reported adverse event was hand-foot syndrome (11 patients [47.8%]). The most common grade 3 adverse event was hand-foot syndrome (two patients [8.7%]). No grades 4-5 treatment-related adverse events were recorded. This phase 2 trial shows that combining toripalimab with capecitabine has promising antitumour activity and a manageable safety profile for patients with residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Short-term clinical outcomes of transarterial embolization for symptomatic hand osteoarthritis refractory to conservative treatment.

PURPOSE: The present study aims to assess the short-term clinical outcomes and safety of transarterial embolization (TAE) for symptomatic hand osteoarthritis (OA) refractory to conservative treatment. METHODS: The present retrospective cohort pilot study included nine patients who underwent TAE for symptomatic OA-associated hand pain in a single tertiary center between November 2022 and January 2023. The baseline and post-procedural OA-associated hand pain and function were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Australian Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN). The use of conservative treatment and pain medications was also recorded. Post-procedural adverse events were evaluated according to the Society of Interventional Radiology classification. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, the overall VAS scores were significantly decreased at 1-week, 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months after TAE (76 ± 15 mm versus 34 ± 18 mm, P < 0.001; 32 ± 11 mm, P < 0.001; 21 ± 15 mm, P < 0.001; 18 ± 19 mm, P = 0.002). Similarly, improvement in the mean total AUSCAN scores (22.0 ± 10.0 versus 13.2 ± 6.6, P = 0.007; 14.11 ± 7.3, P = 0.004; 9.8 ± 6.8, P = 0.004; 9.3 ± 7.4, P = 0.011) were documented. The use of other conservative treatment methods also gradually decreased. There were no severe adverse events reported during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: TAE is a feasible and safe treatment method for symptomatic hand OA refractory to conservative treatment. This minimally invasive procedure effectively relieves debilitating OA-associated joint pain and restores hand function with a durable treatment effect.

Quasi-open Cu(I) sites for efficient CO separation with high O2/H2O tolerance.

Carbon monoxide (CO) separation relies on chemical adsorption but suffers from the difficulty of desorption and instability of open metal sites against O2, H2O and so on. Here we demonstrate quasi-open metal sites with hidden or shielded coordination sites as a promising solution. Possessing the trigonal coordination geometry (sp2), Cu(I) ions in porous frameworks show weak physical adsorption for non-target guests. Rational regulation of framework flexibility enables geometry transformation to tetrahedral geometry (sp3), generating a fourth coordination site for the chemical adsorption of CO. Quantitative breakthrough experiments at ambient conditions show CO uptakes up to 4.1 mmol g-1 and CO selectivity up to 347 against CO2, CH4, O2, N2 and H2. The adsorbents can be completely regenerated at 333-373 K to recover CO with a purity of >99.99%, and the separation performances are stable in high-concentration O2 and H2O. Although CO leakage concentration generally follows the structural transition pressure, large amounts (>3 mmol g-1) of ultrahigh-purity (99.9999999%, 9N; CO concentration < 1 part per billion) gases can be produced in a single adsorption process, demonstrating the usefulness of this approach for separation applications.

Endolysosomal TRPML1 channel regulates cancer cell migration by altering intracellular trafficking of E-cadherin and ß1-integrin.

Metastasis still accounts for 90% of all cancer-related death cases. An increase of cellular mobility and invasive traits of cancer cells mark two crucial prerequisites of metastasis. Recent studies highlight the involvement of the endolysosomal cation channel TRPML1 in cell migration. Our results identified a widely antimigratory effect upon loss of TRPML1 function in a panel of cell lines in vitro and reduced dissemination in vivo. As mode-of-action, we established TRPML1 as a crucial regulator of cytosolic calcium levels, actin polymerization, and intracellular trafficking of two promigratory proteins: E-cadherin and ß1-integrin. Interestingly, KO of TRPML1 differentially interferes with the recycling process of E-cadherin and ß1-integrin in a cell line-dependant manner, while resulting in the same phenotype of decreased migratory and adhesive capacities in vitro. Additionally, we observed a coherence between reduction of E-cadherin levels at membrane site and phosphorylation of NF-κB in a ß-catenin/p38-mediated manner. As a result, an E-cadherin/NF-κB feedback loop is generated, regulating E-cadherin expression on a transcriptional level. Consequently, our findings highlight the role of TRPML1 as a regulator in migratory processes and suggest the ion channel as a suitable target for the inhibition of migration and invasion.

A deep learning-based semiautomated workflow for triaging follow-up MR scans in treated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

It is imperative to optimally utilize virtues and obviate defects of fully automated analysis and expert knowledge in new paradigms of healthcare. We present a deep learning-based semiautomated workflow (RAINMAN) with 12,809 follow-up scans among 2,172 patients with treated nasopharyngeal carcinoma from three centers (ChiCTR.org.cn, Chi-CTR2200056595). A boost of diagnostic performance and reduced workload was observed in RAINMAN compared with the original manual interpretations (internal vs. external: sensitivity, 2.5% [p = 0.500] vs. 3.2% [p = 0.031]; specificity, 2.9% [p < 0.001] vs. 0.3% [p = 0.302]; workload reduction, 79.3% vs. 76.2%). The workflow also yielded a triaging performance of 83.6%, with increases of 1.5% in sensitivity (p = 1.000) and 0.6%-1.3% (all p < 0.05) in specificity compared to three radiologists in the reader study. The semiautomated workflow shows its unique superiority in reducing radiologist's workload by eliminating negative scans while retaining the diagnostic performance of radiologists.

Research Progress and Application Prospect of Facial Micro-Expression Analysis in Forensic Psychiatry.

Research on facial micro-expression analysis has been going on for decades. Micro-expression can reflect the true emotions of individuals, and it has important application value in assisting auxiliary diagnosis and disease monitoring of mental disorders. In recent years, the development of artificial intelligence and big data technology has made the automatic recognition of micro-expressions possible, which will make micro-expression analysis more convenient and more widely used. This paper reviews the development of facial micro-expression analysis and its application in forensic psychiatry, to look into further application prospects and development direction.