In situ anchored ternary hierarchical hybrid nickel@cobaltous sulfide on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-reduced graphene oxide for highly efficient non-enzymatic glucose sensing.

A ternary hierarchical hybrid Ni@CoxSy/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-reduced graphene oxide (Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO) is rationally designed and in situ facilely synthesized as electrocatalyst to construct a binder-free sensing platform for non-enzymatic glucose monitoring through traditional electrodeposition procedure. The as-prepared Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO presents unique hierarchical structure and multiple valence states as well as strong and robust adhesion between Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO and GCE. Profiting from the aforementioned merits, the sensing platform constructed under optimal conditions achieved a wide detection range (0.2 µM ~ 2.0 mM) with high sensitivity (1546.32 µA cm-2 mM-1), a rapid response time (5 s), an ultralow detection limit (0.094 µM), superior anti-interference performance, excellent reproducibility and considerable stability. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrates an acceptable accuracy and appreciable recoveries ranging from 90.0 to 102.0% with less than 3.98% RSD in human blood serum samples, indicating the prospect of the sensor for the real samples analysis. It will provide a strategy to rationally design and fabricate ternary hierarchical hybrid as nanozyme for glucose assay.

Multiscale Static Compressive Damage Characteristics of Kiwifruit Based on the Finite Element Method.

In the handling or processing process, fruits are easily crushed by external loads. This type of damage in fruit often leads to the internal pulp browning and rotting, with the severity largely dependent on the fruit tissue's geometric and mechanical properties. In kiwifruits, with their thin skin and dark-colored flesh, it is particularly challenging to observe and analyze the damage caused by extrusion through traditional experimental methods. The objective of this research is to construct a multi-scale finite element model encompassing the skin, flesh, and core by measuring the geometric and mechanical properties of kiwifruit, to assess and predict the damage characteristics under compression, and to verify the accuracy of the finite element model through experiments. The results indicated that kiwifruits demonstrated different compressive strengths in different directions during compression. The compressive strength in the axial direction was higher than that in the radial direction, and there was little difference between the long and short radial directions. The flesh tissue is the most vulnerable to mechanical damage under external compression, followed by the core. At strain levels below 5%, there was no noticeable damage in the axial or radial directions of the kiwifruit. However, when strain exceeded 5%, damage began to manifest in some of the flesh tissue. To maintain fruit quality during storage and transportation, the stacking height should not exceed 77 fruits in the axial direction, 48 in the long direction, and 53 in the short direction. The finite element analysis showed that the established model can effectively simulate and predict the internal damage behavior of kiwifruits under compression loads, which is helpful for a deeper understanding of the mechanical properties of fruits and provides a theoretical basis and technical guidance for minimizing mechanical damage during fruit handling.

Highly Stable Spatio-Temporal Prediction Network of Wavefront Sensor Slopes in Adaptive Optics.

Adaptive Optics (AO) technology is an effective means to compensate for wavefront distortion, but its inherent delay error will cause the compensation wavefront on the deformable mirror (DM) to lag behind the changes in the distorted wavefront. Especially when the change in the wavefront is higher than the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS) sampling frequency, the multi-frame delay will seriously limit its correction performance. In this paper, a highly stable AO prediction network based on deep learning is proposed, which only uses 10 frames of prior wavefront information to obtain high-stability and high-precision open-loop predicted slopes for the next six frames. The simulation results under various distortion intensities show that the prediction accuracy of six frames decreases by no more than 15%, and the experimental results also verify that the open-loop correction accuracy of our proposed method under the sampling frequency of 500 Hz is better than that of the traditional non-predicted method under 1000 Hz.

Fabrication and Investigation of the Microwave Absorption of Nonwovens Modified by Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Flakes.

This study aims to investigate the influences of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene flakes (GFs) on the microwave absorption performance of nonwovens. Nonwovens were modified with CNTs and GFs through an impregnation method, creating a series of absorption samples with different carbon nanomaterial contents. Then the absorption performance of the samples was tested on both sides in the X-band (8.2~12.4 GHz) and the Ku-band (12~18 GHz) using the arch method. The experimental results showed that the absorption performance of GF-impregnated nonwovens was superior to that of CNT-impregnated nonwovens, and the overall absorption performance in the Ku-band was better than in the X-band. At a CNT content of 5 wt.%, the reflection loss of the impregnated nonwovens on the backside reached a minimum of -14.06 dB and remained below -10 dB in the 17.42~17.88 GHz frequency range. The sample fabricated with 4 wt.% GFs in the impregnation solution exhibited the best absorption performance, with minimum reflection losses of -15.33 dB and -33.18 GHz in the X-band and Ku-band, respectively. When the GFs were at 3 wt.%, the absorption bandwidth below -10 dB reached 4.16 GHz. In contrast to CNT-impregnated nonwovens, the frontside of GF-impregnated nonwovens demonstrated better absorption performance in the Ku-band. The results of this work provide experimental data support for the fabrication and application of microwave absorption materials.

Object-independent wavefront sensing method based on an unsupervised learning model for overcoming aberrations in optical systems.

This Letter introduces the idea of unsupervised learning into object-independent wavefront sensing for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, which can achieve fast phase recovery of arbitrary objects without labels. First, a fine feature extraction method which only depends on the wavefront aberrations is proposed. Then, a lightweight neural network and an optical feature system are combined to form an unsupervised learning model, and the neural network is promoted to be well trained by reversely outputting fine features. Simulation results prove that the proposed method can effectively overcome the aberrations (static or variable) existing in the optical system and achieve wavefront sensing of different objects with high precision and efficiency.

Association of the pretreatment lung immune prognostic index with immune checkpoint inhibitor outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the pretreatment Lung Immune Prognostic Index (LIPI) is associated with outcomes in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients under ICI. METHODS: A two-center retrospective study of patients with HCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) between January 2018 and January 2021 was performed. Based on pretreatment derived neutrophils/ (leukocytes minus neutrophils) ratio (dNLR) greater than 3 and a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level greater than the normal value, patients were stratified into three groups (good LIPI:0 risk factor, intermediate LIPI: 1 risk factor, and poor LIPI: 2 risk factors). The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The second endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) and objective response rate (ORR). RESULTS: In the pooled cohort (n = 224), 80 (35.7%) had a good LIPI (zero factor), 91 (40.6%) had intermediate LIPI (one factor), and 53 (23.7%) had poor LIPI (two factors). The median follow-up was 25.1 months. Median OS was 16.8 months, 12.5 months, and 9.5 months for the good, intermediate, and poor LIPI groups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Median PFS was 11.8 months, 7.8 months, and 4.0 months for the good, intermediate, and poor LIPI groups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis indicated that the intermediate LIPI and poor LIPI both were independently associated with OS, PFS, and ORR, DCR (P < 0.05), as risk factors. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment LIPI was correlated with worse outcomes for ICIs suggesting that LIPI could be promising biomarker for advanced HCC patients under ICIs.

Efficacy, mechanism, and safety of melatonin-loaded on thermosensitive nanogels for rabbit VX2 tumor embolization: A novel design.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been widely used for hepatocellular carcinoma. Reducing hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment after TACE remains a challenge as tumor progression is common in post-TACE patients due to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. In this study, melatonin loaded on p(N-isopropyl-acrylamide-co-butyl methylacrylate) (PIB-M) was used for tumor embolism. Two types of human hepatoma cell lines were used to explore the mechanism by which melatonin prevents the growth and metastasis of cancer cells in vitro. A VX2 rabbit tumor model was used to evaluate the efficacy, mechanism, and safety of PIB-M in vivo. We found that under hypoxic condition, melatonin could inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration by targeting hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in vitro. In vivo, PIB-M inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in rabbit VX2 tumors by promoting apoptosis of tumor cells and targeting related angiogenic proteins and vascular permeability proteins. A high concentration of melatonin in the PIB-M group could be maintained in tumor tissue for 72 h after embolization. The liver and kidney functions were most damaged on the first day but recovered to normal on the seventh day after embolization in the PIB-M group. This novel method may open avenues for reduction of tumor growth and metastasis after TACE and is efficacy and safety, which may be used for treatment for other solid tumors and clinical translation.

Recent advances in oncolytic virus therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly refractory cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite the development of a detailed treatment strategy for HCC, the survival rate remains unsatisfactory. Oncolytic virus has been extensively researched as a new cancer therapeutic agent in the treatment of HCC. Researchers have designed a variety of recombinant viruses based on natural oncolytic diseases, which can increase the targeting of oncolytic viruses to HCC and their survival in tumors, as well as kill tumor cells and inhibit the growth of HCC through a variety of mechanisms. The overall efficacy of oncolytic virus therapy is known to be influenced by anti-tumor immunity, toxic killing effect and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, etc. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the multiple oncolytic mechanisms of oncolytic viruses in HCC has been conducted. So far, a large number of relevant clinical trials are under way or have been completed, and some encouraging results have been obtained. Studies have shown that oncolytic virus combined with other HCC therapies may be a feasible method, including local therapy, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In addition, different delivery routes for oncolytic viruses have been studied so far. These studies make oncolytic virus a new and attractive drug for the treatment of HCC.

The Feasibility of TACE Combined with TKIs Plus PD-1 Antibody for Advanced HCC.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs: sorafenib, lenvatinib, and apatinib) plus camrelizumab (TACE-TKIs-C) vs TACE combined with TKIs (TACE-TKIs) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: In this two-center retrospective study, patients with advanced HCC treated with TACE-TKIs-C or TACE-TKIs were enrolled between January 1, 2018, to October 1, 2020. A total of 260 eligible patients received TACE-TKIs-C (N=70) or TACE-TKIs (N=190). The differences in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and tumor response were compared between two groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was applied to reduce patient selection bias. The risk factors affecting OS or PFS were analyzed. Results: Fifty-three pairs of patients were matched after PSM analysis. Before PSM analysis, the median OS and PFS of TACE-TKIs-C were significantly longer than those of the TACE-TKIs (OS: not reached vs 12.0 months, P<0.0001; PFS: 10.0 months vs 6.0 months, P<0.0001). After PSM analysis, the median OS and PFS of TACE-TKIs-C were significantly longer than those of the TACE-TKIs (OS: Not reached vs 13.0 months, P<0.0001; PFS: 9.0 months vs 6.0 months, P<0.0001); the uni- and multivariate analysis revealed that TACE-TKIs-C treatment was a protective factor of OS and PFS. Grade 3 or 4 hypertension occurred in 14.3% of patients in the TACE-TKIs-C group and other high-grade toxic effects were infrequent. Conclusion: In patients with advanced HCC, TACE-TKIs-C may improve overall and progression-free survival outcomes over TACE-TKIs with manageable safety profile.

Association between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: an updated meta-analysis.

Although numerous studies have reported the association between sarcopenia and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, there is lack of a newer and more comprehensive meta-analysis. Herein, a comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases to identify relevant studies published up to February 2022. The outcomes were overall survival (OS), recurrence, progression-free survival, tumor response, severe postoperative complications, and toxicity of drugs. A total of 57 studies involving 9790 HCC patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in HCC patients was 41.7% (95% CI 36.2-47.2%). Results demonstrated that sarcopenia was significantly associated with impaired OS (HR: 1.93, 95% CI 1.73-2.17, P < 0.001), higher risk of tumor recurrence (HR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.56-1.96, P < 0.001), lower objective response rate (OR: 0.37 95% CI 0.17-0.81, P = 0.012), and more drug-related adverse events (OR: 2.23, 95% CI 1.17-4.28, P = 0.015) in HCC patients. The subgroup analyses revealed that the OS of patients at the early stage of tumor was more severely affected by sarcopenia than for patients at other stages. Moreover, the presence of cirrhosis and Child Pugh class B increased the hazard of mortality from sarcopenia. This study has shown that sarcopenia is highly associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. In addition, cirrhosis and poor liver functional reserve increase the danger of sarcopenia. OS was more impaired in HCC patients with sarcopenia at early stage of tumor than at other tumor stages.

Evaluation of Transarterial Chemoembolization Protocol with Drug-Eluting Beads in Combination with Lipiodol for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Single-Center Controlled Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) and lipiodol (DEB-Lipiodol TACE) in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Materials and Methods: The medical records of consecutive unresectable HCC patients who underwent DEB-TACE or DEB-Lipiodol TACE from June 2016 to July 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Therapeutic response, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events (AEs) were compared among the groups. Results: Three hundred and twenty-seven patients were enrolled in the study, including 293 patients in the DEB-TACE group and 34 patients in the DEB-Lipiodol TACE group. The objective response rate in the DEB-Lipiodol TACE group was 17.6%, significantly higher than that in the DEB-TACE group (5.8%, P=0.011). Similarly, DEB-Lipiodol TACE group also had a higher disease control rate (91.2% vs 68.6%, P=0.006). Median OS was 13 months (95% CI: 11.0 months and 15.0 months) and 22 months (95% CI: 17.3 months and 26.7 months) in the DEB-TACE group and DEB-Lipiodol TACE group, respectively (P=0.041). Meanwhile, median PFS was 7 months (95% CI: 5.2 months and 8.8 months) in the DEB-TACE group and 12 months (95% CI: 7.9 months and 16.1 months) in the DEB-Lipiodol TACE group (P=0.174). There was no statistically significant difference in AEs incidence among the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: DEB-Lipiodol TACE was safe, well tolerated, and had a better efficacy compared with DEB-TACE in unresectable HCC patients.

Safety and efficacy of lenvatinib combined with camrelizumab plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A two-center retrospective study.

Objectives: To compare the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib (LEN) combined with camrelizumab plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE-LEN-C) and TACE combined with LEN (TACE-LEN) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). Methods: Eighty-three patients with uHCC treated with TACE-LEN-C or TACE-LEN from September 2018 to May 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local tumor response, and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the factors affecting survival. Results: There were 31 patients in the TACE-LEN-C group and 52 patients in the TACE-LEN group. The median follow-up period was 14.2 months (range 7.2-25.2 months) in the whole study. The combination of triple therapy was found to significantly prolong the PFS (12.5 months vs. 6.6 months, P<0.001) and OS (18.9 months vs. 13.9 months, P<0.001. In terms of tumor response, the combination demonstrated a higher objective response rate (71% vs. 42.3% by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, P=0.023) without a statistically significant difference in the disease control rate (93.5% in TACE-LEN-C, 80.8% in TACE-LEN, P=0.195). In the multivariate analysis, two independent factors affecting PFS were identified: number of tumors and treatment. Three independent factors affected OS: number of tumors, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and treatment. All the AEs were tolerable. Conclusion: TACE-LEN-C is a safe and effective treatment for patients with uHCC, and could be a potential treatment option.

Effect of Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Percutaneous Ethanol Injection or Radiofrequency Ablation for Liver Tumors.

Background: The efficacy of the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) process combined with percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI, TACE-P) or the radiofrequency ablation (RFA, TACE-R) process was found to be good when used for the treatment of patients suffering from early or intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (eiHCC). The study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of the TACE-P with TACE-A processes followed during the treatment of patients with eiHCC. Methods: A total of 241 patients suffering from eiHCC, subjected to TACE-P (147 patients) or TACE-R (94 patients) processes from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018, were retrospectively reviewed and included. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to reduce selection bias. Results: The median overall survival (mOS) and progression-free survival (mPFS) of the TACE-P group were similar to those recorded for the TACE-R group (P>0.05) before using the PSM technique. Similar results were obtained post the use of the PSM technique. In the subgroup analysis after PSM, patients with single tumor (dimension: ≤5 cm), who were subjected to TACE-P-based treatment methods, exhibited worse tumor response than patients subjected to TACE-R-based methods (HR: 1.804, 95% CI: 1.083-3.005, P=0.023). Seven adverse events were reported. A statistically significant difference for all grades of adverse events (and grade III or IV adverse events) between the two groups (all P>0.05) was not reported. Conclusion: The benefits and advantages of using the TACE-P based method was similar was those obtained using the TACE-R in patients with eiHCC, especially for patients with a single large tumor or multiple tumors.

The Efficacy and Safety of Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Iodine 125 Seed Implantation in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Oligometastases: A Case Series Reports.

Background: Patients with different primary tumor oligometastases can obtain survival benefits from external radiotherapy. The study was conducted to explore the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus iodine 125 seed (TACE-I) implantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) oligometastases. Methods: 187 patients who received TACE-I in our institution were retrospectively reviewed from January 2014 to December 2018. Thirty-two patients were included in the analysis. The primary endpoints of the study were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints of the study were tumor response and PFS of the metastatic sites. Results: The median OS (mOS) of patients was 18 months, and the median PFS (mPFS) was 7 months. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of patients three months after receiving TACE-I were 34.4% and 71.9%, respectively. The ORR and DCR of patients for metastatic sites were 50% and 81.3%, respectively. The mPFS of patients for metastatic sites was 14 months. The univariable and multivariable regression analyses indicated that the ECOG score was an independent predictor for mOS and mPFS. The number of iodine seeds and ECOG scores were independent predictors for mPFS for metastatic sites. After patients received TACE-I, the most common adverse events were abdominal pain, fever, and appetite. The adverse events of patients were relieved after receiving symptomatic treatments. Conclusion: Iodine 125 seed implantation may be an effective and safe treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with oligometastasis, thereby providing a new selective option for these patients.

Brain Gray Matter Alterations in Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Voxel-Based Meta-Analysis of Whole-Brain Studies.

Background: Previous studies on voxel-based morphometry (VBM) have found that there were gray matter alterations in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, the reported results were inconsistent and lack a quantitative review. Therefore, this study aims for a quantitative meta-analysis of VBM analysis on patients with HE. Methods: The studies in our meta-analysis were collected from Pubmed, Web of Science, and Embase, which were published from January 1947 to October 2021. The seed-based d mapping (SDM) method was applied to quantitatively estimate the regional gray matter abnormalities in patients with HE. A meta-regression analysis was applied to evaluate the relationship between plasma ammonia and gray matter alteration. Results: There were nine studies, with sixteen datasets consisting of 333 participants with HE and 429 healthy controls. The pooled and subgroup meta-analyses showed an increase in gray matter volume (GMV) in the bilateral thalamus and the calcarine fissure but a decrease in the GMV in the bilateral insula, the basal ganglia, the anterior cingulate gyrus, and the cerebellum. The meta-regression showed that plasma ammonia was positively associated with the GMV in the left thalamus but was negatively associated with the GMV in the cerebellum and the bilateral striatum. Conclusion: Gray matter volume in patients with HE largely varied and could be affected by plasma ammonia. The findings of this study could help us to better understand the pathophysiology of cognitive dysfunction in patients with HE.

The efficacy of drug-eluting bead or conventional transarterial chemoembolization plus apatinib for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with apatinib has been used for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the efficacy is good. The study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting bead TACE plus apatinib (D-TACE-A) with conventional TACE plus apatinib (C-TACE-A) in the treatment of HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). A total of 130 continuous patients who received D-TACE-A or C-TACE-A were included in the study from January 2017 to June 2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce potential selection bias. Before PSM, the median overall survival (mOS) (14 months) and median progression-free survival (mPFS) (7 months) in the C-TACE-A group were longer than the mOS (9 months; P = 0.001) and mPFS (4 months; P = 0.001) in the D-TACE-A group. After PSM, the mOS (14 months vs 9 months; P = 0.039) and mPFS (7 months vs 5 months; P = 0.009) in the C-TACE-A group were longer than those in the D-TACE-A group. In the multivariate regression analysis, C-TACE-A reduced the mortality rate and tumor progression rate compared with D-TACE-A. For the subgroup analysis, patients with VP1-2, without extrahepatic metastases, and with multiple TACE sessions who received C-TACE-A had a lower death risk and tumor progression risk than patients who received D-TACE-A. Before PSM, there was no statistically significant difference in any grade or grade III/IV adverse events (all P > 0.05). C-TACE-A could prolong mOS and mPFS in patients with PVTT, especially for patients with VP1-2 stage PVTT, no extrahepatic tumor metastases, and multiple TACE sessions.

Transarterial chemoembolization combined with camrelizumab for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with camrelizumab (hereafter, TACE-camrelizumab) in the treatment of patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (R-HCC) after curative resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: R-HCC patients who underwent TACE plus camrelizumab or TACE-alone from January 2016 to August 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were assessed for tumor response, progression-free survival, survival rates and adverse events. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients were included in this study, including 20 patients in the TACE- camrelizumab group and 51 patients in the TACE-alone group. The objective response rate was 56.9% in the TACE-alone group and 40% in the TACE-camrelizumab group at 3 months (P = 0.201). The disease control rates were 84.3% in TACE-alone group and 80% in TACE-camrelizumab group at 3 months (P = 0.663). The progression-free survival (PFS) of the TACE-alone group was slightly longer than those of the TACE- camrelizumab group (9 months vs. 6 months). However, there were no statistically significant differences in the median PFS (P = 0.586). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the half-year and one-year survival rates (P = 0.304, P = 0.430). Multivariate analysis revealed that Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was associated with PFS significantly. 75% patients developed at least one type of AEs related to camrelizumab in TACE-camrelizumab group, and no patients developed severe AEs. CONCLUSION: Comparing with TACE-Alone, the efficacy of TACE-camrelizumab for patients with R-HCC was similar. Meanwhile, the results of this study also indicated that TACE is still a better choice for patients with R-HCC.

Efficacy of Drug-Eluting Beads Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Camrelizumab Compared With Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Camrelizumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization plus camrelizumab (D-TACE-C) with conventional transarterial chemoembolization plus camrelizumab (C-TACE-C) in the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study that evaluated the consecutive medical records of patients with unresectable HCC who had undergone D-TACE-C or C-TACE-C from April 2020 to August 2021. Efficacy of treatment was evaluated using tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS) and survival rates. The adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were included in this study, including 27 patients who had received D-TACE-C treatment, and 27 patients who had received C-TACE-C treatment. The median PFS and DCR in the D-TACE-C group were significantly longer than those for the C-TACE-C group (PFS: 10 vs. 3 months, P=.017; DCR: 70.4% vs. 40.7%, P = .028). Cox regression analysis showed that D-TACE-C was the only protective factor for PFS. The 6-month and 12-month survival rates in D-TACE-C group and C-TACE-C group were 85.2% versus 79.4% (P = .646) and 65.2% versus 65.1% (P = .903), respectively. Reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation was the most common adverse event associated with the treatment. There was no significant difference in the adverse events related to TACE and camrelizumab between the two groups. No treatment-related deaths occurred in this study. CONCLUSIONS: D-TACE-C is a safe and well-tolerated treatment, and may produce better PFS and tumor response in patients with unresectable HCC than C-TACE-C.

Endovascular repair of visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms in 159 patients: twelve years' experience of clinical technique.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment for patients with visceral and renal artery aneurysms (VRAAs). Twelve years of experience with interventional procedures and treatment options in our center were also worth discussing. METHODS: From January 2009 to December 2020, clinical data of 159 consecutive patients with VRAAs were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' demographic and clinical data were recorded, and the safety and efficacy of endovascular therapy were evaluated. In addition, interventional procedures were also described. RESULTS: A total of 159 patients underwent angiography, and 154 patients were successfully treated with endovascular therapy, with a technical success rate of 96.9%. Of the 154 patients with successful endovascular therapy, 3 patients died within 30 days of treatment, with a 30-day mortality rate of 1.9%, and the remaining patients were clinically successful, with a clinical success rate of 98.1%. Fifty-seven patients underwent emergency interventional treatment due to ruptured aneurysm. There were statistically significant differences in hemoglobin before and after emergency treatment (78.5 ± 22.0 g/dL vs. 93.8 ± 15.0 g/dL, P = 0.00). No other serious complications occurred except death in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Endovascular treatment of VRRAs is safe and effective and can significantly improve the symptoms of patients, especially those with ruptured aneurysms.

Altered brain network in first-episode, drug-naive patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has been widely used for the assessment of brain functional network, yet with inconsistent results. The present study aimed to investigate intranetwork and internetwork connectivity differences between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls at the integrity, network and edge levels of 8 well-defined resting state networks. METHODS: Thirty patients with MDD and sixty-three healthy control subjects were recruited in this study. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with MDD showed increased node degree in the right amygdala and putamen, increased connectivity strength in the deep gray matter network (DGN) and increased functional connectivity in intranetwork and internetwork. Meanwhile, MDD showed decreased connectivity strength in visual network-DGN pair. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small, and all patients in this study were of Asian ethnicity, especially Han individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that MDD cases and healthy controls may have divergent intranetwork and internetwork connectivity at an early stage without confounding influence of medication. These differences may underlie cognitive and behavioral alterations in patients with MDD. And these differences may help with the discrimination of patients and healthy people at an early stage of MDD. More studies in the future are warranted to assist in the diagnosis of this burdensome disease.