Prognostic value of fibroblast activation protein expressing tumor volume calculated from [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of semiquantitative parameters derived from [68 Ga]Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) PET/CT for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients from a prospective parent study (NCT04416165). A total of 45 patients with locally advanced ESCC who underwent [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI from December 2019 to March 2021 were included. The maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), gross tumor volume (GTV), and total lesion-FAPI (TL-FAPI) of the primary tumor were calculated from the corresponding PET/CT image. Unpaired parameters were compared using Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Paired parameters were compared using the paired t test or the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to calculate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates, and Cox regression analysis was performed to determine which PET/CT parameters were prognostic factors for PFS and/or OS. RESULTS: Thirty-four of the 45 patients met the criteria, and the median follow-up time was 24 months (16-29 months). SUVmax-FAPI, GTVFAPI, and TL-FAPI in patients with stage T4 tumors were significantly higher than those in patients with stage T2/T3 tumors (all P < 0.01). In the univariate Cox regression analysis, T stage, N stage, GTVFAPI, and TL-FAPI were associated with PFS, and T stage, GTVFAPI, and TL-FAPI were associated with OS. Upon multivariable analysis, GTVFAPI was an independent prognostic factor for both PFS (hazard ratio (HR), 5.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.13-15.57, P = 0.001) and OS (HR, 4.96; 95% CI, 2.55-18.79, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: This pilot study revealed that [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT may have prognostic value for patients with ESCC treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. It may aid in personalized patient management by steering treatment modifications before therapy. Prospective studies with larger samples and longer observation periods are needed.

A coarse-grained study on mechanical behaviors of diamond-like carbon based on machine learning.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have broad application potential due to their high hardness, high wear resistance, and self-lubricating properties. However, considering that DLC films are micron-scale, neither finite element methods nor macroscopic experiments can reveal their deformation and failure mechanisms. Here we propose a coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) approach which expands the capabilities of molecular dynamics simulations to uniaxial tensile behavior of DLC films at a higher scale. The Tersoff potential is modified by high-throughput screening calculations for CGMD. Given this circumstance, machine learning (ML) models are employed to reduce the high-throughput computational cost by 86%, greatly improving the efficiency of parameter optimization in second- and fourth-order CGMD. The final obtained coarse-grained tensile curves fit well with that of the all-atom curves, showing that the ML-based CGMD method can investigate DLC films at higher scales while saving a large number of computational resources, which is important for promoting the research and production of high-performance DLC films.

Residual plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA after intensity-modulated radiation therapy is associated with poor outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Aim: To investigate the effects of residual plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels after 3 months of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) (postIMRT-EBV DNA) on prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Data from 300 patients were retrospectively collected for analysis. Results: Of these patients, 25 (8.3%) and 275 (91.7%) had positive and negative postIMRT-EBV DNA, respectively. Multivariate survival analysis showed that EBV DNA >688 IU/ml was independently associated with inferior distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.003) and progression-free survival (p = 0.002). Moreover, postIMRT-EBV DNA was independently associated with inferior locoregional recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio: 4.325; p = 0.018), distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio: 10.226; p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (hazard ratio: 10.520; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Positive postIMRT-EBV DNA is a prognostic biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Exosomes Derived from Adipose Stem Cells Enhance Bone Fracture Healing via the Activation of the Wnt3a/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Rats with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Nonunion and delayed union are common complications of diabetes mellitus that pose a serious health threat to people. There are many approaches that have been used to improve bone fracture healing. Recently, exosomes have been regarded as promising medical biomaterials for improving fracture healing. However, whether exosomes derived from adipose stem cells can promote bone fracture healing in diabetes mellitus remains unclear. In this study, adipose stem cells (ASCs) and exosomes derived from adipose stem cells (ASCs-exos) are isolated and identified. Additionally, we evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of ASCs-exos on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and bone repair and the regeneration in a rat model of nonunion via Western blotting, immunofluorescence assay, ALP staining, alizarin red staining, radiographic examination and histological analysis. Compared with controls, ASCs-exos promoted BMSC osteogenic differentiation. Additionally, the results of Western blotting, radiographic examination and histological analysis show that ASCs-exos improve the ability for fracture repair in the rat model of nonunion bone fracture healing. Moreover, our results further proved that ASCs-exos play a role in activating the Wnt3a/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which facilitates the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. All these results show that ASCs-exos enhance the osteogenic potential of BMSCs by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, and also facilitate the ability for bone repair and regeneration in vivo, which provides a novel direction for fracture nonunion in diabetes mellitus treatment.

Dynamically monitoring lymphatic and vascular systems in physiological and pathological conditions of a swine model via a portable NIR-II imaging system with ICG.

Objective: NIR-II imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) has been clinically used in liver tumor resection. However, few data are available concerning the application of ICG-NIR-II in lymphatic and vascular systems in clinic. To expand the application and promote the clinical translation of this approach, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of ICG-NIR-II imaging for monitoring both lymphatic and vascular systems in physiological and pathological conditions using a swine model and compared it to ICG-NIR-I imaging. Methods: we constructed a portable NIR-II imaging system suitable for large animals. Different simulated clinical scenarios in lymphatic and vascular systems of pigs, including lymphatic drainage, lymphorrhea, lymphatic obstruction, lymphatic reconstruction in flaps, venous thrombus formation and vascular anastomosis were modeled to evaluate the reliability of our NIR-II imaging system and the imaging quality of ICG in the NIR-I/II window. Results: Under different simulated clinical scenarios, our portable NIR-II imaging system showed good reliability for pigs. With the help of the portable imaging system, dynamical visualization of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and blood vessels of pigs in different clinical scenarios could be achieved in NIR-II imaging by using the tail fluorescence of ICG. Moreover, ICG-NIR-II imaging has lower background fluorescence and higher resolution than ICG-NIR-I imaging. Conclusions: We demonstrated the first application of a portable NIR-II imaging system for dynamically monitoring both lymphatic and vascular systems in physiological and pathological conditions using a swine model. Our study indicates that ICG-NIR-II imaging be a promising approach for the diagnosis of malfunctions in lymphatic and vascular systems and the surgical navigation of microsurgery and reconstructive surgery.

Analysis of retinal microvasculature features in amblyopic eyes: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate retinal vessel density (VD) in amblyopic patients using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for published articles comparing retinal microvasculature characteristics in patients with amblyopia and controls. Continuous variable outcomes were assessed using the mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval. Review Manager Version 5.30 was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen qualified articles were pooled in this meta-analysis. Compared with controls, the foveal whole enface VD of superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) of patients as measured by 3×3-mm scans were significantly lower in amblyopia eyes (MD: -1.37, P = 0.0003; MD: 1.70, P < 0.00001, respectively). Similarly, in the 6×6-mm scans, foveal whole enface VD of the SCP and DCP were remarkably lower in amblyopia eyes than in controls (MD: -2.24, P = 0.03; MD: -5.08, P = 0.04, respectively). The parafoveal VD of SCP in 3×3-mm scans (MD: -1.96, P < 0.00001) was also lower in amblyopic patients than in controls. Similarly, in 6×6-mm scans, amblyopia eyes showed a significant decrease, and a trending decrease in the parafoveal VD of the SCP (MD: -3.85, P = 0.007) and DCP (MD: -3.03, P = 0.10), respectively. For whole radial peripapillary capillary (RPC), VD was significantly reduced in amblyopic patients compared to controls (MD = -0.83, P < 0.00001). In addition, the deep foveal avascular zone (FAZ) was larger in amblyopic eyes than in the controls (MD = 0.55, P= 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that whole foveal and parafoveal VD and RPC whole VD were reduced in patients with amblyopia. Moreover, our results reveal that the FAZ is larger in amblyopic patients. Consequently, OCTA may have the potential for diagnosing and monitoring patients with amblyopia.

A study of dry eye after cataract surgery in MGD patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery in MGD patients and their relationships METHODS: The study included 115 patients (115 eyes) with age-related cataract that underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery, and the patients were divided into two groups according to the MGD diagnostic criteria: group A (MGD group) and group B (control group). Schirmer I test (ST-I), tear breakup time (TBUT), and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) were performed preoperatively and at 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 30 days postoperatively. We also measured eyelid meibomian gland morphology, meibomian gland expression, and meibum character scores before and after the cataract surgery. RESULTS: Postoperatively, in group A, TBUT decreased and CFS scores increased significantly. ST-I increased in the early postoperative course but decreased later. The eyelid margin morphology scores and meibomian gland expression scores of group A significantly increased after the cataract operation. Thus, patients with MGD may have a greater chance of developing the dry eye disease after cataract surgery. Cataract surgery may aggravate the signs of MGD, and the severity of MGD may positively correlate with TBUT, CFS, and corneal lesions after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of dry eye after cataract surgery in patients with MGD are different from common cataract patients, changes in the early postoperative phase to the ocular surface were caused by surgical factors, and the damages to epithelial function in the later postoperative phase were mainly associated with the inflammation of the meibomian gland and eyelid.

Decrease of MiR-31 induced by TNF-α inhibitor activates SATB2/RUNX2 pathway and promotes osteogenic differentiation in ethanol-induced osteonecrosis.

PURPOSE: Suppressed osteogenic differentiation is considered a main cause of ethanol-induced osteonecrosis. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and miR-31 have been reported to be involved in the osteogenic induction. This study aimed to explore a possible molecular mechanism regulating osteogenic differentiation in ethanol-induced osteonecrosis bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSCs). METHODS: Alizarin red staining was used to examine the level of mineralization in osteogenic differentiation process. Alkaline phosphatase assay was applied to the validation of ALP level which was essential to bone mineralization. The level of osteogenesis markers was determined by western blot assay, whereas the fluctuations of messenger RNA levels were tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Microarray analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes, because the possible target relationship was predicted and validated by miRBase and luciferase reporter assay, respectively. Colony forming unit of fibroblast assay was used to observe the proliferation of BMSCs. RESULTS: BMSCs from patients with ethanol-induced osteonecrosis exhibited weaker osteogenic differentiation and proliferation abilities. TNF-α inhibitor added in the osteogenic medium significantly enhanced the osteogenic differentiation ability and BMSCs proliferation ability. TNF-α by regulating miR-31 downregulated the expressions of RUNX2 and SATB2, two contributors of osteoblast differentiation, further suppressed osteogenic differentiation. On the contrary, TNF-α inhibitor could promote osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs from patients with ethanol-induced osteonecrosis. CONCLUSION: TNF-α inhibitor could downregulate miR-31 expressions, which directly promoted SATB2 and RUNX2 expressions and enhanced osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs from patients with ethanol-induced osteonecrosis.

LncRNA-PCAT1 targeting miR-145-5p promotes TLR4-associated osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells.

This study was aimed to explore the differential expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA)-PCAT1, miR-145-5p and TLR4 in osteogenic differentiation via the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling pathway and consequently determine the potential molecular mechanism. The mRNAs and pathways related to the osteogenic differentiation in human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) were analysed by bioinformatics. The MiRanda and TargetScan database were employed to detect the potential binding sites of miRNAs on lncRNAs and mRNAs. The differential expression of lncRNA-PCAT1, miR-145-5p and TLR4 were detected by qRT-PCR. Rrelated protein expression was analysed by Western blot. The targeted relationships between lncRNA-PCAT1, miR-145-5p and TLR4 were verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and ARS staining assays were used to measure the impacts exerted by lncRNA PCAT1, miR-145-5p and TLR4 mRNA on osteogenic differentiation. After the induction of osteoblast differentiation, the expression of lncRNA-PCAT1 and TLR4 increased, while the expression of miR-145-5p decreased. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the targeted relationship between lncRNA-PCAT1, miR-145-5p, and TLR4. LncRNA-PCAT1 negatively regulated miR-145-5p and positively regulated TLR4. Knockdown of lncRNA-PCAT1 or TLR4 decreased the expression of osteogenic differentiation-related proteins, reduced the ALP and ARS levels and the activity of the TLR signalling pathway. MiR-145-5p could reverse the effects of PCAT1 and TLR4 in hADSCs osteogenic differentiation. LncRNA-PCAT1 negatively regulated miR-145-5p, which promoted TLR4 expression to promote osteogenic differentiation by activating the TLR signalling pathway.

N-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Sheets/Hollow Carbon Spheres Composite for Supercapacitors.

Composite carbon materials with multiple morphologies (such as spheres/sheets and spheres/tubes) that combine the merits of both structures have a wide range of applications in electrochemistry, catalysis, energy storage, and so on. Therefore, the development of an efficient and simple method for preparing carbonaceous composite materials is a research hot spot. On the basis of the inhomogeneity of 3-aminophenol/formaldehyde (3-AF) polymerization spheres, the hollow 3-AF spheres were obtained after the dissolution of the internal 3-AF oligomer. The dispersed 3-AF oligomer was reassembled with silicate oligomers on the hard template of Mg(OH)2 sheets and hollow 3-AF spheres linked by CTAB through electrostatic force. The obtained N-MCS/HCS possessed both sheet and sphere structure, with a high specific surface area and uniform mesoporous distribution. As an electrode material, N-MCS/HCS exhibited a good specific capacity (270 F g-1 at the current density of 1 A g-1) and outstanding cycling life stability (96.3% after 5000 cycles) at a current density of 5 A g-1 and could be used as a new electrode material.

Paclitaxel induces autophagy in gastric cancer BGC823 cells.

This paper explores the connection between paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic agent, and gastric cancer cells. In this experiment, it is demonstrated that paclitaxel triggers autophagy and inhibits proliferation of gastric cancer cells. An 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect cell viability and the IC50 of paclitaxel. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of P62, and to measure the protein expression of autophagy. Immunofluorescence was used to reveal the appearance of punctate structures in the cytoplasm-this ultrastructure associated with autophagy was observed by microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed the formation of double-membrane autophagosomes, a typical structure of autophagy. In conclusion, our research indicates that paclitaxel may influence gastric cancer BGC823 cells by way of inducing autophagy.

Fabrication of Nitrogen-Doped Hollow Mesoporous Spherical Carbon Capsules for Supercapacitors.

A novel "dissolution-capture" method for the fabrication of nitrogen-doped hollow mesoporous spherical carbon capsules (N-HMSCCs) with high capability for supercapacitor is developed. The fabrication process is performed by depositing mesoporous silica on the surface of the polyacrylonitrile nanospheres, followed by a dissolution-capture process occurring in the polyacrylonitrile core and silica shell. The polyacrylonitrile core is dissolved by dimethylformamide treatment to form a hollow cavity. Then, the polyacrylonitrile is captured into the mesochannel of silica. After carbonization and etching of silica, N-HMSCCs with uniform mesopore size are produced. The N-HMSCCs show a high specific capacitance of 206.0 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) in 6.0 M KOH due to its unique hollow nanostructure, high surface area, and nitrogen content. In addition, 92.3% of the capacitance of N-HMSCCs still remains after 3000 cycles at 5 A g(-1). The "dissolution-capture" method should give a useful enlightenment for the design of electrode materials for supercapacitor.

Monitoring angiogenesis in skin autografts using photoacoustic microscopy.

BACKGROUND: Skin autografts have been broadly used to manage the skin and soft tissue defects. It is important for surgeons to assess the vitality of skin autografts via observing the angiogenesis. However, there is lack of reliable approach for giving the quantitative angiogenesis information on the skin autografts. Recently, photoacoustic microscopy imaging has attracted much attention based on its good performance in angiography. METHODS: In this study, we aim to monitor angiogenesis in skin autografts via PAM, and further verify its clinical potential for the early prediction of skin autografts clinical outcome. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that PAM is a feasible, precise, high-resolution, noninvasive technique for the early prediction of necrosis of skin autografts via monitoring the angiogenesis, providing a promising tool for surgeons to use this surgical technology.

A Pilot Study of Anlotinib as a Combination Treatment in Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

AIMS: To investigate the short-term objective response and treatment toxicity of anlotinib as a combination treatment in patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (RM-NPC). METHODS: Patients with RM-NPC who received anlotinib as a combination treatment between March 2021 and July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The efficacy and safety of anlotinib as a combination treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients with RM-NPC were included in this study. Of these patients, 2 (11.8%) had local recurrence, 4 (23.5%) had cervical lymph node recurrence, and 11 (64.9%) had distant failure. The most common metastatic site was the liver (47.1%), followed by the lung (23.5%) and bone (23.5%). Anlotinib was given as first-line treatment in 3 patients (17.6%), second lines treatment in 7 patients (41.2%), and third to six-lines treatment in 7 patients (41.2%). All patients received anlotinib combined with chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. One patient achieved a complete response (5.9%), 7 patients had a partial response (41.2%), 5 patients had stable disease (29.4%), and 4 patients had progressive disease (23.5%). The overall disease control rate and the overall response rate were 76.5% and 47.1%, respectively. The median progression-free survival was 8.1 months, and the median overall survival was not reached. The incidence of grade 3 adverse events was 30%. No unexpected side effects or treatment-related death were observed. CONCLUSION: Anlotinib, as a combination treatment, has a promising antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with RM-NPC. Our results add to the growing evidence that supports the benefits of combining antiangiogenic drugs in RM-NPC. Randomized controlled clinical trials investigating the evaluation of anlotinib are warranted.

Real-time visualization of skeletal muscle necrosis in mice and swine through NIR-II/I fluorescence imaging.

Avulsion often occurs in the limb due to heavy shearing forces which not only damage skeletal muscle but also main vessels, resulting in life-threatening muscle ischemia and necrosis. Defining muscle activity is vital for surgical repair. Currently, the color, capacity of blood, contractibility, and consistency (4C) are the primary principles for evaluating the activities of torn muscles. Based on clinical experiences, this standard turns out to be delayed diagnosis, which is not defined by specific parameters. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence probes emitting within the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) have been widely used for non-invasive optical imaging because the tissue absorption and autofluorescence in the NIR-II region are negligible, thus allowing deeper penetration depths with micrometer-scale spatial resolution in vivo. As pathogenesis and development of muscle necrosis, necrosis-related protein may participate in this procedure. There is promising future for NIR-II to be used in evaluating muscle activity in avulsion. A new approach is developed based on experiments with mice and large animals (swine). Myoblasts were incubated with indocyanine green (ICG) to identify the necrosis muscles. The model of extremity damaged muscle was established for the real-time visualization and detection of developed necrosis muscle field under new equipment, both in balb/c mice (female) and long-haired swines. A visible NIR-II/I imaging system was first used in a large animal injured skeletal muscle-related model. Our NIR-II/I imaging system is suitable for evaluating the normal and injured skeletal muscle ICG cycle and pointing to the necrotic skeletal muscle tissue. NIR-II imaging is superior to NIR-I imaging in estimating skeletal muscle, best with 1100 nm filter. NIR-II fluorescence with 1100 nm filter is suitable for analyzing the progress of necrosis muscle tissue, leading to a new approach for intraoperative evaluation.

Multi-crosslinked hydrogel built with hyaluronic acid-tyramine, thiolated glycol chitosan and copper-doped bioglass nanoparticles for expediting wound healing.

The migration of fibroblasts and endothelial cells is a critical determinant of wound-healing outcomes for skin injuries. Here, hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HAT) and thiolated glycol chitosan (TGC) conjugates were combined with copper-doped bioglass (ACuBG) nanoparticles to build a novel type of multi-crosslinked hydrogel for stimulating the migration of cells, and thus, expediting wound healing. The optimally devised HAT/TGC/ACuBG gels had markedly improved strength and stiffness compared to the gels built from either HAT or TGC while showing sufficient elasticity, which contributes to stimulating the migration of fibroblasts. The sustainable release of silicon and copper ions from the gels was found to jointly induce the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The results based on mouse full-thickness skin defects demonstrated that they were able to fully restore the skin defects with formation of complete appendages within two weeks, suggesting their promising potency for use in expediting wound healing.

Metronomic S1 Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Patients with Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and safety of using metronomic S1 adjuvant chemotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patients diagnosed with LANPC between January 2016 and December 2021. All patients were treated with induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without metronomic chemotherapy (MC). Toxicities during MC were recorded. The chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier methods, propensity score matching (PSM), and Cox proportional hazards model were used for statistical analyses. Results: A total of 474 patients were identified, including 64 (13.5%) and 410 (83.5%) patients with or without receiving MC, respectively. Patients who received metronomic S1 had significantly better 3-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (100% vs. 90.9%, p=0.038), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (98.5% vs. 84.1%, p=0.002), disease-free survival (DFS) (98.4% vs. 77.5%, p<0.001), and overall survival (OS) (98.0% vs. 87.7%, p=0.008) compared to those without metronomic S1. The multivariate prognostic analysis revealed that metronomic S1 was identified as an independent prognostic factor associated with better DMFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.074, p=0.010), DFS (HR 0.103, p=0.002) and OS (HR 0.127, P=0.042), but not in LRFS (p=0.071). Similar results were found using PSM. Common adverse events observed in the metronomic S1 group included leukopenia, neutropenia, increased total bilirubin, anorexia, rash/desquamation, and hyperpigmentation. All patients with adverse events were grade 1-2. Conclusion: It is worth conducting a randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of metronomic S1 on survival outcomes and toxicities of LANPC.

Advancing sustainable seawater disinfection: Enhanced inactivation and mechanism of pulsed UV-LEDs irradiation on Tetraselmis sp.

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs), as a novel ultraviolet light source with flexible pulse mode, has gained significant attention for applications in water disinfection and food sterilization. This study investigated the comparative inactivation efficiency of Tetraselmis sp. with continuous and pulsed UV-LEDs irradiation, exploring different wavelengths, duty rates and pulse frequencies. The results reveal a significant enhancement in inactivation efficiency (p < 0.05) under pulsed conditions even at the same UV dose, with inactivation efficiency increasing as duty rate or pulse frequency decreases. The optimal conditions for achieving peak inactivation efficacy are identified as a duty rate of 50% and a pulse frequency of 5 Hz. Within this parameter space, pulsed irradiation leads to a remarkable 1.7-fold increase in inactivation efficiency at UV265 nm and a 1.5-fold increase at UV285 nm compared to continuous irradiation, respectively. Additionally, the disruptive impacts on photosynthetic performance are more pronounced with pulsed irradiation, particularly at the 5 Hz pulse frequency. In shed of these findings, the application of pulsed UV-LEDs irradiation emerges as a promising alternative to the conventional continuous UV disinfection methods in the area of seawater disinfection, offering higher disinfection efficacy and energy consumption.

Additional PD-1 inhibitor improves complete response to induction chemotherapy in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the treatment response and toxicity of the combination of induction chemotherapy (IC) and PD-1 inhibitor in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC). Methods: Patients with stage III-IVA NPC who received IC or IC + PD-1 inhibitor were included. The chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 225 patients were identified, including 193 (85.8%) and 32 (14.2%) who received IC alone and IC + PD-1 inhibitor, respectively. The addition of PD-1 inhibitor to IC significantly improved the tumor response than those treated with IC alone. The complete response (CR), partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease rates of 4.7% vs. 31.3%, 69.4% vs. 62.5%, 24.9% vs. 6.3%, and 1.0% vs. 0% in patients receiving IC alone and IC + PD-1 inhibitor, respectively (P<0.001). The results of the multivariate logistic regression showed that receiving PD-1 inhibitor was an independent predictor influencing the CR rate of patients (odds ratio 9.814, P<0.001). The most common toxicity by using IC and PD-1 inhibitor was hematological toxicity. In terms of non-hematological toxicity, 7 (21.9%) patients experienced thyroid dysfunction and all of them were hyperthyroidism. No grade 5 toxicities were found. In those who received IC and PD-1 inhibitor, the one-year locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 100%, 96.9%, 96.9%, and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: The addition of PD-1 inhibitor to IC has promise as an effective treatment approach for LANPC. More studies are expected to provide further insights into the optimal use of this treatment strategy, paving the way for more personalized and effective treatment options for patients with LANPC.

Addition of nimotuzumab to concurrent chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy improves outcomes of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the survival outcomes and toxicities associated with the addition of nimotuzumab to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) patients who received induction chemotherapy (IC). Methods: Patients with stage III-IVA nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received IC and CCRT between January 2017 and October 2021 were retrospectively included. We aimed to compare the locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) between patients treated with CCRT+nimotuzumab and CCRT alone. Results: We included 411 patients in the analysis. Of these patients, 267 (65.0%) and 144 (35.0%) had CCRT+nimotuzumab and CCRT alone, respectively. Similar LRFS was found between those with and without nimotuzumab (92.9% vs. 92.6%, p = 0.855). The 3-year DMFS was 88.2% and 76.2% in those with and without nimotuzumab (p = 0.002). The 3-year DFS was 83.4% and 70.6% in those with and without nimotuzumab treatment (p = 0.003). The 3-year OS was 92.1% and 81.1% in those with and without nimotuzumab (p = 0.003). The multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the addition of nimotuzumab was independently associated with better DMFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.606, p = 0.049), DFS (HR 0.613, p = 0.028), and OS (HR 0.497, p = 0.019). No significant differences in major toxicities were found between the two treatment arms, including hematologic toxicities, hepatoxicity, nephrotoxicity, gastrointestinal reactions, and mucositis (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: The addition of nimotuzumab to CCRT after IC in LANPC has shown promising results in improving treatment outcomes and acceptable toxicities.