Epidemiological trends for functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A study combining multiple imputation with age adjustment.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the incidence and incidence-based (IB) mortality of functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(F-PNETs), and to identify factors associated with survival times. Methods: Data were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2000 to 2017. Trends in the age-adjusted incidence of F-PNETs and IB mortality were examined using the Joinpoint Regression Program. Statistical analyses were run using chi-square tests, Kaplan-Meier curves, and the Cox proportional hazards model. Multiple imputation was used to deal with missing data. Results: A total of 142 patients with F-PNETs met the study inclusion criteria. It was found that the incidence of F-PNETs decreased over the study period, with an annual percent change (APC) of -2. 5% (95% CI [-4. 3, -0. 5], P<0. 05). This decrease was found to be significant for women, and also when limited to cases with distant disease or rare F-PNETs, with APCs of -4. 2% (95% CI [-7. 4, -0. 9], P<0. 05), -6. 7% (95% CI [-10. 4, -2. 8], P<0. 05), and -9. 1% (95% CI [-13. 5, -4. 4], P<0. 05), respectively. The Cox regression analysis revealed that the tumor size, tumor stage, tumor type, and surgical resection were associated with F-PNETs mortality. Conclusions: This was the first population-based epidemiological study of F-PNETs and we found a continual decrease in the incidence of F-PNETs from 2000 to 2017. The prognosis and survival times were closely related to the calendar year at diagnosis, tumor stage, and tumor size.

Validation of the Prognostic Role for Surgical Treatment in Stage II Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A SEER Population-Based Study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the role of surgical treatment in patients with stage II intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). Methods: Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We divided stage II iCCAs into solitary tumors with vascular invasion (T2sN0M0) and multiple tumors with/without vascular invasion (T2mN0M0) according to the criteria of AJCC v.8. The Kaplan−Meier method and log-rank test were used to evaluate differences in overall survival (OS). We performed two propensity score-matching analyses with (PSM2) or without (PSM1) surgical treatment. Results: 667 and 778 iCCA patients with stage II and IIIB were recruited. After PSM2, there was no survival difference in stage II iCCA patients in hypothetical conditions with similar surgical proportions (p = 0.079). However, OS was significantly worse in patients with T2mN0M0 than T2sN0M0 when the actual surgical proportion existed after PSM1 (p < 0.001). OS was similar between T2mN0M0 and IIIB regardless of whether PSM1 (p = 0.907) or PSM2 (p = 0.699) was performed. The surgical treatment was verified to associate with prognosis. Conclusions: The survival benefit by surgical treatment was existed in Stage II but not in Stage IIIB iCCA patients. The OS for T2mN0M0 will approach that of T2sN0M0 if the surgical proportion is gradually increased.

Effects of node restriction on cadmium accumulation in eight Chinese wheat (Triticum turgidum) cultivars.

Minimization of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in wheat is an effective method to prevent Cd-related health risks to humans. To understand the underlying mechanisms of restricting Cd transport, the role of nodes in Cd restriction was studied in eight Chinese wheat cultivars. The Cd accumulation differed significantly among the cultivars. The grain Cd concentrations were mainly dependent on the Cd concentrations in the roots and shoots. The Cd transport in the shoots controlled the wheat grain Cd accumulations. Nodes in the wheat stem have distinct functions in the transfer, distribution, and restriction of Cd. The node connected to the panicle showed the lowest translocation factors. The area of the vascular bundles, especially the diffuse vascular bundles, in the junctional node with the flag leaf was the key factor in restricting Cd transfer to the wheat grain. There was a significant relation between these areas and the grain Cd concentrations. The conclusion of this study is that screening or breeding cultivars with low Cd concentrations in the roots or with smaller areas of diffuse vascular bundles in the junctional nodes with the flag leaf is an effective strategy to decrease Cd concentration in wheat grains.

Greenhouse gas emissions from synthetic nitrogen manufacture and fertilization for main upland crops in China.

BACKGROUND: A significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comes from the manufacture of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers consumed in crop production processes. And the application of synthetic N fertilizers is recognized as the most important factor contributing to direct N2O emissions from agricultural soils. Based on statistical data and relevant literature, the GHG emissions associated with synthetic N manufacture and fertilization for wheat and maize in different provinces and agricultural regions of China were quantitatively evaluated in the present study. RESULTS: During the 2015-2017 period, the average application rates of synthetic N for wheat and maize in upland fields of China were 222 and 197 kg ha-1, respectively. The total consumption of synthetic N on wheat and maize was 12.63 Mt year-1. At the national scale, the GHG emissions associated with the manufacture of synthetic N fertilizers were estimated to be 41.44 and 59.71 Mt CO2-eq year-1 for wheat and maize in China, respectively. And the direct N2O emissions derived from synthetic N fertilization were estimated to be 35.82 and 69.44 Gg N2O year-1 for wheat and maize, respectively. In the main wheat-cultivating regions of China, area-scaled GHG emissions were higher for Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu and Xinjiang provinces. And for maize, Gansu, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Shannxi and Jiangsu provinces had higher area-scaled GHG emissions. Higher yield-scaled GHG emissions for wheat and maize mainly occured in Yunnan and Gansu provinces. CONCLUSIONS: The manufacture and application of synthetic N fertilizers for wheat and maize in Chinese croplands is an important source of agricultural GHG emissions. The current study could provide a scientific basis for establishing an inventory of upland GHG emissions in China and developing appropriate mitigation strategies.

Effect of microscale ZVI/magnetite on methane production and bioavailability of heavy metals during anaerobic digestion of diluted pig manure.

Low methane production and high levels of heavy metal in pig slurries limit the feasibility of anaerobic digestion of pig manure. In this study, changes in the methane production and bioavailability of heavy metals in the anaerobic digestion of diluted pig manure were evaluated using single and combined action of microscale zero-valence iron (ZVI) and magnetite. After 30 days of anaerobic digestion, the methane yield ranged from 246.9 to 334.5 mL/g VS added, which increased by 20-26% in the group added with microscale ZVI and/or magnetite relative to that in the control group. Results of the first-order kinetic model revealed that addition of microscale ZVI and/or magnetite increased the biogas production potential, rather than the biogas production rate constant. These treatments also changed the distribution of chemical fractions for heavy metal. The addition of ZVI decreased the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in the solid digested residues. Moreover, a better performance was observed in the combined action of microscale ZVI and magnetite, and the ZVI anaerobic corrosion end-product, magnetite, might help enhance methane production through direct interspecies electron transfer in ZVI-anaerobic digestion process.

Sulfur (S)-induced enhancement of iron plaque formation in the rhizosphere reduces arsenic accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings.

The effects of two sulfur (S) sources (SO(4)(2-), S(0)), and three rates of S application (0, 30, 120 mgS/kg) on the formation of iron plaque in the rhizosphere, and on the root surface of rice, and As (arsenic) uptake into rice (Oryza sativa L.) were studied in a combined soil-sand culture experiment. Significant differences in As uptake into rice between +S and -S treatments were observed in relation to S sources, and rates of S application. Concentrations of As in rice shoots decreased with increasing rates of S application. The mechanism could be ascribed to sulfur, induced the formation of iron plaque, since concentrations of Fe in iron plaque on quartz sands in the rhizosphere, and on the root surface of rice increased with increasing rates of S application. The results suggest that sulfur fertilization may be important for the development approaches to reducing As accumulation in rice.