Rituximab with high-dose methotrexate is effective and cost-effective in newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Induction chemotherapy based on high-dose methotrexate is considered as the standard approach for newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs). However, the best combination chemotherapeutic regimen remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and toxicities of rituximab with methotrexate (R-M regimen). Consecutive 37 Chinese patients receiving R-M regimen as induction chemotherapy were retrospectively identified from January 2015 to June 2020 from our center in eastern China. Fourteen patients receiving rituximab plus methotrexate with cytarabine (R-MA regimen) at the same period were identified as the positive control group. The response rates, survival, toxicities, length of hospital stay (LOS), and cost were compared. Compared with the R-MA regimen, the R-M regimen showed comparable response rate and survival outcomes, but had fewer grade 3-4 hematological toxicities, shorter LOS, lower mean total hospitalization cost and lower mean total antibiotic cost. Complete remission at the end of induction chemotherapy and ECOG > 3 were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. In conclusion, R-M regimen is an effective and cost-effective combination treatment for PCNSLs, which warrants further evaluation in randomized trials.

Assessment of the environmental changes in arid and semiarid mining areas using long time-series Landsat images.

Coal mining provides energy to support the development of society. However, mining affects the environment. Thus, substantial attention has been placed on environmental change in mining areas. Research assessing the environmental change in arid and semiarid mining areas has mainly been conducted by analyzing the variation in a single factor. However, the impact of coal mining on the environment is manifold, and there is no comprehensive assessment method. In this paper, we used a remote sensing index referred to as the comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) to comprehensively assess the environmental changes in arid and semiarid mining areas. The CEI in this study was calculated by integrating the changes in vegetation coverage (VC), land surface temperature (LST), and soil moisture (SM) using long time-series Landsat images. The Shendong mining area located in Northwest China was the study area. The results indicate that the environment of the Shendong mining area improved overall from 2000 to 2018. Environmentally degraded areas accounted for approximately 7.59% of the mining area and were concentrated in areas damaged by coal mining.