Baseline C-reactive protein predicts efficacy of the first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors plus chemotherapy in advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective, multicenter study.

AIMS: To investigate the predictive value of baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels on the efficacy of chemotherapy plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study spanning from January 2016 to December 2020, advanced LSCC patients initially treated with chemotherapy or a combination of chemotherapy and ICI were categorized into normal and elevated CRP subgroups. The relationship between CRP levels and treatment outcomes was analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and multivariate logistic regression, focusing primarily on the progression-free survival (PFS) endpoint, and secondarily on overall survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR) endpoints. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method, with the log-rank test used for comparison between groups. RESULTS: Of the 245 patients evaluated, the 105 who received a combination of chemotherapy and ICI with elevated baseline CRP levels exhibited a significant reduction in PFS (median 6.5 months vs. 11.8 months, HR, 1.78; 95% CI: 1.12-2.81; p = 0.013) compared to those with normal CRP levels. Elevated CRP was identified as an independent risk factor for poor PFS through multivariate-adjusted analysis. However, among the 140 patients receiving chemotherapy alone, baseline CRP levels did not significantly influence PFS. Furthermore, within the combination therapy group, there was a notable decrease in the ORR (51% vs. 71%, p = 0.035), coupled with a significantly shorter OS (median 20.9 months vs. 31.5 months, HR, 2.24; 95% CI: 1.13-4.44; p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: In patients with advanced LSCC, elevated baseline CRP levels were identified as an independent predictive factor for the efficacy of combination therapy with chemotherapy and ICI, but not in chemotherapy alone. This suggests that CRP may be a valuable biomarker for guiding treatment strategies.

Two-dimensional heterojunction layered graphene oxide/graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst for removal of toxic environmental dye methylene blue.

The direct thermal polymerization techniques were applied to prepare the graphene oxide (GO)-graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) hybrid structure. The prepared hybrid heterojunction GO-gCN nanosheets were utilized as a photocatalyst to remove model pollutants methylene blue (MB) dye. The basic physio-chemical properties of GO-gCN layered materials have been analyzed by various characterization techniques. In addition, the proposed materials have a higher photocatalytic ability toward the degradation of aqueous solution of MB dye under visible light irradiation within a short treatment time. This is because it's the synergistic effects of GO-gCN layer-by-layer structures produced by π─π stacking with charge-transfer interactions. The gCN with GO composite can able to enhance the charge transfer and light-harvesting properties. Under the influence of photocatalyst, the surface of Graphene oxide undergoes the separation and combination of carbonyl radicals, hydroxyl radicals, epoxy radicals, and electron-hole pairs. This enhances the absorption of visible light and improves the degradation of MB, when GO is incorporated into gCN. The removal efficiency of MB reached up to 82.311% within the short treatment time.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Mg-Sn Thin Films: Role of Mg9Sn5 Phase and One-Dimensional Electronic Structure.

Mg-Sn alloy thin films have garnered significant attention for their outstanding thermoelectric (TE) properties and cost-effective elemental composition, making them potential candidates for wearable energy harvesting devices. While previous studies have explored the properties of these thin films, limited research has been conducted to identify physical factors that can further enhance their performance. In this study, we present a novel approach utilizing a convenient electron beam coevaporation technique to fabricate Mg-Sn alloy thin films. Experimental results revealed that controlling the tin content in the Mg-Sn thin films at 38.9% led to the formation of a mixed-phase structure, comprising Mg2Sn and Mg9Sn5. This dual-phase structure exhibited a notable advantage in enhancing the TE performance. The presence of the Mg9Sn5 phase significantly increased the carrier concentration, while maintaining the original Seebeck coefficient and mobility, thereby improving the conductivity of Mg2Sn. Theoretical calculations indicated that the Mg9Sn5 phase displayed 1D-like characteristics, leading to a highly effective valley degeneracy and consequently a high power factor. Overall, this work introduces a promising approach to fabricate high-performance Mg-Sn alloy thin films through electron beam coevaporation, opening up possibilities for their application in wearable energy harvesting devices.

Pretreatment pulmonary tumor necrosis is a promising prognostic imaging biomarker for first-line anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma: a multi-institutional, propensity score-matching cohort analysis.

Background: Tumor necrosis (TN) is a common feature in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), which could provide useful predictive and prognostic information. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of pretreatment pulmonary TN (PTN) on the prognosis of first-line anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor in advanced LSCC. Design: We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the association between the presence of PTN and clinical outcomes in advanced LSCC patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Methods: Data from 240 eligible patients were collected from 27 hospitals across China between 2016 and 2020. The presence of PTN was assessed using contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) imaging at baseline. We utilized the Cox proportional-hazards regression model to analyze the association between PTN and clinical outcomes. In addition, to account for potential confounding factors and ensure comparability between groups, we employed propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis. Results: In the overall patient cohort, the presence of PTN was 39.6%. The median follow-up duration was 20.3 months. The positive PTN group exhibited a notably inferior median progression-free survival (PFS; 6.5 months vs 8.6 months, p = 0.012) compared to the negative PTN group. Within the Cox proportional-hazards regression model, PTN emerged as an independent predictor of unfavorable PFS (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.354, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-1.830, p = 0.049). After PSM, the median PFS for the positive PTN group (6.5 months vs 8.0 months, p = 0.027) remained worse than that of the negative PTN group. Multivariate analyses also further underscored that the presence of PTN independently posed a risk for shorter PFS (HR = 1.494, 95% CI: 1.056-2.112, p = 0.023). However, no statistically significant difference in overall survival was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the presence of PTN on baseline contrast-enhanced chest CT is a potential negative prognostic imaging biomarker for the outcome of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy in advanced LSCC. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Predicting anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment outcomes: pulmonary tumor necrosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma Our study focused on lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients receiving first-line anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. We explored the impact of a feature called pretreatment pulmonary tumor necrosis (PTN) on their prognosis. PTN was identified in 39.6% of patients using baseline chest CT scans. Results revealed that patients with PTN had a shorter time without disease progression (median PFS of 6.5 months compared to 8.6 months) and a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. This suggests that PTN may serve as a negative prognostic imaging marker for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in advanced LSCC. Further research is needed to confirm and understand these findings better.