Enhancing the magnetic performance of pyrazine-N-oxide bridged dysprosium chains through controlled variation of ligand coordination modes.

While assembling superparamagnetic units in a controlled manner is crucial for future applications of molecular nanomagnets, optimizing their magnetic properties while achieving directional assembly of these units still remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we demonstrate how the assembly of two dysprosium chain complexes, namely, [Dy2(L)2Cl2(CH3OH)3]n·nCH3OH (1) and [Dy(L)Cl(DMF)]n (2) (H2L = N'-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)pyrazine-N-oxide-carbohydrazide), can be successfully manipulated using an appropriate bridging ligand design. Both complexes contain similar dimeric units bridged by two alkoxido oxygens from an L2- ligand, but extended by its pyrazine-N-oxide group exhibiting two distinct coordination modes, namely, single and double pyrazine-N-oxide bridges, respectively. Magnetic studies reveal that both complexes display typical slow magnetic relaxation under zero direct-current field; however, the anisotropy barrier and the coercive field at 2 K for complex 2 are twice as much as that of 1. A further theoretical study indicates that switching the coordination mode from a single pyrazine-N-oxide bridge to double bridges can enhance both the magnetic anisotropy of dysprosium ions and magnetic coupling within the dimeric cores. The synergistic effect between the magnetic anisotropy of dysprosium ions and magnetic interactions among them directly contributes to the overall better performance of complex 2.

Role of thoracic radiotherapy in extensive stage small cell lung cancer: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of thoracic consolidation radiotherapy in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) in these patients. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library to identify qualified clinical studies. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) were extracted, and toxicity of the TRT group versus non-TRT group was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 936 patients in the TRT group and 1,059 patients in the non-TRT group. The combined results showed that TRT significantly improved OS (HR =0.65; 95% CI: 0.55-0.77, P<0.00001), PFS (HR =0.64; 95% CI: 0.56-0.72, P<0.00001) and LRFS (HR =0.38, 95% CI: 0.26-0.53, P<0.00001). Subgroup analysis showed that OS benefits were observed in patients receiving sequential TRT (HR =0.67; 95% CI: 0.54-0.84, P=0.0006). The addition of TRT significantly improved OS in patients over 65 years of age (HR =0.55; 95% CI: 0.40-0.74, P=0.0001). For patients with only one organ metastasis, there was no significant difference in OS between the two groups (HR =0.61; 95% CI: 0.36-1.01, P=0.06). There was no statistical difference in hematologic toxicity (leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia) and non-hematologic toxicity (nausea or vomiting) between the two groups. The incidence of grade ≥3 esophageal toxicity was 4.6% in the TRT group and 0% in the non-TRT group (P=0.0001). Grade ≥3 bronchopulmonary toxicity was 2.9% in the TRT group and 0.8% in the non-TRT group (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: TRT improves OS, PFS and LRFS in patients with ES-SCLC, with a low increase in esophageal and bronchopulmonary toxicity. More randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are expected to confirm our conclusions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020190575.

Study on the Salivary Microbial Alteration of Men With Head and Neck Cancer and Its Relationship With Symptoms in Southwest China.

This study explored the association between oral microbes and head and neck cancer (HNC) as well as symptoms related to patients with HNC before surgical treatment. Fifty-six patients with HNC and 64 matched healthy controls were recruited from West China hospital in Southwest China. The demographic, clinical, and symptom data were collected. Salivary samples were collected to determine the microbial characteristics using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Patients with HNC presented increased Capnocytophaga abundances. The oral microbial markers as Capnocytophaga (area under the curve=0.81) achieved a high classification power between the HNC patients and healthy controls. Moreover, using Capnocytophaga in conjunction with symptom of voice/speech difficulty achieved an overall predicting accuracy of 92.5% comparing with using Capnocytophaga alone (79.2% accuracy) in distinguishing the HNC patients from healthy controls. Salivary microbial profiles and HNC symptoms may be potential biomarkers for HNC screening.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of stereotactic body radiation therapy combined with gemcitabine plus capecitabine for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, toxicity, and prognostic factors of SBRT combined with gemcitabine plus capecitabine (GEM-CAP) in treating locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). METHODS: A total of 56 patients with LAPC treated with SBRT combined with GEM-CAP were reviewed from October 2010 to October 2016. The median total prescription dose at five fractions was 40 Gy (30-50 Gy). The patients were subjected to two cycles of GEM-CAP before SBRT. GEM-CAP chemotherapy was then offered for four cycles or until disease tolerance or progression. The primary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: The median OS and PFS from the date of diagnosis was 19 (95% CI 14.6-23.4) and 12 months (95% CI 8.34-15.66), respectively. The 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 82.1% and 35.7%, whereas the 1-year and 2-year PFS rates were 48.2% and 14.3%, respectively. The median carbohydrate antigen 19-9-determined PFS time was 11 months (95% CI 5.77-16.24). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, pre-treatment CA19-9 level, and post-treatment CA19-9 decline were independent prognostic factors (p < 0.05). Acute toxicity was minimal, with two cases (3.6%) experiencing grade 3 duodenal obstruction. No adverse events greater than grade 3 occurred. In late toxicity, three patients (5.4%) developed grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity and two (3.6%) suffered from perforation caused by grade 4 radiation enteritis and intestinal fistula. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of Cyberknife SBRT and GEM-CAP achieved excellent efficacy with acceptable toxicity for LAPC.

[Cyberknife stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver metastases from prostate cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and adverse effects of Cyberknife stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on liver metastases from PCa. METHODS: From June 2009 to September 2016, we treated 20 cases of PCa liver metastases by Cyberknife SBRT, at a total dose of 36 (30－50) Gy, on 1－3 liver metastatic lesions, for 3－5 times, with a prescription isodose line of 70－92%. We assessed the therapeutic effect according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), calculated the survival and disease-control rates using the Kaplan-Meier method, and analyzed the adverse events based on the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events－Version 4.0 (CTCAE 4.0). RESULTS: Of all the cases treated, complete response (CR) was found in 8 (40.0%), partial response (PR) in 9 (45.0%), stable disease (SD) in 2 (10.0%), and progressive disease (PD) in 1 (5.0%), with a local control rate (CR+PR) of 85.0% and a disease-control rate (CR+PR+SD) of 95.0%. Among the 14 patients with elevated PSA, 10 (71.4%) showed a significant decrease after treatment. The median follow-up time was 17 months, the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 85.0% and 15.0%, respectively, and the median survival time of the 20 patients was 16.5 months (95% CI: 12.12－22.88). Cyberknife SBRT was well tolerated in all the patients, with only a few mild adverse events (mainly grades 1 and 2 but no 4 and 5) during the whole course of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Cyberknife SBRT is safe and effective in the treatment of PCa liver metastases, with a high local control rate, and capable of reducing the PSA level and raising the long-term survival rate of the patients.

Elucidation of the two-step relaxation processes of a tetranuclear dysprosium molecular nanomagnet through magnetic dilution.

A new centrosymmetric tetranuclear aggregate [Dy4(L)2(OAc)8(CH3OH)2] (1) was assembled using a unique symmetrical Schiff base ligand 1,5-bis(salicylidene)-carbohydrazide (H2L). Magnetic studies reveal ferromagnetic interactions between dysprosium ions and two obvious relaxation processes under zero dc field with effective energy barriers Ueff of 38 K and 223 K, the highest among the reported tetranuclear dysprosium molecular nanomagnets. To obtain further evidence on the origination of the slow magnetic relaxation, a diamagnetic yttrium analogue [Y4(L)2(OAc)8(CH3OH)2] (2) and a diluted sample [(Dy0.06Y0.94)4(L)2(OAc)8(CH3OH)2] (3) were synthesized. Further magnetic studies on the diluted sample combined with theoretical calculations indicate that the two-step magnetic relaxation processes in complex 1 originate from the single-ion magnetic behaviors of dysprosium ions with different coordination environments.

TGF-ß1 rs1982073 polymorphism contributes to radiation pneumonitis in lung cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

Transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-ß1) polymorphism was associated with radiation pneumonitis (RP) susceptibility, but their results have been inconsistent. The PubMed and CNKI were searched for case-control studies published up to Januray 01, 2016 was Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. In this meta-analysis, we assessed eight publications involving 368 radiation pneumonitis cases and 855 controls of the association between TGF-ß1 T869C (rs1982073) and G915C (rs1800471) polymorphism and RP susceptibility. Our analysis suggested that TGF-ß1 T869C rs1982073 polymorphism was associated with lower RP risk for CT combined CC versus TT model (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.43-0.77). However, for the G915C rs1800471 polymorphism, no association was found between the polymorphism and the susceptibility to RP in GC combined CC versus GG model (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.50-1.35). These results from the meta-analysis suggest that T869C rs1982073 polymorphism of TGF-ß1 may be associated with RP risk, and there may be no association between G915C polymorphism and RP risk.

Effect of chemical and biological factors on the densification of filamentous sludge.

Densification may be an alternative method for controlling sludge bulking; however, little information is available on the method. Various methods including different oxygen concentrations, surface velocities of aeration, calcium concentrations and extended starvation period were employed for triggering densification of filamentous sludge in this study. It was found that high surface velocity of aeration could effectively improve the settleability of filamentous sludge in the short term, which resulted in filamentous granulation, but could not avoid filamentous bulking even after granulation. Increase of calcium concentration could also improve the settleability by forming pigtail filaments colony in the short term, but could not trigger granulation. Extension of starvation period seems effective neither for further densification nor for granulation. Additionally, increased ovality of meshes formed by filaments was frequently associated with a dense structure of filamentous sludge. It was suggested that pigtail type of filamentous colony that thus increased the resistance to elevated shear force may encourage the densification of sludge, and two kind of densification growth patterns, i.e., granular or cluster growth pattern of filamentous sludge, were identified.

[Physicochemical characteristics of granules with different size in a granular sludge system for phosphorus removal].

Aerobic granular sludge that could simultaneously remove nitrogen and phosphorus was cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Three groups were divided using 100-, 60- and 40- mesh sieves resulting the size ranges were 150-280 microm, 280-450 microm and > 450 microm, respectively, and the physicochemical properties of different groups were analyzed. Results showed that during the initial period of granulation (7 - 18 d), the compact granules could provide the anaerobic niche for the substrate the competition between GAOs and PAOs; and the compact granules was favorable for the enrichment and growth of PAOs, resulting in different phosphorous fractions in different size of granules: granules with the size of 280 - 450 microm exhibited the highest content of organic phosphorous faction, i.e., 113.25 mg x g(-1). In contrast, these granules showed the lowest content of inorganic phosphorous fraction, i.e., 15.55 mg x g(-1). In a later period, the content of organic phosphorous fraction in granules was similar after 34 d about 50 mg x g(-1), and the inorganic phosphorous fraction became similar after 52 d was 70 mg x g(-1), and the total organic phosphorous fraction of sludge in the reactor were higher than those in the solids effluent. The phosphorous fraction in different size granules was affected by the sludge retention time. The total phosphorous accounted for 11% of total weight of sludge, and the inorganic phosphorous accounted 4.24%. Additionally, the settling velocity, specific weight of bigger granules were higher than the smaller one, and these values were well correlated with total phosphorous. Concerning on denitrification, bigger and smaller granules showed high denitrification efficiency, and the gradient of NO3(-) -N between inside of granules and bulk solution was an important factor for denitrification rate.

[Index of stability and its mechanisms of aerobic granular system using volume-based information entropy].

Autotrophic nitrification granular sludge was cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), the information entropy of volume distribution decreased from 2.05 (27 d, granules were firstly observed) to 1.85 (95 d) during granulation period. And the driving force for the decrease of information entropy could be ascribed to the washing out of flocs by means of the hydraulic selection pressure. After the granules formation stage finished, the median settling velocity of the granules system was 6.27 m x h(-1) and the information entropy of volume distribution would not be controlled by the settling velocity selection pressure (6 m x h(-1)). It was found that the size, settling velocity and the volume-based information entropy periodically changed. The mean, minimum and maximum of information entropy were 2.16, 1.79 and 2.63, respectively, during the period from 122 d to 579 d. The mean size varied by the pattern of increase and decrease periodically. The driving force for the fluctuation of the information entropy was the smashing of the larger granular and the volume fragmentation growth, and the volume distribution of the information entropy could well indicate the stability of granular sludge systems.

[Effect of size and number of aerobic granules on nitrification and denitrification].

Based on experimental results, a one dimension dynamic model was developed for describing the growth, maintenance and decay processes of microbes using multi substances, and consequently, the effect of size and number of aerobic granules on nitrification and denitrification were investigated. It was found that the consuming of ammonia nitrogen increased with the larger number of granules given the same biomass amount, indicating that the consumption of ammonia was dependent on the surface area of granules. The resulting amount of NO2(-) -N and NO3(-) -N was dependent not only on the amount but also on the diameter of granules, and the effect of the diameter became negligible only when the ammonia concentration was very low, suggesting the penetration depth of oxygen determines the production of NO2(-) -N and NO3(-) -N. Regarding on denitrification, for those granules with the diameter more than 1 000 microm, the denitrification increased with the increase of diameter, however, for those ones less than 1 000 microm the effect of diameter became negligible, indicating that the limitation of oxygen diffusion in granules of big granules more than 1 000 microm could help the process of denitrification.

[Investigation on enhanced conditions for the densification of filamentous sludge].

A new approach was investigated for controlling sludge bulking by using enhanced conditions for densification of filamentous sludge. Several methods, including elevated dissolved oxygen, increased superficial velocity, elevated calcium concentration, extended starvation time, have been employed to reveal when and how filamentous sludge could be denser in terms of settleability. It showed that increased superficial velocity improved the settleability and event triggered filamentous granulation in a short term, i. e., sludge volumetric index (SVI) decreased from 800 mL/g to 350 mL/g, and it became less effective in a long term, as the SVI increased to approximately 800 mL/g after a short period of stable operation. Elevated calcium concentration also improved the settleability by clustering the mycelium of filamentous microorganisms, and then SVI decreased to 300 mL/g gradually, but no granulation was observed. However, negligible changes were observed by elevated dissolved oxygen or extended starvation time, as the decrease of SVI value could not be significantly observed. Additionally, relationship between ovality of filamentous mesh and sludge volumetric index was also examined. It was found that the clustered growth that brought about high ovality (approximately 1.5) could improve the settleability. Additionally, acidic condition may damage the mycelium aggregation, and alkaline condition and divalent cation concentration were insignificant for mycelium aggregation.