Effects of polypropylene microplastics on carbon dioxide dynamics in intertidal mangrove sediments.

Microplastics (MPs) in soil can influence CO2 dynamics by altering organic carbon (OC) and microbial composition. Nevertheless, the fluctuation of CO2 response attributed to MPs in mangrove sediments is unclear. This study explores the impact of micro-sized polypropylene (mPP) particles on the carbon dynamics of intertidal mangrove sediments. In the high-tide level sediment, after 28 days, the cumulative CO2 levels for varying mPP dosages were as follows: 496.86 ± 2.07, 430.38 ± 3.84 and 447.09 ± 1.72 mg kg-1 for 0.1%, 1% and 10% (w/w) mPP, respectively. The CO2 emissions were found to be increased with a 0.1% (w/w) mPP level and decreased with 1% and 10% (w/w) mPP at high-tide level sediment, suggesting a tide level-specific dose dependence of the CO2 emission pattern in mangrove sediments. Overall, results indicated that the presence of mPP in mangrove sediments would potentially affect intertidal total CO2 storage under given experimental conditions.

Aging of biodegradable blended plastic generates microplastics and attached bacterial communities in air and aqueous environments.

The use of biodegradable plastics (BPs) has been widely promoted in recent years, but before their complete degradation, the phase of microplastics (MPs) is inevitable. However, little information concerning the production of MPs from blended polymers is available. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of MPs produced from blended plastics and the development of biofilms on plastic surfaces under long-term aging. Here, three blended materials (i.e., PBAT (53%)+PLA (10%)+Starch (20%), PBAT (80%)+Starch (20%), HDPE (60%)+CaCO3 (40%)) were aged for 90 days in air, deionized (DI) water and seawater. The results showed massive production of MPs (9653 ± 3920-20,348 ± 5857 items/g) from blended plastics accompanied by a large quantity of flocculent substances during 90 days aging period. Furthermore, the richness of bacteria communities on hydrophobic plastics (i.e., PBAT (53%)+PLA (10%)+Starch (20%), PBAT (80%)+Starch (20%)) was higher than hydrophilic plastics (i.e., HDPE (60%)+CaCO3 (40%)), and bacterial communities attached to blended plastics exhibited significantly variation with aging times. Overall, promoting the marketable application of blended plastics is risky if their environmental behavior is not effectively addressed.

[CEOP regimen in the treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyse the efficacy and toxicity of CEOP regimen in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: From January 1995 to December 2000, 121 patients with NHL were treated by CEOP regimen with or without radiotherapy for the involved field. The clinical characteristics, response, toxicity and long-term survival results were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of these 121 patients, 83 (68.6%) had B-cell NHL and 38(31.4%) peripheral T or NK-cell NHL; 55. 4% (67/121) had early disease (stage I or II), and 89.3% (108/121) had IPI score 0-2. The median age was 53 years (range: 7-79 yr). All patients were treated by CEOP regimen (totally, 471 cycles) with or without radiotherapy. The overall response (OR) rate in this series was 90.9% (110/121) with a complete remission (CR) rate of 71.9% (87/121); whereas the response rate of chemotherapy alone was 88.4% (107/121) with a CR rate of 67.8% (82/121). Major toxicity consisted of grade III-IV myelosuppression (11.9%), neutropenia (1.9%) and thrombocytopenia and anemia (1.1%). Alopecia was observed in 46.3%. However, cardiotoxicity was mild and reversible. Median follow-up duration in this series was 63 months (range: 2-116 months). The overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rate was 84.8%, 62.7% and 55.9%, respectively, with a median survival time of 85 months (2-118 months). CONCLUSION: Our data show that CEOP regimen combined with or without radiotherapy for the involved field is effective and well tolerated by the patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

[Efficacy of rituximab-containing salvage regimens on relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The prognosis of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma is poor, with a short-term survival after conventional second-line chemotherapy. Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 antigen, in combination with CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy may improve both disease-freely survival and overall survival of naive patients, but it's role in the second-line treatment for relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is uncertain. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of rituximab-containing salvage regimens on relapsed or refractory NHL, and observe the toxicities. METHODS: Clinical data of 35 patients with relapsed or refractory NHL, treated in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University, were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 35 patients, 19 were man, and 16 were women, with a median age of 53.5 years (ranged from 21 to 77); for ECOG performance status, 33 (94.3%) scored 0-1; for international prognostic index (IPI), 20 (57.1%) scored 0-1, 7 (20%) scored 2, 4 (11.4%) scored 3, and 4 (11.4%) scored 4-5; 23 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL) accounted for 65.7% among all subtypes. Rituximab (375 mg/m2) was administered intravenously at the day before each chemotherapy cycle. The second-or third-line salvage regimens included EPOCH, CHOP, DHAP, DICE, IVAC, IMVP-16, and FND. RESULTS: Of the 35 patients, 30 received rituximab-combined regimens, and 5 received rituximab alone. A total of 102 cycles of rituximab-containing salvage regimens were administered. The objective response rate of the 32 evaluable cases was 68.8%, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 40.6%; 3 patients achieved CR after radiotherapy following rituximab-based regimens, and 3 achieved CR after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The most frequent adverse events were nausea, leukopenia, and alopecia. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy only elevated the occurrence of mild infusion-related reactions, such as chills, fever, and pruritus. The median follow-up time was 12.5 months (ranged from 3 to 69 months); 2 patients were lost, 10 were died (9 died of lymphoma, and 1 died of severe hepatitis), the other patients remained alive. The median progression-freely survival was 11.8 months (ranged from 3 to 33 months). The overall 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 72.9%, 62.8%, and 62.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rituximab-containing salvage regimens are effective and well tolerated, even in extensively pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL.