Can low-dose intravenous bevacizumab be as effective as high-dose bevacizumab for cerebral radiation necrosis?

Although intravenous bevacizumab (IVBEV) is the most promising treatment for cerebral radiation necrosis (CRN), there is no conclusion on the optimal dosage. Our retrospective study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose with low-dose IVBEV in treating CRN associated with radiotherapy for brain metastases (BMs). This paper describes 75 patients who were diagnosed with CRN secondary to radiotherapy for BMs, treated with low-dose or high-dose IVBEV and followed up for a minimum of 6 months. The clinical data collected for this study include changes in brain MRI, clinical symptoms, and corticosteroid usage before, during, and after IVBEV treatment. At the 3-month mark following administration of IVBEV, a comparison of two groups revealed that the median percentage decreases in CRN volume on T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and T1-weighted gadolinium contrast-enhanced image (T1CE), as well as the signal ratio reduction on T1CE, were 65.8% versus 64.8% (p = 0.860), 41.2% versus 51.9% (p = 0.396), and 37.4% versus 35.1% (p = 0.271), respectively. Similarly, at 6 months post-IVBEV, the median percentage reductions of the aforementioned parameters were 59.5% versus 62.0% (p = 0.757), 39.1% versus 31.3% (p = 0.851), and 35.4% versus 28.2% (p = 0.083), respectively. Notably, the incidence of grade ≥3 adverse events was higher in the high-dose group (n = 4, 9.8%) than in the low-dose group (n = 0). Among patients with CRN secondary to radiotherapy for BMs, the administration of high-dose IVBEV did not demonstrate superiority over low-dose IVBEV. Moreover, the use of high-dose IVBEV was associated with a higher incidence of grade ≥3 adverse events compared with low-dose IVBEV.

Comparing storage battery and solar cell in assisting Eucalyptus Globulus to phytoremediate soil polluted by Cd, Pb, and Cu.

Metal decontamination and leaching alleviation capacity of Eucalyptus globulus with and without electric field were investigated using ICP-MS. The biomass production of the chosen plant increased from 0.87 kg in planting control without electrokinetic treatment to 1.16 and 1.42 kg in experiments with electric field supplied by storage battery and solar cell, respectively. Under the influence of electric field with a voltage of 6.5 V, significantly more Cd, Pb and Cu were extracted by the species. Precipitation simulation was performed to evaluate the capacity of battery and solar panel to intercept leaching. The total volume of leachate gathered from the control decreased from 1012 mL to 299 and 336 mL in containers treated by storage battery and solar cell, respectively. In addition to reduction of leachate, the leaching mass of Cd, Pb and Cu was decreased significantly by electric fields (both battery and solar cell) treatments. The effect of remediation and environmental risk alleviation by solar cell was comparable with storage battery, at least during the 30-day experimental period. On the basis of the present study, solar cell should be a suitable substitute for conventional power supply to improve metal polluted soil when considering phytoremediation efficiency and energy consumption.

A real scale phytoremediation of multi-metal contaminated e-waste recycling site with Eucalyptus globulus assisted by electrical fields.

The combined utilization of direct or alternating electric fields and phytoremediation was designed to decontaminate multi-metal polluted soil at a field scale e-waste recycling impacted site. Eucalyptus globulus was chosen for metal purification for its resilient and unpalatable nature. Biomass production, metal concentration and water use efficiency of the species under direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) fields with various voltages were investigated. DC and AC fields stimulated the growth of the plant, except for DC field with high voltage (10 V). Metal concentrations increased in plant tissues under the influence of AC or DC fields irrespective of voltages. DC fields elevated the root and shoot metal contents of plants in equal proportions and AC fields tended to migrate metals from roots to the aboveground parts of the species. Compared to the control, soil moisture of various soil layers at the planted site was significantly lower and subsequently leading to the decrease of metal leaching. In soil profile metal distributes differently between DC and AC treatments. Compared to AC field, more metals tended to accumulate in soil surface under the influence of DC fields due to the stable converse gravitational pathway of metals. Considering decontamination efficiency, leaching interception and energy consumption, DC field with moderate voltage was a suitable candidate for real scale multi-metal polluted soil phytoremediation.