Clinical Effectiveness of Drug-Eluting Microsphere Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Combined with First-Line Chemotherapy as the Initial Treatment for Patients with Unresectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the combination of drug-eluting microsphere (DEM) transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with those of chemotherapy in treating unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Materials And Methods: Seventy patients diagnosed with unresectable ICC between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively included in this study. Of these, 39 patients received DEM-TACE and first-line chemotherapy (TACE+Chemo group) and 31 received chemotherapy alone (Chemo group).

Conductive and Eco-friendly Biomaterials-based Hydrogels for Noninvasive Epidermal Sensors: A Review.

As noninvasive wearable electronic devices, epidermal sensors enable continuous, real-time, and remote monitoring of various human physiological parameters. Conductive biomaterials-based hydrogels as sensor matrix materials have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and efficient stimulus response capabilities and are widely applied in motion monitoring, healthcare, and human-machine interaction. However, biomass hydrogel-based epidermal sensing devices still need excellent mechanical properties, prolonged stability, multifunctionality, and extensive practicality.

6-mm shunt transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in patients with severe liver atrophy and variceal bleeding.

Objectives: We proposed a strategy for the creation of a 6-mm transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and to assess its effectiveness compared to a conventional 8-mm shunt for TIPS-induced hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

Methods: Patients were reviewed retrospectively using propensity score matching (1:1) and divided into 6-mm and 8-mm shunt groups based on shunt diameter. The stent patency, HE incidence, and rebleeding rate between the two groups were then compared.

Transarterial Chemoembolization Combined with Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab or Lenvatinib for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Propensity Score Matched Study.

Purpose: Combined transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and Lenvatinib (LEN) treatment (LEN-TACE) has been shown to be beneficial. We aimed to evaluate retrospectively Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev)-TACE compared with LEN-TACE as a first-line therapy for unresectable HCC.

Patients And Methods: From October 2020 to October 2022, data from 98 consecutive HCC patients were analyzed.

Idarubicin versus epirubicin in drug-eluting beads-transarterial chemoembolization for treating hepatocellular carcinoma: A real-world retrospective study.

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of idarubicin-loaded drug-eluting beads-transarterial chemoembolization (IDA-TACE) and epirubicin-loaded drug-eluting beads-TACE (EPI-TACE) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All patients with HCC treated with TACE in our hospital between June 2020 and January 2022 were screened. The included patients were divided into the IDA-TACE group and EPI-TACE group to compare overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events.

Genome-wide association study presents insights into the genetic architecture of drought tolerance in maize seedlings under field water-deficit conditions.

Introduction: Drought stress is one of the most serious abiotic stresses leading to crop yield reduction. Due to the wide range of planting areas, the production of maize is particularly affected by global drought stress. The cultivation of drought-resistant maize varieties can achieve relatively high, stable yield in arid and semi-arid zones and in the erratic rainfall or occasional drought areas.

Isolated Fe-Co heteronuclear diatomic sites as efficient bifunctional catalysts for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

The slow redox kinetics of polysulfides and the difficulties in decomposition of LiS during the charge and discharge processes are two serious obstacles to the practical application of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, we construct the Fe-Co diatomic catalytic materials supported by hollow carbon spheres to achieve high-efficiency catalysis for the conversion of polysulfides and the decomposition of LiS simultaneously. The Fe atom center is beneficial to accelerate the discharge reaction process, and the Co atom center is favorable for charging process.

Effect of Microwave Power and Gas Flow Rate on the Combustion Characteristics of the ADN-based Liquid Propellant.

As a new type of energy-containing material, Ammonium dinitramide based liquid propellant has the advantages of being green, having low toxicity, good stability, and high safety performance. Traditional catalytic combustion methods require preheating of the catalytic bed and deactivation of the catalytic particles at high temperatures, while microwave ignition methods can effectively solve these problems. To study the combustion characteristics of ADN-based liquid propellants during microwave ignition, the influence of microwave power and gas flow rates on the combustion process are analyzed using experimental methods.

Long-term Outcomes of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Who Underwent Microwave Ablation after Downstaging with Transarterial Chemoembolization to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A.

Purpose: To compare the clinical results of microwave ablation (MWA) between patients downstaged to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage A with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and those initially classified as BCLC Stage A.

Materials And Methods: From January 2012 to May 2017, 1,087 patients were reviewed retrospectively using propensity score matching (1:1): 86 patients underwent MWA as a curative treatment after downstaging to BCLC Stage A by TACE (downstaging group) and 86 patients initially classified as BCLC Stage A underwent MWA (control group). The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) between the 2 groups were compared.

[Impact of Land Use Types at Different Scales on Surface Water Environment Quality and Its Driving Mechanism].

As an important carrier of human activities, the spatial type of land use has an important impact on the surface water environment. Taking the Ruoergai wetland as an example, based on object-oriented remote sensing interpretation of land use types combined with water quality examination data, this study analyzed the impact and driving mechanism of land use types at different scales on the surface water environment at the small watershed and buffer scale. ① It was found that the water quality of the Ruoergai wetland could been classified as water grade V, and it was slightly eutrophic as a whole.

Aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of BDE-47 by bacteria isolated from an e-waste-contaminated site and the effect of various additives.

Degradation experiments are conducted to specifically compare the degradation of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) by aerobic and anaerobic strains isolated from real e-waste sites contaminated by BDE-47. The effect of carbon sources, inducers and surfactants on the degradation was examined to strengthen such a comparison. An aerobic strain, B.

High-Index Faceted Nanocrystals as Highly Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Precisely regulating of the surface structure of crystalline materials to improve their catalytic activity for lithium polysulfides is urgently needed for high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, high-index faceted iron oxide (FeO) nanocrystals anchored on reduced graphene oxide are developed as highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts, effectively improving the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. The theoretical and experimental results all indicate that high-index FeO crystal facets with abundant unsaturated coordinated Fe sites not only have strong adsorption capacity to anchor polysulfides but also have high catalytic activity to facilitate the redox transformation of polysulfides and reduce the decomposition energy barrier of LiS.

Extended Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) grade 2c: a potential angiographic target for endovascular treatment in acute basilar artery occlusion?

Background: Higher extended Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) grades are associated with better clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) for proximal intracranial occlusion of the anterior circulation. However, the relationship between eTICI grade and outcomes after EVT in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) remains unclear. We aimed to explore which eTICI category was the cut-off correlating with better clinical outcomes in patients with BAO undergoing EVT.

Impact of anesthetic strategy on outcomes for patients with acute basilar artery occlusion undergoing mechanical thrombectomy.

Background: The best anesthetic management strategy for patients with acute large vessel occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) remains uncertain. Most studies have focused on anterior-circulation stroke caused by large artery occlusion. Nevertheless, limited data are available on the appropriate choice of anesthetic for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO).

Basal-Plane-Activated Molybdenum Sulfide Nanosheets with Suitable Orbital Orientation as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems because of their high theoretical energy density. However, the shuttling behavior and sluggish conversion kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) limit their practical application. Herein, B-doped MoS nanosheets are synthesized on carbon nanotubes (denoted as CNT@MoS-B) to function as catalysts to boost the performance of Li-S batteries.

Efficient Polysulfide Trapping and Conversion on N-Doped CoTe via Enhanced Dual-Anchoring Effect.

Polysulfide shuttling and sluggish sulfur redox kinetics hinder the cyclability and rate capability of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The intrinsic redox kinetics of sulfur cathodes strongly depends on the interaction between catalysts and sulfur species. Herein, N-doped CoTe is proposed as an effective dual-anchoring electrocatalyst, which can simultaneously bind Li and S atoms in lithium polysulfides via ionic Te-Li/N-Li bonding and coordinate covalent Co-S bonding.

Etiology Exploration of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease From Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Perspective: A Cross-Sectional Study.

From the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory perspective, the phlegm-dampness constitution is thought to be closely related to the occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, this viewpoint still lacks rigorous statistical evidence. This study aimed to test the association between the phlegm-dampness constitution and NAFLD.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures: concepts, challenges and opportunities in photo-mediated chemical transformations.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures (PMNs) are characterized by the plasmon oscillation of conduction band electron in response to external radiation, enabling strong light absorption and scattering capacities and near-field amplification. Owing to these enhanced light-matter interactions, PMNs have garnered extensive research interest in the past decades. Notably, a growingly large number of reports show that the energetics and kinetics of chemical transformations on PMNs can be modified upon photoexcitation of their plasmons, giving rise to a new paradigm of manipulating the reaction rate and selectivity of chemical reactions.

Combining Dual-Light Emissions to Achieve Efficient Broadband Yellowish-Green Luminescence in One-Dimensional Hybrid Lead Halides.

In recent years, low-dimensional lead halides have emerged as some of most attractive photoelectric materials due to their intrinsic broadband emissions with a potential application in white-light emitting diodes. To achieve the desired performance, tremendous research has emphasized the modulation of inorganic components as optical centers; however, less work has paid attention to the direct contribution of the organic components. Herein, we successfully assembled two new hybrid lead halides of [HBPP]PbX (X = Br, , and Cl, ) containing one-dimensional double [PbX] chains using optically active 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)-propane (BPP) as an organic cation.

Design of Fe,N co-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes for efficient oxygen reduction.

Unique Fe and N co-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes are designed to efficiently catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The preparation processes involve surface functionalization, subsequent wet impregnation and final thermal fixation of Fe-Nx species. The catalyst achieved outstanding alkaline ORR performance with a very positive half-wave potential (∼0.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Self-Assembled Au Nanoparticles Arrays for Pesticides Residues Multiplex Detection under Complex Environment.

The high reproducibility of trace detection in complex systems is very hard but crucial to analytical technology and science. Here, we present a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform made by large-scale self-assembly of Au nanoparticle (NP) arrays at the cyclohexane/water interface and its use for pesticides residues trace detection. The analyte molecules spontaneously localize into the Au NPs' nanogaps during the self-assembly process, yielding excellent Raman signal enhancement by surface effects, and possibly both by the concentration of the analytes into the array and by plasmonic hot-spot formation.

Effects of rhamnolipids on microorganism characteristics and applications in composting: A review.

Biosurfactant rhmnolipids have been applied in many fields, especially in environmental bioremediation. According to previous researches, many research groups have studied the influence of rhamnolipids on microorganism characteristics and/or its application in composting. In this review, the effects of rhamnolipids on the cell surface properties of microorganisms was discussed firstly, such as cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), electrical, surface compounds, etc.

The rodent malaria liver stage survives in the rapamycin-induced autophagosome of infected Hepa1-6 cells.

It has been reported that non-selective autophagy of infected hepatocytes could facilitate the development of malaria in the liver stage, but the fate of parasites following selective autophagy of infected hepatocytes is still not very clear. Here, we confirmed that sporozoite infection can induce a selective autophagy-like process targeting EEFs (exo-erythrocytic forms) in Hepa1-6. Rapamycin treatment greatly enhanced this process in EEFs and non-selective autophagy of infected Hepa1-6 cells and enhanced the development of the malaria liver stage in vivo.

PD-1 deficiency enhances humoral immunity of malaria infection treatment vaccine.

Malaria infection treatment vaccine (ITV) is a promising strategy to induce homologous and heterologous protective immunity against the blood stage of the parasite. However, the underlying mechanism of protection remains largely unknown. Here, we found that a malaria-specific antibody (Ab) could mediate the protective immunity of ITV-immunized mice.