Development of a prognostic nomogram and risk stratification system for elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing definitive radiotherapy: a multicenter retrospective analysis (3JECROG R-03 A).

Background: Our goal is to develop a nomogram model to predict overall survival (OS) for elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT), aiding clinicians in personalized treatment planning with a risk stratification system.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 718 elderly ESCC patients treated with RT or CRT at 10 medical centers (3JECROG) from January 2004 to November 2016. We identified independent prognostic factors using univariate and multifactorial Cox regression to construct a nomogram model.

Convenient self-assembled formation of dual-functional Ag/MXene nanozymes for efficient chemiluminescence sensing.

MXenes are attracting increasing interest as a low-cost carrier for the development of nanozymes with enhanced peroxidase or oxidase-like activity. In this work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized and loaded on TiC MXene nanosheets (denoted as Ag/MXene) by a simple method, using MXene as a support and reducing agent. The synthesized Ag/MXene composites exhibited satisfactory stability and the peroxidase activity was higher than that of the single components.

Active Sites on the CuCo Catalyst in Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Syngas: A Review.

Higher alcohol synthesis through the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process was considered a promising route for the efficient utilization of fossil resources could be achieved. The CuCo catalysts were proven to be efficient candidates and attracted much interest. Great efforts have been made to investigate the active sites and mechanisms of CuCo catalysts.

Novel β-lactam antibiotics versus other antibiotics for treatment of complicated urinary tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Novel β-lactam antibiotics as well as other kinds of antibiotics have been used to treat complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs); however, their efficacy and safety remain controversial.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to explore the efficacy and safety of novel β-lactam antibiotics versus other antibiotics against cUTIs.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched systematically from inception through 15 March 2024 for clinical trials comparing novel β-lactam antibiotics with other antibiotics for treatment of cUTIs.

Tissue-specific knockout in the Drosophila neuromuscular system reveals ESCRT's role in formation of synapse-derived extracellular vesicles.

Tissue-specific gene knockout by CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful approach for characterizing gene functions during development. However, this approach has not been successfully applied to most Drosophila tissues, including the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). To expand tissue-specific CRISPR to this powerful model system, here we present a CRISPR-mediated tissue-restricted mutagenesis (CRISPR-TRiM) toolkit for knocking out genes in motoneurons, muscles, and glial cells.

In vivo optogenetic manipulations of endogenous proteins reveal spatiotemporal roles of microtubule and kinesin in dendrite patterning.

During animal development, the spatiotemporal properties of molecular events largely determine the biological outcomes. Conventional gene analysis methods lack the spatiotemporal resolution for precise dissection of developmental mechanisms. Although optogenetic tools exist for manipulating designer proteins in cultured cells, few have been successfully applied to endogenous proteins in live animals.

Visualizing and Measuring Dendrite Arborization in Drosophila Somatosensory Neurons.

Dendrites of neurons receive synaptic or sensory inputs and are important sites of neuronal computation. The morphological features of dendrites not only are hallmarks of the neuronal type but also largely determine a neuron's function. Thus, dendrite morphogenesis has been a subject of intensive study in neuroscience.

Eu-functionalized covalent organic framework for ratiometric fluorescence detection and adsorption of tetracycline and information steganography.

Functional materials with organic/inorganic composites as the main matrix and rare earth ion complexes as the guest have shown a very broad application prospect for antibiotic sensors. However, Eu-complex often relies on a single fluorescence response signal, which is susceptible to changes in the detection environment and cannot simultaneously detect and remove tetracycline (TC). Herein, green fluorescent covalent two-dimensional organic framework (COF-TD) is synthesized, followed by modification of Eu to synthesize COF-TD@Eu.

Interface Engineering Induced Multi-Scale Self-Assembly NiFe-LDH Heterostructures for High-Performance Water Electrolysis.

Confronted with the pressing issue of energy scarcity, the development of an economical and potent bifunctional catalyst is of paramount importance. We adopt an interface engineering strategy to modify the surface of NiFe-LDH nanoplates with O plasma treatment. This process enhances the local electric field of NiFe-LDH, resulting in the formation of a self-assembled polycrystalline nanowire array on the nanoplate surface.

Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) combined with nimotuzumab for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC): A phase II clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of concurrent simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) combined with nimotuzumab in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC).

Methods: Eligible patients were histologically proven to have locally advanced ESCC, and were unable to tolerate or refuse concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Enrolled patients underwent concurrent SIB-IMRT in combination with nimotuzumab.

Leadership, regulatory approaches and policy to re-orientate health services towards health promotion.

Globally, oral conditions remain the most prevalent of all non-communicable diseases. Among the broad range of target goals and recommendations for action by the World Health Organization's Global Oral Health Strategy, we call out three specific actions that provide an enabling environment to improve population oral health including: (i) enabling population oral health reform through leadership, (ii) enabling innovative oral health workforce models, (iii) enabling universal health coverage that includes oral health. The aim of the article is to outline how leadership, regulatory approaches and policy in Australia can strengthen health promotion practice and can inform global efforts to tackle the complex wicked problems associated with population oral health.

Extraction, structural characterization, and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from three microalgae.

Microalgal polysaccharides have received much attention due to their potential value in preventing and regulating oxidative damage. This study aims to reveal the mechanisms of regulating oxidative stress and the differences in the yield, structure, and effect of polysaccharides extracted from three microalgae: Golenkinia sp. polysaccharides (GPS), Chlorella sorokiniana polysaccharides (CPS), and Spirulina subsalsa polysaccharides (SPS).

Pulmonary scedosporiosis in an intractable immunocompetent host: A case report and literature review.

Pulmonary scedosporiosis is a rare pulmonary infection that often presents with nonspecific symptoms and radiological findings. In this report, we present a case of localized pulmonary scedosporiosis in an immunocompetent patient and analyze a total of 25 immunocompetent patients with pulmonary scedosporiosis. Through this case and the literature, we highlight the importance of considering pulmonary scedosporiosis in patients with nonspecific clinical symptoms and radiological findings resembling aspergilloma.

Evidence-based systematic review of removal of peripheral arterial catheter in critically ill adult patients.

Objective: To evaluate and summarize literature pertaining to evidence of peripheral arterial catheterization in adults, and to provide a reference for clinical practice.

Methods: We undertook a systematic review of literature on the removal of peripheral arterial manometric catheters in adult patients from various sources such as UpToDate, BMJ, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Medlive, Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence-based Health Care Center Database, CINAHL, PubMed, Wanfang Data, VIP, and other databases. The retrieval time was set as from the establishment of the database till August 30, 2021.

Comparison of TNM AJCC/UICC 8th with JES 11th staging systems for prognostic prediction in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical (chemo) radiotherapy in China.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the prognostic prediction performances of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) 8th staging system and the Japan Esophageal Society (JES) 11th staging system for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical (chemo) radiotherapy.

Methods: In total, 574 patients were enrolled and categorized according to the tumor, node metastasis (TNM) AJCC/UICC 8th and JES 11th editions. Survival rates and disease-free survival were computed using the Kaplan-Meier technique.

Commensal Enterococcus faecalis W5 ameliorates hyperuricemia and maintains the epithelial barrier in a hyperuricemia mouse model.

Objective: The intestine is responsible for approximately one-third of uric acid (UA) excretion. The effect of commensal Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), one of the most colonized bacteria in the gut, on UA excretion in the intestine remains to be investigated.

Impact of Elevational Gradients and Chemical Parameters on Changes in Soil Bacterial Diversity Under Semiarid Mountain Region.

Elevation gradients, often regarded as "natural experiments or laboratories", can be used to study changes in the distribution of microbial diversity related to changes in environmental conditions that typically occur over small geographical scales. We obtained bacterial sequences using MiSeq sequencing and clustered them into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The total number of reads obtained by the bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing analysis was 1,090,555, with an average of approximately 45,439 reads per sample collected from various elevations.

Coordination of Pickpocket ion channel delivery and dendrite growth in Drosophila sensory neurons.

Sensory neurons enable an organism to perceive external stimuli, which is essential for survival. The sensory capacity of a neuron depends on the elaboration of its dendritic arbor and the localization of sensory ion channels to the dendritic membrane. However, it is not well understood when and how ion channels localize to growing sensory dendrites and whether their delivery is coordinated with growth of the dendritic arbor.

The efficacy and safety of cadonilimab combined with lenvatinib for first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (COMPASSION-08): a phase Ib/II single-arm clinical trial.

Purpose: This multicenter, open-label, phase Ib/II study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of cadonilimab, a humanized, tetravalent, bispecific antibody plus lenvatinib in first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC).

Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed aHCC were included to receive either 6 mg/kg cadonilimab every 2 weeks plus lenvatinib (cohort A) or 15 mg/kg cadonilimab every 3 weeks plus lenvatinib (cohort B). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) by RECIST v1.