Dosimetric evaluation of simplified intensity-modulated radiation therapy for thoracic tumors.

To evaluate the feasibility of multi-parameters combined simplified intensity-modulated radiation therapy (sIMRT) planning in thoracic tumors and provide guidance for clinical practice. A total of 34 patients with thoracic tumors who underwent radiotherapy during 2019 to 2020 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The same experienced medical physicist designed the sIMRT planning.

Effect of Planting Systems on the Physicochemical Properties and Bioactivities of Strawberry Polysaccharides.

Suitable planting systems are critical for the physicochemical and bioactivities of strawberry ( Duch.) polysaccharides (SPs). In this study, SPs were prepared through hot water extraction, and the differences in physicochemical characteristics and bioactivities between SPs derived from elevated matrix soilless planting strawberries (EP-SP) and those from and conventional soil planting strawberries (GP-SP) were investigated.

Unveiling non-coding variants: synergising RNA sequencing and DNA sequencing for enhanced molecular diagnosis.

Background: Pathogenic variants in the gene are associated with dystrophinopathy including Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD). Targeted gene, gene panels, exomes and genome sequencing have advanced genetic diagnostics, yet some cases remain elusive.

Methods: We performed total RNA sequencing (RNAseq) on muscle biopsy from 13 male patients with a clinical diagnosis of DMD/BMD.

Eutrophication-Driven Changes in Plankton Trophic Interactions: Insights from Trade-Offs in Functional Traits.

Understanding how plankton trophic interactions, particularly phytoplankton nutrient uptake and zooplankton grazing, respond to eutrophication is important for maintaining aquatic ecosystem functions and developing effective mitigation strategies. Phytoplankton exhibit trade-offs in functional traits between growth rate and antipredation defense, thereby regulating these trophic interactions. However, the combined effects of eutrophication and such trait-based regulation on plankton communities and interactions remain poorly understood.

Molecular characteristics and prognostic role of EPHA2 in human tumors via pan-cancer analysis.

The tyrosine kinase ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EPHA2) was remarkably elevated expressed in various tumors and plays a crucial role in cancer tumorigenesis and progression, while pan-cancer analyses are currently lacking. This study was designed to analyze the expression status and prognostic significance of EPHA2 in pan-cancer. By mining The Cancer Genome Atlas data, we performed a comprehensive and systematic characterization of EPHA2 across >10,000 samples of 33 types of cancer.

Occurrence and bioaccumulation of parabens and their metabolites in the biota from a subtropical freshwater river ecosystem: Implications for human exposure.

Widespread occurrence of parabens in the environment has been documented, whereas little information is available about the occurrence and bioaccumulation of parabens in the aquatic biota. In this study, plants (n = 14), plankton (n = 20), and fish muscle (n = 89) samples were collected from Dongjiang River Basin and analyzed for nine parabens and two of their metabolites using ultra-high performance liquid chromatogram-tandem mass spectrometry. All the samples contained notable concentrations of parabens and the metabolites, and the total concentrations of parabens (Σp-PBs; sum of nine parent compounds) ranged from 0.

Soil eDNA biomonitoring reveals changes in multitrophic biodiversity and ecological health of agroecosystems.

Soil health is integral to sustainable agroecosystem management. Current monitoring and assessment practices primarily focus on soil physicochemical properties, yet the perspective of multitrophic biodiversity remains underexplored. Here we used environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to monitor multitrophic biodiversity in four typical agroecosystems, and analyzed the species composition and diversity changes in fungi, bacteria and metazoan, and combined with the traditional physicochemical variables to establish a soil health assessment framework centered on biodiversity data.

Distribution, bioaccumulation and human exposure risk of bisphenol analogues, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and its derivatives in the Dongjiang River basin, south China.

Bisphenols, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) are commonly used as raw materials or additives in the production of several industrial and consumer products. However, information regarding the occurrence and distribution of these industrial chemicals in freshwater ecosystem is limited. In this study, four bisphenols, six BADGEs, and three BFDGEs were determined in abiotic and biotic samples collected from the Dongjiang River basin in southern China.

Regional mangrove vegetation carbon stocks predicted integrating UAV-LiDAR and satellite data.

Using satellite RS data predicting mangrove vegetation carbon stock (MVC) is the popular and efficient approach at a large scale to protect mangroves and promote carbon trading. Satellite data have performed poorly in predicting MVC due to saturation issues. UAV-LiDAR data overcomes these limitations by providing detailed structural vegetation information.

Increasing water nutrient reduces the availability of high-quality food resources for aquatic consumers and consequently simplifies river food webs.

While eutrophication has led to serious habitat degradation and biotic shifts in freshwater ecosystems, most current studies have focused on changes in community assemblages, with few considering the effect of eutrophication on food webs. We conducted a field study in subtropical headwater streams with a gradient of water nutrient levels to examine the effect of increasing water nutrients on food webs by using the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) as a measure of the nutritional quality of food. Basal food resources (macrophytes, submerged leaf litter, and periphyton), and aquatic consumers (macroinvertebrates and fish) were collected, and their fatty acid (FA) profiles were analyzed.

An artificial intelligence-based model for predicting reproductive toxicity of bisphenol analogues mixtures to the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus.

The joint toxicity effects of mixtures, particularly reproductive toxicity, one of the main causes of aquatic ecosystem degradation, are often overlooked as it is impractical to test all mixtures. This study developed and evaluated the following models to predict the concentration response curve concerning the joint reproductive toxicity of mixtures of three bisphenol analogues (BPA, BPF, BPAF) on the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus: concentration addition (CA), independent action (IA), and two deep neural network (DNN) models. One applied mixture molecular descriptors as input variables (DNN-QSAR), while the other applied the ratios of chemicals in the mixtures (DNN-Ratio).

Focused Exome Sequencing Gives a High Diagnostic Yield in the Indian Subcontinent.

The genetically isolated yet heterogeneous and highly consanguineous Indian population has shown a higher prevalence of rare genetic disorders. However, there is a significant socioeconomic burden for genetic testing to be accessible to the general population. In the current study, we analyzed next-generation sequencing data generated through focused exome sequencing from individuals with different phenotypic manifestations referred for genetic testing to achieve a molecular diagnosis.

First-line camrelizumab (a PD-1 inhibitor) plus apatinib (an VEGFR-2 inhibitor) and chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (SPACE): a phase 1 study.

Patients with advanced gastric cancer typically face a grim prognosis. This phase 1a (dose escalation) and phase 1b (dose expansion) study investigated safety and efficacy of first-line camrelizumab plus apatinib and chemotherapy for advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoints included maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in phase 1a and objective response rate (ORR) across phase 1a and 1b.

Predictive impact of sarcopenia in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A retrospective study.

Background: Sarcopenia, characterised by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass and reduced strength and function, is frequently observed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the relationship between sarcopenia and the prognosis of NSCLC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remains unclear. This aimed to assess whether sarcopenia is an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving ICIs.

How do small dams alter river food webs? A food quality perspective along the aquatic food web continuum.

Damming of rivers poses a significant threat to freshwater ecosystems. Previous studies about the impact of damming on river ecosystems have mostly focused on large dams, with the impact of small dams largely unknown. Further, while the impacts of dams on aquatic communities have been widely studied, the effect on energy flow across river food webs remains unclear.

Environmental DNA and remote sensing datasets reveal the spatial distribution of aquatic insects in a disturbed subtropical river system.

Biodiversity datasets with high spatial resolution are critical prerequisites for river protection and management decision-making. However, traditional morphological biomonitoring is inefficient and only provides several site estimates, and there is an urgent need for new approaches to predict biodiversity on fine spatial scales throughout the entire river systems. Here, we combined the environmental DNA (eDNA) and remote sensing (RS) technologies to develop a novel approach for predicting the spatial distribution of aquatic insects with high spatial resolution in a disturbed subtropical Dongjiang River system of southeast China.

Ni(OH) surface-modified hierarchical ZnInS nanosheets: dual photocatalytic application and mechanistic insights.

The simultaneous utilization of electrons and holes to couple photocatalytic H production with selective biomass transformation has attracted immense interest toward achieving sustainability in the fields of energy and chemical industry. In this study, by assembling highly dispersed Ni(OH) onto ZnInS (ZIS), efficient H evolution along with highly selective photocatalytic oxidation of furfuryl alcohol (FA) to furfural (FF) in pure water was achieved under anaerobic conditions. The H production and FA conversion rates over the optimal Ni-ZIS sample reached about 686 and 583 μmol g h, respectively, about 4.

Estimating the temporal and spatial distribution and threats of bisphenol A in temperate lakes using machine learning models.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is easily enriched in many human-disturbed watersheds, particularly lakes with poor water mobility, which is posing a threat to aquatic biota. While previous studies have focused on the concentration of BPA in water and its toxicity to aquatic organisms, a small amount of measured data is not enough to reveal the temporal and spatial distribution and threats of BPA, and estimate the ecological risk in watersheds. Therefore, we collected 164 measured BPA data points from Taihu Lake to develop machine learning models using random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and least square regression (LSR) and created month-by-month watershed prediction maps in temperate lakes to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution and threats of BPA.

Assessing the impact of river connectivity on fish biodiversity in the Yangtze River Basin using a multi-index evaluation framework.

The Yangtze River Basin, the world's third-largest river basin and a hot spot for global biodiversity conservation, is facing biodiversity crisis caused by reduced river connectivity. The deterioration arises from four dimensions: longitudinal, lateral, vertical and temporal. However, limited research has quantified the spatiotemporal connectivity of the Yangtze River Basin and further evaluated the consequent impact on fish biodiversity.

Efficacy and safety of XELOX combined with anlotinib and penpulimab vs XELOX as an adjuvant therapy for ctDNA-positive gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a protocol for a randomized, controlled, multicenter phase II clinical trial (EXPLORING study).

Background: The efficacy of current adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric adenocarcinoma/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GA/GEJA) leaves much to be desired. ctDNA could serve as a potential marker to identify patients who are at higher risk of recurrence. Reinforcing standard adjuvant chemotherapy with immunotherapy has already been indicated to significantly improve clinical outcome, albeit such evidence is rare in GA/GEJA.

Environmental DNA biomonitoring reveals the human impacts on native and non-native fish communities in subtropical river systems.

Subtropical rivers are one of the hotspots of global biodiversity, facing increased risks of fish diversity changes and species extinction. However, until now, human impacts on native and non-native fish communities in subtropical rivers still lack sufficient effort. Here, we used the environmental DNA (eDNA) approach to investigate fish communities in the Dongjiang River of southeast China, a typical subtropical river, and explored the effects of regional land use and local water pollution on fish taxonomic and functional diversity.