Intermittent deep tillage increases soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality in a Fluvo-aquic soil on the North China Plain.

Intensive tillage operations often disrupt soil structure and accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, resulting in negative long-term impacts on soil health. Thus, identifying sustainable tillage practices is key for enhancing soil nutrient cycling and improving soil biochemical and biological properties. This study evaluated the effects of five tillage modes on soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) over three years in the North China Plain, where rotary tillage (RT) has degraded soil structure and hindered wheat yield increases.

Tracking Cr(VI) removal with spectral induced polarization under ZVI and AC synergetic remediation.

The structure and active components of the filling material play a critical role in the contamination remediation performance of permeable reactive barriers. However, current methods lack a comprehensive understanding of the structural evolution and long-term performance of these materials during remediation processes. This study utilizes column experiments combined with spectral induced polarization (SIP) monitoring to investigate the effectiveness of zero-valent iron (ZVI), activated carbon (AC), and their composite with sand in removing Cr(VI).

Prognostic value of immuno-inflammatory biomarkers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving immunotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy and its association with immuno-genomic landscape.

Background: The clinical significance of immuno-inflammatory indicators and the underlying biological basis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who receive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) combined with immunotherapy remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of immuno-inflammatory biomarkers, develop a prognostic model, and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: This study included 212 ESCC patients who received CRT and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Recurrent Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in treating recurrent small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: In this trial, patients with recurrent small HCC (single lesion ≤5 cm) were randomly assigned to receive either SBRT or RFA. The primary end point was local progression-free survival (LPFS), and secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), local control rate, and safety.

Induction chemotherapy plus chemoradiotherapy in esophageal cancer: long-term results and exploratory analyses of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Previous results of our trial demonstrated that the addition of induction chemotherapy (IC) prior to definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) failed to significantly improve the response rate or 3-year survival in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we report long-term results and exploratory analyses to further evaluate the therapeutic value of IC.

Methods: Patients with previously untreated, unresectable, stage II-IVA ESCC were randomly assigned to receive IC followed by CRT or CRT alone.

Eco-Friendly Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced with Sodium Alginate/Polyacrylic Acid for Enhanced Adsorption of Copper Ions: Kinetics, Isotherm, and Mechanism Adsorption Studies.

This study investigates the removal efficiency of Cu from wastewater using a composite hydrogel made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), sodium alginate (SA), and polyacrylic acid (PAA) prepared by free radical polymerization. The CNTs@SA/PAA hydrogel's structure and properties were characterized using SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, rheology, DSC, EDS, elemental mapping analysis, and swelling. The adsorption performance for Cu was tested in batch adsorption experiments, considering the pH, dosage, initial concentration, and contact time.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy is an alternative to radiofrequency ablation for single HCC ≤5.0 cm.

Background & Aims: Radiation therapy has been refined with increasing evidence of the benefits of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether SBRT could serve as an alternative to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for small HCC with a single lesion ≤5.0 cm.

Hormetic responses to cadmium exposure in wheat seedlings: insights into morphological, physiological, and biochemical adaptations.

Cadmium is commonly recognized as toxic to plant growth, low-level Cd has promoting effects on growth performance, which is so-called hormesis. Although Cd toxicity in wheat has been widely investigated, knowledge of growth response to a broad range of Cd concentrations, especially extremely low concentrations, is still unknown. In this study, the morphological, physiological, and biochemical performance of wheat seedlings to a wide range of Cd concentrations (0-100 µΜ) were explored.

Clinical Implications of Left Ventricular Apex Mechanics in Patients With Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) is a unique disease with pathologic hypertrophy mainly at the left ventricular (LV) apex. Although previous studies have indicated apical dysfunction in ApHCM, how apical mechanics change during disease progression has not been thoroughly examined. The aims of this study were to characterize the mechanics of the LV apex in patients with ApHCM at different disease stages and to explore the clinical significance of these alterations.

Comparison of resection, ablation and stereotactic body radiation therapy in treating solitary hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 5 cm: a retrospective, multicenter, cohort study.

Background: Few studies have focused on the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in treating early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for curative intention. This study aims to determine the best option among resection, ablation and SBRT in dealing with single HCC no more than 5 cm.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 985 patients from 3 hospitals: 495, 335 and 155 in the resection, ablation and SBRT groups, respectively between January 2014 and December 2021.

The shifting pattern of CO source sink in a subtropical urbanizing lightly eutrophic lake.

Globally, numerous freshwater lakes exist, and rapid urbanization has impacted carbon biogeochemical cycling at the interface where water meets air in these bodies. However, there is still a limited understanding of CO absorption/emission in eutrophic urbanizing lakes. This study therefore involved biweekly in-situ monitoring to evaluate fluctuations in the partial pressure (pCO) and flux (fCO) of CO and associated parameters from January to September 2020 (7:00-17:00 CST) in an urbanizing lake in southwestern China.

Erratum: miR-181a, delivered by hypoxic PTC-secreted exosomes, inhibits DACT2 by downregulating MLL3, leading to YAP-VEGF-mediated angiogenesis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Combined Chemoimmunotherapy With or Without Radiation Therapy for Stage IVB Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multicenter Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of combining first-line chemoimmunotherapy with radiation therapy versus chemoimmunotherapy alone in patients with stage IVB esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively examined 409 patients with stage IVB ESCC who received first-line chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 antibody, with or without radiation therapy of ≥40 Gy radiation dose to primary lesion, from 4 academic cancer centers between October 2018 and December 2022. Propensity score matching was conducted to minimize the potential confounding effects.

A commercial humic acid inhibits benzo(a)pyrene biodegradation by Paracoccus aminovorans HPD-2.

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is posing serious threats to soil ecosystems and its bioremediation usually limited by environmental factors and microbial activity. Humic acid (HA), a ubiquitous heterogeneous organic matter, which could affect the fate of environmental pollutants. However, the impact of HA on bioremediation of organic contamination remains controversial.

Multi-objective ecological restoration priority in China: Cost-benefit optimization in different ecological performance regimes based on planetary boundaries.

In the context of the "United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration", optimizing spatiotemporal arrangements for ecological restoration is an important approach to enhancing overall socioecological benefits for sustainable development. However, against the background of ecological degradation caused by the human use of most natural resources at levels that have approached or exceeded the safe and sustainable boundaries of ecosystems, it is key to explain how to optimize ecological restoration by classified management and optimal total benefits. In response to these issues, we combined spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics at the national scale in China to construct five ecological performance regimes defined by indicators that use planetary boundaries and ecological pressures which served as the basis for prioritizing ecological restoration areas and implementing zoning control.

Gastroschisis prevalence patterns in 27 surveillance programs from 24 countries, International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research, 1980-2017.

Background: Gastroschisis is a serious birth defect with midgut prolapse into the amniotic cavity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and time trends of gastroschisis among programs in the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR), focusing on regional variations and maternal age changes in the population.

Methods: We analyzed data on births from 1980 to 2017 from 27 ICBDSR member programs, representing 24 countries and three regions (Europe , Latin America, North America).

Pooled rates and demographics of POTS following SARS-CoV-2 infection versus COVID-19 vaccination: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To address recent concerns of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) occurring after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus as of 1st June 2023. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of pooled POTS rate in SARS-CoV-2-infected and COVID-19-vaccinated groups from epidemiological studies, followed by subgroup analyses by characteristic.

Preliminary species diversity and community phylogenetics of wood-inhabiting basidiomycetous fungi in the Dabie Mountains, Central China reveal unexpected richness.

Wood-inhabiting fungi have important economic values as well as playing a major ecological role in forest ecosystem cycles. The Dabie Mountains, at the junction of Henan, Hubei, and Anhui Provinces, Central China, provide an ideal climate and favorable niches for the speciation and diversification of various forms of life including fungi. We studied the species diversity and community phylogenetics of wood-inhabiting basidiomycetous fungi that revealed 175 wood-inhabiting basidiomycetous species, of which 20 represented unidentified species, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of 575 specimens collected from ten sampling sites.