Perioperative tislelizumab with four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a phase 2 study.

Background: The application of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer needs further exploration. This study aimed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of tislelizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, combined with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-ESCC).

Methods: In this phase II study, patients with clinical stages of II-IVA (T3-T4 and/or node positive) potentially resectable LA-ESCC were enrolled.

Identification of Correlation Between Frailty and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Elderly Male Using Korean-FRAIL Scale.

Purpose: The K-FRAIL scale is a Korean version of the aging questionnaire that allows screening and diagnosis of easily observable aging in the elderly through a simple self-answer questionnaire. The objective of this study was to examine the relation between fraility and clinical symptoms of the lower urinary tract in elderly men using the K-FRAIL scale.

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 100 patients who underwent urological examination at our hospital from January 2021 to December 2021.

MCM8 promotes lung cancer progression through upregulating DNAJC10.

MCM8 is a helicase, which participates in DNA replication and tumorigenesis and is upregulated in many human cancers, including lung cancer (LC); however, the function of MCM8 in LC tumour progression is unclear. In this study, we found that MCM8 was expressed at high levels in LC cells and tissues. Further, MCM8 upregulation was associated with advanced tumour grade and lymph node metastasis, and indicated poor prognosis.

Optimizing Energy Levels and Improving Film Compactness in PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells by Silver Doping.

PbS quantum dot (QD) solar cells harvest near-infrared solar radiation. Their conventional hole transport layer has limited hole collection efficiency due to energy level mismatch and poor film quality. Here, how to resolve these two issues by using Ag-doped PbS QDs are demonstrated.

The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species, Inflammation, and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response in the Finasteride Protective Effect against Benign Prostate Hyperplasia.

Purpose: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common age-related chronic condition. Its pathogenesis involves androgen imbalance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This study aims to assess the protective effect of finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, against testosterone propionate (TP)-induced BPH in rats and explore its potential mechanism of action.

Recent advances in the applications of graphene materials for the oil and gas industry.

Graphene is a material formed with carbon atoms connected by sp hybridization. It is extremely strong and very ductile, and is superhydrophobic and superlipophilic. It has important application prospects in materials science, micro and nano processing, energy, aerospace and biomedicine.

A novel hyperbranched polyethyleneimine-graphene composite as shale inhibitor for drilling fluid.

One of the principal conundrums in drilling operations is addressing wellbore instability caused by shale hydration. Therefore, it is crucial to develop high-performance shale inhibitors. In this work, a hyperbranched polyethyleneimine/graphene composite (HPEI-G) was prepared by blending at 60 °C, and it was then used as a shale inhibitor.

Development of the short Creative Expression Interest Scale based on item response theory.

This study develops a short Creative Expression Interest Scale (CEIS) among Chinese freshmen based on the perspective of item response theory (IRT). Nine hundred fifty-nine valid Chinese freshmen participated in the Creative Expression Interest survey. Researchers applied the initial data for unidimensionality, item fit, discrimination parameter, and differential item functioning to obtain a short CEIS.

An Improved Load Forecasting Method Based on the Transfer Learning Structure under Cyber-Threat Condition.

Smart grid is regarded as an evolutionary regime of existing power grids. It integrates artificial intelligence and communication technologies to fundamentally improve the efficiency and reliability of power systems. One serious challenge for the smart grid is its vulnerability to cyber threats.

New Degree of Freedom in Determining Superior Piezoelectricity at the Lead-Free Morphotropic Phase Boundary: The Invisible Ferroelectric Crossover.

The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in lead-free ferroelectrics, starting from a quadruple point (QP), often displays large piezoelectric responses due to the flattened free-energy profiles. In this work, we found that the QP composition rendering most flattened energy profiles could also exhibit abnormally low piezoelectric constants in Hf-doped BaTiO. Such an anomaly in the strength of piezoelectricity can be ascribed to the progressive influence of additional strain heterogeneity induced by the substitution of Hf for Ti in BaTiO, which was overlooked previously.

Application of intraoperative nerve monitoring for recurrent laryngeal nerves in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy.

Background: Mediastinal lymphadenectomy is of great importance during esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is a severe complication caused by lymphadenectomy along the RLN. Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) can effectively identify the RLN and reduce the incidence of postoperative vocal cord paralysis (VCP).

Effect of Ultrasonic Excitation on Discharge Performance of a Button Zinc-Air Battery.

In this paper, a method to increase the output power of a button zinc-air battery by applying acoustofluidics induced by ultrasonic excitation to the battery is proposed and demonstrated. In the structural design of the device, a flat piezoelectric ring was bonded onto the top of the outer surface of the cathode shell to excite an ultrasonic field in the battery. The maximum output power of the zinc-air battery increased by 46.

Application of Right Bronchial Occlusion under Artificial Pneumothorax in the Thoracic Phase of Minimally Invasive McKeown Esophagectomy.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of single-lumen endotracheal intubation combined with right bronchial occlusion (SLET) under artificial pneumothorax in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy.

Methods: A total of 165 patients who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. In all, 48 patients received double-lumen endotracheal intubation (DLET group), and 117 patients received SLET-B (SLET-B group).

High-Sensitivity Raman Gas Probe for In Situ Multi-Component Gas Detection.

Multiple reflection has been proven to be an effective method to enhance the gas detection sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy, while Raman gas probes based on the multiple reflection principle have been rarely reported on. In this paper, a multi-reflection, cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy (CERS) probe was developed and used for in situ multi-component gas detection. Owing to signal transmission through optical fibers and the miniaturization of multi-reflection cavity, the CERS probe exhibited the advantages of in situ detection and higher detection sensitivity.

Neurological immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A review of the literature.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made a breakthrough in cancer therapy. Patients treated with ICIs may develop immune-related adverse events (irAEs) due to the upregulated activity of the immune system. With the increasing use of ICIs, irAEs are more frequently reported and have become important challenges in many patients.