Comparison of survival, acute toxicities, and dose-volume parameters between intensity-modulated radiotherapy with or without internal target volume delineation method and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in cervical cancer patients: A retrospective and propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether the use of the internal target volume (ITV) delineation method improves the performance of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) in terms of survival, acute toxicities, and dose-volume parameters. METHODS: A total number of 477 cervical cancer patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) from January 2012 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into four groups: the non-ITV (N-ITV) + IMRT, ITV + IMRT, N-ITV + 3DCRT, and ITV + 3DCRT groups, with 76, 41, 327, and 33 patients, respectively. Survival analysis was performed with the Kaplan-Meier and the log-rank tests, and acute toxicity analysis was performed with the chi-squared test and the binary logistic regression test. Using the propensity score matching (PSM) method, 92 patients were matched among the four groups, and their dose-volume parameters were assessed with the Kruskal-Wallis method. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 49 months (1-119) for overall survival (OS). The 5-year OS rate was 66.4%. The ITV delineation method was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR [95% CI]: 0.52 [0.27, 0.98], p = 0.044) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR [95% CI]: 0.59 [0.36, 0.99], p = 0.045). The ITV + IMRT group had the lowest incidence rate (22%) and the N-ITV + IMRT group had the highest incidence rate of grade ≥3 hematological toxicity (HT) (46.1%) among the four groups. The pelvic bone marrow relative V10, V20, and V30 in the N-ITV + IMRT group was higher than those in the ITV + IMRT and N-ITV + 3DCRT groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ITV for IMRT treatment planning was associated with improved overall survival and progression-free survival, with lower HT rate.

Effect of ascorbic acid on tyrosinase and its anti-browning activity in fresh-cut Fuji apple.

Tyrosinase (polyphenol oxidase) is the key enzyme of enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables. In this research, the impact of ascorbic acid on tyrosinase and its anti-browning effect on fresh-cut Fuji apple were investigated. Ascorbic acid had a dual effect on tyrosinase with a half inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of 13.40 ± 0.05 µM. Fluorescence assay demonstrated that ascorbic acid interacted with tyrosinase in a dynamic contaction caused by Förster's resonance energy transfer (FRET) and induced a conformational change of the enzyme. Thermodynamic analysis, copper interaction, and molecular docking further confirmed that ascorbic acid could chelate the copper ions located in active center and interact with amino acid residues of tyrosinase via hydrophobic interaction. In addition, ascorbic acid prevented the browning of fresh-cut apples by increasing APX activity and inhibiting PPO and POD activities which reduce the oxidation of total phenolics and flavonoids. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The present study demonstrated that ascorbic acid had a strong inhibitory activity against tyrosinase (IC50 = 13.40 ± 0.05 µM) and anti-browning activity against fresh-cut Fuji apple. It could delay the browning degree of apple juice, increase APX activity, inhibit PPO and POD activities, and reduce the oxidation of total phenolics and flavonoids. These findings provided a basis for the feasible application of ascorbic acid on the preservation of fruits.

Release of cadmium in contaminated paddy soil amended with NPK fertilizer and lime under water management.

Agricultural soils contaminated with cadmium (Cd) pose a risk to receiving surface water via drainage or runoff. A 90-day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the release characteristics and transformation of Cd from contaminated paddy soil amended with agrochemical (NPK fertilizer) and lime (L) under water management regimes of continuous flooding (F) and drying-wetting cycles (DW). The result showed that the dissolved Cd concentrations in overlying water of the fertilizer treatment under flooding (NPK+F) and drying-wetting (NPK+DW) reached up to 81.0 µg/L and 276 µg/L, and were much higher than that from the corresponding controls without NPK fertilizer addition at the end of experiment. The Cd concentration showed significantly negative correlation with overlying water pH, but positive correlation with soil redox potential and concentrations of dissolved total nitrogen, sulfate and manganese in overlying water (P < 0.05), indicating that drying-wetting cycles and N fertilizer addition may enhance soil Cd release. The Cd concentrations in overlying water from all treatments except NPK+L+F treatment exceeded the Cd threshold limit of Chinese Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (10 µg/L Grade V) and poses potential risk to surface water quality. Meanwhile, the proportion of Cd in the acid-soluble fraction from all incubated soil except NPK+L+F treatment increased compared to before incubation. The results indicated that continuous flooding was a reasonable water management candidate coupled with lime addition for immobilizing soil Cd.

Beneficial effects of Huaiqihuang on hyperglycemia-induced MPC5 podocyte dysfunction through the suppression of mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of Huaiqihuang (HQH) on hyperglycemia (HG)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in MPC5 podocytes. The effects of HQH and HG on cell viability were assessed using an MTT assay. mRNA and protein expression levels were evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. Cell apoptosis was assessed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling, whereas reactive oxygen species production and alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed using flow cytometry. DNA damage was evaluated using a comet assay. The results demonstrated that treatment of podocytes with HQH markedly suppressed the HG­induced generation of reactive oxygen species. HQH also significantly improved mitochondrial membrane potential in podocytes exposed to HG. When the podocytes were treated with HG, Ca2+ levels were significantly increased, compared with those in the control group, whereas treatment of the podocytes with HQH significantly reversed the HG­induced upregulation of Ca2+ secretion. Treatment of the podocytes with HQH significantly reversed the HG­induced upregulation of glucose­related protein 78 (GRP78) and C/EBP­homologous protein, which were used as indicators of ER stress. Furthermore, GRP78 loss­of­function attenuated HG­induced podocyte dysfunction, including cell apoptosis and DNA damage. In conclusion, beneficial effects of HQH on HG­induced MPC5 podocyte dysfunction were observed, and occurred through the suppression of mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress.