Integrated Single-cell and Transcriptome Sequencing Analyses Identified PREX1 as an Immune-related Prognostic Biomarker for Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: PtdIns (3,4,5) P3-dependent Rac exchanger 1 (PREX1), also known as PREX1, a member of the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Rac-GEF) family. Studies have suggested that PREX1 plays a role in mediating oncogenic pathway activation and controlling various biological mechanisms in different types of cancer, including liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). However, the function of PREX1 in the pathogenesis of LIHC and its potential role on immunological regulation is not clearly elucidated. Methods: The expression level and the clinical role of PREX1 in LIHC was analyzed based on database from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), TNM plotter and University of Alabama Cancer Database (UALCAN). We investigated the relationship between PREX1 and immunity in LIHC by TISIDB, CIBERSORT and single cell analysis. Immunotherapy responses were assessed by the immunophenoscores (IPS). Moreover, biological functional assays were performed to further investigate the roles of PREX1 in liver cancer cell lines. Results: Higher expression of PREX1 in LIHC tissues than in normal liver tissues was found based on public datasets. Further analysis revealed that PREX1 was associated with worse clinical characteristics and dismal prognosis. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that PREX1 participated in immune-related pathways. Through CIBERSORT and single cell analysis, we found a remarkable correlation between the expression of PREX1 and various immune cells, especially macrophages. In addition, high PREX1 expression was found to be associated with a stronger response to immunotherapy. Furthermore, in vitro assays indicated that depletion of PREX1 can suppress invasion and proliferation of LIHC cells. Conclusion: Elevated expression of PREX1 indicates poor prognosis, influences immune modulation and predicts sensitivity of immunosuppression therapy in LIHC. Our results suggested that PREX1 may be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target, offering new treatment options for LIHC.

Key mechanistic features of the trade-off between antibody escape and host cell binding in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike proteins.

Since SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged, it is constantly evolving into multiple sub-variants, including BF.7, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.5 and the recently emerged BA.2.86 and JN.1. Receptor binding and immune evasion are recognized as two major drivers for evolution of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. However, the underlying mechanism of interplay between two factors remains incompletely understood. Herein, we determined the structures of human ACE2 complexed with BF.7, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB.1.5 RBDs. Based on the ACE2/RBD structures of these sub-variants and a comparison with the known complex structures, we found that R346T substitution in the RBD enhanced ACE2 binding upon an interaction with the residue R493, but not Q493, via a mechanism involving long-range conformation changes. Furthermore, we found that R493Q and F486V exert a balanced impact, through which immune evasion capability was somewhat compromised to achieve an optimal receptor binding. We propose a "two-steps-forward and one-step-backward" model to describe such a compromise between receptor binding affinity and immune evasion during RBD evolution of Omicron sub-variants.

Analytical study of integrating downhole thermoelectric power generation with a coaxial borehole heat exchanger in geothermal wells.

Geothermal power generation employing Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology is a widely acknowledged and conventional approach for harnessing geothermal energy. In an innovative advancement, we propose a novel design integrating downhole thermoelectric power generation with a coaxial borehole heat exchanger. This design aims to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of geothermal energy utilization. In this innovative design, the geothermal well is divided into two distinct sections: a power generation section and a heat exchanging section, achieved through the implementation of a packer positioned from the uppermost part of the targeted zone. The process involves the injection of cold fluid downhole via an insulated pipe. Subsequently, a portion of the injected fluid is directed to flow in reverse within the casing-tubing annulus above the packer, while another portion circulates into the casing-tubing annulus below the packer before ascending through the tubing. This dual flow mechanism establishes distinct cold and hot sources for the thermoelectric generator, a key feature facilitated by this innovative design. Analytical models detailing of downhole temperature distribution for thermoelectric power have been meticulously developed. A comprehensive case study, focusing on a geothermal well with 3000 m length of power generation section and 500 m heat exchanging section, has been conducted. The results indicate that a significant generating capacity could be achieved with a higher wellhead temperature, and the payback period under different carbon tax scenarios is about 6-8 year. Furthermore, the effects of injection rate, fluid diversion ratio, and casing-tubing configuration on power performance and thermal-electricity efficiency are also discussed. This method not only enables the concurrent harvesting of geothermal energy and power generation but also operates consistently throughout the year. The results thus emphasize the viability and economic feasibility of the proposed approach.

Solvothermal Synthesis and Pyrolysis Toward Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Microspheres for Zinc-Ion Hybrid Capacitors.

Heteroatom-doped porous carbon materials have investigated to promote the energy density of zinc-ion hybrid capacitors (ZICs). Yet, the quest for high-performance carbon materials or cathodes brings to light the question of which dopants facilitate fast energy storage kinetics and various types of pseudocapacitive reactions. Investigation of carbon materials with precise quantitative dopants as the key variable represents an effective appropriate approach to comprehending the intricate role of dopants in energy storage areas. Here, a straightforward solvothermal strategy is demonstrated for a variety of pristine and iron-incorporated polymer microspheres, used as precursors for durable spherical carbons intended for cathode applications in ZICs. The strategy effectively governs the incorporation of dopants within the carbon materials, whilewhile maintaining consistent morphology, microtexture, and pore structure across different carbon variations. The synergistic effect of various dopants enhance the pseudocapacitance and facilitate the ion storage process. In consequence, the optimal cathode delivers considerable capacity (178.8 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1), good energy density (120.2 Wh kg-1 at 336 W kg-1), and excellent cycling stability (101.5% capacity retention at 35 000 cycles). The demonstration showcases a viable method for crafting carbon materials with precise dopants to accommodate the zinc anode, thus enabling high-capacity and high-energy ZICs.

Structural basis of increased binding affinities of spikes from SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants to rabbit and hare ACE2s reveals the expanding host tendency.

The potential host range of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been expanding alongside its evolution during the pandemic, with rabbits and hares being considered important potential hosts, supported by a report of rabbit sero-prevalence in nature. We measured the binding affinities of rabbit and hare angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with receptor-binding domains (RBDs) from SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants and found that rabbit and hare ACE2s had broad variant tropism, with significantly enhanced affinities to Omicron BA.4/5 and its subsequent-emerged sub-variants (>10 fold). The structures of rabbit ACE2 complexed with either SARS-CoV-2 prototype (PT) or Omicron BA.4/5 spike (S) proteins were determined, thereby unveiling the importance of rabbit ACE2 Q34 in RBD-interaction and elucidating the molecular basis of the enhanced binding with Omicron BA.4/5 RBD. These results address the highly enhanced risk of rabbits infecting SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants and the importance of constant surveillance.IMPORTANCEThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has swept the globe and caused immense health and economic damage. SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated a broad host range, indicating a high risk of interspecies transmission and adaptive mutation. Therefore, constant monitoring for potential hosts is of immense importance. In this study, we found that Omicron BA.4/5 and subsequent-emerged sub-variants exhibited enhanced binding to both rabbit and hare angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and we elucidated the structural mechanism of their recognition. From the structure, we found that Q34, a unique residue of rabbit ACE2 compared to other ACE2 orthologs, plays an important role in ACE2 recognition. These results address the probability of rabbits/hares being potential hosts of SARS-CoV-2 and broaden our knowledge regarding the molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 interspecies transmission.

Fabrication of Fe-Fe1-xO based 3D coplanar microsupercapacitors by electric discharge rusting of pure iron substrates.

Iron oxides with advanced functional properties show great potential for applications in the fields of water splitting, drug delivery, sensors, batteries and supercapacitors. However, it is challenging to develop a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating patterned iron oxide based electrodes for supercapacitor applications. Herein, a facile, simple, scalable, binder-free, surfactant-free and conductive additive-free electric discharge rusting (EDR) technique is proposed to directly synthesize Fe1-xO oxide layer on a pure iron substrate. This new EDR strategy is successfully adopted to fabricate Fe-Fe1-xO integrative patterned electrodes and coplanar microsupercapacitors (CMSC) in one step. The CMSC devices with different geometries could be directly patterned by EDR, which is automatically controlled by a computer numerical control system. The fabricated Fe-Fe1-xO based 3D 2F-CMSC exhibits a maximum areal specific capacitance of 112.4 mF cm-2. Another important finding is the fabrication of 3D 2F-CMSC devices, which show good capacitive behavior at an ultra high scanning rate of 20 000 mV s-1. The results prove that EDR is a low-cost and versatile strategy for the scalable fabrication of high-performance patterned supercapacitor integrative electrodes and devices. Furthermore, it is a versatile technique which shows a great potential for development of next generation microelectronic devices, such as microbatteries and microsensors.

Exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria enhanced Pb immobilization and influenced the microbiome composition in rhizosphere soil of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.).

Lead (Pb) contamination of planting soils is increasingly serious, leading to harmful effects on soil microflora and food safety. Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are carbohydrate polymers produced and secreted by microorganisms, which are efficient biosorbent materials and has been widely used in wastewater treatment to remove heavy metals. However, the effects and underlying mechanism of EPS-producing marine bacteria on soil metal immobilization, plant growth and health remain unclear. The potential of Pseudoalteromonas agarivorans Hao 2018, a high EPS-producing marine bacterium, to produce EPS in soil filtrate, immobilize Pb, and inhibit its uptake by pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) was studied in this work. The effects of strain Hao 2018 on the biomass, quality, and rhizospheric soil bacterial community of pakchoi in Pb-contaminated soil were further investigated. The results showed that Hao 2018 reduced the Pb concentration in soil filtrate (16%-75%), and its EPS production increased in the presence of Pb2+. When compared to the control, Hao 2018 remarkably enhanced pakchoi biomass (10.3%-14.3%), decreased Pb content in edible tissues (14.5%-39.2%) and roots (41.3%-41.9%), and reduced the available Pb content (34.8%-38.1%) in the Pb-contaminated soil. Inoculation with Hao 2018 raised the pH of the soil, the activity of several enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, urease, and dehydrogenase), the nitrogen content (NH4 +-N and NO3 --N), and the pakchoi quality (Vc and soluble protein content), while also raising the relative abundance of bacteria that promote plant growth and immobilize metals, such as Streptomyces and Sphingomonas. In conclusion, Hao 2018 reduced the available Pb in soil and pakchoi Pb absorption by increasing the pH and activity of multiple enzymes and regulating microbiome composition in rhizospheric soil.

Directional Ion Transport Enabled by Self-Luminous Framework for High-Performance Quasi-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

Composite gel polymer electrolyte (CGPE), derived from ceramic fillers has emerged as one of the most promising candidates to improve the safety and cycling stability of lithium metal batteries. However, the poor interface compatibility between the ceramic phase and polymer phase in CGPE severely deteriorates lithium-ion pathways and cell performances. In this work, a fluorescent ceramic nanowire network that can palliate the energy barrier of photoinitiators and contribute to preferential nucleation and growth of polymer monomers is developed, thus inducing polymer segment orderly arrangement and tightly combination. A proof-of-concept study lies on fabrications of poly(ethylene oxide) closely coating on the ceramic nanowires, thus dividing the matrix into mesh units that contribute to directional lithium-ion flux and dendrite-free deposition on the metallic anode. The CGPE, based on the state-of-the-art self-luminous framework, facilitates high-performance quasi-solid-state Li||LiFePO4 cell, registering a high capacity of 143.3 mAh g-1 after 120 cycles at a mass loading of 12 mg cm-2 . X-ray computed tomography provides an insight into the relationship between directional lithium-ion diffusion and lithium deposition behavior over the electrochemical processes. The results open a door to improve the electrochemical performances of composite electrolytes in various applications.

Clinical evaluation of malignancy diagnosis of rare thyroid carcinomas by an artificial intelligent automatic diagnosis system.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the application value of a generally trained artificial intelligence (AI) automatic diagnosis system in the malignancy diagnosis of rare thyroid carcinomas, such as follicular thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, primary thyroid lymphoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and compare the diagnostic performance with radiologists of different experience levels. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 342 patients with 378 thyroid nodules that included 196 rare malignant nodules by using postoperative pathology as the gold standard, and compared the diagnostic performances of three radiologists (one junior, one mid-level, one senior) and that of AI automatic diagnosis system. RESULTS: The accuracy of the AI system in malignancy diagnosis was 0.825, which was significantly higher than that of all three radiologists and higher than the best radiologist in this study by a margin of 0.097 with P-value of 2.252 × 10-16. The mid-level radiologist and senior radiologist had higher sensitivity (0.857 and 0.959) than that of the AI system (0.847) at the cost of having much lower specificity (0.533, 0.478 versus 0.802). The junior radiologist showed relatively balanced sensitivity and specificity (0.816 and 0.549) but both were lower than that of the AI system. CONCLUSIONS: The generally trained AI automatic diagnosis system showed high accuracy in the differential diagnosis of begin nodules and rare malignancy nodules. It may assist radiologists for screening of rare malignancy nodules that even senior radiologists are not acquainted with.

Expanding the Pressure Frontier in Grüneisen Parameter Measurement: Study of Sodium Chloride.

The Grüneisen parameter (γ) is crucial for determining many thermal properties, including the anharmonic effect, thermostatistics, and equation of state of materials. However, the isentropic adiabatic compression conditions required to measure the Grüneisen parameter under high pressure are difficult to achieve. Thus, direct experimental Grüneisen parameter data in a wide range of pressures is sparse. In this work, we developed a new device that can apply pressure (up to tens of GPa) with an extremely short time of about 0.5 ms, confidently achieving isentropic adiabatic compression. Then, we applied our new technique to sodium chloride and measured its Grüneisen parameter, which conforms to previous theoretical predictions. According to our obtained sodium chloride Grüneisen parameters, the calculated Hugoniot curve of the NaCl B1 phase appears up to 20 GPa and 960 K, which compares very well with the shock compression experimental data by Fritz et al. and other calculation works. Our results suggest that this new method can reliably measure the Grüneisen parameter of even more materials, which is significant for researching the equation of state in substances.

Discovery of carbon-based strongest and hardest amorphous material.

Carbon is one of the most fascinating elements due to its structurally diverse allotropic forms stemming from its bonding varieties (sp, sp 2 and sp 3). Exploring new forms of carbon has been the eternal theme of scientific research. Herein, we report on amorphous (AM) carbon materials with a high fraction of sp 3 bonding recovered from compression of fullerene C60 under high pressure and high temperature, previously unexplored. Analysis of photoluminescence and absorption spectra demonstrates that they are semiconducting with a bandgap range of 1.5-2.2 eV, comparable to that of widely used AM silicon. Comprehensive mechanical tests demonstrate that synthesized AM-III carbon is the hardest and strongest AM material known to date, and can scratch diamond crystal and approach its strength. The produced AM carbon materials combine outstanding mechanical and electronic properties, and may potentially be used in photovoltaic applications that require ultrahigh strength and wear resistance.

Ethical issues of smart home-based elderly care: A scoping review.

AIM: To explore current research on the ethics of smart home technologies including artificial intelligence and information technologies for elderly care by conducting a scoping review. BACKGROUND: The development of smart home technologies for care of the older adults provides potential solutions to reduce the caregiver burden within families where they are urgently needed. Building an ethical system to support the application of these technical products should be explored. METHODS: The literature search was performed in seven electronic databases. Relevant studies from January 2015 to February 2021 were selected; screening and analysis were completed independently by two researchers. RESULTS: There were a total of 15 included studies on the ethics of smart home technologies for elderly care, which focused on the following issues: privacy (information privacy and physical privacy), autonomy (independence, informed consent and user-centred control), safety guarantee, fairness and concerns about reduced human contact. CONCLUSIONS: There exist a number of ethical conflicts in the application of smart home technologies for elderly care. Therefore, it is necessary to further investigate the ethical issues with regards to the decision-making process of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Efforts should be made to establish a corresponding ethical framework to ensure the sustainable development of smart, home-based elderly care. Nurses may play an important role in the design and implementation of these technologies to promote ethical awareness and practice.

Low-Temperature Synthesis of Amorphous FePO4@rGO Composites for Cost-Effective Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The dramatic growth of the sodium-ion battery market evokes a high demand for high-performance cathodes. In this work, a nanosized amorphous FePO4@rGO composite is developed using coprecipitation combined with low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis, which registered a surface area of 179.43 m2 g-1. The composites maintain three-dimensional mesoporous morphology with a pore size in the range of 3-4 nm. Uniform distribution of amorphous FePO4 allows a reversible capacity of 175.4 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 while maintaining a stable cycle life of 500 cycles at 200 mA g-1. The amorphous FePO4@rGO, obtained by energy-efficient synthesis, significantly improved the rate performance compared to the crystalline material prepared at high temperatures. Cyclic voltammetry tests reveal that the fast reaction kinetics can be attributed to the pseudocapacitive behavior of the electrode. In addition, we demonstrated the promise of FePO4@rGO cathodes for low-temperature sodium-ion batteries.

AI detection of mild COVID-19 pneumonia from chest CT scans.

OBJECTIVES: An artificial intelligence model was adopted to identify mild COVID-19 pneumonia from computed tomography (CT) volumes, and its diagnostic performance was then evaluated. METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study, an atrous convolution-based deep learning model was established for the computer-assisted diagnosis of mild COVID-19 pneumonia. The dataset included 2087 chest CT exams collected from four hospitals between 1 January 2019 and 31 May 2020. The true positive rate, true negative rate, receiver operating characteristic curve, area under the curve (AUC) and convolutional feature map were used to evaluate the model. RESULTS: The proposed deep learning model was trained on 1538 patients and tested on an independent testing cohort of 549 patients. The overall sensitivity was 91.5% (195/213; p < 0.001, 95% CI: 89.2-93.9%), the overall specificity was 90.5% (304/336; p < 0.001, 95% CI: 88.0-92.9%) and the general AUC value was 0.955 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A deep learning model can accurately detect COVID-19 and serve as an important supplement to the COVID-19 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. KEY POINTS: • The implementation of a deep learning model to identify mild COVID-19 pneumonia was confirmed to be effective and feasible. • The strategy of using a binary code instead of the region of interest label to identify mild COVID-19 pneumonia was verified. • This AI model can assist in the early screening of COVID-19 without interfering with normal clinical examinations.

Extraction of Lithium from Single-Crystalline Lithium Manganese Oxide Nanotubes Using Ammonium Peroxodisulfate.

In this work, a spinel single-crystalline Li1.1Mn1.9O4 has been successfully synthesized using ß-MnO2 nanotubes as the self-sacrifice template. The tubular morphology was retained through solid-state reactions, attributed to a minimal structural reorganization from tetragonal ß-MnO2 to spinel Li1.1Mn1.9O4. The materials were investigated as sorbents for lithium recovery from LiCl solutions, recycled using H2SO4 and (NH4)2S2O8. Li1.1Mn1.9O4 nanotubes exhibited favorable lithium extraction behavior due to tubular nanostructure, single-crystalline nature, and high crystallinity. (NH4)2S2O8 eluent ensures the structural stability of Li1.1Mn1.9O4 nanotube, registering a Li+ adsorption capacity of 39.21 mg g-1 (∼89.73% of the theoretical capacity) with only 0.08% manganese dissolution after eight adsorption/desorption cycles, compared to that of 1.21% for H2SO4. It reveals the degradation of sorbent involves with the volume change, Mn reduction, and Li/Mn ratio depletion. New strategies, based on nanotube adsorbent and (NH4)2S2O8 eluent, can extract lithium ions at satisfactorily high degrees while effectively minimizing manganese dissolution.

Ultrasonic identification and regression analysis of 294 thyroid follicular tumors.

CONTEXT: We analyzed the clinical features and ultrasound image features of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA). AIMS: This study aimed to identify ultrasonographic differences and correlations between FTC and FTA. Meanwhile, ultrasonographic manifestations of thyroid follicular tumor were also retrospectively analyzed. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Using pathological results as the gold standard, the clinical and ultrasonic image characteristics of FTA and FTC were statistically analyzed, and the differences were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 304 patients who were diagnosed with FTC or FTA by pathology after thyroidectomy from March 2009 to March 2018 were enrolled in this study. Their ultrasonic images were analyzed; image features were extracted and correlation analyses for these features were conducted. Differences in ultrasonic images between FTC and FTA were also compared. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Independent sample t-test; Wilcoxon rank sum test; A Chi-square test: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: When performing ultrasound diagnosis, attention should be paid to identify FTC and FTA in terms of age, nodular goiter conditions, nodular boundary conditions, internal echo, calcification, blood flow signals, thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) grading and cystic solidity conditions. Moreover, a multivariate logistic regression showed that the boundaries were unclear, and cystic degeneration, TI-RADS, hypoecho, nodular goiter, macrocalcification and microcalcification were associated with FTC. Among them, macrocalcification is a protective factor for thyroid follicular tumors, and other indicators are risk factors. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound can provide valuable information for the identification of follicular neoplasms, but further research in this area is still necessary.

Methodology of dose calculation for external beam radiation combined with high dose rate brachytherapy in the era of 3-dimensional treatment planning system.

Intracavitary application of brachytherapy (BT) sources followed by external beam radiation is essential for the local treatment of carcinoma of the cervix, postate, and nasopharynx. Dose distribution of external beam radiation plus BT can be challenging for the planning system because of their dose calculation by 2 different treatment planning system (TPS). The aims of this study were to introduce a novel iterative method of dose calculation preformed in the Pinnacle plan and evaluate a combined dose distribution for external beam radiation and BT.Because it is often the goal of the planner to produce plan with uniform dose throughout the target volume and normal tissue, we present an Iridium-192 calculation program using American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 43 formula and export it to other commercialized TPS though the combined dose distribution of external beam radiation and BT can be shown. To illustrate such an improved procedure, we present the treatment plans of 2 patients treated with external beam radiation plus BT.Dose distribution of the single BT source were calculated with the Plato post loading TPS and the program model, and the results of 2 methods were similar. A nasopharyngeal case and a cervical case were shown in Pinnacle with this program. The total dose distribution of BT combined with EBRT was showed in compute tomography images. And the corresponding dose volume histogram figures could be displayed correctly in Pinnacle TPS.We demonstrated a novel iterative method of dose calculation preformed in the Pinnacle plan to produce a combined dose distribution for external beam radiation and BT. We used it to evaluate the dose of target volume and normal tissues in the treatment of external beam radiation plus BT.

Effects of Silicone Oil Viscosity and Carbonyl Iron Particle Weight Fraction and Size on Yield Stress for Magnetorheological Grease Based on a New Preparation Technique.

This paper investigated the effects of silicone oil viscosity (SOV) and carbonyl iron particle (CIP) weight fraction and size on dynamic yield stress for magnetorheological (MR) grease. The MR grease samples were prepared using orthogonal array L9 on the basis of a new preparation technology. The shear rheological tests were undertaken using a rotational shear rheometer and yield stress was obtained based on the Bingham fluid model. It was found that CIP fractions ranging from 65 wt% to 75 wt% and SOV varying from 50 m2·s-1 to 1000 m2·s-1 significantly affect the magnetic field-dependent yield stress of MR grease, but the CIPs with sizes of 3.2-3.9 µm hardly had any influence based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition, the yield stress of MR grease mainly depended on the CIP fraction and SOV by comparing their percent contribution (PC). It was further confirmed that there were positive effects of CIP fraction and SOV on yield stress through response surface analysis (RSA). The results showed a high dynamic yield stress. It indicated that MR grease is an intelligent material candidate which can be applied to many different areas requiring high field-induced rheological capabilities without flow for suspension. Moreover, based upon the multivariate regression equation, a constitutive model was developed to express the function of the yield stress as the SOV and fraction of CIPs under the application of magnetic fields.

Efficacy and Safety of Nimotuzumab Plus Radiotherapy With or Without Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy in an Elderly Patient Subgroup (Aged 60 and Older) With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab combined with radiotherapy (RT) in elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 75 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, who were initially treated with nimotuzumab combined with RT, were collected and retrospectively reviewed from December 2008 to April 2014. They were aged 60 to 81 years (median 64 years). The distribution of disease was stage II in 10 (13.3%), stage III in 33 (44.0%), and stage IV in 32 (42.7%). Among these patients, 59 cases received cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Survival outcomes and treatment toxicity were analyzed using IBM SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 45 months (range, 13-78 months), the estimated 3-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression failure-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 95.6%, 95.5%, 98.6%, 89.7%, and 89.2%, respectively. In the subgroup, 3-year OS rate in the patients with concurrent chemotherapy was 90.5% and 77.4% in patients without concurrent chemotherapy (Log-Rank = 1.795, P = .180). Univariate analysis showed that T stage and clinical stage were correlated with OS. Multivariate analysis indicated that age, T stage and tumor response at the end of treatment were independent prognosticators. Nine patients experienced grade 3 to 4 acute mucositis and 26 patients experienced grade 3-4 leukocytopenia, with no cases of skin rash and infusion reaction. Twelve patients developed mild liver function damage. No serious gastrointestinal or renal toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of combined nimotuzumab with RT in elderly NPC patients was encouraging and the toxicities were accepted. In addition, nimotuzumab provides a better option for elderly patients who cannot be tolerate chemotherapy.

Efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

We assessed the efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for Chinese patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Clinical data from 210 nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients diagnosed between May 2008 and April 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were initially treated with nimotuzumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Ninety-five patients received cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The median follow-up duration was 48 months. Locoregional relapse and distant metastases occurred in 16 patients (16/210, 7.6%) and 18 patients (18/210, 8.6%), respectively. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival, regional recurrence-free survival, distant metastases-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival rates were 95.6%, 94.4%, 91.7%, 84.0%, and 88.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that concurrent chemotherapy regimens and clinical stage correlated with overall survival, and that adjuvant chemotherapy, N stage, clinical stage, and tumor response at the end of treatment were correlated with progression-free survival. In the multivariate analysis, concurrent chemotherapy regimens, clinical stage, and tumor response were important prognosticators. Grade 3/4 leukocytopenia was experienced by 24 patients (11.4%), and 6 patients (2.9%) developed mild liver damage during the period of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Grade 3/4 acute mucositis was experienced by 13 patients (6.2%), and 12 patients (5.7%) experienced grade 3/4 leukocytopenia during the concurrent chemotherapy. The efficacy of nimotuzumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients was encouraging and the toxicities were tolerable.