Case report: Concurrent intrathecal and intravenous pembrolizumab for metastatic melanoma with leptomeningeal disease.

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a serious cancer complication associated with poor prognosis. Approximately 5%-25% of patients with melanoma develop LMD. Currently, no standard treatment protocol exists and very few cases have been reported. Despite ongoing advances in new therapies, treatment options for LMD remain limited. Herein, we report a case of intrathecal pembrolizumab administration in a patient with melanoma and LMD. Intrathecal pembrolizumab administration was feasible and safe at the doses tested. Drawing from this case, along with our expertise and the existing evidence on systemic immunotherapy, we propose that an immunotherapy approach involving intrathecal administration for patients with LMD from melanoma warrants additional exploration in clinical trials.

Risk and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease Associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and estimate the global incidence of PCOS-associated CVD. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis across five databases to evaluate the risk of CVD among women with PCOS. Global incidence of PCOS-associated CVD was calculated by a population attributable fraction (PAF) modelling using the pooled RR, PCOS prevalence, CVD incidence number and age-standardized rate (ASIR), from the Global Burden of Diseases 2019. An estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess the temporal trend of PCOS-associated CVD. RESULTS: The risk of CVD was significantly increased in the women with PCOS for all-age group (pooled RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.36-1.69), and 10- to 54-year-old (1.37, 1.17-1.59). Globally, from 1990 to 2019, the PCOS associated CVD cases in women across all-age group has rised from 102 530 to 235 560. The most affected regions were East Asia & Pacific (108 430, 66 090-166 150) in 2019. The South Asia has the highest increase trend of PCOS-associated CVD ASIRs (EAPC 2.61%, 2.49-2.73). The annual increase ASIR in PCOS-CVD incidence for the 10-54 age group (EAPC 0.49%; 0.41-0.56) is faster than that of the all-age group (0.34; 0.27-0.42). The middle- or low-middle sociodemographic index countries, experienced higher increase trend of CVD due to PCOS in the past thirty years. CONCLUSIONS: Women with PCOS have a significantly increased risk of CVD. Efficient measures to enhance its prevention and treatment are important for regions with high PCOS-associated CVD burden, especially premature CVD in women under 55 years.

Studies have reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for women. Meanwhile, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) substantially elevate the risk of CVD. However, no studies have quantified the impact of PCOS on the overall CVD burden. This study performed a meta-analysis to assess the risk of CVD in all-age group and 10 to 54 years old women, living with PCOS with 17 articles, and estimated the burdens of PCOS-associated CVD burden, by global, 7 World-bank defined regions, and 204 countries, from 1990 to 2019, using a PAF modelling. Our study implicated women in all-age group, and 10 to 54 years old with PCOS face a 1.51-fold, and 1.37-fold increased risk of CVD compared those without, respectively. Globally, approximately 0.85% of CVD new cases in 2019 were associated with PCOS, corresponded a more than 2-fold increase of PCOS-associated CVD cases from 1990. However, the burden of PCOS-associated CVD varies widely by region; for instance, nearly 1.49% of CVD new cases were attributed to PCOS in North America. Meanwhile, the East Asia & Pacific region had the highest PCOS-associated new CVD case, and the South Asia experienced the highest increase in age-standardised incidence rates of CVD due to PCOS. Notably, we found higher worldwide PAFs, and annual increase ASIR than that in all-age group women. This result suggests that premature CVD in women with PCOS under 55 years deserve more attention.

Estimates of the global burden of non-Hodgkin lymphoma attributable to HIV: a population attributable modeling study.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) significantly increases the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) development, yet the population-level impact on NHL burden is unquantified. We aim to quantify this association and estimate the global burden of HIV-associated NHL. Methods: In this meta-analysis, we searched five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus) from database inception up to September 13, 2023, identifying cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies with an effective control group to assess NHL risk among individuals with HIV infection, with two authors extracting summary data from reports. Global and regional HIV-associated population attributable fraction (PAF) and NHL disease burden were calculated based on the pooled risk ratio (RR). HIV prevalence and NHL incidence were obtained from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019. Trends in NHL incidence due to HIV were assessed using age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023404150). Findings: Out of 14,929 literature sources, 39 articles met our inclusion criteria. The risk of NHL was significantly increased in the population living with HIV (pooled RR 23.51, 95% CI 17.62-31.37; I2 = 100%, p < 0.0001), without publication bias. Globally, 6.92% (95% CI 2.18%-11.57%) of NHL new cases in 2019 were attributable to HIV infection (30,503, 95% CI 9585-52,209), which marked a more than three-fold increase from 1990 (8340, 95% CI 3346-13,799). The UNAIDS region of Eastern and Southern Africa was the highest affected region, with 44.46% (95% CI 19.62%-58.57%) of NHL new cases attributed to HIV infection. The Eastern Europe and Central Asia region experienced the highest increase in ASIR of NHL due to HIV in the past thirty years, wherein the EAPC was 8.74% (95% CI 7.66%-9.84%), from 2010 to 2019. Interpretation: People with HIV infection face a significantly increased risk of NHL. Targeted prevention and control policies are especially crucial for countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to achieve the UNAIDS's '90-90-90' Fast-Track targets. Limited studies across diverse regions and heterogeneity between research have hindered precise estimations for specific periods and regions. Funding: Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China; Health Care for Cadres of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China; Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China.

Depositional dynamics and vegetation succession in self-organizing processes of deltaic marshes.

Global deltaic marshes are currently facing a multitude of pressures, including insufficient sediment supply, rising sea levels, and habitat loss. Consequently, unraveling the internal regulatory mechanisms within deltaic marshes is of paramount importance. Here, we harness years of observational data and high-resolution numerical models to uncover depositional dynamics and vegetation succession in self-organizing processes of deltaic marshes. Our findings indicate that the colonization of salt marsh vegetation triggered a robust phase of growth in the initial stages of river deltas formation. However, as vertical accretion intensifies and inundation decreases, the delta is driven towards a state of critical slowing down due to insufficient sediment supply. We have captured a pivotal turning point in the evolution of deltaic marshes. In accordance with the critical submergence threshold we have established, when the inundation time of deltaic marshes exceeds 0.97 h/d, these salt marsh platforms sustain a higher annual growth rate. Conversely, when the inundation time of deltaic marshes falls below 0.97 h/d, the interannual accretion rate continues to decrease. Our research reveals that, in the absence of human disturbances, the deposition rate in deltaic marshes transitions from growth to decline. During this period, the delta undergoes an interesting succession of pioneer salt marshes (Suaeda salsa) and high-elevation salt marshes (Phragmites australis). Even without reductions in sediment input due to human activities, the vertical deposition rate within deltaic marshes will still shift from acceleration to deceleration under the influence of this internal negative feedback regulation. This adaptive capacity of marshes may foreshadow that when observing a slowdown in vertical accretion on deltaic marsh platforms, it cannot be solely attributed to reductions in sediment input caused by human activities.

Quantifying the Impact of Hydrological Connectivity on Salt Marsh Vegetation in the Liao River Delta Wetland.

Salt marshes play a critical role in ecological functioning and have significant economic value. Hydrological elements are considered to be one of the major contributors to salt marsh degradation. However, how hydrological connectivity affects salt marshes remains poorly investigated at fine scales. This paper used spatial analysis and statistical methods to investigate the impact of hydrological connectivity on the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of salt marsh vegetation in two natural succession areas of the Liao River Delta wetland in 2020 and 2021 by selecting vegetation area, NDVI, tidal creeks area, distance to tidal creeks, and the Index of Connectivity, using 1 m Gaofen-2 data and 0.2 m aerial topographic data. The study found that the area and growth status of vegetation and the overall connectivity in 2021 were better than that in 2020, while the west bank of the Liao River was better than that on the east bank. Phragmites australis showed a round island distribution pattern primarily at the end of tidal creeks. The differences between different hydrological connectivity and vegetation area were significant in 2021. The vegetation area was the largest under poor and moderate connectivity. We also found that within a distance range of 0-6 m from tidal creeks, the vegetation area increased with increasing distance, but beyond 6 m, the vegetation area decreased with increasing distance. Our results showed that poor and moderate connectivity conditions were more suitable for vegetation growth. The threshold value of 6 m can provide an important reference for wetland vegetation restoration in the Liao River Delta wetland. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13157-023-01693-4.

Development and evaluation of a GPU-based coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model.

In this study, a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic and water quality numerical model (GPUOM-WQ) was developed for the first time, which introduces pollution sources of atmospheric deposition, aquaculture wastewater, and oil platform emission to describe marine pollution comprehensively. A test case with analytical solutions and a real case with measured data were used to validate the accuracy of GPUOM-WQ. Simulation results indicate that the maximum error between the numerical and analytical solutions is 0.9 %, and the average relative error between simulated and measured values of 5 water quality variables at 38 stations in spring, summer, fall and winter is 14.63 %. In the real case simulation, GPUOM-WQ accelerates the computation 62.48 times, which is 3.23 times faster than in 64-core central processing unit (CPU) parallel mode. This study makes it possible to accurately simulate the marine water quality variation and spatiotemporal distribution in a high-resolution and efficient way.

Case report of retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma.

Background: Ectopic pancreas is a congenital anomaly in which pancreatic tissue is anatomically separated from the main gland and without vascular or ductal continuity. A case of retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma has never yet been reported. Case Presentation: A 54-year-old man presented three masses in the left retroperitoneum, and two of them were resected. The pathologic findings were a retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas with adrenal adenoma. Conclusion: We report an extremely rare case of a retroperitoneal ectopic pancreas and its characterization with dynamic gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Optical storage of Ince-Gaussian modes in warm atomic vapor.

We report on the optical storage of Ince-Gaussian modes in a warm rubidium vapor cell based on electromagnetically induced transparency protocol, and we also qualitatively analyze how atomic diffusion affects the retrieved beams after storage. Ince-Gaussian modes possess very complex and abundant spatial structures and form a complete infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Successfully storing such modes could open up possibilities for fundamental high-dimensional optical communication experiments.

Parameter optimization method for the water quality dynamic model based on data-driven theory.

Parameter optimization is important for developing a water quality dynamic model. In this study, we applied data-driven method to select and optimize parameters for a complex three-dimensional water quality model. First, a data-driven model was developed to train the response relationship between phytoplankton and environmental factors based on the measured data. Second, an eight-variable water quality dynamic model was established and coupled to a physical model. Parameter sensitivity analysis was investigated by changing parameter values individually in an assigned range. The above results served as guidelines for the control parameter selection and the simulated result verification. Finally, using the data-driven model to approximate the computational water quality model, we employed the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to optimize the control parameters. The optimization routines and results were analyzed and discussed based on the establishment of the water quality model in Xiangshan Bay (XSB).