Infrared Dim Small Target Detection Networks: A Review.

In recent years, with the rapid development of deep learning and its outstanding capabilities in target detection, innovative methods have been introduced for infrared dim small target detection. This review comprehensively summarizes public datasets, the latest networks, and evaluation metrics for infrared dim small target detection. This review mainly focuses on deep learning methods from the past three years and categorizes them based on the six key issues in this field: (1) enhancing the representation capability of small targets; (2) improving the accuracy of bounding box regression; (3) resolving the issue of target information loss in the deep network; (4) balancing missed detections and false alarms; (5) adapting for complex backgrounds; (6) lightweight design and deployment issues of the network. Additionally, this review summarizes twelve public datasets for infrared dim small targets and evaluation metrics used for detection and quantitatively compares the performance of the latest networks. Finally, this review provides insights into the future directions of this field. In conclusion, this review aims to assist researchers in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments in infrared dim small target detection networks.

Development of a predictive nomogram for postembolization syndrome after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Post-embolization syndrome (PES) is a frequent complication after receiving transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but only a few studies have focused on the factors influencing PES in those patients. In this study, the impact factors of PES were explored and a nomogram was constructed to predict the occurrence of PES in HCC patients with TACE. This was a retrospective cohort study of HCC patients who underwent TACE obtained from the third affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between January 1, 2020, and September 1, 2022. T­test and Chi­square test were used to search for factors influencing PES occurrence, and then the nomogram was further established based on multivariable logistic regression analysis. Validation of the predictive nomogram was also evaluated by calibration curve, concordance index (C-index), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The enrolled patients (n = 258) were randomly assigned to the primary cohort (n = 180) and validation cohort (n = 78) in a 7:3 ratio. Among 180 patients in the primary cohort, 106 (58.89%) experienced PES. TACE types (P = 0.015), embolization degree (P = 0.008), and tumor number (P = 0.026) were identified as predictors by the logistic regression analysis and were used to develop the predictive nomogram. The internally validated and externally validated C-indexes were 0.713 and 0.703, respectively. The calibration curves presented good consistency between actual and predictive survival. Types of embolic agents, embolization degree, and tumor number were found to be the predictors of PES after TACE. The nomogram could reliably predict PES in HCC patients with TACE. This predictive model might be considered for clinical practice.

Global optimization radiometric calibration method for an infrared system with a wide dynamic range.

Considering the conventional calibration restriction of the complicated calibration procedures, narrow dynamic range, and less correlation in the calibration data, a global optimization radiometric calibration method is proposed in this paper. First, a unified database is generated by integrating different gray-level images, neutral density attenuators, integration times, and target radiations under the deduced infrared physical model. Then, the calibration coefficients are automatically learned through the relative error backward propagation network. Finally, experiments are conducted on a large-aperture ground-based infrared system to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results indicate the proposed method can solve the problem of learning imbalance with large fluctuations of infrared radiation, ensure global measurement precision with a simpler calibration procedure, and accurately measure the internal stray radiation of the optical system.

Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine Analgesic and Delivery-Aiding Patch in Doula-Assisted Deliveries: Impact on Reducing Cesarean Section Rates.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of traditional Chinese medicine analgesic-assisted delivery patches on doula-assisted childbirth. Methods: We conducted a comparative analysis of two groups of puerperae. The control group consisted of 120 individuals who underwent routine delivery at Haian Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between May 2019 and May 2020. The observation group included 120 puerperae who gave birth between June 2020 and June 2021, and they utilized Chinese medicine analgesic and childbirth-assisting patches in combination with doula-assisted childbirth. We compared both groups concerning childbirth outcomes, duration of labor, pain intensity, and postpartum hemorrhage. Results: In the observation group, the cesarean section rate was 12.50%, significantly lower than the 25.83% rate in the control group (P < .05). Additionally, the observation group exhibited shorter first and second labor times and total labor time compared to the control group (P < .05). Moreover, the NRS scores in the observation group were lower during both the latent and active phases of labor (P < .05). Furthermore, the observation group experienced reduced postpartum bleeding at 2 hours and 24 hours after delivery compared to the control group (P < .05). Conclusions: The application of traditional Chinese medicine analgesics and delivery-aiding patches in doula-assisted childbirth significantly reduces the cesarean section rate. It contributes to improved childbirth outcomes, shortened labor durations, alleviation of labor pain, and reduced postpartum hemorrhage.

Effect of comprehensive nursing on patients with chalazion undergoing intense pulsed light and its influence on postoperative recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of comprehensive nursing on patients with chalazion undergoing intense pulsed light (IPL) and its influence on postoperative recurrence. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the medical records of 72 patients who received IPL treatment for chalazion from October 2021 to February 2023 were analyzed. Among them, 33 patients treated with comprehensive nursing were included in the research group (RG) and 39 patients treated with routine nursing were included in the control group (CG). The treatment effect, complications and recurrence were compared between the two groups. The psychological state of patients and their satisfaction about the nursing were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After nursing, the severity of unhealthy emotion in the RG was obviously better than that in the CG (P=0.033); The overall response rate in the RG was obviously higher than that in the CG (P=0.035). The nursing satisfaction in RG was significantly higher than that in the CG (P=0.035). The incidence of complications in RG was obviously lower than that in the CG (P=0.045). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive nursing is effective in improving the therapeutic effect and reducing the postoperative recurrence rate for patients with chalazion.

Efficacy relevance of PD-L1 expression on circulating tumor cells in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer has become the leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) are promising, it remains unclear whether PD-L1 expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has predictive and prognostic values in predicting and stratifying metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients who can benefit from anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. METHODS: Twenty six MBC patients that received anti-PD-1 immunotherapy were enrolled in this study. The peptide-based Pep@MNPs method was used to isolate and enumerate CTCs from 2.0 ml of peripheral venous blood. The expression of PD-L1 on CTCs was evaluated by an established immunoscoring system categorizing into four classes (negative, low, medium, and high). RESULTS: Our data showed that 92.3% (24/26) of patients had CTCs, 83.3% (20/26) of patients had PD-L1-positive CTCs, and 65.4% (17/26) of patients had PD-L1-high CTCs. We revealed that the clinical benefit rate (CBR) of patients with a cut-off value of ≥ 35% PD-L1-high CTCs (66.6%) was higher than the others (29.4%). We indicated that PD-L1 expression on CTCs from MBC patients treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy was dynamic. We demonstrated that MBC patients with a cut-off value of ≥ 35% PD-L1-high CTCs had longer PFS (P = 0.033) and OS (P = 0.00058) compared with patients with a cut-off value of < 35% PD-L1-high CTCs. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that PD-L1 expression on CTCs could predict the therapeutic response and clinical outcomes, providing a valuable predictive and prognostic biomarker for patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Establishment and verification of prognostic model and ceRNA network analysis for colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

OBJECTS: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. Approximately two-thirds of patients with CRC will develop colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) at some point in time. In this study, we aimed to construct a prognostic model of CRLM and its competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. METHODS: RNA-seq of CRC, CRLM and normal samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus database. Limma was used to obtain differential expression genes (DEGs) between CRLM and CRC from sequencing data and GSE22834, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional enrichment analyses were performed, respectively. Univariate Cox regression analysis and lasso Cox regression models were performed to screen prognostic gene features and construct prognostic models. Functional enrichment, estimation of stromal and immune cells in malignant tumor tissues using expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis, and ceRNA network construction were applied to explore potential mechanisms. RESULTS: An 8-gene prognostic model was constructed by screening 112 DEGs from TCGA and GSE22834. CRC patients in the TCGA and GSE29621 cohorts were stratified into either a high-risk group or a low-risk group. Patients with CRC in the high-risk group had a significantly poorer prognosis compared to in the low-risk group. The risk score was identified as an independent predictor of prognosis. Functional analysis revealed that the risk score was closly correlated with various immune cells and immune-related signaling pathways. And a prognostic gene-associated ceRNA network was constructed that obtained 3 prognosis gene, 14 microRNAs (miRNAs) and 7 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, a prognostic model for CRLM identification was proposed, which could independently identify high-risk patients with low survival, suggesting a relationship between local immune status and prognosis of CRLM. Moreover, the key prognostic genes-related ceRNA network were established for the CRC investigation. Based on the differentially expressed genes between CRLM and CRC, the prognosis model of CRC patients was constructed.

Efficacy and safety of pyrotinib and radiotherapy vs. pyrotinib-based therapy in patients with HER2+ breast cancer with brain metastasis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: At present, local therapy, such as surgery and radiotherapy, is the mainstay treatment for brain metastasis and anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy has been shown to be efficacious for HER2+ breast cancer (BC) patients with brain metastasis. However, Clinical studies comparing the combined effects of the two treatments are lacking. This study sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of pyrotinib and radiotherapy versus pyrotinib-based therapy in treating HER2+ BC patients with brain metastasis. Methods: This retrospective, observational study collected data from 79 HER2+ BC patients with brain metastasis who received pyrotinib-based therapy from May 2018 to December 2021. Among these patients, 35 received pyrotinib-based therapy concurrently with, or within 3 months before or after, brain radiotherapy (Group A), and 44 received pyrotinib-based therapy as the primary regimen (with no restriction as to whether they had received brain radiotherapy previously or not, the interval between receiving radiotherapy and receiving pyrotinib was >3 months) (Group B). Patient information was collected by the Electronic Medical Records System. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were the objective response rate (ORR), the clinical benefit rate (CBR), and safety. The assessment of adverse effects was based on CTCAE5.0. Results: The intracranial ORRs were 48.6% in Group A and 20.5% (9/44) in Group B (P=0.015). The intracranial CBRs were 80.0% in Group A and 65.9% in Group B. The median intracranial PFS times (IC-PFS) were 15.0 months and 9.0 months in Group A and Group B, respectively (P=0.385). There was no statistically significant difference in OS between the 2 groups (95.0 vs. 98.0 months, P=0.872). The subgroup analysis showed that patients with active brain metastasis who received pyrotinib and radiotherapy had a longer IC-PFS time than those who received pyrotinib-based therapy(P=0.056). No serious adverse reactions (e.g., acute brain edema, cognitive dysfunction, or treatment-related death events) were observed. Conclusions: Pyrotinib combined with radiotherapy is recommended for HER2+ breast cancer active brain metastasis patients who can tolerate radiotherapy and pyrotinib. Pyrotinib-based therapy may be considered for patients who cannot tolerate radiotherapy and pyrotinib.

Clinical outcomes of tucidinostat-based therapy after prior CDK4/6 inhibitor progression in hormone receptor-positive heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: CDK4/6 inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy are standard first- or second-line treatment for patients with HR-positive and HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, however, there is currently no optimal recommendation for therapeutic strategies after progression on CDK4/6i. The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy and safety of HDAC inhibitor Tucidinostat combined with endocrine therapy in patients after prior CDK4/6 inhibitor progression. METHODS: The pathological and clinical data of 44 HR-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer patients treated with tucidinostat after progression on CDK4/6i at the Breast Oncology Department of the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from July 2019 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Observation indexes included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), clinical benefit rate (CBR), objective response rate (ORR) and adverse events. At the same time, we attempted to identify potential genomic predictors using available next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were enrolled in this study. Median follow-up was 10 months (1-26 months) by the data cutoff date (February 2022). The CBR was 6.8% (3/44), the median PFS was 2.0 months (95% CI 1.9-2.1), and the median OS was 14 months (95% CI 6.3-21.7). The mPFS was 4.1 months (95%CI: 0-8.2) in patients with 1 metastatic site, and the mPFS was 4.5 months (95%CI: 4.2-4.8) in patients who received sequential tucidinostat after CDK4/6i failure. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with 1 metastatic site or sequential tucidinostat treatment after failure of CDK4/6i were more likely to benefit from tucidinostat combined with endocrine therapy. Preliminary data showed PIK3CA mutation may be associated with resistance of tucidinostat therapy. No grade 4 adverse events and no treatment-related deaths were recorded in the study. Dose reductions because of adverse events occurred in 4 (9.1%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study preliminarily shows that tucidinostat combined with endocrine therapy may be an optional sequential strategy for patients with HR+/HER2-advanced breast cancer that has progressed on CDK4/6 inhibitor, especially for these with lower tumor burden and fewer prior palliative treatment.

An exploratory study on the checkout rate of circulating tumor cells and the prediction of efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and prognosis in patients with HER-2-positive early breast cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy is a standard treatment for patients with large, nonmetastatic breast cancer and may allow breast-conserving surgery after tumor downsizing while decreasing the risk of subsequent relapse. Dynamic changes of circulation tumor cells (CTCs) have a role in predicting treatment efficacy of breast cancer. However, the relationship between CTC enumeration before neoadjuvant therapy and pathologic complete response rate is still uncertain. Methods: The study was exploratory. A total of 50 breast cancer patients were enrolled in a phase II clinical study of neoadjuvant therapy for HER-2-positive early breast cancer. They were enrolled for blood draws before and after neoadjuvant therapy. We used two methods (CellSearch and TUMORFISH) to detect CTCs. We compared the sensitivity of the two systems and investigated the correlation of the enumeration on baseline CTCs with the diagnosis, prognosis, and efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy of the patients with HER-2-positive early breast cancer. We also explored the dynamic change of CTCs after neoadjuvant therapy. Results: The sensitivity of TUMORFISHER (27/50) method was significantly higher than that of the CellSearch system (15/50, p=0.008). The CTC numbers detected by the two detection systems were not significantly correlated with lymph node status, clinical stage, ki-67 level and hormone receptor status. Patients with ≥1 CTC before neoadjuvant therapy measured by the TUMORFISHER system had a significant high pCR rate (74.1% vs. 39.1%, p = 0.013); whereas, there was no predictive effect on pCR by CellSearch system (73.3% vs. 51.4%, p = 0.15). Patients with a decrease in CTCs enumeration after neoadjuvant therapy were more likely to achieve pCR than those with no change or increase in CTCs enumeration (87.5% vs 50.0%, p = 0.015) by the TUMORFISHER method. Unfortunately, there was no predictive value of CTCs enumeration for EFS before and after neoadjuvant therapy by two methods. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the new CTCs detection method TUMORFISHER system has a higher checkout rate in early breast cancer than the CellSearch system, and shows the opportunity of CTC enumeration as a novel assistant biomarker to predict the response of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with HER-2-positive early breast cancer.

TACE with dicycloplatin in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter randomized phase II trial.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and safety of dicycloplatin as chemotherapeutic regimen in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: In this randomized, open-label, phase II trial, patients with unresectable HCC who were TACE treatment-naïve or experienced recurrence after surgical resection or ablation were enrolled at 7 centers in China from March 2019 to November 2019. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive TACE with chemotherapeutic regimen of dicycloplatin alone (group A1), dicycloplatin plus epirubicin (group A2), or epirubicin alone (group B). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety. RESULTS: The ORR at 6 months in group A1 (n = 22) was significantly better than that in group B (p = 0.093; 90% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-9.45). The DCR in group A1 was significantly higher than that in group B (p = 0.045; 90% CI, 1.29-12.88). There was no significant difference in DOR among the groups (p = 0.271). The median PFS were 6.00 and 3.05 months in groups A2 (n = 25) and B (n = 24), respectively (p = 0.061). Grade 3 or worse adverse events were similar among groups in the safety population (p = 0.173). CONCLUSION: TACE with dicycloplatin was comparably safe and well tolerable as epirubicin alone in patients with unresectable HCC. Compared with epirubicin alone, significant improvement in ORR and DCR when dicycloplatin was applied, as well as prolonged PFS when dicycloplatin plus epirubicin was applied, was generated. KEY POINTS: • To our knowledge, this is the first multicenter randomized trial to assess the efficacy and safety of TACE with dicycloplatin in patients with unresectable HCC. • This phase II trial showed that TACE with dicycloplatin alone or plus epirubicin was comparably safe and well tolerable as epirubicin alone. • Significant improvements in ORR, DCR when dicycloplatin was applied, and prolonged PFS when dicycloplatin plus epirubicin was applied were recorded compared with epirubicin alone.

DDR1 promotes migration and invasion of breast cancer by modulating the Src-FAK signaling.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, causing 15% of patient deaths. The metastasis of breast cancer cells is the leading cause of death for patients. Several studies have shown that Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) was highly expressed in breast cancer and could influence tumor cell behaviors. However, the specific role of DDR1 in breast cancer metastasis is still elusive. In this study, we uncovered that DDR1 is significantly increased in breast cancer and inversely correlated with the prognosis of patients. Knockdown of DDR1 suppressed the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Additionally, overexpression of DDR1 enhanced the metastatic capacity of cancer cells. Immunoblotting revealed that activation of Src and FAK, which are involved in cancer cell metastasis, were correlated with the expression level of DDR1. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that DDR1 could bind to Src and FAK. Finally, the inhibition of FAK and Src could attenuate DDR1 enhanced migration ability of breast cancer cells. In summary, our study revealed that DDR1 was highly expressed in breast cancer and negatively correlated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. DDR1 facilitates migration and invasion in breast cancer cells via activation of the Src-FAK signaling. Accordingly, blocking DDR1/Src/FAK axis is a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer treatment.

Prognostic Relevance of Estrogen Receptor Status in Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Endocrine Therapy.

Recently, female breast cancer (BC) has surpassed lung cancer to occupy the first place of the most commonly diagnosed cancer. The unsatisfactory prognosis of endocrine therapy for breast cancer might be attributed to the discordance in estrogen receptor (ER) status between primary tumors and corresponding metastases, as well as temporal and spatial receptor status heterogeneity at point-in-time between biopsy and treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of ER status in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in BC patients. We analyzed ER expression on CTCs isolated using the Pep@MNPs method in 2.0 ml of blood samples from 70 patients with BC and 67 female controls. The predictive and prognostic value of ER expression in CTCs and immunohistochemistry results of biopsies for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients in response to therapies were assessed. The detection rate for CTCs was 95.71% (67/70 patients), with a median of 8 CTCs within 2 ml of peripheral venous blood (PVB). A concordance of 76.56% in ER status between CTCs and corresponding primary tumor and 69.23% between CTCs and corresponding metastases was observed. We also found that patients with ER-positive CTCs (CTC ER+) had longer PFS and OS than those without ER-positive CTCs (CTC ER-). Our findings suggested that ER status in CTCs of BC patients may provide valuable predictive and prognostic insights into endocrine therapies, although further evaluation in larger prospective trials is required.

Catalyst-Dependent Stereospecific [3,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement of Sulfoxide-Ynamides: Divergent Synthesis of Chiral Medium-Sized N,S-Heterocycles.

Medium-sized N,S-heterocycles have received tremendous interest due to their biological activities and potential medical applications. However, asymmetric synthesis of these compounds are extremely rare. Described herein is a catalyst-dependent [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of sulfoxide-ynamides, enabling divergent and atom-economic synthesis of a series of valuable medium-sized N,S-heterocycles in moderate to good yields with broad substrate scope. Importantly, excellent enantioselectivities have been achieved via an unprecedented chirality-transfer. Moreover, theoretical calculations are employed to elucidate the origins of the catalyst-dependent stereospecific [3,3]-rearrangement.

Efficacy and safety of low-dose everolimus combined with endocrine drugs for patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the efficacy and safety of everolimus 5 mg/day in combination with endocrine drugs in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer using real-world clinical data. METHODS: Clinical data of hormone receptor (HR)-positive and HER2-negative patients with advanced breast cancer treated with everolimus combined with endocrine drugs in our center between August 2012 and May 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Curative effect and adverse reactions were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients were enrolled in this study, and 87.3% received salvage chemotherapy. The median number of salvage treatment lines was 5 (range: 1-19). The median follow-up duration was 12 months (range: 1-56.3 months), the overall response rate (ORR) was 6.4%, the clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 31.8%, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 4.0 months (95% CI: 2.9-5.1 months), and the median overall survival (OS) was 17 months (95% CI: 12.1-21.9 months). The mPFS for patients who received ≤2 treatment line was 11.8 months (95% CI: 4.3-19.3 months). Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that absence of liver metastases, secondary endocrine resistance, and number of metastasis sites <3 were the main factors influencing the benefit of everolimus combined with endocrine therapy. The most common adverse events of grade 3 were: stomatitis (5.5%), non-infectious pneumonia (1.8%), and erythra (1.8%). No grade 4 adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that everolimus (5 mg/day) combined with endocrine therapy was effective and relatively safe for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Analysis and identification of infrared radiation characteristics of different attitude targets.

Today, a large number of targets operate in space, and there are mainly four kinds of attitude targets: triaxial stabilized targets, spin stabilized targets, triaxial stabilized targets on tumbling, and spin stabilized targets on tumbling. It is of great significance to classify and identify these targets. First, the infrared radiation characteristic model of the target is established, taking different attitude targets into account, which, to the best of our knowledge, has seldom been considered. Then, through the simulation of specific example targets, the differences in infrared characteristics of four kinds of attitude targets are analyzed and explained. Finally, according to the orbit distribution and typical geometry structure of space targets, the infrared characteristic data sets of four kinds of attitude targets are simulated, and a classifier is established to classify and recognize these targets. The results show that the infrared characteristics of different attitude targets are obviously different, and the classifier can successfully classify and recognize different attitude targets.

Efficiency of Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn Removal from Karst Water by Eichhornia crassipes.

This study experimentally investigated heavy metal removal and accumulation in the aquatic plant Eichhornia crassipes. Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn concentrations, plant morphology, and plant functional groups were analyzed. Eichhornia crassipes achieved high removal efficiency of Pb and Mn from karst water (over 79.5%), with high proportion of Pb, Zn, and Cd absorption occurring in the first eight days. The highest removal efficiencies were obtained at initial Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn concentrations of 1 mg/L, 2 mg/L, 0.02 mg/L, and 0.2 mg/L, respectively. Eichhornia crassipes exhibited a high bioconcentration factor (Mn = 199,567 > Pb = 19,605 > Cd = 3403 > Zn = 1913) and a low translocation factor (<1). The roots accumulated more Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn than the stolons and leaves due to the stronger tolerance of roots. The voids, stomas, air chambers, and airways promoted this accumulation. Pb, Cd, Zn, and Mn likely exchanged with Mg, Na, and K through the cation exchange. C≡C, C=O, SO42-, O-H, C-H, and C-O played different roles during uptake, which led to different removal and accumulation effects.

Copper-catalyzed tandem cis-carbometallation/cyclization of imine-ynamides with arylboronic acids.

An efficient copper-catalyzed tandem regioselective cis-carbometallation/cyclization of imine-ynamides with arylboronic acids has been developed. This method leads to a facile and practical synthesis of valuable 2,3-disubstituted indolines in moderate to excellent yields and features a broad substrate scope and wide functional group tolerance. Other significant features of this protocol include the use of readily available starting materials, high flexibility, simple procedure and mild reaction conditions.

Effects and Mechanisms of Calcium Ion Addition on Lead Removal from Water by Eichhornia crassipes.

Karst water is rich in calcium ions (Ca2+) and exhibits poor metal availability and low biodegradation efficiency. This study sought to analyze the effects and mechanisms of Ca2+ on lead (Pb) removal and absorption by Eichhornia crassipes (a floating plant common in karst areas). Moreover, the morphology and functional groups of E. crassipes in water were characterized via SEM, and FTIR. The results demonstrated that the removal rate of Pb in karst water (85.31%) was higher than that in non-karst water (77.04%); however, the Pb bioconcentration amount (BCA) in E. crassipes roots in karst water (1763 mg/kg) was lower than that in non-karst water (2143 mg/kg). With increased Ca2+ concentrations (60, 80, and 100 mg/L) in karst water, the Pb removal rate increased (85.31%, 88.87%, and 92.44%), the Pb BCA decreased (1763, 1317, and 1095 mg/kg), and the Ca BCA increased (6801, 6955, and 9368 mg/kg), which was attributed to PbCO3 and PbSO4 precipitation and competitive Ca and Pb absorption. High Ca2+ concentrations increased the strength of cation exchange, alleviated the fracture degree of fibrous roots, reduced the atrophy of vascular bundles, protected the cell wall, promoted C-O combined with Pb, enhanced the strength of O‒H, SO42-, C=O, and reduced the oxidization of alkynyl acetylene bonds.

A rare complication after radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of colorectal liver metastasis: A case report.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the safe and effective treatments of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis, which has the advantages of minimally invasive, fewer complications, short hospitalization time and repeatable operation. A special case with advanced transverse colon carcinoma was treated by RFA in our center. All the procedures were performed, which were recommended by the guideline. An intestinal perforation occurred on the second day after the RFA, then surgeon performed emergency surgery, unfortunately, anastomotic leakage occurred on the 21st day after the operation, yet after conservative medical treatment, the patient achieved remission of symptoms and discharged from the hospital. Rare complications occurred after RFA in the treatment of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis are unpredictable, which could affect the efficacy of RFA and performance status of patients. Further investigation of the mechanism of these complications is warranted urgently, which might offer more effective methods against these rare complications.