Subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for synchronous bilateral lung resection

<p><b>Objectives</b>: With advancements in medical imaging and current emphasis on regular physical examinations, multiple pulmonary lesions increasingly are being detected, including bilateral pulmonary lesions. Video-assisted thoracic surgery is an important method for treating such lesions. Most of video-assisted thoracic surgeries for bilateral pulmonary lesions were two separate operations. Herein, we report a novel technique of synchronous subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery for bilateral pulmonary lesions.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: Synchronous bilateral lung resection procedures were performed through a single incision (~4 cm, subxiphoid).</p> <p><b>Results</b>: This technique was used successfully in 11 patients with bilateral pulmonary lesions. There were no intraoperative deaths or mortality recorded at 30 days.</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b>: Our results show that the subxiphoid uniportal thoracoscopic procedure is a safe and feasible surgical procedure for synchronous bilateral lung resection with less surgical trauma, postoperative pain and better cosmetic results in qualifying patients. Further analysis is ongoing, involving a larger number of subjects.</p

Nanopore Single-Molecule Analysis of Metal Ion–Chelator Chemical Reaction

Metal ions play critical roles in wide range of biochemical and physiological processes, but they can cause toxicity if excessive ingestion or misregulation. Chelating agents offer an efficient mean for metal ions intoxication and therapeutics of diseases. Studies on metal ion–chelator interactions are important for understanding the reaction mechanism and developing new specific metal chelator drugs. However, it remains a significant challenge to detect the metal ion–chelator interactions at the molecular level. Here, we report a label-free nanopore sensing approach that enables single-molecule investigation of the complexation process. We demonstrate that the chemical reaction between Cu²⁺ and carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CMβCD) in a nanoreactor is completely different from in the bulk solution. The formation constant (<i>K</i>_f = 4.70 × 10⁴ M^–1) increases 14 417-fold in the nanopore than that in the bulk solution (<i>K</i>_f = 3.26 M^–1). The bioavailable CMβCD as a natural derivative with higher affinity for Cu²⁺ could be used in the safe medicinal removal of toxic metal. On the basis of the different ionic current signatures across an α-hemolysin (α-HL) mutant (M113N)₇ nanopore lodged with a CMβCD adaptor in the presence and absence of Cu²⁺, the reversible molecular binding events to CMβCD can be in situ recorded and the single-molecule thermodynamic and kinetic information can be obtained. Interestly, we found that the Cu²⁺ binding leads to the increase of the channel current, rather than the blocking as usual nanopore experiment. The uncommon (on/off) characteristic could be very useful for fabricating the nanodevice. Furthermore, the unique nanopore sensor can provide a highly sensitive approach for detecting metal ions

Changes in grain weight of two wheat cultivars, CH58 (A) and XN9871 (B) under organic fertilizer and different water regimes.

<p>CK: control; M: organic fertilizer; WS: water stress; WW: well-watered. Bars are LSD at <i>P</i>≤0.05.</p

Additional file 1 of Efficacy and safety of thoracic radiotherapy in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer patients receiving first-line immunotherapy plus chemotherapy: a propensity score matched multicentre retrospective analysis

Supplementary Material

Effects of organic fertilizer, water conditions and cultivars on root weight (RWt), leaf weight (LWt), stem weight (StemWt), ear weight (EWt), total dry biomass (TWt), 1000-grain weight (TGW), grain number per plant (GN), root/shoot ratio (R/S), grain yield per plant and harvest index (HI).

<p>Effects of organic fertilizer, water conditions and cultivars on root weight (RWt), leaf weight (LWt), stem weight (StemWt), ear weight (EWt), total dry biomass (TWt), 1000-grain weight (TGW), grain number per plant (GN), root/shoot ratio (R/S), grain yield per plant and harvest index (HI).</p

Effects of organic fertilizer on flag leaf (A) POD activity, (B) SOD activity and (C) MDA content of two wheat cultivars under water stress and well-watered conditions at 14 d after anthesis.

<p>CK: control; M: organic fertilizer; WS: water stress; WW: well-watered. All data were presented as the mean± SD of six replicates. Duncan’s multiple range test in the SPSS System was used to separate the means, different lowercase letters represent significant different (<i>P</i>≤0.05).</p

Effects of organic fertilizer, water conditions and cultivars on leaf relative water content (LRWC), leaf water potential (Ψ_w), excised-leaf water loss rate (EWLR), and water retention capacity (WRC) of two winter wheat cultivars.

<p>Effects of organic fertilizer, water conditions and cultivars on leaf relative water content (LRWC), leaf water potential (Ψ_w), excised-leaf water loss rate (EWLR), and water retention capacity (WRC) of two winter wheat cultivars.</p

Table_1_Association between immune-related adverse events and the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in advanced esophageal cancer.docx

IntroductionRecent developments in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved the treatment outcomes of esophageal cancer (EC); however, it may initiate immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in some patients. The ICIs’ therapeutic efficacy is associated with irAEs in patients with non-small cell lung cancer or renal cell carcinoma, although this association is unknown in EC. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between irAEs and the efficacy of programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in EC patients.Patients and methodsThis study included patients with advanced EC treated with PD-1 inhibitors. The patients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of irAEs. Afterward, the efficacy was compared between the irAE-negative and irAE-positive groups, and we analyzed the predictive factors of irAEs and survival.ResultsOverall, 295 patients were included in this study. Baseline characteristics were balanced in the irAE-negative and irAE-positive groups. In total, 143 (48.47%) patients experienced irAEs. The most frequent irAEs were anemia (49, 16.61%), hyperthyroidism (45, 15.25%), and pneumonitis (44, 14.92%). In total, 33 (11.19%) patients had grade ≥ 3 irAEs and pneumonitis have 15 (5.08%). No grade 5 adverse events were observed. A total of 52 (17.63%) and 91 (30.85%) patients had single and multiple irAEs, respectively. Compared with patients without irAEs, those with irAEs had significantly higher objective response rate (ORR) (37.76% vs. 25.00%, p = 0.018) and disease control rate (DCR) (92.31% vs. 83.55%, p = 0.022). Univariate Cox analyses indicated the significant association between irAEs and improved median progression-free survival (PFS) (10.27 vs. 6.2 months, p 8, radiation, as well as antiangiogenic therapy were strongly associated with irAEs development (p ConclusionIn advanced EC, patients with irAEs showed markedly better efficacy in ORR, DCR, PFS, and OS compared with patients without irAEs.</p

Physiological mechanisms contributing to increased water-use efficiency in winter wheat under organic fertilization

<div><p>Improving the efficiency of resource utilization has received increasing research attention in recent years. In this study, we explored the potential physiological mechanisms underlying improved grain yield and water-use efficiency of winter wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) following organic fertilizer application. Two wheat cultivars, ChangHan58 (CH58) and XiNong9871 (XN9871), were grown under the same nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (urea-N, CK; and manure plus urea-N, M) and under two watering regimes (WW, well-watered; and WS, water stress) imposed after anthesis. The M fertilizer treatment had a higher P_n and lower g_s and T_r than CK under both water conditions, in particular, it significantly increased WRC and Ψ_w, and decreased EWLR and MDA under WS. Also, the M treatment increased post-anthesis N uptake by 81.4 and 16.4% under WS and WW, thus increasing post-anthesis photosynthetic capacity and delaying leaf senescence. Consequently, the M treatment increased post-anthesis DM accumulation under WS and WW by 51.5 and 29.6%, WUE_B by 44.5 and 50.9%, grain number per plant by 11.5 and 12.2% and 1000-grain weight by 7.3 and 3.6%, respectively, compared with CK. The grain yield under M treatment increased by 23 and 15%, and water use efficiency (WUE_g) by 25 and 23%, respectively. The increased WUE under organic fertilizer treatment was due to elevated photosynthesis and decreased T_r and g_s. Our results suggest that the organic fertilizer treatment enabled plants to use water more efficiently under drought stress.</p></div

Changes in chlorophyll content in the flag leaf of two wheat cultivars, CH58 (A) and XN9871 (B) under organic fertilizer and different water regimes.

<p>CK: control; M: organic fertilizer; WS: water stress; WW: well-watered. Bars are LSD at <i>P</i>≤0.05. Effects of organic fertilizer on photosynthetic characteristics.</p