Postoperative elective pelvic nodal irradiation compared to prostate bed irradiation in locally advanced prostate cancer – a retrospective analysis of dose-escalated patients

Background: It is uncertain if whole-pelvic irradiation (WPRT) in addition to dose-escalated prostate bed irradiation (PBRT) improves biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS) after prostatectomy for locally advanced tumors. This study was initiated to analyze if WPRT is associated with bPFS in a patient cohort with dose-escalated (> 70 Gy) PBRT. Methods: Patients with locally advanced, node-negative prostate carcinoma who had PBRT with or without WPRT after prostatectomy between 2009 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. A simultaneous integrated boost with equivalent-doses-in-2-Gy-fractions (EQD-2) of 79.29 Gy or 71.43 Gy to the prostate bed was applied in patients with margin-positive (or detectable) and margin-negative/undetectable tumors, respectively. WPRT (44 Gy) was offered to patients at an increased risk of lymph node metastases. Results: Forty-three patients with PBRT/WPRT and 77 with PBRT-only were identified. Baseline imbalances included shorter surgery-radiotherapy intervals (S-RT-Intervals) and fewer resected lymph nodes in the WPRT group. WPRT was significantly associated with better bPFS in univariate (p = 0.032) and multivariate models (HR = 0.484, p = 0.015). Subgroup analysis indicated a benefit of WPRT (p = 0.029) in patients treated with rising PSA values who mostly had negative margins (74.1%); WPRT was not associated with a longer bPFS in the postoperative setting with almost exclusively positive margins (96.8%). Conclusion: We observed a longer bPFS after WPRT compared to PBRT in patients with locally advanced prostate carcinoma who underwent dose-escalated radiotherapy. In subset analyses, the association was only observed in patients with rising PSA values but not in patients with non-salvage postoperative radiotherapy for positive margins

A comprehensive global marine nitrous oxide dataset from the Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program

Poster.-- Ocean Science Meeting 2024, New Orleans, USA, 18-23 February 2024Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone depletion agent, with a significant natural source from the oceans. Existing marine N2O databases tend to focus on surface measurements and often lack standardized accompanying hydrographic and nutrient data. Here we present a comprehensive global marine N2O dataset derived from measurements collected during CLIVAR (Climate and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and Change) and GO-SHIP (Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program). Our global dataset comprises over a decade’s worth of surface and interior N2O measurements, alongside high-quality hydrographic, nutrient, and age tracer data, encompassing all of the major ocean basins. We have amassed data from 23 international CLIVAR and GO-SHIP cruises conducted between 2005 and 2022, resulting in more than 30,000 measurements. Notably, the N2O concentration data exhibit a multimodal distribution, characterized by a pronounced right tail owing to the extreme N2O concentrations (up to 100 nM) found in oxygen-deficient zones. The dataset’s validity is established through inter-laboratory comparisons conducted at crossover stations. Additionally, we illustrate the dataset’s potential utility by estimating N2O yield during nitrification using paired nutrient and oxygen data, estimating N2O production rates during deep water circulation using age tracer data, and calculating air-sea N2O flux. Upon publication of the accompanying paper, this dataset will be accessible to the research community through the CLIVAR and Carbon Hydrographic Data Office (CCHDO). This GO-SHIP N2O dataset is intended to become a key resource for future research on the global marine N2O cycle and emissionsN

Measurement of nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of nitrate in a shallow ice core drilled in a vicinity of Dome Fuji station, East Antarctica

第3回極域科学シンポジウム/第35回極域気水圏シンポジウム 11月29日（木） 国立国語研究所 ２階ロビ

WHATS-3: An Improved Flow-Through Multi-bottle Fluid Sampler for Deep-Sea Geofluid Research

Deep-sea geofluid systems, such as hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, are key to understanding subseafloor environments of Earth. Fluid chemistry, especially, provides crucial information toward elucidating the physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur in these ecosystems. To accurately assess fluid and gas properties of deep-sea geofluids, well-designed pressure-tight fluid samplers are indispensable and as such they are important assets of deep-sea geofluid research. Here, the development of a new flow-through, pressure-tight fluid sampler capable of four independent sampling events (two subsamples for liquid and gas analyses from each) is reported. This new sampler, named WHATS-3, is a new addition to the WHATS-series samplers and a major upgrade from the previous WHATS-2 sampler with improvements in sample number, valve operational time, physical robustness, and ease of maintenance. Routine laboratory-based pressure tests proved that it is suitable for operation up to 35 MPa pressure. Successful field tests of the new sampler were also carried out in five hydrothermal fields, two in Indian Ocean, and three in Okinawa Trough (max. depth 3,300 m). Relations of Mg and major ion species demonstrated bimodal mixing trends between a hydrothermal fluid and seawater, confirming the high quality of fluids sampled. The newly developed WHATS-3 sampler is well-balanced in sampling capability, field usability, and maintenance feasibility, and can serve as one of the best geofluid samplers available at present to conduct efficient research of deep-sea geofluid systems

Sulfur-assisted urea synthesis from carbon monoxide and ammonia in water

Efficient conversion of carbon monoxide into urea in an aqueous ammonia solution was demonstrated through coupling with the elemental sulfur reduction to polysulfides. Polysulfides control the overall reaction rate while suppressing the accumulation of a by-product, hydrogen sulfide. These functions follow basic kinetic and thermodynamic theories, enabling prediction-based reaction control. This operational merit, together with the superiority of water as a green solvent, suggests that our demonstrated urea synthesis is a promising option for sulfur utilization beneficial for agricultural production

In situ gold adsorption experiment at an acidic hot spring using a blue-green algal sheet

Abstract Gold (Au), as one of the most precious metal resources that is used for both industrial products and private ornaments, is a global investment target, and mining companies are making huge investments to discover new Au deposits. Here, we report in situ Au adsorption in an acidic hot spring by a unique adsorption sheet made from blue-green algae with a high preferential adsorption ability for Au. The results of in situ Au adsorption experiments conducted for various reaction times ranging from 0.2 h to 7 months showed that a maximum Au concentration of 30 ppm was adsorbed onto the blue-green algal sheet after a reaction time of 7 months. The Au concentration in the hot spring water was below the detection limit (< 1 ppt); therefore, Au was enriched by preferential adsorption onto the blue-green algal sheet by a factor of more than ~ 3 × 107. Thus, our gold recovery method has a high potential to recover Au even from an Au-poor solution such as hot spring water or mine wastewater with a low impact on the environment

Chemical Nature of Hydrothermal Fluids Generated by Serpentinization and Carbonation of Komatiite: Implications for H2‐Rich Hydrothermal System and Ocean Chemistry in the Early Earth

Abstract H2‐rich ultramafic‐hosted hydrothermal systems are considered to be important places for the origin and early evolution of life. In this study, we conducted two hydrothermal serpentinization/carbonation experiments involving synthetic komatiite under CO2‐rich conditions to further understand the chemical nature of hydrothermal fluids in the komatiite‐hosted seafloor hydrothermal systems in the early Earth. The H2 concentration in fluid at 300°C is one order of magnitude lower than that under CO2‐free conditions, which revealed that the carbonation of komatiites suppressed H2 generation under CO2‐rich conditions. The steady‐state H2 concentrations in the fluid increased with increasing temperature, while the Fe content of carbonate minerals in the run products increased with decreasing temperature. This correlation suggested that Fe incorporation into the carbonate minerals would limit the H2 generation during the serpentinization of komatiites at each temperature. In addition, the pH of the fluid also depended on temperature. High‐temperature (>300°C) fluids became alkaline, whereas low‐temperature fluids became acidic. Thermodynamic calculations show that the acidic fluids were attributed to high water/rock ratio during the hydrothermal reactions. Consequently, H2‐poor and acidic fluids were likely generated at low temperatures. In contrast, the H2‐rich and alkaline hydrothermal fluids were generated at temperatures above 300°C, which suggests that high‐temperature seafloor hydrothermal systems may be more favorable than lower‐temperature systems for the emergence and early evolution of life in the Hadean ocean in terms of the formation of energy and electrochemical potentials between hydrothermal fluids and ambient seawater

Stable Abiotic Production of Ammonia from Nitrate in Komatiite-Hosted Hydrothermal Systems in the Hadean and Archean Oceans

Abiotic fixation of atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia is important in prebiotic chemistry and biological evolution in the Hadean and Archean oceans. Though it is widely accepted that nitrate (NO3−) was generated in the early atmospheres, the stable pathways of ammonia production from nitrate deposited in the early oceans remain unknown. This paper reports results of the first experiments simulating high-temperature, high-pressure reactions between nitrate and komatiite to find probable chemical pathways to deliver ammonia to the vent–ocean interface of komatiite-hosted hydrothermal systems and the global ocean on geological timescales. The fluid chemistry and mineralogy of the komatiite–H2O–NO3− system show iron-mediated production of ammonia from nitrate with yields of 10% at 250 °C and 350 °C, 500 bars. The komatiite–H2O–NO3– system also generated H2-rich and alkaline fluids, well-known prerequisites for prebiotic and primordial metabolisms, at lower temperatures than the komatiite–H2O–CO2 system. We estimate the ammonia flux from the komatiite-hosted systems to be 105–1010 mol/y in the early oceans. If the nitrate concentration in the early oceans was greater than 10 μmol/kg, the long-term production of ammonia through thermochemical nitrate reduction for the first billion years might have allowed the subsequent development of an early biosphere in the global surface ocean. Our results imply that komatiite-hosted systems might have impacted not only H2-based chemosynthetic ecosystems at the vent-ocean interface but also photosynthetic ecosystems on the early Earth