Analysis of clinical and dosimetric factors associated with severe acute radiation pneumonitis in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the association between the clinical, dosimetric factors and severe acute radiation pneumonitis (SARP) in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LANSCLC) treated with concurrent chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed 94 LANSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT between May 2005 and September 2006. SARP was defined as greater than or equal 3 side effects and graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0.</p> <p>The clinical and dosimetric factors were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between clinical, dosimetric factors and SARP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median follow-up was 10.5 months (range 6.5-24). Of 94 patients, 11 (11.7%) developed SARP. Univariate analyses showed that the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), mean lung dose (MLD), relative volumes of lung receiving more than a threshold dose of 5-60 Gy at increments of 5 Gy (V5-V60), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) were associated with SARP (<it>p </it>< 0.05). In multivariate analysis, NTCP value (<it>p </it>= 0.001) and V10 (<it>p </it>= 0.015) were the most significant factors associated with SARP. The incidences of SARP in the group with NTCP > 4.2% and NTCP ≤4.2% were 43.5% and 1.4%, respectively (<it>p </it>< 0.01). The incidences of SARP in the group with V10 ≤50% and V10 >50% were 5.7% and 29.2%, respectively (<it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>NTCP value and V10 are the useful indicators for predicting SARP in NSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT.</p

Synthesis of BiOI-TiO 2

This study was conducted to synthesize a series of nanosized BiOI-TiO2 catalysts to photodegrade Bisphenol A solution. The BiOI-TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized in the reverse microemulsions, consisting of cyclohexane, Triton X-100, n-hexanol, and aqueous salt solutions. The synthesized particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analyzer, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible light (UV-Vis) absorption spectra and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The photodegradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous suspension under visible light irradiation was investigated to explore the feasibility of using the photocatalytic method to treat BPA wastewater. The effects of different molar ratios of BiOI to TiO2 on the photocatalytic activity were discussed. The experimental results revealed that the photocatalytic effect of the BiOI-TiO2 particles was superior to the commercial P25 TiO2. The BPA degradation could be approached by a pseudo-first-order rate expression. The observed reaction rate constant (kobs) was related to nanoparticles dosage and initial solution pH

Lignocellulose based hydrogel sponge for cost-effective seawater desalination

Currently, freshwater scarcity is becoming an increasingly pressing issue worldwide. Solar desalination technology is recognized as a promising solution to this problem. However, the existing seawater desalination evaporators suffer from slow evaporation rates and limited salt tolerance. To address this, we developed a lignocellulosic hydrogel sponge (LHS) using a straightforward salting-out method. This hydrogel sponge achieves a high evaporation efficiency of 2.57 kg·m−2·h−1 and exhibits excellent salt, acid, and alkali resistance. Therefore, LHS presents a new approach for solar-driven water purification, which holds significant implications for solving freshwater scarcity

Lignocellulose based hydrogel sponge for cost-effective seawater desalination

Currently, freshwater scarcity is becoming an increasingly pressing issue worldwide. Solar desalination technology is recognized as a promising solution to this problem. However, the existing seawater desalination evaporators suffer from slow evaporation rates and limited salt tolerance. To address this, we developed a lignocellulosic hydrogel sponge (LHS) using a straightforward salting-out method. This hydrogel sponge achieves a high evaporation efficiency of 2.57 kg·m−2·h−1 and exhibits excellent salt, acid, and alkali resistance. Therefore, LHS presents a new approach for solar-driven water purification, which holds significant implications for solving freshwater scarcity

Glutaraldehyde functionalized modified chitosan and grafted on PVDF membrane to achieve oil-water separation

In recent years, there have been frequent offshore oil spills, and the discharge of industrial oily wastewater has not been properly solved, seriously affecting biological and water quality, and people's requirements for water quality are getting higher and higher, so it has become increasingly urgent to find green and efficient technologies and methods for separating oil-water mixtures. In this work, glutaraldehyde, a widely used crosslinker, is used to graft natural polysaccharide chitosan onto PVDF membrane, which greatly enhances the hydrophilicity of PVDF membrane, and the superhydrophilic superoleophobic CG-PVDF membrane prepared can be used to treat oily wastewater. The materials for preparing membranes are inexpensive, easy to obtain, and environmentally friendly, recyclable, and will not cause secondary pollution. Therefore, this green and simple membrane separation method for the treatment of oily wastewater is of great significance in sustainable development

Rhizoaspergillin A and Rhizoaspergillinol A, including a Unique Orsellinic Acid–Ribose–Pyridazinone-<i>N</i>-Oxide Hybrid, from the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. A1E3

Two new compounds, named rhizoaspergillin A (1) and rhizoaspergillinol A (2), were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. A1E3, associated with the fruit of Rhizophora mucronata, together with averufanin (3). The planar structures and absolute configurations of rhizoaspergillinol A (2) and averufanin (3) were established by extensive NMR investigations and quantum-chemical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Most notably, the constitution and absolute configuration of rhizoaspergillin A (1) were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of its tri-pivaloyl derivative 4, conducted with Cu Kα radiation, whereas those of averufanin (3) were first clarified by quantum-chemical ECD calculations. Rhizoaspergillin A is the first orsellinic acid–ribose–pyridazinone-N-oxide hybrid containing a unique β-oxo-2,3-dihydropyridazine 1-oxide moiety, whereas rhizoaspergillinol A (2) and averufanin (3) are sterigmatocystin and anthraquinone derivatives, respectively. From the perspective of biosynthesis, rhizoaspergillin A (1) could be originated from the combined assembly of three building blocks, viz., orsellinic acid, β-D-ribofuranose, and L-glutamine. It is an unprecedented alkaloid-N-oxide involving biosynthetic pathways of polyketides, pentose, and amino acids. In addition, rhizoaspergillinol A (2) exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against four cancer cell lines. It could dose-dependently induce G2/M phase arrest in HepG2 cells

Preparation of sodium alginate-polyvinyl alcohol@PVDF hybrid membrane for efficient oil-water separation

Oily sewage is widespread in petrochemical and machinery manufacturing industries. Direct discharge not only wastes water and oil resources, pollutes the ecological environment, but also affects the survival and health of humans and other organisms. The traditional oil-water separation method has strong limitations, poor economy and low separation efficiency. Sodium alginate (SA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were uniformly coated on the surface of PVDF membrane, and superhydrophilic SA-PVA@PVDF hybrid membrane was prepared by multiple cyclic self-assembly. The oil-water separation experiment was carried out by using the membrane. The initial separation efficiency was 99.8%, and the overall separation efficiency remained above 98.3% after 10 cycles of regeneration experiments. This study provides a new idea for the low-cost, green and simple preparation of superhydrophilic-underwater superoleophobic separation materials

Prognostic Value of Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Objective. Previous studies have controversial results about the prognostic role of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we conduct this meta-analysis to access the association between sST2 and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and CVD events in patients with CKD. Methods. The publication studies on the association of sST2 with all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, and CVD events from PubMed and Embase were searched through August 2020. We pooled the hazard ratio (HR) comparing high versus low levels of sST2 and subgroup analysis based on treatment, continent, and diabetes mellitus (DM) proportion, and sample size was also performed. Results. There were 15 eligible studies with 11,063 CKD patients that were included in our meta-analysis. Elevated level of sST2 was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 2.05; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51–2.78), CVD mortality (HR 1.68; 95% CI, 1.35–2.09), total CVD events (HR 1.88; 95% CI, 1.26–2.80), and HF (HR 1.35; 95% CI, 1.11–1.64). Subgroup analysis based on continent, DM percentage, and sample size showed that these factors did not influence the prognostic role of sST2 levels to all-cause mortality. Conclusions. Our results show that high levels of sST2 could predict the all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, and CVD events in CKD patients

Superhydrophilic polymer coatings based on PVDF membranes for oil-water separation

Recently, the excellent anti-pollution performance of superhydrophilic membrane has attracted much attention in the field of wastewater treatment and oil-water separationIn. At present, the widely used commercial membrane materials have good pore structure and mechanical properties, but most of the commercial membranes are hydrophobic, so a simple, environmentally friendly and universal method is urgently needed to change its hydrophobic membrane to superhydrophilic membrane. In this paper, tannic acid (TA, natural plant polyphenols) and polydopamine (PDA) were used to build an anti-stain coating. The synthesized hydrophilic polymer containing polyphenols crosslinks with the base layer through hydrogen bonding, π-π and Michael addition. After the modified PVDF membrane is moistened by water, the superhydrophilic polymer network on the surface binds the water to form a stable hydration layer, showing the superhydrophilic/underwater superhydrophobic properties. The wettability of the modified film in air and water was investigated. The contact Angle of the modified separation membrane prepared in this paper is more than 150°, and the separation efficiency exceeded 98%. The good flux and efficiency can be maintained after 5 cycles, and it is found that the membrane has a certain anti-protein adsorption capacity. The modified membrane has high separation flux and excellent reuse, and has great uses in other ways