A Retrospective Paired Study: Efficacy and Safety of Nimotuzumab Combined with Radiochemotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab in combination with radiochemotherapy as the primary treatment in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma from September 2012 to December 2016. 188 newly diagnosed patients with stage III–IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with at least 1-2 cycles of chemotherapy concurrently with planned IMRT. 88 patients received nimotuzumab 200 mg/week. Acute and late radiation-related toxicities were graded according to the Acute and Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Results: After 3 months of treatment, the complete response rates of nasopharyngeal tumors in the study group and the control group were 78.4% and 65.5%, respectively (?2=4.070, P=0.044). The total complete response rates of cervical lymph nodes in the study group and the control group were 80.7% and 67.6% respectively (?2=4.022, P=0.045).The median cycle for nimotuzumab addition was 6.3 weeks. With a median follow-up of 36.3 months (range, 12–72 months), the estimated 3-year progression failure-free survival and overall survival rates for the study group and the control group were 85.24% vs 81.97% and 96.67% vs 90.0%, respectively. The 3-year local recurrence-free survival rates for the study group and the control group were 96.67% vs 83.60%, respectively (P=0.047). Grade 3 radiation-induced mucositis accounted for 36.4% of treated patients. No skin rash and infusion reaction were observed, distinctly from what is reported in control patients. Conclusion: Nimotuzumab plus chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma showed promising outcomes in terms of locoregional control, without increasing the incidence of radiation-related toxicities for patients

Carbon dots modified mesoporous organosilica as an adsorbent for the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol and heavy metal ions

Periodic mesoporous organosilica embedded with carbon dots are adopted as the adsorbent for removal of the toxic organic pollutant 2,4-dichlorophenol and inorganic metal ions Hg(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II). The composite possesses an ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructure with a space group of p6mm, high specific surface area ([similar]468.46 m2 g−1), and uniform pore size ([similar]5.50 nm). The surface is covered by about 1–2 layers of carbon dot nanoparticles. The maximum adsorption capacity for 2,4-dichlorophenol is 99.70 mg g−1, and the distribution coefficient of metal ions between adsorbent and solution phases is in the range of 2.60–7.41, following the order of Hg(II) > Cu(II) > Pb(II). The Cu(II) and Pb(II) adsorption stays nearly fixed while Hg(II) adsorption is depressed by [similar]45% in a mixed solution of metal ions. The Cu(II) and Hg(II) adsorption shows unapparent variation but Pb(II) adsorption is improved by [similar]55% in a mixed solution of metal ion and 2,4-dichlorophenol. In contrast, all metal ions lead to the depression of 2,4-dichlorophenol adsorption by 37% (Pb(II)), 45% (Cu(II)), and 48% (Hg(II)). Finally, the n–π electron donor–acceptor interaction between O- and N-containing groups in mesoporous organosilica and the benzene ring in 2,4-dichlorophenol is revealed to be responsible for the enhanced adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol, while the electrostatic force and complex formation between metal ions and amide groups co-contribute to the improvement of metal ions adsorption

Sensitive and easily recyclable plasmonic SERS substrate based on Ag nanowires in mesoporous silica

Raman spectra were obtained by a Renishaw inVia with a laser of 532 nm and 0.5% strength, samples were arranged on the silica plate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the samples were recorded on a Rigaku D/MAX- 2550 diffractometer using Cu Kα radiation of wavelength 1.5406 Å, typically run at a voltage of 40 kV and current of 100 mA. UV-visible absorbance spectra were achieved for the dry pressed disk samples using a Scan UV-Vis spectrophotometer (Varian, Cary 500) equipped with an integrating sphere assembly, using BaSO4 as a reflectance sample. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were collected on a JEOL JEM 2010F, electron microscope operated at an acceleration voltage of 200 kV. By utilizing the Barrett−Joyner−Halenda (BJH) model, the pore volumes and pore size distributions were got from the adsorption branches of isotherms

A hybrid energy-based and AI-based screening approach for the discovery of novel inhibitors of JAK3

The JAKs protein family is composed of four isoforms, and JAK3 has been regarded as a druggable target for the development of drugs to treat various diseases, including hematologic tumors, cancer, and neuronal death. Therefore, the discovery of JAK3 inhibitors with novel scaffolds possesses the potential to provide additional options for drug development. This article presents a structure-based hybrid high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) protocol as well as the DeepDock algorithm, which is based on geometric deep learning. These techniques were used to identify inhibitors of JAK3 with a novel sketch from a specific “In-house” database. Using molecular docking with varying precision, MM/GBSA, geometric deep learning scoring, and manual selection, 10 compounds were obtained for subsequent biological evaluation. One of these 10 compounds, compound 8, was found to have inhibitory potency against JAK3 and the MOLM-16 cell line, providing a valuable lead compound for further development of JAK3 inhibitors. To gain a better understanding of the interaction between compound 8 and JAK3, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to provide more details on the binding conformation of compound 8 with JAK3 to guide the subsequent structure optimization. In this article, we achieved compound 8 with a novel sketch possessing inhibitory bioactivity against JAK3, and it would provide an acceptable “hit” for further structure optimization and modification to develop JAK3 inhibitors

Carbon nitride nanotubes with in situ grafted hydroxyl groups for highly efficient spontaneous H2O2 production

An active and inexpensive photocatalyst for H2O2 production is desirable for industrial applications. However, obtaining high photocatalytic activity from metal-free catalysts without the use of sacrificial electron donors is difficult. Herein, g-C3N4 (CN) nanotubes functionalized with surface > OH groups that are grafted in situ were successfully synthesized via a novel alkalinization process. The nanotube structures provide a large surface area and improved mass transfer properties. In situ grafted > OH groups can capture photogenerated holes to promote separation of photogenerated charge, enabling the ready availability of electrons and hydrogen ions for H2O2 production. Further, the surface > OH groups help to suppress H2O2 self-decomposition. Consequently, a high rate of 240.36 μmol h−1 g−1 of H2O2 production can be achieved without sacrificial agents, which is the highest H2O2 production in a spontaneous system for metal-free photocatalysts. This work provides a new strategy for an efficient and spontaneous H2O2 production method using a metal-free CN photocatalyst. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.1

Clinical outcomes and risk factors of coronary artery aneurysms after successful percutaneous coronary intervention and drug-eluting stent implantation for chronic total occlusions

AbstractObjectiveThe study aimed to analyze the risk factors and long-term outcomes associated with coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in patients with CTOs.BackgroundThere are sporadic data available on post-procedure CAAs after transcatheter revascularization for CTOs.Methods and resultsA total of 141 patients with 149 CTOs who underwent successful CTO-PCI and DES implantation with angiographic follow-up from 2004 to 2010 were included. Patients were divided into CAA group and non-CAA group according to the presence of CAAs in the follow-up angiography. The independent predictors and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target-vessel revascularization (TVR) were compared between two groups. The incidence of CAAs was 11.4% (17/149) after index procedure. Multivariate analysis showed that age (OR: 0.925, CI 0.873–0.980, P = 0.008), ostial occlusion (OR: 6.715, CI 1.473–30.610, P = 0.014), the parallel wire technique (OR: 6.167, CI 1.709–22.259, P = 0.005) and DES length (OR: 1.030, CI 1.002–1.058, P = 0.036) were the independent predictors of CAAs after successful CTO-PCI and DES implantation. MACEs were similar between two groups (adjusted hazard ratio 0.670; 95% CI 0.160–2.808; P = 0.584) during the 5-year follow-up.ConclusionsThe independent predictors of CAAs after successful CTO-PCI and DES implantation are age, ostial occlusion, the parallel wire technique and DES length. CAAs after index procedure are not frequently associated with adverse clinical events under dual antiplatelet therapy. Further large clinical studies are warranted to explore the clinical implications of patients with this distinct new entity