Risk of hepatitis B virus reactivation and its effect on survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and lenvatinib plus programmed death receptor-1 inhibitors

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a common complication in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of HBV reactivation and its effect on survival in HCC patients treated with HAIC and lenvatinib plus PD1s.MethodsWe retrospectively collected the data of 213 HBV-related HCC patients who underwent HAIC and lenvatinib plus PD1s treatment between June 2019 to June 2022 at Sun Yat-sen University, China. The primary outcome was the risk of HBV reactivation. The secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression−free survival (PFS), and treatment−related adverse events.ResultsSixteen patients (7.5%) occurred HBV reactivation in our study. The incidence of HBV reactivation was 5% in patients with antiviral prophylaxis and 21.9% in patients without antiviral prophylaxis, respectively. The logistic regression model indicated that for HBV reactivation, lack of antiviral prophylaxis (P=0.003) and tumor diameter (P=0.036) were independent risk factors. The OS and PFS were significantly shorter in the HBV reactivation group than the non-reactivation group (P=0.0023 and P=0.00073, respectively). The number of AEs was more in HBV reactivation group than the non-reactivation group, especially hepatic AEs.ConclusionHBV reactivation may occur in HCC patients treated with HAIC and lenvatinib plus PD1s. Patients with HBV reactivation had shorter survival time compared with non-reactivation. Therefore, HBV-related HCC patients should undergo antiviral therapy and HBV-DNA monitoring before and during the combination treatment

Electrochemically Fabricated Surface-Mesostructured CuNi Bimetallic Catalysts for Hydrogen Production in Alkaline Media

Ni-based bimetallic films with 20 at.% and 45 at.% Cu and mesostructured surfaces were prepared by electrodeposition from an aqueous solution containing micelles of P123 triblock copolymer serving as a structure-directing agent. The pH value of the electrolytic solution had a key effect on both the resulting Cu/Ni ratio and the surface topology. The catalytic activity of the CuNi films toward hydrogen evolution reaction was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 1 M KOH electrolyte at room temperature. The CuNi film showed the highest activity (even higher than that of a non-mesostructured pure Ni film), which was attributed to the Ni content at the utmost surface, as demonstrated by CV studies, as well as the presence of a highly corrugated surface

Mechanical and Conductive Performance of Aged 6xxx Aluminum Alloy during Rotary Swaging

Thermomechanical treatment consisting of heat treatment and deformation is an effective processing route for precipitation-hardened 6xxx alloy (Al-Mg-Si-Cu system), and precipitates and dislocations produced during the process can significantly change its mechanical and conductive performance. We therefore investigated the microstructural evolution of precipitates in a representative 6xxx alloy during thermomechanical treatment. When the precipitates encountered the accumulated dislocations, the precipitates were bent and broken into dispersed smaller particles. The strength of the alloy was significantly improved by the proliferation of dislocations and precipitates and desired electrical conductivity was obtained as well. Our results prove that peak aging plus cold rotary swaging is an efficient processing route for simultaneously improving the mechanical and conductive performance of 6xxx alloy

Mechanical and Conductive Performance of Aged 6xxx Aluminum Alloy during Rotary Swaging

Thermomechanical treatment consisting of heat treatment and deformation is an effective processing route for precipitation-hardened 6xxx alloy (Al-Mg-Si-Cu system), and precipitates and dislocations produced during the process can significantly change its mechanical and conductive performance. We therefore investigated the microstructural evolution of precipitates in a representative 6xxx alloy during thermomechanical treatment. When the precipitates encountered the accumulated dislocations, the precipitates were bent and broken into dispersed smaller particles. The strength of the alloy was significantly improved by the proliferation of dislocations and precipitates and desired electrical conductivity was obtained as well. Our results prove that peak aging plus cold rotary swaging is an efficient processing route for simultaneously improving the mechanical and conductive performance of 6xxx alloy

Precipitation behavior during re-aging of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy

Nano-scaled L phase, β′′ phase, Q′ phase and their composite phases can effectively strengthen Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys, and balance the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. However, the re-precipitation behavior and atomic structure of these re-precipitates and the formation and evolution of L phase still need to be further revealed. In this study, the re-precipitation behavior of a representative Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy at atomic scale is investigated. The alloy samples are successively treated by peak aging, cold deformation and re-aging. The microstructural changes of re-precipitates are found mainly induced by dislocations and Guinier Preston zones formed in the deformation treatment. The re-precipitation process is proved beneficial to simultaneously improve the electrical conductivity and mechanical property. A type of L precursor with sawtooth-like cross section is also discovered. These findings comprehensively reveal the re-precipitation behavior in Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy and help us to understand the formation and evolution mechanism of L phase more in-depth

Research on Semisolid Microstructural Evolution of 2024 Aluminum Alloy Prepared by Powder Thixoforming

A novel method, powder thixoforming, for net-shape forming of the particle-reinforced Aluminum matrix composites in semi-solid state has been proposed based on powder metallurgy combining with thixoforming technology. The microstructural evolution and phase transformations have been investigated during partial remelting of the 2024 bulk alloy, prepared by cold pressing of atomized alloy powders to clarify the mechanisms of how the consolidated powders evolve into small and spheroidal primary particles available for thixoforming. The effect of heating temperature on the resulting semisolid microstructure has also been discussed. The results indicate that the microstructural evolution includes three stages—the initial rapid coarsening of the fine grains within the powders, the formation of continuous liquid layer on the primary particle surface (the original powder), and the final coarsening—that result from the phase transformations of θ→α, α→L, and α→L and L→α, respectively. The coarsening rate of the primary particles is low, and one original powder always evolves into one spheroidal particle with a continuous liquid layer surface. Properly raising the heating temperature is beneficial for obtaining an ideal semisolid microstructure

A Comprehensive Exploration of the lncRNA CCAT2: A Pan-Cancer Analysis Based on 33 Cancer Types and 13285 Cases

Whether the lncRNA CCAT2 expression level affects the clinical progression and outcome of cancer patients has not yet been fully elucidated. There is still an inconsistent view regarding the correlation between CCAT2 expression and clinicopathological factors, including survival data. Besides, the regulation mechanism of CCAT2 in human cancer is still unclear. Our study analyzed a large number of publication data and TCGA databases to identify the association of CCAT2 expression with clinicopathological factors and to explore the regulatory mechanisms in human cancers. We designed a comprehensive study to determine the expression of CCAT2 in human cancer by designing a meta-analysis of 20 selected studies and the TCGA database, using StataSE 12.0 to explore the relationship between CCAT2 expression and both the prognosis and clinicopathological features of 33 cancer types and 13285 tumor patients. Moreover, we performed GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses on potential target genes of CCAT2 collected from GEPIA and LncRNA2Target V2.0. The level of CCAT2 expression in tumor tissues is higher than that in paired normal tissues and is significantly associated with a poor prognosis in cancer patients. Besides, overexpression of CCAT2 was significantly associated with tumor size, clinical stage, and TNM classification. Meanwhile, CCAT2 expression is the highest in stage II of human cancer, followed by stage III. Finally, 111 validated target gene symbols were identified, and GO and KEGG demonstrated that the CCAT2 validation target was significantly enriched in several pathways, including microRNAs in the cancer pathway. In summary, CCAT2 can be a potential biomarker associated with the progression and prognosis of human cancer

Microstructure evolution, mechanical property response and strengthening mechanism induced by compositional effects in Al–6 Mg alloys

Based on the compositional design concept, an Al–6 Mg–0.8Mn (–0.2Sc) alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility was obtained by hot extrusion deformation with a large extrusion ratio. The microstructure evolution and mechanical property of an Al–6 Mg alloy with adding Mn and/or Sc elements were investigated. The results showed that the addition of Sc element resulted in the grain refinement and promoted the precipitation of nano-sized Al6Mn phases in the Al–6 Mg–0.8Mn–0.2Sc alloy. After hot extrusion, the number of nano-sized Al6Mn phases decreased with the morphology transforming into the rhomboidal/plate-like shape. The combined effect of nano-sized Al6Mn phases and Al3Sc dispersoids offered a strong pinning effect on both grain boundaries and dislocations, leading to a significant refinement for recrystallized grains. Strengthening mechanism analysis indicated that the grain boundary and dislocation strengthening play important roles in enhancing the yield strength of the alloy. In addition, the uniform distribution of solid solution Mg atoms and high recrystallized fraction contributed to the high ductility of the extruded alloy. The aim of this work is to provide a strategy to acquire Al–Mg alloys with excellent mechanical performance

Mechanical Properties of Refined A356 Alloy in Response to Continuous Rheological Extruded Al-5Ti-0.6C-1.0Ce Alloy Prepared at Different Temperatures

The microstructure is an important factor determining the mechanical properties of A356 alloy. In this experiment, the refiner Al-5Ti-0.6C-1.0Ce master alloys under different preparation temperatures were prepared, and the A356 alloy was refined. The effects of preparation temperature on the number and morphological distribution of each phase in Al-Ti-C-Ce master alloy and the effects of Al-Ti-C-Ce master alloy at different preparation temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 alloy were explored successively. Results showed that, as preparation temperature increased from 850 to 1150 °C, TiAl3 changed from large blocks to long strips and a needle-like phase, and Ti2Al20Ce changed from a bright white block to a broken small block phase. Al-5Ti-0.6C-1.0Ce prepared at 1050 °C can significantly refine the α-Al of A356 alloy and modify eutectic Si. The α-Al grain size was refined from about 1540 to 179.7 μm, and the eutectic Si length was refined from about 22.3 to 17.8 μm with the transition from a coarse needle-like to a short rod-like structure. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of A356 alloy changed non-monotonically, and the peak values were 282.216 MPa and 3.9% with the Al-Ti-C-Ce preparation temperature of 1050 °C and 950 °C, respectively

Response of mechanical properties of A356 alloy to continuous rheological extrusion Al-5Ti-0.6C-xCe alloy addition upon different Ce contents

A356 alloy is a commonly used casting Al-Si alloy. Because of the excellent fluidity, air-tightness and thermal resistance, it is usually used as castings with complex structure. However, due to the coarse α-Al grains and needle-like phases, the defects including shrinkage cavity and porosity can easily be formed, which reduce the mechanical properties of the castings and lead to the lower safety factor. In this paper, Al-5Ti-0.6C-xCe (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt%) master alloys have been prepared by fluorine-salt method combined with the continuous rheological extrusion (CRE) technology. The response of mechanical properties of A356 alloy to the CRE Al-Ti-C-Ce alloys addition upon different Ce contents was investigated. Results showed that, with the increasing Ce content from 0 to 2.0 wt%, the average grain size of α-Al and length of coarse needle-like phases in A356 alloy changed nonmonotonically. When the Ce content was 1.0 wt%, the best refined structure was obtained. The tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of refined A356 by CRE Al-5Ti-0.6C-1.0Ce master alloy were 290.45 MPa, 238.27 MPa and 2.80%, respectively. The introduction of master alloys with different Ce contents promoted the refinement of grain and coarse needle-like phase in A356 alloy, which further improved the mechanical property of the alloy