Long-Term Outcomes of Three-Dimensional High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Locally Recurrent Early T-Stage Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background: Brachytherapy (BT) is one of the techniques available for retreatment of patients with locally recurrent nasopharyng eal carcinoma (rNPC). In this study, we evaluated the treatment outcome and late toxicities of three-dimensional high-dose-rate brachytherapy (3D-HDR-BT) for patients with locally rNPC.Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 36 patients with histologically confirmed rNPC from 2004 to 2011. Of the 36 patients, 17 underwent combined-modality treatment (CMT) consisting of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by 3D-HDR-BT, while the other 19 underwent 3D-HDR-BT alone. The median dose of EBRT for the CMT group was 60 (range, 50–66) Gy, with an additional median dose of BT of 16 (range, 9–20) Gy. The median dose for the 3D-HDR-BT group was 32 (range, 20–36) Gy. The measured treatment outcomes were the 5- and 10-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and late toxicities.Results: The median age at recurrence was 44.5 years. The median follow-up period was 70 (range, 6–142) months. The 5-year LRFS, DFS, and OS for the entire patient group were 75.4, 55.6, and 74.3%, respectively, while the 10-year LRFS, DFS, and OS for the entire patient group were 75.4, 44.2, and 53.7%, respectively. The 10-year LRFS in the CMT group was higher than that in the 3D-HDR-BT-alone group (93.8 vs. 58.8%, HR: 7.595, 95%CI: 1.233–61.826, p = 0.025). No grade 4 late radiotherapy-induced toxicities were observed.Conclusions: 3D-HDR-BT achieves favorable clinical outcomes with mild late toxicity in patients with locally rNPC

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel colchicine-magnolol hybrid for inhibiting the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma in Vitro and in Vivo

Colchicine is a bioactive alkaloid originally from Colchicum autumnale and possesses excellent antiproliferative activity. However, colchicine-associated severe toxicity, gastrointestinal side effects in particular, limits its further therapeutic use. In the current study, we thus designed and synthesized a novel hybrid (CMH) by splicing colchicine and magnolol, a multifunctional polyphenol showing favorable gastrointestinal protection. The antitumor activity of CMH in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) was then evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Biologically, CMH inhibited the growth of LLC cells with an IC50 of 0.26 μM, 100 times more potently than cisplatin (26.05 μM) did. Meanwhile, the cytotoxicity of CMH was 10-fold lower than that of colchicine in normal human lung cells (BEAS-2B). In C57BL/6 mice xenograft model, CMH (0.5 mg/kg) worked as efficacious as colchicine (0.5 mg/kg) to inhibit tumor growth and 2 times more potently than cisplatin (1 mg/kg). In terms of mortality, 7 out of 10 mice died in colchicine group (0.75 mg/kg), while no death was observed in groups receiving CMH or cisplatin at 0.75 mg/kg. Mechanistic studies using Western blot revealed that CMH dose-dependently suppressed the protein expression of phosphorylated ERK. Molecular docking analysis further indicated that CMH was well fitted in the colchicine binding site of tubulin and formed several hydrogen bonds with tubulin protein. These results enable our novel hybrid CMH as a potential antineoplastic agent with lower toxicity, and provide perquisites for further investigation to confirm the therapeutic potentiality of this novel hybrid

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Sulfur-Based Electrodes that Function via Multielectron Reactions for Room-Temperature Sodium-Ion Storage

Emerging rechargeable sodium-ion storage systems—sodium-ion and room-temperature sodium–sulfur (RT-NaS) batteries—are gaining extensive research interest as low-cost options for large-scale energy-storage applications. Owing to their abundance, easy accessibility, and unique physical and chemical properties, sulfur-based materials, in particular metal sulfides (MSx) and elemental sulfur (S), are currently regarded as promising electrode candidates for Na-storage technologies with high capacity and excellent redox reversibility based on multielectron conversion reactions. Here, we present current understanding of Na-storage mechanisms of the S-based electrode materials. Recent progress and strategies for improving electronic conductivity and tolerating volume variations of the MSx anodes in Na-ion batteries are reviewed. In addition, current advances on S cathodes in RT-NaS batteries are presented. We outline a novel emerging concept of integrating MSx electrocatalysts into conventional carbonaceous matrices as effective polarized S hosts in RT-NaS batteries as well. This comprehensive progress report could provide guidance for research toward the development of S-based materials for the future Na-storage techniques

Design, fabrication and characterization of porous Ti-rich Ti-Ni alloy based composites with near-zero thermal expansion behavior

Porous Ti-rich Ti-Ni alloy based composites with near-zero thermal expansion (NZTE) behaviour tailored by micro-sized SiC particles were fabricated using powder metallurgy and a two-step designing strategy. At first, the Ni concentration was tuned to broaden the temperature range of negative thermal expansion (NTE) of porous Ti-Ni alloys; then micro-sized SiC particles of different amounts were introduced and co-sintered with mixed Ti and Ni powders having an optimized atomic ratio so as to obtain SiC/Ti-Ni composites with desirable thermal expansion performance. Results show that there is a clear correlation between the reverse martensitic transformation and NTE temperature range. The porous 12wt.%SiC/Ti-43.8at.%Ni composite exhibits very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of -0.976×10−6 K−1 from 114.08 to 131.50 °C. It is proposed that the NTE behavior originates from the volume change accompanying the phase transition of the Ti-Ni matrix, and the NZTE performance of SiC/Ti-Ni composites is attributed to the combination of the NTE produced by the alloy matrix and the positive thermal expansion provided by the SiC phase

Design, fabrication and characterization of porous Ti-rich Ti-Ni alloy based composites with near-zero thermal expansion behavior

Porous Ti-rich Ti-Ni alloy based composites with near-zero thermal expansion (NZTE) behaviour tailored by micro-sized SiC particles were fabricated using powder metallurgy and a two-step designing strategy. At first, the Ni concentration was tuned to broaden the temperature range of negative thermal expansion (NTE) of porous Ti-Ni alloys; then micro-sized SiC particles of different amounts were introduced and co-sintered with mixed Ti and Ni powders having an optimized atomic ratio so as to obtain SiC/Ti-Ni composites with desirable thermal expansion performance. Results show that there is a clear correlation between the reverse martensitic transformation and NTE temperature range. The porous 12wt.%SiC/Ti-43.8at.%Ni composite exhibits very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of -0.976×10−6 K−1 from 114.08 to 131.50 °C. It is proposed that the NTE behavior originates from the volume change accompanying the phase transition of the Ti-Ni matrix, and the NZTE performance of SiC/Ti-Ni composites is attributed to the combination of the NTE produced by the alloy matrix and the positive thermal expansion provided by the SiC phase