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Abstract Chemoradiation is a common therapeutic regimen for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). However, not all patients benefit from chemotherapy, especially patients with low-risk characteristics. We aim to develop and validate a prognostic and predictive radiomic image signature (pRiS) to inform survival and chemotherapy benefit using computed tomography (CT) scans from 491 stage I and II HPV-associated OPSCC, which were divided into three cohorts D1–D3. The prognostic performance of pRiS was evaluated on two test sets (D2, n = 162; D3, n = 269) using concordance index. Patients from D2 and D3 who received either radiotherapy alone or chemoradiation were used to validate pRiS as predictive of added benefit of chemotherapy. Seven features were selected to construct pRiS, which was found to be prognostic of overall survival (OS) on univariate analysis in D2 (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–4.16, p = 0.02) and D3 (HR = 2.74, 95% CI, 1.34–5.62, p = 0.006). Chemotherapy was associated with improved OS for high-pRiS patients in D2 (radiation vs chemoradiation, HR = 4.47, 95% CI, 1.73–11.6, p = 0.002) and D3 (radiation vs chemoradiation, HR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.04–8.63, p = 0.04). In contrast, chemotherapy did not improve OS for low-pRiS patients, which indicates these patients did not derive additional benefit from chemotherapy and could be considered for treatment de-escalation. The proposed radiomic signature was prognostic of patient survival and informed benefit from chemotherapy for stage I and II HPV-associated OPSCC patients.

Physiological drought stresses induced by high salinity and atmospheric dryness exert negative effects on mangrove growth by constraining surface conductance (Gs) and evapotranspiration (ET). However, accurate assessments of mangrove vulnerability under changing climate are hindered by limited understanding of the relative importance of these drought stresses. To close this knowledge gap, we utilized the eddy covariance approach to acquire a 7 year (2017–2023) time series of ET and auxiliary measurements over a subtropical monsoonal estuarine mangrove in southeast China, aiming to examine the temporal patterns of mangrove ET across time scales and its environmental controls, in particular for drought stresses. The results indicated that (a) over the study period, mangrove ET showed strong temporal variations at diurnal and seasonal scales, which were strongly correlated with photosynthetically active radiation, air temperature, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD); (b) the seasonality of mangrove ET followed the changes in monthly air temperature and rainfall, reflecting the temporal pattern of typical monsoonal climate; (c) both increasing salinity and VPD were found to significantly constrain mangrove Gs when salinity and VPD were decoupled; (d) the variability of rainfall exerted a similar constraining effect on mangrove Gs, with annual maximum sustained rainfall accounting for 65% of the inter-annual variability of ET. These findings suggest that salinity stress (or less rainfall) and atmospheric dryness co-limit the temporal variability of ET in subtropical monsoonal mangroves. Future climate change with warmer air temperatures (negative effect) and more extreme rainfall (positive effect) could counteract each other in affecting mangrove ET.

Background: We developed and validated a prognostic and predictive computational pathology risk score (CoRiS) using H&E stained tissue images from patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (ES-NSCLC). Methods: 1330 patients with ES-NSCLC were acquired from 3 independent sources and divided into four cohorts D1-4. D1 comprised 100 surgery treated patients and was used to identify prognostic features via an elastic-net Cox model to predict overall and disease-free survival. CoRiS was constructed using the Cox model coefficients for the top features. The prognostic performance of CoRiS was evaluated on D2 (N=331), D3 (N=657) and D4 (N=242). Patients from D2 and D3 which comprised surgery + chemotherapy were used to validate CoRiS as predictive of added benefit to adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) by comparing survival between different CoRiS defined risk groups. Findings: CoRiS was found to be prognostic on univariable analysis, D2 (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.41, adjusted (adj.) P = .01) and D3 (HR = 1.35, adj. P < .001). Multivariable analysis showed CoRiS was independently prognostic, D2 (HR = 1.41, adj. P < .001) and D3 (HR = 1.35, adj. P < .001), after adjusting for clinico-pathologic factors. CoRiS was also able to identify high-risk patients who derived survival benefit from ACT D2 (HR = 0.42, adj. P = .006) and D3 (HR = 0.46, adj. P = .08). Interpretation: CoRiS is a tissue non-destructive, quantitative and low-cost tool that could potentially help guide management of ES-NSCLC patients.

Summary: Background: Use of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage lung cancer is controversial because no definite biomarker exists to identify patients who would receive added benefit from it. We aimed to develop and validate a quantitative radiomic risk score (QuRiS) and associated nomogram (QuRNom) for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is prognostic of disease-free survival and predictive of the added benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery. Methods: We did a retrospective multicohort study of individuals with early-stage NSCLC (stage I and II) who either received surgery alone or surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy. We selected patients for whom we had available pre-treatment diagnostic CT scans and corresponding survival information. We used radiomic texture features derived from within and outside the primary lung nodule on chest CT scans of patients from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Cleveland, OH, USA; cohort D1) to develop QuRiS. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-Cox regularisation model was used for data dimension reduction, feature selection, and QuRiS construction. QuRiS was independently validated on a cohort of patients from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadephia, PA, USA; cohort D2) and a cohort of patients whose CT scans were derived from The Cancer Imaging Archive (cohort D3). QuRNom was constructed by integrating QuRiS with tumour and node descriptors (according to the tumour, node, metastasis staging system) and lymphovascular invasion. The primary endpoint of the study was the assessment of the performance of QuRiS and QuRNom in predicting disease-free survival. The added benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy estimated using QuRiS and QuRNom was validated by comparing patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy versus patients who underwent surgery alone in cohorts D1–D3. Findings: We included: 329 patients in cohort D1 (73 [22%] had surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy and 256 (78%) had surgery alone); 114 patients in cohort D2 (33 [29%] had surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy and 81 (71%) had surgery alone); and 82 patients in cohort D3 (24 [29%] had surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy and 58 (71%) had surgery alone). QuRiS comprised three intratumoral and 10 peritumoral CT-radiomic features and was found to be significantly associated with disease-free survival (ie, prognostic validation of QuRiS; hazard ratio for predicted high-risk vs predicted low-risk groups 1·56, 95% CI 1·08–2·23, p=0·016 for cohort D1; 2·66, 1·24–5·68, p=0·011 for cohort D2; and 2·67, 1·39–5·11, p=0·0029 for cohort D3). To validate the predictive performance of QuRiS, patients were partitioned into three risk groups (high, intermediate, and low risk) on the basis of their corresponding QuRiS. Patients in the high-risk group were observed to have significantly longer survival with adjuvant chemotherapy than patients who underwent surgery alone (0·27, 0·08–0·95, p=0·042, for cohort D1; 0·08, 0·01–0·42, p=0·0029, for cohorts D2 and D3 combined). As concerns QuRNom, the nomogram-estimated survival benefit was predictive of the actual efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (0·25, 0·12–0·55, p

Background. The NLRP3 inflammasome is overactivated in the brains of APP/PS1 transgenic mice and AD patients, and mitophagy has an obvious negative regulatory role on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The protective effect of melatonin in AD may be related to the regulation of mitophagy and NLRP3 inflammasome activity. TFEB plays a critical role in maintaining autophagy/mitophagy. Studies have found that TFEB plays a protective role in AD. Methods. APP/PS1 transgenic mice were given melatonin in their drinking water for 3 months. Compared with mice without melatonin treatment, the mice given melatonin showed changes in the following features: (1) cognitive function, (2) mitophagy-related proteins in the brain, (3) ROS, (4) NLRP3 inflammasome and related proteins and the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, and (5) Aβ deposition. In in vitro experiments, effects of melatonin on mitophagy, NLRP3 inflammasome activity, and TFEB in SH-SY5Y cells with Aβ25-35 were observed. TFEB knockdown was implemented in combination with Aβ25-35 and melatonin treatment, and the expressions of TFEB, Parkin, p62, IL-1β, caspase-1, ROS, and IL-18 were explored. Results. Melatonin improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and decreased ROS and senile plaques. Melatonin promoted mitophagy in SH-SY5Y cells with Aβ25-35 and APP/PS1 transgenic mice. NLRP3 inflammasome activity was inhibited, and the concentrations of IL-18 and IL-1βwere clearly reduced. Compared with C57/BL6J mice, the amount of TFEB in the brain nucleus of APP/PS1 transgenic mice was decreased. Melatonin treatment increased the nuclear translocation of TFEB in SH-SY5Y cells. TFEB knockout was implemented in combination with Aβ25-35 and MT treatment; the expressions of Parkin, p62, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, and ROS were accelerated. Conclusions. Melatonin promotes mitophagy by inducing TFEB nuclear translocation, downregulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and exerts protective effects in SH-SY5Y cells and APP/PS1 transgenic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about spatial interplay patterns of cancer nuclei and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Topics including why improved biomarkers are required, how an image analysis can be used to capture morphologic attributes, and demonstrating how the classifier trained with NSCLC was associated in gynecological cancer.

Interaction of phenol and naphthol with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and their competitive behavior on rGO were examined by batch experiments, spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations. The batch sorption showed that the removal percentage of phenol or naphthol on rGO in bisolute systems was significantly lower than those of phenol or naphthol in single-solute systems. However, the overall sorption capacity of rGO in bisolute system was higher than single-solute system, indicating that the rGO was a very suitable material for the simultaneous elimination of organic pollutants from aqueous solutions. The interaction mechanism was mainly p-p interactions and hydrogen bonds, which was evidenced by FTIR, Raman and theoretical calculation. FTIR and Raman showed that a blue shift of C?C and -OH stretching modes and the enhanced intensity ratios of ID/IG after phenols sorption. The theoretical calculation indicated that the total hydrogen bond numbers, diffusion constant and solvent accessible surface area of naphthol were higher than those of phenol, indicating higher sorption affinity of rGO for naphthol as compared to phenol. These findings were valuable for elucidating the interaction mechanisms between phenols and graphene-based materials, and provided an essential start in simultaneous removal of organics from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of heavy metals in the industrial effluents has recently been a challenging issue for human health. Efficient removal of heavy metal ions from environment is one of the most important issues from biological and environmental point of view, and many studies have been devoted to investigate the environmental behavior of nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) for the removal of toxic heavy metal ions, present both in the surface and underground wastewater. The aim of this review is to show the excellent removal capacity and environmental remediation of NZVI-based materials for various heavy metal ions. A new look on NZVI-based materials (e.g., modified or matrix-supported NZVI materials) and possible interaction mechanism (e.g., adsorption, reduction and oxidation) and the latest environmental application. The effects of various environmental conditions (e.g., pH, temperature, coexisting oxy-anions and cations) and potential problems for the removal of heavy metal ions on NZVI-based materials with the DFT theoretical calculations and EXAFS technology are discussed. Research shows that NZVI-based materials have satisfactory removal capacities for heavy metal ions and play an important role in the environmental pollution cleanup. Possible improvement of NZVI-based materials and potential areas for future applications in environment remediation are also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) has attracted considerable attention because of its remarkable enhanced adsorption and multifunctional properties. However, the toxic properties of GO nanosheets released into the environment could lead to the instability of biological system. In aqueous phase, GO may interact with fine mineral particles, such as chloridion intercalated nanocrystallined Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (LDH-Cl) and nanocrystallined Mg/Al LDHs (LDH-CO3), which are considered as coagulant molecules for the coagulation and removal of GO from aqueous solutions. Herein the coagulation of GO on LDHs were studied as a function of solution pH, ionic strength, contact time, temperature and coagulant concentration. The presence of LDH-Cl and LDH-CO3 improved the coagulation of GO in solution efficiently, which was mainly attributed to the surface oxygen-containing functional groups of LDH-Cl and LDH-CO3 occupying the binding sites of GO. The coagulation of GO by LDH-Cl and LDH-CO3 was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. Results of theoretical DFT calculations indicated that the coagulation of GO on LDHs was energetically favored by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds, which was further evidenced by FT1R and XPS analysis. By integrating the experimental results, it was clear that LDH-Cl could be potentially used as a cost-effective coagulant for the elimination of GO from aqueous solutions, which could efficiently decrease the potential toxicity of GO in the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein the sorption of Eu(III) and 243Am(III) on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are studied, and the results show that Eu(III) and 243Am(III) could form strong inner-sphere surface complexes on CNT surfaces. However, the sorption of Eu(III) on CNTs is stronger than that of 243Am(III) on CNTs, suggesting the difference in the interaction mechanisms or properties of Eu(III) and 243Am(III) with CNTs, which is quite different from the results of Eu(III) and 243Am(III) interaction on natural clay minerals and oxides. On the basis of the results of density functional theory calculations, the binding energies of Eu(III) on CNTs are much higher than those of 243Am(III) on CNTs, indicating that Eu(III) could form stronger complexes with the oxygen-containing functional groups of CNTs than 243Am(III), which is in good agreement with the experimental results of higher sorption capacity of CNTs for Eu(III). The oxygen-containing functional groups contribute significantly to the uptake of Eu(III) and 243Am(III), and the binding affinity increases in the order of =S--OH < =S--COOH < =S--COO-. This paper highlights the interaction mechanism of Eu(III) and 243Am(III) with different oxygen-containing functional groups of CNTs, which plays an important role for the potential application of CNTs in the preconcentration, removal, and separation of trivalent lanthanides and actinides in environmental pollution cleanup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyacrylamide (PAM) grafted graphene oxide (denoted as PAM/GO) was synthesized by the plasma-induced polymerization technique and applied as an adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of radionuclides from radioactive wastewater. The interactions of PAM/GO with the radionuclides U(VI), EU(III) and CO(II) were studied, along with their sorption kinetics. The results indicated that radionuclide sorption on PAM/GO was affected by the solution pH and ionic strength. The maximum sorption capacities of U(VI), Eu(iii) and Co(ii) on PAM/GO (0.698, 1.245 and 1.621 mmol g-1, respectively) at pH = 5.0 ± 0.1 and T = 295 K were much higher than those of radionuclides on GO and other adsorbents. The thermodynamic data (AH0, AS0 and AG0) calculated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms suggested that the sorption of radionuclides on PAM/GO was a spontaneous and endothermic process. These results indicate that PAM/GO is a promising material for the control of radionuclide pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]