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Which functional group shows a stronger affinity for U(VI) and can be introduced into material to enhance selective enrichment? This is crucial for U(VI) capture material design and evaluation. Following these questions, we herein compared and analyzed bare graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and carboxylated graphene oxide (GO-COOH) through experimental and theoretical calculations. Experiments show that U(VI) adsorption on GO-COOH (Qm = 344.1 mg/g) mainly occurs via inner-sphere complexation with the C=O group in -COOH. The -COOH group can significantly enhance the enrichment and selectivity of U(VI), and its affinity for U(VI) is greater than that of -OH. There is a strong interaction between [UO2(H2O)10]2+ and -COOH with an interaction energy of 1.13 eV. When U(VI) is adsorbed on GO, the original C-O(H) bond in GO breaks, leading to U(VI) seizing -OH and forming a more stable complex [UO2(H2O)10(OH)]1+. However, the desorption of U(VI) from GO is easier due to the weakened interaction between [UO2(H2O)10(OH)]1+ and GO after the C-O(H) bond breakage. Briefly, the combination of experimental observations and theoretical calculations provides a comprehensive understanding of the affinity and selectivity of -COOH and -OH for U(VI), and highlights the potential of using -COOH functionalization to enhance the U(VI) enrichment and separation performance of materials.

The prognostic value of the tumor growth rate (TGR) in huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HHCC) patients treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as an initial treatment remains unclear. This two-center retrospective study was conducted in 97 patients suffering from HHCC. Demographic characteristics, oncology characteristics, and some serological markers were collected for analysis. The TGR was significantly linear and associated with the risk of death when applied to restricted cubic splines. The optimal cut-off value of TGR was −8.6%/month, and patients were divided into two groups according to TGR. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the high-TGR group had a poorer prognosis. TGR (hazard ratio (HR), 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23–3.43; p = 0.006), presence of portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.13–3.27; p = 0.016), and subsequent combination therapy (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.35–0.99; p = 0.047) were independent predictors of OS in the multivariate analysis. The model with TGR was superior to the model without TGR in the DCA analysis. Patients who underwent subsequent combination therapy showed a longer survival in the high-TGR group. This study demonstrated that higher TGR was associated with a worse prognosis in patients with HHCC. These findings will distinguish patients who demand more personalized combination therapy and rigorous surveillance.

Background and Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed (HAICROX) as an alternative treatment option for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who are ineligible for, or failed, the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment. Materials and Methods: From July 2020 to November 2021, a total of 35 HCC patients were enrolled and received HAIC with oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed. The overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP) were primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. The tumor response was assessed by the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST), and the adverse events were investigated using the common terminology criteria for adverse events version 5.0 (CTCAE 5.0). Results: The median OS and TTP were 10 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.5–14.6) and 3.5 months (95% CI: 2.3–4.7), respectively. By means of multivariate analysis, anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was found to be an independent prognostic factor for better survival. No patients experienced toxicity-related death. Thrombocytopenia, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation were the most common toxicities. No grade 3 or higher adverse events related to HAICROX were observed. Conclusion: HAICROX showed valuable efficacy and tolerable toxicity in advanced HCC patients who progressed on TACE or were ineligible for TACE. HAICROX is a promising treatment for advanced-stage HCC patients with TACE failure or ineligibility.

Background and Objectives: The recurrence outcome in patients who underwent microwave ablation (MWA) with or without transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan criteria remains unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the predictive factors of recurrence in these patients. Materials and Methods: From May 2018 to April 2021, 66 patients with HCC within Milan criteria were enrolled. Local tumor progression (LTP) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the risk factors of recurrence. The propensity score analysis was conducted to reduce potential confounding bias. Results: During the median follow-up of 25.07 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.85, 28.28), the median time to LTP and RFS were 20.10 (95%CI, 14.67, 25.53) and 13.03 (95%CI, 6.36, 19.70) months. No group difference (MWA vs. MWA + TACE) was found in 1-year cumulative LTP (p = 0.575) and RFS (p = 0.515), but meaningful significant differences were found in two-year recurrence (LTP, p = 0.007 and RFS, p = 0.037). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that treatment received before ablation was an independent risk factor of LTP (hazard ratio [HR] 4.37, 95%CI, 1.44, 13.32) and RFS (HR 3.41, 95%CI, 1.49, 7.81). Conclusions: The LTP and RFS in the MWA group were similar to that in the MWA combined with TACE. For HCC within Milan criteria, both groups preferentially selected MWA. More endeavor and rigorous surveillance should be taken to relapse prevention, in patients who have received previous treatment.

Disinfectant resistance is evolving into a serious problem due to the long-term and extensive use of disinfectants, which brings great challenges to hospital infection control. As a notorious multidrug-resistant bacterium, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is one of the most common and difficult pathogens of nosocomial infection. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests of seven kinds of disinfectants (0.1% benzalkonium bromide, 4% aqueous chlorhexidine, 75% alcohol, entoiodine II, 2% glutaraldehyde, 2000 mg/L chlorine-containing disinfectants, and 3% hydrogen peroxide) were detected by the broth dilution method. Three efflux pump genes (oqxA, oqxB, and qacE∆1-sul1) were detected by PCR. The mean MIC value of aqueous chlorhexidine from the intensive care unit (ICU) (0.0034%) was significantly higher than that from non-ICUs (0.0019%) (p < 0.05). The positive rates of three efflux pump genes oqxA, oqxB and qacE∆1-sul1 were 60.9% (39/64), 17.2% (11/64) and 71.9% (46/64) in the detected CRKP isolates, respectively. This study discovered that CRKP strains demonstrated extensive resistance to clinical disinfectants and suggest that it is necessary to perform corresponding increases in the concentration of aqueous chlorhexidine and chlorine-containing disinfectants on the basis of current standards in the healthcare industry.

Carbonate MCO3 (M = Zn, Cd) can act as both Lewis acid and base to engage in a spodium bond with nitrogen-containing bases (HCN, NHCH2, and NH3) and a chalcogen bond with SeHX (X = F, Cl, OH, OCH3, NH2, and NHCH3), respectively. There is also a weak hydrogen bond in the chalcogen-bonded dyads. Both chalcogen and hydrogen bonds become stronger in the order of F > Cl > OH > OCH3 > NH2 > NHCH3. The chalcogen-bonded dyads are stabilized by a combination of electrostatic and charge transfer interactions. The interaction energy of chalcogen-bonded dyad is less than −10 kcal/mol at most cases. Furthermore, the chalcogen bond can be strengthened through coexistence with a spodium bond in N-base-MCO3-SeHX. The enhancement of chalcogen bond is primarily attributed to the charge transfer interaction. Additionally, the spodium bond is also enhanced by the chalcogen bond although the corresponding enhancing effect is small.