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Yan Fu,1,* Hongji Pu,2,* Qun Huang,2,* Peng Qiu,2 Deyin Zhao,3 Yong Cheng1 1Department of Nursing, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Second Ward of General Surgery, Suzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Suzhou Municipal Hospital of Anhui Province), Anhui, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yong Cheng; Deyin Zhao, Email cy7107@163.com; 9168722@qq.comIntroduction: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a severe condition characterized by inadequate blood flow to the lower extremities, often leading to tissue damage and amputation. CLI is characterized by microcirculatory dysfunction, muscle tissue necrosis, and inflammation. Patients may suffer from the traumatic pain and the increase of plantar pressure, and foot care for patients with CLI has become the “last mile” to improve their life quality. Traditional shoe insoles often lack individual customization, failing to address the unique anatomical needs and hemodynamic characteristics of patients. The study aims to investigate the effects of this innovative intervention on improving the clinical outcomes, and quality of life in CLI patients.Methods and Analysis: This Critical Limb Ischemia Hemodynamic Insole Study is a randomized controlled study performed to explore the effect of a 3D printing insole on foot care of CLI patients. This study recruitment began on November 1, 2021. Patients with CLI confirmed by clinical symptoms and imaging were recruited as the research objects. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which will receive 3D-printed insoles customized based on their hemodynamics, or the control group, which will receive traditionally manufactured insoles. Both groups were followed up for up to 24 months after surgery, including claudication distance, claudication time, pain score, rehospitalization, etc.Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2100051857.Keywords: 3D printing, insole, hemodynamics, critical limb ischemia

Tao Wang,1,2,&ast; Qianwen Yang,3,&ast; Yan Gao,2 Rongping Zhang,2 Chaoxin Zhou,2 Weifang Kong,1 Guojin Zhang,1 Xinyue Chen,4 Hong Pu,1 Lan Shang1 1Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 4CT Collaboration, Siemens-Healthineers, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong Pu; Lan Shang, Department of Radiology, The First Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Section 2, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 60072, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13882267217, Fax +86 87294280, Email ph196797@163.com; shanglan8282@163.comPurpose: This study aimed to investigate clinical features and computed tomography (CT) manifestations of rifampicin primary drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.Patients and Methods: A total of 100 inpatients with confirmed primary rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis were recruited from January 2020 to December 2022 at an infectious disease hospital located in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Additionally, 100 inpatients with confirmed drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis during the same period were matched to the rifampicin-resistant group based on gender, age, and ethnicity. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were recorded separately. Furthermore, the CT manifestations in these patients were independently analyzed by three radiologists.Results: The results showed that comorbid diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in the drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) group than in the drug-susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB) group (9% vs 0%, p=0.0032). In terms of imaging presentation, DR-TB patients exhibited a higher frequency of calcifications (55% vs 35.00%, p=0.0068), greater median number of cavities (5 vs 2, p=0.0027), and larger maximum cavity diameter (52.08± 25.55 mm vs 42.72± 17.48 mm, p=0.0097). Additionally, bilateral involvement was more common in DR-TB patients at the site of the lesion (89% vs 76%, p=0.0246), with a higher prevalence in the right middle (82% vs 68%, p=0.0332), right lower (82% vs 68%, p=0.0332), left upper (91% vs 77%, p=0.0113), and left lower lobes (92% vs 66%, p< 0.0001). Conversely, the involvement of only one lobe was less frequent in patients with DR-TB than in those with DS-TB (4% vs 13%, p=0.0398), whereas the involvement of all five lobes was more common (68% vs 51%, p=0.0209).Conclusion: Patients with DR-TB exhibit a higher prevalence of severe imaging manifestations, highlighting the importance of CT in the early detection and diagnosis of DR-TB.Keywords: drug-resistant tuberculosis, drug-susceptible tuberculosis, tuberculosis, comorbid diabetes mellitus

Lizhu Liu,1,&ast; Xiaolin Pang,2,&ast; Ke Zhao,3,&ast; Yaxue Chen,4 Yanli Li,1 Ruimin You,1 Tingting Xu,5 Mengmei Liu,6 Lin Wu,7 Zhenhui Li,1 Hongjiang Pu8 1Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiotherapy, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510655, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Nursing, Dazhou Vocational and Technical College, Dazhou, Sichuan, 635000, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Oncology, The People’s Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Chuxiong, 675000, People’s Republic of China; 6School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650000, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Pathology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Oncology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, Sichuan, 635000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhenhui Li, Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 87168179549, Email lizhenhui621@qq.com Hongjiang Pu, Department of Oncology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, Sichuan, 635000, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 87168179549, Email puhongjiang@qq.comBackground: It is common for elderly patients to be underrepresented in clinical trials for cancer, which can result in a lack of efficacy data and unclear criteria to guide treatment decisions for clinical doctors. Therefore, one of the common challenges in oncology treatment is determining the extent to which patients aged 75 and older have benefited from postoperative chemotherapy.Purpose: The study aimed to explore the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) on 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) after curative resection in patients aged 75 years and older with stage II–III colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods: The retrospective cohort analysis was performed on patients with stage II–III CRC who received curative resection at three cancer centers in China between 2008 and 2017. Kaplan-Meier curves and Multivariable Cox regression models were used to analyze the impact of AC on RFS in patients. Finally, propensity-score matching was used to reduce selection bias and confounding factors in patients aged 75 years and older with stage II–III CRC.Results: A total of 2885 patients were included (1729 (59.9%) male; 1312 (61.5%) received AC). The pre-matching cohort was comprised of 151 patients aged 75 years and older (median age (IQR)77.00 (76.00, 79.00); 97 (64.2%) male, 51 (72.9%) received AC). Age (P=0.001), postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)(P=0.02) level were associated with prognosis. But AC was not associated with 3-year RFS (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.80– 2.0; log-rank P=0.37). After a predisposition 1: 1 match (with or without AC, n = 42), AC remains uncorrelated with 3-year RFS (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.52– 3.70; log-rank P=0.66).Conclusion: Patients over the age of 75 with stage II–III CRC who receive AC or do not face the same risk of postoperative recurrence. As a result, patients with stage II–III postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can make an informed decision regarding whether they want to undergo chemotherapy based on their age and reduce the unnecessary side effects of chemotherapy.Keywords: colorectal cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy, recurrence-free survival, prognosis

Jing Huang,1,2,&ast; Hongjiang Pu,3,&ast; Jintao He,4 Xiaohu Tang5 1The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 4Kunming Medical University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaohu Tang, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 120 Guanghua Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-871-63639262, Email h.tang0718@163.comBackground: Most cancer-related deaths around the globe are caused by lung cancer. The present treatments for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) are cytotoxic chemotherapy (CCT), targeted therapy (TT) and immunotherapy, but the benefit of the same regime varies greatly. Hence, it is important to identify biomarkers to predict the efficacy of modalities. Previous literature suggested certain parameters might be predictive factors. Nevertheless, the utility of these parameters is limited due to the types of solid tumors.Purpose: The study aimed to examine whether the lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) was related to outcomes of CCT, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and TT for mNSCLC patients.Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study between September 2012 and May 2020 was conducted on 350 Chinese mNSCLC patients, including 147 patients receiving ICIs, 103 TT, and 100 CCT. The data were examined to analyze the prognostic value of LIPI among various treatments.Main Outcomes and Measures: The associations between PFS and good, intermediate, or poor prognostic LIPI scores in ICIs, TT, and CCT were determined, respectively.Results: In univariable analyses, there was a relevance between a good LIPI score and better PFS among patients receiving ICIs (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.44– 1.51), TT (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.16– 1.74), and CCT (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.19– 0.80). In multivariable analyses, the intermediate LIPI score was linked to better PFS only in patients receiving TT (HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.17– 0.92) rather than ICIs (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.66– 2.45) or CCT (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.49– 4.55).Conclusion: Baseline LIPI value is an important prognostic biomarker for mNSCLC patients treated with TT. Shorter PFS with TT was associated with poor baseline LIPI. Poor LIPI score may be considered as a promising indicator showing which patients are unlikely to respond well to TT. The prognostic value of LIPI can be more clearly determined through prospective clinical study.Keywords: lung immune prognostic index, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, prognostic value

Hongjie Qian,1,2 Qian Chen,1,2 Liyu Liang,1,2 Yang Zou,1,2 Huahua Pu,1,2 Liang Xin,1,2 Rong Song,1,2 Tingting Li,1,2 Huijuan Zhu,1,2 Yu Wang,3 Guanghui Tian,4 Jingshan Shen,2,3 Hualiang Jiang,2,3 Chen Yu,1,2 Zhen Wang,2,3 Jingying Jia1,2 1Central Laboratory, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Phase I Clinical Research & Quality Consistency Evaluation for Drugs, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China; 3CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China; 4Vigonvita Life Science Co., Ltd., Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jingying JiaShanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, No. 966, Huaihai Road(M), Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 21 54030254Email jyjia@shxh-centerlab.comZhen WangShanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Pudong, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21 20231000Fax +86 21 20231962Email wangzhen@simm.ac.cnPurpose: TPN171H is a novel, potent and selective phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TPN171H in healthy subjects after single and multiple dosing, in addition, to investigate the food effect on pharmacokinetics and safety of TPN171H.Methods: The entire study was comprised of three parts: Part I (single ascending-dose study), Part II (food effect study), and Part III (multiple ascending-dose study). A total of 63 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. TPN171H tablet or placebo was administered per protocol requirements. Blood samples were collected at the designated time points for pharmacokinetic analysis. Safety was assessed by clinical examinations and adverse events.Results: In Part I, AUC and Cmax were proved to be linear within the 5– 30 mg dose range. T1/2 of TPN171H was 8.02– 10.88 h. In Part II, we figured out that TPN171H administration under fed condition could decrease Cmax, prolong Tmax, but had no effect on AUC. In Part III, the accumulation ratio at steady-state for AUC and Cmax indicated that TPN171H has a slight accumulation upon repeated dosing. Subjects were generally tolerable after TPN171H administration. Compared with other PDE5 inhibitors, TPN171H was found to have no impact on blood pressure and color discrimination.Conclusion: TPN171H was safe and generally tolerated in healthy subjects. Based on the half-life, food effect, and safety profile of TPN171H, we recommend a once-daily, post-meal administration of TPN171H in subsequent clinical studies in healthy subjects and patients with PAH.Keywords: TPN171H, PDE5 inhibitor, safety, pharmacokinetics, food effect, healthy subjects

Jingtai Chen,1,&ast; Zhou Xu,1,&ast; Lingmi Hou,1 Yunhui Tang,1 Shuangqiang Qian,1 Hongyu Pu,1 Juan Tang,2 Yanchun Gao1 1Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yanchun GaoDepartment of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail boyang11111@163.comObjective: Based on physical examination, to explore the relationship between breast mass (BM) and thyroid nodule (TN) prevalence, and to further explore other related factors that affect the occurrence of BM and TN.Methods: From January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2021, 12,538 female subjects received breast and thyroid ultrasound examinations at the same time in the health examination center of the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic analysis were used to screen the relevant factors affecting TN and BM, and propensity score matching was used to further verify the results of the relationship between breast and thyroid.Results: A total of 4975 (39.7%) of the included subjects have BM and a total of 6315 (50.4%) have TN,2557 (20.4%) had both BM and TN. The logistic regression results show that patients with TN are more likely to suffer from BM [OR = 1.185, 95% CI (1.099– 1.278), p< 0.0001]. In addition, age, free T4, HDL, height, BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and albumin are independent factors affecting the occurrence of BM; patients with BM are more likely to have TN [OR = 1.180, 95% CI (1.094– 1.272), p< 0.0001], and age, free T3, free T4, AST, ALT, albumin, height, and BMI are independent influencing factors on the occurrence of TN. The result of propensity score matching confirmed the relationship between BM and TN.Conclusion: There is a bidirectional pathogenic relationship between BM and TN, women with BM are at increased risk of TN, and women with TN are more likely to have BM. Thyroid hormone is not only related to the occurrence of TN but also affects the occurrence of BM.Keywords: breast, thyroid, nodule, propensity score analysis

Hongjiang Pu,1,* Peiyi Xie,2,* Yaxue Chen,3,* Yanrong Zhao,4 Xi Ye,5 Guiyu Lu,4 Dafu Zhang,6 Zhenhui Li6 1Department of Oncology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, Sichuan, 635000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510655, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nursing, Dazhou Vocational and Technical College, Dazhou, Sichuan, 635000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Oncology, The First People’s Hospital of Honghe State, Mengzi, 661100, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dafu Zhang; Zhenhui LiDepartment of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Centre, Kunming, Yunnan, 650118, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 87168179594; +86 87168179549Email tosney@126.com; lizhenhui621@qq.comPurpose: Based on a multi-centered and a large sample size, this study aims to analyze the relationship between preoperative and postoperative serum CEA and recurrence of rectal cancer without preoperative therapy.Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled stage I to III rectal cancer patients without preoperative therapy (N = 1,022) who received radical resection of rectal cancer from 2 hospitals in China. Based on the preoperative and postoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen, the patients were subdivided into 3 groups ie, normal preoperative CEA (≤ 5.0 ng/mL, N = 627), elevated preoperative (> 5.0 ng/mL) but normalized postoperative CEA (normalized postoperative CEA, N = 255), as well as elevated preoperative and postoperative CEA (elevated postoperative CEA, N = 67). The generalized additive model was used to assess the relationship between carcinoembryonic antigen and the risk of recurrence. Further, the Cox regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between carcinoembryonic antigen and 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) after adjusting for potential confounders.Results: The 3-year RFS of patients with elevated postoperative CEA was 45.8% (95% CI, 35.2% − 59.5%), which was significantly lower compared to the other two groups of patients (normalized postoperative CEA: 75.9%, 95% CI, 70.8%-81.4%; and normal preoperative CEA: 84.9%, 95% CI, 82.2%-87.8%) (P < 0.001). Based on multivariable Cox model analysis, the elevated postoperative CEA was a prognostic factor for 3 years RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.08; 95% CI, 2.05– 4.66; P< 0.001). At the same time, normalized postoperative CEA was insignificantly correlated with 3-year RFS (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.00– 1.92; P = 0.05) and was not an independent risk factor.Conclusion: We found that preoperative and postoperative serum CEA of rectal cancer patients were related to the 3-year recurrence-free survival rate. Moreover, the risk of recurrence in the normalized postoperative CEA group of patients was insignificantly different from that of the normalized preoperative CEA patients. Therefore, it is necessary to combine preoperative and postoperative CEA to predict the prognosis of patients with rectal cancer, rather than using it alone.Keywords: preoperative and postoperative serum CEA, rectal cancer, RFS

Zhenhui Li,1,* Shaoyou Li,2,* Yun Liang,3,* Hongjiang Pu,4 Changling Tu,5 Zhenyu Wu,6 Dingyun You7,8 1Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center, Kunming 650118, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center, Kunming 650118, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Cadres Medical Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center, Kunming 650118, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety and Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 7The Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, People’s Republic of China; 8Yunnan Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dingyun YouYunnan Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Kunming Medical University, No. 1168 Chunrongxi Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 871-5922935Email youdingyun@qq.comZhenyu WuDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety and Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Fudan University, 130 Dongan Road, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86 21‐33563913Email nc.ude.naduf@wyzObjective: Association of postoperative peripheral CD4+ T cells percentage and recurrence in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be explored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between the postoperative peripheral CD4+ T cells percentage and recurrence in CRC patients.Patients and Methods: Consecutive stage I–III CRC patients without neoadjuvant treatment undergoing curative resection from January 2010 to July 2016 were identified in two Chinese centers. The association between the postoperative CD4+ T cells percentage, measured within 12 weeks after surgery, and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed.Results: A total of 1028 patients were identified (training set: 913 patients, validation set: 115 patients). In the training set, the 5-year RFS rate of the 441 patients with abnormal postoperative CD4+ T cells percentage was significantly lower than that of those with normal percentage (70.3% [95% CI 65.7– 75.2%] vs 77.6% [95% CI 73.7– 81.7%] and unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.36 [95% CI 1.04– 1.78], P= 0.02). The result was confirmed in the validation set. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the association of postoperative CD4+ T cells percentage with 5-year RFS was independent both in the training and validation sets. In propensity score matching analysis, patients with normal postoperative CD4+ T cells percentage were found to have a favourable response to adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 0.29 [95% CI 0.12– 0.72], P=0.008).Conclusion: Postoperative peripheral CD4+ T cells percentage is a predictive biomarker for RFS in patients with CRC, which can identify those who will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.Keywords: recurrence, peripheral CD4+ T cells, colorectal cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy, propensity score matching analysis

The GLT project is deploying a new submillimeter (submm) VLBI station in Greenland. Our primary scientific goal is to image a shadow of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) of six billion solar masses in M87 at the center of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. The expected SMBH shadow size of 40-50 μas requires superbly high angular resolution, suggesting that the submm VLBI would be the only way to obtain the shadow image. The Summit station in Greenland enables us to establish baselines longer than 9,000 km with ALMA in Chile and SMA in Hawaii as well as providing a unique u–v coverage for imaging M87. Our VLBI network will achieve a superior angular resolution of about 20 μas at 350 GHz, corresponding to ∼ 2.5 times of the Schwarzschild radius of the supermassive black hole in M87. We have been monitoring the atmospheric opacity at 230 GHz since August. 2011; we have confirmed the value on site during the winter season is comparable to the ALMA site thanks to high altitude of 3,200 m and low temperature of −50°C. We will report current status and future plan of the GLT project towards our expected first light on 2015–2016.

Purposes To achieve the reuse of solid waste, the feasibility of using compacted tailings-bentonite material as an impermeable material for landfill cover system is explored in this study. The maximum dry density values of tailings-bentonite mixtures with varying bentonite contents are determined through compaction tests. Methods Saturated permeability coefficients of the tailings-bentonite mixtures were measured by using a consolidation permeameter. Additionally, the pore characteristics of the samples were analyzed through mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy tests. Finally, the service performance of compacted tailings-bentonite mixture in cover systems was investigated by using numerical simulations. Findings The results reveal that the maximum dry density of the tailings-bentonite mixture first increases and then decreases with increasing bentonite content, reaching the maximum of 1.94 g/cm3 at 10% bentonite content. The permeability coefficient of the compacted tailings-bentonite mixture decreases with the increase of bentonite content. A bentonite content of 10% or higher satisfies the permeability requirement for the impermeable layer, i.e., ks=5.61×10-10 m/s, ≤10-9 m/s; in this case, an impermeable layer with a thickness of 10 cm meets the requirement that annual percolation ≤30 mm. Additionally, setting a certain slope to facilitate lateral drainage can effectively reduce the percolation through landfill cover system.