Pretreatment Parameters Research Articles

HCC prediction model performance decrease with long-term antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Existing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prediction models are mainly derived from pretreatment or early on-treatment parameters. We aim to reassess the dynamic changes in the performance of 17 HCC models in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients during long-term antiviral therapy (AVT). Among 987 CHB patients administered long-term entecavir therapy, 660 patients had 8 years of follow-up data. Model scores were calculated using on-treatment values at years 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, and 5 of AVT to predict three-year HCC occurrence. Model performance was assessed with the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). The utility of the original model cutoffs to distinguish different levels of HCC risks was evaluated by the log-rank test. The AUROCs of the 17 HCC models varied from 0.51 to 0.78 when using on-treatment scores from years 2.5 to 5. Models with the cirrhosis variable showed numerically higher AUROCs (pooled AUROCs at 0.65-0.73 for treated, untreated or mixed treatment models) than models without the cirrhosis variable (treated or mixed models: AUROCs at 0.61-0.68; untreated models: AUROCs at 0.51-0.59). The stratification into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk levels using the original cutoff values could no longer reflect the true HCC incidence using scores after AVT year 3.5 for models without cirrhosis and after AVT year 4 for models with cirrhosis. The performance of existing HCC prediction models, especially models without the cirrhosis variable, decreased in CHB patients on long-term AVT. It would be justified to optimize the existing models or develop novel models for better HCC prediction during long-term AVT.

Hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil production from the coupling formaldehyde-pretreatment and catalytic pyrolysis of poplar sawdust

The efficient preparation of hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil is a promising method for biomass utilization. However, the complicated bio-oil composition and low hydrocarbon yield reduced the utilization efficiency of biomass. To solve this problem, a novel technology of coupling formaldehyde-pretreatment (FA) and catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) was proposed and tested on poplar sawdust. This coupling technology (FACFP) was featured by introducing catalyst in the pretreatment process, which not only promoted the dissolution of lignin but also enhanced the conversion of lignin-deficient biomass residues into hydrocarbons. Effects of other pretreatment parameters (e.g., solvents, temperature, processing time) on bio-oil production were studied in detail. Compared to water, the utilization of FA as pretreatment solvent was advantageous in lignin removing and improving the accessibility of cellulose to catalyst during pyrolysis. The FACFP of poplar sawdust conducted at a moderate FA-pretreatment temperature (180 °C) and processing time (3 h) was superior in producing hydrocarbon-rich bio-oils, which led to a 1.7-fold hydrocarbon selectivity and a 1.3-fold bio-oil yield as compared to the two-staged FA + CFP mode. Finally, a reaction mechanism for the coupling FACFP of biomass was proposed by highlighting the crucial role of HZSM-5 and FA solvent.

Can the Systemic Immune Inflammation Index Predict the Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy?

Objective: The aim of this study was to predict the selection of treatment for ectopic pregnancy (EP) using the values of platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) obtained from hematological parameters routinely used in clinical practice. Design: Retrospective observational study. Place & duration of study: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Konya City Hospital, between August 2020 and August 2022. Methodology: The study included 140 patients who were diagnosed with EP in our hospital. The patients were separated as those who received medical treatment with methotrexate (MTX) (Group I) and those who underwent surgical procedures (Group II). The two groups were compared with respect to demographic characteristics and pre-treatment laboratory parameters. Results: Of the 140 patients diagnosed with EP, 75 were in Group I, treated with MTX, and 65 were in Group II, treated with surgery. No significant difference was determined between the groups with respect to age, body mass index, and gravida-parity of the patients (p>0.05). The incidence of extrauterine mass, presence of yolk sac, and fetal heartbeat on ultrasonography was significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (p<0.05). NLR and MLR values in Group II were significantly lower than in Group I (p<0.05). The PLR value did not differ significantly between the groups (p>0.05). The SII value was significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (p<0.05). Conclusion: NLR and MLR were found to be lower, and the SII was significantly higher in the patients who underwent surgery. Hematological parameters, especially SII, are potential markers that can be used in EP treatment selection.

Pre-treatment comorbidities, C-reactive protein and eosinophil count, and immune-related adverse events as predictors of survival with checkpoint inhibition for multiple tumour entities.

The development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) may be associated with clinical efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) in patients with cancer. We therefore investigated the effect of irAEs and pre-treatment parameters on outcome in a large, real-life patient cohort. We performed a single-centre, retrospective, observational study including patients who received CPIs from 2011 to 2018 and followed until 2021. The primary outcome was overall survival, and the secondary outcome was the development of irAEs. In total, 229 patients with different tumour entities (41% non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC], 29% melanoma) received a total of 282 CPI treatment courses (ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab). Thirty-four percent of patients developed irAEs (of these 17% had CTCAE Grade ≥3). Factors independently associated with mortality were pre-treatment CRP ≥10 mg/L (hazard ratio [HR] 2.064, p = 0.0003), comorbidity measured by Charlson comorbidity index (HR 1.149, p = 0.014) and irAEs (HR 0.644, p = 0.036) (age-adjusted, n = 216). Baseline eosinophil count ≤0.2 × 109 /L was a further independent predictor of mortality (age-, CRP-, CCI- and irAE-adjusted HR = 2.252, p = 0.002, n = 166). Anti-CTLA-4 use (p < 0.001), and pre-treatment CRP <10 mg/L were independently associated with irAE occurrence (p = 0.037). We found an independent association between irAE occurrence and improved overall survival in a real-life cohort spanning multiple tumour entities and treatment regimens. Pre-treatment comorbidities, CRP and eosinophil count represent potential markers for predicting treatment response.

Application of fluorescence spectra and molecular weight analysis in the identification of algal organic matter-based disinfection by-product precursors

Algal organic matter (AOM) is considered to be threatening for the consumption of disinfectants and the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during the disinfection process. Incompatible parameters in the conventional pretreatment of algal-laden water will lead to counterproductive results, such as AOM release. Therefore, the generation of AOM and its conversion to DBPs during pretreatment should be observed. The characteristics of DBPs from extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM) were epitomized and simulation experiments were conducted in deionized (DI) water and source water under pretreatment conditions. Differences in DBP formation between the different backgrounds during chlorination and powdered activated carbon (PAC) treatment were investigated. Instead of monotonous excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectra, molecular weight (MW) fractionation was simultaneously applied to elucidate the mechanisms of chlorination and PAC adsorption on AOM-based DBPs. The fluorescence regional integration (FRI) EEM results showed a clear correlation between the fluorescent properties and MW distribution of AOM. A decreasing trend was observed after a rapid increase in fluorescence intensity during the chlorination and PAC treatment of water samples in the simulation experiments in deionized (DI) water and source water. The DBP formation potential (FP) in the source water was consistent with the change in AOM during chlorination and PAC adsorption. In addition, EEM showed decent predictability of AOM-based trihalomethanes (THM) FPs (R2 = 0.77–0.99) invoking a combination with MW fractionation. Macromolecular protein compounds were highly correlated with the formation of dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) (R2 = 0.89–0.98). These post-mortems results imply that EEM spectra are a useful tool for identifying AOM-based precursors to reveal the accurate environmental fate and risk assessments of AOM.

Assessment of macular microvascular changes in children following treatment of anisometropic myopic amblyopia using optical coherence tomography angiography

PurposeTo evaluate macular microvascular changes in the form of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vessel density in the superficial, deep capillary plexuses, and choriocapillaris using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in children with anisometropic myopic amblyopia before and after treatment.MethodsThis prospective observational study included 32 patients younger than 12 years old with anisomyopic amblyopia. OCTA was done before patients’ treatment with optical correction with or without patching and was repeated after successful amblyopia treatment. Outcomes included superficial, deep, and choriocapillaris vessel density (VD) and superficial and deep FAZ areas.ResultsThe study included 13 males (40.6%) and 19 females (59.4%), and the mean age was 9.52 ± 1.33 years. Fifty-three percent (53%) of patients needed only optical correction, and the remaining 47% needed additional patching therapy. After successful treatment, there was a significant improvement in amblyopic eyes in best-corrected visual acuity (p < 0.001), with higher VD values in superficial capillary plexuses (p < 0.001), deep capillary plexuses (p < 0.001), and foveal choriocapillaris (p = 0.030). In the glasses with patching subgroup, the difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment parameters revealed a significant improvement in vessel density in superficial retinal plexuses (foveal and parafoveal; p values 0.023 and < 0.001, respectively) and deep retinal plexuses (whole image, foveal, and parafoveal; p values 0.003, < 0.001, and 0.002, respectively). While amblyopic eyes treated with glasses alone had a significantly greater difference in choriocapillaris foveal VD (p value = 0.022).ConclusionAfter effective amblyopia treatment, amblyopic eyes exhibited improved best-corrected visual acuity and better macular perfusion along the superficial, deep vascular density, and choriocapillaris foveal VD.Clinical trial registrationCinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05223153.

Semantic Visualization in Functional Recovery Prediction of Intravenous Thrombolysis following Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients by Using Biostatistics: An Exploratory Study.

(1) Background: Intravenous thrombolysis following acute ischemic stroke (AIS) can reduce disability and increase the survival rate. We designed a functional recovery analysis by using semantic visualization to predict the recovery probability in AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis; (2) Methods: We enrolled 131 AIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis from 2011 to 2015 at the Medical Center in northern Taiwan. An additional 54 AIS patients were enrolled from another community hospital. A modified Rankin Score ≤2 after 3 months of follow-up was defined as favorable recovery. We used multivariable logistic regression with forward selection to construct a nomogram; (3) Results: The model included age and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score as immediate pretreatment parameters. A 5.23% increase in the functional recovery probability occurred for every 1-year reduction in age, and a 13.57% increase in the functional recovery probability occurred for every NIHSS score reduction. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the model in the validation dataset were 71.79%, 86.67%, and 75.93%, respectively, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.867; (4) Conclusions: Semantic visualization-based functional recovery prediction models may help physicians assess the recovery probability before patients undergo emergency intravenous thrombolysis.

Significance of extraprostatic extension by Grade Groups 1–3 prostatic carcinoma on needle biopsy

It is rare for extraprostatic extension (EPE) on biopsy to be seen with Grade Groups (GG) 1-3 (Gleason scores 3 + 3 = 6; 3 + 4 = 7; 4 + 3 = 7) prostatic adenocarcinoma, and there is no data whether this finding should be a contraindication for performing radical prostatectomy (RP). Thirty eight cases with GG 1-3 prostatic adenocarcinoma as the highest grade in the case with EPE on biopsy were identified from our consultation files. Highly unfavorable findings at RP were those that if they could have been predicted preoperatively, might have factored into the decision of whether to proceed with surgery. For these purposes, highly unfavorable pathology at RP was defined as either the presence of seminal vesicle invasion or lymph node metastases or GG5 (Gleason score 9-10). Among 37 patients with clinical follow-up data, 18 (49%) received radiation and/or hormonal therapy (RT/HT), 13 patients (35%) either underwent (n = 11) or are planning (n = 2) RP, and 6 patients (16%) received either ablation therapy or active surveillance. Based on the 11 RP pathology reports, 8 were GG2, one GG3 with tertiary pattern 5, and two GG3. Ten cases were reported to have EPE and six cases had positive margins. Only one had highly unfavorable pathology with pT3bN1 disease. The only difference between the RP and the RT/HT groups in their pretreatment parameters was the mean age of the RP patients was 61 compared with 69 for the RT/HT men (p = 0.02); the lack of many cases with highly unfavorable pathology at RP cannot be attributable to a selection bias of men with lower volume cancer on biopsy or lower serum prostate-specific antigen levels choosing RP over RT/HT. Despite EPE on biopsy, most men do not have highly unfavorable pathology at RP, and this treatment should remain an option in this setting.

Efficacy of kinesio taping versus extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the short term for the calcaneal spur

The calcaneal spur is a common cause of heel pain, and there are various approaches to its treatment. Our aim in this study is to investigate the effectiveness of kinesio taping against Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of calcaneal spur. This study was designed as a randomized controlled, prospective and single-center clinical trial. A total of 93 patients with calcaneal spur (18 men, 75 women) were included. Patients were divided into two groups (based on gender, age, BMI, and pain duration) by stratified randomization (kinesio tape group=46, ESWT group=47 patients). 3 sessions of ESWT were applied to the heels of the patients in the 1st group with an interval of 1 week. Kinesio taping was applied to the 2nd group. It was applied once a week, for 3 weeks. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Foot Function Index (FFI) scores of the patients in both groups before the treatment and 1 week after the end of the treatment were recorded. When we evaluated the pre-treatment and post-treatment parameters, we found a significant decrease in VAS, FFI-pain, FFI-disability and FFI-activity restriction scores in both groups (p=0.0001). We also found that kinesio taping was more effective than ESWT in reducing FFI-pain (for after treatment FFI-pain inter group p=0.005, for FFI-pain difference inter group p=0.002) and FFI-disability (for after treatment FFI-disability inter group p=0.023, for FFI-disability difference inter group p=0.0001) scores. To conclude, although both kinesio taping and ESWT treatments reduced patients' pain, disability and activity limitation, kinesio taping was found to be more effective in reducing pain and disability. Studies with longer follow-up are needed to clarify our results.

Analysis of the clinical characteristics and predisposing factors for neurological deficit with Hangman fractures

BackgroundHangman fracture is the second most common injury of the upper cervical spine, and neurological deficit with Hangman fracture is not rare. To our knowledge, few reports have statistically analyzed the predisposing factors for this injury. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of neurological deficit associated with Hangman fracture and evaluate its risk factors.MethodsIn this retrospective study, 97 patients with Hangman fractures were included. Data on the age, sex, injury etiology, neurological deficits, and associated injuries were obtained and evaluated. The pretreatment parameters, anterior translation and angulation of C2/3, presence of the posterior vertebral wall (PVW) fractures of C2, and presence of spinal cord signal changes were measured. Twenty-three patients with neurological deficits after Hangman fractures comprised group A, and 74 patients without neurological deficit comprised group B. Student’s t-test or a nonparametric test and the chi-square test were used to evaluate the differences between groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for neurological deficit.ResultsAmong the 23 patients in group A, 2 were American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale B, 6 were C, and 15 were D, and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging signal change was observed at the level of C2–C3 disc, C2, or both. Patients with the combination of PVW fractures and ≥ 50% significant translation or angulation of C2/3 were significantly more likely to have a neurological deficit. Both factors remained significant in binary logistic regression analysis.ConclusionsNeurological deficit after Hangman fractures always presents clinically as a partial neurological impairment. The combination of PVW fractures with ≥ 1.8 mm of translation or ≥ 5.5° of angulation of C2/3 was the predisposing factor for neurological deficit with Hangman fractures.

Utility of mono-exponential, bi-exponential, and stretched exponential signal models of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) to predict prognosis and survival risk in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LHSCC) patients after chemoradiotherapy

PurposeTo investigate the predictive power of mono-exponential, bi-exponential, and stretched exponential signal models of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in prognosis and survival risk of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LHSCC) patients after chemoradiotherapy.Materials and methodsForty-five patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively enrolled. All patients had undergone pretreatment IVIM examination, subsequently, mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmean), maximum ADC (ADCmax), minimum ADC (ADCmin) and ADCrange (ADCmax − ADCmean) by mono-exponential model, true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f) by bi-exponential model, distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC), and diffusion heterogeneity index (α) by stretched exponential model were measured. Survival data were collected for 5 years.ResultsThirty-one cases were in the treatment failure group and fourteen cases were in the local control group. Significantly lower ADCmean, ADCmax, ADCmin, D, f, and higher D* values were observed in the treatment failure group than in the local control group (p < 0.05). D* had the greatest AUC of 0.802, with sensitivity and specificity of 77.4 and 85.7% when D* was 38.85 × 10–3 mm2/s. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the curves of N stage, ADCmean, ADCmax, ADCmin, D, D*, f, DDC, and α values were significant. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed ADCmean and D* were independently correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.125, p = 0.001; HR = 1.008, p = 0.002, respectively).ConclusionThe pretreatment parameters of mono-exponential and bi-exponential models were significantly correlated with prognosis of LHSCC, ADCmean and D* values were independent factors for survival risk prediction.

Rapid Identification and Analysis of Ochratoxin-A in Food and Agricultural Soil Samples Using a Novel Semi-Automated In-Syringe Based Fast Mycotoxin Extraction (FaMEx) Technique Coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS.

In this work, a fast mycotoxin extraction (FaMEx) technique was developed for the rapid identification and quantification of carcinogenic ochratoxin-A (OTA) in food (coffee and tea) and agricultural soil samples using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) detection. The FaMEx technique advancement is based on two plastic syringes integrated setup for rapid extraction and its subsequent controlled clean-up process. In the extraction process, a 0.25-g sample and extraction solvent were added to the first syringe barrel for the vortex-based extraction. Then, the extraction syringe was connected to a clean-up syringe (pre-packed with C18, activated carbon, and MgSO4) with a syringe filter. Afterward, the whole set-up was placed in an automated programmable mechanical set-up for controlled elution. To enhance FaMEx technology performance, the various influencing sample pretreatment parameters were optimized. Furthermore, the developed FaMEx method indicated excellent linearity (0.9998 and 0.9996 for coffee/tea and soil) with highly sensitive detection (0.30 and 0.29 ng/mL for coffee/tea and soil) and quantification limits (1.0 and 0.96 for coffee/tea and soil), which is lower than the toxicity limit compliant with the European Union regulation for OTA (5 ng/g). The method showed acceptable relative recovery (84.48 to 100.59%) with <7.34% of relative standard deviation for evaluated real samples, and the matrix effects were calculated as <-13.77% for coffee/tea and -9.7 for soil samples. The obtained results revealed that the developed semi-automated FaMEx/UHPLC-MS/MS technique is easy, fast, low-cost, sensitive, and precise for mycotoxin detection in food and environmental samples.

Valorization of Hemp-Based Packaging Waste with One-Pot Ionic Liquid Technology.

The range of applications for industrial hemp has consistently increased in various sectors over the years. For example, hemp hurd can be used as a resource to produce biodegradable packaging materials when incorporated into a fungal mycelium composite, a process that has been commercialized. Although these packaging materials can be composted after usage, they may present an opportunity for valorization in a biorefinery setting. Here, we demonstrate the potential of using this type of discarded packaging composite as a feedstock for biofuel production. A one-pot ionic liquid-based biomass deconstruction and conversion process was implemented, and the results from the packaging material were compared with those obtained from untreated hemp hurd. At a 120 °C reaction temperature, 7.5% ionic liquid loading, and 2 h reaction time, the packaging materials showed a higher lignocellulosic sugar yield and sugar concentrations than hemp hurd. Hydrolysates prepared from packaging materials also promoted production of higher titers (1400 mg/L) of the jet-fuel precursor bisabolene when used to cultivate an engineered strain of the yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides. Box-Behnken experiments revealed that pretreatment parameters affected the hemp hurd and packaging materials differently, evidencing different degrees of recalcitrance. This study demonstrated that a hemp hurd-based packaging material can be valorized a second time once it reaches the end of its primary use by supplying it as a feedstock to produce biofuels.

Вплив параметрів ферментативної обробки на вихід пресової гарбузової олії та її властивості

The influence of parameters of pumpkin seeds pretreatment with enzyme preparations of proteolytic and cellulolytic activity on the yield of press oil, its composition and quality parameters were studied in this work. The enzyme preparation PENICILOPEPSIN (Enzym Biotech, Ukraine) with proteolytic activity and CELLULAD (Enzym Biotech, Ukraine) with cellulolytic, hemicellulase and xylanase activity were used for pretreatment. Enzymatic treatment of seeds was carried out with a mixture of these preparations at a ratio of 7:3 for 2 h at a pH 5.2 and 48—54°C. The following parameters of enzymatic pretreatment were studied: the amount of the enzyme mixture, which varied from 0.3% to 2.4% of the weight of the seeds and the amount of moisture added together with the enzymes — from 15% to 50%. It was established that the rational parameters of the enzymatic treatment of pumpkin seeds are the mass of the enzyme mixture of 0.6% and the amount of moisture added with enzymes — 35% of the seed mass. Under such technological parameters, the yield of press pumpkin oil was 65.6%, which is almost 6% higher than in the control sample. The acid and anisidine value of the control oil sample and the oil extracted after the enzymatic treatment of the seeds did not differ significantly. However, the content of peroxide compounds in the oil extracted after enzymatic treatment of seeds was lower. The total antioxidant activity of the oil, determined by the reaction of the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl radicals quenching within 30 min, was higher in the oil samples after seed pretreatment at the maximum tested moisture (50%). The obtained results indicate that the enzymatic pretreatment of pumpkin seeds with proteolytic and cellulolytic enzyme preparations is a promising method of oil yield increasing.

Optimization of Milling Characteristics of Kodo and Little Millet for Development of Value-Added Products

The current research aimed to improve the milling quality of millets by applying hydrothermal pre-treatment. The pre-treatment parameters taken were; soaking temperature (30 to 70 °C) and soaking time (1–3 h). After drying the pre-treated millets up to 10–12% (w.b.) moisture content, the millets were milled and the milling qualities were assessed. The optimum values of soaking temperature and time were recorded as 61.29 °C and 2.92 h and, 65.36 °C and 2.98 h for Kodo millet and Little millet, respectively along with corresponding values of dehulling and milling efficiency as 92.94 and 69.7% and, 89.55 and 63.91%. Thereafter, the pre-treated millets at optimized conditions were taken for the determination of cooking characteristics and development of value-added product. The developed products were found to be nutritive and, were highly appreciated by the expert during its sensory evaluation.

Malignant Airway Obstruction and the Use of Nd:YAG Laser: A Systematic Review on Its Efficacy and Safety.

Endobronchial malignancies with significant airway obstruction can lead to multiple complications including pneumonia, and atelectasis over a period of time. Various intraluminal treatments have proven their value in palliative treatment for advanced malignancies. Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) laser has established its role as a major palliative intervention due to its minimal side effects and improvement in quality of life by relieving local symptoms. The systematic review was conducted with the goal of elucidating the patient characteristics, pre-treatment parameters, clinical outcomes, and possible complications resulting from the use of the Nd:YAG laser. A thorough literature search for relevant studies was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from the inception of the idea to November 24, 2022. Our study included all original studies including retrospective studies and prospective trials, but excluded case reports, case series with less than 10 patients, and studies with incomplete or irrelevantdata. A total of 11 studies were included in the analysis. The primary outcomes focused on the evaluation of pulmonary functional tests, postprocedural stenosis, blood gas parameters after the procedure, and survival outcomes. Improvement in clinical status, improvement in objective scale for dyspnea, and complications were the secondary outcomes. Our study shows that Nd:YAG laser treatment is an effective form of palliative treatment to provide subjective and objective improvement in patients with advanced and inoperable endobronchial malignancies.Due to the heterogeneous study populations in the studies reviewed and the presence of many limitations, more studies are still warranted to reach a definitive conclusion.

Platelet kinetics in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopaenia treated with thrombopoietin receptor agonists.

Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) increase platelet counts (PC) in the majority of patients with chronic immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP). Platelet kinetics study (PKS) might contribute to the understanding of mechanisms that lead to durable response. To evaluate the effects of TPO-RAs on PKS parameters in chronic ITP patients. Fifteen chronic ITP patients, aged 59 years [range: 22-84], female/male: 10/5, splenectomised 7/15, were treated with TPO-RAs (eltrombopag/romiplostim: 11/4). Durable response was defined as PC ≥30 × 109 /L at 6months. Autologous 111 Indium-oxinate PKS was performed before and 5 months after TPO-RAs initiation. Accordingly, platelet survival (PS), platelet turnover, production ratio and sequestration site were assessed. Durable response was achieved in 13/15 of patients (eltrombopag/romiplostim: 10/3). Pre-treatment parameters were: PC 10 × 109 /L [range: 1-110], PS 0.5 days [range: 0.1-1.7 (normal values: 7-10)], platelet turnover 30 857 Plt/μL/day [range: 944-103 500] and platelet production ratio 0.64 [range: 0.01-3.2 (normal values: 1 ± 0.2)]. Post-treatment assessment showed significantly higher: PC 92.5 × 109 /L [range: 28-260, p=.001], PS 2.2 days [range: 0.1-3.6, p=.008], platelet turnover 70 213 Plt/μL/day [range: 2800-462 236, p=.02] and platelet production ratio 1.8 [range: 0.5-37.9, p=.011] compared to the pre-treatment values. Platelet sequestration site altered in 3/15 treated with TPO-RAs. TPO-RAs could increase PC by simultaneous increasing of platelet production and decreasing of platelet destruction.

Effects of different processing techniques of palm kernel cake on processing quality of pellet feed, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal microbiota of pigs.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of extrusion, fermentation, and enzymolysis of palm kernel cake on processing quality of pellet feed, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal microbiota of pigs. First, the pretreatment parameters of extrusion, enzymolysis, and fermentation of palm kernel cake were optimized. Then, PKC after three processing techniques were used to prepare pellet feed. A total of 160 crossbred piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) with an average body weight of 28 ± 0.5 kg were used in an 8-wk feeding experiment. Pigs were randomly assigned to five treatments with four replicates per treatment and eight pigs per replicates. The five experimental groups were as follows: basal diet group (whole corn-soybean meal), 10% PKC group (PKC), 10% extrusion PKC group (PPKC), 10% enzymolysis PKC group (EPKC), and 10% fermented PKC group (FPKC), respectively. At the end of the experiment, four pigs from each treatment (randomly collected one pig per pen) were sacrificed by administering a pentobarbital overdose, the gut and blood samples were collected for the quantification analysis of microbiota, hematological parameters, and apparent total tract nutrient digestibility. The results showed that all three processing techniques significantly decreased the contents of crude fiber of PKC (P < 0.01), pulverization rate (P < 0.01), powder content (P < 0.01), and increased the hardness and gelatinization starch of pellet feed (P < 0.05) compared to PKC group. In addition, PPKC significantly improved the dry matter, crude protein, and ether extract content, blood indices and average daily feed intake compared to PKC group (P < 0.01), while the parameters were similar among FPKC, EPKC, and control group (P > 0.01). Furthermore, all three processing techniques significantly increased the Lactobacillus and decreased the Escherichia levels in feces or gut compared to PKC. Collectively, extrusion, fermentation, and enzymolysis of PKC had positively enhanced the pellet quality, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiota, extrusion exhibited a superior feeding effect compared to fermentation and enzymolysis.

BISMUTH-ANTIMONY FILM ELECTRODE FOR STRIPPING VOLTAMMETRIC DETERMINATION OF TRACE CADMIUM AND LEAD IN THAI RICE WINE

Stripping analysis was proposed for the voltammetric determination of trace cadmium and lead in local rice wine alcoholic beverages. A bismuth-antimony film electrode (Bi-SbFE) was employed for accumulative preconcentration of trace metals by adding 4 mg L-1 of bismuth and 1 mg L-1 of antimony directly to the sample solution and simultaneously depositing bismuth, antimony, and trace cadmium and lead target metals on the glassy carbon electrode by applying a fixed potential of –1.1 V versus the Ag/AgCl reference electrode for 300 s. Pre-treatment parameters for mineralization of the sample were optimized using the wet acid digestion procedure. Under the optimum conditions, linear calibration graphs ranging 20-200 µg L-1 for Cd and Pb were obtained with detection limits of 0.22 and 0.62 µg L-1 and limits of quantitation 0.73 and 2.07 µg L-1, respectively. Reproducibility values for seven replicate analyses of 50 µg L-1 Cd and Pb were 3.6 and 3.3%, respectively. The developed method was successful for Cd and Pb analyses in Thai rice wine samples and results were validated by the flame atomic absorption spectrometric method. Most samples were not contaminated with Cd and Pb. The amount of Cd contaminants in only one of rice wine sample was still lower than the maximum permitted level of Cd in wine.

Cold Plasma Pretreatment Promoting Penicillin Accumulation in Penicillium Chrysogenum

Penicillin is the most important class of β-lactam antibiotics. The improvement of high-yielding strain has always been the focus of low-cost industrial production. In this study, Penicillium chrysogenum CICC 40654 was pretreated by helium cold plasma, and then used for fermentation to synthesize penicillin. Through single factor test and orthogonal one, the optimal values of pretreatment parameters such as discharge power, discharge time and helium working pressure were discussed. Results showed that the strain pretreated at 130 W and 100 Pa for 35 s had the highest penicillin synthesis (more than 30 μg/g dried mycelium biomass) on fermentation for 3 days, which was about 79.7% higher than that of the control. In summary, green and efficient cold plasma pretreatment enhanced its ability of penicillin accumulation of Penicillium chrysogenum. This study will provide a new methodological basis for improving industrial strains for high-yield biomedicine.