Reduction Treatment Research Articles

Nitrogen addition and precipitation reduction alter ecosystem multifunctionality and decrease soil nematode abundance and trophic energy fluxes in a temperate forest

Soil biota and energy flow within their food webs have a profound impact on various ecosystem functions. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of how climate change factors, such as nitrogen deposition and reduced precipitation, impact ecosystem functioning, particularly in temperate forest ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the response of ecosystems to long-term nitrogen deposition and/or reduced precipitation due to climate change. We assessed these responses by examining nematode community energy fluxes and their associated ecosystem multifunctionality. Field experiments were conducted in a temperate forest to simulate nitrogen deposition (5.0 kg N·ha−1·yr−1) using NH4NO3 application and to reduce precipitation (to 70 % of a normal year) using rain shelters. Our findings showed that nitrogen addition and/or precipitation reduction treatments altered soil nematode composition. Nitrogen addition alone reduced the abundance and energy fluxes of high trophic groups such as omnivore-predators, which served as proxies for total abundance and energy fluxes. In contrast, precipitation reduction did not exhibit significant effects on overall abundance and energy fluxes. Environmental factors influencing changes in soil nematode abundance and energy fluxes included soil pH, NH4+-N, and total nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen addition increased ecosystem multifunctionality by promoting nutrient cycling, while precipitation reduction promoted plant productivity and inhibited carbon cycling, without changing ecosystem multifunctionality. Regression analysis showed that soil nematode energy fluxes were negatively correlated with ecosystem multifunctionality. The effects of these two factors on soil nematode food webs showed temporal variation, as well as indicators related to multiple functions of the ecosystem. Our study suggests that soil nematode energy fluxes are more sensitive than nematode abundance for quantifying the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality.

Rethinking Parkinson's disease: could dopamine reduction therapy have clinical utility?

Following reports of low striatal dopamine content in Parkinson’s disease, levodopa was shown to rapidly reverse hypokinesis, establishing the model of disease as one of dopamine deficiency. Dopaminergic therapy became standard of care, yet it failed to reverse the disease, suggesting the understanding of disease was incomplete. The literature suggests the potential for toxicity of dopamine and its metabolites, perhaps more relevant given the recent evidence for elevated cytosolic dopamine levels in the dopaminergic neurons of people with Parkinson’s. To understand the relevance of these data, multiple investigations are reviewed that tested dopamine reduction therapy as an alternative to dopaminergic agents. The data from use of an inhibitor of dopamine synthesis in experimental models suggest that such an approach could reverse disease pathology, which suggests that cytosolic dopamine excess is a primary driver of disease. These data support clinical investigation of dopamine reduction therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Doing so will determine whether these experimental models are predictive and this treatment strategy is worth pursuing further. If clinical data are positive, it could warrant reconsideration of our disease model and treatment strategies, including a shift from dopaminergic to dopamine reduction treatment of the disease.

Thermal stable Pt clusters anchored by K/TiO2–Al2O3 for efficient cycloalkane dehydrogenation

Catalytic dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes is considered a valuable endothermic process for alleviating the thermal barrier issue of hypersonic vehicles. However, conventional Pt-based catalysts often face the severe problem of metal sintering under high-temperature conditions. Herein, we develop an efficient K2CO3-modified Pt/TiO2–Al2O3 (K–Pt/TA) for cycloalkane dehydrogenation. The optimized K–Pt/TA showed a high specific activity above 27.9 mol·mol−1·s−1(H2/Pt), with toluene selectivity above 90.0% at 600 °C with a high weight hourly space velocity of 266.4 h−1. The introduction of alkali metal ions could generate titanate layers after high-temperature hydrogen reduction treatment, which promotes the generation of oxygen vacancy defects to anchored Pt clusters. In addition, the titanate layers could weaken the surface acidity of catalysts and inhibit side reactions, including pyrolysis, polymerization, and isomerization reactions. Thus, this work provides a modification method to develop efficient and stable dehydrogenation catalysts under high-temperature conditions.

Diabetic remission incidence related with weight reduction and effective treatment

Diabetic remission incidence related with weight reduction and effective treatment

Application of effluent reduction methods and treatment using advanced oxidation process at leather chemicals and tanning industries

The current study set out to assess and create long-term solutions for improving environmental performance concerning water use, wastewater production, and treatment at Syntan plant (glass-lined vessel unit) and application laboratory (small-scale leather retanning. Based on evaluations and analyses, best available techniques including water gauging, pressurized vessel washing, dedication of vessels to similar production, reuse techniques, developing commercial grade intermediate products from wash water, managing cooling water and developing reuse methods of reverse osmosis reject water were applied to reduce water consumption and effluent generation in process and non-process activities. Furthermore, the reduced effluent was subjected to treat using electrochemical processes, i.e., electrocoagulation and electro-Fenton, before it was drained to outside environment. As a result of the applications, 0%–100% change was measured in various process and non-process activities, whereas, 12.8%–100% reduction was measured in effluent. Soft cooling water consumption was reduced by 46.7%. The results of treated effluent parameters were compared and found the final removal efficiencies of total dissolved solids (51.4%), total suspended solids (99.2%), chemical oxygen demand (98.5%) and electric conductivity (67.7%). It is concluded that this study can be considered as a successful model to increased water efficiency in chemical industries, Furthermore, it could serve as a building block for the incorporation of cleaner and sustainable production approach into national agenda and to overcome stern issues of high-water and energy consumption and effluent management in different industries.

Optimizing the Support System of a Shallow Buried Tunnel under Unsymmetrical Pressure

In the construction process of tunnel inlet sections, the rock mass can sustain unsymmetrical pressure due to asymmetrical terrain on the two sides of the tunnel. The fact that the inlet sections are usually under shallow buried conditions with strongly weathered rock mass exacerbates the issue. This paper discusses optimization strategies of the initial support of a shallow buried tunnel based on the analytical results of asymmetrical loading characteristics. Numerical simulation is performed with particle flow code (PFC) using the Jianshanji tunnel project as an example. The simulation results show that the bench excavation has slightly less total deformation than the full-section excavation but the deformation range is wider, especially in the tunnel arch. Both lining support and slope reduction treatments can effectively improve rock deformation, with lining support demonstrating better performance in controlling deformation and adjusting stress distribution. Based on the simulation results, the bench excavation and lining support are used in the actual project, and the corresponding optimization control measures were adopted to address deformation issues, including crushed-stone backfilling for compression resistance, advanced grouting reinforcement, and grouting. The field data show that the tunnel stability is effectively improved by adopting the optimization schemes, which further validates the effectiveness of the proposed unsymmetrical control method.

Ozonation for improved sludge reduction, cytotoxicity and estrogenicity control in anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a common treatment for sludge reduction and stabilization. Simultaneously reductions in sludge chemical oxygen demand (COD), cytotoxicity, and estrogenicity are desired for safer handling and reuse. We investigated the impact, mechanism, and control strategy of ozonation (common sludge biodegradability method) on AD, methane production, and sludge cytotoxicity and estrogenicity modulations. Results revealed that ozone treatment could boost the methane production potential and rate by up to 36.5 and 69.2 %, respectively, but only after partial sludge digestion. Ozone modulated sludge cytotoxicity and estrogenicity, significantly improving this effect (maximum reductions of 28 and 23 %, respectively) by introducing anaerobically digested sludge to the ozonation module due to lowered volatile solids (VS) compared to raw sludge and less competition from the abundant biodegradable organics. Results support introducing ozone during AD for simultaneous COD reduction, and cytotoxicity and estrogenicity control.

CDC Clinical Guidelines on the Use of Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis for Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention, United States, 2024.

No vaccines and few chemoprophylaxis options exist for the prevention of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (specifically syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea). These infections have increased in the United States and disproportionately affect gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). In three large randomized controlled trials, 200 mg of doxycycline taken within 72 hours after sex has been shown to reduce syphilis and chlamydia infections by >70% and gonococcal infections by approximately 50%. This report outlines CDC's recommendation for the use of doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP), a novel, ongoing, patient-managed biomedical STI prevention strategy for a selected population. CDC recommends that MSM and TGW who have had a bacterial STI (specifically syphilis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea) diagnosed in the past 12 months should receive counseling that doxy PEP can be used as postexposure prophylaxis to prevent these infections. Following shared decision-making with their provider, CDC recommends that providers offer persons in this group a prescription for doxy PEP to be self-administered within 72 hours after having oral, vaginal, or anal sex. The recommended dose of doxy PEP is 200 mg and should not exceed a maximum dose of 200 mg every 24 hours.Doxy PEP, when offered, should be implemented in the context of a comprehensive sexual health approach, including risk reduction counseling, STI screening and treatment, recommended vaccination and linkage to HIV PrEP, HIV care, or other services as appropriate. Persons who are prescribed doxy PEP should undergo bacterial STI testing at anatomic sites of exposure at baseline and every 3-6 months thereafter. Ongoing need for doxy PEP should be assessed every 3-6 months as well. HIV screening should be performed for HIV-negative MSM and TGW according to current recommendations.

A genetically engineered epothilone analog as a novel oral microtubule inhibitor: A clinical study of utidelone capsule for advanced breast cancer.

e13115 Background: Utidelone, a genetically engineered epothilone analog, is a potential best-in-class novel microtubule stabilizing agent. Utidelone injection was approved for advanced breast cancer in China in 2021. Utidelone is not susceptible to P-glycoprotein, leading to better oral bioavailability and successful development of an oral formulation-Utidelone Capsule (UTD2). As of now, there has been no oral microtubule stabilizing agent approved in China and the United States. UTD2 may benefit patients in various aspects including effectiveness, safety, better compliance, reduced medical cost, and facilitation of combination therapy, especially with other oral anti-cancer drugs. This is the first clinical study in China to investigate the efficacy and safety of UTD2 monotherapy for treatment of advanced breast cancer. Methods: This is an ongoing open-label, multi-center study (NCT05700084) consisting of three parts: dose escalation, bioavailability and food effect, and in combination with capecitabine for treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Here we report the preliminary results from single center for part I with determination of DLT and MTD as the primary objective, and efficacy, PK profile and safety in patients with pretreated metastatic breast cancer as the secondary objectives. Eligible patients are aged 18-70 years with confirmed advanced breast cancer refractory to prior standard therapies, and have an ECOG PS of 0-1, life expectancy ≥12weeks. Patients are treated with UTD2 monotherapy, at starting dose of 50 mg/m2/d-5day for two patients, with planned escalation (3+3) to 75 mg/m2/d-5day and 75 mg/m2/d-7day, then to 85 mg/m2/d-7day or down to 70 mg/m2/d-7day in a 21-day cycle. Results: As of 25th January 2024, 5 advanced breast cancer patients were enrolled, who had received prior treatment in advanced settings. Dose escalation is ongoing, and 75mg/m2/d-7day cohort is under evaluation. Four patients were evaluated for efficacy with an outcome of 2 PR (each for 50 and 75mg/m2/d-5day dose) and 2 SD (75mg/m2/d-5day dose) with treatment durations of 2 to 8 cycles. Most treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were Grade 1/2, manageable, and included peripheral sensory neuropathy (PN), dizziness and loss of appetite. There were two patients encountered Grade 3 TEAEs including one with PN and one with diarrhea/insomnia, that recovered through dose reduction or supportive treatment. No grade 4/5 adverse events and no treatment discontinuations due to AE were reported. There have been no DLTs and the MTD is not yet reached. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggested promising efficacy with a manageable safety profile of UTD2 in pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients. This study is still actively enrolling; further data will be provided at the time of presentation. Clinical trial information: NCT05700084 .

Start low, go slow: A systematic review and meta-analysis of upfront tailored treatment dosing in older adults with advanced cancer.

1625 Background: Older adults aged ≥65 with advanced cancer are underrepresented in treatment trials. This gap limits informed decision-making regarding the dose and tolerability of proposed therapies. Standard chemotherapy is associated with >50% serious adverse event rate among older adults, with frequent dose reduction and early treatment discontinuation. A "start low, go slow" (SLGS) approach begins systemic therapy at lower-than-standard doses and increases the dose if well-tolerated. This alternative dosing strategy has shown value in minimizing adverse events and functional decline without compromising the overall effectiveness of treatments. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis of SLGS effectiveness among older adults across advanced cancers. Methods: This review, was registered with PROSPERO and adhered to PRISMA criteria, covering PubMed, Journal of Geriatric Oncology and EMBASE from January 2000 until December 15, 2024. Eligible study designs were randomized controlled trials, retrospective trials, and non-randomized clinical trials with patients with advanced cancers who underwent systemic therapy. We reported all studies that studied the SLGS approach. Our studied outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), treatment discontinuation, and toxicity. Data extraction included author, patient, cancer type, treatment, and survival outcomes. A meta-analysis using fixed effects and risk ratios (RR) was performed when sufficient data was available; significant outcomes had α<0.05. Results: Our search identified 13 studies testing SLGS strategies in oncology, including 3,508 patients, with a median age 63-78 years. The -represented cancers included colorectal (6 studies, 3059 patients total), lung (2 studies, 113 pts), chronic myeloid leukemia (2 studies, 127 pts), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (1 study, 45 pts), and prostate (2 studies, 164 pts) cancers. Ten (77%) studies assessed OS and PFS. Five studies (39%) compared SLGS against standard doses, finding no significant differences in PFS and OS across all trials. Dose escalation rates for SLGS ranged from 5% to 60%. The ability to complete planned cycles was higher with SLGS compared to standard dose (1 study, 43% vs 26%, p=0.04). Treatment discontinuation was not different for SLGL vs. standard dose (5 studies, meta-analysis RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.90-1.27, p=0.42). Toxicity ranged from 5% to 89% across studies; SLGS had lower grade ≥3 adverse events compared to standard dose (4 studies, meta-analysis RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.94, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis analyzing the SLGS approach to systemic therapy dosing in older adults with advanced cancer. Compared to standard-dose systemic therapy, older adults pursuing a SLGS strategy had greater completion of planned cycles, reduced toxicity, and similar survival.

Exploring Pijuayo (Bactris gasipaes) Pulp and Peel Flours as Fat Replacers in Burgers: A Multivariate Study on Physicochemical and Sensory Traits.

Meat products are known for their lipid profile rich in saturated fats and cholesterol, and also for the formation of oxidation compounds; therefore, a reduction in animal fat may result in a product less harmful to health. Pijuayo is an Amazon fruit known for its nutritional properties, such as its fiber and lipid content. For these reasons, it is an attractive fruit to replace animal fat in meat products. The present work used pijuayo pulp and peel flours to partially replace animal fat in beef-based burgers at 25% and 50% levels, considering sensory and physicochemical outcomes evaluated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Correspondence Analysis (CA) and Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA). Pijuayo flour affected the physicochemical characteristics evaluated by PCA, where the samples with greater fat replacement were characterized by a high carbohydrate content and instrumental yellowness. The minimal fat replacement did not abruptly affect the PCA's instrumental texture and color, proximal composition, yield properties, and lipid oxidation. The overall liking was greater in the 25% fat reduction treatments, even greater than the control, in which positive sensory attributes for liking were highlighted for those treatments. A small segment of consumers (11% of total consumers) preferred the treatment with greater replacement of fat with pijuayo peel flour, which these consumers tended to characterize as seasoned. However, this treatment had the lowest liking. The MFA showed that the sensory characteristics tender and tasty were strongly correlated with overall liking and were highlighted in the samples of 25% fat reduction, suggesting that the pijuayo improves the tenderness and flavor of reduced-fat burgers. Other inclusion levels between 25% and 50% of fat replacement could be explored, and optimization studies are needed. In addition, the sensory characteristics and flavor-enhancing compounds of the fruit, as well as the nutritional aspects of the inclusion of pijuayo, should be studied, such as the fatty acid profile. These characteristics will be informative to explore pijuayo as a fat replacer at a pilot scale and industrial scale.

Clinical effects of nonconvulsive electrotherapy combined with mindfulness-based stress reduction and changes of serum inflammatory factors in depression.

Depression is a common and serious psychological condition, which seriously affects individual well-being and functional ability. Traditional treatment methods include drug therapy and psychological counseling; however, these methods have different degrees of side effects and limitations. In recent years, nonconvulsive electrotherapy (NET) has attracted increasing attention as a noninvasive treatment method. However, the clinical efficacy and potential mechanism of NET on depression are still unclear. We hypothesized that NET has a positive clinical effect in the treatment of depression, and may have a regulatory effect on serum inflammatory factors during treatment. To assess the effects of NET on depression and analyze changes in serum inflammatory factors. This retrospective study enrolled 140 patients undergoing treatment for depression between May 2017 and June 2022, the observation group that received a combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and NET treatment (n = 70) and the control group that only received MBSR therapy (n = 70). The clinical effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by assessing various factors, including the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD)-17, self-rating idea of suicide scale (SSIOS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and levels of serum inflammatory factors before and after 8 wk of treatment. The quality of life scores between the two groups were compared. Comparisons were made using t and χ2 tests. After 8 wk of treatment, the observation group exhibited a 91.43% overall effectiveness rate which was higher than that of the control group which was 74.29% (64 vs 52, χ2 = 7.241; P < 0.05). The HAMD, SSIOS, and PSQI scores showed a significant decrease in both groups. Moreover, the observation group had lower scores than the control group (10.37 ± 2.04 vs 14.02 ± 2.16, t = 10.280; 1.67 ±0.28 vs 0.87 ± 0.12, t = 21.970; 5.29 ± 1.33 vs 7.94 ± 1.35, t = 11.700; P both < 0.001). Additionally, there was a notable decrease in the IL-2, IL-1β, and IL-6 in both groups after treatment. Furthermore, the observation group exhibited superior serum inflammatory factors compared to the control group (70.12 ± 10.32 vs 102.24 ± 20.21, t = 11.840; 19.35 ± 2.46 vs 22.27 ± 2.13, t = 7.508; 32.25 ± 4.6 vs 39.42 ± 4.23, t = 9.565; P both < 0.001). Moreover, the observation group exhibited significantly improved quality of life scores compared to the control group (Social function: 19.25 ± 2.76 vs 16.23 ± 2.34; Emotions: 18.54 ± 2.83 vs 12.28 ± 2.16; Environment: 18.49 ± 2.48 vs 16.56 ± 3.44; Physical health: 19.53 ± 2.39 vs 16.62 ± 3.46; P both < 0.001) after treatment. MBSR combined with NET effectively alleviates depression, lowers inflammation (IL-2, IL-1β, and IL-6), reduces suicidal thoughts, enhances sleep, and improves the quality of life of individuals with depression.

INSOMNIA DUE TO HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA CAN BE TREATED BY ROSUVASTATIN/EZETIMIBE

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome associated with elevated fasting triglyceridemia (TG) is often associated with insomnia. The new guidelines of ESC for dyslipidemia advice the statin and/or ezetimibe treatment like fist line therapy in patients with hypertriglyceridemia, also before then fibrates or omega 3 We examined the impact of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe treatment in reduction of insomnia in patents with hypertriglyceridemia. Methods In this study was enrolled a group of 148 patients with hypertriglyceridemia and insomnia. Patients were screened for severe insomnia, defined by a score of four or more on the three Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) sleep items, and for HTG characterized by TG≥200mg/dL. The duration of sleep was evaluated with smartwatch every 7 days Mean age was 61,12 years. All patient was admitted in ambulatory of cardiology and were in wash out treatment for dyslipidaemic syndrome. In all we added 20 mg of rosuvastatin plus 10 mg of ezetimibe daily to therapy and reassessed patients after 30 days. Results Rosuvastatin/ezetimibe treatment was effective as add–on therapy in reduction of insomnia . All treated patients reported an improvement in symptoms. After 30 days, insomnia disappeared in 69% of patients and was reduced in 21% of patients. The number of the sleeping hours improved from 5:35 min to 7:25 minutes. Therapy was well tolerated in 99% of patents, and stopped only in 2 cases. Conclusions Our initial experience with rosuvastatin/ezetimibe in hypertriglyceridemia treatment suggests that this therapy may play a role in the treatment of insomnia.

Comparing the Efficacy of Digital and In-Person Weight Loss Interventions for Patients with Obesity and Glycemic Disorders: Evidence from a Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial.

Digital weight loss interventions present a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional therapy. However, further evidence is needed to establish the equal effectiveness of both approaches. This randomized controlled non-inferiority trial aimed to compare the effects of an intensive in-person weight loss intervention program with Vitadio digital therapy. One hundred patients with obesity and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or insulin resistance were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. Over a 6-month period, the control group received five in-person consultations with a physician who specialized in obesity treatment, a dietitian and/or a nutrition nurse, while the intervention group followed the digital program based on a multimodal therapeutic approach. The extent of weight loss was assessed and compared between the groups. Additionally, changes in body composition and metabolic parameters for the digital intervention group were analyzed. The study results demonstrated comparable effectiveness of both treatments for weight reduction. The positive effects of Vitadio were further evidenced by favorable changes in body composition and lipid metabolism and improved glycemic control in the intervention group. These findings suggest that Vitadio is an effective tool for assisting patients with managing obesity and preventing diabetes progression.

Effect of electrospun poly (L-lactide-co-caprolactone) and formulated porcine fibrinogen for diabetic foot ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers were a significant complication of diabetes and were accompanied by delayed wound healing. To compare the effect of topical application electrospun poly (L-lactide-co-caprolactone) and formulated porcine fibrinogen (PLCL/Fg) dressing with alginate dressing when treating diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). A single-center, prospective, randomized, patient-blinded clinical trial was conducted from July 1, 2023, to December 26, 2023. The clinical trial registration was completed on August 28, 2023 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06014437). The eligible patients with DFUs of 1–20 cm2 present for at least 1 month and with Wagner grade 1 or 2. They were randomized 1:1 to receive PLCL/Fg or alginate dressing. Participants received PLCL/Fg dressing 1–3 times per week or alginate dressing 3 times per week for 12 weeks. A total of 52 patients (33 men [63.5 %]; mean [SD] age, 63.1 [11.9] years; mean [SD] diabetes time, 8.3 [4.6] years) with DFUs were assessed for this study. The DFUs classified as Wagner grade 1 or 2 (mean [SD] ulcer area, 3.8 [3.2] cm2) were randomized to receive either the PLCL/Fg dressing (n = 26) or the alginate dressing (n = 26) for as long as 12 weeks. In this study, the incidence of complete healing included 22 patients (91.7 %) in the PLCL/Fg group and 14 (63.6 %) in the alginate group during the 12-week treatment period (P = 0.003). The treatment-related adverse events that occurred were 5 (20.8 %) in the PLCL/Fg group and 4 (18.1 %) in the comparator group.In this randomized clinical trial, PLCL/Fg dressing showed beneficial effects in DFUs treatment of wound surface reduction and regulating the wound microenvironment.

Constraints on Mechanical Fuel Reduction Treatments in United States Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy Priority Landscapes

Abstract The USDA Forest Service recently launched a Wildfire Crisis Strategy outlining objectives to safeguard communities and other values at risk by substantially increasing the pace and scale of fuel reduction treatment. This analysis quantified layered operational constraints to mechanical fuel reduction treatments, including existing vegetation, protected areas, steep slopes, and administrative boundaries in twenty-one prioritized landscapes. Results suggest that achieving the objective to treat 20%–40% of high-risk area is unlikely in most landscapes under a business-as-usual approach to mechanical fuel reduction treatments. Increased investment in steep-slope systems and expanded road access opens sufficient acreage to meet treatment objectives in eighteen of twenty-one priority landscapes. Achieving treatment objectives in the remaining three landscapes will require both increased investment to overcome physical constraints and navigating administrative complexities within reserved land allocations to implement fuels treatments at the pace and scale needed to moderate fire risk to communities. Study Implications: Legal, operational, and administrative factors have hindered the implementation of proposed wildland fire risk reduction management actions. Investing in steep-slope systems, expanding use of temporary roads, and revising administrative rules to allow for appropriately tailored mechanical thinning in special conservation areas are possible ways to meet fuel reduction treatment objectives of the USDA Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy in twenty-one landscapes across the western United States. Broadening the land base available for mechanical treatment allows for flexibility to develop treatment plans that optimize across the multiple dimensions of effective landscape-scale fuel treatment design and restore fire as a key ecosystem process.

Cost-effectiveness of sutimlimab in cold agglutinin disease.

Primary cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare autoimmune hemolytic anemia caused by cold-reactive antibodies that bind to red blood cells and lead to complement-mediated hemolysis. Patients with primary CAD experience the burden of increased health resource utilization and reduced quality of life. The standard-of-care (SOC) in patients with primary CAD has included cold avoidance, transfusion support, and chemoimmunotherapy. The use of sutimlimab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively inhibits C1-mediated hemolysis, was shown to reduce transfusion-dependence and improve quality of life across two pivotal phase 3 studies, further supported by 2-year extension data. Using data from the transfusion-dependent patient population that led to sutimlimab's initial FDA approval, we performed the first-ever cost-effectiveness analysis in primary CAD. The projected incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in our Markov model was $2 340 000/QALY, significantly above an upper-end conventional US willingness-to-pay threshold of $150 000/QALY. These results are consistent across scenarios of higher body weight and a pan-refractory SOC patient phenotype (i.e., treated sequentially with bendamustine-rituximab, bortezomib, ibrutinib, and eculizumab). No parameter variations in deterministic sensitivity analyses changed our conclusion. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, SOC was favored over sutimlimab in 100% of 10 000 iterations. Exploratory threshold analyses showed that significant price reduction (>80%) or time-limited treatment (<18 months) followed by lifelong clinical remission off sutimlimab would allow sutimlimab to become cost-effective. The impact of sutimlimab on health system costs with longer term follow-up data merits future study and consideration through a distributional cost-effectiveness framework.

Enhanced production of Fe(II) and Fe(0) by elemental sulfur modification on iron oxide to boost peroxymonosulfate activation for pollutants removal

Sulfidation treatment has been evidenced as an effective strategy in enhancing the catalytic ability of iron-based oxides. However, the proportion of highly reactive Fe(II) species remains to be low due to the use of weak reductive sulfur source. In this regard, this research found that the strongly reductive elemental sulfur treatment not only dramatically improved the content of Fe(II) in magnetic Fe3O4 (40.1–60.3 %), but also induced the generation of zero valent iron Fe(0) (16.95 %). Correspondingly, the SFe-2 exhibited the excellent performance in degrading biphenol A (BPA) with a removal rate of 98 % within 30 min via peroxymonosulfate activation, far outperforming the other iron oxides-activating PMS system modified by Na2S, Na2SO3, and Na2SO4. This enhanced catalytic behavior was attributed to the generation of FeSO4 and FeS2 after sulfuration. The catalytic cycle of Fe(0) → Fe(II) ⇄ Fe(III) contributed to PMS activation, while FeS2 as a semiconductor enhanced the electron transfer, as a result quickening the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II). Both SO4−, OH, O2−, 1O2, and FeIVO2+ were involved. In addition, the validity of K2Cr2O7 in evaluating electron-transfer regime, the applicability of methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) in assessing the Fe(IV)-oxo complex with 1O2-engaged system, and the homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysis were both investigated. This research highlights the feasibility of improving Fe(II) proportion and catalytic capacity of iron-based oxides via simple sulfur-vapor modification strategy.

Negative impacts of perishable waste biochar to Escherichia coli and exploring potential damage factors

Agricultural application of pyrolysis‑carbonized perishable wastes can target reduction treatment and resource utilization of the wastes. However, potential undesirable impact has rarely been assessed. In this study, the adverse effect of perishable waste biochars (PWB) from different pyrolysis temperatures on Escherichia coli (E. coli) was explored and the potential risk factors were further analyzed. The results showed that PWBs pyrolyzed at 350, 500, and 650 °C inhibited the growth of E. coli, and PWB pyrolyzed at 500 °C showed the most inhibition. The exposure to PWB damaged the antioxidative system, as revealed by the concentration-dependent increasing of intracellular ROS. In addition, the toxicity at the gene level in terms of cell division and growth inhibition, the damage of cell membrane, antioxidant system disturbance, and DNA damage occurred, resulting in loss of the cell rules of morphology and eventual death. According to our results, the inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli was mainly caused by PWB solids, accounting for >70 %. The membrane disruption and oxidative damage of E. coli by PWB were possibly induced by the direct physical interaction between cell and char particles. The growth of E. coli can be partly influenced by PWB extraction solutions that varied between PWB types, due to the differences in pH, released DOC and the production of extracellular ∙OH. The exploration of these potential hazards could provide new insights into the fate and toxicity of PWB in the environment and help guide the safe and sustainable applications for PWB.

Mass balance and economic analysis of volume reduction treatment for final disposal of radiocesium-contaminated incineration residues

This study evaluates the mass balance and economic feasibility of volume reduction treatment for radiocesium-contaminated incineration residues at the Interim Storage Facility for radioactive waste resulting from the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011. Operational since March 2020, the Volume Reduction Facility employs thermal melting treatment to concentrate the radiocesium, resulting in the production of 42,000 tons of highly radioactive fly ash. Technologies for further volume reduction of the fly ash have been considered as one possible treatment scenario, but there have been no studies evaluating the optimization of this process. This work focuses on evaluating the feasibility of one promising approach: washing, selective adsorption of radiocesium into an adsorbent, and subsequent adsorbent stabilization. Unit costs were set for each step of the volume reduction process, and mass balance and economic evaluation were conducted. The findings reveal the generation of 390 tons of stabilized waste requiring final disposal, along with 10,000 tons of washing residue and 320,000 tons of wastewater. The subtotal cost of fly ash volume reduction was approximately 38 billion yen, with 61% attributed to adsorption treatment. Sensitivity analysis suggested that adsorbents with an adsorption ratio above 5000 could effectively reduce costs. Notably, the cost of adsorption process significantly influences subtotal costs. These insights enhance understanding of the economic viability and efficiency of volume reduction treatment for radiocesium-contaminated incineration residues, contributing to optimized strategies and technologies for volume reduction prior to final disposal.