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Objective To retrospectively analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of the modified drug-eluting beads transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) in the treatment of unresectable large hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 169 cases of unresectable large hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma admitted to Linyi Cancer Hospital from January 2019 to September 2022. All patients received modified DEB-TACE treatment. The tumor response of patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention was analyzed using the mRECIST standard. The disease progression time and overall survival of patients were recorded. Results A total of 169 patients underwent 403 rounds of modified DEB-TACE treatment, with an average of (2.38±0.74). At 1, 3, and 6 months after the first intervention, the objective remission rate (ORR) of the patients was 100%, 85.1%, and 75.5%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 100%, 97.5%, and 88.8%, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, with a mean follow-up of (27.46±9.22) months, the median overall time for treated patients was 25.0 months and the median time to progression was 10.0 months. Adverse reactions associated with modified DEB-TACE were mainly fever, pain, nausea and vomiting, which were mild and relieved by symptomatic treatment, and no serious complications such as ectopic embolism occurred. ALT and AST of the patients at 1 week after DEB-TACE were differently elevated compared with the preoperative period, and all of them were returned to normal within 1 month after the operation. Conclusion The application of modified DEB-TACE in the treatment of unresectable large hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma is significantly effective and safe.

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of CalliSpheres® drug-eluting beads trans-bronchial artery chemoembolization (DEB-BACE) . Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 45 patients with advanced primary lung cancer complicated with massive hemoptysis treated in Linyi Cancer Hospital from December 2019 to December 2021. All patients received bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and were divided into observation group (n=24) and control group (n=21) according to different embolization materials. DEB-BACE using CalliSpheres® drug-eluting beads loading 40-60 mg of epirubicin was performed in observation group, and BACE with 8Spheres® blank microspheres was given in control group. The control of hemoptysis, tumor response, the survival time and the related adverse reactions were observed and compared between two groups. Results There was no significant difference in hemostatic success rate between observation group and control group (87.5% vs 85.7%, P＞0.05) . The median duration of nonmassive hemoptysis in observation group was statistically longer than that in control group (96 days vs 50 days, P＜0.01) . At two months after embolization therapy, the objective response rate (83.3% vs 38.1%) in observation group were significantly higher than those in control group (P＜0.05) . The fever, chest tightness and chest pain related to the embolization treatment disappeared after symptomatic treatment in two groups, and there was no statistical difference in adverse reactions between two groups (P＞0.05) . No serious complications such as spinal cord injury and cerebral embolism occurred in two groups. By the end of September 30, 2022, the median overall survival in observation group (10 months) was statistically higher than that in control group (6 months) (P＜0.01) at a follow-up of 2-25 (9.97±5.41) month. Conclusion In the treatment of advanced lung cancer with massive hemoptysis, DEB-BACE can achieve higher tumor response rate, longer survival time without hemoptysis and total survival time compared with conventional BAE.

The energy of a focused acoustic field is quite concentrated, and the ability of an acoustic vortex formed by a concave focusing transducer array to capture objects in a flowing medium remains to be investigated. In this paper, the focused pressure distributions generated by an acoustic lens and a concave focused transducer array are firstly simulated, and the analyzed results show that the focusing effect of the latter is significantly better than that of the former. The acoustic gradient force and orbital angular momentum density distributions of the focused transducer array were investigated. A focused acoustic vortex tiny object capture system was built by simulating the hydrothermal column that forms in the seafloor hydrothermal zone. It was discovered that the forces affecting microorganisms and other small objects primarily consist of acoustic gradient force, viscous force, and additional mass force. The non-destructive capture of tiny seafloor objects was accomplished by adjusting the focused acoustic vortex's propagation direction and the transducer array's emitted power, thereby enabling more potential applications in ocean equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a generally recognized complication experienced by patients who receive anesthesia during surgery. Sevoflurane, the most commonly used inhaled anesthetic, has been shown to trigger neuroinflammation that promotes to POCD. Objective This study examined the pathological mechanism by which sevoflurane causes neuroinflammation, participating in POCD. Methods To establish a neurocyte injury model, the human neuroblastoma cell lines SH-SY5Y and SK-N-SH were treated with sevoflurane. Cell viability was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was evaluated by DCFH-DA assays. A lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) Cytotoxicity Assay Kit was used to measure LDH levels. Inflammatory cytokine levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assays. Gene expression densities and protein abundance were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blotting. The interaction between YTHDF1 and dual specific phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) was validated using RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP)-qPCR and methylated RIP (MeRIP)-qPCR assays. Flow cytometry was performed to determine apoptosis. Results Sevoflurane promoted apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation and repressed the expression levels of YTHDF1 and DUSP6. Furthermore, YTHDF1 overexpression reversed sevoflurane-induced neuroinflammation in neurocytes. DUSP6 overexpression could alleviate the neuroinflammation induced by sevoflurane via regulating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signaling pathway. Moreover, YTHDF1 enhanced DUSP6 expression. Conclusion Sevoflurane-stimulated neuroinflammation by regulating DUSP6 via YTHDF1. Sevoflurane promoted neuroinflammation by regulating DUSP6 via YTHDF1 in an in vitro model of POCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For enhanced energy utilization with improved flexibility and capability for object manipulation, a focused acoustic vortex (FAV) is devised by installing a spherical acoustic lens on a circular array of planar sector transducers. Based on the acoustic refraction of a concave spherical acoustic lens, numerical simulations show that an FAV with considerable pressure gain and strengthened acoustic gradient force (AGF) can be produced by the effective concentration of acoustic waves. The performance of rotational object trapping is shown by the axial and radial distributions of the AGF for FAVs of different orders. Elastic objects of nanometer, micrometer, millimeter, and even larger-than-wavelength size can be captured with the trapping radius determined by the topological charge. With the established 16-channel experimental system, FAVs of different orders are verified by their clear pressure circles and phase spirals. The trapping radius and rotation speed of object capture are demonstrated using polyethylene particles of various sizes and FAVs of different orders. The favorable results provide an experimentally applicable method of FAV generation using the simplified circular transducer array to accomplish more accurate, stable, and flexible object manipulations with strengthened AGFs. Also, FAVs could offer an efficient means of high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy to improve the therapeutic effect of tumor treatments by accumulating drug particles, thereby enabling more potential applications in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of traditional acoustic vortices (AVs) were verified by the cross-sectional axisymmetric pressure distributions with perfect phase spirals around the center pressure null. In order to generate a non-axisymmetric pressure distribution, the concept of power-exponent-phase was first introduced into the formation of AV beams, named "power-exponent-phase acoustic vortices (PAVs)" in this paper. Based on a ring-array of sector transducers, the helical distribution of the low-pressure valley in cross-sections of PAVs, which enables particles to move from a distant position to the center low-potential well along a certain spiral passageway, was proved theoretically. The particle manipulation behavior for PAVs with a power order of 2 is numerically modeled and experimentally confirmed. The results show that PAVs with a non-axisymmetric spiral pressure distribution can be used to realize the directional transport of particles in an enlarged scope, suggesting prospective application potential in biomedical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]