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Objectives: Treatment methods of local residual or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after thermal ablation are limited. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the efficacy and prognostic factors of 125I brachytherapy for local residual or recurrent lesion after thermal ablation. Methods: A total of 114 patients with 212 local residual or recurrent HCC tumors after thermal ablation underwent 125I brachytherapy. Local progression-free survival (LPFS) and prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier curves and the Cox model. Results: After a 6-month follow-up, the percentage of patients who achieved complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and stable disease (SD) was 57%, 13.2%, and 5.2%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year LPFS rates were 58.7%, 50.0%, and 41.2%, respectively. Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) (p = 0.03), the number of intrahepatic tumors (p = 0.01), and AFP level (p = 0.02) were independent risk factors for local tumor progression (LTP). The median LPFS in patients without PVTT (22 months) was much longer compared to those with PVTT (10 months). The median LPFS in patients with less than three intrahepatic lesions improved from 17 to 24 months. The median LPFS was only 5 months in the high AFP group, but was prolonged with a decrease in AFP level (24 months). No severe complications were recorded. All complications were controllable and treatable. Conclusions: CT-guided 125I brachytherapy was a safe and effective treatment for patients with local residual or recurrent HCC after thermal ablation to improve local control rate. Key points: 125I brachytherapy is a treatment for locally recurrent HCC after ablation. 125I brachytherapy combined with ablation may improve tumor control. Vascular invasion, multiple lesions, and AFP are prognostic risk factors. 125I brachytherapy is a safe method with a curative effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single crystals of the topological material candidate EuZnBi 2 have been grown using flux method, and the magnetic properties have been systematically investigated. Crystal structure analysis confirms that EuZnBi 2 crystallizes in a layered tetragonal structure at room temperature, consisting of alternating ZnBi 4 tetrahedral and Bi planar layers, separated by Eu atoms. The direct current (DC) magnetic susceptibility, alternating current (AC) magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat measurements indicate that a long-range antiferromagnetic order of Eu 2 + develops at T N = 20 K and the magnetic easy axis exists in the layers. It is interesting to note that EuZnBi 2 exhibits a magnetic anomaly below T N , which might be associated with the tilting of Eu moments and spin reorientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttria stabilized zirconia, one of the most common ceramics in the field of dentistry and in particular dental implantology, for decades has been wrongly considered to be completely bio-inert. In this work, we investigate the role of yttria on the bioactivity of yttria stabilized zirconia formulations, proving that the composite ceramic is actually bioactive, do not affect the cell adhesion and can stimulate cell proliferation, in vitro. To reduce to minimum the number of variables, yttria stabilized zirconia particles with different contents of yttria but similar average size and morphology have been used to reinforce an electrospun poly-l-lactide (PLLA) fibers. Characterization of both the ceramic particulates and the scaffolds confirmed the morphological and structural similarities between the samples, which were then tested in vitro using a human fetal osteoblasts model. The results showed that cell proliferation is enhanced by the presence of the composite ceramic additive, with higher contents of yttria being overall more effective. These results confirm that yttria plays a key role in the biocompatibility and bioactivity of ceramics and can be used to improve the chances for a positive outcome in the osteo-integration of dental implants and/or biomedical scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have prepared high-quality nearly stoichiometric single crystal of Dirac semimetal SrMnSb 2 and systematically investigated the physical properties by measurements of magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, electronic transport, and Hall effect. Magnetic and heat capacity measurements show that nearly stoichiometric SrMnSb 2 only undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at T N = 295 K and does not have any ferromagnetic component. The analysis of de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect, Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect, and Hall effect reveals that nearly stoichiometric SrMnSb 2 is a semimetal with multiple Fermi surfaces and linear dispersion. Furthermore, the nonsaturating linear magnetoresistance of SrMnSb 2 can be explained by the classical disorder theoretical model very well. Thus, the nonsaturating linear magnetoresistance of SrMnSb 2 is likely caused by both of linear dispersion and the classical disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]