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Objectives This research compared the curative effect and safety of camrelizumab plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) to those of camrelizumab plus TKIs for the treatment of intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods From January 2019 to July 2021, 47 patients with intermediate-advanced HCC were included in this retrospective study. After screening, 44 eligible patients were split into two arms: the camrelizumab + TKI + TACE arm (n=28) and the camrelizumab + TKI arm (n=16). The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), while tumor response and adverse events (AEs) served as secondary endpoints. Results The median OS was 12.60 months for the 44 patients. The median PFS (p=0.0248, 7.20 vs. 3 months), objective response rate (ORR) (21.43 vs. 6.25%) and disease control rate (DCR) (57.14 vs. 18.75%) were better for patients in the camrelizumab + TKI + TACE arm than in the camrelizumab + TKI arm. After correcting for the effects of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total bilirubin (TBil) levels, the treatment effect of the camrelizumab + TKI + TACE arm (HR=0.330, 95% CI=0.130–0.880, p=0.026) was still superior. The common AEs in the two groups included reactive cutaneous capillary hyperplasia (n=17), myelosuppression (n=19) and liver dysfunction (n=12). However, AEs of grade ≥3 were equal between the groups. Conclusions Camrelizumab + TKI + TACE therapy was more effective than camrelizumab + TKI therapy for intermediate-advanced HCC, and toxicity was manageable.

Purpose This study compared the clinical efficacy and safety of laparoscopic versus open resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) and analyzed potential prognostic factors.Methods The study included patients who underwent HCCA resection at our center from March 2012 to February 2022. Perioperative complications and postoperative prognosis were compared between the laparoscopic surgery (LS) and open surgery (OS) groups.Results After screening 313 HCCA patients, 68 patients were eligible for the study in the LS group (n = 40) and OS group (n = 28). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed that overall survival > 2 years and 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) were more common in the LS than OS group, but the rate of 2-year DFS was lower in the LS group than OS group. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed age (< 65 years), radical resection, and postoperative adjuvant therapy were associated with reduced risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.380, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.150–0.940, P = 0.036; HR = 0.080, 95% CI = 0.010–0.710, P = 0.024 and HR = 0.380, 95% CI = 0.150–0.960, P = 0.040), whereas preoperative biliary drainage was an independent factor associated with increased risk of death (HR = 2.810, 95% CI = 1.130–6.950, P = 0.026). Perineuronal invasion was identified as an independent risk factor affecting DFS (HR = 5.180, 95% CI = 1.170–22.960, P = 0.030).Conclusions Compared with OS, laparoscopic HCCA resection does not significantly differ in terms of clinical efficacy. Age (< 65 years), radical resection, and postoperative adjuvant therapy reduce the risk of death, and preoperative biliary drainage increases the risk of death.

The generation of runaway electrons (REs) is observed during the low-density helium ohmic plasma discharge in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The growth rate of hard x-ray (HXR) is inversely proportional to the line-average density. Besides, the RE generation in helium plasma is higher than deuterium plasma at the same density, which is obtained by comparing the growth rate of HXR with the same discharge conditions. The potential reason is the higher electron temperature of helium plasma in the same current and electron density plateau. Furthermore, two Alfvén eigenmodes driven by REs have been observed. The frequency evolution of the mode is not fully satisfied with the Alfvén scaling and when extension of the Alfvén frequency is towards 0, the high frequency branch is ~50 kHz. The different spatial position of the two modes and the evolution of the helium concentration could be used to understand deviation between theoretical and experimental observation.