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Three humic acids(AHA, YHA, and EHA) from different origin were characterized by elementary analysis, UV-Vis and FTIR spectra, and the functional groups were determined by chemical titration. The effects of pH, time, temperature, and ionic strength on the complexation of three HAs with U(Ⅵ) were investigated systematically. Meanwhile, the interaction of U(Ⅵ) with three HA models in aqueous phase was studied by means of molecular dynamics(MD) simulations, and the dynamics, coordination structures, and interaction mechanism were further explored. The experimental results show that the elemental composition and functional group types of three HAs from different origin are basically similar, with strong aromaticity and conjugated double bonds, but slight differences can be also observed between them. The low H/C atom ratio, high acidity, and high content of functional groups indicate that YHA has high humification degree, high conjugation or aromatic composition, and strong metal complexation ability. The complexation behavior of three HAs with U(Ⅵ) are significantly different, which is substantially affected by pH, time, temperature, and ionic strength. MD simulations demonstrate that the complexation of single HA with U(Ⅵ) can be completed in a short time, and the main binding sites are carboxyl groups. The coordination structures formed by HAs with U(Ⅵ) in aqueous solution have quite differences, and the main driving force is electrostatic interaction. The results reported here are beneficial to further understanding the chemical behavior of uranium in the presence of HA, and provide data and reference for the geological disposal and safety evaluation of radioactive wastes.

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a highly lethal malignancy characterized by massive fibrosis and has ineffective adjuvant therapies. Here, we demonstrate the potential of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in targeting iCCA. Methods: Masson's trichrome staining was used to assess the effect of ARBs in iCCA specimens, CCK8 and gel contraction assays in vitro and in xenograft models in vivo. RNA‐seq and ATAC‐seq were used for mechanistic investigations. Results: Patients with iCCA who were administered ARBs had a better prognosis and a lower proportion of tumour stroma, indicating alleviated fibrosis. The presence of AGTR1, the ARBs receptor, is associated with a poor prognosis of iCCA and is highly expressed in tumour tissues and cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The ARBs strongly attenuated the viability of AGTR1+CAFs in vitro and retarded tumour progression and fibrosis in xenograft models of co‐cultured CAFs and iCCA cells. Still, they did not have a significant effect on AGTR1−CAFs. Moreover, ARBs decreased the secretion of AGTR1+CAF‐derived MFAP5 via the Hippo pathway, weakened the interaction between CAFs and iCCA cells, and impaired the aggressiveness of iCCA cells by attenuating the activation of the Notch1 pathway in iCCA cells. Conclusions: ARBs exhibit anti‐fibrotic function by inhibiting the viability of AGTR1+CAFs. These findings support using ARBs as a novel therapeutic option for targeting iCCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Robotic-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy (RPD) has been routinely performed in a few of centers worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the perioperative outcomes and the learning curves of resection and reconstruction procedures in RPD by one single surgeon. Methods Consecutive patients undergoing RPD by a single surgeon at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China) between July 2016 and October 2022 were included. The perioperative outcomes and learning curves were retrospectively analysed by using cumulative sum (CUSUM) analyses. Results One-hundred and sixty patients were included. According to the CUSUM curve, the times of resection and reconstruction procedures were shortened significantly after 30 cases (median, 284 vs 195 min; P  <   0.001) and 45 cases (median, 138 vs 120 min; P  <   0.001), respectively. The estimated intraoperative blood loss (median, 100 vs 50 mL; P  <   0.001) and the incidence of clinically relevant post-operative pancreatic fistula (29.2% vs 12.5%; P  =   0.035) decreased significantly after 20 and 120 cases, respectively. There were no significant differences in the total number of lymph nodes examined, post-operative major complications, or post-operative length-of-stay between the two groups. Conclusions Optimization of the resection procedure and the acquisition of visual feedback facilitated the performance of RPD. RPD was a safe and feasible procedure in the selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The application of robotic-assisted radical resection in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) remains poorly defined. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of robotic-assisted radical resection for pCCA in our institute. Methods Between July 2017 and July 2022, pCCA patients undergoing robotic-assisted and open radical resection at First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China) were included. The short-term outcomes were compared by using propensity-scored matching (PSM) analysis. Results Eighty-six pCCA patients were enrolled. After PSM at a ratio of 1:2, 10 and 20 patients were assigned to the robotic-assisted and open groups, respectively. There were no significant disparities in the clinicopathological features between the two groups. The robotic-assisted group had significantly longer operation time (median: 548 vs 353 min, P  =   0.004) and larger total number of lymph nodes examined (median: 11 vs 5, P  =   0.010) than the open group. The robotic-assisted group tended to have a lower intraoperative blood loss (median: 125 vs 350 mL, P  =   0.067), blood transfusion rates (30.0% vs 70.0%, P  =   0.056), and post-operative overall morbidities (30.0% vs 70.0%, P  =   0.056) than the open group, even though the differences were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in the negative resection margin, post-operative major morbidities, or post-operative length-of-stay between the robotic-assisted and open groups (all P  >   0.05). Conclusions Robotic-assisted radical resection of pCCA may get a larger total number of lymph nodes examined than open surgery. Provided robotic-assisted surgery may be a feasible and safe technique for selected pCCA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]