Colloidal semiconductor magic-size clusters (MSCs), a crucial link between molecular and bulk materials, have attracted attention in the past three decades. However, the identification of their nonbandgap electronic transitions via optical absorption has been challenging due to the possible presence of other-bandgap ensembles in synthetic batches. For CdSe MSC-415, referred to as the optical absorption (1S(e)-1S(h)) in nanometers of wavelength, we report our exploration on the origin of two commonly documented absorption peaks at 381 and 351 nm. We show that the evolution of the two peaks does not synchronize with that of the ∼415 nm peak and seems to be respectively related to the disappearance of MSC-391 and MSC-361. Accordingly, these two peaks detected are probably not due to higher order electronic transitions in MSC-415. The present study shows the necessity of re-evaluating previous experimental results and of developing advanced theoretical models to better understand the quantized energy levels of MSCs.

BackgroundThe present study aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) with CalliSpheres Beads loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) in the treatment of Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to conventional TACE (cTACE).MethodsA total of 54 patients with HCC treated by TACE from June 2016 to February 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. These included 24 cases in the DEB-TACE group and 30 cases in the cTACE group. The clinical efficacy, tumor recurrence rate, and complications were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, liver function tests and alpha-feto protein levels were compared between the two groups before and at 1 week and 1 month after interventional treatment.ResultsThere were no significant differences in baseline characteristics (p > 0.05). Tumor response rates and disease control rates in the DEB-TACE group were significantly higher than those in the cTACE group at 3 and 6 months after treatment (p < 0.05). Recurrence rates at 6 months were significantly higher for cTACE compared to DEB-TACE (43.3 vs. 16.7%; p = 0.036). At 1 month, the AFP level in the DEB-TACE group was significantly lower than that in the cTACE group (p = 0.008). At the end of follow-up, four cases in the DEB-TACE group and two cases in the cTACE group were treated with salvage surgery after downstaging the disease. Liver function of both groups improved at 1 month. However, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin levels in the DEB-TACE group were better than those in the cTACE group (p < 0.05). The incidence of DOX-related complications in the DEB-TACE group was significantly lower than in the cTACE group (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe short-term efficacy of DEB-TACE is better, and the complication rates are lower compared to cTACE in the treatment of Chinese patients with HCC. However, long-term clinical efficacy and survival benefit should be analyzed in future studies.

International audienceTaking advantage of the new opportunities provided by x-ray free electron laser (FEL) sources when coupled to a long laser pulse as available at the Linear Coherent Light Source (LCLS), we have performed x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) of laser shock compressed iron up to 420 GPa (±50) and 10 800 K (±1390). Visible diagnostics coupled with hydrodynamic simulations were used to infer the thermodynamical conditions along the Hugoniot and the release adiabat. A modification of the pre-edge feature at 7.12 keV in the XANES spectra is observed above pressures of 260 GPa along the Hugoniot. Comparing with ab initio calculations and with previous laser-heated diamond cell data, we propose that such changes in the XANES pre-edge could be a signature of molten iron. This interpretation then suggests that iron is molten at pressures and temperatures higher than 260 GPa (±29) and 5680 K (±700) along the principal Fe Hugoniot

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US, CT and MRI have high diagnostic accuracies of clinically suspected acute appendicitis in children overall with no significant difference.

Urban community gardens have increased in prevalence as a means to generate fresh fruits and vegetables, including in areas lacking access to healthy food options.However, urban soils may have high levels of toxic heavy metals, including lead and cadmium and the metalloid arsenic, which can lead to severe health risks. In this study, fruit and vegetable samples grown at an urban community garden in southeastern San Diego, the Ocean View Growing Grounds, were sampled repeatedly over a four-year time period in order to measure potential contamination of toxic heavy metals and metalloids and to develop solutions for this problem. Metal nutrient, heavy metal, and metalloid concentrations were monitored in the leaf and fruit tissues of fruit trees over the sampling period. Several of the fruit trees showed uptake of lead in the leaf samples, with Black Mission fig measuring 0.843-1.531 mg/kg dry weight and Mexican Lime measuring 1.103-1.522 mg/kg dry weight over the sampling period. Vegetables that were grown directly in the ground at this community garden and surrounding areas showed arsenic, 0.80 + 0.073 mg/kg dry weight for Swiss chard, and lead, 0.84 ± 0.404 mg/kg dry weight for strawberries, in their edible tissues. The subsequent introduction of raised beds with uncontaminated soil is described, which eliminated any detectable heavy metal or metalloid contamination in these crops during the monitoring period. Recommendations for facilitating the monitoring of edible tissues and for reducing risk are discussed, including introduction of raised beds and collaborations with local universities and research groups. K E Y W O R D S arsenic, cadmium, heavy metal, ion transport, ionomics, Pb lead, phytoremediation, tomato/ Solanum lycopersicum S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. How to cite this article: Cooper AM, Felix D, Alcantara F, et al. Monitoring and mitigation of toxic heavy metals and arsenic accumulation in food crops: A case study of an urban community garden. Plant Direct. 2020;4:1-12. https ://doi.

Background:The identification of pancreatic carcinoma (PC) patients with poor prognosis is a priority in clinical oncology because of their high 5-year mortality. However, the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)- positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) parameters in PC patients is controversial and no consensus exists as to its predictive capability. This meta-analysis was performed to comprehensively explore the prognostic significance of 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters in patients with pancreatic carcinoma.Methods:Extensive literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were conducted to identify literature published until March 5, 2017. Comparative analyses of the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed to assess their correlations with pretreatment maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Either the fixed- or the random-effects model was adopted, depending on the heterogeneity observed across studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results.Results:Sixteen studies including 1146 patients were identified. The pooled HRs for the probability of EFS were 1.90 (95% confidential interval (CI): 1.48–2.45) for SUVmax, 1.76 (95% CI: 1.20–2.58) for MTV, and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.27–2.58) for TLG. The pooled HRs for the probability of OS were 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12–1.31) for SUVmax, 1.56 (95% CI: 1.13–2.16) for MTV, and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.25–2.30) for TLG. A slight publication bias was detected using Begg test. After adjustment using the trim and fill procedure, the corrected HRs were not significantly different. The results of the subgroup analyses by SUVmax, MTV, and TLG showed that these factors may have similar prognostic significance.Conclusion:18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters, such as SUVmax, MTV, and TLG, may be significant prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. 18F-FDG-PET/CT imaging could be a promising tool to provide prognostic information for these patients.