No abstract

No abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to develop a multivariate logistic regression model with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to make valid predictions about the incidence of moderate-to-severe patient-rated xerostomia among head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with IMRT.Methods and MaterialsQuality of life questionnaire datasets from 206 patients with HNC were analyzed. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-H&N35 and QLQ-C30 questionnaires were used as the endpoint evaluation. The primary endpoint (grade 3+ xerostomia) was defined as moderate-to-severe xerostomia at 3 (XER3m) and 12 months (XER12m) after the completion of IMRT. Normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models were developed. The optimal and suboptimal numbers of prognostic factors for a multivariate logistic regression model were determined using the LASSO with bootstrapping technique. Statistical analysis was performed using the scaled Brier score, Nagelkerke R2, chi-squared test, Omnibus, Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and the AUC.ResultsEight prognostic factors were selected by LASSO for the 3-month time point: Dmean-c, Dmean-i, age, financial status, T stage, AJCC stage, smoking, and education. Nine prognostic factors were selected for the 12-month time point: Dmean-i, education, Dmean-c, smoking, T stage, baseline xerostomia, alcohol abuse, family history, and node classification. In the selection of the suboptimal number of prognostic factors by LASSO, three suboptimal prognostic factors were fine-tuned by Hosmer-Lemeshow test and AUC, i.e., Dmean-c, Dmean-i, and age for the 3-month time point. Five suboptimal prognostic factors were also selected for the 12-month time point, i.e., Dmean-i, education, Dmean-c, smoking, and T stage. The overall performance for both time points of the NTCP model in terms of scaled Brier score, Omnibus, and Nagelkerke R2 was satisfactory and corresponded well with the expected values.ConclusionsMultivariate NTCP models with LASSO can be used to predict patient-rated xerostomia after IMRT.

Heteroatomic substitution and vacancy engineering of spinel oxides can theoretically optimize the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) through charge redistribution and d‐band center modification but still remain a great challenge in both the preparation and catalytic mechanism. Herein, we proposed a novel and efficient Ar‐plasma (P)‐assisted strategy to construct heteroatom Mo‐substituted and oxygen vacancies enriched hierarchical spinel Co3O4 porous nanoneedle arrays in situ grown on carbon cloth (denoted P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC) to improve the OER performance. Ar‐plasma technology can efficiently generate vacancy sites at the surface of hydroxide, which induces the anchoring of Mo anion salts through electrostatic interaction, finally facilitating the substitution of Mo atoms and the formation of oxygen vacancies on the Co3O4 surface. The P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC affords a low overpotential of only 276 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for the OER, which is 58 mV superior to that of Mo‐free Co3O4@CC and surpasses commercial RuO2 catalyst. The robust stability and satisfactory selectivity (nearly 100% Faradic efficiency) of P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC for the OER are also demonstrated. Theoretical studies demonstrate that Mo with variable valance states can efficiently regulates the atomic ratio of Co3+/Co2+ and increases the number of oxygen vacancies, thereby inducing charge redistribution and tuning the d‐band center of Co3O4, which improve the adsorption energy of oxygen intermediates (e.g., *OOH) on P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC during OER. Furthermore, the two‐electrode OER//HER electrolyzer equipped with P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC as anode displays a low operation potential of 1.54 V to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2, and also exhibits good reversibility and anticurrent fluctuation ability under simulated real energy supply conditions, demonstrating the great potential of P‐Mo‐Co3O4@CC in water electrolysis.

No abstract

No abstract

This study, which considered untreated cases, missing data, and correlations between variables and official survival data sets, provides a large-scale comprehensive survival analysis. According to our results, high ALT and high AST/ALT were independent poor prognostic factors. Therefore, viral activity should be controlled in HCC patients, and patients with elevated AST/ALT ratios should be carefully monitored.

No abstract