Bird species composition and conservation challenges in the Gaoligong Mountains, one of the most diverse bird areas in the world

The Gaoligong Mountains(GLGM),located in southwestern China,extend north to south along the western border of the Hengduan Mountains,spanning approximately 600 km.In this study,we consolidated findings from 17 bird surveys conducted in the GLGM between 2010 and 2022.We found that the GLGM harbors tremendous bird diversity,with a total of 796 documented bird species in the region.Nearly a quarter(23.0%)of these species are listed as state key protected species or as Chinese and global threatened species.Analysis of species richness at the county level showed a decreasing trend with increasing latitude,with the greatest diversity in Yingjiang(661 species).Observations indicated that the GLGM belongs to the Oriental realm,primarily composed of bird species from southern and southwestern China.The GLGM plays an important role in avian conservation by sheltering exceptional bird diversity,providing corridors and flyways for bird migration and dispersal,and mitigating the effects of climate change.In response to the conservation needs of birds and other wildlife,the Chinese government has established numerous protected areas within the GLGM.Despite these efforts,avian conservation still faces considerable challenges in the GLGM due to limitations in the protected area network,transboundary nature of the regions,and existing gaps in monitoring and research.

Efficacy of capecitabine and oxaliplatin regimen for extrahepatic metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma following local treatments

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CapeOx) for extrahepatic metastasis after local treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Thirty-two patients with extrahepatic metastasis of HCC after local treatment were prospectively enrolled. The CapeOx regimen consisted of capecitabine 1000 mg/m 2 taken orally twice daily on days 1-14, and oxaliplatin was administered at a total dose of 100 mg/m 2 on day 1. The treatment was repeated every 3 wk until disease progression or unaccetablle toxicity. Efficacy and safety were assessable for all enrolled patients. The primary objective of this study was to assess the overall response rate. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the overall survival (OS), the time to tumor progression (TTP) and the toxicity profile of the combined strategy. TTP and OS were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and differences between the curves were analyzed using the log-rank test. The statistical software SPSS version 15.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States) was used for statistical analysis. All P values were 2-tailed, with statistical significance defined byP ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were assessable for efficacy and toxicity. The median follow-up duration was 15 mo (range, 12-20 mo). At the cut-off date of March 31, 2012, 27 patients died due to tumor progression and one patient died of myocardial infarction. Four patients were still alive (three patients with disease progression). OR was 21.9% (n = 7), the stabilization rate was 40.6% (n = 13), and the disease control rate was 62.5%. The responses lasted from 4 to 19 mo (median, 6 mo). Median TTP was 4.2 mo (95%CI: 2.5-7.4), and the median OS time was 9.2 mo (95%CI: 6.5-17.8). The 1-year survival rate was 43.6% (95%CI: 29.0-66.0). In a multivariate analysis, OS was significantly longer in patients with a Child-Pugh class A compared with class B patients (P = 0.014), with a median OS of 10.1 mo vs 5.4 mo, and there were trends towards longer OS (P = 0.065) in patients without portal vein tumor thrombosis. There were no significant effects of age, gender, performance status, cirrhosis, metastatic sites, and level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) or hepatitis B virus-DNA on OS. Among the 22 patients with elevated AFP levels at baseline (≥ 400 ng/mL), the level fell by more than 50% during treatment in 6 patients (27.3%). The most frequent treatment-related grade 3 to 4 toxicities included leucopenia/neutropenia, transient elevation of aminotransferases, handfoot syndrome and fatigue. CONCLUSION: CapeOx showed modest anti-tumor activity in metastatic HCC. However, the manageable toxicity profile and the encouraging disease control rate deserve further study for these patients.

Selective removal of sulfamethoxazole by a novel double Z-scheme photocatalyst:Preferential recognition and degradation mechanism

Sulfamethoxazole(SMX)is a significant environmental concern due to its adverse effects and ecological risks.SMX elimination in aquatic environments via photocatalysis presents a viable solution,given its high oxidation potential.However,such a solution remains controversial,primarily due to a lack of selectivity.Here we introduce a molecularly imprinted TiO2@Fe_(2)O_(3)@g-C_(3)N_(4)(MFTC)photocatalyst designed for the selective degradation of SMX.To assess MFTC's selectivity,we applied it to degrade synthetic wastewater containing SMX alongside interfering species sulfadiazine(SDZ),ibuprofen(IBU),and bisphenol A(BPA).The results demonstrated a selective degradation efficiency rate of 96.8%,nearly twice that of competing pollutants.The molecularly imprinted sites within the catalyst played a crucial role by selectively capturing SMX and enhancing its adsorption,thereby improving catalytic efficiency.The degradation process involvedOH and·O_(2)^(-)free radicals,with a newly proposed double Z-scheme mechanism and potential pathway for SMX degradation by the MFTC photocatalytic system.This study enriches the application of photocatalysis using molecularly imprinted nanocomposite materials for treating complex pollutant mixtures in water.

Simulation of Surface-Induced Morphology Transition and Phase Diagram of Linear Triblock Copolymers under Spherical Confinement

In this work,the nanostructures and phase diagrams of lamella-forming and cylinder-forming ABC linear triblock copolymers confined in spherical cavities are investigated on the basis of real-space self-consistent field theory.We designate specific monomer-monomer interactions and block composition and study morphology transformation under spherical confinement with a neutral surface.Various potentially valuable morphological structures,such as two-or three-colored spheres,rotational structures,and biconcave disklike structures,are identified in the phase diagrams constructed on confining diameters.Single confinement induces an obvious transformation of self-assembled structures,which still retain some of the conformational properties of bulk structures.We then focus on phase morphology under preferential surfaces.Absorption can smooth out differences in block ratios,and similar structures can be assembled from block copolymers with different proportions.We incorporate a non-centrosymmetric feature into our spherical confinement model and design a Janus adsorption field to explore unpredictable microphase behavior.Results show that the unbalance of the block ratio causes adsorption to exert a stable shaping effect on conformation.The influence of confinement on the degree of freedom of polymer chains disrupts the influence of adsorption on the complexity and transformation activity of self-assembled structures.The theoretical results correspond to recent experimental observations and contribute to the field functional material synthesis.