Prognostic value and predictive threshold of tumor volume for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Background: Gross target volume of primary tumor(GTV?P) is very important for the prognosis prediction of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC), but it is unknown whether the same is true for locally advanced NPC patients treated with intensity?modulated radiotherapy(IMRT). This study aimed to clarify the prognostic value of tumor volume for patient with locally advanced NPC receiving IMRT and to ind a suitable cut?of value of GTV?P for prognosis prediction.Methods: Clinical data of 358 patients with locally advanced NPC who received IMRT were reviewed. Receiver oper?ating characteristic(ROC) curves were used to identify the cut?of values of GTV?P for the prediction of diferent end?points [overall survival(OS), local relapse?free survival(LRFS), distant metastasis?free survival(DMFS), and disease?free survival(DFS)] and to test the prognostic value of GTV?P when compared with that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer T staging system.Results: The 358 patients with locally advanced NPC were divided into two groups by the cut?of value of GTV?P as determined using ROC curves: 219(61.2%) patients with GTV?P ≤46.4 mL and 139(38.8%) with GTV?P >46.4 mL. The 3?year OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS rates were all higher in patients with GTV?P ≤46.4 mL than in those with GTV?P > 46.4 mL(all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that GTV?P >46.4 mL was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for patient survival. The ROC curve veriied that the predictive ability of GTV?P was superior to that of T category(P < 0.001). The cut?of values of GTV?P for the prediction of OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS were 46.4, 57.9, 75.4 and 46.4 mL, respectively.Conclusion: In patients with locally advanced NPC, GTV?P >46.4 mL is an independent unfavorable prognostic indi?cator for survival after IMRT, with a prognostic value superior to that of T category.

A Novel Dynamic Polymer Synthesis via Chlorinated Solvent Quenched Depolymerization

Dynamic polymers with both physical interactions and dynamic covalent bonds exhibit superior performance,but achieving such dry polymers in an effi-cient manner remains a challenge.Herein,we report a novel organic solvent quenched polymer synthesis using the natural molecule thioctic acid(TA),which has both a dynamic disulfide bond and carboxylic acid.The effects of the solvent type and concentration along with reaction times on the proposed reaction were thoroughly explored for polymer synthesis.Solid-state proton nuclear magnetic resonance(1 H NMR)and first-principles simulations were carried out to investigate the reaction mechanism.They show that the chlorinated solvent can efficiently stabilize and mediate the depolymerization of poly(TA),which is more kinetically favorable upon lowering the temperature.Attributed to the numerous dynamic covalent disulfide bonds and noncovalent hydrogen bonds,the obtained poly(TA)shows high extensibility,self-healing,and reprocessable properties.It can also be employed as an efficient adhesive even on a Teflon surface and 3D printed using the fused deposition modeling technique.This new polymer synthesis approach of using organic solvents as catalysts along with the unique reaction mechanism provides a new pathway for efficient polymer synthesis,especially for multifunctional dynamic polymers.

Composite electrolytes with efficient Li^(+)transport across ceramic/polymer interface

Over the past decades,solid electrolytes have re-emerged as promising candidates which replace flammable liquid electrolytes for a safe,energy-dense,and reversible storage of electrochemical energy in batteries[1].However,as the main distinct families of solid electrolytes,both polymer and ceramic electrolytes have their individual disadvantages in ionic conductivity,mechanical robustness,and interfacial resistance.