Coagulation indices and fibrinogen degradation products as predictive biomarkers for tumor-node-metastasis staging and metastasis in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is a prevalent malignancy with a substantial health burden and high mortality rate,despite advances in prevention,early detection,and treatment.Compared with the global average,Asia,notably China,reports disproportionately high GC incidences.The disease often progresses asymptoma-tically in the early stages,leading to delayed diagnosis and compromised out-comes.Thus,it is crucial to identify early diagnostic biomarkers and enhance treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce mortality.METHODS Retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 148 patients with GC treated at the Civil Aviation Shanghai Hospital between December 2022 and December 2023.The associations of coagulation indices-partial thromboplastin time(APTT),prothrombin time(PT),thrombin time(TT),fibrinogen,fibrinogen degradation products(FDP),fasting blood glucose,and D-dimer(D-D)with TNM stage and distant metastasis were examined.RESULTS Prolongation of APTT,PT,and TT was significantly correlated with the GC TNM stage.Hence,abnormal coagulation system activation was closely related to disease progression.Elevated FDP and D-D were significantly associated with distant metastasis in GC(P<0.05),suggesting that increased fibrinolytic activity contributes to increased metastatic risk.CONCLUSION Our Results reveal coagulation indices,FDPs as GC biomarkers,reflecting abnormal coagulation/fibrinolysis,aiding disease progression,metastasis prediction,and helping clinicians assess thrombotic risk for early intervention and personalized treatment plans.

Effects of pneumoperitoneum of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on the coagulation system of patients： a prospective observational study

BacKground Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been widely used in clinical practice during the recent decades; however, the effects of pneumoperitoneum and the surgery on the coagulation system are largely unknown. This clinical study aimed to observe any possible effects of pneumoperitoneum and the surgery on the coagulation system of patients. Methods This was a prospective observational study. The inclusion criteria included （1） patients with chronic cholecystitis and/or cholecystic polyps and （2） patients in the relief stage of acute cholecystitis. The exclusion criteria included （1） patients in the episodic stage of acute cholecystitis and those complicated with cholangiolithiasis; （2） patients with concomitant hematologic diseases, damages to the liver function, malignant tumors or immune system diseases, or patients complicated with thrombotic or hemorrhagic disorders; and （3） patients who had taken anticoagulant medication within a week before surgery. Fifty patients who were hospitalized into our department for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy between November 2011 and February 2013 were eligible and enrolled into this study. Of the 50 patients, 22 were male and 28 female. The age of the patients ranged from 29 to 78 （mean 56.7±11.5） years. The surgery for each of the 50 patients was performed with the same equipment and conditions. The surgeries for all the patients were performed under general anesthesia with the patients in a 30-degree head-up tilted posture, and the pressure of pneumoperitoneum was maintained at 13 mmHg. Venous blood specimens were taken from each patient before and at the end of pneumoperitoneum （i.e., 0 hour after surgery） and at 8 hours after surgery for determination of prothrombin time （PT）, activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）, fibrinogen （Fib）, thrombin time （TT）, and D-dimer （DD）. The results of the determinations of these parameters were compared. Results （1） All the patients recovered well without any complications. （2） The pre-pneumoperitoneum values of the parameters of coagulation had normalized. （3） The PT values slightly increased （P 〉0.05） at the end of pneumoperitoneum （i.e., 0 hour after surgery） and decreased by 0.5 seconds at 8 hours after surgery as compared to the pre-pneumopedtoneum values （P 〈0.05）. （4） APTT at 0 and 8 hours decreased by 1.4 seconds （P 〉0.05） and 3.7＇ seconds （P 〈0.05） respectively as compared to pre-pneumoperitoneum values, while the difference between the APTT values at 0 and 8 hours after surgery was not statistically significant （P 〉0.05）. （5） FIB determined at 0 hour post-operation increased by 0.1 g/L as compared to pre-pneumoperitoneum values （P 〉0.05）; however, the FIB values at 8 hours after operation increased by 1.2 g/L as compared to the pre-pneumoperitoneum values （P 〈0.05）, and increased by 1.1 g/L as compared to 0 hour post-operation （P 〈0.05）. （6） The TT values obtained at 0 and 8 hours post-operation were not significantly different as compared to the pre-pneumoperitoneum values （P 〉0.05）. （7） The DD values gradually increased after operation; as compared to pre-pneumoperitoneum values, DD at 0 and 8 hours after operation increased by 210.8 ng/ml and 525.9 ng/ml respectively （P 〈0.05） and DD at 8 hours after operation increased by 315.1 ng/ml as compared to 0 hour post-operation （P 〈0.05）. Conclusions The pneumoperitoneum for laparoscopic cholecycstectomy may lead to postoperative hypercoagulation in the patients, and thereby may increase the risks for development of postoperative thrombosis;Patients may have risks

The Effects of Lower Intensity Anticoagulation Therapy on Coagulation System in Patients With Mechanical Prosthetic Valves

Summary: To evaluate the effect of lower intensity anticoagulation therapy in patients with mechanical prosthetic valves, laboratory based hematological assays including prothrombin time (PT), activity of factor X, antithrombin Ⅲ (AT Ⅲ), D dimer, fibrinogen (Fg) and platel et al pha granular membrane protein (GMP 140) were performed in 65 patients who had been on warfarin treatment for over one month. The patients were assigned to 3 groups on the basis of their International Normalized Ratios (INR), ranging from 2.00 to 2.50; 2.51 to 3.00; 3.01 to 4.50, respectively. The results showed that the D dimer, Fg, GMP 140 levels were higher after mechanical valve replacement than those before operation, indicating the activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis system and the damage of platelets. Lower intensity anticoagulation therapy (INR 2 00 to 2.50) could effectively inhibit the activity of factor X and increase the level of AT Ⅲ. There were no appreciable differences among D dimer, Fg, GMP 140 and AT Ⅲ in the 3 anticoagulation intensity groups. These results suggest that in patients with new generation mechanical prosthetic valves, target anticoagulation level (INR 2 00 to 2.50) may result in good protection from thrombo embolism.

Coal Gasification Wastewater Pretreatment with Coagulation and N_2 Flotation Combined System

A N 2 flotation tank combined with coagulation was developed as a pretreatment equipment of biological process to remove oil and other pollutants in coal gasification wastewater( CGW). With optimal PAC dosage of 20 mg / L,the sole coagulation process achieves removal efficiencies of 29. 34% and 26. 83% for oil and COD,respectively. For the sole N 2 floatation process,the optimal N 2 flux and HRT are 20 m3/ h and 20 min. Meanwhile,the oil and COD removal efficiencies are 35. 41% and 14. 26%,respectively. For the combined system of coagulation and N 2 floatation,the optimal parameter values are the same as the ones of separate processes. Correspondingly,the removal efficiencies are 46. 28% and 31. 89% for oil and COD, respectively. Besides,BOD 5 / COD of the effluent is improved. In contrast with conventional dissolved air floatation,the inert gas- N 2 prevents the formation of cyclopentenone, pyridine derivatives, and other heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,thus improving the biodegradability of influent for the subsequent biological processes.

Effect of massive blood transfusion on blood coagulation function and fibrinolytic system in patients with acute trauman

Objective:To investigate the effect of a large number of blood transfusion on coagulation function and fibrinolytic system in patients with acute trauma.Methods:A total of 86 cases of traumatic blood transfusion emergency and hospitalized patients during January 2014 to January 2016 in our hospital, divided into two groups according to the early blood transfusion, acute trauma patients need a lot of blood transfusion for the observation group (47 cases), trauma patients need a small amount of blood transfusion as the control group (39 cases). Statistical analysis and comparison of two groups patients of four blood coagulation [prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB)], platelet count (PLT), protein C (PC) and fiber soluble system index [D dimer (D-D), fibrin degradation products (FDP) levels before and after blood transfusion of 1 d, 5 d'. Results:Before blood transfusion, there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the level of the observed indexes in the control group before and after transfusion. 1 d after blood transfusion, compared with blood transfusion before and the control group at the same time , the observation group PT[(18.4±4.3) s], APTT[(42.9±7) s], TT[(21.4±4.8) s] were significantly prolonged, D-D[(282.2±115) g/L] and FDP[(6.3±2.1) mg/L] were significantly increased, and FIB[(2.9±1.3) g/L], PLT[(72.5±34.4) 109] and PC[(2.4±1.2) mg/L] levels were significantly decreased. 5 d after blood transfusion, compared with blood transfusion before and the control group at the same time ,the observation indexes showed no significant difference;5 D after blood transfusion compared with 1 D, the observation group PT[(14.8±1.7) s], APTT[(34.7±5.4) s], TT[(14.7±2.5) s] was significantly shortened, D-D[(151.8±62.4) g/L] and FDP[(3.7±1.2) mg/L] were significantly decreased, FIB[(3.7±0.8) g/L], PLT[(179±70.8) 109] and PC[(3.9±1.5) mg/L] levels were significantly higher.Conclusion:Large amount of blood transfusion has great influence on the coagulation function and fibrinolysis system in acute trauma patients. It is necessary to monitor coagulation status in time and avoid complications such as coagulation dysfunction, so as to improve the success rate of implementation of massive transfusion regimen.

Effect of dexmedetomidine combined with ulinastatin on RAAS system,coagulation indexes and oxygen free radicals after acute aortic dissection surgery

Objective: To study the effect of dexmedetomidine combined with ulinastatin on RAAS system, coagulation indexes and oxygen free radicals after acute aortic dissection surgery. Methods: A total of 48 patients with aortic dissection who accepted endovascular graft exclusion treatment in the hospital between May 2014 and February 2017 were selected and randomly divided into two groups, group A received dexmedetomidine, ulinastatin combined with general anesthesia, and group B received general anesthesia. The RAAS hormones, coagulation indexes and oxygen free radical indexes were measured 1 d before surgery, during operation and 24 h after surgery. Results: During operation and after operation, serum REN, AT-II, ALD, FIB, DD, MDA and MPO contents as well as APTT and TT levels of both groups of patients were significantly higher than those before operation while TAOC and TSOD contents were significantly lower than those before operation, and serum REN, AT-II, ALD, FIB, DD, MDA and MPO contents as well as APTT and TT levels of group A were significantly lower than those of group B while TAOC and TSOD contents were significantly higher than those of group B. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine combined with ulinastatin for acute aortic dissection can inhibit RAAS system and oxygen free radical generation and improve coagulation function.

Effect of urokinase thrombolysis on the cardiac function, coagulation, and fibrinolytic system in patients with AMI

Objective:To observe the effect of urokinase thrombolysis on the cardiac function, coagulation, and fibrinolytic system in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: A total of 39 patients with AMI who were admitted in our hospital from March, 2016 to November, 2016 were included in the study and served as the observation group. The peripheral venous blood before and after thrombolysis was collected. The plasma NT-proBNP level, related coagulation factors, and fibrinolysis indicators were detected. The cardiac function before treatment was evaluated. A total of 30 healthy individuals who came for physical examinations were served as the control group for contrastive analysis.Results:The plasma NT-proBNP, Fg, and D-D levels before thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while PT, APTT, and TT in the observation group were significantly shortened. The plasma NT-proBNP and D-D levels 2-48 h after thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly elevated first and reduced later and reached the peak 4 h after treatment, while PT, APTT, and TT were significantly extended first and shortened later. The plasma Fg level was significantly reduced first and elevated later and reached the minimum 4 h after treatment. During the treatment process, in the observation group, 2 had mucocutaneous hemorrhage, 3 had nasal hemorrhage, and 1 had gingival bleeding, but no gastrointestinal bleeding or cerebral hemorrhage occurred.Conclusions:The thrombolytic therapy can effectively reduce the coagulation activity in patients with AMI, strengthen the fibrinolysis activity, and improve the cardiac function.

Comparison between sepsis-induced coagulopathy and sepsis-associated coagulopathy criteria in identifying sepsis-associated disseminated intravascular coagulation

BACKGROUND:Disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC)is associated with increased mortality in sepsis patients.In this study,we aimed to assess the clinical ability of sepsis-induced coagulopathy(SIC)and sepsis-associated coagulopathy(SAC)criteria in identifying overt-DIC and preDIC status in sepsis patients.METHODS:Data from 419 sepsis patients were retrospectively collected from July 2018 to December 2022.The performances of the SIC and SAC were assessed to identify overt-DIC on days 1,3,7,or 14.The SIC status or SIC score on day 1,the SAC status or SAC score on day 1,and the sum of the SIC or SAC scores on days 1 and 3 were compared in terms of their ability to identify pre-DIC.The SIC or SAC status on day 1 was evaluated as a pre-DIC indicator for anticoagulant initiation.RESULTS:On day 1,the incidences of coagulopathy according to overt-DIC,SIC and SAC criteria were 11.7%,22.0%and 31.5%,respectively.The specificity of SIC for identifying overt-DIC was significantly higher than that of the SAC criteria from day 1 to day 14(P<0.05).On day 1,the SIC score with a cut-off value>3 had a significantly higher sensitivity(72.00%)and area under the curve(AUC)(0.69)in identifying pre-DIC than did the SIC or SAC status(sensitivity:SIC status 44.00%,SAC status 52.00%;AUC:SIC status 0.62,SAC status 0.61).The sum of the SIC scores on days 1 and 3 had a higher AUC value for identifying the pre-DIC state than that of SAC(0.79 vs.0.69,P<0.001).Favorable effects of anticoagulant therapy were observed in SIC(adjusted hazard ratio[HR]=0.216,95%confidence interval[95%CI]:0.060–0.783,P=0.018)and SAC(adjusted HR=0.146,95%CI:0.041–0.513,P=0.003).CONCLUSION:The SIC and SAC seem to be valuable for predicting overt-DIC.The sum of SIC scores on days 1 and 3 has the potential to help identify pre-DIC.

Hybrid argon plasma coagulation for the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus:A prospective,multicenter study

BACKGROUND The incidence of Barrett’s esophagus(BE)in China is lower compared to the Western populations.Hence,studies conducted in the Chinese population has been limited.The current treatment options available for BE treatment includes argon plasma coagulation(APC),radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation,all with varying degrees of success.AIM To determine the efficacy and safety of HybridAPC in the treatment of BE.METHODS The study cohort consisted of patients with BE who underwent HybridAPC ablation treatment.These procedures were performed by seven endoscopists from different tertiary hospitals.The duration of the procedure,curative rate,complications and recurrent rate by 1-year follow-up were recorded.RESULTS Eighty individuals were enrolled for treatment from July 2017 to June 2020,comprising of 39 males and 41 females with a median age of 54 years(range,30 to 83 years).The technical success rate of HybridAPC was 100%and the overall curative rate was 98.15%.No severe complications occurred during the operation.BE cases were classified as short-segment BE and long-segment BE.Patients with short-segment BE were all considered cured without complications.Thirty-six patients completed the one-year follow-up without recurrence.Twenty-four percent had mild dysplasia which were all resolved with one post-procedural treatment.The mean duration of the procedure was 10.94±6.52 min.CONCLUSION Treatment of BE with HybridAPC was found to be a simple and quick procedure that is safe and effective during the short-term follow-up,especially in cases of short-segment BE.This technique could be considered as a feasible alternative ablation therapy for BE.

Effects of Coagulation and Ozonation Pretreatments on Biochemical Treatment of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Wastewater

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) salty wastewaters, containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), are very difficult to treat by biochemical process. Anoxic/oxic (A/O) biochemical system, based on nitrification and denitrification reactions, was used to assess their possible biodegradation. Because of the negative effects of high salt concentration (3%), heavy metals and toxic organic matter on microorganisms’ activities, some techniques consisting of dilution, coagulation and flocculation, and ozonation pretreatments, were gradually tested to evaluate chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia-nitrogen (ammonia-N) and total nitrogen (TN) removal rates. In this process of FCC wastewater, starting with university-domesticated sludge, the ammonia-N and TN removal rates were worst. However, when using domesticated SBR’s sludge and operating with five-fold daily diluted influent (thus reducing salt concentration), the ammonia-N removal reached about 57% while the TN removal rate was less than 37% meaning an amelioration of the nitrification process. However, by reducing the dilution factors, these results were inflected after some days of operation, with ammonia-N removal decreasing and TN barely removed meaning a poor nitrification. Even by reducing heavy metals concentration with coagulation/flocculation process, the results never changed. Thereafter, by using ozonation pre-treatment to degrade the detected organic matter of di-tert-butylphenol and certain isoparaffins, COD, ammonia-N and TN removal rates reached 92%, 62% and 61%, respectively. These results showed that the activities of the microorganisms were increased, thus indicating a net denitrification and nitrification reactions improvement.

Research on Treating Thallium by Enhanced Coagulation Oxidation Process

[Objective] The aim was to treat acidic wastewater containing thallium by enhanced coagulation oxidation process. [Method] Enhanced coagulation oxidation process was made use of to remove thallium in the acidic wastewater in the experiment under the condition of 0.05 kg/L of potassium permanganate, 30% hydrogen peroxide and 0.05 kg/L calcium hypochlorite as oxidant, together with 0.092 kg/L CaO as coagulation. [Result] The results showed that thallium removal efficiencies achieved 99.98%, 99.1% and 99.95% when dosages of KMnO4, H2O2and Ca（ClO）2were added at 20, 2.2 and 37 ml, respectively, under the condition of 30 ml 0.092kg/L CaO being dosed and 99.93%, 99.69% and 99.98% were achieved when different dosages of CaO were added at 25, 35 and 25 ml, under the condition of 20ml KMnO4, 2.2 ml H2O2and 37 ml Ca（ClO）2respectively. [Conclusion] The experiment demonstrates that good removal effects of removal thallium from the acidic wastewater would be achieved by enhanced coagulation oxidation process.

STRUCTURE-FUNCTION FEATURES AND EFFECTS ON BLOOD COAGULATION OF SNAKE VENOM SERINE PROTEASES*

Snake venoms,especially those from the two subfamilies,Crotalinae and Viperinae,contained a lot of serine proteases. They were responsible for the hemorrhage,shock,or disorder of blood coagulation after envenomation. They acted,by activating,inactivating,or other converting effects,on almost all the components of hemostatic and fibrinolytic systems. Their sequences were homologous to trypsin-kallikrein serine proteases. Variation of primary sequences out of active center results in the difference of substrate specificities and the further difference of biological and pharmacological activities. Because of their common and unique properties compared to their physiological corresponding factors,snake venom proteases are proved to be an excellent model for the study of protease substrate discriminating mechanism. Furthermore,they have found an important position both in basic research and application of hemostasis and thrombosis in clinic.

Percutaneous Microwave Coagulation Therapy for Patients with Primary and Metastatic Hepatic Tumors

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) for patients with primary and metastatic hepatic tumors.Methods: The enrolled 100 patients with 186 tumor nodules who underwent PMCT included 79 cases of primary or recurrent liver cancers and 21 cases of metastatic liver cancer. The tumors were divided into two groups according to the tumor size in diameter: group A, 0.5 cm?<3 cm; group B, ≥3 cm?<5 cm. Under local and/or epidural anesthesia, a single percutaneous microwave antenna (or two antennas array applicator) was inserted directly into the tumor in the liver for thermo-coagulation with the aid of ultrasound guidance.Results: Among the 186 lesions in 100 patients with primary and metastatic liver cancers, in group A, 123 (66%) were coagulated once. A Follow-up of 6–12 months demonstrated that 112 lesions (91%) showed no local recurrence by CT or MRI; In group B, of the 63 lesions (33.87%) coagulated twice, 31 (49%) showed no local recurrence by CT or MRI during a follow-up of 6 months. There were no serious clinical side effects or complications in all the PMCT patients.Conclusion: PMCT gives satisfactory curative effect on tumors with <3 cm in size. It is partly effective on lesions ≥3 cm?<5 cm in size. It is a minimally invasive and effective therapy, can be used safely in the field of percutaneous hepatis surgery, and carried out even in patients with poor liver function. Key words hepatocellular carcinoma - microwave - coagulation - therapy

Composite control for coagulation process with time delay and disturbances

A composite control scheme consisting of modepredictive control （MPC） and disturbance observer （DOB） iproposed to solve the control performance degradationproblem of the turbidity of the treated water in the presence osignificant changes in raw water quality, water flow rate andinternal model mismatch disturbances. The MPC is employedas a feedback controller for the coagulation process with alarge time delay. The DOB is adopted to estimate the severedisturbances in the turbidity control, such as large changes inraw water quality and water flow rate. The estimated valuesare applied for feed-forward compensation to rejecdisturbances. Finally, the disturbance rejection performancesfor step disturbances and time-varying disturbances in thenominal case and model mismatch case are tested. Thesimulation results illustrate that, compared with the MPCmethod, the proposed method can significantly improve thedisturbance rejection performance in the turbidity control othe treated water, no matter if in the presence of externadisturbances or internal model mismatch disturbances.

RESEARCH ON OPTIMAL OPERATION OF WATER PRODUCING SYSTEM

Basing on a viewpoint of all sided water producing system,a comprehensive analysis of the operation status and the relationship between each working unit in water producing system,including coagulation,sedimentation and filtration etc.was made.By investigating the influence of backwashing consumption,the amount of sludge ejected from sedimentation tank and coagulant ratio upon the cost,the cost effective function of the system was presented.Afterwards,the solution was found out and the corresponding computer program was developed.When applied with real world data,it proved that this method significantly reduced the water producing cost.

Effect of coagulation pretreatment on the fouling of ultrafiltration membrane

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect and mechanism of preventing membrane fouling, by coagulation pretreatment, in terms of fractional component and molecular weight of natural organic matter （NOM）. A relatively higher molecular weight （MW） of hydrophobic compounds was responsible for a rapid decline in the ultrafiltration flux. Coagulation could effectively remove the hydrophobic organics, resulting in the increase of flux. It was found that a lower MW of neutral hydrophilic compounds, which could remove inadequately by coagulation, was responsible for the slow declining flux. The fluxes in the filtration of coagulated water and supernatant water were compared and the results showed that a lower MW of neutral hydrophilic compounds remained in the supernatant water after coagulation could be rejected by a membrane, resulting in fouling. It was also found that the coagulated flocs could absorb neutral hydrophilic compounds effectively. Therefore, with the coagulated flocs formed on the membrane surface, the flux decline could be improved.

Transfusion and coagulation management in liver transplantation

There is wide variation in the management of coagulation and blood transfusion practice in liver transplantation. The use of blood products intraoperatively is declining and transfusion free transplantations take place ever more frequently. Allogenic blood products have been shown to increase morbidity and mortality. Primary haemostasis, coagulation and fibrinolysis are altered by liver disease. This, combined with intraoperative disturbances of coagulation, increases the risk of bleeding. Meanwhile, the rebalancing of coagulation homeostasis can put patients at risk of hypercoagulability and thrombosis. The application of the principles of patient blood management to transplantation can reduce the risk of transfusion. This includes: preoperative recognition and treatment of anaemia, reduction of perioperative blood loss and the use of restrictive haemoglobin based transfusion triggers. The use of point of care coagulation monitoring using whole blood viscoelastic testing provides a picture of the complete coagulation process by which to guide and direct coagulation management. Pharmacological methods to reduce blood loss include the use of anti-fibrinolytic drugs to reduce fibrinolysis, and rarely, the use of recombinant factor VIIa. Factor concentrates are increasingly used; fibrinogen concentrates to improve clot strength and stability, and prothrombin complex concentrates to improve thrombin generation. Non-pharmacological methods to reduce blood loss include surgical utilisation of the piggyback technique and maintenance of a low central venous pressure. The use of intraoperative cell salvage and normovolaemic haemodilution reduces allogenic blood transfusion. Further research into methods of decreasing blood loss and alternatives to blood transfusion remains necessary to continue to improve outcomes after transplantation.

Combined therapy with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and percutaneous microwave coagulation for small hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To assess the efficacy of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy(PMCT)for small hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). METHODS:Thirty-five patients with a total of 41 HCC nodules(≤3 cm in diameter)were treated with TACE followed by computed tomograghy(CT)-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy(PMCT) within 1-3 wk. RESULTS:By biopsies and enhanced CT scans, complete necrosis of the tumor and 3-5 mm of the surrounding non-cancerous area were observed in 34 foci.In seven foci,incomplete necrosis of the surrounding parenchyma was observed.Serum alpha- fetoprotein(AFP)levels returned to normal 10 d after treatment in 25 patients who originally had high serum AFP levels.The follow-up period was 6-31 mo,and all patients remained alive.One patient had a recurrence in the subsegments of the liver,and another patient had a recurrence near the original lesion. CONCLUSION:Combined therapy with TACE and PMCT is a safe and effective treatment without severe complications for small HCC.

Large eddy simulation of a planar jet flow with nanoparticle coagulation

Coagulation and growth of nanoparticles subject to large coherent structures in a planar jet has been explored by using large eddy simulation. The particle field is obtained by employing a moment method to approximate the nanoparticle general dynamic equa- tion. An incompressible fluid containing particles of 1 nm in diameter is projected into a particle-free ambient. The results show that the coherent structures dominate the evolution of the nanoparticle number intensity, diameter and polydispersity distributions as the jet develops. In addition, the coherent structures act to increase the diffusion of particles, and the vortex rolling-up makes the particles distributing more irregularly while the vortex pairing causes particle distributions to become uniform. As the jet travels downstream, the time-averaged particle number concentration becomes lower in the jet core and higher in the outskirts, whereas the time- averaged particle mass over the entire flow field maintains unaltered, and the time-averaged particle diameter and geometric standard deviations grow and reach their maximum on the interface of the jet region and the ambient.

APPLICATION OF CLAYS TO REMOVAL OF RED TIDE ORGANISMS I. COAGULATION OF RED TIDE ORGANISMS WITH CLAYS

Coagulation of red tide organism cells with clays is discussed in theory and the effects of some factors on it are studied. A quantitative model is presented which describes how the coagulation varies with pH in solution. According to the model, within the pH-range between pHzpcb, and pHzpcb, VR is negative and the coagulation is strong and strongest at pH = (pHzpca + pHzpcb)/2. It is also demonstrated that when the diameter of clay particles is close to that of cells, the collision probability is low, resulting in weaker coagulation. The model results have been corroborated by experiments and so are scientific and theoretical bases for application.