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Metakaolin-based geopolymers, which are emerging as a novel and eco-friendly construction material, have garnered significant attention in recent years. This study employs bibliometric techniques to systematically analyze 1,553 relevant publications from the Web of Science database, with the goal of identifying research hotspots and trends over the period from 2003 to 2023 in this field. The findings reveal a pronounced growth trend in the annual publication volume of metakaolin-based geopolymers, particularly entering a phase of accelerated development after 2019. China emerges as the leading country in research output, establishing a close collaborative network with countries such as the USA, Italy, France, and Brazil. Institutions like the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia have demonstrated exceptional performance in this field.Cristina Leonelli boasts the highest publication output, while authors such as Joseph Davidovits and Peter Duxson have made significant contributions, providing valuable theoretical and practical guidance for subsequent research. The journal Construction and Building Materials has been identified as a core publication in this field. Keyword analysis reveals that research hotspots include raw material optimization, synthesis mechanisms, mechanical properties, durability, and environmental applications. The evolution of research hotspots in metakaolin-based geopolymers has progressed through three distinct stages: fundamental exploration, performance enhancement, and application expansion. Through a multidimensional analysis, this study systematically organizes the knowledge structure and development trends in metakaolin-based geopolymer research. It offers macro-level insights for related researchers and provides directions and ideas for future research.Article HighlightsIdentified key research hotspots and emerging trends in metakaolin-based geopolymer studies through bibliometric analysis.Explored the temporal evolution of high-impact topics, offering insights into the field's growth trajectory.Provided data-driven guidance for researchers to focus on innovative applications and future challenges in geopolymer materials.

As an emerging direction of multi-agent collaborative control technology, multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (multi-AUV) cooperative area search technology has played an important role in civilian fields such as marine resource exploration and development, marine rescue, and marine scientific expeditions, as well as in military fields such as mine countermeasures and military underwater reconnaissance. At present, as we continue to explore the ocean, the environment in which AUVs perform search tasks is mostly unknown, with many uncertainties such as obstacles, which places high demands on the autonomous decision-making capabilities of AUVs. Moreover, considering the limited detection capability of a single AUV in underwater environments, while the area searched by the AUV is constantly expanding, a single AUV cannot obtain global state information in real time and can only make behavioral decisions based on local observation information, which adversely affects the coordination between AUVs and the search efficiency of multi-AUV systems. Therefore, in order to face increasingly challenging search tasks, we adopt multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) to study the problem of multi-AUV cooperative area search from the perspective of improving autonomous decision-making capabilities and collaboration between AUVs. First, we modeled the search task as a decentralized partial observation Markov decision process (Dec-POMDP) and established a search information map. Each AUV updates the information map based on sonar detection information and information fusion between AUVs, and makes real-time decisions based on this to better address the problem of insufficient observation information caused by the weak perception ability of AUVs in underwater environments. Secondly, we established a multi-AUV cooperative area search system (MACASS), which employs a search strategy based on multi-agent reinforcement learning. The system combines various AUVs into a unified entity using a distributed control approach. During the execution of search tasks, each AUV can make action decisions based on sonar detection information and information exchange among AUVs in the system, utilizing the MARL-based search strategy. As a result, AUVs possess enhanced autonomy in decision-making, enabling them to better handle challenges such as limited detection capabilities and insufficient observational information.

Background Synchronous multiple primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (S-MPESCC) refers to more than one primary esophageal carcinoma detected in a solitary patient at the time of initial presentation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features, appropriate surgical approaches and long-term survival in patients with S-MPESCC by comparing with those with solitary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). Methods In total, 567 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma surgically resected in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2012 to December 2018 were screened for retrospective analysis (50 in the S-MPESCC group and 516 in the SESCC group). Results No significant difference was observed in terms of other characteristics except total alcohol consumption ( P  = 0.029). S-MPESCC had higher lymph node rate than SESCC (62.0% and 44.1%, respectively; P  = 0.015) especially in upper mediastinal (32.0% and 18.6%, respectively; P  = 0.023) and abdominal (38.0% and 22.8%, respectively; P  = 0.017) regions. The survival was not different between the two groups, and the 5-year survival rates of S-MPESCC and SESCC were 46.2% and 50.8%, respectively ( P  = 0.507). But for patients with pT3-4 cancers, the survival in S-MPESCC was worse than that in SESCC ( P  = 0.033). In the multivariate analysis, pT stage of primary cancer was an important independent predictor of prognosis in patients with S-MPESCC (hazard ratio [HR], 3.968; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.031 to 15.268; P  = 0.045). Conclusions S-MPESCC was significantly different from SESCC in terms of clinicopathological characteristics include alcohol intake and pattern of lymphatic metastasis. Furthermore, S-MPESCC showed worse long-term survival than SESCC with increasing depth of primary cancer infiltration.

The current study was aimed at comparing the prognostic value of the combination of plasma fibrinogen and tumor marker index (TMI) [F-TMI] system with TMI alone in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after surgical resection. A total of 317 patients with ESCC who underwent surgical resection were retrospectively analyzed. The TMI was calculated as the square root of (CYFRA 21-1 concentration/3.3 µg/L) × (SCC concentration/1.5 µg/L). The patients were divided into F-TMI scores according to the following criteria: score 2, both elevated fibrinogen and high TMI; score 1, either elevated fibrinogen or high TMI; and score 0, neither abnormality. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of F-TMI or TMI alone. The five-year overall survival rate of patients with high TMI was significantly lower than that of patients with low TMI (30.8% vs 50.4%, p <0.001). There was a significant correlation between the F-TMI score with age, tumor size, NLR, PLR, pT status, and pN status. The five-year overall survival rates for patients with F-TMI scores of 2, 1, and 0 were 27.6%, 38.7%, and 63.3%. Multivariate analysis revealed that the F-TMI score (HR 1.297; 95% CI 1.046-1.609, = 0.018) was an independent prognostic factor. The F-TMI's prediction ability was larger than that of fibrinogen, TMI, and the conventional TNM stage. F-TMI was an independent prognostic factor for patients with ESCC and a more useful prognostic indicator than either of the parameters alone.

Background Patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with lymph node metastasis may be misclassified as pN0 due to an insufficient number of lymph nodes examined (LNE). The purpose of this study was to confirm that patients with ESCC are indeed pN0 and to propose an adequate number for the correct nodal stage using the nodal staging score (NSS) developed by the beta‐binomial model. Methods A total of 1249 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2000 and 2017, and 1404 patients diagnosed with ESCC in our database between 2005 and 2018 were included. The NSS was developed to assess the probability of pN0 status based on both databases. The effectiveness of NSS was verified using survival analysis, including Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox models. Results Many patients were misclassified as pN0 based on our algorithm due to insufficient LNE. As the number of LNE increased, false‐negative findings dropped; accordingly, the NSS increased. In addition, NSS was an independent prognostic indicator for pN0 in patients with ESCC in the SEER database (hazard ratio [HR] 0.182, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.046–0.730, p = 0.016) and our database (HR 0.215, 95% CI 0.055–0.842, p = 0.027). A certain number of nodes must be examined to achieve 90% of the NSS. Conclusions NSS could determine the probability of true pN0 status for patients, and it was sufficient in predicting survival and obtaining adequate numbers for lymphadenectomy. Probability density for some beta distributions.

The mortality rate of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains high, and conventional TNM systems cannot accurately predict its prognosis, thus necessitating a predictive model. In this study, a 17‐gene prognosis‐related gene signature (PRS) predictive model was constructed using the random survival forest algorithm as the optimal algorithm among 99 machine‐learning algorithm combinations based on data from 260 patients obtained from TCGA and GEO. The PRS model consistently outperformed other clinicopathological features and previously published signatures with superior prognostic accuracy, as evidenced by the receiver operating characteristic curve, C‐index and decision curve analysis in both training and validation cohorts. In the Cox regression analysis, PRS score was an independent adverse prognostic factor. The 17 genes of PRS were predominantly expressed in malignant cells by single‐cell RNA‐seq analysis via the TISCH2 database. They were involved in immunological and metabolic pathways according to GSEA and GSVA. The high‐risk group exhibited increased immune cell infiltration based on seven immunological algorithms, accompanied by a complex immune function status and elevated immune factor expression. Overall, the PRS model can serve as an excellent tool for overall survival prediction in ESCC and may facilitate individualized treatment strategies and predction of immunotherapy for patients with ESCC.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of inflammatory and nutritional-based scores, including the albumin/fibrinogen ratio (AFR) and albumin/globulin ratio (AGR), in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: The medical records of 641 patients with resectable ESCC from our institution were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative AFR and AGR were investigated based on serum albumin, globulin and plasma fibrinogen levels. X-tile software, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard models were performed to identify their prognostic value. The predictive accuracy was evaluated by the concordance index (C-index), calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: The optimal cutoff values were 15.3 and 1.8 for AFR and AGR, respectively. Univariate survival analysis identified age, smoking history, tumor size, pT status, pN status, NLR, PLR, fibrinogen, albumin, AFR, and AGR as factors associated with overall survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that preoperative AFR (HR: 0.690, 95% CI = 0.495~0.960, P = 0.028), rather than other inflammation- and nutrition-based scores, was an independent predictor of overall survival. The C-index of the predicted nomogram containing AFR (C-index = 0.677) was higher than that of the nomogram without AFR (C-index = 0.656). The calibration curves showed that the predictive abilities were consistent with the actual observation results. Moreover, compared with the traditional staging system, the results of DCA showed that the nomogram had superior predictive ability and higher clinical utility. Conclusion: Our preliminary study suggested that a low preoperative AFR might be a novel and valuable predictor of poor prognosis in patients with ESCC, which may be helpful for prognosis assessment, patient counseling, and therapeutic modality selection.

Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a significant global health concern. Minimally invasive surgical techniques, including robot-assisted approaches, have emerged as promising options for improving outcomes and patient recovery in EC management. This study aims to evaluate the clinical utility of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) in the treatment of EC. A total of 160 EC patients undergoing treatment at our hospital were included in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to either the research group, receiving RAMIE, or the control group, undergoing thoracoscopic minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). Surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery, complication rates, and changes in inflammatory factors (IFs) such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels were compared between the two groups. Additionally, prognostic survival and EC recurrence rates were assessed at a 1-year follow-up. The research group demonstrated longer operative times, a higher number of dissected lymph nodes, reduced intraoperative bleeding, and quicker postoperative recovery compared to the control group, with significantly fewer complications (P < .05). Furthermore, the research group exhibited lower levels of postoperative IFs and MDA, along with higher levels of SOD and GSH-Px, compared to the control group (P < .05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of prognostic survival and EC recurrence rates (P > .05). RAMIE demonstrates superior efficacy in enhancing therapeutic outcomes and accelerating postoperative recovery in patients with EC, thus establishing its value in EC treatment protocols. RAMIE is suggested as a valuable therapeutic option and warrants clinical adoption for EC management.

Formic acid (or formate) is suggested to be one of the most economically viable products from electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. However, its commercial viability hinges on the development of highly active and selective electrocatalysts. Here we report that structural defects have a profound positive impact on the electrocatalytic performance of bismuth. Bismuth oxide double-walled nanotubes with fragmented surface are prepared as a template, and are cathodically converted to defective bismuth nanotubes. This converted electrocatalyst enables carbon dioxide reduction to formate with excellent activity, selectivity and stability. Most significantly, its current density reaches ~288 mA cm −2 at −0.61 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode within a flow cell reactor under ambient conditions. Using density functional theory calculations, the excellent activity and selectivity are rationalized as the outcome of abundant defective bismuth sites that stabilize the *OCHO intermediate. Furthermore, this electrocatalyst is coupled with silicon photocathodes and achieves high-performance photoelectrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. Carbon dioxide can be electrochemically reduced to form valuable chemical feedstocks, but efficiency of electrocatalysts should be improved. Here the authors report nanotube-derived bismuth for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to formate, with performance that is enhanced by defects.

Houttuynia cordata Thunb ( H. cordata ; Saururaceae) is widely distributed in Asian regions. It plays an important role in traditional health care and disease treatment, as its aboveground stems and leaves have a long medicinal history in China and are used in the treatment of pneumonia and lung abscess. In clinical treatment, it can usually be combined with other drugs to treat dysentery, cold, fever, and mumps; additionally, H. cordata is an edible plant. This review summarizes detailed information on the phytochemistry and pharmacological effects of H. cordata . By searching the keywords “ H. cordata and lung”, “ H. cordata and heart”, “ H. cordata and liver”, and “ H. cordata and inflammation” in PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect, we screened out articles with high correlation in the past ten years, sorted out the research contents, disease models and research methods of the articles, and provided a new perspective on the therapeutic effects of H. cordata . A variety of its chemical constituents are characteristic of medicinal plants, the chemical constituents were isolated from H. cordata , including volatile oils, alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Flavonoids and volatile oils are the main active components. In pharmacological studies, H. cordata showed organ protective activity, such as reducing the release of inflammatory factors to alleviate lung injury. Moreover, H. cordata regulates immunity, enhances the immune barriers of the vagina, oral cavity, and intestinal tract, and combined with the antibacterial and antiviral activity of its extract, effectively reduces pathogen infection. Furthermore, experiments in vivo and in vitro showed significant anti-inflammatory activity, and its chemical derivatives exert potential therapeutic activity against rheumatoid arthritis. Antitumour action is also an important pharmacological activity of H. cordata , and studies have shown that H. cordata has a notable effect on lung tumour, liver tumour, colon tumour, and breast tumour. This review categorizes the biological activities of H. cordata according to modern research papers, and provides insights into disease prevention and treatment of H. cordata .