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Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a common tumor has a poor prognosis. Recently, a combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab has been recommended as the preferred regimen for advanced HCC. However, the overall response rate of this therapy is low. There is an urgent need to identify sensitive individuals for this precise therapy among HCC patients. Methods The Wilcox test was used to screen the differentially expressed immune-related genes by combining the TCGA cohort and the Immunology Database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to screen the immune gene pairs concerning prognosis. A predictive model was constructed using LASSO Cox regression analysis, and correlation analysis was conducted between the signature and clinical characteristics. ICGC cohort and GSE14520 were applied for external validations of the predictive risk model. The relationship between immune cell infiltration, TMB, MSI, therapeutic sensitivity of immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeted drugs, and the risk model were assessed by bioinformatics analysis in HCC patients. Results A risk predictive model consisting of 3 immune-related gene pairs was constructed and the risk score was proved as an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients combining the TCGA cohort. This predictive model exhibited a positive correlation with tumor size (p < 0.01) and tumor stage (TNM) (p < 0.001) in the chi-square test. The predictive power was verified by external validations (ICGC and GSE14520). The risk score clearly correlated with immune cell infiltration, MSI, immune checkpoints, and markers of angiogenesis. Conclusions Our research established a risk predictive model based on 3 immune-related gene pairs and explored its relationship with immune characteristics, which might help to assess the prognosis and treatment sensitivity to immune and targeted therapy of HCC patients.

Pollution by polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is a major concern due to their bioaccumulation, persistence, and carcinogenicity. This study aimed to investigate the decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) photodegradation in soil suspensions. The results indicate BDE-209 can degrade in soil suspensions and its degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The light sources and intensity effects were studied and the photodegradation rates were 500 W Mercury Lamp > 300 W Mercury Lamp > 500 W Xenon Lamp > 300 W Xenon Lamp, which indicates UV light is the main reason for BDE-209 degradation. Soil particle inhibits BDE-209 photodegradation due to the light-shielding effect. BDE-209 photodegradation rates increased from 0.055 to 0.071 h−1 with pH value increasing from 3.5 to 9.5. This may be because the products are more easily produced in higher pH soil suspensions. The presence of humic acid (HA) may inhibit BDE-209 photodegradation by photo-shielding. Fe3+ and Cu2+ have an adverse effect on BDE-209 photodegradation due to the photo competition. The •OH and 1O2 were detected in soil solutions. Analysis of the photoproducts of BDE-209 by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) showed that BDE-209 was mainly debrominated to the lower-brominated BDEs and the reactive oxygen radicals may not lead to BDE-209 degradation.

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