Value of blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging in early evaluation of the response and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: To find a useful hypoxia non-invasive biomarker for evaluating early treatment response and prognosis to definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: The R2* values were obtained pre- and 2-3 weeks post-dCRT in 28 patients with ESCC using BOLD MRI. Independent samples t-test (normality) or Mann-Whitney U test (non-normality) was used to compare the differences of R2*-related parameters between the complete response (CR) and the non-CR groups. Diagnostic performance of parameters in predicting response was tested with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was evaluated using Kaplan Meier curve, log rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: The post-R2*, ∆R2*, and ∆%R2* in the CR group were significantly higher than those in the non-CR group (P = 0.002, 0.003, and 0.006, respectively). The R2*-related parameters showed good prediction of tumor response, with AUC ranging from 0.813 to 0.829. The 3-year OS rate in patients with ∆R2* >-7.54 s- 1 or CR were significantly longer than those with ∆R2* ≤ -7.54 s- 1 (72.37% vs. 0.00%; Hazard ratio, HR = 0.196; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 0.047-0.807; P = 0.024) or non-CR (76.47% vs. 29.27%; HR = 0.238, 95% CI = 0.059-0.963; P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results demonstrated that the R2* value might be a useful hypoxia non-invasive biomarker for assessing response and prognosis of ESCC treated with dCRT. BOLD MRI might be used as a potential tool for evaluating tumor oxygenation metabolism, which is routinely applied in clinical practice and beneficial to clinical decision-making. A large sample size was needed for further follow-up studies to confirm the findings.

Sovereign debt responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We utilize the global natural experiment created by the COVID-19 outbreak to identify sovereign borrowing capacity in time of need and its determinants. First, we demonstrate that the pandemic creates exogeneous shocks to sovereign borrowing needs-governments borrowed more when hit by more severe pandemic shocks. Second, we show that credible fiscal rules enhance sovereign borrowing capacity, while unsustainable debts in terms of high debt-to-GDP ratio, rollover risk, and sovereign default risk weaken it. Third, we find that, in response to the same pandemic shock, sovereign spreads increase more in emerging economies than advanced economies though the former borrow less during the pandemic. Finally, further analysis reveals that pegged exchange rate regimes, open capital accounts, and monetary dependence improve emerging economies' borrowing capacity.

A risk prediction model for contrast-induced nephropathy associated with gadolinium-based contrast agents.

OBJECTIVE: This is the first study to explore the risk factors for nephropathy caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents and establish a prediction model to identify high-risk patients. METHODS: A total of 1404 patients who received gadolinium-based contrast agents in our hospital were included. The participants were randomly assigned in a 7:3 ratio to the modeling and validation groups. The modeling group was divided into a contrast-induced nephropathy group and a non-contrast-induced nephropathy group. The clinical characteristics before the use of contrast agents were compared between the two groups. The risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy were analyzed by logistic regression. A nomogram that could predict the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy was plotted. The validation group was used to verify the predictive model. RESULTS: The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents was 3.92% (55/1404). The logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that sex, systolic pressure (SBP), absolute neutrophil count, albumin, fasting blood glucose level, and furosemide use were significant predictors of contrast-induced nephropathy caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents. The above predictors were then included in the nomogram construction. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.82 (p < 0.001). The specificity and sensitivity corresponding to the optimal cutoff point (0.039) based on the area under the ROC curve were 71.9% and 80.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Sex, SBP, absolute neutrophil count, albumin, fasting blood glucose levels, and furosemide use are significant predictors of contrast-induced nephropathy caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents. Therefore, the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy may be estimated by the prediction model established in this study before the use of contrast agents.

Detection and Fitness of Dicarboximide-Resistant Isolates of Alternaria alternata from Dendrobium officinale, a Chinese Indigenous Medicinal Herb.

Black spot, caused by Alternaria alternata, poses a severe threat to the industry of Dendrobium officinale, a Chinese indigenous medicinal herb. Dicarboximide fungicides (DCFs) have been intensively used to control this disease for decades in China, and offer excellent efficacy. The resistance of phytopathogenic pathogens against DCFs are reportedly selected in fields; however, the DCF resistance of A. alternata from D. officinale is not well understood. The isolates of A. alternata with low procymidone resistance (ProLR) were detected in the commercial orchards of D. officinale in China in 2018 and biochemically characterized in this study. The result showed that the ProLR isolates were selected in the commercial orchards with a resistance frequency of 100%, and no significant difference in mycelial growth, sporulation, and virulence was observed among the ProLR and procymidone-sensitive (ProS) isolates. A positive cross-resistance pattern was exhibited between procymidone and iprodione. Results of amino acid sequence alignment of AaOS-1 from the tested isolates showed that all of the ProLR genotypes could be categorized into two groups, including group I (mutations at AaOs-1) and group II (no mutation). Under procymidone (5.0 µg/ml) treatment conditions, the AaOs-1 expression levels increased in the ProS isolates and ranged from approximately 2.94- to 3.69-fold higher than those under procymidone-free conditions, while the AaOs-1 expressions of the ProLR isolates were significantly lower than those in the ProS isolates under the same conditions. The data indicated that the mutations at AaOs-1 are involved in the DCF resistance of A. alternata selected in the D. officinale orchards.

Biological Characteristics and Molecular Mechanism of Procymidone Resistance in Stemphylium eturmiunum From Garlic.

Garlic leaf blight caused by Stemphylium eturmiunum was first reported in Jiangsu Province in China. The dicarboximide fungicide (DCF) procymidone is reported to possess broad-spectrum action in inhibiting filamentous fungi and is widely used to control leaf disease of various plants. Of 41 Stemphylium eturmiunum isolates collected in this study from commercial garlic farms in Pizhou and Dafeng counties of Jiangsu Province, eight isolates were resistant to procymidone. The following three phenotypes were categorized according to in vitro responses to DCFs: sensitive, low resistance to iprodione and procymidone, and high resistance to all iprodione and procymidone. The fitness of all resistant isolates was decreased in accordance with data on mycelial growth, conidiation, and virulence. After treatment with 10 µg/ml of procymidone for 4 h, mycelial intracellular glycerol concentrations of resistant isolates were significantly lower than those of sensitive isolates. Positive cross-resistance was observed between dicarboximides and phenylpyrroles, but there was no cross-resistance between dicarboximides and fluazinam or difenoconazole in the two resistant phenotypes. Nucleotide sequence alignment of two-component histidine kinase genes from sensitive and resistant isolates indicated that amino acid mutations were located at the histidine kinase, adenylyl cyclase, methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein and at the phosphatase domain of the N-terminal region and the response regulator domain of the C-terminal region. To our knowledge, this is the first report of DCF resistance in Stemphylium eturmiunum, and these findings will help establish a rational strategy to manage DCF-resistant populations of Stemphylium eturmiunum in the field.

Development of a facile and sensitive method for detecting alkaline phosphatase activity in serum with fluorescent gold nanoclusters based on the inner filter effect.

In this work, a simple and sensitive method based on the inner filter effect (IFE) of p-nitrophenol (PNP) on the fluorescence of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) has been developed for detecting alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Bright orange fluorescent AuNCs were synthesized by one-pot synthesis and used directly as IFE fluorophores. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate (PNPP) is hydrolyzed by ALP to PNP, which quenches the fluorescence of AuNCs by the IFE. In the presence of ALP, PNPP was converted to PNP, and the absorption band shifted from 310 nm to 405 nm, which resulted in a certain degree of overlap between the absorption of PNP and the excitation of AuNCs. Due to the competitive absorption between AuNCs and PNP, the excitation of AuNCs was clearly diminished, leading to the quenching of the fluorescence of AuNCs. The IFE detection method exhibited a good linear relationship between 0.01 and 7.0 U L-1 (R2 = 0.9990) with the lowest detection limit of 0.003 U L-1 (the signal-to-noise ratio is 3). The proposed detection method was successfully applied for detecting ALP in serum samples and studying ALP inhibitors.

To Ligate or Not to Ligate: A Meta-analysis of Cardiac Effects and Allograft Function following Arteriovenous Fistula Closure in Renal Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: There are no available guidelines regarding preserving or ligating an arteriovenous fistula following successful kidney transplantation. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to formulate a clear opinion regarding the status of arteriovenous fistula in renal allograft recipients. METHODS: We performed an electronic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for eligible studies up to January 2019. We aimed to systematically evaluate cardiac systolic and diastolic function and allograft function after arteriovenous fistula closure. The primary outcome was the differences in left ventricular mass index, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, ejection fraction, and serum creatinine levels between patients with occluded arteriovenous fistula versus patent arteriovenous fistula. RESULTS: Renal transplant recipients with occluded arteriovenous fistula had lower left ventricular mass index values and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter compared with those with patent arteriovenous fistula. The pooled mean differences were 21.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.94 to 23.39, P < 0.001) and 2.75 (95% CI 1.47 to 4.04, P < 0.001), respectively. Patients with occluded arteriovenous fistula also had lower serum creatinine levels versus those with patent arteriovenous fistula. The pooled mean difference was 0.10 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.17, P = 0.003). We saw no difference regarding ejection fraction between the groups. The pooled mean difference was 0.84 (95% CI -0.85 to 2.53, P = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis demonstrated that arteriovenous fistula closure improves cardiac morphology and has better kidney graft function. Arteriovenous fistula closure may be considered in patients with a well-functioning allograft.

Whole-volume apparent diffusion coefficient-based entropy parameters for assessment of gastric cancer aggressiveness.

PURPOSE: To explore the role of whole-volume apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based entropy parameters in the preoperative assessment of gastric cancer's aggressiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 64 patients with gastric cancers who underwent 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were retrospectively included. Regions of interest were drawn manually using in-house software, around gastric cancer lesions on each slice of the diffusion-weighted images and ADC maps. Entropy-related parameters based on ADC maps were calculated automatically: (1) first-order entropy; (2-5) second-order entropies, including entropy(H)0 , entropy(H)45 , entropy(H)90 , and entropy(H)135 ; (6) entropy(H)mean ; and (7) entropy(H)range . Correlations between entropy-related parameters and pathological characteristics were analyzed with the Spearman correlation test. The parameters were compared among different pathological characteristics with independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney U-test. Additionally, diagnostic performances of parameters in differentiating different pathological characteristics were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: All the entropy-related parameters significantly correlated with T, N, and overall stages, especially the first-order entropy (r = 0.588, 0.585, and 0.677, respectively, all P < 0.05). All the entropy-related parameters showed significant differences in gastric cancers at different T, N, and overall stages, as well as at different status of vascular invasion (P < 0.001-0.027). And four parameters, including entropy, entropy(H)0 , entropy(H)45 , and entropy(H)90 , showed significant differences between gastric cancers with and without perineural invasion (P 0.006-0.040). CONCLUSION: Entropy-related parameters derived from whole-volume ADC texture analysis could help assess the aggressiveness of gastric cancers via analyzing intratumoral heterogeneity quantitatively, especially the first-order entropy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:168-175.

Role of intravoxel incoherent motion MRI in early assessment of the response of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to chemoradiotherapy: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Since definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is standard therapy for inoperable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), early evaluation of treatment response is crucial for patients and would be useful in assessing response, especially in patients with severe side effects. PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI in the early assessment of treatment response to CRT. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: Twenty-three inoperable ESCC patients. SEQUENCE: IVIM 3T MRI of nine b values (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 500 and 800 s/mm2 ) was performed at four timepoints: pre-CRT (within 5 days before CRT), mid-CRT (2-3 weeks after the start of CRT), end-CRT (within 5 days after the end of CRT), and post-CRT (1 month after the end of CRT). ASSESSMENT: IVIM-based parameters and ADC were analyzed independently by two radiologists and treatment response was assessed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). STATISTICAL TESTS: Analyses of variance for repeated measurements were conducted to observe dynamic changes of IVIM-based parameters (D, f, and D*) and ADC during CRT. The parameters and their change percentages (Δ%) were compared between complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) by Mann-Whitney U-test. Diagnostic performance of parameters in predicting response was tested with receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: ADC, D, and f increased significantly during CRT (P < 0.001, < 0.001, and 0.001, respectively). ADC, f, Δ%ADC, and Δ%D at mid-CRT in CR group were significantly higher than those in the PR group (P = 0.002, 0.013, 0.005, and 0.011, respectively). D combined with f and ADC had highest area under curve (0.917) in identifying CR from PR. DATA CONCLUSION: IVIM parameters proved useful in assessing response to definitive concurrent CRT for inoperable ESCC and combined with ADC at an early stage of treatment was a good predictor of response. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2018;48:349-358.

Time domain reshuffling for OFDM based indoor visible light communication systems.

For orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based indoor visible light communication (VLC) systems, partial non-ideal transmission conditions such as insufficient guard intervals and a dispersive channel can result in severe inter-symbol crosstalk (ISC). By deriving from the inverse Fourier transform, we present a novel time domain reshuffling (TDR) concept for both DC-biased optical (DCO-) and asymmetrically clipped optical (ACO-) OFDM VLC systems. By using only simple operations in the frequency domain, potential high peaks can be relocated within each OFDM symbol to alleviate ISC. To simplify the system, we also propose an effective unified design of the TDR schemes for both DCO- and ACO-OFDM. Based on Monte-Carlo simulations, we demonstrate the statistical distribution of the signal high peak values and the complementary cumulative distribution function of the peak-to-average power ratio under different cases for comparison. Simulation results indicate improved bit error rate (BER) performance by adopting TDR to counteract ISC deterioration. For example, for binary phase shift keying at a BER of 10-3, the signal to noise ratio gains are ~1.6 dB and ~6.6 dB for DCO- and ACO-OFDM, respectively, with ISC of 1/64. We also show a reliable transmission by adopting TDR for rectangle 8-quadrature amplitude modulation with ISC of < 1/64.

Assessment of histological differentiation in gastric cancers using whole-volume histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient maps.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of histogram analysis of the entire tumor volume in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps for differentiating between histological grades in gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with gastric cancer were enrolled in a retrospective 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. ADC maps were obtained at two different b values (0 and 1000 sec/mm2 ) for each patient. Tumors were delineated on each slice of the ADC maps, and a histogram for the entire tumor volume was subsequently generated. A series of histogram parameters (eg, skew and kurtosis) were calculated and correlated with the histological grade of the surgical specimen. The diagnostic performance of each parameter for distinguishing poorly from moderately well-differentiated gastric cancers was assessed by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: There were significant differences in the 5th , 10th , 25th , and 50th percentiles, skew, and kurtosis between poorly and well-differentiated gastric cancers (P < 0.05). There were correlations between the degrees of differentiation and histogram parameters, including the 10th percentile, skew, kurtosis, and max frequency; the correlation coefficients were 0.273, -0.361, -0.339, and -0.370, respectively. Among all the histogram parameters, the max frequency had the largest AUC value, which was 0.675. CONCLUSION: Histogram analysis of the ADC maps on the basis of the entire tumor volume can be useful in differentiating between histological grades for gastric cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:440-449.

Application of CT texture analysis in predicting histopathological characteristics of gastric cancers.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the application of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis in predicting histopathological features of gastric cancers. METHODS: Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT images and postoperative histopathological features of 107 patients (82 men, 25 women) with gastric cancers were retrospectively reviewed. CT texture analysis generated: (1) mean attenuation, (2) standard deviation, (3) max frequency, (4) mode, (5) minimum attenuation, (6) maximum attenuation, (7) the fifth, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles, and (8) entropy. Correlations between CT texture parameters and histopathological features were analysed. RESULTS: Mean attenuation, maximum attenuation, all percentiles and mode derived from portal venous CT images correlated significantly with differentiation degree and Lauren classification of gastric cancers (r, -0.231 ~ -0.324, 0.228 ~ 0.321, respectively). Standard deviation and entropy derived from arterial CT images also correlated significantly with Lauren classification of gastric cancers (r = -0.265, -0.222, respectively). In arterial phase analysis, standard deviation and entropy were significantly lower in gastric cancers with than those without vascular invasion; however, minimum attenuation was significantly higher in gastric cancers with than those without vascular invasion. CONCLUSION: CT texture analysis held great potential in predicting differentiation degree, Lauren classification and vascular invasion status of gastric cancers. KEY POINTS: • CT texture analysis is noninvasive and effective for gastric cancer. • Portal venous CT images correlated significantly with differentiation degree and Lauren classification. • Standard deviation, entropy and minimum attenuation in arterial phase reflect vascular invasion.

Xanthones from Swertia mussotii and their α-glycosidase inhibitory activities.

Two new xanthones, 1,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone 7-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1 → 2)-ß-D-glucopyranoside] (1) and 1,8- dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone 7-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1 → 3)-α-L-rhamno-pyranosyl (1 → 2)-ß-D-xylopyranoside] (2), together with 26 known xanthones (3-28), were isolated from the aqueous ethanol extract of the traditional Chinese herb Swertia mussotii. Their structures were elucidated via spectroscopic analyses including 2D NMR. The inhibition of α-glucosidase by the isolated xanthones was evaluated by an in vitro high-throughput screening assay. Our results indicated that 1,3,5,8-tetrahydroxyxanthone is the best inhibitor with an IC50 value of 5.33 ± 0.09 µM, while the O-glycosylated xanthones were poor α-glycosidase inhibitors.

Platelet dysfunction caused by differentially expressed genes as key pathogenic mechanisms in COVID-19.

At the end of 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became prevalent worldwide, which brought a heavy medical burden and tremendous economic losses to the world population. In addition to the common clinical respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and headache, patients with COVID-19 often have hematological diseases, especially platelet dysfunction. Platelet dysfunction usually leads to multiple organ dysfunction, which is closely related to patient severity or mortality. In addition, studies have confirmed significant changes in the gene expression profile of circulating platelets under SARS-CoV-2 infection, which will further lead to changes in platelet function. At the same time, studies have shown that platelets may absorb SARS-COV-2 mRNA independently of ACE2, which further emphasizes the importance of the stability of platelet function in defense against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study reviewed the relationship between COVID-19 and platelet and SARS-CoV-2 damage to the circulatory system, and further analyzed the significantly differentially expressed mRNA in platelets after infection with SARS-CoV-2 on the basis of previous studies. The top eight hub genes were identified as NLRP3, MT-CO1, CD86, ICAM1, MT-CYB, CASP8, CXCL8 and CXCR4. Subsequently, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on platelet transcript abnormalities and platelet dysfunction were further explored on the basis of 8 hub genes. Finally, the treatment measures of complications caused by platelet dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 were discussed in detail, so as to provide reference for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

Screening parameters for diagnosing primary aldosteronism in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and resistant hypertension.

Background: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) combined with resistant hypertension (RH) have a high risk of developing primary aldosteronism (PA). This study investigated the aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), and plasma renin activity (PRA) to determine the optimal cutoff values for PA diagnosis in patients with OSAHS combined with RH. Methods: Patients diagnosed with moderate and severe OSAHS combined with RH were recruited from the inpatient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology at Ji'an Central Hospital between October 2020 and April 2023. The included patients were divided into PA and no-PA groups. Diagnostic accuracy measures were calculated for each group, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. Results: A total of 241 patients were included, of which 103 had positive ARR screening results in the diagnostic accuracy analysis and 66 were diagnosed with PA. PAC and ARR showed moderate predictive capacity for PA, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-0.77] and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.63-0.82), respectively, while PRA exhibited a limited predictive capacity (AUC = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.40-0.63). Using 45 as the optimal cutoff value for ARR, the sensitivity was 86% and the specificity was 52%. The optimal cutoff value for PAC was 17, with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 55%. Notably, in patients with severe OSAHS, ARR at screening demonstrated significant predictive value for PA, with an AUC of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72-0.96), a sensitivity of 85%, and a specificity of 76%. Conversely, in patients with moderate OSAHS, only ARR demonstrated significant predictive value for PA diagnosis, while PAC did not demonstrate notable diagnostic value. Conclusion: ARR and PAC are initial screening tools for PA, facilitating early detection, particularly in low-resource settings. In patients with OSAHS and RH, the ARR and PAC thresholds for PA diagnosis may require more stringent adjustment.

CONUT can be a predictor of postoperative complications after laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for elderly gastric cancer patients.

Compared with young patients, elderly patients with gastric cancer usually have lower muscle mass, poorer nutritional status, lower immunity, and worse cardiopulmonary function. Therefore, how to improve the prognosis of elderly gastric cancer patients after laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy is the focus and difficulty of clinician. The aim of our study was to investigate the risk factors for postoperative complications of these patients. The data of gastric cancer patients aged ≥ 60 years who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy were analyzed. Univariate was used to determine the potential risk factors and then multivariate analyses was used to determine the independent risk factors for postoperative complications. Univariate analysis showed that age, preoperative red blood cell (RBC), preoperative albumin (ALB), preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP), preoperative hemoglobin (Hb), preoperative blood transfusion, preoperative lymphocytes, total cholesterol, CRP-to-ALB ratio, controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, TNM stage were all the potential risk factors for postoperative complications. Binary logistic regression showed that CONUT, age and preoperative RBC were correlated with postoperative complications. For elderly gastric cancer patients after laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy, CONUT, age and preoperative RBC were all the independent risk factors for overall postoperative complications and could be used as reliable indicators for judging the short-term prognosis.

An optimized machine learning model for predicting hospitalization for COVID-19 infection in the maintenance dialysis population.

COVID-19 has a high rate of infection in dialysis patients and poses a serious risk to human health. Currently, there are no dialysis centers in China that have analyzed the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in dialysis patients and the mortality rate. Although machine learning-based disease prediction methods have proven to be effective, redundant attributes in the data and the interpretability of the predictive models are still worth investigating. Therefore, this paper proposed a wrapper feature selection classification model to achieve the prediction of the risk of COVID-19 infection in dialysis patients. The method was used to optimize the feature set of the sample through an enhanced JAYA optimization algorithm based on the dispersed foraging strategy and the greedy levy mutation strategy. Then, the proposed method combines fuzzy K-nearest neighbor for classification prediction. IEEE CEC2014 benchmark function experiments as well as prediction experiments on the uremia dataset are used to validate the proposed model. The experimental results showed that the proposed method has a high prediction accuracy of 95.61% for the prevalence risk of COVID-19 infection in dialysis patients. Furthermore, it was shown that proalbumin, CRP, direct bilirubin, hemoglobin, albumin, and phosphorus are of great value for clinical diagnosis. Therefore, the proposed method can be considered as a promising method.