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BACKGROUND: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (atezo-bev) has been recommended for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). High-dose external beam radiotherapy (RT) is recognized for its excellent local tumor control. The efficacy and safety of concurrent atezo-bev with RT for highly advanced HCC has been minimally explored. METHODS: In this preliminary retrospective study, we assessed patients with highly advanced HCC, characterized by Vp4 portal vein thrombosis or tumors exceeding 50% of liver volume, who received concurrent atezo-bev and RT (group A). Group A included 13 patients who received proton radiation at a dose of 72.6 GyE in 22 fractions, and one patient who received photon radiation at a dose of 54 Gy in 18 fractions. This group was compared with 34 similar patients treated atezo-bev alone as a control (group B). The primary objectives were to evaluate the objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between groups, except for a higher incidence of Vp4 portal vein thrombosis in group A (78.6% vs. 21.4%, Pâ =â .05). Group A achieved a higher ORR (50.0% vs. 11.8%, Pâ <â .01) and a longer OS (not reached vs. 5.5 months, Pâ =â .01) after a median follow-up of 5.2 months. Multivariate analysis indicated that concurrent RT independently favored longer OS (hazard ratio: 0.18; 95% CI, 0.05-0.63, Pâ <â .01). Group A did not increase any grade adverse events (78.6% vs. 58.8%, Pâ =â .19) or severe adverse events of gradeâ ≥â 3 (14.3% vs. 14.7%, Pâ =â .97) compared to group B. CONCLUSIONS: The concurrent high-dose external beam radiotherapy appears to safely enhance the effectiveness of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab for highly advanced patients with HCC. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
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Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados , Bevacizumab , Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/radioterapia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Bevacizumab/uso terapéutico , Bevacizumab/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias Hepáticas/radioterapia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Masculino , Femenino , Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados/uso terapéutico , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Anciano , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Quimioradioterapia/métodos , AdultoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the characteristics associated with the need for urinary intervention for a blunt renal injury with collection system involvement using a computed tomography (CT) protocol for trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Abdominal CT images of patients with blunt renal injuries from 2016 to 2020 were reviewed. Patients with low-grade renal trauma, non-collecting system involvement, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade V shattered kidney, and emergent nephrectomy were excluded. The largest perinephric mass thickness was measured in the axial view using CT, and a cutoff value was obtained using a receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Risk factors for further urinary intervention were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 70 patients included in this study, those with perinephric mass thicknesses < 25 mm (n = 36) had a significantly lower rate of urinary intervention than those with perinephric mass thicknesses ≥ 25 mm (0 vs. 5; p = 0.023). There was no significant difference in the follow-up durations of the groups (19 days vs. 38 days; p = 0.198). More than 90% of the perinephric mass in the < 25 mm group resolved within a median follow-up duration of 38 days, whereas nearly half of the ≥ 25 mm group had a residual perinephric mass during a median follow-up duration of 19 days. CONCLUSION: The initial CT protocol for trauma was useful for predicting the need for further urinary interventions for collecting system injuries. A perinephric mass thickness < 25 mm is predictive of a low likelihood of requiring urinary intervention.
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Heridas no Penetrantes , Humanos , Heridas no Penetrantes/diagnóstico por imagen , Heridas no Penetrantes/terapia , Riñón/diagnóstico por imagen , Nefrectomía , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Urológicos , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Locoregional therapy and multi-kinase inhibitor agent have been the backbone of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the effect of combination or sequential use of locoregional therapy on HCC patients receiving multi-kinase inhibitor remain uncertain. Therefore, we aim to explore whether the subsequent locoregional therapy provides better survival in HCC patients under lenvatinib treatment. METHODS: From March 2018 to April 2020, a total of 78 unresectable HCC patients receiving lenvatinib were recruited. Image response was evaluated by dynamic image using the modified RECIST criteria. Among patients with tumor progression under lenvatinib treatment, whether receiving subsequent locoregional therapy or not were documented. Overall survival between two groups and the predictors for tumor progression were also analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 78 patients receiving lenvatinib, the median age was 67.8 years old, and 69.2 % were male. Forty-four patients (56.4 %) experienced tumor progression with time to progression 5.1 months (95 % confidence interval (CI): 4.7-6.8) months. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade II (adjusted HR: 2.883, P = 0.0104), and treatment duration less than three months (adjusted HR: 3.801, P = 0.0014) were the independent predictive factors for tumor progression, while patients achieving objective response under lenvatinib treatment within 12 weeks was the independent protective factor for tumor progression (adjusted HR: 0.144, P = 0.0020). Among the 44 patients with tumor progression, twenty-six (59.1 %) patients received subsequent locoregional therapy after tumor progression. Comparing to those with tumor progression without locoregional treatment, patients who received subsequent locoregional therapy had significantly better survival (1st year cumulative survival rate 70 % vs 27 %, log-rank P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: ALBI grade, treatment duration of lenvatinib, and achieving objective image response within twelve weeks were the independent predictive factors for tumor progression. Furthermore, longer overall survival was observed in tumor progression patients with subsequent locoregional therapy and with better liver preserved function.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Compuestos de Fenilurea , Quinolinas , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidad , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidad , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Compuestos de Fenilurea/uso terapéutico , Masculino , Quinolinas/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Anciano , Persona de Mediana Edad , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Inhibidores de Proteínas Quinasas/uso terapéutico , Estudios Retrospectivos , Taiwán , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Quimioembolización Terapéutica/métodosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Discerning genes crucial to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms is becoming more and more important to accurately and swiftly identify AMR pathogenic strains. Pangenome-wide association studies (e.g. Scoary) identified numerous putative AMR genes. However, only a tiny proportion of the putative resistance genes are annotated by AMR databases or Gene Ontology. In addition, many putative resistance genes are of unknown function (termed hypothetical proteins). An annotation tool is crucially needed in order to reveal the functional organization of the resistome and expand our knowledge of the AMR gene repertoire. RESULTS: We developed an approach (PangenomeNet) for building co-functional networks from pan-genomes to infer functions for hypothetical genes. Using Escherichia coli as an example, we demonstrated that it is possible to build co-functional network from its pan-genome using co-inheritance, domain-sharing, and protein-protein-interaction information. The investigation of the network revealed that it fits the characteristics of biological networks and can be used for functional inferences. The subgraph consisting of putative meropenem resistance genes consists of clusters of stress response genes and resistance gene acquisition pathways. Resistome subgraphs also demonstrate drug-specific AMR genes such as beta-lactamase, as well as functional roles shared among multiple classes of drugs, mostly in the stress-related pathways. CONCLUSIONS: By demonstrating the idea of pan-genome-based co-functional network on the E. coli species, we showed that the network can infer functional roles of the genes, including those without functional annotations, and provides holistic views on the putative antimicrobial resistomes. We hope that the pan-genome network idea can help formulate hypothesis for targeted experimental works.
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Infecciones por Escherichia coli , Escherichia coli , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Escherichia coli/genética , Infecciones por Escherichia coli/tratamiento farmacológico , Humanos , beta-Lactamasas/genéticaRESUMEN
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is one of the RF-based technologies that has been utilizing Received Signal Strength Indicators (RSSI) in indoor position location systems (IPS) for decades. Its recent signal stability and propagation distance improvement inspired us to conduct this project. Beacons and scanners used two Bluetooth specifications, BLE 5.0 and 4.2, for experimentations. The measurement paradigm consisted of three segments, RSSI-distance conversion, multi-beacon in-plane, and diverse directional measurement. The analysis methods applied to process the data for precise positioning included the Signal propagation model, Trilateration, Modification coefficient, and Kalman filter. As the experiment results showed, the positioning accuracy could reach 10 cm when the beacons and scanners were at the same horizontal plane in a less-noisy environment. Nevertheless, the positioning accuracy dropped to a meter-scale accuracy when the measurements were executed in a three-dimensional configuration and complex environment. According to the analysis results, the BLE wireless signal strength is susceptible to interference in the manufacturing environment but still workable on certain occasions. In addition, the Bluetooth 5.0 specifications seem more promising in bringing brightness to RTLS applications in the future, due to its higher signal stability and better performance in lower interference environments.
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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard of care for intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Variceal bleeding is a life-threatening complication and may alter the initial treatment plan. This study was aimed to elucidate the risk factors for variceal bleeding in HCC patients receiving TACE treatment. METHODS: From 2005 to 2016, a total of 1233 treatment-naive HCC patients receiving first time TACE treatment in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou medical center were recruited. Pre-TACE status including baseline characteristics, prior history of ascites, and parameters for liver function evaluation were analyzed. All the variables were compared between patients with and without variceal bleeding. RESULTS: Among the 1233 patients, the median age was 63.7 (range 25.8-91.5) years old, and 73.5% were male. Variceal bleeding events were documented in 19 patients (1.5%) within 3 months post TACE treatment. Patients with younger age, cirrhosis, pre-treatment ascites and advanced fibrosis status (higher MELD score, CTP score, ALBI grade, FIB-4 and APRI score) were more likely to encounter post-treatment variceal bleeding. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed existence of ascites (adjusted HR: 4.859 (1.947-12.124), p = 0.001), and higher FIB-4 score (adjusted HR: 4.481 (1.796-11.179), p = 0.001) were the independent predictive factors for variceal bleeding. Patients with post-TACE variceal bleeding are more likely to encounter tumor progression (42.1% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.039) and mortality owing to GI bleeding (15.8% vs. 3%, p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The incidence of post-TACE variceal bleeding was 1.5%. Patients with post-TACE variceal bleeding have poorer TACE treatment response. The pre-treatment ascites and FIB-4 score are the independent predictors for post-TACE variceal bleeding.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Quimioembolización Terapéutica/efectos adversos , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas/etiología , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/etiología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidad , Femenino , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/mortalidad , Humanos , Incidencia , Cirrosis Hepática/complicaciones , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidad , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Análisis Multivariante , Factores de Riesgo , Análisis de Supervivencia , Taiwán/epidemiología , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Robots are essential for the rapid development of Industry 4.0. In order to truly achieve autonomous robot control in customizable production lines, robots need to be accurate enough and capable of recognizing the geometry and orientation of an arbitrarily shaped object. This paper presents a method of inline inspection with an industrial robot (IIIR) for mass-customization production lines. A 3D scanner was used to capture the geometry and orientation of the object to be inspected. As the object entered the working range of the robot, the end effector moved along with the object and the camera installed at the end effector performed the requested optical inspections. The detailed information about the developed methodology was introduced in this paper. The experiments showed there was a relative movement between the moving object and the following camera and the speed was around 0.34 mm per second (worst case was around 0.94 mm per second). For a camera of 60 frames per second, the relative moving speed between the object and the camera was around 6 micron (around 16 micron for the worst case), which was stable enough for most industrial production inspections.
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In Taiwan, high-risk patients have been identified and tested for preventing community spread of COVID-19. Most sample collection was performed in emergency departments (EDs). Traditional sample collection requires substantial personal protective equipment (PPE), healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, and isolation space. To solve this problem, we established a multifunctional sample collection station (MSCS) for COVID-19 testing in front of our ED. The station is composed of a thick and clear acrylic board (2 cm), which completely separates the patient and medical personnel. Three pairs of gloves (length, 45 cm) are attached and fixed on the outside wall of the MSCS. The gloves are used to conduct sampling of throat/nasal swabs, sputum, and blood from patients. The gap between the board and the building is only 0.2 cm (sealed with silicone sealant). ED personnel communicate with patients using a small two-way broadcast system. Medical waste is put in specific trashcans installed in the table outside the MSCS. With full physical protection, the personnel conducting the sampling procedure need to wear only their N95 mask and gloves. After we activated the station, our PPE, sampling time, and sanitization resources were considerably conserved during the 4-week observation period. The MSCS obviously saved time and PPE. It elevated the efficiency and capacity of the ED for handling potential community infections of COVID-19.
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Técnicas de Laboratorio Clínico , Infecciones por Coronavirus/diagnóstico , Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital/organización & administración , Tamizaje Masivo/métodos , Equipo de Protección Personal/provisión & distribución , Neumonía Viral/diagnóstico , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Prueba de COVID-19 , Infecciones por Coronavirus/epidemiología , Humanos , Pandemias , Neumonía Viral/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2 , Taiwán/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
PM2.5 travels along the respiratory tract and enters systemic blood circulation. Studies have shown that PM2.5 increases the incidence of various diseases not only in adults but also in newborn infants. It causes chronic inflammation in pregnant women and retards fetal development. In this study, pregnant rats were exposed to PM2.5 for extended periods of time and it was found that PM2.5 exposure increased immune cells in mother rats. In addition, cytokines and free radicals rapidly accumulated in the amniotic fluid and indirectly affected the fetuses. The authors collected cerebral cortex and hippocampus samples at E18 and analyzed changes of miRNA levels. Expression levels of cortical miR-6315, miR-3588, and miR-466b-5p were upregulated, and positively correlated with the genes Pkn2 (astrocyte migration), Gorab (neuritogenesis), and Mobp (allergic encephalomyelitis). In contrast, PM2.5 decreased expression of miR-338-5p and let-7e-5p, both related to mental development. Further, PM2.5 exposure increased miR-3560 and let-7b-5p in the hippocampus, two proteins that regulate genes Oxct1 and Lin28b that control ketogenesis and glycosylation, and neural cell differentiation, respectively. miR-99b-5p, miR-92b-5p, and miR-99a-5p were decreased, leading to reduced expression of Kbtbd8 and Adam11 which reduced cell mitosis, migration, and differentiation, and inhibited learning abilities and motor coordination of the fetus. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1412-1425, 2017.
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Contaminantes Atmosféricos/toxicidad , Hipocampo/efectos de los fármacos , Exposición Materna , Material Particulado/toxicidad , Adulto , Líquido Amniótico/efectos de los fármacos , Líquido Amniótico/metabolismo , Animales , Corteza Cerebral/efectos de los fármacos , Corteza Cerebral/metabolismo , Citocinas/metabolismo , Femenino , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Hipocampo/metabolismo , Humanos , Intercambio Materno-Fetal , MicroARNs/biosíntesis , MicroARNs/genética , Embarazo , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Transcriptoma/efectos de los fármacosAsunto(s)
Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Quimioembolización Terapéutica , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/complicaciones , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/epidemiología , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Quimioembolización Terapéutica/efectos adversos , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas/epidemiología , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas/terapia , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/epidemiología , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/etiología , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/terapia , Humanos , Incidencia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/complicaciones , Neoplasias Hepáticas/epidemiología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapiaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Patients with autoimmune diseases (AD) generally carry an increased risk of developing cancer. However, the effect of AD in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving surgical treatment is uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the potential influence of AD on the survival of HCC patients undergoing hepatectomies. METHODS: Operated HCC patients were identified from the Chang Gung Research Database, and the survival outcomes of HCC patients with or without AD were analyzed ad compared. Cox regression model was performed to identify significant risk factors associated with disease recurrence and mortality. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2018, a total of 5532 patients underwent hepatectomy for their HCC. Among them, 229 patients were identified to have AD and 5303 were not. After excluding cases who died within 30 days of surgery, the estimated median overall survival (OS) was 43.8 months in the AD (+) group and 47.4 months in the AD (-) group (P = 0.367). The median liver-specific survival and disease-free survival (DFS) were also comparable between the two groups. After Cox regression multivariate analysis, the presence of AD did not lead to a higher risk of all-cause mortality, liver-specific mortality, or disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that autoimmune disease does not impair the OS and DFS of HCC patients undergoing liver resections. AD itself is not a risk factor for tumor recurrence after surgery. Patients eligible for liver resections, as a result, should be considered for surgery irrespective of the presence of AD. Further studies are mandatory to validate our findings.
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Enfermedades Autoinmunes , Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Hepatectomía , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/cirugía , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidad , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/cirugía , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidad , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Masculino , Femenino , Hepatectomía/mortalidad , Enfermedades Autoinmunes/complicaciones , Enfermedades Autoinmunes/mortalidad , Enfermedades Autoinmunes/cirugía , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anciano , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/patología , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/cirugía , Estudios Retrospectivos , Factores de Riesgo , Adulto , Tasa de Supervivencia , PronósticoRESUMEN
For advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the best second-line treatment after first-line treatment with sorafenib is unclear. This study aimed to compared the efficacy of second-line regorafenib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced HCC after sorafenib therapy. This retrospective study included 89 patients with HCC treated with sorafenib, and then regorafenib (n = 58) or an ICI (n = 31). Treatment response, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of the 2 groups were compared, and factors associated with post-treatment mortality or disease progression were evaluated. During follow-up period, compared to regorafenib, treatment with an ICI results in a slight increase in a 20% decrease of AFP (35.7% vs. 31.8%), complete response rate (6.5% vs. 0%), objective response rate (16.1% vs. 6.9%), median overall survival (13.3 vs. 5 months), and median PFS (3.0 vs. 2.6 months). Combined locoregional treatment (LRT) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15-0.99) during second-line treatment was associated with a decreased risk of post-treatment mortality. After propensity scoring matching, combined LRT during second-line treatment had longer post-treatment OS than patients without combined LRT. A 20% decrease of AFP (HR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31-0.94) was associated with a decreased risk of post-treatment disease progression. In conclusions, second-line treatment with regorafenib or ICI prolongs OS in patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Combined LRT during second-line treatment is associated with decreased post-treatment mortality. A 20% decrease of AFP level may be predictive of a lower rate of disease progression.
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PURPOSE: Our purpose was to report the clinical and dosimetric attributes of patients with large unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing proton or photon radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes and dosimetric indices of 159 patients with >5 cm nonmetastatic HCC who underwent definitive radiation therapy using either protons (N = 105) or photons (N = 54) between 2014 and 2018. Additional photon plans were performed in the 105 proton-treated patients using the same dose prescription criteria for intragroup dosimetric comparison. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 47 months, patients with biologically effective dose (BED10) ≥ 75 Gy exhibited significantly better local control (LC; 2-year: 85.6% vs 20.5%; P < .001), progression-free survival (PFS; median, 7.4 vs 3.2 months; P < .001), and overall survival (OS; median, 18.1 vs 7.3 months; P < .001) compared with those with BED10 < 75 Gy. Notably, proton-treated patients had a significantly higher BED10 (96 vs 67 Gy; P < .001) and improved LC (2-year: 88.5% vs 33.8%; P < .001), PFS (median, 7.4 vs 3.3 months; P = .001), and OS (median, 18.9 vs 8.3 months; P < .001) than those undergoing photon radiation therapy. Furthermore, patients treated with protons had significantly lower V1 of the liver (P < .001), mean upper gastrointestinal tract dose (P < .001), and mean splenic dose (P < .001), with significantly decreased incidences of radiation-induced liver disease (P = .007), grade ≥3 upper gastrointestinal bleeding (P = .001), and grade ≥3 lymphopenia (P = .003). On multivariate analysis, proton radiation therapy consistently correlated with superior LC (P < .001), PFS (P < .001), and OS (P < .001). In intragroup dosimetric comparison, photon plans demonstrated significantly higher mean liver dose (P < .001) compared with actually delivered proton treatments, and 72 (69%) of them had mean liver dose exceeding 28 Gy, which necessitated target dose de-escalation. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of large HCC radiation therapy, a higher target BED10 was associated with improved outcomes. Notably, proton therapy has demonstrated the capability to deliver ablative doses while also being accompanied by fewer instances of severe toxicity.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Terapia de Protones , Traumatismos por Radiación , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Protones , Estudios Retrospectivos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Traumatismos por Radiación/etiología , Terapia de Protones/efectos adversos , Terapia de Protones/métodos , Dosificación RadioterapéuticaRESUMEN
Regorafenib improved prognosis for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) after sorafenib treatment failure. We aimed to investigate prognostic value of combining systemic inflammatory markers with liver function evaluation in patients receiving sorafenib-regorafenib sequential therapy. A total of 122 uHCC patients who received sorafenib-regorafenib sequential therapy were retrospectively enrolled for analysis. The pre-treatment preserving liver function and six inflammatory indexes were collected. The Cox regression model was used to identify independent predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Baseline ALBI grade I (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.725, P = 0.040 for PFS; HR = 0.382, P = 0.012 for OS) and systemic inflammatory index (SII) ≤ 330 (HR = 0.341, P = 0.017 for OS; HR = 0.485, P = 0.037 for OS) were identified as independent prognostic factors in multivariable analysis and were used to develop the scoring system. Patients who fulfilled both criteria (2 points; score-high) had the longest median PFS (not-reached) and OS (not-reached), followed by fulfilling 1 criterion (1 point; score-intermediate; PFS: 3.7 months and OS: 17.9 months), and patients fulfilled no criterion (0 point; score-low; PFS: 2.9 months, overall log-rank P = 0.001 and OS: 7.5 months, overall log-rank P = 0.003). Additionally, best radiological response was significantly higher in patients with score-high (complete response/partial response/stable disease/progressive disease: score-high: 5.9%/5.9%/58.8%/29.4% vs. score-intermediate: 0%/14.0%/44.2%/41.9% vs. score-low: 0%/0%/25.0%/75.0%; P = 0.011). In conclusion, a combination of baseline ALBI grade and SII index can be used as a simple and powerful parameter to predict prognosis of uHCC patients receiving regorafenib after sorafenib-refractory treatment. The score may help with patient counseling but requires prospective validation.
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In contemporary biomedical research, the accurate automatic detection of cells within intricate microscopic imagery stands as a cornerstone for scientific advancement. Leveraging state-of-the-art deep learning techniques, this study introduces a novel amalgamation of Fuzzy Automatic Contrast Enhancement (FACE) and the You Only Look Once (YOLO) framework to address this critical challenge of automatic cell detection. Yeast cells, representing a vital component of the fungi family, hold profound significance in elucidating the intricacies of eukaryotic cells and human biology. The proposed methodology introduces a paradigm shift in cell detection by optimizing image contrast through optimal fuzzy clustering within the FACE approach. This advancement mitigates the shortcomings of conventional contrast enhancement techniques, minimizing artifacts and suboptimal outcomes. Further enhancing contrast, a universal contrast enhancement variable is ingeniously introduced, enriching image clarity with automatic precision. Experimental validation encompasses a diverse range of yeast cell images subjected to rigorous quantitative assessment via Root-Mean-Square Contrast and Root-Mean-Square Deviation (RMSD). Comparative analyses against conventional enhancement methods showcase the superior performance of the FACE-enhanced images. Notably, the integration of the innovative You Only Look Once (YOLOv5) facilitates automatic cell detection within a finely partitioned grid system. This leads to the development of two models-one operating on pristine raw images, the other harnessing the enriched landscape of FACE-enhanced imagery. Strikingly, the FACE enhancement achieves exceptional accuracy in automatic yeast cell detection by YOLOv5 across both raw and enhanced images. Comprehensive performance evaluations encompassing tenfold accuracy assessments and confidence scoring substantiate the robustness of the FACE-YOLO model. Notably, the integration of FACE-enhanced images serves as a catalyst, significantly elevating the performance of YOLOv5 detection. Complementing these efforts, OpenCV lends computational acumen to delineate precise yeast cell contours and coordinates, augmenting the precision of cell detection.
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Investigación Biomédica , Levadura Seca , Humanos , Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Artefactos , Análisis por ConglomeradosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors predictive of clinical outcome in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving ramucirumab treatment. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using a multi-institutional electronic medical records database in Taiwan. We included advanced HCC patients newly receiving ramucirumab as second-line or beyond systemic therapy between January 2016 and February 2022. The clinical outcomes were median progression-free survival (PFS) based on the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), overall survival (OS) and adverse events. We applied Kaplan-Meier methods to estimate median PFS and OS. Uni-variable and multi-variable Cox regression models were applied to identify the prognostic factors. RESULTS: We included 39 ramucirumab naive users with a median age of 65.5 (IQR: 57.0-71.0) years and treatment time of 5.0 (3.0-7.0) cycles, of whom 82.1% were male and 84.6% were Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C. After median follow-up time of 6.0 months, 33.3% of patients' AFP level had decreased more than 20% within 12 weeks. The median PFS and OS were 4.1 months and non-reach, respectively. Moreover, tumor burden beyond the up-to-11 criteria (HR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.04-8.38) and a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate of more than 10% within 12 weeks (HR: 0.31, 0.11-0.88) were significantly related to PFS in the multi-variable analysis. No patient discontinued ramucirumab during the treatment on account of side effects. CONCLUSION: Ramucirumab was an effective treatment option with good AFP response for advanced HCC patients in real-world experience. Tumor burden beyond the up-to-11 criteria and a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate were independent predictive factors for progression-free survival.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anciano , Femenino , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Estudios Retrospectivos , alfa-Fetoproteínas/análisis , Estimación de Kaplan-Meier , Resultado del Tratamiento , RamucirumabRESUMEN
Expansion microscopy, whereby the relative positions of biomolecules are physically increased via hydrogel expansion, can be used to reveal ultrafine structures of cells under a conventional microscope. Despite its utility for achieving super-resolution imaging, expansion microscopy suffers a major drawback, namely reduced fluorescence signals caused by excessive proteolysis and swelling effects. This caveat results in a lower photon budget and disfavors fluorescence imaging over a large field of view that can cover an entire expanded cell, especially in 3D. In addition, the complex procedures and specialized reagents of expansion microscopy hinder its popularization. Here, we modify expansion microscopy by deploying trypsin digestion to reduce protein loss and tyramide signal amplification to enhance fluorescence signal for point-scanning-based imaging. We name our new methodology TT-ExM to indicate dual trypsin and tyramide treatments. TT-ExM may be applied for both antibody and lipid staining. TT-ExM displayed enhanced protein retention for endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial markers in COS-7 cell cultures. Importantly, TT-ExM-based lipid staining clearly revealed the complex 3D membrane structures in entire expanded cells. Through combined lipid and DNA staining, our TT-ExM methodology highlighted mitochondria by revealing their DNA and membrane structures in cytoplasm, as well as the lipid-rich structures formed via phase separation in nuclei at interphase. We also observed lipid-rich chromosome matrices in the mitotic cells. These high-quality 3D images demonstrate the practicality of TT-ExM. Thus, readily available reagents can be deployed in TT-ExM to significantly enhance fluorescence signals and generate high-quality and ultrafine-resolution images under confocal microscopy.