Exploring the efficacy of artificial neural networks in predicting lung cancer recurrence: a retrospective study based on patient records.

Background: Lung cancer remains a significant public health concern, accounting for a considerable number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Neural networks have emerged as a promising tool that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) methods in medicine. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a neural network in predicting lung cancer recurrence. Methods: The study employed retrospective data from 2,296 medical records of patients diagnosed with lung cancer and admitted to the Warminsko-Mazurskie Center for Lung Diseases in Olsztyn, Poland. The statistical software STATISTICA 7.1, equipped with the Neural Networks module (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, USA), was utilized to analyze the data. The neural network model was trained using patient information regarding gender, treatment, smoking status, family history, and symptoms of cancer. Results: The study employed a multilayer perceptron neural network with a two-phase learning process. The network demonstrated high predictive ability, as indicated by the percentage of correct classifications, which amounted to 87.5%, 89.1%, and 89.9% for the training, validation, and test sets, respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the potential usefulness of a neural network-based predictive model in assessing the risk of lung cancer recurrence. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and to explore AI's broader implications in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Evaluation of the yield, chemical composition and biological properties of essential oil from bioreactor-grown cultures of Salvia apiana microshoots.

Microshoot cultures of the North American endemic Salvia apiana were established for the first time and evaluated for essential oil production. Stationary cultures, grown on Schenk-Hildebrandt (SH) medium, supplemented with 0.22 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ), 2.0 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine and 3.0% (w/v) sucrose, accumulated 1.27% (v/m dry weight) essential oil, consisting mostly of 1,8-cineole, ß-pinene, α-pinene, ß-myrcene and camphor. The microshoots were adapted to agitated culture, showing biomass yields up to ca. 19 g/L. Scale-up studies demonstrated that S. spiana microshoots grow well in temporary immersion systems (TIS). In the RITA bioreactor, up to 19.27 g/L dry biomass was obtained, containing 1.1% oil with up to ca. 42% cineole content. The other systems employed, i.e. Plantform (TIS) and a custom made spray bioreactor (SGB), yielded ca. 18 and 19 g/L dry weight, respectively. The essential oil content of Plantform and SGB-grown microshoots was comparable to RITA bioreactor, however, the content of cineole was substantially higher (ca. 55%). Oil samples isolated from in vitro material proved to be active in acetylcholinesterase (up to 60.0% inhibition recorded for Plantform-grown microshoots), as well as hyaluronidase and tyrosinase-inhibitory assays (up to 45.8 and 64.5% inhibition observed in the case of the SGB culture).

Effects of Tobacco Smoking on the Survivability of Patients with Multiple Cancers and Single Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide among men and women. Tobacco smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. The aim of our study was to evaluate the survivability of patients with single lung cancer in relation to the survival time in patients with multiple neoplasms whose last neoplasm was a lung cancer. A retrospective analysis was con-ducted of data from medical histories of patients hospitalized at the Pulmonary Hospital in Olsztyn (Poland) from 2012 to 2017, with a lung cancer diagnosis as the first or subsequent cancer. The total longevity of women with diagnosed multiple cancers was found to be shorter than that of men: 67.60 years (SD: 7.77) and 69.91 years (SD: 7.97), respectively. Among the ex-smokers, the longevity of men (68.93 years) was longer than that of women (66.18 years). Survival time, counted from the diagnosis of both the first and subsequent cancer, was longer among patients with multiple cancers than among patients with single lung cancer (p = 0.000). Women's survivability was worse than men's in the case of multiple cancers and in the group of people who quit smoking (p = 0.037; p = 0.000). To conclude, smoking tobacco affects the survival of patients with lung cancer. Smoking cessation improves overall survival.

Cytokines and chemokines multiplex analysis in patients with low disease activity rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a severe chronic autoimmune disorder that results from pathological activation of immune cells and altered cytokine/chemokine network. The aim of our study was to evaluate concentrations of chosen cytokines and chemokines in blood sera and synovial fluid samples isolated from low disease activity rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and osteoarthritis (OA) sufferers. Blood sera and synovial fluid samples have been obtained from 24 OA and 14 RA patients. Cytokines/chemokines levels have been determined using a Milliplex® Map 38-plex human cytokine/chemokine magnetic bead-based panel (Merck Millipore, Germany) and Luminex® MAGPIX® platform (Luminex USA). Low disease activity RA patients showed altered concentration of numerous cytokine/chemokine when compared to OA controls-they were characterized by, inter alia, increased: eotaxin/CCL11 (p = 0.037), GRO/CXCL1 (p = 0.037), IL-2 (p = 0.013), IL-4 (p = 0.017), IL-7 (p = 0.003), IL-8 (p = 0.0007) and GM-CSF (p = 0.037) serum levels, whilst MDC/CCL22 concentration was decreased in this group (p = 0.034). Eotaxin/CCL11 (p = 0.001), GRO/CXCL1 (p = 0.041), IL-10 (p = 0.003), GM-CSF (p = 0.01), IL-1RA (p = 0.0005) and VEGF (p = 0.01) concentrations in synovial fluid of RA females were also increased. Even with low disease activity score, RA patients exhibited increased concentrations of cytokines with pro- and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as numerous chemokines, growth factors and regulators of angiogenesis. Surprisingly, RA subjects also shown decreased concentration of CCL22 chemokine. The attempt to restore cytokine balance and tolerogenic environment is ineffective in RA sufferers even with good disease management. Distinguished factors could serve as possible indicators of disease progression even in low disease activity patients.

Spirometry testing among the homeless.

BACKGROUND: Many literature reports have indicated the fact that the percentage of active smokers among the homeless is high, often several times higher than that of the general population. The homeless are known to have worse spirometric parameters than the general population. OBJECTIVES: The question of what the principal and exclusive cause of airway obstruction among the homeless is remains unanswered. Verification of the above-mentioned hypothesis is possible by comparing the spirometric parameters in homeless people with those in the general population, based on the data related to subgroups with similar tobacco smoke exposure, which are homogenous in terms of sex, race and age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The spirometric parameters in 58 homeless male smokers were compared with those in 55 male smokers living normal lives. Neither group differed in age, duration of smoking or the number of pack-years. All of the subjects were Caucasian. RESULTS: The mean values of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/ FVC, both corrected and expressed as absolute figures, were lower amongst the smoking homeless men than amongst men living normal lives. In 27.59% of the homeless subjests not receiving treatment for lung diseases, airway obstruction was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that smoking is not the only cause of the worse spirometric parameters found among the homeless.

Socioeconomic Characteristics, Health Risk Factors and Alcohol Consumption among the Homeless in North-Eastern Part of Poland.

BACKGROUND: Homelessness is a form of social pathology, which is for various reasons undesirable and as far as possible limited by efforts such as programmes that assist in transitioning out of homelessness. Because, as time passes, the homeless population undergoes both quantitative and qualitative changes, the process of developing these programmes requires up-to-date information on the extent and profile of this phenomenon that takes into account the characteristics of a given country. METHODS: A 12-month study of homeless individuals (ETHOS categories 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1) was conducted between December 2013 and November 2014 in Olsztyn, Poland. Demographic, sociological, psychological, and medical data were collected. RESULTS: The study population comprised 98 homeless individuals. The average homeless individual in our study population was a single (93.88%), most commonly divorced (59.18%), alcohol-dependent (78.57%), smoking (84.69%), middle-aged (54.33 years, SD 9.70) male (92.86%) with a low level of education (10.19 years of completed education, SD 3.09). The individual was most commonly an unemployed person suffering profound privation, living off various types of benefits, and spending a significant proportion of his income on alcohol and cigarettes. The person often resigned from social welfare due to his alcohol dependence. Almost a third of the study population (32.65%) declared that they occasionally went hungry. The principal source of food were meals provided by welfare services (89.80%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the design of the social welfare system for homeless people should always take into account issues related to alcohol dependence, and each homeless person should be evaluated for possible alcohol dependence. Institutionalised material support provided to homeless individuals should be organised in such a way as to minimise the risk of promoting alcohol and nicotine dependence.

Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Human Sperm and Association with Semen Quality.

The aim of the present study was to measure lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd) concentrations in human semen and correlate the results with sperm quality. The median semen content of La was 19.5 µg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) (range 2.27-269), of Ce was 41.9 µg kg(-1) dw (range 4.52 to 167), of Eu was 0.68 µg kg(-1) dw (range 0.06-1.95), of Gd was 3.19 µg kg(-1) dw (range 0.38-12.0), and of calcium (Ca) was 4063 mg kg(-1) dw (range 484-17,191). Concentrations of La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca were significantly lower in nondrinkers' semen than in semen from drinkers. Significant differences were detected between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen from nondrinkers and moderate drinkers. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd in semen of short-term smokers were significantly lower than those in extremely long-term smokers. Significant differences were also detected between La concentration in semen from a group of short-term smokers and that of a group of long-term smokers. Positive correlations were found between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen. La, Ce, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen were positively associated with progressive motility and percentage of normal spermatozoa. Positive correlations were found between Ca and sperm concentration. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd were negatively associated with sperm concentration, whilst Ca concentration was negatively associated with volume of ejaculate. At the examined level, La, Ce, Eu, and Gd did not affect sperm quality, whereas alcohol consumption and smoking might have increased the level of rare earth elements in semen.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of lung cancer screening with low-dose computerised tomography of the chest in Poland.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer (LC) screening with low-dose computerised tomography of the chest, as compared to an approach without screening, reimbursed today by the National Health Fund (NHF) in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to analyse the current costs of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of a model LC patient treated today, a model group consisting of 199 consecutive patients diagnosed and treated in the Oncology Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland from January 2007 to April 2010 was used. The number and type of performed procedures in this group was obtained from the Polish Register of Neoplasms and the NHF. Only direct medical costs were analysed. To calculate the total costs of screening, diagnostics, and treatment of the hypothetical LC patient who would have cancer diagnosed with screening CT, data from the literature and costs calculated for the model group were used. Prices of procedures were obtained from the price list of the NHF on 30 April 2010 and did not change from that time until June 2014. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS: The average cost per LC patient, diagnosed and treated without screening, is 5567.50 EUR, and median LC-specific survival is one year. In the hypothetical LC patient with cancer diagnosed by screening, the average cost is 13689.35 EUR per LC patient, with a median LC-specific survival of at least seven years. A calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is 1353.64 EUR/year of life gained. CONCLUSIONS: Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT would be highly cost-effective in Poland.

Short-term outcome of attention and executive functions from aorta no-touch and traditional off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is an important neuropsychiatric complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). It is most likely caused by microembolic brain damage and affects domains of attention, memory, executive functions and dexterity. In order to achieve better neuroprotection, surgeons introduced some advantageous operating procedures. Noteworthy among them is a state-of-the-art off-pump CABG aorta no-touch technique ("no touch" OPCABG). The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of "no touch" OPCABG on patients' attention and executive functions. METHODS: In this prospective, observational, single-surgeon trial, 74 patients scheduled for elective CABG were studied. Thirty-five patients underwent "no-touch" OPCABG and were compared to 39 patients who underwent "traditional" OPCABG. Subjects underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluation at the time of admission (7 ± 2 days preoperatively) and discharge (7 days postoperatively). RESULTS: Patients who underwent "traditional" OPCABG showed a significant decline in postoperative performance on 4 neuropsychological tests, while patients treated with "no touch" OPCABG showed a significant decline on 1 test. Twenty patients from "traditional" OPCABG group and ten patients from "no touch" OPCABG group were diagnosed with POCD. CONCLUSIONS: Use of "no touch" OPCABG was associated with better attention and executive functions 1 week after surgery compared with "traditional" OPCABG.

Isolation of xanthone and benzophenone derivatives from Cyclopia genistoides (L.) Vent. (honeybush) and their pro-apoptotic activity on synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A fast and efficient method for the isolation of the C-glucosidated xanthones mangiferin and isomangiferin from the South-African plant Cyclopia genistoides was developed for the first time. The procedure involved extraction, liquid-liquid partitioning with ethyl acetate and subsequent precipitation of mangiferin and isomangiferin from methanol and acetonitrile-water fractions, respectively. Additionally, two benzophenone derivatives: 3-C-ß-glucosides of maclurin and iriflophenone, were isolated from C. genistoides extracts using semi-preparative HPLC. Apart from the above, the isolation procedure also yielded hesperidin and small amounts of luteolin. The structures of the compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR experiments and/or LC-DAD-ESI-MS. The selected Cyclopia constituents were screened for pro-apoptotic activity on TNF-α-stimulated synovial cells isolated from rheumatoid arthritis patients. The strongest effect, measured as percent of apoptotic cells, was recorded for isomangiferin (75%), followed by iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside (71%), hesperidin (67%) and mangiferin (65%). The results are encouraging for further studies on the use of the above compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

A new approach to determine camptothecin and its analogues affinity to human serum albumin.

A novel and fast method for the determination of the binding kinetic data of ligand to protein has been developed. A new tool including human serum albumin-coated magnetic beads (HSA-MB) was used to determine the affinity of camptothecin (CPT) and its analogues to HSA. From the biological activity point of view, these compounds have potential anticancer activity. However, the numerous studies indicate that some of these analogues have a strong affinity to plasma proteins stopping their effective therapy. Thus, the problem of plasma protein binding behavior of CPT's analogues was the subject of this study.

Contribution of artificial intelligence to the knowledge of prognostic factors in Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most curable malignancies and most patients achieve a lasting complete remission. In this study, artificial neural network (ANN) analysis was shown to provide significant factors with regard to 5-year recurrence after lymphoma treatment. Data from 114 patients treated for Hodgkin's disease were available for evaluation and comparison. A total of 31 variables were subjected to ANN analysis. The ANN approach as an advanced multivariate data processing method was shown to provide objective prognostic data. Some of these prognostic factors are consistent or even identical to the factors evaluated earlier by other statistical methods.

In vitro cultures of Cyclopia plants (honeybush) as a source of bioactive xanthones and flavanones.

In vitro shoot and callus cultures of the endemic South-African shrubs: Cyclopia intermedia E. Mey., Cyclopia subternata Vogel, and Cyclopia genistoides (L.) Vent. (Fabaceae) were established and examined for the presence of polyphenolic compounds. The xanthones mangiferin and isomangiferin, as well as the flavanones hesperidin and eriocitrin were identified by LC-ESI-MS and LC-DAD, and analyzed quantitatively by HPLC. The respective intact plants were analyzed for comparison. From all in vitro cultures, the highest levels of mangiferin (1.55%) and isomangiferin (0.56%) were recorded in C. subternata microshoots, compared to 1.31% and 0.49% found in the intact plant. Callus cultures of all species synthesized only trace amounts of mangiferin and isomangiferin. Hesperidin and eriocitrin contents were significanly lower in all in vitro cultures, in comparison to the respective intact plants. Among the obtained in vitro biomasses, the highest hesperidin content was recorded in C. intermedia (0.9%) and C. subternata (0.87%) microshoots, whereas C. subternata callus was characterized by the best growth parameters and highest hesperidin content (0.69%) from all examined Cyclopia calli.

Artificial neural network analysis for evaluation of peptide MS/MS spectra in proteomics.

The aim of the work was to explore usefulness of artificial neural network (ANN) analysis for the evaluation of proteomics data. The analysis was applied to the data generated by the widely used protein identification program Sequest, completed with several structural parameters readily calculated from peptide molecular formulas. Proteins from yeast cells were identified based on the MS/MS spectra of peptides. The constructed ANN was demonstrated to classify automatically as either "good" or "bad" the peptide MS/MS spectra otherwise classified manually. An appropriately trained ANN proves to be a high-throughput tool facilitating examination of Sequest's results. ANNs are recommended as a means of automatic processing of large amounts of MS/MS data, which normally must be considered in the analysis of complex mixtures of proteins in proteomics.