Data-Driven Analysis Reveals Cortical Infarction Patterns Correlated With Inflammation and Prognosis: A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We aim to identify the distinct lesion patterns and regions associated with functional outcome and inflammation in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and investigate whether the association between lesion patterns and functional outcome was mediated by inflammation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed nonnegative matrix factorization to derived low-dimensional lesion patterns (atoms), and Bayesian linear regression models were applied to explore the associations of lesion patterns with inflammatory factors including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, as well as functional outcome (defined as modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months). The difference distribution mean and 95% highest probability density interval (HPDI) were calculated. Mediation analysis was used to examine the mediating effects of inflammation on the relationships between lesion patterns and functional outcome. Seven lesion patterns were derived from 5914 patients with acute ischemic stroke. Lesion patterns distributed in the cortical regions were associated with inflammatory response, including atom 1 (interleukin-6: mean, 0.113 [95% HPDI, 0.073-0.162]; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein: mean, 0.082 [95% HPDI, 0.038-0.123]) and atom 4 (interleukin-6: mean, 0.113 [95% HPDI, 0.071-0.167]; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein: mean, 0.108 [95% HPDI, 0.058-0.165]). These lesion patterns were also significantly associated with functional outcome (atom 1: mean, 1.958 [95% HPDI, 1.538-2.383]; atom 4: mean, 2.245 [95% HPDI, 1.773-2.741]). Mediation analysis suggested that interleukin-6 explained 15.34% and 7.47% in the association of atom 1 and atom 4 with functional outcome, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Certain lesion patterns that are associated with both inflammation and functional outcome of acute ischemic stroke, especially cortical infarction, may play a role in functional outcome through modulating inflammatory reactions.

Effective reduction on flame soot via plasma coupled with carbon dioxide.

This study explored the impact of non-thermal plasma and CO2 on the flame soot characteristics within the diffusion flames. We analyzed on flame structures that were diluted with either CO2 or N2, temperature distributions, and soot characteristics, both in the presence and absence of plasma. Due to the higher specific heat capacity of CO2 compared to N2, the optical observations consistently showed lower temperatures in flames diluted with CO2 as compared to those diluted with N2. The inclusion of plasma and carbon dioxide resulted in the lowest soot concentration, indicating that plasma coupled with CO2 has a synergistic inhibitory effect on soot emissions. The findings revealed that when CO2 was used to dilute the flames and the oxygen concentration was low, the soot nanostructure appeared amorphous. Raman results showed that the level of graphitization observed in soot particles from CO2 dilution flames was lower than that from N2 dilution flames. In the presence of plasma and CO2, the soot obtained exhibited the shortest fringe length and the highest fringe tortuosity. Significant correlations were observed between the nanostructure of soot and its reactivity. The combined application of plasma and CO2 proved to be effective in reducing the soot carbonization degree.

Predictors of dysphagia screening and pneumonia among patients with intracerebral haemorrhage in China: a cross-sectional hospital-based retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with undergoing dysphagia screening (DS) and developing pneumonia, as well as the relationship between DS and pneumonia in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). DESIGN: Our study was a cross-sectional hospital-based retrospective study. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: We derived data from the China Stroke Centre Alliance, a nationwide clinical registry of ICH from 1476 participating hospitals in mainland China. To identify predictors for pneumonia, multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify patient characteristics that were independently associated with DS and pneumonia. PARTICIPANTS: We included 31 546 patients in this study with patient characteristics, admission location, medical history, hospital characteristics and hospital grade from August 2015 to July 2019. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were DS and pneumonia during acute hospitalisation. RESULTS: In total, 25 749 (81.6%) and 7257 (23.0%) patients with ICH underwent DS and developed pneumonia. Compared with patients without pneumonia, those who developed pneumonia were older and had severe strokes (Glasgow Coma Scale 9-13: 52.7% vs 26.9%). Multivariable analyses revealed that a higher pneumonia risk was associated with dysphagia (OR, 4.34; 95% CI, 4.02 to 4.68), heart failure (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.77) and smoking (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.12 to 0.20). DS was associated with lower odds of pneumonia (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.95). CONCLUSION: Our findings further confirm that dysphagia is an independent risk factor for pneumonia; one-fifth of patients with ICH did not undergo DS. However, comprehensive dysphagia evaluation and effective management are crucial. Nursing processes ensure the collection of complete and accurate information during evaluation of patients. There is a need to increase the rate of DS in patients with ICH, especially those with severe stroke or older. Further, randomised controlled trials are warranted to determine the effectiveness of DS on clinical outcomes.

Extrarenal Wilms tumor of the recto-vaginal septum with BRCA2 gene mutation: a case report.

Extrarenal Wilms tumor (ERWT) is rare, and its occurrence in the adult recto-vaginal septum is even more uncommon. Importantly, instances of a BRCA2 gene mutation associated with ERWT have not been documented. In this report, we present an unusual case of ERWT situated in the recto-vaginal septum of a 49-year-old woman, accompanied by a concurrent BRCA2 gene mutation. After the tumor's second recurrence, the patient experienced symptomatic relief after administering poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor therapy. Given the limited exposure and understanding of optimal treatment strategies for this distinct tumor, there is a definite need to accumulate further clinical experiences and insight. Consequently, we propose that genetic testing be considered in cases involving tumor recurrence or metastasis, since this may offer valuable information for identifying targets for therapeutic intervention.

Single and Multiple High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infections in Histopathologically Confirmed Cervical Squamous Lesions: Incidences, Distribution, and Associated Detection Rates for Precancerous and Cancerous Lesions.

Coinfection with multiple high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) is frequently observed in cervical specimens; however, the clinical significance of concomitant multiple hrHPV infections is poorly understood, and the published results remain inconsistent. A retrospective study at a tertiary care institution was performed, evaluating Tellgenplex human papillomavirus (HPV) 27 genotyping or YanengBio HPV 23 genotyping results and immediate cervical histologic diagnosis (within 6 months after HPV genotyping), between November 2015 and October 2022. Among 49,299 cases with hrHPV genotyping and histologic diagnosis, 24,361 cases were diagnosed as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and squamous cell carcinoma. Among women with cervical squamous lesions, 86.5% (21,070/24,361) had hrHPV infections, and concomitant multiple hrHPV infections accounted for 24.7% of hrHPV-positive cases (5210/21,070). The hrHPV-positive rates in these cervical squamous lesions increased progressively with disease severity; however, the percentages of concomitant multiple hrHPV infection rates among hrHPV-positive cases decreased significantly with increasing degree of squamous abnormalities. There was no increased detection rate of CIN3+ (CIN3 and squamous cell carcinoma) in cases with concomitant 2 or 3 hrHPV genotype infections when compared with those with corresponding single hrHPV infections. Conversely, some combinations of multiple hrHPV infections demonstrated a decrease in the detection rates of CIN3+ lesions. In this large cohort, our results demonstrated that multiple hrHPV infections do not carry an increased risk for developing CIN3+ lesions when compared to the corresponding single-genotype infection. The reduced risk of CIN3+ in women infected with some combinations of hrHPV genotypes compared to those with single-genotype infections supports the concept of intergenotypic competition of hrHPV genotypes in cervical squamous lesions.

Mediation effect of stroke recurrence in the association between post-stroke interleukin-6 and functional disability.

AIM: Post-stroke inflammation increases the risk of functional disability through enlarged cerebral infarct size directly and follow-up stroke event indirectly. We aimed to use post-stroke proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a marker of inflammatory burden and quantify post-stroke inflammation's direct and indirect effect on functional disability. METHODS: We analyzed patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to 169 hospitals in the Third China National Stroke Registry. Blood samples were collected within 24 h of admission. Stroke recurrence and functional outcome measured by the modified Rankin scale (mRS) were assessed via face-to-face interviews at 3 months. Functional disability was defined as an mRS score ≥2. Mediation analyses under the counterfactual framework were performed to examine the potential causal chain in which stroke recurrence may mediate the relationship between IL-6 and functional outcome. RESULTS: Among the 7053 analyzed patients, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) NIHSS score was 3 (1-5), and the median (IQR) level of IL-6 was 2.61 (1.60-4.73) pg/mL. Stroke recurrence was observed in 458 (6.5%) patients, and functional disability was seen in 1708 (24.2%) patients at the 90-day follow-up. Per stand deviation (4.26 pg/mL) increase in the concentration of IL-6 was associated with an increased risk of stroke recurrence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.29) and disability (aOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.15-1.30) within 90 days. Mediation analyses revealed that 18.72% (95% CI, 9.26%-28.18%) of the relationship between IL-6 and functional disability was mediated by stroke recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke recurrence mediates less than 20% of the association between IL-6 and functional outcome at 90 days among patients with acute ischemic stroke. In addition to typical secondary prevention strategies for preventing stroke recurrence, more attention should be paid to novel anti-inflammatory therapy to improve functional outcomes directly.

Extended human papillomavirus genotype distribution in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer: Analysis of 40 352 cases from a large academic gynecologic center in China.

Our aim was to conduct a large epidemiologic analysis of the distribution of human papilloma virus (HPV) genotypes associated with cervical neoplasias and cancers at a major Chinese gynecologic center. The pathologic database was searched for cervical histopathologic diagnoses with prior HPV genotyping from liquid cervical cytology specimens obtained ≤6 months before biopsy. HPV testing was performed by using the Tellgenplex HPV27 or YanengBio HPV23 genotyping assays. A total of 40 352 cases meeting study criteria were identified. High risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) was detected in 94.1% of squamous cancers compared to in only 83.3% of cervical adenocarcinomas. The prevalence of multiple HPV infections was highest in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1 (CIN1) (33.8%) and decreased with increasing severity of squamous lesions. The distribution of HPV genotypes was similar between CIN1 and histopathologic-negative cases. HPV16 was one of the three most common hrHPV genotypes before all histopathologic abnormalities, ranging from 72.0% for cervical cancers, 38.7% for CIN2/3/AIS, 13.1% for CIN1, and 9.1% for biopsy-negative cases. HPV16 and HPV18 accounted for over 87.2% of detected hrHPV genotypes for all glandular intraepithelial neoplastic lesions and cancers, whereas squamous lesions did not show this pattern. 80.3% of cervical cancers were associated with genotypes covered by HPV16/18 vaccines and 89.6% with genotypes covered by 9-valent vaccination.

Case report: cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma in a 49-year-old woman.

Background: Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma (CDL) is much less common than typical leiomyoma. Macroscopically, it displays multinodular, exophytic, placenta-like cystic masses and extends into the broad ligament, pelvic cavity, and retroperitoneal space. The seemingly malignant gross appearance of the tumor has perplexed gynecologists and pathologists; microscopically, it has no malignant characteristics, such as atypical cells, a high mitotic index, or tumor necrosis. To date, only a few cases of CDL have been reported. Here, we report a case of CDL, highlighting its gross and histological appearance, and present a review of the literature. Case Description: A 49-year-old woman presented with a history of progressive constipation of 6 months' duration and a palpable left lower abdominal mass of 1 month's duration. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed a bulky uterus containing 2 subserosal fibroids measuring 9.9 cm × 6.9 cm × 6.3 cm and 8.1 cm × 6.6 cm × 6.8 cm, respectively. An abdominal modified radical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. An intraoperative frozen section showed an angioleiomyoma with edema. However, the postoperative paraffin section confirmed a diagnosis of CDL. No abnormalities were observed at the 6-month follow-up visit. Conclusions: Despite its seemingly malignant gross appearance, CDL, based on its microscopic appearance, is a rare benign tumor and has a favorable prognosis.

Pre-stroke dementia and in-hospital outcomes in the Chinese Stroke Center Alliance.

Background: Little is known about the impact of prevalent dementia on in-hospital outcomes of patients with incident stroke in China. Using data from the Chinese Stroke Center Alliance (CSCA), we aim to quantify the prevalence of pre-stroke dementia and whether this group is at higher risk of adverse in-hospital outcomes compared to those without pre-stroke dementia. Methods: We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess the associations between pre-stroke dementia and ambulation by day 2, in-hospital mortality, in-hospital complications, and being discharged home. Covariates included age, sex, comorbidities [dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), smoking, and alcohol use], medication history (antiplatelet drugs or lipid-lowering drugs), stroke severity [measured by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)], administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) within 4.5 hours of stroke onset, and receipt of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis if indicated. Results: In the final analytic sample of 559,070 ischemic stroke patients with no prior stroke history enrolled across 1,476 hospitals, those with pre-stroke dementia (n=1,511; 0.3%) were older and more likely to be female. Despite having received similar treatment, patients with pre-stroke dementia had lower odds of ambulating by day 2 [odds ratio (OR) =0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.78], higher odds of in-hospital mortality (OR =2.01; 95% CI: 1.35-2.99) or complications (OR =2.17; 95% CI: 1.93-2.44), and lower odds of being discharged home compared to those without pre-stroke dementia (OR =0.71; 95% CI: 0.62-0.83). Conclusions: Worse in-hospital outcomes among patients with pre-stroke dementia may be explained by pre-existing cognitive impairment that limited their ability to advocate for care needs. Further research is needed to determine whether a different care pathway or additional attention from clinicians is necessary for patients with pre-stroke dementia.

Evaluation of Diffusion-Perfusion Mismatch in Acute Ischemic Stroke with a New Automated Perfusion-Weighted Imaging Software: A Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of automated software (iStroke) on magnetic resonance (MR) apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) against ground truth in assessing infarct core, and compare the hypoperfusion volume and mismatch volume on iStroke with those on Food and Drug Administration-approved software (RAPID) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We used the single-volume decomposition method to develop the iStroke (iStroke; Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Beijing, China) software. Patients with ischemic stroke were collected from two educational hospitals in China with MR-PWI performed in the emergency department within 24 h of symptom onset. Infarct core volume was defined as ADC < 620 × 10-6 mm2/s and hypoperfusion volume was defined as Tmax > 6 s. We compared the accuracy of infarct core volume using iStroke and RAPID (iSchema View Inc, Menlo Park, CA) software with ground truth. RESULTS: We included 405 patients with acute ischemic stroke with MR ADC and PWI sequences. The infarct core volume on iStroke (median 2.43 ml, interquartile range [IQR] 0.60-10.32 ml) was not significantly different from the ground truth (median 2.89 ml, IQR 0.77-9.17 ml) (P = 0.07); Bland-Altman curves showed that the core volume of iStroke and RAPID software were comparable with each other on individual agreement with ground truth. The hypoperfusion volume and mismatch volume on iStroke were not statistically different from those on the RAPID software, respectively. In patients with large vessel occlusion (n = 74), the agreement between iStroke and RAPID was substantial (kappa = 0.76) according to DEFUSE 3 criteria (infarct core < 70 ml, mismatch volume ≥ 15 ml, and mismatch ratio ≥ 1.8). CONCLUSIONS: The iStroke automatic processing of ADC and PWI is a reliable software for the identification of diffusion-perfusion mismatch in acute ischemic stroke.

A Nomogram for the Determination of the Necessity of Concurrent Chemotherapy in Patients With Stage II-IVa Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The efficiency of concurrent chemotherapy (CC) remains controversial for stage II-IVa nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Therefore, we aimed to propose a nomogram to identify patients who would benefit from CC. METHODS: A total of 434 NPC patients (stage II-IVa) treated with IC followed by IMRT between January 2010 and December 2015 were included. There were 808 dosimetric parameters extracted by the in-house script for each patient. A dosimetric signature was developed with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm. A nomogram was built by incorporating clinical factors and dosimetric signature using Cox regression to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS). The C-index was used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. The patients were stratified into low- and high-risk recurrence according to the optimal cutoff of risk score. RESULTS: The nomogram incorporating age, TNM stage, and dosimetric signature yielded a C-index of 0.719 (95% confidence interval, 0.658-0.78). In the low-risk group, CC was associated with a 9.4% increase of 5-year locoregional RFS and an 8.8% increase of 5-year overall survival (OS), whereas it was not significantly associated with an improvement of locoregional RFS (LRFS) and OS in the high-risk group. However, in the high-risk group, patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) by improving 33.6% of the 5-year LRFS. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram performed an individualized risk quantification of RFS in patients with stage II-IVa NPC treated with IC followed by IMRT. Patients with low risk could benefit from CC, whereas patients with high risk may require additional AC.

Role of MRI-Based Functional Imaging in Improving the Therapeutic Index of Radiotherapy in Cancer Treatment.

Advances in radiation technology, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), have largely enabled a biological dose escalation of the target volume (TV) and reduce the dose to adjacent tissues or organs at risk (OARs). However, the risk of radiation-induced injury increases as more radiation dose utilized during radiation therapy (RT), which predominantly limits further increases in TV dose distribution and reduces the local control rate. Thus, the accurate target delineation is crucial. Recently, technological improvements for precise target delineation have obtained more attention in the field of RT. The addition of functional imaging to RT can provide a more accurate anatomy of the tumor and normal tissues (such as location and size), along with biological information that aids to optimize the therapeutic index (TI) of RT. In this review, we discuss the application of some common MRI-based functional imaging techniques in clinical practice. In addition, we summarize the main challenges and prospects of these imaging technologies, expecting more inspiring developments and more productive research paths in the near future.

Guideline-directed low-density lipoprotein management in high-risk ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack admissions in China from 2015 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is crucial for secondary stroke prevention in stroke patients with preexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD) or cerebrovascular diseases (CeVD). However, data on attainment of guideline-recommended LDL-C levels are lacking. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Chinese Stroke Center Alliance (CSCA) program for patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) hospitalized between August 2015 and July 2019. Participants were classified into different disease groups according to preexisting CeVD (stroke/TIA) or CVD [coronary heart disease (CHD) or myocardial infarction (MI)]. RESULTS: Of 858,509 patients presenting with an acute stroke/TIA, 251,176 (29.3%) had a preexisting CeVD, 44,158 (5.1%) had preexisting CVD, 33,070 (3.9%) had concomitant preexisting CeVD and CVD, and 530,105 (61.7%) had no documented history of CeVD/CVD. Overall, only 397,596 (46.3%) met the target for LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L, 128,177 (14.9%) for LDL-C <1.8 mmol/L and 55,275 (6.4%) for LDL-C <1.4 mmol/L, and patients with concomitant CeVD and CVD had higher attainment rates than other disease groups (P<0.001). Despite improvements over time in the proportion of patients who attain LDL-C targets (P for trend <0.05), it remains suboptimal. Younger age, women, having a history of hypertension or dyslipidemia, current smoking or drinking, and being admitted to hospitals located in eastern China were associated with lower odds of meeting the LDL-C goals. CONCLUSIONS: Overall attainment of guideline LDL-C targets in a population of stroke/TIA patients is low and indicates the need for better management of dyslipidemia, particularly for high-risk stroke patients with pre-existing CeVD or CVD.

A nomogram for predicting late radiation-induced xerostomia among locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma in intensity modulated radiation therapy era.

BACKGROUND: Dry mouth sensation cannot be improved completely even though parotids are spared correctly. Our purpose is to develop a nomogram to predict the moderate-to-severe late radiation xerostomia for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) / volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) era. METHODS: A dataset of 311 patients was retrospectively collected between January 2010 and February 2013. The binary logistic regression was to estimate each factor's prognostic value for development of moderate-to-severe patient-reported xerostomia at least 2 years (Xer2y) after completion of radiotherapy. Therefore, we can develop a nomogram according to binary logistic regression coefficients. This novel model was validated by bootstrapping analyses. RESULTS: Contralateral Parotid mean dose (coMD<24.4Gy), VMAT (yes), and platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (no) were significantly related to patient-reported xerostomia at least 2 years (Xer2y) (all p < 0.001), and were included in the nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed AUC (area under the ROC curve) with the value of 0.811 (0.710-0.912) of the nomogram, which was significantly higher than coMD 0.698 (0.560-0.840) from QUANTEC2010 (p<0.001). Calibration plots illustrated that the predicted Xer2y was close to the actual observation, and decision curve analyses (DCA) indicated valid positive net benefits. CONCLUSION: We developed a feasible nomogram to predict patient-rated Xer2y based on comprehensive individual data in patients with LA-NPC in the real world. The proposed model is able to facilitate the development of treatment plan and quality of life improvement.

Ultra-Narrow-Band NIR Photomultiplication Organic Photodetectors Based on Charge Injection Narrowing.

Ultra-narrow-band NIR photomultiplication organic photodetectors (PM-OPDs) were realized in ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layers/Al based on an interfacial-trap-induced charge injection narrowing (CIN) concept. The rather less Bod Ethex-Hex (BEH) is imbedded in a polymer donor matrix to form large amounts of isolated electron traps. Trapped electrons in BEH close to an Al electrode will enforce hole-tunneling injection induced by interfacial band bending, resulting in a photomultiplication phenomenon. PM-OPDs with P3HT:BEH as the active layer exhibit a narrow response peak at 850 nm with a full-width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 27 nm as well as a rather weak response from 650 to 800 nm. The EQE of 29 700% at 850 nm was achieved in PM-OPDs by incorporating 0.02 wt % of F6TCNNQ under -13 V of applied voltage. The rejection ratio (RR) of the optimized PM-OPDs with F6TCNNQ is 11 for EQE850 nm/EQE700 nm and 10 for EQE850 nm/EQE750 nm, respectively. An EQE of 15 300% at 850 nm was achieved in the ternary PM-OPDs under -13 V of applied voltage, with markedly enhanced RRs of 44 for EQE850 nm/EQE700 nm and 30 for EQE850 nm/EQE750 nm.

Nomograms for predicting survival outcomes in intensity-modulated radiotherapy era of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A study based on Epstein-Barr virus DNA biological responses.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is evolving toward Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era, which requires patient-specific reestimation of survival outcomes in modern health care. METHODS: A total of 488 detectable pre-treatment Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA patients (stage II-IVa) treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) and IMRT were examined (training set, n = 325; validation set, n = 163). RESULTS: Concurrent chemotherapy (CC) was still an independent prognosticator for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Both nomograms included age, T classification, N classification, post-IC EBV DNA, and CC. Predictions correlated well with observed 3-/5-year OS and PFS. The concordance index was 0.776 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-0.86) for OS and 0.742 (95% CI 0.65-0.83) for PFS in the validation cohort. The nomograms can successfully classify patients into low- and high-risk groups. CONCLUSION: The validated nomograms provided useful prediction of OS and PFS for detectable pre-treatment EBV DNA patients with NPC in IMRT era.

Primary ovarian small cell carcinoma of hypercalcemic type in a pregnant woman: A case report.

RATIONALE: Ovarian small cell carcinoma of hypercalcemic type (OSCCHT) is a relatively rare and highly fatal gynecological malignancy of unknown histogenesis, affecting mainly girls and young women. OSCCHT occurring during pregnancy is an uncommon event, and preoperative diagnosis of this malignancy is much more difficult in pregnant than non-pregnant women. The aim of this study was to describe a rare case of primary OSCCHT in a pregnant woman and to review the current literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here we present a case of OSCCHT in a 21-year-old patient in the 32nd week of gestation, who had abdominal pain and irregular vaginal bleeding for 5 hours. Because placental abruption, stillbirth, and hemorrhagic shock were suspected, she subsequently underwent diagnostic laparotomy. During the hysterotomy delivery and exploratory laparotomy, we found a dead fetus in the uterus and a large tumor mass arising from her left ovary. Plasma-based detection showed that the patient had a slightly elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) level and normal serum calcium. After surgery, her serum PTH levels returned to normal. DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTIONS: The patient was initially treated with surgery. She underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, as well as the following additional procedures: appendectomy, sigmoidectomy, debulking of extra-ovarian tumor, lymph node dissection, and peritoneal biopsies. The patient, who was in the third trimester of pregnancy, was diagnosed with OSCCHT that was confirmed to be Stage III. She was recommended chemotherapy after surgery, but she declined chemotherapy. OUTCOMES: Unfortunately, the patient died 5 months after surgery. LESSONS: OSCCHT is a very rare and highly aggressive tumor type. The clinical symptoms of this tumor are nonspecific, and pathological examination remains the gold standard for diagnosis. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease and do not respond to chemotherapy. The prognosis of OSCCHT is generally poor, and no treatment guidelines are available as yet. For pregnant woman, OSCCHT is especially harmful to the mother and may indirectly lead to the death of the fetus.

Statistical process control and process capability analysis for non-normal volumetric modulated arc therapy patient-specific quality assurance processes.

PURPOSE: Applying statistical process control (SPC) to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)/volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) program was recommended by the American Association of Physics in Medicine Task Group 218 report, but a comprehensive analysis of PSQA processes with non-normal distributions is lacking. This study investigates SPC and process capability analysis (PCA) methods for non-normal IMRT/VMAT PSQA processes. METHODS: 1119 VMAT PSQAs were performed on three beam-matched linear accelerators (linacs), using gamma analysis. The Anderson-Darling statistic was used to test normality. The control charts for each PSQA process were obtained using three non-normal-based methods and compared with the conventional Shewhart method. The ability of each PSQA process to produce an output within the specification limit was measured using the C pk index; in this study, the C pk index was calculated using two transformation methods and compared with that calculated using the conventional method. The performances of the three linacs were assessed using SPC and PCA methods. RESULTS: All three PSQA processes were non-normal (P < 0.005). Compared to the non-normal-based SPC and PCA methods, the false alarm rates of the conventional method for linac1, linac2, and linac3 were 0.83%, 3.77%, and 4.95% respectively; the minimum overestimated C pk values were 0.59, 0.87, and 1.49, respectively. The process capabilities of the three beam-matched linacs were at different levels. CONCLUSION: For non-normal VMAT PSQA processes, the conventional SPC and PCA methods increase the false alarm rates and overestimate process capabilities. Instead, non-normal-based SPC and PCA methods are more reliable and accurate in non-normal PSQA processes. Statistical process control and PCA are useful tools for assessing the performance of beam-matched linacs.