Therapy response assessment of non-small cell lung cancer using dual-energy computed tomography iodine map.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate feasibility of the quantitative parameters of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) to assess therapy response in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with the traditional enhanced CT parameters based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guidelines. METHODS: Forty-five patients with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC who underwent DECT before and after chemotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) were prospectively enrolled. By comparing baseline studies with follow-up, patients were divided into two groups according to RECIST guidelines as follows: disease control (DC, including partial response and stable disease) and progressive disease (PD). The diameter (D), attenuation, iodine concentration and normalized iodine concentration of arterial and venous phases (ICA, ICv, NICA, NICv) and the percentage of these changes pre- and post-therapy were measured and calculated. The Pearson correlation was used to analyze correlation between various quantitative parameters. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate accuracy of therapy response prediction. RESULTS: The change percentages of Attenuation (Δ-Attenuation-A and Δ-Attenuation-V), IC (ΔICA and ΔICV) and NIC (ΔNICA and ΔNICV) pre- and post-therapy correlate with the change percentage of D (ΔD). Among these, ΔICA strongly correlates with ΔD (r = 0.793, P < 0.001). The areas under ROC curves generated using Δ-Attenuation-A, ΔICA, and ΔNICA are 0.796, 0.900, and 0.880 with the corresponding cutoff value of 9.096, -15.692, and -4.7569, respectively, which are significantly different (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The quantitative parameters of DECT iodine map, especially iodine concentration, in arterial phase provides a new quantitative image marker to predict therapy response of patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC.

Measuring the global, regional, and national burden of type 2 diabetes and the attributable risk factors in all 194 countries.

BACKGROUND: No detailed quantitative global, regional, or national estimates of the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are available. METHODS: We used data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 to estimate the global, regional, and national incidence rates and DALYs of T2DM, as well as the associated risk factors, in all 194 countries and territories by age, sex, and sociodemographic status during the period from 2007 to 2017. RESULTS: Globally, the age-standardized incidence and DALY rates increased by 3.23% and 5.07% during 2007 to 2017, respectively. The age-standardized incidence and DALY rates in 2017 and the corresponding percentage changes during 2007 to 2017 were highest in the low-middle sociodemographic index (SDI) quintile. Regionally, the highest 2017 age-standardized incidence and DALY rates were observed in Oceania, whereas the largest percentage increases in both rates during 2007 to 2017 were observed in Southeast Asia. Nationally, Iran, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia reported the largest percentage increases in the age-standardized incidence rates, whereas Georgia, Czech Republic, and Iran showed the largest percentage increases in the age-standardized DALY rates. Globally, the largest percentage increases in risk-attributable DALYs were associated with a high body mass index, low physical activity level, high fasting plasma glucose level, and high sugar-sweetened beverage and red meat consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The global T2DM age-standardized incidence and DALY rates increased globally between 2007 and 2017, especially in the low-middle SDI quintile, Southeast Asia.

Comprehensive Assessment of the Relationship Between MicroRNA-124 and the Prognostic Significance of Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated the presence of microRNA-124 abnormalities involving gene expression, methylation, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in multiple and diverse cancers, but the prognostic value of these abnormalities in cancer remains inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the prognostic value of miR-124 in cancer. METHODS: We scrutinized the electronic databases and estimate the association between miR-124 expression, methylation and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and prognosis in cancers. The pooled hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival (RFS)/progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated to estimate the effects of miR-124 expression, methylation, and SNPs on cancer prognosis. The Quality in Prognosis Studies and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were utilized to assess the quality of included studies. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies involving 3,574 participants were analyzed in evidence synthesis. Our findings showed that the low expression of miR-124 was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.91-2.94, P = 0.00; HR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.04-4.70, P = 0.00) and PFS/RFS (HR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.50-3.26, P = 0.00; HR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.20-3.74, P = 0.00). The hyper-methylation of miR-124 was associated with poor OS (HR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.48-2.95, P = 0.00) and PFS (HR = 3.70, 95% CI: 1.72-7.97, P = 0.00) (Table 3). The patients carrying with Allele C of miR-124 rs5315649 had a worse OS (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.09-2.07, P = 0.00) and PFS (HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.20-2.33, P = 0.00) than the carriers with Allele G. CONCLUSION: The low expression and hyper-methylation of miR-124 was strongly associated with poor prognosis, and genetic variations of miR-124 rs531564 affected prognosis in cancer patients.

Impact of the next-generation sequencing data depth on various biological result inferences.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized the field of genomics and provided unprecedented opportunities for high-throughput analysis at the levels of genomics, transcriptomics and epigenetics. However, the cost of NGS is still prohibitive for many laboratories. It is imperative to address the trade-off between the sequencing depth and cost. In this review, we will discuss the effects of sequencing depth on the detection of genes, quantification of gene expression and discovering of gene structural variants. This will provide readers information on choosing appropriate sequencing depth that best meet the needs of their particular project.

[The value of 5-HTT gene polymorphism for the assessment and prediction of male adolescence violence].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an adolescent violence crime prediction model, and to assess the value of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene polymorphism for the assessment and prediction of violent crime. METHODS: Investigative tools were used to analyze the difference in personality dimensions, social support, coping styles, aggressiveness, impulsivity, and family condition scale between 223 adolescents with violence behavior and 148 adolescents without violence behavior. The distribution of 5-HTT gene polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR and 5-HTTVNTR) was compared between the two groups. The role of 5-HTT gene polymorphism on adolescent personality, impulsion and aggression scale also was also analyzed. Stepwise logistic regression was used to establish a predictive model for adolescent violent crime. RESULTS: Significant difference was found between the violence group and the control group on multiple dimensions of psychology and environment scales. However, no statistical difference was found with regard to the 5-HTT genotypes and alleles between adolescents with violent behaviors and normal controls. The rate of prediction accuracy was not significantly improved when 5-HTT gene polymorphism was taken into the model. CONCLUSION: The violent crime of adolescents was closely related with social and environmental factors. No association was found between 5-HTT polymorphisms and adolescent violence criminal behavior.