ABSTRACT
Introduction: Stage III NSCLC is a heterogeneous disease, representing approximately one-third of newly diagnosed lung cancers. Brazil lacks detailed information regarding stage distribution, treatment patterns, survival, and prognostic variables in locally advanced NSCLC. Methods: RELANCE/LACOG 0118 is an observational, retrospective cohort study assessing sociodemographic and clinical data of patients diagnosed with having stage III NSCLC from January 2015 to June 2019, regardless of treatment received. The study was conducted across 13 cancer centers in Brazil. Disease status and survival data were collected up to June 2021. Descriptive statistics, survival analyses, and a multivariable Cox regression model were performed. p values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: We recruited 403 patients with stage III NSCLC. Most were male (64.0%), White (31.5%), and smokers or former smokers (86.1%). Most patients had public health insurance (67.5%), had stage IIIA disease (63.2%), and were treated with concurrent chemoradiation (53.1%). The median follow-up time was 33.83 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.43-37.50). Median overall survival (OS) was 27.97 months (95% CI: 21.57-31.73), and median progression-free survival was 11.23 months (95% CI: 10.70-12.77). The type of treatment was independently associated with OS and progression-free survival, whereas the types of health insurance and histology were independent predictors of OS only. Conclusions: Brazilian patients with stage III NSCLC with public health insurance are diagnosed later and have poorer OS. Nevertheless, patients with access to adequate treatment have outcomes similar to those reported in the pivotal trials. Health policy should be improved to make lung cancer diagnosis faster and guarantee prompt access to adequate treatment in Brazil.
ABSTRACT
The potential use of amino acids by ruminal microorganisms converting them into microbial protein for ruminants makes it challenging to supplement these nutrients in an accessible form in animals' diets. Several strategies to protect amino acids from ruminal degradation were reported, producing amino acids available for the protein used in the intestine called "bypass." The intercalation of biomolecules in clay mineral minerals has gained notoriety due to its ability to support, protect, transport, physicochemical properties and non-toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the incorporation of L-lysine (Lys), L-methionine (Met), and L-tryptophan (Trp) amino acids in the clay minerals sepiolite (Sep) and Veegum® (Veg) using the adsorption method. The characterization techniques of X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy indicated the presence of biomolecules in the inorganic matrices. Elemental and thermal analyzes monitored the percentages of incorporated amino acids. They showed better incorporation capacities for Veg, such as Met-Veg < Lys-Veg < Trp-Veg and Lys-Sep < Met-Sep < Trp-Sep for sepiolite, except for the incorporation of Met. Matrices provide a promising alternative for planning the administration of biomolecules, using essential amino acids as models, and may offer an alternative to improve functional diet strategies.