Characterizing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) using alpha-band activity in resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) combined with MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB).

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) is commonly based on the subjective evaluation by experienced psychiatrists using clinical scales. Hence, it is particularly important to find more objective biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and further treatment. Alpha-band activity (7-13 Hz) is the most prominent component in resting electroencephalogram (EEG), which is also thought to be a potential biomarker. Recent studies have shown the existence of multiple sub-oscillations within the alpha band, with distinct neural underpinnings. However, the specific contribution of these alpha sub-oscillations to the diagnosis and treatment of MDD remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we recorded the resting-state EEG from MDD and HC populations in both open and closed-eye state conditions. We also assessed cognitive processing using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). RESULTS: We found that the MDD group showed significantly higher power in the high alpha range (10.5-11.5 Hz) and lower power in the low alpha range (7-8.5 Hz) compared to the HC group. Notably, high alpha power in the MDD group is negatively correlated with working memory performance in MCCB, whereas no such correlation was found in the HC group. Furthermore, using five established classification algorithms, we discovered that combining alpha oscillations with MCCB scores as features yielded the highest classification accuracy compared to using EEG or MCCB scores alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the potential of sub-oscillations within the alpha frequency band as a potential distinct biomarker. When combined with psychological scales, they may provide guidance relevant for the diagnosis and treatment of MDD.

Visible light-activatable platinum(IV) prodrugs harnessing CD36 for ovarian cancer therapy.

We hereby engineered photoactivatable Pt(IV) metallodrugs that harness CD36 to target ovarian cancer cells. Pt(IV) compounds mimic the structure of fatty acids and take advantage of CD36 as a "Trojan horse" to gain entry into the cells. We confirmed that CD36-dependent entry occurs using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy with ovarian cancer cells expressing different levels of CD36 and a CD36 inhibitor, SSO. Once the Pt(IV) metallodrugs enter the cancer cells, they can be activated to form Pt(II) with characteristics of cisplatin under visible light (490 nm) irradiation, promoting photoinduced electron transfer from the attached fluorophore to the metal center. This light-induced activation can increase the cytotoxicity of the Pt(IV) metallodrugs by up to 20 times toward ovarian cancer cells, inducing DNA damage and enabling efficient elimination of drug-resistant cancer cells.

Nutritional and immune-related indicators-based Nomogram for predicting overall survival of surgical oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is one of the most aggressive oral tumors. The aim of this study was to establish a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS) of TSCC patients after surgery. 169 TSCC patients who underwent surgical treatments in the Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were included. A nomogram based on Cox regression analysis results was established and internally validated using bootstrap resampling method. pTNM stage, age and total protein, immunoglobulin G, factor B and red blood cell count were identified as independent prognostic factors to create the nomogram. The Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion of the nomogram were lower than those of pTNM stage, indicating a better goodness-of-fit of the nomogram for predicting OS. The bootstrap-corrected concordance index of nomogram was higher than that of pTNM stage (0.794 vs. 0.665, p = 0.0008). The nomogram also had a good calibration and improved overall net benefit. Based on the cutoff value obtained from the nomogram, the proposed high-risk group had poorer OS than low-risk group (p < 0.0001). The nomogram based on nutritional and immune-related indicators represents a promising tool for outcome prediction of surgical OTSCC.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype: Association with initial neurological severity and etiologic subtypes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: To explore the relationship of hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype (HTWP) with initial neurological severity and etiologic subtypes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: The data for this study were collected from hospitalized patients within 72 h of acute ischemic stroke onset at the Department of Neurology of the Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2022. The initial neurological severity was assessed by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on the day of admission: NIHSS <6 was defined as mild stroke, and NIHSS ≥6 as moderate to severe stroke. HTWP was defined by fasting serum triglycerides ≥1.7 mmol/L and waist circumference ≥90 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women. Differentiation of etiologic subtypes was based on the method reported in the Trial of Org 10 172 in Acute Stroke Treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association of HTWP with initial neurological severity and etiologic subtypes. Results: The study included 431 patients. Compared with the normal waist-normal blood triglyceride group, patients with HTWP had reduced risks of moderate to severe stroke [odds ratio (OR): 0.384, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.170-0.869; P = 0.022]. In addition, the risk of small-artery occlusion stroke was 2.318 times higher in the HTWP group than in the normal triglyceride-normal waist (NWNT) group (OR: 2.318, 95% CI: 1.244-4.319; P = 0.008). Conclusion: Initial neurological severity was less severe in patients with HTWP, and HTWP was associated with an increased risk of small-artery occlusion stroke.

External penetrating laryngeal trauma caused by a metal fragment: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Although external penetrating laryngeal trauma is rare in the clinic, such cases often result in a high mortality rate. The early recognition of injury, protection of the airway, one-stage laryngeal reconstruction with miniplates and interdisciplinary cooperation are important in the treatment of such patients. CASE SUMMARY: A 58-year-old male worker sustained a penetrating injury in the left neck. After computed tomography scanning at a local hospital, he was transferred to our hospital, where he underwent tracheotomy, neck exploration, extraction of the foreign object, debridement and repair of the thyroid cartilage using titanium miniplates. An endo laryngeal stent was inserted, which was removed 12 days later. The patient recovered well and his voice rapidly improved after surgery. CONCLUSION: Penetrating laryngeal trauma is uncommon. We successfully treated a patient with early laryngeal reconstruction and management by interdisciplinary cooperation.

A combined predicting model for benign esophageal stenosis after simultaneous integrated boost in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients (GASTO1072).

Purpose: We aimed to develop a combined predicting model for benign esophageal stenosis (BES) after simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) with concurrent chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: This study included 65 patients with EC who underwent SIB with chemotherapy. Esophageal stenosis was evaluated using esophagograms and the severity of eating disorders. Risk factors were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Radiomics features were extracted based on contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) before treatment. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was used for feature selection and radiomics signature construction. The model's performance was evaluated using Harrell's concordance index and receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The patients were stratified into low- and high-risk groups according to BES after SIB. The area under the curves of the clinical model, Rad-score, and the combined model were 0.751, 0.820 and 0.864, respectively. In the validation cohort, the AUCs of these three models were 0.854, 0.883 and 0.917, respectively. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that there was no deviation from model fitting for the training cohort (p=0.451) and validation cohort (p=0.481). The C-indexes of the nomogram were 0.864 and 0.958 for the training and validation cohort, respectively. The model combined with Rad-score and clinical factors achieved favorable prediction ability. Conclusion: Definitive chemoradiotherapy could alleviate tumor-inducing esophageal stenosis but result in benign stenosis. We constructed and tested a combined predicting model for benign esophageal stenosis after SIB. The nomogram incorporating both radiomics signature and clinical prognostic factors showed favorable predictive accuracy for BES in ESCC patients who received SIB with chemotherapy. Trial registration number and date of registration: Registered in www.Clinicaltrial.gov, ID: NCT01670409, August 12, 2012.

Nomogram based on clinical characteristics and serological inflammation markers to predict overall survival of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patient after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is a prevalent malignant disease that is characterized by high rates of metastasis and postoperative recurrence. The aim of this study was to establish a nomogram to predict the outcome of OTSCC patients after surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 169 OTSCC patients who underwent treatments in the Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from 2008 to 2019. The Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the independent prognostic factors associated with patient's overall survival (OS). A nomogram based on these prognostic factors was established and internally validated using a bootstrap resampling method. RESULTS: Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed the independent prognostic factors for OS were TNM stage, age, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and immunoglobulin G, all of which were identified to create the nomogram. The Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion of the nomogram were lower than those of TNM stage (292.222 vs. 305.480; 298.444 vs. 307.036, respectively), indicating a better goodness-of-fit of the nomogram for predicting OS. The bootstrap-corrected of concordance index (C-index) of nomogram was 0.784 (95% CI 0.708-0.860), which was higher than that of TNM stage (0.685, 95% CI 0.603-0.767, P = 0.017). The results of time-dependent C-index for OS also showed that the nomogram had a better discriminative ability than that of TNM stage. The calibration curves of the nomogram showed good consistency between the probabilities and observed values. The decision curve analysis also revealed the potential clinical usefulness of the nomogram. Based on the cutoff value obtained from the nomogram, the proposed high-risk group had poorer OS than low-risk group (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram based on clinical characteristics and serological inflammation markers might be useful for outcome prediction of OTSCC patient.

A Combined Model to Improve the Prediction of Local Control for Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Based on Radiomic Signature Plus Clinical and Dosimetric Parameters.

PURPOSE: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an important treatment modality for lung cancer patients, however, tumor local recurrence rate remains some challenge and there is no reliable prediction tool. This study aims to develop a prediction model of local control for lung cancer patients undergoing SBRT based on radiomics signature combining with clinical and dosimetric parameters. METHODS: The radiomics model, clinical model and combined model were developed by radiomics features, incorporating clinical and dosimetric parameters and radiomics signatures plus clinical and dosimetric parameters, respectively. Three models were established by logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT) or support vector machine (SVM). The performance of models was assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and DeLong test. Furthermore, a nomogram was built and was assessed by calibration curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow and decision curve. RESULTS: The LR method was selected for model establishment. The radiomics model, clinical model and combined model showed favorite performance and calibration (Area under the ROC curve (AUC) 0.811, 0.845 and 0.911 in the training group, 0.702, 0.786 and 0.818 in the validation group, respectively). The performance of combined model was significantly superior than the other two models. In addition, Calibration curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow (training group: P = 0.898, validation group: P = 0.891) showed good calibration of combined nomogram and decision curve proved its clinical utility. CONCLUSIONS: The combined model based on radiomics features plus clinical and dosimetric parameters can improve the prediction of 1-year local control for lung cancer patients undergoing SBRT.

Fatty acid-like Pt(IV) prodrugs overcome cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by harnessing CD36.

Resistance to the platinum-based chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, is a significant setback in ovarian cancer. We engineered fatty acid-like Pt(iv) prodrugs that harness the fatty acid transporter CD36 to facilitate their entry to ovarian cancer cells. We show that these novel constructs effectively kill cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells.

Associations of grip strength with retinal and choroidal thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without retinopathy: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations of grip strength with retinal or choroidal thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without retinopathy. DESIGN: Observational study-cross-sectional design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included the Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes without retinopathy registered in the community health system in Guangzhou, China. MEASURES: The grip strength in both hands were measured by using a dynamometer. The retinal and choroidal thickness in macular region stratified by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sectors were measured by a swept-source optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: A total of 1029 patients were included. Both retinal thickness and choroidal thickness decreased with the lower quartile of grip strength. Regression analyses indicated that the average retinal and choroidal thickness increased by 0.14 µm (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.25 µm, p=0.011) and 0.57 µm (95% CI: 0.03 to 1.11 µm, p=0.037), respectively, for each additional kilogram of grip strength following adjustment for age and sex. Further adjustments were made for axial length, haemoglobin A1c, length of time the patient had diabetes, insulin usage, height, weight and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which resulted in an average retinal and choroidal thickness increase of 0.13 µm (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.24 µm, p=0.024) and 0.65 µm (95% CI: 0.13 to 1.16 µm, p=0.013), respectively, for each additional kilogram of grip strength. Consistent results were obtained in the analyses in ETDRS 9 sectors. CONCLUSION: Lower hand grip strength was found to be significantly associated with thinner retinal and choroidal layers in patients with diabetes. Grip strength may provide a useful and easily administered indicator of retinal status in patients with diabetes.

Monofunctional platinum(ii) anticancer complexes based on multidentate phenanthridine-containing ligand frameworks.

Phenanthriplatin is a leading preclinical anticancer Pt complex distinguished by a phenanthridine ligand that facilitates DNA-targeted covalent binding via intercalation. We report here that Pt(ii) complexes incorporating phenanthridine into a chelating, multidentate ligand scaffold exhibit a superior in vitro therapeutic index compared with phenanthriplatin and cisplatin.

Nanoparticles of Metal-Organic Cages Overcoming Drug Resistance in Ovarian Cancer.

A long-standing challenge in the treatment of ovarian cancer is drug resistance to standard platinum-based chemotherapy. Recently, increasing attention has been drawn to the use of self-assembled metal-organic complexes as novel therapeutics for cancer treatment. However, high hydrophobicity that is often associated with these structures lowers their solubility and hinders their clinical translation. In this article, we present a proof-of-concept study of using nanoprecipitation to formulate the hydrophobic metal-organic cages and facilitate their use in treating chemoresistant ovarian cancer. The Pt6L4 Cage 1 is an octahedral cage formed by self-assembly of six 1,10-phenanthroline-Pt(II) centers and four 2,4,6-tris(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine ligands (L). Cage 1 is able to trigger DNA damage and exhibits promising in vitro potency against a panel of human ovarian cancer cell lines. However, due to the large portion of aromatic components, this cage structure has very limited solubility in cell culture media (<20µM). Notably, upon nanoformulation by using fluorescein (2) and a pegylated anionic polymer (3), the concentration of Cage 1 can reach up to 0.4 mM. Production of the nanoparticles of metal-organic cages (nMOC) is driven by the formation of the 1:1 host-guest complex of 1 and 2 in aqueous solution, which then form nanoprecipitation in presence of poly glutamic acid-b-poly ethylene glycol (3). The resulted nMOC are about 100 nm in diameter, and they serve as a delivery platform that slowly releases the therapeutic content. The use of fluorescein facilitates monitoring cell entry of nMOC and drug release using flow cytometry. Finally, comparing to cisplatin, the nMOC exhibit comparable in vitro efficacy against a panel of human cancer cell lines, and notably, it shows a much lower resistance factor against chemoresistant ovarian cancer cell lines.