The impact of body mass index on survival endpoints among patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma undergoing treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A real-world multicenter analysis.

Background: Studies on the correlation between high body mass index (BMI) and extended survival among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been made, although findings have shown variability. Our research explored the phenomenon of the "obesity paradox" in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) undergoing treatment with ICIs.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with mUC who received a minimum of one cycle of ICI treatment at two medical centers in Taiwan from September 2015 to January 2023.

Inhibiting WEE1 Augments the Antitumor Efficacy of Cisplatin in Urothelial Carcinoma by Enhancing the DNA Damage Process.

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is characterized by a high incidence of mutation, and overcoming resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy in UC is a major concern. Wee1 is a G2/M phase regulator that controls the DNA damage response to chemotherapy in -mutant cancers. The combination of Wee1 blockade with cisplatin has shown synergistic efficacy in several types of cancers, but little is known regarding UC.

repurposing of midostaurin as a therapeutic candidate for head and neck cancer via targeting SPARC/MMP9/CD44 Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) oncogenic signature.

Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) affects more than half a million individuals and ranks the ninth leading cause of death globally each year. Many patients develop treatment resistance leading to poor clinical outcomes. The poor treatment responses are in part due to the heterogeneity of HNSCC tumor and tumor microenvironment (TME).

Antifungal Sesquiterpenoids from Leaf Essential Oil against Wood-Rotting Fungi.

(Kanehira) Masamune is a broad-leaved species widespread in East Asia; the wood extract and its constituents possess antifungal activity against wood-decay fungi. Antifungal activities of leaf essential oil and its constituents from were investigated in the present study. Bioassay-guided isolation was applied to isolate the phytochemicals from leaf essential oil.

Detection of Amyloid-β(1-42) Aggregation With a Nanostructured Electrochemical Sandwich Immunoassay Biosensor.

Amyloid-β(1-42) [Aβ(1-42)] oligomer accumulations are associated with physiologic alterations in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we demonstrate that a nanostructured gold electrode with deposited gold nanoparticles, induced via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), may be used as an Aβ(1-42) conformation biosensor for the detection of Alzheimer's disease. Monoclonal antibodies (12F4) were immobilized on self-assembled monolayers of the electrochemical sandwich immunoassay biosensor to capture Aβ(1-42) monomers and oligomers.

An Electromechanical Model for Clamped-Edge Bimorph Disk Type Piezoelectric Transformer Utilizing Kirchhoff Thin Plate Theory.

In this paper, an analytical solution for a clamped-edge bimorph disk-type piezoelectric transformer with Kirchhoff thin plate theory is proposed. The electromechanical equations for transient motions are first derived, and coupled expressions for mechanical response and voltage output are obtained. For the case of excitation around the first resonant frequency, the resulting equations are further simplified.

Development and Validation of a Novel Serum Prognostic Marker for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer on Regorafenib Treatment.

(1) Background: To investigate the prognostic value of cancer-inflammation prognostic index (CIPI) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) on regorafenib treatment; (2) Methods: Patients with mCRC who were given regorafenib as later-line treatment at Kaohsiung and Linkou Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital between November 2014 and January 2021 were consecutively enrolled. All relevant clinicopathologic, laboratory data and survival status were recorded. Independent prognostic factors were determined by the multivariate Cox regression method; (3) Results: In total, 106 patients in the training cohort and 250 in the validation cohort were enrolled.

Peptide-based electrochemical sensor with nanogold enhancement for detecting rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorder, is an incurable disease. We developed a peptide-based electrochemical sensor using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy that can be used to detect autoantibodies for RA diagnostics. We first validated that the developed peptide showed high sensitivity and could compliment the current gold standard method of an anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) ELISA.

Machine-Based Hand Massage Ameliorates Preoperative Anxiety in Patients Awaiting Ambulatory Surgery.

Background: Hand massage therapies have been used to relieve anxiety and pain in various clinical situations. The effects of machine-based hand massage on preoperative anxiety in ambulatory surgery settings have not been evaluated.

Purpose: This prospective study was designed to investigate the effect of machine-based hand massage on preoperative anxiety and vital signs in ambulatory surgery patients.

Effect of infiltrating nasal packing with local anesthetics in postoperative pain and anxiety following sinonasal surgeries: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Packing of the nasal cavity has traditionally been used for postoperative bleeding control and decreasing synechia formation in patients undergoing nasal surgeries. Although absorbable nasal packing has been gaining popularity in the recent years, nonabsorbable nasal packing is still often used in nasal surgeries in various parts of the world. It is known to be associated with pain and discomfort especially upon and during removal, and previous reviews have only evaluated the effects of local anesthetic infiltration of nasal packing in septal surgeries.

Comparative Study of the Safety and Efficacy of First-Line Cisplatin and Carboplatin Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Objectives: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). However, considering elderly patients often experience comorbidities and frailty, the utility of cisplatin-based chemotherapy for elderly patients is still debatable. We conducted this study to compare the safety and efficacy of carboplatin and cisplatin in elderly patients with mUC.

Presence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Impair Survival in Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (EGFR-TKI): A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study.

The emergence of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) caused a paradigm shift in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although several clinicopathologic factors to predict the response to and survival on EGFR-TKI were recognized, its efficacy has not been confirmed for patients with underlying pulmonary disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted the study to evaluate the impact of COPD on survival for NSCLC patients that underwent EGFR-TKI treatment.

Short-term Subjective and Objective Outcomes of Patients Receiving Endoscopic Transcanal Myringoplasty for Repairing Tympanic Perforations.

Objective Endoscopic transcanal myringoplasty (ETM) has been an emerging technique for repairing tympanic perforations since the late 1990s. Objective outcomes (ie, graft success rates and hearing results) of patients who received ETM are well documented; however, subjective outcomes of these patients have rarely been reported. Hence, this study evaluated subjective and objective outcomes of patients who received ETM for repairing tympanic perforations.