Longitudinal gut microbiome analyses and blooms of pathogenic strains during lupus disease flares.

Objective: Whereas genetic susceptibility for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been well explored, the triggers for clinical disease flares remain elusive. To investigate relationships between microbiota community resilience and disease activity, we performed the first longitudinal analyses of lupus gut-microbiota communities.

Methods: In an observational study, taxononomic analyses, including multivariate analysis of ß-diversity, assessed time-dependent alterations in faecal communities from patients and healthy controls.

Prognostic significance of the preoperative alkaline phosphatase‑to‑albumin ratio in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection.

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the preoperative alkaline phosphatase-to-albumin ratio (APAR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent radical hepatectomy. The clinicopathological data from 330 patients was retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves of APAR for diagnostic tumor recurrence were plotted with a cut-off value of 1.

Remote Eradication of Bacteria on Orthopedic Implants via Delayed Delivery of Polycaprolactone Stabilized Polyvinylpyrrolidone Iodine.

Bacteria-associated late infection of the orthopedic devices would further lead to the failure of the implantation. However, present ordinary antimicrobial strategies usually deal with early infection but fail to combat the late infection of the implants due to the burst release of the antibiotics. Thus, to fabricate long-term antimicrobial (early antibacterial, late antibacterial) orthopedic implants is essential to address this issue.

Prognostic risk factors and survival models for T3 locally advanced rectal cancer: what can we learn from the baseline MRI?

Objectives: To evaluate the baseline MRI characteristics for predicting survival outcomes and construct survival models for risk stratification to facilitate personalized treatment and follow-up strategies in patients with MRI-defined T3 (mrT3) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 256 mrT3 LARC patients evaluated between 2008 and 2012 in our institution, with an average follow-up period of 6.8 ± 1.

A trilogy antimicrobial strategy for multiple infections of orthopedic implants throughout their life cycle.

Bacteria-associated infection represents one of the major threats for orthopedic implants failure during their life cycles. However, ordinary antimicrobial treatments usually failed to combat multiple waves of infections during arthroplasty and prosthesis revisions etc. As these incidents could easily introduce new microbial pathogens in/onto the implants.

The Predictive Value of Pre-/Postneoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy MRI Characteristics for Patient Outcomes in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of pre-/postneoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics for the long-term survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated pre- and post-nCRT MRI and clinicopathologic characteristics of LARC patients. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method.

Developing a prediction model based on MRI for pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to build an appropriate diagnostic model for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), by combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters with clinical factors.

Methods: Eighty-four patients with LARC who underwent MR examination before and after nCRT were enrolled in this study. MRI parameters including cylindrical approximated tumor volume (CATV) and relative signal intensity of tumor (rT2wSI) were measured; corresponding reduction rates (RR) were calculated; and MR tumor regression grade (mrTRG) and other conventional MRI parameters were assessed.

MRI morphologic and clinicopathologic characteristics for predicting outcomes in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the value of MRI morphologic and clinicopathologic factors for predicting 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Method: In this retrospective study, pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) MRI morphologic (e.g.

MRI texture analysis in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer.

To evaluate the importance of MRI texture analysis in prediction and early assessment of treatment response before and early neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This retrospective study comprised of 59 patients. The tumoral texture parameters were compared between pre- and early nCRT.

Novel radiomic signature as a prognostic biomarker for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patient stratification by clinicoradiologic factors may yield variable results. Therefore, more efficient prognostic biomarkers are needed for improved risk stratification of LARC patients, personalized treatment, and prognostication.

Purpose/hypothesis: To compare the ability of a radiomic signature to predict disease-free survival (DFS) with that of a clinicoradiologic risk model in individual patients with LARC.

Morphologic predictors of pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of morphological parameters that can be obtained conveniently by MRI for predicting pathologically complete response (pCR) in patients with rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: A cohort of 101 patients was examined using MRI before and after Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Morphological parameters including maximum tumor area (MTA), maximum tumor length (MTL) and maximum tumor thickness (MTT), as well as cylindrical approximated tumor volume (CATV), distance to anal verge (DTA), and the reduction rates were evaluated by two experienced readers independently.

Chemical shift effect predicting lymph node status in rectal cancer using high-resolution MR imaging with node-for-node matched histopathological validation.

Objectives: To evaluate the value of the chemical shift effect (CSE) as well as other criteria for the prediction of lymph node status.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-nine patients who underwent radical surgery of rectal cancers were studied with pre- and postoperative specimen MRI. Lymph nodes were harvested from transverse whole-mount specimens and compared with in vivo and ex vivo images to obtain a precise slice-for-section match.