Predictive value of early kinetics of ctDNA combined with cfDNA and serum CEA for EGFR-TKI treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has made a breakthrough as an early biomarker in operable early-stage cancer patients. However, the function of ctDNA combined with cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a predictor in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Here, we explored its potential as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Modeling the effects of trait-mediated dispersal on coexistence of mutualists.

Even though mutualistic interactions are ubiquitous in nature, we are still far from making good predictions about the fate of mutualistic communities under threats such as habitat fragmentation and climate change. Fragmentation often causes declines in abundance of a species due to increased susceptibility to edge effects between remnant habitat patches and lower quality "matrix" surrounding these focal patches. It has been argued that ecological communities are replete with trait-mediated indirect effects, and that these effects may sometimes contribute more to the dynamics of a population than direct density-mediated effects, e.

Pelvic parameters directly influence ideal S2 alar-iliac (S2AI) screw trajectory.

Background: The utilization of the S2 Alar-Iliac (S2AI) screw provides an optimal method of spinopelvic fixation. The free-hand placement of these screws obviates the use of intra-operative fluoroscopy and relies heavily on sacropelvic anatomy; variations of this anatomy could alter the ideal screw trajectory. The S2AI corridor is near several neurovascular structures, thus an accurate trajectory is critical.

Modeling the effects of density dependent emigration, weak Allee effects, and matrix hostility on patch-level population persistence.

The relationship between conspecific density and the probability of emigrating from a patch can play an essential role in determining the population-dynamic consequences of an Allee effect. In this paper, we model a population that inside a patch is diffusing and growing according to a weak Allee effect per-capita growth rate, but the emigration probability is dependent on conspecific density. The habitat patch is one-dimensional and is surrounded by a tuneable hostile matrix.

Paranoid personality masking an atypical case of frontotemporal dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a debilitating disease that is well described in the "Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5)", and typically presents with memory impairment, progressive decline in cortical functioning, and behavioral changes. Age of onset is generally in the late fifties, and usually the first presentation involves a change in behavior and emotional blunting. Treatment of FTD involves management of any neurobehavioral symptoms while trials of atypical antipsychotics are ongoing but suggest some efficacy.