Efficacies of different postoperative radiotherapy techniques in patients with N2 non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: With clinical trials on the use of different modern precise radiotherapy techniques in the setting of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accumulating, an updated meta-analysis was performed.

Methods: A literature search identified studies that investigated PORT versus non-PORT in N2 NSCLC patients. Overall survival (OS) and locoregional recurrence (LR) were employed.

Delineation of the "Oropharyngeal Mucosa" and Limiting its Dose in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Spares the Oropharynx Without Compromising Target Coverage.

Objectives: Radiation-induced oropharyngeal injury is a dose-limiting toxicity in head and neck cancer patients. Delineation of the "oropharyngeal mucosa" and limiting its dose to spare the oropharynx was investigated.

Methods: In this retrospective study, computed tomography imaging from eight patients with previously untreated head and neck cancer was employed.

Real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (1-3 prior lines): Flatiron database.

In the context of multiple myeloma (MM), early use of the immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide has led to an increased population of patients with lenalidomide-refractory MM in early-line settings, but their outcomes are not well characterized. Herein, we report treatment patterns, survival outcomes, prognostic variables, and attrition rates for patients with proteasome inhibitor-exposed, lenalidomide-refractory MM, treated with 1 to 3 prior lines of therapy (LOT). From 12 767 patients with MM in the Flatiron Health database between January 2016 and April 2022, 1455 met the inclusion criteria.

A novel off-line multi-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography strategy for preparative separation of bioactive neolignan isomers from Piper betle. L.

Separation and purification of naturally occurring isomers from herbs are still challenging. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) has been applied to isolate natural products. In this study, an off-line multi-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography (multi-D HSCCC) strategy was developed utilizing the in situ concentration technique with online storage recycling elution to rapidly separate bioactive isomeric neolignans from chloroform-partitioned samples of the plant Piper betle L.

Actin polymerization inhibition by targeting ARPC2 affects intestinal stem cell homeostasis.

Background: The rapid turnover of the intestinal epithelium is driven by the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs). The dynamics of the F-actin cytoskeleton are critical for maintaining intercellular force and the signal transduction network. However, it remains unclear how direct interference with actin polymerization impacts ISC homeostasis.

Efficacy and safety of methylphenidate and ginseng in cancer-related fatigue: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Incidence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), which can persist 5 to 10 years, is nearly 85% in cancer patients. It severely affects the quality of life and is strongly associated with poor prognosis. As clinical trial data on CRF treated with methylphenidate and ginseng, two potential medicines, has been accumulating, an updated meta-analysis was performed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of the two medicines in CRF.

Impact of Treatment Sequencing on Overall Survival in Patients with Transplant-Ineligible Newly Diagnosed Myeloma.

Background: Because patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) do not always receive any treatment beyond first-line (1L) therapy, it is imperative that patients receive the best treatment in the 1L setting. However, the optimal initial treatment remains to be identified. We performed a clinical simulation to assess potential outcomes with different treatment sequences.

Effects of an Amphiphilic Micelle of Diblock Copolymer on Water Adsorption of Cement Paste.

To reduce the inhibiting effects of polystyrene-based emulsion on the hydration process and strength development of cementitious materials, an amphiphilic diblock copolymer polystyrene--poly(acrylic acid) (PS--PAA) was synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and demonstrated in cement paste system for improving the resistance to water absorption without significantly reducing 28-day compressive strength. Firstly, the dissolved PS--PAA was added into water, and it quickly self-assembled into amphiphilic 80 nm-sized micelles with hydrophobic polystyrene-based core and hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid)-based shell. The improved dispersion compared to that of polystyrene emulsion may minimize the inhibiting effects on strength development, as the effects of PS--PAA micelle as hydrophobic admixtures on rheological properties, compressive strength, water absorption, hydration process, and pore structure of 28-day cement pastes were subsequently investigated.

Current Health State Affected Patient Preferences More Than Disease Status: A Discrete Choice Experiment in Multiple Myeloma.

Objectives: To examine how disease status and current health state influence treatment preferences of patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

Methods: Participants with MM from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom completed a web-based survey that included a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and EQ-5D assessment. The DCE elicited preferences for 8 attributes: increased life expectancy, increased time to relapse, pain, fatigue, risk of infection, administration (route and duration), frequency of administration, and monitoring.

Network meta-analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis of infliximab, cyclosporine and tacrolimus for ulcerative colitis.

Background: Assess the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of infliximab, cyclosporine and tacrolimus for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: A literature search identified studies that investigated infliximab, cyclosporine or tacrolimus compared with placebo in UC patients. Short-term, long-term remission rates and response rates were employed to assess efficacy.

Machine learning-based multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging radiomics model for distinguishing central neurocytoma from glioma of lateral ventricle.

Objectives: To develop a machine learning-based radiomics model based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for preoperative discrimination between central neurocytomas (CNs) and gliomas of lateral ventricles.

Methods: A total of 132 patients from two medical centers were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients from the first medical center were divided into a training cohort (n = 74) and an internal validation cohort (n = 30).

Efficacy of ginseng oral administration and ginseng injections on cancer-related fatigue: A meta-analysis.

Background: Up to 90% of patients who are under the active treatment suffer from cancer-related fatigue (CRF). CRF can persist about 10 years after diagnosis and/or treatment. Accumulating reports support that ginseng and ginseng injections are both potential drugs for the treatment of CRF but few studies put them together for analysis.

Indirect Treatment Comparison of Daratumumab, Pomalidomide, and Dexamethasone Versus Standard of Care in Patients with Difficult-to-Treat Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma.

Introduction: The phase 3 APOLLO study demonstrated significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) and clinical responses with daratumumab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone (D-Pd) versus pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). On the basis of these results and those from the phase 1b EQUULEUS trial, D-Pd was approved in this patient population. In the absence of head-to-head data comparing D-Pd with further standard of care (SOC) therapies, indirect treatment comparisons (ITCs) can provide important information to help optimize treatment selection.

Relayed chromatography - Countercurrent chromatography in series with liquid chromatography for the separation of natural products.

Chromatography is an essential method for separating natural products. In this study, we proposed the concept of 'relayed chromatography', based on the strategy of combining different chromatography with relayed resolution by in-situ concentration technique. The following chromatographic methods were used: high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC), silica gel liquid chromatography (silica gel LC), and reverse phase liquid chromatography (reverse phase LC).

Daratumumab Improves Depth of Response and Progression-free Survival in Transplant-ineligible, High-risk, Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.

Background: Patients with high-risk, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (HR-NDMM) who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) have limited first-line treatment options. Recent meta-analyses evaluating the impact of incorporating daratumumab in the backbone regimen on progression-free survival (PFS) have found mixed results in these patients.

Materials And Methods: A pooled analysis of patient-level data for ASCT-ineligible patients with HR-NDMM [ie, del(17p), t(4;14), t(14;16)] from the MAIA and ALCYONE trials; stratified by study identifier and adjusting for cytogenetic abnormality subtype, baseline performance status, International Staging System stage, myeloma type, and renal impairment; was conducted.

Impacts of ezetimibe on risks of various types of cancers: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Ezetimibe is a widely used medication to reduce the plasma cholesterol level, particularly low-density lipoprotein level. However, its impact on cancer remains controversial. Here, its impacts on risks of various types of cancers were meta-analyzed.

Treatment Regimens for Transplant-Ineligible Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Literature Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Introduction: Many treatment regimens have been evaluated in transplant-ineligible (TIE) patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of relevant therapies for the treatment of TIE patients with NDMM.

Methods: Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating different treatment options for TIE patients with NDMM were compared in a network meta-analysis (NMA).

Health-related quality of life in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma treated with pomalidomide and dexamethasone ± subcutaneous daratumumab: Patient-reported outcomes from the APOLLO trial.

In the phase 3 APOLLO trial, daratumumab in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (D-Pd) significantly reduced the rate of disease progression or death by 37% relative to Pd alone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who had received ≥1 prior line of therapy including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. Here, we present patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from APOLLO. Median treatment duration was 11.

Patient-reported outcomes predict overall survival in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Introduction: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) predict overall survival (OS) in many cancer types, but there is little evidence of their prognostic value in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We examined whether the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Leukemia (FACT-Leu) predicted OS beyond established prognostic factors among these patients.

Materials And Methods: Data were from AML2002 (n = 309), a randomized phase 2/3 study comparing decitabine plus talacotuzumab versus decitabine alone in older AML patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.

Psidguajones A and B, a pair of complex meroterpenoid epimers from the leaves of .

Psidguajones A and B, a pair of dimeric sesquiterpene-based meroterpenoid epimers, have been isolated from the leaves of Psidium guajava for the first time. Their structures were confirmed by comprehensive spectroscopic techniques combined with a comparison of experimental and calculated ECD data.

A systematic review of noninferiority margins in oncology clinical trials.

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify and characterize noninferiority margins for relevant end points in oncology clinical trials. Randomized, controlled, noninferiority trials of patients with cancer were identified in PubMed and Embase. Of 2284 publications identified, 285 oncology noninferiority clinical trials were analyzed.

Patient Perceptions Regarding Multiple Myeloma and Its Treatment: Qualitative Evidence from Interviews with Patients in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Background: The current standard of care for multiple myeloma requires several regimens of treatment, with patients experiencing high symptom burden and side effects, which negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, it is crucial to understand patient perceptions of multiple myeloma and how patients value different treatment options.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation into concepts that could form attributes that influence treatment choices for patients with multiple myeloma and to identify trade-offs that patients are willing to make between treatment attributes.

Neolignans from Have Synergistic Activity against Antibiotic-Resistant .

A phytochemical investigation of an extract of the leaves of , guided by a synergistic antibacterial screen, led to the isolation and structural elucidation of 10 new neolignans, Pibeneolignan A-J (-), together with 11 known compounds. The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and experimental and calculated ECD investigations. Compounds and are new naturally occurring neolignan skeletons, based on the cyclohept-2-ene-1,4-dione framework.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Transplant-Ineligible Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: Findings From the Phase III MAIA Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (D-Rd) versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the phase III MAIA study.

Patients And Methods: PROs were assessed on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item and the EuroQol 5-dimensional descriptive system at baseline and every 3 months during treatment. By mixed-effects model, changes from baseline are presented as least squares means with 95% CIs.