N, LNR or LODDS: Which Is the Most Appropriate Lymph Node Classification Scheme for Patients with Radically Resected Pancreatic Cancer?

Background: Even though numerous novel lymph node (LN) classification schemes exist, an extensive comparison of their performance in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has not yet been performed.

Method: We investigated the prognostic performance and discriminative ability of 25 different LN ratio (LNR) and 27 log odds of metastatic LN (LODDS) classifications by means of Cox regression and C-statistic in 319 patients with resected PDAC. Regression models were adjusted for age, sex, T category, grading, localization, presence of metastatic disease, positivity of resection margins, and neoadjuvant therapy.

CXCR4--A Prognostic and Clinicopathological Biomarker for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Meta-Analysis.

Adenocarcinomas of the pancreatic duct (PDAC) are characteristically aggressive tumors that are extremely challenging to treat as curative surgical resection, the definitive treatment, is seldom possible. Regretably, most patients are diagnosed with metastatic disease at the time of initial presentation. In addition, current chemotherapeutic concepts that are used for advanced disease stages show frustrating results.

Freezing the Bioactive Conformation to Boost Potency: The Identification of BAY 85-8501, a Selective and Potent Inhibitor of Human Neutrophil Elastase for Pulmonary Diseases.

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is a key protease for matrix degradation. High HNE activity is observed in inflammatory diseases. Accordingly, HNE is a potential target for the treatment of pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury (ALI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), bronchiectasis (BE), and pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Diastereoselectivity in the Mukaiyama-Michael Reaction Employing alpha-Acyl beta,gamma-Unsaturated Phosphonates.

The unique electronic and structural nature of the alpha-acylphosphonate functional group affords both dimeric and chelated complexes of diethyl crotonyl phosphonate (1; DECP) with stannic chloride (SnCl(4)). The dimeric complex, SnCl(4).(DECP)(2) (5) results from the coordination of two DECP molecules, ligated via the phosphoryl oxygens to the tin atom.