Awake lumbar spine surgery performed under spinal versus conventional anesthesia.

Background: Lumbar spine surgery for discectomy or laminectomy is mostly performed under general anesthesia (GA). Here, we explored whether, in a series of 84 patients, better peri-operative outcomes and lower complication rates could be achieved for those undergoing diskectomy/laminectomy under spinal anesthesia (SA) versus GA.

Methods: From 2022 to 2023, 84 patients were randomly assigned to undergo lumbar discectomy/laminectomy for stenosis under SA: 42 patients versus GAGA: 42 patients.

A unified framework for estimating country-specific cumulative incidence for 18 diseases stratified by polygenic risk.

Polygenic scores (PGSs) offer the ability to predict genetic risk for complex diseases across the life course; a key benefit over short-term prediction models. To produce risk estimates relevant to clinical and public health decision-making, it is important to account for varying effects due to age and sex. Here, we develop a novel framework to estimate country-, age-, and sex-specific estimates of cumulative incidence stratified by PGS for 18 high-burden diseases.

Opening the Black Box: Spatial Transcriptomics and the Relevance of Artificial Intelligence-Detected Prognostic Regions in High-Grade Serous Carcinoma.

Image-based deep learning models are used to extract new information from standard hematoxylin and eosin pathology slides; however, biological interpretation of the features detected by artificial intelligence (AI) remains a challenge. High-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary (HGSC) is characterized by aggressive behavior and chemotherapy resistance, but also exhibits striking variability in outcome. Our understanding of this disease is limited, partly due to considerable tumor heterogeneity.

High-Resolution Genotyping of Formalin-Fixed Tissue Accurately Estimates Polygenic Risk Scores in Human Diseases.

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues stored in biobanks and pathology archives are a vast but underutilized source for molecular studies on different diseases. Beyond being the "gold standard" for preservation of diagnostic human tissues, FFPE samples retain similar genetic information as matching blood samples, which could make FFPE samples an ideal resource for genomic analysis. However, research on this resource has been hindered by the perception that DNA extracted from FFPE samples is of poor quality.

Sleep quality, stress level and COVID-19 in university students; the forgotten dimension.

Introduction: COVID-19 is a novel pandemic that has had a profound impact on global physical and psychological health. We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on stress, sleep quality, and insomnia among South Valley University students in Egypt during the quarantine period.

Material And Methods: A questionnaire, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, the insomnia severity index, the perceived stress scale and COVID-19 fear index was distributed to the undergraduate students through the online platforms of South Valley University during the period of 1st to 15th June 2020.

Managing Cachexia in Head and Neck Cancer: a Systematic Scoping Review.

Introduction: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are usually confronted with functional changes due to the malignancy itself or its treatment. These factors typically affect important structures involved in speech, breathing, chewing, swallowing, and saliva production. Consequently, the intake of food will be limited, which further contributes to loss of body weight and muscle mass, anorexia, malnutrition, fatigue, and anemia.

Utilizing Deep Machine Learning for Prognostication of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Systematic Review.

The application of deep machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, has become a growing area of interest in predictive medicine in recent years. The deep machine learning approach has been used to analyze imaging and radiomics and to develop models that have the potential to assist the clinicians to make an informed and guided decision that can assist to improve patient outcomes. Improved prognostication of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) will greatly benefit the clinical management of oral cancer patients.

Mitigating Burnout in an Oncological Unit: A Scoping Review.

The purpose of this study was to provide a scoping review on how to address and mitigate burnout in the profession of clinical oncology. Also, it examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can mitigate burnout in oncology. We searched Ovid Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, for articles that examine how to address burnout in oncology.

Machine learning in oral squamous cell carcinoma: Current status, clinical concerns and prospects for future-A systematic review.

Background: Oral cancer can show heterogenous patterns of behavior. For proper and effective management of oral cancer, early diagnosis and accurate prediction of prognosis are important. To achieve this, artificial intelligence (AI) or its subfield, machine learning, has been touted for its potential to revolutionize cancer management through improved diagnostic precision and prediction of outcomes.

Nonmalignant Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissues as a Source to Study Germline Variants and Cancer Predisposition: A Systematic Review.

Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens from nonmalignant tissues derived from cancer patients are a vast and potentially valuable resource for high-quality genotyping analyses and could have a role in establishing inherited cancer risk. We systematically searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus databases for all articles that compared genotyping performance of DNA from nonmalignant FFPE tissue with blood DNA derived from cancer patients irrespective of tumor type. Two independent researchers screened the retrieved studies, removed duplicates, excluded irrelevant studies, and extracted genotyping data from the eligible studies.

Risk stratification in oral squamous cell carcinoma using staging of the eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC8) staging manual has major changes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We searched PubMed, OvidMedline, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies that examined the performance of AJCC8 in OSCC. A total of 40 808 patients were included in the studies of our meta-analysis.

Gut Microbiota and Host Gene Mutations in Colorectal Cancer Patients and Controls of Iranian and Finnish Origin.

Background/aim: Gut microbiota plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its composition in CRC patients can be influenced by ethnicity and tumour genomics. Herein, the aim was to study the possible associations of ethnicity and gene mutations with the gut microbiota in CRC patients.

Materials And Methods: Bacterial composition in stool samples of 83 CRC patients and 60 controls from Iran and Finland was studied by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Exhaled breath analysis in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) comprises a heterogeneous group of upper aerodigestive tract malignant neoplasms, the most frequent of which is squamous cell carcinoma. HNC forms the eighth most common cancer type and the incidence is increasing. However, survival has improved only moderately during the past decades.

Does evaluation of tumour budding in diagnostic biopsies have a clinical relevance? A systematic review.

Tumour budding has emerged as a promising prognostic marker in many cancers. We systematically reviewed all studies that evaluated tumour budding in diagnostic biopsies. We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane library for all articles that have assessed tumour budding in diagnostic (i.

Oncologic and Cosmetic Outcomes of Oncoplastic Breast Surgery in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Experience from a Developing Country.

Oncoplastic surgery (OPS) has emerged as a new approach for extending breast conserving surgery (BCS) possibilities, reducing both mastectomy and re-excision rates, while avoiding breast deformities. OPS is based upon the integration of plastic surgery techniques for immediate reshaping after wide excision for breast cancer. This is a prospective feasibility cohort study of oncoplastic breast surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy that was carried at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University and included 70 patients.

Hotspot Mutations Detectable by Next-generation Sequencing in Exhaled Breath Condensates from Patients with Lung Cancer.

Background: Genetic alterations occurring in lung cancer are the basis for defining molecular subtypes and essential for targeted therapies. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a form of non-invasive sample that, amongst components, contains DNA from pulmonary tissue. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was herein used to analyze mutations in EBC from patients with lung cancer.

Expression of Plasma miRNA-221 in Colorectal Carcinoma Patients and its Diagnostic Significance in Comparison with p53 Expression.

Background: Colorectal carcinoma development progresses through a sequence of normal mucosa-polyp-carcinoma. Early detection of premalignancy is crucial for improved outcomes. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of plasma miRNA-221 and its feasibility in discriminating premalignant from malignant neoplasms and correlating it with immunohistochemical p53 expression.

Stool Microbiota Composition Differs in Patients with Stomach, Colon, and Rectal Neoplasms.

Background: Microbial ecosystems that inhabit the human gut form central component of our physiology and metabolism, regulating and modulating both health and disease. Changes or disturbances in the composition and activity of this gut microbiota can result in altered immunity, inflammation, and even cancer.

Aim: To compare the composition and diversity of gut microbiota in stool samples from patient groups based on the site of neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and to assess the possible contribution of the bacterial composition to tumorigenesis.

A new species of the genus Macrorhyncolus Wollaston, 1873 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cossoninae) from China.

Following recent taxonomic study, Macrorhyncolus spinosus sp. nov. is described from China.

Gene mutations in stool from gastric and colorectal neoplasia patients by next-generation sequencing.

Aim: To study cancer hotspot mutations by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in stool DNA from patients with different gastrointestinal tract (GIT) neoplasms.

Methods: Stool samples were collected from 87 Finnish patients diagnosed with various gastric and colorectal neoplasms, including benign tumors, and from 14 healthy controls. DNA was isolated from stools by using the PSP Spin Stool DNA Plus Kit.

Presence of cancer-associated mutations in exhaled breath condensates of healthy individuals by next generation sequencing.

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive source that can be used for studying different genetic alterations occurring in lung tissue. However, the low yield of DNA available from EBC has hampered the more detailed mutation analysis by conventional methods. We applied the more sensitive amplicon-based next generation sequencing (NGS) to identify cancer related mutations in DNA isolated from EBC.

Exhaled breath condensate as a source of biomarkers for lung carcinomas. A focus on genetic and epigenetic markers-A mini-review.

Lung carcinoma is one of the most common causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It is an aggressive tumor, often diagnosed at an advanced stage when treatment options are limited. Currently, the importance of detection and assessment of various genetic alterations in cancer is recognized as they can serve as very helpful markers in early diagnosis and follow-up of treatment regimens.

A new species of the genus Orthotemnus Wollaston, 1873 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Cossoninae) from China.

A new species, Orthotemnuslongitarsus sp. n., is described from China, representing the first record of the genus Orthotemnus Wollaston, 1873 from China.