Cross-site validation of lung cancer diagnosis by electronic nose with deep learning: a multicenter prospective study.

Background: Although electronic nose (eNose) has been intensively investigated for diagnosing lung cancer, cross-site validation remains a major obstacle to be overcome and no studies have yet been performed.

Methods: Patients with lung cancer, as well as healthy control and diseased control groups, were prospectively recruited from two referral centers between 2019 and 2022. Deep learning models for detecting lung cancer with eNose breathprint were developed using training cohort from one site and then tested on cohort from the other site.

Factors Associated With Family Surrogate Decisional-Regret Trajectories.

Context/objectives: The scarce research on factors associated with surrogate decisional regret overlooks longitudinal, heterogenous decisional-regret experiences and fractionally examines factors from the three decision-process framework stages: decision antecedents, decision-making process, and decision outcomes. This study aimed to fill these knowledge gaps by focusing on factors modifiable by high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care.

Methods: This observational study used a prior cohort of 377 family surrogates of terminal-cancer patients to examine factors associated with their membership in the four preidentified distinct decisional-regret trajectories: resilient, delayed-recovery, late-emerging, and increasing-prolonged trajectories from EOL-care decision making through the first two bereavement years by multinomial logistic regression modeling using the resilient trajectory as reference.

Rapid identification and monitoring of cooking oil fume-based toxic volatile organic aldehydes in lung tissue for predicting exposure level and cancer risks.

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) comprised of a mixture of cancer-causing volatile organic aldehydes (VOAs), particularly trans, trans-2,4-decadienal (t,t-DDE), 4-hydroxy-hexenal (4-HHE), and 4-hydroxy-nonenal (4-HNE). Monitoring toxic VOAs levels in people exposed to different cooking conditions is vital to predicting the cancer risk. For this purpose, we developed a fast tissue extraction (FaTEx) technique combined with UHPLC-MS/MS to monitor three toxic VOAs in mice lung tissue samples.

Decisional-Regret Trajectories From End-of-Life Decision Making Through Bereavement.

Context: Regret plays a central role in surrogate decision making. Research on decisional regret in family surrogates is scarce and lacks longitudinal studies to illustrate the heterogenous, dynamic evolution of decisional regret.

Objectives: To identify distinct decisional-regret trajectories from end-of-life (EOL) decision making through the first two bereavement years among surrogates of cancer patients.

IOP Injection, A Novel Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Particle MRI Contrast Agent for the Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Phase II Clinical Trial.

Background: MRI is crucial in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) are liver-specific contrast agents which enhance lesions in T -weighted images. Iron oxide nano-particle m-PEG-silane (IOP) Injection, a newly developed SPIO, showed promising imaging effects and good safety profile in preclinical studies and in phase I clinical trial.

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up.

Background And Objectives: Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).

Remarkable Response to Olaparib in a Patient with Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma Harboring a Biallelic Mutation.

Combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is a rare subtype of primary liver malignancy characterized by aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Radial surgical resection is the standard curative treatment. However, effective therapeutic options for recurrent or metastatic cHCC-CC are still lacking, mainly because of an insufficient understanding of the molecular and genomic alterations of cHCC-CC, preventing the discovery of specialized targeting therapy.

Resuming Oral Feeding in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Free Anterolateral Thigh Flap Reconstruction.

Background: Quality of life and functional improvement have emerged as important goals for patients with oncologic disease. For patients with head and neck cancer, free anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps serve as reliable reconstruction and provide functional restoration. Nevertheless, factors affecting the resumption of oral feeding are rarely described.

Combined effect of polymorphisms of MTHFR and MTR and arsenic methylation capacity on developmental delay in preschool children in Taiwan.

Polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase (MTR) are related to cognitive dysfunction and mental disability. These genes, along with folate and vitamin B levels, are regulators of one-carbon metabolism, which synthesizes S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor for arsenic methylation. The aim of this study was to explore whether polymorphisms of MTHFR and MTR influence arsenic methylation capacity and plasma folate and vitamin B levels and if these influences cause developmental delay in preschool children.

Central CD4 T cell tolerance: deletion versus regulatory T cell differentiation.

The diversion of MHC class II-restricted thymocytes into the regulatory T (T) cell lineage is driven by intrathymic encounter of agonist self-antigens in a similar manner to the clonal deletion of thymocytes. Somewhat paradoxically, it thus seems that the expression of an autoreactive T cell receptor is a shared characteristic of T cells that are subject to clonal deletion and T cells that are diverted into the T cell lineage. Here, we discuss how thymocyte-intrinsic and thymocyte-extrinsic determinants may specify the choice between these two fundamentally different T cell fates.

species are potent drivers of colonic T cell responses in homeostasis and inflammation.

Specific gut commensal bacteria improve host health by eliciting mutualistic regulatory T (T) cell responses. However, the bacteria that induce effector T (T) cells during inflammation are unclear. We addressed this by analyzing bacterial-reactive T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic cells and TCR repertoires in a murine colitis model.

Electronic and atomic structures of the SrIrSn single crystal: A possible charge density wave material.

X-ray scattering (XRS), x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic techniques were used to study the electronic and atomic structures of the high-quality SrIrSn (SIS) single crystal below and above the transition temperature (T ≈ 147 K). The evolution of a series of modulated satellite peaks below the transition temperature in the XRS experiment indicated the formation of a possible charge density wave (CDW) in the (110) plane. The EXAFS phase derivative analysis supports the CDW-like formation by revealing different bond distances [Sn-Sn] below and above T in the (110) plane.

Perioperative Outcomes and Management in Pediatric Complex Cranial Vault Reconstruction: A Multicenter Study from the Pediatric Craniofacial Collaborative Group.

Background: The Pediatric Craniofacial Collaborative Group established the Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery Perioperative Registry to elucidate practices and outcomes in children with craniosynostosis undergoing complex cranial vault reconstruction and inform quality improvement efforts. The aim of this study is to determine perioperative management, outcomes, and complications in children undergoing complex cranial vault reconstruction across North America and to delineate salient features of current practices.

Methods: Thirty-one institutions contributed data from June 2012 to September 2015.

Combined effects of DNA methyltransferase 1 and 3A polymorphisms and urinary total arsenic levels on the risk for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Our previous study showed that high urinary total arsenic levels were associated with higher odds ratio (OR) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) might influence DNMT enzyme activity associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the association of five SNPs from DNMT1 (rs8101626 and rs2228611), DNMT3A (rs34048824 and rs1550117), and DNMT3B (rs1569686) with the risk of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

MSH2 rs2303425 Polymorphism is Associated with Early-Onset Breast Cancer in Taiwan.

Background: Accumulated evidence indicates that the incidence of early-onset breast cancer has rapidly increased in Taiwan and other Asian compared to Western countries. The mismatch repair (MMR) pathway might be one of the crucial mechanisms of predisposition to early breast cancer. In this study, we explored whether MMR gene polymorphisms contribute to the risk of breast cancer in young women.

A genome-wide association study on chronic HBV infection and its clinical progression in male Han-Taiwanese.

It is common to observe the clustering of chronic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers in families. Intra-familial transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) could be the reason for the familial clustering of HBsAg carriers. Additionally, genetic and gender factors have been reported to be involved.

Joint effects of alcohol consumption and ABCG2 Q141K on chronic tophaceous gout risk.

Objective: To investigate the joint effects of alcohol consumption and ABCG2 gene variants on tophaceous gout occurrence.

Methods: The V12M (rs2231137), Q126X (rs72552713), and Q141K (rs2231142) of the ABCG2 gene were genotyped among controls, nontophaceous, and tophaceous gout cases in Taiwanese Han (n=446, 77, 177) and Taiwan Aborigines (n=1105, 203, 330).

Results: The missense variations V12M (C) and Q141K (T) significantly associated with tophaceous gout (p trend=4.

A high IL-4 production diplotype is associated with an increased risk but better prognosis of oral and pharyngeal carcinomas.

Objective: Interleukin (IL)-4 is a key cytokine in humoral and adaptive immunity. This study aimed to evaluate the association of IL-4 genetic variants (-590C>T and VNTR in intron 3) with the risk and prognosis of oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

Design: A total of 1215 subjects, which included 623 healthy controls and 592 OPSCC cases (463 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and 129 pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) cases), were recruited.

The impact of IGF-I gene polymorphisms on coronary artery disease susceptibility.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) was the second leading cause of death for the past 3 years in Taiwan. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is considered a new risk factor of CAD because investigations show that the levels and bioactivity of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (where IGFBP is insulin-like growth factor-binding protein) may be involved in elevating the risk of CAD. This study investigated the relationships among IGF-I +1770, IGF-I +6093, and IGFBP-3 -202 genetic polymorphisms and CAD in the Taiwanese population.

Selection of regulatory T cells in the thymus.

The generation of regulatory T (T(Reg)) cells in the thymus is crucial for immune homeostasis and self-tolerance. Recent discoveries have revealed the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern the differentiation of a subset of developing thymocytes into natural T(Reg) cells. Several models, centred on the self-reactivity of the T cell receptor (TCR), have been proposed to explain the generation of a T(Reg) cell population that is cognizant of self.

Peripheral education of the immune system by colonic commensal microbiota.

The instruction of the immune system to be tolerant of self, thereby preventing autoimmunity, is facilitated by the education of T cells in a specialized organ, the thymus, in which self-reactive cells are either eliminated or differentiated into tolerogenic Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells. However, it is unknown whether T cells are also educated to be tolerant of foreign antigens, such as those from commensal bacteria, to prevent immunopathology such as inflammatory bowel disease. Here we show that encounter with commensal microbiota results in the peripheral generation of T(reg) cells rather than pathogenic effectors.

Major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene polymorphisms: associated with susceptibility to Kawasaki disease and coronary artery aneurysms.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) involves a complex interaction of immunoinflammatory process, cytokine activation, and genetic factors. We aimed to investigate whether genetic variations in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class could be used as markers of susceptibility in KD and coronary artery aneurysm lesions (CALs).

Methods: Individuals were divided into following groups: (1) normal controls; (2) KD with CAL; (3) KD without CAL.

Association of ORAI1 haplotypes with the risk of HLA-B27 positive ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, spine and peripheral joints. The aetiology of ankylosing spondylitis is still unclear. Previous studies have indicated that genetics factors such as human leukocyte antigen HLA-B27 associates to AS susceptibility.

Sliding set-points of immune responses for therapy of autoimmunity.

Although recent developments in the treatment of autoimmune disease have dramatically improved patient outcomes, these medications are not curative. Two studies in this issue demonstrate the feasibility of curing spontaneous autoimmunity in animal models via short-term enhancement of naturally arising regulatory T (T reg) cells, a subset of CD4+ T cells needed for maintaining self-tolerance. Importantly, these therapies seemed to generate a new equilibrium, or "set-point," at which self-tissue damage no longer occurred long after the drug was eliminated from the body.

Antigen-specific peripheral shaping of the natural regulatory T cell population.

Although regulatory T (T reg) cells are thought to develop primarily in the thymus, the peripheral events that shape the protective T reg cell population are unclear. We analyzed the peripheral CD4(+) T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire by cellular phenotype and location in mice with a fixed TCRbeta chain. We found that T reg (Foxp3(+)) cells showed a marked skewing of TCR usage by anatomical location in a manner similar to antigen-experienced (CD44(hi)Foxp3(-)) but not naive (CD44(lo)Foxp3(-)) cells, even though CD44(hi) and T reg cells used mostly dissimilar TCRs.