Too early to be different? A multi-institutional study with 30-year follow-up for prognostic factors of completely resected early stage thymoma.

Background/purpose: This multi-institutional study was aimed to analyze prognostic factors of completely resected early stage thymoma.

Methods: Patients with surgically treated early stage thymoma between 1988 and 2019 were enrolled. Statistical associations were evaluated using the χ test, Fisher's exact test, and Student's t-test.

Emerging infections in Taiwan: clinical and environmental surveillance.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of clinical and environmental isolates in Taiwan.

Methods: isolates obtained from patients at three hospitals and from 530 soil samples across Taiwan were screened. , confirmed by calmodulin sequencing, was subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing and analyses.

A bioactive composite scaffold enhances osteochondral repair by using thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel and endothelial lineage cell-derived chondrogenic cell.

Articular cartilage regeneration is a major challenge in orthopedic medicine. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a promising cell source for regenerative medicine applications. However, their roles and functions in cartilage regeneration are not well understood.

Robot-assisted minimally invasive oesophagectomy versus thoracoscopic approach: multi-institutional study on short-term outcomes.

Background: Robot-assisted minimally invasive oesophagectomy and conventional minimally invasive oesophagectomy are superior to open techniques. However, few studies have directly compared the outcomes of the two minimally invasive approaches.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients from six medical centres with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent minimally invasive oesophagectomy between 2015 and 2022.

Lymph node volume predicts survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery.

Large primary tumor volume has been identified as a poor prognostic factor of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, when neoadjuvant CCRT and surgery are adopted, the prognostic impact of primary tumor and lymph node (LN) volume on clinical outcomes in ESCC remains to be elucidated. This study included 107 patients who received neoadjuvant CCRT and surgery for ESCC.

Development of a modified 3D region proposal network for lung nodule detection in computed tomography scans: a secondary analysis of lung nodule datasets.

Background: Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been shown useful in early lung cancer detection. This study aimed to develop a novel deep learning model for detecting pulmonary nodules on chest LDCT images.

Methods: In this secondary analysis, three lung nodule datasets, including Lung Nodule Analysis 2016 (LUNA16), Lung Nodule Received Operation (LNOP), and Lung Nodule in Health Examination (LNHE), were used to train and test deep learning models.

A scenario-based web app to facilitate patient education in lung tumor patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: Development and usability testing.

Background: Patient education (PE) is essential for improving patients' knowledge, anxiety, and satisfaction, and supporting their postoperative recovery. However, the advantages of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)-smaller incisions and faster recovery-can result in shorter hospital stays, making PE more challenging to implement effectively. Multimedia PE can potentially enhance PE, but its effectiveness for patients undergoing VATS is unclear.

USP24-i-101 targeting of USP24 activates autophagy to inhibit drug resistance acquired during cancer therapy.

Drug resistance in cancer therapy is the major reason for poor prognosis. Addressing this clinically unmet issue is important and urgent. In this study, we found that targeting USP24 by the specific USP24 inhibitors, USP24-i and its analogues, dramatically activated autophagy in the interphase and mitotic periods of lung cancer cells by inhibiting E2F4 and TRAF6, respectively.

Therapeutic Decision Making in Prevascular Mediastinal Tumors Using CT Radiomics and Clinical Features: Upfront Surgery or Pretreatment Needle Biopsy?

The study aimed to develop machine learning (ML) classification models for differentiating patients who needed direct surgery from patients who needed core needle biopsy among patients with prevascular mediastinal tumor (PMT). Patients with PMT who received a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan and initial management for PMT between January 2010 and December 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Fourteen ML algorithms were used to construct candidate classification models via the voting ensemble approach, based on preoperative clinical data and radiomic features extracted from the CECT.

Baseline Blood Levels of Mucin-1 Are Associated with Crucial On-Treatment Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Receiving Antifibrotic Pirfenidone.

Mucin-1 is a multi-functional glycoprotein expressed by type II alveolocytes and may be detectable in the circulation following pulmonary fibrosis. The prognostic utility of baseline pre-treatment blood levels of mucin-1 in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) receiving antifibrotics has not yet been fully established. We retrospectively studied a cohort of patients (from two hospitals) with IPF who were receiving pirfenidone for >12 weeks.

Development of a real-time RGB-D visual feedback-assisted pulmonary rehabilitation system.

Background: Following surgery, perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is important for patients with early-stage lung cancer. However, current inpatient programs are often limited in time and space, and outpatient settings have access barriers. Therefore, we aimed to develop a background-free, zero-contact thoracoabdominal movement-tracking model that is easily set up and incorporated into a pre-existing PR program or extended to home-based rehabilitation and remote monitoring.

Robot-assisted surgery outperforms video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for anterior mediastinal disease: a multi-institutional study.

Anterior mediastinal procedures are increasingly being performed using robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). While both approaches have shown superior outcomes compared to open surgery, their comparative benefits are not as distinct. The aim of this retrospective study was to bridge this knowledge gap using a multicenter dataset.

Low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts overall survival benefit in advanced NSCLC patients with low PD-L1 expression and receiving chemoimmunotherapy.

Although combination therapy including chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improves overall survival (OS) of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is a higher incidence of adverse events and treatment discontinuation. Since programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) could not serve as a predictive biomarker, we investigated the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictive biomarker. In our previous research, we demonstrated that a low NLR could predict survival benefits when patients with high PD-L1 expression (> 50%) received chemoimmunotherapy as opposed to immunotherapy alone.

Risk factor analysis of postoperative complications after adjunctive pulmonary resection in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: A multi-institutional study.

Background And Objective: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) requires extended treatment with regimens with multiple side effects, resulting in high treatment failure rates. Adjunctive lung resection combined with anti-tubercular agents improves outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the potential harm from surgery and determined the optimal conditions for surgery.

Asia expert consensus on segmentectomy in non-small cell lung cancer: A modified Delphi study.

Objective: Segmentectomy as a parenchymal-sparing surgical approach has been recommended over lobectomy in select patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. This study aimed to address 3 aspects of segmentectomy ("patient indication"; "segmentectomy approaches"; "lymph node assessment") where there is limited clinical guidance.

Methods: A modified Delphi approach comprising 3 anonymous surveys and 2 expert discussions was used to establish consensus on the aforementioned topics among 15 thoracic surgeons (2 Steering Committee; 2 Task Force; 11 Voting Experts) from Asia who have extensive segmentectomy experience.

Corrigendum: Clinical radiomics-based machine learning versus three-dimension convolutional neural network analysis for differentiation of thymic epithelial tumors from other prevascular mediastinal tumors on chest computed tomography scan.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.

Chemotherapy outcomes in EGFR-TKI resistant patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutation: An exploratory retrospective cohort study.

Background: Some prospective studies have shown that second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) provide better control in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, studies comparing second-line chemotherapy efficacy between NSCLC patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutations remain rare. This retrospective study compared treatment outcomes in these patients.

Clinical radiomics-based machine learning versus three-dimension convolutional neural network analysis for differentiation of thymic epithelial tumors from other prevascular mediastinal tumors on chest computed tomography scan.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of radiomic analysis with machine learning (ML) model with a convolutional neural network (CNN) in differentiating thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) from other prevascular mediastinal tumors (PMTs).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed in patients with PMTs and undergoing surgical resection or biopsy in National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan between January 2010 and December 2019. Clinical data including age, sex, myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms and pathologic diagnosis were collected.

Improving puncture accuracy in percutaneous CT-guided needle insertion with wireless inertial measurement unit: a phantom study.

Objectives: A novel method applying inertial measurement units (IMUs) was developed to assist CT-guided puncture, which enables real-time displays of planned and actual needle trajectories. The method was compared with freehand and laser protractor-assisted methods.

Methods: The phantom study was performed by three operators with 8, 2, and 0 years of experience in CT-guided procedure conducted five consecutive needle placements for three target groups using three methods (freehand, laser protractor-assisted, or IMU-assisted method).

Impact of computed tomographic patterns and extent on clinical management and outcomes of patients with organising pneumonia.

Background: Organising pneumonia (OP) has variable clinical and radiographic presentations and unstandardised treatments. Most patients with OP have favourable outcomes, but some develop respiratory insufficiency, experience recurrence or die. In this study we investigated the impact of computed tomographic (CT) patterns and extent of OP on the diagnostic and therapeutic management that patients received, and that on the therapeutic response and prognosis (particularly the risk of respiratory insufficiency and death).