An app to classify a 5-year survival in patients with breast cancer using the convolutional neural networks (CNN) in Microsoft Excel: Development and usability study.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant cancer in women. A predictive model is required to predict the 5-year survival in patients with BC (5YSPBC) and improve the treatment quality by increasing their survival rate. However, no reports in literature about apps developed and designed in medical practice to classify the 5YSPBC.

Efficacy and safety of cabozantinib for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma based on albumin-bilirubin grade.

Background: Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade is an objective measure of liver function for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib is approved for patients with advanced HCC who have received prior sorafenib based on the phase 3 CELESTIAL trial (NCT01908426). Cabozantinib improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo in patients with previously treated HCC.

Revealing the Dynamic Nature of Amplitude Modulated Neural Entrainment With Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis.

Patterns in external sensory stimuli can rapidly entrain neuronally generated oscillations observed in electrophysiological data. Here, we manipulated the temporal dynamics of visual stimuli with cross-frequency coupling (CFC) characteristics to generate steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). Although CFC plays a pivotal role in neural communication, some cases reporting CFC may be false positives due to non-sinusoidal oscillations that can generate artificially inflated coupling values.

Women were noninferior to men in cardiovascular outcomes among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention from Taiwan acute coronary syndrome full-spectrum registry.

This study was conducted to compare the survival rate and the influencing factors between women and men following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).A national-wide Acute Coronary Syndrome Full Spectrum Registry conducted by the Taiwan Society of Cardiology was used for data collection between October 2008 and January 2010. Details of 1621 patients with STEMI treated with primary PCI, including 1350 (83%) men and 271 (17%) women, were collected.

Cabozantinib in Patients with Advanced and Progressing Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Cabozantinib inhibits tyrosine kinases, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3, MET, and AXL, which are implicated in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the development of resistance to sorafenib, the standard initial treatment for advanced disease. This randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial evaluated cabozantinib as compared with placebo in previously treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: A total of 707 patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive cabozantinib (60 mg once daily) or matching placebo.

Anti-Platelet Factor 4/Heparin Antibody Plays a Significant Role in Progression of Arterial Stiffness among Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Arterial stiffness is a determinant of cardiovascular disease in end stage renal disease. Hemodialysis patients may develop anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibody (PF4-H Ab) because of heparin treatment in dialysis. We tested whether PF4-H Ab was associated with progression of arterial stiffness in a 3-year follow-up.

Risk of Developing Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy.

Objectives: To compare risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) between diabetic patients receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy and those treated by Western medicine (WM).

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 13,655 diabetic patients receiving solely TCM and 435,165 patients treated exclusively by WM. Study patients were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) ambulatory claims in 2000-2001.

Involvement of p38 MAPK in the Anticancer Activity of Cultivated Cordyceps militaris.

Cordyceps militaris is a traditional Chinese medicine frequently used for tonic and therapeutic purposes. Reports from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that extracts of the cultivated fruiting bodies of C. militaris (CM) exhibit a potent cytotoxic effect against many cancer cell lines, especially human leukemia cells.

Anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibody is associated with progression of peripheral arterial disease in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Heparin therapy may induce anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibody (PF4-H Ab). Hemodialysis patients receive scheduled heparin and are at a risk of developing PF4-H Ab. Hemodialysis patients are also at a high risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Synergistic property of cordycepin in cultivated Cordyceps militaris-mediated apoptosis in human leukemia cells.

Cordyceps militaris is a well-known Chinese traditional medicinal mushroom frequently used for tonics and recently of a potential interest for cancer intervention. Here, we explored the cancer cell killing activity of the hot water extracts of C. militaris cultured mycelia (CM(MY)) and cultivated fruiting bodies (CM(FB)).

Therapy-related acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(4;11)(q21;q23) masqueraded as marrow lymphocytosis in a patient with breast cancer.

Therapy-related acute leukemia develops in patients after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for a prior cancer, and most cases are acute myeloid leukemia with a much lower frequency of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). One unique feature of these therapy-related ALL (t-ALL) is an increased incidence of chromosome band 11q23 aberrations as compared with de novo ALL. In adult female patients, breast cancer is the most common primary cancer.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as an early indicator of left ventricular diastolic function among hypertensive subjects.

While increased arterial stiffness is a known risk of cardiovascular disease, pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a conventionally adopted index of arterial stiffness. However, the relationship between PWV and left ventricular functions are not thoroughly evaluated. This cross-sectional study investigated whether PWV measurement is an early indicator of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume in type 2 diabetes mellitus and association with metabolic syndrome and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Objective: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a part of visceral fat deposited around the heart between the pericardium and myocardium along the distribution of coronary arteries. EAT thickness is reported to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis; however, no study has measured EAT volume in patients with type 2 diabetes or investigate its association with coronary artery disease.

Design: A hospital-based case control study.

Intensity of C-reactive protein immunohistochemical staining of atherosclerotic plaque macrophages and extracellular tissue of patients with angina pectoris undergoing directional coronary atherectomy.

Background: An elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level plays a crucial role in cell biology of atherosclerosis and unstable plaque formation. However, direct evidence of CRP involvement in atherosclerotic plaque development and vulnerability is still limited. We hypothesized that CRP is present in the vulnerable plaques and that CRP staining intensity is stronger in vulnerable plaques compared to stable plaques.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for iatrogenic left main coronary artery dissection.

Background: Although catheter-induced left main coronary artery (LMCA) dissection is a rare complication of coronary catheterization, it is a common cause of periprocedural mortality. Emergent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is the mainstay for managing this acute complication. However, hemodynamic deterioration may progress while patients await emergent CABG; consequently, a high postoperative mortality rate has been reported.

Impact of PercuSurge GuardWire device on prevention and reduction of recovery time from complete heart block in patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Second-degree heart block or complete heart block (CHB) is a relatively frequent complication of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction (AIWMI). This study investigated whether the PercuSurge device can prevent procedure-related CHB or can shorten CHB recovery time in patients with AIWMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Between May 2002 and April 2005, a PercuSurge device was utilized in 113 patients (study population, group 1) with AIWMI due to obstruction of the right coronary artery (RCA) with a reference lumen diameter (RLD) > or = 3.

Impact of PercuSurge device conjugative with intracoronary administration of nitroprusside on no-reflow phenomenon following primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: The present study tested the hypothesis that when administered in conjunction with a PercuSurge device for treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), intracoronary (IC) administration of nitroprusside (NTP) is safe and superior to IC administration of NTP alone or nitroglycerin (NTG) for reversing slow-flow or no-reflow, both of which occur frequently during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods And Results: Sixty-two patients with ST-segment elevation AMI of <12 h duration undergoing primary PCI were enrolled. When the final Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow was normal (TIMI-3), NTG 200 microg was administered first, followed by (5 min later) NTP 100 microg via an intra-guiding catheter.

Re-elevation of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein but not the von Willebrand Factor after withdrawing atorvastatin therapy in patients with unstable angina undergoing coronary artery stenting.

Statins are known to reduce high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations and improve endothelial function. However, whether statin withdrawal causes re-elevated concentrations of hs-CRP and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) (a marker of endothelial damage) remains unknown. We hypothesized that the concentrations of hs-CRP and vWF are substantially increased in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and noticeably decreased following coronary stenting along with atorvastatin therapy.

Concentration of soluble P-selectin and white blood cell counts in infarct coronary arteries in patients with acute myocardial infarction differ from the systemic circulation.

Background: Previously, researchers have suggested that Soluble (s) P-selectin mediates the accumulation of leukocytes which in turn promotes fibril deposition. Soluble P-selectin and white blood cell (WBC) counts have been shown to be increased in the systemic circulation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, whether the infarct coronary artery (ICA) and systemic circulation differs with respect to the concentration of sP-selectin and WBC counts following AMI remain unknown.

Feasibility and safety of transbrachial approach for patients with severe carotid artery stenosis undergoing stenting.

Although sporadic successful cases using the transradial approach (TRA) for carotid stenting have been reported, the safety and feasibility of carotid stenting using either TRA or a transbrachial approach (TBA) have not been fully investigated. Recently, we have developed a safe and feasible method of TRA for cerebrovascular angiographic studies. This study investigated whether a TBA approach using a 7-French (F) Kimny guiding catheter for carotid stenting is safe and feasible for patients with severe carotid stenosis.

No age-related change in circulating endothelial progenitor cells in healthy subjects.

Endothelial progenitor cells were isolated from peripheral blood obtained from 32 healthy volunteers without cardiovascular risk factors who ranged in age from 20 to 61 years (mean [+/- SD] age, 34.1 +/- 9.6 years).

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide is a biomarker of congestive heart failure and predictive of 30-day untoward clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Increased levels of N-terminal pro-brain natiuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are now recognized as a new and useful biochemical marker that is predictive of clinical outcomes in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, an association between an increased circulating level of this biomarker and clinical outcomes in patients following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been fully delineated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to test whether NT-proBNP can predict prognosis in patients following ST-segment elevated AMI.

Circulating levels of soluble P-selectin in patients in the early and recent phases of myocardial infarction.

Background: Circulating soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), a biomarker of platelet activation is substantially increased in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the circulating level of sP-selectin in patients in the early (onset of AMI > 12 h but < 7 d) or recent (onset of AMI > 8 d but < 21 d) phase after AMI remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate whether the circulating level of sP-selectin remains elevated in these two consecutive phases after an AMI.

Clinical determinants of sinus conversion by radiofrequency maze procedure for persistent atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing concomitant mitral valvular surgery.

The radiofrequency Maze procedure can effectively restore sinus rhythm in most patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and mitral valve disease. AF after cardiac surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, clinical determinants of long-term postoperative AF after the radiofrequency Maze procedure and concomitant mitral valve surgery are poorly defined.

Serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predict progressively obstructive lesions rather than late restenosis in patients with unstable angina undergoing coronary artery stenting.

Background: The present study tested the hypothesis that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations might show significant serial changes in patients with unstable angina (UAP), and that elevation of hs-CRP might indicate a progressively obstructive lesion, rather than late restenosis in such patients undergoing coronary stenting.

Methods And Results: Serum concentrations of hs-CRP in 168 patients with UAP undergoing coronary stenting for a new obstructive lesion were prospectively measured (pre-procedure, and on days 21, 90, and 180 post-procedure). The hs-CRP concentrations were also evaluated in 30 at-risk controls and 50 healthy volunteers.