Multi-objective optimization of hydrogen production system based on the combined supercritical cycle and gas turbine plant.

In this paper, considering the hydrogen production cycle coupled with the supercritical CO cycle, hydrogen is produced as a clean fuel along with power and heat production. Also, the world's need for clean energy doubles the solutions to achieve clean hydrogen energy. The investigated cycle has a supercritical CO cycle with a combustion chamber where enriched fuel is introduced.

Performance amelioration of single basin solar still integrated with V- type concentrator: Energy, exergy, and economic analysis.

Solar desalination is one of the most sustainable solutions to produce freshwater from brackish water. The present research work aims to experimentally investigate the effect of a V-shape concentrator integrated with solar still (SS). The V-shape concentrator integrated with the conventional solar still (CSS) is used to supply the saline water at elevated temperature to the basin of SS, which augments the freshwater yield compared to CSS.

The Efficacy and Safety of Rivaroxaban and Dalteparin in the Treatment of Cancer Associated Venous Thrombosis.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a complication of malignancy that is associated with significant mortality. The CLOT trial showed superiority of dalteparin in comparison to warfarin in preventing VTE recurrence. Rivaroxaban has been approved for treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

Early Postoperative Complications after Oncoplastic Reduction.

Background: Breast-conserving surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy (BCT) has been established as safe oncologically. Oncoplastic breast surgery uses both oncologic and plastic surgery techniques for breast conservation to improve cosmetic outcomes. We evaluated the risk factors associated with complications after oncoplastic breast reduction.

A modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale for symptom clusters in radiation oncology patients.

Patient-reported outcomes regarding symptom burden may provide valuable information in addition to physician assessment. Systematic collection of patient-reported outcomes may be an important metric to identify unmet needs and improve quality of patient care. To understand common symptoms of patients seen in radiation oncology clinic, we examined the prospectively collected modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS-r) data to explore symptom clusters.

Use of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with micrometastatic breast cancer.

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is the current prognostic tool for clinically node-negative breast cancer patients. If the SLN reveals macrometastasis, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is recommended. However, the use of ALND in patients with micrometastasis is debated.

Adjuvant pelvic radiation is associated with improved survival and decreased disease recurrence in pelvic node-positive penile cancer after lymph node dissection: A multi-institutional study.

Purpose: Few studies have examined the role of radiation therapy in advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma. We sought to evaluate the association of adjuvant pelvic radiation with survival and recurrence for patients with penile cancer and positive pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) after lymph node dissection.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected retrospectively across 4 international centers of patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma undergoing lymph node dissections from 1980 to 2013.

Evaluation of invasive breast cancer samples using a 12-chemokine gene expression score: correlation with clinical outcomes.

Background: A unique 12-chemokine gene expression score (CS) accurately predicted the presence of tumor-localized, ectopic lymph node-like structures (TL-ELNs) and improved overall survival (OS) in primary colorectal cancer and metastatic melanoma. We analyzed the correlation between CS, clinicopathological variables, molecular data, and 366 survival in Moffitt Cancer Center's Total Cancer Care (TCC) patients with non-metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: Affymetrix gene expression profiles were used to interrogate the CS by the principal component method.

Comparison of the Mutational Profiles of Primary Myelofibrosis, Polycythemia Vera, and Essential Thrombocytosis.

Objectives: To compare the mutational profiles of patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocytosis (ET).

Methods: Next-generation sequencing results of 75 cases of PMF, 33 cases of PV, and 27 cases of ET were compared.

Results: Mutation rates of ASXL1 and SRSF2 were significantly higher in PMF than in PV or ET.

Quality of Life after post-prostatectomy intensity modulated radiation therapy to the prostate bed with or without the use of gold fiducial markers for image guidance or higher total radiotherapy doses.

Purpose: To evaluate quality of life (QoL) after post-prostatectomy intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the "adjuvant" setting starting within 4 months of radical prostatectomy for adverse features; and "salvage" setting for a PSA≥0.2ng/mL.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of 130 patients who underwent IMRT to the prostate bed±gold fiducial marker placement for image guidance to 64.

Complications and Recurrence in Implant-Sparing Oncologic Breast Surgery.

Background: Patients with a history of prior breast augmentation and newly diagnosed breast cancer represent a rapidly expanding and unique subset of patients. Prior studies have described changes in breast parenchyma and characteristic body habitus of previously augmented patients, as well as increased rates of capsular contracture associated with breast conservation therapy. In our current study, we aimed to study the risk factors contributing to morbidity and whether recurrence rates are higher in patients with prior breast augmentation undergoing lumpectomy or mastectomy for breast cancer and identify differences in complications between these 2 groups.

Evaluation of ThyroSeq v2 performance in thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology.

ThyroSeq v2 claims high positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values in a wide range of pretest risks of malignancy in indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs) (categories B-III and B-IV of the Bethesda system). We evaluated ThyroSeq v2 performance in a cohort of patients with ITNs seen at our Academic Cancer Center from September 2014 to April 2016, in light of the new diagnostic criteria for non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). Our study included 182 patients (76% female) with 190 ITNs consecutively tested with ThyroSeq v2.

Clonal haemopoiesis and therapy-related myeloid malignancies in elderly patients: a proof-of-concept, case-control study.

Background: Clonal haemopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is an age-associated genetic event linked to increased risk of primary haematological malignancies and increased all-cause mortality, but the prevalence of CHIP in patients who develop therapy-related myeloid neoplasms is unknown. We did this study to investigate whether chemotherapy-treated patients with cancer who have CHIP are at increased risk of developing therapy-related myeloid neoplasms.

Methods: We did a nested, case-control, proof-of-concept study to compare the prevalence of CHIP between patients with cancer who later developed therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (cases) and patients who did not develop these neoplasms (controls).

New American Thyroid Association Sonographic Patterns for Thyroid Nodules Perform Well in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Institutional Experience, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) thyroid nodule guidelines recommend selecting nodules for biopsy based on a sonographic pattern classification. These patterns were developed based on features of differentiated thyroid cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and the inter-observer agreement of this classification system in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

Synthesis of furo[3,2-c]coumarin derivatives using visible-light-promoted radical alkyne insertion with bromocoumarins.

The synthesis of privileged structures, which are potent drug candidates, is an impetus for drug discovery. The construction of heterocyclic framework furo[3,2-c]coumarins using a visible-light promoted photoredox neutral coupling of 3-bromo-4-hydroxycoumarins with commercially available alkynes has been reported. These reactions can be carried out at room temperature under visible light irradiation with good chemical yields.

Point success rate for patient therapeutic response prediction by continuous biomarker scores.

Various predictive diagnostic tests are highly demanded to guide optimal treatments for individual patients, as individual patients with the same disease such as cancer frequently exhibit dramatically different therapeutic responses to multiple available treatment options. A large number of clinical trials have thus been performed to test the predictive ability and utility of various therapeutic biomarker tests. However, in these trial designs the conventional optimization criteria such as positive predictive value or negative predictive value cannot reflect each patient's true chance of success associated with continuous predictive biomarker scores.

Balancing continuous covariates based on Kernel densities.

The balance of important baseline covariates is essential for convincing treatment comparisons. Stratified permuted block design and minimization are the two most commonly used balancing strategies, both of which require the covariates to be discrete. Continuous covariates are typically discretized in order to be included in the randomization scheme.