Cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor DNA profiling for risk stratification and matched treatment of central nervous system metastases.

Genomic profiling of central nervous system (CNS) metastases has the potential to guide treatments. In the present study, we included 584 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and CNS metastases and performed a comprehensive analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) with clinicopathological annotation. CSF ctDNA-positive detection was independently associated with shorter survival than negative detection (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.

Long-Term Outcomes of Transarterial Chemoembolization plus Ablation versus Surgical Resection in Patients with Large BCLC Stage A/B HCC.

Rationale And Objectives: Large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits heterogeneous morphologies and varied responses to treatment. We evaluated outcomes of patients with different large HCC classifications receiving surgical resection (SR) or transarterial chemoembolization plus ablation (TA).

Materials And Methods: Patients with HCC ≥ 5 cm receiving SR or TA between May 2016 and December 2020 at one center were analyzed retrospectively and with propensity score matching (PSM).

Combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS With Second-Line Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Using Sulfur Hexafluoride or Perfluorobutane for Diagnosing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in High-Risk Patients.

Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations.

Application of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion in the Prediction of Intra-Tumoral Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Objective: To explore the value of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) sequences in predicting intra-tumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs).

Materials And Methods: This prospective study pre-operatively enrolled hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging including IVIM sequences, between January 2019 and April 2021. Intra-tumoral TLSs presence was assessed on pathological slide images.

Quantitative CT and COPD: cluster analysis reveals five distinct subtypes with varying exacerbation risks.

Background: The heterogeneity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly recognized. To characterize the heterogeneity of COPD, we aimed to identify subtypes related to quantitative CT by using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis.

Methods: The data of 1879 participants in the SPIROMICS study were obtained from the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center.

Personalized contrast agent dosing to prevent contrast induced nephropathy in high risk populations in Guangdong, China.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an acute kidney injury manifests within 72 h post-administration of contrast media, excluding other kidney-damage etiologies. Despite the recognition of CIN, the complex interplay among high-risk factors remains poorly understood, and precision in the existing risk stratification models is lacking. This retrospective, observational cohort study included patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or computed tomography angiography (CTA) at four hospitals in Guangdong, China, between 2010 and 2018.

Comparison of drug-coated balloon with bare-metal stent in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis: the AcoArt sICAS randomized clinical trial.

Background: Restenosis after stenting with a standard bare-metal stent (BMS) is the main cause of stroke recurrence for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS). Whether a drug-coated balloon (DCB) could reduce the risk of restenosis for such patients is unknown. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of DCB in reducing 6 month restenosis in patients with sICAS.

Structural neuroimaging abnormality and neurocognitive deficit in the first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FDR) compared to the first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FEP) and healthy controls.

The existing evidence regarding structural neuroimaging alternations during the premorbid and prodromal stages of psychosis remains limited and inconsistent. Gaining a deeper insight into the morphological brain variations could potentially advance the early diagnosis of high-risk individuals for psychosis, thereby offering a clearer understanding of the underlying mechanisms that lead to the progression towards mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia. In our study, we conducted comprehensive face-to-face clinical interviews, psychiatric symptom assessments, and neurocognitive evaluation for 25 first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FEP), 35 first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FDR), and 22 healthy controls (HC).

Multi-Omics Characterization of Genome-Wide Abnormal DNA Methylation Reveals FGF5 as a Diagnosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Recurrence After Radiotherapy.

Background: Aberrant expression and mutations in the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family play crucial roles in cell differentiation, growth, and migration, contributing to tumor progression across various cancers. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a malignancy prevalent in East Asia, is primarily treated with radiotherapy; however, radioresistance remains a major challenge, leading to recurrence and poor outcomes. While FGFs are known to activate signaling pathways such as MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and JAK/STAT to promote cancer progression, the specific role of individual FGFs in NPC radioresistance remains unclear.

Comparison of the impact of rectal susceptibility artifacts in prostate magnetic resonance imaging on subjective evaluation and deep learning: a two-center retrospective study.

Background: To compare the influence of rectal susceptibility artifacts on the subjective evaluation and deep learning (DL) in prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis.

Methods: This retrospective two-center study included 1052 patients who underwent MRI and biopsy due to clinically suspected PCa between November 2019 and November 2023. The extent of rectal artifacts in these patients' images was evaluated using the Likert four-level method.

High-performance CT features supporting accurate pre-operative tumor staging in colon cancer.

Background And Aims: Accurate pre-treatment tumor staging is essential for treatment decision-making. Multi-slice spiral computed tomography (CT) is currently the standard method for pre-operative clinical tumor staging, but accurately applying the CT findings in tumor staging remains a challenge due to the poor pathological understanding of the CT signs. We aimed to pathologically interpret the key CT findings in order to identify reliable markers for pre-treatment staging of colon cancer.

Carcinoembryonic antigen trajectory predicts pathological complete response in advanced gastric cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Aims: This study aims to develop a simple, clinically applicable classification system to predict pCR based on carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) trajectory during NAC.

Methods: This study included 366 AGC patients who received NAC followed by radical gastrectomy. CEA levels were measured before, during, and after NAC, with changes classified into three trajectory types: Type I (>=80% decline), Type II (>=40% but <80% decline), and Type III (<40% decline or increase).

Potential neural mechanisms of acupuncture therapy on migraine: a systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis update.

Background: Migraine is a common, disabling, chronic headache disorder. Acupuncture is one of the effective complementary therapies for migraine. However, the neural mechanisms of acupuncture on migraine remain unclear.

Improved image quality and micronodule detection in thyroid spectral computed tomography using modified swimmer's position.

Background: Spectral computed tomography (CT) can be used as a valuable complement to ultrasound (US) in the detection of thyroid nodules. This study sought to investigate the effects of various arm positions during thyroid spectral CT scans in terms of radiation exposure, image quality, and micronodule detection (≤10 mm).

Methods: A total of 180 patients (mean age: 48 years; 136 females) who underwent thyroid spectral CT were assigned to the traditional position (TDN; n=60), swimmer's position (SWIM; n=60), and modified swimmer's position (M-SWIM; n=60) groups.

Outcomes of BTD vs. BCD as initial treatment of renal amyloid light-chain amyloidosis: a retrospective cohort study in China.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of bortezomib with thalidomide and dexamethasone (BTD) and bortezomib with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (BCD) as the initial treatment for renal amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis in Chinese cohort.

Methods: A cohort of 174 patients with AL amyloidosis was studied in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2008 to August 2023. Propensity-score matching cases were applied to assess the outcomes of patients treated with BTD and BCD regimen.

Efficacy and optimal duration of maintenance immunotherapy following systemic chemoimmunotherapy and locoregional radiotherapy in de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

This study evaluates the efficacy, optimal duration, and target population for maintenance immunotherapy (MI) in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC) who have achieved disease control following systemic treatment. A multicenter retrospective cohort study included 258 patients whose disease was controlled after chemoimmunotherapy and locoregional radiotherapy. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), with conditional survival and restricted mean survival time (RMST) analyses used to determine the optimal MI duration.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mutation promotes HSPB6-mediated cuproptosis in hypochondroplasia by impairing chondrocyte autophagy.

Background: Hypochondroplasia (HCH) is a prevalent form of dwarfism linked to mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 () gene, causing missense alterations. We previous report was the first to identify (G382D) gain-of-function variants with a positive family history as a novel cause of HCH. However, the precise contribution of to the pathogenesis of HCH remains elusive.

Guidelines for the use of lung ultrasound to optimise the management of neonatal respiratory distress: international expert consensus.

Background: Respiratory distress is the main reason for the admission of infants to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Rapid identification of the causes of respiratory distress and selection of appropriate and effective treatment strategies are important to optimise favourable short- and long-term patient outcomes. Lung ultrasound (LUS) technology has become increasingly important in this field.

A tumor heterogeneity-independent antigen-responsive nanocarrier enabled by bioorthogonal pre-targeting and click-activated self-immolative polymer.

Bioorthogonal pre-targeting alleviate the limitations of traditional nanomedicines in passive and active targeting delivery. However, the high selectivity of bioorthogonal pre-targeting depends on the high expression level of antigens in lesion sites, and there are very limited targets with sufficient overexpression. Herein, we propose a tumor heterogeneity-independent antigen-responsive nanocarrier utilizing bioorthogonal pre-targeting and click-activated self-immolative polymers for stimulus signal conversion and amplification.

Circulating inflammatory cytokines and risk of aortic stenosis: A Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Observational studies have consistently reported positive associations between inflammatory biomarkers and the risk of developing aortic stenosis (AS). However, it is crucial to acknowledge that conventional observational studies are prone to various forms of bias, including reverse causation and residual confounding. To delve deeper into unraveling the potential causal relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and aortic stenosis, we conducted a comprehensive two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Precision targeted melanoma therapy via cuproptosis/chemodynamic and chemotherapy: An engineering MCHS-CuMOF nanodelivery system.

Melanoma, a highly aggressive skin cancer, continues to challenge current therapeutic modalities due to its resistance and high mortality rates. Recent advancements highlight cuproptosis, a copper-driven form of programmed cell death, as a promising target for melanoma treatment. This study integrated machine learning and large-scale genomic data to identify FDX1 as a pivotal gene in cuproptosis-related pathways for melanoma.

A pelvis MR transformer-based deep learning model for predicting lung metastases risk in patients with rectal cancer.

Objective: Accurate preoperative evaluation of rectal cancer lung metastases (RCLM) is critical for implementing precise medicine. While artificial intelligence (AI) methods have been successful in detecting liver and lymph node metastases using magnetic resonance (MR) images, research on lung metastases is still limited. Utilizing MR images to classify RCLM could potentially reduce ionizing radiation exposure and the costs associated with chest CT in patients without metastases.

Pyridinium Rotor Strategy toward a Robust Photothermal Agent for STING Activation and Multimodal Image-Guided Immunotherapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer could hinder the response to thorough immunotherapy and diminish the antitumor efficacy. Although the STING pathway emerges as a promising target to remedy defects, uncertain drug delivery might lead to off-target inflammatory reactions. Here, we manifest a novel phototheranostic agent with an aggregation-induced emission property that guided the pharmacological activation of a STING agonist for photothermal immunotherapy to create an immunologically "hot" tumor.

Intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics using multi-phase contrast-enhanced CT for diagnosis of renal oncocytoma and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective study.

Purpose: To construct diagnostic models that distinguish renal oncocytoma (RO) from chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (CRCC) using intratumoral and peritumoral radiomic features from the corticomedullary phase (CMP) and nephrographic phase (NP) of computed tomography, and compare model results with manual and radiological results.

Methods: The RO and CRCC cases from five centers were split into a training set (70%) and a validation set (30%). CMP and NP intratumoral and peritumoral (1-3 mm) radiomic features were extracted.

Transplantation of engineered endothelial progenitor cells with H19 overexpression promotes arterial reendothelialization and inhibits neointimal hyperplasia.

Endothelial injury is a key factor initiating in-stent restenosis (ISR) following peripheral artery stent implantation. Genetically modified endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can promote reendothelialization of injured arteries and inhibit neointimal hyperplasia. However, the role of engineered EPCs overexpressing lncRNA H19 in these processes remains unclear.