Medicine
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Comparative Study
Clinical characteristics and prognosis of elderly patients with colorectal cancer: Comparison between surgical resection and supportive care.
Elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients tend to avoid standard treatment, especially curative surgical resection, because of concerns about surgical complications or underlying diseases. This study is intended to compare clinical characteristics and prognosis between patients who had undergone surgical resection and received supportive care, and to evaluate the usefulness of surgical treatment in elderly patients. A total of 114 patients aged ≥80 years who were diagnosed with CRC were analyzed retrospectively. ⋯ In the analysis of risk factors related to survival, surgical resection was a good prognostic factor. Surgical treatment in elderly CRC patients showed a survival benefit, even in the extremely elderly patients. Surgical resection for CRC in elderly patients can be considered to improve survival.
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Comparative Study
Identification of prognostic miRNA biomarkers for esophageal cancer based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in tumor and tumor-adjacent tissues can be effective diagnostic and prognostic markers to monitor tumor occurrence and progression. Despite improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer (EC), the survival rate is <25%; consequently, more effective EC-specific prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to design effective treatment regimens. In this study, we focused on identifying independent prognostic miRNA signatures in tumor and tumor-adjacent tissues in EC. ⋯ Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that a higher expression of hsa-miR-186-5p and hsa-let-7d-5p was independently associated with a poor prognosis of EADC and ESCC, respectively. Furthermore, gene functional enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of hsa-miR-186-5p and hsa-let-7d-5p participated in various cancer-related pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway. Our results revealed that hsa-miR-186-5p and hsa-let-7d-5p could be used as independent prognostic biomarkers for EADC and ESCC, respectively.
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Early hematoma expansion of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage is affected by various factors. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors and develop a nomogram to predict early hematoma expansion. A retrospective analysis was carried out in patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage admitted to our institution between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018; the patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of early hematoma expansion. ⋯ After multivariate logistic regression, 9 variables (alcohol history, Glasgow coma scale score, total serum calcium, blood glucose, international normalized ratio, hematoma shape, hematoma density, volume of hematoma on initial computed tomography scan, and presence of intraventricular hemorrhage) identified as independent predictors of hematoma expansion were used to generate the nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the nomogram was 0.883 (95% confidence interval 0.851-0.914), and the cutoff score was -0.19 with sensitivity of 75.5% and specificity of 87.3%. The nomogram can accurately predict the risk of early hematoma expansion.
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Comparative Study
A machine-learning based approach to quantify fine crackles in the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia: A proof-of-concept study.
Fine crackles are frequently heard in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and are known as the sensitive indicator for ILDs, although the objective method for analyzing respiratory sounds including fine crackles is not clinically available. We have previously developed a machine-learning-based algorithm which can promptly analyze and quantify the respiratory sounds including fine crackles. In the present proof-of-concept study, we assessed the usefulness of fine crackles quantified by this algorithm in the diagnosis of ILDs. ⋯ In addition, the increased mean FCQV was associated with the presence of traction bronchiectasis (P = .003) and honeycombing (P = .004) in HRCT. Furthermore, in discriminating ILDs in HRCT, an FCQV-based determination of the presence or absence of fine crackles indicated a higher sensitivity compared to a chest X-ray-based determination of the presence or absence of ILDs. We herein report that the machine-learning-based quantification of fine crackles can predict the HRCT findings of lung fibrosis and can support the prompt and sensitive diagnosis of ILDs.
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Case Reports
Orbital schwannoma with calcification treated by intracapsular excision: A case report.
Orbital schwannoma is a relatively rare orbital tumor, and calcification of the lesion is rarely found in the orbit. We report a case of orbital schwannoma which was characterized by calcification in the orbital muscle cone, and was cured by intracapsular excision. ⋯ Understanding clinical, imaging diagnostic, and histopathological features of rare orbital schwannoma with calcification will facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment of this condition. The intracapsular excision can help in avoiding complications.