Medicine
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Patients with head and neck cancers often require radiotherapy, where immobilization devices like thermoplastic masks ensure precise radiation delivery by minimizing movement. However, the quality of these masks lacks standard reference data. This study aimed to establish institutional acceptance criteria for thermoplastic mask quality and quantify their effectiveness using a 3 dimensional stress test and verified the setup errors using daily megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT). ⋯ MVCT was used to assess 6 dimensional-axis errors, with mean translational errors (x, y, z) of 0.32 mm, -1.09 mm, and 2.24 mm, respectively, and rotational errors (yaw, pitch, roll) of -0.12°, 0.22°, and 0.35°, respectively. The results demonstrated that the thermoplastic masks provided precise immobilization, minimizing setup errors in 6 dimensions. Our findings offer a quantifiable method to ensure high-quality immobilization during radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancers.
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Observational Study
Diagnostic utility of plasma translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) in sepsis: A case-control study.
Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is a mitochondrial membrane protein that is involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and steroidogenesis. TSPO may be a marker of inflammatory responses in the brain and other organs, but there have been few studies of the potential clinical significance of measuring the circulating TSPO concentration, especially in patients with sepsis. In this study, we compared the circulating TSPO concentrations of patients with sepsis and healthy controls to investigate the utility of plasma TSPO for the diagnosis of sepsis. ⋯ The plasma TSPO concentrations of the patients with sepsis were significantly lower than those of the healthy controls (0.094 vs 0.25 ng/mL, P < .001), and receiver operating characteristic analysis generated an area under the curve of 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-0.91). In patients with sepsis, the TSPO concentration was not associated with the severity of sepsis, complications, or prognosis. Plasma TSPO may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis.
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Case Reports
Simultaneous clavicular hook plate fixation in bilateral distal clavicle fractures (Neer type II): A case report.
Bilateral distal clavicle fractures (BDCF) are exceedingly rare types of fractures. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical treatment under a single anesthesia for trauma-induced BDCF (Neer type II) through a case report. ⋯ BDCF can compromise the stability of the shoulder girdle, necessitating surgical intervention with anatomical reduction and rigid fixation.
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Recently, evidence has indicated that CTNNB1 is important in a variety of malignancies. However, how CTNNB1 interacts with immune cell infiltration remains to be further investigated. In this study, we focused on the correlations between CTNNB1 and tumorigenesis, tumor progression, mutation, phosphorylation, and prognosis via gene expression profiling interaction analysis; TIMER 2.0, cBioPortal, GTEx, CPTAC, and GEPIA2 database analyses; and R software. ⋯ We also identified the top CTNNB1-correlated genes in the TCGA projects and analyzed the expression correlation between CTNNB1 and selected target genes, including PPP4R2, RHOA, and SPRED1. Additionally, pathway enrichment suggested that NUMB is involved in the Wnt pathway. This study highlights the predictive role of CTNNB1 across cancers, suggesting that CTNNB1 might serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of various malignant tumors.
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Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common cancer with high mortality and tumor mutation burden (TMB), and high TMB is associated with favorable survival. The expression, mutation, and survival data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The mutation and differentially expressed genes were analyzed using limma R package. ⋯ ANKLE1 and PPP1R14A expressions were significantly upregulated in tumor group, which was consistent with qRTPCR results, and associated with better prognosis. ANKLE1 was negatively related to many drug sensitivities, while PPP1R14A was positively related to some drug sensitivities. We constructed an effective risk model constructed by ANKLE1 and PPP1R14A which was related to TMB in LSCC.