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Gastric cancer liver metastasis (GCLM) patients usually accompany by abnormal serum liver function tests (LFTs) more or less; however, the prognostic value of LFTs is not fully understood. This study aimed to develop a liver chemistry score (LCS) based on LFTs and incorporate it into prognosis determination for GCLM patients who received palliative chemotherapy.Data were derived from hospitalized GCLM patients in two general hospitals in China. LCS was generated based on the results of LFTs by LASSO regression. Cutoff value of the score was determined by restricted cubic spline. The score was then incorporated into Cox regression analysis to construct a predictive nomogram; the model was then evaluated internally and externally by AUC of time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and calibration curves.Three hundred and thirty-six and 72 patients were included in development and validation cohort, respectively. LASSO regression analysis in development cohort finally reached a two-parametric LCS calculated on AST and ALP levels as 0.03343515 × ln (AST, U/L) + 0.02687997 × ln (ALP, U/L), and 0.232 was set as optimal cutoff value. Patients in low (LCS 0.232) or high (LCS ≥ 0.232) score group experienced different survival times; median OS was 13.54 (95% CI: 11.1-15.6) months in the low LCS group and 7.3 (6.6-9.3) months in the high LCS group (p 0.001). A nomogram including LCS and other clinical parameters was constructed and showed superior performance than model not including LCS. AUC of 6-month ROC improved from 0.647 (95% CI: 0.584-0.711) to 0.699 (0.638-0.759) in internal validation, and 0.837 (0.734-0.940) to 0.875 (0.784-0.966) in external validation.Liver chemistry score is useful in determining the prognosis of gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis and may be helpful to clinicians in decision-making.

Geleneksel betimleyici kuramlar, farklı olan kip ve kiplik ulamını tek morfolojik terimde geneller; bu yaklaşım kip ve ardından cümledeki işlev ulamları arasındaki benzerlikleri ihmal eder, bunun yanı sıra kip ve kipliğin çekim ekleri başlığında almaya teşvik eder. Morfoloji, pragmatik ve sözdizimsel yönleri görmezlikten gelir. Kip ve kipliği, cümle çizgisinde gerçekleşmelerine bakarak tartışırken bu hem yaklaşımın eksikliğini hem de pratikliğini açıkça gösterir. Kip daha soyut bir kavramken kiplik daha somut bir kategoridir. Kip ve kipliğin pragmatik yönleriyle ilgili, bağlamı dikkate almadan ve dil dışı değerlendirme olmaksızın kip eklerinin anlamlarını tanımlamak yetersizdir. {-mIş} ve {-sAydI} gibi eklerin anlamlarının kipsel değerlerine göre açıklığa kavuşturulması pragmatik olarak kabul edilmez. Çalışmada kip ve kipliğin basit biçimsel gerçekleşmelerinden ziyade altta yatan uygulamalı özelliklerine odaklanmaktadır. Kip ve kiplik, cümle çizgiselliği üzerinde gerçekleştirildiğinde, sözdizimsel ve pragmatik yönleri öncelikle ilgilenilir ve cümledeki işlev ulamlarına kıyasen kipler tasvir edilir. Kipliksel işaretlerle ilişkilendirilen kipliklerin öbeksel özelliklerini vurgulamak için “tavandan tabana” yaklaşımı tercih edilmiştir.

When talking about Bai nationality, people are impressed by its long history and the language it has created. However, since fewer people of the young generation learn the traditional language, the glorious Bai culture becomes less known, making understanding Bai characters difficult. Based on the highly precise character recognition model for Bai characters, the paper is aimed at helping people read books written in Bai characters so as to popularize the culture. To begin with, a data set is built with the support of Bai culture fans and experts. However, the data set is not large enough as knowledge in this respect is limited. This makes the deep learning model less accurate since it lacks sufficient data. The popular zero-shot learning (ZSL) is adopted to overcome the insufficiency of data sets. We use Chinese characters as the seen class, Bai characters as the unseen class, and the number of strokes as the attribute to construct the ZSL format data set. However, the existing ZSL methods ignore the character structure information, so a generation method based on variational autoencoder (VAE) is put forward, which can automatically capture the character structure information. Experimental results show that the method facilitates the recognition of Bai characters and makes it more precise.

To systematically quantify the diagnostic accuracy and identify potential covariates affecting the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing orthopedic fractures.PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies on AI applications in diagnosing orthopedic fractures from inception to September 29, 2021. Pooled sensitivity and specificity and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were obtained. This study was registered in the PROSPERO database prior to initiation (CRD 42021254618).Thirty-nine were eligible for quantitative analysis. The overall pooled AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.98), 90% (95% CI 87-92%), and 92% (95% CI 90-94%), respectively. In subgroup analyses, multicenter designed studies yielded higher sensitivity (92% vs. 88%) and specificity (94% vs. 91%) than single-center studies. AI demonstrated higher sensitivity with transfer learning (with vs. without: 92% vs. 87%) or data augmentation (with vs. without: 92% vs. 87%), compared to those without. Utilizing plain X-rays as input images for AI achieved results comparable to CT (AUC 0.96 vs. 0.96). Moreover, AI achieved comparable results to humans (AUC 0.97 vs. 0.97) and better results than non-expert human readers (AUC 0.98 vs. 0.96; sensitivity 95% vs. 88%).AI demonstrated high accuracy in diagnosing orthopedic fractures from medical images. Larger-scale studies with higher design quality are needed to validate our findings.• Multicenter study design, application of transfer learning, and data augmentation are closely related to improving the performance of artificial intelligence models in diagnosing orthopedic fractures. • Utilizing plain X-rays as input images for AI to diagnose fractures achieved results comparable to CT (AUC 0.96 vs. 0.96). • AI achieved comparable results to humans (AUC 0.97 vs. 0.97) but was superior to non-expert human readers (AUC 0.98 vs. 0.96, sensitivity 95% vs. 88%) in diagnosing fractures.

Introduction: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is widely accepted as the gold standard surgical procedure for treating cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. However, there is concern about the low fusion rate in the early period after ACDF surgery using the Zero-P fusion cage. We creatively designed an assembled uncoupled joint fusion device to improve the fusion rate and solve the implantation difficulties. This study aimed to assess the biomechanical performance of the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage in single-level ACDF and compare it with the Zero-P device.Methods: A three-dimensional finite element (FE) of a healthy cervical spine (C2−C7) was constructed and validated. In the one-level surgery model, either an assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage or a zero-profile device was implanted at the C5–C6 segment of the model. A pure moment of 1.0 Nm combined with a follower load of 75 N was imposed at C2 to determine flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The segmental range of motion (ROM), facet contact force (FCF), maximum intradiscal pressure (IDP), and screw−bone stress were determined and compared with those of the zero-profile device.Results: The results showed that the ROMs of the fused levels in both models were nearly zero, while the motions of the unfused segments were unevenly increased. The FCF at adjacent segments in the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage group was less than that that of the Zero-P group. The IDP at the adjacent segments and screw–bone stress were slightly higher in the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage group than in those of the Zero-P group. Stress on the cage was mainly concentrated on both sides of the wings, reaching 13.4–20.4 Mpa in the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage group.Conclusion: The assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage provided strong immobilization, similar to the Zero-P device. When compared with the Zero-P group, the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage achieved similar resultant values regarding FCF, IDP, and screw–bone stress. Moreover, the assembled uncovertebral joint fusion cage effectively achieved early bone formation and fusion, probably due to proper stress distributions in the wings of both sides.

BACKGROUND Respiratory tract infections in the elderly are difficult to cure and can easily recur, thereby posing a great threat to patient prognosis and quality of life. AIM To investigate the therapeutic effects of different antibiotics in elderly patients with respiratory tract infection. METHODS Seventy-four elderly patients with respiratory tract infection were randomly allocated to a study (n = 37; treated with cefoperazone sodium/sulbactam sodium) or control (n = 37; treated with piperacillin sodium/tazobactam sodium on the basis of routine symptomatic support) group. Both groups were treated for 7 d. Time to symptom relief (leukocyte recovery; body temperature recovery; cough and sputum disappearance; and rale disappearance time), treatment effect, and laboratory indexes [procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and neutrophil percentage (NE)] before and 7 d after treatment and the incidence of adverse reactions were assessed. RESULTS In the study group, the time to WBC normalization (6.79 ± 2.09 d), time to body temperature normalization (4.15 ± 1.08 d), time to disappearance of cough and sputum (6.19 ± 1.56 d), and time to disappearance of rales (6.68 ± 1.43 d) were shorter than those of the control group (8.89 ± 2.32 d, 5.81 ± 1.33 d, 8.77 ± 2.11 d, and 8.69 ± 2.12 d, respectively; P = 0.000). Total effective rate was higher in the study group (94.59% vs 75.68%, P = 0.022). Serum PCT (12.89 ± 3.96 μg/L), CRP (19.62 ± 6.44 mg/L), WBC (20.61 ± 6.38 × 109/L), and NE (86.14 ± 7.21%) levels of the study group before treatment were similar to those of the control group (14.05 ± 4.11 μg/L, 18.79 ± 5.96 mg/L, 21.21 ± 5.59 × 109/L, and 84.39 ± 6.95%, respectively) with no significant differences (P = 0.220, 0.567, 0.668, and 0.291, respectively). After 7 d of treatment, serum PCT, CRP, WBC, and NE levels in the two groups were lower than those before treatment. Serum PCT (2.01 ± 0.56 μg/L), CRP (3.11 ± 1.02 mg/L), WBC (5.10 ± 1.83 × 109/L), and NE (56.35 ± 7.17%) levels were lower in the study group than in the control group (3.29 ± 0.64 μg/L, 5.67 ± 1.23 mg/L, 8.13 ± 3.01 × 109/L, and 64.22 ± 8.08%, respectively; P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the groups (7.50% vs 12.50%, P = 0.708). CONCLUSION Piperacillin sodium/tazobactam sodium is superior to cefoperazone sodium/ sulbactam sodium in the treatment of elderly patients with respiratory tract infection with a similar safety profile.

In recent years, cervical spondylosis has become one of the most common chronic diseases and has received much attention from the public. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most widely used imaging modality for the diagnosis of degenerative cervical spondylosis. The manual identification and segmentation of the cervical spine on MRI makes it a laborious, time-consuming, and error-prone process. In this work, we collected a new dataset of 300 patients with a total of 600 cervical spine images in the MRI T2-weighted (T2W) modality for the first time, which included the cervical spine, intervertebral discs, spinal cord, and spinal canal information. A new instance segmentation approach called SeUneter was proposed for cervical spine segmentation. SeUneter expanded the depth of the network structure based on the original U-Net and added a channel attention module to the double convolution of the feature extraction. SeUneter could enhance the semantic information of the segmentation and weaken the characteristic information of non-segmentation to the screen for important feature channels in double convolution. In the meantime, to alleviate the over-fitting of the model under insufficient samples, the Cutout was used to crop the pixel information in the original image at random positions of a fixed size, and the number of training samples in the original data was increased. Prior knowledge of the data was used to optimize the segmentation results by a post-process to improve the segmentation performance. The mean of Intersection Over Union (mIOU) was calculated for the different categories, while the mean of the Dice similarity coefficient (mDSC) and mIOU were calculated to compare the segmentation results of different deep learning models for all categories. Compared with multiple models under the same experimental settings, our proposed SeUneter’s performance was superior to U-Net, AttU-Net, UNet++, DeepLab-v3+, TransUNet, and Swin-Unet on the spinal cord with mIOU of 86.34% and the spinal canal with mIOU of 73.44%. The SeUneter matched or exceeded the performance of the aforementioned segmentation models when segmenting vertebral bodies or intervertebral discs. Among all models, SeUneter achieved the highest mIOU and mDSC of 82.73% and 90.66%, respectively, for the whole cervical spine.

Background It has been proposed that hepatitis delta virus (HDV) induces hepatic carcinogenesis by distinct molecular events compared with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that is commonly induced by other hepatitis viruses. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism by identifying the key genes for HDV-HCC using bioinformatics analysis. Methods The GSE107170 dataset was downloaded and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by the online tool GEO2R. Gene otology (GO) functional analyses and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using R packages. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING). Hub genes were selected by Cytoscape software according to degree algorithm. The hub genes were further validated in terms of expression and survival analysis based on public databases. Results A total of 93 commonly upregulated genes and 36 commonly downregulated genes were found. The top 5 upregulated hub genes were TFRC, ACTR2, ARPC1A, ARPC3, and ARPC2. The top 5 downregulated hub genes were CTNNB1, CCND1, CDKN1B, CDK4, and CDKN1A. In the validation analysis, the expressions of ARPC1A, ARPC3, and CDK4 were promoted in general liver cancer samples. Higher expressions of ARPC2 and CDK4 and lower expressions of CDKN1A, CCND1, and CDKN1B were associated with worse prognosis in general HCC patients. Conclusion The present study identifies a series of key genes that may be involved in the carcinogenesis of HDV-HCC and used as prognostic factors.

Background: The traditional titanium mesh cage (TTMC) has become common as a classical instrument for Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion (ACCF), but a series of complications such as cage subsidence, adjacent segment degeneration (ASD), and implant-related complications by using the TTMC have often been reported in the previous literature. The aim of this study was to assess whether a novel anatomic titanium mesh cage (NTMC) could improve the biomechanical condition after surgery.Methods: The NTMC model consists of two spacers located on both sides of the TTMC which match the anatomic structure between the endplates by measuring patient preoperative cervical computed tomography (CT) data. The ranges of motion (ROMs) of the surgical segments and the stress peaks in the C6 superior endplates, titanium mesh cage (TMC), screw–bone interface, anterior titanium plate, and adjacent intervertebral disc were compared.Results: Compared with the TTMC, the NTMC reduced the surgical segmental ROMs by 89.4% postoperatively. The C6 superior endplate stress peaks were higher in the TTMC (4.473–23.890 MPa), followed by the NTMC (1.923–5.035 MPa). The stress peaks on the TMC were higher in the TTMC (47.896–349.525 MPa), and the stress peaks on the TMC were lower in the NTMC (17.907–92.799 MPa). TTMC induced higher stress peaks in the screw–bone interface (40.0–153.2 MPa), followed by the NTMC (14.8–67.8 MPa). About the stress peaks on the anterior titanium plate, the stress of TTMC is from 16.499 to 58.432 MPa, and that of the NTMC is from 12.456 to 34.607 MPa. Moreover, the TTMC induced higher stress peaks in the C3/4 and C6/7 intervertebral disc (0.201–6.691 MPa and 0.248–4.735 MPa, respectively), followed by the NTMC (0.227–3.690 MPa and 0.174–3.521 MPa, respectively).Conclusion: First, the application of the NTMC can effectively decrease the risks of TMC subsidence after surgery. Second, in the NTMC, the stresses at the anterior screw-plate, bone–screw, and TMC interface are much less than in the TTMC, which decreased the risks of instrument-related complications after surgery. Finally, increases in IDP at adjacent levels are associated with the internal stresses of adjacent discs which may lead to ASD; therefore, the NTMC can effectively decrease the risks of ASD.

BackgroundMore than 70 percent of the world's population is tortured with neck pain more than once in their vast life, of which 50–85% recur within 1–5 years of the initial episode. With medical resources affected by the epidemic, more and more people seek health-related knowledge via YouTube. This article aims to assess the quality and reliability of the medical information shared on YouTube regarding neck pain.MethodsWe searched on YouTube using the keyword “neck pain” to include the top 50 videos by relevance, then divided them into five and seven categories based on their content and source. Each video was quantitatively assessed using the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), DISCERN, Global Quality Score (GQS), Neck Pain-Specific Score (NPSS), and video power index (VPI). Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between JAMA, GQS, DISCERN, NPSS and VPI. A multiple linear regression analysis was applied to identify video features affecting JAMA, GQS, DISCERN, and NPSS.ResultsThe videos had a mean JAMA score of 2.56 (SD = 0.43), DISCERN of 2.55 (SD = 0.44), GQS of 2.86 (SD = 0.72), and NPSS of 2.90 (SD = 2.23). Classification by video upload source, non-physician videos had the greatest share at 38%, and sorted by video content, exercise training comprised 40% of the videos. Significant differences between the uploading sources were observed for VPI (P = 0.012), JAMA (P < 0.001), DISCERN (P < 0.001), GQS (P = 0.001), and NPSS (P = 0.007). Spearman correlation analysis showed that JAMA, DISCERN, GQS, and NPSS significantly correlated with each other (JAMA vs. DISCERN, p < 0.001, JAMA vs. GQS, p < 0.001, JAMA vs. NPSS, p < 0.001, DISCERN vs. GQS, p < 0.001, DISCERN vs. NPSS, p < 0.001, GQS vs. NPSS, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that a higher JAMA score, DISCERN, or GQS score were closely related to a higher probability of an academic, physician, non-physician or medical upload source (P < 0.005), and a higher NPSS score was associated with a higher probability of an academic source (P = 0.001) than of an individual upload source.ConclusionsYouTube videos pertaining to neck pain contain low quality, low reliability, and incomplete information. Patients may be put at risk for health complications due to inaccurate, and incomplete information, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. Academic groups should be committed to high-quality video production and promotion to YouTube users.

BACKGROUND The increasing prevalence of neck pain poses a huge socioeconomic burden. Physiotherapy exercise plays a vital role in the management of neck pain; consequently, the current COVID-19 pandemic accompanying the lockdown has resulted in a shortage of physiotherapy care. YouTube, in particular, is a leading source due to its easy access to information and visual advantages for internet users. However, the nature of these videos is often unscientific, misleading, and even harmful. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to investigate the quality and reliability of neck pain physiotherapy exercise videos shared on YouTube and identified factors associated with the overall video quality and reliability. METHODS On 15 April 2022, a YouTube search was performed using the keywords “neck pain relief exercises”, “neck pain physiotherapy” and “neck pain rehabilitation”. Videos were categorized by 3 doctors based on whether the video content provided useful or misleading information. Furthermore, the reliability and quality of the videos were assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, the 5-point DISCERN tool, and the 5-point global quality score criteria (GQS). Spearman correlation analysis was applied to assess the correlation between JAMA, GQS, DISCERN, and video power index (VPI). A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify video characteristics affecting the JAMA, GQS, DISCERN, and VPI. RESULTS Out of the 89 videos selected for the study, 38 (42.7%) were classified as useful, whereas 51 (57.3%) provided misleading information. A total of 36.0% of videos (32/89) were generated by nonphysicians compared to 12.4% of videos (11/89) contributed by academic sources. In the useful information group, the videos had a higher JAMA (P.05). Even though the academic and physician group provide the highest percentage of useful information (7/11), a statistical difference was not noted between the useful and misleading video groups regarding the uploading sources (P=.144). CONCLUSIONS YouTube videos on neck pain physiotherapy exercises have low quality and reliability. Our findings suggest that academic and physician groups should provide and promote high-quality video content to YouTube users and patients. CLINICALTRIAL This study did not require a trial registration since it is not a clinical trial and only publicly available data were used.

Introduction: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a widely accepted surgical procedure in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. A solid interbody fusion is of critical significance in achieving satisfactory outcomes after ACDF. However, the current radiographic techniques to determine the degree of fusion are inaccurate and radiative. Several animal experiments suggested that the mechanical load on the spinal instrumentation could reflect the fusion process and evaluated the stability of implant. This study aims to investigate the biomechanical changes during the fusion process and explore the feasibility of reflecting the fusion status after ACDF through the load changes borne by the interbody fusion cage.Methods: The computed tomography (CT) scans preoperatively, immediately after surgery, at 3 months, and 6 months follow-up of patients who underwent ACDF at C5/6 were used to construct the C2–C7 finite element (FE) models representing different courses of fusion stages. A 75-N follower load with 1.0-Nm moments was applied to the top of C2 vertebra in the models to simulate flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation with the C7 vertebra fixed. The Von Mises stress at the surfaces of instrumentation and the adjacent intervertebral disc and force at the facet joints were analyzed.Results: The facet contact force at C5/6 suggested a significantly stepwise reduction as the fusion proceeded while the intradiscal pressure and facet contact force of adjacent levels changed slightly. The stress on the surfaces of titanium plate and screws significantly decreased at 3 and 6 months follow-up. A markedly changed stress distribution in extension among three models was noted in different fusion stages. After solid fusion is achieved, the stress was more uniformly distributed interbody fusion in all loading conditions.Conclusions: Through a follow-up study of 6 months, the stress on the surfaces of cervical instrumentation remarkably decreased in all loading conditions. After solid intervertebral fusion formed, the stress distributions on the surfaces of interbody cage and screws were more uniform. The stress distribution in extension altered significantly in different fusion status. Future studies are needed to develop the interbody fusion device with wireless sensors to achieve longitudinal real-time monitoring of the stress distribution during the course of fusion.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a medical and social challenge worldwide. Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most frequently evaluated essential minerals with diverse biological functions in human body. However, the association between circulating Mg levels and AD remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies published between 1991 and 2021 to determine whether the Mg levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are abnormal in AD. Literatures were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data without language limitations. A pooled subject sample including 1,112 AD patients and 1,001 healthy controls (HCs) was available to assess Mg levels in serum and plasma; 284 AD patients and 117 HCs were included for Mg levels in CSF. It was found that serum and plasma levels of Mg were significantly reduced in AD patients compared with HCs (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] [−1.36, −0.43];P= 0.000). There was statistically non-significant for Mg level in CSF between AD and HCs, whereas a decreased tendency were detected (SMD = −0.16; 95% CI [−0.50, 0.18];P= 0.364). .In addition, when we analyzed the Mg levels of serum, plasma and CSF together, the circulating Mg levels in AD patients was significantly lower (SMD = −0.74, 95% CI [−1.13; −0.35];P= 0.000). These results indicate that Mg deficiency may be a risk factor of AD and Mg supplementation may be a potentially valuable adjunctive treatment for AD.Systematic Review Registration:www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, registration number CRD42021254557.

Background Ovarian squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare cancer with possible poor survival, however no direct evidence supports this viewpoint and the independent prognostic factors are controversial. Patients with ovarian SCC and serous carcinoma (SC) who were diagnosed between 2004 and 2016 were selected using the recent released SEER database. Propensity score matching was used to balance the characteristics of the two groups. The difference of survival between patients with ovarian SCC and SC was explored using Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were performed to further identify the independent prognostic factors among patients with ovarian SCC. Results Of 15,286 patients (15,106 SC cases and 180 SCC cases), 304 were identified in the matched cohort (200 SC cases and 104 SCC cases). The overall survival and cause-specific survival for patients with SCC were significantly poorer (Plog-rank Conclusions The prognosis of ovarian SCC is worse than ovarian SC. Older age at diagnosis, advanced disease stage, larger tumor size and bilateral malignancy are the independent risk factors for poor survival.

Background We investigated the relationship between levels of microRNA (miR)-138-5p in plasma and tumor tissues from advanced gastric cancer patients, and the efficacy of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods MiR-138-5p expression was measured by qRT-PCR in cancerous tissues and plasma from 51 advanced gastric cancer patients, in paracancerous tissues and in plasma from healthy volunteers as control. All patients received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Correlations between miR-138-5p expression and the treatment efficacy, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) of first-line chemotherapy were evaluated. Results Significantly lower levels of miR-138-5p were detected in gastric cancer tissues compared with paracancerous tissues and in the plasma of patients compared with control subjects (both P

The literature has provided mixed evidence on the relationship between cash holdings and average stock returns. We empirically verify that the relationship is positive and robust to the adjustment of risk, the construction of cash holdings portfolios, and the weighting scheme of portfolio returns. We further examine a battery of potential channels that can explain the positive relationship. We find that the cash holding effect can be subsumed by accruals-related anomalies and it mainly comes from stocks with low net operating assets. It is stronger among stocks with high limits to arbitrage. Overall, our results indicate that the cash holding effect does not present a new asset-pricing regularity, but that it is a manifestation of existing anomalies closely related to mispricing.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with robust ferromagnetism properties have high potentials for application in the field of spintronics. However, extensively pursued 2D sheets, including pure graphene, monolayer BN, and layered transition metal dichalcogenides, are either nonmagnetic or weakly magnetic. The elastic, electronic and magnetic properties of monolayer CrN are calculated using the plane wave pseudo potential method based on first-principles density function theory. Upon determining through calculation that the structure of the monolayer CrN nanosheet is stable, its layer modulus [Formula: see text] shows that its strain resistance is stronger than that of graphene. Through strain analysis, materials with a monolayer CrN type of structure can be obtained. It is determined that 10% of the change in equilibrium area is still applicable to the 2D EOS, showing that this structure is quite stable. The spin-polarized electronic band structure is also calculated under different plane symmetry strains. The plane strain can be used to effectively adjust the metallic and magnetic properties of the material. Analyses of the band structure and density of states reveal that this material is half-metallic, where the origin of the ferromagnetism is related to [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] exchange interactions between the Cr and N atoms. Monolayer CrN has semimetallic properties and strong ferromagnetic (FM) properties. The FM effect can enhance the stability of the material. The results show that monolayer CrN is a semimetallic material with good elastic properties and a strong FM property. This material is therefore expected to have good application rospects in the field of spin electronics.

Background To evaluate whether the addition of taxanes to platinum and fluoropyrimidines in adjuvant chemotherapy would result in longer survival than platinum plus fluoropyrimidines in gastric cancer patients who received D2 gastrectomy. Methods Data of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who received D2 gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy with platinum plus fluoropyrimidines or taxanes, platinum plus fluoropyrimidines was retrospectively collected and analyzed. 1:1 Propensity score matching analysis was used to balance baseline characteristics between two groups. Survival curves were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences were compared using the log-rank test. Results Four hundred twenty-five patients in the platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group and 177 patients in the taxanes, platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group were included into analysis. No statistical differences in disease-free survival and overall survival were observed between two groups. After propensity score matching, 172 couples of patients were matched, the baseline characteristics were balanced. The median disease-free survival were 15.8 months (95% CI, 9.3~22.4) in the platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group and 22.6 months (95% CI, 15.9~29.4) in the taxanes, platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48~0.85; P = 0.002). The median overall survival was 25.4 months for patients in the platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group (95% CI, 19.4~31.3) and 33.8 months (95% CI, 23.5~44.2) for those in the taxanes, platinum plus fluoropyrimidines group (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.53-0.87; log-rank test, P = 0.002). Conclusions For gastric adenocarcinoma patients, the adjuvant triplet combination of taxanes, platinum, and fluoropyrimidines regimen after D2 gastrectomy was superior to platinum plus fluoropyrimidines regimen in disease-free survival as well as overall survival. Trial registration This project has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800019978).

Background Recently, evidence has emerged that palliative gastrectomy in patients with stage IV gastric cancer may offer some survival benefits. However, the decision whether to perform primary tumor surgery remains challenging for surgeons, and investigations into models that are predictive of prognosis are scarce. Current study aimed to develop and validate prognostic nomograms for patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma treated with palliative gastrectomy. Methods The development dataset comprised 1186 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program who were diagnosed with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma in 2004–2011, while the validation dataset included 407 patients diagnosed in 2012–2015. Variables were incorporated into a Cox proportional hazards model to identify independent risk factors for survival. Both pre- and postoperative nomograms for predicting 1- or 2-year survival probabilities were constructed using the development dataset. The concordance index (c-index) and calibration curves were plotted to determine the accuracy of the nomogram models. Finally, the cut-off value of the calculated total scores based on preoperative nomograms was set and validated by comparing survival with contemporary cases without primary tumor surgery. Results Age, tumor size, location, grade, T stage, N stage, metastatic site, scope of gastrectomy, number of examined lymph node(s), chemotherapy and radiotherapy were risk factors of survival and were included as variables in the postoperative nomogram; the c-indices of the development and validation datasets were 0.701 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.693–0.710) and 0.699 (95% CI: 0.682–0.716), respectively. The preoperative nomogram incorporated age, tumor size, location, grade, depth of invasion, regional lymph node(s) status, and metastatic site. The c-indices for the internal (bootstrap) and external validation sets were 0.629 (95% CI: 0.620–0.639) and 0.607 (95% CI: 0.588–0.626), respectively. Based on the preoperative nomogram, patients with preoperative total score ˃ 28 showed no survival benefit with gastrectomy compared to no primary tumor surgery. Conclusions Our survival nomograms for patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing palliative gastrectomy can assist surgeons in treatment decision-making and prognostication.

Background: To investigate the prognostic significance of the cumulative score based on preoperative fibrinogen and pre-albumin (FP score) in patients with gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy. Methods: Baseline characteristics, preoperative fibrinogen and pre-albumin levels were retrospectively reviewed in patients who underwent radical gastrectomy. The optimal cut-off values for fibrinogen and pre-albumin were defined as 4.0 g/L and 230.0 mg/L, respectively. Patients with elevated fibrinogen (≥ 4.0 g/L) and decreased pre-albumin (< 230.0 mg/L) levels were allocated an FP score of 2, those with only one of these two abnormalities were assigned a score of 1, and those with neither of the two abnormalities were allocated a score of 0. The prognostic value was examined by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Results: The preoperative FP score was significantly correlated with age, tumor size, fibrinogen level, pre-albumin level and white blood cell count. No significant differences based on sex, tumor location, degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node status, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage or adjuvant chemotherapy were identified between the groups. In addition, univariate survival analysis revealed that a high preoperative FP score was significantly associated with unfavorable disease-free survival (DFS) [hazard ratio (HR), 1.482; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.222-1.796; P < 0.001] and overall survival (OS) (HR, 1.623; 95% CI, 1.315-2.002; P < 0.001). Moreover, after adjusting for other factors, a high preoperative FP score remained an independent predictor for impaired DFS (HR, 1.434; 95% CI, 1.177-1.747; P < 0.001) and OS (HR, 1.413; 95% CI, 1.136-1.758; P = 0.002) in multivariate Cox regression analysis. Conclusions: The preoperative FP score significantly predicts long-term survival for gastric cancer patients who have undergone radical gastrectomy.