Prognostic value and predictive model of tumor markers in stageⅠtoⅢgastric cancer patients

BACKGROUND Preoperative serum tumor markers have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer patients.However,few studies have evaluated the prognosis of gastric cancer patients by establishing statistical models with multiple serum tumor indicators.AIM To explore the prognostic value and predictive model of tumor markers in stage I and III gastric cancer patients.METHODS From October 2018 to April 2020,a total of 1236 patients with stage I to III gastric cancer after surgery were included in our study.The relationship between serum tumor markers and clinical and pathological data were analyzed.We established a statistical model to predict the prognosis of gastric cancer based on the results of COX regression analysis.Overall survival(OS)was also compared across different stages of gastric cancer.RESULTS The deadline for follow-up was May 31,2023.A total of 1236 patients were included in our study.Univariate analysis found that age,clinical stage,T and N stage,tumor location,differentiation,Borrmann type,size,and four serum tumor markers were prognostic factors of OS(P<0.05).It was shown that clinical stage,tumor size,alpha foetoprotein,carcinoembryonic antigen,CA125 and CA19-9(P<0.05)were independent prognostic factors for OS.According to the scoring results obtained from the statistical model,we found that patients with high scores had poorer survival time(P<0.05).Furthermore,in stage I patients,the 3-year OS for scores 0-3 ranged from 96.85%,95%,85%,and 80%.In stage II patients,the 3-year OS for scores 0-4 were 88.6%,76.5%,90.5%,65.5%and 60%.For stage III patients,3-year OS for scores 0-6 were 70.9%,68.3%,64.1%,50.9%,38.4%,18.5%and 5.2%.We also analyzed the mean survival of patients with different scores.For stage I patients,the mean OS was 55.980 months.In stage II,the mean OS was 51.550 months.The mean OS for stage III was 39.422 months.CONCLUSION Our statistical model can effectively predict the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Effects of variant UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 gene, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and thalassemia on cholelithiasis

AIM： To test the hypothesis that the variant UDP- glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 （UGT1A1） gene, glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase （G6PD） deficiency, and thalassemia influence bilirubin metabolism and play a role in the development of cholelithiasis. METHODS： A total of 372 Taiwan Chinese with cholelithiasis who had undergone cholecystectomy and 293 healthy individuals were divided into case and control groups, respectively. PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism were used to analyze the promoter area and nucleotides 211, 686, 1 091, and 1 456 of the UGT1A1 gene for all subjects and the gene variants for thalassemia and G6PD deficiency. RESULTS： Variation frequencies for the cholelithiasis patients were 16.1%, 25.8%, 5.4%, and 4.3% for A（TA）6 TAA/A（TA）TTAA （6/7）, heterozygosity within the coding region, compound heterozygosity, and homozygosity of the UGT1A1 gene, respectively. Comparing the case and control groups, a statistically significant difference in frequency was demonstrated for the homozygous variation of the UGT1A1 gene （P = 0.012, Z2 test）, but not for the other variations. Further, no difference was demonstrated in a between-group comparison of the incidence of G6PD deficiency and thalassemia （2.7% vs 2.4% and 5.1% vs 5.1%, respectively）. The bilirubin levels for the cholelithiasis patients with the homozygous variant-UGT1A1 gene were significantly different from the control analog （18.0±6.5 and 12.7±2.9 μmol/L, respectively; P〈0.001, Student＇s ttest）.CONCLUSION： Our results show that the homozygous variation in the UGT1A1 gene is a risk factor for the development of cholelithiasis in Taiwan Chinese. 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

First principles investigation on Li or Sn codoped hexagonal tungsten bronzes as the near-infrared shielding material

The 52%energy of the solar radiation is contributed by near-infrared radiation(NIR,780-2500 nm).Therefore,the material design for the energy-saving smart window,which can effectively shield NIR and has acceptable visible transmittance,is vital to save the energy consumed on the temperature control system.It is important to find a non-toxic stable material with excellent NIR-shielding ability and acceptable visible transmittance.The systematic first-principles study on Li_(x)Sn_(y)WO_(3)(x=0,0.33,0.66,and y=0,0.33)exhibits that the chemical stability is a positive correlation with the doping concentration.After doping,the Fermi-energy upshifts into the conduction band,and the material shows metal-like characteristics.Therefore,these structures Li_(x)Sn_(y)WO_(3)(except the structure with x=0.33 and y=0)show pronounced improvement of NIR shielding ability.Our results indicate that when x=0 and y=0.33,the material exhibits the strongest NIR-shielding ability,satisfying chemical stability,wide NIR-shielding range(780-2500 nm),and acceptable visible transmittance.This work provides a good choice for experimental study on NIR shielding material for the energy-saving window.

Planning issues on linac-based stereotactic radiotherapy

This work aims to summarize and evaluate the current planning progress based on the linear accelerator in stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT).The specific techniques include 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy,dynamic conformal arc therapy,intensity-modulated radiotherapy,and volumetric-modulated arc therapy(VMAT).They are all designed to deliver higher doses to the target volume while reducing damage to normal tissues;among them,VMAT shows better prospects for application.This paper reviews and summarizes several issues on the planning of SRT to provide a reference for clinical application.

High efficient probes with Schiff base functional receptors for hypochlorite sensing under physiological conditions

A series of novel and convenient fluorescent probes with Schiff base functionality were presented for direct detection of OCI via the irreversible OCl-promoted oxidation and hydrolyzation reaction in formation of the ring-opened product, fluorescein. Prominent high sensitivity, selectivity and antiinterference OCl-induced fluorescence and color change over a wide range of tested metal ions performance were observed for each probe under physiological conditions, thus making the probes well suitable for sensing of OCl in living cells.

Design of a 3D mixed conducting scaffold toward stable metallic sodium anodes

Metallic sodium anodes have attracted great attention because of their high capacity and low redox potential.However,they still encounter various challenges in stripping/plating efficiency and cycling stability due to dendrite formation and the large volume fluctuation.To address these issues,here we engineer a three-dimensional(3D)mixed conducting scaffold for metallic sodium anodes in which an interconnected ion-conductive pathway is incorporated by adding active additives,which firmly bond with sodium at high temperature.Further incorporation of a 3D Ni foam offers the electron transport pathway with inherent high electronic conductivity.Such a 3D mixed conducting scaffold can also lower the local current density and alleviate volume fluctuation effectively,which ensures a homogeneous ion distribution and long cycle lifespan.Our results provide an important insight into the design of high stability and high-safe metallic sodium anodes.