Prognostic factors for disease-free survival in postoperative patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and construction of a nomogram model

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common type of liver cancer and has a high risk of invasion and metastasis along with a poor prognosis.AIM To investigate the independent predictive markers for disease-free survival(DFS)in patients with HCC and establish a trustworthy nomogram.METHODS In this study,445 patients who were hospitalized in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical College between December 2009 and December 2014 were retrospectively examined.The survival curve was plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method and survival was determined using the log-rank test.To identify the prognostic variables,multivariate Cox regression analyses were carried out.To predict the DFS in patients with HCC,a nomogram was created.C-indices and receiver operator characteristic curves were used to evaluate the nomogram’s performance.Decision curve analysis(DCA)was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the nomogram.RESULTS Longer DFS was observed in patients with the following characteristics:elderly,I–II stage,and no history of hepatitis B.The calibration curve showed that this nomogram was reliable and had a higher area under the curve value than the tumor node metastasis(TNM)stage.Moreover,the DCA curve revealed that the nomogram had good clinical applicability in predicting 3-and 5-year DFS in HCC patients after surgery.CONCLUSION Age,TNM stage,and history of hepatitis B infection were independent factors for DFS in HCC patients,and a novel nomogram for DFS of HCC patients was created and validated.

The effect of long-term traditional Chinese medicine treatment on disease-free survival of postoperative stage I-III lung cancer patients:a retrospective cohort study

Objective:Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has been extensively used as one of popular alternative therapies for several cancers.However,it remains unclear whether TCM treatment is associated with longer survival in lung cancer patients.In this study,we explored the effect of long-term TCM treatment on patients with different stages of lung cancer.Methods:All information of lung cancer patients with stage I-III disease from January 2007 to September 2015 was collected for this retrospective cohort study.Those who were treated with TCM after surgery were divided into TCM group and the others were into the non-TCM group(control group).All patients were regularly followed up by clinic appointment or phone,and all survival data were collected from databases after the last follow-up in October 2017.Results:A total of 575 patients were included in this study,with 299 patients in the TCM group and 276 in the control group.For all patients,5-year disease-free survival(DFS)was 62.2% in TCM group and 42.1% in the control group,and 6-year DFSs were 51.8% and 35.4%,respectively(HR=0.51,95% CI:0.40 to 0.66,log-rank P≤0.001).For patients with stage I,5-year DFSs were 83.7%(TCM group)and 57.5%(control group)and 6-year DFSs were 73.7% and 51.9%,respectively(HR=0.30,95% CI:0.18 to 0.50,log-rank P≤0.001).For patients with stage II in the TCM group and the control group,5-year DFSs were 59.4% and 17.6% and 6-year DFSs were 44.7% and 17.6%,respectively(HR=0.31,95% CI:0.19 to 0.52,log-rank P≤0.001),and for patients with stage III,5-year and 6-year DFSs in the TCM group were 18.7% and 12.5% compared with 28.4% and 20.3% in the control group(HR=1.06,95% CI:0.72 to 1.56,log-rank P=0.76).Conclusions:This study demonstrated that long-term TCM treatment as an adjuvant therapy is able to improve the DFS of postoperative stage I-III lung cancer patients,especially in patients with stage I and II disease.However,these observational findings need being validated by large sample randomized controlled trials.

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma- factors influencing outcome and disease-free survival

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Liver transplantation can be a curative treatment in selected patients. However, there are several factors that influence disease-free survival after transplantation. This review addresses the pre-, intra- and postoperative factors that influence the risk of tumor recurrence after liver transplantation.

Correlative analysis between clinical stage of hepatocellular carcinoma and disease-free survival after hepatectomy

objective: To explore the correlation between clinical stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and disease-free survival,and the importance of screening in the high risk population of HCC. Methods: A ret rospective survey of 1 725 cases with HCC after radical and relatively radical operation was performed. The follow-up rate was 84. 5%. The significant factors were analysed using Cox proportional hazards survival analysis model,and the disease-free survival was analysed using Kapalan-Meier estimination. Results: Uni variate analysis shows twelve prognostic clinicopathological factors. Multivariate analysis revealed 4 signifi cant prognostic factors: preoperative tumor number,tumor size,daughter nodules and vascular invasion. Ka palan-Meier estimination showed disease-free survival in subclinical stage was much better than in stage 2 or 3. Conclusion:Screening in the high risk population of HCC and having check-up of AFP and B ultrasono graphy of liver regularly themselvs can detect tumor of patients in early stage,so that they can have surgical treatment in subclinical stage,and have their disease-free survival time increased much more.

Deep learning-based multi-modal data integration enhancing breast cancer disease-free survival prediction

Background:The prognosis of breast cancer is often unfavorable,emphasizing the need for early metastasis risk detection and accurate treatment predictions.This study aimed to develop a novel multi-modal deep learning model using preoperative data to predict disease-free survival(DFS).Methods:We retrospectively collected pathology imaging,molecular and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and one independent institution in China.We developed a novel Deep Learning Clinical Medicine Based Pathological Gene Multi-modal(DeepClinMed-PGM)model for DFS prediction,integrating clinicopathological data with molecular insights.The patients included the training cohort(n=741),internal validation cohort(n=184),and external testing cohort(n=95).Result:Integrating multi-modal data into the DeepClinMed-PGM model significantly improved area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)values.In the training cohort,AUC values for 1-,3-,and 5-year DFS predictions increased to 0.979,0.957,and 0.871,while in the external testing cohort,the values reached 0.851,0.878,and 0.938 for 1-,2-,and 3-year DFS predictions,respectively.The DeepClinMed-PGM's robust discriminative capabilities were consistently evident across various cohorts,including the training cohort[hazard ratio(HR)0.027,95%confidence interval(CI)0.0016-0.046,P<0.0001],the internal validation cohort(HR 0.117,95%CI 0.041-0.334,P<0.0001),and the external cohort(HR 0.061,95%CI 0.017-0.218,P<0.0001).Additionally,the DeepClinMed-PGM model demonstrated C-index values of 0.925,0.823,and 0.864 within the three cohorts,respectively.Conclusion:This study introduces an approach to breast cancer prognosis,integrating imaging and molecular and clinical data for enhanced predictive accuracy,offering promise for personalized treatment strategies.

Genetic polymorphisms of autophagy-related gene 5 (ATG5) rs473543 predict different disease-free survivals of triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline- and/or taxane-based adjuvant chemotherapy

Background:Autophagy plays a crucial role in chemotherapy resistance of triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Hence,autophagy-related gene 5(ATG5),an essential molecule involved in autophagy regulation,is presumably associated with recurrence of TNBC.This study was aimed to investigate the potential influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ATG5 on the disease-free survival(DFS)of early-stage TNBC patients treated with anthracycline-and/or taxane-based chemotherapy.Methods:We genotyped ATG5 SNP rs473543 in a cohort of 316 TNBC patients treated with anthracycline-and/or taxane-based chemotherapy using the sequenom’s MassARRAY system.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to analyze the association between ATG5 rs473543 genotypes and the clinical outcome of TNBC patients.Results:Three genotypes,AA,GA,and GG,were detected in the rs473543 of ATG5 gene.The distribution of ATG5 rs473543 genotypes was significantly different between patients with and without recurrence(P=0.024).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients carrying A allele of ATG5 rs473543 had an increased risk of recurrence and shorter DFS compared with those carrying the variant genotype GG in rs473543(P=0.034).In addition,after adjust-ing for clinical factors,multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that the AA/GA genotype of rs473543 was an independent predictor for DFS(hazard risk[HR],1.73;95%confidence interval[CI],1.04-2.87;P=0.034).In addition,DFS was shorter in node-negative patients with the presence of A allele(AA/GA)than in those with the absence of A allele(P=0.027).Conclusion:ATG5 rs473543 genotypes may serve as a potential marker for predicting recurrence of early-stage TNBC patients who received anthracycline-and/or taxane-based regimens as adjuvant chemotherapy.

Prognostic factors for disease-free survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma after surgery: a single center experience

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors for the disease-free survival (DFS) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients after surgery, and to validate the clinical applicability and prognostic stratification of the 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. Methods: A cohort of 185 patients with PDAC who underwent surgical resection in the General Surgery Department of Peking University First Hospital from January 2010 to December 2017 was enrolled retrospectively. The clinicopathological characteristics and survival data were analyzed to find out risk factors correlated to DFS. The survival curves were calculated according to the 8th edition of AJCC staging system. Results:Among the 185 PDAC patients, 125 (67.6%) with pancreatic head carcinoma underwent pancreatoduodenectomy or total pancreatectomy, and 60 (32.4%) with tumors located in the pancreatic body and tail underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. R0 resection was achieved in 97 patients (52.4%), and the R1 and R2 resections rate was 44.9% and 2.7%, respectively. One hundred five patients (56.8%) received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The median overall survival (OS) was 21 (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.7–24.3) months, and median DFS was 15 (95% CI 13.6–16.5) months. Univariate analysis showed that AJCC T and N staging, status of resection margin, grade of tumor differentiation, perineural invasion, intravascular cancer embolus, combined vascular resection, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)≥2, carcinoembryonic antigen ≥5ng/mL, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9)≥400U/mL, and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were correlated with shorter DFS. Furthermore, AJCC T3, N1 and N2 staging, R2 resection, low-grade or undifferentiated tumors, combined vascular resection, NLR≥2, CA 19-9≥400U/mL, and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were independent risk factors for DFS. Both the DFS and OS curves were well separated by stage using the 8th staging classification. Conclusions: The 8th edition of AJCC T, primary tumor;N, regional lymph nodes;M, distant metastasis staging system could predict the prognosis of PDAC accurately. Patients with AJCC T3, N1 and N2 staging, R2 resection, low-grade or undifferentiated tumors, combined vascular resection, NLR≥2, CA 19-9≥400U/mL, and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, have a significantly higher risk of tumor recurrence and shorter DFS after surgery. R0 resection and adjuvant chemotherapy could significantly prolong the DFS of PDAC patients.

A systematic review of progenitor survival and maturation in Parkinsonian models

Stem cell-based brain repair is a promising emergent therapy for Parkinson's disease based on years of foundational research using human fetal donors as a cell source.Unlike current therapeutic options for patients,this approach has the potential to provide longterm stem cell–derived reconstruction and restoration of the dopaminergic input to denervated regions of the brain allowing for restoration of certain functions to patients.The ultimate clinical success of stem cell–derived brain repair will depend on both the safety and efficacy of the approach and the latter is dependent on the ability of the transplanted cells to survive and differentiate into functional dopaminergic neurons in the Parkinsonian brain.Because the pre-clinical literature suggests that there is considerable variability in survival and differentiation between studies,the aim of this systematic review was to assess these parameters in human stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor transplant studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease.A defined systematic search of the PubMed database was completed to identify relevant studies published up to March 2024.After screening,76 articles were included in the analysis from which 178 separate transplant studies were identified.From these,graft survival could be assessed in 52 studies and differentiation in 129 studies.Overall,we found that graft survival ranged from<1% to 500% of cells transplanted,with a median of 51%of transplanted cells surviving in the brain;while dopaminergic differentiation of the cells ranged from 0% to 46% of cells transplanted with a median of 3%.This systematic review suggests that there is considerable scope for improvement in the differentiation of stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitors to maximize the therapeutic potential of this approach for patients.

Long-term disease-free survival in a dog with appendicular osteosarcoma

Postoperative prognosis is generally poor even with adjuvant chemotherapy in dogs with an appendicular osteosarcoma. The purpose of this report was to present the long-term disease-free survival time in a dog with appendicular osteosarcoma receiving amputation,adjuvant chemotherapy and adoptive immunotherapy. A 12-year-old spayed Golden retriever was referred to our hospital with a suspicion of osteosarcoma in right distal radius. The patient underwent the computed tomography (CT) and incisional biopsy on the next day after the first presentation. The CT revealed the osteolysis in the right distal radius and no metastases in the lungs and lymph nodes. The histopathologic diagnosis was made as an osteosarcoma. On the 13th day after,the patient underwent right forelimb amputation. Six doses of carboplatin (250 mg / m2) were postoperatively administered every 3 weeks. The intravenous infusion of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells suspension was performed every 3 ~ 4 weeks after the adjuvant chemotherapy. At the time of our writing this abstract (on the 880thday after the first presentation),no recurrences and metastases were observed after the 32 transfers of LAK cells. In canine appendicular osteosarcoma,some reports have described that postoperative median survival times were 235 ~ 540 d with adjuvant chemotherapy. In our report,the disease free interval and survival time were prolonged compared with the previous reports. We strongly believed that early diagnosis and surgical intervention and adoptive immunotherapy had a great impact on the improvement of survival time in canine appendicular osteosarcoma.

Retrospective cohort study on the postoperative survival rate enhancement of patients with colorectal cancer using three traditional Chinese medicine formulations:evidence from 1,361 cases

Background:Prior studies have affirmed the safety and effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine in treating colorectal cancer patients.However,definitive evidence regarding whether traditional Chinese medicine can significantly enhance the survival of colorectal cancer patients remains elusive.This study seeks to provide conclusive insights by examining the postoperative administration of Xihuang capsules,Pingxiao capsules,and Zilongjin tablets and its impact on the 5-year overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)rates among colorectal cancer patients.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted,involving 1,361 patients selected from the medical center.This retrospective study was carried out at a medical center in Tianjin,China.We assessed differences in postoperative OS and DFS between the control group and the medication group using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling.Additionally,propensity score matching was used to mitigate imbalances in baseline characteristics among patients.Results:Before propensity score matching,Xihuang capsules could prolong the 5-year OS(79.9%vs.81.4%,P=0.0480)and 5-year DFS(74.9%vs.79.5%,P=0.0046)of patients after surgery.Similar conclusions were obtained after propensity score matching:OS(74.8%vs.78.3%,P=0.0084),DFS(72.7%vs.78.9%,P=0.008).Patients taking Pingxiao capsules showed improved 5-year OS(77.2%vs.84.0%,P=0.0383)and 5-year DFS(69.9%vs.80.0%,P=0.0157)after propensity score matching.Patients taking Zilongjin tablets showed improvement in the 2-year OS(84.2%vs.93.1%,P=0.0390)and 1-year DFS(88.2%vs.92.0%,P=0.0320)after propensity score matching.Conclusion:Xihuang capsules and Pingxiao capsules significantly improved the 5-year OS and DFS of patients with colorectal cancer after surgery.Zilongjin tablets showed improvement in the 2-year OS and 1-year DFS after surgery for patients.

Development of a new Cox model for predicting long-term survival in hepatitis cirrhosis patients underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts

BACKGROUND Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)placement is a procedure that can effectively treat complications of portal hypertension,such as variceal bleeding and refractory ascites.However,there have been no specific studies on predicting long-term survival after TIPS placement.AIM To establish a model to predict long-term survival in patients with hepatitis cirrhosis after TIPS.METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 224 patients who un-derwent TIPS implantation.Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses,various factors were examined for their ability to predict survival at 6 years after TIPS.Consequently,a composite score was formulated,encompassing the indication,shunt reasonability,portal venous pressure gradient(PPG)after TIPS,percentage decrease in portal venous pressure(PVP),indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min(ICGR15)and total bilirubin(Tbil)level.Furthermore,the performance of the newly developed Cox(NDC)model was evaluated in an in-ternal validation cohort and compared with that of a series of existing models.RESULTS The indication(variceal bleeding or ascites),shunt reasonability(reasonable or unreasonable),ICGR15,post-operative PPG,percentage of PVP decrease and Tbil were found to be independent factors affecting long-term survival after TIPS placement.The NDC model incorporated these parameters and successfully identified patients at high risk,exhibiting a notably elevated mortality rate following the TIPS procedure,as observed in both the training and validation cohorts.Additionally,in terms of predicting the long-term survival rate,the performance of the NDC model was significantly better than that of the other four models[Child-Pugh,model for end-stage liver disease(MELD),MELD-sodium and the Freiburg index of post-TIPS survival].CONCLUSION The NDC model can accurately predict long-term survival after the TIPS procedure in patients with hepatitis cirrhosis,help identify high-risk patients and guide follow-up management after TIPS implantation.

Cancer survival statistics in China 2019-2021:a multicenter,population-based study

Background:A milestone goal of the Healthy China Program(2019-2030)is to achieve 5-year cancer survival at 43.3%for all cancers combined by 2022.To assess the progress towards this target,we analyzed the updated survival for all cancers combined and 25 specific cancer types in China from 2019 to 2021.Methods:We conducted standardized data collection and quality control for cancer registries across 32 provincial-level regions in China,and included 6,410,940 newly diagnosed cancer patients from 281 cancer registries during 2008-2019,with follow-up data on vital status available until December 2021.We estimated the age-standardized 5-year relative survival overall and by site,age group,and period of diagnosis using the International Cancer Survival Standard Weights,and quantified the survival changes to assess the progress in cancer control.Results:In 2019-2021,the age-standardized 5-year relative survival for all cancers combined was 43.7%(95%confidence interval[CI],43.6-43.7).The 5-year relative survival varied by cancer type,ranging from 8.5%(95%CI,8.2-8.7)for pancreatic cancer to 92.9%(95%CI,92.4-93.3)for thyroid cancer.Eight cancers had 5-year survival of over 60%,including cancers of the thyroid,breast,testis,bladder,prostate,kidney,uterus,and cervix.The 5-year relative survival was generally lower in males than in females.From 2008 to 2021,we observed significant survival improvements for cancers of the lung,prostate,bone,uterus,breast,cervix,nasopharynx,larynx,and bladder.The most significant improvement was in lung cancer.Conclusions:Progress in cancer control was evident in China.This highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to control and prevent cancer.

Retrospective Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablation in Patients with Small Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma:Survival Outcomes and Development of a Machine Learning Prognostic Model

Background and Objective The effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation(RFA)in improving long-term survival outcomes for patients with a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)measuring 5 cm or less remains uncertain.This study was designed to elucidate the impact of RFA therapy on the survival outcomes of these patients and to construct a prognostic model for patients following RFA.Methods This study was performed using the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)database from 2004 to 2017,focusing on patients diagnosed with a solitary HCC lesion≤5 cm in size.We compared the overall survival(OS)and cancer-specific survival(CSS)rates of these patients with those of patients who received hepatectomy,radiotherapy,or chemotherapy or who were part of a blank control group.To enhance the reliability of our findings,we employed stabilized inverse probability treatment weighting(sIPTW)and stratified analyses.Additionally,we conducted a Cox regression analysis to identify prognostic factors.XGBoost models were developed to predict 1-,3-,and 5-year CSS.The XGBoost models were evaluated via receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration plots,decision curve analysis(DCA)curves and so on.Results Regardless of whether the data were unadjusted or adjusted for the use of sIPTWs,the 5-year OS(46.7%)and CSS(58.9%)rates were greater in the RFA group than in the radiotherapy(27.1%/35.8%),chemotherapy(32.9%/43.7%),and blank control(18.6%/30.7%)groups,but these rates were lower than those in the hepatectomy group(69.4%/78.9%).Stratified analysis based on age and cirrhosis status revealed that RFA and hepatectomy yielded similar OS and CSS outcomes for patients with cirrhosis aged over 65 years.Age,race,marital status,grade,cirrhosis status,tumor size,and AFP level were selected to construct the XGBoost models based on the training cohort.The areas under the curve(AUCs)for 1,3,and 5 years in the validation cohort were 0.88,0.81,and 0.79,respectively.Calibration plots further demonstrated the consistency between the predicted and actual values in both the training and validation cohorts.Conclusion RFA can improve the survival of patients diagnosed with a solitary HCC lesion≤5 cm.In certain clinical scenarios,RFA achieves survival outcomes comparable to those of hepatectomy.The XGBoost models developed in this study performed admirably in predicting the CSS of patients with solitary HCC tumors smaller than 5 cm following RFA.

Long-Term Survival Trend of Gynecological Cancer:A Systematic Review of Population-Based Cancer Registration Data

Gynecological cancer significantly affect the health of women.This review aimed to describe the global patterns and trends in the survival of patients with gynecological cancers.We searched PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,SinoMed,and SEER for survival analyses of cancer registration data of cervical,endometrial,and ovarian cancers published between 1980 and 2022.Globally,the highest 5-year observed survival rate for cervical cancer was 76.5% in Anshan,Liaoning,China(2008-2017).The 5-year observed survival rates of endometrial and ovarian cancers were higher in Finland(1995-1999,82.5%)and Singapore(1988-1992,62.0%).The 5-year relative survival rate of cervical cancer patients was higher in Haining,Zhejiang,China(2011-2014,85.8%).Korea ranked first at 89.0% and 64.5% for endometrial and ovarian cancers,respectively.Survival rates have improved for cervical,endometrial,and ovarian cancers.Patients aged≥75 years and those with advancedstage disease had the worst 5-year survival rates.Survival rates were better for squamous cell carcinoma in cervical cancer,for endometrial carcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma in endometrial cancer,and for germ cell and sex-cord stromal tumors in ovarian cancer.Over the past four decades,the survival rates of gynecological cancers have increased globally,with notable increases in cervical and endometrial cancers.Survival rates are higher in developed countries,with a slow-growing trend.Future studies should focus on improving survival,especially in ovarian cancer patients.

Transcriptome Analysis of Heterosis in Survival in the Hybrid Progenies of‘Haida No.1’and Orange-Shelled Lines of the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas

Heterosis has been exploited to enhance the yield and adaptability in various shellfish species;however,the molecular basis of it remains unclear.The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is one of the most economically important aquaculture species,and its productive traits can be improved by hybridization.Here,an intraspecific cross between orange shell(O,10th generation)and‘Haida No.1’(H,13th generation)of C.gigas was performed to assess the heterosis of survival trait.Survival rates of hybrid family(OH)and inbred families(HH and OO)were compared at larval stage,and eyed-pediveliger larvae of three families were subjected to transcriptome analysis.The analysis results of best-parent heterosis and mid-parent heterosis showed that the hybrid family exhi-bited a high heterosis in survival relative to the parental families.The OH-M(OH vs.OO)and OH-P(OH vs.HH)had 425 and 512 dif-ferentially expressed genes(DEGs),respectively.Functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs revealed that the significantly enrich-ed genes function in virion binding,C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway,cellular defense response and other immune-related pro-cesses,which involves perlucin-like protein,CD209 antigen-like protein,ZNFX1,caspase-3 and acan genes.These differentially ex-pressed genes in OH-M and OH-P,together with the immune-related processes mentioned above may play an important role in the larval survival of C.gigas.In addition,three genes(CYP450,fucolectin and perlucin-like)are associated with the orange shell and low survival of maternal oyster OO.These findings provide support for the application of hybrid with superior survival and will facilitate the understanding of heterosis formation in the Pacific oyster.

Annual variation of adult survival of a south-temperate House Wren population in Argentina

Identifying factors affecting the survival of individuals is essential for understanding the evolution of life-history traits and population dynamics.Despite numerous studies on this subject in north-temperate environments,there is a lack of equivalent studies at similar latitudes in the south.Here,we used a 14-year dataset of capture,banding,and resighting to estimate the annual variation in the apparent adult survival probability of a south-temperate population of House Wrens(Troglodytes aedon bonariae).We evaluated temporal variation in sur-vival and the effect of environmental(climatic)and demographic variables(adult abundance,total number of fledglings produced during each breeding season)on survival estimators.We found that the probability of adult survival decreased as the abundance of breeding adults increased.This density-dependent effect could be related to the resident lifestyle of southern House Wrens,which could determine an intense competition for territories and resources that ultimately would affect their survival.

Effect of Different Feeds on Growth and Survival of the Sergestid Shrimp Acetes vulgaris Hansen, 1919 (Decapoda: Sergestidae)

The sergestid shrimp Acetes vulgaris has long been an important fishery species in estuaries and coastal waters along the Pang-Rad River, Rayong province, Thailand. In nature, this shrimp feeds on a wide range of food items, such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae, plant matter, debris, sand, and mud. The objective of this study was to compare different feeds on growth and survival of A. vulgaris reared in fiberglass tanks containing 70 m3 of seawater salinity 25 ppt over a period of 70 days. Individual shrimps were fed with four different types of feeds i.e., newly hatched Artemia (Ar), rotifer (Ro), newly hatched Artemia + rotifer (ArRo) and shrimp larvae commercial feed (SF). Results suggested that specific growth rates (both for body weight and body length) of shrimps reared with SF were not significantly different with treatment feed with Ar, ArRo and Ro (p ≥ 0.05). The survival rate of A. vulgaris did not vary significantly (p ≥ 0.05) among the Ar, Ro and ArRo treatments. However, the highest survival rate of shrimp (81.78% ± 3.08%) was observed in SF treatment and the percentage of survival rate was significantly different with treatment feed with Ar, Ro and ArRo (p ≤ 0.05). The findings reflected the ability of Acetes shrimps to consume diverse food types including both live feed and pelleted feed. Insights obtained from this research suggested that artificial feed can be as efficient as live feeds. This new knowledge is a needed addition to a currently lacking knowledge base for aquaculture of this Acetes species.

Determinants of Early Survival of Breast Cancer Patients in Yaoundé-Cameroon

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. We carried out this study with the aim of evaluating the determinants of early survival of women with breast cancer in two hospitals in the city of Yaoundé. Methodology: This was an analytical cross-sectional study with retrospective and prospective data collection of breast cancer patients during 6 years in two Hospitals of Yaoundé from January 2017 to December 2022. We consulted the files in search of epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and survival variables. We completed the survival data directly from the patients or their relatives after their consent. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 23.0 software. Survival analysis was done using the Kaplan-Meier method and survival curves were compared using the Log Rank test. Factors influencing survival were evaluated using the Cox model. The significance threshold (P value) was set at 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. The study was approved by the ethics committees. Results: We included 500 patients whose ages varied between 22 and 83 years with a mean age of 47.19 ± 11.61 years. The most represented age group was 30 to 45 years old (45.8%). Less than half (41.6%) were postmenopausal. The most frequent reason for consultation was a breast lump (79.9%). The most common clinical stage at presentation was stage-3 (47.6%). Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the most represented histological type (84.7%). The most represented histological grade was grade 2 (40.2%). Immunohistochemistry was performed in 34.20% of cases. The most represented molecular subtype was triple negative (41.8%) followed by Luminal A (30%). Concerning treatment, 17.2% did not receive any, 45% had surgery, 79.4% had chemotherapy, 34.2% hormone therapy, and 14.6% radiotherapy. The survival of patients with breast cancer at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years was respectively 90.6%;83.1%;74.2%;69.8% and 59.2%. The median survival was not reached;however, the first quartile (Q1) was 36 months (3 years). Independent factors associated with reduced survival were breast ulceration (aHR = 3.23;p = 0.002), bilateral tumor location (aHR = 9.2;p < 0.001) and clinical stage 3 (aHR = 1.72;p = 0.010) while patients classified ACR3 on imaging (aHR = 0.19;p = 0.005) had improved survival. Conclusion: Breast cancer survival from 1 to 5 years decrease from 90 to 59%. Mortality was highest in the first 40 months. Independent factors associated with reduced survival were breast ulceration, bilateral tumor location and clinical stage 3 while patients classified ACR3 on imaging had improved survival.

Mid-term survival of the Optimys short stem: A prospective case series of 500 patients

BACKGROUND In recent years,there has been an increase in the number of total hip arthroplasty procedures in the younger patient population.This active group has higher expectations of their prosthesis in comparison to the older population,and there is a greater physical demand for the prosthesis.Short femoral stems were in-troduced to retain proximal bone stock and joint biomechanics and became more common to implant in this specific population.Currently,the long-term survival and functional outcomes of various short stems are still being investigated in different clinics.AIM To determine the 5-year survival of the Optimys hip stem.METHODS This was a prospective multicenter cohort study of 500 patients conducted in two hospitals in the Netherlands.All patients received the Optimys short stem(Mathys Ltd,Bettlach,Switzerland).The primary outcome measure was survival of the hip stem,with revision as the endpoint.The secondary outcome measurements included patient-reported outcome measures(PROMs).Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the 5-year survival rate.Log-minus-log transformation was performed to calculate the 95%confidence interval(95%CI).Mixed model analyses were performed to assess the course of the PROMs during the 1st 2 years after surgery.Analyses were modeled separately for the 1st and 2nd years to calculate the yearly change in PROMs during both follow-up periods with accompanying 95%CIs.RESULTS The mean age of the total 500 patients was 62.3 years(standard deviation:10.6)and 202 were male(40%).At a median follow-up of 5.5 years(interquartile range:4.5-6.7),7 patients were deceased and 6 revisions were registered,for infection(n=3),subsidence(n=2)and malposition(n=1).This resulted in an overall 5-year survival of 98.8%(95%CI:97.3-99.5).If infection was left out as reason for revision,a stem survival of 99.4%(95%CI:98.1-99.8)was seen.Baseline questionnaires were completed by 471 patients(94%),317 patients(63%)completed the 1-year follow-up questionnaires and 233 patients(47%)completed the 2-year follow-up.Both outcome measures significantly improved across all domains in the 1st year after the operation(P<0.03 for all domains).In the 2nd year after surgery,no significant changes were observed in any domain in comparison to the 1-year follow-up.CONCLUSION The Optimys stem has a 5-year survival of 98.8%.Patient-reported outcome measures increased significantly in the 1st postoperative year with stabilization at the 2-year follow-up.