Efficacy evaluation and survival analysis of the combination of oxaliplatin plus Teysuno (SOX) with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the conversion therapy of locally advanced gastric cancer

Background:The efficacy of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)with chemotherapy in neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer has been explored.However,limited research exists on its effectiveness in conversion therapy,and its superiority over standalone chemotherapy remains to be elucidated.This study aims to investigate the efficacy and survival outcomes of patients treated with ICIs in combination with conversion therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer.Methods:Retrospective data from patients with locally advanced gastric cancer treated with either oxaliplatin+S-1(SOX)alone or in combination with ICIs in conversion therapywere collected.Clinical andpathological characteristics,disease-free survival,andefficacy assessments in nonoperable patients were compared between the 2 treatment groups.Efficacy was further evaluated through dynamic changes in serum markers,and patients’quality of life was assessed using the QLQ-STO22(Gastric Cancer–Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire)quality-of-life measurement scale.Results:A total of 140 patients underwent conversion therapy:80 in the SOX alone group and 60 in the SOX combined with the ICIs group.There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the 2 groups.Compared with the SOX alone group,the SOX combined with ICIs group exhibited a higher conversion rate(83.3%vs 75%,P=0.23),R0 resection rate(90.0%vs 83.3%,P=0.31),pathological complete response(pCR)rate(18%vs 5%,P=0.02),median disease-free survival(21.4 vs 16.9 months,P=0.007),the objective response rate in nonoperable patients(60%vs 40%,P=0.301),and median progression-free survival time(7.9 vs 5.7 months,P=0.009).The QLQ-STO22 quality-of-life assessment revealed statistically significant improvements in pain,swallowing difficulties,and dietary restrictions in the combination therapy group compared with those in the monotherapy group.The enhanced efficacy of immune combination with SOX is evident,as demonstrated by the significantly prolonged surgical duration in operated patients(206.6±26.6 min vs 197.8±19.8 min,P=0.35)and intraoperative blood loss(158.9±21.2 mL vs 148.9±25.1 mL,P=0.59).No significant differences were observed in postoperative complications.Conclusions:Compared with the SOX conversion therapy regimen,SOX combined with ICIs demonstrated higher conversion rates,R0 resection rates,pathological response rates,and disease-free survival without increasing surgical difficulty or complications.Nonoperable patients also experienced longer progression-free survival and objective response rates.

Survival Analysis Using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression for Pile Bridge Piles Under Wet Service Conditions

This paper studies the deterioration of bridge substructures utilizing the Long-Term Bridge Performance(LTBP)Program InfoBridge^(TM)and develops a survival model using Cox proportional hazards regression.The survival anal­ysis is based on the National Bridge Inventory(NBI)dataset.The study calculates the survival rate of reinforced and prestressed concrete piles on bridges under marine conditions over a 29-year span(from 1992 to 2020).The state of Maryland is the primary focus of this study,with data from three neighboring regions,the District of Columbia,Vir­ginia,and Delaware to expand the sample size.The data obtained from the National Bridge Inventory are condensed and filtered to acquire the most relevant information for model development.The Cox proportional hazards regres­sion is applied to the condensed NBI data with six parameters:Age,ADT,ADTT,number of spans,span length,and structural length.Two survival models are generated for the bridge substructures:Reinforced and prestressed concrete piles in Maryland and reinforced and prestressed concrete piles in wet service conditions in the District of Columbia,Maryland,Delaware,and Virginia.Results from the Cox proportional hazards regression are used to construct Markov chains to demonstrate the sequence of the deterioration of bridge substructures.The Markov chains can be used as a tool to assist in the prediction and decision-making for repair,rehabilitation,and replacement of bridge piles.Based on the numerical model,the Pile Assessment Matrix Program(PAM)is developed to facilitate the assessment and main­tenance of current bridge structures.The program integrates the NBI database with the inspection and research reports from various states’department of transportation,to serve as a tool for condition state simulation based on mainte­nance or rehabilitation strategies.

Clinicopathological features and survival analysis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: a retrospective study in a single center of China

Objective： To investigate the clinicopathological features, survival and prognostic factors for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms（GEP-NENs） in a Chinese population.Methods： We investigated 154 consecutive patients（88 males, 66 females; median age 56 years, age range 9-86 years） diagnosed with GEP-NENs between 2001 and 2013 at The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. Demographic, clinical and pathological variables and survival data were retrieved.Results： The pancreas was the most common site of involvement（63/154, 40.9%）. Tumor size varied from 0.3 to 16.0 cm（median, 1.2 cm）. The patients were followed up for a median period of 22 months（range, 1-157 months）. The estimated 3- and 5-year overall survival（OS） rates for all patients were 84.0% and 81.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that larger tumor size, lymphatic metastases and distant metastases were significant predictors for poor survival outcome.Conclusions： Our data provide further information on the clinicopathological features of GEP-NENs in China. Additionally, we identified tumor size, lymphatic metastases and distant metastases as independent prognostic factors for long-term survival.

Survival analysis following early surgical success in intermittent exotropia surgery

AIM:To assess the consecutive recurrence following early success of intermittent exotropia surgery and to determine the clinical factors that affect the survival.METHODS:One hundred and thirty-five patients who underwent intermittent exotropia surgery and experienced early surgical success[≤5 prism diopters(PD)esophoria(E)to≤10 PD exophoria(X)on the postoperative sixth month]were enrolled in this study.Their consecutive survival on the postoperative first year,second year and third year and at the last visit of fourth year or more,and the factors that might affect their survival,were analyzed.The final surgical outcomes after the postoperative fourth year were also investigated by dividing the patients into the success group(≤5 PD E to≤10 PD X)and the failure group(】5 PD esodeviation or】10 PD exodeviation)RESULTS:The survival rates from the Kaplan-Meier analysis were 97.78%,92.89%,83.70%and 50.49%on the postoperative first,second and third years and fourth year or more,respectively.None of the clinical factors was determined to have affected the survival.The amount of the exodrift was largest(2.29 PD)between the first year and the second year,and smallest(1.47 PD)between the fourth year and the last visit.Sixty-three patients had their final visit after the postoperative fourth year,and 29 of them were in the failure group.Twentyfive patients in the failure group had an intermittent exotropia(IXT)of【20 PD with good to fair distant fusion;two had an IXT of【20 PD with poor distant fusion;one had an IXT of≥20 PD with fair distant fusion;and another had delayed-onset consecutive esotropia.The exodeviation on the postoperative sixth month was smaller in the success group than in the failure group(2.81 PD vs 5.86 PD,P=0.012).The reoperation rate for recurrent IXT was 3.7%.CONCLUSION:The survival rate steadily decreases with the exodrift,but the amount of the exodrift decreases with long-term follow-up.The final outcomes demonstrate favorable results via surgical success or small-angle IXT with good fusion in most of the patients.A smaller deviation on the postoperative sixth month is associated with long-term survival.

Factors Predicting Progression to Severe COVID-19: A Competing Risk Survival Analysis of 1753 Patients in Community Isolation in Wuhan, China

Most studies of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)progression have focused on the transfer of patients within secondary or tertiary care hospitals from regular wards to intensive care units.Little is known about the risk factors predicting the progression to severe COVID-19 among patients in community iso-lation,who are either asymptomatic or suffer from only mild to moderate symptoms.Using a multivari-able competing risk survival analysis,we identify several important predictors of progression to severe COVID-19—rather than to recovery—among patients in the largest community isolation center in Wuhan,China from 6 February 2020(when the center opened)to 9 March 2020(when it closed).All patients in community isolation in Wuhan were either asymptomatic or suffered from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.We performed competing risk survival analysis on time-to-event data from a cohort study of all COVID-19 patients(n=1753)in the isolation center.The potential predictors we inves-tigated were the routine patient data collected upon admission to the isolation center:age,sex,respira-tory symptoms,gastrointestinal symptoms,general symptoms,and computed tomography(CT)scan signs.The main outcomes were time to severe COVID-19 or recovery.The factors predicting progression to severe COVID-19 were:male sex(hazard ratio(HR)=1.29,95%confidence interval(CI)1.04–1.58,p=0.018),young and old age,dyspnea(HR=1.58,95%CI 1.24–2.01,p<0.001),and CT signs of ground-glass opacity(HR=1.39,95%CI 1.04–1.86,p=0.024)and infiltrating shadows(HR=1.84,95%CI 1.22–2.78,p=0.004).The risk of progression was found to be lower among patients with nausea or vomiting(HR=0.53,95%CI 0.30–0.96,p=0.036)and headaches(HR=0.54,95%CI 0.29–0.99,p=0.046).Our results suggest that several factors that can be easily measured even in resource-poor set-tings(dyspnea,sex,and age)can be used to identify mild COVID-19 patients who are at increased risk of disease progression.Looking for CT signs of ground-glass opacity and infiltrating shadows may be an affordable option to support triage decisions in resource-rich settings.Common and unspecific symptoms(headaches,nausea,and vomiting)are likely to have led to the identification and subsequent community isolation of COVID-19 patients who were relatively unlikely to deteriorate.Future public health and clinical guidelines should build on this evidence to improve the screening,triage,and monitoring of COVID-19 patients who are asymtomatic or suffer from mild to moderate symptoms.

Survival Analysis of Logistics Service Providers: An Empirical Study of Chengdu, Area in China

This paper worked on a sample of 6791 logistics establishments registered in Chengdu, China over the period 1984-2016 to understand the survival status of logistics service providers (LSPs) by non-parametric Kaplan-Meier estimation, together with Cox proportional hazard regression model, to identify factors affecting the failure of LSPs. In particular, it studies the interaction effect between LSPs’ size and entry timing and location. The empirical results show that: 1) Regarding the survival time, 1365 of the 6791 sample LSPs exited from the market by 2017. The exit rate is 20.1%, and the average life of the 6791 LSPs is about 6 years. 2) The survival of LSPs depends on their typology, ownership structure. And there is no significant difference in the probability of survival for both independent LSPs and logistics branches after controlling the effects of other variables. 3) Location and entry timing also play an important role in the survival of small-scale LSPs, but these factors cannot explain large-scale LSPs’ failure.

A New Statistical Modeling Approach for Survival Analysis of Cancer Patients—Multiple Myeloma Cancer

Background: The Cox Proportional Hazard (Cox-PH) model has been a popularly used method for survival analysis of cancer data given the survival times as a function of covariates or risk factors. However, it is very seldom to see the assumptions for the application of the Cox-PH model satisfied in most of the research studies, raising questions about the effectiveness, robustness, and accuracy of the model predicting the proportion of survival times. This is because the necessary assumptions in most cases are difficult to satisfy, as well as the assessment of interaction among covariates. Methods: To further improve the therapeutic/treatment strategy for cancer diseases, we proposed a new approach to survival analysis using multiple myeloma (MM) cancer data. We first developed a data-driven nonlinear statistical model that predicts the survival times with 93% accuracy. We then performed a parametric analysis on the predicted survival times to obtain the survival function which is used in estimating the proportion of survival times. Results: The new proposed approach for survival analysis has proved to be more robust and gives better estimates of the proportion of survival than the Cox-PH model. Also, satisfying the proposed model assumptions and finding interactions among risk factors is less difficult compared to the Cox-PH model. The proposed model can predict the real values of the survival times and the identified risk factors are ranked according to the percent of contribution to the survival time. Conclusion: The new proposed nonlinear statistical model approach for survival analysis of cancer diseases is very efficient and provides an improved and innovative strategy for cancer therapeutic/treatment.

Applications of Dynamic-Equilibrium Continuous Markov Stochastic Processes to Elements of Survival Analysis

In this article, we summarize some results on invariant non-homogeneous and dynamic-equilibrium (DE) continuous Markov stochastic processes. Moreover, we discuss a few examples and consider a new application of DE processes to elements of survival analysis. These elements concern the stochastic quadratic-hazard-rate model, for which our work 1) generalizes the reading of its It? stochastic ordinary differential equation (ISODE) for the hazard-rate-driving independent (HRDI) variables, 2) specifies key properties of the hazard-rate function, and in particular, reveals that the baseline value of the HRDI variables is the expectation of the DE solution of the ISODE, 3) suggests practical settings for obtaining multi-dimensional probability densities necessary for consistent and systematic reconstruction of missing data by Gibbs sampling and 4) further develops the corresponding line of modeling. The resulting advantages are emphasized in connection with the framework of clinical trials of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) where we propose the use of an endpoint reflecting the narrowing of airways. This endpoint is based on a fairly compact geometric model that quantifies the course of the obstruction, shows how it is associated with the hazard rate, and clarifies why it is life-threatening. The work also suggests a few directions for future research.

Chinese Medicine Prolongs Overall Survival of Chinese Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer: Treatment Pattern and Survival Analysis of a 20-Year Real-World Study

Objective To describe the treatment patterns and survival status of advanced gastric cancer(AGC)in China in the past two decades,and objectively evaluate the impact of standardized Chinese medicine(CM)treatment on the survival of AGC patients.Methods This multicenter registry designed and propensity score analysis study described the diagnosis characteristics,treatment-pattern development and survival status of AGC from 10 hospitals in China between January 1,2000 and July 31,2021.Overall survival(OS)was evaluated between non-CM cohort(standard medical treatment)and CM cohort(integrated standard CM treatment≥3 months).Propensity score matching(PSM)and inverse probability of treatment weighting(IPTW)were performed to adjust any difference in average outcomes for bias.Results A total of 2,001 patients histologically confirmed locally advanced and/or metastasis stomach and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were enrolled.Among them,1,607 received systemic chemotherapy,215(10.74%)accepted molecular targeted therapy,44(2.2%)received checkpoint inhibitor therapy,and 769(38.43%)received CM.Two-drug regimen was the main choice for first-line treatment,with fluoropyrimidine plus platinum as the most common regimen(530 cases,60.09%).While 45.71%(16 cases)of patients with HER2 amplification received trastuzumab in first-line.The application of apatinib increased(33.33%)in third-line.The application of checkpoint inhibitors has increased since 2020.COX analysis showed that Lauren mixed type(P=0.017),cycles of first-line treatment>6(P=0.000),CM(P=0.000),palliative gastrectomy(P=0.000),trastuzumab(P=0.011),and apatinib(P=0.008)were independent prognostic factors for the OS of AGC.After PSM and IPTW,the median OS of CM cohort and non-CM cohort was 18.17 and 12.45 months,respectively(P<0.001).Conclusions In real-world practice for AGC in China,therapy choices consisted with guidelines.Two-drug regimen was the main first-line choice.Standardized CM treatment was an independent prognostic factor and could prolong the OS of Chinese patients with AGC.(Registration No.NCT02781285)

Multiple myeloma survival in New South Wales, Australia, by treatment era to 2020

Objective: Australia has relatively high multiple myeloma(MM) incidence and mortality rates. Advancements in MM treatment over recent decades have driven improvements in MM survival in high-income countries;however, reporting in Australia is limited. We investigated temporal trends in population-wide MM survival across 3 periods of treatment advancements in New South Wales(NSW), Australia.Methods: Individuals with an MM diagnosis in the NSW Cancer Registry between 1985 and 2015 with vital follow-up to 2020, were categorized into 3 previously defined treatment eras according to their diagnosis date(1985±1995, chemotherapy only;1996±2007, autologous stem cell transplantation;and 2008±2015, novel agents including proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs). Both relative survival and cause-specific survival according to Fine and Gray's competing risks cumulative incidence function were calculated by treatment era and age at diagnosis.Results: Overall, 11,591 individuals were included in the study, with a median age of 70 years at diagnosis. Five-year relative survival improved over the 36-year(1985±2020) study period(31.0% in 1985±1995;41.9% in 1996±2007;and 56.1% in 2008±2015). For individuals diagnosed before 70 years of age, the 5-year relative survival nearly doubled, from 36.5% in 1985±1995 to 68.5% in 2008±2015. Improvements for those > 70 years of age were less pronounced between 1985±1995 and 1996±2007;however, significant improvements were observed for those diagnosed in 2008±2015. Similar overall and age-specific patterns were observed for causespecific survival. After adjustment for gender and age at diagnosis, treatment era was strongly associated with both relative and cause-specific survival(P < 0.0001).Conclusions: Survival of individuals with MM is improving in Australia with treatment advances. However, older age groups continue to experience poor survival outcomes with only modest improvements over time. Given the increasing prevalence of MM in Australia, the effects of MM treatment on quality of life, particularly in older age, warrant further attention.

Key Genes Involved in the Beneficial Mechanism of Hyperbaric Oxygen for Glioblastoma and Predictive Indicators of Hyperbaric Oxygen Prolonging Survival in Glioblastoma Patients

Objective The prognosis of glioblastoma is poor,and therapy-resistance is largely attributed to intratumor hypoxia.Hyperbaric oxygen(HBO)effectively alleviates hypoxia.However,the sole role of HBO in glioblastoma remains controversial.We previously reported that HBO can promote apoptosis,shorten protrusions,and delay growth of glioblastoma,but the molecular mechanism is unclear.We aimed to test candidate genes in HBO-exposed glioblastoma cells and to analyze their correlation with the survival of glioblastoma patients.Methods Glioblastoma cell lines exposed to repetitive HBO or normobaric air(NBA)were collected for RNA isolation and microarray data analysis.GO analysis,KEGG pathway analysis and survival analysis of the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were performed.Results HBO not only inhibited hypoxia-inducing genes including CA9,FGF11,PPFIA4,TCAF2 and SLC2A12,but also regulated vascularization by downregulating the expression of COL1A1,COL8A1,COL12A1,RHOJ and FILIP1L,ultimately attenuated hypoxic microenvironment of glioblastoma.HBO attenuated inflammatory microenvironment by reducing the expression of NLRP2,CARD8,MYD88 and CD180.HBO prevented metastasis by downregulating the expression of NTM,CXCL12,CXCL13,CXCR4,CXCR5,CDC42,IGFBP3,IGFBP5,GPC6,MMP19,ADAMTS1,EFEMP1,PTBP3,NF1 and PDCD1.HBO upregulated the expression of BAK1,PPIF,DDIT3,TP53I11 and FAS,whereas downregulated the expression of MDM4 and SIVA1,thus promoting apoptosis.HBO upregulated the expression of CDC25A,MCM2,PCNA,RFC33,DSCC1 and CDC14A,whereas downregulated the expression of ASNS,CDK6,CDKN1B,PTBP3 and MAD2L1,thus inhibiting cell cycle progression.Among these DEGs,17 indicator-genes of HBO prolonging survival were detected.Conclusions HBO is beneficial for glioblastoma.Glioblastoma patients with these predictive indicators may prolong survival with HBO therapy.These potential therapeutic targets especially COL1A1,ADAMTS1 and PTBP3 deserve further validation.

Influence of donor age on liver transplantation outcomes: A multivariate analysis and comparative study

BACKGROUND The growing disparity between the rising demand for liver transplantation(LT)and the limited availability of donor organs has prompted a greater reliance on older liver grafts.Traditionally,utilizing livers from elderly donors has been associated with outcomes inferior to those achieved with grafts from younger donors.By accounting for additional risk factors,we hypothesize that the utili-zation of older liver grafts has a relatively minor impact on both patient survival and graft viability.AIM To evaluate the impact of donor age on LT outcomes using multivariate analysis and comparing young and elderly donor groups.METHODS In the period from April 2013 to December 2018,656 adult liver transplants were performed at the University Hospital Merkur.Several multivariate Cox propor-tional hazards models were developed to independently assess the significance of donor age.Donor age was treated as a continuous variable.The approach involved univariate and multivariate analysis,including variable selection and assessment of interactions and transformations.Additionally,to exemplify the similarity of using young and old donor liver grafts,the group of 87 recipients of elderly donor liver grafts(≥75 years)was compared to a group of 124 recipients of young liver grafts(≤45 years)from the dataset.Survival rates of the two groups were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test was used to test the differences between groups.RESULTS Using multivariate Cox analysis,we found no statistical significance in the role of donor age within the constructed models.Even when retained during the entire model development,the donor age's impact on survival remained insignificant and transformations and interactions yielded no substantial effects on survival.Consistent insigni-ficance and low coefficient values suggest that donor age does not impact patient survival in our dataset.Notably,there was no statistical evidence that the five developed models did not adhere to the proportional hazards assumption.When comparing donor age groups,transplantation using elderly grafts showed similar early graft function,similar graft(P=0.92),and patient survival rates(P=0.86),and no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications.CONCLUSION Our center's experience indicates that donor age does not play a significant role in patient survival,with elderly livers performing comparably to younger grafts when accounting for other risk factors.

Comparison of Semi-Parametric Shared Frailty Models for Bees’Survival

Survival analysis is a fundamental tool in medical science for time-to-event data. However, its application to colony organisms like bees poses challenges due to their social nature. Traditional survival models may not accurately capture the interdependence among individuals within a colony. Frailty models, accounting for shared risks within groups, offer a promising alternative. This study evaluates the performance of semi-parametric shared frailty models (gamma, inverse normal, and positive stable-in comparison to the traditional Cox model using bees’ survival data). We examined the effect of misspecification of the frailty distribution on regression and heterogeneity parameters using simulation and concluded that the heterogeneity parameter was more sensitive to misspecification of the frailty distribution and choice of initial parameters (cluster size and true heterogeneity parameter) compared to the regression parameter. From the data, parameter estimates for covariates were close for the four models but slightly higher for the Cox model. The shared gamma frailty model provided a better fit to the data in comparison with the other models. Therefore, when focusing on regression parameters, the gamma frailty model is recommended. This research underscores the importance of tailored survival methodologies for accurately analyzing time-to-event data in social organisms.

Evaluation by Survival Analysis on Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Children with Respiratory Syncytial Viral Pneumonia of Phlegm-Heat Blocking Fei Syndrome

Objective:To objectively evaluate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine in treating children s respiratory syncytial viral pneumonia(RSVP) of phlegm-heat blocking Fei(肺) syndrome(PHBFS). Methods:A single-blinded multi-center,blocked,randomized and parallel-controlled method was adopted.The clinical study was carried out on 206 children with RSVP-PHBFS who were assigned to two groups,108 in the test group treated through intravenous dripping of Qingkailing Injection(清开灵注射液) in combination of or...

Hepatocellular carcinoma in extremely elderly patients:An analysis of clinical characteristics,prognosis and patient survival

AIM： To identify the clinical and prognostic features of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） aged 80 years or more. METHODS： A total of 1310 patients with HCC were included in this study. Ninety-one patients aged 80 years or more at the time of diagnosis of HCC were defined as the extremely elderly group. Two hundred and thirty-four patients aged 〉/ 50 years but less than 60 years were regarded as the non-elderly group. RESULTS： The sex ratio （male to female） was significantly lower in the extremely elderly group （0.90：1） than in the non-elderly group （3.9：1, P〈 0.001）. The positive rate for HBsAg was significantly lower in the extremely elderly group and the proportion of patients negative for HBsAg and HCVAb obviously increased in the extremely elderly group （P〈 0.001）. There were no significant differences in the following parameters： diameter and number of tumors, Child-Pugh grading, tumor staging, presence of portal thrombosis or ascites, and positive rate for HCVAb. Extremely elderly patients did not often receive surgical treatment （P 〈 0.001） and they were more likely to receive conservative treatment （P〈 0.01）. There were no significant differences in survival curves based on the Kaplan-Meier methods in comparison with the overall patients between the two groups. However, the survival curves were significantly worse in the extremely elderly patients with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ, stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ and Child-Pugh grade A cirrhosis in comparison with the non-elderly group. The causes of death did not differ among the patients, and most cases died of liverrelated diseases even in the extremely elderly patients. CONCLUSION： In the patients with good liver functions and good performance status, aggressive treatment for HCC might improve the survival rate, even in extremely elderly patients.

Survival analysis of car travel time near a bus stop in developing countries

This paper presents an important investigation into car travel time affected by mixed traffic flow near a bus stop on the basis of survival analysis theory.Travel time data associated with mixed traffic characteristics near a bus stop were collected by video cameras.A hazard-based duration model was introduced to analyze the effects of mixed traffic flow on car travel time.The results indicate that mixed traffic flow impacts car travel time significantly.And the presence of bus berthing violation would delay car travel time.The proposed model can be used to forecast temporal shifts in car travel time due to changes in mixed traffic flow.The influential factors related to mixed traffic flow should be given full consideration in the planning and designing of bus stops in developing countries.

Multi-task regression learning for survival analysis via prior information guided transductive matrix completion

Survival analysis aims to predict the occurrence time of a particular event of interest,which is crucial for the prognosis analysis of diseases.Currently,due to the limited study period and potential losing tracks,the observed data inevitably involve some censored instances,and thus brings a unique challenge that distinguishes from the general regression problems.In addition,survival analysis also suffers from other inherent challenges such as the high-dimension and small-sample-size problems.To address these challenges,we propose a novel multi-task regression learning model,i.e.,prior information guided transductive matrix completion(PigTMC)model,to predict the survival status of the new instances.Specifically,we use the multi-label transductive matrix completion framework to leverage the censored instances together with the uncensored instances as the training samples,and simultaneously employ the multi-task transductive feature selection scheme to alleviate the overfitting issue caused by high-dimension and small-sample-size data.In addition,we employ the prior temporal stability of the survival statuses at adjacent time intervals to guide survival analysis.Furthermore,we design an optimization algorithm with guaranteed convergence to solve the proposed PigTMC model.Finally,the extensive experiments performed on the real microarray gene expression datasets demonstrate that our proposed model outperforms the previously widely used competing methods.

Identification of differentially expressed metastatic genes and their signatures to predict the overall survival of uveal melanoma patients by bioinformatics analysis

AIM:To identify metastatic genes and mi RNAs and to investigate the metastatic mechanism of uveal melanoma(UVM).METHODS:GSE27831,GSE39717,and GSE73652 gene expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,and the limma R package was used to identify differentially expressed genes(DEGs).Gene Ontology(GO)term enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis were performed using the DAVID online tool.A comprehensive list of interacting DEGs was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes(STRING)database and Cytoscape software.The Cytoscape MCODE plug-in was used to identify clustered sub-networks and modules of hub genes from the proteinprotein interaction network.GEPIA online software was used for survival analysis of UVM patients(n=80)from the The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)cohort.Oncomi R online software was used to find that the mi RNAs were associated with UVM prognosis from the TCGA cohort.Target Scan Human 7.2 software was then used to identify the mi RNAs targeting the genes.RESULTS:There were 1600 up-regulated genes and 1399 down-regulated genes.The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in protein translation in the cytosol,whereas the down-regulated genes were correlated with extracellular matrix organization and cell adhesion in the extracellular space.Among the 2999 DEGs,five genes,Znf391,Mrps11,Htra3,Sulf2,and Smarcd3 were potential predictors of UVM prognosis.Otherwise,three mi RNAs,hsa-mi R-509-3-5 p,hsa-mi R-513 a-5 p,and hsa-mi R-1269 a were associated with UVM prognosis.CONCLUSION:After analyzing the metastasis-related enriched terms and signaling pathways,the up-regulated DEGs are mainly involved in protein synthesis and cell proliferation by ribosome and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)pathways.However,the down-regulated DEGs are mainly involved in processes that reduced cell-cell adhesion and promoted cell migration in the extracellular matrix through PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway,focal adhesion,and extracellular matrix-receptor interactions.Bioinformatics and interaction analysis may provide new insights on the events leading up to the development and progression of UVM.

Clinical features and prognostic factors in 49 patients with follicular lymphoma at a single center:A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND Follicular lymphoma(FL)is a type of B-cell lymphoma that originates at the germinal center and has a low malignancy rate.FL has become the most common inert lymphoma in Europe and America but has a relatively low incidence in Asia.AIM To explore the clinical features,curative effects,and prognostic factors of FL.METHODS Completed medical records of 49 patients with FL who were admitted to the Ningbo First Hospital from June 2010 to June 2021 were examined.These patients were definitively diagnosed by pathological biopsy or immunohistochemical staining.The diagnostic criteria were based on the 2008 World Health Organization classification of lymphomas.Ann Arbor staging was performed according to the imaging and bone marrow examination results.Risk stratification of all patients was performed based on the International Prognostic Index(IPI),age-adjusted IPI,Follicular Lymphoma International Prognosis Index(FLIPI),and FLIPI2 to compare the efficacy of different treatment regimens and analyze the related prognostic factors.RESULTS The age of onset in patients ranged from 24 to 76 years,with a median age of 51 years.Most patients developed the disease at 40–59 years of age,and the male:female ratio was 1.6:1.No significant difference was noted in the curative effect between the non-chemotherapy,combined chemotherapy,and other chemotherapy regimens(P>0.05).Hemoglobin(Hb)level<120 g/L,Ki-67 value>50%,bone marrow involvement,and clinical stagesⅢ–IV were associated with a poor prognosis of FL(P<0.05).However,the influence of other indicators was not statistically significant.Risk grouping was performed using the FLIPI,and the results showed that 24.5%,40.8%,and 34.7%of patients were in the low-,moderate-,and high-risk groups,respectively.According to the survival analysis results,the survival rate of patients was lower in the high-risk group than in the other low-risk and moderate-risk groups(P<0.05).CONCLUSION FL mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly men,primarily affecting lymph nodes and bone marrow.Hb level,Ki-67 value,bone marrow involvement,and clinical staging were used to evaluate prognosis.

Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio predicts overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio(FAR)has been found to be of prognostic significance for several types of malignant tumors.However,less is known about the association between FAR and survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients.AIM To explore the association between FAR and prognosis and survival in patients with HCC.METHODS A total of 366 histologically confirmed HCC patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2018 in a provincial cancer hospital in southwestern China were retrospectively selected.Relevant data were extracted from the hospital information system.The optimal cutoff for baseline serum FAR measured upon disease diagnosis was established using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the crude and adjusted associations between FAR and the overall survival(OS)of the HCC patients while controlling for various covariates.The restricted cubic spline(RCS)was applied to estimate the dose-response trend in the FAR-OS association.RESULTS The optimal cutoff value for baseline FAR determined by the ROC was 0.081.Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model revealed that a lower baseline serum FAR level was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.43(95%confidence interval:1.87–3.15)in the OS of HCC patients,with identifiable dose-response trend in the RCS.Subgroup analysis showed that this FAR-OS association was more prominent in HCC patients with a lower baseline serum aspartate aminotransferase or carbohydrate antigen 125 level.CONCLUSION Serum FAR is a prominent prognostic indicator for HCC.Intervention measures aimed at reducing FAR might result in survival benefit for HCC patients.