A trial-ready cohort for finding unmet needs and improving quality of life among patients with esophageal cancer: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Although esophageal cancer survivors experience lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL), it is hard to provide proper supportive care due to difficulties to find potential target population. This study aims to develop a trial-ready cohort (TRC) to assess the unmet needs and HRQoL of survivors of esophageal cancer. This prospective, multicenter TRC study will include 600 patients diagnosed with primary esophageal cancer who have undergone curative treatment.

Posterolateral Full-Endoscopic Thoracic Foraminotomy for Foraminal Stenosis Causing Radiculopathy: A Report of 3 Cases.

Case: Three elderly men presented with thoracic radiculopathy secondary to bony thoracic foraminal stenosis. Conservative treatment was unsuccessful, so each underwent posterolateral full-endoscopic thoracic foraminotomy under local anesthesia. Surgical steps included drilling of the lateral part of the facet, clearing of soft tissues in the foramen, and adequate decompression of the exiting nerve root.

Deep-Learning Model for Real-Time Prediction of Recurrence in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Multimodal Approach (RADAR CARE Study).

Purpose: The surveillance protocol for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not contingent upon individualized risk factors for recurrence. This study aimed to use comprehensive data from clinical practice to develop a deep-learning model for practical longitudinal monitoring.

Methods: A multimodal deep-learning model with transformers was developed for real-time recurrence prediction using baseline clinical, pathological, and molecular data with longitudinal laboratory and radiologic data collected during surveillance.

Adjuvant pembrolizumab therapy for completely resected stage I lung adenocarcinoma with micropapillary or solid histological subtypes: a single-center, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with completely resected stage I lung adenocarcinoma with micropapillary or solid-pattern (MPSOL).

Methods: This was a single-center, single-arm phase 2 study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03254004).

Comparative analysis of mitochondrial and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for angiogenesis and muscle regeneration.

Mitochondrial transplantation has emerged as a promising strategy for treating ischemic diseases by restoring mitochondrial function in damaged tissues. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of mitochondria isolated from placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs) in a murine critical limb ischemia (CLI) model. The isolated mitochondria were characterized to confirm their structural integrity, purity, and ATP production capacity before transplantation into an ischemic hindlimb.

Impact of tumor size by clinical N subclassification and histology in trimodality-treated N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

The evolving TNM classification has emphasized the tumor size's role in NSCLC prognosis, reclassifying stage IIIA patients from the previous edition as stage IIIB (T3-4N2M0, 8th edition). However, the prognostic implications of tumor size and survival in stage III NSCLC patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy remain unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the association between tumor size and mortality in N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (trimodality therapy), considering the number of metastatic N2 stations and histology.

Transforaminal Endoscopic Thoracic Discectomy Is More Cost-Effective Than Microdiscectomy for Symptomatic Disc Herniations.

Objective: To analyze costs and cost-effectiveness of transforaminal endoscopic thoracic discectomy (TETD) for the treatment of symptomatic thoracic disc herniation (TDH) and compare it with open microdiscectomy (MD).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent TETD or MD for symptomatic TDH and had a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Cost analysis included direct costs (primary and secondary hospital costs), indirect costs (lost wages due to work absence), total costs (direct + indirect), and cost-effectiveness (cost per quality-adjusted life year [QALY] and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio [ICER]).

Therapeutic Effect of Lymph Node Dissection After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy Followed by Esophagectomy on Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using the Efficacy Index.

Background: The effect of lymph node (LN) dissection on the overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated by neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT) followed by esophagectomy has been controversial. This study investigated the patterns of metastatic LNs after nCRT and the benefits of LN dissection using the efficacy index (EI).

Methods: The EI was calculated by multiplying the frequency (%) of metastases to a zone and the 5-year overall survival rate (%) of patients with metastases to that zone and then dividing by 100.

Clinical N Staging Subclassification for Stage III-N2 NSCLC Patients Undergoing Trimodality Therapy: A Good Beginning Is Half the Battle.

Background: Lung cancer patients with stage III-N2 disease may benefit from the subclassification of nodal involvement before decision-making. We aimed to evaluate whether the clinical N descriptor subclassification predicts prognosis in patients undergoing trimodality therapy for stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Using our institutional registry between 2003 and 2019, we analyzed 899 consecutive patients with stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer undergoing neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery.

Technique and outcomes of the trans-superior articular process approach for endoscopic thoracic discectomy.

Objective: Transforaminal endoscopic thoracic discectomy (TETD) has been shown to lead to favorable outcomes in cases with symptomatic thoracic disc herniation (TDH). However, due to various anatomical constraints, developing a transforaminal corridor especially in the upper and middle thoracic spine is often difficult and foraminoplasty is required to gain access into the foramen. Conventional foraminoplasty with a bone reamer or endoscopic drill can be associated with inadvertent facet removal and increases the risk of injury to the neural tissue.

Efficacy of contrast versus non-contrast CT surveillance among patients surviving two years without recurrence after surgery for stage I lung cancer.

Contrast-enhanced chest CT (CECT) is more sensitive than non-contrast-enhanced chest CT (NCECT), but NCECT may have comparable efficacy in detecting new primary lung cancer among stage I NSCLC survivors after two years of surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of NCECT versus CECT for surveillance among stage I NSCLC patients surviving two years after curative resection without disease recurrence. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent curative-intent lung resection between January 2009 and December 2017 using the Registry for Thoracic Cancer Surgery at the Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Application of network analysis and association rule mining for visualizing the lymph node metastasis patterns in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Understanding the patterns of lymph node (LN) metastases in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is important for accurate staging and defining the extent of lymphadenectomy. This study clarified the patterns of LN metastases in ESCC using data mining techniques. 1181 patients with LN metastases who underwent upfront esophagectomy for ESCC were analyzed.

Comparison and validation of the Japanese classification 12th edition and American joint committee on cancer 8th edition on intrathoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition and Japanese classification 12th edition can be applied for esophageal cancer staging. This retrospective study aimed to compare these two staging systems in patients with surgically treated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 2,853 patients who underwent esophagectomy and lymphadenectomy from 1994 to 2020.

Association of Obesity and Skeletal Muscle with Postoperative Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background A comprehensive assessment of skeletal muscle health is crucial to understanding the association between improved clinical outcomes and obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) in lung cancer, but limited studies have been conducted on this topic. Purpose To investigate the association between BMI-defined obesity and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection, with a specific focus on the status of skeletal muscle assessed at CT. Materials and Methods This retrospective study investigated Korean patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection between January 2008 and December 2019.

Association of pre-surgical circulating tumor DNA detection, use of sublobar resection with risk of recurrence in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Sublobar resection is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment for early-stage NSCLC. However, no studies to date have investigated the potential role of preoperative ctDNA detection in guiding surgical decisions, such as opting for sublobar resection, in stage I NSCLC.

Methods: Patients with solid-dominant (CTR>0.

Interactive effects of chlorothalonil and Varroa destructor on Apis mellifera during adult stage.

The interaction between environmental factors affecting honey bees is of growing concern due to their potential synergistic effects on bee health. Our study investigated the interactive impact of Varroa destructor and chlorothalonil on workers' survival, fat body morphology, and the expression of gene associated with detoxification, immunity, and nutrition metabolism during their adult stage. We found that both chlorothalonil and V.

F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Based Risk Score Model for Prediction of Five-Year Survival Outcome after Curative Resection of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

The aim of our retrospective study is to develop and assess an imaging-based model utilizing F-FDG PET parameters for predicting the five-year survival in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after curative surgery. A total of 361 NSCLC patients who underwent curative surgery were assigned to the training set ( = 253) and the test set ( = 108). The LASSO regression model was used to construct a PET-based risk score for predicting five-year survival.

Clinical Utility of Tumor-Naïve Presurgical Circulating Tumor DNA Detection in Early-Stage NSCLC.

Objectives: The use of tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing in patients with early-stage disease before surgery is limited, mainly owing to restricted tissue access and extended turnaround times. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of a tumor-naïve, methylation-based cell-free DNA assay in a large cohort of patients with resected NSCLC.

Method: We analyzed presurgical plasma samples from 895 patients with EGFR and anaplastic lymphoma kinase-wild-type, clinical stage I or II NSCLC.

The Influence of Environmental Factors on Site Selection Augment Breeding Success in Honey Bees: An Insight of Honey Bee Genetic Resource Conservation.

Honey bee reproductive behavior involves a complicated mating system that embodies a number of factors, including environmental and human-induced factors. Controlled breeding in isolated mating stations is a prerequisite to maintain the genetic resources of honey bees through natural mating. The concept of controlled mating is a challenge in most beekeeping operations due to its low mating success rate.