Primary liver cancer is the sixth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes the majority of primary liver cancer cases. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) was introduced to standardize the lexicon, acquisition, interpretation, reporting, and data collection of imaging results in patients at increased risk for HCC. LI-RADS allows effective categorization of focal liver lesions, and has been applied in the full clinical spectrum of HCC from diagnosis, biological behavior characterization, prognosis prediction, to treatment response assessment. This review aimed to summarize the recent applications of CT/MRI LI-RADS in the diagnosis, biological behavior characterization and prognosis prediction of HCC, discuss current challenges and shed light on potential future directions.
In order to fully explore the neural oscillatory coupling characteristics of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), this paper analyzed and compared the strength of the coupling characteristics for 28 MCI patients and 21 normal subjects under six different-frequency combinations. The results showed that the difference in the global phase synchronization index of cross-frequency coupling under δ-θ rhythm combination was statistically significant in the MCI group compared with the normal control group (P = 0.025, d = 0.398). To further validate this coupling feature, this paper proposed an optimized convolutional neural network model that incorporated a time-frequency data enhancement module and batch normalization layers to prevent overfitting while enhancing the robustness of the model. Based on this optimized model, with the phase locking value matrix of δ-θ rhythm combination as the single input feature, the diagnostic accuracy of MCI patients was (95.49 ± 4.15)%, sensitivity and specificity were (93.71 ± 7.21)% and (97.50 ± 5.34)%, respectively. The results showed that the characteristics of the phase locking value matrix under the combination of δ-θ rhythms can adequately reflect the cognitive status of MCI patients, which is helpful to assist the diagnosis of MCI.
Objective To establish a predictive model for long-term tumor-specific survival after surgery for patients with intermediate to advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) based on American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging, by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database. Methods The data of 692 patients with intermediate to advanced MTC who underwent total thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection registered in the SEER database during 2004–2017 were extracted and screened, and were randomly divided into 484 cases in the modeling group and 208 cases in the validation group according to 7∶3. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to screen predictors of tumor-specific survival after surgery for intermediate to advanced stage MTC and to develop a Nomogram model. The accuracy and usefulness of the model were tested by using the consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, time-dependent ROC curve and decision curve analysis (DSA). Results In the modeling group, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model indicated that the factors affecting tumor-specific survival after surgery in patients with intermediate to advanced MTC were AJCC TNM staging, age, lymph node ratio (LNR), and tumor diameter, and the Nomogram model was developed based on these results. The modeling group had a C-index of 0.827 and its area under the 5-year and 10-year time-dependent ROC curves were 0.865 [95%CI (0.817, 0.913)], 0.845 [95%CI (0.787, 0.904)], respectively, and the validation group had a C-index of 0.866 and its area under the 5-year and 10-year time-dependent ROC curves were 0.866 [95%CI (0.798, 0.935)] and 0.923 [95%CI (0.863, 0.983)], respectively. Good agreement between the model-predicted 5- and 10-year tumor-specific survival rates and the actual 5- and 10-year tumor-specific survival rates were showed in both the modeling and validation groups. Based on the DCA curve, the new model based on AJCC TNM staging was developed with a significant advantage over the former model containing only AJCC TNM staging in terms of net benefits obtained by patients at 5 years and 10 years after surgery. Conclusion The prognostic model based on AJCC TNM staging for predicting tumor-specific survival after surgery for intermediate to advanced MTC established in this study has good predictive effect and practicality, which can help guide personalized, precise and comprehensive treatment decisions and can be used in clinical practice.
A metadata standard is a high level document that establishes a common way of structuring and understanding data, and includes principles and implementation issues for utilizing the standard. It helps to record their collections and processes and to structure this information, and can be used to validate data integrity and quality. Metadata standards improve the quality and interoperability of information across information technology platforms by increasing compatibility, improving the consistency and efficiency of information collection, and reducing redundancy. This article introduced the progress and features of metadata standards of clinical research, and aimed to promote the standardization of clinical research and scientific process of therapeutic evaluation.
Using optical imaging equipment with different wavelength and computer technology, fundus optical imaging diagnostic techniques can record fundus reflected light, auto fluorescence and emitted light after excitation by external light source in order to observe and analyze the structure and pathological process of retina and choroid. Advances in fundus optical image capture technology (including laser, confocal laser, spontaneous auto-fluorescence, multispectral imaging) and storage and analysis technology, promote this field into a high-definition digital imaging era, with features of rapid, non-invasive, wide-angle three-dimensional multi-level integration, dynamic automatic navigation location tracking and combined application of a variety of optical imaging diagnostic techniques. In order to promote clinical and scientific research of ocular fundus diseases, we need to understand the development trend of optical imaging diagnostic technique, interpret the fundus imaging features appropriately, reasonably chose different inspection techniques, establish standardized diagnosis criteria and continue to expand clinical applications.
ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of the residence of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) on surgical characteristics in the current version Database from Colorectal Cancer (DACCA). MethodsAccording to the established screening conditions, the patients with CRC were collected from the updated version of DACCA on January 23, 2023. The analysis indicators enrolled in this study included: the grouping indicator was residence, the surgical characteristic indicators included the surgical timing, surgical nature, expanded resection, intersphincteric resection (ISR) type, patient’s willingness of preserving the anus, and whether preserving the anus. The patients were categorized into three groups based on the residence: inside Chengdu City, outside Chengdu City within Sichuan Province, and outside Sichuan Province. The surgical characteristic indicators of patients with CRC from different residences were comparatively analyzed. ResultsA total of 6 832 analyzable data rows were enrolled. The results of statistical analysis revealed the following findings: there were no statistical differences in the surgery timing and surgery nature among the patients with colon cancer or rectal cancer from the different residences (Surgery timing: H=1.665, P=0.435; H=4.153, P=0.125. Surgery nature: χ2=1.586, P=0.453; χ2=0.990, P=0.610); For the patients with rectal cancer from the different residences, the distributions of the ISR type (H=0.514, P=0.773), patients’ willingness of preserving the anus (χ2=1.437, P=0.487), and whether preserving the anus (χ2=5.513, P=0.064) had no statistical differences. In addition, although there was no statistical difference in the distribution of expanded resection or not among the patients with rectal cancer in different residences (χ2=2.363, P=0.307), it was found that there was statistical difference in the distribution of enlarged resection or not among the patients with colon cancer in different residences (χ2=17.324, P＜0.001). ConclusionsFrom the data analysis in DACCA, there are not statistical differences in surgical characteristic indicators such as surgical timing, surgical nature, ISR type, patients’ willingness of preserving the anus, and whether preserving the anus among patients with colon or rectal cancer from different residences. However, the proportion of underwent expanded surgery in the colon cancer patients who from outside Sichuan Province as compared with inside Sichuan Province is relatively higher, this suggests that surgical difficulty is more difficult for the patients from outside Sichuan Province.
Objective To analyze the relation between the marital status of patients with colorectal cancer and neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) regimen decision-making and outcomes in the current version of the Database from Colorectal Cancer (DACCA). Methods The version of DACCA selected for this analysis was updated on June 29, 2022. The patients were enrolled according to the established screening criteria and then assigned to 5 groups: the unmarried, married, divorced, remarried and widowed groups. The differences in the NAT regimen decision-making and changes of symptom, imaging, and cancer markers in these 5 groups were analyzed. Results A total of 3 053 data that met the screened criteria were enrolled. The results of statistical analysis reflected that the difference in the constituent ratio of patients chosen NAT strategies among 5 groups was obviously statistically significant (χ2=27.944, P=0.004), showing that remarried patients were inclined to adopt combined target drug. No statistical differences were found in changes of symptom (H=5.717, P=0.221), image (H=8.551, P=0.073), and cancer markers (H=11.351, P=0.183) of the 5 groups after NAT. Conclusion Through analysis of DACCA data, it is found that in the selection of NAT strategy for colorectal cancer, more married and remarried patients tended to choose chemotherapy combined target drug regimen.
ObjectiveTo explore the influencing factors of cancer-specific survival of patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma, and draw a nomogram to predict the cancer-specific survival rate of large hepatocellular carcinoma patients.MethodsThe clinicopathological data of patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma during the period from 1975 to 2017 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were searched and randomly divided into training group and validation group at 1∶1. Using the training data, the Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to explore the influencing factors of cancer-specific survival and construct the nomogram; finally, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) and the calibration curve were drawn to verify the nomogram internally and externally.ResultsThe results of the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that the degree of liver cirrhosis, tumor differentiation, tumor diameter, T stage, M stage, surgery, and chemotherapy were independent influencing factors that affect the specific survival of patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma (P<0.05), and then these factors were enrolled into the nomogram of the prediction model. The areas under the 1, 3, and 5-year curves of the training group were 0.800, 0.827, and 0.814, respectively; the areas under the 1, 3, and 5-year curves of the validation group were 0.800, 0.824, and 0.801, respectively. The C index of the training group was 0.779, and the verification group was 0.777. The calibration curve of the training group and the verification group was close to the ideal curve of the actual situation.ConclusionThe nomogram of the prediction model drawn in this study can be used to predict the specific survival of patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma in the clinic.
In order to promote the openness, transparency and standardization of clinical trials, improve the scientific and reliability of results, and reserve the manpower, material, and financial resources in the process of clinical trials, this study constructed an integrated intelligent management platform for clinical trials, which could carry out various types of clinical trials such as randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies simultaneously. The platform covers the whole process of scheme design, recruitment, follow-up, data analysis, and quality control. This paper mainly introduced the practical needs, design concept, basic framework and technical highlights to provide auxiliary tools for promoting the standardization and intelligence of clinical trials with energy saving and optimal efficiency.
ObjectiveTo understand the inpatient classification and influence factors of hospitalization expenses, so as to provide basis for hospital management. MethodsThe diagnosis and treatment data of inpatients in a grade A tertiary hospital in 2013 were collected, the percentile method were used to describe the expenses distribution, the K-means clustering method was applied to classify the inpatients, the rank-sum test was utilized to analyze the differences of the costs among different groups, ICD-10 was applied to analyze the diseases distribution, and the median regression was used to analyze the influence factors. ResultsThere were 175 333 inpatients in total. The median of the expenses was 10 016.31 yuan RMB. The inpatients might be classified into seven groups with different expenses (P=0.0001). For inpatients who had no "blood transfusion cost", the top three factors of cost category were operation, laboratory test, examination; for who had "blood transfusion cost", the top three factors of cost category were blood transfusion, laboratory test, examination. There were 2 147, 2 182, 1 499, 1 301, 2 059, 22 and 14 kinds of diseases (ICD-10 four-digit code) respectively among the seven groups. The influence factors could be summarized into patient-related and diagnosis & treatment-related ones. ConclusionThe costs of operation, blood transfusion, laboratory test, and examination affect the inpatients classification greatly. The results could be of help to inform the admission of patients, the expense control and the disease management.