Predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is challenging. This study evaluated the potential of a preoperative computed tomography (CT) analysis for predicting the pathological response and survival of patients with ESCC who received trimodality therapy.

A total of 119 patients with cT3 or T4 ESCC who underwent surgery following NCRT between 2007 and 2019 were assessed. The CT-based parameters were measured with enhanced CT preoperatively, prior to and during treatment. Associations between these parameters and the pathologic response, as well as the prognosis, were examined.

Pretreatment maximum CT value (p = 0.009), pretreatment mean CT value (p = 0.022), preoperative whole tumor volume (WTV, p = 0.003), preoperative largest cross section (LCS, p = 0.002), ΔLCS (pretreatment to preoperative, p = 0.004), ΔWTV (pretreatment to preoperative, p = 0.012), and Δmean CT value (pretreatment to preoperative, p = 0.012) of the primary lesion were significantly associated with a good pathological response. A Cox-regression analysis of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) showed that preoperative LCS was an independent CT-based predictor. RFS and OS were significantly higher at the optimal cut-off value of the preoperative LCS (p = 0.036 and p = 0.016, respectively).

CT-based parameters are thus considered to be valuable predictors of the tumor response and survival after trimodality therapy for ESCC.

CT-based parameters are thus considered to be valuable predictors of the tumor response and survival after trimodality therapy for ESCC.The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Simplified Inguinal Pain Questionnaire (sIPQ) and compare it to the regular Inguinal Pain Questionnaire (IPQ) for external validation. To do so, the IPQ and sIPQ were telephonically administered at 7 and 28 days postoperatively for a cohort of 25 patients who underwent Lichtenstein hernioplasty. A psychometric analysis of the scores was done using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest assessments. ACP-196 in vivo The agreement rate of the mean-standardized values between scores was afterwards calculated. We found closely similar psychometric values for the IPQ and sIPQ. The agreement rate between scores was 97% (p  less then  0.001). Taken together, the results demonstrate that the sIPQ has psychometric values that are very similar to those of the full IPQ. Its shorter number of items is specifically designed to enable telephonic follow-up and streamline both postoperative care and telemedicine.

There is currently no adequate biomarker for predicting colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence. Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) induces macrophages and fibroblasts to occupy metastatic niches in distant organs. The purpose of this study was to examine CCL2 as a potential predictive biomarker for CRC recurrence.

Plasma samples (n = 402) were collected from 80 stage II/III/IV CRC cases and the relationship between CCL2 profiles and recurrence was investigated. The tumor immune response genes associated with CCL2 mRNA expression in a subgroup of 8 stage I/II CRC cases with 12 recurrent sites and The Cancer Genome Atlas database were also analyzed retrospectively.

Sixteen stage II/III/IV postoperative recurrent CRC cases experienced a significant increase in plasma CCL2 levels 6months after surgery and continuously increased even after R0-1 resection. The 6-month postoperative CCL2 levels in recurrent cases of ≥ 1year were significantly higher than in non-recurrent cases and recurrent cases of < 1year. The CCL2 level in the primary tumor cases significantly correlated with the cytolytic activity, thus indicating a tumor immune response from the CD163-expressing macrophages.

Plasma CCL2 was found to be a predictive biomarker of postoperative CRC recurrence. CCL2 in metastatic sites derives from metastatic niches that surpass the host immune response.

Plasma CCL2 was found to be a predictive biomarker of postoperative CRC recurrence. CCL2 in metastatic sites derives from metastatic niches that surpass the host immune response.Ampullary carcinomas of the duodenum are uncommon. Moreover, the diversity in the clinical outcomes of these patients makes it difficult to interpret previous studies and clinical trial results. The difficulty in proper staging of ampullary carcinomas, especially with regard to the T category of the tumor in the TNM system, reflects the anatomic complexity and non-uniform histopathologic subtypes. One major reason for this difficulty in interpretation is that the tumors may arise from any of the three epithelia (duodenal, biliary, or pancreatic) that converge at this location. Generally, ampullary carcinomas are classified into intestinal and pancreaticobiliary types based on morphology and immunohistochemical features. While many studies have described their specific characteristics and clinical impact, the prognostic value of these subtypes is controversial. In recent years, whole-exome sequencing analyses have advanced our understanding of the genomic overview of ampullary carcinoma. Gene mutations serve as prognostic and predictive biomarkers for this disease. Therefore, basic knowledge of the genomic profile of ampullary carcinomas is required for surgeons to understand how best to apply precision medicine as well as surgery and adjuvant therapies. This review provides an overview of the current basic and clinical issues of ampullary carcinoma.

This prospective, randomized, split-mouth clinical trial assessed the 3-year clinical performance of a highly filled flowable composite and a conventional paste-type composite in non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs).

A total of 84 NCCLs in 27 subjects were included in this split-mouth design study and randomly divided into two groups a highly filled flowable composite Clearfil Majesty ES Flow group (ES, n = 42) and a conventional paste-type composite Majesty group (MJ, n = 42). Clearfil SE Bond was used following the manufacturer’s instructions. The restorations were evaluated at baseline (BL) and 1, 2, and 3 years using FDI (World Dental Federation) criteria. Data were analysed by a paired chi-squared test for intergroup comparisons and the Friedman test for intragroup comparisons (α = 0.05).

Both groups had a 97.3% retention rate at the 3-year evaluation. The acceptable scores (FDI scores 1-3) for each criterion exhibited no significant difference between the MJ and ES groups at any time point (p = 1.