Salah Alzghoul^1,*, Othman Smadi¹, Ali Al Bataineh², Mamon Hatmal³, Ahmad Alamm⁴

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.37, No.1, pp. 455-470, 2023, DOI:10.32604/iasc.2023.038338

Abstract Currently, the decision of aortic valve replacement surgery time for asymptomatic patients with moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis (AS) is made by healthcare professionals based on the patient’s clinical biometric records. A delay in surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) can potentially affect patients’ quality of life. By using ML algorithms, this study aims to predict the optimal SAVR timing and determine the enhancement in moderate-to-severe AS patient survival following surgery. This study represents a novel approach that has the potential to improve decision-making and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes. We analyze data from 176 patients with moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis who had undergone or… More >

Alain J. Poncelet^1,*, Maureen Peers de Nieuwburgh², Stéphane Moniotte², Geoffroy de Beco¹, Karlien Carbonez², Jean E. Rubay¹, Thierry Detaille³, Laurent Houtekie³, Mona Momeni⁴

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.2, pp. 151-168, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.022636

Abstract Background: Most outcome studies in congenital cardiac surgery for “low weight” neonates include patients undergoing surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The primary objective of our study was to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality in neonates weighing less than 3 Kg and undergoing surgery with CPB. In addition, we compared the effect of early surgery with CPB (before 37W-gestational age (GA)) for congenital heart disease to delayed surgery until a corrected GA of 37 weeks in an attempt to promote weight gain. Methods: Retrospective single-center study including all patients operated between 1997 and 2017. Uni- and multivariable analysis were used… More >

JULIANA A. PORTES¹, ROSSIANE C. VOMMARO¹, LUCIO AYRES CALDAS², ERICA S. MARTINS-DUARTE^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 929-950, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026629

Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan of worldwide distribution and the agent of toxoplasmosis. It is estimated that 30%–50% of the world population could be infected with this parasite. Although the infection in immunocompetent individuals is mostly asymptomatic, the disease in immunosuppressed and pregnant is a risk condition. As a member of the phylum Apicomplexa, T. gondii has an obligatory intracellular lifestyle; therefore, invading a host cell and establishing it inside a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) are mandatories for the survival of this parasite. The construction of a perfect intracellular niche for T. gondii requires the secretion of an arsenal of proteins… More >

Nagaraju Jajam, Nagendra Panini Challa^*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.75, No.1, pp. 977-997, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2023.036098

Abstract In the insurance sector, a massive volume of data is being generated on a daily basis due to a vast client base. Decision makers and business analysts emphasized that attaining new customers is costlier than retaining existing ones. The success of retention initiatives is determined not only by the accuracy of forecasting churners but also by the timing of the forecast. Previous works on churn forecast presented models for anticipating churn quarterly or monthly with an emphasis on customers’ static behavior. This paper’s objective is to calculate daily churn based on dynamic variations in client behavior. Training excellent models to… More >

DIEGO HERNANDEZ^1,*, CHIH-YUAN CHENG^1,2, KARLA HERNANDEZ-VILLAFUERTE¹, MICHAEL SCHLANDER^1,2

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.4, pp. 173-185, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.027262

Abstract Lung cancer is the most common cancer type worldwide and has the highest and second highest mortality rate for men and women respectively in Germany. Yet, the role of comorbid illnesses in lung cancer patient prognosis is still debated. We analyzed administrative claims data from one of the largest statutory health insurance (SHI) funds in Germany, covering close to 9 million people (11% of the national population); observation period was from 2005 to 2019. Lung cancer patients and their concomitant diseases were identified by ICD-10-GM codes. Comorbidities were classified according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Incidence, comorbidity prevalence and… More >

YUNG-SUNG YEH^1,2,3, HSIANG-LIN TSAI^4,5, YEN-CHENG CHEN^4,6, WEI-CHIH SU^4,6, PO-JUNG CHEN^4,6, TSUNG-KUN CHANG^4,6,7, CHING-CHUN LI⁴, CHING-WEN HUANG^4,5, JAW-YUAN WANG^{4,5,6,8,9,10,*}

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.2, pp. 65-76, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.026659

Abstract The controversial outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) highlight the need for developing effective systemic neoadjuvant treatment strategies to improve clinical results. The optimal treatment cycles in patients with mCRC for metastasectomy remain undefined. This retrospective study compared the efficacy, safety, and survival of cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy/targeted therapy for such patients. Sixty-four patients with mCRC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy/targeted therapy following metastasectomy were enrolled between January 2018 and April 2022. Twenty-eight patients received 6 cycles of chemotherapy/targeted therapy, whereas 36 patients received ≥7 cycles (median, 13; range, 7–20). Clinical outcomes, including response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival… More >

WENLI ZENG¹, FENG LING², KAINUO DANG³, QINGJIA CHI^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 581-592, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025957

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with poor prognosis and fluctuations in immune status. Although studies have found that secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) is involved in HCC progression, its independent prognostic value and immune-mediated role remain unclear. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus data, we found that low expression of SPP1 is significantly associated with improved survival of HCC patients and that SPP1 expression is correlated with clinical characteristics. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression confirmed that SPP1 is an independent prognostic factor of HCC. Subsequently, we found that T cell CD4 memory-activated monocytes, M0 macrophages, and resting mast… More >

Chao Shang, Dongkui Xu^*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 649-663, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.027640

Abstract All over the world, the most common malignancy in women is breast cancer. Breast cancer is also a significant factor of death in women. In 2020, approximately 2.3 million cases of breast cancer were newly diagnosed in women globally, and approximately 685,000 people died. Breast cancer incidence varies by region around the world, but it is all increasing. According to the current morbidity and mortality trend of breast cancer, it is estimated that by 2030, the number of incidence and deaths of breast cancer will reach 2.64 million and 1.7 million, respectively. The age-standardized incidence rate was 66.4/100,000 in developed… More >

Fei Wang¹, Jihyun Ma², Nan Zhao³, Chi Lin^3,*, Haixing Jiang^1,*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 865-895, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.025447

Abstract Objective: The characteristics of clinical features and prognoses among patients with different racial backgrounds have not been clearly studied. We thus investigated the clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) differences among Asian, White, and Black patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). Materials and Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried to identify patients with pNETs between 1983 and 2015. We performed univariable (UVA) and multivariable logistic regression (MVA) to assess the association between variables and race category. A Kaplan-Meier (KM) plot was used to calculate the OS rates. The Cox proportional hazard regression was used to… More >

Grégory Ninot^1,2,*, Estelle Guerdoux^1,2, François Carbonnel¹, Kerstin Faravel², Ludovic Ismael¹, Fanny Leenhardt², Béatrice Lognos¹, Caroline Perrier², Laurent Philibert², Boris Tronc¹, Marie Viala²

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 605-612, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.024558

Abstract A retrospective observational study carried out in the United States showed a decrease in survival in patients treated for breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer with complementary medicines. We verified this result with a French population of consecutive 636 patients diagnosed with the same cancer and treated with oral chemotherapy in an hospital for three years. An interview by a pharmacist before the administration of oral chemotherapy was made to identify the complementary medicines used by the patients. We compared the overall survival using a log-rank test by stratifying the groups (number of cancers, number of comorbidities, age, sex). The… More >