Aim: We aimed to investigate the predictive value of the Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2) expression from circulating blood for recurrence, metastasis and overall death on patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials & Methods: We collected blood samples from 122 patients who were admitted to our hospital for NSCLC. Results: Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analysis in adjusted Model II showed that compared with GRHL2-negative expression, positive expression in patients with NSCLC was associated with increased death risk (HR = 7.0, 95% CI: 2.1-20.9, p = 0.03) and risk for composite end point (HR = 8.2, 95% CI: 4.0-27.1, p <0.01). Conclusion: This study supported that elevated circulating GRHL2 expression might be considered as a candidate prognostic biomarker for poor prognosis among these NSCLC patients.
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BACKGROUND: Astrocytoma is a type of adult-type diffuse gliomas that includes diffuse astrocytoma (DA) and anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). However, comprehensive investigations into the risk assessment and prognosis of DA and AA using population-based studies remain noticeably scarce.
METHODS: In this study, we developed 2 predictive nomograms to evaluate the susceptibility and prognosis associated with DA and AA. The study cohort comprised 3837 individuals diagnosed with DA or AA between 2010 and 2019 selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Independent predictors were identified and used to construct the nomograms for overall death and cancer-specific death rates. The performance of the models was assessed using C-index, calibration curves, and receiver operating characteristic curve, and the clinical applicability was evaluated using decision curve analysis.
RESULTS: The receiver operating characteristic curves in this study show excellent clinical applicability and predictive power. Notably, the area under the curves of the training and verification queues was higher than 0.80, thereby cementing the models\' precision. Additionally, the calibration plots demonstrate that the anticipated mortality rates strikingly match the measured values. This alignment of figures is sustained in the validation cohort. Furthermore, the decision curve analysis corroborates the models\' translational potential, reinforcing their relevance within real-world clinical settings.
CONCLUSIONS: The presented nomograms have not only exhibited good predictive performance but also showcased pragmatic clinical utility in prognosticating patient outcomes. Significantly, this will undoubtedly serve as a valuable asset for oncologists, facilitating informed treatment decisions and meticulous follow-up planning.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with liver or lung metastasis (CRA-LLM).
METHODS: We enrolled 161 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed CRA-LLM at Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital between January 2007 and December 2017. In total, 75 patients with CRA-LLM received MDT intervention, and 86 patients did not receive MDT intervention. To evaluate prognostic factors for overall death, we performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the overall death rate in all patients. Overall survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test (P < .001).
RESULTS: A multivariate Cox regression analysis of the overall death rate in patients with CRA-LLM showed that age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention are strong prognostic factors. The adjusted hazard ratio of death risk for age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention were 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.92; P = .019), 0.19 (95% CI, 0.12-0.32; P = .001), 0.25 (95% CI, 0.13-0.50; P = .001), and 0.40 (95% CI, 0.25-0.65; P = .001), respectively. The 3-year overall survival rates in patients with CRA-LLM receiving MDT intervention and not receiving MDT intervention were 48.75% and 24.21%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: MDT intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with CRA-LLM.

The prognostic significance of miR-125b in intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia has not been well investigated. The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between the elevated exosomal miR-125b level and the poor prognosis in adult patients with this disease.
A total of 154 consecutive patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia were enrolled. Exosomes were isolated from blood specimens. The exosomal miR-125b level was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Patients received standardized therapy and were followed up for 1-24 months. Details about relapse and overall death were recorded.
Patients were divided into the high miR-125b level group (n = 77) and the low miR-125b level group (n = 77). In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model, the high miR-125b level group was separately associated with increased risks of relapse and overall death in 2 years (hazard ratio [HR] 2.84, 95% CI 1.81-4.33 and HR 2.69, 95% CI 1.87-4.52). Kaplan-Meier analysis also revealed that a high miR-125b level was related to a higher cumulative relapse and overall death rates (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively).
Circulating exosomal miR-125b concentration might be an independent prognostic indicator in intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia patients. An elevated miR-125b level indicated higher risks of relapse and overall death.

OBJECTIVE: Use of β-blockers (BBs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular diseases is supported by increasing evidence. However, most of these studies focused on the survival outcome and used a non-active comparison, prevalent-user design. We aimed to examine the risk of overall death and cardiovascular outcomes associated with use of cardioselective BBs using an active comparison, incident cohort approach.
METHODS: We identified COPD patients initiating cardioselective BBs or non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (CCBs) between 2007 and 2011 in the population-based Taiwan database. A Cox regression model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for overall death, cardiovascular death, and cardiovascular events comparing cardioselective BBs and non-dihydropyridine CCBs after propensity score matching. We also conducted sensitivity analyses to quantify the unmeasured confounding effect from COPD severity.
RESULTS: A total of 107,902 patients were included. Cardioselective BBs were associated with a modest, lower risk of overall death (HR, 0.85; 95 % CI, 0.81-0.88). The reduced risk of overall death, however, was vulnerable to distribution of COPD severity and was easily weakened with lower prevalence of severe COPD patients in the initiators of cardioselective BBs and higher prevalence of severe COPD patients in the initiators of non-dihydropyridine CCBs. No excess benefit for cardiovascular death (HR, 1.05; 95 % CI, 0.97-1.13) or cardiovascular events (HR, 0.98; 95 % CI, 0.94-1.03) was detected.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated a potential effect of confounding by COPD severity and therefore did not suggest an association between use of cardioselective BB and survival benefit in COPD patients.