Prognostic value of body composition on survival outcomes in melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy

ObjectiveThe influence of body composition on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with melanoma is still uncertain in clinical practice. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the potential association between body composition and clinical outcomes in patients with melanoma undergoing ICIs treatment.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed across several databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, to gather relevant studies. The primary outcomes of interest were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), assessed by hazard ratios (HR). Secondary outcomes, such as adverse events (AE), were evaluated using odds ratios (OR).ResultsThis meta-analysis comprised ten articles involving a total of 1,283 patients. Systemic analysis of all collected evidence revealed that body composition, including low skeletal muscle index (SMI) (OS: HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.13-2.43, p = 0.010; PFS: HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.06-1.55, p = 0.009), high subcutaneous adipose tissue density (SMD) (OS: HR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.09-3.44, p = 0.025; PFS: HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.06-1.63, p = 0.012), and sarcopenia (OS: HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03-1.51, p = 0.022; PFS: HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03-1.51, p = 0.022), were significantly associated with OS and PFS in melanoma patients treated with ICIs. However, these markers did not show a significant association with treatment-related adverse events. Interestingly, no significant correlation was found between visceral fat index (VFI) (OS: HR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.29-1.76, p = 0.462; PFS: HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.93-1.02, p = 0.274) and OS or PFS in melanoma patients under ICIs treatment.ConclusionBody composition was found to be associated with decreased treatment response and lower long-term efficacy in patients with melanoma undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. However, it is important to note that body composition did not appear to contribute to increased incidence of adverse events in these patients

Role of gonadally synthesized steroid hormones in the colorectal cancer microenvironment

ObjectiveTo understand the relationship between steroid hormones synthesized by the gonads and colorectal cancer as well as its tumor microenvironment, in the expectation of providing new ideas in order to detect and treat colorectal cancer.MethodsThrough reviewing the relevant literature at home and abroad, we summarized that androgens promote the growth of colorectal cancer, and estrogens and progesterone help prevent bowel cancer from developing; these three hormones also have a relevant role in the cellular and other non-cellular components of the tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer.ConclusionThe current literature suggests that androgens, estrogens, and progesterone are valuable in diagnosing and treating colorectal cancer, and that androgens promote the growth of colorectal cancer whereas estrogens and progesterone inhibit colorectal cancer, and that, in addition, the receptors associated with them are implicated in the modulation of a variety of cellular components of the microenvironment of colorectal cancer

Gastric mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms

The uncommon tumour known as gastric mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (G-MiNENs) is made up of parts of neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The biological and clinical features are different from those of gastric adenocarcinoma. Their pathophysiology, diagnostic standards, and clinical behaviour have all been the subject of lengthy debates, and their nomenclature has undergone multiple changes. Its emergence has created new challenges in the classification and diagnosis of gastric tumours. This review will update information on the topic, covering molecular aspects, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognostic factor discovery. It will also provide a historical context that will aid in understanding the evolution of the idea and nomenclature of mixed gastric tumours. Additionally, it will provide the reader a thorough understanding of this difficult topic of cancer that is applicable to real-world situations

Anything in Any Scene: Photorealistic Video Object Insertion

Realistic video simulation has shown significant potential across diverse applications, from virtual reality to film production. This is particularly true for scenarios where capturing videos in real-world settings is either impractical or expensive. Existing approaches in video simulation often fail to accurately model the lighting environment, represent the object geometry, or achieve high levels of photorealism. In this paper, we propose Anything in Any Scene, a novel and generic framework for realistic video simulation that seamlessly inserts any object into an existing dynamic video with a strong emphasis on physical realism. Our proposed general framework encompasses three key processes: 1) integrating a realistic object into a given scene video with proper placement to ensure geometric realism; 2) estimating the sky and environmental lighting distribution and simulating realistic shadows to enhance the light realism; 3) employing a style transfer network that refines the final video output to maximize photorealism. We experimentally demonstrate that Anything in Any Scene framework produces simulated videos of great geometric realism, lighting realism, and photorealism. By significantly mitigating the challenges associated with video data generation, our framework offers an efficient and cost-effective solution for acquiring high-quality videos. Furthermore, its applications extend well beyond video data augmentation, showing promising potential in virtual reality, video editing, and various other video-centric applications. Please check our project website https://anythinginanyscene.github.io for access to our project code and more high-resolution video results

Modeling Transmission of Tuberculosis with MDR and Undetected Cases

This paper presents a novel mathematical model with multidrug-resistant (MDR) and undetected TB cases. The theoretical analysis indicates that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if R0<1; otherwise, the system may exist a locally asymptotically stable endemic equilibrium. The model is also used to simulate and predict TB epidemic in Guangdong. The results imply that our model is in agreement with actual data and the undetected rate plays vital role in the TB trend. Our model also implies that TB cannot be eradicated from population if it continues to implement current TB control strategies

Investigating causal associations among gut microbiota, metabolites, and liver diseases: a Mendelian randomization study

ObjectiveThere is some evidence for an association between gut microbiota and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic liver disease (ALD), and viral hepatitis, but no studies have explored their causal relationship.MethodsInstrumental variables of the gut microbiota (N = 13266) and gut microbiota-derived metabolites (N = 7824) were acquired, and a Mendelian randomization study was performed to explore their influence on NAFLD (1483 European cases and 17,781 European controls), ALD (2513 European cases and 332,951 European controls), and viral hepatitis risk (1971 European cases and 340,528 European controls). The main method for examining causality is inverse variance weighting (IVW).ResultsIVW results confirmed that Anaerotruncus (p = 0.0249), Intestinimonas (p = 0.0237), Lachnoclostridium (p = 0.0245), Lachnospiraceae NC2004 group (p = 0.0083), Olsenella (p = 0.0163), and Peptococcus (p = 0.0472) were protective factors for NAFLD, and Ruminococcus 1 (p = 0.0120) was detrimental for NAFLD. The higher abundance of three genera, Lachnospira (p = 0.0388), Desulfovibrio (p = 0.0252), and Ruminococcus torques group (p = 0.0364), was correlated with a lower risk of ALD, while Ruminococcaceae UCG 002 level was associated with a higher risk of ALD (p = 0.0371). The Alistipes (p = 0.0069) and Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group (p = 0.0195) were related to a higher risk of viral hepatitis. Besides, alanine (p = 0.0076) and phenyllactate (p = 0.0100) were found to be negatively correlated with NAFLD, while stachydrine (Op = 0.0244) was found to be positively associated with NAFLD. The phenylacetate (p = 0.0353) and ursodeoxycholate (p = 0.0144) had a protective effect on ALD, while the threonate (p = 0.0370) exerted a detrimental influence on ALD. The IVW estimates of alanine (p = 0.0408) and cholate (p = 0.0293) showed their suggestive harmful effects against viral hepatitis, while threonate (p = 0.0401) displayed its suggestive protective effect against viral hepatitis.ConclusionIn conclusion, our research supported causal links between the gut microbiome and its metabolites and NAFLD, ALD, and viral hepatitis

Fully Parametric Optimization Designs of Wing Components

An optimization technique called shape-linked optimization, which is different from the traditional optimization method, is introduced in this paper. The research introduces an updated wing optimization design in an effort to adapt to continuous structure changes and shapes while optimizing for a lighter weight of the structure. The changing tendencies of the thickness of wing skins and the cross-section areas of the wing beams are fitted to continuous polynomial functions, whose coefficients are designed as variables, which is a different engineering approach from the size variants of the thickness and the area in the traditional optimization. The structural strength, stiffness, and stability are constraints. Firstly, this research unearths the significance of utilizing a modernized optimization process which alters the production of the traditional 12 or over 12 segment wing design and applies new approaches and methods with less variables that contribute to expedited design cycles, decreased engineering and manufacturing expenditures, and a lighter weight aircraft with lower operating costs than the traditional design for the operators. And then, this paper exemplifies and illustrates the validity of the above claims in a detailed and systematic approach by comparing traditional and modernized optimization applications with a two-beam wing. Finally, this paper also proves that the new optimized structure parameters are easier than the size optimization to process and manufacture

An Empirical Analysis of the Co-Evolution of Schema and Code in Database Applications

Abstract—Modern database applications are among the most widely used and complex software systems. They constantly evolve, responding to changes to data, database schemas, and code. It is challenging to manage these changes and ensure that everything co-evolves consistently. For example, when a database schema is modified, all the code that interacts with the database must be changed accordingly. Although database evolution and software evolution have been extensively studied in isolation, the co-evolution of schema and code has largely been unexplored. This paper presents the first comprehensive empirical analysis of the co-evolution of database schemas and code in ten popular large open-source database applications, totaling over 160K revisions. Our major findings include: 1) Database schemas evolve frequently during the application lifecycle, exhibiting a variety of change types with similar distributions across the studied applications; 2) Overall, schema changes induce significant codelevel modifications, while certain change types have more impact on code than others; and 3) Co-change analyses can be viable to automate or assist with database application evolution. We have also observed that: 1) 80 % of the schema changes happened in 20-30 % of the tables, while nearly 40 % of the tables did not change; and 2) Referential integrity constraints and stored procedures are rarely used in our studied subjects. We believe our study reveals new insights into how database applications evolve and useful guidelines for designing assistive tools to aid their evolution. I