Pretreatment albumin/fibrinogen ratio as a promising predictor for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy | BMC Cancer | Full Text

Pretreatment albumin/fibrinogen ratio as a promising predictor for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy | BMC Cancer | Full Text



BMC Cancer

Pretreatment albumin/fibrinogen ratio as a promising predictor for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy

• Jun Ying,
• Danfei Zhou,
• Tongjie Gu,
• Jianda Huang and
• Haijian LiuEmail author

BMC Cancer201919:288

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-019-5490-y

©  The Author(s). 2019

• Received: 3 November 2018
• Accepted: 19 March 2019
• Published: 29 March 2019

Open Peer Review reports

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to identify potential predictive factors for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Methods

A total of 270 advanced NSCLC patients who underwent first-line platinum-based chemotherapy from June, 2011 to June, 2015 were enrolled. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) for overall survival (OS). The predictive factors for survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses via the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The OS and progression free survival (PFS) results were determined via the Kaplan–Meier method using the log-rank analysis.

Results

Based on the results of the ROC curve analysis, 8.02 was accepted as the cut-off AFR value for OS. The metastasis stage (M0 vs M1a/b, HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.15–2.59, P = 0.020) and AFR (≤8.02 vs > 8.02, HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.09–2.78, P = 0.025) were two independent risk factors for PFS by multivariate Cox regression analysis. The AFR (≤8.02 vs > 8.02, HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.11–2.59, P = 0.029) was a significant predictive factor for OS in advanced NSCLC patients. The PFS (P = 0.008) and OS (P = 0.003) in the high AFR group were significantly improved compared with those in the low AFR group via the Kaplan–Meier method using the log-rank analysis.

Conclusions

The AFR could be a potential effective predictive factor for the survival in advanced NSCLC patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Keywords

• Non small-cell lung cancers
• Chemotherapy
• Prognosis
• Albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio

Sex and genetic differences in postoperative cognitive dysfunction: a longitudinal cohort analysis | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

Sex and genetic differences in postoperative cognitive dysfunction: a longitudinal cohort analysis | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

Sex and genetic differences in postoperative cognitive dysfunction: a longitudinal cohort analysis

• Katie J. SchenningEmail authorView ORCID ID profile,
• Charles F. Murchison,
• Nora C. Mattek,
• Jeffrey A. Kaye and
• Joseph F. Quinn

Biology of Sex Differences201910:14

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-019-0228-8

©  The Author(s). 2019

• Received: 20 July 2018
• Accepted: 14 March 2019
• Published: 29 March 2019

Abstract

Background

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative complication experienced by patients aged 65 years and older, and these older adults comprise more than one third of the surgical patients in the USA. Because not everyone with a history of exposure to surgery and anesthesia develops POCD, there are likely major biological risk factors involved. There are important gaps in our knowledge regarding whether genetic makeup, biological sex, or other Alzheimer’s disease risk factors predispose older adults to developing POCD. We set out to determine whether biological sex and Apolipoprotein E-ε4 (APOE4) carrier status increase the risk of developing POCD in older adults.

Methods

We performed a cohort analysis of 1033 participants of prospective longitudinal aging studies. Participants underwent regular cognitive test batteries and we compared the annual rate of change over time in various cognitive measures in the women exposed to surgery and general anesthesia compared to the men exposed to surgery and general anesthesia. Mixed-effects statistical models were used to assess the relationship between biological sex, APOE4 carrier status, surgery and anesthesia exposure, and the rate of change in cognitive test scores.

Results

When comparing all men (n = 89) and women (n = 164) who had surgery, there were no significant sex differences in postoperative cognitive outcomes. However, men with an APOE4 allele performed significantly worse on cognitive testing following surgery and anesthesia than women APOE4 carriers, even after adjusting for age, education level, and comorbidities.

Conclusions

Older men with APOE4 allele may be more vulnerable to postoperative cognitive dysfunction than older women with APOE4 allele.

Keywords

• Epidemiology
• Anesthesia
• Surgery
• Cognitive decline
• Postoperative
• Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4)
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Cohort study
• Sex influence

X-chromosome association study reveals genetic susceptibility loci of nasopharyngeal carcinoma | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

X-chromosome association study reveals genetic susceptibility loci of nasopharyngeal carcinoma | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

X-chromosome association study reveals genetic susceptibility loci of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

• Xiao-Yu Zuo†,
• Qi-Sheng Feng†,
• Jian Sun,
• Pan-Pan Wei,
• Yoon-Ming Chin,
• Yun-Miao Guo,
• Yun-Fei Xia,
• Bo Li,
• Xiao-Jun Xia,
• Wei-Hua Jia,
• Jian-Jun Liu,
• Alan Soo-Beng Khoo,
• Taisei Mushiroda,
• Ching-Ching Ng†Email author,
• Wen-Hui Su†Email author,
• Yi-Xin Zeng†Email author and
• Jin-Xin Bei†Email author

†Contributed equally

Biology of Sex Differences201910:13

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-019-0227-9

©  The Author(s). 2019

• Received: 9 January 2019
• Accepted: 27 February 2019
• Published: 25 March 2019

Abstract

Background

The male predominance in the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) suggests the contribution of the X chromosome to the susceptibility of NPC. However, no X-linked susceptibility loci have been examined by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for NPC by far.

Methods

To understand the contribution of the X chromosome in NPC susceptibility, we conducted an X chromosome-wide association analysis on 1615 NPC patients and 1025 healthy controls of Guangdong Chinese, followed by two validation analyses in Taiwan Chinese (n = 562) and Malaysian Chinese (n = 716).

Results

Firstly, the proportion of variance of X-linked loci over phenotypic variance was estimated in the discovery samples, which revealed that the phenotypic variance explained by X chromosome polymorphisms was estimated to be 12.63% (non-dosage compensation model) in males, as compared with 0.0001% in females. This suggested that the contribution of X chromosome to the genetic variance of NPC should not be neglected. Secondly, association analysis revealed that rs5927056 in DMD gene achieved X chromosome-wide association significance in the discovery sample (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.73–0.89, P = 1.49 × 10−5). Combined analysis revealed rs5927056 for DMD gene with suggestive significance (P = 9.44 × 10−5). Moreover, the female-specific association of rs5933886 in ARHGAP6 gene (OR = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.47–0.81, P = 4.37 × 10−4) was successfully replicated in Taiwan Chinese (P = 1.64 × 10−2). rs5933886 also showed nominally significant gender × SNP interaction in both Guangdong (P = 6.25 × 10−4) and Taiwan datasets (P = 2.99 × 10−2).

Conclusion

Our finding reveals new susceptibility loci at the X chromosome conferring risk of NPC and supports the value of including the X chromosome in large-scale association studies.

Keywords

• Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
• Genetic susceptibility
• X chromosome
• Association study
• Male predominance

National trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension among Iranian adolescents across urban and rural areas (2007–2011) | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

National trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension among Iranian adolescents across urban and rural areas (2007–2011) | Biology of Sex Differences | Full Text

National trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension among Iranian adolescents across urban and rural areas (2007–2011)

• Parisa Amiri,
• Golnaz Vahedi-Notash,
• Parisa Naseri,
• Davood Khalili,
• Seyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari,
• Yadollah Mehrabi,
• Ali Reza Mahdavi Hazaveh,
• Fereidoun Azizi and
• Farzad HadaeghEmail author

Biology of Sex Differences201910:15

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-019-0230-1

©  The Author(s). 2019

• Received: 16 October 2018
• Accepted: 18 March 2019
• Published: 29 March 2019

Abstract

Background

The current nationwide study, for the first time, aimed to assess and compare the trend of pre-hypertension and hypertension among urban and rural adolescents in Iran.

Methods

This study has been conducted in the framework of the National Surveys of Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases. To estimate pre-hypertension and hypertension prevalence among 9715 adolescents, aged 15–19 years, data collected in four repeated cross-sectional surveys (2007–2011) has been used. The prevalence trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension were examined across urban and rural areas of Iran. To calculate the adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) of pre-hypertension and hypertension over cycles across area of residence and genders, a complex sample survey and multinomial logistic analysis were performed.

Results

Using the definition of pre-hypertension and hypertension presented by the seventh Joint National Committee (JNC-VII) for adolescents, after adjusting for confounders, the prevalence of pre-hypertension changed in both urban (boys:28.96% to 29.24% and girls:18.33% to 20.06%) and rural (boys 31.58% to 32.05% and girls 22.25% to 24.13%) areas over the study duration. Non-significant rising prevalence of hypertension was also observed in boys and girls of both regions (urban 12.76% to 15.04% and 8.02% to 9.06%; rural 9.95% to 11.79% and 10.35% to 11.60%, for boys and girls respectively). The adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) of pre-hypertension (2.16; 95% CI 1.68–2.79 and 1.92, 95% CI 1.57–2.34, in urban and rural, respectively) and hypertension (2.40; 95% CI 1.65–3.51 and 1.82, 95% CI 1.36–2.45, in urban and rural, respectively) were higher in boys than girls. Comparing the adjusted PRs of pre-hypertension and hypertension in urban versus rural areas, in both genders, showed higher PRs of pre-hypertension in rural girls (1.33, 95% CI 1.01–1.75).

Conclusion

The current results showed high constant trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension in Iranian boys and girls, residing in both urban and rural areas.

Keywords

• Hypertension
• Pre-hypertension
• Adolescents
• Urban
• Rural

Motor cortex and pain control: exploring the descending relay analgesic pathways and spinal nociceptive neurons in healthy conscious rats | Behavioral and Brain Functions | Full Text

Motor cortex and pain control: exploring the descending relay analgesic pathways and spinal nociceptive neurons in healthy conscious rats | Behavioral and Brain Functions | Full Text

Behavioral and Brain Functions

Motor cortex and pain control: exploring the descending relay analgesic pathways and spinal nociceptive neurons in healthy conscious rats

• Patrícia Sanae Souza Lopes,
• Ana Carolina Pinheiro Campos,
• Erich Talamoni Fonoff,
• Luiz Roberto Giorgetti Britto and
• Rosana Lima PaganoEmail authorView ORCID ID profile

Behavioral and Brain Functions201915:5

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-019-0156-0

©  The Author(s) 2019

• Received: 19 September 2018
• Accepted: 14 March 2019
• Published: 25 March 2019

Abstract

Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is an effective therapy for refractory neuropathic pain. MCS increases the nociceptive threshold in healthy rats via endogenous opioids, inhibiting thalamic nuclei and activating the periaqueductal gray. It remains unclear how the motor cortex induces top-down modulation of pain in the absence of persistent pain. Here, we investigated the main nuclei involved in the descending analgesic pathways and the spinal nociceptive neurons in rats that underwent one session of MCS and were evaluated with the paw pressure nociceptive test. The pattern of neuronal activation in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), locus coeruleus (LC), and dorsal horn of the spinal cord (DHSC) was assessed by immunoreactivity (IR) for Egr-1 (a marker of activated neuronal nuclei). IR for serotonin (5HT) in the DRN and NRM, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the LC, and substance P (SP) and enkephalin (ENK) in the DHSC was also evaluated. MCS increased the nociceptive threshold of the animals; this increase was accompanied by activation of the NRM, while DRN activation was unchanged. However, cortical stimulation induced an increase in 5HT-IR in both serotonergic nuclei. MCS did not change the activation pattern or TH-IR in the LC, and it inhibited neuronal activation in the DHSC without altering SP or ENK-IR. Taken together, our results suggest that MCS induces the activation of serotonergic nuclei as well as the inhibition of spinal neurons, and such effects may contribute to the elevation of the nociceptive threshold in healthy rats. These results allow a better understanding of the circuitry involved in the antinociceptive top-down effect induced by MCS under basal conditions, reinforcing the role of primary motor cortex in pain control.

Keywords

• Motor cortex
• Neurostimulation
• Antinociception
• Raphe nuclei
• Spinal cord

Consequences of multilingualism for neural architecture | Behavioral and Brain Functions | Full Text

Consequences of multilingualism for neural architecture | Behavioral and Brain Functions | Full Text

Behavioral and Brain Functions

Consequences of multilingualism for neural architecture

• Sayuri Hayakawa and
• Viorica MarianEmail author

Behavioral and Brain Functions201915:6

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-019-0157-z

©  The Author(s) 2019

• Received: 3 January 2019
• Accepted: 16 March 2019
• Published: 25 March 2019

Abstract

Language has the power to shape cognition, behavior, and even the form and function of the brain. Technological and scientific developments have recently yielded an increasingly diverse set of tools with which to study the way language changes neural structures and processes. Here, we review research investigating the consequences of multilingualism as revealed by brain imaging. A key feature of multilingual cognition is that two or more languages can become activated at the same time, requiring mechanisms to control interference. Consequently, extensive experience managing multiple languages can influence cognitive processes as well as their neural correlates. We begin with a brief discussion of how bilinguals activate language, and of the brain regions implicated in resolving language conflict. We then review evidence for the pervasive impact of bilingual experience on the function and structure of neural networks that support linguistic and non-linguistic cognitive control, speech processing and production, and language learning. We conclude that even seemingly distinct effects of language on cognitive operations likely arise from interdependent functions, and that future work directly exploring the interactions between multiple levels of processing could offer a more comprehensive view of how language molds the mind.

Keywords

• Bilingualism
• Multilingualism
• Neuroplasticity
• Experience-dependent plasticity
• Language experience
• Cognitive function
• Executive control
• Language learning
• Speech processing