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Background: We have recently reported on the changes in plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiles in lung cancer patients and the efficacy of a PFAA-based, multivariate discrimination index for the early detection of lung cancer. In this study, we aimed to verify the usefulness and robustness of PFAA profiling for detecting lung cancer using new test samples. Methods: Plasma samples were collected from 171 lung cancer patients and 3849 controls without apparent cancer. PFAA levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS). Results: High reproducibility was observed for both the change in the PFAA profiles in the lung cancer patients and the discriminating performance for lung cancer patients compared to previously reported results. Furthermore, multivariate discriminating functions obtained in previous studies clearly distinguished the lung cancer patients from the controls based on the area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUC of ROC = 0.731 ~ 0.806), strongly suggesting the robustness of the methodology for clinical use. Moreover, the results suggested that the combinatorial use of this classifier and tumor markers improves the clinical performance of tumor markers. Conclusions: These findings suggest that PFAA profiling, which involves a relatively simple plasma assay and imposes a low physical burden on subjects, has great potential for improving early detection of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The amino-acid balance in cancer patients often differs from that in healthy individuals, because of metabolic changes. This study investigated the use of plasma amino-acid profiles as a novel marker for screening non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: The amino-acid concentrations in venous blood samples from pre-treatment NSCLC patients (n = 141), and age-matched, gender-matched, and smoking status-matched controls (n = 423), were measured using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The resultant study data set was subjected to multiple logistic regression analysis to identify amino acids related with NSCLC and construct the criteria for discriminating NSCLC patients from controls. A test data set derived from 162 patients and 3,917 controls was used to validate the stability of the constructed criteria. Results: The plasma amino-acid profiles significantly differed between the NSCLC patients and the controls. The obtained model (including alanine, valine, isoleucine, histidine, tryptophan and ornithine concentrations) performed well, with an area under the curve of the receiver-operator characteristic curve (ROC_AUC) of >0.8, and allowed NSCLC patients and controls to be discriminated regardless of disease stage or histological type. Conclusions: This study shows that plasma amino acid profiling will be a potential screening tool for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL-C ratio) is known as a good predictor for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to compare discrimination for cardiovascular risk by different cut-off values of the TG/HDL-C ratio. Methods: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for the relationship between TG/HDL-C ratio and accumulation of cardio-metabolic risk factors including visceral obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Logistic regression analysis was performed for the relationships of TG/HDL-C ratio with cardio-metabolic risk factors using the cut-off values obtained by ROC analysis and conventional cut-off values (men, 3.75; women, 3.00). Results: In ROC analysis, the optimal cut-off values for TG/HDL-C ratio were 2.967 in men and 2.237 in women, which were much smaller than the conventional cut-of values. Odds ratios for multiple cardio-metabolic risk factors of subjects with vs. subjects without a high TG/HDL-C ratio in men and women were 5.75 (4.43–7.46) and 18.76 (10.32–34.13), respectively, by using the new cut-off values and they were 5.03 (3.96–6.39) and 16.11 (9.20–28.20), respectively, by using the conventional cut-off values. The odds ratios for visceral obesity, hypertension and diabetes were comparable when using these two different cut-off values. Conclusion: Cut-off values should be ideally calculated by ROC analysis. However, the discrimination power of cut-off values for the TG/HDL-C ratio calculated by ROC analysis for cardio-metabolic risk was similar to those by using the conventional cut-off values. Further studies using cardiovascular events as outcomes in the analysis may be needed to determine more suitable cut-off values of the TG/HDL-C ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sternal wound infection is a devastating complication of cardiothoracic surgery that carries high postoperative morbidity and mortality rates. We explored whether our current program of extensive bacteriological examination including repeat blood cultures may contribute to the early diagnosis of sternal wound infection.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 112 patients who were subjected to our bacteriological examination protocol including within 90 days after cardiothoracic surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were made in order to identify risk factors for sternal infection.Results: The median patient age was 75 years, and 65 patients were male. In 35 cases (31.2%) the blood cultures showed the presence of bacterial infection with the following frequencies: Staphylococcus aureus, 18 cases; Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 7 cases; other organisms, 10 cases. Eleven patients presented repeat bacteremia on at least 2 different occasions. Twenty patients (17.8%) presented sternal wound infections. There was no difference in operative mortality between the patients with and without sternal wound infection. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that bilateral mammary artery use (OR, 13.68, 95% CI, 1.09-167.36, p = 0.043), positive blood culture for Staphylococcus aureus (OR, 19.51, 95% CI, 4.46-104.33, p < 0.0001), repeat bacteremia (OR, 17.98, 95% CI, 2.51-161.77, p = 0.004) were risk factors that were associated for sternal wound infection.Conclusion: Repeat blood cultures in febrile patients appear to be useful for the early detection of Staphylococcus aureus and repeat bacteremia, and these were associated with sternal wound infection. Bilateral internal mammary artery use was another risk factor of sternal wound infection in febrile patients. These factors may identify patients suitable for expeditious radiological examination and aggressive treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A study was undertaken to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of particle beam radiation therapy (PBRT) using carbon ions and protons for the treatment of patients with oligometastatic lung tumors.Methods: A total of 47 patients with 59 lesions who underwent PBRT for oligometastatic lung tumors between 2003 and 2011 were included in this study. Patient median age was 66 (range, 39-84) years. The primary tumor site was the colorectum in 11 patients (23.4%), lung in 10 patients (21.3%) and a variety of other sites in 26 patients (55.3%). Thirty-one patients (66%) received chemotherapy prior to PBRT. Thirty-three lesions were treated with 320-MeV carbon ions and 26 were treated with 150- or 210-Mev protons in 1-4 portals. A median total dose of 60 (range, 52.8-70.2) GyE was delivered at the isocenter in 8 (range, 4-26) fractions.Results: The median follow-up time was 17 months. The local control, overall survival and progression-free survival rates at 2 years were 79%, 54 and 27% respectively. PBRT-related toxicities were observed; six patients (13%) had grade 2 toxicity (including grade 2 radiation pneumonitis in 2) and six patients (13%) had grade 3 toxicity. Univariate analysis indicated that patients treated with a biologically equivalent dose of 10 (BED10) <110 GyE10, had a significantly higher local recurrence rate. Local control rates were relatively lower in the subsets of patients with the colorectum as the primary tumor site. No local progression was observed in metastases from colorectal cancer irradiated with a BED10 ≥ 110 GyE10. There was no difference in treatment results between proton and carbon ion therapy.Conclusions: PRBT is well tolerated and effective in the treatment of oligometastatic lung tumors. To further improve local control, high-dose PBRT with a BED10 ≥ 110 GyE10 may be promising. Further investigation of PBRT for lung oligometastases is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]