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Abstract Background To identify pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels as a risk factor for para-aortic lymph node (PALN) recurrence following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for cervical cancer. Methods From March 1995 to January 2008, 188 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix were analyzed retrospectively. No patient received PALN irradiation as the initial treatment. CEA and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) were measured before and after radiotherapy. PALN recurrence was detected by computer tomography (CT) scans. We analyzed the actuarial rates of PALN recurrence by using Kaplan-Meier curves. Multivariate analyses were carried out with Cox regression models. We stratified the risk groups based on the hazard ratios (HR). Results Both pretreatment CEA levels ≥ 10 ng/mL and SCC-Ag levels < 10 ng/mL (p < 0.001, HR = 8.838), SCC-Ag levels ≥ 40 ng/mL (p < 0.001, HR = 12.551), and SCC-Ag levels of 10-40 ng/mL (p < 0.001, HR = 4.2464) were significant factors for PALN recurrence. The corresponding 5-year PALN recurrence rates were 51.5%, 84.8%, and 27.5%, respectively. The 5-year PALN recurrence rate for patients with both low (< 10 ng/mL) SCC and CEA was only 9.6%. CEA levels ≥ 10 ng/mL or SCC-Ag levels ≥ 10 ng/mL at PALN recurrence were associated with overall survival after an isolated PALN recurrence. Pretreatment CEA levels ≥ 10 ng/mL were also associated with survival after an isolated PALN recurrence. Conclusions Pretreatment CEA ≥ 10 ng/mL is an additional risk factor of PALN relapse following definitive CCRT for SCC of the uterine cervix in patients with pretreatment SCC-Ag levels < 10 ng/mL. More comprehensive examinations before CCRT and intensive follow-up schedules are suggested for early detection and salvage in patients with SCC-Ag or CEA levels ≥ 10 ng/mL.

Abstract Background Taiwan's national vaccination program has successfully decreased the prevalence of hepatitis B infection after twenty years of implementation and might be indirectly beneficial to the second generation. In this study, we compared the hepatitis B infection status of two groups: pregnant Taiwanese women and other Southeast Asian women, who because they had immigrated later in life to Taiwan by marriage to a Taiwanese man, had not been exposed to that vaccination program to evaluate the effect of hepatitis vaccination program on women of child-bearing age and further explored the potential impact of immigration on the hepatitis B public health policy in Taiwan. Methods Data was collected from 10,327 women born in Taiwan and 1,418 women born in other Southeast Asian countries, both groups receiving prenatal examinations at Fooyin University Hospital between 1996 and 2005. The results of serum hepatitis B s-Antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e-Antigen (HBeAg) tests and other demographic data were obtained by medical chart review. Results The pregnant women from Taiwan had a higher HBsAg positive rate (15.5%) but lower HBeAg(+)/HBsAg(+) ratio (32.1%) than the women from other countries (8.9% and 52.4%). For those born before July, 1984, the period of no national vaccination program, Taiwanese women had a higher HBsAg positive rate than other Southeast Asian women (15.7% vs. 8.4%), but for women born after that day and before June 1986, the period of vaccination for high risk newborns, the HBsAg positive rates found to be slightly lower for Taiwanese women than for other Southeast Asian women (11.4% vs. 12.3%) and the difference was more significant (3.1% vs. 28.6%) after June 1986, the period of vaccination for all newborns. While the HBeAg(+)/HBsAg(+) ratios decreased with age in both groups, they were consistently higher in women from other Southeast Asian countries than in women born in Taiwan after age 20. Conclusion In Taiwan, the neonatal vaccination program that was implemented in 1984 has successfully reduced hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in present day, and is likely to indirectly prevent hepatitis B infection in the next generation. However, the increasing number of pregnant women from other Southeast Asian countries without a national neonatal vaccination program or with a program that was introduced later than the one in Taiwan will likely lessen the positive impact of this program and should be further assessed.

Background: Cisplatin binds to serum albumin in the body at a rate of 90%, and high levels of free cisplatin are a significant cause of its nephrotoxicity. Therefore, hypoalbuminemia theoretically poses a significant risk factor for cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (CIA) and can be easily corrected. However, existing research results are inconsistent. Our aim is to confirm the association between hypoalbuminemia and CIA through a meta-analysis and a dual-center real-world data study. Methods: First, we used a random-effects meta-analysis to summarize the odds ratio (OR) of the risk relationship between hypoalbuminemia and CIA. Then, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients using cisplatin from Xiangya Third Hospital of Central South University (2014–2023) and Hunan Cancer Hospital (2019–2023) to analyze the relationship between hypoalbuminemia and CIA. Results: The meta-analysis, which included six studies involving 4,359 cases, showed that hypoalbuminemia is associated with an increased risk of CIA (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.37–3.32). A total of 5,452 and 25,214 patients from Xiangya Third Hospital and Hunan Cancer Hospital, respectively, were included. Both centers found a significant association between hypoalbuminemia and an increased risk of CIA (OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.94–3.93; OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 2.17–3.81), and the sensitivity analysis results were consistent. Conclusion: Through meta-analysis and dual-center real-world data studies, we confirmed that hypoalbuminemia is an independent risk factor for CIA. Therefore, it is recommended that patients using cisplatin undergo serum albumin level testing and regular monitoring during treatment. Actively adjusting albumin levels may reduce the risk of CIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores cobalt–cerium (Co90Ce10) thin films deposited on silicon (Si) (100) and glass substrates via direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering, with thicknesses from 10 nanometer (nm) to 50 nm. Post-deposition annealing treatments, conducted from 100 °C to 300 °C, resulted in significant changes in surface roughness, surface energy, and magnetic domain size, demonstrating the potential to tune magnetic properties via thermal processing. The films exhibited hydrophilic behavior, with thinner films showing a stronger substrate effect, crucial for surface engineering in device fabrication. Increased film thickness reduced transmittance due to photon signal inhibition and light scattering, important for optimizing optical devices. Furthermore, the reduction in sheet resistance and resistivity with increasing thickness and heat treatment highlights the significance of these parameters in optimizing the electrical properties for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]