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Background: Postoperative sore throat and sleep disturbance are prevalent among patients undergoing spinal surgery, and these conditions can substantially impact their postoperative satisfaction and quality of life. The present study aimed to examine the impact of ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block (SGB) on the occurrence of postoperative sore throat (POST) and postoperative sleep disturbance (PSD) in patients who undergo lumbar spine surgery under general anesthesia. Methods: Sixty patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (SGB group) or the control group (CG). Both groups received the same induction and maintenance drugs. However, the SGB group received a right SGB under ultrasound guidance 15 min before anesthesia induction, while the CG did not receive any block anesthesia intervention before anesthesia induction. We monitored the incidence and severity of POST at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h after surgery in both groups. Additionally, we evaluated the deep sleep quality score on the first, second, and fifth days after surgery in both groups. Results: The incidence of POST at 1 h and 6 h after surgery was significantly lower in the SGB group (10.0% and 13.3%) than in the CG (43.3% and 36.7%) (P < 0.05). The postoperative sore throat scores of the SGB group (0.10 ± 0.31 and 0.17 ± 0.46) at 1 h and 6 h after surgery were lower than those of the CG (0.57 ± 0.73 and 0.50 ± 0.77) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the deep sleep quality score on the first, second, and fifth days after surgery were significantly higher in the CG (5.40 ± 3.37, 4.70 ± 3.19, 4.53 ± 3.44) than in the SGB group (3.87 ± 2.30, 3.13 ± 1.77, 3.03 ± 1.84) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided SGB can reduce the incidence and severity of POST and improve PSD in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Trial registration: This study was registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, (ChiCTR2200065279) on 01/11/2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lessons Learned: Moxifloxacin plus continuation of the previous treatment of physician's choice shows promising efficacy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.The addition of moxifloxacin shows well‐tolerated toxicities. Background: Recent studies have confirmed bacterial infection as an important contributor in cancer. Elimination of tumor‐associated microbes may lead to a reduction in tumors and improved survival. Moxifloxacin is an orally administrated fourth‐generation quinolone with broad‐spectrum coverage against tumor‐associated bacteria. Methods: In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin in combination with treatment of physician's choice (TPC) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In this single‐arm, phase II study, we recruited 30 patients with MBC who had a trend toward disease progression (stable disease [SD] with increased tumor size) during TPC before enrollment at Sun Yat‐sen University Cancer Center between January 1 and July 30, 2018. Eligible patients were given moxifloxacin once daily at a dose of 400 mg from days 1 to 7 of a 28‐day cycle, in addition to continuing to receive the therapy previously selected by their physicians. Tumor response was determined according to RECIST (version 1.1). Progression‐free survival (PFS) was calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. Results: The concomitant use of moxifloxacin and previous TPC yielded a median PFS of 6.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.0–9.1) and a 1‐year PFS of 25.9% (95% CI: 10.0%–41.9%). Objective responses were achieved in seven (23.3%, 95% CI: 7.3%–39.4%) patients. The clinical benefit rate was 46.7% (95% CI: 27.7%–65.6%). No grade 4 adverse events (AEs) and four grade 3 AEs were observed, none of which were considered to have definite relation to moxifloxacin. Conclusion: The combination of moxifloxacin with previous TPC shows promising efficacy and well‐tolerated toxicities in patients with MBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Immune cells can be powerful regulators of tumor growth and disease progression. Yet, the potential role of professional antigen-presenting cells in soft tissue sarcoma is poorly explored. Both dendritic cells and macrophages may present exogenous antigens through major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules to CD8+ T cells, a process referred to as cross presentation. With the concept of cellular cross presentation in mind, the present study supports the hypothesis that CD11c+ cells in direct cell-cell contact with CD8+ T cells within the primary tumor are associated with an active anti-tumor immune microenvironment and favorable prognosis. Our work hereby defines a novel biomarker for immune surveillance where presence of spatial cross presentation at tissue level resolution is significantly associated with overall survival. Importantly, this biomarker is independent from established prognostic markers like tumor grade. Biomarkers linked to immune surveillance are expected to gain increasing attention with the advent of immunotherapy in clinical practice. Checkpoint inhibitors are slowly being introduced in the care of specific sarcoma subtypes such as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, alveolar soft part sarcoma, and angiosarcoma even though formal indication is lacking. Proper biomarkers to unravel potential immune reactivity in the tumor microenvironment are therefore expected to be highly warranted. In this study, intratumoral spatial cross presentation was investigated as a novel concept where immune cell composition in the tumor microenvironment was suggested to act as a proxy for immune surveillance. Double immunohistochemistry revealed a prognostic role of direct spatial interactions between CD11c+ antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and CD8+ cells in contrast to each marker alone in a soft tissue sarcoma (STS) cohort of 177 patients from the Karolinska University Hospital (MFS p = 0.048, OS p = 0.025). The survival benefit was verified in multivariable analysis (MFS p = 0.012, OS p = 0.004). Transcriptomics performed in the TCGA sarcoma cohort confirmed the prognostic value of combining CD11c with CD8 (259 patients, p = 0.005), irrespective of FOXP3 levels and in a CD274 (PD-LI)-rich tumor microenvironment. Altogether, this study presents a histopathological approach to link immune surveillance and patient survival in STS. Notably, spatial cross presentation as a prognostic marker is distinct from therapy response-predictive biomarkers such as immune checkpoint molecules of the PD-L1/PD1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]