Background Low‐grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG‐ESS) is a rare tumor that lacks a prognostic prediction model. Our study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict overall survival of LG‐ESS patients. Methods A total of 1172 patients confirmed to have LG‐ESS between 1988 and 2015 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. They were further divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort. The Akaike information criterion was used to select variables for the nomogram. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated using concordance index (C‐index), area under time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (time‐dependent AUC), and calibration plots. The net benefits of the nomogram at different threshold probabilities were quantified and compared with those of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) criteria‐based tumor staging using decision curve analysis (DCA). Net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were also used to compare the nomogram's clinical utility with that of the FIGO criteria‐based tumor staging. The risk stratifications of the nomogram and the FIGO criteria‐based tumor staging were compared. Results Seven variables were selected to establish the nomogram for LG‐ESS. The C‐index (0.814 for the training cohort and 0.837 for the validation cohort) and the time‐dependent AUC (> 0.7) indicated satisfactory discriminative ability of the nomogram. The calibration plots showed favorable consistency between the prediction of the nomogram and actual observations in both the training and validation cohorts. The NRI values (training cohort: 0.271 for 5‐year and 0.433 for 10‐year OS prediction; validation cohort: 0.310 for 5‐year and 0.383 for 10‐year OS prediction) and IDI (training cohort: 0.146 for 5‐year and 0.185 for 10‐year OS prediction; validation cohort: 0.177 for 5‐year and 0.191 for 10‐year OS prediction) indicated that the established nomogram performed significantly better than the FIGO criteria‐based tumor staging alone ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, DCA showed that the nomogram was clinically useful and had better discriminative ability to recognize patients at high risk than the FIGO criteria‐based tumor staging. Conclusions A prognostic nomogram was developed and validated to assist clinicians in evaluating prognosis of LG‐ESS patients.

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AIDS (acquired immune deficient syndrome) is a deadly human viral infectious disease caused by HIV (human immune-deficient virus) infection. Almost every AIDS patient losses his/her life before mid 1990s. AIDS was once the 1st disease killer in US (1993). After one decade hard work, antiviral drug cocktails-high active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) have been invented for almost all HIV infection treatments. Due to the invention of HAART, 80-90% HIV/AIDS patients still effectively response to HAART for deadly AIDS episode controls and life saving. Yet, this type of HIV therapeutics is incurable. HIV/AIDS patients need to take HAART medications regularly and even life-long. To counteract this therapeutic drawback, more revolutionary efforts (different angles of therapeutic modes/attempts) are urgently needed. In this article, the major progresses and drawbacks of HIV/AIDS chemotherapy (HAART) to HIV/AIDS patients have been discussed. Future trends (updating pathogenesis study, next generations of drug developments, new drug target discovery, different scientific disciplinary and so on) are highlighted.

The central nervous system (CNS) plays a central role in the control of sensory and motor functions, and the disruption of its barriers can result in severe and debilitating neurological disorders. Neurotrophins are promising therapeutic agents for neural regeneration in the damaged CNS. However, their penetration across the blood–brain barrier remains a formidable challenge, representing a bottleneck for brain and spinal cord therapy. Herein, a nanocapsule‐based delivery system is reported that enables intravenously injected nerve growth factor (NGF) to enter the CNS in healthy mice and nonhuman primates. Under pathological conditions, the delivery of NGF enables neural regeneration, tissue remodeling, and functional recovery in mice with spinal cord injury. This technology can be utilized to deliver other neurotrophins and growth factors to the CNS, opening a new avenue for tissue engineering and the treatment of CNS disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective: To verify that miR-490-5p could influence hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells' proliferation, invasion, cycle, and apoptosis by targeting BUB1. Methods: Quantitative real time-PCR (QRT-PCR) was used to determine the miR-490-5p expression. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and Western blot were employed to detect BUB1 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ/Smad) signaling-related proteins expression in hepatic tissues and cells. The luciferase assay was used to confirm the targeting relationship between miR-490-5p and BUB1. The Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, Transwell invasion, scratch healing assays, and flow cytometry analysis were conducted to evaluate HCC cells proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis alteration after transfection. Results: In HCC tissues and cells, lower expression of miR-490-5p was detected, while BUB1 was overexpressed than controls. The upregulation of miR-490-5p inhibited BUB1 expression and the overexpression of miR-490-5p or the under-expression of BUB1 inhibited HCC cells proliferation, migration, invasion, and increased the apoptosis rate. Conclusion: MiR-490-5p could regulate TGFβ/Smad signaling pathways by inhibiting BUB1, which could then inhibit HCC cells proliferation, invasion, and migration as well as decrease cell viability and increase apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: To the authors' knowledge, little is known regarding the association between recent oncologic treatment and mortality in patients with cancer who are infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of the current study was to determine whether recent oncologic treatment is associated with a higher risk of death among patients with carcinoma who are hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: Data regarding 248 consecutive patients with carcinoma who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were collected retrospectively from 33 hospitals in Hubei Province, China, from January 1, 2020, to March 25, 2020. The follow-up cutoff date was July 22, 2020. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify variables associated with a higher risk of death. RESULTS: Of the 248 patients enrolled, the median age was 63 years and 128 patients (52%) were male. On admission, 147 patients (59%) did not undergo recent oncologic treatment, whereas 32 patients (13%), 25 patients (10%), 12 patients (5%), and 10 patients (4%), respectively, underwent chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy, and radiotherapy. At the time of last follow-up, 51 patients (21%) were critically ill during hospitalization, 40 of whom had died. Compared with patients without receipt of recent oncologic treatment, the mortality rate of patients who recently received oncologic treatment was significantly higher (24.8% vs 10.2%; hazard ratio, 2.010 [95% CI, 1.079-3.747; P = .027]). After controlling for confounders, recent receipt of chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR], 7.495;

Objective: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) involves higher rates of recurrence and distant metastasis. The present study sought to characterize the risk factors for distant metastasis of TNBC. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was exploited to enroll patients diagnosed with TNBC from 2010 to 2015. The eligible patients were dichotomized into locoregional and distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Patients’ demographics and tumor features, and treatment were evaluated to identify the risk factors for distant metastasis of primary TNBC. The categorical variables were examined by chi-square tests. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for distant metastasis. Breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by Kaplan–Meier plots with log-rank tests. Results: We collected 26863 patients with primary TNBC, 1330 (5.0%) of them presented with distant metastasis. In the univariate analysis, all the variables indicated statistical significance. The significant variables were subsequently enlisted into the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Age > 50, higher clinical stage T and N, and tumor size > 5 cm were independent risk factors for distant metastasis of primary TNBC. Moreover, higher clinical stage T and stage N were independent risk factors for bone metastasis of the patients. TNBC patients with either bone or visceral metastasis have poor survival, with brain metastasis worst of all, though the OS difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: TNBC patients with larger age, higher clinical stage, larger tumor size were more predisposed to have distant metastasis. Great attention should be paid to the prognosis of these patients with distant metastasis.