Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings provide a valuable, noninvasive method for measuring human brain activity. This protocol modi es our general protocol for EEG recording (Farrens et al., 2019) for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was created with the help of numerous experts, and it speci es a clear set of steps for interacting with research participants, using personal protective equipment (PPE), and disinfecting equipment, all with the goal of reducing the COVID-19 risks for both laboratory personnel and participants. It focuses on the use of EEG in relatively simple research studies of adults who can easily understand and follow instructions, yet can be readily adapted for studies using other types of EEG experiments or other participant populations.

Objective The purpose of this article was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the diagnostic test accuracy of chest CT for detecting coronavirus disease 2019 . Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI were searched up to March 12, 2020. We included studies providing information regarding diagnostic test accuracy of chest CT for COVID-19 detection. The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were pooled. Results Sixteen studies (n = 3186 patients) were included. The risks of bias in all studies were moderate in general. Pooled sensitivity was 92% (95% CI = 86-96%), and two studies reported specificity (25% [95% CI = 22-30%] and 33% [95% CI = 23-44%], respectively). There was substantial heterogeneity according to Cochran's Q test (p < 0.01) and Higgins I 2 heterogeneity index (96% for sensitivity). After dividing the studies into two groups based on the study site, we found that the sensitivity of chest CT was great in Wuhan (the most affected city by the epidemic) and the sensitivity values were very close to each other (97%, 96%, and 99%, respectively). In the regions other than Wuhan, the sensitivity varied from 61 to 98%. Conclusion Chest CT offers the great sensitivity for detecting COVID-19, especially in a region with severe epidemic situation. However, the specificity is low. In the context of emergency disease control, chest CT provides a fast, convenient, and effective method to early recognize suspicious cases and might contribute to confine epidemic. Key Points• Chest CT has a high sensitivity for detecting COVID-19, especially in a region with severe epidemic, which is helpful to early recognize suspicious cases and might contribute to confine epidemic.

BackgroundProgrammed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade induces tumor regression in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC); however, little is known about the efficacy of PD-1 blockade as neoadjuvant therapy in resectable ESCC. We aim to assess the safety and feasibility of using the combination of neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade with chemotherapy in patients with ESCC.MethodsPatients with previously untreated, resectable (stage II or III) ESCC were enrolled. Each patient received two 21-day cycles of neoadjuvant treatment with camrelizumab, nab-paclitaxel, and carboplatin before undergoing surgical resection approximately 6–9 weeks after the first cycle.ResultsBetween January 2020 and September 2020, 37 patients were screened, of whom 23 were enrolled. The neoadjuvant therapeutic regimen had an acceptable side effect profile, and no delays in surgery were observed. Severe (grade 3–4) treatment-related adverse events included neutropenia (9 of 23, 39.1%) and leukopenia (2 of 23, 8.7%). The objective response and disease control rates were 90.5% and 100%, respectively. Twenty patients received surgery, and R0 resection was achieved in all cases. Five (25%) patients had a pathological complete response (PCR) and 10 (50%) patients had a major pathological response. The proportion of patients with a high tumor mutation burden and a high expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in primary tumor was significantly higher in the PCR group than in the non-PCR group (p=0.044). The number of infiltrating PD-L1+ CD163+ cells was significantly lower in the PCR group than in the non-PCR group after treatment (p=0.017).ConclusionsNeoadjuvant camrelizumab plus carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel had manageable treatment-related adverse effects and induced an objective response in 90.5% of patients, demonstrating its antitumor efficacy in resectable ESCC.Trial registration numberChiCTR2000028900.

Although there were some studies on clinicopathologic characteristics, operative morbidity, and mortality in elderly patients with gastric cancer, no reports have specifically focused on survival and quality of life after resection. A total of 433 patients aged >/= 65 years (1987-1994) who underwent gastric resection for gastric adenocarcinoma were studied. Two groups were considered: patients aged 65 to 74 years and those > 74 years. Most of the patients (78.1%) had advanced diseases, and nearly half (41. 3%) had associated chronic disease(s). Resections with curative intention were performed in 362 patients (83.6%). The overall operative morbidity rate was 21.7% and mortality rate 5.1%. Although operative procedures were similar in both groups, patients aged >74 years had a higher mortality rate than those aged 65 to 74 years (10. 1% vs. 3.5%; p = 0.034). Age and extent of gastric resection were two independent factors negatively affecting mortality. The cumulative survival rates for patients who underwent curative resection were 86.2%, 72.4%, 67.2%, 62.9%, and 60.0% at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively. Nearly all patients (96%) after surgery had normal work and daily activities. Some patients appeared to lack energy (16%) or experienced a period of anxiety or depression. There was no statistical difference in survival and quality of life assessed by the Spitzer index after curative resection between the two groups. Therefore resection with curative intention can be performed for the elderly with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates, possible long-term survival, and good quality of life, but a limited operation should be considered in the very elderly patients.

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BackgroundHypoxic tumor cells can reduce the efficacy of radiation. Antiangiogenic therapy may transiently “normalize” the tumor vasculature to make it more efficient for oxygen delivery. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the recombinant human endostatin (endostar) can create a “vascular normalization window” to alleviate hypoxia and enhance the inhibitory effects of radiation therapy in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in mice.Methodology/Principal FindingsTransient changes in morphology of tumor vasculature and hypoxic tumor cell fraction in response to endostar were detected in mice bearing CNE-2 and 5–8F human NPC xenografts. Various treatment schedules were tested to assess the influence of endostar on the effect of radiation therapy. Several important factors relevant to the angiogenesis were identified through immunohistochemical staining. During endostar treatment, tumor vascularity decreased, while the basement membrane and pericyte coverage associated with endothelial cells increased, which supported the idea of vessel normalization. Hypoxic tumor cell fraction also decreased after the treatment. The transient modulation of tumor physiology caused by endostar improved the effect of radiation treatment compared with other treatment schedules. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and MMP-14 decreased, while the level of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) increased.ConclusionsEndostar normalized tumor vasculature, which alleviated hypoxia and significantly sensitized the function of radiation in anti-tumor in human NPC. The results provide an important experimental basis for combining endostar with radiation therapy in human NPC.

6-Phosphofructo 2-kinase/fructose 2, 6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) has been reported to be overexpressed in human cancer tissues and to promote the proliferation and migration of cancer cells. However, the role of PFKFB3 in the progression and prognosis of breast cancer is not yet fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the specific role of PFKFB3 in breast cancer progression and its preliminary mechanisms of action. We first used an immunohistochemistry assay to determine that PFKFB3 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and that this high level of expression was involved in the poor overall survival of patients with breast cancer. In addition, the suppression of PFKFB3 by lentiviruses carrying shRNA against PFKFB3 (shPFKFB3) subsequently inhibited breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468) proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell cycle G1 and S phase arrest in vitro. Moreover, PFKFB3 inhibition decreased p-AKT and increased p27 expression levels in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, PFKFB3 suppression inhibited breast cancer cell tumor xenograft growth in nude mice. We also found that PFKFB3 inhibition suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor α (VEGFα) protein expression and inhibited the angiogenic activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). On the whole, our results indicate that PFKFB3 is involved in the proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis of breast cancer.

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