bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Loneliness, Social Support Networks, Mood, and Well-Being among the Community-Dwelling Elderly, Mysore
Authors: Narendran Meghana , Manjunath Renuka , Murthy M. R. Narayana 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Humans are social beings. Older adults more commonly endorse social engagement than physical health when describing successful aging. Deficits in social support have been associated with a wide variety of adverse health outcomes in older age, ranging from physical health to depression and self-harm. In this study, we attempt to identify the relative contributions of subjective social isolation (loneliness) and objective social isolation, measured as support network type, to depression and well-being among the community-dwelling elderly. Therefore, the objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of loneliness and depression and to know the relationship between social network type, loneliness, and depression among the community-dwelling elderly.

Subjects and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was done for a period of 6 months. Individuals aged 60 years and above were included and severely ill and bed-ridden patients were excluded from the study. Sampling method used was population proportion to size with sample size of 290. The participants were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire, where demographic and personal data and social network pattern were collected. Depression was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software, 22.0 version. Descriptive statistics like percentage, mean, and standard deviation were applied. Inferential statistical tests such as the Chi-square test were applied to find out the association and expressed it as statistically significant at a P value < 0.05.

Results:
Among the study participants, 44.3% were lonely, 19.4% felt hopeless, and only 38% felt satisfaction in life and happiness. "Suggestive Depression" was seen among 48.6% and "Persistent Depressive Mood" was seen in about 20.2% of participants. Loneliness explained the excess risk of depression in the widowed. Similarly, 38.2% had a nonintegrated social network and 32% had integrated social network who also reported being lonely.

Conclusion:
Loneliness and social networks both independently affect mood and well-being in the elderly, underlying a very significant proportion of depressed mood.
Stem gene expression in breast tumors during chemotherapy
Authors: Ibragimova Marina K. , Tsyganov Matvey M. , Deryusheva Irina V. , Slonimskaya Elena M. , Litviakov Nikolai V. 
Published: January 2023

Introduction:
In this research, we studied how the expression of 14 stem genes (TERT; OCT3; SMO; MYC; SNAI2; MOB3B; KLF4; BMI1; VIM; FLT3; LAT; SMAD2; LMNB2; KLF1), as well as the TGF-β1 cytokine gene and its TGFBR1 receptor in breast tumors before and after NAC is associated with clinical and morphological parameters and the disease outcome.

Materials and Methods:
The study included 82 patients with the morphologically verified diagnosis of T1-4N0-3M0 breast cancer (stages IIA — IIIB). The material was paired biopsy samples of tumor and surgical material for each patient. The stem genes expression was analyzed via qPCR.

Results:
As a result, we found that increased level of stem genes expression in breast tumors is associated with lymphogenic metastasis, young age, small tumor size, expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors, and the luminal B molecular subtype. NAC stimulates the expression of 7 out of 16 stem genes. Patients who further developed hematogenic metastases have twice as many hyperexpressed stem genes in their tumors before the treatment and after NAC than patients with no hematogenic metastases. The expression level of three genes - OCT3, LAT, and LMNB2 - in a residual tumor allows us to predict metastasis-free survival of patients with breast cancer of various molecular subtypes with a 79% accuracy.

Conclusion:
Thus, stem genes hyperexpression is associated with tumor progression.
Tumor control after palliative hypofractionated, “Quad-shot,” external beam radiotherapy followed by brachytherapy
Authors: kiattikul Chairat Lowanich , Narayan Kailash , Bernshaw David , Dyk Sylvia Van , Tzovaras Angelo , Lin Ming Yin 
Published: January 2023

Context:
Cervix cancer is still a leading cause of death in developing countries. Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) over 5 weeks followed by brachytherapy is standard of care in locoregionally advanced cervix cancer. Such prolonged treatment may not be tolerated in medically compromised patients. High-dose interrupted hypofractionated Quad-Shot (QS) radiotherapy with brachytherapy treatment was well tolerated.

Aims:
This study aims to assess the locoregional tumor control in cervix cancer patients who were treated with QS regimen.

Settings and Design:
Retrospective.

Subjects and Methods:
Newly diagnosed histologically confirmed cervix cancer patients who were unfit for conventional CCRT and who were treated with QS protocol between 1999 and 2016 were analyzed. Tumor stage, treatment, and follow-up details were retrieved from an ethics-approved prospective departmental database.

Statistical Analysis Used:
Descriptive statistics and Kaplan–Meier method were used for estimating survival.

Results:
Thirty-six patients were available for analysis. The median age was 70.5 (32–92) years. Twenty-two of 36 (61.1%) patients had nodal disease while 33% of all patients had distant metastasis. Of 27 patients who died during follow-up, the local and pelvic control was 75% and 60%, respectively. The median overall survival and progression-free survival were 18.6 months. Grade 3–4 toxicity was observed (16%) in the bowel only.

Conclusions:
Hypofractionated QS radiotherapy with brachytherapy resulted in an overall 82.1% at least stable disease at the primary site. This treatment regimen was well tolerated and may be considered appropriate for patients who may not be suitable for conventional fully fractionated CCRT.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice of radiation oncologists during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ardha Aarathi , Prathyusha Nanuvala , Atreya Bijjal , Asha D. , Kumari Sanjeeva 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Cancer care hospitals are taking measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Doctors and health-care workers might be suffering from burnout. Measures taken to reduce overcrowding in hospitals might be making access to essential cancer care difficult. The study aims to understand changes in practice, levels of burnout, and other psychological aspects in radiation oncologists working in a regional cancer center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:
Data were collected through online Google Forms. The participants who were included in the study were doctors working in the department of radiation oncology. A 25min survey consisting of multiplechoice questions related to the changes at work during COVID19, and standardized questionnaires assessing fear of Covid 19 and burnout. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) was used in this study to assess burnout. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to assess fear induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results and Conclusion:
Out of 71 professionals who participated in this study, most of them belonged to the category of residents (84.5%) and the rest were consultants (15.5%). Rescheduling of the patients' radiation treatment to convenient time slots to avoid overcrowding, preferring hypofractionated radiotherapy, and the use of telephonic consultations to prioritize outpatient appointments were the most commonly used measures. The results have shown that 62% of the doctors have experienced symptoms of exhaustion and disengagement, indicating a presence of burnout. However, aspects related to fear of COVID have been revealed to be less prevalent among the participants.
Can a signature molecular-profile define disparate survival in BRAF-positive Gliosarcoma and identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention?
Authors: Gandhi Puneet , Khare Richa , Garg Nitin , Mishra Jharna 
Published: January 2023

Purpose:
Gliosarcoma (GS) has a low incidence but is aggressively invasive, with poor-survival. Even though GS is recognized as a different subgroup from glioblastoma (GB), there is no molecular panel available to define its clinical outcome. The objective was to identify the molecular imprint of GS in terms of expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), high mobility group A1 (HMGA-1), kinesin superfamily protein-14 (KIF-14), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) markers with reference to disparate prognosis and identify plausible targets for intervention.

Materials and Methods:
We retrieved 9-GS samples from a cohort of 57-GB patients during a 36 months study period and compared them with 10 molecularly typed GB-samples and 15 controls. Conventional-immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used for histopathology of GS and immunofluorescence-IHC was performed for quantification of identified marker-panel. Statistical tools for non-parametric data were used for inferring results.

Results:
GS was confirmed by reticulin-staining and positivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein, Vimentin, smooth muscle actin. Immune-reactivity for BRAF-V600Ewas present in both glial and sarcomatous cells and negative expression of isocitrate dehydrogenase, ATRX, TP53. Comparison between GS, GB, and control tissues showed that the expression of markers reached significance (P < 0.0001), without the influence of confounders. Significant correlation of EGFR was found with hTERT (r = 0.77), HMGA-1 (r = 0.72), KIF-14 (r = 0.82) suggesting that their combined analysis can define prognosis. To establish the diagnostic accuracy (threshold ≥80% specificity), AUC for EGFR was 0.78 (>3.95), KIF-14 0.97 (>7.45), hTERT 0.63 (>23.86), and HMGA-1 0.53 (>15.45).

Conclusion:
This is the first evidence-based investigation presenting differential expression of proliferation and stemness markers hTERT, HMGA-1, KIF-14 in-correlation with EGFR, indicating a plausible-association between survival and disease-progression in individual GS-cases. It can serve as a model for further studies in this glioma-subgroup and the designing of a target panel for personalized treatment.
Predictive significance of inflammatory indexes in metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer patients treated with platinum-doublet chemotherapy
Authors: Yilmaz Mesut , Baran Ahmet , Yilmaz Merve Korkmaz 
Published: January 2023

Introduction:
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, worldwide. Despite immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a significant proportion of patients are still treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. It is widely noticed that systemic inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of many solid tumors. In this study, we aimed to analyze the predictive role of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy.

Methods:
We retrospectively collected data of patients treated with first-line therapy for metastatic NSCLC. All patients were treated with first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy. The patients were grouped based on the median values of SII, PNI, and NLR. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for comparisons between groups.

Results:
The chemotherapy response rate (RR) was 75% in all patients. RR is statistically significantly lower in high SII, low PNI, and high NLR groups.

Conclusions:
High inflammatory indexes in metastatic NSCLC patients who were treated with platinum-doublet chemotherapy are related to low chemotherapy RR.
Serum zinc status and the development of mucositis and dermatitis in head-and-neck cancer patients undergoing curative radiotherapy
Authors: Rao Suresh , Kalekhan Faizan , Hegde Sanath Kumar , Rao Pratima , Suresh Sucharita , Baliga Manjeshwar Shrinath 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Radiation-induced mucositis and dermatitis are severe side effects and compromise the health of the head-and-neck cancer patient undergoing treatment. Zinc supplementation during the course of the treatment is shown to have protective effects against both radiation-induced mucositis and dermatitis. The aim of this study was to understand whether the level of serum zinc has an effect on the development of mucositis and dermatitis.

Materials and Methods:
This was noninterventional study where the levels of serum zinc were ascertained before the start of treatment by spectrophotometric methods. The patients were treated every day with no more than one fraction of 2 Gy per day, five times a week without any intended gaps for a planned target dose of 60–70 Gy (6–7 consecutive weeks). The patients were assessed for radiation-induced dermatitis and mucositis in accordance with the standard guidelines. The association between the levels of serum zinc with the development of different grades of mucositis and dermatitis (on the day of development) was ascertained using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). A statistical value of P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results:
A total of 52 consecutive patients satisfying the inclusion criteria were enrolled. The results indicate that serum zinc levels showed a significant correlation (r = 0.29; P < 0.038) for Grade 1, while it was insignificant for Grades 2 and 3. For dermatitis, a significant correlation for all the grades (Grade 1 [r = 0.28; P < 0.043]; Grade 2 [r = 0.39; P < 0.006]; and Grade 3 [r = 0.49; P < 0.047]) was observed.

Conclusions:
For the first time, the results of this pilot study indicate that the serum level of zinc had an inverse association with the early development of mucositis and dermatitis, with better effects seen in dermatitis where it was also effective in Grades 2 and 3.
Spectrum of pediatric kidney tumours with special references to WT1 immunostain at a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Das Chhanda , Mukhopadhyay Madhumita , Maity Namrata , Parvin Tamanna , Mukhopadhyay Biswanath , Mukhopadhyay Brati 
Published: January 2023

Context or Background:
Pediatric renal tumours are the second most common solid tumours in children. The most common in this group is Wilms tumour with mesoblastic nephroma being the 2nd most common tumour in children, younger than 3 months.

Aims and Objectives:
The present study was conducted to study the epidemiological occurrence of pediatric renal tumours at a tertiary care hospital and to study the diagnostic efficacy of WT1 immunostaining in distinguishing Wilms tumour from other types of renal tumours.

Materials and Methods:
It was a single institution-based prospective and observational study conducted for 2 years (from October 2013 to September 2015) in the department of pathology in our hospital. A total of 50 cases were enrolled in this study all were below 15 years of age.

Results:
Nephroblastoma or Wilms tumour was found to be the most common type, occurring in 66% cases. Fourteen out of 33 cases of Wilms tumour showed triphasic components (blastemal, epithelial, and stromal) with Blastemal type Wilms being the second most common (11 cases). WT1 immunostaining was positive in 93.9% cases of nephroblastoma. The highest amount of nuclear positivity noted in blastemal cells followed by epithelial cells. Rhabdomyoblastic differentiation and regressive variant showed nonspecific cytoplasmic staining. Cystic partially differentiated nephroblastoma and diffuse anaplasia type Wilms tumour showed nuclear staining in blastemal cells.

Conclusion:
The expression of WT1 immunostain was found to be diagnostically significant in differentiating Wilms tumour from other renal tumours.
Preparation and preclinical characterization of 111 In-DTPA-Anti-MUC1 as a radioimmunoconjugate for diagnosis of breast cancer by single-photon emission computed tomography
Authors: Alirezapour Behrouz , Ashkezari Mahmood Dehghani , Fini Mehdi Memari , Rasaee Mohammad Javad , Mohammadnejad Javad , Paknejad Malihe , Maadi Ehsan , Yousefnia Hassan , Zolghadri Samaneh 
Published: January 2023

Context:
Targeting MUC1 antigens which are overexpressed in 80% of breast cancers can be widely used in the field of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) of breast cancer.

Aims:
The aim of this study was to develop a new diagnostic labeled compound for breast cancer RIS.

Settings and Design:
In this study, an efficient indirect labeling method of PR81 with Indium-111 was developed and preliminary preclinical qualifications were reported.

Subjects and Methods:

111In-DTPA-PR81 was prepared and its radiochemical purity and stabilities in human serum and in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) buffer were surveyed. Furthermore, cellular studies including complex reactivity, binding specificity, cell toxicity, etc., were examined. Finally, biodistribution and scintigraphy of the complex were studied in normal and tumoral animals.

Statistical Analysis Used:
Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 10.0.

Results:

111In-DTPA-PR81 was prepared with a radiochemical purity of >99% at optimized conditions. Stability studies showed the radiochemical purity of >90% in PBS buffer after 96 h, while the stability in human serum showed decrement to 81% after 96 h. Reactivity of the complex with MUC1 was significantly (P < 0.005) higher than bovine serum albumin (BSA) (about 7–8 times), even though BSA concentration was about twice the MUC1. The binding specificity of the complex to the MUC1 antigen was confirmed by means of immunoreactivity assay. Cell toxicity examination showed no significant lethal effect of the radiolabeled compound on the cells. Biodistribution studies of the complex in normal rats were consistent with the biodistribution of antibodies and high accumulation was observed in the tissues expressing MUC1 antigen. The results of 111In-DTPA-PR81 scintigraphy in tumoral female BALB/c mice at 24 and 48 h after injection showed an increasement of the accumulation in the tumor site.

Conclusions:

111In-DTPA-PR81 can be considered as a potential agent for imaging of the MUC1 +breast tumors.
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma – Evaluation and clinical impact
Authors: Dasgupta Senjuti , Chakrabarti Sudipta , Deb Asit Ranjan 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Emerging evidence reveals that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) provide valuable prognostic information in various malignancies, including HNSCC.

Aims and Objectives:
The present study aimed to evaluate a simple yet accurate method of counting TILs in HNSCCs. It was also done to determine if there is any correlation between different clinicopathological parameters of HNSCC and TIL counts.

Materials and Methods:
A retrospective institutional-based, observational study was undertaken for 1 year. Patients with histologically proven HNSCCs were included. All clinicopathological parameters were noted, and evaluation of TIL was meticulously done both in the stromal and intratumoral regions for each case. Standard statistical methods were employed for data analysis.

Results:
The present study included 81 patients, among which 51 (63%) were male and the rest (30, 37%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 55.3 ± 10.5 years. Most tumors were located in the oral cavity (73, 90.1%). The most common histologic type was moderately differentiated (MD) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (50 cases, 61.7%). Stromal TIL score was high in 45 cases (55.6%). In 69 cases (85.2%), the intratumoral TIL level was low. A statistically significant correlation was found between TIL levels (both stromal and intratumoral TIL) and tumor differentiation, pT stage, and lymphovascular invasion. The correlation between intratumoral TIL level, age of patients, and pN stage was also statistically significant.

Conclusion:
TIL evaluation is an inexpensive, simple, and reproducible method, which furnishes relevant prognostic data. It has the potential for consideration of its inclusion in routine histopathological reports of HNSCCs.
Monte Carlo simulation for assessing absorbed dose effects of low-dose β-radiation (90 Sr/90 Y) on cytotoxicity and apoptotic death in K562 cells
Authors: Alizadeh Zeynab , Khodabakhsh Rasoul , Mohammadzadeh Mehdi , Pazhang Yaghub , Mohammadi Seyed Mostafa 
Published: January 2023

Objective:
Most studies suggest that dose-specific radiation regimens are essential for optimal induction of cancer cell response. This study focused on determining β-radiation-absorbed dose (rad) effects on the cell viability, cytotoxicity, hypersensitivity, and cell death of K562 cells using experimental methods and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS).

Materials and Methods:
The K562 cells were cultured and irradiated with β-particles emitted from a strontium source in vitro, with the estimated daily activity of 1.238 μCi. The treated cells were radiated at least three times every day for 3 consecutive days. The cell viability and apoptosis were investigated in treated cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, DNA electrophoresis, Hoechst dye, and inverted microscope. The average absorbed doses were obtained by MCS (MCNPX code). To verify simulation and experimental results, we used a Geiger–Muller counter and estimated a scaling factor.

Results:
The cytotoxic effects and cell death were induced in the treated groups via rad in a time-dependent manner. The highest apoptotic and cytotoxic effects were observed in cells after irradiation with β-particles for 120 min per day in 3 consecutive days. rads were determined using MCNPX code and cell survival rates were significantly reduced during irradiation periods. No significant hyper-radiosensitivity was found based on experimental and theoretical results.

Conclusion:
Despite the difficult calculation of the rad in the target cells and the scant information in this field, fortunately we have achieved significant theoretical data consistent with the experimental results. Our findings also introduced MCS as a better choice for evaluating of rad effects under different cellular conditions with high accuracy.
Comparison of albumin adjusted ischemia-modified albumin and total antioxidant status in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer
Authors: Madhumita R. , Nanda Nivedita , Sethi Pooja , Rani Jasmine M. , Natarajan Chandramouli 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Among all types of cancers in India, head and neck cancer (HNC) accounts for 30%. Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the aetiologies for cancer. However, it is not evaluated for these patients scheduled for anticancer therapy. Therefore, in the present study, we have compared two biochemical markers in HNC patients before therapy to assess their suitability as a marker for ongoing OS in the locally advanced stage of HNC.

Materials and Methods:
We measured the body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure (BP), albumin, total antioxidant status (TAS), ischemia modified albumin (IMA), and albumin adjusted IMA (AdjIMA) in forty locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma HNC patients and compared with forty healthy individuals of similar age and gender. AdjIMA and TAS were compared by the receiver operating curve.

Results:
BMI and WHR were significantly lower in HNC patients with no difference in BP parameters. Both IMA and AdjIMA were higher and TAS was lower in HNC patients. TAS was positively associated with BMI and negatively with AdjIMA. Between AdjIMA and TAS, AdjIMA at an optimal cutoff value of 0.23 absorbance unit had higher sensitivity (71%), specificity (65%), and area under the curve (0.710 vs. 0.365).

Conclusion:
Antioxidant levels are grossly altered in HNC patients. AdjIMA can be considered a better marker for assessing OS in HNC patients than TAS.