Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1007/s10557-026-07846-x. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41615573 | DOI:10.1007/s10557-026-07846-x
Discov Oncol. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1007/s12672-026-04506-2. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The detection rate of early-stage gastric cancer remains relatively low. Early detection is beneficial for improving prognosis. We aim to explore the risk factors for lymph node metastasis(LNM) in elderly patients with early gastric cancer (EGC), and to construct a nomogram prediction model for validation.
METHODS: 136 patients diagnosed with elderly EGC accompanied by LNM in Cangzhou Central Hospital and Cangzhou People’s Hospital from January 2021 to June 2024 were selected as the training cohort. The new gastric cancer screening score (GCSS), regenerated-protein 4(REG4), tumor abnormal protein(TAP) levels and clinicopathologic characteristics were compared in elderly EGC, gastric precancerous disease and control groups. Lasso-Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors affecting LNM, and the nomogram model was established and verified. The clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curve (CIC) were performed to evaluate the model. In addition, the clinical data of 72 patients with elderly EGC who met the inclusion criteria in two hospitals from July 2024 to June 2025 were selected as the validation cohort to verify the nomogram model.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in general clinical data between the training cohort and the validation cohort (P > 0.05). The incidence of LNM in the training cohort was 22.79% (31/136), while that in the validation cohort was 23.61% (17/72). GCSS, REG4, and TAP levels in EGC group were higher than gastric precancerous disease group and control group. Lasso-Logistic regression showed that REG4, TAP, vascular invasion, undifferentiated type, infiltrate into the submucosa, and diameter ≥ 2 cm were independent risk factors for LNM in elderly EGC. The Nomogram model was constructed based on the independent risk factors screened out, which showed that the predicted values were in good agreement with the measured values, The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) (AUC) of the training cohort and the validation cohort was 0.853 and 0.878, respectively. The goodness-of-fit test was conducted using the Hosmer-Lemeshow method, and the result was P = 0.751. The DCA and CIC of the training and validation cohort both indicate that the model had good clinical application value.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that REG4, TAP, vascular invasion, undifferentiated type, infiltrate into the submucosa and diameter ≥ 2 cm are at a higher risk for LNM in elderly EGC. A nomogram model can be helpful for early prediction of LNM in elderly EGC, It provides certain references for the treatment strategies of elderly EGC.
PMID:41615557 | DOI:10.1007/s12672-026-04506-2
Environ Monit Assess. 2026 Jan 30;198(2):188. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-14996-w.
ABSTRACT
Vegetation phenology needs to be considered in the assessment of agricultural drought severity, especially in drylands such as Botswana. Using Remote Sensing time-series data (2000 – 2020), this study evaluated vegetation productivity using the annual sum of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVIsum) and computed changes as trends (EVIsumtrend) in agricultural lands comprising grasslands and croplands. To assess agricultural drought severity, a weighted linear combination was applied to the EVI-based Vegetation Condition Index (VCIwlc) and compared to the conventional Standardized Precipitation Index. To detect how agricultural drought has impacted vegetation phenology, we identified dynamics in vegetation greenup, maturity, peak, senescence and dormancy and correlated these to the EVIsum and VCIwlc. Differentiating between croplands and grasslands, vegetation productivity in grasslands was consistently lower than in croplands during droughts. The seasonal agriculture-related phenology, such as late vegetation greenup – the start of the season – is correlated with reduced vegetation productivity and severe agricultural droughts as evidenced by lower EVIsum and VCIwlc values, respectively. Notable phenology patterns include delayed greenup in grasslands compared to croplands, while the peak period often overlaps between grasslands and croplands. Overall, phenological shifts detected over agricultural lands in Botswana were about 58 days delayed greenup between the earliest and latest detection, whereas for peak, senescence and dormancy, delays were between 60 and 61 days. Findings provide valuable insights into how vegetation responds over time to changing environmental stressors such as drought. Understanding and monitoring how drought impacts agriculture-related phenology in dryland ecosystems is essential to informing national drought policies.
PMID:41615550 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-026-14996-w
J Gen Intern Med. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1007/s11606-025-10161-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of antibiotics in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) with clear evidence of pneumonia is considered standard practice. However, without radiographic bacterial pneumonia, the net impact of antibiotics is equivocal.
OBJECTIVE: To study physician-level practice variation in antibiotic prescribing and associated outcomes for patients hospitalized with AECOPD without pneumonia.
DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
PARTICIPANTS: Patients admitted to general internal medicine wards across seven hospitals in Ontario, Canada, between April 2010 and December 2020 with AECOPD without pneumonia. Each hospitalization was attributed to the admitting physician.
EXPOSURE: To avoid indication bias (sicker patients are more likely to receive antibiotics), the main exposure was the propensity of a patient’s physician to prescribe antibiotics in AECOPD, measured by the proportion of their AECOPD patients treated with antibiotics.
MAIN MEASURES: We studied four outcomes using multivariable regression to adjust for patient baseline characteristics: in-patient mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, 30-day hospital readmission, and hospital length of stay (LOS).
KEY RESULTS: The cohort included 2043 hospitalizations cared for by 106 physicians. Overall, 52.1% of patients were treated with antibiotics. Physician antibiotic prescribing ranged from 15.2 to 96.2% (median 69.2%, IQR 50.9 to 76.5). Physician propensity to prescribe antibiotics was not significantly associated with patient-level clinical outcomes, including in-patient mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.05, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.00 to 1.10), ICU transfer (aOR 1.04, 95%CI = 1.00 to 1.09), 30-day readmission (aOR 1.01, 95%CI = 0.99 to 1.02), and hospital LOS (adjusted risk ratio 1.00, 95%CI = 0.99 to 1.00) (all not statistically significant).
CONCLUSIONS: More than half of patients hospitalized to a medical ward with AECOPD without pneumonia were treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic prescribing varied widely across physicians, and greater prescribing was not associated with better outcomes.
PMID:41615524 | DOI:10.1007/s11606-025-10161-0
Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2026 Jan 30;45(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s10555-026-10314-5.
ABSTRACT
Efforts to translate advances in immunology into anti-cancer immunotherapies have progressed rapidly in recent years. Six antibodies acting on programmed death ligand 1 or programmed death 1 pathways were approved in 75 cancer indications between 2015 and 2021. Several of these therapies were granted accelerated approval for specific cancer indications based on evidence from single-arm phase II clinical trials. In the absence of randomization, however, patient prognosis for progression-free and overall survival may not have been studied under standard chemotherapies for PD-1 and PD-L1 biomarker subpopulations. In 2021, two immunotherapies were withdrawn from accelerated approval applications for treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma after randomized phase III trials failed to demonstrate evidence for survival advantage over standard of care. This re-analysis uses digitized data to quantify PD-L1 heterogeneity in chemotherapy response, extending prior meta-analyses by incorporating digitized data and design simulation. The findings of the IMvigor210 (NCT02108652) and IMvigor211 (NCT02302807) trials of atezolizumab are reviewed to elucidate the statistical implications of PD-L1 subpopulation heterogeneity. To place the findings into the context of external evidence, digitization software is used to combine results from journal articles of eleven trials that assigned metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients to the same chemotherapy agents administered in the IMvigor211 control arm. This article defines the extent to which PD-L1 IC2/3 subpopulations appeared to outperform historical expectations in the IMvigor211 study based on external evidence from digitized data. Given the extent of PD-L1 heterogeneity suggested by this analysis, trial simulation is applied to define the probability that IMvigor211 would have resulted in a positive trial based on its actual design and alternative designs that enrolled more IC2/3 patients or had longer durations.
PMID:41615520 | DOI:10.1007/s10555-026-10314-5
Int Ophthalmol. 2026 Jan 30;46(1):89. doi: 10.1007/s10792-026-03948-5.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Prospective randomized single-blinded study of 261 cataract patients to investigate the influence of different instruments and techniques in continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) on the stability of the anterior chamber using intraoperative rebound tonometry.
METHODS: The study included 261 eyes allocated to six groups according to three ophthalmic viscoelastic device (OVD) conditions-hyaluronic acid (HA), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), and their combination via the soft-shell technique (SST)-and two instruments (Utrata forceps UF and a 26-G cystotome RN). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured before and after CCC using rebound tonometry with sterilized probes.
RESULTS: IOP reached 78.6 mmHg in the RN group and 76.5 mmHg in the UF group after OVD instillation and after the creation of the CCC. The mean IOP drop during capsulorhexis was significantly greater with UF (67.1 ± 12.3 mmHg; n = 117) compared to RN (56.5 ± 11.6 mmHg; n = 144) (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed a statistically significant difference in the stability of the anterior chamber depending on the instrument used. The use of different OVDs had no statistically significant influence on anterior chamber stability. Maintaining a more stable IOP with a 26-gauge cystotome may be advantageous in complex cases, such as increased posterior vitreous pressure, zonular weakness or heightened intracapsular pressure.
PMID:41615516 | DOI:10.1007/s10792-026-03948-5
World J Urol. 2026 Jan 30;44(1):139. doi: 10.1007/s00345-025-05923-8.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic profile and risk factors for kidney stone formation in patients with sarcoidosis.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: 158 sarcoidosis patients were analyzed, comparing groups with and without kidney stones evaluating clinical and metabolic factors and medication use. Statistical analysis was carried out using R software (p < 0.05).
RESULTS: The sample consisted of 138 patients (87.34%), with a majority of females (67.4%) and a median age of 54. Frequent comorbidities included hypertension (38.4%), diabetes (18.1%), and dyslipidemia (6.5%). Nephrolithiasis was reported by 11.9% of patients. Laboratory tests showed hypercalcemia in 9.4% and hypercalciuria in 17.4%. Kidney stones were found in 15.9% of patients, three of whom were bilateral. The comparative analysis revealed a significant association with a previous history of nephrolithiasis (40% vs. 6.6%). There was no statistical correlation with laboratory tests, except for uric acid, which was lower in the group with stones. Hydroxychloroquine was more frequent in the group with stones but without statistical significance. Logistic regression did not identify any significant associations.
CONCLUSION: Nephrolithiasis occurred in 16% of sarcoidosis patients and was more prevalent in women and adults. Calcium disturbances persist, requiring continuous monitoring. A history of renal lithiasis should be valued in diagnosis and follow-up.
PMID:41615515 | DOI:10.1007/s00345-025-05923-8
Histochem Cell Biol. 2026 Jan 30;164(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s00418-026-02457-x.
ABSTRACT
Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) is a lipid-metabolizing enzyme implicated in ferroptosis regulation and tumor aggressiveness. Although ACSL4 overexpression has been reported in various malignancies, its immunohistochemical profile in primary cutaneous melanoma has not been fully characterized. This study aimed to evaluate ACSL4 expression in melanoma compared with normal skin using quantitative digital image analysis. A total of 80 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were analyzed, including 50 primary cutaneous melanoma specimens and 30 control skin samples obtained from benign dermatologic excisions. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to assess histopathologic features, and ACSL4 immunostaining was performed using a standardized protocol. Quantitative evaluation was conducted with QuPath software by calculating the percentage of positive cells, mean intensity scores (0-3), and H-scores (0-300) in epidermal and dermal compartments. Group comparisons were performed using the independent t test, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Control tissues exhibited minimal ACSL4 expression (epidermal H-score 12; dermal H-score 9), whereas melanoma specimens demonstrated markedly increased ACSL4 immunoreactivity. Dermal atypical melanocytic tumor cells showed the highest expression levels (mean intensity 2.10 ± 0.35; H-score 168; p < 0.001), while epidermal layers also exhibited moderately elevated staining (H-score 58; p < 0.001). Histopathologic evaluation revealed characteristic features of invasive melanoma, including atypical melanocytic nests, pagetoid spread, cytologic atypia, and architectural disorder. Overall, ACSL4 expression was significantly upregulated in primary cutaneous melanoma compared with normal skin, particularly within dermal atypical melanocytic tumor cells, suggesting that ACSL4 may contribute to melanoma biology through lipid metabolic pathways and may represent a potential biomarker of tumor aggressiveness, warranting further investigation into its diagnostic and prognostic relevance.
PMID:41615507 | DOI:10.1007/s00418-026-02457-x
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2026 Jan 30;215(3):67. doi: 10.1007/s10549-026-07897-6.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The study aims to develop and validate a predictive tool for assessing the risk of in-breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in breast cancer patients considered candidates for intraoperative radiotherapy using electrons (IOERT).
METHODS: This study included 3397 breast cancer patients treated with IOERT at a single institution between 2000 and 2016. The primary endpoint was IBTR, with or without nodal or distant metastasis. Fine and Gray regression models were used to identify predictors of IBTR. A nomogram predicting the 5- and 10-year probability of IBTR was developed based on the multivariable model and was validated both internally and externally using data from the IOERT arm of the ELIOT phase III trial (585 patients).
RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 6.1 years (interquartile range 4.3-8.0), 265 IBTRs (7.8%) were observed, resulting in an IBTR cumulative incidence of 4.4% (95% CI 3.7-5.2) at 5 years and 13.5% (95% CI 11.7-15.5) at 10 years. Multivariable analysis revealed that age under 60, certain histologic subtypes, positive axillary nodes, and intermediate/high tumor grade were key risk factors for IBTR. The overall Harrell’s concordance statistic was 0.69 (95% CI 0.66-0.73) in the internal and 0.64 (95% CI 0.57-0.71) in the external validation.
CONCLUSION: The nomogram has demonstrated moderate discriminative ability in predicting IBTR in the internal validation set and may be a useful tool to support treatment decision-making in breast cancer patients eligible for IOERT.
PMID:41615490 | DOI:10.1007/s10549-026-07897-6
Eur Radiol. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1007/s00330-026-12349-2. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:41615471 | DOI:10.1007/s00330-026-12349-2