BACKGROUND Small hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) is a unique variant of HCC that is characterized by small tumor size (maximum tumor diameter ≤3 cm) and favorable long-term outcomes. The present study aimed to define clinicopathologic factors that predict survival in patients with sHCC. METHODS The study population consisted of 335 patients who underwent hepatectomy for solitary sHCC between ...

We systematically classified goldfish ganglion cells according to their spatial summation properties using the same techniques and criteria used in cat and monkey research. Results show that goldfish ganglion cells can be classified as X-, Y-, or W-like based on their responses to contrast-reversal gratings. Like cat X cells, goldfish X-like cells display linear spatial summation. Goldfish Y-li...

Time-to-event curves analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression are commonly used to describe the outcome of drug studies. This methodology has the advantage of using all available information, including patients who fail to complete the trial, such as in cancer chemotherapy or human immunodeficiency virus antiviral treatment studies. The goal of treatment in such studies may be to prevent...

After learning from several devastating earthquakes in China in recent years, stricter design criteria have been introduced in the current Chinese seismic design code. To investigate the reliability of the current seismic design code, seismic fragility analyses were performed for 45 10-story reinforced concrete (RC) frame-shear wall structures designed according to the current Chinese seismic d...

We evaluated the clinical significance and explored the prognostic value of serum endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Chinese population. Serum samples were obtained from 89 CRC patients undergoing surgical treatment and 90 healthy volunteers (control group). ESM-1 levels in serum samples from CRC patients and controls were measured using a sa...

PURPOSE This study was conducted to investigate the role of four polymorphic variants of DNA methyltransferase genes as risk factors for radiation-induced fibrosis in breast cancer patients. We also assessed their ability to improve prediction accuracy when combined with mitochondrial haplogroup H, which we previously found to be independently associated with a lower hazard of radiation-induced...

Thanks to advances in MCMC methodology, Bayesian curve estimation has become an increasingly popular subject both in practice and in theoretical research. Prior specification for curves is a more challenging task than for scalar or multivariate parameters. Besides using fully parametric curves, common strategies include using a stochastic process or discretizing the curve, each with its own adv...

In this study, the authors investigated whether combined information on reproductive factors has additive value to the single reproductive factor age at menopause for assessing endogenous estrogen exposure and cardiovascular mortality risk in postmenopausal women. They conducted a population-based cohort study that included 9,450 postmenopausal women from Nijmegen, the Netherlands, who were age...

the territory of serbia is vulnerable to various types of natural hazards and the risk is not equal across the entire territory; it varies depending on the type of hazard and the expected potential for damage. the first aim of this research was to determine the geographical distributions of the major types of natural hazards. seismic hazards, landslides, rock falls, floods, torrential floods...