obesity treatment. © 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.As endometrial cancer (EC) is a major threat to female health worldwide, the ability to provide an accurate diagnosis and prognosis of EC is promising to improve its treatment guidance. Since the discovery of miRNAs, it has been realized that miRNAs are associated with every cell function, including malignant transformation and metastasis. This study aimed to explore diagnostic and prognostic miRNA markers of EC. In this study, differential analysis and machine learning were performed, followed by correlation analysis of miRNA-mRNA based on the miRNA and mRNA expression data. Nine miRNAs were identified as diagnostic markers, and a diagnostic classifier was established to distinguish between EC and normal endometrium tissue with overall correct rates >95%. Five specific prognostic miRNA markers were selected to construct a prognostic model, which was confirmed more effective in identifying EC patients at high risk of mortality compared with the FIGO staging system. This study demonstrates that the expression patterns of miRNAs may hold promise for becoming diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for EC. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.PURPOSE While a large amount of experimental data suggest that the proton relative biological effectiveness (RBE) varies with both physical and biological parameters, current commercial treatment planning systems (TPS) use the constant RBE instead of variable RBE models, neglecting the dependence of RBE on the linear energy transfer (LET). Alvelestat datasheet To conduct as accurate a clinical evaluation as possible in this circumstance, it is desirable that the dosimetric parameters derived by TPS ( D RBE = 1.1 ) are close to the “true” values derived with the variable RBE models ( D v RBE ). As such, in this study, the closeness of D RBE = 1.1 to D v RBE was compared between planning target volume (PTV)-based and robust plans. METHODS Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) treatment plans for two Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) phantom cases and four nasopharyngeal cases were created using the PTV-based and robust optimizations, under the assumption of a constant RBE of 1.1. First, the physical dose and dose-averaged the distance between the CTV and the OAR. CONCLUSION Robust optimization was found to be more favorable than PTV-based optimization in that the results presented by TPS were closer to the “true” values and that the clinical evaluation based on TPS was more reliable. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.To develop a novel nomogram that combines clinical, biopsy and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) findings and to compare its predictive accuracy to, respectively 1) Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance (PRIAS) criteria, 2) Johns Hopkins (JH) criteria, 3) EAU low risk classification and 4) EAU low risk or low volume ISUP GG2 classification. Overall, we selected 1 837 patients with ISUP GG 1 or ISUP GG2 prostate cancer that were treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) between 2012 and 2018. The outcome of interest was the presence of unfavourable disease (csPCa) at RP, defined as ISUP GG≥3 and/or pT≥3a and/or pN1. First, logistic regression models including PRIAS, JH, EAU low risk and EAU low risk or low volume ISUP GG2 binary classifications (not eligible vs. eligible) were used. Second, a multivariable logistic regression model including age, PSA-D, ISUP GG and the percentage of positive cores (Model 1) was fitted. Third, PI-RADS score (Model 2), extracapsular score (ECEme 25% nomogram threshold resulted in significantly lower estimated risks of csPCa (11.3%), compared to PRIAS (∆-14.3%), JH (∆-5.9%), low risk (∆-17.2%) and low risk or low volume ISUP GG2 (∆-18.0%) classifications. A novel nomogram that combines clinical, biopsy and mpMRI findings is able to increase of approximately 25% and 35% the absolute frequency of patients suitable for AS, compared to, respectively, PRIAS or JH criteria. Moreover, this nomogram significantly reduces the estimated frequency of csPCa that would be recommended for AS compared to, respectively, PRIAS, JH, EAU low risk and EAU low volume ISUP GG2 classifications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Biofilms are microbial communities established in the self-produced extracellular substances that include up to 80% of associated microbial infections. During biofilm formation, bacterial cells shift from the planktonic forms to aggregated forms surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance. The bacterial biofilm shows resistance against immune reactions as well as antibiotics and is potentially able to cause disorders by both device-related and nondevice-related infections. The nondevice-related bacterial biofilm infections include dental plaque, urinary tract infections, cystic fibrosis, otitis media, infective endocarditis, tonsillitis, periodontitis, necrotizing fasciitis, osteomyelitis, infectious kidney stones, and chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we will summarize and examine the literature about bacterial biofilm infections unrelated to indwelling devices. © 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.The cancer stem cell theory states that a subset of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), has the ability to self-renew and differentiate within the tumors. According to this theory, CSCs would be mainly responsible for tumor initiation, progression, resistance to therapy, recurrence, and metastasis. In this study, a culture system was setup to enrich CSCs from bladder cancer (T24), lung cancer (A549), colorectal cancer (CaCo-2), and osteosarcoma (MG63) cell lines, through sphere formation. Magnetic-activated cell sorting was also used to further increase CSC enrichment. Subsequently, molecular characterization of CSC-enriched cell populations and parental cells was carried out, by exploring the expression levels of stem markers and the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). Results obtained showed a significant upregulation of stem cell markers in CSC-enriched populations, obtained upon sphere formation, compared with parental counterparts. Moreover, NNMT expression levels were markedly increased in samples enriched with CSCs with respect to control cells.