The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), and absolute lymphocyte count/absolute monocyte count prognostic score (ALC/AMC PS) have been described as the most useful prognostic tools for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We retrospectively analyzed 148 Taiwanese patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma under rituximab (R)-CHOP-like regimens from January 2001 to December 2010 at the Tri-Service General Hospital and investigated the utility of these inexpensive tools in our patients. In a univariate analysis, the NLR, LMR, and ALC/AMC PS had significant prognostic value in our DLBCL patients (NLR: 5-year progression-free survival [PFS], P = 0.001; 5-year overall survival [OS], P = 0.007. LMR: PFS, P = 0.003; OS, P = 0.05. PFS, P < 0.001; OS, P < 0.001). In a separate multivariate analysis, the ALC/AMC PS appeared to interact less with the other clinical factors but retained statistical significance in the survival analysis (PFS, P = 0.023; OS, P = 0.017). The akaike information criterion (AIC) analysis produced scores of 388.773 in the NLR, 387.625 in the LMR, and 372.574 in the ALC/AMC PS. The results suggested that the ALC/AMC PS appears to be more reliable than the NLR and LMR and may provide additional prognostic information when used in conjunction with the International Prognostic Index.

Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom in patients with advanced cancer, resulting in poor quality of life and reduced treatment efficacy. Phytotherapeutic agents have shown potential effects to relieve cancer-related fatigue in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Astragalus Polysaccharides injection and identify predictive factors associated with this treatment. Patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care with moderate to severe cancer-related fatigue were enrolled in this study for two treatment cycles. Fatigue improvement response rates were analyzed as the primary endpoint at the end of the first cycle to determine treatment efficacy. The drug safety profile was evaluated by the reporting of adverse events. Three hundred and ten patients were enrolled in this study and 214 patients were included ITT population. Improvement in fatigue scores by at least 10% was observed in greater than 65% of subjects after one treatment cycle compared to scores at baseline. Patients with higher Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) responded better to the Astragalus Polysaccharides injection. Drug-related adverse event rates were less than 9%. This study identified KPS as a promising predictive factor for the therapeutic efficacy of Astragalus Polysaccharides injection.

Despite advancements in diagnostic and standard treatment modalities, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, overall survival rates of advanced-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients have remained stagnant for over three decades. Failure of these treatment modalities, coupled with post-therapy complications, underscores the need for alternative interventions and an in-depth understanding of the complex signaling networks involved in developing treatment resistance. Using bioinformatics tools, we identified an increased expression of c-Met, STAT3, and CD44 corresponding to a poor prognosis and malignant phenotype of HNSCC. Subsequently, we showed that tumorsphere-derived exosomes promoted cisplatin (CDDP) resistance and colony and tumorsphere formation in parental HNSCC cells, accompanied by an increased level of oncogenic/immune evasive markers, namely, c-Met, STAT3, CD44, and PD-L1. We then evaluated the therapeutic potential of a new small molecule, HNC0014. The molecular docking analysis suggested strong interactions between HNC0014 and oncogenic molecules; c-Met, STAT3, CD44, and PD-L1. Subsequently, we demonstrated that HNC0014 treatment suppressed HNSCC tumorigenic and expression of stemness markers; HNC0014 also reduced cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) transformation by Exo^sp- and CAF-induced tumorigenic properties. HNC0014 treatment alone suppressed tumor growth in a cisplatin-resistant (SAS tumorspheres) mouse xenograft model and with higher inhibitory efficacy when combined with CDDP. More importantly, HNC0014 treatment significantly delayed tumor growth in a syngeneic mouse HNSCC model, elicited an antitumor immune profile, and reduced the total c-Met, STAT3, and their phosphorylated forms, PD-L1 and CD44, contents in serum exosomes. Collectively, our findings provide supports for HNC0014 as a multi-targeted immunotherapeutic lead compound for further development.

With the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.7 lineage in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Taiwan confronted a COVID-19 flare up in May 2021. Large-scale, accurate, affordable and rapid diagnostic tests such as the lateral flow assay can help to prevent community transmission, but their performance characteristics in real-world conditions and relevant subpopulations remain unclear. The COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (Eternal Materials, New Taipei City, Taiwan) was used in a high-throughput community testing site; the paired reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results served as a reference for sensitivity and specificity calculations. Of 2096 specimens tested using the rapid antigen test, 70 (3.33%) were positive and 2026 (96.7%) were negative. This clinical performance was compared with the RT-PCR results. The sensitivity and specificity of the rapid antigen test were 76.39% [95% confidence interval (CI) 64.91–85.60%] and 99.26% (95% CI 98.78–99.58%), respectively, with high sensitivity in subjects with cycle threshold values ≤24. Further, the rapid antigen test detected the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage effectively. Considering the short turnaround times and lower costs, this simple SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test for rapid screening combined with RT-PCR as a double confirmatory screening tool can facilitate the prevention of community transmission during COVID-19 emergencies.