Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant global health burden, necessitating a thorough understanding of prognostic and predictive factors to enhance patient outcomes. This systematic review aims to comprehensively evaluate prognostic and predictive determinants in CRC, encompassing both traditional and emerging biomarkers. A systematic search of major electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published from 1995 up to 2024. Eligible articles were critically appraised, and data extraction was performed according to predefined criteria. The prognostic determinants examined included clinicopathological features such as tumor stage, grade, and lymph node involvement, as well as molecular biomarkers including RAS, BRAF, and MSI status. Predictive determinants encompassed biomarkers influencing response to targeted therapies and immunotherapy, such as HER2 and Immunoscore. The review also explores novel prognostic and predictive markers, including tumor microenvironment characteristics and liquid biopsy-based biomarkers. Synthesizing evidence from diverse studies, this review provides insights into the prognostic and predictive landscape of CRC, highlighting the potential clinical implications of identified determinants. Understanding the multifaceted nature of prognostic and predictive factors in CRC is imperative for the advancement of personalized treatment strategies and improvement of patient outcomes.

Background and Objectives: Ovarian cancer, including tubal and peritoneal cancer, is the third most common gynecological cancer and the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies in developed countries. This study explores the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in determining the optimal duration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced ovarian cancer. It also investigates the correlation between NLR dynamics and the KELIM score, a chemosensitivity marker, to enhance individualized therapeutic strategies. Materials and Methods: A total of 79 patients underwent NACT followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS) or palliative care. The data collected included demographic information, tumor characteristics, treatment modalities, and laboratory parameters. The baseline NLR (NLR-T0) and post-therapeutic NLR (NLR-T1) were calculated, and their variation (NLR∆) was analyzed. The KELIM score was determined using CA-125 values. Results: Patients with a high baseline NLR (≥2.5) had significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those with a low NLR (<2.5). A negative NLR∆ was associated with poorer PFS and OS. The KELIM score indicated a more effective treatment response, with higher scores correlating with better outcomes. The majority of patients achieved R0 resection, and those with favorable KELIM scores showed improved survival rates. Conclusions: The NLR is a valuable prognostic marker for assessing treatment response and guiding NACT duration in advanced ovarian cancer.

Spinal cord injury is a complicated medical condition both from the clinician’s point of view in terms of management and from the patient’s perspective in terms of unsatisfactory recovery. Depending on the severity, this disorder can be devastating despite the rapid and appropriate use of modern imaging techniques and convenient surgical spinal cord decompression and stabilization. In this context, there is a mandatory need for novel adjunctive therapeutic approaches to classical treatments to improve rehabilitation chances and clinical outcomes. This review offers a new and original perspective on therapies targeting the microglia, one of the most relevant immune cells implicated in spinal cord disorders. The first part of the manuscript reviews the anatomical and pathophysiological importance of the blood-spinal cord barrier components, including the role of microglia in post-acute neuroinflammation. Subsequently, the authors present the emerging therapies based on microglia modulation, such as cytokines modulators, stem cell, microRNA, and nanoparticle-based treatments that could positively impact spinal cord injury management. Finally, future perspectives and challenges are also highlighted based on the ongoing clinical trials related to medications targeting microglia.

The paper describes the statistical analysis of the response of gastric cancer cells and normal cells to broadband terahertz radiation up to 4 THz, both with and without the use of nanostructured contrast agents. The THz spectroscopy analysis was comparatively performed under the ATR procedure and transmission measurement procedure. The statistical analysis was conducted towards multiple pairwise comparisons, including a support medium (without cells) versus a support medium with nanoparticles, normal cells versus normal cells with nanoparticles, and, respectively, tumor cells versus tumor cells with nanoparticles. When generally comparing the ATR procedure and transmission measurement procedure for a broader frequency domain, the differentiation between normal and tumor cells in the presence of contrast agents is superior when using the ATR procedure. THz contrast enhancement by using contrast agents derived from MRI-related contrast agents leads to only limited benefits and only for narrow THz frequency ranges, a disadvantage for THz medical imaging.

This paper describes the process to obtain ceramic nanotubes from titanium dioxide, alumina and yttrium oxide by a feasible, replicable and reliable technology, including three stages, starting from an electrospinning process of poly(methyl methacrylate) solutions. A minimum diameter of 0.3 μm was considered optimal for PMMA nanofibers in order to maintain the structural stability of covered fibers, which, after ceramic film deposition, leads to a fiber diameter of 0.5–0.6 μm. After a chemical and physical analysis of the stages of obtaining ceramic nanotubes, in all cases, uniform deposition of a ceramic film on PMMA fibers and, finally, a uniform structure of ceramic nanotubes were noted. The technological purpose was to use such nanotubes as ingredients in screen-printing inks for electrochemical sensors, because no study directly targeted the subject of ceramic nanotube applications for printed electronics to date. The printing technology was analyzed in terms of the ink deposition process, printed electrode roughness vs. type of ceramic nanotubes, derived inks, thermal curing of the electrodes and the conductivity of electrodes on different support (rigid and flexible) at different curing temperatures. The experimental inks containing ceramic nanotubes can be considered feasible for printed electronics, because they offer fast curing at low temperatures, reasonable conductivity vs. electrode length, good printability on both ceramic or plastic (flexible) supports and good adhesion to surface after curing.

This paper describes the process of producing chemosensors based on hybrid nanostructures obtained from Al₂O₃, as well as ZnO ceramic nanotubes and the following conducting polymers: poly(3-hexylthiophene), polyaniline emeraldine-base (PANI-EB), and poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate. The process for creating ceramic nanotubes involves three steps: creating polymer fiber nets using poly(methyl methacrylate), depositing ceramic films onto the nanofiber nets using magnetron deposition, and heating the nanotubes to 600 °C to burn off the polymer support completely. The technology for obtaining hybrid nanostructures from ceramic nanotubes and conducting polymers is drop-casting. AFM analysis emphasized a higher roughness, mainly in the case of PANI-EB, for both nanotube types, with a much larger grain size dimension of over 5 μm. The values of the parameter Rku were close or slightly above 3, indicating, in all cases, the formation of layers predominantly characterized by peaks and not by depressions, with a Gaussian distribution. An ink-jet printer was used to generate chemiresistors from ceramic nanotubes and PANI-EB structures, and the metallization was made with commercial copper ink for printed electronics. Calibration curves were experimentally generated for both sensing structures across a wider range of NH₃ concentrations in air, reaching up to 5 ppm. A 0.5 ppm detection limit was established. The curve for the ZnO:PANI-EB structure presented high linearity and lower resistance values. The sensor could be used in medical diagnosis for the analysis of breath ammonia and biomarkers for predicting CKD in stages higher than 1. The threshold value of 1 ppm represents a feasible value for the presented sensor, which can be defined as a simple, low-value and robust device for individual use, beneficial at the patient level.