Prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and other inflammatory markers in patients with high-risk soft tissue sarcomas.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) have a high risk of relapse in spite of the use of (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. In this context, looking for new prognostic biomarkers is an interesting field of research. Our aim is to analyze the prognostic impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other serum markers in patients with STS who received chemotherapy with curative intent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study. We included all patients with STS (primary tumor, local recurrence or resected metastatic disease) treated with high-dose ifosfamide and epirubicin with curative intent from January 2007 to December 2018. The pretreatment NLR and other serum markers were calculated, selecting the median as the cut-off value for the survival and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients were included. Median NLR, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were 2.83, 174.05 and 3.25, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in patients with low NLR [not reached (NR) vs 21, 92 months, P < 0.01]. No significant differences were found for PFS regarding PLR or LMR. For overall survival (OS), a significant survival advantage was also found for patients with low NLR (NR vs 65.45 months, P = 0.01), without differences for PLR or LMR. In multivariate analysis, NLR remains an independent prognostic factor for PFS. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, low NLR was significantly associated with a longer PFS and OS, and is consolidated as an independent prognostic factor.

PercepFiguras: programa computarizado de estimulación visual para evaluar conductual y electrofisiológicamente la percepción multiestable / PercepFiguras: a computerized visual stimulation program to assess, behaviorally and electrophysiologically, the multistable perception

RESUMEN En la investigación de la percepción visual comúnmente se usan programas computarizados comerciales para la presentación de los estímulos, configurados por lo general para admitir una respuesta por cada estímulo presentado. Sin embargo, el estudio de la percepción multiestable, requiere la presentación de un estímulo que permanece invariable aunque la percepción de éste puede variar en dos o más configuraciones, lo que demanda que el programa admita respuestas para cada cambio en la percepción de un mismo estímulo. Se presenta PercepFiguras desarrollado con lenguaje de programación C++ que es un sistema de estimulación visual que permite al usuario: a) presentar imágenes y recibir una o varias respuestas a cada una, b) sincronizar las respuestas con un sistema de registro electroencefalográfico mediante el envío de pulsos TTL, c) generar un archivo conductual y d) generar un archivo con el total de respuestas y promedios de las latencias a cada tipo de figura. Se realizó un estudio piloto con una tarea de presentación continua de una figura ambigua alternando con dos variantes de menor ambigüedad, se obtuvo mayor frecuencia de cambios perceptuales y menor estabilidad perceptual para la figura ambigua respecto a las de menor ambigüedad, comprobándose la utilidad del programa.

ABSTRACT In the study of visual perception, the use of computerized commercial programs for the presentation of stimuli, usually configured to admit a response for each stimulus presented, is common. However, the study of multistable perception requires the presentation of a stimulus that remains unchanged, although the perception of it can vary in two or more configurations during its observation, which demands that the program admit responses for each change in perception of the same stimulus. PercepFiguras is a system developed with C++ programming language that allows: a) present images and receive multiple responses to the same stimulus, b) synchronize the responses with an electroencephalographic recording system by sending TTL pulses, c) generate a behavioral file, d) generate a file with the total responses and averages of the latencies for each type of figure. In the pilot study with a task of continuous presentation of an ambiguous figure to alternating with two variants of less ambiguity, we observe greater frequency of perceptual and less perceptual stability to the ambiguous figure with respect to the less ambiguous figures, which proves the usefulness of the program.