challenge. This paper outlines the challenge, its organization, the dataset used, evaluation methods and results of top performing participating solutions. We observe that the top performing approaches utilize a blend of clinical information, data augmentation, and the ensemble of models. These findings have the potential to enable new developments in retinal image analysis and image-based DR screening in particular.

Background and Aims Although recent studies have reported that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases via chronic intestinal inflammation and the gut-brain axis, there is insufficient evidence supporting this notion. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in patients with IBD. Methods Using the National Health Insurance Service data for the entire Korean population, we identified patients with IBD and controls from 2009 to 2011 and followed them up until 2017. We selected the controls in a 1:4 ratio based on age and sex for comparison with cases. Results Of 24,830 IBD patients and 99,320 non-IBD controls, 98 IBD patients and 256 controls developed PD, while 644 IBD patients and 2,303 controls developed AD. The overall neurodegenerative disease risk was higher in IBD patients [PD: adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24-1.97; AD: adjusted HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25). Younger IBD patients aged 40-65 years had a higher risk of PD compared to controls (adjusted HR, 2.34; 1.63-3.35)]. In contrast, patients aged ≥65 years had an increased risk of AD compared to controls (adjusted HR, 1.14; 1.04-1.25). In a nested case-control study of the IBD cohort, patients aged ≥65 years and the female sex were risk factors for AD, while living in an urban area was protective against AD. Conclusions The risk of neurodegenerative diseases was higher in IBD patients than in the non-IBD population.

The major suppressive immune cells in tumor sites are myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs), and Treg cells, and the major roles of these suppressive immune cells include hindering T‐cell activities and supporting tumor progression and survival. In this study, we analyzed the pattern of circulating MDSC subtypes in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whether those suppressive immune cells hinder T‐cell activities leading to poor clinical outcomes. First, we verified PMN‐MDSCs, monocytic‐MDSCs (M‐MDSCs), and Treg cells increased according to the stages of NSCLC, and MDSCs effectively suppressed T‐cell activities and induced T‐cell exhaustion. The analysis of NSCLC patients treated with anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy demonstrated that low PMN‐MDSCs, M‐MDSCs, and CD39+CD8+ T cells as an individual and all together were associated with longer progression free survival and overall survival, suggesting PMN‐MDSCs, M‐MDSCs, and CD39+CD8+ T cells frequencies in peripheral blood might be useful as potential predictive and prognostic biomarkers.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a potential risk factor for dementia. We aimed to investigate the association between SCD and subsequent dementia in a nationwide population-based cohort in South Korea. Methods: This cohort included 579,710 66-year-old adults who were followed for a total of 3,870,293 person-years (average 6.68 ± 1.33 years per person). All subjects completed a questionnaire about subjective memory impairment, the Pre-screening Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire (KDSQ-P), which included a validated 5-item derivative, and were determined to have SCD based on a single question assessing memory decline. Depressive symptoms were assessed in all subjects using a 3-item modified geriatric depression scale. Hazard ratios were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model and compared between subjects with and without SCD. Results: Compared to subjects without SCD, those with SCD were more likely to develop dementia (incidence per 1000 person-years: non-SCD, 5.66; SCD, 8.59). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the risk of subsequent dementia significantly increased in subjects with SCD, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34 to 1.41). The risk of subsequent dementia was greatly increased in subjects with higher KDSQ-P scores (aHR = 2.77, 95% CI 2.35 to 3.27). A significant association between SCD and dementia was observed in both depressive and non-depressive symptom groups (aHR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.57 in subjects with depressive symptoms; aHR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.37 in subjects without depressive symptoms; P = 0.001).