Evaluating Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancers with Deleterious CDK12 Alterations in the Phase 2 IMPACT Trial.

Purpose: CDK12 inactivation in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) may predict immunotherapy responses. This phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with CDK12-altered mCRPC.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients had mCRPC with deleterious CDK12 alterations and any prior therapies except ICI.

Role of intraoperative processes of care during major upper gastrointestinal oncological resection in postoperative outcomes: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Optimal delivery and organisation of care is critical for surgical outcomes and healthcare systems efficiency. Anaesthesia volumes have been recently associated with improved postoperative recovery outcomes; however, the mechanism is unclear. Understanding the individual processes of care (interventions received by the patient) is important to design effective systems that leverage the volume-outcome association to improve patient care.

Inhibition of miR-21 Regulates Mutant KRAS Effector Pathways and Intercepts Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Development.

Almost all pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDA) develop following KRAS activation, which triggers epithelial transformation and recruitment of desmoplastic stroma through additional transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, but only a few of these regulatory mechanisms have been described. We profiled dysregulated miRNAs starting with the earliest premalignant pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanIN) in genetically engineered mutated KRAS and P53 (KPC) mice programmed to recapitulate human PDA tumorigenesis. We identified miR-21 and miR-224 as cell-specific and compartment-specific regulators in PanINs and PDA.

Differential Variation Analysis Enables Detection of Tumor Heterogeneity Using Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Data.

Tumor heterogeneity provides a complex challenge to cancer treatment and is a critical component of therapeutic response, disease recurrence, and patient survival. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have revealed the prevalence of intratumor and intertumor heterogeneity. Computational techniques are essential to quantify the differences in variation of these profiles between distinct cell types, tumor subtypes, and patients to fully characterize intratumor and intertumor molecular heterogeneity.

PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden are independent biomarkers in most cancers.

Background: PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB) have emerged as important biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. These biomarkers have each succeeded and failed in predicting responders for different cancer types. We sought to describe the PD-L1 expression landscape across the spectrum of ICI-responsive human cancers, and to determine the relationship between PD-L1 expression, TMB, and response rates to ICIs.

Entinostat Converts Immune-Resistant Breast and Pancreatic Cancers into Checkpoint-Responsive Tumors by Reprogramming Tumor-Infiltrating MDSCs.

Immune-checkpoint inhibition (ICI) has revolutionized treatment in cancers that are naturally immunogenic by enabling infiltration of T cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME) and promoting cytotoxic signaling pathways. Tumors possessing complex immunosuppressive TMEs such as breast and pancreatic cancers present unique therapeutic obstacles as response rates to ICI remain low. Such tumors often recruit myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), whose functioning prohibits both T-cell activation and infiltration.

Combining STING-based neoantigen-targeted vaccine with checkpoint modulators enhances antitumor immunity in murine pancreatic cancer.

Tumor neoantigens arising from somatic mutations in the cancer genome are less likely to be subject to central immune tolerance and are therefore attractive targets for vaccine immunotherapy. We utilized whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing (RNASeq), and an in silico immunogenicity prediction algorithm, NetMHC, to generate a neoantigen-targeted vaccine, PancVAX, which was administered together with the STING adjuvant ADU-V16 to mice bearing pancreatic adenocarcinoma (Panc02) cells. PancVAX activated a neoepitope-specific T cell repertoire within the tumor and caused transient tumor regression.

T cell receptor repertoire features associated with survival in immunotherapy-treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors provide significant clinical benefit to a subset of patients, but novel prognostic markers are needed to predict which patients will respond. This study was initiated to determine if features of patient T cell repertoires could provide insights into the mechanisms of immunotherapy, while also predicting outcomes.

Methods: We examined T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires in peripheral blood of 25 metastatic pancreatic cancer patients treated with ipilimumab with or without GVAX (a pancreatic cancer vaccine), as well as peripheral blood and tumor biopsies from 32 patients treated with GVAX and mesothelin-expressing Listeria monocytogenes with or without nivolumab.

Pancreatic cancer: Next-generation algorithms for neoantigen selection.

Predicting clinical outcomes in cancer using neoantigen burden is imperfect because current algorithms use only the binding affinity of putative neoantigens to HLA. A new study models pancreatic tumour response through a deeper understanding of tumour immunology, providing new tools for identifying neoantigens and characteristics that define their quality.

Management of Persistent Epistaxis Using Floseal Hemostatic Matrix vs. traditional nasal packing: a prospective randomized control trial.

Background: Epistaxis is the most common emergent consultation to otolaryngology-head & neck surgery (OHNS) and with 60% of the population having experienced an episode and 1.6 in 10,000 requiring hospitalization in their lifetime. In preliminary studies Floseal® (Baxter, USA) Hemostatic Matrix has shown efficacy in up to 80% of persistent anterior epistaxis.

Foxc1 Expression in Early Osteogenic Differentiation Is Regulated by BMP4-SMAD Activity.

FOXC1 is an important regulator of the initial steps in intramembranous and endochondral ossification processes. As BMP signalling is a key initiator of these processes, we sought to determine whether Foxc1 expression is regulated by such signalling factors. BMP4 treatment of C2C12 cells resulted in an induction in Foxc1 mRNA levels.

A DNA damage checkpoint in Caulobacter crescentus inhibits cell division through a direct interaction with FtsW.

Following DNA damage, cells typically delay cell cycle progression and inhibit cell division until their chromosomes have been repaired. The bacterial checkpoint systems responsible for these DNA damage responses are incompletely understood. Here, we show that Caulobacter crescentus responds to DNA damage by coordinately inducing an SOS regulon and inhibiting the master regulator CtrA.

Pyridyl 'ring-flipping' in the dimers [Me2E(2-py)]2 (E=B, Al, Ga; 2-py=2-pyridyl).

The boron and aluminium dimers [Me2E(micro-py)]2 [E=B (1); Al (2)] are formed as mixtures of two isomers in which the group 13 centres are coordinated by the bridging 2-py ligands in a cis or trans manner, however, in contrast to previous studies, we find that simply heating the mixtures of these isomers of and gives the more thermodynamically stable (synthetically useful) trans isomers exclusively (the trans isomer being the only product in the case of the gallium analogue ).

Highly selective epoxidation of styrene using a transition metal-aluminium(III) complex containing the [MeAl(2-py)3]- anion (2-py = 2-pyridyl).

The reactions of [MeAl(2-py)3Li.thf] (1) with FeCl2 or Cp2Mn in toluene-thf give simple access to the Group 13-transition metal heterometallic complexes [{MeAl(2-py)3}2M][M = Fe (2), Mn (3)]; complex has been shown to be a highly selective styrene epoxidation catalyst in air.

The first example of a Si-bridged tris(pyridyl) ligand; synthesis and structure of [MeSi(2-C5H4N)3LiX](X = 0.2Br, 0.8Cl).

The low-temperature reaction of MeSiCl3 with 2-Li-C5H4N (1:3 equivalents) in thf gives [MeSi(2-C5H4N)3LiX](X = 0.2Br, 0.8Cl), containing the first example of a Si-bridged tris(pyridyl) ligand.

A one-pot synthesis to [(Me3Si)3SiSb]4; a potential precursor for Sb42-.

The reaction of (Me(3)Si)(3)SiK[middle dot]18-crown-6 with SbCl(3)(3 : 1 equiv.) provides a simple route to the title complex [(Me(3)Si)(3)SiSb](4). The potassium base initially acts as a nucleophile and then as a coupling agent, forming Sb-Sb bonds.

Synthesis and structure of [(Sn(mu-PCy))3(Na x PMDETA)2], containing an electron-deficient [(Sn(mu-PCy))3]2- dianion.

The reaction of CyPHNa with Sn(NMe2)2 in the presence of PMDETA (= (Me2NCH2CH2)2NMe) gives the title compound [(Sn(mu-PCy))3(Na x PMDETA)2] (1), containing an electron-deficient [(Sn(mu-PCy))]3(2-) dianion with a novel two-electron, three centre (2e-3c) bonding arrangement.

Formation of double cubanes [Sn(7)(NR)(8)] in the reactions of pyridyl and pyrimidinyl amines with Sn(NMe(2))(2): a synthetic and theoretical study.

In contrast to the reactions of Sn(NMe(2))(2) with unfunctionalized primary amines (RNH(2)), which yield the simple imido Sn(II) cubanes [SnNR](4), the reactions of 2-pyridyl or 2-pyrimidinyl amines give the mixed-oxidation-state Sn(II)/Sn(IV) double cubanes [Sn(7)(NR)(8)]. In addition to [Sn(7)[2-N(5-Mepy)](8)] x 2thf (1 x 2thf) (py = pyridine) and [Sn(7)[2-N(pm)](8)] x 0.33thf (2 x 0.

Heterobimetallic (Imido)antimony/Lithium Cages Containing [Sb(NR)(3)](3-) Trianions.

The reactions of [Sb(NMe(2))(3)] with the primary (amido)lithiums [PhCH(2)CH(2)N(H)Li](n)(), [CyN(H)Li](n)() (Cy = C(6)H(11)), [2,4-dmpN(H)Li](n)() [2,4-dmp = 2,4-(MeO)(2)C(6)H(3)], and [(t)()BuN(H)HLi](n)() give the heterobimetallic cage complexes [{Sb(NCH(2)CH(2)Ph)(3)}(2)Li(6).2THF] (1), [{Sb(NCy)(3)}(2)Li(6).2HNMe(2)].