Biomarkers of success of anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer derived from RNA- and whole-exome sequencing: results of a prospective observational study on a cohort of 85 patients.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment have shown high efficacy for about 15 cancer types. However, this therapy is only effective in 20-30% of cancer patients. Thus, the precise biomarkers of ICI response are an urgent need.

Gene Mutations: Implications for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes.

Malignant neoplasms, including pancreatic cancer and melanoma, are major global health challenges. This study investigates melanoma pancreatic syndrome, a rare hereditary tumor syndrome associated with gene mutations. mutations contribute to a lifetime risk of melanoma ranging from 28% to 67%.

Mass spectrometry-based autoimmune profiling reveals predictive autoantigens in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Autoimmunity plays a role in certain types of lung fibrosis, notably connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), an incurable and fatal lung disease, diagnosis typically requires clinical exclusion of autoimmunity. However, autoantibodies of unknown significance have been detected in IPF patients.

Spatial single-cell mass spectrometry defines zonation of the hepatocyte proteome.

Single-cell proteomics by mass spectrometry is emerging as a powerful and unbiased method for the characterization of biological heterogeneity. So far, it has been limited to cultured cells, whereas an expansion of the method to complex tissues would greatly enhance biological insights. Here we describe single-cell Deep Visual Proteomics (scDVP), a technology that integrates high-content imaging, laser microdissection and multiplexed mass spectrometry.

Deposition of Nanostructured Tungsten Oxide Layers by a New Method: Periodic Modulation of the Deposition Angle.

Periodic modulation of the deposition angle (PMDA) is a new method to deposit nanostructured and continuous layers with controllable periodic density fluctuation. The method is used for the magnetron sputtering of a WO layer for an electrochromic device (ECD). An experimental study indicates that the electrochromic coloration-bleaching rate nearly doubles and the electrochromic efficiency grows by about 25% in comparison with the traditional method.

The Gene Germline Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants in Russian Patients with Malignant Neoplasms and Healthy Carriers: 11,800 WGS Results.

More than 275 million people in the world are carriers of a heterozygous mutation of the gene, associated with cystic fibrosis, the most common autosomal recessive disease among Caucasians. Some recent studies assessed the association between carriers of variants and some pathologies, including cancer risk. The aim of this study is to analyze the landscape of germline pathogenic heterozygous variants in patients with diagnosed malignant neoplasms.

SERS uncovers the link between conformation of cytochrome c heme and mitochondrial membrane potential.

The balance between the mitochondrial respiratory chain activity and the cell's needs in ATP ensures optimal cellular function. Cytochrome c is an essential component of the electron transport chain (ETC), which regulates ETC activity, oxygen consumption, ATP synthesis and can initiate apoptosis. The impact of conformational changes in cytochrome c on its function is not understood for the lack of access to these changes in intact mitochondria.

Detection of Hypertension-Induced Changes in Erythrocytes by SERS Nanosensors.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising tool that can be used in the detection of molecular changes triggered by disease development. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are caused by multiple pathologies originating at the cellular level. The identification of these deteriorations can provide a better understanding of CVD mechanisms, and the monitoring of the identified molecular changes can be employed in the development of novel biosensor tools for early diagnostics.

Mutual Interactions between Brain States and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology: A Focus on Gamma and Slow Oscillations.

Brain state varies from moment to moment. While brain state can be defined by ongoing neuronal population activity, such as neuronal oscillations, this is tightly coupled with certain behavioural or vigilant states. In recent decades, abnormalities in brain state have been recognised as biomarkers of various brain diseases and disorders.

Melatonin and Metformin Failed to Modify the Effect of Dacarbazine in Melanoma.

Lessons Learned: Melatonin did not increase the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy in melanoma. Metformin did not increase the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy in melanoma.

Background: Current data support the possibility of antitumor activity of melatonin and metformin.

Perovskite Puzzle for Revolutionary Functional Materials.

Widely spread crystal lattices of perovskites represent a natural flexible platform for chemical design of various advanced functional materials with unique features. An interplay between chemical bonding, defects and crystallochemical peculiarities makes the perovskite structure a "LEGO designer" utilizing natural features of chemical elements of the renowned Mendeleev's Periodic Table (PTE) celebrating its 150-year anniversary. In this mini-review, crystal chemistry and bonding features, physical and functional properties, preparation methods and tuning functional properties with periodicity "tools" of the PTE will be exemplified for legendary families of high-temperature superconductive cuprates, colossal magnetoresistive manganites and hybrid lead halides for a new generation of solar cells.

Functional shifts in estuarine zooplankton in response to climate variability.

Functional traits are becoming more common in the analysis of marine zooplankton community dynamics associated with environmental change. We used zooplankton groups with common functional properties to assess long-term trends in the zooplankton caused by certain environmental conditions in a highly eutrophicated gulf.Time series of zooplankton traits have been collected since the 1960s in the Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea, and were analyzed using a combination of multivariate methods (principal coordinate analysis) and generalized additive models.

Verification of Underlying Genetic Cause in a Cohort of Russian Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia Using Targeted Next Generation Sequencing.

Russian patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) were screened for pathogenic mutations using targeted next generation sequencing. Genetic testing was performed in 52 probands with definite or probable FH based on the Dutch lipid clinic network criteria (DLCN score ≥6). Blood samples were studied by massive parallel sequencing (Illumina HiSeq 1500 platform) using a custom capture library related to dyslipidemia and premature atherosclerosis.

An Open-Label Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Tag-7 Gene-Modified Tumor Cells-Based Vaccine in Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Malignant Melanoma or Renal Cell Cancer.

Lessons Learned: This study showed that carefully selected patients with locally advanced and metastatic forms of malignant melanoma and renal cell carcinoma could potentially have long-term disease control with a tag-7 gene-modified tumor cells-based vaccine. Randomized clinical trials in patients whose tumors produce low amounts of immunosuppressive factors are needed to confirm this hypothesis in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings.

Background: Immunotherapy may produce long-lasting effects on survival and toxicity.

Nivolumab in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) interferes with activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Theoretically, the efficacy and toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients infected with HCV may differ. Nevertheless, HCV was an exclusion criterion in most checkpoint inhibitor trials.

eDNA and specific primers for early detection of invasive species--A case study on the bivalve Rangia cuneata, currently spreading in Europe.

Intense human activities facilitate the successful spread and establishment of non-indigenous aquatic organisms in marine and freshwater ecosystems. In some cases such intrusions result in noticeable and adverse changes in the recipient environments. In the Baltic Sea, the discovery and rapid initial spread of the North American wedge clam Rangia cuneata represents a new wave of invasion which may trigger unpredictable changes of the local benthic communities.

Probing cytochrome c in living mitochondria with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Selective study of the electron transport chain components in living mitochondria is essential for fundamental biophysical research and for the development of new medical diagnostic methods. However, many important details of inter- and intramembrane mitochondrial processes have remained in shadow due to the lack of non-invasive techniques. Here we suggest a novel label-free approach based on the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to monitor the redox state and conformation of cytochrome c in the electron transport chain in living mitochondria.

New antiferromagnetic perovskite CaCo3V4O12 prepared at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions.

A new perovskite, CaCo(2+)3V(4+)4O12, has been synthesized at high-pressure and high-temperature (HP-HT) conditions. The properties of this perovskite were examined by a range of techniques. CaCo3V4O12 was found to adopt a double-perovskite cubic lattice [a = 7.

Interference by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) RNA is governed by a seed sequence.

Prokaryotic clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas (CRISPR-associated sequences) systems provide adaptive immunity against viruses when a spacer sequence of small CRISPR RNA (crRNA) matches a protospacer sequence in the viral genome. Viruses that escape CRISPR/Cas resistance carry point mutations in protospacers, though not all protospacer mutations lead to escape. Here, we show that in the case of Escherichia coli subtype CRISPR/Cas system, the requirements for crRNA matching are strict only for a seven-nucleotide seed region of a protospacer immediately following the essential protospacer-adjacent motif.

The influence of rosuvastatin therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention on angiogenic growth factors in coronary artery disease patients.

Objective: The aim of our investigation was to assess the influence of rosuvastatin therapy and myocardial revascularization on angiogenic growth factors in coronary artery disease patients.

Methods And Results: Two main groups were examined: group one consisted of patients with successful percutaneous coronary intervention and group two consisted of patients 3 months on rosuvastatin therapy.Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor Flt-1 (sVEGF-R1) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) levels were measured in healthy volunteers and CAD patients before and 6 days after myocardial revascularization.