Distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell populations in human glioblastoma.

The role of glioma-associated myeloid cells in tumor growth and immune evasion remains poorly understood. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of immune and tumor cells from 33 gliomas, identifying two distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) populations in isocitrate dehydrogenase-wild-type (IDT-WT) glioblastoma: an early progenitor MDSC (E-MDSC) population with up-regulation of metabolic and hypoxia pathways and a monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) population. Spatial transcriptomics demonstrated that E-MDSCs geographically colocalize with metabolic stem-like tumor cells in the pseudopalisading region.

CCR2 and CCR5 co-inhibition modulates immunosuppressive myeloid milieu in glioma and synergizes with anti-PD-1 therapy.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancers. Reinvigorating lymphocytes with checkpoint blockade has become a cornerstone of immunotherapy for multiple tumor types, but the treatment of glioblastoma has not yet shown clinical efficacy. A major hurdle to treat GBM with checkpoint blockade is the high degree of myeloid-mediated immunosuppression in brain tumors that limits CD8 T-cell activity.

Long-Term Results of the Linear Incision Technique With Tissue Reduction Versus Tissue Preservation for Inserting Bone-Anchored Hearing Implants: The Ongoing Optimization in Bone Implant Surgery.

Objective: To compare the long-term outcomes of the linear incision technique with tissue reduction (LIT-TR) and the linear incision technique with tissue preservation (LIT-TP) for inserting bone-anchored hearing implants (BAHIs).

Study Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Large general teaching hospital.

Soft-Sensing Regression Model: From Sensor to Wafer Metrology Forecasting.

The semiconductor industry is one of the most technology-evolving and capital-intensive market sectors. Effective inspection and metrology are necessary to improve product yield, increase product quality and reduce costs. In recent years, many types of semiconductor manufacturing equipments have been equipped with sensors to facilitate real-time monitoring of the production processes.

Distinct Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Populations Promote Tumor Aggression in Glioblastoma.

Unlabelled: The diversity of genetic programs and cellular plasticity of glioma-associated myeloid cells, and thus their contribution to tumor growth and immune evasion, is poorly understood. We performed single cell RNA-sequencing of immune and tumor cells from 33 glioma patients of varying tumor grades. We identified two populations characteristic of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), unique to glioblastoma (GBM) and absent in grades II and III tumors: i) an early progenitor population (E-MDSC) characterized by strong upregulation of multiple catabolic, anabolic, oxidative stress, and hypoxia pathways typically observed within tumor cells themselves, and ii) a monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) population.

Towards the personalization of gelatin-based 3D patches: a tunable porous carrier for topical applications.

Cell-free based therapies, for example, the use of the cell secretome, have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional skin therapies using bioactive and, when combined with 3D printing technologies, allow the development of personalized dosage forms. This research work aimed to develop gelatin-based patches with controlled network topology via extrusion 3D printing, loaded with cell culture medium as a model of the secretome, and applicable as vehicles for topical delivery. Inks were optimized through rheological and printing assays, and the incorporation of medium had minor effects in printability.

Fabrication of antibacterial and biocompatible 3D printed Manuka-Gelatin based patch for wound healing applications.

Development of multifunctional 3D patches with appropriate antibacterial and biocompatible properties is needed to deal with wound care regeneration. Combining gelatin-based hydrogel with a well-known natural antibacterial honey (Manuka honey, MH) in a 3D patch can provide improved printability and at the same time provide favourable biological effects that may be useful in regenerative wound treatment. In this study, an antibacterial Manuka-Gelatin 3D patches was developed by an extrusion-based printing process, with controlled porosity, high shape fidelity, and structural stability.

Mastoid obliteration with hydroxyapatite vs. bone pâté in mastoidectomy surgery performed on patients with cholesteatoma and chronic suppurative otitis media: a retrospective analysis.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of hydroxyapatite vs. bone pâté as obliteration material in mastoidectomy surgery for patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multi-center, cohort study.

Postoperative Patient Reported Outcomes After Cholesteatoma Surgery.

Background: Results and success measures of cholesteatoma surgery are generally described using objective data whereas subjective data are mostly lacking. Patients experiences and complaints are becoming more important alongside clinical and audiometric outcome measures in cholesteatoma care.

Objective: To investigate the course of patient-reported complaints, the impact of complaints, audiometric measures and the stability of audiometric measures, and complaints over time after primary and recurrent/residual cholesteatoma surgery.

On the progress of hydrogel-based 3D printing: Correlating rheological properties with printing behaviour.

One of the exciting future directions in the 3D printing field is the development of innovative personalized smart constructions for bio-applications, including drug delivery, namely high-throughput drug screening and customized topical/oral administration of pharmaceuticals, as well as tissue engineering. In this context, hydrogels have emerged as a promising material that, when combined with extrusion 3D printing, allow the creation of soft-material structures with defined spatial locations, that can be printed at room temperature and customized by tuning the geometric design and/or the formulation components. Thus, the efficacy and quality of such vehicles is dependent on formulation, design, and printing process parameters.

Diving into 3D (bio)printing: A revolutionary tool to customize the production of drug and cell-based systems for skin delivery.

The incorporation of 3D printing technologies in the pharmaceutical industry can revolutionize its R&D, by providing a simple and rapid method to produce tailored one-off batches, each with customized dosages, different compounds, shapes, sizes, and adjusted release rates. Particularly, this type of technology can be advantageous for the development of topical and transdermal drug delivery systems, including patches and microneedles. The use of both systems as drug carriers offers advantages over the oral administration, but the possibility of skin irritation and sensitization, and the high production costs, may hinder the expansion of this market.

A mathematical modeling strategy to predict the spreading behavior on skin of sustainable alternatives to personal care emollients.

Spreadability is one of the most important physicochemical properties of cosmetic products, according to the consumer. Thus, it is fundamental to develop strategies with the aim to improve the knowledge and predict the behavior of alternatives to synthetic emollients. The main goal of this research article was to correlate different physicochemical attributes, namely spreading value, apparent viscosity, density, saponification value, iodine value, peroxide value, acid value and melting range, with the spreading behavior of sustainable alternatives for petrolatum and dimethicone.

Functional characterization of CD4+ T cell receptors crossreactive for SARS-CoV-2 and endemic coronaviruses.

BACKGROUNDRecent studies have reported T cell immunity to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in unexposed donors, possibly due to crossrecognition by T cells specific for common cold coronaviruses (CCCs). True T cell crossreactivity, defined as the recognition by a single TCR of more than one distinct peptide-MHC ligand, has never been shown in the context of SARS-CoV-2.METHODSWe used the viral functional expansion of specific T cells (ViraFEST) platform to identify T cell responses crossreactive for the spike (S) glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 and CCCs at the T cell receptor (TCR) clonotype level in convalescent COVID-19 patients (CCPs) and SARS-CoV-2-unexposed donors.

Replacing Synthetic Ingredients by Sustainable Natural Alternatives: A Case Study Using Topical O/W Emulsions.

With the increasing debate on sustainability, there is a strong market trend to formulate more sustainable products for topical application. Several studies emphasize the potential applications of natural, organic, or green chemistry-derived ingredients, but comparative studies between conventional ingredients and sustainable alternatives are lacking. This type of study is considered an excellent baseline and time-saving strategy for future studies.

Effects of Starch Incorporation on the Physicochemical Properties and Release Kinetics of Alginate-Based 3D Hydrogel Patches for Topical Delivery.

The development of printable hydrogel inks for extrusion-based 3D printing is opening new possibilities to the production of new and/or improved pharmaceutical forms, specifically for topical application. Alginate and starch are natural polysaccharides that have been extensively exploited due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, viscosity properties, low toxicity, and relatively low cost. This research work aimed to study the physicochemical and release kinetic effects of starch incorporation in alginate-based 3D hydrogel patches for topical delivery using a quality by design approach.

A Multinational Cost-Consequence Analysis of a Bone Conduction Hearing Implant System-A Randomized Trial of a Conventional vs. a Less Invasive Treatment With New Abutment Technology.

It is hypothesized that, for patients with hearing loss, surgically placing an implant/abutment combination whilst leaving the subcutaneous tissues intact will improve cosmetic and clinical results, increase quality of life (QoL) for the patient, and reduce medical costs. Here, incremental costs and consequences associated with soft tissue preservation surgery with a hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated abutment (test) were compared with the conventional approach, soft tissue reduction surgery with an all-titanium abutment (control). A cost-consequence analysis was performed based on data gathered over a period of 3 years in an open randomized (1:1) controlled trial (RCT) running in four European countries (The Netherlands, Spain, France, and Sweden).

Clinical Outcomes of Soft Tissue Preservation Surgery With Hydroxyapatite-Coated Abutments Compared to Traditional Percutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Implant Surgery-A Pragmatic Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial.

Soft tissue preservation using a hydroxyapatite-coated abutment in bone conduction hearing implant surgery may lead to improved clinical outcomes over the short (1 year) and long term (3 years). In this open multi-center, randomized (1:1), controlled clinical trial, subjects with conductive, mixed hearing loss or single-sided sensorineural deafness were randomly assigned to receive the conventional intervention, a titanium abutment with soft tissue reduction surgery (control), or a new intervention, a hydroxyapatite-coated abutment with soft tissue preservation surgery (test). The primary efficacy outcome was the combined endpoint of numbness, pain, peri-abutment dermatitis, and soft tissue thickening/overgrowth after 1 and 3 years.

Percutaneous bone-anchored hearing implant surgery: linear incision technique with tissue preservation versus linear incision technique with tissue reduction.

Objectives: To identify differences in skin thickening and soft tissue reactions between the linear incision technique with tissue reduction (LITT-R) and the linear incision technique with tissue preservation (LITT-P).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: All adult patients who underwent the LITT-R or LITT-P between August 2005 and December 2016 at a large general teaching hospital with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included.

Percutaneous bone-anchored hearing implant surgery: dermatome versus linear incision technique.

The objective of this historical cohort study is to identify if there are differences in soft tissue reactions and skin thickening between implantation of the percutaneous bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) using the dermatome or linear incision technique. All adult patients who received a BAHI between August 2005 and January 2013 were selected. One surgeon performed all procedures and only the dermatome and linear incision technique were used.

Scanning near-field optical coherent anti-Stokes Raman microscopy (SNOM-CARS) with femtosecond laser pulses in vibrational and electronic resonance.

Accessing ultrafast photoinduced molecular dynamics on a femtosecond time-scale with vibrational selectivity and at the same time sub-diffraction limited spatial resolution would help to gain important information about ultrafast processes in nanostructures. While nonlinear Raman techniques have been used to obtain highly resolved images in combination with near-field microscopy, the use of femtosecond laser pulses in electronic resonance still constitutes a big challenge. Here, we present our first results on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (fs-CARS) with femtosecond laser pulses detected in the near-field using scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM).

[Diagnostic image (271). A woman with blue sclerae, brittle bones and hearing loss].

A 51-year-old woman presented with blue sclerae, brittleness of the bones and hearing loss due to osteogenesis imperfecta with ear involvement: Van der Hoeve-De Kleyn syndrome.

[From gene to disease; a progressive cochlear-vestibular dysfunction with onset in middle-age (DFNA9)].

DFNA9 is an autosomal dominant genetic inner-ear hearing impairment that starts to show itself in the 3rd and 4th decades of life. This hearing impairment may be of a different degree of severity in each ear. Progression of hearing loss is about 3 dB/year.