Publications by authors named "J-J Lucas"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on early detection of peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) using a cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomic approach, which can improve clinical decision-making and treatment outcomes.
  • Researchers isolated cfDNA from plasma samples of 101 NF1 patients and 21 healthy controls, employing whole-genome sequencing and analyzing various fragmentomic signatures to differentiate between benign, premalignant, and malignant tumors.
  • Results showed that fragmentomic methods successfully distinguished atypical neurofibromas (premalignant) from benign forms and malignant PNST, offering potential for non-invasive diagnostics and better management of NF1-related tumors.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Early detection of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) associated tumors can improve clinical decision-making and potentially reduce severe outcomes.
  • A new study employed a cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomic method, successfully differentiating between benign, pre-malignant, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) in NF1 patients.
  • This innovative approach allows non-invasive diagnosis and could significantly enhance the management of NF1-associated tumors, helping to differentiate conditions like atypical neurofibromas from more severe malignancies.
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Estrogen-dependent proliferation followed by progesterone-dependent differentiation of the endometrium culminates in a short implantation window. We performed single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing on endometrial samples obtained across the menstrual cycle to investigate the regulation of temporal gene networks that control embryo implantation. We identify uniquely accessible chromatin regions in all major cellular constituents of the endometrium, delineate temporal patterns of coordinated chromatin remodeling in epithelial and stromal cells, and gain mechanistic insights into the emergence of a receptive state through integrated analysis of enriched transcription factor (TF) binding sites in dynamic chromatin regions, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analyses, and gene expression data.

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Infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) continue to increase in prevalence, leading to problematic clinical outcomes. Omadacycline (OMC) is an aminomethylcycline antibiotic with FDA orphan drug and fast-track designations for pulmonary NTM infections, including (MAB). This multicenter retrospective study across 16 U.

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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly diagnosed when the airflow limitation is well established and symptomatic. We aimed to identify individuals at risk of developing COPD according to the concept of pre-COPD and compare their clinical characteristics with 1) those who have developed the disease at a young age, and 2) the overall population with and without COPD.

Methods: The EPISCAN II study is a cross-sectional, population-based study that aims to investigate the prevalence of COPD in Spain in subjects ≥40 years of age.

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Background: Few large epidemiological studies have analysed the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their determinants in the general adult population. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of respiratory symptoms and compared their prevalence with that of two previous studies conducted in 1999 and 2009.

Method: EPISCAN II was a multicentre, cross-sectional, population-based epidemiological study in individuals older than 40 years.

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Compared to most mammals, human pregnancy is unusual in that it involves chromosomally diverse embryos, cyclical breakdown and regeneration of the uterine mucosa, and intimate integration of fetal and maternal cells at the uteroplacental interface. Not surprisingly, pregnancy often falters in early gestation. Whether these losses result in clinical miscarriages depends on the origins and impacts of chromosomal errors on fetal development and the ability of the decidualizing endometrium to engage in embryo biosensing and selection.

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Background: Safe and effective long-acting injectable agents for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are needed to increase the options for preventing HIV infection.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, noninferiority trial to compare long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA, an integrase strand-transfer inhibitor [INSTI]) at a dose of 600 mg, given intramuscularly every 8 weeks, with daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) for the prevention of HIV infection in at-risk cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and in at-risk transgender women who have sex with men. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive one of the two regimens and were followed for 153 weeks.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study analyzed exhaled breath from 364 COPD patients who had experienced an exacerbation within the last 3 months, comparing those who did and did not have recent issues.
  • * Results showed that eNose could accurately distinguish between exacerbated and stable COPD patients, indicating that exhaled breath may contain unique molecular signatures useful for ongoing patient monitoring.
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Background: EP0057 (formerly CRLX101) is an investigational nanoparticle-drug conjugate (NDC) of a cyclodextrin-based polymer backbone plus camptothecin, a topoisomerase-1 inhibitor. Prior studies showed efficacy in recurrent or persistent, epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (EOC).

Methods: This phase Ib/2 trial assessed safety and efficacy of EP0057 Q2W plus weekly paclitaxel in patients with EOC.

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Crown roots constitute the main part of the rice root system. Several key genes involved in crown root initiation and development have been identified by functional genomics approaches. Nevertheless, these approaches are impaired by functional redundancy and mutant lethality.

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Background: Chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt) is common among Mesoamerican sugarcane workers. Recurrent heat stress and dehydration is a leading hypothesis. Evidence indicate a key role of inflammation.

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During the implantation window, the endometrium becomes poised to transition to a pregnant state, a process driven by differentiation of stromal cells into decidual cells (DC). Perturbations in this process, termed decidualization, leads to breakdown of the feto-maternal interface and miscarriage, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we reconstructed the decidual pathway at single-cell level in vitro and demonstrate that stromal cells first mount an acute stress response before emerging as DC or senescent DC (snDC).

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Spontaneous decidualization of the endometrium in response to progesterone signaling is confined to menstruating species, including humans and other higher primates. During this process, endometrial stromal cells (EnSCs) differentiate into specialized decidual cells that control embryo implantation. We subjected undifferentiated and decidualizing human EnSCs to an assay for transposase accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) to map the underlying chromatin changes.

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Endometrial stem-like cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and epithelial progenitor cells, are essential for cyclic regeneration of the endometrium following menstrual shedding. Emerging evidence indicates that endometrial MSCs (eMSCs) constitute a dynamic population of cells that enables the endometrium to adapt in response to a failed pregnancy. Recurrent miscarriage is associated with relative depletion of endometrial eMSCs, which not only curtails the intrinsic ability of the endometrium to adapt to reproductive failure but also compromises endometrial decidualization, an obligatory transformation process for embryo implantation.

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Decidualization denotes the transformation of endometrial stromal cells into specialized decidual cells. In pregnancy, decidual cells form a protective matrix around the implanting embryo, enabling coordinated trophoblast invasion and formation of a functional placenta. Continuous progesterone (P4) signaling renders decidual cells resistant to various environmental stressors, whereas withdrawal inevitably triggers tissue breakdown and menstruation or miscarriage.

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Implantation requires coordinated interactions between the conceptus and surrounding decidual cells, but the involvement of clock genes in this process is incompletely understood. Circadian oscillations are predicated on transcriptional-translational feedback loops, which balance the activities of the transcriptional activators CLOCK (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput) and brain muscle arnt-like 1 and repressors encoded by PER (Period) and Cryptochrome genes. We show that loss of PER2 expression silences circadian oscillations in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs).

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The endometrial perivascular microenvironment is rich in mesenchymal stem-like cells that express type 1 integral membrane protein Sushi domain containing 2 (SUSD2) but the role of these cells in the decidual transformation of this tissue in pregnancy is unknown. We used an antibody directed against SUSD2 (W5C5) to isolate perivascular (W5C5(+)) and nonperivascular (W5C5(-)) fibroblasts from mid-luteal biopsies. We show that SUSD2 expression, and hence the ratio of W5C5(+):W5C5(-) cells, changes in culture depending on cell-cell contact and activation of the Notch signaling pathway.

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Background: We review our single institution experience to determine predictive factors for early and delayed distant brain failure (DBF) after radiosurgery without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for brain metastases.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2010, a total of 464 patients were treated with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) without WBRT for primary management of newly diagnosed brain metastases. Histology, systemic disease, RPA class, and number of metastases were evaluated as possible predictors of DBF rate.

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Oviduct membranes from chicks treated with diethylstilbestrol have a fully induced level of an enzyme that transfers mannose from GDP-Man to form mannosylphosphoryldolichol (Lucas, J.J. and Levin, E.

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Membrane preparations from hen oviduct catalyze the transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose into three components: mannosyl phosphoryl polyisoprenol, oligosaccharide-lipid, and glycoprotein. Eivence that mannosyl phosphoryl polyisoprenol serves as a mannosyl donor for synthesis of both oligosaccharide-lipid and glycoproteins was previously reported (Waechter, C.J.

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