Long-Term Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Therapy Versus Upfront Surgery for Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the long-term effects of neoadjuvant therapy and upfront surgery on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 202 patients, including 167 who had upfront surgery and 35 who received neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery. Surgical outcomes and survival rates were compared using propensity score matching to minimize selection bias.

RNA outperforms DNA-based metabarcoding in assessing the diversity and response of microeukaryotes to environmental variables in the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic Ocean (AO) has a harsh environment characterized by low temperatures, extensive ice coverage, and periodic freezing and melting of sea ice, which has provided diverse habitats for microorganisms. Prior studies primarily focused on microeukaryote communities in the upper water or sea ice based on environmental DNA, leaving the composition of active microeukaryotes in the diverse AO environments largely unknown. This study provided a vertical assessment of microeukaryote communities in the AO from snow and ice to sea water at a depth of 1670 m using high-throughput sequencing of co-extracted DNA and RNA.

Establishment of patient-derived three-dimensional organoid culture in renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma is a heterogeneous kidney cancer, and over 403,000 cases were reported worldwide in 2018. Current methods for studying renal cell carcinoma are limited to two-dimensional (2D) culture of primary cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. Numerous studies have suggested that 2D culture poorly represents the diversity, heterogeneity, and drug-resistance of primary tumors.

Improved electrical performance of a sol-gel IGZO transistor with high-k AlO gate dielectric achieved by post annealing.

We have explored the effect of post-annealing on the electrical properties of an indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) transistor with an AlO bottom gate dielectric, formed by a sol-gel process. The post-annealed IGZO device demonstrated improved electrical performance in terms of threshold variation, on/off ratio, subthreshold swing, and mobility compared to the non-annealed reference device. Capacitance-voltage measurement confirmed that annealing can lead to enhanced capacitance properties due to reduced charge trapping.

Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Canopy Photosynthesis Modeling Using 3D Plant Architecture and Light Ray-Tracing.

Canopy photosynthesis has typically been estimated using mathematical models that have the following assumptions: the light interception inside the canopy exponentially declines with the canopy depth, and the photosynthetic capacity is affected by light interception as a result of acclimation. However, in actual situations, light interception in the canopy is quite heterogenous depending on environmental factors such as the location, microclimate, leaf area index, and canopy architecture. It is important to apply these factors in an analysis.

Relationships between Body Image, Body Mass Index, and Smoking in Korean Adolescents: Results of a Nationwide Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey.

Objective: This study assessed the association between subjective body image or objective body mass index (BMI) and the risk of daily smoking in Korean adolescents, with a purpose of identifying the most suitable models.

Materials And Methods: Using the 2013 9th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data for 72,435 students, odds ratios were calculated for daily smoking in the past month, according to the subjective body image and calculated BMI using a respective multiple logistic regression model. The combined effect of these two factors was also analyzed by pairing a BMI category with a subjective body image category, using odds ratios for the same event within each sex group.

Clinical case of ossifying fasciitis of the hand.

Ossifying fasciitis is a rare benign tumour similar to nodular fasciitis histopathologically, but, morphologically, composed of metaplastic bone with calcification and chondroid differentiation. This lesion may easily be misinterpreted as malignancy, clinically and histologically, because it presents as a rapidly growing mass originating from subcutaneous or deep fascial tissues. These lesions are usually located in upper and lower extremities and trunk.

Efficient transduction with recombinant adenovirus in EBV-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines.

The Epstein-Barr-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines, LCL, which express antigens, are potential antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vitro. However, transfecting LCL with subsequent selection by antibiotics is notoriously difficult because the plating efficiencies of LCL are reported to be 1% or less. Therefore, this study investigated the optimal conditions for increasing the transduction efficiency of a recombinant adenovirus to LCL for use as a source of APCs.