Neoadjuvant Accelerated Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Cancer: Large, Single-Center Analysis of Consecutive Patients' Data.

: Bladder cancer is a significant clinical problem with approximately 500,000 new cases worldwide annually. In approximately 25% of cases, disease is diagnosed at a stage of invasion of the muscle layer of the bladder. The current standard approach in this disease is preoperative chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy.

A Novel Case of Pulmonary Sclerosing Diffuse PEComatosis With Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia.

Proliferations of neoplastic perivascular epithelioid cells (PECs) may occur within the lung and extrathoracic sites. The term "PEComatosis" is applied to multiple or diffuse microscopic proliferations of neoplastic PECs. Pulmonary diffuse PEComatosis is extremely rare, with only one case documented in the literature to date.

Vitamin D receptor is associated with prognostic characteristics of breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy-an observational study.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed malignant tumor in women. The disease and its subsequent treatment pose a serious burden on the quality of life of patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has become one of the crucial strategies for the management of BC.

miR156-SPL and miR169-NF-YA Modules Regulate the Induction of Somatic Embryogenesis in Arabidopsis via LEC- and Auxin-Related Pathways.

The embryogenic transition of plant somatic cells to produce somatic embryos requires extensive reprogramming of the cell transcriptome. The prominent role of transcription factors (TFs) and miRNAs in controlling somatic embryogenesis (SE) induction in plants was documented. The profiling of expression in the embryogenic culture of Arabidopsis implied the contribution of the miR156 and miR169 to the embryogenic induction.

The Structural and Mechanical Properties of AlO-Ni Composites Obtained by Magnetic Field-Assisted Centrifugal Slip Casting.

This study investigates the influence of a magnetic field on the microstructure and properties of AlO-Ni composites fabricated via centrifugal slip casting at 1500 rpm. AlO and Ni powders were combined with water and deflocculants, homogenized, and then cast into a porous plaster mold surrounded by Nd-Fe-B magnets. The resulting composites, sintered in a reducing atmosphere, exhibited a three-zone structure with varying Ni content due to the combined effects of the magnetic field and centrifugal force.

The Impact of Sidedness on the Efficacy of Anti-EGFR-Based First-Line Chemotherapy in Advanced Colorectal Cancer Patients in Real-Life Setting-A Nation-Wide Retrospective Analysis (RACER).

Anti-EGFR antibodies combined with chemotherapy doublets are a cornerstone of the upfront treatment of colorectal cancer. RAS and BRAF mutations are established negative predictive factors for such therapy. The primary tumour located in the proximal colon has recently emerged as another negative predictive factor.

Association of dietary intake of polyphenols, lignans, and phytosterols with immune-stimulating microbiota and COVID-19 risk in a group of Polish men and women.

Objectives: Devastating consequences of COVID-19 disease enhanced the role of promoting prevention-focused practices. Among targeted efforts, diet is regarded as one of the potential factors which can affect immune function and optimal nutrition is postulated as the method of augmentation of people's viral resistance. As epidemiological evidence is scarce, the present study aimed to explore the association between dietary intake of total polyphenols, lignans and plant sterols and the abundance of immunomodulatory gut microbiota such as Enterococcus spp.

Microstructure and Mechanical Characterization of Novel AlO-(NiAl-AlO) Composites Fabricated via Pulse Plasma Sintering.

The scientific goal of this paper is to study and explain the relationship between the microstructure of a ceramic-intermetallic composite fabricated by consolidating a mixture of AlO and NiAl-AlO using the PPS technique and its basic mechanical properties. Six series of composites were manufactured. The obtained samples differed in the sintering temperature and content of compo-powder.

Clinically Occult Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma in Patients Presenting With Spontaneous Pneumothorax.

Objectives: To report histologic features of unsuspected diffuse pleural mesothelioma (DPM) in surgical specimens for pneumothorax and demonstrate how ancillary markers support a diagnosis of malignancy in this context. We explored whether pneumothorax may be a clinical manifestation of mesothelioma in situ (MIS).

Methods: A single-institution database search identified patients who underwent surgical resection for spontaneous pneumothorax (n = 229) and/or were diagnosed with DPM (n = 88) from 2000 to 2020.

Clinical Characterization of Targetable Mutations (BRAF V600E and KRAS G12C) in Advanced Colorectal Cancer-A Nation-Wide Study.

BRAF V600E and KRAS mutations that occur in colorectal cancer (CRC) define a subpopulation of patients with an inferior prognosis. Recently, the first BRAF V600E-targeting therapy has been approved and novel agents targeting KRAS G12C are being evaluated in CRC. A better understanding of the clinical characteristics of the populations defined by those mutations is needed.

Metronomic Chemo-Endocrine Therapy (FulVEC) as a Salvage Treatment for Patients with Advanced, Treatment-Refractory ER+/HER2-Breast Cancer-A Retrospective Analysis of Consecutive Patients Data.

Background: Breast cancer, with 2.3 million new cases and 0.7 million deaths every year, represents a great medical challenge worldwide.

Metronomic Chemotherapy Based on Topotecan or Topotecan and Cyclophosphamide Combination (CyTo) in Advanced, Pretreated Ovarian Cancer.

Patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC) have a detrimental prognosis. The options for systemic treatment of advanced OC in later lines of treatment are limited by the availability of active therapies and their applicability to often fragile, exhausted patients with poor performance status. Metronomic chemotherapy (MC) is a concept of a continuous administration of cytotoxic drugs, which is characterized by multidirectional activity (anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic, and anti-immunosuppressive) and low toxicity.

Synthesis and Characterization of Benzene- and Triazine-Based Azo-Bridged Porous Organic Polymers.

Porous organic polymers incorporating nitrogen-rich functionalities have recently emerged as promising materials for efficient and highly selective CO capture and separation. Herein, we report synthesis and characterization of new two-dimensional (2D) benzene- and triazine-based azo-bridged porous organic polymers. Different synthetic approaches towards the porous azo-bridged polymers were tested, including reductive homocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers, oxidative homocoupling of aromatic amino monomers and heterocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers and a series of aromatic diamines of different lengths and rigidity.

Polish Consensus on Gastric Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment - Update 2022.

This document - "Polish Consensus on Gastric Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment - Update 2022" - represents an expert consensus following a year's worth of dedicated effort by a team of specialists throughout 2021, put forward in a conference in December 2021 in Krakow, and finalized below for publication in 2022. The effective date of this document is June 14th 2022. The work that went into updating this consensus was made under auspices of the Polish Society of Surgical Oncology and the Association of Polish Surgeons.

Comparing Students of Medical and Social Sciences in Terms of Self-Assessment of Perceived Stress, Quality of Life, and Personal Characteristics.

The aim of this study was to compare medical and social sciences students' outcomes in terms of self-perceived stress, quality of life, and personality traits. We put particular emphasis on external and internal differences in students of specific fields-medicine, nursing, psychology, and pedagogy. In a survey, 1,783 students from Medical University of Gdańsk and University of Gdańsk participated in our study, of whom 1,223 were included in the final statistical analysis.

Characterization of AlO Matrix Composites Fabricated via the Slip Casting Method Using NiAl-AlO Composite Powder.

This work aimed to characterize AlO matrix composites fabricated by the slip casting method using NiAl-AlO composite powder as the initial powder. The composite powder, consisting of NiAl + 30 wt.% AlO, was obtained by mechanical alloying of AlO, Al, and Ni powders.

Reduction of Cancer-Induced Thrombocytosis as a Biomarker of Improved Outcomes in Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background: Interplay between non-specific inflammatory reaction and tumor microenvironment in gastric cancer (GC) can be measured indirectly by assessing fluctuations in concentration of platelets. Cytotoxic chemotherapy affects these morphotic elements directly by inducing myelosuppression. It was hypothesized that chemotherapy not only directly affects malignant cells, but also through immunomodulation related to myelosuppression.

Direct and displaced aggression after exclusion: role of gender differences.

The present studies consider the influence of exclusion on aggressive behavior depending on the target of the aggression and the gender of the aggressor. Previous studies have shown that after exclusion, aggressive behavior occurs toward the excluder as well as toward innocent bystanders. However, there is also evidence that men have a greater tendency toward direct aggression and women have a greater tendency toward displaced aggression.

Pulse Plasma Sintering of NiAl-AlO Composite Powder Produced by Mechanical Alloying with Contribution of Nanometric AlO Powder.

NiAl-AlO composites, fabricated from the prepared composite powders by mechanical alloying and then consolidated by pulse plasma sintering, were presented. The use of nanometric alumina powder for reinforcement of a synthetized intermetallic matrix was the innovative concept of this work. Moreover, this is the first reported attempt to use the Pulse Plasma Sintering (PPS) method to consolidate composite powder with the contribution of nanometric alumina powder.

Inhibition of Viral Membrane Fusion by Peptides and Approaches to Peptide Design.

Fusion of lipid-enveloped viruses with the cellular plasma membrane or the endosome membrane is mediated by viral envelope proteins that undergo large conformational changes following binding to receptors. The HIV-1 fusion protein gp41 undergoes a transition into a "six-helix bundle" after binding of the surface protein gp120 to the CD4 receptor and a co-receptor. Synthetic peptides that mimic part of this structure interfere with the formation of the helix structure and inhibit membrane fusion.