Starfysh integrates spatial transcriptomic and histologic data to reveal heterogeneous tumor-immune hubs.

Spatially resolved gene expression profiling provides insight into tissue organization and cell-cell crosstalk; however, sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics (ST) lacks single-cell resolution. Current ST analysis methods require single-cell RNA sequencing data as a reference for rigorous interpretation of cell states, mostly do not use associated histology images and are not capable of inferring shared neighborhoods across multiple tissues. Here we present Starfysh, a computational toolbox using a deep generative model that incorporates archetypal analysis and any known cell type markers to characterize known or new tissue-specific cell states without a single-cell reference.

HEPATOCELLULAR TOXICITY OF THE METABOLITE EMODIN PRODUCED BY THE COMMON BUCKTHORN (RHAMNUS CATHARTICA) IN GREEN FROG (LITHOBATES CLAMITANS) TADPOLES.

The secondary metabolite emodin, produced by the widely distributed invasive shrub known as the common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), has been shown to produce deformities and mortality in invertebrates, fish, and amphibian larvae. Here, we describe the effects on the liver of green frog (Lithobates clamitans) tadpoles after 21 d of exposure to high concentrations of emodin in a controlled environment. Histopathologic analysis showed fibrosis, bile duct proliferation, hepatocellular swelling, and accumulations of flocculent material consistent with emodin within the gall bladder and bile ducts of exposed individuals.