High-pressure phase transition and amorphization of BaVO.

The structural evolution of metavanadate compounds under high pressure offers valuable insights into phase transitions and changes in material properties. This study explores the structural behavior of BaVO under pressures up to 12 GPa using powder X-ray diffraction and density-functional theory (DFT) simulations. The results indicate a phase transition from the ambient pressure orthorhombic phase (space group 222) to a monoclinic phase (space group 2) at 4 GPa, likely driven by the distortion of the vanadium oxide polyhedron.

Detecting Sensitive Spectral Bands and Vegetation Indices for Potato Yield Using Handheld Spectroradiometer Data.

Remote sensing is a valuable tool in precision agriculture due to its spatial and temporal coverage, non-destructive method of data collection, and cost-effectiveness. In this study, we measured the canopy reflectance of potato ( L.) crops on a plant-by-plant basis with a handheld spectrometer instrument.

Nitric oxide synthase system in the brain development of neonatal hypothyroid rats.

Thyroid hormones play an important morphogenetic role during the fetal and neonatal periods and regulate numerous metabolic processes. In the central nervous system, they control myelination and overall brain development, regional gene expression, and regulation of oxygen consumption. Their deficiency in the fetal and neonatal periods causes severe mental retardation, due to lack of thyroid function, or to iodine deficiency.

All-Optical Trapping and Programmable Transport of Gold Nanorods with Simultaneous Orientation and Spinning Control.

Gold nanorods (GNRs) are of special interest in nanotechnology and biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, anisotropic shape, enhanced surface area, and tunable optical properties. The use of GNRs, for example, as sensors and mechanical actuators, relies on the ability to remotely control their orientation as well as their translational and rotational motion, whether individually or in groups. Achieving such particle control by using optical tools is challenging and exceeds the capabilities of conventional laser tweezers.

Real-World Impact of Routine Addition of Antithymocyte Globulin to Standard GVHD Prophylaxis in Myeloablative Unrelated Donor Transplants: Important Gains in Graft-versus-Host Disease Prevention though No Difference in Overall Survival.

Introduction: Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD); however, it remains controversial whether these gains are offset by an increase in relapse.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective historical control study consisting of patients (n = 210) who underwent myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) from 2014 to 2020.

Results: The incidence of acute GVHD was lower in the ATG group (51.

Tumor-Intrinsic Perinuclear LOXL2: Prognostic Relevance and Relationship with YAP1 Activation Status in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Introduction: Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) expression and function is frequently altered in different cancers but scarcely explored in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This prompted us to investigate the clinical relevance of LOXL2 expression pattern in OSCC and also a possible crosstalk with Hippo/YAP1 pathway signaling.

Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of LOXL2 protein expression was performed in 158 OSCC patient samples, together with Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) activation status.

Outcomes with allogeneic stem cell transplant using cryopreserved versus fresh hematopoietic progenitor cell products.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alloHSCT) is a mainstay of treatment for hematologic malignancies such as acute leukemias and aggressive lymphomas. Historically, fresh hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) products have been preferred to cryopreserved products (cryo-HPC) due to concerns of loss of stem cell viability and number with the cryopreservation procedure.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the outcomes of patients who received cryo-HPCs during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare this against historical cohorts that received fresh HPC.

Treatment of the neck in residual/recurrent disease after chemoradiotherapy for advanced primary laryngeal cancer.

Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is extensively used as primary organ preservation treatment for selected advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC). The oncologic outcomes of such regimens are comparable to those of total laryngectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. However, the management of loco-regional recurrences after CRT remains a challenge, with salvage total laryngectomy being the only curative option.

Perspectives on the adaptation of Japanese plum-type cultivars to reduced winter chilling in two regions of Spain.

Japanese plum, like other temperate fruit tree species, has cultivar-specific temperature requirements during dormancy for proper flowering. Knowing the temperature requirements of this species is of increasing interest due to the great genetic variability that exists among the available Japanese plum-type cultivars, since most of them are interspecific hybrids. The reduction of winter chilling caused by climate change is threatening their cultivation in many regions.

Lectin-like Transcript-1 (LLT1) Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Prognostic Significance and Relationship with the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

Lectin-like transcript-1 (LLT1) expression is detected in different cancer types and is involved in immune evasion. The present study investigates the clinical relevance of tumoral and stromal LLT1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and relationships with the immune infiltrate into the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Immunohistochemical analysis of LLT1 expression was performed in 124 OSCC specimens, together with PD-L1 expression and the infiltration of CD20, CD4, and CD8 lymphocytes and CD68 and CD163-macrophages.

Low-Level Expression of p-S6 Is Associated with Nodal Metastasis in Patients with Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer. The incidence of metastasis for cSCC is estimated to be around 1.2-5%.

Primary Management of Operable Locally Advanced Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Current Concepts and Strategies.

Introduction: Locally advanced oral cavity carcinoma (LAOCSCC) is primarily treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.

Methods: A review of literature using PubMED was performed for studies reporting the management of LAOCSCC. Based on the reviewed literature and opinions of experts in the field, recommendations were made.

A monthly gridded burned area database of national wildland fire data.

We assembled the first gridded burned area (BA) database of national wildfire data (ONFIRE), a comprehensive and integrated resource for researchers, non-government organisations, and government agencies analysing wildfires in various regions of the Earth. We extracted and harmonised records from different regions and sources using open and reproducible methods, providing data in a common framework for the whole period available (starting from 1950 in Australia, 1959 in Canada, 1985 in Chile, 1980 in Europe, and 1984 in the United States) up to 2021 on a common 1° × 1° grid. The data originate from national agencies (often, ground mapping), thus representing the best local expert knowledge.

Combined and Gene Amplification Predicts Laryngeal Cancer Risk beyond Histopathological Grading.

The and genes map at 3q26, a chromosomal region frequently amplified in head and neck cancers, which is associated with poor prognosis. This study explores the clinical significance of and gene amplification in early tumorigenesis. Gene copy number was analyzed by real-time PCR in 62 laryngeal precancerous lesions and correlated with histopathological grading and laryngeal cancer risk.

Initial surgical management of sporadic medullary thyroid cancer: Guidelines based optimal care - A systematic review.

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor from parafollicular cells that produce calcitonin (Ct). Despite several existing guidelines for the surgical management of sporadic MTC (sMTC), optimal initial surgical management of the thyroid, the central and the lateral neck remains a matter of debate.

Methods: A systematic review in PubMed and Scopus for current guidelines addressing the surgical management of sMTC and its referenced citations was conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines.

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas: conceptual controversy and clinical impact.

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas (PDTC) are rare diseases; nevertheless, they account for the majority of deaths from non-anaplastic follicular cell-derived thyroid carcinomas. Establishing the diagnosis and treatment of PDTC is challenging given the low incidence and the lack of standardization of diagnostic criteria. These limitations hamper the ability to compare therapeutic modalities and outcomes between recent and older studies.

VAV2 orchestrates the interplay between regenerative proliferation and ribogenesis in both keratinocytes and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

VAV2 is an activator of RHO GTPases that promotes and maintains regenerative proliferation-like states in normal keratinocytes and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Here, we demonstrate that VAV2 also regulates ribosome biogenesis in those cells, a program associated with poor prognosis of human papilloma virus-negative (HPV) OSCC patients. Mechanistically, VAV2 regulates this process in a catalysis-dependent manner using a conserved pathway comprising the RAC1 and RHOA GTPases, the PAK and ROCK family kinases, and the c-MYC and YAP/TAZ transcription factors.

Tumor mutational burden predictability in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with immunotherapy: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Tumor mutational burden (TMB) has been demonstrated to predict the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in various cancers. However, the role of TMB in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not yet been specifically addressed. Since HNSCC patients exhibit a rather limited response to ICIs, there is an unmet need to develop predictive biomarkers to improve patient selection criteria and the clinical benefit of ICI treatment.

Prognostic value of preoperative inflammatory ratios in early glottic cancer treated with transoral laser surgery.

Background: There is growing evidence regarding the prognostic utility of ratios such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SIII) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, most studies to date include heterogeneous series with different treatments or tumor subsites.

Methods: We collected data from 201 patients with stage I-II glottic squamous cell carcinoma treated with transoral laser surgery.

Dementia and comorbidities in primary care: a scoping review.

Background: People with dementia (PwD) are known to have more chronic conditions compared to those without dementia, which can impact the clinical presentation of dementia, complicate clinical management and reduce overall quality of life. While primary care providers (PCPs) are integral to dementia care, it is currently unclear how PCPs adapt dementia care practices to account for comorbidities. This scoping review maps recent literature that describes the role for PCPs in the prevention, detection/diagnosis and management of dementia in the context of comorbidities, identifies critical knowledge gaps and proposes potential avenues for future research.

Results of salvage neck dissection after chemoradiation in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Salvage surgery is mandatory when regional persistence/recurrence after chemoradiation. The aim of this study is to describe the outcomes of salvage surgery.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that were primarily treated with chemorradiation and underwent salvage neck dissection (ND) with suspected recurrent/persistent nodal disease.

Prognostic Significance of β-Catenin in Relation to the Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Oral Cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic relevance of β-catenin expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to explore relationships with the tumor immune microenvironment. Expression of β-catenin and PD-L1, as well as lymphocyte and macrophage densities, were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 125 OSCC patient specimens. Membranous β-catenin expression was detected in 102 (81.