Tumor-stroma proportion is associated with increased M2 macrophage abundance and predicts the resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in breast cancer.

Background: The tumor stroma has been reported to be associated with worse prognosis in several solid tumors, but its prognostic value in breast cancer (BRCA) is still undefined.

Methods: In this research, multiple public and in-house patient cohorts were collected to demonstrate the clinical and immune correlations of tumor-stroma proportion (TSP) in BRCA. In addition, in vitro assays uncovered the oncogenic role of TSP-related collagen in BRCA.

Immunosuppressive microenvironment of liver restrains chemotherapeutic efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Patients with liver metastases of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) show poor prognosis compared with other metastases. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for advanced TNBC. Tumor cell diversity and the tumor microenvironment could affect therapeutic effect.

Delivery of Marker-Free DNA to Plant Genome by the Transgenic Selection-Associated Fragment Elimination (T-SAFE) System.

The presence of a selection marker in transgenic plants has raised public concerns regarding health safety. We have developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based DNA delivery system termed transgenic selection-associated fragment elimination (T-SAFE). The T-SAFE system comprises four cassettes: the selection marker, CRISPR/Cas9, spacer-plus-protospacer adjacent motif (SP), and the cargo.

Identification and Application of the Heptad Repeat Domain in the CPR5 Protein for Enhancing Plant Immunity.

Plant resistance to pathogens can be significantly enhanced through genetic modification, thereby reducing the reliance on chemical pesticides. CONSTITUTIVE EXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 5 (CPR5) serves as a key negative regulator of plant immunity. Here we explored the functional domains of the CPR5 protein with the goal of dampening its activity to bolster plant immunity.

Autologous fat grafting for postoperative breast reconstruction: A systemic review.

Autologous fat grafting technology has become a new method for breast reconstruction after breast surgery due to its advantages of simple operation, low immunogenicity, fewer complications, high patient acceptance, and natural filling effect. However, the unpredictable fate of transplanted fat limits its widespread application. Currently, many studies have made certain progress in improving the survival rate of fat grafts.

The regulatory mechanism of rapid lignification for timely anther dehiscence.

Anther dehiscence is a crucial event in plant reproduction, tightly regulated and dependent on the lignification of the anther endothecium. In this study, we investigated the rapid lignification process that ensures timely anther dehiscence in Arabidopsis. Our findings reveal that endothecium lignification can be divided into two distinct phases.

Effects of Fe(III) on the formation and toxicity alteration of halonitromethanes, dichloroacetonitrile, and dichloroacetamide from polyethyleneimine during UV/chlorine disinfection.

Trace iron ions (Fe(III)) are commonly found in water and wastewater, where free chlorine is very likely to coexist with Fe(III) affecting the disinfectant's stability and N-DBPs' fate during UV/chlorine disinfection, and yet current understanding of these mechanisms is limited. This study investigates the effects of Fe(III) on the formation and toxicity alteration of halonitromethanes (HNMs), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), and dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm) from polyethyleneimine (PEI) during UV/chlorine disinfection. Results reveal that the maxima concentrations of HNMs, DCAN, and DCAcAm during UV/chlorine disinfection with additional Fe(III) were 1.

A field study of a novel permeable-reactive-biobarrier to remediate chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs) pose significant health risks due to their suspected carcinogenicity, necessitating urgent remediation efforts. While the combination of zero-valent iron (Fe) and microbial action shows promise in mitigating CH contamination, field studies on this approach are scarce. We devised a novel three-layer permeable reactive barrier (PRB) material incorporating Fe and coconut shell biochar, effectively implemented at a typical CH-contaminated site.

B Cells and IL-21-Producing Follicular Helper T Cells Cooperate to Determine the Dynamic Alterations of Premetastatic Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes of Breast Cancer.

Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related death, and lymph node is the most common site of metastasis in breast cancer. However, the alterations that happen in tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) to form a premetastatic microenvironment are largely unknown. Here, we first report the dynamic changes in size and immune status of TDLNs before metastasis in breast cancer.

Preoperative single-dose camrelizumab and/or microwave ablation in women with early-stage breast cancer: A window-of-opportunity trial.

Background: Immune checkpoint blockade has shown low response rates for advanced breast cancer, and combination strategies are needed. Microwave ablation (MWA) may be a trigger of antitumor immunity. This window-of-opportunity trial (ClinicalTrials.

Optimizing image quality and minimizing radiation dose in pediatric abdominal multiphase contrast-enhanced computed tomography: a study on CARE kV and CARE Dose 4D.

Background: Multiphase contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) is a commonly used modality in pediatric computed tomography (CT) scans. However, the purposes and focus of each phase, such as CT angiography (CTA), and parenchymal phase, are different. In routine practice, the same scanning parameters are used for all phases, resulting in unnecessary radiation exposure for children.

may as a biomarker for the adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells in the postoperative fat transplantation of breast cancer.

Background: Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are closely associated with the survival rate of transplanted fat in breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. Nevertheless, the intrinsic mechanisms regulating ADSCs adipogenic differentiation remain ambiguous. The aim of our study was to explore the relevant genes and pathways to elucidate the potential mechanisms of adipogenic differentiation in ADSCs.

Immune cells within tertiary lymphoid structures are associated with progression-free survival in patients with locoregional recurrent breast cancer.

Introduction: Locoregional recurrent breast cancers have a poor prognosis. Little is known about the prognostic impact of immune microenvironment, and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in particular have not been reported. Thus, we aimed to characterize the immune microenvironment in locoregional recurrent breast tumors and to investigate its relationship with prognosis.

Quantification and characterization of microplastics in farmland soils of Jiangsu Province, East China.

The soil ecosystem plays a significant role in the dynamics of microplastics. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of microplastics in six farmland plots from the cities of Nanjing, Suzhou, and Xuzhou were conducted by using laser infrared imaging system (LDIR). The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in farmland soils in Jiangsu Province ranged from 667-9333 items/kg, and the difference between the abundance of microplastics in soils from open-field cultivation and greenhouse farming was not significant.

Axilla View of Mammography in Preoperative Axillary Lymph Node Evaluation of Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore a novel position of mammography named axilla view in axillary lymph node (ALN) evaluation in breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients were prospectively enrolled and scheduled for mammography before surgery. Investigated imaging patterns included mediolateral oblique (2D-MLO) and axilla view (2D-axilla) of mammography, and axilla view of digital breast tomosynthesis (3D-axilla).

Percutaneous microwave ablation combined with endocrine therapy versus standard therapy for elderly patients with HR-positive and HER2-negative invasive breast cancer: a propensity score-matched analysis of a multi-center, prospective cohort study.

Background: There is a growing trend to apply minimally invasive local treatments for elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer. As a minimally invasive thermal therapy, microwave ablation (MWA) has been attempted to treat breast cancer of small lesions, but its long-term local efficacy on elderly patients has seldom been reported. In this study, we aimed to compare outcomes of MWA combined with endocrine therapy to standard surgery combined with adjuvant therapy in the treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative invasive breast cancer for elderly patients.

Feasibility and efficacy of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound of breast fibroadenoma.

Objective: This nonrandomized prospective clinical trial aimed to assess the efficacy, safety and follow-up outcomes of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) surgery in patients with breast fibroadenoma.

Methods: With the approval of the institutional ethics committee and written informed consent, a total of 113 patients diagnosed with breast fibroadenoma by core-needle biopsy in our hospital were recruited. USgHIFU surgery was performed under local anesthesia.

Heterogeneous circulating tumor cells correlate with responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and prognosis in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). The predictive value of heterogeneous circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in NCT response has not been determined. All patients were staged as LABC, and blood samples were collected at the time of biopsy, and after the first and eighth NCT courses.

Stepwise changes in flavonoids in spores/pollen contributed to terrestrial adaptation of plants.

Protecting haploid pollen and spores against UV-B light and high temperature, 2 major stresses inherent to the terrestrial environment, is critical for plant reproduction and dispersal. Here, we show flavonoids play an indispensable role in this process. First, we identified the flavanone naringenin, which serves to defend against UV-B damage, in the sporopollenin wall of all vascular plants tested.