Identifying genetic determinants of forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (Moench)] adaptation through GWAS.

Background: Forage sorghum is a highly valued crop in livestock feed production due to its versatility, adaptability, high productivity, and resilience under adverse environmental conditions, making it a crucial option for sustainable forage production. This study aimed to investigate ninety-five forage sorghum genotypes and identify the marker - trait associations (MTAs) in adaptive traits, including yield and flowering through genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Results: Using 41,854 polymorphic SNPs, a GWAS involving the GLM, MLM, and FarmCPU models was performed to analyse fourteen adaptive traits.

A PD-1-targeted, receptor-masked IL-2 immunocytokine that engages IL-2Rα strengthens T cell-mediated anti-tumor therapies.

The clinical use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) for cancer immunotherapy is limited by severe toxicity. Emerging IL-2 therapies with reduced IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2Rα) binding aim to mitigate toxicity and regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion but have had limited clinical success. Here, we show that IL-2Rα engagement is critical for the anti-tumor activity of systemic IL-2 therapy.

Generation of T-cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies with differentiated profiles of cytokine release and biodistribution by CD3 affinity tuning.

T-cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies have emerged as a new class of therapeutic agents designed to simultaneously bind to T cells via CD3 and to tumor cells via tumor-cell-specific antigens (TSA), inducing T-cell-mediated killing of tumor cells. The promising preclinical and clinical efficacy of TSAxCD3 antibodies is often accompanied by toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome due to T-cell activation. How the efficacy and toxicity profile of the TSAxCD3 bispecific antibodies depends on the binding affinity to CD3 remains unclear.

Rectal Cancer Complete Response Outcomes in a Community-Based Hospital Comparable with Large Cancer Centers When Multidisciplinary Approach to Rectal Cancer Is Used.

Achievement of pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer correlates with improved prognosis relative to non-pCR counterparts. Such correlations are not well established in the context of a community-based hospital. This study aims to examine pCR rates, recurrences, and survival data for locally advanced rectal cancer patients in community settings.

Rectal Dissection Simulator for da Vinci Surgery: Details of Simulator Manufacturing With Evidence of Construct, Face, and Content Validity.

Background: Apprenticeship in training new surgical skills is problematic, because it involves human subjects. To date there are limited inanimate trainers for rectal surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to present manufacturing details accompanied by evidence of construct, face, and content validity for a robotic rectal dissection simulation.

Patterns and outcomes of colorectal cancer in adolescents and young adults.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population (aged 15-39 y) is rising.

Materials And Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database to study CRC in the AYA population. We studied clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with survival.

Repair of a recurrent traumatic rectovaginal fistula using vaginal wall plication to reinforce a rectal wall advancement flap.

Background: Rectovaginal fistulas (RVF) can cause significant physical discomfort and psychological distress for patients and remain amongst the most challenging disorders for surgeons.

Methods: A 28-year-old female with a history of a traumatic cloaca repaired 12 years prior was diagnosed with a recurrent RVF and underwent repair using a rectal wall advancement flap reinforced with posterior vaginal wall plication. This case is used to demonstrate surgical technique.

Timing of chemotherapy and survival in patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma.

Aim: To evaluate the timing of chemotherapy in gastric cancer by comparing survival outcomes in treatment groups.

Methods: Patients with surgically resected gastric adenocarcinoma from 1988 to 2006 were identified from the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program. To evaluate the population most likely to receive and/or benefit from adjunct chemotherapy, inclusion criteria consisted of Stage II or III gastric cancer patients > 18 years of age who underwent curative-intent surgical resection.

Elective versus emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis.

Background: It is unclear whether advances in the medical management of ulcerative colitis (UC) have altered outcomes for medically intractable disease. Therefore, it is essential to understand the current impact of elective versus emergency surgery for UC.

Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to compare outcomes for elective versus emergency UC surgery between 2005 and 2010.

Prognostic and predictive roles of KRAS mutation in colorectal cancer.

The RAS gene family is among the most studied and best characterized of the known cancer-related genes. Of the three human ras isoforms, KRAS is the most frequently altered gene, with mutations occurring in 17%-25% of all cancers. In particular, approximately 30%-40% of colon cancers harbor a KRAS mutation.

Well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma: the role of post-operative radioactive iodine administration.

Post-operative management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) often involves administration of radioactive iodine (RAI) for remnant ablation or adjuvant therapy. However, given the favorable prognosis associated with DTC, the risk versus benefit ratio of RAI remains unclear. RAI is associated with substantial, albeit rare side effects, including a possible increased risk of secondary malignancy and altered fertility, which must be balanced against the magnitude of benefit for decreasing recurrence and improving survival.

Laparoscopic versus open colon resections in California: a cross-sectional analysis.

Laparoscopic surgery is associated with decreased hospital length of stay, improved perioperative morbidity, and faster return to work compared with open procedures. Despite these benefits, laparoscopy has not been universally adopted with recent implementation estimates ranging from 10 to 30 per cent. The purpose of this study was to analyze the adoption of laparoscopic techniques for colon resections in California in 2009 based on institutional colectomy volume status.

Elderly patients with colon cancer have unique tumor characteristics and poor survival.

Background: The incidence of colon cancer increases with age, and colon cancer predominantly affects individuals >65 years old. However, there are limited data regarding clinical and pathologic factors, treatment characteristics, and survival of older patients with colon cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of increasing age on colon cancer.

Milan Criteria and UCSF Criteria: A Preliminary Comparative Study of Liver Transplantation Outcomes in the United States.

The application of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) necessitates highly selective criteria to maximize survival and to optimize allocation of a scarce resource. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of OLT for HCC in patients transplanted under Milan and UCSF criteria. The United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) database was queried for patients who had undergone OLT for HCC from 2002 to 2007, and 1,972 patients (Milan criteria, n = 1, 913; UCSF criteria, n = 59) were identified.

IgG1 is pathogenic in Leishmania mexicana infection.

There are >2 million new cases of leishmaniasis annually, and no effective vaccine has been developed to prevent infection. In murine infection, Leishmania mexicana, which lives intracellularly in host macrophages, has developed pathways to hijack host IgG to induce a suppressive IL-10 response through FcγRs, the cell-surface receptors for IgG. To guide vaccine development away from detrimental Ab responses, which can accompany attempts to induce cell-mediated immunity, it is crucial to know which isotypes of IgG are pathogenic in this infection.

Portocaval hemitransposition in pediatric liver transplant recipients: a single-center experience.

Few studies have reported a series of patients who have undergone portocaval hemitransposition at the time of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Furthermore, no series report the outcome of pediatric patients who required the procedure. This work analyzes the experience with portocaval hemitransposition in the pediatric liver transplant population at a single center since the initial description of the procedure.