Lurbinectedin sensitizes PD-L1 blockade therapy by activating STING-IFN signaling in small-cell lung cancer.

Lurbinectedin is an approved second-line treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). SCLC clinical trials combining lurbinectedin with PD-L1 blockade are currently ongoing. However, the immunomodulatory effects of lurbinectedin remain largely unknown.

Selection of DNA aptamers that prevent the fibrillization of α-synuclein protein in cellular and mouse models.

A neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the aggregation and spreading of misfolded α-synuclein (αSyn) protein. In this study, a selection method was developed to identify aptamers that showed affinity for monomeric αSyn and inhibition of αSyn aggregation. Aptamer exhibited strong inhibition of αSyn aggregation by transmission electron microscopy and Thioflavin T fluorescence.

Karyotypic Reshuffling in the Genus Rhipidomys (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) Revealed by Zoo-FISH.

Introduction: Rhipidomys is the second most specious and the most widespread genus of the tribe Thomasomyini. Chromosomal data have been an important tool in the taxonomy of the group that presents low variability of diploid number (2n) and highly variable fundamental numbers (FNs). Despite such diversity, the genus has been studied mainly by classical and banding cytogenetic techniques.

Lung Ultrasound Reproducibly Outperforms Computed Tomography in the Detection of Extravascular Lung Water in Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis.

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is increasingly used as an extension of physical examination, informing clinical diagnosis, and decision making. There is particular interest in the assessment of patients with pulmonary congestion and extravascular lung water, although gaps remain in the evidence base underpinning this practice as a result of the limited evaluation of its inter-rater reliability and comparison with more established radiologic tests.

Methods: 30 patients undergoing haemodialysis were prospectively recruited to an observational cohort study (NCT01949402).

The acute effects of a DASH diet and whole food, plant-based diet on insulin requirements and related cardiometabolic markers in individuals with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

Aims: There is limited research regarding insulin dosing changes following adoption of plant-based diets. We conducted a nonrandomized crossover trial utilizing two plant-based diets (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, and Whole Food, Plant-Based, or WFPB) to assess acute changes in insulin requirements and associated markers among individuals with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Participants (n = 15) enrolled in a 4-week trial with sequential, one-week phases: Baseline, DASH 1, WFPB, and DASH 2.

Characterization of repetitive DNA on the genome of the marsh rat Holochilus nanus (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae).

Repetitive DNA are sequences repeated hundreds or thousands of times and an abundant part of eukaryotic genomes. SatDNA represents the majority of the repetitive sequences, followed by transposable elements. The species Holochilus nanus (HNA) belongs to the rodent tribe Oryzomyini, the most taxonomically diverse of Sigmodontinae subfamily.

Can in vitro meat be a viable alternative for Turkish consumers?

High meat consumption places a heavy burden on the environment. This study aimed to highlight the practices of Turkish consumers in consuming red meat and to understand their attitudes toward in vitro meat (IVM). The relationships between red meat consumption rationalization, attitudes toward IVM, and intentions to consume IVM were examined for Turkish consumers.

Changes in the Diagnoses of Breast Core Needle Biopsies on Second Review at a Tertiary Care Center: Implications for Surgical Management.

Core needle biopsy (CNB) of breast lesions is routine for diagnosis and treatment planning. Despite refinement of diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis of breast lesions on CNB can be challenging. At many centers, including ours, confirmation of diagnoses rendered in other laboratories is required before treatment planning.

Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of a diffuse pleural mesothelioma patient-derived xenograft library.

Background: Diffuse pleural mesothelioma (DPM) is an aggressive malignancy that, despite recent treatment advances, has unacceptably poor outcomes. Therapeutic research in DPM is inhibited by a paucity of preclinical models that faithfully recapitulate the human disease.

Methods: We established 22 patient-derived xenografts (PDX) from 22 patients with DPM and performed multi-omic analyses to deconvolute the mutational landscapes, global expression profiles, and molecular subtypes of these PDX models and compared features to those of the matched primary patient tumors.

Exploring the Connection Between the Gut Microbiome and Parkinson's Disease Symptom Progression and Pathology: Implications for Supplementary Treatment Options.

The contribution of the microbiota to induce gastrointestinal inflammation is hypothesized to be a key component of alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the pathological progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). The function of the GI tract is governed by a system of neurons that form part of the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS hosts  100-500 million nerve cells within two thin layers lining the GI tract.

Non-small cell lung carcinomas with diffuse coexpression of TTF1 and p40: clinicopathological and genomic features of 14 rare biphenotypic tumours.

Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) and p40 are widely-utilized diagnostic markers of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), respectively. Diffuse coexpression of TTF1 and p40 has been described in only rare case reports. In a multi-institutional study, we collected the largest cohort of these unusual tumours to-date (n = 14), with the goal of elucidating their clinicopathological and genomic characteristics.

Rb Tumor Suppressor in Small Cell Lung Cancer: Combined Genomic and IHC Analysis with a Description of a Distinct Rb-Proficient Subset.

Purpose: RB1 mutations and loss of retinoblastoma (Rb) expression represent consistent but not entirely invariable hallmarks of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The prevalence and characteristics of SCLC retaining wild-type Rb are not well-established. Furthermore, the performance of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) versus immunohistochemistry for Rb assessment is not well-defined.

Canada's Colonial Genocide of Indigenous Peoples: A Review of the Psychosocial and Neurobiological Processes Linking Trauma and Intergenerational Outcomes.

The policies and actions that were enacted to colonize Indigenous Peoples in Canada have been described as constituting cultural genocide. When one considers the long-term consequences from the perspective of the social and environmental determinants of health framework, the impacts of such policies on the physical and mental health of Indigenous Peoples go well beyond cultural loss. This paper addresses the impacts of key historical and current Canadian federal policies in relation to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.

Volatiles Composition and Antimicrobial Activities of Areca Nut Extracts Obtained by Simultaneous Distillation-Extraction and Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction.

The volatile components of areca nuts were isolated by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME, DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber extraction) and simultaneous hydrodistillation-extraction (SHDE) and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Furthermore, all SHDE fractions were tested for antimicrobial activity using the disk diffusion method on nine Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (, , , , , , , , and ). In total, 98 compounds (mainly alcohols, carbonyl compounds, fatty acids, esters, terpenes, terpenoids, and aliphatic hydrocarbons) were identified in SHDE fractions and by using SPME extraction Fatty acids were the main group of volatile constituents detected in all types of extracts.

Comprehensive molecular characterization of lung tumors implicates AKT and MYC signaling in adenocarcinoma to squamous cell transdifferentiation.

Background: Lineage plasticity, the ability to transdifferentiate among distinct phenotypic identities, facilitates therapeutic resistance in cancer. In lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs), this phenomenon includes small cell and squamous cell (LUSC) histologic transformation in the context of acquired resistance to targeted inhibition of driver mutations. LUAD-to-LUSC transdifferentiation, occurring in up to 9% of EGFR-mutant patients relapsed on osimertinib, is associated with notably poor prognosis.

The clinical behavior and genomic features of the so-called adenoid cystic carcinomas of the solid variant with basaloid features.

Classic adenoid cystic carcinomas (C-AdCCs) of the breast are rare, relatively indolent forms of triple negative cancers, characterized by recurrent MYB or MYBL1 genetic alterations. Solid and basaloid adenoid cystic carcinoma (SB-AdCC) is considered a rare variant of AdCC yet to be fully characterized. Here, we sought to determine the clinical behavior and repertoire of genetic alterations of SB-AdCCs.

Expansion of Patient Education Programming Regarding Live Donor Liver Transplantation via Virtual Group Encounters During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the coronavirus 2019 pandemic we converted our liver transplant waitlist candidate education and support program to a virtual format and expanded it to include ongoing engagement sessions aimed to educate and empower patients to maximize opportunity for live donor liver transplantation. Over a period of 6 months from April 2020 to Sept 2020 we included 21 patients in this pilot quality improvement program. We collected data regarding patient response and potential donor referral activity.

Characterizing the protracted neurobiological and neuroanatomical effects of paraquat in a murine model of Parkinson's disease.

The primary motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) result from the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and often, the loss is asymmetrical, resulting in unilateral tremor presentation. Notably, age is the primary risk factor for PD, and it is likely that the disease ultimately stems from the impact of environmental factors, which interact with the aging process. Recent research has focused on the role of microglia and pro-oxidative responses in dopaminergic neuronal death.

A review on the cytogenetics of the tribe Oryzomyini (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae), with the description of new karyotypes.

Oryzomyini represents the most diverse and speciose tribe of subfamily Sigmodontinae, with 29 genera and about 141 species. This great diversity of species is distributed from southeastern North to southern South America. Its systematics have passed through major changes in the last years due to the integration of molecular data with morphological characters in phylogenetic inferences.

Authentification of fruit spirits using HS-SPME/GC-FID and OPLS methods.

This research provides an accurate description of the origin for fruit spirits. In total, 63 samples of various kinds of fruit spirits (especially from apples, pears, plums, apricots and mirabelle) were analysed using headspace-solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography with flame-ionization detector. Obtained volatile profiles were treated and analysed by multivariate regression with a reduction of dimensionality-orthogonal projections to latent structure for the classification of fruit spirits according to their fruit of origin.

Clinical and pathologic features associated with PD-L1 (SP142) expression in stromal tumor-infiltrating immune cells of triple-negative breast carcinoma.

The Ventana PD-L1 SP142 immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay is the FDA-approved companion diagnostic assay for atezolizumab therapy selection for patients with PD-L1-positive locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC). We aimed to elucidate clinical, pathologic, and molecular features associated with PD-L1 expression in TNBCs. Clinical, pathologic, and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based molecular data for TNBCs tested with PD-L1 (SP142) IHC at our institution between 11/2018 and 12/2019 were retrieved and reviewed.