Risk of bowel obstruction in patients with colon cancer responding to immunotherapy: an international case series.

Background: Immunotherapy is used routinely for treating deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer (CC). This case series highlights an emerging safety issue, where patients develop bowel obstruction associated with immunotherapy response.

Patients And Methods: Patients with dMMR CC who developed bowel obstruction while responding to immunotherapy were retrospectively identified.

Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA): a novel histopathologic biomarker in colorectal cancer patients and its association with the luminal tumour proportion.

Background: Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) is a novel prognostic histopathologic biomarker measured at the invasive front in haematoxylin & eosin (H&E) stained colon and gastric cancer resection specimens. The aim of the current study was to validate the prognostic relevance of SARIFA-status in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and investigate its association with the luminal proportion of tumour (PoT).

Methods: We established the SARIFA-status in 164 CRC resection specimens.

Automated curation of large-scale cancer histopathology image datasets using deep learning.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has numerous applications in pathology, supporting diagnosis and prognostication in cancer. However, most AI models are trained on highly selected data, typically one tissue slide per patient. In reality, especially for large surgical resection specimens, dozens of slides can be available for each patient.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy secondary to idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia treated with pembrolizumab.

Background: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare demyelinating disease due to a lytic infection of oligodendrocytes caused by John Cunningham polyoma virus (JCV) infection. Idiopathic CD4+ T-cell lymphocytopenia (ICL) is a very rare cause of PML.

Methods: We present an individual with PML secondary to ICL treated with 3 doses of pembrolizumab, a Programmed-Death-1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor following with complete resolution of symptoms and conduct a review of the literature.

NRSF/REST lies at the intersection between epigenetic regulation, miRNA-mediated gene control and neurodevelopmental pathways associated with Intellectual disability (ID) and Schizophrenia.

Genetic evidence indicates disrupted epigenetic regulation as a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders, but the molecular mechanisms that drive this association remain to be determined. EHMT1 is an epigenetic repressor that is causal for Kleefstra Syndrome (KS), a genetic disorder linked with neurodevelopmental disorders and associated with schizophrenia. Here, we show that reduced EHMT1 activity decreases NRSF/REST protein leading to abnormal neuronal gene expression and progression of neurodevelopment in human iPSC.

Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds.

Mining provides resources for people but can pose risks to ecosystems that support cultural keystone species. Our synthesis reviews relevant aspects of mining operations, describes the ecology of salmonid-bearing watersheds in northwestern North America, and compiles the impacts of metal and coal extraction on salmonids and their habitat. We conservatively estimate that this region encompasses nearly 4000 past producing mines, with present-day operations ranging from small placer sites to massive open-pit projects that annually mine more than 118 million metric tons of earth.

A Global review of cumulative effects assessments of disturbances on forest ecosystems.

This paper reviews trends in the academic literature on cumulative effects assessment (CEA) of disturbance on forest ecosystems to advance research in the broader context of impact assessments. Disturbance is any distinct spatiotemporal event that disrupts the structure and composition of an ecosystem affecting resource availability. We developed a Python package to automate search term selection, write search strategies, reduce bias and improve the efficient and effective selection of articles from academic databases and grey literature.

Trends in cystic fibrosis survival over 40 years in South Africa: An observational cohort study.

Introduction: Temporal trends in cystic fibrosis (CF) survival from low-middle-income settings is poorly reported. We describe changes in CF survival after diagnosis over 40 years from a South African (SA) CF center.

Methods: An observational cohort study of people diagnosed with CF from 1974 to 2019.

Lynch syndrome screening in colorectal cancer: results of a prospective 2-year regional programme validating the NICE diagnostics guidance pathway throughout a 5.2-million population.

Aims: Screening all patients newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) for possible Lynch syndrome (LS) has been recommended in the United Kingdom since the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released new diagnostics guidance in February 2017. We sought to validate the NICE screening pathway through a prospective regional programme throughout a 5.2-million population during a 2-year period.

Effects of Natural Habitat Loss and Edge Effects on Wild Bees and Pollination Services in Remnant Prairies.

Habitat loss and edge effects resulting from habitat fragmentation are key processes implicated in the decline of bee populations globally. Their effects on wild bees and their pollination services in natural ecosystems are poorly understood, particularly in North American prairies. Our objectives were to determine whether natural habitat loss and edge effects affect bee abundance and pollination services in the Northern Great Plains.

Constructing the Bridge from Isotropic to Anisotropic Pitches for Preparing Pitch-Based Carbon Fibers with Tunable Structures and Properties.

Synthetic naphthalene pitches (SNPs) with isotropy and anisotropy were prepared by a simple thermal polycondensation method to fabricate pitch-based carbon fibers. The structural characteristic, thermal stability, phase-separation behavior, and melt-spinnability of the SNPs and the structural properties of the derived carbon fibers were systematically investigated. The results show that spinnable SNPs with controllable mesophase contents ranging from 0 to 100 vol % and softening points (210-290 °C) could be easily obtained by a nitrogen-bubbling treatment to improve their thermal stability and melt-spinnability by avoiding the phase separation of liquid crystal (LC) in the pitch.

Prevention, Management and Risk Factors for Diarrhoeal Disease in under-Fives in Cape Town.

Background: In South Africa, Cape Town's health facilities are stretched by the volume of cases of diarrhoea during the summer months, particularly with severely dehydrated children, who often require complex inpatient management. The prevalence of severe disease in children living in the settlements around Cape Town is particularly high.

Methods: An observational study of a systematic sample of children under 5 who presented to any primary care facility in Khayelitsha, an informal settlement of Cape Town, with diarrhoea and referred to secondary care between 1 November 2015 and 30 April 2016.

Epistemic vigilance online: Textual inaccuracy and children's selective trust in webpages.

In this age of 'fake news', it is crucial that children are equipped with the skills to identify unreliable information online. Our study is the first to examine whether children are influenced by the presence of inaccuracies contained in webpages when deciding which sources to trust. Forty-eight 8- to 10-year-olds viewed three pairs of webpages, relating to the same topics, where one webpage per pair contained three obvious inaccuracies (factual, typographical, or exaggerations, according to condition).

Effect of Liquid Crystalline Texture of Mesophase Pitches on the Structure and Property of Large-Diameter Carbon Fibers.

Two types of carbon fibers with a large diameter of ∼22 μm, derived from unstirred and vigorously stirred mesophase pitch melts with different liquid crystalline mesophase textures, were prepared by melt-spinning, stabilization, carbonization, and graphitization treatments. The morphology, microstructure, and physical properties of the carbon fibers derived from the two kinds of mesophase precursors after various processes were characterized in detail. The results show that the optical texture (i.

Neuropsychological Function Response to Nocturnal Blue Light Blockage in Individuals With Symptoms of Insomnia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study.

Objectives: Insomnia is associated with neuropsychological dysfunction. Evidence points to the role of nocturnal light exposure in disrupted sleep patterns, particularly blue light emitted through smartphones and computers used before bedtime. This study aimed to test whether blocking nocturnal blue light improves neuropsychological function in individuals with insomnia symptoms.

Additional loss of MSH2 and MSH6 expression in sporadic deficient mismatch repair colorectal cancer due to MLH1 promoter hypermethylation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common with 3% of cases associated with germline mutations in the mismatch repair pathway characteristic of Lynch syndrome (LS). The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends screening for LS in all patients newly diagnosed with CRC, irrespective of age. The Yorkshire Cancer Research Bowel Cancer Improvement Programme includes a regional LS screening service for all new diagnoses of CRC.

Early-Warning Signals of Individual Tree Mortality Based on Annual Radial Growth.

Tree mortality is a key driver of forest dynamics and its occurrence is projected to increase in the future due to climate change. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to death, we still lack robust indicators of mortality risk that could be applied at the individual tree scale. Here, we build on a previous contribution exploring the differences in growth level between trees that died and survived a given mortality event to assess whether changes in temporal autocorrelation, variance, and synchrony in time-series of annual radial growth data can be used as early warning signals of mortality risk.

Preliminary Results of a New Auxiliary Mechatronic Near-Field Radar System to 3D Mammography for Early Detection of Breast Cancer.

Accurate and early detection of breast cancer is of high importance, as it is directly associated with the patients' overall well-being during treatment and their chances of survival. Uncertainties in current breast imaging methods can potentially cause two main problems: (1) missing newly formed or small tumors; and (2) false alarms, which could be a source of stress for patients. A recent study at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) indicates that using Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) can reduce the number of false alarms, when compared to conventional mammography.

Blocking nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The use of light-emitting electronic devices before bedtime may contribute to or exacerbate sleep problems. Exposure to blue-wavelength light in particular from these devices may affect sleep by suppressing melatonin and causing neurophysiologic arousal. We aimed to determine if wearing amber-tinted blue light-blocking lenses before bedtime improves sleep in individuals with insomnia.