Impact of thermal denaturation on renal volume reduction after partial nephrectomy using soft coagulation hemostasis.

Partial nephrectomy has become the gold standard treatment for small renal masses. This study aimed to assess the impact of soft coagulation hemostasis on parenchymal volume reduction of the operated kidney after an open partial nephrectomy. We retrospectively reviewed 94 patients with small renal tumors who underwent open partial nephrectomy with soft-coagulation hemostasis at our institution.

Comparative transcriptomic insights into the evolutionary origin of the tetrapod double cone.

The tetrapod double cone is a pair of tightly associated cones called the "principal" and the "accessory" member. It is found in amphibians, reptiles, and birds, as well as monotreme and marsupial mammals but is absent in fish and eutherian mammals. To explore the potential evolutionary origins of the double cone, we analyzed single-cell and -nucleus transcriptomic atlases of photoreceptors from six vertebrate species: zebrafish, chicken, lizard, opossum, ground squirrel, and human.

Restoration of cone-circuit functionality in the regenerating adult zebrafish retina.

Unlike humans, teleosts like zebrafish exhibit robust retinal regeneration after injury from endogenous stem cells. However, it is unclear if regenerating cone photoreceptors regain physiological function and integrate correctly into post-synaptic circuits. We used two-photon calcium imaging of living adult retina to examine photoreceptor responses before and after light-induced lesions.

Predictors of renal function deterioration at one year after off-clamp non-renorrhaphy partial nephrectomy.

Background: Preservation of renal function is an important goal in renal cell carcinoma-related surgery. Although several case-dependent techniques for renal pedicle clamping and hemostasis have been used, their effects on long-term renal function are controversial.

Methods: The clinical records of 114 patients who underwent off-clamp non-renorrhaphy open partial nephrectomy at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed.

Using genome and transcriptome data from African-ancestry female participants to identify putative breast cancer susceptibility genes.

African-ancestry (AA) participants are underrepresented in genetics research. Here, we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) in AA female participants to identify putative breast cancer susceptibility genes. We built genetic models to predict levels of gene expression, exon junction, and 3' UTR alternative polyadenylation using genomic and transcriptomic data generated in normal breast tissues from 150 AA participants and then used these models to perform association analyses using genomic data from 18,034 cases and 22,104 controls.

Ancient origin of the rod bipolar cell pathway in the vertebrate retina.

Vertebrates rely on rod photoreceptors for vision in low-light conditions. The specialized downstream circuit for rod signalling, called the primary rod pathway, is well characterized in mammals, but circuitry for rod signalling in non-mammals is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the mammalian primary rod pathway is conserved in zebrafish, which diverged from extant mammals ~400 million years ago.

New twists in the evolution of retinal direction selectivity.

In mammals, starburst amacrine cells are centrally involved in motion vision and a new study in PLOS Biology, by Yan and colleagues finds that zebrafish have them, too. They coexist with a second pair of starburst-like neurons, but neither appears to be strongly motion selective.

Clinicopathological pattern of oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 over-expression of epithelial ovarian carcinomas in Nigeria.

Background: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from all gynaecological malignancies. Only few biomarkers of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) prognosis have been studied so far among Nigerian patients.

Objective: To determine the pattern of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) expression in patients with EOC seen in Nigeria.

Setting up a state-of-the-art laboratory in resource limited settings: A case study of the biomedical science research and training centre in Northeast Nigeria.

African science has substantial potential, yet it grapples with significant challenges. Here we describe the establishment of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) in Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria, as a case study of a hub fostering on-continent research and describe strategies to overcome current barriers. We detail the steps taken to establish BioRTC, emphasising the critical importance of stakeholder engagement, community involvement, resource optimisation and collaborations.

Race, Gene Expression Signatures, and Clinical Outcomes of Patients With High-Risk Early Breast Cancer.

Importance: There has been little consideration of genomic risk of recurrence by breast cancer subtype despite evidence of racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate associations between clinical trial end points, namely pathologic complete response (pCR) and distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and race and examine whether gene expression signatures are associated with outcomes by race.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response With Imaging and Molecular Analysis 2 (I-SPY 2) multicenter clinical trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with novel agents and combinations for patients with previously untreated stage II/III breast cancer.

External Evaluation of a Mammography-based Deep Learning Model for Predicting Breast Cancer in an Ethnically Diverse Population.

Purpose: To externally evaluate a mammography-based deep learning (DL) model (Mirai) in a high-risk racially diverse population and compare its performance with other mammographic measures.

Materials And Methods: A total of 6435 screening mammograms in 2096 female patients (median age, 56.4 years ± 11.

Ancient origin of the rod bipolar cell pathway in the vertebrate retina.

Vertebrates rely on rod photoreceptors for vision in low-light conditions. Mammals have a specialized downstream circuit for rod signaling called the primary rod pathway, which comprises specific cell types and wiring patterns that are thought to be unique to this lineage. Thus, it has been long assumed that the primary rod pathway evolved in mammals.

Ancient origin of the rod bipolar cell pathway in the vertebrate retina.

Vertebrates rely on rod photoreceptors for vision in low-light conditions. Mammals have a specialized downstream circuit for rod signaling called the primary rod pathway, which comprises specific cell types and wiring patterns that are thought to be unique to this lineage. Thus, it has been long assumed that the primary rod pathway evolved in mammals.

Advantages of enhanced recovery after surgery program in robot-assisted radical cystectomy.

Radical cystectomy is a gold-standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We recently introduced robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with perioperative enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). The medical records of patients with bladder cancer who underwent open radical cystectomy (ORC) or RARC/ERAS at NTT Medical Center Tokyo were retrospectively reviewed to compare the surgical outcomes, hospital stay, and medical costs between groups.

Molecular profiling of a real-world breast cancer cohort with genetically inferred ancestries reveals actionable tumor biology differences between European ancestry and African ancestry patient populations.

Background: Endocrine-resistant HR+/HER2- breast cancer (BC) and triple-negative BC (TNBC) are of interest for molecularly informed treatment due to their aggressive natures and limited treatment profiles. Patients of African Ancestry (AA) experience higher rates of TNBC and mortality than European Ancestry (EA) patients, despite lower overall BC incidence. Here, we compare the molecular landscapes of AA and EA patients with HR+/HER2- BC and TNBC in a real-world cohort to promote equity in precision oncology by illuminating the heterogeneity of potentially druggable genomic and transcriptomic pathways.

Relationship between toe grip strength and dynamic balance in older adult patients with femoral neck fracture.

[Purpose] Femoral neck fractures are a common problem resulting from balance impairment. Toe grip strength is related to balance function. This study aimed to confirm the type of balance function that is highly related to toe grip strength.

Racial Disparities in Pathological Complete Response Among Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Importance: Among patients with breast cancer, inconsistent findings have been published on racial disparities in achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

Objective: To investigate whether racial disparities exist in achieving pCR and what factors contribute to them.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Within the ongoing Chicago Multiethnic Epidemiologic Breast Cancer Cohort (ChiMEC), which consists of a prospectively ascertained cohort of patients with breast cancer, 690 patients with stage I to III breast cancer receiving NACT were identified for this single-institution study at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Amacrine cells differentially balance zebrafish color circuits in the central and peripheral retina.

The vertebrate inner retina is driven by photoreceptors whose outputs are already pre-processed; in zebrafish, outer retinal circuits split "color" from "grayscale" information across four cone-photoreceptor types. It remains unclear how the inner retina processes incoming spectral information while also combining cone signals to shape grayscale functions. We address this question by imaging the light-driven responses of amacrine cells (ACs) and bipolar cells (BCs) in larval zebrafish in the presence and pharmacological absence of inner retinal inhibition.

The Developmental Progression of Eight Opsin Spectral Signals Recorded from the Zebrafish Retinal Cone Layer Is Altered by the Timing and Cell Type Expression of Thyroxin Receptor β2 (trβ2) Gain-Of-Function Transgenes.

Zebrafish retinal cone signals shift in spectral shape through larval, juvenile, and adult development as expression patterns of eight cone-opsin genes change. An algorithm extracting signal amplitudes for the component cone spectral types is developed and tested on two thyroxin receptor β2 (trβ2) gain-of-function lines and , allowing correlation between opsin signaling and opsin immunoreactivity in lines with different developmental timing and cell-type expression of this red-opsin-promoting transgene. Both adult transgenics became complete, or nearly complete, "red-cone dichromats," with disproportionately large long-wavelength-sensitive (LWS)1 opsin amplitudes as compared with controls, where LWS1 and LWS2 amplitudes were about equal, and significant signals from SWS1, SWS2, and Rh2 opsins were detected.

Predictive factors for postoperative renal function after off-clamp, non-renorrhaphy partial nephrectomy.

Background: There is limited information on perioperative renal function during off-clamp, non-renorrhaphy open partial nephrectomy. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to identify predictive factors of perioperative decline in renal function after off-clamp, non-renorrhaphy open partial nephrectomy.

Methods: Clinical records of 138 patients with renal tumors who underwent off-clamp, non-renorrhaphy open partial nephrectomy at our institution were reviewed.

Galactosylation of cell-surface glycoprotein required for hyphal growth and cell wall integrity in Schizosaccharomyces japonicus.

Schizosaccharomyces japonicus is a dimorphic yeast, transiting between unicellular and hyphal growth. The glycoproteins of fission yeast contain, in addition to mannose (Man), a large number of galactose (Gal) residues. Previously, we reported that the cell-surface O-glycans of S.

Triple-negative expression (ALDH1A1-/CD133-/mutant p53-) cases in lung adenocarcinoma had a good prognosis.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are major contributors to the malignant transformation of cells because of their capacity for self-renewal. Aldehyde dehydrogenase1A1 (ALDH1A1) and CD133 are promising candidate of CSC markers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Furthermore, TP53 is frequently mutated in lung cancer, and the loss of its function is associated with malignant characteristics.