Immunogenic cell death inducers and PD-1 blockade as neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer.

Immuno-oncological cancer management is shifting to neoadjuvant treatments. In patients with gastrointestinal cancers, particularly locally advanced rectal cancer, neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy often induce complete responses, hence avoiding surgical intervention. Recent clinical trials indicate that combinations of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1-targeting immunotherapy can be safely administered before surgery with curative intent.

A monoallelic variant in CCN2 causes an autosomal dominant spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with low bone mass.

Cellular communication network factor 2 (CCN2) is a secreted extracellular matrix-associated protein, and its aberrantly increased expression has been implicated in a diversity of diseases involving pathological processes of fibrosis, chronic inflammation, or tissue injury, which has promoted the evaluation of CCN2 as therapeutic targets for multiple disorders. However, human phenotypes associated with CCN2 deficiency have remained enigmatic; variants in CCN2 have not yet been associated with a human phenotype. Here, we collected families diagnosed with spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia (SEMD), and screened candidate pathogenic genes for families without known genetic causes using next-generation sequencing.

Global radiotherapy demands and corresponding radiotherapy-professional workforce requirements in 2022 and predicted to 2050: a population-based study.

Background: Addressing the challenge of cancer control requires a comprehensive, integrated, and global health-system response. We aimed to estimate global radiotherapy demands and requirements for radiotherapy professionals from 2022 to 2050.

Methods: We conducted a population-based study using data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2022 and predicted global radiotherapy demands and workforce requirements in 2050.

Prior-image-based low-dose CT reconstruction for adaptive radiation therapy.

. The study aims to reduce the imaging radiation dose in Adaptive Radiotherapy (ART) while maintaining high-quality CT images, critical for effective treatment planning and monitoring..

The vitamin D status in a Chinese osteogenesis imperfecta population and its correlation with bone metabolic markers and bone density.

Objective: Studies on the baseline vitamin D levels in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) patients before medication are scarce. This study assessed the vitamin D status of a population with OI at both the overall level and within different age groups. It correlated baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with other bone-related factors, biochemical markers, and bone density.

Associations of heavy metal exposure with diabetic retinopathy in the U.S. diabetic population: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Mounting evidence suggests a correlation between heavy metals exposure and diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent and irreversible complication of diabetes that can result in blindness. However, studies focusing on the effects of exposure to heavy metals on DR remain scarce.

Association of immune deficiency with prognosis and corticosteroid treatment benefits among patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: The role of corticosteroids in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains contentious. This study aims to investigate the prognostic significance of immune deficiency in patients with ARDS and its response to varying doses of corticosteroids.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study enrolled 657 ARDS patients from January 24, 2008, to September 12, 2022, at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

CXCR6 expression correlates with radiotherapy response and immune context in triple-negative breast cancer-experimental studies.

Background: The chemokine receptor CXCR6 is critical for sustained tumor control mediated by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) in tumors. Previous studies have shown that ionizing radiation induces an inflamed immune contexture by upregulating CXCR6. However, the clinical significance of CXCR6 expression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and its correlation with radiotherapy remains unknown.

An additional proofreader contributes to DNA replication fidelity in mycobacteria.

The removal of mis-incorporated nucleotides by proofreading activity ensures DNA replication fidelity. Whereas the ε-exonuclease DnaQ is a well-established proofreader in the model organism , it has been shown that proofreading in a majority of bacteria relies on the polymerase and histidinol phosphatase (PHP) domain of replicative polymerase, despite the presence of a DnaQ homolog that is structurally and functionally distinct from DnaQ. However, the biological functions of this type of noncanonical DnaQ remain unclear.

Ovarian Torsion: A Review of the Evidence.

Importance: Ovarian torsion is a gynecological emergency caused by the twisting of the ovary and/or fallopian tube, further resulting in ischemic changes of the adnexa. Early diagnosis is likely to preserve ovarian function.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to review the current findings of ovarian torsion including clinical presentations, diagnostic criteria, surgical procedures, and prognosis.

Delta magnetic resonance imaging radiomics features‑based nomogram predicts long‑term efficacy after induction chemotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To establish and validate a delta-radiomics-based model for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) following induction chemotherapy (IC).

Methods And Materials: A total of 250 LA-NPC patients (training cohort: n = 145; validation cohort: n = 105) were enrolled. Radiomic features were extracted from MRI scans taken before and after IC, and changes in these features were calculated.

Design and Research of the Grasping Force Feedback Mechanism of Flexible Surgical Robots.

Background: Robot-assisted microsurgery (RAMS) is gradually becoming the preferred method for some delicate surgical procedures. However, the lack of haptic feedback reduces the safety of the surgery. Surgeons are unable to feel the grasping force between surgical instruments and the patient's tissues, which can easily lead to grasping failure or tissue damage.

Spock2 Functions as a Key Time-Series Gene of Endothelial Cells in Sepsis-Induced Cardiomyopathy.

The study aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, a leading cause of mortality in septic patients. Transcriptome data from cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic mice were analyzed at different time points (24, 48, and 72 hours) using GSE171546 data. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis, time series, and differential expression analyses, key time-series differentially expressed genes were identified.

Anlotinib reversed resistance to PD-1 inhibitors in recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancers: a real-world retrospective study.

Patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers (R/M HNCs) are prone to developing resistance after immunotherapy. This retrospective real-world study aims to investigate whether the addition of anlotinib can reverse resistance to PD-1 inhibitors (PD-1i) and evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination in R/M HNCs. Main outcomes included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR), and safety.

Clinical implementation and evaluation of deep learning-assisted automatic radiotherapy treatment planning for lung cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the clinical application of deep learning (DL)-assisted automatic radiotherapy planning for lung cancer.

Methods: A DL model was developed for predicting patient-specific doses, trained and validated on a dataset of 235 patients with diverse target volumes and prescriptions. The model was integrated into clinical workflow with DL-predicted objective functions.

Long-term outcome of definitive radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A real-world single-center study in the pre-durvalumab era.

Background: There was limited research data on large-scale locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) radical radiotherapy (RT) reported in China. This study examined overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), treatment effectiveness, and toxicity in patients with LA-NSCLC treated with definitive RT in the pre-durvalumab era.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of demographic information, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes of 789 patients with LA-NSCLC who underwent radical RT at our center between January 2005 and December 2015 was performed.

CD137 expression and signal function drive pleiotropic γδ T-cell effector functions that inhibit intracellular M. tuberculosis growth.

Co-activation signal that induces/sustains pleiotropic effector functions of antigen-specific γδ T cells remains unknown. Here, Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb) tuberculin administration during tuberculosis (TB) skin test resulted in rapid expression of co-activation signal molecules CD137 and CD107a by fast-acting Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in TB-resistant subjects (Resisters), but not patients with active TB. And, anti-CD137 agonistic antibody treatment experiments showed that CD137 signaling enabled Vγ2Vδ2 T cells to produce more effector cytokines and inhibit intracellular Mtb growth in macrophages (Mɸ).

Impact of Radiation on Exosomes in Regulating Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

Purpose: Exosomes have been shown to play a role in most, if not all, steps of cancer progression. We still lack a comprehensive understanding of the bidirectional communication of exosomes between tumor cells and immune cells. This article aims to explore how exosomes can influence cancer growth and how they are affected by radiation therapy.

Hypothesis: hematogenous metastatic cancer cells of solid tumors may disguise themselves as memory macrophages for metastasis.

German pathologist Otto Aichel suggested, a century ago, that the cancer cell acquired its metastatic property from a leukocyte via cell-cell fusion. Since then, several revised versions of this theory have been proposed. Most of the proposals attribute the generation of the metastatic cancer cell to the fusion between a primary cancer cell and a macrophage.