Everything you ever wanted to know about cancer stem cells in neuroendocrine neoplasms but were afraid to ask.

While the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumorigenesis, chemoresistance, metastasis, and relapse has been extensively studied in solid tumors, such as adenocarcinomas or sarcomas, the same cannot be said for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). While lagging, CSCs have been described in numerous NENs, including gastrointestinal and pancreatic NENs (PanNENs), and they have been found to play critical roles in tumor initiation, progression, and treatment resistance. However, it seems that there is still skepticism regarding the role of CSCs in NENs, even in light of studies that support the CSC model in these tumors and the therapeutic benefits of targeting them.

A never-ending story: updated 3D cyber-taxonomic revision of the ant genus Wheeler (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) for the Afrotropical region.

The ant genus are fascinating ants due to their distinctive morphology, ecology, and rarity. In this study, a comprehensive revision of in the Afrotropical region is presented, through a combination of morphological examination under the light microscope and three-dimensional (3D) cyber-taxonomy based on microtomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT based 3D surface models of all species were used for virtual morphological visualisation and examination.

Surgical Resected Cardiac Angiosarcoma in a 75-Year-Old Patient With a Mitral Valve Bioprosthesis.

A 75-year-old patient with a history of mitral and aortic valve replacement surgery 7 years ago, presented with progressive dyspnea. Transesophageal echocardiogram showed a mass suggestive of bioprosthetic mitral valve thrombosis. We present the investigation process using imaging, surgical findings, nuclear medicine, and histopathology that result in the diagnosis of cardiac angiosarcoma.

Idecabtagene vicleucel or ciltacabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: An international multicenter study.

Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) have revolutionized the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), but direct comparisons are lacking. Leveraging an international multicenter RRMM cohort, we compared the outcome of ide-cel ( = 162) versus cilta-cel ( = 42). Co-primary efficacy endpoints of the study were overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Disease characteristics and outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia in germline deficiency (Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy).

Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy (FPDMM, FPD/AML, -FPD), caused by monoallelic deleterious germline variants, is characterized by bleeding diathesis and predisposition for hematologic malignancies, particularly myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Clinical data on FPDMM-associated AML (FPDMM-AML) are limited, complicating evidence-based clinical decision-making. Here, we present retrospective genetic and clinical data of the largest cohort of FPDMM patients reported to date.

The conserved lysine residue in transmembrane helix 5 is pivotal for the cytoplasmic gating of the L-amino acid transporters.

L-Amino acid transporters (LATs) play a key role in a wide range of physiological processes. Defects in LATs can lead to neurological disorders and aminoacidurias, while the overexpression of these transporters is related to cancer. BasC is a bacterial LAT transporter with an APC fold.

Enhancing AI Chatbot Responses in Health Care: The SMART Prompt Structure in Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of prompt construction on the quality of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot responses in the context of head and neck surgery.

Study Design: Observational and evaluative study.

Setting: An international collaboration involving 16 researchers from 11 European centers specializing in head and neck surgery.

Preparation and characterization of a rat uterine decellularized scaffold.

Background: Infertility is a special reproductive health defect. For women, congenital uterine malformations, extensive adhesions in the uterine cavity, and hysterectomy are associated with infertility. Uterine transplantation is technically feasible, but its clinical application and development are limited by donor shortages and immune rejection.

Hygrometry behavior during high-flow nasal oxygen therapy and non-invasive mechanical ventilation: A narrative review of bench to clinical studies.

Recently, there has been growing interest in knowing the best hygrometry level during high-flow nasal oxygen and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and its potential influence on the outcome. Various studies have shown that breathing cold and dry air results in excessive water loss by nasal mucosa, reduced mucociliary clearance, increased airway resistance, reduced epithelial cell function, increased inflammation, sloughing of tracheal epithelium, and submucosal inflammation. With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, using high-flow nasal oxygen with a heated humidifier has become an emerging form of non-invasive support among clinicians.

Inefficient transfer of diatoms through the subpolar Southern Ocean twilight zone.

The Southern Ocean, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, plays a vital role in regulating global nutrient cycles and atmospheric CO via the biological carbon pump. Diatoms, photosynthetically active plankton with dense opal skeletons, are key to this process as their exoskeletons are thought to enhance the transfer of particulate organic carbon to depth, positioning them as major vectors of carbon storage. Yet conflicting observations obscure the mechanistic link between diatoms, opal and particulate organic carbon fluxes, especially in the twilight zone where greatest flux losses occur.

David couldn't bring down Goliath: museum specimen reveals a failed predation attempt by fire ants ( Westwood, 1840) upon a large hawk moth (Cramer, 1775).

Insights into insect predatory behaviour can be inferred indirectly from specimens housed in Natural History Collections. In this work, we document a unique interaction, never recorded before, involving the remains of a Westwood, 1840 ant worker -probably (Smith, 1855)- whose head is firmly attached by its mandibles to an antenna of a female hawk moth (Cramer, 1775) (Sphingidae). This specimen is part of the Entomology Collection at the MNCN-CSIC in Madrid, Spain.

A systematic review on risk factors and reasons for e-cigarette use in adolescents.

Introduction: The aim was to establish EC use risk and protective factors, the reasons for use, associations with tobacco and other substance use, and use for smoking cessation.

Methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024532771). Searches in Web of Science and PubMed/MEDLINE (March-April 2024) used terms like 'electronic cigarette' and 'adolescents' with a PICO framework.

Prior Information Shapes Perceptual Confidence.

Decisional confidence refers to the subjective evaluation of the accuracy of a decision based on sensory information. While these judgments are typically grounded in the strength of evidence leading to a decision, they are also subjected to influence from top-down factors such as prior expectations. Previous research has highlighted the impact of prior information on decision parameters such as reaction times and decision criteria placement.

Insights into the subdaily variations in methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide fluxes from upland tropical tree stems.

Recent studies have shown that stem fluxes, although highly variable among trees, can alter the strength of the methane (CH) sink or nitrous oxide (NO) source in some forests, but the patterns and magnitudes of these fluxes remain unclear. This study investigated the drivers of subdaily and seasonal variations in stem and soil CH, NO and carbon dioxide (CO) fluxes. CH, NO and CO fluxes were measured continuously for 19 months in individual stems of two tree species, Eperua falcata (Aubl.

DAA-PASS: A Prospective Evaluation of HCC Recurrence After Direct Acting Antiviral Therapy.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is associated with a significant reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among patients with cirrhosis, but data are conflicting about the risk of recurrence following DAA therapy. DAA-PASS was a prospective, pragmatic, observational study designed to estimate the risk of HCC recurrence associated with DAA therapy exposure during routine clinical care. Eligible patients were DAA treatment naive with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A.

Uncertainty experienced by the critical patient upon discharge to the general ward: Care proposals from the perspective of Mishel's theory.

Background: The process of discharging the critical patient to the ward (discharge from critical care to the general ward-DCCW) is often described as an experience involving uncertainty which may affect the patient's quality of life and ability to cope. Coping with uncertainty is an individual response not related to the course of the illness that is dependent on external and internal resources and the ability to utilize them. Mishel's theory of uncertainty identifies aspects of care that can shape the experience of uncertainty associated with the illness.

Halophyte-based crop managements induce biochemical, metabolomic and proteomic changes in tomato plants under saline conditions.

Halophytes display distinctive physiological mechanisms that enable their survival and growth under extreme saline conditions. This makes them potential candidates for their use in saline agriculture. In this research, tomato (Solanum lycopersium Mill.

Thirty years later: the lingering effects of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery with third-generation implants on quality of life.

Purpose: To determine patient-reported clinical status in a cohort of patients operated on during adolescence for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation after a minimum follow-up (FU) of 25 years.

Methods: Multicentric cross-sectional observational study. We assessed the clinical status of patients using the lumbar-pain numeric rating scale (NRS), ODI, SRS-22r, SF-36, and EQ-5D-5L.

Understanding glucose metabolism and insulin action at the blood-brain barrier: Implications for brain health and neurodegenerative diseases.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective, semipermeable barrier critical for maintaining brain homeostasis. The BBB regulates the transport of essential nutrients, hormones, and signaling molecules between the bloodstream and the central nervous system (CNS), while simultaneously protecting the brain from potentially harmful substances and pathogens. This selective permeability ensures that the brain is nourished and shielded from toxins.

Sphingolipid long chain bases as mediators of cell death in olive fruit abscission.

Plant sphingolipids are lipophilic membrane components essential for different cellular functions but they also act as signaling molecules in various aspects of plant development. However, the interaction between plant sphingolipids and abscission remains largely uncharacterized. Here, the possible role of sphingolipids in regulating fruit abscission was examined in the abscission zone (AZ) of olive fruit.

Labia Majora Approach to Aesthetic and Functional Complaints. A Standardized Topographic Labia Majora Classification.

Functional and aesthetic aberrations of labia majora are poorly described in scientific literature, and there is a lack of standardization and algorithms for treatment. The labia majora differs from the labia minora in that it has transitional epithelium, fascia, erectile tissue, and adipose components connected to crural, pelvic, and perineal structures. Non-surgical treatments, such as radiofrequency and light-based therapy, must match the symptoms and target these unique structures to have an effect.

Generation and Characterization of a New Aging Skin Human Dermal Extracellular Matrix Scaffold.

In vitro skin aging models represent a valuable tool for the study of age-related pathologies and potential treatments. However, the currently available models do not adequately represent the complex microenvironment of the dermis since they generally focus on cutaneous cellular senescence, rather than the full range of factors that contribute to the aging process, such as structural and compositional alteration of the dermal extracellular matrix. The following protocol describes the extraction and characterization of human adult extracellular matrix scaffolds for use in in vitro aging models.

Reversal of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Multi-Centric Analysis of Indications, Techniques, and Surgical Outcomes.

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass may present long-term complications that require revisional surgery or even reversal to normal anatomy. Data on the indications, surgical technique, and outcomes of RYGB reversal remain scarce.

Methods: We identified 48 cases of RYGB reversals with complete 90-day follow-up within a multi-centric international retrospective database of elective secondary bariatric surgery.