bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Margaret Sullivan and metajournalistic discourse: A critic’s view within the journalistic field
Authors: Russell Frank M , Delacruz Nollyanne
Published: February 2025

This study concerns how Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan discursively protected journalistic autonomy, expelled deviant actors, and accepted expansion of journalistic boundaries if necessary to preserve the field. Attention to Sullivan’s columns is justified based on her position as an individual with substantial journalistic capital hired to critique news media by two newspapers that hold elite institutional-level roles within U.S. journalism. A discourse analysis of Sullivan’s 2021 columns—guided by field theory and the concept of metajournalistic discourse—indicated that Sullivan discursively protected journalistic autonomy with references to truth, accuracy, independence, and journalism’s watchdog role while contesting traditional conceptualizations of objectivity. Consistent with previous scholarship, she identified three threats to the field: disruption of journalism’s gatekeeping role by digital platforms, the challenge to press freedom of authoritarianism, and diminishment of local news by private investment firms. She positioned Fox News outside journalism’s boundaries and condemned a CNN anchor for violating journalistic values. She accepted public support for news media insofar as market actors challenged journalistic values. Perhaps consistent with her position within the journalistic field, her discourse largely adhered to the values and practices of elite U.S. journalism even as she criticized journalists and news media.
Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Prospects of Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma
Authors: Zhong Lin , Lu Anqing , Lu Xiyue , Liu Xiaoyin , Cao Lujia , Zhu Shihong , Diao SiJun , Cheng Xu , Wu Hongwei , Chen Jing
Published: February 2025

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a very rare extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma confined to the brain, eyes, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This disease is highly aggressive. For decades, high-dose methotrexate-based induction regimens have been the standard treatment for PCNSL and have significantly improved patient overall survival (OS). However, some patients still experience disease recurrence or develop drug resistance. With a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of PCNSL, various therapies, including CD20 monoclonal antibodies, Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, immune checkpoint inhibitors, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3 K)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -T cells are increasingly being applied and have demonstrated considerable efficacy. These therapies have paved the way for novel treatment strategies in PCNSL, representing a highly promising field. Investigating the mechanisms, specific targets, and signaling pathways, as well as interactions with the tumor microenvironment (TME), can provide a solid foundation for further exploration and potentially enhance the optimization of treatment approaches for PCNSL. This review seeks to explore the characteristics of the TME in PCNSL, elucidate the molecular mechanisms of various immunotherapies and targeted therapies, examine their interactions with the TME, and summarize the advancements in the research of PCNSL immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
Balancing national solidarity and journalistic independence in the social media era: The rally-around-the-flag phenomenon among Israeli journalists during the 2024 Gaza war
Authors: Galily Yair
Published: February 2025

This commentary explores the rally-around-the-flag effect in Israeli journalism during the 2024 Gaza war, where heightened national solidarity has shaped media coverage. Historically, Israeli media has aligned with government narratives during conflicts, fostering unity while curbing dissent. In 2024, this phenomenon has intensified due to Hamas’s October 7th attacks, ongoing rocket fire and a polarized political landscape. Journalists grapple with the tension between national loyalty and journalistic integrity, often reinforcing government positions while minimizing criticism. Military and self-censorship further constrain independent reporting, especially regarding sensitive operations and humanitarian crises in Gaza. The rise of social media and citizen journalism has fragmented the media environment, amplifying diverse perspectives. Contrasting Israeli media’s role in bolstering national unity with international media’s varied framing of the war, this commentary underscores the global stakes of these narratives. In his conclusion, the author presents a critical examination of the future of Israeli journalism, advocating for a nuanced balance between patriotic reporting and independent scrutiny.
Spiritual Formation and Multiethnic Congregations
Authors: Gushiken Kevin , Evangelical Harvard Avenue
Published: February 2025

Effective spiritual development is faithful to biblical and creedal truths while remaining sensitive to localized church contexts. As the United States becomes increasingly multiethnic local congregations will experience increased diversity. This shift will necessitate evaluating approaches to spiritual formation in light of these ethnic dynamics. This article provides an overview of a philosophy of spiritual development from an evangelical perspective within the context of a multiethnic congregation. The arenas, influences, characteristics, and agents that shape spiritual formation will be explored with specific applications to multiethnic churches. This overview will shape a description of spiritual maturity and its importance for local congregations, specifically where diversity is present. This article presumes a context where ethnic groups are encouraged to express their ethnicity as members of God’s redemptive and global community.
Contemporary Practice of Native Coarctation in Children Greater Than One Year of Age: A Society of Thoracic Surgeons Analysis
Authors: Ashfaq Awais , Bedzra Edo , Rajab Konrad T. , Bonnell Levi N. , Muralidaran Ashok , Bleiweis Mark , Morales David L.S. , Habib Robert H. , Jacobs Jeffrey , Quintessenza James A.
Published: February 2025

Objective

Limited data exist on surgical repairs for native coarctation of the aorta (Native-CoA) after year-one of life. We sought to establish surgical outcomes benchmark of older Native-CoA repair patients.

Methods

All patients greater than one year of age who underwent off-pump Native-CoA repair were identified from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS-CHSD) between January 1998 and December 2022.

Results

A total of 2,898 patients older than one year (mean age: 6.1 years; mean weight: 23.7 kg) underwent Native-CoA repair through left thoracotomy at 131 STS-CHSD centers. Vascular syndromes including Turners, Williams, and Alagille, were relatively rare at 1.8%. The most common procedures were extended end-to-end (1,309/2898, 45.2%) end-to-end 1,107/2898, (38.2%), and patch aortoplasty ((239/2898, 8.2%). From 1998 to 2018, there was an overall increase in the number of patients (14 vs 156), explained largely by the increased number of hospitals (4 vs 70). However, after 2018, case counts declined by nearly 50%. Operative mortality was rare (n = 3). An average of 1.2 complications per patient (438 total) occurred in 365/2898 (12.6%) patients. The most common complications included chylothorax (101/2898, 3.5%), unplanned 30-day readmission (28/1917, 1.5%), and arrhythmia requiring drug therapy (17/1917, 0.9%). Median length of hospital stay was four days, with hospital stay >6 days in 248 patients (14.8%).

Conclusions

Frequency of off-pump Native-CoA repairs (age >1 year) is decreasing despite no notable change in total participating hospitals and case counts. This is likely due to increased percutaneous interventions despite very low documented mortality and morbidity of off-pump surgical repairs.
Three-Dimensional Printed Cardiac Models Demonstrating Extensive Cardiac Calcification Assist in Preprocedural Planning
Authors: Foley Ross , Walsh Kevin , O’Cearbhaill Eoin , McMahon Colin J.
Published: February 2025

Cardiac calcification is common in adults with congenital heart disease, typically affecting surgical sites and prosthetic material. Understanding the precise location and degree of calcification is important during the decision-making process prior to possible intervention but can be difficult to determine in different imaging modalities. Advances in three-dimensional (3D) modeling and printing have made it possible to distinguish different tissue types and accurately display them in different colors on printed models. We present two adult congenital heart disease patients where advanced 3D printing was used to demonstrate cardiac calcification and aided the preprocedural planning process.
Metabolically Aberrant Extracellular Mitochondria Induce Oxidative Endotheliopathy in Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Lu Xiaoxi , Tang Lujia , Wu Yingang , Hilton Tristan , Chen Xin , Houck Katie L. L , Fulton Sarah , Han Cha , Romero Sophia , Wang Yi , Kozar Rosemary , Cardenas Jessica C. , Fu Xiaoyun , Zhang Jianning , Zhao Zilong , Dong Jing-fei
Published: February 2025

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes endothelial injuries both at the site of injury and in remote regions of the brain. TBI-induced endotheliopathy also disseminates to extracranial organs, such as the lungs. This TBI-induced systemic endotheliopathy has been extensively reported in clinical studies, but its underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we report results from a study designed to investigate the role of extracellular mitochondria (exMt) in TBI-induced endotheliopathy. We showed that exMt are released from injured brains into the circulation, reaching a maximal level of 1.8x104/µl at 3 hours after mice were subjected to severe TBI. These exMt express peroxidized cardiolipin on their surface and generate significant amounts of reactive oxygen species, but they produce less ATP compared to intracellular mitochondria of normal cells. When infused into non-injured mice, exMt induce systemic endotheliopathy defined by increased endothelial permeability, tissue edema, and perivascular bleeding. We further demonstrated that endothelial cells endocytose exMt through the lipid-scavenging receptor CD36 and dynamin-driven clathrin-mediated pathway. The endocytosed exMt interacted with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of ECs through newly formed mitochondria-associated membrane, leading to intracellular ER stress and resultant apoptosis. This study delineates a new pathway of exMt-induced endotheliopathy during acute TBI. It also demonstrates a causal role of exMt in endothelial injuries associated with (poly)trauma, severe infection, and autoimmune diseases.
Exosomes and their distinct integrins transfer the characteristics of oxaliplatin- and 5-FU-resistant behaviors in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Vakili-Ghartavol Zeynab , Deli Hoda , Shadboorestan Amir , Sahebnasagh Roxana , Motevaseli Elahe , Ghahremani Mohammad Hossein
Published: February 2025

Background

Exosomes are communication carriers and suitable biomarker candidates due to their cargoes with specific dynamic profiles. Integrins, as valuable prognostic markers in cancer, have importance in exosome-cell interaction. However, the role of exosome integrins in chemoresistant colorectal cancer remained unclear.

Methods

Oxaliplatin- and 5-FU-resistant cells (OXR and FUR) were established from human HCT-116 cells of colorectal cancer. Exosomes were collected from untreated and treated cells with oxaliplatin or 5-FU. Exosomes were isolated via ultracentrifugation and characterized using DLS and electron microscopy to evaluate size and morphology. Western blot analysis was employed to identify exosomal markers. The effects of exosomes on parental cells were examined using various methods, including MTT assay for proliferation, wound healing assay for migration, flow cytometry for cell cycle and apoptosis analysis, Matrigel-coated transwell inserts for invasion, and western blot for integrin expression evaluation.

Results

Exosome integrins determine resistance behaviors in cells. We observed that exosomes from OXR cells or OXR cells treated with oxaliplatin increased ITGβ3 expression and decreased ITGβ4 expression in parental cells, resulting in distinct resistance behaviors. Exosomes from FUR cells or FUR cells treated with 5-FU reduced ITGβ4 levels and elevated ITGαv levels in parental cells, leading to varying degrees of invasive resistance behaviors. These findings suggest that exosome integrins may affect these behaviors. High ITGβ3 exosomes induced oxaliplatin resistance behaviors in parental cells. Lowering ITGβ3 levels in these exosomes inhibited the resistance behaviors observed in these cells. FUR exosomes that overexpressed ITGαv or ITGβ4 resulted in invasive 5-FU resistance behaviors in parental cells. A reduction in these exosome integrin levels led to moderate invasive behaviors. The decrease of ITGβ4 in FUR cell exosomes inhibited resistant migration and proliferation in parental cells. A twofold reduction of ITGαv in FUR cell exosomes resulted in a threefold decrease in invasion and inhibited migration in parental cells compared to those treated with high ITGαv exosomes.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal that, despite discrepancies between cellular integrin patterns and cellular behaviors, the levels of exosomal ITGβ3, ITGαv, or ITGβ4 could serve as potential diagnostic and therapeutic markers for resistance to oxaliplatin and 5-FU in future cancer treatments.
Study protocol of the METAPANC trial - intensified treatment in patients with local operable but oligometastatic pancreatic cancer - multimodal surgical treatment versus chemotherapy alone: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ghadimi Michael , Pelzer Uwe , Besselink Marc G. , Siveke Jens , Telgmann Ralph , Braren Rickmer , Wilmink Hanneke , Crede Marie , Koenig Alexander , Koenig Ute , Liffers Sven Thorsten , Antweiler Kai , Uijterwijk Bas , Seppanen Hanna , Nordin Arno , Puolakkainen Pauli , Dajani Olav F. , Labori Knut Jørgen , Johansson Mia , Bratlie Svein Olav , Friede Tim , Jo Peter
Published: February 2025

Background

Based on current guidelines, surgical treatment of hepatic oligometastases in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is not primarily recommended. Systematic chemotherapy is the therapy of choice for these patients. The relevance of subsequent surgical resection after chemotherapy remains unclear. This multicentre, randomized, controlled phase III trial is planned to evaluate whether resection of the primary tumor and liver metastases can improve overall survival in patients with PDAC with hepatic oligometastases in a multimodal treatment setting.

Methods

After an induction therapy with eight cyles of mFOLFIRINOX and a response assessment after four and eight cycles, patients will be randomized to either Arm 1 (perioperative mFOFIRINOX plus resection of the primary tumor with resection or ablation of all hepatic metastases) or Arm 2 (continuation of 4 cycles of the standard-of-care mFOLFIRINOX chemotherapy). This clinical trial will focus on a well-defined patient group with metastatic disease limited to the liver as the target organ, with a maximum of three metastases.

Discussion

METAPANC is the first international, randomized, controlled, open-label, multicentre, phase III clinical trial for curative intended surgical therapy of oligometastatic pancreatic cancer in Europe and America. The multimodal surgical treatment of patients with oligometastatic pancreatic cancer could significantly extend the overall survival of this patient group. A possible recommendation of this multimodal treatment regimen outside of clinical trials requires data from randomized controlled trials first. To identify patient subgroups that might benefit from multimodal surgical therapy, additional information on tumor genetics could supplement valid parameters.

Trial registration

EU Clinical Trials No. 2023-503558-10-00.
Voices of change: experiences of early women urology residents — a single institution qualitative research study
Authors: Grutman Aurora J.
Published: February 2025

Objective

To understand the experiences of early women urology residents at a single institution, as told in their own words.

Methods

A convenience sample of women residents who trained at the Brady Urological Institute between 1980 and 2022 was chosen. During the investigated period, 15 women trained at the Brady; all 15 were invited to participate. Participants were provided written consent and assured of anonymity. In semi-structured interviews guided by a set of IRB-approved questions, participants discussed personal backgrounds, medical school experiences, and residency experiences. Participants provided advice to future women in urology. Interviews were recorded with Audacity 3.0.5 or Zoom, and audio files were transcribed using NVivo 14.23.0.

Results

A total of 10 interviews were conducted between July 2023 and February 2024. Childhood role models influenced many participants’ initial interest in medicine, although most discovered urology during medical school. Participants valued the quality of training, mentorship opportunities, proximity to family, and program ethos when selecting a residency program. During residency, participants faced gender-specific challenges due to patient resistance and difficulties balancing professional and personal commitments. Despite these challenges, participants expressed optimism about the future of women in urology.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into the professional development of women urology residents. The participants were part of an early cohort of women in urology and expressed excitement for the future of the field. While the study reflects the experiences of women at just one institution, it provides a foundation for more comprehensive research on women’s experiences in urology and in medicine more broadly.

Clinical trial number

Not applicable.
RNA helicase MOV10 suppresses fear memory and dendritic arborization and regulates microtubule dynamics in hippocampal neurons
Authors: Shilikbay Temirlan , Nawaz Aatiqa , Doon Megan , Ceman Stephanie
Published: February 2025

Background

RNA helicase MOV10 is highly expressed in postnatal brain and associates with FMRP and AGO2, suggesting a role in translation regulation in learning and memory.

Results

We generated a brain-specific knockout mouse (Mov10 Deletion) with greatly reduced MOV10 expression in cortex and hippocampus. Behavior testing revealed enhanced fear memory, similar to that observed in a mouse with reduced brain microRNA production, supporting MOV10’s reported role as an AGO2 cofactor. Cultured hippocampal neurons have elongated distal dendrites, a reported feature of augmin/HAUS over-expression in Drosophila da sensory neurons. In mitotic spindle formation, HAUS is antagonized by the microtubule bundling protein NUMA1. Numa1 mRNA is a MOV10 CLIP target and is among the genes significantly decreased in Mov10 Deletion hippocampus. Restoration of NUMA1 expression and knockdown of HAUS rescued phenotypes of the Mov10 Deletion hippocampal neurons.

Conclusions

This is the first evidence of translation regulation of NUMA1 by MOV10 as a control point in dendritogenesis.
Taking into account students' psychotypes and using their neuropsychological maps when implementing digital educational technologies within the Metaverse
Authors: Ldokova Galiya , Frumina Svetlana , Alwaely Suad Abdalkareem
Published: February 2025

The aim of the study is to examine the influence of students' psychotypes on their learning using digital educational technologies within the Metaverse. In the course of the longitudinal experimental study, the results of the initial testing of 79 students during their undergraduate studies and the re-testing of 75 of these students during their graduate studies were compared. To determine the students' psychotype, the Questionnaire of Character Accentuations, the Methodology for Determining the Dominant Hemisphere of the Brain and the Type of Interhemispheric Asymmetry, the Methodology for Diagnosing the Volitional Potential of an Individual, the Individual-Typological Questionnaire, and the Methodology for Determining the Structure of Temperament were used. The results of the psychodiagnostic testing were compared with the data of electroencephalography (EEG) neuroimaging. The following statistical methods were used to analyze the research results: Student's t-test, ANOVA analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. As a result of studying the features of the neuropsychophysiological profile of students, a persistent predominance of such character traits as anxiety, excitability, cyclothymia, and emotional sensitivity was revealed. A relationship was demonstrated between students' personality psychotypes, their neuropsychological profiles, and the success of their learning outcomes. It was revealed that learning using digital online technologies in the context of the Metaverse has a positive effect on the development of the mobility of neural processes, and cognitive and psychophysiological mechanisms, increases the involvement and motivation of students to acquire new knowledge, helps to normalize the balance between the psychophysiological processes of excitation and inhibition, activates the areas of the cerebral cortex responsible for will, emotions, self-awareness, motivation and communication, contributes to the development of communicative competence, critical thinking and creative potential of the student's personality. The scientific contribution of the authors is to confirm the relationship between the students' psychotype, the dominant activity of the brain lobes, and the level of academic success, which substantiates the positive significance of individualization of learning based on the introduction of virtual and augmented reality technologies into the educational process in higher education institutions. The results of the study can be used to optimize and increase the efficiency of the educational process through the implementation of Metaverse technologies. The study of the influence of gender and age-related psychophysiological characteristics of an individual on his or her learning ability in the context of andragogy is considered a promising direction of research.
Tear glucose is associated with the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Cao Ningyao , Feng Lili , Xu Wei , He Fanglin , Xiao Caiwen , Liu Yan , Xu Weirong , Cui Jingjing , Guo Yuqian , Yao Lianqing , Xia Wenwen , Chen Fei , Li Yong , Zhou Chuandi , Xu Xiaofang
Published: February 2025

Purpose

To examine the association between tear glucose (TG) and the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

A cross-sectional study. TG was examined by rapid qualitative test strip in 160 patients. The severity of DR was graded as mild DR and severe DR. The presence and severity of DR were compared between patients with positive and negative TG. The association of TG with the presence and the severity of DR was estimated by multivariable regression analysis and spearman’s rank correlation test, respectively. The performance of TG to detect DR was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

In this study, 160 patients were included, with a median age of 64.0 years, and 88 (55.0%) patients were males. A total of 91 (56.9%) patients had positive TG, and 69 (43.1%) patients had negative TG. In TG-positive group, 41 (45.1%) patients were diagnosed with DR, among them, 8 (19.5%) patients had mild DR, and 33 (80.5%) patients were afflicted with severe DR. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that the presence of DR positively correlated with the presence of positive TG (odds ratio [OR], 3.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56–8.40; p < 0.01), longer duration of diabetes (OR, 1.11; 95% CI 1.06–1.17; p < 0.01) and higher HbA1c (OR, 1.25; 95% CI 1.01–1.54; p = 0.03). Moreover, Spearman’s correlation analysis suggested that the grading of TG increased with the severity of DR (rs = 0.28, p < 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) of the model integrating TG, the duration of diabetes and HbA1c was 0.76 (95% CI 0.69–0.84), indicating a fair discriminative ability of DR.

Conclusion

TG level was associated with the presence and the severity of DR. TG might be an easy-to-use, non-invasive parameter to the screening and monitoring of DR among patients with diabetes.
Quality and safety requirements for pharmacy-based vaccination in resource-limited countries
Authors: G/Michael Beyene Kidanemariam , Tamiru Melaku Tileku
Published: February 2025

Pharmacy-based vaccination (PBV) programs have proven to be a promising strategy for improving vaccination coverage, particularly in resource-limited countries. These programs increase accessibility and convenience, increase vaccination rates, and benefit vulnerable populations. However, successful implementation requires addressing gaps in regulatory oversight, pharmacists training, inter-professional collaboration, and public awareness. With proper regulatory frameworks, advocacy, enhanced training programs, public education, and establishment of well-designed database, PBV can achieve outcomes comparable to high-resource settings. This commentary aims to inform stakeholders and offer practical recommendations to minimize risks while leveraging its benefits.
Neurosurgical aspects of marble bone disease: treatment modalities and outcome
Authors: Gamal Mahmoud Mohammed , Elkhayat Roshdy , Hassan Hassan Mohammed
Published: February 2025

Background

Marble bone disease or osteopetrosis is an extremely rare hereditary condition that causes abnormal bone density and fragility due to impaired osteoclastic action. This causes the body to produce an abnormal amount of bone that are evident in radiographic findings and cause problems with the body systems, particularly the nervous system. Osteopetrosis has 3 types of genetic inheritance either malignant autosomal recessive (ARO) which occur in childhood, intermediate ARO which occur in adolescence, and benign autosomal dominant osteopetrosis which occur in adults. Complications from increased bone density like elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), compressing neural tissues, especially the cranial nerves (CNs), spinal cord, and brainstem, are common problems.

Aim

The aim of this study is to evaluate neurosurgical problems caused by osteopetrosis focusing on the effectiveness of different treatment modalities and their outcomes.

Conclusion

Marble bone disease or osteopetrosis is a rare hereditary disorder with multiple neurological impacts. Increased ICP and CNs compression are the most common. We studied 5 cases of adult osteopetrosis, 3 of them treated surgically. Two of the surgically treated cases had lumbo-peritonieal shunt, while the third case treated by optic nerve decompression. The remaining 2 cases were treated conservatively. The outcome of the surgically treated cases wasn’t good.
Tradeoffs in growth and fuel reduction when using prescribed fire in young mixed conifer stands
Authors: York Robert A. , Russell Kane W.
Published: February 2025

Background

Following high-severity wildfires in conifer forests that rely on wind dispersal for regeneration, reforestation practices are used to hasten the development of large, fire-resistant trees that are better able to persist through the next fire. Planted forests, however, are particularly prone to high-severity wildfire effects for the initial decades following their establishment. This vulnerability suggests the need for surface fuel reduction treatments in the early stages of stand development. Such treatments would be aligned with the disturbance regime of frequent-fire forests and could also hasten the development of multi-aged structures dominated by fire-resistant trees. Conventional treatments early in stand development include shrub competition reduction and precommercial thinning, but prescribed fire is typically avoided. To assess the potential for inclusion of prescribed fire in young stand management, we investigated how four different treatments—mastication, mastication plus herbicide, two prescribed burns, and mastication plus two burns—affected individual and stand-level growth versus fuel loads in young mixed-conifer plantations in the north-central Sierra Nevada, CA, USA.

Results

Total surface fuel load more than doubled over 5 years in the mastication only and mastication plus herbicide treatments. Fuel accumulation was avoided in the two treatments that included prescribed fire. Stand growth was similar across the mastication only, mastication plus herbicide, and mastication plus burn treatments. Stand growth was lowest in the burn only treatment. The mastication plus herbicide treatment maximized individual tree growth, especially for white fir and incense-cedar. Individual tree growth was similar among the burn only, mastication only, and mastication plus burn treatments.

Conclusions

Mastication followed by repeated prescribed burning could be a viable management strategy to reduce wildfire hazard without sacrificing growth in young mixed-conifer stands that are entering a vulnerable stage of fire risk. Mastication in combination with herbicide may facilitate the growth of large, fire-resistant trees, but does not address surface fuel buildup. The use of fire alone can effectively reduce fuels, but stand growth may be somewhat low relative to mastication and herbicide. Incorporating prescribed fire is a promising approach for protecting planted stands from high-severity fire while transitioning them into multi-aged structures. Gap-based silvicultural systems that facilitate the development of multi-cohort stands can also use prescribed fire broadly in order to restore heterogeneity and low surface fuel loads.
A comparative study of chemical composition, phenolic compound profile and antioxidant activity of wild grown, field and greenhouse cultivated Physalis (P. alkekengi and P. peruviana)
Authors: Yari Parisa , Alirezalu Abolfazl , Khalili Soghra
Published: February 2025

Phytochemical properties and antioxidant activity of medicinal Physalis alkekengi fruit (wild and cultivated genotypes) and P. peruviana commercial species, were investigated (ten samples). Ripe fruits of P. alkekengi in comparison to P. peruviana, which is already regarded as an extremely functional fruit, possessed higher values of phytochemicals as well as antioxidant activity. In this present study, greatest phenolics content and antioxidant activity was observed in cultivated Physalis. The uppermost antioxidant activity was obtained in the fruit extract of cultivated P.alkekengi in C5 (Silvana) with 44.13% by DPPH method and C8 (Urmia) with 0.40 μM Fe++ g −1 FW by FRAP assay. Extracts obtained C8 and C4 (Khoy) possessed the highest total phenolic (34.12 mg GAE g−1 FW) and total flavonoid (7.06 mg QUE g−1 FW) contents, respectively. Additionally, the utmost amount of total carotenoid (614.18 mg100g−1 FW), β-carotene (0.47 mg/100 g FW), and ascorbic acid (84.61 mg g−1 FW) was obtained in C5. Ferulic acid (in C2 sample: Maragheh) and quercetin (in WA sample: Qaradag) were found to be the most abundant phenolic acid and flavonoid by HPLC–MS/MS analysis, respectively. No flavonoid of kaempferol was detected in the studied extracts from different regions. Wild and cultivated species in different regions were classified into four major clusters, according to hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) method. Considering the cultivation of medicinal plants such as Physalis, the growing conditions must be carefully chosen because they affect the phytochemical components and especially the metabolism of polyphenols.

Graphical Abstract
Study of vascular endothelial dysfunction in children with beta-thalassemia major before and after quercetin therapy
Authors: Al Zahraa Sherai Fatma , Mabrouk Maaly , Badraia Ibrahim , Hagag Adel , Elaskary Eman
Published: February 2025

Background

Beta-thalassemia stands as an autosomal recessive disorder that occurs as a result of a defect in the beta-globin chain synthesis of hemoglobin. Oxidative stress has a crucial role in the β-thalassemia pathophysiology. It occurs due to erythroid expansion along with ineffective erythropoiesis. The free hemoglobin oxidation generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), free heme, and iron, thus inducing membrane oxidative damage as well as vascular endothelial dysfunction. Quercetin has a crucial impact on enhancing endothelial dysfunction in thalassemia major. This work aimed to investigate endothelial dysfunction among children diagnosed as beta-thalassemia major by assessing serum level of some endothelial markers (thrombomodulin as well as human ROS) and assessing the quercetin’s therapeutic value in improving endothelial dysfunction by measuring the previous markers 12 weeks following therapy. This randomized placebo-controlled study involved 72 children developing transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major. Their age range fell between 8 and 18 years. They were categorized into two equal groups: group I: received 12 weeks of quercetin therapy and group II: served as control group and received 12 weeks of placebo.

Results

Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase levels showed significantly lower values among patients after 12 weeks of quercetin therapy compared with controls. Pre-transfusion hemoglobin was significantly higher in patients after 12 weeks of quercetin therapy in comparison to controls. Frequency of transfusion was significantly less in patients after 12 weeks of quercetin therapy in comparison to controls. Serum levels of ROS and thrombomodulin showed significantly lower values among cases after 12 weeks of quercetin therapy in comparison to controls (p < 0.001). ROS and thrombomodulin respectively carried the sensitivity of 83.33% and 77.78% and specificity of 80.56% and 83.33% in predicting the outcome with cutoff value ≤ 1073 and 232.

Conclusions

Twelve weeks of 500-mg quercetin therapy had a potent role in decreasing iron overload and improving frequency of transfusion, oxidative stress ,and endothelial dysfunction in children with β-thalassemia major.
Unmet Potential of Antibody-Drug Conjugates: An Evaluation of the Past, Present, and Future of Antibody-Drug Conjugate Development in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Zarrabi Kevin K. , Saxena Abhiraj , Mouw Kent W. , Koshkin Vadim S. , Friedlander Terence
Published: February 2025

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent an emerging class of therapeutics across solid tumor oncology and are already positioned as a cornerstone therapy for patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC). In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the therapeutic landscape as frontline treatment of UC formerly relied on the use of platinum-based agents and has now evolved to include combination strategies with ADCs. These dramatic changes are due in part to our improved understanding of the molecular features of bladder tumors and the identification of tumor-associated antigens specific to UC, which may serve as druggable targets. Despite notable advances and the clinical success of ADCs in other malignancies, their full potential in UC remains largely unmet. Early clinical success of enfortumab vedotin and sacituzumab govitecan demonstrated antitumor activity; however, there are multiple challenges with these ADCs, including on-target, off-tumor toxicity and difficulty in maintaining sustained responses. Newer-generation ADC constructs, either alone or as part of combination approaches, are currently under investigation. This review examines the historical development, current landscape, and emerging trends in ADC therapy for UC, highlighting both the progress made and obstacles that continue to hinder optimal therapeutic outcomes.
Self-Perceived Barriers to Pediatric Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross-Sectional Multinational Study
Authors: Stoeter Ole , Mezger Nikolaus C.S. , Koenig Tamara , Chokunonga Eric , Tessema Girum , Damise Adugna Fekadu , Makouanzi Alda Stevy , Majaliwa Esther , Ivanga Mahine , Kamate Bakarou , Gnahatin Franck , Nambooze Sarah , Ekanem Ima-Obong A. , Bernig Toralf , Liu Biying , Gupta Sumit , Kantelhardt Eva Johanna
Published: February 2025

PURPOSE

The number of patients with childhood cancer (CC) in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise over the coming years. According to the WHO Initiative for Childhood Cancer, access to care is crucial and must be guided by the needs of patients and their families. Our study explored barriers to CC treatment from a patient's perspective to guide the health care providers.

METHODS

From February to September 2021, we conducted a multinational cross-sectional study with a sample from nine population-based cancer registries in nine sub-Saharan countries. Inclusion criteria comprised a cancer diagnosis according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, age 0-19 years, and year of diagnosis 2017-2019. A questionnaire was administered asking families about self-perceived barriers accessing surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. To assess associated factors, we conducted a multivariable regression analysis presenting the results as odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

A total of 224 patients with CC was included. The fear of treatment effects and the perceived (poor) health of the child were named most frequently as barriers for all treatment modalities (78.9% and 75.5%, respectively). For chemotherapy, respondents who indicated themselves as rich had lower odds of perceiving the (poor) health of the child as a barrier (OR, 0.06 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.36]). For radiotherapy, long waiting time and (limited) availability in the country were more commonly barriers (OR, 7.53 [95% CI, 3.38 to 16.78]; OR, 11.11 [95% CI, 2.04 to 60.46], respectively) than for chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Despite known barriers such as the availability of therapy, our study additionally indicates the importance of the patients' and families' perceptions of the disease and its treatment. Further expanding measures of social support for affected families should be regarded as one of the main pillars to assure access to care.
Prognostic Modeling for Bone Sarcomas Based on a Large Prospective Cohort From a Tertiary Care Cancer Center in India
Authors: Bajpai Jyoti , Sarkar Laboni , Rath Sushmita , Pawar Akash , Chandrashekharan Arun , Panda Goutam , Jakar Dharmpal , Ghosh Jaya , Laskar Siddhartha , Rekhi Bharat , Khanna Nehal , Jose Jifmi , Ramdawar Mukta , Purandare Nilendu , Bhargava Prabhat , Chakrabarty Nivedita , Gala Kunal , Kembhavi Yogesh , Rangarajan Venkatesh , Banavali Shripad , Gupta Sudeep
Published: February 2025

PURPOSE

Outcomes of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with bone sarcomas including osteosarcoma (OGS) and Ewing sarcoma (ES) are affected by various factors including inadvertent previous treatment and poor compliance. We aimed to develop a risk-scoring system derived and validated at a tertiary care cancer center in India.

METHODS

All AYA OGS and ES cases treated at our institute with OGS-12 and Ewing’s family of tumors-2001 (EFT-2001) protocols from 2011 to 2021 and 2013 to 2018, respectively, were prospectively analyzed. Weighted scores provided to each prognostic variable on the basis of approximate ratios of the beta coefficients of each factor in the multivariable model were summated to divide patients into three clinically discriminatory risk groups, validated by applying separately to derivation, validation, and whole cohorts.

RESULTS

Among 606 (81.0%) of 748 AYA with nonmetastatic OGS, significant factors included in the prognostic model were failure to complete protocol (hazard ratio [HR], 2.65), previous treatment (HR, 2.93), necrosis <90% (HR, 1.63), joint involvement (HR, 2.0), and serum alkaline phosphatase >median (204 U/L; HR, 1.63). Of 104 (39.5%) of 263 AYA with ES, significant factors were failure to complete protocol (HR, 2.84), previous treatment (HR, 6.37), necrosis <100% (HR, 8.73), and tumor size >8 cm (HR, 2.64). For 142 (38.8%) of 366 AYA with metastatic OGS, significant factors were failure to complete protocol (HR, 5.29), metastases not amenable to local treatment (HR, 1.96), necrosis <90% (HR, 1.96), and >10 metastases (HR, 2.44). For 38 (43.6%) of 82 AYA with metastatic extremity ES, significant factors were failure to complete protocol (HR, 3.88) and metastases not amenable to local treatment (HR, 10.6).

CONCLUSION

We developed simple, effective prognostic models for AYA with bone sarcomas with specific potential relevance for low- and middle-income countries.
Combination Immunotherapy With Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Melanoma of Unknown Primary
Authors: Patel Sapna P. , Sheth Rahul A. , Davis Christina , Medina Theresa
Published: February 2025

The
Oncology Grand Rounds
series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors’ suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in
Journal of Clinical Oncology
, to patients seen in their own clinical practice
.
The Morning After and the Mourning to Come
Authors: Rodriguez Matthew Elbert
Published: February 2025

This article reads Hervé Guibert’s 1989 novella Fou de Vincent in dialogue with his writings on photography to analyze the novella’s representation of homosexual intimacy in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The peculiar narrative form of the novella—diary entries organized in reverse chronological order (“à l’envers”)—leads the reader to see the past through the lens of the present. By infusing the past with a sense of imminent loss, the novella reinscribes moments of intimacy (signified by the diaristic fragments that make up the text) as moments of anticipatory mourning. The motif of inversion (reading and looking “à l’envers”), as this article shows, relates directly to earlier texts by Guibert in which he writes about photography as a corruptible medium, as an art of imperfect preservation against the passage of time, and as a site of entanglement between viewer, photographer, and referent. Guibert’s lover Vincent, as an object of Guibert’s photographic attention, comes to signify the vulnerability of youth in an era of untimely death. Guibert’s diaristic writing preserves, in turn, his attachment to a fragile form of life and testifies to the ambivalence of looking back at the past in a time of personal and collective catastrophe.
Free Mediterranean
Authors: Kosmatopoulos Nikolas
Published: February 2025

How does Palestine solidarity alter thinking from the sea? How does the anticolonial insurgency in Palestine connect to and enhance international solidarity movements and other struggles against neocolonial formations at sea? Can we think of a solidarity-induced insurgency in saltwater, and can this insurgency take us beyond a focus on dry land, its material resources, and its cosmological meanings? Drawing on years of active involvement in and research on sea-centered movements of solidarity in the Mediterranean, including efforts to challenge the embargo in Gaza and to support border-crossing refugees, this essay argues that contemporary solidarity practices that crisscross the Mediterranean Sea relate directly to the politics of radical social change and, more generally, the question of anticolonialism today.
Asymmetric Power, Asymmetric Knowledge, and Solidarity
Authors: Rodríguez Patricia Cipollitti
Published: February 2025

Emancipatory social movement solidarities are prefigurative associations. While pursuing broad-based social transformations, solidaristic agents attempt to model—in an incomplete and provisional way—the social relations they wish to bring into existence. Existing structures of domination, deep-set and overlapping as they are, pose an abiding challenge to the prefiguration of just relations, however. This article considers the challenge of prefiguration by developing a diachronic, goal-oriented, and epistemic account of solidarity. The author argues that solidarity is a collaborative process whereby agents prefigure relationships of nondomination while working together to reach shared understandings about the political task at hand. The author examines two epistemologies that have not been traditionally connected to philosophical discussions of solidarity, philosophical hermeneutics and creolization, to elaborate the account. While both frameworks enable an understanding of solidarity as a properly transformative relation, creolization illuminates the possibilities and difficulties of collaborating under conditions of domination.
C2-P2 Bypass: Technical Assessment of Petrous Carotid Artery to Posterior Cerebral Artery Interpositional Bypass Through the Combined Transcochlear-Subtemporal Approach as a Part of Microsurgical Treatment for Dolichoectatic Vertebrobasilar Artery Aneurysms
Authors: Tayebi Meybodi Ali , Castillo Andrea L. , Gomez-Castro Gerardo , Lang Michael J. , Preul Mark C. , Lawton Michael T.
Published: February 2025

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Managing dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms requires a multifaceted approach. Revascularization of the posterior circulation with a high-flow bypass is part of the flow reversal paradigm. Performing a robust high-flow bypass and addressing the aneurysm through the same approach smooths the operative intervention. This study assessed the anatomic feasibility of accessing the basilar trunk and aneurysm simultaneously to revascularize the posterior circulation using a petrous internal carotid artery (pICA)-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) interpositional bypass through a complete petrosectomy.

METHODS:

Six embalmed cadaveric heads (12 sides) underwent a combined extended transcochlear-subtemporal approach to expose the pICA and P2 PCA. A pICA (side-to-end) graft (end-to-side) PCA bypass was attempted. The lengths of the vessels relevant to the bypass and the graft length were measured.

RESULTS:

The bypass was successfully completed in all specimens. The mean exposed lengths of the pICA and PCA were 21.3 and 20.0 mm, respectively. The mean length of the perforator-free zone on PCA was 11.2 mm. The mean length of the interposition graft was 36.6 mm.

CONCLUSION:

The transcochlear approach can be used to expose the pICA as a donor for a high-flow bypass to the PCA as part of the treatment paradigm for dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms. Careful patient selection and extensive knowledge of skull base anatomy are mandatory for this strategy.