bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevating Elderly Cancer Care: A Systematic Review of Advanced Practice Nursing’s Role in Senior Oncology Patients’ Quality of Life
Authors: Useche-Guerrero Cristian-David , Merino-Godoy María-de-los-Ángeles , Barroso-Márquez Eva-María , Martins Teixeira da Costa Emilia Isabel , Bejarano Rafaela Camacho , Gago-Valiente Francisco-Javier
Published: October 2024

Background. According to projections based on current trends, it can be anticipated that from 2024 onward, approximately 70% of all cancer cases will be diagnosed in individuals 65 years and older. Given this complex intersection between population ageing and cancer incidence, it is of great importance to address this issue from a comprehensive care perspective. Here comes the importance of advanced practice nurse into play. However, this figure is still not sufficiently valued in many countries. Its roles are also not clearly defined at the international level. For this reason, a systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out to analyze the impact of advanced practice nurse on the quality of life of older adults with cancer. Methods. Searches were carried out in PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS, and ScienceDirect databases. They were limited to studies conducted in the last 7 years. Only open‐access articles were selected. To analyze the chosen articles and assess their quality, the criteria of the PRISMA and CASPe statements were applied. All authors participated in both the selection of the articles and their analysis. Results. Of the initial 58 articles selected, a total of 10 articles were finally included, as they met the eligibility criteria established after further analysis. The results show a positive relationship between the advanced practice nurse intervention and quality of life in older adults with cancer. Conclusions. Advanced practice nurse (APN) plays a key role in the care of older adults with cancer, significantly improving their quality of life and contributing to the comprehensive care of these patients. The findings evidenced in this work support the integration of APNs in cancer care teams to improve patient experience and overall well‐being.
Highly Precise and Efficient Analysis of PendingIntent Vulnerabilities for Android Apps
Authors: Sarvazimi Azadeh , Sakhaei-nia Mehdi , Bathaeian NargesSadat
Published: October 2024

The expanding development of android applications is partially due to the communication model, named inter‐component communication (ICC) model. PendingIntent (PI) is a powerful feature that is used for ICC. Many android developers use PI in their apps, but if it is used insecurely, it can pose risks and result in different types of attacks like denial of service, privilege escalation, and data leakage. Hence, it is crucial to detect vulnerabilities related to PI before android apps are released on Android app stores. In this paper, a new PI‐related vulnerability is introduced, which is detected by the proposed method in addition to the vulnerabilities pointed out in other methods. In addition, the proposed method that is based on static analysis takes less time than other methods to detect the vulnerabilities. For evaluation, we compare the proposed method with PIAnalyzer tool. Results on 51 application benchmarks show that the proposed method detects the new PI‐related vulnerability that is not detected by PIAnalyzer. Also, the proposed method detects vulnerabilities 27% faster than PIAnalyzer.
Supplementary Fig S6 from Memory-like Differentiation Enhances NK Cell Responses to Melanoma
Authors: Marin Nancy D. , Krasnick Bradley A. , Becker-Hapak Michelle , Conant Leah , Goedegebuure Simon P. , Berrien-Elliott Melissa M. , Robbins Keenan J. , Foltz Jennifer A. , Foster Mark , Wong Pamela , Cubitt Celia C. , Tran Jennifer , Wetzel Christopher B. , Jacobs Miriam , Zhou Alice Y. , Russler-Germain David , Marsala Lynne , Schappe Timothy , Fields Ryan C. , Fehniger Todd A.
Published: October 2024

Cytokine production and degranulation of control and ML NK cells from AM patients and normal donors and effect of antibody blockade.
Supplementary Fig S3 from Memory-like Differentiation Enhances NK Cell Responses to Melanoma
Authors: Marin Nancy D. , Krasnick Bradley A. , Becker-Hapak Michelle , Conant Leah , Goedegebuure Simon P. , Berrien-Elliott Melissa M. , Robbins Keenan J. , Foltz Jennifer A. , Foster Mark , Wong Pamela , Cubitt Celia C. , Tran Jennifer , Wetzel Christopher B. , Jacobs Miriam , Zhou Alice Y. , Russler-Germain David , Marsala Lynne , Schappe Timothy , Fields Ryan C. , Fehniger Todd A.
Published: October 2024

Phenotypic analysis of blood NK cells from AM patients and healthy donors.
Figure 4 from Memory-like Differentiation Enhances NK Cell Responses to Melanoma
Authors: Marin Nancy D. , Krasnick Bradley A. , Becker-Hapak Michelle , Conant Leah , Goedegebuure Simon P. , Berrien-Elliott Melissa M. , Robbins Keenan J. , Foltz Jennifer A. , Foster Mark , Wong Pamela , Cubitt Celia C. , Tran Jennifer , Wetzel Christopher B. , Jacobs Miriam , Zhou Alice Y. , Russler-Germain David , Marsala Lynne , Schappe Timothy , Fields Ryan C. , Fehniger Todd A.
Published: October 2024

Enhanced ML responses are partially dependent on NKG2D and NKp46. A, Expression of the NKG2D ligand MICA/B in primary tumors. Patient-derived control and ML NK cells were stimulated for 6 hours with autologous tumor with or without αNKG2D (2.5 μg/mL) plus αNKp46 (2.5 μg/mL) blocking antibodies and the frequency of IFNγ was evaluated by flow cytometry. Representative flow cytometry dot plots (B) and summary data (C) showing reduction in IFNγ production by control and ML NK cells after NKG2D and NKp46 blockade. D, Patient-derived control and ML NK cells were stimulated in the presence of autologous tumor with or without blocking antibodies and specific killing was measured by 51Cr release assay. Bars represent mean ± SEM from all patients. Two-way ANOVA and paired t test *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; ****, P < 0.0001. n = 7.
Figure 2 from Memory-like Differentiation Enhances NK Cell Responses to Melanoma
Authors: Marin Nancy D. , Krasnick Bradley A. , Becker-Hapak Michelle , Conant Leah , Goedegebuure Simon P. , Berrien-Elliott Melissa M. , Robbins Keenan J. , Foltz Jennifer A. , Foster Mark , Wong Pamela , Cubitt Celia C. , Tran Jennifer , Wetzel Christopher B. , Jacobs Miriam , Zhou Alice Y. , Russler-Germain David , Marsala Lynne , Schappe Timothy , Fields Ryan C. , Fehniger Todd A.
Published: October 2024

ML NK cells from normal donors exhibit enhanced ability to control melanoma compared with conventional NK cells. A, PBMC-derived NK cells from HD were activated with IL12/IL15/IL18 (or IL15 alone as control) for 16–18 hours (1). Activated NK cells were differentiated into ML NK cells in vitro during 7 days in presence of low-dose IL15 (2). Upon a second stimulation (3), ML NK cells exhibited enhanced responses against tumor target and cytokines, compared with control or conventional NK cells. B, Representative flow cytometry and gating strategy to evaluate cytokine secretion and degranulation (CD107a+ cells) of control and ML NK cells stimulated with melanoma cell lines (DM6, M14) and K562 cells. Numbers indicate percentage of positive cells. Summary data of IFNγ (C), TNF (D), and degranulation of control (blue) and ML (green) NK cells (E) restimulated 6 hours in vitro with DM6, M14, and K562 cells. Cells lines were used at a 10:1 E:T ratio. ML NK cell exhibited superior killing ability against DM6 compared with control NK cells in a standard 4-hours 51Cr release assay (F) and a 72-hour Incucyte assay (G). Purified NK cells were used for the cytotoxic assays. Bars represent mean ± SEM. Two-way ANOVA test. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; ****, P < 0.0001. n = 3 in C–E, n = 9 in F. G shows a representative experiment out of three independent experiments.
Figure S6 from ATR Inhibition Induces CDK1–SPOP Signaling and Enhances Anti–PD-L1 Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhe , Pilié Patrick G. , Geng Chuandong , Manyam Ganiraju C. , Yang Guang , Park Sanghee , Wang Daoqi , Peng Shan , Wu Cheng , Peng Guang , Yap Timothy A. , Corn Paul G. , Broom Bradley M. , Thompson Timothy C.
Published: October 2024

Supplementary Figure S6 shows expression level of markers used to annotate cell types from analysis of single cell RNA sequencing data.
Figure S5 from ATR Inhibition Induces CDK1–SPOP Signaling and Enhances Anti–PD-L1 Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhe , Pilié Patrick G. , Geng Chuandong , Manyam Ganiraju C. , Yang Guang , Park Sanghee , Wang Daoqi , Peng Shan , Wu Cheng , Peng Guang , Yap Timothy A. , Corn Paul G. , Broom Bradley M. , Thompson Timothy C.
Published: October 2024

Supplementary Figure S5 shows ATRi, anti-PD-L1 or ATRi and anti-PD-L1 effects on tumor weights, and the effects of ATRi on PD-L1 in tumor tissues in the RM-1-BM syngeneic prostate cancer tumor model.
Figure S2 from ATR Inhibition Induces CDK1–SPOP Signaling and Enhances Anti–PD-L1 Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhe , Pilié Patrick G. , Geng Chuandong , Manyam Ganiraju C. , Yang Guang , Park Sanghee , Wang Daoqi , Peng Shan , Wu Cheng , Peng Guang , Yap Timothy A. , Corn Paul G. , Broom Bradley M. , Thompson Timothy C.
Published: October 2024

Supplementary Figure S2 shows generation of cytosolic dsDNA (PicoGreen staining) in RM-9, RM-1 and RM-1-BM prostate cancer cells treated by BAY1895344, and BAY1895344- or olaparib-dose dependent activation of cGAS-STING signaling pathway in C4-2b and PC-3 prostate cancers (immunoblot analysis).
Figure S1 from Relevance of Platinum-free Interval and BRCA Reversion Mutations for Veliparib Monotherapy after Progression on Carboplatin/Paclitaxel for gBRCA Advanced Breast Cancer (BROCADE3 Crossover)
Authors: Puhalla Shannon L. , Diéras Véronique , Arun Banu K. , Kaufman Bella , Wildiers Hans , Han Hyo S. , Ayoub Jean-Pierre , Stearns Vered , Yuan Yuan , Helsten Teresa , Riley-Gillis Bridget , Murphy Erin , Kundu Madan G. , Wu Meijing , Maag David , Ratajczak Christine K. , Ramathal Cyril Y. , Friedlander Michael
Published: October 2024

BROCADE3 study design
Supplementary Figure 5 from Network Analysis Reveals Synergistic Genetic Dependencies for Rational Combination Therapy in Philadelphia Chromosome–Like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Ding Yang-Yang , Kim Hannah , Madden Kellyn , Loftus Joseph P. , Chen Gregory M. , Allen David Hottman , Zhang Ruitao , Xu Jason , Chen Chia-Hui , Hu Yuxuan , Tasian Sarah K. , Tan Kai
Published: October 2024

Apoptosis assessment of drug-treated Ph-like ALL cell lines. MUTZ5, MHH-cALL-4, and TVA-1 cells were treated with 0.1% DMSO vehicle control, venetoclax, TKI, or both drugs and assessed for apoptosis via flow cytometry assays with annexin-V and PI co-staining. Early apoptotic cells are defined as the percentage of cells in Annexin V-FITC+/ PI- quadrant, and late apoptotic/necrotic cells are defined as the percentage of cells in Annexin V-FITC+/ PI+ quadrant. Flow cytometric analyses (FACS) were performed after 4, 24, 48, and 72 hours of treatment. Plots shown are representative data at 72 hours. Triplicate samples were analyzed for each condition at the separate timepoints for each cell line, and each individual experiment was repeated twice. Gating and analyses were performed using FlowJo software.
Data from ATR Inhibition Induces CDK1–SPOP Signaling and Enhances Anti–PD-L1 Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhe , Pilié Patrick G. , Geng Chuandong , Manyam Ganiraju C. , Yang Guang , Park Sanghee , Wang Daoqi , Peng Shan , Wu Cheng , Peng Guang , Yap Timothy A. , Corn Paul G. , Broom Bradley M. , Thompson Timothy C.
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurpose:
Despite significant benefit for other cancer subtypes, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has not yet been shown to significantly improve outcomes for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Prior data have shown that DNA damage response (DDR) deficiency, via genetic alteration and/or pharmacologic induction using DDR inhibitors (DDRi), may improve ICB response in solid tumors in part due to induction of mitotic catastrophe and innate immune activation. Discerning the underlying mechanisms of this DDRi–ICB interaction in a prostate cancer–specific manner is vital to guide novel clinical trials and provide durable clinical responses for men with CRPC.
Experimental Design:
We treated prostate cancer cell lines with potent, specific inhibitors of ATR kinase, as well as with PARP inhibitor, olaparib. We performed analyses of cGAS–STING and DDR signaling in treated cells, and treated a syngeneic androgen-indifferent, prostate cancer model with combined ATR inhibition and anti–programmed death ligand 1 (anti–PD-L1), and performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis in treated tumors.
Results:
ATR inhibitor (ATRi; BAY1895433) directly repressed ATR–CHK1 signaling, activated CDK1–SPOP axis, leading to destabilization of PD-L1 protein. These effects of ATRi are distinct from those of olaparib, and resulted in a cGAS–STING-initiated, IFN-β–mediated, autocrine, apoptotic response in CRPC. The combination of ATRi with anti–PD-L1 therapy resulted in robust innate immune activation and a synergistic, T-cell–dependent therapeutic response in our syngeneic mouse model.
Conclusions:
This work provides a molecular mechanistic rationale for combining ATR-targeted agents with immune checkpoint blockade for patients with CRPC. Multiple early-phase clinical trials of this combination are underway.
Data from Relevance of Platinum-free Interval and BRCA Reversion Mutations for Veliparib Monotherapy after Progression on Carboplatin/Paclitaxel for gBRCA Advanced Breast Cancer (BROCADE3 Crossover)
Authors: Puhalla Shannon L. , Diéras Véronique , Arun Banu K. , Kaufman Bella , Wildiers Hans , Han Hyo S. , Ayoub Jean-Pierre , Stearns Vered , Yuan Yuan , Helsten Teresa , Riley-Gillis Bridget , Murphy Erin , Kundu Madan G. , Wu Meijing , Maag David , Ratajczak Christine K. , Ramathal Cyril Y. , Friedlander Michael
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurpose:
Safety, efficacy, and exploratory biomarker analyses were evaluated in patients with advanced HER2-negative germline breast cancer susceptibility gene (gBRCA)-associated breast cancer enrolled in the BROCADE3 trial who received crossover veliparib monotherapy after disease progression on placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel.
Patients and Methods:
Eligible patients (N = 513) were randomized 2:1 to veliparib plus carboplatin/paclitaxel or placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel; patients had variable platinum-free intervals (PFI) at progression. In the placebo arm, patients were eligible to receive crossover veliparib monotherapy (300–400 mg twice daily continuous). Antitumor activity and adverse events were assessed during crossover veliparib treatment. BRCA reversion mutations at crossover were analyzed retrospectively using next-generation sequencing on plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).
Results:
Seventy-five patients in the placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel arm received ≥1 dose of crossover veliparib postprogression (mean treatment duration: 154 days). Eight of 50 (16%) patients with measurable disease had a RECIST v1.1 response. Activity was greater in patients with PFI ≥180 days compared with <180 days [responses in 23.1% (3/13) vs. 13.5% (5/37) of patients]. BRCA reversion mutations that restored protein function were detected in ctDNA from 4 of 28 patients tested, and the mean duration of crossover veliparib monotherapy was <1 month in these 4 patients versus 7.49 months in patients lacking reversion mutations. The most frequent adverse events were nausea (61%), vomiting (29%), and fatigue (24%).
Conclusions:
Crossover veliparib monotherapy demonstrated limited antitumor activity in patients who experienced disease progression on placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel. PFI appeared to affect veliparib activity. BRCA reversion mutations may promote cross-resistance and limit veliparib activity following progression on platinum.
Data from Immune Profiling Mass Cytometry Assay Harmonization: Multicenter Experience from CIMAC-CIDC
Authors: Sahaf Bita , Pichavant Mina , Lee Brian H. , Duault Caroline , Thrash Emily M. , Davila Melanie , Fernandez Nicolas , Millerchip Karen , Bentebibel Salah-Eddine , Haymaker Cara , Sigal Natalia , Del Valle Diane M. , Ranasinghe Srinika , Fayle Sarah , Sanchez-Espiridion Beatriz , Zhang Jiexin , Bernatchez Chantale , Wu Catherine J. , Wistuba Ignacio I. , Kim-Schulze Seunghee , Gnjatic Sacha , Bendall Sean C. , Song Minkyung , Thurin Magdalena , Lee J. Jack , Maecker Holden T. , Rahman Adeeb
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurpose:
The Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers – Cancer Immunologic Data Commons (CIMAC-CIDC) Network is supported by the NCI to identify biomarkers of response to cancer immunotherapies across clinical trials using state-of-the-art assays. A primary platform for CIMAC-CIDC studies is cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF), performed at all CIMAC laboratories. To ensure the ability to generate comparable CyTOF data across labs, a multistep cross-site harmonization effort was undertaken.
Experimental Design:
We first harmonized standard operating procedures (SOPs) across the CIMAC sites. Because of a new acquisition protocol comparing original narrow- or new wide-bore injector introduced by the vendor (Fluidigm), we also tested this protocol across sites before finalizing the harmonized SOP. We then performed cross-site assay harmonization experiments using five shared cryopreserved and one lyophilized internal control peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) with a shared lyophilized antibody cocktail consisting of 14 isotype-tagged antibodies previously validated, plus additional liquid antibodies. These reagents and samples were distributed to the CIMAC sites and the data were centrally analyzed by manual gating and automated methods (Astrolabe).
Results:
Average coefficients of variation (CV) across sites for each cell population were reported and compared with a previous multisite CyTOF study. We reached an intersite CV of under 20% for most cell subsets, very similar to a previously published study.
Conclusions:
These results establish the ability to reproduce CyTOF data across sites in multicenter clinical trials, and also highlight the importance of quality control procedures, such as the use of spike-in control samples, for tracking variability in this assay.
Data from 5-Year Outcomes with Cobimetinib plus Vemurafenib in BRAFV600 Mutation–Positive Advanced Melanoma: Extended Follow-up of the coBRIM Study
Authors: Ascierto Paolo A. , Dréno Brigitte , Larkin James , Ribas Antoni , Liszkay Gabriella , Maio Michele , Mandalà Mario , Demidov Lev , Stroyakovskiy Daniil , Thomas Luc , de la Cruz-Merino Luis , Atkinson Victoria , Dutriaux Caroline , Garbe Claus , Hsu Jessie , Jones Surai , Li Haocheng , McKenna Edward , Voulgari Athina , McArthur Grant A.
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurpose:
The randomized phase III coBRIM study (NCT01689519) demonstrated improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with addition of cobimetinib to vemurafenib compared with vemurafenib in patients with previously untreated BRAFV600 mutation–positive advanced melanoma. We report long-term follow-up of coBRIM, with at least 5 years since the last patient was randomized.
Patients and Methods:
Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either oral cobimetinib (60 mg once daily on days 1–21 in each 28-day cycle) or placebo in combination with oral vemurafenib (960 mg twice daily).
Results:
495 patients were randomized to cobimetinib plus vemurafenib (n = 247) or placebo plus vemurafenib (n = 248). Median follow-up was 21.2 months for cobimetinib plus vemurafenib and 16.6 months for placebo plus vemurafenib. Median OS was 22.5 months (95% CI, 20.3–28.8) with cobimetinib plus vemurafenib and 17.4 months (95% CI, 15.0–19.8) with placebo plus vemurafenib; 5-year OS rates were 31% and 26%, respectively. Median PFS was 12.6 months (95% CI, 9.5–14.8) with cobimetinib plus vemurafenib and 7.2 months (95% CI, 5.6–7.5) with placebo plus vemurafenib; 5-year PFS rates were 14% and 10%, respectively. OS and PFS were longest in patients with normal baseline lactate dehydrogenase levels and low tumor burden, and in those achieving complete response. The safety profile remained consistent with previously published reports.
Conclusions:
Extended follow-up of coBRIM confirms the long-term clinical benefit and safety profile of cobimetinib plus vemurafenib compared with vemurafenib monotherapy in patients with BRAFV600 mutation–positive advanced melanoma.
Data from Ceralasertib (AZD6738), an Oral ATR Kinase Inhibitor, in Combination with Carboplatin in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors: A Phase I Study
Authors: Yap Timothy A. , Krebs Matthew G. , Postel-Vinay Sophie , El-Khouiery Anthony , Soria Jean-Charles , Lopez Juanita , Berges Alienor , Cheung S.Y. Amy , Irurzun-Arana Itziar , Goldwin Andrew , Felicetti Brunella , Jones Gemma N. , Lau Alan , Frewer Paul , Pierce Andrew J. , Clack Glen , Stephens Christine , Smith Simon A. , Dean Emma , Hollingsworth Simon J.
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurpose:
This study reports the safety, tolerability, MTD, recommended phase II dose (RP2D), pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile, and preliminary antitumor activity of ceralasertib combined with carboplatin in patients with advanced solid tumors. It also examined exploratory predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers.
Patients and Methods:
Eligible patients (n = 36) received a fixed dose of carboplatin (AUC5) with escalating doses of ceralasertib (20 mg twice daily to 60 mg once daily) in 21-day cycles. Sequential and concurrent combination dosing schedules were assessed.
Results:
Two ceralasertib MTD dose schedules, 20 mg twice daily on days 4–13 and 40 mg once daily on days 1–2, were tolerated with carboplatin AUC5; the latter was declared the RP2D. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade ≥3) were anemia (39%), thrombocytopenia (36%), and neutropenia (25%). Dose-limiting toxicities of grade 4 thrombocytopenia (n = 2; including one grade 4 platelet count decreased) and a combination of grade 4 thrombocytopenia and grade 3 neutropenia occurred in 3 patients. Ceralasertib was quickly absorbed (tmax ∼1 hour), with a terminal plasma half-life of 8–11 hours. Upregulation of pRAD50, indicative of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) activation, was observed in tumor biopsies during ceralasertib treatment. Two patients with absent or low ATM or SLFN11 protein expression achieved confirmed RECIST v1.1 partial responses. Eighteen of 34 (53%) response-evaluable patients had RECIST v1.1 stable disease.
Conclusions:
The RP2D for ceralasertib plus carboplatin was established as ceralasertib 40 mg once daily on days 1–2 administered with carboplatin AUC5 every 3 weeks, with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies confirming pharmacodynamic modulation and preliminary evidence of antitumor activity observed.
Reading Subtext: Evaluating Large Language Models on Short Story Summarization with Writers
Authors: Subbiah Melanie , Zhang Sean , Chilton Lydia B. , McKeown Kathleen
Published: October 2024

We evaluate recent Large Language Models (LLMs) on the challenging task of summarizing short stories, which can be lengthy, and include nuanced subtext or scrambled timelines. Importantly, we work directly with authors to ensure that the stories have not been shared online (and therefore are unseen by the models), and to obtain informed evaluations of summary quality using judgments from the authors themselves. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis grounded in narrative theory, we compare GPT-4, Claude-2.1, and LLama-2-70B. We find that all three models make faithfulness mistakes in over 50% of summaries and struggle with specificity and interpretation of difficult subtext. We additionally demonstrate that LLM ratings and other automatic metrics for summary quality do not correlate well with the quality ratings from the writers.
First Report on Taxonomic Significance of Foliar Microanatomy of Lamiaceae Taxa from Pakistan; A Correct Tool for Taxa Authentication
Authors: JABEEN SHAISTA , ZAFAR MUHAMMAD , AHMAD MUSHTAQ , AMEEN MARIA , AHMAD SHABIR , GILLANI SYED WASEEM , ALWAHIBI MONA S , ELSHIKH MOHAMED S , IQBAL RASHID
Published: October 2024

The foliar epidermal, stomatal and trichome properties are frequently used as plant microscopic attributes from a taxonomic or ecological perspective. Among the angiosperm families, the Lamiaceae is one of the most taxonomically difficult, economically significant, and medicinally important families. To better understand the foliar microanatomy of Lamiaceae taxa obtained from Northern Pakistan, this study attempts to determine the variational and diagnostic features of 27 species that were analyzed using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). UPGMA cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and semantic differential chart (SDC) were used to characterize, visualize, and compare the leaf micromorphology across all species. Three different types of epidermal cell types were examined on both foliar surfaces i.e., irregular, hexagonal, and polygonal. Anticlinal wall pattern also shows variation. Anomocytic stomata is dominant in 8 studied species followed by paractic in 5 species, anisocytic in 4 species and diacytic in 2 species. The trichomes could be broadly classified into two groups, glandular trichomes (GTs) and non-glandular trichomes (NGTs). Lamiaceae has two types of glandular trichomes, small capitate and large peltate, which differ in size, structure, and distribution. In present research five distinct forms of non-glandular trichomes are unicellular, multicellular, stellate, branched, and unbranched trichomes. The results that characterized, illustrated, and contrasted the leaf anatomical characteristics of the Lamiaceae taxa can be better understood with the aid of statistical analysis. Future research will depend on these findings to improve the systematics of Lamiaceae taxa. These characteristics have a large taxonomic potential when considered as a whole.
Two new species of Phylloporus (Boletaceae) from the montane cloud forest of Eastern Mexico
Authors: GUTIÉRREZ-DOMÍNGUEZ ERICK , MONTOYA LETICIA , RAMOS ANTERO , ANDRADE-TORRES ANTONIO , NOA-CARRAZANA JUAN CARLOS , ORTIZ-CEBALLOS ÁNGEL ISAURO , BANDALA VICTOR MANUEL
Published: October 2024

Phylloporus represents a group of fungi belonging to the lamellate Boletineae, which despite not having been exhaustively documented worldwide, most of its species have been recognized in tropical regions. The present research proposes the description of Phylloporus montanus and P. xalapensis as new species to science. Both were discovered in Mexico through a sampling focused on the study of the genus in the montane cloud forest from the east region of the country. The new species were recognized based on a morpho-anatomic study and supported by a phylogeny inferred from internal transcribed spacer (ITS rDNA), nuclear large ribosomal subunit (nLSU) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) sequences. Descriptions of each species are detailed, accompanied by illustrations and photographs.
Ceratozamia guatemalensis (Zamiaceae): A new cycad species from Mesoamerica
Authors: PÉREZ-FARRERA MIGUEL ANGEL , DÍAZ-JIMÉNEZ PEDRO , QUEZADA MAURA L. , MARROQUÍN-TINTÍ ANDREA , DELGADO MONTEJO HÉCTOR M. , MENDOZA-MONTEJO SANDY A. , GUTIÉRREZ-ORTEGA JOSÉ SAID
Published: October 2024

Ceratozamia guatemalensis, a new cycad species from the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, is described and compared with the geographically proximal congeners C. vovidesii and C. matudae, with which C. guatemalensis has been historically confused based on their pendulous seed cones, a rare trait in the genus. Nonetheless, a recent phylogenetic study suggests that C. guatemalensis and C. vovidesii are sister species, while C. matudae belongs to distant clade. The new taxon is easily distinguishable from both C. vovidesii and C. matudae by qualitative and quantitative traits based on vegetative and reproductive structures. Remarkably, C. guatemalensis is characterized by having significant morphometric differences from the other two species, such as the wider median leaflets and wider leaflet articulations, and qualitative traits such as the seed cones of green color. The description of C. guatemalensis represents the recognition of the first endemic Ceratozamia species from Guatemala. It should be considered Critically Endangered (CR) due to limited populations and the ongoing destruction of its habitat.
Recognition of Pleuropterus angulatus (Polygonaceae) as a separate species: evidence from morphological and molecular data
Authors: WEN GUI-HUA , YANG JING-YU , HU HUI , LI JIAN-HUA , XU BING-QIANG
Published: October 2024

On the basis of morphological and molecular data, we demonstrate that Polygonum multiflorum var. angulatum actually belongs to the genus Pleuropterus. As a consequence, a nomenclatural change (Pleuropterus angulatus comb. et stat. nov.) is proposed. This species is closely related to Pleuropterus multiflorus, but differ from the latter in root tuber color (white vs. yellow-brown in P. multiflorus), vascular strands (absent vs. present), branchlets (densely papillate vs. smooth), and vein (densely papillae vs. non-papillate), and extra-floral nectaries (deeper, thicker around the lips vs. shallow, thin).
Licea nemotatarica sp. nov.—a corticolous myxomycete from northern nemoral border of Eastern European boreal ecotone
Authors: SADYKOV RUSLAN E. , POTAPOV KIM O.
Published: October 2024

A morphologically atypical corticuloid representative of Licea was discovered at the northern border of the distribution of broadleaved forests in Eastern Europe. The species, named L. nemotatarica, contains several morphological and ecological features that strongly distinguish it from similar species such as L. nigromarginata, L. tuberculata, L. mariae and L. castanea. These include the peculiar light silvery or golden-green colouring of the smooth spores, their relatively small size, the wavy fusion of the peridium plate, the concentration of granular material on the surface in the form of a relief pattern, and the fact that it lives in the slightly alkaline and neutral environment of the bark of deciduous trees. The species also does not spread outside the forest protection zone established by Emperor Peter the Great in the 18th century. Based on the calculation of spore productivity, we assume that the species inhabits primarily the bark of Quercus robur and Tilia cordata, and secondarily Acer platanoides and Populus tremula, where it becomes active only after reaching a certain alkalinity in the cultures during decomposition.
Catalogue of Palaearctic Sericinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)—revised and updated fourth edition
Authors: AHRENS DIRK , BEZDĚK ALEŠ
Published: October 2024

The current fourth edition of the Catalogue of Palaearctic Sericinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) summarizes new progress in the taxonomy of this group, which is now comprised of 1518 valid species group names in the Palaearctic Region (i.e., species and subspecies names). The following necessary taxonomic changes are proposed: 1) Maladera ustinovi (Gusakov, 2021), new combination, is transferred from Cycloserica Reitter, 1896; 2) due to the primary homonymy with Serica verticalis Lansberge, 1886 (now Lepiserica verticalis), the valid name for Maladera verticalis (Fairmaire, 1888) is Maladera hiekei Frey, 1972; 3) Lasioserica umbrina (Blanchard, 1850), new combination, is a senior synonym of Lasioserica maculata maculata (Brenske, 1894).
Nymphs of the Northeastern Nearctic Species of Neoleptophlebia Kluge, 1997 and Paraleptophlebia Lestage, 1917 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae)
Authors: BURIAN STEVEN K.
Published: October 2024

Although male imagos of the three species of Neoleptophlebia and seven species of Paraleptophlebia known from the northeastern Nearctic region (i.e., eastern Canada and northeastern United States) are reasonably well-known and can be reliably keyed, nymphs are not as well-known and often cannot be reliably identified using the existing keys. Descriptions of nymphs of the northeastern Nearctic species of Neoleptophlebia and Paraleptophlebia vary in completeness and frequently lack important morphological details or information on variation that occurs with development or between different sexes. Thus, all existing keys based on these descriptions have problematic couplets, and some do not treat all 10 species. To address these problems a new key to nymphs of the 10 northeastern Nearctic species of Neoleptophlebia and Paraleptophlebia is presented here based on a reassessment of the morphology of nymphs and exuviae of reared specimens. The new key uses several new characters in combination with previously known diagnostic characters to increase the probability of achieving accurate species determinations. In support of the key each species is discussed regarding key characters, specifically regarding variability that may cause interpretation problems. Regional distribution and habitat also are discussed for each species. Lastly, comments are provided on the apparent vulnerability of each species to large scale changes in its occurrence within the northeast Nearctic region as a result of the predicted effects of climate change on regional aquatic habitats.
A case of convexity non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by cerebral sinus thrombosis
Authors: Abasi Ali , Moradkhani Asra , Rahimi Shiva , Magrouni Hannah
Published: October 2024

Background

Convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage (cSAH) is an uncommon presentation of subarachnoid bleeding, referring to bleeding more localized to the convexities of the brain. The diagnosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) can be difficult especially when patients initially present with cSAH. The authors present a case and then discuss the pathophysiology and management.

Case presentation

A 56-year-old woman with a previous history of hypertension and ischemic heart disease presented to the emergency department after experiencing it. Two seizures following a severe headache. The patient’s history was negative for recent illnesses, head trauma, history of migraines, smoking, alcohol consumption, or intravenous drug use. The patient was diagnosed with CVST based on magnetic resonance venography (MRV). Genetic studies further identified homozygous mutations in the Prothrombin and MTHFR genes. Anticoagulant therapy was initiated with 60 mg of Enoxaparin twice daily and subsequently transitioned to Warfarin after 48 h continued for 3 months, and then replaced by rivaroxaban.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of considering CVST as a cause of SAH, emphasizes the role of advanced imaging in diagnosis, and demonstrates a successful treatment approach using both traditional and direct oral anticoagulants. The insights provided in this article can contribute to improving the management of patients with CVST-related SAH.
A multi-task graph deep learning model to predict drugs combination of synergy and sensitivity scores
Authors: Monem Samar , Hassanien Aboul Ella , Abdel-Hamid Alaa H.
Published: October 2024

Background

Drug combination treatments have proven to be a realistic technique for treating challenging diseases such as cancer by enhancing efficacy and mitigating side effects. To achieve the therapeutic goals of these combinations, it is essential to employ multi-targeted drug combinations, which maximize effectiveness and synergistic effects.

Results

This paper proposes ‘MultiComb’, a multi-task deep learning (MTDL) model designed to simultaneously predict the synergy and sensitivity of drug combinations. The model utilizes a graph convolution network to represent the Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry (SMILES) of two drugs, generating their respective features. Also, three fully connected subnetworks extract features of the cancer cell line. These drug and cell line features are then concatenated and processed through an attention mechanism, which outputs two optimized feature representations for the target tasks. The cross-stitch model learns the relationship between these tasks. At last, each learned task feature is fed into fully connected subnetworks to predict the synergy and sensitivity scores.

The proposed model is validated using the O’Neil benchmark dataset, which includes 38 unique drugs combined to form 17,901 drug combination pairs and tested across 37 unique cancer cells. The model’s performance is tested using some metrics like mean square error ($$MSE$$

MSE

), mean absolute error ($$MAE$$

MAE

), coefficient of determination ($${R}^{2}$$

R

2

), Spearman, and Pearson scores. The mean synergy scores of the proposed model are 232.37, 9.59, 0.57, 0.76, and 0.73 for the previous metrics, respectively. Also, the values for mean sensitivity scores are 15.59, 2.74, 0.90, 0.95, and 0.95, respectively.

Conclusion

This paper proposes an MTDL model to predict synergy and sensitivity scores for drug combinations targeting specific cancer cell lines. The MTDL model demonstrates superior performance compared to existing approaches, providing better results.
Can depression lead to chronic constipation, or does chronic constipation worsen depression? NHANES 2005–2010 and bidirectional mendelian randomization analyses
Authors: He ZhiGuo , Yu QianLe , He Bin , Liu JieFeng , Gao WenBin , Chen Xiong
Published: October 2024

Background

Depression and chronic constipation often co-occur, but the reciprocal influence between the two remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential association between depression and chronic constipation.

Methods

This study initially utilized data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2010 to explore the correlation between depression scores and chronic constipation, assessing the non-linear relationship between the two. Subsequently, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the causal relationship between depression and major depression with chronic constipation. The Inverse Variance Weighting (IVW) method served as the primary reference, supplemented by sensitivity tests. Finally, a reverse MR analysis was performed to assess the presence of any reverse causation. The STROBE-MR checklist for the reporting of MR studies was used in this study.

Results

In the NHANES analysis, survey-weighted logistic regression revealed a significantly positive correlation between depression scores and chronic constipation (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02–1.07, p = 0.002), even after adjusting for the included covariates. The nonlinear analysis using Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS) enhanced the robustness of the association (P-non-liner = 0.01). The MR analysis also confirmed the causal relationship between depression (OR = 11.43, 95% CI = 1.85–70.67, p = 0.008) and major depression (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.03–1.22, p = 0.007) with chronic constipation, passing rigorous sensitivity tests. No evidence of reverse causation was observed in the reverse MR analysis (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Depression is positively correlated with the risk of chronic constipation. Therefore, enhancing attention to chronic constipation in patients with depression may be effective in clinical practice.
A rare case of peritoneal tuberculosis mimicking peritoneal carcinomatosis: the ongoing challenge
Authors: Flores Roberto M. , Dopp Meena , Bhatt Vivek V. , Theodory Bassam , Robb Paul M.
Published: October 2024

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infection that can involve any organ system and present in various forms. About one-third of the world’s population are carriers of latent TB. Although most cases are from a pulmonary origin, there is a rising prevalence of abdominal TB. Patients with pulmonary or extrapulmonary TB are treated similarly through the use of pharmacological therapy. Nonspecific clinical manifestations of TB have made it difficult for clinicians to diagnose. Peritoneal tuberculosis (PTB) is a serious concern as its symptoms overlap with that of many other chronic conditions, especially in those who are immunocompromised. The lack of highly sensitive and specific testing methods has made early intervention difficult, therefore a high index of suspicion is crucial in the progression of the disease. Here, we present a case of a 71-year-old female with a history of abdominal pain, fever, and weakness. Initial investigation with computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed omental fat stranding that pointed towards peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from possible recurrence of her ovarian cancer. Further investigation with a peritoneal biopsy was remarkable for caseating granulomas with fat necrosis confirming extrapulmonary TB. This report highlights a rare case of PTB mimicking PC in an elderly patient who is immunocompromised from the use of long-term corticosteroids who continued to decline after pharmacological treatment of the disease.
Surgical management and outcomes of renal tumors with inferior vena cava extension among children: a single center retrospective study from Pakistan
Authors: Halepota Huma Faiz , Khan Sarah , Irshad Hammad Atif , Arshad Muhammad
Published: October 2024

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess management and determine outcomes of renal tumors with inferior vena cava (IVC) and intracardiac (IC) extension in a tertiary care center in Pakistan.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. All patients from 1 to 18 years of age with renal tumors with intravascular extensions, surgically managed from January 1988 till June 2016, were included. Data was extracted by reviewing medical records, and the tumor details, treatment and outcomes were analyzed.

Results

A total of 18 patients out of the total 61 patients with renal tumors, presented with IVC and/or IC extension, with the majority involving the right kidney. Mean age was 5.9 (SD:4.9) and a female preponderance (56%) was seen. Wilms tumor (77%) was the most common tumor type, with the level of tumor extension into IVC predominantly being below the diaphragm (55.5%). Fourteen patients received preoperative chemotherapy, with tumor regression, seen in 10. Most patients underwent thrombectomy through the renal vein (56%). Regarding outcomes, frequency of mortality and morbidity was 1 and 2, respectively, with 7 patients having no recurrent 5 years post-surgery.

Conclusion

A greater incidence (29.5%) of IVC and or IC Tumor extension was found compared to existing literature, which could likely be due to a higher referral rate to the center. Moreover, this is a single-center study and so a multi-center study is crucial to form an assessment of surgical management in resource-limited settings. Our study is the first from Pakistan on this particular renal tumor presentation. Considering the varying case presentations and surgical techniques used, further studies are needed to standardize surgical management and optimize patient outcomes.
The relationship between perceived school stress and satisfaction with life among Norwegian school-based adolescents and the moderating role of perceived teacher care: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Grasaas Erik , Ostojic Sergej , Sandbakk Øyvind , Bjørnsen Gunn , Sylta Øystein , Høgli Major Daniel , Jahre Henriette
Published: October 2024

Background

Perceived stress from schoolwork and perceived teacher care are shown to influence adolescents’ life satisfaction. However, there is a need to further explore how levels of perceived school stress affect life satisfaction of Norwegian adolescents across gender and school levels using nationwide data, and whether this association is moderated by perceived teacher care. Hence, this paper sought to: (1) describe perceived school stress, perceived teacher care and satisfaction with life in Norwegian adolescents stratified by gender and school level, (2) examine the association between perceived school stress and satisfaction with life by testing perceived teacher care as a possible moderator and (3) explore the association between perceived teacher care and adolescents’ satisfaction with life.

Methods

We utilized cross-sectional data from the Norwegian Ungdata Survey from 2021, encompassing adolescents from lower and upper secondary school. Two-thirds of all Norwegian adolescents participated in the Ungdata Survey from 2021. All data is anonymous. The study variables are presented according to lower and upper secondary school as well as gender. Linear regressions were conducted and adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES) by using SPSS.

Results

In total, 139,841 adolescents were included. Girls exhibited higher perceived school stress, lower perceived teacher care, and lower life satisfaction than boys in both lower and secondary school (all p < 0.01). Strong inverse associations on satisfaction with life were found in both genders in lower and upper secondary school among those who reported very frequent perceived school stress, with perceived teacher care moderating the relationship (B= -0.67; 95% CI [-0.70 to -0.65], P < 0.01]). Moreover, robust associations were unveiled between high and low levels of perceived teacher care and life satisfaction across gender and school level.

Conclusions

Higher perceived school stress was strongly inversely associated with life satisfaction in Norwegian adolescents, in both girls and boys, and in both lower and secondary school. Teacher care was identified as a moderator and seems to play a crucial part in the everyday life of Norwegian adolescents. These implications extend to teacher education, practice, and policy, which should be aware of the pivotal role of perceived teacher care on Norwegian school-based adolescents‘ life satisfaction.
Machine learning applications in studying mental health among immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities: an exploratory scoping review
Authors: Park Khushbu Khatri , Saleem Mohammad , Al-Garadi Mohammed Ali , Ahmed Abdulaziz
Published: October 2024

Background

The use of machine learning (ML) in mental health (MH) research is increasing, especially as new, more complex data types become available to analyze. By examining the published literature, this review aims to explore the current applications of ML in MH research, with a particular focus on its use in studying diverse and vulnerable populations, including immigrants, refugees, migrants, and racial and ethnic minorities.

Methods

From October 2022 to March 2024, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and PubMed were queried. ML-related, MH-related, and population-of-focus search terms were strung together with Boolean operators. Backward reference searching was also conducted. Included peer-reviewed studies reported using a method or application of ML in an MH context and focused on the populations of interest. We did not have date cutoffs. Publications were excluded if they were narrative or did not exclusively focus on a minority population from the respective country. Data including study context, the focus of mental healthcare, sample, data type, type of ML algorithm used, and algorithm performance were extracted from each.

Results

Ultimately, 13 peer-reviewed publications were included. All the articles were published within the last 6 years, and over half of them studied populations within the US. Most reviewed studies used supervised learning to explain or predict MH outcomes. Some publications used up to 16 models to determine the best predictive power. Almost half of the included publications did not discuss their cross-validation method.

Conclusions

The included studies provide proof-of-concept for the potential use of ML algorithms to address MH concerns in these special populations, few as they may be. Our review finds that the clinical application of these models for classifying and predicting MH disorders is still under development.