Invasive Areas Research Articles

Potential impacts of siltation by Spartina alterniflora on nutrient dynamics in its decomposing litters in coastal marsh of the Min River estuary, southeast China

The Spartina alterniflora started to invade the Min River estuary (Southeast China) in 2002 and, thereafter, its invasion area showed an increasing trend. Since the siltation depths caused by S. alterniflora in the Min River estuary were much higher (4.8–7.2 cm yr−1) than the values reported in other coastal regions of China (3.5–6.5 cm yr−1), the impacts of siltation on nutrient cycle processes in this region might be more evident. In order to explore the potential effects of siltation by S. alterniflora on nutrient ((carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and sulfur (S)) variations in its decaying litters, three one-off siltation treatments (no siltation scenario (0 cm yr−1, NSS), current siltation scenario (5 cm yr−1, CSS) and strong siltation scenario (10 cm yr−1, SSS)) were designed in coastal marsh of the Min River estuary and the in-situ decomposition experiment was conducted from February 2016 to February 2017 by litterbag technique. Results showed that the siltation caused by S. alterniflora showed significant impact on its decomposition rate, following the sequence of NSS (0.005638 d−1) > SSS (0.003005 d−1) > CSS (0.002478 d−1) (p < 0.05). The total carbon (TC) contents in decomposing litters in the three siltation treatments showed dissimilar fluctuations and significantly higher values were observed in the CSS and SSS treatments compared to the NSS treatment. The contents of total nitrogen (TN) and total sulfur (TS) in decomposing detritus in the three siltation treatments generally showed increasing trend during the whole decomposition, while those of total phosphorus (TP) showed increasing trend after decomposing for 30 days. The differences in nutrient variations among the three siltation treatments, to a great extent, rested with the alterations of substrate quality in detritus during the experiment. Although the stocks of C, N, P and S in detritus in the three siltation treatments evidenced the release from litters to the surroundings during decomposition, the release amounts of these nutrients in some periods were at a lower level. With increasing siltation depths, the release of C, N and P from detritus was generally restrained during the whole decomposition, while that of S from decaying litters was inhibited only at the late stage of decomposition. This paper found that the siltation caused by S. alterniflora reduced the nutrient return (particularly for C, N and P) from its detritus, which, in turn, might greatly alter the nutrient cycle in S. alterniflora marsh.

ARIMA-based forecasting of the effects of wildfire on the increasing tree cover trend and recurrence interval of woody encroachment in grazing land

Invasive tree removal from grazing lands using costly brush management practices is widely employed. However, wildfire-like natural events can also prevent the increasing trend of woody tree encroachment in grazing lands at no cost, instead of expensive prescribed burning. This study aims to estimate the effects of wildfire in 2002 on woody tree encroachment trends during the post-wildfire period (2003–20), as well as the recurrence interval of the encroachment of a wildfire site in the United States. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was employed to forecast the tree cover during the post-wildfire period. We found that the pre-wildfire tree cover was 4.26% of the total area, which decreased to 1.42% immediately after the wildfire. During 2003–20, wildfire contributed to an average lowering of woody-dominated areas of the wildfire site by 6.59%. The wildfire-recovered grazing area was converted to a woody area again after 8 years, which was due to recurring woody encroachment. Therefore, it is critical to implement brush management strategies to stop the recurrence of woody plant encroachment following wildfire. • Grazing lands in the USA are increasingly being invaded by woody trees. • Wildfire reduces tree cover area immediately. • Wildfire has a long-term reduction effect on invasive tree-dominated areas. • Within a few years, reclaimed grasslands converted into woody areas. • To maintain wildfire-recovered rangelands, proactive and early management strategies are required.

Climate change has increased the global threats posed by three ragweeds (Ambrosia L.) in the Anthropocene

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) substantially affect the native biodiversity, agriculture, industry, and human health worldwide. Ambrosia (ragweed) species, which are major IAPs globally, produce a significant impact on human health and the natural environment. In particular, invasion of A. artemisiifolia, A. psilostachya, and A. trifida in non-native continents is more extensive and severe than that of other species. Here, we used biomod2 ensemble model based on environmental and species occurrence data to predict the potential geographical distribution, overlapping geographical distribution areas, and the ecological niche dynamics of these three ragweeds and further explored the environmental variables shaping the observed patterns to assess the impact of these IAPs on the natural environment and public health. The ecological niche has shifted in the invasive area compared with that in the native area, which increased the invasion risk of three Ambrosia species during the invasion process in the world. The potential geographical distribution and overlapping geographical distribution areas of the three Ambrosia species are primarily distributed in Asia, North America, and Europe, and are expected to increase under four representative concentration pathways in the 2050s. The centers of potential geographical distributions of the three Ambrosia species showed a tendency to shift poleward from the current time to the 2050s. Bioclimatic variables and the human influence index were more significant in shaping these patterns than other factors. In brief, climate change has facilitated the expansion of the geographical distribution and overlapping geographical distribution areas of the three Ambrosia species. Ecomanagement and cross-country management strategies are warranted to mitigate the future effects of the expansion of these ragweed species worldwide in the Anthropocene on the natural environment and public health.

Spread through air spaces is a powerful prognostic predictor in patients with completely resected pathological stage I lung adenocarcinoma

PurposeTo evaluate the frequency of spread through air spaces (STAS) in patients with early-stage primary lung cancer and to elucidate the association between STAS and various clinicopathological factors. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed data from a total of 265 consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection (172 patients) or sublobar resection (93 patients) for completely resected pathological stage I lung adenocarcinoma. We evaluated clinical variables, including the preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, tumour size, consolidation tumour ratio (CTR), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on FDG-PET, histological results, presence of STAS and vascular and lymphatic invasion. ResultsThe median follow-up time after surgery was 49 months. Eighty-seven patients (32.8 %) had STAS. The overall survival rates of patients in the STAS-positive and STAS-negative groups were 92.7 % and 97.1 % at 3 years, respectively (p = 0.1255), and the recurrence-free survival rates were 82.1 % and 95.9 % at 3 years, respectively (p = 0.0001). STAS was found in 73 patients (42.4 %) in the lobectomy group, which was a significantly higher proportion than the 14 patients (15.1 %) in the sublobar resection group. The STAS-positive group had significantly larger areas of invasion, higher CTRs, preoperative CEA and SUVmax levels, and more lymphatic and vascular invasion. STAS also correlated significantly with large consolidation sizes, larger invasive size, higher CTRs and the presence of a micropapillary pattern. Cox regression analysis after adjustment for important prognostic factors revealed that the presence of STAS was an independent predictor associated with postoperative recurrence, most of which was observed locoregionally. ConclusionsSTAS was an independent factor associated with postoperative recurrence after lung resection for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Among stage IA patients, the postoperative outcomes of STAS-positive patients were worse than those of STAS-negative patients and were similar to those of stage IB patients.

Spleen-preserving D2 subtotal distal resection of the stomach and corpocaudal resection of the pancreas after neoadjuvant induction chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy: case report and literature review

Background. Stomach cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Long-term treatment outcomes in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer with invasion to adjacent structures are poor. In clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, it is recommended to treat these patients with perioperative chemotherapy according to the FLOT scheme. The effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is studied in many multicenter studies involving randomized clinical trials. Case description. We present a case of a successful treatment of a patient with locally advanced gastric cancer (сT4bN2M0 – IVA stage). The patient received neoadjuvant therapy (2 cycles according to the FLOT scheme) followed by chemoradiotherapy (total dose of 46 Gy with the concurrent chemotherapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin). Neoadjuvant therapy was well tolerated (grade 1 gastrointestinal and hematological toxicity). The patient underwent distal subtotal resection of the stomach with D2 lymph node dissection and distal subtotal resection of the pancreas with preservation of the spleen. No postoperative complications were observed. Histological examination revealed complete pathological response of the primary tumor, including the area of earlier invasion into the pancreas; metastasis in one lymph node of the small omentum. The patient is alive with no evidence of disease 20 months after surgery. Conclusion. The feasibility of conducting safe multimodal neoadjuvant therapy followed by organ-preserving surgery in a patient with locally advanced gastric cancer (сT4bN2M0) was shown. The effective neoadjuvant therapy resulted in the achievement of complete pathologic response, which is a favorable prognostic factor.

Matrix stiffness-dependent STEAP3 coordinated with PD-L2 identify tumor responding to sorafenib treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundFerroptosis have been implicated in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and chemo- and immuno-therapy in cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), indicating its association with matrix stiffness and clinical benefit of targeting drugs or immune checkpoint inhibitor. Here, we postulated that increased matrix stiffness reduces ferroptosis and impairs tumor immunity by regulating the expression of ferroptosis- and immune-related genes in HCC, which might be a robust predictor of therapeutic efficacy.MethodsUsing publicly available tissue microarray datasets, liver cancer rat model, and clinical specimen, ferroptosis-related differential genes in HCV-infected cirrhotic HCC and its mechanical heterogeneous pattern of expression were screened and identified. Further investigation on the underlying mechanism of matrix stiffness-regulated ferroptosis and the expression of immune mediator were performed. Finally, threshold analysis of HCC cases with sorafenib treatment revealed the value of clinical applications of these potential predictors.ResultsSTEAP3 was identified as the ferroptosis-related differential genes in HCV-infected cirrhotic HCC. Stiffer matrix decreased STEAP3 in the invasive front area of HCC and the liver cirrhotic tissue. Contrarily, softer matrix induced STEAP3 in the central area of HCC and the normal liver tissue. Immunological correlation of STEAP3 in cirrhotic HCC showed that STEAP3-mediated immune infiltration of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells and HCC prognosis, predicting to regulate immune infiltration. Overexpression of STEAP3 induced ferroptosis and inhibited the expression of immune mediator of PD-L2 on a stiff matrix. Especially, the ferroptosis- and immune-related gene predictive biomarker (FIGPB), including STEAP3 and PD-L2, predicts better clinical benefit of sorafenib in HCC patients.ConclusionsThis finding identifies matrix stiffness impairs ferroptosis and anti-tumor immunity by mediating STEAP3 and PD-L2. More importantly, coordinated with PD-L2, matrix stiffness-dependent STEAP3 could be applied as the independent predictors to favorable sorafenib response, and thus targeting it could be a potential diagnosis and treatment strategy for HCC.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Image Processing With the Use of a Neural Network

Transport infrastructure facilities are critically important. To ensure their functioning, it is necessary to apply tracking methods that provide a high degree of protection. The article deals with the issues of unauthorized intrusion of foreign objects controlling, in order to prevent a dangerous impact on the infrastructure of high-speed transport. In this regard, it is proposed to conduct round-the-clock surveillance using unmanned aerial vehicles. Due to the fact that the range of UAV’s action distance is limited, therefore, it is proposed to use a remote method of detecting the intrusion of objects on the infrastructure with the use of an optical cable OK. The joint use of UAVs and OK allows to create a reliable system that provides control over the intrusion on the infrastructure. Special video cameras (thermal imagers, Lidar) are installed on unmanned aerial vehicles, providing inspection of the invasion area during day and night time. Since video recording devices have different resolution, the task is to apply methods for integrating data with different resolution and processing them by a neural network. The implementation of infrastructure tracking systems requires increasing demands on the network structure. One of the tasks set in this article is the development of the structure of the intrusion detection network on the high–speed ground transport infrastructure.

The area of residual tumor predicts esophageal squamous cell carcinoma prognosis following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

To clarify the utility of the area of residual tumor for patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We enrolled 186 patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer who underwent surgical resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy at our hospital. Using digital images, we measured the area of residual tumor at the maximum plane of the specimen and divided the patient into three groups as follows: 0 (area = 0 mm2), low (area = 0-40 mm2), and high (area ≥ 40 mm2). The clinicopathological factors and prognosis were compared among these groups. The median area of the residual tumor was 15.0 mm2 (range 0-1,448.8 mm2). Compared with the 0 and low group, the high group was significantly associated with poorer recurrence-free survival (all P < .001) and overall survival (P < .001 [vs. 0] and P = .017 [vs low]). The area of residual tumor, ypN, tumor regression grade, and lymphovascular invasion were independent predictors of recurrence-free survival. By dividing the patients using a combination of the area of residual tumor and lymphovascular invasion, the high and/or lymphovascular invasion ( +) group displayed significantly poor recurrence-free survival than the 0 group and low/lymphovascular invasion ( -) group. However, there was no significant difference in the recurrence-free survival between the 0 group and low/lymphovascular invasion ( -) group. The area of residual tumor is a promising histopathological prognostic factor for patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Moreover, it is a possible candidate histopathological factor for postoperative chemotherapy selection.

Invasive area to tumor ratio is a significant prognostic factor for non-small cell lung cancer.

Although T factor is defined as the size of invasive area rather than total tumor size in the eighth edition of the TNM classification, whether the pathological invasive area to tumor ratio (ITR) is a prognostic factor has not yet been evaluated. In total, 432 lung adenocarcinoma patients were analyzed, among which 266 patients with pathological stage IA were used to perform a subanalysis. Smoking status (odds ratio [OR]: 0.43, p=0.01), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR: 1.97, p=0.03), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ) (OR: 3.62, p < 0.01), and ITR (OR: 6.76, p < 0.01) were significantly different in univariate analysis. Smoking status (OR: 0.34, p < 0.01), SUVmax (OR: 3.05, p < 0.01), and ITR (OR: 5.44, p < 0.01) were risk factors for recurrence in multivariate analysis. In patients with pathological stage IA disease, smoking status (OR: 0.34, p=0.03), NLR (OR: 2.30, p=0.04), SUVmax (OR: 3.63, p < 0.01), pathological invasive area (OR: 4.00, p < 0.01), and ITR (OR: 6.03, p < 0.01) were significantly different in univariate analysis. Smoking status (OR: 0.27, p=0.02), SUVmax (OR: 3.93, p < 0.01), and ITR (OR: 4.38, p < 0.01) were significant risk factors for recurrence in multivariate analysis. SUVmax and ITR are risk factors for recurrence. These results suggest that SUVmax is important for deciding the indication for limited resection or adjuvant chemotherapy, and ITR is an adaptation criterion for adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Identifying potential predators of the apple snail in the most important invasion area of Europe

The only wetland in Europe colonized successfully by the apple snail Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810, is the Ebro Delta (Spain). After 10 years, it has become widespread there, despite significant eradication attempts. In spite of its great negative ecological and economic impacts, its incorporation into food webs can result in an abundant potential resource for native and exotic predators. We identified the potential predators, including fishes, amphibians, crustaceans, birds, turtles and mammals in natural conditions using stable isotopic analyses (δ13C and δ15N). Six predator species, three native (two birds and one frog) and three invasive (one crustacean, one turtle and one mammal), were confirmed to consume apple snails. None of the 10 fish species analyzed consumed apple snails, although some have been previously observed consuming this snail under laboratory conditions. This study emphasizes the need to assess the consumption of apple snail, as well as other invasive organisms, by potential predators in natural conditions to confirm the establishment of new trophic relationships and to understand whether these potential predators actually act as biological control agents in nature.

Prognostic value of functional SMAD4 localization in extrahepatic bile duct cancer

BackgroundSMAD4 is a key mediator of TGFβ signaling and one of the mutated genes in extrahepatic bile duct cancer (eBDC). It has been also reported that SMAD4 has dual functions, in carcinogenesis via silencing and in tumor invasion/metastasis via signaling, depending on tumor stage. We previously visualized more nuclear transitioning functional SMAD4 at the tumor invasion front than the central lesion. So, we investigated the localization of functional SMAD4 (e.g., invasion area or metastasis lesion) and its association with chemotherapy and chemo-radiation therapy.MethodsWe performed SMAD4 immunostaining on 98 resected eBDC specimens and evaluated the presence of the functional form of nuclear SMAD4 at the central lesion, invasion front, and metastatic lymph node. We also examined the influence on chemotherapy after recurrence (n = 33) and neoadjuvant chemo-radiation therapy (NAC-RT, n = 21) and the prognostic value of using retrospective data.ResultsIn 73 patients without NAC-RT, 8.2% had loss of SMAD4 expression and 23.3% had heterogeneous expression. Patients without SMAD4 expression at any site had significantly poorer overall survival (OS) than other patients (P = 0.014). Expression of SMAD4 at the invasion front was related to better survival (recurrence-free survival [RFS] P = 0.033; OS P = 0.047), and no SMAD4 expression at the metastatic lymph node was related to poorer OS (P = 0.011). The patients who had high SMAD4 expression had poorer prognosis after recurrence (RFS P = 0.011; OS P = 0.056). At the residual cancer in the resected specimen, SMAD4 was highly expressed after NAC-RT (P = 0.039).ConclusionsLoss of SMAD4 protein expression was a poor prognostic factor in eBDC at resectable stage. However, the intensity of functional SMAD4 in eBDC is a marker of resistance to chemo-radiotherapy and malignant potential at advanced stages.

Invasive risk assessment and expansion of the realized niche of the Oriental Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor species complex (Daudin, 1802)

Correlative species distribution modelling (SDM) can be a useful tool to quantify a species’ realized niche and to predict its potential distribution for non-native ranges. The agamid lizard Calotes versicolor s.l. belongs to the most widely distributed reptile taxa worldwide. In the past, C. versicolor s.l. has been introduced to several countries, including regions in the Oriental, the Neotropical and the Afrotropical realms, where strong negative impact on the local fauna is assumed. Due to the complicated taxonomy and the existence of several cryptic species, which are covered by this taxon, we used C. versicolor sensu lato and its four subtaxa (C. versicolor sensu stricto, C. irawadi, C. vultuosus, C. farooqi) as target species to (1) compute correlative SDMs for C. versicolor s.l. and its subtaxa and project them across the globe to highlight climatically suitable areas of risk for future invasion and (2) based on the ecological niche concept, we investigate if the species complex expanded its realized climatic niche during the invasion process. We use two different SDM approaches, namely n-dimensional hypervolumes and Maxent. N-dimensional hypervolumes are a non-hierarchically ranked approach, which is a useful tool to investigate the expansion in the realized niche, while Maxent, a hierarchically ranked model, is used to focus on potentially suitable areas for future invasion. We calculated two final models for C. versicolor s.l., one based on records from the native range and one based on records from the native and invaded range, as well as one model for each subtaxon. Our results show a geographic expansion into novel climatic conditions as well as an expansion in the realized niche. Our results reveal that C. versicolor s.l. is currently inhabiting 13% of its potential range but could find suitable climatic conditions on a global surface area between 14,025,100 km2 and 53,142,600 km2. Our predictions reveal large areas of highly suitable climatic conditions for the Oriental, Australian, Afrotropical and Neotropical realms, whereas only small regions of the Palearctic and Nearctic realms provide moderately suitable conditions. Further, some localities, especially those with a high amount of human traffic like ports or airports, might act as multiplicators and might therefore be a stepping stone into further areas.

Machine learning algorithms for mapping Prosopis glandulosa and land cover change using multi-temporal Landsat products: a case study of Prieska in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are responsible for loss in biodiversity and the depletion of water resources in natural ecosystems. Prosopis species are IAPs previously introduced by farmers to provide shade and fodder for livestock. In the Northern Cape, Prosopis spp. invasions are associated with the loss of native species resulting in overgrazing and degrading rangelands. Mapping Prosopis glandulosa is essential for management initiatives to assist the government in minimising the spread and impact of IAPs. This study aims to evaluate the performance of two machine learning algorithms i.e., Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) to map the spatial dynamics of P. glandulosa in Prieska. The spatial invasion extent of P. glandulosa was mapped using multitemporal Landsat data spanning the period from 1990 to 2018. Validation of the results was done through an estimated error matrix with the use of the proportion of area and the estimates of overall accuracy, user’s accuracy and producer’s accuracy with a 95% confidence interval. The performance of the SVM and RF classifiers showed similar results in the overall accuracy and Kappa statistics throughout the years. These methods showed an overall increase of at least 3.3% of the area invaded by P. glandulosa from 1990 to 2018. The study indicates the importance of Landsat imagery for mapping historical and current land cover change of IAPs. The spread of P. glandulosa was confirmed by an increase in the total area of invasion, which enables decision-makers to improve monitoring and eradication initiatives.

A deep learning model with incorporation of microvascular invasion area as a factor in predicting prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma after R0 hepatectomy.

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a known risk factor for prognosis after R0 liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to develop a deep learning prognostic prediction model by incorporating a new factor of MVI area to the other independent risk factors. Consecutive patients with HCC who underwent R0 liver resection from January to December 2016 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital were included in this retrospective study. For patients with MVI detected on resected specimens, they were divided into two groups according to the size of the maximal MVI area: the small-MVI group and the large-MVI group. Of 193 patients who had MVI in the 337 HCC patients, 130 patients formed the training cohort and 63 patients formed the validation cohort. The large-MVI group of patients had worse overall survival (OS) when compared with the small-MVI group (p = 0.009). A deep learning model was developed based on the following independent risk factors found in this study: MVI stage, maximal MVI area, presence/absence of cirrhosis, and maximal tumor diameter. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic of the deep learning model for the 1-, 3-, and 5-year predictions of OS were 80.65, 74.04, and 79.44, respectively, which outperformed the traditional COX proportional hazards model. The deep learning model, by incorporating the maximal MVI area as an additional prognostic factor to the other previously known independent risk factors, predicted more accurately postoperative long-term OS for HCC patients with MVI after R0 liver resection.

MEK inhibitor sensitivity in BRAF fusion-driven prostate cancer.

The identification of subpopulations harboring druggable targets has become a major step forward in the subclassification of solid tumors into small groups suitable for specific therapies. BRAF fusions represent a paradigm of uncommon and targetable oncogenic events and have been widely correlated to the development of specific malignancies. However, they are only present in a limited frequency across most common tumor types. At this regard, we performed a genomic screening aimed to identifying rare variants associated to advanced prostate cancer development. Tumoral tissue genomic screening of 41 patients developing advanced prostate cancer was performed at our center as part of the GETHI XX study. The project, sponsored by the Spanish Collaborative Group in Rare Cancers (GETHI), aims to analyze the molecular background of rare tumors and to discover unfrequent molecular variants in common tumors. Here we present the clinical outcome and an in-deep molecular analysis performed in a case harboring a SND1-BRAF fusion gene. The identification of such rearrangement in a patient refractory to standard therapies led to the administration of trametinib (MEK inhibitor). Despite unsensitive to standard therapies, the patient achieved a dramatic response to trametinib. A comprehensive study of the tumor demonstrated this event to be a trunk alteration with higher expression of MEK in areas of tumor invasion. Our study describes the patient-driven discovery of the first BRAF fusion-driven prostate cancer effectively treated with trametinib. Consequently, MAPK pathway activation could define a new subtype of prostate cancer susceptible to a tailored management.

Alien species invasion of deep-sea bacteria into terrestrial soil

Alien species invasion is spreading all over the world, endangering the biodiversity and ecological security of the invasive areas. However, the invasion of alien species from inaccessible areas for humans, such as deep sea a largely unexplored ancient area, has not been explored so far. To address the possibility of alien species invasion of deep-sea bacteria into terrestrial soil, the bacteria were isolated from each of 106 deep-sea sediments on a global scale in this study. The results showed that the bacteria isolated from each of 15 deep-sea sediments altered the bacterial communities of terrestrial loam and further led to the damage of soil functions. As an example, a bacterium, identified to be Bacillus meqaterium DP060, was isolated from deep-sea sediment DP060. The results revealed that Bacillus meqaterium DP060 could proliferate in the terrestrial soil to alter the soil bacterial community and subsequent the soil functions, thus yielding alien species invasion. The deep-sea bacteria with the potential of alien species invasion were broadly distributed in deep-sea bottoms of oceans. Therefore, our study provides the first basic biosecurity insight into alien species invasion of deep-sea bacteria into the terrestrial soil and the biosecurity of deep-sea microorganisms should be assessed when performing the scientific researches and the exploration and exploitation of resources in deep sea.

Detection and Characterization of Gastric Cancer Using Cascade Deep Learning Model in Endoscopic Images.

Endoscopy is widely applied in the examination of gastric cancer. However, extensive knowledge and experience are required, owing to the need to examine the lesion while manipulating the endoscope. Various diagnostic support techniques have been reported for this examination. In our previous study, segmentation of invasive areas of gastric cancer was performed directly from endoscopic images and the detection sensitivity per case was 0.98. This method has challenges of false positives and computational costs because segmentation was applied to all healthy images that were captured during the examination. In this study, we propose a cascaded deep learning model to perform categorization of endoscopic images and identification of the invasive region to solve the above challenges. Endoscopic images are first classified as normal, showing early gastric cancer and showing advanced gastric cancer using a convolutional neural network. Segmentation on the extent of gastric cancer invasion is performed for the images classified as showing cancer using two separate U-Net models. In an experiment, 1208 endoscopic images collected from healthy subjects, 533 images collected from patients with early stage gastric cancer, and 637 images from patients with advanced gastric cancer were used for evaluation. The sensitivity and specificity of the proposed approach in the detection of gastric cancer via image classification were 97.0% and 99.4%, respectively. Furthermore, both detection sensitivity and specificity reached 100% in a case-based evaluation. The extent of invasion was also identified at an acceptable level, suggesting that the proposed method may be considered useful for the classification of endoscopic images and identification of the extent of cancer invasion.

PRIMARY INTESTINAL-TYPE ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE TONGUE: REPORT OF A RARE CASE

Intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands is an exceedingly rare tumor. A 55-year-old male patient presented with an ulcerated mass in the tongue, measuring approximately 5 cm in diameter, with 2 years of evolution. The patient complained of pain. Histopathologically, the tumor presented proliferation of tall columnar cells, presenting basophilic nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Neoplastic cells were organized in anastomosing cords, showing patterns of papillary and solid growths, with duct-like structures. Cytologic and architectural features resembled those seen in well-differentiated colonic adenocarcinoma. Areas of comedonecrosis and perineural invasion were also identified. A preliminary diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was made, with 2 possibilities: intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland or metastatic adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin. Both morphologic and immunohistochemical profiles are indistinguishable for these entities. Whole-body examination failed to identify any gastrointestinal primary tumor or that of other origins. Therefore, a gastrointestinal origin was clinically excluded. The patient was referred for cancer treatment. Intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands is an exceedingly rare tumor. A 55-year-old male patient presented with an ulcerated mass in the tongue, measuring approximately 5 cm in diameter, with 2 years of evolution. The patient complained of pain. Histopathologically, the tumor presented proliferation of tall columnar cells, presenting basophilic nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Neoplastic cells were organized in anastomosing cords, showing patterns of papillary and solid growths, with duct-like structures. Cytologic and architectural features resembled those seen in well-differentiated colonic adenocarcinoma. Areas of comedonecrosis and perineural invasion were also identified. A preliminary diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was made, with 2 possibilities: intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland or metastatic adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin. Both morphologic and immunohistochemical profiles are indistinguishable for these entities. Whole-body examination failed to identify any gastrointestinal primary tumor or that of other origins. Therefore, a gastrointestinal origin was clinically excluded. The patient was referred for cancer treatment.

PRIMARY DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA SUBCUTANOUS IN FACE: CASE REPOR

A 62-year-old female patient presenting asymmetry in the right malar region with a 3-month evolution sought dental care. An intraoral swelling was also observed on the same side. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an oval lesion with undefined margins, presenting hypersignal during the use of contrast, located in the subcutaneous space, and extending to the maxillary sinus. The hypotheses of reaction to the filling material or soft tissue neoplasia were considered. We proceeded with the incisional biopsy of the intraoral lesion, and the evaluated specimen revealed a lymphoproliferative lesion with areas of neural invasion. Immunomarking for BCL-6, CD-10, CD-20, Ki-67 (40%-50%), PAX-5, and c-MYC was evidenced in the immunohistochemical evaluation, defining the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient was referred to the hematology service and, after the end of chemotherapy, no hypermetabolic lesions were detected by PET-CT. There are no signs of lesion recurrence after 8 months of follow-up.

SURGICAL EXCISION OF POLYMORPHOUS ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE PALATE

We report a case of successful surgical excision of polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) in a 58-year-old male patient. Clinically, the patient presented an asymptomatic mass in the palate, measuring 3 cm in diameter, with a history of 3 years of evolution. The patient had undergone an incisional biopsy and the diagnosis was suggestive of pleomorphic adenoma. Surgical excision of the lesion was performed, and histological analysis revealed a proliferation of epithelial cells organized in lobular solid nests, trabecular patterns, duct-like structures, and individual cells aligned in single file. Neoplastic cells showed undefined borders, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and a pale round nucleus, with finely dispersed chromatin. Tumor stroma was hyalinized and areas of neural and vascular invasion were noted. Immunohistochemistry was diffusely positive to CK7, vimentin, and S-100. The specimen was diagnosed as PAC. The patient was referred for cancer treatment and has been in follow-up for 5 years with no recurrence.