Frequent Type Research Articles

Feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging in cervical spondylotic myelopathy using MUSE sequence

The most frequent type of spinal cord injury is cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Conventional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold diagnosis standard for CSM. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could reflect microstructural changes in the spinal cord by tracing water molecular diffusion in early stages of CSM. However, due to the complex local anatomical structure and small field of view of the spinal cord, the imaging effect of traditional DTI imaging on the spinal cord is limited. MUSE (MUltiplexed Sensitivity-Encoding) -DTI is a novel diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequence that achieves higher signal intensity through multiple excitation acquisition. MUSE sequence may improve the quality of spinal cord DTI imaging. Prospective study. This study aimed to investigate the clinical diagnosis value of a novel protocol of MUSE-DTI in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). From August 2021 to March 2022, a total of 60 subjects (22-71 years) were enrolled, including 51 CSM patients (22 males, 29 females) and 9 healthy subjects (4 males and 5 females). Each subject underwent a MUSE-DTI examination and a clinical Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scale. We measured values of FA (Fractional Anisotropy), MD (Mean Diffusivity), AD (Axial Diffusivity), and RD (Radial Diffusivity), and collected the clinical JOA scores of each subject before the MR examination. A 3.0T MR scanner (Signa Architect, GE Healthcare) performed the MUSE-DTI sequence on each subject. The cervical canal stenosis of subjects was classified from grade 0 to grade Ⅲ according to the method of an MRI grading system. FA, MD, AD, and RD maps were generated by post-processing MUSE-DTI data on the GE workstation. Regions of interest (ROIs) were manually drawn at the C2 vertebral body level and C2/3-C6/7 intervertebral disc levels by covering the whole spinal cord. The clinical severity of myelopathy of subjects was assessed by the clinical Japanese Orthopedic Association scale (JOA). MUSE-DTI can acquire a high-resolution diffusion image compared to traditional DTI. The FAMCL values showed a decreasing trend from grade 0 to grade Ⅲ, while the MDMCL, ADMCL, and RDMCL values showed an overall increasing trend. Significant differences in MDMCL, ADMCL, and RDMCL values were found between adjacent groups among grades Ⅰ-Ⅲ (p<0.05). The ADC2 values in CSM patients (grade I-Ⅲ) were significantly lower than in healthy individuals (grade 0) (P=0.019). The clinical JOA score has a significant correlation with FAMCL (P=0.035), MDMCL (P<0.001), ADMCL (P<0.001), and RDMCL (P<0.001) values. MUSE-DTI displayed a better image quality compared to traditional DTI. MUSE-DTI parameters displayed a grade-dependent trend. All the MUSE-DTI parameters at MCL were correlated with the clinical JOA scores. The ADC2 values can reflect the secondary damage of distal spinal cord. Therefore, MUSE-DTI could be a reliable biomarker for clinical auxiliary diagnosis of spinal cord injury severity in cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Toxocara Canis Increases the Potential of Breast Cancer by Reducing the Expression of the P53 Protein.

Breast cancer is considered the most frequent type of cancer in women with high mortality worldwide, and most importantly, it is the second most common cancer. However, some breast cancer-related risk factors remain unknown. So, the current study was designed to evaluate the effect of Toxocara canis on the biomarkers correlated with proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and angiogenesis in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice infected with Toxocara canis for the first time. Mice were categorized into four groups: A) control, B) treated with 4T1+ Toxocara canis, C) treated with Toxocara canis, and D) treated with 4T1. The expression of Ki-67 and P53 was then evaluated by using the immunohistochemical technique. In addition, the levels of transforming growth factor-β, Interferon gamma-γ, Interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor as well as anti- Toxocara canis IgG were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The expression of Ki-67 was significantly increased in the 4T1+ Toxocara canis group than control and Toxocara canis groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, a significant decrease in P53 was found in the 4T1+ Toxocara canis group than in the control and Toxocara canis groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Also, the 4T1+ Toxocara canis group significantly reduced the expression of P53 more than 4T1 tumor-bearing mice (P = 0.005). In addition, the 4T1+ Toxocara canis group had an increasing tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor than controls (P = 0.004 and P = 0.002, respectively). Furthermore, a significant reduction in Interleukin 10 was found in the 4T1+ Toxocara canis group than in the control group (P = 0.004). Our findings showed that Toxocara canis could probably increase the potential of breast cancer by reducing P53 in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice infected with Toxocara canis more than other groups.

A picture of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Brazil and its mercury emissions and releases.

This study presents a picture of ASGM in Brazil and prospective numbers on mercury emissions and releases in 2016, when the country declared production of about 90 tonnes of gold, of which circa 25 tonnes came from ASGM. However, it is also necessary to consider the illegal production of ASGM which is estimated to vary between 10% and eight times more than the legal production. The proposed method included: organization of spatial data on legal ASGM output, stakeholder identification and meetings, mercury metallurgical balance, quantitative measurement of mercury in the atmosphere and qualitative social aspects such as the miners' economic dependence on the managers and scenarios of illegal ASGM annual production. The main results revealed that the initial mercury (Hg)-gold (Au) production ratio was higher for the primary whole ore than for the concentrate secondary ore, which is the most frequent type of Brazilian ASGM. The amalgam filtering technique followed by mercury recovery is routine, decreasing the Hg releases to tailings ponds or to soil and water bodies. The mercury emissions by thermal decomposition of amalgam are independent of the initial mercury mass, depending only on the mercury in the amalgam and the (adequate) use or not of emission control systems. Illegal activities reduce the availability and proper use of these systems, resulting in higher emissions. Mercury emissions from ASGM in Brazil may increase the global mercury emissions estimates, while their mercury releases may represent a marginal increase. As the mercury emitted may be trapped by the rainforests added to the mercury released, the environmental contamination may pose health risks to Amazonian population, which requires immediate action.

Characteristics of Work-related Fatal Injuries Among Aged Workers in Republic of Korea

ObjectivesThe present paper aimed to examine whether an aging workforce is associated with an increase in work-related fatal injuries and to explore the underlying reasons for this potential increase. Material and methodsAged workers were defined as those who were at least 55 years old. Work-related fatalities were assessed in aged and young workers who were registered with the workers' compensation system in 2021 in the Republic of Korea. Total waged workers, based on raw data from the Local Area Labor Force Survey in 2021, were used as the denominator to estimate the work-related fatality rates. ResultsMost work-related fatalities in the aged workers occurred among individuals working in the “construction sector” (58.9%), those with “elementary occupations (unskilled workers)” (46.1%), and those with the employment status of “daily worker” (60.8%). The estimated incidence (1.782/10,000) of work-related fatalities among aged workers was about four times higher than that (0.423/10,000) among younger workers. “Falling,” “collision,” “struck by an object,” and “trip and slip” were more frequent types of work-related fatalities among aged workers relative to young workers. The category of “buildings, structures, and surfaces” was a more frequent cause of work-related fatalities among aged workers than among young workers. ConclusionsAged workers had a higher incidence of work-related fatalities than young workers. Frequent engagement in precarious employment and jobs, coupled with the greater physical vulnerability of aged workers, were likely causes of their higher level of work-related fatal injuries.

Comparison between proactive and retroactive models of medication reconciliation in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure.

Most research on the impact of medication reconciliation on patient safety focused on the retroactive model, with limited attention given to the proactive model. This study was conducted to compare the proactive and retroactive models in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure. This prospective, quasi-experimental study was conducted over six months, from June to November 2022, at the cardiology unit of an academic hospital in Iran. Eligible patients were those hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure using a minimum of five regular medications before admission. Medication reconciliation was performed in 81 cases using the proactive model and in 81 using the retroactive model. 556 medications were reconciled using the retroactive model, and 581 were reconciled using the proactive model. In the retroactive cases, 341 discrepancies (both intentional and unintentional) were identified, compared to 231 in the proactive cases. The proportion of patients with at least one unintentional discrepancy was significantly lower in the proactive cases than in the retroactive cases (23.80% versus 74.03%). Moreover, the number of unintentional discrepancies was significantly lower in the proactive cases compared to the retroactive cases (22 out of 231 discrepancies versus 150 out of 341 discrepancies). In the retroactive cases, medication omission was the most frequent type of unintentional discrepancy (44.00). About, 42.70% of reconciliation errors detected in the retroactive cases were judged to have the potential to cause moderate to severe harm. While the average time spent obtaining medication history was similar in both models (00:27 [h: min] versus 00:30), the average time needed to complete the entire process was significantly shorter in the proactive model compared to the retroactive model (00:41 min versus 00:51). This study highlighted that the proactive model is a timely and effective method of medication reconciliation, particularly in improving medication safety for high-risk patients.

Breaking the Silence: Exploring Peritraumatic Distress and Negative Emotions in Male and Female Physical Domestic Violence Victims.

Domestic violence is a widespread problem affecting individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Peritraumatic distress is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems among victims, but research on men's experiences is limited. We analyzed data from 48 physical domestic violence victims (16 males and 32 females) to compare their levels of peritraumatic distress and negative emotions, and to examine the types of aggressors they faced. We used descriptives to summarize sample characteristics and Peritraumatic Distress Inventory scores and used statistical tests such as Mann-Whitney U, Shapiro-Wilk, Levene's test, contingency tables, and chi-square to investigate differences and associations between variables. Female victims of domestic violence had significantly higher scores on the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory than male victims and experienced significantly higher levels of negative emotions than male victims, including impotence/inability to react, sadness, anger/frustration, loss of control, fear, guilt, and shame. Husbands and domestic partners were the most frequent aggressors against female victims, while wives and ex-wives were the most frequent aggressors against male victims. In addition, partners were found to be the most frequent type of aggressor in the sample. Descriptive statistics, box plots, and scatter plots were used to provide a clear picture of the sample characteristics. Female victims of domestic violence reported higher levels of peritraumatic distress and negative emotions compared to men victims. Partners were the most frequent type of aggressor in the sample.

A Critical Pragmatic Study of National Identity Representation in American Political Discourse

National identity is considered the main reason for displaying the national flag ,celebrating national holidays and even declaring solidarity with millions of people whom we do not meet. The study investigates how national identity can be defined along both ethno-cultural and civic lines. This study is a critical pragmatic study of national identity used in American political discourse. One political speech is selected to be the data.This speech belongs to Trump. The model adopted in the analysis is based on Grice’s Maxims Breaching (1975) and Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory (1987). A mixed method is used in analyzing and representing the results. This work tries to answer the following questions: What are the types of national identity that are represented in American political discourse? What is the most common type of maxims breaching and politeness strategies? Which one of these strategies that is highly used? This study aims at identifying the most frequent type of national identity, investigating the most frequent type of maxims breaching and politeness strategies in addition to identifying one of these strategies that is highly used. To answer the above questions, the study hypothesizes that: politicians present their ethnic national identity higher than the civic version, flouting quality maxim is extremely employed, positive politeness strategies score high frequency, and finally politeness strategies are the most dominant strategies used in the adopted model. The most important conclusions the study has come up with are:1) ethnic national identity is highly demonstrated within American political discourse more than the civic one. 2) Regarding maxims breaching, flouting quality maxim is the most commonly one used in the political speech under study. 3) Politicians make use of politeness strategies. Positive politeness strategies are the most dominant ones 4) According to the pragmatic strategies, it is shown that politeness strategies are highly utilized in presenting national identity.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Neuropathic Pain: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system and is one of the most incapacitating pain types, representing a significant non-met medical need. Due to the increase in research in the field and since innovative therapeutic strategies are required, namely in intractable neuropathic pain, neurostimulation has been used. Within this approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that uses a transient magnetic field to produce electrical currents over the cortex emerges as a popular method in the literature. Since this is an area in expansion and due to the putative role of TMS, we performed a bibliometric analysis in Scopus with the primary objective of identifying the scientific production related to the use of TMS to manage neuropathic pain. The research had no restrictions, and the analysis focused on the characteristics of the literature retrieved, scientific collaboration and main research topics from inception to 6 July 2023. A total of 474 articles were collected. A biggest co-occurrence between the terms "neuropathic pain" and "transcranial magnetic stimulation" was obtained. The journal "Clinical Neurophysiology" leads the Top 5 most productive sources. The United States is the most productive country, with 50% of US documents being "review articles", followed by France, with 56% of French documents being "original articles". Lefaucheur, JP and Saitoh, Y are the two most influential authors. The most frequent type of document was "original article". Most of the studies (34%) that identified the neuropathic pain type focused on traumatic neuropathic pain, although a large proportion (38%) did not report the neuropathic pain type. This study allows us to provide a general overview of the field of TMS application for neuropathic pain and is useful for establishing future directions of research in this field.

A rare case of bilateral antero-internal shoulder dislocation: A case study and review of the literature

Introduction: Although anterior dislocations of the glenohumeral joint are the most frequent type of dislocation, bilateral forms are very rare [1] dominated by the posterior variant. We report a new case of bilateral anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joints and discuss the mechanism and treatment. Case report: This concerns a 55-year-old patient, who presented to the emergency room with closed trauma to both shoulders in undetermined circumstances. The patient reported a disturbance of consciousness followed by a post-critical coma and generalized tonic-clonic seizures according to witnesses. Clinical examination revealed total functional impotence of the upper limbs, with the following findings: filling of the delto-pectoral groove, bilateral external axe strike, oedema of both shoulders. X-rays of both shoulders revealed bilateral anterior glenohumeral dislocation, with a nondisplaced fracture of the left great tuberosity. Discussion: Bilateral shoulder dislocation is a rare occurrence typically associated with specific etiologies such as epileptic seizures, electrical or neuromuscular disorders, or traumatic events. This report presents a case of bilateral shoulder dislocation in a patient with no history of ligament hyperlaxity, categorized under Brown's classification as traumatic origin. Despite the rarity of this presentation, similar unusual mechanisms of shoulder dislocation have been reported in the literature, including cases where each shoulder dislocated due to different mechanisms.

Онтолого-ориентированная геоаналитика для определения мест концентрации ДТП на участках улично-дорожной сети.

Geoanalytics is an important tool in analyzing the urban environment. This work focuses on the development of geoanalytics tools by ontology-oriented integration of information from heterogeneous sources to identify potentially accident-prone sections of the road network, which can be used to build routes along minimally dangerous roads. The heterogeneity of a large number of sources is caused by the variety of types of information provided, collected both centrally by road and emergency services, and distributed with the help of volunteers. The novelty of this work is the combination of heterogeneous sources of information in a single analytical system and conducting a geoanalysis of the frequency of accidents on individual road sections, determining the most frequent type and cause of accidents to build a route bypassing sections of the road network with a high concentration of accidents.

MAPPING THE LANDSCAPE TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to run a bibliometric analysis in examining the trends of digital leadership and performance published in Scopus from 2016-2023.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Theoretical Framework: The study identifies the document and source types, the volume of publication over the years, countries, key authors, subject area and the most important research topics related to digital leadership and performance. The study reveals that the first research on this area was published in Scopus in 2016. Starting from 2019, the topic has gained much attention by the researchers.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Design/methodology/approach: Our sample is composed of all documents related to digital leadership and performance published in Scopus. A bibliometric assessment revealed that there were 46 documents listed in Scopus from 2016 to June 2023. Of these, one document has been removed due to incomplete information available in the database. Thus, only 45 documents were analysed. VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were employed for data analysis.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Findings: The results revealed that of these 45 documents, journal article is the most frequent type and source of document. Starting from 2019, the research on the studied areas has garnered much attention as the number of publications and citations has started to accelerate. Interestingly, 20 of these articles were published in Malaysia and Indonesia. Based on the top cited articles on digital leadership indicated that besides its impact on business performance, researchers also have placed much attention on the performance within the academic institutions. Finally, the trend of digital leadership research is starting to embark on the areas of innovation, green environmental science, energy and engineering.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Research, Practical &amp; Social implications: The researchers suggest for future research agenda and emphasize the contributions which will guide scholars who want to initiate  research in digital leadership and performance.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Originality/value: Digital leadership is the new form of leadership in this digital society. A bibliometric analysis provides significant findings of existing research and significant researchers in this topic and provides potential avenues for future research.

Metastasis suppressor kisspeptin (KISS1) in serum of patients with renal cell carcinoma

Background. The most important problems in improvement of treatment outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are search and validation of molecular markers for its early diagnosis and prognosis. Genes suppressing distant metastasizing but not affecting the primary tumor are called metastasis suppressors. Study of these genes and their products not only improves understanding of the mechanisms of tumor progression, but has practical value for diagnosis, prognosis, and establishment of new molecular targets for antitumor therapy. One of such genes is KISS1 with its product kisspeptin (KISS1) protein.Aim: comparative evaluation of KISS1 concentration in blood serum of practically healthy persons and patients with renal cancer; analysis of correlations between the marker’s level and clinical and morphological characteristics of the disease.Materials and methods. 140 patients with RCC (88 men, 52 women) aged between 29 and 82 years were included in the study. Among them, clear cell RCC was diagnosed in 84 patients, papillary in 38, chromophobe in 18. The control group was comprised of 40 healthy persons of matched age and sex. Pre-treatment KISS1 concentration in blood serum was measured using a direct enzyme immunoassay kit (Kisspeptin 1 – KISS1, Cloud-Clone Corp., USA).Results. Median serum KISS1 concentration in the control group was 51.7 pg/mL which was significantly lower than in the total RCC patient group – 243.6 pg/mL (p &lt;0.0001). ROC analysis of diagnostic value of serum KISS1 level was performed both for the total RCC group and for each of its three histological types. In the total group the sensitivity of the test was 75 %, specificity – 80 % (AUC 0.877; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.827–0.927; optimal cut-off level 130.8 pg/mL; р &lt;0.0001). For clear cell RCC, both sensitivity and specificity were 85 % (AUC 0.941; 95 % CI 0.902– 0.979; cut-off 141.8 pg/mL; p &lt;0.0001). In non-clear cell RCC types, sensitivity of this marker was only 58 % while the specificity remained 80 % (for papillary RCC AUC 0.787; 95 % CI 0.684–0.889; cut-off level 135.5 pg/mL; p &lt;0.0001, and for chromophobe RCC AUC 0.774; 95 % CI 0.617–0.929; cut-off level 132.1 pg/mL; p &lt;0.001). KISS1 level increased with disease progression: it is significantly higher at more advanced stages above stage I, and in patients with distant metastases compared to those without metastases. Higher serum KISS1 level is also observed in patients with poorly differentiated high-grade (per Furhman) clear cell RCC and papillary RCC (G3–G4) than in those with well differentiated low-grade (G1–G2) tumors.Conclusion. KISS1 level is significantly increased in patients with RCC compared to healthy controls and is a stagedependent marker of this disease. It has relatively high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity (both 85 %) for the most frequent histological type of RCC – clear cell RCC. Thus, clinical significance of kisspeptin in RCC requires further investigation.

Effects of speed difference on injury severity of freeway rear-end crashes: Insights from correlated joint random parameters bivariate probit models and temporal instability

Rear-end crashes particularly on freeways are the most frequent type of collisions causing many injuries, damage and congestion. This paper investigates the impact of varying speed differences between following and leading vehicles on injury severity in two-vehicle rear-end crashes. It develops three groups of correlated joint random parameters bivariate probit models with heterogeneity in means. The rear-end crash data from 2019 to 2021 on Interstate freeways in Florida are utilized, and categorized into periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study considers two potential injury severity outcomes: no injury and injury/fatality, for both drivers involved in these crashes. The findings indicate that a range of variables, including driver, vehicle, roadway, environmental, crash, and temporal attributes, significantly influence the injury severity outcomes for drivers in both following and leading vehicles. Demonstrating superior goodness-of-fit, the proposed approach sheds light on interactive unobserved heterogeneity, captured through heterogeneity in means and significant correlations among random parameters. The study observes critical influences on the injury severity outcomes of both drivers, with significant factors such as gender, age, vehicle type, weather conditions, lighting, and time of day. Furthermore, the results substantiate the heightened risk outcomes associated with greater speed differences and the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings yield further insights into the risk mechanisms of two-vehicle rear-end crashes and offer guidance for the development of effective safety countermeasures.

Mechanisms of glutamate metabolic function and dysfunction in vascular dementia

AbstractAs the global population ages, research on the pathogenesis and treatment options for older patients with dementia has become increasingly important. Vascular dementia (VaD), the second most frequent type of dementia, is characterized by vascular impairment caused by inadequate blood supply to the brain. VaD is a complex neurological disorder involving multiple cells and signaling pathways, and its prevention and treatment pose clinical challenges with significant behavioral implications. Glutamate, the most abundant amino acid in the brain, plays a critical role as an excitatory neurotransmitter, impacting cognitive function, learning, and memory. Abnormal glutamate metabolism has been closely linked to dementia, and reduced blood flow to the brain can lead to excessive glutamate accumulation, resulting in neuronal death. This article highlights the connection between VaD and glutamate metabolism, aiming to identify better methods for preventing and treating VaD via regulating glutamate metabolism.

A comprehensive morphometric analysis of pterygospinous and pterygoalar bars on computed tomography images.

This study is aimed to determine the prevalence and morphometric characteristics of the pterygospinous (Ps) and pterygoalar (Pa) bars using computed tomography (CT) images on an extensive study sample of the Anatolian population. The CT images of 700 patients (350 males, 350 females) were analyzed for morphological characteristics and Pa and Ps bars. Ps and Pa bars were classified as complete or incomplete (partial) depending on the degree of ossification. The complete Ps and Pa bars' anteroposterior diameter and craniocaudal diameter were measured. The closest distance between both bony prominences was measured in incomplete Ps and Pa bars. Sex-dependent statistical analysis of the data was performed by the SPSS package program (version 25.0). The prevalence of Ps was 6.57%, and unilateral incomplete Ps was the most frequent Ps type at 5%. The prevalence of Pa was 16.28%, and unilateral incomplete Pa was the most common Pa type at 6.71%. The prevalence of unilateral Ps, unilateral, and bilateral Pa was more common in males (P = .014, P = .006, and P = .032, respectively). Although Ps were less frequently encountered, both anatomic variations were relatively common within the population. The prevalence and morphometric characteristics of Ps and Pa bars obtained in this study could serve as guiding insights for the practices of surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, and radiologists.

Selection of representative indicators for flood risk assessment using marginal entropy and mutual information

AbstractFloods are the most frequent types of natural disasters. From the perspective of disaster management, indicators associated with floods are important for accurate flood risk assessment. However, the application of all indicators related to flood risk assessment decreases the evaluation efficiency, because the definitions of the indicators may overlap. Moreover, the volume of data required for collection and evaluation is significantly large, making the evaluation practically impossible. Thus, a scientific and objective method to select indicators for flood risk assessment based on the entropy theory was developed herein. First, the existing 28 assessment indicators were analyzed and probability‐based data were constructed for each indicator considering 28 districts in a midwestern region of Korea. The information quantity for each indicator was then obtained using marginal entropy and mutual information generated in the entropy theory. Next, the total information quantity based on the numbers of combination of indicators was derived by considering the information quantity for each indicator and the overlapping mutual information between the indicators. The maximum amount of information (161.55) was obtained by combining 18 out of the 28 flood risk indicators. The selected 18 indicators reflected regional characteristics better than those used in the existing method, demonstrating that the flood risk of the target area could be adequately assessed.

NANOS1 restricts oral cancer cell motility and TGF-ß signaling

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent type of cancer of the head and neck area accounting for approx. 377,000 new cancer cases every year. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program plays an important role in OSCC progression and metastasis therefore contributing to a poor prognosis in patients with advanced disease. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) is a powerful inducer of EMT thereby increasing cancer cell aggressiveness. Here, we aimed at identifying RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that affect TGF-ß-induced EMT. To this end we treated oral cancer cells with TGF-ß and identified a total of 643 significantly deregulated protein-coding genes in response to TGF-ß. Of note, 19 genes encoded RBPs with NANOS1 being the most downregulated RBP. Subsequent cellular studies demonstrated a strong inhibitory effect of NANOS1 on migration and invasion of SAS oral cancer cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed an interaction of NANOS1 with the TGF-ß receptor 1 (TGFBR1) mRNA, leading to increased decay of this transcript and a reduced TGFBR1 protein expression, thereby preventing downstream TGF-ß/SMAD signaling. In summary, we identified NANOS1 as negative regulator of TGF-ß signaling in oral cancer cells.

Mediated crises and strategic crisis communication of third sector organizations: a content analysis of crisis reporting in six countries

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to strategic crisis communication research by exploring international media representations of third sector crises and crisis response; expanding the range of crisis types beyond transgressions; and developing a framework that integrates framing and crisis communication theory.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative content analysis was applied to identify patterns in crisis reporting of 18 news media outlets in Canada, Germany, India, Switzerland, UK and US. Using an inductive framing approach, crisis coverage of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) between 2015 and 2018 was analyzed across a wide range of crises, including but not limited to prominent cases such as Oxfam, Kids Company, or the Islamic Research Foundation.FindingsThe news media in six countries report more internal crises in the third sector than external crises. The most frequent crisis types were fraud and corruption, sexual violence/personal exploitation and attacks on organizations. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three components of crisis response strategies quoted in the media, conditional rebuild, defensive and justified denial strategies. Causal attributions and conditional rebuild strategies significantly influenced media evaluations of organizational crisis response. Three frames of third sector crises were detected; the critique, the damage and the victim frame. These frames emphasize different crisis types, causes, crisis response strategies and evaluations of crisis response.Originality/valueThe study reveals the particularities of crises and crisis communication in the third sector and identifies factors that influence mediated portrayals of crises and crisis response strategies of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) from an international comparative perspective. The findings have relevant implications for crisis communication theory and practice.

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events: incidence rates, risk factors and association with extracutaneous toxicity. A prospective study of 189 patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors in a Spanish tertiary care hospital.

Clinicians are increasingly prescribing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to treat cancer, but the real-world incidence, characteristics and risk factors of cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAEs) are unclear. To determine the incidence, features and risk factors of cirAEs and measure their possible association with extracutaneous toxicity. We conducted a prospective observational study in a Spanish tertiary care hospital, including people who started an ICI between March 2020 and May 2022. We used a survival analysis and a log-rank test to obtain and compare incidence rates, and a multivariate Cox model to detect risk factors of cirAEs. We included 189 patients, of whom 82 (43.4%) presented cutaneous toxicity. The incidence of cirAEs was 75.0 per 100 person-years, with a 50% probability of cirAE appearance at 10 months of follow-up. The most frequent cirAE category was inflammatory dermatoses, and the most frequent types were pruritus, eczema and maculopapular eruptions. ICI combination therapy, family history of psoriasis and rheumatologic and pulmonary irAEs increased the risk of cirAEs. Limitations: Single-center design. We found a high incidence of cirAEs, and they occurred early in follow-up. Dermatologists should be involved in the management of cirAEs, especially in people with risk factors.

Current look at the most promising proteomic and glycomic biomarkers of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) belongs to the most frequent cancer types. The diagnostic process is still long and costly, with a high percentage of false-positive or -negative results. Due to the cost and lack of effectiveness, older methods need to be supplemented or replaced by a newer more reliable method. In this regard, proteins and glycoproteins pose high potential. We performed an online search in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to find relevant studies published in English up until May 2023. If applicable, we set the AUC threshold to 0.90 and sensitivity/specificity (SN/SP) to 90%. Protein and glycoprotein biomarkers are a demonstrably viable option in BC diagnostics. Cholinesterase shows promise in progression-free survival. BLCA-4, ORM-1 along with HTRA1 in the detection of BC. Matrix metallopeptidase 9 exhibits potential for stratification of muscle-invasive subtypes with high negative predictive value for aggressive phenotypes. Distinguishing non-muscle invasive subtypes benefits from Keratin 17. Neu5Gc-modified UMOD glycoproteins pose potential in BC diagnosis, while fibronectin, laminin-5, collagen type IV, and lamprey immunity protein in early detection of BC.