The Forming phenomenon is observed via in situ transmission electron microscopy in the Ag/Ta2O5/Pt system. The device is switched to a low‐resistance state as the dual filament is connected to the ...electrodes. The results of energy dispersive spectrometer and electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that the filament is composed by a stack of oxygen vacancies and Ag metal.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a promising biomarker platform for glioblastoma patients. However, the optimal method for quantitative assessment of EVs in clinical bio-fluid remains a ...point of contention. Multiple high-resolution platforms for quantitative EV analysis have emerged, including methods grounded in diffraction measurement of Brownian motion (NTA), tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS), vesicle flow cytometry (VFC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Here we compared quantitative EV assessment using cerebrospinal fluids derived from glioblastoma patients using these methods. For EVs <150 nm in diameter, NTA detected more EVs than TRPS in three of the four samples tested. VFC particle counts are consistently 2-3 fold lower than NTA and TRPS, suggesting contribution of protein aggregates or other non-lipid particles to particle count by these platforms. While TEM yield meaningful data in terms of the morphology, its particle count are consistently two orders of magnitude lower relative to counts generated by NTA and TRPS. For larger particles (>150 nm in diameter), NTA consistently detected lower number of EVs relative to TRPS. These results unveil the strength and pitfalls of each quantitative method alone for assessing EVs derived from clinical cerebrospinal fluids and suggest that thoughtful synthesis of multi-platform quantitation will be required to guide meaningful clinical investigations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Coexistence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with asthma appears to impair asthma control. Type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) respond to the cytokines of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), ...interleukin (IL)-25 and IL-33, thus contributing to airway diseases such as CRS and asthma. We investigate whether the augmented Th2-cytokines in CRS might be related to sinonasal tract ILC2s corresponding to enhanced IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP release in severe asthmatics, and be involved in asthma control. Twenty-eight asthmatics (12 non-severe and 16 severe) with CRS receiving nasal surgery were enrolled. The predicted FEV1 inversely associated with CRS severity of CT or endoscopy scores. Higher expression of Th2-driven cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-13), TSLP, IL-25 and IL-33 in nasal tissues was observed in severe asthma. Severe asthmatics had higher ILC2 cell counts in their nasal tissues. ILC2 counts were positively correlated with Th2-cytokines. Nasal surgery significantly improved asthma control and lung function decline in severe asthma and CRS. The higher expression of IL-33/ILC2 axis-directed type 2 immune responses in nasal tissue of CRS brought the greater decline of lung function in severe asthma. ILC2-induced the upregulated activity of Th2-related cytokines in asthmatics with CRS may contribute to a recalcitrant status of asthma control.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objectives
Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is an underdiagnosed but burdensome clinical condition. Studies that have addressed the impact of remnant inferior turbinate volume (ITV) on ENS are scarce. We ...aimed to evaluate the impact of ITV and phenotyping on the severity and presentation of ENS.
Methods
All the enrolled patients underwent the following subjective assessments: the ENS 6‐Item Questionnaire (ENS6Q), Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test‐25 (SNOT‐25), Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The ITV was obtained from finely cut (1‐mm‐thick slices) sino‐nasal computed tomography scan images and analyzed using ImageJ. The correlation between ITV, subjective measurements, and morphology of inferior turbinates was evaluated. ENS was categorized as torpedo type (balanced tissue volume) or pistol type (posterior dominance) based on the morphology.
Results
Overall, 54 patients met the inclusion criteria. The ITV was positively correlated with the ENS6Q score and domain of ENS symptoms in SNOT‐25. Neither BDI‐II nor BAI scores had a significant correlation with ITV. Based on their morphological classification, the torpedo type exhibited diverse manifestations in the SNOT‐25 analysis in response to changes in ITV, while the pistol type demonstrated an elevated rhinologic symptom burden and ENS‐specific symptoms as their ITV increased. Nasal resistance did not correlate with the ITV in either type of ENS.
Conclusions
Symptoms were paradoxically worse in ENS patients with greater remnant ITV, and distinct morphological phenotypes in the nasal cavities may result in different presentations. Further investigation into the correlation between remnant inferior turbinates and nerve function is warranted.
Level of Evidence
3 Laryngoscope, 134:3060–3066, 2024
Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS) is a clinically significant but underdiagnosed condition linked to severe rhinologic and psychiatric symptoms. In a study of 54 ENS patients, the relationship between remnant inferior turbinate volume (ITV) and morphological phenotypes was investigated, revealing a positive correlation between ITV and symptom severity in specific phenotypes. These findings underscore the importance of investigating the role of ITV in ENS and suggest that the effectiveness of surgical reconstruction may be tied more to restoring nasal morphology than volume alone.
Objectives
To determine a paradigm for evaluating and managing maxillary sinus conditions before dental implantation via preoperative sinonasal assessment.
Study Design
Prospective cohort study.
...Methods
Eighty‐four patients who underwent dental implantation with or without sinus augmentation were included. Maxillary sinus conditions were classified into groups 1 to 6 according to cone‐beam computed tomography (CT) findings: 1) nonspecific findings, 2) solitary polyp or cyst, 3) mucosal thickening, 4) air–fluid level or fluid accumulation, 5) near‐total opacification of the maxillary or other paranasal sinus, and 6) calcification spots in the maxillary sinus. Dental implantation with or without sinus augmentation was suggested with postoperative sinus observation (groups 1–3), after medication for acute sinusitis (group 4), and after comprehensive treatment of chronic or fungal sinusitis (groups 5–6). Intraoperative and postoperative sinus‐related complications were recorded.
Results
Two patients (groups 1 and 3) developed acute rhinosinusitis after sinus augmentation; both recovered completely with medical treatment. Schneiderian membrane perforation occurred during sinus lift surgery in six patients (group 1): five recovered after conservative medical therapy and close observation, whereas one required endoscopic sinus surgery and recovered well. No chronic rhinosinusitis developed after dental implantation.
Conclusion
Craniofacial CT is crucial for pre‐dental implantation sinonasal evaluation. The risk of dental implant‐related chronic rhinosinusitis is low for patients with cysts, polyps, or mucosal thickening in the maxillary sinus. However, preventive endoscopic sinus surgery is recommended for patients with incurable chronic rhinosinusitis, fungal sinusitis, and large polyps or cysts.
Level of Evidence
4. Laryngoscope, 128:1261–1267, 2018
Background
Some prospective studies have shown that second‐generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) provide better control in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with uncommon ...epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, studies comparing second‐line chemotherapy efficacy between NSCLC patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutations remain rare. This retrospective study compared treatment outcomes in these patients.
Methods
Patients with EGFR‐mutated advanced‐stage NSCLC who received first‐line EGFR‐TKIs in a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed between January 2010 and August 2022. Patients with a negative T790M test at disease progression who received second‐line chemotherapy were enrolled. We compared progression‐free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival between advanced NSCLC patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutations using Kaplan–Meier and log‐rank tests.
Results
In total, 209 (54.8%) patients had a negative T790M mutation test and received second‐line chemotherapy, of which 192 (91.8%) had a common EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R substitution), and 17 (8.2%) had an uncommon EGFR mutation. Patients with common EGFR mutations had significantly longer PFS than those with uncommon EGFR mutations (4.57 vs. 2.57 months, p = 0.031). A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis controlling for potential confounding factors indicated that an uncommon EGFR mutation was an independent prognostic factor for PFS.
Conclusion
This study suggests that patients with uncommon EGFR mutations have poorer chemotherapy responses and shorter survival than those with common EGFR mutations. The development of new treatment strategies for these patients remains an unmet need.
The comparison of second‐line chemotherapy efficacy between patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutations had not been previously investigated. Our study demonstrates that patients with uncommon EGFR mutations experience a shorter progression‐free survival compared with those with common mutations (4.57 vs. 2.57 months, p = 0.031). The uncommon EGFR mutation is also an independent poor prognostic factor based on COX proportional hazard regression analysis.
The method used to cultivate the popular Japanese mushroom
Grifola frondosa
(maitake), called 'wood log cultivation', comprised two steps: (1) the mycelium is grown around a wood log in a plastic ...bag, and (2) the mycelium that has spread on the wood log is transferred into casing substrates in a forest. This method is still popular in Japan due to its low cost and high-quality crop production. The importance of the microbiome that inhabits mushroom-cultivation surroundings has recently attracted attention, but no study of the microbial communities in maitake cultivation has been published. We investigated how the bacterial communities changed in wood logs in comparison with a control group (without inoculation) and their interaction with maitake during the first to fourth years of maitake wood log cultivation. A maitake biomass was detected by quantitative PCR in wood logs but not in the casings, and we thus decided to investigate the bacterial communities in wood log samples for control and first- to fourth-year cultivation. The results indicate that the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Gemmatimonadota play key roles in changes of the microbiome composition for maitake wood log cultivation. In a functional profile, bacteria communities in the wood logs during maitake cultivation showed higher relative abundance in cellulolysis, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and many biosynthesis pathways, whereas the control group showed higher relative abundance in fermentation. These results suggested that (i) the bacterial communities which inhabited maitake cultivated wood logs may help the maitake degrade wood cellulose, and (ii) part of the glucose from the cellulose degraded by both maitake and bacteria was used for the bacterial TCA cycle instead of fermentation. Bacteria also produce some chemicals that maitake mycelium may need. It is also likely that some potential intracellular parasites dwell with maitake. The different cultivation stages showed different network structures. A network analysis indicated that Class Gammaproteobacteria is a potential keystone taxon for the microbiome network stability of maitake cultivated wood logs. These results contribute to the understanding of the microbiome in maitake-cultivation surroundings and will improve maitake wood log cultivation.
In order to elucidate the lifecycle of Coprinus comatus, we examined the number of nuclei in basidiospores, hyphal cells and oidia. Basidiospores isolated from the fruiting bodies of four Japanese ...strains were binucleate. In both primary and secondary mycelia, most of the cells were binucleate. In addition, oidia and oidiophores were observed for the first time in this mushroom and most of the oidia were binucleate. Based on these results, the lifecycle of C. comatus was inferred to be as follows. A homokaryotic binucleate basidiospore germinates and produces homokaryotic binucleate hyphae. After mating between compatible homokaryotic binucleate hyphae, a heterokaryotic binucleate secondary mycelium is produced. If environmental conditions are suitable for fruiting, homokaryotic binucleate basidiospores in the fruiting body are produced.
Analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from plasma or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has emerged as a promising biomarker platform for therapeutic monitoring in glioblastoma patients. However, ...the contents of the various subpopulations of EVs in these clinical specimens remain poorly defined. Here we characterize the relative abundance of miRNA species in EVs derived from the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of glioblastoma patients. EVs were isolated from glioblastoma cell lines as well as the plasma and CSF of glioblastoma patients. The microvesicle subpopulation was isolated by pelleting at 10,000×
g
for 30 min after cellular debris was cleared by a 2000×
g
(20 min) spin. The exosome subpopulation was isolated by pelleting the microvesicle supernatant at 120,000×
g
(120 min). qRT-PCR was performed to examine the distribution of miR-21, miR-103, miR-24, and miR-125. Global miRNA profiling was performed in select glioblastoma CSF samples. In plasma and cell line derived EVs, the relative abundance of miRNAs in exosome and microvesicles were highly variable. In some specimens, the majority of the miRNA species were found in exosomes while in other, they were found in microvesicles. In contrast, CSF exosomes were enriched for miRNAs relative to CSF microvesicles. In CSF, there is an average of one molecule of miRNA per 150–25,000 EVs. Most EVs derived from clinical biofluids are devoid of miRNA content. The relative distribution of miRNA species in plasma exosomes or microvesicles is unpredictable. In contrast, CSF exosomes are the major EV compartment that harbor miRNAs.
Wood biomass conversion for fossil resource replacement could result in the sustainable production of chemicals, although lignin represents an obstacle to efficient polysaccharide use. White-rot ...fungus Phlebia sp. MG-60 reportedly selectively and aerobically degrades lignin in hardwood, then it begins cellulose saccharification from the delignified wood to produce ethanol. Environmental conditions might change white-rot fungi-driven biomass conversion. However, how the environmental response sensor affects ethanol fermentation in white-rot fungi remains elusive. In this study, we focused on MGHOG1, the yeast Hog1 homolog in Phlebia sp. MG-60, a presumably important player in osmoresponse. We generated MGHOG1 overexpressing (OE) transformants in Phlebia sp. MG-60, exhibiting slower mycelial growth compared with the wild-type under salinity stress. MGHOG1 overexpressing liquid cultures displayed suppressed mycelial growth and ethanol fermentation. Therefore, MGHOG1 potentially influences ethanol fermentation and mycelial growth in Phlebia sp. MG-60. This study provides novel insights into the regulation of white-rot fungi-mediated biomass conversion.
PDF
