Emerging chemotherapy-based treatments in anaplastic thyroid cancer: an updated analysis of prospective studies

BackgroundFor patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) without mutational driver genes, chemotherapy is suggested to be the first-line treatment option. However, the benefits of chemotherapy in treating ATC are limited. In this analysis, we collected the prospective data reported since 2010 to analyze the emerging chemotherapy-based treatments in ATC comprehensively.MethodsFor this updated analysis, we searched PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases from 1 January 2010 to 7 February 2024 for prospective clinical studies that contained chemotherapy-based treatments. This analysis was done to pool overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rates (ORRs), disease control rates (DCRs), and grade 3 or worse treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).ResultsSix prospective clinical trials with 232 patients were included. Chemotherapy was commonly combined with targeted therapy or radiotherapy. The pooled median OS was 6.0 months (95% CI 4.1–9.7), and the median PFS was 3.2 months (95% CI 1.9–6.0) in patients with ATC who received chemotherapy-based strategies. The integrated ORR and DCR were 21% (95% CI 15%–27%) and 64% (95% CI 55%–72%), respectively. Regarding the grade 3 or worse TRAE, the pooled incidence was 68% (95% CI 47%–86%).ConclusionAlthough the emerging chemotherapy-based treatments showed antitumor activity in patients with ATC, these strategies failed to prolong the survival time substantially. More practical, safe, and novel therapeutic regimens for patients with ATC warrant further investigations

Bromidotricarbon­yl[2-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)-5-p-tolyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-κN 3]rhenium(I) dichloro­methane monosolvate

In the title compound, [ReBr(C14H11N3O)(CO)3]·CH2Cl2, the coordination geometry of the ReI atom is a distorted ReC3N2Br octa­hedron with the carbonyl C atoms in a fac arrangement. Within the 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-5-p-tolyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole ligand, the dihedral angles between the oxadiazole ring and the pyridine (py) and benzene (bz) rings are 1.7 (2) and 7.1 (2)°, respectively, and the dihedral angle between the py and bz rings is 5.5 (2)°. In the crystal, aromatic π–π stacking between the oxadiazole rings of adjacent mol­ecules [centroid–centroid separation = 3.465 (3) Å] is seen

Bromidotricarbon­yl[2-phenyl-5-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-κN 4]rhenium(I) dichloro­methane monosolvate

In the title rhenium(I) complex, [ReBr(C13H9N3O)(CO)3]·CH2Cl2, the dichloro­methane solvent mol­ecule is disordered over two positions with an occupancy ratio of 0.81 (15):0.19 (15). The ReI atom is coordinated by two N atoms from a 2-phenyl-5-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (L) ligand, three C atoms from three carbonyl groups and a Br atom in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The three rings in L are almost coplanar (a mean plane fitted through all non-H atoms of this ligand has an r.m.s. deviation of 0.063 Å), and the carbonyl ligands are coordinated in a fac arrangement

Streptomyces sparsus, sp. nov., a novel member of the genus Streptomyces from saline and alkaline soil in China

Salt and alkaline-tolerant actinomycete strain, YIM 90018T, was isolated from a saline and alkaline soil sample collected from Qinghai, China, and was then subjected to polyphasic taxonomy. Aerial hyphae of strain YIM 90018T were not produced on almost tested media except YIM 82# agar. Vegetative hyphae were abundant, developed well, and not fragmented. Straight or flexuous (Rectiflexibiles) spore chains. The strain grew well at 25% of MgCl2.6H2O and pH 10. All of these characters consistently assign the strain YIM 90018T to known species of the genus Streptomyces. Based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA, DNA-DNA hybridization, phenotypic characters and comparison with known species of the genus, strain YIM 90018T can be differentiated from all the validly described Streptomyces species. A novel species, Streptomyces sparsus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the new species is YIM 90018T (CCTCC AA204019= DSM 41858T)

Clinical characteristics and risk factors in patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection complicated with cardiovascular diseases

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection complicated with cardiovascular diseases.MethodsA retrospective analysis of general clinical data was conducted on patients with SARS-CoV-2 omicron infection complicated with hypertension, coronary heart disease, and heart failure admitted to one hospital in Guangdong Province from December 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. Clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, imaging examinations, treatment, and clinical outcomes were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection complicated with cardiovascular diseases. ROC curves were drawn to evaluate the predictive value of CRP, D-dimer, and CK-MB in predicting the risk of death.ResultsA total of 364 confirmed cases were included, divided into the asymptomatic group, mild to moderate group, and severe to critically ill group based on the symptoms of COVID-19. There were 216 males (59.34%) and 148 females (40.66%), with a median age of 75 years. The differences between the three groups in terms of sex and age were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The top three underlying diseases were hypertension (288 cases, 79.12%), coronary heart disease (100 cases, 27.47%), and diabetes (84 cases, 23.08%). The differences in unvaccinated and triple-vaccinated patients among the three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The common respiratory symptoms were cough in 237 cases (65.11%) and sputum production in 199 cases (54.67%). In terms of laboratory tests, there were statistically significant differences in neutrophils, lymphocytes, red blood cells, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine among the three groups (p < 0.05). In imaging examinations, there were statistically significant differences among the three groups in terms of unilateral pulmonary inflammation, bilateral pulmonary inflammation, and bilateral pleural effusion (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences among the three groups in terms of antibiotic treatment, steroid treatment, oxygen therapy, nasal cannula oxygen inhalation therapy, non-invasive ventilation, and tracheal intubation ventilation (p < 0.05). Regarding clinical outcomes, there were statistically significant differences among the three groups in terms of mortality (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CRP (OR = 1.012, 95% CI = 1.004–1.019) and D-dimer (OR = 1.117, 95% CI = 1.021–1.224) were independent risk factors for patient mortality. The predictive value of CRP, D-dimer, and CK-MB for the risk of death was assessed. D-dimer had the highest sensitivity (95.8%) in predicting patient mortality risk, while CRP had the highest specificity (84.4%).ConclusionFor patients with COVID-19 and concomitant cardiovascular diseases without contraindications, early administration of COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots can effectively reduce the mortality rate of severe cases. Monitoring biomarkers such as CRP, D-dimer, and CK-MB and promptly providing appropriate care can help mitigate the risk of mortality in patients

Altered gut fungi in systemic lupus erythematosus – A pilot study

ObjectiveGut fungi, as symbiosis with the human gastrointestinal tract, may regulate physiology via multiple interactions with host cells. The plausible role of fungi in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is far from clear and need to be explored.MethodsA total of 64 subjects were recruited, including SLE, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (UCTDs) patients and healthy controls (HCs). Fecal samples of subjects were collected. Gut fungi and bacteria were detected by ITS sequencing and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Alpha and beta diversities of microbiota were analyzed. Linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis was performed to identify abundance of microbiota in different groups. The correlation network between bacterial and fungal microbiota was analyzed based on Spearman correlation.ResultsGut fungal diversity and community composition exhibited significant shifts in SLE compared with UCTDs, RA and HCs. Compared with HCs, the alpha and beta diversities of fungal microbiota decreased in SLE patients. According to principal coordinates analysis results, the constitution of fungal microbiota from SLE, RA, UCTDs patients and HCs exhibited distinct differences with a clear separation between fungal microbiota. There was dysbiosis in the compositions of fungal and bacterial microbiota in the SLE patients, compared to HCs. Pezizales, Cantharellales and Pseudaleuria were enriched in SLE compared with HCs, RA and UCTDs. There was a complex relationship network between bacterial and fungal microbiota, especially Candida which was related to a variety of bacteria.ConclusionThis study presents a pilot analysis of fungal microbiota with diversity and composition in SLE, and identifies several gut fungi with different abundance patterns taxa among SLE, RA, UCTDs and HCs. Furthermore, the gut bacterial-fungal association network in SLE patients was altered compared with HCs

Proton-Boron Fusion Yield Increased by Orders of Magnitude with Foam Targets

A novel intense beam-driven scheme for high yield of the tri-alpha reaction 11B(p,{\alpha})2{\alpha} was investigated. We used a foam target made of cellulose triacetate (TAC, C_9H_{16}O_8) doped with boron. It was then heated volumetrically by soft X-ray radiation from a laser heated hohlraum and turned into a homogenous, and long living plasma. We employed a picosecond laser pulse to generate a high-intensity energetic proton beam via the well-known Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanism. We observed up to 10^{10}/sr {\alpha} particles per laser shot. This constitutes presently the highest yield value normalized to the laser energy on target. The measured fusion yield per proton exceeds the classical expectation of beam-target reactions by up to four orders of magnitude under high proton intensities. This enhancement is attributed to the strong electric fields and nonequilibrium thermonuclear fusion reactions as a result of the new method. Our approach shows opportunities to pursue ignition of aneutronic fusion

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly and allele-specific gene expression in cultivated ginger

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most valued spice plants worldwide; it is prized for its culinary and folk medicinal applications and is therefore of high economic and cultural importance. Here, we present a haplotype-resolved, chromosome-scale assembly for diploid ginger anchored to 11 pseudochromosome pairs with a total length of 3.1 Gb. Remarkable structural variation was identified between haplotypes, and two inversions larger than 15 Mb on chromosome 4 may be associated with ginger infertility. We performed a comprehensive, spatiotemporal, genome-wide analysis of allelic expression patterns, revealing that most alleles are coordinately expressed. The alleles that exhibited the largest differences in expression showed closer proximity to transposable elements, greater coding sequence divergence, more relaxed selection pressure, and more transcription factor binding site differences. We also predicted the transcription factors potentially regulating 6-gingerol biosynthesis. Our allele-aware assembly provides a powerful platform for future functional genomics, molecular breeding, and genome editing in ginger.https://www.nature.com/hortreshj2022BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Potential of Core-Collapse Supernova Neutrino Detection at JUNO

JUNO is an underground neutrino observatory under construction in Jiangmen, China. It uses 20kton liquid scintillator as target, which enables it to detect supernova burst neutrinos of a large statistics for the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) and also pre-supernova neutrinos from the nearby CCSN progenitors. All flavors of supernova burst neutrinos can be detected by JUNO via several interaction channels, including inverse beta decay, elastic scattering on electron and proton, interactions on C12 nuclei, etc. This retains the possibility for JUNO to reconstruct the energy spectra of supernova burst neutrinos of all flavors. The real time monitoring systems based on FPGA and DAQ are under development in JUNO, which allow prompt alert and trigger-less data acquisition of CCSN events. The alert performances of both monitoring systems have been thoroughly studied using simulations. Moreover, once a CCSN is tagged, the system can give fast characterizations, such as directionality and light curve