Composite scoring system and optimal tumor budding cut-off number for estimating lymph node metastasis in submucosal colorectal cancer

Background Tumor budding is associated with lymph node (LN) metastasis in submucosal colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the rate of LN metastasis associated with the number of tumor buds is unknown. Here, we determined the optimal tumor budding cut-off number and developed a composite scoring system (CSS) for estimating LN metastasis of submucosal CRC. Methods In total, 395 patients with histologically confirmed T1N0–2M0 CRC were evaluated. The clinicopathological characteristics were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. The Akaike information criterion (AIC) values of the multivariate models were evaluated to identify the optimal cut-off number. A CSS for LN metastasis was developed using independent risk factors. Results The prevalence of LN metastasis was 13.2%. Histological differentiation, lymphatic or venous invasion, and tumor budding were associated with LN metastasis in univariate analyses. In multivariate models adjusted for histological differentiation and lymphatic or venous invasion, the AIC value was lowest for five tumor buds. Unfavorable differentiation (odds ratio [OR], 8.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80–36.89), lymphatic or venous invasion (OR, 5.91; 95% CI, 2.91–11.97), and five or more tumor buds (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.21–7.69) were independent risk factors. In a CSS using these three risk factors, the rates of LN metastasis were 5.6%, 15.5%, 31.0%, and 52.4% for total composite scores of 0, 1, 2, and ≥ 3, respectively. Conclusions For the estimation of LN metastasis in submucosal CRC, the optimal tumor budding cut-off number was five. Our CSS can be utilized to estimate LN metastasis.This work was supported by the Korean government (MSIT) Grant No. 2021R1F1A1063000 from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Redox homeostasis and age-related deficits in neuromuscular integrity and function

Skeletal muscle is a major site of metabolic activity and is the most abundant tissue in the human body. Age-related muscleatrophy (sarcopenia) and weakness, characterized by progressive loss of lean muscle mass and function, is a major contributorto morbidity and has a profound effect on the quality of life of older people. With a continuously growing older population(estimated 2 billion of people aged >60 by 2050), demand for medical and social care due to functional deficits, associatedwith neuromuscular ageing, will inevitably increase. Desp ite the importance of this ‘epidemic’ problem, the primarybiochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying age-related deficits in neuromuscular integrity and function have not beenfully determined. Skeleta l muscle generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) from a variety of subcellular sources,and age-associated oxidative damage has been suggested to be a major fac tor contributing to the initiation and progression ofmuscle atrophy inherent with ageing. RONS can modulate a variety of intracellular signal transduction processes, anddisruption of these events over time due to altered redox control has been proposed as an underlying mechanis m of ageing.The role of oxidants in ageing has been extensively examined in different model organisms that have undergone geneticmanipulations with inconsistent findings. Transgenic and knockout rodent studies have provided insight into the function ofRONS regulatory systems in neuromuscular ageing. This review summarizes almost 30 years of research in the field of redoxhomeostasis and muscle ageing, providing a detailed discussion of the experimental approaches that have been undertaken inmurine models to examine the role of redox regulation in age-related muscle atrophy and weakness

Microbiome to Brain:Unravelling the Multidirectional Axes of Communication

The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in host physiology. Disruption of its community structure and function can have wide-ranging effects making it critical to understand exactly how the interactive dialogue between the host and its microbiota is regulated to maintain homeostasis. An array of multidirectional signalling molecules is clearly involved in the host-microbiome communication. This interactive signalling not only impacts the gastrointestinal tract, where the majority of microbiota resides, but also extends to affect other host systems including the brain and liver as well as the microbiome itself. Understanding the mechanistic principles of this inter-kingdom signalling is fundamental to unravelling how our supraorganism function to maintain wellbeing, subsequently opening up new avenues for microbiome manipulation to favour desirable mental health outcome

Solid Phase-Mediated Asymmetric Palladium-Catalyzed Hydroalkoxylation of Alkoxyallene

The Pd-catalyzed asymmetric addition reaction of solid phase-supported alcohol with ene-alkoxyallenes is reported. Combined with the subsequent metal catalysis, this reaction gave access to various monosaccharides with no need for isolation of the intermediates. Potential utility of the method in the oligosaccharide synthesis was demonstrated by the synthesis of (α)-mannose disaccharide. (Figure presented.). © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.11Nsciescopu

Ru-Catalyzed Chemoselective Olefin Migration Reaction of Cyclic Allylic Acetals to Enol Acetals

A Ru-catalyzed olefin migration reaction of chiral cyclic allylic acetal is reported. The reaction generates cyclic enol acetal in a highly chemoselective manner. A variety of O,O- and N,O-acetals participated in the reaction with conservation of the stereochemical integrity of the acetal moiety. The utility of the reaction was demonstrated by the short and protective group-free syntheses of (L)-deoxyribonucleoside and beta-amicetose glycoside.11Nsciescopu

Biofuels and energy crops

As part of the UBC Food System Project (UBCFS) our group helped research and establish biofuel demonstration plots at the UBC Farm for canola, a first-generation biofuel, and miscanthus, a second-generation biofuel. Our research compares and contrasts these two crops in terms of growing capabilities and processing technologies, and contextualizes this information as it relates to the UBC Farm. After analyzing the soil and climate conditions of the UBC Farm, we deduced that both crops can potentially have all of their nutritional and climate requirements met once issues regarding adequate nitrogen for canola, and sufficient drainage for miscanthus are addressed. We believe that producing, processing and utilizing canola and its end product (biodiesel) is feasible within the boundaries of the UBC campus. On the other hand, miscanthus will serve better as a tool for education and research because of the relatively expensive technology that is required to extract its ethanol. Based on these findings and conclusions, our group provided a set of general recommendations to the UBC Farm and specific recommendations for the 2010 AGSC 450 students. They concern areas of research and interviews that we didn’t have the time or resources to complete. All of our recommendations support the notion that UBC has the potential to attain its goal of becoming a leader in sustainability, and can be an exemplar of a self-reliant food system. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat