The influence of different culture microenvironments on the generation of dendritic cells from non-small-cell lung cancer patients

This study extends the model developed in Williams and Seaman’s [Williams, J. J. and Seaman, A. E. (2010). Corporate Governance and Mindfulness: The Impact of Management Accounting Systems Change, The Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 1-17] exploratory paper examining the moderating effects of management accounting systems (MAS) change on the corporate governance/mindfulness relationship for a Canadian sample of 124 top-level accounting professionals. Canonical correlation analysis was applied to the linkage of multiple cognitive processes of mindfulness (Weick and Sutcliffe, 2001; 2007) and the governance dimensions of performance and conformance specified by the International Federation of Accountants (2009), underpinned by the moderating effects of five different components of MAS change, which yielded 13 significant relationships. The latter were subsequently analyzed for important gestalts (i.e., patterns) in the overall relationship, and assessed within the context of aligning professional accounting practices involving systems changes to the IFAC (2009) governance framework. These findings appear to have implications for improved governance structures in practice as well as offering a rich foundation for future research

Nutrient sensing modulates malaria parasite virulence

The lifestyle of intracellular pathogens, such as malaria parasites, is intimately connected to that of their host, primarily for nutrient supply. Nutrients act not only as primary sources of energy but also as regulators of gene expression, metabolism and growth, through various signalling networks that enable cells to sense and adapt to varying environmental conditions. Canonical nutrient-sensing pathways are presumed to be absent from the causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium, thus raising the question of whether these parasites can sense and cope with fluctuations in host nutrient levels. Here we show that Plasmodium blood-stage parasites actively respond to host dietary calorie alterations through rearrangement of their transcriptome accompanied by substantial adjustment of their multiplication rate. A kinome analysis combined with chemical and genetic approaches identified KIN as a critical regulator that mediates sensing of nutrients and controls a transcriptional response to the host nutritional status. KIN shares homology with SNF1/AMPKα, and yeast complementation studies suggest that it is part of a functionally conserved cellular energy-sensing pathway. Overall, these findings reveal a key parasite nutrient-sensing mechanism that is critical for modulating parasite replication and virulence

Engineering T cells for cancer therapy

It is generally accepted that the immune system plays an important role in controlling tumour development. However, the interplay between tumour and immune system is complex, as demonstrated by the fact that tumours can successfully establish and develop despite the presence of T cells in tumour. An improved understanding of how tumours evade T-cell surveillance, coupled with technical developments allowing the culture and manipulation of T cells, has driven the exploration of therapeutic strategies based on the adoptive transfer of tumour-specific T cells. The isolation, expansion and re-infusion of large numbers of tumour-specific T cells generated from tumour biopsies has been shown to be feasible. Indeed, impressive clinical responses have been documented in melanoma patients treated with these T cells. These studies and others demonstrate the potential of T cells for the adoptive therapy of cancer. However, the significant technical issues relating to the production of natural tumour-specific T cells suggest that the application of this approach is likely to be limited at the moment. With the advent of retroviral gene transfer technology, it has become possible to efficiently endow T cells with antigen-specific receptors. Using this strategy, it is potentially possible to generate large numbers of tumour reactive T cells rapidly. This review summarises the current gene therapy approaches in relation to the development of adoptive T-cell-based cancer treatments, as these methods now head towards testing in the clinical trial setting

Rapidly fatal SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated sarcoma originating from hybrid hemosiderotic fibrolipomatous tumor/pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor of the foot

Pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor (PHAT) of soft parts and hemosiderotic fibrolipomatous tumor (HFLT) are two rare low-grade locally recurring neoplasms with predilection for the foot/ankle. Recent studies support a close link between the two entities, and origin of PHAT from HFLT and occurrence of hybrid HFLT/PHAT have been documented. Both lesions often harbor TGFBR3 or MGEA5 rearrangements. Rare sarcomas originating from HFLT/PHAT have been reported, typically resembling myxofibrosarcoma or myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma. We describe a novel SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated sarcoma with rhabdoid features originating from hybrid HFLT/PHAT in the foot of a 54-year-old male. The tumor pursued a highly aggressive course with rapid regrowth after resection and multiple metastases resulting in patient's death within 5 months, despite systemic chemotherapy. Immunohistochemistry revealed SMARCA4 loss in the undifferentiated sarcoma, but not in the HFLT/PHAT. Molecular testing confirmed TGFBR3/MGEA5 rearrangements. This report expands the phenotypes of sarcomas developing from pre-existing PHAT/HFLT