Cendawan Endofit Akar Bersepta Gelap pada Sistem Perakaran Avicennia SP. Asal Cagar Alam Pulau Dua Banten dan Potensinya sebagai Penghasil Senyawa Antibakteri

Avicennia sp. merupakan salah satu vegetasi dominan yang terdapat di cagar alam Pulau Dua Banten. Sistem perakaran tumbuhan ini merupakan habitat yang baik bagi beragam mikroorganisme terutama Cendawan endofit akar bersepta gelap. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keberadaan Cendawan endofit akar bersepta gelap pada sistem perakaran Avicennia sp. dan melakukan penapisan awal untuk mengetahui aktivitas cendawan endofit akar dalam menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri. Sebanyak 8 isolat cendawan endofit akar bersepta gelap. Berdasarkan hasil penapisan terhadap bakteri uji Eschericia coli dan Staphylococcus aureus menunjukkan CEM 6 dan 7 memiliki rata-rata zona hambat lebih besar pada E. coli dibandingkan kontrol dan CEM 8 yang memiliki aktivitas penghambatan pertumbuhan bakteri S. Aureus

Biodiversitas dan Potensi Jamur Basidomycota di Kawasan Kasepuhan Cisungsang, Kabupaten Lebak, Banten

Biodiversitas jamur Basidiomycota di kawasan konservasi Taman Nasional Gunung Halimun Salak (TNGHS) yang terletak di Kabupaten Lebak, Provinsi Banten, belum pernah diteliti sebelumnya. Kawasan konservasi tersebut dihuni oleh masyarakat adat dari Kasepuhan Cisungsang, yang selama ini memanfaatkan jamur dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini mengeks-plorasi keanekaragaman jamur Basidiomycota dan pemanfaatannya oleh masyarakat adat Kasepuhan Cisungsang. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan Maret-Mei 2016. Sebanyak 34 spesies dari 21 marga, 16 keluarga, dan 5 bangsa dari jamur Basidiomycota berhasil ditemukan di daerah sawah, pekarangan, kebun, talun atau dudukan, dan hutan. Tujuh marga yang ditemukan diketahui dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai sumber makanan, yaitu supa ceuli (Auricularia sp.); supa amis (Marasmiellus sp.); supa beas (Coprinus sp.); supa tiram (Pleurotus sp.); supa jerami (Volvariella sp.); suung tunggal (Termitomyce sp.); dan supa kebo (Boletus sp.). Data ini menunjukkan tingginya biodiversitas jamur Basidiomycota di daerah masyarakat adat wilayah ini dan potensinya sebagai sumber makanan

The molecular mechanisms underlying reduced E-cadherin expression in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast: high throughput analysis of large cohorts

E-cadherin is a tumor suppressor gene in invasive lobular breast cancer. However, a proportion of high-grade ductal carcinoma shows reduced/loss of E-cadherin. In this study, we assessed the underlying mechanisms and molecular implications of E-cadherin loss in invasive ductal carcinoma. This study used large, well-characterized cohorts of early-stage breast cancer-evaluated E-cadherin expression via various platforms including immunohistochemistry, microarray analysis using Illumina HT-12 v3, copy number analysis using Affymetrix SNP 6.0 arrays, and next-generation sequencing for differential gene expression. Our results showed 27% of high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma showed reduced/loss of E-cadherin membranous expression. CDH1 copy number loss was in 21% of invasive ductal carcinoma, which also showed low CDH1 mRNA expression (p = 0.003). CDH1 copy number was associated with copy number loss of TP53, ATM, BRCA1, and BRCA2 (p < 0.001). Seventy-nine percent of invasive ductal carcinoma with reduced CDH1 mRNA expression showed elevated expression of E-cadherin transcription suppressors TWIST2, ZEB2, NFKB1, LLGL2, CTNNB1 (p < 0.01). Reduced/loss E-cadherin expression was associated with differential expression of 2143 genes including those regulating Wnt (FZD2, GNG5, HLTF, WNT2, and CER1) and PIK3-AKT (FGFR2, GNF5, GNGT1, IFNA17, and IGF1) signaling pathways. Interestingly, key genes differentially expressed between invasive lobular carcinoma and invasive ductal tumors did not show association with E-cadherin loss in invasive ductal carcinoma. We conclude that E-cadherin loss in invasive ductal carcinoma is likely a consequence of genomic instability occurring during carcinogenesis. Potential novel regulators controlling E-cadherin expression in invasive ductal carcinoma warrant further investigation

The Importance of Stopping Environmental Dumping in Ghana: The Case of Inefficient New and Used Cooling Appliances With Obsolete Refrigerants

Environmentally harmful product dumping ( environmental dumping ) of new and used low-efficiency cooling appliances with obsolete ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas refrigerants in African countries impoverishes communities, hinders economic development, threatens ecological systems, and harms public health. The use of low-efficiency cooling appliances increases energy demand, leading to higher power plant emissions and limiting affordable energy access in African countries. These low-efficiency appliances and products contain ozone-depleting refrigerants with high global-warming potential (GWP) or ozone-safe refrigerants with high GWP. Environmental dumping of these appliances and products makes it more difficult for countries to meet their international climate obligations and for the world to meet the Paris Agreement\u27s climate change mitigation targets. Ghana faces high levels of environmental dumping, despite a national ban on importing used cooling appliances and established efficiency standards for new air conditioners and refrigerators. Through the Energy Commission\u27s Office of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, & Climate Change (REEECC), the government of Ghana is partnering with the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) to stop environmental dumping. This article provides a list of interventions that can be implemented by Ghana, by governments in countries that export to Ghana, and by industry and other stakeholders. Notably, these actions focus on the shared responsibility of exporting countries and manufacturers by calling on exporting countries to update and enhance enforcement of their laws, and on global manufacturers to stop exporting inefficient products with obsolete refrigerants to Ghana and other African countries

Combined HER3-EGFR score in triple-negative breast cancer provides prognostic and predictive significance superior to individual biomarkers

© 2020, The Author(s). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) have been investigated as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) biomarkers. Reduced EGFR levels can be compensated by increases in HER3; thus, assaying EGFR and HER3 together may improve prognostic value. In a multi-institutional cohort of 510 TNBC patients, we analyzed the impact of HER3, EGFR, or combined HER3-EGFR protein expression in pre-treatment samples on breast cancer-specific and distant metastasis-free survival (BCSS and DMFS, respectively). A subset of 60 TNBC samples were RNA-sequenced using massive parallel sequencing. The combined HER3-EGFR score outperformed individual HER3 and EGFR scores, with high HER3-EGFR score independently predicting worse BCSS (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 2.30, p = 0.006) and DMFS (HR = 1.78, p = 0.041, respectively). TNBCs with high HER3-EGFR scores exhibited significantly suppressed ATM signaling and differential expression of a network predicted to be controlled by low TXN activity, resulting in activation of EGFR, PARP1, and caspases and inhibition of p53 and NFκB. Nuclear PARP1 protein levels were higher in HER3-EGFR-high TNBCs based on immunohistochemistry (p = 0.036). Assessing HER3 and EGFR protein expression in combination may identify which adjuvant chemotherapy-treated TNBC patients have a higher risk of treatment resistance and may benefit from a dual HER3-EGFR inhibitor and a PARP1 inhibitor

A whole slide image-based machine learning approach to predict ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) recurrence risk

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) represent approximately 20% of screen-detected breast cancers. The overall risk for DCIS patients treated with breast-conserving surgery stems almost exclusively from local recurrence. Although a mastectomy or adjuvant radiation can reduce recurrence risk, there are significant concerns regarding patient over-/under-treatment. Current clinicopathological markers are insufficient to accurately assess the recurrence risk. To address this issue, we developed a novel machine learning (ML) pipeline to predict risk of ipsilateral recurrence using digitized whole slide images (WSI) and clinicopathologic long-term outcome data from a retrospectively collected cohort of DCIS patients (n = 344) treated with lumpectomy at Nottingham University Hospital, UK. Methods: The cohort was split case-wise into training (n = 159, 31 with 10-year recurrence) and validation (n = 185, 26 with 10-year recurrence) sets. The sections from primary tumors were stained with H&E, then digitized and analyzed by the pipeline. In the first step, a classifier trained manually by pathologists was applied to digital slides to annotate the areas of stroma, normal/benign ducts, cancer ducts, dense lymphocyte region, and blood vessels. In the second step, a recurrence risk classifier was trained on eight select architectural and spatial organization tissue features from the annotated areas to predict recurrence risk. Results: The recurrence classifier significantly predicted the 10-year recurrence risk in the training [hazard ratio (HR) = 11.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.3-25.3, accuracy (Acc) = 0.87, sensitivity (Sn) = 0.71, and specificity (Sp) = 0.91] and independent validation [HR = 6.39 (95% CI 3.0-13.8), p < 0.0001;Acc = 0.85, Sn = 0.5, Sp = 0.91] cohorts. Despite the limitations of our cohorts, and in some cases inferior sensitivity performance, our tool showed superior accuracy, specificity, positive predictive value, concordance, and hazard ratios relative to tested clinicopathological variables in predicting recurrences (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, it significantly identified patients that might benefit from additional therapy (validation cohort p = 0.0006). Conclusions: Our machine learning-based model fills an unmet clinical need for accurately predicting the recurrence risk for lumpectomy-treated DCIS patients

Equilibrium configuration of a bounded inextensible membrane subject to solar radiation pressure

The equilibrium shape of a thin inextensible membrane subject to solar radiation pressure under given boundary constraints is studied. The membrane is assumed to be insusceptible to elastic deformation and to have negligible bending resistance, and its steady-state shape is therefore described by a developable surface (i.e., a surface of zero Gaussian curvature), resulting from an equilibrium between radiation pressure and membrane tension forces. A quantitative understanding of the mechanics of such membranes is essential in characterizing the dynamics of solar sail spacecraft that use sail wing tip displacement as an attitude control mode. The analysis in this paper develops a theoretical foundation for the billowed wing shape. Under reasonable simplifying assumptions, the key result is that solar radiation pressure and a given wing tip displacement yield a billowed solar sail wing with the shape of a generalized cylinder (i.e., a developable ruled surface, whose rulings are all parallel, rather than a general developable with variable ruling directions). The base curve geometry for the solar sail is also determined as the solution to a boundary value problem. The results presented herein allow the shape of the billowed membrane to be computed to any desired precision, for any given tip displacement

Prognostic Role of Androgen Receptor in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: A Multi-Institutional Study

Background: Androgen Receptor (AR) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for AR-positive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, conflicting reports regarding AR’s prognostic role in TNBC are putting its usefulness in question. Some studies conclude that AR positivity indicates a good prognosis in TNBC whereas others suggest the opposite, and some show that AR status has no significant bearing on the patients’ prognosis. Methods: We evaluated the prognostic value of AR in resected primary tumors from TNBC patients from six international cohorts {US (n=420), UK (n=239), Norway (n=104), Ireland (n=222), Nigeria (n=180), and India (n=242); total n=1407}. All TNBC samples were stained with the same anti-AR antibody using the same immunohistochemistry protocol, and samples with ≥1% of AR-positive nuclei were deemed AR-positive TNBCs. Results: AR status shows population-specific patterns of association with patients’ overall survival after controlling for age, grade, population, and chemotherapy. We found AR-positive status to be a marker of good prognosis in US and Nigerian cohorts, a marker of poor prognosis in Norway, Ireland and Indian cohorts, and neutral in UK cohort. Conclusion: AR status, on its own, is not a reliable prognostic marker. More research to investigate molecular subtype composition among the different cohorts is warranted

Роль и оценка психоэмоционального состояния у пациентов с нарушениями ритма сердца

The aim is to study the influence and assessment of mental and emotional states in patients with arrhythmias.Materials and methods. Literature search was performed using the following resources: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, as well as in the search system Google Scholar by the key words “psychoarrhythmology”, “neural-cardiac axis”, “psychocardiology”, “arrhythmogenesis”, and “stress-induced arrhythmia”. Articles should be freely available and should represent the most relevant information on the topic. Studies were selected by the largest sample and citation index.Results. In this review of studies on the correlation of psychosocial factors and constitutional features of personality in patients with arrhythmias, the available data on the pathogenesis of cardiac pathology, including the main arrhythmological disorders in nervous excitation caused by negative emotions and stress are presented. The article also reflects the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to risk prediction, potential risk modifiers and approaches to the treatment of cardiac pathology, taking into account the psycho-emotional state of the patient.Conclusion. Reducing the severity of the disease requires a comprehensive approach, in particular, psychodiagnostics, psychocorrection, psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy. Further development of this approach to this problem will lead to the creation of new programs for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cardiac pathology. Цель – изучение вопроса влияния и оценки психоэмоционального состояния у пациентов с нарушениями ритма сердца.Материалы и методы. Поиск литературы производился по базам данных PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, а также в системе Google Scholar по ключевым словам «психоаритмология», «нервно-кардиальная ось»,  психокардиология», «аритмогенез». Статьи должны были находиться в свободном доступе и представлять собой наиболее актуальную информацию по теме. Исследования отбирались по принципу наибольшей выборки и индекса цитирования.Результаты. В обзоре исследований о корреляции психосоциальных факторов и конституциональных особенностей личности у пациентов с нарушениями ритма приведены имеющиеся данные о патогенезе развития кардиальной патологии, в том числе основных аритмологических нарушениях в условиях нервного возбуждения, вызванного негативными эмоциями и стрессом. Отражена важность мультидисциплинарного подхода к прогнозированию риска, описаны потенциальные модификаторы риска и подходы к лечению кардиальной патологии с учетом психоэмоционального состояния пациента.Выводы. Снижение тяжести заболевания требует комплексного подхода, в частности психодиагностики, психокоррекции, психотерапии и психофармакотерапии. Дальнейшее развитие такого подхода к данной проблеме нарушений ритма требует создания новых программ ранней диагностики, профилактики и лечения кардиальной патологии

A novel prognostic two-gene signature for triple negative breast cancer

The absence of a robust risk stratification tool for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) underlies imprecise and non-selective treatment of these patients with cytotoxic chemotherapy. This study aimed to interrogate transcriptomes of TNBC resected samples using next generation sequencing to identify novel biomarkers associated with disease outcomes. A subset of cases (n=112) from a large, well-characterized cohort of primary TNBC (n=333) were subjected to RNA-sequencing. Reads were aligned to the human reference genome (GRCH38.83) using the STAR aligner and gene expression quantified using HTSEQ. We identified genes associated with distant metastasis-free survival and breast cancer-specific survival by applying supervised artificial neural network analysis with gene selection to the RNA-sequencing data. The prognostic ability of these genes was validated using the Breast Cancer Gene-Expression Miner v4. 0 and Genotype 2 outcome datasets. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified a prognostic gene signature that was independently associated with poor prognosis. Finally, we corroborated our results from the two-gene prognostic signature by their protein expression using immunohistochemistry. Artificial neural network identified two gene panels that strongly predicted distant metastasis-free survival and breast cancer-specific survival. Univariate Cox regression analysis of 21 genes common to both panels revealed that the expression level of eight genes was independently associated with poor prognosi