Podoplanin expression in lymph node metastases of head and neck cancer and cancer of unknown primary patients

Introduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are cancers with generally poor prognosis. Outcomes have not improved in decades, with more than half of the patients presenting with lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis. A unique subtype of HNSCC, cancer of unknown primary of the head and neck (HNCUP) is associated with a poor outcome. Increased expression of the D2-40 gene (podoplanin) has been described for several human malignancies and has been associated with increased metastatic potential of cancer cells. Methods: In order to examine the role of podoplanin in lymph node metastasis of HNSCC generally and HNCUP specifically, we evaluated the prognostic impact of podoplanin expression in HNSCC- (n=68) and HNCUP-associated lymph node metastases (n =30). The expression of podoplanin was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining of lymph node tissue samples and correlated with clinical and histopathological data. Results: We found a non-significant tendency towards a higher podoplanin expression in HNCUP compared to HNSCC lymph node metastases and a significant correlation between a high podoplanin expression and advanced node-stage classification. Podoplanin expression had no significant impact on overall survival for both groups and did not correlate with human papillomavirus tumor status. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that upregulation of podoplanin may be associated with a stimulation of lymphatic metastasis in head and neck cancer

Augmented reality-enhanced navigation in endoscopic sinus surgery: A prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial

Objective: Endoscopic sinus surgery represents the gold standard for surgical treatment of chronic sinus diseases. Thereby, navigation systems can be of distinct use. In our study, we tested the recently developed KARL STORZ NAV1 SinusTracker navigation software that incorporates elements of augmented reality (AR) to provide a better preoperative planning and guidance during the surgical procedure. Methods: One hundred patients with chronic sinus disease were operated on using either a conventional navigation software (n = 52, non‐AR, control group) or a navigation software incorporating AR elements (n = 48, AR, intervention group). Incidence of postoperative complications, duration of surgery, surgeon‐reported benefit from the navigation system and patient‐reported postoperative rehabilitation were assessed. Results: The surgeons reported a higher benefit during surgery, used the navigation system for more surgical steps and spent longer time with preoperative image analysis when using the AR system as compared with the non‐AR system. No significant differences were seen in terms of postoperative complications, target registration error, operation time and postoperative rehabilitation. Conclusion: The AR enhanced navigation software shows a high acceptance by sinus surgeons in different stages of surgical training and offers potential benefits during surgery without affecting the duration of the operation or the incidence of postoperative complications

Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Understanding the relationships between climate and carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems is critical to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of the potential accelerating effects of positive climate-carbon cycle feedbacks. However, directly observed relationships between climate and terrestrial CO2exchange with the atmosphere across biomes and continents are lacking. Here we present data describing the relationships between net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) and climate factors as measured using the eddy covariance method at 125 unique sites in various ecosystems over six continents with a total of 559 site-years. We find that NEE observed at eddy covariance sites is (1) a strong function of mean annual temperature at mid- and high-latitudes, (2) a strong function of dryness at mid- and low-latitudes, and (3) a function of both temperature and dryness around the mid-latitudinal belt (45°N). The sensitivity of NEE to mean annual temperature breaks down at ∼16 ®C (a threshold value of mean annual temperature), above which no further increase of CO,.2uptake with temperature was observed and dryness influence overrules temperature influence. © 2010 lOP Publishing Ltd

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Peer reviewe

Cause Analysis for a New Type of Devastating Flash Flood

This work introduces an unprecedented flash flood that resulted in nine casualties in Shimen Valley, China, 2015. Through field survey and numerical simulation, the causes of the disaster are systematically analyzed, finding that the intense storm, terrain features, and the large woody debris(LWD) played important roles. The intense storm induced fast runoff and, in turn, high discharges as a result of the steep catchment surfaces and channels. The flood flushed LWD and boulders downstream until blockage occurred in a contraction section, forming a debris lake. When the debris dam broke, a dam break wave rapidly propagated to the valley mouth, washing people away. After considering the disaster-inducing factors, measures for preventing similar floods are proposed. The analysis presented herein should help others manage flash floods in mountain areas

Augmented reality‐enhanced navigation in endoscopic sinus surgery: A prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial

Objective: Endoscopic sinus surgery represents the gold standard for surgical treatment of chronic sinus diseases. Thereby, navigation systems can be of distinct use. In our study, we tested the recently developed KARL STORZ NAV1 SinusTracker navigation software that incorporates elements of augmented reality (AR) to provide a better preoperative planning and guidance during the surgical procedure. Methods: One hundred patients with chronic sinus disease were operated on using either a conventional navigation software (n = 52, non‐AR, control group) or a navigation software incorporating AR elements (n = 48, AR, intervention group). Incidence of postoperative complications, duration of surgery, surgeon‐reported benefit from the navigation system and patient‐reported postoperative rehabilitation were assessed. Results: The surgeons reported a higher benefit during surgery, used the navigation system for more surgical steps and spent longer time with preoperative image analysis when using the AR system as compared with the non‐AR system. No significant differences were seen in terms of postoperative complications, target registration error, operation time and postoperative rehabilitation. Conclusion: The AR enhanced navigation software shows a high acceptance by sinus surgeons in different stages of surgical training and offers potential benefits during surgery without affecting the duration of the operation or the incidence of postoperative complications

Prediction and Synthesis of a Non-Zintl Silicon Clathrate

We use computational high-throughput techniques to study the thermodynamic stability of ternary type I Si clathrates. Two strategies to stabilize the structures are investigated: through endohedral doping of the 2<i>a</i> and 6<i>d</i> Wyckoff positions (located at the center of the small and large cages, respectively) and by substituting the Si 6<i>c</i> positions. Our results agree with the overwhelming majority of experimental results and predict a series of unknown clathrate phases. Many of the stable phases can be explained by the simple Zintl–Klemm rule, but some are unexpected. We then successfully synthesize one of the latter compounds, a new type I silicon clathrate containing Ba (inside the cages) and Be (in the 6<i>c</i> position). These results prove the predictive power and reliability of our strategy and motivate the use of high-throughput screening of materials properties for the accelerated discovery of new clathrate phases