• Book : 6()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.100104-100104
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Abstract Objective This study aimed to compare the expression of lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) and β-catenin in basal cell adenoma (BA), desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF), and pancreatic solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) to evaluate their diagnostic utility in tumors associated with the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway harboring the mutation of CTNNB1 gene 3 exon. Methods Eighty tumor patients, including 26 BAs, 30 DFs, and 24 SPNs, were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was identified positive (nuclear staining of LEF1 and β-catenin in > 50% of tumor cells). The diagnostic rate of LEF1 alone, β-catenin alone, and their combination were compared for each tumor type and all patients. Results Compared to β-catenin, when LEF1 alone was used for diagnosis, the diagnostic rate increased by 46.16% for BA, 16.67% for SPN, and 11.25% for all patients, but decreased by 23.34% for DF. The combined use of β-catenin and LEF1 significantly increased the diagnostic ratio in BA (46.16%), SPN (16.67%), and all patients (21.25%), but only marginally in DF (3.33%). In terms of all WNT pathway tumors with CTNNB1 gene mutation encompassed by our study, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between LEF1 alone and β-catenin alone. However, their combined application was highly significant (P = 0.001) . Conclusion While β-catenin is commonly used as a marker for WNT pathway tumors, its variable expression and localization can be challenging for diagnosis. Our study emphasizes the importance of LEF1 as a complementary marker to β-catenin in diagnosing BA, DF, SPN, and other WNT pathway tumors activated by exon 3 CTNNB1 gene mutation. The combined use of LEF1 and β-catenin enhances diagnostic accuracy and may help the identification of these tumor types.

• Book : 23(1)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
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• Book : ()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
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ABSTRACTTumour cells possess a multitude of chemoresistance mechanisms, which could plausibly contribute to the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy. O6‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is an important effector protein associated with Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in various tumours. To some extent, the expression level of MGMT determines the sensitivity of cells to TMZ, but the mechanism of its expression regulation has not been fully elucidated. Cultured malignant melanoma cell lines A375 and Sk‐MEL28 were employed. A luciferase assay was used to detect the transcriptional activity of the MGMT promoter. Western blotting was used to compare the expression levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (P‐ERK1/2) after TMZ treatment. Immunofluorescent staining was used to detect TMZ‐induced DNA damage protein levels. The sensitivity of melanoma cells to TMZ was detected by MTT assay and animal experiments. The expression of MGMT mRNA was tested by Quantitative real‐time PCR (RT‐qPCR). Flow cytometry was used to measure the apoptosis of TMZ‐treated cells. TMZ enhanced the transcription of MGMT through activating the ERK pathway. ERK inhibitors U0126 and vemurafenib (vMF) inhibited the TMZ induced transcription of MGMT. The expression of MGMT and p‐ERK1/2 was closely related in human MM tissues. vMF increased the sensitivity of melanoma (MM) to TMZ in vitro and in vivo through downregulating MGMT and promoting the TMZ induced DNA damage in MM. TMZ‐promoted MGMT transcription contributed to instinctive chemoresistance by activating the ERK signalling pathway in malignant melanoma. Our study indicates that the use of the ERK inhibitor in combination with TMZ could potentially enhance the effectiveness of clinical treatment for malignant melanoma.

• Book : 29(3)
• Pub. Date : 2025
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Prostate Artery Embolization (PAE) is a novel minimally invasive angiographic technique that has been used effectively to treat men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, applications of PAE for men with prostate cancer have been minimally studied. This review serves as an update on the status of PAE in men with prostate cancer, as well as a discussion of emerging indications.

• Book : 32()
• Pub. Date : 2025
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• Pub. Date : 2025
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Enriched lithium isotopes (6Li and 7Li) are essential in the nuclear energy industry, where 6Li is bombarded with neutrons to produce tritium for fusion reactions, while 7Li is used as a core coolant and pH regulator. Separation of 6Li and 7Li by electromigration is a promising method for producing enriched lithium isotopes that fulfill industrial needs. In this work, based on a previously proposed biphasic system electromigration routine, a three-stage system of ‘LiCl aqueous solution (anolyte)|B12C4-[EMIm][NTf2] organic solution|NH4Cl aqueous solution (catholyte)’ was constructed and the rules of lithium isotope separation and lithium-ion migration investigated. It was shown that the isotope enrichment effect of the catholyte was greatly affected by the experimental conditions, while that of the organic solution was less affected. As the B12C4 concentration increased, enhancement of 7Li enrichment in the catholyte and 6Li enrichment in the organic solution was observed, and α(C/O) and α(O/A) reached 0.975 and 1.018 at B12C4 of 0.5 mol/L. With the increase in current, migration time, and LiCl concentration, the isotope that was enriched in the catholyte trended from 7Li to 6Li (about 6 mA, 12 h or LiCl of 5 mol/L). Taking lithium-ion transport efficiency and lithium isotope separation effect into consideration together, a current of at least 6 mA, duration of at least 12 h, LiCl concentration of at least 1 mol/L and B12C4 concentration of 0.2 mol/L are suggested for the electromigration process. The work provides an important reference for system construction and experimental design of a biphasic electromigration separation method, which is expected to be an industrial alternative because of its environmental protection and high efficiency.

• Book : 12(2)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.27-27
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Objective: This study evaluated the effect of an accelerated three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted pediatric brain MRI protocol using a deep learning (DL)-based reconstruction algorithm on scan time and image quality.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 46 pediatric patients who underwent conventional and accelerated, pre- and post-contrast, 3D T1-weighted brain MRI using a 3T scanner (SIGNA Premier; GE HealthCare) at a single tertiary referral center between March 1, 2023, and April 30, 2023. Conventional scans were reconstructed using intensity Filter A (Conv), whereas accelerated scans were reconstructed using intensity Filter A (Fast_A) and a DL-based algorithm (Fast_DL). Image quality was assessed quantitatively based on the coefficient of variation, relative contrast, apparent signal-to-noise ratio (aSNR), and apparent contrast-to-noise ratio (aCNR) and qualitatively according to radiologists’ ratings of overall image quality, artifacts, noisiness, gray-white matter differentiation, and lesion conspicuity.Results: The acquisition times for the pre- and post-contrast scans were 191 and 135 seconds, respectively, for the conventional scan. With the accelerated protocol, these were reduced to 135 and 80 seconds, achieving time reductions of 29.3% and 40.7%, respectively. DL-based reconstruction significantly reduced the coefficient of variation, improved the aSNR, aCNR, and overall image quality, and reduced the number of artifacts compared with the conventional acquisition method (all P < 0.05). However, the lesion conspicuity remained similar between the two protocols.Conclusion: Utilizing a DL-based reconstruction algorithm in accelerated 3D T1-weighted pediatric brain MRI can significantly shorten the acquisition time, enhance image quality, and reduce artifacts, making it a viable option for pediatric imaging.

• Book : 26(2)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.180-192
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Abstract In vertebrates and plants, dsRNA plays crucial roles as PAMP and as a mediator of RNAi. How higher fungi respond to dsRNA is not known. We demonstrate that Magnaporthe oryzae (Mo), a globally significant crop pathogen, internalizes dsRNA across a broad size range of 21 to about 3000 bp. Incubation of fungal conidia with 10 ng/µL dsRNA, regardless of size or sequence, induced aberrant germ tube elongation, revealing a strong sequence-unspecific effect of dsRNA in this fungus. Accordingly, the synthetic dsRNA analogue poly(I:C) and dsRNA of various sizes and sequences elicited canonical fungal stress pathways, including nuclear accumulation of the stress marker mitogen-activated protein kinase Hog1p and production of ROS. Leaf application of dsRNA to the cereal model species Brachypodium distachyon suppressed the progression of leaf blast disease. Notably, the sequence-unspecific effect of dsRNA depends on higher doses, while pure sequence-specific effects were observed at low concentrations of dsRNA ( < 0.03 ng/µL). The protective effects of dsRNA were further enhanced by maintaining a gap of at least seven days between dsRNA application and inoculation, and by stabilising the dsRNA in alginate-chitosan nanoparticles. Overall, our study opens up additional possibilities for the development and use of dsRNA pesticides in agriculture.

• Book : 8(1)
• Pub. Date : 2025
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• Pub. Date : 2025
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