Rebecca C.

Research on the ecological impacts of environmental change has primarily focused at the species level, leaving the responses of ecosystem-level pro...

Early cancer biology and detection research is limited owing to a lack of clinical samples from pre-malignant and early-stage tumours. This Review discusses engineered in vitro systems that mimic early disease stages to investigate tumour progression and identify biomarkers for early cancer detection.

A better understanding of the development and progression of heterogeneity in oesophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor condition, Barrett oesophagus, is crucial for improving surveillance and treatment strategies. The authors of this Review outline the current knowledge of the causes, mediators and therapeutic implications of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in these diseases.

Background/Objectives: Granzyme B (GZB) PET Imaging is a non-invasive tool that can determine tumoral and systemic effects in immunotherapy. We aim to evaluate 68Ga-NOTA-CYT-200 PET Imaging as a molecular imaging approach to determine CAR T-cell therapy response in a human melanoma mouse model. Our goal is to provide a method to monitor CAR T-cell therapy for patients with melanoma and other solid tumors. Methods: A human melanoma mouse model was generated by implanting naïve NSG mice (n = 28) with a human melanoma cell line (A375) subcutaneously (s.c.). After tumor implantation, mice were randomly assigned to receive either the treatment (CAR T) or vehicle solution (controls). After treatment, tumor sizes were measured every other day up to 35 days after cell implantation. 68Ga-NOTA-CYT-200 PET Imaging was performed on days 2, 7, and 14 after CAR T-cell administration to assess T-cell activity within the tumors and organs. The PET Imaging results were correlated with IHC and immunofluorescent staining and cytokine assessment of tumor samples. Results: Tracer uptake within tumors of the CAR T group was significantly greater on days 2 (3.1 ± 1.2 vs. 1.1 ± 0.4, p = 0.002) and 7 (2.0 ± 1.1 vs. 1.1 ± 0.1, p = 0.01) after treatment, even before the CAR T group first presented with significantly lower tumor volumes on day 11 after treatment (61.8 mm3 ± 8.7 vs. 287.1 mm3 ± 157.6, p = 0.05). GZB (p = 0.03) and CAR T (p = 0.001) staining were also significantly greater in tumors of CAR T-cell-treated mice. Inflammatory cytokines such as IFN gamma (p = 0.03), CXCL10 (p = 0.004), and CCL5 (p = 0.02) concentrations were also significantly greater in CAR T-cell-treated tumors. Conclusions: CAR-T-treated tumors show significantly elevated 68Ga-NOTA-CYT-200 uptake compared with controls, consistent with enhanced effector activity.

Glutamine addiction in human melanoma is a premier example of the cancer hallmark of metabolic reprogramming. In the present study, we investigate the presence of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1/GRM1) and glutaminase (GLS1/GLS) in canine oral malignant melanoma (OMM) and those of low malignant potential, termed histologically well-differentiated melanocytic neoplasm of the lips and oral mucosa (HWDMN). We used immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qPCR to evaluate mGluR1 and GLS1 protein expression and RNA expression, respectively. Nearly 20% of OMM cases had an mGluR1 IHC score ≥ 1, while none of the HWDMN cases had any expression. Due to low IHC expression, only 10 cases were selected for determination of GRM1 RNA expression, and none were positive. GLS RNA expression did not differ between OMM and HWDMN. A GLS1 IHC score ≥ 1 was significantly higher in OMM cases and highly specific (95%) for correctly identifying tumors with a Ki67 index ≥ 19.5. These results may have been negatively impacted by use of a brown chromogen for IHC labeling among background pigment, particularly in HWDMN. Ultimately, these findings suggest that canine OMM does not heavily rely on mGluR1 for tumorigenesis or progression. Differential GLS1 protein expression warrants further investigation with protein quantification.

Using footage from body-worn cameras, we analyze the respectfulness of police officer language toward white and black community members during rout...

Although mutations in many genes cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), most cases are sporadic (sALS and sFTD) with unclear etiology. Here we tested whether somatic mutations contribute to sALS and sFTD by deep targeted sequencing of 88 neurodegeneration-related genes in postmortem brain and spinal cord samples from 399 sporadic cases and 144 controls. Predicted deleterious somatic variants in ALS/FTD genes were observed in 2.1% of sporadic cases lacking deleterious germline variants. These variants occurred at very low allele fractions (typically <2%) and were often focal and enriched in disease-affected regions. Analysis of bulk RNA-sequencing data from an additional cohort identified deleterious somatic variants in DYNC1H1 and LMNA, genes associated with pediatric motor neuron degeneration. Targeted long-read sequencing further identified one sFTD case with de novo somatic C9orf72 repeat expansions. Together, these findings suggest that rare, focal somatic variants can contribute to sALS and sFTD and drive widespread neurodegeneration.

Background/Objectives: Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (dMPA) is a synthetic progestin commonly used for contraception. Recent studies have reported an increased association between dMPA exposure and diagnosis of cerebral meningioma. The current systematic review aims to provide a review of literature on the topic of dMPA and cerebral meningioma as well as conduct a meta-analysis by the duration of dMPA use. Methods: The current study presented a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies of dMPA and cerebral meningioma derived from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase database searches for relevant studies published through February 2026. Odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals were reported to determine the pooled effect of dMPA on cerebral meningioma diagnosis. Quality of evidence was assessed through the GRADE methodology. Results: Nine case-control studies and one cohort study were selected for review and analysis. The overall pooled OR was 2.78 (95% CI 2.20–3.52). This association was strongest for prolonged (i.e., ≥two-years) dMPA exposure (OR 3.49, 95% CI 2.35–5.18). GRADE analysis suggested a moderate quality of evidence. Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis indicate that dMPA exposure is associated with an over two-fold increased odds of cerebral meningioma. This effect is consistent across studies and is stronger for prolonged dMPA exposure relative to short-term exposure, suggesting a dose–response effect. Clinicians should consider discussing with patients the cerebral meningioma risks associated with dMPA use when considering long-term birth control options.

Stagnancy of ten-year cervical cancer (CC) incidence in the U.S., despite screening advancements, suggests the need for new CC screening technologies. This study in preclinical CC models evaluated a diagnostic plasmid that induces expression of a reporter (secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase, SEAP) through the control of cancer-specific promoter sequence (inhibitor of differentiation 1, Id1). The plasmid (pId1-SEAP) was used to transfect CC cells in vitro and characterize SEAP production based on Id1 expression. Western Blot and immunohistochemistry were used to establish Id1 expression in cell models and human tissues. Timed transfections in various conditions were used to correlate Id1 and SEAP expression. CC cell lines expressed increased normalized baseline Id1 (HeLa 3.0 ± 0.13, SiHa 2.9 ± 0.27, both P < 0.0001) compared to non-cancer 3T3 fibroblasts (1.0 ± 0.0). Normal cervical tissues had a mean Id1 staining value of 3E4 ± 3E4, while early- and late-stage CC tissues had increased mean Id1 staining (3E5 ± 1E5 P < 0.0001 and 2E5 ± 1E5 P = 0.0002, respectively). HeLa and SiHa lines produced increased normalized SEAP (0.63 ± 0.25 and 0.50 ± 0.10, P < 0.05) compared to 3T3 cells, both with pId1-SEAP (0.16 ± 0.058). As few as 12,500 pId1-SEAP transfected HeLa cells resulted in increased SEAP (3E4 ± 3E3 P = 0.004) compared to background (1E4 ± 4E2). SiHa xenograft ex vivo tumor transfected with 25 µg/µL pId1-SEAP produced significantly greater SEAP (21.7 ± 8.6, P = 0.0003) relative to muscle transfected in the same conditions (0.94 ± 0.24). pId1-SEAP can transfect CC cells to produce SEAP proportionally to endogenous Id1 expression, demonstrating its potential for additional studies in CC models.