A novel EWSR1-MYB fusion in an aggressive advanced breast adenoid cystic carcinoma with mixed classical and solid-basaloid components.

Breast adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) with a solid-basaloid component is rare. The solid-basaloid component is usually characterized by solid nests composed of basal-like cells with marked nuclear atypia, high mitotic activity, and necrosis. Given the rarity of such tumors, information on their clinicopathological and genomic characteristics is limited. Herein, we report a case of advanced breast cancer with a poor prognosis with histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of AdCC with a solid-basaloid component. For the solid-basaloid component, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis revealed rearrangement of the EWSR1 and MYB genes, and immunohistochemical staining indicated MYB positivity. Next-generation sequencing-based technology revealed a novel EWSR1-MYB fusion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an EWSR1-MYB fusion in AdCC with a solid-basaloid component and a poor prognosis. Our findings may extend the genetic understanding of AdCC and aid in the clinical diagnosis of AdCC.

Quantitative ion character-activity relationship methods for assessing the ecotoxicity of soil metal(loid)s to lettuce.

New pollution elements introduced by the rapid development of modern industry and agriculture may pose a serious threat to the soil ecosystem. To explore the ecotoxicity and risk of these elements, we systematically studied the acute toxicity of 18 metal(loid)s toward lettuce using hydroponic experiments and quantitative relationships between element toxicity and ionic characteristics using ion-grouping and ligand-binding theory methods, thereby establishing a quantitative ion character-activity relationship (QICAR) model for predicting the phytotoxicity threshold of data-poor elements. The toxicity of 18 ions to lettuce differed by more than four orders of magnitude (0.05-804.44 µM). Correlation and linear regression analysis showed that the ionic characteristics significantly associated with this toxicity explained only 23.8-50.3% of the toxicity variation (R2Adj = 0.238-0.503, p < 0.05). Relationships between toxicity and ionic properties significantly improved after separating metal(loid) ions into soft and hard, with R2Adj of 0.793 and 0.784 (p < 0.05), respectively. Three ligand-binding parameters showed different predictive effects on lettuce metal(loid) toxicity. Compared with the binding constant of the biotic ligand model (log K) and the hard ligand scale (HLScale) (p > 0.05), the softness consensus scale (σCon) was significantly correlated with toxicity and provided the best prediction (R2Adj = 0.844, p < 0.001). We selected QICAR equations based on soft-hard ion classification and σCon methods to predict phytotoxicity of metal(loid)s, which can be used to derive ecotoxicity for data-poor metal(loid)s, providing preliminary assessment of their ecological risks.

Effects of the Foliar Application of Water-soluble Chitosan or Na2SiO3 Fertilizer on the Pb Accumulation by a Low-Pb Accumulator Brassica napus Grown on Farmland Surrounding a Working Smelter.

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of two foliar fertilizers, water-soluble chitosan (WSC) and Na2SiO3 (Si), on the accumulation of Pb by a low-Pb accumulator Brassica napus cultivar (QY-1) grown at two mildly Pb-contaminated farmland sites surrounding working smelters in Jiyuan city, Henan province, China. Regardless of the frequency of the fertilizer treatments, the foliar application of WSC (0.01%) or Si (0.15%) significantly increased the QY-1 biomass and decreased the grain Pb concentrations. Compared with the control treatment, spraying plants once with WSC or Si during the flowering period achieved the best effect in the two soils with different pollution, which may be because inhibiting the accumulation of Pb in grains by decreasing the husk-to-grain transfer coefficient. Thus, the foliar application of WSC or Si combined with the cultivation of a low-Pb accumulator is a promising approach for optimizing the utility of Pb-contaminated farmland affected by atmospheric deposition.

Water-soluble chitosan and phytoremediation efficiency of two Brassica napus L. cultivars in cadmium-contaminated farmland soils.

Pot and field trials were conducted to investigate Cd uptake and phytoremediation efficiency of two Brassica napus cultivars (QY-1 and SYH) with applied water-soluble chitosan (WSC, Pot: 0, 2% and 4%; Field: 0 and 10 g·m-2) grown in Cd-contaminated soils. The results from the pot and field trials generally showed that WSC treatments significantly increased Cd concentrations in shoot and root tissues by 33.77-159.71% (except for SYH/JY) and 7.42-168.71% of two B. napus cultivars compared with the control (p < 0.05). The uptake of Cd by shoots of SYH was obviously higher than by shoots of QY-1 treated with WSC under pot and field conditions, which was 1.54-2.22 times than that of QY-1 (p < 0.05). The results indicated that 2% WSC treatment significantly increased the water-soluble and acid extractable Cd in rhizosphere soils of both B. napus cultivars. Furthermore, Cd concentrations in the oils of two B. napus cultivars with applied WSC (10 g·m-2) grown under field conditions were not significantly different from commercial rapeseed oils. Rapeseed oil of B. napus is not only an edible oil with high nutritional value, but it can also be converted into biomass diesel that can be used as a substitute for petroleum diesel.

Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma of the Kidney: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a rare variant of fibrosarcoma. We report one case of primary kidney SEF occurring in a 38-year-old man. Microscopically, epithelioid neoplastic cells are mainly arranged in cords and nests embedded in the dense sclerosing stroma. Diffuse immunohistochemical staining for MUC4 in neoplastic cells and the presence of the EWSR1 gene split by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis confirmed the histological diagnosis. Primary kidney SEF is extremely rare, the differential diagnosis strategy broadly includes a series of tumors with epithelioid morphology and sclerosing matrix, mainly including sclerosing variants of clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), renal synovial sarcoma (SS), renal solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), metanephric stromal tumor (MST), sclerosing perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa), and carcinomas, and immunohistochemical expression of MUC4 and evidence of the EWSR1 gene split are helpful in making a definite diagnosis.