Ecosystem warming extends vegetation activity but heightens vulnerability to cold temperatures.

Shifts in vegetation phenology are a key example of the biological effects of climate change1-3. However, there is substantial uncertainty about whether these temperature-driven trends will continue, or whether other factors-for example, photoperiod-will become more important as warming exceeds the bounds of historical variability4,5. Here we use phenological transition dates derived from digital repeat photography6 to show that experimental whole-ecosystem warming treatments7 of up to +9 °C linearly correlate with a delayed autumn green-down and advanced spring green-up of the dominant woody species in a boreal Picea-Sphagnum bog. Results were confirmed by direct observation of both vegetative and reproductive phenology of these and other bog plant species, and by multiple years of observations. There was little evidence that the observed responses were constrained by photoperiod. Our results indicate a likely extension of the period of vegetation activity by 1-2 weeks under a 'CO2 stabilization' climate scenario (+2.6 ± 0.7 °C), and 3-6 weeks under a 'high-CO2 emission' scenario (+5.9 ± 1.1 °C), by the end of the twenty-first century. We also observed severe tissue mortality in the warmest enclosures after a severe spring frost event. Failure to cue to photoperiod resulted in precocious green-up and a premature loss of frost hardiness8, which suggests that vulnerability to spring frost damage will increase in a warmer world9,10. Vegetation strategies that have evolved to balance tradeoffs associated with phenological temperature tracking may be optimal under historical climates, but these strategies may not be optimized for future climate regimes. These in situ experimental results are of particular importance because boreal forests have both a circumpolar distribution and a key role in the global carbon cycle11.

Recurrent ovarian immature teratoma in a 12-year-old girl: Implications for management.

Immature teratomas (IT) are rare and recurrences uncommon. A 12-year-old female with grade 3 (high-grade) ovarian IT underwent surgical resection but experienced early recurrences; the first was treated with surgery but the second was metastatic and managed with chemotherapy, resulting in growing-teratoma-syndrome and need for further surgery. She now remains well in uneventful clinical follow-up. We believe chemotherapy could be reserved for very carefully selected recurrent IT cases, which may alter the natural history of disease.

Muscles innervated by a single motor neuron exhibit divergent synaptic properties on multiple time scales.

Adaptive changes in the output of neural circuits underlying rhythmic behaviors are relayed to muscles via motor neuron activity. Presynaptic and postsynaptic properties of neuromuscular junctions can impact the transformation from motor neuron activity to muscle response. Further, synaptic plasticity occurring on the time scale of inter-spike intervals can differ between multiple muscles innervated by the same motor neuron. In rhythmic behaviors, motor neuron bursts can elicit additional synaptic plasticity. However, it is unknown whether plasticity regulated by the longer time scale of inter-burst intervals also differs between synapses from the same neuron, and whether any such distinctions occur across a physiological activity range. To address these issues, we measured electrical responses in muscles innervated by a chewing circuit neuron, the lateral gastric (LG) motor neuron, in a well-characterized small motor system, the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of the Jonah crab, Cancer borealisIn vitro and in vivo, sensory, hormonal and modulatory inputs elicit LG bursting consisting of inter-spike intervals of 50-250 ms and inter-burst intervals of 2-24 s. Muscles expressed similar facilitation measured with paired stimuli except at the shortest inter-spike interval. However, distinct decay time constants resulted in differences in temporal summation. In response to bursting activity, augmentation occurred to different extents and saturated at different inter-burst intervals. Further, augmentation interacted with facilitation, resulting in distinct intra-burst facilitation between muscles. Thus, responses of multiple target muscles diverge across a physiological activity range as a result of distinct synaptic properties sensitive to multiple time scales.

Magnetization transfer imaging of ovarian cancer: initial experiences of correlation with tissue cellularity and changes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between magnetization transfer (MT) imaging and tissue macromolecules in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and whether MT ratio (MTR) changes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Methods: This was a prospective observational study. 12 HGSOC patients were imaged before treatment. MTR was compared to quantified tissue histology and immunohistochemistry. For a subset of patients (n = 5), MT imaging was repeated after NACT. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess for normality of data and Spearman's rank-order or Pearson's correlation tests were then used to compare MTR with tissue quantifications. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess for changes in MTR after treatment. Results: Treatment-naïve tumour MTR was 21.9 ± 3.1% (mean ± S.D.). MTR had a positive correlation with cellularity, rho = 0.56 (p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with tumour volume, ρ = -0.72 (p = 0.01). MTR did not correlate with the extracellular proteins, collagen IV or laminin (p = 0.40 and p = 0.90). For those patients imaged before and after NACT, an increase in MTR was observed in each case with mean MTR 20.6 ± 3.1% (median 21.1) pre-treatment and 25.6 ± 3.4% (median 26.5) post-treatment (p = 0.06). Conclusion: In treatment-naïve HGSOC, MTR is associated with cellularity, possibly reflecting intracellular macromolecular concentration. MT may also detect the HGSOC response to NACT, however larger studies are required to validate this finding. Advances in knowledge: MTR in HGSOC is influenced by cellularity. This may be applied to assess for cell changes following treatment.

Clonal somatic copy number altered driver events inform drug sensitivity in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Chromosomal instability is a major challenge to patient stratification and targeted drug development for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). Here we show that somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) in frequently amplified HGSOC cancer genes significantly correlate with gene expression and methylation status. We identify five prevalent clonal driver SCNAs (chromosomal amplifications encompassing MYC, PIK3CA, CCNE1, KRAS and TERT) from multi-regional HGSOC data and reason that their strong selection should prioritise them as key biomarkers for targeted therapies. We use primary HGSOC spheroid models to test interactions between in vitro targeted therapy and SCNAs. MYC chromosomal copy number is associated with in-vitro and clinical response to paclitaxel and in-vitro response to mTORC1/2 inhibition. Activation of the mTOR survival pathway in the context of MYC-amplified HGSOC is statistically associated with increased prevalence of SCNAs in genes from the PI3K pathway. Co-occurrence of amplifications in MYC and genes from the PI3K pathway is independently observed in squamous lung cancer and triple negative breast cancer. In this work, we show that identifying co-occurrence of clonal driver SCNA genes could be used to tailor therapeutics for precision medicine.

Rare case of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration secondary to high-grade serous carcinoma of tubo-ovarian origin.

This case describes a 69-year-old woman, who presented with rapidly progressive cerebellar symptoms and unintentional weight loss. Full neurological assessment excluded space-occupying lesions, vascular accidents and infection. Surprisingly, a chest, abdomen and pelvis CT showed a left hemipelvis mass, which was subsequently biopsied. A high-grade serous carcinoma of tubo-ovarian origin was found, diagnosing paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) secondary to this. The exact mechanism is not known, but is thought to be immune-mediated. In cases of PCD, after cancer treatment, the neurological disability stabilises to a severe level and will unfortunately be lifelong. Our patient continues to make great progress with intensive rehabilitation for her ongoing balance issues. Early recognition of PCD can lead to a prompt diagnosis of the underlying malignancy and hence subsequent management. This can at least limit the extent of the neurological disability of the disease and increase the survival rate from cancer.

Diffusion kurtosis MRI as a predictive biomarker of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high grade serous ovarian cancer.

This study assessed the feasibility of using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) as a measure of tissue heterogeneity and proliferation to predict the response of high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Seventeen patients with HGSOC were imaged at 3 T and had biopsy samples taken prior to any treatment. The patients were divided into two groups: responders and non-responders based on Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours (RECIST) criteria. The following imaging metrics were calculated: apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), apparent diffusion (Dapp) and apparent kurtosis (Kapp). Tumour cellularity and proliferation were quantified using histology and Ki-67 immunohistochemistry. Mean Kapp before therapy was higher in responders compared to non-responders: 0.69 ± 0.13 versus 0.51 ± 0.11 respectively, P = 0.02. Tumour cellularity correlated positively with Kapp (rho = 0.50, P = 0.04) and negatively with both ADC (rho = -0.72, P = 0.001) and Dapp (rho = -0.80, P < 0.001). Ki-67 expression correlated with Kapp (rho = 0.53, P = 0.03) but not with ADC or Dapp. In conclusion, Kapp was found to be a potential predictive biomarker of NACT response in HGSOC, which suggests that DKI is a promising clinical tool for use oncology and radiology that should be evaluated further in future larger studies.

Sodium MRI with 3D-cones as a measure of tumour cellularity in high grade serous ovarian cancer.

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of rapid sodium MRI (23Na-MRI) for the imaging of peritoneal cancer deposits in high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and to evaluate the relationship of 23Na-MRI with tumour cellularity. 23Na-MRI was performed at 3 T on twelve HGSOC patients using a 3D-cones acquisition technique. Tumour biopsies specimens were collected after imaging and cellularity was measured from histology. Total 23Na-MRI scan time for each patient was approximately 11 min. At an isotropic resolution of 5.6 mm, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of 82.2 ± 15.3 and 15.1 ± 7.1 (mean ± standard deviation) were achieved for imaging of tumour tissue sodium concentration (TSC) and intracellular weighted sodium concentration (IWS) respectively. Tumour TSC and IWS concentrations were: 56.8 ± 19.1 mM and 30.8 ± 9.2 mM respectively and skeletal muscle TSC and IWS concentrations were 33.2 ± 16.3 mM and 20.5 ± 9.9 mM respectively. There were significant sodium concentration differences between cancer and skeletal muscle, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < 0.001 for TSC and P = 0.01 for IWS imaging. Tumour cellularity displayed a strong negative correlation with TSC, Spearman's rho = -0.92, P < 0.001, but did not correlate with IWS. This study demonstrates that 23Na-MRI using 3D-cones can rapidly assess sodium concentration in peritoneal deposits of HGSOC and that TSC may serve as a biomarker of tumour cellularity.

Vaccinia-expressed human papillomavirus 16 and 18 e6 and e7 as a therapeutic vaccination for vulval and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia.

PURPOSE: Anogenital intraepithelial neoplasia is a chronic disorder associated with infection by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types. It is frequently multifocal and recurrence after conventional treatment is high. Boosting HPV-specific cell-mediated immune responses may reduce progression to carcinoma and could lead to disease clearance. We have tested the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of a recombinant vaccinia candidate vaccine (TA-HPV) in women with anogenital intraepithelial neoplasia. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Twelve women, aged 42-54 years with high-grade HPV-positive vulval or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia of up to 15 years duration, completed a Phase II study of TA-HPV, a live recombinant vaccinia virus, expressing modified versions of the E6 and E7 open reading frames from HPV-16 and HPV-18. RESULTS: The vaccine was well tolerated. Five of 12 (42%) patients showed at least a 50% reduction in total lesion diameter over 24 weeks with 1 patient showing complete regression of her lesion. Overall, 83% of women showed some improvement with an average decrease in lesion size of 40%. All cases showed an increased IgG titer and T-cell response to the vaccinia virus. An IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay using pooled 22-mer peptides spanning HPV-16 E6 and E7 showed an increased specific T-cell response after vaccination in 6 of the 10 cases available for testing. There was no increase in specific cytotoxic response to selected individual HLA class I-restricted HPV-16 E6/7 peptides. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the vaccine may have an effect on HPV-positive vulval intraepithelial neoplasia/vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia and that additional studies are warranted to develop an effective therapeutic vaccine.

Transcriptome analysis of endometrial cancer identifies peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors as potential therapeutic targets.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy, frequently arising in association with obesity and diabetes mellitus. To identify gene pathways contributing to endometrial cancer development, we studied the transcriptome of 20 endometrial cancers and 11 benign endometrial tissues using cDNA microarrays. Among the transcript changes identified in endometrial cancer were up-regulation of the nuclear hormone receptors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) alpha and gamma, whereas retinoid X receptor beta was down-regulated. To clarify the contribution of PPARalpha to endometrial carcinogenesis, we did experiments on cultured endometrial carcinoma cells expressing this transcript. Treatment with fenofibrate, an activating ligand for PPARalpha, significantly reduced proliferation and increased cell death, suggesting that altered expression of nuclear hormone receptors involved with fatty acid metabolism leads to deregulated cellular proliferation and apoptosis. These results support further investigation of members of the PPAR/retinoid X receptor pathway as novel therapeutic targets in endometrial cancer.

Controversies in the management of endometrial carcinoma: an update.

Endometrial carcinoma is the commonest type of female genital tract malignancy in the developed countries. Endometrial carcinoma is usually confined to the uterus at the time of diagnosis and as such usually carries an excellent prognosis with high curability. Our understanding and management of endometrial cancer have continuously developed. Current controversies focus on screening and early detection, the extent of nodal surgery, and the changing roles of radiation therapy and chemotherapy and will be discussed in this paper.

Gynaecological malignancies in pregnancy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the management of gynaecological cancers occurring in association with pregnancy. To consider the impact of the cancer on the pregnancy, and the impact of the pregnancy on the cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: The management of gynaecological cancers in pregnancy remains, fortunately, a rare problem for the gynaecological oncology team. This inevitably means that many management decisions will be informed by relatively small case series and case reports. There have been interesting reports where pregnancy has been prolonged to achieve fetal viability in both cervix and ovary cancer in pregnancy, and these are discussed below. SUMMARY: Any cancer in pregnancy is a catastrophic event for the woman and her partner, and poses great challenges for the multidisciplinary team responsible for her care. Gynaecological cancers in pregnancy are even more stressful as the woman will naturally worry about the survival of her baby, and the implications for her future fertility. Fortunately the outcome for most women and their babies is favourable.

Can optimal primary cytoreduction be predicted in advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer? Role of preoperative serum CA-125 level.

The aim of this study was to determine the ability of preoperative serum CA-125 levels to predict optimal cytoreduction in patients with stage III epithelial ovarian cancer. A retrospective review was made of the records of 40 patients with FIGO stage III ovarian carcinoma who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the most useful CA-125 level in predicting optimal versus suboptimal tumour cytoreduction. Twenty-two (55%) patients were optimally cytoreduced (residual disease 500 U/ml. At this threshold, preoperative serum CA-125 level was able to predict optimal versus suboptimal cytoreduction with a sensitivity of 72%, specificity of 73%, positive predictive value of 68%, and negative predictive value of 76%. In the management of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma, preoperative serum CA-125 level may help to predict optimal primary cytoreduction and to identify candidates for alternative approaches other than traditional primary cytoreductive surgery, such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy.