Decomposition of partially submerged remains: a study on the reliability of insect colonisation for PMI/PMSI estimation.

The terrestrial decomposition of remains and associated insect colonisation have been highly researched, and recently studies have expanded to investigate the aquatic decomposition of remains. However, there are instances where remains may experience both terrestrial and aquatic conditions simultaneously due to partial submersion in tidal areas, or influx or efflux of water caused by flood or drought. Decomposition and post-mortem interval (PMI) research to date has focused on remains wholly exposed to either terrestrial or aquatic environments, with limited consideration of dual simultaneous exposure. This study was conducted in artificial lentic environments to ascertain how simultaneous zones of terrestrial and aquatic environments on a single body may impact decomposition. Three trials were completed over a period of 12 months, with each trial consisting of 12 stillborn piglets; three partially submerged head exposed, three partially submerged abdomen exposed, three fully submerged aquatic controls and three terrestrial controls. Decomposition stage and rate were inferred from physical characteristics and insect activity. The decomposition rate of the exposed region of each piglet was significantly faster than the submerged region. The exposed zone of each was colonised by insects and reached skeletonization, whereas the submerged zone without orifice exposure had no insect activity and had a significantly slower decomposition rate. This indicated the ability to utilise terrestrial entomological approaches to estimate a minimum PMI for the exposed portion of the remains. However, without the ability to determine the amount of time the remains may have been submerged for, this estimation represents only a minimum PMSI, with the possibility the remains were submerged for a period of time without insect access and colonisation.

An investigation of the clinical impact and therapeutic relevance of a DNA damage immune response (DDIR) signature in patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: An improved understanding of which gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GOA) patients respond to both chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is needed. We investigated the predictive role and underlying biology of a 44-gene DNA damage immune response (DDIR) signature in patients with advanced GOA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transcriptional profiling was carried out on pretreatment tissue from 252 GOA patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (three dose levels) within the randomized phase III GO2 trial. Cross-validation was carried out in two independent GOA cohorts with transcriptional profiling, immune cell immunohistochemistry and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) (n = 430). RESULTS: In the GO2 trial, DDIR-positive tumours had a greater radiological response (51.7% versus 28.5%, P = 0.022) and improved overall survival in a dose-dependent manner (P = 0.028). DDIR positivity was associated with a pretreatment inflamed tumour microenvironment (TME) and increased expression of biomarkers associated with ICI response such as CD274 (programmed death-ligand 1, PD-L1) and a microsatellite instability RNA signature. Consensus pathway analysis identified EGFR as a potential key determinant of the DDIR signature. EGFR amplification was associated with DDIR negativity and an immune cold TME. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate the importance of the GOA TME in chemotherapy response, its relationship to DNA damage repair and EGFR as a targetable driver of an immune cold TME. Chemotherapy-sensitive inflamed GOAs could benefit from ICI delivered in combination with standard chemotherapy. Combining EGFR inhibitors and ICIs warrants further investigation in patients with EGFR-amplified tumours.

Fission chamber data acquisition system for neutron flux measurements on the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade.

Neutron flux measurements are important in fusion devices for both safety requirements and physics studies. A new system has been built for the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST Upgrade) that provides neutron count, DC, and Campbell mode measurements for a 1 µs period at 1 MHz. The acquisition system uses a Red Pitaya board to sample current from two fission chambers mounted on the side of the MAST-U vessel. The system-on-chip design of the Zynq-7020 on the Red Pitaya also allows a web server implementation using Flask for data retrieval and diagnostic configuration over the MAST Upgrade network.

Recovery of an urbanised estuary: Clean-up, de-industrialisation and restoration of redundant dock-basins in the Mersey.

For much of the 20th century, the Mersey in North West England was one of the worst polluted estuaries in Europe. Water from a range of polluting industries plus domestic sewage was discharged into the Mersey Catchment and Estuary. Recovery came through a concerted clean-up campaign and tightening environmental regulations, partly driven by European Commission Directives, coupled with de-industrialisation from the 1970s onward. Recovery of oxygen levels in the Estuary led to the return of a productive ecosystem. This led to conservation designations, but also concerns about transfer of pollutants to higher trophic levels in fish, birds and humans. As part of urban renewal, ecosystems in disused dock basins were restored using mussel biofiltration and artificial de-stratification, facilitating commercial redevelopment and creation of a tourist destination. The degradation and recovery of the Mersey from peak-pollution in the mid-20th century is put in the context of wider environmental change and briefly compared to other systems to develop a hysteresis model of degradation and recovery, often to novel ecosystems.

Dormancy dampens the microbial distance-decay relationship.

Much of Earth's biodiversity has the capacity to engage in dormancy, a reversible state of reduced metabolic activity. By increasing resilience to unfavourable conditions, dormancy leads to the accumulation of 'seed banks'. These reservoirs of genetic and phenotypic diversity should diminish the strength of environmental filtering and increase rates of dispersal. Although prevalent among single-celled organisms, evidence that dormancy influences patterns of microbial biogeography is lacking. We constructed geographical and environmental distance-decay relationships (DDRs) for the total (DNA) and active (RNA) portions of bacterial communities in a regional-scale 16S rRNA survey of forested ponds in Indiana, USA. As predicted, total communities harboured greater diversity and exhibited weaker DDRs than active communities. These observations were robust to random resampling and different community metrics. To evaluate the processes underlying the biogeographic patterns, we developed a platform of mechanistic models that used the geographical coordinates and environmental characteristics of our study system. Based on more than 106 simulations, our models approximated the empirical DDRs when there was strong environmental filtering along with the presence of long-lived seed banks. By contrast, the inclusion of dispersal generally decreased model performance. Together, our findings support recent theoretical predictions that seed banks can influence the biogeographic patterns of microbial communities. This article is part of the theme issue 'Conceptual challenges in microbial community ecology'.

A novel, somatic, transforming mutation in the extracellular domain of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor identified in myeloproliferative neoplasm.

We describe a novel ERBB1/EGFR somatic mutation (p. C329R; c.985 T > C) identified in a patient with JAK2V617F Polycythaemia Vera (PV). This substitution affects a conserved cysteine residue in EGFR domain 2 and leads to the formation of a ligand-independent covalent receptor dimer, associated with increased transforming potential. Aberrant signalling from the EGFRC329R receptor is cell type-dependent and in the TF1.8 erythroid cell line expression of this mutant suppresses EPO-induced differentiation. Clonal analysis shows that the dominant JAK2V617F-positive clone in this PV patient harbors EGFRC329R, thus this mutation may contribute to clonal expansion. Somatic mutations affecting other ERBB and related receptor tyrosine kinases are observed in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), and we show elevated EGFR levels in MPN samples, consistent with previous reports. Thus activation of this group of receptors, via multiple mechanisms, may contribute to clonal growth and survival of the JAK2V617F disease clone in MPN.

Distinguishing globally-driven changes from regional- and local-scale impacts: The case for long-term and broad-scale studies of recovery from pollution.

Marine ecosystems are subject to anthropogenic change at global, regional and local scales. Global drivers interact with regional- and local-scale impacts of both a chronic and acute nature. Natural fluctuations and those driven by climate change need to be understood to diagnose local- and regional-scale impacts, and to inform assessments of recovery. Three case studies are used to illustrate the need for long-term studies: (i) separation of the influence of fishing pressure from climate change on bottom fish in the English Channel; (ii) recovery of rocky shore assemblages from the Torrey Canyon oil spill in the southwest of England; (iii) interaction of climate change and chronic Tributyltin pollution affecting recovery of rocky shore populations following the Torrey Canyon oil spill. We emphasize that "baselines" or "reference states" are better viewed as envelopes that are dependent on the time window of observation. Recommendations are made for adaptive management in a rapidly changing world.

Quantitative proteomics in resected renal cancer tissue for biomarker discovery and profiling.

BACKGROUND: Proteomics-based approaches for biomarker discovery are promising strategies used in cancer research. We present state-of-art label-free quantitative proteomics method to assess proteome of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) compared with noncancer renal tissues. METHODS: Fresh frozen tissue samples from eight primary RCC lesions and autologous adjacent normal renal tissues were obtained from surgically resected tumour-bearing kidneys. Proteins were extracted by complete solubilisation of tissues using filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) method. Trypsin digested proteins were analysed using quantitative label-free proteomics approach followed by data interpretation and pathways analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1761 proteins were identified and quantified with high confidence (MASCOT ion score threshold of 35 and P-value <0.05). Of these, 596 proteins were identified as differentially expressed between cancer and noncancer tissues. Two upregulated proteins in tumour samples (adipose differentiation-related protein and Coronin 1A) were further validated by immunohistochemistry. Pathway analysis using IPA, KOBAS 2.0, DAVID functional annotation and FLink tools showed enrichment of many cancer-related biological processes and pathways such as oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis and amino acid synthetic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified a number of differentially expressed proteins and pathways using label-free proteomics approach in RCC compared with normal tissue samples. Two proteins validated in this study are the focus of on-going research in a large cohort of patients.

The RNA helicase p68 (DDX5) is selectively required for the induction of p53-dependent p21 expression and cell-cycle arrest after DNA damage.

The RNA helicase p68 (DDX5) is an established co-activator of the p53 tumour suppressor that itself has a pivotal role in orchestrating the cellular response to DNA damage. Although several factors influence the biological outcome of p53 activation, the mechanisms governing the choice between cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we show that, while p68 is critical for p53-mediated transactivation of the cell-cycle arrest gene p21(WAF1/CIP1), it is dispensable for induction of several pro-apoptotic genes in response to DNA damage. Moreover, p68 depletion results in a striking inhibition of recruitment of p53 and RNA Pol II to the p21 promoter but not to the Bax or PUMA promoters, providing an explanation for the selective effect on p21 induction. Importantly, these findings are mirrored in a novel inducible p68 knockout mouse model in which p68 depletion results in a selective inhibition of p21 induction in several tissues. Moreover, in the bone marrow, p68 depletion results in an increased sensitivity to γ-irradiation, consistent with an increased level of apoptosis. These data highlight a novel function of p68 as a modulator of the decision between p53-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

A randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 study of ganitumab (AMG 479) or conatumumab (AMG 655) in combination with gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ganitumab (a mAb antagonist of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor) or conatumumab (a mAb agonist of human death receptor 5) combined with gemcitabine in a randomized phase 2 trial in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a previously untreated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤1 were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to i.v. gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) (days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle) combined with open-label ganitumab (12 mg/kg every 2 weeks [Q2W]), double-blind conatumumab (10 mg/kg Q2W), or double-blind placebo Q2W. The primary end point was 6-month survival rate. Results In total, 125 patients were randomized. The 6-month survival rates were 57% (95% CI 41-70) in the ganitumab arm, 59% (42-73) in the conatumumab arm, and 50% (33-64) in the placebo arm. The grade ≥3 adverse events in the ganitumab, conatumumab, and placebo arms, respectively, included neutropenia (18/22/13%), thrombocytopenia (15/17/8%), fatigue (13/12/5%), alanine aminotransferase increase (15/5/8%), and hyperglycemia (18/2/3%). CONCLUSIONS: Ganitumab combined with gemcitabine had tolerable toxicity and showed trends toward an improved 6-month survival rate and overall survival. Additional investigation into this combination is warranted. Conatumumab combined with gemcitabine showed some evidence of activity as assessed by the 6-month survival rate.

Phenformin as prophylaxis and therapy in breast cancer xenografts.

BACKGROUND: Observations that diabetics treated with biguanide drugs have a reduced risk of developing cancer have prompted an enthusiasm for these agents as anti-cancer therapies. We sought to determine the efficacy of the biguanide phenformin in the chemoprophylaxis and in the treatment of oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF7 and receptor triple-negative MDAMB231 xenografts in immunocompromised mice. We also compared the efficacy of phenformin and metformin in the treatment of MDAMB231. METHODS: Immunocompromised mice were divided into groups: (1) phenformin administered for 2 weeks prior to cell injection; (2) established tumours treated with phenformin; (3) established tumours treated with metformin (only for MDAMB231 tumours); (4) untreated controls. Post-treatment tumours, liver and spleen were harvested for further analysis. RESULTS: Phenformin significantly inhibited both the development and growth of MCF7 and MDAMB231 tumours, and for MDAMB231 at greater efficacy than metformin without murine toxicity. The number of mitotic figures was significantly fewer in xenografts treated with phenformin compared with controls. Results suggested that the mechanism of action of phenformin in vivo is consistent with AMPK activation. CONCLUSION: Phenformin has clinical potential as an antineoplastic agent and should be considered for clinical trials both in ER-positive and triple-negative breast cancer.

The RNA helicase p68 modulates expression and function of the Δ133 isoform(s) of p53, and is inversely associated with Δ133p53 expression in breast cancer.

The RNA helicase p68 is a potent co-activator of p53-dependent transcription in response to DNA damage. Previous independent studies have indicated that p68 and the Δ133p53 isoforms, which modulate the function of full-length p53, are aberrantly expressed in breast cancers. Here we identify a striking inverse association of p68 and Δ133p53 expression in primary breast cancers. Consistent with these findings, small interfering RNA depletion of p68 in cell lines results in a p53-dependant increase of Δ133p53 in response to DNA damage, suggesting that increased Δ133p53 expression could result from downregulation of p68 and provide a potential mechanistic explanation for our observations in breast cancer. Δ133p53α, which has been shown to negatively regulate the function of full-length p53, reciprocally inhibits the ability of p68 to stimulate p53-dependent transcription from the p21 promoter, suggesting that Δ133p53α may be competing with p68 to regulate p53 function. This hypothesis is underscored by our observations that p68 interacts with the C-terminal domain of p53, co-immunoprecipitates 133p53α from cell extracts and interacts only with p53 molecules that are able to form tetramers. These data suggest that p68, p53 and 133p53α may form part of a complex feedback mechanism to regulate the expression of Δ133p53, with consequent modification of p53-mediated transcription, and may modulate the function of p53 in breast and other cancers that harbour wild-type p53.

Prospective assessment of two-stage testing for Clostridium difficile.

Commonly used immunoassays have limitations as stand-alone tests for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). In particular, the specificity of these assays means that these tests generate a relatively large number of false-positive results. We introduced a two-stage regimen for CDI as routine. Unformed stool samples received in our laboratory were initially tested with a Meridian Premier enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and positive samples were retested with reference testing methods (toxigenic culture and cell cytotoxicity assay). Clinicians received diagnostically useful information on the day that the sample arrived in the laboratory, with definitive negative and provisional positive results made available. We reviewed the first 3643 unformed stool specimens of which 158/3643 (4.3%) were provisionally positive by EIA. Of the 158 samples that were EIA positive, 119 were confirmed as being positive by at least one of the reference methods, giving a positive predictive value in this population of 75% (95% confidence interval: 67.6-81.7%). Comparison of the optical density values of the EIA lying between true and false-positive results suggests that the introduction of a second cut-off value would improve diagnostics. A test with two cut-offs would give the following results: 'positive', 'negative' and 'indeterminate result, please perform confirmatory test'. This algorithm was a simple and cost-effective method to immediately improve diagnostics, but there is an urgent need for further research in laboratory diagnosis for CDI.

The DEAD-box protein p72 regulates ERalpha-/oestrogen-dependent transcription and cell growth, and is associated with improved survival in ERalpha-positive breast cancer.

The DEAD-box RNA helicases p68 (DDX5) and p72 (DDX17) have been shown to act as transcriptional co-activators for a diverse range of transcription factors, including oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha). Here, we show that, although both proteins interact with and co-activate ERalpha in reporter gene assays, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of p72, but not p68, results in a significant inhibition of oestrogen-dependent transcription of endogenous ERalpha-responsive genes and oestrogen-dependent growth of MCF-7 and ZR75-1 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of ERalpha-positive primary breast cancers for p68 and p72 indicate that p72 expression is associated with an increased period of relapse-free and overall survival (P=0.006 and 0.016, respectively), as well as being inversely associated with Her2 expression (P=0.008). Conversely, p68 shows no association with relapse-free period, or overall survival, but it is associated with an increased expression of Her2 (P=0.001), AIB-1 (P<0.001) and higher tumour grade (P=0.044). Our data thus highlight a crucial role for p72 in ERalpha co-activation and oestrogen-dependent cell growth and provide evidence in support of distinct but important roles for both p68 and p72 in regulating ERalpha activity in breast cancer.

Spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal requires OCT4, a factor downregulated during retinoic acid-induced differentiation.

The long-term production of billions of spermatozoa relies on the regulated proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). To date only a few factors are known to function in SSCs to provide this regulation. Octamer-4 (OCT4) plays a critical role in pluripotency and cell survival of embryonic stem cells and primordial germ cells; however, it is not known whether it plays a similar function in SSCs. Here, we show that OCT4 is required for SSC maintenance in culture and for colonization activity following cell transplantation, using lentiviral-mediated short hairpin RNA expression to knock down OCT4 in an in vitro model for SSCs ("germline stem" [GS] cells). Expression of promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger (PLZF), a factor known to be required for SSC self-renewal, was not affected by OCT4 knockdown, suggesting that OCT4 does not function upstream of PLZF. In addition to developing a method to test specific gene function in GS cells, we demonstrate that retinoic acid (RA) triggers GS cells to shift to a differentiated, premeiotic state lacking OCT4 and PLZF expression and colonization activity. Our data support a model in which OCT4 and PLZF maintain SSCs in an undifferentiated state and RA triggers spermatogonial differentiation through the direct or indirect downregulation of OCT4 and PLZF. The current study has important implications for the future use of GS cells as an in vitro model for spermatogonial stem cell biology or as a source of embryonic stem-like cells. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

Sohlh2 knockout mice are male-sterile because of degeneration of differentiating type A spermatogonia.

The spermatogenesis and oogenesis-specific transcription factor Sohlh2 is normally expressed only in premeiotic germ cells. In this study, Sohlh2 and several other germ cell transcripts were found to be induced in mouse embryonic stem cells when cultured on a feeder cell line that overexpresses bone morphogenetic protein 4. To study the function of Sohlh2 in germ cells, we generated mice harboring null alleles of Sohlh2. Male Sohlh2-deficient mice were infertile because of a block in spermatogenesis. Although normal prior to birth, Sohlh2-null mice had reduced numbers of intermediate and type B spermatogonia by postnatal day 7. By day 10, development to the preleptotene spermatocyte stage was severely disrupted, rendering seminiferous tubules with only Sertoli cells, undifferentiated spermatogonia, and degenerating colonies of differentiating spermatogonia. Degenerating cells resembled type A2 spermatogonia and accumulated in M-phase prior to death. A similar phenotype was observed in Sohlh2-null mice on postnatal days 14, 21, 35, 49, 68, and 151. In adult Sohlh2-mutant mice, the ratio of undifferentiated type A spermatogonia (DAZL+/PLZF+) to differentiating type A spermatogonia (DAZL+/PLZF-) was twice normal levels. In culture, undifferentiated type A spermatogonia isolated from Sohlh2-null mice proliferated normally but linked the mutant phenotype to aberrant cell surface expression of the receptor-tyrosine kinase cKit. Thus, Sohlh2 is required for progression of differentiating type A spermatogonia into type B spermatogonia. One conclusion originating from these studies would be that testicular factors normally regulate the viability of differentiating spermatogonia by signaling through Sohlh2. This regulation would provide a crucial checkpoint to optimize the numbers of spermatocytes entering meiosis during each cycle of spermatogenesis. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

Establishing evidence-based physical activity guidelines: methods for the Study of Health and Activity in People with Spinal Cord Injury (SHAPE SCI).

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the rationale and methodology for the Study of Health and Activity in People with Spinal Cord Injury (SHAPE SCI). The study aims to (1) describe physical activity levels of people with different injury levels and completeness, (2) examine the relationship between physical activity, risk and/or presence of secondary health complications and risk of chronic disease, and (3) identify determinants of physical activity in the SCI population. SETTING: Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Seven hundred and twenty men and women who have incurred a traumatic SCI complete self-report measures of physical activity, physical activity determinants, secondary health problems and subjective well-being during a telephone interview. A representative subsample (n=81) participate in chronic disease risk factor testing for obesity, insulin resistance and coronary heart disease. Measures are taken at baseline, 6 and 18 months. CONCLUSION: SHAPE SCI will provide much-needed epidemiological information on physical activity patterns, determinants and health in people with SCI. This information will provide a foundation for the establishment of evidence-based physical activity guidelines and interventions tailored to the SCI community.

A novel study of association between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and the human carbohydrate blood groups.

Previous studies of association of ABO blood groups with gonorrhea have shown contradictory results. Despite the interdependencies of ABO, Lewis, and secretor systems, none of the previous studies examined the combined effect of these systems on their proposed association with gonorrhea. This study attempted to redress that and used genotyping in addition to RBC phenotyping to determine correct tissue phenotypes. Samples from 131 gonorrhea-positive individuals and from 175 gonorrhea-negative individuals were typed for ABO and Lewis using routine antisera. Secretor and Lewis genotyping was performed to ensure accurate determination of ABO and Lewis phenotypes. Chi-square and probability values were used to examine whether there is an association of ABO, Lewis, and secretor systems with gonorrhea infection. Neither single nor combined statistical analysis of data sets yielded a significant association of ABO, Lewis, and secretor phenotypes with Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Nevertheless, this study is an example of the approach that should be taken when examining microbial associations with ABO antigens, in turn influenced by coexpression and modification by the interdependent systems of Lewis and secretor, in mucosal tissues.