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In a patient with interstitial lung disease (ILD) of known or unknown etiology other than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is defined by worsening lung fibrosis on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), decline in lung function, and/or deterioration in symptoms. The INBUILD trial involved 663 patients with PPF who were randomized to receive nintedanib or placebo. The median exposure to trial medication was approximately 19 months. The INBUILD trial provided valuable learnings about the course of PPF and the efficacy and safety of nintedanib. The relative effect of nintedanib on reducing the rate of forced vital capacity decline was consistent across subgroups based on ILD diagnosis, HRCT pattern, and disease severity at baseline, and between patients who were and were not taking glucocorticoids or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and/or glucocorticoids at baseline. The adverse events most frequently associated with nintedanib were gastrointestinal, particularly diarrhea, but nintedanib was discontinued in only a minority of cases. The results of the INBUILD trial highlight the importance of prompt detection and treatment of PPF and the utility of nintedanib as a treatment option.

Background/Objective: To investigate the effect of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and rituximab (RTX) on pulmonary function test (PFT) results in a mixed cohort of patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD), longitudinally followed up for 1 year in a single academic center. Methods: Patients with CTD-ILD were identified in electronic medical records from 1 January 2009 to 30 April 2019. Prescribed MMF and RTX doses, dosage changes, and therapy plans were analyzed individually with improvement in PFT outcomes determined using multivariable linear regression models during 12-month follow-up. Results: Forty-seven patients with CTD-ILD, treated with MMF, RTX, or both, were included. Patients on combined MMF and RTX had worse PFT outcomes at baseline compared with patients on monotherapy. Substantial improvement was observed among all PFT outcomes from baseline to 12 months, regardless of medication dosage or therapy plans. The diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) worsened by an average of 7.21 mL/(min*mmHg) (95% CI, 4.08–10.33; p < 0.001) among patients on RTX compared to combined therapy. Patients on higher doses of MMF at baseline experienced an average increase of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.04–1.82) units in DLCO from baseline to 6 months (p = 0.04) and a 2.79% (95% CI, 0.61–4.97%) increase in DLCO from 6 to 12 months (p = 0.02) within patients on concurrent RTX at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: The treatment of CTD-ILD with MMF and/or RTX was associated with overall improvement in PFT outcomes. Combined therapy resulted in significant improvements in DLCO compared with monotherapy. Higher doses of MMF also provided greater improvements in DLCO.

Abstract Introduction Survivors of SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia often develop persistent respiratory symptom and interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) after infection. Risk factors for ILA development and duration of ILA persistence after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection are not well described in immunocompromised hosts, such as cancer patients. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 95 patients at a major cancer center and 45 patients at a tertiary referral center. We collected clinical and radiographic data during the index hospitalization for COVID‐19 pneumonia and measured pneumonia severity using a semi‐quantitative radiographic score, the Radiologic Severity Index (RSI). Patients were evaluated in post‐COVID‐19 clinics at 3 and 6 months after discharge and underwent comprehensive pulmonary evaluations (symptom assessment, chest computed tomography, pulmonary function tests, 6‐min walk test). The association of clinical and radiological factors with ILAs at 3 and 6 months post‐discharge was measured using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Results Sixty‐six (70%) patients of cancer cohort had ILAs at 3 months, of whom 39 had persistent respiratory symptoms. Twenty‐four (26%) patients had persistent ILA at 6 months after hospital discharge. In adjusted models, higher peak RSI at admission was associated with ILAs at 3 (OR 1.5 per 5‐point increase, 95% CI 1.1–1.9) and 6 months (OR 1.3 per 5‐point increase, 95% CI 1.1–1.6) post‐discharge. Fibrotic ILAs (reticulation, traction bronchiectasis, and architectural distortion) were more common at 6 months post‐discharge. Conclusions Post‐COVID‐19 ILAs are common in cancer patients 3 months after hospital discharge, and peak RSI and older age are strong predictors of persistent ILAs.

Abstract Background Anti-PD-(L)1 agent are approved as first- and second-line treatment options in advanced urothelial cancer (UC), but information about long-term survival is scarce. There is a need for prognostic factors, as these may help in the decision-making concerning anti-PD-(L)1 in patients with UC. Here, we examined long-term survival following anti-PD-(L)1 in advanced UC and assessed clinical factors for their correlation with survival. Methods We collected data from patients with advanced UC treated with anti-PD-(L)1 between 2013 and 2023. Overall- and progression-free survival (OS, PFS) were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Independent variables were analysed by uni- and multivariate Cox regression for their association with OS and PFS. Results Survival analyses included 552 patients. Patient characteristics in our cohort were consistent with those of a typical advanced UC population. After median follow-up of 49 months, five-year OS and PFS rates were 16.0% and 6.9% respectively. The absence of visceral and/or bone metastases and elevated C-reactive protein level, gamma-glutamyltransferase level and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were identified as favourable prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions A selected subset of patients with advanced UC may experience long-term clinical benefit from anti-PD-(L)1 treatment. We identified prognostic factors that might be used for risk assessment and clinical trial stratification.

Background: Complete pathological response to neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) in breast cancer is associated with prolonged survival. Compared to other breast cancer immunophenotypes, luminal tumors are the least chemosensitive with low rates of pathological response within this molecular subtype. Thus, finding predictors of response in this subset remains challenging. The emerging concept of low human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression has led to a repurpose of the current prognostic system. Little is known about its correlation with response to NAT. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate predictors of response in early-stage luminal breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Design: A total of 252 luminal patients who received NAT were retrospectively assessed in this cohort study. Methods: We analyzed the correlation of ki67 and HER2 low expression with the rate of pathologic response. Using ki67 as a continuous variable and applying the receiver operating characteristic curves method. Results: We identified that in patients with a ki67 expression level >37%, the probability of having a complete pathological response was 4.80 times higher (odds ratio = 4.80, 95% confidence interval: 1.92–12.04). In Her2-low breast cancer patients, Her2 expression did not correlate with a better response rate. Conclusion: In our study, a ki67 expression value greater than 37% constitutes a predictive biomarker of pathological complete response in the subgroup of patients with luminal B tumors and could be considered, therefore, an indicator for treatment decisions in this subgroup.

Introduction: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare entity, classified within soft tissue sarcomas. It is an intermediate malignancy tumor, which seldom presents as metastatic disease. The treatment of choice is surgery, except in cases where surgery is not possible due to localization or if it presents with metastatic disease. Approximately 50% of IMTs will exhibit ALK translocation, providing a therapeutic target for these patients. Case Presentation: A case is presented of a patient with metastatic IMT in complete response to treatment with alectinib, maintained for over 4 years. Conclusion: This case showed a long time complete response in patient with IMT treated with alectinib.

Introduction: Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare tumor that remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to physicians worldwide. The metastatic setting implies a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate below 40%. Patients with advanced-stage high-grade ESS (HG-ESS) have limited therapeutic options, often involving various chemotherapy regimens. Case Presentation: This report depicts the case of a 47-year-old female diagnosed with HG-ESS. She underwent several lines of treatment starting with radiotherapy and brachytherapy, followed by multiple lines of treatment including trabectedin over several months. After retreatment with trabectedin and achieving disease stabilization for 10 months, treatment was optimized by trabectedin combined with radiotherapy, leading to stable disease that is still ongoing and lasts for over 17 months. Conclusion: Our case underscores the challenging nature of treating patients with HG-ESS and highlights the safety of long-term retrial with trabectedin, coupled with radiotherapy administration. This approach maintained a durable stable disease response in the metastatic setting.

Research is advancing regarding techniques that are based on natural products developed using the plants. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is a potential alternative that can be used as active material in agronomy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of self-eDNA using fertigation in lettuce plants as a biostimulant. Five fertigation treatments were used: 0 (control), 0.025, 0.25, 2.5 and 25 mg self-eDNA per plant. Fertigation was monitored through drainage fraction, pH and EC. The benefits of fertigation were evaluated using water, nitrate and potassium uptake, and growth. There was a significant correlation between fertigation uptake and growth. The highest correlation (R2 = 0.96) occurred between water uptake and growth. There was a quadratic fit between uptake and production parameters and the dose of self-eDNA applied. Mean drainage values showed no significant differences between treatments for EC and pH. The highest values of fertigation uptake (water, nitrate and potassium) and growth were observed at doses of 0.25 and 2.5 mg self-eDNA. Doses lower than 0.25 decreased by 21.3%, while doses higher than 2.5 decreased by 16.4%. Self-eDNA had beneficial effects as a biostimulant and potentially had an appropriate cost–benefit ratio.

Although the use of microalgae-based wastewater treatment (MWWT) processes is demonstrated to recover nutrients and produce clean water for agriculture, very scarce evidence of this use has been reported. This work aims to solve this gap and provide reliable data at this respect. For that, raceway reactor was operated in continuous mode for the treatment of municipal wastewater, the recovery of nutrients and water, and the production of biomass. After confirming the accomplishment of regulation for water discharge the treated water was evaluated for its use as irrigation water for lettuce, using both clean water and untreated wastewater as control. The microbiological quality of inlet and outlet water was analyzed by evaluating the total load and bacterial composition. Fertigation parameters, nutrient absorption and yield were measured. The wastewater treatment step confirms removal rates of 50 gCOD m-2·day-1, 1.7 gN m-2·day-1 and 0.8 gP m-2·day-1, in addition to a biomass production rate of 23 gbiomass·m-2·day-1, moreover the accomplishment of water discharge limits. Treatment with microalgae shows an improvement in the composition of bacterial taxa. The use of this water enhanced the root absorption of water and nitrate. The lower value of the drainage electrical conductivity when using water from MWWT indicates a higher metabolic activity in the roots, due to an increase in the absorption of nutrient ions concerning the volume of water absorbed. The treated water with microalgae was the treatment that showed the highest growth values (fresh and dry weight). Wastewater treatment process demonstrated to be efficient and releases up to 165,000 m3·ha-1·year-1 of clean water for irrigation. The use of MWWT processes has shown an increase in the beneficial bacterial load, the yield of the crops and to decrease the environmental pollution, therefore it is a clear example of an activity to be considered in the circular economy.

A comprehensive analysis of outdoor weathering and soil burial of cork during 1-year experiments was carried out with measurements of CIELAB color parameters, cellular observations by scanning electron microscopy, and surface chemical features analysed by ATR-FTIR and wet chemical analysis. Cork applied in outdoor conditions above and below ground retained its physical structure and integrity without signs of deterioration or fracturing. The cellular structure was maintained with some small changes at the one-cell layer at the surface, featuring cellular expansion and minute cell wall fractures. Surface color and chemistry showed distinct results for outdoor exposure and soil burial. The weathered cork surfaces acquired a lighter color while the soil buried cork surfaces became darker. With outdoor weathering, the cork polar solubles increased (13.0% vs. 7.6% o.d. mass) while a substantial decrease of lignin occurred (about 28% of the original lignin was removed) leading to a suberin-enriched cork surface. The chemical impact on lignin is therefore responsible for the surface change towards lighter colors. Soil-burial induced hydrolysis of ester bonds of suberin and xylan, and the lignin-enriched cork surface displayed a dark brown color. FTIR and wet chemical results were consistent. Overall cork showed a considerable structural and physical stability that allows its application in outdoor conditions, namely for building façades or other surfacing applications. Architects and designers should take into account the color dynamics of the cork surfaces.

Parinari curatellifolia is an important evergreen tree from the Miombo woodland of south-central and eastern Africa. The bark is corky, suggesting an increased protection against the ecosystem high temperatures and drought conditions as well as against wild fires. The cork in the bark rhytidome of P. curatellifolia was analyzed here for the first time with a focus on chemical and cellular features. P. curatellifolia cork has the cellular characteristics of cork tissues, with typical honeycomb structure in the tangential section and a brick-wall layer in the transverse and radial sections, without intercellular voids. Chemically P. curatellifolia cork has 8.4 % extractives, 33.9 % suberin, 31.9 % lignin and 25.2 % polysaccharides of the cork. The hemicelluloses are mostly xylans, with a substantial proportion of arabinose and galactose. Suberin showed a proportion of long chain lipids to glycerol (LCLip:Gly, mass ratio) of 8.5, and the long chain monomeric composition included a similar proportion of α,ω-diacids and ω-hydroxy acids (35.4 % and 31.5 % of long chain monomers) with a substantial proportion of monoacids (19.4 % of long chain monomers). Lignin is a guaiacyl-syringyl lignin with S/G of 0.32 and H:G:S of 1:14.1:4.5. The rhytidome composition and the cellular and chemical features of its cork are in line with environment-targeted protective features namely as a transpiration and insulation barrier, and as an increased fire protection.

La recherche-action-participative Capdroits vise à réduire les inégalités de pouvoir inhérentes aux injustices épistémiques en proposant des modalités de recherche symétrisant les savoirs des personnes concernées par des situations de handicap, de maladie ou de dépendances, des acteur·e·s de la relation d’aide et de soin (proches ou professionnel·le·s), et des professionnel·le·s de la recherche en sciences sociales et juridiques. Elle repose sur des principes de réciprocité, d’empowerment, et d’identification de gains. Nous nous centrons dans cet article sur l’une des étapes centrales des pratiques de recherche, à savoir celles de leurs publications et des enjeux d’auteurisation qui soulèvent des questions de reconnaissance scientifique et politique. Nos analyses reposent sur une forme d’auto-ethnographie collective.

This study presents for the first time an analysis of the content and chemical composition of the cuticular waxes and cutin in the leaves of the widespread and important tropical species Terminalia catappa. The leaves were collected in the equatorial Atlantic islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, in the Gulf of Guinea. The epicuticular and intracuticular waxes were determined via dichloromethane extraction and their chemical composition via GC-MS analysis, and the content and monomeric composition of cutin were determined after depolymerization via methanolysis. The leaves contained an epidermal cuticular coverage of 52.8 μg cm−2 of the cuticular waxes (1.4% of mass) and 63.3 μg cm−2 (1.5% of mass) of cutin. Cuticular waxes include mainly n-alkanols and fatty acids, with a substantial proportion of terpenes in the more easily solubilized fraction, and sterols in the more embedded waxes. Cutin is mostly constituted by C16 fatty acids and dihydroxyacids, also including aromatic monomers, suggesting a largely linear macromolecular arrangement. The high proportion of triacontanol, α-amyrin, β-amyrin, germanicol, and lupeol in the easily solubilized cuticular fraction may explain the bioactive properties attributed to the T. catappa leaves via the popular medicine, which allows us to consider them as a potential source for the extraction of these compounds.

The use of microorganisms capable of promoting the growth and development of crops is generating interest at a global level as a sustainable technique in modern agriculture, especially in intensive farming systems, where the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers has led to environmental problems. The objective of this research was to evaluate the biofertilizing power of formulations enriched with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) (Azotobacter spp. to fix N and strains of Bacillus spp. to solubilize P and K not bioavailable for plants) to improve the fertility, quality, and productivity of a tomato crop and their potential use as an alternative to conventional fertilizers. Thus, NPK levels in soils, leaves, and fruits were evaluated; various parameters of fruit quality were measured; and an exhaustive analysis of the production and economic yields of the harvest was carried out. The results showed that the periodic supply of biofertilizers based on PGPB increased the harvest yield (20–32%) and favored the development of larger fruit sizes, which are economically more valuable, and the incomes increased even more than production (32–52%). The biofertilizers also demonstrated a positive effect on the solubilization of P and K in the soil, and the levels of P in leaves were also promoted. The capacity to mobilize the nutrients from soil to fruits was clearly favored when PGPB were inoculated periodically, and a reduction of up to 20% in synthetic fertilizers was accomplished (16, 34, and 23% increases for N, P, and K, respectively, against the treatment without PGPB and no fertigation reduction). Finally, the use of PGPB did not show appreciable differences regarding fruit quality parameters.

We examined fungal communities in soil profiles of 0–10 cm depth along the altitudinal gradient of 250–530–990 m.a.s.l. at the Central Negev Desert, Israel, which benefit from similar annual precipitation (95 mm). In the soil samples collected in the summer of 2020, a mycobiota accounting for 169 species was revealed by both culture-dependent and culture-independent (DNA-based) methodologies. The impact of soil depth on the variations in fungal communities was stronger than the impact of altitude. Both methodologies displayed a similar tendency in the composition of fungal communities: the prevalence of melanin-containing species with many-celled large spores (mainly Alternaria spp.) in the uppermost layers and the depth-wise increase in the proportion of light-colored species producing a high amount of small one-celled spores. The culturable and the DNA-based fungal communities had only 13 species in common. The differences were attributed to the pros and cons of each method. Nevertheless, despite the drawbacks, the employment of both methodologies has an advantage in providing a more comprehensive picture of fungal diversity in soils.

One strategy presented as an alternative to avoid using chemical substances in soil disinfestation consists in the technique of biosolarization. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of seasonality on the effectiveness of biosolarization with different organic amendments for the control of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae (FOLAC) on lettuce plants, and to compare the results obtained using a classical soil infectivity bioassay and a qPCR-based molecular technique. None of the plants subjected to biosolarization in the summer season (469–700 and 0–463 h with temperature > 42 °C at 15 and 30 cm soil depth, respectively) showed damage by the pathogen except the untreated control. Conversely, in autumn (3–5 and 0–0 h at temperature = 38–40 °C at 15 and 30 cm soil depth, respectively), only two biosolarization treatments (wheat + semi-composted manure, sunflower pellets) that reduced FOLAC inoculum in soil and plants did not show any disease at the lowest depth (15 cm) in the soil infectivity bioassay. This same result was only obtained at 30 cm soil depth in the biosolarization treatment with sunflower pellets. The number of FOLAC sequences per gram of soil determined with qPCR was null in the biosolarization treatments in summer at both soil depths and corresponded to the absence of disease in the soil infectivity bioassay. A threshold of 145 sequences per gram of soil determined by the qPCR-based molecular technique corresponded to the presence of 10% of diseased lettuce plants infected by FOLAC. Therefore, this molecular technique has been shown to be useful for establishing the soil inoculum thresholds required for crop infection by pathogens, while reducing the time and execution tasks necessary to perform soil infectivity bioassays.

Low-intensity burnings could be an effective silvicultural tool to prevent the occurrence and severity of wildfires. Nevertheless, their use as a forest fuel reduction tool may have a negative impact on soil properties. The aim of this investigation was to study the impact of a low-intensity prescribed fire on the main chemical properties of the soil (pH, electrical conductivity, and total organic carbon), and the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial communities in a semi-arid forest in SE Spain. Two similar stands were treated with a low-intensity prescribed burn in spring and autumn 2018 and were compared to an unburned stand. All soil samples were collected at the same time (autumn 2018). The chemical properties of the soil showed no significant differences between the prescribed burns and the control forest. Shannon and Pielou’s diversity indices presented values significantly lower in the burned soils compared to the control. Prescribed burning did not modify soil bacterial community structure at the phylum level, but NMDS analysis did reveal a difference between soil bacterial communities at the genus level. Both prescribed burnings favoured some bacterial taxa over others, suggesting different thermal and bacterial resistance. The presence of Massilia, Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter could suggest a short-term ecosystem recovery. Therefore, prescribed burning in semi-arid forests could be suitable as a preventive tool against wildfires.

The restoration of unproductive abandoned agricultural soils under a semi-arid climate in southeastern Spain was evaluated. Four organic amendments from different composted wastes (greenhouse crop residues; worm compost from sheep–cow manure and plant remains; chicken manure; and sheep–chicken manure and plant remain) were applied, untreated control plots were installed, and natural unexploited soils were selected as a reference ecosystem. Through three sampling campaigns (initial, 3 months, and 12 months), significant changes were observed in soil physico-chemical properties, nutrient content (carbon -C-, nitrogen -N-, and phosphorus -P-), and bacterial composition of the restored soils with respect to control and natural soil, especially at 3 months. The increase of labile nutrients caused the proliferation of copiotrophic phyla at 3 months, which, after their consumption, were replaced by oligotrophic phyla at 12 months. Specific taxa involved in C, N, and P cycles were identified for each soil. For the soil bacterial composition of vermicompost, only chicken and sheep–chicken manures were more dissimilar to control and natural soils after 12 months, while greenhouse crop compost showed an intermediate position between them. Results indicated that composted greenhouse crop remains could be an optimal treatment for the short-term recovery of physico-chemical properties, nutrient content, and bacterial composition of agriculture-degraded soils in semi-arid areas.