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Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer and can represent a therapeutic challenge in patients with locally advanced disease. Vismodegib is a hedgehog pathway inhibitor approved by the FDA for use in this type of tumor. We present a case series to describe our experience with the use of vismodegib. Methods: A retrospective study that included patients treated with vismodegib at our dermatology unit was conducted. Monthly follow-up was performed, and we registered the clinical evolution and adverse reactions. Results: A total of six patients with locally advanced BCCs were included (50% males and 50% females), with a mean age of 78.5 years old. The treatment was administered over a mean of 5 months. A complete response was observed in four cases and partial response in two cases. No recurrence was detected, with a median follow-up duration after discontinuation of 18 months. Most patients (83%) had at least one adverse event, and two needed dose adjustment temporarily or permanently to continue. The main adverse effect was muscle spasms (66.7%). The main limitation of our study was the small sample, which was not representative of the general population. Conclusions: Vismodegib is a safe and effective treatment for locally advanced BCC, and its role in unresectable BCC seems to be an important option in these challenging cases.

Simple Summary Immune modulation is considered a hallmark of cancer initiation and progression, and has offered promising opportunities for therapeutic manipulation. Multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) technology has enabled the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to be studied at an increased scale, in terms of both the number of markers and the number of samples. Another benefit of mIF technology is the ability to measure not only the abundance but also the spatial location of multiple cells types within a tissue sample simultaneously, allowing for assessment of the co-localization of different types of immune markers. Thus, the use of mIF technologies have enable researchers to characterize patient, clinical, and tumor characteristics in the hope of identifying patients whom might benefit from immunotherapy treatments. In this review we outline some of the challenges and opportunities in the statistical analyses of mIF data to study the TIME. Abstract Immune modulation is considered a hallmark of cancer initiation and progression. The recent development of immunotherapies has ushered in a new era of cancer treatment. These therapeutics have led to revolutionary breakthroughs; however, the efficacy of immunotherapy has been modest and is often restricted to a subset of patients. Hence, identification of which cancer patients will benefit from immunotherapy is essential. Multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) microscopy allows for the assessment and visualization of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). The data output following image and machine learning analyses for cell segmenting and phenotyping consists of the following information for each tumor sample: the number of positive cells for each marker and phenotype(s) of interest, number of total cells, percent of positive cells for each marker, and spatial locations for all measured cells. There are many challenges in the analysis of mIF data, including many tissue samples with zero positive cells or “zero-inflated” data, repeated measurements from multiple TMA cores or tissue slides per subject, and spatial analyses to determine the level of clustering and co-localization between the cell types in the TIME. In this review paper, we will discuss the challenges in the statistical analysis of mIF data and opportunities for further research.

Insect desaturases are known to play an important role in chemical communication between individuals. However, their roles in insect growth, development and fecundity, and in regulating interactions of insects with plants, remain largely unknown. In this study, we explored the functions of Nlug-desatA2, a desaturase gene of the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (St&aring, l). The RNA interference-based knockdown of Nlug-desatA2 decreased the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids, and the level of fatty acids and triglycerides in BPH. Nlug-desatA2-knockdown also reduced the food intake, body mass and fecundity of female BPH adults, and led to abdomen atrophy and ovarian agenesis. Nlug-desatA2-knockdown suppressed the transcription of TOR (target of rapamycin), Lpp (Lipophorin) and AKHR (adipokinetic hormone receptor) in female adults. Moreover, the corrected survival rate of BPH with Nlug-desatA2-knockdown fed an artificial diet was higher than the survival rate of those fed on rice plants. Higher levels of salicylic acid in rice infested by Nlug-desatA2-knockdown female BPH adults than in rice infested by control BPH may be the reason. These findings demonstrate that Nlug-desatA2 has an essential role in lipid metabolism and is involved in the food intake, survival, development and fecundity of BPH. In addition, this gene is likely involved in regulating the responses of rice to BPH infestation.