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Background/Aims: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a rare subtype of gastric cancer. We aimed to identify the clinicopathological features and rate of lymph node metastasis (LNM) to investigate the feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric LELC confined to the mucosa or submucosa.Methods: We compared the clinicopathological characteristics of 116 early gastric LELC patients and 5,753 early gastric well- or moderately differentiated (WD or MD) tubular adenocarcinoma patients treated by gastrectomy.Results: Compared to WD or MD early gastric cancer (EGC) patients, early LELC patients were younger and had a higher prevalence of proximally located tumors. Despite more frequent deep submucosal invasion (86.2% vs 29.8%), lymphatic invasion was less frequent (6.0% vs 16.2%) in early LELC patients than in WD or MD EGC patients. Among tumors with deep submucosal invasion, the tumor size was smaller, lymphatic invasion was less frequent (6.0% vs 40.2%) and the rate of LNM was lower (10.0% vs 19.4%) in patients with LELC than in those with WD or MD EGC. The overall rate of LNM in early LELC patients was 8.6% (10/116). The risk of LNM in patients with mucosal, shallow submucosal invasive, or deep submucosal invasive LELC was 0% (0/6), 0% (0/10), and 10% (10/100), respectively.Conclusions: Early LELC is a distinct subtype of EGC with more frequent deep submucosal invasion but less lymphatic invasion and LNM than WD or MD EGCs. Endoscopic submucosal dissection may be considered curative for patients with early LELC confined to the mucosa or shallow submucosa, given its negligible rate of LNM.

Abstract Purpose By analyzing sentinel basin dissection (SBD) data from the SEntinel Node ORIented Tailored Approach (SENORITA) trial, we sought to determine the precise extent of the sentinel basin (SB) without a tracer. Materials and methods This study investigated SB length in patients (n = 25) who underwent laparoscopic SBD for early gastric cancer (EGC) in the SENORITA trial. SB length along the greater curvature (GC) and lesser curvature (LC) was measured intraoperatively before performing SBD. Results In all 25 cases, along the LC of the stomach, the lengths of the SB were 3.7 cm [2.0–5.0] (median [min–max]) proximally and 3.0 cm [2.3–5.5] distally; along the GC side, the lengths of the SB were 6.8 cm [3.5–11.0] proximally and 7.0 cm [3.8–9.5] distally from the tumors. The SB length at the GC or LC side was not significantly different between subgroups categorized by tumor depth, size, and longitudinal location. When tumors were located at the anterior wall of the stomach, the length of the proximal SB (10.0 cm [9.0–11.0]) at the GC side was the longest. In cases with several sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), the lengths of the SB at the GC side were significantly longer than those with fewer SLNs. However, the lengths of the SB were similar on the LC side regardless of the number of SLNs. Conclusions This pilot study had some limitations of a small number of enrolled patients, the lack of research on the specific station of SLNs, and the inaccurate indication for sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) without tracer. Nevertheless, the present study which reported the extents of SBs might be the first step towards simplifying procedures in laparoscopic SNNS for stomach preservation in EGC.

Purpose Splenectomy for patients with remnant gastric cancer has been controversial. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of splenectomy in the treatment of remnant gastric cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 285 patients with remnant gastric cancer who underwent completion total gastrectomy with or without splenectomy in Samsung Medical Center, between September 1996 and December 2017. We used a 1:1 propensity score matching method for the analysis. The matching factors were age, sex, and pathologic stage. After the matching process, we compared the 5-year overall survival (OS) and the disease-free survival (DFS) between patients with and without splenectomy during completion total gastrectomy. Results The median duration of follow-up was 58.0 months (range, 0–132 months). After propensity score matching, there were no statistically significant differences between the splenectomy group (n=77) and no splenectomy group (n=77) in terms of clinicopathological features. The 5-year OS rate between the no splenectomy and splenectomy group were not significantly different. There was no significant difference between 5-year DFS of the matched groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that splenectomy is not a significant prognostic factor in terms of 5-year OS (no splenectomy vs. splenectomy; 61.5% vs. 60.2%, P=0.884) or DFS (74.9% vs. 69.8%, P=0.880). Conclusion Splenectomy has no impact on the OS and DFS in patients with remnant gastric cancer. Splenectomy during completion total gastrectomy may not be necessary.

BackgroundClinical benefits of the meso-jejunal lymph node (MJLN) dissection in remnant gastric cancer (RGC) patients have not been fully established. Hence, in this retrospective study, we evaluated the survival benefit of MJLN dissection and prognostic significance of MJLN metastasis in RGC patients who underwent gastrojejunostomy reconstruction after their initial gastrectomy.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 391 patients who underwent surgery for RGC at our institution between 1996 and 2019. Among them, 60 patients had MJLN dissection. The index value of the survival benefit gained by dissection of the MJLN was calculated by multiplying the frequency of metastasis at the MJLN station and the 5-year overall survival rate (5YOS) of patients with metastasis at that station. When the metastatic rate or 5YOS exceeded 10%, dissection was recommended. An index value of dissection greater than 1.0 was considered significant.ResultsTotal metastatic rate of MJLN was 35% (n = 21/60). Patients with MJLN metastasis had advanced pathologic stage compared to patients in the no-metastasis group (p < 0.001). In T2-T4 RGC patients, the metastatic rate of MJLN was 48.6% (n = 17/35), and their 5YOS was 28.4%. The calculated index value was 13.8. Also, patients with MJLN metastasis had a poorer overall survival than those without metastasis. MJLN metastasis was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in multivariate analysis (HR 6.77, 95%CI 2.21-20.79, p = 0.001).ConclusionMJLN dissection should be considered for advanced RGC patients who underwent gastrojejunostomy after distal gastrectomy during their initial surgery according to the index value.

PurposeThe discrepancy between preoperative and final pathological staging has been a long-standing challenge for the application of clinical trials or appropriate treatment options. This study aimed to demonstrate the accuracy of preoperative staging of locally advanced gastric cancer using data from a large-scale randomized clinical trial.Materials and methodsOf the 1050 patients enrolled in the clinical trial, 26 were excluded due to withdrawal of consent (n = 20) or non-surgery (n = 6). The clinical and pathological staging was compared. Risk factor analysis for underestimation was performed using univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsRegarding T staging by computed tomography, accuracy rates were 74.48, 61.62, 58.56, and 85.16% for T1, T2, T3 and T4a, respectively. Multivariate analysis for underestimation of T staging revealed that younger age, ulcerative gross type, circular location, larger tumor size, and undifferentiated histology were independent risk factors. Regarding nodal status estimation, 54.9% of patients with clinical N0 disease were pathologic N0, and 36.4% of patients were revealed to have pathologic N0 among clinical node-positive patients. The percentage of metastasis involvement at the D1, D1+, and D2 lymph node stations significantly increased with the advanced clinical N stage. Among all patients, 29 (2.8%), including 26 with peritoneal seeding, exhibited distant metastases.ConclusionsEstimating the exact pathologic staging remains challenging. A thorough evaluation is mandatory before treatment selection or trial enrollment. Moreover, we need to set a sufficient case number when we design the clinical trial considering the stage migration.

Summary: The extracellular RNA communication consortium (ERCC) is an NIH-funded program aiming to promote the development of new technologies, resources, and knowledge about exRNAs and their carriers. After Phase 1 (2013–2018), Phase 2 of the program (ERCC2, 2019–2023) aims to fill critical gaps in knowledge and technology to enable rigorous and reproducible methods for separation and characterization of both bulk populations of exRNA carriers and single EVs. ERCC2 investigators are also developing new bioinformatic pipelines to promote data integration through the exRNA atlas database. ERCC2 has established several Working Groups (Resource Sharing, Reagent Development, Data Analysis and Coordination, Technology Development, nomenclature, and Scientific Outreach) to promote collaboration between ERCC2 members and the broader scientific community. We expect that ERCC2’s current and future achievements will significantly improve our understanding of exRNA biology and the development of accurate and efficient exRNA-based diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic biomarker assays.

Abstract This phase II clinical trial was performed to determine whether reduced-port laparoscopic surgery with complete D2 lymph node (LN) dissection for gastric cancer is a safe and feasible surgical technique. The prospectively enrolled 65 gastric cancer patients underwent reduced-port surgery (i.e., triple-incision totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy [Duet TLDG] with D2 lymphadenectomy). Compliance rate was the primary outcome, which was defined as cases in which there was no more than one missing LN station during D2 LN dissection. The secondary outcomes were the numbers of dissected and retrieved LNs in each station and other short-term surgical outcomes and postoperative course. The compliance rate was 58.5%. The total number of retrieved LNs was 41 (range: 14–83 LNs). The most common station missing from LN retrieval was station no. 5 (35/65; 53.8%), followed by station no. 1 (24/65; 36.9%). The overall postoperative complication rate was 20.0% (13/65). One patient underwent surgical treatment for postoperative complications. There was no instances of mortality. Duet TLDG is an oncologically and technically safe surgical method of gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy.

Abstract Background Gastric cancer is among the most lethal human malignancies. Previous studies have identified molecular aberrations that constitute dynamic biological networks and genomic complexities of gastric tumors. However, the clinical translation of molecular-guided targeted therapy is hampered by challenges. Notably, solid tumors often harbor multiple genetic alterations, complicating the development of effective treatments. Methods To address such challenges, we established a comprehensive dataset of molecularly annotated patient derivatives coupled with pharmacological profiles for 60 targeted agents to explore dynamic pharmacogenomic interactions in gastric cancers. Results We identified lineage-specific drug sensitivities based on histopathological and molecular subclassification, including substantial sensitivities toward VEGFR and EGFR inhibition therapies in diffuse- and signet ring-type gastric tumors, respectively. We identified potential therapeutic opportunities for WNT pathway inhibitors in ALK-mutant tumors, a significant association between PIK3CA-E542K mutation and AZD5363 response, and transcriptome expression of RNF11 as a potential predictor of response to gefitinib. Conclusions Collectively, our results demonstrate the feasibility of drug screening combined with tumor molecular characterization to facilitate personalized therapeutic regimens for gastric tumors.

Introduction Patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer are regularly followed-up for the early detection of recurrence and postoperative symptom management. However, there is a lack of evidence with regard to proper surveillance intervals and diagnostic tools. This study aims to evaluate whether frequent surveillance tests have a survival benefit or improve the quality of life in patients who underwent curative resection for advanced gastric cancer.Methods and analysis The STOFOLUP trial is an investigator-initiated, parallel-assigned, multicentre randomised controlled trial involving 16 hospitals in the Republic of Korea. Patients (n=886) diagnosed with pathological stage II or III gastric adenocarcinoma will be randomised to either the 3-month or the 6-month group at a 1:1 ratio, stratified by trial site and tumour stage. Patients allocated to the 3-month group will undergo an abdominal CT scan every 3 months postoperatively and those allocated to the 6-month group will undergo CT every 6 months. The primary endpoint is 3-year overall survival and the secondary endpoints are quality of life, as assessed using KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group-40, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 and the stomach cancer-specific module (STO22), and nutritional outcomes. Other survival data including data concerning 3-year disease-free survival, recurrence-free survival, gastric cancer-specific survival and postrecurrence survival will also be estimated. The first patient was enrolled on July 2021 and active patient enrolment is currently underway.Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of eight of the participating hospitals (NCC 2021-0085, KBSMC2021-01-059, SMC 2021-01-140, KC21OEDE0082, 4-2021-0281, AJIRB-MED-INT-20-608, 2021-0515 and H-2102-093-1198). This study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, national or international conferences.Trial registration number NCT04740346.

Purpose Preoperative endoscopic clipping is a popular method in identifying the location of tumors during total laparoscopic or robotic gastrectomy. We investigated the usefulness of additional intraoperative abdominal radiographs to identify the location of clips. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 331 patients with early gastric cancer who underwent endoscopic clipping before total laparoscopic or robotic gastrectomy between September 2012 and September 2018. Endoscopists applied two clips 1 cm from the proximal aspect of the upper margin of the tumor which was located above the angle of the stomach. We compared outcomes of patients who underwent preoperative abdominal radiographs only (group A) and those who underwent additional abdominal radiographs (group B). Results Of the total patients, 80 (24.2%) underwent additional intraoperative abdominal radiographs. The rates of positive frozen biopsy in the two groups were not significantly different (group A vs. group B: 2.8% vs. 3.8%, P=0.456). The additional resection rate was significantly higher in group B compared to group A (8.8% vs. 2.8%, P=0.048). The mean distance from the tumor was 3.3 cm (±2.4) in group A and 2.4 cm (±1.3) in group B (P

Purpose The Adjuvant chemoRadioTherapy In Stomach Tumors 2 (ARTIST 2) trial was conducted to compare the efficacy between adjuvant chemotherapy regimens and chemoradiotherapy in D2-resected, node-positive, stage 2 or 3 gastric cancer. Methods In this prospective, multicenter, phase IIItrial, we randomly assigned patients to three treatment arms: patients who receive adjuvant S-1 for 1 year, S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) for 6 months, or SOX plus chemoradiotherapy (SOXRT). Herein, we report the safety outcomes of patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Results Among a total of 514 patients registered between February 2013 and December 2017, 499 patients who either completed or discontinued the assigned study treatments were included in the present analysis. Allthe three treatment arms were generally well-tolerated, with the overall treatment completion rate of 94% (96% in S-1, 93% in SOX, and 92% in SOXRT). The median delivered dose of radiotherapy in the SOXRT arm was 4,500 cGy (range, 0 to 4,500 cGy). The most frequently observed adverse events were fatigue (29%) in S-1 arm and peripheral neuropathy in the SOX and SOXRT arms (59% and 50%,respectively). Conclusion Our preliminary data confirm that there are no significant safety concerns in ARTIST 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0176146). According to the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, patient accrual is underway.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical significance of preoperative hematological parameters in patients with advanced stomach cancer, and to explore who might benefit from adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) compared to chemotherapy alone. Among 1032 patients with node-positive stomach cancer who had a confirmed diagnosis after complete D2 resection, and who received adjuvant chemotherapy alone or CCRT, a total of 692 patients was selected using propensity score matching. Among absolute neutrophil count, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), absolute monocyte count (AMC), platelet count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, AMC was the most relevant prognostic factor for overall survival and recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) 1.674, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.180–2.376; HR 1.908, 95% CI 1.650–2.695, respectively). In a subgroup with a high ALC, patients treated with adjuvant CCRT had a favorable recurrence-free survival (HR 0.620, 95% CI 0.393–0.980) compared to those treated with chemotherapy alone. Further study is needed to confirm our findings and to develop tailored adjuvant treatment.

Dietary education is regarded as an important and useful tool for influencing nutritional status. Since long, dietary education has been performed to improve the nutritional status of patients after a gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simplified dietary education on the nutritional status of patients after a gastrectomy. A total of 1,150 patients with gastric cancer underwent surgery between March 2014 and October 2015 at the Samsung Medical Center (SMC). Of these, we used the case-control matching method (1:1 match) by stratifying the factors of age and sex and included 100 patients in each group. The clinicopathologic data of the patients for two years after the gastrectomy were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. The educated group (ED, N = 100) was provided with a simplified, ordinary dietary education at regular outpatient clinic visits that occurred at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after gastrectomy and at 1-year intervals thereafter. The clinicopathologic characteristics and nutritional parameters of the educated group (ED) (N = 100) and the non-educated group (NED) (n = 100) were compared. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of clinical characteristics and serological parameters. Nutritional parameters, which included body weight loss, body mass index (BMI) change, and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), were also not significantly different between the two groups. Simplified dietary education at regular outpatient clinic visits was ineffective in reducing weight loss after a subtotal gastrectomy. Further research or other methods may be needed to reduce weight loss after a gastrectomy.

Abstract Background Due to a lack of consensus on adjuvant treatments for pT1N1 gastric cancer, surgeons face a dilemma when deciding treatments for patients with pT1N1 gastric cancer after gastrectomy. The objective of this study was to determine survival benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy and risk factors for tumor recurrence in gastric cancer patients with pT1N1. Methods Between 1996 and 2010, 510 patients who underwent curative resection for pT1N1 gastric cancer at three institutes were divided into two groups: adjuvant chemotherapy group (N = 150) and surgery-only group (N = 360). Disease-free survival rates and risk factors for tumor recurrence were analyzed. Results During the median follow-up of 78 months, 7.5% of patients experienced tumor recurrence (7.3% in adjuvant chemotherapy group and 7.5% in surgery-only group). The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 91.8% in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 94.6% in the surgery-only group without significant difference between the two. In univariate analysis, older age (>65 years), male gender, body mass index

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated/microsatellite-unstable (MSI) gastric carcinomas (GC) constitute immune-active principal cellular components of tumor microenvironment and contribute to better prognosis. With the remarkable success of cancer immunotherapies, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of tumor-immune interactions in patients with GC in the context of host immune response. To identify GC subtype-specific immune response gene set, we tested differentially expressed genes for MSI and EBV+ GC subtypes in randomly selected test set (n = 278) in merged ACRG-SMC microarray and TCGA RNA sequencing data set. We identified Host ImmunE Response index (HIERÏ) consisting of 29 immune genes classifying GC patients into robust 3 groups with prognostic significance. Immune-high cluster 1 was enriched with PD-L1High/EBV+/MSI/TILHigh with the best clinical outcome while immune-low cluster 3 displayed worst outcome and exemplified with PD-L1Low/EBV-/MSS. The results were validated in the same cohort (n = 279) and independent cohort (n = 181) with RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue. Unexpectedly, nearly half of GC in cluster 1 were EBV-/MSS and 10% of cluster 3 GC were EBV+/MSI GC patients, suggesting that in addition to EBV+/MSI GC subtypes, EBV-/MSS subtype also constitutes almost half of high immune cluster and would be a good candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In contrary, almost 10% of EBV+/MSI GC patients may not respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Thus, our HIERÏ gene signature demonstrates the potential to subclassify tumor immunity levels, predict prognosis and help immunotherapeutic decisions.

There is a consensus that cancer care should go beyond physical care as cancer patients and their family caregivers experience psychological burden, financial difficulty, as well as social relation issues. The current study aimed to investigate the moderating impact of social support on depression and anxiety of cancer patients and their family caregivers.Gastric cancer patients and their family caregivers who visited a university medical center in Seoul were approached for participation in the study. Fifty-two pairs of adult patients and caregivers participated in the study. Along with demographic information and the physical condition of the patients, such as pre-operation cancer stage and the type of gastrectomy, social support, depression, and anxiety were measured for patients and caregivers, respectively.In the first round of analysis, patients' depression was associated with age, while patients' anxiety was related to income. On the other hand, caregivers' depression was not associated with patients' health and living arrangement. In the second round of analysis to examine the moderating effect of social support, patients' income and social support were related to depression and anxiety, but the interaction of income and social support was only observed for anxiety. For caregivers, no interaction effects were found. Social support decreased the negative effects of low income status on the patients.While the income of the families with cancer cannot be adjusted in the short-term, their experience of social support can be managed by a proper support system. Diverse implications in medical settings are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of diabetes control induced by Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy(RY) vs Billroth-I reconstruction(BI) after distal gastrectomy in patients with early gastric cancer(EGC) and type 2 diabetes(T2DM). Forty EGC patients with T2DM, aged 20-80 years, who were expected to undergo curative distal gastrectomy were randomized 1:1 to RY(n = 20) or BI(n = 20). Diabetes medication status, biochemical and hormonal data including blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin, C-peptide, HOMA-IR, ghrelin, leptin, GLP-1, PYY, and GIP were evaluated for 12 months after surgery. Although pre- and postoperative 12-month fasting and postprandial glucose levels did not show a significant difference, HbA1c, C-peptide, and HOMA-IR levels were significantly improved at 12 months after surgery in both BI and RY groups. Sixty percent of RY patients and 20% of BI patients decreased their medication satisfying FBS

Background. We investigated the results of quality control study prior to phase III trial of sentinel lymph node navigation surgery (SNNS). Methods. Data were reviewed from 108 patients enrolled in the feasibility study of laparoscopic sentinel basin dissection (SBD) in gastric cancer. Seven steps contain tracer injection at submucosa (step 1) and at four sites (step 2) by intraoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), leakage of tracer (step 3), injection within 3 minutes (step 4), identification of at least one sentinel basin (SB) (step 5), evaluation of sentinel basin nodes (SBNs) by frozen biopsy (step 6), and identification of at least five SBNs at back table and frozen sections (step 7). Results. Failure in step 7 (n=23) was the most common followed by step 3 (n=15) and step 6 (n=13). We did not find any differences of clinicopathological factors between success and failure group in steps 1~6. In step 7, body mass index (BMI) was only the significant factor. The success rate was 97.1% in patients with BMI

Screening endoscopies in individuals 40 years or older in regions where gastric cancer is prevalent increase the diagnosis of gastric cancer at an early stage. However, the benefits of screening endoscopies in a young population (24 month group (23.8 mm [standard deviation, 22.2 mm] vs. 30.5 mm [standard deviation, 23.1 mm], P = 0.008). However, the proportion of patients with early gastric cancer did not differ between the two groups (≤24 months vs. >24 months group; 67.6% vs. 65.7%, P = 0.712). On multivariable analysis, periodic endoscopies did not influence the early diagnosis of gastric cancer (with >24 months as the reference group: ≤24 months, odds ratio = 0.939, 95% confidence interval = 0.583-1.513).Although periodic endoscopies aided in the detection of gastric cancer when lesions were smaller in size, they seemed not to increase the proportion of patients with early gastric cancer in young patients diagnosed with resectable gastric cancer.

Although changing a lymph node staging system from an anatomically based system to a numerically based system in gastric cancer offers better prognostic performance, several problems can arise: it does not offer information on the anatomical extent of disease and cannot represent the extent of lymph node dissection. The purpose of this study was to discover an alternative lymph node staging system for gastric cancer. Data from 6025 patients who underwent gastrectomy for primary gastric cancer between January 2000 and December 2010 were reviewed. The lymph node groups were reclassified into lesser-curvature, greater-curvature, and extra-perigastric groups. Presence of any metastatic lymph node in one group was considered positive. Lymph node groups were further stratified into four (new N0-new N3) according to the number of positive lymph node groups. Survival outcomes with this new N staging were compared with those of the current TNM system. For validation, two centers in Japan (large center, n = 3443; medium center, n = 560) were invited. Even among the same pN stages, the more advanced new N stage showed worse prognosis, indicating that the anatomical extent of metastatic lymph nodes is important. The prognostic performance of the new staging system was as good as that of the current TNM system for overall advanced gastric cancer as well as lymph node-positive gastric cancer (Harrell C-index was 0.799, 0.726, and 0.703 in current TNM and 0.799, 0.727, and 0.703 in new TNM stage). Validation sets supported these outcomes. The new N staging system demonstrated prognostic performance equal to that of the current TNM system and could thus be used as an alternative.

The extracellular RNA communication consortium (ERCC) is an NIH-funded program aiming to promote the development of new technologies, resources, and knowledge about exRNAs and their carriers. After Phase 1 (2013-2018), Phase 2 of the program (ERCC2, 2019-2023) aims to fill critical gaps in knowledge and technology to enable rigorous and reproducible methods for separation and characterization of both bulk populations of exRNA carriers and single EVs. ERCC2 investigators are also developing new bioinformatic pipelines to promote data integration through the exRNA atlas database. ERCC2 has established several Working Groups (Resource Sharing, Reagent Development, Data Analysis and Coordination, Technology Development, nomenclature, and Scientific Outreach) to promote collaboration between ERCC2 members and the broader scientific community. We expect that ERCC2's current and future achievements will significantly improve our understanding of exRNA biology and the development of accurate and efficient exRNA-based diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic biomarker assays.

We investigated how an online course designed for teachers to learn how to teach mathematics for emergent bilinguals influenced teachers' beliefs toward emergent bilinguals, especially in terms of culturally responsive mathematics teaching. Using qualitative pre- and post-surveys and the modified culturally responsive mathematics teaching framework, we examined 27 teachers' responses within five domains: cognitive demand, mathematical discourse, power and participation, academic language support, and funds of knowledge. The results showed both preservice and inservice teachers began to shift their beliefs from deficit to asset-based views.

Cervical cancer, which is mainly caused by oncogenic human papillomavirus subtypes, remains a significant global health challenge. Recent studies have indicated a connection between cervical cancer and the uterine microbiome, underscoring its importance. This study explored the potential of liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples, which are typically used for cytological analysis, in investigating the cervical microbiome. Thirty women participated in the study and provided clinical information. Three samples were obtained from each participant: one for clinical purposes using LBC, another for microbiome sampling using LBC, and a third using the SWAB Microbiome kit. The LBC and traditional swab (SWAB) samples were subjected to high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbiome analysis. The results revealed a consistent dominance of key taxa, particularly Lactobacillus spp. The analysis of differential abundance highlighted variations in microbial abundance among individuals, which were more prominent than those resulting from the sampling methods. Functional analysis identified arachidonic acid and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, along with a cautionary note regarding the low mean proportion values. The network analysis revealed positive correlations between indicators of structure among the networks, highlighting the robustness of microbiome similarities despite the diversity of sampling methods. Supervised machine learning has revealed challenges in distinguishing LBC and SWAB samples based on their microbiome features. Weighted co-expression network analysis revealed that the correlation between microbial clusters and the sampling method with clinical data was not significant. This study emphasizes the similarity in microbial communities observed using the LBC and SWAB methods, highlighting the potential of using dual diagnostic approaches. Additionally, the use of residual LBC samples in large-scale microbiological studies can provide comprehensive insights into cervical health and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The improvement of carcass traits is essential for the Hanwoo industry because of the Hanwoo grade determination system, and genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis is an instrumental tool for identifying the genetic factors that impact these traits. While GWAS analysis utilizing family data offers advantages in minimizing genetic bias, research on family-based GWAS in Hanwoo is currently lacking. Methods: This study classified Group A using both parental and offspring genetic information, and Group B based solely on offspring genetic information, to compare GWAS analysis results of Hanwoo carcass traits. Results: A total of 16 significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were identified in Group A, comprising 7 for carcass weight (CWT), 3 for back fat thickness (BFT), and 6 for marbling score (MS). In Group B, 7 significant SNP markers were identified, including 3 for CWT, 1 for eye muscle area, 1 for BFT, and 2 for MS. Functional annotation analysis revealed only one common function related to carcass traits between the groups, while protein-protein interaction analysis indicated more gene interactions in Group A. The reliability of estimated values for common SNP markers identified between the groups was higher in Group A. Conclusion: GWAS analysis utilizing parental genetic information holds greater potential for application, owing to its higher reliability of estimated values and the ability to explore numerous candidate genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]