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Lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is impacted by environmental exposures and by constitutional genetic or epigenetic susceptibilities to disease development and progression. The United States and China have distinct and diverse populations and geographic environmental exposures that contribute to unique patterns of lung cancer incidence and mortality. In this paper, the authors compare trends of incidence and mortality of lung cancer in the US and China, and the impact on lung cancer screening programs in the two countries. It is worth noting that the mortality of lung cancer in the US has decreased gradually while in China it is still increasing over recent years. While decreasing smoking prevalence and the impact of clean air legislation have helped to mitigate the trend in the US relative to China, the increasingly widespread implementation of lung cancer chest CT screening is expected to impact lung cancer incidence and mortality in both countries. Currently there are few studies to compare the environmental and genetic risk factors for US and Chinese populations with regards to lung cancer incidence and mortality. The authors discuss the impact of gender and exposure risks, mainly smoking and environmental pollutants. Of high importance is the incidence of lung cancer in never smokers that is significantly higher in China than in the United States; this is particularly notable in women. These data suggest inclusion of ambient air pollution exposure and gender into lung cancer risk prognostic models to better capture high-risk individuals, especially for non-smoking women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The ETS-related gene (ERG) is an oncogene that encodes one of the erythroblast transformationspecific (ETS) transcription factors. Although there are many studies on their effects on the development of different malignancies, mainly prostate cancer, Ewing sarcoma and acute myeloid leukemia, its association with Wilms tumor has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate ERG tissue expression in Wilms tumors. Methods: ERG expression and its association with clinicopathological features were evaluated in tissue sections obtained from 53 children with Wilms tumors. Results: The mean age of the cases was 3.21±2 years. This series consisted of 25 boys (47.2%) and 28 girls (52.8%). The mean tumor size was 9.1±2.9 cm. The mean kidney weight was 474.5±310.7 g. Thirteen (24.5%) cases were in stage I, 20 (37.7%) in stage II, 7 (14%) in stage III and 6 (11.3%) in stage IV. Forty-two cases were alive (79.2%) and being followed up. The mean survival time was 65.3±40.2 (2-148) months. Nuclear ERG expression was detected in 21 (39.6%) cases. In 8 (15.1%) cases, ERG expression was limited to pure blastemal component. Eleven cases (20.8%) had ERG expression in blastemal and mesenchymal components. Two patients (3.8%), one of which with bilateral tumors, had diffuse nuclear ERG expression. There was no correlation between ERG expression and prognostic factors except tumor bilaterality. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that nuclear ERG expression is not related to the pathogenesis of Wilms tumor. Although there was no statistically significant p value; since ERG expression is more common in bilateral tumors, it is thought that ERG may have a supporting role in the development of WT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few botanical studies have explored the potential of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data obtained through genome skimming for phylogeny reconstruction. Here, we analyzed the phylogenetic information included in the nrDNA and mtDNA of 44 species of the "Adenocalymma‐Neojobertia" clade (Bignoniaceae). To deal with intraindividual polymorphisms within the nrDNA, different coding schemes were explored through the analyses of four datasets: (i) "nrDNA contig," with base call following the majority rule; (ii) "nrDNA ambiguous," with ambiguous base calls; (iii) "nrDNA informative," with ambiguities converted to multistate characters; and, (iv) "mitochondrial," with 39 mitochondrial genes. Combined analyses using the nrDNA and mtDNA data and previously published "plastid" datasets were also conducted. Trees were obtained using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian criteria. The congruence among genomes was assessed. The nrDNA datasets were shown to be highly polymorphic within individuals, while the "mitochondrial" dataset was the least informative, with 0.36% of informative bases within the ingroup. The topologies inferred using the nrDNA and mtDNA datasets were broadly congruent with the tree derived from the analyses of the "plastid" dataset. The topological differences recovered were generally poorly supported. The topology that resulted from the analyses of the "combined" dataset largely resembles the "plastid" tree. These results highlight limitations of nuclear ribosomal DNA and mitochondrial genes for phylogeny reconstruction obtained through genome skimming and the need to include more data from both genomes. The different topologies observed among genomes also highlight the importance of exploring data from various genomes in plant phylogenetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ETS family of proteins consists of 28 transcription factors, many of which have been implicated in development and progression of a variety of cancers. While one family member, ERG, has been rigorously studied in the context of prostate cancer where it plays a critical role, other ETS factors keep emerging as potential hallmark oncodrivers. In recent years, numerous studies have reported initial discoveries of small molecule inhibitors of ETS proteins and opened novel avenues for ETS‐directed cancer therapies. This review summarizes the state of the art data on therapeutic targeting of ETS family members and highlights the corresponding drug discovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-pathogenic Xanthomonas infects a wide variety of host plants and causes many devastating diseases on crops. Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are delivered by a type III secretion system (T3SS) of Xanthomonas into plant nuclei to directly bind specific DNA sequences (TAL effector-binding elements, EBEs) on either strand of host target genes with an unique modular DNA-binding domain and to bidirectionally drive host gene transcription. The target genes in plants consist of host susceptibility (S) genes promoting disease (ETS) and resistance (R) genes triggering defense (ETI). Here we generally summarized the discovery of TALEs in Xanthomonas species, their functions in bacterial pathogenicity in plants and their target genes in different host plants, and then focused on the newly revealed modes of protein action in triggering or suppressing plant defense.

Doellingeria and Eucephalus form the earliest-diverging clade of the North American Astereae lineage. Phylogenetic analyses of both nuclear and plastid sequence data show that the Doellingeria-Eucephalus clade consists of two main subclades that differ from current circumscriptions of the two genera. Doellingeria is the sister group to E. elegans, and the Doellingeria + E. elegans subclade in turn is sister to the subclade containing all remaining species of Eucephalus. In the plastid phylogeny, the two subclades are deeply divergent, a pattern that is consistent with an ancient hybridization event involving ancestral species of the Doellingeria-Eucephalus clade and an ancestral taxon of a related North American or South American group. Divergence of the two Doellingeria-Eucephalus subclades may have occurred in association with northward migration from South American ancestors. We combine these two genera under the older of the two names, Doellingeria, and propose 12 new combinations (10 species and two varieties) for all species of Eucephalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because Aurelia spp. blooms have important regional effects, it is urgent to determine factors that may affect their proliferation and their effects on food webs. The life cycle of most scyphozoans includes an attached stage (polyp or scyphistoma) that reproduces asexually. To test the effects of food availability (unfed, fed 1-, 2-, or 3-times weekly), we measured production rates, mass, and metabolism of Aurelia aurita polyps. Metabolic measurements were physiological respiratory O2 consumption (R), potential O2 consumption (Φ), and potential CO2 production (ψNADP). Φ and ψNADP were calculated from enzymatic activities of the respiratory electron transport system (ETS) and from the CO2-producing enzyme, NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-IDH), respectively. The production of polyps dramatically increased from ~ 0.1 polyp day−1 (unfed) to ~ 0.65 polyp day−1 (fed 3-times week−1) over 33 days. Mass and metabolism (R, Φ, ψNADP) per polyp were significantly lower in unfed polyps, but indistinguishable among fed polyps. Our results suggested that the polyps maintained low-metabolic rates, putting available energy into asexual reproduction. The polyps were adapted to survive and reproduce when unfed, confirming their contribution to population persistence and potential jellyfish blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Argentina, the Gender Identity Law allowed people to be recognized for their gender. The same law also guarantees access to health with the same efficiency that exists for access to a new identity document, but the reality does not reflect these developments. Health indicators show the vulnerability of the LGBT population to adverse health events, including HIV prevalence rates in trans women. This article takes a brief tour of the advances in health care for the LGBT population in the province of San Luis, valuing the role of mental health professionals. Accessibility plays a central role and the strategy of prevention centers for HIV and STD testing is an accessibility model that the Friendly Clinics for Sexual Diversity take as a reference. Mental health professionals who perform their functions in public health are an active part in the development of strategies that reinforce the accessibility of the LGBT population to health systems through: interventions under a rights approach, co-management work with institutions of government and civil society organizations, ongoing training and generation of epidemiological information on mental health, thus contributing to a comprehensive approach to the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the genome contains outlier sequences extraordinarily sensitive to environmental agents, these would be sentinels for monitoring personal carcinogen exposure and might drive direct changes in cell physiology rather than acting through rare mutations. New methods, adductSeq and freqSeq, provided statistical resolution to quantify rare lesions at single-base resolution across the genome. Primary human melanocytes, but not fibroblasts, carried spontaneous apurinic sites and TG sequence lesions more frequent than ultraviolet (UV)-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). UV exposure revealed hyperhotspots acquiring CPDs up to 170-fold more frequently than the genomic average; these sites were more prevalent in melanocytes. Hyperhotspots were disproportionately located near genes, particularly for RNA-binding proteins, with the most-recurrent hyperhotspots at a fixed position within 2 motifs. One motif occurs at ETS family transcription factor binding sites, known to be UV targets and now shown to be among the most sensitive in the genome, and at sites of mTOR/5' terminal oligopyrimidine-tract translation regulation. The second occurs at A2-15TTCTY, which developed "dark CPDs" long after UV exposure, repaired CPDs slowly, and had accumulated CPDs prior to the experiment. Motif locations active as hyperhotspots differed between cell types. Melanocyte CPD hyperhotspots aligned precisely with recurrent UV signature mutations in individual gene promoters of melanomas and with known cancer drivers. At sunburn levels of UV exposure, every cell would have a hyperhotspot CPD in each of the ~20 targeted cell pathways, letting hyperhotspots act as epigenetic marks that create phenome instability; high prevalence favors cooccurring mutations, which would allow tumor evolution to use weak drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the causal agent of bacterial blight of rice, employs the transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) to induce the expression of the OsSWEET family of putative sugar transporter genes, which function in conferring disease susceptibility (S) in rice plants. To engineer broad-spectrum bacterial blight resistance, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to disrupt the TALE-binding elements (EBEs) of two S genes, OsSWEET11 and OsSWEET14 , in rice cv. Kitaake, which harbors the recessive resistance allele of Xa25 / OsSWEET13. The engineered rice line MS14K exhibited broad-spectrum resistance to most Xoo strains with a few exceptions, suggesting that the compatible strains may contain new TALEs. We identified two PthXo2-like TALEs, Tal5 LN18 and Tal7 PXO61 , as major virulence factors in the compatible Xoo strains LN18 and PXO61, respectively, and found that Xoo encodes at least five types of PthXo2-like effectors. Given that PthXo2/PthXo2.1 target OsSWEET13 for transcriptional activation, the genomes of 3000 rice varieties were analyzed for EBE variationsin the OsSWEET13 promoter, and 10 Xa25 -like haplotypes were identified. We found that Tal5 LN18 and Tal7 PXO61 bind slightly different EBE sequences in the OsSWEET13 promoter to activate its expression. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was then used to generate InDels in the EBE of the OsSWEET13 promoter in MS14K to creat a new germplasm with three edited OsSWEET EBEs and broad-spectrum resistance against all Xoo strains tested. Collectively, our findings illustrate how to disarm TALE- S co-evolved loci to generate broad-spectrum resistance through the loss of effector-triggered susceptibility in plants. With the discovery of PthXo2-like TALEs in Xoo and 10 EBE PthXo2 alleles of OsSWEET13 in different rice varieties, broad-spectrum bacterial blight resistance was generated by simultaneously disrupting variable TALE-binding elements of three susceptibility genes (OsSWEET11 , OsSWEET13 , and OsSWEET14) in rice. These novel findings provide a new breeding strategy for plant disease resistance through the loss of effector-triggered susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the issue of distributed event‐triggered H∞ state estimators subject to deception attacks for sensor networked systems. A decentralised event‐triggered scheme (ETS) is introduced to determine whether the sampling data of each sensor is transmitted or not, respectively. In this scheme, each sensor node is independent to decide to deliver the local measurement output through the corresponding ETS. Due to the insertion of the network, the effect of the deception attacks along with time delay and packet dropouts are considered in this study. A novel estimator network is established to realise the estimation of the decoupling output measurements and coupling intercommunication measurements. Firstly, a distributed event‐triggered H∞ estimating system with deception attacks is constructed in a mathematical model. Secondly, sufficient conditions are derived, which can ensure the stability of the designed H∞ estimating error systems and the related parameters of the desired distributed estimators are presented in an accurate form. Finally, a simulated example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the designed event‐triggered distributed H∞ state estimator systems under the deception attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is an essential instrument tightly interconnected with the stock and energy markets. This study innovatively incorporates the ETS, stock, and energy markets into an integrated framework to model the return and volatility spillovers. We utilize a dynamic Time-Varying AutoRegressive procedure grounded in both the temporal and frequency domains. Our findings certify time-varying effects in both return and volatility spillovers. Remarkably, extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and New Zealand's ETS-led policies have contributed substantially to these spillovers. Specifically, for return spillovers, the price movements of the stock and the crude oil markets are distinctly influenced by the ETS and electricity markets. On the other hand, volatility spillovers in stock and energy markets are predominantly dominated by the ETS. Furthermore, return and volatility spillovers exhibit substantial heterogeneity across different frequencies, with long-term effects making up the most considerable portion of cross-market spillovers. These findings help gain a deeper understanding of dynamic feedback effects and offer valuable implications for policymakers and market participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impacts of carbon pricing policies on firms' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We include two carbon pricing policies: carbon tax and emission trading scheme (ETS) at national and sub-national (province) levels, measured as policy existence (binary variable) and carbon price (continuous variable). Firms' GHG emissions are measured as total emissions and emission intensity. Using unique recent firm-level data from 2010 to 2021 from three East Asia countries (Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the People's Republic of China (PRC)), we obtain the following key findings. First, the national carbon pricing policy significantly reduced firms' GHG emissions and GHG emission intensity in Japan and the ROK. The greater the carbon price, the greater the impact. Second, the subnational carbon pricing policies implemented in two provinces of Japan (Saitama and Tokyo) decreased firms' GHG emissions. Third, heavy industry sectors such as energy, utilities, and industrials experienced a substantial decrease in GHG emission intensity due to the carbon pricing policy. Finally, our main results are robust to different model specifications and various measures of firms' GHG emissions. Although literature studying the ex-post impact of carbon pricing on emissions at country and sector-level is abundant, this paper contributes to the existing literature providing empirical evidence of the impact of carbon pricing policies on firms' emissions using firm-level data, which is highly limited especially in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary liver cancer (PLC) consists of two main histological subtypes; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). The role of transcription factors (TFs) in malignant hepatobiliary lineage commitment between HCC and iCCA remains underexplored. Here, we present genome-wide profiling of transcription regulatory elements of 16 PLC patients using single-cell assay for transposase accessible chromatin sequencing. Single-cell open chromatin profiles reflect the compositional diversity of liver cancer, identifying both malignant and microenvironment component cells. TF motif enrichment levels of 31 TFs strongly discriminate HCC from iCCA tumors. These TFs are members of the nuclear/retinoid receptor, POU, or ETS motif families. POU factors are associated with prognostic features in iCCA. Overall, nuclear receptors, ETS and POU TF motif families delineate transcription regulation between HCC and iCCA tumors, which may be relevant to development and selection of PLC subtype-specific therapeutics. [Display omitted] • scATAC-seq of 16 patients reflects the compositional diversity of liver cancer • Transcription factor motif enrichment discriminates HCC from iCCA • The POU motif family in iCCA tumors is associated with poor prognosis in iCCA Craig et al. profile transcription factor enrichment in 16 patients with liver cancer using single-cell assay for transposase accessible chromatin sequencing (scATAC-seq). The authors find a 31 transcription factor motif enrichment signature that distinguishes HCC from iCCA tumors. Enrichment of the POU motif family is associated with poor prognosis in iCCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundSince 1996, the tobacco industry has used the 16 Cities Study conclusions that workplace secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposures are lower than home exposures to argue that workplace and other smoking restrictions are unnecessary.ObjectivesOur goal was to determine the origins and objectives of the 16 Cities Study through analysis of internal tobacco industry documents and regulatory agency and court records, and to evaluate the validity of the study's conclusions.ResultsThe tobacco industry's purpose in conducting the 16 Cities Study was to develop data showing that workplace SHS exposures were negligible, using these data to stop smoking restrictions by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The extensive involvement of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and the tobacco industry's Center for Indoor Air Research in controlling the study was not fully disclosed. The study's definition of "smoking workplace" included workplaces where smoking was restricted to designated areas or where no smoking was observed. This definition substantially reduced the study's reported average SHS concentrations in "smoking workplaces" because SHS levels in unrestricted smoking workplaces are much greater than in workplaces with designated smoking areas or where no smoking occurred. Stratifying the data by home smoking status and comparing exposures by workplace smoking status, however, indicates that smoke-free workplaces would halve the total SHS exposure of those living with smokers and virtually eliminate SHS exposure for most others.ConclusionsData in the 16 Cities Study reveal that smoke-free workplaces would dramatically reduce total SHS exposure, providing significant worker and public health benefits.

This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) as of mid-2005 produced by the California Air Resources Board and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as part of the process of identifying ETS as a toxic air contaminant.Part A of the report includes information about the chemical composition of secondhand smoke and exposure of the public to secondhand smoke, including outdoor exposures.Part B of the report includes information on the health effects of secondhand smoke and concludes that the following health effects are causally associated iwth ETS exposure:Developmental Effects: Fetal growth: Low birth weight and decrease in birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Pre-term DeliveryRespiratory Effects: Acute lower respiratory tract infections in children (e.g., bronchitis and pneumonia), Asthma induction and exacerbation in children and adults, Chronic respiratory symptoms in children, Eye and nasal irritation in adults, Middle ear infections in children,Carcinogenic Effects: Lung cancer, Nasal sinus cancer, Breast cancer in younger, primarily premenopausal womenCardiovascular Effects: Heart disease mortality, Acute and chronic coronary heart disease morbidity, Altered vascular propertiesPart C: The public comments and responses are available in a separate report, available at http://repositories.cdlib.org/tc/surveys/CALEPA2005C/

This report is part of a comprehensive assessment of the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) as of mid-2005 produced by the California Air Resources Board and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as part of the process of identifying ETS as a toxic air contaminant. Part C contains all the public comments and responses to these comments by the Air Resources Board and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.The main body of the report (Parts A and B) is available at http://repositories.cdlib.org/tc/surveys/CALEPA2005/

This paper focuses on the development of Philip Morris’s position on Environmental Tobacco Smoke [ETS] for its websites. Internal documents have been searched from 1999 to present. Searches were conducted from October to December, 2003.In particular, the paper focuses on drafts prepared by Philip Morris from June 1999 to October 1999, the period in which the majority of work on its position was done. The paper addresses how Philip Morris set out to develop the content and format of its websites to communicate with opinion leaders and the general public in a way that would enhance the company’s image.

This report presents the results of near-source ambient air monitoring of nicotine as a marker for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in California. The objective of the ETS study is to measure ambient outdoor ETS, to which the public is exposed, as part of an evaluation by the Air Resources Board of ETS as a possible toxic air contaminant.

Intrinsic resistance and RTK-RAS-MAPK pathway reactivation has limited the effectiveness of MEK and RAF inhibitors (MAPKi) in RAS- and RAF-mutant cancers. To identify genes that modulate sensitivity to MAPKi, we performed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens in two KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer cell lines treated with the MEK1/2 inhibitor trametinib. Loss of CIC, a transcriptional repressor of ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5, promoted survival in the setting of MAPKi in cancer cells derived from several lineages. ATXN1L deletion, which reduces CIC protein, or ectopic expression of ETV1, ETV4, or ETV5 also modulated sensitivity to trametinib. ATXN1L expression inversely correlates with response to MAPKi inhibition in clinical studies. These observations identify the ATXN1L-CIC-ETS transcription factor axis as a mediator of resistance to MAPKi.

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a molecular water channel protein responsible for water reabsorption by the kidney collecting ducts. Many water balance disorders are associated with defects in AQP2 gene expression regulated by the peptide hormone vasopressin. Here, we studied roles of Elf3 (E26 transformation-specific (Ets)-related transcription factor 3) in AQP2 gene expression in the collecting duct cells (mpkCCD). Vasopressin increased AQP2 mRNA and protein levels without affecting AQP2 mRNA degradation, indicative of transcriptional regulation. Elf3 knockdown and overexpression, respectively, reduced and increased AQP2 gene expression under basal and vasopressin-stimulated conditions. However, the vasopressin-to-basal ratios of AQP2 gene expression levels remained constant, indicating that Elf3 does not directly mediate vasopressin response but modulates the level of AQP2 gene expression inducible by vasopressin. The Elf3-modulated AQP2 gene expression was associated with AQP2 promoter activity, in line with Elf3’s ability to bind an Ets element in the AQP2 promoter. Mutation in the Ets element reduced both basal and vasopressin-stimulated AQP2 promoter activity, again without affecting vasopressin-to-basal ratios of the AQP2 promoter activity. Lithium chloride reduced both Elf3 and AQP2 mRNA in the mpkCCD cells as well as in mouse kidney inner medulla. We conclude that Elf3 modulates AQP2 promoter activity thereby gauging vasopressin-inducible AQP2 gene expression levels. Our data provide a potential explanation to lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus where lithium reduces Elf3 and hence AQP2 abundance.

Noncoding mutation hotspots have been identified in melanoma and many of them occur at the binding sites of E26 transformation-specific (ETS) proteins; however, their formation mechanism and functional impacts are not fully understood. Here, we used UV (Ultraviolet) damage sequencing data and analyzed cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) formation, DNA repair, and CPD deamination in human cells at single-nucleotide resolution. Our data show prominent CPD hotspots immediately after UV irradiation at ETS binding sites, particularly at sites with a conserved TTCCGG motif, which correlate with mutation hotspots identified in cutaneous melanoma. Additionally, CPDs are repaired slower at ETS binding sites than in flanking DNA. Cytosine deamination in CPDs to uracil is suggested as an important step for UV mutagenesis. However, we found that CPD deamination is significantly suppressed at ETS binding sites, particularly for the CPD hotspot on the 5' side of the ETS motif, arguing against a role for CPD deamination in promoting ETS-associated UV mutations. Finally, we analyzed a subset of frequently mutated promoters, including the ribosomal protein genes RPL13A and RPS20 , and found that mutations in the ETS motif can significantly reduce the promoter activity. Thus, our data identify high UV damage and low repair, but not CPD deamination, as the main mechanism for ETS-associated mutations in melanoma and uncover important roles of often-overlooked mutation hotspots in perturbing gene transcription., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Background. Blood cannot be artificially manufactured, and there is currently no substitute for human blood. The supply of blood in transfusion facilities requires constant and timely collection of blood from donors. Modeling and forecasting trends in blood collections are critical for determining both the current and future capacity requirements and appropriate models of adequate blood provision. Objectives. The objective of this study is to determine blood collection or donation patterns and develop time-series models that can be updated and refined in predicting future blood donations in Zimbabwe when given the historical data. Materials and Methods. Monthly blood donation data for the period 2009 to 2019 were collected retrospectively from the National Blood Service Zimbabwe database. Time-series models (i.e., the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average [SARIMA] and Error, Trend and Seasonal [ETS]) models were applied and compared. The models were chosen because of their ability to handle the seasonality and other time-series components evident in the blood donation data. Expert opinions and experience were used in selecting the models and in making inferences in the analysis. Results. Time-series plots of blood donations showed seasonal patterns, with significant drops in blood donations in months associated with Zimbabwe's school holidays (April, August, and December) and public holidays. During these holidays, there is a reduced number of school donors, while at about the same time, there is increasing blood demand as a result of road accidents. Model identification procedures established the SARIMA ( 1 , 1 , 2 ) ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) 12 model as the appropriate model for forecasting total blood donation in Zimbabwe. The results and forecasts show an upward trend in blood donations. According to the accuracy measures used, the SARIMA model outperforms the ETS model. Conclusions. Expert knowledge in the blood donation process, coupled with statistical models, can help explain trends exhibited in blood donation data in Zimbabwe. These findings help the blood authorities plan for blood donor campaign drives. The findings are key indicators of where to allocate more resources toward blood donation and when to collect more blood units. The increasing blood donation projections ensure a stable blood bank inventory in the near future., Highlights: A SARIMA model can be used to predict the flow of blood donations in Zimbabwe.The seasonal blood donation pattern peaks in the months of March, June/July, and September.The donations troughs are in the months of April, August, December, and January. These are the months coinciding with school holidays in Zimbabwe.Both the SARIMA and ETS models provided similar forecasts, but measures of fit and expert knowledge gave a slight preference to the SARIMA ( 1 , 1 , 2 ) ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) 12 model in predicting the flow of blood donations in Zimbabwe.These model results are useful for guiding allocation of blood donation resources and blood donation drive timing., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Genetic alterations of the repressive ETS family transcription factor gene ETV6 are recurrent in several categories of hematopoietic malignancy, including subsets of B-cell and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (B-ALL and T-ALL), myeloid neoplasms, and mature B-cell lymphomas. ETV6 is essential for adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), contributes to specific functions of some mature immune cells, and plays a key role in thrombopoiesis as demonstrated by familial ETV6 mutations associated with thrombocytopenia and predisposition to hematopoietic cancers, particularly B-ALL. ETV6 appears to have a tumor suppressor role in several hematopoietic lineages, as demonstrated by recurrent somatic loss-of-function (LoF) and putative dominant-negative alterations in leukemias and lymphomas. ETV6 rearrangements contribute to recurrent fusion oncogenes such as the B-ALL-associated transcription factor (TF) fusions ETV6::RUNX1 and PAX5::ETV6, rare drivers such as ETV6::NCOA6, and a spectrum of tyrosine kinase gene fusions encoding hyperactive signaling proteins that self-associate via the ETV6 N-terminal pointed domain. Another subset of recurrent rearrangements involving the ETV6 gene locus appear to function primarily to drive overexpression of the partner gene. This review surveys what is known about the biochemical and genome regulatory properties of ETV6 as well as our current understanding of how alterations in these functions contribute to hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cancers., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Transcription factors (TFs) play a crucial role in regulating the dynamic and precise patterns of gene expression required for the initial specification of endothelial cells (ECs), and during endothelial growth and differentiation. While sharing many core features, ECs can be highly heterogeneous. Differential gene expression between ECs is essential to pattern the hierarchical vascular network into arteries, veins and capillaries, to drive angiogenic growth of new vessels, and to direct specialization in response to local signals. Unlike many other cell types, ECs have no single master regulator, instead relying on differing combinations of a necessarily limited repertoire of TFs to achieve tight spatial and temporal activation and repression of gene expression. Here, we will discuss the cohort of TFs known to be involved in directing gene expression during different stages of mammalian vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, with a primary focus on development., (© 2023 The Authors. Developmental Dynamics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)

Background: Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery is the primary method used to treat pituitary adenomas (PAs) at present; however, this technique is associated with certain risks, including cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CFL) and residual tumors (RTs). In this study, we aimed to identify specific risk factors for intraoperative CFL (ioCFL) and postoperative RT in patients with pituitary adenoma and construct a corresponding nomogram for risk assessment., Methods: We collected a range of information from 782 patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal PA resection in the Department of Neurosurgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital between 2019 and 2021. Patients were then randomly assigned to training and validation groups (in a 8:2 ratio) with R software. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were then used to screen variables related to ioCFL and RT. These variables were then used to construct a predictive nomogram. Finally, the accuracy of the nomogram was validated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models identified four risk factors for ioCFL (Hardy grade, tumor size, position, and consistency) and five risk factors for RT (operation time, tumor size, consistency, Knosp grade, and primary/recurrence type). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the ioCFL risk model was 0.666 and 0.697 for the training and validation groups, respectively. For RT, the AUCs for the two groups were 0.788 and 0.754, respectively. The calibration plots for the ioCFL and RT models showed high calibration quality and DCA analysis yielded excellent efficiency with regards to clinical decision making., Conclusion: Tumor size, growth characteristics, and invasion location were identified as the main factors affecting intraoperative CFL and RT. With our novel nomogram, surgeons can identify high-risk patients according to preoperative and intraoperative tumor performance and reduce the probability of complications., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Seasonal influenza is a serious public health issue in China. This study aimed to develop a new hybrid model for seasonal influenza incidence prediction and provide reference information for early warning management before outbreaks., Methodology: Data on the monthly incidence of seasonal influenza between 2004 and 2018 were obtained from the China Public Health Science Data Center website. A single seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model and a single error trend and seasonality (ETS) model were built. On this basis, we constructed SARIMA, ETS, and support vector regression (SARIMA-ETS-SVR) hybrid model. The prediction performance was determined by comparing mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) indices., Results: The optimum SARIMA model was SARIMA (0,1,0) (0,0,1)12. Error trend and seasonality (ETS) (M,A,M) was the SARIMA optimal model. For the fitting performance, the SARIMA-ETS-SVR hybrid model achieved the lowest values of MAE, MSE, and RMSE, in addition to the MAPE. In terms of predictive performance, the SARIMA-ETS-SVR hybrid model had the lowest MAE, MSE, MAPE, and RMSE values among the three models., Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the SARIMA-ETS-SVR hybrid model provides better generalization ability than a single SARIMA model and a single ETS model, and the predictions will provide a useful tool for preventing this infectious disease., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2023 Daren Zhao, Ruihua Zhang.)

Background: ETS transcription factors, known as the E26 transformation-specific factors, assume a critical role in the regulation of various vital biological processes in animals, including cell differentiation, the cell cycle, and cell apoptosis. However, their characterization in mollusks is currently lacking., Results: The current study focused on a comprehensive analysis of the ETS genes in blood clam Tegillarca granosa and other mollusk genomes. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed the absence of the SPI and ETV subfamilies in mollusks compared to humans. Additionally, several ETS genes in mollusks were found to lack the PNT domain, potentially resulting in a diminished ability of ETS proteins to bind target genes. Interestingly, the bivalve ETS1 genes exhibited significantly high expression levels during the multicellular proliferation stage and in gill tissues. Furthermore, qRT-PCR results showed that Tg-ETS-14 (ETS1) is upregulated in the high total hemocyte counts (THC) population of T. granosa, suggesting it plays a significant role in stimulating hemocyte proliferation., Conclusion: Our study significantly contributes to the comprehension of the evolutionary aspects concerning the ETS gene family, while also providing valuable insights into its role in fostering hemocyte proliferation across mollusks., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

La clasificación genérica de varios miembros de la tribu Gnaphalieae (Compositae) y en particular la delimitación genérica del antiguo género Gnaphalium ha sido problemática durante mucho tiempo. El género Pseudognaphalium fue escindido de Gnaphalium por su morfología lo que después fue apoyado por filogenias moleculares. Sin embargo, la identidad genérica de algunas especies todavía es dudosa. Aquí aportamos un estudio morfológico de Pseudognaphalium aldunateoides, que es comparado con las especies tipo de los géneros Gnaphalium (Gnaphalium uliginosum) y Pseudognaphalium (Gnaphalium oxyphyllum). También hemos incluido estas tres especies en filogenias moleculares de la tribu Gnaphalieae basadas en ADN ribosómico nuclear y ADN cloroplástico. Nuestros resultados muestran que P. aldunateoides tiene el vilano dimórfico, carácter que no está presente en el género Pseudognaphalium pero que, sin embargo, es característico del género Gnaphalium. Además, su estereoma muestra características intermedias entre el estereoma no dividido típico del género Gnaphalium y el estereoma fenestrado típico del género Pseudognaphalium. En ambas filogenias, P. aldunateoides se sitúa dentro del clado Gnaphalium s. str., no próximamente emparentado con Pseudognaphalium. Con todas estas evidencias concluimos que P. aldunateoides se clasifica correctamente dentro de Gnaphalium.