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Summary: Impatiens glandulifera is a globally successful invader that primarily spreads along riparian habitats; however, during the last ~20 years, it has started to colonise forests, but little has been published on impacts of this recent spread. Several factors may have contributed to this phenomenon: (i) high propagule pressure from large and widespread riparian populations, (ii) extensive anthropogenic and natural disturbances in the forest ecosystems, (iii) increased use of forest machinery efficiently spreading the seeds together with (iv) a wide environmental tolerance of the species. The impacts of I. glandulifera on native communities in forests are manifold. Contrasting effects are reported on native plant species diversity, richness and growth of saplings of co‐occurring species, as well as negative effects on soil mycorrhizal fungi. We suggest that the eradication of I. glandulifera populations in forests is more feasible than along watercourses because the recolonisation in forests is limited and, in some cases, populations are outcompeted by woody species during succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All plant populations fluctuate in time. Apart from the dynamics imposed by external forces such as climate, these fluctuations can be driven by endogenous processes taking place within the community. In this study, we aimed to identify potential role of soil-borne microbial communities in driving endogenous fluctuations of plant populations. We combined a unique, 35-yr long abundance data of 11 common plant species from a species-rich mountain meadow with development of their soil microbiome (pathogenic fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and oomycetes) observed during 4 yr of experimental cultivation in monocultures. Plant species which abundance fluctuated highly in the field (particularly legumes) accumulated plant pathogens in their soil mycobiome. We also identified increasing proportion of mycoparasitic fungi under highly fluctuating legume species, which may indicate an adaptation of these species to mitigate the detrimental effects of pathogens. Our study documented that long-term fluctuations in the abundance of plant species in grassland communities can be explained by the accumulation of plant pathogens in plant-soil microbiome. By contrast, we found little evidence of the role of mutualists in plant population fluctuations. These findings offer new insights for understanding mechanisms driving both long-term vegetation dynamics and patterns of species coexistence and richness., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

The efficient uptake of nutrients depends on the ability of roots to respond to gradients of these resources. Although pot experiments have shown that species differ in their ability to proliferate their roots in nutrient-rich patches, the role of such differences in determining root shapes in the field is unclear. We used fine-scale quantitative (q)PCR-based species-specific mapping of roots in a grassland community to reconstruct species-specific root system shapes. We linked them with data from pot experiments on the ability of these species to proliferate in nutrient-rich patches and their rooting depth. We found remarkable diversity in root system shapes, from cylindrical to conical. Interspecific differences in rooting depths in pots were the main determinant of rooting depths in the field, whereas differences in foraging ability played only a minor role. Although some species with strong foraging ability did place their roots into nutrient-rich soil layers, it was not a universal pattern. The results imply that although the vertical differentiation of grassland species is pronounced, it is primarily not driven by the differential plastic response of species to soil nutrient gradients. This may constrain the coexistence of species with similar rooting depths and may instead favour coexistence of species differing in their architectural blueprints., (© 2022 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2022 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Soil seed viability and germinability dynamics can have a major influence on the establishment and spread of plants introduced beyond their native distribution range. Yet, we lack information on how temporal variability in these traits could affect the invasion process. To address this issue, we conducted an 8-year seed burial experiment examining seed viability and germinability dynamics for 21 invasive and 38 naturalized herbs in the Czech Republic. Seeds of most naturalized and invasive species persisted in the soil for several years. However, naturalized herbs exhibited greater seed longevity, on average, than invasive ones. Phylogenetic logistic models showed that seed viability (but not germinability) dynamics were significantly related to the invasion status of the study species. Seed viability declined earlier and more sharply in invasive species, and the probability of finding viable seeds of invasive species by the end of the experiment was low. Our findings suggest that invasive herbs might take advantage of high seed viability in the years immediately after dispersal, while naturalized species benefit from extended seed viability over time. These differences, however, are not sufficiently strong to explain the invasiveness of the species examined., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The goal of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the significance of immunohistochemical methods in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma. The main points discussed include: the use of immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnosis of the main histological types of endometrial carcinoma, the difference between primary serous endometrial carcinoma and the involvement with high grade serous carcinoma of another primary source, the diagnosis of undifferentiated/dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma, and diagnosing tumours with neuroendocrine differentiation. The role of p53 expression evaluation is also emphasized as a special area of interest, not only in the context of differential diagnosis, but also from the point of view of the prognosis and prediction of endometrial carcinoma as an ancillary marker for subtypization of these tumours.

The stability of ecological communities is critical for the stable provisioning of ecosystem services, such as food and forage production, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility. Greater biodiversity is expected to enhance stability across years by decreasing synchrony among species, but the drivers of stability in nature remain poorly resolved. Our analysis of time series from 79 datasets across the world showed that stability was associated more strongly with the degree of synchrony among dominant species than with species richness. The relatively weak influence of species richness is consistent with theory predicting that the effect of richness on stability weakens when synchrony is higher than expected under random fluctuations, which was the case in most communities. Land management, nutrient addition, and climate change treatments had relatively weak and varying effects on stability, modifying how species richness, synchrony, and stability interact. Our results demonstrate the prevalence of biotic drivers on ecosystem stability, with the potential for environmental drivers to alter the intricate relationship among richness, synchrony, and stability., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

Among the traits whose relevance for plant invasions has recently been suggested are genome size (the amount of nuclear DNA) and ploidy level. So far, research on the role of genome size in invasiveness has been mostly based on indirect evidence by comparing species with different genome sizes, but how karyological traits influence competition at the intraspecific level remains unknown. We addressed these questions in a common-garden experiment evaluating the outcome of direct intraspecific competition among 20 populations of Phragmites australis , represented by clones collected in North America and Europe, and differing in their status (native and invasive), genome size (small and large), and ploidy levels (tetraploid, hexaploid, or octoploid). Each clone was planted in competition with one of the others in all possible combinations with three replicates in 45-L pots. Upon harvest, the identity of 21 shoots sampled per pot was revealed by flow cytometry and DNA analysis. Differences in performance were examined using relative proportions of shoots of each clone, ratios of their aboveground biomass, and relative yield total (RYT). The performance of the clones in competition primarily depended on the clone status (native vs. invasive). Measured in terms of shoot number or aboveground biomass, the strongest signal observed was that North American native clones always lost in competition to the other two groups. In addition, North American native clones were suppressed by European natives to a similar degree as by North American invasives. North American invasive clones had the largest average shoot biomass, but only by a limited, nonsignificant difference due to genome size. There was no effect of ploidy on competition. Since the North American invaders of European origin are able to outcompete the native North American clones, we suggest that their high competitiveness acts as an important driver in the early stages of their invasion., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2019 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The importance of the expression profile of claudins in the molecular classification of breast cancer (BC) is currently under investigation. Claudins, together with cadherins, serve an important role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and influence the chemosensitivity of cancer cells. Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered following surgical resection in selected cases of BC. Previous neoadjuvant chemotherapy may change the molecular profile of a tumour and subsequently also its chemosensitivity. In the current study, the expression of claudin-1, -3 and -4, E- and N-cadherin and the standard BC biomarkers [oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and marker of proliferation Ki-67 (Ki-67)] in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 62 patients with invasive BC was analysed using immunohistochemistry prior to and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The results revealed increased expression of claudin-1 (P=0.03) and decreased expression of claudin-3 (P=0.005), PR (P<0.001) and Ki-67 (P=0.01) following the neoadjuvant therapy. No significant changes in the expression of ER, claudin-4 or E- and N-cadherin were observed following therapy. Furthermore, an association between the expression of claudin-1 and the standard BC markers (P<0.05) was identified. A high expression of claudin-1 was more frequently observed in the triple-negative BC cohort than in the cohort with positive ER, PR and/or HER2 before (P=0.04) and after chemotherapy (P=0.02). The expression of N-cadherin was associated with the expression of ER, PR, HER2 and tumour grade (P<0.05). A positive association between the expression of claudin-3 and E-cadherin (P=0.005) was observed. No association was found between the expression of E- and N-cadherin. In conclusion, significant changes in the expression of claudin-1 and -3 but not in the expression of claudin-4, E- and N-cadherin were observed in samples taken from patients with BC following chemotherapy. These findings indicate that claudins-1 and -3 serve a role in the response of BC to chemotherapy., (Copyright: © Skálová et al.)

The literature suggests that small genomes promote invasion in plants, but little is known about the interaction of genome size with other traits or about the role of genome size during different phases of the invasion process. By intercontinental comparison of native and invasive populations of the common reed Phragmites australis, we revealed a distinct relationship between genome size and invasiveness at the intraspecific level. Monoploid genome size was the only significant variable that clearly separated the North American native plants from those of European origin. The mean Cx value (the amount of DNA in one chromosome set) for source European native populations was 0.490 ± 0.007 (mean ± SD), for North American invasive 0.506 ± 0.020, and for North American native 0.543 ± 0.021. Relative to native populations, the European populations that successfully invaded North America had a smaller genome that was associated with plant traits favoring invasiveness (long rhizomes, early emerging abundant shoots, resistance to aphid attack, and low C:N ratio). The knowledge that invasive populations within species can be identified based on genome size can be applied to screen potentially invasive populations of Phragmites in other parts of the world where they could grow in mixed stands with native plants, as well as to other plant species with intraspecific variation in invasion potential. Moreover, as small genomes are better equipped to respond to extreme environmental conditions such as drought, the mechanism reported here may represent an emerging driver for future invasions and range expansions., (© 2017 The Authors. Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Ecological Society of America.)

Phragmites australis is a cosmopolitan grass and often the dominant species in the ecosystems it inhabits. Due to high intraspecific diversity and phenotypic plasticity, P. australis has an extensive ecological amplitude and a great capacity to acclimate to adverse environmental conditions; it can therefore offer valuable insights into plant responses to global change. Here we review the ecology and ecophysiology of prominent P. australis lineages and their responses to multiple forms of global change. Key findings of our review are that: (1) P. australis lineages are well-adapted to regions of their phylogeographic origin and therefore respond differently to changes in climatic conditions such as temperature or atmospheric CO 2 ; (2) each lineage consists of populations that may occur in geographically different habitats and contain multiple genotypes; (3) the phenotypic plasticity of functional and fitness-related traits of a genotype determine the responses to global change factors; (4) genotypes with high plasticity to environmental drivers may acclimate or even vastly expand their ranges, genotypes of medium plasticity must acclimate or experience range-shifts, and those with low plasticity may face local extinction; (5) responses to ancillary types of global change, like shifting levels of soil salinity, flooding, and drought, are not consistent within lineages and depend on adaptation of individual genotypes. These patterns suggest that the diverse lineages of P. australis will undergo intense selective pressure in the face of global change such that the distributions and interactions of co-occurring lineages, as well as those of genotypes within-lineages, are very likely to be altered. We propose that the strong latitudinal clines within and between P. australis lineages can be a useful tool for predicting plant responses to climate change in general and present a conceptual framework for using P. australis lineages to predict plant responses to global change and its consequences.

We report six cases of anastomosing hemangioma of the ovary. All lesions were unilateral and arose in 43 to 81 year old females. In all but one patient, the tumor was asymptomatic and represented incidental finding. The exception was a tumor associated with massive ascites and elevated CA 125. The tumors were, on cut section, spongy and dark violet in color. The size of tumors ranged from 0.5 to 3.5 cm. All lesions showed the same histological features and consisted of capillary sized anastomosing vessels with sinusoid-like pattern intermingled with sporadic medium sized vessels. Interestingly, in all cases there were areas of luteinized cells at the tumor periphery, which ranged from rare small nests to multiple and commonly confluent areas. In one tumor, components of mature adipose tissue were present. Immunohistochemically, all tumors were CD31 and CD34 positive. Other markers examined were negative, including; estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, and D2-40. Proliferative activity (Ki-67 index) was very low in all cases. Anastomosing hemangioma is a rare entity, only 8 lesions occurring in ovary has been described from its initial description in 2009. We report six additional cases with their clinicopathological correlation.

Plant species distributions are determined by the response of populations to regional climates; however, little is known about how alien plants that arrive in central Europe from climatically warmer regions cope with the temperature conditions at the early stage of population development. Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) is an invasive annual plant causing considerable health and economic problems in Europe. Although climate-based models predict that the whole of the Czech Republic is climatically suitable for this species, it is confined to the warmest regions. To determine the factors possibly responsible for its restricted occurrence, we investigated the effects of temperature and nutrient availability on its seedlings. The plants were cultivated at one of seven temperature regimes ranging from 10 to 34 °C, combined with three nutrient levels. The data on the rate of leaf development were used to calculate the lower developmental threshold (LDT, the temperature, in °C, below which development ceases), the sum of effective temperatures (SET, the amount of heat needed to complete a developmental stage measured in degree days above LDT) and width of the thermal window. The rate of development decreased with decrease in temperature and nutrient supply. Besides this, the decrease in the availability of nutrients resulted in decreased LDT, increased SET and wider thermal window. The dependence of LDT and SET on the availability of nutrients contradicts the concept that thermal constants do not vary. Our results highlight temperature as the main determinant of common ragweed's distribution and identify nutrient availability as a factor that results in the realized niche being smaller than the fundamental niche; both of these need to be taken into account when predicting the future spread of A. artemisiifolia., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.)

Many invasive species are considered competitively superior to native species, with the strongest competition expected in species with similar niches and/or in closely related species. However, competition outcome is strongly context-dependent as competitive strength varies along environmental gradients, and life stages, and also depends on abundances. To explore the importance of these factors, we examined competition effects in an experiment with three Impatiens species (Balsaminaceae) widespread in central Europe and sharing similar life-history characteristics and habitats: the native I. noli-tangere, and two invasive species, I. parviflora and I. glandulifera. We compared their competitive strength and reciprocal impacts under two levels of water and light availability, two overall planting densities and three competitor densities. We assessed species performance (ability to complete the life-cycle, biomass and fecundity) and temporal competition dynamics in a garden pot experiment. Environmental variables had lower explanatory power than overall planting and competitor density, which indicates the importance of competitive interactions when evaluating plant performance and potential invasion success. Despite poor and delayed germination, the invasive I. glandulifera attained dominance even at a high competitor density and was competitively superior across all treatments, exceeding the height of both congeners. Impatiens parviflora was competitively weakest, having a negligible impact on both native I. noli-tangere and invasive I. glandulifera. The intermediate competitive strength of the native I. noli-tangere probably results from its intermediate height, and good germination rate and timing. The difference in height among species increased during the experiment when I. glandulifera was involved; this species continues growing until autumn, enhancing its competitive superiority. The results provide a mechanistic understanding for the competitive exclusion of native I. noli-tangere that occurs in stands with I. glandulifera, but the limited impact of I. parviflora on I. noli-tangere in their mixed stands., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.)

Recent studies suggest that immune  classification (immune-score) in cancer patients has a prognostic value in some cases that seems to be superior to the AJCC/ UICC TNM  classification. The clinical outcome can vary significantly among patients with a particular diagnosis within the same TNM stage. Immunoscore methodology quantifies and detects different types of immune cells in tumor tissue, and also determines the density of their infiltration and localization at the tumor site. Currently within an international collaboration of 23 centers in 17 countries (including our department), immunoscore is being evaluated in more than 7,000 colorectal cancer patients in terms of the tumor microenvironment, focusing on the presence of immune cells both in the tumor tissue and the tumor invasive margin. Immunoscore results are assessed in correlation with: 1. patients response to the treatment, 2. rate of progression, disease prognosis and other immune parameters. It appears that the TNM classification and tumor invasiveness is statistically dependent on the immune response of the patient (there is an inverse correlation between the density of the infiltration of CD8⁺, CD3⁺ lymphocytes and the tumor stage). High densities of T-lymphocytes (CD8⁺, CD3⁺) both in the core and the invasive margin of the primary tumor are associated with longer term asymptomatic survival, overall survival, lower risk of relapse and reduced likelihood of metastases. The project of the international collaboration aims to introduce immunoscore in routine diagnostics.

Many alien plants are thought to be invasive because of unique traits and greater phenotypic plasticity relative to resident species. However, many studies of invasive species are unable to quantify the importance of particular traits and phenotypic plasticity in conferring invasive behavior because traits used in comparative studies are often measured in a single environment and by using plants from a single population. To obtain a deeper insight into the role of environmental factors, local differences and competition in plant invasions, we compared species of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) of different origin and invasion status that occur in central Europe: native I. noli-tangere and three alien species (highly invasive I. glandulifera, less invasive I. parviflora and potentially invasive I. capensis). In two experiments we harvested late-stage reproductive plants to estimate performance. The first experiment quantified how populations differed in performance under varying light and moisture levels in the absence of competition. The second experiment quantified performance across these environments in the presence of intra- and inter-specific competition. The highly invasive I. glandulifera was the strongest competitor, was the tallest and produced the greatest biomass. Small size and high plasticity were characteristic for I. parviflora. This species appeared to be the second strongest competitor, especially under low soil moisture. The performance of I. capensis was within the range of the other Impatiens species studied, but sometimes limited by alien competitors. Our results suggest that invasion success within the genus Impatiens depends on the ability to grow large under a range of environmental conditions, including competition. The invasive species also exhibited greater phenotypic plasticity across environmental conditions than the native species. Finally, the decreased performance of the native I. noli-tangere in competition with other species studied indicates that this species may be possibly excluded from its sites by invading congeners.

Background and Aims: Invasiveness of some alien plants is associated with their traits, plastic responses to environmental conditions and interpopulation differentiation. To obtain insights into the role of these processes in contributing to variation in performance, we compared congeneric species of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) with different origin and invasion status that occur in central Europe., Methods: Native I. noli-tangere and three alien species (highly invasive I. glandulifera, less invasive I. parviflora and potentially invasive I. capensis) were studied and their responses to simulated canopy shading and different nutrient and moisture levels were determined in terms of survival and seedling traits., Key Results and Conclusions: Impatiens glandulifera produced high biomass in all the treatments and the control, exhibiting the 'Jack-and-master' strategy that makes it a strong competitor from germination onwards. The results suggest that plasticity and differentiation occurred in all the species tested and that along the continuum from plasticity to differentiation, the species at the plasticity end is the better invader. The most invasive species I. glandulifera appears to be highly plastic, whereas the other two less invasive species, I. parviflora and I. capensis, exhibited lower plasticity but rather strong population differentiation. The invasive Impatiens species were taller and exhibited higher plasticity and differentiation than native I. noli-tangere. This suggests that even within one genus, the relative importance of the phenomena contributing to invasiveness appears to be species' specific.

Her2 proto-oncogene amplification and protein overexpression is observed in 20-40% of patients with breast cancer and plays a crucial role in invasive breast cancer and its treatment. In the present study, we investigated samples from 131 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. In all cases, the overexpression/amplification level of Her2 was determined using manual immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or automatic IHC, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), silver in situ hybridization (SISH) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Using various methods, we demonstrated candidate methods for Her2 detection and their dependability. Our results demonstrate that these methods are highly comparable for the detection of Her2 overexpression/amplification. It was also revealed that qPCR is a valuable tool for the evaluation of Her2 gene overexpression/amplification. The results from pPCR analysis positively correlated with the results from IHC and FISH analysis. Moreover, in contrast to IHC or SISH/FISH, the results obtained by qPCR were not encumbered with any subjective error on the part of the evaluator.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used in the treatment of breast carcinoma because it substantially reduces the size of the primary tumor and lymph node metastases. The present study investigated biomarkers that can predict a pathologic response to the therapy., Material/methods: The role of apoptosis in regression of the tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was determined by TUNEL and anti-active caspase 3 assay. The transcriptional profile of 84 key apoptosis genes was evaluated in both pre-therapeutically obtained tumor tissue by core needle biopsy and in specimens removed by final surgery, using a pathway-specific real-time PCR assay. Obtained data were analyzed by hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation analysis. The immunohistochemical profile of each tumor was determined using the standard ABC method., Results: On the basis of a hierarchical cluster analysis of 13 significantly changed genes, we divided patients into good and poor prognosis groups, which correlate well with progression-free survival. In the good prognosis group, we found a statistically significant down-regulation of the expression of MCL1 and IGF1R genes after neoadjuvant treatment. We also found a statistically significant overexpression of BCL2L10, BCL2AF1, CASP8, CASP10, CASP14, CIDEB, FADD, HRK, TNFRSF25, TNFSF8 and CD70 genes. In contrast, we found up-regulation of IGF1R after the treatment in the group with poor prognosis., Conclusions: Gene expression profiling using real-time PCR assay is a valuable research tool for the investigation of molecular markers, which reflect tumor biology and treatment response.

Her2/neu proto-oncogene amplification and protein over-expression is observed in 20-40 % of patients with breast cancer and plays a crucial role in invasive breast cancer and its treatment. A number of studies postulated the stability of Her2/neu gene expression, showing that in most patients the status of expression had not significantly changed after the neoadjuvant treatment. In the present study, we investigated samples from 20 patients with invasive breast carcinoma who had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent surgery. In all cases, the expression level of Her2/neu was evaluated in both pre-therapeutically obtained tumour tissue by core needle biopsy and from specimens obtained during final surgery using immunohistochemistry. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction methods were used for verifying the results obtained by immunohistochemistry. Her2/neu status determined by immunohistochemistry remained unchanged in 12 of 20 (60%) patients after neoadjuvant treatment. In six cases (30%) minor changes were observed after the treatment. However, in two cases (10%) we found altered Her2/neu expression from strongly positive in the pre-treatment biopsy to negative in the post-treatment surgery specimen. Moreover, this is the first report describing the changes in Her2/neu status at all protein, RNA and DNA levels by using immunohistochemistry, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization, respectively. By using variable methods we demonstrated possible new ways for Her2/neu detection and their dependability. Improvement in specific molecule detection can prevent the use of tailored targeted therapy in an untargeted manner.