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BACKGROUND: Resection of the contrast-enhancing (CE) tumor represents the standard of care in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. However, some tumors ultimately diagnosed as glioblastoma lack contrast enhancement and have a low-grade appearance on imaging (non-CE glioblastoma). We aimed to (a) volumetrically define the value of non-CE tumor resection in the absence of contrast enhancement, and to (b) delineate outcome differences between glioblastoma patients with and without contrast enhancement. METHODS: The RANO resect group retrospectively compiled a global, eight-center cohort of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma per WHO 2021 classification. The associations between postoperative tumor volumes and outcome were analyzed. Propensity score-matched analyses were constructed to compare glioblastomas with and without contrast enhancement. RESULTS: Among 1323 newly diagnosed IDH-wildtype glioblastomas, we identified 98 patients (7.4%) without contrast enhancement. In such patients, smaller postoperative tumor volumes were associated with more favorable outcome. There was an exponential increase in risk for death with larger residual non-CE tumor. Accordingly, extensive resection was associated with improved survival compared to lesion biopsy. These findings were retained on a multivariable analysis adjusting for demographic and clinical markers. Compared to CE glioblastoma, patients with non-CE glioblastoma had a more favorable clinical profile and superior outcome as confirmed in propensity score analyses by matching the patients with non-CE glioblastoma to patients with CE glioblastoma using a large set of clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of contrast enhancement characterizes a less aggressive clinical phenotype of IDH-wildtype glioblastomas. Maximal resection of non-CE tumors has prognostic implications and translates into favorable outcome.

Ungt utenforskap er en kompleks samfunnsutfordring som det er behov for å finne nye løsninger på. Derfor etablerte Kongsvingerregionen et prosjekt, som anvendte tilnærmingen «positive deviance» (PD). Prosjektet utforsket positivt avvikende praksiser blant involverte aktører i tilfeller der unge har lyktes med å komme i utdanning eller arbeid til tross for ulike risikofaktorer eller sårbare livssituasjoner. Positive avvik kan forstås som virkningsfulle løsninger som enkeltindivider eller grupper finner med de ressursene som er tilgjengelige. Tilnærmingen bygger på et «bottom-up»-perspektiv, der ungdommer selv, og relevante aktører rundt dem, identifiserer de positive avvikene. Basert på to caser fra prosjektet, og til sammen sju intervjuer, har et tverrfaglig forskerteam sett på hva som kan kjennetegne positivt avvikende samarbeidsprosesser. Vi har gjennomført en tematisk innholdsanalyse, inspirert av kritisk realistisk teori, for å belyse problemstillingen: Hva kan kjennetegne positivt avvikende samarbeidsprosesser ved oppfølging av unge med risiko for utenforskap, basert på erfaringer fra to konkrete caser? Resultatene viser en klar sammenheng mellom sentrale disposisjonstemaer på tvers av casene. Utnyttelse av strukturelt handlingsrom, interpersonlig helhetskompetanse og evne til å skape en kontekst for tillit synes å være avgjørende i samhandling mellom de involverte aktørene.

Case summary A 4-year-old cat was presented with acute onset of lateralised neurological central nervous system (CNS) signs and seizures. Haematological and serum biochemical parameters were within normal limits. Imaging diagnostics revealed severe CT and MRI abnormalities of the right brain, similar to Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) in human medicine. This syndrome includes cerebral hemiatrophy with compensatory calvarial hyperostosis and ventriculomegaly. Such changes have previously been reported only once in a single feline case of approximately the same age. In humans, DDMS is described as an embryonic and perinatal developmental disturbance or an acquired injury in early childhood. Relevance and novel information This case report shows that without further imaging diagnostics, congenital disorders can be overlooked in some rare cases of adult cats with later onset of their first clinical signs.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a member of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), has been widely used in manufacturing for decades. Currently, PFOA is strictly regulated, but due to its high stability and persistence, it is detected in both environmental as well as in human matrices. To elucidate mechanisms of PFOA toxicity in humans, we determined the genome-wide transcriptomic changes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) responding to PFOA exposure in a sex-stratified analysis. This work employed samples from 145 female and 143 male participants of the CELSPAC: YA study to characterize PFOA-associated transcripts in a broader context using computational analysis. PFOA-associated gene expression differed significantly between men and women, as only 2 % of mapped genes were expressed in both sexes. Disease-specific enrichment analysis revealed cancer and immune-related disease terms as those most enriched in male and female populations. Patterns of enriched terms within the gene set enrichment analysis indicated three main targets of PFOA toxicity: i) lipid metabolism for women; ii) cell cycle regulation for men; and iii) immune system response for both sexes. In summary, our genome-wide transcriptomics analysis described sex-specific differences in PFOA-associated gene expression and provided evidence about biological pathways underlying PFOA toxicity in humans.

Abstract The genomes of species belonging to the genus Colletotrichum harbor a substantial number of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) encoded by a broad diversity of gene families. However, the biological role of their CYP complement (CYPome) has not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the putative evolutionary scenarios that occurred during the evolution of the CYPome belonging to the Colletotrichum Graminicola species complex (s.c.) and their biological implications. The study revealed that most of the CYPome gene families belonging to the Graminicola s.c. experienced gene contractions. The reductive evolution resulted in species restricted CYPs are predominant in each CYPome of members from the Graminicola s.c., whereas only 18 families are absolutely conserved among these species. However, members of CYP families displayed a notably different phylogenetic relationship at the tertiary structure level, suggesting a putative convergent evolution scenario. Most of the CYP enzymes of the Graminicola s.c. share redundant functions in secondary metabolite biosynthesis and xenobiotic metabolism. Hence, this current work suggests that the presence of a broad CYPome in the genus Colletotrichum plays a critical role in the optimization of the colonization capability and virulence.

Sentiment analysis is critical for classifying users on social media and reviewing products through comments and reviews. At the same time, rating prediction is a popular and valuable topic in research on recommendation systems. This study improves the accuracy of ratings in recommendation systems through the combination of rating prediction and sentiment analysis from customer reviews. New ratings have been generated based on original ratings and sentiment analysis. Experimental results show that in almost all cases, revised ratings using a deep learning-based algorithm called LightGCN on 7 various real-life datasets improve rating prediction. In particular, rating prediction metrics (RMSE and MAE, R2, and explained variance) of the proposed approach (with revised ratings) are better than those of the typical approach (with unrevised ratings). Furthermore, evaluating ranking metrics (also top-k item recommendation metrics) for this model also shows that our proposed approach (with revised ratings) is much more effective than the original approach (with unrevised ratings). Our significant contribution to this research is to propose a better rating prediction model that uses a supplement factor sentiment score to enhance the accuracy of rating prediction.

Delivery in well-equipped facilities is important to prevent the major causes of maternal mortality. Social and structural barriers are well established across low-resource contexts; less understood is the interaction between the psychological dimensions of behavior and a pregnant woman's environment to either facilitate or hinder facility delivery. We conducted formative research applying the behavioral design approach to explore this context shaping decision-making and behavior of pregnant women, and others with influence, in Grand Cape Mount, Liberia. In-depth interviews (n = 58) were conducted in 2021 with pregnant and postpartum women, family members, facility-based providers, trained traditional midwives, community health assistants, and community leaders. Our findings highlight that while most women intend to deliver in a facility, poverty compounds difficulties at each step of the continuum of care, with the cumulative impact making facility-based delivery more difficult for lower-income, rural women to achieve. Delivering in a facility requires extensive planning and saving to overcome these difficulties and we present insights into the context contributing to a series of delays across the course of a woman's pregnancy – from initial care seeking through preparing and seeking care for childbirth, to arriving and receiving care at the facility. Our findings reveal the importance of delays earlier in pregnancy, as poor families have to weigh trade-offs of various aspects of planning and saving more carefully while also faced with chronic scarcity and competing demands for attention. Behavioral solutions that support women to make these difficult decisions and empower communities to address local challenges are still sorely needed.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is characterized by hematoma development within the brain’s parenchyma, contributing significantly to the burden of stroke. While non-contrast head computed tomography (CT) remains the gold standard for initial diagnosis, this review underscores the pivotal role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in ICH management. Beyond diagnosis, MRI offers invaluable insights into ICH etiology, prognosis, and treatment. Utilizing echo-planar gradient-echo or susceptibility-weighted sequences, MRI demonstrates exceptional sensitivity and specificity in identifying ICH, aiding in differentiation of primary and secondary causes. Moreover, MRI facilitates assessment of hemorrhage age, recognition of secondary lesions, and evaluation of perihematomal edema progression, thus guiding tailored therapeutic strategies. This comprehensive review discusses the multifaceted utility of MRI in ICH management, highlighting its indispensable role in enhancing diagnostic accuracy as well as aiding in prognostication. As MRI continues to evolve as a cornerstone of ICH assessment, future research should explore its nuanced applications in personalized care paradigms.

BackgroundThere is an extensive literature highlighting the utility of blood-based liquid biopsies in several extracranial tumors for diagnosis and monitoring.MethodsThe RANO (Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology) group developed a multidisciplinary international Task Force to review the English literature on liquid biopsy in gliomas focusing on the most frequently used techniques, that is circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells, and extracellular vesicles in blood and CSF.ResultsctDNA has a higher sensitivity and capacity to represent the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in comparison to circulating tumor cells. Exosomes have the advantages to cross an intact blood-brain barrier and carry also RNA, miRNA, and proteins. Several clinical applications of liquid biopsies are suggested: to establish a diagnosis when tissue is not available, monitor the residual disease after surgery, distinguish progression from pseudoprogression, and predict the outcome.ConclusionsThere is a need for standardization of biofluid collection, choice of an analyte, and detection strategies along with rigorous testing in future clinical trials to validate findings and enable entry into clinical practice.

Abstract: Communities of African descent either in Africa or the Diaspora often face the invasion and the great influence of other cultures, especially Western tradition and its values which have been standardized as a universal canon. Homosexuality, the overexploitation of nature, extreme individualism, cupidity and capitalism, to name a few, are current issues that jeopardize the harmonious living of the peoples in Africa and elsewhere in the world. How could the restoration of African cultural values contribute to a harmonious African development and that of the black people in the whole world? This paper explores the premises of the Afrocentric idea as a tool for a harmonious development in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Through a postcolonial approach, the paper suggests a returning back to African cultural values and a joint commitment of all the communities of the African descent for a harmonious development. Keywords: Afrocentric idea, African cultural values, harmonious development, black culture, racial pride.