Search

Carapace Length-Weight (CLW) and Carapace Width-Weight (CWW) relationships by sex, combined with Relative Condition Factor (Kn) are presented for four commercially important portunid crab species viz., Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758), Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783), Portunus gladiator Fabricius, 1798 and Charybdis natator (Herbst, 1794) collected from the Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India. A total of 1,391 specimens were collected and measured from January to June 2022. All CLW and CWW relationships were linear (R2 >0.95 and R2 >0.91 respectively). The slope (b) of the CLWR ranged between 2.8210 and 3.2862 whereas the same was between 2.0099 and 3.1033 for CWWR for these four species. The relationship for the above two parameters were also established with regression coefficient of corelation and the 99% confident interval using ANOVA (MS Excel version 2016). The relationship of the studied two parameters namely carapace CLW and CWW were found to be significant between all the selected species at 1% level (P > 0.01). The Relative Condition factor (Kn) showed wide variations among these four species between CLWR and CWWR. This study presents the first reference on CLWR and CWWR for these species from the Gulf of Mannar. In addition, it also reports CLWR and CWWR for P. gladiator for the first time and for C. natator for which only limited information is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was undertaken to document the elasmobranch diversity and their abundance along Wadge Bank. Species were collected fortnightly during June 2015 to May 2016 from three landing centres viz., Chinnamuttom,Colachel and Vizhinjam of Wadge Bank. A total of 1,575 specimens were collected during the period and 44 species were identified belonging to 8 orders, 13 families and 25 genera. Among the recorded \families,Carcharhinidae is the most dominant family with 12 species. The Colachel landing centre was rich in diversity with 43 species followed by Chinnamuttom 39 species and Vizhinjam26 species. The highest Shannon Weiner diversity (H' value) was observed at Colachel (4.17) followed by Chinnamuttom (4.11) and Vizhinjam (3.76). The Margalef's species richness ('d') value was assessed at Colachel (4.55) followed by Chinnamuttom (4.01) and Vizhinjam (2.91). The Pielou's evenness (J') estimated was 0.7786, 0.7700 and 0.8005respectively, for Chinnamuttom, Colachal and Vizhinjam. The highest taxonomic diversity value was observed at Colachel (60.33) and the lowest during at Vizhinjam (54.08). Among the three landing centres studied, the total phylogenetic diversity (sPhi+) was found to be the lowest at Vizhinjam (940) and highest at Colachel landing centre (1720). Bray Curtis similarities measure was also calculated, fish communities were separated into several clusters based on seasons. The conservation of elasmobranchs and the management measures to be followed along the Wadge Bank is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishery, population characteristics and stock estimates of Nemipterus bipunctatus were studied during June 2015 to May 2016 from Wadge Bank, South India. This region is characterised by rich biodiversity and has a conducive influence of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. The asymptotic length (L8), growth coefficient (K) and arbitrary origin of growth (t0) were estimated as 30.5 cm, 0.85/year and 0.18 respectively. The mortality parameters, total mortality rate (Z), fishing mortality rate and natural mortality rate (M) were estimated as 2.20, 0.95 and 1.25 respectively. Exploitation ratio (E) was found to be 0.57 which showed marginal over exploitation of the species at Wadge Bank. This species has two recruitment seasons, one major season from October to December and another minor season in August. The length structured Virtual population analysis revealed heavy fishing pressure on the length group 24 to 28 cm and hence the delegoa threadfin bream was not found to suffer due to recruitment overfishing in Wadge Bank. Estimated total stock, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and annual catch were 5625.9348 tonnes, 1935.321t, 2419.152t respectively. Present level of Exploitation rate (U) and Exploitation ratio (F/Z) were estimated to be 0.43 and 0.57 respectively. The study infers the cod end mesh size of the trawls operated at Wadge Bank coast has to be increase from 10 to 25 mm to increase the yield per recruit, the effort could also be maintained as the exploitation ratio of 0.50 to have maximum yield per recruit. The study suggests reducing the present level of effort by 8 percent may be needed to sustain the stock of N. bipunctatus in Wadge Bank, South India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that soluble oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) assemblies are critically involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have generated a conformation-dependent monoclonal antibody (9D5) that selectively recognizes low-molecular weight AβpE3 oligomers, and demonstrated its diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Here, we further characterize the specificity of this antibody by evaluating a spectrum of neurodegeneration-related protein deposits for cross-reactivity, and by comparing the staining pattern of 9D5 with a generic Aβ antibody that targets a linear epitope (mAb NT244), and with another conformation-dependent Aβ antibody that selectively labels amyloid fibrils of various molecular weights (pAb OC). The 9D5 antibody does not cross-react with other aggregated protein deposits in brains of progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, argyrophilic grain disease, Pick's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, frontotemporal lobar degeneration or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with TDP-43 inclusions, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and vessel changes in Binswanger encephalopathy, demonstrating the specificity of 9D5 for Aβ deposits. While NT244 and OC showed a comparable plaque load, 9D5 detected only approximately 15% of the total Aβ plaque load in the entorhinal cortex, the CA1 region, and the temporal neocortex. Our study further supports a possible therapeutic advantage of 9D5 by the highly specific recognition of an epitope found only in oligomeric assemblies of AβpE3 of AD patients. Moreover, selective binding to only a pathogenetically relevant fraction of Aβ deposits serves as rationale for passive immunization with 9D5-derivatives by limiting potential side effects of vaccination due to dissolvement of existing amyloid deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out first-principles total-energy calculations of bulk and (001) surfaces of PbZrO3. The ground state for bulk PbZrO3 is determined to be the antiferroelectric orthorhombic phase, with the ferroelectric rhombohedral and paraelectric cubic phases being 0.14 and 0.39 eV per formula unit higher in energy, respectively. PbO- and ZrO2-terminated (001) surfaces, either clean or when hydroxyl species were adsorbed were considered. Surface relaxations, in-plane antiferroelectric distortions and modifications to the electronic structure due to the surfaces, and hydroxyl adsorbates on the surfaces were investigated. We find that while clean surfaces retained bulk-like behavior, hydroxyl adsorbates induce significant changes to the surface geometry as well as introduce electronic states in the band gap possibly rendering the surfaces metallic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Glioblastomas are invasive brain tumors with high therapeutic resistance. Neuron-to-glioma synapses have been shown to promote glioblastoma progression. However, a characterization of tumor-connected neurons has been hampered by a lack of technologies. Here, we adapted retrograde tracing using rabies viruses to investigate and manipulate neuron-tumor networks. Glioblastoma rapidly integrated into neural circuits across the brain, engaging in widespread functional communication, with cholinergic neurons driving glioblastoma invasion. We uncovered patient-specific and tumor-cell-state-dependent differences in synaptogenic gene expression associated with neuron-tumor connectivity and subsequent invasiveness. Importantly, radiotherapy enhanced neuron-tumor connectivity by increased neuronal activity. In turn, simultaneous neuronal activity inhibition and radiotherapy showed increased therapeutic effects, indicative of a role for neuron-to-glioma synapses in contributing to therapeutic resistance. Lastly, rabies-mediated genetic ablation of tumor-connected neurons halted glioblastoma progression, offering a viral strategy to tackle glioblastoma. Together, this study provides a framework to comprehensively characterize neuron-tumor networks and target glioblastoma., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests J.S.-R. reports funding from GSK, Pfizer, and Sanofi and fees/honoraria from Travere Therapeutics, Stadapharm, Astex, Owkin, Pfizer, and Grunenthal., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To improve immunotherapy for brain tumors, it is important to determine the principal intracranial site of T cell recruitment from the bloodstream and their intracranial route to brain tumors. Using intravital microscopy in mouse models of intracranial melanoma, we discovered that circulating T cells preferably adhered and extravasated at a distinct type of venous blood vessel in the tumor vicinity, peritumoral venous vessels (PVVs). Other vascular structures were excluded as alternative T cell routes to intracranial melanomas. Anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitors increased intracranial T cell motility, facilitating migration from PVVs to the tumor and subsequently inhibiting intracranial tumor growth. The endothelial adhesion molecule ICAM-1 was particularly expressed on PVVs, and, in samples of human brain metastases, ICAM-1 positivity of PVV-like vessels correlated with intratumoral T cell infiltration. These findings uncover a distinct mechanism by which the immune system can access and control brain tumors and potentially influence other brain pathologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests F.W. reports receiving research grants from Boehringer, Genentech, Roche, and Divide and Conquer Ltd., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gliomas exhibit significant molecular diversity and poor prognosis. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Curry et al. apply Patch-seq on human glioma samples uncovering hybrid cells with glial and neuronal features, capable of firing action potentials in isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant gliomas. These findings highlight the importance of neural features in tumor biology and progression., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Employees' novel ideas often do not get recognized or valued by their managers, thus precluding these ideas from benefiting the organization. Drawing on the social-cognitive model of creativity evaluation (Zhou & Woodman, 2003) and integrating it with a social network (N/W) lens, this article investigates how characteristics of the social networks of managers and employees play a role in influencing managers' valuation of and willingness to implement novel employee ideas. In three studies-an experimental study manipulating idea novelty and the functional diversity of idea evaluators' (i.e., managers') network, and two network field studies (with managers evaluating actual product ideas generated by employees)-we document how managers generally disfavor novelty and, therefore, are unwilling to implement novel yet useful ideas. However, we find that managers' advice network diversity and employees' centrality in the advice network among their peers help mitigate this negative effect. Managers are able to better appreciate the value of novel ideas when they have more diverse networks and when idea-proposing employees have high centrality in their peer network. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Intravital 2P-microscopy enables the longitudinal study of brain tumor biology in superficial mouse cortex layers. Intravital microscopy of the white matter, an important route of glioblastoma invasion and recurrence, has not been feasible, due to low signal-to-noise ratios and insufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we present an intravital microscopy and artificial intelligence-based analysis workflow (Deep3P) that enables longitudinal deep imaging of glioblastoma up to a depth of 1.2 mm. We find that perivascular invasion is the preferred invasion route into the corpus callosum and uncover two vascular mechanisms of glioblastoma migration in the white matter. Furthermore, we observe morphological changes after white matter infiltration, a potential basis of an imaging biomarker during early glioblastoma colonization. Taken together, Deep3P allows for a non-invasive intravital investigation of brain tumor biology and its tumor microenvironment at subcortical depths explored, opening up opportunities for studying the neuroscience of brain tumors and other model systems., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ferroptosis is a pervasive non-apoptotic form of cell death highly relevant in various degenerative diseases and malignancies. The hallmark of ferroptosis is uncontrolled and overwhelming peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in membrane phospholipids, which eventually leads to rupture of the plasma membrane. Ferroptosis is unique in that it is essentially a spontaneous, uncatalyzed chemical process based on perturbed iron and redox homeostasis contributing to the cell death process, but that it is nonetheless modulated by many metabolic nodes that impinge on the cells' susceptibility to ferroptosis. Among the various nodes affecting ferroptosis sensitivity, several have emerged as promising candidates for pharmacological intervention, rendering ferroptosis-related proteins attractive targets for the treatment of numerous currently incurable diseases. Herein, the current members of a Germany-wide research consortium focusing on ferroptosis research, as well as key external experts in ferroptosis who have made seminal contributions to this rapidly growing and exciting field of research, have gathered to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review on ferroptosis. Specific topics include: basic mechanisms, in vivo relevance, specialized methodologies, chemical and pharmacological tools, and the potential contribution of ferroptosis to disease etiopathology and progression. We hope that this article will not only provide established scientists and newcomers to the field with an overview of the multiple facets of ferroptosis, but also encourage additional efforts to characterize further molecular pathways modulating ferroptosis, with the ultimate goal to develop novel pharmacotherapies to tackle the various diseases associated with - or caused by - ferroptosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: SJD is a co-founder of Prothegen, Inc. and holds patents related to ferroptosis. XJ is an inventor on patents related to autophagy and cell death and holds equity of and consults for Exarta Therapeutics and Lime Therapeutics. JAO is a member of the scientific advisory board for Vicinitas Therapeutics and has patent applications related to ferroptosis. TP reports grants from Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Kymera Therapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Agios Pharmaceuticals, personal fees from Vividion Therapeutics, Tohoku University, and personal fees from Faeth Therapeutics outside the submitted work; in addition, TP has a patent for US-20210361603-A1 pending and a patent for US-20210085763-A1 pending. BRS is an inventor on patents and patent applications involving ferroptosis, holds equity in and serves as a consultant to Exarta Therapeutics, and ProJenX Inc, holds equity in Sonata Therapeutics, and serves as a consultant to Weatherwax Biotechnologies Corporation and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. TVB holds patents related to ferroptosis inhibitors. CWil is a consultant for Odyssey Therapeutics and Orphagen Pharmaceuticals. YZ is a consultant for Keen Therapeutics. BP and MC hold patents for some of the compounds described herein, and is co-founder and shareholder of ROSCUE Therapeutics., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Organizations are increasingly using teams to stimulate innovation. Often, these teams share knowledge and information with each other to help achieve their goals, while also competing for resources and striving to outperform each other. Importantly, based on their industry, the nature of work, or prior history, some teams may face more competition from peer teams than others. Our research examines how teams' competitive relations with other teams in the organization operate in tandem with their collaborative inter-team information exchange relations in impacting their innovation. Using two studies-a field study of 73 knowledge-intensive teams in high-tech engineering firms and a team-based network experimental study of 162 teams-we find that a high degree of overall competition with many peer teams reduces a focal team's ability to acquire and utilize diverse knowledge from these teams (i.e., inter-team knowledge integration), thereby hindering team innovation. However, applying insights from network structural hole theory, we find that when a focal team occupies a brokerage position in the inter-team information exchange network, this can help buffer the effects of competition in getting access to knowledge resources from other teams, thus enabling their innovation. Additionally, we find that focal broker teams' dealmaking and network obstruction behaviors explain these effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Gliomas are highly invasive brain neoplasms. MRI is the most important tool to diagnose and monitor glioma but has shortcomings. In particular, the assessment of tumor cell invasion is insufficient. This is a clinical dilemma, as recurrence can arise from MRI-occult glioma cell invasion., Hypothesis: Tumor cell invasion, tumor growth and radiotherapy alter the brain parenchymal microstructure and thus are assessable by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and MR elastography (MRE)., Study Type: Experimental, animal model., Animal Model: Twenty-three male NMRI nude mice orthotopically implanted with S24 patient-derived glioma cells (experimental mice) and 9 NMRI nude mice stereotactically injected with 1 μL PBS (sham-injected mice)., Field Strength/sequence: 2D and 3D T2-weighted rapid acquisition with refocused echoes (RARE), 2D echo planar imaging (EPI) DTI, 2D multi-slice multi-echo (MSME) T2 relaxometry, 3D MSME MRE at 900 Hz acquired at 9.4 T (675 mT/m gradient strength)., Assessment: Longitudinal 4-weekly imaging was performed for up to 4 months. Tumor volume was assessed in experimental mice (n = 10 treatment-control, n = 13 radiotherapy). The radiotherapy subgroup and 5 sham-injected mice underwent irradiation (3 × 6 Gy) 9 weeks post-implantation/sham injection. MRI-/MRE-parameters were assessed in the corpus callosum and tumor core/injection tract. Imaging data were correlated to light sheet microscopy (LSM) and histology., Statistical Tests: Paired and unpaired t-tests, a P-value ≤0.05 was considered significant., Results: From week 4 to 8, a significant callosal stiffening (4.44 ± 0.22 vs. 5.31 ± 0.29 kPa) was detected correlating with LSM-proven tumor cell invasion. This was occult to all other imaging metrics. Histologically proven tissue destruction in the tumor core led to an increased T2 relaxation time (41.65 ± 0.34 vs. 44.83 ± 0.66 msec) and ADC (610.2 ± 12.27 vs. 711.2 ± 13.42 × 10 -6  mm 2 /s) and a softening (5.51 ± 0.30 vs. 4.24 ± 0.29 kPa) from week 8 to 12. Radiotherapy slowed tumor progression., Data Conclusion: MRE is promising for the assessment of key glioma characteristics., Evidence Level: NA TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Familial cases of PD are often caused by mutations of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and the ubiquitin ligase Parkin, both pivotal in maintaining mitochondrial quality control. CISD1, a homodimeric mitochondrial iron-sulfur-binding protein, is a major target of Parkin-mediated ubiquitination. We here discovered a heightened propensity of CISD1 to form dimers in Pink1 mutant flies and in dopaminergic neurons from PINK1 mutation patients. The dimer consists of two monomers that are covalently linked by a disulfide bridge. In this conformation CISD1 cannot coordinate the iron-sulfur cofactor. Overexpressing Cisd, the Drosophila ortholog of CISD1, and a mutant Cisd incapable of binding the iron-sulfur cluster in Drosophila reduced climbing ability and lifespan. This was more pronounced with mutant Cisd and aggravated in Pink1 mutant flies. Complete loss of Cisd, in contrast, rescued all detrimental effects of Pink1 mutation on climbing ability, wing posture, dopamine levels, lifespan, and mitochondrial ultrastructure. Our results suggest that Cisd, probably iron-depleted Cisd, operates downstream of Pink1 shedding light on PD pathophysiology and implicating CISD1 as a potential therapeutic target., Competing Interests: SB, TB, CW, MA, LR, PZ, TS, IR, VV, BM, EH, GA, RK, LZ, AM No competing interests declared, (© 2024, Bitar et al.)

Purpose: Providing patient access to precision oncology (PO) is a major challenge of clinical oncologists. Here, we provide an easily transferable model from strategic management science to assess the outreach of a cancer center., Methods: As members of the German WERA alliance, the cancer centers in Würzburg, Erlangen, Regensburg and Augsburg merged care data regarding their geographical impact. Specifically, we examined the provenance of patients from WERA´s molecular tumor boards (MTBs) between 2020 and 2022 (n = 2243). As second dimension, we added the provenance of patients receiving general cancer care by WERA. Clustering our catchment area along these two dimensions set up a four-quadrant matrix consisting of postal code areas with referrals towards WERA. These areas were re-identified on a map of the Federal State of Bavaria., Results: The WERA matrix overlooked an active screening area of 821 postal code areas - representing about 50 % of Bavaria´s spatial expansion and more than six million inhabitants. The WERA matrix identified regions successfully connected to our outreach structures in terms of subsidiarity - with general cancer care mainly performed locally but PO performed in collaboration with WERA. We also detected postal code areas with a potential PO backlog - characterized by high levels of cancer care performed by WERA and low levels or no MTB representation., Conclusions: The WERA matrix provided a transparent portfolio of postal code areas, which helped assessing the geographical impact of our PO program. We believe that its intuitive principle can easily be transferred to other cancer centers., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This case report describes the efficacy of selpercatinib, a selective RET inhibitor, in an unusual case of large-cell neuroendocrine pancreatic carcinoma (LCNEPAC) harboring a CCDC6::RET fusion. A 56-year-old male with a history of multiple lines of systemic therapies exhibited marked clinical amelioration shortly after initiating selpercatinib within the LOXO-RET-17001 study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03157128, first posted: 2017-05-17). Data from the patient's smartwatch suggested early efficacy before conventional methods, such as serum tumor markers and CT imaging confirmed the antitumor activity. This case not only underscores the efficacy of selpercatinib in treating RET fusion-positive rare tumors but also highlights the potential of wearable technology in cancer care. In conclusion, the standard readings from commercially available wearable devices can be useful for the monitoring of treatment response to targeted therapy and may serve as digital biomarkers in clinical trials. This approach marks a significant advancement in patient-centric healthcare, leveraging technology to enhance the effectiveness and precision of treatment evaluation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We show that redox active iron can induce a regulated form of non-apoptotic cell death and tissue damage called ferroptosis that can contribute to secondary damage and functional loss in the acute and chronic periods after spinal cord injury (SCI) in young, adult, female mice. Phagocytosis of red blood cells at sites of hemorrhage is the main source of iron derived from hemoglobin after SCI. Expression of hemeoxygenase-1 that induces release of iron from heme, is increased in spinal cord macrophages 7 days after injury. While iron is stored safely in ferritin in the injured spinal cord, it can, however, be released by NCOA4-mediated shuttling of ferritin to autophagosomes for degradation (ferritinophagy). This leads to the release of redox active iron that can cause free radical damage. Expression of NCOA4 is increased after SCI, mainly in macrophages. Increase in the ratio of redox active ferrous (Fe 2+ ) to ferric iron (Fe 3+ ) is also detected after SCI by capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled mass spectrometry. These changes are accompanied by other hallmarks of ferroptosis, i.e., deficiency in various elements of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) pathway. We also detect increases in enzymes that repair membrane lipids (ACSL4 and LPCAT3) and thus promote on-going ferroptosis. These changes are associated with increased levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a toxic lipid peroxidation product. Mice with mild SCI (30 kdyne force) treated with the ferroptosis inhibitor (UAMC-3203-HCL) either early or delayed times after injury showed improvement in locomotor recovery and secondary damage. Cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from human SCI cases show evidence of increased iron storage (ferritin), and other iron related molecules, and reduction in GSH. Collectively, these data suggest that ferroptosis contributes to secondary damage after SCI and highlights the possible use of ferroptosis inhibitors to treat SCI., (© 2024. The Author(s).)