Irreversible Electroporation of Malignant Hepatic Tumors - Alterations in Venous Structures at Subacute Follow-Up and Evolution at Mid-Term Follow-Up

Purpose

To evaluate risk factors associated with alterations in venous structures adjacent to an ablation zone after percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) of hepatic malignancies at subacute follow-up (1 to 3 days after IRE) and to describe evolution of these alterations at mid-term follow-up.

Materials and Methods

43 patients (men/women, 32/11; mean age, 60.3 years) were identified in whom venous structures were located within a perimeter of 1.0 cm of the ablation zone at subacute follow-up after IRE of 84 hepatic lesions (primary/secondary hepatic tumors, 31/53). These vessels were retrospectively evaluated by means of pre-interventional and post-interventional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography or both. Any vascular changes in flow, patency, and diameter were documented. Correlations between vascular change (yes/no) and characteristics of patients, lesions, and ablation procedures were assessed by generalized linear models.

Results

191 venous structures were located within a perimeter of 1.0 cm of the ablation zone: 55 (29%) were encased by the ablation zone, 78 (41%) abutted the ablation zone, and 58 (30%) were located between 0.1 and 1.0 cm from the border of the ablation zone. At subacute follow-up, vascular changes were found in 19 of the 191 vessels (9.9%), with partial portal vein thrombosis in 2, complete portal vein thrombosis in 3, and lumen narrowing in 14 of 19. At follow-up of patients with subacute vessel alterations (mean, 5.7 months; range, 0 to 14 months) thrombosis had resolved in 2 of 5 cases; vessel narrowing had completely resolved in 8 of 14 cases, and partly resolved in 1 of 14 cases. The encasement of a vessel by ablation zone (OR = 6.36, p<0.001), ablation zone being adjacent to a portal vein (OR = 8.94, p<0.001), and the usage of more than 3 IRE probes (OR = 3.60, p = 0.035) were independently associated with post-IRE vessel alterations.

Conclusion

Venous structures located in close proximity to an IRE ablation zone remain largely unaffected by this procedure, and thrombosis is rare.     

Conspecificity of the model organism Ulva mutabilis and Ulva compressa (Ulvophyceae,Chlorophyta)

As one of the most abundant and ubiquitous representatives of marine and brackish coastal macrophytobenthos communities, the genus Ulva is not only an important primary producer but also of ecological and morphogenetic interest to many scientists. Ulva mutabilis became an important model organism to study morphogenesis and mutualistic interactions of macroalgae and microorganisms. Here, we report that our collections of Ulva compressa Linnaeus (1753) from Germany are conspecific with the type strains of the model organism U. mutabilis Føyn (1958), which were originally collected at Olhão on the south coast of Portugal and have from that time on been maintained in culture as gametophytic and parthenogenetic lab strains. Different approaches were used to test conspecificity: (i) comparisons of vegetative and reproductive features of cultured material of U. mutabilis and German U. compressa demonstrated a shared morphological pattern; (ii) gametes of U. compressa and U. mutabilis successfully mated and developed into fertile sporophytic first‐generation offspring; (iii) molecular phylogenetics and species delimitation analyses based on the Generalized Mixed Yule‐Coalescent method showed that U. mutabilis isolates (sl‐G[mt+]) and (wt‐G[mt‐]) and U. compressa belong to a unique Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit. According to these findings, there is sufficient evidence that U. mutabilis and U. compressa should be regarded as conspecific.     

Response of foundation macrophytes to near‐natural simulated marine heatwaves

Marine heatwaves have been observed worldwide and are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity due to climate change. Such events may cause ecosystem reconfigurations arising from species range contraction or redistribution, with ecological, economic and social implications. Macrophytes such as the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus and the seagrass Zostera marina are foundation species in many coastal ecosystems of the temperate northern hemisphere. Hence, their response to extreme events can potentially determine the fate of associated ecosystems. Macrophyte functioning is intimately linked to the maintenance of photosynthesis, growth and reproduction, and resistance against pathogens, epibionts and grazers. We investigated morphological, physiological, pathological and chemical defence responses of western Baltic Sea F. vesiculosus and Z. marina populations to simulated near‐natural marine heatwaves. Along with (a) the control, which constituted no heatwave but natural stochastic temperature variability (0HW), two treatments were applied: (b) two late‐spring heatwaves (June, July) followed by a summer heatwave (August; 3HW) and (c) a summer heatwave only (1HW). The 3HW treatment was applied to test whether preconditioning events can modulate the potential sensitivity to the summer heatwave. Despite the variety of responses measured in both species, only Z. marina growth was impaired by the accumulative heat stress imposed by the 3HW treatment. Photosynthetic rate, however, remained high after the last heatwave indicating potential for recovery. Only epibacterial abundance was significantly affected in F. vesiculosus. Hence both macrophytes, and in particular F. vesiculosus, seem to be fairly tolerant to short‐term marine heatwaves at least at the intensities applied in this experiment (up to 5°C above mean temperature over a period of 9 days). This may partly be due to the fact that F. vesiculosus grows in a highly variable environment, and may have a high phenotypic plasticity.     

Mutation Analysis of BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and BRD7 in a Hospital-Based Series of German Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast carcinoma with a poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that some patients with TNBC harbour germ-line mutations in DNA repair genes which may render their tumours susceptible to novel therapies such as treatment with PARP inhibitors. In the present study, we have investigated a hospital-based series of 40 German patients with TNBC for the presence of germ-line mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, and BRD7 genes. Microfluidic array PCR and next-generation sequencing was used for BRCA1 and BRCA2 analysis while conventional high-resolution melting and Sanger sequencing was applied to study the coding regions of PALB2 and BRD7, respectively. Truncating mutations in BRCA1 were found in six patients, and truncating mutations in BRCA2 and PALB2 were detected in one patient each, whereas no truncating mutation was identified in BRD7. One patient was a double heterozygote for the PALB2 mutation, c.758insT, and a BRCA1 mutation, c.927delA. Our results confirm in a hospital-based setting that a substantial proportion of German TNBC patients (17.5%) harbour germ-line mutations in genes involved in homology-directed DNA repair, with a preponderance of BRCA1 mutations. Triple-negative breast cancer should be considered as an additional criterion for future genetic counselling and diagnostic sequencing.     

How life‐history traits affect ecosystem properties: effects of dispersal in meta‐ecosystems

The concept of life‐history traits and the study of these traits are the hallmark of population biology. Acknowledging their variability and evolution has allowed us to understand how species adapt in response to their environment. The same traits are also involved in how species alter ecosystems and shape their dynamics and functioning. Some theories, such as the metabolic theory of ecology, ecological stoichiometry or pace‐of‐life theory, already recognize this junction, but only do so in an implicitly non‐spatial context. Meanwhile, for a decade now, it has been argued that ecosystem properties have to be understood at a larger scale using meta‐ecosystem theory because source–sink dynamics, community assembly and ecosystem stability are all modified by spatial structure. Here, we argue that some ecosystem properties can be linked to a single life‐history trait, dispersal, i.e. the tendency of organisms to live, compete and reproduce away from their birth place. By articulating recent theoretical and empirical studies linking ecosystem functioning and dynamics to species dispersal, we aim to highlight both the known connections between life‐history traits and ecosystem properties and the unknown areas, which deserve further empirical and theoretical developments.     

Oxylipins in fungi

In nearly every living organism, metabolites derived from lipid peroxidation, the so-called oxylipins, are involved in regulating developmental processes as well as environmental responses. Among these bioactive lipids, the mammalian and plant oxylipins are the best characterized, and much information about their physiological role and biosynthetic pathways has accumulated during recent years. Although the occurrence of oxylipins and enzymes involved in their biosynthesis has been studied for nearly three decades, knowledge about fungal oxylipins is still scarce as compared with the situation in plants and mammals. However, the research performed so far has shown that the structural diversity of oxylipins produced by fungi is high and, furthermore, that the enzymes involved in oxylipin metabolism are diverse and often exhibit unusual catalytic activities. The aim of this review is to present a synopsis of the oxylipins identified so far in fungi and the enzymes involved in their biosynthesis.     

Organophosphate poisoning in the developed world – A single centre experience from here to the millennium

Organophosphate (OP) poisoning is still associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, both in resource-poor settings and in well-developed countries. Despite numerous publications dealing with this particular poison, detailed clinical data on more severe overdoses with these agents are relatively sparsely reported. A retrospective study was consequently conducted on 33 patients with OP poisoning admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) to provide additional data on clinical features. We included moderate to severe poisonings between 2000 and 2012 who required admission to ICU.     

Correction to: Integrative transcriptomics reveals genotypic impact on sugar beet storability

Plant Molecular Biology - In the above mentioned publication, part of Fig.&nbsp;6B was distorted (extra diagonal lines appeared). The original article has been corrected and the proper version...     

A comparison of the nitrogen metabolic networks of Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In grape must, nitrogen is available as a complex mixture of various compounds (ammonium and amino acids). Wine yeasts assimilate these multiple sources in order to suitably fulfil their anabolic requirements during alcoholic fermentation. Nevertheless, the order of uptake and the intracellular fate of these sources are likely to differ between strains and species. Using a two-pronged strategy of isotopic filiation and RNA sequencing, the metabolic network of nitrogen utilization and its regulation in Kluyveromyces marxianus were described, in comparison with those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The data highlighted differences in the assimilation of ammonium and arginine between the two species. The data also revealed that the metabolic fate of certain nitrogen sources differed, thereby resulting in the production of various amounts of key wine aroma compounds. These observations were corroborated by the gene expression analysis.