Explore the vast range of titles available.

Although angiosperms occurred earlier, their radiation did not occur until the Middle Cretaceous. Owing to a lack of knowledge of early angiosperms, this radiation used to be mistaken for the origin of angiosperms and became Darwin’s “abominable mystery”. Palaeobotanical progresses in recent decades have released more information on early angiosperms, especially their Middle Cretaceous radiation. The fossil angiosperms from Myanmar amber shed unique light on the evolution and diversity of angiosperms due to their exquisite preservation. To enhance our understanding of this fossil lägerstatte, here we report a new fossil angiosperm named Spinograna myanmarensis gen. et sp. nov. from Myanmar amber. The fossil is a fruit bearing spiny seeds. Its seeds are unique in morphology: they are discoid in form, with marginal furcated spines. This unique morphology represents an extremity in seeds: it is the spiniest seed in plant history, implying that they were dispersed by animals, a fact that remains unknown hitherto. The discovery of Spinograna indicates that the ecosystem in the Middle Cretaceous is much more complicated than previously thought, and some of the ecological ties between plants and animals that existed then have gone out forever.

Although the link between inflammation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly recognized, the correlation between systemic immune response index (SIRI), a novel marker of inflammation, and COPD is unknown. This cross-sectional study used data from patients with complete lung function in NHANES 2007–2012 to explore the relationship between SIRI and COPD. We performed a series of statistical analyses on a total of 5056 participants, including multiple linear regression, smoothed curve fitting, ROC curve analysis, and subgroup analysis. In the fully corrected model, the logistic multiple regression showed that SIRI was associated with a high risk of COPD (OR1.350, 95% CI:1.220,1.493). The ROC curve showed that SIRI (AUC = 0.596) was significantly more efficient than other inflammatory factors in predicting COPD. Smoothed curve fit effect and threshold effect analyses showed a linear correlation between SIRI COPD prevalence, and subgroup analyses showed that the effect of SIRI on COPD was more pronounced in still smokers (OR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.86) versus men (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.44, 1.83). The results of the interaction test provide evidence supporting SIRI as an independent risk factor for COPD.

Background Sarcopenia, an age-related syndrome characterized by a decline in muscle mass, not only affects patients’ quality of life but may also increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence and reduce survival rates. Therefore, investigating the genetic mechanisms shared between breast cancer and sarcopenia is significant for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. Methods This study downloaded gene expression datasets and clinical data related to breast cancer and skeletal muscle aging from the GEO database. Data preprocessing, integration, differential gene identification, functional enrichment analysis, and construction of protein-protein interaction networks were performed using R language. Subsequently, COX proportional hazards model analysis and survival analysis were conducted, and survival curves and nomograms were generated. The expression levels of genes in tissues were detected using qRT-PCR, and the Radiant DICOM viewer software was used to delineate the pectoralis major muscle area in CT images. Results We identified 152 differentially expressed genes ( P  < .05) and 226 sarcopenia-related genes ( r  > .4) associated with skeletal muscle aging. The TCGA-BRCA dataset revealed 106 genes associated with breast cancer ( P  < .05, logFC = 1). Functional enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment in cell proliferation and growth pathways. The PPI network identified critical molecules involved in muscle aging and tumor progression. After dimensionality reduction, a strong correlation was observed between the expression of the muscle aging-related gene set and the prognosis of breast cancer patients ( P  < .01). The expression of SLC38A1 identified through multivariate COX analysis was significantly associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients ( P  = .03). Incorporating SLC38A1 expression, the prognostic model precisely forecasted breast cancer survival ( P  < .01). External validation confirmed the higher expression of the SLC38A1 gene in breast cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues ( P  < .01). The SLC38A1 index, calculated in combination with the patient’s age and BMI, can optimize the prognostic prediction model, providing a powerful tool for personalized treatment of breast cancer. Conclusion High SLC38A1 gene expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. The combination of SLC38A1 expression and the pectoralis major muscle area provided an optimized prognostic prediction model, offering a potential tool for personalized breast cancer treatment.

The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) in China is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, but there has been only one record of flower buds (Archaebuda lingyuanensis) hitherto, in which only the surface of the flower bud was documented while no internal details were known. Such a partial knowledge of flower buds hinders our understanding of the evolution of flowers, and this knowledge lacuna needs to be filled. Our new specimen was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (Barremian–Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) near Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan, Liaoning, China. Our observations reveal a new fossil flower bud, Archaebuda cretaceae sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous of China. This new record of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation not only confirms the truthful existence of the expected gynoecium (plus possible androecium) in a flower bud but also underscores the occurrence of typical flowers in the Early Cretaceous. This new information adds first-hand data to flower sexuality, pollination, and evolution.

Early-onset head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been increasingly observed in recent years, exhibiting distinct tumor behavior and a unique tumor microenvironment (TME) compared to older age groups. Studies suggest that early-onset HNSCC is associated with specific risk factors and prognostic outcomes, while the underlying mechanisms driving these age-related differences remain unclear. In this review, we systematically examined original studies involving young HNSCC patient samples, focusing on the characteristics of the TME and potential for personalized immunotherapy. While further evidence is needed, our findings indicate that the TME in early-onset HNSCC often exhibits higher aggressiveness and immune suppression. Consequently, tailored immunotherapy may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for this distinct patient population.

Background To evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment lymphocyte counts with respect to clinical outcomes in patients with solid tumors. Methods Systematic literature search of electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science) up to May 1, 2018 was carried out by two independent reviewers. We included Eligible studies assessed the prognostic impact of pretreatment lymphocytes and had reported hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for endpoints including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Only English publications were included. Results A total of 42 studies comprising 13,272 patients were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Low pretreatment lymphocyte count was associated with poor OS (HR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.16–1.39, P  < 0.001, I 2  = 58.5%) and PFS (HR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.15–1.40, P  < 0.001, I 2  = 25.7%). Subgroup analysis disaggregated by cancer type indicated that low pretreatment lymphocytes were most closely associated with poor OS in colorectal cancer followed by breast cancer and renal cancer. Conclusions Low pretreatment lymphocyte count may represent an unfavorable prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in patients with solid tumors.

The individual identification of group-housed pigs plays an important role in breeding process management and individual behavior analysis. Recently, livestock identification methods based on the side view or face image have strict requirements on the position and posture of livestock, which poses a challenge for the application of the monitoring scene of group-housed pigs. To address the issue above, a Weber texture local descriptor (WTLD) is proposed for the identification of group-housed pigs by extracting the local features of back hair, skin texture, spots, and so on. By calculating the differential excitation and multi-directional information of pixels, the local structure features of the main direction are fused to enhance the description ability of features. The experimental results show that the proposed WTLD achieves higher recognition rates with a lower feature dimension. This method can identify pig individuals with different positions and postures in the pig house. Without limitations on pig movement, this method can facilitate the identification of individual pigs with greater convenience and universality.

Background Previous studies suggest a potential link between interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and EGFR-TKI use, with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) possibly affecting EGFR-TKI-associated ILD differently. Our objective is to use the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to explore the potential link between ILD and the combination of PPIs and EGFR-TKI. Methods A retrospective examination of adverse event reports in the FAERS database spanning from the initial quarter of 2016 and the fourth quarter of 2023 was conducted. Disproportionality analysis, generalized linear models, and adjusted multivariable logistic regression were employed to assess the occurrence of EGFR-TKI-associated ILD in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving PPIs compared to those not receiving PPIs. Results The reporting odds ratio (ROR) for PPIs combined with EGFR-TKIs demonstrated statistical significance (ROR 1.84, 95% CI 1.54–2.19). Significant increases were noted in both additive and multiplicative models ( p  < 0.001), as well as in the adjusted odds ratios derived from multivariate analysis (1.77, 95% CI 1.42–2.19, p  < 0.001). Stratified analysis reveals that the combination of lansoprazole or esomeprazole and EGFR-TKI was linked to an elevated risk of ILD, with a ROR of 2.37 (95% CI 1.84–3.04) and 2.90 (95% CI 2.11–3.98), respectively, surpassing the risk associated with either medication used independently. Similarly, the ROR for osimertinib or gefitinib combined with PPIs stands at 2.20 (95% CI 1.83–2.66) and 2.33 (1.35–4.02), respectively, exceeding the risk when either drug is used alone. Conclusions Our study uncovered a heightened risk of ILD in NSCLC patients receiving certain EGFR-TKI in conjunction with specific PPIs, as opposed to EGFR-TKI monotherapy. Subsequent analysis indicates that different PPIs may elicit divergent effects on EGFR-TKI-associated ILD, with different EGFR-TKIs exhibiting distinct responses to combinations with different PPIs. Therefore, NSCLC patients undergoing such treatments should be meticulously monitored for ILD.

Kinase inhibitors against Cyclin Dependent Kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) are promising cancer therapeutic drugs. However, their effects are limited by primary or acquired resistance in virtually all tumor types. Here, we demonstrate that Leucine Rich Pentatricopeptide Repeat Containing (LRPPRC) controls CDK4/6i response in lung cancer by forming a feedback loop with CDK6. LRPPRC binds to CDK6 -mRNA, increasing the stability and expression of CDK6. CDK6 and its downstream E2F Transcription Factor 1 (E2F1), bind to the LRPPRC promoter and elevate LRPPRC transcription. The activation of the LRPPRC-CDK6 loop facilitates cell cycle G1/S transition, oxidative phosphorylation, and cancer stem cell generation. Gossypol acetate (GAA), a gynecological medicine that has been repurposed as a degrader of LRPPRC, enhances the CDK4/6i sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. Our study reveals a mechanism responsible for CDK4/6i resistance and provides an enlightening approach to investigating the combinations of CDK4/6 and LRPPRC inhibitors in cancer therapy. CDK4/6 inhibition is a promising therapeutic approach to treat cancer, but it is challenged by resistance development. Here, the authors show that the RNA binding protein LRPPRC forms a positive feedback loop with CDK6 and inhibiting LRPPRC with the FDA-approved gossypol acetate overcomes CDK4/6 inhibition resistance.