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Background Testicular epidermoid cysts (TECs) are rare benign testicular neoplasms. As TECs are rarely associated with germ cell tumours (GCTs), the understanding of biological behaviour and clinical management of TEC is unresolved. Methods We retrospectively searched the files of patients treated for testicular neoplasms and germ cell cancer in the time from 2000 to 2017. Those with TEC were subjected to closer review looking to clinical and histological features, and to results from imaging with ultrasonography (US), contrast enhanced sonography (CEUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results Among 589 patients undergoing surgery for testicular tumour, nine simple TECs were identified (1.5, 95% confidence intervals 0.53–2.50%). Median age was 26 years. Imaging revealed sharply demarcated roundish lesions with avascular central areas. Eight patients underwent testis-sparing excision with no recurrence ensuing. One had orchiectomy because of large size of the mass. Histologically, TECs consisted of cornifying squamous cell epithelium and no accompanying germ cell neoplasia in situ. Two additional cases (0.3% of all) required orchiectomy because these TECs were associated with ipsilateral GCT. Conclusions TEC is usually a benign lesion that can safely be diagnosed with US, CEUS and MRI due to its roundish shape and its avascular centre. Histologically, this TEC corresponds to the prepubertal-type teratoma unrelated to germ cell neoplasia in situ of the 2016 WHO classification. The other subtype of TEC that is associated with invasive GCT represents a teratoma of postpubertal-type. From a clinical point of view it could be easier to differentiate between a “simple TEC” which is benign (prepubertal type) and a “complex TEC” which is malignant because of its association with invasive GCT.

Magnetic relaxation has been used extensively to study and characterize biological tissues. In particular, spin-lattice relaxation in the rotating frame (T1ρ) of water in protein solutions has been demonstrated to be sensitive to macromolecular weight and composition. However, the nature of the contribution from low frequency processes to water relaxation remains unclear. We have examined this problem by studying the water T1ρdispersion in peptide solutions (14N- and15N-labeled), glycosaminoglycan solutions, and samples of bovine articular cartilage before and after proteoglycan degradation. We find in model systems and tissue that hydrogen exchange from NH and OH groups to water dominates the low frequency water T1ρdispersion, in the context of the model used to interpret the relaxation data. Further, low frequency dispersion changes are correlated with loss of proteoglycan from the extra-cellular matrix of articular cartilage. This finding has significance for the noninvasive detection of matrix degradation.

ObjectivesTo investigate the predictors of recurrence and of de novo incontinence in patients treated by transurethral incision or resection for vesico-urethral anastomotic stenosis (VUAS) after radical prostatectomy.Material and methodsAll patients undergoing endoscopic treatment for VUAS between March 2009 and October 2016 were identified in our multi-institutional database. Digital chart reviews were performed and patients contacted for follow-up. Recurrence was defined as any need for further instrumentation or surgery, and de-novo-incontinence as patient-reported outcome.ResultsOf 103 patients undergoing endoscopic VUAS treatment, 67 (65%) underwent transurethral resection (TR) and 36 (35%) transurethral incision (TI). TI was performed more frequently as primary treatment compared to TR (58% vs. 37%; p = 0.041). Primary and repeated treatment was performed in 46 (45%) and 57 patients (55%), respectively. Overall, 38 patients (37%) had a history of radiation therapy. There was no difference in time to recurrence for primary vs repeat VUAS treatment, previous vs no radiation, TR compared to TI (all p > 0.08). Regarding treatment success, no difference was found for primary vs. repeat VUAS treatment (50% vs. 37%), previous radiation vs. no radiation (42% vs. 43%), and TR vs. TI (37% vs. 53%; all p ≥ 0.1). Postoperative de novo incontinence was more common after TI vs. TR (31% vs. 12%; p = 0.032), no difference was observed for previous radiation therapy vs. no radiation therapy (18% vs. 18%; p > 0.9) or primary vs. repeat VUAS treatment (22% vs. 16%; p = 0.5).ConclusionVUAS recurrence after endoscopic treatment is not predictable. Endoscopic treatment with TI showed a higher risk for de novo incontinence than TR, and previous irradiation and the number of treatments do not influence incontinence.

Understanding how invasive plants affect biodiversity is a crucial conservation need. Numerous studies examine impacts of invasions on birds, but trends in these effects have not been synthesized. We reviewed 128 studies from North America to quantify the frequency of positive, negative, and neutral (non-significant) effects of invasive plants on avian ecology, and then evaluated support for proposed mechanisms of impacts. Our frequency-based approach enabled us to draw value from the full breadth of available literature, including articles that do not provide information necessary for meta-analyses and articles examining understudied phenomena. Total avian abundance and prevalence of individual bird species were usually unaffected by invasion, with 48.9 and 57.2% of tests showing neutral results, respectively. Avian richness decreased with invasion in 41.3% of tests. Although birds often preferred nesting in invasive vegetation (45.0% of tests), effects on nest survival were typically neutral (57.9%). Multiple metrics (e.g. body condition, fledgling survival) have received scant attention. Some of the patterns we highlight differ across ecological contexts, emphasizing the need to understand impact mechanisms. Several studies have directly linked invasion impacts to altered nest-site availability, habitat heterogeneity, and food supplies. There is mixed evidence that plant architecture impacts nest-site selection and nest predation. Our review highlights the nonuniform consequences of biological invasions. The high frequency of reported neutral effects suggests that invasions often have minimal impacts on birds, but positive and negative impacts certainly can arise. Managers considering eradicating invasive plants for avian conservation should monitor impacts locally to determine whether eradication will be beneficial.

Pest control by wild arthropods is an important ecosystem service in fruit crops, especially due to markets that value minimal pesticide use. Techniques to augment on-farm habitat for wild arthropods have focused on flowering ground cover planted within orchards and hedgerows on field borders. However, natural enemies found in groundcover often do not favor tree canopy habitat. Conversely, while hedgerows can effectively provide natural enemies that prefer woody microhabitats, their impact diminishes away from field edges. Shrub crops interplanted within orchards could resolve both problems, providing woody habitat for natural enemies directly adjacent to target crop trees. In a multi-layer agroforestry system in Illinois, we vacuum sampled arthropod communities across layers and recorded vegetation characteristics and pest damage on apples. Using generalized linear models, information theoretic model selection, and non-metric multidimensional scaling, we evaluated the effects of three shrub treatments (raspberries, hazelnuts, and both species) on pest and natural enemy guilds in apple trees and shrubs, and on the frequency of pest damage on apples. Shrub composition was an important predictor of arthropod communities on shrubs. However, shrub treatment had only minor impacts on arthropods in apple canopies, indicating the habitats are less similar than anticipated. While two arthropod guilds in apple canopies were linked to pest damage frequency, neither was sensitive to changes in the shrub layer. Results suggest that shrub crop interplanting does not inherently resolve the ecological complexities that impede existing approaches in conservation biological control.

Studies of cell physiology and structure have identified many intriguing proteins that could be analyzed for function by using the power of yeast genetics. Unfortunately, identifying the homologous yeast gene with the two most commonly used approaches-DNA hybridization and antibody cross-reaction-is often difficult. We describe a strategy to identify yeast homologs based on protein function itself. This cloning-by-function strategy involves first identifying a yeast mutant that depends on a plasmid expressing a cloned foreign gene. The corresponding yeast gene is then cloned by complementation of the mutant defect. To detect plasmid dependence, the colony color assay of Koshland et al. [Koshland, D., Kent, J. C. \\& Hartwell, L. H. (1985) Cell 40, 393-403] is used. In this paper, we test the feasibility of this approach using the well-characterized system of DNA topoisomerase II in yeast. We show that (i) plasmid dependence is easily recognized; (ii) the screen efficiently isolates mutations in the desired gene; and (iii) the wild-type yeast homolog of the gene can be cloned by screening for reversal of the plasmid-dependent phenotype. We conclude that cloning by function can be used to isolate the yeast homologs of essential genes identified in other organisms.

The Schizophrenia Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study Consortium (PGC) highlighted 81 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with moderate evidence for association to schizophrenia. After follow-up in independent samples, seven loci attained genome-wide significance (GWS), but multi-locus tests suggested some SNPs that did not do so represented true associations. We tested 78 of the 81 SNPs in 2640 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia attending a clozapine clinic (CLOZUK), 2504 cases with a research diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and 2878 controls. In CLOZUK, we obtained significant replication to the PGC-associated allele for no fewer than 37 (47%) of the SNPs, including many prior GWS major histocompatibility complex (MHC) SNPs as well as 3/6 non-MHC SNPs for which we had data that were reported as GWS by the PGC. After combining the new schizophrenia data with those of the PGC, variants at three loci ( ITIH3/4 , CACNA1C and SDCCAG8 ) that had not previously been GWS in schizophrenia attained that level of support. In bipolar disorder, we also obtained significant evidence for association for 21% of the alleles that had been associated with schizophrenia in the PGC. Our study independently confirms association to three loci previously reported to be GWS in schizophrenia, and identifies the first GWS evidence in schizophrenia for a further three loci. Given the number of independent replications and the power of our sample, we estimate 98% (confidence interval (CI) 78–100%) of the original set of 78 SNPs represent true associations. We also provide strong evidence for overlap in genetic risk between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Background The presented prospective randomized controlled single-centre study compares the clinical outcome up to 12 months after total hip arthroplasty using a minimally invasive single-incision direct anterior (DAA) and a direct transgluteal lateral approach. Methods A total of 123 arthroplasties were evaluated utilizing the Harris Hip Score (HHS), the extra short musculoskeletal functional assessment questionnaire (XSFMA), the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey, a Stepwatch™ Activity Monitor (SAM), and a timed 25 m foot walk (T25-FW). Postoperative x-ray images after THA were reviewed to determine inclination and stem positioning. Results At final follow-up, the XSFMA functional index scores were 10.3 (anterior) and 15.08 (lateral) while the bother index summed up to a score of 15.8 (anterior) and 21.66 (lateral) respectively, thus only differing significantly for the functional index ( p  = 0.040 and p  = 0.056). The SF-36 physical component score (PCS) was 47.49 (anterior) and 42.91 (lateral) while the mental component score (MCS) summed up to 55.0 (anterior) and 56.23 (lateral) with a significant difference evident for the PCS ( p  = 0.017; p  = 0.714). Patients undergoing THA through a DAA undertook a mean of 6402 cycles per day while those who had undergone THA through a transgluteal approach undertook a mean of 5340 cycles per day ( p  = 0.012). Furthermore, the obtained outcome for the T25-FW with 18.4 s (anterior) and 19.75 s (lateral) and the maximum walking distance (5932 m and 5125 m) differed significantly ( p  = 0.046 and p  = 0.045). The average HHS showed no significant difference equaling 92.4 points in the anterior group and 91.43 in the lateral group ( p  = 0.477). The radiographic analysis revealed an average cup inclination of 38.6° (anterior) and 40.28° (lateral) without signs of migration. Conclusion In summary, our outcomes show that after 1 year THA through the direct anterior approach results in a higher patient activity compared to THA utilizing a transgluteal lateral approach while no differences regarding hip function are evident. Trial registration DRKS00014808 (German Clinical Trial Register DRKS); date of registration: 31.05.2018.

Correction to: Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 22 May 2012; doi: 10.1038/mp.2012.67 Following the online publication of this article, the authors noted an error in Dr O’Neill's name. The complete and correct author name is FA O’Neill.