Reproducibility of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) assessment in endometrial cancer

Aims Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) in endometrial cancer (EC) is an important prognostic variable impacting on a patient's individual recurrence risk and adjuvant treatment recommendations. Recent work has shown that grading the extent of LVSI further improves its prognostic strength in patients with stage I endometrioid EC. Despite this, there is little information on the reproducibility of LVSI assessment in EC. Therefore, we designed a study to evaluate interobserver agreement in discriminating true LVSI from LVSI mimics (Phase I) and reproducibility of grading extent of LVSI (Phase II). Methods and results Scanned haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides of endometrioid EC (EEC) with a predefined possible LVSI focus were hosted on a website and assessed by a panel of six European gynaecological pathologists. In Phase I, 48 H&E slides were included for LVSI assessment and in Phase II, 42 H&E slides for LVSI grading. Each observer was instructed to apply the criteria for LVSI used in daily practice. The degree of agreement was measured using the two-way absolute agreement average-measures intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Reproducibility of LVSI assessment (ICC = 0.64, P < 0.001) and LVSI grading (ICC = 0.62, P < 0.001) in EEC was substantial among the observers. Conclusions Given the good reproducibility of LVSI, this study further supports the important role of LVSI in decision algorithms for adjuvant treatment

Effect of ageing on physicochemical properties and textural changes in hot boned meat from young and old Indian water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Current study was carried out to investigate the ageing changes in hot boned meat from young (&lt;2 years age) and old (spent animals of &gt;10 years age) buffaloes at refrigeration temperature over a period of 6 days. The pH and water holding capacity have reduced (P&lt;0.05) during ageing period in both young and old buffalo meat. Protein extractability and muscle fibre diameter was higher (P&lt;0.05) in meat from old buffaloes relative to young buffalo meat, however no change (P&gt;0.05) was observed during ageing. Increase (P&lt;0.05) in myofibrillar fragmentation index was observed in young buffalo meat on 6th day of ageing. Reduction (P&lt;0.05) in Warner-Bratzler shear force values were observed on 6th day of ageing compared to 0’ day in both young and old buffalo meat. The SDS- PAGE analysis revealed the appearance of 30 kDa protein bands on 4th and 6th day of ageing in young and old buffalo meat, respectively. These results suggests tenderization of hot boned buffalo meat subjected to ageing

Distribution and Abundance of Seven Spotted Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) Linnaeus in Different Cropping System at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India

The primary objective of this research is to provide insight into how abiotic factors affect the coccinellid beetle population in Pantnagar region, India. The current study was conducted at six distinct Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, regions between November 2020 and April 2021. Predatory coccinellid beetle C. septumpunctata, diversity was investigated in a variety of crops, including ornamental, vegetable, fruit, and field crops. Seasonal abundance of C. septumpunctata, in different crops revealed that during the 50th standard meteorological week (SMW), there were more coccinellids in mustard fields than in other field crops. This suggests that conditions were favourable for both predators and prey. Similar to this, during the 12th SMW, rose crops had a high population of coccinellids, and during the 15th SMW, coriander had the largest population of ladybird beetles (98) among vegetable crops. Guava had the largest population of ladybird beetles in fruit orchards (75). Correlation studies between the population of ladybird beetles and weather factors revealed that in crops like mustard, rose, guava, and coriander, where high numbers of coccinellids were observed, the climatic conditions favored the coccinellids, and the availability of prey species

Deciphering proteome changes and meat texture of traditional halal slaughtered spent sheep subjected to low-voltage electrical stimulation and ageing

The present study evaluated the effect of low-voltage electrical stimulation (LVES, 42 V peak, 0.6 Amp, 50 Hz) and ageing in traditional halal slaughtered Nellore crossbred spent-sheep (Ovis aries). The LVES accelerated the post-mortem glycolysis with a significant decline in pH and shear force values and improvement in water-holding capacity, cooking yield, protein extractability, and an early onset of rigor-mortis relative to non-stimulated control. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with tandem mass spectrometry identified myosin regulatory light chain 2, NADH dehydrogenase, myoglobin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from traditional halal slaughtered sheep meat. PANTHER analysis of differentially expressed proteins indicated their involvement in structural (50%), catalytic (25%), and binding (25%) activities. The current study provides a novel insight into the contribution of different proteins in orchestrating meat texture from traditional halal slaughtered spent sheep meat subjected to LVES and ageing

Investigations of Common Effluent Treatment Plant Sludge based Controlled Low-Strength Material

453-456The management of industrial waste is a difficult task in the developing country like India. In the study, fresh and in-service properties of controlled low-strength material (CLSM) consisting of cement, class-F flyash, CETP sludge, M-sand and water were determined by laboratory scale tests. The CETP considered when combined with cement and flyash, exhibit self-hardening characteristics similar to cement. The developed CLSM constitute for five classes of mix design (A, B, C, D and E). The results show that the proposed CLSM satisfy for the pavement backfilling for sub-base and sub-grade of flexible pavement requirements

Molecular Classification of the PORTEC-3 Trial for High-Risk Endometrial Cancer:Impact on Prognosis and Benefit From Adjuvant Therapy

PURPOSE The randomized Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Versus Radiotherapy Alone in Women With High-Risk Endometrial Cancer (PORTEC-3) trial investigated the benefit of combined adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CTRT) versus radiotherapy alone (RT) for women with high-risk endometrial cancer (EC). Because The Cancer Genome Atlas defined an EC molecular classification with strong prognostic value, we investigated prognosis and impact of chemotherapy for each molecular subgroup using tissue samples from PORTEC-3 trial participants. METHODS Paraffin-embedded tissues of 423 consenting patients were collected. Immunohistochemistry for p53 and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, and DNA sequencing for POLE exonuclease domain were done to classify tumors as p53 abnormal (p53abn), POLE-ultramutated (POLEmut), MMR-deficient (MMRd), or no specific molecular profile (NSMP). The primary end point was recurrence-free survival (RFS). Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox model were used for analysis. RESULTS Molecular analysis was successful in 410 high-risk EC (97%), identifying the 4 subgroups: P53abn EC (n = 93; 23%), POLEmut (n = 51; 12%), MMRd (n = 137; 33%), and NSMP (n = 129; 32%). Five-year RFS was 48% for patients with p53abn EC, 98% for POLEmut EC, 72% for MMRd EC, and 74% for NSMP EC (P <001). The 5-year RFS with CTRT versus RT for p53abn EC was 59% versus 36% (P =019); 100% versus 97% for patients with POLEmut EC (P =637); 68% versus 76% (P =428) for MMRd EC; and 80% versus 68% (P =243) for NSMP EC. CONCLUSION Molecular classification has strong prognostic value in high-risk EC, with significantly improved RFS with adjuvant CTRT for p53abn tumors, regardless of histologic type. Patients with POLEmut EC had an excellent RFS in both trial arms. EC molecular classification should be incorporated in the risk stratification of these patients as well as in future trials to target specific subgroups of patients

Tertiary lymphoid structures critical for prognosis in endometrial cancer patients

B-cells play a key role in cancer suppression, particularly when aggregated in tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS). Here, we investigate the role of B-cells and TLS in endometrial cancer (EC). Single cell RNA-sequencing of B-cells shows presence of naive B-cells, cycling/germinal center B-cells and antibody-secreting cells. Differential gene expression analysis shows association of TLS with L1CAM overexpression. Immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence show L1CAM expression in mature TLS, independent of L1CAM expression in the tumor. Using L1CAM as a marker, 378 of the 411 molecularly classified ECs from the PORTEC-3 biobank are evaluated, TLS are found in 19%. L1CAM expressing TLS are most common in mismatch-repair deficient (29/127, 23%) and polymerase-epsilon mutant EC (24/47, 51%). Multivariable Cox regression analysis shows strong favorable prognostic impact of TLS, independent of clinicopathological and molecular factors. Our data suggests a pivotal role of TLS in outcome of EC patients, and establishes L1CAM as a simple biomarker.Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are associated with a reduced risk of cancer recurrence and improved response to immune checkpoint blockade in several tumor types. Here the authors identify L1CAM as a marker for mature TLS and show that the presence of TLS is associated with favorable prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer from the PORTEC-3 trial.Biological, physical and clinical aspects of cancer treatment with ionising radiatio