Enteric Neurospheres Are Not Specific to Neural Crest Cultures: Implications for Neural Stem Cell Therapies

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The impact of technological innovation on building a sustainable city

By 2050, the population living in major cities, especially in developing countries, will have increased twofold. With the increasing majority of the population occurring in urban areas, it is crucial to focus on how technological innovation can help to deliver a sustainable future. A sustainable city strives to create a sustainable living environment through the use of technology. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to review the impact of technological innovation on building a more sustainable city. Technological innovation has changed the overall effectiveness and benevolence over time and with regard to sustainability. A sustainable city involves development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development encompasses all aspects of environmental stewardship, social development, and economic progress

Baseline Neutrophil–Lymphocyte and Platelet–Lymphocyte Ratios as Biomarkers of Survival in Cutaneous Melanoma: A Multicenter Cohort Study

Background: In the peripheral blood, the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) change in response to malignancy. These biomarkers are associated with adverse outcomes in numerous cancers, but the evidence is limited in relation to melanoma. This study sought to investigate the association between these biomarkers and survival in Stages I–III cutaneous melanoma. Methods: This multicenter cohort study investigated a consecutive series of patients who underwent wide excision of biopsy-proven cutaneous melanoma and sentinel lymph node biopsy during a 10-year period. The baseline NLR and PLR were calculated immediately before sentinel lymph node biopsy. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for overall and melanoma-specific survival were generated. Results: Overall, 1351 patients were included in the study. During surveillance, 184 of these patients died (14%), with 141 of the deaths (77%) attributable to melanoma. Worse overall survival was associated with a baseline NLR lower than 2.5 [HR 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0 to 2.3; p < 0.001] and a baseline PLR lower than 100 (HR 1.8; 95% CI 1.7 to 1.8; p < 0.001). Melanoma-specific survival also was worse, with a baseline NLR lower than 2.5 (HR 1.9; 95% CI 1.6 to 2.2; p < 0.001) and a baseline PLR lower than 100 (HR 1.9; 95% CI 1.7 to 2.2; p < 0.001). The 5-year survival for patients with sentinel lymph node metastases and a low NLR and PLR was approximately 50%. Conclusion: This study provides important new data on biomarkers in early-stage melanoma, which contrast with biomarker profiles in advanced disease. These biomarkers may represent the host inflammatory response to melanoma and therefore could help select patients for adjuvant therapy and enhanced surveillance

cDNA-Microarray Analysis as a New Tool to Predict Lymph Node Metastasis in Gastric Cancer

Background The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microarray gene expression analysis can be used to predict lymph node status in gastric cancer. Methods Twenty-nine patients undergoing gastrectomy for cancer were enrolled and subdivided according to the pathologic nodal involvement of their disease (N+ vs N0). Molecular profiling was performed by cDNA microarray on tumor tissue and healthy mucosa. Data were processed to identify differently expressed genes. Selected genes were categorized with gene ontology. Results Compared to healthy gastric mucosa, 52 genes were differently expressed in N+ patients, and 50 genes in N0 patients. Forty-five genes were similarly regulated in N+ and N0 patients, whereas 12 genes were differently expressed between N+ and N0 patients. Seven genes were exclusively expressed in N+ patients: Egr-1 was upregulated; Claudin-18, AKR1C2, Cathepsin E, CA II, TFF 1, and progastricsin were downregulated. Five genes were exclusively expressed in N0 patients: Complement C5 receptor 1, PLA2/VII, and MMP- 9 were upregulated; MAO-A and ID-4 were downregulated. Conclusions Microarray analysis could be a valuable tool to identify genes associated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. This technique could improve the selection of patients with locally advanced disease who are candidates for extended lymph node dissection, multimodal treatment options, or alternative therapeutic strategies