The 1000 Mitoses Project : A Consensus-Based International Collaborative Study on Mitotic Figures Classification

Introduction. The identification of mitotic figures is essential for the diagnosis, grading, and classification of various different tumors. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of literature reporting the consistency in interpreting mitotic figures among pathologists. This study leverages publicly accessible datasets and social media to recruit an international group of pathologists to score an image database of more than 1000 mitotic figures collectively. Materials and Methods. Pathologists were instructed to randomly select a digital slide from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets and annotate 10-20 mitotic figures within a 2 mm2 area. The first 1010 submitted mitotic figures were used to create an image dataset, with each figure transformed into an individual tile at 40x magnification. The dataset was redistributed to all pathologists to review and determine whether each tile constituted a mitotic figure. Results. Overall pathologists had a median agreement rate of 80.2% (range 42.0%-95.7%). Individual mitotic figure tiles had a median agreement rate of 87.1% and a fair inter-rater agreement across all tiles (kappa = 0.284). Mitotic figures in prometaphase had lower percentage agreement rates compared to other phases of mitosis. Conclusion. This dataset stands as the largest international consensus study for mitotic figures to date and can be utilized as a training set for future studies. The agreement range reflects a spectrum of criteria that pathologists use to decide what constitutes a mitotic figure, which may have potential implications in tumor diagnostics and clinical management.Peer reviewe

Interactions between Herbicidal Carbamates and Growth Regulators

Interactions between carbamate and growth regulator herbicides were antagonistic both in whole plants and in plant segments. When combinations of isopropylm-chlorocarbanilate (chlorpropham) and (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D) were applied to the foliage of either redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexusL.) or pale smartweed (Polygonum lapathifoliumL.), the severe twisting effects of 2,4-D were greatly reduced. This interaction did not involve differential movement or metabolism of either herbicide. The induced elongation of soybean hypocotyl sections by the three growth regulators 2,4-D, 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba), and 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram) was inhibited in the presence of either chlorpropham orS-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC). Similarly, curvature tests using soybean (Glycine max(L.) Merr.) hypocotyl sections showed the curvature induced by the growth regulators to be almost completely eliminated by the presence of the carbamates.</jats:p

Antagonistic Responses with Combinations of Carbamate and Growth Regulator Herbicides

Antagonistic responses were noted on sorghum (Sorghum vulgarepers.) and giant foxtail (Setaria faberiiHerrm.) using preemergence combinations of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D) and the carbamatesS-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC), isopropylm-chlorocarbanilate (chlorpropham), and 2-chloroallyl diethyldithiocarbamate (CDEC). Combinations of EPTC and (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4,5-T) or 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba) gave similar results. Effects of these combinations were mainly additive on four dicotyledonous species. Combinations of 2,4-D andN-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (naptalam) also were antagonistic on sorghum and giant foxtail but were additive on the remaining species. Eight other herbicide combinations were mainly additive on all six species.</jats:p