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A deep understanding of the manufacturing process is needed in order to achieve safety and quality requirements for parts and components; to this regard, residual stresses play an important role in welded structures. Residual stresses are mainly caused by the extremely severe thermal cycle to which the welded metal and base material are subjected to during welding process and their knowledge leads to a better static and fatigue assessment of welded joints. This work deals with the study of residual stresses for a tube to plate T-joint, made of S355JR carbon steel. The work was carried out by both numerical simulations and experimental tests. The numerical simulations were performed by Ansys FE code through a structural-thermal full transient analysis to evaluate stress, strain and temperature in each node at each step of the simulation. The “birth and death” method was employed, together with temperature-dependent material properties.A2Danda3D simulation were performed, in order to evaluate possible differences due to the welding process. Numerical results were compared to some preliminary measurements obtained through an incremental cut made on the plate.

With the growth of short-term study abroad programs comes the need to develop impactful curricula and to provide supportive environments for deep learning abroad that is more than "upgraded" tourism but rather focused on educational outcomes. This qualitative case study investigates the experiences of five study abroad participants in Israel. Drawing from multiple data sources within an interpretive framework, the purpose of this study is to understand student experiences abroad. Data was analyzed inductively and thematically. Findings suggest that the holistic experience was anchored by (1) directed and diverse conversations, (2) hermeneutical reflections, (3) emotional disequilibrium, (4) intercultural competence development, and (5) student engagement in a classroom culture, which acted together as a "gestalt." Results highlight the importance of dialogue, both with locals and within the classroom community, for transformative learning. These findings encourage international educators to provide instructional frames that encourage students to engage with local communities in critical ways.

In locally advanced (LA) laryngeal/hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LHSCC), larynx preservation (LP) strategies aim at the cure of the disease while preserving a functional larynx, thus avoiding total laryngectomy and the associated impact on the quality of life. In the last decades, apart from transoral and open-neck organ preservation approaches, several non-surgical regimens have been investigated: radiotherapy alone, alternate, concurrent or sequential chemoradiation, and bioradiotherapy. Despite major progress, the identification of reliable and effective predictors for treatment response remains a clinical challenge. This review examines the current state of LP in LA-LHSCC and the need for predictive factors, highlighting the importance of the PRESERVE trial in addressing this gap. The PRESERVE trial represents a pivotal initiative aimed at finding the optimal therapy for laryngeal preservation specific to each patient through a retrospective analysis of data from previous LP trials and prospectively validating findings. The goal of the PRESERVE trial is to develop a comprehensive predictive classifier that integrates clinical, molecular, and multi-omics data, thereby enhancing the precision and efficacy of patient selection for LP protocols.

The incorporation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) led to significant improvement. However, in the pediatric setting, the outcomes of Ph+ ALL are still inferior compared to those of other ALL subtypes even in the TKI era due to higher relapse rate. Herein, we report a very peculiar case of late extramedullary Ph+ ALL relapse in a child, characterized by lymphomatous presentation in the tonsils and lymphoid lineage switch. The diagnostic dilemma between the occurrence of a second malignant neoplasm and the recurrence of the primary disease is further discussed, highlighting the importance of molecular backtracking analysis. This case report emphasizes the high plasticity and polyclonal nature of ALL and expands the heterogeneity of possible clinical presentation of Ph+ ALL at relapse.

China has shown increased engagement in International Higher Education (IHE), an interest motivated by a tremendous demand among both Chinese and international students. Conducted at a full-scale Sino-foreign joint-venture university (JVU) in China, this study seeks to explore the motivation of first-year international students for applying to and attending Sino-foreign JVU in China. A second related question investigates what they expect to experience prior to matriculation. Qualitative data collection and analyses suggest that international students at a Sino-foreign joint-venture university were motivated by a strong desire to distinguish themselves for integrative, international signaling, and instrumental purposes, and expect to change as a result of studying and living in an intercultural environment in China.

Material fatigue is extensively discussed and researched within scientific and industrial communities. Fatigue damage poses a significant challenge for both metallic and non-metallic components, often resulting in unexpected failures of in-service parts. Within multiaxial fatigue assessment, critical plane methods have gained importance due to their ability to characterize a component's critical location and detect early crack propagation. However, the conventional approach to calculate critical plane factors is time-consuming, making it primarily suitable for research purposes or when critical regions are already known. In many real-world scenarios, identifying the critical area of a component is difficult due to complex geometries, varying loads, or time limitations. This challenge becomes particularly crucial after topological optimization of components and in the context of lightweight design. Recently, the authors proposed an efficient method for evaluating critical plane factors in closed form, applicable to all cases that necessitate the maximization of specific parameters based on stress and strain components or their combination. This paper presents and validates the proposed methodology, with reference to a rear upright of a FSAE car, which is characterized by a complex geometry and is subjected to non-proportional loading conditions. The efficient algorithm demonstrated a substantial reduction in computation time compared to the standard plane scanning method, while maintaining solution accuracy.

Abstract Autophagy is important for the removal, degradation and recycling of damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids through the degradative action of lysosomes. In addition to its catabolic function, autophagy is important in cancer and viral-mediated tumorigenesis, including Human Papillomavirus (HPV) positive cancers. HPV infection is a major risk factor in a subset of head and neck cancer (HNC), for which no targeted therapies are currently available. Herein, we assessed autophagy function in HPV-positive HNC. We showed that HPV-positive HNC cells presented a transcriptional and functional impairment of the autophagic process compared to HPV-negative cells, which were reactivated by knocking down HPV E6/E7 oncoproteins, the drivers of cellular transformation. We found that the oncoprotein c-MYC was stabilized and triggered in HPV-positive cell lines. This resulted in the reduced binding of the MiT/TFE transcription factors to their autophagy targets due to c-MYC competition. Thus, the knock-down of c-MYC induced the upregulation of autophagic and lysosomal genes in HPV-positive HNC cells, as well as the increase of autophagic markers at the protein level. Moreover, HPV oncoprotein E7 upregulated the expression of the phosphatase inhibitor CIP2A, accounting for c-MYC upregulation and stability in HPV+ HNC cells. CIP2A mRNA expression negatively correlated with autophagy gene expression in tumor tissues from HNC patients, showing, for the first time, its implication in a transcriptional autophagic context. Both CIP2A and c-MYC knock-down, as well as pharmacological downregulation of c-MYC, resulted in increased resistance to cisplatin treatment. Our results not only show a novel way by which HPV oncoproteins manipulate the host machinery but also provide more insights into the role of autophagy in chemoresistance, with possible implications for targeted HPV-positive HNC therapy.

Abstract We analyzed the inclusion of sex and/or gender (S/G) in Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) clinical studies, through inspecting ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) and the mention of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) on a specific subgroup, namely oral cavity, larynx and oropharynx. Only 5% of HNC studies mention S/G as a planned analytical variable. Proportionally more observational studies treated S/G as an analytical variable than interventional studies (10% vs 5%, P-value ≤ 0.001), 8% of studies that mentioned S/G involved more than 100 subjects while 4% less than 100 (P-value ≤ 0.001). In randomized protocols, S/G was mentioned more in studies with a planned sample of more than 100 patients and including HPV status (P-value

Perception of chemistry in the general public has been object of several investigations in the past, putting in evidence the diffusion of neutral or negative attitudes, which can be summarized in the so-called ‘chemophobic’ behaviour. In the present study we analysed the results obtained from a structured survey aimed to intercept Italian young people and to investigate the relationships among their chemistry perception, school experiences and chemistry background. The complete questionnaire was made of 29 questions (25 multiple choice questions and 4 open questions) and the analysis of results was performed on 431 participants, which were selected among initial 627 ones to exclude chemists or students in chemistry. The investigated sample gives a snapshot of Italian young people of medium-high school education, and it reveals a general not-negative perception of chemistry, but a relatively low engagement toward chemistry-related subjects. Interestingly, most people are aware of the role of chemistry teachers and school experiences in their attitude toward chemistry and, at the same time, the participants to the survey demonstrated to have a relatively poor knowledge of the main concepts of chemical science. These aspects may be helpful for chemistry educators at different levels, from primary schools to the universities.

BackgroundThe GL261 and CT2A syngeneic tumor lines are frequently used as immunocompetent orthotopic mouse models of human glioblastoma (huGBM) but demonstrate distinct differences in their responses to immunotherapy.MethodsTo decipher the cell-intrinsic mechanisms that drive immunotherapy resistance in CT2A-luc and to define the aspects of human cancer biology that these lines can best model, we systematically compared their characteristics using whole exome and transcriptome sequencing, and protein analysis through immunohistochemistry, Western blot, flow cytometry, immunopeptidomics, and phosphopeptidomics.ResultsThe transcriptional profiles of GL261-luc2 and CT2A-luc tumors resembled those of some huGBMs, despite neither line sharing the essential genetic or histologic features of huGBM. Both models exhibited striking hypermutation, with clonal hotspot mutations in RAS genes (Kras p.G12C in GL261-luc2 and Nras p.Q61L in CT2A-luc). CT2A-luc distinctly displayed mesenchymal differentiation, upregulated angiogenesis, and multiple defects in antigen presentation machinery (e.g. Tap1 p.Y488C and Psmb8 p.A275P mutations) and interferon response pathways (e.g. copy number losses of loci including IFN genes and reduced phosphorylation of JAK/STAT pathway members). The defect in MHC class I expression could be overcome in CT2A-luc by interferon-γ treatment, which may underlie the modest efficacy of some immunotherapy combinations. Additionally, CT2A-luc demonstrated substantial baseline secretion of the CCL-2, CCL-5, and CCL-22 chemokines, which play important roles as myeloid chemoattractants.ConclusionAlthough the clinical contexts that can be modeled by GL261 and CT2A for huGBM are limited, CT2A may be an informative model of immunotherapy resistance due to its deficits in antigen presentation machinery and interferon response pathways.

CAN-2409 is a replication-deficient adenovirus encoding herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (tk) currently in clinical trials for treatment of glioblastoma. The expression of tk in transduced cancer cells results in conversion of the pro-drug ganciclovir into a toxic metabolite causing DNA damage, inducing immunogenic cell death and immune activation. We hypothesize that CAN-2409 combined with DNA-damage-response inhibitors could amplify tumor cell death, resulting in an improved response. We investigated the effects of ATR inhibitor AZD6738 in combination with CAN-2409 in vitro using cytotoxicity, cytokine, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) assays in glioma cell lines and in vivo with an orthotopic syngeneic murine glioma model. Tumor immune infiltrates were analyzed by cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF). In vitro, we observed a significant increase in the DNA-damage marker γH2AX and decreased expression of PD-L1, pro-tumorigenic cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β], IL-4), and ligand NKG2D after combination treatment compared with monotherapy or control. In vivo, long-term survival was increased after combination treatment (66.7%) compared with CAN-2409 (50%) and control. In a tumor re-challenge, long-term immunity after combination treatment was not improved. Our results suggest that ATR inhibition could amplify CAN-2409’s efficacy in glioblastoma through increased DNA damage while having complex immunological ramifications, warranting further studies to determine the ideal conditions for maximized therapeutic benefit.

Abstract Background The incidence of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV)-driven head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, in particular oropharyngeal cancers (OPC), is increasing in high-resource countries. Patients with HPV-induced cancer respond better to treatment and consequently have lower case-fatality rates than patients with HPV-unrelated OPC. These considerations highlight the importance of reliable and accurate markers to diagnose truly HPV-induced OPC. Methods The accuracy of three possible test strategies, i.e. (a) hrHPV DNA PCR (DNA), (b) p16(INK4a) immunohistochemistry (IHC) (p16), and (c) the combination of both tests (considering joint DNA and p16 positivity as positivity criterion), was analysed in tissue samples from 99 Belgian OPC patients enrolled in the HPV-AHEAD study. Presence of HPV E6*I mRNA (mRNA) was considered as the reference, indicating HPV etiology. Results Ninety-nine OPC patients were included, for which the positivity rates were 36.4%, 34.0% and 28.9% for DNA, p16 and mRNA, respectively. Ninety-five OPC patients had valid test results for all three tests (DNA, p16 and mRNA). Using mRNA status as the reference, DNA testing showed 100% (28/28) sensitivity, and 92.5% (62/67) specificity for the detection of HPV-driven cancer. p16 was 96.4% (27/28) sensitive and equally specific (92.5%; 62/67). The sensitivity and specificity of combined p16 + DNA testing was 96.4% (27/28) and 97.0% (65/67), respectively. In this series, p16 alone and combined p16 + DNA missed 1 in 28 HPV driven cancers, but p16 alone misclassified 5 in 67 non-HPV driven as positive, whereas combined testing would misclassify only 2 in 67. Conclusions Single hrHPV DNA PCR and p16(INK4a) IHC are highly sensitive but less specific than using combined testing to diagnose HPV-driven OPC patients. Disease prognostication can be encouraged based on this combined test result.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a rare hematologic disorder in the pediatric population and most cases are associated with microbiological infection. The pathological process is not completely clear, but some evidence suggests immunological dysregulation triggered by bacterial or viral infections. Based on the thermal range of the pathogenic antibody, AIHA can be divided into warm (WAIHA) and cold (CAIHA) groups. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most common viruses reported as a trigger of AIHA. We present an unusual case of AIHA in a 2-month-old infant positive for both the direct antiglobulin test (C3 complement fraction) and CMV–Polymerase chain reaction in blood samples. In this case, the dating of the infection was uncertain, making it impossible to discriminate between congenital flare-up or a primary acute episode, emphasizing the importance of CMV prenatal testing as a screening measure. We adopted multiple therapeutic strategies including steroids (methylprednisolone and prednisone), Intravenous Immunoglobulin, antivirals (ganciclovir and valganciclovir), and red blood cell transfusion.

Abstract Cellular therapies offer a promising therapeutic strategy for the highly malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma (GBM). However, their clinical translation is limited by the lack of effective target identification and stringent testing in pre-clinical models that replicate standard treatment in GBM patients. In this study, we show the detection of cell surface death receptor (DR) target on CD146-enriched circulating tumor cells (CTC) captured from the blood of mice bearing GBM and patients diagnosed with GBM. Next, we developed allogeneic “off-the-shelf” clinical-grade bifunctional mesenchymal stem cells (MSCBif) expressing DR-targeted ligand and a safety kill switch. We show that biodegradable hydrogel encapsulated MSCBif (EnMSCBif) has a profound therapeutic efficacy in mice bearing patient-derived invasive, primary and recurrent GBM tumors following surgical resection. Activation of the kill switch enhances the efficacy of MSCBif and results in their elimination post-tumor treatment which can be tracked by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. This study establishes a foundation towards a clinical trial of EnMSCBif in primary and recurrent GBM patients.

RationaleCAN-2409 is a locally delivered oncolytic therapy, which results in vaccination against the injected tumor. CAN-2409 consists of a non-replicating adenovirus armed with the Herpes virus thymidine kinase, which metabolizes ganciclovir into a phosphorylated nucleotide that is incorporated into the tumor cell’s genome, thereby inflicting immunogenic cancer cell death. While CAN-2409’s immunological impact has been well characterized, its effects on the tumor cells transcriptome remains unknown. We compared the transcriptomic landscape after treatment of glioblastoma models with CAN-2409 in vitro and in vivo to assess how the interplay with the tumor microenvironment influences CAN-2409-mediated transcriptome alterations.MethodsWe performed RNA-Seq with CAN-2409 treated patient-derived glioma stem-like cells and tumors of C57/BL6 mice and compared KEGG pathway usage and differential gene expression focusing on immune cell and cytokine profiles. T-cell -killing assays were performed to assess candidate effectors.ResultsPCA analysis showed distinct clustering of control and CAN-2409 samples under both conditions. KEGG pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment for p53 signaling and cell cycle pathway, with similar dynamics for key regulators of both pathways in vitro and in vivo, including MYC, CCNB1, PLK1 and CDC20. Selected alterations (PLK1 and CCNB1) were validated at the protein level. Cytokine expression analysis revealed upregulation of pro-inflammatory IL12a under both conditions; immune cell gene profiling showed reduction of myeloid associated genes. T-cell-killing assays showed increased killing in the presence of IL-12.ConclusionCAN-2409 significantly alters the transcriptome both in vitro and in vivo. Comparison of pathway enrichment revealed mutual and differential utilization of pathways under both conditions, suggesting a modulating influence on the cell cycle in tumor cells, and of the tumor microenvironment on the transcriptome in vivo. IL-12 synthesis likely depends on interactions with the tumor microenvironment, and it facilitates CAN-2409 cell killing. This dataset provides potential to understand resistance mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers for future studies.