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Multiple expressions of climate change, in particular warming‐induced reductions in the type, extent and thickness of sea ice, are opening access and providing new viable development opportunities in high‐latitude regions. Coastal margins are facing these challenges, but the vulnerability of species and ecosystems to the effects of fuel contamination associated with increased maritime traffic is largely unknown. Here, we show that low concentrations of the water‐accommodated fraction of marine fuel oil, representative of a dilute fuel oil spill, can alter functionally important aspects of the behaviour of sediment‐dwelling invertebrates. We find that the response to contamination is species specific, but that the range in response among individuals is modified by increasing fuel concentrations. Our study provides evidence that species responses to novel and/or unprecedented levels of anthropogenic activity associated with the opening up of high‐latitude regions can have substantive ecological effects, even when human impacts are at, or below, commonly accepted safe thresholds. These secondary responses are often overlooked in broad‐scale environmental assessments and marine planning yet, critically, they may act as an early warning signal for impending and more pronounced ecological transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Marrow fibrosis is a significant complication of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) that affects up to 20% of patients and is associated with a poor prognosis. The pathological processes that lead to fibrotic progression are not well understood, but megakaryocytes have been implicated in the process. The aim of this study was to determine whether platelets, derived from megakaryocytes, have transcriptomic alterations associated with fibrosis. Platelets from MPN patients with and without fibrosis and non‐malignant control individuals were assessed using next generation sequencing. Results from the initial training cohort showed discrete changes in platelet transcripts in the presence of marrow fibrosis. We identified more than 1000 differentially expressed transcripts from which a putative 3‐gene fibrotic platelet signature (CCND1, H2AX [previously termed H2AFX] and CEP55) could be identified. This fibrosis‐associated signature was assessed blinded on platelets from an independent test MPN patient cohort. The 3‐gene signature was able to discriminate between patients with and without marrow fibrosis with a positive predictive value of 71% (93% specificity, 71% sensitivity). This demonstrates that assessment of dysregulated transcripts in platelets may be a useful monitoring tool in MPN to identify progression to marrow fibrosis. Further, sequential monitoring could have clinical applications for early prediction of progression to fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of an 80-year-old man with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and uses aspirin and hydroxyurea to managed his condition. Topics mentioned include the bone marrow biopsy performed to him, the cancer cells analysis, and the DNA replication errors on megakaryopoiesis. Also mentioned are the prevention of disease progression and the somatic mutations.

Alemtuzumab is a lymphocyte ablative agent that may cause susceptibility to severe opportunistic infections similar to those seen in AIDS. Pathogen-specific immune reconstitution syndromes can complicate antiretroviral therapy and immune recovery in HIV-infected patients. We present the first reported case of immune reconstitution syndrome associated with T lymphocyte recovery after alemtuzumab therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]