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Immune checkpoint blockade has become standard care for patients with recurrent metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here the authors present the results of a non-randomized phase Ib/IIa trial, reporting safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant nivolumab monotherapy and nivolumab plus ipilimumab prior to standard-of-care surgery in patients with HNSCC. .
Using gene silencing to regulate lymphocyte function is a promising therapeutic approach for autommunity, inflammation and cancer. Here the authors use a heteroduplex oligonucleotide for improved potency, efficacy and longer retention times.
Large slow slip earthquakes and tremor occur in subduction zones near the locked megathrust. Combined analysis of changes in slab seismicity and stress field near the times of such slow slip events highlights the role of fluid in promoting slow slip.
Elevated expression of long noncoding RNA H19 is seen in clinical samples of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (PCa). Here the authors show H19 promotes plasticity from luminal to neuroendocrine by epigenetic reprogramming.
Reports on the origin of European wine grapes are controversial. Here, the authors perform population genetics analyses on a large set of representative wine-making varieties and reveal a single domestication event at the origin of the entire germplasm followed by repeated introgression from wild populations.
Microplastics are found in the environment globally, but their atmospheric transport is not well understood. Here the authors report atmospheric microplastic pollution at the Pic du Midi Observatory, suggesting free long range transport in the troposphere.
Lipid droplets (LDs) are central to lipid metabolism, which is known to regulate neural stem cell behavior. Here, the authors show that LDs influence neural stem cell proliferation and metabolic activity and change upon differentiation or quiescence.
Molecular self-assembly in water is conventionally limited to amphiphilic molecules. This study harnesses sacrificial surface groups and a post-assembly chemical reaction to form nanostructures unachievable by spontaneous self-assembly alone.
Here, the authors provide insights into the conformational dynamics of the Beta and Kappa SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) proteins by determining their cryo-EM structures, which revealed a distribution shift towards the open state for both variants compared to the wild-type S protein. They also present the structures of the Kappa and Beta S-ACE2 complexes, where a population shift towards the three receptor-binding domain up conformation was observed. In combination with biochemical data these structures show how the S protein variants efficiently recognize and bind to ACE2.
There is currently no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a common neurodegenerative disorder. Here, the authors use genetic variation associated with gene and protein expression to find putative drug targets for Parkinson’s disease using Mendelian randomization of the druggable genome.
Throughout the Archean, H2 generation via low-temperature ultramafic serpentinization likely helped prevent atmospheric O2 accumulation and continued until the abundance of ultramafic rocks diminished setting the stage for the Great Oxidation Event.
It is an interesting topic to find the time it takes for an electron to escape an atom or a molecule after photoionization. Here the authors measure the angular dependence of photoionization time delay in the molecular frame and discuss the role of shape resonances.
The microenvironment of oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) is heterogeneous and can strongly impact response to treatment. Here, the authors characterize the ESCC tumour microenvironment with single-cell RNA-seq, finding CST1 + myofibroblasts with potential biological and prognostic significance as well as immunosuppression signatures.
Chern number controls the number of surface state channels in topological insulators. Here the authors propose 3D Chern insulating cubic photonic crystals with orientable and arbitrarily large Chern numbers demonstrating topologically protected photonic surface states.
Building community resilience in the face of climate disasters is critical to achieving a sustainable future. Here, using the case study of community resilience during Hurricane Michael in 2018, the authors show that an overemphasis on recovery entrench ‘resilience traps’.
‘In some mammals, matriarchal status can be conferred with androgens. Here, the authors identify effects of androgens that implicate androgen-mediated aggression in female sexual selection in meerkats and intergenerational transmission of masculinised phenotypes in the evolution of meerkat cooperative breeding.’
Maturing erythroblasts become smaller with every cell division. Here, the authors show that Epo stimulation promotes cell division and also generates larger red cells, and that this occurs in mouse and human cells, suggesting that red cell size could be a diagnostic marker for hypoxic stress.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) has an important role in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) progression. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing and multiplexed imaging, the authors report the cellular complexity of the TME in patients with HNSCC, exploring inflammatory status, stromal heterogeneity and immune checkpoint receptor-ligand interactions.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major component of the desmoplastic stroma in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Here the authors report the importance of macrophage-derived Oncostatin M in reprogramming CAFs to drive a pro-tumorigenic environment in PDA.