As the majority of cancers and gestational diseases are prognostically stage- and grade-dependent, the ultimate goal of ongoing studies in precision medicine is to provide early and timely diagnosis of such disorders. These studies have enabled the development of various new diagnostic biomarkers, such as free circulating nucleic acids, and detection of their epigenetic changes. Recently, extracellular vesicles including exosomes, microvesicles, oncosomes, and apoptotic bodies have been recognized as powerful diagnostic tools. Extracellular vesicles carry specific proteins, lipids, DNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs of the cells that produced them, thus reflecting the function of these cells. It is believed that exosomes, in particular, may be the optimal biomarkers of pathological pregnancies and cancers, especially those that are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, such as ovarian cancer. In the present review, we survey and critically appraise novel epigenetic biomarkers related to free circulating nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles, focusing especially on their status in trophoblasts (pregnancy) and neoplastic cells (cancers).

Introduction/Background Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCTs) account for 2–5% of all ovarian cancers and among them pure embryonal cell cancer is rare condition.1 2 3 4 Methodology Aim: To show successful pregnancy after unilateral salpingooopherectomy and chemotherapy in a girl with embryonal carcinoma of ovary (ECO). Results Case report: A 11 year old girl presented in January 2008. with pain in abdomen and abdominal wall hardness. CT revealed a 12 × 10 × 11 cm heterodense mass. Right sided salpingoophorectomy, omentectomy, biopsy left sided ovary was done. Histopathology examination and immunohistochemistry revealed embryonal cell cancer of ovary. Patient had FIGO stage III c disease. After the surgical removal of the tumour, the patient underwent six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Within eight year after the completion of chemotherapy she conceived spontaneously. At 39th gestational week, laparotomy as well as a C-section was done and the patient was managed successfully in giving birth to a healthy female baby (birth weight and lenth 3,430 gm/53 cm, Apgar score: 9/9). At the last follow-up visit (May 5, 2018), all the tumor markers were negative, and the control MRI and ultrasound examinations did not reveal tumor recurrence or pathological lymph nodes. Conclusion Fertility preservation surgery followed by chemotherapy may be considered as standard care of treatment in embryonal carcinoma of ovary in young girls, who want to retain fertility. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.

Manual surveillance of inaccessible areas covered in trees and foliage is a difficult, labor-expensive and challenging task. On the other hand, early discovery of forest fires signs is essential in the preservation of the environment, therefore, the need for fast and efficient methods is very important. The characteristic color of the forest fire can be classified with the specific image processing techniques, especially during the late spring and summer when the color of the fire is easily distinguished from the color of trees and foliage, or generally flora. In this paper, a new method for the detection of forest fires is proposed. The method combines several predetermined and fuzzy criteria for image segmentation. A hybrid technique consists of a combination of different components of different color spaces.

Amila Akagic, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Motoki Amagasaki, Kumamoto University, Japan Muhammad Alfian Amrizal, Tohoku University, Japan Hiroaki Anada, University of Nagasaki, Japan Ritu Arora, University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Thomas Austin, San Jose State University, U.S. Akram Ben Ahmed, Keio University, Japan Antoine Bossard, Kanagawa University, Japan Chen-Mou Cheng, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Franco Chiaraluce, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy Stéphane Devismes, VERIMAG UMR 5104, France Nguyen Anh Vu Doan, Technical University of Munich, Germany Ryusuke Egawa, Tohoku University, Japan Toshio Endo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Martti Forsell, VTT, Finland Naoki Fujieda, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan Noriyuki Fujimoto, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan Hiroshi Fujiwara, Shinshu University, Japan Ken-Ichi Fukui, Osaka University, Japan Masayuki Fukumitsu, Hokkaido Information University, Japan Masaru Fukushi, Yamaguchi University, Japan Junichi Funasaka, Hiroshima City University, Japan Takayasu Fushimi, University of Tsukuba, Japan Jing Gong, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Takaaki Goto, Toyo University, Japan Andreas Grapentin, Hasso Plattner Institute, Germany Yan Gu, Carnegie Mellon University, U.S. Masafumi Hashimoto, Osaka University, Japan Kohei Hatano, Kyushu University, Japan Akihiro Hayashi, Rice University, U.S. Ramon Hermoso, University of Zaragoza, Spain Shoichi Hirose, University of Fukui, Japan Michihiro Horie, IBM, Japan Naoto Hoshikawa, National Institute of Technology, Oyama College, Japan Shuichi Ichikawa, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan Tsutomu Inamoto, Ehime University, Japan Masaki Inamura, Tokyo Denki University, Japan Fumihiko Ino, Osaka University, Japan Takashi Ishida, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

The study investigated in vitro the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis and its cysteine proteases (gingipains) on epithelial cell adhesion to titanium-zirconium alloy surfaces. Titanium-zirconium discs with a standard machined (M) or chemically modified hydrophilic surface (modM) were coated with lamin-5 and incubated with telomerase-inactivated gingival keratinocytes (TIGK). Three P. gingivalis strains or gingipains were either added simultaneously with TIGK or after TIGK cells were already attached to the disks. Adhered TIGK cells were counted at 24 h. All P. gingivalis strains clearly inhibited adhesion of TIGK cells to M and modM surfaces. Compared with bacteria/gingipain-free TIGK cell cultures, the number of attached TIGK cells was reduced by about 80% and 60% when P. gingivalis was added simultaneously or after TIGK cells were already attached to the disks (each p < 0.01), respectively. Counts of attached cells were similarly reduced when only gingipains were used. Adhesion molecules of TIGK cells, in particular E-cadherin, were cleaved by P. gingivalis. In conclusion, P. gingivalis and gingipains interfere with the adhesion of epithelial cells to titanium-zirconium alloy surfaces by cleaving adhesion molecules, while a chemically modified hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy surface did not yield any protection. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res B Part B, 2019.

This article presents a low-cost laboratory that has been designed and developed to enhance learning experience and help students gain skills and knowledge in the field of distributed systems. In order to build a comprehensive distributed file system, we used the laboratory consisting of 40 card-sized Raspberry Pi devices, with the accent on stability, scalability, and low cost. Aiming to assess the impact of this new learning environment on the learning process and its outcomes, we surveyed students following the completion of three project stages during the 17 laboratory exercises in one academic year, ensuring that we maintained the same subjects of study during the experiments. Supported by interesting answers on various sets of questions, we provide a valuable insight into students' experience, obstacles and observations during system's implementation. This particular insight paves the way toward further laboratory improvement, adopting this approach in other courses related to ours, and encouraging teachers to embrace similar practice regardless of the field of education.

Abstract Background Multiple genomic and transciptomic biomarkers have been associated with response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. Emerging evidence suggests that each solid tumour type has a unique mix of factors determining CPI response, reflecting the subtle differences in antigen repertoire and immune microenvironment across histologies. Compiling large-scale sequencing datasets of patients treated with CPI therapy, from a range of solid tumour types, allows detailed comparison of the contrasting immune drivers per histology. Understanding these differences enhances our understanding of the pathways influencing CPI response, which may be of utility for therapeutic and biomarker development. Methods We compiled data from 13 CPI treated cohorts, across 6 solid tumour types, encompassing 1,453 patients (n = 1,453 with exome data, n = 674 with RNAseq data). All raw data was accessed, and reprocessed through a standardised state of the art bioinformatics pipeline. A comphrehensive range of genomic & transcriptomic biomarker metrics were derived across the cohort. A combined predictive model was constructred encompassing all biomarkers, & the importance weighting was calculated for each biomarker, in each tumour type. Results TMB was found to be a universal predictor of response across all tumour types, except for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Instead CPI response in RCC appears to be strongly driven by expression of human endogeneuos retroviruses (hERV). In malignant melanoma, while TMB (nsSNVs) was associated with CPI response, the number of expressed indel mutations was found to be a stronger predictor. Shared antigen expression also demonstrated tumour specific predictive patterns. A signature of high immune inflitatation was found to be another universal predictor of response across multiple tumour types, however differences in the varying importance of immune cell subsets across histologies was observed. The rate of HLA LOH, and other immune evasion mechanisms also varied dramatically by cancer type. Conclusions The determinants of immunotherapy response vary across solid tumour types, offering unique insight into both tumour intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of immunogenicity. Legal entity responsible for the study The Francis Crick Institute. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

A fully integrated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) using a controllable fast mixed quenching and active resetting circuit (QRC) fabricated in a $0.35-\mu\mathrm{m}$ high-voltage CMOS process is presented in this paper. The QRC features a fast active quenching time of 0.52 ns and a minimum dead-time of 4.57 ns, which corresponds to a maximum count rate of 218 Mcps. To validate the quenching performance, the circuit was integrated together with a large-area SPAD having an active diameter of $90\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ with a capacitance of 150 fF. A pad for a pico-probe was integrated on the chip, leading to a total capacitive load of 275 fF in SPAD cathode's node during transient measurements.

This study analyzes farm households’ adaptation in a broad livelihood context, showing how both household internal dynamics and broader external factors, such as agro-ecological, climatic, and institutional economic and political frame conditions, influence both the perception of and adaptation to climate variations and change. Nearly a third of the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) are engaged in agriculture as one livelihood strategy to cope with the multiple shocks experienced over the past three decades, resulting in economic decline and loss of income opportunities. Based on a household survey, we analyzed the livelihoods of households in three agricultural regions in BH: how they are affected by climate change, their perceptions of climatic change, as well as various household adaptation strategies. The results were discussed in the context of the sustainable livelihoods approach. Our results indicate that rural households are relatively asset poor and highly dependent on agriculture, irrespective of geographical location or wealth. Their access to assets is further constrained by the ongoing changes in economic and political structures and processes. Negative effects of climate change were reported in terms of yield decline and reduced quality of products. On a positive note, the level of adoption of different agricultural practices and technologies indicates signs of an overall intensification strategy of agricultural production in BH, as well as adaptation to the perceived changes in climate and climate variability using the available asset base.