Citations

Abstract Background Multiplexed immunofluorescence (MxIF) enables high-dimensional immune cell phenotyping and detailed characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), but complex cyclic staining can introduce signal degradation and uncertainty in cell-level measurements. In routine practice, pathologists rely on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining as the primary reference for tissue morphology and frequently cross-reference H&E to interpret MxIF findings. Methods We present a framework for aligning H&E and MxIF images at the tissue microarray (TMA) core level to support cross-modal analysis. Cell nucleus detections from each modality are used as anchor points, formulating the task as a point-set alignment problem. Coherent Point Drift (CPD) is applied for global alignment, followed by graph-matching–based refinement to improve local consistency. Evaluation on ovarian TMAs demonstrates consistent alignment performance for both restained and serial sections. We further explore the use of restained H&E as a reference for MxIF interpretation and investigate virtual H&E generation from MxIF data as a complementary approach when restained H&E is unavailable. Results The aligned images enable quantitative assessment of cross-modal feature concordance between MxIF-derived measurements and H&E morphology. The generated virtual H&E demonstrated similar cell population compared to the real H&E. Conclusions Cell-centric alignment can facilitate integrative multimodal histopathology analysis for TMA cores in spatial co-localization, cell feature validation, and virtual H&E generation.

Our research uncovers a role for ATR in responding to ECM stiffness and promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis. ATR, when deubiquitinated and upregulated by USP21 under enhanced ECM stiffness conditions, phosphorylates the nuclear protein SUN2, which promotes β-catenin nuclear translocation and EMT. ATM-mediated EMT promotes polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell recruitment and inhibits CD103 + dendritic cells, fostering an immunosuppressive tumor milieu. ATR inhibition disrupts this malignant cascade by promoting mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition to enhance antitumor immunity and mitigate metastases. Consistently, circulating HLA-DR + dendritic cells were also enhanced following treatment with the ATR inhibitor berzosertib in patients with therapeutically resistant early-stage breast cancer. Our data suggest that ATR-targeted therapy may be optimized by considering both DNA damage–dependent and EMT-inducing effects of ATR ATR promotes metastasis and immunosuppression through EMT process

Abstract Dermatomyositis is driven by overactivation of type I and II interferons and other proinflammatory cytokines that signal via the JAK-STAT pathway. We conducted a 12-week, open-label study of brepocitinib, an oral TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor, in five adults with severe cutaneous dermatomyositis. Treatment was associated with rapid, clinically meaningful improvement in cutaneous disease activity. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling of lesional skin showed marked suppression of interferon-responsive pathways and inflammatory cell states by week 4. Together with findings from a Phase 3 randomized trial in DM patients with skin and muscle involvement (VALOR, NCT05437263 ), these data support TYK2/JAK1 inhibition as a promising therapeutic strategy for DM.

Ex vivo liver perfusion (EVLP) sustains human or large animal livers outside the body under near-physiological conditions, enabling functional monitoring for lactate clearance, bile production, and oxygen consumption and allowing targeted therapeutic interventions. Originally developed to optimize donor grafts for transplantation, EVLP has evolved into a powerful translational research platform bridging preclinical discovery and early clinical translation. This review discusses EVLP as a platform for gene therapy, immunotherapy, pharmacology, and personalized medicine, with particular emphasis on gene- and immune-based interventions as mechanistically mature exemplars. We consolidate advances in pharmacological testing and toxicity modeling, viral and non-viral gene delivery, genome engineering, and immunomodulation using perfused livers. We further describe emerging applications, including autologous EVLP pathways for organ-confined therapy, ex vivo liver surgery, and bioengineering strategies such as biliary organoid repair, RNA interference, and mitochondrial transfer. We highlight how these applications align with a paradigm shift in biomedical research, including the NIH’s recent initiative to prioritize human-based experimental models over animal-only studies. By leveraging transplant-declined or surgically resected organs that would otherwise be unused, ex vivo perfusion bridges the gap between pre-clinical testing and clinical practice, enabling real-time evaluation of interventions in functional human tissue. We discuss both the scientific opportunities afforded by EVLP and the technical, biosafety, and ethical challenges that must be addressed to enable responsible clinical translation.

Importance Currently, there are no standardized outcome domains or measures in clinical trials for facial aging. Heterogeneity in outcome domains and measurement instruments across clinical trials creates difficulty in directly comparing interventions, determining superior therapies, and developing high-quality meta-analyses. Objective To develop a core outcome set (COS) of essential domains to be reported in clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of interventions for facial aging. Evidence Review PubMed/Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL were searched from September 2005 to September 2015. An updated search of the same databases was performed from September 2015 to February 2026. Studies were included if (1) they were randomized clinical trial or controlled clinical trial in design, (2) they assessed the efficacy or safety of an intervention for facial aging, (3) they were published in English, and (4) they involved human participants. Complementary sources, including patient interviews, were used to capture further relevant outcomes. Two rounds of Delphi surveys, followed by consensus meetings, were used to identify outcome domains considered most important by both patient and physician stakeholders. Findings The final COS consists of 6 outcome domains: (1) overall convenience of treatment; (2) time to return to normal work and social activity; (3) overall assessment of focused area of treatment (at the point in time when treatment is expected to provide peak benefit); (4) duration of treatment effect; (5) severity of persistent local or systemic adverse events, including pigmentary change, skin texture change, delayed healing, scarring, and serious adverse events; and (6) patient satisfaction with treatment. Conclusions and Relevance The 6 outcome domains identified through a Delphi consensus are recommended for reporting in future facial aging trials to ensure that outcomes that matter most to patients and clinicians are measured and that results are comparable across interventions.

This case series describes multicenter experience with interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor blockers used during attacks in aquaporin 4–immunoglobulin G–positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4+NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated disease (MOGAD).

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a tumor mass involving any extramedullary site composed of myeloid-lineage blasts with myeloid, myelomonocytic, or monocytic differentiation. Distinguishing MS from malignant histiocytic neoplasms (MHNs) is diagnostically challenging due to morphologic and immunophenotypic overlap, particularly for MS with monocytic differentiation, which can mimic MHNs, especially the subtypes of histiocytic sarcoma and interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma, leading to potential misdiagnosis and inappropriate management. Cyclin D1 overexpression is implicated in MHNs, but its utility in differentiating these entities has not been systematically characterized. We evaluated cyclin D1 immunostaining in 43 MS cases and 30 MHNs. The median age at MS diagnosis was 59 years (range: 0.1 to 90), while the median age at MHN diagnosis was 62 years (range: 9 to 90), with heterogeneous sites of involvement. Cyclin D1 evaluation showed 100% MHNs with strong cyclin D1 positivity in ≥50% tumor cells, compared with 7% MS with weak-to-intermediate positivity in a minor subset of tumor cells. Additional immunohistochemical evaluation showed no difference in PU.1 expression in MHNs (93%) versus MS (84%) but demonstrated a higher proportion of OCT2-positivity in MHNs over MS (52% vs. 23%, P <0.05). Our study demonstrates a high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (93%) in utilizing cyclin D1 to distinguish MHNs (mature phenotype) from MS (immature phenotype) in diagnostic practice. It is particularly valuable in challenging scenarios of MS with the absence of immature/myeloid lineage-defining markers (MPO, CD34, or CD117) and provides a cost-effective tool to resolve this diagnostic pitfall, ensuring an accurate subclassification.

Abstract Objective Invasive presurgical evaluation plays a key role in pediatric epilepsy surgery, particularly in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐negative cases, by guiding resective, disconnective, or ablative procedures. This International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Taskforce study provides an updated global overview of current invasive evaluation practices. Methods Group‐level data were collected from 61 epilepsy surgery programs (49 pediatric‐only) in 29 countries across six continents. Included were children and adolescents who underwent presurgical evaluation and epilepsy surgery in 2023. The study was designed to enable comparison with the similar ILAE survey conducted in 2004. Results A total of 2427 patients were included. Invasive evaluations were performed in 21.1% of cases, most frequently in North America (33.7%, higher than Europe: 18.0%, p = .003). Among invasive cases, 32.3% had no detectable MRI abnormalities. The main indication for invasive evaluation was seizure onset localization (88.1%), followed by motor or sensory mapping (17.2%) and language mapping (14.2%). Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) was the predominant technique (19.8% overall, 93.6% of invasive cases), more common in North America (30.0%, p = .021) and less common in South America (7.4%, p < .001). Subdural electrodes were used in only 3.2% of invasive cases, and combined depth and subdural approaches in 3.2%. SEEG‐guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF‐TC) was performed in 40.9% of SEEG cases, most commonly in Asia (63.8%). In 16.2% of invasive evaluations, patients did not proceed to resection, disconnection, or ablation, with the highest rate in Europe (28.5%). Significance This global survey provides the first broad overview of invasive evaluation practices in pediatric epilepsy surgery across participating centers worldwide. It highlights the widespread adoption of SEEG, declining use of subdural electrodes, and increasing application of SEEG‐guided RF‐TC. The high proportion of MRI‐negative cases and the considerable proportion of patients not proceeding to resection, disconnection, or ablation underscore the complexity of contemporary surgical candidates and the need for further refinement of selection strategies.

Summary Human spaceflight has historically been led by government agencies, but the emergence of commercial organizations is enabling broader participation and new research opportunities. In this study, we present a comprehensive molecular characterization of early human responses to spaceflight, leveraging multi-omics data across the first three weeks of two commercial missions. Biospecimens from six individuals, four from the Axiom 2 mission (10 days) and two from Axiom 3 (21 days), were analyzed using single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing, alongside proteomic profiling. Individual and integrative analyses of these datasets reveal systemic changes in cell types, transcripts, and proteins related to immune regulation, osteoclast differentiation, NF-κB signaling, and blood homeostasis pathways. Importantly, several of the detected pathways align with physiological patterns observed in longer-duration missions. This work establishes a foundational resource for understanding early adaptation to spaceflight at the cellular and molecular levels, providing insights to reduce future space-travel health risks. Highlights First integrated multi-omics analysis using single-cell, bulk RNA sequencing and proteomic profiling of early human spaceflight responses across two commercial missions (Ax-2 and Ax-3). Distinct PBMC clustering was observed across Ax-2 and Ax-3, and post-flight samples. It showed fewer monocytes, dendritic cells, and megakaryocytes with increased naïve CD4⁺ and cytotoxic T cells. Multi-omics integration identifies shared biological signatures, including osteoclast differentiation, metabolic stress, and coagulation changes. These findings lay the foundation for developing countermeasures to protect immune, skeletal, and vascular health during spaceflight.