Automated quantitative image analysis for ex vivo metastasis assays reveals differing lung composition requirements for metastasis suppression by KISS1

Latent DNA detection on items of forensic relevance

This review focusses on the use of DNA binding dyes to detect and record the presence of latent DNA on items of forensic relevance. Latent DNA can be crucial in forensic investigations and remains invisible unless an enhancement method is applied. Latent DNA is deposited on items of forensic relevance through various modes of transfer, with direct contact between skin and the item being the most common. Skin cells, otherwise called dead keratinocytes or corneocytes, have been shown to contain highly variable amounts of DNA. There is no standardised presumptive test for skin cells, but the advent of DNA-binding dyes allowed for the first time, the presence and number of stained corneocytes to be recorded. A commonly used DNA binding dye is Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye (DD). The dye has been used to detect the presence of latent DNA within biological deposits on a range of substrates and has been used to assess shedder status. This review discusses the many potential benefits of staining a substrate with a dye to detect latent DNA and then being able to target collection of a sample only where there is cellular material present. Despite advantages, the use of dyes to detect cellular material has not transitioned into forensic science practice; the reasons for this are discussed including some of the problems of dye staining of substrates. The review concludes by highlighting opportunities for conducting research to monitor cell deposition, persistence and transfer.

The efficacy of Diamond™ nucleic acid dye-stained cell counting techniques for forensic application

Touch DNA is one of the most common types of biological material collected during criminal investigations. Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye (DD) has been shown to aid in touch sample visualisation and target sampling. It has also been used as a method of shedder categorisation that is cheaper and quicker than DNA methods. However, the DD method routinely involves manual cell counting, which can result in intra and inter-person variability similar to other manual techniques used in forensic science, for example, fingerprint identification. Additionally, DD based shedder categorisation involves counting cells in a portion of the touch deposit to extrapolate an individual's shedder status, and the sampling effect of such estimations is currently unknown. The present study tested different data analysis aspects of the DD method, including counting variability within and between people, shedder classification differences based on different counting methods (entire thumbprint, sub-section of a print with most cells, sub-section of a print deemed most representative of the entire thumbprint, and random sections), the use of ImageJ software to semi-automate counting and the use and extension of the DD method for investigating DNA Transfer, Persistence, Prevalence and Recovery (DNA-TPPR). The results of this study show that there are meaningful differences observed during counting processes both between and within people. These differences tended to increase as the factor of time, or the duration of counting, rather than the complexity of cell deposits being assessed. Investment in cell counting software that eliminates personal factors, such as boredom fatigue, can remedy most of these issues, however, will require optimisation, such as fibre recognition. Shedder testing was shown to be affected by the choice of sampling and categorisation methods, and suggested that using an entire finger or larger section size can provide increased precision. Finally, inverted worn gloves stained with DD may provide an acceptable alternative for hands in DNA-TPPR investigations, providing an interesting alternative for future research.

KISS1 metastasis suppressor in tumor dormancy: a potential therapeutic target for metastatic cancers?

Present therapeutic approaches do not effectively target metastatic cancers, often limited by their inability to eliminate already-seeded non-proliferative, growth-arrested, or therapy-resistant tumor cells. Devising effective approaches targeting dormant tumor cells has been a focus of cancer clinicians for decades. However, progress has been limited due to limited understanding of the tumor dormancy process. Studies on tumor dormancy have picked up pace and have resulted in the identification of several regulators. This review focuses on KISS1, a metastasis suppressor gene that suppresses metastasis by keeping tumor cells in a state of dormancy at ectopic sites. The review explores mechanistic insights of KISS1 and discusses its potential application as a therapeutic against metastatic cancers by eliminating quiescent cells or inducing long-term dormancy in tumor cells.

KISS1 in metastatic cancer research and treatment: potential and paradoxes

The significance of KISS1 goes beyond its original discovery as a metastasis suppressor. Its function as a neuropeptide involved in diverse physiologic processes is more well studied. Enthusiasm regarding KISS1 has cumulated in clinical trials in multiple fields related to reproduction and metabolism. But its cancer therapeutic space is unsettled. This review focuses on collating data from cancer and non-cancer fields in order to understand shared and disparate signaling that might inform clinical development in the cancer therapeutic and biomarker space. Research has focused on amino acid residues 68-121 (kisspeptin 54), binding to the KISS1 receptor and cellular responses. Evidence and counterevidence regarding this canonical pathway require closer look at the covariates so that the incredible potential of KISS1 can be realized.

Role of the tumor microenvironment in regulating the anti-metastatic effect of KISS1

KISS1, a metastasis suppressor gene, has been shown to block metastasis without affecting primary tumor formation. Loss of KISS1 leads to invasion and metastasis in multiple cancers, which is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality. The discovery of KISS1 has provided a ray of hope for early clinical diagnosis and for designing effective treatments targeting metastatic cancer. However, this goal requires greater holistic understanding of its mechanism of action. In this review, we go back into history and highlight some key developments, from the discovery of KISS1 to its role in regulating multiple physiological processes including cancer. We discuss key emerging roles for KISS1, specifically interactions with tissue microenvironment to promote dormancy and regulation of tumor cell metabolism, acknowledged as some of the key players in tumor progression and metastasis. We finally discuss strategies whereby KISS1 might be exploited clinically to treat metastasis.

IoT Utilized Gas-Leakage Monitoring System with Adaptive Controls Applicable to Dual Fuel Powered Naval Vessels/Ships: Development & Implementation

Leakage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Liquified Natural Gas (LPG/LNG) produces hazardous and toxic impact on humans and other living creatures. The authors developed a system to monitor and control the gas leakage concentration. MQ-6 gas sensor is used for sensing the level of gas concentration in a closed volume. To monitor the consequences of environmental changes an IoT platform hosted by “Thingspeak” platform has been introduced. Both robust and cloud-forwarded controls have been applied to prevent uncontrolled leakage of those gases and auto-ignition. This type of system can be directly applied to the engine chamber/ fuel chamber of the modern marine vessels using dual fuel power cycle with LPG/LNG as secondary fuel-flamer. The results from the experiments clearly indicate satisfactory actuation speed and accuracy. The trials performed by the authors showed about 99% efficiency of signal transmission and actuation.

Understanding and Modeling Metastasis Biology to Improve Therapeutic Strategies for Combating Osteosarcoma Progression

Osteosarcoma is a malignant primary tumor of bone, arising from transformed progenitor cells with osteoblastic differentiation and osteoid production. While categorized as a rare tumor, most patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma are adolescents in their second decade of life and underscores the potential for life changing consequences in this vulnerable population. In the setting of localized disease, conventional treatment for osteosarcoma affords a cure rate approaching 70%; however, survival for patients suffering from metastatic disease remain disappointing with only 20% of individuals being alive past 5 years post-diagnosis. In patients with incurable disease, pulmonary metastases remain the leading cause for osteosarcoma-associated mortality; yet identifying new strategies for combating metastatic progression remains at a scientific and clinical impasse, with no significant advancements for the past four decades. While there is resonating clinical urgency for newer and more effective treatment options for managing osteosarcoma metastases, the discovery of druggable targets and development of innovative therapies for inhibiting metastatic progression will require a deeper and more detailed understanding of osteosarcoma metastasis biology. Toward the goal of illuminating the processes involved in cancer metastasis, a convergent science approach inclusive of diverse disciplines spanning the biology and physical science domains can offer novel and synergistic perspectives, inventive, and sophisticated model systems, and disruptive experimental approaches that can accelerate the discovery and characterization of key processes operative during metastatic progression. Through the lens of trans-disciplinary research, the field of comparative oncology is uniquely positioned to advance new discoveries in metastasis biology toward impactful clinical translation through the inclusion of pet dogs diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma. Given the spontaneous course of osteosarcoma development in the context of real-time tumor microenvironmental cues and immune mechanisms, pet dogs are distinctively valuable in translational modeling given their faithful recapitulation of metastatic disease progression as occurs in humans. Pet dogs can be leveraged for the exploration of novel therapies that exploit tumor cell vulnerabilities, perturb local microenvironmental cues, and amplify immunologic recognition. In this capacity, pet dogs can serve as valuable corroborative models for realizing the science and best clinical practices necessary for understanding and combating osteosarcoma metastases.

Provocative questions in osteosarcoma basic and translational biology: A report from the Children's Oncology Group

Patients who are diagnosed with osteosarcoma (OS) today receive the same therapy that patients have received over the last 4 decades. Extensive efforts to identify more effective or less toxic regimens have proved disappointing. As we enter a postgenomic era in which we now recognize OS not as a cancer of mutations but as one defined by p53 loss, chromosomal complexity, copy number alteration, and profound heterogeneity, emerging threads of discovery leave many hopeful that an improving understanding of biology will drive discoveries that improve clinical care. Under the organization of the Bone Tumor Biology Committee of the Children's Oncology Group, a team of clinicians and scientists sought to define the state of the science and to identify questions that, if answered, have the greatest potential to drive fundamental clinical advances. Having discussed these questions in a series of meetings, each led by invited experts, we distilled these conversations into a series of seven Provocative Questions. These include questions about the molecular events that trigger oncogenesis, the genomic and epigenomic drivers of disease, the biology of lung metastasis, research models that best predict clinical outcomes, and processes for translating findings into clinical trials. Here, we briefly present each Provocative Question, review the current scientific evidence, note the immediate opportunities, and speculate on the impact that answered questions might have on the field. We do so with an intent to provide a framework around which investigators can build programs and collaborations to tackle the hardest problems and to establish research priorities for those developing policies and providing funding.