Calcium is a universal secondary messenger that triggers many cellular responses. However, it is unclear how a calcium signal is coordinately decoded by different calcium sensors, which in turn regulate downstream targets to fulfill a specific physiological function. Here we show that SOS2-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE5 (PKS5) can negatively regulate the Salt-Overly-Sensitive signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. PKS5 can interact with and phosphorylate SOS2 at Ser²⁹⁴, promote the interaction between SOS2 and 14-3-3 proteins, and repress SOS2 activity. However, salt stress promotes an interaction between 14-3-3 proteins and PKS5, repressing its kinase activity and releasing inhibition of SOS2. We provide evidence that 14-3-3 proteins bind to Ca²⁺, and that Ca²⁺ modulates 14-3-3-dependent regulation of SOS2 and PKS5 kinase activity. Our results suggest that a salt-induced calcium signal is decoded by 14-3-3 and SOS3/SCaBP8 proteins, which selectively activate/inactivate the downstream protein kinases SOS2 and PKS5 to regulate Na⁺ homeostasis by coordinately mediating plasma membrane Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter and H⁺-ATPase activity.

Optical active Pancharatnam–Berry coding metasurfaces for amplitude modulation of terahertz beams.

Objective: To determine the impact of histology on pathologic response, survival outcomes, and recurrence patterns in patients with esophageal cancer (EC) who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Summary of Background Data: There is a paucity of data regarding comparative outcomes after neoadjuvant CRT between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma. Methods: Between 2002 and 2015, 895 EC patients who underwent neoadjuvant CRT followed by esophagectomy at 3 academic institutions were retrospectively reviewed, including 207 patients with SCC (23.1%) and 688 patients with adenocarcinoma (76.9%). Pathologic response, survival, recurrence pattern, and potential prognostic factors were compared. Results: Pathologic complete response (pCR) rate was significantly higher for SCC compared with adenocarcinoma (44.9% vs 25.9%, P < 0.001). After a median follow-up of 52.9 months, 71 patients (34.3%) with SCC versus 297 patients (43.2%) with adenocarcinoma had recurrent disease (P = 0.023). For patients who achieved a pCR, no significant differences were found in recurrence pattern, sites, or survival end-points between the 2 histology groups. For non-pCR patients, the SCC group demonstrated significantly higher regional and supraclavicular recurrence rates but a lower hematogenous metastasis rate than adenocarcinoma patients, whereas the adenocarcinoma patients had a more favorable locoregional failure-free survival (P = 0.005) and worse distant metastasis-free survival (P = 0.024). No differences were found in overall survival (P = 0.772) or recurrence-free survival (P = 0.696) between groups. Conclusions: SCC was associated with a significantly higher pCR rate than adenocarcinoma. Recurrence pattern and survival outcomes were significantly different between the 2 histology subtypes in non-pCR patients.

Background: Novel nonpharmacological therapies are being developed to prevent cognitive decline and reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with dementia. Virtual reality (VR) reminiscence was reported to improve anxiety, apathy, and cognitive function immediately after intervention in individuals at residential aged care facilities. However, its effect on elderly patients with dementia and how long this effect could last remain unknown. Objective: The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of immersive VR reminiscence in people with dementia both immediately after and 3-6 months after intervention. Methods: A pilot study was conducted in 2 dementia care units. VR reminiscence therapy sessions were conducted twice per week for a 3-month period. Cognitive function, global status, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden were assessed before and immediately after VR intervention in 20 participants. Subsequently, 7 participants were reassessed 3-6 months after the VR intervention. Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used for statistical comparisons of the changes. Results: There were no significant changes in cognitive function, global status, and caregiver burden immediately after the VR intervention, but there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (P=.008). Moreover, compared with the cognitive function immediately after VR, it kept declining 3-6 months after. Conclusions: Immersive VR reminiscence can improve mood and preserve cognitive function in elderly patients with dementia during the period of the intervention. Studies using a control group and comparing the use of VR with traditional forms of reminiscence should be conducted in the future to confirm and expand on these findings.