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PanNETs are often associated with somatic mutations in the MEN1, DAXX, ATRX, PTEN, TSC2, and PIK3CA genes, with the MEN1 gene most frequently mutated (Jiao et al., 2011). MEN1 is a tumor suppressor gene that codes menin, a protein found in the nucleus that regulates chromatin remodeling and plays a role in cell cycle regulation (Jiao et al., 2011). A study by Schnepp et al. found that excision of the MEN1 gene in embryonic mouse tissue led to misregulation of the G0/G1 checkpoint and accelerated entry into S-phase, as well as downregulation of CDK inhibitors in the pancreas (Schnepp et al., 2006). Therefore, MEN1 is a crucial gene to prioritize in treatment as its mutated form can lead to proliferation of cells and eventually, PanNETs. The five other genes mentioned previously will also be studied to understand their interaction with MEN1, but as MEN1 is most frequently mutated, it will be the main focus of treatment. More specifically, the researchers would like to prevent MEN1 excision from occurring and explore targeted treatments involving molecules possibly related to this excision, although more research must be performed in order to find these. Further exploration of this may lead to additional signaling pathways the researchers can utilize in targeted treatment.

The research article is broken up into the level 1 headings of abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. The methods section, for example, has the level 2 headings of study site, field methods, epiphyte field identification and species groupings, and analytical methods. This is particularly useful for clarifying specific parts of a singular experiment. In contrast, the mini-review article has level 1 headings for each question it asks, such as “why should we try to construct models of communities?” and “if press or pulse methods could be applied, could we build a predictive model?” This is useful for addressing broader concepts from multiple different experiments and articles. I am not surprised by this distinction between the two formatting levels, but would also not be surprised to see level 2 headings in other review-style articles for further specification. I think although the formality of many heading levels is more commonplace in research articles than review, it may just be a byproduct of the research articles being more specific about a singular experiment. Depending on the review article, I wouldn’t be surprised to see up to level 3 headings, provided the concepts are multifaceted enough.

It is crucial to recognize and understand the different styles of scientific writing when reading articles, integrating concepts, and conducting research. The two articles assigned are of two different types: one classic research and one mini-review. The research article, “Neighbor Relations within a Community of Epiphytic Lichens and Bryophytes,” has a more formal layout than the mini-review article, “Describing and quantifying interspecific interactions: a commentary on recent approaches.” The research article is divided up by formal sections: abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. In contrast, the mini-review article is divided up by different questions, such as “why should we try to construct models of communities?” and “if press or pulse methods could be applied, could we build a predictive model?” The mini-review article has an abstract of its own, but the information within it is different than that of the research article. The abstract of the research article is of a singular experimental nature, while the abstract of the mini-review article addresses multiple research articles and their findings.

Blastomas include types of cancers that originate from abnormalities in precursor cells, called blasts. These cancers are more common in children, perhaps because more cells are growing and dividing in different regions of the body than those of an adult’s. Many blastomas are related to mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which is involved in the cell cycle. Retinoblastoma is a specific type of cancer included in this category. It is almost exclusively found in young children and develops in the retina. Many treatments involve eye surgery or eye removal, however, this cancer is survivable. A decent amount of information is known about this disease: there is a heritable form and a non-heritable form. Bilateral cases tend to be heritable, while unilateral cases tend to be non-heritable. A common mutation that can lead to the heritable form of retinoblastoma is that of the Rb1 protein on chromosome 13 and can be explained by the two-hit model, where an affected individual must have the deleterious mutation on both alleles inherited from the parents.

Cancer, due to its widespread nature, has many methods of classification and diverse nomenclature. One example of this is the difference between a carcinoma and a sarcoma. Carcinomas are cancers that arise from epithelial cells, while sarcomas arise from cells of mesenchymal origin. This means they arise from connective tissue cells, such as the cartilage, fat, muscle, and vasculature. Blood cells are also included in this category.

One rare form of cancer is leiomyosarcoma. This is a malignant cancer of smooth muscle tissue that accounts for 10-20% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Since this type of tissue can be found nearly anywhere in the body, so can this type of tumor. More commonly, it is found in the small intestine, uterus, and stomach. Leiomyosarcomas are more unpredictable than most cancers and are generally resistant to treatment, such as chemotherapy and radiation. It can also remain dormant and recur for many years. Currently, the best method of treatment is surgery while the tumor is still small.

Upon closer examination, the larva has approximately 13 small black dots along the sides of its body, each corresponding to one of its segments. The larva also has three larger black spots on its left side more dorsal and towards its posterior. The larva’s head is brown and moves in space around the container, possibly in an attempt to discern its surroundings. The tip of the head appears the darkest of the whole region and its purpose is unclear. The tail of the larva is the same beige color as the body, although there are two small black dots on the end. When the larva moves, the tail inches forwards first and the rest of the body subsequently moves forward to compensate, propelling the larva ahead in peristaltic motion. The larva moves relatively slow around the outside rim of the container but is not limited to this pace. At times, the larva sticks its tail into the air, but does not move it around as much as its head. Perhaps this is another strategy to sense its surroundings.

The organism placed in front of me appears to be a larva of some sort and is beige in color. It is in a small, transparent, cylindrical container that has three pieces of what look like wood chips inside. The larva moves along the outer rim of the container through a peristaltic motion and continually walks over these wood chips. The larva has three apparent black spots on the left side of its abdomen towards the end of its body. Upon closer examination, the larva has approximately 13 smaller black dots along each side of its body, corresponding to each of its sections. The larva’s head is brown and moves in space around the container, possibly in an attempt to discern its surroundings. At the tip of the head, the brown region turns into a darker shade. The tail of the larva is the same beige color as the body, although there are two small black dots on the end. When the larva moves, the tail inches forwards first and then the rest of the body moves forward to compensate for the difference, creating a wave-like motion that propels the larva ahead. The larva moves relatively slow around the outside rim but is not limited to this pace. At times, the larva sticks its tail into the air, but does not move it around as much as its head. Perhaps this is another strategy to sense its surroundings. The larva has approximately seven pairs of legs underneath, three pairs in the front half of the body and four pairs in the back half. It is important to note that the middle section of the larva does not have any pairs of legs, this encompasses approximately two of its sections. The front and back legs are different, the front ones are longer and brown while the back ones are shorter and black. The back legs are more stub-like, which could be a trait that helps the larva grip the surface it is moving on since the back end of the body is the first to move forward. This way, the larva can maintain its forward motion and not be moved backwards as a result of the front of the body moving. The longer front legs could be for more of a sensory purpose, they seem to move around a fair amount as the larva moves along the outer rim of the container. Upon closer examination of the top of the larva, it appears slightly translucent. There are two gray lines running on either side inside the larva with a white section in the middle. This discrepancy is more apparent when the larva moves.