Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine

Patient Journey and Treatment Patterns of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer in Mexico.

Scavuzzo Anna A, Castillejos-Molina Ricardo Alonso RA, Bravo-Castro Iván I, Jiménez-Ríos Miguel A MA et al.

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounts for most newly diagnosed bladder tumors, yet little is known about how it is managed in Mexico, particularly during prolonged Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) shortages. This retrospective, multicenter observational study characterized the clinical and histopathological profile, the diagnostic and treatment timelines, and the adherence to guideline-recommended care of patients with NMIBC treated at three tertiary referral hospitals in Mexico City. The records of 221 adults diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2020 were reviewed, and the risk of recurrence or progression was classified according to the European Association of Urology 2019 classification. The median age was 68 years (interquartile range [IQR] 59-75) and the male-to-female ratio was 3:1. Hematuria was the most frequent presenting symptom (83.3%). Three-quarters of patients had T1 tumors, 6.3% had concomitant carcinoma in situ, 84.6% had high-grade tumors, and 92.8% were at high risk of recurrence or progression. The median interval from symptom onset to histopathologic diagnosis was 167 days (IQR 81-329) and varied between centers. After diagnosis, the median time to second-look resection was 67 days (IQR 33.5-112) and to the first BCG instillation 92.5 days (IQR 41.8-165.5). Adjuvant intravesical therapy was administered to 66% of patients, most often BCG, although fewer than half of the BCG-treated patients (45%) completed induction, and 40% of the patients eligible for a second-look transurethral resection did not undergo it. Thirty percent of patients had no documented post-treatment surveillance. These real-world data provide a baseline description of NMIBC care in Mexican tertiary centers and identify specific, measurable gaps that may inform standardization and quality-improvement efforts in resource-constrained settings.

Panicum virgatum L. salt tolerance improved by inoculation with multi-stress tolerant Bacillus.

Lachhab Assia A, Whalen Joann K JK

Soil salinity is a key limiting factor for agricultural production, even for moderately salt-tolerant crops such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). We hypothesized that switchgrass resistance to salt stress will increase when seeds are inoculated with bacteria that support plant physiological (antioxidant enzymes, proline) and morphological (root system architecture) adaptations in salt-affected soil. In this study, we inoculated switchgrass seed with multi-stress tolerant bacteria, either Bacillus velezensis H1B18 or Bacillus mojavensis H1B5, and grew the seed in salt-affected soils with electrical conductivity from 0.5 to 9.8 dS m⁻¹. Compared to uninoculated switchgrass, plants inoculated with Bacillus strains had greater superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities, which counteract oxidative stress, and accumulated 22-271% more proline after 4 wk. Furthermore, switchgrass inoculated with Bacillus maintained its root system architecture (root total length, surface area, and volume) as the soil salinity increased. This produced taller plants with more above-ground biomass. For example, the B. velezensis H1B18-inoculated switchgrass was 54-161% taller and had 3.3-7.4 times more shoot biomass than the uninoculated switchgrass. Overall, switchgrass resistance to salt stress was improved by multi-stress tolerant Bacillus that promoted plant growth, physiological and morphological traits in salt-affected soils. The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-026-01530-8.

First mRNA Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Phase III Trial.

Adding the mRNA-based individualized neoantigen vaccine intismeran autogene to the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab following surgery for melanoma reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 42%, according to the results of the phase III INTerpath-0001 trial. The data were presented at the ESMO Congress 2026, held October 23-27, in Madrid, Spain.

Innovative vaccine strategies for sustainable control and eradication of peste des petits ruminants virus.

Bello Muhammad Bashir MB, Hameed Sodiq A SA, Abdullahi Adama Musa AM, Lawal Nafi'u N et al.