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Reinforcement Learning for Diffusion LLMs with Entropy-Guided Step Selection and Stepwise Advantages
Optimize Wider, Not Deeper: Consensus Aggregation for Policy Optimization
Feynman: Knowledge-Infused Diagramming Agent for Scalable Visual Designs
CarPLAN: Context-Adaptive and Robust Planning with Dynamic Scene Awareness for Autonomous Driving
RetroReasoner: A Reasoning LLM for Strategic Retrosynthesis Prediction
Interrogating Design Homogenization in Web Vibe Coding
PhysMoDPO: Physically-Plausible Humanoid Motion with Preference Optimization
SkillsBench: Benchmarking How Well Agent Skills Work Across Diverse Tasks
Integration of TinyML and LargeML: A Survey of 6G and Beyond
Neural-Quantum-States Impurity Solver for Quantum Embedding Problems
When to Ensemble: Identifying Token-Level Points for Stable and Fast LLM Ensembling
First-line zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab in unresectable CLDN18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a phase 2 trial
Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04306-9
In cohort 4 of the ILUSTRO trial, combination of anti-CLDN18.2 zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab in patients with CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma led to encouraging clinical efficacy, supporting the testing of this combination in a phase 3 trial.Noninvasive biomarkers in thymic epithelial tumors: a systematic review of cfDNA/ctDNA detection, molecular profiling, and organoid-based monitoring
J Thorac Dis. 2026 Feb 28;18(2):171. doi: 10.21037/jtd-2025-1-2467. Epub 2026 Feb 26.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), including thymomas and thymic carcinomas, are rare malignancies with limited treatment options and no established biomarkers for surveillance. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provide a non-invasive method for understanding tumor biology, detecting minimal residual disease (MRD), and possibly identifying recurrence. While this approach has added to the management of other solid tumors, its role in TETs remains poorly defined. The objective of this review was to evaluate the feasibility, molecular insights, and clinical utility of cfDNA and ctDNA for diagnosis, molecular profiling, and recurrence monitoring in TETs.
METHODS: This systematic review summarizes the current evidence on cfDNA and ctDNA in TETs. Studies were identifies through systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting abstracts from inception through July 2025. Eligible studies reported cfDNA or ctDNA analysis in patients with histologically confirmed thymoma or thymic carcinoma, and excluded reviews, commentaries, abstracts without full text, and non-blood based liquid biopsy studies. Data extraction included patient characteristics, assay platforms, mutational findings, and clinical applications. Data were synthesized narratively due to methodological heterogeneity. No formal risk of bias assessment was performed because of the small number of included studies.
RESULTS: Six studies involving 289 patients met inclusion criteria. ctDNA detection was feasible across all studies, with detection rates ranging from 46% to 80%. Recurrent alterations included TP53, CDKN2A/B, KIT, and other variants. Liquid biopsy enabled genomic profiling at diagnosis and dynamic monitoring during treatment. Notably, several studies have suggested that disease recurrence may be detectable through liquid biopsy prior to the appearance of radiographic changes on conventional imaging. Despite these promising observations, evidence remains limited by small sample size, variability in assay methods, and short follow up duration.
CONCLUSIONS: Liquid biopsy approaches based on cfDNA and ctDNA have shown applicability in TETs and provide clinically relevant molecular information in settings where tissue-based analysis is limited. Tumor informed ctDNA strategies show particular promise for postoperative monitoring and longitudinal disease assessment, whereas broader clinical adoption remains investigational. Further prospective, multicenter studies are needed to establish standardized workflows and clarify the role of liquid biopsy across diagnostic, therapeutic, and surveillance contexts in TETs.
PMID:41816481 | PMC:PMC12972770 | DOI:10.21037/jtd-2025-1-2467
Lense–Thirring precessing magnetar engine drives a superluminous supernova
Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10151-0
Observations of a nearby type I superluminous supernova showing oscillating light-curve bumps provide evidence of a centrally located magnetar in the wake of the explosion, surrounded by an infalling accretion disk undergoing Lense–Thirring precession.Intestinal interoceptive dysfunction drives age-associated cognitive decline
Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10191-6
Age-related microbiome changes increase medium-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, driving GPR84-mediated myeloid inflammation, impaired vagal signalling and hippocampal dysfunction; targeting this gut–brain pathway restores memory in aged mice.A sorghum pangenome reference improves global crop trait discovery
Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10229-9
A pangenome reference for the phenotypically diverse crop sorghum aims to help accelerate future efforts to breed crops that are better adapted to changing environments.Nanophotonic waveguide chip-to-world beam scanning
Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10038-6
A monolithically integrated photonic ski-jump enables scalable, diffraction-limited 2D beam scanning from photonic chips, achieving ultrahigh spot rates, compact footprints and applications spanning displays, sensing and quantum photonics.Immune evasive DNA donors and recombinases license kilobase-scale writing
Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10241-z
INSTALL overcomes fundamental challenges for DNA delivery and integration methods by synergizing immune-stealth nucleic acids with recombinases to enable kilobase-scale integration strategies without viral vectors.