Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Sensitivity to Endocrine Therapy Index and 21-Gene Breast Recurrence Score in the SWOG S8814 Trial

PURPOSE Chemotherapy has not demonstrated benefit over adjuvant endocrine therapy alone for postmenopausal patients with node-positive breast cancer with a 21-gene breast recurrence score (RS) of 25 or below (RS ≤ 25). We tested whether combined results from RS and the sensitivity to endocrine therapy (SET2,3) index of endocrine-related transcription (SETER/PR) adjusted for baseline prognostic index (BPI) improve prognostic assessment, and whether SET2,3 predicted benefit from anthracycline-based chemotherapy. METHODS A blinded retrospective clinical validation of SET2,3 in two randomized treatment arms from the SWOG S8814 trial comparing adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen endocrine therapy for 5 years, versus tamoxifen alone. SET2,3 assay was calibrated and measured using whole-transcriptome RNA sequence of tumor samples already tested for RS. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS There were 106 events in 283 patients over a median follow-up of 8.99 years. Proportional hazards assumptions were met during the first 5 years only. SET2,3 index and RS were not correlated (r = –0.04) and were independently prognostic (SET2,3: hazard ratio [HR], 0.48 per unit; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.68; P < .001; RS: HR, 1.28 per 10 units; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.44; P < .001). SET2,3 index did not predict chemotherapy benefit (interaction P = .77). SET2,3 was high in 93/175 (53%) patients with RS ≤ 25 (concordant low-risk), with 5-year DFS 97%. SET2,3 was low in 55/108 (51%) patients with RS > 25 (concordant high-risk), with 5-year DFS 53%. Both components of SET2,3 index were prognostic after adjustment for RS: SETER/PR (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.92) and BPI (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.64). CONCLUSION SET2,3 index was not correlated with RS, demonstrated additive prognostic performance, and was not chemopredictive in this subset of patients from S8814. The SETER/PR and BPI components of SET2,3 each added prognostic information to RS.
Use of portable air purifiers to reduce aerosols in hospital settings and cut down the clinical backlog

Abstract SARS-CoV-2 has severely affected capacity in the National Health Service (NHS), and waiting lists are markedly increasing due to downtime of up to 50 min between patient consultations/procedures, to reduce the risk of infection. Ventilation accelerates this air cleaning, but retroactively installing built-in mechanical ventilation is often cost-prohibitive. We investigated the effect of using portable air cleaners (PAC), a low-energy and low-cost alternative, to reduce the concentration of aerosols in typical patient consultation/procedure environments. The experimental setup consisted of an aerosol generator, which mimicked the subject affected by SARS-CoV-19, and an aerosol detector, representing a subject who could potentially contract SARS-CoV-19. Experiments of aerosol dispersion and clearing were undertaken in situ in a variety of rooms with two different types of PAC in various combinations and positions. Correct use of PAC can reduce the clearance half-life of aerosols by 82% compared to the same indoor-environment without any ventilation, and at a broadly equivalent rate to built-in mechanical ventilation. In addition, the highest level of aerosol concentration measured when using PAC remains at least 46% lower than that when no mitigation is used, even if the PAC's operation is impeded due to placement under a table. The use of PAC leads to significant reductions in the level of aerosol concentration, associated with transmission of droplet-based airborne diseases. This could enable NHS departments to reduce the downtime between consultations/procedures
Comparison of reorganized versus unaltered cardiology departments during the COVID-19 era: A subanalysis of the COV-HF-SIRIO 6 study

Background Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous cardiology departments were reorganized to provide care for COVID-19 patients. We aimed to compare the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and in-hospital mortality in reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments. Methods The present research is a subanalysis of a multicenter retrospective COV-HF-SIRIO 6 study that includes all patients (n = 101,433) hospitalized in 24 cardiology departments in Poland between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020, with a focus on patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Results Reduction of all-cause hospitalizations was 50.6% vs. 21.3% for reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments in 2020 vs. 2019, respectively (p < 0.0001). Considering AHF alone respective reductions by 46.5% and 15.2% were registered (p < 0.0001). A higher percentage of patients was brought in by ambulance to reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments (51.7% vs. 34.6%; p < 0.0001) alongside with a lower rate of self-referrals (45.7% vs. 58.4%; p < 0.0001). The rate of all-cause in-hospital mortality in AHF patients was higher in reorganized than unaltered cardiology departments (10.9% vs. 6.4%; p < 0.0001). After the exclusion of patients with concomitant COVID-19, the mortality rates did not differ significantly (6.9% vs. 6.4%; p = 0.55). Conclusions A greater reduction in hospital admissions in 2020 vs. 2019, higher rates of patients brought by ambulance together with lower rates of self-referrals and higher all-cause in-hospital mortality for AHF due to COVID-19 related deaths were observed in cardiology departments reorganized to provide care for COVID-19 patients vs. unaltered ones.
Intact reading ability despite lacking a canonical visual word form area in an individual born without the left superior temporal lobe

ABSTRACT The visual word form area (VWFA), a region canonically located within left ventral temporal cortex (VTC), is specialized for orthography in literate adults presumbly due to its connectivity with frontotemporal language regions. But is a typical, left-lateralized language network critical for the VWFA’s emergence? We investigated this question in an individual (EG) born without the left superior temporal lobe but who has normal reading ability. EG showed canonical typical face-selectivity bilateraly but no wordselectivity either in right VWFA or in the spared left VWFA. Moreover, in contrast with the idea that the VWFA is simply part of the language network, no part of EG’s VTC showed selectivity to higher-level linguistic processing. Interestingly, EG’s VWFA showed reliable multivariate patterns that distinguished words from other categories. These results suggest that a typical left-hemisphere language network is necessary for acanonical VWFA, and that orthographic processing can otherwise be supported by a distributed neural code.
Mechano/acousto-electric coupling between ReS2 and surface acoustic wave

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising candidates for developing next generation electronic/optoelectronic devices with programmable multi functions, due to their widely tunable properties by various physical stimuli. Mechanical strain is one of the most promising means to effectively modulate the physical properties of 2D materials. Nevertheless, few studies reported micro/nano scale controllable strain application platforms, limiting the development of novel mechano-electrical/optoelectrical devices based on 2D materials. This work proposes surface acoustic wave (SAW) device as a controllable strain modulation platform for 2D materials with sub-micro scale resolution. The platform uses the piezoelectric material (LiNbO3) as the substrate, which is deposited with interdigitated transducers (IDT) to generate SAW on the surface. The propagation of SAW causes surface deformation, which is then transferred to the 2D materials on the substrate. The period of the surface deformation/strain is related with that of SAW, which is determined by the period of IDT with nano meter scale. It is demonstrated that the photo luminescence spectrum of a 2D ReS2 flake on this platform gradually shifts with the SAW excitation power, which reaches a shift of 3 nm as the SAW excitation power achieves 26 dBm, corresponding to a band gap increase of 5 meV. Meanwhile, the platform is also capable to provide acousto-electric coupling between SAW and 2D materials, which is demonstrated by the shift of the SAW resonant frequency due to the re-distribution of photo-generated carriers in ReS2 upon light illumination.
Improving Intraseasonal Prediction with a New Ensemble Generation Strategy

AbstractThe Australian Bureau of Meteorology has recently enhanced its capability to make coupled model forecasts of intraseasonal climate variations. The Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia (POAMA, version 2) seasonal prediction forecast system in operations prior to March 2013, designated P2-S, was not designed for intraseasonal forecasting and has deficiencies in this regard. Most notably, the forecasts were only initialized on the 1st and 15th of each month, and the growth of the ensemble spread in the first 30 days of the forecasts was too slow to be useful on intraseasonal time scales. These deficiencies have been addressed in a system upgrade by initializing more often and through enhancements to the ensemble generation. The new ensemble generation scheme is based on a coupled-breeding approach and produces an ensemble of perturbed atmosphere and ocean states for initializing the forecasts. This scheme impacts favorably on the forecast skill of Australian rainfall and temperature compar.
Molecular Epidemiologic Investigation of Mycobacterium intracellulare Subspecies chimaera Lung Infections at an Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program

Rationale Outbreaks of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) among people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) have been reported at CF centers with conflicting conclusions. The occurrence of NTM at the UVMC (University of Vermont Medical Center) adult CF program was investigated. Objectives Use the HALT NTM (Healthcare-associated Links in Transmission of NTM) toolkit to investigate the healthcare-associated transmission and/or acquisition of NTM among pwCF having genetically similar NTM isolates. Methods Whole genome sequencing of NTM isolates from 23 pwCF was conducted to identify genetically similar NTM isolate clusters (30 or fewer single-nucleotide polymorphism differences). The epidemiological investigation, comparison of respiratory and healthcare environmental isolates, and home residence watershed mapping were analyzed. Results Whole genome sequencing analysis revealed two clusters of NTM isolates (Mycobacterium avium and M. intracellulare ssp. chimaera) among pwCF. The epidemiologic investigation demonstrated opportunities for healthcare-associated transmission within both clusters. Healthcare environmental M. avium isolates revealed no genetic similarity to respiratory isolates. However, M. intracellulare ssp. chimaera respiratory isolates revealed greater genetic similarity to a hospital water biofilm isolate than to each other. Neither cluster had all subjects residing in the same watershed. Conclusions This study suggests the healthcare-associated transmission of M. avium among pwCF is unlikely at UVMC but supports the healthcare-associated environmental acquisition of M. intracellulare ssp. chimaera. The presence of genetically similar isolates alone is insufficient to confirm healthcare-associated transmission and/or acquisition. The HALT NTM toolkit standardizes outbreak investigation with genetic analysis, epidemiologic investigation, healthcare environmental sampling, and home of residence watershed identification to test the frequency and nature of healthcare-associated NTM transmission among pwCF.
Surround suppression in mouse auditory cortex underlies auditory edge detection

Surround suppression (SS) is a fundamental property of sensory processing throughout the brain. In the auditory system, the early processing stream encodes sounds using a one dimensional physical space—frequency. Previous studies in the auditory system have shown SS to manifest as bandwidth tuning around the preferred frequency. We asked whether bandwidth tuning can be found around frequencies away from the preferred frequency. We exploited the simplicity of spectral representation of sounds to study SS by manipulating both sound frequency and bandwidth. We recorded single unit spiking activity from the auditory cortex (ACx) of awake mice in response to an array of broadband stimuli with varying central frequencies and bandwidths. Our recordings revealed that a significant portion of neuronal response profiles had a preferred bandwidth that varied in a regular way with the sound’s central frequency. To gain insight into the possible mechanism underlying these responses, we modelled neuronal activity using a variation of the “Mexican hat” function often used to model SS. The model accounted for response properties of single neurons with high accuracy. Our data and model show that these responses in ACx obey simple rules resulting from the presence of lateral inhibitory sidebands, mostly above the excitatory band of the neuron, that result in sensitivity to the location of top frequency edges, invariant to other spectral attributes. Our work offers a simple explanation for auditory edge detection and possibly other computations of spectral content in sounds.
Evaluation of the new Abbott®Alinity assay for the measurement of thyroglobulin antibodies in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Background Measurement of antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) is important in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) with total thyroidectomy. These patients are monitored based on serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels. TgAb is known to interfere with the measurement of Tg by immunoassay. This study evaluates a new methodology for the measurement of TgAb Alinity Abbott® and the concordance with other methods (first and second generation Advia Centaur Systems Siemens® and Phadia 250 Thermofisher®). Methods The technical characteristics of Alinity TgAb measurement methodology were analysed, with imprecision and repeatable studies. In order to assess concordance, a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 76 samples from patients with DTC and total thyroidectomy were processed in parallel by several TgAb measurement methodologies. Agreement rates were determined using kappa statistics. The correlation between the four methods was examined pairwise using McNemar test analysis. Results The coefficients of variation (standard deviation as a percentage of the mean % CV) for the Alinity Abbott kit reagent TgAb were within 10% included the functional sensitivity. On the other hand, the concordance analysis with the kappa index concluded substantial agreement. The McNemar test showed a significant difference between Alinity versus Centaur second generation (difference 8.33%, CI 95% 0.68–8.33, p = .0313). Conclusion The new methodology for the measurement of TgAb meets the imprecision standards while presenting an adequate concordance agreement with other methodologies available in laboratories. It is important to define the functional sensitivity when reporting results so that they are as reliable as possible.
Dialysis adequacy and hemoglobin levels predict cerebral atrophy in maintenance-hemodialysis patients

The pathogenesis of cerebral atrophy (CA) is not clear. Previous studies show a high incidence of preterm CA in hemodialysis patients. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing CA and to derive a CA prediction nomogram in maintenance-hemodialysis patients. First, brain volumes of hemodialysis patients (≤55 years) were compared against age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and differences were revealed in bilateral insular cisterns width, maximum cerebral sulci width, Evans index, ventricular-brain ratio, frontal atrophy index, and temporal lobe ratio. Then, the patients were divided equally into “no or mild” or “severe” CA groups. Potential factors influencing CA were screened. Kt/V (urea removal index) and hemoglobin levels negatively correlated with CA degree, and were used to establish a nomogram within randomly assigned training and validation patient groups. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) for training and validation groups were 0.703 and 0.744, respectively. When potassium and calcium were added to the nomogram, the AUROC for training/validation group increased to 0.748/0.806. The nomogram had optimal AUROC for training (0.759) and validation (0.804) groups when albumin was also included. Hemodialysis patients showed reduced anterior brain volumes and the nomogram established herein may have predictive value for developing CA.
Investigating the role of delayed contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate radiation necrosis from tumour recurrence in brain metastases after stereotactic radiosurgery

The incidence of radionecrosis (RN) after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to brain metastases is increasing. An overlap in the conventional MRI appearances of RN and tumour recurrence (TR) is diagnostically challenging. Delayed contrast MRI compares contrast enhancement over two time periods to create treatment response assessment maps (TRAMs). We aim to assess the utility of TRAMs in brain metastases patients.
Social Expectations as a Possible Mechanism for Adult Personality Change: Limited Empirical Evidence for the Social Investment Principle.

OBJECTIVE Personality traits change in both mean levels and variance across the life span but the mechanisms underlying these developmental trends remain unclear. Social Investment Principle (SIP) suggests that social expectations drive personality changes in adulthood. Accordingly, we tested whether differences between personality traits in social expectations for them can explain their different change trajectories in young adulthood. METHODS A pool of 257 personality items was used to measure personality traits' means and variances (N = 1,096), and levels expected by friends, partners and bosses/supervisors (N = 121). RESULTS Raters were consistent in their expectations for how young adults should think, feel and behave. Traits under stronger expectations had higher mean levels and lower variances than traits under lower expectations; trait means and variances increased with age, but inconsistently with the SIP, these increases were unrelated to the traits' expected levels. CONCLUSION Our results are only partially consistent with the SIP.
RNA-Binding Proteins as a Molecular Link between COPD and Lung Cancer

Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents an independent risk factor for lung cancer development. Accelerated cell senescence, induced by oxidative stress and inflammation, is a common pathogenic determinant of both COPD and lung cancer. The post transcriptional regulation of genes involved in these processes is finely regulated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which regulate mRNA turnover, subcellular localization, splicing and translation. Multiple pro-inflammatory mediators (including cytokines, chemokines, proteins, growth factors and others), responsible of lung microenvironment alteration, are regulated by RBPs. Several mouse models have shown the implication of RBPs in multiple mechanisms that sustain chronic inflammation and neoplastic transformation. However, further studies are required to clarify the role of RBPs in the pathogenic mechanisms shared by lung cancer and COPD, in order to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This review will therefore focus on the studies collectively indicating the role of RBPs in oxidative stress and chronic inflammation as common pathogenic mechanisms shared by lung cancer and COPD.
Transition probabilities for a Rydberg atom in the field of a gravitational wave

The possibility of atomic detection of gravitational waves on Earth is considered. The combination of extremely high lifetimes and resulting small radiative transition probabilities with rapidly growing interaction strength for Rydberg atoms having principal quantum numbers in the region might result in transition probabilities which are high enough to open up such a possibility. Transition probabilities and absorption cross sections are calculated as a function of the relevant quantum numbers of a highly excited electron. The orders of magnitude for the transition rate are evaluated for a realistic source of gravitational radiation. It is shown that no specific particle property enters the expression for the absorption cross section for gravitational waves. The only fundamental constant contained in this cross section is, apart from the fine structure constant , the Planck length .
A new approach to the cumulus parameterization issue

Can the superensemble methodology provide improved precipitation forecasts by combining existing physical parameterizations? We recently addressed this question in the context of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). We feel, however, that the information provided here may be useful for seasonal climate modeling as well. In theNWPcontext, we have developed multi-model forecasts from six versions of the Florida State University global spectral model (at a horizontal resolution of 170 waves, triangular truncation). These different versions deployed six different cumulus parameterization schemes; these models were identical in all other aspects, including the initial states. Making the assumption that differences in short-range (one day) forecasts of precipitation arise largely from differences in the cumulus parameterization, a superensemble methodology, following a recent study, was deployed to assign geographically distributed weights to convective heating for the different cumulus parameterization schemes. This was done after completion of some 85 experiments for each model for the training phase of the superensemble. A new single spectral model was next designed that included the weighted sum of the six cumulus parameterization schemes strung out within this model. This model was next shown to outperform in NWP forecasts of precipitation compared to any of those models that used a single cumulus parameterization scheme. This merely suggests that no single, present scheme is superior to all other schemes over the entire tropical belt; they all seem to have some virtues over different geographical regions. This Unified collective scheme is physically based since it does carry mechanisms such as mass flux, moisture convergence, cloud detrainment, downdrafts, effects of sea surface temperature etc. that are explicitly carried within one or the other schemes. This collective scheme is, however, based on optimized weights for these processes that vary geographically. It is our premise that even if a new breakthrough in cumulus parameterization were to occur from the development of a new scheme, that scheme, at best, may only achieve a skill ranking of number three for precipitation forecasts. The first place, we noted, still belongs to a multi-model superensemble, based on the optimal combination of six separate models. The second place belongs to the single model that utilizes a strung out weighted sum of many cumulus parameterization schemes within it. The individual member models have larger precipitation forecast errors compared to the two above. The skills, here, are evaluated using standard metrics such as correlations, root mean square errors and the equitable threat scores; finally we also present the vertical profiles of the apparent heat source and the apparent moisture sink that also confirm these above findings.