Lower vitamin D levels and VDR variants are risk factors for breast cancer: an updated meta-analysis

Inadequate vitamin D levels and vitamin D variants have been shown to be associated with breast cancer (BC), however the results are inconsistent. To reach a definitive conclusion the present meta-analysis was conducted. When compared to healthy controls, BC patients had reduced vitamin D levels (standard difference in means = −0.564, p = 0.003). The meta-analysis revealed that the FokI mutation was linked with an increased BC susceptibility (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.107, p = 0.001, CC vs. TC + TT: OR = 1.114, p = 0.020). There was no role of other VDR variants (BsmI, TaqI, and ApaI). FokI mutation and diminished vitamin D increase the likelihood of developing BC.</p

Creep behavior of Grade 10.9 high-strength bolts under and after fire

As an important component in steel connections, high-strength bolts have a high stress level and may experience creep deformation at high temperatures. This will lead to great deformation and even failure of steel connections, thus affecting progressive collapse resistance of steel structures. This paper experimentally and numerically investigates the creep behavior of 10.9 high-strength bolts under and after fire. The creep strain-time curves at different temperatures and stress levels were obtained using DIC measurement systems. The micromorphology and failure mechanism of high-strength bolts is examined by SEM. The Field & Field creep model is calibrated against test results, and parametric studies are conducted on T-stub connections. The experimental results show that the creep deformation of high-strength bolts is significant at high temperatures, and the creep strain is positively correlated with temperatures and stress ratios. The numerical results show that the Field & Field model is suitable for characterizing the creep behavior of high-strength bolts under fire situation. The fire resistance of T-stub connections is significantly affected by creep-related parameters. It is necessary to consider the effect of creep for predicting the behavior of high-strength bolts and steel connections, ensuring a safe design.</p

Additional file 1 of IPSS-M has greater survival predictive accuracy compared with IPSS-R in persons ≥ 60 years with myelodysplastic syndromes

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Re-stratification of patients from IPSS-R to IPSS-M. (A) Kaplan-Meier probability estimates of overall survival (OS) per IPSS-M category within each IPSS-R category. (B) Kaplan-Meier probability estimates of OS per IPSS-R category within each IPSS-M category. P-values are from the log-rank test. Figure S2. Overall survival of younger patients (age < 60 years) and older patients (age ≥ 60 years) with MDS stratified according to different prognostic scoring systems. (A) Kaplan–Meier curves of overall survival in the younger patients (age < 60 years) and older ones (age ≥ 60 years) with MDS. The younger patients showed significantly longer overall survival (OS) than the older ones (P<0.0001). (B-C) Kaplan-Meier representation of IPSS-R scoring system in younger and older patients. (D-E) Kaplan-Meier representation of IPSS-M scoring system in younger and older patients. P-values are from the log-rank test. Table S1. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Chinese, Japan (validation cohort) and IWG-PM (discovery cohort) cohorts restricted to patients with primary MDS and untreated with disease-modifying therapies during their clinical course. Table S2. List of 141 genes included in the targeted sequencing panel. Table S3. List of 267 genes included in the targeted sequencing panel. Table S4. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of 592 and 260 patients in our cohort using different gene panels. Table S5. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Chinese, Japan (validation cohort) and IWG-PM (discovery cohort) cohorts. Table S6. Distribution (%) of MDS patients categorized into IPSS-M categories by IPSS-R categories. Table S7. Distribution (%) of MDS patients categorized into IPSS-M categories by IPSS-R categories (by merging moderate low and moderate high into moderate in IPSS-M)

MOESM1 of A systematic classification of megakaryocytic dysplasia and its impact on prognosis for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Additional file 1. Distribution of dysplastic megakaryocytes in subjects and variables of subjects with dysplastic megakaryocytes