Soluble interleukin-6 receptor mediated fatigue highlights immunological heterogeneity of patients with early breast cancer who undergo radiation therapy

Purpose This study aimed to explore the associations between dose-volume parameters of localized breast irradiation, longitudinal interleukin-6 soluble receptor (sIL-6R), and leukocyte counts as markers of an immune-mediated response and fatigue as a centrally-driven behavior. Methods and Materials This prospective cohort study recruited 100 women who were diagnosed with stage 0-IIIa breast cancer, prescribed 40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks adjuvant radiation therapy, and had no prior or concurrent chemotherapy. Dose-volume parameters were derived from treatment plans and related to serum sIL-6R concentrations, leukocyte counts, and a validated measure of self-reported fatigue at baseline, after 10 and 15 fractions, and 4 weeks after radiation therapy. Results sIL-6R concertation was significantly higher in patients with a total volume of tissue irradiated within the 50% isodose >2040 cm3 (P = .003). When controlling for body mass index, this result only remained significant after treatment. The volume of liver irradiated within the 10% isodose correlated with the sIL-6R concentration during and after radiation therapy (ρ = .3-.4; P = .03-.007). The 38% of the cohort that was classified as fatigued had a higher mean sIL-6sR concentration at all observation points, but the differences were only statistically significant during radiation therapy: Mean (standard deviation [SD]) after 15 fractions for fatigued patients was 47.6 ng/dL (11.2 SD) versus 41.6 ng/dL (11.4 SD) for nonfatigued patients (P = .01). Cohort leukocyte counts and leukocyte subsets decreased consistently from baseline and the values for the fatigued group were 4% lower at baseline and between 7% and 9% lower during and after treatment compared with those of the nonfatigued group but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions This is the first study to show that localized irradiation induces increased systemic sIL-6R during treatment in participants who reported elevated levels of fatigue before, during, and after treatment. This behavioral response appears to reflect a variation in innate host immunity, which then mediates the cellular and/or psychological stress of radiation therapy

A Multi-Agent Systems Approach for Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading in Dairy Farming

To achieve desired carbon emission reductions, integrating renewable generation and accelerating the adoption of peer-to-peer energy trading is crucial. This is especially important for energy-intensive farming, like dairy farming. However, integrating renewables and peer-to-peer trading presents challenges. To address this, we propose the Multi-Agent Peer-to-Peer Dairy Farm Energy Simulator (MAPDES), enabling dairy farms to participate in peer-to-peer markets. Our strategy reduces electricity costs and peak demand by approximately 30% and 24% respectively, while increasing energy sales by 37% compared to the baseline scenario without P2P trading. This demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach.Comment: Proc. of the Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability, ECAI 2023, Eunika et al. (eds.), Sep 30- Oct 1, 2023, https://sites.google.com/view/ai4s. 202

Profitable and Sustainable Grazing Systems for Livestock Producers with Saline Land in Southern Australia

Dryland salinity affects over 2.5 M ha in Australia, mostly in southern states and is expanding at 3-5% per year (NLWRA, 2001). The prognosis is for considerable expansion of the area affected by salinity and waterlogging (1217 M ha at equilibrium), because groundwater levels continue to rise and only small-scale land management programmes have been implemented. In addition, many waterways are increasingly saline, especially in the Murray Darling Basin and in Western Australia (WA). Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) addresses the need to make productive use of saline land and water resources. Its research component operates at 12 sites across WA, South Australia (SA), Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) and consists of coordinated activities that have regional relevance and contribute nationally. The programme seeks to develop and demonstrate profitable and sustainable grazing systems on saline land that have positive environmental and social impacts. Whilst there are different priority research issues at each site, data collection is governed by common measurement protocols for salt and water movement, biodiversity, and pasture and animal performance in order to make comparisons and data sharing across sites practical

Microplastic in Riverine Fish is Connected to Species Traits

Microplastic is a contaminant of concern worldwide. Rivers are implicated as major pathways of microplastic transport to marine and lake ecosystems, and microplastic ingestion by freshwater biota is a risk associated with microplastic contamination, but there is little research on microplastic ecology within freshwater ecosystems. Microplastic uptake by fish is likely affected by environmental microplastic abundance and aspects of fish ecology, but these relationships have rarely been addressed. We measured the abundance and composition of microplastic in fish and surface waters from 3 major tributaries of Lake Michigan, USA. Microplastic was detected in fish and surface waters from all 3 sites, but there was no correlation between microplastic concentrations in fish and surface waters. Rather, there was a significant effect of functional feeding group on microplastic concentration in fish. Neogobius melanostomus (round goby, a zoobenthivore) had the highest concentration of gut microplastic (19 particles fish−1) compared to 10 other fish taxa measured, and had a positive linear relationship between body size and number of microplastic particles. Surface water microplastic concentrations were lowest in the most northern, forested watershed, and highest in the most southern, agriculturally dominated watershed. Results suggest microplastic pollution is common in river food webs and is connected to species feeding characteristics. Future research should focus on understanding the movement of microplastic from point-source and diffuse sources and into aquatic ecosystems, which will support pollution management efforts on inland waters

Profitable and Sustainable Grazing Systems for Livestock Producers with Saline Land in Southern Australia

Dryland salinity affects over 2.5 M ha in Australia, mostly in southern states and is expanding at 3-5% per year (NLWRA, 2001). The prognosis is for considerable expansion of the area affected by salinity and waterlogging (12–17 M ha at equilibrium), because groundwater levels continue to rise and only small-scale land management programmes have been implemented. In addition, many waterways are increasingly saline, especially in the Murray Darling Basin and in Western Australia (WA). Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (SGSL) addresses the need to make productive use of saline land and water resources. Its research component operates at 12 sites across WA, South Australia (SA), Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) and consists of coordinated activities that have regional relevance and contribute nationally. The programme seeks to develop and demonstrate profitable and sustainable grazing systems on saline land that have positive environmental and social impacts. Whilst there are different priority research issues at each site, data collection is governed by common measurement protocols for salt and water movement, biodiversity, and pasture and animal performance in order to make comparisons and data sharing across sites practical

Zoledronic acid significantly improves pain scores and quality of life in breast cancer patients with bone metastases: a randomised, crossover study of community vs hospital bisphosphonate administration

Patients with bone metastases from breast cancer often experience substantial skeletal complications – including debilitating bone pain – which negatively affect quality of life. Zoledronic acid (4 mg) has been demonstrated to reduce significantly the risk of skeletal complications in these patients and is administered via a short, 15-min infusion every 3 weeks, allowing the possibility for home administration. This study compared the efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid administered in the community setting vs the hospital setting in breast cancer patients with ⩾1 bone metastasis receiving hormonal therapy. After a lead-in phase of three infusions of 4 mg zoledronic acid in the hospital setting, 101 patients were randomized to receive three open-label infusions in the community or hospital setting, followed by three infusions in the opposite venue (a total of nine infusions). The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) were used to assess potential benefits of zoledronic acid therapy. At study end, analysis of the BPI showed significant reductions in worst pain (P=0.008) and average pain in the last 7 days (P=0.039), and interference with general activity (P=0.012). In each case, there were significantly greater improvements in pain scores after treatment in the community setting compared with the hospital crossover setting for worst pain (P=0.021), average pain (P=0.003), and interference with general activity (P=0.001). Overall global health status showed a significant median improvement of 8.3% (P=0.013) at study end. Physical, emotional, and social functioning also showed significant overall improvement (P=0.013, 0.005, and 0.043, respectively). Furthermore, physical, role, and social functioning showed significantly greater improvements after treatment in the community setting compared with the hospital crossover setting (P=0.018, 0.001, and 0.026, respectively). There was no difference between hospital and community administration in renal or other toxicity, with zoledronic acid being well tolerated in both treatment settings. These data confirm the safety and quality-of-life benefits of zoledronic acid in breast cancer patients with bone metastases, particularly when administered in the community setting