Prevalence of upper-body symptoms following breast cancer and its relationship with upper-body function and lymphedema

This investigation describes the prevalence of upper-body symptoms in a population-based sample of women with breast cancer (BC) and examines their relationships with upper-body function (UBF) and lymphoedema, as two clinically important sequelae. Australian women (n=287) with unilateral BC were assessed at three-monthly intervals, from six to 18 months post-surgery (PS). Participants reported the presence and intensity of upper-body symptoms on the treated side. Objective and self-reported UBF and lymphoedema (bioimpedance spectroscopy) were also assessed. Approximately 50% of women reported at least one moderate-to-extreme symptom at 6- and at 18-months PS. There was a significant relationship between symptoms and function (p1.3, p=0.02). Although, presence of symptoms explained only 5.5% of the variation in the odds of lymphoedema. Upper-body symptoms are common and persistent following breast cancer and are associated with clinical ramifications, including reduced UBF and increased risk of developing lymphoedema. However, using the presence of symptoms as a diagnostic indicator of lymphoedema is limited

Aromatic characterization of brazilian sparkling wines using olfactometry and a sensory panel

Brazilian sparkling wines, which currently account for 30% of the national production of fine wines, have been traditionally produced in the southern region since the 1910s. In Brazil, sparkling wine production increased 248% over the past 10 years, holding an 80% share of the domestic market wine. The objective of the present study was to establish sparkling wine typicality via aroma characterization by comparing quantitative and descriptive techniques for the main aromatic compounds. Sparkling wines from the major producing regions of Brazil were tested by two sensory panels, followed by gas chromatography analysis that allowed elucidation of their aromatic basis. Solid-phase microextraction was used for the extraction of the compounds, followed by detection using gas chromatography (GC), olfactometry and mass spectrometry (MS). Olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified 25 aromatic areas and 26 aromatic compounds, respectively. The majority of aromatic areas were associated with fruit descriptors, but floral aromas were also emphasized; these aromas often contribute to the elegance of sparkling wine and are highly valued by both consumers and experts. Fruity and floral aromas were highlighted by olfactometry. The ester found in the highest concentrations (GC-MS) was ethyl acetate, with a similar value to that found in aged Cavas. Sparkling wine 5 exhibited the highest mean value, which was almost double that of the lowest value in sparkling wine 6. Ethyl octanoate concentrations varied significantly, with sparkling wine 2 containing three times the amount found in sparkling wine 5. Ethyl butanoate values were similar for all sparkling wines. Isoamyl acetate was only found in sparkling wines 4 and 5. The mean concentration values of isoamyl, 1- propanol and isobutanol alcohols were lower than those studied sparkling wines from non-traditional cultivars. The mean values for hexanol were higher, which can be explained by the climatic conditions in southern Brazil. The aromatic description of sparkling wines, as established by the different evaluator groups. Fruity descriptors were predominant. Interestingly, there was a significant presence of roasted aroma descriptors, which are usually due to aging on lees and on oak, demonstrating that certain products develop for a long time. Furthermore, several evaluators described sweet aromas, which suggests good grape maturation and a quality winemaking process. Product complexity was also demonstrated by the description of floral and vegetative aromas. Most often, Brazilian and Italian sensory analysis panels cited pineapple and roasted or apple and fruit individual descriptors, respectively

Distinctive binding and structural properties of piscine transthyretin

AbstractThe thyroid hormone binding protein transthyretin (TTR) forms a macromolecular complex with the retinol-specific carrier retinol binding protein (RBP) in the blood of higher vertebrates. Piscine TTR is shown here to exhibit high binding affinity for L-thyroxine and negligible affinity for RBP. The 1.56 Å resolution X-ray structure of sea bream TTR, compared with that of human TTR, reveals a high degree of conservation of the thyroid hormone binding sites. In contrast, some amino acid differences in discrete regions of sea bream TTR appear to be responsible for the lack of protein–protein recognition, providing evidence for the crucial role played by a limited number of residues in the interaction between RBP and TTR. Overall, this study makes it possible to draw conclusions on evolutionary relationships for RBPs and TTRs of phylogenetically distant vertebrates

Melanocytic naevi and melanoma in survivors of childhood cancer.

There is evidence from previous studies of small numbers of children who received cytotoxic therapy for cancer, that they may develop increased numbers of melanocytic naevi (moles), the strongest known risk factors for melanoma. Our aim was to investigate a large number of survivors of childhood cancer in order to test the hypothesis that they have more melanocytic naevi than matched controls. Total-body naevus counts were obtained from 263 oncology patients ascertained in paediatric oncology departments in Queensland, Australia, and from 263 hospital controls matched for age and sex. Additional information was gathered from children's parents about concurrent factors influencing naevus development such as type of complexion and history of sun exposure. Matched analyses, both crude and adjusted for possible confounding factors, revealed no significant difference in overall density of naevi among oncology patients and control subjects, according to diagnosis or to duration or type of chemotherapy. However significantly more oncology patients had atypical naevi (P < 0.05) and acral naevi (P < 0.0001) than controls. One patient developed a malignant melanoma 13 years after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for rhabdomyosarcoma. These findings support an association between treatment for childhood cancer and acral naevi and suggest that atypical naevi may also be associated with chemotherapy in childhood

Crystal structure of the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin carrying peptides with anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 activity.

Two chimeric proteins, consisting of the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin with different peptides fused to the COOH-terminal ends, have been crystallized and their three-dimensional structure determined. The two extensions correspond to (a) a nonapeptide representing the COOH-terminal sequence of the small subunit of herpes simplex virus type 1 ribonucleotide reductase and (b) a 27-amino acid long peptide, corresponding to the COOH-terminal end of the catalytic subunit (POL) of DNA polymerase from the same virus. Both proteins crystallize in the P41212 space group with one pentameric molecule per asymmetric unit, corresponding to a solvent content of about 75%. The overall conformation of the B subunit pentamer in the two chimeric proteins, which consists of five identical polypeptide chains, is very similar to that in the native AB complex and conforms strictly to 5-fold symmetry. On the contrary, the peptide extensions are essentially disordered: in the case of the nonapeptide, only 5 and 6 amino acids were, respectively, positioned in two monomers, while in the other three only 2 residues are ordered. The extension is fully confined to the surface of the pentamer opposite to the face that interacts with the membrane and consequently it does not interfere with the ability of the B subunit to interact with membrane receptors. Moreover, the conformational flexibility of the two peptide extensions could be correlated to their propensity for proteolytic processing and consequent release of a biologically active molecule into cultured cells

Impact of the Time of Diagnosis on Dyslexic Adolescents' Self-efficacy beliefs

Aim: Most of the research on self-efficacy in children with specific learning disorders has focused on inter-group comparisons, showing that these children hold lower self-efficacy scores than their normally developing peers. As these lower scores might be due to a reduced access to self-efficacy sources (Hampton & Mason, 2003), this small-scale study (N=18) aimed to investigate whether the time of diagnosis might modulate the access to these sources within a group of dyslexic adolescents, either diagnosed in primary or secondary school but paired on chronological age and duration of remedial training. Methods: Mixed methods were employed by using general as well as academic and social self-efficacy scales, complemented by semi-structured interviews investigating students’ understanding and acceptance of their dyslexia. Results: The findings showed that early-diagnosed students hold higher general and academic scores. Further analyses regarding students’ personal statements revealed a statistically significant association between time of diagnosis and understanding as well as tolerance of dyslexia, indicating that early-diagnosed adolescents, compared to their late-diagnosed peers, have a more cohesive understanding and more adequate representations of their reading disorder as specific and non-stigmatizing, all the while being more tolerant and open about announcing their dyslexia to others. Conclusions: An early diagnosis of dyslexia is thus associated with a better understanding and acceptance of the disorder, possibly serving as a protective factor which can consequently contribute to higher general and academic self-efficacy scores. Hence, these findings not only extend the literature on self-efficacy beliefs in dyslexia by investigating the time of diagnosis, but also have important practical implications, highlighting the significance of an early diagnosis beyond the benefits of early rehabilitation as well as the potentially negative psychological consequences of a late diagnosis

Foreign and Regional Languages Make You Less Deontological

Previous studies have shown that foreign languages can change people’s responses to moral dilemmas, making them more likely to choose harm (e.g., to kill one individual in order to save a few lives). Regional languages have also been shown to make sacrificial choices more likely. Regional languages are typically acquired early and used routinely among family and acquaintances, thus differing from foreign languages that are typically acquired later and used rather sporadically. Using a process dissociation procedure, we show in the present study that regional and foreign languages weaken the contribution of the deontological view in similar ways. Furthermore, the effects of both languages were modulated by proficiency, so that less proficient bilinguals showed a stronger decrease of the deontological tendency. These similarities suggest that the effects induced by both languages stem from what these languages have in common. Both languages are not experienced in contexts critical in forging moral views (e.g., public institutions, media, schools). We propose that the effects of foreign and regional languages stem from the lack of experience in such contexts

The prevalence of naturally acquired multiple infections of Wuchereria bancrofti and human malarias in anophelines

Malaria and filaria infection rates were determined for anopheline mosquitoes collected whilst biting and resting in village houses in Papua New Guinea. The number of anophelines infected with both parasites was greater than expected from the infection rates of each parasite and this difference was significant in resting collections. The excess of multiply infected mosquitoes is probably a result of a vector population composed of individuals with differing numbers of opportunities to become infected. Malaria-positive, Anopheles punctulatus from resting catches had a significantly greater number of Stage 3 Wuchereria bancroftilarvae than malaria-negative mosquitoes. However, multiply infected mosquitoes appear to suffer greater mortality than non-infected or singly infected mosquitoes when the filarial worm reaches the third stage. Any potential increase in transmission resulting from multiple infections is thereby offset by a greater mortality rate in these mosquitoe