Genetic predisposition to ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive form of breast cancer. It is often associated with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and is considered to be a non-obligate precursor of IDC. It is not clear to what extent these two forms of cancer share low-risk susceptibility loci, or whether there are differences in the strength of association for shared loci. Methods: To identify genetic polymorphisms that predispose to DCIS, we pooled data from 38 studies comprising 5,067 cases of DCIS, 24,584 cases of IDC and 37,467 controls, all genotyped using the iCOGS chip. Results: Most (67 %) of the 76 known breast cancer predisposition loci showed an association with DCIS in the same direction as previously reported for invasive breast cancer. Case-only analysis showed no evidence for differences between associations for IDC and DCIS after considering multiple testing. Analysis by estrogen receptor (ER) status confirmed that loci associated with ER positive IDC were also associated with ER positive DCIS. Analysis of DCIS by grade suggested that two independent SNPs at 11q13.3 near CCND1 were specific to low/intermediate grade DCIS (rs75915166, rs554219). These associations with grade remained after adjusting for ER status and were also found in IDC. We found no novel DCIS-specific loci at a genome wide significance level of P < 5.0x10-8. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study provides the strongest evidence to date of a shared genetic susceptibility for IDC and DCIS. Studies with larger numbers of DCIS are needed to determine if IDC or DCIS specific loci exist

Retroperitoneal Castleman's tumor and paraneoplastic pemphigus: report of a case and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Castleman's disease is a rare lymphoproliferative syndrome. Its etiology and pathogenesis are unclear. The disease can be occasionally associated with a paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), an autoimmune mucocutaneous disorder commonly seen in neoplasms of lymphocytic origin. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 63-year old male patient who was referred for surgical treatment of a lately diagnosed retroperitoneal pelvic mass. The patient had been already treated for two years due to progressive diffuse cutaneous lesions histologically consistent with lichen ruber verucosus and pemphigus vulgaris. Intraoperatively a highly vascularized solid mass occupying the small pelvis was resected after meticulous vascular ligation and hemostasis. After surgery and following immunosuppressive treatment a clear remission of the skin lesions was observed. CONCLUSION: Castleman's tumor should be always suspected when a retroperitoneal mass is combined with PNP. In a review of the literature we found 37 additional cases. Complete surgical resection of the tumor can be curative in most of the cases

Fuzzy rule-based system for evaluation of uncertainty transaction in cassava chain

A fuzzy ruled-based system was developed in this study and resulted in an index indicating the level of uncertainty related to commercial transactions between cassava growers and their dealers. The fuzzy system was developed based on Transaction Cost Economics approach. The fuzzy system was developed from input variables regarding information sharing between grower and dealer on &#8220;Demand/purchase Forecasting&#8221;, &#8220;Production Forecasting&#8221; and &#8220;Production Innovation&#8221;. The output variable is the level of uncertainty regarding the transaction between seller and buyer agent, which may serve as a system for detecting inefficiencies. Evidences from 27 cassava growers registered in the Regional Development Offices of Tupa and Assis, São Paulo, Brazil, and 48 of their dealers supported the development of the system. The mathematical model indicated that 55% of the growers present a Very High level of uncertainty, 33% present Medium or High. The others present Low or Very Low level of uncertainty. From the model, simulations of external interferences can be implemented in order to improve the degree of uncertainty and, thus, lower transaction costs

The Great American Crime Decline : Possible Explanations

This chapter examines the most important features of the crime decline in the United States during the 1990s-2010s but also takes a broader look at the violence declines of the last three centuries. The author argues that violent and property crime trends might have diverged in the 1990s, with property crimes increasingly happening in the online sphere and thus traditional property crime statistics not being reflective of the full picture. An important distinction is made between ‘contact crimes’ and crimes that do not require a victim and offender to be present in the same physical space. Contrary to the uncertainties engendered by property crime, the declines in violent (‘contact’) crime are rather general, and have been happening not only across all demographic and geographic categories within the United States but also throughout the developed world. An analysis of research literature on crime trends has identified twenty-four different explanations for the crime drop. Each one of them is briefly outlined and examined in terms of conceptual clarity and empirical support. Nine crime decline explanations are highlighted as the most promising ones. The majority of these promising explanations, being relative newcomers in the crime trends literature, have not been subjected to sufficient empirical scrutiny yet, and thus require further research. One potentially fruitful avenue for future studies is to examine the association of the most promising crime decline explanations with improvements in self-control

Avaliação da resistência mecânica de grãos de milho via teste de impacto

Objetivou-se com este trabalho verificar a resistência de grãos de milho a danos mecânicos via teste de impacto. Sete híbridos foram avaliados: AS1535, AS1570, AS1575, AS3430, AG7000, P30F80 e DKB390. Os grãos receberam o impacto através de diferentes pesos (50, 100, 150 e 200 g) e alturas (7, 17 e 23 cm) sendo que os mesmos foram impactados em duas regiões: face dorsal e face ventral e depois submetidos aos testes de tintura de iodo e de severidade dos danos. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 7 x 3 x 2, sendo sete híbridos, três pesos e duas regiões. Para cada tratamento foram utilizadas quatro subamostras de 25 grãos. Foi possível separar os híbridos em três níveis de resistência, suscetíveis (AS1535, AS1570 e AS1575), medianamente resistentes (AG7000 e P30F80) e resistentes aos danos mecânicos (AS3430 e DKB390). A região mais suscetível aos impactos foi a face ventral, onde se localiza o embrião. O teste de impacto foi eficiente para produzir índices diferenciais de danos mecânicos entre os padrões de suscetibilidade e de resistência.The objective of this study was to develop a method to determine corn grain resistance to mechanical damage. Seven hybrids were evaluated: AS1535, AS1570, AS1575, AS3430, AG7000, P30F80, and DKB390. The impact imposed to the grain consisted of different weights (50, 100, 150, and 200 g) and heights (7, 17 and 23 cm), applied on two kernel regions, dorsal and ventral surface; the grain was then submitted to the iodine and damage severity tests. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted, in a 7 x 3 x 2 factorial scheme represented by seven hybrids, three weights and two regions: four subsamples of 25 grains were used in each treatment. The results allowed the hybrids to be separated into three levels of resistance: susceptible (AS1535, AS1570, and AS1575), intermediately resistant (AG7000 and P30F80), and resistant to mechanical damage (AS3430 and DKB390). The region most susceptible to the impacts was the ventral surface, where embryo is located. The proposed method was effective to produce differential mechanical damage indices between susceptibility and resistance standards