Is breast cancer prognosis inherited?

Introduction: A genetic component is well established in the etiology of breast cancer. It is not well known, however, whether genetic traits also influence prognostic features of the malignant phenotype. Methods: We carried out a population-based cohort study in Sweden based on the nationwide Multi-Generation Register. Among all women with breast cancer diagnosed from 1961 to 2001, 2,787 mother-daughter pairs and 831 sister pairs with breast cancer were identified; we achieved complete follow-up and classified 5-year breast cancer-specific prognosis among proband (mother or oldest sister) into tertiles as poor, intermediary, or good. We used Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival proportions and Cox models to calculate relative risks of dying from breast cancer within 5 years depending on the proband's outcome. Results: The 5-year survival proportion among daughters whose mothers died within 5 years was 87% compared to 91% if the mother was alive (p = 0.03). Among sisters, the corresponding proportions were 70% and 88%, respectively (p = 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, daughters and sisters of a proband with poor prognosis had a 60% higher 5-year breast cancer mortality compared to those of a proband with good prognosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 2.2; p for trend 0.002). This association was slightly stronger among sisters (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.4) than among daughters (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3). Conclusion: Breast cancer prognosis of a woman predicts the survival in her first-degree relatives with breast cancer. Our novel findings suggest that breast cancer prognosis might be inherited

Effects of long-term exposure to an electronic containment system on the behaviour and welfare of domestic cats

Free-roaming cats are exposed to a variety of risks, including involvement in road traffic accidents. One way of mitigating these risks is to contain cats, for example using an electronic boundary fence system that delivers an electric ‘correction’ via a collar if a cat ignores a warning cue and attempts to cross the boundary. However, concerns have been expressed over the welfare impact of such systems. Our aim was to determine if long-term exposure to an electronic containment system was associated with reduced cat welfare. We compared 46 owned domestic cats: 23 cats that had been contained by an electronic containment system for more than 12 months (AF group); and 23 cats with no containment system that were able to roam more widely (C group). We assessed the cats’ behavioural responses and welfare via four behavioural tests (unfamiliar person test; novel object test; sudden noise test; cognitive bias test) and an owner questionnaire. In the unfamiliar person test, C group lip-licked more than the AF group, whilst the AF group looked at, explored and interacted more with the unfamiliar person than C group. In the novel object test, the AF group looked at and explored the object more than C group. No significant differences were found between AF and C groups for the sudden noise or cognitive bias tests. Regarding the questionnaire, C group owners thought their cats showed more irritable behaviour and AF owners thought that their cats toileted inappropriately more often than C owners. Overall, AF cats were less neophobic than C cats and there was no evidence of significant differences between the populations in general affective state. These findings indicate that an electronic boundary fence with clear pre-warning cues does not impair the long term quality of life of cat

Intergenerational inequity: stealing the joy and benefits of nature from our children

No abstract available.The Australia-Africa Universities Network— Partnership Research and Development Fund, a PRIME-DAAD fellowship and the Australian Research Council Linkage Grant. he article processing charge was covered by the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Art and the University of Freiburg through the funding programme Open Access Publishing.http://frontiersin.org/Ecology_and_Evolutiondm2022Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

The fungus Armillaria bulbosa is among the largest and oldest living organisms

ASEXUALLY reproducing organisms occur in a variety of taxa in all biological kingdoms1 and distinguishing asexually propagated genotypes is essential for the understanding of their population biology. Among the higher fungi, however, the clonal \u27individual\u27 is especially difficult to define2 because most of the fungal thallus consists of a network of anastamosing hyphae embedded in the substratum. Whether fruit-bodies, the most recognizable part of a fungus, are produced by a single supporting mycelium can only be determined by establishing direct physiological continuity or genetic identity. We report a means by which individual fungi can be unambiguously identified within local populations and identify an individual of Armillaria bulbosa that occupies a minimum of 15 hectares, weighs in excess of 10,000kg, and has remained genetically stable for more than 1,500 years. © 1992 Nature Publishing Group

Craniovertebral junction lesions: our experience with the transoral surgical approach

The aim of this study is to review our experience with the transoral surgical management of anterior craniovertebral junction (CVJ) lesions with particular attention to the decision making and to the indication for a consecutive stabilization. During 10 years (1998–2007), 52 consecutive patients presenting exclusively fixed anterior compression at the cervicomedullary junction underwent transoral surgery. Mean age was 55.85 years (range 17–75 years). Encountered lesions were: malformation (32 cases), rheumatoid arthritis (11 cases), tumor (5 cases) or trauma (4 cases). A total of 79% of patients presented with chronic/recurrent headache (cranial and/or high-cervical pain), 73% with varying degrees of quadrip aresis, and 29% with lower cranial nerve deficits. All of the patients but two, with posterior stabilization performed elsewhere, underwent synchronous anterior decompression and posterior occipitocervical fixation. Adjuncts to the transoral approach (Le Fort I with or without splitting of the palate), tailored to the local anatomy and to the extension of the lesions, were performed in seven cases. Follow-up ranged between 4 and 96 months. Of 35 patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits, 33 improved. The remaining 15 patients who presented with mild symptoms, healed throughout the follow-up. Perioperative mortality occurred in two cases and surgical morbidity in eight cases (dural laceration, cerebrospinal fluid leak with meningitis, malocclusion, oral wound dehiscence and occipital wound infection). Delayed instability occurred in one patient because of cranial settling of C2 vertebral body. A successful surgery achieving a stable decompression at the CVJ is an expertise demanding procedure. It requires accurate preoperative evaluation and, appropriate choice of decompression technique and stabilization instruments. Enlarged transoral approaches (despite higher morbidity) are a supportive means in cases of severe basilar invagination, cranial extension of the lesion or limited jaw mobility

Identifying rising stars in biology: a response to Bruna [Response to On Identifying rising stars in Ecology]

[Extract] We assessed Bruna's (doi:10.1093/biosci/biu003) assertions and found no evidence that the approaches he advocates would have appreciably improved our analysis or altered our conclusions