A Transdisciplinary Approach to Determining the Provenience of a Distorted, Pre-Columbian Skull Recovered in Rural Idaho

Transdisciplinary research involves cooperation, exchange of information, sharing of resources and integration of disciplines to achieve a common scientific goal. In this study, collaborators utilized tools and knowledge of materials science, anthropology, archaeology, geosciences and biology in an attempt to determine the provenience of skeletal remains of unknown origin. The exchange of ideas and skills along with the crossing of disciplines in this study sucessfully allowed the incorporation of expertise from many team members. This transdisciplinary approach to research provided a more comprehensive and detailed analysis than any one field alone could provide. An archaeological assessment of a human skull recovered in rural Idaho recognized cranial deformation and post-mortem application of a red pigment. A combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identified the major and trace elements present in the red post-mortem pigment as cinnabar and rare earth metals. Analysis via carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from teeth and bone to provided insight into the diet and habitat for distinct segments of the individual’s life, indicating a regional separation in early life versus late adulthood. Radiocarbon dating determined the approximate age of the skull to be between 600-700 years old and a forensic mtDNA assessmentcategorized a mitochondrial haplogroup for the remains as originating from the East African or Arabian Peninsula

The need to research refractory breathlessness

High-quality research is needed to improve quality of life for people with chronic refractory breathlessness in COP

Plants in aquatic ecosystems: current trends and future directions

Aquatic plants fulfil a wide range of ecological roles, and make a substantial contribution to the structure, function and service provision of aquatic ecosystems. Given their well-documented importance in aquatic ecosystems, research into aquatic plants continues to blossom. The 14th International Symposium on Aquatic Plants, held in Edinburgh in September 2015, brought together 120 delegates from 28 countries and six continents. This special issue of Hydrobiologia includes a select number of papers on aspects of aquatic plants, covering a wide range of species, systems and issues. In this paper we present an overview of current trends and future directions in aquatic plant research in the early 21st century. Our understanding of aquatic plant biology, the range of scientific issues being addressed and the range of techniques available to researchers have all arguably never been greater; however, substantial challenges exist to the conservation and management of both aquatic plants and the ecosystems in which they are found. The range of countries and continents represented by conference delegates and authors of papers in the special issue illustrate the global relevance of aquatic plant research in the early 21st century but also the many challenges that this burgeoning scientific discipline must address

Report on computational assessment of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes from the International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group

Funder: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute (NCI)Funder: National Center for Research Resources under award number 1 C06 RR12463-01, VA Merit Review Award IBX004121A from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service, the DOD Prostate Cancer Idea Development Award (W81XWH-15-1-0558), the DOD Lung Cancer Investigator-Initiated Translational Research Award (W81XWH-18-1-0440), the DOD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (W81XWH-16-1-0329), the Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation Fund, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation Program in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Clinical and Translational Science Award Program (CTSA) at Case Western Reserve University.Funder: Susan G Komen Foundation (CCR CCR18547966) and a Young Investigator Grant from the Breast Cancer Alliance.Funder: The Canadian Cancer SocietyFunder: Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), Grant No. 17-194Abstract: Assessment of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is increasingly recognized as an integral part of the prognostic workflow in triple-negative (TNBC) and HER2-positive breast cancer, as well as many other solid tumors. This recognition has come about thanks to standardized visual reporting guidelines, which helped to reduce inter-reader variability. Now, there are ripe opportunities to employ computational methods that extract spatio-morphologic predictive features, enabling computer-aided diagnostics. We detail the benefits of computational TILs assessment, the readiness of TILs scoring for computational assessment, and outline considerations for overcoming key barriers to clinical translation in this arena. Specifically, we discuss: 1. ensuring computational workflows closely capture visual guidelines and standards; 2. challenges and thoughts standards for assessment of algorithms including training, preanalytical, analytical, and clinical validation; 3. perspectives on how to realize the potential of machine learning models and to overcome the perceptual and practical limits of visual scoring

Application of a risk-management framework for integration of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in clinical trials

Funder: Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100001006Abstract: Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) are a potential predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). To incorporate sTILs into clinical trials and diagnostics, reliable assessment is essential. In this review, we propose a new concept, namely the implementation of a risk-management framework that enables the use of sTILs as a stratification factor in clinical trials. We present the design of a biomarker risk-mitigation workflow that can be applied to any biomarker incorporation in clinical trials. We demonstrate the implementation of this concept using sTILs as an integral biomarker in a single-center phase II immunotherapy trial for metastatic TNBC (TONIC trial, NCT02499367), using this workflow to mitigate risks of suboptimal inclusion of sTILs in this specific trial. In this review, we demonstrate that a web-based scoring platform can mitigate potential risk factors when including sTILs in clinical trials, and we argue that this framework can be applied for any future biomarker-driven clinical trial setting

Pitfalls in assessing stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) in breast cancer

Abstract: Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) are important prognostic and predictive biomarkers in triple-negative (TNBC) and HER2-positive breast cancer. Incorporating sTILs into clinical practice necessitates reproducible assessment. Previously developed standardized scoring guidelines have been widely embraced by the clinical and research communities. We evaluated sources of variability in sTIL assessment by pathologists in three previous sTIL ring studies. We identify common challenges and evaluate impact of discrepancies on outcome estimates in early TNBC using a newly-developed prognostic tool. Discordant sTIL assessment is driven by heterogeneity in lymphocyte distribution. Additional factors include: technical slide-related issues; scoring outside the tumor boundary; tumors with minimal assessable stroma; including lymphocytes associated with other structures; and including other inflammatory cells. Small variations in sTIL assessment modestly alter risk estimation in early TNBC but have the potential to affect treatment selection if cutpoints are employed. Scoring and averaging multiple areas, as well as use of reference images, improve consistency of sTIL evaluation. Moreover, to assist in avoiding the pitfalls identified in this analysis, we developed an educational resource available at www.tilsinbreastcancer.org/pitfalls

Respiratory Factors Contributing to Exercise Intolerance in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Case-Control Study

Breast cancer survivors often experience activity-related dyspnea and exercise intolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Respiratory Factors Contributing to Exercise Intolerance in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Case-Control Study journaltitle: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.01.004 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Perceptions of the role of the school in providing information and support to adolescent children of women with breast cancer

Little is known about the needs of adolescents of women with breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of adolescents (ages 12-20) about the role of the school in assisting them in dealing with the cancer experience. An exploratory, qualitative study was done to elicit detailed descriptions of adolescent's needs for information and support in response to their mother's breast cancer. A convenience sample of 31 adolescents of women in five illness phases participated in semi-structured interviews. In addition, two focus group interviews were conducted. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed using content analysis techniques. Findings specific to the adolescents' perceptions of the role of the school were discussed according to content, type, amount, timing, provider and quality of information. Support needs were discussed as type of support, source of support, amount, timing and focus. Although school personnel attempted to be supportive and adolescents received generic information about cancer, overall the needs of the adolescents were not adequately addressed. Recommendations for schools and health services in assisting adolescents to cope with this major life experience are made