Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia at the Margin of Lumpectomy Performed for Early Stage Breast Cancer: Is there Enough Evidence to Formulate Guidelines?

Background. Negative margins are associated with a reduced risk of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in women with early stage breast cancer treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS). Not infrequently, atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is reported as involving the margin of a BCS specimen, and there is no consensus among surgeons or pathologists on how to approach this diagnosis resulting in varied reexcision practices among breast surgeons. The purpose of this paper is to establish a reasonable approach to guide the treatment of ADH involving the margin after BCS for early stage breast cancer. Methods. the published literature was reviewed using the PubMed site from the US National Library of Medicine. Conclusions. ADH at the margin of a BCS specimen performed for early stage breast cancer is a controversial pathological diagnosis subject to large interobserver variability. There is not enough data evaluating this diagnosis to change current practice patterns; however, it is reasonable to consider reexcision for ADH involving a surgical margin, especially if it coexists with low grade DCIS. Further studies with longer followup and closer attention to ADH at the margin are needed to formulate treatment guidelines

Using a Connected Learning Framework to Promote Democratic Education During a Transition to Online Learning

In this essay, we discuss how a Connected Learning (CL) approach to education can offer students and teachers a democratic framework to follow when designing instruction, especially with the recent shift to online and hybrid instruction due to the global pandemic. We present literature on the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to online instruction in the midst of the pandemic. We then discuss how the CL framework promotes a democratic approach to teaching and learning. Finally, we offer guidance on how to design a unit or lesson plan using a CL framework to provide both a connected and democratic learning experience for students. We also offer suggestions on how to foster an innovative, authentic learning experience that includes elements of an online or hybrid context to support connected learning. Drawing on a classroom example from the field, we conclude with recommendations for utilizing non-traditional, formative assessments to fairly assess a range of learning outcomes as demonstrated by students

Can self-efficacy predict first year medical students' academic success?

Background: Self-efficacy (SE), the ability for an individual to believe in their own capabilities, has been connected to an individual's ability to succeed, deal with resistance and failures, and cope with challenges, all skills that are essential for competent physicians. SE has been found to have a positive impact on college student academic performance, but has not been evaluated in medical students. The purpose of this study was to measure first year medical students' SE and to determine what characteristics impacted their academic success in their first semester of medical school.Summary of Work: 61 (29 male, 32 female) first year medical students at a single osteopathic medical school were asked to complete the SE scale and additional demographics. Data was combined with undergraduate (UG) GPA, MCAT score, first semester GPA, and class rank. Basic descriptives, means, standard deviations, and Pearson correlation values were calculated.Summary of Results: Four variables were found to be significantly correlated with first semester GPA (level of athletic performance of UG r=.311, p=.015; number applications submitted r= -.414, p=.000; UG GPA r=.488, p=.000; science GPA r=.467, p=.000) and three with class rank (number applications r=.355, p=.005; UG GPA r= -.483, p=.000; science GPA r= -.495, p=.000). General SE was significantly correlated to the size of hometown (r=.256, p=.049).Discussion & Conclusions: This study determined that medical students' first semester academic success was better predicted by academic preparation rather than a student's self-efficacy. This is in contrast to current undergraduate literature that demonstrates a significant impact on GPA and retention. Self-efficacy may therefore be more applicable to astute clinical skills rather than pre-clinical academic performance.Take Home Message: While this study did not find SE to be a predictor of first year medical student academic performance, the ability to control thoughts, feelings, and actions in stressful situations is critical to overall success as a physician. Academic programs should seek out options to assess and improve these skills prior to entering the clinical setting

Comparison of Post-injection Site Pain Between Technetium Sulfur Colloid and Technetium Tilmanocept in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.

BackgroundNo prior studies have examined injection pain associated with Technetium-99m Tilmanocept (TcTM).MethodsThis was a randomized, double-blinded study comparing postinjection site pain between filtered Technetium Sulfur Colloid (fTcSC) and TcTM in breast cancer lymphoscintigraphy. Pain was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) (0-100 mm) and the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). The primary endpoint was mean difference in VAS scores at 1-min postinjection between fTcSC and TcTM. Secondary endpoints included a comparison of SF-MPQ scores between the groups at 5 min postinjection and construction of a linear mixed effects model to evaluate the changes in pain during the 5-min postinjection period.ResultsFifty-two patients underwent injection (27-fTcSC, 25-TcTM). At 1-min postinjection, patients who received fTcSC experienced a mean change in pain of 16.8 mm (standard deviation (SD) 19.5) compared with 0.2 mm (SD 7.3) in TcTM (p = 0.0002). At 5 min postinjection, the mean total score on the SF-MPQ was 2.8 (SD 3.0) for fTcSC versus 2.1 (SD 2.5) for TcTM (p = 0.36). In the mixed effects model, injection agent (p < 0.001), time (p < 0.001) and their interaction (p < 0.001) were associated with change in pain during the 5-min postinjection period. The model found fTcSC resulted in significantly more pain of 15.2 mm (p < 0.001), 11.3 mm (p = 0.001), and 7.5 mm (p = 0.013) at 1, 2, and 3 min postinjection, respectively.ConclusionsInjection with fTcSC causes significantly more pain during the first 3 min postinjection compared with TcTM in women undergoing lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer

The Influence of Omniscient Technology on Algorithms

Unified game-theoretic theory have led to many unfortunate advances, including the lookaside buffer and redundancy. Given the trends in knowledge-based communication, physicists famously note the improvement of the Ethernet, which embodies the private principles of machine learning. We use mobile communication to confirm that the famous stochastic algorithm for the construction of kernels by Stephen Simmons et al. runs in Ω(log√log n) time

Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the occipital place area biases gaze during scene viewing

We can understand viewed scenes and extract task-relevant information within a few hundred milliseconds. This process is generally supported by three cortical regions that show selectivity for scene images: parahippocampal place area (PPA), medial place area (MPA) and occipital place area (OPA). Prior studies have focused on the visual information each region is responsive to, usually within the context of recognition or navigation. Here, we move beyond these tasks to investigate gaze allocation during scene viewing. Eye movements rely on a scene’s visual representation to direct saccades, and thus foveal vision. In particular, we focus on the contribution of OPA, which is i) located in occipito-parietal cortex, likely feeding information into parts of the dorsal pathway critical for eye movements, and ii) contains strong retinotopic representations of the contralateral visual field. Participants viewed scene images for 1034 ms while their eye movements were recorded. On half of the trials, a 500 ms train of five transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses was applied to the participant’s cortex, starting at scene onset. TMS was applied to the right hemisphere over either OPA or the occipital face area (OFA), which also exhibits a contralateral visual field bias but shows selectivity for face stimuli. Participants generally made an overall left-to-right, top-to-bottom pattern of eye movements across all conditions. When TMS was applied to OPA, there was an increased saccade latency for eye movements toward the contralateral relative to the ipsilateral visual field after the final TMS pulse (400ms). Additionally, TMS to the OPA biased fixation positions away from the contralateral side of the scene compared to the control condition, while the OFA group showed no such effect. There was no effect on horizontal saccade amplitudes. These combined results suggest that OPA might serve to represent local scene information that can then be utilized by visuomotor control networks to guide gaze allocation in natural scenes

Long Days Enhance Recognition Memory and Increase Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 in the Hippocampus

Light improves cognitive function in humans; however, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying positive effects of light remain unclear. One obstacle is that most rodent models have employed lighting conditions that cause cognitive deficits rather than improvements. Here we have developed a mouse model where light improves cognitive function, which provides insight into mechanisms underlying positive effects of light. To increase light exposure without eliminating daily rhythms, we exposed mice to either a standard photoperiod or a long day photoperiod. Long days enhanced long-term recognition memory, and this effect was abolished by loss of the photopigment melanopsin. Further, long days markedly altered hippocampal clock function and elevated transcription of Insulin-like Growth Factor2 (Igf2). Up-regulation of Igf2 occurred in tandem with suppression of its transcriptional repressor Wilm’s tumor1. Consistent with molecular de-repression of Igf2, IGF2 expression was increased in the hippocampus before and after memory training. Lastly, long days occluded IGF2-induced improvements in recognition memory. Collectively, these results suggest that light changes hippocampal clock function to alter memory, highlighting novel mechanisms that may contribute to the positive effects of light. Furthermore, this study provides insight into how the circadian clock can regulate hippocampus-dependent learning by controlling molecular processes required for memory consolidation

Comparison of birth weight between school health records and medical birth records in Denmark:determinants of discrepancies

OBJECTIVE: To compare reported birth weight (BW) information in school health records with BW from medical birth records, and to investigate if maternal and offspring characteristics were associated with any discrepancies. DESIGN: Register-based cohort study. SETTING: Denmark, 1973–1991. PARTICIPANTS: The study was based on BW recorded in the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR) and in The Medical Birth Register (MBR). The registers were linked via the Danish personal identification number. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistical comparisons of BW in the registers were performed using t tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots and κ coefficients. Odds of BW discrepancies >100 g were examined by logistic regressions. RESULTS: The study population included 47 534 children. From 1973 to 1979 when BW was grouped in 500 g intervals in the MBR, mean BW differed significantly between the registers. During 1979–1991 when BW was recorded in 10 and 1 g intervals, mean BW did not significantly differ between the two registers. BW from both registers was highly correlated (0.93–0.97). Odds of a BW discrepancy significantly increased with parity, the child's age at recall and by marital status (children of married women had the highest odds). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, BW information in school health records agreed very well with BW from medical birth records, suggesting that reports of BWs in school health records in Copenhagen, Denmark generally are valid

Childhood height, adult height, and the risk of prostate cancer

PURPOSE: We previously showed that childhood height is positively associated with prostate cancer risk. It is, however, unknown whether childhood height exerts its effects independently of or through adult height. We investigated whether and to what extent childhood height has a direct effect on the risk of prostate cancer apart from adult height. METHODS: We included 5,871 men with height measured at ages 7 and 13 years in the Copenhagen School Health Records Register who also had adult (50–65 years) height measured in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study. Prostate cancer status was obtained through linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry. Direct and total effects of childhood height on prostate cancer risk were estimated from Cox regressions. RESULTS: From 1996 to 2012, 429 prostate cancers occurred. Child and adult heights were positively and significantly associated with prostate cancer risk. When adjusted for adult height, height at age 7 years was no longer significantly associated with the risk of prostate cancer. Height at 13 years was significantly and positively associated with prostate cancer risk even when adult height was adjusted for; per height z-score the hazard ratio was 1.15 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.32]. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of height at 13 years on the risk of prostate cancer was not entirely mediated through adult height, suggesting that child height and adult height may be associated with prostate cancer through different pathways