Single-machine scheduling with stepwise tardiness costs and release times

We study a scheduling problem that belongs to the yard operations component of the railroad planning problems, namely the hump sequencing problem. The scheduling problem is characterized as a single-machine problem with stepwise tardiness cost objectives. This is a new scheduling criterion which is also relevant in the context of traditional machine scheduling problems. We produce complexity results that characterize some cases of the problem as pseudo-polynomially solvable. For the difficult-to-solve cases of the problem, we develop mathematical programming formulations, and propose heuristic algorithms. We test the formulations and heuristic algorithms on randomly generated single-machine scheduling problems and real-life datasets for the hump sequencing problem. Our experiments show promising results for both sets of problems

The use of quantitative sensory testing in cancer pain assessment: A systematic review

Objective: To summarize the literature on the use of quantitative sensory testing (QST) in the assessment of pain in people with cancer and to describe which QST parameters consistently demonstrate abnormal sensory processing in patients with cancer pain. Databases and Data Treatment: Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, SCOPUS and CENTRAL were searched for observational or experimental studies using QST in patients with a cancer diagnosis and reporting pain. Search strategies were based on the terms “quantitative sensory testing”, “cancer”, “pain”, “cancer pain” and “assessment”. Databases were searched from inception to January 2019. Data were extracted and synthesized narratively, structured around the different QST modalities and sub‐grouped by cancer pain aetiology (tumour‐ or treatment‐related pain). Results: Searches identified 286 records of which 18 met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Three studies included patients with tumour‐related pain, and 15 studies included patients with pain from chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Across all studies, 50% (9/18) reported sensory abnormities using thermal detection thresholds (cool and warm), 44% (8/18) reported abnormal mechanical detection thresholds using von‐Frey filaments and 39% (7/18) found abnormal pinprick thresholds. Abnormal vibration and thermal pain (heat/cold) thresholds were each reported in a third of included studies. Conclusion: This systematic review highlights the lack of published data characterizing the sensory phenotype of tumour‐related cancer pain. This has implications for our understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of cancer pain. Understanding the multiple mechanisms driving cancer pain will help to move towards rational individualized analgesic treatment choices. Significance: This systematic review found that pain in cancer patients is associated with abnormal sensory responses to thermal, mechanical and pinprick stimuli. However, these findings are based primarily on studies of chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy and data on tumour‐related pain are lacking, warranting further research

Dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns in a sample with established psychosis and associations with mental health symptomatology

Background People with psychosis experience cardiometabolic comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease and diabetes. These physical comorbidities have been linked to diet, inactivity and the effects of the illness itself, including disorganisation, impairments in global function and amotivation associated with negative symptoms of schizophrenia or co-morbid depression. Methods We aimed to describe the dietary intake, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour patterns of a sample of patients with established psychosis participating in the Improving Physical Health and Reducing Substance Use in Severe Mental Illness (IMPaCT) randomised controlled trial, and to explore the relationship between these lifestyle factors and mental health symptomatology. Results A majority of participants had poor dietary quality, low in fruit and vegetables and high in discretionary foods. Only 29.3% completed ⩾150 min of moderate and/or vigorous activity per week and 72.2% spent ⩾6 h per day sitting. Cross-sectional associations between negative symptoms, global function, and PA and sedentary behaviour were observed. Additionally, those with more negative symptoms receiving IMPaCT therapy had fewer positive changes in PA from baseline to 12-month follow-up than those with fewer negative symptoms at baseline. Conclusion These results highlight the need for the development of multidisciplinary lifestyle and exercise interventions to target eating habits, PA and sedentary behaviour, and the need for further research on how to adapt lifestyle interventions to baseline mental status. Negative symptoms in particular may reduce patient's responses to lifestyle interventions

Radiation induced angiosarcoma a sequela of radiotherapy for breast cancer following conservative surgery

Radiation induced angiosarcomas (RIA) can affect breast cancer patients who had radiotherapy following conservative breast surgery. They are very rare tumors and often their diagnosis is delayed due to their benign appearance and difficulty in differentiation from radiation induced skin changes. Therefore it is very important that clinicians are aware of their existence. We report here a case of RIA followed by discussion and review of literature

Breast cancer in patients with germline TP53 pathogenic variants have typical tumour characteristics: the Cohort study of TP53 carrier early onset breast cancer (COPE study)

Germline TP53 pathogenic variants are rare but associated with a high risk of cancer; they are often identified in the context of clinically diagnosed Li-Fraumeni syndrome predisposing to a range of young onset cancers including sarcomas and breast cancer. The study aim was to conduct a detailed morphological review and immuno-phenotyping of breast cancer arising in carriers of a germline TP53 pathogenic variant. We compared breast cancers from five defined groups: (1) TP53 carriers with breast cancer (n = 59), (2) early onset HER2-amplified breast cancer, no germline pathogenic variant in BRCA1/2 or TP53 (n = 55), (3) BRCA1 pathogenic variant carriers (n = 60); (4) BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers (n = 61) and (5) young onset breast cancer with no known germline pathogenic variant (n = 98). Pathologists assessed a pre-agreed set of morphological characteristics using light microscopy. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HER2, ER, PR, p53, integrin alpha v beta 6 (αvβ6) integrin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and pSMAD2/3 was performed on tissue microarrays of invasive carcinoma. We confirmed a previously reported high prevalence of HER2-amplified, ductal no special type invasive breast carcinoma amongst known TP53 germline pathogenic variant carriers 20 of 36 (56%). Furthermore we observed a high frequency of densely sclerotic tumour stroma in cancers from TP53 carriers (29/36, 80.6%) when compared with non-carriers, 50.9% (28/55), 34.7% (50/144), 41.4% (65/157), 43.8% (95/217) in groups 2-5 respectively. The majority of germline TP53 gene carrier breast tumours had a high intensity of integrin αvβ6, α-SMA and pSMAD2/3 expression in the majority of cancer cells. In conclusion, aggressive HER2 positive breast cancers with densely sclerotic stroma are common in germline TP53 carriers. High levels of αvβ6 integrin, α-SMA and pSMAD2/3 expression suggest that the dense stromal phenotype may be driven by upregulated transforming growth factor beta signalling.Kate Packwood, Guy Martland, Matthew Sommerlad, Emily Shaw, Karwan Moutasim ... Nicola Poplawski ... et al

CSF-Biomarkers in Olympic Boxing: Diagnosis and Effects of Repetitive Head Trauma

Background Sports-related head trauma is common but still there is no established laboratory test used in the diagnostics of minimal or mild traumatic brain injuries. Further the effects of recurrent head trauma on brain injury markers are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Olympic (amateur) boxing and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) brain injury biomarkers. Methods The study was designed as a prospective cohort study. Thirty Olympic boxers with a minimum of 45 bouts and 25 non-boxing matched controls were included in the study. CSF samples were collected by lumbar puncture 1–6 days after a bout and after a rest period for at least 14 days. The controls were tested once. Biomarkers for acute and chronic brain injury were analysed. Results NFL (mean ± SD, 532±553 vs 135±51 ng/L p = 0.001), GFAP (496±238 vs 247±147 ng/L p<0.001), T-tau (58±26 vs 49±21 ng/L p<0.025) and S-100B (0.76±0.29 vs 0.60±0.23 ng/L p = 0.03) concentrations were significantly increased after boxing compared to controls. NFL (402±434 ng/L p = 0.004) and GFAP (369±113 ng/L p = 0.001) concentrations remained elevated after the rest period. Conclusion Increased CSF levels of T-tau, NFL, GFAP, and S-100B in >80% of the boxers demonstrate that both the acute and the cumulative effect of head trauma in Olympic boxing may induce CSF biomarker changes that suggest minor central nervous injuries. The lack of normalization of NFL and GFAP after the rest period in a subgroup of boxers may indicate ongoing degeneration. The recurrent head trauma in boxing may be associated with increased risk of chronic traumatic brain injury

Gamma entrainment frequency affects mood, memory and cognition: an exploratory pilot study

Here we provide evidence with an exploratory pilot study that through the use of a Gamma 40 Hz entrainment frequency, mood, memory and cognition can be improved with respect to a 9-participant cohort. Participants constituted towards three binaural entrainment frequency groups: the 40 Hz, 25 Hz and 100 Hz. Participants attended a total of eight entrainment frequency sessions twice over the duration of a 4-week period. Additionally, participants were assessed based on their cognitive abilities, mood as well as memory, where the cognitive and memory assessments occurred before and after a 5-min binaural beat stimulation. The mood assessment scores were collected from sessions 1, 4 and 8, respectively. With respect to the Gamma 40 Hz entrainment frequency population, we observed a mean improvement in cognitive scores, elevating from 75% average to 85% average upon conclusion of the experimentation at weak statistical significance (α = 0.10, p = 0.076). Similarly, memory score improvements at a greater significance (α = 0.05, p = 0.0027) were noted, elevating from an average of 87% to 95%. In pertinence to the mood scores, a negative correlation across all populations were noted, inferring an overall increase in mood due to lower scores correlating with elevated mood. Finally, correlation analysis revealed a stronger R2 value (0.9838) within the 40 Hz group between sessions as well as mood score when compared across the entire frequency group cohort