Introducing the Factor Importance to Trust of Sources and Certainty of Data in Knowledge Processing Systems - A new Approach for Incorporation and Processing

In knowledge processing systems data is gathered from several sources. After some calculating and processing steps are taken in the system, a result is finally computed and may be used for further steps or by other systems. Most of the time the origin and provenance of input data is not verified. Using unverified data can cause inconsistencies in processing and generating output, and could lead to corrupting threats for the system and the environment as a whole. \ \ We propose an approach where several characterizing values in a given environment - trust of source, certainty of data, and importance (of data) in the current processing step - are used to compute new output characteristics of a knowledge processing system. These values represent the trustworthiness and the certainty of the output in multi-step processing systems based on all used sources and input data. We demonstrate the application of our approach on simple and advanced fictitious scenarios as well as on a real world scenario from the agricultural domain

SAKK 24/09: safety and tolerability of bevacizumab plus paclitaxel vs. bevacizumab plus metronomic cyclophosphamide and capecitabine as first-line therapy in patients with HER2-negative advanced stage breast cancer - a multicenter, randomized phase III trial.

BACKGROUND: Adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy improves response rates and progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic breast cancer (mBC). We aimed to demonstrate decreased toxicity with metronomic chemotherapy/bevacizumab compared with paclitaxel/bevacizumab. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized phase III trial compared bevacizumab with either paclitaxel (arm A) or daily oral capecitabine-cyclophosphamide (arm B) as first-line treatment in patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The primary endpoint was the incidence of selected grade 3-5 adverse events (AE) including: febrile neutropenia, infection, sensory/motor neuropathy, and mucositis. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, disease control rate, PFS, overall survival (OS), quality of life (QoL), and pharmacoeconomics. The study was registered prospectively with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01131195 on May 25, 2010. RESULTS: Between September 2010 and December 2012, 147 patients were included at 22 centers. The incidence of primary endpoint-defining AEs was similar in arm A (25 % [18/71]; 95 % CI 15-35 %) and arm B (24 % [16/68]; 95 % CI 13-34 %; P = 0.96). Objective response rates were 58 % (42/73; 95 % CI 0.46-0.69) and 50 % (37/74; 95 % CI 0.39-0.61) in arms A and B, respectively (P = 0.45). Median PFS was 10.3 months (95 % CI 8.7-11.3) in arm A and 8.5 months (95 % CI 6.5-11.9) in arm B (P = 0.90). Other secondary efficacy endpoints were not significantly different between study arms. The only statistically significant differences in QoL were less hair loss and less numbness in arm B. Treatment costs between the two arms were equivalent. CONCLUSION: This trial failed to meet its primary endpoint of a reduced rate of prespecified grade 3-5 AEs with metronomic bevacizumab, cyclophosphamide and capecitabine

Bachelor-Studiengänge Pflege und Physiotherapie nun auch in Basel

Neben dem Bachelor-Studium in Physiotherapie bietet das Departement Gesundheit der Berner Fachhochschule seit Herbst 2021 auch das Bachelor-Studium in Pflege in Basel an. Am neuen Standort im Klybeck-Areal studieren aktuell 224 Personen

The Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Capsule and Pneumolysin Differentially Affect CXCL8 and IL-6 Release from Cells of the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract

The polysaccharide capsule and pneumolysin toxin are major virulence factors of the human bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Colonization of the nasopharynx is asymptomatic but invasion of the lungs can result in invasive pneumonia. Here we show that the capsule suppresses the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines CXCL8 (IL-8) and IL-6 from the human pharyngeal epithelial cell line Detroit 562. Release of both cytokines was much less from human bronchial epithelial cells (iHBEC) but levels were also affected by capsule. Pneumolysin stimulates CXCL8 release from both cell lines. Suppression of CXCL8 homologue (CXCL2/MIP-2) release by the capsule was also observed in vivo during intranasal colonization of mice but was only discernable in the absence of pneumolysin. When pneumococci were administered intranasally to mice in a model of long term, stable nasopharyngeal carriage, encapsulated S. pneumoniae remained in the nasopharynx whereas the nonencapsulated pneumococci disseminated into the lungs. Pneumococcal capsule plays a role not only in protection from phagocytosis but also in modulation of the pro-inflammatory immune response in the respiratory tract

Capsule did not affect colonization of the nasopharynx but only nonencapsulated strains reached the lungs.

<p>Each symbol represents the CFU from the nasopharynx or lungs of an individual mouse on days 1, 3, 8 and 15 after intranasal inoculation. (No bacteria were detected at day 0 before any bacteria were administered.) Horizontal bars indicate means.</p

Effect of capsule and pneumolysin on CXCL8 and IL-6 induction in human nasopharyngeal and bronchial epithelial cells.

<p>Detroit 562 nasopharyngeal epithelial cells (A and B) and bronchial epithelial cells (C and D) were assessed for CXCL8 (A and C) and IL-6 (B and D) release after exposure to wild type or mutant pneumococcal strains. All experiments were performed in triplicate at each of three CFU concentrations (1, 1.5 and 2 × 10⁶) and the results pooled for each strain. Note different scales of Y axes. Error bars indicate SEM. * indicates significant difference.</p