Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study

A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

Volumetric power input as a reliable parameter for scale-up from shake flask to stirred-tank bioreactor: Production of a recombinant glycoprotein by Streptomyces lividans

The filamentous morphology of Streptomyces lividans depends on the culture conditions, affecting the production, secretion and post-translational modifications of recombinant glycoproteins. In this work, the previously reported volumetric power input (P/V) in conventional (NF) and coiled (CF) shake flasks were scaled-up to a stirred bioreactor. The effects on the growth and morphology of S. lividans were analyzed, as well as, the production and O-mannosylation of the recombinant APA glycoprotein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Specific growth rates of 5. lividans and similar recombinant glycoprotein (rAPA) yields were observed between NF and bioreactor cultures. In addition, we have found up to seven mannose residues attached to the C-terminal of the rAPA in bioreactor cultures, one more than in NF and CF. However, at similar P/V values, morphological and kinetic differences were found. Our data indicate that P/V as scale-up criteria in the production of recombinant glycoproteins in S. lividans can be successful in some, but not all the kinetic and stoichiometric parameters, suggesting that the metabolic cell responses can be affected by aeration/hydrodynamics between bioreactor and shake flasks. © 2019, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa. All rights reserved

Volumetric power input as a reliable parameter for scale-up from shake flask to stirred-tank bioreactor: Production of a recombinant glycoprotein by Streptomyces lividans

The filamentous morphology of Streptomyces lividans depends on the culture conditions, affecting the production, secretion and post-translational modifications of recombinant glycoproteins. In this work, the previously reported volumetric power input (P/V) in conventional (NF) and coiled (CF) shake flasks were scaled-up to a stirred bioreactor. The effects on the growth and morphology of S. lividans were analyzed, as well as, the production and O-mannosylation of the recombinant APA glycoprotein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Specific growth rates of 5. lividans and similar recombinant glycoprotein (rAPA) yields were observed between NF and bioreactor cultures. In addition, we have found up to seven mannose residues attached to the C-terminal of the rAPA in bioreactor cultures, one more than in NF and CF. However, at similar P/V values, morphological and kinetic differences were found. Our data indicate that P/V as scale-up criteria in the production of recombinant glycoproteins in S. lividans can be successful in some, but not all the kinetic and stoichiometric parameters, suggesting that the metabolic cell responses can be affected by aeration/hydrodynamics between bioreactor and shake flasks. © 2019, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa. All rights reserved

Bird fruit consumption results from the interaction between fruit-handling behaviour and fruit crop size

<p>Bird foraging behaviour is a major factor involved in mutualistic interactions of fleshy-fruited plants. Despite much research, we still lack quantified demonstrations of how fruit display traits affect fruit removal behaviour. Although the fruit crop size hypothesis proposes a general mechanism for fruit trait selection, it overlooks the fact that distinctive bird behaviours in a bird assemblage would have different effects on fruit crop size. Here, we show that the relevance of fruit crop size for bird fruit consumption is driven by two basic components of fruit foraging behaviour: fruit handling and residence time. We assessed bird fruit-eating behaviour (fruit consumption, fruit handling and residence time) and its relationship with fruit crop size, taking into account body size and spatial focal context (conspecific neighbour density and distance to the forest edge from individual plants) in a population of <i>Vassobia breviflora</i> (Solanaceae) in Tucumán, Argentina. At the assemblage level, fruit consumption was positively related to fruit crop size and residence time, and the interaction between fruit crop size and residence time depended on fruit-handling behaviour. At the functional group level, both gulpers and pulp consumers showed a positive relationship between fruit consumption and residence time. However, gulpers showed a negative interaction between fruit crop size and residence time, while pulp consumers showed no interaction. At the species level, fruit consumption by <i>Turdus rufiventris</i> (gulper) was positively related to fruit crop size, whereas fruit consumption by <i>Thraupis sayaca</i> and <i>Zonotrichia capensis</i> (pulp consumers) depended positively on residence time. Essentially, gulpers spent short residence times in plants with larger fruit crops, whereas pulp consumers spent long residence times in plants regardless of fruit crop size. The segregation between fruit-eating behaviours and their relationship with fruit crop size suggests that bird functional groups (i.e. gulpers and pulp consumers) would shape fruit display traits with different intensities.</p

The Predictive Value of Post-Treatment PET-CT Imaging for Patients With Curable Anal Canal Cancer

According to 2020 “NCCN” guidelines, post-treatment positron emission tomography (PET) – computed tomography (CT) imaging of the body is not recommended to predict outcomes of patients undergoing curative intent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for anal canal cancer. This study used PERCIST (Positron Emission tomography Response Criteria In Solid Tumors) to evaluate CRT response and outcomes for our patient population at a single institution. Our “IRB”-approved anal canal database was queried for patients who have undergone CRT, modified “NIGRO” protocol, for carcinoma of the anal canal. The evaluable patient dataset comprised those with both pre- and post-CRT PET-CT imaging of the body. The primary study endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS) calculated from date of diagnosis to date of first known appearance of disease or death from any cause. Overall survival (OS) was defined using elapsed time between date of diagnosis and date of death and surviving patients were censored using date of last follow-up. Also, the range and median time to first post-CRT PET-CT imaging was determined. RFS and OS were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Complete response rate (CRR) and objective response rate (ORR) were calculated along with 95% confidence intervals using Fisher's exact method. All tests were two-sided, and statistical significance was considered when P < 0.05. Out of an initial 392 patients in our database registry, 62 had pre/post-CRT PET-CT imaging from June 2008 until May 2020. There were 18 males and 44 females. The median age at diagnosis was 57.7 years (range: 38-84 years). “AJCC” (7th edition) staging distribution was as follows: 3 Stage I, 13 Stage II, 41 Stage III, and 5 Stage IV. The median total dose of external beam irradiation was 54 Gy (range: 45-60 Gy). Time to post-CRT PET-CT imaging ranged from 0.2 to 27.8 months (mos) [median: 2.9 mos]. Respective PET-response rates regarding primary tumor (N = 62); largest groin node (N = 33); and largest pelvic node (N = 39) were as follows: 31 CR (Complete Response), 26 PR (Partial Response), 5 SD (Stable Disease), and 0 DP (Disease Progression); 30 CR, 3 PR, 0 SD, 0 DP; and 36 CR, 1 PR, 2 SD, 0 DP. Patient follow-up ranged from 6.8 to 114 mos (median: 38.6 mos). At time of last follow-up, there were 53 alive and 9 dead. Estimated 3-year RFS was 72% (95% “CI”: 58.2-81.9%). Estimated 3-year OS was 88.8% (95% CI: 76.6-94.9%). Respective CRRs and ORRs for the primary tumor were 50% (95% CI = 37-63%) and 91.9% (95% CI = 82.2-97.3%); for the groin node 48.4% (95% CI = 35.5-61.4%) and 53.2% (95% CI = 40.1-66%); and for the pelvic node 58.1% (95% CI = 44.8-70.5%) and 59.7% (95% CI = 46.4-71.9%). CRRs and ORRs were not significant prognostic factors for either RFS or OS. After applying PERCIST to our institutional study cohort, the use of post-treatment PET-CT imaging to predict outcomes for this patient population remains unproven