Education, employment and marriage in long-term survivors of teenage and young adult cancer compared with healthy controls

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: Teenage and young adult (TYA) cancer patients are faced with the diagnosis during a challenging period of psychosocial development that may affect social outcomes in the long term. Therefore, we aimed to: (1) determine differences in social outcomes between long-term TYA cancer survivors and healthy controls and (2) identify factors associated with adverse social out-comes. METHODS: We sent a questionnaire to TYA cancer survivors (aged 16-25 years at diagnosis, ≥5 years after diagnosis) registered in the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug. Information on controls was obtained from the Swiss Health Survey 2012. We assessed educational achievement, employment status, marital status and life partnership (survivors only), and compared these outcomes between survivors and controls. We used logistic regression to identify sociodemo-graphic and cancer-related factors associated with social outcomes. RESULTS: We included 160 TYA cancer survivors and 999 controls. Educational achievement of survivors differed significantly from controls (p = 0.012): more survivors than controls reported upper secondary education (33 vs 27%) and fewer survivors reported uni-versity education (12 vs 21%). No significant differences were found for employment (p = 0.515) and marital status (p = 0.357). The major-ity of survivors (91%) and controls (90%) were employed, and 37% of survivors were married, compared with 41% of controls. There were no cancer-related factors associated with having only basic educa-tion. Unemployment was associated with younger age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 5.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-30.8) and self-reported late effects (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3-19.5). Survivors of younger age at diagnosis were more likely not to be married (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3-5.7) and not to have a life partner (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0-5.2). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that TYA cancer survivors com-pleted applied higher education rather than a university education. Future studies including larger samples of TYA cancer survivors are needed to validate our findings and to explore the reasons for and satisfaction with the observed educational pathway

A new diagnostic algorithm for Burkitt and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas based on the expression of CSE1L and STAT3 and on MYC rearrangement predicts outcome

Background Aggressive mature B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (BCL) sharing features of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (intermediate BL/DLBCL) but deviating with respect to one or more characteristics are increasingly recognized. The limited knowledge about these biologically heterogeneous lymphomas hampers their assignment to a known entity, raising incertitude about optimal treatment approaches. We therefore searched for discriminative, prognostic, and predictive factors for their better characterization. Patients and methods We analyzed 242 cytogenetically defined aggressive mature BCL for differential protein expression. Marker selection was based on recent gene-expression profile studies. Predictive models for diagnosis were established and validated by a different set of lymphomas. Results CSE1L- and inhibitor of DNA binding-3 (ID3)-overexpression was associated with the diagnosis of BL and signal transduction and transcription-3 (STAT3) with DLBCL (P<0.001 for all markers). All three markers were associated with patient outcome in DLBCL. A new algorithm discriminating BL from DLBCL emerged, including the expression of CSE1L, STAT3, and MYC translocation. This ‘new classifier' enabled the identification of patients with intermediate BL/DLBCL who benefited from intensive chemotherapy regimens. Conclusion The proposed algorithm, which is based on markers with reliable staining properties for routine diagnostics, represents a novel valid tool in separating BL from DLBCL. Most interestingly, it allows segregating intermediate BL/DLBCL into groups with different treatment requirement

Energy efficiency studies for dual-grating dielectric laser-driven accelerators

Dielectric laser-driven accelerators (DLAs) can provide high accelerating gradients in the GV/m range due to their having higher breakdown thresholds than metals, which opens the way for the miniaturization of the next generation of particle accelerator facilities. Two kinds of scheme, the addition of a Bragg reflector and the use of pulse-front-tilted (PFT) laser illumination, have been studied separately to improve the energy efficiency for dual-grating DLAs. The Bragg reflector enhances the accelerating gradient of the structure, while the PFT increases the effective interaction length. In this paper, we investigate numerically the advantages of using the two schemes in conjunction. Our calculations show that, for a 100-period structure with a period of 2 micrometer, such a design effectively increases the energy gain by more than 100 % when compared to employing the Bragg reflector with a normal laser, and by about 50 % when using standard structures with a PFT laser. A total energy gain of as much as 2.6 MeV can be obtained for a PFT laser beam when illuminating a 2000-period dual-grating structure with a Bragg reflector

Efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in a salmonid fish cell line using a lentivirus delivery system

The present study was funded by were funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/R008612/1, BB/S004343/1 to RH and RG; grant BB/R008973/1 to SM and CD) and the Institute Strategic Programme Grants (BBS/E/D/20002172, BBS/E/D/30002275 and BBS/E/D/10002070, to RH and RG). The funders had no roles in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Changing patterns of cancer incidence in the early- and late-HAART periods: the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996 led to a decrease in the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but not of other cancers, among people with HIV or AIDS (PWHA). It also led to marked increases in their life expectancy. METHODS: We conducted a record-linkage study between the Swiss HIV Cohort Study and nine Swiss cantonal cancer registries. In total, 9429 PWHA provided 20,615, 17,690, and 15,410 person-years in the pre-, early-, and late-HAART periods, respectively. Standardised incidence ratios in PWHA vs the general population, as well as age-standardised, and age-specific incidence rates were computed for different periods. RESULTS: Incidence of KS and NHL decreased by several fold between the pre- and early-HAART periods, and additionally declined from the early- to the late-HAART period. Incidence of cancers of the anus, liver, non-melanomatous skin, and Hodgkin's lymphoma increased in the early- compared with the pre-HAART period, but not during the late-HAART period. The incidence of all non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) combined was similar in all periods, and approximately double that in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Increases in the incidence of selected NADCs after the introduction of HAART were largely accounted for by the ageing of PWHA

Sounds of Silence : The Reflexivity, Self-decentralization, and Transformation Dimensions of Silence at Work

This article explores silence as a phenomenon and practice in the workplace through a Buddhist-enacted lens where silence is intentionally encouraged. It brings forward a reconsideration of the roles of silence in organizations by proposing emancipatory dimensions of silence—reflexivity, self-decentralization, and transformation. Based on 54 interviews with employees and managers in a Vietnamese telecommunications organization, we discuss the dynamic nature of silence, and the possible coexistence of the constructive and the oppressive aspects of silence in a workplace spirituality context. Instead of studying silence as one-dimensional, we call for an integrated view and argue that studying silence requires consideration of the multiplicity of its interconnected dimensions. By considering silence as a relational and emerging processes constructed around its vagueness and uncertainties, our study reveals the many possible ways silence is organized and organizes and sheds light on silence as a marker of the complexities and paradoxes of organizational life

Population-Specific Responses to Interspecific Competition in the Gut Microbiota of Two Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Populations

The gut microbial community in vertebrates plays a role in nutrient digestion and absorption, development of intestine and immune systems, resistance to infection, regulation of bone mass and even host behavior and can thus impact host fitness. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reintroduction efforts into Lake Ontario, Canada, have been unsuccessful, likely due to competition with non-native salmonids. In this study, we explored interspecific competition effects on the gut microbiota of two Atlantic salmon populations (LaHave and Sebago) resulting from four non-native salmonids. After 10 months of rearing in semi-natural stream tanks under six interspecific competition treatments, we characterized the gut microbiota of 178 Atlantic salmon by parallel sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. We found 3978 bacterial OTUs across all samples. Microbiota alpha diversity and abundance of 27 OTUs significantly differed between the two populations. Interspecific competition reduced relative abundance of potential beneficial bacteria (six genera of lactic acid bacteria) as well as 13 OTUs, but only in the LaHave population, indicating population-specific competition effects. The pattern of gut microbiota response to interspecific competition may reflect local adaptation of the host-microbiota interactions and can be used to select candidate populations for improved species reintroduction success

Management Ideologies and Organizational Spirituality: a Typology

The topic of spirituality is gaining an increasing visibility in organization studies. It is our contention that every theory of organization is a theory of organizational spirituality. Based on Barley and Kunda’s 1992 Administrative Science Quarterly article, we discuss the evolution of management theories as spirituality theories. From such analysis, we suggest that there may be both a meaningful/liberating and an instrumental/exploitative side in the relationship between organizations and spirituality. Such a possibility is illustrated with a typology that advances four possible types of organizations regarding spirituality: the soulful organization, the holistic organization, the ascetic organization, and the professional organization. The expression of spirituality in each of these forms is discussed with the aim of contributing to a theoretically-based analysis of organizational spirituality.N/

Films and critical pedagogy in management education: A tourism studies context

This article examines and critically assesses the role of films in the practice of critical pedagogy in undergraduate management education, using tourism studies as a context. Utilising online focus groups, it aims to gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the role of films as an effective pedagogical medium in enhancing experiential approaches to learning. It argues that films play an important role in facilitating critical analyses of the studied phenomenon, illustrating and problematising abstract concepts and ideas, as well as in facilitating students’ ability to discern multiple and alternative discourses about management. The findings highlight the role of films in context-specific critical engagement with the studied content and in stimulating emotionality in learning development, thereby enhancing deep approaches to learning. Emotional responses, even negative ones, prove to be critical in engaging with intellectual and critical reflection after watching films. The findings yield new and empirical insights into the pedagogic use of films in management education, thereby contributing to some of the goals of critical management studies