Do mammographic tumor features in breast cancer relate to breast density and invasiveness, tumor size, and axillary lymph node involvement?

Breast density and mammographic tumor features of breast cancer may carry prognostic information. The potential benefit of using the combined information obtained from breast density, mammographic tumor features, and pathological tumor characteristics has not been extensively studied

Learning to Unlearn White Supremacist Consciousness

Using cooperative inquiry as a self-directed learning strategy, people of European-American descent learn to unlearn white supremacist consciousness. Facilitators of changed thinking and behavior include relationships of trust in the all-white inquiry groups and relationships with people of color in participants\u27 daily lives

Impact of a phage cocktail targeting Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis as members of a gut bacterial consortium in vitro and in vivo

Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis have been implicated as important players in human gut health that have been associated with the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Bacteriophage (phage) therapy has been used for decades to target pathogens as an alternative to antibiotics, but the ability of phage to shape complex bacterial consortia in the lower gastrointestinal tract is not clearly understood. We administered a cocktail of six phages (either viable or heat-inactivated) targeting pro-inflammatory Escherichia coli LF82 and Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF as members of a defined community in both a continuous fermenter and a murine colitis model. The two target strains were members of a six species simplified human microbiome consortium (SIHUMI-6). In a 72-h continuous fermentation, the phage cocktail caused a 1.1 and 1.5 log (log10 genome copies/mL) reduction in E. faecalis and E. coli numbers, respectively. This interaction was accompanied by changes in the numbers of other SIHUMI-6 members, with an increase of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (1.7 log) and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (1.8 log). However, in germ-free mice colonized by the same bacterial consortium, the same phage cocktail administered twice a week over nine weeks did not cause a significant reduction of the target strains. Mice treated with active or inactive phage had similar levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-y/IL12p40) in unstimulated colorectal colonic strip cultures. However, histology scores of the murine lower GIT (cecum and distal colon) were lower in the viable phage-treated mice, suggesting that the phage cocktail did influence the functionality of the SIHUMI-6 consortium. For this study, we conclude that the observed potential of phages to reduce host populations in in vitro models did not translate to a similar outcome in an in vivo setting, with this effect likely brought about by the reduction of phage numbers during transit of the mouse GIT

Genetic Deletion of the Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ Receptor in the Rat Confers Resilience to the Development of Drug Addiction

The nociceptin (NOP) receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor whose natural ligand is the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide. Evidence from pharmacological studies suggests that the N/OFQ system is implicated in the regulation of several addiction-related phenomena, such as drug intake, withdrawal and relapse. Here, to further explore the role of NOP system in addiction, we used NOP (-/-) rats to study the motivation for cocaine, heroin and alcohol self-administration in the absence of N/OFQ function. Conditioned place preference (CPP) and saccharin (0.2% w/v) self-administration were also investigated. Results showed that NOP (-/-) rats self-administer less cocaine (0.25, 0.125 or 0.5 mg/infusion) both under a Fixed Ratio 1 and a Progressive Ratio schedule of reinforcement compared to wild type (Wt) controls. Consistently, cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was able to induce CPP in Wt but not in NOP (-/-). When NOP (-/-) rats were tested for heroin (20 μg/infusion) and ethanol (10% v/v) self-administration, they showeda significantly lower drug intake compared to Wt. Conversely, saccharin self-administration was not affected by NOP deletion, excluding the possibility of nonspecific learning deficits or generalized disruption of reward mechanisms in NOP (-/-) rats. These findings were confirmed with pharmacological experiments using two selective NOP antagonists, SB-612111 and LY2817412. Both drugs attenuated alcohol self-administration in Wt rats but not in NOP (-/-) rats. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that genetic deletion of NOP receptors confers resilience to drug abuse and support a role for NOP receptor antagonism as a potential treatment option for drug addiction.Neuropsychopharmacology accepted article preview online, 26 August 2016. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.171

Development and validation of circulating CA125 prediction models in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125) is currently the best available ovarian cancer screening biomarker. However, CA125 has been limited by low sensitivity and specificity in part due to normal variation between individuals. Personal characteristics that influence CA125 could be used to improve its performance as screening biomarker. METHODS: We developed and validated linear and dichotomous (≥35 U/mL) circulating CA125 prediction models in postmenopausal women without ovarian cancer who participated in one of five large population-based studies: Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO, n = 26,981), European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC, n = 861), the Nurses' Health Studies (NHS/NHSII, n = 81), and the New England Case Control Study (NEC, n = 923). The prediction models were developed using stepwise regression in PLCO and validated in EPIC, NHS/NHSII and NEC. RESULT: The linear CA125 prediction model, which included age, race, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and duration, parity, hysterectomy, age at menopause, and duration of hormone therapy (HT), explained 5% of the total variance of CA125. The correlation between measured and predicted CA125 was comparable in PLCO testing dataset (r = 0.18) and external validation datasets (r = 0.14). The dichotomous CA125 prediction model included age, race, BMI, smoking status and duration, hysterectomy, time since menopause, and duration of HT with AUC of 0.64 in PLCO and 0.80 in validation dataset. CONCLUSIONS: The linear prediction model explained a small portion of the total variability of CA125, suggesting the need to identify novel predictors of CA125. The dichotomous prediction model showed moderate discriminatory performance which validated well in independent dataset. Our dichotomous model could be valuable in identifying healthy women who may have elevated CA125 levels, which may contribute to reducing false positive tests using CA125 as screening biomarker

What merits greater scholarly attention in international business?

Scholarly efforts to propose future directions for international business (IB) research have generated a timely and extensive inventory of potentially interesting areas of research. We supplement this line of inquiry by suggesting that an additional layer of scrutiny could be beneficial when advocating in favor of giving more attention to particular research realms. Specifically, we advance several guiding principles that will help IB scholars assess which research areas merit greater scholarly attention, based on their potential importance and impact. We distinguish between (1) research in new or underdeveloped research domains, where salience, urgency, and actionability are critical elements, and (2) new research in relatively well-established domains, where scholars may contribute to changing the theoretical conversations taking place in IB

Do pathological parameters differ with regard to breast density and mode of detection in breast cancer? The Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

Our aim was to study how breast density relates to tumor characteristics in breast cancer with emphasis on mode of detection. Among 17,035 women in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study 826 incident cases have been diagnosed (1991-2007). Data on tumor characteristics, mode of detection, and density at diagnosis were collected. Associations between density and tumor characteristics were analyzed using logistic and ordinal logistic regression models yielding OR and 95% CI. Adjustments for age at diagnosis, BMI at baseline, and the mode of detection, were performed. In denser breasts, large tumor size was more frequent (ORadj 1.59 (1.26-2.01)) as was lymph node involvement (ORadj 1.32 (1.00-1.74)). Further, the higher the density, the lower the grade (ORadj 0.73 (0.53-1.02) for having higher grade), in screening-detected invasive breast cancer. Our findings stress the importance of considering the impact of density in mammography image interpretation and the possible associations with tumor aggressiveness

Mammographic density in relation to tumor biomarkers, molecular subtypes, and mode of detection in breast cancer.

Mammographic density is an established risk factor for breast cancer; however, the relation to tumor pathological parameters including the androgen receptor and molecular subtypes has not been extensively studied