Factors associated with decision-making on prophylactic hysterectomy and attitudes towards gynecological surveillance among women with Lynch syndrome (LS) : a descriptive study

To prevent endometrial carcinoma in Lynch syndrome (LS), regular gynecological surveillance visits and prophylactic surgery are recommended. Previous data have shown that prophylactic hysterectomy is an effective means of cancer prevention, while the advantages and disadvantages of surveillance are somewhat unclear. We aimed to evaluate female LS carriers' attitudes towards regular gynecological surveillance and factors influencing their decision-making on prophylactic surgery that have not been well documented. Pain experienced during endometrial biopsies was also evaluated. Postal questionnaires were sent to LS carriers undergoing regular gynecological surveillance. Questionnaires were sent to 112 women with LS, of whom 76 responded (68%). Forty-two (55%) had undergone prophylactic hysterectomy by the time of the study. The majority of responders (64/76; 84.2%) considered surveillance appointments beneficial. Pain level during endometrial biopsy was not associated with the decision to undergo prophylactic surgery. The level of satisfaction the women had with the information and advice provided during surveillance was significantly associated with the history of prophylactic hysterectomy (satisfaction rate of 73.2% versus 31.8% of nonoperated women, p = 0.003). The women who had undergone prophylactic surgery were older than the nonoperated women both at mutation testing (median of 42.3 years versus 31.6 years, p <0.001) and at the time of the study (median of 56.9 years versus 46.0 years, respectively, p <0.001). Women with LS pathogenic variants have positive experiences with gynecological surveillance visits, and their perception of the quality of the information and advice obtained plays an important role in their decision-making concerning prophylactic surgery.Peer reviewe

Gene Duplication and Gain in the Trematode Atriophallophorus winterbourni Contributes to Adaptation to Parasitism.

Gene duplications and novel genes have been shown to play a major role in helminth adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle because they provide the novelty necessary for adaptation to a changing environment, such as living in multiple hosts. Here we present the de novo sequenced and annotated genome of the parasitic trematode Atriophallophorus winterbourni and its comparative genomic analysis to other major parasitic trematodes. First, we reconstructed the species phylogeny, and dated the split of A. winterbourni from the Opisthorchiata suborder to approximately 237.4 Ma (±120.4 Myr). We then addressed the question of which expanded gene families and gained genes are potentially involved in adaptation to parasitism. To do this, we used hierarchical orthologous groups to reconstruct three ancestral genomes on the phylogeny leading to A. winterbourni and performed a GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis of the gene composition of each ancestral genome, allowing us to characterize the subsequent genomic changes. Out of the 11,499 genes in the A. winterbourni genome, as much as 24% have arisen through duplication events since the speciation of A. winterbourni from the Opisthorchiata, and as much as 31.9% appear to be novel, that is, newly acquired. We found 13 gene families in A. winterbourni to have had more than ten genes arising through these recent duplications; all of which have functions potentially relating to host behavioral manipulation, host tissue penetration, and hiding from host immunity through antigen presentation. We identified several families with genes evolving under positive selection. Our results provide a valuable resource for future studies on the genomic basis of adaptation to parasitism and point to specific candidate genes putatively involved in antagonistic host-parasite adaptation

Continuous Vortices with Broken Symmetry in Rotating Superfluid 3He-A

New NMR measurements are reported on continuous 3He-A vortices in tilted magnetic fields. We introduce a symmetry classification of the continuous vortices with broken axial symmetry. It is found that the discrete internal symmetry may in addition be broken in two inequivalent ways, producing two different continuous vortices. Although NMR may not distinguish between these two vortices, the observed vortex satellite peak is well accounted for by spin waves localized in the soft core of such vortices.Peer reviewe

Susceptibility and Percolation in 2D Random Field Ising Magnets

The ground state structure of the two-dimensional random field Ising magnet is studied using exact numerical calculations. First we show that the ferromagnetism, which exists for small system sizes, vanishes with a large excitation at a random field strength dependent length scale. This {\it break-up length scale} $L_b$ scales exponentially with the squared random field, $\exp(A/\Delta^2)$. By adding an external field $H$ we then study the susceptibility in the ground state. If $L>L_b$, domains melt continuously and the magnetization has a smooth behavior, independent of system size, and the susceptibility decays as $L^{-2}$. We define a random field strength dependent critical external field value $\pm H_c(\Delta)$, for the up and down spins to form a percolation type of spanning cluster. The percolation transition is in the standard short-range correlated percolation universality class. The mass of the spanning cluster increases with decreasing $\Delta$ and the critical external field approaches zero for vanishing random field strength, implying the critical field scaling (for Gaussian disorder) $H_c \sim (\Delta -\Delta_c)^\delta$, where $\Delta_c = 1.65 \pm 0.05$ and $\delta=2.05\pm 0.10$. Below $\Delta_c$ the systems should percolate even when H=0. This implies that even for H=0 above $L_b$ the domains can be fractal at low random fields, such that the largest domain spans the system at low random field strength values and its mass has the fractal dimension of standard percolation $D_f = 91/48$. The structure of the spanning clusters is studied by defining {\it red clusters}, in analogy to the ``red sites'' of ordinary site-percolation. The size of red clusters defines an extra length scale, independent of $L$.Comment: 17 pages, 28 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Disorder Driven Critical Behavior of Periodic Elastic Media in a Crystal Potential

We study a lattice model of a three-dimensional periodic elastic medium at zero temperature with exact combinatorial optimization methods. A competition between pinning of the elastic medium, representing magnetic flux lines in the mixed phase of a superconductor or charge density waves in a crystal, by randomly distributed impurities and a periodic lattice potential gives rise to a continuous phase transition from a flat phase to a rough phase. We determine the critical exponents of this roughening transition via finite size scaling obtaining $\nu\approx1.3$, $\beta\approx0.05$, $\gamma/\nu\approx2.9$ and find that they are universal with respect to the periodicity of the lattice potential. The small order parameter exponent is reminiscent of the random field Ising critical behavior in 3$d$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps-figures include

Random manifolds in non-linear resistor networks: Applications to varistors and superconductors

We show that current localization in polycrystalline varistors occurs on paths which are, usually, in the universality class of the directed polymer in a random medium. We also show that in ceramic superconductors, voltage localizes on a surface which maps to an Ising domain wall. The emergence of these manifolds is explained and their structure is illustrated using direct solution of non-linear resistor networks

Status report of the JYFL-ECR ion sources

"Ion beam cocktails" are mixtures of ions with near-identical charge-to-mass ratios. In conjunction with the JYFL-ECRIS, the K130-cyclotron acts as a mass analyzer: the switch from one ion to another within the same cocktail is simple and fast. In the case of the first ion beam cocktail, the oxygen and argon gases were mixed into the gas feed line. At the same time the magnesium and iron ion beams were produced using the MIVOC method. Magnesocene and ferrocene compounds were both mixed into the MIVOC chamber. This capability is especially useful in the study of single event effects (SEE) in space electronics. All gaseous elements from H to Xe can be produced. The non-gaseous elements produced so far are C, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Ge. A major technical modification since the construction (in 1990) of the JYFL-ECRIS was made in January 98: a negatively biased disc replaces now the first plasma stage. After a couple of months experience with the modified source the change was found to be towards a correct direction. The source is now much easier to use and the good operating conditions are well repeated. A real advantage is the new magnetic field settings which are practically the same for all kind of beams, gaseous and solids. Due to the requirements of ion beams with higher charges and heavier elements than the present JYFL-ECRIS can produce, JYFL decided to begin a design and construction project of a new ECR ion source, called as ECRIS 2. The project aims to a source that is based mainly on the design of the 14 GHz AECR-U source at the LBNL. Some modifications made into the similar source under construction at the NSCL/MSU will be utilized here. The new source will be installed horizontally in the basement of the ECRIS laboratory. It requires a new beam-line from the source to the cyclotron injection line, since the old vertically located JYFL-ECRIS will be preserved in operation. The new source is planned to be operational during the year 2000

Snow information is required in subcontinental scale predictions of mountain plant distributions

Aim To examine how snow cover and permafrost affect plant species distributions at a subcontinental extent. Location Mountain realm of Fennoscandia, northern Europe. Time period Species data from 1 January 1990-25 February 2019. Major taxa studied Arctic-alpine and boreal vascular plants. Methods We examined the effect of snow persistence and permafrost occurrence on the distributions of arctic-alpine and boreal plant species while controlling for climate, topography and geological factors. Data comprised 475,811 observations from 671 species in the Fennoscandian mountains. We investigated the relationships between species distributions and environmental variables using four modelling methods and ensemble modelling building on both non-spatial and spatial models. Results Snow persistence was the most important driver of plant species distributions, with the greatest variable importance for both arctic-alpine (38.2%) and boreal (49.9%) species. Permafrost had a consistent minor effect on the predicted distributions. Arctic-alpine plants occur in areas with long snow persistence and permafrost, whereas boreal species showed the opposite habitat preferences. Main conclusions Our results highlight the importance of snow persistence in driving the distribution of vascular plant species in cold environments at a subcontinental scale. The notable contribution of the cryosphere to plant species distribution models indicates that the inclusion of snow information in particular may improve our understanding and model predictions of biogeographical patterns in cold regions.Peer reviewe

Ordered phase in the two-dimensional randomly coupled ferromagnet

True ground states are evaluated for a 2d Ising model with random near neighbor interactions and ferromagnetic second neighbor interactions (the Randomly Coupled Ferromagnet). The spin glass stiffness exponent is positive when the absolute value of the random interaction is weaker than the ferromagnetic interaction. This result demonstrates that in this parameter domain the spin glass like ordering temperature is non-zero for these systems, in strong contrast to the 2d Edwards-Anderson spin glass.Comment: 7 pages; 9 figures; revtex; new version much extende