192 research outputs found
Risk of urothelial bladder cancer in Lynch syndrome is increased, in particular among MSH2 mutation carriers
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89346.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Colorectal, endometrial and upper urinary tract tumours are characteristic for Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon carcinoma, HNPCC). The aim of the present study was to establish whether carriers of mutations in mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2 or MSH6 are at increased risk of urinary bladder cancer. METHODS: Carriers and first degree relatives of 95 families with a germline mutation in the MLH1 (n=26), MSH2 (n=43), or MSH6 (n=26) gene were systematically questioned about the occurrence of carcinoma. The cumulative risk of cancer occurring before the age of 70 years (CR70) was compared to the CR70 of the general Dutch population. Microsatellite instability (MSI) testing and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch repair proteins was performed on bladder tumour tissue. RESULTS: Bladder cancer was diagnosed in 21 patients (90% men) from 19 Lynch syndrome families (2 MLH1, 15 MSH2, and 4 MSH6). CR70 for bladder cancer was 7.5% (95% CI 3.1% to 11.9%) for men and 1.0% (95% CI 0% to 2.4%) for women, resulting in relative risks for mutation carriers and first degree relatives of 4.2 (95% CI 2.2 to 7.2) for men and 2.2 (95% CI 0.3 to 8.0) for women. Men carrying an MSH2 mutation and their first degree relatives were at highest risks: CR70 for bladder and upper urinary tract cancer being 12.3% (95% CI 4.3% to 20.3%) and 5.9% (95% CI 0.7% to 11.1%). Bladder cancer tissue was MSI positive in 6/7 tumours and loss of IHC staining was found in 14/17 tumours, indicating Lynch syndrome aetiology. CONCLUSION: Patients with Lynch syndrome carrying an MSH2 mutation are at increased risk of urinary tract cancer including bladder cancer. In these cases surveillance should be considered.01 juli 201
Characteristics and outcome of pediatric renal cell carcinoma patients registered in the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) 93â01, 2001 and UKâIMPORT database: A report of the SIOPâRenal Tumor Study Group
In children, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is rare. This study is the first report of pediatric patients with RCC registered by the International Society of Pediatric OncologyâRenal Tumor Study Group (SIOPâRTSG). Pediatric patients with histologically confirmed RCC, registered in SIOP 93â01, 2001 and UKâIMPORT databases, were included. Eventâfree survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the KaplanâMeier method. Between 1993 and 2019, 122 pediatric patients with RCC were registered. Available detailed data (n = 111) revealed 56 localized, 30 regionally advanced, 25 metastatic and no bilateral cases. Histological classification according to World Health Organization 2004, including immunohistochemical and molecular testing for transcription factor E3 (TFE3) and/or EB (TFEB) translocation, was available for 65/122 patients. In this group, the most common histological subtypes were translocation type RCC (MiTâRCC) (36/64, 56.3%), papillary type (19/64, 29.7%) and clear cell type (4/64, 6.3%). One histological subtype was not reported. In the remaining 57 patients, translocation testing could not be performed, or TFEâcytogenetics and/or immunohistochemistry results were missing. In this group, the most common RCC histological subtypes were papillary type (21/47, 44.7%) and clear cell type (11/47, 23.4%). Ten histological subtypes were not reported. Estimated 5âyear (5y) EFS and 5yâOS of the total group was 70.5% (95% CI = 61.7%â80.6%) and 84.5% (95% CI = 77.5%â92.2%), respectively. Estimated 5yâOS for localized, regionally advanced, and metastatic disease was 96.8%, 92.3%, and 45.6%, respectively. In conclusion, the registered pediatric patients with RCC showed a reasonable outcome. Survival was substantially lower for patients with metastatic disease. This descriptive study stresses the importance of full, prospective registration including TFEâtesting
Cigarette smoking, von HippelâLindau gene mutations and sporadic renal cell carcinoma
We investigated whether smoking is associated with mutations in the Von HippelâLindau (VHL) gene in 337 cases of sporadic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) among 120â852 people followed for 11.3 years; the findings suggest that smoking causes RCC independently of VHL gene mutations
Monitoring international migration flows in Europe. Towards a statistical data base combining data from different sources
The paper reviews techniques developed in demography, geography and statistics that are useful for bridging the gap between available data on international migration flows and the information required for policy making and research. The basic idea of the paper is as follows: to establish a coherent and consistent data base that contains sufficiently detailed, up-to-date and accurate information, data from several sources should be combined. That raises issues of definition and measurement, and of how to combine data from different origins properly. The issues may be tackled more easily if the statistics that are being compiled are viewed as different outcomes or manifestations of underlying stochastic processes governing migration. The link between the processes and their outcomes is described by models, the parameters of which must be estimated from the available data. That may be done within the context of socio-demographic accounting. The paper discusses the experience of the U.S. Bureau of the Census in combining migration data from several sources. It also summarizes the many efforts in Europe to establish a coherent and consistent data base on international migration.
The paper was written at IIASA. It is part of the Migration Estimation Study, which is a collaborative IIASA-University of Groningen project, funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The project aims at developing techniques to obtain improved estimates of international migration flows by country of origin and country of destination
Italyâs Path to Very Low Fertility: The Adequacy of Economic and Second Demographic Transition Theories: Le cheminement de lâItalie vers les très basses fĂŠconditĂŠs: AdĂŠquation des thĂŠories ĂŠconomique et de seconde transition dĂŠmographique
The deep drop of the fertility rate in Italy to among the lowest in the world challenges contemporary theories of childbearing and family building. Among high-income countries, Italy was presumed to have characteristics of family values and female labor force participation that would favor higher fertility than its European neighbors to the north. We test competing economic and cultural explanations, drawing on new nationally representative, longitudinal data to examine first union, first birth, and second birth. Our event history analysis finds some support for economic determinants of family formation and fertility, but the clear importance of regional differences and of secularization suggests that such an explanation is at best incomplete and that cultural and ideational factors must be considered
Fertility, Living Arrangements, Care and Mobility
There are four main interconnecting themes around which the contributions in this book are based. This introductory chapter aims to establish the broad context for the chapters that follow by discussing each of the themes. It does so by setting these themes within the overarching demographic challenge of the twenty-first century â demographic ageing. Each chapter is introduced in the context of the specific theme to which it primarily relates and there is a summary of the data sets used by the contributors to illustrate the wide range of cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysed
The Valued Child. In Search of a Latent Attitude Profile that Influences the Transition to Motherhood
Photovoltaic power plants: a multicriteria approach to investment decisions and a case study in western Spain
his paper proposes a compromise programming (CP) model to help investors decide whether to construct photovoltaic power plants with government financial support. For this purpose, we simulate an agreement between the government, who pursues political prices (guaranteed prices) as low as possible, and the project sponsor who wants returns (stochastic cash flows) as high as possible. The sponsor s decision depends on the positive or negative result of this simulation, the resulting simulated price being compared to the effective guaranteed price established by the country legislation for photovoltaic energy. To undertake the simulation, the CP model articulates variables such as ranges of guaranteed prices, tech- nical characteristics of the plant, expected energy to be generated over the investment life, investment cost, cash flow probabilities, and others. To determine the CP metric, risk aver- sion is assumed. As an actual application, a case study on photovoltaic power investment in Extremadura, western Spain, is developed in detail.Garcia-Bernabeu, A.; Benito Benito, A.; Bravo Selles, M.; Pla SantamarĂa, D. (2015). Photovoltaic power plants: a multicriteria approach to investment decisions and a case study in western Spain. Annals of Operations Research. 1-12. doi:10.1007/s10479-015-1836-2S112Andrews, R. W., Pollard, A., & Pearce, J. M. (2012). Improved parametric empirical determination of module short circuit current for modelling and optimization of solar photovoltaic systems. Solar Energy, 86(9), 2240â2254.Anwar, Y., & Mulyadi, M. S. (2011). Income tax incentives on renewable energy industry: Case of geothermal industry in USA and Indonesia. African Journal of Business Management, 5(31), 12264â12270.Aouni, B., & Kettani, O. (2001). Goal programming model: A glorious history and a promising future. European Journal of Operational Research, 133(2), 225â231.Ballestero, E. (1997). Selecting the CP metric: A risk aversion approach. European Journal of Operational Research, 97(3), 593â596.Ballestero, E. (2000). Project finance: A multicriteria approach to arbitration. Journal of Operational Research Society, 51, 183â197.Ballestero, E. (2007). Compromise programming: A utility-based linear-quadratic composite metric from the trade-off between achievement and balanced (non-corner) solutions. European Journal of Operational Research, 182(3), 1369â1382.Ballestero, E., PĂŠrez-Gladish, B., Arenas-Parra, M., & BilbaoTerol, A. (2009). Selecting portfolios given multiple Eurostoxx-based uncertainty scenarios: A stochastic goal programming approach from fuzzy betas. INFOR: Information Systems and Operational Research, 47(1), 59â70.Ballestero, E., & PlĂ -SantamarĂa, D. (2003). Portfolio selection on the Madrid exchange: A compromise programming model. International Transactions in Operational Research, 10(1), 33â51.Ballestero, E., & Pla-Santamaria, D. (2004). 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I., & Toffel, M. W. (2009). How well do social ratings actually measure corporate social responsibility? Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 18(1), 125â169.Copeland, T. E., & Weston, J. (1988). Financial theory and corporate policy. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.Gallagher, K. S. (2013). Why & how governments support renewable energy. Daedalus, 142(1), 59â77.GarcĂa-Cascales, M. S., Lamata, M. T., & SĂĄnchez-Lozano, J. M. (2012). Evaluation of photovoltaic cells in a multi-criteria decision making process. Annals of Operations Research, 199(1), 373â391.Gupta, S. (2012). Financing renewable energy. In F. L. Toth (Ed.), Energy for development (pp. 171â186). Springer.Karaarslan, A. (2012). Obtaining renewable energy from piezoelectric ceramics using SheppardâTaylor converter. International Review of Electrical Engineering, 7(2), 3949â3956.Koellner, T., Weber, O., Fenchel, M., & Scholz, R. (2005). Principles for sustainability rating of investment funds. 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Renewable energy, 5(1â4), 700â708.ORourke, A. (2003). The message and methods of ethical investment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 11(6), 683â693.Pla-Santamaria, D., & Bravo, M. (2013). Portfolio optimization based on downside risk: A mean-semivariance efficient frontier from Dow Jones blue chips. Annals of Operations Research, 205(1), 189â201.Richter, N. (2009). Renewable project finance options: ITC, PTC, or cash grant? Power, 153(5), 90â92.Schrader, U. (2006). Ignorant advice-customer advisory service for ethical investment funds. Business Strategy and the Environment, 15(3), 200â214.Sitarz, S. (2013). Compromise programming with tehebycheff norm for discrete stochastic orders. Annals of Operations Research, 211(1), 433â446.van de Kaa, G., Rezaei, J., Kamp, L., & de Winter, A. (2014). Photovoltaic technology selection: A fuzzy MCDM approach. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 32, 662â670.Yaqub, M., Shahram Sarkni, P., & Mazzuchi, T. (2012). Feasibility analysis of solar photovoltaic commercial power generation in California. Engineering Management Journal, 24(4), 36â49.Yazdani-Chamzini, A., Fouladgar, M. M., Zavadskas, E. K., & Moini, S. H. H. (2013). Selecting the optimal renewable energy using multi criteria decision making. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 14(5), 957â978.Yu, P. (1985). Multiple criteria decision making: Concepts, techniques and extensions. New York: Springer.Zeleny, M. (1982). Multiple criteria decision making (Vol. 25). New York: McGraw-Hill.Zhao, R., Shi, G., Chen, H., Ren, A., & Finlow, D. (2011). Present status and prospects of photovoltaic market in China. Energy Policy, 39(4), 2204â2207
Uncertainty and Narratives of the Future. A Theoretical Framework for Contemporary Fertility
Explanations for fertility decisions based on structural constraintsâsuch as labor, housing condition, or incomeâdo not account for the contemporary fertility downturn faced by many countries in Europe. In this paper, we posit that the rise of uncertainty is central for understanding contemporary fertility dynamics. We propose a theoretical framework (the Narrative Framework) for the study of fertility decisions under uncertain conditions based on expectations, imaginaries and narratives. Relying on the idea of futureâoriented action, we argue that uncertainty needs to be conceptualized and operationalized taking into account that people use works of imagination, producing their own narrative of the future. Narratives of the future are potent driving forces helping people to act according to or despite uncertainty. We present the different elements of the Narrative Framework and address its causal validity. We conclude by highlighting the advantages of taking into account the narratives of the future in fertility research
Population and labour force projections for 27 European countries, 2002-052: impact of international migration on population ageing: Projections de population et de population active pour 27 pays europĂŠens 2002-052: impact de la migration internationale sur le vieillissement de la population
Population and labour force projections are made for 27 selected European countries for 2002-052, focussing on the impact of international migration on population and labour force dynamics. Starting from single scenarios for fertility, mortality and economic activity, three sets of assumptions are explored regarding migration flows, taking into account probable policy developments in Europe following the enlargement of the EU. In addition to age structures, various support ratio indicators are analysed. The results indicate that plausible immigration cannot offset the negative effects of population and labour force ageing
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