Towards a scalable generation of realistic property graphs with arbitrary schemas

This Masters thesis provides the user with a comprehensive DSL to define property graph generation tasks, including the node and edge property schemas and the graph structure, generating an Intermediate Language representation, that will be executed on distributed computing framework implementation

Towards a property graph generator for benchmarking

The use of synthetic graph generators is a common practice among graph-oriented benchmark designers, as it allows obtaining graphs with the required scale and characteristics. However, finding a graph generator that accurately fits the needs of a given benchmark is very difficult, thus practitioners end up creating ad-hoc ones. Such a task is usually time-consuming, and often leads to reinventing the wheel. In this paper, we introduce the conceptual design of DataSynth, a framework for property graphs generation with customizable schemas and characteristics. The goal of DataSynth is to assist benchmark designers in generating graphs efficiently and at scale, saving from implementing their own generators. Additionally, DataSynth introduces novel features barely explored so far, such as modeling the correlation between properties and the structure of the graph. This is achieved by a novel property-to-node matching algorithm for which we present preliminary promising results

Caretaker Score Reliability for Personality Assessment of Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

The evaluation of zoo animals' personalities can likely lead to a range of benefits, including improving breeding success, creating stable social groups, and designing and developing environmental enrichment programmes. The goal of this study was to use caretakers scores to evaluate personality in bottlenose dolphins and to assess the reliability of scores within each rater and among raters from each centre. To this end, 24 caretakers from 3 countries (Spain, France, and Argentina), including a total of 5 dolphinariums and 6 groups of dolphins, used a questionnaire based on the Five-Factor Model of Personality to score bottlenose dolphins on a number of personality traits in three different contexts. Each caretaker evaluated the animals under their care twice, ensuring that raters did not share thoughts nor impressions with other raters. Our findings showed a good degree of agreement between each rater's scores and a fair degree of agreement among scores of raters from the same centre. We also identified which raters and centres had significant mean score differences and detected that 4 out of 24 raters from two different centres showed such differences systematically. The evaluation of raters' reliability and the identification of particular inconsistent raters and centres is critical to make more appropriate and realistic management decisions that, in turn, directly impact animals' welfare

Age-associated changes in intestinal health biomarkers in dogs

The gut microbiome is critical for maintaining host health. In healthy humans, the aging process is one of the main factors modulating the changes in the intestinal microbiota. However, little is known about the relationship between gut health, microbiota, and the aging process in dogs. The present study aims to explore the differences in the intestinal microbiota and intestinal health based on fecal biomarkers in a population of dogs of different ages. The study involved 106 dogs of different breeds aged between 0.2 and 15 years categorized as senior (>7 years; n = 40), adult (2–7 years; n = 50), and junior (< 2 years; n = 16). Fecal samples were collected during the same period at the same facilities. The analysis included the following gut health indicators: 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the differences in the fecal microbiota; qPCR to determine the dysbiosis index; fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations; fecal calprotectin; and immunoglobulin A. Beta diversity analysis revealed a significant difference with a small effect size (p = 0.003; R = 0.087) among age categories based on the unweighted UniFrac metric, but no significance was observed based on the weighted UniFrac metric or Bray–Curtis distances. There were no significant differences in the alpha diversity measures or the fecal dysbiosis index among age categories. Senior dogs had significantly higher relative abundance proportions in phyla Bacteroidota and Pseudomonadota and the genus Faecalibacterium, but not on qPCR analysis. At the family level, Ruminococcaceae, Uncl. Clostridiales.1, Veillonellaceae, Prevotellaceae, Succinivibrionaceae, and Bacteroidaceae abundances were higher in the senior category than in the adult and/or junior categories. Relative proportions, but not concentrations of fecal acetate, were higher in the senior category, while butyrate, isovaleric acid, and valeric acid were lower. The valeric acid concentration was significantly lower in the senior category than in the adult category. Calprotectin and immunoglobulin A levels did not differ significantly across groups. In conclusion, this study observed multiple minor changes in the fecal microbiota composition and the relative amount of short-chain fatty acids in dogs among different age groups, but studies in larger populations representative of all ages are warranted to refine the present results

Tumor phenotype and breast density in distinct categories of interval cancer: results of population-based mammography screening in Spain

Introduction: Interval cancers are tumors arising after a negative screening episode and before the next screening invitation. They can be classified into true interval cancers, false-negatives, minimal-sign cancers, and occult tumors based on mammographic findings in screening and diagnostic mammograms. This study aimed to describe tumor-related characteristics and the association of breast density and tumor phenotype within four interval cancer categories. Methods: We included 2,245 invasive tumors (1,297 screening-detected and 948 interval cancers) diagnosed from 2000 to 2009 among 645,764 women aged 45 to 69 who underwent biennial screening in Spain. Interval cancers were classified by a semi-informed retrospective review into true interval cancers (n = 455), false-negatives (n = 224), minimal-sign (n = 166), and occult tumors (n = 103). Breast density was evaluated using Boyd’s scale and was conflated into: 75%. Tumor-related information was obtained from cancer registries and clinical records. Tumor phenotype was defined as follows: luminal A: ER+/HER2- or PR+/HER2-; luminal B: ER +/HER2+ or PR+/HER2+; HER2: ER-/PR-/HER2+; triple-negative: ER-/PR-/HER2-. The association of tumor phenotype and breast density was assessed using a multinomial logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Forty-eight percent of interval cancers were true interval cancers and 23.6% false-negatives. True interval cancers were associated with HER2 and triple-negative phenotypes (OR = 1.91 (95% CI:1.22-2.96), OR = 2.07 (95% CI:1.42-3.01), respectively) and extremely dense breasts (>75%) (OR = 1.67 (95% CI:1.08-2.56)). However, among true interval cancers a higher proportion of triple-negative tumors was observed in predominantly fatty breasts (<25%) than in denser breasts (28.7%, 21.4%, 11.3% and 14.3%, respectively; <0.001). False-negatives and occult tumors had similar phenotypic characteristics to screening-detected cancers, extreme breast density being strongly associated with occult tumors (OR = 6.23 (95% CI:2.65-14.66)). Minimal-sign cancers were biologically close to true interval cancers but showed no association with breast density. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that both the distribution of tumor phenotype and breast density play specific and independent roles in each category of interval cancer. Further research is needed to understand the biological basis of the overrepresentation of triple-negative phenotype among predominantly fatty breasts in true interval cancers

La Sífilis en la consulta odontológica. Una vieja enfermedad, quizás tempranamente olvidada

La sífilis es una enfermedad venérea de afectación sistémica, causada por el Treponema pallidum, con características de histórica, pero que ha rebrotado en general y de manera especial entre la población infectada por el VIH. La espiroqueta es capaz de pe-netrar por las mucosas intactas o lesiones en la piel. Casi de forma inmediata se produce multiplicación local e invasión regional

Absence of nuclear p16 is a diagnostic and independent prognostic biomarker in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix

The tumor-suppressor protein p16 is paradoxically overexpressed in cervical cancer (CC). Despite its potential as a biomarker, its clinical value and the reasons for its failure in tumor suppression remain unclear. Our purpose was to determine p16 clinical and biological significance in CC. p16 expression pattern was examined by immunohistochemistry in 78 CC cases (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix -SCCCs). CC cell proliferation and invasion were monitored by real-time cell analysis and Transwell® invasion assay, respectively. Cytoplasmic p16 interactors were identified from immunoprecipitated extracts by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and colocalization was confirmed by double-immunofluorescence. We observed that SCCCs showed significantly more cytoplasmic than nuclear p16 expression than HSILs. Importantly, nuclear p16 absence significantly predicted poor outcome in SCCC patients irrespective of other clinical parameters. Moreover, we demonstrated that cytoplasmic p16 interacted with CDK4 and other unreported proteins, such as BANF1, AKAP8 and AGTRAP, which could sequester p16 to avoid nuclear translocation, and then, impair its anti-tumor function. Our results suggest that the absence of nuclear p16 could be a diagnostic biomarker between HSIL and SCCC, and an independent prognostic biomarker in SCCC; and explain why p16 overexpression fails to stop CC growth

Understanding the Molecular Mechanism of miR-877-3p Could Provide Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix

Cervical cancer (CC) is managed mainly using subjective and conventional methods. Research about the molecular mechanisms of micro-RNA-877-3p (miR-877-3p) in other cancer types revealed that it interacts with events that are important for CC. Our aim was to understand the role of miR-877-3p in CC. We observed that it was overexpressed in cervical tumors compared with benign lesions, and that it promoted CC cell migration and invasion by modulating cytoskeletal protein folding, which potentiated the effects caused by paclitaxel, one of the most common therapeutic drugs used in CC. We demonstrated a functional link between miR-877-3p and one of its predicted targets, ZNF177. The expression and subcellular location of ZNF177 objectively distinguished two CC entities and predicted poor outcome in the most aggressive form. Therefore, the understanding of the molecular mechanisms driven by miR-877-3p provides useful tools for CC clinical management, currently lacking of molecular biomarkers and targeted therapies. No therapeutic targets and molecular biomarkers are available in cervical cancer (CC) management. In other cancer types, micro-RNA-877-3p (miR-877-3p) has been associated with events relevant for CC development. Thus, we aimed to determine miR-877-3p role in CC. miR-877-3p levels were examined by quantitative-PCR in 117 cervical lesions and tumors. Effects on CC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated upon anti-miR-877-3p transfection. miR-877-3p dependent molecular mechanism was comprehensively explored by proteomics, dual-luciferase reporter assay, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Cervical tumors expressed higher miR-877-3p levels than benign lesions. miR-877-3p promoted CC cell migration and invasion, at least partly by modulating cytoskeletal protein folding through the chaperonin-containing T-complex protein 1 complex. Notably, miR-877-3p silencing synergized with paclitaxel. Interestingly, miR-877-3p downregulated the levels of an in silico-predicted target, ZNF177, whose expression and subcellular location significantly distinguished high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix (SCCCs). Cytoplasmic ZNF177 was significantly associated with worse progression-free survival in SCCC. Our results suggest that: (i) miR-877-3p is a potential therapeutic target whose inhibition improves paclitaxel effects; (ii) the expression and location of its target ZNF177 could be diagnostic biomarkers between HSIL and SCCC; and (iii) cytoplasmic ZNF177 is a poor-prognosis biomarker in SCCC

Impulsive Personality Traits Predicted Weight Loss in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes after 3 Years of Lifestyle Interventions

Impulsivity has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and may negatively impact its management. This study aimed to investigate impulsive personality traits in an older adult population with T2D and their predicting role in long-term weight control and glycemic management, through glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), following 3 years of intervention with a Mediterranean diet. The Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P) was administered as a measure of impulsive traits at baseline. Results showed higher total baseline scores of UPPS-P, and higher positive urgency in individuals with T2D, compared with those without T2D. The regression analysis in patients with T2D showed that sensation seeking and lack of perseverance predicted weight loss at follow-up. By contrast, impulsive traits did not predict follow-up levels of HbA(1c). In conclusion, the present findings suggest that higher impulsive traits in individuals with T2D seem to affect long-term weight control, but not glycemic control

Dietary inflammatory index and anthropometric measures of obesity in a population sample at high cardiovascular risk from the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) trial

The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a new tool to assess the inflammatory potential of the diet. In the present study, we aimed to determine the association between the DII and BMI, waist circumference and waist:height ratio (WHtR). We conducted a cross-sectional study of 7236 participants recruited into the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea trial. Information from a validated 137-item FFQ was used to calculate energy, food and nutrient intakes. A fourteen-item dietary screener was used to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDiet). Sex-specific multivariable linear regression models were fitted to estimate differences (and 95 % CI) in BMI, waist circumference and WHtR across the quintiles of the DII. All nutrient intakes, healthy foods and adherence to the MeDiet were higher in the quintile with the lowest DII score (more anti-inflammatory values) except for intakes of animal protein, saturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Although an inverse association between the DII and total energy was apparent, the DII was associated with higher average BMI, waist circumference and WHtR after adjusting for known risk factors. The adjusted difference in the WHtR for women and men between the highest and lowest quintiles of the DII was 1·60 % (95 % CI 0·87, 2·33) and 1·04 % (95 % CI 0·35, 1·74), respectively. Pro-inflammatory scores remained associated with obesity after controlling for the effect that adherence to a MeDiet had on inflammation. In conclusion, the present study shows a direct association between the DII and indices of obesity, and supports the hypothesis that diet may have a role in the development of obesity through inflammatory modulation mechanisms