The frustrated spherical model: an alternative to Ginzburg-Landau Hamiltonians with competing interactions

We solve analytically the Langevin dynamics of the classic spherical model considering the ferromagnetic exchange and a long-range antiferromagnetic interaction. Our results in the asymptotic regime, shows an equivalence in the functionality of the spatial and self-correlations between this model and the recently studied Ginzburg-Landau frustrated model within the Hartree approximation. A careful discussion is done about the low temperature behavior in the context of glassy dynamics. The appearance of interesting features regarding the establishment of the ferromagnetic phase is also analyzed in view of the effects of the spherical restriction. We propose a new variant of the spherical model in which the global restriction is substituted by an infinite set of restrictions over finite size regions. This modification leads to a new dynamical equation that suggests the appearance of the low temperature phase transition even in the non-frustrated case were the classic spherical model fails

Virtual follow-up care among breast and prostate cancer patients during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: association with distress

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between self-reported distress (anxiety/depression) and satisfaction with and desire for virtual follow-up (VFU) care among cancer patients during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Breast and prostate cancer patients receiving VFU at an urban cancer centre in Toronto, Canada completed an online survey on their sociodemographic, clinical, and technology, characteristics and experience with and views on VFU. EQ5D-5 L was used to assess distress. Statistical models adjusted for age, gender, education, income and Internet confidence. Results: Of 352 participants, average age was 65 years, 48% were women,79% were within 5 years of treatment completion, 84% had college/university education and 74% were confident Internet users. Nearly, all (98%) had a virtual visit via phone and 22% had a virtual visit via video. The majority of patients (86%) were satisfied with VFU and 70% agreed that they would like VFU options after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who reported distress and who were not confident using the Internet for health purposes were significantly less likely to be satisfied with VFU (OR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2–0.8 and OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.09–0.38, respectively) and were less likely to desire VFU option after the COVID-19 pandemic (OR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.30–0.82 and OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.23–0.70, respectively). Conclusions: The majority of respondents were satisfied with VFU and would like VFU options after the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should determine how to optimize VFU options for cancer patients who are distressed and who are less confident using virtual care technology

Limitations of Prostate Biopsy in Detection of Cribriform and Intraductal Prostate Cancer

Funding Information: Acknowledgments: Rui M. Bernardino is supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (2022.13386.BD). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 European Association of UrologyBackground: The presence of cribriform morphology and intraductal carcinoma (IDC) in prostate biopsies and radical prostatectomy specimens is an adverse prognostic feature that can be used to guide treatment decisions. Objective: To assess how accurately biopsies can detect cribriform morphology and IDC cancer by examining matched biopsy and prostatectomy samples. Design, setting, and participants: Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre between January 2015 and December 2022 and had cribriform morphology and/or IDC in the surgical specimen were included in the study. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: We used detection sensitivity to evaluate the level of agreement between biopsy and prostatectomy samples regarding the presence of cribriform morphology and IDC. Results and limitations: Of the 287 men who underwent radical prostatectomy, 241 (84%) had cribriform morphology and 161 (56%) had IDC on final pathology. The sensitivity of prostate biopsy, using radical prostatectomy as the reference, was 42.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 36–49%) for detection of cribriform morphology and 44.1% (95% CI 36–52%) for detection of IDC. The sensitivity of prostate biopsy for detection of either IDC or cribriform morphology was 52.5% (95% CI 47–58%). Among patients who underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging–guided biopsies, the sensitivity was 54% (95% CI 39–68%) for detection of cribriform morphology and 37% (95% CI 19–58%) for detection of IDC. Conclusions: Biopsy has low sensitivity for detecting cribriform morphology and IDC. These limitations should be incorporated into clinical decision-making. Biomarkers for better detection of these histological patterns are needed. Patient summary: Prostate biopsy is not an accurate method for detecting two specific types of prostate cancer cells, called cribriform pattern and intraductal prostate cancer, which are associated with unfavorable prognosis.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

NICE : A Computational solution to close the gap from colour perception to colour categorization

The segmentation of visible electromagnetic radiation into chromatic categories by the human visual system has been extensively studied from a perceptual point of view, resulting in several colour appearance models. However, there is currently a void when it comes to relate these results to the physiological mechanisms that are known to shape the pre-cortical and cortical visual pathway. This work intends to begin to fill this void by proposing a new physiologically plausible model of colour categorization based on Neural Isoresponsive Colour Ellipsoids (NICE) in the cone-contrast space defined by the main directions of the visual signals entering the visual cortex. The model was adjusted to fit psychophysical measures that concentrate on the categorical boundaries and are consistent with the ellipsoidal isoresponse surfaces of visual cortical neurons. By revealing the shape of such categorical colour regions, our measures allow for a more precise and parsimonious description, connecting well-known early visual processing mechanisms to the less understood phenomenon of colour categorization. To test the feasibility of our method we applied it to exemplary images and a popular ground-truth chart obtaining labelling results that are better than those of current state-of-the-art algorithms

Tumour genomic and microenvironmental heterogeneity as integrated predictors for prostate cancer recurrence: a retrospective study

Clinical prognostic groupings for localised prostate cancers are imprecise, with 30–50% of patients recurring after image-guided radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy. We aimed to test combined genomic and microenvironmental indices in prostate cancer to improve risk stratification and complement clinical prognostic factors

The Role of DNA Damage Sensing Genes in Genetic Instability and Radioresponse in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second cancer-related mortality cause in North American men. Despite the use of clinical prognostic factors, 20-60% of localized PCa fail primary local treatment. There is need for biomarkers that can guide primary treatment decisions or identify patients that need treatment intensifications. I have hypothesized that localized PCa is associated with an altered DNA damage response (DDR), which in turn can lead to genomic instability and affect the response to radiotherapy. Using array comparative genomic hybridization I have determined the frequency and prognostic importance of copy-number alterations (CNAs) in the main sensors of the DDR. I have shown that CNAs in these loci correlate with tumour genomic instability. The main finding is that Nibrin gains are a significant predictor of outcome following treatment with radiotherapy, but not surgery. NBN gains may be the first PCa predictive biomarker to facilitate local treatment decisions using precision medicine approaches.M.Sc

The Use of Virtual Care in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: A Scoping Review

There is increasing interest from cancer patients and their healthcare providers in the use of virtual care in routine clinical practice. In the setting of hematologic malignancy, where patients often undergo complex and immunodepleting treatments, understanding how to use virtual care safely and effectively is critically important. We aimed to describe the use of virtual care in patients with hematologic malignancies and to examine physician- and patient-reported outcomes in the form of a systematic scoping review. An electronic search of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Elsevier Embase, Scopus, and EBSCO CINAHL was conducted from January 2000 to April 2021. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify relevant articles, and data were extracted to assess the study design, population, setting, patient characteristics, virtual care platform, and study results. Studies were included if they described the use of virtual care for patients with hematologic malignancies; commentaries were excluded. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria after abstract and full-text review. Three studies found that app-based tools were effective in monitoring patient symptoms and triggering alerts for more urgent follow-up. Four studies described the use of phone-based interventions. Five studies found that videoconferencing, with both physicians and oncology nurses, was highly rated by patients. Emerging themes included high levels of patient satisfaction across all domains of virtual care. Provider satisfaction scores were rated lower than patient scores, with concerns about technical issues leading to challenges with virtual care. Four studies found that virtual care allowed providers to promptly respond to patient concerns, especially when patients were experiencing side-effects or had questions about their treatment. Overall, the use of virtual care in patients with hematologic malignancies appears feasible, and resulted in high patient satisfaction. Further research is needed in order to evaluate the optimal method of integrating virtual care into clinical practice