Meta-Narrative Review of PD-L1 by immunotherapy on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of subtype breast cancer and there are currently new treatments being discovered such as the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. In immunotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer, checkpoint inhibitors like PD-1/PD-L1 treat TNBC by blocking the “off” signal that prevents T-cells from killing cancer cells. As a group, we conducted a meta-narrative review collecting results from primary sources such as clinical trials and human experimental studies to support our research question on how PD-L1 inhibitor treatments compare to other treatments in patients with TNBC. The review included articles searched from Embase, Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, and case studies published within 5 years. The articles relate to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy or PD-L1 immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer. The results found that PD-L1 immunotherapy treatment in combination with other forms of traditional cancer therapy, such as radiation and chemotherapy, had a slightly significant positive response. However, the treatment was overwhelmingly successful in patients who exhibited PD-L1 positive TNBC compared to patients who were PD-L1 negative. Secondly, and a major concern for immunotherapy treatment is the adverse events, potentially developing autoimmune diseases. From the articles pulled, there seemed to be no new adverse events that developed for patients outside the standard toxic effects found from radiation and chemotherapy treatment.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/rmps/1004/thumbnail.jp

UC-315 Cybersecurity Analysis of Password Managers

As the ubiquity of password managers has increased so too has the incentive for malicious actors to compromise them. This project’s purpose is to investigate password manager software for potential security vulnerabilities. The team chose, researched, and probed a popular password manager for weaknesses. Multiple attack vectors for cracking the security of the software were discovered. The most promising of these vectors were, one, the usage of malicious extensions for Internet browsers to circumvent the security of the password manager software which often interfaces with said browsers for user convenience, and two, the deployment of a malware disguised as an update for the password manager

The consequences of feminization in breeding groups of wild fish

EHP is a publication of the U.S. government. Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. Research articles from EHP may be used freely; however, articles from the News section of EHP may contain photographs or figures copyrighted by other commercial organizations and individuals that may not be used without obtaining prior approval from both the EHP editors and the holder of the copyright. Use of any materials published in EHP should be acknowledged (for example, "Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives") and a reference provided for the article from which the material was reproduced.BACKGROUND: The feminization of nature by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is a key environmental issue affecting both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. A crucial and as yet unanswered question is whether EDCs have adverse impacts on the sustainability of wildlife populations. There is widespread concern that intersex fish are reproductively compromised, with potential population-level consequences. However, to date, only in vitro sperm quality data are available in support of this hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether wild endocrine-disrupted fish can compete successfully in a realistic breeding scenario. METHODS: In two competitive breeding experiments using wild roach (Rutilus rutilus), we used DNA microsatellites to assign parentage and thus determine reproductive success of the adults. RESULTS: In both studies, the majority of intersex fish were able to breed, albeit with varying degrees of success. In the first study, where most intersex fish were only mildly feminized, body length was the only factor correlated with reproductive success. In the second study, which included a higher number of more severely intersex fish, reproductive performance was negatively correlated with severity of intersex. The intersex condition reduced reproductive performance by up to 76% for the most feminized individuals in this study, demonstrating a significant adverse effect of intersex on reproductive performance. CONCLUSION: Feminization of male fish is likely to be an important determinant of reproductive performance in rivers where there is a high prevalence of moderately to severely feminized males.Funding for this work was derived through the Endocrine Disruption in Catchments project, which was supported by the U.K. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the U.K. Environment Agency

Conservation Evaluation of Small-flowered Lipocarpha, Lipocarpha micrantha (Cyperaceae), in Canada

In Canada, Lipocarpha micrantha has been documented at eight locations in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Four of these populations have apparently been extirpated. The remaining populations, ranging from 120 to approximately 40000 plants, are all northern disjuncts from the main range of this species. Threats to these populations include water level regulation and shoreline development. Considering the threats to the habitat of Lipocarpha micrantha, and the small size of most of the remaining populations, it has been designated an Endangered species in Canada

Measurement and Determination of Rules of Origin in Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA's)

This dissertation explores the measurement and determinants of product-specific rules of origin (PSRO) in preferential trade agreements (PTAs). In order to study PSRO empirically it is necessary to be able to measure them in some objective way. We analyze in great detail the mechanisms for specifying PSRO in PTAs, propose a methodology for measuring their relative restrictiveness, and demonstrate that accounting for several previously overlooked factors can have important empirical implications. We then employ the proposed measurement methodology to analyze the determinants of restrictiveness in a panel dataset of five recent PTAs in the Western Hemisphere. Exploring four alternative hypotheses we find that, except in a few particular sectors, governments tend to negotiate less restrictive rules so as to assure market access rather than more restrictive rules that would serve as hidden protection

Vibration Attenuating Medical Platform

Millions of injured people are transported by ambulances each year. While the suspension systems of ambulances dampen the road vibrations felt by the passengers, they do not attenuate the vibration completely. To patients who have compromised physical states, vibration and displacement can aggravate their condition and cause additional pain. Our solution to this societal problem is the Vibration Attenuating Medical Platform (VAMP). VAMP consists of an aluminum and steel structure that is moved with a pneumatic piston. This prototype is designed to fit into existing ambulances and attenuate the vibrations not eliminated by the ambulances suspension. After conducting background research, we found that max displacement in a vehicle is 4 inches. Using a factor of safety of 1.5 we selected a 12-inch stroke length piston, with the neutral piston position at 6 inches extended. A PID control system will be used for the half scale prototype to verify system movement, while a MIMO system is planned as the final full-scale system. No testing was performed on the physical prototype, but extensive analyses were conducted on all components of the system to ensure that they would interface well once assembled

Improved specificity for detection of Mycobacterium bovis in fresh tissues using IS6110 real-time PCR

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Culture of <it>M. bovis </it>from diagnostic specimens is the gold standard for bovine tuberculosis diagnostics in the USA. Detection of <it>M. bovis </it>by PCR in tissue homogenates may provide a simple rapid method to complement bacterial culture. A significant impediment to PCR based assays on tissue homogenates is specificity since mycobacteria other than <it>M. bovis </it>may be associated with the tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Previously published IS<it>6110 </it>based PCR diagnostic assays, along with one developed in house, were tested against environmental mycobacteria commonly isolated from diagnostic tissues submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. A real-time PCR assay was developed (IS6110_T) that had increased specificity over other IS<it>6110 </it>based assays. Of the 13 non-tuberculous mycobacteria tested with IS6110_T only <it>M. wolinskyi </it>was positive. Thirty <it>M. bovis </it>infected tissue homogenates and 18 control tissues were used to evaluate the potential for the assay as a diagnostic test. In this small sample, IS6110_T detected 20/30 samples from <it>M. bovis </it>infected animals and 0/18 control tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The IS6110_T assay provides a PCR based assay system that is compatible with current diagnostic protocols for the detection of <it>M. bovis </it>in the USA and compliments current testing strategies.</p

Life Cycle Assessment of Bioplastics and Food Waste Disposal Methods

The environmental impacts of five waste management scenarios for polylactic acid (PLA)-based bioplastics and food waste were quantified using life cycle assessment. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the potential for a pretreatment process to accelerate the degradation of bioplastics and were modeled in two of the five scenarios assessed. The five scenarios analyzed in this study were: (1a) Anaerobic digestion (1b) Anaerobic digestion with pretreatment; (2a) Compost; (2a) Compost with pretreatment; (3) Landfill. Results suggested that food waste and pretreated bioplastics disposed of with an anaerobic digester offers life cycle and environmental net total benefits (environmental advantages/offsets) in several areas: ecotoxicity (−81.38 CTUe), eutrophication (0 kg N eq), cumulative energy demand (−1.79 MJ), global warming potential (0.19 kg CO2), and human health non-carcinogenic (−2.52 CTuh). Normalized results across all impact categories show that anaerobically digesting food waste and bioplastics offer the most offsets for ecotoxicity, eutrophication, cumulative energy demand and non-carcinogenic. Implications from this study can lead to nutrient and energy recovery from an anaerobic digester that can diversify the types of fertilizers and decrease landfill waste while decreasing dependency on non-renewable technologies. Thus, using anaerobic digestion to manage bioplastics and food waste should be further explored as a viable and sustainable solution for waste management

Central endoscopy reads in inflammatory bowel disease clinical trials: The role of the imaging core lab

Clinical trials in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are evolving at a rapid pace by employing central reading for endoscopic mucosal assessment in a field that was, historically, largely based on assessments by local physicians. This transition from local to central reading carries with it numerous technical, operational, and scientific challenges, many of which can be resolved by imaging core laboratories (ICLs), a concept that has a longer history in clinical trials in a number of diseases outside the realm of gastroenterology. For IBD trials, ICLs have the dual goals of providing objective, consistent assessments of endoscopic findings using central-reading paradigms whilst providing important expertise with regard to operational issues and regulatory expectations. This review focuses on current approaches to using ICLs for central endoscopic reading in IBD trials

Rational Modification of a Metallic Substrate for CVD Growth of Carbon Nanotubes

Citation: Li, X., Baker-Fales, M., Almkhelfe, H., Gaede, N. R., Harris, T. S., & Amama, P. B. (2018). Rational Modification of a Metallic Substrate for CVD Growth of Carbon Nanotubes. Scientific Reports, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22467-7Growth of high quality, dense carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) has been largely limited to catalysts supported on amorphous alumina or silica. To overcome the challenge of conducting CNT growth from catalysts supported on conductive substrates, we explored a two-step surface modification that involves ion beam bombardment to create surface porosity and deposition of a thin AlxOy barrier layer to make the surface basic. To test the efficacy of our approach on a non-oxide support, we focus on modification of 316 stainless steel (SS), a well-known inactive substrate for CNT growth. Our study reveals that ion beam bombardment of SS has the ability to reduce film thickness of the AlxOy barrier layer required to grow CNTs from Fe catalysts to ∼ 5 nm, which is within the threshold for the substrate to remain conductive. Additionally, catalysts supported on ion beam-damaged SS with the same AlxOy thickness show improved particle formation, catalyst stability, and CNT growth efficiency, as well as producing CNTs with higher quality and density. Under optimal reaction conditions, this modification approach can lead to CNT growth on other nontraditional substrates and potentially benefit applications that require CNTs be grown on a conductive substrate