Studies on suspension cultures of lymphoid cells infected with Theileria annulata (Dschunkowsky and Luhs 1904)

TheUeria an ,plat, infection is a tick -borne protozoal disease of cattle. The high mortality and lack of any effective treatment make this disease one of great economic importance. The success achieved in adaptation of the parasite to culture in vitro facilitated investigation of the disease and the consequent attenuation of the parasite led the production of experimental vaccines. The literature relevant to the aspects studied was reviewed. Methods of isolation and adaptation of strains of the parasite in tissue culture were compared. A simple and new method of isolation from whole blood was introduced. The first isolation of a very virulent strain in tissue culture was achieved. Growth rates of five strains of T. annulate in vitro showed an inverse relationship between rate of growth and virulence of strain. Several growth media and supplements were compared and the most satisfactory were shown to be Eagle's MEM with calf serum, lactalbumin hydrolysate and yeast extract. Growth of T. annulata- infected cells in various conditions was measured and factors affecting it were investigated. Of these, pH of the medium and percentage of viable cells in suspension were very important. For morphological studies, from several methods of preparation of smears and staining, a modified method of linear smears was adopted. The morphology of the macroschizont and nuclear particles in the host cells was studied. Various factors including developmental changes of the macroschizont were demonstrated. Attempts to infect normal bovine cells with schizonts in vitro using infected cells and freed parasites and to infect calves with separated schizont particles were unsuccessful. Establishment of cell lines from normal bovine leucocytes and lymphoid cells using mitogens failed. The amounts of glucose uptaken and lactate produced in the culture of schizont -infected cells were measured and these correlated with cell growth. A surplus of glucose in growth medium did not affect its utilisation by the infected cells. The methods for cryopreservation of T. annulata- infected cells were investigated. The cryoprotectants used, the methods of freezing and thawing, the duration of viability of the infected cells in low temperature storage and re- establishment of the cells after preservation at low temperatures were studied

Residual cancer burden after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and long-term survival outcomes in breast cancer : a multicentre pooled analysis of 5161 patients

Background Previous studies have independently validated the prognostic relevance of residual cancer burden (RCB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We used results from several independent cohorts in a pooled patient-level analysis to evaluate the relationship of RCB with long-term prognosis across different phenotypic subtypes of breast cancer, to assess generalisability in a broad range of practice settings. Methods In this pooled analysis, 12 institutes and trials in Europe and the USA were identified by personal communications with site investigators. We obtained participant-level RCB results, and data on clinical and pathological stage, tumour subtype and grade, and treatment and follow-up in November, 2019, from patients (aged ≥18 years) with primary stage I–III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. We assessed the association between the continuous RCB score and the primary study outcome, event-free survival, using mixed-effects Cox models with the incorporation of random RCB and cohort effects to account for between-study heterogeneity, and stratification to account for differences in baseline hazard across cancer subtypes defined by hormone receptor status and HER2 status. The association was further evaluated within each breast cancer subtype in multivariable analyses incorporating random RCB and cohort effects and adjustments for age and pretreatment clinical T category, nodal status, and tumour grade. Kaplan-Meier estimates of event-free survival at 3, 5, and 10 years were computed for each RCB class within each subtype. Findings We analysed participant-level data from 5161 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between Sept 12, 1994, and Feb 11, 2019. Median age was 49 years (IQR 20–80). 1164 event-free survival events occurred during follow-up (median follow-up 56 months [IQR 0–186]). RCB score was prognostic within each breast cancer subtype, with higher RCB score significantly associated with worse event-free survival. The univariable hazard ratio (HR) associated with one unit increase in RCB ranged from 1·55 (95% CI 1·41–1·71) for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative patients to 2·16 (1·79–2·61) for the hormone receptor-negative, HER2-positive group (with or without HER2-targeted therapy; p<0·0001 for all subtypes). RCB score remained prognostic for event-free survival in multivariable models adjusted for age, grade, T category, and nodal status at baseline: the adjusted HR ranged from 1·52 (1·36–1·69) in the hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative group to 2·09 (1·73–2·53) in the hormone receptor-negative, HER2-positive group (p<0·0001 for all subtypes). Interpretation RCB score and class were independently prognostic in all subtypes of breast cancer, and generalisable to multiple practice settings. Although variability in hormone receptor subtype definitions and treatment across patients are likely to affect prognostic performance, the association we observed between RCB and a patient's residual risk suggests that prospective evaluation of RCB could be considered to become part of standard pathology reporting after neoadjuvant therapy

Knowledge for conservation. Methods and technologies to preserve the cultural heritage

Heritage takes on various forms, whether tangibles like locations, buildings, and landscapes or intangibles like memories, emotions, beliefs and practices. Nowadays, digital documenting of cultural assets is critical for heritage research, preservation, documentation and distribution with diverse experts in the area and beyond. The purpose of this work is to analyze and compare different case studies from around the world to propose various strategies for preserving and enhancing an architectural heritage that is much too frequently abandoned and left to deteriorate due to natural and cultural harm