Refine
Year of publication
- 2020 (1413) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (1413) (remove)
Language
- English (1413) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (1413)
Keywords
- taxonomy (34)
- COVID-19 (20)
- inflammation (18)
- SARS-CoV-2 (15)
- new species (12)
- Central America (11)
- quality of life (9)
- cancer (8)
- biodiversity (7)
- biomarker (7)
Institute
- Medizin (583)
- Physik (152)
- Biowissenschaften (110)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (71)
- Biochemie, Chemie und Pharmazie (49)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (45)
- Informatik (44)
- Biochemie und Chemie (43)
- Psychologie (43)
- Geowissenschaften (37)
The present study took advantage of the availability of high resolution ADS40 digital imagery to 1) systematically resample the vegetation of the Lord Howe Island Group (LHIG, excluding Ball's Pyramid); 2) conduct a numerical analysis of the floristic data; 3) map vegetation extent and the distribution of vegetation communities and 4) compare the resultant classification and mapping with those of Pickard (1983). In July 2013, a total of 86 full floristic and 105 rapid floristic sites were sampled across the island, based on a stratified random sampling design. A hierarchical agglomerative clustering strategy (Flexible UPGMA) and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficient with default beta, along with nearest neighbour analysis to identify anomalous site allocations, was used to analyze the floristic data. In total 33 vegetation communities were delineated and mapped: 19 mapping units from the full floristic analysis; 7 variants identified within five of the above 19 groups; 3 mapping units from analysis of canopyonly floristic data; and 4 mapping units recognised in previous studies that are mapped but were not sampled in this survey. The resultant list of vegetation communities and non-vegetation mapping units, along with their equivalence to Pickard (1983) and DECC (2007) units, is provided. 222 plant taxa were recorded in the survey, including 47 exotic taxa. Weeds are a common component of some communities, particularly coastal strandline communities, the shrublands of the southern mountains and regenerating vegetation on landslips. The threatened plants Xylosma parvifolia, Lepidorrhachis mooreana, and Geniostoma huttonii were recorded in floristic sites. Two communities, Gnarled Mossy Cloud Forest and Lagunaria Swamp Forest are listed as Critically Endangered Ecological Communities under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act). Coastal Saltmarsh, an Endangered Ecological Community listed under the BC Act, also occurs on the main island. An assessment of the conservation status of the vegetation communities recognised in the present study is provided. A number of communities warrant further consideration for listing as threatened ecological communities. Significant improvement in vegetation community attribution and spatial resolution was possible with the highresolution digital imagery, however Pickard's 1983 classification and mapping was found to be a comprehensive and accurate description of the island’s vegetation considering the imagery available at the time. This project has resulted in greatly improved accuracy of vegetation mapping linework for the LHIG. The Pickard (1983) vegetation map comprised 321 individual polygons, whereas the new map includes 1 840 polygons of sufficient accuracy to support detailed environmental planning programs, particularly within the Settlement area where spatial accuracy in the delineation of native vegetation is critical. The new vegetation communities were applied to the updated linework to complete the project. Detailed profiles were compiled of each vegetation community for which enough information was available. These profiles should prove useful in field identification of vegetation types and the assessment of their conservation status.
Increases in water demand often result in unsustainable water use, leaving insufficient amounts of water for the environment. Therefore, water-saving strategies have been introduced to the environmental policy agenda in many (semi)-arid regions. As many such interventions failed to reach their objectives, a comprehensive tool is needed to assess them. We introduced a constructive framework to assess the proposed strategies by estimating five key components of the water balance in an area: (1) Demand; (2) Availability; (3) Withdrawal; (4) Depletion and (5) Outflow. The framework was applied to assess the Urmia Lake Restoration Program (ULRP) which aimed to increase the basin outflow to the lake to reach 3.1 × 109 m3 yr−1. Results suggested that ULRP could help to increase the Outflow by up to 57%. However, successful implementation of the ULRP was foreseen to be impeded because of three main reasons: (i) decreasing return flows; (ii) increased Depletion; (iii) the impact of climate change. Decreasing return flows and increasing Depletion were expected due to the introduction of technologies that increase irrigation efficiency, while climate change could decrease future water availability by an estimated 3–15%. We suggest that to reach the intervention target, strategies need to focus on reducing water depletion rather than water withdrawals. The framework can be used to comprehensively assess water-saving strategies, particularly in water-stressed basins.
A realistic simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) depends on an accurate representation of the land–atmosphere coupling. Land surface temperature (LST) plays an important role in this context and the assimilation of LST can lead to improved estimates of the boundary layer and its processes. We assimilated synthetic satellite LST retrievals derived from a nature run as truth into a fully coupled, state‐of‐the‐art land–atmosphere numeric weather prediction model. As assimilation system a local ensemble transform Kalman filter was used and the control vector was augmented by the soil temperature and humidity. To evaluate the concept of the augmented control vector, two‐day case‐studies with different control vector settings were conducted for clear‐sky periods in March and August 2017. These experiments with hourly LST assimilation were validated against the nature run and overall, the RMSE of atmospheric and soil temperature of the first‐guess (and analysis) were reduced. The temperature estimate of the ABL was particularly improved during daytime as was the estimate of the soil temperature during the whole diurnal cycle. The best impact of LST assimilation on the soil and the ABL was achieved with the augmented control vector. Through the coupling between the soil and the atmosphere, the assimilation of LST can have a positive impact on the temperature forecast of the ABL even after 15 hr because of the memory of the soil. These encouraging results motivate further work towards the assimilation of real satellite LST retrievals.
Let me start with a reminiscence: a few weeks ago, I was sitting in one of my preferred cafés in Paris, le Café Odéon- Théâtre de l’Europe, a vivid place near the Jardin de Luxembourg in the heart of the university quarter. I realised that the waiter was wearing a shirt with the letters "Defend Paris", which he explained to be a statement against the forces that make Paris an uneasy place to live, a defiance against the powerful and social injustice. With a mixture of rebellion and idealism, he added that he understands himself as part of a "Reclaim Your City" Movement, thus representing what is central for urban citizenship today: a republican defence against forces that make a metropolitan city a trademark to be sold to people who can afford it, but increasingly less a home for ordinary people who want to live in the city. Walking through the streets, passing a small jewelry shop, a place of distinguished understatement showing a picture of Meghan Markle wearing "rose"-earrings displayed in the window, the term "zombie urbanism" came to my mind – a term used by Jonny Aspen, professor at the Institute of Urbanism and Landscape in Oslo (See Bjerkeset and Aspen (forthcoming 2020) and here), to describe a cliché-like way of dealing with urban environment by developers and designers – a "staged urbanism", in which urban features are used as a means for selling, marketing and branding. This kind of city-marketing can prove quite successful: whereas the burning of Notre Dame mobilised hundreds of millions of donations within a short period of time, the burning of the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro soon after, extinguishing 200 years of documentation of cultural memory, mobilised only 225.000 Euros (state 1.4.2019). ...
Background: Cerebral O2 saturation (ScO2) reflects cerebral perfusion and can be measured noninvasively by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Objectives: In this pilot study, we describe the dynamics of ScO2 during TAVI in nonventilated patients and its impact on procedural outcome. Methods and Results: We measured ScO2 of both frontal lobes continuously by NIRS in 50 consecutive analgo-sedated patients undergoing transfemoral TAVI (female 58%, mean age 80.8 years). Compared to baseline ScO2 dropped significantly during RVP (59.3% vs. 53.9%, p < .01). Five minutes after RVP ScO2 values normalized (post RVP 62.6% vs. 53.9% during RVP, p < .01; pre 61.6% vs. post RVP 62.6%, p = .53). Patients with an intraprocedural pathological ScO2 decline of >20% (n = 13) had higher EuroSCORE II (3.42% vs. 5.7%, p = .020) and experienced more often delirium (24% vs. 62%, p = .015) and stroke (0% vs. 23%, p < .01) after TAVI. Multivariable logistic regression revealed higher age and large ScO2 drops as independent risk factors for delirium. Conclusions: During RVP ScO2 significantly declined compared to baseline. A ScO2 decline of >20% is associated with a higher incidence of delirium and stroke and a valid cut-off value to screen for these complications. NIRS measurement during TAVI procedure may be an easy to implement diagnostic tool to detect patients at high risks for cerebrovascular complications and delirium.
Aims: Stroke is a major complication after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Although multifactorial, it remains unknown whether the valve deployment system itself has an impact on the incidence of early stroke. We performed a meta- and network analysis to investigate the 30-day stroke incidence of self-expandable (SEV) and balloon-expandable (BEV) valves after transfemoral TAVI.
Methods and results: Overall, 2723 articles were searched directly comparing the performance of SEV and BEV after transfemoral TAVI, from which 9 were included (3086 patients). Random effects models were used for meta- and network meta-analysis based on a frequentist framework. Thirty-day incidence of stroke was 1.8% in SEV and 3.1% in BEV (risk ratio of 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49–0.80, p = 0.004). Treatment ranking based on network analysis (P-score) revealed CoreValve with the best performance for 30-day stroke incidence (75.2%), whereas SAPIEN had the worst (19.0%). However, network analysis showed no inferiority of SAPIEN compared with CoreValve (odds ratio 2.24, 95% CI 0.70–7.2).
Conclusion: Our analysis indicates higher 30-day stroke incidence after transfemoral TAVI with BEV compared to SEV. We could not find evidence for superiority of a specific valve system. More randomized controlled trials with head-to-head comparison of SEV and BEV are needed to address this open question.
Replacement of a stenotic aortic valve reduces immediately the ventricular to aortic gradient and is expected to improve diastolic and systolic left ventricular function over the long term. However, the hemodynamic changes immediately after valve implantation are so far poorly understood. Within this pilot study, we performed an invasive pressure volume loop analysis to describe the early hemodynamic changes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with self-expandable prostheses. Invasive left ventricular pressure volume loop analysis was performed in 8 patients with aortic stenosis (mean 81.3 years) prior and immediately after transfemoral TAVI with a self-expandable valve system (St. Jude Medical Portico Valve). Parameters for global hemodynamics, afterload, contractility and the interaction of the cardiovascular system were analyzed. Left ventricular ejection fraction, (53.9% vs. 44.8%, p = 0.018), preload recruitable stroke work (68.5 vs. 44.8 mmHg, p = 0.012) and end-systolic elastance (3.55 vs. 2.17, p = 0.036) both marker for myocardial contractility declined significantly compared to baseline. As sign of impaired diastolic function, TAU, a preload-independent measure of isovolumic relaxation (37.3 vs. 41.8 ms, p = 0.018) and end-diastolic pressure (13.1 vs. 16.4 mmHg, p = 0.015) raised after valve implantation. Contrarily, a smaller ratio of end-systolic to arterial elastance (ventricular-arterial coupling) indicates an improvement of global cardiovascular energy efficiency (1.40 vs. 0.97 p = 0.036). Arterial elastance had a strong correlation with the number of conducted rapid ventricular pacings (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.772, p = 0.025). Invasive left ventricular pressure volume loop analysis revealed impaired systolic and diastolic function in the early phase after TAVI with self-expandable valve for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis. Contrarily, we found indications for early improvement of global cardiovascular energy efficiency.
Background: With refinements in diagnosis and therapy of gliomas, the importance of survival time as the sole outcome parameter has decreased, and patient-centered outcome parameters have gained interest. Pursuing a profession is an indispensable component of human happiness. The aim of this study was to analyze the professional outcomes besides their neuro-oncological and functional evaluation after surgery for gliomas in eloquent areas.
Methods: We assessed neuro-oncological and functional outcomes of patients with gliomas WHO grades II and III undergoing surgery between 2012 and 2018. All patients underwent routine follow-up and adjuvant treatment. Treatment and survival parameters were collected prospectively. Repercussions of the disease on the patients’ professional status, socio-economic situation, and neurocognitive function were evaluated retrospectively with questionnaires.
Results: We analyzed data of 58 patients with gliomas (WHO II: 9; III: 49). Median patient age was 35.8 years (range 21–63 years). Awake surgery techniques were applied in 32 patients (55.2%). Gross total and subtotal tumor resections were achieved in 33 (56.9%) and 17 (29.3%) patients, respectively, whereas in 8 patients (13.8%) resection had to remain partial. Most patients (n = 46; 79.3%) received adjuvant treatment. Median follow up was 43.8 months (range 11–82 months). After treatment 41 patients (70.7%) were able to resume a working life. Median time until returning to work was 8.0 months (range 0.2–22.0 months). To be younger than 40 at the time of the surgery was associated with a higher probability to return to work (p < .001). Multivariable regression analysis showed that patient age < 40 years as well as occupational group and self-reported fatigue were factors independently associated with the ability to return to work.
Conclusion: The ability to resume professional activities following brain tumor surgery is an important patient-oriented outcome parameter. We found that the majority of patients with gliomas were able to return to work following surgical and adjuvant treatment. Preservation of neurological function is of utmost relevance for individual patients´ quality of life.
Objective: To explore and describe exposure to suicidality in healthcare providers (HCP) working with oncological patients. Special emphasis was put on five central aspects from the HCPs perspective: Exposure, Confidence, Expertise, Distress, and Education.
Methods: A 48‐item online questionnaire was developed and distributed to HCPs working with cancer patients. Three hundred fifty‐four answered questionnaires were analyzed.
Results: Overall 83.3% of HCPs reported to have encountered at least one suicidal patient in the last year. Feeling confident in talking about suicidality was reported by 72.1% of HCPs, with 71.2% of nurses reporting feeling insecure compared with only 5.1% of psychotherapists. Similarly, 22.3% of HCPs felt overwhelmed when confronted with a patient who substantiated his suicidality during consultation. A lack of personal knowledge concerning suicidality in general and in oncological patients in particular, was reported by 39.6% and 49.8%, respectively. In total, 88.1% of HCPs reported feeling distressed when confronted with suicidality, while 81.1% of participants wanted further education regarding suicidality in cancer patients despite that 73.2% had already received some sort of psycho‐oncology education.
Conclusions: Despite the well‐documented fact of elevated suicide rates in cancer patients, there remain deficits in knowledge, which induce feelings of insecurity and helplessness in HCPs. There is a demand for further education concerning the treatment of suicidal cancer patients. Therefore, special curricula addressing this topic should be devised. A general debate about suicidality in cancer patients could help raise awareness of this problem and generate means of prevention.
Purpose: In this study, we examined distress levels and quality of life (QoL) of patients with hematologic malignancies under treatment in an acute setting. We used external- and self-assessment instruments for distress. Additionally, we investigated the relation between distress and QoL as well as whether highly distressed patients differed from less distressed patients concerning their QoL.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with patients of the Medical Clinic II of the University Hospital Frankfurt was conducted. One hundred and nine patients were assessed with an expert rating scale and completed self-report questionnaires. Data were exploratively analyzed and group comparisons between patients who scored above the cut-off of the respective screening instruments and those who did not were conducted.
Results: Patients with hematologic malignancies experience high levels of distress and low QoL. Especially, role and social functioning are affected. Patients suffer most from fatigue, appetite loss, and insomnia. Using established cut-offs, all screening instruments were able to differentiate between patients regarding distress and QoL. Patients scoring above the cut-off were significantly more distressed and had a lower QoL. There was a medium-to-strong correlation between distress and QoL indicators.
Conclusion: Cancer-specific screening instruments seem to be able to identify treatment needs more specifically. They also allowed a better differentiation concerning QoL. The close link between distress and QoL needs to be recognized to enable a holistic approach to treatment and thereby optimize the quality of treatment.
Rational agency is of central interest to philosophy, with evolutionary accounts of the cognitive underpinnings of rational agency being much debated. Yet one building block—our ability to argue—is less studied, except Mercier and Sperber’s argumentative theory (Mercier and Sperber in Behav Brain Sci 34(02):57–74, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x10000968 [Titel anhand dieser DOI in Citavi-Projekt übernehmen] , 2011, in The enigma of reason. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2017). I discuss their account and argue that it faces a lacuna: It cannot explain the origin of argumentation as a series of small steps that reveal how hominins with baseline abilities of the trait in question could turn into full-blown owners of it. This paper then provides a first sketch of the desired evolutionary trajectory. I argue that reasoning coevolves with the ability to coordinate behavior. After that, I establish a model based on niche construction theory. This model yields a story with following claims. First, argumentation came into being during the Oldowan period as a tool for justifying information ‘out of sight’. Second, argumentation enabled hominins to solve collective action problems with collaborators out of sight, which stabilized argumentative practices eventually. Archeological findings are discussed to substantiate both claims. I conclude with outlining changes resultant from my model for the concept of rational agency.
Explaining humans as rational creatures—capable of deductive reasoning—remains challenging for evolutionary naturalism. Schechter (Philosophical Perspectives, 24(1)437–464, 2011, 2013) proposes to link the evolution of this kind of reasoning with the ability to plan. His proposal, however, does neither include any elaborated theory on how logical abilities came into being within the hominin lineage nor is it sufficiently supported by empirical evidence. I present such a theory in broad outline and substantiate it with archeological findings. It is argued that the cognitive makeup of any animal is constituted by being embedded in a certain way of life. Changing ways of life thus foster appearances of new cognitive abilities. Finally, a new way of life of coordinated group behavior emerged within the hominins: anticipatory group planning involved in activities like making sophisticated spears for hunting. This gave rise to human logical cognition. It turned hominins into domain-general reasoner and adherents of intersubjective norms for reasoning. However, as I argue, it did not—and most likely could not—give rise to reason by deductive logic. More likely, deductive reasoning entered our world only a few thousand years ago: exclusively as a cultural artifact.
Purpose: To investigate cortical thickness and cortical quantitative T2 values as imaging markers of microstructural tissue damage in patients with unilateral high-grade internal carotid artery occlusive disease (ICAOD).
Methods: A total of 22 patients with ≥70% stenosis (mean age 64.8 years) and 20 older healthy control subjects (mean age 70.8 years) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high-resolution quantitative (q)T2 mapping. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) controlling for age and white matter lesion volume were employed to investigate the effect of ICAOD on imaging parameters of cortical microstructural integrity in multivariate analyses.
Results: There was a significant main effect (p < 0.05) of the group (patients/controls) on both cortical thickness and cortical qT2 values with cortical thinning and increased cortical qT2 in patients compared to controls, irrespective of the hemisphere. The presence of upstream carotid stenosis had a significant main effect on cortical qT2 values (p = 0.01) leading to increased qT2 in the poststenotic hemisphere, which was not found for cortical thickness. The GLMM showed that in general cortical thickness was decreased and cortical qT2 values were increased with increasing age (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Unilateral high-grade carotid occlusive disease is associated with widespread cortical thinning and prolongation of cortical qT2, presumably reflecting hypoperfusion-related microstructural cortical damage similar to accelerated aging of the cerebral cortex. Cortical thinning and increase of cortical qT2 seem to reflect different aspects and different pathophysiological states of cortical degeneration. Quantitative T2 mapping might be a sensitive imaging biomarker for early cortical microstructural damage.
Background: Recent advances in 3D printing technology have enabled the emergence of new educational and clinical tools for medical professionals. This study provides an exemplary description of the fabrication of 3D‐printed individualised patient models and assesses their educational value compared to cadaveric models in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Methods: A single‐stage, controlled cohort study was conducted within the context of a curricular course. A patient's CT scan was segmented into a stereolithographic model and then printed using a fused filament 3D printer. These individualised patient models were implemented and compared against cadaveric models in a curricular oral surgery hands‐on course. Students evaluated both models using a validated questionnaire. Additionally, a cost analysis for both models was carried out. P‐values were calculated using the Mann‐Whitney U test.
Results: Thirty‐eight fourth‐year dental students participated in the study. Overall, significant differences between the two models were found in the student assessment. Whilst the cadaveric models achieved better results in the haptic feedback of the soft tissue, the 3D‐printed individualised patient models were regarded significantly more realistic with regard to the anatomical correctness, the degree of freedom of movement and the operative simulation. At 3.46 € (compared to 6.51 €), the 3D‐printed patient individualised models were exceptionally cost‐efficient.
Conclusions: 3D‐printed patient individualised models presented a realistic alternative to cadaveric models in the undergraduate training of operational skills in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Whilst the 3D‐printed individualised patient models received positive feedback from students, some aspects of the model leave room for improvement.
Background: The feedback given to students plays an important role in their efficiency related to learning practical skills. In the present study, diverse feedback modalities have been investigated. Our hypothesis is that individualized and unsupervised video feedback can produce a similar learning experience as performing practical skills in an oral and maxillofacial surgery setting with conventional direct expert feedback (control group).
Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled, and blinded study compared direct expert feedback (DEF), individualized video feedback (IVF) and unsupervised video feedback (UVF). The participants were fourth-year dental students from University Goethe in Frankfurt. The students were assigned to one of the three feedback methods (n = 20 per group) using simple randomization. All participants watched an instruction video for an interdental (‘Ernst’) ligature and periphery venous catheterization. Next, the students were video recorded performing the tasks by themselves (pre-test). Following this, every student received feedback using one of the above-mentioned feedback modalities. The participants then performed the same task again while being video recorded (post-test) to measure the acquired competence. Six weeks later, the students participated in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate their long-term knowledge retention. All examiners were blinded regarding the students’ instructional approach and their affiliation in terms of the learning group.
Results: For the interdental ligature, we found significant improvements in performance in each feedback modality group between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001). UVF had the strongest effect on performance time. The comparison between each group in the post-test showed no significant differences between the three groups.
Conclusion: This study showed that IVF and UVF can be considered an alternative or adjunct to conventional methods (i.e. DEF) when learning procedural skills in oral and maxillofacial surgery. However, DEF showed to be the most effective method of feedback and therefore preferable in teaching.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is emerging as a global health epidemic, particularly due to the obesity pandemic. However, comprehensive prevalence data are still lacking and global OSA research has not yet been structurally evaluated. Using the latest comprehensive age/gender-specific BMI and obesity data, a global landscape estimating the risk/burden of OSA was created. Results were presented in relation to an in-depth analysis of OSA research and countries’ socioeconomic/scientific background. While the USA, Canada, and Japan are the highest publishing countries on OSA, Iceland, Greece, and Israel appeared at the forefront when relating the scientific output to socioeconomic parameters. Conversely, China, India, and Russia showed relatively low performances in these relations. Analysis of the estimated population at risk (EPR) of OSA showed the USA, China, India, and Brazil as the leading countries. Although the EPR and OSA research correlated strongly, major regional discrepancies between the estimated demand and actual research performances were identified, mainly in, but not limited to, developing nations. Our study highlights regional challenges/imbalances in the global activity on OSA and allows targeted measures to mitigate the burden of undiagnosed/untreated OSA. Furthermore, the inclusion of disadvantaged countries in international collaborations could stimulate local research efforts and provide valuable insights into the regional epidemiology of OSA.
The hidden burden of severe asthma: from patient perspective to new opportunities for clinicians
(2020)
Severe asthma is an important topic in respiratory diseases, due to its high impact on morbidity and mortality as well as on health-care resources. The many challenges that still exist in the management of the most difficult-to-treat forms of the disease, and the acknowledgement of the existence of unexplored areas in the pathophysiological mechanisms and the therapeutic targets represent an opportunity to gather experts in the field with the immediate goals to summarize current understanding about the natural history of severe asthma and to identify gaps in knowledge and research opportunities, with the aim to contribute to improved medical care and health outcomes. This article is a consensus document from the “International Course on Severe Asthma” that took place in Palermo, Italy, on May 10–11, 2019. Emerging topics in severe asthma were addressed and discussed among experts, with special focus on patient’s needs and research opportunities, with the aim to highlight the unanswered questions in the diagnostic process and therapeutic approach.
Simple Summary
The interaction between tumors and immune cells influences tumor fate, i.e., regression, growth, or even metastases. The evaluation of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in human breast cancer has prognostic value. Pet rabbits develop spontaneous mammary carcinomas and have an immune system that is comparable with that of humans, so that they have the potential to provide an animal model for human breast cancer. To further substantiate this similarity, this study examined TILs in 107 pet rabbit mammary carcinomas according to criteria established for human breast cancer. For TIL evaluation routinely stained microscopic sections were examined by light microscopy. Relevant histological and immunohistochemical tumor characteristics were obtained from a data base. Results showed that increased presence of stromal TILs was statistically associated with histological tumor features indicative of a less aggressive biological behavior, i.e., reduced tumor cell proliferation and a lower histological grade. The expression by tumor cells of calponin, a presumed tumor suppressor protein, was also associated with their reduced proliferation and a higher percentage of stromal TILs. Data suggest that higher percentages of stromal TILs may have the potential to serve as favorable prognostic indicator in rabbit mammary carcinomas and support the value of pet rabbits for comparative research.
Abstract
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) serve as prognostic biomarker in human breast cancer. Rabbits have the potential to act as animal model for human breast cancer, and close similarities exist between the rabbit and human immune system. The aim of this study is to characterize TILs in pet rabbit mammary carcinomas and to statistically correlate results with histological and immunohistochemical tumor characteristics. Microscopic evaluation of TILs was performed in hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of 107 rabbit mammary carcinomas according to international guidelines for human breast cancer. Data on histological features of malignancy, estrogen and progesterone receptor status and calponin expression were obtained from the data base. This study revealed a statistical association between stromal TILs in the central tumor (CT) and infiltrative margin. Higher maximal percentages of stromal TILs at the CT were statistically correlated with decreased mitotic count and lower tumor grade. An increased number of calponin positive tumor cells was statistically associated with a lower mitotic count and a higher percentage of stromal TILs. Results suggest that higher percentages of stromal TILs are useful biomarkers that may point toward a favorable prognosis in rabbit mammary carcinomas and support the concept of the use of rabbits for translational research
Tailoring of spin state energetics of transition metal complexes and even the correct prediction of the resulting spin state is still a challenging task, both for the experimentalist and the theoretician. Apart from the complexity in the solid state imposed by packing effects, molecular factors of the spin state ordering are required to be identified and quantified on equal rights. In this work we experimentally record the spin states and SCO energies within an eight-member substitution-series of N4O2 ligated iron(II) complexes both in the solid state (SQUID magnetometry and single-crystal X-ray crystallography) and in solution (VT-NMR). The experimental survey is complemented
by exhaustive theoretical modelling of the molecular and electronic structure of the open-chain N4O2 family and its macrocyclic N6 congeners through density-functional theory methods. Ligand topology is identified as the leading factor defining ground-state multiplicity of the corresponding iron(II) complexes. Invariably the low-spin state is sterically trapped in the macrocycles, whereas subtle substitution effects allow for a molecular fine tuning of the spin state in the open-chain ligands. Factorization of computed relative SCO energies holds promise for directed design of future SCO systems.