Search

ImportancePreventive bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is offered to women at high risk of ovarian cancer who carry a pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2; however, the association of oophorectomy with all-cause mortality has not been clearly defined.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between bilateral oophorectomy and all-cause mortality among women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 sequence variation.Design, setting, and participantsIn this international, longitudinal cohort study of women with BRCA sequence variations, information on bilateral oophorectomy was obtained via biennial questionnaire. Participants were women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 sequence variation, no prior history of cancer, and at least 1 follow-up questionnaire completed. Women were followed up from age 35 to 75 years for incident cancers and deaths. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for all-cause mortality associated with a bilateral oophorectomy (time dependent). Data analysis was performed from January 1 to June 1, 2023.ExposuresSelf-reported bilateral oophorectomy (with or without salpingectomy).Main outcomes and measuresAll-cause mortality, breast cancer-specific mortality, and ovarian cancer-specific mortality.ResultsThere were 4332 women (mean age, 42.6 years) enrolled in the cohort, of whom 2932 (67.8%) chose to undergo a preventive oophorectomy at a mean (range) age of 45.4 (23.0-77.0) years. After a mean follow-up of 9.0 years, 851 women had developed cancer and 228 had died; 57 died of ovarian or fallopian tube cancer, 58 died of breast cancer, 16 died of peritoneal cancer, and 97 died of other causes. The age-adjusted HR for all-cause mortality associated with oophorectomy was 0.32 (95% CI, 0.24-0.42; P

Background BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA) mutation carriers face a high lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. Oral contraceptives are protective in this population; however, the impact of other types of contraception (e.g. intrauterine devices, implants, injections) is unknown. We undertook a matched case-control study to evaluate the relationship between type of contraception and risk of ovarian cancer among women with BRCA mutations. Methods A total of 1733 matched pairs were included in this analysis. Women were matched according to year of birth, date of study entry, country of residence, BRCA mutation type and history of breast cancer. Detailed information on hormonal, reproductive and lifestyle exposures were collected from a routinely administered questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with each contraceptive exposure. Results Ever use of any contraceptive was significantly associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer (OR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.52-0.75; P

ObjectiveBilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (oophorectomy) is recommended to women with a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation before natural menopause to prevent ovarian and fallopian tube cancer. The adverse effects of early surgical menopause are well established. Although many of the side effects can be ameliorated by the use of hormone therapy (HT); use of HT in this group of predominantly young patients remains suboptimal. The goal of this study was to identify the frequency of HT use, as well as predictors of HT uptake in BRCA mutation carriers who underwent preventive oophorectomy before natural menopause.MethodsEligible participants were identified from a longitudinal study of BRCA mutation carriers. We included premenopausal women with no personal history of cancer who underwent oophorectomy before age 50 and who had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. Detailed information on HT use and other important variables was collected by a research questionnaire every 2 years. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the use of HT in various subgroups.ResultsA total of 793 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation were included in this analysis. The mean age at oophorectomy was 42 years (range 28-49). Sixty-one percent of the women reported using HT after oophorectomy. Factors associated with HT use included young age at surgery, a high level of education and preventive mastectomy.ConclusionsThe uptake of HT after oophorectomy in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation varies by age, education, and surgical history. Clinician and patient awareness may lead to better utilization of HT in women who undergo oophorectomy at an early age to help mitigate the adverse effects associated with surgical menopause.

Radblock is a smart radio that uses machine learning to classify audio samples and then changes the radio station when an advertisement is detected.

BACKGROUND:Although evidence suggests that larger body size in early life confers lifelong protection from developing breast cancer, few studies have investigated the relationship between body size and breast cancer risk among BRCA mutation carriers. Therefore, we conducted a prospective evaluation of body size and the risk of breast cancer among BRCA mutation carriers. METHODS:Current height and body mass index (BMI) at age 18 were determined from baseline questionnaires. Current BMI and weight change since age 18 were calculated from updated biennial follow-up questionnaires. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS:Among 3734 BRCA mutation carriers, there were 338 incident breast cancers over a mean follow-up of 5.5 years. There was no association between height, current BMI or weight change and breast cancer risk. Women with BMI at age 18 ≥22.1 kg/m2 had a decreased risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer compared with women with a BMI at age 18 between 18.8 and 20.3 kg/m2 (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.30-0.82; P = 0.006). BMI at age 18 was not associated with risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS:There was no observed association between height, current BMI and weight change and risk of breast cancer. The inverse relationship between greater BMI at age 18 and post-menopausal breast cancer further supports a role of early rather than current or adulthood exposures for BRCA-associated breast cancer development. Future studies with longer follow-up and additional measures of adiposity are necessary to confirm these findings.

Loneliness confers a significant risk to numerous health outcomes, including cognitive impairment. This study assessed the relationship between loneliness subtypes (social and emotional) and cognition in older people with HIV(OPWH$50 years). Forty-two participants (STET 5 61.5 years; 48% male; 74% Black) completed the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and measures assessing objective and subjective cognition and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). Loneliness--cognition associations were examined using linear regression. Models were first adjusted for age, sex, race, and education, and then PHQ-9 score. Mean emotional and social loneliness scores were 1.24 (SD=1.22) and 1.21 (SD=1.14), respectively. After sociodemographic and PHQ-9 adjustment, emotional, but not social, loneliness was associated with poorer objective cognitive performance on processing speed (Digit Symbol) and executive function (CalCAP™). Findings have potential clinical importance for interventions that target specific loneliness subtypes to optimize cognitive performance in OPWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new approach for creating repositories of real software faults. We have developed a tool, the Automatic Fault IDentification Tool (AFID), that implements this approach. AFID records both a fault revealing test case and a faulty version of the source code for any crashing faults that the developer discovers and a fault correcting source code change for any crashing faults that the developer corrects. The test cases are a significant contribution, because they enable new research that explores the dynamic behaviors of the software faults. AFID uses an operating system level monitoring mechanism to monitor both the compilation and execution of the application. This technique makes it straightforward for AFID to support a wide range of programming languages and compilers.We present our experience using AFID in a controlled case study and in a real development environment to collect software faults in the internal development of our group’s compiler. The case studies collected several real software faults and validated the basic approach. The longer term internal study revealed weaknesses in using the original version of AFID for real development. This experience led to a number of refinements to the tool for use in real software development. We have collected over 20 real software faults in large programs and continue to collect software faults.

Investigated optimal two-, three-, four-, and five-test short forms of the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler para Adultos (EIWA), the Spanish form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (D. Wechsler, 1956). Results with 616 adults suggest that use of the EIWA should be limited to research and tracking cognitive changes over time. (SLD)

When English-language standard norms were used for 50 Hispanic Americans given the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (D. Wechsler, 1981) in its Spanish form, normal individuals received scores an average of one standard deviation below "Average." Results support renorming and testing the validity of translations of English language tests. (SLD)

Standardization data based on responses of 616 Puerto Ricans to the Spanish version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (D. Wechlser, 1981) reveal reliability data and base rates to assist in evaluating the clinical significance of differences between Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) and Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ). Interpretation of such differences is discussed. (SLD)

The article discusses a research study which evaluated oophorectomy after menopause and the risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. The researchers estimated the association between the number of ovulatory cycles and various exposures and the risk of breast cancer. Results showed the inverse correlation of the age at menarche and duration of breastfeeding with risk of breast cancer among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Since its publication in 2009, the Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon continues to ignite scholarly discussion regarding its meaning and its historical and social context. One should take note of the unusual characteristics — namely, that it was written on the concave side of the sherd, each row set off by a dividing line. Drawing upon the palaeographic and linguistic evidence, evidence that is admittedly problematic, this paper argues that the ostracon is an elementary writing exercise that reflects a local scribal tradition listing human and divine titles similar to those found in scribal encyclopaedic lists. Whatever implications may be drawn from this text regarding a centralized monarchy is beyond the scope of this paper. The addendum expresses my reservations with regard to the Qeiyafa/Shecaraim identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries enforcement is often tasked with determining whether a seized Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. has been caught legally or illegally, either in freshwater while it was migrating to its natal stream or in the ocean at some point during its life cycle or migration. Here we show that the oxygen stable isotope composition (δ18O) of the water within seized fish tissue, together with DNA analysis, provides a powerful means of establishing where the fish was migrating and whether it was inhabiting freshwater when harvested. These tools ate relatively easy to apply and ate supported by an extensive set of microsatellite DNA data for sockeye salmon O. nerka that provide "forensic" identification and by a time series record for δ180 in the water of the Fraser River. The difference between δ18O composition in the river ∼-17%o) and the ocean ∼-2%o), together with conservative mixing between the end members, provides wide discriminatory power. Evaporation or sublimation during storage favors the light isotope and would thus be to the advantage of the defendant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Known by various names, the field of Environmental Design Research is concerned with the interrelationship between environments, society, culture, and human behavior. The discipline requires interdisciplinary collaboration in order to conduct basic and applied research. Findings from these efforts have had a major impact on architecture and design professions. The variety of names for the field, as well as the diversity of disciplines involved, presents a challenge for researchers to discover the richness of the body of literature that has developed. The purpose of this publication is to acquaint researchers and planners with the field of Environmental Design Research and to provide a basic guide to its core literature. The bibliography presents key works representing a variety of the aspects of this discipline through a class~fled list of monographs, pertinent serial publications, reference materials, and textbooks appropriate for study and research. Included in this work are three essays written by a researcher, a scholar, and a team of two practitioners with over 150 years of combined experience in this interdisciplinary field of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the re-examination of the authenticity of an inscribed ivory pomegranate, under the Israel Museum's possession. The pomegranate was reviewed previously by a committee of experts from different discipline by order of the director and chief curator of Archeology of the Israel Museum. Their findings revealed that the pomegranate itself was authentic, but the inscription appeared to be a modern forgery. However, due to André Lemaire's contention that the inscription were indeed authentic, Shmuel Ahituv, Aaron Demsky and Yuval Goren decided to reinvestigate the authenticity of the inscription again. The re-examination revealed the pomegranate's authenticity however the inscription is still considered a modern forgery.

The article reports on the re-examination of the inscribed pomegranate purchased by the Israel Museum. In 1989, the Israel Museum purchased a small ornamental bone object in the form of a pomegranate which bears a short Old Hebrew inscription. The object was believed to represent the only material evidence discovered that could be associated with the First Temple in Jerusalem on the basis of its inscription. The results of the study showed that the ivory pomegranate is ancient with the surface covered by naturally-formed patina. The pomegranate which letters from the inscription are well executed was said to date from the late Bronze Age.