We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of studies using MRI-radiomics for predicting the pathological complete response in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy , and we ...evaluated their methodological quality using the radiomics-quality-score (RQS). Random effects meta-analysis was performed pooling area under the receiver operating characteristics curves. Publication-bias was assessed using the Egger's test and visually inspecting the funnel plot. Forty-three studies were included in the qualitative review and 34 in the meta-analysis. Summary area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0,78 (95%CI:0,74-0,81). Heterogeneity according to the I
statistic was substantial (71%) and there was no evidence of publication bias (P-value = 0,2). The average RQS was 12,7 (range:-1-26), with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.93 (95%CI:0.61-0.97). Year of publication, field intensity and synthetic RQS score do not appear to be moderators of the effect (P-value = 0.36, P-value = 0.28 and P-value = 0.92, respectively). MRI-radiomics may predict response to neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients but the heterogeneity of the current studies is still substantial.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
HCV-related disease recurrence progresses rapidly after liver transplantation. We hypothesised that withdrawal of immunosuppression might favourably impact on disease progression.
Weaning off ...immunosuppression was attempted in 34 HCV–RNA positive patients (mean age 62±6.4 years) transplanted 63.5±20.1 months earlier, under cyclosporine A monotherapy. Patients were followed for 3 years including yearly protocol liver biopsies. Primary endpoints were feasibility of weaning off immunosuppression and its impact on disease progression. Secondary endpoint was to identify predictors of an immunosuppression-free state and fibrosis progression.
Complete and permanent immunosuppression withdrawal was achieved in 8 patients (23.4%), whereas 14 (41.2%) developed rejection within eight months despite an initial response and 12 (35.2%) rejected during tapering. After a mean follow-up 45.5±5.8 months weaned patients showed stabilisation/improvement of histological fibrosis (
P<0.01), lower necro-inflammation (
P<0.02) and improved liver function (
P<0.05) compared to weaning-intolerants. Multiple logistic regression identified low blood cyclosporine A trough levels during the first post-transplant week (
P=0.004) and initial steroid-free immunosuppression (
P<0.008) as independent predictors of sustained weaning. Achievement of immunosoppression freedom (
P=0.02) and baseline staging score (
P<0.0001) were independently associated with stabilisation/improvement of histological fibrosis.
Reconstitution of immune-competence in the host improves the natural history of HCV recurrence in the graft.
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The paper investigates how the characteristics of the distribution network and the affiliation to a banking group affect mutual funds performance exploiting a unique dataset with extremely detailed ...information on funds’ portfolios and bank-issuer relationships for the period 2006-2017. We find that bank-affiliated mutual funds underperform independent ones. The structure of the distribution channels is a key-factor affecting mutual funds' performance: when bank platforms become by far the prevalent channel for the distribution of funds’ shares, asset management companies are captured by banks. As for bank affiliation, results show a positive bias of bank-controlled mutual funds towards securities issued by their own banking group clients (of the lending and investment banking divisions) and by institutions belonging to their own banking group; this last bias is exacerbated for mutual funds belonging to undercapitalized banking groups. The structure of the distribution channels explains two thirds of bank-affiliated mutual funds underperformance, whereas investment biases explain one fourth of the observed differential in returns with independent mutual funds.
We assess the long-term funding conditions for banks in the US, the euro area and the UK and, separately, for the group of global systemically important financial institutions (G-SIFIs), over the ...period 1997-2011. After the outbreak of the subprime crisis there was a considerable reshuffling of the relative weight of banks� funding sources, also due to non-conventional monetary policy interventions, government support measures and a significant increase in wholesale funding costs. By looking at 6,400 bank bonds we find that both implicit and explicit guarantees by the sovereign have a substantial role in shaping the wholesale cost of bond issuance with significant differences between AAA-rated and lower-rated countries. However, when a bank CDS exists the role of the government is significantly reduced with the market giving more weight to the soundness and creditworthiness of the issuing institution.
Sexual offences in Canada Johnson, Holly; Kong, Rebecca; Beattie, Sara ...
Juristat,
07/2003, Volume:
23, Issue:
6
Journal Article
There is considerable regional variation in the rates of police-reported sexual offences across Canada. In 2002, as with other violent crimes, the rate of sexual offences was highest in Nunavut ...(1,017 per 100,000 population) followed by the other two territories (Figure 3). Among the provinces, Saskatchewan (160) and Manitoba (139) had the highest rates. The lowest rates were recorded in Quebec (71) and Ontario (74). Rates for these two provinces were below the national average of 86 sexual offences per 100,000 population. Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the territories all reported a rise in the rate of sexual offences between 2001 and 2002, with the largest increases in Yukon (36%) and Prince Edward Island (34%) (Table 2). Rates in the remaining provinces decreased. With a drop of 11%, New Brunswick registered the largest decline in the rate of sexual offences, closely followed by Newfoundland and Labrador (-10%). Over the last decade, provincial/territorial rates have generally been declining. Convictions were more frequent in adult court cases involving sexual assault level 1 and other sexual offences than in sexual assault levels 2 and 3. However, conviction rates for sexual offences were lower as compared to other violent offences (Table 8).(19) Conviction rates have risen for all types of sexual offences, but have remained steady for other violent offences since 1995/96. Sexual and non-sexual violent offences had similar proportions of cases stayed/withdrawn or acquitted. Sexual offenders (particularly those charged with other sexual offences) appear before adult court with a higher percentage of multiple charges per case, indicating a higher tendency toward repeat offending prior to being reported to police. In 2001/02, 33% of persons appearing in Adult Criminal Court with sexual offences as the most serious charge had three or more charges (26% of those charged with sexual assault and 46% of those charged with other sexual offences) (Table 13).(22) This is higher than for those convicted of other types of violent offences (27%) or property offences (27%). Eighteen percent of persons appearing before adult court charged with other sexual offences appeared with five or more charges compared with one-in-ten of those charged with other violent offences or property offences.
The recent detection of 12 γ-ray galactic sources well above E>100 TeV by the LHAASO observatory has been a breakthrough in the context of the search for the origin of cosmic rays (CR). Although most ...of these sources remain unidentified, they are often spatially correlated with leptonic accelerators, such as pulsar and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). This dramatically affects the paradigm for which a γ-ray detection at E>100 TeV implies the presence of a hadronic accelerator of PeV particles (PeVatron). Moreover, the LHAASO results support the idea that sources other than the standard candidates, supernova remnants, can accelerate galactic CRs. In this context, the good angular resolution of future Cherenkov telescopes, such as the ASTRI Mini-Array and CTA, and the higher sensitivity of future neutrino detectors, such as KM3NeT and IceCube-Gen2, will be of crucial importance. In this brief review, we want to summarize the efforts made up to now, from both theoretical and experimental points of view, to fully understand the LHAASO results in the context of the CR acceleration issue.
Supernova Remnants in Gamma Rays Giuliani, Andrea; Cardillo, Martina
Universe (Basel),
05/2024, Volume:
10, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In the 1960s, the remnants of supernova explosions (SNRs) were indicated as a possible source of galactic cosmic rays through the Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) mechanism. Since then, the ...observation of gamma-ray emission from relativistic ions in these objects has been one of the main goals of high-energy astrophysics. A few dozen SNRs have been detected at GeV and TeV photon energies in the last two decades. However, these observations have shown a complex phenomenology that is not easy to reduce to the standard paradigm based on DSA acceleration. Although the understanding of these objects has greatly increased, and their nature as efficient electron and proton accelerators has been observed, it remains to be clarified whether these objects are the main contributors to galactic cosmic rays. Here, we review the observations of γ-ray emission from SNRs and the perspectives for the future.
We tested the hypothesis that circulating CXCL10 and IL-6 in donor after brain death provide independent additional predictors of graft outcome. From January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2012 all donors after ...brain death managed by the NITp (n = 1100) were prospectively included in this study. CXCL10 and IL-6 were measured on serum collected for the crossmatch at the beginning of the observation period. Graft outcome in recipients who received kidney (n = 1325, follow-up 4.9 years), liver (n = 815, follow-up 4.3 years) and heart (n = 272, follow-up 5 years) was evaluated. Both CXCL-10 and IL-6 showed increased concentration in donors after brain death. The intensive care unit stay, the hemodynamic instability, the cause of death, the presence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the presence of ongoing infection resulted as significant determinants of IL-6 and CXCL10 donor concentrations. Both cytokines resulted as independent predictors of Immediate Graft Function. Donor IL-6 or CXCL10 were associated with graft failure after liver transplant, and acted as predictors of recipient survival after kidney, liver and heart transplantation. Serum donor IL-6 and CXCL10 concentration can provide independent incremental prediction of graft outcome among recipients followed according to standard clinical practice.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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