Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Magnetoactive elastomer-based dynamic urethral support device for stress urinary incontinence.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary leakage of urine in response to increased intra-abdominal pressure during episodes of exertion. A common treatment method for SUI is sling implantation underneath the urethra to provide support. Most current sling procedures, however, cannot adjust urethral tension postoperatively.

Real-World Pattern-of-Care Analysis of Primary Cutaneous Lymphomas Radiation Therapy Among European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Members.

Purpose: We aim to determine the current treatment patterns and recommendations among physicians for cutaneous lymphomas and to identify the types of skin lymphomas for which existing radiation regimens need improvement.

Methods And Materials: A questionnaire from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer was distributed to all members of the Cutaneous Lymphoma Tumour Group and Radiation Oncology Scientific Council. This online survey included 13 questions regarding treatment practices for patients with cutaneous lymphoma.

Differences in polygenic score distributions in European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed. Here, we explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 225,105 female participants from the UK Biobank.

Genome-wide association study of treatment-related toxicity two years following radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Background And Purpose: Up to a quarter of breast cancer patients treated by surgery and radiotherapy experience clinically significant toxicity. If patients at high risk of adverse effects could be identified at diagnosis, their treatment could be tailored accordingly. This study was designed to identify common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with toxicity two years following whole breast radiotherapy.

Integrated transcriptome catalog of Tenualosa ilisha as a resource for gene discovery and expression profiling.

The silver pride of Bangladesh, migratory shad, Tenualosa ilisha (Hilsa), makes the highest contribution to the total fish production of Bangladesh. Despite its noteworthy contribution, a well-annotated transcriptome data is not available. Here we report a transcriptomic catalog of Hilsa, constructed by assembling RNA-Seq reads from different tissues of the fish including brain, gill, kidney, liver, and muscle.

Influence of contraceptive use and other socio-demographic factors on under-five child mortality in Bangladesh: semi-parametric and parametric approaches.

Background: The under-five child mortality rate is a widely accepted indicator of the development of a country as well as reflects the country's health care system and quality of life. Although the child mortality rate is decreasing over time in Bangladesh, the rate is still high among South Asian countries. The target of the Sustainable Development Goal-3.

Common variants in breast cancer risk loci predispose to distinct tumor subtypes.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple common breast cancer susceptibility variants. Many of these variants have differential associations by estrogen receptor (ER) status, but how these variants relate with other tumor features and intrinsic molecular subtypes is unclear.

Methods: Among 106,571 invasive breast cancer cases and 95,762 controls of European ancestry with data on 173 breast cancer variants identified in previous GWAS, we used novel two-stage polytomous logistic regression models to evaluate variants in relation to multiple tumor features (ER, progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and grade) adjusting for each other, and to intrinsic-like subtypes.

Optimized Prediction Models from Fundus Imaging and Genetics for Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world. In this study, we compare the performance of retinal fundus images and genetic-information-based machine learning models for the prediction of late AMD. Using data from the Age-related Eye Disease Study, we built machine learning models with various combinations of genetic, socio-demographic/clinical, and retinal image data to predict late AMD using its severity and category in a single visit, in 2, 5, and 10 years.

Outcomes of patients with nonepileptic transient neurologic symptoms after subdural hematoma evacuation.

Background: Patients undergoing a subdural hematoma (SDH) evacuation can experience transient neurological symptoms (TNS) postoperatively. Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to rule out seizures. We aim to characterize patients with TNS and negative epileptiform activity on EEG and compare them to those with positive epileptiform EEG findings.

Shotgun proteomics of Brassica rapa seed proteins identifies vicilin as a major seed storage protein in the mature seed.

Proteins make up a large percentage of the Brassica seed and are second only to the oil in economic importance with uses for both animal and human nutrition. The most abundant proteins reported in the seeds of Brassica are the seed storage proteins cruciferin and napin, belonging to the 12S globulin and 2S albumin families of proteins, respectively. To gain insight into the Brassica rapa seed proteome and to confirm the presence and relative quantity of proteins encoded by candidate seed storage genes in the mature seed, shotgun proteomics was carried out on protein extracts from seeds of B.

Gene-Environment Interactions Relevant to Estrogen and Risk of Breast Cancer: Can Gene-Environment Interactions Be Detected Only among Candidate SNPs from Genome-Wide Association Studies?

In this study we aim to examine gene-environment interactions (GxEs) between genes involved with estrogen metabolism and environmental factors related to estrogen exposure. GxE analyses were conducted with 1970 Korean breast cancer cases and 2052 controls in the case-control study, the Seoul Breast Cancer Study (SEBCS). A total of 11,555 SNPs from the 137 candidate genes were included in the GxE analyses with eight established environmental factors.

Machine learning prediction of sleep stages in dairy cows from heart rate and muscle activity measures.

Sleep is important for cow health and shows promise as a tool for assessing welfare, but methods to accurately distinguish between important sleep stages are difficult and impractical to use with cattle in typical farm environments. The objective of this study was to determine if data from more easily applied non-invasive devices assessing neck muscle activity and heart rate (HR) alone could be used to differentiate between sleep stages. We developed, trained, and compared two machine learning models using neural networks and random forest algorithms to predict sleep stages from 15 variables (features) of the muscle activity and HR data collected from 12 cows in two environments.

Challenges for FAIR-compliant description and comparison of crop phenotype data with standardized controlled vocabularies.

Crop phenotypic data underpin many pre-breeding efforts to characterize variation within germplasm collections. Although there has been an increase in the global capacity for accumulating and comparing such data, a lack of consistency in the systematic description of metadata often limits integration and sharing. We therefore aimed to understand some of the challenges facing findable, accesible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) curation and annotation of phenotypic data from minor and underutilized crops.

Pests, diseases, and aridity have shaped the genome of Corymbia citriodora.

Corymbia citriodora is a member of the predominantly Southern Hemisphere Myrtaceae family, which includes the eucalypts (Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora; ~800 species). Corymbia is grown for timber, pulp and paper, and essential oils in Australia, South Africa, Asia, and Brazil, maintaining a high-growth rate under marginal conditions due to drought, poor-quality soil, and biotic stresses. To dissect the genetic basis of these desirable traits, we sequenced and assembled the 408 Mb genome of Corymbia citriodora, anchored into eleven chromosomes.

Assessment of stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and immunohistochemical features in invasive micropapillary breast carcinoma with long-term outcomes.

Purpose: We studied the long-term outcomes of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPCs) of the breast in relation to stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs), prognostic biomarkers and clinicopathological features.

Methods: Stage I-III IMPCs treated with upfront surgery at our institution (January 2000 and December 2016) were included. Central pathology review was performed and sTILs (including zonal distribution and hot spot analysis) and tumor-associated plasma cells (TAPC) were evaluated.

Goat Genomic Resources: The Search for Genes Associated with Its Economic Traits.

Goat plays a crucial role in human livelihoods, being a major source of meat, milk, fiber, and hides, particularly under adverse climatic conditions. The goat genomics related to the candidate gene approach is now being used to recognize molecular mechanisms that have different expressions of growth, reproductive, milk, wool, and disease resistance. The appropriate literature on this topic has been reviewed in this article.

Chromosome-Scale Assembly and Annotation of the Macadamia Genome ( HAES 741).

is a representative of the large basal eudicot family Proteaceae and the main progenitor species of the Australian native nut crop macadamia. Since its commercialisation in Hawaii fewer than 100 years ago, global production has expanded rapidly. However, genomic resources are limited in comparison to other horticultural crops.

The microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers: a comparison of swab and tissue biopsy wound sampling techniques using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Background: Health-care professionals need to collect wound samples to identify potential pathogens that contribute to wound infection. Obtaining appropriate samples from diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) where there is a suspicion of infection is of high importance. Paired swabs and tissue biopsies were collected from DFUs and both sampling techniques were compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Abundant expression of maternal siRNAs is a conserved feature of seed development.

Small RNAs are abundant in plant reproductive tissues, especially 24-nucleotide (nt) small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Most 24-nt siRNAs are dependent on RNA Pol IV and RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 2 (RDR2) and establish DNA methylation at thousands of genomic loci in a process called RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). In , RdDM is required in the maternal sporophyte for successful seed development.

Identification, characterization and epitope mapping of proteins encoded by putative allergenic napin genes from Brassica rapa.

Background: Brassica rapeseed crops contain high concentrations of oil in the seed. The remaining meal, following oil extraction, has a high protein content, but is of low value due to the presence of high amounts of napin seed storage proteins. These 2S albumin-like proteins are difficult to digest and have been identified as major allergens in humans.

Impact of Recurrent Floods on the Utilization of Maternal and Newborn Healthcare in Bangladesh.

Objective: Floods are one of the most common types of disasters in Bangladesh and lead to direct and indirect impacts on health. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of floods on Maternal and Newborn Healthcare (MNH) utilization in Bangladesh between the years 2011 and 2014.

Methods: We used variables from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014 data and georeferenced data of floods between 2011 and 2014 from the Emergency Events Database.