Mosquito alert: leveraging citizen science to create a GBIF mosquito occurrence dataset.

The Mosquito Alert dataset includes occurrence records of adult mosquitoes collected worldwide in 2014-2020 through Mosquito Alert, a citizen science system for investigating and managing disease-carrying mosquitoes. Records are linked to citizen science-submitted photographs and validated by entomologists to determine the presence of five targeted European mosquito vectors: , , , , and . Most records are from Spain, reflecting Spanish national and regional funding, but since autumn 2020 substantial records from other European countries are included, thanks to volunteer entomologists coordinated by the AIM-COST Action, and to technological developments to increase scalability.

Multiple invasions, Wolbachia and human-aided transport drive the genetic variability of Aedes albopictus in the Iberian Peninsula.

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of the most invasive species in the world. Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, over the past 30 years it has rapidly spread throughout tropical and temperate regions of the world. Its dramatic expansion has resulted in public health concerns as a consequence of its vector competence for at least 16 viruses.

Clinical and Sociodemographic Determinants of Adherence to World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) Recommendations in Breast Cancer Survivors-Health-EpiGEICAM Study.

Breast cancer (BC) survivors are advised to follow the WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations, given their high risk of developing a second tumour. We aimed to explore compliance with these recommendations in BC survivors and to identify potentially associated clinical and sociodemographic factors. A total of 420 BC survivors, aged 31-80, was recruited from 16 Spanish hospitals.

Palbociclib combined with endocrine therapy in heavily pretreated HR/HER2 advanced breast cancer patients: Results from the compassionate use program in Spain (PALBOCOMP).

Background: This study evaluated efficacy and safety of palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, in heavily-pretreated hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR/HER2) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients during the compassionate use program in Spain from February 2015 to November 2017.

Patients And Methods: Patient data were collected retrospectively from 35 hospitals in Spain. Patients with HR/HER2 mBC who had progressed on ≥4 treatments for advanced disease were eligible.

Primary breast cancer and health related quality of life in Spanish women: The EpiGEICAM case-control study.

This study evaluates the impact of breast cancer (BC) in health related quality of life (HRQL) and in psychological distress (PD) during the initial phases of the disease and looks for contributing factors. A multicentric case-control study, EpiGEICAM, was carried out. Incident BC cases and age- and residence- matched controls were included.

First detection of Aedes japonicus in Spain: an unexpected finding triggered by citizen science.

Background: Aedes japonicus is an invasive vector mosquito from Southeast Asia which has been spreading across central Europe since the year 2000. Unlike the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) present in Spain since 2004, there has been no record of Ae. japonicus in the country until now.

Citizen Science: A Gateway for Innovation in Disease-Carrying Mosquito Management?

Traditional methods for tracking disease-carrying mosquitoes are hitting budget constraints as the scales over which they must be implemented grow exponentially. Citizen science offers a novel solution to this problem but requires new models of innovation in the public health sector.

Citizen science provides a reliable and scalable tool to track disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Recent outbreaks of Zika, chikungunya and dengue highlight the importance of better understanding the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes across multiple spatio-temporal scales. Traditional surveillance tools are limited by jurisdictional boundaries and cost constraints. Here we show how a scalable citizen science system can solve this problem by combining citizen scientists' observations with expert validation and correcting for sampling effort.

Active and reactive behaviour in human mobility: the influence of attraction points on pedestrians.

Human mobility is becoming an accessible field of study, thanks to the progress and availability of tracking technologies as a common feature of smart phones. We describe an example of a scalable experiment exploiting these circumstances at a public, outdoor fair in Barcelona (Spain). Participants were tracked while wandering through an open space with activity stands attracting their attention.

Expectation-Maximization Binary Clustering for Behavioural Annotation.

The growing capacity to process and store animal tracks has spurred the development of new methods to segment animal trajectories into elementary units of movement. Key challenges for movement trajectory segmentation are to (i) minimize the need of supervision, (ii) reduce computational costs, (iii) minimize the need of prior assumptions (e.g.

Capecitabine and irinotecan with bevacizumab 2-weekly for metastatic colorectal cancer: the phase II AVAXIRI study.

Background: The optimal sequence of chemotherapeutic agents is not firmly established for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This phase II multi-centre study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of a standard capecitabine plus irinotecan (XELIRI) regimen with bevacizumab in previously untreated patients with mCRC.

Methods: Patients received intravenous irinotecan 175 mg/m(2) on day 1 and oral capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) (800 mg/m(2) for patients >65 years of age) twice daily on days 2-8, followed by a 1-week rest, and bevacizumab 5 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion on day 1 every 2 weeks.

Approaches to passive mosquito surveillance in the EU.

The recent emergence in Europe of invasive mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease associated with both invasive and native mosquito species has prompted intensified mosquito vector research in most European countries. Central to the efforts are mosquito monitoring and surveillance activities in order to assess the current species occurrence, distribution and, when possible, abundance, in order to permit the early detection of invasive species and the spread of competent vectors. As active mosquito collection, e.

Cost-benefit analysis of a follow-up program in patients with breast cancer: a randomized prospective study.

Increasing the number of breast cancer patients in follow-up involves increased costs and, with limited health care resources, there is a need to evaluate the cost-benefit to the patient of follow-up regimens. We present a randomized prospective study to evaluate the cost-benefit of intensive follow-up in the early detection of relapses in patients with breast cancer. One hundred and twenty-one patients were randomized to standard clinical follow-up (n=63) or to an intensive follow-up (n=58) that included diagnostic laboratory tests and imaging designed to detect early relapse following curative treatment.

Study of laparoscopic forces perception for defining simulation fidelity.

One of the most controversial dilemmas in virtual reality laparoscopic simulators design is the incorporation of force feedback (FF). This issue is approached with an experimental design in which surgeons assess the resistance against pulling of four different tissues, which are characterized with the acquisition of interaction forces. Comparing subjective assessments with objective force parameters we aim to determine the fidelity boundary beyond which no more realism is necessary in simulation.

Role of glutathione in the induction of apoptosis and c-fos and c-jun mRNAs by oxidative stress in tumor cells.

We have used two tumor cell clones (B9 and G2), derived from the methylcholanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcoma GR9 and normal BALB/c3T3 fibroblasts, to study the ability of t-BOOH derived reactive oxygen radicals to induce oxidative stress, apoptosis and c-fos and c-jun mRNA transcription. These clones differ in terms of their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (H-2) class I genes expression, their tumor induction and metastatic potential and their reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Incubation of both cell clones in the presence of t-BOOH results in the increase of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and malondialdehyde and the decrease of GSH.

Epirubicin-cyclophosphamide adjuvant chemotherapy plus tamoxifen administered concurrently versus sequentially: randomized phase III trial in postmenopausal node-positive breast cancer patients. A GEICAM 9401 study.

Background: A prospective randomized clinical trial was implemented to assess whether the concomitant or the sequential addition of tamoxifen to chemotherapy provides improved clinical benefit in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal patients.

Patients And Methods: Four-hundred and eighty-five patients with node-positive operable disease were randomized to receive tamoxifen (20 mg/day) concomitantly (CON) or sequentially (SEQ) to EC chemotherapy (epirubicin 75 mg/m(2) + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2) on day 1, every 21 days for four cycles).

Results: In the 474 fully evaluable patients there were 96 events; eight being second neoplasms and 88 being related to the breast cancer.

Gemcitabine and low dose carboplatin in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Fifty percent of lung cancers arise in patients over 65 years old and 30% in those over 70. The aim of this study was to evaluate response, survival and tolerability of the combination carboplatin-gemcitabine in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Between May 1998 and December 2000, 88 patients were included.

Docetaxel plus epirubicin is a highly active, well-tolerated, first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: results of a large, multicentre phase II study.

Purpose: In this multicentre phase II study, the efficacy and safety profile of the combination of docetaxel and epirubicin as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) were evaluated.

Methods: Epirubicin (75 mg/m(2)) and docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) were given intravenously once every 3 weeks for six cycles to 133 patients with MBC.

Results: The overall clinical response rate was 67% (complete and partial responses were 23% and 44%, respectively).

Oxidative stress induces the expression of the major histocompatibility complex in murine tumor cells.

The effect of t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) on the induction of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I genes has been studied in two cell clones (B9 and G2) of the methylcholanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcoma GR9. These two clones were selected based on their different biological and biochemical behavior specially related to their tumor induction capability when injected into a BALB/c mouse. t-BOOH (0.

Antioxidant enzyme activities and the production of MDA and 8-oxo-dG in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a neoplastic disease susceptible to antioxidant enzyme alterations and oxidative stress. We have examined the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio together with the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) in lymphocytes of CLL patients and compared them with those of normal subjects of the same age. SOD and CAT activity decreased in CLL lymphocytes while GPx activity increased.

Long-term results after combined modality treatment for non-metastatic osteosarcoma.

Since the introduction of multimodality treatment, the prognosis of patients with high-grade non-metastatic osteosarcoma has significantly improved. A retrospective review was performed to assess the long-term results of this approach in a single centre setting, and to investigate the impact of potential clinical prognostic factors. Between 1985 and 1993, 35 patients with stage II-A and II-B osteosarcoma underwent preoperative chemotherapy (high-dose methotrexate), wide surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin-doxorubicin/bleo-mycin-cyclophosphamide-dactinomycin) (modified T-10A protocol).