Oncotype Dx is used to predict the long-term recurrence risk in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative invasive breast cancer (BC). This study aimed at establishing a correlation between clinicopathological parameters and recurrence score (RS), subsequently improving predictability and ultimately justifying the use of the multigene assay.

A retrospective analysis of the pathology and clinical data of 114 female patients with BC who had Oncotype Dx testing between 2012 and 2019. The pathological parameters included are tumor cell type, tumor grade, pathological stage, and mitotic index (MI). The expression of ER, progesterone receptor (PR), HER2, and Ki67 was assessed by immunohistochemistry. A univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation between these parameters and the RS.

In univariate analysis, age (˂40 years), higher tumor grade, and low PR expression were significantly associated with higher RS (

 = .02; ˂.001; and ˂.001, respectively). Both MI and Ki67 were also strongly correlated with an increase in the RS with a

value of .01 (Spearman correlation 0.34 and 0.33). In multivariate linear regression analysis, age, MI, and Ki67 lost their significance, but both higher grade and PR remained significantly associated with a higher RS along with the tumor stage (

 ˂ .001; ˂.001; and .04, respectively).

Tumor grade and PR immunohistochemical expression are the main predictors of RS in our study population. Other clinicopathological features were not significant predictors of change in RS in multivariate analysis.

Tumor grade and PR immunohistochemical expression are the main predictors of RS in our study population. Other clinicopathological features were not significant predictors of change in RS in multivariate analysis.Biomarkers are widely used at every stage of drug discovery and development. Utilisation of biomarkers has a potential to make drug discovery, development and approval processes more efficient. An overview of the current global regulatory landscape is presented in this article with particular emphasis on the validation and qualification of biomarkers, as well as legal framework for companion diagnostics. Furthermore, this article shows how the number of approved drugs with at least 1 biomarker used during development (biomarker acceptance) is affected by the recent advances in the biomarker regulations. More than half of analysed approvals were supported by biomarker data and there has been a slight increase in acceptance of biomarkers in recent years, even though the growth is not continuous. For certain pharmacotherapeutic groups, approvals with biomarkers are more common than without. Examples include immunosuppressants, immunostimulants, drugs used in diabetes, antithrombotic drugs, antineoplastic agents and antivirals. As a conclusion, potential benefits, challenges and opportunities of using biomarkers in drug discovery and development in the current regulatory landscape are summarised and discussed.Genomic research and biobanking present several ethical, social and cultural challenges, particularly when conducted in settings with limited scientific research capacity. One of these challenges is determining the model of consent that should support the sharing of human biological samples and data in the context of international collaborative research. In this paper, we report on the views of key research stakeholders in Ghana on what should count as good ethical practice when seeking consent for genomic research and biobanking in Africa. This study was part of a multi-country qualitative case study conducted in three African countries Ghana, Uganda and Zambia under the auspices of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa initiative (H3Africa). Our study suggests that while participants are willing to give consent for their samples and associated data to be used for future research purposes, they expect to receive feedback about the progress of the research and about the kinds of research being undertaken on their samples and data. These expectations need to be anticipated and discussed during the consent process which should be seen as part of an ongoing communication process throughout the research process.In many settings, and perhaps especially in low-middle income countries, training institutions do not adequately prepare their students for the ethical challenges that confront them in professional life. We conducted a survey to assess the training needs in research ethics among the faculty at the University of Zambia, School of Medicine (UNZASoM) using a structured questionnaire distributed to faculty members in January 2015. The study was approved by the University of Zambia Biomedical Research Ethics Committee. Seventy-five faculty members of various ranks completed the questionnaire. It was found that 31% of the faculty had not received any research ethics training. Of those who had received training, most of them had received it through short workshops of five days or less (57.4%, n = 31), while only 27.7% received ethics training as a component of an academic degree and 22.2% obtained it through electronic web-based courses. While most faculty (70.7%) reported being well-prepared to guide their students in developing a research methods section of a research protocol, only 25.3% felt they were well-prepared to guide on ethical considerations. This study has demonstrated gaps in research ethics training among faculty members at UNZASoM. Mandatory instruction in research ethics among faculty and students is recommended.Defining complexity in quantum field theory is a difficult task, and the main challenge concerns going beyond free models and associated Gaussian states and operations. One take on this issue is to consider conformal field theories in 1+1 dimensions and our work is a comprehensive study of state and operator complexity in the universal sector of their energy-momentum tensor. The unifying conceptual ideas are Euler-Arnold equations and their integro-differential generalization, which guarantee well-posedness of the optimization problem between two generic states or transformations of interest. The present work provides an in-depth discussion of the results reported in arXiv2005.02415 and techniques used in their derivation. Among the most important topics we cover are usage of differential regularization, solution of the integro-differential equation describing Fubini-Study state complexity and probing the underlying geometry.Retinal surgery is a bimanual operation in which surgeons operate with an instrument in their dominant hand (more capable hand) and simultaneously hold a light pipe (illuminating pipe) with their non-dominant hand (less capable hand) to provide illumination inside the eye. Manually holding and adjusting the light pipe places an additional burden on the surgeon and increases the overall complexity of the procedure. To overcome these challenges, a robot-assisted automatic light pipe actuating system is proposed. A customized light pipe with force-sensing capability is mounted at the end effector of a follower robot and is actuated through a hybrid force-velocity controller to automatically illuminate the target area on the retinal surface by pivoting about the scleral port (incision on the sclera). Static following-accuracy evaluation and dynamic light tracking experiments are carried out. The results show that the proposed system can successfully illuminate the desired area with negligible offset (the average offset is 2.45 mm with standard deviation of 1.33 mm). The average scleral forces are also below a specified threshold (50 mN). The proposed system not only can allow for increased focus on dominant hand instrument control, but also could be extended to three-arm procedures (two surgical instruments held by surgeon plus a robot-holding light pipe) in retinal surgery, potentially improving surgical efficiency and outcome.

An Antisocial Behavior index (ASB-I) for children (ages 5 to 15) was previously developed by obtaining clinician ratings of the seriousness or severity of various behaviors with the goal of improving assessment of antisocial behaviors (ASB) longitudinally. We extend the instrument for use in late adolescence/young adulthood, as socially unacceptable conduct manifests differently across developmental stages. As in the original study, this extension (the ASB-I YA) is based on independent ratings of ASB seriousness/severity during late adolescence/young adulthood (16 to 28 years) made by nine experienced clinicians.

The items rated were drawn from the Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder schedules of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) and the Elliott Delinquency scales, plus new or modified items developmentally appropriate for late adolescence/young adulthood. Specific ratings were based on the developmental stage and reported frequency of the behaviors. The study also describes the distribution of ASB-I YA scores in the Boricua Youth Study.

Reliability was substantial for the average ratings of each subscale and for the total score [ICC(3,9) .88 to .95]. Certain items were rated as more severe when occurring in late adolescence/young adulthood compared to childhood/early adolescence (e.g., hitting someone on purpose); however, most ratings were similar across developmental periods. Most importantly, raters reliably and consistently rated the items describing ASB in young adulthood, allowing the computation of the ASB-I YA score.

Together with the ASB-I, the ASB-I YA can further advance the study of ASB progression from childhood into young adulthood.

Together with the ASB-I, the ASB-I YA can further advance the study of ASB progression from childhood into young adulthood.

It has been well-established that parents of children with ADHD report significantly higher levels of parenting stress and home chaos, and lower levels of parental efficacy than parents of children without ADHD. Unfortunately, most of the extant ADHD literature has focused on European American children and families, resulting in a paucity of research focusing on ethnic minority families of children with ADHD. The current study aimed to expand what is known about Latinx parents of children with ADHD by exploring contextual and cultural factors, such as parental gender and acculturation, which may account for variations in parenting experiences within this population.

The present study utilized secondary data analysis to analyze ratings of parenting stress, home chaos, and parental efficacy among a sample of Latinx mothers and fathers of children with ADHD (

= 46 dyads).

Results indicated that Latinx mothers of children with ADHD reported higher levels of parenting stress than Latinx fathers of children with ADHD; however, no significant parental gender differences were found in ratings of parental efficacy or home chaos. Additionally, several significant relationships were found between parental acculturation and family functioning variables.

Latinx families of children with ADHD are an understudied and underserved population within the field of clinical psychology. The current study provides critical information on Latinx family functioning within the context of ADHD treatment, specifically pertaining to the complex interplay of parenting and acculturation variables.

Latinx families of children with ADHD are an understudied and underserved population within the field of clinical psychology. The current study provides critical information on Latinx family functioning within the context of ADHD treatment, specifically pertaining to the complex interplay of parenting and acculturation variables.