Effects of Sex and Seasonal Climatic Changes on the Risk of Incidence of Anti-EGFR Therapy-Induced Rash in Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study

Background and Objectives: Seasonal climatic changes may affect the development of the rash that is characteristic of treatment with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies. We evaluated the association between seasons and rash incidence among patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: Data from patients with colorectal or head and neck cancer treated with cetuximab or panitumumab during summer (S group; n = 34) or winter (W group; n = 37) between June 2014 and February 2019 were collected to retrospectively examine patient characteristics and rash incidence ≤ 8 weeks after treatment initiation. Results: Rashes were observed in 73.5% (n = 25) and 78.4% (n = 29) and grade 3 rashes were observed in 17.6% (n = 6) and 2.7% (n = 1) of the patients in the S and W groups, respectively. The incidence of grade ≥ 2 rashes in males in the S group was higher than that in the rest of the patient groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The higher incidence of skin rashes in males during summer might be attributed to the effects of ultraviolet light, lack of skincare, male hormones, and secretion of anti-EGFR antibodies in sweat. These findings highlight the need for research on preventive measures for such rashes.

ՏՈՆԸ ԱՌԱԾԱՅԻՆ ԼԵԶՎՈՒՄ

In the Collection of Armenian proverbs by Aram Ghanalanyan the proverbs in which the Armenian traditional holidays are mentioned constitute a certain number. We suggest uniting in two groups the proverbs, which have holiday references, diffused in different thematic sections and chapters, as well as in the appendices of the collection of proverbs. These two groups include: sayingsproverbs, which are based on a) interrelation of the time and holiday, and b) one or another attribute of the holidays. In a part of sayings-proverbs, referring to time, the question is directly about the time in the semantic context, according to which everything has its time. In case of other proverbs, the question refers to the seasonal-climatic changes of the time. The latter are based on the folk ecological knowledge, preserved in the feast tradition. In this group of proverbs the holidays play a role of the real medium of time calculation. The following series of proverbs present primary associations, connected to the feast, specific descriptors of the holidays, which are, as a rule, more connected to their external, secular, rather than deep mythological aspect.

Seed germination of invasive plant species of the genus Goldenrod (Solidago)

The germination of seeds of invasive compaction of plant species of the genus Solidago was studied in 38 samples selected within the Minsk (17 samples) and Novogrudok (21 samples) Upland in the autumn (14 samples), winter (11 samples) and spring (13 samples) periods 2017–2018 years. Germination of seeds varies in a wide range from 0 to 95%. Also, when registering the results, they revealed the presence of undeveloped seeds, the number of which in the samples ranges from 2 to 95 %. A pronounced feedback was established between the germination of seeds and the number of undeveloped seeds (correlation coefficient –0.97). Between autumn, winter and spring samples there were no statistically significant differences in seed germination and the number of undeveloped seeds. Between the samples selected within the Minsk and Novogrudok Upland, statistically significant differences were revealed both for seed germination (р = 0.00018) and for the number of undeveloped seeds (р = 0.00032). Thus, the dependence of germinating seed germination on seasonal climatic changes is not revealed. For seed germination, stratification is not required and they are resistant to frost. It is also necessary to conduct additional studies to identify the factors affecting the formation of seeds.

Astronomy and its role in ancient Mesoamerica

The observation of the sky had an important rôle among the Maya, Aztecs and other prehispanic peoples of Mesoamerica. Their familiarity with the regularities of the apparent motion of the Sun, the Moon and bright planets is attested in a large amount of astronomical data contained in codices and monumental hieroglyphic inscriptions, as well as in their sophisticated calendrical system. On the other hand, the study of architectural alignments has disclosed that civic and ceremonial buildings were largely oriented on astronomical grounds, mostly to sunrises and sunsets on certain dates, allowing the use of observational calendars that facilitated a proper scheduling of agricultural and the associated ritual activities in the yearly cycle. Both accurate knowledge and other astronomically-derived concepts reveal that the significance attributed to certain celestial events by the ancient Mesoamericans can be explained in terms of the relationship of these phenomena with specific environmental and cultural facts, such as seasonal climatic changes and subsistence strategies. It was particularly due to its practical utility that astronomy, intertwined with religious ideas and practices, had such an important place in the worldview and, consequently, in the cosmologically substantiated political ideology of Mesoamerican societies

Cooperation Strategies in Mongolian Pastoralism During the Socialist Collective Economy

My analysis of cooperation strategies considers pastoralism in the context of its long-term relationship to the steppe environment, geographical conditions and seasonal climatic changes. Under the influence of socialist state policies, previous socio–economic patterns were superseded by a ‘progressive’ re-organisation of production that created a new frame for economic action. The resultant forms of cooperation, as implemented by herders, related to different modes of production, which D. Sneath describes as ‘specialist’ and ‘domestic’ modes. During the collective period these modes largely correlated with different concepts of animal property.Within large–scale collective farms communal production became central to herders’ activities. Specialist production was carried out with collective-owned animals according to new formal structures, whereas the management of limited private herds was largely unaffected by official regulations and continued to be organised informally. Correspondingly, different cooperation strategies among herders’ groups were implemented in accordance with different kinds of social obligations and interests, each being adjusted adequately to the given socio-economic and environmental conditions. The differences between concepts of socialist society and the way herders acted in practice to some degree enabled the accumulation of larger private herds and facilitated the continuation of ‘old’ pre-collective patterns under ‘new’ socialist conditions.