Combined PGT for Breast Cancer and Other Inherited Conditions

Inherited cancer predisposition is presently one of the major indications for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), providing an option for couplers at risk to avoid the birth of an offspring with predisposition to cancer. We present here our experience of 35 of 874 PGT cycles for cancer, in which in addition to BRCA1/2 the couples were at risk to another genetic conditions as well, for which PGT was performed together with PGT for breast cancer. This resulted in in birth of 20 mutation free children with not only unaffected for the tested genetic condition, but also without risk of developing cancer. This is a part of our overall PGT series of 6,204 PGT cases for monogenic disorders (PGT-M), with 2,517 resulting births, free of genetic disorder. The accumulated experience, demonstrates considerable progress in using PGT for avoiding the birth of affected children together with avoiding predisposition to cancer.

Photoinduced SET to Access Olefin-Acrylate Copolymers

The advantageous material properties that arise from combining non-polar olefin monomers with activated vinyl monomers have led to considerable progress in the development of viable copolymerization strategies. However, unfavorable reactivity...

Essential Tremor: Five New Things

ABSTRACTPurpose of the review:To highlight five new things in the research and clinical aspects of essential tremor (ET).Recent findings:The introduction of a new definition of ET and a new category “ET plus” were the major themes of the recent consensus statement. This new change demands a change in the approach to the clinical diagnosis of ET and related diseases. From the pathogenesis standpoint, the cerebellar neurodegenerative model seems to have numerous evidence in its favor compared to the olivary model which has largely fallen out of favor. From the standpoint of therapeutics, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy has enriched the therapeutic armamentarium.Summary:There has been considerable progress in the field of ET. We discuss five new things in this article which include- (i) new definition (ii) ET plus (iii) approach to the diagnosis of ET, (iv) cerebellar degeneration, and (v) MRgFUS thalamotomy.

Addressing Iron and Zinc Micronutrient Malnutrition Through Nutrigenomics in Pearl Millet: Advances and Prospects

Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) micronutrient deficiencies are significant health concerns, particularly among the underprivileged and resource-poor people in the semi-arid tropics globally. Pearl millet is regarded as a climate-smart crop with low water and energy footprints. It thrives well under adverse agro-ecologies such as high temperatures and limited rainfall. Pearl millet is regarded as a nutri-cereal owing to health-promoting traits such as high grain Fe and Zn content, metabolizable energy, high antioxidant and polyphenols, high proportion of slowly digestible starches, dietary fibers, and favorable essential amino acid profile compared to many cereals. Higher genetic variability for grain Fe and Zn content has facilitated considerable progress in mapping and mining QTLs, alleles and genes underlying micronutrient metabolism. This has been made possible by developing efficient genetic and genomic resources in pearl millet over the last decade. These include genetic stocks such as bi-parental RIL mapping populations, association mapping panels, chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) and TILLING populations. On the genomics side, considerable progress has been made in generating genomic markers, such as SSR marker repository development. This was followed by the development of a next-generation sequencing-based genome-wide SNP repository. The circa 1,000 genomes re-sequencing project played a significant role. A high-quality reference genome was made available by re-sequencing of world diversity panel, mapping population parents and hybrid parental lines. This mini-review attempts to provide information on the current developments on mapping Fe and Zn content in pearl millet and future outlook.

Animal Emotions—Do Animals Feel as We Do?

Emotions are an essential part of how we experience our world. Humans can express emotions by telling others how we feel—but what about animals? How can we tell whether they experience emotions and, if they do, which ones? When we think about the animals under human care, it is not only scientifically interesting but also ethically important to understand how these animals experience their worlds. Over the last 20 years, researchers have made considerable progress by identifying ways to assess emotions in animals. For example, researchers can look at the facial expressions of animals, record their vocalisations, or measure body processes such as changes in the heartbeat or hormone concentrations in the blood. This information can tell us more about how animals feel, why and how emotions have evolved, and what we, as humans, share with animals in our emotional experience of the world around us.

The Dictyostelium Centrosome

The centrosome of Dictyostelium amoebae contains no centrioles and consists of a cylindrical layered core structure surrounded by a corona harboring microtubule-nucleating γ-tubulin complexes. It is the major centrosomal model beyond animals and yeasts. Proteomics, protein interaction studies by BioID and superresolution microscopy methods led to considerable progress in our understanding of the composition, structure and function of this centrosome type. We discuss all currently known components of the Dictyostelium centrosome in comparison to other centrosomes of animals and yeasts.

An Agenda for Future Research in Forensic Economics: Setting Standards of Validity and Reliability in Measuring Progress

While considerable progress in research in the field of Forensic Economics has been achieved over the past 35 years, a number of areas of need for further research persist. This paper provides an overview of the scope of research in the field and the critiques of that research gathered through member surveys, submissions by journal editors, and publications of Richard Posner and the author.

Part VIII Compliance, Implementation, and Effectiveness, Ch.60 International Environmental Law Disputes Before International Courts and Tribunals

This chapter examines how international environmental law (IEL) disputes are resolved before international courts and tribunals, addressing when parties will decide to litigate an IEL dispute as opposed to utilizing another form of dispute settlement. Assuming there is reason to pursue adjudication or arbitration, it looks at questions of jurisdiction. The chapter also considers preliminary matters that emerge in these cases, notably questions of standing and whether provisional measures are needed and may be secured before an international court or tribunal. It then turns to substantive matters, but only in the context of presentation of the case in terms of evidence and use of experts. Finally, the chapter assesses the available reparations in the resolution of IEL disputes before international courts and tribunals. Ultimately, considerable progress may be noted in respect of the use of international courts and tribunals for IEL disputes, but it is prudent to observe that in this area of international law, preventing the emergence of IEL disputes is ultimately more important than ex post facto responses to environmental damage.

Reparative and Maladaptive Inflammation in Tendon Healing

Tendon injuries are common and debilitating, with non-regenerative healing often resulting in chronic disease. While there has been considerable progress in identifying the cellular and molecular regulators of tendon healing, the role of inflammation in tendon healing is less well understood. While inflammation underlies chronic tendinopathy, it also aids debris clearance and signals tissue repair. Here, we highlight recent findings in this area, focusing on the cells and cytokines involved in reparative inflammation. We also discuss findings from other model systems when research in tendon is minimal, and explore recent studies in the treatment of human tendinopathy to glean further insights into the immunobiology of tendon healing.

Synthetic versus human voices in audiobooks: The human emotional intimacy effect

Human voices narrate most audiobooks, but the fast development of speech synthesis technology has enabled the possibility of using artificial voices. This raises the question of whether the listeners’ cognitive processing is the same when listening to a synthetic or a human voice telling a story. This research aims to compare the listeners’ perception, creation of mental images, narrative engagement, physiological response, and recognition of information when listening to stories conveyed by human and synthetic voices. The results showed that listeners enjoyed stories narrated by a human voice more than a synthetic one. Also, they created more mental images, were more engaged, paid more attention, had a more positive emotional response, and remembered more information. Speech synthesis has experienced considerable progress. However, there are still significant differences versus human voices, so that using them to narrate long stories, such as audiobooks do, is difficult.