riers to healthy eating.

There is no consensus regarding the impact of oncoplastic surgery (OPS) on rates of re-excision and conversion to mastectomy following breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Here these two outcomes after BCS and OPS were compared in a nationwide population-based setting.

In Denmark, all OPS is registered and categorized into volume displacement, volume reduction or volume replacement. Patients who underwent BCS or OPS between 2012 and 2018 were selected from the Danish Breast Cancer Group database. Multivariable analyses were performed to adjust for confounders, and propensity score matching to limit potential confounding by indication bias.

A total of 13 185 patients (72·5 per cent) underwent BCS and 5003 (27·5 per cent) OPS. Volume displacement was used in 4171 patients (83·4 per cent), volume reduction in 679 (13·6 per cent) and volume replacement in 153 (3·1 per cent). Re-excision rates were 15·6 and 14·1 per cent after BCS and OPS respectively. After adjusting for confounders, patients were less likely to have a re-excision following OPS than BCS (odds ratio (OR) 0·80, 95 per cent c.i. 0·72 to 0·88), specifically after volume displacement and reduction. The rate of conversion to mastectomy was similar after OPS and BCS (3·2 versus 3·7 per cent; P =0·105), but with a lower risk in adjusted analysis (OR 0·69, 0·58 to 0·84), specifically after volume displacement and reduction procedures. read more Findings were similar after propensity score matching.

A modest decrease in re-excision rate and less frequent conversion to mastectomy were observed after OPS compared with BCS.

A modest decrease in re-excision rate and less frequent conversion to mastectomy were observed after OPS compared with BCS.Spatially overdispersed mounds of fungus-farming termites (Macrotermitinae) are hotspots of nutrient availability and primary productivity in tropical savannas, creating spatial heterogeneity in communities and ecosystem functions. These termites influence the local availability of nutrients in part by redistributing nutrients across the landscape, but the links between termite ecosystem engineering and the soil microbes that are the metabolic agents of nutrient cycling are little understood. We used DNA metabarcoding of soils from Odontotermes montanus mounds to examine the influence of termites on soil microbial communities in a semi-arid Kenyan savanna. We found that bacterial and fungal communities were compositionally distinct in termite-mound topsoils relative to the surrounding savanna, and that bacterial communities were more diverse on mounds. The higher microbial alpha and beta diversity associated with mounds created striking spatial patterning in microbial community composition, and boosted landscape-scale microbial richness and diversity. Selected enzyme assays revealed consistent differences in potential enzymatic activity, suggesting links between termite-induced heterogeneity in microbial community composition and the spatial distribution of ecosystem functions. We conducted a large-scale field experiment in which we attempted to simulate termites‘ effects on microbes by fertilizing mound-sized patches; this altered both bacterial and fungal communities, but in a different way than natural mounds. Elevated levels of inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium may help to explain the distinctive fungal communities in termite-mound soils, but cannot account for the distinctive bacterial communities associated with mounds.Kupffer cells are the resident intravascular phagocyte population of the liver and critical to the capture and killing of bacteria. Calcineurin/Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT) inhibitors (CNIs) such as tacrolimus are used to prevent rejection in solid organ transplant recipients. While their effect on lymphocytes has been studied extensively, there is limited experimental data about if and how CNIs shape innate immunity, and whether this contributes to the higher rates of infection observed in patients taking CNIs. Here, we investigated the impact of tacrolimus treatment on innate immunity and more specifically on the capability of Kupffer cells to fight infections. Retrospective analysis of data of more than 2,700 liver transplant recipients showed that taking calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus significantly increased the likelihood of Staphylococcus aureus infection. Using a mouse model of acute methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia, most bacteria were sequestered in liver and we found that bacteria were more likely to disseminate and kill the host in tacrolimus-treated mice. Using imaging we unveiled the mechanism underlying this observation the reduced capability of Kupffer cells to capture, phagocytose and destroy bacteria in tacrolimus-treated animals. Further, in a gene expression analysis of infected Kupffer cells, the TREM-1 pathway was the one with the most significant downregulation after tacrolimus treatment. TREM-1 inhibition likewise inhibited Kupffer cell bacteria capture. TREM-1 levels on neutrophils as well as the overall neutrophil response after infection were unaffected by tacrolimus treatment. Our results indicate that tacrolimus treatment has a significant impact directly on Kupffer cells and on TREM-1, thereby compromising their capacity to fend off infections.Jaburetox is a recombinant peptide derived from one of the Canavalia ensiformis urease isoforms. This peptide induces several toxic effects on insects of different orders, including interference on muscle contractility in cockroaches, modulation of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities in the central nervous system of triatomines, as well as activation of the immune system in Rhodnius prolixus. When injected, the peptide is lethal for R. prolixus and Triatoma infestans. Here, we evaluated Jaburetox toxicity to Nauphoeta cinerea cockroaches, exploring the effects on the central nervous system through the activities of UAP, NOS, acid phosphatases (ACP), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The results indicated that N. cinerea is not susceptible to the lethal effect of the peptide. Moreover, both in vivo and in vitro treatments with Jaburetox inhibited NOS activity, without modifying the protein levels. No alterations on ACP activity were observed. In addition, the enzyme activity of UAP only had its activity affected at 18 hr after injection.