Computer anthropomorphisation in a socio-economic dilemma.

In the study of human behaviour, non-social targets are often used as a control for human-to-human interactions. However, the concept of anthropomorphisation suggests that human-like qualities can be attributed to non-human objects. This can prove problematic in psychological experiments, as computers are often used as non-social targets. Here, we assessed the degree of computer anthropomorphisation in a sequential and iterated prisoner's dilemma. Participants (N = 41) faced three opponents in the prisoner's dilemma paradigm-a human, a computer, and a roulette-all represented by images presented at the commencement of each round. Cooperation choice frequencies and transition probabilities were estimated within subjects, in rounds against each opponent. We found that participants anthropomorphised the computer opponent to a high degree, while the same was not found for the roulette (i.e. no cooperation choice difference vs human opponents; p = .99). The difference in participants' behaviour towards the computer vs the roulette was further potentiated by the precedent roulette round, in terms of both cooperation choice (61%, p = .007) and cooperation probability after reciprocated defection (79%, p = .007). This suggests that there could be a considerable anthropomorphisation bias towards computer opponents in social games, even for those without a human-like appearance. Conversely, a roulette may be a preferable non-social control when the opponent's abilities are not explicit or familiar.

Temporal Dynamics of Intranasal Oxytocin in Human Brain Electrophysiology.

Oxytocin (OT) is a key modulator of human social cognition, popular in behavioral neuroscience. To adequately design and interpret intranasal OT (IN-OT) research, it is crucial to know for how long it affects human brain function once administered. However, this has been mostly deduced from peripheral body fluids studies, or uncommonly used dosages. We aimed to characterize IN-OT's effects on human brain function using resting-state EEG microstates across a typical experimental session duration. Nineteen healthy males participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject, cross-over design of 24 IU of IN-OT in 12-min windows 15 min-to-1 h 42min after administration. We observed IN-OT effects on all microstates, across the observation span. During eyes-closed, IN-OT increased duration and contribution of A and contribution and occurrence of D, decreased duration and contribution of B and C; and increased transition probability C-to-B and C-to-D. In eyes-open, it increased A-to-C and A-to-D. As microstates A and D have been related to phonological auditory and attentional networks, respectively, we posit IN-OT may tune the brain for reception of external stimuli, particularly of social nature-tentatively supporting current neurocognitive hypotheses of OT. Moreover, we contrast our overall results against a comprehensive literature review of IN-OT time-course effects in the brain, highlighting comparability issues.

Clinical Validation of a Size-Based Microfluidic Device for Circulating Tumor Cell Isolation and Analysis in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) presents as metastatic disease in one third of cases. Research on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and liquid biopsies is improving the understanding of RCC biology and metastases formation. However, a standardized, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective CTC detection technique is lacking. The use of platforms solely relying on epithelial markers is inappropriate in RCC due to the frequent epithelial-mesenchymal transition that CTCs undergo. This study aimed to test and clinically validate RUBYchip™, a microfluidic label-free CTC detection platform, in RCC patients. The average CTC capture efficiency of the device was 74.9% in spiking experiments using three different RCC cell lines. Clinical validation was performed in a cohort of 18 patients, eight non-metastatic (M0), five metastatic treatment-naïve (M1TN), and five metastatic progressing-under-treatment (M1TP). An average CTC detection rate of 77.8% was found and the average (range) total CTC count was 6.4 (0-27), 101.8 (0-255), and 3.2 (0-10), and the average mesenchymal CTC count (both single and clustered cells) was zero, 97.6 (0-255), and 0.2 (0-1) for M0, M1TN, and M1TP, respectively. CTC clusters were detected in 25% and 60% of M0 and M1TN patients, respectively. These results show that RUBYchip™ is an effective CTC detection platform in RCC.

Volatile Profile of Portuguese Monofloral Honeys: Significance in Botanical Origin Determination.

The volatile profiles of 51 samples from 12 monofloral-labelled Portuguese honey types were assessed. Honeys of bell heather, carob tree, chestnut, eucalyptus, incense, lavender, orange, rape, raspberry, rosemary, sunflower and strawberry tree were collected from several regions from mainland Portugal and from the Azores Islands. When available, the corresponding flower volatiles were comparatively evaluated. Honey volatiles were isolated using two different extraction methods, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and hydrodistillation (HD), with HD proving to be more effective in the number of volatiles extracted. Agglomerative cluster analysis of honey HD volatiles evidenced two main clusters, one of which had nine sub-clusters. Components grouped by biosynthetic pathway defined alkanes and fatty acids as dominant, namely n-nonadecane, n-heneicosane, n-tricosane and n-pentacosane and palmitic, linoleic and oleic acids. Oxygen-containing monoterpenes, such as cis- and trans-linalool oxide (furanoid), hotrienol and the apocarotenoid α-isophorone, were also present in lower amounts. Aromatic amino acid derivatives were also identified, namely benzene acetaldehyde and 3,4,5-trimethylphenol. Fully grown classification tree analysis allowed the identification of the most relevant volatiles for discriminating the different honey types. Twelve volatile compounds were enough to fully discriminate eleven honey types (92%) according to the botanical origin.

The familial hypercholesterolaemia phenotype: Monogenic familial hypercholesterolaemia, polygenic hypercholesterolaemia and other causes.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a monogenic disorder characterised by high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and increased cardiovascular risk. However, in clinically defined FH cohorts worldwide, an FH-causing variant is only found in 40%-50% of the cases. The aim of this work was to characterise the genetic cause of the FH phenotype in Portuguese clinical FH patients. Between 1999 and 2017, 731 index patients (311 children and 420 adults) who met the Simon Broome diagnostic criteria had been referred to our laboratory. LDLR, APOB, PCSK9, APOE, LIPA, LDLRAP1, ABCG5/8 genes were analysed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing. The 6-SNP LDL-C genetic risk score (GRS) for polygenic hypercholesterolaemia was validated in the Portuguese population and cases with a GRS over the 25th percentile were considered to have a high likelihood of polygenic hypercholesterolaemia. An FH-causing mutation was found in 39% of patients (94% in LDLR, 5% APOB and 1% PCSK9), while at least 29% have polygenic hypercholesterolaemia and 1% have other lipid disorders. A genetic cause for the FH phenotype was found in 503 patients (69%). All known causes of the FH phenotype should be investigated in FH cohorts to ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.

A preliminary algorithm introducing immunogenicity assessment in the management of patients with RA receiving tumour necrosis factor inhibitor therapies.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical remission is today the treatment goal for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which requires fast and assertive therapeutic decisions for a tight control of disease activity. Few objective parameters are available to guide clinical decisions, particularly in switcher patients. We designed a preliminary algorithm introducing immunogenicity assessment in the current approach to patients with RA receiving tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the concordance between the new algorithm and current clinical practice, comparing the effectiveness of 'immunogenicity-based' versus 'empirical-based' switches in a cohort of patients with established RA receiving biologics. METHODS: EULAR therapeutic response was evaluated in 105 patients with RA (naive or switchers) over one year, through generalised estimation equation (GEE) analyses. Serum drug trough levels were assessed by ELISA and antidrug antibodies (ADAb) by Bridging ELISA. RESULTS: During follow-up, 48.6% of patients had therapeutic decisions concordant with the proposed algorithm (Group A), and 51.4% had discordant decisions (Group B). One year after the therapeutic decision, patients from Group A had a higher probability of achieving response (OR=7.91, p<0.001, 95% CI 3.27 to 19.13) and low disease activity (OR=9.77, p<0.001, 95% CI 4.69 to 20.37) than patients in Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Immunogenicity assessment might help to optimise therapeutic decisions, leading to a better control of disease activity with significantly better clinical outcomes in patients with RA receiving TNFi.

Association of the practice of contact sports with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objectives: High-intensity physical activity and sports prone to repetitive injuries of the cervical spine and head (when associated with vigorous practice) have been suggested as possible risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between the practice of contact sports (boxing, hockey, football, rugby) and ALS. Methods: The study included 2247 individuals, 1326 patients and 921 controls from several European countries. Analysis of the effect of contact sports on ALS was conducted in male participants only, as very few women practiced contact sports. Logistic regression models were used with the response variable as the presence or absence of ALS, with α = 0.05 significance level. Results: A relationship between the practice of contact sports and ALS was found, with those practicing contact sports having 76% higher odds of an ALS diagnosis (OR = 1.76, p = 0.001). In addition, univariate analyses for age (higher risk for older people, p < 0.001), smoking status (higher risk for ex-smokers, p = 0.022) and tobacco exposure (higher risk for more exposure, p = 0.038) also indicated that these variables are risk factors for ALS. In multivariate models, in addition to age, the interaction term between practice of contact sports and tobacco exposure was still significant (p = 0.03). Conclusions: This is one of the largest studies on the role of contact sport in ALS development. Our results support the existence of a relationship between the practice of sports with repetitive trauma at the level of the cervical spine and head, and ALS. This risk appears to be enhanced by tobacco exposure.

Generation and validation of a classification model to diagnose familial hypercholesterolaemia in adults.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The early diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia is associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. While the recent use of statistical and machine learning algorithms has shown promising results in comparison with traditional clinical criteria, when applied to screening of potential FH cases in large cohorts, most studies in this field are developed using a single cohort of patients, which may hamper the application of such algorithms to other populations. In the current study, a logistic regression (LR) based algorithm was developed combining observations from three different national FH cohorts, from Portugal, Brazil and Sweden. Independent samples from these cohorts were then used to test the model, as well as an external dataset from Italy. METHODS: The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) and precision-recall (AUPRC) curves was used to assess the discriminatory ability among the different samples. Comparisons between the LR model and Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) clinical criteria were performed by means of McNemar tests, and by the calculation of several operating characteristics. RESULTS: AUROC and AUPRC values were generally higher for all testing sets when compared to the training set. Compared with DLCN criteria, a significantly higher number of correctly classified observations were identified for the Brazilian (p < 0.01), Swedish (p < 0.01), and Italian testing sets (p < 0.01). Higher accuracy (Acc), G mean and F1 score values were also observed for all testing sets. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to DLCN criteria, the LR model revealed improved ability to correctly classify observations, and was able to retain a similar number of FH cases, with less false positive retention. Generalization of the LR model was very good across all testing samples, suggesting it can be an effective screening tool if applied to different populations.

Evaluating the ability of an artificial-intelligence cloud-based platform designed to provide information prior to locoregional therapy for breast cancer in improving patient's satisfaction with therapy: The CINDERELLA trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer therapy improved significantly, allowing for different surgical approaches for the same disease stage, therefore offering patients different aesthetic outcomes with similar locoregional control. The purpose of the CINDERELLA trial is to evaluate an artificial-intelligence (AI) cloud-based platform (CINDERELLA platform) vs the standard approach for patient education prior to therapy. METHODS: A prospective randomized international multicentre trial comparing two methods for patient education prior to therapy. After institutional ethics approval and a written informed consent, patients planned for locoregional treatment will be randomized to the intervention (CINDERELLA platform) or controls. The patients in the intervention arm will use the newly designed web-application (CINDERELLA platform, CINDERELLA APProach) to access the information related to surgery and/or radiotherapy. Using an AI system, the platform will provide the patient with a picture of her own aesthetic outcome resulting from the surgical procedure she chooses, and an objective evaluation of this aesthetic outcome (e.g., good/fair). The control group will have access to the standard approach. The primary objectives of the trial will be i) to examine the differences between the treatment arms with regards to patients' pre-treatment expectations and the final aesthetic outcomes and ii) in the experimental arm only, the agreement of the pre-treatment AI-evaluation (output) and patient's post-therapy self-evaluation. DISCUSSION: The project aims to develop an easy-to-use cost-effective AI-powered tool that improves shared decision-making processes. We assume that the CINDERELLA APProach will lead to higher satisfaction, better psychosocial status, and wellbeing of breast cancer patients, and reduce the need for additional surgeries to improve aesthetic outcome.

Sex Differences in Functional Connectivity Between Resting State Brain Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Functional brain connectivity (FBC) has previously been examined in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between-resting-state networks (RSNs) using a highly sensitive and reproducible hypothesis-free approach. However, results have been inconsistent and sex differences have only recently been taken into consideration using this approach. We estimated main effects of diagnosis and sex and a diagnosis by sex interaction on between-RSNs FBC in 83 ASD (40 females/43 males) and 85 typically developing controls (TC; 43 females/42 males). We found increased connectivity between the default mode (DM) and (a) the executive control networks in ASD (vs. TC); (b) the cerebellum networks in males (vs. females); and (c) female-specific altered connectivity involving visual, language and basal ganglia (BG) networks in ASD-in suggestive compatibility with ASD cognitive and neuroscientific theories.

Comparative study on the performance of different classification algorithms, combined with pre- and post-processing techniques to handle imbalanced data, in the diagnosis of adult patients with familial hypercholesterolemia.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder of cholesterol metabolism. Current criteria for FH diagnosis, like Simon Broome (SB) criteria, lead to high false positive rates. The aim of this work was to explore alternative classification procedures for FH diagnosis, based on different biological and biochemical indicators. For this purpose, logistic regression (LR), naive Bayes classifier (NB), random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithms were combined with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE), or threshold adjustment by maximizing Youden index (YI), and compared. Data was tested through a 10 × 10 repeated k-fold cross validation design. The LR model presented an overall better performance, as assessed by the areas under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) and precision-recall (AUPRC) curves, and several operating characteristics (OC), regardless of the strategy to cope with class imbalance. When adopting either data processing technique, significantly higher accuracy (Acc), G-mean and F1 score values were found for all classification algorithms, compared to SB criteria (p < 0.01), revealing a more balanced predictive ability for both classes, and higher effectiveness in classifying FH patients. Adjustment of the cut-off values through pre or post-processing methods revealed a considerable gain in sensitivity (Sens) values (p < 0.01). Although the performance of pre and post-processing strategies was similar, SMOTE does not cause model's parameters to loose interpretability. These results suggest a LR model combined with SMOTE can be an optimal approach to be used as a widespread screening tool.

Performance comparison of different classification algorithms applied to the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia in paediatric subjects.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder of lipid metabolism, characterized by increased low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) levels. The main purpose of the current work was to explore alternative classification methods to traditional clinical criteria for FH diagnosis, based on several biochemical and biological indicators. Logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF) and naive Bayes (NB) algorithms were developed for this purpose, and thresholds were optimized by maximization of Youden index (YI). All models presented similar accuracy (Acc), specificity (Spec) and positive predictive values (PPV). Sensitivity (Sens) and G-mean values were significantly higher in LR and RF models, compared to the DT. When compared to Simon Broome (SB) biochemical criteria for FH diagnosis, all models presented significantly higher Acc, Spec and G-mean values (p < 0.01), and lower negative predictive value (NPV, p < 0.05). Moreover, LR and RF models presented comparable Sens values. Adjustment of the cut-off point by maximizing YI significantly increased Sens values, with no significant loss in Acc. The obtained results suggest such classification algorithms can be a viable alternative to be used as a widespread screening method. An online application has been developed to assess the performance of the LR model in a wider population.

Quality assessment of Portuguese monofloral honeys. Physicochemical parameters as tools in botanical source differentiation.

The quality evaluation and physicochemical parameters assessment of Portuguese monofloral honeys were performed. Fifty-one monofloral honeys were collected from several regions from mainland Portugal, and from the Azores islands, producer labelled as carob tree (n = 5), chestnut (n = 2), eucalyptus (n = 5), bell heather (n = 6), incense (n = 4), lavender (n = 8), orange (n = 9), rape (n = 2), raspberry (n = 2), rosemary (n = 1), sunflower (n = 3), and strawberry tree (n = 4). Pollen analysis and microbiological safety were evaluated, and the parameters such as colour index, moisture content, electrical conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural, pH, free and total acidity, diastase activity, proline, and sugar profile were assessed for physicochemical characterization, in all 51 monofloral honeys. After melissopalynological examination, the honeys were either confirmed as monofloral, or classified as multifloral with predominance of a specific pollen type or multifloral. Microbiological analysis showed that honeys were safe for human consumption. Pairwise comparisons of physicochemical parameters, using only honey types with n ≥ 3, revealed significant differences between honey types. Despite some homogeneity in sugar profile among honeys, eucalyptus honey was significantly different in glucose, maltose and maltulose content compared to incense, orange and sunflower honeys, and also exhibited a higher isomaltose amount compared to all analyzed honeys. Electrical conductivity, colour index, free and total acidity, and diastase activity showed significant differences between the analyzed honeys, indicating that these parameters may provide an additional tool in monofloral honey identification.

Histological Inflammation in the Endoscopically Uninflamed Mucosa is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Limited Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND: The Montreal classification categorizes patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) based on their macroscopic disease extent. Independent of endoscopic extent, biopsies through all colonic segments should be retrieved during index colonoscopy. However, the prognostic value of histological inflammation at diagnosis in the inflamed and uninflamed regions of the colon has never been assessed. METHODS: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of newly diagnosed patients with treatment-naïve proctitis and left-sided UC. Biopsies from at least 2 colonic segments (endoscopically inflamed and uninflamed mucosa) were retrieved and reviewed by 2 pathologists. Histological features in the endoscopically inflamed and uninflamed mucosa were scored using the Nancy score. The primary outcomes were disease complications (proximal disease extension, need for hospitalization or colectomy) and higher therapeutic requirements (need for steroids or for therapy escalation). RESULTS: Overall, 93 treatment-naïve patients were included, with a median follow-up of 44 months (range, 2-329). The prevalence of any histological inflammation above the endoscopic margin was 71%. Proximal disease extension was more frequent in patients with histological inflammation in the endoscopically uninflamed mucosa at diagnosis (21.5% vs 3.4%, P = 0.04). Histological involvement above the endoscopic margin was the only predictor associated with an earlier need for therapy escalation (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-13.0); P = 0.04) and disease complications (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-20.9; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of histological inflammation in the endoscopically uninflamed mucosa at the time of diagnosis was associated with worse outcomes in limited UC.

Quality of Life and Psychological Distress in Portuguese Older Individuals with Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound without an external source, often associated with adverse psychological and emotional effects leading to impaired quality of life (QoL). The present study investigated QoL and psychological distress in tinnitus patients and analysed the effects of associated comorbidities. Tonal and speech audiometry, tinnitus assessment, and clinical interviews were obtained from 122 Portuguese individuals (aged from 55 to 75). Portuguese versions of the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36) and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were used to evaluate psychological distress, health-related QoL, social difficulties and tinnitus severity. The presence of tinnitus was significantly associated with hearing loss. The increases in tinnitus severity were associated with decreases in QoL, particularly regarding MOS SF-36 subscales "perception of health", "social functioning", and "mental health". Regarding BSI, patients with greater tinnitus severity had more severe psychopathology symptoms, measured with scales "Obsessive-compulsive", "Depression", "Anxiety", "Hostility" and "Phobic Anxiety". Our study supports the notion of the negative impact of increased tinnitus severity on QoL and psychological distress in older adults. Presented data strengthen the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tinnitus assessment and treatment.

Effects of antidepressants in the reproduction of aquatic organisms: a meta-analysis.

Pharmaceuticals are widespread contaminants across the aquatic systems and despite the role that these compounds play in society today, little is known about their effects in aquatic organisms once they are released into the environment. This study aims to provide quantitative insight on the effects of antidepressants on the reproduction of fish and crustaceans with a multilevel meta-analysis. A systematic literature search identified 19 studies investigating effects of antidepressant exposure in fish or crustaceans' reproduction, according to specific selection criteria. Heterogeneity analysis was performed and the moderating effect of the range of exposure concentrations, exposure time, organism group and toxicant was tested. Additionally, publication bias was also addressed. The results showed that, overall, there is no significant association between antidepressant exposure and the reproduction of fish and crustaceans, however, moderator analysis revealed that the range of concentrations is a significant moderator for fish and crustacean fecundity, showing contrary results between the two groups. Antidepressant concentration had a small, yet positive effect on fish fecundity, meaning that increased concentrations resulted in increased fish fecundity, whilst a negative effect on crustaceans' fecundity was apparent with increasing concentrations. This difference could be related to data artifacts, or, more likely, evidencing a hormetic dose-response curve, with different ranges of exposure concentrations considered in studies on fish and crustaceans. Antidepressants have shown effects on reproductive outcomes in aquatic organisms, based on individual studies and narrative reviews. However, our results show that other factors can have an important role. Additionally, data available for a quantitative assessment is scarce, focusing mainly on a few freshwater species, low concentration ranges and one SSRI compound, fluoxetine. Thus, more research on the subject is needed since meta-analysis are only as statistically powerful as the number of, good quality, studies they include.

Oxytocin and vasopressin modulation of prisoner's dilemma strategies.

BACKGROUND: The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin have been repeatedly implicated in social decision making by enhancing social salience and, generally, cooperation. The iterated and sequential version of the prisoner's dilemma (PD) game is a social dilemma paradigm eliciting strategies of cooperation versus competition. AIMS: We aimed to characterise the role of PD players' sex, game partner type (computer vs. human) and oxytocin or vasopressin inhalation on the player's strategy preference. METHODS: Participants (153 men; 151 women) were randomised to intranasal 24 IU oxytocin, 20 IU vasopressin or placebo, double-blind, and played the PD. We examined main and interactive effects of sex, drug and partner type on strategy preference. RESULTS: We found a pervasive preference for a tit-for-tat strategy (i.e. general sensitivity to the partner's choices) over unconditional cooperation, particularly when against a human rather than a computer partner. Oxytocin doubled this sensitivity in women (i.e. the preference for tit-for-tat over unconditional cooperation strategies) when playing against computers, which suggests a tendency to anthropomorphise them, and doubled women's unconditional cooperation preference when playing against humans. Vasopressin doubled sensitivity to the partner's previous choices (i.e. for tit-for-tat over unconditional cooperation) across sexes and partner types. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that women may be more sensitive to oxytocin's social effects of anthropomorphism of non-humans and of unconditional cooperation with humans, which may be consistent with evolutionary pressures for maternal care, and that vasopressin, irrespective of sex and partner type, may be generally sensitising humans to others' behaviour.

A statistical model to identify determinants of glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with different pharmacotherapeutic profiles.

AIM: To develop a statistical model to identify determinants of glycemic control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database was extracted from patients' records with at least one glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) analysis and with antidiabetic therapy established and stabilized. A logistic regression model was designed to identify the statistical significance of factors associated with glycemic control. RESULTS: Higher probability of success (HbA1c ≤8% [64 mmol/mol]) was found for those who were older in age, those who were men, and those with higher education levels. Increased values for the following variables were associated with the poorest glycemic control: number of years of T2DM since diagnosis, number of antidiabetic medicines, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and number of diabetes consultations in the last twelve months. The following pharmacotherapeutic treatments were associated with glycemic control (in decreasing order of the results): oral antidiabetic drugs; oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin; insulin. Patients using metformin and a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors have a higher probability of success than do patients using metformin and a sulfonylurea, and patients using insulin and metformin have a higher probability of success than do patients using insulin alone. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic parameters can strongly affect glycemic control. Studies based on real-life patient data provide important information on the development of more effective glycemic control.

Redox-Oligomeric State of Peroxiredoxin-2 and Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Red Blood Cells under Positive Airway Pressure Therapy.

In this study, we examined the effect of six months of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) red blood cell (RBC) proteome by two dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) - based proteomics followed by Western blotting (WB) validation. The discovered dysregulated proteins/proteoforms are associated with cell death, H2O2 catabolic/metabolic process, stress response, and protein oligomerization. Validation by nonreducing WB was performed for peroxiredoxin-2 (PRDX2) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) by using antibodies against the sulfinylated/sulfonylated cysteine of these proteins to better evaluate their redox-oligomeric states under OSA and/or in response to PAP therapy. The results indicated that the redox-oligomeric state of GAPDH and PRDX2 involving overoxidation by sulfinic/sulfonic acids were differentially modulated in OSA RBC, which might be compromising RBC homeostasis. PAP therapy by restoring this modulation induced a higher oligomerization of overoxidized GAPDH and PRDX2 in some patients that could be associated with eryptosis and the chaperone "gain" of function, respectively. This varied response following PAP may result from the complex interplay between OSA and OSA metabolic comorbidity. Hence, information on the redox status of PRDX2 and GAPDH in RBC will help to better recognize OSA subtypes and predict the therapeutic response in these patients. GAPDH monomer combined with body mass index (BMI) and PRDX2 S-S dimer combined with homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) showed to be very promising biomarkers to predict OSA and OSA severity, respectively.

Bayesian classification and non-Bayesian label estimation via EM algorithm to identify differentially expressed genes: a comparative study.

Gene classification problem is studied considering the ratio of gene expression levels, X, in two-channel microarrays and a non-observed categorical variable indicating how differentially expressed the gene is: non differentially expressed, down-regulated or up-regulated. Supposing X from a mixture of Gamma distributions, two methods are proposed and results are compared. The first method is based on an hierarchical Bayesian model. The conditional predictive probability of a gene to belong to each group is calculated and the gene is assigned to the group for which this conditional probability is higher. The second method uses EM algorithm to estimate the most likely group label for each gene, that is, to assign the gene to the group which contains it with the higher estimated probability.