Rates Of Aggression Research Articles

Incidence, Severity and Characteristics of Patients' Aggression in Acute Psychiatric Wards: Data from a Slovenian National Survey.

To evaluate the incidence, severity and characteristics of aggressive behaviour in patients hospitalized in acute psychiatric wards, as well as the association between patient characteristics and the incidence of recurrent aggressive behaviour. A multicentre prospective study included all twelve acute wards in Slovenian psychiatric hospitals with a total capacity of 232 beds. Over five consecutive months, data on the number of treatment episodes involving aggressive behaviour and the number of aggressive incidents, their severity and characteristics were obtained using the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R). Patient- and event-based incident rates of verbal and physical aggression were calculated. The association between patient characteristics and recurrent aggressive behaviour was analysed. Patient characteristics data were extracted from hospital databases. 3,190 treatment episodes were included during a 5-month period. Aggressive behaviour was observed in 13.4% of treatment episodes, and 922 aggressive incidents were recorded, which resulted in 3.98 incidents per 100 occupied bed days and 9.48 incidents per bed per year. 74.1% of incidents were severe, and more than half of incidents included physical aggression. 75.5% of incidents were directed against medical staff. 5.9% of treatment episodes were involved in multiple aggressive incidents. Compared to patients with single incidents, patients with recurrent aggression had a less frequent main diagnosis of substance use disorders and a longer duration of hospitalization. Monitoring the frequency and characteristics of aggressive behaviour allows comparisons with other studies and, more importantly, it is necessary for planning and assessing the effectiveness of preventative aggression management strategies.

Behaviours that Challenge in SATB2-associated Syndrome: Correlates of Self-injury, Aggression and Property Destruction

SATB2-associated syndrome (SAS) is a genetic syndrome characterised by intellectual disability, severe speech delay, and palatal and dental problems. Behaviours that challenge (BtC) are reported frequently; however, there is limited research on specific forms of BtC and the correlates of these behaviours. The current study explores correlates of well-defined BtC, self-injury, aggression, and property destruction, in SAS. Eighty-one parents/caregivers of individuals with SAS (53.1% male, Mage 10.12 years) completed questionnaire measures of health, behavioural, emotional, and autism characteristics. Individuals with SAS were grouped based on caregiver responses to the presence or absence of self-injury, aggression, and property destruction on the Challenging Behaviour Questionnaire. Rates of self-injury, aggression and property destruction were 42%, 77% and 49%, respectively. Between-group comparisons were conducted to compare characteristics between behaviour groups. Significantly differing characteristics were entered into separate hierarchical logistic regressions for each form of BtC. Behavioural comparisons indicated variation in the characteristics associated with each behaviour. All hierarchical logistic regression models were significant (p < .001): self-injury (χ2(5) = 38.46, R2 = 0.571), aggression (χ2(4) = 25.12, R2 = 0.414), property destruction (χ2(4) = 23.70, R2 = 0.346), explaining between 34.6% and 57.1% of the variance in behaviour presence. This is the first study to identify correlates of self-injury, aggression, and property destruction in SAS. Variability in the characteristics associated with each behaviour highlights the importance of specificity when examining BtC. Understanding correlates of specific forms of BtC has important implications for informing SAS-associated pathways to behavioural outcomes and the implementation of tailored behavioural interventions.

Investigating the Impact of Using Computer Games on Aggression in Adolescents

Introduction: One of the factors affecting adolescent aggression is the use of violent computer games. Computer games as a social phenomenon, along with other audio and video media in today's world, are the main audiences of children and adolescents because of their stunning growth and attraction, but the question is whether computer games, especially the type Their violent and combat effects have harmful effects on children and adolescents or have been magnified. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the impact of using computer games on aggression in adolescents.&#x0D; Methods: In this descriptive study, the first high school male students were selected by 100 people by random clustered. The method of gathering field information and the data collection tool was the aggressive and fairy questionnaire. The confidence level of these tests was 95%. The analysis was performed by the 23 SPSS statistical software.&#x0D; Results: The average age of students was 0/82 and 13/82 years old and most interest in fighting and violent games. The results showed that there was a significant difference between aggression and students' grade point average (p=0/013), the Anova statistical test found that the relationship between the aggression questionnaire score and the type of games and the birth rate of the meaning is significant. The highest frequency of games was reported in rough fighting games with 45 abundance and the lowest in the creative computer game with 15 abundance.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the most popular game as well as the highest rate of adolescent aggression in relation to combat games and the lowest aggression in the creative intellectual game group. Students and adolescents with average academic status had the most aggressive impact on computer games.

Relational and physical aggression in preschool-age children: Associations with teacher, parent, sibling, and peer relationship quality.

Early childhood relationships with teachers, parents, siblings, and peers are foundational factors for later social functioning. High rates of childhood aggression have been associated with negative developmental consequences, however, the associations between child aggression on the quality of these formative relationships have not been studied extensively. In a sample of young children attending preschool (N = 114, Mage = 46.27 months, SD = 9.94, 40% girls), this study investigated associations between early childhood relational and physical aggression and the quality of concurrent teacher-child and parent-child closeness and conflict, sibling relationship quality, and positive peer interactions and peer rejection. Early childhood relational and physical aggression was associated with negative teacher-child relationships, and this was true for boys and girls. Differential patterns of prediction were found for relational and physical aggression on the other relationship variables. Relational aggression strongly predicted more positive peer interactions, whereas physical aggression predicted fewer positive peer interactions and greater peer rejection. Early childhood relational aggression predicted higher levels of teacher-child closeness, whereas physical aggression predicted lower levels of teacher-child closeness and fewer positive sibling interactions. These findings challenge common perceptions that aggression is negatively associated with relationship quality. Notably, relational aggression relative to physical aggression may be associated with some favorable relationship outcomes. We did not find support for an additive model of aggression whereby children who were both relationally and physically aggressive (co-morbid) were at higher risk for negative relationship quality. Implications of these findings for future research and prevention and intervention are discussed.

Characteristics and associated factors of self-reported sexual aggression in the Belgian population aged 16–69

Sexual violence is a major public health, societal, and judicial problem worldwide. Studies investigating the characteristics of its perpetrators often rely on samples of convicted offenders, which are biased by low reporting and conviction rates. Based on a self-report study in the Belgian general population aged 16 to 69 (n = 4687), we provide lifetime and past-year prevalence rates of sexual aggression and report the characteristics of the events, including type, target, and the applied coercion strategies. Future research should use behaviourally specific questions that take the perpetrator’s perspective into account to limit interpretation ambiguity which could reduce unintentional non-disclosure of sexual aggression.

STRATEGY EDUCATION TO INCREASE BANK BPD BALI'S ASSET GROWTH THROUGH ITS ABILITY AS AN AGENT OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Global economic growth is anticipated to slow in 2023 from 2022, accompanied by rising inflationary pressures, aggressive monetary policy rate hikes, and financial market uncertainty. This growth must be independent of the bank's role as an economic body that supervises, accumulates, and distributes monies to the public through deposits. Regional Development Bank (BPD) is a banking entity created by a local government with total shareholders or a fraction of shares controlled by the local government. The challenge is that the growth rate of commercial bank assets in Bali is larger than BPD Bali Bank. One of the actions that may be done is to carry out a strategy to create capacity as an agent of regional development. Briefing and learning activities allow organizations to become more aware of the importance of implementing ways to improve the growth of company assets. This activity is planned to follow up the implementation of the capability-building strategy as an agent of regional development in increasing the growth of Bank BPD Bali's assets so that asset growth increases optimally.

Anonymity and its role in digital aggression: A systematic review

Digital aggression (DA), or the use of information communication technologies to inflict harm on others, is an emerging public health crisis. Targets of DA experience increased anxiety, depression, aggression, and higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. There is thus a clear need to uncover the origins of DA. A handful of studies have identified contextual features that increase DA, most notably anonymity. Critically, however, research in this context has rarely evaluated different aspects of anonymity, specifically technical versus social anonymity or self- versus other-anonymity. It has also frequently relied on potentially problematic self-report assessment techniques. The current paper sought to better understand the role of anonymity in DA with a systematic review of the relevant literature. While the systematic review did highlight a significant relationship between perpetrator self-anonymity and DA, we also uncovered evidence of a more complex and nuanced relationship between anonymity and DA than was expected, including the need to jointly consider positive cyberbullying attitudes and related constructs. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing DA are discussed.

FTP7.13 Do additional preoperative investigations delay the time to resection in patients with pancreatic cancer? Results from the Recurrence After Whipple’s (RAW) study

Abstract Aims Suitable patients with a resectable pancreatic cancer should undergo timely pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) as the disease is aggressive and recurrence rates are high. This study aimed to investigate whether selected preoperative investigations resulted in a delay to surgery. Methods Data were extracted from the Recurrence After Whipple’s (RAW) study, a retrospective study of PD outcomes (29 centres from eight countries, n=1484). Patients were excluded if: they had staging data missing, they underwent neoadjuvant chemo-/radiotherapy, or if radiological staging was performed for another malignancy. The median time from radiological staging to PD was calculated in patients who underwent selected preoperative investigations and compared to those who did not undergo the investigation. Results In the 595 included patients, the median time from (most recent) preoperative computed tomography (CT) to PD was 32 days (IQR: 32) and 25%, 5%, 34%, 10% and 60% underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET)-CT, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), staging laparoscopy and/or biliary stenting (PBS), respectively. MRI (32 vs 31 days, p=0.55), PET-CT (40 vs 31 days, p=0.08) and EUS (28 vs 32 days, p=0.99) were not associated with an increased median time to PD. However, staging laparoscopy (43 vs 29.5 days, p=0.009) and PBS (39 vs 20 days, p&amp;lt;0.0001) were. Conclusions In our multicentre study of PD outcomes, preoperative MRI, PET-CT and EUS did not delay the time to resection. However, staging laparoscopy (median difference: 13.5 days) and PBS (median difference: 19 days) did, so these investigations/interventions should only be performed when there is a strong indication.

ThTP1.4 Should surgical candidates with a pancreatic head malignancy undergo resection within twenty-eight days of staging or undergo a repeat scan prior to surgery?

Abstract Aims Suitable patients with a suspected pancreatic head malignancy should undergo timely pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) as pancreatic cancer is aggressive and recurrence rates are high. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients who did and did not undergo PD within 28 days of staging. Methods Data were extracted from the Recurrence After Whipple’s (RAW) study, a retrospective study of PD outcomes (29 centres from eight countries, n=1484). Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients (PDAC) were included. Patients were excluded if: they had staging data missing, they underwent neoadjuvant chemo-/radiotherapy, or if radiological staging was performed for another malignancy. Results 595 patient were included; median time from staging computed tomography (CT) to PD was 32 days (IQR: 38). The groups were similar in terms of age, sex and radiological stage. A similar number of patients in each underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography-CT and/or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). However, those who underwent delayed PD had more often undergone staging laparoscopy (13.6% vs 5.9%, p=0.002) or preoperative biliary stenting (PBS, 69.2% vs 45.6%, p&amp;lt;0.00001). This group also had higher rates of histological T3 disease (85.4% vs 72.5%, p=0.0001) and R1 resection (57.8% vs 46.5%, p=0.01). Five-year recurrence/survival rates were similar. Conclusions Patients who underwent delayed PD had more often undergone staging laparoscopy or PBS. These investigations/interventions should only be performed when necessary. Although those with a delayed CT were more likely to have at least one positive resection margin, five-year outcomes were similar.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer: Epidemiology, Etiology, Surveillance, and Management.

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Although advancements in endoscopic imaging techniques, integrated surveillance programs, and improved medical therapies have contributed to a decreased incidence of CRC in patients with IBD, the rate of CRC remains higher in patients with IBD than in individuals without chronic colitis. Patients with IBD-related CRCs exhibit a poorer prognosis than those with sporadic CRCs, owing to their aggressive histological characteristics and lower curative resection rate. In this review, we present an updated overview of the epidemiology, etiology, risk factors, surveillance strategies, treatment recommendations, and prognosis of IBD-related CRCs.

Age-Related Change in the Association Choices of Two Species of Juvenile Flamingos.

Flamingos are colonial species commonly kept in zoos, well known for their bright plumage and elaborate courtship displays. This project aimed to determine the differences in flock position and association preferences of juvenile Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Caribbean Flamingos (P. ruber) housed in the same zoological collection. Little research has been conducted on the association preferences of juvenile flamingos, especially in captive flocks, and therefore this study collected data using photographs taken throughout 2014 and 2015 to further understand association patterns. Data were collected on the age category of each juvenile flamingo observed, the age of their nearest neighbour and their position within the flock, and the location within an enclosure zone at different times of the day. The results showed that Greater Flamingo juveniles mainly associated with individuals of their own age and were most likely positioned at the periphery of their flock significantly more of the time until approximately 24 months of age. Sub-adult Greater Flamingos spent significantly more time associating with adult flamingos at the centre of the flock. In contrast, data collected on Caribbean Flamingos indicated that juveniles did not segregate themselves from the adults as distinctively. Birds aged 13-24 months were observed significantly more at the centre of the flock and had more associations with adult flamingos, in a similar manner to that observed in Greater Flamingos. Due to population management needs, juvenile Caribbean Flamingos were removed from the flock at the start of 2015 and this may have influenced the association and location preferences of the remaining young flamingos. In conclusion, these results indicated that captive juvenile flamingos were often seen away from adult birds and that sub-adult flamingos returned to the heart of their natal flock to associate significantly more with other adult individuals, potentially preparing for mate selection and breeding. Captive enclosure should therefore be spacious enough to enable young flamingos to remove themselves from adult birds so that behavioural development can be unaffected by artificially high rates of aggression.

Acute Pancreatitis Review.

Acute pancreatitis, a prevalent illness with devastating consequences, poses a grave threat to those affected. There has been a steady increase in the occurrence of acute pancreatitis at about 3% per year from 1961 to 2016. There are 3 main guidelines on acute pancreatitis, including the American College of Gastroenterology, the International Association of Pancreatology/American Pancreatic Association guideline in 2013, and the American Gastroenterological Association guideline in 2018. However, several milestone studies have been published since then. We hereby reviewed the current acute pancreatitis guidelines with an update on clinical practicechanging literature. The aggressive or moderate fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis (WATERFALL) trial recommended fluid resuscitation with lactated Ringer's solution at a moderate aggressive rate. All guidelines did not recommend prophylactic antibiotics use. Early enteral feeding reduces morbidity. A clear liquid diet is no longer recommended. Nutrition with nasogastric or nasojejunal feeding does not have a difference. The upcoming high vs. low-energy administration in the early phase of acute pancreatitis (GOULASH) trial will provide more information on the impact of calorie intake. Pain management should be individualized based on the degree of pain and severity of pancreatitis. In patients with moderate to severe and severe acute pancreatitis, a step-down approach with epidural analgesia can be considered for moderate to severe pain. The management of acute pancreatitis has evolved. New research on the impact of electrolytes, pharmacologic agents, the role of anticoagulants, and nutrition support will provide scientific and clinical evidence to improve patient care and decrease morbidity and mortality.

Lean muscle mass, not aggression, mediates a link between dominance rank and testosterone in wild male chimpanzees

Testosterone promotes mating effort, which involves intraspecific aggression for males of many species. Therefore, males with higher testosterone levels are often thought to be more aggressive. For mammals living in multimale groups, aggression is hypothesized to link male social status (i.e. dominance rank) and testosterone levels, given that high status predicts mating success and is acquired partly through aggressive intragroup competition. In male chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, dominance rank has been repeatedly linked to interindividual variation in testosterone levels, but evidence directly linking interindividual variation in testosterone and aggression is lacking. In the present study, we test both aggression levels and lean muscle mass, as measured by urinary creatinine, as links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in a large sample of wild male chimpanzees. Multivariate analyses indicated that dominance rank was positively associated with total rates of intragroup aggression, average urinary testosterone levels and average urinary creatinine levels. Testosterone was positively associated with creatinine levels but negatively associated with total aggression rates. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that testosterone levels facilitated an association between dominance rank and creatinine levels. Our results indicate that (1) adult male chimpanzees with higher average testosterone levels are often higher ranking but not more aggressive than males with lower testosterone and (2) lean muscle mass links dominance rank and testosterone levels in Ngogo males. We assert that aggression rates are insufficient to explain links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in male chimpanzees and that other social variables (e.g. male-male relationship quality) may regulate testosterone's links to aggression.

Comparison of violence and aggressions suffered by health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina and the rest of Latin America.

Motivation for the study. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused profound repercussions at different socio-environmental levels. Its impact on violence against healthcare team workers in Argentina has not been well documented. Main findings. The present study evidenced high rates of aggression, particularly verbal aggression. In addition, almost half of the participants reported having suffered these events on a weekly basis. All participants who experienced violence reported having experienced post-event symptoms, and up to one-third reported having considered changing their profession after these acts. Implications. It is imperative to take action to prevent acts of violence against health personnel, or to mitigate its impact on the victims. . To explore the frequency and impact of violence against healthcare workers in Argentina and to compare it with the rest of their Latin American peers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted by applying an electronic survey on Latin American medical and non-medical personnel who carried out health care tasks since March 2020. We used Poisson regression to estimate crude (PR) and adjusted (aPR) Prevalence Ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals. A total of 3544 participants from 19 countries answered the survey; 1992 (56.0%) resided in Argentina. Of these, 62.9% experienced at least one act of violence; 97.7% reported verbal violence and 11.8% physical violence. Of those who were assaulted, 41.5% experienced violence at least once a week. Health personnel from Argentina experienced violence more frequently than those from other countries (62.9% vs. 54.6%, p<0.001), and these events were more frequent and stressful (p<0.05). In addition, Argentinean health personnel reported having considered changing their healthcare tasks and/or desired to leave their profession more frequently (p<0.001). In the Poisson regression, we found that participants from Argentina had a higher prevalence of violence than health workers from the region (14.6%; p<0.001). There was a high prevalence of violence against health personnel in Argentina during the COVID-19 pandemic. These events had a strong negative impact on those who suffered them. Our data suggest that violence against health personnel may have been more frequent in Argentina than in other regions of the continent.

Developmental Regression Followed by Epilepsy and Aggression: A New Syndrome in Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with regression (ASD-R) involves the loss of previously attained developmental milestones, typically during the first or second year of life. As children age, it is not uncommon for them to develop comorbid conditions such as aggressive behaviors or epilepsy, which can inhibit habilitation in language and social function. In this paper, we hypothesize that aggressive behaviors and epilepsy more commonly develop in patients with ASD-R than in those without a history of regression (ASD-NR). We conducted a retrospective review of non-syndromic patients with ASD over 12 years of age and compared the rates of epilepsy and aggression between ASD-R and ASD-NR patients. Patients with ASD-R, as compared to ASD-NR patients, demonstrated non-significantly higher rates of epilepsy (51.8% vs. 38.1%, p = 0.1335) and aggressive behaviors (73.2% vs. 57.1%, p = 0.0673) when evaluated separately. The rates for combined epilepsy and aggression, however, were statistically significant when comparing ASD-R versus ASD patients (44.5% vs. 23.8%, p = 0.0163). These results suggest that epilepsy with aggression is more common in ASD-R as compared to ASD-NR patients. When considering the impact of epilepsy and aggression on quality of life, these co-morbidities effectively cause a second regression in patients who experienced an earlier regression as toddlers. A larger, prospective trial is recommended to confirm these associations and further define the timeline in which these characteristics develop from early childhood to adolescence.

Perpetration of violence in dating relationships among Israeli college students: gender differences, personal and interpersonal risk factors

ABSTRACT This study investigated dating violence (DV) among Israeli college students, focusing on gender differences and personal and interpersonal risk factors. We examined the perpetration prevalence of physical assault and psychological aggression and compared the risk factors among four possible perpetrator – victim groups: male-only DV; female-only DV, bidirectional DV; and no DV. We explored whether the association between personal risk factors and perpetration is mediated by interpersonal risk factors and moderated by students’ gender in a sample of 1,037 Israeli students who completed self-report questionnaires. Chi-square and One-way ANOVA tests, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regressions within PROCESS macro were used to analyze the data. We found no gender differences in the perpetration rate of physical assault or psychological aggression. In addition, we found no differences in the risk factors between the male-only DV group and the female-only DV group. However, we found direct associations between personal risk factors and perpetration of physical assault; direct associations between interpersonal risk factors and psychological aggression; and no substantial moderation of gender within the indirect associations. Results largely supported the “gender symmetry” paradigm in the perpetration of DV among Israeli college students, with differential role of personal and interpersonal risk factors in physical assault and psychological aggression.

The proactive-reactive classification of intimate partner violence offenders: A multi-method approach to classification.

Men who commit violence against an intimate partner differ in their motives. Classifying the proactivity of men's partner violence may reveal important differences that could be treatment targets. To examine the differences between proactive and reactive partner violence based on coded descriptions of past violent events. Community cohabiting couples reporting intimate partner violence were recruited via advertisements. Men and women were independently interviewed about past male-to-female violent events. The narratives of a male perpetrator and a female victim were coded using a Proactive-Reactive coding system, yielding three categories of violence: reactive, mixed proactive/reactive and proactive. The three categories were compared for differences in personality disorder features, attachment, psychophysiological reactivity during a conflict discussion task, and a self- and partner report of men's proactive and reactive aggressive tendencies. The results revealed a 54% classification agreement between perpetrator and victim reports. No differences were found on personality or attachment measures between the groups regardless of gender of the reporter. Reactive violence was related to a tendency to self-report more reactive aggression and higher heart rate reactivity during a laboratory conflict discussion compared to the group reporting both proactive and reactive violent incidents. This study suggests that a coding system for intimate partner violence can be applied to community volunteers, and it is a reliable report and valid. However, there are discrepancies when the coding is based on the perpetrator or victim reports.

Clinical factors associated with successful liquid tumor biopsy in men with prostate cancer.

e13567 Background: Liquid biopsies using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can be used in prostate cancer (PrCa) patients when tissue is unavailable and repeat biopsy is not feasible. Given the older age of PrCa patients, liquid biopsy may detect alterations related to clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), generating uncertainty in the clinical utility of the results. We sought to identify clinical predictors of successful cfDNA biopsy, where the reported alterations are more likely to reflect the individual’s prostate cancer cfDNA instead of CHIP in a large cohort of United States Veterans with PrCa. Methods: Next-generation sequencing of cfDNA biopsy specimens was performed through the VA National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP) from February 2019 to November 2022. Successful identification of PrCa cfDNA testing was defined as the identification of an alteration in one or more PrCa-related genes included on the panel ( AR, CDK12, SPOP, MED12, CCND1, BRAF, AKT1, TMPRSS2, ERG, ETV1, and ETV4). Student’s t-tests, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression estimated significant patient and disease-specific factors at the time of cfDNA biopsy and the likelihood of obtaining a successful cfDNA biopsy result. Results: Among 5611 total cfDNA tests performed, 2066 cfDNA tests from 1985 Veterans listed PrCa as the clinical indication, passed quality control measures, and could be linked to patient-level demographics. 814 (39%) tests were deemed successful based upon identification of at least one PrCa related gene alteration. The most frequently encountered PrCa alterations were in AR (76.5%) and TMPRSS2 (22.4%). PSA was significantly higher (IQR 209.1 ng/ml) and PSA doubling time (PSADT) was significantly shorter (IQR 2.4 months) in the cohort of Veterans with successful cfDNA testing (p&lt;0.001). Among 1581 tests that reported tumor fraction, an elevated tumor fraction &gt;10 was also significantly associated with success (46.3% vs 8.1%, p&lt;0.001). On multivariate analysis, PSA elevation above 4.8 ng/ml (p&lt;0.001) and PSADT &lt;6 months (p&lt;0.001) were significantly associated with successful cfDNA testing. Actionable DDR mutations, including ATM (15.2% vs 11.7%, p=0.02), BRCA1 (1.7% vs 0.6%, p=0.03), and BRCA2 (7.4% vs 4.4%, p=0.01) were significantly more likely to be detected in a successful test compared to an unsuccessful test. Conclusions: High PSA and short PSADT are significant predictors of a cfDNA test identifying PrCa-related gene alterations in Veterans with metastatic disease instead of alterations due solely to CHIP. Liquid biopsy in PrCa should be reserved for patients with relatively higher disease burden or more aggressive growth rate, reflected by PSA values &gt; 4.8 and PSADT &lt; 6 months, to increase the likelihood of identifying actionable alterations and improve interpretation of testing.

Experimental Models for Rare Melanoma Research—The Niche That Needs to Be Addressed

Melanoma, the tumor arising from the malignant transformation of pigment-producing cells—the melanocytes—represents one of the most severe cancer types. Despite their rarity compared to cutaneous melanoma, the extracutaneous subtypes such as uveal melanoma (UM), acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), and mucosal melanoma (MM) stand out due to their increased aggressiveness and mortality rate, demanding continuous research to elucidate their specific pathological features and develop efficient therapies. Driven by the emerging progresses made in the preclinical modeling of melanoma, the current paper covers the most relevant in vitro, in vivo, and in ovo systems, providing a deeper understanding of these rare melanoma subtypes. However, the preclinical models for UM, ALM, and MM that were developed so far remain scarce, and none of them is able to completely simulate the complexity that is characteristic to these melanomas; thus, a continuous expansion of the existing library of experimental models is pivotal for driving advancements in this research field. An overview of the applicability of precision medicine in the management of rare melanoma subtypes is also provided.

Sibling Aggression, Feeding Rates, and Hatch Rank of Nestling Red-Shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus)

ABSTRACT In many raptor species, hatching asynchrony results in a size hierarchy among nestlings, which may facilitate brood reduction by means of sibling aggression-induced mortality, especially in times of low food resources. However, few researchers have investigated the relationships among hatching asynchrony, sibling aggression, and nestling feeding rates in raptors. We studied the influence of hatch rank, brood size, and brood age on aggression and feeding rates among Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) nestlings in suburban southwestern Ohio. Despite relatively modest hatching asynchrony, nestling hatch rank (along with brood size and brood age) was an important predictor of the amount of aggression exhibited by individual nestlings. The oldest nestlings exhibited more aggressive behavior than younger nestlings, although they did not consume significantly more food. Aggression rates were higher in broods of three than broods of two nestlings, and aggression decreased from week 2 to week 3, post-hatching. However, hatch rank was not an important determinant of nestling food consumption, and food consumption rates were unrelated to sibling aggression rates. Identifiable prey delivered to nestling Red-shouldered Hawks was diverse and consisted of 28.3% birds, 25.7% mammals, 23.4% amphibians, 16.4% reptiles, and 6.2% invertebrates (by biomass). The relatively high percentage of birds in the diet may reflect food availability in the suburban habitat surrounding the nests. Sibling aggression did not result in direct siblicide in our study, but four nestlings apparently starved. Overall, the oldest Red-shouldered Hawk nestlings in our study established their dominance early but this was not associated with a detectable advantage in terms of food consumption.