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© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.A pathologic complete response (pCR) in the axilla occurs in 30%-40% of patients with initially node-positive breast cancer after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Debate persists about whether to perform systematic axillary lymphadenectomy (ALND) in patients with initial node-positive disease and clinical complete response after NACT. We aimed to identify predictive factors of axillary pCR (ypN0) after NACT. This retrospective study analyzed data for all patients with initial biopsy-proven node-positive disease who underwent ALND after NACT between June 2008 and December 2016 at our institution. Clinical and pathologic features, recurrence and specific mortality rates were compared between patients who achieved an axillary pCR and those who did not (ypN0 vs ypN+, respectively). A total of 331 patients were included, of whom 128 (38.7%) became ypN0 after NACT. Among patients with >2 suspicious axillary lymph nodes before treatment, 54 (38%) achieved ypN0 status. The independent predictors of ypN0 were Ki-67 > 30 (OR 1.98; 95% CI, 1.146-3.381), HER2 positivity (OR 2.6; 95% CI, 1.354-5.108), nonluminal molecular-like subtype (OR 4.15; 95% CI, 2.068-5.108), and clinical complete response, defined as negative clinical and ultrasonographic findings (OR 2.8; 95% CI, 1.110-7.081). After a mean follow-up of 61 months, distant disease-free and overall survival rates were higher in patients with ypN0 disease (HR 4.14; 95% CI, 2.03-8.43) than ypN+ patients. Complete clinical response and the presence of nonluminal molecular-like subtypes independently predicted ypN0. Patients meeting these criteria might be suitable form omitting ALND and just performing targeted axillary procedures to patients meeting these criteria. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Recent observations have shown that increases in climate change related coral mortality causes changes in shallow coral reef community structure through phase shifts to alternative taxa. As a result, sponges have emerged as a potential candidate taxon to become a "winner", and therefore a numerically and functionally dominant member of many coral reef communities. But in order for this to occur there must be sufficient trophic resources to support larger populations of these active filter-feeding organisms. Globally, climate change is causing an increase in sea surface temperatures (SST) and a decrease in salinity, which can lead to an intensification in the stratification of shallow nearshore waters (0-200 m), that affects both the mixed layer depth (MLD) and the strength and duration of internal waves. Specifically, climate change driven increases in SSTs for tropical waters are predicted to cause increased stratification, and more stabilized surface waters. This causes a shallowing of the MLD which prevents nutrients from reaching the euphotic zone, and is predicted to decrease net primary production (NPP) up to 20% by the end of the century. Lower NPP would subsequently affect multiple trophic levels, including shallow benthic filter-feeding communities, as the coupling between water column productivity and the benthos weakens. We argue here that sponge populations may actually be constrained, rather than promoted, by climate change due to decreases in their primary trophic resources, caused by bottom-up forcing, secondary to physical changes in the water column (i.e., stratification and changes in the MLD resulting in lower nutrients and NPP). As a result, we predict sponge dominated tropical reefs will be rare, or short-lived, if they occur at all into the future under a predicted, climate change driven, "business as usual" scenario. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The genotype F (HBV-F) is an autochthonous Native American strain of the hepatitis B virus. In this study, we reconstruct the HBV-F long-term evolution under a hypothesis of co-divergence with humans in Central and South America, since their entry into the region 14.5-16 thousand years ago. The Bayesian phylogeographic reconstruction supported a virus-host co-expansion; however, two evolutionary scenarios would have been present. Whereas subgenotype F1 spreads along a Pacific coastal route and would have evolved associated with Central American and Andean cultures from the west of the continent, subgenotypes F2-F6 spread along the Atlantic coastline and inner pathways associated with communities inhabiting the tropical forest lowlands. Then, we propose a model for HBV-F evolution in which the selection of differential biological characteristics in these two main groups would be related to their evolution in host populations with different genetic backgrounds and dissimilar demographic conditions. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It remains unclear whether smoking status has an impact on platelet reactivity and clinical outcomes of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients with acute minor stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). METHODS A subgroup analysis of a randomized controlled trial was conducted. Patients with minor stroke or TIA were randomized for treatment with ticagrelor plus aspirin or clopidogrel plus aspirin. Platelet reactivity was assessed by VerifyNow P2Y12 assay at baseline, 7 + 2 days and 90 ± 7 days. High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HOPR) was defined as P2Y12 reaction units >208. Clinical outcomes included any stroke, composite clinical vascular events and bleeding events at 90 days. Patients who smoked one or more cigarettes per day for at least 1 year in their lives were defined as smokers. RESULTS Of 675 patients enrolled in the trial, 370 patients (54.8%) were smokers. Protein Tyrosine Kinase antagonist At 7 + 2 days, the proportion of HOPR in ticagrelor versus clopidogrel was significantly lower in smokers (5.2% vs. 21.8%) and non-smokers (2.3% vs. 34.4%). There were marginal significant interactions between treatment groups and smoking status for the proportion of HOPR (P = 0.058). At 90 ± 7 days, there were significant interactions between treatment groups and smoking status for the risk of new stroke (smokers 7.0% vs. 4.9%; hazard ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-3.79; P = 0.39; non-smokers 5.3% vs. 13.5%; hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.91; P = 0.01; P for interaction = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with minor stroke or TIA, ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel in inhibiting platelet reactivity and reducing the risk of new stroke, particularly for non-smokers. © 2020 European Academy of Neurology.