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Pirfenidone and nintedanib are the first two FDA-approved therapies for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The clinical programs for pirfenidone and nintedanib included 1132 patients in the placebo arms and 1691 patients in the treatment arms across 6 trials. We developed a disease progression model to characterize the observed variability in lung function decline, measured as percent predicted forced vital capacity (%p-FVC), and its decrease in decline after treatment. The non-linear longitudinal change in %p-FVC was best described by a Weibull function. The median decreased decline in %p-FVC after treatment was estimated to be 1.50% (95% CI [1.12, 1.79]) and 1.96% (95% CI [1.47, 2.36]) at week 26 and week 52, respectively. Smoking status, weight, %p-FVC, %p-DLco and oxygen use at baseline were identified as significant covariates affecting decline in %p-FVC. The decreased decline in %p-FVC were observed among all subgroups of interest, of which the effects were larger at 1 year compared to 6 months. Based on the disease progression model smoking status and oxygen use at baseline may affect the treatment effect size. At week 52, the decreased decline in %p-FVC for current smokers and patients with oxygen use at baseline were 1.56 (90% CI [1.02, 1.99]) and 2.32 (90% CI [1.74, 2.86]), respectively. These prognostic factors may be used to enrich studies with patients who are more likely to respond to treatment, by demonstrating a lesser decline in lung function, and therefore provide the potential to allow for IPF studies with smaller study populations or shorter durations.By investigating three dominant mangrove species, namely Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, Ceriops tagal and their rhizosediment in Mangrove wetlands in Hainan Island, this research analyzed absorption, concentration and distribution of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) in mangroves. The results found that the concentration of specific heavy metal differs in the different mangrove organs (leaf, stem and root). The content of heavy metals concentrated greatly in roots, but less in leaves and stems. The study also revealed that concentration capacity was weak in all three mangrove species (BCF0.02-0.91), with their organ ranking BCFroot > BCFstem > BCFleaf. Among three mangrove species, the transfer factors of leaves and stems in Ceriops tagal were highest, indicating a great distribution capability for heavy metals, followed by Kandelia candel. Transfer factors in Aegiceras corniculatum were the weakest. This ranking was opposite to bioconcentration factors of roots. This study can further reflect bioavailability of heavy metals in sediments, which provides scientific evidence on ecosystem protection and management in mangrove wetlands.There has been a noticeable increase in the number of studies assessing perceptions regarding depression (illness representations) among people diagnosed with the disorder. However, these studies have examined mainly younger adults (ages 18 to 65), and very little is known about older adults. This study examined illness representations among younger and older Israeli Arabs with depression based on the Self-Regulation Model (SRM). A total of 12 Israeli Arabs (six younger adults aged 18-64 and six older adults aged 65+) diagnosed with depression took part in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The majority of the participants in the younger group were female and married, compared to the older group which has a gender equal ratio, half of which are married. The data were analyzed thematically, guided by the SRM illness representations' dimensions (identity; timeline; cause; consequences; control/cure; cyclical and coherence; and emotional representations). Differences between younger and older adults were found in some of the illness representations. Older adults described depression as a chronic illness associated with somatic symptoms, and did not believe in psychological treatment. Younger adults did not perceive depression as chronic, reported cognitive and emotional symptoms, and believed in the efficacy of psychological treatment. Our findings indicated that participants' perceptions about depression appeared to be associated with their age, along with their unique cultural background as they are traditional but undergoing processes of modernization. This study stress the importance of illness representations in intervention programs tailored for different age groups, and considering their specific cultural needs.Non-conscious mimicry is a highly conserved component of animal behavior with multifaceted connections to sociality across taxa. One intriguing consequence of this mimicry in primates is that it promotes positive social feedback from the recipient toward the mimicker. This suggests that mimicry in primates may be an important aspect of positive social interaction, but few studies have tracked the consequences of mimicry in naturally occurring complex social conditions. Here, we designed a novel ethogram to characterize mimicry between conspecifics, to better understand whether mimicry is associated with affiliation between primates in a semi-naturalistic captive setting. In this study, 15 juvenile (aged 2-4 years) rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were observed at the California National Primate Research Center. Frequencies of mimicry defined a priori (e.g. see more following, postural mimicry) were observed over a course of 12 weeks. In separate observations during the same period, focal social behavior (e.g. aggression, play, affiliation) with group members was also observed. Subjects that exhibited higher degrees of mimicry were not more prosocial, but they received significantly more play overtures from social partners (p  less then  0.01). Additionally, rates of mimicry were higher in 2- and 3-year-olds than 4-year-olds. These results provide proof of principle in a small sample of monkeys that mimicry is associated with social advantages in a complex, semi-naturalistic setting in primates.Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and ranks third in cancer-related deaths across globe. Cancer cells are known to take advantage of the altered metabolic processes to sustain their survival, proliferation, and cancer progression. In this investigation, we explored the available genome-wide expression profiles of few hundreds of gastric tumors and non-cancerous gastric tissues and analyzed in the context of metabolic pathways. Gastric tumors were investigated for the metabolic processes related to glucose metabolism, glucose transport, glutamine metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism, by metabolic pathway-focused gene set enrichment analysis. Notably, all glucose metabolism and glutamine metabolism-related gene sets were found enriched in intestinal subtype gastric tumors. On the other hand, the gene sets related to glucose transport and glucan (glycan) metabolisms are enriched in diffuse subtype gastric tumors. Strikingly, fatty acid metabolisms, fatty acid transport, and fat differentiation-related signatures are also highly activated in diffuse subtype gastric tumors.see more