Two studies examine the use of personal space by persons in interactions involving stigmatized individuals. In the first, responses on a figureplacement task and on an attitude questionnaire are compared. In the second, interactions involving a prrson believed to have epilepsy are examined in regard to both initial interaction distance and eye contact. The expectation that the ascription of epilepsy to 2 stranger will result in less proximate interaction than in the m e in which epilepsy is not ascribed to the stranger is supported. Degree of eye contact, however, was found not to differ for stigmatized and nonstigmatized interactions.The ways in which persons use physical space when interacting with others have only recently come under systemarlc analysis (e.g., Hall, 1959;Sommer, 1967). One focus of this research has been on the spacing, variously termed personal space or individual distance, which persons characteristically employ in interpersonal interactions. While the methodology has varied from projectivelike tests on the one hand (Little, 1965) to naturally occurring interactions on the other (Willis, 1966), it has been found that incerpersonal distance is systematically related to a nurber of variables. Increasing degrees of friendship (Willis, 1966), approval seeking (Rosenfeld, 1965), and extroversion (Leipold, 1963) are examples of variables which tend to increase the proximity at which interaction will take place. The two studies reported below attempt to extend the analysis of this problem area by examining the effect of the presence of a stigmatized person on A e use of personal space. In combination, they also seek to explore the relationship between a projective method on the one hand and an accual interaction situation on the other for assessing interaction distances. Goffman (1963) and others have recently attempted to delineate the implications of stigmatizing conditions for the nature of incerpersonal interactions. A stigmatized person is defined by Goffman as one who has a personal attribute or characteristic which is discrediting in the eyes of ochers. Examples of such characteristics would include a criminal record, a physical disability, or being Negro in a white society. He argues that the presence of such a characteristic will result in avoidance of the possessor of the EXPERIMENT I

Purpose Pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in early breast cancer (EBC) is largely dependent on breast cancer subtype, but no clinical-grade model exists to predict response and guide selection of treatment. A biophysical simulation of response to NAC has the potential to address this unmet need. Methods We conducted a retrospective evaluation of a biophysical simulation model as a predictor of pCR. Patients who received standard NAC at the University of Chicago for EBC between January 1st, 2010 and March 31st, 2020 were included. Response was predicted using baseline breast MRI, clinicopathologic features, and treatment regimen by investigators who were blinded to patient outcomes. Results A total of 144 tumors from 141 patients were included; 59 were triple-negative, 49 HER2-positive, and 36 hormone-receptor positive/HER2 negative. Lymph node disease was present in half of patients, and most were treated with an anthracycline-based regimen (58.3%). Sensitivity and specificity of the biophysical simulation for pCR were 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 75.7 – 95.5) and 89.4% (95% CI 81.3 – 94.8), respectively, with robust results regardless of subtype. In patients with predicted pCR, 5-year event-free survival was 98%, versus 79% with predicted residual disease (log-rank p = 0.01, HR 4.57, 95% CI 1.36 – 15.34). At a median follow-up of 5.4 years, no patients with predicted pCR experienced disease recurrence. Conclusion A biophysical simulation model accurately predicts pCR and long-term outcomes from baseline MRI and clinical data, and is a promising tool to guide escalation/de-escalation of NAC.

Epigenetic factors modify the effects of environmental factors on biological outcomes. Identification of epigenetic changes that associate with PTSD is therefore a crucial step in deciphering mechanisms of risk and resilience. In this study, our goal is to identify epigenetic signatures associated with PTSD symptom severity (PTSS) and changes in PTSS over time, using whole blood DNA methylation (DNAm) data (MethylationEPIC BeadChip) of military personnel prior to and following combat deployment. A total of 429 subjects (858 samples across 2 time points) from three male military cohorts were included in the analyses. We conducted two different meta-analyses to answer two different scientific questions: one to identify a DNAm profile of PTSS using a random effects model including both time points for each subject, and the other to identify a DNAm profile of change in PTSS conditioned on pre-deployment DNAm. Four CpGs near four genes ( F2R , CNPY2 , BAIAP2L1 and TBXAS1 ) and 88 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were associated with PTSS. Change in PTSS after deployment was associated with 15 DMRs, of those 2 DMRs near OTUD5 and ELF4 were also associated with PTSS. Notably, three PTSS-associated CpGs near F2R , BAIAP2L1 and TBXAS1 also showed nominal evidence of association with change in PTSS. This study, which identifies PTSD-associated changes in genes involved in oxidative stress and immune system, provides novel evidence that epigenetic differences are associated with PTSS.