Abstract
Background: Tamoxifen remains the standard hormonotherapy for Male breast cancer patients (MBC). Previous studies, in women, tried to evaluate the impact of CYP2D6 polymorphisms in tamoxifen efficacy with conflicting results. Herein we analyze the relation between CYP2D6*4 polymorphism and survival in MBC patients. Patients and methods: Fifty-three patients, proposed to tamoxifen in adjuvant setting, were enrolled. Clinical information was collected from records and histological revision with additional immunochemistry analysis was done to better characterize the tumors. Comprehensive CYP2D6*4 genotyping from blood or tumor tissue was performed and translated into two predicted metabolic activity groups. Results: Patients included in the two CYP2D6*4 groups did not differ concerning to age, histological characteristics, and primary treatments performed. Median age at diagnosis was 63 years-old and patients were submitted at least to mastectomy and adjuvant hormonotherapy. Recurrence was observed in 7 patients (13.2%) and 13 patients (25.5%) died with a 5-year disease-free survival of 86.2%. The poorer metabolizer group had a high risk for recurrence (p = 0.034) and this outcome effect remains in different subgroups: in tumors larger than 2 cm (p < 0.001), nodal status, N0 vs N+ (p = 0.04) and in advanced stage, stage III (p < 0.001). Poorer metabolizer patients had also a worse overall survival when tumors were larger than 2 cm (p = 0.03). Conclusions: In our series, there was an association between CYP2D6*4 polymorphism and a probability of recurrence, with a consistent effect in risk groups defined by classic prognostic factors. Multicentric studies with larger samples are needed to validate these results.

Abstract
Climate change has raised consciousness of the need to use cleaner energy instead of fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a change of consciousness regarding resource use has to be achieved, which can be triggered by energy consumption monitoring studies that also provide useful recommendations for energy saving. Over time, researchers have identified behaviors by monitoring energy consumption in households, but these studies are usually limited to the number of monitored households and/or to the geographical region in which the monitoring takes place. In this research work, a study with a global reach is proposed to mitigate these limitations. Using a hierarchical clustering algorithm, three distinct groups were identified using the collected data, representative of distinct behaviors. The results illustrate several behaviors regarding energy consumption, like cold temperatures, seasonal behaviors, wake up hour, stay-at-home periods, and standby device consumption.

Abstract
High failure and dropout rates are common in higher education institutions with introductory programming courses. Some researchers advocate that sometimes teachers don't use correct methods of assessment and that many students pass in programming without knowing how to program. In this paper authors describe the assessment methodology applied to a first year, first semester, Biomedical Engineering programming course (2015/2016). Students' programming skills were tested by playing a game in the first class, then they were assessed with three tests and a final exam, each with topics the authors considered fundamental for the students to master. A correlation analyses between the different types of tests and exam questions is done, to evaluate the most suitable, for assessing programming knowledge, showing that it is possible to use different question types as a pedagogical strategy, to assess student difficulty levels and programming skills, that help students acquire abstract, reasoning and algorithm thinking in an acceptable level. Also, it is shown that different forms of questions are equivalent to assess equal knowledge and that it is possible to predict the ability of a student to program at an early stage.

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
Male breast cancer (MBC) patients seem to have inferior survival compared to female (FBC) ones, which is not fully explained by usual prognostic factors. Recurrence analysis could show differences in relapse patterns and/or in patients' approaches that justify these outcomes. Retrospective analysis of MBC patients treated in a cancer center between 1990 and 2014, looking for relapse. For each patient, three matched FBC patients were selected by: diagnosis' year, age (within 5 years), stage and tumors' type (only luminal-like were considered). Differences between cohorts were assessed by chi(2) test and hierarchical clustering was performed to define subgroups according to relapse local. Survival curves were calculated by Kaplan-Meier and compared using log-rank test. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Groups were balanced according to age, histological grade, stage, expression of hormonal receptors and adjuvant treatments. Median time to recurrence was equivalent, p = 0.72, with the majority of patients presented with distant metastases, p = 0.69, with more lung involvement in male, p =0.003. Male patients were more often proposed to symptomatic treatment (21.1% vs. 4.4%, p = 0.02). Overall and from recurrence survivals were poorer for male, median: 5 years [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.1-5.9 years] and 1 year (95% CI: 0-2.1 years) vs. 10 years (95% CI: 7.8-12.2 years) and 2 years (95% CI: 1.6-2.4 years), p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively, and this tendency remained in the five cluster subgroups, that identified five patterns of relapse, p = 0.003. MBC patients had the worst survival, even after controlling important factors, namely the local of relapse. Palliative systemic treatment had favorable impact in prognosis and its frequently avoidance in male could justify the outcomes differences.