bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Workforce Planning Models for Oral Health Care: A Scoping Review
Authors: O’Malley L. , Macey R. , Allen T. , Brocklehurst P. , Thomson F. , Rigby J. , Lalloo R. , Tomblin Murphy G. , Birch S. , Tickle M.
Published: December 2020

Background:

For health care services to address the health care needs of populations and respond to changes in needs over time, workforces must be planned. This requires quantitative models to estimate future workforce requirements that take account of population size, oral health needs, evidence-based approaches to addressing needs, and methods of service provision that maximize productivity. The aim of this scoping review was to assess whether and how these 4 elements contribute to existing models of oral health workforce planning.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted. MEDLINE, Embase, HMIC, and EconLit were searched, all via OVID. Additionally, gray literature databases were searched and key bodies and policy makers contacted. Workforce planning models were included if they projected workforce numbers and were specific to oral health. No limits were placed on country. A single reviewer completed initial screening of abstracts; 2 independent reviewers completed secondary screening and data extraction. A narrative synthesis was conducted.

Results:

A total of 4,009 records were screened, resulting in 42 included articles detailing 47 models. The workforce planning models varied significantly in their use of data on oral health needs, evidence-based services, and provider productivity, with most models relying on observed levels of service utilization and demand.

Conclusions:

This review has identified quantitative workforce planning models that aim to estimate future workforce requirements. Approaches to planning the oral health workforce are not always based on deriving workforce requirements from population oral health needs. In many cases, requirements are not linked to population needs, while in models where needs are included, they are constrained by the existence and availability of the required data. It is critical that information systems be developed to effectively capture data necessary to plan future oral health care workforces in ways that relate directly to the needs of the populations being served.

Knowledge Transfer Statement:

Policy makers can use the results of this study when making decisions about the planning of oral health care workforces and about the data to routinely collect within health services. Collection of suitable data will allow for the continual improvement of workforce planning, leading to a responsive health service and likely future cost savings.
Lung involvement in monogenic interferonopathies
Authors: Cazzato Salvatore , Omenetti Alessia , Ravaglia Claudia , Poletti Venerino
Published: December 2020

Monogenic type I interferonopathies are inherited heterogeneous disorders characterised by early onset of systemic and organ specific inflammation, associated with constitutive activation of type I interferons (IFNs). In the last few years, several clinical reports identified the lung as one of the key target organs of IFN-mediated inflammation. The major pulmonary patterns described comprise children's interstitial lung diseases (including diffuse alveolar haemorrhages) and pulmonary arterial hypertension but diagnosis may be challenging. Respiratory symptoms may be either mild or absent at disease onset and variably associated with systemic or organ specific inflammation. In addition, associated extrapulmonary clinical features may precede lung function impairment by years, and patients may display severe/endstage lung involvement, although this may be clinically hidden during the long-term disease course. Conversely, a few cases of atypical severe lung involvement at onset have been reported without clinically manifested extrapulmonary signs. Hence, a multidisciplinary approach involving pulmonologists, paediatricians and rheumatologists should always be considered when a monogenic interferonopathy is suspected. Pulmonologists should also be aware of the main pattern of presentation to allow prompt diagnosis and a targeted therapeutic strategy. In this regard, promising therapeutic strategies rely on Janus kinase-1/2 (JAK-1/2) inhibitors blocking the type I IFN-mediated intracellular cascade.
Predicting functions of maize proteins using graph convolutional network
Authors: Zhou Guangjie , Wang Jun , Zhang Xiangliang , Guo Maozu , Yu Guoxian
Published: December 2020

Background

Maize (Zea maysssp. mays L.) is the most widely grown and yield crop in the world, as well as an important model organism for fundamental research of the function of genes. The functions of Maize proteins are annotated using the Gene Ontology (GO), which has more than 40000 terms and organizes GO terms in a direct acyclic graph (DAG). It is a huge challenge to accurately annotate relevant GO terms to a Maize protein from such a large number of candidate GO terms. Some deep learning models have been proposed to predict the protein function, but the effectiveness of these approaches is unsatisfactory. One major reason is that they inadequately utilize the GO hierarchy.

Results

To use the knowledge encoded in the GO hierarchy, we propose a deep Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) based model (DeepGOA) to predict GO annotations of proteins. DeepGOA firstly quantifies the correlations (or edges) between GO terms and updates the edge weights of the DAG by leveraging GO annotations and hierarchy, then learns the semantic representation and latent inter-relations of GO terms in the way by applying GCN on the updated DAG. Meanwhile, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is used to learn the feature representation of amino acid sequences with respect to the semantic representations. After that, DeepGOA computes the dot product of the two representations, which enable to train the whole network end-to-end coherently. Extensive experiments show that DeepGOA can effectively integrate GO structural information and amino acid information, and then annotates proteins accurately.

Conclusions

Experiments on Maize PH207 inbred line and Human protein sequence dataset show that DeepGOA outperforms the state-of-the-art deep learning based methods. The ablation study proves that GCN can employ the knowledge of GO and boost the performance. Codes and datasets are available athttp://mlda.swu.edu.cn/codes.php?name=DeepGOA.
On tower and checkerboard neural network architectures for gene expression inference
Authors: Kunc Vladimír , Kléma Jiří
Published: December 2020

Background

One possible approach how to economically facilitate gene expression profiling is to use the L1000 platform which measures the expression of ∼1,000 landmark genes and uses a computational method to infer the expression of another ∼10,000 genes. One such method for the gene expression inference is a D–GEX which employs neural networks.

Results

We propose two novel D–GEX architectures that significantly improve the quality of the inference by increasing the capacity of a network without any increase in the number of trained parameters. The architectures partition the network into individual towers. Our best proposed architecture — a checkerboard architecture with a skip connection and five towers — together with minor changes in the training protocol improves the average mean absolute error of the inference from 0.134 to 0.128.

Conclusions

Our proposed approach increases the gene expression inference accuracy without increasing the number of weights of the model and thus without increasing the memory footprint of the model that is limiting its usage.
Characteristics of dental note taking: a material based themed analysis of Swedish dental students
Authors: Lindberg Viveca , Jounger Sofia Louca , Christidis Maria , Christidis Nikolaos
Published: December 2020

Background

The transition from upper secondary to higher education and from higher education to professional practice requires that students adapt to new literacy practices, academic and professional. However, there is a gap of knowledge regarding literacy practices in dental education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify what characterizes dental students’ notetaking and secondarily to determine what dental students express regarding their notetaking.

Methods

To analyze students’ perspectives about the purposes of notetaking and to examine their written notes in depth, three volunteer students, out of the 24 students that voluntarily and anonymously handed in their notes, were interviewed. The three undergraduate dental students that participated in this material-based, semi-structured interview study, framed within a New Literacy Studies approach, were on their third year (6th semester). The focus of these material-based interviews was on each student’s notes. Questions prepared for semi-structured interviews were open-ended and allowed for individual follow-up questions related to the interviewee’s answer. To analyze the outcome of the interviews a thematic analysis was used.

Results

From the material-based interviews eight themes that relate towhat,howandfor what purposestudents write were discerned. These eight themes include professional vocabulary, core content as well as clinical examples that belong towhatstudents read and write; multimodal accentuation as well as synthesis that belong tohowstudents read and write; and mnemonic strategies, academic purposes, and professional purposes that belong tofor what purposestudents read and write.

Conclusions

Findings from the interviews indicate that the digital development, offering a variety of available tools, has expanded the notion of notetaking. This study identified that dental students’ notetaking has changed during their education from initially being synchronous, to also include multimodal and asynchronous writing, making notetaking more of a writing practice. Further, students’ writing practices seem to be motivated by their knowledge formation in relation to a subject matter, but also in relation to their experiences during clinical training. Although, our hypothesis was that the main purpose of notetaking and writing was to pass their course examinations, this study showed that students that were half-way through their dental education, are aware that literacy practices are for learning for their future profession, and not only for passing their exams.
Annual Academy of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia (ASCAT) conference: a summary of the proceedings
Authors: Strunk Crawford , Campbell Andrew , Colombatti Raffaella , Andemariam Biree , Kesse-Adu Rachel , Treadwell Marsha , Inusa Baba P. D.
Published: December 2020

The fourteenth annual ASCAT conference was held 21–23 October 2019. The theme of the conference was ‘Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia disorders new treatment horizon; while ensuring patient safety and delivering excellence in routine patient care.’ Over the three-day conference, topics on current and novel models of care, advances in bone marrow transplant and gene therapy, as well as the psychosocial aspects of mind, body and health related quality of life were discussed. In addition, blood transfusion, apheresis, iron chelation therapy and acute haemolytic complications were presented. Quality standards in the diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell and thalassaemia were reviewed. Experts from Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, the United States and Africa reported up-to-date scientific data, guides to comprehensive care, and current research into developing cures and advancing current therapy were described. In addition, oral and poster presentations on novel research from all over the world were shown during the conference.
Effects of ketogenic diet containing medium-chain fatty acids on serum inflammatory factor and mTOR signaling pathway in rats
Authors: Liu Huan , Huang Jingwei , Liu Hui , Li Feng , Peng Quansheng , Liu Chunhong
Published: December 2020

Background

The ketogenic diet (KD) can promote the anti-inflammatory metabolic state and increase ketone body level in rats. This study was to explore the effects and differences of KD with or without medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) on serum inflammatory factors and mTOR pathway in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats.

Results

Male SD rats were assigned to five groups: control diet (C), 20% caloric restriction diet (LC), 20% caloric restriction ketogenic diet (containing MCFAs) (LCKD1), 20% caloric restriction ketogenic diet (LCKD2) and 20% caloric restriction foreign ketogenic diet (LCKD3), and fed for 30 d. LC and KD could significantly reduce the body weight of rats; LC and KD containing MCFAs showed anti-inflammatory effects; KD without MCFAs decreased the concentration of mTOR1, while KD containing MCFAs decreased the expression of AMPK, mtor1 and P70sk.

Conclusions

KD containing MCFAs showed better effects on the mTOR pathway and anti-inflammation than that without MCFAs.
Pregnancy in pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease: an illustrative case study
Authors: Condliffe Robin
Published: December 2020

Background

Pregnancy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease is associated with a high risk of maternal mortality.

Case presentation

An illustrative case study based on experience gained from management of patients through pregnancy is discussed. A 22-year-old female with a history of a closed patent ductus arteriosus in childhood had been diagnosed with significant pulmonary arterial hypertension at the age of 19. Her clinical condition had improved following the commencement of oral combination therapy with sildenafil 25 mg three times daily and macitentan 10 mg once daily. How should she be counselled regarding the risks of pregnancy and what are the most appropriate forms of contraception? What should the approach be if, despite adequate counselling, she subsequently becomes pregnant? Data to help guide decision-making are reviewed and a clinical approach is suggested.

Conclusions

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension should be advised against pregnancy and be given good contraceptive advice. If a patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension becomes pregnant and, after being fully counselled, chooses to proceed with their pregnancy, then they should be managed by an experienced multidisciplinary team.
The investigation and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in adults with congenital heart disease
Authors: Nashat Heba , Favoccia Carla , Constantine Andrew , Dimopoulos Konstantinos
Published: December 2020

Pulmonary hypertension is not uncommon in adult patients with congenital heart disease and can significantly affect their exercise capacity, quality of life and prognosis. Timely identification and management of pulmonary hypertension in these patients is important. Patients must be allocated to the correct diagnostic group and treatment decided upon, including offering pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies to those who are most likely to benefit.

In this paper, we provide an overview of the diagnostic modalities that are used to investigate and diagnose pulmonary hypertension in modern adult congenital heart disease practice. Emphasis is placed on echocardiography, which is the modality of choice for raising the suspicion of PH, and cardiac catheterisation, which is fundamental in establishing the diagnosis. Other modalities, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography can provide complementary information on anatomy and physiology.

Combining all this information into a clinical diagnosis and management plan requires clinical expertise and a multidisciplinary approach, especially when managing this rare and complex group of patients.
Advanced therapies in pulmonary arterial hypertension and congenital heart disease in people with Down syndrome
Authors: Rashid Zoya , Tulloh Robert
Published: December 2020

Background

Management of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease and trisomy 21 is complex due to uncertainty over the best first-line agent to use for treatment, and the outcome measures for assessing response to therapy. There are also ethical issues around therapeutic decisions which may require ‘best interests’ meetings of carers and health care professionals.

Case presentation

We present a case of a 35-year-old man with Down syndrome, with un-operated atrioventricular septal defect, right ventricular hypertrophy and moderate left atrioventricular valve regurgitation. In the clinic he was visibly cyanosed with peripheral oxygen saturations of 78% at rest. He had very limited walk distance and was in WHO class III.

Conclusions

We discuss the decisions made around the best therapy for his Eisenmenger syndrome taking into account patient and family views on therapy and considering the psychosocial burden of treatment.
Strategies for the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with congenital heart disease
Authors: Liew Nathalie , Rashid Zoya , Tulloh Robert
Published: December 2020

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is commonly seen in adults who have congenital heart disease (CHD). Therapy is available for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and has greatly benefitted many patients with PAH related to CHD (PAH-CHD) over the last 15 years, with evidence of improved quality of life and prognosis in those with Eisenmenger syndrome and repaired PAH-CHD.

In this review, we describe the standard management and advanced therapies for PAH, which are available in specialist PH centres around the UK and Ireland, and how these are used in PAH-CHD. Decisions around the choice of therapy are governed by commissioning and available evidence.

Conclusion

We explain the different pathways for action and the variety of medications now at our disposal to help this important group of patients.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) related to congenital heart disease (CHD): introducing the CHAMPION supplement
Authors: Clift Paul
Published: December 2020

Early management decisions in complex congenital heart disease include assessing and maintaining adequate pulmonary blood flow whilst preventing increased pulmonary blood flow that may lead to pulmonary vascular remodelling and the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Such decision-making has now largely prevented the development of Eisenmenger syndrome in patients in the developed world, but there remain a large number of adult patients with congenital heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension (CHD-PAH).

The CHAMPION (Congenital Heart disease And pulMonary arterial hyPertension: Improving Outcomes through education and research Networks) group was formed to highlight the clinical needs of these patients and develop clinical research and education in this area, using a network approach. A highly attended and acclaimed educational event was held in late 2017, where experts in the field discussed the various aspects of CHD-PAH and presented cases in a variety of clinical scenarios, supported by facilitated discussion, with the aim of highlighting appropriate management strategies.

This supplement provides a detailed overview of CHD-PAH, including informative cases with discussion of the relevant management strategies.
Race against death or starvation? COVID-19 and its impact on African populations
Authors: Kassa Melkamu Dugassa , Grace Jeanne Martin
Published: December 2020

Background

Born in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on global health and economies have been and continue to be devastating. In Africa, its countries grieve for unprecedented burdens of caseloads and mortality due to COVID-19, the virus responsible for the disease. This narrative review aims to establish the scale of the health and economic crisis wrought by the pandemic in Africa, including its impact on the informal economic sector, projections of the effect on national GDP, as well as its political dimensions.

Methods

Documentary evidence issued between January and 8 August 2020 was sought from the Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Searches of published and unpublished abstracts were also conducted from appropriate websites, government documents, organizational reports, newspaper commentaries, and reports issued by global, regional, and local centers of disease control and prevention.

Results

The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for a fourfold crisis in Africa: (1) a health crisis: the victimization of frontline healthcare workers and the looming caseload and death tolls with 1.039 million (12%) cases being confirmed and over 22,966 (2.4%) deaths as of 8 August 2020. The highest death toll was recorded in Southern Africa of 11,024 (48%) followed by North Africa with 6,989 (29.2%) deaths; (2) a social crisis: with the violation of human rights, the killing of citizens by security forces and increased crime. This, in turn, exacerbates social inequalities, the breakdown of households, instances of social unrest, and general impoverishment; (3) an economic crisis: manifested by a decline in GDP and mass unemployment; (4) a political crisis: implementation of measures that may not be appropriate for Africa, discrimination of refugees and immigrants, evacuation of citizens to their home countries, resulting in distrust of political leaders and postponement of national elections, and mounting cases of conflicts and unrest.

Conclusion

Lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak is a prevention mechanism in affluent countries, in contrast to developing regions such as Africa, where it is a race against death and starvation. Policymakers must apply novel and locally relevant prevention and management strategies to cope with this growing disaster.
Prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and related disabilities in Bangladeshi adults: a cross-sectional national survey
Authors: Zahid-Al-Quadir Ahmad , Zaman M. Mostafa , Ahmed Shamim , Bhuiyan Mahfuzur Rahman , Rahman Md Mujibur , Patwary Ismail , Das Bidhu Bhushan , Hossain Shaikh Amir , Paul Sujat , Shahin Abu , Rahman Moshiur , Haq Syed Atiqul
Published: December 2020

Background

Nationally representative data on burden of musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) in Bangladesh are not available. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MSK conditions and related disabilities in the adult population of Bangladesh.

Methods

A total of 2000 individuals aged 18 years or older were targeted from 20 primary sampling units (urban and rural) of all former seven divisions of Bangladesh in 2015. Structured interviews were done using the modified Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Disorders questionnaire to detect positive respondents. Standard criteria were used for diagnosing MSK conditions by rheumatology residents. In case of uncertainty, opinion was taken from senior rheumatologists. A Bangla version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire was used to determine disability.

Results

A total of 1843 (92.1%) participated. Among them, 892 men and 951 women participated from rural (n = 716) and urban (n = 1127) areas. Their mean age was 40.5 (standard deviation 14.7) years. Almost a third did not have any formal schooling. Overall, 30.4% (95% confidence interval, 28.3–32.5) had MSK conditions. Low back pain (18.6%, 16.9–20.5), knee osteoarthritis (7.3%, 6.1–8.5) and soft tissue rheumatism 3.8% (2.9–4.7) were the three top-ranking MSK conditions. Rheumatoid arthritis (1.6%, 1.0–2.1), spondyloarthritis (1.2%, 7–1.8) and adhesive capsulitis (1.4%, 0.9–1.9) were relatively uncommon. Among those who had MSK conditions, 24.8% (21.3–28.6) had some degree of disability. Of them, 24.4% (21.0–28.1) had history of work loss during last 12 months.

Conclusions

The high burden of MSK conditions and related disabilities in Bangladesh warrants greater attention of the health system. Further studies are needed to estimate the impact of this group of conditions particularly addressing related disabilities and loss of work.
Evaluation of anti-hypertensive activity of ancient Unani cardiovascular drug “Saad Kufi” (Cyperus scariosus) in adrenaline-induced hypertensive rats
Authors: Nafees Sana , Rahman Syed Ziaur , Amin Kunwar Mohammad Yousuf
Published: December 2020

Background

Saad Kufi (Cyperus scariosusR.Br) is a hardy grass-like perennial plant that belongs to the family Cyperaceae. Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the most significant thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age first time systematized the individual cardiac drugs in “Risala Advia Qalbia,” which deals with 63 cardiac drugs which are claimed to be beneficial for heart ailments as well as for psychiatric ailments. He described Saad as a root of a plant that is nodular, long, and slender and resembles the wheat plant. The roots which used medicinally are thick, elongated, slender, and color black and has an aromatic smell with a pungent taste. An antihypertensive effect of 50% ethanolic extract of Saad Kufi (Cyperus scariosusR.Br) [EESK] was evaluated in adrenaline-induced hypertension in Wistar albino rats. The induction of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the percentage of inhibition was measured in EESK (15 and 25 mg/100 g, orally) with standard as Metoprolol (0.5 mg/100 g) orally, using tail-cuff apparatus with AD instrument power lab to evaluate the antihypertensive effect.

Results

EESK significantly decreased the induction in SBP as compared to disease control rats (p< 0.05), and there is a significant increase in the percentage of inhibition in SBP in EESK and metoprolol-treated rats as compared to the disease control group (p< 0.05).

Conclusion

Result data suggest that EESK possess significant antihypertensive activity in adrenaline-induced hypertensive rats.
Prevalence and clinical correlates of self-harm and suicidality during admission of children in a mental health inpatient unit
Authors: Kipoulas Eleftherios , Berzengi Azi , Kyriakopoulos Marinos
Published: December 2020

Background

Self-harm and suicidality are common presentations in children and adolescents requiring a mental health inpatient admission. Although there are several studies on adolescents, there is relatively limited research into childhood self-harm and suicidality during such admissions.

Methods

A retrospective electronic file review was conducted on all children discharged from a national mental health inpatient children’s unit over a 6-year period. Several independent variables were compared between self-harm/suicidal and non-self-harm/non-suicidal children. Separate analyses investigated changes in self-harm/suicidality, functional outcomes, and risk assessment ratings between admission and discharge.

Results

A total of 105 children were included in this study. During admission, 65.7% of them reported self-harm thoughts, 61% engaged in self-harm, 50.5% expressed suicidal thoughts, and 14.3% engaged in suicidal behavior. Thoughts and acts of self-harm were associated with previous self-harm, longer admissions, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Suicidality overlapped with self-harm and was strongly predicted by previous self-harm. The prevalence of self-harm and suicidal thoughts and acts significantly decreased during admission. Children in the non-self-harm group had marginally better functional outcomes upon discharge compared to those in the self-harm group. Children and parents/caregivers were similarly satisfied with treatment, irrespective of children’s self-harm/suicidality.

Conclusions

Self-harm and suicidality were widespread among children admitted to hospital. Better understanding of the mechanisms and factors related to self-harm and suicidality in this age group could help mitigate associated risks and improve existing safety strategies.
Survival Impact of Anti-GD2 Antibody Response in a Phase II Ganglioside Vaccine Trial Among Patients With High-Risk Neuroblastoma With Prior Disease Progression
Authors: Cheung Irene Y. , Cheung Nai-Kong V. , Modak Shakeel , Mauguen Audrey , Feng Yi , Basu Ellen , Roberts Stephen S. , Ragupathi Govind , Kushner Brian H.
Published: December 2020

PURPOSE

Anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) has proven efficacy in high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB). A small phase I GD2/GD3 vaccine trial (n = 15) described long-term survival and a favorable safety profile among patients with a history of disease progression (PD). The kinetics of mounting antibody response to vaccine and its prognostic impact on survival are now investigated in a phase II study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00911560 ).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred two patients with HR-NB who achieved remission after salvage therapies were enrolled in this trial. They received seven subcutaneous injections of GD2/GD3 vaccine spanning 1 year plus oral β-glucan starting at week 6 after the third dose of vaccine. Serum anti-vaccine antibody titers were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Kaplan-Meier and landmark Cox Regression models were used for survival estimates.

RESULTS

Patients had a history of one (63%), two (21%), or three to six (16%) episodes of PD. 82% of them progressed following anti-GD2 mAb (m3F8/dinutuximab/naxitamab) therapy. Vaccine-related toxicities were self-limited injection–associated local reactions and fever without any > grade 3 toxicities. The progression-free survival (PFS) was 32% ± 6%, and the overall survival (OS) was 71% ± 7% at 5 years. Serum anti-GD2 (immunoglobulin G1 [IgG1] and IgM) and anti-GD3 (IgG1) titers showed notable increases following the initiation of β-glucan at week 6. There was an association between IgG1 titer and SNP rs3901533 of dectin-1, the β-glucan receptor. Multivariable analyses showed that anti-GD2-IgG1 titer ≥ 150 ng/mL by week 8 was associated with favorable PFS and OS, while having prior episodes of PD and the time from last PD to vaccine were associated with PFS.

CONCLUSION

GD2/GD3 vaccine plus β-glucan elicited robust antibody responses in patients with HR-NB with prior PD. Higher anti-GD2-IgG1 titer was associated with improved survival.
Self-organized criticality and earthquake predictability: A long-standing question in the light of natural time analysis
Authors: Varotsos P. A. , Sarlis N. V. , Skordas E. S.
Published: December 2020

After the Bak-Tang-Wisenfeld seminal work on self-organized criticality (SOC), the following claim appeared by other workers in the 1990s: Earthquakes (EQs) cannot be predicted, since the Earth is in a state of SOC and hence any small earthquake has some probability of cascading into a large event. Here, we discuss that such claims do not stand in the light of natural time analysis, which was shown at the beginning of the 2000s to extract the maximum information possible from complex systems time series. A useful quantity to identify the approach of a dynamical system to criticality is the varianceof natural timeχ, which becomes equal to 0.070 at the critical state for a variety of dynamical systems. This also holds for experimental results of critical phenomena such as growth of ricepiles, seismic electric signals activities, and the subsequent seismicity before the associated main shock. Another useful quantity is the changeof the dynamic entropyunder time reversal, which is minimized before a large avalanche upon analyzing the Olami-Feder-Christensen model for EQs in natural time. Such a minimum actually occurred on 22 December 2010, well before the M9 Tohoku EQ in Japan on 11 March 2011, being accompanied by increases of both the complexity measure of thefluctuations and the variability of the order parameter of seismicity (which was minimized two weeks later). These increases conform to the seminal work on phase transitions by Lifshitz and Slyozov and independently by Wagner as well as to more recent work by Penroseet al. In addition, the evolution of the complexity measure of thefluctuations reveals a reliable estimation of the occurrence time of this M9 EQ.
Serum FSH Is Associated With BMD, Bone Marrow Adiposity, and Body Composition in the AGES-Reykjavik Study of Older Adults
Authors: Veldhuis-Vlug Annegreet G , Woods Gina N , Sigurdsson Sigurdur , Ewing Susan K , Le Phuong T , Hue Trisha F , Vittinghoff Eric , Xu Kaipin , Gudnason Vilmundur , Sigurdsson Gunnar , Kado Deborah M , Eiriksdottir Gudny , Harris Tamara , Schafer Anne L , Li Xiaojuan , Zaidi Mone , Rosen Clifford J , Schwartz Ann V
Published: December 2020

Context

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations increase during the perimenopausal transition and remain high after menopause. Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and gain of bone marrow adiposity (BMA) and body fat mass also occur during this time. In mice, blocking the action of FSH increases bone mass and decreases fat mass.

Objective

To investigate the associations between endogenous FSH levels and BMD, BMA, and body composition in older adults, independent of estradiol and testosterone levels.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Older adults from the AGES-Reykjavik Study, an observational cohort study.

Main Outcome Measures

Areal BMD, total body fat, and lean mass were measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Lumbar vertebral BMA was measured by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Volumetric BMD and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT, SAT) areas were measured with quantitative computed tomography. The least squares means procedure was used to determine sex hormone–adjusted associations between quartiles of serum FSH and BMD, BMA, and body composition.

Results

In women (N = 238, mean age 81 years), those in the highest FSH quartile, compared with the lowest quartile, had lower adjusted mean spine integral BMD (−8.6%), lower spine compressive strength index (−34.8%), higher BMA (+8.4%), lower weight (−8.4%), lower VAT (−17.6%), lower lean mass (−6.1%), and lower fat mass (−11.9%) (all P < 0.05). In men, FSH level was not associated with any outcome.

Conclusions

Older postmenopausal women with higher FSH levels have higher BMA, but lower BMD and lower fat and lean mass, independent of estradiol and testosterone levels. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms.
Ror2-mediated non-canonical Wnt signaling regulates Cdc42 and cell proliferation during tooth root development
Authors: Ma Yuanyuan , Jing Junjun , Feng Jifan , Yuan Yuan , Wen Quan , Han Xia , He Jinzhi , Chen Shuo , Ho Thach-Vu , Chai Yang
Published: December 2020

The control of size and shape is an important part of regulatory process during organogenesis. Tooth formation is a highly complex process that fine-tunes the size and shape of the tooth, which are crucial for its physiological functions. Each tooth consists of a crown and one or more roots. Despite comprehensive knowledge of the mechanism that regulates early tooth crown development, we have limited understanding of the mechanism regulating root patterning and size during development. Here we show that Ror2 mediated non-canonical Wnt signaling in the dental mesenchyme plays a critical role in cell proliferation and thereby regulates root development size in mouse molars. Furthermore, Cdc42 acts as a potential downstream mediator of Ror2 signaling in root formation. Importantly, activation of Cdc42 can restore cell proliferation and partially rescue the root development size defects in Ror2 mutant mice. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the function of Ror2-mediated non-canonical Wnt signaling in regulating tooth morphogenesis and suggest potential avenues for dental tissue engineering.
Extracellular MIF, but not its homologue D-DT, promotes fibroblast motility independently of its receptor complex CD74/CD44
Authors: Szczęśniak Paweł , Henke Tamara , Fröhlich Suada , Plessmann Uwe , Urlaub Henning , Leng Lin , Bucala Richard , Grosse Robert , Meinhardt Andreas , Klug Jörg
Published: December 2020

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its homologue D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT) are widely expressed pro-inflammatory cytokines with chemokine-like functions that coordinate a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as migration. Here, we biotin-tagged intracellular MIF/D-DT in vivo to identify important cytosolic interactors and found a plethora of actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Although the receptor complex between CD74 and CD44 (CD74/CD44) is essential for signalling transduction in fibroblasts via extracellular MIF/D-DT, our interactome data suggested direct effects. We, thus, investigated whether MIF/D-DT can modulate cell migration independently of CD74/CD44. To distinguish between receptor- and non-receptor-mediated motility, we used fibroblasts that are either deficient or that express CD74/CD44 proteins, and treated them with recombinant MIF/D-DT. Interestingly, only MIF could stimulate chemokinesis in the presence or absence of CD74/CD44. The pro-migratory effects of MIF depended on lipid raft/caveolae-mediated but not clathrin-mediated endocytosis, on its tautomerase activity and, probably, on its thiol protein oxidoreductase activity. As MIF treatment restrained actin polymerisation in vitro, our findings establish a new intracellular role for MIF/D-DT in driving cell motility through modulation of the actin cytoskeleton.
Human cells lacking CDC14A and CDC14B show differences in ciliogenesis but not in mitotic progression
Authors: Partscht Patrick , Uddin Borhan , Schiebel Elmar
Published: December 2020

The budding yeast phosphatase Cdc14 has a central role in mitotic exit and cytokinesis. Puzzlingly, a uniform picture for the three human CDC14 paralogues CDC14A, CDC14B and CDC14C in cell cycle control has not emerged to date. Redundant functions between the three CDC14 phosphatases could explain this unclear picture. To address the possibility of redundancy, we tested expression of CDC14 and analysed cell cycle progression of cells with single and double deletions in CDC14 genes. Our data suggest that CDC14C is not expressed in human RPE1 cells, excluding a function in this cell line. Single- and double-knockouts (KO) of CDC14A and CDC14B in RPE1 cells indicate that both phosphatases are not important for the timing of mitotic phases, cytokinesis and cell proliferation. However, cycling CDC14A KO and CDC14B KO cells show altered ciliogenesis compared to wild-type cells. The cilia of cycling CDC14A KO cells are longer, whereas CDC14B KO cilia are more frequent and disassemble faster. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the cell cycle functions of CDC14 proteins are not conserved between yeast and human cells.
Differing thermal sensitivities of physiological processes alter ATP allocation
Authors: Pan Francis T. C. , Applebaum Scott L. , Manahan Donal T.
Published: December 2020

Changes in environmental temperature impact rate processes at all levels of biological organization. Yet, the thermal sensitivity of specific physiological processes that impact allocation of the ATP pool within a species is less well understood. In this study of developmental stages of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, thermal sensitivities were measured for growth, survivorship, protein synthesis, respiration, and transport of amino acids and ions. At warmer temperatures, larvae grew faster but suffered increased mortality. An analysis of temperature sensitivity (Q10 values) revealed that protein synthesis, the major ATP-consuming process in larvae of C. gigas, is more sensitive to temperature change (Q10 value of 2.9±0.18) than is metabolic rate (Q10 of 2.0±0.15). Ion transport by Na+/K+-ATPase measured in vivo has a Q10 value of 2.1±0.09. The corresponding value for glycine transport is 2.4±0.23. Differing thermal responses for protein synthesis and respiration result in a disproportional increase in the allocation of available ATP to protein synthesis with rising temperature. A bioenergetic model is presented illustrating how changes in growth and temperature impact allocation of the ATP pool. Over an environmentally relevant temperature range for this species, the proportion of the ATP pool allocated to protein synthesis increases from 35% to 65%. The greater energy demand to support protein synthesis with increasing temperature will compromise energy availability to support other essential physiological processes. Defining the tradeoffs of ATP demand will provide insights into understanding the adaptive capacity of organisms to respond to various scenarios of environmental change.
The effect of an end-effector type of robot-assisted gait training on patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Rhee Seung Yeon , Jeon Hara , Kim Seong Woo , Lee June Sung
Published: December 2020

Background: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a peripheral nerve injury caused by a post-infectious immune response. Although the prognosis of GBS is relatively good, some patients have severe impairments, such as walking disabilities. Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is used to improve gait function in various neurologic disorders; however, no studies have reported its effectiveness in GBS patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of gait training using an end-effector type robotic device on GBS patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with GBS who received RAGT using Morning Walk® at an inpatient department. The main outcome measures evaluated before and after RAGT were: Medical Research Council scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Modified Barthel Index score, Rivermead Mobility Index, and 2-minute walk test.

Results: In total, 15 patients underwent RAGT 24 times. The mean age was 55.7 (±15.3) years and the average time from onset was 3.9 (±3.6) months. When compared to the baseline, all outcome measures associated with gait function were improved after RAGT.

Conclusions: RAGT can improve walking ability in GBS patients. RAGT can be considered as one gait training tool to recover gait function in GBS patients.
Ketamine as an adjunctive therapy for major depression - a randomised controlled pragmatic pilot trial (Karma-Dep Trial)
Authors: Gallagher Bronagh , Foley Meabh , Slattery Claire M. , Gusciute Gabriele , Shanahan Enda , McLoughlin Declan M.
Published: December 2020

Background: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that has become the leading cause of disability worldwide. The standard medical care for depression over the past 50 years has focused on monoamine neurotransmitters. These treatments can take weeks to take effect, highlighting the need for novel treatment strategies. One such approach may be ketamine. Ketamine acts as an antagonist of the N-methyl-D-asparate receptor and thus targets the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter glutamate. Interestingly, at sub-anaesthetic doses, a single infusion of ketamine can elicit a rapid, though transient, antidepressant response. 

Methods: The aim of this study was to conduct a pragmatic randomised controlled pilot trial of four once-weekly ketamine infusions as an adjunctive therapy for depression.  The main objective was to assess trial procedures to inform a future definitive trial. The primary clinical outcome was the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-24). Trial participants were patients admitted to St Patrick’s Mental Health Services for treatment of a depressive episode. They underwent usual inpatient care as prescribed by their treating team. Consented participants were randomly allocated to a four-week course of either once-weekly ketamine (0.5mg/kg) or midazolam (0.045mg/kg) infusions given over 40 minutes and with 12 weeks follow-up. 

Results: In total, 1581 admissions to St Patrick’s Hospital were assessed for eligibility over nine months, with 125 (8%) meeting criteria, with 25 (20%) providing consent. In total, 13 were randomly assigned to the ketamine arm and 12 to the midazolam arm. There were no major differences in HRSD-24 scores between the two groups. The infusions were generally safe and well tolerated.

Conclusions: This is the first pragmatic pilot trial of adjunctive serial ketamine infusions for hospitalised depression, an important possible use of ketamine. This study suggests that a definitive trial of adjunctive ketamine is feasible.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03256162 21/08/2017; EudraCT 2016-004764-18 30/11/2016.
Distance learning in modern conditions: overview of opportunities and limitations
Authors: Kumohin Aleksandr , Kachaev Ruslan
Published: December 2020

The article analyzes the scientific psychological and pedagogical literature on the implementation of distance education (DE) in modern conditions. Every year, the number of information and communication technologies that are integrated into the field of education increases. In 2020, in order to prevent the spread of diseases caused by the new coronavirus infection COVID-19, DE proved its relevance. Definitions are given concerning the essence of up; advantages and prospects of UP are highlighted, as well as disadvantages and limitations. A separate review of restrictions on the implementation of DE in the context of a pandemic on the territory of the Russian Federation is given. It is noted that it is necessary to take into account the relationship between modern education and the sphere of professional work in order to train competitive specialists. The analysis of the implementation of up DE 2020 is confirmed by the assessments of experts and specialists in the field of education, who note that those students who in modern conditions spend the second academic year on a permanent DE have a high chance of entering the labor market without a sufficient stock of formed knowledge, skills, competencies and without a sufficiently strong motivation and readiness for further self-study and continuous professional education. In the context of the development of the digital educational environment in pre-school education, it is necessary to consider IT not as a separate "traditional" training, but as a new stage for full-time and part-time forms, where various information technologies can be used.
The study of the individual psychological and psychophysiological status of law enforcement officers depending on the level of vital threats
Authors: Barinova Marina , Zueva Evgeniya
Published: December 2020

The article is devoted to the study of psychological and psychophysiological features in extreme situations in the activities of law enforcement officials, leading to life threat. The aim of the study was to identify differences in the structure of individual psychological characteristics and psychophysiological parameters among law enforcement officials depending on the severity of the level of vital threats in professional activities. The relevance of the theoretical foundations of the research problem. The concept of "risk" is defined. It is noted that in the activities of employees there is a hazard factor that determines the predisposition to the risk of vital threats. The “Research Methodology” section is devoted to the consideration of methods and techniques for researching the psychological and psychophysiological characteristics of employees, depending on the severity of vital threats in the activity. The study is conducted for the first time using the following methods: Personality structure and temperament questionnaire R. Kloninger, the “Semantic Differential Time” methodology, the methods for determining the complex sensorimotor reaction (CCMR), Hand-test E. Wagner, and the “Individual Minute” methodology. Methods of statistical processing of research materials are indicated. The results are presented in the form of tables and descriptions of the obtained research data. A comparative analysis of the individual psychological and psychophysiological characteristics of employees who are faced with situations of threats to life and health and are not faced with those in professional activities is carried out. At the end of the article, specific conclusions and practical recommendations to psychologists of law enforcement agencies on the research problem are presented.