A COMPARISON OF THE RELATIVE IMPACT OF A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF AN EDUCATION COMPONENT, WITH A POSTAL EDUCATION PACKAGE, ON COPING WITH OSTEOPOROSIS

A study was carried out in order to compare the effects of a cognitive-behavioural intervention, with a postal education package, on coping with osteoporosis. Thirty osteoporosis sufferers were divided into three groups. One group received an intervention programme consisting of education, relaxation techniques, and instruction in the use of coping strategies for pain and stress. A comparison group received an education booklet on osteoporosis sent to them through the postal system. The study also included a non-treatment control group. Measures of locus of control, depression, anxiety, pain, and disease knowledge, were taken pre-and post-intervention. lt was predicted that the intervention group would report a significant decrease in external locus of control (subdivided into chance happenings, and powerful doctor control beliefs), and an increase in internal locus of control, and in disease knowledge compared to the other two groups. A significant decrease in depression, anxiety, and pain ratings was also predicted for the intervention group compared to the comparison group and the control group. It was further predicted that their would be no relationship between the age of participants, and scores on any of the outcome measures. Analyses of variance carried out on the data revealed significant differences between the groups from baseline to follow-up on some of the measures. Depression and pain ratings decreased significantly for the intervention group compared to the other two groups. Although anxiety also showed a trend to decrease for the intervention group, this result was not significant. Both internal locus of control and disease knowledge increased significantly for the intervention group compared to the other two groups. No significant differences were found post-intervention between the groups for external locus of control. Correlational analysis revealed no significant relationship between the age of participants and any of the dependent measures. These results suggest that education delivered on an individual basis as part of a cognitive behavioural-intervention is more effective in increasing disease knowledge than an education package sent to osteoporosis sufferers through the postal system. The results further suggest that adaptation to osteoporosis can be facilitated by equipping sufferers with a repertoire of cognitive-behavioural coping strategies, and that older adults are just as likely to benefit from such an approach as their younger counterparts. The results are discussed in relation to previous research findings, and suggestions for future research are put forward.Cornwall Healthcare Trus

Response of Microorganisms to Hot Crude Oil Spills on a Subarctic Taiga Soil

This study was conducted on the short-term effects of seasonal spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on microorganisms in a taiga soil in interior Alaska. Following a winter spill, the filamentous fungal populations were inhibited whereas the heterotrophic bacterial populations were stimulated. After a summer spill there was an initial depression of both the filamentous fungal and bacterial populations followed by a general enhancement. In both oil spill plots, yeasts; along with the denitrifying, proteolytic, oil-utilizing, and cellulose-utilizing microorganisms; were favorably affected by the oil. Soil respiration was also enhanced in the oiled plots. An extended period of study is required to fully evaluate the impact of oil on the soil microflora and the role of these microorganisms in recovery of oil-inundated areas in subarctic ecosystems

Association of gut microbiota and gut metabolites and adverse outcomes in biliary atresia:A longitudinal prospective study

Background: The Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) aims to re-establish bile flow in biliary atresia (BA); however, BA remains the commonest indication for liver transplantation in pediatrics. Gut microbiota-host interplay is increasingly associated with outcomes in chronic liver disease. This study characterized fecal microbiota and fatty acid metabolites in BA.Methods: Fecal samples were prospectively collected in newly diagnosed BA infants (n = 55) before and after KPE. Age-matched healthy control (n = 19) and cholestatic control (n = 21) fecal samples were collected. Fecal 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for gut microbiota and gas chromatography for fecal fatty acids was performed.Results: Increased abundance of Enterococcus in pre-KPE BA and cholestatic control infants, compared to healthy infants, was demonstrated. At the early post-KPE time points, increased alpha diversity was revealed in BA versus healthy cohorts. A lower relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and increased Enterococcus, Clostridium, Fusobacterium, and Pseudomonas was seen in infants with BA. Fecal acetate was reduced, and fecal butyrate and propionate were elevated in early post-KPE BA infants. Higher post-KPE alpha diversity was associated with nonfavorable clinical outcomes (6-month jaundice and liver transplantation). A higher relative abundance of post-KPE Streptococcus and Fusobacterium and a lower relative abundance of Dorea, Blautia, and Oscillospira were associated with nonfavorable clinical outcomes. Blautia inversely correlated to liver disease severity, and Bifidobacterium inversely correlated to fibrosis biomarkers. Bifidobacterium abundance was significantly lower in infants experiencing cholangitis within 6 months after KPE.Conclusions: Increased diversity, enrichment of pathogenic, and depletion of beneficial microbiota early post-KPE are all factors associated with nonfavorable BA outcomes. Manipulation of gut microbiota in the early postsurgical period could provide therapeutic potential

A collaborative hackathon to investigate climate change and extreme weather impacts in justice and insurance settings

By bringing together a large group of participants with diverse skillsets, hackathons aim to make good headway into a particular research topic over a short period of time. This collaborative approach supports relationship building, cross team working and the development of technical skills across different areas

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy plus usual care for improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease (COMMEND): a multicentre, parallel, randomised controlled trial in the UK

BACKGROUND: Motor neuron disease is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychological therapy incorporating acceptance, mindfulness, and behaviour change techniques. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ACT plus usual care, compared with usual care alone, for improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease. METHODS: We conducted a parallel, multicentre, two-arm randomised controlled trial in 16 UK motor neuron disease care centres or clinics. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of definite or laboratory-supported probable, clinically probable, or possible familial or sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; progressive muscular atrophy; or primary lateral sclerosis; which met the World Federation of Neurology's El Escorial diagnostic criteria. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive up to eight sessions of ACT adapted for people with motor neuron disease plus usual care or usual care alone by a web-based system, stratified by site. Participants were followed up at 6 months and 9 months post-randomisation. Outcome assessors and trial statisticians were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was quality of life using the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised (MQOL-R) at 6 months post-randomisation. Primary analyses were multi-level modelling and modified intention to treat among participants with available data. This trial was pre-registered with the ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN12655391). FINDINGS: Between Sept 18, 2019, and Aug 31, 2022, 435 people with motor neuron disease were approached for the study, of whom 206 (47%) were assessed for eligibility, and 191 were recruited. 97 (51%) participants were randomly assigned to ACT plus usual care and 94 (49%) were assigned to usual care alone. 80 (42%) of 191 participants were female and 111 (58%) were male, and the mean age was 63·1 years (SD 11·0). 155 (81%) participants had primary outcome data at 6 months post-randomisation. After controlling for baseline scores, age, sex, and therapist clustering, ACT plus usual care was superior to usual care alone for quality of life at 6 months (adjusted mean difference on the MQOL-R of 0·66 [95% CI 0·22–1·10]; d=0·46 [0·16–0·77]; p=0·0031). Moderate effect sizes were clinically meaningful. 75 adverse events were reported, 38 of which were serious, but no adverse events were deemed to be associated with the intervention. INTERPRETATION: ACT plus usual care is clinically effective for maintaining or improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease. As further evidence emerges confirming these findings, health-care providers should consider how access to ACT, adapted for the specific needs of people with motor neuron disease, could be provided within motor neuron disease clinical services. FUNDING: National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment and Motor Neurone Disease Association

Methylome Analysis and Epigenetic Changes Associated with Menarcheal Age

CAD received funding from EU-Europe aid grant CRIS 2009/223–507.The EPIC cohort is supported by the Europe Against Cancer Program of the European Commission (SANCO). The individual centres also received funding from: Denmark (Danish Cancer Society); France (Ligue centre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Ge´ne´rale de l’Education Nationale, and Institut National de la Sante´ et de la Recherche Me´dicale (INSERM)); Greece (Hellenic Ministry of Health, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Hellenic Health Foundation); Germany (German Cancer Aid, German Cancer Research Center, and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant 01-EA-9401)); Italy (Italian Association for Research on Cancer and the National Research Council); The Netherlands (Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, and Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)); Spain (Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health (Exp 96/0032) and the participating regional governments and institutions); Sweden (Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Scientific Council, and Regional Government of Skane); and the United Kingdom (Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council UK and Breast Cancer Campaign). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) dataset will dramatically alter our understanding of the Universe, from the origins of the Solar System to the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Much of this research will depend on the existence of robust, tested, and scalable algorithms, software, and services. Identifying and developing such tools ahead of time has the potential to significantly accelerate the delivery of early science from LSST. Developing these collaboratively, and making them broadly available, can enable more inclusive and equitable collaboration on LSST science. To facilitate such opportunities, a community workshop entitled "From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST" was organized by the LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing (LINCC) and partners, and held at the Flatiron Institute in New York, March 28-30th 2022. The workshop included over 50 in-person attendees invited from over 300 applications. It identified seven key software areas of need: (i) scalable cross-matching and distributed joining of catalogs, (ii) robust photometric redshift determination, (iii) software for determination of selection functions, (iv) frameworks for scalable time-series analyses, (v) services for image access and reprocessing at scale, (vi) object image access (cutouts) and analysis at scale, and (vii) scalable job execution systems. This white paper summarizes the discussions of this workshop. It considers the motivating science use cases, identified cross-cutting algorithms, software, and services, their high-level technical specifications, and the principles of inclusive collaborations needed to develop them. We provide it as a useful roadmap of needs, as well as to spur action and collaboration between groups and individuals looking to develop reusable software for early LSST science.Comment: White paper from "From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST" worksho

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy plus usual care for improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease (COMMEND) : a multicentre, parallel, randomised controlled trial in the UK

Background Motor neuron disease is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychological therapy incorporating acceptance, mindfulness, and behaviour change techniques. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ACT plus usual care, compared with usual care alone, for improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease. Methods We conducted a parallel, multicentre, two-arm randomised controlled trial in 16 UK motor neuron disease care centres or clinics. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of definite or laboratory-supported probable, clinically probable, or possible familial or sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; progressive muscular atrophy; or primary lateral sclerosis; which met the World Federation of Neurology's El Escorial diagnostic criteria. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive up to eight sessions of ACT adapted for people with motor neuron disease plus usual care or usual care alone by a web-based system, stratified by site. Participants were followed up at 6 months and 9 months post-randomisation. Outcome assessors and trial statisticians were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was quality of life using the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised (MQOL-R) at 6 months post-randomisation. Primary analyses were multi-level modelling and modified intention to treat among participants with available data. This trial was pre-registered with the ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN12655391). Findings Between Sept 18, 2019, and Aug 31, 2022, 435 people with motor neuron disease were approached for the study, of whom 206 (47%) were assessed for eligibility, and 191 were recruited. 97 (51%) participants were randomly assigned to ACT plus usual care and 94 (49%) were assigned to usual care alone. 80 (42%) of 191 participants were female and 111 (58%) were male, and the mean age was 63·1 years (SD 11·0). 155 (81%) participants had primary outcome data at 6 months post-randomisation. After controlling for baseline scores, age, sex, and therapist clustering, ACT plus usual care was superior to usual care alone for quality of life at 6 months (adjusted mean difference on the MQOL-R of 0·66 [95% CI 0·22–1·10]; d=0·46 [0·16–0·77]; p=0·0031). Moderate effect sizes were clinically meaningful. 75 adverse events were reported, 38 of which were serious, but no adverse events were deemed to be associated with the intervention. Interpretation ACT plus usual care is clinically effective for maintaining or improving quality of life in people with motor neuron disease. As further evidence emerges confirming these findings, health-care providers should consider how access to ACT, adapted for the specific needs of people with motor neuron disease, could be provided within motor neuron disease clinical services

From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST

editorial reviewedThe Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) dataset will dramatically alter our understanding of the Universe, from the origins of the Solar System to the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Much of this research will depend on the existence of robust, tested, and scalable algorithms, software, and services. Identifying and developing such tools ahead of time has the potential to significantly accelerate the delivery of early science from LSST. Developing these collaboratively, and making them broadly available, can enable more inclusive and equitable collaboration on LSST science. To facilitate such opportunities, a community workshop entitled "From Data to Software to Science with the Rubin Observatory LSST" was organized by the LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing (LINCC) and partners, and held at the Flatiron Institute in New York, March 28-30th 2022. The workshop included over 50 in-person attendees invited from over 300 applications. It identified seven key software areas of need: (i) scalable cross-matching and distributed joining of catalogs, (ii) robust photometric redshift determination, (iii) software for determination of selection functions, (iv) frameworks for scalable time-series analyses, (v) services for image access and reprocessing at scale, (vi) object image access (cutouts) and analysis at scale, and (vii) scalable job execution systems. This white paper summarizes the discussions of this workshop. It considers the motivating science use cases, identified cross-cutting algorithms, software, and services, their high-level technical specifications, and the principles of inclusive collaborations needed to develop them. We provide it as a useful roadmap of needs, as well as to spur action and collaboration between groups and individuals looking to develop reusable software for early LSST science