Inclusive Approaches for Measuring Demographics of Underrepresented Populations in STEM and Biomedical Research Training Programs

As federal strategic plans prioritize increasing diversity within the biomedical workforce, and STEM training and outreach programs seek to recruit and retain students from historically underrepresented populations, there is a need for interrogation of traditional demographic descriptors and careful consideration of best practices for obtaining demographic data. To accelerate this work, equity-focused researchers and leaders from STEM programs convened to examine approaches for measuring demographic variables. Gender, race/ethnicity, disability, and disadvantaged background were prioritized given their focus by federal funding agencies. Categories of sex minority, sexual (orientation) minority, and gender minority (SSGM) should be included in demographic measures collected by STEM programs, consistent with recommendations from White House Executive Orders and federal reports. Our manuscript offers operationalized phrasing for demographic questions and recommendations for use across student-serving programs. Inclusive demographics permit the identification of individuals who are being excluded, marginalized, or improperly aggregated, increasing capacity to address inequities in biomedical research training. As trainees do not enter training programs with equal access, accommodations, or preparation, inclusive demographic measures can welcome trainees and inform a nuanced set of program outcomes that facilitate research on intersectionality to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in biomedical research

Psychological well-being and burnout in primary health care professionals in the region of Los Lagos, Chile

El objetivo del estudio fue determinar el nivel de bienestar psicológico y burnout de 121 profesionales de salud de la Región de Los Lagos, Chile (63% mujeres, M = 30.80 años, DT = 13.03 años). Se aplicó la escala de bienestar psicológico de Ryff y el Inventario de burnout de Maslach. El 21% presenta un nivel de bienestar bajo, 25.5% presenta síntomas de burnout. Existe relación positiva entre el nivel de realización personal y el bienestar psicológico (r = 0.53, p < 0.01). Este estudio refuerza la necesidad de generar y fomentar acciones de auto-cuidado entre los profesionales de saludThe objective of this work was to determine the level of psychological well-being and burnout on 121 health professionals from Los Lagos region in Chile (63% female, M = 30.80 years, SD = 13.03 years). The Ryff psychological well-being scale and the Maslach burnout Inventory were applied, resulting in a 21% of participants having a low level of well-being and a 25.5% showing symptoms of burnout. Thus, we can state that there is a positive relationship between the level of personal fulfilment and psychological well-being (r = 0.53, p < 0.01). That is why throughout this study the need to generate and encourage self-care actions among health professionals is reinforce

Emotional intelligence and psychological well-being in nursing professionals from southern Chile

Foundation: Health professionals and specialy those related to caring, are under certain situations which produce professional stress that affect their psychological state.Objective: to identify the levels of emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing, respectively, in nursing professionals of the Los Lagos Region, Chile.Methods: Descriptive study with non-experimental design. A number of 97 nurses from the Los Lagos region were included. A Trait Meta-Mood Scale and the Ryff scale of psychological wellbeing were applied to evaluate the emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing respectively, both with good levels of reliability and composed by a series of sub-scales or dimensions.Results: regarding emotional intelligence, high levels of of emotional perception were observed (35 %), emotional comprehension (36,1 %) and emotional regulation (42,7 %). A 57,5 % of the professionals had a high level of psychological wellbeing, although 33,7 % showed  low level of positive relations.Conclusion: there is a direct and significant relation between the scales of emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing.</p

Emotional intelligence and psychological well-being in nursing professionals from southern Chile

Foundation: Health professionals and specialy those related to caring, are under certain situations which produce professional stress that affect their psychological state.Objective: to identify the levels of emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing, respectively, in nursing professionals of the Los Lagos Region, Chile.Methods: Descriptive study with non-experimental design. A number of 97 nurses from the Los Lagos region were included. A Trait Meta-Mood Scale and the Ryff scale of psychological wellbeing were applied to evaluate the emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing respectively, both with good levels of reliability and composed by a series of sub-scales or dimensions.Results: regarding emotional intelligence, high levels of of emotional perception were observed (35 %), emotional comprehension (36,1 %) and emotional regulation (42,7 %). A 57,5 % of the professionals had a high level of psychological wellbeing, although 33,7 % showed  low level of positive relations.Conclusion: there is a direct and significant relation between the scales of emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing.</p

Growth Trials on Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers Using Mealworm Frass, Chicken Manure, and Municipal Compost.

With the growth of the insect farming industry, increasing quantities of insect manure (called frass) must be upcycled. This research provides one of the first sources of information regarding the potential plant growth enhancement of Tenebrio molitor’s frass on garden plants. It aims at demonstrating that frass is a promising fertilizer for plant production. Nine vegetables, one herb, and three flowers were planted on the roof of “La Centrale Agricole” in Montreal. Plants were grown in a 5% compost-enriched substrate (v/v) (control) and fertilized with 0.5% (v/v) frass (treatment 2) or an isonitrogen concentration of hen manure (treatment 3). Plant growth (germination, height, N flowers) and productivity (biomass) were assessed regularly throughout the growing season. Although beets and carrots’ seedling emergence was inhibited by both manures, this did not lead to reduced edible biomass compared to the control (germination was unaffected for corn, radish, and arugula). Similar to hen manure, frass resulted in a 16-fold increase of the edible biomass as compared to the control. Frass-fertilized plants had larger and more numerous flowers than control plants. Our results confirm that insect manure should be recognized as a suitable fertilizer for multiple crops, and should be regulated like other manures

New 8-nitroquinolinone derivative displaying submicromolar in vitro activities against both Trypanosoma brucei and cruzi

International audienceAn antikinetoplastid pharmacomodulation study was conducted at position 6 of the 8-nitroquinolin-2(1H)-one pharmacophore. Fifteen new derivatives were synthesized and evaluated in vitro against L. infantum, T. brucei brucei, and T. cruzi, in parallel with a cytotoxicity assay on the human HepG2 cell line. A potent and selective 6-bromo-substituted antitrypanosomal derivative 12 was revealed, presenting EC50 values of 12 and 500 nM on T. b. brucei trypomastigotes and T. cruzi amastigotes respectively, in comparison with four reference drugs (30 nM ≤ EC50 ≤ 13 μM). Moreover, compound 12 was not genotoxic in the comet assay and showed high in vitro microsomal stability (half life >40 min) as well as favorable pharmacokinetic behavior in the mouse after oral administration. Finally, molecule 12 (E° = −0.37 V/NHE) was shown to be bioactivated by type 1 nitroreductases, in both Leishmania and Trypanosoma, and appears to be a good candidate to search for novel antitrypanosomal lead compounds

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Post-Operative Functional Outcomes in Early Age Onset Rectal Cancer

Background: Impairment of bowel, urogenital and fertility-related function in patients treated for rectal cancer is common. While the rate of rectal cancer in the young (&lt;50 years) is rising, there is little data on functional outcomes in this group. Methods: The REACCT international collaborative database was reviewed and data on eligible patients analysed. Inclusion criteria comprised patients with a histologically confirmed rectal cancer, &lt;50 years of age at time of diagnosis and with documented follow-up including functional outcomes. Results: A total of 1428 (n=1428) patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. Metastatic disease was present at diagnosis in 13%. Of these, 40% received neoadjuvant therapy and 50% adjuvant chemotherapy. The incidence of post-operative major morbidity was 10%. A defunctioning stoma was placed for 621 patients (43%); 534 of these proceeded to elective restoration of bowel continuity. The median follow-up time was 42 months. Of this cohort, a total of 415 (29%) reported persistent impairment of functional outcomes, the most frequent of which was bowel dysfunction (16%), followed by bladder dysfunction (7%), sexual dysfunction (4.5%) and infertility (1%). Conclusion: A substantial proportion of patients with early-onset rectal cancer who undergo surgery report persistent impairment of functional status. Patients should be involved in the discussion regarding their treatment options and potential impact on quality of life. Functional outcomes should be routinely recorded as part of follow up alongside oncological parameters

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research