Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines types of mobile devices used by health professions students, kinds of resources and tools accessed via mobile devices, and reasons for using the devices to access the resources and tools. The review included 20 studies selected from articles published in English between January 2010 and April 2015, retrieved from PubMed and other sources. Data extracted included participants, study designs, mobile devices used, mobile resources/apps accessed, outcome measures, and advantages of and barriers to using mobile devices. The review indicates significant variability across the studies in terms of research methods, types of mobile programs implemented, resources accessed, and outcomes. There were beneficial effects of using mobile devices to access resources as well as conspicuous challenges or barriers in using mobile devices

Reliability of multi-parameter mapping (MPM) in the cervical cord: A multi-center multi-vendor quantitative MRI study

MRI based multicenter studies which target neurological pathologies affecting the spinal cord and brain – including spinal cord injury (SCI) – require standardized acquisition protocols and image processing methods. We have optimized and applied a multi-parameter mapping (MPM) protocol that simultaneously covers the brain and the cervical cord within a traveling heads study across six clinical centers (Leutritz et al., 2020). The MPM protocol includes quantitative maps (magnetization transfer saturation (MT), proton density (PD), longitudinal (R1), and effective transverse (R2*) relaxation rates) sensitive to myelination, water content, iron concentration, and morphometric measures, such as cross-sectional cord area. Previously, we assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of the brain MPM data acquired in the five healthy participants who underwent two scan-rescans (Leutritz et al., 2020). This study focuses on the cervical cord MPM data derived from the same acquisitions to determine its repeatability and reproducibility in the cervical cord. MPM matrices of the cervical cord were generated and processed using the hMRI and the spinal cord toolbox. To determine reliability of the cervical MPM data, the intra-site (i.e., scan-rescan) coefficient of variation (CoV), inter-site CoV, and bias within region of interests (C1, C2 and C3 levels) were determined. The range of the mean intra- and inter-site CoV of MT, R1 and PD was between 2.5% and 12%, and between 1.1% and 4.0% for the morphometric measures. In conclusion, the cervical MPM data showed a high repeatability and reproducibility for key imaging biomarkers and hence can be employed as a standardized tool in multi-center studies, including clinical trials

Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review

La désertification, les changements climatiques et la perte de la diversité biologique sont des problématiques cruciales pour les régions sèches d’Afrique où ils conjuguent leurs effets pour éprouver les efforts de développement des pays et concomitamment les moyens de vie des populations les plus pauvres de la planète. En effet, nul doute que les écosystèmes ont une influence sur le climat, et  réciproquement, les changements climatiques exercent des impacts considérables sur le climat local, accroissant la désertification, la dégradation des terres et la perte de la diversité biologique. Aujourd’hui, alors que le concept de changements climatiques est une référence constante, la désertification, en dépit de nombreuses études scientifiques qui lui sont consacrées, intéresse peu les décideurs politiques. Pourtant, aucune passerelle, ni scientifique, ni politique à travers la synergie des conventions internationales sur l’environnement, n’est réellement construite sur les liens évidents entre désertification, changement climatique et diversité biologique. L’adaptation aux variabilités et changements climatiques, question centrale dans les récents travaux du Groupe Intergouvernemental sur l’Evolution du Climat (GIEC), constitue un enjeu capital pour les régions sèches affectées par la désertification et soumises à la variabilité et aux extrêmes climatiques. Les expériences de lutte contre la désertification et de conservation de la biodiversité pourraient constituer un point de départ judicieux pour l’étude et la compréhension de l’adaptation aux changements climatiques. Le présent article propose une analyse conjointe de la désertification, du changement climatique et la diversité biologique à la fois au plan scientifique à travers les définitions et les manifestations de ces phénomènes dans les régions sèches d’Afrique, mais aussi au plan institutionnel par l’examen des textes, des outils et des décisions relatives aux conventions internationales qui leur sont dédiées.Desertification, climate change and loss of biodiversity, currently the most compelling issues in African drylands, are compromising development efforts and jeopardising the livelihoods of the poor. A growing amount of evidence is confirming the linkages between  desertification and climate change. One illustration of these linkages is that ecosystems influence the climate, and reciprocally the global climate change affects the local climate, thus exacerbating desertification, land degradation and loss of biodiversity. While the concept of climate change is an ubiquitous theme in the international meetings, desertification suffers a chronic lack of interest on the part of decision-makers. Hitherto, there are no scientific and political links through the synergy between the international environmental conventions. Climate change adaptation is crucial to addressing both issues in the context of drylands. The experience gained in combating desertification and biodiversity conservation could be an entry point for studying and understanding adaptation to climate change in Africa. This article aims to propose an integrated scientific analysis of desertification, climate change and biodiversity, in the light of the three phenomena’s definitions and manifestations in Africa’s drylands. At the institutional level, the examination of the tools and decisions taken through the multilateral conventions dedicated to climate change (UNFCCC), desertification (UNCCD) and biodiversity (UNCBD) is required

Blood and cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light differentially detect neurodegeneration in early Alzheimer's disease

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) concentration has reproducibly been shown to reflect neurodegeneration in brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). NfL concentration in blood correlates with the corresponding CSF levels, but few studies have directly compared the reliability of these 2 markers in sporadic AD. Herein, we measured plasma and CSF concentrations of NfL in 478 cognitively unimpaired (CU) subjects, 227 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 113 patients with AD dementia. We found that the concentration of NfL in CSF, but not in plasma, was increased in response to Ab pathology in CU subjects. Both CSF and plasma NfL concentrations were increased in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD dementia. Furthermore, only NfL in CSF was associated with reduced white matter microstructure in CU subjects. Finally, in a transgenic mouse model of AD, CSF NfL increased before serum NfL in response to the development of Ab pathology. In conclusion, NfL in CSF may be a more reliable biomarker of neurodegeneration than NfL in blood in preclinical sporadic AD