A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Integrated Brain, Body, and Social Intervention for Children With ADHD

Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of an Integrated Brain, Body, and Social (IBBS) intervention for children with ADHD. Treatment consisted of computerized cognitive remediation training, physical exercises, and a behavior management strategy. Method: Ninety-two children aged 5 to 9 years with ADHD were randomly assigned to 15 weeks of IBBS or to treatment-as-usual. Primary outcome measures included blinded clinician ratings of ADHD symptoms and global clinical functioning. Secondary outcome measures consisted of parent and teacher ratings of ADHD and neurocognitive tests. Results: No significant treatment effects were found on any of our primary outcome measures. In terms of secondary outcome measures, the IBBS group showed significant improvement on a verbal working memory task; however, this result did not survive correction for multiple group comparisons. Conclusion: These results suggest that expanding cognitive training to multiple domains by means of two training modalities does not lead to generalized improvement of ADHD symptomatology

Microparticles from patients with metabolic syndrome induce vascular hypo-reactivity via Fas/Fas-ligand pathway in mice

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A multiobjective model for passive portfolio management: an application on the S&P 100 index

This is an author's accepted manuscript of an article published in: “Journal of Business Economics and Management"; Volume 14, Issue 4, 2013; copyright Taylor & Francis; available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2012.668859Index tracking seeks to minimize the unsystematic risk component by imitating the movements of a reference index. Partial index tracking only considers a subset of the stocks in the index, enabling a substantial cost reduction in comparison with full tracking. Nevertheless, when heterogeneous investment profiles are to be satisfied, traditional index tracking techniques may need different stocks to build the different portfolios. The aim of this paper is to propose a methodology that enables a fund s manager to satisfy different clients investment profiles but using in all cases the same subset of stocks, and considering not only one particular criterion but a compromise between several criteria. For this purpose we use a mathematical programming model that considers the tracking error variance, the excess return and the variance of the portfolio plus the curvature of the tracking frontier. The curvature is not defined for a particular portfolio, but for all the portfolios in the tracking frontier. This way funds managers can offer their clients a wide range of risk-return combinations just picking the appropriate portfolio in the frontier, all of these portfolios sharing the same shares but with different weights. An example of our proposal is applied on the S&P 100.García García, F.; Guijarro Martínez, F.; Moya Clemente, I. (2013). A multiobjective model for passive portfolio management: an application on the S&P 100 index. Journal of Business Economics and Management. 14(4):758-775. doi:10.3846/16111699.2012.668859S758775144Aktan, B., Korsakienė, R., & Smaliukienė, R. (2010). TIME‐VARYING VOLATILITY MODELLING OF BALTIC STOCK MARKETS. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 11(3), 511-532. doi:10.3846/jbem.2010.25Ballestero, E., & Romero, C. (1991). A theorem connecting utility function optimization and compromise programming. Operations Research Letters, 10(7), 421-427. doi:10.1016/0167-6377(91)90045-qBeasley, J. E. (1990). OR-Library: Distributing Test Problems by Electronic Mail. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 41(11), 1069-1072. doi:10.1057/jors.1990.166Beasley, J. E., Meade, N., & Chang, T.-J. (2003). An evolutionary heuristic for the index tracking problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 148(3), 621-643. doi:10.1016/s0377-2217(02)00425-3Canakgoz, N. A., & Beasley, J. E. (2009). Mixed-integer programming approaches for index tracking and enhanced indexation. European Journal of Operational Research, 196(1), 384-399. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2008.03.015Connor, G., & Leland, H. (1995). Cash Management for Index Tracking. Financial Analysts Journal, 51(6), 75-80. doi:10.2469/faj.v51.n6.1952Corielli, F., & Marcellino, M. (2006). Factor based index tracking. Journal of Banking & Finance, 30(8), 2215-2233. doi:10.1016/j.jbankfin.2005.07.012Derigs, U., & Nickel, N.-H. (2004). On a Local-Search Heuristic for a Class of Tracking Error Minimization Problems in Portfolio Management. Annals of Operations Research, 131(1-4), 45-77. doi:10.1023/b:anor.0000039512.98833.5aDose, C., & Cincotti, S. (2005). Clustering of financial time series with application to index and enhanced index tracking portfolio. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 355(1), 145-151. doi:10.1016/j.physa.2005.02.078Focardi, S. M., & Fabozzi 3, F. J. (2004). A methodology for index tracking based on time-series clustering. Quantitative Finance, 4(4), 417-425. doi:10.1080/14697680400008668Gaivoronski, A. A., Krylov, S., & van der Wijst, N. (2005). Optimal portfolio selection and dynamic benchmark tracking. European Journal of Operational Research, 163(1), 115-131. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2003.12.001Hallerbach, W. G., & Spronk, J. (2002). The relevance of MCDM for financial decisions. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 11(4-5), 187-195. doi:10.1002/mcda.328Jarrett, J. E., & Schilling, J. (2008). DAILY VARIATION AND PREDICTING STOCK MARKET RETURNS FOR THE FRANKFURTER BÖRSE (STOCK MARKET). Journal of Business Economics and Management, 9(3), 189-198. doi:10.3846/1611-1699.2008.9.189-198Roll, R. (1992). A Mean/Variance Analysis of Tracking Error. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 18(4), 13-22. doi:10.3905/jpm.1992.701922Rudolf, M., Wolter, H.-J., & Zimmermann, H. (1999). A linear model for tracking error minimization. Journal of Banking & Finance, 23(1), 85-103. doi:10.1016/s0378-4266(98)00076-4Ruiz-Torrubiano, R., & Suárez, A. (2008). A hybrid optimization approach to index tracking. Annals of Operations Research, 166(1), 57-71. doi:10.1007/s10479-008-0404-4Rutkauskas, A. V., & Stasytyte, V. (s. f.). Decision Making Strategies in Global Exchange and Capital Markets. Advances and Innovations in Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering, 17-22. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-6264-3_4Tabata, Y., & Takeda, E. (1995). Bicriteria Optimization Problem of Designing an Index Fund. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 46(8), 1023-1032. doi:10.1057/jors.1995.139Teresienė, D. (2009). LITHUANIAN STOCK MARKET ANALYSIS USING A SET OF GARCH MODELS. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 10(4), 349-360. doi:10.3846/1611-1699.2009.10.349-36

The co-presence of deletion 7q, 20q and inversion 16 in therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia developed secondary to treatment of breast cancer with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and radiotherapy: a case report

Introduction. Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia occurs as a complication of treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunosuppressive agents or exposure to environmental carcinogens. Case presentation. We report a case of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia in a 37-year-old Turkish woman in complete remission from breast cancer. Our patient presented to our facility with fatigue, fever, sore throat, peripheral lymphadenopathy, and moderate hepatosplenomegaly. On peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate smears, monoblasts were present. Immunophenotypic analysis of the bone marrow showed expression of CD11b, CD13, CD14, CD15, CD33, CD34, CD45 and human leukocyte antigen-DR, findings compatible with the diagnosis of acute monoblastic leukemia (French-American-British classification M5a). Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia developed three years after adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of an alkylating agent, cyclophosphamide and DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor, doxorubicin and adjuvant radiotherapy. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a 46, XX, deletion 7 (q22q34), deletion 20 (q11.2q13.1) karyotype in five out of 20 metaphases and inversion 16 was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. There was no response to chemotherapy (cytarabine and idarubicin, FLAG-IDA protocol, azacitidine) and our patient died in the 11th month after diagnosis. Conclusions: The median survival in therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia is shorter compared to de novo acute myeloid leukemia. Also, the response to therapy is poor. In therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia, complex karyotypes have been associated with abnormalities of chromosome 5, rather than 7. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia showing the co-presence of deletion 7q, 20q and the inversion 16 signal. © 2012 Yonal et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

How communication of genetic information within the family is addressed in genetic counselling: a systematic review of research evidence

Supporting consultands to communicate risk information with their relatives is key to obtaining the full benefits of genetic health care. To understand how health-care professionals address this issue in clinical practice and what interventions are used specifically to assist consultands in their communication of genetic information to appropriate relatives, we conducted a systematic review. Four electronic databases and four subject-specific journals were searched for papers published, in English, between January 1997 and May 2014. Of 2926 papers identified initially, 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review and were heterogeneous in design, setting and methods. Thematic data analysis has shown that dissemination of information within families is actively encouraged and supported by professionals. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) direct contact from genetic services: sending letters to relatives of mutation carriers; (2) professionals' encouragement of initially reluctant consultands to share relevant information with at-risk relatives and (3) assisting consultands in communicating genetic information to their at-risk relatives, which included as subthemes (i) psychoeducational guidance and (ii) written information aids. Findings suggest that professionals' practice and interventions are predicated on the need to proactively encourage family communication. We discuss this in the context of what guidance of consultands by professionals might be appropriate, as best practices to facilitate family communication, and of the limits to non-directiveness in genetic counselling

Limitations and pitfalls of using family letters to communicate genetic risk: a qualitative study with patients and healthcare professionals

European genetic testing guidelines recommend that healthcare professionals (HCPs) discuss the familial implications of any test with a patient and offer written material to help them share the information with family members. Giving patients these “family letters” to alert any relatives of their risk has become part of standard practice and has gone relatively unquestioned over the years. Communication with at-risk relatives will become an increasingly pressing issue as mainstream and routine practice incorporates broad genome tests and as the number of findings potentially relevant to relatives increases. This study therefore explores problems around the use of family letters to communicate about genetic risk. We conducted 16 focus groups with 80 HCPs, and 35 interviews with patients, recruited from across the UK. Data were analyzed thematically and we constructed four themes: 1) HCPs writing family letters: how to write them and why?, 2) Patients’ issues with handing out family letters, 3) Dissemination becomes an uncontrolled form of communication, and 4) When the relative has the letter, is the patient’s and HCP’s duty discharged? We conclude by suggesting alternative and supplementary methods of communication, for example through digital tools, and propose that in comparison to communication by family letter, direct contact by HCPs might be a more appropriate and successful option

Overall survival in the OlympiA phase III trial of adjuvant olaparib in patients with germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2 and high risk, early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The randomized, double-blind OlympiA trial compared one year of the oral poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor, olaparib, to matching placebo as adjuvant therapy for patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 (gBRCA1/2pv) and high-risk, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, early breast cancer (EBC). The first pre-specified interim analysis (IA) previously demonstrated statistically significant improvement in invasive-disease-free survival (IDFS) and distant-disease-free survival (DDFS). The olaparib-group had fewer deaths than the placebo-group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance for overall survival (OS). We now report the pre-specified second IA of OS with updates of IDFS, DDFS, and safety. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1,836 patients were randomly assigned to olaparib or placebo following (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy (N)ACT, surgery, and radiation therapy if indicated. Endocrine therapy was given concurrently with study medication for hormone-receptor-positive-cancers. Statistical significance for OS at this IA required P<0.015. RESULTS: With median follow-up of 3.5 years, the second IA of OS demonstrated significant improvement in the olaparib-group relative to the placebo-group (HR, 0.68; 98.5% CI 0.47 to 0.97; P=0.009). Four-year OS was 89.8% in the olaparib-group and 86.4% in the placebo-group (Δ 3.4%, 95% CI -0.1% to 6.8%). Four-year IDFS for olaparib-group versus placebo-group was 82.7% versus 75.4% (Δ 7.3%, 95% CI 3.0% to 11.5%) and 4-year DDFS was 86.5% versus 79.1% (Δ 7.4%, 95% CI 3.6% to 11.3%), respectively. Subset analyses for OS, IDFS, and DDFS demonstrated benefit across major subgroups. No new safety signals were identified including no new cases of acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS). CONCLUSION: With 3.5 years of median follow-up, OlympiA demonstrates statistically significant improvement in OS with adjuvant olaparib compared with placebo for gBRCA1/2pv-associated EBC and maintained improvements in the previously reported, statistically significant endpoints of IDFS and DDFS with no new safety signals

COVID-19 first lockdown as a window into language acquisition: Associations between caregiver-child activities and vocabulary gains

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting closure of daycare centers worldwide, led to unprecedented changes in children’s learning environments. This period of increased time at home with caregivers, with limited access to external sources (e.g., daycares) provides a unique opportunity to examine the associations between the caregiver-child activities and children’s language development. The vocabularies of 1742 children aged8-36 months across 13 countries and 12 languages were evaluated at the beginning and end of the first lockdown period in their respective countries(from March to September 2020). Children who had less passive screen exposure and whose caregivers read more to them showed larger gains in vocabulary development during lockdown, after controlling for SES and other caregiver-child activities. Children also gained more words than expected (based on normative data) during lockdown; either caregivers were more aware of their child’s development or vocabulary development benefited from intense caregiver-child interaction during lockdown

Ginger inhibits cell growth and modulates angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ginger (<it>Zingiber officinale </it>Rosc) is a natural dietary component with antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties. The ginger component [6]-gingerol has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects through mediation of NF-κB. NF-κB can be constitutively activated in epithelial ovarian cancer cells and may contribute towards increased transcription and translation of angiogenic factors. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ginger on tumor cell growth and modulation of angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The effect of ginger and the major ginger components on cell growth was determined in a panel of epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines. Activation of NF-κB and and production of VEGF and IL-8 was determined in the presence or absence of ginger.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ginger treatment of cultured ovarian cancer cells induced profound growth inhibition in all cell lines tested. We found that <it>in vitro</it>, 6-shogaol is the most active of the individual ginger components tested. Ginger treatment resulted in inhibition of NF-kB activation as well as diminished secretion of VEGF and IL-8.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ginger inhibits growth and modulates secretion of angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells. The use of dietary agents such as ginger may have potential in the treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer.</p