Does distance matter? Variations in alternative 3′ splicing regulation

Alternative splicing constitutes a major mechanism creating protein diversity in humans. This diversity can result from the alternative skipping of entire exons or by alternative selection of the 5′ or 3′ splice sites that define the exon boundaries. In this study, we analyze the sequence and evolutionary characteristics of alternative 3′ splice sites conserved between human and mouse genomes for distances ranging from 3 to 100 nucleotides. We show that alternative splicing events can be distinguished from constitutive splicing by a combination of properties which vary depending on the distance between the splice sites. Among the unique features of alternative 3′ splice sites, we observed an unexpectedly high occurrence of events in which a polypyrimidine tract was found to overlap the upstream splice site. By applying a machine-learning approach, we show that we can successfully discriminate true alternative 3′ splice sites from constitutive 3′ splice sites. Finally, we propose that the unique features of the intron flanking alternative splice sites are indicative of a regulatory mechanism that is involved in splice site selection. We postulate that the process of splice site selection is influenced by the distance between the competitive splice sites

Psychometric evaluation of 3-set 4P questionnaire.

This is a further development of a specific questionnaire, the 3-set 4P, to be used for measuring former ICU patients' physical and psychosocial problems after intensive care and the need for follow-up. The aim was to psychometrically test and evaluate the 3-set 4P questionnaire in a larger population. The questionnaire consists of three sets: "physical", "psychosocial" and "follow-up". The questionnaires were sent by mail to all patients with more than 24-hour length of stay on four ICUs in Sweden. Construct validity was measured with exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation. This resulted in three factors for the "physical set", five factors for the "psychosocial set" and four factors for the "follow-up set" with strong factor loadings and a total explained variance of 62-77.5%. Thirteen questions in the SF-36 were used for concurrent validity showing Spearman's r(s) 0.3-0.6 in eight questions and less than 0.2 in five. Test-retest was used for stability reliability. In set follow-up the correlation was strong to moderate and in physical and psychosocial sets the correlations were moderate to fair. This may have been because the physical and psychosocial status changed rapidly during the test period. All three sets had good homogeneity. In conclusion, the 3-set 4P showed overall acceptable results, but it has to be further modified in different cultures before being considered a fully operational instrument for use in clinical practice

Supplemental Material - The First Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Wave and the Effect on Healthcare Trainees: A National Survey Study

Supplemental Material for The First Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Wave and the Effect on Healthcare Trainees: A National Survey Study by Helen H. Liu, Patrizio Petrone, Meredith Akerman, Raelina S. Howell, Andrew H. Morel, Amir H. Sohail, Cindy Alsamarraie, Barbara Brathwaite, Wendy Kinzler, James Maurer, and Collin E. M. Brathwaite in The American Surgeon</p

ICU survivors' utilisation of diaries post discharge: A qualitative descriptive study

Background: A growing body of evidence has confirmed that intensive care unit survivors encounter myriad of physical and psychological complications during their recovery. The incidence of psychological morbidity in intensive care survivors is increasingly being recognised. The causes of psychological morbidity are multi-factorial but may be associated with a complete lack of, or delusional recall of events in intensive care. Intensive care unit diaries are an initiative designed to enable survivors to help restore factual memories and differentiate those from delusional. Purpose: To explore survivors' and family members' perceptions and utilisation of diaries following discharge from hospital. Method: A single centre qualitative descriptive study was undertaken in a general intensive care unit in Western Australia. Participants were surveyed 3, 6 and 12 months following discharge from hospital. Eighteen participants completed one or more surveys. Findings: Many of the participants who completed the surveys read their diaries but few made entries in them following discharge. Reading the diaries evoked mixed emotions for these participants; however they still viewed the diaries as a positive initiative in their recovery. Diaries enabled survivors to fill the memory gaps, make sense of their experience and reinforced the human connection when they were immersed in a technological environment. Conclusion: Use of patient diaries was received positively by the participants in this study. Diaries are a simple, cost effective initiative which enabled survivors to piece together the time they had lost, concreted their experience in reality and enabled them to retain a connection with their loved ones whilst immersed in a technological environment