47 research outputs found
Predominant expression of Alzheimer’s disease-associated BIN1 in mature oligodendrocytes and localization to white matter tracts
BIN1 is not expressed in human brain microglial cells. (A) Immunohistochemical staining of adjacent sections of normal human brain cortex with antibodies against BIN1 or Iba1 reveals that BIN1 immunoreactive cells that are morphologically distinct from microglia. The boxed region is shown at a higher magnification on the right. (B) Single and two-color immunostaining of the human brain using antibodies against BIN1 and CD45 reveals that perivenular CD45-positive cells of the hematopoietic lineage do not express BIN1. (TIFF 4392 kb
Symmetry protection of measurement-based quantum computation in ground states
The two-dimensional cluster state, a universal resource for measurement-based
quantum computation, is also the gapped ground state of a short-ranged
Hamiltonian. Here, we examine the effect of perturbations to this Hamiltonian.
We prove that, provided the perturbation is sufficiently small and respects a
certain symmetry, the perturbed ground state remains a universal resource. We
do this by characterising the operation of an adaptive measurement protocol
throughout a suitable symmetry-protected quantum phase, relying on generic
properties of the phase rather than any analytic control over the ground state.Comment: 20 pages plus appendices, 11 figures, comments very welcome; v2 minor
corrections and additional references; v3 published version with minor
correction
Patients’ perceived health information needs in inflammatory arthritis: A systematic review
Objectives: To identify the breadth of the literature regarding patients’ perceived health information needs related to inflammatory arthritis care. Methods: A systematic scoping review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO was performed to identify relevant articles (1990 -2016) examining patients’ perceived needs relating to health information in inflammatory arthritis. Data and themes were identified and categorised and risk of bias assessed. Results: Twenty nine studies (11 quantitative, 14 qualitative and 4 mixed methods) from 4121 identified articles were relevant for inclusion. Most focussed on rheumatoid arthritis. Key findings included: (1) Reasons for seeking health information often focussed on gaining ownership over their condition and facilitating self-management. (2) Demographic differences in information needs were inconsistent, but women and younger patients generally reported more needs. (3) Desired information content was broad, and included targeted and practical information covering disease treatment and psychosocial wellbeing. (4) Preferred information delivery method was consultation with a Rheumatologist; however group sessions had advantages for psychosocial issues while written information provided useful supplementation. (5) Barriers to meeting health information needs were around timely access. Conclusions: Patients with inflammatory arthritis have high information needs, desiring practical and individualised information. When developing strategies to meet patients’ information needs, aligning patient expectations with delivery methods that are accessible, cost-effective and flexible may help to optimize patient outcomes
Repeated nebulisation of non-viral CFTR gene therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis:a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial
Background: Lung delivery of plasmid DNA encoding the CFTR gene complexed with a cationic liposome is a potential treatment option for patients with cystic fibrosis. We aimed to assess the efficacy of non-viral CFTR gene therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis. Methods: We did this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial in two cystic fibrosis centres with patients recruited from 18 sites in the UK. Patients (aged ≥12 years) with a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of 50–90% predicted and any combination of CFTR mutations, were randomly assigned, via a computer-based randomisation system, to receive 5 mL of either nebulised pGM169/GL67A gene–liposome complex or 0·9% saline (placebo) every 28 days (plus or minus 5 days) for 1 year. Randomisation was stratified by % predicted FEV1 (<70 vs ≥70%), age (<18 vs ≥18 years), inclusion in the mechanistic substudy, and dosing site (London or Edinburgh). Participants and investigators were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was the relative change in % predicted FEV1. The primary analysis was per protocol. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01621867. Findings: Between June 12, 2012, and June 24, 2013, we randomly assigned 140 patients to receive placebo (n=62) or pGM169/GL67A (n=78), of whom 116 (83%) patients comprised the per-protocol population. We noted a significant, albeit modest, treatment effect in the pGM169/GL67A group versus placebo at 12 months' follow-up (3·7%, 95% CI 0·1–7·3; p=0·046). This outcome was associated with a stabilisation of lung function in the pGM169/GL67A group compared with a decline in the placebo group. We recorded no significant difference in treatment-attributable adverse events between groups. Interpretation: Monthly application of the pGM169/GL67A gene therapy formulation was associated with a significant, albeit modest, benefit in FEV1 compared with placebo at 1 year, indicating a stabilisation of lung function in the treatment group. Further improvements in efficacy and consistency of response to the current formulation are needed before gene therapy is suitable for clinical care; however, our findings should also encourage the rapid introduction of more potent gene transfer vectors into early phase trials