Development and Validation of an OMERACT MRI Whole-Body Score for Inflammation in Peripheral Joints and Entheses in Inflammatory Arthritis (MRI-WIPE)

Objective: To develop a whole-body MRI-scoring system for peripheral arthritis and enthesitis. Methods: After consensus on definitions/locations of MRI pathologies, four multi-reader exercises were performed. Eighty-three joints were scored 0-3 separately for synovitis and osteitis, thirty-three entheses 0-3 separately for soft tissue inflammation and osteitis. Results: In the last exercise, reliability was moderate-good for musculoskeletal radiologists and rheumatologists with previously demonstrated good scoring proficiency. Median pairwise single-measure/average-measure ICCs were 0.67/0.80 for status scores and 0.69/0.82 for change scores; kappas ranged 0.35-0.77. Conclusion: WBMRI scoring of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis is reliable which encourages further testing and refinement in clinical trials

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

CO(2)- and Anaerobiosis-Induced Changes in Physiology and Gene Expression of Different Listeria monocytogenes Strains

Although carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is known to inhibit growth of most bacteria, very little is known about the cellular response. The food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is characterized by its ability to grow in high CO(2) concentrations at refrigeration temperatures. We examined the listerial responses of different strains to growth in air, 100% N(2), and 100% CO(2). The CO(2)-induced changes in membrane lipid fatty acid composition and expression of selected genes were strain dependent. The acid-tolerant L. monocytogenes LO28 responded in the same manner to CO(2) as to other anaerobic, slightly acidic environments (100% N(2), pH 5.7). An increase in the expression of the genes encoding glutamate decarboxylase (essential for survival in strong acid) as well as an increased amount of branched-chain fatty acids in the membrane was observed in both atmospheres. In contrast, the acid-sensitive L. monocytogenes strain EGD responded differently to CO(2) and N(2) at the same pH. In a separate experiment with L. monocytogenes 412, an increased isocitrate dehydrogenase activity level was observed for cells grown in CO(2)-containing atmospheres. Together, our findings demonstrate that the CO(2)-response is a partly strain-dependent complex mechanism. The possible links between the CO(2)-dependent changes in isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, glutamate metabolism and branched fatty acid biosynthesis are discussed

Cost-effectiveness analysis of solifenacin flexible dosing in patients with overactive bladder symptoms in four Nordic countries

Objective. The purpose of the present analysis was to analyze and compare the cost-effectiveness of solifenacin flexible dosing (5-10 mg) with tolterodine 4 mg sustained release (SR) or placebo (assumed to be comparable to no treatment) for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. Design. A decision-analytic model was constructed. Methods. Costs and effects were evaluated for the three treatment options in a one-year timeframe. Costs included were treatment costs, cost of pad use, and patients productivity loss based on data from the Nordic countries. Sample. Results from two randomized controlled trials were used as input data in the cost-effectiveness analysis. Main outcome measures. Quality adjusted life years and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results. Solifenacin flexible dosing was more effective with respect to reducing OAB symptoms compared to both placebo and tolterodine 4 mg. Treatment with both solifenacin and tolterodine was more costly compared to placebo, but treatment with solifenacin was a less costly alternative compared to tolterodine 4 mg SR. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the conclusions were robust. Conclusion. Solifenacin flexible dosing was a cost-effective treatment alternative compared to tolterodine 4 mg SR

Visuaalisia kyselyjä opiskelijarekisteriin

Tietokannat ovat tietotekniikan arkipäivää. Vuosien saatossa on rakennettu suuri joukko ohjelmia käsittelemään tietokantoihin tallennettua tietoa. Tyypillinen ohjelma rakennetaan tiettyä kyselyjoukkoa ja tietokantaa varten, mutta yleisempi kyselyjärjestelmä sallii kyselyjen tekemisen mihin tahansa tietokantaan. Erityisesti visuaalinen kyselyjärjestelmä mahdollistaa tietokantamallin, kyselyjen ja tulosten visuaalisen esittämisen. Visuaalinen kyselyjärjestelmä on myös usein helppokäyttöinen. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan kyselyjä Teknillisen korkeakoulun opiskelijarekisteriin (OREK) visuaalisen kyselyjärjestelmän kannalta. Merkittävimmät ongelmat nykyisessä käytössä ovat tietokannan mallin monimutkaisuus ja kyselyjen muodostamiseen kuluva aika. Helposti käytettävä kyselyjärjestelmä mahdollistaisi sen, että useat uudet käyttäjät voisivat tehdä kyselyjä. Ratkaisua etsitään katsauksella aiemmin toteutettuihin järjestelmiin. Ratkaisuna esitetään uusi diagrammipohjainen visuaalinen kyselyjärjestelmä SEEQ (System for Enhanced Exploration and Querying) sekä yleisesti tietokantojen että erityisesti opiskelijarekisterien käsittelyyn. Sen tärkeimmät ominaisuudet, käyttöliittymä ja implementaatio kuvataan. SEEQiä verrataan olemassa oleviin kyselyjärjestelmiin ja sillä on monia yhteisiä, hyödyllisiä ominaisuuksia. Sen käyttökelpoisuutta arvioidaan esimerkkikyselyjen avulla, jotka on muodostettu nykyisten järjestelmien käytön ja arveltujen tutkimustarpeiden perusteella. SEEQ havaitaan erityisen hyväksi visuaalisuudessa sillä, toisin kuin monet muut järjestelmät, se sisältää myös tulosten visualisoinnin tietokantamallin ja kyselyn visualisoinnin lisäksi. Lopuksi eritellään parannusehdotuksia ja jatkotutkimusmahdollisuuksia