Facilitating adjustment to higher education: towards enhancing academic functioning in an academic development programme

Several studies have emphasised the importance of addressing social and emotional factors in facilitating adjustment to tertiary education. This article describes the Skills for Success in Science programme at the University of Cape Town. The broad aims were life skills development and improved adjustment which are assumed to underpin academic performance. Weekly small group sessions were held which addressed several areas, namely adjustment, group work and co-operative learning, coping and stress management, resources on campus, assertiveness and communications, time management, study skills and examination competence. The intervention was experiential and participative, and while not compulsory, attendance was very good. Evaluation via self-report questionnaires using standardised psychological scales as well as focus groups provided positive feedback from students who described it as a "must" for all first year science students. The article supports the notion that student development should be located within their daily experience at universities

Characterization of an HLA-restricted and human cytomegalovirus-specific antibody repertoire with therapeutic potential

With an infection rate of 60–90%, the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is very common among adults but normally causes no symptoms. When T cell-mediated immunity is compromised, HCMV reactivation can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. HCMV antigens are processed and presented as peptides on the cell surface via HLA I complexes to the T cell receptor (TCR) of T cells. The generation of antibodies against HCMV peptides presented on HLA complexes (TCR-like antibodies) has been described, but is without therapeutic applications to date due to the polygenic and polymorphic nature of HLA genes. We set out to obtain antibodies specific for HLA/HCMV-peptides, covering the majority of HLA alleles present in European populations. Using phage display technology, we selected 10 Fabs, able to bind to HCMV-peptides presented in the 6 different HLA class I alleles A*0101, A*0201, A*2402, B*0702, B*0801 and B*3501. We demonstrate specific binding of all selected Fabs to HLA-typed lymphoblastoid cell lines (EBV-transformed B cells) and lymphocytes loaded with HCMV-peptides. After infection with HCMV, 4/10 tetramerized Fabs restricted to the alleles HLA-A*0101, HLA-A*0201 and HLA-B*0702 showed binding to infected primary fibroblasts. When linked to the pseudomonas exotoxin A, these Fab antibodies induce highly specific cytotoxicity in HLA matched cell lines loaded with HCMV peptides. TCR-like antibody repertoires therefore represent a promising new treatment modality for viral infections and may also have applications in the treatment of cancers

No Consistent Simulated Trends in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation for the Past 6,000 Years

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a key feature of the North Atlantic with global ocean impacts. The AMOC's response to past changes in forcings during the Holocene provides important context for the coming centuries. Here, we investigate AMOC trends using an emerging set of transient simulations using multiple global climate models for the past 6,000 years. Although some models show changes, no consistent trend in overall AMOC strength during the mid-to-late Holocene emerges from the ensemble. We interpret this result to suggest no overall change in AMOC, which fits with our assessment of available proxy reconstructions. The decadal variability of the AMOC does not change in ensemble during the mid- and late-Holocene. There are interesting AMOC changes seen in the early Holocene, but their nature depends a lot on which inputs are used to drive the experiment

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

MDM2 binds and inhibits vitamin D receptor

<p>The E3 ubiquitin ligase and transcriptional repressor MDM2 is a potent inhibitor of the p53 family of transcription factors and tumor suppressors. Herein, we report that vitamin D receptor (VDR), another transcriptional regulator and probably, tumor suppressor, is also bound and inhibited by MDM2. This interaction was not affected by vitamin D ligand. VDR was ubiquitylated in the cell and its steady-state level was controlled by the proteasome. Strikingly, overproduced MDM2 reduced the level of VDR whereas knockdown of endogenous MDM2 increased the level of VDR. In addition to ubiquitin-marking proteins for degradation, MDM2, once recruited to promoters by DNA-binding interaction partners, can inhibit the transactivation of genes. Transient transfections with a VDR-responsive <i>luciferase</i> reporter revealed that low levels of MDM2 potently suppress VDR-mediated transactivation. Conversely, knockdown of MDM2 resulted in a significant increase of transcript from the <i>CYP24A1</i> and <i>p21</i> genes, noted cellular targets of transactivation by liganded VDR. Our findings suggest that MDM2 negatively regulates VDR in some analogy to p53.</p

Exercise Hypertension in Athletes

Background: An exaggerated blood pressure response (EBPR) during exercise testing is not well defined, and several blood pressure thresholds are used in different studies and recommended in different guidelines. Methods: Competitive athletes of any age without known arterial hypertension who presented for preparticipation screening were included in the present study and categorized for EBPR according to American Heart Association (AHA), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines as well as the systolic blood pressure/MET slope method. Results: Overall, 1137 athletes (mean age 21 years; 34.7% females) without known arterial hypertension were included April 2020–October 2021. Among them, 19.6%, 15.0%, and 6.8% were diagnosed EBPR according to ESC, AHA, and ACSM guidelines, respectively. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was detected in 20.5% of the athletes and was approximately two-fold more frequent in athletes with EBPR than in those without. While EBPR according to AHA (OR 2.35 [95%CI 1.66–3.33], p p = 0.031) was independently (of age and sex) associated with LVH, EBPR defined according to ESC guidelines (OR 1.49 [95%CI 1.00–2.23], p = 0.051) was not. In adult athletes, only AHA guidelines (OR 1.96 [95%CI 1.32–2.90], p = 0.001) and systolic blood pressure/MET slope method (OR 1.73 [95%CI 1.08–2.78], p = 0.023) were independently predictive for LVH. Conclusions: Diverging guidelines exist for the screening regarding EBPR. In competitive athletes, the prevalence of EBPR was highest when applying the ESC (19.6%) and lowest using the ACSM guidelines (6.8%). An association of EBPR with LVH in adult athletes, independently of age and sex, was only found when the AHA guideline or the systolic blood pressure/MET slope method was applied

Total numbers and in-hospital mortality of patients with myocardial infarction in Germany during the FIFA soccer world cup 2014

Abstract Environmental stress like important soccer events can induce excitation, stress and anger. We aimed to investigate (i) whether the FIFA soccer world cup (WC) 2014 and (ii) whether the soccer games of the German national team had an impact on total numbers and in-hospital mortality of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in Germany. We analyzed data of MI inpatients of the German nationwide inpatient sample (2013–2015). Patients admitted due to MI during FIFA WC 2014 (12th June–13th July2014) were compared to those during the same period 2013 and 2015 (12th June–13th July). Total number of MI patients was higher during WC 2014 than in the comparison-period 2013 (18,479 vs.18,089, P < 0.001) and 2015 (18,479 vs.17,794, P < 0.001). WC was independently associated with higher MI numbers (2014 vs. 2013: OR 1.04 [95% CI 1.01–1.07]; 2014 vs. 2015: OR 1.07 [95% CI 1.04–1.10], P < 0.001). Patient characteristics and in-hospital mortality rate (8.3% vs. 8.3% vs. 8.4%) were similar during periods. In-hospital mortality rate was not affected by games of the German national team (8.9% vs. 8.1%, P = 0.110). However, we observed an increase regarding in-hospital mortality from 7.9 to 9.3% before to 12.0% at final-match-day. Number of hospital admissions due to MI in Germany was 3.7% higher during WC 2014 than during the same 31-day period 2015. While in-hospital mortality was not affected by the WC, the in-hospital mortality was highest at WC final

Influencing factors of cardiorespiratory fitness in allogeneic stem cell transplant candidates prior to transplantation

Purpose!#!Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) seems to be prognostic prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Influencing factors of CRF in allo-HSCT candidates have not been studied so far. Aim was to identify potentially influencing factors on CRF.!##!Methods!#!To assess CRF, a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was performed on average 2.6 ± 7.2 days prior to admission. A regression analysis was conducted, with the following predictors: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), time between last therapy and allo-HSCT (t_Therapies), number of cardiotoxic therapies (n_Cardiotox), number of transplantations (n_Transplantations), comorbidity index (HCT-CI), hemoglobin level of the last 3 months (area under the curve), and physical activity.!##!Results!#!A total of 194 patients performed a CPET. VO!##!Conclusions!#!Our study demonstrates a decreased CRF indicating the potential need of prehabilitative exercise. We revealed some influencing factors on CRF. Those patients could benefit the most from exercise