Good Governance and Multidimensional Poverty: A Comparative Analysis of 71 Countries

In 2015, the international community committed to “reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions.” According to international development agencies, good governance is crucial to achieving this. We examine the relationship between good governance and multidimensional poverty using hierarchical models and survey data for 71 countries. Our results suggest there is a direct effect of good governance on multidimensional poverty and that good governance is associated with reduced horizontal inequalities. However, we find evidence of a beneficial effect of good governance for middle‐income countries but not for low‐income countries. Thus, while our results suggest that good governance can play a role in reducing multidimensional poverty, they also suggest that governance reforms alone might not yield the desired effect for all countries

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeting of BPV-1-Transformed Primary Equine Sarcoid Fibroblasts

Equine sarcoids (EqS) are fibroblast-derived skin tumors associated with bovine papillomavirus 1 and 2 (BPV-1 and -2). Based on Southern blotting, the BPV-1 genome was not found to be integrated in the host cell genome, suggesting that EqS pathogenesis does not result from insertional mutagenesis. Hence, CRISPR/Cas9 implies an interesting tool for selectively targeting BPV-1 episomes or genetically anchored suspected host factors. To address this in a proof-of-concept study, we confirmed the exclusive episomal persistence of BPV-1 in EqS using targeted locus amplification (TLA). To investigate the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of BPV-1 episomes, primary equine fibroblast cultures were established and characterized. In the EqS fibroblast cultures, CRISPR-mediated targeting of the episomal E5 and E6 oncogenes as well as the BPV-1 long control region was successful and resulted in a pronounced reduction of the BPV-1 load. Moreover, the deletion of the equine Vimentin (VIM), which is highly expressed in EqS, considerably decreased the number of BPV-1 episomes. Our results suggest CRISPR/Cas9-based gene targeting may serve as a tool to help further unravel the biology of EqS pathogenesis

Equine papillomavirus type 2‐associated, carcinomatous lesions of the penis and laryngopharynx of an elderly Icelandic horse gelding

A 28‐year‐old Icelandic horse gelding was presented with a laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The gelding had been treated for penile carcinoma in situ with a partial phallectomy 2 years earlier. Polymerase chain reaction of tumour DNA and subsequent amplicon sequencing revealed that the equine papillomavirus type 2 E6 oncogene sequences of both lesions were identical. There is strong evidence that equine papillomavirus type 2 is causally associated with genital squamous cell carcinomas and precancerous lesions. Recent reports indicate that equine papillomavirus type 2 might also play an active role in the pathogenesis of approximately 20% of equine squamous cell carcinomas in the oronasal, pharyngeal and laryngeal regions. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a horse consecutively developing a penile carcinoma in situ and a laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma that were apparently induced by the same equine papillomavirus type 2 variant. Possible equine papillomavirus type 2 infection pathways in this horse and the importance of early detection of lesions are discussed in this context

COVID-19 partial school closures and mental health problems: A cross-sectional survey of 11,000 adolescents to determine those most at risk.

Funder: NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames ValleyFunder: The Westminster FoundationBACKGROUND: Understanding adolescents' mental health during lockdown and identifying those most at risk is an urgent public health challenge. This study surveyed school pupils across Southern England during the first COVID-19 school lockdown to investigate situational factors associated with mental health difficulties and how they relate to pupils' access to in-school educational provision. METHODS: A total of 11,765 pupils in years 8-13 completed a survey in June-July 2020, including questions on mental health, risk indicators and access to school provision. Pupils at home were compared to those accessing in-school provision on risk and contextual factors and mental health outcomes. Multilevel logistic regression analyses compared the effect of eight risk and contextual factors, including access to in-school provision, on depression, anxiety and self-reported deterioration in mental wellbeing. RESULTS: Females, pupils who had experienced food poverty and those who had previously accessed mental health support were at greatest risk of depression, anxiety and a deterioration in wellbeing. Pupils whose parents were going out to work and those preparing for national examinations in the subsequent school year were also at increased risk. Pupils accessing in-school provision had poorer mental health, but this was accounted for by the background risk and contextual factors assessed, in line with the allocation of in-school places to more vulnerable pupils. CONCLUSIONS: Although the strongest associations with poor mental health during school closures were established risk factors, further contextual factors of particular relevance during lockdown had negative impacts on wellbeing. Identifying those pupils at greatest risk for poor outcomes is critical for ensuring that appropriate educational and social support can be given to pupils either at home or in-school during subsequent lockdowns

What outcomes are important to patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease, their caregivers, and health-care professionals? A systematic review

Introduction: Clinical trials involving patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continue to try to identify disease-modifying treatments. Although trials are designed to meet regulatory and registration requirements, many do not measure outcomes of the disease most relevant to key stakeholders. Methods: A systematic review sought research that elicited information from people with AD, their caregivers, and health-care professionals on which outcomes of the disease were important. Studies published in any language between 2008 and 2017 were included. Results: Participants in 34 studies described 32 outcomes of AD. These included clinical (memory, mental health), practical (ability to undertake activities of daily living, access to health information), and personal (desire for patient autonomy, maintenance of identity) outcomes of the disease. Discussion: Evidence elicited directly from the people most affected by AD reveals a range of disease outcomes that are relevant to them but are not commonly captured in clinical trials of new treatments.</br

Real-world evidence in Alzheimer’s disease: the ROADMAP Data Cube

INTRODUCTION:The ROADMAP project aimed to provide an integrated overview of European real-world data on Alzheimer's disease (AD) across the disease spectrum. METHODS:Metadata were identified from data sources in catalogs of European AD projects. Priority outcomes for different stakeholders were identified through systematic literature review, patient and public consultations, and stakeholder surveys. RESULTS:Information about 66 data sources and 13 outcome domains were integrated into a Data Cube. Gap analysis identified cognitive ability, functional ability/independence, behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms, treatment, comorbidities, and mortality as the outcomes collected most. Data were most lacking in caregiver-related outcomes. In general, electronic health records covered a broader, less detailed data spectrum than research cohorts. DISCUSSION:This integrated real-world AD data overview provides an intuitive visual model that facilitates initial assessment and identification of gaps in relevant outcomes data to inform future prospective data collection and matching of data sources and outcomes against research protocols

The Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal

Abstract: The Dementias Platform UK Data Portal is a data repository facilitating access to data for 3 370 929 individuals in 42 cohorts. The Data Portal is an end-to-end data management solution providing a secure, fully auditable, remote access environment for the analysis of cohort data. All projects utilising the data are by default collaborations with the cohort research teams generating the data. The Data Portal uses UK Secure eResearch Platform infrastructure to provide three core utilities: data discovery, access, and analysis. These are delivered using a 7 layered architecture comprising: data ingestion, data curation, platform interoperability, data discovery, access brokerage, data analysis and knowledge preservation. Automated, streamlined, and standardised procedures reduce the administrative burden for all stakeholders, particularly for requests involving multiple independent datasets, where a single request may be forwarded to multiple data controllers. Researchers are provided with their own secure ‘lab’ using VMware which is accessed using two factor authentication. Over the last 2 years, 160 project proposals involving 579 individual cohort data access requests were received. These were received from 268 applicants spanning 72 institutions (56 academic, 13 commercial, 3 government) in 16 countries with 84 requests involving multiple cohorts. Projects are varied including multi-modal, machine learning, and Mendelian randomisation analyses. Data access is usually free at point of use although a small number of cohorts require a data access fee

Self-reported wellbeing and sample characteristics in a survey of 19000 school pupils during the first UK COVID-19 school closures

Abstract Background Understanding the impact of COVID-19 and associated school closures on the wellbeing of children and young people is important for guiding the provision of support for educational and wellbeing needs, and to prevent long-term negative impacts. Such insight can benefit most from research with large representative samples, which are difficult to capture via most means of recruitment. Methods We surveyed 19000 pupils in years 4-13 at schools or Further Education Colleges (FECs) in Southern England during the first period of UK COVID-19 partial school closures (June-July 2020). We asked participants to report how they perceived the impact of lockdown on wellbeing and lifestyle factors. We also collected information on key demographics and characteristics, to assess the representativeness of a sample that can be recruited via schools during a lockdown. Results Most responses were from pupils in years 7-10 and most were female and receiving educational provision from home during the first lockdown. The sample captured some responses from young people who said they felt unsafe at school or at home, and some who said they had self-harmed during lockdown. Compared to primary school pupils, responses from pupils at secondary school or FECs revealed higher percentages reporting negative impacts of lockdown, most notably to changes in general happiness, loneliness and management of school work. Conclusions Self-perceived changes to wellbeing by school pupils reveal negative impacts of school closures in terms of social deprivation and education on many pupils at secondary schools and FECs. The findings highlight that there have been both positive and negative impacts on the self-perceived wellbeing of school-aged children, with almost one third reporting sleeping and feeling better

Papillomavirus-like Particles in Equine Medicine

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are a family of small DNA tumor viruses that can induce benign lesions or cancer in vertebrates. The observation that animal PV capsid-proteins spontaneously self-assemble to empty, highly immunogenic virus-like particles (VLPs) has led to the establishment of vaccines that efficiently protect humans from specific PV infections and associated diseases. We provide an overview of PV-induced tumors in horses and other equids, discuss possible routes of PV transmission in equid species, and present recent developments aiming at introducing the PV VLP-based vaccine technology into equine medicine

Loneliness and self-harm in adolescents during the first national COVID-19 lockdown: results from a survey of 10,000 secondary school pupils in England

Adolescents’ loneliness and self-harm have received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic with concerns that the socioecological changes taking place would contribute to an escalation of both loneliness and self-harm. However, empirical evidence is scant. We estimated the prevalence of loneliness and self-harm in adolescent school pupils and investigated the association of loneliness and change in loneliness during the UK’s first lockdown with self-harm during lockdown in a cross-sectional school survey (OxWell) involving 10,460 12–18-year-olds from south England. Loneliness was measured with four items. Self-harm was ascertained through a detailed questionnaire. The prevalence of loneliness and self-harm were estimated applying post-stratification weights to account for differences between the study sample and the target population. The associations between indicators of loneliness and self-harm were examined using mixed effect models. 1,896 of 10,460 adolescents (18.1%) reported feeling lonely ‘often’ (weighted proportion 16.8%). 3,802/10,460 (36.4%; weighted proportion 35%) felt more lonely since lockdown. Self-harm during lockdown was reported by 787/10,460 adolescents (7.5%; weighted proportion 6.7%). Controlling for confounders, adolescents who reported feeling lonely ‘often’ [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.8, 95% CI 2.1–3.9, p < 0.0001] or ‘sometimes’ (aOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5–3.2, p < 0.0001) were more likely to self-harm during lockdown relative to adolescents who reported ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ feeling lonely. Exacerbation in loneliness during lockdown was associated with an increase in the odds of self-harm during lockdown. Loneliness, heightened loneliness and self-harm were common during lockdown and closely linked. It is important to support schools in address loneliness and self-harm as part of efforts to improve well-being as the long tail of the pandemic continues to impact on child and adolescent mental health. Understanding how loneliness and self-harm may co-vary could be important for future self-harm reduction strategies in young persons. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03651-5