Highlights from the 16th International Society for Computational Biology Student Council Symposium 2020.

In this meeting overview, we summarise the scientific program and organisation of the 16th International Society for Computational Biology Student Council Symposium in 2020 (ISCB SCS2020). This symposium was the first virtual edition in an uninterrupted series of symposia that has been going on for 15 years, aiming to unite computational biology students and early career researchers across the globe. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2021 Cuypers WL et al.

Gene expression reversal toward pre-adult levels in the aging human brain and age-related loss of cellular identity

It was previously reported that mRNA expression levels in the prefrontal cortex at old age start to resemble pre-adult levels. Such expression reversals could imply loss of cellular identity in the aging brain, and provide a link between aging-related molecular changes and functional decline. Here we analyzed 19 brain transcriptome age-series datasets, comprising 17 diverse brain regions, to investigate the ubiquity and functional properties of expression reversal in the human brain. Across all 19 datasets, 25 genes were consistently up-regulated during postnatal development and down-regulated in aging, displaying an "up-down" pattern that was significant as determined by random permutations. In addition, 113 biological processes, including neuronal and synaptic functions, were consistently associated with genes showing an up-down tendency among all datasets. Genes up-regulated during in vitro neuronal differentiation also displayed a tendency for up-down reversal, although at levels comparable to other genes. We argue that reversals may not represent aging-related neuronal loss. Instead, expression reversals may be associated with aging-related accumulation of stochastic effects that lead to loss of functional and structural identity in neurons. © 2017 The Author(s)

Use of drugs subject to controlled prescriptions: A retrospective analysis

Objective: Use of drugs that may lead to abuse or dependence are subject to controlled prescriptions (CPs) in many countries, and these are closely monitored by health authorities. According to national regulations in Turkey, CPs may be red coloured (RCPs) or green coloured (GCPs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of such drugs in Istanbul. Study Design: Retrospective case-control study. Material and Methods: During the study period (01/01-31/12 2009), 502874 CPs were reported. Among these, 4000 CPs each month were randomly selected and evaluated. Results: The majority of GCPs were issued to women (55.6%), while the majority of RCPs were issued to men (68.4%). GCPs were most frequently prescribed by physicians working in private hospitals (33.6%) while RCPs by physicians working in university hospitals (39.7%). GCPs were mostly prescribed by psychiatrists (37.6%) while for RCPs were child and adolescent psychiatrists (35.9%). Psycholeptics (ATC code N05) were the most prescribed controlled drugs (CDs) (43.8%). Methylphenidate (53.9%) was the mostly prescribed on RCPs and alprazolam (39.6%) was on GCPs. Conclusion: We demonstrate that utilization of CDs shows demographical and institutional differences. These data could be of help to improve surveillance of CDs as well as to train prescribers and patients