Towards an understanding of neuroscience for science educators

Advances in neuroscience have brought new insights to the development of cognitive functions. These data are of considerable interest to educators concerned with how students learn. This review documents some of the recent findings in neuroscience, which is richer in describing cognitive functions than affective aspects of learning. A brief overview is presented here of the techniques used to generate data from imaging and how these findings have the possibility to inform educators. There are implications for considering the impact of neuroscience at all levels of education – from the classroom teacher and practitioner to policy. This relatively new cross-disciplinary area of research implies a need for educators and scientists to engage with each other. What questions are emerging through such dialogues between educators and scientists are likely to shed light on, for example, reward, motivation, working memory, learning difficulties, bilingualism and child development. The sciences of learning are entering a new paradigm

Adalimumab discontinuation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after achieving sustained remission

Objective: to assess whether adalimumab (AD) can be gradually discontinued during continuous methotrexate (MTX) use in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA). Subjects and methods. Within the REMARCA (the Russian study of methotrexate and biological agents in early active arthritis) study, the investigators examined 20 patients (17 women and 3 men; median age, 51 [41.5; 56] years) with ERA (disease duration, 10 [5.5; 20] months; DAS28, 5.17 [4.37; 6.51]; 85% of the patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and 85% for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies. Results and discussion. All the patients received subcutaneous MTX 25 mg/week. Twelve weeks after beginning therapy with MTX, due to its inefficiency, ADA was added according to the standard scheme. At week 24, the median DAS28 was 3.0 [1.65; 3.73]; 85% of the patients achieved remission or low disease activity. After 3 months of ADA therapy, high or moderate disease activity remained in 3 (15%) patients; median DAS28 was 4.4 [4.3; 6.1]; the drug was discontinued in them due to ineffective therapy. After 12-month follow-up, low DAS28 scores were observed in 5 (29.4%), DAS28 remission was in 12 (70.6%) of the 17 patients who continued ADA treatment; after 24 months, all the 17 patients were noted to have remission. After achieving sustained remission (≥ 6-month duration during ADA therapy), there was a carefully controlled reduction (titration) in the dose of ADA with its complete discontinuation, by maintaining remission at 36-month follow-up; the median DAS28 was 1.6 [1.4; 2.2]. During ADA treatment, one female patient developed pustular psoriasis and therefore the drug was discontinued at 24-month follow-up during the period of sustained remission. Other serious adverse events and tuberculosis cases were not recorded. Conclusion. Thus, the results of the study are indicative of the high clinical efficiency of the therapy. After ADA discontinuation, sustained remission can be maintained in patients with ERA and if they took biological agents early. © 2018 Ima-Press Publishing House. All rights reserved

Adalimumab discontinuation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after achieving sustained remission

Objective: to assess whether adalimumab (AD) can be gradually discontinued during continuous methotrexate (MTX) use in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA). Subjects and methods. Within the REMARCA (the Russian study of methotrexate and biological agents in early active arthritis) study, the investigators examined 20 patients (17 women and 3 men; median age, 51 [41.5; 56] years) with ERA (disease duration, 10 [5.5; 20] months; DAS28, 5.17 [4.37; 6.51]; 85% of the patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and 85% for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies. Results and discussion. All the patients received subcutaneous MTX 25 mg/week. Twelve weeks after beginning therapy with MTX, due to its inefficiency, ADA was added according to the standard scheme. At week 24, the median DAS28 was 3.0 [1.65; 3.73]; 85% of the patients achieved remission or low disease activity. After 3 months of ADA therapy, high or moderate disease activity remained in 3 (15%) patients; median DAS28 was 4.4 [4.3; 6.1]; the drug was discontinued in them due to ineffective therapy. After 12-month follow-up, low DAS28 scores were observed in 5 (29.4%), DAS28 remission was in 12 (70.6%) of the 17 patients who continued ADA treatment; after 24 months, all the 17 patients were noted to have remission. After achieving sustained remission (≥ 6-month duration during ADA therapy), there was a carefully controlled reduction (titration) in the dose of ADA with its complete discontinuation, by maintaining remission at 36-month follow-up; the median DAS28 was 1.6 [1.4; 2.2]. During ADA treatment, one female patient developed pustular psoriasis and therefore the drug was discontinued at 24-month follow-up during the period of sustained remission. Other serious adverse events and tuberculosis cases were not recorded. Conclusion. Thus, the results of the study are indicative of the high clinical efficiency of the therapy. After ADA discontinuation, sustained remission can be maintained in patients with ERA and if they took biological agents early. © 2018 Ima-Press Publishing House. All rights reserved

Adalimumab discontinuation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after achieving sustained remission

Objective: to assess whether adalimumab (AD) can be gradually discontinued during continuous methotrexate (MTX) use in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA). Subjects and methods. Within the REMARCA (the Russian study of methotrexate and biological agents in early active arthritis) study, the investigators examined 20 patients (17 women and 3 men; median age, 51 [41.5; 56] years) with ERA (disease duration, 10 [5.5; 20] months; DAS28, 5.17 [4.37; 6.51]; 85% of the patients were seropositive for rheumatoid factor and 85% for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies. Results and discussion. All the patients received subcutaneous MTX 25 mg/week. Twelve weeks after beginning therapy with MTX, due to its inefficiency, ADA was added according to the standard scheme. At week 24, the median DAS28 was 3.0 [1.65; 3.73]; 85% of the patients achieved remission or low disease activity. After 3 months of ADA therapy, high or moderate disease activity remained in 3 (15%) patients; median DAS28 was 4.4 [4.3; 6.1]; the drug was discontinued in them due to ineffective therapy. After 12-month follow-up, low DAS28 scores were observed in 5 (29.4%), DAS28 remission was in 12 (70.6%) of the 17 patients who continued ADA treatment; after 24 months, all the 17 patients were noted to have remission. After achieving sustained remission (≥ 6-month duration during ADA therapy), there was a carefully controlled reduction (titration) in the dose of ADA with its complete discontinuation, by maintaining remission at 36-month follow-up; the median DAS28 was 1.6 [1.4; 2.2]. During ADA treatment, one female patient developed pustular psoriasis and therefore the drug was discontinued at 24-month follow-up during the period of sustained remission. Other serious adverse events and tuberculosis cases were not recorded. Conclusion. Thus, the results of the study are indicative of the high clinical efficiency of the therapy. After ADA discontinuation, sustained remission can be maintained in patients with ERA and if they took biological agents early. © 2018 Ima-Press Publishing House. All rights reserved

ОПЫТ ДИАГНОСТИКИ И ЛЕЧЕНИЯ ПАЦИЕНТОВ С ТОТАЛЬНЫМ И СУБТОТАЛЬНЫМ АГАНГЛИОЗОМ КИШЕЧНИКА

Total and subtotal intestinal aganglionosis (hypogangliosis) is a severe and potentially lethal condition related to neuromuscular intestinal diseases. Some authors consider it as a rare, atypical and most severe form of rectocolic aganglionosis which constitutes 1% of all cases related to the disease [6,7,8]. According to meta-analysis performed by Ruttenstock, 68 patients with total aganglionosis were found in the world literature for 2009 [8]. Different surgical methods (Martin, Kimura, Zigler procedures (extended myectomy and myotomy), bringing down the ileum with formation of ileoanal anastomosis, Bianchi’s plasty and STEP-procedure, intestinal transplantation) are proposed for treatment of total intestinal aganglionosis; however, none of them were considered as superior to the others [3,6,8]. The article describes three clinical cases of total and subtotal intestinal aganglionosis in patients of the neonatal surgery department of Filatov Moscow Pediatric Clinical Hospital No. 13 in 2015-2016. According to our experience, the tactics of sparing resection with preservation of the small intestine maximum length is being optimal. However, it doesn’t exclude the need for durative parenteral nutritional support. Using domestic parenteral nutrition in the management of this group of patients is pharmaco-economically viable.Тотальный и субтотальный аганглиоз (гипоганглиоз) кишечника является тяжелым и потенциально летальным состоянием из группы нейромышечных заболеваний кишечника. Некоторыми авторами он рассматривается как редкая, атипичная и наиболее тяжелая форма болезни Гиршпрунга, составляющая 1% всех случаев данного заболевания [1, 2, 3]. По результатам мета-анализа, выполненного Ruttenstock, в мировой литературе на 2009 год было описано 68 пациентов с тотальным аганглиозом [3]. Для лечения тотального аганглиоза кишечника предлагаются различные хирургические методики: операции Мартина и Кимура, процедура Циглера (расширенная миоэктомия-миотомия), низведение подвздошной кишки с созданием илеоанального анастомоза, удлиняющая пластика по Бианчи и STEP-процедура, трансплантация кишечника, однако ни одна из них не доказала своего превосходства над другими [1, 3, 4]. В статье приведено описание трех клинических случаев тотального и субтотального аганглиоза кишечника, наблюдавшихся в отделении хирургии новорожденных ДГКБ № 13 им. Н.Ф. Филатова в 2015-2016 гг. Согласно нашему опыту тактика экономной резекции с сохранением максимальной длины тонкой кишки является оптимальной, однако она не исключает необходимости длительной парентеральной нутритивной поддержки. Использование техники домашнего парентерального питания в ведении данной группы пациентов является фармако-экономически целесообразным

Adaptive Zugriffskontrollverfahren : Ein Entscheidungsmodell für die Kontrolle des Zugriffs auf gemeinsam genutzte IT-Infrastrukturen

Der Artikel stellt ein Entscheidungsmodell für die Zugriffskontrolle von Diensten vor, die auf einer gemeinsam genutzten IT-Infrastruktur (shared infrastructure) erbracht werden. Ziel ist hierbei die Maximierung des Ertrags eines IT-Dienstleisters bzw. die effiziente Erfüllung von Dienstleistungsverträgen durch dynamische Priorisierung von Diensten in Phasen von Ressourcenengpässen. * Opportunitätskostenüberlegungen dienen als Kriterium zur Entscheidung über direkte Annahme, Pufferung oder Ablehnung einer Dienstanfrage. * Das Modell berücksichtigt kombinatorische Effekte, die sich aufgrund der Belegung mehrerer Ressourcen durch Dienstausführungen und deren Interdependenzen ergeben. * Das darauf aufbauende Zugriffskontrollverfahren antizipiert zukünftige Nachfrage nach Diensten und korrespondierenden Ressourcenanforderungen und optimiert daher vorausschauend. * Die Evaluierung des Verfahrens mittels Simulationen realitätsnaher Szenarien eines Anbieters von Media-On-Demand-Diensten zeigt eine wesentliche Verbesserung des erzielten Ertrags gegenüber Standardverfahren

Genomic analysis of recombinant Sabin clinical isolates

Recombination in Poliovirus vaccine strains is a very frequent phenomenon. In this report 23 polio/Sabin strains isolated from healthy vaccinees or from VAPP patients after OPV administration, were investigated in order to identify recombination sites from 2C to 3D regions of the poliovirus genome. RT-PCR, followed by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) screening analysis were applied in four distant genomic regions (5' UTR, VP1, 2C and 3C-3D) in order to detect any putative recombinant. The detected recombinants were sequenced from 2C to the end of the genome (3' UTR) and the exact recombination sites were determined with computational analysis. Five of the 23 isolated strains were recombinant in one genomic region, two of them in 2C, isolates EP16:S3/S2, EP23:S3/S1, two in 3D isolates EP6:S2/S1, EP12:S2/S1 and one in 3A isolate EP9:S2/Sl. Point mutations were found in strains EP3, EP6, EP9 and EP12. Recombination specific types and sites re-occurrence along with point mutations are discussed concerning the polioviruses evolution