698 research outputs found
Public health effects of travel-related policies on the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods systematic review
Objectives: To map travel policies implemented due to COVID-19 during 2020, and conduct a mixed methods systematic review of health effects of such policies, and related contextual factors.
Design: Policy mapping and systematic review.
Data sources and Eligibility Criteria: for the policy mapping, we searched websites of relevant government bodies and used data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker for a convenient
sample of 31 countries across different regions. For the systematic review, we searched Medline (Ovid),
PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and COVID-19 specific databases. We
included randomized controlled trial, non-randomized studies, modeling studies, and qualitative studies.
Two independent reviewers selected studies, abstracted data and assessed risk of bias.
Results: Most countries adopted a total border closure at the start of the pandemic. For the remainder
of the year, partial border closure banning arrivals from some countries or regions was the most widely
adopted measure, followed by mandatory quarantine and screening of travelers. The systematic search
identified 69 eligible studies, including 50 modeling studies. Both observational and modeling evidence
suggest that border closure may reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, disease spread across countries
and between regions, and slow the progression of the outbreak. These effects are likely to be enhanced
when implemented early, and when combined with measures reducing transmission rates in the community. Quarantine of travelers may decrease the number of COVID-19 cases but its effectiveness depends
on compliance and enforcement and is more effective if followed by testing, especially when less than 14
day-quarantine is considered. Screening at departure and/or arrival is unlikely to detect a large proportion
of cases or to delay an outbreak. Effectiveness of screening may be improved with increased sensitivity
of screening tests, awareness of travelers, asymptomatic screening, and exit screening at country source.
While four studies on contextual evidence found that the majority of the public is supportive of travel
restrictions, they uncovered concerns about the unintended harms of those policies.Peer Reviewe
Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 impairs the reparative properties of macrophages and microglia in the brain
Failure of remyelination underlies the progressive nature of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Macrophages and microglia are crucially involved in the formation and repair of demyelinated lesions. Here we show that myelin uptake temporarily skewed these phagocytes toward a disease-resolving phenotype, while sustained intracellular accumulation of myelin induced a lesion-promoting phenotype. This phenotypic shift was controlled by stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), an enzyme responsible for the desaturation of saturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids generated by SCD1 reduced the surface abundance of the cholesterol efflux transporter ABCA1, which in turn promoted lipid accumulation and induced an inflammatory phagocyte phenotype. Pharmacological inhibition or phagocyte-specific deficiency of Scd1 accelerated remyelination ex vivo and in vivo. These findings identify SCD1 as a novel therapeutic target to promote remyelination
Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey
Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on the Healthy Eating Index, Binge Eating Behavior and Food Craving in a Middle Eastern Population: A Lebanese Experience
Even though bariatric surgeries (BS) are on the rise in Lebanon and the Middle East, the changes in diet quality, binge eating, and food cravings in this region are poorly studied peri-operatively. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess binge eating behaviors, food craving and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) in Lebanese patients who underwent BS in a duration that exceeds 6 months. Evaluation included a dietary assessment of usual diet preoperatively and postoperatively. It included the collection of information on sociodemographic, anthropometric and surgical variables, as well as the administration of dietary recalls and questionnaires to calculate the HEI score, the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and the Food Craving Inventory (FCI). Participants (n = 60) were mostly females (85%) who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy (90%), with a mean duration since BS of 2.4 ± 1.8 years. Despite improvements in their HEI scores, 97% of the participants remained in the worst category. The frequency of participants in the severe BES category dropped markedly postoperatively from 78% to 5% (p < 0.01). Food craving followed a similar trend, with scores dropping from 50 ± 36 pre-surgery to 30 ± 25 post surgery (p < 0.01). Weight regain, prevalent among 40% of participants, was predicted by BES. Despite the improvement in BES and FCI, HEI improvement remained shy. Future interventions should validate findings in other countries and assess means for optimizing HEI scores among BS patients in the Middle East region
Sequencing intact membrane proteins using MALDI mass spectrometry
Membrane proteins are key players in many cellular events and represent crucial drug targets. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) is a valuable approach to investigate them. To our knowledge, there are only a few reports of sequencing small membrane proteins using MALDI in-source decay (ISD). We report the successful fragmentation and sequencing of membrane proteins up to 46Â kDa by MALDI-ISD. We have 1) investigated key MALDI parameters that influence the sequencing of a soluble protein; 2) used atomic force microscopy to observe our samples and correlate their topological features with MALDI data, which allowed us to optimize fragmentation conditions; 3) sequenced N- and C-termini of three membrane proteins (SpoIIIAF, TIM23, and NOX), solubilized in three different ways. Our results indicate that detergent and buffer type are of key importance for successful MALDI-ISD sequencing. Our findings are significant because sequencing membrane proteins enables the unique characterization of challenging biomolecules. The resulting fragmentation patterns provide key insights into the identity of proteins, their sequences, modifications, and other crucial information, such as the position of unexpected truncation
Ăvaluation d'impact de l'explosion du port de Beyrouth: Ătude multidimensionnelle des incidences socio-Ă©conomiques des explosions du 4 aoĂ»t 2020 de Beyrouth
Ce rapport a Ă©tĂ© financĂ© par l'Institut français du Proche-Orient. Les analyses et conclusions de ce document sont formulĂ©es sous la responsabilitĂ© de leurs auteurs. Elles ne reflĂštent pas nĂ©cessairement le point de vue de l'Ifpo ni de leurs institutions partenaires.Les explosions du 4 aoĂ»t 2020 au port de Beyrouth ont plongĂ© le Liban dans une dĂ©tresse insoutenable. Cette Ă©tude a vocation Ă mesurer lâimpact de lâexplosion en considĂ©rant le point de vue des victimes des Ă©vĂ©nements du 4 aoĂ»t 2020. Ce travail dâĂ©valuation vient complĂ©ter les travaux et les rapports internationaux sur la quantification des dommages et des pertes causĂ©es, en mesurant les incidences de lâexplosion Ă lâĂ©chelle sectorielle et dans le micro-social. Ce travail se concentre donc sur les prĂ©judices causĂ©s aux travailleurs et aux habitants, plutĂŽt que de se limiter aux effets sur les entreprises et lâhabitat. Cette Ă©tude regroupe ainsi un ensemble de recherches sur les quartiers endommagĂ©s par lâexplosion, afin de mettre en commun des analyses multidimensionnelles de son impact et de rĂ©flĂ©chir aux pistes dâaction prioritaires. Les conclusions de ce rapport ont pour but dâidentifier les besoins des habitants et des travailleurs dans la zone de lâexplosion, dans lâoptique dâĂ©tablir un ordre de prioritĂ© et dâorienter les futures recherches
Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 impairs the reparative properties of macrophages and microglia in the brain
Failure of remyelination underlies the progressive nature of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Macrophages and microglia are crucially involved in the formation and repair of demyelinated lesions. Here we show that myelin uptake temporarily skewed these phagocytes toward a disease-resolving phenotype, while sustained intracellular accumulation of myelin induced a lesion-promoting phenotype. This phenotypic shift was controlled by stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), an enzyme responsible for the desaturation of saturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids generated by SCD1 reduced the surface abundance of the cholesterol efflux transporter ABCA1, which in turn promoted lipid accumulation and induced an inflammatory phagocyte phenotype. Pharmacological inhibition or phagocyte-specific deficiency of Scd1 accelerated remyelination ex vivo and in vivo. These findings identify SCD1 as a novel therapeutic target to promote remyelination.status: publishe
Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 impairs the reparative properties of macrophages and microglia in the brain
Failure of remyelination underlies the progressive nature of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Macrophages and microglia are crucially involved in the formation and repair of demyelinated lesions. Here we show that myelin uptake temporarily skewed these phagocytes toward a disease-resolving phenotype, while sustained intracellular accumulation of myelin induced a lesion-promoting phenotype. This phenotypic shift was controlled by stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), an enzyme responsible for the desaturation of saturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids generated by SCD1 reduced the surface abundance of the cholesterol efflux transporter ABCA1, which in turn promoted lipid accumulation and induced an inflammatory phagocyte phenotype. Pharmacological inhibition or phagocyte-specific deficiency of Scd1 accelerated remyelination ex vivo and in vivo. These findings identify SCD1 as a novel therapeutic target to promote remyelination
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