Seven day pre-analytical stability of serum and plasma neurofilament light chain.

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has emerged as a biomarker of neuroaxonal damage in several neurologic conditions. With increasing availability of fourth-generation immunoassays detecting NfL in blood, aspects of pre-analytical stability of this biomarker remain unanswered. This study investigated NfL concentrations in serum and plasma samples of 32 patients with neurological diagnoses using state of the art Simoa technology. We tested the effect of delayed freezing of up to 7 days and statistically determined stability and validity of measured concentrations. We found concentrations of NfL in serum and plasma to remain stable at room temperature when processing of samples is delayed up to 7 days (serum: mean absolute difference 0.9 pg/mL, intraindividual variation 1.2%; plasma: mean absolute difference 0.5 pg/mL, intraindividual variation 1.3%). Consistency of these results was nearly perfect for serum and excellent for plasma (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.99 and 0.94, respectively). In conclusion, the soluble serum and plasma NfL concentration remains stable when unprocessed blood samples are stored up to 7 days at room temperature. This information is essential for ensuring reliable study protocols, for example, when shipment of fresh samples is needed

E-procurement in Public Organization

Tampereen kaupungin kokonaishankinnoista vain kaksi prosenttia tehtiin toiminnanohjausjärjestelmällä vuonna 2013. Järjestelmän matalasta käyttöasteesta johtuen hankintatiedot puuttuvat järjestelmästä, mikä hankaloittaa hankintojen strategista johtamista. Työn taustalla on tarve tehostaa toimintoja ja saada aikaan kustannussäästöjä sekä saada hankinnoista enemmän tietoa niiden tehokkaammaksi johtamiseksi. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tunnistaa keinoja, joiden avulla Tampereen kaupungin ostamista voidaan kehittää sähköisellä ostojärjestelmällä. Päätavoitteena oli kaupungin ostamisen nykytilan selvittäminen ja siihen soveltuvan sähköisen ratkaisun vaatimusten määrittely. Tässä työssä keskityttiin työn toimeksiantajan Tampereen Logistiikan valitsemien Tampereen kaupungin yksiköiden Infran, Kotihoidon ja Tilakeskuksen ostamisen kehittämiseen. Tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisena monimenetelmäisenä tapaustutkimuksena. Aineistona käytettiin kirjallisuutta, vanhoja Tampereen kaupungin selvityksiä sekä kohdeyksiköiden ja muiden kaupunkien hankinnoista vastaavien henkilöiden haastatteluja. Aikaisempi kirjallisuus on käsitellyt ostamisen suhdetta hankintoihin ja toimitusketjuun sekä tarkastellut sähköistä ostamista keinona tehostaa hankintoja. Tutkimuksen empiriaosuus esittelee ensin havaintoja aikaisemmista tutkimuksista sekä muiden kaupunkien benchmark-analyysistä. Toisessa osassa käsitellään ostotoimintaa ja sen kehitysmahdollisuuksia kohdeorganisaation valikoiduissa yksiköissä. Aineistoanalyysin tuloksena tunnistettiin ostamisen ongelmaksi kirjavat ostoprosessit sekä niistä aiheutuvat prosessikustannukset. Tuloksina saatiin ostamisen asettamia vaatimuksia ostojärjestelmälle, joita ovat noutojen kirjaus ja mobiilikäyttömahdollisuus. Ratkaisuehdotuksena annettiin malli uudesta prosessista, johon sitoutuu vähemmän työaikaa aikaisempaan verrattuna sekä ehdotettiin katalogien käyttöönottamista kaupungin omassa järjestelmässä

Oppositional COMT Val158Met effects on resting state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults

© 2014, The Author(s).Prefrontal dopamine levels are relatively increased in adolescence compared to adulthood. Genetic variation of COMT (COMT Val158Met) results in lower enzymatic activity and higher dopamine availability in Met carriers. Given the dramatic changes of synaptic dopamine during adolescence, it has been suggested that effects of COMT Val158Met genotypes might have oppositional effects in adolescents and adults. The present study aims to identify such oppositional COMT Val158Met effects in adolescents and adults in prefrontal brain networks at rest. Resting state functional connectivity data were collected from cross-sectional and multicenter study sites involving 106 healthy young adults (mean age 24 ± 2.6 years), gender matched to 106 randomly chosen 14-year-olds. We selected the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (amPFC) as seed due to its important role as nexus of the executive control and default mode network. We observed a significant age-dependent reversal of COMT Val158Met effects on resting state functional connectivity between amPFC and ventrolateral as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus. Val homozygous adults exhibited increased and adolescents decreased connectivity compared to Met homozygotes for all reported regions. Network analyses underscored the importance of the parahippocampal gyrus as mediator of observed effects. Results of this study demonstrate that adolescent and adult resting state networks are dose-dependently and diametrically affected by COMT genotypes following a hypothetical model of dopamine function that follows an inverted U-shaped curve. This study might provide cues for the understanding of disease onset or dopaminergic treatment mechanisms in major neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Obesity: outcome of standardized life-style change in a rehabilitation clinic. An observational study

Helmuth Haslacher,1 Hannelore Fallmann,2 Claudia Waldhäusl,3 Edith Hartmann,2 Oswald F Wagner,1 Werner K Waldhäusl2,41Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 2Rehabilitation Clinic for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Moorbad Neydhartig, Neydharting, Upper Austria, Austria; 3Department of Radiotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 4Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaPurpose: To explore differences in baseline characteristics following three weeks of semi-standardized in-patient care between patients with obesity without and with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Patients and methods: Patients without or with T2D were matched according to age, sex, and BMI. Food intake was restricted to 1,200–1,600 kcal/d to which a 400–600 kcal/d exercise load was added, and data were compared using Student’s t-test, general linear models, and Spearman-rank correlations.Results: At baseline, patients with obesity and T2D displayed, besides elevated blood glucose and HbA1c values, higher serum liver enzymes (p<0.001–0.05), triglycerides, and CRP (p<0.01) and a greater prevalence of treated hyperlipidemia (p<0.001) than those with plain obesity who showed only higher LDL and HDL cholesterol levels (+9.0% and +16.0%). In response to three-weeks of standardized life-style change, both groups improved their vital variables and risk scores (p<0.001). While improvement in cholesterol slightly favored patients with plain obesity, the need for anti-hyperlipidemics (+25%) rose in both groups, albeit that for anti-hypertensives (+50%) increased only in patients with obesity and add-on T2D.Conclusion: Moderate changes in lifestyle improve the clinical condition, including coronary heart disease and premature mortality risk scores (HARD-CHD and ABSI) in patients with obesity both in the absence and presence of T2D, with the latter seemingly increasing the risk of hepatic steatosis and systemic inflammation.Keywords: obesity, standardized life-style change, liver disease, inflammation, rehabilitation clinic &nbsp

Scientific Reports / High intensity endurance training is associated with better quality of life, but not with improved cognitive functions in elderly marathon runners

Impairment of cognitive functions in advanced age leads to a reduced quality of life and impaired ability to perform everyday tasks. The positive impact of physical exercise on the quality of life and well-being, also at a later age, is well established. However, the effect of endurance exercises, including long distance running and cycling, on cognitive function and mental health within the elderly population has still to be elucidated. To this end, elderly active marathoners (N=50) aged over 60 years and non-athlete controls (N=49) were followed for four years. Cognitive function was assessed using the CERAD test battery. In addition, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was applied to assess self-reported physical, mental, and emotional health. Except for age, sex and education-corrected z-values of the test “Word list recall”, with marathon runners showing a decline compared to an improvement in controls (p<0.05), there was no statistically significant difference in time trend between groups. In contrast, concerning self-reported health, scores in all eight domains of the SF-36 remained stable over time and, in nearly all of them, marathon runners showed higher self-reported health than controls. The results indicated that extensive endurance exercise is associated with improved subjective health but does not lead to better scores in cognitive performance tests in elderly persons.(VLID)492091

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccinations in Hematological Patients: 6-Month Follow-Up and Evaluation of a 3rd Vaccination

Here we analyzed SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and T-cell responses after two coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations over a six-month period in patients with hematological malignancies and assessed the effect of a third vaccination in a subgroup. Sixty-six patients and 66 healthy controls were included. After two vaccinations seroconversion was seen in 52% and a T-cell-specific response in 59% of patients compared with 100% in controls (p = 0.001). Risk factors for a poor serological response were age (+ B-cells + T-cells > 310/µL. The magnitude of T-cell response was higher in patients + B-cells p p < 0.001). The third vaccination yielded seroconversion in three out of 19 patients in those without serological response. We conclude that both humoral and cellular responses after SARS-CoV-2 immunization are impaired in patients with hematological malignancies. A third vaccination enhanced B-cell response in patients who previously responded to the second vaccination but may be of limited benefit in patients without prior seroconversion