Dimensions of Misinformation About the HPV Vaccine on Instagram: Content and Network Analysis of Social Media Characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a major advancement in cancer prevention and this primary prevention tool has the potential to reduce and eliminate HPV-associated cancers; however, the safety and efficacy of vaccines in general and the HPV vaccine specifically have come under attack, particularly through the spread of misinformation on social media. The popular social media platform Instagram represents a significant source of exposure to health (mis)information; 1 in 3 US adults use Instagram. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this analysis was to characterize pro- and anti-HPV vaccine networks on Instagram, and to describe misinformation within the anti-HPV vaccine network. METHODS: From April 2018 to December 2018, we collected publicly available English-language Instagram posts containing hashtags #HPV, #HPVVaccine, or #Gardasil using Netlytic software (n=16,607). We randomly selected 10% of the sample and content analyzed relevant posts (n=580) for text, image, and social media features as well as holistic attributes (eg, sentiments, personal stories). Among antivaccine posts, we organized elements of misinformation within four broad dimensions: 1) misinformation theoretical domains, 2) vaccine debate topics, 3) evidence base, and 4) health beliefs. We conducted univariate, bivariate, and network analyses on the subsample of posts to quantify the role and position of individual posts in the network. RESULTS: Compared to provaccine posts (324/580, 55.9%), antivaccine posts (256/580, 44.1%) were more likely to originate from individuals (64.1% antivaccine vs 25.0% provaccine; P\u3c.001) and include personal narratives (37.1% vs 25.6%; P=.003). In the antivaccine network, core misinformation characteristics included mentioning #Gardasil, purporting to reveal a lie (ie, concealment), conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated claims, and risk of vaccine injury. Information/resource posts clustered around misinformation domains including falsification, nanopublications, and vaccine-preventable disease, whereas personal narrative posts clustered around different domains of misinformation, including concealment, injury, and conspiracy theories. The most liked post (6634 likes) in our full subsample was a positive personal narrative post, created by a non-health individual; the most liked post (5604 likes) in our antivaccine subsample was an informational post created by a health individual. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying characteristics of misinformation related to HPV vaccine on social media will inform targeted interventions (eg, network opinion leaders) and help sow corrective information and stories tailored to different falsehoods

Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction from Rice Bran Demonstrates Potent Radiation Protection Activity

The vitamin E analogs δ-tocotrienol (DT3) and γ-tocotrienol (GT3) have significant protective and mitigative capacity against the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation (IR). However, the expense of purification limits their potential use. This study examined the tocotrienol-rich fraction of rice bran (TRFRB) isolated from rice bran deodorizer distillate, a rice oil refinement waste product, to determine its protective effects against IR induced oxidative damage and H2O2. Several cell lines were treated with tocotrienols or TRFRB prior to or following exposure to H2O2 or IR. To determine the radioprotective capacity cells were analyzed for morphology, mitochondrial bioenergetics, clonogenic survival, glutathione oxidation, cell cycle, and migration rate. TRFRB displayed similar antioxidant activity compared to pure tocotrienols. Cells pretreated with TRFRB or DT3 exhibited preserved cell morphology and mitochondrial respiration when exposed to H2O2. Oxidized glutathione was decreased in TRFRB treated cells exposed to IR. TRFRB reversed mitochondrial uncoupling and protected cells migration rates following IR exposure. The protective antioxidant capacity of TRFRB treated cells against oxidative injury was similar to that of purified DT3. TRFRB effectively protects normal cells against IR induced injury suggesting that rice bran distillate may be an inexpensive and abundant alternate source

More mentoring needed? A cross-sectional study of mentoring programs for medical students in Germany

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite increasing recognition that mentoring is essential early in medical careers, little is known about the prevalence of mentoring programs for medical students. We conducted this study to survey all medical schools in Germany regarding the prevalence of mentoring programs for medical students as well as the characteristics, goals and effectiveness of these programs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A definition of mentoring was established and program inclusion criteria were determined based on a review of the literature. The literature defined mentoring as a steady, long-lasting relationship designed to promote the mentee's overall development. We developed a questionnaire to assess key characteristics of mentoring programs: the advocated mentoring model, the number of participating mentees and mentors, funding and staff, and characteristics of mentees and mentors (e.g., level of training). In addition, the survey characterized the mentee-mentor relationship regarding the frequency of meetings, forms of communication, incentives for mentors, the mode of matching mentors and mentees, and results of program evaluations. Furthermore, participants were asked to characterize the aims of their programs. The questionnaire consisted of 34 questions total, in multiple-choice (17), numeric (7) and free-text (10) format. This questionnaire was sent to deans and medical education faculty in Germany between June and September 2009. For numeric answers, mean, median, and standard deviation were determined. For free-text items, responses were coded into categories using qualitative free text analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We received responses from all 36 medical schools in Germany. We found that 20 out of 36 medical schools in Germany offer 22 active mentoring programs with a median of 125 and a total of 5,843 medical students (6.9 - 7.4% of all German medical students) enrolled as mentees at the time of the survey. 14 out of 22 programs (63%) have been established within the last 2 years. Six programs (27%) offer mentoring in a one-on-one setting. 18 programs (82%) feature faculty physicians as mentors. Nine programs (41%) involve students as mentors in a peer-mentoring setting. The most commonly reported goals of the mentoring programs include: establishing the mentee's professional network (13 programs, 59%), enhancement of academic performance (11 programs, 50%) and counseling students in difficulties (10 programs, 45%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite a clear upsurge of mentoring programs for German medical students over recent years, the overall availability of mentoring is still limited. The mentoring models and goals of the existing programs vary considerably. Outcome data from controlled studies are needed to compare the efficiency and effectiveness of different forms of mentoring for medical students.</p

The upgraded ALICE TPC

A large Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is the main device for tracking and particle identification in the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. In the upcoming Run 3, the LHC will deliver lead beams colliding at an interaction rate of up to 50kHz. In order to read out all minimum bias events in Pb–Pb collisions, the TPC was upgraded with an amplification stage based on Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) and new front-end electronics. With the new amplification stage, a trigger-less operation of the TPC becomes possible, resulting in a continuous readout without dead time. The exchange of the readout chambers and front-end electronics took place in a dedicated clean room in 2019/20. The upgraded TPC was then moved back to its designated position at the interaction point 2 of the LHC and an extensive commissioning programme was carried out. It includes, inter alia, noise studies, measurements of laser tracks, irradiation of the TPC with an intense X-ray source, the flushing of radioactive 83mKr into the active volume and the operation during the first proton–proton collisions provided by the LHC. During these measurements, the TPC operated at nominal conditions and the continuous readout capability was tested successfully

Gain Calibration of the Upgraded ALICE TPC

For the upcoming Run 3 of the LHC at CERN, the interaction rate of lead-lead collisions will be increased to 50kHz . Especially for the main detector of the ALICE experiment, the TPC, this is a major challenge, as its previous readout rate was limited to a few 100 Hz. The two main reasons for this limitation were the gas amplification stage and the used readout electronics. Therefore, the gas amplification stage, which was based on a multi-wire proportional chamber, was exchanged with a GEM-based amplification stage. In addition, the readout electronics were also exchanged. With this upgraded setup, a trigger-less operation of the TPC becomes possible, resulting in a continuous readout without dead time. It is therefore well suited to operate at lead-lead interaction rates of 50kHz. One of the main goals of this work is the calibration of the effective gain of the upgraded ALICE TPC. For this, two different methods were used. The first one is based on an X-ray tube which irradiates the active volume of the TPC, the second one on the gaseous and radioactive isotope 83m Kr, which is injected into the TPC. With the results of these measurements, a coarse gain equalisation could be perfomed, during which the electric potentials of the GEM stacks were adjusted such that the average gain was equalised. In a further analysis, the relative effective gain for each of the 524160 readout channels was determined in an iterative process. This information is needed to correct software-wise for the static variations of the effective gain (e.g. due to variations of the hole sizes in a GEM foil). After applying this calibration to measured data, one can quantify key parameters of the detector, for example the energy resolution. Furthermore, it is possible to calibrate dynamic variations of the effective gain, which are caused for example by variations of temperature and pressure or by the electrostatic charging-up of the GEM foils. Understanding the latter effect is the second main goal of this work. In order to analyse the charging-up effect in GEM foils, two approaches were pursued. The first one is an iterative simulation of the effect with the usage of the framework Garfield++, in which electrons and ions can be tracked microscopically. The measurements of the charging-up effect with a dedicated detector is the second approach. Three different measurement methods were used to quantify the charging-up effect. The first one is based on the measurement of electric currents which are induced on the readout plane. The second one relies on the measurement of 55Fe spectra with a single GEM, while in the third measurement method, a second amplification stage, a MicroMegas, was added