Stochastic loss and gain of symmetric divisions in the C. elegans epidermis perturbs robustness of stem cell number

Biological systems are subject to inherent stochasticity. Nevertheless, development is remarkably robust, ensuring the consistency of key phenotypic traits such as correct cell numbers in a certain tissue. It is currently unclear which genes modulate phenotypic variability, what their relationship is to core components of developmental gene networks, and what is the developmental basis of variable phenotypes. Here, we start addressing these questions using the robust number of Caenorhabditis elegans epidermal stem cells, known as seam cells, as a readout. We employ genetics, cell lineage tracing, and single molecule imaging to show that mutations in lin-22, a Hes-related basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, increase seam cell number variability. We show that the increase in phenotypic variability is due to stochastic conversion of normally symmetric cell divisions to asymmetric and vice versa during development, which affect the terminal seam cell number in opposing directions. We demonstrate that LIN-22 acts within the epidermal gene network to antagonise the Wnt signalling pathway. However, lin-22 mutants exhibit cell-to-cell variability in Wnt pathway activation, which correlates with and may drive phenotypic variability. Our study demonstrates the feasibility to study phenotypic trait variance in tractable model organisms using unbiased mutagenesis screens

WSES guidelines for management of Clostridium difficile infection in surgical patients

In the last two decades there have been dramatic changes in the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), with increases in incidence and severity of disease in many countries worldwide. The incidence of CDI has also increased in surgical patients. Optimization of management of C difficile, has therefore become increasingly urgent. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts prepared evidenced-based World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines for management of CDI in surgical patients

WSES guidelines for management of Clostridium difficile infection in surgical patients

In the last two decades there have been dramatic changes in the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), with increases in incidence and severity of disease in many countries worldwide. The incidence of CDI has also increased in surgical patients. Optimization of management of C difficile, has therefore become increasingly urgent. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts prepared evidenced-based World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines for management of CDI in surgical patients.Peer reviewe

Evaluating social media as a source of patient information regarding psoriasis treatments using the DISCERN instrument

With almost 1 billion monthly active users, social media platforms, such as Instagram, are now commonly used for patient support, education, and outreach. With potential misinformation targeted towards patients on Instagram, we sought to evaluate the accuracy, sources, and types of information regarding psoriasis treatments posted on Instagram using the DISCERN instrument. An Instagram search was performed using the search ‘psoriasis treatment’ and the first 100 posts in search result were scored. 34.7% of the videos analyzed were produced by hospitals/healthcare professionals. Four of the remaining posts, 18% were patient testimonials, 42% promoted products, 11% were educational, and 5% were news. 94% of the posts scored as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’ The average DISCERN score was 28.8 out of 75 for the posts analyzed. The areas of strength among the posts were strong aims. Significant weaknesses were seen in the sources used and whether a variety of options were discussed. Overall, the quality of information regarding psoriasis treatments posted on Instagram is poor, as evaluated by the DISCERN tool, and notably is poorer than other social media platforms such as YouTube

ImageJS: Personalized, participated, pervasive, and reproducible image bioinformatics in the web browser

Background: Image bioinformatics infrastructure typically relies on a combination of server-side high-performance computing and client desktop applications tailored for graphic rendering. On the server side, matrix manipulation environments are often used as the back-end where deployment of specialized analytical workflows takes place. However, neither the server-side nor the client-side desktop solution, by themselves or combined, is conducive to the emergence of open, collaborative, computational ecosystems for image analysis that are both self-sustained and user driven. Materials and Methods: ImageJS was developed as a browser-based webApp, untethered from a server-side backend, by making use of recent advances in the modern web browser such as a very efficient compiler, high-end graphical rendering capabilities, and I/O tailored for code migration. Results : Multiple versioned code hosting services were used to develop distinct ImageJS modules to illustrate its amenability to collaborative deployment without compromise of reproducibility or provenance. The illustrative examples include modules for image segmentation, feature extraction, and filtering. The deployment of image analysis by code migration is in sharp contrast with the more conventional, heavier, and less safe reliance on data transfer. Accordingly, code and data are loaded into the browser by exactly the same script tag loading mechanism, which offers a number of interesting applications that would be hard to attain with more conventional platforms, such as NIH′s popular ImageJ application. Conclusions : The modern web browser was found to be advantageous for image bioinformatics in both the research and clinical environments. This conclusion reflects advantages in deployment scalability and analysis reproducibility, as well as the critical ability to deliver advanced computational statistical procedures machines where access to sensitive data is controlled, that is, without local "download and installation.