Social Deprivation is Associated with Increased Pain in Patients Presenting with Neuropathic Pain

Background: Neuropathic pain following nerve injury can be debilitating and negatively impact quality of life. Targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) is an efficacious technique for the management of neuropathic pain. However, this technique may be unequally available for many geographical locations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and preoperative pain in patients undergoing TMR for treatment of neuropathic pain. Methods: Patients who underwent TMR for neuropathic pain in the lower and upper extremities were prospectively enrolled at our tertiary care clinic. A chart review was conducted to obtain socioeconomic, surgery, and comorbidity parameters. Preoperative pain scores (0-10 pain score index), and the ADI, reflecting deprivation status on a 0-100 scale, were collected.Results: A total of 162 patients from 13 different states were included, of which 119 were amputees (74%). The median ADI was 25 (IQR: 16-41) and the median preoperative pain score was 6 (IQR: 5-8). A higher ADI was independently associated with higher preoperative pain. The time interval from nerve injury to TMR was not associated with ADI. Conclusions: Patients undergoing surgical treatment of neuropathic pain from more socially deprived settings have increased pain experience upon initial evaluation, despite having similar time from nerve injury or amputation to TMR. These findings highlight the importance of identifying patients presenting from socially deprived settings, as this may impact their physical and mental health along with their coping mechanisms, resulting in increased pain.</p

Impact of the European Clinical Trials Directive on prospective academic clinical trials associated with BMT

The European Clinical Trials Directive (EU 2001; 2001/20/EC) was introduced to improve the efficiency of commercial and academic clinical trials. Concerns have been raised by interested organizations and institutions regarding the potential for negative impact of the Directive on non-commercial European clinical research. Interested researchers within the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) were surveyed to determine whether researcher experiences confirmed this view. Following a pilot study, an internet-based questionnaire was distributed to individuals in key research positions in the European haemopoietic SCT community. Seventy-one usable questionnaires were returned from participants in different EU member states. The results indicate that the perceived impact of the European Clinical Trials Directive has been negative, at least in the research areas of interest to the EBMT

Exploring the relation between individual moral antecedents and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition for sustainable development

When dealing with complex value-driven problems such as sustainable development, individuals need to have values and norms that go beyond the appropriation of tangible business outcomes for themselves. This raises the question of the role played by individual moral antecedents in the entrepreneurial process of opportunity recognition for sustainable development. To answer this question, an exploratory empirical research design was used in which 96 would-be entrepreneurs were subjected to real-life decision-making processes in an online environment. The participants were guided through the process of opportunity recognition for sustainable development. Furthermore, they were subjected to several tests linked to individual moral antecedents. The mixed methods design used to analyze the results led to the conclusion that pro-environmental behavior values and moral competencies are important indicators of the ability to recognize opportunities for sustainable development. These results provide useful insights about relating moral antecedents to idea generation for sustainable development and can help researchers, higher education institutes, and sustainable entrepreneurs to further develop the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship and its underlying processes

Educating for self-interest or -transcendence? An empirical approach to investigating the role of moral competencies in opportunity recognition for sustainable development

Entrepreneurship education with a focus on sustainable development primarily teaches students to develop a profit‐driven mentality. As sustainable development is a value‐oriented and normative concept, the role of individual ethical norms and val‐ ues in entrepreneurial processes has been receiving increased attention. Therefore, this study addresses the role of moral competence in the process of idea generation for sustainable development. A mixed method design was developed in which would‐ be entrepreneurs were subjected to a questionnaire (n = 398) and to real‐life deci‐ sion‐making processes in a case assignment (n = 96). The results provide stepping stones for implementing (moral) competencies in entrepreneurship education as a possible avenue to move away from a sole focus on a profit‐driven mentalit

SeaBase : a multispecies transcriptomic resource and platform for gene network inference

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Oxford University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Integrative and Comparative Biology 54 (2014): 250-263, doi: 10.1093/icb/icu065.Marine and aquatic animals are extraordinarily useful as models for identifying mechanisms of development and evolution, regeneration, resistance to cancer, longevity and symbiosis, among many other areas of research. This is due to the great diversity of these organisms and their wide-ranging capabilities. Genomics tools are essential for taking advantage of these “free lessons” of nature. However, genomics and transcriptomics are challenging in emerging model systems. Here, we present SeaBase, a tool for helping to meet these needs. Specifically, SeaBase provides a platform for sharing and searching transcriptome data. More importantly, SeaBase will support a growing number of tools for inferring gene network mechanisms. The first dataset available on SeaBase is a developmental transcriptome profile of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Anthozoa, Cnidaria). Additional datasets are currently being prepared and we are aiming to expand SeaBase to include user-supplied data for any number of marine and aquatic organisms, thereby supporting many potentially new models for gene network studies.2015-06-0

C. elegans TFIIH subunit GTF-2H5/TTDA is a non-essential transcription factor indispensable for DNA repair

The 10-subunit TFIIH complex is vital to transcription and nucleotide excision repair. Hereditary mutations in its smallest subunit, TTDA/GTF2H5, cause a photosensitive form of the rare developmental disorder trichothiodystrophy. Some trichothiodystrophy features are thought to be caused by subtle transcription or gene expression defects. TTDA/GTF2H5 knockout mice are not viable, making it difficult to investigate TTDA/GTF2H5 in vivo function. Here we show that deficiency of C. elegans TTDA ortholog GTF-2H5 is, however, compatible with life, in contrast to depletion of other TFIIH subunits. GTF-2H5 promotes TFIIH stability in multiple tissues and is indispensable for nucleotide excision repair, in which it facilitates recruitment of TFIIH to DNA damage. Strikingly, when transcription is challenged, gtf-2H5 embryos die due to the intrinsic TFIIH fragility in absence of GTF-2H5. These results support the idea that TTDA/GTF2H5 mutations cause transcription impairment underlying trichothiodystrophy and establish C. elegans as model for studying pathogenesis of this disease.</p

Studying Paths of Participation in Viral Diffusion Process

Authors propose a conceptual model of participation in viral diffusion process composed of four stages: awareness, infection, engagement and action. To verify the model it has been applied and studied in the virtual social chat environment settings. The study investigates the behavioral paths of actions that reflect the stages of participation in the diffusion and presents shortcuts, that lead to the final action, i.e. the attendance in a virtual event. The results show that the participation in each stage of the process increases the probability of reaching the final action. Nevertheless, the majority of users involved in the virtual event did not go through each stage of the process but followed the shortcuts. That suggests that the viral diffusion process is not necessarily a linear sequence of human actions but rather a dynamic system.Comment: In proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Social Informatics, SocInfo 201

Thermal stress induces glycolytic beige fat formation via a myogenic state.

Environmental cues profoundly affect cellular plasticity in multicellular organisms. For instance, exercise promotes a glycolytic-to-oxidative fibre-type switch in skeletal muscle, and cold acclimation induces beige adipocyte biogenesis in adipose tissue. However, the molecular mechanisms by which physiological or pathological cues evoke developmental plasticity remain incompletely understood. Here we report a type of beige adipocyte that has a critical role in chronic cold adaptation in the absence of β-adrenergic receptor signalling. This beige fat is distinct from conventional beige fat with respect to developmental origin and regulation, and displays enhanced glucose oxidation. We therefore refer to it as glycolytic beige fat. Mechanistically, we identify GA-binding protein α as a regulator of glycolytic beige adipocyte differentiation through a myogenic intermediate. Our study reveals a non-canonical adaptive mechanism by which thermal stress induces progenitor cell plasticity and recruits a distinct form of thermogenic cell that is required for energy homeostasis and survival

Glastuinbouw Waterproof: Haalbaarheidsstudie valorisatie van concentraatstromen (WP6) Fase 2 - Desktop studie afzetmogelijkheden van concentraat als meststof voor andere teelten

Dit rapport geeft de resultaten van een desktop studie naar de haalbaarheid van valorisatie van stikstof-, fosfaat- en natriumrijke afvalwaterstromen uit de substraatteelt. Afzetroutes voor grondteelten, substraatteelten en aquacultuur zijn geëvalueerd door te kijken naar de gewenste samenstelling, logistiek, wetgeving, markt en implementatie termijn. Milieuwetgeving stelt dat hergebruik mag als het om dezelfde toepassing gaat. Voor hergebruik in een andere teelt, buiten het eigen bedrijf, is een vergunning nodig. Om transportkosten te besparen moet de afvalwaterstroom hoog geconcentreerd en het liefst dichtbij afgezet worden. Nutriëntenrijke drijfmest is op de markt een grote concurrent. Bewerking is vaak nodig omdat afnemers eigen kwaliteitseisen stellen. Met geavanceerde oxidatie, elektrochemische flocculatie en O3 met actief kool kunnen ziektekiemen en gewasbeschermingsmiddelen deels verwijderd worden. Met nano-filtratie en elektrodialyse kan tot op zekere hoogte de nutriëntensamenstelling aangepast worden. Voor de korte termijn worden kansen gezien voor de afzet naar meststoffenleveranciers van vloeibare meststoffen en de bemesting van grasland. Voor de langere termijn zijn er kansen voor toepassing als aanvullende bemesting bij zout-tolerante teelten, mits uit onderzoek economisch interessante rassen daarvoor beschikbaar komen. Ook de algenteelt voor biobrandstof zou op termijn een markt kunnen vormen. Er moet wel gezocht worden naar het type alg dat optimaal presteert

Barking up the same tree: a comparison of ethnomedicine and canine ethnoveterinary medicine among the Aguaruna

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This work focuses on plant-based preparations that the Aguaruna Jivaro of Peru give to hunting dogs. Many plants are considered to improve dogs' sense of smell or stimulate them to hunt better, while others treat common illnesses that prevent dogs from hunting. This work places canine ethnoveterinary medicine within the larger context of Aguaruna ethnomedicine, by testing the following hypotheses: H1 -- Plants that the Aguaruna use to treat dogs will be the same plants that they use to treat people and H2 -- Plants that are used to treat both people and dogs will be used for the same illnesses in both cases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Structured interviews with nine key informants were carried out in 2007, in Aguaruna communities in the Peruvian department of Amazonas. Informants provided freelists of plants given to dogs and explained the purpose, preparation and route of administration used. For each plant, informants also described any uses for treating people. Botanical voucher specimens were collected and additional informal observations were made, accompanying people on hunting trips.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 35 plant species given to dogs, 29 (83%) are also given to humans for some medicinal purpose, while five are used only for dogs. However, the same plant is used to treat the same illness in both humans and dogs in only 53% of the cases. Forty-three percent of plants used to treat a particular illness for both dogs and people are administered in the same manner for both.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results suggest that Aguaruna canine ethnoveterinary medicine is, at least partly, an independent cognitive domain. Some of the difference in plant use between dogs and people can be explained by the fact that certain diseases mentioned only apply to dogs. Although reports of canine ethnoveterinary medicine are very sparse in the literature, Aguaruna practices show some similarities with a few trends reported for other Amazonian societies, particularly, in the prevalence of the nasal route of administration, the use of plant-based psychoactives and in the importance of ants and wasps, in some form, for training dogs.</p