90 research outputs found

    Ydj1 governs fungal morphogenesis and stress response, and facilitates mitochondrial protein import via Mas1 and Mas2

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    We thank Zhen-Yuan Lin for help in the preparation of the AP-MS samples, and Cathy Collins for technical assistance. MDL is supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (Wellcome Trust 096072), LEC is supported by a Canada Research Chair in Microbial Genomics and Infectious Disease and by Cana-dian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Grants MOP-119520 and MOP-86452. OK is supported by National Insti-tutes of Health grant 5R01GM108975. A-CG is supported by a CIHR Foundation Grant (FDN143301), Genome Cana-da Genomics Innovation Network (GIN) Node and Tech-nical Development Grants, and a Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics. J-PL was supported by a TD Bank Health Research Fellowship at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and by a Scholarship for the Next Gen-eration of Scientists from the Cancer Research Society. JLX is supported by a CIHR – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship. The funding agencies had no role in the study design, data collection and inter-pretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    The economic burden experienced by carers of children who had a critical deterioration at a tertiary children’s hospital in the United Kingdom (the DETECT study): an online survey

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    BackgroundUnplanned critical care admissions following in-hospital deterioration in children are expected to impose a significant burden for carers across a number of dimensions. One dimension relates to the financial and economic impact associated with the admission, from both direct out-of-pocket expenditures, as well as indirect costs, reflecting productivity losses. A robust assessment of these costs is key to understand the wider impact of interventions aiming to reduce in-patient deterioration. This work aims to determine the economic burden imposed on carers caring for hospitalised children that experience critical deterioration events.MethodsDescriptive study with quantitative approach. Carers responded to an online survey between July 2020 and April 2021. The survey was developed by the research team and piloted before use. The sample comprised 71 carers of children admitted to a critical care unit following in-patient deterioration, at a tertiary children's hospital in the UK. The survey provides a characterisation of the carer's household and estimates of direct non-medical costs grouped in five different expenditure categories. Productivity losses can also be estimated based on the reported information.ResultsMost carers reported expenditures associated to the child's admission in the week preceding the survey completion. Two-thirds of working carers had missed at least one workday in the week prior to the survey completion. Moreover, eight in ten carers reported having had to travel from home to the hospital at least once a week. These expenditures, on average, amount to £164 per week, grouped in five categories (38% each to travelling costs and to food and drink costs, with accommodation, childcare, and parking representing 12%, 7% and 5%, respectively). Additionally, weekly productivity losses for working carers are estimated at £195.ConclusionUnplanned critical care admissions for children impose a substantial financial burden for carers. Moreover, productivity losses imply a subsequent cost to society. Even though subsidised hospital parking and on-site accommodation at the hospital contribute to minimising such expenditure, the overall impact for carers remains high. Interventions aiming at reducing emergency critical care admissions, or their length, can be crucial to further contribute to the reduction of this burden.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN61279068, date of registration 07/06/2019, retrospectively registered

    Mobilisation of Public Support for Policy Actions to Prevent Obesity

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    Public mobilisation is needed to enact obesity prevention policies and to mitigate backlash against their implementation. However, current approaches in public health focus primarily on dialogue between public health professionals and political leaders. Strategies to increase popular demand for obesity prevention policies include refining and streamlining public information, identifying effective frames for each population, enhancing media advocacy, building citizen protest and engagement, and developing a receptive political environment with change agents embedded across organisations and sectors. Long-term support and investment in collaboration among diverse stakeholders to create shared value is also important. Each actor in an expanded coalition for obesity prevention can make specific contributions to engaging, mobilising and coalescing the public. Shifting from a top-down to an integrated bottom-up and top-down approach would require an overhaul of current strategies and re-prioritisation of resources

    Parents’ experiences and perceptions of the acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic pediatric early warning system (the DETECT study): A qualitative interview study

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    BackgroundFailure to recognize and respond to clinical deterioration in a timely and effective manner is an urgent safety concern, driving the need for early identification systems to be embedded in the care of children in hospital. Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) or PEW scores alert health professionals (HPs) to signs of deterioration, trigger a review and escalate care as needed. PEW scoring allows HPs to record a child's vital signs and other key data including parent concern.AimThis study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of parents about the acceptability of a newly implemented electronic surveillance system (the DETECT surveillance system), and factors that influenced acceptability and their awareness around signs of clinical deterioration and raising concern.MethodsDescriptive, qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with parents of children who had experienced a critical deterioration event (CDE) (n = 19) and parents of those who had not experienced a CDE (non-CDE parents) (n = 17). Data were collected between February 2020 and February 2021.ResultsQualitative data were analyzed using generic thematic analysis. Analysis revealed an overarching theme of trust as a key factor that underpinned all aspects of children's vital signs being recorded and monitored. The main themes reflect three domains of parents' trust: trust in themselves, trust in the HPs, and trust in the technology.ConclusionParents' experiences and perceptions of the acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic pediatric early warning system (The DETECT system) were positive; they found it acceptable and welcomed the use of new technology to support the care of their child

    Clinical utility and acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic paediatric early warning system (the DETECT study): a prospective e-survey of parents and health professionals.

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    BackgroundPaediatric early warning systems (PEWS) are a means of tracking physiological state and alerting healthcare professionals about signs of deterioration, triggering a clinical review and/or escalation of care of children. A proactive end-to-end deterioration solution (the DETECT surveillance system) with an embedded e-PEWS that included sepsis screening was introduced across a tertiary children's hospital. One component of the implementation programme was a sub-study to determine an understanding of the DETECT e-PEWS in terms of its clinical utility and its acceptability.AimThis study aimed to examine how parents and health professionals view and engage with the DETECT e-PEWS apps, with a particular focus on its clinical utility and its acceptability.MethodA prospective, closed (tick box or sliding scale) and open (text based) question, e-survey of parents (n = 137) and health professionals (n = 151) with experience of DETECT e-PEWS. Data were collected between February 2020 and February 2021.ResultsQuantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data with generic thematic analysis. Overall, both clinical utility and acceptability (across seven constructs) were high across both stakeholder groups although some challenges to utility (e.g., sensitivity of triggers within specific patient populations) and acceptability (e.g., burden related to having to carry extra technology) were identified.ConclusionDespite the multifaceted nature of the intervention and the complexity of implementation across a hospital, the system demonstrated clinical utility and acceptability across two key groups of stakeholders: parents and health professionals

    Confidence-Building Measures for Artificial Intelligence: Workshop Proceedings

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    Foundation models could eventually introduce several pathways for undermining state security: accidents, inadvertent escalation, unintentional conflict, the proliferation of weapons, and the interference with human diplomacy are just a few on a long list. The Confidence-Building Measures for Artificial Intelligence workshop hosted by the Geopolitics Team at OpenAI and the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab at the University of California brought together a multistakeholder group to think through the tools and strategies to mitigate the potential risks introduced by foundation models to international security. Originating in the Cold War, confidence-building measures (CBMs) are actions that reduce hostility, prevent conflict escalation, and improve trust between parties. The flexibility of CBMs make them a key instrument for navigating the rapid changes in the foundation model landscape. Participants identified the following CBMs that directly apply to foundation models and which are further explained in this conference proceedings: 1. crisis hotlines 2. incident sharing 3. model, transparency, and system cards 4. content provenance and watermarks 5. collaborative red teaming and table-top exercises and 6. dataset and evaluation sharing. Because most foundation model developers are non-government entities, many CBMs will need to involve a wider stakeholder community. These measures can be implemented either by AI labs or by relevant government actors

    The Lantern Vol. 69, No. 1, Fall 2001

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    • Frets • Burn • The Amish-Man • City Children • Coasting West • Futile • Oxymoron • Fleeting Reflection • Pink Geraniums • Moving • Running: Arcola • Expectations • One Time Deal • We Slept • Faraway Field • My Own Giselle • My Father\u27s Will • Meet Me in Montana • Pride is a Lawn Mower • Gloss • 2% Low Fat • Bits of Tuesday • This is not a Pipe • What Ifs • Reconnection • A Bell Called Emily • The Elevatorhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1159/thumbnail.jp

    A comparison of psoriasis severity in pediatric patients treated with methotrexate vs biologic agents

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    This cohort study compares the use of methotrexate vs biologic agents in children with moderate to severe psoriasis. Question What is the association between use of methotrexate vs biologics and psoriasis severity and drug survival (rate and duration of adherence to a specific drug regimen) in pediatric patients with moderate to severe psoriasis? Findings In this cohort study including 234 pediatric patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, those receiving biologics were more likely than those treated with methotrexate to achieve a Physician Global Assessment status of clear/almost clear and 75% or more improvement of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index rating at 6 months. In addition, biologics were associated with better drug survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years, with comparable discontinuation rates owing to lack of response. Meaning In pediatric patients with psoriasis, treatment with biologics may be associated with a significantly greater reduction in psoriasis severity than methotrexate; nevertheless, with 35.6% of the patients achieving clear/almost clear and 40.0% reaching 75% or more improvement on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, methotrexate remains an effective treatment for pediatric psoriasis. Importance Few studies have compared the use of methotrexate and biologics, the most commonly used systemic medications for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in children. Objective To assess the real-world, 6-month reduction in psoriasis severity and long-term drug survival (rate and duration of adherence to a specific drug) of methotrexate vs biologics in plaque psoriasis in children. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective medical records review was conducted at 20 European and North American centers. Treatment response was based on site-reported Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and/or Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores at baseline and within the first 6 months of treatment. Participants included all 234 consecutively seen children with moderate to severe psoriasis who received at least 3 months of methotrexate or biologics from December 1, 1990, to September 16, 2014, with sufficient data for analysis. Data analysis was performed from December 14, 2015, to September 1, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures PASI, with a range from 0 to 72 (highest score indicating severe psoriasis), and/or PGA, with a scale of 0 (clear), 1 (minimal), 2 (mild), 3 (moderate), 4 (severe), and 5 (very severe). Results Of 234 pediatric patients (103 boys [44.0%]; 131 girls [56.0%]) treated with methotrexate and/or biologics, 163 patients (69.7%) exclusively received methotrexate, 47 patients (20.1%) exclusively received biologics, and 24 children (10.2%) received methotrexate and biologics sequentially. Of the latter cohort, 23 children were treated initially with methotrexate. Mean (SD) age at initiation was 11.6 (3.7) years for methotrexate and 13.3 (2.9) years for biologics (73.2% for etanercept) (P = .002). Among patients evaluated by a scoring method at 6-month follow-up, 75% or greater improvement in PASI (PASI75) was achieved in 12 of 30 patients (40.0%) receiving methotrexate and 20 of 28 patients (71.4%) receiving biologics, and PGA was clear/almost clear (PGA 0/1) in 41 of 115 patients (35.6%) receiving methotrexate and 18 of 37 patients (48.6%) receiving biologics. Achieving PASI75 and/or PGA 0/1 between baseline and 6 months was more likely with biologics than methotrexate (PASI75: odds ratio [OR], 4.56; 95% CI, 2.02-10.27; P < .001; and PGA 0/1: OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 0.98-4.00; P = .06). Decreased mean PASI and PGA scores were associated with biologics more than with methotrexate (PASI effect, -3.13; 95% CI, -4.33 to -1.94; P < .001; and PGA effect, -0.31; 95% CI, -0.56 to -0.06; P = .02). After 1, 3, and 5 years of use, overall drug survival rates for methotrexate were 77.5%, 50.3%, and 35.9%, and for biologics, the rates were 83.4%, 64.3%, and 57.1%, respectively. Biologics were associated with a better confounder-corrected drug survival than methotrexate (hazard ratio [HR], 2.23; 95% CI, 1.21-4.10; P = .01). Discontinuation owing to lack of response was comparable (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.80-3.36; P = .18). Conclusions and Relevance Methotrexate and biologics appear to be associated with improvement in pediatric psoriasis, although biologics seem to be associated with greater reduction in psoriasis severity scores and higher drug survival rates than methotrexate in the real-world setting. Additional studies directly comparing these medications should be performed for confirmation

    EWS/FLI Mediates Transcriptional Repression via NKX2.2 during Oncogenic Transformation in Ewing's Sarcoma

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    EWS/FLI is a master regulator of Ewing's sarcoma formation. Gene expression studies in A673 Ewing's sarcoma cells have demonstrated that EWS/FLI downregulates more genes than it upregulates, suggesting that EWS/FLI, and/or its targets, function as transcriptional repressors. One critical EWS/FLI target, NKX2.2, is a transcription factor that contains both transcriptional activation and transcriptional repression domains, raising the possibility that it mediates portions of the EWS/FLI transcriptional signature. We now report that microarray analysis demonstrated that the transcriptional profile of NKX2.2 consists solely of downregulated genes, and overlaps with the EWS/FLI downregulated signature, suggesting that NKX2.2 mediates oncogenic transformation via transcriptional repression. Structure-function analysis revealed that the DNA binding and repressor domains in NKX2.2 are required for oncogenesis in Ewing's sarcoma cells, while the transcriptional activation domain is completely dispensable. Furthermore, blockade of TLE or HDAC function, two protein families thought to mediate the repressive function of NKX2.2, inhibited the transformed phenotype and reversed the NKX2.2 transcriptional profile in Ewing's sarcoma cells. Whole genome localization studies (ChIP-chip) revealed that a significant portion of the NKX2.2-repressed gene expression signature was directly mediated by NKX2.2 binding. These data demonstrate that the transcriptional repressive function of NKX2.2 is necessary, and sufficient, for the oncogenic phenotype of Ewing's sarcoma, and suggest a therapeutic approach to this disease
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