Randomized sham controlled trial of cranial microcurrent stimulation for symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances in women receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer

Purpose Women with breast cancer may experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances during chemotherapy. However, there are few modalities that address multiple, commonly occurring symptoms that may occur in individuals receiving cancer treatment. Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) is a treatment that is FDA cleared for depression, anxiety and insomnia. CES is applied via electrodes placed on the ear that deliver pulsed, low amplitude electrical current to the head. Methods This phase III randomized, sham-controlled study aimed to examine the effects of cranial microcurrent stimulation on symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances in women receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Patients were randomly assigned to either an actual or sham device and used the device daily for 1 h. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00902330. Results The sample included N = 167 women with early-stage breast cancer. Symptom severity of depression, anxiety, and fatigue and sleep disturbances were generally mild to moderate. Levels of pain were low. Anxiety was highest prior to the initial chemotherapy and decreased over time. The primary outcome assessment (symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances) revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups, actual CES vs. sham. Conclusion In this study, women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer experienced multiple symptoms in the mild to moderate range. Although there is no evidence for the routine use of CES during the chemotherapy period for symptom management in women with breast cancer, further symptom management modalities should be evaluated to mitigate symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain and sleep disturbances over the course of chemotherapy

Is the cat a victim of light pollution?

Il y a plus de 75 millions de chats en europe et leur nombre ne cesse d’augmenter. C’est un animal qui s’accommode très bien d’un espace réduit, qui peut rester seul mais c’est aussi un chasseur qui peut demander à sortir fréquemment de son environnement familier. Avec le chien, c’est l’espèce animale de compagnie la plus médicalisée et dont l’espérance de vie augmente. Il vit étroitement au contact de l’homme, partage son environnement et est soumis aux mêmes impacts environnementaux que ce dernier, notamment la pollution lumineuse ; c’est à dire la réduction de la part d’obscurité en temps et en espace et son remplacement par des lumières artificielles. Une étude récente a montré que 45% des chats sédentaires sont en surpoids, voire obèses. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que, parmi les facteurs favorisant l’obésité, l’allongement de l’éclairage domestique jouerait un rôle important. Chez l’homme, l’obésité est un facteur de risque d’apparition du diabète (type 2) qui est un problème de santé publique. Chez le chat obèse, il en est de même. Exprimant cliniquement la maladie humaine homologue c’est le modèle animal de diabète de type 2 tant recherché par la communauté scientifique. La pollution lumineuse fait courir un autre risque au chat qui se promène : la probabilité de rencontre avec la faune sauvage (rongeurs, mustélidés, oiseaux, etc.) Qui, notamment en cas de confinement, est attirée par l’espace libéré par l’homme. Ce risque est d’autant plus à prendre en considération que le chat est une espèce sensible aux coronaviroses, notamment le sars-cov-2 qu’il pourrait contracter au contact de la faune sauvage. Dans un contexte de pandémie, la question de la libre circulation des chats doit se poser et ne devraient sortir librement que les animaux vaccinés et subissant régulièrement des traitements antiparasitaires.There are more than 75 million cats in europe, a number that is constantly increasing. It is an animal that adapts very well to a reduced space and can live alone. However, it is also a predator, a behavior that requires frequent wandering away from its familiar environment. Along with the dog, it is the most medicalized animal species and whose life expectancy is increasing. Living in close contact with man, it shares its environment, and is thus subjected to the same environmental impacts such as light pollution : reduction of darkness in time and space and its replacement by artificial light. A recent study has shown that 45% of sedentary cats are overweight or even obese. We hypothesize that among the factors favouring obesity, the extension of domestic lighting would play an important role. In human, obesity is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, which is a public health problem. The same is true for obese cats. As a clinical expression of a homologous human disease, it is the animal model of type 2 diabetes so much sought after by the scientific community. Light pollution presents another risk for the wandering cat: the probability of encountering wild animals (rodents, mustelids, birds, etc.) Which, especially during the confinement period, are attracted by the space released by humans. This risk is important to consider because of the cat's sensitivity to coronaviruses, in particular sars-cov-2, which it is likely to contract from with the wild animals that it may encounter. In the context of a pandemic situation, the question of unrestricted itinerancy of cats must be addressed. Cats should only be allowed to roam freely when they are vaccinated and undergo regular anti-parasite treatments

Gender equality, resilience to climate change, and the design of livestock projects for rural livelihoods

Currently, there is growing interest in how livestock projects can contribute to resilience to the effects of climate change. In this article we recommend a shift away from gross productivity to sustainability, via the use of thrifty local breeds, with an additional emphasis on improving survival of young animals. These animals, due to their local adaptations, are more likely to be resilient to climate change. There is a gender dimension to these proposals, since smaller animals and local breeds are more likely to be perceived by communities as suitable for husbandry by women. We recommend a re-orientation towards an explicit gender-equality focus for these projects

An integrated cell atlas of the lung in health and disease

Single-cell technologies have transformed our understanding of human tissues. Yet, studies typically capture only a limited number of donors and disagree on cell type definitions. Integrating many single-cell datasets can address these limitations of individual studies and capture the variability present in the population. Here we present the integrated Human Lung Cell Atlas (HLCA), combining 49 datasets of the human respiratory system into a single atlas spanning over 2.4 million cells from 486 individuals. The HLCA presents a consensus cell type re-annotation with matching marker genes, including annotations of rare and previously undescribed cell types. Leveraging the number and diversity of individuals in the HLCA, we identify gene modules that are associated with demographic covariates such as age, sex and body mass index, as well as gene modules changing expression along the proximal-to-distal axis of the bronchial tree. Mapping new data to the HLCA enables rapid data annotation and interpretation. Using the HLCA as a reference for the study of disease, we identify shared cell states across multiple lung diseases, including SPP1 + profibrotic monocyte-derived macrophages in COVID-19, pulmonary fibrosis and lung carcinoma. Overall, the HLCA serves as an example for the development and use of large-scale, cross-dataset organ atlases within the Human Cell Atlas. </p

Applying the ALARA concept to the evaluation of vesicoureteric reflux

The voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) is a widely used study to define lower urinary tract anatomy and to diagnose vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) in children. We examine the technical advances in the VCUG and other examinations for reflux that have reduced radiation exposure of children, and we give recommendations for the use of imaging studies in four groups of children: (1) children with urinary tract infection, (2) siblings of patients with VUR, (3) infants with antenatal hydronephrosis (ANH), and (4) children with a solitary functioning kidney. By performing examinations with little to no radiation, carefully selecting only the children who need imaging studies and judiciously timing follow-up examinations, we can reduce the radiation exposure of children being studied for reflux

An integrated cell atlas of the lung in health and disease

Single-cell technologies have transformed our understanding of human tissues. Yet, studies typically capture only a limited number of donors and disagree on cell type definitions. Integrating many single-cell datasets can address these limitations of individual studies and capture the variability present in the population. Here we present the integrated Human Lung Cell Atlas (HLCA), combining 49 datasets of the human respiratory system into a single atlas spanning over 2.4 million cells from 486 individuals. The HLCA presents a consensus cell type re-annotation with matching marker genes, including annotations of rare and previously undescribed cell types. Leveraging the number and diversity of individuals in the HLCA, we identify gene modules that are associated with demographic covariates such as age, sex and body mass index, as well as gene modules changing expression along the proximal-to-distal axis of the bronchial tree. Mapping new data to the HLCA enables rapid data annotation and interpretation. Using the HLCA as a reference for the study of disease, we identify shared cell states across multiple lung diseases, including SPP1+ profibrotic monocyte-derived macrophages in COVID-19, pulmonary fibrosis and lung carcinoma. Overall, the HLCA serves as an example for the development and use of large-scale, cross-dataset organ atlases within the Human Cell Atlas

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Efficacité de la primo-vaccination contre l'hépatite B chez l'enfant suivi pour une maladie rénale chronique

LILLE2-BU Santé-Recherche (593502101) / SudocSudocFranceF