The role of religion in the longer-range future, April 6, 7, and 8, 2006

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This conference that took place during April 6, 7, and 8, 2006. Co-organized by David Fromkin, Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and Ray L. Hart, Dean ad interim Boston University School of TheologyThe conference brought together some 40 experts from various disciplines to ponder upon the “great dilemma” of how science, religion, and the human future interact. In particular, different panels looked at trends in what is happening to religion around the world, questions about how religion is impacting the current political and economic order, and how the social dynamics unleashed by science and by religion can be reconciled.Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affair

GESTION DES RUMEURS EN FAVEUR DE L’ACCEPTABILITE DU VACCIN COVID-19 EN REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO

Il ressort de cette étude, que la partie Est, la population semble être divisée en deux catégories : une première catégorie qui croit au vaccin et pense craindre l’accélération de la maladie par d’autres vagues, et une deuxième  catégorie qui est contre le vaccin et qui pense déjà à la violence. Peut-être le motif d’adhésion massif serait la traversée des frontières où les preuves de vaccination peuvent devenir obligatoires. Contrairement à la partie Est, pour les personnes interrogées dans les sites choisi à l’Ouest, la majorité reste favorable à la vaccination. Nous pensons qu’une bonne coordination des activités et la bonne communication qui partirait d’en bas vers le haut pousserait la population à adhérer à la vaccination.  Concernant  les rumeurs dans tous les sites, la majorité des personnes interrogées pense que l’Etat doit faire une sensibilisation  intense pour bouleverser la tendance des réseaux sociaux.Il ressort de cette étude, que la partie Est, la population semble être divisée en deux catégories : une première catégorie qui croit au vaccin et pense craindre l’accélération de la maladie par d’autres vagues, et une deuxième  catégorie qui est contre le vaccin et qui pense déjà à la violence. Peut-être le motif d’adhésion massif serait la traversée des frontières où les preuves de vaccination peuvent devenir obligatoires. Contrairement à la partie Est, pour les personnes interrogées dans les sites choisi à l’Ouest, la majorité reste favorable à la vaccination. Nous pensons qu’une bonne coordination des activités et la bonne communication qui partirait d’en bas vers le haut pousserait la population à adhérer à la vaccination.  Concernant  les rumeurs dans tous les sites, la majorité des personnes interrogées pense que l’Etat doit faire une sensibilisation  intense pour bouleverser la tendance des réseaux sociau

MESURES D’APPLICATIONS POUR LA REUSSITE DE LA COUVERTURE VACCINALE DE ROUTINE DES ENFANTS DE 0 À 59 MOIS DANS LA ZONE DE SANTE DE KIKIMI, DIVISION PROVINCIALE DE KINSHASA EN REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO

La connaissance du calendrier vaccinal par les mères ou gardiennes d’enfants est indispensable pour le suivi correct des rendez-vous de vaccination. Il en est de même pour les maladies cibles du PEV. Ainsi pour améliorer ces connaissances et amener les mères ou gardiennes d’enfants à adhérer au PEV, il faut renforcer les activités de communication de masse et de proximité, le renforcement des dynamiques communautaires au niveau de la zone  en partenariat avec les ONG et les Organisations Communautaires de Base (OCB), alors que pour améliorer les  couvertures vaccinales de routine au niveau des points de prestation de service  l’amélioration de l’offre de service et prendre en compte les facteurs  sociaux tels que l’éducation, l’économie et la gouvernance.La connaissance du calendrier vaccinal par les mères ou gardiennes d’enfants est indispensable pour le suivi correct des rendez-vous de vaccination. Il en est de même pour les maladies cibles du PEV. Ainsi pour améliorer ces connaissances et amener les mères ou gardiennes d’enfants à adhérer au PEV, il faut renforcer les activités de communication de masse et de proximité, le renforcement des dynamiques communautaires au niveau de la zone  en partenariat avec les ONG et les Organisations Communautaires de Base (OCB), alors que pour améliorer les  couvertures vaccinales de routine au niveau des points de prestation de service  l’amélioration de l’offre de service et prendre en compte les facteurs  sociaux tels que l’éducation, l’économie et la gouvernance

Genome-Wide Linkage in a Highly Consanguineous Pedigree Reveals Two Novel Loci on Chromosome 7 for Non-Syndromic Familial Premature Ovarian Failure

BACKGROUND: The human condition known as Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is characterized by loss of ovarian function before the age of 40. A majority of POF cases are sporadic, but 10-15% are familial, suggesting a genetic origin of the disease. Although several causal mutations have been identified, the etiology of POF is still unknown for about 90% of the patients.¦METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report a genome-wide linkage and homozygosity analysis in one large consanguineous Middle-Eastern POF-affected family presenting an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. We identified two regions with a LOD(max) of 3.26 on chromosome 7p21.1-15.3 and 7q21.3-22.2, which are supported as candidate regions by homozygosity mapping. Sequencing of the coding exons and known regulatory sequences of three candidate genes (DLX5, DLX6 and DSS1) included within the largest region did not reveal any causal mutations.¦CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We detect two novel POF-associated loci on human chromosome 7, opening the way to the identification of new genes involved in the control of ovarian development and function

Stronger and More Vulnerable: A Balanced View of the Impacts of the NICU Experience on Parents

For parents, the experience of having an infant in the NICU is often psychologically traumatic. No parent can be fully prepared for the extreme stress and range of emotions of caring for a critically ill newborn. As health care providers familiar with the NICU, we thought that we understood the impact of the NICU on parents. But we were not prepared to see the children in our own families as NICU patients. Here are some of the lessons our NICU experience has taught us. We offer these lessons in the hope of helping health professionals consider a balanced view of the NICU's impact on families

Genome-Wide Linkage in a Highly Consanguineous Pedigree Reveals Two Novel Loci on Chromosome 7 for Non-Syndromic Familial Premature Ovarian Failure

Background: The human condition known as Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is characterized by loss of ovarian function before the age of 40. A majority of POF cases are sporadic, but 10–15% are familial, suggesting a genetic origin of the disease. Although several causal mutations have been identified, the etiology of POF is still unknown for about 90% of the patients. Methodology/Principal Findings: We report a genome-wide linkage and homozygosity analysis in one large consanguineous Middle-Eastern POF-affected family presenting an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. We identified two regions with a LODmax of 3.26 on chromosome 7p21.1-15.3 and 7q21.3-22.2, which are supported as candidate regions by homozygosity mapping. Sequencing of the coding exons and known regulatory sequences of three candidate genes (DLX5, DLX6 and DSS1) included within the largest region did not reveal any causal mutations. Conclusions/Significance: We detect two novel POF-associated loci on human chromosome 7, opening the way to the identification of new genes involved in the control of ovarian development and function

Mutations involving the SRY-related gene SOX8 are associated with a spectrum of human reproductive anomalies.

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. SOX8 is an HMG-box transcription factor closely related to SRY and SOX9. Deletion of the gene encoding Sox8 in mice causes reproductive dysfunction but the role of SOX8 in humans is unknown. Here, we show that SOX8 is expressed in the somatic cells of the early developing gonad in the human and influences human sex determination. We identified two individuals with 46, XY disorders/differences in sex development (DSD) and chromosomal rearrangements encompassing the SOX8 locus and a third individual with 46, XY DSD and a missense mutation in the HMG-box of SOX8. In vitro functional assays indicate that this mutation alters the biological activity of the protein. As an emerging body of evidence suggests that DSDs and infertility can have common etiologies, we also analysed SOX8 in a cohort of infertile men (n=274) and two independent cohorts of women with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI; n=153 and n=104). SOX8 mutations were found at increased frequency in oligozoospermic men (3.5%; P < 0.05) and POI (5.06%; P=4.5×10 -5 ) as compared with fertile/normospermic control populations (0.74%). The mutant proteins identified altered SOX8 biological activity as compared with the wild-type protein. These data demonstrate that SOX8 plays an important role in human reproduction and SOX8 mutations contribute to a spectrum of phenotypes including 46, XY DSD, male infertility and 46, XX POI.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Does polycystic ovarian morphology influence the response to treatment with pulsatile GnRH in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea?

BACKGROUND: Pulsatile GnRH therapy is the gold standard treatment for ovulation induction in women having functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). The use of pulsatile GnRH therapy in FHA patients with polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM), called “FHA-PCOM”, has been little studied in the literature and results remain contradictory. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of pulsatile GnRH therapy for ovulation induction between FHA and “FHA-PCOM” patients in order to search for an eventual impact of PCOM. METHODS: Retrospective study from August 2002 to June 2015, including 27 patients with FHA and 40 “FHA-PCOM” patients (85 and 104 initiated cycles, respectively) treated by pulsatile GnRH therapy for induction ovulation. RESULTS: The two groups were similar except for markers of PCOM (follicle number per ovary, serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone level and ovarian area), which were significantly higher in patients with “FHA-PCOM”. There was no significant difference between the groups concerning the ovarian response: with equivalent doses of GnRH, both groups had similar ovulation (80.8 vs 77.7 %, NS) and excessive response rates (12.5 vs 10.6 %, NS). There was no significant difference in on-going pregnancy rates (26.9 vs 20 % per initiated cycle, NS), as well as in miscarriage, multiple pregnancy or biochemical pregnancy rates. CONCLUSION: Pulsatile GnRH seems to be a successful and safe method for ovulation induction in “FHA-PCOM” patients. If results were confirmed by prospective studies, GnRH therapy could therefore become a first-line treatment for this specific population, just as it is for women with FHA without PCOM

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Use of Hormone Replacement in Females with Endocrine Disorders

International audienceHormone replacement therapy (HRT) is necessary in adolescents with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) in order to avoid estrogen deficiency. The goal of this minirewiew is to present the different types of estrogens (17β-estradiol, estradiol valerate, ethinyl estradiol, and combined equine estrogens) as well as the different types of progestins available. In order to choose among the different types of HRTs, the features of each regimen are being discussed as well as their risks and their respective benefits. The differences between oral combined contraceptive pills and a dissociated regimen containing estrogen and progestins are emphasized. The different effects of HRTs, mainly on feminization, growth spurt, bone mass as well as cardiovascular risk, and the follow-up of these young patients are presented. HRT in adolescents and young adults with estrogen deficiency is necessary and should be continued until the age of natural menopause. Studies have so far essentially included children or adolescents with Turner syndrome. Therefore, studies on HRT including patients with POI and a normal karyotype are necessary