Feasibility of an Assessment Tool as a Data-Driven Approach to Reducing Racial Bias in Biomedical Publications.

The editorial independence of biomedical journals allows flexibility to meet a wide range of research interests. However, it also is a barrier for coordination between journals to solve challenging issues such as racial bias in the scientific literature. A standardized tool to screen for racial bias could prevent the publication of racially biased papers. Biomedical journals would maintain editorial autonomy while still allowing comparable data to be collected and analyzed across journals. A racially diverse research team carried out a three-phase study to generate and test a racial bias assessment tool for biomedical research. Phase 1, an in-depth, structured literature search to identify recommendations, found near complete agreement in the literature on addressing race in biomedical research. Phase 2, construction of a framework from those recommendations, provides the major innovation of this paper. The framework includes three dimensions of race: 1) context, 2) tone and terminology, and 3) analysis, which are the basis for the Race Equity Vetting Instrument for Editorial Workflow (REVIEW) tool. Phase 3, pilot testing the assessment tool, showed that the REVIEW tool was effective at flagging multiple concerns in widely criticized articles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed REVIEW tool to reduce racial bias in research. Next steps include testing this tool on a broader sample of biomedical research to determine how the tool performs on more subtle examples of racial bias. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10916-021-01777-w

Collaborative Depression Trial (CADET): multi-centre randomised controlled trial of collaborative care for depression - study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Comprising of both organisational and patient level components, collaborative care is a potentially powerful intervention for improving depression treatment in UK primary Care. However, as previous models have been developed and evaluated in the United States, it is necessary to establish the effect of collaborative care in the UK in order to determine whether this innovative treatment model can replicate benefits for patients outside the US. This Phase III trial was preceded by a Phase II patient level RCT, following the MRC Complex Intervention Framework.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A multi-centre controlled trial with cluster-randomised allocation of GP practices. GP practices will be randomised to usual care control or to "collaborative care" - a combination of case manager coordinated support and brief psychological treatment, enhanced specialist and GP communication. The primary outcome will be symptoms of depression as assessed by the PHQ-9.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>If collaborative care is demonstrated to be effective we will have evidence to enable the NHS to substantially improve the organisation of depressed patients in primary care, and to assist primary care providers to deliver a model of enhanced depression care which is both effective and acceptable to patients.</p> <p>Trial Registration Number</p> <p>ISRCTN32829227</p

Variants in GNAI1 cause a syndrome associated with variable features including developmental delay, seizures, and hypotonia

Purpose: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) encompass a spectrum of genetically heterogeneous disorders with features that commonly include developmental delay, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorders. We sought to delineate the molecular and phenotypic spectrum of a novel neurodevelopmental disorder caused by variants in the GNAI1 gene. Methods: Through large cohort trio-based exome sequencing and international data-sharing, we identified 24 unrelated individuals with NDD phenotypes and a variant in GNAI1, which encodes the inhibitory Gαi1 subunit of heterotrimeric G-proteins. We collected detailed genotype and phenotype information for each affected individual. Results: We identified 16 unique variants in GNAI1 in 24 affected individuals; 23 occurred de novo and 1 was inherited from a mosaic parent. Most affected individuals have a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. Core features include global developmental delay, intellectual disability, hypotonia, and epilepsy. Conclusion: This collaboration establishes GNAI1 variants as a cause of NDDs. GNAI1-related NDD is most often characterized by severe to profound delays, hypotonia, epilepsy that ranges from self-limiting to intractable, behavior problems, and variable mild dysmorphic features

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the Practice of Clinical Radiology

The speed at which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread quickly fractured the radiology practice model in ways that were never considered. In March 2020, most practices saw an unprecedented drop in their volume of greater than 50%. The profound changes that have interrupted the arc of the radiology narrative may substantially dictate how health care and radiology services are delivered in the future. We examine the impact of COVID-19 on the future of radiology practice across the following domains: employment, compensation, and practice structure; location and hours of work; workplace environment and safety; activities beyond the usual scope of radiology practice; and CME, national meetings, and professional organizations. Our purpose is to share ideas that can help inform adaptive planning

Dopaminergic activity and altered reward modulation in anorexia nervosa-insight from multimodal imaging.

ObjectiveIndividuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have anxious and inhibited temperaments with high concern for consequences. Studies using either positron emission tomography (PET) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggest involvement of the middle and dorsal caudate (DC) in individuals recovered (REC) from AN. For example, dopamine (DA) D2/D3 receptor binding in the middle caudate and DC was associated with anxiety and harm avoidance, and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response in the DC was positively related to trait anxiety. It has not been shown yet whether BOLD response in individuals REC from AN was related to DA function.MethodsPost-hoc correlation analyses between the PET and fMRI studies by correlating D2/D3 binding in striatal regions and BOLD signal in the anteroventral striatum (AVS) and DC for wins and losses respectively in 12 individuals REC from AN.ResultsIndividuals REC from AN with the greatest BOLD response in the DC in a monetary choice task had higher middle caudate D2/D3 binding, and greater anxiety and/or harm avoidance.DiscussionThough preliminary, these findings suggest that increased dorsal striatal D2/D3 binding is associated with enhanced cognitive response to feedback, potentially related to anxious anticipation of consequences. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:593-596)

Dopaminergic activity and altered reward modulation in anorexia nervosa-insight from multimodal imaging.

ObjectiveIndividuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have anxious and inhibited temperaments with high concern for consequences. Studies using either positron emission tomography (PET) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggest involvement of the middle and dorsal caudate (DC) in individuals recovered (REC) from AN. For example, dopamine (DA) D2/D3 receptor binding in the middle caudate and DC was associated with anxiety and harm avoidance, and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response in the DC was positively related to trait anxiety. It has not been shown yet whether BOLD response in individuals REC from AN was related to DA function.MethodsPost-hoc correlation analyses between the PET and fMRI studies by correlating D2/D3 binding in striatal regions and BOLD signal in the anteroventral striatum (AVS) and DC for wins and losses respectively in 12 individuals REC from AN.ResultsIndividuals REC from AN with the greatest BOLD response in the DC in a monetary choice task had higher middle caudate D2/D3 binding, and greater anxiety and/or harm avoidance.DiscussionThough preliminary, these findings suggest that increased dorsal striatal D2/D3 binding is associated with enhanced cognitive response to feedback, potentially related to anxious anticipation of consequences. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:593-596)