Direct Training of Teachers in the Use of Praise: Implementation and Generalization

Praise has been shown to be an effective intervention for decreasing problem behaviors in the classroom when there is a hypothesized attention function. Unfortunately, studies have shown that teachers generally provide low rates of praise even after didactic instruction. Praise training consisting of didactic and direct training have been used to increase praise rates but few studies have examined the individual components within praise training to determine if didactic training is necessary. Additionally, while some studies have examined the maintenance of praise rate following praise training, few studies have focused on the generalization of praise towards other students. This study replicated and extended upon Dufrene et al. (2012) and Dufrene et al. (2014), by testing the efficacy of a direct teacher training procedure to increase praise while evaluating maintenance and generalization of praise. Four elementary school students and their teachers participated in the study due to referrals for problem behavior within the classroom with a hypothesized attention function. All teachers were trained to increase BSP through the use of a bug-in-the-ear radio. Praise directed towards the target student as well as other students in the classroom were recorded along with occurrence of problem behavior by the target student. Teachers who did not demonstrate maintenance and/or generalization were provided additional training. Results of this study showed that direct training resulted in increase in praise towards all target students but maintenance was not stable following withdrawal for all teachers. Of the four teachers, only one generalized praise towards other students. Additional training was required for three of the four teachers to generalize praise, which maintained during follow-up

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

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

Worldwide experience of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: retrospective cohort study

Background: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is a rare inherited disorder resulting in extremely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Current guidance about its management and prognosis stems from small studies, mostly from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical and genetic characteristics, as well as the impact, of current practice on health outcomes of HoFH patients globally. Methods: The HoFH International Clinical Collaborators registry collected data on patients with a clinical, or genetic, or both, diagnosis of HoFH using a retrospective cohort study design. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04815005. Findings: Overall, 751 patients from 38 countries were included, with 565 (75%) reporting biallelic pathogenic variants. The median age of diagnosis was 12·0 years (IQR 5·5–27·0) years. Of the 751 patients, 389 (52%) were female and 362 (48%) were male. Race was reported for 527 patients; 338 (64%) patients were White, 121 (23%) were Asian, and 68 (13%) were Black or mixed race. The major manifestations of ASCVD or aortic stenosis were already present in 65 (9%) of patients at diagnosis of HoFH. Globally, pretreatment LDL cholesterol levels were 14·7 mmol/L (IQR 11·6–18·4). Among patients with detailed therapeutic information, 491 (92%) of 534 received statins, 342 (64%) of 534 received ezetimibe, and 243 (39%) of 621 received lipoprotein apheresis. On-treatment LDL cholesterol levels were lower in high-income countries (3·93 mmol/L, IQR 2·6–5·8) versus non-high-income countries (9·3 mmol/L, 6·7–12·7), with greater use of three or more lipid-lowering therapies (LLT; high-income 66% vs non-high-income 24%) and consequently more patients attaining guideline-recommended LDL cholesterol goals (high-income 21% vs non-high-income 3%). A first major adverse cardiovascular event occurred a decade earlier in non-high-income countries, at a median age of 24·5 years (IQR 17·0–34·5) versus 37·0 years (29·0–49·0) in high-income countries (adjusted hazard ratio 1·64, 95% CI 1·13–2·38). Interpretation: Worldwide, patients with HoFH are diagnosed too late, undertreated, and at high premature ASCVD risk. Greater use of multi-LLT regimens is associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels and better outcomes. Significant global disparities exist in treatment regimens, control of LDL cholesterol levels, and cardiovascular event-free survival, which demands a critical re-evaluation of global health policy to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for all patients with HoFH

Worldwide experience of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: retrospective cohort study

Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemia International Clinical Collaborators: Tycho R Tromp, Merel L Hartgers, G Kees Hovingh, Antonio J Vallejo-Vaz, Kausik K Ray, Handrean Soran, Tomas Freiberger, Stefano A Bertolini, Mariko Harada-Shiba, Jing Pang, Gerald F Watts, Susanne Greber-Platzer, Martin Mäser, Thomas M Stulnig, Christoph F Ebenbichler, Khalid Bin Thani, David Cassiman, Olivier S Descamps, Daisy Rymen, Peter Witters, Raul D Santos, Liam R Brunham, Gordon A Francis, Jacques Genest, Robert A Hegele, Brooke A Kennedy, Isabelle Ruel, Mark H Sherman, Long Jiang, Luya Wang, Željko Reiner, Vladimir Blaha, Richard Ceska, Jana Dvorakova, Lubomir Dlouhy, Pavel Horak, Vladimir Soska, Lukas Tichy, Robin Urbanek, Helena Vaverkova, Michal Vrablik, Stanislav Zemek, Lukas Zlatohlavek, Sameh Emil, Tarek Naguib, Ashraf Reda, Sophie Béliard, Eric Bruckert, Antonio Gallo, Moses S Elisaf, Genovefa Kolovou, Hofit Cohen, Ronen Durst, Eldad J Dann, Avishay Elis, Osama Hussein, Eran Leitersdorf, Daniel Schurr, Nitika Setia, Ishwar C Verma, Mohammed D Alareedh, Mutaz Al-Khnifsawi, Ali F Abdalsahib Al-Zamili, Sabah H Rhadi, Foaad K Shaghee, Marcello Arca, Maurizio Averna, Andrea Bartuli, Marco Bucci, Paola S Buonuomo, Paolo Calabrò, Sebastiano Calandra, Manuela Casula, Alberico L Catapano, Angelo B Cefalù, Arrigo F G Cicero, Sergio D'Addato, Laura D'Erasmo, Alessia Di Costanzo, Tommaso Fasano, Marta Gazzotti, Antonina Giammanco, Gabriella Iannuzzo, Anastasia Ibba, Emanuele A Negri, Andrea Pasta, Chiara Pavanello, Livia Pisciotta, Claudio Rabacchi, Carlo Ripoli, Tiziana Sampietro, Francesco Sbrana, Fulvio Sileo, Patrizia Suppressa, Patrizia Tarugi, Chiara Trenti, Maria G Zenti, Mika Hori, Mahmoud H Ayesh, Sami T Azar, Fadi F Bitar, Akl C Fahed, Elie M Moubarak, Georges Nemer, Hapizah M Nawawi, Ramón Madriz, Roopa Mehta, Arjen J Cupido, Joep C Defesche, M Doortje Reijman, Jeanine E Roeters-van Lennep, Erik S G Stroes, Albert Wiegman, Linda Zuurbier, Khalid Al-Waili, Fouzia Sadiq, Krzysztof Chlebus, Mafalda Bourbon, Isabel M Gaspar, Katarina S Lalic, Marat V Ezhov, Andrey V Susekov, Urh Groselj, Min-Ji Charng, Weerapan Khovidhunkit, Melih Aktan, Bulent B Altunkeser, Sinan Demircioglu, Melis Kose, Cumali Gokce, Osman Ilhan, Meral Kayikcioglu, Leyla G Kaynar, Irfan Kuku, Erdal Kurtoglu, Harika Okutan, Osman I Ozcebe, Zafer Pekkolay, Saim Sag, Osman Z Salcioglu, Ahmet Temizhan, Mustafa Yenercag, Mehmet Yilmaz, Hamiyet Yilmaz Yasar, Olena Mitchenko, Alexander R M Lyons, Christophe A T Stevens, Julie A Brothers, Lisa C Hudgins, Christina Nguyen, Rano Alieva, Aleksandr Shek, Doan-Loi Do, Ngoc-Thanh Kim, Hong-An Le, Thanh-Tung Le, Mai-Ngoc T Nguyen, Thanh-Huong Truong, Dirk J Blom, Frederick J Raal, Marina Cuchel.Background: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is a rare inherited disorder resulting in extremely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Current guidance about its management and prognosis stems from small studies, mostly from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical and genetic characteristics, as well as the impact, of current practice on health outcomes of HoFH patients globally. Methods: The HoFH International Clinical Collaborators registry collected data on patients with a clinical, or genetic, or both, diagnosis of HoFH using a retrospective cohort study design. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04815005. Findings: Overall, 751 patients from 38 countries were included, with 565 (75%) reporting biallelic pathogenic variants. The median age of diagnosis was 12·0 years (IQR 5·5-27·0) years. Of the 751 patients, 389 (52%) were female and 362 (48%) were male. Race was reported for 527 patients; 338 (64%) patients were White, 121 (23%) were Asian, and 68 (13%) were Black or mixed race. The major manifestations of ASCVD or aortic stenosis were already present in 65 (9%) of patients at diagnosis of HoFH. Globally, pretreatment LDL cholesterol levels were 14·7 mmol/L (IQR 11·6-18·4). Among patients with detailed therapeutic information, 491 (92%) of 534 received statins, 342 (64%) of 534 received ezetimibe, and 243 (39%) of 621 received lipoprotein apheresis. On-treatment LDL cholesterol levels were lower in high-income countries (3·93 mmol/L, IQR 2·6-5·8) versus non-high-income countries (9·3 mmol/L, 6·7-12·7), with greater use of three or more lipid-lowering therapies (LLT; high-income 66% vs non-high-income 24%) and consequently more patients attaining guideline-recommended LDL cholesterol goals (high-income 21% vs non-high-income 3%). A first major adverse cardiovascular event occurred a decade earlier in non-high-income countries, at a median age of 24·5 years (IQR 17·0-34·5) versus 37·0 years (29·0-49·0) in high-income countries (adjusted hazard ratio 1·64, 95% CI 1·13-2·38). Interpretation: Worldwide, patients with HoFH are diagnosed too late, undertreated, and at high premature ASCVD risk. Greater use of multi-LLT regimens is associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels and better outcomes. Significant global disparities exist in treatment regimens, control of LDL cholesterol levels, and cardiovascular event-free survival, which demands a critical re-evaluation of global health policy to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for all patients with HoFH.Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location Academic Medical Center; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and European Atherosclerosis Society.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Worldwide experience of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: retrospective cohort study

Background Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is a rare inherited disorder resulting in extremely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Current guidance about its management and prognosis stems from small studies, mostly from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical and genetic characteristics, as well as the impact, of current practice on health outcomes of HoFH patients globally. Methods The HoFH International Clinical Collaborators registry collected data on patients with a clinical, or genetic, or both, diagnosis of HoFH using a retrospective cohort study design. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04815005. Findings Overall, 751 patients from 38 countries were included, with 565 (75%) reporting biallelic pathogenic variants. The median age of diagnosis was 12·0 years (IQR 5·5–27·0) years. Of the 751 patients, 389 (52%) were female and 362 (48%) were male. Race was reported for 527 patients; 338 (64%) patients were White, 121 (23%) were Asian, and 68 (13%) were Black or mixed race. The major manifestations of ASCVD or aortic stenosis were already present in 65 (9%) of patients at diagnosis of HoFH. Globally, pretreatment LDL cholesterol levels were 14·7 mmol/L (IQR 11·6–18·4). Among patients with detailed therapeutic information, 491 (92%) of 534 received statins, 342 (64%) of 534 received ezetimibe, and 243 (39%) of 621 received lipoprotein apheresis. On-treatment LDL cholesterol levels were lower in high-income countries (3·93 mmol/L, IQR 2·6–5·8) versus non-high-income countries (9·3 mmol/L, 6·7–12·7), with greater use of three or more lipid-lowering therapies (LLT; high-income 66% vs non-high-income 24%) and consequently more patients attaining guideline-recommended LDL cholesterol goals (high-income 21% vs non-high-income 3%). A first major adverse cardiovascular event occurred a decade earlier in non-high-income countries, at a median age of 24·5 years (IQR 17·0–34·5) versus 37·0 years (29·0–49·0) in high-income countries (adjusted hazard ratio 1·64, 95% CI 1·13–2·38). Interpretation Worldwide, patients with HoFH are diagnosed too late, undertreated, and at high premature ASCVD risk. Greater use of multi-LLT regimens is associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels and better outcomes. Significant global disparities exist in treatment regimens, control of LDL cholesterol levels, and cardiovascular event-free survival, which demands a critical re-evaluation of global health policy to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for all patients with HoFH. Funding Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location Academic Medical Center; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and European Atherosclerosis Societ

Sex Differences in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Importance Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare genetic condition characterized by extremely increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is more common than HoFH, and women with HeFH are diagnosed later and undertreated compared to men; it is unknown whether these sex differences also apply to HoFH. Objective To investigate sex differences in age at diagnosis, risk factors, lipid-lowering treatment, and ASCVD morbidity and mortality in patients with HoFH. Design, Setting, and Participants Sex-specific analyses for this retrospective cohort study were performed using data from the HoFH International Clinical Collaborators (HICC) registry, the largest global dataset of patients with HoFH, spanning 88 institutions across 38 countries. Patients with HoFH who were alive during or after 2010 were eligible for inclusion. Data entry occurred between February 2016 and December 2020. Data were analyzed from June 2022 to June 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures Comparison between women and men with HoFH regarding age at diagnosis, presence of risk factors, lipid-lowering treatment, prevalence, and onset and incidence of ASCVD morbidity (myocardial infarction [MI], aortic stenosis, and combined ASCVD outcomes) and mortality. Results Data from 389 women and 362 men with HoFH from 38 countries were included. Women and men had similar age at diagnosis (median [IQR], 13 [6-26] years vs 11 [5-27] years, respectively), untreated LDL cholesterol levels (mean [SD], 579 [203] vs 596 [186] mg/dL, respectively), and cardiovascular risk factor prevalence, except smoking (38 of 266 women [14.3%] vs 59 of 217 men [27.2%], respectively). Prevalence of MI was lower in women (31 of 389 [8.0%]) than men (59 of 362 [16.3%]), but age at first MI was similar (mean [SD], 39 [13] years in women vs 38 [13] years in men). Treated LDL cholesterol levels and lipid-lowering therapy were similar in both sexes, in particular statins (248 of 276 women [89.9%] vs 235 of 258 men [91.1%]) and lipoprotein apheresis (115 of 317 women [36.3%] vs 118 of 304 men [38.8%]). Sixteen years after HoFH diagnosis, women had statistically significant lower cumulative incidence of MI (5.0% in women vs 13.7% in men; subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR], 0.37; 95% CI, 0.21-0.66) and nonsignificantly lower all-cause mortality (3.0% in women vs 4.1% in men; HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.40-1.45) and cardiovascular mortality (2.6% in women vs 4.1% in men; SHR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.44-1.75). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of individuals with known HoFH, MI was higher in men compared with women yet age at diagnosis and at first ASCVD event were similar. These findings suggest that early diagnosis and treatment are important in attenuating the excessive cardiovascular risk in both sexes