1,488 research outputs found
Incorporating and evaluating an integrated gender-specific medicine curriculum: a survey study in Dutch GP training
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80246.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: We recently set standards for gender-specific medicine training as an integrated part of the GP training curriculum. This paper describes the programme and evaluation of this training. METHODS: The programme is designed for GP registrars throughout the 3-year GP training. The modules emphasize interaction, application, and clinically integrated learning and teaching methods in peer groups. In 2005 - 2008, after completion of each tutorial, GP registrars were asked to fill in a questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale to assess the programme's methods and content. GP registrars were also asked to identify two learning points related to the programme. RESULTS: The teaching programme consists of five 3-hour modules that include gender themes related to and frequently seen by GPs such as in doctor-patient communication and cardiovascular disease. GP registrars evaluated the training course positively. The written learning points suggest that GP registrars have increased their awareness of why attention to gender-specific information is relevant. CONCLUSION: In summary, gender-specific medicine training has been successfully integrated into an existing GP training curriculum. The modules and teaching methods are transferable to other training institutes for postgraduate training. The evaluation of the teaching programme shows a positive impact on GP registrars' gender awareness
Intracellular Calcium Disturbances Induced by Arsenic and Its Methylated Derivatives in Relation to Genomic Damage and Apoptosis Induction
Arsenic and its methylated derivatives are contaminants of air, water, and food and are known as toxicants and carcinogens. Arsenic compounds are also being used as cancer chemotherapeutic agents. In humans, inorganic arsenic is metabolically methylated to mono-, di-, and trimethylated forms. Recent findings suggest that the methylation reactions represent a toxification rather than a detoxification pathway. In recent years, the correlation between arsenic exposure, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and tumor promotion has been established, as well as the association of arsenic exposure with perturbation of physiologic processes, generation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and apoptosis induction. Trivalent forms of arsenic have been found to induce apoptosis in several cellular systems with involvement of membrane-bound cell death receptors, activation of caspases, release of calcium stores, and changes of the intracellular glutathione level. It is well known that calcium ion deregulation plays a critical role in apoptotic cell death. A calcium increase in the nuclei might lead to toxic effects in the cell. In this review, we highlight the relationship between induced disturbances of calcium homeostasis, genomic damage, and apoptotic cell death caused by arsenic and its organic derivatives
Comparison of techniques for handling missing covariate data within prognostic modelling studies: a simulation study
Background: There is no consensus on the most appropriate approach to handle missing covariate data within prognostic modelling studies. Therefore a simulation study was performed to assess the effects of different missing data techniques on the performance of a prognostic model.
Methods: Datasets were generated to resemble the skewed distributions seen in a motivating breast cancer example. Multivariate missing data were imposed on four covariates using four different mechanisms; missing completely at random (MCAR), missing at random (MAR), missing not at random (MNAR) and a combination of all three mechanisms. Five amounts of incomplete cases from 5% to 75% were considered. Complete case analysis (CC), single imputation (SI) and five multiple imputation (MI) techniques available within the R statistical software were investigated: a) data augmentation (DA) approach assuming a multivariate normal distribution, b) DA assuming a general location model, c) regression switching imputation, d) regression switching with predictive mean matching (MICE-PMM) and e) flexible additive imputation models. A Cox proportional hazards model was fitted and appropriate estimates for the regression coefficients and model performance measures were obtained.
Results: Performing a CC analysis produced unbiased regression estimates, but inflated standard errors, which affected the significance of the covariates in the model with 25% or more missingness. Using SI, underestimated the variability; resulting in poor coverage even with 10% missingness. Of the MI approaches, applying MICE-PMM produced, in general, the least biased estimates and better coverage for the incomplete covariates and better model performance for all mechanisms. However, this MI approach still produced biased regression coefficient estimates for the incomplete skewed continuous covariates when 50% or more cases had missing data imposed with a MCAR, MAR or combined mechanism. When the missingness depended on the incomplete covariates, i.e. MNAR, estimates were biased with more than 10% incomplete cases for all MI approaches.
Conclusion: The results from this simulation study suggest that performing MICE-PMM may be the preferred MI approach provided that less than 50% of the cases have missing data and the missing data are not MNAR
Variation in life history traits and transcriptome associated with adaptation to diet shifts in the ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
Background: Despite the broad diet range of many predatory ladybirds, the mechanisms involved in their adaptation to diet shifts are not completely understood. Here, we explored how a primarily coccidophagous ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri adapts to feeding on aphids.
Results: Based on the lower survival rate, longer developmental time, and lower adult body weight and reproduction rate of the predator, the aphid Megoura japonica proved being less suitable to support C. montrouzieri as compared with the citrus mealybug Planococcus citri. The results indicated up-regulation of genes related to ribosome and translation in fourth instars, which may be related to their suboptimal development. Also, several genes related to biochemical transport and metabolism, and detoxification were up-regulated as a result of adaptation to the changes in nutritional and non-nutritional (toxic) components of the prey.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that C. montrouzieri succeeded in feeding on aphids by regulation of genes related to development, digestion and detoxification. Thus, we argue that these candidate genes are valuable for further studies of the functional evolution of ladybirds led by diet shifts
Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity and clustered cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents: the HAPPY study
Clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors can occur during childhood and predisposes individuals to cardiometabolic disease. This study calculated clustered cardiometabolic risk in 100 children and adolescents aged 10-14 years (59 girls) and explored differences according to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels and time spent at different physical activity (PA) intensities. CRF was determined using a maximal cycle ergometer test, and PA was assessed using accelerometry. A cardiometabolic risk score was computed as the sum of the standardised scores for waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein ratio, triglycerides and glucose. Differences in clustered cardiometabolic risk between fit and unfit participants, according to previously proposed health-related threshold values, and between tertiles for PA subcomponents were assessed using ANCOVA. Clustered risk was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the fit group (mean 1.21 ± 3.42) compared to the unfit group (mean -0.74 ± 2.22), while no differences existed between tertiles for any subcomponent of PA. Conclusion These findings suggest that CRF may have an important cardioprotective role in children and adolescents and highlights the importance of promoting CRF in youth
Stronger diversity effects with increased environmental stress : a study of multitrophic interactions between oak, powdery mildew and ladybirds
Recent research has suggested that increasing neighbourhood tree species diversity may mitigate the impact of pests or pathogens by supporting the activities of their natural enemies and/or reducing the density of available hosts. In this study, we attempted to assess these mechanisms in a multitrophic study system of young oak (Quercus), oak powdery mildew (PM, caused by Erysiphe spp.) and a mycophagous ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduo-punctata). We assessed ladybird mycophagy on oak PM in function of different neighbourhood tree species compositions. We also evaluated whether these species interactions were modulated by environmental conditions as suggested by the Stress Gradient Hypothesis. We adopted a complementary approach of a field experiment where we monitored oak saplings subjected to a reduced rainfall gradient in a young planted forest consisting of different tree species mixtures, as well as a lab experiment where we independently evaluated the effect of different watering treatments on PM infections and ladybird mycophagy. In the field experiment, we found effects of neighbourhood tree species richness on ladybird mycophagy becoming more positive as the target trees received less water. This effect was only found as weather conditions grew drier. In the lab experiment, we found a preference of ladybirds to graze on infected leaves from trees that received less water. We discuss potential mechanisms that might explain this preference, such as emissions of volatile leaf chemicals. Our results are in line with the expectations of the Natural Enemies Hypothesis and support the hypothesis that biodiversity effects become stronger with increased environmental stress
The remnants of galaxy formation from a panoramic survey of the region around M31
In hierarchical cosmological models, galaxies grow in mass through the
continual accretion of smaller ones. The tidal disruption of these systems is
expected to result in loosely bound stars surrounding the galaxy, at distances
that reach times the radius of the central disk. The number,
luminosity and morphology of the relics of this process provide significant
clues to galaxy formation history, but obtaining a comprehensive survey of
these components is difficult because of their intrinsic faintness and vast
extent. Here we report a panoramic survey of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). We
detect stars and coherent structures that are almost certainly remnants of
dwarf galaxies destroyed by the tidal field of M31. An improved census of their
surviving counterparts implies that three-quarters of M31's satellites brighter
than await discovery. The brightest companion, Triangulum (M33), is
surrounded by a stellar structure that provides persuasive evidence for a
recent encounter with M31. This panorama of galaxy structure directly confirms
the basic tenets of the hierarchical galaxy formation model and reveals the
shared history of M31 and M33 in the unceasing build-up of galaxies.Comment: Published in Nature. Supplementary movie available at
https://www.astrosci.ca/users/alan/PANDAS/Latest%20news%3A%20movie%20of%20orbit.htm
The Status of GMSB After 1/fb at the LHC
We thoroughly investigate the current status of supersymmetry in light of the
latest searches at the LHC, using General Gauge Mediation (GGM) as a
well-motivated signature generator that leads to many different simplified
models. We consider all possible promptly-decaying NLSPs in GGM, and by
carefully reinterpreting the existing LHC searches, we derive limits on both
colored and electroweak SUSY production. Overall, the coverage of GGM parameter
space is quite good, but much discovery potential still remains even at 7 TeV.
We identify several regions of parameter space where the current searches are
the weakest, typically in models with electroweak production, third generation
sfermions or squeezed spectra, and we suggest how ATLAS and CMS might modify
their search strategies given the understanding of GMSB at 1/fb. In particular,
we propose the use of leptonic to suppress backgrounds.
Because we express our results in terms of simplified models, they have broader
applicability beyond the GGM framework, and give a global view of the current
LHC reach. Our results on 3rd generation squark NLSPs in particular can be
viewed as setting direct limits on naturalness.Comment: 44 pages, refs added, typos fixed, improved MC statistics in fig 1
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