Recommendations for accelerating open preprint peer review to improve the culture of science

Peer review is an important part of the scientific process, but traditional peer review at journals is coming under increased scrutiny for its inefficiency and lack of transparency. As preprints become more widely used and accepted, they raise the possibility of rethinking the peer-review process. Preprints are enabling new forms of peer review that have the potential to be more thorough, inclusive, and collegial than traditional journal peer review, and to thus fundamentally shift the culture of peer review toward constructive collaboration. In this Consensus View, we make a call to action to stakeholders in the community to accelerate the growing momentum of preprint sharing and provide recommendations to empower researchers to provide open and constructive peer review for preprints

Fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin with gemtuzumab ozogamicin improves event-free survival in younger patients with newly diagnosed aml and overall survival in patients with npm1 and flt3 mutations

Purpose To determine the optimal induction chemotherapy regimen for younger adults with newly diagnosed AML without known adverse risk cytogenetics. Patients and Methods One thousand thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to intensified (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin [FLAG-Ida]) or standard (daunorubicin and Ara-C [DA]) induction chemotherapy, with one or two doses of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Results There was no difference in remission rate after two courses between FLAG-Ida + GO and DA + GO (complete remission [CR] + CR with incomplete hematologic recovery 93% v 91%) or in day 60 mortality (4.3% v 4.6%). There was no difference in OS (66% v 63%; P = .41); however, the risk of relapse was lower with FLAG-Ida + GO (24% v 41%; P < .001) and 3-year event-free survival was higher (57% v 45%; P < .001). In patients with an NPM1 mutation (30%), 3-year OS was significantly higher with FLAG-Ida + GO (82% v 64%; P = .005). NPM1 measurable residual disease (MRD) clearance was also greater, with 88% versus 77% becoming MRD-negative in peripheral blood after cycle 2 (P = .02). Three-year OS was also higher in patients with a FLT3 mutation (64% v 54%; P = .047). Fewer transplants were performed in patients receiving FLAG-Ida + GO (238 v 278; P = .02). There was no difference in outcome according to the number of GO doses, although NPM1 MRD clearance was higher with two doses in the DA arm. Patients with core binding factor AML treated with DA and one dose of GO had a 3-year OS of 96% with no survival benefit from FLAG-Ida + GO. Conclusion Overall, FLAG-Ida + GO significantly reduced relapse without improving OS. However, exploratory analyses show that patients with NPM1 and FLT3 mutations had substantial improvements in OS. By contrast, in patients with core binding factor AML, outcomes were excellent with DA + GO with no FLAG-Ida benefit

The role of CAMKIIa in a development and plasticity of sensory pathways

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIα on the development and plasticity of sensory pathways

The dorsal horn of the spinal cord undergoes alterations during early postnatal life. For example, the primary afferent terminations from low-threshold Aβ fibres reorganise, and the interneurones increase their axodendritic elaborations. Many of these changes require activation of the NMDA receptor. The aim of this thesis was to examine the role of a major downstream signalling protein- calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II- in the activity-dependent development of the dorsal horn. After confirming the presence of the kinase in the spinal cord from birth, and elucidating its localisation within this region, I obtained a transgenic mouse in which a point mutation of the T286A site (T286A) prevents the kinase from entering its autophosphorylated form, and thus from remaining active after dissipation of the calcium stimulus. Using Dil labelling of Aβ fibres, it was shown the postnatal reorganisation that normally occurs during development, but is prevented by chronic NMDA receptor blockade, was not affected by the mutation, suggesting that CaMKII autophosphorylation is not required for normal A fibre development. Electrophysiological analysis of the dorsal horn using in vitro whole-cell patch clamp and in vivo extracellular recordings revealed decreases in polysynaptic Aβ input to the superficial dorsal horn, combined with reduced C fibre input and increased neuronal receptive field sizes in the mutant compared with wild-type littermates. This suggests a role for CaMKII in the normal postnatal development of the dorsal horn intemeuronal connectivity. Finally, the pain-processing ability of the adult mutant mouse was examined using behavioural and electrophysiological techniques. It was found that, while the baseline sensory processing was unaffected in the mutant, there was a decrease in pain behaviour in response to intraplantar injection of formalin, accompanied by an increase in pain behaviour in response to nerve injury. These findings highlight the different mechanisms that control pain processing in the spinal cord, and suggest different roles for CaMKII in each of these mechanisms

The future is open: opportunities for publishers and institutions

The growth of open access (OA) has created a unique opportunity for publishers and institutions to collaborate and deliver real change to the way science is disseminated and built upon. OA allows institutions to share and evaluate the research performed by their researchers as never before. Through OA, research can now reach readers from all walks of life, from all countries of the world. Combined with article-level metrics, authors and institutions are able to see the full reach of their research, beyond the traditional channels of citations and journal impact factors (IFs). However, the drive by policymakers to implement OA presents significant challenges to institutions and publishers. These challenges mean that the future of OA is by no means certain, and it is now up to funders, institutions and authors to work together to ensure the potential of OA is fully realized

Facilitating Rapid Peer Review: A Study of PLOS ONE Reviewer Timing

<p>This poster reports the results of a study into the effect of the reviewer deadline on overall review time, as presented at the Seventh International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication held September 8-10, 2013 in Chicago, IL. </p

Force 2016 Pitch-It Innovation Challenge Voting Data

This is the voting data count for all projects involved in the Force 2016 Conference Pitch-It Innovation Challenge. The voting for the proposals was conducted by attendees at the conference on 04/19/2016 during the Pitch-It Innovation Challenge Panel at the Force 2016 Conference held in Portland, OR. There were two votes held to choose two winners of the challenge. The Force 2016 Pitch-It Innovation Challenge was sponsored by Jisc and conducted in their Jisc Elevator Service. The winners of the 2016 challenge were as follows: Round 1: Radian Data Education and Advocacy Portal and Round 2: Metric Toolkit

Great saves or near misses? Severe maternal outcome in Metro East, South Africa: A region‐wide population‐based case‐control study

Objective: To assess the incidence of severe maternal outcome (SMO), comprising maternal mortality (MM) and maternal near miss (MNM), in Metro East health district, Western Cape Province, South Africa between November 2014 and November 2015 and to identify associated determinants leading to SMO with the aim to improve maternity care. Methods: Region-wide population-based case-control study. Women were included in the study, if they were maternal deaths or met MNM criteria, both as defined by WHO. Characteristics of women with SMO were compared with those of a sample of women without SMO, matched for age and parity, taken from midwifery-led obstetrical units from two residential areas in Metro East, using multivariate regression analysis. Results: Incidence of SMO was 9.1 per 1000 live births, and incidence of MNM was 8.6 per 1000 live births. Main causes of SMO were obstetrical hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders. Factors associated with SMO were HIV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 24.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.0–61.6), pre-eclampsia (aOR 17.5; 95% CI 7.9–38.7), birth by cesarean section (aOR 8.4; 95% CI 5.8–12.3), and chronic hypertension (aOR 2.4; 95% CI 1.1–5.1). Conclusion: Evaluation of SMO incidence and associated determinants supports optimizing tailored guidelines in Metro-East health district to improve maternal health