Constructing a Test Bank for Information Science based upon Bloom's principles

This paper outlines an approach to creating questions for a subject-based question bank for use in UK library schools. The authors outline a concept map for information science and describe how Bloom’s taxonomy can be adapted to the creation of higher level questions than the commonly used and simple recall type. Sample questions were created using the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (IEILS) and subjects defined by staff at the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University. A role is suggested for the Learning and Teaching Support Network for Information and Computer Science (LTSN-ICS)

Peptide hormones regulating appetite: Focus on neuroimaging studies in humans

In recent years, knowledge about hormonal feedback from the gastrointestinal tract and adipose tissue has increased tremendously. Peptide hormones modulating hunger have been intensively studied, mostly in animals but increasingly also in humans. The first therapeutic agents, such as GLP-1 analogues, are in successful clinical use for T2D and may beneficially affect hunger and reduce weight. Data from in vitro studies and animals provide detailed insight into regulatory mechanisms leading to peptide secretion and receptor bindings, as well as to the distribution of receptors involved in different parts of the body. With neuroimaging techniques human brain structures have been identified that play a role in hunger, satiety and eating behaviour. These include the primary gustatory (insular) and olfactory (pyriform) cortex and regions with a highly permeable blood-brain barrier (hypothalamus, brain stem), which facilitates humoral input via gut peptides and leptin. In addition, cerebral networks involved in higher cognitive functions, especially those relevant to reward, pleasure and also addiction (ventral and dorsal striatum, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), prefrontal cortex (PFC)) were shown to be involved. First indications of direct influences of peptide hormones on these networks have become available from neuroimaging studies administrating synthetic PYY, ghrelin and leptin. Insulin also appears to play an important role as a central satiety hormone, and evidence indicating the possibility of central insulin resistance in obesity is available

RCC Real-World Data: Prognostic Factors and Risk Stratification in the Immunotherapy Era

Immunotherapy has transformed the landscape of treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in the last decade. Currently, prognostic risk stratification is based on the model developed in the era of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitors (VEGFRi) by Heng in 2009. Our study aims to find the most relevant risk criteria for mRCC patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI). In a retrospective cohort study, laboratory, pathology, demographic, and clinical data were retrieved from electronic medical records of consecutive mRCC patients treated with CPI in a tertiary center between 2015 and 2020. An unbiased multivariate analysis was performed to define predictive variables with a bootstrap validation step. We analyzed data on 127 patients with a median follow-up of 60 months. The median overall survival (OS) since the diagnosis of metastatic disease was 57 months. The response rate for CPI was 39%. Five risk factors were correlated with worse OS: intact primary kidney tumor (HR 2.33, p = 0.012), liver metastasis (HR 3.33, p = 0.001), p = 0.029), elevated platelets (HR 3.06, p = 0.015), and Karnofsky performance status p = 0.001). The model received a C-index of 70.7 compared with a score of 62.0 for the Heng’s model. When dividing patients into “low-risk” (0–1 risk factors) and “high-risk” (2–5 risk factors), there was good separation between the groups, with an HR of 5.9 (p < 0.0001). This study presents a new prognostic model for mRCC in the immunotherapy era with improved accuracy. Further research is needed to validate this model in larger cohorts

Immune-Related Thyroiditis as a Predictor for Survival in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) are indicated for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Immune-related thyroiditis (irT), an immune-related adverse event (irAE), affects up to 30% of patients. We aimed to determine whether irT is associated with overall survival in mRCC. A retrospective cohort study of 123 consecutive patients treated with CPI for mRCC in a single center between 2015 and 2020 was conducted. Disease risk stratification was assessed by two methods: Heng criteria and a novel dichotomic stratification system to &ldquo;Low risk&rdquo; versus &ldquo;High risk&rdquo; adding number of metastatic sites. Thirty-eight percent of patients developed irT. In the general cohort, irT was not associated with a survival benefit. However, irT was associated with better survival in the poor risk group per Heng criteria (n = 17, HR = 0.25, p = 0.04) and in the novel &ldquo;High risk&rdquo; group (HR = 0.28, n = 42, p = 0.01), including after accounting for covariates in multivariate analysis (HR = 0.27, p = 0.003). Having any irAE was associated with improved survival in the whole cohort, with no significant correlation of any specific irAE, in either the whole cohort or the &ldquo;High risk&rdquo; group. We conclude that irT is an early and prevalent irAE, associated with prolonged survival in patients with poor/&ldquo;High&rdquo; risk mRCC