Interventions to prevent pandemic-driven diversity loss

The pandemic has badly affected the most diverse career stage in UK Earth sciences: early career researchers. Disrupted careers must be rescued with contingency plans, remote networks, a focus on mental health and mentor support if we are to retain diversity and talent

The economic pressures for biosimilar drug use in cancer medicine

The main rationale for using biosimilar drugs is for cost saving. The market development for biosimilar drugs will therefore depend on the degree to which cost saving measures are required by nations, medical insurers and individuals and the absolute savings that could be gained by switching from original drugs. This paper is designed to discover the degree to which financial constraints will drive future health spending and to discover if legal or safety issues could impact on any trend. A structured literature search was performed for papers and documents to 27 August 2011. Where multiple sources of data were available on a topic, data from papers and reports by multinational or national bodies were used in preference to data from regions or individual hospitals. Almost all health systems face current significant cost pressures. The twin driver of increasing cancer prevalence as populations age and cancer medicine costs rising faster than inflation places oncology as the most significant single cost problem. For some countries, this is predicted to make medicine unaffordable within a decade. Most developed countries have planned to embrace biosimilar use as a cost-control measure. Biosimilar introduction into the EU has already forced prices down, both the price of biosimilar drugs and competitive price reductions in originator drugs. Compound annual growth rates of use have been predicted at 65.8% per year. Most developed countries have planned to embrace biosimilar use as a major cost-control measure. Only legal blocks and safety concerns are likely to act against this trend. For centralised healthcare systems, and those with a strong tradition of generic medicine use, biosimilar use will clearly rise with predictions of more than 80% of prescriptions of some biologic drugs within 1 year of market entry in the USA. Delaying the implementation of such programmes however risks a real crisis in healthcare delivery for many countries and hospitals that few can now afford

Overactivation of Notch1 Signaling Induces Ectopic Hair Cells in the Mouse Inner Ear in an Age-Dependent Manner

Background: During mouse inner ear development, Notch1 signaling first specifies sensory progenitors, and subsequently controls progenitors to further differentiate into either hair cells (HCs) or supporting cells (SCs). Overactivation of NICD (Notch1 intracellular domain) at early embryonic stages leads to ectopic HC formation. However, it remains unclear whether such an effect can be elicited at later embryonic or postnatal stages, which has important implications in mouse HC regeneration by reactivation of Notch1 signaling. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed comprehensive in vivo inducible overactivation of NICD at various developmental stages. In CAG CreER+; Rosa26-NICD loxp/+ mice, tamoxifen treatment at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) generated ectopic HCs in the non-sensory regions in both utricle and cochlea, whereas ectopic HCs only appeared in the utricle when tamoxifen was given at E13. When tamoxifen was injected at postnatal day 0 (P0) and P1, no ectopic HCs were observed in either utricle or cochlea. Interestingly, Notch1 signaling induced new HCs in a non-cell-autonomous manner, because the new HCs did not express NICD. Adjacent to the new HCs were cells expressing the SC marker Sox10 (either NICD+ or NICDnegative). Conclusions/Significance: Our data demonstrate that the developmental stage determines responsiveness of embryonic otic precursors and neonatal non-sensory epithelial cells to NICD overactivation, and that Notch 1 signaling in the wild type, postnatal inner ear is not sufficient for generating new HCs. Thus, our genetic mouse model is suitable to test additiona

Priority setting in health care: Lessons from the experiences of eight countries

All health care systems face problems of justice and efficiency related to setting priorities for allocating a limited pool of resources to a population. Because many of the central issues are the same in all systems, the United States and other countries can learn from the successes and failures of countries that have explicitly addressed the question of health care priorities

行政だより

Research on social inequalities in sports participation and unstructured physical activity among young children is scarce. This study aimed to assess the associations of family socioeconomic position (SEP) and ethnic background with children's sports participation and outdoor play. Methods: We analyzed data from 4726 ethnically diverse 6-year-old children participating in the Generation R Study. Variables were assessed by parent-reported questionnaires when the child was 6 years old. Low level of outdoor play was defined as outdoor play <1 hour per day. Series of multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations of family SEP and ethnic background with children's sports participation and outdoor play. Results: Socioeconomic inequalities in children's sports participation were found when using maternal educational level (p<0.05), paternal educational level (p<0.05), maternal employment status (p<0.05), and household income (p<0.05) as family SEP indicator (less sports participation among low SEP children). Socioeconomic inequalities in children's outdoor play were found when using household income only (p<0.05) (more often outdoor play <1 hour per day among children from low income household). All ethnic minority children were significantly more likely to not to participate in sports and play outdoor <1 hour per day compared with native Dutch children. Adjustment for family SEP attenuated associations considerably, especially with respect to sports participation. Conclusion: Low SEP children and ethnic minority children are more likely not to participate in sports and more likely to display low levels of outdoor play compared with high SEP children and native Dutch children, respectively. In order to design effective interventions, further research, including qualitative studies, is needed to explore more in detail the pathways relating family SEP and ethnic background to children's sports participation and outdoor play

Quantum suppression of antihydrogen formation in positronium-antiproton scattering

Calculation of antihydrogen formation from antiproton-positronium collisions, with the positroniun in excited states. Novelty is the extension to positronium states with principal quantum numbers 4 and 5 and the discovery that the increase in the cross section is muted over simple expectations due to a suppression effect.This effect is due to a centrifugal barrier-type effect, which markedly reduces the influence of the higher angular momentum components which typically provide the cross section enhancements at lower values of n

Estudio descriptivo del uso de drogas en adolescentes de educación media superior de la ciudad de Monterrey, Nueva León, México Estudo descritivo do uso de drogas em adolescentes de educação média supeiror da cidade de monterrey, Nova Leon, México Descriptive study of drugs use among adolescents in higher middle education in Monterrey, Nueva León, Mexico

Se buscó establecer el perfil de consumo de drogas lícitas e ilícitas, patrones de consumo y estrategias de afrontamiento y resistencia al alcohol, tabaco y otras drogas en adolescentes de educación media superior. El estudio se sustentó en los conceptos de autores especializados en el tema considerándose las características conductuales, psicológicas y normativas de la persona. La muestra no probabilística consistió de 325 jóvenes. Los resultados indicaron que 67%, 65% y 7% de los adolescentes aceptaron haber usado alcohol, tabaco y marihuana alguna vez en su vida respectivamente y en el último mes el 33%, 38% y 3% esas mismas substancias, 65% consideran que la mayoría de sus compañeros han hecho uso; 56% tuvieron que rechazar una vez el ofrecimiento de alcohol, 64% tabaco y 51% marihuana, en el último mes con base en esos hallazgos. Se recomienda implementar un programa de prevención orientado a apoyar los recursos del adolescente para resistir las presiones para el consumo.<br>Buscou-se estabelecer o perfil de consumo de drogas lícitas e ilícitas, padrões de consumo e estratégias de enfrentamento e resistência ao álcool, tabaco e outras drogas em adolescentes de educação média superior. O estudo fundamentou-se nos conceitos de autores especializados no tema, considerando-se as características comportamentais, psicológicas normativas da pessoa. A amostra, não probabilística, consistiu de 325 jovens. Os resultados indicaram que 67%, 65% e 7% dos adolescentes aceitaram haver usado álcool, tabaco e maconha alguma vez na vida respectivamente e no último mês, 33%, 38% e 3% essas mesmas substâncias; 65% consideram que a maioria de seus companheiros fez uso; 56% tiveram que recusar uma vez a oferta de álcool, 64% tabaco e 51% maconha, no último mês. Com base nesses achados recomenda-se a implementação de um programa de prevenção orientado a apoiar os aportes dos adolescentes para resistir à pressão para o consumo.<br>We aimed to establish the consumption profile of licit and illicit drugs, consumption patterns and strategies for coping and resisting alcohol, tobacco and other drugs among adolescents in higher middle education. This study was based on concepts developed by specialized authors and considered the subject's behavioral, psychological and normative characteristics. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 325 adolescents. Results indicated that 67%, 65% and 7% of the adolescents, respectively, accepted they had already used alcohol, tobacco and marihuana at some time in their life and that 33%, 38% and 3%, respectively, had used these same substances over the last month; 65% consider most of their colleagues have used these substances; 56% had to reject an offer to consume alcohol, 64% tobacco and 51% marihuana over the last month. On the basis of these findings, we recommend the implementation of a prevention program aimed at supporting the adolescent's resources to resist pressure towards consumption