Research support: models and professionalisation

This presentation was given by Mr Simon Kerridge, Secretary of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA), at the BRAM-NET Annual Event on the 17th February 2011. The event was organised by Dr Rosa Scoble and hosted at Brunel University. BRAM-NET (The Brunel Research Administrators & Managers Network) is a forum to share best practice and information on new initiatives between colleagues supporting research in the centre and academic areas at Brunel University

Characterization of vitamin D supplementation and clinical outcomes in a large cohort of early Parkinson's disease.

BackgroundVitamin D (VitD) deficiency is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and has been raised as a possible PD risk factor. In the past decade, VitD supplementation for potential prevention of age related conditions has become more common. In this study, we sought to characterize VitD supplementation in early PD and determine as an exploratory analysis whether baseline characteristics or disease progression differed according to reported VitD use.MethodsWe analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health Exploratory Trials in Parkinson's Disease (NET-PD) Long-term study (LS-1), a longitudinal study of 1741 participants. Subjects were divided into following supplement groups according to subject exposure (6 months prior to baseline and during the study): no VitD supplement, multivitamin (MVI), VitD ≥400 IU/day, and VitD + multivitamin (VitD+MVI). Clinical status was followed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, total daily levodopa equivalent dose, and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire.ResultsAbout 5% of subjects took VitD alone, 7% took VitD+MVI, 34% took MVI alone, while 54% took no supplement. Clinical outcomes at 3 years were similar across all groups.ConclusionThis study shows VitD supplementation ≥400 IU/day was not common in early PD and that its use was similar to that seen in the US population. At 3 years, there was no difference in disease progression according to vitamin D supplement use

The end of the formal programming period for 2000-2006. Review of programme developments : Summer-Autumn2006

Although the 2000-06 programming period is drawing to a close, significant work still remains for the authorities responsible for ensuring that funds are fully spent and that programme closure activities are completed successfully. The main concern for many partners in relation to the 2000-06 programmes is financial absorption, but some have also introduced new strategic changes in recent months, or have faced new operational challenges. A range of tasks is also being undertaken in relation to programme closure. Data at the level of the EU-25 show satisfactory levels of financial absorption across Member States. The highest rates of absorption are seen in Austria and Ireland, and the lowest levels in the new Member States, whose programmes did not start until July 2004. Spending levels in the new Member States have increased strongly in the past year, particularly in Malta, Hungary and Poland. In the case of the EU-15, Greece, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have the lowest absorption rates

The comparative clinical course of pregnant and non-pregnant women hospitalised with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection

Introduction: The Influenza Clinical Information Network (FLU-CIN) was established to gather detailed clinical and epidemiological information about patients with laboratory confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection in UK hospitals. This report focuses on the clinical course and outcomes of infection in pregnancy.Methods: A standardised data extraction form was used to obtain detailed clinical information from hospital case notes and electronic records, for patients with PCR-confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection admitted to 13 sentinel hospitals in five clinical 'hubs' and a further 62 non-sentinel hospitals, between 11th May 2009 and 31st January 2010.Outcomes were compared for pregnant and non-pregnant women aged 15-44 years, using univariate and multivariable techniques.Results: Of the 395 women aged 15-44 years, 82 (21%) were pregnant; 73 (89%) in the second or third trimester. Pregnant women were significantly less likely to exhibit severe respiratory distress at initial assessment (OR?=?0.49 (95% CI: 0.30-0.82)), require supplemental oxygen on admission (OR?=?0.40 (95% CI: 0.20-0.80)), or have underlying co-morbidities (p-trend <0.001). However, they were equally likely to be admitted to high dependency (Level 2) or intensive care (Level 3) and/or to die, after adjustment for potential confounders (adj. OR?=?0.93 (95% CI: 0.46-1.92). Of 11 pregnant women needing Level 2/3 care, 10 required mechanical ventilation and three died.Conclusions: Since the expected prevalence of pregnancy in the source population was 6%, our data suggest that pregnancy greatly increased the likelihood of hospital admission with A(H1N1)pdm09. Pregnant women were less likely than non-pregnant women to have respiratory distress on admission, but severe outcomes were equally likely in both groups

Comparing different revisions of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire to reduce the ceiling effect and improve score distribution: Data from a multi-center European cohort study of children with JIA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The original version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ30orig) suffers from a ceiling effect and hence has reduced clinical validity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding eight more demanding items (CHAQ38) and a new categorical response option (CATII) on discriminant validity and score distribution in a European patient sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighty-nine children with Juvenile Idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and 22 healthy controls, aged 7-16 years, were recruited from eight centres across Europe. Eight new CHAQ items and scoring option were translated back and forth for the countries in which they were not already present. Demographic, clinical, and CHAQ data were collected on-site. Subsequently, five different scoring methods were applied, i.e. the original method (CHAQ30orig) and four alternatives. These alternatives consisted of the mean item scores for the 30 and 38-question versions with either the original (CATI), or the new categorical response option (CATII). The five versions were tested for their ability to distinguish between patients and controls. Furthermore score distributions were evaluated and visualized by box and whisker plots.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two CHAQ revisions with the new response option showed poor discriminative ability, whereas one revised version (CHAQ38CATI) had comparable discriminative ability comparable to the original CHAQ. A profound ceiling effect was observed in the original scoring method of the CHAQ (27%). The addition of eight more demanding items and application of a plain mean item score reduced this significantly to 14% (χ²= 4.21; p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Revising the CHAQ by adding eight more demanding items and applying a plain mean item scoring (CHAQ38CATI) maintained discriminant ability and reduced the ceiling effect in a European patient sample. The new categorical response option (CATII) seemed promising, but was less able to distinguish children with JIA from healthy controls and had less favourable distribution characteristics. The CHAQ38CATI is advocated for future use in mildly affected JIA patients.</p

Geïnduceerde afbraak residuen op fruit : nieuwe technieken 2012

Supermarkten stellen steeds strengere eisen aan de aanwezigheid van residuen op groente en fruit. Telers kunnen hieraan voldoen door bijvoorbeeld producten voor directe afzet niet te behandelen met houdbaarheid verlengde middelen. Voor producten met een langere bewaarduur (hardfruit) is chemische bestrijding vaak nog het enige middel. Dit motiveert onderzoek naar een snelle en eenvoudige techniek die op het product aanwezige residuen zover afbreekt of verwijderd dat de restwaarde aan de eisen van de retailers voldoet. Een behandelingstap met het reducerend middel VAM-Residuce geeft reeds veelbelovende resultaten op het gebied van residuvermindering op appel en peer. Deze techniek vergt echter nog verdere optimalisatie om de supermarkten tegemoet te kunnen komen aan de door hen opgestelde strenge richtlijn. De activiteiten binnen dit onderzoek hebben zich dan ook voornamelijk gericht op het verbeteren van deze behandelingsstap door vooral gebruik te maken van additionele technieken. Het project genereert een proof-of-principle van residu afbrekende methoden, combineerbaar met een VAM-Residuce behandeling, met als doel het verlagen van aanwezige residuen op agroproducten in open ketens (model: pesticiden tegen vruchtrot van Conference peren in de bewaring). In 2012 zijn voornamelijk de technieken “Ultrasoon” en “Geëlektrolyseerd water” getest op hun residu reducerend vermogen. Het geëlektrolyseerd water vertoonde een residureductie van 73% ten opzichte van onbehandelde appels bij een behandelingsduur van 1 uur. De test met ultrasoon gaf geen éénduidige residuvermindering aan op Elstar appelen maar zal verder gevalideerd worden in het geschakelde OP-Zuid EFRO 2012-2013 project

Literatuurstudie naar de moleculaire kennis rond de balans tussen vegetatieve-generatieve groei van aardbeiplanten

De situatie waarbij de aanleg van blad en bloem in goed evenwicht is, zodat de gewenste fysiologische en productieve stadia van de plant bereikt worden, is van groot belang voor de aardbeien sector. In opdracht van het Productschap Tuinbouw en onder begeleiding en advies van Plantum is een literatuurstudie uitgevoerd naar de moleculaire kennis op dit gebied bij planten in het algemeen en de vertaling ervan naar meerjarige aardbei planten. Recent onderzoek op dit gebied heeft geleid tot de identificatie van een aantal sleutelgenen die de regulatie van bloemaanleg en ontwikkeling bepalen

Multiparticle angular correlations: a probe for the sQGP at RHIC

A novel decomposition technique is used to extract the centrality dependence of di-jet properties and yields from azimuthal correlation functions obtained in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$=200 GeV. The width of the near-side jet shows very little dependence on centrality. In contrast, the away-side jet indicates substantial broadening as well as hints for for a local minimum at $\Delta \phi=\pi$ for central and mid-central events. The yield of jet-pairs (per trigger particle) slowly increases with centrality for both the near- and away-side jets. These observed features are compatible with several recent theoretical predictions of possible modifications of di-jet fragmentation by a strongly interacting medium. Several new experimental approaches, including the study of flavor permutation and higher order multi-particle correlations, that might help to distinguish between different theoretical scenarios are discussed.Comment: Proceedings of the MIT workshop on correlations and fluctation

Reducing fatigue in pediatric rheumatic conditions: a systematic review

Background: Although fatigue is a prevalent distressing symptom in children and adolescents with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs), intervention studies designed for reducing fatigue in PRCs are limited. Aim: To systematically review evidence regarding the efficacy of interventions intended to reduce fatigue in patients with PRCs. Methods: Comprehensive electronic searches were performed in PubMed/ MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cinahl. The risk of bias was assessed using the ‘Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials’ and ‘Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After Studies With No Control Group’ for respectively studies with and without a control group. Results: Ten out of 418 studies were included with a total of 240 participants (age range 5–23 years). Interventions included land-based and aquatic-based exercise therapy, prednisolone, vitamin-D and creatine supplementation, psychological therapy and a transition program into an adult rheumatology program. Fatigue was assessed with self-reported questionnaires in all included studies. Land-based exercise therapy was effective in one pre-post intervention study, whereas not effective in two randomized controlled trials. Aquatic-based exercise therapy was found more effective than land-based exercise therapy. Two placebo-controlled studies showed a significant positive effect in reducing subjective fatigue with prednisolone and vitamin-D. Creatine was not found effective. Cognitive therapy was effective in one pre-post intervention study, while one RCT did not show an effect in reducing fatigue. A transition program based on health education showed a small reducing effect, however, it was not clear if this was a significant effect. Six studies showed a high risk of bias, three studies a moderate risk, and one study had a low risk of bias. Conclusions: Insufficient evidence is provided to substantiate the efficacy of current interventions to reduce fatigue in PRCs. The low number of studies, non-comparable interventions, risk of bias, and inconclusive outcomes of the included studies denote future research should focus on intervention studies aimed at the treatment of fatigue in children and adolescents with PRCs. Identification of possible underlying biological and psychosocial mechanisms as possible treatment targets to reduce complaints of fatigue in children and adolescents with PRCs is warranted