A genome-wide screen identifies genes that suppress the accumulation of spontaneous mutations in young and aged yeast cells

To ensure proper transmission of genetic information, cells need to preserve and faithfully replicate their genome, and failure to do so leads to genome instability, a hallmark of both cancer and aging. Defects in genes involved in guarding genome stability cause several human progeroid syndromes, and an age-dependent accumulation of mutations has been observed in different organisms, from yeast to mammals. However, it is unclear whether the spontaneous mutation rate changes during aging and whether specific pathways are important for genome maintenance in old cells. We developed a high-throughput replica-pinning approach to screen for genes important to suppress the accumulation of spontaneous mutations during yeast replicative aging. We found 13 known mutation suppression genes, and 31 genes that had no previous link to spontaneous mutagenesis, and all acted independently of age. Importantly, we identified PEX19, encoding an evolutionarily conserved peroxisome biogenesis factor, as an age-specific mutation suppression gene. While wild-type and pex19Δ young cells have similar spontaneous mutation rates, aged cells lacking PEX19 display an elevated mutation rate. This finding suggests that functional peroxisomes may be important to preserve genome integrity specifically in old cells

Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

Influence of atmosphere circulation on the largest river runoff in Latvia

Kā vienu no faktoriem, kas ietekmē dažādu hidroklimatisko rādītāju izmaiņas var minēt dažādus atmosfēras cirkulāciju veidus, piemēram, Ziemeļatlantijas, Austrumatlanijas, Polāro/Eirāzijs un Skandināvijas. Bakalaura darba „Atmosfēras cirkulācijas ietekme uz Latvijas lielāko upju noteci” mērķis ir izpētīt dažādu atmosfēras cirkulāciju veidu ietekmi uz Latvijas lielāko upju noteces režīma ilgtermiņa izmaiņām. Pētījums sastāv no četrām daļām: darba teorētiskā analīzes daļa, kurā apskatītas dažādas atmosfēras cirkulācijas un to izpausmes; daļa kurā apskatīti pētījumi par atmosfēras cirkulāciju indeksu ietekmi uz hidroklimatiskajiem radītājiem Latvijā un citur pasaulē; materiālu un metožu daļa; rezultātu daļa, kurā tiek analizēti patstāvīgajā pētījumā iegūtie rezultāti, kuros atspoguļojas atmosfēras cirkulāciju veidu ietekme, kas novērojama dažādos pētāmajos noteces periodos. Atslēgas vārdi: atmosfēras cirkulācijas, notece, korelācija, NAO indekss, EA indekss, POL indekss, SCAND indekssOne of the factors, having impact on changes in different hydroclimatic parameters, are different patterns of atmosphere circulations, for example, those of North Atlantic, East Atlantic, Polar/Eurasia and Scandinavia. The aim of the bachelor study „Influence of atmosphere circulation on the largest river runoff in Latvia ” is to investigate the impact of different types of atmosphere circulation on long term changes of runoff regime of the biggest rivers in Latvia. The study consists of four sections: theoretical analysis, describing different atmosphere circulations and their expressions; a section describing research on impact of atmosphere circulation indices on hydroclimatic parameters in Latvia and the world; material and methods section; results section, containing analysis of results obtained during an independent study, reflecting impact of atmosphere circulation patterns, which can be observed in different periods of runoff investigated. Key words: atmosphere circulations, runoff , correlation, NAO index, EA index, POL index, SCAND inde

Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe (IESE)

This paper describes an ongoing project in Europe called Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe (IESE). The project is a collaboration between universities and organizations that  offer industrial engineering and continuing education in 6 European countries:Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden. As the first objective of our project we proposed to use the European Framework of Qualifications (EFQ) as a benchmark standard, against which we can compare the Industrial Engineering Educational Programme (IEEP) for each participating country. Analysis of the individual educational programmes has shown that the scope of the programmes needs to be expanded to include additional subject categories and skill sets. The exact parameters of this expansion of the programmes must be determined with reference to current and future “industry needs” as specified in the second objective of this project. Analysis of the subject focus for the individual programmes has shown a high degree of variation. The project work is now focused on the second objective, i.e. a business needs survey, which will provide a gap analysis of the difference between the educational programmes and the needs of the industry for increased competence in the field of Industrial Engineering. The results of this will be described in a separate paper.Qc 20120215Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe (IESE

Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe : industry needs versus education

This paper describes and discusses the project ‘Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe’ (IESE). The project is funded by the EU Leonardo da Vinci Partnership program with partners from universities and organizations offering engineering education and continuing education in the field of industrial engineering. There are two main objectives in the project. The first is to use the European Qualification Framework (EQF) as a benchmark against the National Qualification Framework (NQF) of the partner countries and the Industrial Engineering educations offered by the partner institutions. What seemed to be a relatively straightforward task showed to be more complicated. Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark have adopted the EQF approach with 8 levels - BSc, MSc and PhD as the top three levels. Ireland has adjusted to their national educational system with 10 levels, Germany is still discussing their NQF and Sweden has decided not to adjust to the EQF for the moment. The second objective in the project is to conduct a survey among industries employing industrial engineering in order to investigate a possible gap between the educational programs and the needs of the industry for competences in the field of industrial engineering. A survey has been carried out in Ireland, the Netherlands and in Iceland and the results are indicating gaps in various topics.QC 20120329Industrial Engineering Standards in Europe (IESE

Framing of the new psychoactive substances problem in “TV3” broadcasts "TV3 Ziņas" and "Bez Tabu" (2009– 2014)

Bakalaura darba tēma ir ‘’Jauno psihoaktīvo vielu problēmas rāmējums ‘’TV3’’ raidījumos ‘’TV3 Ziņas’’ un ‘’Bez Tabu’’ (2009 – 2014)’’. Darbs ietver raidījumu ‘’TV3 ziņas’’ un ‘’Bez Tabu’’ sižetu par jauno psihoaktīvo vielu problēmas rāmējumu laika posmā no 2009. gada marta līdz 2014. gada martam. Darba mērķis ir noskaidrot, kā TV3 raidījumu ‘’TV3 Ziņas’’ un ‘’Bez Tabu’’ sižetos tiek atveidota un konstruēta jauno psihoaktīvo vielu problēma. Darba teorētiskā daļa sastāv no nodaļām: televīzijas ziņas un to ētika, narkotiku atspoguļošana medijos, kā arī 8 apakšnodaļām. Darba metodoloģiskajā daļā izmantotas kontentanalīze, rāmējuma analīze, kā arī daļēji strukturētās intervijas metode. Kopā analizēti 45 sižeti. Ar pētniecības metožu palīdzību noteikts atšķirīgs jauno psihoaktīvo vielu problēmas rāmējums abos raidījumos. Atslēgas vārdi: jaunās psihoaktīvas vielas, televīzijas ziņas, infoizklaide, TV3, TV3 ziņas, Bez Tabu.The topic of the bachelor’s thesis is “Framing of the new psychoactive substances problem in “TV3” broadcasts "TV3 Ziņas" and "Bez Tabu" (2009– 2014)". This thesis includes broadcast ‘’TV3 news” and “Bez Tabu” stories about new psychoactive substance issue framing analysis between the period of March 2009 to March of 2014. The purpose of this thesis is to find out how the new psychoactive substance issue is performed and construed in TV3 broadcasts ‘’TV3 news” and ‘’Bez Tabu”. The theoretical part of thesis includes chapters: TV news and their ethics, reflection of narcotics in the media, and also 8 subdivisions. In the methodological part of thesis there were used 3 research methods – content analysis, framing analysis, and semi-structured interviewing method. Together 45 stories were analyzed. The framing in both broadcasts of new psychoactive substance issue was clarified with the help of research methods. Keywords: new psychoactive substances, television news, info-entertainment, TV3, TV3 news, Bez Tabu

Effect of intensive care unit-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) to improve psychological well-being and quality of life in COVID-19 ICU survivors

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has resulted in a tremendous increase in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions all over the world. Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warranting ICU treatment usually have prolonged mechanical ventilation and are expected to be prone to develop psychological impairments, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, which negatively impact quality of life. To date, no effective treatment strategy is available. In the current trial, we aim to assess the effect of an ICU-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life after COVID-19 ICU treatment. Methods: In this multicentre, randomized controlled trial, we aim to examine whether COVID-19-specific ICU-VR, offered 3 months after hospital discharge, improves psychological well-being and quality of life. Secondary objectives are, firstly, to examine the intra-group changes in psychological well-being and quality of life and the inter-group differences in psychological well-being and quality of life during follow-up, up to 12 months after hospital discharge, and secondly, to examine patients’ satisfaction with and rating of ICU care and aftercare and patients’ perspectives on ICU-VR. Eighty adult patients treated for COVID-19 in the mixed-surgical ICUs of four hospitals in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will be included and randomized (1:1) to either early or late ICU-VR between June 29 and December 31, 2020. Patients randomized to early ICU-VR will receive the ICU-VR intervention during an outpatient clinic visit 3 months after hospital discharge, whereas patients randomized to late ICU-VR will receive ICU-VR 6 months after hospital discharge. Primary outcomes of this study are psychological well-being, assessed using the Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and quality of life, assessed using the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) and RAND-36 questionnaires, up to 6 months after hospital discharge. Discussion: Currently, an effective treatment for psychological sequelae after ICU treatment for specific illnesses is unavailable. Results from this study will provide insight whether virtual reality is a modality that can be used in ICU aftercare to improve psychological well-being and quality of life, or satisfaction, after ICU treatment for specific illnesses such as COVID-19. Trial registration: This trial has been retrospectively registered on the Netherlands Trial Register on August 14, 2020 (NL8835).</p

Radiation therapy planning for early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma: experience of the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group.

Early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a rare disease, and the location of lymphoma varies considerably between patients. Here, we evaluate the variability of radiation therapy (RT) plans among 5 International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG) centers with regard to beam arrangements, planning parameters, and estimated doses to the critical organs at risk (OARs).Ten patients with stage I-II classic HL with masses of different sizes and locations were selected. On the basis of the clinical information, 5 ILROG centers were asked to create RT plans to a prescribed dose of 30.6 Gy. A postchemotherapy computed tomography scan with precontoured clinical target volume (CTV) and OARs was provided for each patient. The treatment technique and planning methods were chosen according to each center's best practice in 2013.Seven patients had mediastinal disease, 2 had axillary disease, and 1 had disease in the neck only. The median age at diagnosis was 34 years (range, 21-74 years), and 5 patients were male. Of the resulting 50 treatment plans, 15 were planned with volumetric modulated arc therapy (1-4 arcs), 16 with intensity modulated RT (3-9 fields), and 19 with 3-dimensional conformal RT (2-4 fields). The variations in CTV-to-planning target volume margins (5-15 mm), maximum tolerated dose (31.4-40 Gy), and plan conformity (conformity index 0-3.6) were significant. However, estimated doses to OARs were comparable between centers for each patient.RT planning for HL is challenging because of the heterogeneity in size and location of disease and, additionally, to the variation in choice of treatment techniques and field arrangements. Adopting ILROG guidelines and implementing universal dose objectives could further standardize treatment techniques and contribute to lowering the dose to the surrounding OARs

Intensive Care Unit-Specific Virtual Reality for Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Although psychological sequelae after intensive care unit (ICU) treatment are considered quite intrusive, robustly effective interventions to treat or prevent these long-term sequelae are lacking. Recently, it was demonstrated that ICU-specific virtual reality (ICU-VR) is a feasible and acceptable intervention with potential mental health benefits. However, its effect on mental health and ICU aftercare in COVID-19 ICU survivors is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the effects of ICU-VR on mental health and on patients' perceived quality of, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare among COVID-19 ICU survivors. METHODS: This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to either the ICU-VR (intervention) or the control group. All patients were invited to an COVID-19 post-ICU follow-up clinic 3 months after hospital discharge, during which patients in the intervention group received ICU-VR. One month and 3 months later (4 and 6 months after hospital discharge), mental health, quality of life, perceived quality, satisfaction with, and rating of ICU aftercare were scored using questionnaires. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (median age 58 years; 63 males, 70%) were included. The prevalence and severity of psychological distress were limited throughout follow-up, and no differences in psychological distress or quality of life were observed between the groups. ICU-VR improved satisfaction with (mean score 8.7, SD 1.6 vs 7.6, SD 1.6 [ICU-VR vs control]; t64=-2.82, P=.006) and overall rating of ICU aftercare (mean overall rating of aftercare 8.9, SD 0.9 vs 7.8, SD 1.7 [ICU-VR vs control]; t64=-3.25; P=.002) compared to controls. ICU-VR added to the quality of ICU aftercare according to 81% of the patients, and all patients would recommend ICU-VR to other ICU survivors. CONCLUSIONS: ICU-VR is a feasible and acceptable innovative method to improve satisfaction with and rating of ICU aftercare and adds to its perceived quality. We observed a low prevalence of psychological distress after ICU treatment for COVID-19, and ICU-VR did not improve psychological recovery or quality of life. Future research is needed to confirm our results in other critical illness survivors to potentially facilitate ICU-VR's widespread availability and application during follow-up

Virtual reality for relatives of ICU patients to improve psychological sequelae: Study protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Introduction Intensive care unit (ICU) admission of a relative might lead to psychological distress and complicated grief (post-intensive care syndrome-family; PICS-F). Evidence suggests that increased distress during ICU stay increases risk of PICS-F, resulting in difficulty returning to their normal lives after the ICU experience. Effective interventions to improve PICS-F are currently lacking. In the present trial, we hypothesised that information provision using ICU-specific Virtual Reality for Family members/relatives (ICU-VR-F) may improve understanding of the ICU and subsequently improve psychological well-being and quality of life in relatives of patients admitted to the ICU. Methods and analysis This multicentre, clustered randomised controlled trial will be conducted from January to December 2021 in the mixed medical-surgical ICUs of four hospitals in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We aim to include adult relatives of 160 ICU patients with an expected ICU length of stay over 72 hours. Participants will be randomised clustered per patient in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention or control group. Participants allocated to the intervention group will receive ICU-VR-F, an information video that can be watched in VR, while the control group will receive usual care. Initiation of ICU-VR-F will be during their hospital visit unless participants cannot visit the hospital due to COVID-19 regulations, then VR can be watched digitally at home. The primary objective is to study the effect of ICU-VR-F on psychological well-being and quality of life up to 6 months after the patients' ICU discharge. The secondary outcome is the degree of understanding of ICU treatment and ICU modalities. Ethics and dissemination The Medical Ethics Committee of the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, approved the study and local approval was obtained from each participating centre (NL73670.078.20). Our findings will be disseminated by presentation of the results at (inter)national conferences and publication in scientific, peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number Netherlands Trial Register (TrialRegister.nl, NL9220)