Crisis Communication in Context: History and Publication Trends

This study aims to describe the development of crisis communication as a subfield of Communication Studies, through an analysis of data taken from journal publications. By tracing the origins of crisis communication, this study identifies some of the primary forces that have influenced its development. Next, the results of an analysis of crisis communication articles drawn from twelve periodicals over nineteen years within the larger communication discipline are offered. The results suggest that Journal of Applied Communication Research has been the most common outlet for this subdiscipline, human subjects data accounts for less than half of the published research, and that crisis communication articles are often prominently featured in mainstream Communication journals. An authorship analysis suggests leading scholars in the subdiscipline, and potential centers of excellence at Wayne State University, Michigan State, and the University of Central Florida

Cynomolgus monkey's choroid reference database derived from hybrid deep learning optical coherence tomography segmentation.

Cynomolgus monkeys exhibit human-like features, such as a fovea, so they are often used in non-clinical research. Nevertheless, little is known about the natural variation of the choroidal thickness in relation to origin and sex. A combination of deep learning and a deterministic computer vision algorithm was applied for automatic segmentation of foveolar optical coherence tomography images in cynomolgus monkeys. The main evaluation parameters were choroidal thickness and surface area directed from the deepest point on OCT images within the fovea, marked as the nulla with regard to sex and origin. Reference choroid landmarks were set underneath the nulla and at 500 µm intervals laterally up to a distance of 2000 µm nasally and temporally, complemented by a sub-analysis of the central bouquet of cones. 203 animals contributed 374 eyes for a reference choroid database. The overall average central choroidal thickness was 193 µm with a coefficient of variation of 7.8%, and the overall mean surface area of the central bouquet temporally was 19,335 µm2 and nasally was 19,283 µm2. The choroidal thickness of the fovea appears relatively homogeneous between the sexes and the studied origins. However, considerable natural variation has been observed, which needs to be appreciated

Uncovering of intraspecies macular heterogeneity in cynomolgus monkeys using hybrid machine learning optical coherence tomography image segmentation

The fovea is a depression in the center of the macula and is the site of the highest visual acuity. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has contributed considerably in elucidating the pathologic changes in the fovea and is now being considered as an accompanying imaging method in drug development, such as antivascular endothelial growth factor and its safety profiling. Because animal numbers are limited in preclinical studies and automatized image evaluation tools have not yet been routinely employed, essential reference data describing the morphologic variations in macular thickness in laboratory cynomolgus monkeys are sparse to nonexistent. A hybrid machine learning algorithm was applied for automated OCT image processing and measurements of central retina thickness and surface area values. Morphological variations and the effects of sex and geographical origin were determined. Based on our findings, the fovea parameters are specific to the geographic origin. Despite morphological similarities among cynomolgus monkeys, considerable variations in the foveolar contour, even within the same species but from different geographic origins, were found. The results of the reference database show that not only the entire retinal thickness, but also the macular subfields, should be considered when designing preclinical studies and in the interpretation of foveal data

A human antibody against pathologic IAPP aggregates protects beta cells in type 2 diabetes models

In patients with type 2 diabetes, pancreatic beta cells progressively degenerate and gradually lose their ability to produce insulin and regulate blood glucose. Beta cell dysfunction and loss is associated with an accumulation of aggregated forms of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) consisting of soluble prefibrillar IAPP oligomers as well as insoluble IAPP fibrils in pancreatic islets. Here, we describe a human monoclonal antibody selectively targeting IAPP oligomers and neutralizing IAPP aggregate toxicity by preventing membrane disruption and apoptosis in vitro. Antibody treatment in male rats and mice transgenic for human IAPP, and human islet-engrafted mouse models of type 2 diabetes triggers clearance of IAPP oligomers resulting in beta cell protection and improved glucose control. These results provide new evidence for the pathological role of IAPP oligomers and suggest that antibody-mediated removal of IAPP oligomers could be a pharmaceutical strategy to support beta cell function in type 2 diabetes

Detection of Prion Protein in Urine-Derived Injectable Fertility Products by a Targeted Proteomic Approach

BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic transmission of human prion disease can occur through medical or surgical procedures, including injection of hormones such as gonadotropins extracted from cadaver pituitaries. Annually, more than 300,000 women in the United States and Canada are prescribed urine-derived gonadotropins for infertility. Although menopausal urine donors are screened for symptomatic neurological disease, incubation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is impossible to exclude by non-invasive testing. Risk of carrier status of variant CJD (vCJD), a disease associated with decades-long peripheral incubation, is estimated to be on the order of 100 per million population in the United Kingdom. Studies showing infectious prions in the urine of experimental animals with and without renal disease suggest that prions could be present in asymptomatic urine donors. Several human fertility products are derived from donated urine; recently prion protein has been detected in preparations of human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a classical proteomic approach, 33 and 34 non-gonadotropin proteins were identified in urinary human chorionic gonadotropin (u-hCG) and highly-purified urinary human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG-HP) products, respectively. Prion protein was identified as a major contaminant in u-hCG preparations for the first time. An advanced prion protein targeted proteomic approach was subsequently used to conduct a survey of gonadotropin products; this approach detected human prion protein peptides in urine-derived injectable fertility products containing hCG, hMG and hMG-HP, but not in recombinant products. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of protease-sensitive prion protein in urinary-derived injectable fertility products containing hCG, hMG, and hMG-HP suggests that prions may co-purify in these products. Intramuscular injection is a relatively efficient route of transmission of human prion disease, and young women exposed to prions can be expected to survive an incubation period associated with a minimal inoculum. The risks of urine-derived fertility products could now outweigh their benefits, particularly considering the availability of recombinant products

Hemodynamic and clinical onset in patients with hereditary pulmonary arterial hypertension and BMPR2 mutations

Background: Mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) gene can lead to idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). This study prospectively screened for BMPR2 mutations in a large cohort of PAH-patients and compared clinical features between BMPR2 mutation carriers and non-carriers. Methods: Patients have been assessed by right heart catheterization and genetic testing. In all patients a detailed family history and pedigree analysis have been obtained. We compared age at diagnosis and hemodynamic parameters between carriers and non-carriers of BMPR2 mutations. In non-carriers with familial aggregation of PAH further genes/gene regions as the BMPR2 promoter region, the ACVRL1, Endoglin, and SMAD8 genes have been analysed. Results: Of the 231 index patients 22 revealed a confirmed familial aggregation of the disease (HPAH), 209 patients had sporadic IPAH. In 49 patients (86.3% of patients with familial aggregation and 14.3% of sporadic IPAH) mutations of the BMPR2 gene have been identified. Twelve BMPR2 mutations and 3 unclassified sequence variants have not yet been described before. Mutation carriers were significantly younger at diagnosis than non-carriers (38.53 ± 12.38 vs. 45.78 ± 11.32 years, p < 0.001) and had a more severe hemodynamic compromise. No gene defects have been detected in 3 patients with HPAH. Conclusion: This study identified in a large prospectively assessed cohort of PAH- patients new BMPR2 mutations, which have not been described before and confirmed previous findings that mutation carriers are younger at diagnosis with a more severe hemodynamic compromise. Thus, screening for BMPR2 mutations may be clinically useful

ENIGMA-anxiety working group : Rationale for and organization of large-scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders

Altres ajuts: Anxiety Disorders Research Network European College of Neuropsychopharmacology; Claude Leon Postdoctoral Fellowship; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, 44541416-TRR58); EU7th Frame Work Marie Curie Actions International Staff Exchange Scheme grant 'European and South African Research Network in Anxiety Disorders' (EUSARNAD); Geestkracht programme of the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, 10-000-1002); Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) program within the National Institute of Mental Health under the Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP, MH002781); National Institute of Mental Health under the Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP, ZIA-MH-002782); SA Medical Research Council; U.S. National Institutes of Health grants (P01 AG026572, P01 AG055367, P41 EB015922, R01 AG060610, R56 AG058854, RF1 AG051710, U54 EB020403).Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling but seem particularly tractable to investigation with translational neuroscience methodologies. Neuroimaging has informed our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, but research has been limited by small sample sizes and low statistical power, as well as heterogenous imaging methodology. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group has brought together researchers from around the world, in a harmonized and coordinated effort to address these challenges and generate more robust and reproducible findings. This paper elaborates on the concepts and methods informing the work of the working group to date, and describes the initial approach of the four subgroups studying generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. At present, the ENIGMA-Anxiety database contains information about more than 100 unique samples, from 16 countries and 59 institutes. Future directions include examining additional imaging modalities, integrating imaging and genetic data, and collaborating with other ENIGMA working groups. The ENIGMA consortium creates synergy at the intersection of global mental health and clinical neuroscience, and the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group extends the promise of this approach to neuroimaging research on anxiety disorders

Clinical results of bioresorbable drug-eluting scaffolds in short and long coronary artery lesions using the PSP technique

Abstract Background Data on bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) for the treatment of long lesions are limited. We studied the use of BVS-Absorb in routine clinical practice and compared the outcome of long lesions with short lesions. Implantation of drug-eluting scaffolds without PSP-technique (predilation, proper sizing and postdilation) is associated with an increased thrombotic risk. We compared the long-term outcome up to 36 months of patients with short (< 20 mm) and long (≥20 mm) coronary artery lesions after implantation of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) via PSP-technique. Methods Three hundred twenty-six patients with 424 lesions were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with the Absorb BVS. Clinical follow-up was scheduled after 12, 24 and 36 months. In all lesions the PSP-technique was used. The device oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) was defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) not clearly related to a non-target vessel and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Results Kaplan-Meier estimates for DOCE after 12 months were 2.63% for short lesions and 8.09% for long lesions (p = 0.0131), 5.51% vs. 11.35% (p = 0.0503) after 24 months and 8.00% vs. 18.00% (p = 0.0264) after 36 months of clinical follow-up. Kaplan-Meier estimates for TLR after 12 months were 1.46% for short and 7.69% for long lesions (p = 0.0012), 2.06% vs. 8.75% after 24 months (p = 0.0027) and 4.96% vs. 9.59% after 36 months of follow-up (p = 0.0109). Scaffold thrombosis rates were low. Conclusions In long lesions compared to short ones the bioresorbable scaffold Absorb implanted with the proper PSP technique Absorb has significant higher rates of DOCE. The Level of Evidence Is 3 (non-random sample)