GENOME-WIDE ANALYSIS OF LOSS HETEROZYGOSITY AND DISCOVERY OF NOVEL TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES IN GASTRIC CANCER

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Four health science librarians’ experiences: How they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis

In this article, four health sciences librarians from four academic libraries across the country will share their personal or library experiences in reaching out to faculty and students to meet their needs through their initiatives and continuous efforts using various technologies and tools. Three of the four academic libraries are located in two COVID-19 hard-hit states, Michigan and New Jersey. The article will describe their practice of health sciences librarianship during the unprecedented time and provide examples demonstrating how each of them strives to stay relevant, proactive, and become integral to their institutional efforts in support of students and employees working remotely. These examples showcase their efforts in four main areas of library core functions: references/consultation services, library instruction, research support, and resource

Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines types of mobile devices used by health professions students, kinds of resources and tools accessed via mobile devices, and reasons for using the devices to access the resources and tools. The review included 20 studies selected from articles published in English between January 2010 and April 2015, retrieved from PubMed and other sources. Data extracted included participants, study designs, mobile devices used, mobile resources/apps accessed, outcome measures, and advantages of and barriers to using mobile devices. The review indicates significant variability across the studies in terms of research methods, types of mobile programs implemented, resources accessed, and outcomes. There were beneficial effects of using mobile devices to access resources as well as conspicuous challenges or barriers in using mobile devices

The emerging roles of PHOSPHO1 and its regulated phospholipid homeostasis in metabolic disorders

Emerging evidence suggests that phosphoethanolamine/phosphocholine phosphatase 1 (PHOSPHO1), a specific phosphoethanolamine and phosphocholine phosphatase, is involved in energy metabolism. In this review, we describe the structure and regulation of PHOSPHO1, as well as current knowledge about the role of PHOSPHO1 and its related phospholipid metabolites in regulating energy metabolism. We also examine mechanistic evidence of PHOSPHO1- and phospholipid-mediated regulation of mitochondrial and lipid droplets functions in the context of metabolic homeostasis, which could be potentially targeted for treating metabolic disorders

A meta-analysis of the association between vitamin D supplementation and the risk of acute respiratory tract infection in the healthy pediatric group

No previous meta-analysis had explored the association between vitamin D supplementation in healthy pediatrics and the risk of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs). Thus, we meta-analyzed the current evidence in this regard to provide sufficient knowledge about this risk-benefit ratio for vitamin D supplementation in this specific age group. We searched seven databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effect of vitamin D supplementation and ARTIs risk on a healthy pediatric population (0–18 years old). Meta-analysis was performed through R software. We included eight RCTs after the screening of 326 records according to our eligibility criteria. There were comparable infection rates between Vitamin D and placebo groups (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.90–1.08, P-value = 0.62), with no significant heterogeneity among the included studies (I2 = 32%; P-value = 0.22). Moreover, there was no significant difference between the two vitamin D regimens (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.64–1.12, P-value = 0.32), with no considerable heterogeneity among the included studies (I2 = 37%; P-value = 0.21). However, there was a significant reduction in Influenza A rates in the high-dose vitamin D group compared to the low dose one (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.26–0.59, P-value < 0.001), with no heterogeneity among the included studies (I2 = 0%; P-value = 0.72). Only two studies of 8,972 patients reported different side effects, with overall acceptable safety profile. Regardless of the dosing regimen used or the type of infection, in the healthy pediatric group, there is no evident benefit of using vitamin D to prevent or reduce the ARTI rates

All-cause mortality in metabolically healthy individuals was not predicted by overweight and obesity

BACKGROUND Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically healthy overweight (MH-OW) have been suggested to be important and emerging phenotypes with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether MHO and MH-OW are associated with all-cause mortality remains inconsistent. METHODS The association of MHO and MH-OW and all-cause mortality was determined in a Chinese community-based prospective cohort study (the Kailuan study), including 93,272 adults at baseline. Data were analyzed from 2006 to 2017. Participants were categorized into 6 mutually exclusive groups, according to BMI and metabolic syndrome (MetS) status. The primary outcome was all-cause death, and accidental deaths were excluded. RESULTS During a median follow-up of 11.04 years (interquartile range, 10.74-11.22 years), 8977 deaths occurred. Compared with healthy participants with normal BMI (MH-NW), MH-OW participants had the lowest risk of all-cause mortality (multivariate-adjusted HR [aHR], 0.926; 95% CI, 0.861-0.997), whereas there was no increased or decreased risk for MHO (aHR, 1.009; 95% CI, 0.886-1.148). Stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses further validated that there was a nonsignificant association between MHO and all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS Overweight and obesity do not predict increased risk of all-cause mortality in metabolic healthy Chinese individuals

Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review

La désertification, les changements climatiques et la perte de la diversité biologique sont des problématiques cruciales pour les régions sèches d’Afrique où ils conjuguent leurs effets pour éprouver les efforts de développement des pays et concomitamment les moyens de vie des populations les plus pauvres de la planète. En effet, nul doute que les écosystèmes ont une influence sur le climat, et  réciproquement, les changements climatiques exercent des impacts considérables sur le climat local, accroissant la désertification, la dégradation des terres et la perte de la diversité biologique. Aujourd’hui, alors que le concept de changements climatiques est une référence constante, la désertification, en dépit de nombreuses études scientifiques qui lui sont consacrées, intéresse peu les décideurs politiques. Pourtant, aucune passerelle, ni scientifique, ni politique à travers la synergie des conventions internationales sur l’environnement, n’est réellement construite sur les liens évidents entre désertification, changement climatique et diversité biologique. L’adaptation aux variabilités et changements climatiques, question centrale dans les récents travaux du Groupe Intergouvernemental sur l’Evolution du Climat (GIEC), constitue un enjeu capital pour les régions sèches affectées par la désertification et soumises à la variabilité et aux extrêmes climatiques. Les expériences de lutte contre la désertification et de conservation de la biodiversité pourraient constituer un point de départ judicieux pour l’étude et la compréhension de l’adaptation aux changements climatiques. Le présent article propose une analyse conjointe de la désertification, du changement climatique et la diversité biologique à la fois au plan scientifique à travers les définitions et les manifestations de ces phénomènes dans les régions sèches d’Afrique, mais aussi au plan institutionnel par l’examen des textes, des outils et des décisions relatives aux conventions internationales qui leur sont dédiées.Desertification, climate change and loss of biodiversity, currently the most compelling issues in African drylands, are compromising development efforts and jeopardising the livelihoods of the poor. A growing amount of evidence is confirming the linkages between  desertification and climate change. One illustration of these linkages is that ecosystems influence the climate, and reciprocally the global climate change affects the local climate, thus exacerbating desertification, land degradation and loss of biodiversity. While the concept of climate change is an ubiquitous theme in the international meetings, desertification suffers a chronic lack of interest on the part of decision-makers. Hitherto, there are no scientific and political links through the synergy between the international environmental conventions. Climate change adaptation is crucial to addressing both issues in the context of drylands. The experience gained in combating desertification and biodiversity conservation could be an entry point for studying and understanding adaptation to climate change in Africa. This article aims to propose an integrated scientific analysis of desertification, climate change and biodiversity, in the light of the three phenomena’s definitions and manifestations in Africa’s drylands. At the institutional level, the examination of the tools and decisions taken through the multilateral conventions dedicated to climate change (UNFCCC), desertification (UNCCD) and biodiversity (UNCBD) is required