Evidence of swarm intelligence in collective cultures: Identifying the use of the swarm goal directive of productivity in Pacific organisation systems as well as getween genders

Intrigued by the existence of societies outside that of the human population, scientists have ventured to study social aggregations within insects to seek insights on effective colonizing. The most popular of these social aggregations are colonies of ants and bees. In studying these groups of social insects researchers have developed algorithms loosely termed swarm intelligence that increase work efficiency within businesses and other social organizations (Bonabeau & Meyer, 2001). A subsequent proliferation of research in surrounding fields has allowed for investigation of key variables that improve work on a global scale (Bonabeau & Meyer, 2001). James Kennedy (1999), an initiator of swarm research, has suggested that there is a high correlation between systems that rely on each other for information and greater task accomplishment

Growth factor release from a chemically modified elastomeric poly(1,8‐octanediol‐co‐citrate) thin film promotes angiogenesis in vivo

The ultimate success of in vivo organ formation utilizing ex vivo expanded “starter” tissues relies heavily upon the level of vascularization provided by either endogenous or artificial induction of angiogenic or vasculogenic events. To facilitate proangiogenic outcomes and promote tissue growth, an elastomeric scaffold previously shown to be instrumental in the urinary bladder regenerative process was modified to release proangiogenic growth factors. Carboxylic acid groups on poly(1,8‐octanediol‐co‐citrate) films (POCfs) were modified with heparan sulfate creating a heparan binding POCf (HBPOCf). Release of proangiogenic growth factors vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), and insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) from HBPOCfs demonstrated an approximate threefold increase over controls during a 30‐day time course in vitro . Atomic force microscopy demonstrated significant topological differences between films. Subcutaneous implantation of POCf alone, HBPOCf, POCf‐VEGF, and HBPOCf‐VEGF within the dorsa of nude rats yielded increased vascular growth in HBPOCf‐VEGF constructs. Vessel quantification studies revealed that POCfs alone contained 41.1 ± 4.1 vessels/mm 2 , while HBPOCf, POCf‐VEGF, and HBPOCF‐VEGF contained 41.7 ± 2.6, 76.3 ± 9.4, and 167.72 ± 15.3 vessels/mm 2 , respectively. Presence of increased vessel growth was demonstrated by CD31 and vWF immunostaining in HBPOCf‐VEGF implanted areas. Data demonstrate that elastomeric POCfs can be chemically modified and possess the ability to promote angiogenesis in vivo . © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90248/1/33306_ftp.pd

Brief report: Validity and reliability of the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire

Informant-report measures for screening symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are needed for low-resource settings if early identification is to be prioritized because early developmental concerns are likely to be expressed by parents and other caregivers. This paper describes the initial psychometric evaluation of the Nigeria Autism Screening Questionnaire (NASQ). Parents and other caregivers completed the NASQ on 12,311 children ages 1 to 18 in a Nigerian population sample as part of the World Bank National General Household Survey conducted in the country in 2016. Factor analyses indicated a parsimonious three-factor structure with social communication/interaction, repetitive sensory motor, and insistence on sameness dimensions. Measurement invariance was excellent across age and sex. Reliability of the subscales and total scale was good, and item response theory analyses indicated good measurement precision in the range from below average to high scores, crucial for screening, and tracking ASD symptoms. Studies with gold standard ASD diagnostic instruments and clinical confirmation are needed to evaluate screening and diagnostic accuracy. The NASQ appears to be a reliable instrument with a clear factor structure and potential for use in screening and tracking ASD symptoms in future Nigerian samples

Executive Summary:International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pediatric Ventilator Liberation, A Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) Network Document

Rationale: Pediatric-specific ventilator liberation guidelines are lacking despite the many studies exploring elements of extubation readiness testing. The lack of clinical practice guidelines has led to significant and unnecessary variation in methods used to assess pediatric patients’ readiness for extubation. Methods: Twenty-six international experts comprised a multiprofessional panel to establish pediatrics-specific ventilator liberation clinical practice guidelines, focusing on acutely hospitalized children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours. Eleven key questions were identified and first prioritized using the Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations and Evidence. A systematic review was conducted for questions that did not meet an a priori threshold of &gt;80% agreement, with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodologies applied to develop the guidelines. The panel evaluated the evidence and drafted and voted on the recommendations. Measurements and Main Results: Three questions related to systematic screening using an extubation readiness testing bundle and a spontaneous breathing trial as part of the bundle met Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations criteria of &gt;80% agreement. For the remaining eight questions, five systematic reviews yielded 12 recommendations related to the methods and duration of spontaneous breathing trials, measures of respiratory muscle strength, assessment of risk of postextubation upper airway obstruction and its prevention, use of postextubation noninvasive respiratory support, and sedation. Most recommendations were conditional and based on low to very low certainty of evidence. Conclusions: This clinical practice guideline provides a conceptual framework with evidence-based recommendations for best practices related to pediatric ventilator liberation.</p

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Functional Mechanisms Underlying Pleiotropic Risk Alleles at the 19p13.1 Breast–Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility Locus

A locus at 19p13 is associated with breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Here we analyse 438 SNPs in this region in 46,451 BC and 15,438 OC cases, 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 73,444 controls and identify 13 candidate causal SNPs associated with serous OC (P = 9.2 X 10-20), ER-negative BC (P = 1.1 X 10-13), BRCA1 -associated BC (P = 7.7 X 10-16) and triple negative BC (P-diff = 2 X 10-5). Genotype-gene expression associations are identified for candidate target genes ANKLE1 (P = 2 X 10-3) and ABHD8 (P \u3c 2 X 10-3). Chromosome conformation capture identifies interactions between four candidate SNPs and ABHD8 , and luciferase assays indicate six risk alleles increased transactivation of the ADHD8 promoter. Targeted deletion of a region containing risk SNP rs56069439 in a putative enhancer induces ANKLE1 downregulation; and mRNA stability assays indicate functional effects for an ANKLE1 3\u27-UTR SNP. Altogether, these data suggest that multiple SNPs at 19p13 regulate ABHD8 and perhaps ANKLE1 expression, and indicate common mechanisms underlying breast and ovarian cancer risk

Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex

The two hemispheres of the human brain differ functionally and structurally. Despite over a century of research, the extent to which brain asymmetry is influenced by sex, handedness, age, and genetic factors is still controversial. Here we present the largest ever analysis of subcortical brain asymmetries, in a harmonized multi-site study using meta-analysis methods. Volumetric asymmetry of seven subcortical structures was assessed in 15,847 MRI scans from 52 datasets worldwide. There were sex differences in the asymmetry of the globus pallidus and putamen. Heritability estimates, derived from 1170 subjects belonging to 71 extended pedigrees, revealed that additive genetic factors influenced the asymmetry of these two structures and that of the hippocampus and thalamus. Handedness had no detectable effect on subcortical asymmetries, even in this unprecedented sample size, but the asymmetry of the putamen varied with age. Genetic drivers of asymmetry in the hippocampus, thalamus and basal ganglia may affect variability in human cognition, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders

Copy number variants as modifiers of breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers

The risk of germline copy number variants (CNVs) in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers in breast cancer is assessed, with CNVs overlapping SULT1A1 decreasing breast cancer risk in BRCA1 carriers.The contribution of germline copy number variants (CNVs) to risk of developing cancer in individuals with pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants remains relatively unknown. We conducted the largest genome-wide analysis of CNVs in 15,342 BRCA1 and 10,740 BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers. We used these results to prioritise a candidate breast cancer risk-modifier gene for laboratory analysis and biological validation. Notably, the HR for deletions in BRCA1 suggested an elevated breast cancer risk estimate (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.21), 95% confidence interval (95% CI = 1.09-1.35) compared with non-CNV pathogenic variants. In contrast, deletions overlapping SULT1A1 suggested a decreased breast cancer risk (HR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.59-0.91) in BRCA1 pathogenic variant carriers. Functional analyses of SULT1A1 showed that reduced mRNA expression in pathogenic BRCA1 variant cells was associated with reduced cellular proliferation and reduced DNA damage after treatment with DNA damaging agents. These data provide evidence that deleterious variants in BRCA1 plus SULT1A1 deletions contribute to variable breast cancer risk in BRCA1 carriers.Peer reviewe

Executive Summary: International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pediatric Ventilator Liberation, A PALISI Network Document

RATIONALE: Pediatric specific ventilator liberation guidelines are lacking despite the many studies exploring elements of extubation readiness testing. The lack of clinical practice guidelines has led to significant and unnecessary variation in methods used to assess pediatric patients' readiness for extubation. METHODS: Twenty-six international experts comprised a multi-professional panel to establish pediatric specific ventilator liberation clinical practice guidelines, focusing on acutely hospitalized children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours. Eleven key questions were identified and first prioritized using the Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations and Evidence. Systematic review was conducted for questions which did not meet an a-priori threshold of ≥80% agreement, with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodologies applied to develop the guidelines. The panel evaluated the evidence, drafted, and voted on the recommendations. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Three questions related to systematic screening, using an extubation readiness testing bundle and use of a spontaneous breathing trial as part of the bundle met Modified Convergence of Opinion on Recommendations criteria of ≥80% agreement. For the remaining 8 questions, 5 systematic reviews yielded 12 recommendations related to the methods and duration of spontaneous breathing trials; measures of respiratory muscle strength; assessment of risk of post-extubation upper airway obstruction and its prevention; use of post-extubation non-invasive respiratory support; and sedation. Most recommendations were conditional and based on low to very low certainty of evidence. CONCLUSION: This clinical practice guideline provides a conceptual framework with evidence-based recommendations for best practices related to pediatric ventilator liberation.The project was funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health (NICHD) and Human Development National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R13HD102137), in addition to funds from department of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana