Axitinib in patients with advanced/metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (Axi-STS): an open-label, multicentre, phase II trial in four histological strata

Background: Axitinib is an oral vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor with anti-tumour activity in renal, thyroid, and pancreatic cancer. // Methods: Axi-STS was a pathologically-stratified, non-randomised, open-label, multi-centre, phase II trial of continuous axitinib treatment in patients ≥16 years, performance status ≤2, with pathologically-confirmed advanced/metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Patients were recruited within four tumour strata, each analysed separately: angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, or other eligible STSs. The primary outcome was progression-free survival at 12 weeks (PFS12). A Simon’s two-stage design with activity defined as PFS12 rate of 40% determined a sample size of 33 patients per strata. // Results: Between 31-August-2010 and 29-January-2016, 145 patients were recruited: 38 angiosarcoma, 37 leiomyosarcoma, 36 synovial sarcoma, and 34 other subtypes. PFS12 rate for each stratum analysed was 42% (95% lower confidence interval (LCI); 29), 45% (95% LCI; 32), 57% (95% LCI; 42), and 33% (95% LCI; 21), respectively. There were 74 serious adverse events including two treatment-related deaths of pulmonary haemorrhage and gastrointestinal bleeding. Fatigue and hypertension were the most common grade 3 adverse events. // Conclusions: Axitinib showed clinical activity in all STS strata investigated. The adverse event profile was acceptable, supporting further investigation in phase III trials. // Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN 6079133

The role of prior lexical knowledge in children's and adults' incidental word learning from illustrated stories

Children and adults benefit from a new word's phonological neighbors during explicit vocabulary instruction, suggesting that related prior knowledge can support new learning. This study examined the influence of lexical neighborhood structure during incidental word learning-limiting opportunities for strategically engaging prior knowledge-and tested the hypothesis that prior knowledge would provide additional support during subsequent consolidation. Children aged 8-10 years (Experiment 1) and adults (Experiment 2) were presented with 15 pseudowords embedded in a spoken story with illustrations, and were then tested on their recognition and recall of the new word-forms immediately, the next day, and one week later. The pseudowords had either no, one, or many English phonological neighbors, varying the potential connections to existing knowledge. After encountering the pseudowords in this incidental training paradigm, neither children nor adults benefited from phonological neighbors in recall, and children were better at recognizing items without neighbors. The neighbor influence did not change with opportunities for consolidation in either experiment, nor did it relate to learners' existing vocabulary ability. Exploratory analyses revealed that children experienced bigger benefits from offline consolidation overall, with adults outperforming children only for many-neighbor items one week after exposure. We discuss how the neighbor benefit in word learning may be constrained by learning context, and how the enhanced benefits of offline consolidation in childhood extend to vocabulary learning in more naturalistic contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Use of the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour model (COM-B) to understand interventions to support physical activity behaviour in people with stroke : an overview of reviews

Objective. Physical activity in people with stroke remains low despite considerable research. This overview aimed to provide high-level synthesis and aid clinical decision-making. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model was used to classify interventions to understand which components improve physical activity behaviour in people with stroke. Data Sources. CINAHL, Cochrane Database, MEDLINE, PEDro, PsychINFO, SPORTDiscus Review. MethodsA systematic search was conducted (November 2023) to identify reviews of interventions to improve physical activity in people with stroke. Results were screened and assessed for eligibility. Participant characteristics, intervention classification using COM-B, and effect of intervention were extracted. Quality was assessed using AMSTAR2, and Corrected Cover Analysis for study overlap. Narrative synthesis was used to understand components of interventions to improve physical activity behaviour. Results. 1801 references were screened and 29 full-text references assessed for eligibility. Twenty reviews were included. Quality ranged from critically low (n = 3) to high (n = 10). Study overlap calculated using corrected cover area indicated slight overlap (0.028) and minimal reporting bias. The majority of participants were mobile with mild stroke and community dwelling. Twenty-three interventions were classified using COM-B. Three of twelve interventions classified to one aspect of the COM-B were effective. Fourteen of sixteen effective interventions combined at least two COM-B elements, ten of these combined capability and motivation. Conclusion. Interventions including at least two elements of the COM-B are most likely to improve physical activity in mobile stroke survivors. Further research is needed to understand physical activity behaviour in those with moderate to severe stroke

Young infants' visual fixation patterns in addition and subtraction tasks support an object tracking account

Investigating infants' numerical ability is crucial to identifying the developmental origins of numeracy. Wynn (1992) Nature, 358, 749-750, claimed that 5-month-old infants understand addition and subtraction as indicated by longer looking at outcomes that violate numerical operations (i.e., 1 + 1 = 1, or 2 – 1 = 2). However, her claim is contentious, with others suggesting that her results might reflect a familiarity preference for the initial array, or that they could be explained in terms of object tracking. To cast light on this controversy, Wynn’s conditions were replicated with conventional looking time supplemented with eye tracker data. In the incorrect outcome of 2 in a subtraction event (2 – 1 = 2) infants looked selectively at the incorrectly present object, a finding that is not predicted by an initial array preference account or a symbolic numerical account, but which is consistent with a perceptual object tracking account. It appears that young infants can track at least one object over occlusion, and this may form the precursor of numerical ability

Assessing the effectiveness and cultural value of Countryside Stewardship options HS1 and HS8: Summary Report

From its inception over 30 years ago Agri-Environment Scheme policy has consistently recognised the importance of protecting and managing the historic environment, including traditional farm buildings (TFBs), to secure a range of public goods for society. Although difficult to incorporate into modern farming systems, many TFBs are still used and retain a function. They are a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the countryside and help to define its landscape character and historic interest. TFBs are also important places for wildlife and provide a significant contribution to a sense of place for rural communities and visitors alike. As part of the transition to the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes an assessment of the effectiveness and cultural value of the TFB maintenance options is required to identify issues which need to be addressed during the remainder of existing agreements, identify areas of success and inform best practice for the development of ELM schemes and establish baseline data for further monitoring

Assessing the effectiveness and cultural value of Countryside Stewardship options HS1 and HS8: Final Report

The Agriculture Act of 2020 sets out how farmers and land managers will be rewarded with ‘public money’ for the provision of ‘public goods’ under the Government’s new suite of Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. From its inception over 30 years ago Agri-Environment Scheme (AES) policy has consistently recognised the importance of protecting and managing the historic environment, including traditional farm buildings (TFBs), to secure a range of public goods for society. As AES policies have developed and evolved, from Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) to Classic Countryside Stewardship (CCS), Environmental Stewardship (ES) and Countryside Stewardship (CS), they have incorporated best practice for the management of TFBs learned from evaluations of the previous schemes. Countryside Stewardship is a voluntary scheme and provides financial incentives for farmers and land managers to look after and improve the environment. Countryside Stewardship replaced ES in 2016. In CS there are two options for the maintenance of weatherproof TFBs. The maintenance of weatherproof TFBs (HS1) with a payment of £3.25 per 1m2 and the maintenance of weatherproof TFBs in remote areas (HS8) with a payment of £6.73 per 1m2. Environmental Stewardship is a voluntary scheme that was launched in 2005 and closed to new entrants in 2015. The maintenance of weatherproof TFBs option (D1) was introduced in 2006. The maintenance of weatherproof TFBs in remote locations option (D12) was introduced in February 2010. The D1 option paid £2.00 per 1m2 per year, while the D12 option paid £4.00 per 1m2 per year. Now that the ELM schemes are replacing CS, Natural England (NE) is undertaking an assessment of the maintenance options across CS and ES to identify issues which need to be addressed during the remainder of existing agreements, identify areas of success and inform best practice for the development of ELM schemes and establish baseline data for further monitoring