Ustekinumab as Induction and Maintenance Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

BACKGROUND Ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody to the p40 subunit of interleukin-12 and inter-leukin-23, was evaluated as an intravenous induction therapy in two populations with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease. Ustekinumab was also evaluated as subcutaneous maintenance therapy. METHODS We randomly assigned patients to receive a single intravenous dose of ustekinumab (either 130 mg or approximately 6 mg per kilogram of body weight) or placebo in two induction trials. The UNITI-1 trial included 741 patients who met the criteria for primary or secondary nonresponse to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists or had unacceptable side effects. The UNITI-2 trial included 628 patients in whom conventional therapy failed or unacceptable side effects occurred. Patients who completed these induction trials then participated in IM-UNITI, in which the 397 patients who had a response to ustekinumab were randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous maintenance injections of 90 mg of ustekinumab (either every 8 weeks or every 12 weeks) or placebo. The primary end point for the induction trials was a clinical response at week 6 (defined as a decrease from baseline in the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index [CDAI] score of ≥100 points or a CDAI score <150). The primary end point for the maintenance trial was remission at week 44 (CDAI score <150). RESULTS The rates of response at week 6 among patients receiving intravenous ustekinumab at a dose of either 130 mg or approximately 6 mg per kilogram were significantly higher than the rates among patients receiving placebo (in UNITI-1, 34.3%, 33.7%, and 21.5%, respectively, with P≤0.003 for both comparisons with placebo; in UNITI-2, 51.7%, 55.5%, and 28.7%, respectively, with P<0.001 for both doses). In the groups receiving maintenance doses of ustekinumab every 8 weeks or every 12 weeks, 53.1% and 48.8%, respectively, were in remission at week 44, as compared with 35.9% of those receiving placebo (P = 0.005 and P = 0.04, respectively). Within each trial, adverse-event rates were similar among treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, those receiving intravenous ustekinumab had a significantly higher rate of response than did those receiving placebo. Subcutaneous ustekinumab maintained remission in patients who had a clinical response to induction therapy. (Funded by Janssen Research and Development; ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01369329, NCT01369342, and NCT01369355.

Synthesis of dye-sensitized solar cells. Efficiency cells as a thickness of titanium dioxide

Defying the influence of the thickness of TiO2 efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell. It was confirmed that the compatibility of printed layers with the parameters closely related with the DSSC. It was found that the increase in thickness of the titanium dioxide layer, increases the distance between the electrodes, determined by the thickness of the Surlyn foil. With the rise of thickness of dyed layer of TiO2 established decrease in the value of its transmittance. Greatest transparency and aesthetic value obtained for photovoltaic modules with a single layer of titanium dioxide. The improved performance efficiency and preferred yields maximum power were noticed and exhibited by the cells covered with three layers of TiO2. It was established that the behaviour of economic efficiency in the production process, provides a range of cells with two layers of oxide, showing a similar performance and greater transparency

Looking at the Laboratory Discussion: Course Modality Choice and Student Performance in Organic Chemistry

In the sciences, the laboratory is one of the most impactful spaces for student learning, engagement, and experience. Prior knowledge gleaned during lecture and laboratory discussion (i.e., a course section designed to further emphasize conceptual content underlying experiments and inform students about laboratory procedures or safety precautions) acts to supplement laboratory performance. With the recent increase in offering traditionally face-to-face courses in remote formats, many educators in the field of organic chemistry have opted to offer online laboratory discussion (LD) sections alongside more traditional face-to-face laboratory discussions. However, research on enrollment in laboratory discussions by modality, as well as their impact on subsequent course performance, is lacking. Conducting a logistic regression analysis, we found that females, students who identified as Black or African American, those with greater average ACT-SAT equivalency scores, and those students who completed organic chemistry LD online in the prior term all had greater odds of enrolling in an online organic chemistry LD course in subsequent academic terms. Additional hierarchical regression analyses indicated that many student- and academic-level factors were predictive of laboratory performance. Notably, when controlling student-level and academic-level characteristics, laboratory performance was higher for students who completed LD online compared to students who enrolled in face-to-face LDs. This study has important implications for students as they uptake courses in online settings and faculty as they decide what portions of their courses to offer remotely

Looking at the Laboratory Discussion: Course Modality Choice and Student Performance in Organic Chemistry

In the sciences, the laboratory is one of the most impactful spaces for student learning, engagement, and experience. Prior knowledge gleaned during lecture and laboratory discussion (i.e., a course section designed to further emphasize conceptual content underlying experiments and inform students about laboratory procedures or safety precautions) acts to supplement laboratory performance. With the recent increase in offering traditionally face-to-face courses in remote formats, many educators in the field of organic chemistry have opted to offer online laboratory discussion (LD) sections alongside more traditional face-to-face laboratory discussions. However, research on enrollment in laboratory discussions by modality, as well as their impact on subsequent course performance, is lacking. Conducting a logistic regression analysis, we found that females, students who identified as Black or African American, those with greater average ACT-SAT equivalency scores, and those students who completed organic chemistry LD online in the prior term all had greater odds of enrolling in an online organic chemistry LD course in subsequent academic terms. Additional hierarchical regression analyses indicated that many student- and academic-level factors were predictive of laboratory performance. Notably, when controlling student-level and academic-level characteristics, laboratory performance was higher for students who completed LD online compared to students who enrolled in face-to-face LDs. This study has important implications for students as they uptake courses in online settings and faculty as they decide what portions of their courses to offer remotely

Looking at the Laboratory Discussion: Course Modality Choice and Student Performance in Organic Chemistry

In the sciences, the laboratory is one of the most impactful spaces for student learning, engagement, and experience. Prior knowledge gleaned during lecture and laboratory discussion (i.e., a course section designed to further emphasize conceptual content underlying experiments and inform students about laboratory procedures or safety precautions) acts to supplement laboratory performance. With the recent increase in offering traditionally face-to-face courses in remote formats, many educators in the field of organic chemistry have opted to offer online laboratory discussion (LD) sections alongside more traditional face-to-face laboratory discussions. However, research on enrollment in laboratory discussions by modality, as well as their impact on subsequent course performance, is lacking. Conducting a logistic regression analysis, we found that females, students who identified as Black or African American, those with greater average ACT-SAT equivalency scores, and those students who completed organic chemistry LD online in the prior term all had greater odds of enrolling in an online organic chemistry LD course in subsequent academic terms. Additional hierarchical regression analyses indicated that many student- and academic-level factors were predictive of laboratory performance. Notably, when controlling student-level and academic-level characteristics, laboratory performance was higher for students who completed LD online compared to students who enrolled in face-to-face LDs. This study has important implications for students as they uptake courses in online settings and faculty as they decide what portions of their courses to offer remotely