Recruiting young adults into a weight loss trial: report of protocol development and recruitment results.

Obesity has spread to all segments of the U.S. population. Young adults, aged 18-35 years, are rarely represented in clinical weight loss trials. We conducted a qualitative study to identify factors that may facilitate recruitment of young adults into a weight loss intervention trial. Participants were 33 adults aged 18-35 years with BMI ≥25 kg/m(2). Six group discussions were conducted using the nominal group technique. Health, social image, and "self" factors such as emotions, self-esteem, and confidence were reported as reasons to pursue weight loss. Physical activity, dietary intake, social support, medical intervention, and taking control (e.g. being motivated) were perceived as the best weight loss strategies. Incentives, positive outcomes, education, convenience, and social support were endorsed as reasons young adults would consider participating in a weight loss study. Incentives, advertisement, emphasizing benefits, and convenience were endorsed as ways to recruit young adults. These results informed the Cellphone Intervention for You (CITY) marketing and advertising, including message framing and advertising avenues. Implications for recruitment methods are discussed.

Adjunctive albuterol enhances the response to enzyme replacement therapy in late-onset Pompe disease.

Effective dosages for enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in Pompe disease are much higher than for other lysosomal storage disorders, which has been attributed to low cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) in skeletal muscle. We have previously demonstrated the benefit of increased CI-MPR-mediated uptake of recombinant human acid-α-glucosidase during ERT in mice with Pompe disease following addition of albuterol therapy. Currently we have completed a pilot study of albuterol in patients with late-onset Pompe disease already on ERT for >2 yr, who were not improving further. The 6-min walk test (6MWT) distance increased in all 7 subjects at wk 6 (30±13 m; P=0.002), wk 12 (34±14 m; P=0.004), and wk 24 (42±37 m; P=0.02), in comparison with baseline. Grip strength was improved significantly for both hands at wk 12. Furthermore, individual subjects reported benefits; e.g., a female patient could stand up from sitting on the floor much more easily (time for supine to standing position decreased from 30 to 11 s), and a male patient could readily swing his legs out of his van seat (hip abduction increased from 1 to 2+ on manual muscle testing). Finally, analysis of the quadriceps biopsies suggested increased CI-MPR at wk 12 (P=0.08), compared with baseline. With the exception of 1 patient who succumbed to respiratory complications of Pompe disease in the first week, only mild adverse events have been reported, including tremor, transient difficulty falling asleep, and mild urinary retention (requiring early morning voiding). Therefore, this pilot study revealed initial safety and efficacy in an open label study of adjunctive albuterol therapy in patients with late-onset Pompe disease who had been stable on ERT with no improvements noted over the previous several years.

Identification of CDH1 germline missense mutations associated with functional inactivation of the E-cadherin protein in young gastric cancer probands

E-cadherin is involved in the formation of cell-junctions and the maintenance of epithelial integrity. Direct evidence of E-cadherin mutations triggering tumorigenesis has come from the finding of inactivating germline mutations of the gene (CDH1) in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC). We screened a series of 66 young gastric cancer probands for germline CDH1 mutations, and two novel missense alterations together with an intronic variant were identified. We then analysed the functional significance of the exonic missense variants found here as well as a third germline missense variant that we previously identified in a HGDC family. cDNAs encoding either the wild-type protein or mutant forms of E-cadherin were stably transfected into CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) E-cadherin-negative cells. Transfected cell-lines were characterized in terms of aggregation, motility and invasion. We show that a proportion of apparently sporadic early-onset diffuse gastric carcinomas are associated with germline alterations of the E-cadherin gene. We also demonstrate that a proportion of missense variants are associated with significant functional consequences, suggesting that our cell model can be used as an adjunct in deciding on the potential pathogenic role of identified E-cadherin germline alterations.

Evaluation of the quality of the management of cancer of the corpus uteri-Selection of relevant quality indicators and implementation in Belgium

Objective Describe the methodology and selection of quality indicators (QI) to be implemented in the EFFECT (EFFectiveness of Endometrial Cancer Treatment) project. EFFECT aims to monitor the variability in Quality of Care (QoC) of uterine cancer in Belgium, to compare the effectiveness of different treatment strategies to improve the QoC and to check the internal validity of the QI to validate the impact of process indicators on outcome. Methods A QI list was retrieved from literature, recent guidelines and QI databases. The Belgian Healthcare Knowledge Center methodology was used for the selection process and involved an expert's panel rating the QI on 4 criteria. The resulting scores and further discussion resulted in a final QI list. An online EFFECT module was developed by the Belgian Cancer Registry including the list of variables required for measuring the QI. Three test phases were performed to evaluate the relevance, feasibility and understanding of the variables and to test the compatibility of the dataset. Results 138 QI were considered for further discussion and 82 QI were eligible for rating. Based on the rating scores and consensus among the expert's panel, 41 QI were considered measurable and relevant. Testing of the data collection enabled optimization of the content and the user-friendliness of the dataset and online module. Conclusions This first Belgian initiative for monitoring the QoC of uterine cancer indicates that the previously used QI selection methodology is reproducible for uterine cancer. The QI list could be applied by other research groups for comparison. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Jezelf kunnen zijn komt je levenskwaliteit ten goede: ULB peilt naar situatie van holebien transgenderwerknemers

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The evolutionarily conserved transcription factor PRDM12 controls sensory neuron development and pain perception

PR homology domain-containing member 12 (PRDM12) is a highly evolutionary conserved member of the Prdm family of transcription factors that play essential roles in many cell fate decisions. In human, PRDM12 coding mutations have been recently identified in several patients with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) (submitted elsewhere). Here we show that PRDM12 is involved in sensory neurogenesis in Xenopus and that several of the human Prdm12 mutants show altered structure, subcellular localization and function. In Drosophila, we demonstrate that the sensory neuron specific RNAi knockdown of the Prdm12 ortholog Hamlet induces impaired nociception and that a similar phenotype is observed in hypomorph hamlet mutants. In human fibroblasts of patients with PRDM12 mutations, we identified additional possible downstream target genes including thyrotropin-releasing hormone degrading enzyme (TRHDE). Knock-down of fly TRHDE in sensory neurons resulted in altered nociceptive neurons and impaired nociception. Collectively, these findings provide the first evidence showing that Prdm12 plays an important role in sensory neuron development. They also suggest that it has a critical evolutionarily conserved role in pain perception via modulation of the TRH signaling pathway.

CD4+ T cells play an important role in acute experimental pancreatitis in mice

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few data are available on the potential role of T lymphocytes in experimental acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to characterize their role in the inflammatory cascade of acute pancreatitis. METHODS: To type this issue, acute pancreatitis was induced by repeated injections of cerulein in nude mice and in vivo CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cell-depleted mice. The role of T lymphocyte-costimulatory pathways was evaluated using anti-CD40 ligand or anti-B7-1 and -B7-2 monoclonal blocking antibodies. The role of Fas-Fas ligand was explored using Fas ligand-targeted mutant (generalized lymphoproliferative disease) mice. Severity of acute pancreatitis was assessed by serum hydrolase levels and histology. Intrapancreatic interleukin 12, interferon gamma, Fas ligand, and CD40 ligand messenger RNA were detected by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Intrapancreatic T lymphocytes were identified by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In control mice, T cells, most of them CD4(+) T cells, are present in the pancreas and are recruited during acute pancreatitis. In nude mice, histological lesions and serum hydrolase levels are significantly decreased. T-lymphocyte transfer into nude mice partially restores the severity of acute pancreatitis and intrapancreatic interferon gamma, interleukin 12, and Fas ligand gene transcription. The severity of pancreatitis is also reduced by in vivo CD4(+) (but not CD8(+)) T-cell depletion and in Fas ligand-targeted mutant mice. Blocking CD40-CD40 ligand or B7-CD28 costimulatory pathways has no effect on the severity of pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS: T lymphocytes, particularly CD4(+) T cells, play a pivotal role in the development of tissue injury during acute experimental pancreatitis in mice.

Echovirus meningoencephalitis in X-linked hypogammaglobulinemia.

Echovirus meningoencephalitis and polymyositis are classical complications of X-linked agammaglobulinemia (1). The treatment of meningoencephalitis is troublesome since intravenous (2), intrathecal (3) and intraventricular (4) administration of gammaglobulins have been reported successful, but failure also occurred in some cases (5). We report our experience of high dose intravenous treatment.

1960-1980. Het gouden tijdperk van de openbare werken. 1960-1980. L'âge d'or des travaux public

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

12C2H2-Ar van der Waals complex

New theoretical and experimental results on the acetylene-Ar van der Waals complex are presented and the literature is reviewed. New ab initio calculations at the MP2 level were performed using large basis sets with diffuse functions and taking into account the basis set superposition error. It was found that the structure of acetylene is not significantly altered by the complexation and that its vibrational frequencies are only slightly lowered. Finally, it was observed that the calculated properties of the complex (structure, vibrational spectrum, bond dissociation energy) are not sensitive to the structure imposed on acetylene. Experimentally, acetylene-Ar was produced in a supersonic expansion under experimental conditions corresponding to 9 K rotational temperature. Thanks to the performances of CW-CRDS detection, the Ka = 0 ← 1, 1 ← 0, and 2 ← 1 sub- bands of the v1 + v3 band could be recorded and resolved and most of their lines assigned. Upper-state rotational constants were fitted, however not including the upper Ka = 2 state, which shows K-doubling the opposite of the expected. The Lorentzian width of most line profiles sets the mean lifetime to some 7.5 ns. Local perturbations affecting line positions and/or line widths are demonstrated. Additional series of lines tentatively attributed to acetylene-Ar are discussed.© 2009 American Chemical Society.

Accurate ground-state potential energy surfaces of the C2H2–Kr and C2H2–Xe van der Waals complexes

Accurate ab initio intermolecular potential energy surfaces (IPES) have been obtained for the first time for the ground electronic state of the C 2H2-Kr and C2H2-Xe van der Waals complexes. Extensive tests, including complete basis set and all-electron scalar relativistic results, support their calculation at the CCSD(T) level of theory, using small-core relativistic pseudopotentials for the rare-gas atoms and aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g mid-bond functions. All results are corrected for the basis set superposition error. The importance of the scalar relativistic and rare-gas outer-core (n.1)d correlation effects is investigated. The calculated IPES, adjusted to analytical functions, are characterized by global minima corresponding to skew T-shaped geometries, in which the Jacobi vector positioning the rare-gas atom with respect to the center of mass of the C2H2 moiety corresponds to distances of 4.064 and 4.229Å, and angles of 65.22° and 68.67° for C 2H2-Kr and C2H2-Xe, respectively. The interaction energy of both complexes is estimated to be -151.88 (1.817 kJ mol-1) and -182.76 cm-1 (2.186 kJ mol-1), respectively. The evolution of the topology of the IPES as a function of the rare-gas atom, from He to Xe, is also discussed. © 2012 Taylor and Francis.

La elipse como lugar geométrico a través de la geometría del doblado de papel en el contexto de Van Hiele

El presente artículo es un producto derivado de la investigación: “La elipse como lugar geométrico a través de la geometría del doblado de papel en el contexto de Van Hiele”, en la que se analizó el proceso de comprensión del concepto de elipse como lugar geométrico, de cinco estudiantes del grado décimo de una Institución Educativa de la ciudad de Medellín. El estudio de casos cualitativo permitió el establecimiento de los descriptores de los niveles de razonamiento de Van Hiele que caracterizaron dicho proceso de comprensión y a su vez, iluminaron la creación de un guion de entrevista de carácter socrático, que se convirtió en una experiencia de aprendizaje para los estudiantes en tanto que les permitió avanzar en su nivel de razonamiento.

Fases de aprendizaje en el contexto de van Hiele para el concepto de continuidad local

El presente reporte articula el modelo educativo de van Hiele en su aspecto prescriptivo con la enseñanza de uno de los conceptos fundamentales del Análisis Matemático, continuidad local, a través de la implementación y el desarrollo de un Módulo de Aprendizaje que permite procesos de razonamiento en los estudiantes con el fin de promoverlos de un Nivel II a un Nivel III, el módulo es construido en correspondencia con los descriptores de fases para de dar cuenta de las estructuras mentales elaboradas. Posteriormente, en el análisis de cada uno de los tres casos, se describe en categorías en correspondencia los descriptores y donde se hace explícito como razonan los estudiantes en su paso del Nivel II al Nivel III respecto al concepto de continuidad local.