Human Gut Microbiome Response to Short-Term Bifidobacterium-Based Probiotic Treatment.

Gut microbiota is believed to play a crucial role in modulating obesity in humans, and probiotics affecting gut microbiota can alleviate some of the obesity-related health complications. The study was aimed to investigate changes in the composition of the gut microbiome in obese humans due to short-term (2 weeks) treatment of obese patients with a probiotic preparation containing Bifidobacterium longum. Faecal microbiome diversity was studied using the 16S amplicon sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. Bioinformatic analysis showed distribution across 14 phyla (with Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominating), 21 class, 125 genera and 973 OTUs. The probiotic treatment decreased relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (Prevotellaceae and Bacteroidaceae), while increasing that of Actinobacteria (Bifidobacteriaceae and Coriobacteriaceae), and Firmicutes (Negativicutes: Veillonellaceae and Clostridia: Peptostreptococcaceae). The probiotic treatment decreased total blood sugar and increased patients' assessment of their physical and mental health. Thus even the short-term Bifidobacterium-based probiotic treatment brought significant compositional changes in the 16S rRNA gene diversity in faecal bacterial assemblages by increasing beneficial and decreasing pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria; the related shifts in life quality assessment necessitate further research into the causal relationships involved.

Five-year disease-free survival among stage II-IV breast cancer patients receiving FAC and AC chemotherapy in phase II clinical trials of Panagen.

BACKGROUND: We report on the results of a phase II clinical trial of Panagen (tablet form of fragmented human DNA preparation) in breast cancer patients (placebo group n = 23, Panagen n = 57). Panagen was administered as an adjuvant leukoprotective agent in FAC and AC chemotherapy regimens. Pre-clinical studies clearly indicate that Panagen acts by activating dendritic cells and induces the development of adaptive anticancer immune response. METHODS: We analyzed 5-year disease-free survival of patients recruited into the trial. RESULTS: Five-year disease-free survival in the placebo group was 40 % (n = 15), compared with the Panagen arm - 53 % (n = 51). Among stage III patients, disease-free survival was 25 and 52 % for placebo (n = 8) and Panagen (n = 25) groups, respectively. Disease-free survival of patients with IIIB + C stage was as follows: placebo (n = 6)-17 % vs Panagen (n = 18)-50 %. CONCLUSIONS: Disease-free survival rate (17 %) of patients with IIIB + C stage breast cancer receiving standard of care therapy is within the global range. Patients who additionally received Panagen demonstrate a significantly improved disease-free survival rate of 50 %. This confirms anticancer activity of Panagen. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02115984 from 04/07/2014.

Results of multicenter double-blind placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial of Panagen preparation to evaluate its leukostimulatory activity and formation of the adaptive immune response in patients with stage II-IV breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: We performed a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial of human dsDNA-based preparation Panagen in a tablet form. In total, 80 female patients with stage II-IV breast cancer were recruited. METHODS: Patients received three consecutive FAC (5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide) or AC (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide) adjuvant chemotherapies (3 weeks per course) and 6 tablets of 5 mg Panagen or placebo daily (one tablet every 2-3 hours, 30 mg/day) for 18 days during each chemotherapy course. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 6.0 software, and non-parametric analyses, namely Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and paired Wilcoxon tests. To describe the results, the following parameters were used: number of observations (n), median, interquartile range, and minimum-maximum range. RESULTS: Panagen displayed pronounced leukostimulatory and leukoprotective effects when combined with chemotherapy. In an ancillary protocol, anticancer effects of a tablet form of Panagen were analyzed. We show that Panagen helps maintain the pre-therapeutic activity level of innate antitumor immunity and induces formation of a peripheral pool of cytotoxic CD8+ perforin + T-cells. Our 3-year follow-up analysis demonstrates that 24% of patients who received Panagen relapsed or died after the therapy, as compared to 45% in the placebo cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The data collected in this trial set Panagen as a multi-faceted "all-in-one" medicine that is capable of simultaneously sustaining hematopoiesis, sparing the innate immune cells from adverse effects of three consecutive rounds of chemotherapy and boosting individual adaptive immunity. Its unique feature is that it is delivered via gastrointestinal tract and acts through the lymphoid system of intestinal mucosa. Taken together, maintenance of the initial levels of innate immunity, development of adaptive cytotoxic immune response and significantly reduced incidence of relapses 3 years after the therapy argue for the anticancer activity of Panagen. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02115984 from 04/07/2014.

Collisions and Perceptions of Cyberbullying: Comparison of Intergenerational Experiences.

With regard to negative consequences, cyberbullying is recognized as one of the most traumatic types of cyber aggression. The aim is to study the specific features of adolescents and youth's cyberbullying experience in the role of an aggressor, victim or bystander, as well as awareness on the part of parents of adolescents. A total of 3395 adolescents, youth and parents filled out specially designed questionnaires. Older adolescents turned out to be at higher risk of cyberbullying. In two-thirds of cases, cyberbullying is related to real-life incidents. Aggressors are motivated by domination and entertainment, primarily employing strategies of social exclusion, harassment and denigration. As victims of cyberbullying, younger adolescents turn to their parents and friends for social support, whereas older adolescents and young adults are more likely turn to their peers. In the role of a bystander, almost half of younger adolescents and about a third of older adolescents and young adults choose the prosocial strategy of protecting a victim. The parents often underestimate the experience of encountering cyberbullying or find it difficult to assess such experience. The identified risk groups and strategies and the lack of parents' awareness are important to take into account when drawing up cyberbullying prevention programs.

Media Multitasking in Mixed Reality Learning Situations: What Determines Its Effectiveness?

Background: Media multitasking (MMT) is common among adolescents, especially with the introduction of digital educational tools in mixed reality environments. However, there has been limited research on MMT in educational settings with electronic learning tools including augmented reality (AR). Objective: To study MMT in conjunction with metacognition, technology attitudes, and effectiveness of learning activities for 13-14 year olds in a mixed reality learning situation. Design: The experiment involved organizing learning activities in MMT format using digital tools, including AR. The MMT experimental group was given the option of searching the internet for information about a problem; the control group was given only a video, the e-textbook and AR application. Eye tracking measured task switching, while MMT efficiency was assessed by the number of completed tasks and test results. Metacognition was measured using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), and attitudes toward digital devices were examined using the Technology Attitudes Questionnaire. Results: Most of the adolescents (80%) preferred MMT, and no significant differences in test performance were found between the groups. Multitasking correlated with better cognitive control and metacognition scores and negatively correlated with technophobia. Learning activity effectiveness in mixed reality was assessed by the number and time of fixations on tasks in conjunction with metacognition and cognitive control. Interactive digital tools in education improve learning efficiency. Conclusion: Adolescents' preference for multitasking does not reduce learning productivity, but it does not guarantee success either. This suggests an internalization process of using digital technologies among adolescents. As a result, MMT may be gradually mastered as a new tool that is necessary for adaptation and success in an increasingly complex technological reality. Cognitive control and metacognitive planning significantly contribute to MMT efficiency, highlighting the importance of a conscious MMT strategy for effective learning.

Multitasking as a Personal Choice of the Mode of Activity in Russian Children and Adolescents: Its Relationship to Experimental Multitasking and its Effectiveness.

Background: A person's ability to solve several tasks simultaneously, or within a limited amount of time, - i.e., multitasking - is becoming more and more highly valued in society, despite experimental data in cognitive science about the low effectiveness of such activity. But, in the modern world, the term multitasking has become increasingly used in another sense - that is, a personal choice to perform several tasks simultaneously even if a person could do them consecutively. Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between a personal preference for multitasking, its subjective effectiveness in children and adolescents, and their tendency for and efficacy of multitasking under experimental conditions. Design: One hundred and fifty-seven (157) schoolchildren of different ages participated in the study, which called for responding to four windows on a screen, including texts (SMS) and video images, and reporting on their subjective multitasking and its efficacy. Results: The majority of children and adolescents said (the older they were, the more likely) that sometimes, or often, they combine several tasks, and argued that their performance was effective. Conclusion: The subjective perspective on multitasking and its effectiveness was more likely to be related to multitasking by carrying out several tasks simultaneously, than switching between tasks, and was not related to actual effectiveness when undertaking a variety of activities within a limited time period. In the case of distractions (for instance, incoming messages while undertaking tasks), they might be related to a decrease in effectiveness.

Features of Media Multitasking in School-Age Children.

The paper addresses the phenomenon of media multitasking that is being widely spread among children and adolescents in the context of digital socialization. The previous research has revealed its strong connection with cognitive control, executive functions, and academic performance, yet the specificity and efficacy of media multitasking performance, especially among children while they carry out usual activities, remains insufficiently studied. A quasi-experimental study, including digital tasks of various types on a computer and smartphone, the dots task for executive functions, and a socio-psychological questionnaire, was conducted with the participants of three age groups: 7-10, 11-13, and 14-16 years old (N = 154). The results indicate that media multitasking is connected not with sex, but age; the older the participants are, the more likely they tend to work in a multitasking mode. Furthermore, preference for multitasking has been found to be positively related to higher user activity. Although the total task performance rate is insignificantly lower in the multitasking group as compared to the non-multitasking one, a significant negative effect of media multitasking on total performance time was revealed. The results of the study that indicate a strong connection of media multitasking with the intensity of Internet usage, cognitive functions, and performance time, suggest its considerable role in social and cognitive functioning of children and adolescents.