Investigating the relationship between participation in the building infrastructure leading to diversity (BUILD) initiative and intent to pursue a science career: A cross-sectional analysis.

This paper presents an analysis of survey data to examine the association between supervised structured mentoring and students' intent to pursue a career in science. Data were collected from students in the 10 Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) research training programs, developed through grants from the National Institutes of Health. Propensity score matching and multinomial logistic regression demonstrated that exposure to BUILD programs-meaning participation in undergraduate research, receipt of mentoring from a primary mentor, and/or participation as a funded scholar and/or associate of each BUILD site's training program-was associated with increased intent to pursue a science career. These findings have implications for STEM program evaluation and practice in higher education.

Pharmacist care in hospital emergency departments: a consensus paper from the Spanish hospital pharmacy and emergency medicine associations. / Atención farmacéutica en los servicios de urgencias: documento de posicionamiento de la Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (SEFH) y la Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias (SEMES).

OBJECTIVES: To draft a list of actions and quality indicators for pharmacist care in hospital emergency departments, based on consensus among a panel of experts regarding which actions to prioritize in this setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A panel of experts from the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) and the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) evaluated a preliminary list of potential actions and quality of care indicators. The experts used a questionnaire to assess the proposals on the basis of available evidence. In the first round, each expert individually assessed the importance of each proposed action based on 4 dimensions: evidence base, impact on clinical response and patient safety, ease of implementation, and priority. In the second round the experts attended a virtual meeting to reach consensus on a revised list of proposals; suggestions and comments that had been made anonymously in the first round were included. The group then prioritized each action as basic, intermediate, or advanced. RESULTS: The experts evaluated a total of 26 potential actions and associated quality indicators. No items were eliminated in the analysis of scores and comments from the first round. After the second round, 25 actions survived. Nine were considered basic, 10 intermediate, and 6 advanced. CONCLUSION: The expert panel's list of pharmacist actions and care quality indicators provides a basis for developing a pharmacist care program in Spanish emergency departments on 3 levels of priority. The list can serve as a guide to pharmacists, managers, physicians, and nurses involved in the effort to improve drug therapy in this hospital setting.

OBJETIVO: Desarrollar un conjunto de actividades e indicadores de atención farmacéutica en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios mediante un consenso colectivo de un panel de expertos que permita priorizar las actividades a realizar por los farmacéuticos en estas unidades. METODO: Un comité formado por miembros de la Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (SEFH) y de la Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias (SEMES) evaluó una propuesta inicial de actividades e indicadores potenciales, basados en la evidencia científica disponible, en formato de cuestionario. En una primera ronda, cada uno de los expertos del panel clasificó de forma individual la relevancia de cada una de las actividades propuestas en cuatro dimensiones: evidencia científica, impacto en la respuesta clínica y seguridad para el paciente, facilidad de implementación y grado de prioridad. La segunda ronda se realizó mediante una reunión grupal de forma virtual, a partir del cuestionario modificado de acuerdo con las sugerencias planteadas, así como los comentarios vertidos por los participantes del panel de forma anónima. En esta ronda, cada actividad fue clasificada por consenso como básica, intermedia o avanzada en función del grado de prioridad de implantación considerado por el grupo de expertos. RESULTADOS: Se propusieron un total de 26 potenciales actividades a los expertos, con indicadores asociados. Tras el análisis de las puntuaciones y los comentarios realizados en la primera ronda, no se eliminó ninguna de las actividades propuestas. Tras la segunda ronda, se mantuvieron 25 actividades, de las cuales se puntuaron 9 como actividades básicas, 10 actividades como intermedias y 6 actividades como avanzadas. CONCLUSIONES: El desarrollo del conjunto de actividades e indicadores de atención farmacéutica en urgencias, priorizados por grado de relevancia para la unidad, es la base para el desarrollo de esta cartera de servicios en los hospitales españoles, y sirve como guía tanto para farmacéuticos como para gestores, médicos y enfermeros de la unidad a fin de mejorar la farmacoterapia los pacientes atendidos en los servicios de urgencias.

Compatibility of prolonged infusion antibiotics during Y-site administration.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to global public health. The use of prolonged infusions in the hospital setting for certain antimicrobials is widely increasing in order to improve their efficacy and safety, including resistance development. Due to limited vascular access, it is important to clarify whether they can be infused through the same line with other drugs during Y-site administration. AIM: The aim of this review is to update and summarize the evidence on Y-site compatibility of antibacterial agents administered as prolonged infusions in intensive care units (ICUs). STUDY DESIGN: A literature review of PubMed, EMBASE and Trissel's Handbook on Injectable Drugs databases was conducted on the compatibility of selected antimicrobials administered simultaneously at a Y-site connection with parenteral nutrition and other widely used drugs in ICUs. All articles published up to October 30, 2021, in English or Spanish were included, regardless of the type of publication (original articles, case reports, letters, etc.). Eligible antimicrobials were those that can be administered as prolonged infusions: ceftazidime, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, ceftolozane/tazobactam, ceftaroline, cloxacillin, ceftobiprole, vancomycin and fosfomycin. RESULTS: A total of 1302 drug-to-drug potential combinations were explored, 196 (15.05%) were found to be incompatible, and in 541 (41.55%), data were not available. The results were presented in a simple 2-dimensional consultation chart as a quick reference for health care professionals. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides useful and reliable information on the compatibility of antimicrobials administered as Y-site infusion with other drugs commonly used in the critical setting. This review contributes to patient safety in nursing practice. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: To our knowledge, this is the first review on Y-site compatibility of antimicrobials used as prolonged infusions with other commonly used drugs, including anti-emetics, analgesics and anti-epileptic and parenteral nutrition. The results of the current review need to be addressed to promote the knowledge sharing between health professionals and improve the quality and safety of patients. We believe that this review may serve as a simple and effective 2-dimensional updated drug-to-drug compatibility reference chart for critical care nurses.

Implementing case study design to evaluate diverse institutions and STEM education contexts: Lessons and key areas for systematic study.

This chapter highlights the important contributions of case study research to the evaluation of student-centered programs and broader STEM initiatives in higher education. We summarize the Diversity Program Consortium's case study evaluation of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with aims to enhance diversity in the NIH-funded workforce. We describe lessons learned from the case study design used for the evaluation of BUILD that applies to administrators of STEM initiatives who are interested in case study methods and to evaluators who are familiar with case studies and tasked with program evaluation of a multisite STEM program. These lessons include practical considerations for logistics and the importance of clarifying the goals of the case study design within the larger program evaluation, fostering the continuation of knowledge within the evaluation team, and embedding trust building and collaboration throughout all stages of the case study.

Síndrome de Cotard en trastorno depresivo recurrente: reporte de caso / Cotard Syndrome in recurrent depressive disorder: case report

El Síndrome de Cotard también conocido como delirio de negación o nihilista, fue descrito por el neurólogo francés Julius Cotard en junio de 1880. Desde esa época hasta fines del siglo XX se ha reportado en la literatura científica aproximadamente 100 casos. Que presentaban sintomatología depresiva, ansiosa, delusiones nihilistas concernientes al cuerpo y a la existencia, delusiones hipocondriacas y de inmortalidad, así como alucinaciones auditivas y visuales. Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 73 años, natural de Ayacucho, con antecedentes de agresión sexual a los 12 años, y episodios de intento de suicidio en dos oportunidades, siendo diagnosticada de depresión a los 40 años, recibió tratamiento con quetiapina, trazadona y clonazepam. Se mantuvo con evolución fluctuante, empeoraron sus síntomas con factores estresantes como el fallecimiento de su mamá, esposo y cirugías a las que fue sometida. Actualmente presenta ánimo triste y ansioso, llanto diario, ideas de culpa, minusvalía y tanáticas, insomnio de conciliación, delusiones nihilistas concernientes al cuerpo, refiriendo que su estómago y vejiga no funciona, por tal motivo no desea comer ni ingerir agua. Debido al rechazo total a ingesta de alimentos e ideación suicida persistente fue hospitalizada para recibir tratamiento psiquiátrico y soporte nutricional.

The Cotard Syndrome, also known as delirium of negation or nihilistic delirium, was described by the French neurologist, Julius Cotard, on June 1880. From that time until the end of the 20th century, in scientific literature, approximately 100 cases were reported that presented symptoms of depression, anxiety, nihilist delusions concerning the body and existence, hypochondriacal and immortality delusions, as well as auditory and visual hallucinations. We present the case of a female patient, 73-years old, from Ayacucho, with a history of sexual assault at the age of 12 and suicidal attempts on 2 occasions, diagnosed with depression at 40 years of age, received treatment with quetiapine, trazadone and clonazepam. She remained with fluctuating medical progress, with symptoms worsening with stressors such as the death of her mother and husband and when she underwent surgeries. Currently, she presents sad and anxious mood, daily crying, ideas of guilt, disability and death, insomnia of conciliation, nihilistic delusive ideas concerning the body, referring that her stomach and bladder do not work, reason why she doesn't want to eat or drink water. Due to the total refusal of food intake and persistent suicidal ideation, she was hospitalized to receive psychiatric treatment and nutritional support. It is concluded that there are few cases reported on the use of psychotherapy in Cotard's syndrome. Therefore, this case in which psychotherapy was indicated to reduce anxious-affective symptoms, to avoid isolation of the person and to redirect his personal and social life, is important.

A cross-case analysis of developing program sustainability and institutionalization in early stages of a multisite biomedical student diversity initiative.

BACKGROUND: Grant funding often drives innovative programming in efforts to enhance diversity in biomedical fields, yet strategies for sustainability of grant-funded biomedical intervention are not well understood. Additionally, as funding agencies shift toward supporting institutional change to biomedical training, less is known about the extent to which sustainability strategies can support long-term institutionalization of the original goals of the grant-funded initiative. The purpose of this study is twofold: to identify strategies used by grant-funded programs for promoting sustainability, and to examine the interrelations between the concepts of sustainability and institutionalization during early stages of grant-funded biomedical career training efforts. METHODS: We employed a multiple case study design and cross-case analysis using interviews of program administrators and participants from 10 undergraduate institutions that received Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) awards funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). RESULTS: BUILD sites engaged in the following strategies to develop program sustainability: 1) scaling and adapting to expand programmatic impact, 2) identifying additional funding and cost-cutting measures, 3) developing and maintaining infrastructure and structural operations, 4) leveraging relationships and with intra-and inter-institutional partners, and 5) and addressing hiring, policies, and reward systems at the institution. Senior administrative support supported program sustainability and early institutionalization, although we also identified situations where participants felt that they were on track for sustainable changes without administrative support or institutional change. Of the strategies identified, those that involve organizational and infrastructural changes contribute to early stages of institutionalization. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to literature on organizational change by providing evidence of distinctions and interrelations between program sustainability efforts and institutionalization of change efforts in that some sustainability strategies can overlap with strategies to move toward institutionalization. The findings indicate the importance of program administrators developing early sustainability plans that also lead to institutionalization, as well as an opportunity for funding agencies to develop technical assistance on sustainability, organizational change, and institutionalization as a resource to support program administrators' efforts toward making lasting, structural change on their campuses.

Tranexamic acid versus aminocapróic acid in multiple doses via the oral route for the reduction of postoperative bleeding in total primary hip arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study.

To compare the effects of oral ε-aminocaproic acid (EACA) as a hemostatic agent versus the use of oral tranexamic acid (TXA) administered in multiple doses pre and postsurgery in patients undergoing elective primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). We enrolled 102 patients that were randomly divided into two groups: received three oral doses of EACA (2000 mg per dose) or three oral doses of TXA (1300 mg per dose). The medication was given according to the following schedule: 2 h before surgery and 6 and 12 h after surgery. The variables analyzed to compare the effectiveness of the hemostatic agents were total blood loss, hidden blood loss, external blood loss, transfusion rate, intraoperative blood loss, decreases in hemoglobin and hematocrit values, surgical drainage output, visual analog scale, and surgical complications. There were no significant differences between any of the study variables for the group receiving oral TXA and the group receiving oral EACA (P > 0.05). Our study showed that the use of oral EACA was similar to its counterpart TXA regarding the evaluated parameters. TXA did not have superior blood conservation effects, safety profile, or differences in functional scales compared with EACA in THA. We consider the use of multiple oral doses of aminocaproic acid at the selected dose to be effective as a standard protocol to achieve less blood loss and a lower rate of transfusion and adverse events related to the medication in patients undergoing a THA.

Laboratory information management software for engineered mini-protein therapeutic workflow.

BACKGROUND: Protein based therapeutics are one of the fastest growing classes of novel medical interventions in areas such as cancer, infectious disease, and inflammation. Protein engineering plays an important role in the optimization of desired therapeutic properties such as reducing immunogenicity, increasing stability for storage, increasing target specificity, etc. One category of protein therapeutics is nature-inspired bioengineered cystine-dense peptides (CDPs) for various biological targets. These engineered proteins are often further modified by synthetic chemistry. For example, candidate mini-proteins can be conjugated into active small molecule drugs. We refer to modified mini-proteins as "Optides" (Optimized peptides). To efficiently serve the multidisciplinary lab scientists with varied therapeutic portfolio research goals in a non-commercial setting, a cost effective extendable laboratory information management system (LIMS) is/was needed. RESULTS: We have developed a LIMS named Optide-Hunter for a generalized engineered protein compounds workflow that tracks entities and assays from creation to preclinical experiments. The implementation and custom modules are built using LabKey server, which is an Open Source platform for scientific data integration and analysis. Optide-Hunter contains a compound registry, in-silico assays, high throughput production, large-scale production, in vivo assays and data extraction from a specimen-tracking database. It is used to store, extract, and view data for various therapeutics projects. Optide-Hunter also includes external processing stand-alone software (HPLCPeakClassifierApp) for automated chromatogram classification. The HPLCPeakClassifierApp is used for pre-processing of HPLC data prior to loading to Optide-Hunter. The custom implementation is done using data transformation modules in R, SQL, javascript, and java and is Open Source to assist new users in customizing it for their unique workflows. Instructions for exploring a deployed version of Optide-Hunter can be found at https://www.labkey.com/case%20study/optide-hunter CONCLUSION: The Optide-Hunter LIMS system is designed and built to track the process of engineering, producing and prioritizing protein therapeutic candidates. It can be easily adapted and extended for use in small or large research laboratories where multidisciplinary scientists are collaborating to engineer compounds for potential therapeutic or protein science applications. Open Source exploration of Optide-Hunter can help any bioinformatics scientist adapt, extend, and deploy an equivalent system tailored to each laboratory's workflow.

Acute Variceal Bleeding: Does Octreotide Improve Outcomes in Patients with Different Functional Hepatic Reserve?

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines do not differentiate in the utilization of vasoactive drugs in patients with cirrhosis and acute variceal bleeding (AVB) depending on liver disease severity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, clinical outcomes in 100 patients receiving octreotide plus endoscopic therapy (ET) and 216 patients with ET alone were compared in terms of failure to control bleeding, in-hospital mortality, and transfusion requirements stratifying the results according to liver disease severity by Child-Pugh (CP) score and MELD. RESULTS: In patients with CP-A or those with MELD < 10 octreotide was not associated with a better outcome compared to ET alone in terms of hospital mortality (CP-A: 0.0 vs. 0.0%; MELD < 10: 0.0 vs. 2.9%, p = 1.00), failure to control bleeding (CP-A: 8.7 vs. 3.7%, p = 0.58; MELD < 10: 5.3 vs. 4.3%, p = 1.00) and need for transfusion (CP-A: 39.1 vs. 61.1%, p = 0.09; MELD < 10: 63.2 vs. 62.9%, p = 1.00). Those with severe liver dysfunction in the octreotide group showed better outcomes compared to the non-octreotide group in terms of hospital mortality (CP-B/C: 3.9 vs. 13.0%, p = 0.04; MELD ≥ 10: 3.9 vs. 13.3%, p = 0.03) and need for transfusion (CP-B/C: 58.4 vs. 71.6%, p = 0.05; MELD ≥ 10: 50.6 vs. 72.7%, p < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, octreotide was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (p = 0.028) and need for transfusion (p = 0.008) only in patients with severe liver dysfunction (CP-B/C or MELD ≥ 10). CONCLUSION: Patients with cirrhosis and AVB categorized as CP-A or MELD < 10 had similar clinical outcomes during hospitalization whether or not they received octreotide.

Low-cost Method for Obtaining Medical Rapid Prototyping Using Desktop 3D printing: A Novel Technique for Mandibular Reconstruction Planning.

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) printing is relatively a new technology with clinical applications, which enable us to create rapid accurate prototype of the selected anatomic region, making it possible to plan complex surgery and pre-bend hardware for individual surgical cases. This study aimed to express our experience with the use of medical rapid prototype (MRP) of the maxillofacial region created by desktop 3D printer and its application in maxillofacial reconstructive surgeries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three patients with benign mandible tumors were included in this study after obtaining informed consent. All patient's maxillofacial CT scan data was processed by segmentation and isolation software and mandible MRP was printed using our desktop 3D printer. These models were used for preoperative surgical planning and prebending of the reconstruction plate. CONCLUSIONS: MRP created by desktop 3D printer is a cost-efficient, quick and easily produced appliance for the planning of reconstructive surgery. It can contribute in patient orientation and helping them in a better understanding of their condition and proposed surgical treatment. It helps surgeons for pre-operative planning in the resection or reconstruction cases and represent an excellent tool in academic setting for residents training. The pre-bended reconstruction plate based on MRP, resulted in decreased surgery time, cost and anesthesia risks on the patients. Key words:3D printing, medical modeling, rapid prototype, mandibular reconstruction, ameloblastoma.

Manejo quirúrgico de tumor mandibular asistido con la tecnología de impresión tridimensional: nota técnica y reporte de caso / Surgical management of mandible tumor assisted with three-dimensional printing technology: a technical note and case report

Objetivo: Introducir la tecnología de impresión tridimensional para la creación de modelos anatómicos para asistir la planificación quirúrgica de tumores mandibulares. Caso clínico: Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 30 años con historial de tumoración en la mandíbula, sector anterior, con 2 años de evolución. La biopsia incisional confirmó que se trataba de un fibroma osificante. Con la asistencia de la tecnología de impresión tridimensional se realizó la planificación quirúrgica para establecer los márgenes de osteotomías y el predoblado de la placa de reconstrucción. Adicionalmente se describe en detalle el proceso de construcción del modelo de prototipado rápido con la tecnología de impresión tridimensional.

Aim: Introduction of three-dimensional printing technology for the generation of medical rapid prototyping models, an assistant tool in surgical planning of mandibular tumors. Clinical case: We report the case of a 30-years-old female patient who presented an anterior mandible mass with 2 years of evolution. Incisional biopsy confirmed ossifying fibroma. With the assistance of three-dimensional printing technology, 3D model was created and surgical planning was performed with the design of osteotomy sites for mandibular resection. Furthermore, prebending of reconstruction plate based on 3D model was accomplished. The protocol for rapid prototyping models creation in details is described in this article.

Large recurrent radicular cyst in maxillary sinus: a case report / Gran quiste radicular recurrente en seno maxilar: reporte de caso

Radicular cyst is the most common inflammatory jaw cystic lesion that occurs in necrotic teeth. They account for more than 50 % of all odontogenic cysts. Radicular cysts cause slowly progressive painless swelling and there are no symptoms until they become large. Enucleating the cyst with endodontic therapy of the affected tooth is recommended as the primary treatment. Here we describe a patient with a large recurrent radicular cyst with maxillary sinus involvement who underwent a midfacial degloving approach for complete enucleation. In conclusion, radicular cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of large maxillary sinus lesions and never be discarded until histopathology is available.

El quiste radicular es la lesión inflamatoria quística más común que ocurre en los dientes necróticos. Su presentación abarca más del 50 % de los quistes odontogénicos. Los quistes radiculares se presentan como una inflamación indolora de crecimiento lento y progresivo y se hacen sintomáticas una vez que alcanzan un gran tamaño. El tratamiento primario recomendado para este quiste es la enucleación junto al tratamiento endodóntico de los dientes afectados. Presentamos un reporte de caso de un paciente que presentaba un gran quiste radicular recurrente con envolvimiento de todo el seno maxilar y que fue tratado con un acceso intraoral extendido para lograr la completa enucleación de la lesión. En conclusión, el quiste radicular debe ser siempre considerado en el diagnóstico diferencial de lesiones de gran tamaño que involucren el seno maxilar y nunca ser descartado hasta tener el resultado de histopatología.

Risk factors for Chagas disease among pregnant women in El Salvador.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the seroprevalence of Chagas disease among pregnant women and estimate the risk factors for Chagas disease during pregnancies. METHODS: Community-based serological tests on Trypanosoma cruzi and structured interviews on socio-demographic and socio-economic status were conducted with pregnant women registered at three health centres in Sonsonate province, El Salvador. RESULTS: Of 797 pregnant women participating in the study, 29 (3.6%) were infected with Chagas disease. None had clinical symptoms. The results of bivariate analyses showed the significant association between seropositivity and maternal age ≥35 years, anaemia, illiteracy, having no formal school education and having knowledge on Chagas disease (P < 0.05). The results of multivariate analysis indicate that age ≥35 years and anaemia were significantly associated with being infected with Chagas disease among pregnant women (OR = 3.541 and 5.197, respectively). CONCLUSION: We recommend that the national Chagas disease control programme be better coordinated with the national maternal and child health programme to introduce blood screening for T. cruzi during antenatal visits. If financial constraint allows systematic blood screening to be only partially implemented, resources should be focused on pregnant women ≥35 years and women who have anaemia.

[Molecular response with triple therapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia]. / Respuesta molecular con terapia triple en pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia is a myeloproliferative disorder which results from the translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11). Imatinib mesylate is an inhibitor of kinase tyrosine that has proved to be useful in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Our aim was to evaluate the major molecular response to 12 months with triple therapy, analyze the evolution of these patients, and the hematological and non-hematological toxicity. METHODS: It was performed a longitudinal study in patients with diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia who were treated with sequential triple therapy: Pegylated interferon alpha 2a (90 µg/week for four weeks) + imatinib (800 mg a day for 30 days) + cytarabine (20 mg/m2 from day 1 to 10). Molecular and hematologic responses at 12 months of treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty eight patients with chronic myeloid leukemia were eligible; the mean age was 43.4 years and the medians of hemoglobin levels, leukocyte and platelet counts at diagnosis were 10 g/dL (5.1 to 16.0 g/dL), 208 000/µL3 (10 600 to 529 000/µL3) and 573 500/µL3 (130 000 to 4 272 000/µL3), respectively. According to the Sokal score, 68.4 % had low risk, 26.3 % intermediate and 5.3 % high risk. CONCLUSIONS: The hematologic response was similar to that reported in the IRIS study, but the molecular response was greater in more cases. The adverse hematological effects grades 3-4 and non-hematological were significative: 45 % and 87 %, which forces to continous monitoring. The combination of interferon alpha 2a, cytarabine and a high-dose of imatinib induced the major molecular response, of 68.4 %, at 12 months.

INTRODUCCIÓN: la leucemia mieloide crónica es un trastorno mieloproliferativo provocado por la translocación t (9;22)(q34;q11). El mesilato de imatinib es un inhibidor de la tirosina cinasa útil en el tratamiento de la leucemia mieloide crónica. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la respuesta molecular mayor a los 12 meses con esquema terapéutico triple, analizar la evolución de los pacientes, así como la toxicidad general y la hematológica. MÉTODOS: estudio observacional longitudinal en pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica, tratados con interferón pegilado alfa 2a subcutáneo (90 µg/semana por cuatro semanas) + imatinib oral (800 mg/día por 30 días) + citarabina subcutánea (20 mg/m2 de superficie corporal del día 1 al 10). Se analizaron las respuestas hematológica y molecular a los 12 meses. RESULTADOS: se trataron 38 pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica con edad media de 43.4 años. Los niveles de hemoglobina, leucocitos y plaquetas al diagnóstico fueron de 10 g/dL (5.1 a 16 g/dL), 208 000/µL3 (10 600 a 529 000/µL3) y 573 500/µL3 (130 000 a 4 272 000/µL3), respectivamente. Según la escala Sokal, 68.4 % tuvo bajo riesgo, 26.3 % intermedio y 5.3 % riesgo alto. CONCLUSIONES: la respuesta hematológica fue semejante a la del estudio IRIS. Se obtuvo una respuesta molecular mayor en mayor proporción de casos. Los efectos secundarios hematológicos grados 3 y 4 y no hematológicos fueron significativos: 45 y 87 %, lo que obliga al monitoreo continuo. La combinación de interferón alfa 2a, citarabina e imatinib a dosis altas indujo la remisión molecular mayor a los 12 meses en 68.4 % de los casos.

The "knucklehead" approach and what matters in terms of health for formerly incarcerated Latino men.

In terms of the examination of the relationship between masculinity and health, there has been limited exploration of how the ways in which formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) construct their masculinities may conflict with public health messages. Using information gained from three years of ethnographic research that was conducted with formerly incarcerated Puerto Rican males in three urban communities in New York City, the authors examine what matters to FILM in terms of their health and well-being and what conflicts exist between public health prevention messages and FILM masculinity. Our results indicate the following: (1) major threats to the health of FILM, such as HIV risk behavior, alcohol and drug use and high caloric intake, are perceived as irrelevant to most of the FILM in the study; (2) young FILM believe that they engage in risky behaviors because of their "knucklehead" mentality and diminish their risks by becoming "street-smart;" and (3) social isolation, loneliness and general risk-taking behavior among FILM are salient issues that have yet to be effectively addressed. Of our sample of 32 FILM, we identified 7 individuals who have transitioned from having a "knucklehead" approach in their lives to possessing a greater sense of awareness of health and social matters. These seven individuals followed either or both of the following pathways: (1) pursuing a college education or (2) becoming community leaders.

FlyExpress: visual mining of spatiotemporal patterns for genes and publications in Drosophila embryogenesis.

SUMMARY: Images containing spatial expression patterns illuminate the roles of different genes during embryogenesis. In order to generate initial clues to regulatory interactions, biologists frequently need to know the set of genes expressed at the same time at specific locations in a developing embryo, as well as related research publications. However, text-based mining of image annotations and research articles cannot produce all relevant results, because the primary data are images that exist as graphical objects. We have developed a unique knowledge base (FlyExpress) to facilitate visual mining of images from Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis. By clicking on specific locations in pictures of fly embryos from different stages of development and different visual projections, users can produce a list of genes and publications instantly. In FlyExpress, each queryable embryo picture is a heat-map that captures the expression patterns of more than 4500 genes and more than 2600 published articles. In addition, one can view spatial patterns for particular genes over time as well as find other genes with similar expression patterns at a given developmental stage. Therefore, FlyExpress is a unique tool for mining spatiotemporal expression patterns in a format readily accessible to the scientific community. AVAILABILITY: http://www.flyexpress.net CONTACT: s.kumar@asu.edu.

ATAQS: A computational software tool for high throughput transition optimization and validation for selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Since its inception, proteomics has essentially operated in a discovery mode with the goal of identifying and quantifying the maximal number of proteins in a sample. Increasingly, proteomic measurements are also supporting hypothesis-driven studies, in which a predetermined set of proteins is consistently detected and quantified in multiple samples. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) is a targeted mass spectrometric technique that supports the detection and quantification of specific proteins in complex samples at high sensitivity and reproducibility. Here, we describe ATAQS, an integrated software platform that supports all stages of targeted, SRM-based proteomics experiments including target selection, transition optimization and post acquisition data analysis. This software will significantly facilitate the use of targeted proteomic techniques and contribute to the generation of highly sensitive, reproducible and complete datasets that are particularly critical for the discovery and validation of targets in hypothesis-driven studies in systems biology. RESULT: We introduce a new open source software pipeline, ATAQS (Automated and Targeted Analysis with Quantitative SRM), which consists of a number of modules that collectively support the SRM assay development workflow for targeted proteomic experiments (project management and generation of protein, peptide and transitions and the validation of peptide detection by SRM). ATAQS provides a flexible pipeline for end-users by allowing the workflow to start or end at any point of the pipeline, and for computational biologists, by enabling the easy extension of java algorithm classes for their own algorithm plug-in or connection via an external web site.This integrated system supports all steps in a SRM-based experiment and provides a user-friendly GUI that can be run by any operating system that allows the installation of the Mozilla Firefox web browser. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted proteomics via SRM is a powerful new technique that enables the reproducible and accurate identification and quantification of sets of proteins of interest. ATAQS is the first open-source software that supports all steps of the targeted proteomics workflow. ATAQS also provides software API (Application Program Interface) documentation that enables the addition of new algorithms to each of the workflow steps. The software, installation guide and sample dataset can be found in http://tools.proteomecenter.org/ATAQS/ATAQS.html.

The Protein Information and Property Explorer 2: gaggle-like exploration of biological proteomic data within one webpage.

The Protein Information and Property Explorer 2 (PIPE2) is an enhanced software program and updated web application that aims at providing the proteomic researcher a simple, intuitive user interface through which to begin inquiry into the biological significance of a list of proteins typically produced by MS/MS proteomic processing software. PIPE2 includes an improved interface, new data visualization options, and new data analysis methods for combining disparate, but related, data sets. In particular, PIPE2 has been enhanced to handle multi-dimensional data such as protein abundance, gene expression, and/or interaction data. The current architecture of PIPE2, modeled after that of Gaggle (a programming infrastructure for interoperability between separately developed software tools), contains independent functional units that can be instantiated and pieced together at the user's discretion to form a pipelined analysis workflow. Among these functional units is the Network Viewer component, which adds rich network analysis capabilities to the suite of existing proteomic web resources. Additionally, PIPE2 implements a framework within which new analysis procedures can be easily deployed and distributed over the World Wide Web. PIPE2 is available as a web service at http://pipe2.systemsbiology.net/.