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1.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39287363

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ustekinumab is approved for ulcerative colitis (UC). AIMS: To assess the durability of ustekinumab in patients with UC and its short-term effectiveness, durability and tolerability in clinical practice. METHODS: Retrospective, multicentre study of patients who had received their first ustekinumab dose at least 16 weeks before inclusion. Patients were followed until treatment discontinuation or last visit. Only patients with active disease at the start of ustekinumab treatment were considered in the effectiveness analysis. Patients who stopped ustekinumab before their last visit were considered not to be in subsequent remission. RESULTS: We included 620 patients; 155 (25%) discontinued ustekinumab during follow-up (median 12 months). Rate of discontinuation was 20% per patient-year of follow-up. Anaemia at baseline (hazard ratio, HR 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.1), steroids at baseline (HR 1.5; 95% CI 1.06-2.08) and more severe clinical activity at baseline (HR 1.5; 95% CI 1.09-2.06) were associated with higher risk of discontinuation. At the end of induction, 226 (40%) patients were in steroid-free clinical remission. Moderate-severe vs mild disease activity at baseline (odds ratio [OR] 0.3; 95% CI 0.2-0.5), male sex (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.4-0.8), and increased number of previous biologics (OR 0.6; 95% CI 0.6-0.8) were associated with lower likelihood of steroid-free clinical remission at week 16. One hundred and seventy-six patients (28%) had at least one adverse event. We observed no negative impact of ustekinumab on extraintestinal manifestations and/or immune-mediated diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Ustekinumab durability in UC was relatively high, and treatment was effective in highly refractory patients. The safety profile was consistent with previous studies.

2.
BMC Infect Dis ; 24(1): 798, 2024 Aug 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39118040

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) infectiousness decreases significantly with only a few days of treatment, but delayed diagnosis often leads to late treatment initiation. We conducted a sequential explanatory mixed methods study to understand the barriers and facilitators to prompt diagnosis among people with TB. METHODS: We enrolled 100 adults who started TB treatment in the Carabayllo district of Lima, Peru, between November 2020 and February 2022 and administered a survey about their symptoms and healthcare encounters. We calculated total diagnostic delay as time from symptom onset to diagnosis. We conducted semi-structured interviews of 26 participants who had a range of delays investigating their experience navigating the health system. Interview transcripts were inductively coded for concepts related to diagnostic barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: Overall, 38% of participants sought care first from public facilities and 42% from the private sector. Only 14% reported being diagnosed with TB on their first visit, and participants visited a median of 3 (interquartile range [IQR] health facilities before diagnosis. The median total diagnostic delay was 9 weeks (interquartile range [IQR] 4-22), with a median of 4 weeks (IQR 0-9) before contact with the health system and of 3 weeks (IQR 0-9) after. Barriers to prompt diagnosis included participants attributing their symptoms to an alternative cause or having misconceptions about TB, and leading them to postpone seeking care. Once connected to care, variations in clinical management, health facility resource limitations, and lack of formal referral processes contributed to the need for multiple healthcare visits before obtaining a diagnosis. Facilitators to prompt diagnosis included knowing someone with TB, supportive friends and family, referral documents, and seeing a pulmonologist. CONCLUSIONS: Misinformation about TB among people with TB and providers, poor accessibility of health services, and the need for multiple encounters to obtain diagnostic tests were major factors leading to delays. Extending the hours of operation of public health facilities, improving community awareness and provider training, and creating a formal referral process between the public and private sectors should be priorities in the efforts to combat TB.


Subject(s)
Delayed Diagnosis , Tuberculosis , Humans , Peru , Adult , Male , Female , Delayed Diagnosis/statistics & numerical data , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Middle Aged , Health Services Accessibility , Young Adult , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires
3.
Asia Pac J Public Health ; 36(6-7): 580-588, 2024 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39169479

ABSTRACT

In 2020, Bhutan pioneered a school-based gender-neutral human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program, achieving an impressive 96% vaccination coverage rate by 2021. This study, conducted through 49 in-depth interviews with community leaders, policymakers, parents, teachers, and health workers, and 12 focus group discussions with boys who received HPV vaccination. We used conventional content analysis to analyze the data. Enablers of the extension of gender-neutral HPV vaccination included social mobilization and advocacy efforts, which encompassed community engagement and leadership and collaborations with schools. Equally crucial were proficient program management and the strategic use of digital interventions. Challenges included tracking and reaching eligible adolescents. Vaccinated boys perceived school-based vaccination to be a key enabler of vaccine update. The study concludes that extending a girls-only HPV vaccination program to gender-neutral is feasible and acceptable in Bhutan. Findings related to challenges and ways for overcoming them can support other countries interested in gender-neutral HPV vaccination program.


Subject(s)
Immunization Programs , Papillomavirus Infections , Papillomavirus Vaccines , Qualitative Research , Humans , Bhutan , Papillomavirus Vaccines/administration & dosage , Male , Female , Immunization Programs/organization & administration , Adolescent , Papillomavirus Infections/prevention & control , Focus Groups , Child , School Health Services/organization & administration
4.
Nat Commun ; 15(1): 4710, 2024 Jun 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38844475

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathology has been increasingly explored through single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq & snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST). However, the surge in data demands a comprehensive, user-friendly repository. Addressing this, we introduce a single-cell and spatial RNA-seq database for Alzheimer's disease (ssREAD). It offers a broader spectrum of AD-related datasets, an optimized analytical pipeline, and improved usability. The database encompasses 1,053 samples (277 integrated datasets) from 67 AD-related scRNA-seq & snRNA-seq studies, totaling 7,332,202 cells. Additionally, it archives 381 ST datasets from 18 human and mouse brain studies. Each dataset is annotated with details such as species, gender, brain region, disease/control status, age, and AD Braak stages. ssREAD also provides an analysis suite for cell clustering, identification of differentially expressed and spatially variable genes, cell-type-specific marker genes and regulons, and spot deconvolution for integrative analysis. ssREAD is freely available at https://bmblx.bmi.osumc.edu/ssread/ .


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , RNA-Seq , Single-Cell Analysis , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Humans , Single-Cell Analysis/methods , Animals , Mice , RNA-Seq/methods , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Databases, Genetic , Transcriptome , Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Male
6.
Am J Trop Med Hyg ; 111(1): 168-175, 2024 Jul 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38744270

ABSTRACT

In Latin America, little is known about the involvement of private health-care providers in tuberculosis (TB) detection and management. We sought to gain a better understanding of current and potential roles of the private sector in delivering TB services in Peru. We conducted a mixed-methods study in North Lima, Peru. The quantitative component comprised a patient pathway analysis assessing the alignment of TB services with patient care-seeking behavior. The qualitative component comprised in-depth interviews with 18 private health-care providers and 5 key informants. We estimated that 77% of patients sought care initially at a facility with TB diagnostic capacity and 59% at a facility with TB treatment capacity. Among private facilities, 43% offered smear microscopy, 13% offered radiography, and none provided TB treatment. Among public-sector facilities, 100% offered smear microscopy, 26% offered radiography, and 99% provided TB treatment. Private providers believed they offered shorter wait times and a faster diagnosis, but they struggled with a lack of referral systems and communication with the public sector. Nonrecognition of private-sector tests by the public sector led to duplicate testing of referred patients. Although expressing willingness to collaborate with public-sector programs for diagnosis and referral, private providers had limited interest in treating TB. This study highlights the role of private providers in Peru as an entry point for TB care. Public-private collaboration is necessary to harness the potential of the private sector as an ally for early diagnosis.


Subject(s)
Private Sector , Tuberculosis , Humans , Peru/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Tuberculosis/drug therapy , Tuberculosis/therapy , Public Sector , Health Personnel , Patient Acceptance of Health Care
7.
medRxiv ; 2023 Sep 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37808756

ABSTRACT

In Latin America, little is known about the involvement of private healthcare providers in TB detection and management. We sought to gain a better understanding of current and potential roles of the private sector in delivering TB services in Peru. We conducted a mixed-methods study in Lima, Peru. The quantitative component comprised a patient pathway analysis assessing the alignment of TB services with patient care-seeking behavior. The qualitative component comprised in-depth interviews with 18 private healthcare providers and 5 key informants. We estimated that 77% of patients initially sought care at a facility with TB diagnostic capacity and 59% at a facility with TB treatment capacity. The lack of TB services at initial care-seeking location was driven by the 41% of patients estimated to seek care first at a private facility. Among private facilities, 43% offered smear microscopy, 13% offered radiography, and none provided TB treatment. Among public sector facilities, 100% offered smear microscopy, 26% offered radiography, and 99% provided TB treatment. Interviews revealed that private providers believed that they offered shorter wait times and a quicker diagnosis, but they struggled with a lack of follow-up systems and communication barriers with the public sector. While expressing willingness to collaborate with public sector programs for diagnosis and referral, private providers had limited interest in treating TB. This study highlights the role of private providers in Peru as an entry point for TB care. Public-private collaboration is necessary to harness the potential of the private sector as an ally for early diagnosis.

8.
Dev Psychol ; 59(12): 2342-2355, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37843517

ABSTRACT

Providing equitable informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities to young children from diverse backgrounds may be a way to increase access and interest in STEM and can help to address the broader goal of increasing representation. Importantly, these learning experiences must be meaningful and engage everyday cultural practices. Guided by a strengths-based approach, the current study examines how oral stories as a cultural resource can be harnessed to support Latine children's engagement in a tinkering activity. The project explores whether and how setting an at-home tinkering activity within a story context engenders rich parent-child conversations that provide engineering learning opportunities for young children. Fifty-two Latine parents and children (Mage = 7.69 years; 23 girls; 90.4% Mexican heritage) were randomly assigned to either hear a story as a frame for a hands-on tinkering activity or to engage in the same tinkering activity without the story. After families finished tinkering, a researcher elicited the children's reflections about their tinkering experience. Approximately 2 weeks after the activity, children were asked to share their tinkering reflections with a second researcher. Parents and children in the story condition talked more about engineering during tinkering, and these children also talked more about engineering during both reflections than did children in the no-story condition. These findings suggest that integrating oral storytelling into tinkering activities is a promising future direction for the creation of more equitable informal engineering learning opportunities for Latine children and families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Learning , Parents , Female , Humans , Child, Preschool , Child , Engineering , Communication , Technology
9.
Am J Gastroenterol ; 118(7): 1237-1247, 2023 07 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36716287

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to assess the durability, short-term and long-term effectiveness, and safety of tofacitinib in ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical practice. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study including patients with UC who had received the first tofacitinib dose at least 8 weeks before the inclusion. Clinical effectiveness was based on partial Mayo score. RESULTS: A total of 408 patients were included. Of them, 184 (45%) withdrew tofacitinib during follow-up (mean = 18 months). The probability of maintaining tofacitinib was 67% at 6 m, 58% at 12 m, and 49% at 24 m. The main reason for tofacitinib withdrawal was primary nonresponse (44%). Older age at the start of tofacitinib and a higher severity of clinical activity were associated with tofacitinib withdrawal. The proportion of patients in remission was 38% at week 4, 45% at week 8, and 47% at week 16. Having moderate-to-severe vs mild disease activity at baseline and older age at tofacitinib start were associated with a lower and higher likelihood of remission at week 8, respectively. Of 171 patients in remission at week 8, 83 (49%) relapsed. The probability of maintaining response was 66% at 6 m and 54% at 12 m. There were 93 adverse events related to tofacitinib treatment (including 2 pulmonary thromboembolisms [in patients with risk factors] and 2 peripheral vascular thrombosis), and 29 led to tofacitinib discontinuation. DISCUSSION: Tofacitinib is effective in both short-term and long-term in patients with UC. The safety profile is similar to that previously reported.


Subject(s)
Colitis, Ulcerative , Humans , Colitis, Ulcerative/drug therapy , Treatment Outcome , Remission Induction , Retrospective Studies
11.
Acta Neuropathol Commun ; 10(1): 188, 2022 12 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36544231

ABSTRACT

Human middle temporal gyrus (MTG) is a vulnerable brain region in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), but little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this regional vulnerability. Here we utilize the 10 × Visium platform to define the spatial transcriptomic profile in both AD and control (CT) MTG. We identify unique marker genes for cortical layers and the white matter, and layer-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in human AD compared to CT. Deconvolution of the Visium spots showcases the significant difference in particular cell types among cortical layers and the white matter. Gene co-expression analyses reveal eight gene modules, four of which have significantly altered co-expression patterns in the presence of AD pathology. The co-expression patterns of hub genes and enriched pathways in the presence of AD pathology indicate an important role of cell-cell-communications among microglia, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and neurons, which may contribute to the cellular and regional vulnerability in early AD. Using single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization, we validated the cell-type-specific expression of three novel DEGs (e.g., KIF5A, PAQR6, and SLC1A3) and eleven previously reported DEGs associated with AD pathology (i.e., amyloid beta plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles or neuropil threads) at the single cell level. Our results may contribute to the understanding of the complex architecture and neuronal and glial response to AD pathology of this vulnerable brain region.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Temporal Lobe , Transcriptome , Humans , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Kinesins/genetics , Kinesins/metabolism , Temporal Lobe/metabolism
12.
BMC Infect Dis ; 22(1): 829, 2022 Nov 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36352374

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted TB services worldwide, leading to diagnostic delays. There have been few published reports describing how the pandemic affected people's pathway to diagnosis from their own perspectives. We sought to evaluate the impact on the pandemic on people's experiences obtaining a TB diagnosis. METHODS: We performed a mixed-methods study, enrolling newly diagnosed TB patients from 12 health centers in Lima, Peru. We used structured surveys to quantify diagnostic delay, defined as the time between symptom onset and diagnosis, and in-depth interviews to understand the ways in which the pandemic affected the pathway to care. We compared diagnostic delay between patients enrolled during the first year of the pandemic to those diagnosed after using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. We used an inductive content analysis approach to analyze interview content related to the pandemic. RESULTS: We enrolled 51 patients during November 2020-April 2021 (during the first year of the pandemic) and 49 patients during October 2021-February 2022. Median diagnostic delay was longer for patients diagnosed during the first year of the pandemic (median 15 [IQR 5-26] weeks compared to 6 [IQR 3-18] weeks, p = 0.027). Qualitative analysis of 26 interviews revealed that the pandemic affected participants' care-seeking behavior and their ability to access to TB diagnostic services, particularly for those diagnosed in the first year of the pandemic. Many participants initially had their symptoms attributed to COVID-19, resulting in delayed TB evaluation and additional costs for COVID-19 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted multiple steps in the pathway to care for TB patients in Lima, causing delays in TB diagnosis. These findings demonstrate how the shifting of health care resources to prioritize COVID-19 can lead to collateral damage for people with TB and other conditions.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Tuberculosis , Humans , COVID-19/diagnosis , Delayed Diagnosis , Pandemics , Peru/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Tuberculosis/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/therapy , COVID-19 Drug Treatment
13.
Polymers (Basel) ; 14(18)2022 Sep 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36146056

ABSTRACT

Polyaniline (PANI) composites have gained momentum as supercapacitive materials due to their high energy density and power density. However, some drawbacks in their performance remain, such as the low stability after hundreds of charge-discharge cycles and limitations in the synthesis scalability. Herein, we report for the first time PANI-Graphitic oxidized carbon nitride composites as potential supercapacitor material. The biomimetic polymerization of aniline assisted by hematin, supported by phosphorous and oxygen-modified carbon nitrides (g-POCN and g-OCN, respectively), achieved up to 89% yield. The obtained PAI/g-POCN and PANI/g-OCN show enhanced electrochemical properties, such as conductivity of up to 0.0375 S/cm, specific capacitances (Cs) of up to 294 F/g (at high current densities, 5 A/g) and a stable operation after 500 charge-discharge cycles (at 3 A/g). In contrast, the biomimetic synthesis of Free PANI, assisted by stabilized hematin in cosolvents, exhibited lower performance properties (65%). Due to their structural differences, the electrochemical properties of Free PANI (conductivity of 0.0045 S/cm and Cs of up to 82 F/g at 5 A/g) were lower than those of nanostructured PANI/g-POCN and g-OCN supports, which provide stability and improve the properties of biomimetically synthesized PANI. This work reveals the biomimetic synthesis of PANI, assisted by hematin supported by modified carbon nitrides, as a promising strategy to produce nanostructured supercapacitors with high performance.

14.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 14094, 2022 08 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35982104

ABSTRACT

Mobile screening units can help close tuberculosis case detection gaps. Placing screening units where people at high risk for undiagnosed tuberculosis preferentially spend time could make screening more resource-effective. We conducted a case-control study in Lima, Peru to identify locations where people with tuberculosis were more likely to spend time than community controls. We surveyed participants about activity locations over the past 6 months. We used density-based clustering to assess how patient and control activity locations differed, and logistic regression to compare location-based exposures. We included 109 tuberculosis patients and 79 controls. In density-based clustering analysis, the two groups had similar patterns of living locations, but their work locations clustered in distinct areas. Both groups were similarly likely to use public transit, but patients predominantly used buses and were less likely to use rapid transit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.96) or taxis (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.85). Patients were more likely to have spent time in prison (aOR 11.55, 95% CI 1.48-90.13). Placing mobile screening units at bus terminals serving locations where tuberculosis patients have worked and within and around prisons could help reach people with undiagnosed tuberculosis.


Subject(s)
Tuberculosis , Case-Control Studies , Humans , Mass Screening , Prisons , Transportation , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Tuberculosis/epidemiology
15.
Agora USB ; 22(1): 281-300, ene.-jun. 2022. tab
Article in Spanish | LILACS-Express | LILACS | ID: biblio-1419999

ABSTRACT

Resumen El presente artículo presenta los factores predisponentes a la deprivación sociocultural en escuelas públicas en los ámbitos familia, escuela y comunidad. Los resultados evidencian que la dimensión apoyo social comunitario presenta los niveles más altos y la dinámica familiar los más bajos. Asimismo, se presenta un marco expositivo que relaciona la escuela, familia y comunidad como factores predisponentes a la deprivación sociocultural. El abordaje metodológico fue de un estudio mixto de prevalencia cualitativa. En la primera fase se empleó el método cuantitativo, de tipo descriptivo y transversal y en la fase cualitativa se utiliza un enfoque biográfico narrativo.


Abstract This article introduces the predisposing factors to sociocultural deprivation in public schools in the family, school and community environments. The results show that the dimension community social support presents the highest levels and family dynamics presents the lowest. Likewise, an expository framework is presented, which relates school, family, and community as predisposing factors to sociocultural deprivation. The methodological approach was a mixed qualitative prevalence study. In the first phase, a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional method was used, and in the qualitative phase, a biographical narrative approach was used.

16.
Acta Neuropathol ; 143(5): 547-569, 2022 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35389045

ABSTRACT

Selective neuronal vulnerability to protein aggregation is found in many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Understanding the molecular origins of this selective vulnerability is, therefore, of fundamental importance. Tau protein aggregates have been found in Wolframin (WFS1)-expressing excitatory neurons in the entorhinal cortex, one of the earliest affected regions in AD. The role of WFS1 in Tauopathies and its levels in tau pathology-associated neurodegeneration, however, is largely unknown. Here we report that WFS1 deficiency is associated with increased tau pathology and neurodegeneration, whereas overexpression of WFS1 reduces those changes. We also find that WFS1 interacts with tau protein and controls the susceptibility to tau pathology. Furthermore, chronic ER stress and autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP)-associated genes are enriched in WFS1-high excitatory neurons in human AD at early Braak stages. The protein levels of ER stress and autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP)-associated proteins are changed in tau transgenic mice with WFS1 deficiency, while overexpression of WFS1 reverses those changes. This work demonstrates a possible role for WFS1 in the regulation of tau pathology and neurodegeneration via chronic ER stress and the downstream ALP. Our findings provide insights into mechanisms that underpin selective neuronal vulnerability, and for developing new therapeutics to protect vulnerable neurons in AD.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Tauopathies , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Animals , Lysosomes/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Neurons/pathology , Protein Aggregates , Tauopathies/pathology
17.
Nat Commun ; 13(1): 159, 2022 01 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35013160

ABSTRACT

Abnormalities in brain glucose metabolism and accumulation of abnormal protein deposits called plaques and tangles are neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their relationship to disease pathogenesis and to each other remains unclear. Here we show that succinylation, a metabolism-associated post-translational protein modification (PTM), provides a potential link between abnormal metabolism and AD pathology. We quantified the lysine succinylomes and proteomes from brains of individuals with AD, and healthy controls. In AD, succinylation of multiple mitochondrial proteins declined, and succinylation of small number of cytosolic proteins increased. The largest increases occurred at critical sites of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and microtubule-associated tau. We show that in vitro, succinylation of APP disrupted its normal proteolytic processing thereby promoting Aß accumulation and plaque formation and that succinylation of tau promoted its aggregation to tangles and impaired microtubule assembly. In transgenic mouse models of AD, elevated succinylation associated with soluble and insoluble APP derivatives and tau. These findings indicate that a metabolism-linked PTM may be associated with AD.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism , Plaque, Amyloid/metabolism , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Succinic Acid/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Amino Acid Sequence , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics , Animals , Autopsy , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Case-Control Studies , Disease Models, Animal , Gene Expression Profiling , Humans , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Mitochondria/genetics , Mitochondria/metabolism , Mitochondria/pathology , Mitochondrial Proteins/genetics , Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolism , Plaque, Amyloid/genetics , Plaque, Amyloid/pathology , Protein Aggregates , Proteolysis , Proteome/genetics , Proteome/metabolism , tau Proteins/genetics
18.
J Biol Chem ; 298(1): 101442, 2022 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34838590

ABSTRACT

Post-translationally modified tau is the primary component of tau neurofibrillary tangles, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) within the tau microtubule (MT)-binding domain (MBD), which encompasses two hexapeptide motifs that act as critical nucleating regions for tau aggregation, can potentially modulate tau aggregation as well as interactions with MTs and membranes. Here, we characterize the effects of a recently discovered tau PTM, lysine succinylation, on tau-tubulin interactions and compare these to the effects of two previously reported MBD modifications, lysine acetylation and tyrosine phosphorylation. As generation of site-specific PTMs in proteins is challenging, we used short synthetic peptides to quantify the effects on tubulin binding of three site-specific PTMs located within the PHF6∗ (paired helical filament [PHF] residues 275-280) and PHF6 (residues 306-311) hexapeptide motifs: K280 acetylation, Y310 phosphorylation, and K311 succinylation. We compared these effects to those observed for MBD PTM-mimetic point mutations K280Q, Y310E, and K311E. Finally, we evaluated the effects of these PTM-mimetic mutations on MBD membrane binding and membrane-induced fibril and oligomer formation. We found that all three PTMs perturb tau MT binding, with Y310 phosphorylation exerting the strongest effect. PTM-mimetic mutations partially recapitulated the effects of the PTMs on MT binding and also disrupted tau membrane binding and membrane-induced oligomer and fibril formation. These results imply that these PTMs, including the novel and Alzheimer's disease-specific succinylation of tau K311, may influence both the physiological and pathological interactions of tau and thus represent targets for therapeutic intervention.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Microtubules , Neurofibrillary Tangles , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , tau Proteins , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Humans , Lysine/metabolism , Microtubules/metabolism , Neurofibrillary Tangles/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Tubulin/genetics , Tubulin/metabolism , tau Proteins/metabolism
19.
Front Psychol ; 12: 689425, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34305749

ABSTRACT

Using a design-based research approach, we studied ways to advance opportunities for children and families to engage in engineering design practices in an informal educational setting. 213 families with 5-11-year-old children were observed as they visited a tinkering exhibit at a children's museum during one of three iterations of a program posing an engineering design challenge. Children's narrative reflections about their experience were recorded immediately after tinkering. Across iterations of the program, changes to the exhibit design and facilitation provided by museum staff corresponded to increased families' engagement in key engineering practices. In the latter two cycles of the program, families engaged in the most testing, and in turn, redesigning. Further, in the latter cycles, the more children engaged in testing and retesting during tinkering, the more their narratives contained engineering-related content. The results advance understanding and the evidence base for educational practices that can promote engineering learning opportunities for children.

20.
Therap Adv Gastroenterol ; 14: 17562848211018097, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34158835

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Active disease during conception and pregnancy in women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of pregnancy complications and adverse neonatal outcomes. The use of IBD treatments during pregnancy should be weighed against their adverse effects on the neonate, but longer-term safety data and data on serious infection rates and malignancies postnatally are lacking, particularly for newer drugs, such as tofacitinib, vedolizumab and ustekinumab. METHODS: This ongoing, prospective registry study being conducted at 70 centres in Spain is enrolling pregnant women who are ⩾18 years, are at any point in pregnancy up to the end of the second trimester and have a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or unclassified IBD. Patients will receive treatment decided independently by their IBD specialist. Each incident gestation will be followed up through pregnancy and the first 4 years postnatally. Three cohorts will be compared: biologicals exposed, immunomodulatory exposed and non-exposed. The primary endpoint is the risk of severe infection in newborns postnatally up to 4 years of age; other endpoints include serious adverse events (SAEs) such as pregnancy and delivery complications, neonatal SAEs, development [Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ3)], and malignancy incidence, up to 4 years of age. IBD specialists will collect maternal data (baseline/end of each trimester/1 month post-delivery), neonatal birth data, and the SAE and ASQ3 data in children exposed during pregnancy, reported every 3 months by the mother. Statistical analysis will include summary statistics for quantitative variables, comparisons of qualitative variables with significance set at p < 0.025 and a binary logistic regression model to determine the risk factors for severe infections. RESULTS: Enrolment began in September 2019 and study completion is expected in September 2028. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective, controlled study will provide evidence on the long-term safety profile in children after intrauterine and lactation exposure to biological and immunomodulatory IBD treatments, including data on postnatal severe infections, development and malignancies. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03894228.

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