Genome-wide gene and serum ferritin interaction in the development of type 2 diabetes in adults aged 40 years or older

Background and aimsElevated serum ferritin is associated with incident Type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the interactions between serum ferritin and genetic factors which may improve understanding underlying mechanism in the development of T2D are still unclear. We determined the gene–ferritin interactions on the development of T2D by genome-wide gene–ferritin interaction analyses.Methods and resultsA total of 3405 participants from two prospective cohorts of community living residents were included, and the median follow-time was 3.99 years. Genome-wide gene–ferritin interactions were analyzed using the joint test with two degrees of freedom and the interaction test with one degree of freedom. There were 18 SNPs selected in the joint test. Finally, four independent variants [rs355140 (LINC00312), rs4075576 (nearby PDGFA), rs1332202 (PTPRD), and rs713157 (nearby LINC00900)] with low pairwise linkage disequilibrium (r2 < 0.2) and located at least 1000 kb from the index SNP showed interactions with serum ferritin level. In the association analyses between serum ferritin levels (tertiles of ferritin and ferritin status) and the incidence of T2D according to genotype, the Incidence Rate Ratios (IRRs) in the highest tertile of ferritin level (vs. the lowest tertile) were greater for participants with heterozygotes of risk alleles of each of the four SNP than IRRs for those with wild type. Compared with the normal group, the elevated ferritin group also had a higher risk of T2D for all genetic variants of risk alleles, particularly its homozygotes.ConclusionSerum ferritin level interacts with genetic variants (rs355140, rs4075576, rs1332202, and rs713157) in the development of T2D.     

Toys will be toys: gendered interaction frames in the Toy Story trilogy

The following qualitative textual analysis examined female characters within the Toy Story trilogy and used grounded theory to explore themes between female characters and male characters based on their interactions. The study, built upon past literature in gaze theory, revealed six distinct interaction themes between female and male characters. Findings included that female characters were often emotionally supportive of male characters, were lusted after by male characters, were romantically aggressive towards male characters, and were paired with male characters at the conclusion of each film. Changes in themes throughout the trilogy and the presence of these themes in children’s media, and in relation to existing theory, are also discussed.     

Composite interaction tree for simultaneous learning of optimal individualized treatment rules and subgroups

Treatment response heterogeneity has long been observed in patients affected by chronic diseases. Administering an individualized treatment rule (ITR) offers an opportunity to tailor treatment strategies according to patient-specific characteristics. Overly complex machine learning methods for estimating ITRs may produce treatment rules that have higher benefit but lack transparency and interpretability. In clinical practices, it is desirable to derive a simple and interpretable ITR while maintaining certain optimality that leads to improved benefit in subgroups of patients, if not on the overall sample. In this work, we propose a tree-based robust learning method to estimate optimal piecewise linear ITRs and identify subgroups of patients with a large benefit. We achieve these goals by simultaneously identifying qualitative and quantitative interactions through a tree model, referred to as the composite interaction tree (CITree). We show that it has improved performance compared to existing methods on both overall sample and subgroups via extensive simulation studies. Lastly, we fit CITree to Research Evaluating the Value of Augmenting Medication with Psychotherapy trial for treating patients with major depressive disorders, where we identified both qualitative and quantitative interactions and subgroups of patients with a large benefit.     

Conceptual clarification of the playful engagement in social interaction of preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate limited playfulness. Their difficulty engaging in meaningful interaction with others renders playful engagement in social interactions a challenge. Although little direct evidence exists regarding the promotion of these children’s playful engagement, links can be established with many traits cited in play and social interaction studies. This paper presents the results of a conceptual clarification exercise regarding the key behaviours associated with the construct of playful engagement in preschool-aged children with ASD. Behaviours were identified based on hallmark deficits in early social interactions and play of children with ASD. The analysis revealed the following behaviours: positive affect, engagement, imitation, joint attention, initiation of social interaction, social responsiveness, flexibility, child’s laughter in funny situations and giving and reading non-verbal cues. In conclusion, a conceptually coherent stage has been set for exploring the literature regarding interventions to promote the playful engagement of preschool-aged children with ASD.     

小细胞肺癌关键基因及信号通路分析

目的 探究SCLC基因调控机制，为寻找SCLC早期诊断及靶向治疗潜在的生物标志物提供依据。方法 采用生物信息学方法从公共基因芯片数据库获取小细胞肺癌（SCLC）mRNA数据并筛选出差异表达基因（DEGs），对DEGs进行基因本体（GO）和基因组百科全书数据库（KEGG）富集分析，构建蛋白互作网络，筛选出核心基因并利用Kaplan-Meier在线工具进行生存分析。结果 17例SCLC组织样本和19例正常肺组织样本中筛选出248个DEGs，包括172个高表达基因和76个低表达基因（P<0.05）。GO和KEGG富集分析结果显示，DEGs的功能主要涉及细胞周期、DNA复制、错配修复、P53信号通路等，蛋白互作分析网络筛选出6个节点度最高的核心基因：TOP2A、PCNA、RFC4、 FEN1、CCNA2和MCM2，并与患者预后相关。结论 DEGs涉及的分子功能和信号通路可能是SCLC发生的分子机制，而核心基因可能是治疗SCLC的潜在靶点。     

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on FOLFOX and CapeOx Regimens in Colorectal Cancer

Background

First-line adjuvant chemotherapy options for early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) include CapeOx (capecitabine, intravenous oxaliplatin) and FOLFOX (intravenous 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin). Capecitabine is an oral prodrug analog of 5-fluorouracil, and recent studies have suggested that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may detrimentally affect capecitabine efficacy. Conversely, some literature suggests that PPIs may negatively affect CRC itself. To gain insight into the nature of PPIs’ effect on capecitabine and CRC, we investigated their effects on effectiveness of CapeOx versus FOLFOX chemotherapy.

In search of a caring relationship - Nursing students’ notions of interactions in the nurse-patient relationship

The aim of the study is to explore how nursing students talks about their notions on interactions in the relationship between nurse and patient. Empirical data has been obtained from 22 students in their first semester of the Swedish undergraduate nursing programme, applying thematic, individual interviews and using qualitative content analyses. The most significant finding is that although the students had none or limited pre-understanding of caring and the interaction between nurse and patient they were aware of the pre-supposes for establishing such an interplay, articulated in a desire to find out how to build an authentic and trustful caring relationship. Empirical data also show that the students, in the stage of beginners, were trying to identify and relate to basic concepts within caring science. The restricted understanding could then be understood as a matter of the students not being able to express more than they had words for. The results provide new insights into the interactions in the nurse-patient relationship, seen from the perspective of beginner students. These insights could be useful, for lecturers and clinical supervisors, who play a paramount role in the development of each student's acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge.     

地方医学人才培养中过程性评价和教学科研互动的实践与探索

在新时代“高教改革22条”的实施背景下，医学本科教育要求严格教育教学管理、改革教育教学制度、引导教师潜心育人。然而，教学资源相对不足、评价机制不够健全及教学科研互动不够等问题均会影响地方高等医学院校的人才培养质量。为深化医学教育教学改革，通过在探索创新性地方医学人才培养模式的实践过程中，构建了课堂教学、网络教学和线下考试三位一体的多元化过程性评价体系，分别从理论课、实验课和创新实训3个角度实施了教学科研互动式的医学人才培养方案，取得了一定成效，以期探索出地方高等医学院校卓越医学人才培养的新路径。     

Investigating attention in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using change blindness and eye tracking

BackgroundSocial interaction at its core entails allocating attention to relevant stimuli. As such, the perception of change requires attention, but studies have suggested that the social impairment in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs at the attentual level of "on-line" social cognition.MethodForty-four young adults—22 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 22 with typical development (TD)—participated in two experiments. The first used a change blindness (CB) paradigm where attention was investigated through the detection of changed items with central and marginal levels of interest when viewing images of everyday scenarios. Eye-tracking was used to compare response times, first fixations and total fixation time on changes. The second used social films with eye tracking of gaze fixations.ResultsParticipants with ASD were slower in response time and first fixation than were participants with TD. Participants with TD showed longer fixation on items with marginal (compared to central) levels of interest. The social-film experiment showed that participants with ASD were slower to orient their gazes towards the characters’ faces and looked at speaking characters for less time than did the group with TD. This result correlates with less use of mental verbs in their narratives and less time spent looking at marginal items in the CB experiment.ConclusionsResults suggest reduced processing speed in young adults with ASD, which is associated with enhanced processing of local details. Clinically, these results imply that teaching strategies (e.g., cognitive cues) to process social context efficiently could benefit individuals with ASD.