The birth experience and subsequent maternal caregiving attitudes and behavior: a birth cohort study

Archives of Women's Mental Health - Optimal maternal caregiving is critical for children’s healthy development, yet quality of maternal caregiving may be influenced by a negative birth...     

Revised International Staging System Is Predictive and Prognostic for Early Relapse (<24 months) after Autologous Transplantation for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

The revised International Staging System (R-ISS) combines ISS with genetic markers and lactate dehydrogenase and can prognosticate newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Early relapse (<24 months) after upfront autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) strongly predicts inferior overall survival (OS). We examined the ability of R-ISS in predicting early relapse and its independent prognostic effect on postrelapse survival after an early relapse. Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database we identified MM patients receiving first AHCT within 18 months after diagnosis with available R-ISS stage at diagnosis (n?=?628). Relative risks of relapse/progression, progression-free survival (PFS), and OS were calculated with the R-ISS group as a predictor in multivariate analysis. Among early relapsers, postrelapse survival was tested to identify factors affecting postrelapse OS. The cumulative incidence of early relapse was 23%, 39%, and 50% for R-ISS I, R-ISS II, and R-ISS III, respectively (P < .001). Shorter PFS and OS were seen with higher stage R-ISS. R-ISS was independently predictive for inferior postrelapse OS among early relapsers, as was the presence of ≥3 comorbidities and the use of ≥2 induction chemotherapy lines. R-ISS stage at diagnosis predicts early post-AHCT relapse and independently affects postrelapse survival among early relapsers.     

A biomarker for tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis based on a recombinant Leishmania hypothetical protein

The measures for leishmaniasis control include the precise diagnosis of disease. However, although several recombinant antigens have been tested with this biotechnological purpose, no effective product exists, which could detects patients with the active disease, as well as differentiates them from cured and treated patients. In this study, a conserved Leishmania hypothetical protein, which was identified in Leishmania infantum parasites, but evaluated to presents high homology in the amino acid sequences between distinct parasite species, was evaluated for the diagnosis of tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis. In addition, PBMCs collected from treated and untreated mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients, as well as in healthy subjects living in endemic region of disease, were in vitro stimulated, when IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 levels were evaluated in the cell supernatant. Regarding the serological analyses, ELISA experiments using the recombinant protein (rLiHyL) and a human serological panel revealed high sensitivity and specificity values to detect both diseases, while control antigens showed worst results. Regarding the cellular response, results showed that rLiHyL-stimulated cells produced higher IFN-γ and lower IL-4 and IL-10 levels in the supernatants. Also, the anti-protein antibody production was evaluated in these patients, and data showed higher IgG2 and lower IgG1 levels found in the treated patients and healthy controls, demonstrating the stimulation of a Th1-type response induced by the rLiHyL protein. In conclusion, this hypothetical protein can be considered as antigenic in TL and VL, as well as a vaccine candidate to be tested in future studies to protect against disease.     

An Optogenetic Study of the Electrophysiological Properties of Hippocampal Neurons in PS1-M146V Transgenic Mice (a model of Alzheimer’s disease)

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - We report here a comparative (using chemical, electrical, and optical stimulation) study of the electrophysiological properties of cultured hippocampal...     

Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Dementia: Mechanisms of Development and Approaches to Correction

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - Dementia is often combined with other mental disorders which can manifest at different stages of the disease. The severity and rate of progression of these...     

Neonatal Proinflammatory Stress and Deficit of Induction of Long-Term Potentiation in the Hippocampus in Rats: Gender Differences

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - The characteristics of long-term potentiation (LTP) in field CA1 of living hippocampal slices from rats aged 17–33 days were studied after neonatal...     

Association of Chronotype,Road Traffic Accidents,and Polymorphisms in Genes Linked with the Biological Clock and the Dopaminergic System

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - Objective. To study the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the RORA (rs1159814), CLOCK (rs12649507), PER3 (rs2640909), NPSR1...     

A conversation including 39 questions with Anirban Basu

At the 2018 International Conference on Health Policy Statistics (ICHPS) held in Charleston, South Carolina, Anirban Basu was awarded the Mid-Career Excellence Award from the American Statistical Association Section on Health Policy Statistics (HPSS). Anirban was exceptionally and uniquely qualified for this award. Highlights include his providing outstanding service to the HPSS, advancing statistical methodology, advancing methodology in other domains of health policy, and performing extensive and highly impactful applied work in medicine and health care. In this interview, we trace Anirban’s upbringing, schooling, early career, and mid-career phases to gain insights into his success. We also sought his opinions on salient topics or issues.