Collection Of Biological Data Research Articles

Redefining floristic zones in the Korean Peninsula using high-resolution georeferenced specimen data and self-organizing maps.

The use of biota to analyze the distribution pattern of biogeographic regions is essential to gain a better understanding of the ecological processes that cause biotic differentiation and biodiversity at multiple spatiotemporal scales. Recently, the collection of high‐resolution biological distribution data (e.g., specimens) and advances in analytical theory have led to the quantitative analysis and more refined spatial delineation of biogeographic regions. This study was conducted to redefine floristic zones in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and to better understand the eco‐evolutionary significance of the spatial distribution patterns. Based on 309,333 distribution data of 2,954 vascular plant species in the Korean Peninsula, we derived floristic zones using self‐organizing maps. We compared the characteristics of the derived regions with those of historical floristic zones and ecologically important environmental factors (climate, geology, and geography). In the clustering analysis of the floristic assemblages, four distinct regions were identified, namely, the cold floristic zone (Zone I) in high‐altitude regions at the center of the Korean Peninsula, cool floristic zone (Zone II) in high‐altitude regions in the south of the Korean Peninsula, warm floristic zone (Zone III) in low‐altitude regions in the central and southern parts of the Korean Peninsula, and maritime warm floristic zone (Zone IV) including the volcanic islands Jejudo and Ulleungdo. Totally, 1,099 taxa were common to the four floristic zones. Zone IV showed the highest abundance of specific plants (those found in only one zone), with 404 taxa. Our study improves floristic zone definitions using high‐resolution regional biological distribution data. It will help better understand and re‐establish regional species diversity. In addition, our study provides key data for hotspot analysis required for the conservation of plant diversity.

Modelling kidney disease using ontology: insights from the Kidney Precision Medicine Project.

An important need exists to better understand and stratify kidney disease according to its underlying pathophysiology in order to develop more precise and effective therapeutic agents. National collaborative efforts such as the Kidney Precision Medicine Project are working towards this goal through the collection and integration of large, disparate clinical, biological and imaging data from patients with kidney disease. Ontologies are powerful tools that facilitate these efforts by enabling researchers to organize and make sense of different data elements and the relationships between them. Ontologies are critical to support the types of big data analysis necessary for kidney precision medicine, where heterogeneous clinical, imaging and biopsy data from diverse sources must be combined to define a patient's phenotype. The development of two new ontologies - the Kidney Tissue Atlas Ontology and the Ontology of Precision Medicine and Investigation - will support the creation of the Kidney Tissue Atlas, which aims to provide a comprehensive molecular, cellular and anatomical map of the kidney. These ontologies will improve the annotation of kidney-relevant data, and eventually lead to new definitions of kidney disease in support of precision medicine.

Pilot study to establish a prospective neonatal cohort: Study of Preterm Infants and Neurodevelopmental Genes (SPRING)

BackgroundGenetic risk variants and preterm birth are early and potent risk factors for later neuropsychiatric disorders. To understand the interrelationships between these factors, a large-scale genetic study of very preterm...

Therapeutic psychological and biological responses to mindfulness-based art therapy.

Stress and anxiety pose a threat to college students' academic performance as well as their long-term mental and physical health, but the time constraints of a rigorous academic schedule make it difficult to offer even brief mental health interventions. A convenience sample of full-time students at a public university was recruited for a 5-week study conducted mostly using an online platform. Participants were randomly assigned to a Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT) intervention or a Neutral Clay Task (NCT). Anxiety, perceived stress, and salivary cortisol outcomes were measured. A total of n = 77 participants completed the study. The MBAT group experienced significant reductions in anxiety and perceived stress compared to the NCT group. Significant reductions in salivary cortisol were observed, but only time could be identified as a confounding variable. Art making alone is not enough to induce significant positive responses, but this study suggests MBAT can, and that an online intervention could offer feasible and accessible mental health services on college campuses. Further refinement of biological data collection and analysis is needed to determine what the mediating effects MBAT could have, if any, at the molecular level.

Assessing in vivo articular cartilage mechanosensitivity as outcome of high tibial osteotomy in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis: Experimental protocol

To propose an experimental protocol for using high tibial osteotomy (HTO) as a model for studying in vivo biological effects of large permanent changes in ambulatory load. This study is a prospective multimodal (clinical, biomechanical, biological) data collection without randomization. The study will examine a cohort of 40 patients with medial compartment knee OA undergoing opening wedge HTO. Before planned HTO, patients will be clinically assessed (including mechanical axis measurement from radiographs) and complete questionnaires on physical function. Patients will complete a walking stress test with blood sampling (30min walking, 5.5h sitting), and undergo gait analysis. Six weeks after HTO (at the time of full weight bearing), the mechanical axis will be measured from radiographs. Patients will complete the questionnaires and a walking stress test with blood sampling, and undergo gait analysis 6 months after HTO. The peak external knee adduction moment, knee external knee adduction moment impulse and peak external knee flexion moment will be used as surrogates of ambulatory load. Load-induced changes in cartilage biomarkers will be used as surrogates of metabolic changes in response to ambulatory load. At the 12-month follow-up, subjects will complete the questionnaires. The results of this study can be considered as proof-of-concept of a potential diagnostic test (walking stress test) for cartilage degeneration and its prognostic value. A direct relationship between ambulatory load and cartilage metabolism assessed as degradation to synthesis ratio would allow developing novel load-modifying interventions and evaluating the efficacy of existing interventions.

Data initiatives supporting critical care research and quality improvement in Canada: an environmental scan and narrative review.

Collection and analysis of health data are crucial to achieving high-quality clinical care, research, and quality improvement. This review explores existing hospital, regional, provincial and national data platforms in Canada to identify gaps and barriers, and recommend improvements for data science. The Canadian Critical Care Trials Group and the Canadian Critical Care Translational Biology Group undertook an environmental survey using list-identified names and keywords in PubMed and the grey literature, from the Canadian context. Findings were grouped into sections, corresponding to geography, purpose, and patient sub-group initiatives, using a narrative qualitative approach. Emerging themes, impressions, and recommendations towards improving data initiatives were generated. In Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database contains high-level clinical data on every adult and child discharged from acute care facilities; however, it does not contain data from Quebec, critical care-specific severity of illness risk-adjustment scores, physiologic data, or data pertaining to medication use. Provincially mandated critical care platforms in four provinces contain more granular data, and can be used to risk adjust and link to within-province data sets; however, no inter-provincial collaborative mechanism exists. There is very limited infrastructure to collect and link biological samples from critically ill patients nationally. Comprehensive international clinical data sets may inform future Canadian initiatives. Clinical and biological data collection among critically ill patients in Canada is not sufficiently coordinated, and lags behind other jurisdictions. An integrated and inclusive critical care data platform is a key clinical and scientific priority in Canada.

Neighbor Embedding Feature Selected Light Gradient Boosting Classification for Breast Cancer Detection with Gene Expression Data

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among women worldwide. Accurate detection of Breast cancer is essential for providing better treatment and risk minimization of the patients. Recently, the collection of biological data like gene expression, protein sequences, DNA sequences are used due to improvements of accessible data mining techniques to diagnosis the disease at an earlier stage. The current state-of-art methods reported to have certain limitations in their diagnostic capability. In order to improve the breast cancer classification, an efficient technique called Gaussian Kernelized Neighbor Embedding based Light Gradient Boost Classification (GKNE-LGBC) technique is introduced. The GKNE-LGBC technique considers the benchmark microarray dataset and performs two processes such as feature selection and classification for detecting breast cancer using gene expression data. The number of gene and the data are collected from the microarray dataset. After collecting, the Gaussian Kernelized stochastic neighbor embedding algorithm is applied to select the relevant features (i.e. genes) and remove the irrelevant features based on the distance similarity. Next, the classification of the gene expression data is done with the help of steepest descent light gradient boosting algorithm. The boosting algorithm initially constructs’ number of weak learners i.e. bivariate regression tree to classify the input expression data into normal or cancerous with the selected features. Then the weak classifiers are combined into strong by minimizing the training error. This helps to improve breast cancer detection accuracy and minimizes the false positive rate. The experimental evaluation is carried out using gene microarray dataset with various parameters such as breast cancer detection accuracy, false positive rate and breast cancer detection time with a number of genes. The experimental results confirm that the proposed GKNE-LGBC technique accurately identifies breast cancer with higher accuracy, and minimal time complexity as well as false positive rate as compared to the state-of-art- methods.

Health Disparities in Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Carriage in a Border Region of the United States Based on Cultural Differences in Social Relationships: Protocol for a Survey Study.

BackgroundHealth care–associated Staphylococcus aureus infections are declining but remain common. Conversely, rates of community-associated infections have not decreased because of the inadequacy of public health mechanisms to control transmission in a community setting. Our long-term goal is to use risk-based information from empirical socio-cultural-biological evidence of carriage and transmission to inform intervention strategies that reduce S aureus transmission in the community. Broad differences in social interactions because of cultural affiliation, travel, and residency patterns may impact S aureus carriage and transmission, either as risk or as protective factors.ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) characterize S aureus carriage rates and compare circulating pathogen genotypes with those associated with disease isolated from local clinical specimens across resident groups and across Hispanic and non-Hispanic white ethnic groups and (2) evaluate social network relationships and social determinants of health-based risk factors for their impact on carriage and transmission of S aureus.MethodsWe combine sociocultural survey approaches to population health sampling with S aureus carriage and pathogen genomic analysis to infer transmission patterns. Whole genome sequences of S aureus from community and clinical sampling will be phylogenetically compared to determine if strains that cause disease (clinical samples) are representative of community genotypes. Phylogenetic comparisons of strains collected from participants within social groups can indicate possible transmission within the group. We can therefore combine transmission data with social determinants of health variables (socioeconomic status, health history, etc) and social network variables (both egocentric and relational) to determine the extent to which social relationships are associated with S aureus transmission.ResultsWe conducted a first year pilot test and feasibility test of survey and biological data collection and analytic procedures based on the original funded design for this project (#NIH U54MD012388). That design resulted in survey data collection from 336 groups and 1337 individuals. The protocol, described below, is a revision based on data assessment, new findings for statistical power analyses, and refined data monitoring procedures.ConclusionsThis study is designed to evaluate ethnic-specific prevalence of S aureus carriage in a US border community. The study will also examine the extent to which kin and nonkin social relationships are concordant with carriage prevalence in social groups. Genetic analysis of S aureus strains will further distinguish putative transmission pathways across social relationship contexts and inform our understanding of the correspondence of S aureus reservoirs across clinical and community settings. Basic community-engaged nonprobabilistic sampling procedures provide a rigorous framework for completion of this 5-year study of the social and cultural parameters of S aureus carriage and transmission.

Ethics of Working with Incarcerated Populations: A View From the IRB

This article will present our perspective, as Institutional Review Board (IRB) members, on the experiences and issues that emerge when conducting research with incarcerated populations. The goal is to provide information to other IRBs and researchers to ease the review process of research protocols involving prisoners and to mitigate potential problems before they arise. We focus in this article on one project we reviewed that involved prisoners. Vulnerable populations such as prisoners require special conditions and protections for recruitment, consent, compensation, data collection, data protection, and analysis. Special considerations also include compliance with detention center policies and procedures, especially when the research project includes analyzing data containing Private Identifiable information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and biological data collection. The four main issues we will address are in regard to (1) the informed consent process, (2) the balance between privacy and confidentiality of the subjects and researchers' safety within the facility, (3) payment to subjects, and (4) the ability of subjects to communicate with researchers and with the IRB. We will conclude with some recommendations for “best practice.”

Overcoming Institutional, Scientific, and Cross-disciplinary Barriers for Healthcare and Disease Transmission Research in County Jail Settings: Integrating Genomics, Survey Data, and Biological Data Collection Strategies

More than 20 million Americans are currently or have been previously incarcerated and 12 million cycle in and out of the criminal justice system each year. Despite the importance of the jail populations, there are a number of barriers to conducting research in this setting. Challenges in recruiting jail inmates without undue coercion while ensuring proper consent are significant. Even simple things like participant compensation are complicated in an environment when participants do not have direct access to cash or choices for places to spend it. Finally, simply carrying out surveys and biological specimen collection is complicated by the requirement of not introducing contraband into a controlled jail environment. Over the last two years, we have designed and carried out a study within a county detention facility in Arizona. We have successfully enrolled, surveyed, and collected bio-specimens from 200 currently incarcerated individuals, facing and resolving the challenges outlined above. Our solutions to these can be of great benefit to other researchers attempting cross-disciplinary analyses in jail settings.

Initial sightings and derby data from the red lionfish invasion (Pterois volitans) (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) in Barbados.

BackgroundNative to the Indo-Pacific region, the lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) has been classified as an alien invasive species which has rapidly invaded the North-western Atlantic and the Caribbean. The primary concerns regarding lionfish pertain to their broad diet, general habitat use and their potential threat on fisheries resources, native fish communities and human health. Away from natural predators, lionfish populations can easily become established and pose a serious threat to local fish species and ecosystem functioning. The first confirmed sighting of the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Barbados was in November 2011. Throughout 2012, fishermen and recreational divers were encouraged to report sightings of lionfish via an established hotline. Where possible, sightings were confirmed by way of the fish being captured and handed over to the Barbados Fisheries Division or the East Coast Conservation Organisation (ECCO) Inc. (an environmental NGO) for confirmation. In addition to confirmation, biological data (such as length, weight, sex and maturity) were also collected. Genetic research conducted on confirmed specimens collected between 2011-2013 identified the presence of only one species, P. volitans. Since the first confirmed sighting of the red lionfish in Barbados, it is believed that population numbers have steadily increased. One of the methods utilised in Barbados to control this alien invasive lionfish species is that of an annual derby. On 5 and 6 December 2015 and 13 November 2016, teams of divers (both free divers and SCUBA divers) took to the local waters to hunt for and kill lionfish. Caught lionfish were landed at scoring stations to be counted and allowed for the collection of basic biological data (such as length, weight, sex and maturity). In addition to biological data, teams (observers) also provided information on dive sites (locations) and associated geographic information (i.e. GPS coordinates), where available.New informationThese two datasets, initial sightings (2012) and derby data (2015 and 2016), present the first collected data for the red lionfish (P. volitans) in Barbados. The two datasets are occurrence datasets which document the identification of >1500 lionfish removed from the waters of Barbados between 2011 and 2016.

Redmap Australia: Challenges and Successes With a Large-Scale Citizen Science-Based Approach to Ecological Monitoring and Community Engagement on Climate Change

Citizen science includes a suite of research approaches that involves participation by citizens, who are not usually trained scientists, in scientific projects. Citizen science projects have the capacity to record observations of species with high precision and accuracy, offering the potential for collection of biological data to support a diversity of research investigations. Moreover, via the involvement of project participants, these projects have the potential to engage the public on scientific issues and to possibly contribute to changes in community knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. However, there are considerable challenges in ensuring that large-scale collection and verification of species data by the untrained public is a robust and useful long-term endeavor, and that project participants are indeed engaged and acquiring knowledge. Here, we describe approaches taken to overcome challenges in creation and maintenance of a website-based national citizen science initiative where fishers, divers, and other coastal users submit opportunistic photographic observations of 'out-of-range' species. The Range Extension Database and Mapping Project (Redmap Australia) has two objectives, (1) ecological monitoring for the early detection of species that may be extending their geographic distribution due to environmental change, and (2) engaging the public on the ecological impacts of climate change, using the public's own data. Semi-automated 'managed crowd-sourcing' of an Australia-wide network of scientists with taxonomic expertise is used to verify every photographic observation. This unique system is supported by efficient workflows that ensures the rigor of data submitted. Moreover, ease of involvement for participants and prompt personal feedback has contributed to generating and maintaining ongoing interest. The design of Redmap Australia allows co-creation of knowledge with the community - without participants requiring formal training - providing an opportunity to engage sectors of the community that may not necessarily be willing to undergo training or otherwise be formally involved or engaged in citizen science. Given that capturing changes in our natural environment requires many observations spread over time and space, identifying factors and processes that support large-scale citizen science monitoring projects is increasingly critical.

S1600 REAL‐WORLD RESULTS ON CD19 CAR T‐CELL FOR 60 FRENCH PATIENTS WITH RELAPSED/REFRACTORY DIFFUSE LARGE B‐CELL LYMPHOMA INCLUDED IN A TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION FOR USE (ATU) PROGRAM

Background:Autologous anti‐CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CD19 CAR) T‐cell therapy demonstrated significant clinical benefit and a manageable safety profile for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL), with 6‐month ORR at 41–47% and CR at 32–41% in the 3 pivotal clinical trials (ZUMA1, TRANSCEND, JUNO), leading to a rapid approval in third line R/R DLBCL in Europe and USA. Since April 2018 in France, a cohort patient program (called ATU in France) allowed to use the CD19 CAR T‐cells, Axicabtagene and Tisagenlecleucel, for patients with DLBCL, primary mediastinal B‐cell lymphomas (PMBL) and transformed FL (tFL), recurrent or refractory after > 2 systemic therapy lines; CNS excluded.Aims:Here we describe the organization in the 5 authorized centres (APHP, Hôpital Saint‐Louis‐Paris, CHU Montpellier, CHU Nantes, CHU Lyon, CHU Lille).Methods:We performed a retrospective analysis of the patients treated with Axicabtagene or Tisagenlecleucel between April 2018 and Feb 2019. The eligibility criteria were confirmed based on age, comorbidities, LVEF > 45%, no pericarditis or cardiogram abnormality, clearance > 60 mL/min, ALT/AST ≤ 2.5 N, total bilirubin < 1.5 mg/dL, no pleural effusion, SpO2 > 92% without oxygen, lymphocytes ≥ 100/μL, no rapid progressive disease (compressive mass, PS > 2 or rapid increase of LDH), no active neurological disease, no auto‐immune disease. The final decision was validated by a local multidisciplinary tumor board.Results:A total of 60 patients have been selected for a treatment with Yescarta (30) or Kymriah (30). 73% of the patients were referred. Median age was 52 (range 18 ‐77). 11 (18%) pts were over 65 years old. 67% were male. By histology, patients presented with DLBCL (n = 42), PMBL (n = 8), trFL (n = 9), and transformed marginal zone lymphoma (n = 1). 68% were primary refractory defined as progressive or stable disease as the best response to the most recent chemotherapy regimen or disease progression or relapse within 12 months after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Median number of prior lines was 3 (range 2 to 9) and 18 (30%) pts had a prior ASCT. Only one leukapheresis was necessary, except for 4 patients who required 2–4 leukapheresis. At time of analysis, 45 patients have been reinfused. 5 patients died before reinfusion, 3 because progressive disease and 2 because of infections. The median time duration between the ATU validation and receipt of the CD19 CAR T‐cells was 47.5 days (range 30–190 days). During this time, all patients except 4 (93%) received a bridging therapy including dexamethasone alone (1), rituximab (3), brentuximab vedotin (1), pembrolizumab (2), revlimid or rituximab‐revlimid (2), or immunochimiotherapy (R‐IFO‐VP16, R‐MIV, R‐PIV, BV‐bendamustine, GVD‐BV, R‐GEMOX /Vinblastine+steroids, BV‐ICE, R‐BV‐DHAC, vinblastine+steroids, R‐MTX, R‐cyclophosphamide)(34), or radiation therapy (1). The median time between the receipt of the cells and their infusion was 6 days (range 1 to 20 days).Summary/Conclusion:The time elapsed between ATU validation and CAR T‐cell reception remains substantial and a bridging therapy was necessary for almost all patients. The LYSA group and the CALYM institute (www.calym.org) are organizing a national registration program for these patients with clinical and biological data collection.

In silico study of a functional mutation associated with non-small cell lung cancer: G12D mutation of exon 2 in KRAS gene

Biology flourished during the XXth century and was profoundly disrupted during the last decade because of the transition to the post-genomic era, the spread of high-throughput biology, and the advent of a relatively new discipline, namely bioinformatics. This latter, which encompasses the collection, organization and analysis of biological data using the computer tool, has quickly become inseparable from the studies related to the genome understanding. The consequences of the different mutations that may affect our genes are responsible for a change in the protein sequence and are likely to affect, for example, the stability of the protein, its intracellular targeting, its maturation, its assembly in a multimeric structure, the essential sites for its enzymatic activity or for the interaction with ligands. Thus, a number of bioinformatic developments have made it possible to set up in silico prediction tools of the structure of a protein that is aiming at predicting the impact of local mutations on the structure of proteins. Throughout our study, we have been interested in exploring, through in silico bioinformatic study, three analytical, prediction and modeling, software, choosing as exemple the G12D mutation that affects the proto-oncogene KRAS found in numerous algerian patients with bronchopulmonary cancers cells (NSCLC). This study allowed us to integrate these bioinformatic tools into our laboratory of developmental biology and LBDD differentiation at the University of Oran 1 Ahmed Benbella, in Algeria. Thus, we have been able to conclude, even if the found mutation is predicted to be tolerated and has no deleterious effect on the entire Ras protein, that the consequence of this missense mutation depends mainly on the position in the protein and the chemical properties of the amino acid involved in the substitution and which shows a strong affinity with the GTP molecule.

User-Friendly and Parallelized Generation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Microtissues in a Centrifugal Heart-on-a-Chip.

The persistence of cardiovascular diseases as leading global causes of death has spurred attempts to develop microphysiological systems integrating engineered cardiac tissue. These novel platforms enable investigation of mechanisms underlying myocardial pathology as well as in vitro screening of candidate drugs for possible cardiotoxicity. However, most of the developed systems rely on manual cell injection protocols, resulting in nonstandardized tissue creation and requiring excessive amounts of cells. To address these issues, we present a novel integrated device enabling the parallelized generation of cardiac microtissues based on human induced pluripotent stem cells as well as rat primary cardiomyocytes in an especially designed multichamber system that provides a precisely controlled physiological environment. The next-generation device utilizes a centrifugally assisted cell loading procedure, which enables robust generation of tissues devoid of air bubbles. It requires solely a minimal amount of cells to create uniaxially aligned cardiac muscle fibers, displaying well-aligned collections of sarcomeres. The viability and functionality of myocardial tissues can be maintained for long time periods, while detailed spatial and temporal beating kinetics can be examined by optical means. As proof of concept, the applicability of the system for drug testing was demonstrated, highlighting the potential of this user-friendly and economical centrifugal heart-on-a-chip for future applications in pharmaceutical industry and mechanistic research.Impact StatementWith the ultimate goal in tissue engineering of approaching in vivo functionality as closely as possible, organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems provide unprecedented game-changing opportunities by enabling creation of perfused three-dimensional tissues. Most of the recently developed OoC systems, however, require complex handling steps. Hence, a large gap still exists between technology development and collection of valuable biological data in a standardized medium- or high-throughput manner. The system presented here bridges this gap by providing a user-friendly framework for the parallelized creation of multiple physiologically relevant tissues, which could be applicable in every laboratory without additional equipment.

What can millions of laboratory test results tell us about the temporal aspect of data quality? Study of data spanning 17 years in a clinical data warehouse

ObjectiveTo identify common temporal evolution profiles in biological data and propose a semi-automated method to these patterns in a clinical data warehouse (CDW). Materials and MethodsWe leveraged the CDW of the European Hospital Georges Pompidou and tracked the evolution of 192 biological parameters over a period of 17 years (for 445,000 + patients, and 131 million laboratory test results). ResultsWe identified three common profiles of evolution: discretization, breakpoints, and trends. We developed computational and statistical methods to identify these profiles in the CDW. Overall, of the 192 observed biological parameters (87,814,136 values), 135 presented at least one evolution. We identified breakpoints in 30 distinct parameters, discretizations in 32, and trends in 79. Discussion and conclusionour method allowed the identification of several temporal events in the data. Considering the distribution over time of these events, we identified probable causes for the observed profiles: instruments or software upgrades and changes in computation formulas. We evaluated the potential impact for data reuse. Finally, we formulated recommendations to enable safe use and sharing of biological data collection to limit the impact of data evolution in retrospective and federated studies (e.g. the annotation of laboratory parameters presenting breakpoints or trends).

A influência de variáveis socioculturais e biológicas no desempenho da linguagem receptiva em pré-escolares

Introdução: O desenvolvimento infantil consiste em um processo de continuidade e mudanças em vários domínios interdependentes. A linguagem receptiva por sua vez se faz importante no desenvolvimento da comunicação, pois por meio dela a criança desenvolve habilidades de consciência fonológica, comportamentos de conversação, entre outros. Objetivo: Verificar a influência de aspectos socioculturais e biológicos no desempenho da linguagem receptiva de crianças pré-escolares. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 30 crianças na faixa etária entre 24 e 36 meses devidamente matriculadas no maternal I de dois centros municipais de educação infantil. Foi aplicado um questionário elaborado pelos pesquisadores para a coleta de dados biológicos, econômicos e sociais da amostra. As crianças com alterações auditivas, neurológicas e/ou visuais foram excluídas. Para verificar o desenvolvimento da linguagem foi aplicada a prova de linguagem receptiva da Escala Bayley III de Desenvolvimento Infantil. A pontuação do escore da Bayley foi correlacionada com variáveis sociais e biológicas no presente estudo. Resultados: Nos escores alcançados na escala Bayley III, 63,33% (n=19) crianças ficaram abaixo da média do teste de linguagem receptiva. As variáveis renda familiar e sexo e o escore de linguagem receptiva foram estatisticamente significativas. Conclusão: O desempenho da linguagem de pré-escolares foi inferior ao esperado para a faixa etária de acordo com os escores obtidos na Bayley III. Pode-se considerar que os aspectos biológicos são reconhecidos como pré-condição para aquisição e desenvolvimento da linguagem, enquanto os aspectos ambientais são determinantes para a qualidade das habilidades de linguagem.

Quantifying unmet prevention needs among MSM in Europe through a multi-site bio-behavioural survey.

IntroductionThe HIV epidemic represents an important public health issue in Europe particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). Global AIDS Monitoring indicators (GAM) have been widely and jointly promoted as a set of crucial standardised items to be adopted for monitoring and responding to the epidemic.MethodsThe Sialon II study, implemented in 13 European cities (2013-14), was a complex multi-centre integrated bio-behavioural cross-sectional survey targeted at MSM, with a concomitant collection of behavioural and biological (oral fluid or blood specimens) data. Rigorous sampling approaches for hard-to-reach populations were used (time-location sampling and respondent-driven sampling) and GAM indicators were calculated; sampling frames were adapted to allow weighted estimates of GAM indicators.Results4,901 MSM were enrolled. HIV prevalence estimates ranged from 2.4% in Stockholm to 18.0% in Bucharest. When exploring city-level correlations between GAM indicators, prevention campaigns significantly correlated with levels of condom use and level of HIV testing among MSM.ConclusionThe Sialon II project has made an important contribution to the monitoring and evaluation of the HIV epidemic across Europe, integrating the use of GAM indicators within a second generation HIV surveillance systems approach and in participatory collaboration with MSM communities. It influenced the harmonisation of European data collection procedures and indicators via GAM country reporting and contributed essential knowledge informing the development and implementation of strategic, evidence-based HIV prevention campaigns for MSM.

SamplEase: a simple application for collection and organization of biological specimen data in the field.

Careful collection and organization of biological specimens and their associated data are at the core of field research (e.g., ecology, genetics). Fieldwork data are often collected by handwriting or unsystematically via an electronic device (e.g., laptop), a process that is time‐intensive, disorganized, and may lead to transcription errors, as data are copied to a more permanent repository. SamplEase is an iOS and Android application that is designed to ease the process of collecting biological specimen data in the field (data associated with biological samples, such as location, age, and sex). In addition to biological specimen data, SamplEase allows for the assignment of photographs to each collected sample, which provides visual records of each specimen in its environment. SamplEase outputs biological specimen data in a tabular format, facilitating subsequent analyses and dissemination. Despite the simplicity of SamplEase, no similar data management application is readily available for researchers.

Uraemia-induced immune senescence and clinical outcomes in chronic kidney disease patients.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are more prone to develop premature age-related diseases. Data on immune senescence are scarce in CKD populations, except in end-stage renal disease and dialysis. We designed a longitudinal prospective study to evaluate immune senescence at different CKD stages and its influence on CKD patient outcomes. Clinical and biological data collections were performed on 222 patients at different CKD stages [1-2 (n = 85), 4 (n = 53) and 5 (n = 84)]. Immune senescence biomarkers were measured by cytometry on T cells (CD28, CD57, CD45RA, CD31, γH2A.X) or by quantitative polymerase chain reaction [relative telomere length (RTL)] on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and analysed according to CKD stages and outcomes. CKD was associated with an increase in immune senescence and inflammation biomarkers, as follows: low thymic output (197 ± 25 versus 88 ± 13 versus 73 ± 21 CD4+CD45RA+CD31+ T cells/mm3), an increased proportion of terminally differentiated T cells (CD8+CD28-CD57+) (24 ± 18 versus 32 ± 17 versus 35 ± 19%) restricted to cytomegalovirus-positive patients, telomere shortening (1.11 ± 0.36 versus 0.78 ± 0.24 versus 0.97 ± 0.21 telomere:single copy ratio) and an increase in C-reactive protein levels [median 2.9 (range 1.8-4.9) versus 5.1 (27-9.6) versus 6.2 (3.4-10.5) mg/L]. In multivariate analysis, shorter RTL was associated with death {hazard ratio [HR] 4.12 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44-11.75]}. Low thymic output was associated with infections [HR 1.79 (95% CI (1.34-9.58)] and terminally differentiated CD8+ T-cell expansion with a risk of cardiovascular events [CEs; HR 4.86 (95% CI 1.72-13.72)]. CKD was associated with premature immune ageing. Each of these alterations increased the risk of specific age-related diseases, such as RTL and death, thymic function and infections and terminally differentiated CD8+ T-cell expansion and CEs.