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Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit smaller regional brain volumes in commonly reported regions including the amygdala and hippocampus, regions associated with fear and memory processing. In the current study, we have conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analysis using whole-brain statistical maps with neuroimaging data from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group.
Methods
T1-weighted structural neuroimaging scans from 36 cohorts (PTSD n = 1309; controls n = 2198) were processed using a standardized VBM pipeline (ENIGMA-VBM tool). We meta-analyzed the resulting statistical maps for voxel-wise differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between PTSD patients and controls, performed subgroup analyses considering the trauma exposure of the controls, and examined associations between regional brain volumes and clinical variables including PTSD (CAPS-4/5, PCL-5) and depression severity (BDI-II, PHQ-9).
Results
PTSD patients exhibited smaller GM volumes across the frontal and temporal lobes, and cerebellum, with the most significant effect in the left cerebellum (Hedges’ g = 0.22, pcorrected = .001), and smaller cerebellar WM volume (peak Hedges’ g = 0.14, pcorrected = .008). We observed similar regional differences when comparing patients to trauma-exposed controls, suggesting these structural abnormalities may be specific to PTSD. Regression analyses revealed PTSD severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum (pcorrected = .003), while depression severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum and superior frontal gyrus in patients (pcorrected = .001).
Conclusions
PTSD patients exhibited widespread, regional differences in brain volumes where greater regional deficits appeared to reflect more severe symptoms. Our findings add to the growing literature implicating the cerebellum in PTSD psychopathology.
Background: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada. Since 2015, mechanical thrombectomy has been the standard of care for eligible large vessel occlusions (LVOs), though anesthetic strategies remain variable. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective review of patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation LVOs between 2021 and 2023. Patients were categorized by anesthetic strategy (general anesthesia vs. conscious sedation), and outcomes, including time to recanalization, angiographic results (mTICI), and 90-day functional status (mRS), were compared. Statistical analyses included Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Fisher’s exact test. Results: Among 226 patients, 177 (78%) received general anesthesia and 49 (22%) underwent conscious sedation. Baseline characteristics including sex, age, NIHSS, ASPECTS, collaterals, and laterality were similar between groups. Conscious sedation was associated with a statistically significant shorter time from arrival to the angiography suite to groin puncture (p=0.007), but no differences in time to recanalization (p=0.893), angiographic outcomes (p=0.987), or 90-day functional status (p=0.795) were observed. Conclusions: Conscious sedation led to faster procedural initiation, though no difference in clinical or radiographic outcome was observed. Anesthetic choice should be individualized based on patient and physician factors in acute mechanical thrombectomy.
Evidence indicates hypervitaminosis A may be attributed to overconsumption of natural preformed vitamin A (VA) and overlapping VA intervention strategies. Hypervitaminosis A can disrupt metabolic processes; however, the extent and mechanisms of these impacts are not well understood. This study aims to assess metabolic differences related to hypervitaminosis A and VA supplementation by performing metabolomics analysis. A subsample of South African preschoolers participating in the country’s VA supplementation programme was selected. Participants were divided into two groups: adequate VA (n 15; 0·59–0·99 µmol/g total liver reserve and high VA (n 15; ≥ 1·0 µmol/g total liver reserve). Serum samples were collected at baseline and 28 d after consuming a 200 000 IU VA supplement. Lipidomics and oxylipins assays were conducted using ultraperformance LC-MS. At baseline, unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and unsaturated phosphatidylcholines were significantly lower in the high VA group (P < 0·05). A group-by-time interaction with VA supplementation was observed for polyunsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines (P < 0·05). Additionally, a group effect was noted for oxylipins, and a time effect in response to VA supplementation was seen with decreased arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase- and non-enzymatically derived oxylipins (P < 0·05). Hypervitaminosis A is associated with modifications in lipids involved in cell structure and signalling, particularly unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylcholines. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these modifications, their physiological effects and their potential as biomarkers of elevated vitamin A status.
To compare rates of clinical response in children with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treated with metronidazole vs vancomycin.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study was performed as a secondary analysis of a previously established prospective cohort of hospitalized children with CDI. For 187 participants 2–17 years of age who were treated with metronidazole and/or vancomycin, the primary outcome of clinical response (defined as resolution of diarrhea within 5 days of treatment initiation) was identified retrospectively. Baseline variables associated with the primary outcome were included in a logistic regression propensity score model estimating the likelihood of receiving metronidazole vs vancomycin. Logistic regression using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the effect of treatment on clinical response.
Results:
One hundred seven subjects received metronidazole and 80 subjects received vancomycin as primary treatment. There was no univariable association between treatment group and clinical response; 78.30% (N = 83) of the metronidazole treatment group and 78.75% (N = 63) of the vancomycin group achieved clinical response (P = 0.941). After adjustment using propensity scores with IPTW, the odds of a clinical response for participants who received metronidazole was 0.554 (95% CI: 0.272, 1.131) times the odds of those who received vancomycin (P = 0.105).
Conclusions:
In this observational cohort study of pediatric inpatients with CDI, the rate of resolution of diarrhea after 5 days of treatment did not differ among children who received metronidazole vs vancomycin.
University students often make less healthful dietary choices whilst at university however, do not typically receive advice and support to help them eat more healthily(1,2). A tool which could be provided to students to promote more favourable dietary behaviours is the eNutri web-based app which includes a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and delivers automated personalised nutrition advice (PNA) and a diet quality score (DQS) consisting of 11 food/nutrient components(3). The PNA includes scores and general advice for each component and, for the user’s three lowest scoring components, recommends which foods to eat more/less frequently to improve their DQS. As part of a 4-week intervention study, we aimed to explore the perceptions of the eNutri PNA in UK university students.
As part of this intervention, 14 students from the Universities of Reading and Hertfordshire completed the eNutri FFQ and received their PNA. At the end of the study, they rated how much they agreed with statements about the perceived value and benefit (if any) of the eNutri PNA tool, on a 6-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The percentage of respondents reported is the total number who responded “somewhat agree”, “agree”, or “strongly agree” to each statement.
Of the 14 students, 79% were female with a mean age of 25y (range = 18-37y) and mean BMI of 24.7kg/m2 (range = 19.4-31.9kg/m2). At baseline, the average importance of a healthy diet to the participants (n = 13) was rated at 7.2 out of 10 (with 0 being ‘not important at all’ and 10 being ‘very important’). In total, 57% of respondents indicated that they felt they ‘were eating a healthier diet because of the eNutri advice received’ and only 14% reported that ‘the advice did not motivate them to make changes to their diet’. Furthermore, 64% of respondents indicated that the ‘eNutri PNA gave them confidence in their ability to make changes to their diet’ and that it ‘supported them to do so’. Half of the students agreed that ‘they would want to use eNutri long term to track their progress and receive regular PNA’. In addition, 79% agreed that ‘eNutri should be offered to all university students to help them make healthier food choices’, and that if eNutri was offered to them for free by their university, ‘it would be a valuable student benefit’ and they ‘would want to use it again’.
In general, university students indicated the eNutri PNA tool supported them to eat healthier and providing access to the wider student population would be beneficial to encourage healthy eating at university. These findings along with the quantitative data from the PNA intervention which is currently being analysed will support the development of larger, suitably-powered studies to confirm these findings.
To examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a novel group-based telemedicine psychoeducation programme aimed at supporting psychological well-being among adolescents with Fontan-palliated CHD.
Study design:
A 5-week telemedicine psychoeducation group-based programme (WE BEAT) was developed for adolescents (N = 20; 13–18 years) with Fontan-palliated CHD aimed at improving resiliency and psychological well-being. Outcome measures included surveys of resilience (Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale), benefit finding (Benefit/Burden Scale for Children), depression, anxiety, peer relationships, and life satisfaction (National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System scales). Within-subject changes in these outcomes were compared pre- to post-intervention using Cohen’s d effect size. In addition, acceptability in the form of satisfaction measures and qualitative feedback was assessed.
Results:
Among eligible patients reached, 68% expressed interest in study participation. Of those consented, 77% have been scheduled for a group programme to date with 87% programme completion. Twenty adolescents (mean age 16.1 ± SD 1.6 years) participated across five WE BEAT group cohorts (range: 3–6 participants per group). The majority (80%) attended 4–5 sessions in the 5-session programme, and the median programme rating was a 9 out of 10 (10 = most favourable rating). Following WE BEAT participation, resiliency (d = 0.44) and perceptions of purpose in life increased (d = 0.26), while depressive symptoms reduced (d = 0.36). No other changes in assessed outcome measures were noted.
Conclusions:
These findings provide preliminary support that a group-based, telemedicine delivered psychoeducation programme to support psychological well-being among adolescents with CHD is feasible, acceptable, and effective. Future directions include examining intervention effects across diverse centres, populations, and implementation methods.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we rapidly implemented a plasma coordination center, within two months, to support transfusion for two outpatient randomized controlled trials. The center design was based on an investigational drug services model and a Food and Drug Administration-compliant database to manage blood product inventory and trial safety.
Methods:
A core investigational team adapted a cloud-based platform to randomize patient assignments and track inventory distribution of control plasma and high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma of different blood groups from 29 donor collection centers directly to blood banks serving 26 transfusion sites.
Results:
We performed 1,351 transfusions in 16 months. The transparency of the digital inventory at each site was critical to facilitate qualification, randomization, and overnight shipments of blood group-compatible plasma for transfusions into trial participants. While inventory challenges were heightened with COVID-19 convalescent plasma, the cloud-based system, and the flexible approach of the plasma coordination center staff across the blood bank network enabled decentralized procurement and distribution of investigational products to maintain inventory thresholds and overcome local supply chain restraints at the sites.
Conclusion:
The rapid creation of a plasma coordination center for outpatient transfusions is infrequent in the academic setting. Distributing more than 3,100 plasma units to blood banks charged with managing investigational inventory across the U.S. in a decentralized manner posed operational and regulatory challenges while providing opportunities for the plasma coordination center to contribute to research of global importance. This program can serve as a template in subsequent public health emergencies.
Diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder allow for heterogeneous symptom profiles but genetic analysis of major depressive symptoms has the potential to identify clinical and etiological subtypes. There are several challenges to integrating symptom data from genetically informative cohorts, such as sample size differences between clinical and community cohorts and various patterns of missing data.
Methods
We conducted genome-wide association studies of major depressive symptoms in three cohorts that were enriched for participants with a diagnosis of depression (Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Australian Genetics of Depression Study, Generation Scotland) and three community cohorts who were not recruited on the basis of diagnosis (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Estonian Biobank, and UK Biobank). We fit a series of confirmatory factor models with factors that accounted for how symptom data was sampled and then compared alternative models with different symptom factors.
Results
The best fitting model had a distinct factor for Appetite/Weight symptoms and an additional measurement factor that accounted for the skip-structure in community cohorts (use of Depression and Anhedonia as gating symptoms).
Conclusion
The results show the importance of assessing the directionality of symptoms (such as hypersomnia versus insomnia) and of accounting for study and measurement design when meta-analyzing genetic association data.
The study of psychological well-being and related resilient outcomes is of increasing focus in cardiovascular research. Despite the critical importance of psychological well-being and related resilient outcomes in promoting optimal cardiac health, there have been very few psychological interventions directed towards children with heart disease. This paper describes the development and theoretical framework of the WE BEAT Wellbeing Education Program, a group-based psychoeducation and coping skills training intervention designed to improve psychological well-being and resilience in adolescents with paediatric heart disease.
Methods:
Program development was informed by patient and family needs and input gathered via large, international survey methods as well as qualitative investigation, a theoretical framework, and related resilience intervention research.
Results:
An overview of the WE BEAT intervention components and structure of the programme is provided.
Conclusions:
The WE BEAT Wellbeing Education Program was developed as one of the first resiliency-focused interventions in paediatric heart disease with an overall objective to foster positive psychological well-being and resilient outcomes through a health promotion and prevention lens in an accessible format while providing access to safe, peer-to-peer community building. Feasibility pilot results are forthcoming. Future directions include mobile app-based delivery and larger-scale efficacy and implementation trials.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Mayo Clinic (MC) launched the Rapid Activation Trial (RAT) pilot program in 2022 to expedite the activation of high priority and high impact clinical trials. The objective was to develop a process for rapid activation through robust screening, prioritization, and project management (PM) support. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The project team developed a robust screening and approval process for the RAT program using a combination of an objective scoring tool (based on strategic priorities) and a diverse selection committee to screen and approve eligible trials. Sponsors had to commit to RAT program timelines. Upon approval, trials were prioritized at the highest level within each business unit involved in the activation process. The number of trials approved annually were limited to 8 to manage volume and facilitate seamless prioritization with an activation timeline goal of 6 weeks. Project management support for RAT program focused on financial, regulatory, logistical, and operational elements to open trials expeditiously. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In 2022, thirteen (13) applications were received and eight (8) were approved by the RAT selection committee. The approved trials activated with a median open to enrollment time of 6.4 weeks from engaging with business units. They also aligned closely with organization’s strategic priorities, including but not limited to Investigator Initiated Trials, Multi-Site protocols, IND/IDE protocols, Rare Diseases, First in Human and Commercialization potential trials. PI and study team feedback was positive. In 2023, the RAT program was renewed due to the pilot’s significant success in 2022. The goal is to open 10 trials and 5 have been activated by the end of Q3, 2023 with a median timeline of 6 weeks. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Rapid activation of high priority and high impact clinical trials enables an organization to strategically prioritize and open complex clinical trials. This allows the delivery of innovative, timely cures to patients in an expeditious timeline.
Numerous studies have shown longer pre-hospital and in-hospital workflow times and poorer outcomes in women after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in general and after endovascular treatment (EVT) in particular. We investigated sex differences in acute stroke care of EVT patients over 5 years in a comprehensive Canadian provincial registry.
Methods:
Clinical data of all AIS patients who underwent EVT between January 2017 and December 2022 in the province of Saskatchewan were captured in the Canadian OPTIMISE registry and supplemented with patient data from administrative data sources. Patient baseline characteristics, transport time metrics, and technical EVT outcomes between female and male EVT patients were compared.
Results:
Three-hundred-three patients underwent EVT between 2017 and 2022: 144 (47.5%) women and 159 (52.5%) men. Women were significantly older (median age 77.5 [interquartile range: 66–85] vs.71 [59–78], p < 0.001), while men had more intracranial internal carotid artery occlusions (48/159 [30.2%] vs. 26/142 [18.3%], p = 0.03). Last-known-well to comprehensive stroke center (CSC)-arrival time (median 232 min [interquartile range 90–432] in women vs. 230 min [90–352] in men), CSC-arrival-to-reperfusion time (median 108 min [88–149] in women vs. 102 min [77–141] in men), reperfusion status (successful reperfusion 106/142 [74.7%] in women vs. 117/158 [74.1%] in men) as well as modified Rankin score at 90 days did not differ significantly. This held true after adjusting for baseline variables in multivariable analyses.
Conclusion:
While women undergoing EVT in the province of Saskatchewan were on average older than men, they were treated just as fast and achieved similar technical and clinical outcomes compared to men.
New technologies and disruptions related to Coronavirus disease-2019 have led to expansion of decentralized approaches to clinical trials. Remote tools and methods hold promise for increasing trial efficiency and reducing burdens and barriers by facilitating participation outside of traditional clinical settings and taking studies directly to participants. The Trial Innovation Network, established in 2016 by the National Center for Advancing Clinical and Translational Science to address critical roadblocks in clinical research and accelerate the translational research process, has consulted on over 400 research study proposals to date. Its recommendations for decentralized approaches have included eConsent, participant-informed study design, remote intervention, study task reminders, social media recruitment, and return of results for participants. Some clinical trial elements have worked well when decentralized, while others, including remote recruitment and patient monitoring, need further refinement and assessment to determine their value. Partially decentralized, or “hybrid” trials, offer a first step to optimizing remote methods. Decentralized processes demonstrate potential to improve urban-rural diversity, but their impact on inclusion of racially and ethnically marginalized populations requires further study. To optimize inclusive participation in decentralized clinical trials, efforts must be made to build trust among marginalized communities, and to ensure access to remote technology.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Glioblastomas (GBMs) are heterogeneous, treatment-resistant tumors that are driven by populations of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this study, we perform an epigenetic-focused functional genomics screen in GBM organoids and identify WDR5 as an essential epigenetic regulator in the SOX2-enriched, therapy resistant cancer stem cell niche. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Despite their importance for tumor growth, few molecular mechanisms critical for CSC population maintenance have been exploited for therapeutic development. We developed a spatially resolved loss-of-function screen in GBM patient-derived organoids to identify essential epigenetic regulators in the SOX2-enriched, therapy resistant niche. Our niche-specific screens identified WDR5, an H3K4 histone methyltransferase responsible for activating specific gene expression, as indispensable for GBM CSC growth and survival. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In GBM CSC models, WDR5 inhibitors blocked WRAD complex assembly and reduced H3K4 trimethylation and expression of genes involved in CSC-relevant oncogenic pathways. H3K4me3 peaks lost with WDR5 inhibitor treatment occurred disproportionally on POU transcription factor motifs, required for stem cell maintenance and including the POU5F1(OCT4)::SOX2 motif. We incorporated a SOX2/OCT4 motif driven GFP reporter system into our CSC cell models and found that WDR5 inhibitor treatment resulted in dose-dependent silencing of stem cell reporter activity. Further, WDR5 inhibitor treatment altered the stem cell state, disrupting CSC in vitro growth and self-renewal as well as in vivo tumor growth. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results unveiled the role of WDR5 in maintaining the CSC state in GBM and provide a rationale for therapeutic development of WDR5 inhibitors for GBM and other advanced cancers. This conceptual and experimental framework can be applied to many cancers, and can unmask unique microenvironmental biology and rationally designed combination therapies.
The current study investigated the effects of pre-grazing herbage mass (PGHM, 1500 or 2500 kg dry matter (DM)/ha) and post-grazing sward height (PGSH, 4 or 6 cm) on herbage production and its nutritive value and DM intake, grazing behaviour and growth of Charolais steers (n = 96; 12 months of age; 396 ± 19.0 kg) during a 222-day grazing season, and the subsequent effect of an indoor finishing diet (grass silage alone or supplemented with concentrates) for 146 days, on performance and carcass traits. Steers were assigned to one of 12 grazing groups and group was assigned to a 2 (PGHM) × 2 (PGSH) factorial arrangement of treatments. At the end of the grazing season, live-weight was 16 kg heavier for PGHM-1500 than PGHM-2500 and 34 kg heavier for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4. After indoor finishing, there was no difference in carcass weight between PGHM treatments, but PGSH-6 had a 19 kg heavier carcass than PGSH-4. Herbage production was 881 and 517 kg DM/ha greater for PGHM-2500 than PGHM-1500 and for PGSH-4 than PGSH-6, respectively. Grazing stocking rate did not differ between PGHM treatments but PGSH-4 carried 1.35 more steers/ha than PGSH-6. Supplementing concentrates during the indoor period increased carcass weight (42 kg) and fat score (2.10 units). In conclusion, grazing to 6 rather than 4 cm, increased individual carcass weight but not carcass weight gain/ha. Compared to PGHM-2500, grazing PGHM-1500 increased steer live-weight gain at pasture, but did not affect carcass weight following indoor finishing.
Gaps in the implementation of effective interventions impact nearly all cancer prevention and control strategies in the US including Massachusetts. To close these implementation gaps, evidence-based interventions must be rapidly and equitably implemented in settings serving racially, ethnically, socioeconomically, and geographically diverse populations. This paper provides a brief overview of The Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity (ISCCCE) and describes how we have operationalized our commitment to a robust community-engaged center that aims to close these gaps. We describe how ISCCCE is organized and how the principles of community-engaged research are embedded across the center. Principles of community engagement have been operationalized across all components of ISCCCE. We have intentionally integrated these principles throughout all structures and processes and have developed evaluation strategies to assess whether the quality of our partnerships reflects the principles. ISCCCE is a comprehensive community-engaged infrastructure for studying efficient, pragmatic, and equity-focused implementation and adaptation strategies for cancer prevention in historically and currently disadvantaged communities with built-in methods to evaluate the quality of community engagement. This engaged research center is designed to maximize the impact and relevance of implementation research on cancer control in community health centers.
Cognitive impairments are well-established features of psychotic disorders and are present when individuals are at ultra-high risk for psychosis. However, few interventions target cognitive functioning in this population.
Aims
To investigate whether omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n−3 PUFA) supplementation improves cognitive functioning among individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.
Method
Data (N = 225) from an international, multi-site, randomised controlled trial (NEURAPRO) were analysed. Participants were given omega-3 supplementation (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo over 6 months. Cognitive functioning was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Mixed two-way analyses of variance were computed to compare the change in cognitive performance between omega-3 supplementation and placebo over 6 months. An additional biomarker analysis explored whether change in erythrocyte n−3 PUFA levels predicted change in cognitive performance.
Results
The placebo group showed a modest greater improvement over time than the omega-3 supplementation group for motor speed (ηp2 = 0.09) and BACS composite score (ηp2 = 0.21). After repeating the analyses without individuals who transitioned, motor speed was no longer significant (ηp2 = 0.02), but the composite score remained significant (ηp2 = 0.02). Change in erythrocyte n-3 PUFA levels did not predict change in cognitive performance over 6 months.
Conclusions
We found no evidence to support the use of omega-3 supplementation to improve cognitive functioning in ultra-high risk individuals. The biomarker analysis suggests that this finding is unlikely to be attributed to poor adherence or consumption of non-trial n−3 PUFAs.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed significant burden on healthcare systems. We compared Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) epidemiology before and during the pandemic across 71 hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program. Using an interrupted time series analysis, we showed that CDI rates significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.