Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor for multiple sclerosis: new hope or false dawn.

The first of several phase 3 trials examining efficacy in relapsing MS has not been able to demonstrate a significant benefit and has also raised important safety concerns. More results are on their way and it will be important to understand whether the safety signals identified are drug- or class-specific and whether other BTKi also fail to reach their endpoints for relapsing MS. However, as reported in preliminary data for another BTKi, it may be that they will have more of a role in progressive disease as hinted by the unraveling of relevant molecular mechanisms and pathways.

Trauma and the default mode network: review and exploratory study.

While PTSD continues to be researched in great depth, less attention has been given to the continuum of traumatic responses that resides outside this diagnosis. This investigation begins with a literature review examining the spectrum of responses through the lens of the default mode network (DMN). To build upon this literature, a systematic exploratory study was incorporated, examining DMN-related neuropsychological functioning of 27 participants (16 trauma-exposed, and 11 non-trauma-exposed), with a subset (15 participants) completing neuroimaging.

Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry (PRISm) Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases is increasing globally. There is evidence that those with spirometric impairment, and no evidence of obstruction, termed preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm), have increased risk of morbidity and mortality, compared to those with normal lung function. There remain several gaps in characterizing PRISm.

Self-Compassion in Qualified and Student Social Workers: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Social work is an intrinsically challenging profession, with high levels of distress and burnout reported amongst professionals. Self-compassion has been suggested as a coping resource that may benefit social workers and reduce levels of distress. There is reason to believe that low self-compassion may confer a vulnerability in social workers, particularly student social workers.

How Do Home Care Workers Experience A Client's Death, Professionally and Personally? A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis.

Home care workers (HCWs) may frequently experience client death. This critical interpretive meta-synthesis aimed to identify the impacts of client death to offer preliminary recommendations with respect to support. Five electronic databases, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus, were searched systematically using keywords and subject headings.

Assessing the landscape and charting paths: UK neurology trainees' opinions on neuroinflammation subspecialty.

Therapeutics of neuroinflammatory disorders including multiple sclerosis is one of the fastest growing areas in neurology. However, pressures on higher specialty training in neurology together with an expanding curriculum have led to challenges in adequately preparing trainees for a subspecialist career. In this study we set out to understand current perceptions and barriers to training in neuroinflammatory disorders among neurology trainees in the UK.

Chemical Composition of Aerosols from the E-Cigarette Vaping of Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoids.

Vaping cannabinoids in electronic (e)-cigarette devices is rapidly increasing in popularity, particularly among adolescents, although the chemistry affecting the composition of the vape aerosol is not well understood. This work investigates the formation of aerosol mass, bioactive hydroxyquinones, and harmful or potentially harmful carbonyls from the e-cigarette vaping of natural and synthetic cannabinoids e-liquids in propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin (PG/VG) solvent at a 50 mg/mL concentration in a commercial fourth-generation vaping device. The following cannabinoids were studied: cannabidiol (CBD), 8,9-dihydrocannabidiol (H2CBD), 1,2,8,9-tetrahydrocannabidiol (H4CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA).

Self-Reported Patient and Provider Satisfaction With Neurology Telemedicine Visits After Rapid Telemedicine Implementation in an Urban Academic Center: Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Many clinics and health systems implemented telemedicine appointment services out of necessity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate patient and general provider satisfaction with neurology telemedicine implementation at an urban academic medical center.

Methods: Patients who had completed 1 or more teleneurology visits from April 1 to December 31, 2020, were asked to complete a survey regarding their demographic information and satisfaction with teleneurology visits.

Investigation of the Link Between Food Assistance Programs and Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents.

Background: While the direct benefits of food assistance programs are well-documented, there is a need to explore indirect benefits like increased physical activity. This study examined whether participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was associated with improved physical activity levels in children and adolescents aged 2-17 in the United States during 2017-2018. A cross-sectional study.

Evaluating the effectiveness of simvastatin in slowing the progression of disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-STAT2): protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled, double-blind, phase 3 clinical trial in the UK.

Introduction: There remains a high unmet need for disease-modifying therapies that can impact disability progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Following positive results of the phase 2 MS-STAT study, the MS-STAT2 phase 3 trial will evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of repurposed high-dose simvastatin in slowing the progression of disability in SPMS.

Methods And Analysis: MS-STAT2 will be a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of participants aged between 25 and 65 (inclusive) who have SPMS with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 4.

Optimized genome-wide CRISPR screening enables rapid engineering of growth-based phenotypes in Yarrowia lipolytica.

CRISPR-Cas9 functional genomic screens uncover gene targets linked to various phenotypes for metabolic engineering with remarkable efficiency. However, these genome-wide screens face a number of design challenges, including variable guide RNA activity, ensuring sufficient genome coverage, and maintaining high transformation efficiencies to ensure full library representation. These challenges are prevalent in non-conventional yeast, many of which exhibit traits that are well suited to metabolic engineering and bioprocessing.

A shared decision-making intervention for individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are considering the menu of pulmonary rehabilitation treatment options; a feasibility study.

Objectives: Shared Decision Making (SDM) has potential to support Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) decision-making when patients are offered a menu of centre- and home-based options. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a three-component PR SDM intervention for individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and PR healthcare professionals.

Methods: Participants were recruited from Dec 2021-Sep 2022.

Cleaning indoor air-what works for respiratory health: An updated literature review and recommendations.

Indoor air pollution is a growing public health concern globally and is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and morbidity. Individuals spend most of their time indoors, and pollutant-related health effects are often driven by the indoor environment. Understanding effective interventions to improve indoor air quality and their impact on respiratory outcomes is key to decreasing the burden of air pollution for high-risk populations across the life-span.

Level of patient contact and Impact of Event scores among Canadian healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Healthcare providers (HCP) continue to provide patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the known risks for transmission. Studies conducted early in the pandemic showed that factors associated with higher levels of distress among HCP included being of younger age, female, in close contact with people with COVID-19, and lower levels of education. The goal of this study was to determine if level of patient contact was associated with concern for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as measured by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R).

A shared decision-making intervention between health care professionals and individuals undergoing Pulmonary Rehabilitation: An iterative development process with qualitative methods.

Background: Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) services typically offer programmes to support individuals living with COPD make rehabilitation choices that best meet their needs, however, uptake remains low. Shared Decision-Making (SDM; e.g.

Assessing the prevalence and impact of preserved ratio impaired spirometry in low-income and middle-income countries: a post-hoc cross-sectional analysis.

Background: More than 90% of the morbidity and mortality from chronic respiratory disease occurs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), with substantial economic impact. Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is a prevalent lung function abnormality associated with increased mortality in high-income countries. We aimed to conduct a post-hoc analysis of a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of, the risk factors for, and the impact of PRISm in three diverse LMIC settings.

Local carbon reserves are insufficient for phloem terpene induction during drought in Pinus edulis in response to bark beetle-associated fungi.

Stomatal closure during drought inhibits carbon uptake and may reduce a tree's defensive capacity. Limited carbon availability during drought may increase a tree's mortality risk, particularly if drought constrains trees' capacity to rapidly produce defenses during biotic attack. We parameterized a new model of conifer defense using physiological data on carbon reserves and chemical defenses before and after a simulated bark beetle attack in mature Pinus edulis under experimental drought.

Effectiveness of cladribine compared to fingolimod, natalizumab, ocrelizumab and alemtuzumab in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Comparisons between cladribine and other potent immunotherapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of cladribine against fingolimod, natalizumab, ocrelizumab and alemtuzumab in relapsing-remitting MS.

Methods: Patients with relapsing-remitting MS treated with cladribine, fingolimod, natalizumab, ocrelizumab or alemtuzumab were identified in the global MSBase cohort and two additional UK centres.

Consensus definition and diagnostic criteria for neonatal encephalopathy-study protocol for a real-time modified delphi study.

Background: 'Neonatal encephalopathy' (NE) describes a group of conditions in term infants presenting in the earliest days after birth with disturbed neurological function of cerebral origin. NE is aetiologically heterogenous; one cause is peripartum hypoxic ischaemia. Lack of uniformity in the terminology used to describe NE and its diagnostic criteria creates difficulty in the design and interpretation of research and complicates communication with families.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell therapy for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Future directions for combination therapy with hypothermia and/or melatonin.

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and lifelong disability across the world. While therapeutic hypothermia (HT) is beneficial, it is only partially protective and adjuvant treatments that further improve outcomes are urgently needed. In high-income countries where HT is standard care, novel treatments are tested in conjunction with HT.