Children's right to participation in Swedish child welfare - The extent, nature and determinants of child interviews during investigations.

Background: Children's right to participation in child welfare decision-making is highlighted in law and research. However, there is a lack of comprehensive empirical research on how such participation is actually fulfilled.

Objective: This article aims to describe and analyse the extent, nature and determinants of children's participation in child welfare investigations in Sweden as well as to discuss barriers to participation.

Going beyond probability of success: Opportunities for statisticians to influence quantitative decision-making at the portfolio level.

The pharmaceutical industry is plagued with long, costly development and high risk. Therefore, a company's effective management and optimisation of a portfolio of projects is critical for success. Project metrics such as the probability of success enable modelling of a company's pipeline accounting for the high uncertainty inherent within the industry.

Replenishing the pipeline: A quantitative approach to optimising the sourcing of new projects.

Large pharmaceutical companies maintain a portfolio of assets, some of which are projects under development while others are on the market and generating revenue. The budget allocated to R&D may not always be sufficient to fund all the available projects for development. Much attention has been paid to the selection of optimal subsets of available projects to fit within the available budget.

A prophylactic subcutaneous dose of the anticoagulant tinzaparin does not influence qPCR-based assessment of circulating levels of miRNA in humans.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have become increasingly popular biomarker candidates in various diseases. However, heparin-based anticoagulants might affect the detection of target miRNAs in blood samples during quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based analysis of miRNAs involving RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and the polymerase catalyzed reaction. Because low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) are widely used in routine healthcare, we aimed to investigate whether a prophylactic dose of the LMWH tinzaparin influences qPCR-based quantification of circulating miRNAs.

Quantifying the Benefits of Digital Biomarkers and Technology-Based Study Endpoints in Clinical Trials: Project Moneyball.

Introduction: Digital biomarkers have significant potential to transform drug development, but only a few have contributed meaningfully to bring new treatments to market. There are uncertainties in how they will generate quantifiable benefits in clinical trial performance and ultimately to the chances of phase 3 success. Here we have proposed a statistical framework and ran a proof-of-concept model with hypothetical digital biomarkers and visualized them in a familiar manner to study power calculation.

Do strict decision criteria hamper productivity in the pharmaceutical industry?

The discouragingly high rates of attrition in drug development, and in particular in Phase 2, warrant a closer look at the decision criteria applied for investment in the next phase (Phase 3). We have in this article evaluated Stop/Go criteria after Phase 2, based on a model encompassing both Phase 2 and 3, as well as the eventual outcome on the market. The results indicate that the value of a drug project is often maximized if rather liberal decision criteria are applied.

Selection bias, investment decisions and treatment effect distributions.

When making decisions regarding the investment and design for a Phase 3 programme in the development of a new drug, the results from preceding Phase 2 trials are an important source of information. However, only projects in which the Phase 2 results show promising treatment effects will typically be considered for a Phase 3 investment decision. This implies that, for those projects where Phase 3 is pursued, the underlying Phase 2 estimates are subject to selection bias.

A modelling framework for improved design and decision-making in drug development.

The development of a new drug is an extremely high-risk enterprise. The attrition rates of development projects and the average costs for each launched product are daunting, and the completion of a development program requires a very long time horizon. These facts imply that there are huge potential gains, should one be able to improve efficiency and enhance decision-making capabilities.

[Respiratory failure and neurological impairment in a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy following minor trauma].

Fat Embolism Syndrome (FES) is a rare and often lethal condition, associated with trauma or surgery. It is more serious than a typical fat embolism seen after a fracture in a long bone. FES is a triad of symtoms, including respiratory failure, abnormal neurology and petechial bleeding.

Experiences and consequences of living with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria: A qualitative study.

Background: The number of people who become carriers of antibiotic-resistant extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria is steadily increasing. A carrier of ESBL can potentially be stressful for individuals, affecting their daily lives.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of experiences and consequences of being an ESBL carrier.

Acquisition of extended spectrum β-lactamases during travel abroad-A qualitative study among Swedish travellers examining their knowledge, risk assessment, and behaviour.

Background: Travel to foreign countries involves the risk of becoming a carrier of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially when the destination is a country with a high prevalence of this type of bacteria.

Aim And Methods: The aim of this study was to learn about the knowledge of antibiotic resistance, and the behaviour and risk-taking among travellers, who had become carriers of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing bacteria during travel to a high-prevalence country. A modified version of grounded theory was used to analyse 15 open interviews.

Frequent acquisition of low-virulence strains of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in travellers.

Objectives: International travel is a risk factor for intestinal colonization with ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (EPE). This prospective cohort study focuses on molecular features of and risk factors for travel-acquired EPE.

Methods: Rectal swabs and survey data were collected from 188 Swedes travelling to four regions of high EPE prevalence.

Programs for Prevention of Externalizing Problems in Children: Limited Evidence for Effect Beyond 6 Months Post Intervention.

Background: Preventing externalizing problems in children is a major societal concern, and a great number of intervention programs have been developed to this aim. To evaluate their preventive effects, well-controlled trials including follow-up assessments are necessary.

Methods: This is a systematic review of the effect of prevention programs targeting externalizing problems in children.

Staff experiences of caring for patients with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria: A qualitative study.

Background: Patients who become carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are sometimes stigmatized by health professionals. Staff members' fears of becoming infected could affect their willingness to care for these patients.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge of what it means for staff in acute care settings and nursing homes to care for patients with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria.

Knowledge and understanding of antibiotic resistance and the risk of becoming a carrier when travelling abroad: a qualitative study of Swedish travellers.

Background: Increasing globalisation, with the migration of people, animals and food across national borders increases the risk of the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To avoid becoming a carrier of antibiotic-resistant bacteria when travelling, knowledge about antibiotic resistance is important.

Materials And Methods: We aimed to describe the knowledge and understanding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and of the risk for becoming a carrier of such bacteria, among Swedish travellers before their travel to high-risk areas.

Pharmacological inhibition of the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 attenuates disease in a chronic-relapsing rat model for multiple sclerosis.

One hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is infiltration of leukocytes into the CNS, where chemokines and their receptors play a major mediatory role. CX3CR1 is a chemokine receptor involved in leukocyte adhesion and migration and hence a mediator of immune defense reactions. The role of CX3CR1 in MS and EAE pathogenesis however remains to be fully assessed.

Living with extended-spectrum β-lactamase: a qualitative study of patient experiences.

Background: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) is an enzyme that conveys resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics. Infections caused by bacteria producing ESBL are often difficult to treat because of general multiresistance, and hospital care may be necessary even for nonserious infections.

Methods: The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of how infected individuals perceive their situation as "carriers" of multiresistant bacteria.

Modelling and simulation in the pharmaceutical industry--some reflections.

Modelling and simulation (M&S) is increasingly being applied in (clinical) drug development. It provides an opportune area for the community of pharmaceutical statisticians to pursue. In this article, we highlight useful principles behind the application of M&S.

Application of a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics approach combined with orthogonal projections to latent structure-discriminant analysis as an efficient tool for discriminating between Korean and Chinese herbal medicines.

Correct identification of the origins of herbal medical products is becoming increasingly important in tandem with the growing interest in alternative medicine. However, visual inspection of raw material is still the most widely used method, and newer scientific approaches are needed. To develop a more objective and efficient tool for discriminating herbal origins, particularly Korean and Chinese, we employed a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics approach combined with an orthogonal projections to latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) multivariate analysis.

Pectin methyl esterase inhibits intrusive and symplastic cell growth in developing wood cells of Populus.

Wood cells, unlike most other cells in plants, grow by a unique combination of intrusive and symplastic growth. Fibers grow in diameter by diffuse symplastic growth, but they elongate solely by intrusive apical growth penetrating the pectin-rich middle lamella that cements neighboring cells together. In contrast, vessel elements grow in diameter by a combination of intrusive and symplastic growth.

Visualization of GC/TOF-MS-based metabolomics data for identification of biochemically interesting compounds using OPLS class models.

Metabolomics studies generate increasingly complex data tables, which are hard to summarize and visualize without appropriate tools. The use of chemometrics tools, e.g.

A new metabonomic strategy for analysing the growth process of the poplar tree.

High-resolution, magic angle spinning, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H HR/MAS NMR) spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis using batch processing (BP) were applied to the analysis of two different genotypes of poplar tree (Populus tremula L. x tremuloides Michx.) containing an antisense construct of PttMYB76 and control (wild-type).

A novel approach to data processing of the QT interval response in the conscious telemetered beagle dog.

Introduction: Drug-induced QT interval prolongation may lead to ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of the study was to optimize QT interval data processing to quantify drug-induced QT interval prolongation in the telemetry instrumented conscious dog model.

Methods: The test substances cisapride, dofetilide, haloperidol, and terfenadine and corresponding vehicles were given to male and female beagle dogs during two consecutive 90-min intravenous infusions.

Avoidance response of sediment living amphipods to zinc pyrithione as a measure of sediment toxicity.

An avoidance test was developed using non-cultured individuals of the sediment dwelling amphipod Monoporeia affinis. As test substance we used zinc pyrithione, an antifouling agent and a common shampoo ingredient. The toxicity to Daphnia and fish is well known but sediment toxicity of this very hydrophobic compound is less known.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of drug-induced effect on the QT interval in conscious telemetered dogs.

Introduction: To assure drug safety, the investigation of the relationship between plasma concentration and drug-induced prolongation of the QT interval of the ECG is a challenge in drug discovery. For this purpose, dofetilide was utilized to demonstrate the benefits of characterizing the complete time course of concentrations and effect in conscious beagle dogs in the assessment of drug safety.

Method: On two separate occasions, four male and two female beagle dogs were given vehicle or the test substance, dofetilide (0.