What makes a leader

The trim-and-fill method for publication bias: practical guidelines and recommendations based on a large database of meta-analyses

In the past few years, there has been increasing focus on the use of messenger RNA (mRNA) as a new therapeutic modality. Current clinical efforts encompassing mRNA-based drugs are directed toward infectious disease vaccines, cancer immunotherapies, therapeutic protein replacement therapies, and treatment of genetic diseases. However, challenges that impede the successful translation of these molecules into drugs are that (i) mRNA is a very large molecule, (ii) it is intrinsically unstable and prone to degradation by nucleases, and (iii) it activates the immune system. Although some of these challenges have been partially solved by means of chemical modification of the mRNA, intracellular delivery of mRNA still represents a major hurdle. The clinical translation of mRNA-based therapeutics requires delivery technologies that can ensure stabilization of mRNA under physiological conditions. Here, we (i) review opportunities and challenges in the delivery of mRNA-based therapeutics with a focus on non-viral delivery systems, (ii) present the clinical status of mRNA vaccines, and (iii) highlight perspectives on the future of this promising new type of medicine.

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Opportunities and Challenges in the Delivery of mRNA-based Vaccines.

Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-based Recommendations: JACC State-of -the-Art Review

Internet data are being increasingly integrated into health informatics research and are becoming a useful tool for exploring human behavior. The most popular tool for examining online behavior is Google Trends, an open tool that provides information on trends and the variations of online interest in selected keywords and topics over time. Online search traffic data from Google have been shown to be useful in analyzing human behavior toward health topics and in predicting disease occurrence and outbreaks. Despite the large number of Google Trends studies during the last decade, the literature on the subject lacks a specific methodology framework. This article aims at providing an overview of the tool and data and at presenting the first methodology framework in using Google Trends in infodemiology and infoveillance, including the main factors that need to be taken into account for a strong methodology base. We provide a step-by-step guide for the methodology that needs to be followed when using Google Trends and the essential aspects required for valid results in this line of research. At first, an overview of the tool and the data are presented, followed by an analysis of the key methodological points for ensuring the validity of the results, which include selecting the appropriate keyword(s), region(s), period, and category. Overall, this article presents and analyzes the key points that need to be considered to achieve a strong methodological basis for using Google Trends data, which is crucial for ensuring the value and validity of the results, as the analysis of online queries is extensively integrated in health research in the big data era.

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Google Trends in Infodemiology and Infoveillance: Methodology Framework.

citation ID: ckac130.147 Dealing with staff diversity in German hospitals: A comparative analysis of doctors and nurses

Austrian health care professionals see opportunities but also challenges for their professional group in primary health care. Abstract citation ID: ckac130.147 Dealing with staff diversity in German hospitals: A comparative analysis of doctors and nurses

Pancreatic cancer (PC) represents the 6th cause of cancer death. Although the aetiology of PC is not completely understood, numerous risk factors have been identified in association with this cancer, among them diet. However, little is known about the association between the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) and the risk of PC. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis according to the PRISMA guidelines, searching on three databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and EMBASE). The protocol was registered in PROSPERO. Both fixed and random effect models were performed. The Effect size was reported as a hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A total of eight articles were included. The methodological quality of the included meta-analyses was high. Our results show that a higher adherence to the MedDiet is associated with a lower risk of PC [HR:0.82 (0.76–0.88) p < 0.001, based on 1,301,320 subjects]. The results were also confirmed in sensitivity and subgroups analyses (avoidance of potential overlapping effects, type of tools used to assess dietary intake and the diagnosis of PC, prevalence and incidence of PC risk, country where the studies took place, sex, and cancer site). Promoting a higher adherence to the MedDiet could be an effective approach to reduce the risk of PC.

/pdf/adherence-to-mediterranean-diet-and-risk-of-pancreatic-19l6smz6.pdf

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ObiettiviLo studio prende avvio dal progetto “Sorveglianza attiva degli eventi avversi dopo vaccinazione anti-HPV” condotto al fine di registrare attivamente tutti gli eventi avversi comuni insorti nelle ragazze 9-26 anni sottoposte a vaccinazione anti-HPV.
MetodoE stato condotto uno studio multicentrico di coorte che ha visto la partecipazione di 12 Regioni e 87 Asl, coordinate dal Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia, Sorveglianza e Promozione della Salute (CNESPS) dell’ISS. Sono state incluse nello studio tutte le adolescenti di 12 anni di eta chiamate attivamente alla vaccinazione anti-HPV, oltre a tutte le donne di eta 9-26 anni che hanno effettuato, nel periodo in esame, la medesima vaccinazione presso l’Asl di Spoleto.
RisultatiDelle 147 ragazze partecipanti al programma, solo 102 hanno riportato il diario compilato a seguito della prima dose vaccinale, 62 quello relativo alla seconda dose ed 88 il diario della terza dose. Dai diari delle vaccinate compilati dopo la prima dose si evince che gli eventi avversi, quando presenti, si sono manifestati quasi esclusivamente durante i primi 5 giorni dalla vaccinazione, con una forte prevalenza di reazioni locali (eritema, dolore e gonfiore nel sito di iniezione) seguito da cefalea e dolori muscolari.
ConclusioniI risultati mostrano un alto numero di eventi avversi riportati, dovuto principalmente alla metodica di rilevazione (sorveglianza attiva), tuttavia gli eventi registrati sono stati nella quasi totalita dei casi eventi di lieve o moderata intensita in linea con quanto riscontrato in precedenti trials

Valutazione di un intervento di sorveglianza attiva degli eventi avversi della vaccinazione anti-HPV in Umbria

Remembering and Promoting Grandma’s Cooking through the Mediterranean Diet, Apulia, Southern Italy

Abstract
The Author, now a Research Assistant at the Department of Public Health of the University of Milan, Italy, in the period she was a Resident of the School of Public Health of the University of Perugia, had the occasion to interview Prof Maria Antonietta Modolo, one of the most significant pioneers of Health Education and Health Promotion both in Europe and in this Country, and her mentor at that time. Prof Modolo, who recently passed away, in that occasion explained in detail all the goals of these disciplines, and the impact they can show on the life of the population of developed and developing countries, if applied within a robust public health framework.

Reﬂections on an interview with the late Prof Maria Antonia Modolo Considerazioni su di un'intervista alla Prof Maria Antonia Modolo, recentemente scomparsa.

Vincenza Gianfredi

Papers

Austrian health care professionals see opportunities but also challenges for their professional group in primary health care. Abstract citation ID: ckac130.147 Dealing with staff diversity in German hospitals: A comparative analysis of doctors and nurses

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Valutazione di un intervento di sorveglianza attiva degli eventi avversi della vaccinazione anti-HPV in Umbria

Remembering and Promoting Grandma’s Cooking through the Mediterranean Diet, Apulia, Southern Italy

Reﬂections on an interview with the late Prof Maria Antonia Modolo Considerazioni su di un'intervista alla Prof Maria Antonia Modolo, recentemente scomparsa.