1. |
- Breznau, Nate, et al.
(author)
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Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 119:44
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study explores how researchers analytical choices affect the reliability of scientific findings. Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. We broaden the lens to emphasize the idiosyncrasy of conscious and unconscious decisions that researchers make during data analysis. We coordinated 161 researchers in 73 research teams and observed their research decisions as they used the same data to independently test the same prominent social science hypothesis: that greater immigration reduces support for social policies among the public. In this typical case of social science research, research teams reported both widely diverging numerical findings and substantive conclusions despite identical start conditions. Researchers expertise, prior beliefs, and expectations barely predict the wide variation in research outcomes. More than 95% of the total variance in numerical results remains unexplained even after qualitative coding of all identifiable decisions in each teams workflow. This reveals a universe of uncertainty that remains hidden when considering a single study in isolation. The idiosyncratic nature of how researchers results and conclusions varied is a previously underappreciated explanation for why many scientific hypotheses remain contested. These results call for greater epistemic humility and clarity in reporting scientific findings.
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2. |
- Munch, Marie W., et al.
(author)
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Effect of 12 mg vs 6 mg of Dexamethasone on the Number of Days Alive Without Life Support in Adults With COVID-19 and Severe Hypoxemia The COVID STEROID 2 Randomized Trial
- 2021
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In: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). - : AMER MEDICAL ASSOC. - 0098-7484 .- 1538-3598. ; 326:18, s. 1807-1817
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Question What is the effect of 12 mg vs 6 mg of dexamethasone on the number of days alive without life support at 28 days in patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxemia? Findings In this randomized trial that included 1000 patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxemia, treatment with 12 mg/d of dexamethasone resulted in 22.0 days alive without life support at 28 days compared with 20.5 days in those receiving 6 mg/d of dexamethasone. This difference was not statistically significant. Meaning Compared with 6 mg of dexamethasone, 12 mg of dexamethasone did not statistically significantly reduce the number of days alive without life support at 28 days. This multicenter randomized clinical trial compares the effects of 12 mg/d vs 6 mg/d of dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxemia. IMPORTANCE A daily dose with 6 mg of dexamethasone is recommended for up to 10 days in patients with severe and critical COVID-19, but a higher dose may benefit those with more severe disease. OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of 12 mg/d vs 6 mg/d of dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxemia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A multicenter, randomized clinical trial was conducted between August 2020 and May 2021 at 26 hospitals in Europe and India and included 1000 adults with confirmed COVID-19 requiring at least 10 L/min of oxygen or mechanical ventilation. End of 90-day follow-up was on August 19, 2021. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized 1:1 to 12 mg/d of intravenous dexamethasone (n = 503) or 6 mg/d of intravenous dexamethasone (n = 497) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the number of days alive without life support (invasive mechanical ventilation, circulatory support, or kidney replacement therapy) at 28 days and was adjusted for stratification variables. Of the 8 prespecified secondary outcomes, 5 are included in this analysis (the number of days alive without life support at 90 days, the number of days alive out of the hospital at 90 days, mortality at 28 days and at 90 days, and >= 1 serious adverse reactions at 28 days). RESULTS Of the 1000 randomized patients, 982 were included (median age, 65 [IQR, 55-73] years; 305 [31%] women) and primary outcome data were available for 971 (491 in the 12 mg of dexamethasone group and 480 in the 6 mg of dexamethasone group). The median number of days alive without life support was 22.0 days (IQR, 6.0-28.0 days) in the 12 mg of dexamethasone group and 20.5 days (IQR, 4.0-28.0 days) in the 6 mg of dexamethasone group (adjusted mean difference, 1.3 days [95% CI, 0-2.6 days]; P = .07). Mortality at 28 days was 27.1% in the 12 mg of dexamethasone group vs 32.3% in the 6 mg of dexamethasone group (adjusted relative risk, 0.86 [99% CI, 0.68-1.08]). Mortality at 90 days was 32.0% in the 12 mg of dexamethasone group vs 37.7% in the 6 mg of dexamethasone group (adjusted relative risk, 0.87 [99% CI, 0.70-1.07]). Serious adverse reactions, including septic shock and invasive fungal infections, occurred in 11.3% in the 12 mg of dexamethasone group vs 13.4% in the 6 mg of dexamethasone group (adjusted relative risk, 0.83 [99% CI, 0.54-1.29]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxemia, 12 mg/d of dexamethasone compared with 6 mg/d of dexamethasone did not result in statistically significantly more days alive without life support at 28 days. However, the trial may have been underpowered to identify a significant difference.
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3. |
- Aslam, Tayyba N., et al.
(author)
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A survey of preferences for respiratory support in the intensive care unit for patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure
- 2023
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In: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : WILEY. - 0001-5172 .- 1399-6576. ; 67:10, s. 1383-1394
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundWhen caring for mechanically ventilated adults with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF), clinicians are faced with an uncertain choice between ventilator modes allowing for spontaneous breaths or ventilation fully controlled by the ventilator. The preferences of clinicians managing such patients, and what motivates their choice of ventilator mode, are largely unknown. To better understand how clinicians preferences may impact the choice of ventilatory support for patients with AHRF, we issued a survey to an international network of intensive care unit (ICU) researchers.MethodsWe distributed an online survey with 32 broadly similar and interlinked questions on how clinicians prioritise spontaneous or controlled ventilation in invasively ventilated patients with AHRF of different severity, and which factors determine their choice.ResultsThe survey was distributed to 1337 recipients in 12 countries. Of these, 415 (31%) completed the survey either fully (52%) or partially (48%). Most respondents were identified as medical specialists (87%) or physicians in training (11%). Modes allowing for spontaneous ventilation were considered preferable in mild AHRF, with controlled ventilation considered as progressively more important in moderate and severe AHRF. Among respondents there was strong support (90%) for a randomised clinical trial comparing spontaneous with controlled ventilation in patients with moderate AHRF.ConclusionsThe responses from this international survey suggest that there is clinical equipoise for the preferred ventilator mode in patients with AHRF of moderate severity. We found strong support for a randomised trial comparing modes of ventilation in patients with moderate AHRF.
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4. |
- Goncalves, Nadia P., et al.
(author)
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Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Is Independent From Schwann Cell p75(NTR) Expression
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1662-5102. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Schwann cell reprogramming and differentiation are crucial prerequisites for neuronal regeneration and re-myelination to occur following injury to peripheral nerves. The neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR) has been identified as a positive modulator for Schwann cell myelination during development and implicated in promoting nerve regeneration after injury. However, most studies base this conclusion on results obtained from complete p75(NTR) knockout mouse models and cannot dissect the specific role of p75(NTR) expressed by Schwann cells. In this present study, a conditional knockout model selectively deleting p75(NTR) expression in Schwann cells was generated, where p75(NTR) expression is replaced with that of an mCherry reporter. Silencing of Schwann cell p75(NTR) expression was confirmed in the sciatic nerve in vivo and in vitro, without altering axonal expression of p75(NTR). No difference in sciatic nerve myelination during development or following sciatic nerve crush injury was observed, as determined by quantification of both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fiber densities, myelinated axonal diameter and myelin thickness. However, the absence of Schwann cell p75(NTR) reduced motor nerve conduction velocity after crush injury. Our data indicate that the absence of Schwann cell p75(NTR) expression in vivo is not critical for axonal regrowth or remyelination following sciatic nerve crush injury, but does play a key role in functional recovery. Overall, this represents the first step in redefining the role of p75(NTR) in the peripheral nervous system, suggesting that the Schwann cell-axon unit functions as a syncytium, with the previous published involvement of p75(NTR) in remyelination most likely depending on axonal/neuronal p75(NTR) and/or mutual glial-axonal interactions.
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5. |
- Mehmedbasic, Arnela, et al.
(author)
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SorLA CR-Domains Protect the Amyloid Precursor Protein against Processing.
- 2015
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In: The Journal of biological chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; 290, s. 3359-3376
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- SorLA is a neuronal sorting receptor that is genetically associated with Alzheimer's disease. SorLA interacts directly with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and affects the processing of the precursor, leading to a decreased generation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The sorLA complement-type repeat (CR)-domains associate in vitro with APP, but the precise molecular determinants of sorLA-APP complex formation and the mechanisms responsible for the effect of binding on APP processing have not yet been elucidated. Here, we have generated protein expression constructs for sorLA devoid of the 11 CR-domains and for two sorLA mutants harboring substitutions of the fingerprint residues in the central CR-domains. We generated SH-SY5Y cell lines that stably express these sorLA variants to study the binding and processing of APP using co-immunoprecipitation and western blotting/ELISA assays, respectively. We found that the sorLA CR-cluster is essential for interaction with APP and that deletion of the CR-cluster abolishes the protection against APP processing. Mutation of identified fingerprint residues in the sorLA CR-domains leads to changes in the O-linked glycosylation of APP when expressed in SH-SY5Y cells. Our results provide novel information on the mechanisms behind the influence of sorLA activity on APP metabolism by controlling post-translational glycosylation in the Golgi, suggesting new strategies against amyloidogenesis in Alzheimer's disease.
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6. |
- Ulrichsen, Maj, et al.
(author)
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Sortilin Modulates Schwann Cell Signaling and Remak Bundle Regeneration Following Nerve Injury
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1662-5102. ; 16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Peripheral nerve regeneration relies on the ability of Schwann cells to support the regrowth of damaged axons. Schwann cells re-differentiate when reestablishing contact with the sprouting axons, with large fibers becoming remyelinated and small nociceptive fibers ensheathed and collected into Remak bundles. We have previously described how the receptor sortilin facilitates neurotrophin signaling in peripheral neurons via regulated trafficking of Trk receptors. This study aims to characterize the effects of sortilin deletion on nerve regeneration following sciatic crush injury. We found that Sort1(-)(/)(-) mice displayed functional motor recovery like that of WT mice, with no detectable differences in relation to nerve conduction velocities and morphological aspects of myelinated fibers. In contrast, we found abnormal ensheathment of regenerated C-fibers in injured Sort1(-)(/)(-) mice, demonstrating a role of sortilin for Remak bundle formation following injury. Further studies on Schwann cell signaling pathways showed a significant reduction of MAPK/ERK, RSK, and CREB phosphorylation in Sort1(-)(/)(-) Schwann cells after stimulation with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), while Schwann cell migration and myelination remained unaffected. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that loss of sortilin blunts NT-3 signaling in Schwann cells which might contribute to the impaired Remak bundle regeneration after sciatic nerve injury.
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