Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background: The unprecedented demands on health-care systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic made countries including India to switch toward alternative modes of health-care delivery. Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the various COVID-related services delivered through 104 health information helpline (HIHL), located in Jharkhand during the pandemic. Methods: The de-identified secondary data from February 2020 to December 2021 related to COVID services delivered through HIHL were analyzed. Results: There was a significant increase in the COVID call volume during the first as well as the second wave. The HIHL has been able to guide the callers on testing, home isolation and follow-up, home-based teleconsultation, vaccination, timely referral, and support with logistic-related information. Conclusion: The 104 HIHL has played a critical role in sustaining health-care delivery during the pandemic, combating the \"infodemic\" and guiding the general public by providing authentic information.

Background Conceptualizations of personality disorders (PD) are increasingly moving towards dimensional approaches. The definition and assessment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in regard to changes in nosology are of great importance to theory and practice as well as consumers. We studied empirical connections between the traditional DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for BPD and Criteria A and B of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). Method Raters of varied professional backgrounds possessing substantial knowledge of PDs ( N  = 20) characterized BPD criteria with the four domains of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) and 25 pathological personality trait facets. Mean AMPD values of each BPD criterion were used to support a nosological cross-walk of the individual BPD criteria and study various combinations of BPD criteria in their AMPD translation. The grand mean AMPD profile generated from the experts was compared to published BPD prototypes that used AMPD trait ratings and the DSM-5-III hybrid categorical-dimensional algorithm for BPD. Divergent comparisons with DSM-5-III algorithms for other PDs and other published PD prototypes were also examined. Results Inter-rater reliability analyses showed generally robust agreement. The AMPD profile for BPD criteria rated by individual BPD criteria was not isomorphic with whole-person ratings of BPD, although they were highly correlated. Various AMPD profiles for BPD were generated from theoretically relevant but differing configurations of BPD criteria. These AMPD profiles were highly correlated and showed meaningful divergence from non-BPD DSM-5-III algorithms and other PD prototypes. Conclusions Results show that traditional DSM BPD diagnosis reflects a common core of PD severity, largely composed of LPFS and the pathological traits of anxiousness, depressively, emotional lability, and impulsivity. Results confirm the traditional DSM criterion-based BPD diagnosis can be reliably cross-walked with the full AMPD scheme, and both approaches share substantial construct overlap. This relative equivalence suggests the vast clinical and research literatures associated with BPD may be brought forward with DSM-5-III diagnosis of BPD.

BackgroundResearch on the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) in DSM-5's Section-III has demonstrated acceptable interrater reliability, a largely consistent latent structure, substantial correlations with theoretically and clinically relevant measures, and evidence for incremental concurrent and predictive validity after controlling for DSM-5's Section II categorical personality disorders (PDs). However, the AMPD is not yet widely used clinically. One clinician concern may be caseness – that the new model will diagnose a different set of PD patients from that with which they are familiar. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether this concern is valid, by testing how well the two models converge in terms of prevalence and coverage.MethodParticipants were 305 psychiatric outpatients and 302 community residents not currently in mental-health treatment who scored above threshold on the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen (Langbehn et al., 1999). Participants were administered a semi-structured interview for DSM-5 PD, which was scored for both Section II and III PDs.ResultsConvergence across the two PD models was variable for specific PDs, Good when specific PDs were aggregated, and Very Good for ‘any PD.’ConclusionsResults provide strong evidence that the AMPD yields the same overall prevalence of PD as the current model and, further, identifies largely the same overall population. It also addresses well-known problems of the current model, is more consistent with the ICD-11 PD model, and provides more complete, individualized characterizations of persons with PD, thereby offering multiple reasons for its implementation in clinical settings.

Mammalian models have served as a basis for R&D over the past decades. Nevertheless, these models are expensive, laborious, may yield results that cannot always be translated into the human in vivo situation and, more recently, have reverberated great social and ethical dilemmas. Hence, the prospect of changes in the global scientific scenario and the Three Rs principle ( R eduction, R eplacement and R efinement) have encouraged the development of alternative methods to the use of mammals. Despite the efforts, suitable alternative tests are not available in all areas of biomedical research, as regulatory acceptance requires time, prior validation and robust financial and scientific investment. In this perspective, we aim to shed light on the concepts, challenges and perspectives for implementation of innovative alternative animal and non-animal methods in scientific research. The applicability and meaningfulness of invertebrate animal models, in silico analysis and reverse pharmacology are discussed, among other aspects of relevance in today’s scenario. Overall, the use of alternative models, including Artemia salina (brine shrimp), Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm), Danio rerio (zebra fish), Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), Galleria mellonella (greater waxmoth) and in silico modelling, increased 909% from 1990 to 2015, as compared to 154% of conventional mammals in the same period. Thus, technological and scientific advancements in the fields of toxicology and drug development seem to have diminished the need for mammalian models. Today, however, mammals still remain critically indispensable to provide – in most cases –reliable data subsidizing and validating translation into the clinical setting.

A review is given of a priori predictions made for the dynamics of rotating galaxies. One theory—MOND—has had many predictions corroborated by subsequent observations. While it is sometimes possible to offer post hoc explanations for these observations in terms of dark matter, it is seldom possible to use dark matter to predict the same phenomena.

ABSTRACT The larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella is an increasingly popular model for assessing the virulence of bacterial pathogens and the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents. In this review, we discuss details of the components of the G. mellonella larval immune system that underpin its use as an alternative infection model, and provide an updated overview of the state of the art of research with G. mellonella infection models to study bacterial virulence, and in the evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy. Emphasis is given to virulence studies with relevant human and veterinary pathogens, especially Escherichia coli and bacteria of the ESKAPE group. In addition, we make practical recommendations for larval rearing and testing, and overcoming potential limitations of the use of the model, which facilitate intra- and interlaboratory reproducibility.

To discover new molecules or review the biological activity and toxicity of therapeutic substances, drug development, and research relies on robust biological systems to obtain reliable results. Phenotype-based screenings can transpose the organism’s compensatory pathways by adopting multi-target strategies for treating complex diseases, and zebrafish emerged as an important model for biomedical research and drug screenings. Zebrafish’s clear correlation between neuro-anatomical and physiological features and behavior is very similar to that verified in mammals, enabling the construction of reliable and relevant experimental models for neurological disorders research. Zebrafish presents highly conserved physiological pathways that are found in higher vertebrates, including mammals, along with a robust behavioral repertoire. Moreover, it is very sensitive to pharmacological/environmental manipulations, and these behavioral phenotypes are detected in both larvae and adults. These advantages align with the 3Rs concept and qualify the zebrafish as a powerful tool for drug screenings and pre-clinical trials. This review highlights important behavioral domains studied in zebrafish larvae and their neurotransmitter systems and summarizes currently used techniques to evaluate and quantify zebrafish larvae behavior in laboratory studies.

This study analyzes some of the alternatives that certain men use as a means to challenge and redefine the place hitherto occupied by the hegemonic idea of masculinity. One of the major difficulties involved in this personal and social process, both external and internal, concerns the conflict with men who cling to a monolithic idea of masculinity. Moving away from the traditional model involves confrontations in multiple senses. With a methodology based on autobiographies, we observe how five men selected for the diversity of their characteristics reconstruct their life stories and critically reflect on their bodies and their assigned, perceived, and transformed gender. Esta investigación analiza algunas de las alternativas que ciertos hombres encuentran como medio de desafío y resignificación del lugar ocupado hasta ahora por la idea hegemónica de masculinidad. Entre las dificultades de este proceso personal y social, a la vez externo e interno, resulta importante el conflicto con los hombres que se aferran a una idea monolítica de masculinidad. Alejarse del modelo tradicional comporta confrontaciones en múltiples sentidos. Con una metodología basada en algunas autobiografías, observamos cómo cinco hombres seleccionados por la diversidad de sus características reconstruyen sus historias vitales y llevan a cabo una reflexión crítica sobre sus cuerpos y su género, asignado, percibido y transformado. Esta pesquisa analisa algumas das alternativas que certos homens encontram como forma de desafiar e ressignificar o lugar ocupado até então pela ideia hegemônica de masculinidade. Entre as dificuldades desse processo pessoal e social, tanto externo quanto interno, um eixo importante ocupa o conflito com os homens que se apegam a uma ideia monolítica de masculinidade. Afastar-se do modelo tradicional envolve confrontos em múltiplos sentidos. A partir de uma metodologia baseada em algumas autobiografias, observamos como cinco homens selecionados pela diversidade de suas características reconstroem suas histórias de vida e realizam uma reflexão crítica sobre seus corpos e seu gênero (atribuído, percebido e transformado).

Immortalized hepatocyte cell lines show only a weak resemblance to primary hepatocytes in terms of gene expression and function, limiting their value in predicting drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Furthermore, primary hepatocytes cultured on two-dimensional tissue culture plastic surfaces rapidly dedifferentiate losing their hepatocyte functions and metabolic competence. We have developed a three-dimensional in vitro model using extracellular matrix-based hydrogel for long-term culture of the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. HepG2 cells cultured in this model stop proliferating, self-organize and differentiate to form multiple polarized spheroids. These spheroids re-acquire lost hepatocyte functions such as storage of glycogen, transport of bile salts and the formation of structures resembling bile canaliculi. HepG2 spheroids also show increased expression of albumin, urea, xenobiotic transcription factors, phase I and II drug metabolism enzymes and transporters. Consistent with this, cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism is significantly higher in HepG2 spheroids compared to monolayer cultures. This highly differentiated phenotype can be maintained in 384-well microtiter plates for at least 28 days. Toxicity assessment studies with this model showed an increased sensitivity in identifying hepatotoxic compounds with repeated dosing regimens. This simple and robust high-throughput-compatible methodology may have potential for use in toxicity screening assays and mechanistic studies and may represent an alternative to animal models for studying DILI.

Despite major advancements in our understanding of its fundamental causes, pain—both acute and chronic—remains a serious health concern. Various preclinical investigations utilizing diverse animal, cellular, and alternative models are required and frequently demanded by regulatory approval bodies to bridge the gap between the lab and the clinic. Investigating naturally occurring painful disorders can speed up medication development at the preclinical and clinical levels by illuminating molecular pathways. A wide range of animal models related to pain have been developed to elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms and aid in identifying novel targets for treatment. Pain sometimes drugs fail clinically, causing high translational costs due to poor selection and the use of preclinical tools and reporting. To improve the study of pain in a clinical context, researchers have been creating innovative models over the past few decades that better represent pathological pain conditions. In this paper, we provide a summary of traditional animal models, including rodents, cellular models, human volunteers, and alternative models, as well as the specific characteristics of pain diseases they model. However, a more rigorous approach to preclinical research and cutting-edge analgesic technologies may be necessary to successfully create novel analgesics. The research highlights from this review emphasize new opportunities to develop research that includes animals and non-animals using proven methods pertinent to comprehending and treating human suffering. This review highlights the value of using a variety of modern pain models in animals before human trials. These models can help us understand the different mechanisms behind various pain types. This will ultimately lead to the development of more effective pain medications.