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Depression and anxiety disorders are prevalent stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders and involve multiple molecular changes and dysfunctions across various brain regions. However, the specific and shared pathophysiological mechanisms occurring in these regions remain unclear. Previous research used a rat model of chronic mild stress (CMS) to segregate and identify depression-susceptible, anxiety-susceptible, and insusceptible groups; then the proteomes of six distinct brain regions (the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, pituitary, olfactory bulb, and striatum) were separately and quantitatively analyzed. To gain a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the molecular abnormalities, this study aimed to investigate and compare differential proteomics data from the six regions. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in between specific regions and across all regions and subjected to a series of bioinformatics analyses. Regional comparisons showed that stress-induced proteomic changes and corresponding gene ontology and pathway enrichments were largely distinct, attributable to differences in cell populations, protein compositions, and brain functions of these areas. Additionally, a notable degree of overlap in the significantly enriched terms was identified, potentially suggesting strong connections in the enrichment across different regions. Furthermore, intra-regional and inter-regional protein–protein interaction networks and drug-target-DEP networks were constructed. Integrated analysis of the three association networks in the six regions, along with the DisGeNET database, identified ten DEPs as potential targets for anti-depression/anxiety drugs. Collectively, these findings revealed commonalities and differences across different brain regions at the protein level induced by CMS, and identified several novel protein targets for the development of new therapeutics for depression and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to measure whether the regions lagging behind in the European knowledge field could get closer to the core of the Framework Programmes’ (FP) R&D network.

Abstract Background In the European Union, a disease is defined as rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2000 people. Currently, there are up to 8000 described rare diseases (RDs), collectively affecting 30 million people in the European Union. In 2004 Tuscany region (Italy) established a Regional Network of hospital units to ensure highly specialised medical care in the field of RDs. Shortly after the Rare Diseases Registry of Tuscany (Registro Toscano Malattie Rare—RTMR) was implemented. Here we describe the analysis performed on RTMR data which has recently allowed to remap the Network based on European Reference Networks’ model. Results Data analysis was performed on 60,367 cases registered in RTMR, regarding 628 RDs. Two-hundred and fifteen active presidia have been evaluated. The assignment of each RD to the suitable European Reference Network has been made considering not only the number of registered cases, certifications and treatment plans for each Regional Presidium but also the competence in multidisciplinary management of the patient, from diagnosis to treatment. This evaluation has led to the establishment of twenty-one Regional Coordination Centres. They aggregate and coordinate Hospital Units which diagnose and treat one or a group of related RDs. In case of wide groups of RDs, Clinical Subnets are instituted. Updated statistics regarding RDs in Tuscany, list of RDs and Coordination Centres, as well as information about single Presidia are published and freely available on a designated webpage. Regional Decrees are regularly updated according to the network evolution. Conclusions The Rare Diseases Regional Network in Tuscany, based on the ERN model, has played a pivotal role in enhancing RD management and research. The remapping has led to a dynamic system, following not only scientific research but also the development of Presidia’s expertise. By pooling resources and expertise, the network has improved the availability and accessibility of specialized care for patients with RDs. Collaborative efforts, data sharing, and standardized registries are crucial for advancing RD research, improving diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with RDs.

Copyright of Economic & Regional Studies/Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In the European Union, a disease is defined as rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2000 people. Currently, there are up to 8000 described rare diseases (RDs), collectively affecting 30 million people in the European Union. In 2004 Tuscany region (Italy) established a Regional Network of hospital units to ensure highly specialised medical care in the field of RDs. Shortly after the Rare Diseases Registry of Tuscany (Registro Toscano Malattie Rare—RTMR) was implemented. Here we describe the analysis performed on RTMR data which has recently allowed to remap the Network based on European Reference Networks' model. Results: Data analysis was performed on 60,367 cases registered in RTMR, regarding 628 RDs. Two-hundred and fifteen active presidia have been evaluated. The assignment of each RD to the suitable European Reference Network has been made considering not only the number of registered cases, certifications and treatment plans for each Regional Presidium but also the competence in multidisciplinary management of the patient, from diagnosis to treatment. This evaluation has led to the establishment of twenty-one Regional Coordination Centres. They aggregate and coordinate Hospital Units which diagnose and treat one or a group of related RDs. In case of wide groups of RDs, Clinical Subnets are instituted. Updated statistics regarding RDs in Tuscany, list of RDs and Coordination Centres, as well as information about single Presidia are published and freely available on a designated webpage. Regional Decrees are regularly updated according to the network evolution. Conclusions: The Rare Diseases Regional Network in Tuscany, based on the ERN model, has played a pivotal role in enhancing RD management and research. The remapping has led to a dynamic system, following not only scientific research but also the development of Presidia's expertise. By pooling resources and expertise, the network has improved the availability and accessibility of specialized care for patients with RDs. Collaborative efforts, data sharing, and standardized registries are crucial for advancing RD research, improving diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with RDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries frequently use health technology assessment (HTA) to set priorities for introducing new interventions or evaluating existing interventions; however, applying the tool effectively is heavily dependent on a country's resources and capacity. Infrastructure and data, technical expertise, broad stakeholder involvement, and financial support are required to improve HTA processes. In the Asia-Pacific, HTAsiaLink was established to facilitate this practice, but strengthening and legitimizing this organization are needed to maximize its potential to support HTA institutionalization in the region. To realize this objective, HTAsiaLink can serve as a center of excellence while providing experiential learning and sharing information. As a learning hub, HTAsiaLink can share resources-particularly data-that can contribute to joint HTAs as done in the European Union and strengthen capacity in countries needing to develop their HTA expertise.

Background and Objectives: The management of complex upper limb arthroplasty has received national guidelines supporting the use of a regional network. An upper limb network was established for both elbow and shoulder arthroplasty. This study evaluates the impact of establishing this network over a 5-year period., Methods: Data were collected from network meetings from June 2017 to December 2022. Hospital-level National Joint Registry data were obtained for analysis of case volume., Results: A total of 243 cases were discussed. Network discussion changed the management plan in 53% of cases. Only 8% of cases required transfer to the tertiary center. The proportional caseload at either hub or spoke hospitals did not change after creation of the network., Discussion: Regional network discussion aids decision-making for complex cases, with further management options realized in over half of the cases presented. The discussion allowed every patient to gain the advantage of regional expertise while being managed conveniently at their local hospital., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Abstract Background The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on infant feeding in the context of COVID-19 uphold standing recommendations for breastfeeding, non-separation, and skin-to-skin contact, including the use of donor human milk when mother’s own milk is not available. Insufficient guidance on the use of donor human milk and the role of human milk banks in the pandemic response COVID-19 clinical management guidelines in seven countries in Southeast Asia are not aligned with WHO recommendations despite the lack of evidence of transmission through either breastmilk or breastfeeding. The use of safe donor human milk accessed through human milk banks is also insufficiently recommended, even in countries with an existing human milk bank, leading to a gap in evidence-based management of COVID-19. This highlights long-standing challenges as well as opportunities in the safe, equitable, and resilient implementation of human milk banks in the region. Conclusions This statement reflects the expert opinion of the Regional Human Milk Bank Network for Southeast Asia and Beyond on the need to revisit national guidelines based on the best evidence for breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic, to incorporate human milk bank services in national obstetric and newborn care guidelines for COVID-19 where possible, and to ensure that operations of human milk banks are adapted to meet the needs of the current pandemic and to sustain donor human milk supply in the long-term. The Network also recommends sustained engagement with the global human milk bank community.

One of the consequences of the instability of Settlement System in local- regional spaces is the functional - spatial disability of rural and urban settlements in the in creating the settlement connection through a effective spatial network. In many of the geographical areas in the country, the patterns of economic activity based settlement system network is formed that due to negligence of the cognition and analysis of structural-functional of this local networks, urban and rural settlements instability is escalated. in the rural areas of Hashtrood and Charoymaq (macro-region of Azerbaijan), the local-regional network is creating, based on the production and processing of milk products. For cognition and structural -functional analysis of this product in settlements relationships and spatial flows, 119 dairy workhouses, 269 rural settlements and 5 urban settlements was evaluated. The research method of this research is the combination of descriptive – analytical Data sampling method was the snowball method and data analyzed through NodeXL and GIS software. The results showed that relationships and flows of the milk production network in the hurdles in realm faced the barrier and in Reciprocity extra-regional centers is interactive and complementary. Based on the reciprocital of relations, Degree centrality, Between ness centrality and Eigenvector centrality of the Bostan Abad city outside the studied areas recognized as the main node in the network structure of the studied region’s milk and following this, was the urban centers of Tabriz, Maragheh, Ghareaghaj and Hashtrood and ganjine ketab rural with a significant difference. Sustainable pattern of local-regional network in the mentioned metropolitan area can be achieved with modification in the functional structure of urban and rural settlements through the functional allocation of activities and

This work, which is originally the result of a professional master's research, aims to analyze and systematize the achievements and challenges of the Family Farming Schools (EFA’s) linked to the Network of Integrated Farming Schools of the Semiarid (REFAISA). This network develops the pedagogy of alternation through basic education (elementary school II) and high school professional, having twenty-five years of experience in the Brazilian Semiarid (SAB). The methodological approach was based on qualitative research and action research mediated by participatory methodologies as tools for problematization and data collection from June 2017 to June 2018, with the subjects and social groups of Sobradinho's EFA's, Correntina, Macaúbas sprouts, Rio Real, Irará, Alagoinhas and Monte Santo, in the state of Bahia, and Ladeirinhas (Japoatã), state of Sergipe. Advances are evidenced in the formation of adolescents and young people in connection with the territories and their complexities, and in the promotion of Contextualized Education in Alternation with its pedagogical instruments that guide the integral formation of the subjects. In addition to the importance of networking through REFAISA, which has enabled the pedagogical advice and institutional policy of affiliated EFA's. The main challenge is the guarantee and maintenance of the public financing of the EFA's and their institutionality as public policy of the State and not of government.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on infant feeding in the context of COVID-19 uphold standing recommendations for breastfeeding, non-separation, and skin-to-skin contact, including the use of donor human milk when mother's own milk is not available. Insufficient guidance on the use of donor human milk and the role of human milk banks in the pandemic response: COVID-19 clinical management guidelines in seven countries in Southeast Asia are not aligned with WHO recommendations despite the lack of evidence of transmission through either breastmilk or breastfeeding. The use of safe donor human milk accessed through human milk banks is also insufficiently recommended, even in countries with an existing human milk bank, leading to a gap in evidence-based management of COVID-19. This highlights long-standing challenges as well as opportunities in the safe, equitable, and resilient implementation of human milk banks in the region. Conclusions: This statement reflects the expert opinion of the Regional Human Milk Bank Network for Southeast Asia and Beyond on the need to revisit national guidelines based on the best evidence for breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic, to incorporate human milk bank services in national obstetric and newborn care guidelines for COVID-19 where possible, and to ensure that operations of human milk banks are adapted to meet the needs of the current pandemic and to sustain donor human milk supply in the long-term. The Network also recommends sustained engagement with the global human milk bank community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition of hospital care to primary care is one of the mainstays of national health care policy in the Netherlands. This paper presents the results of a successful initiative to establish a regional community-based wound care network in the Zwolle region of the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a regional dynamic traffic assignment framework for macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) models that explicitly accounts for trip length distributions. The proposed framework considers stochasticity on both the trip lengths and the regional mean speed. Consequently, we can define utility functions to assess the cost on alternatives, depending on which terms are considered stochastic. We propose a numerical resolution scheme based on Monte Carlo simulations and use the method of successive averages to solve the network equilibrium. Based on our test scenarios, we show that the variability of trip lengths inside the regions cannot be neglected. Moreover, it is also important to consider the stochasticity on the regional mean speeds to account for correlation between regional paths. We also discuss an implementation of the proposed dynamic traffic assignment framework on the sixth district of the Lyon network, where trip lengths are explicitly calculated. The traffic states are modeled by considering the accumulation-based MFD model. The results highlight the influence of the variability of trip lengths on the predicted traffic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We propose a methodology for tuning trip lengths for multi-regional MFD-based applications. • This methodology requires a set of virtual trips and city network partitioning. • We show that a single average trip length is not representative of all possible trip lengths within one region. • We propose a procedure to calibrate trip lengths according to updated regional Origin-Destination matrices. • We show that tuning trip lengths clearly modifies traffic dynamics in regions. Abstract The calibration of trip lengths is an important challenge for multi-regional MFD-based applications, as it can influence the dynamics of regional densities (and speeds). Existing research has not paid significant attention in the topic, giving opportunities for answering some fundamental questions. In this paper, we propose an original methodology to explicitly determine trip length distributions based on a subset of trips in the city network and its partitioning. Since the full description of all realized trips is difficult to estimate for a large city network, we propose to define a set of virtual trips corresponding to a full coverage of potential local origin-destination pairs and shortest-paths in distance. We investigate how different levels of information can influence the accuracy of the multi-regional dynamic MFD-based models, through the estimated trip length distributions. This information ranges from regional trip lengths without any information of origin, destination, previous or next regions up to the specific regional path associated to each trip. We test this methodology on a simulated environment with a significant amount of real information for a network with 757 links that corresponds to the 6th district of Lyon. We first provide guidance on how to properly define the set of virtual trips. We show that a single average trip length is not representative of all possible trip lengths estimated by the most detailed levels of information for one region. We also highlight that the first level of information assigns similar trip lengths for regional paths that are composed by the same regions, but in a reverse ordered sequence. Nevertheless, this is not the case for the most detailed levels of information since they capture the directed links city network topology. We propose a procedure to update the trip lengths when an update of the regional Origin-Destination matrix changes, without a need for a full recalculation. We also investigate the influence of the trip length tuning on the traffic dynamics of the regional network. The traffic states are modeled by a trip-based MFD model. We show that the setting of the trip lengths influences the traffic dynamics in the regions. Moreover, the traffic conditions predicted by the two most detailed levels of information are close. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on Neil Whitehead's work in northern South America, this article considers the formations of two different deep-forest regional networks. Though these Amerindian spaces have origins in the precolonial past, this article analyses their shaping in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a period when they were invaded by colonial agents. There were other regional systems along the course of the Amazon and its many tributaries that were a part of a similar historical process of refounding identities and claims on land and people involving challenges to leadership and political organization. Following Hal Langfur, we can term this general making of spaces a re-territorialization. Critical social relations include those between Amerindian ethnic entities and their leaders, soldiers, and missionaries. This article focuses on a key spatial relation between Amerindian settlements and the mission, or partially colonized village, which had an indirect or direct contact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A regional network of microgrids includes a cluster of microgrids located in a neighbourhood area connecting together through power lines. In this study, the problem of operation management of networked‐microgrids is considered. The main goal is to develop an efficient strategy to control local operation of each microgrid including the amount of energy to be requested from the main grid and the optimal charging/discharging patterns of batteries along with the transferred power among microgrids considering system's technical constraints. Accounting for system uncertainty due to the presence of renewable energy sources and variability of loads, the problem is formulated in the framework of chance‐constrained model predictive control. Moreover, the Monte Carlo algorithm is adopted to generate discrete random scenarios to evaluate the solutions. Simulation studies have been exemplarily carried out in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annales Françaises de Médecine d'Urgence is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Blood products are used for patient treatment and survival in the cases of major surgery, hematological disorders or cancer therapy. Presently the main blood components are not yet replaceable by artificial products and all activities related to blood transfusion is highly dependent on the healthcare development of each country. The World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR) comprises of 21 member states with variable socio-economic status effective on blood transfusion activities. The fundamental motivation behind this research was to accumulate some data of blood practices in this region and to have an appropriate image of the WHO-EMR region. Material and methods The data were collected through the published papers or data, blood transfusion services websites, and the other health official websites like WHO. Results Among WHO-EMR countries there are some with a nationally organized blood transfusion establishment such as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, and Syria. In a few, blood transfusion administrations are hospital-based like Saudi Arabia. The others are run by Red Crescent such as Bahrain, Tunisia and UEA or by Red Cross like Lebanon. Only Iran and UAE succeed to have 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donors; however, most of them are still under the weight of family/replacement blood donation such as Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Sudan or even paid donors like Pakistan and Yemen. The haemovigilance and training programs have been implemented in some countries including Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and UAE. Unfortunately, there are rare and inaccessible information about some EMR states like Djibouti, Palestine and Somalia so that little data can be independently discovered. Conclusion In these countries different measures ought to be additionally designated to ensure blood products adequacy and safety such as the development of well-coordinated national blood transfusion centers with the increased government commitment, the establishment of a well-organized system for voluntary non-remunerated blood donor recruitment, the establishment of well-equipped laboratories for screening donor samples for transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) for at least mandatory tests recommended by WHO, the implementation of an educational/training program for professionals working in the blood transfusion establishments or hospitals, the regular audit on the quality and the integrity of the blood transfusion chain, and the development of a regional network of collaboration to bolster the neighboring nations in the EMR through effective communication tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health has substantially improved over the past 20 years. In low- and middle-income countries, in particular, great strives have been made in the control of communicable diseases, including helminth infections. Nevertheless, the most marginalised communities still suffer from infectious diseases that are intimately connected with poverty and lack of access to essential commodities and services, such as clean water, improved sanitation and sufficient food. A two-pronged approach is thus necessary: (i) intensifying control in remaining high-endemicity areas and pockets of high transmission; and (ii) moving from morbidity control to interruption of disease transmission in low-endemicity areas with the goal of local elimination. The latter will require new tools and strategies, going hand-in-hand with strong partnerships and new strategic alliances. In this special issue of Acta Tropica , 35 articles are featured that, together, provide an up-to-date overview of the latest progress made in research, control and elimination of helminth infections in East and Southeast Asia. The first 12 articles expound tools and approaches for improved detection, surveillance and monitoring of helminth infections. Control and elimination approaches for the most important helminth infections are revisited in the next 20 articles. The three remaining articles are cross-cutting pieces examining the interface of agriculture, environment and helminth infections and providing a rationale for integrated, multi-sectorial control approaches that are necessary for sustaining helminthiasis control and progressively moving towards elimination. An interesting aspect revealed through an in-depth analysis of the provenance of the 35 contributions is that the People's Republic of China emerges as a key player in global health, which is documented through its prominent role in research and control of helminth infection and networking throughout Asia. Policy implications are discussed and will hopefully shape the future agenda for the control and elimination of helminth infections the world over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall aim of the Regional Network for Asian Schistosomiasis and other Helminth Zoonoses (RNAS + ) is to strengthen collaboration between control authorities in the regional, endemic countries. The network has provided critical research input during its 12 years of existence developing gradually from a small forum for information exchange. RNAS + now provides advice on regional strategies regularly and contributes to the mobilization of resources with respect to multi-country projects on several parasitic diseases in Southeast Asia, primarily schistosomiasis but also other helminth infections including polyparasitism. To make progress towards these goals, RNAS + has focused on platform design and technical standardization aiming at fostering research capacity and the development of networking capacities with easy access to information databases. This administrative body is largely virtual connecting RNAS + members via the Internet, providing database and administrative back-up. This strategy, aiming at boosting research on the target diseases, strongly emphasizes ways and means to alleviate the spectre of disease and poverty from the endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Reported survival of Wilms tumour in sub-Saharan Africa is below 50%. A published International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) consensus adapted treatment guideline is implemented as a multi-centre prospective clinical trial at eight centres in sub-Saharan Africa. A baseline evaluation has been done to help decide on priorities to improve outcome and to assess improvements over time. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of patients admitted with Wilms tumour in the three years (2011–2013) preceding the collaborative trial. Patient outcome at the end of treatment was documented for all patients diagnosed in 2011 and 2012. Outcome was classified as (1) alive, no evidence of disease; (2) alive with disease; (3) died during treatment and (4) incomplete treatment. Details on treatment facilities, staff and estimated cost of treatment are documented. Results Every year 114–130 patients are diagnosed. The mean survival at end of treatment is 39% (69/176) ranging from 11% to 61%. Incomplete treatment is the most common cause of treatment failure with 31% (54/176), ranging from 14% to 48% between centres. Twenty-six percent (46/176) of patients died during treatment, ranging from 13% to 37%. Estimated cost of treatment for parents ranged from 100 US$ to 1100 US$ and was considered an important cause of failure to complete treatment. Conclusion Overall two year survival is estimated at 25%. Prevention of incomplete treatment is possible and will positively affect outcome. Sharing similar local challenges in this regional collaborative project helps to identify and implement feasible, sustainable and successful strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observation weighting is an essential component of GPS stochastic modeling and plays a key role in reliable outlier detection and parameter estimation. Nowadays, satellite elevation angle and SNR are used as quality indicators for GPS phase measurements in high-accuracy geodetic applications. In comparison with elevation-dependent models, SNR-based weighting schemes represent the reality better, but usually require greater implementation efforts. Relying upon a representative analysis of empirical SNR-based weights, this paper proposes the elevation-dependent exponential weighting function EXPZ, which benefits from realistic SNR-based weights and enables easy software implementation. To process GPS data from a regional network, this advanced weighting scheme is implemented in the Bernese GPS Software 5.0 and is compared with the conventional elevation-dependent COSZ model in terms of phase ambiguity resolution, troposphere parameter (TRP) estimation, and site coordinate determination. The results show that the proposed EXPZ model significantly attenuates the downweighting effects on low-elevation observations and improves the success rates of ambiguity resolution by about 10%, the standard deviations of site-specific TRPs by about 40%, and the repeatability of daily coordinate estimates by up to 2.3 mm (50%). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]