Search

Road safety training programs are commonly used to raise awareness of risky attitudes and behaviours. The evaluation of road safety education courses aimed at children is carried out with some assiduity. However, this does not usually occur in courses aimed at young people and adults. The present systematic review aims to identify studies that evaluate the effectiveness of road safety training programs in this population group. This systematic review followed the PRISMA methodology, by which the relevant articles based on the research term were identified. A total number of 1,336 indexed articles were filtered, and a final selection of 22 articles directly addressing the issue was obtained. Search strategies were developed and conducted in WOS, Scopus, NCBI, Google Scholar and APA databases. The selected articles indicate that the effects of road safety training programs in adults are mild to moderate. Their effectiveness is substantially increased when they are aimed at improving risk perception and decision making rather than training in driving skills. In any case, more evaluations of these courses are needed to identify which tools are effective and which should be replaced by new behaviour modification methods in the design of future driver education programs.

Glutaminase is considered as the main glutamate producer enzyme in brain. Consequently, the enzyme is essential for both glutamatergic and gabaergic transmissions. Glutamine-derived glutamate and ammonia, the products of glutaminase reaction, fulfill crucial roles in energy metabolism and in the biosynthesis of basic metabolites, such as GABA, proteins and glutathione. However, glutamate and ammonia are also hazardous compounds and danger lurks in their generation beyond normal physiological thresholds; hence, glutaminase activity must be carefully regulated in the mammalian brain. The differential distribution and regulation of glutaminase are key factors to modulate the metabolism of glutamate and glutamine in brain. The discovery of novel isoenzymes, protein interacting partners and subcellular localizations indicate new functions for brain glutaminase. In this short review, we summarize recent findings that point consistently towards glutaminase as a multifaceted protein able to perform different tasks. Finally, we will highlight the involvement of glutaminase in pathological states and its consideration as a potential therapeutic target.

The semiconductor tracker (SCT) is one of the tracking systems for charged particles in the ATLAS detector. It consists of 4088 silicon strip sensor modules. During Run 2 (2015-2018) the Large Hadron Collider delivered an integrated luminosity of 156 fb−1 to the ATLAS experiment at a centre-of-mass proton-proton collision energy of 13 TeV. The instantaneous luminosity and pile-up conditions were far in excess of those assumed in the original design of the SCT detector. Due to improvements to the data acquisition system, the SCT operated stably throughout Run 2. It was available for 99.9% of the integrated luminosity and achieved a data-quality efficiency of 99.85%. Detailed studies have been made of the leakage current in SCT modules and the evolution of the full depletion voltage, which are used to study the impact of radiation damage to the modules.

Abstract Background Only few studies with small experimental samples investigated the impact of psychoactive substances on driving performance. We conducted a multicenter international cross-sectional study to evaluate the correlation between alcohol use and driving-related skill as measured by brake reaction time (RT). Methods Before and after the entrance into randomly selected recreational sites from six European countries, all subjects aged 16-35 years, owning a driver license, were asked to compile a structured socio-demographic questionnaire and measure RT (SimuNomad3 driving simulator), breath alcohol concentration (BAC; Drager Alcoltest), and drug use (Oratect III saliva test, only at the exit). Mixed regression modeling was used to evaluate the independent association between RT and alcohol concentration or drug use. Results Before the entrance into the recreational site, 4534 subjects completed all assessments and composed the final sample. Their mean age was 23.1 ± 4.2y; 68.3% were males; 54.7% had BAC > 0 g/L (assumed alcoholics); 7.5% declared illegal drug assumption (mostly cannabis). After the exit, 3019 also completed the second assessment: 71.7% showed BAC > 0 g/L. Controlling for age, gender, educational level, occupation, driver license years, and drug use, BAC was positively associated with RT, achieving significance, however, only when BAC was higher than 0.49 g/L. Significant interaction terms were found between BAC and female gender or drug use, with highest RTs (> 1 sec.) recorded among drug users with BAC > = 1 g/L. Conclusions This field study confirms previous experimental data on the negative impact of alcohol use on driving-related skill, supporting regulations and educational campaigns aimed at discouraging driving after consumption of psychoactive substances.

Abstract Background Young individuals are the age group with the highest risk of car accidents. One of main explanations relies on the use of psychoactive substances (alcohol, illegal and medicinal drugs), which are known to be major risk factors of road accidents, and whose consumption is almost universally more common among younger drivers. Although the correlation between psychoactive substances use and decrease in driving performance has been established in controlled experimental or laboratory settings, few studies were conducted in naturalistic circumstances. The TEND by Night project has been designed to evaluate the relationship between driving performance and psychoactive substances assumption in young drivers enrolled at typical places of consumption. Methods/Design The TEND by Night project, endorsed by the European Commission, is a multidisciplinary, multi-centric, cross-sectional study conducted in six European countries (Italy, Belgium/Netherlands, Bulgaria, Spain, Poland and Latvia). The study population consists of 5000 young drivers aged 16-34 years, attending recreational sites during weekend nights. The intervention is based on the portal survey technique and includes several steps at the entrance and exit of selected sites, including the administration of semi-structured questionnaires, breath alcohol test, several drug assumption test, and measurement of the reaction time using a driving simulator. The main outcome is the difference in reaction time between the entrance and exit of the recreation site, and its correlation with psychoactive substances use. As a secondary outcome it will be explored the relationship between reaction time difference and the amount of consumption of each substance. All analyses will be multivariate. Discussion The project methodology should provide some relevant advantages over traditional survey systems. The main strengths of the study include the large and multicentric sample, the objective measurement of substance assumption (which is typically self-reported), the application of a portal survey technique and the simultaneous evaluation of several psychoactive substances.

Background: The driver's license point-based system is a preventive measure for penalizing offenses committed by drivers with the aim of reducing road accidents, which has been applied in a large number of countries to date. The aim of this systematic review was to examine a set of studies that analyze the effectiveness of point-based licensing in relation to the reduction of road accidents, as well as its impact on other variables documented in the scientific literature. Method: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for reports published between date of database inception and September 2023. The review process was conducted following the PRISMA recommendations and requirements. This procedure acquired 26 items that met the eligibility requirements of the study. Results: It is noted that point-based driving licenses are beneficial for road safety as they discourage drivers from committing infractions or risky behaviors and, consequently, contribute significantly to reducing road accident rates in the regions where they are applied. Specifically, metaanalysis indicate that point-based driving license reduced, as an overall, around 21% the negative outcomes related to traffic, 10% fatalities, and 9% non-fatal injuries. In addition, it is identified that users value the measure positively, and perceive that its purpose is to raise awareness and improve road safety, rather than its sanctioning or collecting role. Conclusions: The findings support the implementation and expansion of the point-based license system in more countries around the world as a valuable strategy to reduce traffic accidents and promote a safer driving culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutaminase controls the first step in glutaminolysis, impacting bioenergetics, biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Two isoenzymes exist in humans, GLS and GLS2. GLS is considered prooncogenic and overexpressed in many tumours, while GLS2 may act as prooncogenic or as a tumour suppressor. Glioblastoma cells usually lack GLS2 while they express high GLS. We investigated how GLS2 expression modifies the metabolism of glioblastoma cells, looking for changes that may explain GLS2's potential tumour suppressive role. We developed LN-229 glioblastoma cells stably expressing GLS2 and performed isotope tracing using U-13C-glutamine and metabolomic quantification to analyze metabolic changes. Treatment with GLS inhibitor CB-839 was also included to concomitantly inhibit endogenous GLS. GLS2 overexpression resulted in extensive metabolic changes, altering the TCA cycle by upregulating part of the cycle but blocking the synthesis of the 6-carbon intermediates from acetyl-CoA. Expression of GLS2 caused downregulation of PDH activity through phosphorylation of S293 of PDHA1. GLS2 also altered nucleotide levels and induced the accumulation of methylated metabolites and S-adenosyl methionine. These changes suggest that GLS2 may be a key regulator linking glutamine and glucose metabolism, also impacting nucleotides and epigenetics. Future research should ascertain the mechanisms involved and the generalizability of these findings in cancer or physiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accurate alignment of Toric Intraocular Lens (T-IOLs) in cataract surgery is crucial for good visual outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of rotation, axial shift and their combined effects on the refractive error and image quality of a wide range of T-IOL powers (from +1.50 D to +6.00 D cylinder) and two pupil diameters (3.34 and 4.44 mm). Methods: Numerical ray tracing was utilized to quantify the residual error. Simulated retinal images and Visual Strehl (VS) ratios were calculated to evaluate image quality. Results: First, T-IOL rotation showed better agreement with Holladay's formula than 3.33% rule. Second, axial displacement resulted in acceptable residual cylinder (<0.50 D) across all examined cylinder powers. Third, concerning the combined effects, the influence of axial shift on residual cylinder becomes negligible when rotation errors exceed 2.5°. Fourth, a pupil-dependent nonlinear relationship was noted for image quality caused by both types of misalignment factors. Conclusions: The 3.33% rule was confirmed as a reasonable approximation for the residual astigmatism caused by rotation of T-IOLs. The influence of axial shift on residual astigmatism becomes insignificant when there is also rotation. Image quality studies confirm that 30° of rotation are enough invalidate the compensation benefits of a T-IOLs in comparison with a Spherical Intraocular lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intraepithelial lymphocytes are the first line of defence of the human intestinal immune system. Besides, their composition is altered on patients with coeliac disease (CD), so they are considered as biomarkers with utility on their diagnose and/or monitoring. Our aim is to address their variability through the human gastrointestinal tract in health and characterized them in further depth in the coeliac duodenum. Methods: Intraepithelial lymphocytes were isolated from human gastric, duodenal, ileal and colonic biopsies, then stained with specific antibodies and acquired by flow cytometry. Results: Our results confirmed that the profile of Intraepithelial lymphocytes change through the length of the human gastrointestinal tract. Besides and given the central role that Interleukin‐15 (IL‐15) elicits on CD pathogenesis; we also assessed the expression of its receptor revealing that there was virtually no functional IL‐15 receptor on duodenal Intraepithelial lymphocytes. Nevertheless and contrary to our expectations, the active IL‐15 receptor was not increased either on Intraepithelial lymphocytes from CD patients. Conclusions: IL‐15 might require additional stimulus to activate intraepithelial lymphocytes. These findings may provide novel tools to aid on a CD diagnosis and/or monitoring, at the time that provide the bases to perform functional studies in order of getting a deeper insight in the specific function that Intraepithelial lymphocytes elicit on CD pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are known to affect many ovarian cell functions. CuNPs, prepared using a chemical reduction method, were fully characterized by different means (TEM, DLS, XRD, Z potential, XPS, and AES). The resulting colloidal suspension contained needle-like CuNPs aggregates made of a core of metallic copper and an oxidized surface of Cu2O and CuO. The separate and coupled effects of CuNPs and the growth factor betacellulin (BTC) were analyzed on the control of some basic functions of ovarian cells. With this purpose, porcine ovarian granulosa cells, together with CuNPs, BTC, and both (CuNPs + BTC), were cultured. Viability and BrDU tests, quantitative immunocytochemistry, TUNEL, and ELISA were used to evaluate markers of the S-phase (PCNA) and G-phase (cyclin B1) of the cell cycle, cell proliferation (BrDU incorporation), cytoplasmic/mitochondrial apoptosis (bax) and extrinsic (nuclear DNA fragmentation) markers, and the release of estradiol and progesterone. CuNPs were accumulated within the cells and were found to reduce all the markers of proliferation, but promoted all the markers of apoptosis and the release of steroid hormones. When added alone, BTC raised the expression of all cell viability and proliferation markers, depleted the expression of all apoptosis markers, and stimulated the release of both estradiol and progesterone. Furthermore, BTC prevented and even reversed the effect of CuNPs on all the measured parameters, whereas CuNPs mitigated BTC's effect on all the analyzed cell functions. These results support a direct toxic effect of CuNPs and a stimulatory effect of BTC on ovarian cell functions, as well as the capability of BTC to protect against the adverse effects of CuNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]