Developing a Personalized Integrative Obesity-Coaching Program: A Systems Health Perspective

Current obesity management strategies are failing to achieve sustainable and favorable long-term results. We propose a more personalized, dynamic, and systemic perspective on the interactions of key determinants and coaching advice on obesity. The aim of this study was to use a systems view on overweight, complexity science, and a transdisciplinary process to develop a five-year personalized integrative obesity-coaching and research program. Managers, medical specialists, clinical psychologists, dieticians, physical- and psychomotor therapists, and lifestyle coaches aligned their perspectives and objectives with experts in systems thinking and systems biology. A systems health model of obesity was used to identify the causal relations of variables with the most influence on obesity. The model helped to align and design a personalized integrative obesity-coaching program and to identify the key variables to monitor the progress and to adjust the personalized program, depending on the goals and needs of the participant. It was decided to use subtyping of participants by a systems biologist, based on traditional Chinese medicine symptoms, as a novel method to personalize the intervention. The collaborative transdisciplinary approach based upon a systems view on obesity was successful in developing a personalized and adaptive five-year obesity-coaching and research program.

Integrating gene expression and clinical data to identify drug repurposing candidates for hyperlipidemia and hypertension

Discovering novel uses for existing drugs, through drug repurposing, can reduce the time, costs, and risk of failure associated with new drug development. However, prioritizing drug repurposing candidates for downstream studies remains challenging. Here, we present a high-throughput approach to identify and validate drug repurposing candidates. This approach integrates human gene expression, drug perturbation, and clinical data from publicly available resources. We apply this approach to find drug repurposing candidates for two diseases, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. We screen >21,000 compounds and replicate ten approved drugs. We also identify 25 (seven for hyperlipidemia, eighteen for hypertension) drugs approved for other indications with therapeutic effects on clinically relevant biomarkers. For five of these drugs, the therapeutic effects are replicated in the All of Us Research Program database. We anticipate our approach will enable researchers to integrate multiple publicly available datasets to identify high priority drug repurposing opportunities for human diseases.

The Uncertain Future of Antarctica’s Melting Ice

A new multidisciplinary, international research program aims to tackle one of the grand challenges in climate science: resolving the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s contribution to future sea level rise.

Computational and experimental simulation to analyze loss in concrete cover by reinforcement deformation in solid slabs

ABSTRACT Adequate cover thickness contributes to the correct performance of reinforced concrete structures. Spacers are recommended in standards to maintain a concrete cover; however, many regulations do not provide sufficient guidelines for their use, resulting in poor construction. A research program was developed for solid slabs through computational and experimental simulations to minimize errors in the cover by assessing different reinforcement bar diameters and spacer distribution, considering realistic element construction and standards, combining theory with practice. The results show that the use of spacers does not guarantee the design cover for some reinforcement bar diameters, as 4.2 and 5.0 mm, and regardless of the spacer distribution configuration assessed, these meshes undergo permanent deformation, thereby damaging the cover and consequently impact structural performance. Meshes of 6.3 and 8.0 mm diameters present deformation within the cover tolerance. Therefore, it is preferable to choose bigger diameters and larger mesh spacing to guarantee the projected cover, contributing to the correct performance of the structures, solving one of the major problems in this type of construction.

Laboratoř neuropsychologie Neurologické kliniky 1. LF UK

The Laboratory of Neuropsychology (LN)—Jiří Diamant Neuropsychological Laboratory—is a generic base for research and teaching of clinical and experimental neuropsychology in close connection with clinical neuroscience research and postgraduate studies in neuroscience and medical psychology and psychopathology at the Department of Neurology. The LN provides medical services and participates in teaching and research as required by the Head of the Dept. of Neurology. The LN is a base for collaboration with external departments, especially in the areas of clinical and medical psychology, health psychology, brain imaging, neurosurgery, and psychopharmacology. The research program of the LN is mainly devoted to the neuropsychology of neurodegenerative diseases and the development of neuropsychological tools for the assessment of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Exploring the Future of Food, Land, and Water Systems

This document is one of a collection of three working papers and a synthesis brief edited by Steven Prager and Keith Wiebe and prepared as part of foresight-related research supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM). This synthesis brief and the three working papers, along with other related materials, are intended to provide a forward-looking perspective on key issues to support discussion on food, land, and water systems transformation.

Strategic Foresight in the One CGIAR: Gaps and Needs in Approaches and Capacity

This document is part of a series of working papers, produced as part of foresight-related research supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and intended to provide a focused, forward-looking perspective on key issues to support discussion on food, land, and water systems transformation. This is a special edition of the series, based on the cumulative experiences of the CGIAR Foresight Community of Practice and recent One CGIAR Initiative development activities. This version is shared for discussion and comment. A final version will be made available at http://foresight.cgiar.org.