Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

This article investigates the role of women scientists in the Republic of Armenia, specifying their involvement and impact on the scientific community. The study is conducted from the dual perspective of biographical data (regarding age, title, academic position) and bibliometric data (regarding publications produced and respective citations). Through the lists provided by the Armenian Higher Education and Science Committee (HESC) and compiled by the Center for Scientific Information Analysis and Monitoring (CSIAM), academic biographical information on female scientists working in research organizations/institutions in the Republic of Armenia was identified. In addition, bibliometric data on the respective publications and citations were collected using the Web of Science database. Armenian women scientists make up nearly 52% of researchers in Armenia, significantly exceeding the global average of 30%. They are primarily engaged in the humanities and social sciences, chemistry, medicine and biology. While the number of women holding Ph.D. degrees has increased, women scientists with the title of so-called doctor of science still remain a minority. Women are underrepresented in leading scientific positions (heads of departments, laboratories, institutions, etc.,). The number of WoS Core Collection publications by women scientists in Armenia has increased almost ninefold since 1991 and women have (co-) authored almost 27% of the totality of publications. Women scientists mostly published their articles as members of research teams. This investigation can help to understand the overall development of the role and share of women scientists in Armenia and, by analogy, also in different corners of the world.

PurposeWith the introduction of the new governmental programme, the Finnish Government targets to increase physical activity across all age groups. To accomplish this goal, a comprehensive cross-administrative initiative called the 'Get Finland Moving' programme has been initiated, aiming to promote physically active lifestyles. The program is grounded in phenomenon-based thinking and leveraging a thorough evaluation of the branches within each of the 12 Ministries. This evaluation assessed each Ministrýs relationships, roles, and opportunities to promote physical activity within society.Project or policy descriptionOver the past years, Finland has developed a comprehensive, well-managed package dedicated to promoting physical activity across all age groups. The 'Get Finland Moving' programme is poised to further fortify and expand the cross-administrative initiatives aimed at increasing physical activity. The government executes the action plan through various measures, such as reinforcing physically active practices in early childhood education, schools, and educational institutes. Additionally, integrating physical activity into the development of work ability and workplaces is a key focus. Steps will be taken to enhance physical activity promotion skills and competence in different educational sectors, including healthcare, social welfare, and education sciences. Efforts will also be directed towards improving lifestyle counselling and physical activity guidance in municipalities and well-being service counties.Furthermore, initiatives include adding a ball to the maternity pack and increasing the provision of advice on physical activity for families at maternity and child health clinics. The promotion of physically active lifestyles will be incorporated into the Act on Primary and Lower Secondary Education, as well as in the reform of land use legislation. Additionally, measures involve exploring and evaluating options for promoting physical activity through taxation and examining the feasibility of guaranteeing a subjective right to outdoor recreation for older people.ConclusionOne distinctive aspect of the programme is its management and monitoring at the government level, with measures intricately aligned with the diverse administrative branches of various ministries. Another noteworthy feature involves a meticulous analysis of how different administrative branches are connected to the promotion of physical activity.

To evaluate pneumatization and opacification of the temporal bone on computed tomography (CT) images in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Retrospective case-control study. Tertiary referral center. Fifteen patients with PCD (30 ears) and 45 age-matched individuals without PCD (90 ears) as controls. Diagnostic only. Quantification of mastoid air cells in the PCD and control groups and comparison between them. Degree of middle ear opacification on CT images of the temporal bone in the PCD group. The volume of the mastoid air cells was 30% smaller in the PCD group than in the control group ( p < 0.05). The suppression ratio, which is defined to indicate how much the average volume of mastoid air cells in the PCD group is suppressed relative to the control group, was 64% lower in the PCD group ( p < 0.05). Opacification was noted in 47% of the mastoid air cells and 63% of the tympanic cavity on CT images of the temporal bone in the PCD group, which were significantly higher frequencies than in the control group (1.1% and 1.1%, respectively). Compared with individuals without PCD, those with PCD showed a significantly smaller volume of mastoid air cells and a significantly higher frequency of opacification of mastoid air cells and tympanic cavity on temporal bone CT. Otitis media raises suspicion for PCD, and the otological manifestations of PCD reported here could help to narrow the differential diagnosis and facilitate early treatment.

In 2006, Japan's pharmaceutical science education was revised to a 6-year enrollment course, placing greater emphasis on cultivating practical clinical ability. Quality Assurance (QA) measures have been implemented including offering education based on a model core curriculum and third-party assessments. In August 2021, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) launched an investigative commission to review the above. For QA, the commission summarized a comprehensive report in August 2022 for items including: modality of selecting entrants; revising enrollment limits; securing education management; information disclosure; corresponding to pharmaceutical education assessments. For revising the model core curriculum, the commission is reviewing correspondence to: demographic changes due to decreasing birthrates, an ageing population, changes in the structure of diseases; rising and emerging infectious diseases; utilizing Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI). As Japan's ageing population is forecast to peak in 2040s, pharmacists must be fostered to provide safe and quality medicine towards a drastically changing future. Medical care is provided through the collaboration of various professions. In such changing demographics, team medicine is crucial to provide quality medical care. Moreover, towards all medical professions sharing the same vision, revisions to the model core curricula for medical and dental education are also being reviewed. The commission is now reviewing detailed curricula to foster pharmacists with competencies to: comprehensively assess patients and ordinary citizens; utilize information science and technology; professionalism. Towards securing quality pharmaceutical education, pharmaceutical departments at universities must also organize and implement an educational curriculum based on the Model Core Curriculum for Pharmaceutical Education. This paper will introduce the investigative commission's review.

&lt;div&gt;Abstract&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt; A relationship between dietary folate intake and efficacy of fluorouracil (FU) is supported by preclinical data. Furthermore, there are several reports that evaluated genetic polymorphisms of &lt;i&gt;MTHFR&lt;/i&gt; (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) or &lt;i&gt;TYMS&lt;/i&gt; (thymidylate synthase) and efficacy of FU. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports that evaluate simultaneously the effects of folate intake and genetic polymorphisms on clinical outcome of gastric cancer patients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; We retrospectively analyzed the survival impact of estimated folate intake by a food frequency questionnaire and &lt;i&gt;MTHFR&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;TYMS&lt;/i&gt; polymorphisms in 132 patients with advanced gastric cancer who were treated with first-line FU-based chemotherapy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Median overall survival was 11.3 months (95% confidence interval, 9.4-13.4 mo) and median progression-free survival was 5.2 months (95% confidence interval, 4.1-6.3 mo). Patients with folate intake of &gt;260 μg/day (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 88) showed longer overall survival compared with low folate intake (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 44; overall survival, 12.2 versus 8.4 mo). In a multivariate Cox model, patients who had folate intake of &gt;260 μg/day, &lt;i&gt;MTHFR&lt;/i&gt; 677 TT polymorphism, and &lt;i&gt;TYMS&lt;/i&gt;-3′ untranslated region 6-bp insertion were associated with better survival. Similar tendency was observed in progression-free survival. No interaction was observed between folate intake and favorable genotypes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/b&gt; Folate intake and genetic polymorphisms of &lt;i&gt;MTHFR&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;TYMS&lt;/i&gt; were associated with better clinical outcome by FU-based chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Impact:&lt;/b&gt; Our results suggested folate intake and folate-related genetic polymorphisms may play an important role in efficacy of FU-based chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(5); 1311–9. ©2010 AACR.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

To evaluate the association between fear of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and exacerbated chronic pain among workers during the pandemic, as well as productivity loss. We collected data using Internet-based self-reported questionnaires, on fear of COVID-19, work productivity status, exacerbation of chronic pain during the pandemic, and several confounding factors. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high level of fear of COVID-19 was associated with an increased exacerbation of chronic pain (adjusted odds ratio, 2.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-4.44). Meanwhile, the presence of fear of COVID-19 and exacerbated chronic pain were associated with productivity impairment (adjusted odds ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-2.85). Our study shows that workers' fear of COVID-19 is correlated with exacerbated chronic pain and risk of presenteeism.