Seasonal Toxicity Observed with Amphipods (Eohaustorius estuarius) at Paleta Creek, San Diego Bay, USA

To assess potential impacts on receiving systems, associated with storm water contaminants, laboratory 10‐d amphipod (Eohaustorius estuarius) survival toxicity tests were performed using intact sediment cores collected from Paleta Creek (San Diego Bay, CA, USA) on 5 occasions between 2015 and 2017. The approach included deposition‐associated sediment particles collected from sediment traps placed at each of 4 locations during the 2015 to 2016 wet seasons. The bioassays demonstrated wet season toxicity, especially closest to the creek mouth, and greater mortality associated with particles deposited in the wet season compared with dry season samples. Grain size analysis of sediment trap material indicated coarser sediment at the mouth of the creek and finer sediment in the outer depositional areas. Contaminant concentrations of metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and organic compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], and pesticides) were quantified to assess possible causes of toxicity. Contaminant concentrations were determined in the top 5 cm of sediment and porewater (using passive samplers). Whereas metals, PAHs, and PCBs were rarely detected at sufficient concentrations to elicit a response, pyrethroid pesticides were highly correlated with amphipod toxicity. Summing individual pyrethroid constituents using a toxic unit approach suggested that toxicity to E. estuarius could be associated with pyrethroids. This unique test design allowed delineation of spatial and temporal differences in toxicity, suggesting that storm water discharge from Paleta Creek may be the source of seasonal toxicity. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;39:229–239. © 2019 SETACPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152638/1/etc4619_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152638/2/etc4619.pd

Polarisation of Major Histocompatibility Complex II Host Genotype with Pathogenesis of European Brown Hare Syndrome Virus.

A study was conducted in order to determine the occurrence of European Brown Hare Syndrome virus (EBHSV) in Denmark and possible relation between disease pathogenesis and Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) host genotype. Liver samples were examined from 170 brown hares (hunted, found sick or dead), collected between 2004 and 2009. Macroscopical and histopathological findings consistent with EBHS were detected in 24 (14.1%) hares; 35 (20.6%) had liver lesions not typical of the syndrome, 50 (29.4%) had lesions in other tissues and 61 (35.9%) had no lesions. Sixty five (38.2%) of 170 samples were found to be EBHSV-positive (RT-PCR, VP60 gene). In order to investigate associations between viral pathogenesis and host genotype, variation within the exon 2 DQA gene of MHC was assessed. DQA exon 2 analysis revealed the occurrence of seven different alleles in Denmark. Consistent with other populations examined so far in Europe, observed heterozygosity of DQA (H o = 0.1180) was lower than expected (H e = 0.5835). The overall variation for both nucleotide and amino acid differences (2.9% and 14.9%, respectively) were lower in Denmark than those assessed in other European countries (8.3% and 16.9%, respectively). Within the peptide binding region codons the number of nonsynonymous substitutions (dN) was much higher than synonymous substitutions (dS), which would be expected for MHC alleles under balancing selection. Allele frequencies did not significantly differ between EBHSV-positive and -negative hares. However, allele Leeu-DQA*30 was detected in significantly higher (P = 0.000006) frequency among the positive hares found dead with severe histopathological lesions than among those found sick or apparently healthy. In contrast, the latter group was characterized by a higher frequency of the allele Leeu-DQA*14 as well as the proportion of heterozygous individuals (P = 0.000006 and P = 0.027). These data reveal a polarisation between EBHSV pathogenesis and MHC class II genotype within the European brown hare in Denmark

Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography - comparison and registration with IVUS

Background: The aim of this study is to present a new methodology for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). Methods: The methodology is summarized in six stages: 1) pre-processing of the initial raw images, 2) rough estimation of the lumen and outer vessel wall borders and approximation of the vessel's centerline, 3) manual adaptation of plaque parameters, 4) accurate extraction of the luminal centerline, 5) detection of the lumen - outer vessel wall borders and calcium plaque region, and 6) finally 3D surface construction. Results: The methodology was compared to the estimations of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method. The correlation coefficients for calcium volume, surface area, length and angle vessel were 0.79, 0.86, 0.95 and 0.88, respectively. Additionally, when comparing the inner and outer vessel wall volumes of the reconstructed arteries produced by IVUS and CTA the observed correlation was 0.87 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusions: The results indicated that the proposed methodology is fast and accurate and thus it is likely in the future to have applications in research and clinical arena

Rehabilitation using virtual gaming for Hospital and hOMe-Based training for the Upper limb post Stroke (RHOMBUS II): protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial

Introduction Upper limb (UL) rehabilitation is most effective early after stroke, with higher doses leading to improved outcomes. For the stroke survivor, the repetition may be monotonous. For clinicians, providing a clinically meaningful level of input can be challenging. As such, time spent engaged in UL activity among subacute stroke survivors remains inadequate. Opportunities for the stroke survivor to engage with UL rehabilitation in a safe, accessible and engaging way are essential to improving UL outcomes following stroke. The NeuroBall is a non-immersive virtual reality (VR) digital system designed for stroke rehabilitation, specifically for the arm and hand. The aim of the Rehabilitation using virtual gaming for Hospital and hOMe-Based training for the Upper limb post Stroke study is to determine the safety, feasibility and acceptability of the NeuroBall as a rehabilitation intervention for the UL in subacute stroke. Methods and analysis A feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) will compare the NeuroBall plus usual care with usual care only, in supporting UL rehabilitation over 7 weeks. Twenty-four participants in the subacute poststroke phase will be recruited while on the inpatient or early supported discharge (ESD) stroke pathway. Sixteen participants will be randomised to the intervention group and eight to the control group. Outcomes assessed at baseline and 7 weeks include gross level of disability, arm function, spasticity, pain, fatigue and quality of life (QoL). Safety will be assessed by recording adverse events and using pain, spasticity and fatigue scores. A parallel process evaluation will assess feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Feasibility will also be determined by assessing fidelity to the intervention. Postintervention, semistructured interviews will be used to explore acceptability with 12 participants from the intervention group, four from the usual care group and with up to nine staff involved in delivering the intervention. Ethics and dissemination This trial has ethical approval from Brunel University London’s Research Ethics Committee 25257-NHS-Oct/2020-28121-2 and the Wales Research Ethics Committee 5 Bangor (Health and Care Research Wales) REC ref: 20/WA/0347. The study is sponsored by Brunel University London. Contact: Dr Derek Healy, Chair, University Research Ethics committee ([email protected]). Trial results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national and international conferences and distributed to people with stroke. Trial registration number ISRCTN11440079; Pre-results

Electrospun collagen-based nanofibres: A sustainable material for improved antibiotic utilisation in tissue engineering applications

For the creation of scaffolds in tissue engineering applications, it is essential to control the physical morphology of fibres and to choose compositions which do not disturb normal physiological function. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, is a well-established biopolymer used in electrospinning compositions. It shows high in-vivo stability and is able to maintain a high biomechanical strength over time. In this study, the effects of collagen type I in polylactic acid-drug electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering applications are examined. The samples produced were subsequently characterised using a range of techniques. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows that the fibre morphologies varied across PLA-drug and PLA-collagen-drug samples − the addition of collagen caused a decrease in average fibre diameter by nearly half, and produced nanofibres. Atomic force microscopy imaging revealed collagen-banding patterns which show the successful integration of collagen with PLA. Solid-state characterisation suggested a chemical interaction between PLA and drug compounds, irgasan and levofloxacin, and the collagen increased the amorphous regions within the samples. Surface energy analysis of drug powders showed a higher dispersive surface energy of levofloxacin compared with irgasan, and contact angle goniometry showed an increase in hydrophobicity in PLA-collagen-drug samples. The antibacterial studies showed a high efficacy of resistance against the growth of both E. coli and S. Aureus, except with PLA-collagen-LEVO which showed a regrowth of bacteria after 48 h. This can be attributed to the low drug release percentage incorporated into the nanofibre during the in vitro release study. However, the studies did show that collagen helped shift both drugs into sustained release behaviour. These ideal modifications to electrospun scaffolds may prove useful in further research regarding the acceptance of human tissue by inhibiting the potential for bacterial infection

The association between Type D personality and the metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study in a University-based outpatient lipid clinic

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Type D personality has been associated in the past with increased cardiovascular mortality among patients with established coronary heart disease. Very few studies have investigated the association of type D personality with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, we assessed the association between type D personality and the metabolic syndrome.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>New consecutive patients referred to an outpatient lipid clinic for evaluation of possible metabolic syndrome were eligible for inclusion in the study. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) diagnostic criteria. Type D personality was assessed with the DS-14 scale. Multivariate regression techniques were used to investigate the association between personality and metabolic syndromes adjusting for a number of medical and psychiatric confounders. Three hundred and fifty-nine persons were screened of whom 206 met the diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome ("cases") and 153 did not ("control group"). The prevalence of type D personality was significantly higher in the cases as compared to the control group (44% versus 15% respectively, p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis the presence of Type D personality was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome independently of other clinical factors, anxiety and depressive symptoms (odds ratio 3.47; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.90 - 6.33).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Type D personality was independently associated with the metabolic syndrome in this cross-sectional study. The potential implications of this finding, especially from a clinical or preventive perspective, should be examined in future research.</p

Use of wild bird surveillance, human case data and GIS spatial analysis for predicting spatial distributions of West Nile Virus in Greece

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the causative agent of a vector-borne, zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution. Recent expansion and introduction of WNV into new areas, including southern Europe, has been associated with severe disease in humans and equids, and has increased concerns regarding the need to prevent and control future WNV outbreaks. Since 2010, 524 confirmed human cases of the disease have been reported in Greece with greater than 10% mortality. Infected mosquitoes, wild birds, equids, and chickens have been detected and associated with human disease. The aim of our study was to establish a monitoring system with wild birds and reported human cases data using Geographical Information System (GIS). Potential distribution of WNV was modelled by combining wild bird serological surveillance data with environmental factors (e.g. elevation, slope, land use, vegetation density, temperature, precipitation indices, and population density). Local factors including areas of low altitude and proximity to water were important predictors of appearance of both human and wild bird cases (Odds Ratio = 1,001 95%CI = 0,723–1,386). Using GIS analysis, the identified risk factors were applied across Greece identifying the northern part of Greece (Macedonia, Thrace) western Greece and a number of Greek islands as being at highest risk of future outbreaks. The results of the analysis were evaluated and confirmed using the 161 reported human cases of the 2012 outbreak predicting correctly (Odds = 130/31 = 4,194 95%CI = 2,841–6,189) and more areas were identified for potential dispersion in the following years. Our approach verified that WNV risk can be modelled in a fast cost-effective way indicating high risk areas where prevention measures should be implemented in order to reduce the disease incidence

Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography – comparison and registration with IVUS

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to present a new methodology for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). METHODS: The methodology is summarized in six stages: 1) pre-processing of the initial raw images, 2) rough estimation of the lumen and outer vessel wall borders and approximation of the vessel’s centerline, 3) manual adaptation of plaque parameters, 4) accurate extraction of the luminal centerline, 5) detection of the lumen - outer vessel wall borders and calcium plaque region, and 6) finally 3D surface construction. RESULTS: The methodology was compared to the estimations of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method. The correlation coefficients for calcium volume, surface area, length and angle vessel were 0.79, 0.86, 0.95 and 0.88, respectively. Additionally, when comparing the inner and outer vessel wall volumes of the reconstructed arteries produced by IVUS and CTA the observed correlation was 0.87 and 0.83, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the proposed methodology is fast and accurate and thus it is likely in the future to have applications in research and clinical arena

Design and upscaling of an optical fiber photocatalytic membrance reactor for water purification

113 σ.Οι μέθοδοι επεξεργασίας του νερού είναι ένα πεδίο ερευνών, με τεράστιες δυνατότητες, κυρίως λόγω των μεγάλων αναγκών των σύγχρονων ανθρώπινων κοινωνιών για πόσιμο νερό. Πολλές τεχνικές έχουν αναπτυχθεί για καθαρισμό του νερού, και δύο από τις πιο συνηθισμένες είναι η διήθηση μέσω μεμβρανών και η φωτοκατάλυση. Ο πιθανός συνδυασμός αυτών των δύο μεθόδων θα ανοίξει νέους και ελπιδοφόρους ορίζοντες τις μεθόδους επεξεργασίας νερού. Ένας καινοτομικός, συνεχούς ροής, φωτοκαταλυτικός αντιδραστήρας μεμβράνης, ο οποίος εκμεταλλεύεται τόσο την υπερδιήθηση όσο και την ετερογενή φωτοκατάλυση, έχει κατασκευαστεί και είναι διαθέσιμος προς χρήση στο εργαστήριο «Φωτοοξειδοαναγωγικής Μετατροπής και Αποθήκευσης της Ηλιακής Ενέργειας», στον τομέα Φυσικοχημείας στο Ε.Κ.Ε.Φ.Ε «Δημόκριτος». Ο στόχος αυτής της διπλωματικής ήταν η αναβάθμιση αυτού του –μόνο για εργαστηριακή χρήση- αντιδραστήρα, σε έναν νέο μεγαλύτερης κλίμακας, ενεργειακά αυτόνομου, που θα έχει την ικανότητα να λειτουργεί υπό ηψηλή ροή ώστε να μπορεί να εγκατασταθεί σε απομακρυσμένες περιοχές. Η διπλωματική μπορεί να χωριστεί σε τρία επιμέρους τμήματα. Τα πρώτα τρία κεφάλαια είναι το απαραίτητο θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο. Δίνεται έμφαση στο φαινόμενο της ετερογενούς φωτοκατάλυσης και της λειτουργίας του διοξειδίου του τιτανίου ως φωτοκαταλύτη. Η τιτανία είναι ένας από τους πιο διαδεδομένους φωτοκαταλύτες, τόσο για εμπορική όσο και για ερευνητική χρήση, και μελετώνται εις βάθος οι ιδιότητές της, οι τεχνικές παρασκευής ή εμπλουτισμού της και ο ρόλος της στο μηχανισμό της ετερογενούς φωτοκατάλυσης. Το πρώτο μέρος ολοκληρώνεται με αναφορά στις διάφορες κατηγορίες φωτοκαταλυτικών αντιδραστήρων και στις αρχές λειτουργίας τους. Στο 4ο κεφάλαιο περιγράφεται η σύνθεση εξαιρετικά δραστικών φωτοκαταλυτών τιτανίας, καθώς και οι συνθετικές διαδικασίες εμπλουτισμού της με ανιόντα (N, F, S, C), για την ανάπτυξη προηγμένων νανοσυνθετικών του TiO2 με νανοϋλικά άνθρακα (νανοσωλήνες άνθρακα και οξείδιο του γραφενίου) και τελικώς η παρασκευή μεμβρανών υπερδιήθησης με διπλή φωτοκαταλυτικά ενεργή επιφάνεια. Το κεφάλαιο 5 περιλαμβάνει το σχεδιασμό του αναβαθμισμένου καινοτομικού αντιδραστήρα. Στη διαδικασία της αναβάθμισης, το αποτύπωμα της συσκευής δεν άλλαξε, λόγω της χρήσης πολυκάναλων μονολιθικών μεμβρανών. Ειδικά χημικά επεξεργασμένες οπτικές ίνες, που θα μπορούν να δέχονται το ηλιακό φως από ηλιακούς συλλέκτες, θα είναι υπεύθυνες για την ακτινοβολία στο εσωτερικό του αντιδραστήρα, κάνοντας τη συσκευή ενεργειακά αυτόνομη. Μία μελέτη ρευστομηχανικής οδήγησε στη δημιουργία ενός προγραμματιστικού κώδικα για τον υπολογισμό της πτώσης πίεσης κατά μήκος της μεμβράνης, ώστε να μπορούμε να ελέγξουμε τις συνθήκες λειτουργίας της μεμβράνης, την ποσότητα του νερού που καθαρίζεται και την ποιότητα της φωτοκατάλυσης, και σαν αποτέλεσμα να μπορούμε να βελτιστοποιησουμε τον φωτοκαταλυτικό αντιδραστήρα οπτικών ινών και μεμβράνης. Στο τέλος, αναφέρονται οι προοπτικές και οι ιδέες για περεταίρω ανάπτυξη. Ιδέες που βρήσκουν εφαρμογή όχι μόνο στο πεδίο των ερευνών αλλά και στην αγορά τεχνολογιών επεξεργασίας νερού, η οποία δείχνει τεράστιο ενδιαφέρον σε τέτοιες καινοτομικές και περιβαντολλογικές λύσεις.Water treatment methods are currently a field of research, with tremendous potential, because of the big needs of modern human societies for drinking water. Many techniques have been developed for water purification, and two of the most commonly used are membrane filtration and photocatalysis. It is strongly believed that an innovative combination of these two methods will open new and promising horizons in water treatment research. An innovative, continuous flow, photocatalytic membrane reactor, which takes advantage of both ultrafiltration and heterogeneous photocatalysis, has been constructed and is available for use in the laboratory of “Photooxeidation Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy” at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, NCSR “Demokritos”. The aim of this thesis was to upscale this –available only for laboratory use- reactor, to a new one at larger scale that will be energy independent and will have the capacity to operate at high flux, so that it can be installed in remote areas. As a result, this work could be divided in three different parts. The first three chapters are the necessary theoretical background. Emphasis is given to the phenomenon of heterogeneous photocatalysis and the function of titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst. Titania is one of the most widespread photocatalysts, for both commercial or research use, and its properties, fabrication or doping techniques and role in the mechanism of heterogeneous photocatalysis are already studied in depth. The first part ends with reference to the categories of photocatalytic reactors and their operating principles. In Chapter 4 the synthesis of the highly reactive TiO2 photocatalysts is described, as well as the synthetic procedures for anion doping (N, F, S, C), for the development of advanced nanocomposites of TiO2 with carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes and grapheme oxide) and finally the challenging fabrication of double sided photocatalytically active ultrafiltration membranes. Chapter 5 includes the desing of the upscaled innovative reactor. In the process of upscaling, the device’s footprint didn’t change, due to the use of multichannel monolith membranes. Chemical etched optical fibers, which will be able to receive sunlight from solar collectors, would be responsible for the irradiation inside the reactor, making the device energy independent. A fluid mechanics study, led to the creation of a computer code for calculating the pressure drop along the membrane, so that we can supervise the membrane’s operation conditions, the amount of water that is purified and the quality of photocatalysis, and as a result optimize our photocatalytic optical fiber membrane reactor. Finally, potential impact and ideas for future development are discussed. This is possible not only in the field of research, but also in the market of water treatment technologies, which is showing great interest in such innovative and environmental solutions.Δημήτριος Α. Αθανασίο