Accelerometer use in young people with Down syndrome: A preliminary cross-validation and reliability study

Background Inadequate physical activity is a problem for people with Down syndrome and objective monitoring using accelerometers may be inaccurate in this population. Method This was a cross-validation and reliability study comparing two triaxial accelerometers (the SenseWear and RT3) to a criterion measure (the OxyCon Mobile) in 10 young people (M age = 20 ± 2) with Down syndrome. A ROC curve analysis was conducted to determine intensity thresholds from RT3 activity counts. Results During self-selected pace walking, the accelerometers overestimated energy expenditure and had large limits of agreement (SenseWear: −0.5–3.6 METs; RT3: −0.2–2.7 METs). At this pace, SenseWear armband step counts were highly correlated with observed steps (r = .98) but underestimated steps by up to 12%. We developed RT3 thresholds that demonstrated good to excellent sensitivity and specificity in classifying physical activity intensity. Conclusions SenseWear steps and RT3 activity count thresholds can be used to monitor physical activity in young people with Down syndrome, although energy expenditure estimates should be used with caution in this population

Prevalence of ocular and oculodermal melanocytosis in Spanish population with uveal melanoma

Producción CientíficaThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ocular and oculodermal melanocytosis (ODM) among patients with uveal melanoma (UM) in a Spanish population. METHODS: Retrospective review of the medical records of patients with ODM among patients with UM. RESULTS: Ten (11 eyes) of 400 patients (2.7%) with UM associated had ODM. The mean age at diagnosis of UM among patients with ODM was 62 years. One patient had bilateral tumours. UM was diagnosed during a routine-examination in two cases. All tumours were medium (7/11) or large (4/11) in size, with a mean maximum base of 13 mm and height of 7 mm. No patient had extraocular extension or metastatic disease at diagnosis. Enucleation was done in five cases and I-125-brachytherapy in six. The mean follow-up was 43 months. One patient died because of metastasis 2 years after enucleation; one patient is currently on treatment of systemic metastasis 11 years after. CONCLUSIONS: ODM is more frequent in spanish population with UM than in American population. Despite the risk of UM in ODM, it is often diagnosed late when a conservative treatment is not indicated

Hybrid Mechanical Systems

We discuss hybrid systems in which a mechanical oscillator is coupled to another (microscopic) quantum system, such as trapped atoms or ions, solid-state spin qubits, or superconducting devices. We summarize and compare different coupling schemes and describe first experimental implementations. Hybrid mechanical systems enable new approaches to quantum control of mechanical objects, precision sensing, and quantum information processing.Comment: To cite this review, please refer to the published book chapter (see Journal-ref and DOI). This v2 corresponds to the published versio

Spatio-temporal Models of Lymphangiogenesis in Wound Healing

Several studies suggest that one possible cause of impaired wound healing is failed or insufficient lymphangiogenesis, that is the formation of new lymphatic capillaries. Although many mathematical models have been developed to describe the formation of blood capillaries (angiogenesis), very few have been proposed for the regeneration of the lymphatic network. Lymphangiogenesis is a markedly different process from angiogenesis, occurring at different times and in response to different chemical stimuli. Two main hypotheses have been proposed: 1) lymphatic capillaries sprout from existing interrupted ones at the edge of the wound in analogy to the blood angiogenesis case; 2) lymphatic endothelial cells first pool in the wound region following the lymph flow and then, once sufficiently populated, start to form a network. Here we present two PDE models describing lymphangiogenesis according to these two different hypotheses. Further, we include the effect of advection due to interstitial flow and lymph flow coming from open capillaries. The variables represent different cell densities and growth factor concentrations, and where possible the parameters are estimated from biological data. The models are then solved numerically and the results are compared with the available biological literature.Comment: 29 pages, 9 Figures, 6 Tables (39 figure files in total

Additional Saturday rehabilitation improves functional independence and quality of life and reduces length of stay: a randomised controlled trial

Background Many inpatients receive little or no rehabilitation on weekends. Our aim was to determine what effect providing additional Saturday rehabilitation during inpatient rehabilitation had on functional independence, quality of life and length of stay compared to 5 days per week of rehabilitation.MethodsThis was a multicenter, single-blind (assessors) randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation and 12-month follow-up conducted in two publically funded metropolitan inpatient rehabilitation facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Patients were eligible if they were adults (aged &ge;18 years) admitted for rehabilitation for any orthopedic, neurological or other disabling conditions excluding those admitted for slow stream rehabilitation/geriatric evaluation and management. Participants were randomly allocated to usual care Monday to Friday rehabilitation (control) or to Monday to Saturday rehabilitation (intervention). The additional Saturday rehabilitation comprised physiotherapy and occupational therapy. The primary outcomes were functional independence (functional independence measure (FIM); measured on an 18 to 126 point scale), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D utility index; measured on a 0 to 1 scale, and EQ-5D visual analog scale; measured on a 0 to 100 scale), and patient length of stay. Outcome measures were assessed on admission, discharge (primary endpoint), and at 6 and 12 months post discharge.ResultsWe randomly assigned 996 adults (mean (SD) age 74 (13) years) to Monday to Saturday rehabilitation (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;496) or usual care Monday to Friday rehabilitation (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;500). Relative to admission scores, intervention group participants had higher functional independence (mean difference (MD) 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5 to 4.1, P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.01) and health-related quality of life (MD 0.04, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.07, P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.009) on discharge and may have had a shorter length of stay by 2 days (95% CI 0 to 4, P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.1) when compared to control group participants. Intervention group participants were 17% more likely to have achieved a clinically significant change in functional independence of 22 FIM points or more (risk ratio (RR) 1.17, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.34) and 18% more likely to have achieved a clinically significant change in health-related quality of life (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.34) on discharge compared to the control group. There was some maintenance of effect for functional independence and health-related quality of life at 6-month follow-up but not at 12-month follow-up. There was no difference in the number of adverse events between the groups (incidence rate ratio&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.81, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.08).ConclusionsProviding an additional day of rehabilitation improved functional independence and health-related quality of life at discharge and may have reduced length of stay for patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation.&nbsp;</p

Mitochondrial echoes of first settlement and genetic continuity in El Salvador

Background: From Paleo-Indian times to recent historical episodes, the Mesoamerican isthmus played an important role in the distribution and patterns of variability all around the double American continent. However, the amount of genetic information currently available on Central American continental populations is very scarce. In order to shed light on the role of Mesoamerica in the peopling of the New World, the present study focuses on the analysis of the mtDNA variation in a population sample from El Salvador. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have carried out DNA sequencing of the entire control region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome in 90 individuals from El Salvador. We have also compiled more than 3,985 control region profiles from the public domain and the literature in order to carry out inter-population comparisons. The results reveal a predominant Native American component in this region: by far, the most prevalent mtDNA haplogroup in this country (at ~90%) is A2, in contrast with other North, Meso- and South American populations. Haplogroup A2 shows a star-like phylogeny and is very diverse with a substantial proportion of mtDNAs (45%; sequence range 16090–16365) still unobserved in other American populations. Two different Bayesian approaches used to estimate admixture proportions in El Salvador shows that the majority of the mtDNAs observed come from North America. A preliminary founder analysis indicates that the settlement of El Salvador occurred about 13,400±5,200 Y.B.P.. The founder age of A2 in El Salvador is close to the overall age of A2 in America, which suggests that the colonization of this region occurred within a few thousand years of the initial expansion into the Americas. Conclusions/Significance: As a whole, the results are compatible with the hypothesis that today's A2 variability in El Salvador represents to a large extent the indigenous component of the region. Concordant with this hypothesis is also the observation of a very limited contribution from European and African women (~5%). This implies that the Atlantic slave trade had a very small demographic impact in El Salvador in contrast to its transformation of the gene pool in neighbouring populations from the Caribbean facade

The Formation and Evolution of the First Massive Black Holes

The first massive astrophysical black holes likely formed at high redshifts (z>10) at the centers of low mass (~10^6 Msun) dark matter concentrations. These black holes grow by mergers and gas accretion, evolve into the population of bright quasars observed at lower redshifts, and eventually leave the supermassive black hole remnants that are ubiquitous at the centers of galaxies in the nearby universe. The astrophysical processes responsible for the formation of the earliest seed black holes are poorly understood. The purpose of this review is threefold: (1) to describe theoretical expectations for the formation and growth of the earliest black holes within the general paradigm of hierarchical cold dark matter cosmologies, (2) to summarize several relevant recent observations that have implications for the formation of the earliest black holes, and (3) to look into the future and assess the power of forthcoming observations to probe the physics of the first active galactic nuclei.Comment: 39 pages, review for "Supermassive Black Holes in the Distant Universe", Ed. A. J. Barger, Kluwer Academic Publisher

Normalized periprostatic fat MRI measurements can predict prostate cancer aggressiveness in men undergoing radical prostatectomy for clinically localised disease

Periprostatic and pelvic fat have been shown to influence prostate cancer behaviour through the secretion of chemokines and growth factors, acting in a paracrine mode. We have measured periprostatic fat volume (PFV) with normalisation to prostate gland volume on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and have correlated this with grade (Gleason score; GS) and pathological staging (pT) of prostate cancer (PCa) following radical prostatectomy (RP). PFV was determined using a segmentation technique on contiguous T1-weighted axial MRI slices from the level of the prostate base to the apex. The abdominal fat area (AFA) and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) were measured using T1-weighted axial slices at the level of the umbilicus and the upper border of the symphysis pubis, respectively. PFV was normalised to prostate volume (PV) to account for variations in PV (NPFV=PFV/PV). Patients were stratified into three risk groups according to post-operative GS: ≤6, 7(3+4), and ≥7(4+3). NPFV was significantly different between the groups (p=0.001) and positively correlated with post-operative GS (ρ=0.294, p&lt;0.001). There was a difference in NPFV between those with upgrading of GS from 6 post prostatectomy (2.43±0.98; n=26) compared to those who continued to be low grade (1.99±0.82; n=17); however, this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.11)

Amfenac increases the radiosensitivity of uveal melanoma cell lines

Purpose To evaluate the proliferation rates of five human uveal melanoma (UM) cell lines after treatment with amfenac, a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor, and subsequent radiation exposure.Methods Five human UM cell lines (92.1, SP6.5, MKT-BR, OCM-1, and UW-1) and one human fibroblast cell line (BJ) were incubated with amfenac. Treated and non-treated cell lines were then exposed to various doses of gamma radiation: 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 Gy. Sulphorhodamine-B assay was used to assess proliferation rates 48 h post-radiation.Results Treatment of UM cell lines with amfenac prior to radiation led to a marked reduction in proliferation rates. This difference was statistically significant in all cell lines at every radiation dose (P < 0.005), with the exception of 92.1 at 2 Gy (P=0.157). Fibroblasts treated with amfenac showed significantly higher proliferation rates after 2 and 8 Gy, with no significant differences at 0, 4, and 6 Gy.Conclusions the radiosensitivity of UM cell lines was increased by the administration of amfenac, the active metabolite of nepafenac. There appears to be a radioprotective effect of amfenac on human fibroblasts. the topical administration of nepafenac may decrease tumour recurrence and radiation-induced complications while broadening the indications for radiotherapy by treating larger tumours.McGill Univ, Dept Ophthalmol & Pathol, Ctr Hlth, Montreal, PQ H3A 2B4, CanadaHenry C Witelson Ocular Pathol Lab, Montreal, PQ H3A 2B4, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP EPM, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP EPM, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc