Distinguishing cancerous from non-cancerous cells through analysis of electrical noise

Since 1984, electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) has been used to monitor cell behavior in tissue culture and has proven sensitive to cell morphological changes and cell motility. We have taken ECIS measurements on several cultures of non-cancerous (HOSE) and cancerous (SKOV) human ovarian surface epithelial cells. By analyzing the noise in real and imaginary electrical impedance, we demonstrate that it is possible to distinguish the two cell types purely from signatures of their electrical noise. Our measures include power-spectral exponents, Hurst and detrended fluctuation analysis, and estimates of correlation time; principal-component analysis combines all the measures. The noise from both cancerous and non-cancerous cultures shows correlations on many time scales, but these correlations are stronger for the non-cancerous cells.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; submitted to PR

Communicating the risk of MRSA: the role of clinical practice, regulation and other policies in five European countries

Background: The threat posed by Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has taken on an increasingly pan-European dimension. This article aims to provide an overview of the different approaches to the control of MRSA adopted in five European countries (Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK) and discusses data and reporting mechanisms, regulations, guidelines, and health policy approaches with a focus on risk communication. Our hypothesis is that current infection control practices in different European countries are implicit messages that contribute to the health-related risk communication and subsequently to the public perception of risk posed by MRSA. A reporting template was used to systematically collect information from each country. Discussion: Large variation in approaches was observed between countries. However, there were a number of consistent themes relevant to the communication of key information regarding MRSA, including misleading messages, inconsistencies in content and application of published guidelines, and frictions between the official communication and their adoption on provider level. Summary: The variability of recommendations within, and across, countries could be contributing to the perception of inconsistency. Having inconsistent guidelines and practices in place may also be affecting the level at which recommended behaviors are adopted. The discrepancy between the official, explicit health messages around MRSA and the implicit messages stemming from the performance of infection control measures should, therefore, be a key target for those wishing to improve risk communication

Communicating the Risk of MRSA: The Role of Clinical Practice, Regulation and Other Policies in Five European Countries

The threat posed by Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has taken on an increasingly pan-European dimension. This article aims to provide an overview of the different approaches to the control of MRSA adopted in five European countries (Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK) and discusses data and reporting mechanisms, regulations, guidelines, and health policy approaches with a focus on risk communication. Our hypothesis is that current infection control practices in different European countries are implicit messages that contribute to the health-related risk communication and subsequently to the public perception of risk posed by MRSA.A reporting template was used to systematically collect information from each country. Large variation in approaches was observed between countries. However, there were a number of consistent themes relevant to the communication of key information regarding MRSA, including misleading messages, inconsistencies in content and application of published guidelines, and frictions between the official communication and their adoption on provider level. The variability of recommendations within, and across, countries could be contributing to the perception of inconsistency. Having inconsistent guidelines and practices in place may also be affecting the level at which recommended behaviors are adopted. The discrepancy between the official, explicit health messages around MRSA and the implicit messages stemming from the performance of infection control measures should, therefore, be a key target for those wishing to improve risk communication

Seasonal fluctuations in birth weight and neonatal limb length; Does prenatal vitamin D influence neonatal size and shape?

Background: Birth weight is known to fluctuate with season of birth, however, there is little information about seasonal variation in neonatal anthropometric measures

The abundance spread in the Bootes I dwarf spheroidal galaxy

We present medium-resolution spectra of 16 radial velocity red-giant members of the low-luminosity Bootes I dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, that have sufficient S/N for abundance determination, based on the strength of the Ca II K line. Assuming [Ca/Fe] ~ +0.3, the abundance range in the sample is Delta [Fe/H] ~ 1.7 dex, with one star having [Fe/H] = -3.4. The dispersion is sigma([Fe/H]) = 0.45 +/- 0.08 -- similar to those of the Galaxy's more luminous dSph systems and Omega Centauri. This suggests that the large mass (greater than approximately 10 million solar masses) normally assumed to foster self-enrichment and the production of chemical abundance spreads was provided by the non-baryonic material in Bootes I.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. Published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. An erratum is in press and included here as an Appendix (none of the analysis or conclusions is affected

Real-world experience among patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma after Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor failure in Europe: The SCHOLAR-2 retrospective chart review study

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) after relapse is associated with poor prognosis. No standard of care exists and available evidence for treatments is limited, particularly in patients who fail Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) therapy. This multicentre retrospective chart review study, SCHOLAR-2, addresses this knowledge gap and reports on data collected from 240 patients with relapsed/refractory MCL in Europe who were treated with BTKi-based therapy between July 2012 and July 2018, and had experienced disease progression while on BTKi therapy or discontinued BTKi therapy due to intolerance. The median overall survival (OS) from initiation of first BTKi therapy was 14.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.6–20.0) in the overall cohort, 5.5 months (95% CI 3.9–8.2) in 91 patients without post-BTKi therapy, and 23.8 months (95% CI 18.9–30.1) in 149 patients who received post-BTKi therapy (excluding chimeric antigen receptor T-cell treatment). In the latter group, patients received a median of one (range, one to seven) line of post-BTKi therapy, with lenalidomide-containing regimens and bendamustine plus rituximab being the most frequently administered; the median OS from initiation of first post-BTKi therapy was 9.7 months (95% CI 6.3–12.7). These results provide a benchmark for survival in patients with R/R MCL receiving salvage therapy after BTKi failure

Is There Really a 'J-shaped' Curve in the Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Depression? Findings From the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy and its Outcomes

Aims To determine the nature of the association between alcohol consumption and symptoms of anxiety and depression in women. Design Prospective cohort study of women (n = 4527) who received antenatal care at a major public hospital (Mater Misericordiae Hospital) in South Brisbane between 1981 and 1984 and who have follow-up data on alcohol use, depressive and anxiety symptoms over a 14-year period. Findings At the 5-year follow-up there was a 'J-shaped' association between alcohol Consumption and both symptoms of depression and of anxiety. However, at the baseline assessment and the 14-year follow-up alcohol consumption was linearly and positively associated with depressive symptoms with increasing prevalence of symptoms with greater consumption. At the 5-year follow-up the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among those who were abstainers at both baseline and 5-year follow-up was similar to that among those who had been previous drinkers and then become abstainers (P = 0.67). Similarly, the prevalence of these symptoms was the same at the 14-year followup comparing those who had been abstainers at baseline, 5-year and 14-year follow-up to those who had previously consumed alcohol but were then abstainers. Conclusions The nature of the association between alcohol consumption and symptoms of depression and anxiety may vary across their life course in women. Previous drinkers who become abstainers do not appear to be at any higher risk of symptoms of depression or anxiety compared to those who always abstained, suggesting that increased symptoms in abstainers at age 30 is not due to 'sick quitters'. The association of high alcohol consumption with symptoms of depression and anxiety may be confounded by low income and smoking

Multimodal Analgesic Effectiveness on Acute Postoperative Pain Management After Adult Cardiac Surgery

Background Many patients report moderate to severe pain in the acute postoperative period. Enhanced recovery protocols recommend multimodal analgesics, but the optimal combination of these is unknown. Purpose The aim of this study was to synthesize the best available evidence about effectiveness of multimodal analgesics on pain after adult cardiac surgery. Methods A systematic review to determine the effect of multimodal postoperative analgesics is proposed (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews Registration CRD42022355834). Multiple databases including the Cochrane Library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, American Psychological Association, the Education Resources Information Centre, the Excerpta Medica database, the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Scopus, Web of Science, and clinical trials databases will be searched. Screening in Covidence and quality assessment will be conducted by 2 authors. A grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation summary of findings will be presented if meta-analysis is possible

Early Adversity and the Prospective Prediction of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents

The current study was a prospective exploration of the specificity of early childhood adversities as predictors of anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents. Participants were 816 adolescents (414 males, 402 females) with diagnostic information collected at age 15; information on early adversities had been collected from the mothers during pregnancy, at birth, age 6 months, and age 5 years for a related study. Adolescents with "pure" anxiety disorders were compared with adolescents with "pure" depressive disorders (major depressive disorder, dysthymia), and these groups were compared to never-ill controls. Analyses controlled for gender and maternal depression and anxiety disorders. Results indicated that adolescents with anxiety disorders were more likely than depressed youth to have been exposed to various early stressors, such as maternal prenatal stress, multiple maternal partner changes, and more total adversities, whereas few early childhood variables predicted depressive disorders. Even when current family stressors at age 15 were controlled, early adversity variables again significantly predicted anxiety disorders. Results suggest that anxiety disorders may be more strongly related to early strees exposure, while depressive disorders may be related to more proximal stressors or to early stressors not assessed in the current study