From single-particle excitations to sound waves in a box-trapped atomic Bose-Einstein condensate

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the lowest-lying axial excitation of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in a cylindrical box trap. By tuning the atomic density, we observe how the nature of the mode changes from a single-particle excitation (in the low-density limit) to a sound wave (in the high-density limit). Throughout this crossover the measured mode frequency agrees with Bogoliubov theory. Using approximate low-energy models we show that the evolution of the mode frequency is directly related to the interaction-induced shape changes of the condensate and the excitation. Finally, if we create a large-amplitude excitation, and then let the system evolve freely, we observe that the mode amplitude decays nonexponentially in time; this nonlinear behavior is indicative of interactions between the elementary excitations, but remains to be quantitatively understood.This work was supported by EPSRC (Grants No. EP/N011759/1 and No. EP/P009565/1), ERC (QBox), AFOSR, and ARO. N.N. acknowledges support from Trinity College (Cambridge) and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. R.L. acknowledges support from the E.U. Marie-Curie program (Grant No. MSCA-IF-2015 704832) and Churchill College, Cambridge. R.P.S. acknowledges support from the Royal Societ

The antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of methanolic extracts from Njavara rice bran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Free radical-induced oxidative stress is the root cause for many human diseases. Naturally occurring antioxidant supplements from plants are vital to counter the oxidative damage in cells. The main objective of the present study was to characterize the antioxidant and antiproliferative potential of rice bran extracted from an important Indian rice variety, Njavara and to compare the same with two commercially available basmati rice varieties: Vasumathi, Yamini and a non medicinal variety, Jyothi.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Methanolic extracts of rice bran from four varieties; Vasumathi, Yamini, Jyothi and Njavara were used to study their total phenolic and flavonoid contents, <it>in vitro </it>antioxidant activities including total antioxidant activity, scavenging of nitric oxide and 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, reducing power and cytotoxic activity in C6 glioma cells. Correlation coefficient and regression analysis were done by using Sigmastat version 3.1 and Stata statistical package respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Rice bran methanolic extract from Njavara showed the highest antioxidant and cell cytotoxic properties compared to the other three rice varieties. IC₅₀values for scavenging DPPH and nitric oxide were in the range of 30.85-87.72 μg/ml and 52.25-107.18 μg/ml respectively. Total antioxidant activity and reducing power were increased with increasing amounts of the extract. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were in the range of 3.2-12.4 mg gallic acid-equivalent (GAE)/g bran and 1.68-8.5 mg quercetin-equivalent (QEE)/g bran respectively. IC₅₀values of cytotoxic assay (MTT assay) were 17.53-57.78 μg/ml. Correlation coefficient and regression analysis of phenolic content with DPPH and NO scavenging, MTT (-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, total antioxidant assay and reducing power showed a highly significant correlation coefficient values (96-99%) and regression values (91-98%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of the present study show that the crude methanolic extract from Njavara rice bran contains significantly high polyphenolic compounds with superior antioxidant activity as evidenced by scavenging of free radicals including DPPH and NO. Njavara extracts also showed highest reducing power activity, anti-proliferative property in C6 glioma cells. In conclusion, it is conceivable that the Njavara rice variety could be exploited as one of the potential sources for plant - based pharmaceutical products.</p

Genetic nurse counsellors can be an acceptable and cost-effective alternative to clinical geneticists for breast cancer risk genetic counselling. Evidence from two parallel randomised controlled equivalence trials

This study compared genetic nurse counsellors with standard services for breast cancer genetic risk counselling services in two regional genetics centres, in Grampian region, North East Scotland and in Cardiff, Wales. Women referred for genetic counselling were randomised to an initial genetic counselling appointment with either a genetic nurse counsellor (intervention) or a clinical geneticist (current service, control). Participants completed postal questionnaires before, immediately after the counselling episode and 6 months later to assess anxiety, general health status, perceived risk and satisfaction. A parallel economic evaluation explored factors influencing cost-effectiveness. The two concurrent randomised controlled equivalence trials were conducted and analysed separately. In the Grampian trial, 289 patients (193 intervention, 96 control) and in the Wales trial 297 patients (197 intervention and 100 control) returned a baseline questionnaire and attended their appointment. Analysis suggested at least likely equivalence in anxiety (the primary outcome) between the two arms of the trials. The cost per counselling episode was £11.54 less for nurse-based care in the Grampian trial and £12.50 more for nurse-based care in Cardiff. The costs were sensitive to the grade of doctor (notionally) replaced and the extent of consultant supervision required by the nurse. In conclusion, care based on genetic nurse counsellors was not significantly different from conventional cancer genetic services in both trial locations

Development and preliminary validation of a Greek-language outpatient satisfaction questionnaire with principal components and multi-trait analyses

BACKGROUND: In the recent years there is a growing interest in Greece concerning the measurement of the satisfaction of patients who are visiting the outpatient clinics of National Health System (NHS) general acute hospitals. The aim of this study is therefore to develop a patient satisfaction questionnaire and provide its preliminary validation. METHODS: A questionnaire in Greek has been developed by literature review, researchers' on the spot observation and interviews. Pretesting has been followed by telephone surveys in two short-term general NHS hospitals in Macedonia, Greece. A proportional stratified random sample of 285 subjects and a second random sample of 100 outpatients, drawn on March 2004, have been employed for the analysis. These have resulted in scale creation via Principal Components Analysis and psychometric testing for internal consistency, test-retest and interrater reliability as well as construct validity. RESULTS: Four summated scales have emerged regarding the pure outpatient component of the patients' visits, namely medical examination, hospital environment, comfort and appointment time. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Pearson, Spearman and intraclass correlations indicate a high degree of scale reliability and validity. Two other scales -lab appointment time and lab experience- capture the apparently distinct yet complementary visitor experience related to the radiographic and laboratory tests. Psychometric tests are equally promising, however, some discriminant validity differences lack statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The instrument appears to be reliable and valid regarding the pure outpatient experience, whereas more research employing larger samples is required in order to establish the apparent psychometric properties of the complementary radiographic and laboratory-testing process, which is only relevant to about 25% of the subjects analysed here

Influence of an outpatient multidisciplinary pain management program on the health-related quality of life and the physical fitness of chronic pain patients

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the population is suffering from chronic pain. Since this represents a major contribution to the costs of the health care system, more efficient measures and interventions to treat these patients are sought. RESULTS: The development of general health and physical activity of patients with chronic pain was assessed in an interdisciplinary outpatient pain management program (IOPP). 36 patients with an average age of 48 years were included in the IOPP. Subjective assessment of well-being was performed at five time points (baseline, post intervention and 3, 6, and 12 months thereafter) by using standardized questionnaires. The study focused on the quality of life survey Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, which is a validated instrument with established reliability and sensitivity. In addition, the patients participated in physical assessment testing strength, power, endurance, and mobility. Prior to therapy a substantial impairment was found on different levels. Marked improvements in the psychological parameters were obtained by the end of the program. No success was achieved with regard to the physical assessments. CONCLUSION: Although many different studies have evaluated similar programs, only few of them have attained positive results such as improvements of general quality of life or of physical strength. Often no difference from the control group could be detected only some months after the intervention. In the present study no significant persistent improvement of well-being occurred. Possible reasons are either wrong instruments, wrong selection of patients or wrong interventions

Assessment of p.Phe508del-CFTR functional restoration in pediatric primary cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells

© 2018 Sutanto et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene can reduce function of the CFTR ion channel activity and impair cellular chloride secretion. The gold standard method to assess CFTR function of ion transport using the Ussing chamber requires a high number of airway epithelial cells grown at air-liquid interface, limiting the application of this method for high throughput screening of potential therapeutic compounds in primary airway epithelial cells (pAECs) featuring less common CFTR mutations. This study assessed an alternative approach, using a small scale halide assay that can be adapted for a personalized high throughput setting to analyze CFTR function of pAEC. Methods Pediatric pAECs derived from children with CF (pAEC CF ) were established and expanded as monolayer cultures, before seeding into 96-well plates for the halide assay. Cells were then transduced with an adenoviral construct containing yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) reporter gene, alone or in combination with either wild-type CFTR (WT-CFTR) or p.Phe508-del CFTR. Four days post transduction, cells were stimulated with forskolin and genistein, and assessed for quenching of the eYFP signal following injection of iodide solution into the assay media. Results Data showed that pAEC CF can express eYFP at high efficiency following transduction with the eYFP construct. The halide assay was able to discriminate functional restoration of CFTR in pAEC CF treated with either WT-CFTR construct or the positive controls syntaxin 8 and B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 shRNAs. Significance The current study demonstrates that the halide assay can be adapted for pediatric pAEC CF to evaluate restoration of CFTR function. With the ongoing development of small molecules to modulate the folding and/or activity of various mutated CFTR proteins, this halide assay presents a small-scale personalized screening platform that could assess therapeutic potential of molecules across a broad range of CFTR mutations

Validation of two generic patient-reported outcome measures in patients with type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior to using a generic patient-reported outcome measure (PRO), the measure should be validated within the target population. The purpose of the current study was to validate two generic measures in patients with type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with type 2 diabetes in Scotland and England completed two generic measures: EQ-5D and Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWB). Two diabetes-specific measures were administered: ADS and DSC-R. Analyses assessed reliability and validity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 130 participants (53 Scotland; 77 England; 64% male; mean age = 55.7 years). Responses on the EQ-5D and PGWB reflected moderate impairment consistent with previous diabetes samples: mean EQ-5D Index score, 0.75; EQ-5D VAS, 68.8; PGWB global score, 67.9. All scales of the PGWB demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77 to 0.97). The EQ-5D and PGWB demonstrated convergent validity through significant correlations with the ADS (r = 0.48 to 0.61), DSC-R scales (r = 0.33 to 0.81 except ophthalmology subscale), and Body Mass Index (r = 0.15 to 0.38). The EQ-5D and PGWB discriminated between groups of patients known to differ in diabetes-related characteristics (e.g., history of hypoglycemia).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results support the use of the EQ-5D and PGWB among patients with type 2 diabetes, possibly in combination with condition-specific measures.</p

Development and Evaluation of a Psychosocial Intervention for Children and Teenagers Experiencing Diabetes (DEPICTED): a protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a communication skills training programme for healthcare professionals working with young people with type 1 diabetes

Background Diabetes is the third most common chronic condition in childhood and poor glycaemic control leads to serious short-term and life-limiting long-term complications. In addition to optimal medical management, it is widely recognised that psychosocial and educational factors play a key role in improving outcomes for young people with diabetes. Recent systematic reviews of psycho-educational interventions recognise the need for new methods to be developed in consultation with key stakeholders including patients, their families and the multidisciplinary diabetes healthcare team. Methods/design Following a development phase involving key stakeholders, a psychosocial intervention for use by paediatric diabetes staff and not requiring input from trained psychologists has been developed, incorporating a communication skills training programme for health professionals and a shared agenda-setting tool. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated in a cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome, to be measured in children aged 4-15 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least one year, is the effect on glycaemic control (HbA1c) during the year after training of the healthcare team is completed. Secondary outcomes include quality of life for patients and carers and cost-effectiveness. Patient and carer preferences for service delivery will also be assessed. Twenty-six paediatric diabetes teams are participating in the trial, recruiting a total of 700 patients for evaluation of outcome measures. Half the participating teams will be randomised to receive the intervention at the beginning of the trial and remaining centres offered the training package at the end of the one year trial period. Discussion The primary aim of the trial is to determine whether a communication skills training intervention for specialist paediatric diabetes teams will improve clinical and psychological outcomes for young people with type 1 diabetes. Previous research indicates the effectiveness of specialist psychological interventions in achieving sustained improvements in glycaemic control. This trial will evaluate an intervention which does not require the involvement of trained psychologists, maximising the potential feasibility of delivery in a wider NHS context. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN61568050

Protocol of a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of physician education and activation versus two rehabilitation programs for the treatment of Whiplash-associated Disorders: The University Health Network Whiplash Intervention Trial

Background: Whiplash injuries are an important public health problem that is associated with significant disability and high health care utilization. Recent cohort studies suggest that physician care may be the most effective treatment for patients with whiplash-associated disorders. However, these findings have not been tested in a randomized controlled trial. The purpose of this study is to determine which of physician care or two rehabilitation programs of care is most effective in improving recovery of patients with recent whiplash associated disorders. Methods and Design: We designed a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. A total of 444 participants (148 in each of three arms) who reside in Southern Ontario, Canada will be recruited from a large insurer. We will include individuals who are 18 years of age or older and who are diagnosed with Grade I or II Whiplash-associated Disorders. Participants will be randomized to physician-based education and activation or one of two rehabilitation programs of care currently in use in Ontario. Our primary outcome, self-rated global recovery and all secondary outcomes (neck pain intensity, whiplash disability, health-related quality of life, depressive symptomatology and satisfaction with care) will be measured at baseline by a trial coordinator and at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months follow-up by an interviewer who is blind to the participants' baseline characteristics and treatment allocation. We will also collect information on general health status, other injuries, comorbidities, expectation of recovery, work status, pain coping, legal representation, and co-interventions. The primary intention-to-treat analysis will compare time to recovery between the three interventions. This trial will have 90% power at an alpha of 0.05 to detect a 20% difference in the rate of perceived recovery at one year. Secondary analyses will compare the health outcomes, rate of recurrence and the rate of adverse events between intervention groups. Conclusion: The results of this study will provide the public, clinicians and policy makers much needed evidence on the effectiveness of common approaches used to manage whiplash-associated disorders. © 2008 Côté et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd