Optical analysis of homocysteine metabolites using vibrational spectroscopy

Funding: Funding: European Union FAMOS project (FP7-ICT-317744); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P030017/1); RS MacDonald Charitable Trust.Homocysteine (HCy) is a sulphur-containing amino acid that correlates with several maladaptive health conditions, including an enhanced risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Detection of HCy and its potentially pathogenic metabolites are studied here for the first time, to the first of our knowledge, using Raman spectroscopy. This study shows that different HCy metabolites have distinct Raman spectra and that the limits of detection reach the sub-mM level for these compounds. This investigation paves the way for photonics–based approaches for detection of HCy–related fluids as predictive biomarkers of disease in blood, which would assist in early intervention for improved clinical outcomes.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Ethics and Acceptance of Smart Homes for Older Adults

Societal challenges associated with caring for the physical and mental health of the elderly worldwide have grown at an unprecedented pace, increasing demand for healthcare services and technologies [1]. Despite the development of several assistive systems tailored to older adults, the rate of adoption of health technologies is low [2, 3]. This review discusses the ethical and acceptability challenges resulting in low adoption of health technologies specifically focused on smart homes for the elderly. The findings have been structured in two categories: Ethical Considerations (Privacy, Social Support, Autonomy) and Technology Aspects (User Context, Usability, Training). The findings conclude that the elderly community is more likely to adopt assistive systems when four key criteria are met. The technology should: be personalized towards their needs, protect their dignity and independence, provide user control, and not be isolating. Finally, we recommend researchers and developers working on assistive systems to: (1) Provide interfaces via smart devices to control and configure the monitoring system with feedback for the user, (2) Include various sensors/devices to architect a smart home solution in a way that is easy to integrate in daily life and (3) Define policies about data ownership

Collaborative systems for enhancing the analysis of social surveys: the grid enabled specialist data environments

This paper describes a group of online services which are designed to support social survey research and the production of statistical results. The 'Grid Enabled Specialist Data Environment' (GESDE) services constitute three related systems which offer facilities to search for, extract and exploit supplementary data and metadata concerned with the measurement and operationalisation of survey variables. The services also offer users the opportunity to deposit and distribute their own supplementary data resources for the benefit of dissemination and replication of the details of their own analysis. The GESDE services focus upon three application areas: specialist data relating to the measurement of occupations; educational qualifications; and ethnicity (including nationality, language, religion, national identity). They identify information resources related to the operationalisation of variables which seek to measure each of these concepts - examples include coding frames, crosswalk and translation files, and standardisation and harmonisation recommendations. These resources constitute important supplementary data which can be usefully exploited in the analysis of survey data. The GESDE services work by collecting together as much of this supplementary data as possible, and making it searchable and retrievable to others. This paper discusses the current features of the GESDE services (which have been designed as part of a wider programme of ‘e-Science’ research in the UK), and considers ongoing challenges in providing effective support for variable-oriented statistical analysis in the social sciences

Quantification of advanced dementia patients’ engagement in therapeutic sessions: an automatic video based approach using computer vision and machine learning

Most individuals with advanced dementia lose the ability to communicate with the outside world through speech. This limits their ability to participate in social activities crucial to their well-being and quality of life. However, there is mounting evidence that individuals with advanced dementia can still communicate non-verbally and benefit greatly from these interactions. A major problem in facilitating the advancement of this research is of a practical and methodical nature: assessing the success of treatment is currently done by humans, prone to subjective bias and inconsistency, and it involves laborious and time consuming effort. The present work is the first attempt at exploring if automatic (artificial intelligence based) quantification of the degree of patient engagement in Adaptive Interaction sessions, a highly promising intervention developed to improve the quality of life of nonverbal individuals with advanced dementia. Hence we describe a framework which uses computer vision and machine learning as a potential first step towards answering this question. Using a real-world data set of videos of therapeutic sessions, not acquired specifically for the purposes of the present work, we demonstrate highly promising results

Long-term culture of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in the absence of neurotrophins : a novel model of neuronal ageing

LS is sponsored by a Wellcome Trust ISSF studentship and YC is a recipient of a China Scholarship Council award.Background Studying human ageing is of increasing importance due to the worldwide ageing population. However, it faces the challenge of lengthy experiments to produce an ageing phenotype. Often, to recreate the hallmarks of ageing requires complex empirical conditions that can confound data interpretation. Indeed, many studies use whole organisms with relatively short life spans, which may have little, or limited, relevance to human ageing. There has been extensive use of cell lines to study ageing in human somatic cells, but the modelling of human neuronal ageing is somewhat more complex in vitro. New Method We cultured the well-characterised SH-SY5Y human neural cell line to produce high purity cultures of cells differentiated to express a neuronal phenotype, and designed a protocol to maintain these cells in culture until they accumulated biomarkers of cellular ageing. Results Our data validate a novel and simple technique for the efficient differentiation and long-term maintenance of SH-SY5Y cells, expressing markers of neuronal differentiation and demonstrating electrical activity in culture. Over time in vitro, these cells progressively accumulate markers of ageing such as enhanced production of reactive oxygen species and accumulation of oxidative damage. Comparison to Existing Methods In comparison to existing techniques to model neuronal ageing our method is cost effective, requiring no specialist equipment or growth factors. Conclusions We demonstrate that SH-SY5Y cells, grown under these culture conditions, represent a simple model of neuronal ageing that is amenable to cell biological, biochemical and electrophysiological investigation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Automated Remote Pulse Oximetry System (ARPOS)

Funding: This research is funded by the School of Computer Science and by St Leonard’s Postgraduate College Doctoral Scholarship, both at the University of St Andrews for Pireh Pirzada’s PhD. Early work was funded by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI).Current methods of measuring heart rate (HR) and oxygen levels (SPO2) require physical contact, are individualised, and for accurate oxygen levels may also require a blood test. No-touch or non-invasive technologies are not currently commercially available for use in healthcare settings. To date, there has been no assessment of a system that measures HR and SPO2 using commercial off-the-shelf camera technology that utilises R, G, B and IR data. Moreover, no formal remote photoplethysmography studies have been done in real life scenarios with participants at home with different demographic characteristics. This novel study addresses all these objectives by developing, optimising, and evaluating a system that measures the HR and SPO2 of 40 participants. HR and SPO2 are determined by measuring the frequencies from different wavelength band regions using FFT and radiometric measurements after pre-processing face regions of interest (forehead, lips, and cheeks) from Colour, IR and Depth data. Detrending, interpolating, hamming, and normalising the signal with FastICA produced the lowest RMSE of 7.8 for HR with the r-correlation value of 0.85 and RMSE 2.3 for SPO2. This novel system could be used in several critical care settings, including in care homes and in hospitals and prompt clinical intervention as required.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Deep-brain photoreception links luminance detection to motor output in Xenopus frog tadpoles

SPC was supported by a BBSRC studentship.Nonvisual photoreceptors are widely distributed in the retina and brain, but their roles in animal behavior remain poorly understood. Here we document a previously unidentified form of deep-brain photoreception in Xenopus laevis frog tadpoles. The isolated nervous system retains sensitivity to light even when devoid of input from classical eye and pineal photoreceptors. These preparations produce regular bouts of rhythmic swimming activity in ambient light but fall silent in the dark. This sensitivity is tuned to short-wavelength UV light; illumination at 400 nm initiates motor activity over a broad range of intensities, whereas longer wavelengths do not cause a response. The photosensitive tissue is located in a small region of caudal diencephalon—this region is necessary to retain responses to illumination, whereas its focal illumination is sufficient to drive them. We present evidence for photoreception via the light-sensitive proteins opsin (OPN)5 and/or cryptochrome 1, because populations of OPN5-positive and cryptochrome-positive cells reside within the caudal diencephalon. This discovery represents a hitherto undescribed vertebrate pathway that links luminance detection to motor output. The pathway provides a simple mechanism for light avoidance and/or may reinforce classical circadian systems.PostprintPeer reviewe

A Leptin Fragment Mirrors the Cognitive Enhancing and Neuroprotective Actions of Leptin

J.H. is funded by The Anonymous Trust and Cunningham Trust. GD is funded by ARUK, DR received a University of St Andrews Research Internship. JAA is funded by the Carnegie Trust.A key pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is amyloid β (Aβ) accumulation which triggers synaptic impairments and neuronal death. Metabolic disruption is common in AD and recent evidence implicates impaired leptin function in AD. Thus the leptin system may be a novel therapeutic target in AD. Indeed, leptin has cognitive enhancing properties and it prevents the aberrant effects of Aβ on hippocampal synaptic function and neuronal viability. However as leptin is a large peptide, development of smaller leptin-mimetics may be the best therapeutic approach. Thus, we have examined the cognitive enhancing and neuroprotective properties of known bioactive leptin fragments. Here we show that the leptin (116-130) fragment, but not leptin (22-56), mirrored the ability of leptin to promote AMPA receptor trafficking to synapses and facilitate activity-dependent hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Administration of leptin (116-130) also mirrored the cognitive enhancing effects of leptin as it enhanced performance in episodic-like memory tests. Moreover, leptin (116-130) prevented hippocampal synaptic disruption and neuronal cell death in models of amyloid toxicity. These findings establish further the importance of the leptin system as a therapeutic target in AD.PostprintPeer reviewe

The Iowa Homemaker vol.32, no.2

To a Bride, Salli Hearst, page 9 Happily Ever After, Donald C. Charles, page 10 The Bride Wore, Marilyn Bergeson and Patricia Keast, page 11 Here Comes the Bride, Marilyn Wright, page 12 Marriage and College - Yes, Gloria Sheehe, page 13 It’s All In the Family, Floramae Gates, page 14 With This Ring, Jean McGhie, page 15 Veiled In Loveliness, Evelyn Toulouse, page 16 Pots ‘n Pans, Maryann Meldrum, page 17 Proper Thing To Do, Marian Skinner, page 18 For Remembering, Marian Anderson, page 19 Weddings Without Worries, Nancy Voss, page 20 Showers, Joanne Ryals, page 21 Your Highest Hopes, Gayle Dunn, page 22 Bouquet for You, Maryann Meldrum, page 23 Your Trip to the Moon, Alane Baird, page 24 What’s New, Evelyn Toulouse and Dorothy Will, page 28 Information Please, Susan Brown and Mary Doherty, page 32 She Doesn’t Like Surprises and Neither Does He, Ruth Anderson, page 34 Breaking In the Groom, Alice Irvine, page 37 Trends, Joanne Ryals, page 3

First population-level effectiveness evaluation of a national programme to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child, South Africa

BACKGROUND : There is a paucity of data on the national population-level effectiveness of preventing mother-tochild transmission (PMTCT) programmes in high-HIVprevalence, resource-limited settings. We assessed national PMTCT impact in South Africa (SA), 2010. METHODS : A facility-based survey was conducted using a stratified multistage, cluster sampling design. A nationally representative sample of 10 178 infants aged 4–8 weeks was recruited from 565 clinics. Data collection included caregiver interviews, record reviews and infant dried blood spots to identify HIV-exposed infants (HEI) and HIV-infected infants. During analysis, self-reported antiretroviral (ARV) use was categorised: 1a: triple ARV treatment; 1b: azidothymidine >10 weeks; 2a: azidothymidine ≤10 weeks; 2b: incomplete ARV prophylaxis; 3a: no antenatal ARV and 3b: missing ARV information. Findings were adjusted for non-response, survey design and weighted for live-birth distributions. RESULTS : Nationally, 32% of live infants were HEI; early mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) was 3.5% (95% CI 2.9% to 4.1%). In total 29.4% HEI were born to mothers on triple ARV treatment (category 1a) 55.6% on prophylaxis (1b, 2a, 2b), 9.5% received no antenatal ARV (3a) and 5.5% had missing ARV information (3b). Controlling for other factors groups, 1b and 2a had similar MTCT to 1a (Ref; adjusted OR (AOR) for 1b, 0.98, 0.52 to 1.83; and 2a, 1.31, 0.69 to 2.48). MTCT was higher in group 2b (AOR 3.68, 1.69 to 7.97). Within group 3a, early MTCT was highest among breastfeeding mothers 11.50% (4.67% to 18.33%) for exclusive breast feeding, 11.90% (7.45% to 16.35%) for mixed breast feeding, and 3.45% (0.53% to 6.35%) for no breast feeding). Antiretroviral therapy or >10 weeks prophylaxis negated this difference (MTCT 3.94%, 1.98% to 5.90%; 2.07%, 0.55% to 3.60% and 2.11%, 1.28% to 2.95%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS : SA, a high-HIV-prevalence middle income country achieved <5% MTCT by 4–8 weeks post partum. The long-term impact on PMTCT on HIV-free survival needs urgent assessment.South African National Research Foundationhttp://jech.bmj.comhb201