Comparison of systolic blood pressure measurements by auscultation and visual manometer needle jump

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 214-220, 2019. Purpose: This study was designed to investigate differences in systolic blood pressure measurements as obtained through auscultation and observation of the visual jump on the manometer. Methods: Men (n = 21; 26.9 ± 7.4 yrs) and women (n = 22; 29.3 ± 13.9 yrs) volunteered to have resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) assessments. During the same cardiac inflation-deflation cycle of traditional sphygmomanometry, the initial visual jump of the manometer needle and first Korotkoff sound heard were recorded. Duplicate assessments were made in each arm with 30 sec between intra-arm trials. Results: Paired t-test results indicated there were no within-method differences between arms for visual jump (R: 132.1 ± 11.3; L: 131.8 ± 10.5 mmHg) or auscultation (R: 116.8 ± 9.0; L: 113.5 ± 8.8 mmHg). There were methodological differences within arm with visual jump being the higher of the two (right: t(42) = -12.69; left: t(42) = -11.37; p \u3c .001). Conclusion: If visual jump determination of SBP cannot be avoided, re-assessment using a more traditional method (i.e. auscultation) is recommended

New Multisite Bioelectrical Impedance Device Compared to Hydrostatic Weighing and Skinfold Body Fat Methods

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(4): 1718-1728, 2020. The purpose of this study was to compare the Skulpt Chisel™ to seven-site skinfold (SKF) and hydrostatic weighing (HW) body fat percentage (%BF) estimates. Twenty-six participants (aged 24 ± 4 years; BMI 23.1 ± 3.5 kg∙m-2) were assessed. Significant differences in %BF estimates were found for all methodological pairings; p \u3c 0.05. The SKF method underestimated %BF compared to HW (-2.52 ± 3.42 %BF). The Skulpt Chisel™ overestimated %BF compared to both HW (3.38 ± 6.10 %BF) and SKF (5.90 ± 5.26 %BF). Limits of agreement comparing HW to Skulpt Chisel™ indicated a difference between 95% confidence interval bounds (Upper bound: 5.84 %BF, Lower bound 0.92 %BF) and for HW to SKF (Upper bound: -1.14 %BF, Lower bound: -3.91 %BF). Regression analysis showed no significant bias for any methodological pairing; (p \u3e 0.05). In conclusion, the Skulpt Chisel™ method should be used with caution when evaluating %BF of adults with similar demographics reported in this study

A Multi-Institutional Partnership Catalyzing the Commercialization of Medical Devices and Biotechnology Products.

The commercialization of medical devices and biotechnology products is characterized by high failure rates and long development lead times particularly among start-up enterprises. To increase the success rate of these high-risk ventures, the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) partnered to create key academic support centers with programs to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in this industry. In 2008, UML and UMMS founded the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), which is a business and technology incubator that provides business planning, product prototyping, laboratory services, access to clinical testing, and ecosystem networking to medical device and biotech startup firms. M2D2 has three physical locations that encompass approximately 40,000 square feet. Recently, M2D2 leveraged these resources to expand into new areas such as health security, point of care technologies for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, and rapid diagnostics to detect SARS-CoV-2. Since its inception, M2D2 has vetted approximately 260 medical device and biotech start-up companies for inclusion in its programs and provided active support to more than 80 firms. This manuscript describes how two UMass campuses leveraged institutional, state, and Federal resources to create a thriving entrepreneurial environment for medical device and biotech companies

Development of a Multilevel Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Appalachia

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are lower in Appalachian regions of the United States than in non-Appalachian regions. Given the availability of various screening modalities, there is critical need for culturally relevant interventions addressing multiple socioecological levels to reduce the regional CRC burden. In this report, we describe the development and baseline findings from year 1 of “Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening through Implementation Science (ACCSIS) in Appalachia,” a 5-year, National Cancer Institute Cancer MoonshotSM-funded multilevel intervention (MLI) project to increase screening in Appalachian Kentucky and Ohio primary care clinics. Methods Project development was theory-driven and included the establishment of both an external Scientific Advisory Board and a Community Advisory Board to provide guidance in conducting formative activities in two Appalachian counties: one in Kentucky and one in Ohio. Activities included identifying and describing the study communities and primary care clinics, selecting appropriate evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and conducting a pilot test of MLI strategies addressing patient, provider, clinic, and community needs. Results Key informant interviews identified multiple barriers to CRC screening, including fear of screening, test results, and financial concerns (patient level); lack of time and competing priorities (provider level); lack of reminder or tracking systems and staff burden (clinic level); and cultural issues, societal norms, and transportation (community level). With this information, investigators then offered clinics a menu of EBIs and strategies to address barriers at each level. Clinics selected individually tailored MLIs, including improvement of patient education materials, provision of provider education (resulting in increased knowledge, p = .003), enhancement of electronic health record (EHR) systems and development of clinic screening protocols, and implementation of community CRC awareness events, all of which promoted stool-based screening (i.e., FIT or FIT-DNA). Variability among clinics, including differences in EHR systems, was the most salient barrier to EBI implementation, particularly in terms of tracking follow-up of positive screening results, whereas the development of clinic-wide screening protocols was found to promote fidelity to EBI components. Conclusions Lessons learned from year 1 included increased recognition of variability among the clinics and how they function, appreciation for clinic staff and provider workload, and development of strategies to utilize EHR systems. These findings necessitated a modification of study design for subsequent years. Trial registration Trial NCT04427527 is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov and was registered on June 11, 2020

Randomized trial of neoadjuvant vaccination with tumor-cell lysate induces T cell response in low-grade gliomas

BACKGROUND. Long-term prognosis of WHO grade II low-grade gliomas (LGGs) is poor, with a high risk of recurrence and malignant transformation into high-grade gliomas. Given the relatively intact immune system of patients with LGGs and the slow tumor growth rate, vaccines are an attractive treatment strategy. METHODS. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the safety and immunological effects of vaccination with GBM6-AD, lysate of an allogeneic glioblastoma stem cell line, with poly-ICLC in patients with LGGs. Patients were randomized to receive the vaccines before surgery (arm 1) or not (arm 2) and all patients received adjuvant vaccines. Coprimary outcomes were to evaluate safety and immune response in the tumor. RESULTS. A total of 17 eligible patients were enrolled — 9 in arm 1 and 8 in arm 2. This regimen was well tolerated with no regimen-limiting toxicity. Neoadjuvant vaccination induced upregulation of type-1 cytokines and chemokines and increased activated CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood. Single-cell RNA/T cell receptor sequencing detected CD8+ T cell clones that expanded with effector phenotype and migrated into the tumor microenvironment (TME) in response to neoadjuvant vaccination. Mass cytometric analyses detected increased tissue resident–like CD8+ T cells with effector memory phenotype in the TME after the neoadjuvant vaccination. CONCLUSION. The regimen induced effector CD8+ T cell response in peripheral blood and enabled vaccine-reactive CD8+ T cells to migrate into the TME. Further refinements of the regimen may have to be integrated into future strategies