Extraction of Protein from Four Different Seaweeds Using Three Different Physical Pre-Treatment Strategies

peer-reviewedSeaweeds are a rich source of protein and can contain up to 47% on the dry weight basis. It is challenging to extract proteins from the raw biomass of seaweed due to resilient cell-wall complexes. Four species of macroalgae were used in this study-two brown, Fucus vesiculosus and Alaria esculenta, and two red, Palmaria palmata and Chondrus crispus. Three treatments were applied individually to the macroalgal species: (I) high-pressure processing (HPP); (II) laboratory autoclave processing and (III) a classical sonication and salting out method. The protein, ash and lipid contents of the resulting extracts were estimated. Yields of protein recovered ranged from 3.2% for Fucus vesiculosus pre-treated with high pressure processing to 28.9% protein recovered for Chondrus crispus treated with the classical method. The yields of protein recovered using the classical, HPP and autoclave pre-treatments applied to Fucus vesiculosus were 35.1, 23.7% and 24.3%, respectively; yields from Alaria esculenta were 18.2%, 15.0% and 17.1% respectively; yields from Palmaria palmata were 12.5%, 14.9% and 21.5% respectively, and finally, yields from Chondrus crispus were 35.2%, 16.1% and 21.9%, respectively. These results demonstrate that while macroalgal proteins may be extracted using either physical or enzymatic methods, the specific extraction procedure should be tailored to individual species

Protecting Puget Sound from CSOs by retrofitting Urban Neighborhoods with Green Stormwater Infrastructure

In 2009 King County Wastewater Treatment Division (KCWTD) selected green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) as the preferred alternative for controlling combined sewer overflows (CSO) for the 1100-acre Barton combined sewer system (CSS) basin in Seattle. In 2008 KCWTD reported that the basin had an average of four overflows per year that discharge a total of four million gallons into Puget Sound. In order to reduce the overflows to no more than one CSO event per year for Washington State’s Department of Ecology compliance, KCWTD retrofitted 15 residential streets with bioretention cells in order to intercept, treat and reduce the amount of stormwater discharging into the CSS. After filtering through the bioretention soil and plantings, stormwater discharges into an underdrain that conveys the flows into an underground injection control screen well for deep infiltration to a receptive soil layer beneath the area’s glacial till. Intercepting stormwater before it enters the CSS will reduce KCWTD’s annual treatment plant costs. The project completed construction of the first ten streets in 2014 and the remaining five streets in 2015. Our presentation will cover challenges confronted by this pioneering project (the first for KCWTD) from planning, design, community outreach, construction and through the first two years of operations and maintenance. We will also review how we balanced CSO control performance with community concerns and street performance so issues such as slope, planter width, existing utilities and trees, access, and on-street parking patterns were key design drivers; how KCWTD developed and implemented a new maintenance program for the wastewater treatment division; and how the team developed infrastructure that met current needs while incorporating flexibility to respond to an uncertain future and changing climate. Finally, we will provide the latest results in monitoring for CSO events in the basin for the first two years of operation and maintenance

A systematic review of outcome reporting in clinical trials of distal tibia and ankle fractures : the need for a core outcome set

Aim: To describe outcome reporting variation and trends in non-pharmacological randomised clinical trials (RCT) of distal tibia and/or ankle fractures. Method: Five electronic databases and three clinical trial registries were searched (January 2000-February 2022). Trials including patients with distal tibia and/or ankle fractures without concomitant injuries were included. One reviewer conducted all searches, screened titles, and abstracts, assessed eligibility, and completed data extraction; a random 10% subset were independently assessed and extracted by a second reviewer at each stage. All extracted outcomes were mapped to a modified version of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. The quality of outcome reporting (reproducibility) was assessed. Results: 105 trials (n=16 to 669 participants) from 27 countries were included. Trials compared surgical interventions (62), post-surgical management options (17), rehabilitative interventions (14), surgical versus non-surgical interventions (6), and pre-surgical management strategies (5). In total, 888 outcome assessments were reported across seven domains: 263 assessed body structure or function (85.7% of trials), 136 activities (68.6% of trials), 34 participation (23.8% of trials), 159 health-related quality of life (61.9% of trials), 247 processes of care (80% of trials), 21 patient experiences (15.2% of trials), and 28 economic impact (8.6% of trials). From these, 337 discrete outcomes were described. Outcome reporting was inconsistent across trials. The quality of reporting varied widely (reproducibility ranged 4.8% patient experience to 100% complications). Conclusion: Substantial heterogeneity in outcome selection, assessment methods and reporting quality were described. Despite the large number of outcomes, few are reported across multiple trials. Most outcomes are clinically focused, with little attention to the long-term consequences important to patients. Poor reporting quality reduces confidence in data quality, inhibiting data synthesis by which to inform care decisions. Outcome reporting guidance and standardisation, that captures the outcomes that matter to multiple stakeholders, is urgently required

The platelet receptor CLEC-2 blocks neutrophil mediated hepatic recovery in acetaminophen induced acute liver failure

Acetaminophen (APAP) is the main cause of acute liver failure in the West. Specific efficacious therapies for acute liver failure (ALF) are limited and time-dependent. The mechanisms that drive irreversible acute liver failure remain poorly characterized. Here we report that the recently discovered platelet receptor CLEC-2 (C-type lectin-like receptor) perpetuates and worsens liver damage after toxic liver injury. Our data demonstrate that blocking platelet CLEC-2 signalling enhances liver recovery from acute toxic liver injuries (APAP and carbon tetrachloride) by increasing tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production which then enhances reparative hepatic neutrophil recruitment. We provide data from humans and mice demonstrating that platelet CLEC-2 influences the hepatic sterile inflammatory response and that this can be manipulated for therapeutic benefit in acute liver injury. Since CLEC-2 mediated platelet activation is independent of major haemostatic pathways, blocking this pathway represents a coagulopathy-sparing, specific and novel therapy in acute liver failure

Management and outcomes of femoral periprosthetic fractures at the hip: data from the characteristics, outcomes and management of periprosthetic fracture service evaluation (COMPOSE) cohort study

Aims The aim of this study was to describe the management and associated outcomes of patients sustaining a femoral hip periprosthetic fracture (PPF) in the UK population. Methods This was a multicentre retrospective cohort study including adult patients who presented to 27 NHS hospitals with 539 new PPFs between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2018. Data collected included: management strategy (operative and nonoperative), length of stay, discharge destination, and details of post-treatment outcomes (reoperation, readmission, and 30-day and 12-month mortality). Descriptive analysis by fracture type was performed, and predictors of PPF management and outcomes were assessed using mixed-effects logistic regression. Results In all, 417 fractures (77%) were managed operatively and 122 (23%) conservatively. The median time to surgery was four days (interquartile range (IQR) 2 to 7). Of those undergoing surgery, 246 (59%) underwent revision and/or fixation and 169 (41%) fixation alone. The surgical strategy used differed by Unified Classification System for PPF type, with the highest rate of revision in B2/B3 fractures (both 77%, 176/228 and 24/31, respectively) and the highest rate of fixation alone in B1- (55/78; 71%) and C-type (49/65; 75%) fractures. Cemented stem fixation (odds ratio (OR) 2.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.42 to 4.99); p = 0.002) and B2/B3 fracture type (OR 7.56 (95% CI 4.14 to 13.78); p < 0.001) were predictors of operative management. The median length of stay was 15 days (IQR 9 to 23), 12-month reoperation rate was 5.6% (n = 30), and 30-day readmission rate was 8.4% (n = 45). The 30-day and 12-month mortality rates were 5.2% (n = 28) and 21.0% (n = 113). Nonoperative treatment, older age, male sex, admission from residential or nursing care, and sustaining the PPF around a revision prosthesis were significant predictors of an increased 12-month mortality. Conclusion Femoral hip PPFs have mortality, reoperation, and readmission rates comparable with hip fracture patients. However, they have a longer wait for surgery, and surgical treatment is more complex. There is a need to create a national framework for data collection for this heterogeneous group of patients in order to understand the outcomes of different approaches to treatment

Market structure and microstructure, in international interest rate futures markets

We examine the role of market structure in identifying microstructure features of the NYSE.Euronext LIFFE STIR futures market by comparing the ability of two bid-ask spread component models to explain bid-ask spreads. These two models differ only in their assumptions about whether or not market makers are present. The period we analyze includes data from pit based trading alongside electronic market data. We explore how market structure affects the way private information influences bid-ask spreads and return volatility. A second part of our study employs intraday correlation to investigate these links in greater depth, while a third part looks at how private information and trading noise contribute to price evolution

Market structure and microstructure, in international interest rate futures markets

We examine the role of market structure in identifying microstructure features of the NYSE.Euronext-LIFFE STIR futures market by comparing the ability of two bid-ask spread component models to explain bid-ask spreads. These two models differ only in their assumptions about whether or not market makers are present. The period we analyze includes data from pit-based trading alongside electronic market data. We explore how market structure affects the way private information influences bid-ask spreads and return volatility. A second part of our study employs intraday correlation to investigate these links in greater depth, while a third part looks at how private information and trading noise contribute to price evolution.High frequency data Futures Market microstructure Asymmetric information Order-driven

Clinical predictors of fracture in patients with shoulder dislocation: systematic review of diagnostic test accuracy studies

BACKGROUND: Pre-reduction radiographs are conventionally used to exclude fracture before attempts to reduce a dislocated shoulder in the Emergency Department. However, this step increases cost, exposes patients to ionising radiation, and might delay closed reduction. Some studies have suggested that pre-reduction imaging may be omitted for a sub-group of patients with shoulder dislocations. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether clinical predictors can identify patients that might safely undergo closed reduction of a dislocated shoulder without pre-reduction radiographs. >METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies that have evaluated the ability of clinical features to identify concomitant fractures in patients with shoulder dislocation. The search was updated to 23rd June 2022 and language limits were not applied. All fractures were included except for Hill-Sachs lesions. Quality assessment was undertaken using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Data were pooled and meta-analysed by fitting univariate random effects and multi-level mixed effects logistic regression models. RESULTS: Eight studies reported data on 2,087 shoulder dislocations and 343 concomitant fractures. The most important potential sources of bias were unclear blinding of those undertaking the clinical (6/8 studies) and radiographic (3/8 studies) assessment. The prevalence of concomitant fracture was 17.5%. The most accurate clinical predictors were age >40 (LR+ 1.8 [95% CI 1.5-2.1]; LR- 0.4 [0.2-0.6]), female sex (LR+ 2.0 [1.6-2.4], LR- 0.7 [0.6-0.8]), first time dislocation (LR+ 1.7 [1.4-2.0]; LR-0.2 [0.1-0.5]), and presence of humeral ecchymosis (LR+ 3.0-5.7; LR- 0.8-1.1). The most important mechanisms of injury were: high-energy mechanism fall (LR+ 2.0-9.8, LR-0.4-0.8), fall >1 flight of stairs (LR+ 3.8 [95% CI 0.6-13.1]; LR- 1.0 [95% CI 0.9-1.0]), and motor vehicle collision (LR+ 2.3 [0.5-4.0]; LR- 0.9 [0.9-1.0]). The Quebec Rule had a sensitivity of 92.2% (95% CI 54.6-99.2%) and specificity (33.3%, 23.1-45.3%) but the Fresno-Quebec rule identified all clinically important fractures across two studies: sensitivity 100% (95% CI 89-100%) in the derivation dataset and 100% (90-100%) in the validation study. The specificity ranged from 34% (95% CI 28-41%) in the derivation dataset to 24% (16-33%) in the validation study. CONCLUSION: Clinical prediction rules may have a role in supporting shared decision making after shoulder dislocation, particularly in the pre-hospital and remote environments when delay to imaging is anticipated

Elbow conditions:research priorities setting in partnership with the James Lind Alliance

Objective To undertake a UK-based James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership for elbow conditions and be representative of the views of patients, carers and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Setting This was a national collaborative study organised through the British Elbow and Shoulder Society. Participants Adult patients, carers and HCPs who have managed or experienced elbow conditions, their carers and HCPs in the UK involved in managing of elbow conditions. Methods The rigorous JLA priority setting methodology was followed. Electronic and paper scoping surveys were distributed to identify potential research priority questions (RPQs). Initial responses were reviewed and a literature search was performed to cross-check categorised questions. Those questions already sufficiently answered were excluded and the remaining questions were ranked in a second survey according to priority for future elbow conditions research. Using the JLA methodology, responses from HCP and patients were combined to create a list of the top 18 questions. These were further reviewed in a dedicated multistakeholder workshop where the top 10 RPQs were agreed by consensus. Results The process was completed over 24 months. The initial survey resulted in 467 questions from 165 respondents (73% HCPs and 27% patients/carers). These questions were reviewed and combined into 46 summary topics comprising: tendinopathy, distal biceps pathology, arthritis, stiffness, trauma, arthroplasty and cubital tunnel syndrome. The second (interim prioritisation) survey had 250 respondents (72% HCP and 28% patients/carers). The top 18 ranked questions from this survey were taken to the final workshop where a consensus was reached on the top 10 RPQs. Conclusions The top 10 RPQs highlight areas of importance that currently lack sufficient evidence to guide diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of elbow conditions. This collaborative process will guide researchers and funders regarding the topics that should receive most future attention and benefit patients and HCPs.</p