Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Energy Expenditure and Oxygen Consumption

Exercise is beneficial to improve metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Physical activity results in an increase in energy expenditure (EE) and oxygen consumption due to increased energy demand. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is an alternative strategy to induce muscle contraction. Our previous work have shown that NMES induced muscle contraction can improve metabolic health in an overweight and obese population. However, it is not known whether NMES induced muscle contraction leads to greater energy expenditure. PUPROSE: To determine the effect of NMES induced muscle contraction on energy expenditure and oxygen consumption. METHODS: Eighteen sedentary overweight/obese men (n=6) and women (n=9) participated in this study (Age: 35.0 ± 13.3 years; BMI: 32.3 ± 8.4 Kg/m2). All participants received 30 minutes of stimulation up to maximum tolerable intensity to induce visible muscle contraction (pulse duration 300 ms; frequency 50 Hz). Whole body energy expenditure and oxygen consumption were measured continuously for 50 minutes using indirect calorimetry. After 20 minutes of resting measurement, NMES was performed for following 30 minutes. Energy expenditure and oxygen consumption data was sampled every 5 minutes during NMES and an average value for 30 minutes of NMES was calculated. Results were analyzed using Graph Pad Prism software (version 9.2). Paired t-test was used to compare baseline vs. mean energy expenditure and oxygen consumption. One-way ANOVA was also used to determine the significant changes in energy expenditure and oxygen consumption at different time points during stimulation. RESULTS: Average energy expenditure (18.6 ± 0.8 Kcal/Kg to 18.8 ± 1.0 Kcal/Kg, pCONCLUSION:Neuromuscular electrical stimulation results in significant increase in energy expenditure and oxygen consumption. NMES could be used a viable alternative to increasing daily energy expenditure in a sedentary overweight and obese population and for people who are incapable of performing exercise

Considerations of expanded carrier screening: Lessons learned from combined malonic and methylmalonic aciduria.

BACKGROUND: Expanded carrier screening (ECS) utilizes high-throughput next-generation sequencing to evaluate an individual\u27s carrier status for multiple conditions. Combined malonic and methylmalonic aciduria (CMAMMA) due to ACSF3 deficiency is a rare inherited disease included in such screening panels. Some cases have been reported with metabolic symptoms in childhood yet other cases describe a benign clinical course, suggesting the clinical phenotype is not well defined. METHODS/CASE REPORT: Clinical and laboratory findings during the prenatal period were obtained retrospectively from medical records. RESULTS: A 37-year-old nulliparous woman and her partner were each identified as carriers of ACSF3 variants and presented at 9 weeks gestation for prenatal genetic consultation. The couple received extensive genetic counseling and proceeded with chorionic villus sampling at 11 weeks gestation. Subsequent analysis confirmed that the fetus inherited both parental ACSF variants. The couple was devastated by the results and after reviewing options of pregnancy continuation and termination, they decided to terminate the pregnancy. Following this decision, the patient was diagnosed with acute stress disorder. CONCLUSION: This case highlights how expanded carrier screening adds complexity to reproductive decision-making. Stronger guidelines and additional research are needed to direct and evaluate the timing, composition, and implementation of ECS panels

Clinical, ultrasound and molecular biomarkers for early prediction of large for gestational age infants in nulliparous women: an international prospective cohort study

Objective: To develop a prediction model for term infants born large for gestational age (LGA) by customised birthweight centiles. Methods: International prospective cohort of nulliparous women with singleton pregnancy recruited to the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study. LGA was defined as birthweight above the 90th customised centile, including adjustment for parity, ethnicity, maternal height and weight, fetal gender and gestational age. Clinical risk factors, ultrasound parameters and biomarkers at 14–16 or 19–21 weeks were combined into a prediction model for LGA infants at term using stepwise logistic regression in a training dataset. Prediction performance was assessed in a validation dataset using area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics curve (AUC) and detection rate at fixed false positive rates. Results: The prevalence of LGA at term was 8.8% (n = 491/5628). Clinical and ultrasound factors selected in the prediction model for LGA infants were maternal birthweight, gestational weight gain between 14–16 and 19–21 weeks, and fetal abdominal circumference, head circumference and uterine artery Doppler resistance index at 19–21 weeks (AUC 0.67; 95%CI 0.63–0.71). Sensitivity of this model was 24% and 49% for a fixed false positive rate of 10% and 25%, respectively. The addition of biomarkers resulted in selection of random glucose, LDL-cholesterol, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), but with minimal improvement in model performance (AUC 0.69; 95%CI 0.65–0.73). Sensitivity of the full model was 26% and 50% for a fixed false positive rate of 10% and 25%, respectively. Conclusion: Prediction of LGA infants at term has limited diagnostic performance before 22 weeks but may have a role in contingency screening in later pregnancy

Investigating the use of a hybrid plasmonic–photonic nanoresonator for optical trapping using finite-difference time-domain method

We investigate the use of a hybrid nanoresonator comprising a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity coupled to a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna (BNA) for the optical trapping of nanoparticles in water. Using finite difference time-domain simulations, we show that this structure can confine light to an extremely small volume of ~30,000 nm3 (~30 zl) in the BNA gap whilst maintaining a high quality factor (5400–7700). The optical intensity inside the BNA gap is enhanced by a factor larger than 40 compared to when the BNA is not present above the PhC cavity. Such a device has potential applications in optical manipulation, creating high precision optical traps with an intensity gradient over a distance much smaller than the diffraction limit, potentially allowing objects to be confined to much smaller volumes and making it ideal for optical trapping of Rayleigh particles (particles much smaller than the wavelength of light)

Hybrid photonic-plasmonic platform for highthroughput single-molecule studies

We present the design and numerical characterization of a hybrid photonicplasmonic nanoresonator comprised of a 2D photonic crystal (PhC) cavity, a gold bowtie nanoantenna (BNA) and a silicon dioxide, SiO2, spacer. This device is designed to serve as the building block of a multicomponent platform capable of running multiple single-molecule experiments such as optical trapping and sample interrogation simultaneously. The thickness and structure of the spacer layer are adjusted to maximize the energy in the externally accessible hot-spot in the BNA gap. Suitability of the device for photonic integration is demonstrated by exciting it through a PhC waveguide

Investigation the Air Quality City of Kashan during 2012 Based on the Air Quality Index

Background & aim: Nowadays air pollution from vehicles, industry and increasing consumption of fossil fuels threatens human health and the environment. Monitoring and identifying pollutant sources are one of the basic strategies for controlling air pollution. The aim of this study was to determine the quality of air of Kashan, Iran, based on the air quality index in 2011. Methods: In the present descriptive - analytical study, the concentration of air pollutants, including O3, CO, SO2, NO2 and PM10 were determined. Index of air quality was calculated by the MATLAB R2007a software, which six groups were classified. Results: The results indicated that the air quality index of 365 days in 2011, 179 days were clean and acceptable, but 186 days exceeded the air quality standards. Accordingly, the air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups at 86 days, unhealthy 38 days, very unhealthy 31 days and 31 days were dangerous. Conclusions: O3, PM10 and CO was responsible for the largest contingent air pollution in non-standard conditions in Kashan city. Moreover, one suggestion for better estimate of the quality of the air in the city is to increase the number of pollutant measuring stations of the city

Folic acid supplementation reduces plasma homocysteine in postmenopausal women

Plasma homocysteine, which is increased after menopause, can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of folic acid supplementation on plasma homocysteine in postmenopausal women. The study was performed as a randomized placebo controlled trial on 48 healthy postmenopausal women (aged 50�70 years) and plasma homocysteine of all women was measured. In the case group, folic acid, and in the control group, placebo was prescribed. The second plasma homocysteine was measured 16�17 weeks later and was compared in the two groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups according to age, BMI, parity, duration of menopause and the first plasma homocysteine level. Plasma homocysteine level was significantly lower in the case group than control group 16 weeks after folic acid administration (10.33 ± 3.51 μmol/l vs 13.21 ± 3.11 μmol/l, p=0.004). There was no significant correlation between plasma homocysteine level and BMI and parity. However, there was a weak-moderate positive correlation between plasma homocysteine and age (p<0.05, r=0.33), and there was a significant but weak correlation between plasma homocysteine and duration of menopause (p=0.05, r=0.28). © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Coupling mechanisms and field confinement in a hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystal resonator for enhanced optical trapping

We present a structure combing a photonic crystal cavity with a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna producing spectral confinement and field enhancement for optical trapping. We will discuss coupling mechanisms and field enhancements in relation to spectral detuning, cavity design, structure geometry and excitation field

Investigating the use of a hybrid plasmonic-photonic nanoresonator for optical trapping using Finite-Difference Time Domain method

We investigate the use of a hybrid photonic-plasmonic nanoresonator for optical trapping of nanoparticles. The device comprises a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity coupled to a plasmonic bow tie nanoantenna (BNA) with a silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer separating the two. Using the Finite-Difference in the Time-Domain (FDTD) approach, we show that this structure can confine the light to an extremely small volume of ~ 30 nm^3 in the BNA gap whilst maintaining a high quality factor (5,400 - 7,700). This device has potential applications in optical manipulation, enabling the creation of subwavelength optical traps with an intensity gradient over a distance much smaller than the diffraction limit, allowing trapping of nanoparticles with dimensions much smaller than the light wavelengt

The Flame Retardancy of Polyethylene Composites: From Fundamental Concepts to Nanocomposites

Polyethylene (PE) is one the most used plastics worldwide for a wide range of applications due to its good mechanical and chemical resistance, low density, cost efficiency, ease of processability, non-reactivity, low toxicity, good electric insulation, and good functionality. However, its high flammability and rapid flame spread pose dangers for certain applications. Therefore, different flame-retardant (FR) additives are incorporated into PE to increase its flame retardancy. In this review article, research papers from the past 10 years on the flame retardancy of PE systems are comprehensively reviewed and classified based on the additive sources. The FR additives are classified in well-known FR families, including phosphorous, melamine, nitrogen, inorganic hydroxides, boron, and silicon. The mechanism of fire retardance in each family is pinpointed. In addition to the efficiency of each FR in increasing the flame retardancy, its impact on the mechanical properties of the PE system is also discussed. Most of the FRs can decrease the heat release rate (HRR) of the PE products and simultaneously maintains the mechanical properties in appropriate ratios. Based on the literature, inorganic hydroxide seems to be used more in PE systems compared to other families. Finally, the role of nanotechnology for more efficient FR-PE systems is discussed and recommendations are given on implementing strategies that could help incorporate flame retardancy in the circular economy model