24 research outputs found
Fluorescent carbon dioxide indicators
Over the last decade, fluorescence has become the dominant tool in biotechnology and medical imaging. These exciting advances have been underpinned by the advances in time-resolved techniques and instrumentation, probe design, chemical / biochemical sensing, coupled with our furthered knowledge in biology. Complementary volumes 9 and 10, Advanced Concepts of Fluorescence Sensing: Small Molecule Sensing and Advanced Concepts of Fluorescence Sensing: Macromolecular Sensing, aim to summarize the current state of the art in fluorescent sensing. For this reason, Drs. Geddes and Lakowicz have invited chapters, encompassing a broad range of fluorescence sensing techniques. Some chapters deal with small molecule sensors, such as for anions, cations, and CO2, while others summarize recent advances in protein-based and macromolecular sensors. The Editors have, however, not included DNA or RNA based sensing in this volume, as this were reviewed in Volume 7 and is to be the subject of a more detailed volume in the near future
Tracking physical activity using smart phone apps: assessing the ability of a current app and systematically collecting patient recommendations for future development
Background
Within the United Kingdomâs National Health System (NHS), patients suffering from obesity may be provided with bariatric surgery. After receiving surgery many of these patients require further support to continue to lose more weight or to maintain a healthy weight. Remotely monitoring such patientsâ physical activity and other health-related variables could provide healthworkers with a more âecologically validâ picture of these patientsâ behaviours to then provide more personalised support. The current study assesses the feasibility of two smartphone apps to do so. In addition, the study looks at the barriers and facilitators patients experience to using these apps effectively.
Methods
Participants with a BMI >â35âkg/m2 being considered for and who had previously undergone bariatric surgery were recruited. Participants were asked to install two mobile phone apps. The âMovesâ app automatically tracked participantsâ physical activity and the âWLCompanionâ app prompted participants to set goals and input other health-related information. Then, to learn about participantsâ facilitators and barriers to using the apps, some participants were asked to complete a survey informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework. The data were analysed using regressions and descriptive statistics.
Results
Of the 494 participants originally enrolled, 274 participants data were included in the analyses about their activity pre- and/or post-bariatric surgery (ages 18â65, Mâ=â44.02, SDâ±â11.29). Further analyses were performed on those 36 participants whose activity was tracked both pre- and post-surgery. Participantsâ activity levels pre- and post-surgery did not differ. In addition, 54 participantsâ survey responses suggested that the main facilitator to their continued use of the Moves app was its automatic nature, and the main barrier was its battery drain.
Conclusions
The current study tracked physical activity in patients considered for and who had previously undergone bariatric surgery. The results should be interpreted with caution because of the small number of participants whose data meet the inclusion criteria and the barriers participants encountered to using the apps. Future studies should take note of the barriers to develop more user-friendly apps.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; National Institute for Health Research; Applied Research Centre West Midland