Project ESCPe - Evaluating Spacesuit CPR Performance

Astronauts may need to perform Basic Life Support (BLS) on a crewmember, which consists of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and External Chest Compressions (ECC). In an emergency, astronauts will not have time to remove their spacesuits or let their heart rates return to their resting conditions, and would have to perform CPR while already physically exerted. This investigation aims to evaluate the effect of physical exertion on rescuer performance as they perform ECCs over 6 minutes while wearing a commercially available spacesuit supplied by Final Frontier Design

From’Innov: a new concept for building cheese texture and taste separately for design-on-demand and short supply

Combined steps, such as draining and acidification, as well as ripening downtime still represent bottlenecks during cheese making. Indeed, they negatively affect the control of process efficiency, the cheese weight range, the quality of by-products and the balance between supply and demand. In this work, an innovative process was proposed and validated on a semi-industrial scale in order to manufacture cheese products without ripening, albeit on a large range of texture and taste mimicking fresh to pressed type cheeses. On the one hand, draining and acidification steps were uncoupled by using membrane filtration and centrifugation to fractionate milk constituents, and then by reconstructing a controlled texture matrix with regard to protein / fat ratio, denaturation rate of whey proteins, mineralization and amount of available lactose.Different aromatic matrices were produced in parallel by growing Yarrovia lipolytica, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, a mixture of Lactococcus lactis / cremoris / diacetylactis, or Hafnia alvéi in controlled environmental conditions. In less than four days, aromatic sulfur, ketone, acidic and aldehyde molecules were produced at concentration similar to that of a ripened curd. Finally, the texture and aromatic matrices were assembled in a ratio 90:10, and then textured through pH and temperature adjustment, NaCl, rennet or texturing agent addition. Results showed it was possible to obtain products with firmness varying from that of a spread cheese to that of a semi hard type cheese, and with aroma mimicking Saint Paulin as well as Cheddar depending on the quantities and proportions of added aromatic molecules.This eco-efficient and patented process makes it possible to control each step independently, to reduce significantly the inputs, to obtain standardized by-products and consequently to limit production costs. It is possible with the same equipment to produce from day to day and on demand any types of flavored and textured cheeses

“You Should Just Keep Your Mouth Shut and Do As We Say”: Forensic Psychiatric Inpatients’ Experiences of Risk Assessments

This study presents findings of forensic inpatients’ experiences of their role in the risk assessment process. Eleven patients, recruited from two forensic psychiatric clinics in Sweden, participated in semi-structured interviews which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis of their experiences resulted in the information of three categories: Taking responsibility for one’s own situation, in terms of taking responsibility for aspects of one’s care, taking charge of the present, emphasizing potential challenges in grasping reality, and being involved and having impact, which concerns feelings of being involved in discussions related to one’s care and treatment versus feelings of being an outsider

Stochastic master surgery scheduling

The aim of the Master Surgery Scheduling Problem (MSSP) is to schedule the medical specialties to the different operating rooms available, such that surgeries may be performed efficiently. We consider a MSSP where elective and emergency patients can be treated in the same operating rooms. In addition to elective-dedicated operating room slots, flexible operating room slots are introduced to handle the fluctuating demand of emergency patients. To solve the MSSP, we propose a simulation-optimization approach consisting of a two-stage stochastic optimization model and a discrete-event simulation model. For the two-stage stochastic optimization model, uncertain arrivals of emergency patients are represented by discrete scenarios. The discrete-event simulation model is developed to address uncertainty related to the surgery duration and the length of stay at the hospital, and to test the Master Surgery Schedule (MSS) developed by the optimization model in a stochastic operational-level environment. In addition, the simulation model is used to generate scenarios for the optimization model. We present some general advice for surgery scheduling based on testing the optimization model in a numerical study. The simulation-optimization approach is applied to a case study from a hospital department that treats both elective and emergency patients. The optimized MSS outperforms the manually generated MSS, both in terms of emergency waiting time for surgery, and emergency interruptions to the flow of electives.acceptedVersio

Predictors of length of stay in forensic psychiatry: The influence of perceived risk of violence.

This study describes the prevalence of adverse events and length of stay in forensic psychiatric patients with and without a restriction order. Detailed clinical and administrative information from medical records and written court decisions was gathered retrospectively from admission until discharge for a Swedish population-based, consecutive cohort of forensic psychiatric patients (n=125). The median length of stay for the whole cohort was 951days, but patients with a restriction order stayed in hospital almost five times as long as patients without. Restriction orders were related to convictions for violent crime, but not for any other differences in demographic or clinical variables. The majority of the patients (60%) were involved in adverse events (violence, threats, substance abuse, or absconding) at some time during their treatment. Patients with restriction orders were overrepresented in violent and threat events. Previous contact with child and adolescence psychiatric services, current violent index crime, psychotic disorders, a history of substance, and absconding during treatment predicted longer length of stay. Being a parent, high current Global Assessment of Functioning scores, and mood disorders were all significantly related to earlier discharge. In a stepwise Cox regression analysis current violent index crime and absconding remained risk factors for a longer hospital stay, while a diagnosis of mood disorder was significantly related to a shorter length of stay

Hot drought reduces the effects of elevated CO₂ on tree water use efficiency and carbon metabolism

- Trees are increasingly exposed to hot droughts due to CO2-induced climate change. However, the direct role of [CO2] in altering tree physiological responses to drought and heat stress remains ambiguous. - Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) trees were grown from seed under ambient (421 ppm) or elevated (867 ppm) [CO2]. The 1.5-yr-old trees, either well watered or drought treated for 1 month, were transferred to separate gas-exchange chambers and the temperature gradually increased from 25°C to 40°C over a 10 d period. Continuous whole-tree shoot and root gasexchange measurements were supplemented by primary metabolite analysis. - Elevated [CO2] reduced tree water loss, reflected in lower stomatal conductance, resulting in a higher water-use efficiency throughout amplifying heat stress. Net carbon uptake declined strongly, driven by increases in respiration peaking earlier in the well-watered (31– 32°C) than drought (33–34°C) treatments unaffected by growth [CO2]. Further, drought altered the primary metabolome, whereas the metabolic response to [CO2] was subtle and mainly reflected in enhanced root protein stability. - The impact of elevated [CO2] on tree stress responses was modest and largely vanished with progressing heat and drought. We therefore conclude that increases in atmospheric [CO2] cannot counterbalance the impacts of hot drought extremes in Aleppo pine

Scrapie prevalence in sheep of susceptible genotype is declining in a population subject to breeding for resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Susceptibility of sheep to scrapie infection is known to be modulated by the PrP genotype of the animal. In the Netherlands an ambitious scrapie control programme was started in 1998, based on genetic selection of animals for breeding. From 2002 onwards EU regulations required intensive active scrapie surveillance as well as certain control measures in affected flocks.</p> <p>Here we analyze the data on genotype frequencies and scrapie prevalence in the Dutch sheep population obtained from both surveillance and affected flocks, to identify temporal trends. We also estimate the genotype-specific relative risks to become a detected scrapie case.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We find that the breeding programme has produced a steady increase in the level of genetic scrapie resistance in the Dutch sheep population. We also find that a significant decline in the prevalence of scrapie in tested animals has occurred a number of years after the start of the breeding programme. Most importantly, the estimated scrapie prevalence level per head of susceptible genotype is also declining significantly, indicating that selective breeding causes a population effect.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The Dutch scrapie control programme has produced a steady rise in genetic resistance levels in recent years. A recent decline in the scrapie prevalence per tested sheep of susceptible prion protein genotype indicates that selective breeding causes the desired population effect.</p

Eradication of scrapie with selective breeding: are we nearly there?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Following EU decision 2003/100/EC Member States have recently implemented sheep breeding programmes to reduce the prevalence of sheep with TSE susceptible prion genotypes. The present paper investigates the progress of the breeding programme in the Netherlands. The PrP genotype frequencies were monitored through time using two sets of random samples: one set covers the years 2005 to 2008 and is taken from national surveillance programme; the other is taken from 168 random sheep farms in 2007. The data reveal that although the level of compliance to the breeding programme has been high, the frequency of susceptible genotypes varies substantially between farms. The 168 sheep farms are a subset of 689 farms participating in a postal survey inquiring about management and breeding strategies. This survey aimed to identify how much these strategies varied between farms, in order to inform assessment of the expected future progress towards eradication of classical scrapie.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On the one hand, we found that compliance to the national breeding program has been high, and the frequency of resistant genotypes is expected to increase further in the next few years. On the other hand, we observed a large variation in prevalence of the scrapie resistant PrP genotype ARR between farms, implicating a large variation of genetic resistance between farms. Substantial between-flock differences in management and breeding strategies were found in the postal survey, suggesting considerable variation in risk of scrapie transmission between farms.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that although there has been a good progress in the breeding for scrapie resistance and the average farm-level scrapie susceptibility in the Netherlands has been significantly reduced, still a considerable proportion of farms contain high frequencies of susceptible genotypes in their sheep population. Since 2007 the breeding for genetic resistance is voluntarily again, and participation to selective breeding can decrease as a result of this. This, together with the patterns of direct and indirect contact between sheep farms, might present a challenge of the aim of scrapie eradication. Communication to sheep owners of the effect of the breeding programme thus far, and of the prospects for classical scrapie eradication in The Netherlands might be essential for obtaining useful levels of participation to the voluntary continuation of the breeding programme.</p

Scientific and Regulatory Policy Committee (SRPC) Review*: Interpretation and Use of Cell Proliferation Data in Cancer Risk Assessment

Increased cell proliferation is a central key event in the mode of action for many non-genotoxic carcinogens, and quantitative cell proliferation data play an important role in the cancer risk assessment of many pharmaceutical and environmental compounds. Currently, there is limited unified information on assay standards, reference values, targeted applications, study design issues, and quality control considerations for proliferation data. Here, we review issues in measuring cell proliferation indices, considerations for targeted studies, and applications within current risk assessment frameworks. As the regulatory environment moves toward more prospective evaluations based on quantitative pathway-based models, standardiza- tion of proliferation assays will become an increasingly important part of cancer risk assessment. To help address this development, we also discuss the potential role for proliferation data as a component of alternative carcinogenicity testing models. This information should improve consistency of cell proliferation methods and increase efficiency of targeted testing strategies

Differential effects of class I isoform histone deacetylase depletion and enzymatic inhibition by belinostat or valproic acid in HeLa cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Histone acetylation is an epigenetic modification involved in the regulation of gene expression, balanced by histone acetyl transferases and histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) induce growth arrest and cell death in transformed cells, and are currently in many clinical cancer trials. The transcriptional response to HDACi is complex, as is the response to HDAC isoform knockdown (KD). Here, we describe for the first time in a human cancer cell line, a transcriptional comparison of treatment by two structurally unrelated HDACi; belinostat and valproic acid with the KD of HDAC1, 2 and 3 isoforms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HDAC KD showed anti-proliferative effects, although to a lesser extent than HDACi treatment. Moreover, we found a 2-fold increased resistance of HDAC1 knockdown cells to belinostat, suggesting this isoenzyme as a selective target. While both HDACi treatment and individual class I HDAC KD produce significant transcriptional effects, three-times higher for HDACi, the gene-expression profiles of class I HDAC KD compared with that obtained by HDACi treatment exhibited less than 4% of altered genes in common between the two modes of inhibition. Further, cell-specific effects of HDAC KD are evident by comparison with a recent study in a different cell line.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The increased resistance to belinostat in response to HDAC1 depletion indicates the possibility of using this isoform as a predictive biomarker of response to HDACi treatment. Further, the transcriptional response to chemical inhibition of HDACs is very different from that of KD of individual class I HDAC isoforms. These data suggest that the anti-tumor effect of HDACi is indeed linked to class I inhibition, but may be more complex than simply targeting individual HDAC enzymes.</p