Achieving very low levels of detection : an improved surface-enhanced raman scattering experiment for the physical chemistry teaching laboratory

This experiment was designed and successfully introduced to complement the nanochemistry taught to undergraduate students in a useful and interesting way. Colloidal Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple, room-temperature method, and the resulting suspension was then used to study the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of methylene blue. The colloid was also characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, and these results were used to help explain some of the observed SERS features. The students looked at the effects of concentration and acquisition time on the measured SERS spectra, and the final part of the experiment was based around using their newly acquired knowledge to investigate the lowest concentration of methylene blue that could be detected. Concentrations of 5 × 10-10 M were routinely achieved. The combination of UV–visible spectroscopy, SERS, and nanochemistry made for an interesting and thought-provoking laboratory experience

Enhanced hydrogen storage in Ni/Ce composite oxides

The properties of dried (but not calcined) coprecipitated nickel ceria systems have been investigated in terms of their hydrogen emission characteristics following activation in hydrogen. XRD and BET data obtained on the powders show similarities to calcined ceria but it is likely that the majority of the material produced by the coprecipitation process is largely of an amorphous nature. XPS data indicate very little nickel is present on the outermost surface of the particles. Nevertheless, the thermal analytical techniques (TGA, DSC and TPD-MS) indicate that the hydrogen has access to the catalyst present and the nickel is able to generate hydrogen species capable of interacting with the support. Both unactivated and activated materials show two hydrogen emission features, viz. low temperature and high temperature emissions (LTE and HTE, respectively) over the temperature range 50 and 500 °C. A clear effect of hydrogen interaction with the material is that the activated sample not only emits much more hydrogen than the corresponding unactivated one but also at lower temperatures. H2 dissociation occurs on the reduced catalyst surface and the spillover mechanism transfers this active hydrogen into the ceria, possibly via the formation and migration of OH− species. The amount of hydrogen obtained (0.24 wt%) is 10× higher than those observed for calcined materials and would suggest that the amorphous phase plays a critical role in this process. The affiliated emissions of CO and CO2 with that of the HTE hydrogen (and consumption of water) strongly suggests a proportion of the hydrogen emission at this point arises from the water gas shift type reaction. It has not been possible from the present data to delineate between the various hydrogen storage mechanisms reported for ceria

Manchester Intermittent Diet in Gestational Diabetes Acceptability Study (MIDDAS-GDM): a two-arm randomised feasibility protocol trial of an intermittent low-energy diet (ILED) in women with gestational diabetes and obesity in Greater Manchester

Introduction The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is rising in the UK and is associated with maternal and neonatal complications. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance advises first-line management with healthy eating and physical activity which is only moderately effective for achieving glycaemic targets. Approximately 30% of women require medication with metformin and/or insulin. There is currently no strong evidence base for any particular dietary regimen to improve outcomes in GDM. Intermittent low-energy diets (ILEDs) are associated with improved glycaemic control and reduced insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and could be a viable option in the management of GDM. This study aims to test the safety, feasibility and acceptability of an ILED intervention among women with GDM compared with best National Health Service (NHS) care. Method and analysis We aim to recruit 48 women with GDM diagnosed between 24 and 30 weeks gestation from antenatal clinics at Wythenshawe and St Mary’s hospitals, Manchester Foundation Trust, over 13 months starting in November 2022. Participants will be randomised (1:1) to ILED (2 low-energy diet days/week of 1000 kcal and 5 days/week of the best NHS care healthy diet and physical activity advice) or best NHS care 7 days/week until delivery of their baby. Primary outcomes include uptake and retention of participants to the trial and adherence to both dietary interventions. Safety outcomes will include birth weight, gestational age at delivery, neonatal hypoglycaemic episodes requiring intervention, neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia, admission to special care baby unit or neonatal intensive care unit, stillbirths, the percentage of women with hypoglycaemic episodes requiring third-party assistance, and significant maternal ketonaemia (defined as ≥1.0 mmol/L). Secondary outcomes will assess the fidelity of delivery of the interventions, and qualitative analysis of participant and healthcare professionals’ experiences of the diet. Exploratory outcomes include the number of women requiring metformin and/or insulin. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee (22/EE/0119). Findings will be disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and shared with diabetes charitable bodies and organisations in the UK, such as Diabetes UK and the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists

Quality assessment of a sample of mobile app-based health behavior change interventions using a tool based on the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence behavior change guidance

Objective: To quality assess a sample of health behavior change apps from the NHS Apps Library using a rating tool based on the 2014 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence behavior change guidance (NICE BCG). Methods: A qualitative analysis of the NICE BCG identified themes and questions for a quality assessment of health behavior change apps. These were refined by further discussion and piloting, and applied by two independent raters to a sample of NHS Library apps (N=49). Disagreements were resolved following discussions with a third rater. Results: Themes identified were; purpose, planning, usability, tailoring, behavior change technique (BCT), maintenance, evaluation, data security and documentation. Overall, purpose of the apps was clear, but evidence for collaboration with users or professionals was lacking. Usability information was poor and tailoring disappointing. Most used recognized BCTs but paid less attention to behavior maintenance than initiation. Information on app evaluation and documentation was sparse. Conclusions: This study furthers the work of the NHS apps library, adapting the NICE (2014) behavior change guidance for quality assessment of behavior change apps. Practice Implications: This study helps lay the foundations for development of a quality assurance tool for mobile health apps aimed at health behavior change

GRB Afterglows and Other Transients in the SDSS

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will image one quarter of the sky centered on the northern galactic cap and produce a 3‐D map of galaxies and quasars found in the sample. An additional 225 deg2 southern survey will be imaged repeatedly on varying timescales. Here we discuss both archival searches in the SDSS catalog (such as SDSS J24602.54+011318.8) and active searches with the SDSS instruments (such as for GRB 010222) for GRB afterglows and other transient objects. © 2003 American Institute of PhysicsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87288/2/349_1.pd

Engagement with consumer smartwatches for tracking symptoms of individuals living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity): A longitudinal observational study

From SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-07-16, accepted 2021-11-08, epub 2021-11-30Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of Manchester/Medical Research Council; Grant(s): Confidence in Concepts funding scheme 6Introduction: People living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) (MLTC-M) experience an accumulating combination of different symptoms. It has been suggested that these symptoms can be tracked longitudinally using consumer technology, such as smartphones and wearable devices. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal user engagement with a smartwatch application, collecting survey questions and active tasks over 90 days, in people living with MLTC-M. Methods: ‘Watch Your Steps’ was a prospective observational study, administering multiple questions and active tasks over 90 days. Adults with more than one clinician-diagnosed long-term conditions were loaned Fossil® Sport smartwatches, pre-loaded with the study app. Around 20 questions were prompted per day. Daily completion rates were calculated to describe engagement patterns over time, and to explore how these varied by patient characteristics and question type. Results: Fifty three people with MLTC-M took part in the study. Around half were male ( = 26; 49%) and the majority had a white ethnic background (n = 45; 85%). About a third of participants engaged with the smartwatch app nearly every day. The overall completion rate of symptom questions was 45% inter-quartile range (IQR 23–67%) across all study participants. Older patients and those with greater MLTC-M were more engaged, although engagement was not significantly different between genders. Conclusion: It was feasible for people living with MLTC-M to report multiple symptoms per day over 3 months. User engagement appeared as good as other mobile health studies that recruited people with single health conditions, despite the higher daily data entry burden

Genetic Analysis in UK Biobank Links Insulin Resistance and Transendothelial Migration Pathways to Coronary Artery Disease

UK Biobank is among the world’s largest repositories for phenotypic and genotypic information in individuals of European ancestry1. We performed a genome-wide association study in UK Biobank testing ~9 million DNA sequence variants for association with coronary artery disease (4,831 cases; 115,455 controls) and carried out meta-analysis with previously published results. We identified fifteen novel loci, bringing the total number of coronary artery disease-associated loci to 95. Phenome-wide association scanning revealed that CCDC92 likely affects coronary artery disease through insulin resistance pathways whereas experimental analysis suggests that ARHGEF26 impacts the transendothelial migration of leukocytes

Erratum to: Methods for evaluating medical tests and biomarkers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s41512-016-0001-y.]