Comparison of Accu Chek Inform II point-of-care test blood glucose meter with Hexokinase Plasma method for a diabetes mellitus population during surgery under general anesthesia

Purpose Blood glucose (BG) concentrations of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are monitored during surgery to prevent hypo- and hyperglycemia. Access to point-of-care test (POCT) glucose meters at an operating room will usually provide monitoring at shorter intervals and may improve glycemic control. However, these meters are not validated for patients under general anesthesia. Methods This cross-sectional study included 75 arterial BG measurements from 75 patients (71 with DM, mostly insulin dependent) who underwent elective non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. Arterial blood samples were taken at least 60 minutes after induction. One drop of blood was used for Accu Chek Inform II (ACI II) POCT BG meter and the residual blood was sent to the clinical laboratory for a Hexokinase Plasma reference method. A Bland-Altman plot was used to visualize the differences between both methods, and correlation was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results The results showed an estimated mean difference of 0.8 mmol/L between ACI II and the reference method, with limits of agreement equal to -0.6 and 2.2 mmol/L. In general, the reference method produced higher values than ACI II. ICC was 0.955 (95% CI 0.634-0.986), P &lt; 0.001, and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was 0.955 (95% CI 0.933-0.970). Conclusion Arterial BG measurements during surgery in patients with DM under general anesthesia using POCT BG meter are in general lower than laboratory measurements, but the ICC and CCC show a clinically acceptable correlation. We conclude that POCT measurements conducted on arterial specimens using the ACI II provide sufficiently accurate results for glucose measurement during surgery under general anesthesia.</p

Tunable critical field in Rashba superconductor thin-films

The upper critical field in type II superconductors is limited by the Pauli paramagnetic limit. In superconductors with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling this limit can be overcome by forming a helical state. Here we quantitatively study the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram of finite-size superconductors with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We discuss the effect of finite size and shape anisotropy. We demonstrate that the critical field is controllable by intrinsic parameters such as spin-orbit coupling strength and tunable parameters such as sample geometry and applied field direction. Our study opens new avenues for the design of superconducting spin-valves.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, supplemental material

Characterizing and predicting person-specific, day-to-day, fluctuations in walking behavior

Despite the positive health effect of physical activity, one third of the world's population is estimated to be insufficiently active. Prior research has mainly investigated physical activity on an aggregate level over short periods of time, e.g., during 3 to 7 days at baseline and a few months later, post-intervention. To develop effective interventions, we need a better understanding of the temporal dynamics of physical activity. We proposed here an approach to studying walking behavior at "high-resolution" and by capturing the idiographic and day-to-day changes in walking behavior. We analyzed daily step count among 151 young adults with overweight or obesity who had worn an accelerometer for an average of 226 days (~25,000 observations). We then used a recursive partitioning algorithm to characterize patterns of change, here sudden behavioral gains and losses, over the course of the study. These behavioral gains or losses were defined as a 30% increase or reduction in steps relative to each participants' median level of steps lasting at least 7 days. After the identification of gains and losses, fluctuation intensity in steps from each participant's individual time series was computed with a dynamic complexity algorithm to identify potential early warning signals of sudden gains or losses. Results revealed that walking behavior change exhibits discontinuous changes that can be described as sudden gains and losses. On average, participants experienced six sudden gains or losses over the study. We also observed a significant and positive association between critical fluctuations in walking behavior, a form of early warning signals, and the subsequent occurrence of sudden behavioral losses in the next days. Altogether, this study suggests that walking behavior could be well understood under a dynamic paradigm. Results also provide support for the development of "just-in-time adaptive" behavioral interventions based on the detection of early warning signals for sudden behavioral losses

Resilience of the Dutch HPV-based cervical screening programme during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: Organisation of a screening programme influences programme resilience to a disruption as COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, the Dutch human papillomavirus–based cervical screening programme was temporarily suspended. Afterwards, multiple measures have been taken to catch-up participation. This study aimed to investigate programme resilience by examining the effect of COVID-19 and programme measures taken on participation in cervical screening. Study design: Observational cohort study. Methods: Data from the national screening registry and Dutch nationwide pathology databank (Palga) were used on invitations and follow-up in 2018/2019 (pre-COVID) and 2020 (COVID). Sending invitations, reminders and self-sampling kits were suspended from March to July 2020. Main outcome measures include distribution of participant characteristics (age, region and screening history), participation rates by age and region, time between invitation and participation (i.e. response time) and self-sampling use per month. Results: Participation rate was significantly lower in 2020 (49.8%) compared to 2018/19 (56.8%, P &lt; 0.001), in all ages and regions. Compared to 2018/19, participation rates decreased most in women invited from January to March 2020 (−6.7%, −9.1% and −10.4%, respectively). From August, participation rates started to recover (difference between −0.8% and −2.7%). Median response time was longer in February and March (2020: 143 and 173 days; 2018/19: 53 and 55 days) and comparable from July onwards (median difference 0–6 days). Self-sampling use was higher in 2020 (16.3%) compared to 2018/19 (7.6%). Conclusions: The pandemic impacted participation rates in the Dutch cervical screening programme, especially of women invited before the programme pause. Implementation of self-sampling in national cervical screening programmes could increase participation rates and could serve as an alternative screening method in times of exceptional health care circumstances, such as a pandemic. Due to the well-organised programme and measures taken to catch-up participation, the impact of COVID-19 on the screening programme remained small.</p

Spin-transport in superconductors

Spin-transport in superconductors is a subject of fundamental and technical importance with the potential for applications in superconducting-based cryogenic memory and logic. Research in this area is rapidly intensifying with recent discoveries establishing the field of superconducting spintronics. In this perspective we provide an overview of the experimental state-of-the-art with a particular focus on local and nonlocal spin-transport in superconductors, and propose device schemes to demonstrate the viability of superconducting spin-based devices.Comment: Accepted in APL Perspective

Plant sterols cause macrothrombocytopenia in a mouse model of sitosterolemia

Mutations in either ABCG5 or ABCG8 cause sitosterolemia, an inborn error of metabolism characterized by high plasma plant sterol concentrations. Recently, macrothrombocytopenia was described in a number of sitosterolemia patients, linking hematological dysfunction to disturbed sterol metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that macrothrombocytopenia is an intrinsic feature of murine sitosterolemia. Abcg5-deficient (Abcg5(-/-)) mice showed a 68% reduction in platelet count, and platelets were enlarged compared with wild-type controls. Macrothrombocytopenia was not due to decreased numbers of megakaryocytes or their progenitors, but defective megakaryocyte development with deterioration of the demarcation membrane system was evident. Lethally irradiated wild-type mice transplanted with bone marrow from Abcg5(-/-) mice displayed normal platelets, whereas Abcg5(-/-) mice transplanted with wild-type bone marrow still showed macrothrombocytopenia. Treatment with the sterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe rapidly reversed macrothrombocytopenia in Abcg5(-/-) mice concomitant with a strong decrease in plasma plant sterols. Thus, accumulation of plant sterols is responsible for development of macrothrombocytopenia in sitosterolemia, and blocking intestinal plant sterol absorption provides an effective means of treatment

Effect of betaine supplementation on plasma nitrate/nitrite in exercise-trained men

Background: Betaine, beetroot juice, and supplemental nitrate have recently been reported to improve certain aspects of exercise performance, which may be mechanistically linked to increased nitric oxide. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of betaine supplementation on plasma nitrate/nitrite, a surrogate marker or nitric oxide, in exercise-trained men.Methods: We used three different study designs (acute intake of betaine at 1.25 and 5.00 grams, chronic intake of betaine at 2.5 grams per day for 14 days, and chronic [6 grams of betaine per day for 7 days] followed by acute intake [6 grams]), all involving exercise-trained men, to investigate the effects of orally ingested betaine on plasma nitrate/nitrite. Blood samples were collected before and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after ingestion of 1.25 and 5.00 grams of betaine (Study 1); before and after 14 days of betaine supplementation at a dosage of 2.5 grams (Study 2); and before and after 7 days of betaine supplementation at a dosage of 6 grams, followed by acute ingestion of 6 grams and blood measures at 30 and 60 min post ingestion (Study 3).Results: In Study 1, nitrate/nitrite was relatively unaffected and no statistically significant interaction (p = 0.99), dosage (p = 0.69), or time (p = 0.91) effects were noted. Similar findings were noted in Study 2, with no statistically significant interaction (p = 0.57), condition (p = 0.98), or pre/post intervention (p = 0.17) effects noted for nitrate/nitrite. In Study 3, no statistically significant changes were noted in nitrate/nitrite between collection times (p = 0.97).Conclusion: Our data indicate that acute or chronic ingestion of betaine by healthy, exercise-trained men does not impact plasma nitrate/nitrite. These findings suggest that other mechanisms aside from increasing circulating nitric oxide are likely responsible for any performance enhancing effect of betaine supplementation. © 2011 Bloomer et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Quality of life of adult retinoblastoma survivors in the Netherlands

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Root‐lesion nematodes of potato: current status of diagnostics, pathogenicity and management

Root‐lesion nematodes of the genus Pratylenchus are migratory endoparasites with worldwide economic impact on several important crops including potato, where certain species like P. penetrans, P. neglectus and P. scribneri reduce the yield and quality of potato tubers. Morphological identification of Pratylenchus spp. is challenging, and recent advancements in molecular techniques provide robust and rapid diagnostics to differentiate species without need of specialist skills. However, the fact that molecular diagnostics are not available for all Pratylenchus species means that there are limitations in worldwide application. In general, root‐lesion nematodes are difficult to manage once introduced into agricultural land and damage can be related to pathogenicity and population densities. In addition, root‐lesion nematodes interact with fungi such as V. dahliae, resulting in disease complexes that enhance the damage inflicted on the potato crop. Management interventions are often focused on limiting nematode reproduction before planting crops and include the application of nematicides, and cultural practices such as crop rotation, cover crops, biofumigation, and biological control. Understanding the limitations of the available crop protection strategies is important and there are many gaps for further study. This review discusses the status of the diagnosis, distribution, pathogenicity and management of the main species of root‐lesion nematodes, reported to infect potatoes worldwide, and highlights areas for potential future research