Chemometric modelling to relate antioxidants, neutral lipid fatty acids and flavour components in chicken breast

Relationships among quality factors in retailed free-range, corn-fed, organic, and conventional chicken breasts (9) were modeled using chemometric approaches. Use of principal component analysis (PCA) to neutral lipid composition data explained the majority (93%) of variability (variance) in fatty acid contents in 2 significant multivariate factors. PCA explained 88 and 75% variance in 3 factors for, respectively, flame ionization detection (FID) and nitrogen phosphorus (NPD) components in chromatographic flavor data from cooked chicken after simultaneous distillation extraction. Relationships to tissue antioxidant contents were modeled. Partial least square regression (PLS2), interrelating total data matrices, provided no useful models. By using single antioxidants as Y variables in PLS (1), good models (r2 values > 0.9) were obtained for alpha-tocopherol, glutathione, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and reductase and FID flavor components and among the variables total mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids and subsets of FID, and saturated fatty acid and NPD components. Alpha-tocopherol had a modest (r2 = 0.63) relationship with neutral lipid n-3 fatty acid content. Such factors thus relate to flavor development and quality in chicken breast meat

Self-assembly of multi-component fluorescent molecular logic gates in micelles

A recent strategy for developing supramolecular logic gates in water is based on combinations of molecules via self-assembly with surfactants, which eliminates the need for time-consuming synthesis. The self-assembly of surfactants and lumophores and receptors can result in interesting properties providing cooperative e ffects useful for molecular information processing and other potential applications such as drug delivery systems. This article highlights some of the recent advancements in supramolecular information processing using microheterogeneous media including micelles in aqueous solution.peer-reviewe

The implementation of a radiographic reporting service for trauma examinations of the skeletal system in 4 NHS trusts. NHS Executive South Thames funded research project

Executive Summary The implementation of a Radiographic Reporting Service for trauma examinations of the skeletal system, in 4 National Health Service Trusts Project Reference: SPGS 438 Project Dates: 1 September 1997 (project start) 30 November 1998 (project end) 31 March 1999: Date of report submission Project Leader: Mr Keith Piper, Senior Lecturer and Programme Director, PgD Clinical Reporting * Research Assistant: Ms Carol Ryan, Department of Radiography * Project Supervisor: Mrs Audrey Paterson, Dean of Faculty of Health and Sciences and Head of Department of Radiography * * Canterbury Christ Church University College Main Research Objectives The purpose of the study was to evaluate the implementation of a Radiographic Reporting Service (RRS) in four NHS Trusts in the United Kingdom with specific reference to the reporting by radiographers of musculo-skeletal trauma examinations. The research investigated the accuracy of radiographers’ written reports in terms of sensitivity and specificity; the impact on patient care and management as measured by the volume of reporting activity undertaken and the speed with which reports became available; costs related to the implementation of an RRR, and satisfaction of the users of the service. Methodology and Sample Size A longitudinal study design was used to measure the productivity and effectiveness of radiographic reporting in four NHS Trusts and five clinical sites in England. Data were collected by direct measure, report pro-forma, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. A series of base line measurements were made at the commencement of the project. These were the volume of reporting activity prior to implementation of an RRS and the speed with which the reports became available. The satisfaction of the users of the reporting service prior to the implementation of an RRS was also gauged. Three measures (volume, speed, satisfaction of users) were repeated after the RRS had been implemented. Longitudinal data on the accuracy of the radiographers’ reports in terms of sensitivity and specificity were also collected at each site. Finally, some cost information related to the introduction and provision of an RRS was gathered. Four NHS Trusts and 10 radiographers participated in the study. Radiographers completed 10275 reports and 7179 were used to assess accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. Volume and speed data were obtained from the normal workload in each Trust. Four radiology services managers provided the cost data, while 26 staff took part in the initial survey and 12 in the final survey. Problems The major problem with this study was the fact that it was investigating the implementation into practice of a new and controversial service. It was beset, therefore, with the difficulties of aligning a research project to practice and this was only possible imperfectly. Points of implementation of the new service varied considerably, workload of key staff made verification of reports difficult and information systems within Trusts proved problematic. Findings Radiographers’ reports were accurate and consistently so over time. Significant improvements in the volume of reporting activity were found post-implementation at 2 of the 4 clinical sites in which this was measured. Additionally, the speed with which reports became available was shown to have improved significantly in all 4 NHS Trusts (but not at one clinical site). Cost data was not considered to be reliable and more evaluation of costs is required. Users of the radiographic reporting services were extremely or very satisfied with the quality of reports produced by the radiographers and also satisfied with the nature of the service implemented. Finally, a range of organisational issues were seen to affect the implementation of these services, at times quite inappropriately. Conclusion NHS Trusts that are unable to provide a full and/or timely musculo-skeletal trauma reporting service should implement a radiographic reporting service but must ensure that this is properly planned, funded, implemented and managed. Monitoring of service effectiveness and auditing of reporting standards should take place periodically. Acknowledgements The four collaborating NHS Trusts and their staff; Expert panel members; Members of the Steering Group; Colleagues at Canterbury Christ Church University College, and the Research and Development Directorate at South Thames Regional Office (NHSE)

Regression analysis of protoporphyrin IX measurements obtained during dermatological photodynamic therapy (article)

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record.The dataset associated with this article is located in ORE at: https://doi.org/10.24378/exe.1103Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a light activated drug therapy that can be used to treat a number of dermatological cancers and precancers. Improvement of efficacy is required to widen its application. Clinical protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence data were obtained using a pre-validated, non-invasive imaging system during routine methyl aminolevulinate (MAL)-PDT treatment of 172 patients with licensed dermatological indications (37.2% actinic keratosis, 27.3% superficial basal cell carcinoma and 35.5% Bowen's disease). Linear and logistic regressions were employed to model any relationships between variables that may have affected PpIX accumulation and/or PpIX photobleaching during irradiation and thus clinical outcome at three months. Patient age was found to be associated with lower PpIX accumulation/photobleaching, however only a reduction in PpIX photobleaching appeared to consistently adversely affect treatment efficacy. Clinical clearance was reduced in lesions located on the limbs, hands and feet with lower PpIX accumulation and subsequent photobleaching adversely affecting the outcome achieved. If air cooling pain relief was employed during light irradiation, PpIX photobleaching was lower and this resulted in an approximate three-fold reduction in the likelihood of achieving clinical clearance. PpIX photobleaching during the first treatment was concluded to be an excellent predictor of clinical outcome across all lesion types.Duchy Health Charity Ltd.Killing Cancer, U

Implementation of the Crisis Resolution Team model in adult mental health settings: a systematic review.

Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs) aim to offer an alternative to hospital admission during mental health crises, providing rapid assessment, home treatment, and facilitation of early discharge from hospital. CRTs were implemented nationally in England following the NHS Plan of 2000. Single centre studies suggest CRTs can reduce hospital admissions and increase service users' satisfaction: however, there is also evidence that model implementation and outcomes vary considerably. Evidence on crucial characteristics of effective CRTs is needed to allow team functioning to be optimised. This review aims to establish what evidence, if any, is available regarding the characteristics of effective and acceptable CRTs

Prostate cancer prehabilitation and the importance of multimodal interventions for person-centred care and recovery.

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer globally. Cancer prehabilitation is defined as a process on the continuum of care that occurs between the time of a cancer diagnosis and the beginning of acute treatment. This article will discuss the importance of prostate cancer prehabilitation interventions in optimising physical and psychological recovery to enhance person-centred care. Data Sources: Electronic databases including CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, professional websites, and grey literature were searched using Google Scholar. Conclusion: Prehabilitation in cancer care aims to enhance perioperative care and recovery. An emerging field of research suggests that the preoperative period may be physically and psychologically salient to introduce modifiable self-management behaviours to optimise overall recovery. Implications for Nursing Practice: Prostate cancer specialist nurses provide the hub of person-centred care across the entire cancer care continuum embedded within the multidisciplinary team. Individually tailored interventions such as exercise and pelvic floor muscle training programmes, nutritional advice, anxiety and depression reduction, and sexual well-being interventions should be considered in the prehabilitation phase of the cancer care continuum

HTC Scientific Computing in a Distributed Cloud Environment

This paper describes the use of a distributed cloud computing system for high-throughput computing (HTC) scientific applications. The distributed cloud computing system is composed of a number of separate Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) clouds that are utilized in a unified infrastructure. The distributed cloud has been in production-quality operation for two years with approximately 500,000 completed jobs where a typical workload has 500 simultaneous embarrassingly-parallel jobs that run for approximately 12 hours. We review the design and implementation of the system which is based on pre-existing components and a number of custom components. We discuss the operation of the system, and describe our plans for the expansion to more sites and increased computing capacity

GABA-B receptor function in healthy volunteers, a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of two doses of baclofen compared to placebo

AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS To assess the subjective and objective effects of baclofen on brain function in healthy volunteers. BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests baclofen, a γ-aminobutyric acid type B (GABA-B) receptor agonist, reduces alcohol consumption and craving and promotes abstinence in alcoholics. However, characterisation of the GABA-B receptor system in clinical addiction is limited, and it is unclear why some patients require, or tolerate, higher doses to treat alcoholism. This study assesses the effects of baclofen on brain function in healthy volunteers to inform future studies investigating the sensitivity of GABA-B receptors in alcohol addiction. METHODS Eight healthy male volunteers completed a double blind randomised 3-way cross over study, receiving oral placebo (vitamin C 100mg), 10mg and 60mg baclofen. Subjective and objective measurements were taken at baseline (before medication) and at +30mins, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 hours after dosing. Objective measures included blood plasma samples, heart rate and blood pressure. Subjective measures included; the Subjective High Assessment Questionnaire (SHAS), visual analogue scales for sleepy, relaxed, tense and alert and a motor coordination task (zig-zag task). Pharmacokinetic data was obtained using liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) to measure plasma baclofen concentrations. RESULTS 60mg Baclofen showed changes in subjective measures peaking at 2 hours post dosing compared with placebo, including a significant increase (p<0.05) in total SHAS scores with individual items, including feeling ‘drunk or intoxicated’, effects of alcohol and ‘muddled or confused’ particular affected.. Systolic blood pressure was significantly increased (p<0.05) at the 2 hours post 60mg dose. For both 10mg and 60mg baclofen, peak plasma concentration was achieved 60 minutes post dose. Pharmacokinetic data will be presented. There were no significant changes in these measures between 10mg Baclofen and placebo. CONCLUSIONS The objective and subjective measures used in this study are able to differentiate between placebo and 60mg baclofen. These findings will inform further research investigating the sensitivity of GABA-B receptors in alcohol addiction

A geometric view of cryptographic equation solving

This paper considers the geometric properties of the Relinearisation algorithm and of the XL algorithm used in cryptology for equation solving. We give a formal description of each algorithm in terms of projective geometry, making particular use of the Veronese variety. We establish the fundamental geometrical connection between the two algorithms and show how both algorithms can be viewed as being equivalent to the problem of finding a matrix of low rank in the linear span of a collection of matrices, a problem sometimes known as the MinRank problem. Furthermore, we generalise the XL algorithm to a geometrically invariant algorithm, which we term the GeometricXL algorithm. The GeometricXL algorithm is a technique which can solve certain equation systems that are not easily soluble by the XL algorithm or by Groebner basis methods