Sisätilapaikannuksella kerätyn datan visualisointi JavaScriptin 3D-kirjastoilla

Kiinnostus sisätilapaikannukseen on kasvanut viime aikoina eri toimialoilla, kuten teollisuudessa ja urheilussa. Kasvanut kiinnostus on johtanut sisätilapaikannusta koskeviin tutkimuksiin, joiden pohjalta Bluetooth Low Energy on todettu tällä hetkellä yhdeksi sisätilapaikannukseen parhaiten sopivimmista teknologioista. Sen riittävän pitkä kantama, kustannustehokkuus ja matala virrankulutus tekee teknologiasta hyvin soveltuvan vaihtoehdon esimerkiksi nopeatempoisen sisätiloissa tapahtuvan urheilun, kuten jääkiekon, seurantaan. Sisätilapaikannuksen avulla kerätyn sijaintidatan avulla jääkiekko-ottelua voidaan seurata ja analysoida reaaliajassa, automaattisesti ja kokonaisvaltaisesti älykiekkojärjestelmä Wisehockeyn avulla. Wisehockey-järjestelmä tarjoaa myös Angularilla, TypeScriptillä ja Three.js:llä toteutetun 3D-mediatoistimen, Wiseplayerin, jonka avulla ottelun kohokohtia voidaan katsoa reaaliajassa tai ottelun jälkeen 3D-mallien avulla. Koska JavaScriptille on olemassa kaksi hyvin suosittua ja laajalti käytössä olevaa 3D-kirjastoa Three.js ja Babylon.js, tutkielmassa toteutettiin Wiseplayerin toimintaa imitoivat sovellukset käyttäen kumpaakin kirjastoa. Käytettyjä kirjastoja vertailtiin tutkielmassa yleisellä tasolla, sekä erilaisten laatutekijöiden avulla. Näitä laatutekijöitä olivat ylläpidettävyys, käytettävyys ja tehokkuus. Vertailun tarkoituksena on perehtyä kahden aiemmin mainitun kirjaston heikkouksiin ja vahvuuksiin ja tutkia kuinka ne soveltuvat Wiseplayerin käyttöön. Vertailun pohjalta tehtyjen havaintojen perusteella todettiin, että molemmat kirjastot ovat soveltuvia Wiseplayerin käytettäväksi. Vaikka kirjastot ovat hyvin samankaltaisia, Three.js todettiin soveltuvammaksi pieniin ja kevyihin projekteihin, kun taas Babylon.js soveltuu suurempiin ja raskaampaa 3D-grafiikkaa käsitteleviin projekteihin. Tästä syystä ei nähty syytä vaihtaa Three.js:ää Babylon.js:ään Wiseplayerin tämän hetkisen toteutuksen puitteissa. Wiseplayerin kehittyessä raskaammaksi ja monipuolisemmaksi sovellukseksi kirjaston vaihtoa olisi kuitenkin syytä harkita

Differences in Metabolite Composition of Aloe barbadensis Mill. Extracts Lead to Differential Effects on Human Blood T Cell Activity In Vitro

Aloe barbadensis Mill. (Aloe) is used for diverse therapeutic properties including immunomodulation. However, owing to the compositionally complex nature of Aloe, bioactive component(s) responsible for its beneficial properties, though thought to be attributed to polysaccharides (acemannan), remain unknown. We therefore aimed to determine the metabolite composition of various commercial Aloe extracts and assess their effects on human blood T cell activity in vitro. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors were stimulated polyclonally in presence or absence of various Aloe extracts. T cell phenotype and proliferation were investigated by flow cytometry. Aloe extracts were analyzed using targeted 1H-NMR spectroscopy for standard phytochemical quality characterization and untargeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for metabolite profiling. Aloe extracts differing in their standard phytochemical composition had varying effects on T cell activation, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell-death in vitro, although this was not related to the acemannan content. Furthermore, each Aloe extract had its own distinct metabolite profile, where extracts rich in diverse sugar and sugar-derivatives were associated with reduced T cell activity. Our results demonstrate that all commercial Aloe extracts are unique with distinct metabolite profiles, which lead to differential effects on T cell activity in vitro, independent of the acemannan content

De novo biosynthesis of bioactive isoflavonoids by engineered yeast cell factories

Isoflavonoids comprise a class of plant natural products with great nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and agricultural significance. Their low abundance in nature and structural complexity however hampers access to these phytochemicals through traditional crop-based manufacturing or chemical synthesis. Microbial bioproduction therefore represents an attractive alternative. Here, we engineer the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to become a platform for efficient production of daidzein, a core chemical scaffold for isoflavonoid biosynthesis, and demonstrate its application towards producing bioactive glucosides from glucose, following the screening-reconstruction-application engineering framework. First, we rebuild daidzein biosynthesis in yeast and its production is then improved by 94-fold through screening biosynthetic enzymes, identifying rate-limiting steps, implementing dynamic control, engineering substrate trafficking and fine-tuning competing metabolic processes. The optimized strain produces up to 85.4 mg L−1 of daidzein and introducing plant glycosyltransferases in this strain results in production of bioactive puerarin (72.8 mg L−1) and daidzin (73.2 mg L−1). Our work provides a promising step towards developing synthetic yeast cell factories for de novo biosynthesis of value-added isoflavonoids and the multi-phased framework may be extended to engineer pathways of complex natural products in other microbial hosts

Metabolomic profiles of mid-trimester amniotic fluid are not associated with subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery or gestational duration at delivery

Introduction:Spontaneous preterm delivery (<37 gestational weeks) has a multifactorial etiology with still incompletely identified pathways. Amniotic fluid is a biofluid with great potential for insights into the feto-maternal milieu. It is rich in metabolites, and metabolic consequences of inflammation is yet researched only to a limited extent. Metabolomic profiling provides opportunities to identify potential biomarkers of inflammatory conditioned pregnancy complications such as spontaneous preterm delivery.Objective:The aim of this study was to perform metabolomic profiling of amniotic fluid from uncomplicated singleton pregnancies in the mid-trimester to identify potential biomarkers associated with spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration at delivery. A secondary aim was to replicate previously reported mid-trimester amniotic fluid metabolic biomarkers of spontaneous preterm delivery in asymptomatic women.Method:A nested case-control study was performed within a larger cohort study of asymptomatic pregnant women undergoing mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis at 14-19 gestational weeks in Gothenburg, Sweden. Medical records were used to obtain clinical data and delivery outcome variables. Amniotic fluid samples from women with a subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery (n = 37) were matched with amniotic fluid samples from women with a subsequent spontaneous delivery at term (n = 37). Amniotic fluid samples underwent untargeted metabolomic analyses using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multivariate random forest analyses were used for data processing. A secondary targeted analysis was performed, aiming to replicate previously reported mid-trimester amniotic fluid metabolic biomarkers in women with a subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery.Results:Multivariate analysis did not distinguish the samples from women with a subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery from those with a subsequent term delivery. Neither was the metabolic profile associated with gestational duration at delivery. Potential metabolic biomarker candidates were identified from four publications by two different research groups relating mid-trimester amniotic fluid metabolomes to spontaneous PTD, of which fifteen markers were included in the secondary analysis. None of these were replicated.Conclusions:Metabolomic profiles of early mid-trimester amniotic fluid were not associated with spontaneous preterm delivery or gestational duration at delivery in this cohort

Splenic Immune Response Is Down-Regulated in C57BL/6J Mice Fed Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid Enriched High Fat Diet

Dietary n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are associated with reduction of inflammation, although the mechanisms are poorly understood, especially how the spleen, as a secondary lymphoid organ, is involved. To investigate the effects of EPA and DHA on spleen gene expression, male C57BL/6J mice were fed high fat diets (HFD) differing in fatty acid composition, either based on corn oil (HFD-CO), or CO enriched with 2 g/100 g EPA and DHA (HFD-ED), for eight weeks. Spleen tissue was analyzed using transcriptomics and for fatty acids profiling. Biological processes (BPs) related to the immune response, including T-cell receptor signaling pathway, T-cell differentiation and co-stimulation, myeloid dendritic cell differentiation, antigen presentation and processing, and the toll like receptor pathway were downregulated by HFD-ED compared with control and HFD-CO. These findings were supported by the down-regulation of NF-κB in HFD-ED compared with HFD-CO fed mice. Lower phospholipid arachidonic acid levels in HFD-ED compared with HFD-CO, and control mice suggest attenuation of pathways via prostaglandins and leukotrienes. The HFD-ED also upregulated BPs related to erythropoiesis and hematopoiesis compared with control and HFD-CO fed mice. Our findings suggest that EPA and DHA down-regulate the splenic immune response induced by HFD-CO, supporting earlier work that the spleen is a target organ for the anti-inflammatory effects of these n-3 fatty acids

The Efficiency of Sclerotherapy in the Treatment of Vascular Malformations: A Retrospective Study of 63 Patients

Background and Aims. Vascular malformations are a vast group of congenital malformations that are present at birth. These malformations can cause pain, pressure, and cosmetic annoyance as well as downturn growth and development in a child in the case of high flow. Sclerotherapy has become an important tool in the treatment of vascular malformations. However, little is known about the success rate of sclerotherapy. Material and Methods. In this study, the efficiency of sclerotherapy in the treatment of vascular anomalies was investigated retrospectively in 63 patients treated in Turku University Hospital between 2003 and 2013. Results. Out of the 63 patients investigated, 83% (53) had venous malformations (VMs) and 9% (5) were defined as having arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Patients with a VM were operated on, in 14% (8) out of all VM cases. Hence 86% (45) of patients with a VM received adequate help to their symptoms solely from sclerotherapy. The duration of treatment for the 14% of the VM patients that needed a surgical procedure was prolonged by 7–9 months, that is, by 41%. Conclusions. Sclerotherapy is an effective method in the treatment of VMs with a satisfactory clinical response in patients symptoms in 84% of cases.<br /

Umbilical cord blood metabolome differs in relation to delivery mode, birth order and sex, maternal diet and possibly future allergy development in rural children

Allergy is one of the most common diseases among young children yet all factors that affect development of allergy remain unclear. In a small cohort of 65 children living in the same rural area of south-west Sweden, we have previously found that maternal factors, including prenatal diet, affect childhood allergy risk, suggesting that in utero conditions may be important for allergy development. Here, we studied if metabolites in the umbilical cord blood of newborns may be related to development of childhood allergy, accounting for key perinatal factors such as mode of delivery, birth order and sex. Available umbilical cord blood plasma samples from 44 of the participants were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics; allergy was diagnosed by specialised paediatricians at ages 18 months, 3 years and 8 years and included eczema, asthma, food allergy and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Nineteen cord blood metabolites were related to future allergy diagnosis though there was no clear pattern of up- or downregulation of metabolic pathways. In contrast, perinatal factors birth order, sex and mode of delivery affected several energy and bio-synthetic pathways, including glutamate and aspartic acid—histidine metabolism (p = 0.004) and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (p = 0.006) for birth order; branched chain amino acid metabolism (p = 0.0009) and vitamin B6 metabolism (p = 0.01) for sex; and glyoxylate and dicarboxylic acid metabolism (p = 0.005) for mode of delivery. Maternal diet was also related to some of the metabolites associated with allergy. In conclusion, the cord blood metabolome includes individual metabolites that reflect lifestyle, microbial and other factors that may be associated with future allergy diagnosis, and also reflects temporally close events/factors. Larger studies are required to confirm these associations, and perinatal factors such as birth order or siblings must be considered in future cord-blood metabolome studies

Fecal luminal factors from patients with irritable bowel syndrome induce distinct gene expression of colonoids

Background: Alteration of the host-microbiota cross talk at the intestinal barrier may participate in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Therefore, we aimed to determine effects of fecal luminal factors from IBS patients on the colonic epithelium using colonoids. Methods: Colon-derived organoid monolayers, colonoids, generated from a healthy subject, underwent stimulation with fecal supernatants from healthy subjects and IBS patients with predominant diarrhea, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cytokines in cell cultures and fecal LPS were measured by ELISA and mRNA gene expression of monolayers was analyzed using Qiagen RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays. The fecal microbiota profile was determined by the GA-map™ dysbiosis test and the fecal metabolite profile was analyzed by untargeted liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Key results: Colonoid monolayers stimulated with fecal supernatants from healthy subjects (n\ua0=\ua07), PBS (n\ua0=\ua04) or LPS (n\ua0=\ua03) presented distinct gene expression profiles, with some overlap (R2Y\ua0=\ua00.70, Q2=\ua00.43). Addition of fecal supernatants from healthy subjects and IBS patients (n\ua0=\ua09) gave rise to different gene expression profiles of the colonoid monolayers (R2Y\ua0=\ua00.79, Q2=\ua00.64). Genes (n\ua0=\ua022) related to immune response (CD1D, TLR5) and barrier integrity (CLDN15, DSC2) contributed to the separation. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines in colonoid monolayer cultures were comparable when stimulated with fecal supernatants from either donor types. Fecal microbiota and metabolite profiles, but not LPS content, differed between the study groups. Conclusions: Fecal luminal factors from IBS patients induce a distinct colonic epithelial gene expression, potentially reflecting the disease pathophysiology. The culture of colonoids from healthy subjects with fecal supernatants from IBS patients may facilitate the exploration of IBS related intestinal micro-environmental and barrier interactions

A Distinct Faecal Microbiota and Metabolite Profile Linked to Bowel Habits in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are suggested to have an altered intestinal microenvironment. We therefore aimed to determine the intestinal microenvironment profile, based on faecal microbiota and metabolites, and the potential link to symptoms in IBS patients. The faecal microbiota was evaluated by the GA-map(TM) dysbiosis test, and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was used for faecal metabolomic profiling in patients with IBS and healthy subjects. Symptom severity was assessed using the IBS Severity Scoring System and anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A principal component analysis based on faecal microbiota (n = 54) and metabolites (n = 155) showed a clear separation between IBS patients (n = 40) and healthy subjects (n = 18). Metabolites were the main driver of this separation. Additionally, the intestinal microenvironment profile differed between IBS patients with constipation (n = 15) and diarrhoea (n = 11), while no clustering was detected in subgroups of patients according to symptom severity or anxiety. Furthermore, ingenuity pathway analysis predicted amino acid metabolism and several cellular and molecular functions to be altered in IBS patients. Patients with IBS have a distinct faecal microbiota and metabolite profile linked to bowel habits. Intestinal microenvironment profiling, based on faecal microbiota and metabolites, may be considered as a future non-invasive diagnostic tool, alongside providing valuable insights into the pathophysiology of IBS