A Fully Implantable Opto-Electro Closed-Loop Neural Interface for Motor Neuron Disease Studies

This paper presents a fully implantable closed-loop device for use in freely moving rodents to investigate new treatments for motor neuron disease. The 0.18 µm CMOS integrated circuit comprises 4 stimulators, each featuring 16 channels for optical and electrical stimulation using arbitrary current waveforms at frequencies from 1.5 Hz to 50 kHz, and a bandwidth programmable front-end for neural recording. The implant uses a Qi wireless inductive link which can deliver >100 mW power at a maximum distance of 2 cm for a freely moving rodent. A backup rechargeable battery can support 10 mA continuous stimulation currents for 2.5 hours in the absence of an inductive power link. The implant is controlled by a graphic user interface with broad programmable parameters via a Bluetooth low energy bidirectional data telemetry link. The encapsulated implant is 40 mm × 20 mm × 10 mm. Measured results are presented showing the electrical performance of the electronics and the packaging method

A population-based study to investigate host genetic factors associated with hepatitis B infection and pathogenesis in the Chinese population

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant public health problem that may lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Approximately 30% of the world\u27s population has been infected with HBV and approximately 350 million (5–6%) are persistent carriers. More than 120 million Chinese are infected with HBV. The role of host genetic factors and their interactions with environmental factors leading to chronic HBV infection and its complications are not well understood. We believe that a better understanding of these factors and interactions will lead to more effective diagnostic and therapeutic options. Methods/Design This is a population-based, case-control study protocol to enroll 2200 Han Chinese from medical centers in northern and western China. Adult subjects in the following groups are being enrolled: healthy donors (n = 200), HBV infected persons achieving virus clearance (n = 400), asymptomatic HBV persistent carriers (n = 400), chronic hepatitis B cases (n = 400), decompensated liver cirrhosis with HBV infection cases (n = 400), and hepatocellular carcinoma with HBV infection cases (n = 400). In addition, for haplotype inference and quality control of sample handling and genotyping results, children of 1000 cases will be asked to provide a buccal sample for DNA extraction. With the exception of adult patients presenting with liver cirrhosis or HCC, all other cases and controls will be 40 years or older at enrollment. A questionnaire is being administered to capture dietary and environmental risk factors. Both candidate-gene and genome-wide association approaches will be used to assess the role of single genetic factors and higher order interactions with other genetic or environmental factors in HBV diseases. Conclusion This study is designed and powered to detect single gene effects as well as gene-gene and environmental-gene interactions. The identification of allelic polymorphisms in genes involved in the pathway leading to chronic viral infection, liver cirrhosis and, ultimately, hepatocellular carcinoma would provide insights to those factors leading to HBV replication, liver inflammation, fibrosis, and the carcinogenic process. An understanding of the contribution of host genetic factors and their interactions may inform public health policy, improve diagnostics and clinical management, and provide targets for drug development

Semantic Recommendation of Information Sources for Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning (LLL) has been debated in educational environments for more than a decade, but with the proliferation of mobile and wireless communication technologies and pervasiveness of educational environments, it has penetrated into our everyday lives and changed our perception on formal education. If we accept that LLL will have a bigger role in traditional education, and remove barriers between formal and informal learning, then we may open a range of new possibilities for modern learners, who decide what, when, why and how they wish to learn. In this paper we address the problem of choosing suitable learning sources in various situations we may encounter in LLL. We propose a semantic recommendation of learning sources, based on OWL/SWRL enabled computations for the purpose of supporting learners in lifelong learning environments. We use the example of learners in the healthcare domain in order to demonstrate both: the availability of online information and learning sources which support lifelong learning in healthcare, and the way we can address the needs of individual learners who are in a situation to learn informally. We focus on OWL/SWRL enabled computations because they (a) secure semantic interpretation of environments where lifelong learning takes place and (b) guarantee reasoning which results in recommendations of suitable learning sources in a particular situation in LLL

Alcohol and substance use in the Arabian Gulf region: A review

Despite cultural, social, religious, and legal constraints on Muslim Arab nationals living in the Arabian Peninsula against the consumption of alcohol or drugs, usage and dependence do exist. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review, compiling and critiquing the literature in this interesting yet neglected area. Information about the current status of alcohol and substance abuse research and knowledge in the Arabian Gulf region will be presented, providing an accessible synopsis of available papers. A systematic review of English and Arabic language literature was conducted by searching electronic databases (1975-2007) and conducting hand searches of Arab published journals. Only studies investigating alcohol and/or substance use or abuse issues with participants (1) of Arab nationality, (2) living in an Arabian Gulf country, and (3) of Muslim faith were included. Within this literature, the majority of research has been conducted with clinical male participants. The most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, heroin, and hashish. Literature investigating the substance use domain with people who are not seeking treatment for addiction is extremely limited. Although the research is largely in its infancy, it does however confirm alcohol and substance abuse in Muslim, Gulf Arab nationals. We strongly urge that further research into substance use and abuse in this region is conducted. Community investigations assessing the prevalence, magnitude, and associated problems with alcohol and substance abuse and also research into valid and reliable measurements in these countries are warranted

PHOTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF CH3_3OH ISOLATED IN SOLID PARAHYDROGEN

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071-3838Our group is studying the 193.3 nm photochemistry of methanol (CH$_3$OH) isolated in solid pH$_2$ using high-resolution FTIR spectroscopy to explore the low temperature reactions of H-atoms with CH$_3$OH. Gas phase studies have shown that the dominant photodissociation channel is CH$_3$OH + h$\nu$ \rightarrow CH$_3$O + H,\textbf{101}, 5665 (1994).} and thus the {\it in situ} photochemistry is expected to produce methoxy and H-atom radicals. After photolysis the methoxy radicals are immobilized at these temperatures, but the H-atoms can still readily move through solid pH$_2$. For short time 193.3 nm exposures, greater than 90\% of the CH$_3$OH remains intact and therefore repeated FTIR spectra immediately after photolysis can be used to record the kinetics of reactions of H-atoms with CH$_3$OH. We observe exponential growth in the intensities of a number of peaks that can be assigned to the hydroxymethyl CH$_2$OH radical. Further, the growth is bi-exponential and we believe there are two processes that lead to the formation of CH$_2$OH: (1) fast growth by interconversion of CH$_3$O to CH$_2$OH and (2) slow growth due to hydrogen abstraction reactions of cold H-atoms with CH$_3$OH. We have not observed the methoxy radical. Currently we are performing photochemical experiments on fully deuterated methanol (CD$_3$OD) in solid pH$_2$ to test these kinetic interpretations, and the most recent results and analysis will be presented

Longitudinal study on thyroid function in patients with thalassemia major: High incidence of central hypothyroidism by 18 years

Introduction: Primary hypothyroidism is one of the most frequent complications observed in-patients suffering from thalassemia. We investigated and reviewed the thyroid function in all thalassemic patients attending the Pediatric Endocrine Clinic of Hamad Medical Center, Doha, Qatar during the last 10 years of follow-up. Patients and Methods: A total of 48 patients with ί-thalassemia major between 5 years and 18 years of age. Thyroid dysfunction was defined as follows: Overt hypothyroidism (low Free thyroxine [FT4] and increased thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] levels >5 μIU/ml); subclinical hypothyroidism (normal FT4, TSH between 5 μIU/ml and 10 μIU/ml) and central (secondary) hypothyroidism (low FT4 and normal or decreased TSH). Results: A total of 48 patients (22 males and 26 females) completed a 12 year-period of follow-up. During this period, hypothyroidism was diagnosed in 17/48 (35%) of patients. There was no significant difference in the prevalence in males 7/22 (32%) versus females 10/26 (38%). Sixteen of the patients had hypothyroidism after the age of 10 years (94%). The prevalence of overt hypothyroidism had risen from 0% at the age of 7 years to 35% at the age of 18 years. None of the patients had high anti-thyroperoxidase antibody titers. Out of 17 patients, 13 patients with hypothyroidism had normal or low TSH level (not appropriately elevated) indicative of defective hypothalamic pituitary response to low FT4 (central hypothyroidism). Three patients (6.3%) had subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH between 5 uIU/ml and 10 uIU/ml and normal FT4). The general trend of FT4 level showed progressive decrease over the 12 years, whereas, TSH levels did not show a corresponding increase. These data suggested defective hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis involving both TSH and FT4 sretion in patients with thalassemia major over time. There was a significant negative correlation between serum ferritin and FT4 (r = −0.39, P = 0.007), but no correlation was found between ferritin and TSH. Conclusions: Worsening of thyroid function was observed in 35% of the studied thalassemic patients by the age of 18 years. The lack of proper increase of TSH in response to the low circulating levels of FT4 in 13/17 (76%) of these patients indicates a relatively high incidence of defective pituitary thyrotrophic function in these patients

Validation of the alcohol use identification test in a prison sample living in the Arabian Gulf region

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of the Arabic translation of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among a sample of male Muslim prisoners (N=107) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a two-factor model to be the best fit of the data. Good internal reliability (α=.91) and predictive validity were also observed. While the limitations of the study are observed, these promising results suggest that the Arabic version of the AUDIT is a reliable and sound measure of alcohol use disorders among prisoners in the UAE

Dense fine-mapping study identifies new susceptibility loci for primary biliary cirrhosis.

We genotyped 2,861 cases of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) from the UK PBC Consortium and 8,514 UK population controls across 196,524 variants within 186 known autoimmune risk loci. We identified 3 loci newly associated with PBC (at P0.8) with the most associated variant at the locus. We found multiple independent common, low-frequency and rare variant association signals at five loci. Of the 26 independent non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) signals tagged on the Immunochip, 15 have SNPs in B-lymphoblastoid open chromatin regions in high LD (r2>0.8) with the most associated variant. This study shows how data from dense fine-mapping arrays coupled with functional genomic data can be used to identify candidate causal variants for functional follow-up