Weighted Blankets and Sleep Quality in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Single-Subject Design

Purpose: The purpose of the single-subject study was to explore the possible relationship between weighted blanket applications and sleep quality in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and behavioral manifestations of sensory processing deficits. Method: Two 4-year-old participants diagnosed with ASD who also experienced sleep disturbances took part in a single-subject design study. Objective sleep measures and caregiver surveys were tracked for a baseline period of 7 days followed by a 14-day weighted blanket intervention and a 7-day withdrawal phase. Results: Caregiver reports and objective data were evaluated using visual analysis and the percentage of non-overlapping data methods. The results suggest minimal changes in sleep patterns because of the weighted blanket intervention. Findings included using a weighted blanket intervention enhanced morning mood after night use and a significantly decreased time to fall asleep for one participant. Conclusion: The converging evidence from a small but growing literature base indicates that weighted blankets may not strongly influence sleep quality in some children with ASD and sensory processing deficits who demonstrate increased sleep disturbances. Future directions include studies replicating the single-subject design with increased participants and updated outcome measures

Sea anemone model has a single Toll-like receptor that can function in pathogen detection, NF-κB signal transduction, and development

In organisms from insects to vertebrates, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are primary pathogen detectors that activate downstream pathways, specifically those that direct expression of innate immune effector genes. TLRs also have roles in development in many species. The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is a useful cnidarian model to study the origins of TLR signaling because its genome encodes a single TLR and homologs of many downstream signaling components, including the NF-κB pathway. We have characterized the single N. vectensis TLR (Nv-TLR) and demonstrated that it can activate canonical NF-κB signaling in human cells. Furthermore, we show that the intracellular Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain of Nv-TLR can interact with the human TLR adapter proteins MAL and MYD88. We demonstrate that the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus causes a rapidly lethal disease in N. vectensis and that heat-inactivated V. coralliilyticus and bacterial flagellin can activate a reconstituted Nv-TLR–to–NF-κB pathway in human cells. By immunostaining of anemones, we show that Nv-TLR is expressed in a subset of cnidocytes and that many of these Nv-TLR–expressing cells also express Nv-NF-κB. Additionally, the nematosome, which is a Nematostella-specific multicellular structure, expresses Nv-TLR and many innate immune pathway homologs and can engulf V. coralliilyticus. Morpholino knockdown indicates that Nv-TLR also has an essential role during early embryonic development. Our characterization of this primitive TLR and identification of a bacterial pathogen for N. vectensis reveal ancient TLR functions and provide a model for studying the molecular basis of cnidarian disease and immunity.IOS-1354935 - National Science Foundation (NSF); GRFP - National Science Foundation (NSF); GRFP - National Science Foundation (NSF); 1262934 - National Science Foundation (NSF); 2014-BSP - Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundatio

A New Method of Blind Deconvolution for Colour Fundus Retinal Images

Fundus retinal imaging is widely used in the diagnosis and management of eye disease. Blur commonly occurs in the acquisition and when it is severe the resulting loss of resolution hampers accurate clinical assessment. In this paper, we present a new technique to address this challenging problem. We make use of implicitly constrained image deblurring, which is known to provide improved results over unconstrained and explicitly constrained methods, and build this into a multi-channel variational framework for parametric deblurring. We propose a new method for automatically selecting the regularisation parameter in the absence of the true (sharp) image using vessel segmentation. We then modify the model to include a regularisation coefficient function which is dependent on an available image mask in order to avoid potential inaccuracies caused by the addition of artificial masks. We present experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of our new method

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis among Somalis in Minnesota1

To analyze extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Somalis living in Minnesota, we reviewed surveillance and public health case management data on tuberculosis cases in ethnic Somalis in Minnesota from 1993 through 2003. The presence of these recent immigrants substantially affects the local epidemiology and clinical manifestation of tuberculosis

Evaluation of Scents Attractants for Baiting Wild Pigs

Lethal removal by trapping is one of the most cost- and time-effective means for managing wild pigs (Sus scrofa). Scent attractants are frequently used to lure wild pigs to camera stations for scouting or monitoring wild pig populations or at trap sites to reduce the amount of time for pigs to locate the trap. However, the effectiveness of scents to attract and increase wild pig visitation to camera stations or traps is debatable. Therefore, our objective was to determine if wild pigs visited camera stations sooner and more frequently when scents were used in addition to whole kernel corn. We conducted our study on portions of the state-owned Lowndes County Wildlife Management Area (5,650 ha) and on privately owned property (1,820 ha) in Lowndes and Macon counties, AL, respectively, during 2014-2016. We selected portions within these study areas where active, premeditated wild pig removal (trapping, shooting) had not occurred for at least 1 year in order to minimize biases associated with trap shy pig behavior. We sectioned each study area into 1km2 grids and assigned a camera station to each grid cell overlapping the study area. Within each grid cell, the camera station was subjectively placed in forest cover near water. We then assigned randomly treatments of corn (11.3 kg), corn and a molasses-based attractant (0.23 L), or corn and a pig urine attractant (15 ml) to each of 66 camera stations. Corn and attractants were replenished after 7 days. We then used motion-sensitive game cameras to record the time (in min) from the initial placement of bait and scent at each station until the first wild pig was captured on camera images. Cameras remained active on each station for 14 days and were set to capture 3-picture bursts with a 10-second delay among pictures and 1-minute delay between bursts. Camera stations were distributed within each study area at a density of approximately one station per 100-250 ha. We recorded the time of first detection, frequency of visits, and identifying characteristics of pigs and sounders. We used a Χ2 test to determine if frequency of visits differed among treatments and an ANOVA to determine differences in time until first visit differed among treatments. Wild pigs visited 23 of 66 (35%) bait stations which did not differ among treatment sites (P=0.231). Of these 23 active camera stations, time until first visit did not differ among treatments (P=0.599). Mean time until first visit to a station was approximately 62.0 hours (about 2.6 days). Scent attractants did not have a noticeable effect on increasing wild pig visitation to baited camera stations suggesting managers 28 should focus on proper placement of bait stations or traps in areas frequented by wild pigs rather than relying on scents to lure pigs to desired locations

Ernest Everett Just, PhD: Pioneer in Ecological Developmental (Eco-Devo) Biology

Ernest Everett Just, a pioneering American biologist, discovered the fundamental role of the environment in the development of embryos. His work led to the creation of the area of biology known as ecological developmental (Eco-Devo) biology. However, both his work and the context of his scientific contributions are not widely known. His work covered a diversity of fields of biology, including marine biology, cytology, and parthogenesis (asexual reproduction where growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization). His findings provided important concepts in developmental biology that are used to this day. Specifically, he demonstrated the importance of the cellular cytoplasm and ectoplasm, in addition to the nucleus, in determining how development occurs in embryos. His worked was unique for its use of in vivo conditions using a variety of marine organisms. His publications on the “Basic Methods for Experiments on Eggs of Marine Mammals” in 1922 and “The Biology of the Cell Surface” in 1939 are still regarded as two of the most comprehensive reviews in cell biology. In this manuscript we present Dr. Just’s childhood in Charleston, SC, unlikely attendance and success at Dartmouth College, and his groundbreaking work, which was developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) at Woods Hole, Europe, and Howard University

Primary care consultations and costs among HIV-positive individulas in UK primary care 1995-2005: a cohort study

Objectives: To investigate the role of primary care in the management of HIV and estimate primary care-associated costs at a time of rising prevalence. Methods: Retrospective cohort study between 1995 and 2005, using data from general practices contributing data to the UK General Practice Research Database. Patterns of consultation and morbidity and associated consultation costs were analysed among all practice-registered patients for whom HIV-positive status was recorded in the general practice record. Results: 348 practices yielded 5504 person-years (py) of follow-up for known HIV-positive patients, who consult in general practice frequently (4.2 consultations/py by men, 5.2 consultations/py by women, in 2005) for a range of conditions. Consultation rates declined in the late 1990s from 5.0 and 7.3 consultations/py in 1995 in men and women, respectively, converging to rates similar to the wider population. Costs of consultation (general practitioner and nurse, combined) reflect these changes, at £100.27 for male patients and £117.08 for female patients in 2005. Approximately one in six medications prescribed in primary care for HIV-positive individuals has the potential for major interaction with antiretroviral medications. Conclusion: HIV-positive individuals known in general practice now consult on a similar scale to the wider population. Further research should be undertaken to explore how primary care can best contribute to improving the health outcomes of this group with chronic illness. Their substantial use of primary care suggests there may be potential to develop effective integrated care pathways

Measurement of the Intertablet Coating Uniformity of a Pharmaceutical Pan Coating Process With Combined Terahertz and Optical Coherence Tomography In-Line Sensing.

We present in-line coating thickness measurements acquired simultaneously using two independent sensing modalities: terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Both techniques are sufficiently fast to resolve the coating thickness of individual pharmaceutical tablets in-situ during the film coating operation and both techniques are direct structural imaging techniques that do not require multivariate calibration. The TPI sensor is suitable to measure coatings greater than 50 μm and can penetrate through thick coatings even in the presence of pigments over a wide range of excipients. Due to the long wavelength, terahertz radiation is not affected by scattering from dust within the coater. In contrast, OCT can resolve coating layers as thin as 20 μm and is capable of measuring the intra-tablet coating uniformity as well as the inter-tablet coating thickness distribution within the coating pan. ¬-However, the OCT technique is less robust when it comes to the compatibility with excipients, dust and potentially the maximum coating thickness that can be resolved. Using a custom built laboratory scale coating unit, the coating thickness measurements were acquired independently by the TPI and OCT sensors throughout a film coating operation. Results of the in-line TPI and OCT measurements were compared against one another and validated with off-line TPI and weight gain measurements. Compared to other process analytical technology (PAT) sensors, such as near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy, the TPI/OCT sensors can resolve the inter-tablet thickness distribution based on sampling a significant fraction of the tablet populations in the process. By combining two complementary sensing modalities it was possible to seamlessly monitor the coating process over the range of film thickness from 20 μm to greater than 250 μm.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from UK EPSRC Research Grant EP/L019787/1 and EP/L019922/1. The authors acknowledge BASF for providing the materials used in this study, Colorcon Ltd. (Dartford, UK) for coating process recommendations, Hüttlin GmbH (Bosch Packaging Technology, Schopfheim, Germany) for advice on the coating unit design and the staff of the electronics and mechanical workshops in Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at University of Cambridge. HL also acknowledges travel support from Joy Welch Educational Charitable Trust

Harmonization of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension Blood Pressure/Hypertension Guidelines: Comparisons, Reflections, and Recommendations

The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension clinical practice guidelines for management of high blood pressure/hypertension are influential documents. Both guidelines are comprehensive, were developed using rigorous processes, and underwent extensive peer review. The most notable difference between the 2 guidelines is the blood pressure cut points recommended for the diagnosis of hypertension. There are also differences in the timing and intensity of treatment, with the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline recommending a somewhat more intensive approach. Overall, there is substantial concordance in the recommendations provided by the 2 guideline-writing committees, with greater congruity between them than their predecessors. Additional harmonization of future guidelines would help to underscore the commonality of their core recommendations and could serve to catalyze changes in practice that would lead to improved prevention, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, worldwide

Diabetic Macular Edema Grading Based on Deep Neural Networks

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a major cause of vision loss in diabetes. Its early detection and treatment is therefore a vital task in management of diabetic retinopathy. In this paper, we propose a new featurelearning approach for grading the severity of DME using color retinal fundus images. An automated DME diagnosis system based on the proposed featurelearning approach is developed to help early diagnosis of the disease and thus averts (or delays) its progression. It utilizes the convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to identify and extract features of DME automatically without any kind of user intervention. The developed prototype was trained and assessed by using an existing MESSIDOR dataset of 1200 images. The obtained preliminary results showed accuracy of (88.8 %), sensitivity (74.7%) and specificity (96.5 %). These results compare favorably to state-of-the-art findings with the added benefit of an automatic feature-learning approach rather than a time-consuming handcrafted approach