Glycotope structures and intramolecular affinity factors of plant lectins for Tn/T antigens

B

Gas-filled microbubbles: a novel susceptibility contrast agent for brain and liver MRI

Theme: Engineering the Future of BiomedicineGas-filled microbubbles have the potential to become a unique intravascular MR contrast agent due to their magnetic susceptibility effect, biocompatibility and localized manipulation via ultrasound cavitation. However, in vivo demonstration of microbubble susceptibility effect is limited so far and microbubble susceptibility effect is relatively weak when compared with other intravascular MR susceptibility contrast agents. In this study, two types of microbubbles, custom-made albumin-coated microbubbles (AMBs) and a commercially available lipid-based clinical ultrasound contrast agent (SonoVue® ), were investigated with in vivo dynamic brain and liver MRI in Sprague-Dawley rats at 7 Tesla. Transverse relaxation rate enhancements (ΔR2*) maps were computed for brain and liver, yielding results similar to those obtained with a common MR blood pool contrast agent. These results indicate that gas-filled microbubbles can serve as an intravascular MR contrast agent at high field. Enhancement of microbubble susceptibility effect by entrapping monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONs) into microbubbles was also investigated at 7 T in vitro. This is the first experimental demonstration of microbubble susceptibility enhancement for MRI application. This study indicates that gas-filled microbubble susceptibility effect can be substantially increased using iron oxides nanoparticles. With such approach, microbubbles can potentially be visualized with higher sensitivity and lower concentrations by MRI. Such capability has the potential to lead to real-time MRI guidance in various microbubble-based drug delivery and therapeutic applications. ©2009 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2009), Minneapolis, MN., 3-6 September 2009. In Proceedings of the 31st EMBC, 2009, p. 4049-405

Pattern of angiogenesis in the healing of composite intramembranous bone and demineralized bone matrix

Abstract no. 3133published_or_final_versio

Factors contributing to early breast-feeding cessation among Chinese mothers: An exploratory study

Background although more than 85% of all new mothers in Hong Kong now initiate breast feeding, few exclusively breast feed and the overall duration is short. More than one-third stop breast feeding within the first month post partum. Objective to explore the breast-feeding experiences of Hong Kong Chinese mothers who prematurely discontinue breast feeding and to identify contributing factors that might be remediated to help women breast feed longer. Design qualitative exploratory study. Methods in-depth, exploratory interviews were carried out with 24 new mothers who stopped breast feeding within one month after birth, and content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings five core themes emerged from the data: unnatural expectations, left to figure it out, uncertainty, unfulfilling experiences, and guilt versus relief. Because breast feeding is ‘natural’ participants expected that it would come naturally and thus be easy. When breast feeding did not happen naturally, however, midwives were too busy to provide breast-feeding support and mothers were left to figure it out on their own. Participants also reported difficulty in gauging whether the infant was getting adequate nutrition from their breastmilk. Few participants had positive breast-feeding experiences; while the decision to stop breast feeding caused guilt for most participants, others expressed relief at stopping breast feeding. Key conclusions and implications for practice greater postnatal breast-feeding support, both in the hospital and after the mother returns home, would likely increase the mother׳s confidence and enhance her mothering experience. Further antenatal and postnatal education on the realistic breast-feeding expectations and the amount of breastmilk required by babies is also important. More research is needed to test professional and peer support breast-feeding interventions to provide guidance to policy makers on the most effective breast-feeding support strategies.postprin

Association between Intrapartum Interventions and Breastfeeding Duration

postprin

Identification of Boundary Conditions Using Natural Frequencies

The present investigation concerns a disc of varying thickness of whose flexural stiffness $D$ varies with the radius $r$ according to the law $D=D_0 r^m$, where $D_0$ and $m$ are constants. The problem of finding boundary conditions for fastening this disc, which are inaccessible to direct observation, from the natural frequencies of its axisymmetric flexural oscillations is considered. The problem in question belongs to the class of inverse problems and is a completely natural problem of identification of boundary conditions. The search for the unknown conditions for fastening the disc is equivalent to finding the span of the vectors of unknown conditions coefficients. It is shown that this inverse problem is well posed. Two theorems on the uniqueness and a theorem on stability of the solution of this problem are proved, and a method for establishing the unknown conditions for fastening the disc to the walls is indicated. An approximate formula for determining the unknown conditions is obtained using first three natural frequencies. The method of approximate calculation of unknown boundary conditions is explained with the help of three examples of different cases for the fastening the disc (rigid clamping, free support, elastic fixing). Keywords: Boundary conditions, a disc of varying thickness,inverse problem, Plucker condition.Comment: 19 page

Macroeconomic Policies Interaction & the Symmetry of Financial Markets' Responses

This concise study analyses the symmetry of financial markets` responses to macroeconomic policy interaction in the United Kingdom. Employing the Vector Auto-regression (VAR) model on monthly data of the British financial sector and macroeconomic policies from January 1985 to August 2008, this study found that the equity and sovereign debt markets showed identical symmetry in response to macroeconomic policy interaction

Determinants of 2009 A/H1N1 influenza vaccination among pregnant women in Hong Kong

During the 2009-2010 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic, pregnant women infected with the virus experienced excess morbidity and mortality when compared with other groups. Once a vaccine was available, pregnant women were a priority group for vaccination. Only a few studies have reported on the uptake of 2009 A/H1N1 influenza vaccine among pregnant women during the pandemic and none were from Asia. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with 2009 A/H1N1 influenza vaccine uptake among pregnant women in Hong Kong. Using a multi-center, cross-sectional design, we recruited 549 postpartum women from four post-natal wards in Hong Kong over a 4-month period during the second wave of the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic in the winter and spring of 2010. Only 6.2% (n = 34) of participants had received the 2009 A/H1N1 influenza vaccine and 4.9% (n = 27) had received the seasonal influenza vaccine. The most common reasons for not receiving the 2009 A/H1N1 vaccine were fear of causing harm to themselves or their fetus. A high knowledge level (OR = 19.06; 95% CI 5.55, 65.48), more positive attitudes (OR = 3.52; 95% CI 1.37, 9.07), and having a family member who had the 2009 A/H1N1 influenza vaccine (OR = 7.69; 95% CI 2.92, 20.19) were independently and positively associated with vaccination. Study results show an unacceptably low uptake of the pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccine among pregnant women in Hong Kong. Interventions to increase influenza vaccine knowledge and uptake among this group should be a priority for future pandemic planning and seasonal vaccination campaigns.published_or_final_versio

Predictors and Consequences of In-hospital Formula Supplementation for Healthy Breastfeeding Newborns

BACKGROUND: Although exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months, the use of breast milk substitutes is widespread around the world. OBJECTIVES: To describe the patterns of infant formula supplementation among healthy breastfeeding newborns, to identify factors contributing to in-hospital formula supplementation, and to assess the dose-response relationship between the amount of in-hospital formula supplementation and the duration of any breastfeeding. METHODS: A sample of 1246 breastfeeding mother-infant pairs was recruited from 4 public hospitals in Hong Kong and followed prospectively for 12 months or until weaned. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors associated with in-hospital supplementation. Cox regression analysis was used to explore the impact of in-hospital supplementation on breastfeeding duration. RESULTS: Of the total, 82.5% of newborns were supplemented in the hospital; one-half received formula within 5 hours of birth. Assisted vaginal delivery (odds ratio [OR] = 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 4.15), cesarean section (OR = 3.45, 95% CI 1.75, 6.80), and higher birth weight (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.12, 2.18) were positively associated with in-hospital formula supplementation, whereas initiating breastfeeding in the delivery room (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.33, 0.89) was associated with decreased likelihood of in-hospital supplementation. Any infant formula in the first 48 hours was associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.51, 95% CI 1.27, 1.80), but there was no dose-response effect. CONCLUSION: In-hospital formula supplementation is common in Hong Kong hospitals and appears to be detrimental to breastfeeding duration. Continued efforts should be made to avoid the provision of infant formula to breastfeeding babies while in the hospital unless medically indicated.postprin

One Monopole with k Singularities

We present all charge one monopole solutions of the Bogomolny equation with k prescribed Dirac singularities for the gauge groups U(2), SO(3), or SU(2). We analyze these solutions comparing them to the previously known expressions for the cases of one or two singularities.Comment: 12 pages, LaTe