Highly-efficient extraction of entangled photons from quantum dots using a broadband optical antenna

Many quantum photonic technologies require the efficient generation of entangled pairs of photons, but to date there have been few ways to produce them reliably. Sources based on parametric down conversion operate at very low efficiency per pulse due to the probabilistic generation process. Semiconductor quantum dots can emit single pairs of entangled photons deterministically but they fall short due to the extremely low-extraction efficiency. Strategies for extracting single photons from quantum dots, such as embedding them in narrowband optical cavities, are difficult to translate to entangled photons. Here, we build a broadband optical antenna with an extraction efficiency of 65% ± 4% and demonstrate a highly-efficient entangled-photon source by collecting strongly entangled photons (fidelity of 0.9) at a pair efficiency of 0.372 ± 0.002 per pulse. The high brightness achieved by our source represents a step forward in the development of optical quantum technologies

An algorithm for differentiating food antigen-related gastrointestinal symptoms

Aim: The aim of this clinical audit was to assess patient-reported outcomes on the effect of dietary intervention, to enhance our understanding of possible treatment options in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Background: A large number of food-related gastro-intestinal disorders have been attributed to IBS for decades. Methods: Patient-reported outcomes from the records of 149 IBS patients treated at secondary and tertiary Gastroenterology outpatients in two UK hospitals between January 2014 and July 2016 were audited. Patients all presented with symptoms fulfilling Rome III-IV criteria for IBS had negative coeliac serology and did not have other gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. A modified version of a low FODMAP diet had been recommended (gluten and lactose free diet (G/LFD)) and was implemented for 6 weeks. Outcomes and dietary adherence were recorded during outpatient's consultations. Results: A total of 134 patients complied with the diet optimally. The majority had an improvement rate >70% and continued with the diet. Fifty-three percent became completely or almost asymptomatic, while 27.6% had a poor response to the diet (scoring < 30%) to G/LFD. The improvement was excellent in patients with normal BMI and good in overweight and obese and where BMI <18. Over 50% did not require any follow-up within 12 months. Conclusion: Although it is unclear whether symptoms are triggered by gluten, fructans or lactose, elimination of gluten and lactose proved to be an effective treatment in patients with IBS. Multidisciplinary team management and implementation of detailed nutrition therapy using the audit algorithm might prove to be both cost effective and efficacious a treatment option in IBS

An alternative allergen risk management approach

Protein components in food can trigger immune-mediated response in susceptible individuals. International law requires risk assessment to be undertaken by competent individuals to minimize food safety risk to consumers. Historically, allergen control legislation has been food focused and on the requirement for on pack labeling, and the need for formal food recalls in the event of misleading or inappropriate labeling. In order to develop a mechanism for decision makers when assessing allergenic risk from plant derived materials, the aim of this research was to consider a more holistic risk assessment method whereby rather than just using the food-based approach, an additive element in terms of considering the families of proteins is included. This approach reflects the need for food professionals to fully understand the role of proteins in triggering an allergic response to plant material and the health risk to individuals who show cross-reactivity to such proteins

Development and validation of a risk model for predicting adverse drug reactions in older people during hospital stay: Brighton Adverse Drug Reactions Risk (BADRI) model

BACKGROUND: Older patients are at an increased risk of developing adverse drug reactions (ADR). Of particular concern are the oldest old, which constitute an increasingly growing population. Having a validated clinical tool to identify those older patients at risk of developing an ADR during hospital stay would enable healthcare staff to put measures in place to reduce the risk of such an event developing. The current study aimed to (1) develop and (2) validate an ADR risk prediction model. METHODS: We used a combination of univariate analysis and multivariate binary logistic regression to identify clinical risk factors for developing an ADR in a population of older people from a UK teaching hospital. The final ADR risk model was then validated in a European population (European dataset). RESULTS: Six-hundred-ninety patients (median age 85 years) were enrolled in the development stage of the study. Ninety-five reports of ADR were confirmed by independent review in these patients. Five clinical variables were identified through multivariate analysis and included in our final model; each variable was attributed a score of 1. Internal validation produced an AUROC of 0.74, a sensitivity of 80%, and specificity of 55%. During the external validation stage the AUROC was 0.73, with sensitivity and specificity values of 84% and 43% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed and successfully validated a simple model to use ADR risk score in a population of patients with a median age of 85, i.e. the oldest old. The model is based on 5 clinical variables (≥8 drugs, hyperlipidaemia, raised white cell count, use of anti-diabetic agents, length of stay ≥12 days), some of which have not been previously reported

Shedding Light on Vampires: The Phylogeny of Vampyrellid Amoebae Revisited

With the advent of molecular phylogenetic techniques the polyphyly of naked filose amoebae has been proven. They are interspersed in several supergroups of eukaryotes and most of them already found their place within the tree of life. Although the ‘vampire amoebae’ have attracted interest since the middle of the 19th century, the phylogenetic position and even the monophyly of this traditional group are still uncertain. In this study clonal co-cultures of eight algivorous vampyrellid amoebae and the respective food algae were established. Culture material was characterized morphologically and a molecular phylogeny was inferred using SSU rDNA sequence comparisons. We found that the limnetic, algivorous vampyrellid amoebae investigated in this study belong to a major clade within the Endomyxa Cavalier-Smith, 2002 (Cercozoa), grouping together with a few soil-dwelling taxa. They split into two robust clades, one containing species of the genus Vampyrella Cienkowski, 1865, the other containing the genus Leptophrys Hertwig & Lesser, 1874, together with terrestrial members. Supported by morphological data these clades are designated as the two families Vampyrellidae Zopf, 1885, and Leptophryidae fam. nov. Furthermore the order Vampyrellida West, 1901 was revised and now corresponds to the major vampyrellid clade within the Endomyxa, comprising the Vampyrellidae and Leptophryidae as well as several environmental sequences. In the light of the presented phylogenetic analyses morphological and ecological aspects, the feeding strategy and nutritional specialization within the vampyrellid amoebae are discussed

Cell-Cycle Dependence of Transcription Dominates Noise in Gene Expression

The large variability in mRNA and protein levels found from both static and dynamic measurements in single cells has been largely attributed to random periods of transcription, often occurring in bursts. The cell cycle has a pronounced global role in affecting transcriptional and translational output, but how this influences transcriptional statistics from noisy promoters is unknown and generally ignored by current stochastic models. Here we show that variable transcription from the synthetic tetO promoter in S. cerevisiae is dominated by its dependence on the cell cycle. Real-time measurements of fluorescent protein at high expression levels indicate tetO promoters increase transcription rate ~2-fold in S/G2/M similar to constitutive genes. At low expression levels, where tetO promoters are thought to generate infrequent bursts of transcription, we observe random pulses of expression restricted to S/G2/M, which are correlated between homologous promoters present in the same cell. The analysis of static, single-cell mRNA measurements at different points along the cell cycle corroborates these findings. Our results demonstrate that highly variable mRNA distributions in yeast are not solely the result of randomly switching between periods of active and inactive gene expression, but instead largely driven by differences in transcriptional activity between G1 and S/G2/M.GM095733BBBE 103316MIT Startup Fun

Self-reported medication side effects in an older cohort living independently in the community - the Melbourne Longitudinal Study on Health Ageing (MELSHA) : cross-sectional analysis of prevalence and risk factors

Background Medication side effects are an important cause of morbidity, mortality and costs in older people. The aim of our study was to examine prevalence and risk factors for self-reported medication side effects in an older cohort living independently in the community.Methods The Melbourne Longitudinal Study on Healthy Ageing (MELSHA), collected information on those aged 65 years or older living independently in the community and commenced in 1994. Data on medication side effects was collected from the baseline cohort (n = 1000) in face-to-face baseline interviews in 1994 and analysed as cross-sectional data. Risk factors examined were: socio-demographics, health status and medical conditions; medication use and health service factors. Analysis included univariate logistic regression to estimate unadjusted risk and multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess confounding and estimate adjusted risk.Results Self-reported medication side effects were reported by approximately 6.7% (67/1000) of the entire baseline MELSHA cohort, and by 8.5% (65/761) of those on medication. Identified risk factors were increased education level, co-morbidities and health service factors including recency of visiting the pharmacist, attending younger doctors, and their doctor\u27s awareness of their medications. The greatest increase in risk for medication side effects was associated with liver problems and their doctor\u27s awareness of their medications. Aging and gender were not risk factors.Conclusion Prevalence of self-reported medication side effects was comparable with that reported in adults attending General Practices in a primary care setting in Australia. The prevalence and identified risk factors provide further insight and opportunity to develop strategies to address the problem of medication side effects in older people living independently in the community setting. <br /

Inverted Expression Profiles of Sex-Biased Genes in Response to Toxicant Perturbations and Diseases

10.1371/journal.pone.0056668PLoS ONE82

What can we learn from consumer reports on psychiatric adverse drug reactions with antidepressant medication? Experiences from reports to a consumer association

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the cost of adverse drug reactions   (ADRs) in the general population is high and under-reporting by health professionals   is a well-recognized problem. Another way to increase ADR reporting is to let the   consumers themselves report directly to the authorities. In Sweden it is mandatory   for prescribers to report serious ADRs to the Medical Products Agency (MPA), but there   are no such regulations for consumers. The non-profit and independent organization   Consumer Association for Medicines and Health, KILEN has launched the possibility   for consumers to report their perceptions and experiences from their use of medicines   in order to strengthen consumer rights within the health care sector. This study aimed   to analyze these consumer reports. Methods All reports submitted from January 2002 to April 2009 to an open web site in Sweden   where anyone could report their experience with the use of pharmaceuticals were analyzed   with focus on common psychiatric side effects related to antidepressant usage. More   than one ADR for a specific drug could be reported. Results In total 665 reports were made during the period. 442 reports concerned antidepressant   medications and the individual antidepressant reports represented 2392 ADRs and 878   (37%) of these were psychiatric ADRs. 75% of the individual reports concerned serotonin-reuptake   inhibitor (SSRI) and the rest serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).   Women reported more antidepressant psychiatric ADRs (71%) compared to men (24%). More   potentially serious psychiatric ADRs were frequently reported to KILEN and withdrawal   symptoms during discontinuation were also reported as a common issue. Conclusions The present study indicates that consumer reports may contribute with important information   regarding more serious psychiatric ADRs following antidepressant treatment. Consumer   reporting may be considered a complement to traditional ADR reporting