Assessment of Heart Failure Patients' Interest in Mobile Health Apps for Self-Care: Survey Study.

BackgroundHeart failure is a serious public health concern that afflicts millions of individuals in the United States. Development of behaviors that promote heart failure self-care may be imperative to reduce complications and avoid hospital re-admissions. Mobile health solutions, such as activity trackers and smartphone apps, could potentially help to promote self-care through remote tracking and issuing reminders.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to ascertain heart failure patients' interest in a smartphone app to assist them in managing their treatment and symptoms and to determine factors that influence their interest in such an app.MethodsIn the clinic waiting room on the day of their outpatient clinic appointments, 50 heart failure patients participated in a self-administered survey. The survey comprised 139 questions from previously published, institutional review board-approved questionnaires. The survey measured patients' interest in and experience using technology as well as their function, heart failure symptoms, and heart failure self-care behaviors. The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was among the 11 questionnaires and was used to measure the heart failure patients' health-related quality of life through patient-reported outcomes.ResultsParticipants were aged 64.5 years on average, 32% (16/50) of the participants were women, and 91% (41/45) of the participants were determined to be New York Heart Association Class II or higher. More than 60% (30/50) of the survey participants expressed interest in several potential features of a smartphone app designed for heart failure patients. Participant age correlated negatively with interest in tracking, tips, and reminders in multivariate regression analysis (P<.05). In contrast, MLHFQ scores (worse health status) produced positive correlations with these interests (P<.05).ConclusionsThe majority of heart failure patients showed interest in activity tracking, heart failure symptom management tips, and reminder features of a smartphone app. Desirable features and an understanding of factors that influence patient interest in a smartphone app for heart failure self-care may allow researchers to address common concerns and to develop apps that demonstrate the potential benefits of mobile technology

Fiber Optic based Pipeline Oil and Gas Leak and Intruder Detection System with Security Intervention Plan

The accurate and timely localization of the vandalization and leak point on an oil pipeline provides operators with information to aid with the development of robust security response and intervention plans. These plans have the potential of reducing the impact of leaks on the environment by enabling operators to take actions to mitigate their effect. A major challenge with current leak and vandalization detection systems is the generation of spurious signals which in time slows down the response to these alerts. This paper presents results of the field trial of a Fiber Optic Cable based Oil/ Gas leak and intruder detection system. Oil and Gas leaks were simulated on a pipeline section buried in a swamp location with 1mm and 2mm Orifices located at the 0o, 90o and 180o positions on the pipe with a section of the pipe exposed for third party intruder detection tests. The orifices were connected to compressed air and water used in place of Oil and gas. The fiber optic cable was buried on both sides of the pipeline and hooked up to the Helios Integrator. The system was able to detect and localize leaks from the orifices with the signal intensity proportional to the leak intensity. It was able to detect third party activities such as cutting and the use of hammers on the pipeline and also walking near the pipeline. The results coupled with the security intervention plan which is developed to provide varying levels of response will eliminate response to spurious signals thus providing a robust response and intervention plan to oil and gas leak and intruder detection

La cartografía en la representación de las territorialidades : Las transformaciones del mapa europeo durante la Primera Guerra Mundial

La enseñanza de las Ciencias Sociales en la Escuela Secundaria comprende un proceso gradual y creciente donde se interrelacionan múltiples saberes que se complementan a partir del aporte de cada una de las disciplinas que componen el área. El análisis de la sociedad como un objeto de estudio complejo y multidimensional, otorga a cada una de las Ciencias la oportunidad de sustanciar un marco teórico propio que permita abordar problemáticas en común pero desde una mirada específica, distintiva y a su vez complementaria. El proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje de las Ciencias Sociales en el aula, constituye entonces un proyecto interdisciplinario cuyo principal objetivo radica en alcanzar la comprensión y aprehensión de una compleja variedad de saberes y procesos, trabajando con todos los estudiantes en general, mientras cada uno capitaliza el aprendizaje de manera individual. Toda propuesta que busca construir los aprendizajes atendiendo y respetando las heterogeneidades cognitivas, debe poner especial atención en los contenidos a desarrollar y las formas de enseñarlos, brindando distintas herramientas que propicien una construcción propia del conocimiento. La realidad educativa en la actualidad genera nuevos desafíos buscando atender la diversidad como respuesta a la toma de conciencia de las diferencias que existen entre los sujetos sociales en general, y entre los estudiantes en el seno de las escuelas en particular. Cada individuo como sujeto irrepetible requiere una atención a sus necesidades, capacidades, intereses y motivaciones que responden a su propia estructura, lo cual lleva a considerar y respetar la diversidad de clases, género, cultura y etnias como esencia de la inclusión.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Distinct Expression Profiles of Three Melatonin Receptors during Early Development and Metamorphosis in the Flatfish Solea senegalensis

Melatonin actions are mediated through G protein-coupled transmembrane receptors. Recently, mt1, mt2, and mel1c melatonin receptors were cloned in the Senegalese sole. Here, their day-night and developmental expressions were analyzed by quantitative PCR. These results revealed distinct expression patterns of each receptor OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15 20790 through development. mel1c transcripts were more abundant in unfertilized ovulated oocytes and declined during embryonic development. mt1 and mt2 expression was higher at the earliest stages (2–6 days post-fertilization), decreasing before (mt2) or during (mt1) metamorphosis. Only mt1 and mel1c expression exhibited day-night variations, with higher nocturnal mRNA levels. These results suggest different roles and transcriptional regulation of these melatonin receptors during flatfish development and metamorphosis.Postprin

Development of a family resiliency model to care of patients with schizophrenia

Families who care for schizophrenia suffer stress and lose the ability to treat. Family stress can be mediated by resili�ence. Objective: This study aimed to develop a family resi�lience model based on family-centred nursing for persons with schizophrenia. This study used a mixed-method cross-sectional approach. The population was a family of caregivers for persons with schizophrenia at Mental Hospi�tal in Surabaya, Indonesia. The respondents were 137 fam�ilies recruited by simple random sampling. Variables include family factors, risk factors, protective factors, patient factors, family stress, family resilience and family ability to care for persons with schizophrenia. The data were collected using questionnaires and then analysed with partial least squares. The statistical results afforded material for focus group discussions with six families and 10 health workers (psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses) in order to improve the model. The result showed family stress was influenced by family factors (path coeffi�cient = �0.145; t = 2.26), risk factors (path coeffi�cient = 0.753; t = 16.7) and patient factors (path coefficient = 0.159; t = 3.23). Family resilience is influ�enced by risk factors (path coefficient = 0.316; t = 2.60), protective factors (path coefficient = 0.176; t = 2.22) and family stress (path coefficient = 0.298; t = 2.54). Family resilience affects the family ability to treat persons with schizophrenia (path coefficient = 0.366; t = 5.36). The family resilience model increases family capability by 13.4%. The model helps families through stress manage�ment by controlling the burden and stigma so that families are able to survive, rise, growing stronger and be better at caring for persons with schizophrenia

Ecological and behavioural risk factors of scrub typhus in central Vietnam: a case‑control study

Background: The risk factors for scrub typhus in Vietnam remain unknown. Scrub typhus caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi often presents as an undifferentiated febrile illness and remains under appreciated due to the limited availability of diagnostic tests. This tropical rickettsial illness is increasingly recognized as an important cause of non-malaria acute undifferentiated fever in Asia. This study aimed to investigate behavioural and ecological related risk factors of scrub typhus to prevent this potentially life-threatening disease in Vietnam. Methods: We conducted a clinical hospital-based active surveillance study, and a retrospective residence-enrolment date-age-matched case-control study in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, from August 2018 to March 2020. Clinical examinations, polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgM tests were applied to define cases and controls. All enrolled participants filled out a questionnaire including demographic socio-economic status, personal behaviors/protective equipment, habitat connections, land use, and possible exposure to the vector. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to define the scrub typhus associated risk factors. Results: We identified 44 confirmed cases and matched them with 152 controls. Among cases and controls, the largest age group was the 41-50 years old and males accounted for 61.4% and 42.8%, respectively. There were similarities in demographic characteristics between the two groups, with the exception of occupation. Several factors were significantly associated with acquisition of scrub typhus, including sitting/laying directly on household floor [adjusted OR (aOR) = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.6-15.1, P = 0.006], household with poor sanitation/conditions (aOR = 7.9, 95% CI: 1.9-32.9, P = 0.005), workplace environment with risk (aOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2-7.6, P = 0.020), always observing mice around home (aOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.4-9.9, P = 0.008), and use of personal protective equipment in the field (aOR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.1-1.1, P = 0.076). Conclusions: Ecological and household hygiene-related factors were more associated with scrub typhus infection,than individual-level exposure activities in the hyper-endemic area. These findings support local education and allow people to protect themselves from scrub typhus, especially in areas with limitations in diagnostic capacit

CD105 Is Expressed in Ovarian Cancer Precursor Lesions and Is Required for Metastasis to the Ovary

Most high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSCs) initiate from the fallopian tube epithelium and then metastasize to the ovary and throughout the abdomen. Genomic analyses suggest that most HGSCs seed the ovary prior to abdominal dissemination. Similarly, animal models support a critical role for the ovary in driving abdominal dissemination. Thus, HGSC cell recruitment to the ovary appears to be a critical component of HGSC cell metastasis. We sought to identify factors driving HGSC recruitment to the ovary. We identified CD105 (endoglin, or ENG, a TGF-β receptor family member) as a mediator of HGSC cell ovarian recruitment. We found that CD105 was expressed on both serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) cells (STICs-HGSC precursors in the fallopian tube epithelium) and HGSC cells. Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), we showed that high CD105 expression by HGSC cells correlated with a metastatic signature. Furthermore, intravenous injection of CD105(+) HGSC tumor cells, but not CD105(−), resulted in ovarian-specific metastasis and abdominal dissemination of disease. CD105 knockdown or blockade with a clinically relevant CD105-neutralizing mAb (TRC105), inhibited HGSC metastasis, reduced ascites, and impeded growth of abdominal tumor nodules, thereby improving overall survival in animal models of ovarian cancer. CD105 knockdown was associated with a reduction in TGF-β signaling. Together, our data support CD105 as a critical mediator of ovarian cancer spread to the ovary and implicate it as a potential therapeutic target

Evolution of Neuronal and Endothelial Transcriptomes in Primates

The study of gene expression evolution in vertebrates has hitherto focused on the analysis of transcriptomes in tissues of different species. However, because a tissue is made up of different cell types, and cell types differ with respect to their transcriptomes, the analysis of tissues offers a composite picture of transcriptome evolution. The isolation of individual cells from tissue sections opens up the opportunity to study gene expression evolution at the cell type level. We have stained neurons and endothelial cells in human brains by antibodies against cell type-specific marker proteins, isolated the cells using laser capture microdissection, and identified genes preferentially expressed in the two cell types. We analyze these two classes of genes with respect to their expression in 62 different human tissues, with respect to their expression in 44 human “postmortem” brains from different developmental stages and with respect to between-species brain expression differences. We find that genes preferentially expressed in neurons differ less across tissues and developmental stages than genes preferentially expressed in endothelial cells. We also observe less expression differences within primate species for neuronal transcriptomes. In stark contrast, we see more gene expression differences between humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques relative to within-species differences in genes expressed preferentially in neurons than in genes expressed in endothelial cells. This suggests that neuronal and endothelial transcriptomes evolve at different rates within brain tissue