1,640 research outputs found
3D tomography of cells in micro-channels
We combine confocal imaging, microfluidics and image analysis to record
3D-images of cells in flow. This enables us to recover the full 3D
representation of several hundred living cells per minute. Whereas 3D confocal
imaging has thus far been limited to steady specimen, we overcome this
restriction and present a method to access the 3D shape of moving objects. The
key of our principle is a tilted arrangement of the micro-channel with respect
to the focal plane of the microscope. This forces cells to traverse the focal
plane in an inclined manner. As a consequence, individual layers of passing
cells are recorded which can then be assembled to obtain the volumetric
representation. The full 3D information allows for a detailed comparisons with
theoretical and numerical predictions unfeasible with e.g.\ 2D imaging. Our
technique is exemplified by studying flowing red blood cells in a micro-channel
reflecting the conditions prevailing in the microvasculature. We observe two
very different types of shapes: `croissants' and `slippers'. Additionally, we
perform 3D numerical simulations of our experiment to confirm the observations.
Since 3D confocal imaging of cells in flow has not yet been realized, we see
high potential in the field of flow cytometry where cell classification thus
far mostly relies on 1D scattering and fluorescence signals
Observation of Spin Flips with a Single Trapped Proton
Radio-frequency induced spin transitions of one individual proton are
observed for the first time. The spin quantum jumps are detected via the
continuous Stern-Gerlach effect, which is used in an experiment with a single
proton stored in a cryogenic Penning trap. This is an important milestone
towards a direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the
proton and a new test of the matter-antimatter symmetry in the baryon sector
Validation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recording in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD-GOLD)
Objectives: The optimal method of identifying people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from electronic primary care records is not known. We assessed the accuracy of different approaches using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a UK electronic health record database. Setting: 951 participants registered with a CPRD practice in the UK between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2012. Individuals were selected for ≥1 of 8 algorithms to identify people with COPD. General practitioners were sent a brief questionnaire and additional evidence to support a COPD diagnosis was requested. All information received was reviewed independently by two respiratory physicians whose opinion was taken as the gold standard. Primary outcome measure: The primary measure of accuracy was the positive predictive value (PPV), the proportion of people identified by each algorithm for whom COPD was confirmed. Results: 951 questionnaires were sent and 738 (78%) returned. After quality control, 696 (73.2%) patients were included in the final analysis. All four algorithms including a specific COPD diagnostic code performed well. Using a diagnostic code alone, the PPV was 86.5% (77.5-92.3%) while requiring a diagnosis plus spirometry plus specific medication; the PPV was slightly higher at 89.4% (80.7-94.5%) but reduced case numbers by 10%. Algorithms without specific diagnostic codes had low PPVs (range 12.2-44.4%). Conclusions: Patients with COPD can be accurately identified from UK primary care records using specific diagnostic codes. Requiring spirometry or COPD medications only marginally improved accuracy. The high accuracy applies since the introduction of an incentivised disease register for COPD as part of Quality and Outcomes Framework in 2004
Resolution of Single Spin-Flips of a Single Proton
The spin magnetic moment of a single proton in a cryogenic Penning trap was
coupled to the particle's axial motion with a superimposed magnetic bottle.
Jumps in the oscillation frequency indicate spin-flips and were identified
using a Bayesian analysis.Comment: accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. Lett., submitted 6.June.201
Artificial neural networks for 3D cell shape recognition from confocal images
We present a dual-stage neural network architecture for analyzing fine shape
details from microscopy recordings in 3D. The system, tested on red blood
cells, uses training data from both healthy donors and patients with a
congenital blood disease. Characteristic shape features are revealed from the
spherical harmonics spectrum of each cell and are automatically processed to
create a reproducible and unbiased shape recognition and classification for
diagnostic and theragnostic use.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Towards a high-precision measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment
The recent observation of single spins flips with a single proton in a
Penning trap opens the way to measure the proton magnetic moment with high
precision. Based on this success, which has been achieved with our apparatus at
the University of Mainz, we demonstrated recently the first application of the
so called double Penning-trap method with a single proton. This is a major step
towards a measurement of the proton magnetic moment with ppb precision. To
apply this method to a single trapped antiproton our collaboration is currently
setting up a companion experiment at the antiproton decelerator of CERN. This
effort is recognized as the Baryon Antibaryon Symmetry Experiment (BASE). A
comparison of both magnetic moment values will provide a stringent test of CPT
invariance with baryons.Comment: Submitted to LEAP 2013 conference proceeding
Comparison of COPD primary care in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Currently the National Asthma and COPD audit programme (NACAP) only undertakes audit of COPD primary care in Wales due to its near complete data coverage. We aimed to determine if the quality of COPD primary care in the other UK nations is comparable with Wales. We found that English, Scottish, and Northern Irish practices were significantly worse than Welsh practices at recording coded lung function parameters used in COPD diagnosis (ORs: 0.51 [0.43–0.59], 0.29 [0.23–0.36], 0.42 [0.31–0.58], respectively) and referring appropriate patients for pulmonary rehabilitation (ORs: 0.10 [0.09–0.11], 0.12 [0.11–0.14], 0.22 [0.19–0.25], respectively). Completing national audits of primary care in Wales only may have led to improvements in care, or at least improvements in the recording of care in Wales that are not occurring elsewhere in the UK. This highlights the potential importance of audit in improving care quality and accurate recording of that care
Do influenza and pneumococcal vaccines prevent community-acquired respiratory infections among older people with diabetes and does this vary by chronic kidney disease? A cohort study using electronic health records
Objective: We aimed to estimate the effectiveness of influenza and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination on reducing the burden of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) among older people with diabetes, and whether this varied by chronic kidney disease status. Research design and methods: We used linked UK electronic health records for a retrospective cohort study of 190,492 patients ≥65 years with diabetes mellitus and no history of renal replacement therapy, 1997–2011. We included community-acquired LRTIs managed in primary or secondary care. Infection incidence rate ratios were estimated using Poisson regression. Pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated as (1 – effect measure). To estimate influenza VE a ratio-of-ratios analysis (winter effectiveness/summer effectiveness) was used to address confounding by indication. Final VE estimates were stratified according to estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria status. Results: Neither influenza nor pneumococcal vaccine uptake varied according to CKD status. Pneumococcal VE was 22% (95%CI: 11–31) against community-acquired pneumonia for the first year after vaccination, but was negligible after five years. In the ratio-of-ratios analysis, current influenza vaccination had 7% effectiveness for preventing community-acquired LRTI (95%CI: 3–12). Pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness was lower among patients with a history of proteinuria than among patients without proteinuria (p=0.04), but otherwise this study did not identify variation in pneumococcal or influenza VE by markers of CKD. Conclusions: The public health benefits of influenza vaccine may be modest among older people with diabetes. Pneumococcal vaccination protection against community-acquired pneumonia declines swiftly: alternative vaccination schedules should be investigated
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