Computerized tomographic determination of spinal bone mineral content

The aims of the study were three-fold: to determine the magnitude of vertebral cancellous mineral loss in normal subjects during bedrest, to compare this loss with calcium balance and mineral loss in peripheral bones, and to use the vertebral measurements as an evaluative criterion for the C12MDP treatment and compare it with other methods. The methods used are described and the results from 14 subjects are presented

Electronic aperture control devised for solid state imaging system

Electronic means of performing the equivalent of automatic aperture control has been devised for the new class of television cameras that incorporates a solid state imaging device in the form of phototransistor mosaic sensors

Fractionation of human immune γ-globulin

Equine and bovine serum proteins have recently been fractionated by means of a physical method utilizing an electrophoretic adaptation of the principles of the Clusius column (l-4), first described and tested by Kirkwood (5) and Nielsen (6). The method of electrophoresis-convection has now been applied to the fractionation of human γ-globulin. The γ-globulin was prepared by ethanol fractionation (7) from the plasma of individuals hyperimmunized to Hemophilus pertussis organisms. The resulting fractions of γ-globulin have been characterized electrophoretically, and the protective antibody activity and agglutinin titer have been measured

Revisiting the role of T cells in tumor regression

This note challenges the current idea that a key role of T cells in tumor regression is to directly kill tumor cells. It favors the view that TIL are keys but act indirectly by helping other immune cells to damage the tumor and its stroma

A Behaviour Change Analysis of Safer Sleep Interventions for Infants at Risk of Sudden and Unexpected Death

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Child Abuse Review published by Association of Child Protection Professionals and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Rates of sudden unexpected death in infancy have been found to occur disproportionately amongst families living in the most deprived neighbourhoods. This suggests that standard safer sleep messaging may not be effective for this population and that research is required to identify ways of working that are better associated with behavioural change in parents with children at increased risk of SUDI. In this study, we aimed to explore the behavioural change components and mechanisms of action of safer sleep interventions for families with children at increased risk of SUDI. We conducted an analysis of the literature on safer sleep interventions using the COM-B model, Theoretical Domains Framework and Behavioural Change Technique Taxonomy. All interventions targeted parents\u27 capability; 15 interventions targeted parents\u27 opportunity; and six interventions targeted parents\u27 motivation to engage in safer sleep practices. Nineteen behavioural change techniques were identified. The focus of practitioners may need to shift from solely the delivery of safer sleep information towards working with parents to understand their capability, opportunity and, in particular, motivation to engage in safer sleep practices, identified as being a key driver of behaviour in this population

Parental decision making about safer sleep practices: A qualitative study of the perspectives of families with additional health and social care needs

\ua9 2024 Barrett et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Introduction Despite a decline in Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy in the UK since 2004, inequalities have widened with higher rates among families from deprived backgrounds and those known to child protection services. Almost all cases involve parents who had engaged in unsafe sleeping practices despite awareness of safer sleeping advice. Objective To understand the perspectives surrounding safer sleep of families supported by statutory child protection agencies, and use behavior change theory to inform how approaches to providing safer sleep advice to these families may be modified. Participants and setting We interviewed 14 mothers, 2 fathers and one grandmother, who had recent contact with child protection services in northeast England. Methods In-depth, semi-structured interviews, with purposive sampling. The COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation) structured our analysis. Results Parents described how anxiety, sleep deprivation, settling infants, illness, and a desire to bond with infants influence their decision making about sleep. Parents valued credible, trusted sources and understanding how safer sleep practices protect infants. Responses to questions about \u27out of routine\u27 situations suggested social pressures surrounding routines and \u27good parenting\u27 may preclude parents from acknowledging risks and planning for these situations. Conclusion Open conversations tailored to the needs of families, focused upon understanding why and when parent(s) do or do not follow safer sleep guidance seem a promising way of promoting safer sleep practices. Safer sleep discussions with these families are likely to be best delivered as part of wider infant care by professionals who have an established and continuing trusting relationship with parents. While advice and information should be provided by any professional in contact with the family with the necessary expertise, sensitive conversations around sleeping practices, particularly co-sleeping, may be more easily facilitated by professionals where the statutory responsibility for safeguarding is less apparent

Simultaneous resonant x-ray diffraction measurement of polarization inversion and lattice strain in polycrystalline ferroelectrics

International audienceStructure-property relationships in ferroelectrics extend over several length scales from the individual unit cell to the macroscopic device, and with dynamics spanning a broad temporal domain. Characterizing the multi-scale structural origin of electric field-induced polarization reversal and strain in ferroelectrics is an ongoing challenge that so far has obscured its fundamental behaviour. By utilizing small intensity differences between Friedel pairs due to resonant scattering, we demonstrate a time-resolved X-ray diffraction technique for directly and simultaneously measuring both lattice strain and, for the first time, polarization reversal during in-situ electrical perturbation. This technique is demonstrated for BaTiO3-BiZn0.5Ti0.5O3 (BT-BZT) polycrystalline ferroelectrics, a prototypical lead-free piezoelectric with an ambiguous switching mechanism. This combines the benefits of spectroscopic and diffraction-based measurements into a single and robust technique with time resolution down to the ns scale, opening a new door to in-situ structure-property characterization that probes the full extent of the ferroelectric behaviou

Beyond mobile phone displays: Flat panel display technology for biomedical applications

Organ-on-Chips (OoCs) have emerged as a human-specific experimental platform for preclinical research and therapeutics testing that will reduce the cost of pre-clinical drug development, provide better physiological relevance and replace animal testing. Yet, the lack of standardization and cost-effective fabrication technologies can hamper wide-spread adoption of OoCs. In this work we validate the use of flat panel display (FPD) technology as an enabling and cost-effective technology platform for biomedical applications by demonstrating facile integration of key OoC modules like microfluidics and micro electrode arrays (MEAs) in the standardized 96-well plate format. Individual and integrated modules were tested for their biological applicability in OoCs. For microelectrode arrays we demonstrate 90–95% confluency, 3 days after cell seeding and >70% of the initial mitochondrial cell activity for microfluidic devices. Thus highlighting the biocompatibility of these modules fabricated using FPD technology. Furthermore, we provide two examples of monolithically integrated microfluidics and microelectronics, i.e. integrated electronic valves and integrated MEAs, that showcase the strength of FPD technology applied to biomedical device fabrication. Finally, the merits and opportunities provided by FPD technology are discussed through examples of advanced structures and functionalities that are unique to this enabling platform

mtDNA Variation in Caste Populations of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Various anthropological analyses have documented extensive regional variation among populations on the subcontinent of India using morphological, protein, blood group, and nuclear DNA polymorphisms. These patterns are the product of complex population structure (genetic drift, gene flow) and a population history noted for numerous branching events. As a result, the interpretation of relationships among caste populations of South India and between Indians and continental populations remains controversial. The Hindu caste system is a general model of genetic differentiation among endogamous populations stratified by social forces (e.g., religion and occupation). The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule has unique properties that facilitate the exploration of population structure. We analyzed 36 Hindu men born in Andhra Pradesh who were unrelated matrilineally through at least 3 generations and who represent 4 caste populations: Brahmin (9), Yadava (10), Kapu (7), and Relli (10). Individuals from Africa (36), Asia (36), and Europe (36) were sampled for comparison. A 200-base-pair segment of hypervariable segment 2 (HVS2) of the mtDNA control region was sequenced in all individuals. In the Indian castes 25 distinct haplotypes are identified. Aside from the Cambridge reference sequence, only two haplotypes are shared between caste populations. Middle castes form a highly supported cluster in a neighbor-joining network. Mean nucleotide diversity within each caste is 0.015, 0.012, 0.011, and 0.012 for the Brahmin, Yadava, Kapu, and Relli, respectively. mtDNA variation is highly structured between castes (GST = 0.17; p < 0.002). The effects of social structure on mtDNA variation are much greater than those on variation measured by traditional markers. Explanations for this discordance inelude (1) the higher resolving power of mtDNA, (2) sex-dependent gene flow, (3) differences in male and female effective population sizes, and (4) elements of the kinship structure. Thirty distinct haplotypes are found in Africans, 17 in Asians, and 13 in Europeans. Mean nucleotide diversity is 0.019, 0.014, 0.009, and 0.007 for Africans, Indians, Asians, and Europeans, respectively. These populations are highly structured geographically (GST = 0.15;p < 0.001). The caste populations of Andhra Pradesh cluster more often with Africans than with Asians or Europeans. This is suggestive of admixture with African populations.We would like to thank T. Jenkins, H. Soodyall, P. Nute, and J. Kidd for providing DNA samples and S. Austin, A. Comuzzie, R. Duggirala, R. Feldman, K. Lum, A. Rogers, and S. Watkins for technical advice, critical comments, and thoughtful discussion. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation through grant NSF-DBS-9211255, the Clinical Research Center at the University of Utah through grant NIH RR-00064, and the Technology Access Center of the Utah Human Genome Project