Mobile phone and tablet apps to support young people’s management of their physical long-term conditions: a systematic review protocol

Background: The prevalence of long-term or chronic conditions that limit activity and reduce quality of life in young people aged 10-24 years is rising. This group has distinct health care needs and requires tailored support strategies to facilitate increasing personal responsibility for the management of their condition wherever possible, as they mature. Mobile phone and tablet mobile technologies featuring software program apps are already well used by young people for social networking or gaming. They have also been utilized in health care to support personal condition management, using condition-specific and patient-tailored software. Such apps have much potential, and there is an emerging body of literature on their use in a health context making this review timely. Objective: The objective of this paper is to develop a systematic review protocol focused on identifying and assessing the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps that support young people’s management of their chronic conditions. Methods: The search strategy will include a combination of standardized indexed search terms and free-text terms related to the key concepts of young people; long-term conditions and mobile technology. Peer-reviewed journal articles published from 2003 that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be identified through searching the generated hits from 5 bibliographical databases. Two independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts to determine which articles focus on testing interventions identified as a mobile phone or tablet apps, and that have been designed and delivered to support the management of long-term conditions in young people aged 10-24 years. Data extraction and quality assessment tools will be used to facilitate consistent analysis and synthesis. It is anticipated that several studies will meet the selection criteria but that these are likely to be heterogeneous in terms of study design, reported outcomes, follow-up times, participants’ age, and health condition. Sub-group analyses will be undertaken and where possible meta-analyses will take place.Results: This review will synthesize available knowledge surrounding tablet and mobile phone apps that support management of long term physical health conditions in young people. The findings will be synthesized to determine which elements of the technologies were most effective for this population. Conclusions: This systematic review aims to synthesize existing literature in order to generate findings that will facilitate the development of an app intervention. The review will form the first phase of development and evaluation of a complex intervention as recommended by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. The knowledge gained from the review will be verified in subsequent phases, which will include primary qualitative work with health professionals and young people with long term conditions as research participants. Young people living with long-term conditions will be involved as co-researchers and consumer advisors in all subsequent phases to develop and evaluate an app to support the management of long-term physical health conditions

Exploration of the spatial epidemiology of tick borne pathogens of livestock in Southern Cumbria

Changes to farm production subsidies are provoking the maintenance of far less stock. Given thatwildlife is more abundant in sustainable uplands, pathogens able to exploit both wild-living anddomesticated hosts are of particular concern. Tick-borne pathogens are not only a case in point; butalso their threat is now augmented by increasing tick abundance, changing climate, and theextraordinary nationwide increase in the abundance of deer (that serve as a key host species). The major objective of this thesis was to further understand the spatial distribution of questingIxodes ricinus ticks across farms in Southern Cumbria; as well as to attempt to understand theepidemiological and ecological factors that have a significant influence on the patterns of infectionsin livestock. This project integrated field work, GIS, molecular methods and citizen science in aneffort to understand these complex epidemiologies. Results demonstrated that: I. ricinus exhibit a patchy distribution across all study sites, withproximity to woodland indicated as the main driver behind this. The causal agent of tick borne fever,Anaplasma phagocytophilum was observed across the sites, with sheep being implicated as the maindrivers behind this, rather than deer. Conflicting to anecdotal evidence, Babesia divergens (the agent of red water fever in cattle) was notfound at any of the sites. However, the discovery of B. venatorum in a new area of the UK is ofpotential medical importance. In addition to the confirmation of B. OO-2012, and a B. odocoilei- likespecies; this, to the best of my knowledge, is the first recording of these pathogens in the UK. Contrary to scientific studies, Borrelia afzelli was observed in adult I ricinus females feeding oncattle; suggesting that the results from in vitro assays do not seamlessly translate into the field, andthat further work is needed to quantify the role cattle may play in the circulation of Borrelia, which isof public health importance. Louping Ill Virus was sampled for, but was not confirmed. The truly multidisciplinary nature of this project, has demonstrated the need for a holistic approachwhen considering the ecology and epidemiology of tick borne diseas

Haldane's rule in the 21st century

Haldane's Rule (HR), which states that 'when in the offspring of two different animal races one sex is absent, rare, or sterile, that sex is the heterozygous (heterogametic) sex', is one of the most general patterns in speciation biology. We review the literature of the past 15 years and find that among the similar to 85 new studies, many consider taxa that traditionally have not been the focus for HR investigations. The new studies increased to nine, the number of 'phylogenetically independent' groups that comply with HR. They continue to support the dominance and faster-male theories as explanations for HR, although due to increased reliance on indirect data (from, for example, differential introgression of cytoplasmic versus chromosomal loci in natural hybrid zones) unambiguous novel results are rare. We further highlight how research on organisms with sex determination systems different from those traditionally considered may lead to more insight in the underlying causes of HR. In particular, haplodiploid organisms provide opportunities for testing specific predictions of the dominance and faster X chromosome theory, and we present new data that show that the faster-male component of HR is supported in hermaphrodites, suggesting that genes involved in male function may evolve faster than those expressed in the female function. Heredity (2011) 107, 95-102; doi:10.1038/hdy.2010.170; published online 12 January 201

How to make a sex chromosome

Sex chromosomes can evolve once recombination is halted between a homologous pair of chromosomes. Owing to detailed studies using key model systems, we have a nuanced understanding and a rich review literature of what happens to sex chromosomes once recombination is arrested. However, three broad questions remain unanswered. First, why do sex chromosomes stop recombining in the first place? Second, how is recombination halted? Finally, why does the spread of recombination suppression, and therefore the rate of sex chromosome divergence, vary so substantially across clades? In this review, we consider each of these three questions in turn to address fundamental questions in the field, summarize our current understanding, and highlight important areas for future work

SPARC 2017 retrospect & prospects : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2017 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the 50th anniversary of Salford as a University, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 130 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to exploit this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas to your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers

Fatores associados ao equilíbrio funcional e à mobilidade em idosos diabéticos ambulatoriais

OBJECTIVES: To characterize balance and mobility among diabetic elderly outpatients and to estimate the extent to which functional balance and mobility abnormalities can be influenced by sociodemographic, clinical and other functional factors in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Ninety-one elderly (65+ years) outpatients were assessed. Mobility was evaluated by the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and the balance, by the Berg Balance Scale (BS). RESULTS: TUGT mean score was 15.65 ± 5.9 seconds and BS mean score was 49.31 ± 7.3 points. Using linear regression analysis (α < 0.05), significant and independent positive relationships were obtained between TUGT and age, daily activities (ADL/IADL), step strategy, and proprioceptive sensitivity. Factors negatively associated with BS were: ADL/IADL, step strategy, proprioceptive sensitivity, orthostatic hypotension (OH) and conflictive sensory conditions. CONCLUSION: Elderly diabetic outpatients show abnormal balance and mobility related mainly to advanced age, disability, absence of step strategy, absence of proprioceptive sensitivity and presence of OH.OBJETIVOS: Caracterizar o equilíbrio e a mobilidade de idosos diabéticos ambulatoriais e estimar o quanto suas anormalidades podem ser influenciadas por fatores sociodemográficos, clínicos e funcionais globais em um estudo transversal. MÉTODOS: 91 idosos (65 + anos) ambulatoriais foram avaliados quanto à mobilidade pelo Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) e ao equilíbrio, pela Berg Balance Scale (BS). RESULTADOS: A média dos escores do TUGT foi de 15,65 ± 5,9 segundos e da BS, de 49,31 ± 7,3 pontos. Empregando-se análise de regressão linear (α < 0,05), associações significantes positivas e independentes foram obtidas entre o TUGT e idade, atividades cotidianas, estratégia do passo atrás e sensibilidade proprioceptiva. Os fatores associados negativamente à BS foram: atividades cotidianas, estratégia do passo, sensibilidade proprioceptiva, hipotensão ortostática (HO) e condições sensoriais conflituosas. CONCLUSÃO: Idosos diabéticos ambulatoriais apresentam equilíbrio e mobilidade prejudicados, relacionados principalmente à idade avançada, limitação para atividades diárias, ausência de estratégia de equilíbrio, prejuízo na sensibilidade proprioceptiva e a presença de HO.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Medicina PreventivaUniversidade Cidade de São PauloUNIFESP Departamento de MedicinaUNIFESP, Depto. de Medicina PreventivaUNIFESP, Depto. de MedicinaSciEL

Fitness Consequences of Advanced Ancestral Age over Three Generations in Humans

A rapid rise in age at parenthood in contemporary societies has increased interest in reports of higher prevalence of de novo mutations and health problems in individuals with older fathers, but the fitness consequences of such age effects over several generations remain untested. Here, we use extensive pedigree data on seven pre-industrial Finnish populations to show how the ages of ancestors for up to three generations are associated with fitness traits. Individuals whose fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers fathered their lineage on average under age 30 were ~13% more likely to survive to adulthood than those whose ancestors fathered their lineage at over 40 years. In addition, females had a lower probability of marriage if their male ancestors were older. These findings are consistent with an increase of the number of accumulated de novo mutations with male age, suggesting that deleterious mutations acquired from recent ancestors may be a substantial burden to fitness in humans. However, possible non-mutational explanations for the observed associations are also discussed

A study of the Z production cross-section in pp collisions at √s = 7 using tau final states

A measurement of the inclusive Z → ττ cross-section in pp collisions at √s =7 is presented based on a dataset of 1.0 fb[superscript −1] collected by the LHCb detector. Candidates for Z → τ τ decays are identified through reconstructed final states with two muons, a muon and an electron, a muon and a hadron, or an electron and a hadron. The production cross-section for Z bosons, with invariant mass between 60 and 120 GeV/c[superscript 2], which decay to τ leptons with transverse momenta greater than 20 GeV/c and pseudorapidities between 2.0 and 4.5, is measured to be σ[subscript pp]→Z→ττ = 71.4 ± 3.5 ± 2.8 ± 2.5 pb; the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The ratio of the cross-sections for Z → τ τ to Z → μμ is determined to be 0.93 ± 0.09, where the uncertainty is the combination of statistical, systematic, and luminosity uncertainties of the two measurements.National Science Foundation (U.S.

Precision measurement of the B0s-B¯0s oscillation frequency with the decay B0s → D−sπ+

A key ingredient to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model in B0s mixing phenomena is the measurement of the B0s– ${{\overline{ {\mathrm {B}}}{}}^0_{\mathrm { s}}}$ oscillation frequency, which is equivalent to the mass difference Δms of the B0s mass eigenstates. Using the world's largest B0s meson sample accumulated in a dataset, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment at the CERN LHC in 2011, a measurement of Δms is presented. A total of about 34 000 B0s → D−sπ+ signal decays are reconstructed, with an average decay time resolution of 44 fs. The oscillation frequency is measured to be Δms = 17.768 ± 0.023 (stat) ± 0.006 (syst) ps−1, which is the most precise measurement to date