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MR spectroscopy quantitation: a review of frequency domain methods.

There has been a vast increase in applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in biomedical research during the last few years. This is not surprising since MRS provides both in vivo and in vitro a non-invasive tool for various biochemical and biomedical studies. There are also expectations that clinical MRS will have an important role as a diagnostic tool. An essential prerequisite for the future success of MRS for applicability in biomedical sciences will be accurate and biochemically relevant data analysis (at as high a level of automation as possible). This review briefly describes principles of the methodology available for advanced quantitative data analysis in the frequency domain. Various biomedical applications are discussed in order to illustrate the practical aspects of the analyses and to show the applicability and power of biochemical prior knowledge-based lineshape fitting analysis.

Animals↗

Optimal number of beds and occupancy to minimize staffing costs in an obstetrical unit?

PURPOSE: We describe how the science of analyzing patient arrival and discharge data can be used to determine the optimal number of staffed OB beds to minimize labour costs. METHODS: The number of staffed beds represents a balance between having as few staffed beds as possible to care properly for parturients vs having enough capacity to assure available staff for new admissions. The times of admission and discharge of patients from the OB unit can be used to calculate an average census. From this average census, and the properties of the Poisson distribution, the optimal number of staffed beds can be estimated. This calculation requires specification of the risk of having all in-house and on-call staff caring for patients, such that additional staff are unavailable should another parturient arrive. As an example, patient admission and discharge times were obtained for 777 successive patients cared for at an obstetrical unit. The numbers of patients present in the OB unit each two-hour period were calculated and analyzed statistically. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There was variation in the average census among hours of the day and days of the week. Poisson distributions fit the data for each of four periods throughout the week. Simply benchmarking the current average occupancy and comparing it to a desired occupancy would have been inadequate as this neglected consideration of the risk of being unable to appropriately care for an additional patient. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal number of beds and occupancy of an OB unit to minimize staffing costs can be determined using straightforward statistical methods.

Anesthesia, Obstetrical↗

Effectiveness of high-power laser use in the removal of esthetic restorations: a systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of high-power lasers in the removal of esthetic restorations compared with conventional methods. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD420251055736). A comprehensive electronic search was performed in MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment were independently performed by four reviewers using QUIN tool for in vitro studies. A total of 2.384 records were identified, of which 19 in vitro studies conducted on extracted human permanent teeth met the eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. The included studies evaluated different high-power laser systems, predominantly Er: YAG and Er, Cr: YSGG lasers, as well as CO₂ lasers. Five studies were classified as high quality, whereas the remaining fourteen studies were classified as moderate quality. Available laboratory evidence suggests that laser-assisted techniques may represent a potential alternative approach for removing esthetic restorations, with advantages including conservative tissue removal, reduced damage to underlying tooth structures, and intrapulpal temperature increases within acceptable limits. The Er: YAG laser was the most frequently investigated system, with power settings ranging from 1.5 to 5.9 W, showing particularly favorable laboratorial performance in the removal of lithium disilicate restorations, especially in thinner substrates. Within the limitations of the available evidence, high-power lasers appear to be a promising and minimally invasive alternative to conventional methods for the removal of esthetic restorations. However, the predominance of in vitro studies highlights the need for well-designed clinical trials to confirm these findings and support their clinical application.

Humans↗

Meanings of community.

Community participation in health promotion is one of the central tenets of the WHO's Health For All strategy. Throughout the United Kingdom, 'Health For All' projects have been established and efforts dedicated to the pursuit of community participation in health promotion. Despite this zeal, the deceptively simple notion of 'community' is one of the most contested in the social sciences. Taking this as its point of departure, this paper reviews the meanings of 'community' in social sciences and health literatures. Based on empirical data, it then explores meanings of 'community' for people who are involved in generating community participation in health promotion in the context of four U.K. Health For All projects. A wide variety of different meanings are found; what they share in common is that they are each constructed by people who regard themselves as 'non-members' of these 'communities' and that the views of the putative 'members' are not taken into account in their construction. This substantially differs from meanings of community constructed by their 'members', as represented by Anthony Cohen, where community members' perceptions of sharing are central to the delineation of boundaries. This paper argues that there is a fundamental difference between the construction of communities by 'members' and 'non-members'. In the former case notions are sharing are integral to the construction, in the latter case they are assumed. In the final part of the paper we examine informants daily experiences of operationalising the 'communities' which they construct and argue that commonly their assumptions of sharing prove unfounded. We conclude by arguing that recognition of the differences in the construction of communities by members and non-members is essential, not least because it demands a fundamental rethinking of the notion of community participation in health.

Community Health Services↗

LIPGENE: an EU project to tackle the metabolic syndrome.

LIPGENE is a new 5-year sixth framework EU project involving researchers from 14 EU countries. It will contribute to a reduction in the economic and social burden of the metabolic syndrome through research that will optimise the health impacts of dietary fat change. LIPGENE aims to: account for variation in genotype response to fatty acid modification; enable greater availability of food products that can enhance human health; enhance consumer awareness, and motivate adoption of dietary approaches to disease prevention. A truly integrated programme, LIPGENE incorporates human nutrition, animal nutrition, plant biotechnology, and economic and social/consumer sciences. The human nutrition packages will utilise data from an existing prospective study (SUVIMAX) to identify genotype and dietary interactions as risk factors for the metabolic syndrome. A multi-centre intervention will examine the effects of dietary fat on various risk factors for the metabolic syndrome, while molecular investigations will be supported by mechanistic and functional studies. The British Nutrition Foundation, as dissemination partners for this EU programme, is initiating a wide-reaching programme to disseminate information about the project and its findings. Further details, including lists of upcoming project-related events, are available at www.lipgene.tcd.ie and www.nutrition.org.uk/lipgene.

Agriculture↗

Malaria driven mechanisms shaping cancer risk and aggressiveness in African populations.

Malaria and cancer represent intersecting public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria remains endemic and cancer incidence is rapidly increasing. Emerging evidence indicates that chronic or recurrent malaria infection may influence carcinogenesis and tumour aggressiveness through complex biological mechanisms. This narrative review critically synthesizes data from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to elucidate the mechanistic intersections between malaria and cancer risk, progression, and therapeutic response. The review highlights five principal axes linking malaria to oncogenesis: malaria-induced oxidative stress and chronic inflammation driving genomic instability; gut microbiome dysbiosis altering systemic immunity and tumour microenvironment; exploitation of shared molecular targets such as the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) and oncofetal chondroitin sulfate by Plasmodium parasites and cancer cells; cooperative interactions between malaria and oncogenic viruses like Epstein-Barr virus in lymphomagenesis; and malaria-associated vitamin D deficiency impairing immune surveillance. Furthermore, pharmacological evidence reveals that several antimalarial agents, including artemisinin derivatives, chloroquine, and quinacrine, possess anticancer properties, while some anticancer drugs exhibit antimalarial activity, underscoring opportunities for dual-action or repurposed therapeutics. The convergence of malaria and cancer biology underscores the urgent need for integrative, multidisciplinary research spanning molecular epidemiology, immunology, and pharmacology. Unveiling these mechanisms may unveil novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, guiding context-specific interventions to reduce the disproportionate cancer burden in malaria-endemic African populations.

Humans↗

Epidemiology: an essential science for speech-language pathology and audiology.

This article introduces epidemiology as a health science that is essential as a complement to the basic laboratory and clinical sciences in speech-language pathology and audiology. A contemporary definition of epidemiology is presented. Principles of epidemiology, including causal criteria, and use and misuse of concepts such as incidence, prevalence, and risk are elaborated from the perspective of practitioners and researchers in human communication sciences and disorders. The ubiquity of epidemiologic data in the news media illustrates the complexities of data interpretation.

Audiology↗

Isolated Apolipophorin III from Galleria mellonella Stimulates the Immune Reactions of This Insect.

Apolipophorin III (apoLp-III) was isolated from the haemolymph of last instar larvae of Galleria mellonella. The ultraviolet (u.v.) spectrum and the N-terminal amino acid sequence reveal high similarities with the apoLp-III from Manduca sexta. The protein is heat-stable. The molecular mass of apoLp-III was determined to be 18 077 Da using mass spectrometry. The heat treatment (90 degrees C, 30 min) resulted in a pI shift from 6.6 for the non-heated to 6.1 for the heat-treated apoLp-III without change in the molecular mass, indicating that a conformational change might have been caused by the heat treatment, rather than covalent alterations. Intrahaemocoelic injection of pure apoLp-III into last instar G. mellonella larvae is followed by a dose-dependent increase of antibacterial activity in cell-free haemolymph of treated larvae 24 h after injection. Furthermore, pure apoLp-III enhances the phagocytic activity of isolated haemocytes in vitro. The newly discovered role of apoLp-III in inducing immune-related functions in insects is discussed in regard to the known features of this molecule in lipid metabolism. Arylphorin, another heat-stable protein in G. mellonella haemolymph, was likewise isolated in this study. The protein was identified by N-terminal protein sequencing, the sequence obtained exactly matches the known sequence data for this protein. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Journal Article↗

Otosclerosis is a conformational disease.

The otosclerotic focus is a result of the normal process of bone remodelling in the otic capsule - a place where there is little if any bone remodelling. There is still no single accepted theory for the pathogenesis of otosclerosis. Sources we used were relevant clinical and basic science publications from 1973 to 2001. The data from each publication were critically reviewed. In this paper we suggest a kind of molecular predisposition in otosclerosis, like molecular instability in some key protein with regulatory effect, cell receptor for example. Also it can be a destabilasing mutation of some repressor of the normal bone remodelling. Any triggering event like mechanic distress, vascular compromise, radiation, viral infection, etc. can start a process of conformational changes with subsequent induction of long-standing bone remodelling focuses. We conclude that many unusual features of otosclerosis can be explained if we consider this entity as a conformational disease.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

The functional matrix hypothesis revisited. 3. The genomic thesis.

Although the initial versions of the functional matrix hypothesis (FMH) theoretically posited the ontogenetic primacy of "function," it is only in recent years that advances in the morphogenetic, engineering, and computer sciences provided an integrated experimental and numerical data base that permitted recent significant revisions of the FMH--revisions that strongly support the primary role of function in craniofacial growth and development. Acknowledging that the currently dominant scientific paradigm suggests that genomic, instead of epigenetic (functional) factors, regulate (cause, control) such growth, an analysis of this continuing controversy was deemed useful. Accordingly the method of dialectical analysis, is employed, stating a thesis, an antithesis, and a resolving synthesis based primarily on an extensive review of the pertinent current literature. This article extensively reviews the genomic hypothesis and offers a critique intended to remove some of the unintentional conceptual obscurantism that has recently come to surround it.

Bone Development↗

Making the link--an impact evaluation of one Dublin hospital's accident & emergency department's liaison nurse service.

The Accident & Emergency (A&E) liaison nurse service (LNS) was introduced at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin as a quality improvement initiative in June 1996. It aimed to improve and enhance communication channels between the hospital and general practitioners (GPs) in the hospital's catchment area. A quantitative study was conducted to evaluate the A&E LNS, in partial fulfilment of a Master's degree in Nursing Science at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin. The primary users (90 GPs and 52 A&E staff, n=142) of the service were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising open and closed questions. Descriptive analysis using parametric and non-parametric tests was carried out, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 9), on the collected data. Content analysis was used to analyse the open-ended questions. The findings of the study suggest that the A&E LNS positively affects communication between the hospital and GPs, and favourably affects the continuity and quality of patient care. The study respondents strongly supported the provision of an A&E LNS and expressed positive attitudes towards the quality of the service provided. This piece of research provides a basic understanding of the role, function and scope of practice of the A&E liaison nurse specialist. Implications for practice and areas for improvement are also outlined and identified.

Communication↗

Outcome variables in osteoporosis trials.

The conduct of controlled clinical trials examining the anti-fracture efficacy of potential therapies for osteoporosis is a relatively new and developing science. We have reviewed several aspects of data acquisition, emphasizing that bone mass measurement and, similarly, back pain can only be regarded as ancillary outcome variables. Serial measurement of stature when performed in a precise manner may be an inexpensive, quick, and convenient surrogate outcome variable, most applicable to large multi-center studies. The only true end-point of such trials is the radiographic documentation of new vertebral fracture occurrence. Techniques for obtaining serial radiographs and assessing vertebral morphometry with good quality control have been described. Important questions still need to be resolved concerning the most appropriate criteria for defining incident fractures and for calculating fracture frequency. Implications regarding trial sample size requirements are discussed.

Body Height↗

Transient and equilibrium kinetic studies on yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. Evidence that an intermediate containing 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate accumulates in the steady state.

The structure of the key glycolytic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is known in detail, but there is little information on its reaction pathway. We have studied its equilibrium and transient kinetics in the direction of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (1,3-bis-P-glycerate) production: ATP + 3-P-glycerate<==>ADP + 1,3-bis-P-glycerate. We devised a sensitive method for following this production. PGK is mixed with 3-P-glycerate and [gamma-32P]ATP in a rapid flow quench apparatus. The reaction mixtures are aged for 4 ms or more and then quenched in acid in which any [1-32P]-1,3-P-glycerate decomposes to 3-P-glycerate and 32Pi, which is determined specifically. The Pi reflects accurately the 1,3-bis-P-glycerate in the original reaction mixture, and the kcat obtained is identical to that obtained by the conventional linked assay method with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. This does not support the postulate of a rapid direct transfer of the 1,3-bis-P-glycerate between the kinase and the dehydrogenase [Srivastava, D. K., & Bernhard, S. A. (1986) Science 234, 1081-1086]. We fitted our data to a simple scheme with the formation of binary complexes, the interconversion of substrates to products via ternary complexes, and the release of products. Because of the high turnover of PGK, the work was carried out under cryoenzymic conditions with 40% ethylene glycol in the buffer. The glycol decreased kcat from 80 to 8.5 s-1 (pH 7.5, 4 degrees C), but the Km for 3-P-glycerate and ATP and the equilibrium constants in the scheme were little affected. We carried out two types of experiment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Spectroscopic and hydrodynamic studies reveal structural differences in normal and transforming H-ras gene products.

We have recorded the circular dichroism spectra of the cellular and the viral H-ras gene products both in the absence and in the presence of guanine nucleotides and analyzed these spectra in terms of the secondary structure composition of these proteins. It is shown that the GTP complex of the ras proteins has a different secondary structure composition than the GDP complex and, furthermore, that there are differences in the secondary structure of the viral ras protein and the cellular ras protein. We have also recorded and analyzed the circular dichroism spectrum of the isolated guanine nucleotide binding domain of the Escherichia coli elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), which has been considered as a model for the tertiary structure of the ras proteins [McCormick, F., Clark, B. F. C., LaCour, T. F. M., Kjeldgaard, M., Norskov-Lauritsen, L., & Nyborg, J. (1985) Science (Washington, D.C.) 230, 78-82]. Our data show that the guanine nucleotide binding domain of EF-Tu (30% alpha-helix and 16% beta-pleated sheet for the GDP complex) has quite a different secondary structure composition than the ras proteins (e.g., the cellular ras protein has 47% alpha-helix and 22% beta-pleated sheet for the GDP complex), indicating that the protein core comprising the guanine nucleotide binding site might be similar but that major structural differences must exist at the portion outside this core. Normal and transforming ras proteins also differ slightly in their hydrodynamic properties as shown by sedimentation velocity runs in the analytical ultracentrifuge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic↗

Positive and negative effects of widespread badger culling on tuberculosis in cattle.

Human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. For three decades, European badgers (Meles meles) have been culled by the British government in a series of attempts to limit the spread of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), to cattle. Despite these efforts, the incidence of TB in cattle has risen consistently, re-emerging as a primary concern for Britain's cattle industry. Recently, badger culling has attracted controversy because experimental studies have reached contrasting conclusions (albeit using different protocols), with culled areas showing either markedly reduced or increased incidence of TB in cattle. This has confused attempts to develop a science-based management policy. Here we use data from a large-scale, randomized field experiment to help resolve these apparent differences. We show that, as carried out in this experiment, culling reduces cattle TB incidence in the areas that are culled, but increases incidence in adjoining areas. These findings are biologically consistent with previous studies but will present challenges for policy development.

Animals↗

Baseline balance and functional decline in older adults with knee pain: the Observational Arthritis Study in Seniors.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal effect of baseline balance, independent of multiple covariates (sociodemographic variables, comorbidities), on self-reported disability and several measures of functional performance. DESIGN: Observational Arthritis Study in Seniors was a community-based longitudinal study. SETTING: Data collection was conducted at an exercise science research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 245 women and 235 men, aged 65 and older, with self-reported knee pain. MEASUREMENTS: Measurements of balance, self-reported disability, functional performance, strength, sociodemographic characteristics, disease burden (including radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA)), and functional limitations were obtained on participants at baseline and 30 months. The four outcome measures (self-reported disability, stair climb time, car time, preferred walking speed) were also collected at 15 months. RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses, baseline balance was significantly associated with each of the four outcome measures before adjusting for baseline knee strength. After adjusting for knee strength, baseline balance remained significantly associated with all functional performance outcomes and self-reported disability. In longitudinal analyses, baseline balance had a significant effect on car-time performance, whereby individuals in the lowest quartile of baseline balance scores declined in a quadratic manner from baseline to Month 30. CONCLUSION: Baseline balance, independent of strength and various other covariates, is an important component of performance for transfer and ambulatory tasks and for self-reported disability. Balance was predictive of change in performance over time only in a task that presented a significant challenge to the lateral mobility/stability of participants. Balance was not predictive of decline in ambulatory performance-based tasks or in self-reported disability.

Age Factors↗

Validity of a physical activity computer questionnaire in 12- to 18-year-old boys and girls.

The reliability and validity of a physical activity computer questionnaire of a usual week were studied in 33 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. Intraclass correlation coefficients and Kappa values were calculated to verify test-retest reliability. Validity was investigated by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients between the questionnaire and the Computer Science and Applications uniaxial accelerometer (CSA). Accelerometer data were obtained during seven successive days (sum and mean counts, estimated MET). Intraclass coefficients generally exceeded 0.70 and all Kappa values but one varied between 0.44 and 1.00. Transport variables (active transport from and to school, and during leisure time) showed no relationship with CSA. Sport participation during leisure time, sport participation summed with total transport, and the frequencies of moderate and hard activity were significantly correlated with CSA (r between 0.48 and 0.78). These data indicate that the physical activity computer variables provide reliable information. Moreover, sport participation (and summed with total transport) and the frequencies of moderate and hard activity provide valid data about adolescents' usual week physical activity, based on CSA comparison.

Adolescent↗

On equilibrium structures of the water molecule.

Equilibrium structures are fundamental entities in molecular sciences. They can be inferred from experimental data by complicated inverse procedures which often rely on several assumptions, including the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Theory provides a direct route to equilibrium geometries. A recent high-quality ab initio semiglobal adiabatic potential-energy surface (PES) of the electronic ground state of water, reported by Polyansky et al. [ ibid. 299, 539 (2003)] and called CVRQD here, is analyzed in this respect. The equilibrium geometries resulting from this direct route are deemed to be of higher accuracy than those that can be determined by analyzing experimental data. Detailed investigation of the effect of the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation suggests that the concept of an isotope-independent equilibrium structure holds to about 3 x 10(-5) A and 0.02 degrees for water. The mass-independent [Born-Oppenheimer (BO)] equilibrium bond length and bond angle on the ground electronic state PES of water is r(e) (BO)=0.957 82 A and theta e (BO)=104.48(5) degrees , respectively. The related mass-dependent (adiabatic) equilibrium bond length and bond angle of H2 (16)O is r(e) (ad)=0.957 85 A and theta e (ad)=104.50(0) degrees , respectively, while those of D2 (16)O are r(e) (ad)=0.957 83 A and theta e (ad)=104.49(0) degrees . Pure ab initio prediction of J=1 and 2 rotational levels on the vibrational ground state by the CVRQD PESs is accurate to better than 0.002 cm(-1) for all isotopologs of water considered. Elaborate adjustment of the CVRQD PESs to reproduce all observed rovibrational transitions to better than 0.05 cm(-1) (or the lower ones to better than 0.0035 cm(-1)) does not result in noticeable changes in the adiabatic equilibrium structure parameters. The expectation values of the ground vibrational state rotational constants of the water isotopologs, computed in the Eckart frame using the CVRQD PESs and atomic masses, deviate from the experimentally measured ones only marginally, especially for A0 and B0. The small residual deviations in the effective rotational constants are due to centrifugal distortion, electronic, and non-Born-Oppenheimer effects. The spectroscopic (nonadiabatic) equilibrium structural parameters of H2 16O, obtained from experimentally determined A'0 and B'0 rotational constants corrected empirically to obtain equilibrium rotational constants, are r(e) (sp)=0.957 77 A and theta e (sp)=104.48 degrees .

Journal Article↗