Widely available low-cost electronics encourage the development of open-source tools for neuroscientific research. In recent years, many neuroscientists recognized the open science movement for its ...potential to stimulate and encourage science that is less focused on money, and more on robustness, validity, questioning and understanding. Here, we wanted to contribute to this global community by creating a research platform based on a common digital kitchen scale. This everyday ordinary kitchen tool is sometimes used in neuroscience research in various ways; however, its use is limited by sampling rate and inability to store and analyze data. To tackle this problem we developed a Platform for Acoustic STArtle or PASTA. This robust and simple platform enables users to obtain data from kitchen scale load cells at a high sampling rate, store it and analyze it. Here, we used it to analyze acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition sensorimotor gating in rats treated intracerebroventricularly with streptozotocin, but the system can be easily modified and upgraded for other purposes. In accordance with open science principles, we shared complete hardware design with instructions. Furthermore, we also disclose our software codes written for PASTA data acquisition (C++, Arduino) and acoustic startle experimental protocol (Python) and analysis (ratPASTA R package-R-based Awesome Toolbox for PASTA, and pastaWRAP-Python wrapper package for ratPASTA). To further encourage the development of our PASTA platform we demonstrate its sensitivity by using PASTA-gathered data to extract breathing patterns during rat freezing behavior in our experimental protocol.
On being cancelled: a patient's perspective Kamath, M.; Babic, A.
British journal of anaesthesia : BJA,
February 2019, 2019-02-00, 20190201, Letnik:
122, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Aims. We investigate the distribution of the luminous and the dark matter components in the isolated ellipticals NGC 7052 and NGC 7785, which are embedded in an emitting hot gas halo, by means of ...relevant X-ray and photometric data. Methods. To calculate the dark matter distribution in these rare objects, we performed an improved X-ray analysis of the XMM-Newton data of NGC 7785, and we used former results based on Chandra data of NGC 7052. For each object we also derived the stellar spheroid length scale from the surface photometry and the spheroid stellar mass from an analysis of the galaxy spectral energy distribution. Results. We find that a dark matter component is present in these objects. It is subdominant and mixed with the luminous matter inside the optical region half-light radius wide, while it dominates the gravitational potential at outer radii. On the whole, the dark halo structure is very similar to that found around spirals of comparable luminosity and it is well reproduced by a Burkert halo, while a Sérsic spheroid accounts well for the baryonic component.
Pancreatic cancer presents as advanced disease in >80% of patients; yet, appropriate ages to consider prevention and early detection strategies are poorly defined. We investigated age-specific ...associations and attributable risks of pancreatic cancer for established modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.
We included 167 483 participants from two prospective US cohort studies with 1190 incident cases of pancreatic cancer during >30 years of follow-up; 5107 pancreatic cancer cases and 8845 control participants of European ancestry from a completed multicenter genome-wide association study (GWAS); and 248 893 pancreatic cancer cases documented in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Across different age categories, we investigated cigarette smoking, obesity, diabetes, height, and non-O blood group in the prospective cohorts; weighted polygenic risk score of 22 previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms in the GWAS; and male sex and black race in the SEER Program.
In the prospective cohorts, all five risk factors were more strongly associated with pancreatic cancer risk among younger participants, with associations attenuated among those aged >70 years. The hazard ratios comparing participants with three to five risk factors with those with no risk factors were 9.24 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.11-20.77 among those aged ≤60 years, 3.00 (95% CI 1.85-4.86) among those aged 61-70 years, and 1.46 (95% CI 1.10-1.94) among those aged >70 years (Pheterogeneity = 3×10−5). These factors together were related to 65.6%, 49.7%, and 17.2% of incident pancreatic cancers in these age groups, respectively. In the GWAS and the SEER Program, the associations with the polygenic risk score, male sex, and black race were all stronger among younger individuals (Pheterogeneity ≤0.01).
Established risk factors are more strongly associated with earlier-onset pancreatic cancer, emphasizing the importance of age at initiation for cancer prevention and control programs targeting this highly lethal malignancy.
•We demonstrate an age-dependent pattern of relative risk for nearly all established risk factors for pancreatic cancer.•Associations between risk factors and pancreatic cancer were strongest among younger participants and weakened with age.•The age of target populations should be considered when designing prevention and control programs for pancreatic cancer.
The measurement of the absolute rate of cerebral metabolic oxygen consumption (CMRO2) is likely to offer a valuable biomarker in many brain diseases and could prove to be important in our ...understanding of neural function. As such there is significant interest in developing robust MRI techniques that can quantify CMRO2 non-invasively. One potential MRI method for the measurement of CMRO2 is via the combination of fMRI and cerebral blood flow (CBF) data acquired during periods of hypercapnic and hyperoxic challenges. This method is based on the combination of two, previously independent, signal calibration techniques. As such analysis of the data has been approached in a stepwise manner, feeding the results of one calibration experiment into the next. Analysing the data in this manner can result in unstable estimates of the output parameter (CMRO2), due to the propagation of errors along the analysis pipeline. Here we present a forward modelling approach that estimates all the model parameters in a one-step solution. The method is implemented using a regularized non-linear least squares approach to provide a robust and computationally efficient solution. The proposed framework is compared with previous analytical approaches using modelling studies and in vivo acquisitions in healthy volunteers (n=10). The stability of parameter estimates is demonstrated to be superior to previous methods (both in vivo and in simulation). In vivo estimates made with the proposed framework also show better agreement with expected physiological variation, demonstrating a strong negative correlation between baseline CBF and oxygen extraction fraction. It is anticipated that the proposed analysis framework will increase the reliability of absolute CMRO2 measurements made with calibrated BOLD.
•We propose a framework for the analysis of calibrated fMRI to measure baseline OEF.•We examine the framework with modelling studies and in vivo acquisitions.•The new approach is shown to be more robust than previous analytical methods.
Context. X-ray surveys of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) indicate “cosmic downsizing”, with the comoving number density of high-luminosity objects peaking at higher redshifts (z~2) than low-luminosity ...AGN (z < 1). Aims. We test whether downsizing is caused by activity shifting towards low-mass black holes accreting at near-Eddington rates, or by a change in the average rate of accretion onto supermassive black holes. We estimate the black hole masses and Eddington ratios of an X-ray selected sample of AGN in the Chandra Deep Field South at z < 1, probing the epoch where AGN cosmic downsizing has been reported. Methods. Black hole masses are estimated both from host galaxy stellar masses, which are estimated from fitting to published optical and near-infrared photometry, and from near-infrared luminosities, applying established correlations between black hole mass and host galaxy properties. Both methods give consistent results. Comparison and calibration of possible redshift-dependent effects is also made using published faint host galaxy velocity dispersion measurements. Results. The Eddington ratios in our sample span the range ~10-5-1, with median $\log ( L_{\rm bol} / L_{\rm Edd})$ = -2.87, and with typical black hole masses $M_{{\rm BH}}$ ~ 108 $M_\odot$. The broad distribution of Eddington ratios is consistent with that expected for AGN samples at low and moderate luminosity. We find no evidence that the CDF-S AGN population is dominated by low-mass black holes accreting at near-Eddington ratios and the results suggest that diminishing accretion rates onto average-sized black holes are responsible for the reported AGN downsizing at redshifts below unity.
It is well established that negative work-home interference (NegWHI) impacts upon several work attitudes and behaviors. In the interests of both organizational effectiveness and employee well-being, ...it is important to identify concepts related to NegWHI and investigate their effects on well-being outcomes. This study examines the mediating role of (1) perceived organizational support (POS) in the relationship between organizational justice (OJ) and NegWHI; and (2) NegWHI in the relationships between POS and four well-being outcomes. A total of 509 employees of a Belgian hospital were surveyed. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and the bootstrapping method. Results showed that POS partially mediates the relationships between distributive and passive procedural justice and NegWHI, and fully mediates the relationship between the other justice dimensions and NegWHI. NegWHI partially mediates the relationships between POS and both job satisfaction and intention to quit, and fully mediates the relationship between POS and job strain. Furthermore, POS is positively related to job engagement. This study showed that organizations can help employees to better manage their work and family lives and reduce the impact of NegWHI by enhancing employees' feeling that they are supported by their organization. In order to increase POS, organizations need to promote justice in the workplace.
Background
Central line‐associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is one of the most common infectious complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To prevent this complication, ...international guidelines recommend the implementation of the CLABSI ‘prevention bundle’ consisting of hand hygiene, full barrier precautions, cleaning the insertion site with chlorhexidine, avoiding femoral sites for insertion, and removing unnecessary catheters. The aim of this survey was to analyze to what extent European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) centers have included the CLABSI prevention bundle in practice.
Methods
A questionnaire used for data collection was sent to the 545 EBMT centers worldwide, 103 of which responded.
Results
All 5 components of the CLABSI prevention bundle were recorded in 28% of the centers' standard operating procedures (SOP), and 21% of the centers answered that they used all of the bundle components in clinical practice. The most common recommendation absent from the SOP was specification of all the components of full barrier precautions (43% of the centers did not include at least 1 component). Skin disinfection with chlorhexidine before catheter insertion was reported by 66% centers. CLABSI rates were monitored in 21% of centers.
Conclusions
Although most of the centers lacked 1 or more of the CLABSI prevention bundle components in their SOP, improvements could easily be made by updating the centers' SOP. The first important step is introduction of CLABSI rate monitoring in this high‐risk patient population.
CYR61 is a secreted, cysteine-rich, heparin-binding protein encoded by a growth factor-inducible immediate-early gene. Acting as an extracellular, matrix-associated signaling molecule, CYR61 promotes ...the adhesion of endothelial cells through interaction with the integrin αvβ3and augments growth factor-induced DNA synthesis in the same cell type. In this study, we show that purified CYR61 stimulates directed migration of human microvascular endothelial cells in culture through an αvβ3-dependent pathway and induces neovascularization in rat corneas. Both the chemotactic and angiogenic activities of CYR61 can be blocked by specific anti-CYR61 antibodies. Whereas most human tumor-derived cell lines tested express CYR61, the gastric adenocarcinoma cell line RF-1 does not. Expression of the CYR61 cDNA under the regulation of a constitutive promoter in RF-1 cells significantly enhances the tumorigenicity of these cells as measured by growth in immunodeficient mice, resulting in tumors that are larger and more vascularized than those produced by control RF-1 cells. Taken together, these results identify CYR61 as an angiogenic inducer that can promote tumor growth and vascularization; the results also suggest potential roles for CYR61 in physiologic and pathologic neovascularization.
PDF
