Mobile health technology for remote home monitoring after surgery: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) technology has been proposed as a method of improving post-discharge surveillance. Little is known about how mHealth has been used to track patients after surgery and whether its use is associated with differences in postoperative recovery. METHODS: Three databases (PubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials) were searched to identify studies published between January 1999 and February 2021. Mobile health was defined as any smartphone or tablet computer capable of electronically capturing health-related patient information and transmitting these data to the clinical team. Comparable outcomes were pooled via meta-analysis with additional studies compiled via narrative review. The quality of each study was assessed based on Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. RESULTS: Forty-five articles met inclusion criteria. While the majority of devices were designed to capture general health information, others were specifically adapted to the expected outcomes or potential complications of the index procedure. Exposure to mHealth was associated with fewer emergency department visits (odds ratio 0.42, 95 per cent c.i. 0.23 to 0.79) and readmissions (odds ratio 0.47, 95 per cent c.i. 0.29 to 0.77) as well as accelerated improvements in quality of life after surgery. There were limited data on other postoperative outcomes. CONCLUSION: Remote home monitoring via mHealth is feasible, adaptable, and may even promote more effective postoperative care. Given the rapid expansion of mHealth, physicians and policymakers need to understand these technologies better so that they can be integrated into high-quality clinical care.

A systematic review was performed to determine how mobile health (mHealth) technology is being used to track surgical patients after hospital discharge, and whether exposure to mHealth is associated with differences in postoperative recovery. Remote home monitoring via mHealth is feasible and flexible enough to meet the demands of a variety of patients and clinical teams. Exposure to mHealth also appears to be associated with a reduction in both emergency department visits and hospital readmissions as well as accelerated improvements in quality of life. mHealth represents an important next step in postoperative surveillance, although better performance data, targeted incentives and clearer guidelines are still needed.

Microtubule patterning in the presence of moving motor proteins.

Cytoskeletal polymers such as microtubules (MTs) interact with motor proteins to form higher-order structures. In vitro experiments have shown that MT patterns such as asters, bundles, and vortices can form under the influence of a single type of dynamic motor protein. MTs also can form anti-parallel bundles, similar to bundles that form the mitotic spindle during cell division, under the influence of two types of moving motors with opposite directionality. Despite the importance of MT structures, their mechanism of formation is not yet understood. We develop an integro-partial differential equation model to describe the dynamic interactions between MTs and moving motor proteins. Our model takes into account motor protein speed, processivity, density, and directionality, as well as MT treadmilling and reorganization due to interactions with motors. Simulation results show that plus-end directed motor proteins can form vortex patterns at low motor density, while minus-end directed motor proteins form aster patterns at similar densities. Also, motor proteins with opposite directionality are able to organize MTs into anti-parallel bundles. Our model is able to provide a quantitative and qualitative description of MT patterning, providing insights into possible mechanisms of spindle formation.

The spectroscopy and chemical dynamics of microparticles explored using an ultrasonic trap.

Microsized particles play an important role in many diverse areas of science and technology, for example, surface reactions of micron-sized particles play a key role in astrochemistry, plasma reactors and atmospheric chemistry. To date much of our knowledge of such surface chemistry is derived from 'traditional' surface science-based research. However, the large surface area and morphology of surface material commonly used in such surface science techniques may not necessarily mimic that on the surface of micron/nano scale particles. Hence, a new generation of experiments in which the spectroscopy (e.g., albedo) and chemical reactivity of micron-sized particles can be studied directly must be developed. One, as yet underexploited, non-invasive technique is the use of ultrasonic levitation. In this article, we describe the operation of an 'ultrasonic trap' to store and study the physical and chemical properties of microparticles.

VUV photoabsorption spectroscopy of sulfur dioxide ice.

In this paper we present the first study of the VUV photoabsorption spectrum of condensed phase SO(2) recorded over the VUV region 120 to 320 nm (10.33 to 3.64 eV). Distinct spectral features were observed that can be used to distinguish between the formation of amorphous and crystalline ice structures. These signatures may then be used to probe the formation of different ice structures as a function of both deposition rate and substrate temperature.

Behavioural and emotional problems in children with intellectual disability attending special schools in Cape Town, South Africa.

A sample of 355 children with intellectual disability (ID) attending special schools in Cape Town, South Africa, were assessed on the Developmental Behavioural Checklist--Teacher Version (DBC-T). A prevalence rate of 31% for psychopathology was found. Boys manifested more behaviour problems than girls, especially in relation to disruptive, self-absorbed and antisocial behaviours. Children with severe and profound levels of ID showed more behavioural difficulties than those in the mild and moderate categories. Specific behaviour problems were self-absorbed and autistic behaviours in children with profound ID, communication problems and anxiety in those with severe ID and antisocial behaviour in children with mild ID. Epilepsy, but not cerebral palsy was associated with higher total behaviour scores. Ambulant children were more disruptive and antisocial, while non-ambulant children were more anxious. Non-verbal children had higher scores on all of the subscales except for disruptive behaviour.

A longitudinal study of smoking in year 7 and 8 students speaking English or a language other than English at home in Sydney, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates and predictors of smoking uptake between adolescents speaking English and those speaking a language other than English (LOTE) at home. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of year 7 and 8 students (aged 12 and 13 years) was conducted in 1994 and repeated 12 months later. A cohort of students was identified with respondents at baseline matched at follow up. chi 2 and logistic regression were used for analysis. SETTING: 38 schools in southern, east, and northern Sydney, Australia. SUBJECTS: Year 7 and 8 students in the schools were included and examined on two occasions, with complete data for 5947 (80%) students at baseline and 6177 (98%) students at a 12-month follow up. Records were able to be matched perfectly for 3513 respondents (59%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking rates and predictors of smoking uptake among students speaking English or a LOTE at home. RESULTS: At baseline, 6.1% of students surveyed were smokers. Twelve months later, 15.8% of student surveyed were smokers. There were significantly lower smoking rates among students speaking a LOTE at home compared with those speaking English at home at baseline and at 12 months. Using matched data, for students speaking English at home, five variables were significant predictors of smoking uptake: thinking it acceptable to smoke, perceived benefits of smoking, and having a brother, sister, or close friend who smokes. For students speaking a LOTE, the only predictor was the smoking status of close friends. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the higher smoking prevalence among men with a non-English-speaking background, and the reported strong association between fathers' smoking status and smoking onset of their children, adolescents speaking a LOTE at home were significantly less likely to be smokers than their English-speaking counterparts. Thus, there would seem to be a delay of smoking onset among students speaking a LOTE at home. The smoking rates among respondents speaking a LOTE at home in this study are lower than those obtained from the studies conducted in Europe and the United States. Effective smoking prevention interventions need to be implemented at an early stage of adolescence.