Development of audio-guided deep breathing and auditory Go/No-Go task on evaluating its impact on the wellness of young adults: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Numerous studies indicate that deep breathing (DB) enhances wellbeing. Multiple deep breathing methods exist, but few employ audio to reach similar results. This study developed audio-guided DB and evaluated its immediate impacts on healthy population via self-created auditory Go/No-Go task, tidal volume changes, and psychological measures. METHODS: Audio-guided DB with natural sounds to guide the DB was developed. Meanwhile, audio-based Go/No-Go paradigm with Arduino was built to measure the attention level. Thirty-two healthy young adults (n=32) were recruited. Psychological questionnaires (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)), objective measurements with tidal volume and attention level with auditory Go/No-Go task were conducted before and after 5 min of DB. RESULTS: Results showed a significant increment in tidal volume and task reaction time from baseline (p=0.003 and p=0.033, respectively). Significant correlations were acquired between (1) task accuracy with commission error (r=-0.905), (2) CAMS-R with task accuracy (r=-0.425), commission error (r=0.53), omission error (r=0.395) and PSS (r=-0.477), and (3) RSES with task reaction time (r=-0.47), task accuracy (r=-0.362), PSS (r=-0.552) and CAMS-R (r=0.591). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests a link between it and young adults' wellbeing and proposes auditory Go/No-Go task for assessing attention across various groups while maintaining physical and mental wellness.

Effect of six-week short-duration deep breathing on young adults with chronic ankle instability-a pilot randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is the most common injury in youth sports, which leads to psychological stress from doubting their performance. Cost effective and easy to access tool to reduce the stress among this target group are desired. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of adding on intervention with short-duration deep breathing (SDDB) alongside with conventional physiotherapy (CP) among young adults with chronic ankle instability (CAI). METHODS: Total of 30 CAI participants attended physiotherapy, who were randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. The participants in the experimental group received combined intervention (SDDB + CP), and the control group received CP for 6 weeks. The effectiveness of interventions was assessed at 3 intervals with a battery of questionnaires (Visual Analog Score, Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire) at the end of week 3, week 6, and week 12 as follow-up. A two-way repeated measures of ANOVA was applied to report the statistical significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed a better improvement in pain, balance, happiness, and mindfulness attention among participants in the experimental group, with a significant improvement in mindful attention over the time point as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The findings provide insight into incorporating SDDB additions to the existing CP for better CAI management. Breathing techniques that improve attention and happiness play a vital role in CAI, which recommends the biopsychosocial approach in chronic injury rehabilitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials using Clinical Trials Registry under ID number NCT04812158 retrospectively registered on 23/03/2021.

Movements of Magnetite-Encapsulated Graphene Particles at Air-Water Interface and Their Cell Growths under Dynamic Magnetic Field.

The motion of magnetic particles under magnetic fields is an object to be solved in association with basic and practical phenomena. Movement phenomena of magnetite-encapsulated graphene particles at air-water interfaces were evaluated by manufacturing a feedback control system of the magnetic field to cause the motion of particles due to magnetic torque. A homogeneous magnetic field was generated using two pairs of electromagnets located perpendicular to each other, which were connected to an electronic switch. The system influenced the translational movement and the self-rotational speed of magnetic particles located at a center on the surface of fluid media in a continuous duty cycle. Operating the particle at a remote control in the same duty cycle at the air-water surface, the short and elongated magnetic particles successfully rotated. In addition, the rotational speed of the curved particle was slower than that of the elongated particle. The results indicate that the translational and self-rotational movements of magnetite-encapsulated graphene particles at the air-water interface under the external magnetic field are size- and shape-dependent for the speed and the direction. A short magnetic particle was used as a target particle to rotate on cancer cell lines, aiming to study the advantage of this method to induce the growth of HeLa cells. It was monitored for up to 4 days with and without magnetic particles by checking the viability and morphology of cells before and after the electromagnetic treatment. As an outcome, the movement of magnetic particles reduced the number of biological cells, at least on HeLa cells, but it was inactive on the viability of HeLa cells.

Modelling the differential effects of age on transcranial magnetic stimulation induced electric fields.

Objective. The therapeutic application of noninvasive brain stimulation modalities such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has expanded in terms of indications and patient populations. Often neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative changes are not considered in research studies and clinical applications. This study sought to examine TMS dosing across time points in the life cycle.Approach. TMS induced electric fields with a figure-of-eight coil was simulated at left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regions and taken in vertex as a control region. Realistic magnetic resonance imaging-based head models (N= 48) were concurrently examined in a cross-sectional study of three different age groups (children, adults, and elderlies).Main results. Age had a negative correlation with electric field peaks in white matter, grey matter and cerebrospinal fluid (P< 0.001). Notably, the electric field map in children displayed the widest cortical surface spread of TMS induced electric fields.Significance. Age-related anatomical geometry beneath the coil stimulation site had a significant impact on the TMS induced electric fields for different age groups. Safety considerations for TMS applications and protocols in children are warranted based on the present electric field findings.

Study of EEG alpha wave response on the effects of video-guided deep breathing on pain rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Athletes with chronic ankle pain (CAP) are more inclined to suffer from physical and psychological pain depending on the severity of the injuries, which might trigger the powerless feeling on future sports participation. Therefore, an efficient and simple method is useful to integrate into conventional physiotherapy (CP) for maintaining mental wellness. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to verify the effects and progress of video-guided deep breathing (DB) integrated into CP through study on the changes of alpha waves and pain scale. METHODS: Alpha waves were recorded using an electroencephalogram (EEG) and a visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess pain intensity before and after the intervention (6 weeks). Thirty CAP participants were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups: group A for video-guided DB integration into their CP and group B for CP. The effects of pre and post intervention were analyzed using a paired t-test with statistical significance set at p< 0.05. RESULTS: Profound results from the research have shown that the participants who received both the DB+CP revealed a significant increase in alpha wave (p< 0.05) at occipital region. CONCLUSION: The significant result reveals an increase in alpha waves in the occipital region after 6 weeks and indicates that the video-guided DB with a smartphone application is able to produce a change in CAP participants. This supports the DB integration to the CP for altering the pain perception.

Preliminary study on changes of brainwaves for musculoskeletal pain among collegiate athletes.

BACKGROUND: Brainwaves studies on pain are gaining more attention in recent years. However, the target group in a similar study on collegiate athletes with musculoskeletal pain is still under explore. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to investigate the differences of the brainwaves response and its association with pain interference of the collegiate athletes with and without musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: Collegiate athletes (n= 49) were recruited and categorized into pain group (PG) (n= 25) and no-pain group (NPG) (n= 24). Brainwaves were recorded for 2 minutes with eyes closed in a resting state using EEG. Pain intensity and pain interference were documented using visual analogue scale and brief pain inventory, respectively. Independent t-test was used to compare brainwaves of PG and NPG, and Spearman's correlation was used to find the association between brain waves and pain interference. RESULTS: Findings showed a significant decrease (p< 0.05) in brain waves in PG on left temporal regions as compared to NPG. Frontal beta, theta, and gamma waves were found to be negatively correlated with participants' pain interference. CONCLUSION: This outcome potentially contributes EEG as an alternative non-invasive tool for an objective pain assessment method in health care technology to aid in the rehabilitation process.

Isolation of exosome from the culture medium of Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) C666-1 cells using inertial based Microfluidic channel.

Isolation of exosome from culture medium in an effective way is desired for a less time consuming, cost saving technology in running the diagnostic test on cancer. In this study, we aim to develop an inertial microfluidic channel to separate the nano-size exosome from C666-1 cell culture medium as a selective sample. Simulation was carried out to obtain the optimum flow rate for determining the dimension of the channels for the exosome separation from the medium. The optimal dimension was then brought forward for the actual microfluidic channel fabrication, which consisted of the stages of mask printing, SU8 mould fabrication and ended with PDMS microchannel curing process. The prototype was then used to verify the optimum flow rate with polystyrene particles for its capabilities in actual task on particle separation as a control outcome. Next, the microchip was employed to separate the selected samples, exosome from the culture medium and compared the outcome from the conventional exosome extraction kit to study the level of effectiveness of the prototype. The exosome outcome from both the prototype and extraction kits were characterized through zetasizer, western blot and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microfluidic chip designed in this study obtained a successful separation of exosome from the culture medium. Besides, the extra benefit from this microfluidic channels in particle separation brought an evenly distributed exosome upon collection while the exosomes separated through extraction kit was found clustered together. Therefore, this work has shown the microfluidic channel is suitable for continuous separation of exosome from the culture medium for a clinical study in the future.

Designing a neurofeedback device to quantify attention levels using coffee as a reward system.

Purpose. Work performance is closely related to one's attention level. In this study, a brain-computer interface (BCI) device suitable for office usage was chosen to quantify the individual's attention levels. Methods. A BCI system was adopted to interface brainwave signals to a coffee maker via three ascending levels of laser detectors. The preliminary test with this prototype was to characterize the attention level through the collected coffee amount. Here, the preliminary testing was comparing the correlation between the attention level and the participants' cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and scores from the 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) and the attentional control scale (ACS) using ordinal regression. It was assumed that a greater CGPA would generate a greater attention level. Result. The generated coffee amount from the BCI system had a significant positive correlation with the CGPA (p = 0.004), mild depression (p = 0.019) and mild and extremely severe anxiety (p = 0.044 and p = 0.019, respectively) and a negative correlation with the ACS score (p = 0.042). Conclusion. This simple and cost-effective prototype has the potential to enable everyone to know their immediate attention level and predict the possible correlation to their mental state.

Validation of Pictorial Mood Assessment with Ottawa Mood Scales and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Young Adults.

Pictorial mood assessments reduce the barriers of age, culture, gender and language fluency in the course of psychiatric assessments. This study sought to validate the Ottawa Mood Scales, a pictorial form of mood assessment questionnaire among non-native English speaking young adults in Malaysia. Since the Ottawa Mood Scales has not been previously validated, the convergent validity of the Ottawa Mood Scales was measured against the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), an established mood assessment instrument. A total of 129 young adults (aged 18-34) were recruited and completed an online survey with the Ottawa Mood Scales and PANAS questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Ottawa Mood Scales has a one-dimensional structure and that a four-item model demonstrated higher reliability than the original 5-item model. Scores on the Ottawa Mood Scales items positively and significantly correlated with scores on the negative PANAS subscale, which supports the validity of the Ottawa Mood Scales in measuring the negative effect. The Cronbach's α was .793 for the four-item model of the Ottawa Mood Scales indicating acceptable reliability in this Malaysian young adult sample. It was concluded that the Ottawa Mood Scales could have utility in assessing mood disorder symptoms in young adults.

Cellular accumulation and cytotoxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles in microalga Haematococcus pluvialis.

BACKGROUND: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are widely used in household and cosmetic products which imply an increased releasing of these particles into the environment, especially aquatic ecosystems, resulting in the need of assessing the potential toxic effects of ZnO NPS on the aquatic organisms, particularly on microalgae which form the base for food chain of aquatic biota. The present study has investigated the dose- and time-dependent cellular accumulation and the corresponding cytotoxic effects of increasing concentrations of ZnO NPs from 10-200 µg/mL on microalga Haematococcus pluvialis at an interval of 24 h for 96 h. METHODS: The scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) was used to qualitatively detect the cellular accumulation of ZnO NPs in algal cells, while inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was performed to quantify the cell associated-zinc in algal cells. The percentage of cell death, reduction in algal biomass, and loss in photosynthetic pigments were measured to investigate the cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs on H. pluvialis. Extracellular and intracellular changes in algal cells resulted from the treatment of ZnO NPs were demonstrated through optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopic studies. RESULTS: SEM-EDX spectrum evidenced the accumulation of ZnO NPs in algal biomass and ICP OES results reported a significant (p < 0.05) dose- and time-dependent accumulation of zinc in algal cells from 24 h for all the tested concentrations of ZnO NPs (10-200 µg/mL). Further, the study showed a significant (p < 0.05) dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition of H. pluvialis from 72 h at 10-200 µg/mL of ZnO NPs. The morphological examinations revealed substantial surface and intracellular damages in algal cells due to the treatment of ZnO NPs. DISCUSSION: The present study reported the significant cellular accumulation of ZnO NPs in algal cells and the corresponding cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs on H. pluvialis through the considerable reduction in algal cell viability, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments together with surface and intracellular damages.

CTC phenotyping for a preoperative assessment of tumor metastasis and overall survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation for surgical resectability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients is not only imaging-based but highly subjective. An objective method is urgently needed. We report on the clinical value of a phenotypic circulating tumor cell (CTC)-based blood test for a preoperative prognostic assessment of tumor metastasis and overall survival (OS) of PDAC patients. METHODS: Venous blood samples from 46 pathologically confirmed PDAC patients were collected prospectively before surgery and immunoassayed using a specially designed TU-chip™. Captured CTCs were differentiated into epithelial (E), mesenchymal and hybrid (H) phenotypes. A further 45 non-neoplastic healthy donors provided blood for cell line validation study and CTC false positive quantification. FINDINGS: A validated multivariable model consisting of disjunctively combined CTC phenotypes: "H-CTC≥15.0 CTCs/2ml OR E-CTC≥11.0 CTCs/2ml" generated an optimal prediction of metastasis with a sensitivity of 1.000 (95% CI 0.889-1.000) and specificity of 0.886 (95% CI 0.765-0.972). The adjusted Kaplan-Meier median OS constructed using Cox proportional-hazard models and stratified for E-CTC < 11.0 CTCs/2 ml was 16.5 months and for E-CTC ≥ 11.0 CTCs/2 ml was 5.5 months (HR = 0.050, 95% CI 0.004-0.578, P = .016). These OS results were consistent with the outcome of the metastatic analysis. INTERPRETATION: Our work suggested that H-CTC is a better predictor of metastasis and E-CTC is a significant independent predictor of OS. The CTC phenotyping model has the potential to be developed into a reliable and accurate blood test for metastatic and OS assessments of PDAC patients. FUND: National Natural Science Foundation of China; Zhejiang Province Science and Technology Program; China Scholarship Council.

Cytotoxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on cyanobacterium Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis.

BACKGROUND: The extensive usage of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in industrial and consumer products raises the risk of releasing their residues into the aquatic environment. The presence of ZnO NPs in the aquatic environment could potentially cause cytotoxic effects on aquatic organisms. Thus, investigating the cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs on microalgae, which form the base for the food web of aquatic biota, is essential to gain information regarding the ecotoxicological effects of metallic oxide nanoparticles in the aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, the present study has investigated in detail the assorted cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs on S. platensis using various concentrations of ZnO NPs (10-200 mg/L) from 6 to 96 h to explore the dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effects. METHODS: The cytotoxic effects were all assessed through quantification of loss in cell viability, reduction in biomass and decrease in photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll-a, carotenoids and phycocyanin. The surface interactions of nanoparticles and the subsequent morphological alterations on algal cells were examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The intracellular alterations of algal cells were studied using transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectrum was obtained to investigate the involvement of algal surface biomolecules in surface binding of ZnO NPs on algal cells. RESULTS: The treatment of ZnO NPs on S. platensis exhibited a typical concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity. Results showed a significant (p < 0.05) cytotoxicity from 24 h onwards for all tested concentrations of ZnO NPs. The maximum cytotoxicity on algal cells was achieved at 96 h of exposure to ZnO NPs. In comparison with control, the algal cells that interacted with 200 mg/L of ZnO NPs for 96 h showed 87.3 ± 1% loss in cell viability, 76.1 ± 1.7% reduction in algal biomass, 92.5 ± 2.2%, 76.2 ± 2.2% and 74.1 ± 3.4% decrease in chlorophyll-a, carotenoids and phycocyanin contents respectively. Our study confirmed the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs through the algal growth inhibition with 72 h EC10 and EC50 values of 1.29 and 31.56 mg/L, respectively. The microscopic examinations of the algal cells that interacted with ZnO NPs showed severe cell membrane and intracellular damage. The SEM EDX spectrum of ZnO NPs treated algal biomass evidenced the surface accumulation of zinc in the biomass. Finally, the FTIR spectrum confirmed the involvement of amino, hydroxyl and carboxylic groups of algal cell wall in the surface interaction of ZnO NPs on the algal cells. DISCUSSION: The results showed that the treatment of ZnO NPs on S. platensis triggered substantial cytotoxicity and caused cell death. Hence, S. platensis could be potentially used as a bioindicator for testing toxicity of ZnO NPs in aquatic environment.

Neurophysiological study on the effect of various short durations of deep breathing: A randomized controlled trial.

The study aims to study the effects of short duration deep breathing on the EEG power with topography based on parallel group randomized controlled trial design which was lacking in prior reports. 50 participants were split into 4 groups: control (CONT), deep breathing (DB) for 5 (DB5), 7 (DB7), and 9 (DB9) minutes. EEG recordings were obtained during baseline, deep breathing session, after deep breathing, and a follow-up session after 7 days of consecutive practice. Frontal theta power of DB5 and DB9 was significantly larger than that of CONT after the deep breathing session (p = 0.027 and p = 0.006, respectively) and the profound finding showed that the theta topography obtained a central-focused distribution for DB7 and DB9. The result obtained was consistent with previous literature, albeit for certain deep breathing durations only, indicating a possible linkage between the deep breathing duration and the neurophysiology of the brain.

Neurophysiological correlates of depressive symptoms in young adults: A quantitative EEG study.

BACKGROUND: There is an unmet need for practical and reliable biomarkers for mood disorders in young adults. Identifying the brain activity associated with the early signs of depressive disorders could have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications. In this study we sought to investigate the EEG characteristics in young adults with newly identified depressive symptoms. METHODS: Based on the initial screening, a total of 100 participants (n = 50 euthymic, n = 50 depressive) underwent 32-channel EEG acquisition. Simple logistic regression and C-statistic were used to explore if EEG power could be used to discriminate between the groups. The strongest EEG predictors of mood using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Simple logistic regression analysis with subsequent C-statistics revealed that only high-alpha and beta power originating from the left central cortex (C3) have a reliable discriminative value (ROC curve >0.7 (70%)) for differentiating the depressive group from the euthymic group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the single most significant predictor of group (depressive vs. euthymic) is the high-alpha power over C3 (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that EEG is a useful tool in the identification of neurophysiological correlates of depressive symptoms in young adults with no previous psychiatric history. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results could guide future studies investigating the early neurophysiological changes and surrogate outcomes in depression.

Enhanced conflict monitoring via a short-duration, video-assisted deep breathing in healthy young adults: an event-related potential approach through the Go/NoGo paradigm.

OBJECTIVES: Practitioners of mindfulness are reported to have greater cognitive control especially in conflict monitoring, response inhibition and sustained attention. However, due to the various existing methods in each mindfulness practices and also, the high commitment factor, a barrier still exists for an individual to pick up the practices. Therefore, the effect of short duration deep breathing on the cognitive control is investigated here. METHODS: Short duration guided deep breathing videos consisting of 5, 7 and 9 min respectively were created and used on subjects training. The effect on cognitive control was assessed using a Go/NoGo task along with event-related potential (ERP) measurements at Fz, Cz, and Pz. RESULTS: From the study, the significant outcome showed at the follow-up session in which participants engaged for 5 min deep breathing group showed a profound NoGo N2 amplitude increment as compared to the control group, indicating an enhanced conflict monitoring ability. An inverse relationship between the NoGo N2 amplitude and the breathing duration is observed as well at the follow-up session. CONCLUSION: These results indicated the possibility of performing short duration deep breathing guided by a video to achieve an enhanced conflict monitoring as an alternative to other mindfulness practices and 5 min is found to be the optimum practice duration. SIGNIFICANT: This study is the first to establish a relationship between deep breathing and conflict monitoring through ERP. The study population of young adults taken from the same environment reduces the variance in ERP results due to age and environment. LIMITATION: A larger sample size would provide a greater statistical power. A longer duration of deep breathing should be investigated to further clarify the relationship between the practice duration and the NoGo N2 amplitude. The result can be split by gender and analyzed separately due to the different brain structure of males and females.

Ag/AgFeO2: An Outstanding Magnetically Responsive Photocatalyst for HeLa Cell Eradication.

A superfast, room-temperature, one-step carrier-solvent-assisted interfacial reaction process was developed to prepare Ag/AgFeO2 composite nanocrystals (NCs) of less than 10 nm in size within a 1 min reaction time. These composite NCs were with a direct energy band gap of 2.0 eV and were paramagnetic, making them suitable for optical activation and magnetic manipulation. These composite NCs, applied as a photocatalyst for the treatment of HeLa cells, achieved a significant reduction of 74% in cell viability within 30 min. These Ag/AgFeO2 composite NCs proved to be a promising magnetically guidable photocatalyst for cancer cell treatment.