User-acceptability of an automated telephone call for post-operative follow-up after uncomplicated cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND: Innovative technology is recommended to address the current capacity challenges facing the NHS. This study evaluates the patient acceptability of automated telephone follow-up after routine cataract surgery using Dora (Ufonia Limited, Oxford, United Kingdom), which to our knowledge is the first AI-powered clinical assistant to be used in the NHS. Dora has a natural-language, phone conversation with patients about their symptoms after cataract surgery. METHODS: This is a prospective mixed-methods cohort study that was conducted at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. All patients who were followed up using Dora were asked to give a Net Promoter Score (NPS), and 24 patients were randomly selected to complete the validated Telephone Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) as well as extended semi-structured interviews that underwent thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 170 autonomous calls were completed. The median NPS score was 9 out of 10. The TUQ (scored out of 5) showed high rates of acceptability, with an overall mean score of 4.0. Simplicity, time saving, and ease of use scored the highest with a median of 5, whilst 'speaking to Dora feels the same as speaking to a clinician' scored a median of 3. The main themes extracted from the qualitative data were 'I can see why you're doing it', 'It went quite well actually', 'I just trust human beings I suppose'. CONCLUSION: We found high levels of patient acceptability when using Dora across three acceptability measures. Dora provides a potential solution to reduce pressure on hospital capacity whilst also providing a convenient service for patients.

One Hundred Years of Solitude: rediscovery of Catasticta lycurgus (Godman amp; Salvin, 1880), a yellow butterfly from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae).

Catasticta lycurgus is a striking endemic butterfly, restricted to high elevation habitats in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an isolated mountain range separate from the Andes in the north of Colombia. The type, which for almost a hundred years was the only known specimen, was collected in 1878 by Frederick Simons in the vicinity of Atánquez and was sent to the UK to be described by renowned naturalists Godman and Salvin in 1880. In 1972, explorers Adams and Bernard collected a second specimen of C. lycurgus in the locality of San Pedro at 2,900m of elevation in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. These two specimens were the only known ones for many decades until recently, when Colombian entomologists found the species again in San Pedro de la Sierra and later, when a female was discovered in 2013. Here, we report the rediscovery of this rare and charismatic species, with new specimens collected near the type locality, which have not been reported previously. The female of C. lycurgus is described and illustrated for the first time as well the male genitalia of this species. We combine all information available to provide some insights on the systematic relationships of this species within the genus Catasticta Butler, discuss its distribution and provide a preliminary conservation assessment. Despite the newly collected specimens, the species remains very rare in the field and in collections.

The Power of Radio to Promote Health and Resilience in Natural Disasters: A Review.

Humanitarian radio has been used in humanitarian aid efforts and after natural disasters over the last 15 years. However, the effects have barely been evaluated, and there are few scientific reports on the impact of radio as a disaster health response intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to provide an overview of the use and impact of humanitarian radio in natural disasters from a health perspective. A literature review of 13 scientific papers and grey literature resources was conducted. The results show that humanitarian radio could be used to promote both physical and psychosocial wellbeing by providing health-related information, advice and psychosocial support in natural disasters. Community resilience can be enhanced by the promotion of community engagement and can strengthen self-efficacy and community efficacy. Radio also has the potential to cost-effectively reach a large number of affected people in areas with severely damaged infrastructure. Radio could, therefore, contribute to health recovery and wellbeing from both individual and community perspectives. As such, health professionals; crises communication professionals, including radio journalists; and disaster-managing stakeholders should be prepared and trained to use humanitarian radio as an integrated part of the disaster health response in natural disasters.

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets.

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play a significant role in the climate and hydrological cycle by triggering ice formation in supercooled clouds, thereby causing precipitation and affecting cloud lifetimes and their radiative properties. However, despite their importance, INP often comprise only 1 in 103-106 ambient particles, making it difficult to ascertain and predict their type, source, and concentration. The typical techniques for quantifying INP concentrations tend to be highly labour-intensive, suffer from poor time resolution, or are limited in sensitivity to low concentrations. Here, we present the application of microfluidic devices to the study of atmospheric INPs via the simple and rapid production of monodisperse droplets and their subsequent freezing on a cold stage. This device offers the potential for the testing of INP concentrations in aqueous samples with high sensitivity and high counting statistics. Various INPs were tested for validation of the platform, including mineral dust and biological species, with results compared to literature values. We also describe a methodology for sampling atmospheric aerosol in a manner that minimises sampling biases and which is compatible with the microfluidic device. We present results for INP concentrations in air sampled during two field campaigns: (1) from a rural location in the UK and (2) during the UK's annual Bonfire Night festival. These initial results will provide a route for deployment of the microfluidic platform for the study and quantification of INPs in upcoming field campaigns around the globe, while providing a benchmark for future lab-on-a-chip-based INP studies.

ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Potyviridae.

The Potyviridae is the largest family of RNA plant viruses, members of which have single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genomes and flexuous filamentous particles 680-900 nm long and 11-20 nm wide. There are eight genera, distinguished by the host range, genomic features and phylogeny of the member viruses. Genomes range from 8.2 to 11.3 kb, with an average size of 9.7 kb. Most genomes are monopartite but those of members of the genus Bymovirus are bipartite. Some members cause serious disease epidemics in cultivated plants. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Potyviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/potyviridae.

Consensus statement: Virus taxonomy in the age of metagenomics.

The number and diversity of viral sequences that are identified in metagenomic data far exceeds that of experimentally characterized virus isolates. In a recent workshop, a panel of experts discussed the proposal that, with appropriate quality control, viruses that are known only from metagenomic data can, and should be, incorporated into the official classification scheme of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Although a taxonomy that is based on metagenomic sequence data alone represents a substantial departure from the traditional reliance on phenotypic properties, the development of a robust framework for sequence-based virus taxonomy is indispensable for the comprehensive characterization of the global virome. In this Consensus Statement article, we consider the rationale for why metagenomic sequence data should, and how it can, be incorporated into the ICTV taxonomy, and present proposals that have been endorsed by the Executive Committee of the ICTV.

Subchondral bone plate thickening precedes chondrocyte apoptosis and cartilage degradation in spontaneous animal models of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder characterised by bone remodelling and cartilage degradation and associated with chondrocyte apoptosis. These processes were investigated at 10, 16, 24, and 30 weeks in Dunkin Hartley (DH) and Bristol Strain 2 (BS2) guinea pigs that develop OA spontaneously. Both strains had a more pronounced chondrocyte apoptosis, cartilage degradation, and subchondral bone changes in the medial than the lateral side of the tibia, and between strains, the changes were always greater and faster in DH than BS2. In the medial side, a significant increase of chondrocyte apoptosis and cartilage degradation was observed in DH between 24 and 30 weeks of age preceded by a progressive thickening and stiffening of subchondral bone plate (Sbp). The Sbp thickness consistently increased over the 30-week study period but the bone mineral density (BMD) of the Sbp gradually decreased after 16 weeks. The absence of these changes in the medial side of BS2 may indicate that the Sbp of DH was undergoing remodelling. Chondrocyte apoptosis was largely confined to the deep zone of articular cartilage and correlated with thickness of the subchondral bone plate suggesting that cartilage degradation and chondrocyte apoptosis may be a consequence of continuous bone remodelling during the development of OA in these animal models of OA.

Metabolic profiling of yeast culture using gas chromatography coupled with orthogonal acceleration accurate mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry: application to biomarker discovery.

Yeast and yeast cultures are frequently used as additives in diets of dairy cows. Beneficial effects from the inclusion of yeast culture in diets for dairy mammals have been reported, and the aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive analytical method for the accurate mass identification of the 'global' metabolites in order to differentiate a variety of yeasts at varying growth stages (Diamond V XP, Yea-Sacc and Levucell). Microwave-assisted derivatization for metabolic profiling is demonstrated through the analysis of differing yeast samples developed for cattle feed, which include a wide range of metabolites of interest covering a large range of compound classes. Accurate identification of the components was undertaken using GC-oa-ToFMS (gas chromatography-orthogonal acceleration-time-of-flight mass spectrometry), followed by principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) for data reduction and biomarker discovery. Semi-quantification (fold changes in relative peak areas) was reported for metabolites identified as possible discriminative biomarkers (p-value <0.05, fold change >2), including D-ribose (four fold decrease), myo-inositol (five fold increase), L-phenylalanine (three fold increase), glucopyranoside (two fold increase), fructose (three fold increase) and threitol (three fold increase) respectively.

Species-specific inflammatory responses as a primary component for the development of glomerular lesions in mice and monkeys following chronic administration of a second-generation antisense oligonucleotide.

Chronic administration of drisapersen, a 2'-OMe phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide (AON) to mice and monkeys resulted in renal tubular accumulation, with secondary tubular degeneration. Glomerulopathy occurred in both species with species-specific characteristics. Glomerular lesions in mice were characterized by progressive hyaline matrix accumulation, accompanied by the presence of renal amyloid and with subsequent papillary necrosis. Early changes involved glomerular endothelial hypertrophy and degeneration, but the chronic glomerular amyloid and hyaline alterations in mice appeared to be species specific. An immune-mediated mechanism for the glomerular lesions in mice was supported by early inflammatory changes including increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and other immunomodulatory genes within the renal cortex, increased stimulation of CD68 protein, and systemic elevation of monocyte chemotactic protein 1. In contrast, kidneys from monkeys given drisapersen chronically showed less severe glomerular changes characterized by increased mesangial and inflammatory cells, endothelial cell hypertrophy, and subepithelial and membranous electron-dense deposits, with ultrastructural and immunohistochemical characteristics of complement and complement-related fragments. Lesions in monkeys resembled typical features of C3 glomerulopathy, a condition described in man and experimental animals to be linked to dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway. Thus, inflammatory/immune mechanisms appear critical to glomerular injury with species-specific sensitivities for mouse and monkey. The lower observed proinflammatory activity in humans as compared to mice and monkeys may reflect a lower risk of glomerular injury in patients receiving AON therapy.

Profiling of secondary metabolites in blue lupin inoculated with Phytophthora cinnamomi following phosphite treatment.

In order to discover phytochemicals that are potentially bioactive against Phytophthora cinnamomi, (a soil-borne plant pathogen) a metabolite profiling protocol for investigation of metabolic changes in Lupinus angustifolius L. plant roots in response to pathogen challenge has been established. Analysis of the metabolic profiles from healthy and P. cinnamomi-inoculated root tissue with high resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed that although susceptible, L. angustifolius upregulated a defence associated genistein and 2'-hydroxygenistein-based isoflavonoid and a soyasapogenol saponin at 12h post inoculation which increased in concentration at 72h post inoculation. In contrast to the typical susceptible interaction, the application of a phosphorous-based treatment to L. angustifolius foliage 48h before P. cinnamomi challenge negated the ability of the pathogen to colonise the root tissue and cause disease. Importantly, although the root profiles of water-treated and phosphite-treated plants post pathogen inoculation contained the same secondary metabolites, concentration variations were observed. Accumulation of secondary metabolites within the P. cinnamomi-inoculated plants confirms that pathogen ingress of the root interstitially occurs in phosphite-treated plants, confirming a direct mode of action against the pathogen upon breaching the root cells.

Instabilities in quantum-dot spin-VCSELs.

A modified spin-flip model is used to investigate the stability of optically-pumped quantum-dot spin-vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers. in terms of pump intensity and polarization. The stability maps exhibit pronounced polarization switching in the stable regions. Periodic oscillations in unstable regions are attributed to competition between spin relaxation and birefringence.

Facilitating disaster preparedness through local radio broadcasting.

The 2008 Disaster Mitigation Preparedness (DMP) study took place in Aceh province, Indonesia. It sought to help develop radio programmes and messages to increase resilience to disasters. The role of radio was evaluated during and after the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster. The study team interviewed 984 tsunami survivors from nine sub-districts of Banda Aceh, and local nongovernmental organisations convened eight focus groups around the area of Aceh Besar. Six key informant interviews were held with government disaster management agencies. The DMP survey is the first of its kind to interview a representative random sample of Banda Aceh residents. It reveals the importance of community and social networks, during disaster situations, when essential communications are down. A disaster warning information system based on a multi-media approach needs to be developed. The wider community should be involved in the planning, education and training of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar residents to facilitate appropriate personal and community survival strategies.

Peak modeling approach to accurate assignment of first-dimension retention times in comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography.

Modeling of first-dimension retention of peaks based on modulation phase and period allows reliable prediction of the modulated peak distributions generated in the comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography experiment. By application of the inverse process, it is also possible to use the profile of the modulated peaks (their heights or areas) to predict the shape and parameters of the original input chromatographic band (retention time, standard deviation, area) for the primary column dimension. This allows an accurate derivation of the first-dimension retention time (RSD 0.02%) which is equal to that for the non-modulated experiment, rather than relying upon the retention time of the major modulated peak generated by the modulation process (RSD 0.16%). The latter metric can produce a retention time that differs by at least the modulation period employed in the experiment, which displays a discontinuity in the retention time vs modulation phase plot at the point of the 180 degrees out-of-phase modulation. In contrast, the new procedure proposed here gives a result that is essentially independent of modulation phase and period. This permits an accurate value to be assigned to the first-dimension retention. The proposed metric accounts for the time on the second-dimension, the phase of the distribution, and the hold-up time that the sampled solute is retained in the modulating interface. The approach may also be based on the largest three modulated peaks, rather than all modulated peaks. This simplifies the task of assigning the retention time with little loss of precision in band standard deviation or retention time, provided that these peaks are not all overloaded in the first or second dimension.

Identification of a new endogenous metabolite and the characterization of its protein interactions through an immobilization approach.

The emerging field of global mass-based metabolomics provides a platform for discovering unknown metabolites and their specific biochemical pathways. We report the identification of a new endogenous metabolite, N(4)-(N-acetylaminopropyl)spermidine and the use of a novel proteomics based method for the investigation of its protein interaction using metabolite immobilization on agarose beads. The metabolite was isolated from the organism Pyrococcus furiosus, and structurally characterized through an iterative process of synthesizing candidate molecules and comparative analysis using accurate mass LC-MS/MS. An approach developed for the selective preparation of N(1)-acetylthermospermine, one of the possible structures of the unknown metabolite, provides a convenient route to new polyamine derivatives through methylation on the N(8) and N(4) of the thermospermine scaffold. The biochemical role of the novel metabolite as well as that of two other polyamines: spermidine and agmatine is investigated through metabolite immobilization and incubation with native proteins. The identification of eleven proteins that uniquely bind with N(4)-(N-acetylaminopropyl)spermidine, provides information on the role of this novel metabolite in the native organism. Identified proteins included hypothetical ones such as PF0607 and PF1199, and those involved in translation, DNA synthesis and the urea cycle like translation initiation factor IF-2, 50S ribosomal protein L14e, DNA-directed RNA polymerase, and ornithine carbamoyltransferase. The immobilization approach demonstrated here has the potential for application to other newly discovered endogenous metabolites found through untargeted metabolomics, as a preliminary screen for generating a list of proteins that could be further investigated for specific activity.

Biomechanical implications of degenerative joint disease in the apophyseal joints of human thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.

An experimental technique for quantifying load-sharing in cadaveric spines is used to test the hypothesis that degenerative changes in human apophyseal joints are directly related to high levels of compressive load-bearing by these joints. About 36 cadaveric thoraco-lumbar motion segments aged 64-92 years were subjected to a compressive load of 1.5 kN. The distribution of compressive stress was measured in the intervertebral discs using a miniature pressure transducer, and stress measurements were summed over area to give the compressive force resisted by the disc. This was subtracted from the applied 1.5 kN to indicate compressive load-bearing by the apophyseal joints. The cartilage of each apophyseal joint surface was then graded for degree of degeneration. After maceration, each joint surface was scored for degenerative joint disease (DJD) affecting the bone. Results demonstrated that the apophyseal joints resisted 5-96% (mean 45%) of the applied compressive force. A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between age and cartilage degeneration, age and DJD bone score, apophyseal joint load-bearing and bone score, and cartilage score and load-bearing. The latter correlation was strongest for load-bearing above 50%. Ordinal regression showed that the variables describing bone DJD (marginal osteophytes, pitting, bony contour change, and eburnation) were significantly correlated with degree of cartilage degeneration. It is concluded that in elderly individuals apophyseal joint load-bearing above a threshold of 50% is associated with severe degenerative changes in cartilage and bone, and that markers of DJD observed palaeopathologically may be used as predictors of such loadingin life.

FTIR analysis and monitoring of synthetic aviation engine oils.

Synthetic turbine oils from military aircraft engines were analysed for antioxidant content and total acid number using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Two-dimensional IR correlation analysis was employed to investigate and interpret observed trends in the spectra, as acid was formed and antioxidant species were depleted in the oils, as a function of aging and engine wear. Principal components and partial least squares algorithms were used and compared for the development of calibration and prediction models. Transmission IR spectrometry is demonstrated to be effective for the analysis and monitoring of synthetic aviation turbine engine oils and shown to provide rapid and accurate information as compared with traditional analytical techniques and methods.

Increased apoptosis in human osteoarthritic cartilage corresponds to reduced cell density and expression of caspase-3.

OBJECTIVE: Chondrocyte apoptosis has been described in both human and experimentally induced osteoarthritis (OA), but its importance in the etiopathogenesis of OA is uncertain. The aims of this study were to determine the rate of chondrocyte apoptosis using different methods, and to investigate the relationship between this process and cartilage cellularity, expression of proapoptotic molecules, and expression of antiapoptotic molecules in articular cartilage obtained from patients with OA and from nonarthritic controls. METHODS: We examined the extent of apoptosis in OA and nonarthritic control cartilage using expression of caspase-3, an enzyme that mediates the final stage of cell death by apoptosis, as well as the TUNEL method. We used immunohistochemistry to analyze the expression of a panel of proapoptotic and antiapoptotic molecules that regulate apoptosis in articular cartilage, in order to determine whether the rate of apoptosis is associated with the expression of these molecules. RESULTS: The median (range) percentage of TUNEL-positive chondrocytes in knee OA cartilage (n = 10 specimens), hip OA cartilage (n = 9), and control cartilage (n = 7) was 3.11 (1.67-3.67), 1.86 (1.22-2.89), and 0.39 (0.00-1.78), respectively. When all cartilage samples were pooled, apoptosis showed a strong inverse correlation with cellularity (r = -0.74, P < 0.0001). The percentage (range) of cells expressing caspase-3 in the 3 groups was 15.70 (7.40-20.50), 15.77 (7.42-20.5), and 7.40 (5.90-8.00), respectively. One-way analysis of variance showed that the differences between groups for both TUNEL-positive cells and expression of caspase-3 were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation between TUNEL-positive cells and expression of caspase-3 (r = 0.654, P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: The data suggest that apoptosis is increased, on average, 2-4-fold in OA cartilage. Considering that OA develops over many years, such an increase in the rate of apoptosis in the articular cartilage could play an important role in the disease process.