We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
To save content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Objectives/Goals: The objective of this study is to explore strategies for AI-physician collaboration in diagnosing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using chest X-rays. By comparing the diagnostic accuracy of different AI deployment methods, the study aims to identify optimal strategies that leverage both AI and physician expertise to improve outcomes. Methods/Study Population: The study analyzed 414 frontal chest X-rays from 115 patients hospitalized between August 15 and October 2, 2017, at the University of Michigan. Each X-ray was reviewed by six physicians for ARDS presence and diagnostic confidence. We developed a deep learning AI model for detecting ARDS and explored the strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots of both physicians and AI systems to inform optimal system deployment. We then investigated several AI-physician collaboration strategies, including: 1) AI-aided physician: physicians interpret chest X-rays first and defer to the AI model if uncertain, 2) physician-aided AI: the AI model interprets chest X-rays first and defers to a physician if uncertain, and 3) AI model and physician interpreting chest X-rays separately and then averaging their interpretations. Results/Anticipated Results: While the AI model (84.7% accuracy) had higher accuracy than physicians (80.8%), we found evidence that AI and physician expertise are complementary. When physicians lacked confidence in a chest X-ray’s interpretation, the AI model had higher accuracy. Conversely, in cases of AI uncertainty, physicians were more accurate. The AI excelled with easier cases, while physicians were better with difficult cases, defined as those where at least two physicians disagreed with the majority label. Collaboration strategies tested include AI-aided physician (82.4%), physician-aided AI (86.9%), and averaging interpretations (86%). The physician-aided AI approach had the highest accuracy, could off-load the human expert workload on the reading of up to 79% chest X-rays, allowing physicians to focus on challenging cases. Discussion/Significance of Impact: This study shows AI and physicians complement each other in ARDS diagnosis, improving accuracy when combined. A physician-aided AI strategy, where the AI defers to physicians when uncertain, proved most effective. Implementing AI-physician collaborations in clinical settings could enhance ARDS care, especially in low-resource environments.
West Side Story has long been important in the international market. This chapter provides four vignettes of its presence outside of the United States. Attempts to make the show one of the pieces of American culture that the US State Department allowed to tour in the USSR in the 1950s were unsuccessful, but the 1961 film helped make West Side Story known there and its sense of integration between various elements aligned closely with Soviet artistic conceptions. The film became very popular in Spain, where staged versions did not appear until tours in the 1980s. The first two professional Spanish productions premiered in Barcelona in 1996 and Madrid in 2018. Jerome Robbins took an American cast to England in 1958, creating a sensation first in Manchester and then in London. A Finnish production in Tampere Theater in 1963 proved popular and played briefly in Vienna in 1965.
Avian schistosomes are snail-borne trematode parasites (Trichobilharzia spp.) that can cause a nasty skin rash in humans when their cercariae mistake us for their normal bird hosts. We sought to investigate drivers of the spatial distribution of Trichobilharzia cercaria abundance throughout Northern Michigan lakes. For 38 sites on 16 lakes, we assessed several dozen potential environmental predictors that we hypothesized might have direct or indirect effects on overall cercaria abundance, based on known relationships between abiotic and biotic factors in wetland ecosystems. We included variables quantifying local densities of intermediate hosts, temperature, periphyton growth rates, human land use and hydrology. We also measured daily abundance of schistosome cercariae in the water over a 5-week period, supported by community scientists who collected and preserved filtered water samples for qPCR. The strongest predictor of cercaria abundance was Lymnaea host snail density. Lymnaea density was higher in deeper lakes and at sites with more deciduous tree cover, consistent with their association with cool temperature habitats. Contrary to past studies of human schistosomes, we also found a significant negative relationship between cercaria abundance and submerged aquatic vegetation, possibly due to vegetation blocking cercaria movement from offshore snail beds. If future work shows that these effects are indeed causal, then these results suggest possible new approaches to managing swimmer's itch risk in northern MI lakes, such as modifying tree cover and shallow-water vegetation at local sites.
Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) hold the majority of disease burden attributed to major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite this, there remains a substantial gap for access to evidence-based treatments for MDD in LMICs like Pakistan. Measurement-based care (MBC) incorporates systematic administration of validated outcome measures to guide treatment decision making and is considered a low-cost approach to optimise better clinical outcomes for individuals with MDD but there is a paucity of evidence on the efficacy of MBC in LMICs.
Objectives
This protocol highlights a randomized trial which will include Pakistani outpatients with moderate to severe major depression.
Methods
Participants will be randomised to either MBC (guided by schedule), or standard treatment (guided by clinicians’ judgement), and will be prescribed with paroxetine (10–60mg/day) or mirtazapine (7.5–45mg/day) for 24 weeks. Outcomes will be evaluated by raters blind to study protocol and treatment.
Results
National Bioethics Committee (NBC) of Pakistan has given full ethics approval. The trial is being conducted and reported as per recommendation of the CONSORT statement for RCTs.
Conclusions
With increasing evidence from high-income settings supporting the effectiveness of MBC for MDD, it is now necessary to explore its feasibility, utility. and efficacy in low-resource settings. The results of the proposed trial could inform the development of a low-cost and scalable approach to efficiently optimise outcomes for individuals with MDD in Pakistan.
Acquisition and germination of seeds are the most desired targets for the improvement of vegetatively propagated crops. In the present study, we developed a potential embryo germination protocol for the Red Globe grape cultivar having a low seed germination rate. Three grape berries at different developmental stages, viz. 50, 60 and 70 days after flowering (DAF), were selected for in-vitro embryo germination. Three growth media, namely Emershad and Ramming (ER), Nitsch and Nitsch (NN) and Murashige and Skoog (MS), and plant growth regulators (benzyl amino purine (BA), 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 mg/l; indole butyric acid (IBA), 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/l; and gibberellic acid (GA), 0.1, 0.3 and 0.9 mg/l) were screened individually in different combinations with three amino acids, namely cysteine, glutamine and proline (2.0 μmol/l each). The maximum embryos germination percentage recorded at 70 DAF was 63.33, 47.78 and 45.56% in ER, NN and MS media, respectively, supplemented with 0.9 mg/l BA, 2.0 mg/l IBA, 0.9 mg/l GA and 2.0 μmol glutamine. Glutamine was found to have the most significant impact, and it improved the rescued embryos germination. The present study provides a potential recipe for a medium that can facilitate efficient germination of grape embryos.
Anti-diabetic actions of Camellia sinensis leaves, used traditionally for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) treatment, have been determined. Insulin release, membrane potential and intra-cellular Ca were studied using the pancreatic β-cell line, BRIN-BD11 and primary mouse pancreatic islets. Cellular glucose-uptake/insulin action by 3T3-L1 adipocytes, starch digestion, glucose diffusion, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-IV) activity and glycation were determined together with in vivo studies assessing glucose homoeostasis in high-fat-fed (HFF) rats. Active phytoconstituents with insulinotropic activity were isolated using reversed-phase HPLC, LCMS and NMR. A hot water extract of C. sinensis increased insulin secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. Insulinotropic effects were significantly reduced by diazoxide, verapamil and under Ca-free conditions, being associated with membrane depolarisation and increased intra-cellular Ca2+. Insulin-releasing effects were observed in the presence of KCl, tolbutamide and isobutylmethylxanthine, indicating actions beyond K+ and Ca2+ channels. The extract also increased glucose uptake/insulin action in 3T3L1 adipocyte cells and inhibited protein glycation, DPP-IV enzyme activity, starch digestion and glucose diffusion. Oral administration of the extract enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin release in HFF rats. Extended treatment (250 mg/5 ml per kg orally) for 9 d led to improvements of body weight, energy intake, plasma and pancreatic insulin, and corrections of both islet size and β-cell mass. These effects were accompanied by lower glycaemia and significant reduction of plasma DPP-IV activity. Compounds isolated by HPLC/LCMS, isoquercitrin and rutin (464·2 Da and 610·3 Da), stimulated insulin release and improved glucose tolerance. These data indicate that C. sinensis leaves warrant further evaluation as an effective adjunctive therapy for T2DM and source of bioactive compounds.
Spirulina platensis has been found to be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The present study aims to elucidate the effects of ethanol extract and butanol fraction of S. platensis on insulin release and glucose homoeostasis in type 2 diabetic rats, together with their mechanism of actions. In vitro and in vivo methods were used including cellular studies to determine potential role of ion channels and cAMP in the insulinotropic actions of the extracts. The ethanol extract and butanol fraction stimulated insulin release from mouse islets and pancreatic β-cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The butanol fraction also similarly stimulated insulin release from perfused rat pancreas. The insulin-releasing action was augmented by glucose, isobutylmethylxanthine, tolbutamide and a depolarising concentration of KCl. The insulin secretory effect was attenuated with diazoxide and verapamil and by omission of extracellular Ca2+. Butanol fraction was found to significantly inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase IV enzyme activity. Moreover, butanol fraction improved glucose tolerance following oral glucose administration (2·5 g/kg body weight (b.w.)). The butanol fraction was tested on 24 h starved rats given an oral sucrose load (2·5 g/kg b.w.) to examine possible effects on carbohydrate digestion and absorption. S. platensis substantially decreased postprandial hyperglycaemia after oral sucrose load and increased unabsorbed sucrose content throughout the gut. During in situ intestinal perfusion with glucose, the butanol fraction reduced glucose absorption and promoted gut motility. Finally, chronic oral administration of butanol fraction for 28 d significantly decreased blood glucose, increased plasma insulin, pancreatic insulin stores, liver glycogen and improved lipid profile. The characterisation of active compounds from butanol fraction revealed the presence of p-coumaric acid, β-carotene, catechin and other antioxidant polyphenols. In conclusion, S. platensis could be an adjunctive therapy for the management of type 2 diabetes.
Depression is a global public health problem with highest rates in women in low income countries including Pakistan. Paediatricians may be a resource to help with maternal depression. Little is known in low income countries about the prevalence of depression and its social correlates in mothers of children attending paediatric clinics.
Methods
Using cross-sectional design consecutive women attending the paediatric clinic were screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (n=185). Women scoring 12 or more (n=70) and a random sample of low scorers (n=16) were interviewed using the Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R) to confirm the diagnosis of depression, the Oslo scale was used to measure social stress and EQ-5D for health related quality of life.
Results
The prevalence of maternal depression was 51%. The mean age of the sample was 26 years. Depressed mothers were more likely to be living in a joint family household, they were less educated and they and their husbands were less likely to be employed. The depressed mothers had more financial difficulties and they were more likely to sleep hungry during the last month due to financial problems. The depressed mothers had less social support and poorer quality of life compared to non depressed mothers.
Conclusion
Maternal depression in this health care setting is high and it is associated with social stress and poor social support. Paediatric appointments may be an opportunity for care and care delivery for maternal depression.
Female patients tend to be more often diagnosed with ADHD inattentive subtype. Many of these females deny an earlier childhood history of hyperactivity or disruptive behaviours and hence may have been clinically overlooked in childhood, while their male counterparts may have presented with ADHD combined subtype which tends to be more easily identified and diagnosed.
Objectives
Participants will learn about gender differences in ADHD diagnosis and epidemiology.
Aims
To examine gender differences in the age of first diagnosis of ADHD in a clinical population.
Methods
The study sample consisted of 118 males and 61 females (ages 17–69). Each patient was evaluated and diagnosed by an experienced psychiatrist. Clinical measures (administered by a trained psychometrist) included the CAARS (self and observer versions), BRIEF (self and informant versions), CAADID (history and structured interview), ASRS, CPT, Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression Inventories. Patients were referred by family physicians to a large out-patient metropolitan psychiatry program specializing in ADHD. Information regarding childhood diagnosis was collected retrospectively during the clinical interview.
Results
In this study the mean age of diagnosis (ADHD) for males was 31.2 years versus 32.1 for females. Neither t-test (p = 0.44) nor non-parametric testing using Mann-Whitney U Test (p = 0.67) showed any statistical differences between the two groups.
Conclusions
In the present study there were no difference in the mean age of first diagnosis between male and female subjects. In the present study Further studies are needed to clarify this question. Selection factor may have been a factor in these results.
Cognitive Behavioral and related psychotherapies such as Meta-Cognitive Psychotherapy are the most commonly cited and researched psychotherapy modalities in treating Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The structure and goals of these therapies can be directly adapted to address ADHD symptoms. However, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is not generally thought of as a common treatment alternative in ADHD. Indeed, psychoanalytically derived psychotherapies are not regularly utilized in the treatment of neurobiological disorders/ADHD. Adults with ADHD have commonalities in psychological developments due to secondary effects ADHD may have on the infant-caregiver interactions and the formation of later psychological structures. Research in the treatment of Adult ADHD demonstrates how patients share common defensive configurations secondary to common sequelae of ADHD such as underachievement and social maladjustment.
Objectives
The purpose of this abstract is to examine how the application of psychodynamic theory can be successfully utilized in several ways as a beneficial adjunct treatment of ADHD. Case examples of psychodynamic treatments of adults with ADHD will be presented as will common clinical issues in ADHD treatment.
Methods
This poster will present 4 case studies selected from a clinical population of a large metropolitan ADHD in Toronto, Canada and will discuss how psychotherapeutic techniques were utilized in conjunction with psychopharmacological agents to treat the symptoms of Adult ADHD.
Conclusions
The use and application of psychodynamic theory can be successfully utilized in significant ways as a beneficial adjunct treatment of ADHD as part of an integrative treatment approach which utilizes both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological approaches.
The goal of this poster is to discuss a brief pilot study in which mindfulness – and yoga-based practices were utilized with a group of adult ADHD patients.
Methods
A sample of 10 adults participated in a pilot group which utilized the use mindfulness-based and yoga practices to address ADHD. This group was a single 2 hour session which was a pilot for a future 6-week psycho-educational group. The participants completed the following questionnaires: the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale (CAMS-R), the Freiburg mindfulness inventory and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in addition to a survey regarding levels of knowledge of yoga and mindfulness prior to the beginning of the session. The participants completed a survey at the end of the session.
Results
In our small sample group, all respondents reported that they found the session helpful (43% strongly agreed; 57% agreed). When asked if the participants were likely to explore and learn more about ADHD and meditation on their own based on what they learned in the session, most indicated that they were likely to (43% strongly agreed; 43% agreed and 14% were neutral).
Conclusions
The use of treatment modalities involving the use of meditation and mindfulness-based techniques in a group setting are thought to be helpful in addressing some of the target symptoms of ADHD. Based on the preliminary data collected in our small pilot study, our group intends to further explore the efficacy of meditation-based groups in the form of a 6-week training program in 2017.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
There is strong association between depression and mortality rates among patients with CHF. Despite the massive burden of cardiac disease as well as that of depression in Pakistan, there is limited data regarding the prevalence of depression in patients suffering from CHF. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of depression in patients with CHF and to compare the health related quality of life of depressed and non-depressed patients with CHF.
Methods
A total of 1009 patients diagnosed with CHF were recruited from different public hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Depression was assessed at baseline using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and health related quality of life was assessed using Euro Qol (EQ-5D).
Results
Of the 1009 participants recruited to the study, 66.4% (n = 670) met the threshold for depression using the BDI measure. Of the depressed patients, 66.7% (n = 447) were male. Preliminary results indicate that participants who were depressed at baseline had poorer health related quality of life on EQ-5D measures as compared to those who were non-depressed (mean EQ-5D descriptive score 10.45 in depressed patients vs 7.37 in non-depressed patients and mean EQ-5D visual scale score 35.09 in depressed patients vs 52.19 in non-depressed patients).
Conclusion
Considering the high prevalence of depression and its serious negative impact on quality of life of patients suffering from chronic physical illness, it is important to design and test culturally adapted psychosocial interventions to reduce depression and improve quality of life for these patients.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Poor auditory speech perception in geriatrics is attributable to neural de-synchronisation due to structural and degenerative changes of ageing auditory pathways. The speech-evoked auditory brainstem response may be useful for detecting alterations that cause loss of speech discrimination. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the speech-evoked auditory brainstem response in adult and geriatric populations with normal hearing.
Methods:
The auditory brainstem responses to click sounds and to a 40 ms speech sound (the Hindi phoneme |da|) were compared in 25 young adults and 25 geriatric people with normal hearing. The latencies and amplitudes of transient peaks representing neural responses to the onset, offset and sustained portions of the speech stimulus in quiet and noisy conditions were recorded.
Results:
The older group had significantly smaller amplitudes and longer latencies for the onset and offset responses to |da| in noisy conditions. Stimulus-to-response times were longer and the spectral amplitude of the sustained portion of the stimulus was reduced. The overall stimulus level caused significant shifts in latency across the entire speech-evoked auditory brainstem response in the older group.
Conclusion:
The reduction in neural speech processing in older adults suggests diminished subcortical responsiveness to acoustically dynamic spectral cues. However, further investigations are needed to encode temporal cues at the brainstem level and determine their relationship to speech perception for developing a routine tool for clinical decision-making.
In this paper, a non-classical plate model capturing the size effect is developed to study the forced vibration of functionally graded (FG) microplates subjected to a harmonic excitation transverse force. To this, the modified couple stress theory (MCST) is incorporated into the first-order shear deformation plate theory (FSDPT) to account for the size effect through one length scale parameter, only. Strong form of nonlinear governing equations and associated boundary conditions are obtained using Hamilton's principle. The solution process is implemented on two domains. The generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method is first employed to discretize the governing equations on the space domain. A Galerkin-based scheme is then applied to extract a reduced set of the nonlinear equations of Duffing-type. On the second domain, through a time differentiation matrix operator, the set of ordinary differential equations are transformed into the discrete form on time domain. Eventually, a system of the parameterized nonlinear equations is acquired and solved via the pseudo-arc length continuation method. The frequency response curve of the microplate is sketched and the effects of various material and geometrical parameters on it are evaluated.
This study aimed to compare the interpretations of temporal bone computed tomography scans by an otologist and a radiologist with a special interest in temporal bone imaging. It also aimed to determine the usefulness of this imaging modality.
Methods:
A head and neck radiologist and an otologist separately reported pre-operative computed tomography images using a structured proforma. The reports were then compared with operative findings to determine their accuracy and differences in interpretations.
Results:
Forty-eight patients who underwent pre-operative computed tomography scans in a 30-month period were identified. Six patients were excluded because complete operative findings had not been recorded. Positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of the anatomical and pathological findings were calculated for 42 patients by both reporters. The accuracy was found to be less than 80 per cent, except for identification of the tegmen and lateral semicircular canal erosion. Overall, there was no significant difference in interpretations of computed tomography scans between reporters. There was a slight difference in interpretation for tympanic membrane retraction, facial canal erosion and lateral semicircular canal fistula and/or erosion.
Conclusion:
Pre-operative computed tomography scanning of the temporal bone is useful for predicting anatomy for surgical planning in patients with chronic otitis media, but its reliability remains questionable.
We present a quasi-linear iterative method for solving a system of $m$-nonlinear coupled differential equations. We provide an error analysis of the method to study its convergence criteria. In order to show the efficiency of the method, we consider some computational examples of this class of problem. These examples validate the accuracy of the method and show that it gives results which are convergent to the exact solutions. We prove that the method is accurate, fast and has a reasonable rate of convergence by computing some local and global error indicators.
There has been a surge in the popularity of loom bands amongst children in recent months. These small rubber bands, which can be woven together to make colourful bracelets and necklaces, have become the world's most popular toy. Foreign bodies in paediatric nasal and aural cavities are a common presentation to ENT units across the country. Whilst most are removed without incident, foreign bodies in nasal passages represent a potential risk for inhalation, leading to airway obstruction.
Method:
This paper reports a case series of four paediatric patients who presented with a loom band associated foreign body in the nose over a 7-day period at a district general hospital in Scotland.
Conclusion:
Although the four cases presented were resolved without the need for general anaesthetic, the ever-soaring prevalence and popularity of loom bands necessitates a degree of caution and vigilance from parents, retailers and manufacturers alike. We believe there is an urgent need for greater public awareness of their potential hazards.
Based on the Timoshenko beam model, the nonlinear vibration of microbeams made of functionally graded (FG) materials is investigated under different boundary conditions. To consider small scale effects, the model is developed based on the most general form of strain gradient elasticity. The nonlinear governing equations and boundary conditions are derived via Hamilton's principle and then discretized using the generalized differential quadrature technique. A pseudo-Galerkin approach is used to reduce the set of discretized governing equations into a time-varying set of ordinary differential equations of Duffing-type. The harmonic balance method in conjunction with the Newton-Raphson method is also applied so as to solve the problem in time domain. The effects of boundary conditions, length scale parameters, material gradient index and geometrical parameters are studied. It is found that the importance of the small length scale is affected by the type of boundary conditions and vibration mode. Also, it is revealed that the classical theory tends to underestimate the vibration amplitude and linear frequency of FG microbeams.
Stars twinkle because their light propagates through the atmosphere. The same phenomenon is expected when the light of remote stars crosses a Galactic—disk or halo—refractive medium such as a molecular cloud. We present the promising results of a test performed with the ESO–NTT, and consider its potential.
The use of six cowpea varieties highly resistant to Aphis craccivora Koch in grafts (as resistant scion and rootstock) with the susceptible variety Prima indicated the presence of a graft-transmissible chemical involved in the resistance. Wrapping the resistant part in light-proof foil indicated that photosynthesis is involved in the production of the chemical. In a third test, intergrafting is involved in the production of the chemical. In a third test, intergrafting the resistant part with and without leaves confirmed the importance of photosynthesis in the transfer of resistance. Finally, covering the resistance intergrafts with foil showed that the accumulation of the chemical in the stem before the foil was applied was the major source of the graft-transmissible resistance.