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The gut microbiome is impacted by certain types of dietary fibre. However, the type, duration and dose needed to elicit gut microbial changes and whether these changes also influence microbial metabolites remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of supplementing healthy participants with two types of non-digestible carbohydrates (resistant starch (RS) and polydextrose (PD)) on the stool microbiota and microbial metabolite concentrations in plasma, stool and urine, as secondary outcomes in the Dietary Intervention Stem Cells and Colorectal Cancer (DISC) Study. The DISC study was a double-blind, randomised controlled trial that supplemented healthy participants with RS and/or PD or placebo for 50 d in a 2 × 2 factorial design. DNA was extracted from stool samples collected pre- and post-intervention, and V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to profile the gut microbiota. Metabolite concentrations were measured in stool, plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. A total of fifty-eight participants with paired samples available were included. After 50 d, no effects of RS or PD were detected on composition of the gut microbiota diversity (alpha- and beta-diversity), on genus relative abundance or on metabolite concentrations. However, Drichlet’s multinomial mixture clustering-based approach suggests that some participants changed microbial enterotype post-intervention. The gut microbiota and fecal, plasma and urinary microbial metabolites were stable in response to a 50-d fibre intervention in middle-aged adults. Larger and longer studies, including those which explore the effects of specific fibre sub-types, may be required to determine the relationships between fibre intake, the gut microbiome and host health.
A series of synthetic goethites containing varying amounts of Si and P dopants were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, electron diffraction, microbeam electron diffraction, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Very low level incorporation produced materials having structural and spectral properties similar to those of poorly crystalline synthetic or natural goethite. At higher incorporation levels, mixtures of noncrystalline materials were obtained which exhibited Mössbauer spectra typical of noncrystalline materials mixed with a superparamagnetic component. Microbeam electron diffraction indicated that these mixtures contained poorly crystalline goethite, poorly crystalline ferrihydrite, and a noncrystalline component. If the material was prepared with no aging of the alkaline Fe3+ solution before the addition of Na2HPO4 or Na2SiO3, materials were obtained containing little if any superparamagnetic component. If the alkaline Fe3+ solution was aged for 48 hr before the addition, goethite nuclei formed and apparently promoted the precipitation of a superparamagnetic phase. The Mössbauer-effect hyperfme parameters and the saturation internal-hyperfine field obtained at 4.2 K were typical of those of goethite; however, the Mössbauer spectra indicated that the ordering temperature, as reflected in the relaxation rate and/or the blocking temperature, decreased with increasing incorporation of Si and P. The complete loss of crystallinity indicates that Si and P did not substitute for Fe, but rather adsorbed on crystal-growth sites, thereby preventing uniform crystal growth.
Attention is the backbone of cognitive systems and is requisite for many cognitive processes vital to everyday functioning, including memory, problem solving, and the cognitive control of behavior. Attention is commonly impaired following traumatic brain injury and is a critical focus of rehabilitation efforts. The development of reliable methods to assess rehabilitation-related changes are paramount. The Attention Network Test (ANT) has been used previously to identify 3 independent, yet interactive attention networks—alerting, orienting, and executive control (EC). We examined the behavioral and neurophysiological robustness and temporal stability of these networks across multiple sessions to assess the ANT’s potential utility as an effective measure of change during attention rehabilitative interventions.
Participants and Methods:
15 healthy young adults completed 4 sessions of the ANT (1 session/7-day period). ANT networks were assessed within the task by contrasting opposing stimulus conditions: cued vs. non-cued trials probed alerting, valid vs. invalid spatial cues probed orienting, and congruent vs. incongruent targets probed EC. Differences in median correct-trial reaction times (RTs) and error rates (ERs) between the condition pairs were assessed to determine attention network scores; robustness of networks effects, as determined by one-sample t-tests at each session, against a mean of 0, determining the presence of significant network effects at each session. Sixty-four-channel electroencephalography (EEG) data were acquired concurrently and processed using Matlab to create condition-related event-related potentials (ERPs)—particularly the cue- and probe-related P1, N1, and P3 deflection amplitudes, measured by using signed-area calculation in regions of interest (ROIs) determined by observation of spherical-spline voltages. This enabled us to examine the robustness of cue- and probe-attention-network ERPs.
Results:
All three attention networks showed robust effects. However, only the EC RT and ER network scores remained significantly robust [t(14)s>13.9,ps<.001] across all sessions, indicating that EC is robust in the face of repeated exposure. Session 1 showed the greatest EC-RT robustness effect which became smaller during the subsequent sessions per ANOVAs on Session x Congruency [F(3,42)=10.21,p<.0001], reflecting persistence despite practice effects. RT robustness of the other networks varied across sessions. Alerting and EC ERs were similarly robust across all 4 sessions, but were more variable for the orienting network. ERP results: The cue-locked P1-orienting (valid vs. invalid) was generally larger to valid- than invalid-cues, but the robustness across sessions was variable (significant in only sessions 1 and 4 [t(14)s>2.13,ps<.04], as reflected in a significant main effect of session [p=.0042]. Next, target-locked EC P3s were generally smaller to congruent than incongruent targets [F(1,14)=9.40,p=.0084], showing robust effects only in sessions 3 and 4 [ps<.005].
Conclusions:
The EC network RT and ER scores were consistently robust across all sessions, suggesting that this network may be less vulnerable to practice effects across session than the other networks and may be the most reliable probe of attentional rehabilitation. ERP measures were more variable across attention networks with respect to robustness. Behavioral measures of EC-network may be most reliable for assessing progress related to attentional-rehabilitation efforts.
This study estimates the prevalence of, and associations between, family food insecurity and overweight/obesity among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adolescents and explores socio-demographic factors which might have a moderation effect on the association.
Design:
Cross-sectional study using 2014 NHPI-National Health Interview Survey data reported by a parent or guardian. Family-level food security was assessed by the US Department of Agriculture 10-item questionnaire. BMI for age and sex ≥ 85th and 95th percentiles defined overweight and obesity, respectively, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.
Setting:
The USA, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Participants:
383 NHPI adolescents aged 12–17 in the USA.
Results:
A third (33·5 %) of NHPI adolescents aged 12–17 were overweight (19·1 %) or obese (14·4 %); 8·1 % had low food security; and 8·5 % had very low food security. Mean family food security score was 1·06, which corresponds to marginal food security. We found no association between family food insecurity and adolescent overweight/obesity or between any other covariates and overweight/obesity, except for family Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation. Odds of being overweight/obese were 77 % lower for adolescents in families participating in SNAP (OR: 0·23, 95 % CI: 0·08, 0·64, P = 0·007). The association between SNAP participation and lower odds of overweight/obesity was particularly pronounced for adolescent girls in food-insecure families.
Conclusions:
The association between SNAP participation and lower odds of overweight/obesity suggests potential benefit of research to determine whether interventions to increase SNAP enrollment would improve NHPI adolescents’ health outcomes.
Following its exceptional response to the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) gained new powers to securitise infectious disease outbreaks via the revised 2005 International Health Regulations (IHRs) and the ability to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This article investigates the declaration of a PHEIC in relation to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the 2014–16 Ebola outbreak, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that the securitisation of these outbreaks was dependent upon global surveillance networks that utilised genetic technologies to visualise the molecular characteristics and spread of the pathogen in question. Genetic evidence in these cases facilitated the creation of a securitised object by revealing the unique and ‘untypable’ nature of the H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 viruses and made visible the widespread prevalence of Ebola across the population of West Africa. The power of this evidence draws from a societal perception of science as producing objective ‘facts’ about the world that objectivise their objects of concern and empower political actors in the implementation of their security agendas. As a result, scientific evidence provided by genetic technologies now plays a necessary and indispensable role in the securitisation of infectious disease outbreaks.
Food insecurity is associated with a greater risk of depression among low-income adults in the USA. Members of food-insecure households have lower diet diversity than their food-secure counterparts. This study examined whether diet diversity moderates the association between food insecurity and depression.
Design:
Multiple logistic regression was conducted to examine independent associations between food insecurity and depression, between diet diversity and depression, and the moderating effect of diet diversity in the food insecurity–depression link.
Setting:
Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2014).
Participants:
2636 low-income adults aged 18 years and older.
Results:
There was a positive association between food insecurity and depression among low-income adults. Diet diversity was not associated with depression. Diet diversity had a moderating effect on the association between food insecurity and depression among low-income adults.
Conclusions:
Food insecurity is independently associated with depression among low-income adults in the USA. However, this association differs across levels of diet diversity. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the role diet diversity may play in the pathway between food insecurity and depression.
A 53-year-old male presents with cough, fever, and myalgias for 7 days. Vitals include temperature, 38.0°C; heart rate, 110; blood pressure, 118/70 mm Hg; respiration rate, 28; and oxygen saturation 83% on room air. His only past medical history is hypertension. Your community is in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The patient is hypoxic but responds to oxygen supplementation with nasal cannula and a face mask. His chest x-ray demonstrates multifocal infiltrates. Are there any therapeutic agents currently available for COVID-19?
A 37-year-old female presents with cough, fever, dyspnea, and myalgias for five days after recent contact with a family member with confirmed 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Her vital signs include T 38.3° C, HR 108, BP 118/70 mm Hg, RR 26 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation 67% on room air. She is not in respiratory distress currently and is protecting her airway. Her chest X-ray reveals bilateral airspace opacities. You plan to immediately intervene and address her hypoxia.
Emergency medical services (EMS) is called for a 65-year-old man with a 1-week history of cough, fever, and mild shortness of breath now reporting chest pain. Vitals on scene were HR 110, BP 135/90, SpO2 88% on room air. EMS arrives at the emergency department (ED). As the patient is moved to a negative pressure room, he becomes unresponsive with no palpable pulse. What next steps should be discussed in order to protect the team and achieve the best possible patient outcome?
Research participants want to receive results from studies in which they participate. However, health researchers rarely share the results of their studies beyond scientific publication. Little is known about the barriers researchers face in returning study results to participants.
Methods:
Using a mixed-methods design, health researchers (N = 414) from more than 40 US universities were asked about barriers to providing results to participants. Respondents were recruited from universities with Clinical and Translational Science Award programs and Prevention Research Centers.
Results:
Respondents reported the percent of their research where they experienced each of the four barriers to disseminating results to participants: logistical/methodological, financial, systems, and regulatory. A fifth barrier, investigator capacity, emerged from data analysis. Training for research faculty and staff, promotion and tenure incentives, and funding agencies supporting dissemination of results to participants were solutions offered to overcoming barriers.
Conclusions:
Study findings add to literature on research dissemination by documenting health researchers’ perceived barriers to sharing study results with participants. Implications for policy and practice suggest that additional resources and training could help reduce dissemination barriers and increase the return of results to participants.
A piezoelectric biomedical microelectromechanical system (bioMEMS) cantilever device was designed and fabricated to act as either a sensing element for muscle tissue contraction or as an actuator to apply mechanical force to cells. The sensing ability of the piezoelectric cantilevers was shown by monitoring the electrical signal generated from the piezoelectric aluminum nitride in response to the contraction of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes cultured on the piezoelectric cantilevers. Actuation was demonstrated by applying electrical pulses to the piezoelectric cantilever and observing bending via an optical detection method. This piezoelectric cantilever device was designed to be incorporated into body-on-a-chip systems.
Involving members of the public in the development of Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) has scientific and public value (1) but the most common form of involvement in HTA remains collection of people's views in the form of data (2). Involving members of the public in shaping the research is rare due to perceived time or resource constraints (3). Our research aimed to; (i) develop tailored meeting formats for public involvement in a lung cancer screening HTA, (ii) capture views on lung cancer screening using a community drop in format (iii) explore how different groups of public contributors, with various prior experience of involvement, participated in the HTA consultation process.
METHODS:
The involvement included three separate public meetings and a drop-in session at a community centre. Meeting formats were specifically tailored to meet the needs of the lung cancer screening HTA while drawing on previous patient and public involvement (PPI) work in relevant disciplines. All meetings were audio recorded and observed using a structured form. This data is currently being analysed using a combination of inductive and thematic analysis.
RESULTS:
The qualitative research data on PPI processes was collected in November 2016. The paper will present results from our full analysis. At present, we note that while limited time was available to explain HTA to participants, this did not hamper the discussions’ relevance to the HTA work. Participants shared personal stories irrespective of whether they knew each other from before. People drew on own and others’ experiences when discussing outcomes of importance to this HTA.
CONCLUSIONS:
Prior involvement in research or specific research methods training may not be necessary for public involvement in HTA. This has implications for involving diverse or “hard to reach” groups, without high levels of associated cost.
Declines in populations of the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaeus have been rapid, with the breeding population now perhaps numbering fewer than 120 pairs. The reasons for this decline remain unresolved. Whilst there is evidence that hunting in wintering areas is an important factor, loss of suitable habitat on passage and wintering areas is also of concern. While some key sites for the species are already documented, many of their wintering locations are described here for the first time. Their wintering range primarily stretches from Bangladesh to China. Comprehensive surveys of potential Spoon-billed Sandpiper wintering sites from 2005 to 2013 showed a wide distribution with three key concentrations in Myanmar and Bangladesh, but also regular sites in China, Vietnam and Thailand. The identification of all important non-breeding sites remains of high priority for the conservation of the species. Here, we present the results of field surveys of wintering Spoon-billed Sandpipers that took place in six countries between 2005 and 2013 and present species distribution models which map the potential wintering areas. These include known and currently unrecognised wintering locations. Our maximum entropy model did not identify any new extensive candidate areas within the winter distribution, suggesting that most key sites are already known, but it did identify small sites on the coast of eastern Bangladesh, western Myanmar, and the Guangxi and Guangdong regions of China that may merit further investigation. As no extensive areas of new potential habitat were identified, we suggest that the priorities for the conservation of this species are habitat protection in important wintering and passage areas and reducing hunting pressure on birds at these sites.
In the Gorgias, Socrates claims to practice the true art of politics, but the peculiar politics he practices involves cultivating in each individual he encounters an erotic desire to live a life animated by the ideals of justice, beauty and the good. Socratic and Platonic Political Philosophy demonstrates that what Socrates sought to do with those he encountered, Platonic writing attempts to do with readers. Christopher P. Long's attentive readings of the Protagoras, Gorgias, Phaedo, Apology, and Phaedrus invite us to cultivate the habits of thinking and responding that mark the practices of both Socratic and Platonic politics. Platonic political writing is here experienced in a new way as the contours of a politics of reading emerges in which the community of readers is called to consider how a commitment to speaking the truth and acting toward justice can enrich our lives together.
There is growing evidence that many offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) will develop moderate to severe forms of psychopathology during childhood and adolescence, including thought problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the developmental progression of thought problems within the context of a family risk study. Repeated assessments of thought problems, spanning approximately 15 years, were conducted in offspring (N = 192 from 98 families) of parents diagnosed with BD (O-BD), unipolar depression (O-UNI), or no significant psychiatric or medical problems (O-WELL). Survival analysis showed that the O-BD group had the greatest estimated probability of developing thought problems over time, followed by O-UNI, and then O-WELL and O-BD exhibiting higher levels of persistence than O-WELL. Parent-reported thought problems in childhood and adolescence predicted a range of problems in young adulthood. Disturbances in reality testing and other atypical behaviors are likely to disrupt progression through important developmental periods and to associate with poor outcomes. These findings are likely relevant to preventing the occurrence or progression of problems in offspring of bipolar parents. The study of thought problems across development represents an important area of continued research in children at risk for development of affective disorders.