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Validation of a Novel Method for Identifying Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Spinal Cord Injury
Get PDFSpinal cord injury (SCI) affects the lives of many Canadians. Far beyond limiting movement and sensation, internal processes (including heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing) can be impacted, resulting in severe long-term health complications. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB: involuntary breath-holds during sleep causing transient reductions in oxygen levels) is a highly prevalent dysfunction seen in individuals with SCI that can progressively worsen functions of daily living and overall health. There is significant need for improved models evaluating SDB in populations with SCI. Clinical sleep disorder diagnoses are necessary for treatment, but current assessments are often prohibitively difficult to obtain and require specialized in-laboratory testing that can be uncomfortable, impractical, and inaccessible for individuals with SCI. Alternative assessments have emerged but remain limited in design. We are developing a protocol to detect and assess SDB using novel wearable technologies, namely Astroskin and Fitbit, that noninvasively record overnight vital signs and sleep staging. This poster showcases our device validation and at-home sleep testing protocol as examined in two individuals with SCI and two healthy controls. We are validating the monitoring capabilities of the Astroskin form-fitting vest and headband by comparing its metrics against simultaneous recordings using relevant gold-standard criteria. Fitbit devices are the most-used wearables in conducting biomedical research, and the recording validity of their sleep staging has been well-established, enabling alignment of vital signs and sleep stages. Application of validated measures to overnight sleep recordings using stacked filters will enable identification and severity assessment of SDB based on expected physiological outcomes.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Victoria Claydon, Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser UniversityResearch Team Member: Rebekah H.Y. Lee, Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser Universit
Effects of sleep displacement and fragmentation on hippocampal neurogenesis in mice
No full textDeprivation or continuous fragmentation of sleep suppresses the proliferation and maturation of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult rodents. A more common type of sleep disruption occurs in humans working nightshifts, when sleep is displaced from night to day. We evaluated hippocampal neurogenesis in mice (C57BL6/j, ~3 months age) subject to sleep deprivation procedures. A sleep displacement group (n=6, 3 females) was deprived of sleep for 12 hours each day during the typical rest phase (12h lights-on) and left undisturbed during the active phase (lights off) for 7 consecutive days. A sleep fragmentation group (n=8, 4 females) were disturbed every 2 minutes during their rest phase for 7 days. The control group (n=14, 7 females) remained undisturbed in their home cage. Activity during the active phase for all mice was recorded via infrared motion sensors. Mice were injected with 200mg/kg of BrdU 2-hours prior to brain and blood sample collection at the end of the light period on day 7. Preliminary analysis suggests the week-long procedures induced an accumulating sleep deficit, as indicated by a progressive increase in rest bout duration and total rest time at night. Plasma corticosterone quantified by ELISA assay did not differ across conditions or between sexes; effects of the procedures on neurogenesis were independent of this stress hormone. To assess neurogenesis, brain sections spanning the range of the dentate gyrus were stained using immunohistochemistry. All sections have been imaged using a Nikon A1R Laser Scanning Confocal system and cell counting is ongoing.
The Development of Therapeutic Vaccines to Treat HPV-mediated Cervical Cancers
Get PDFThis literature review investigates the development of therapeutic vaccines to treat HPV-mediated cervical cancers. Specifically, HPV-16 targeting vaccines are reviewed. Vaccines are grouped by type: vector-based, DNA-based, synthetic plasmids, and long peptide vaccines. The review is based on study endpoints, tolerability, safety, and efficacy. Commonalities seen throughout all studies were the use of E6 and E7 proteins as targets, IFNy response measures, and regression as a marker of efficacy. Each vaccination against HPV-16 mediated cervical cancer showed tolerability and safety. However, they did not all show adequate efficacy. The two DNA/RNA-based vaccinations that showed the most promising results were VB10.16 and VGX-3100. This indicates that further research is needed within this field
the mirror
Get PDFThis is a poem chronicling my complicated relationship with my ancestors and the love/hate relationship I feel towards certain elements of my being. Excerpts from conversations I've had with my therapist have been used as the founding basis for the piece
THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION: SECURING THE METRO RAILWAY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Get PDFOn November 13, 2023, Chief Officer Dave Jones presented The Role of Intelligence in Critical Infrastructure Protection: Securing the Metro Railway and Public Transportation for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The key points discussed were that North American passenger transit systems, such as railways and buses, lack robust safety screening systems, the challenges balancing visibility and effectiveness with cost and aesthetics as cities grow and transit usage increases; and the importance of increased information sharing, employing emerging technologies, risk assessments, and adaptation to the safety of transit networks.
Received: 01-14-2024
Revised: 01-26-202
THREE POLICING PARADIGMS: EXPLORATORY, SOLUTIONS, AND COLLABORATIONS
Get PDFOn November 14, 2023, Professor John Coxhead, presented on Three Policing Paradigms: Exploratory, Solutions, and Collaborations for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The key points discussed were the emphasis on proactive resolution of problems over tactical reactivity; the importance of blending theory and practice; and the weaponizing of intelligence for proactive purposes.
Received: 12-30-2023
Revised: 01-29-202