26199 research outputs found
Sort by
Validation of consumables used in the recovery of DNA evidence within Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs)
Get PDFThis study assessed the fitness for purpose of consumables used for the recovery of body-fluids and biological material for subsequent DNA analysis in forensic medical examinations, specifically within Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs). All 55 SARCs in England and Wales participated in this validation exercise by submitting unused critical DNA consumables from their local storage areas. Overall, 261 consumable items identified as forensic DNA grade were assessed for the presence of DNA contamination and 100 % passed testing, demonstrating that consumables purchased under the National Scenes of Crimes Consumables Contract remained fit for purpose, regarding detectable levels of DNA, up to the point of use within the SARCs. In addition, 14 non-forensic DNA grade items were analysed, of which over a third failed due to unsourced DNA contamination, highlighting why it is essential that only forensic DNA grade consumables are used for evidential recovery processes to minimise the risk of contamination
Calcium supplementation for the prevention of hypertension: a synthesis of existing evidence and implications for practise
Get PDFHypertension (also known as high blood pressure), is a medical condition characterized as a persistently raised blood pressure of the pulmonary artery. Effective interventions to treat hypertension typically involve two approaches: lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapy. One specific lifestyle intervention which aims to increase calcium uptake through dietary supplementation, has recently gained popularity because of its potential to be low-cost and population based. Research suggests that this intervention may be effective given that calcium has been found to have an inverse relationship with blood pressure and hypertension. That said, studies have shown that there may be potential risks to patient health through adverse events such as kidney stone formation and increased cardiovascular events. Association between calcium supplementation and adverse events could have an impact on population health and prevent widespread adoption of the intervention. Because of the need to establish the effectiveness of this intervention assessed against any possible harms, it is now necessary to review the current evidence and evaluate its implications for clinical practise
Treatment of Nocturnal Enuresis using miniaturised advanced mechatronics with Artificial Intelligence
Get PDFObjective: Our study was designed to develop a customisable, wearable medical — so-called — MyPAD device that generates pre-void alarms using miniaturised mechatronics with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Methods and procedures: The developed features include: multiple bespoke ultrasound (US) probes for sensing, a bespoke electronic device housing custom US electronics for signal processing, a bedside alarm box for processing the echoed pulses and generating alarms, and a phantom to mimic the human body. The validation of the system is conducted on the tissue-mimicking phantom and volunteers using Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Networks (Bi-LSTM-RNN) and Reinforcement Learning (RL). Results: A Se value of 99% and a Sp value of 99.5% with an overall accuracy rate of 99.3% are observed. Conclusion: The obtained results demonstrate successful empirical evidence for the viability of the device, both in monitoring bladder expansion to determine voiding need and in reinforcing the continuous learning and customisation of the device for bladder control through consecutive uses
Malaria and anemia in pregnancy: A case control study on the effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment with Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine against malaria and anemia in Madina
Get PDFMalaria is a parasitic infection transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes carrying Plasmodium and is often complicated by anemia. This co-morbidity significantly contributes to maternal and fetal illnesses. Over the years, intermittent preventive treatment with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) has been a key preventive measure against malaria and anemia in pregnant women. Malaria during pregnancy is a considerable public health concern, and IPTp-SP is recommended to address this issue, although concerns about resistance exist. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of IPTp-SP against malaria and anemia among pregnant women in Madina, Ghana. The research conducted a case-control study involving 174 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Madina. Blood samples were collected to assess malaria parasites and hemoglobin levels, and structured questionnaires were used to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions. The study found that the use of IPTp-SP was associated with a significantly lower prevalence of malaria (p<0.05) and higher mean hemoglobin levels (p<0.05) compared to non-users. Most women demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitudes toward IPTp-SP. Despite its effectiveness, improving compliance is necessary to optimize the benefits of IPTp-SP against malaria and anemia during pregnancy in this region
Dust and Cool Gas Content and Distribution in Early-Type Galaxies
Get PDFThis thesis considers the content and distribution of cool Interstellar Medium (ISM) in Early-Type Galaxies (ETGs), and how it can be used to infer the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for forming ETGs in the local Universe. High-resolution observations of molecular gas via carbon monoxide (CO) emission with the Atacama Large Millimetre /submillimetre Array (ALMA) interferometric telescope in five Dusty ETGs were analysed by fitting of kinematic models, to reveal any asymmetries or additional features. A new, clean and complete sample of galaxies was created within the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) project equatorial regions to a redshift of 0.06, with visual morphological classifications assigned where possible. Masses and properties of cool dust for galaxies with suitable photometry in the sample were obtained by fitting a single modified blackbody (SMBB) model to sub-mm photometry from the Herschel-ATLAS project. New observations of molecular gas via CO emission for 32 Dusty ETGs from the clean and complete sample were also obtained using the IRAM 30m telescope.
The results of the work indicate that for dusty ETGs in the local Universe, in low density environments such as those in the GAMA equatorial regions, interactions and minor mergers play a significant role in their formation. These events are apparent for four of the five ALMA-observed Dusty ETGs, with the fifth affected by contamination with a background object. Molecular gas-to-dust mass ratios derived from IRAM 30m Telescope observations are less scattered at stellar masses <3 _ 1010 M_, indicating less introduction of ISM as a result of disturbance to form the ETGs. At higher stellar masses, gas-to-dust mass ratios are lower and more scattered, with minor mergers appearing to be more significant. The observed Dusty ETGs are mostly star-forming, and appear to have been observed at a stage where ISM has settled, allowing star formation to recommence.
The estimation of dust masses using Herschel-ATLAS photometry for lower stellar mass galaxies (_109:5 M_) appears to have been affected by lack of quantification of sub-mm excess emission, which may have led to under-estimation of dust mass. This is unavoidable without photometry at wavelengths greater than 500 _m, to constrain the longer-wavelength region of the dust emission spectrum. Nonetheless, dust masses were shown to be reduced in Dusty ETGs compared to Late-Type Galaxies (LTGs) above a stellar mass of _ 109:5 M_, while temperature and emissivity co effcient were found to be indistinguishable between Dusty ETGs and LTGs. Power-law relations from this work are shown for information between dust mass and star formation rate, and molecular gas mass and either dust mass or star formation rate, as expected if these properties in star-forming galaxies are linked.
Opportunities for further work have been identified. Possible projects include further observations with ALMA and the IRAM 30m telescope, to extend the results presented. Radiative transfer modelling for Dusty ETGs is also a possibility, to investigate nonequilibrium dust temperatures as an indicator of recent acquisition of dust
Integrating Augmented Reality in Spine Surgery: Redefining Precision with New Technologies
Get PDFIntroduction: The integration of augmented reality (AR) in spine surgery marks a significant advancement, enhancing surgical precision and patient outcomes. AR provides immersive, three-dimensional visualizations of anatomical structures, facilitating meticulous planning and execution of spine surgeries. This technology not only improves spatial understanding and real-time navigation during procedures but also aims to reduce surgical invasiveness and operative times. Despite its potential, challenges such as model accuracy, user interface design, and the learning curve for new technology must be addressed. AR’s application extends beyond the operating room, offering valuable tools for medical education and improving patient communication and satisfaction. Material and methods: A literature review was conducted by searching PubMed and Scopus databases using keywords related to augmented reality in spine surgery, covering publications from January 2020 to January 2024. Results: In total, 319 articles were identified through the initial search of the databases. After screening titles and abstracts, 11 articles in total were included in the qualitative synthesis. Conclusion: Augmented reality (AR) is becoming a transformative force in spine surgery, enhancing precision, education, and outcomes despite hurdles like technical limitations and integration challenges. AR’s immersive visualizations and educational innovations, coupled with its potential synergy with AI and machine learning, indicate a bright future for surgical care. Despite the existing obstacles, AR’s impact on improving surgical accuracy and safety marks a significant leap forward in patient treatment and care
Fidelity to and utility of a home blood pressure self-monitoring regime in people with pre-hypertension: results from the REVERSE study
No full textAround 40% of adults have pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89mmHg) increasing their risk of developing hypertension and associated cardiovascular conditions. Guidance on pre-hypertension management focuses on improving lifestyle. Self-monitoring may improve awareness and understanding of blood pressure (BP) for people with pre-hypertension, allowing them to modify their lifestyle risks. To determine the fidelity to and utility of a home BP self-monitoring regime in people with pre-hypertension. This sub-study is part of a larger prospective, non-randomised feasibility study. Individuals with pre-hypertension were identified via GP records and pharmacy NHS Health Checks in Northwest England. Participants received training for home BP self-monitoring. They were asked to complete two readings (leaving a 5-minute interval) on the first three days of the month for six months, colour-code their readings and take action using a simple algorithm, then send them to the research team within 7 days. Eighty participants (aged 40-79, mean=59) enrolled. The majority were female (n=45, 56%), White British (n=79, 99%), and had not previously monitored their BP (n=55, 69%). Seventy-five (94%) participants completed the training. Sixty-one (81%) received online training and 14 (19%) opted for a face-to-face session. Sixty-one (81%) completed all six months of readings, 51 (68%) also returned them on time. All in-person training participants completed all six months of readings on time. Reasons for non-compliance to the protocol included battery issues, forgetting, and struggling to find a consistent time for readings. Home BP self-monitoring can be feasible and easily implementable for people with pre-hypertension - however, some barriers were identified. [Abstract copyright: © British Journal of General Practice 2024.
ISOKINETIC EVALUATION OF PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION (ACLR)
No full textINTRODUCTION: The management of ACL ruptures involves surgical intervention and the implementation of comprehensive rehabilitation programs. Nevertheless, athletes reintegrating into regular activities post-ACLR confront a greater risk of recurrent ACL injury, especially if they fail to satisfy established return-to-play criteria. These criteria include assessments of knee stability, isokinetic strength, the duration since ACL surgery, hop performance, and self-reported questionnaires. This study aimed to evaluate isokinetic peak torque, hamstring to quadriceps torque rations and bilateral strength (torque) differences in professional soccer players who underwent ACLR compared to healthy soccer players as a control group.
METHODS: A total of 150 professional soccer players (75 ACLR and 75 aged-matched controls, age 26.25±4.96 and 25.12±5.00 yrs., height 177.77±21.69 and 179.76±5.58cm, body weight 76.89±8.71 and 77.95±6.43 kg, respectively) participated in the study. The time after surgery was 185.31±9.44 days, with 44 players undergoing the procedure on the left leg and 31 players on the right leg.
RESULTS: Statistical analysis indicated significant differences (p<0.01) in the quadriceps torque of the ACLR leg compared to the control group (203.51±35.81 vs 244.85±26.02 m/s) along with the ACL leg and the non-ACL leg of the experimental group (203.51±35.81 vs 249.29±35.64 m/s) at an angular velocity of 60 degrees/sec. Similarly, significant differences were demonstrated in the hamstring torque between the ACLR leg and control (171.07±27.30 vs 183.88±25.30 m/s) as well as the hamstring to quadriceps ratio of the ACLR leg and control (85.12±11.52 vs 75.48±10.28) at an angular velocity of 60 degrees/sec. No significant differences were identified in the quadriceps torque of the non-ACL leg and control. Also, significant bilateral differences (p<0.01) were indicated in the quadriceps torque production between the experimental and control groups (Q-Q difference 18.64±5.94 vs 5.45±3.54 for the experimental and control groups, respectively). The aforementioned significant differences persisted even when the players were tested at an angular velocity of 300 degrees/sec.
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated noteworthy differences among the soccer players (ACLR-leg vs control) in all isokinetic strength parameters, except for the non-ACL leg (quadriceps). Based on our results, clinicians and rehabilitation experts should take into account the isokinetic parameters when assessing the players’ readiness for a return to sports following ACLR
NeuroTeaming: Using Power Spectral Density for Adjusting Teaming Dynamics in Pilot-AI Task Allocation
Get PDFHuman-autonomy teaming (HAT) is becoming a subject of high interest in the human factors literature. It has several applications, including the collaboration between a human and an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for security and defence use cases (e.g., for search and rescue tasks). This work is focused on methods for task-allocation between human and autonomous UAV agents. The proposed approach is human-centred, using a coactive design framework which relies on enabling adaptive team dynamics where different agents might act as key players for specific tasks based on an interdependent relationship. This method helps solve complex issues in understanding and adjusting to complementary team dynamics where agents might have different skill levels, experiences, roles, and helps understand which agent is more competent to perform a task. Additionally, such a framework promotes transparency towards the control and task-allocation strategies. To demonstrate this task-allocation strategy, this study looked at the use of neurophysiological features as indicators of task-specific capacities in UAV operations, more specifically electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which opens up for the development of task-allocation adaptive systems, dependent upon variations in brain activity. Results found that EEG spectral power bands have potential to help determine different task-based abilities across groups (i.e., obstacle avoidance vs. target identification), hence contributing to pinpointing variations in the type of autonomous support needed. Overall, this research explores how task-dependencies can be observed through EEG signals for better transparency and explainability of adaptive control in pilot-AI teaming