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Determination of bifidobacterial carbohydrate utilization abilities and associated metabolic end products
No full textBifidobacteria are able to utilize a diverse range of host-derived and dietary carbohydrates, the latter of which include many plant-derived oligo- and polysaccharides. Different bifidobacterial strains may possess different carbohydrate utilization abilities. These metabolic abilities can be studied using classical bacterial growth assessment methods, such as measurement of changes in optical density or acidity of the culture in the presence of the particular carbohydrate to generate growth and acidification curves, respectively. Scientists may also be interested in the growth rate during the exponential growth phase, and the maximum OD that is reached on a particular sugar, or the length of the lag phase. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance anion exchange chromatography coupled to pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) are extensively used in carbohydrate and metabolic end-product analysis due to their versatility and separation capabilities
Long term antidepressant use in a cohort of older people
No full textThe full text of this article will not be available in the ULIR until embargo expires on the 16/02/2022Objectives: Depression is the most common mental health problem in older adults and untreated is
associated with significant burden of illness for patients. This study aimed to examine longitudinal
patterns of antidepressant use in older adults and determine which factors were associated with
changes in use.
Methods: Adults aged 50 and over, from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, who participated at
any one of the four TILDA waves (n = 8,175) were included in the analysis. Repeated measures latent
class analysis (RMLCA) is the model-based approach we used to identify underlying subgroups in a
population.
Results: We found antidepressant use ranged from 6% to 10%, over a 6-year period. RMLCA
identified three distinct classes of anti-depressant use. Notably, 6% of older adults were categorised
in a ‘long-term antidepressant use’ class, with consistent use across all four waves, and 6% were
categorised in an ‘Intermittent/ Developing Use’ class. We found long-term antidepressant use to be
a characteristic of older adults with chronic conditions at baseline of study and striking low uptake of
psychological and psychiatric services.
Conclusions: These findings provide evidence of the complex presentations of depression with
comorbidities in long-term antidepressant users. While prolonged use of antidepressants in an older
cohort is often rationalised due to recurrent depression and comorbidities, this study suggests little
deprescribing of antidepressants and a need for greater access and provision of psychological
services tailored to later life seem necessary improve management of this condition
Service robots in the healthcare sector
No full textTraditionally, advances in robotic technology have been in the manufacturing industry due
to the need for collaborative robots. However, this is not the case in the service sectors, especially in the healthcare sector. The lack of emphasis put on the healthcare sector has led to new opportunities in developing service robots that aid patients with illnesses, cognition challenges and disabilities. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the development of service robots in the healthcare sector in an attempt to overcome the difficulties and hardships caused by this virus. The use of service robots are advantageous as they not only prevent the spread of infection, and reduce human error but they also allow front-line staff to reduce direct contact, focusing their attention on higher priority tasks and creating separation from direct exposure to infection. This
paper presents a review of various types of robotic technologies and their uses in the healthcare sector. The reviewed technologies are a collaboration between academia and the healthcare industry, demonstrating the research and testing needed in the creation of service robots before they can be deployed in real-world applications and use cases. We focus on how robots can provide benefits to patients, healthcare workers, customers, and organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we investigate the emerging focal issues of effective cleaning, logistics of patients and supplies, reduction of human errors, and remote monitoring of patients to increase system capacity, efficiency, resource equality in hospitals, and related healthcare environments
Investigating human bone microarchitecture and dielectric properties in microwave frequency range
No full textDielectric properties of bones are proposed to monitor bone quality. However, no study has investigated the relationship between bone dielectric properties and microarchitecture of bone, which is of paramount importance for bone quality assessment. This paper reports the first in-vitro investigation of relationship between dielectric properties of human trabecular bone (n = 45) and its microarchitecture parameters (trabecular number, trabecular thickness and trabecular spacing). The objective of the study was to investigate the difference between osteoporotic (n = 23) and osteoarthritis (n = 22) patients in terms of microarchitectural parameters and dielectric properties and to examine any relationship between microarchitectural parameters and dielectric properties. A significant difference was observed between osteoporotic and osteoarthritis patients in terms of microarchitecture parameters. The trabecular number and trabecular thickness were found to be significantly high for osteoarthritis patients in comparison to osteoporotic patients. The percentage difference for trabecular number and trabecular thickness between both patients group was found to be 27% and 31% respectively. Trabecular spacing was lower in osteoarthritis patients compared to osteoporotic patients. Similar differences were also observed between both patients group in terms of dielectric properties. More importantly, the dielectric properties were significantly higher for osteoarthritis patients than osteoporotic patients with a percentage difference of 42% and 32% at 900 MHz in terms of relative permittivity and conductivity respectively. These preliminary findings support the idea of using dielectric properties to as a method to differentiate bone quality.The research leading to these results has received funding from
the European Research Council under the European Union\u27s
Horizon 2020 Programme/ ERC Grant Agreement BioElecPro
n. 637780, European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie
grant agreement No 713690. MicroCT scanning research was
conducted with financial support from the Irish Research
Council Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship
(GOIPD/2016/493) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and
was co-funded under the European Regional Development fund
under grant number 14/IA/2884
Dielectric properties of bones: A potential indicator for osteoporosis
No full textOsteoporosis is one of the major bone disease that results
into bone fragility and fractures. Approximately 300,000
people over the age of 50 years suffer from osteoporosis
in Ireland. Osteoporosis is mainly caused due to
demineralization of bones [1]. Currently bone mineral
density (BMD) is considered as a key indicator for
diagnosis of osteoporosis. The BMD is widely measured
by employing the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry
(DXA) scan. DXA scan uses the standard X-ray doses,
therefore frequent DXA scans can cause long term health
risks [2]. Therefore, a portable diagnostic device that
does not use ionizing radiation is required for monitoring
of osteoporosis. Dielectric Properties (DP) of biological
tissue characterize the interaction of electromagnetic
waves with the tissues and are influenced by the
composition of the tissue. Therefore, demineralisation of
bone is expected to change DP of the bone. Microwave
tomography imaging (MTI) can potentially measure invivo DP of the bone and can be used for osteoporosis
monitoring [2]. However, this requires quantification of
correlation between DP and various BMD levels. Some
studies have investigated the relationship between DP
and BMD of bone [2, 3]. However, these studies differ in
terms of sources of bone samples, measurement
frequency ranges and measurement protocols. This paper
reviews these existing studies to establish correlation
between DP and BMD of bones in microwave frequency
range. This review will provide basis for the development
of microwave-based novel diagnostic devices for the
monitoring of osteoporosis.The research leading to these results has received funding
from the European Research Council under the European
Union\u27s Horizon 2020 Programme/ ERC Grant
Agreement BioElecPro n. 637780
Fractionation of whey protein glycosylation and assessment of prebiotic and immunomodulation bioactivities for valorisation
No full textFunctional foods are defined as food components that, in addition to their nutritional value, improve human health and/or decrease the risk of diseases. Probiotics, ingested live beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics, the feed for host beneficial bacteria, are included in the functional food category. Beneficial commensal bacteria have profound benefits for human health, including maturation and modulation of the immune system, preventing the attachment of pathogen to the gastrointestinal tract, metabolising indigestible poly- and oligo-saccharides and producing gut health promoting metabolites, including short chain fatty acids. In addition, the consumption of probiotics has been associated with several health benefits, including the decrease in the incidence of diarrhoea in children and mitigation of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are the most known and applied probiotics.
Bovine milk is a rich source of proteins and glycoproteins, and contains free oligosaccharides. Milk free oligosaccharides are effective prebiotics that support the growth of probiotics. Furthermore, milk proteins have been investigated for their functional effects but the oligosaccharides attached to proteins are underinvestigated. Whey protein, a by-product of cheese making from bovine milk, is a potentially cost-effective source of bioactive proteins and glycoproteins. In recent years whey protein(s) have been the subject of many studies including investigation of their effect on the growth of probiotics and immunomodulation. However, there is still a need to investigate the relationship between whey glycoprotein glycoforms and their potential effects on the growth of probiotics and immunomodulation, which are the main aims of this study.
This study is the first assessment of the relationship between whey glycoprotein glycoforms and their effects on the growth of probiotics and immunomodulation. In addition, the roles of glycans in immunomodulatory effects of WPI fractions were highlighted. Importantly, the metabolites and/or secreted components of a health indicator strain in the presence of WPI fractions were demonstrated to have beneficial immunomodulatory effects.2023-03-1
Lessons from lockdown: virtual clinics and service reorganisation in fracture management during COVID 19 experience of an Irish Regional Trauma Unit
No full textThe full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 04/03/2022Background
Trauma places a burden on healthcare services accounting for a large proportion of Emergency Department presentations. COVID-19 spread rapidly affecting over 30 million worldwide. To manage trauma presentations the Department of Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery reorganised service delivery.
Aim
To assess the impact of service reorganisation and Virtual Clinics on patients in a Regional Unit in Ireland.
Methods
A retrospective review of trauma activity following introduction of Virtual Fracture Clinics and Theatre COVID Pathways for a 10 week period in comparison with the same 2019 period. All patients underwent both nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs PCR testing prior to operations. Theatre and outpatient activity were evaluated. Clinic data were accumulated using the Integrated Patient Management System.
Results
Theatre Activity. 242 patients underwent surgery in our trauma unit (mean 2.98 per list) during the COVID- 19 period. 29 cases were performed in repurposed elective hospital giving a total of 271 during the 2020 study period. 371 cases were performed in the same 2019 period (mean 4.58 per list). Outpatient Activity. We noted a 25.86% fracture clinic referral reduction during the COVID 19 period compared to 2019. There was a 150.77% increase in patients managed through Trauma Assessment Clinic. 639 patients were managed through the Virtual Fracture Clinic Pathway during COVID 19 period.
Conclusions
Over one in four fracture clinic patients can be managed virtually. A new dedicated Acute Fracture Unit within our institution permitted streamlining of care and social distancing. The “Non-COVID” pathway for ambulatory trauma was essential in managing the growing presentations of these injuries
Masculinities on the side: an exploration of the function of homosexism in maintaining hegemonic masculinities and sexualities
No full textFollowing the work of Hellman, this paper examines homosexism (the stigmatisation of non-penetrative sexual activities of men who have sex with men as nonsexual practices) in relation to hegemony, masculinity, and sexuality theories. In doing so, it discusses the function of sides, men who have sex with men but do not engage in penetrative sexual practices, in relation to the maintenance of established, normative, and damaging notions of masculinities. The central question this paper addresses is what the signifcance of the stigmatisation of sides is. In addressing this question, the potential of sides to facilitate and inhibit normative hegemonic structures is considered while more in-depth research is deemed necessary. The aim
of this paper is to extend the discussion on homosexism, acknowledge non-penetrative sexual practices as legitimate forms of sexual expression, and encourage further scholarly research that focuses on the potential of sides to challenge and subvert established normative understandings of genders and sexualities, as well as the power structures that are involved in the construction of such understandings
Reaction Pathways toward the Formation of Bastnäsite: Replacement of Calcite by Rare Earth Carbonates
No full texthttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.0c01313The interaction of rare earth bearing (La, Nd, Dy) aqueous solutions with calcite crystals at ambient and hydrothermal conditions (25–220 °C) results in the solvent-mediated surface precipitation and subsequent pseudomorphic mineral replacement of calcite by rare earth carbonates. The newly formed rare earth carbonates follow the crystallization sequence lanthanite [REE2(CO3)3·8H2O] → kozoite [orthorhombic REECO3(OH)] → hydroxylbastnäsite [hexagonal REECO3(OH)]. The specific rare earth involved in these processes and the temperature have strong control of the polymorph selection, crystallization pathways, and kinetics of mineral replacement. Kozoite-(La, Nd) grows oriented onto the calcite surface, forming an epitaxy. This phase forms elongated crystals on [100], with the {011} and {01̅1} as major forms. The epitaxial relationship is (104) [010]cc∥(001) [100]koz and is strongly dependent on the ionic radius of the rare earth in the structure of kozoite
A quantitative bow-tie cyber risk classification and assessment framework
No full textCyber-attacks pose a growing threat to global commerce that is increasingly reliant on digital technology to conduct business. Traditional risk
assessment and underwriting practices face serious shortcomings when
encountered with cyber threats. Conventional assessment frameworks
rate risk based on historical frequency and severity of losses incurred,
this method is effective for known risks; however, due to the absence of
historical data, prove ineffective for assessing cyber risk. This paper proposes a conceptual cyber risk classification and assessment framework,
designed to demonstrate the significance of proactive and reactive barriers in reducing companies’ exposure to cyber risk and quantify the
risk. This method combines a bow-tie model with a risk matrix to produce a rating based on the likelihood of a cyber-threat occurring and
the potential severity of the resulting consequences. The model can
accommodate both historical data and expert opinion and previously
known frameworks to score the Threats, Barriers and Escalators for the
framework. The resultant framework is applied to a large city hospital in
Europe. The results highlighted both cyber weaknesses and actions that
should be taken to bolster cyber defences. The results provide a quick
visual guide that is assessable to both experts and management. It also
provides a practical framework that allows insurers to assess risks, visualise areas of concern and record the effectiveness of implementing control barriers.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe