Clustering Pseudo Time Series: Exploring Trajectories in the Ageing Process.

Investigating the natural ageing process typically involves the use of extensive longitudinal datasets that can capture changes associated with the progression of ageing. However, they are often resource-intensive and time-consuming to conduct. Cross-sectional data, on the other hand, provides a snapshot of a population at many different ages and can capture many disease processes but do not incorporate the time dimension. Pseudo time series can be reconstructed from cross sectional data, with the aim to explore dynamic processes (such as the ageing process). In this paper we focus on employing pseudo time series analysis on cross-sectional population data that we constrain using age information to create realistic trajectories of people with different degrees of cardiovascular disease. We then use clustering methods to construct and label trajectory-based phenotypes, aiming to enhance our understanding of ageing and disease progression.

Titanium particles identified by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis within the lungs of a painter at autopsy.

A 72-year-old male painter, who complained of his "lungs burning" for 2 weeks, died suddenly. Autopsy examination revealed severe coronary atherosclerosis with plaque rupture as the cause of death. Examination of the lungs revealed emphysema, interstitial fibrosis, and multinucleated giant cells with intra- and extracellular brown-black, crystalline, polarizable foreign material. Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed the material to contain titanium, aluminum, silicon, and iron. An increased incidence of respiratory disease has been reported in professional painters. Titanium is widely used as a pigment in the manufacturing of commercial paints. Cases of pneumoconiosis and alveolar proteinosis have been described in painters in which analysis of lung tissue revealed increased levels of titanium. This case is presented as an example of a rarely reported phenomenon, which may have clinical implications for evaluation and management of lung disease in painters.