Acquisition and Automated Segmentation of Inertia Sensor Data for Mobile Camptocormia Assessment.

The camptocormia angle has been established as a strong indicator for evaluating the progress of Parkinson's disease and the efficacy of therapeutical approaches. A wearable setup is proposed to measure the camptocormia angle with the perpendicular method using five inertial sensors. This study identifies suitable inertial measurement unit sensors for mobile long-term measurement. Moreover, a machine-learning approach is presented for segmenting the recorded data into periods with different dominant activities. An artificial neural network was the better classifier compared to a support vector machine to recognize certain common activities in patients with camptocormia. The artificial neural network's accuracy, sensitivity, and F1-score were 92.4 %, 82.9 %, and 82.1 %, respectively. Clinical Relevance- The presented approach is expected to lead to a wearable system for long-term monitoring of the progress of camptocormia, yielding improved parameters compared to the conventional static photo method.

Insufficiency of trunk extension and impaired control of muscle force in Parkinson's disease with camptocormia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the aetiology of parkinsonian camptocormia, a non-fixed pathological forward bending of the trunk, by measuring trunk muscle activation and force regulation in Parkinson patients with (PD + CC) and without (PD) camptocormia matched for disease severity, and in age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). METHODS: The isometric forces of trunk extension and flexion were measured in PD + CC, PD and HC. Neuromuscular efficiency (increase of extension force per increase of paravertebral muscle surface electromyography signal) and the ability to maintain a constant submaximal trunk extension force were examined. RESULTS: Peak trunk extension force was significantly lower in PD + CC and PD than in HC, with PD + CC non-significantly weaker than PD. Compared with HC and with PD, the neuromuscular efficiency of trunk extension was significantly reduced in PD + CC. The variability of the force output (coefficient of variation) was significantly larger for PD + CC than for HC or PD. CONCLUSION: The reduced neuromuscular efficiency of trunk extension separates PD + CC from PD. Moreover, control of the trunk extensor force is impaired in PD + CC. SIGNIFICANCE: There is weakness and a force control deficit in parkinsonian camptocormia suggesting a disturbed sensory-motor integration, which may contribute to myopathic changes in the trunk extensor muscles.

Optical forces in nanoplasmonic systems: how do they work, what can they be useful for?

In this article, we share our vision for a future nanofactory, where plasmonic trapping is used to control the different manufacturing steps associated with the transformation of initial nanostructures to produce complex compounds. All the different functions existing in a traditional factory can be translated at the nanoscale using the optical forces produced by plasmonic nanostructures. A detailed knowledge of optical forces in plasmonic nanostructures is however essential to design such a nanofactory. To this end, we review the numerical techniques for computing optical forces on nanostructures immersed in a strong optical field and show under which conditions approximate solutions, like the dipole approximation, can be used in a satisfactory manner. Internal optical forces on realistic plasmonic antennas are investigated and the reconfiguration of a Fano-resonant plasmonic system using such internal forces is also studied in detail.

[Implementation of the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers in nurse practise - a cost-benefit analysis]. / Gesundheitsökonomische Evaluation in der Pflege - Analyse von Kosten und Nutzen der Einführung des Nationalen Expertenstandards Dekubitusprophylaxe in der Pflege in einer Stationären (Langzeit-)Pflegeeinrichtung.

By developing evidence-based, national Expert Standards, agreed-upon by an association of nursing professionals, the German Care Science participates in the international discussion. Up to now, five National Expert Standards on relevant care-related topics have been developed and have been widely implemented in Care Practice. However, sufficient evaluations of these Expert Standards are still required, especially from an economic perspective. The following paper addresses this topic by performing a cost-benefit analysis for the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers. The authors demonstrate which costs are caused by the implementation of this National Expert Standard for a residential care agency providing services. The benefit of the implementation of the Expert Standard is then being compared to its cost for a period of three years. The evaluation concludes that, in consideration of opportunity costs, the introduction of the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers appears economically viable for the residential care agency only if the rate of pressure ulcers in the reference agency can be lowered at least by 26.48%. In this case, when exclusively considering direct benefits and direct costs, a positive impact of the implementation will be achieved.

An in vitro assay to measure phagocytosis in striped bass hybrids (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops).

An in vitro phagocytosis assay was developed for hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops), using cells collected from the peritoneal cavity of this fish. The findings indicated that: (1) 10 days following a single intraperitoneal injection (1 ml) of Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) was an appropriate time for collecting suitable working concentrations (5.3+/-4.0 x 10(7) cells ml(-1)) of peritoneal phagocytes (83.7+/-1.5% macrophages) from these hybrids held at 23 degrees C; (2) these cells phagocytosed latex beads (polystyrene microspheres 3.12 microm in diameter) after 30 min of in vitro incubation at room temperature (25+/-1 degrees C). The phagocytic ability and phagocytic capacity in a washed adherent layer exposure system were 67.2+/-2.76% and 4.14+/-0.35 beads phagocyte(-1), respectively. These results strongly suggest that a simple methodology, including baseline data serving as guidelines, is now available for conducting in vitro phagocytosis assays in this hybrid.

Risk assessment and management of chemical contaminants in fishery products consumed in the USA.

In the USA a small proportion of fishery products are contaminated with appreciable amounts of potentially hazardous contaminants. However, risks to consumers are not generally high. Inorganic contaminants with the greatest potential for toxicity are antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium and sulfites. Among organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, several chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, certain processing-related and aquaculture-related contaminants pose potential risks for consumers. Log-normal distributions appear to provide good descriptions of the pattern of variation of contaminant concentrations among different geographic areas, and some contaminants (mostly organic) appear to be much more variable than others. This variability offers a solution for reduction of exposure through restricting the harvest of aquatic organisms from specific sites, and by excluding certain species. It is recommended that: (i) existing State and Federal regulations and environmental monitoring be strengthened and enforced to minimize contamination of the aquatic environment; (ii) a program of shared responsibility be instituted, where Federal agencies develop a set of monitoring and inspection practices and state agencies assume responsibility for primary control, site closures and advisories issue; (iii) research and public education by government agencies and health professionals be expanded to determine actual risks and approaches to manage them; (iv) mandatory labeling be considered for specific contaminants; (v) a better system requiring international agreements be developed in order to minimize the differences among various national regulatory approaches.

Human health risks due to consumption of chemically contaminated fishery products.

A small proportion of fishery products contaminated with appreciable amounts of potentially hazardous inorganic and organic contaminants from natural and environmental sources seem to pose the greatest potential for toxicity to consumers of fishery products in the United States. Health risks due to chemicals (e.g., modest changes in the overall risk of cancer, subtle deficits of neurological development in fetuses and children) are difficult to measure directly in people exposed to low levels. Immunocompetence may increase cancer risk. Inferences about the potential magnitude of these problems must be based on the levels of specific chemical present, observations of human populations and experimental animals exposed to relatively high doses, and theories about the likely mechanisms of action of specific intoxicants and the population distribution of sensitivity of human exposure. Lognormal distributions were found to provide good descriptions of the pattern of variation of contaminant concentrations among different species and geographic areas; this variability offers a solution for reduction of exposure through restricting harvest of aquatic animals from certain sites and by excluding certain species. Available information suggest that risks are not generally of high magnitude; nevertheless, their control will significantly improve public health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neoplasms and nonneoplastic liver lesions in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, from Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.

A variety of neoplasms and nonneoplastic hepatic lesions have been noted in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, from Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Inflammatory lesions include cholangiitis, pericholangiitis, pericholangial fibrosis, hepatitis, and pancreatitis. Necrotic lesions consist essentially of focal coagulative necrosis and a distinctive vacuolated cell lesion of the hepatic parenchyma. The most conspicuous and numerous proliferative lesion is macrophage aggregate hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Preneoplastic lesions include principally basophilic foci of cellular alteration and hepatocellular adenoma. Carcinomas consist of several morphologic varieties: hepatocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and anaplastic adenocarcinoma. The pathogenesis of the lesions observed is discussed with respect to anthropogenically introduced chemical contaminants and the resistant hepatocyte model of hepatocarcinogenesis. This study, and others of bottom-living food fish with enzootic neoplastic disease, warrants further evaluation, particularly with respect to possible bioaccumulation of chemical contaminants in edible tissues.

The use of fluorescent microspheres in the study of piscine macrophage aggregate kinetics.

The kinetics of piscine liver, spleen, and kidney macrophage aggregate formation was studied in Carassius auratus using the sequential interperitoneal injection of fluorescent green and yellow microspheres. This study indicates that 1. macrophages migrating to or forming new aggregates move randomly throughout the aggregate mass and do not simply increase aggregate size by a laminating process (layer upon layer), 2. macrophages apparently form new aggregates and migrate to existing aggregates simultaneously, and 3. macrophage aggregates form in greater number and more rapidly in the spleen and kidney than in the liver.

Bioavailability of lysine in Maillard browned protein as determined by plasma lysine response in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

The bioavailability of lysine in Maillard browned protein was investigated by plasma lysine response in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). The concentrations of free lysine in the plasma were measured after feeding control and browned protein diets supplemented with graded levels of lysine. Bioavailability of lysine was estimated based on the amounts of supplemental lysine in the diets that resulted in rapid increases in plasma lysine. An approximately 80% loss in bioavailable lysine content was determined by this method in a fish protein isolate subjected to the Maillard browning reaction under mild conditions (40 d incubation at 37 degrees C). The nutritional damage to lysine determined by plasma lysine response was similar to that estimated in vitro by enzymatic hydrolysis and fluorodinitrobenzene reagent, but was underestimated by acid hydrolysis and trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid reagent. Rainbow trout are similar to other animals in their inability to utilize the deoxyketosyl (Amadori) compound of lysine formed in early Maillard reaction, and in their plasma response to dietary levels of essential amino acids.

Effect of Maillard browning reaction on protein utilization and plasma amino acid response by rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

The effect of the Maillard browning reaction in the diet of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) on growth and amino acid availability was investigated. Chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis methods were applied for the detection of the losses of amino acids in a model protein browning system. Arginine and lysine exhibited the greatest losses in the mixture of fish protein isolate and glucose stored for 40 d at 37 degrees C. The apparent digestibility and absorption of individual amino acids, particularly lysine, was lower in trout fed browned protein than in those fed the control protein. Plasma lysine levels were significantly depressed, while the plasma levels of glucose and most other amino acids were elevated in relation to the loss in nutritive value of dietary protein after browning. The early Maillard reaction derivative of lysine, epsilon-deoxy-fructosyl-lysine, was recovered from browned protein (by using the in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis procedure) and from the plasma of trout fed browned protein. Analysis of plasma free amino acids provided an indication of lysine bioavailability and identified lysine as the first-limiting amino acid in the diets containing browned protein.

Absence of overt toxicity from feeding the flavonol, quercetin, to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

The toxicity of the plant flavonol, quercetin, to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) was investigated. Quercetin, which had been confirmed to be mutagenic in the Ames Salmonella/mammalian microsome test, was fed to trout at levels of 1 or 5% in the diet for 8 months. Survival, growth and feed conversion efficiency, selected haematological parameters and the relative weights of heart, liver and spleen were unaffected by the ingestion of quercetin, and there were no histopathological changes in any of the tissues examined.

Epizootic Carcinoma in the Winter Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus.

The winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, is an esteemed food fish and has sustained an important commercial and recreational fishery for many years in the northeastern United States. Histopathologic examinations of hepatic tissues of winter flounder from Boston Harbor revealed a high prevalence of neoplasms. The lesions, designated as cholangiocarcinomas and hepatocarcinomas, were found in 16 of 200 fish examined and resembled those experimentally induced in rodents by exposure to carcinogens.

The cellular immune response of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) to sheep red blood cells.

The cellular immune response of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, to sheep erythrocytes was investigated. Both the primary and secondary responses were measured using the migration inhibition factor (MIF), antigen-binding (ABC), and plaque-forming cell (PFC) assays. These immune function assays provide measures of both T and B cell activity. The kinetics of these three responses at 16 degrees C were determined by sampling fish over an 18 day period for the primary response and a ten day period for the secondary response. The peak MIF response occurred two days after injection, while the primary peak PFC response was observed 14 days post-injection. Two ABC peaks were observed in the primary response, one at four days and one at ten days after injection. In the secondary response the peak ABC response was observed four days and the peak PFC response six days post-inoculation. The possible interrelationships of the various cell populations are discussed.

Spirorchidiasis in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta): pathology.

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from the Atlantic seaboard (Florida to Massachusetts) were examined at the Marine Pathology Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, from March through December, 1980. Three genera of blood flukes (spirorchids) were found in 14 (33%) of the 43 turtles. Gross signs in heavily infected animals included cachexia, anemia and enteritis. Histopathological lesions were similar to those present in homeotherms with schistosomiasis. Granulomatous gastritis, enteritis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, and nephritis were present. Acute and chronic vasculitis accompanied metastasis of eggs. Infected animals had severe hepatic hemosiderosis, indicative of the anemia observed grossly. Evidence is presented that spirorchidiasis is prevelent in sub-adult loggerhead sea turtles, is responsible for extensive lesions and may be responsible for significant debilitation and mortality.