#Detecting depressive states in elderly with on-line monitoring devices Specialists at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM) of Mexico developed a system that achieved detecting depression in older adults,
"Using a device that can be placed on the forearm of the older person and a webcam that records movement patterns,
which are plotted then by software. In case of any anomaly in the activities course of the person,
"The sensor is connected to a modem using radio frequency systems. The processed information from the elder's movement pattern may include factors such as temperature, heart rate and deviations in the usual activity path,
geriatricians and system engineers in order to optimize and streamline the system for detection of a depression state.
For this purpose the specialist will meet with experts from multiple disciplines to achieve the most for this artifact f
#Sepsis sniffer generates faster sepsis care, suggests reduced mortality An automated early warning and response system for sepsis developed by Penn Medicine experts has resulted in a marked increase in sepsis identification
and care transfer to the ICU and an indication of fewer deaths due to sepsis. A study assessing the tool is published online in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection; it can severely impair the body's organs causing them to fail.
There are as many as three million cases of severe sepsis and 750000 resulting deaths in the United states annually.
Early detection and treatment typically with antibiotics and intravenous fluids is critical for survival. The Penn prediction tool dubbed the sepsis sniffer uses laboratory
and vital-sign data (such as body temperature heart rate and blood pressure) in the electronic health record of hospital inpatients to identify those at risk for sepsis.
When certain data thresholds are detected the system automatically sends an electronic communication to physicians nurses and other members of a rapid response team who quickly perform a bedside evaluation
and take action to stabilize or transfer the patient to the intensive care unit if warranted. The study developed the prediction tool using 4575 patients admitted to the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) in October 2011.
The study then validated the tool during a pre-implementation period from June to September 2012
when data on admitted patients was evaluated and alerts triggered in a database but no notifications were sent to providers on the ground.
Outcomes in that control period were compared then to a post-implementation period from June to September 2013.
The total number of patients included in the pre and post periods was 31093. In both the pre-and post-implementation periods four percent of patient visits triggered the alert.
two to threefold increase in orders for tests that could help identify the presence of sepsis 1. 5 to twofold increase in the administration of antibiotics
and intravenous fluids n increase of more than 50 percent in the proportion of patients quickly transferred to the ICU 50 percent increase in documentation of sepsis in the patients'electronic health recordthe study found a lower death rate from sepsis
Previous studies that have examined the impact of sepsis prediction tools at other institutions have taken only place on a limited number of inpatient wards.
and practice cultures across our health system increases the generalizability of our findings to other health care settings.
By better identifying those with sepsis requiring advanced care the tool can help screen out patients not needing the inevitably limited number of ICU beds.
The above story is provided based on materials by Perelman School of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Note:
#Launch of new sensor device on Hudson river set to wire river for cleaner water In the race to find solutions to critical water issues the launch of a new cost-effective water quality sensor
and Estuaries Clarkson University is the first step in overcoming hurdles of historically prohibitive costs for long-term water resource monitoring.
The installation of the Institute's newest generation of River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON II) sensor arrays signifies the passing of the baton from the science lab to the river as they run ahead complementing government capacity to invest in wiring the river for cleaner water.
The REON II device or Sonde deployed October 6 on the banks of the Hudson river in New Hamburg N y. is providing real-time data called for by scientists to better understand the complex relationship between humans the built environment and our fragile waterways.
It is one of 37 sensor stations currently in place in the Hudson and St lawrence river watersheds making REON one of the world's most robust resources of real-time data.
The goal of the REON research team to develop affordable scalable low-profile sensor networks
and its potential for making water sensor technology universal could be transformational to the field of environmental science.
but at a price that can knock you right out of the market says Beacon Institute President
Applications of REON data could include the ability to visualize the movement of chemical or biological contaminants with far-reaching implications for public health including homeland security concerns.
Applying world class research to water quality has to be viewed as a critical component for sustaining society as a whole says Clarkson University President Tony Collins. As healthy water becomes increasingly scarce establishing real-time data as the new standard for understanding water quality around the globe
is the key to human survival. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Clarkson University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#Balancing birds and biofuels: Grasslands support more species than cornfields In Wisconsin bioenergy is for the birds.
Really. In a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE University of Wisconsin-Madison
and Wisconsin Department of Natural resources (DNR) scientists examined whether corn and perennial grassland fields in southern Wisconsin could provide both biomass for bioenergy production and bountiful bird habitat.
The research team found that where there are grasslands there are birds. Grass-and-wildflower-dominated fields supported more than three times as many bird species as cornfields including 10 imperiled species found only in the grasslands.
These grassland fields can also produce ample biomass for renewable fuels. Monica Turner UW-Madison professor of zoology and study lead author Peter Blank a postdoctoral researcher in her lab hope the findings help drive decisions that benefit both birds
and biofuels too by providing information for land managers farmers conservationists and policy makers as the bioenergy industry ramps up particularly in Wisconsin and the central U s as bioenergy production demand increases we should pay attention to the ecological consequences says Turner.
This is especially true for grassland birds as populations of species like the eastern meadowlark dickcissel and the bobolink have declined in recent decades.
when UW-Madison's Carol Williams coordinator of the Wisconsin Grasslands Bioenergy Network and the DNR's David Sample approached Turner
The research team carefully selected 30 different grassland sites--three of which are used already for small-scale bioenergy production--and 11 cornfields in southern Wisconsin.
Over the course of two years the researchers characterized the vegetation growing in each field calculated
and estimated the biomass yields possible and counted the total numbers of birds and bird species observed in them.
According to Blank and Turner the study is one of the first to examine grassland fields already producing biomass for biofuels
and is one of only a few analyses to examine the impact of bioenergy production on birds.
and other types of vegetation the new findings indicate grassland fields may represent an acceptable tradeoff between creating biomass for bioenergy and providing habitat for grassland birds.
Our study suggests diverse bioenergy crop fields could benefit birds more so than less diverse fields.
Among the grasslands studied the team found monoculture grasses supported fewer birds and fewer bird species than grasslands with a mix of grass types and other kinds of vegetation like wildflowers...
new findings indicate grassland fields may represent an acceptable tradeoff between creating biomass for bioenergy and providing habitat for grassland birds.
The team found that the presence of grasslands within one kilometer of the study sites also helped boost bird species diversity and bird density in the area.
By locating biomass-producing fields near existing grasslands both birds and the biofuels industry can win.
They also add that the biomass yields calculated in the study may represent the low end of
We really can produce bioenergy and provide habitat for rare birds in the state. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original article was written by Kelly April Tyrrell.
#DNA nanofoundries cast custom-shaped metal nanoparticles Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard university have unveiled a new method to form tiny 3d metal nanoparticles in prescribed shapes
and dimensions using DNA Nature's building block as a construction mold. The ability to mold inorganic nanoparticles out of materials such as gold and silver in precisely designed 3d shapes is a significant breakthrough that has the potential to advance laser technology microscopy solar cells electronics environmental testing disease
detection and more. We built tiny foundries made of stiff DNA to fabricate metal nanoparticles in exact three-dimensional shapes that we digitally planned
and designed said Peng Yin senior author of the paper Wyss Core Faculty member and Assistant professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical school.
The Wyss team's findings described in a paper titled Casting Inorganic Structures with DNA Molds were published today in Science.
The work was done in collaboration with MIT's Laboratory for Computational biology and Biophysics led by Mark Bathe senior co-author of the paper.
The paper's findings describe a significant advance in DNA NANOTECHNOLOGY as well as in inorganic nanoparticle synthesis Yin said.
For the very first time a general strategy to manufacture inorganic nanoparticles with user-specified 3d shapes has been achieved to produce particles as small as 25 nanometers or less with remarkable precision (less than 5 nanometers.
A sheet of paper is approximately 100000 nanometers thick. The 3d inorganic nanoparticles are conceived first and meticulously planned using computer design software.
Using the software the researchers design three-dimensional frameworks of the desired size and shape built from linear DNA sequences
which attract and bind to one another in a predictable manner. Over the years scientists have been very successful at making complex 3d shapes from DNA using diverse strategies said Wei Sun a postdoctoral scholar in the Wyss'Molecular Systems Lab
and the lead author of the paper. For example in 2012 the Wyss team revealed how computer-aided design could be used to construct hundreds of different self-assembling one-two-and three-dimensional DNA nanoshapes with perfect accuracy.
It is this ability to design arbitrary nanostructures using DNA manipulation that inspired the Wyss team to envision using these DNA structures as practical foundries or molds for inorganic substances.
The challenge was to translate this kind of 3d geometrical control into the ability to cast structures in other diverse
and functionally-relevant materials such as gold and silver Sun said. Just as any expanding material can be shaped inside a mold to take on a defined 3d form the Wyss team set out to grow inorganic particles within the confined hollow spaces of stiff DNA NANOSTRUCTURES.
The concept can be likened to the Japanese method of growing watermelons in glass cubes. By nurturing watermelon seeds to maturity inside cube-shaped glass boxes Japanese farmers create cube-shaped mature melons that allow for densely-packed shipping and storage of the fruit.
The Wyss researchers similarly planted a miniscule gold seed inside the hollow cavity of their carefully designed cube-shaped DNA mold
and expanded to fill all existing space within the DNA framework resulting in a cuboid nanoparticle with the same dimensions as its mold with the length width
Next researchers fabricated varied 3d polygonal shapes spheres and more ambitious structures such as a 3d Y-shaped nanoparticle and another structure comprising a cuboid shape sandwiched between two spheres proving that structurally-diverse
nanoparticles could be shaped using complex DNA mold designs. Given their unthinkably small size it may come as a surprise that stiff DNA molds are proportionally quite robust and strong able to withstand the pressures of expanding inorganic materials.
Although the team selected gold seedlings to cast their nanoparticles there is a wide range of inorganic nanoparticles that can be shaped forcibly through this process of DNA nanocasting.
A very useful property is that once cast these nanoparticles can retain the framework of the DNA mold as an outer coating enabling additional surface modification with impressive nanoscale precision.
These coatings can also help scientists develop highly sensitive multiplex methods of detecting early-stage cancers
and genetic diseases by combining the chemical specificity of the DNA with the signal readout of the metal.
For particles that would better serve their purpose by being as electrically conducive as possible such as in very small nanocomputers
and encode the building blocks of life have been harnessed re-purposed and re-imagined for the nanomanufacturing of inorganic materials said Don Ingber Wyss Institute founding director.
This capability should open up entirely new strategies for fields ranging from computer miniaturization to energy and pathogen detection.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
experts say As birth rates decline in countries that include parts of Europe and East asia threatening the economic slowdown associated with aging populations a global study from the University of California Berkeley
and the East-West Center in Hawaii suggests that in much of the world it actually pays to have fewer children.
Researchers in 40 countries correlated birth rates with economic data and concluded that a moderately low birth rate--a little below two children per woman--can actually boost a country's overall standard of living.
and tax base needed to fund pensions health care and other benefits for the elderly it is typically families that bear the brunt of the cost of having children the study found.
Also a growing labor force has to be provided with costly capital such as factories office buildings transportation and housing said UC Berkeley demographer Ronald Lee an author of the far-reaching study to be published Oct 10 in the journal Science.
Instead of trying to get people to have more children governments should adjust their policies to accommodate inevitable population aging added Lee who co-authored the report Is low fertility really a problem?
Population aging dependency and consumption with Andrew Mason an economist and senior fellow at the East-West Center.
Lee Mason and fellow researchers compared government and private spending among all age groups using the National Transfer Accounts project which studies how population changes impact economies across generations and which they co-direct.
Their calculations were based on finding the birth rate and age distribution that would best balance the costs of raising children and of caring for the elderly.
A more complete accounting of the costs of children shows only a few countries in East asia
and Europe where the governments should encourage people to have said more children Mason an economics professor at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
The above story is provided based on materials by University of California-Berkeley. The original article was written by Yasmin Anwar.
#Lung cancer can stay hidden for over 20 years UK scientists have discovered that lung cancers can lie dormant for over 20 years before suddenly turning into an aggressive form of the disease according to a study published in Science*today (Thursday.
They found that after the first genetic mistakes that cause the cancer it can exist undetected for many years until new additional faults trigger rapid growth of the disease.
This research--jointly funded by Cancer Research UK and the Rosetrees Trust--highlights the need for better ways to detect the disease earlier.
Two-thirds of patients are diagnosed with advanced forms of the disease when treatments are less likely to be successful.
By revealing that lung cancers can lie dormant for many years the researchers hope this study will help improve early detection of the disease.
Study author Professor Charles Swanton at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute and the UCL Cancer Institute said:
Survival from lung cancer remains devastatingly low with many new targeted treatments making a limited impact on the disease.
By understanding how it develops we've opened up the disease's evolutionary rule book in the hope that we can start to predict its next steps.
The study also highlighted the role of smoking in the development of lung cancer. Many of the early genetic faults are caused by smoking.
But as the disease evolved these became less important with the majority of faults now caused by a new process generating mutations within the tumour controlled by a protein called APOBEC.
The wide variety of faults found within lung cancers explains why targeted treatments have had limited success. Attacking a particular genetic mistake identified by a biopsy in lung cancer will only be effective against those parts of the tumour with that fault leaving other areas to thrive
and despite some positive steps being made against the disease it remains one of the biggest challenges in cancer research with fewer than 10 per cent surviving for at least five years after diagnosis. Building on this research will be a key priority for the recently established Cancer
The Centre--where Professor Swanton is joint centre lead--is a key part of Cancer Research UK's renewed focus to beat lung cancer;
bringing together a unique range of internationally renowned scientists and clinicians to create an environment that catalyses imaginative and innovative lung cancer research.
Professor Nic Jones Cancer Research UK's chief scientist said: This fascinating research highlights the need to find better ways to detect lung cancer earlier
If we can nip the disease in the bud and treat it before it has started travelling down different evolutionary routes we could make a real difference in helping more people survive the disease.
Building on this work Cancer Research UK is funding a study called TRACERX which is studying 100s of patient's lung cancers as they evolve over time to find out exactly how lung cancers mutate adapt
and become resistant to treatments Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Cancer Research UK.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e
#Unusual skin cancer linked to chronic allergy from metal orthopedic implant In rare cases patients with allergies to metals develop persistent skin rashes after metal devices are implanted near the skin.
New research suggests these patients may be increased at risk of an unusual and aggressive form of skin cancer.
Metal alloys help make orthopedic implants stronger and more durable. But people with sensitivity to these metals which include nickel cobalt
and chromium can develop chronic inflammation that promotes the development of skin cancers report researchers at Washington University School of medicine
and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St louis. The team's findings were published online Oct 8 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The researchers were alerted to the connection by a patient who had surgery at another hospital to have a metal rod implanted to repair a fractured ankle.
After the surgery the patient developed a skin rash on her ankle near the location of the implant.
The patient turned out to be allergic to nickel in the implant which led surgeons at the other hospital to remove it.
But the rash persisted and a few years later a rare form of skin cancer known as Marjolin's ulcer developed at the surgical site.
The cancer which had become painful and ulcerated was diagnosed and removed by physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
The researchers showed in mouse models that chronic skin inflammation caused by continuous skin contact with allergens contributes to tumor development.
The finding suggests that patients with metal implants near the skin may need to be monitored for this type of inflammation according to the researchers.
The results likely also will lead to debate and further research on whether physicians should test for metal sensitivity in patients preparing for surgery to get these types of implants.
Chronic inflammation from metal implants can cause joint pain and swelling and contribute to joint failure.
And when these implants are placed near the skin fewer than 5 percent of patients develop an inflammatory rash related to the implant.
The patient's diagnosis with Marjolin's ulcer an invasive and potentially deadly squamous cell cancer surprised physicians.
The patient was under 50 years old and Marjolin's ulcer is extremely rare in people who are young and otherwise healthy.
This type of cancer most often is identified in patients with a previous history of skin cancers
but this patient had had never skin cancer. To investigate whether inflammation from the implant contributed to the tumor the researchers studied mouse models of contact allergy.
A contact allergy is a different kind of reaction from allergies to pollen pet dander or food said senior author Wayne M. Yokoyama MD a Howard hughes medical institute investigator at the School of medicine.
A contact allergy usually develops when an allergen touches the skin or is close to it.
Skin rash in response to nickel and poison ivy are two common examples of contact allergies. The researchers showed that contact allergy brings inflammatory cells and molecules to the site of the allergic reaction.
If the contact allergen remains a long time--as was the case with the patient's implant--different inflammatory cells
and molecules become active at the site of the reaction. The new mix of cells and molecules promotes the development of skin tumors.
This model supported cancer development so strongly that some mice developed invasive squamous cell skin cancers similar to the patient's tumor said lead author Shadmehr Demehri MD Phd a dermatologist
and postdoctoral fellow. When the researchers examined the cells and molecules involved in chronic contact allergy in mice they identified several that already had been linked to tumor development.
Some of these cells and molecules also were present in biopsy samples from the patient's ankle.
The scientists are working to identify which inflammatory cells and molecules are most supportive of cancer formation.
If you're allergic to something the first thing to do is to avoid it but the patient couldn't said Yokoyama the Sam and Audrey Loew Levin Professor of Medicine.
Some nickel had seeped likely from it into her tissue and was still present in her skin even after the implant was removed.
It's as if a patient allergic to poison ivy kept putting poison ivy on the skin. To prevent such adverse events the researchers suggested that the potential for allergic reactions to metal implants be assessed in patients who have had the implants
and in patients preparing to receive them. Allergen-free versions of some implants are said available Demehri.
These versions may cost more or be less durable but for some patients with sensitivity to metals they may be the best option.
Similar to metal implants some dental restoration materials and tattoo inks contain substances associated with allergic reactions and cancers on the skin or in the mouth.
Those clinical observations also could be explained by the new findings. The researchers suggested that the potential for these other allergens to promote skin cancer needs to be examined further.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Washington University in St louis. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference e
#Plasmonic paper for detecting trace amounts of chemicals, pollutants and more Using a common laboratory filter paper decorated with gold nanoparticles,
researchers at Washington University in St louis have created a unique platform, known as"plasmonic paper, "for detecting and characterizing even trace amounts of chemicals and biologically important molecules-from explosives, chemical warfare agents and environmental pollutants to disease markers.
The work will be described by Srikanth Singamaneni, assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering and materials science at Washington University in St louis,
and postdoc Limei Tian at the AVS 61th International Symposium and Exhibition, held Nov 9-14, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md.
Plasmonics involves the control of light at the nanoscale using surface plasmons, which are coordinated waves,
or ripples, of electrons that exist on the surfaces of materials, and in particular metals such as gold.
Localized surface plasmons of metal nanostructures result in unique optical properties with characteristics that depend upon the metal composition,
size and shape of structures, the surrounding medium, and so on. Tian and Singamaneni created their plasmonic paper by immersing common cellulosic filter paper into a solution of gold nanoparticles.
Such a simple optically active platform can be employed to enhance the fingerprint signal of chemicals
revealing the identity of a trace amount of a compound such as a chemical warfare agent. In addition clinically important proteins can be captured by modified plasmonic paper
and detected based on changes in the optical spectra that result when the proteins bind to the paper."
"In-field detection of chemical and biological threats is the challenge that we are trying to address,
"Tian said.""This technology can be used broadly for chemical and biological sensing, including homeland security, forensics and environmental monitoring,
and medical diagnostic applications.""For example, Tian noted, the plasmonic paper can be used to detect target molecules that serve as indicators for diseases such as kidney cancer."
"We believe that we have a platform technology that nicely lends itself for such applications,
"Tian said. At the same time, Tian and Singamaneni stressed that a number of obstacles remain to be overcome before the technology can be used for chemical detection applications, not the least
of which is the complexity of the"chemical space"in the real world. Because vast numbers of chemicals exist that would interfere with accurate measurements,
these tests require very high selectivity--at a level that the current incarnation of plasmonic paper can't yet achieve."
"We expect this can be overcome by integrating biomimetic target recognition elements with plasmonic paper in the near future,
"Tian said d
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