Recent publications
Introduction: Due to the recent advances in biomedicine and the increasing understanding of the molecular mechanism of diseases, healthcare approaches have tended towards preventive and personalized medicine. Consequently, in recent decades, the utilization of interdisciplinary technologies such as microfluidic systems had a significant increase to provide more accurate high throughput diagnostic/therapeutic methods. Methods: In this article, we will review a summary of innovations in microfluidic technologies toward improving personalized biomolecular diagnostics, drug screening, and therapeutic strategies. Results: Microfluidic systems by providing a controllable space for fluid flow, three-dimensional growth of cells, and miniaturization of molecular experiments are useful tools in the field of personalization of health and treatment. These conditions have enabled the potential to carry out studies like; disease modeling, drug screening, and improving the accuracy of diagnostic methods. Conclusion: Microfluidic devices have become promising point-of-care (POC) and personalized medicine instruments due to their ability to perform diagnostic tests with small sample volumes, cost reduction, high resolution, and automation.
- Sally Stapley
- Stephen Page
- Hannah Wheat
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- Linda Clare
Understanding how to improve the physical and cognitive accessibility of visitor economy businesses and organisations wanting to offer nature-based outdoor pursuits for people with dementia is key to supporting their inclusion and agency. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences, needs and preferences of people with dementia participating in nature-based outdoor pursuits in their leisure time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 people with dementia and 15 family members and subjected to thematic analysis. Four themes related to inclusion for people with dementia and their family members reflected diversity in individual needs and preferences for engaging with nature-based outdoor pursuits, their own adaptations to maintain access including accommodating risk, how cognitive and physical accessibility can be supported by businesses, and which practical and psychosocial barriers prevent inclusion. Learning from people with dementia and their family members has helped bridge the gap to their inclusion in nature-based outdoor pursuits. Their insights will inform the development of such pursuits by businesses and organisations as well as future work into risk decision-making.
This special issue aimed to attract articles situating digital transformation in the geopolitical-organizational nexus. Unlike innovation and change panaceas (or fads) like business process reengineering (BPR) which became popular in the 1990s, digital transformation is a multi-level concept. Extending beyond the redesign of organizational and business processes, the analytical boundaries of digital transformation include ecosystems, organizational networks, business and operational processes, organizational identities, governance structures, and quality/cost dynamics. However, the extant literature on digital transformation continues to use the organization as the primary unit of analysis. Definitions of digital transformation vary widely, with some not dissimilar to the BPR era. The papers included in this special issue provide analytical and empirical examples on the pervasive effects from contemporary digital technology for society, organizations, and citizens. Future work which isolates the digital technology artefact would benefit from further refinement of the digital transformation concept. A starting point is to revisit the digital technology evolution over past decades which reveal the inflection points of technological change, specifically for mainframes, PCs, and the Internet. Such analysis will increase our understanding and contextualization of past panaceas like BPR for generating new insights on how digital technologies are front and center in debates on digital transformation.
Les conceptualisations de la marque employeur ont contribué à améliorer les pratiques de recrutement pour les employés. La littérature sur la marque employeur ne parvient cependant pas à intégrer une approche expérientielle et à considérer que le travail peut être consommé. Partant de la recommandation de Mosley (2007) d’adopter une approche expérientielle de la marque employeur, cette recherche identifie les dimensions spécifiques de la marque employeur expérientielle dans le domaine de la vente. La situation du commercial est unique de par son impact sur l’expérience du client et la réussite de l’entreprise. ainsi que de par sa nature frontalière et son fort turnover. L’absence d’adéquation entre l’expérience professionnelle promise et l’expérience réelle peut entraîner une rotation rapide des effectifs, en particulier chez les vendeurs avec des conséquences négatives sur la relation client.
C’est pourquoi nous explorons la marque employeur expérientielle (MEE) dans cinq études en appliquant le cadre expérientiel d’Holbrook. Nos cinq études révèlent les dimensions spécifiques de la marque employeur expérientielle. Deux étapes (focus group et analyse de 651 commentaires d’expérience professionnelle publiés sur glassdoor.com ) permettent de créer une échelle de la MEE, que deux études ultérieures (n = 234 et n = 210 vendeurs) testent. Cette approche de la marque employeur expérientielle peut aider les entreprises et les directeurs commerciaux à comprendre la nature expérientielle de leur marque employeur et à renforcer l’attrait de leurs offres d’emploi.
Developing new methods to control the size and shape of the helical structures adopted by foldamers is highly important as the secondary structure displayed by these supramolecular scaffolds often dictates their activity and function. Herein, we report on a systematic study demonstrating that the helical pitch of ortho‐azobenzene/2,6‐pyridyldicarboxamide foldamers can be readily controlled through the nature of the terminal functionality. Remarkably, simply through varying the end group of the foldamer, and without modifying any other structural features of the scaffold, the helical pitch can be over doubled in magnitude (from 3.4 Å–7.3 Å). Additionally, crystallographic analysis of a library ten foldamers has identified general trends in the influence of a range of terminal functionalities, including carboxylbenzyl (Cbz), diphenylcarbamyl (N(Ph)2), ferrocene (Fc) and tert‐butyloxycarbonyl (Boc), in controlling the folding behaviour of these supramolecular scaffolds. These studies could prove useful in the future development of functional foldamers which adopt specific sizes and shapes.
Background
Recently, there has been a significant evolution in our understanding of the molecular pathways causing the genesis and progression of cancer via the inter-individual variations. Thus, one-size-fits-all methods for cancer treatment have been replaced by precision oncology (PO) targeting individual cancer symptoms, offering increased effectiveness, and decreased safety concerns and cost load.
Objective
The identification of novel actionable indications, rapid, precise, and comprehensive detection of complex phenotypes in every individual, pioneering clinical trial projects with enhanced response feedback, and widespread availability of innovative targeted anticancer management for every patient are vital for the effective implementation of next-generation precision oncology. Additionally, the emergence of precision medicine has altered the perspective of oncologic biomarkers, drug discovery, drug development, and, improvements for cancer patients.
Method
This paper narratively reviewed to identify actionable abnormalities, Genomic profiling of tumors employing clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) from both tumor tissues and liquid biopsies along with the multi-omics strategies as the key component of PO.
Results
Our increasing information on tumor biology, specifically microenvironment and heterogeneity- associated data, would improve our understanding of the resistance of targeted drugs and specific mechanisms of action, as well as help enhance existing metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treatment strategies.
Conclusion
Collectively, this paper indicated the current and innovative strategies for prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of various cancer types based on PO overview with a groundbreaking emphasis on CRC suggesting the integrations of multi-omics, highlighting Genomics, and utilizing AL and ML algorithms with targeted therapies. Notably, these findings can help improve the life-span and ageing of the predisposed people.
Adaptations to skeletal muscle following resistance exercise are due in part to changes to the skeletal muscle transcriptome. While transcriptional changes in response to resistance exercise occur in young and aged muscle, aging alters this response. Rodent models have served great utility in defining regulatory factors that underscore the influence of mechanical load and aging on changes to skeletal muscle phenotype. Unilateral eccentric contractions in young and aged rodents are widely used to model resistance exercise in humans. However, the extent to which unilateral eccentric contractions in young and aged rodents mimics the transcriptional response in humans remains unknown. We re-analyzed two publicly available RNA sequencing datasets from young and aged mice and humans that were subjected to acute eccentric contractions to define key similarities and differences to the muscle transcriptional response following this exercise modality. The effect of aging on the number of contraction-sensitive genes, the distribution patterns of those genes into unique/common categories, and the cellular pathways associated with the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were similar in mice and humans. However, there was little overlap between species when comparing specific contraction-sensitive DEGs within the same age group. There were strong intraspecies relationships for the common transcription factors predicted to influence the contraction-sensitive gene sets, whereas interspecies relationships were weak. Overall, these data demonstrate key similarities between mice and humans for the contraction-induced changes to the muscle transcriptome, but we posit species-specific responses exist and should be taken into consideration when attempting to translate rodent eccentric exercise models.
Objectives
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of digital clinical consultations (phone or video calls) within UK maternity services. This project aimed to review the evidence on digital clinical consultations in maternity systems to illuminate how, for whom and in what contexts, they can be used to support safe, personalised and equitable care.
Design
A realist synthesis, drawing on diverse sources of evidence (2010–present) from OECD countries, alongside insights from knowledge user groups (representing healthcare providers and service users).
Methods
The review used three analytical processes (induction, abduction and retroduction) within three iterative stages (development of initial programme theories; evidence retrieval and synthesis; validation and refinement of the programme theories).
Results
Ninety-three evidence sources were included in the final synthesis. Fifteen programme theories were developed showing that digital clinical consultations involve different mechanisms operating across five key contexts: the organisation, healthcare providers, the clinical relationship, the reason for consultation and women. The review suggests that digital clinical consultations can be effective and acceptable to stakeholders if there is access to appropriate infrastructure/digital resources and if implementation is able to ensure personalisation, informed choice, professional autonomy and relationship-focused connections. The review found relatively less evidence in relation to safety and equity.
Conclusions
Due to the complexity of maternity systems, there can be ‘no one-size fits all’ approach to digital clinical consultations. Nonetheless, the review distills four ‘CORE’ implementation principles: C—creating the right environment, infrastructure and support for staff; O—optimising consultations to be responsive, flexible and personalised to different needs and preferences; R—recognising the importance of access and inclusion; and E—enabling quality and safety through relationship-focused connections. Service innovation and research are needed to operationalise, explore and evaluate these principles, particularly in relation to safety and equity.
PROSPERO registration number
CRD42021288702.
Objectives and methods
Anecdotal evidence suggests a high prevalence of hoarding behaviours among care-experienced children (those in foster, residential, adoptive, or kinship care). This systematic review, aimed to examine the prevalence of hoarding among care-experienced children, their lived experience, and the effectiveness of any hoarding interventions for this population. Primary research articles were included on hoarding behaviours in care-experienced children, published in English in indexed journals from ever to September 2024.
Results
Three eligible uncontrolled, observational studies, including 374 children and 23 carers, were identified. While hoarding was not clearly defined, there were high levels of hoarding behaviours specific to storing food (26%), associated with confirmed maltreatment in care (Odds Ratio = 17.4). Empirical lived experience perspectives were few and polarised between views that food hoarding was punishment towards caregivers or a trauma-survival mechanism. We identified no interventions involving assessment or management of hoarding behaviours in this population.
Conclusions
There is a paucity of evidence about hoarding behaviours among care-experienced children and a small amount of poor-quality evidence suggesting a high prevalence of food-related hoarding. In contrast, stakeholder consultation suggests hoarding may be common, long-lasting, and involve not just food but many other objects. Further research is required to understand the extent and type of hoarding behaviours, and effective interventions. Care-experienced children experience health, educational, and well-being outcomes across the life course, which are much poorer than their non-care peers, and this research offers a new avenue of enquiry to understand and improve their experiences and lives.
Plastic pollution is now considered globally ubiquitous, irreversible, and a planetary boundary threat. Solutions are urgently needed but their development and application are hampered by the complexity and scale of the issue. System dynamics is a technique used to understand complex behaviours of systems through model building and is useful for conceptualising the relationships between various interacting, dynamic factors, and identifying potential intervention points within the system where specific policies or innovations might have the greatest impact or meet with the greatest resistance. Here, twenty-five participants (all scientific researchers of various career stages, disciplines and nationalities working on plastic pollution) completed a series of exercises through an interactive, iterative group model building exercise during a one-day workshop. The process culminated in the generation of a causal loop diagram, based on participants' perspectives, illustrating the dynamic factors relating to the constraints and enablers of solutions to plastic pollution. A total of 18 factors and seven feedback loops were identified. Key factors influencing the system were Effective legislation, Funding, Public education and awareness, Behaviour change, Innovation, and Effective waste management. Our findings highlight that there is no single driver, or 'silver bullet', for resolving this complex issue and that a holistic approach should be adopted to create effective and systemic change.
This paper studies the spatial distribution of corrosion by-products by a bridge pier within a conductive medium. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique was used to investigate an uncoated metallic bridge pier submerged in static distilled water. An equivalent circuit model, derived from EIS results, served as the foundation for the study. Further, the role of diffusion was analysed, considering its significance in characterising the transfer of particles from the pier into the surrounding water. This exploration revealed the complex interaction between the diffusion processes of various corrosion by-products as a function of distance. In addition, by evaluating the spatial distribution of iron (II) corrosion by-products and modelling nanoparticle diffusion, the research examined the impact of diffusion and concentration on corrosion particle transmission. The findings, analysed via Nyquist and Bode plots, demonstrate significant differences between theoretical and empirical diffusion coefficients. Results indicated that under natural corrosion conditions, the primary product of the corrosion reaction, iron (II), disperses into the medium when oxidation occurs. The elevated resistivity due to the presence of iron (II) underscores the diffusion effect, leading to corrosion product precipitation and reaching saturation level. Additionally, the results demonstrated ideal values for the diffusion coefficient, which are crucial for advanced corrosion modelling. The results emphasised the need for empirical data to improve corrosion prediction models and informed maintenance strategies for submerged structures.
Caucasian whortleberry ( Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) is a beneficial natural source for obesity due to its rich content of phenolic compounds. It has been shown that phenolic compounds have antiobesity properties through a variety of molecular mechanisms. The goal of the current study was to identify the optimal conditions of green ultrasonic extraction (UAE) for Caucasian whortleberry via phenolic compounds and lipase inhibition. The experimental design was carried out using the response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD) to detect optimum conditions of ultrasonic extraction. Three levels of three independent variables were incorporated into the BBD: ethanol concentration, temperature and time. RP‐HPLC analysis was utilised to quantify the phenolic content, and the spectroscopic method was used to evaluate the lipase inhibitions. Quadratic response surface models were suggested according to the results of the BBD model adequacy test ( p < 0.0001) performed by multiple regression analysis. The data showed that the sinapic acid concentration and lipase inhibition are significantly impacted by the extraction conditions. The optimal conditions for sinapic acid content and lipase inhibition were detected as 100% ethanol concentration, 60°C and 60 min. The highest sinapic acid content (13.66 mg/g dry extract) and lipase inhibition level (IC 50 = 66.22 μg/mL) with desirability of 0.8583 resulted under optimal conditions. In comparison with the conventional extraction method, optimal conditions resulted in a notable rise of 57.01% for sinapic acid content and a substantial increase of 53.12% for lipase inhibitory effect. These optimal conditions mediated more sinapic acid content and lipase inhibitor activity can be suggested for the development of food supplements or herbal medicine with Caucasian whortleberry.
Background
Knee osteoarthritis causes pain and disability in many people worldwide, for which no definitive treatment has yet been proposed. In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of placental mesenchymal stromal cells-derived extracellular vesicles in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods
This triple-blind, randomized clinical trial included patients suffering from bilateral knee osteoarthritis with grade 2 or 3. The knees of each patient were randomized to intervention and control. For the intervention knee, 5 cc of placental mesenchymal stromal cells-derived extracellular vesicles were injected, and for the control knee, 5 cc of normal saline was injected. The patients’ symptoms were evaluated before the intervention and 2 and 6 months after the intervention using VAS, WOMAC questionnaire, and Lequesne index. MRI was performed before the intervention and 6 months after the intervention to evaluate retropatellar and tibiofemoral cartilage volume, medial and lateral meniscal disintegrity, ACL injury, and effusion-synovitis.
Results
62 knees (31 patients) were enrolled in this study. There were 31 knees as intervention and 31 knees as control. Finally, the data of 58 knees (29 patients) were analyzed, including 28 women and 1 man. The mean age of the patients was 55.38 ± 6.07 years. No statistically significant difference was detected between the two groups in clinical outcomes (including VAS, WOMAC, and Lequesne scores) before treatment and 2 and 6 months after treatment. Also, no statistically significant difference was detected between the two groups in MRI findings before treatment and 6 months after treatment. No systemic complications or severe local reactions occurred in the patients.
Conclusion
A single intra-articular injection of placental mesenchymal stromal cells-derived extracellular vesicles (5 cc, 7 × 10⁹ particles/cc) is safe, but does not improve clinical symptoms or MRI findings in knee osteoarthritis beyond placebo. The protocol of this study was approved on 11 May 2022 with registration number IRCT20210423051054N1.
The factors which influenced the success of Coade stone are considered; its resistance to environmental degradation, its versatility of artefact manufacture, the multiplicity of provision of statuary and of building items, and especially the ease with which the production of heraldic emblems such as coats-of-arms and escutcheons to specific sizes are noteworthy. Some specific examples are used from the Coade & Sealy Catalogue of 1784 to illustrate. Restoration problems of badly damaged Coade stone artefacts using modern materials are discussed. The demise of Coade & Co. is attributed to the appearance of cementitious artificial stone alternatives and the later manufacture versions by John Blashfield, Mark Blanchard, Austin & Seeley, James Parker and James Pulham. Confusion of terminology with “terracotta” artefacts in the mid- to late-nineteenth century.
The mineralogy of the raw materials and of the fired ceramics used in the production of artificial stone and the species that are formed form their fusion at high temperatures in the kiln are discussed along with details given of the chemical changes that occur during the firing process at several temperature ranges. The sourcing of the raw materials and of their chemical composition are presented and considered for primary and secondary clays sand, flint, alkaline flux, glass frit, grog and feldspar are outlined. The analytical interrogation of the minerals formed in ceramics at high temperatures in the kiln are described.
Twenty-five case studies (see keywords below) of artificial stone locations with artefacts are each considered historically and reviewed on the basis of their potentially being genuine Coade stone or not: several are damaged artefacts and in other cases the original artefact is now missing. For several of these specimens have been obtained for analysis herein and these results are generally indicative of the genuineness of the article concerned. In some cases the situation is still uncertain because of the later restoration that has been effected which has compromised the conclusion and in other cases the result is in abeyance. Some case studies would certainly repay analytical sampling to determine the outcome.
Further development of the early precursors to Coade artificial stone from the sixteenth century through John Dwight’s Fulham Pottery in the 1690s manufacturing high temperature fired porcelain and refractory stonewares, through the early patent of John Holt in 1722 to the wares of Blanchard and Blashfield in the late nineteenth century. Discussion of fired clays and of hydraulic and nonhydraulic lime-based cements, such as Roman cement, and notable landmarks including John Smeaton and the Eddystone Lighthouse.
Here, the historical myths and legends associated with Coade stone, Eleanor Coade, and her eponymous artificial stone are discussed which have been perpetuated incorrectly or accounts been misinterpreted in texts and articles hitherto. These include the secrecy of the recipe, its unknown composition, Eleanor Coade’s patent, the precise location of her manufactory, the role of her mother (also Eleanor Coade), the constancy of the composition of Coade stone, exaggerated claims of its survivability in harsh environments and the proper identification of genuine Coade stone artefacts are examined.
The origins of the high-fired ceramic Coade stone from Eleanor Coade’s taking over Daniel Pincot’s ailing manufactory in 1769, through William Croggon’s proprietorship after her death in 1821 to its eventual closure in 1838 are discussed and comparison made with its porcelain analogues. A comprehensive survey is made of extant examples of Coade stone and those that bear a range of factory marks which are described over the production period from the earliest in the 1770s, through the partnership with John Sealy from 1772 to the latest mark in 1837.
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Bradford, United Kingdom
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Prof Shirley Congdon
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