Publications by authors named "A Blair Powell"
Decapod crustaceans, commonly utilised for pure or applied scientific research and commercial food production, have generally remained outside ethical debate. However, in the last decade many parts of the world have seen an increase in public interest in the welfare of decapod crustaceans and statutory legal protection has been introduced in several countries. Although still limited to a small number of countries and remaining relatively unharmonised, relevant legislation could be increasingly broadened to include decapods in further jurisdictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessment of NanoString technology as a tool for profiling circulating miRNA in maternal blood during pregnancy.
Extracell Vesicles Circ Nucl Acids
September 2024
Aim: Circulating maternal MicroRNA (miRNA) is a promising source of biomarkers for antenatal diagnostics. NanoString nCounter is a popular global screening tool due to its simplicity and ease of use, but there is a lack of standardisation in analysis methods. We examined the effect of user-defined variables upon reported changes in maternal blood miRNA during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to establish epidemiological cut-off values for the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 10 antimicrobial agents against the bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus using standardized testing methods.
- Eight laboratories conducted broth microdilution tests at two different temperatures (35°C and 28°C) to assess the effect of incubation temperature on MIC values, finding that many values were consistent across both temperatures.
- The generated data will be submitted to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute to help set international standards for interpreting antimicrobial susceptibility tests for this species.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on the magnetic properties of the "cartwheel" heptanuclear cluster [FeO(OCBu)(Me-dea)(HO)], utilizing Mössbauer spectroscopy and sub-Kelvin magnetization measurements to provide insights into its spin frustration.
- The Fe Mössbauer spectra at temperatures above 150 K revealed a specific ratio of doublets that corresponded to different iron sites within the cluster, confirming a previously proposed spin ground state structure where spins are aligned differently among the central and peripheral sites.
- At sub-Kelvin temperatures, the behavior of the cluster changed, showing spin blocking and single-molecule magnet characteristics, along with a defined anisotropy barrier that allows for quantum tunneling at low temperatures.
Effect of the immune microenvironment on prognosis in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol
September 2024
Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is amongst the most lethal cancers worldwide, with poor treatment response leading to low survival rates. Recent improvements have been achieved by including the tumour microenvironment (TME) and patients' immune profiles in treatment decisions. We already know that patients with immune-enriched/inflamed TME have better survival outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF