Using heart rate data from wrist worn activity trackers to define thresholds for moderate to vigorous physical activity in children and young people with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Children and young people with cystic fibrosis (CYPwCF) are encouraged to do an average of 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. However, there are no agreed heart rate (HR) thresholds for defining MVPA, so it is difficult to ascertain whether these targets are actually achieved. Wearable activity trackers enable continuous monitoring of fitness-related measures such as HR and could be used to measure duration and intensity of habitual MVPA.

Real-world effectiveness of airway clearance techniques in children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is commonly characterised by thick respiratory mucus. From diagnosis, people with CF are prescribed daily physiotherapy, including airway clearance techniques (ACTs). ACTs consume a large proportion of treatment time, yet the efficacy and effectiveness of ACTs are poorly understood.

Exploring flexible polynomial regression as a method to align routine clinical outcomes with daily data capture through remote technologies.

Background: Clinical outcomes are normally captured less frequently than data from remote technologies, leaving a disparity in volumes of data from these different sources. To align these data, flexible polynomial regression was investigated to estimate personalised trends for a continuous outcome over time.

Methods: Using electronic health records, flexible polynomial regression models inclusive of a 1st up to a 4th order were calculated to predict forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) over time in children with cystic fibrosis.

Additive pre-diagnostic and diagnostic value of routine blood-based biomarkers in the detection of colorectal cancer in the UK Biobank cohort.

Survival rates from colorectal cancer (CRC) are drastically higher if the disease is detected and treated earlier. Current screening guidelines involve stool-based tests and colonoscopies, whose acceptability and uptake remains low. Routinely collected blood-based biomarkers may offer a low-cost alternative or aid for detecting CRC.

Quantity and quality of airway clearance in children and young people with cystic fibrosis.

Children and young people with CF (CYPwCF) get advice about using positive expiratory pressure (PEP) or oscillating PEP (OPEP) devices to clear sticky mucus from their lungs. However, little is known about the quantity (number of treatments, breaths, or sets) or quality (breath pressures and lengths) of these daily airway clearance techniques (ACTs) undertaken at home. This study used electronic pressure sensors to record real time breath-by-breath data from 145 CYPwCF (6-16y) during routine ACTs over 2 months.

Automated Detection and Classification of Oral Lesions Using Deep Learning to Detect Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders.

Oral cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer worldwide, leading to approximately 177,757 deaths every year. When identified at early stages, oral cancers can achieve survival rates of up to 75-90%. However, the majority of the cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage mainly due to the lack of public awareness about oral cancer signs and the delays in referrals to oral cancer specialists.

Regulation of aldosterone secretion by Cav1.3.

Aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) vary in phenotype and genotype. Zona glomerulosa (ZG)-like APAs frequently have mutations of an L-type calcium channel (LTCC) CaV1.3.