Development of a preliminary clinical prediction rule to identify patients with neck pain that may benefit from a standardized program of stretching and muscle performance exercise: a prospective cohort study.

Background And Purpose: Neck pain is a significant problem and many treatment options exist. While some studies suggest exercise is beneficial for individuals with non-specific neck pain clinicians have few tools to assist in the decision making process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to derive a preliminary clinical prediction rule (CPR) for identifying patients with neck pain (NP) who may respond to an exercise-based treatment program.

Conduit artery structure and function in lowlanders and native highlanders: relationships with oxidative stress and role of sympathoexcitation.

Research detailing the normal vascular adaptions to high altitude is minimal and often confounded by pathology (e.g., chronic mountain sickness) and methodological issues.

Image filtering in structured illumination microscopy using the Lukosz bound.

Various aspects of image filtering affect the final image quality in Structured Illumination Microscopy, in particular the regularization parameter and type of regularization function, the relative height of the side bands, and the shape of the apodization function. We propose an apodization filter without adjustable parameters based on the application of the Lukosz bound in order to guarantee a non-negative point spread function. Simulations of digital resolution charts and experimental data of chromatin structures and of actin filaments show artefact free reconstructions for a wide range of filter parameters.

Dose-response effect of fruit and vegetables on insulin resistance in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the dose-response effect of fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake on insulin resistance (IR) in people who are overweight and at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Research Design And Methods: A total of 105 participants (mean age 56 years) followed a 4-week washout diet (one to two portions of F&Vs per day). Ninety-two participants completed the washout and were randomized to receive one to two, four, or seven portions of F&Vs per day for 12 weeks.

Plasma clusterin levels and the rs11136000 genotype in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Aim: Substantial evidence links atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Apolipoproteins, such as apolipoprotein E, have a causal relationship with both diseases. The rs11136000 SNP within the CLU gene, which encodes clusterin (apolipoprotein J), is also associated with increased AD risk.

Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease.

A high intake of fruit and vegetables (FV) has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of a number of chronic diseases, including CVD. This review aims to provide an overview of the evidence that increased FV intake reduces risk of CVD, focusing on studies examining total FV intake. This evidence so far available is largely based on prospective cohort studies, with meta-analyses demonstrating an association between increased FV intake and reduced risk of both CHD and stroke.

High yield production of a soluble human interleukin-3 variant from E. coli with wild-type bioactivity and improved radiolabeling properties.

Human interleukin-3 (hIL-3) is a polypeptide growth factor that regulates the proliferation, differentiation, survival and function of hematopoietic progenitors and many mature blood cell lineages. Although recombinant hIL-3 is a widely used laboratory reagent in hematology, standard methods for its preparation, including those employed by commercial suppliers, remain arduous owing to a reliance on refolding insoluble protein expressed in E. coli.

The role of angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in the second trimester in the prediction of preeclampsia in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes.

Objective: To assess the association between circulating angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in the second trimester and risk of preeclampsia in women with type 1 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Maternal plasma concentrations of placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), and soluble endoglin (sEng) were available at 26 weeks of gestation in 540 women with type 1 diabetes enrolled in the Diabetes and Preeclampsia Intervention Trial.

Results: Preeclampsia developed in 17% of pregnancies (n = 94).

Scoping review on search queries and social media for disease surveillance: a chronology of innovation.

Background: The threat of a global pandemic posed by outbreaks of influenza H5N1 (1997) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 2002), both diseases of zoonotic origin, provoked interest in improving early warning systems and reinforced the need for combining data from different sources. It led to the use of search query data from search engines such as Google and Yahoo! as an indicator of when and where influenza was occurring. This methodology has subsequently been extended to other diseases and has led to experimentation with new types of social media for disease surveillance.

High-density lipoprotein subfractions display proatherogenic properties in overweight and obese children.

Background: In adults, obesity-driven inflammation can lead to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, information regarding childhood obesity and its inflammatory sequelae is less well defined. Serum amyloid-A (SAA) is an inflammatory molecule that rapidly associates with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and renders them dysfunctional.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Duodenoscope.

A side-viewing duodenoscope capable of both optical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is described. The instrument is constructed from MR-compatible materials and combines a coherent fiber bundle for optical imaging, an irrigation channel and a side-opening biopsy channel for the passage of catheter tools with a tip saddle coil for radio-frequency signal reception. The receiver coil is magnetically coupled to an internal pickup coil to provide intrinsic safety.

Randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of simvastatin in primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background: This study evaluated the effect of statins in Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) on endothelial function, anti-oxidant status and vascular compliance.

Methods: Primary biliary cirrhosis patients with hypercholesterolaemia were randomized to receive 20 mg simvastatin or placebo in a single blind, randomized controlled trial. Body mass index, blood pressure, glucose, liver function, lipid profile, immunoglobulin levels, serological markers of endothelial function and anti-oxidant status were measured as well as vascular compliance, calculated from pulse wave analysis and velocity, at recruitment and again at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.

Magneto-inductive catheter receiver for magnetic resonance imaging.

A catheter-based RF receiver for internal magnetic resonance imaging is demonstrated. The device consists of a double-sided thin-film circuit, wrapped around a hollow catheter and sealed in place with heat-shrink tubing. Signals are detected using a resonant LC circuit at the catheter tip and transmitted along the catheter using an array of coupled LC circuits arranged as a magneto-inductive waveguide, a form of low frequency metamaterial.

Improving the utilization of research knowledge in agri-food public health: a mixed-method review of knowledge translation and transfer.

Knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) aims to increase research utilization and ensure that the best available knowledge is used to inform policy and practice. Many frameworks, methods, and terms are used to describe KTT, and the field has largely developed in the health sector over the past decade. There is a need to review key KTT principles and methods in different sectors and evaluate their potential application in agri-food public health.

Effect of increased fruit and vegetable consumption on physical function and muscle strength in older adults.

Fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, which is often low in older people, may be associated with improved muscle strength and physical function. However, there is a shortage of intervention trial evidence to support this. The current study examined the effect of increased FV consumption on measures of muscle strength and physical function among healthy, free-living older adults.

Oxidative stress and inflammation in lean and obese subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: To determine whether polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) independently influences oxidative stress and inflammation or if the culprit is the comorbidities of obesity and/or insulin resistance common to this condition.

Study Design: Thirty women with PCOS were matched for age, body mass index and insulin resistance with 30 control subjects. Oxidative stress was examined by measuring the total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) by spectrophotometric assay.

Dynamic analysis of a diffusing particle in a trapping potential.

The dynamics of a diffusing particle in a potential field is ubiquitous in physics, and it plays a pivotal role in single-molecule studies. We present a formalism for analyzing the dynamics of diffusing particles in harmonic potentials at low Reynolds numbers using the time evolution of the particle probability distribution function. We demonstrate the power of the formalism by simulation and by measuring and analyzing a nanobead tethered to a single DNA molecule.

Reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire among pregnant women in a Mediterranean area.

Background: Studies exploring the role of diet during pregnancy are still scarce, in part due to the complexity of measuring diet and to the lack of valid instruments. The aim of this study was to examine the reproducibility and validity (against biochemical biomarkers) of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in pregnant women.

Methods: Participants were 740 pregnant women from a population-based birth cohort study in Valencia (INMA Study).

Comparison of 5% versus 15% sucrose intakes as part of a eucaloric diet in overweight and obese subjects: effects on insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, vascular compliance, body composition and lipid profile. A randomised controlled trial.

Aims: The effect of dietary sucrose on insulin resistance and the pathogenesis of diabetes and vascular disease is unclear. We assessed the effect of 5% versus 15% sucrose intakes as part of a weight maintaining, eucaloric diet in overweight/obese subjects.

Methods: Thirteen subjects took part in a randomised controlled crossover study (M:F 9:4, median age 46 years, range 37-56 years, BMI 31.

Fruits and vegetables: measuring intake and encouraging increased consumption.

A high intake of fruit and vegetables (FV) is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease, although the evidence base is mostly observational. Blood biomarkers offer an objective indicator of FV intake, potentially improving estimates of intakes based on traditional methods. A valid biomarker of overall FV intake would be able to confirm population intakes, more precisely evaluate the association between intakes and health outcomes and confirm compliance in FV interventions.

Modulated electron-multiplied fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope: all-solid-state camera for fluorescence lifetime imaging.

We have built an all-solid-state camera that is directly modulated at the pixel level for frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) measurements. This novel camera eliminates the need for an image intensifier through the use of an application-specific charge coupled device design in a frequency-domain FLIM system. The first stage of evaluation for the camera has been carried out.

A posteriori-derived dietary patterns and retinal vessel caliber in an elderly population.

Purpose: To examine the association between a posteriori-derived dietary patterns (DP) and retinal vessel caliber in an elderly population.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 288 elderly adults (>65 years) who participated in the European Eye study (EUREYE) Northern Irish cohort. DP were extracted using principal component analysis from completed food frequency questionnaires.

α-Tocopherol induces proatherogenic changes to HDL2 & HDL3: an in vitro and ex vivo investigation.

Introduction: High density lipoproteins (HDL) have considerable potential for improving cardiovascular health. Additionally, epidemiological studies have identified an inverse relationship between α-tocopherol intake and cardiovascular disease, which has not been translated in randomised controlled trials.

Objectives: This study assessed if increased α-tocopherol within HDL(2) and HDL(3) (HDL(2&3)) influenced their antiatherogenic potential.