Using old laboratory equipment with modern Web-of-Things standards: a smart laboratory with LabThings Retro.

There has been an increasing, and welcome, open hardware trend towards science teams building and sharing their designs for new instruments. These devices, often built upon low-cost microprocessors and microcontrollers, can be readily connected to enable complex, automated and smart experiments. When designed to use open communication web standards, devices from different laboratories and manufacturers can be controlled using a single protocol and even communicate with each other.

Multi-modal microscopy imaging with the OpenFlexure Delta Stage.

Microscopes are vital pieces of equipment in much of biological research and medical diagnostics. However, access to a microscope can represent a bottleneck in research, especially in lower-income countries. 'Smart' computer controlled motorized microscopes, which can perform automated routines or acquire images in a range of modalities are even more expensive and inaccessible.

Simplifying the OpenFlexure microscope software with the web of things.

We present the OpenFlexure Microscope software stack which provides computer control of our open source motorised microscope. Our diverse community of users needs both graphical and script-based interfaces. We split the control code into client and server applications interfaced via a web API conforming to the W3C Web of Things standard.

Case study of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome following administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a complication of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine that should elicit a high index of suspicion when patients present with persistent headache post vaccination.

An Open-Source Modular Framework for Automated Pipetting and Imaging Applications.

The number of samples in biological experiments is continuously increasing, but complex protocols and human error in many cases lead to suboptimal data quality and hence difficulties in reproducing scientific findings. Laboratory automation can alleviate many of these problems by precisely reproducing machine-readable protocols. These instruments generally require high up-front investments, and due to the lack of open application programming interfaces (APIs), they are notoriously difficult for scientists to customize and control outside of the vendor-supplied software.

Fast, high-precision autofocus on a motorised microscope: Automating blood sample imaging on the OpenFlexure Microscope.

The OpenFlexure Microscope is a 3D-printed, low-cost microscope capable of automated image acquisition through the use of a motorised translation stage and a Raspberry Pi imaging system. This automation has applications in research and healthcare, including in supporting the diagnosis of malaria in low-resource settings. The plasmodium parasites that cause malaria require high magnification imaging, which has a shallow depth of field, necessitating the development of an accurate and precise autofocus procedure.

Robotic microscopy for everyone: the OpenFlexure microscope.

Optical microscopes are an essential tool for both the detection of disease in clinics, and for scientific analysis. However, in much of the world access to high-performance microscopy is limited by both the upfront cost and maintenance cost of the equipment. Here we present an open-source, 3D-printed, and fully-automated laboratory microscope, with motorised sample positioning and focus control.

Loss of TaIRX9b gene function in wheat decreases chain length and amount of arabinoxylan in grain but increases cross-linking.

Wheat contains abundant xylan in cell walls of all tissues, but in endosperm, there is an unusual form of xylan substituted only by arabinose (arabinoxylan; AX) that has long chains and low levels of feruloylation, a fraction of which is extractable in water (WE-AX). WE-AX acts as soluble dietary fibre but also gives rise to viscous extracts from grain, a detrimental trait for some non-food uses of wheat. Here, we show that a glycosyl transferase family 43 wheat gene abundantly expressed in endosperm complements the Arabidopsis irx9 mutant and so name the three homoeologous genes TaIRX9b.

Concurrent lipidomics and proteomics on malignant plasma cells from multiple myeloma patients: Probing the lipid metabolome.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells. Though durable remissions are possible, MM is considered incurable, with relapse occurring in almost all patients. There has been limited data reported on the lipid metabolism changes in plasma cells during MM progression.

Pembrolizumab-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Introduction: Pembrolizumab is a humanised monoclonal antibody targeting the receptor programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), with anti-tumour activity demonstrated for many malignancies. Such immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with many immune-related adverse events including rash, colitis, hepatitis, pneumonitis, endocrinopathy and, rarely, haematological adverse events, including immune-related thrombocytopenia.

Case Report: We report a 60-year-old female with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with pembrolizumab every three weeks.

Atomic dispensers for thermoplasmonic control of alkali vapor pressure in quantum optical applications.

Alkali metal vapors enable access to single electron systems, suitable for demonstrating fundamental light-matter interactions and promising for quantum logic operations, storage and sensing. However, progress is hampered by the need for robust and repeatable control over the atomic vapor density and over the associated optical depth. Until now, a moderate improvement of the optical depth was attainable through bulk heating or laser desorption - both time-consuming techniques.

Second-Harmonic Generation Optical Rotation Solely Attributable to Chirality in Plasmonic Metasurfaces.

Chiral plasmonic nanostructures, those lacking mirror symmetry, can be designed to manipulate the polarization of incident light resulting in chiroptical (chiral optical) effects such as circular dichroism (CD) and optical rotation (OR). Due to high symmetry sensitivity, corresponding effects in second-harmonic generation (SHG-CD and SHG-OR) are typically much stronger in comparison. These nonlinear effects have long been used for chiral molecular analysis and characterization; however both linear and nonlinear optical rotation can occur even in achiral structures, if the structure is birefringent due to anisotropy.

Strong Rotational Anisotropies Affect Nonlinear Chiral Metamaterials.

Masked by rotational anisotropies, xthe nonlinear chiroptical response of a metamaterial is initially completely inaccessible. Upon rotating the sample the chiral information emerges. These results highlight the need for a general method to extract the true chiral contributions to the nonlinear optical signal, which would be hugely valuable in the present context of increasingly complex chiral meta/nanomaterials.

Successful use of oseltamivir prophylaxis in managing a nosocomial outbreak of influenza A in a hematology and allogeneic stem cell transplant unit.

Aim: To describe a nosocomial outbreak of H1N1 influenza A in an inpatient hematology and allogeneic stem cell transplant unit and outcomes of universal oseltamivir prophylaxis.

Methods: Medical records of all patients admitted to the unit were reviewed to define the nosocomial outbreak, commencing 1 week prior to the index case until 4 weeks following institution of oseltamivir prophylaxis. Timelines for clinical symptoms, viral spread, management, patient outcomes and follow up testing were constructed.

Olopatadine 0.6% nasal spray protects from vasomotor challenge in patients with severe vasomotor rhinitis.

Background: Vasomotor rhinitis (VMR) is a hypersensitivity syndrome with heightened reactivity to environmental triggers.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with severe VMR were treated nasally with either normal saline or 0.6% olopatadine and challenged nasally with a hyperosmolar mannitol solution.

Caloric restriction and cardiovascular aging in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis): metabolic, physiologic, and atherosclerotic measures from a 4-year intervention trial.

Caloric restriction (CR) retards aging processes, extends maximal life span, and consistently improves insulin resistance in lower species. Insulin resistance is associated with cardiovascular disease, but data is lacking demonstrating that increased insulin sensitivity reduces atherosclerosis progression. We initiated a study in 32 adult cynomolgus monkeys to evaluate increased insulin sensitivity secondary to CR on atherosclerosis extent.

Rosiglitazone treatment improves insulin regulation and dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetic cynomolgus monkeys.

Impairment of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a nuclear receptor that regulates genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism, may contribute to the onset of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and the accompanying dyslipidemia. Fat-derived tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and the acute-phase response protein, C-reactive protein (CRP), may also have a role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, a group of 14 naturally occurring, insulin-requiring, type 2 diabetic cynomolgus monkeys were used to evaluate the effects of the PPAR-gamma agonist, rosiglitazone, on glycemic and lipid parameters and serum levels of TNF-alpha and CRP.