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Savickas V, Stewart AJ, Short VJ, Mathie A, Bhamra SK, Veale EL, Corlett SA. Screening for atrial fibrillation in care homes using pulse palpation and the AliveCor Kardia Mobile® device: a comparative cross-sectional pilot study. Int J Clin Pharm 2024; 46:529-535. [PMID: 38151689 PMCID: PMC10960776 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-023-01672-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major cause of stroke in older people. Exacerbated by age and co-morbidities, residents of care homes are more likely to develop AF and less likely to receive oral anticoagulants. AIM To determine the prevalence of AF using the design and methodology of the Pharmacists Detecting Atrial Fibrillation (PDAF) study in a care home setting. METHOD A cross-sectional AF screening pilot study within four UK care homes, three residential and one residential/nursing. Screening followed the original PDAF protocol: a manual pulse check, followed by a single-Lead ECG (SLECG, AliveCor Kardia Mobile (KMD)) delivered by a pharmacist. All recorded SLECG were reviewed by a cardiologist and any residents requiring follow-up investigations were referred to their general practitioner. RESULTS Fifty-three of 112 care home residents participated. From 52 SLECGs recorded, the cardiologist interpreted 13.5% (7/52) as having possible AF of which 9.6% (5/52) were previously unknown. One resident with previously unknown AF received anticoagulation. CONCLUSION This study has shown a need for AF screening in care homes and that elements of the PDAF screening protocol are transferable in this setting. Early diagnosis and treatment of AF are essential to reduce the risk of stroke in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Savickas
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK
| | | | - A Mathie
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, UK
- School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, UK
| | - S K Bhamra
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, UK
| | - E L Veale
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, UK.
| | - S A Corlett
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, UK
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK
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Baird P, Drinkwater K, Forrest J, Stewart AJ. The Royal College of Radiologists National Vulvar Cancer Audit. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2024:S0936-6555(24)00138-9. [PMID: 38658266 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2024.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
AIMS This audit examined UK vulvar cancer practice from March 2018 to January 2019 and compared it to standards from national and international recommendations. Follow-up data collection in 2020 examined patient outcomes and toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS Audit standards were based on Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidance and published literature. A web-based questionnaire was sent to the audit leads at all cancer centres in the UK. Prospective data collection included patient demographics, tumour characteristics, radiotherapy indications, dosimetry, timelines, and follow-up data. The audit targets were 95% compliance with the RCR dose/fractionation schemes in definitive and adjuvant patients, 40% use of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), 100% of radical patients treated as category 1, and 95% use of gap compensation for category 1 patients. RESULTS 34/54 UK radiotherapy centres (63%) completed data entry for 152 patients. 23 out of 34 (68%) centres submitted follow-up data for 94 patients. One indicator exceeded the audit target: 98% of radical patients received IMRT. The indicators of RCR dose/fractionation compliance for adjuvant/definitive radiotherapy were achieved by 80%/43% for the primary, 80%/86% for elective lymph nodes, and 21%/21% for pathological lymph nodes. The use of concomitant chemotherapy with radical radiotherapy in suitable patients was achieved by 71%. Other indicators demonstrated that 78% were treated as category 1 and 27% used gap compensation. Acute toxicity was mostly related to skin, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary sites. Grade 3 and Grade 4 toxicities were seen at acceptable rates within the radical and adjuvant groups. Late toxicity was mostly grade 0. CONCLUSION This audit provides a comprehensive picture of UK practice. IMRT is widely used in the UK, and treatment-related toxicity is moderate. The dose fractionation was very heterogeneous. The designation of vulvar cancer as category 1 was not regularly followed for radical/adjuvant patients, and there was minimal gap compensation during treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Baird
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, UK
| | | | - J Forrest
- Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- St Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
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Bradley D, Strain G, Jay C, Stewart AJ. Magnitude Judgements Are Influenced by the Relative Positions of Data Points Within Axis Limits. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph 2024; PP:1-8. [PMID: 38329854 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2024.3364069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
When visualising data, chart designers have the freedom to choose the upper and lower limits of numerical axes. Axis limits can determine the physical characteristics of plotted values, such as the physical position of data points in dot plots. In two experiments (total N=300), we demonstrate that axis limits affect viewers' interpretations of the magnitudes of plotted values. Participants did not simply associate values presented at higher vertical positions with greater magnitudes. Instead, participants considered the relative positions of data points within the axis limits. Data points were considered to represent larger values when they were closer to the end of the axis associated with greater values, even when they were presented at the bottom of a chart. This provides further evidence of framing effects in the display of data, and offers insight into the cognitive mechanisms involved in assessing magnitude in data visualisations.
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Clark BL, Stewart AJ, Kemp KL, Bamford NJ, Bertin FR. Evaluation of field-testing protocols to diagnose insulin dysregulation in ponies using a Bayesian approach. Vet J 2023; 298-299:106019. [PMID: 37536451 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.106019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Field tests and their association with laminitis have not been evaluated in large cohorts. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of basal insulin (BI), the oral sugar test (OST) and the insulin tolerance test (ITT) to diagnose ID and investigate their association with laminitis. Insulin dysregulation status was determined in 146 ponies using BI (insulin concentration >20 µIU/mL), an OST (insulin concentration >65 µIU/mL at 60 or 90 min after oral administration of 0.45 mL/kg corn syrup) and an ITT (< 50% reduction in glucose concentration 30 min after intravenous administration of 0.1 IU/kg insulin). Laminitis was identified using modified-Obel scores. A Bayesian approach was used to define the characteristics of the tests and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess their association with laminitis. All tests were well tolerated and laminitis was diagnosed in 9% of ponies. Insulin dysregulation was diagnosed in 15% of ponies using BI, 38% using the OST and 54% using the ITT with 11% of ponies positive for all three tests. The sensitivities and specificities of BI, the OST and the ITT to diagnose ID were 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.79) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.91 - 1.00), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.70 - 0.94) and 0.60 (95% CI, 0.49 - 0.71), and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.68-0.96) and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.75 - 0.97), respectively. Only BI and the OST were associated with laminitis (P = 0.003 and 0.015, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- B L Clark
- The University of Queensland, 5391 Warrego Hwy, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
| | - A J Stewart
- The University of Queensland, 5391 Warrego Hwy, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
| | - K L Kemp
- The University of Queensland, 5391 Warrego Hwy, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
| | - N J Bamford
- The University of Melbourne, Park Drive, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - F-R Bertin
- The University of Queensland, 5391 Warrego Hwy, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
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Stewart AJ, Patten SB, Fiest KM, Williamson TS, Wick JP, Ronksley PE. Identifying Unique Subgroups of High-Cost Patients With Schizophrenia: A Population-Based Study Using Latent Class Analysis. Health Serv Insights 2023; 16:11786329231183317. [PMID: 37377884 PMCID: PMC10291413 DOI: 10.1177/11786329231183317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia does not present uniformly among patients and as a result this patient population is characterized by a diversity in the type and amount of healthcare supports needed for daily functioning. Despite this, little work has been completed to understand the heterogeneity that exists among these patients. In this work we used a data-driven approach to identify subgroups of high-cost patients with schizophrenia to identify potentially actionable interventions for the improvement of outcomes and to inform conversations on how to most efficiently allocate resources in an already strained system. Administrative health data was used to conduct a retrospective analysis of "high-cost" adult patients with schizophrenia residing in Alberta, Canada in 2017. Costs were derived from inpatient encounters, outpatient primary care and specialist encounters, emergency department encounters, and drug costs. Latent class analysis was used to group patients based on their unique clinical profiles. Latent class analysis of 1659 patients revealed the following patient groups: (1) young, high-needs males early in their disease course; (2) actively managed middle-aged patients; (3) elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy; (4) unstably housed males with low treatment rates; (5) unstably housed females with high acute care use and low treatment rates. This taxonomy may be used to inform policy, including the identification of interventions most likely to improve care and reduce health spending for each subgroup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stewart
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Calgary, Canada
| | - Scott B Patten
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Kirsten M Fiest
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tyler S Williamson
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Calgary, Canada
| | - James P Wick
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Paul E Ronksley
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Calgary, Canada
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6
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Bamford NJ, Stewart AJ, El-Hage CM, Bertin FR, Bailey SR. Investigation of breed differences in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations among healthy horses and ponies. Vet J 2023; 296-297:105995. [PMID: 37207985 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.105995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration is commonly measured to diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect ACTH concentrations, including breed. The objective of this study was to prospectively compare plasma ACTH concentrations among different breeds of mature horses and ponies. Three breed groups comprised Thoroughbred horses (n = 127), Shetland ponies (n = 131) and ponies of non-Shetland breeds (n = 141). Enrolled animals did not show any signs of illness, lameness or clinical signs consistent with PPID. Blood samples were collected 6 months apart, around the autumn equinox and spring equinox, and plasma concentrations of ACTH were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Pairwise breed comparisons within each season were performed on log transformed data using the Tukey test. Estimated mean differences in ACTH concentrations were expressed as fold difference with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Reference intervals for each breed group per season were calculated using non-parametric methods. In autumn, higher ACTH concentrations were found among non-Shetland pony breeds compared with Thoroughbreds (1.55 fold higher; 95 % CI, 1.35-1.77; P < 0.001), and in Shetland ponies compared with Thoroughbreds (2.67 fold higher; 95 % CI, 2.33-3.08; P < 0.001) and non-Shetland pony breeds (1.73 fold higher; 95 % CI, 1.51-1.98; P < 0.001). In spring, no differences were identified among breed groups (all P > 0.05). Reference intervals were similar among breed groups in spring, but upper limits for ACTH concentrations were markedly different between Thoroughbred horses and pony breeds in autumn. These findings emphasise that breed should be accounted for when determining and interpreting reference intervals for ACTH concentrations among healthy horses and ponies in autumn.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Bamford
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The Universtiy of Melbourne, Building 400, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - A J Stewart
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Building 4114, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - C M El-Hage
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The Universtiy of Melbourne, Building 400, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - F R Bertin
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Building 4114, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - S R Bailey
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The Universtiy of Melbourne, Building 400, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Stewart AJ, Patten SB, Fiest KM, Williamson TS, Wick JP, Ronksley PE. Factors associated with high health care spending among patients with schizophrenia. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can 2022; 42:431-439. [PMID: 36223158 PMCID: PMC9584173 DOI: 10.24095/hpcdp.42.10.02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Understanding the reasons for the wide variation in health care spending among patients with schizophrenia may benefit the development of interventions aimed at improving patient outcomes and health care spending efficiency. The aim of our study was to determine factors associated with high health care spending in the patient population. METHODS A serial cross-sectional study used the administrative health records of residents of Alberta, Canada between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2017 and provincial costing methodologies to calculate total health care spending and sector-specific costs. Factors that modified the odds of being a high cost (i.e. 95th percentile or higher) patient with schizophrenia were estimated using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS This study captured 242 818 person-years of observations among 38 177 unique patients with schizophrenia. Increased odds of being a high-cost patient were associated with younger age (18-29 years), male sex, unstable housing status and requiring care from multiple medical specialties. The strongest estimated associations between high cost status and comorbidity were for metastatic cancer (OR = 2.26) and cirrhosis (OR = 2.07). In contrast, polypharmacy was associated with a decreased odds of being high cost compared with untreated patients. CONCLUSION Factors associated with being a high-cost patient are the result of complex interactions between individual, structural and treatment-related factors. Efforts to improve patient outcomes and address rising health care costs must consider the value of allocating resources towards early detection and support of patients with schizophrenia along with the prevention/management of comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Stewart
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Scott B. Patten
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Kirsten M. Fiest
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tyler S. Williamson
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - James P. Wick
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Paul E. Ronksley
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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8
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Stewart AJ, Patten SB, Fiest KM, Williamson TS, Wick JP, Ronksley PE. 10-Year Trends in Healthcare Spending among Patients with Schizophrenia in Alberta, Canada. Can J Psychiatry 2022; 67:723-733. [PMID: 35244485 PMCID: PMC9449136 DOI: 10.1177/07067437221082885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Schizophrenia is characterized by high levels of disability often resulting in increased healthcare utilization and spending. With expanding healthcare costs across all healthcare sectors, there is a need to understand how healthcare spending has changed over time. We conducted a population-based study using administrative health data from Alberta, Canada, to describe changes in medical complexity and direct healthcare spending among patients with schizophrenia over a 10-year period. METHODS A serial cross-sectional study from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2017, was conducted to determine changes in demographic characteristics, medical complexity, and costs among all adults (18 years or older) with schizophrenia. Total healthcare spending and sector-specific costs attributable to hospitalizations, emergency department visits, practitioner billings, and prescriptions were calculated and compared over time. RESULTS Over the 10-year period the contact prevalence of patients with schizophrenia increased from 0.6% (n = 16,183) to 1.0% (n = 33,176) within the province. There was a marked change in medical complexity with the number of patients living with 3 or more comorbidities increasing from 33.0% to 47.3%. Direct annual healthcare costs increased 2-fold from 321 to 639 million CAD (493 million USD) with a 7-fold increase in medication expenditures over the 10-year time frame. As of 2017, spending on pharmaceutical treatment surpassed hospitalizations as the leading spending category in this population. CONCLUSIONS Healthcare spending among patients with schizophrenia continues to increase and may be partially attributable to growing rates of multimorbidity within this population. Although promising second-generation antipsychotic medications have entered the market, this has resulted in considerable changes in the distribution of healthcare spending over time. These findings will inform policy discussions around resource allocation and efforts to curb health spending while also improving care for patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stewart
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Scott B Patten
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Kirsten M Fiest
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tyler S Williamson
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - James P Wick
- Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Paul E Ronksley
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, 2129University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Parsons S, Azevedo F, Elsherif MM, Guay S, Shahim ON, Govaart GH, Norris E, O’Mahony A, Parker AJ, Todorovic A, Pennington CR, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Lazić A, Robertson O, Middleton SL, Valentini B, McCuaig J, Baker BJ, Collins E, Fillon AA, Lonsdorf TB, Lim MC, Vanek N, Kovacs M, Roettger TB, Rishi S, Miranda JF, Jaquiery M, Stewart SLK, Agostini V, Stewart AJ, Izydorczak K, Ashcroft-Jones S, Hartmann H, Ingham M, Yamada Y, Vasilev MR, Dechterenko F, Albayrak-Aydemir N, Yang YF, LaPlume AA, Wolska JK, Henderson EL, Zaneva M, Farrar BG, Mounce R, Kalandadze T, Li W, Xiao Q, Ross RM, Yeung SK, Liu M, Vandegrift ML, Kekecs Z, Topor MK, Baum MA, Williams EA, Assaneea AA, Bret A, Cashin AG, Ballou N, Dumbalska T, Kern BMJ, Melia CR, Arendt B, Vineyard GH, Pickering JS, Evans TR, Laverty C, Woodward EA, Moreau D, Roche DG, Rinke EM, Reid G, Garcia-Garzon E, Verheyen S, Kocalar HE, Blake AR, Cockcroft JP, Micheli L, Bret BB, Flack ZM, Szaszi B, Weinmann M, Lecuona O, Schmidt B, Ngiam WX, Mendes AB, Francis S, Gall BJ, Paul M, Keating CT, Grose-Hodge M, Bartlett JE, Iley BJ, Spitzer L, Pownall M, Graham CJ, Wingen T, Terry J, Oliveira CMF, Millager RA, Fox KJ, AlDoh A, Hart A, van den Akker OR, Feldman G, Kiersz DA, Pomareda C, Krautter K, Al-Hoorie AH, Aczel B. A community-sourced glossary of open scholarship terms. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:312-318. [DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01269-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Stewart AJ, Farran EK, Grange JA, Macleod M, Munafò M, Newton P, Shanks DR. Improving research quality: the view from the UK Reproducibility Network institutional leads for research improvement. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:458. [PMID: 34930427 PMCID: PMC8686561 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05883-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoption and incentivisation of open and transparent research practices is critical in addressing issues around research reproducibility and research integrity. These practices will require training and funding. Individuals need to be incentivised to adopt open and transparent research practices (e.g., added as desirable criteria in hiring, probation, and promotion decisions, recognition that funded research should be conducted openly and transparently, the importance of publishers mandating the publication of research workflows and appropriately curated data associated with each research output). Similarly, institutions need to be incentivised to encourage the adoption of open and transparent practices by researchers. Research quality should be prioritised over research quantity. As research transparency will look different for different disciplines, there can be no one-size-fits-all approach. An outward looking and joined up UK research strategy is needed that places openness and transparency at the heart of research activity. This should involve key stakeholders (institutions, research organisations, funders, publishers, and Government) and crucially should be focused on action. Failure to do this will have negative consequences not just for UK research, but also for our ability to innovate and subsequently commercialise UK-led discovery.
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Fletcher JR, Yuen KY, Stewart AJ, Young AC, Gibson JS, James OA, Medina-Torres CE, Forde BM, Sole-Guitart A. Successful treatment of a chronic oroantral fistula infected with extensively drug resistant bacteria using long-term oesophageal tube feeding and several non-conventional treatments in a horse. Aust Vet J 2021; 100:107-113. [PMID: 34859426 DOI: 10.1111/avj.13136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic oroantral fistulae (OAF) with secondary sinusitis can occur following repulsion of cheek teeth in horses. CASE REPORT An 8-year-old Andalusian cross gelding presented with an iatrogenic clinical crown fracture of tooth 209, which underwent repulsion of its apical portion (day 0). The horse was treated with intramuscular penicillin and intravenous gentamicin (5 days), followed by oral trimethoprim-sulphonamide (10 days) and then oral doxycycline (14 days). The acute iatrogenic OAF created during the initial repulsion persisted; a chronic OAF was identified on day 24. On day 48, septic sinusitis with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli was confirmed. Although susceptible to enrofloxacin in vitro, 30 days of therapy was unsuccessful. Subsequent serial cultures grew multiple MDR and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) gram-negative microorganisms. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed multiple sequence types of E. coli, with a range of resistance and virulence genes. The orientation of the OAF, regional osteomyelitis and septic sinusitis were confirmed with computed tomography on day 70. On day 74, enteral nutrition was provided through a cervical oesophagostomy tube for 3 months for prevention of oral feed contamination. The OAF was treated with various alternative therapeutics, including apple cider vinegar, propolis and amikacin impregnated products, until resolution on day 116. CONCLUSION These non-conventional therapeutics, antimicrobials and long-term oesophagostomy contributed to the successful treatment of a complicated OAF. In the future, WGS may be useful to inform antimicrobial selection when MDR or XDR organisms are identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Fletcher
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - K Y Yuen
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - A J Stewart
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - A C Young
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - J S Gibson
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - O A James
- Australian Veterinary Equine Dentistry, Clayfield, Queensland, 4011, Australia
| | - C E Medina-Torres
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - B M Forde
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - A Sole-Guitart
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
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Kalnins NJ, Haworth M, Croton C, Gibson JS, Stewart AJ, Purcell SL. Treatment of moderate grade dog bite wounds using amoxicillin-clavulanic acid with and without enrofloxacin: a randomised non-inferiority trial. Aust Vet J 2021; 99:369-377. [PMID: 34151420 DOI: 10.1111/avj.13093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dog-to-dog bite wounds are a common veterinary emergency presentation: despite this, there is insufficient information to guide veterinarians on appropriate empirical antimicrobial management. OBJECTIVES Investigate the effectiveness of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid with and without enrofloxacin in the treatment of moderate grade dog bite wounds (DBW). To describe common pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a single-centre parallel group pragmatic trial, 50 dogs presenting with moderate grade DBW were prospectively randomised to receive amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (group A) or amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and enrofloxacin (group B). Swabs were taken for culture and susceptibility testing at admission. Stabilisation, wound care and surgical debridement were performed at the discretion of admitting clinicians. The primary outcome was complication due to infection at 10 days, with Bayesian inference used to estimate the difference in proportions between treatment groups. RESULTS Of the 24 dogs in treatment group A, 1 required the addition of enrofloxacin at re-examination. None of the 26 dogs in group B required alteration of antimicrobial coverage. The difference in complication rate due to infection between treatment groups was 4.2%. Twenty-one different organisms were identified: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Neisseria spp., Pasteurella multocida and P. canis were the most common. Over 90% of gram-negative and gram-positive isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Ninety-six percent of gram-negative and 86% of gram-positive isolates were susceptible to enrofloxacin. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is an appropriate empirical antimicrobial choice for moderate DBW in South East Queensland. Reduced empirical enrofloxacin use will promote antimicrobial stewardship and potentially antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Kalnins
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - M Haworth
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - C Croton
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, School of Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
| | - J S Gibson
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - A J Stewart
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - S L Purcell
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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13
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Shelley CE, Barraclough LH, Nelder CL, Otter SJ, Stewart AJ. Adaptive Radiotherapy in the Management of Cervical Cancer: Review of Strategies and Clinical Implementation. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2021; 33:579-590. [PMID: 34247890 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The complex and varied motion of the cervix-uterus target during external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) underscores the clinical benefits afforded by adaptive radiotherapy (ART) techniques. These gains have already been realised in the implementation of image-guided adaptive brachytherapy, where adapting to anatomy at each fraction has seen improvements in clinical outcomes and a reduction in treatment toxicity. With regards to EBRT, multiple adaptive strategies have been implemented, including a personalised internal target volume, offline replanning and a plan of the day approach. With technological advances, there is now the ability for real-time online ART using both magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography-guided imaging. However, multiple challenges remain in the widespread dissemination of ART. This review investigates the ART strategies and their clinical implementation in EBRT delivery for cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E Shelley
- Department of Clinical Oncology, St. Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK.
| | - L H Barraclough
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - C L Nelder
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - S J Otter
- Department of Clinical Oncology, St. Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- Department of Clinical Oncology, St. Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Stewart
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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15
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Cox A, Wood K, Coleman G, Stewart AJ, Bertin FR, Owen H, Suen WW, Medina-Torres CE. Essential oil spray reduces clinical signs of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses. Aust Vet J 2020; 98:411-416. [PMID: 32761617 DOI: 10.1111/avj.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of an herbal spray combining various essential oils, with a claim of mast cell stabilisation, antipruritic, anti-inflammatory, and insect repellent effects on the clinical presentation of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in horses. DESIGN Double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised, cross-over clinical trial. METHODS Twenty adult horses with clinical IBH were treated with a daily application of herbal spray or placebo for 28 days in a randomised, cross-over fashion, separated by a>28-day washout period. Horses were examined and scored prior to and after the completion of each treatment. Histopathology was performed on four horses. Owners kept daily diaries of observations. RESULTS The herbal spray significantly reduced the severity of all assessed parameters (pruritus, excoriations, lichenification and alopecia; P < 0.05) compared with baseline values (pretreatment) and with placebo. Owners reported improvement of pruritus in 19/20 horses (95%) with complete resolution in 17 horses (85%) following treatment. Skin biopsies showed resolution of orthokeratosis in 4/4 horses, reduced thickness of the stratum spinosum in 2/4 horses and complete resolution of histopathological abnormalities in 1/4 horses after treatment, compared with either no change or deterioration of histopathologic lesions after placebo. No side effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS The tested herbal spray may be an effective treatment for the management of equine IBH.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cox
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - K Wood
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.,School of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - G Coleman
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - A J Stewart
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - F-R Bertin
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - H Owen
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.,Vetnostics, QML Pathology, Mansfield, Queensland, Australia
| | - W W Suen
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.,CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - C E Medina-Torres
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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16
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Phillips M, Stewart AJ, Wilcoxson JM, Jones LA, Howard E, Willcox P, du Sautoy M, De Roure D. What Determines the Perception of Segmentation in Contemporary Music? Front Psychol 2020; 11:1001. [PMID: 32547450 PMCID: PMC7270279 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study concerns the perception of musical segmentation during listening to live contemporary classical music. Little is known about how listeners form judgments of musical segments, particularly when typical section markers, such as cadences and fermatas, are absent [e.g., Sears et al. (2014)] or when the music is non-tonal (e.g., in much contemporary classical music). Aims The current study aimed to examine the listeners’ segmentation decisions in a piece of contemporary music, Ligeti’s “Fanfares”? Methods Data were gathered using a smartphone application [Practice & Research in Science & Music (PRiSM) Perception App] designed for this study by the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) Centre for PRiSM and the Oxford e-Research Centre. A total of 259 audience participants were asked to “tap” when they felt that a section had ended. Subjective responses were captured, as well as contextual data about the participants. Results The audience members demonstrated high levels of agreement regarding segmentation, mostly at places in the music involving breaks in the musical texture (one piano hand resting), changes in dynamic (volume), and changes in register/pitch. A sense of familiarity with contemporary repertoire did seem to influence the responses—the participants who self-reported being familiar with contemporary music used a wider range of cues to make their segmentation decisions. The self-report data analysis suggested that the listeners were not always aware of how they made decisions regarding segmentation. The factors which may influence their judgment of musical segmentation are, to some extent, similar to those identified by music analysis (Steinitz, 2011) but different in other ways. The effect of musical training was found to be quite small. Conclusion Whether musically trained and/or familiar with contemporary classical music or not, the listeners demonstrate commonalities in segmentation, which they are not always aware of. This study has implications for contemporary composers, performers, and audiences and how they engage with new music in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew J Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - J Matthew Wilcoxson
- Oxford e-Research Centre, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Luke A Jones
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Howard
- The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Pip Willcox
- Oxford e-Research Centre, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marcus du Sautoy
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David De Roure
- Oxford e-Research Centre, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,The Alan Turing Institute, London, United Kingdom
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17
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Muhinyi A, Hesketh A, Stewart AJ, Rowland CF. Story choice matters for caregiver extra-textual talk during shared reading with preschoolers. J Child Lang 2020; 47:633-654. [PMID: 31791438 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000919000783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the influence of the complexity of the story-book on caregiver extra-textual talk (i.e., interactions beyond text reading) during shared reading with preschool-age children. Fifty-three mother-child dyads (3;00-4;11) were video-recorded sharing two ostensibly similar picture-books: a simple story (containing no false belief) and a complex story (containing a false belief central to the plot, which provided content that was more challenging for preschoolers to understand). Book-reading interactions were transcribed and coded. Results showed that the complex stories facilitated more extra-textual talk from mothers, and a higher quality of extra-textual talk (as indexed by linguistic richness and level of abstraction). Although the type of story did not affect the number of questions mothers posed, more elaborative follow-ups on children's responses were provided by mothers when sharing complex stories. Complex stories may facilitate more and linguistically richer caregiver extra-textual talk, having implications for preschoolers' developing language abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Caroline F Rowland
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, University of Liverpool, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Neuroscience at Radboud University, the Netherlands
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18
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Savickas V, Stewart AJ, Short VJ, Mathie A, Bhamra SK, Corlett SA, Veale EL. P6145Atrial fibrillation screening in care homes by clinical pharmacists using pulse palpation and single-lead ECG: a feasibility study. Eur Heart J 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehz746.0751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) amongst care home residents ranges from 7–19% with the number of undiagnosed cases five-fold above that of the general population. Clinical pharmacists providing services to care homes may offer opportunistic AF screening, improving residents' access to timely diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose
The aim of this feasibility study was to determine the prevalence of AF in UK care homes and to evaluate the feasibility of clinical pharmacist-led AF screening in this setting. It also aimed to ascertain the proportion of residents who could be screened using pulse palpation and single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and those with new AF who qualified for anticoagulant therapy.
Methods
This screening initiative was delivered in 4 care homes linked to 2 general practices in Kent (UK). The clinical pharmacist providing AF screening was trained by a cardiologist to pulse palpate and record a mobile ECG. A designated general practitioner (GP) assessed each resident's mental capacity to consent. Any residents with mental capacity and no pacemaker were offered a free heart rhythm check with the pharmacist. After written consent, each participant underwent a pulse palpation (1 min), followed by ECG (30 sec) and a provisional diagnosis. All ECGs were overread by a cardiologist within 72 hrs, and any residents requiring further investigation were referred to their GP.
Results
Fifty-three eligible individuals (mean age 90 years, 76% female) were screened between October 2018 and January 2019. Fifty-eight residents (52%) could not be screened due to lack of mental capacity. One participant with a regular pulse could not be tested with the ECG device due to severe hand tremor. The quality of 14 ECGs (27%) was determined as poor. Following the cardiologist's interpretation, 17 residents (33%) required a 12-lead ECG: 7 (14%) with possible AF and 10 (19%) with an inconclusive result. Amongst those with suspected AF, 5 had hypertension, 3 - chronic kidney disease and 2 - diabetes mellitus or peripheral vascular disease. Five had not been previously diagnosed with AF and all qualified for anticoagulant therapy (CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2). The device's algorithm displayed low sensitivity for AF (57%) despite greater agreement with the cardiologist's interpretation (Cohen's κ 0.70) than either the pharmacist's interpretation (0.56) or pulse palpation (0.44).
Conclusion(s)
This research was the first of its kind in UK care homes and identified a suspected AF prevalence >5 times higher than in the general population. Several barriers to AF screening in this setting, including mental incapacity and physical comorbidities, led to poor ECG quality, low diagnostic accuracy and 1 in 5 inconclusive diagnoses potentially limiting the economic viability of the intervention proposed. Future studies will explore the feasibility of using alternative strategies which may circumvent these barriers to AF screening in care homes.
Acknowledgement/Funding
This work was supported by Kent Surrey and Sussex Community Education Providers Network and Faculty of Science Research Funding, University of Kent.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Savickas
- University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gilllingham, United Kingdom
| | - A J Stewart
- Medway Maritime Hospital, Cardiology Department, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - V J Short
- Newton Place Surgery, Faversham, United Kingdom
| | - A Mathie
- University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gilllingham, United Kingdom
| | - S K Bhamra
- University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gilllingham, United Kingdom
| | - S A Corlett
- University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gilllingham, United Kingdom
| | - E L Veale
- University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gilllingham, United Kingdom
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19
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Otter SJ, Chatterjee J, Stewart AJ, Michael A. The Role of Biomarkers for the Prediction of Response to Checkpoint Immunotherapy and the Rationale for the Use of Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Cervical Cancer. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2019; 31:834-843. [PMID: 31331818 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2019.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Checkpoint immunotherapy has revolutionised the way that melanoma is treated and has also shown significant effectiveness in lung, bladder, renal, and head and neck cancers. At the present time, trials of checkpoint immunotherapy in cervical cancer are at early phases, but there is very good rationale for pursuing this as a treatment option, especially as cervical cancer is a virally driven cancer and therefore should be recognised by the immune system as being foreign. This review explores the biomarkers for the selection of patients for immunotherapy in other cancers, such as programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, tumour infiltrating lymphocytes and total mutational burden, and relates these biomarkers to cervical cancer. A PubMed search was carried out for publications published in English with the terms 'immunotherapy' OR 'cervical cancer' OR 'checkpoint blockade' OR 'tumour infiltrating lymphocytes' OR 'total mutational burden'. Articles that met these criteria and were available on PubMed before 8 October 2018 were included. The results showed that PD-L1 is positive in up to 90% of cervical cancers and that the total mutational burden is moderately high, with 5-6 mutations per megabase. In addition, the tumour microenvironment in cervical cancer has an impact on prognosis, with higher ratios of CD8+ tumour infiltrating lymphocytes to CD4+ T regulatory cells being associated with improved survival. Clinical studies to date have shown the response rate of cervical cancer to checkpoint immunotherapy to be in the region to 10-25%. Cervical cancer exhibits many of the features that have been shown to be correlated with response to checkpoint immunotherapy in other tumour sites. However, response rates to date are in the region of 10-25%. Therefore, combinations of immunotherapeutic agents or checkpoint inhibitors with radiotherapy may be required to maximise the therapeutic benefit of harnessing the host immune system to fight cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Otter
- St Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
| | - J Chatterjee
- St Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- St Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - A Michael
- St Luke's Cancer Centre, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK; Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
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20
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Savickas V, Stewart AJ, Mathie A, Bhamra SK, Corlett SA, Veale EL. P4470Atrial fibrillation screening in general practice by clinical pharmacists using pulse palpation and single-lead ECG during the influenza vaccination season: a multi-site feasibility study. Eur Heart J 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy563.p4470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- V Savickas
- University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - A J Stewart
- Medway Maritime Hospital, Cardiology Department, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - A Mathie
- University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - S K Bhamra
- University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - S A Corlett
- University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gillingham, United Kingdom
| | - E L Veale
- University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Medway School of Pharmacy, Gillingham, United Kingdom
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21
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Secombe CJ, Bailey SR, de Laat MA, Hughes KJ, Stewart AJ, Sonis JM, Tan RHH. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group. Aust Vet J 2018; 96:233-242. [DOI: 10.1111/avj.12716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- CJ Secombe
- College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences; Murdoch University; Murdoch Western Australia Australia
| | - SR Bailey
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences; The University of Melbourne; Werribee VIC Australia
| | - MA de Laat
- Science and Engineering Faculty; Queensland University of Technology; Brisbane QLD Australia
| | - KJ Hughes
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Charles Sturt University; Wagga Wagga NSW Australia
| | - AJ Stewart
- Equine Specialist Hospital, School of Veterinary Science; The University of Queensland; Gatton QLD Australia
| | - JM Sonis
- Veterinary Associates Equine and Farm, Karaka; Auckland New Zealand
| | - RHH Tan
- Samford Valley Veterinary Hospital; Samford, QLD Australia
- Discipline of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences; James Cook University; Townsville QLD Australia
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22
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Stewart AJ, Wood JS, Le-luan E, Yao B, Haigh M. ‘It’s hard to write a good article’: The online comprehension of excuses as indirect replies. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 71:1265-1269. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2017.1327546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In an eye-tracking experiment, we examined how readers comprehend indirect replies when they are uttered in reply to a direct question. Participants read vignettes that described two characters engaged in dialogue. Each dialogue contained a direct question (e.g., How are you doing in Chemistry?) answered with an excuse (e.g., The exams are not fair). In response to direct questions, such indirect replies are typically used to avoid a face-threatening disclosure (e.g., doing badly on the Chemistry course). Our goal was to determine whether readers are sensitive during reading to the indirect meaning communicated by such replies. Of the three contexts we examined, the first described a negative, face-threatening situation and the second a positive, non-face threatening situation, while the third was neutral. Analysis of reading times to the replies provides strong evidence that readers are sensitive online to the face-saving function of indirect replies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jeffrey S Wood
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Elizabeth Le-luan
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Bo Yao
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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23
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Sobczak AIS, Kassaar O, Khazaipoul S, Yu R, Ajjan R, Blindauer CA, Pitt SJ, Stewart AJ. P185Regulation of coagulation by zinc: characterisation of zinc-dependent heparin neutralisation by fibrinogen and histidine-rich-glycoprotein. Cardiovasc Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvy060.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- AIS Sobczak
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - O Kassaar
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - S Khazaipoul
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - R Yu
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - R Ajjan
- University of Leeds, Leeds Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - C A Blindauer
- University of Warwick, Department of Chemistry, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - S J Pitt
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - A J Stewart
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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24
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Khazaipoul S, Katundu K, Blindauer CA, Pitt SJ, Stewart AJ. P571Role of free fatty acids in controlling plasma zinc dynamics and its effect on the aggregation properties of platelets. Cardiovasc Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvy060.423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- S Khazaipoul
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - K Katundu
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - C A Blindauer
- University of Warwick, Department of Chemistry, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - S J Pitt
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - A J Stewart
- University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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25
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Stewart SLK, Schepman A, Haigh M, McHugh R, Stewart AJ. Affective theory of mind inferences contextually influence the recognition of emotional facial expressions. Cogn Emot 2018. [PMID: 29540095 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1450224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The recognition of emotional facial expressions is often subject to contextual influence, particularly when the face and the context convey similar emotions. We investigated whether spontaneous, incidental affective theory of mind inferences made while reading vignettes describing social situations would produce context effects on the identification of same-valenced emotions (Experiment 1) as well as differently-valenced emotions (Experiment 2) conveyed by subsequently presented faces. Crucially, we found an effect of context on reaction times in both experiments while, in line with previous work, we found evidence for a context effect on accuracy only in Experiment 1. This demonstrates that affective theory of mind inferences made at the pragmatic level of a text can automatically, contextually influence the perceptual processing of emotional facial expressions in a separate task even when those emotions are of a distinctive valence. Thus, our novel findings suggest that language acts as a contextual influence to the recognition of emotional facial expressions for both same and different valences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Astrid Schepman
- a Department of Psychology , University of Chester , Chester , UK
| | - Matthew Haigh
- b Department of Psychology , Northumbria University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK
| | - Rhian McHugh
- a Department of Psychology , University of Chester , Chester , UK
| | - Andrew J Stewart
- c Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology , University of Manchester , Manchester , UK
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26
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Stewart AJ, Le-luan E, Wood JS, Yao B, Haigh M. Comprehension of Indirect Requests Is Influenced by Their Degree of Imposition. Discourse Processes 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/0163853x.2017.1330046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Elizabeth Le-luan
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jeffrey S. Wood
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Bo Yao
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Matthew Haigh
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
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Abstract
Two self-paced reading-time experiments examined how ambiguous pronouns are interpreted under conditions that encourage shallow processing. In Experiment 1 we show that sentences containing ambiguous pronouns are processed at the same speed as those containing unambiguous pronouns under shallow processing, but more slowly under deep processing. We outline three possible models to account for the shallow processing of ambiguous pronouns. Two involve an initial commitment followed by possible revision, and the other involves a delay in interpretation. In Experiment 2 we provide evidence that supports the delayed model of ambiguous pronoun resolution under shallow processing. We found no evidence to support a processing system that makes an initial commitment to an interpretation of the pronoun when it is encountered. We extend the account of pronoun resolution proposed by Rigalleau, Caplan, and Baudiffier (2004) to include the treatment of ambiguous pronouns under shallow processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stewart
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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Wood JS, Haigh M, Stewart AJ. An eye-tracking examination of readers' sensitivity to pragmatic scope information during the processing of conditional inducements. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 72:197-207. [PMID: 29172585 DOI: 10.1037/cep0000142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Previous research into conditional inducements has shown that readers are sensitive after reading such conditionals to pragmatic scope differences between promises and threats; specifically, threats can be referred to as promises, but promises cannot be referred to as threats. Crucially, previous work has not revealed whether such scope effects emerge while processing the conditional itself. In the experiment reported here, participants' eye movements were recorded while they read vignettes containing conditional promises and threats. We observed a reading time penalty on the conditional itself when participants read a conditional promise that was described as a "threat" (e.g., Liam threatened Perry "if you tell dad, then I'll take equal responsibility"). There was no such penalty when the word "promise" was presented before a conditional threat. These results suggest that readers are sensitive during reading of the conditional itself to pragmatic scope differences between "threats" and "promises." (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Wood
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences, Birmingham City University
| | | | - Andrew J Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester
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Cesar FB, Stewart AJ, Boothe DM, Ravis WR, Duran SH, Wooldridge AA. Disposition of levetiracetam in healthy adult horses. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2017; 41:92-97. [PMID: 28503770 DOI: 10.1111/jvp.12417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nine horses received 20 mg/kg of intravenous (LEVIV ); 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed immediate release (LEVCIR ); and 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed extended release (LEVCER ) levetiracetam, in a three-way randomized crossover design. Crushed tablets were dissolved in water and administered by nasogastric tube. Serum samples were collected over 48 hr, and levetiracetam concentrations were determined by immunoassay. Mean ± SD peak concentrations for LEVCIR and LEVCER were 50.72 ± 10.60 and 53.58 ± 15.94 μg/ml, respectively. The y-intercept for IV administration was 64.54 ± 24.99 μg/ml. The terminal half-life was 6.38 ± 1.97, 7.07 ± 1.93 and 6.22 ± 1.35 hr for LEVCIR , LEVCER, and LEVIV , respectively. Volume of distribution at steady-state was 630 ± 73.4 ml/kg. Total body clearance after IV administration was 74.40 ± 19.20 ml kg-1 hr-1 . Bioavailability was 96 ± 10, and 98 ± 13% for LEVCIR and LEVCER , respectively. A single dose of Levetiracetam (LEV) was well tolerated. Based on this study, a recommended dosing regimen of intravenous or oral LEV of 32 mg/kg every 12 hr is likely to achieve and maintain plasma concentrations within the therapeutic range suggested for humans, with optimal kinetics throughout the dosing interval in healthy adult horses. Repeated dosing and pharmacodynamic studies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- F B Cesar
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - A J Stewart
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - D M Boothe
- Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pathology and Pharmacology, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - W R Ravis
- Department of Drug Discovery and Development, Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - S H Duran
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - A A Wooldridge
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, AL, USA
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McGarrigle R, Dawes P, Stewart AJ, Kuchinsky SE, Munro KJ. Measuring listening-related effort and fatigue in school-aged children using pupillometry. J Exp Child Psychol 2017; 161:95-112. [PMID: 28505505 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2016] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Stress and fatigue from effortful listening may compromise well-being, learning, and academic achievement in school-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) typical of those in school classrooms on listening effort (behavioral and pupillometric) and listening-related fatigue (self-report and pupillometric) in a group of school-aged children. A sample of 41 normal-hearing children aged 8-11years performed a narrative speech-picture verification task in a condition with recommended levels of background noise ("ideal": +15dB SNR) and a condition with typical classroom background noise levels ("typical": -2dB SNR). Participants showed increased task-evoked pupil dilation in the typical listening condition compared with the ideal listening condition, consistent with an increase in listening effort. No differences were found between listening conditions in terms of performance accuracy and response time on the behavioral task. Similarly, no differences were found between listening conditions in self-report and pupillometric markers of listening-related fatigue. This is the first study to (a) examine listening-related fatigue in children using pupillometry and (b) demonstrate physiological evidence consistent with increased listening effort while listening to spoken narratives despite ceiling-level task performance accuracy. Understanding the physiological mechanisms that underpin listening-related effort and fatigue could inform intervention strategies and ultimately mitigate listening difficulties in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronan McGarrigle
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
| | - Piers Dawes
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Andrew J Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Stefanie E Kuchinsky
- Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Kevin J Munro
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
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Trueman RC, Diaz C, Farr TD, Harrison DJ, Fuller A, Tokarczuk PF, Stewart AJ, Paisey SJ, Dunnett SB. Systematic and detailed analysis of behavioural tests in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke: Tests for long-term assessment. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2017; 37:1349-1361. [PMID: 27317655 PMCID: PMC5453456 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x16654921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In order to test therapeutics, functional assessments are required. In pre-clinical stroke research, there is little consensus regarding the most appropriate behavioural tasks to assess deficits, especially when testing over extended times in milder models with short occlusion times and small lesion volumes. In this study, we comprehensively assessed 16 different behavioural tests, with the aim of identifying those that show robust, reliable and stable deficits for up to two months. These tasks are regularly used in stroke research, as well as being useful for examining striatal dysfunction in models of Huntington's and Parkinson's disease. Two cohorts of male Wistar rats underwent the intraluminal filament model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (30 min) and were imaged 24 h later. This resulted in primarily subcortical infarcts, with a small amount of cortical damage. Animals were tested, along with sham and naïve groups at 24 h, seven days, and one and two months. Following behavioural testing, brains were processed and striatal neuronal counts were performed alongside measurements of total brain and white matter atrophy. The staircase, adjusting steps, rotarod and apomorphine-induced rotations were the most reliable for assessing long-term deficits in the 30 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claris Diaz
- 2 Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Tracy D Farr
- 1 School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - David J Harrison
- 2 Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anna Fuller
- 3 Institute of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Paweł F Tokarczuk
- 4 Imaging Sciences Department, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, UK
| | | | | | - Stephen B Dunnett
- 2 Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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32
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McGarrigle R, Dawes P, Stewart AJ, Kuchinsky SE, Munro KJ. Pupillometry reveals changes in physiological arousal during a sustained listening task. Psychophysiology 2016; 54:193-203. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronan McGarrigle
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences; University of Manchester; Manchester UK
| | - Piers Dawes
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences; University of Manchester; Manchester UK
| | - Andrew J. Stewart
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences; University of Manchester; Manchester UK
| | - Stefanie E. Kuchinsky
- Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland; College Park Maryland USA
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland; College Park Maryland USA
| | - Kevin J. Munro
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences; University of Manchester; Manchester UK
- Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre; Manchester UK
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34
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Wray H, Wood JS, Haigh M, Stewart AJ. Threats may be negative promises (but warnings are more than negative tips). Journal of Cognitive Psychology 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2016.1152972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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35
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Broderick JW, Fender RP, Breton RP, Stewart AJ, Rowlinson A, Swinbank JD, Hessels JWT, Staley TD, van der Horst AJ, Bell ME, Carbone D, Cendes Y, Corbel S, Eislöffel J, Falcke H, Grießmeier JM, Hassall TE, Jonker P, Kramer M, Kuniyoshi M, Law CJ, Markoff S, Molenaar GJ, Pietka M, Scheers LHA, Serylak M, Stappers BW, Ter Veen S, van Leeuwen J, Wijers RAMJ, Wijnands R, Wise MW, Zarka P. Low-radio-frequency eclipses of the redback pulsar J2215+5135 observed in the image plane with LOFAR. Mon Not R Astron Soc 2016; 459:2681-2689. [PMID: 27279782 DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stw794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The eclipses of certain types of binary millisecond pulsars (i.e. 'black widows' and 'redbacks') are often studied using high-time-resolution, 'beamformed' radio observations. However, they may also be detected in images generated from interferometric data. As part of a larger imaging project to characterize the variable and transient sky at radio frequencies <200 MHz, we have blindly detected the redback system PSR J2215+5135 as a variable source of interest with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). Using observations with cadences of two weeks - six months, we find preliminary evidence that the eclipse duration is frequency dependent (∝ν-0.4), such that the pulsar is eclipsed for longer at lower frequencies, in broad agreement with beamformed studies of other similar sources. Furthermore, the detection of the eclipses in imaging data suggests an eclipsing medium that absorbs the pulsed emission, rather than scattering it. Our study is also a demonstration of the prospects of finding pulsars in wide-field imaging surveys with the current generation of low-frequency radio telescopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Broderick
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - R P Fender
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - R P Breton
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - A Rowlinson
- ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - J D Swinbank
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - J W T Hessels
- ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - T D Staley
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - A J van der Horst
- Department of Physics, The George Washington University, 725 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - M E Bell
- CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - D Carbone
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Y Cendes
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - S Corbel
- Laboratoire AIM (CEA/IRFU - CNRS/INSU - Université Paris Diderot), CEA DSM/IRFU/SAp, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, USR 704 - Univ. Orléans, OSUC, F-18330 Nançay, France
| | - J Eislöffel
- Thüringer Landessternwarte, Sternwarte 5, D-07778 Tautenburg, Germany
| | - H Falcke
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, NL-6500 GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands; ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - J-M Grießmeier
- LPC2E - Université d'Orléans/CNRS, F-45071 Orléans cedex 2, France; Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, USR 704 - Univ. Orléans, OSUC, F-18330 Nançay, France
| | - T E Hassall
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - P Jonker
- SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan 2, NL-3584 CA Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, NL-6500 GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - M Kramer
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany; Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - M Kuniyoshi
- NAOJ Chile Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
| | - C J Law
- Department of Astronomy and Radio Astronomy Lab, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - S Markoff
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - G J Molenaar
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - M Pietka
- Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - L H A Scheers
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Science Park 123, NL-1098 XG Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M Serylak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa; SKA South Africa, 3rd Floor, The Park, Park Road, Pinelands 7405, South Africa
| | - B W Stappers
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - S Ter Veen
- ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - J van Leeuwen
- ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R A M J Wijers
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R Wijnands
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M W Wise
- ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - P Zarka
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC, Université Paris-Diderot, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France; Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, USR 704 - Univ. Orléans, OSUC, F-18330 Nançay, France
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Carbone D, van der Horst AJ, Wijers RAMJ, Swinbank JD, Rowlinson A, Broderick JW, Cendes YN, Stewart AJ, Bell ME, Breton RP, Corbel S, Eislöffel J, Fender RP, Grießmeier JM, Hessels JWT, Jonker P, Kramer M, Law CJ, Miller-Jones JCA, Pietka M, Scheers LHA, Stappers BW, van Leeuwen J, Wijnands R, Wise M, Zarka P. New methods to constrain the radio transient rate: results from a survey of four fields with LOFAR. Mon Not R Astron Soc 2016; 459:3161-3174. [PMID: 27279785 DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stw539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We report on the results of a search for radio transients between 115 and 190 MHz with the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR). Four fields have been monitored with cadences between 15 min and several months. A total of 151 images were obtained, giving a total survey area of 2275 deg2. We analysed our data using standard LOFAR tools and searched for radio transients using the LOFAR Transients Pipeline. No credible radio transient candidate has been detected; however, we are able to set upper limits on the surface density of radio transient sources at low radio frequencies. We also show that low-frequency radio surveys are more sensitive to steep-spectrum coherent transient sources than GHz radio surveys. We used two new statistical methods to determine the upper limits on the transient surface density. One is free of assumptions on the flux distribution of the sources, while the other assumes a power-law distribution in flux and sets more stringent constraints on the transient surface density. Both of these methods provide better constraints than the approach used in previous works. The best value for the upper limit we can set for the transient surface density, using the method assuming a power-law flux distribution, is 1.3 × 10-3 deg-2 for transients brighter than 0.3 Jy with a time-scale of 15 min, at a frequency of 150 MHz. We also calculated for the first time upper limits for the transient surface density for transients of different time-scales. We find that the results can differ by orders of magnitude from previously reported, simplified estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Carbone
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A J van der Horst
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Physics, The George Washington University, 725 21 Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - R A M J Wijers
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - J D Swinbank
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - A Rowlinson
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility, PO Box 76, Epping NSW 1710, Australia; ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - J W Broderick
- ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands; Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Y N Cendes
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A J Stewart
- Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
| | - M E Bell
- CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility, PO Box 76, Epping NSW 1710, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - R P Breton
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - S Corbel
- Laboratoire AIM (CEA/IRFU - CNRS/INSU - Université Paris Diderot), CEA DSM/IRFU/SAp, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, USR 704 - Univ. Orléans, OSUC, F-18330 Nançay, France
| | - J Eislöffel
- Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, D-07778 Tautenburg, Germany
| | - R P Fender
- Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
| | - J-M Grießmeier
- Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, USR 704 - Univ. Orléans, OSUC, F-18330 Nançay, France; Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, LPC2E UMR 7328 CNRS, F-45071 Orléans, France
| | - J W T Hessels
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - P Jonker
- SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan 2, NL-3584-CA Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9010, NL-6500 GL Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - M Kramer
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - C J Law
- Department of Astronomy and Radio Astronomy Lab, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - J C A Miller-Jones
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
| | - M Pietka
- Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
| | - L H A Scheers
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, PO Box 94079, NL-1090 GB Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - B W Stappers
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - J van Leeuwen
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - R Wijnands
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M Wise
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, NL-7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
| | - P Zarka
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC, Université Paris-Diderot, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
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Wood JS, Haigh M, Stewart AJ. “This Isn’t a Promise, It’s a Threat”. Exp Psychol 2016; 63:89-97. [DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Participants had their eye movements recorded as they read vignettes containing implied promises and threats. We observed a reading time penalty when participants read the word “threat” when it anaphorically referred to an implied promise. There was no such penalty when the word “promise” was used to refer to an implied threat. On a later measure of processing we again found a reading time penalty when the word “threat” was used to refer to a promise, but also when the word “promise” was used to refer to a threat. These results suggest that anaphoric processing of such expressions is driven initially by sensitivity to the semantic scope differences of “threats” versus “promises.” A threat can be understood as a type of promise, but a promise cannot be understood as a type of threat. However, this effect was short lived; readers were ultimately sensitive to mismatched meaning, regardless of speech act performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S. Wood
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Matthew Haigh
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, UK
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Barba M, Stewart AJ, Passler T, Wooldridge AA, van Santen E, Chamorro MF, Cattley RC, Hathcock T, Hogsette JA, Hu XP. Experimental transmission of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi in horses by house flies. J Vet Intern Med 2015; 29:636-43. [PMID: 25818218 PMCID: PMC4895518 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The route of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses remains undetermined, but transmission by insects is suspected. OBJECTIVES To investigate house flies (Musca domestica L.) as vectors of C. pseudotuberculosis transmission in horses. ANIMALS Eight healthy, adult ponies. METHODS Randomized, controlled, blinded prospective study. Ten wounds were created in the pectoral region where cages for flies were attached. Three ponies were directly inoculated with C. pseudotuberculosis. Four ponies were exposed for 24 hours to 20 hours C. pseudotuberculosis-inoculated flies. One negative control pony was exposed to noninoculated flies. Ponies were examined daily for swelling, heat, pain, and drainage at the inoculation site. Blood was collected weekly for CBC and biochemical analysis, and twice weekly for synergistic hemolysis inhibition titers. RESULTS Clinical signs of local infection and positive cultures were observed in 7/7 exposed ponies and were absent in the negative control. In exposed ponies, peak serologic titers (1:512 to 1:2,048) were obtained between days 17 and 21. Seroconversion was not observed in the negative control. Neutrophil counts were higher in the positive and fly-exposed groups than in the negative control (P = .002 and P = .005) on day 3 postinoculation. Serum amyloid A concentrations were higher in the positive control than in the negative control and fly-exposed ponies on days 3 (P < .0001) and 7 (P = .0004 and P = .0001). No differences were detected for other biochemical variables. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE House flies can serve as mechanical vectors of C. pseudotuberculosis and can transmit the bacterium to ponies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Barba
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
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McDougall KE, Cooper PL, Stewart AJ, Huggins CE. Can the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) Be Used as a Nutrition Evaluation Tool for Subacute Inpatients over an Average Length of Stay? J Nutr Health Aging 2015; 19:1032-6. [PMID: 26624216 DOI: 10.1007/s12603-015-0665-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The prevalence of malnutrition in subacute inpatient settings has been reported to be 30-50%. While there are a number of nutrition evaluation tools which have been validated to diagnose malnutrition, the use of a validated nutrition evaluation tool to measure changes in nutritional status during an average length of stay for a subacute inpatient has not yet been tested. This study aims to determine the potential of the full MNA (full Mini Nutritional Assessment) and MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form) scores to measure change in nutritional status over an average subacute inpatient stay (21 days). DESIGN A prospective observational study. SETTING The study was performed in three Rehabilitation and Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) wards of the Kingston Centre, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS All patients ≥65 years admitted to these wards with an expected length of stay of at least 14 days were considered for inclusion in this study. MEASUREMENTS Nutritional status was assessed on admission using the full MNA as part of usual dietetic care and patients were provided with nutrition intervention/diet therapy based on full MNA classification. Full MNA score (0-30), MNA score (0-14), anthropometry (weight and height) and nutritional biochemistry (serum albumin, transthyretin and C-reactive protein) were compared between admission and day 20.5 ± 2.4. RESULTS Mean age (± SD) of 83 ± 7 years, n=114. For those patients diagnosed at risk of malnutrition or malnourished (n=103), there were significant increases in full MNA score (1.8 ± 2.4, p<0.001), MNA score (0.9 ± 1.7, p<0.001), weight (0.6 ± 2.5 kg, p=0.017) and serum albumin (1.4 ± 4.4 g/L, p=0.003) over the study period. All four of the full MNA domain sub-scores, also increased significantly in those patients diagnosed at risk of malnutrition or malnourished (n=103): anthropometric assessment (p<0.001), dietary assessment (p<0.001), general status assessment (p=0.019) and self-perceived health and nutrition states (p=0.033). CONCLUSION Both the MNA and full MNA can be used to evaluate nutrition progress within the subacute inpatient setting over a three week time period, thereby providing clinicians with feedback on a patient's nutrition progress and assisting with ongoing care planning. Due to its ease of use and shorter time required to complete, the MNA may be the preferred nutrition evaluation tool in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E McDougall
- Karen McDougall, Kingston Centre, Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Warrigal Rd, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia 3192, Phone: (03) 9265 1000, pager 8256,
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Dembek KA, Hurcombe SD, Stewart AJ, Barr BS, MacGillivray KC, Kinee M, Elam J, Toribio RE. Association of aldosterone and arginine vasopressin concentrations and clinical markers of hypoperfusion in neonatal foals. Equine Vet J 2015; 48:176-81. [PMID: 25421257 DOI: 10.1111/evj.12393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Critically ill foals often present to veterinary hospitals with impaired organ perfusion which can be demonstrated by increased blood L-lactate concentrations. As a compensatory mechanism to low blood pressure and electrolyte abnormalities, aldosterone and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are released to restore organ perfusion and function. Several studies have investigated the ability of blood L-lactate concentrations to predict severity of disease and outcome in critically ill human patients, adult horses and foals. However, information on the aldosterone and AVP response to hypoperfusion and its association with L-lactate concentrations in neonatal foals is limited. OBJECTIVES To determine the association between clinical hypoperfusion and endocrine markers of reduced tissue perfusion in normo- and hypoperfused foals. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional observational study. METHODS Blood samples were collected on admission from 72 clinically hypoperfused, 110 normoperfused (73 hospitalised and 37 healthy) foals of ≤4 days of age. Foals were considered clinically hypoperfused if they had L-lactate concentrations ≥2.5 mmol/l and one of the 3 following findings: heart rate >120 beats/min, packed cell volume (PCV) >0.44 l/l or azotaemia (increased creatinine and blood urea nitrogen [BUN]). Blood concentrations of aldosterone and AVP were determined by radioimmunoassays. RESULTS Aldosterone, AVP, creatinine and BUN concentrations and heart rate, PCV and blood osmolality were higher in clinically hypoperfused compared with normoperfused foals (P<0.05). Risk of hypoperfusion increased with the presence of hypothermic extremities (OR = 5.26) and with each one unit increase in albumin concentrations (OR = 3.5) (P<0.05). The proposed admission L-lactate cut-off value above which nonsurvival could be reliably predicted in hospitalised foals was 10.6 mmol/l with 82% of sensitivity and 74% of specificity. CONCLUSIONS Hyperaldosteronaemia and hypervasopressinaemia as well as hypothermic extremities and increased albumin concentrations are potent predictors of hypoperfusion in hospitalised foals.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Dembek
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - S D Hurcombe
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - A J Stewart
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Alabama, USA
| | - B S Barr
- Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | | | - M Kinee
- Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - J Elam
- Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - R E Toribio
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
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Kassaar O, Schwarz-Linek U, Blindauer CA, Stewart AJ. Plasma free fatty acid levels influence Zn(2+) -dependent histidine-rich glycoprotein-heparin interactions via an allosteric switch on serum albumin. J Thromb Haemost 2015; 13:101-10. [PMID: 25353308 PMCID: PMC4309485 DOI: 10.1111/jth.12771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) regulates coagulation through its ability to bind and neutralize heparins. HRG associates with Zn(2+) to stimulate HRG-heparin complex formation. Under normal conditions, the majority of plasma Zn(2+) associates with human serum albumin (HSA). However, free fatty acids (FFAs) allosterically disrupt Zn(2+) binding to HSA. Thus, high levels of circulating FFAs, as are associated with diabetes, obesity, and cancer, may increase the proportion of plasma Zn(2+) associated with HRG, contributing to an increased risk of thrombotic disease. OBJECTIVES To characterize Zn(2+) binding by HRG, examine the influence that FFAs have on Zn(2+) binding by HSA, and establish whether FFA-mediated displacement of Zn(2+) from HSA may influence HRG-heparin complex formation. METHODS Zn(2+) binding to HRG and to HSA in the presence of different FFA (myristate) concentrations were examined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and the formation of HRG-heparin complexes in the presence of different Zn(2+) concentrations by both ITC and ELISA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We found that HRG possesses 10 Zn(2+) sites (K' = 1.63 × 10(5) ) and that cumulative binding of FFA to HSA perturbed its ability to bind Zn(2+) . Also Zn(2+) binding was shown to increase the affinity with which HRG interacts with unfractionated heparins, but had no effect on its interaction with low molecular weight heparin (~ 6850 Da). [Correction added on 1 December 2014, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, "6850 kDa" was corrected to "6850 Da".] Speciation modeling of plasma Zn(2+) based on the data obtained suggests that FFA-mediated displacement of Zn(2+) from serum albumin would be likely to contribute to the development of thrombotic complications in individuals with high plasma FFA levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Kassaar
- School of Medicine, University of St AndrewsSt Andrews, UK
| | - U Schwarz-Linek
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St AndrewsSt Andrews, UK
| | - C A Blindauer
- Department of Chemistry, University of WarwickCoventry, UK
| | - A J Stewart
- School of Medicine, University of St AndrewsSt Andrews, UK
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McGarrigle R, Munro KJ, Dawes P, Stewart AJ, Moore DR, Barry JG, Amitay S. Listening effort and fatigue: What exactly are we measuring? A British Society of Audiology Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group ‘white paper’. Int J Audiol 2014; 53:433-40. [DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2014.890296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Haigh M, Ferguson HJ, Stewart AJ. An eye-tracking investigation into readers' sensitivity to actual versus expected utility in the comprehension of conditionals. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2013; 67:166-85. [PMID: 23710889 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2013.797475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The successful comprehension of a utility conditional (i.e., an "if p, then q" statement where p and/or q is valued by one or more agents) requires the construction of a mental representation of the situation described by that conditional and integration of this representation with prior context. In an eye-tracking experiment, we examined the time course of integrating conditional utility information into the broader discourse model. Specifically, the experiment determined whether readers were sensitive, during rapid heuristic processing, to the congruency between the utility of the consequent clause of a conditional (positive or negative) and a reader's subjective expectations based on prior context. On a number of eye-tracking measures we found that readers were sensitive to conditional utility-conditionals for which the consequent utility mismatched the utility that would be anticipated on the basis of prior context resulted in processing disruption. Crucially, this sensitivity emerged on measures that are accepted to indicate early processing within the language comprehension system and suggests that the evaluation of a conditional's utility informs the early stages of conditional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Haigh
- a School of Psychological Sciences , University of Manchester , Manchester , UK
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Abstract
People in conversation tend to accommodate the way they speak. It has been assumed that this tendency to imitate each other's speech patterns serves to increase liking between partners in a conversation. Previous experiments examined the effect of perceived social attractiveness on the tendency to imitate someone else's speech and found that vocal imitation increased when perceived attractiveness was higher. The present experiment extends this research by examining the inverse relationship and examines how overt vocal imitation affects attitudes. Participants listened to sentences spoken by two speakers of a regional accent (Glaswegian) of English. They vocally repeated (speaking in their own accent without imitating) the sentences spoken by a Glaswegian speaker, and subsequently imitated sentences spoken by a second Glaswegian speaker (order counterbalanced across participants). After each repeating or imitation session, participants completed a questionnaire probing the speakers' perceived power, competence, and social attractiveness. Imitating had a positive effect on the perceived social attractiveness of the speaker compared to repeating. These results are interpreted in light of Communication Accommodation Theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patti Adank
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester Manchester, UK ; Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London London, UK
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Stewart AJ, Haigh M, Ferguson HJ. Sensitivity to speaker control in the online comprehension of conditional tips and promises: an eye-tracking study. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 2013; 39:1022-36. [PMID: 23356237 DOI: 10.1037/a0031513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Statements of the form if… then… can be used to communicate conditional speech acts such as tips and promises. Conditional promises require the speaker to have perceived control over the outcome event, whereas conditional tips do not. In an eye-tracking study, we examined whether readers are sensitive to information about perceived speaker control during processing of conditionals embedded in context. On a number of eye-tracking measures, we found that readers are sensitive to whether or not the speaker of a conditional has perceived control over the consequent event; conditional promises (which require the speaker to have perceived control over the consequent) result in processing disruption for contexts where this control is absent. Conditional tips (which do not require perceived control) are processed equivalently easily regardless of context. These results suggest that readers rapidly utilize pragmatic information related to perceived control in order to represent conditional speech acts as they are read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stewart
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
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Eliades M, Mansell W, Stewart AJ, Blanchette I. An investigation of belief-bias and logicality in reasoning with emotional contents. Thinking & Reasoning 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2012.713317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Edmondson MA, Duran SH, Boothe DM, Stewart AJ, Ravis WR. Pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its major metabolites in alpacas following intravenous and oral administration. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2011; 35:389-96. [PMID: 21883285 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.2011.01332.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Tramadol, a centrally acting opioid analgesic with monamine reuptake inhibition, was administered to six alpacas (43-71 kg) randomly assigned to two treatment groups, using an open, single-dose, two-period, randomized cross-over design at a dose of 3.4-4.4 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.) and, after a washout period, 11 mg/kg orally. Serum samples were collected and stored at -80°C until assayed by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The mean half-lives (t(1/2)) i.v. were 0.85±0.463 and 0.520±0.256 h orally. The Cp(0) i.v. was 2467±540 ng/mL, and the C(max) was 1202±1319 ng/mL orally. T(max) occurred at 0.111±0.068 h orally. The area under the curve (AUC(0-∞)) i.v. was 895±189 and 373±217 ng*h/mL orally. The volume of distribution (V(d[area])) i.v. was 5.50±2.66 L/kg. Total body clearance (Cl) i.v. was 4.62±1.09 h; Cl/F for oral administration was 39.5±23 L/h/kg. The i.v. mean residence time (MRT) was 0.720±0.264. Oral adsorption (F) was low (5.9-19.1%) at almost three times the i.v. dosage with a large inter-subject variation. This may be due to binding with the rumen contents or enzymatic destruction. Assuming linear nonsaturable pharmacokinetics and absorption processes, a dosage of 6.7 times orally would be needed to achieve the same i.v. serum concentration of tramadol. The t(1/2) of all three metabolites was longer than the parent drug; however, O-DMT, N-DMT, and Di-DMT metabolites were not detectable in all of the alpacas. Because of the poor bioavailability and adverse effects noted in this study, the oral administration of tramadol in alpacas cannot be recommended without further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Edmondson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
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Kidd E, Stewart AJ, Serratrice L. Children do not overcome lexical biases where adults do: the role of the referential scene in garden-path recovery. J Child Lang 2011; 38:222-234. [PMID: 20196901 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000909990316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we report on a visual world eye-tracking experiment that investigated the differing abilities of adults and children to use referential scene information during reanalysis to overcome lexical biases during sentence processing. The results showed that adults incorporated aspects of the referential scene into their parse as soon as it became apparent that a test sentence was syntactically ambiguous, suggesting they considered the two alternative analyses in parallel. In contrast, the children appeared not to re-analyze their initial analysis, even over shorter distances than have been investigated in prior research. We argue that this reflects the children's over-reliance on bottom-up, lexical cues to interpretation. The implications for the development of parsing routines are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Kidd
- School of Psychological Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3086, Victoria, Australia.
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Passler NH, Chan HM, Stewart AJ, Duran SH, Welles EG, Lin HC, Ravis WR. Distribution of voriconazole in seven body fluids of adult horses after repeated oral dosing. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2010; 33:35-41. [PMID: 20444023 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.2009.01099.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess safety and alterations in body fluid concentrations of voriconazole in normal horses on days 7 and 14 following once daily dose of 4 mg/kg of voriconazole orally for 14 days. Body fluid drug concentrations were determined by the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On day 7, mean voriconazole concentrations of plasma, peritoneal, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids, aqueous humor, epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and urine were 1.47 +/- 0.63, 0.61 +/- 0.22, 0.70 +/- 0.20, 0.62 +/- 0.26, 0.55 +/- 0.32, 79.45 +/- 69.4, and 1.83 +/- 0.44 microg/mL respectively. Mean voriconazole concentrations in the plasma, peritoneal, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids, aqueous humor, ELF and urine on day 14 were 1.60 +/- 0.37, 1.02 +/- 0.27, 0.86 +/- 0.25, 0.64 +/- 0.21, 0.68 +/- 0.13, 47.76 +/- 45.4 and 3.34 +/- 2.17 respectively. Voriconazole concentrations in the bronchoalveolar cell pellet were below the limit of detection. There was no statistically significant difference between voriconazole concentrations of body fluids when comparing days 7 and 14. Results indicated that voriconazole distributes widely into body fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- N H Passler
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital, Auburn University, AL 36849-2900, USA.
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