Quantum Sensing in a Physiological‐Like Cell Niche Using Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Embedded in Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (fNDs) containing nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers are promising candidates for quantum sensing in biological environments. This work describes the fabrication and implementation of electrospun poly lactic‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA) nanofibers embedded with fNDs for optical quantum sensing in an environment, which recapitulates the nanoscale architecture and topography of the cell niche. A protocol that produces uniformly dispersed fNDs within electrospun nanofibers is demonstrated and the resulting fibers are characterized using fluorescent microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and longitudinal spin relaxometry results for fNDs and embedded fNDs are compared. A new approach for fast detection of time varying magnetic fields external to the fND embedded nanofibers is demonstrated. ODMR spectra are successfully acquired from a culture of live differentiated neural stem cells functioning as a connected neural network grown on fND embedded nanofibers. This work advances the current state of the art in quantum sensing by providing a versatile sensing platform that can be tailored to produce physiological‐like cell niches to replicate biologically relevant growth environments and fast measurement protocols for the detection of co‐ordinated endogenous signals from clinically relevant populations of electrically active neuronal circuits.     

Autolysis and the endogenous proteinases characterised in beardless barb (Anematichthys apogon) muscle

Beardless barb is a common fish species used in fermentation of fish paste Ka-pi-plaa. Autolytic profile of beardless barb muscle showed the maximum autolysis was at 50 °C, at both acidic and alkaline pH values. With augmentation concentration of NaCl, autolytic activity slightly decreased. Endogenous proteinases isolated from fish muscle in crude extract forms were also characterised. The acidic proteinases had optimum activity at pH 3.0 and 50°C, and they showed higher proteolytic activity than the alkaline proteinases which were optimally active at pH 9.0 and 50 °C. Proteinases in peak at pH 3.0 were inhibited by pepstatin A, but those in peak at pH 9.0 were highly inhibited by PMSF, TLCK and soybean trypsin inhibitor, suggesting that both aspartic and serine proteinases were existed in beardless barb muscle. The proteinases were stable in pH range of 2.0-5.0 but unstable at the temperatures higher than 40 °C. NaCl suppressed the proteolytic activity, ATP activated the proteinase activity, while CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and CoCl₂ exhibited no influence on the activity. The results implied that cathepsin D is the predominant proteinase responsible for autolysis in beardless barb. The findings were useful to improve the processing and qualities of Ka-pi-plaa product using beardless barb as raw material.     

Stability of motor-unit force thresholds in the decerebrate cat

To further test the hypothesis that some fixed property of motoneurons determines their recruitment order, we quantified the variation in force threshold (FT) for motoneurons recruited in muscle stretch reflexes in the decerebrate cat. Motor axons supplying the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle were penetrated with micropipettes and physiological properties of the motoneuron and its muscle fibers, i.e., the motor unit, were measured. FT, defined as the amount of MG force produced when the isolated motor unit was recruited, was measured from 20 to 93 consecutive stretch trials for 29 motor units. Trials were selected for limited variation in base force and rate of rise of force, which have been shown to covary with FT, and in peak stretch force, which gives some index of motor-pool excitability. Under these restricted conditions, large variation in FT would have been inconsistent with the hypothesis. Analysis of the variation in FT employed the coefficient of variation (CV), because of the tendency for FT variance and mean to increase together. We found that CV was distributed with a median value of 10% and with only 2 of 29 units exceeding 36%. Some of this variation was associated with measurement error and with intertrial fluctuations in base, peak, and the rate of change of muscle force. CV was not significantly correlated with motor-unit axonal conduction velocity, contraction time, or force. In three cases FT was measured simultaneously from two motor units in the same stretch trials. Changes in recruitment order were rarely observed (5 of 121 stretch trials), even when FT ranges for units in a pair overlapped. We suggest that the large variation in recruitment threshold observed in some earlier studies resulted not from wide variation in the recruitment ranking of motoneurons within one muscle, but rather from variation in the relative activity of different pools of motoneurons. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that recruitment order is determined by some fixed property of alpha-motoneurons and/or by some unvarying combination of presynaptic inputs that fluctuate in parallel.     

Complications of chronic otitis media

In summary, recent literature indicates that the complications of chronic otitis media have been decreasing. However, even with the advent of modern and more powerful antimicrobials and aggressive surgical eradication of disease, the morbidity and mortality are still high. Some complications may initially be quite obvious and some complications may be quite subtle. Therefore, the most important tools in making early diagnosis are careful history and physical examination, and a high index of suspicion for impending complications.     

Validity of the PAS-ADD for detecting psychiatric symptoms in adults with learning disability (mental retardation)

The Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD) is a semi-structured interview for use with respondents who have learning disability and for key informants. This report investigates the ability of the instrument to detect symptoms that had been found to exist during routine clinical assessment of the patients. Field trials involved 95 referred patients with learning disability and a key informant for each sample member. Clinical opinions of the referring psychiatrists were sought using a symptom checklist. Referrer checklist symptoms and PAS-ADD data were both factor analysed. Validity testing involved (a) computation of correlations between PAS-ADD factors and checklist data and (b) comparison of PAS-ADD and referrers' diagnoses. Results indicated good validity for the PAS-ADD in relation to psychotic symptoms and depressive symptoms. Anxiety symptom identification was not well validated, probably due to small numbers. Expansive mood identified by the referrers was not detected by the PAS-ADD because there is currently no corresponding section in the interview. Where the PAS-ADD produced a diagnosis (in 58 members of the sample), 44 were in agreement with the referrer. Probability of diagnosis by PAS-ADD increased with the number of relevant active symptoms identified by the referrer. The PAS-ADD has been shown in a previous report to have the sensitivity to detect mental disorders not known to psychiatric services. For psychotic and depressive conditions, our results showed that symptom detection was in good agreement with the information provided by the referring psychiatrists on their patients. The PAS-ADD needs a section on hypomania and further investigation of its detection of anxiety disorders.     

The ultrasound appearances of neonatal renal vein thrombosis

Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) is the most frequently occurring vascular condition in the new-born kidney. The predisposing factors include dehydration, sepsis, birth asphyxia, maternal diabetes, polycythaemia and the presence of an indwelling umbilical venous catheter. (RVT) may present clinically with a flank mass, haematuria, hypertension or renal failure. Many imaging modalities have been employed, but ultrasound is the technique most commonly used in the evaluation of neonates with suspected RVT. Thrombosis commences in the small renal veins and subsequently propagates via larger interlobar veins to the main renal vein and inferior vena cava (IVC). The ultrasound appearances depend upon the stage at which the examination is performed and extent of the thrombus. Initially, the interlobular and interlobar thrombus appears as highly echogenic streaks. These streaks commence in a peripheral, focal segment of the involved kidney and only persist for a few days. In the first week the affected kidney swells and becomes echogenic with prominent echopoor medullary pyramids. Later, the swelling increases and the kidney becomes heterogenous with loss of corticomedullary differentiation. Grey scale ultrasound readily demonstrates thrombus within the renal vein and IVC. Adrenal haemorrhage is a recognized association and may be identified ultrasonically. Colour Doppler scanning provides additional information. In the early stages of RVT, colour Doppler may demonstrate absent intrarenal and renal venous flow. Ultimately, the kidney may recover, show focal scarring or become atrophic. Thus, ultrasound provides an accessible and reliable tool in the assessment of suspected neonatal RVT.