Search This Blog

Monday, January 21, 2019

Fear and embarrassment are causing smear test numbers to plummet


A UK survey of more than 2,000 young women has shown that many delay or avoid having a smear test due to feeling scared, vulnerable, embarrassed or not being in control.

The survey, which was conducted by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, also revealed that many women are put off by the thought of being examined by a stranger.
Current estimates show that cervical screening rates are at the lowest they have been in two decades, with around one-third of women aged between 25 and 64 not complying with the NHS recommendations that women aged 25 to 49 have a smear test every three years and those aged 50 to 64 have a test every five years.
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is now launching a campaign #SmearForSmear as part of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (running from 21st to 27th January) in an effort to address the decline in screening rates and recognise the wide range of new issues that seem to be contributing to the problem.
Our research has again highlighted the urgent need for making the programme more patient-focused. We want to see self-sampling being made available as well as more flexible locations for women to attend. It is vital women have more control otherwise we will see attendance continue to fall and diagnoses of this often-preventable cancer increase.”
Robert Music, CEO, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
The survey data revealed that of 2,005 women aged 25 to 35, almost half (46%) regularly delayed or avoided taking up their invitation to have a smear test. The reasons those women gave included feeling scared (71%), vulnerable (75%), embarrassed (81%) or as if they would not be in control (67%).
When asked what led them to miss or delay a test, 69% said the thought of having an intimate area examined by a stranger made them feel uncomfortable; 58% said they feared pain and 31% said they were unaware what the test would entail.
The data also revealed that almost 30% of the women would feel awkward asking the nurse to stop or saying the procedure was hurting, 18% would feel uncomfortable asking what the nurse is doing, and 19% would not share their concerns with the nurse.
Smear tests provide the best protection against cervical cancer yet we know they aren’t always easy. We want women to feel comfortable talking to their nurse and asking questions. It’s not making a fuss and there are many ways to make the test easier. Please don’t let your fears stop you booking a test.”
Robert Music, CEO, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
Source:
Posted by at No comments:

Brain training app improves users’ concentration


A new ‘brain training’ game designed by researchers at the University of Cambridge improves users’ concentration, according to new research published today. The scientists behind the venture say this could provide a welcome antidote to the daily distractions that we face in a busy world.
In their book, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen point out that with the emergence of new technologies requiring rapid responses to emails and texts and working on multiple projects simultaneously, , including students, are having more problems with sustaining attention and frequently become distracted. This difficulty in focussing attention and concentrating is made worse by stress from a global environment that never sleeps and also frequent travel leading to jetlag and poor quality sleep.
“We’ve all experienced coming home from work feeling that we’ve been busy all day, but unsure what we actually did,” says Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry. “Most of us spend our time answering emails, looking at text messages, searching social media, trying to multitask. But instead of getting a lot done, we sometimes struggle to complete even a single task and fail to achieve our goal for the day. Then we go home, and even there we find it difficult to ‘switch off’ and read a book or watch TV without picking up our smartphones. For  we need to get in the ‘flow’ and stay focused.”
In recent years, as smartphones have become ubiquitous, there has been a growth in the number of so-called ‘brain training’ apps that claim to improve cognitive skills such as memory, numerical skills and concentration.
Now, a team from the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cambridge, has developed and tested ‘Decoder’, a new game that is aimed at helping users improve their attention and concentration. The game is based on the team’s own research and has been evaluated scientifically.
In a study published today in the journal Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience Professor Sahakian and colleague Dr. George Savulich have demonstrated that playing Decoder on an iPad for eight hours over one month improves attention and concentration. This form of attention activates a frontal-parietal network in the brain.
In their study, the researchers divided 75 healthy young adults into three groups: one group received Decoder, one control group played Bingo for the same amount of time and a second  received no game. Participants in the first two groups were invited to attend eight one-hour sessions over the course of a month during which they played either Decoder or Bingo under supervision.
All 75 participants were tested at the start of the trial and then after four weeks using the CANTAB Rapid Visual Information Processing test (RVP). CANTAB RVP has been demonstrated in previously published studies to be a highly sensitive test of attention/concentration.
During the test, participants are asked to detect sequences of digits (e.g. 2-4-6, 3-5-7, 4-6-8). A white box appears in the middle of screen, of which digits from 2 to 9 appear in a pseudo-random order, at a rate of 100 digits per minute. Participants are instructed to press a button every time they detect a sequence. The duration of the test is approximately five minutes.
Results from the study showed a  in attention as measured by the RVP. Those who played Decoder were better than those who played Bingo and those who played no game. The difference in performance was significant and meaningful as it was comparable to those effects seen using stimulants, such as methylphenidate, or nicotine. The former, also known as Ritalin, is a common treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
To ensure that Decoder improved focussed attention and concentration without impairing the ability to shift attention, the researchers also tested participants’ ability on the Trail Making Test. Decoder performance also improved on this commonly used neuropsychological test of attentional shifting. During this test, participants have to first attend to numbers and then shift their attention to letters and then shift back to numbers. Additionally, participants enjoyed playing the game, and motivation remained high throughout the 8 hours of gameplay.
Professor Sahakian commented: “Many people tell me that they have trouble focussing their attention. Decoder should help them improve their ability to do this. In addition to healthy people, we hope that the game will be beneficial for patients who have impairments in attention, including those with ADHD or traumatic brain injury. We plan to start a study with traumatic brain injury patients this year.”
Dr. Savulich added: “Many brain training apps on the market are not supported by rigorous scientific evidence. Our evidence-based game is developed interactively and the games developer, Tom Piercy, ensures that it is engaging and fun to play. The level of difficulty is matched to the individual player and participants enjoy the challenge of the cognitive training.”
The game has now been licensed through Cambridge Enterprise, the technology transfer arm of the University of Cambridge, to app developer Peak, who specialise in evidence-based ‘brain training’ apps. This will allow Decoder to become accessible to the public. Peak has developed a version for Apple devices and is releasing the game today as part of the Peak Brain Training app. Peak Brain Training is available from the App Store for free and Decoder will be available to both free and pro users as part of their daily workout. The company plans to make a version available for Android devices later this year.
“Peak’s version of Decoder is even more challenging than our original test game, so it will allow players to continue to gain even larger benefits in performance over time,” says Professor Sahakian. “By licensing our , we hope it can reach a wide audience who are able to benefit by improving their attention.”
Xavier Louis, CEO of Peak, adds: “At Peak we believe in an evidenced-based approach to brain training. This is our second collaboration with Professor Sahakian and her work over the years shows that playing games can bring significant benefits to brains. We are pleased to be able to bring Decoder to the Peak community, to help people overcome their  problems.”
Explore further
More information: George Savulich et al, Improvements in Attention Following Cognitive Training With the Novel “Decoder” Game on an iPad, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (2019). DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00002
Posted by at No comments:

Half of employers say they are less inclined to recruit obese candidates


Obesity is one of the most pressing and controversial public health challenges. It has the distinction of being a crisis about which most people have an opinion – often based on a simple diagnosis – but for which nobody has found a correspondingly neat solution.
It’s still very common to hear even clinically trained experts, as well as ordinary folk, trot out tired old certainties about a lack of willpower, or that it is a lifestyle choice for which people should take more responsibility. Even in some modern businesses, it seems that it’s still OK to target discriminatory practices against those living with .
Only recently, Pakistan International Airlines was reported to have told overweight cabin crew that they must lose weight or be grounded. “No one would like to have shabby crew in the aircraft,” a spokesperson reportedly said in mitigation.
So is it time to get tougher on obese or overweight workers and the “burden” they have become, or would a more empathetic and supportive approach work better?
Obesity: the facts
In England, 60% of men and 50% women are overweight or obese. A quarter of men and women are obese and this has been increasing over the last 30 years. For comparison, in 1980 only 7% of adults were obese. In 2014-2015 treating obesity and its consequences cost the NHS in England £5.1 billion.
Evidence shows the causes of obesity are devilishly complex. The 2007 UK government’s Foresight report on the science of obesity remains one of the most comprehensive dismantling of the “lack of willpower” argument. It showed dozens of medical, psychological and societal contributors to the problem.
Dame Carol Black’s review into the impact on employment outcomes of drug or alcohol addiction, and obesity – to which I was an adviser – found there are many social determinants of obesity. A major review by the World Health Organisation found that over 33% of those not in work, and those who are either obese or severely obese, were from the most deprived areas.
This means that obese people in lower socioeconomic groups are getting heavier at a faster rate than people in higher socioeconomic groups. This is illustrated in the graph below from France where, between 1997 and 2012, the lowest income group became obese more than three times faster than those in the two highest income groups.
Half of employers say they are less inclined to recruit obese candidates – it's not OK
Credit: World Health Organisation
Weight stigma
Obesity in the workforce is something we still hear less about, but which is also increasing. Public Health England estimatesthat up to a third of working people are obese and that there are 16m days of sickness absence each year due to obesity. The cost of lost productivity in the US attributable to obesity has been estimated at $15.1 billion. Shift workers also have an elevated risk of obesity too.
What is clear is that negative stereotypes about  at work persist. They are often seen as lazy, lacking in self-discipline, less competent, less conscientious and unmotivated. Obese workers often have lower starting pay and less hiring success – 45% of employers say they are less inclined to recruit obese candidates. They are less likely to be regarded as able leaders or to have career potential, are more likely to experience bullying and harassment, and obese women are less likely to get customer-facing jobs.
One study on employment discrimination found the more overweight a person is, the more the likely they are to report discrimination in the workplace. Overweight workers were 12 times more likely, obese respondents were 37 times more likely, and severely obese respondents were 100 times more likely than normal weight respondents to report .
Women are also 16 times more likely to report weight related employment discrimination than men. This is because parts of our service sector have an “aesthetic labour” market where body image and grooming are at least as important as competence.
The relationship between obesity and mental health is also important. One study found that discrimination on the basis of weight explains much of the link between obesity and psychological well-being and there is  that anti-psychotic drugs and obesity are linked. Despite all this complexity, for some it’s still easier to blame the obese.
Supportive help
In Europe, the law is catching up with the need to make sure that employers understand that functional impairment – such as reduced mobility – resulting from extreme obesity can be considered as coming under the scope of equalities legislation as a “protected characteristic” and require workplace adjustments to be made. This at least points the way towards supportive rather than punitive approaches in workplaces.
Offering support is not about absolution but it is about helping people living and working with obesity and overweight to take more control and to make changes to their diets and lifestyles which gradually rebuild self-esteem and agency.
Workplaces can be great arenas within which this support can be offered without prejudice and where small successes can be built upon.
Posted by at No comments:

Energizing the immune system to eat cancer


Immune cells called macrophages are supposed to serve and protect, but cancer has found ways to put them to sleep. Now researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve identified how to fuel macrophages with the energy needed to attack and eat cancer cells. It is well established that macrophages can either support cancer cell growth and spread or hinder it. But most tumors also express a signal called CD47, which can lull macrophages into a deep sleep and prevent them from eating. Researchers have found that rewiring macrophage metabolism can overcome this signal and act like an alarm clock to rouse and prepare macrophages to go to work. Their findings were published in Nature Immunology today.
Macrophages are  just like T and B cells, but differ in that they can eat cells that are not supposed to be in the body. In fact, they are the most prominent immune cell found in cancer, but unfortunately, most are often convinced to help cancer grow and spread. Cancer cells frequently stop macrophages from attacking them by expressing CD47, a “don’t eat me” signal. Researchers now say that merely blocking inhibitory signals like CD47 is not always sufficient to convince macrophages to attack cancer. Instead, two signals are required. First, they need a signal to activate them—such as a toll-like receptor agonist. After that, a second signal—such as a CD47 inhibitor—can lower the threshold needed to wage battle on the cancer.
“It turns out macrophages need to be primed before they can go to work, which explains why  may resist treatment with CD47 inhibitors alone,” said the study’s senior author Gregory L. Beatty, MD, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. Jason Mingen Liu, an MD and Ph.D. graduate student in Beatty’s lab, is the study’s lead author.
The team used this approach by activating macrophages with CpG, a toll-like receptor agonist that sends the first signal, and found that it rapidly induced shrinkage of tumors and prolonged survival of mice even without the requirement of T cells. Unexpectedly, they also found that the activated macrophages were able to eat cancer cells even in the presence of high levels of CD47.
To understand the molecular basis of this phenomenon, the team traced the metabolic activity of macrophages and determined that activated macrophages began to utilize both glutamine and glucose as fuel to support the energy requirements needed for them to eat cancer . This rewiring of the macrophages metabolism was necessary for CpG to be effective, and the researchers say these findings point to the importance of macrophage metabolism in determining the outcome of an immune response.
“Cancer does not shrink without the help of macrophages and macrophages need the right fuel to eat  and shrink tumors,” Liu said. “To do this, a shift in metabolism is needed to steer the energy in the right direction. It is the metabolism that ultimately allows  to override signals telling them not to do their job.”
Beatty points out that patients with diabetes, , and other conditions are routinely treated with drugs that could affect macrophage metabolism, but virtually nothing is known about how these drugs might impact immunotherapy responses in , meaning the team’s discovery has implications even for existing treatments.
Explore further
More information: Metabolic rewiring of macrophages by CpG potentiates clearance of cancer cells and overcomes tumor-expressed CD47−mediated ‘don’t-eat-me’ signal, Nature Immunology (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41590-018-0292-y , https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-018-0292-y
Posted by at No comments:

Elastronics—gel-based microelectronics for local low-voltage neuromodulation


**Elastronics - Hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation
An ECH and stretchable encapsulation material with tissue-level Young’s modulus. a) Schematic of the bioelectronic interface between a peripheral nerve and soft conductor electrodes and insulation materials. b) Schematic of the stepwise PEDOT:PSS ECH synthesis process and SEM images showing morphological changes in each step during the synthesis of an ECH. c) d.c. conductance and conductivity change during the transition from ion gel to ECH by soaking in water over time. d) Volume change during the transition from ion gel to ECH. f) Change in electrochemical impedance under different uniaxial strains at 1 Hz, 100 Hz and 1 kHz electrical field frequency. ECH film thickness is 200 nm at 0% strain. y. g, Surface plot of impedance at different strains and frequencies. h) Uniaxial stress–strain curve of the bulk ECH samples. i) Molecular structure of elastic PFPE-DMA (dimethacrylate-functionalized perfluoropolyether) undergoing the crosslinking process following exposure to UV light. j) Uniaxial stress–strain curve of the crosslinked fluorinated elastic PFPE-DMA. k) Comparison of Young’s modulus values between commonly used dielectric materials and the conductor with PFPE-DMA and ECH. Conductive and insulation materials are shaded in pink and blue, respectively. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6
Implantable neuromodulation devices such as deep brain stimulators and vagus nerve stimulators, are widely used to treat neurological diseases. Most devices are composed of rigid probes that limit spatial resolution and increase mechanical mismatch with surrounding tissues for incompatibility in vivo. Novel approaches have focused on the structural design to include ultrathin syringe-injectable electronics and macro-porous mesh electronics for improved compatibility. An alternative, low-cost approach is to develop stretchable microelectronics to form tissue-like biomaterials that use strain engineering methods to confer low Young’s modulus and offer soft mechanical properties for flexible “elastronics” at the tissue level.
The mismatch between implantable microelectronics and the surrounding tissue must be narrowed down to reduce immune responses after implantation and allow flexible movements in vivo. The design of implantable soft electronics is a challenge due to limited availability of suitable electronic materials. In a new report, Yuxin Liu and colleagues at the interdisciplinary Departments of Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University describe a novel, electrically conductive hydrogel (ECH) biomaterial. In the study, they demonstrated an elastic microelectronics device with a Young’s modulus lower than the tissue of interest. The system contained a highly conductive, soft hydrogel as a conductor and an elastic fluorinated photoresist as the insulation layer. Results of the study are now published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The novel electrode arrays of the thin-film hydrogel are termed “elastronics.” They are 20 µm in feature size, with significantly reduced interfacial impedance in the surrounding tissue. The system contains a current-injection density approximately 30 times greater than platinum electrodes and shows stable electrical performance under strain. The scientists demonstrated the use of soft elastronic arrays for localized, low-voltage electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve in live mice.
**Elastronics - Hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation
Lithographically patterned hydrogel elastronics. a) Left: stepwise illustration of lithography of the MECH. Conventional photolithography was performed on PEDOT:PSS–ionic liquid (IL) ion gel with an Au hard mask. After that, the micropattern was transferred to the ion gel by dry etching. Finally, the micropatterned ion gel was transformed by water exchanging. Right: complex microstructures of the MECH, in which both straight and curved lines are resolved. b) Left: stepwise illustration for lithographically micropatterning of PFPE. PFPE-DMA was mixed with a photoinitiator and spun coated. UV light was used to crosslink the PFPE-DMA to form the micropattern of interest. Right: SEM images of photolithographically micropatterned PFPE-DMA structures with both straight and curved lines. c) A freestanding MECH elastronics electrode array pressed against soft jelly. Scale bar, 2 mm. d) Zoomed-in image of MECH electrodes (dark lines) with PFPE-DMA encapsulation (colored as light blue). e) Schematic of an elastronic electrode, a MECH electrode and interconnect sandwiched by photolithographically micropatterned fluorinated polymer PFPE-DMA as the top and bottom insulation layers. f) MECH electrode array stretched under 20% tensile strain shows no cracks. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6
Hydrogels are commonly used for applications in biomedical engineering and tissue engineering due to excellent tissue mimicry and biomechanics. Elastic hydrogels possess remarkable ionic conduction for use as electrodes to build artificial muscle. A purely ionic hydrogel is, however, not suited to engineer neural activity, since it lacks the required electronic conductivity for high-speed, single-neuron-single-spike activity.
To narrow down the mechanical gap at the bioelectronic interface, it is possible to print a conductive polymer (CP) on a hydrogel, or create a conductive hydrogel coat on rigid electrodes for practical neural engineering. Yet, such methods are withheld by low electrical conductivity and an inability to implement micropatterning techniques on the biomaterials for precisely neuromodulating the soft electronics after implantation. As a result, there is an existing need to develop stretchable and insulating materials for neural engineering. The ideal material should efficiently prevent current leakage, be compatible with microfabrication strategies and have a Young’s modulus similar to the surrounding tissue at the site of implantation.
Liu et al. report on thin-film elastronics (tissue-like electronics) developed to interface with peripheral nerves for localized neuromodulation (control of neural activity). They prepared electrically conductive hydrogels (ECHs) with the expected conductance, patterned into a microscale thin-film structure. They then presented an encapsulating, stretchable insulation material (to prevent current leaks), whose Young’s modulus was tuned to match nerve tissue in the surrounding microenvironment. The work included lithographical processes to encapsulate materials into a multielectrode array and measure aqueous stability and biocompatibility after implantation. The work allowed effective ECHs for electrical stimulation, with high current density and ultralow voltages as tested in a mouse model in vivo.
During biomaterials fabrication, ionic liquids can be blended into a  (CP) solution to form an interconnected ion gel film network. Liu et al. used this strategy and then removed the ionic liquid additive via water exchange to transform the ion gel into a hydrogel. The resulting electronic conductance of the ECH was significantly higher, as required for neural engineering materials.
**Elastronics - Hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation
Aqueous stability and biocompatibility. a) Characterization of the CSC (charge storage capacity) of an ECH incubated in PBS over 19 days, P> 0.05. b) Impedance stability at 1 kHz of MECH microelectrode (20 μm × 1 mm with thickness of 200 nm, n= 3) soaked in PBS solution for 19 days. c) The impedance of MECH electrodes insulated by PFPE-DMA at 1 kHz were higher than 100 MΩ and unaffected after applied strain. d) Schematic of the biocompatibility study. A MECH electrode array encapsulated with PFPE-DMA elastomer with 200 µm × 200 µm exposed MECH regions was wrapped around the sciatic nerve of the mice for 6 weeks. e) Comparison of the Young’s modulus values of the MECH electrode with that of nerve tissue (grey rectangle) and with those of conventional implantable electrical probes. f) Z-projection of a confocal micrograph of immunochemically labelled cross-section slice of sciatic nerve. g) Histogram showing the mean fluorescence intensity of neurofilaments and Schwann cells (labelled by S-100) in the sham control, the MECH electrode and the cuff electrode. h) Cross-section slice of a sciatic nerve labelled by the inflammatory biomarker ED1 for the sham control, the MECH electrode and the cuff electrode. i) Histogram showing the normalized inflammatory area labelled by anti-ED1 antibody. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6
The scientists characterized the novel ECH biomaterial to understand its high electrical conductivity during ion gel to hydrogel transition using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On rehydration, Liu et al. observed volume expansion. The ionic gel contained a polymer ratio of PEDOT:PSS [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythioephene):poly(styrenesulfonate)] by composition. Removal of the electronically insulating PEDOT polymer network contributed to the observed increase in electrical conductivity of the resulting material.
They then measured the Young’s modulus of ECH materials of varying polymer constitutions with compression tests via nanoindentation-based atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elastic modulus of the ECH materials were comparable to soft tissue such as nerve tissue. To micropattern the ECH electrodes, the scientists used traditional photolithographic patterning. They were easily able to pattern a desired geometry with a resolution down to a scale of 5 µm.
Liu et al. developed a strategy to pattern the stretchable insulation layers with microscale resolution directly on the polymeric conductor to form a sandwiched electrode for the first time. The micropatterned ECH (MECH) stretchable electrode was surrounded by fluorinated elastic photoresist of dimethacrylate-functionalized perfluoropolyether (PFPE-DMA) monomer to form the top and bottom encapsulation layers. The freestanding device showed 20 percent stretchability without forming cracks.
**Elastronics - Hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation
MECHs display high current density and low impedance. a) The impedance spectra of PEDOT:PSS on an Au electrode, a MECH on an Au electrode and a MECH electrode. b) Impedance spectra of a pure electronic conductor (platinum), a pure ionic conductor (DMEM, Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s media) and the dual-conductor MECH. c) Current densities of platinum and DMEM measured at a frequency of 50 Hz, with ± 0.5 V bipolar pulses. d) Transmission line model of a conductive hydrogel as both the electrode and interconnect. e) Geometry-dependent current density and impedance for the MECH. The current density increases correspondingly when the interconnect length increases. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6
For long-term neuromodulation in vivo, the materials should maintain high charge storage capacity (CSC) and long-term stability in physiological conditions. In the experiments, the ECH maintained high CSC value after 19 days of incubation and MECH microelectrodes showed similar impedance stability due to excellent encapsulation by surrounding dielectric PFPE-DMA polymer. To understand the biocompatibility of MECH elastronics in vivo, the scientists implanted the free-standing thin-film device by wrapping it around the sciatic nerve of free moving mice for six weeks. For comparison, they also implanted flexible plastic cuff electrodes made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a thin film of gold (Au).
Since the Young’s modulus of the MECH electrode was several magnitudes lower than conventional implantable probes. Liu et al. expected a significantly reduced mechanical mismatch at the device-tissue interface, and hence, a reduced immune response. As expected, they did not observe an immune response; measured with fluorescence intensities of neurofilaments at regions of the sciatic nerve implanted with MECH electrodes, but observed significantly reduced fluorescent intensities for plastic cuff electrode implants. The plastic cuff electrodes also induced significant inflammatory tissue growth around nerve bundles. Comparatively, the MECH electrodes only induced minimal inflammatory tissue growth. The results indicated enhanced biocompatibility of MECH with tissue during dynamic motion, along with surgical practicality in the process of implantation.
**Elastronics - Hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation
Low-voltage in vivo neural stimulation. a) Schematic of the in vivo neural stimulation experiment with a MECH microelectrode. Leg swing was stimulated by an electrode with a size of 0.2 mm × 3 mm, and the individual toe movement was achieved by localized stimulation with a microelectrode. b) Projection of a three-dimensional reconstructed confocal micrograph of the MECH microelectrodes on a soft elastic substrate conformably wrapping around a sciatic nerve. Neurofilament (red) was used to label neurons. The curved transparent sheet is the PFPE-DMA, while the dark lines are the MECH electrodes. c) Cross-sectional image along the dashed line in b. Outer surface of the sciatic nerve (red) is in close contact with the MECH electrodes (orange). d) Response of the toe movement under different stimulation frequencies with a charge balanced voltage pulse (pulse width of 200 μs, pulse amplitude of 500 mV). e) The percentage of leg movement with respect to the full degree of movement under different stimulation voltages for the MECH electrode and the platinum electrode with the same exposed area. f) After 2 months of soaking in PBS, the MECH electrodes stimulated an even higher percentage of leg movement with respect to the full degree of movement at 50 mV and 100 mV. Credit: Nature Biomedical Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6
As a novel biomaterial, MECH contained a porous microarchitecture, with excellent electrical and ionic dual conductivity, reduced interfacial impedance and high volumetric capacitance under physiological conditions. By optimizing the design of the electrode, Liu et al. were able to deliver an excitation current density as high as 10 mAcm−2 at an ultralow voltage of 50 mV for neuromodulation, by contrast platinum electrodes of similar dimensions required at least 500 mV.
Liu et al. optimized parameters to design an ECH biomaterial with the desired device microarchitecture using microfabrication techniques (MECH), transferrable to soft medical electronics. The new device developed with interconnects for neuromodulation mimicked the biomechanical properties of surrounding physiological tissue for tissue-like electronics. This strategy significantly reduced mechanical discrepancy at the bioelectronic interface to enhance mechanical coupling for significantly reduced immune responses, necessary for long-term implantation in biological systems.
The scientists look forward to including MECH elastronics as implantable  devices for clinically favorable applications in deep brain and vagus nerve stimulation. Liu and co-workers envision additional features such as system integration with large-scale microelectrodes for electrophysiological recording and biomolecular sensing. They will now further optimize and translate MECH elastronics from the lab to the clinic to produce next-generation multifunctional and miniaturized soft electronics.
Explore further
More information: Yuxin Liu et al. Soft and elastic hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-018-0335-6Morten L. Kringelbach et al. Translational principles of deep brain stimulation, Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2007). DOI: 10.1038/nrn2196

Posted by at No comments:

Court backs NHS in hepatitis C procurement row with AbbVie


A court has backed NHS England in a case where US pharma giant AbbVie had alleged that its procurement process for hepatitis C drugs was unfair.
NHS England aims to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025 using the ‘largest ever’ drug procurement process, inviting pharma companies to take part in the initiative worth almost a billion pounds over five years.
But AbbVie had claimed the NHS breached its duty to treat all bidders fairly and started court proceedings last year.
NHS England said the country’s High Court has dismissed all aspects of the case, claiming that the initiative had been delayed by six months because of the litigation.
In the ruling the judge rejected all challenges brought by AbbVie against NHS England’s smart procurement for the supply of curative direct acting antiviral treatments.
The drugs are intended to support a national network of hepatitis C projects that NHS England hopes will eradicate the disease.
pharmaphorum understands that contracts have not yet been awarded, and no further details have been announced about which companies are involved.
But only a handful of firms have direct-acting antiviral hepatitis C drugs approved – meaning that as well as AbbVie, pharma companies such as Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck & Co are likely to be involved in the process.
John Stewart, director of specialised commissioning at NHS England, said: “Court cases such as this are a waste of NHS resources and taxpayers’ money, in this case resulting in an unavoidable delay in our efforts to tackle the threat of hepatitis C, which disproportionately affects some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society.
“We remain committed to driving best value to help eliminate hepatitis C in England by 2025 or sooner, and with this court case behind us we can now get on with the job.”
NHS England estimated that around 160,00 people are infected with hepatitis C in England, and around half are unaware of their infection.
The disease can go undetected until the liver becomes damaged, and can be successfully cured in weeks with new oral tablets.
In 2015, NHS England established 22 Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to support treatment and testing efforts across the country and over 32,000 patients have been treated so far with around 95% being cured of the disease.
The 2025 target is five years earlier than goals set by the World Health Organisation.
A spokesperson for AbbVie said that the case had not delayed the process as suggested by NHS England, and that it had started the legal case to ensure “fair and effective competition” in the tender process.
A spokesperson for AbbVie said: “AbbVie remains committed to working with NHS England on the elimination strategy and continuing as participants in this procurement process.”
The Hepatitis C procurement is the latest in a series of ‘smart deals’ the NHS has introduced to drive value for the taxpayer and benefits for patients.
These include a £300 million saving after negotiating deals with five manufacturers on low cost versions of the health service’s most costly drug, AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab).
Posted by at No comments:

Aurinia Call on Phase 2 Results for Dry Eye Med


Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH/TSX:AUP), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the global immunology market, today announced it will report results before the opening of trading and hold a webcast and conference call to discuss the results of its Phase 2, double-masked, head-to-head study of VOS 0.2% versus Restasis® (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%) to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability at four weeks in subjects with dry eye syndrome (DES).
Aurinia will host a conference call and webcast presentation at 8:00am ET on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. In order to participate in the conference call, please dial +1-877-407-9170 (Toll-free U.S. & Canada). An audio webcast can be accessed under “News/Events” through the “Investors” section of the Aurinia corporate website at www.auriniapharma.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on Aurinia’s website.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)