Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Review Of Alternative Proteins For Vegan Diets: Sources, Physico-Chemical Properties, Nutritional Equivalency, And Consumer Acceptance, Rutwick Surya Ulhas, Rajeev Ravindran, Alok Malviya, Anushree Priyadarshini, Brijesh K. Tiwari, Gaurav Rajauria

Articles

Alternate proteins are gaining popularity as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to animal-based proteins. These proteins are often considered healthier and are suitable for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Alternative proteins can be recovered from natural sources like legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, while single cell proteins (mycoproteins), and algal proteins are being developed using cutting-edge technology to grow fungus, yeast and algal cells in a controlled environment, creating a more sustainable source of protein. Although, the demand for alternative protein products is increasing, there still happens to be a large gap in use among the …

Medical Concept Mention Identification In Social Media Posts Using A Small Number Of Sample References, Vasudevan Nedumpozhimana, Sneha Rautmare, Meegan Gower, Maja Popovic, Nishtha Jain, Patricia Buffini, John Kelleher

Conference papers

Identification of mentions of medical concepts in social media text can provide useful information for caseload prediction of diseases like Covid-19 and Measles. We propose a simple model for the automatic identification of the medical concept mentions in the social media text. We validate the effectiveness of the proposed model on Twitter, Reddit, and News/Media datasets.

Therapies For Mitochondrial Disorders, Kayli Sousa Smyth, Anne Mulvihill

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Mitochondria are cytoplasmic, double-membrane organelles that synthesise adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria contain their own genome, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is maternally inherited from the oocyte. Mitochondrial proteins are encoded by either nuclear DNA (nDNA) or mtDNA, and both code for proteins forming the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes of the respiratory chain. These complexes form a chain that allows the passage of electrons down the electron transport chain (ETC) through a proton motive force, creating ATP from adenosine diphosphate (ADP). This study aims to explore current and prospective therapies for mitochondrial disorders (MTDS). MTDS are clinical syndromes coupled with abnormalities …

Ultrasound 96 Probe Device Protocol For Cancer Cell Treatment, Aisling Field, Brijesh K. Tiwari, James F. Curtin, Julie R M Mondala, Janith Wanigasekara

Articles

Ultrasound is a sound wave with frequencies ranging between 20 kHz and 20 MHz. Ultrasound is able to temporarily and repeatedly open the BBB safely and enhance chemotherapeutic delivery without adverse effects. This novel technique in drug delivery benefits from the powerful ability of ultrasound to produce cavitation activity. Cavitation is the generation and activity of gas-filled bubbles in a medium exposed to ultrasound. As the pressure wave passes through the media, gas bubbles expand at low pressure and contract at high pressure. This leads to oscillation which produces a circulating fluid flow known as microstreaming around the bubble with …

Identification Of Biomarkers For The Prediction Of Radiation Toxicity In Prostate Cancer Patients, Daniel Cullen

Doctoral

The success of radiotherapy in tumour control depends on the total dose given. However, the tolerance of the normal tissues surrounding the tumour limits this dose. It is not known why some patients develop radiation toxicity and, currently, it is not possible to predict before treatment which patients will experience adverse effects. Thus, there is an unmet clinical need for a new test to identify patients at risk of radiation toxicity. The aim of this study was to determine if spectral variations in blood lymphocytes from PCa patients may suggest Raman spectral bands that could be used in future research …

The Between-Competition Running Demands Of Elite Hurling Match-Play, Brendan Egan, Damian Young, Kieran Collins, Shane Malone, Giuseppe Coratella

Articles

The current study aimed to investigate the differences in running demands between the National Hurling League (NHL) and the Championship, and within playing positions. GPS (10 Hz, STATSports Apex GNSS) were used to analyse the running demands during 34 games (2017–2020 seasons) of the Championship and the NHL. The running demands (total-, relative-, high-speed- [>17 km·h−1] and sprint [≥22 km·h−1] distance, number and length of sprints, and peak speed) were compared between competitions. Greater total- [ES = 0.32], relative- [ES = 0.26], and sprint-distance [ES = 0.41], and number of sprints [ES = 1.29] were completed in the Championship. …

U-251mg Spheroid Generation Using Low Attachment Plate Method Protocol, Lara J. Carroll, Brijesh K. Tiwari, James F. Curtin, Janith Wanigasekara

Articles

3D cell culture is a process used to grow cells in vitro to mimic an in vivo environment. 3D cell models are very useful for understanding disease mechanisms and exploring drug therapeutics. 3D cultures can be grown from cells taken from cancer organoids in patients. Once grown, they can be used to screen for small molecule drugs or they can be genetically modified in order to analyse disease pathways or predict the toxicity or efficacy of a drug treatment. These cultures decrease the need to use animals in research and provides more reliable results as it uses human physiology. This …

Physiological Measurements For Real-Time Fatigue Monitoring In Train Drivers: Review Of The State Of The Art And Reframing The Problem, Bojana Bjegojevic, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Sam D. Cromie, Luca Longo

Conference papers

The impact of fatigue on train drivers is one of the most important safety-critical issues in rail. It affects drivers’ performance, significantly contributing to railway incidents and accidents. To address the issue of real-time fatigue detection in drivers, most reliable and applicable psychophysiological indicators of fatigue need to be identified. Hence, this paper aims to examine and present the current state of the art in physiological measures for real-time fatigue monitoring that could be applied in the train driving context. Three groups of such measures are identified: EEG, eye-tracking and heart-rate measures. This is the first paper to provide the …

An Assessment Of Contamination Fingerprinting Techniques For Determining The Impact Of Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems On Private Well Supplies, Chris Fennell, Bruce Misstear, David O'Connell, Donata Dubber, Patrice Behan, Martin Danaher, Mary Moloney, Laurence Gill

Articles

Private wells in Ireland and elsewhere have been shown to be prone to microbial contamination with the main suspected sources being practices associated with agriculture and domestic wastewater treatment systems (DWWTS). While the microbial quality of private well water is commonly assessed using faecal indicator bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, such organisms are not usually source-specific, and hence cannot definitively conclude the exact origin of the contamination. This research assessed a range of different chemical contamination fingerprinting techniques (ionic ratios, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, fluorescent whitening compounds, faecal sterol profiles and pharmaceuticals) as to their use to apportion contamination of private …

Optimisation Of Vitamin D Status For Enhanced Immuno-Protection Against Covid-19, Daniel Mccartney, Declan G. Byrne

Articles

Abstract

Background

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D<50nmol/l) is common in Ireland, particularly amongst older adults, hospital inpatients and nursing home residents. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of acute viral respiratory infection and community acquired pneumonia, with several molecular mechanisms proposed to explain this association. Vitamin D supplementation has also been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory infection.

Vitamin D and Covid-19

Correction of vitamin D deficiency is thought to suppress CD26, a putative adhesion molecule for Covid-19 host cell invasion. Vitamin D may also attenuate interferon gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) inflammatory responses, both potent predictors of poorer outcome in critically-ill ventilated patients including those with Covid-19.

Vitamin D Requirements

Irish adults require 25-30μg/d of vitamin D3, an intake not achievable by diet alone, to reliably maintain serum 25(OH)D levels >50nmol/l. Supplementation with doses up to 100μg/d has been shown to be safe for adults, and many agencies and expert …

Dynamic Blood-Brain Barrier Regulation In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Eoin O'Keeffe, Eoin Kelly, Yuzhe Liu, Chiara Giordano, Eugene Wallace, Mark Hynes, Stephen Tiernan, Aidan Meagher, Chris Greene, Stephanie Hughes, Tom Burke, John Kealy, Niamh Doyle, Alison Hay, Michael Farrell, Gerald A. Grant, Alon Friedman, Ronel Veksler, Michael G. Molloy, James F. Meaney, Niall Pender, David Camarillo, Colin P. Doherty, Matthew Campbell

Articles

Whereas the diagnosis of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is readily visible on current medical imaging paradigms (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and computed tomography [CT] scanning), a far greater challenge is associated with the diagnosis and subsequent management of mild TBI (mTBI), especially concussion which, by definition, is characterized by a normal CT. To investigate whether the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is altered in a high-risk population for concussions, we studied professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and adolescent rugby players. Additionally, we performed the linear regression between the BBB disruption defined by increased gadolinium contrast …

Untangling The Dorsal Diencephalic Conduction System: A Review Of Structure And Function Of The Stria Medullaris, Habenula And Fasciculus Retroflexus, Elena Roman, Joshua Weininger, Basil Lim, Marin Roman, Denis Barry, Paul Tierney, Erik O'Hanlon, Kirk Levins, Veronica O'Keane, Darren Roddy

Other

The often-overlooked dorsal diencephalic conduction system (DDCS) is a highly conserved pathway linking the basal forebrain and the monoaminergic brainstem. It consists of three key structures; the stria medullaris, the habenula and the fasciculus retrofexus. The frst component of the DDCS, the stria medullaris, is a discrete bilateral tract composed of fbers from the basal forebrain that terminate in the triangular eminence of the stalk of the pineal gland, known as the habenula. The habenula acts as a relay hub where incoming signals from the stria medullaris are processed and subsequently relayed to the midbrain and hindbrain monoaminergic nuclei through …

I Was Determined To Breastfeed, And I Always Found A Solution: Successful Experiences Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Chinese Mothers In Ireland, John Kearney, Qianling Zhou, Haoyue Chen, Katherine Younger, Tanya M. Cassidy

Articles

Background: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months was previously found to be very low among Chinese immigrants in Ireland, at 5.8% (Zhou et al., Front Public Health 6:351, 2018). This study investigates the successful experiences of Chinese mothers living in Ireland who exclusively breastfeed for between four and 6 months.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the sample of the Ireland Chinese Mother Survey. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen participants in their homes or public places.

Results: A content analysis revealed that various factors contributed to a successful experience of exclusive breastfeeding among the group …

A Chronic Strain Of The Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Pandoraeapulmonicola Expresses A Heterogenous Hypo-Acylated Lipid A, Molly D. Pither, Siobhan Mcclean, Alba Silipo, Antonio Molinaro, Flaviana Di Lorenzo

Articles

Pandoraeasp. is an emerging Gram-negative pathogen in cystic fibrosis causing severe and persistent inflammation and damageof the lungs. The molecular mechanisms underlying the high pathogenicity ofPandoraeaspecies are still largely unknown. AsGram-negatives,Pandoraeasp. express lipopolysaccharides (LPS) whose recognition by the host immune system triggers aninflammatory response aimed at the bacterial eradication from the infected tissues. The degree of the inflammatory responsestrongly relies on the fine structure of the LPS and, in particular, of its glycolipid moiety, i.e. the lipid A. Here we report thestructure of the lipid A isolated from the LPS of a chronic strain ofP. pulmonicola(RL 8228), one of the …

The Antibacterial And Anti-Biofilm Activity Of Metal Complexes Incorporating 3,6,9- Trioxaundecanedioate And 1,10-Phenanthroline Ligands In Clinical Isolates Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa From Irish Cystic Fibrosis Patients, Megan O'Shaughnessy, Pauraic Mccarron, Livia Viganor, Malachy Mccann, Michael Devereux, Orla L. Howe

Articles

Chronic infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are problematic in Ireland where inherited CF is prevalent. The bacteria's capacity to form a biofilm in its pathogenesis is highly virulent and leads to decreased susceptibility to most antibiotic treatments. Herein, we present the activity profiles of the Cu(II), Mn(II) and Ag(I) tdda-phen chelate complexes {[Cu(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2].3H2O.EtOH}n (Cu-tdda-phen), {[Mn(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2].3H2O.EtOH}n (Mn-tdda-phen) and [Ag2(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)4].EtOH (Ag-tdda-phen) (tddaH2 = 3,6,9-trioxaundecanedioic acid; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) towards clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa derived from Irish CF patients in comparison to two reference laboratory strains (ATCC 27853 and PAO1). The effects of the metal-tdda-phen …

The Performance Effect Of Scheduled Carbohydrate And Caffeine Intake During Simulated Team Sport Match-Play, John Keane, Aidan Shovlin, Simon Devenney, Shane Malone, Damien Young, Giuseppe Coratella, Kieran Collins, Marcus Shortall

Articles

The aim of the current investigation was to identify the effects of scheduled carbohydrate (CHO) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation on simulated team sport match-play performance. Ten male hurling players completed three hurling match-play simulation protocols (HSP) performed 7 days apart in a double-blind, randomized design. Supplementation included CHO, CHO + CAF, and placebo (PLA). In a randomized order, participants ingested either a 6% CHO solution, a PLA solution of similar taste, or a combined intake of 6% CHO solution + 200 mg CAF capsule. At specific time points (Pre-0 min; half time (HT)-30 min; full time (FT)-60 min), participants completed …

A Review Of The Influence Of Fathers On Children's Eating Behaviours And Dietary Intake, Stephanie Rahill, Aileen Kennedy, John Kearney

Articles

The role of fathers in child rearing has changed in recent years due to an increase in maternal employment. Despite this, the majority of research has focused on maternal influences and behaviours in relation to child feeding. Therefore, the aims of the narrative review were: 1) to examine the role and responsibility of fathers in child feeding and the factors associated with paternal responsibility in child feeding; 2) to establish how paternal modelling, paternal diets, and paternal feeding practices relate to children's eating behaviours and dietary intake; and 3) to explore the role of maternal perceptions on paternal feeding roles, …

Editorial: Human-Nature Interactions: Perspectives On Conceptual And Methodological Issues, Tadhg Macintyre, Jürgen Beckmann, Giovanna Calogiuri, Aoife Donnelly, Marc Jones, Christopher R. Madan, Noel Brick, Christopher Gidlow, Mike Rogerson, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

Articles

Urban agglomerations expose citizens to ever-increasing risks from heat, air pollution, noise stress, and reduced nature connectedness. Concurrently, accumulating evidence suggests various health benefits by exposure to urban natural spaces (World Health Organization, 2016a; Bratman et al., 2019). Existing research suggests an array of benefits of contact with nature which are linked to physical activity (e.g., green exercise), active travel, and residential proximity to greenspace. Psychological benefits appear to be related to mood, well-being, attention and pro-environmental behavior; physiological benefits have been described in terms of increased physical activity, improved cardiovascular parameters, reduced stress hormones, and enhanced immune resources (Bowler …

The Generation Of Novel Metal-Folate- Phenanthroline Complexes And Phenanthroline-Folate Conjugates With Potential As Chemotherapeutic Agents, Aisling Crowley

Doctoral

The folate receptor (FR) was identified in 1986 and has been established as a ‘molecular Trojan Horse’ target for the uptake of folate-conjugated organic molecules into cells. The FR is overexpressed in many malignancies, including those of the ovary, uterus, breast, cervix, and prostate, yet it is reportedly under-expressed in normal healthy cells. This difference in expression and the high affinity/specificity of folate towards the folate receptor presents a promising drug delivery system. The aim of this research was to utilise folic acid as a targeting moiety and generate simple metal folate and novel folate-phenanthroline complexes with cytotoxic properties. A …

An Investigation Of The Detection Capability Of Pulsed Wave Duplex Doppler Of Low Grade Stenosis Using Ultrasound Contrast Agent Microbubbles – An In-Vitro Study, Jacinta Browne, Deirdre King, Andrew Fagan, Deepa Chari, Carmel Moran

Articles

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether clinically used ultrasonic contrast agents improved the accuracy of spectral Doppler ultrasound in the detection of low grade (< 50%) renal artery stenosis. Low grade stenoses in the renal artery are notoriously difficult to reliably detect using Doppler ultrasound due to difficulties such as overlying fat and bowel gas.

Methods: A range of anatomically-realistic renal artery phantoms with varying low degrees of stenosis (0, 30 and 50%) were constructed and peak velocity data was measured from within the pre-stenotic and mid-stenotic regions in each phantom, for both unenhanced and contrast-enhanced spectral Doppler data acquisitions. The effect of a 20mm overlying fat layer on the ultrasound beam distortion and phase aberration, and hence on the measured peak velocity data, was also …

A U-Net Deep Learning Framework For High Performance Vessel Segmentation In Paitents With Cerebrovascular Disease, Michelle Livne, Jana Rieger, Orhun Utku Aydin, Abdel Aziz Taha, Ela Maria Akay, Tabea Kossen, Jan Sobesky, John D. Kelleher, Kristian Hildebrand, Dietmar Frey, Vince I. Madai

Articles

Brain vessel status is a promising biomarker for better prevention and treatment in cerebrovascular disease. However, classic rule-based vessel segmentation algorithms need to be hand-crafted and are insufficiently validated. A specialized deep learning method—the U-net—is a promising alternative. Using labeled data from 66 patients with cerebrovascular disease, the U-net framework was optimized and evaluated with three metrics: Dice coefficient, 95% Hausdorff distance (95HD) and average Hausdorff distance (AVD). The model performance was compared with the traditional segmentation method of graph-cuts. Training and reconstruction was performed using 2D patches. A full and a reduced architecture with less parameters were trained. We …

Use Of Novel Anthropomorphic Breast Ultrasound Phantoms For Radiology Resident Education, Jacinta Browne, Chris Gu, Robert Fazzio, Andrew Fagan, Donald Tradup, Nicholas Hangiandreou

Articles

Purpose: This study evaluated the training and assessment role of anthropomorphic breast ultrasound phantoms which simulated both the morphological and sonographic characteristics of breast tissue, including lesions, in a group of radiology residents at a large academic medical center. Methods: This was a prospective study involving 9 residents across all years (2^nd–4^th year) of a radiology residency program. Baseline assessments of all residents ability to detect and characterize lesions in P-I were carried out, followed by a two-hour teaching session on the same phantom. All residents underwent a post-training, final assessment on P-II to evaluate changes in …

Dna Damage And Cytokine Production In Non-Target Irradiated Lymphocytes, Jane Bryant, Laura Shields, Christopher Hynes, Orla L. Howe, Brendan Mcclean, Fiona Lyng

Articles

In advanced radiotherapy, treatment of the tumor with high-intensity modulated fields is balanced with normal tissue sparing. However, the non-target dose delivered to surrounding healthy tissue within the irradiated volume is a potential cause for concern. Whether the effects observed are caused after exposure to out-of-field radiation or bystander effects through neighboring irradiated cells is not fully understood. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of exposure to out-of-field radiation in lymphocyte cell lines and primary blood cells. The role of cellular radiosensitivity in altering bystander responses in out-of-field exposed cells was also investigated. Target cells were …

Vibrational Characterization Of Granulosa Cells From Patients Affected By Unilaterial Ovarian Endometriosis: New Insights From Infrared And Raman Microspectroscopy, Valentina Notarstefano, Giorgia Gioacchini, Hugh Byrne, Carlotta Zaca, Eleni Sereni, Lisa Vaccari, Andrea Borini, Oliana Carnevali

Articles

Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological disease characterised by the presence of endometrial cells in extra-uterine regions. One of the main factors impacting on the fertility of women affected by endometriosis is the poor oocyte quality. Granulosa Cells (GCs) regulate oocyte development and maintain the appropriate microenvironment for the acquisition of its competence; hence, the dysregulation of these functions in GCs can lead to severe cellular damages also in oocytes. In this study, luteinized GCs samples were separately collected from both ovaries of women affected by Unilateral Ovarian Endometriosis and analysed by infrared and Raman microspectroscopy. The spectral data were compared …

Heterogeneity Of Disease-Causing Variants In The Swedish Galactosemia Population: Identification Of 16 Novel Galt Variants, Annika Ohlsson, Mary Hunt, Anna Wedell, Ulrika Von Döbeln

Articles

The aim was to determine disease-causing variants in the GALT gene which codes for the enzyme galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. Loss of activity of this enzyme causes classical galactosemia-a life threatening, treatable disorder, included in the Swedish newborn screening program since 1967. A total of 66 patients with the disease are known in Sweden and 56 index patients were investigated. An additional two patients with Duarte galactosemia were included. The disease-causing variants were identified in all patients. As reported from other countries only a few variants frequently recur in severe disease. The two variants p.(Gln188Arg) (c.563A>G) and p.(Met142Lys) (c.425T>A) are …

Myopia Outcome Study Of Atropine In Children (Mosaic): Design And Methodology, Saoirse Mccrann, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, John Butler, James Loughman

Articles

Purpose

The Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children (MOSAIC) aims to explore the efficacy, safety, acceptability and mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine for myopia control in a European population.

Methods

MOSAIC is an investigator-led, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial investigating the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine eyedrops in myopic progression management. During phase 1 of the trial, 250 children aged 6-16 years with progressive myopia apply eye drops once nightly in both eyes from randomisation to month 24. No treatment is given during phase 2 from month 24 to 36 (washout period) for those …

Nanostructured Materials For Food Applications: Spectroscopy, Microscopy And Physical Properties, Shubham Sharma, Swana Jaiswal, Brendan Duffy, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

Nanotechnology deals with the matter of atomic or molecular scale. Other factors that define the character of a nanoparticle are its physical and chemical properties, such as surface area, surface charge, hydrophobicity of the surface, the thermal stability of the nanoparticle, and its antimicrobial activity. A nanoparticle is usually characterized by using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Microscopic techniques are used to characterize the size, shape, and location of the nanoparticle by producing an image of the individual nanoparticle. Several techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy/high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM/HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning …

Mutation Status In Myeloid Malignancies Informs Clinical Insight, Karl Haslam

Doctoral

The last decade has seen significant development in understanding the genetic basis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), with the underlying somatic mutational landscape revealed by genome and targeted exome sequencing. The aim of this research was to conduct a series of original investigations to develop insight into the utility and clinical application of these disease markers. Initially, three recently identified disease-specific molecular markers (mutations in JAK2, CALR and CSF3R) were utilised to measure the burden of disease post allogeneic transplantation using methods based on quantitative PCR, capillary electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing. The measured variant allelic frequency of the disease was compared …

Current Source Density Approaches Improve Spatial Resolution In Event Related Potential Analysis In People With Parkinson's Disease, Conor Fearon, John Butler, Saskia M. Waechter, Isabelle Killane, Richard B. Reilly, Timothy Lynch

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Simple Model For Cell Type Recognition Using 2d-Correlation Analysis Of Ftir Images From Breast Cancer Tissue, Mohamed H.M. Ali, Fazle Rakib, Khalid A. Al-Saad, Rafif Al-Saady, Fiona Lyng, Erik Goormaghtigh

Articles

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer after lung cancer. So far, in clinical practice, most cancer parameters originating from histopathology rely on the visualization by a pathologist of microscopic structures observed in stained tissue sections, including immunohistochemistry markers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy provides a biochemical fingerprint of a biopsy sample and, together with advanced data analysis techniques, can accurately classify cell types. Yet, one of the challenges when dealing with FTIR imaging is the slow recording of the data. One cm2 tissue section requires several hours of image recording. We show in the present paper that …