scholarly journals Social Nesting, Animal Welfare and Disease Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Giménez-Llort ◽  
Virginia Torres-Lista
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Social Deficits ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Maximum Score ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Sensorial Stimulation ◽  
Short Time

The assessment of welfare and disease progression in animal models is critical. Most tools rely on evaluating individual subjects, whereas social behaviors, also sensitive to acute illness, chronic diseases, or mental health, are scarcely monitored because of their complexity, are invasive, and time-consuming. We propose the evaluation of social nesting, a species-typical behavior naturally occurring in standard housing conditions, for such behavioral monitoring. We provide an example of its use to evaluate social deficits and the long-term effects of neonatal sensorial stimulation in male and female adult 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer's disease compared to sex- and age-matched NTg counterparts with normal aging. Social nesting was sensitive to genotype (worse in 3xTg-AD mice), sex (worse in males), profile, and treatment (distinct temporal patterns, time to observe the maximum score and incidence of the perfect nest). Since social nesting can be easily included in housing routines, this neuroethological approach can be useful for animal's welfare, monitoring the disease's progress, and evaluating potential risk factors and effects of preventive/therapeutical strategies. Finally, the non-invasive, painless, simple, short time and low-cost features of this home-cage monitoring are advantages that make social nesting feasible to be successfully implemented in most animal department settings.

scholarly journals Social Nesting, Animal Welfare, and Disease Monitoring

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1079
Author(s):  
Lydia Giménez-Llort ◽  
Virginia Torres-Lista
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Social Deficits ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Maximum Score ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Sensorial Stimulation ◽  
Short Time

The assessment of welfare and disease progression in animal models is critical. Most tools rely on evaluating individual subjects, whereas social behaviors, also sensitive to acute illness, chronic diseases, or mental health, are scarcely monitored because they are complex and time-consuming. We propose the evaluation of social nesting, a species-typical behavior naturally occurring in standard housing conditions, for such behavioral monitoring. We provide an example of its use to evaluate social deficits and the long-term effects of neonatal tactile-proprioceptive sensorial stimulation from postnatal day 1 to 21, in male and female adult 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer’s disease compared to sex- and age-matched non-transgenic (NTg) counterparts with normal aging. Social nesting was sensitive to genotype (worse in 3xTg-AD mice), sex (worse in males), profile, and treatment (distinct time to observe the maximum score and incidence of the perfect nest). Since social nesting can be easily included in housing routines, this neuroethological approach can be useful for animal welfare, monitoring the disease’s progress, and evaluating potential risk factors and effects of preventive/therapeutical strategies. Finally, the noninvasive, painless, simple, short time, and low-cost features of this home-cage monitoring are advantages that make social nesting feasible to be successfully implemented in most animal department settings.

The acceptance of hearing aids for children with otitis media with effusion

1999 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Jardine ◽  
M. V. Griffiths ◽  
E. Midgley
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Otitis Media With Effusion ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Binaural Hearing Aids

AbstractConservative treatment for otitis media with effusion (OME) led us to consider the use of hearing aids as a way of managing the associated hearing loss. This study aimed to assess the compliance of patients and acceptance of hearing aids for the management of children with OME.Thirty-nine children who had been given binaural hearing aids to manage OME were assessed at routine follow-up after six months. A clinician who did not prescribe the aid administered a questionnaire to assess compliance, change in symptoms and acceptance of the aids.Thirty-eight parents thought the aids were easy to use and 25 (66 per cent) were completely satisfied with the management. Aided hearing improved by a mean of 17 dB (Range 10–30) over three frequencies, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 Khz and all parents reported subjective hearing improvement in their children. The stigma of an aid was reported as minimal under the age of seven.Hearing aids provide a non-invasive way of managing the problems associated with OME which is acceptable to certain parents and children. Long-term effects of using aids need to be evaluated before they can be recommended.

Classification of Parkinson's Disease from Smartphone Recording Data using Time-Frequency Analysis and Convolutional Neural Network (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denchai Worasawate ◽  
Warisara Asawaponwiput ◽  
Natsue Yoshimura ◽  
Apichart Intarapanich ◽  
Decho Surangsrirat
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Fourier Transform ◽  
Short Time Fourier Transform ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Voice

BACKGROUND Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a long-term neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The current diagnosis is dependent on clinical observation and the abilities and experience of a trained specialist. One of the symptoms that affect most patients over the course of their illness is voice impairment. OBJECTIVE Voice is one of the non-invasive data that can be collected remotely for diagnosis and disease progression monitoring. In this study, we analyzed voice recording data from a smartphone as a possible disease biomarker. The dataset is from one of the largest mobile PD studies, the mPower study. METHODS A total of 29,798 audio clips from 4,051 participants were used for the analysis. The voice recordings were from sustained phonation by the participant saying /aa/ for ten seconds into the iPhone microphone. The audio samples were converted to a spectrogram using a short-time Fourier transform. CNN models were then applied to classify the samples. RESULTS A total of 29,798 audio clips from 4,051 participants were used for the analysis. The voice recordings were from sustained phonation by the participant saying /aa/ for ten seconds into the iPhone microphone. The audio samples were converted to a spectrogram using a short-time Fourier transform. CNN models were then applied to classify the samples. CONCLUSIONS Classification accuracies of the proposed method with LeNet-5, ResNet-50, and VGGNet-16 are 97.7 ± 0.1%, 98.6 ± 0.2%, and 99.3 ± 0.1%, respectively. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02696603; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02696603

Long-term effects of naturally occurring within-litter differences in body weight of rats

1987 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijana Peruzović ◽  
Justin M. Joffe ◽  
Karmela Milković
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Naturally Occurring

scholarly journals Anytime ECG Monitoring through the Use of a Low-Cost, User-Friendly, Wearable Device

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6036
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Randazzo ◽  
Jacopo Ferretti ◽  
Eros Pasero
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Cardiac Health ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Electrocardiogram Ecg

Every year cardiovascular diseases kill the highest number of people worldwide. Among these, pathologies characterized by sporadic symptoms, such as atrial fibrillation, are difficult to be detected as state-of-the-art solutions, e.g., 12-leads electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter devices, often fail to tackle these kinds of pathologies. Many portable devices have already been proposed, both in literature and in the market. Unfortunately, they all miss relevant features: they are either not wearable or wireless and their usage over a long-term period is often unsuitable. In addition, the quality of recordings is another key factor to perform reliable diagnosis. The ECG WATCH is a device designed for targeting all these issues. It is inexpensive, wearable (size of a watch), and can be used without the need for any medical expertise about positioning or usage. It is non-invasive, it records single-lead ECG in just 10 s, anytime, anywhere, without the need to physically travel to hospitals or cardiologists. It can acquire any of the three peripheral leads; results can be shared with physicians by simply tapping a smartphone app. The ECG WATCH quality has been tested on 30 people and has successfully compared with an electrocardiograph and an ECG simulator, both certified. The app embeds an algorithm for automatically detecting atrial fibrillation, which has been successfully tested with an official ECG simulator on different severity of atrial fibrillation. In this sense, the ECG WATCH is a promising device for anytime cardiac health monitoring.

scholarly journals Long COVID: long-term effects?

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_E) ◽  
pp. E1-E5
Author(s):  
Alessandro Di Toro ◽  
Antonio Bozzani ◽  
Guido Tavazzi ◽  
Mario Urtis ◽  
Lorenzo Giuliani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Clinical Events ◽  
Cardiovascular Involvement ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Ischaemic Attack ◽  
Diagnostic Framework ◽  
Open Question

Abstract The term Long COVID (or Post COVID) describes a condition characterized by persistence of symptoms for at least 12 weeks after the onset of COVID-19. It may last several months but the duration is still matter of observation. The symptoms and the clinical manifestations are clinically heterogeneous and suggesting involvement of multi-organs/systems, including the cardiovascular system. The general recurrent symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, myalgia, headache, loss of memory, and impaired concentration. Patients report loss of their previous psychophysical performance. Cardiovascular involvement manifests with common symptoms such as palpitations and chest pain, and, less commonly, with events such as late arterial and venous thromboembolisms, heart failure episodes, strokes or transient ischaemic attack, ‘myo-pericarditis’. The diagnostic criteria are mainly based on the narrative of the patients. Measurable biomarkers or instrumental findings or clinical events are not yet framed in a shared diagnostic framework. The open question for clinicians and researchers is whether biomarkers, electrocardiogram, non-invasive imaging, and clinical monitoring should be included in a shared diagnostic protocol aimed at defining the diagnostic path and protecting patients at risk of unexpected events.

scholarly journals Microfluidic Long-Term Gradient Generator with Axon Separation Prototyped by 185 nm Diffused Light Photolithography of SU-8 Photoresist

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Futai ◽  
Makoto Tamura ◽  
Tomohisa Ogawa ◽  
Masato Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Uv Light ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Axon Elongation ◽  
Gradient Generator ◽  
Thin Channel ◽  
Constant Diffusion ◽  
Gradient Generation

We have developed a cast microfluidic chip for concentration gradient generation that contains a thin (~5 μm^2 crosssectional area) microchannel. Durable 2 μm-high microchannel mold features with a smooth bell-shaped sidewall were fabricated by exposing SU-8 photoresist to diffused 185 nm UV light emitted by a low-cost ozone lamp from the backside of the substrate to ensure sufficient crosslinking of small regions of the SU-8 photoresist. An H-shaped microfluidic configuration was used, in which the thin channel was able to maintain constant diffusion fronts beyond purely static diffusion confirmed with experiment. We also demonstrated the long-term effects of a gradient of nerve growth factor on axon elongation by primary neuronal cells cultured in the microfluidic channel.

Mikroökonometrische Evaluation der ökonomischen Wirkungen betrieblicher Mitbestimmung - Möglichkeiten und Grenzen des Matching-Ansatzes / Microeconometric Evaluation of Economic Effects of Workers Participation - Options und Limits of the Matching Approach

2006 ◽  
Vol 226 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Works Councils ◽  
East German ◽  
Iab Establishment Panel ◽  
Microeconometric Evaluation ◽  
Short Time

SummaryThe evaluation of economic effects of workers participation is not simple from the methodical point of view because of specific characteristics of establishments with works councils. Especially recent studies show contradictory results. In this study problems are pointed out, discussed, and options for solution are presented on the example of workers participation in East German establishments of industry and construction by the IAB-Establishment Panel.An optimal matching-algorithm which supplies good matching-results for small samples to assign ‘statistical establishment-twins’ is applied. But by reason of very short primarily spells it can only calculate short time effects. Therefore, the matching method is additionally used to construct longer observation periods. By this new application establishments with recently founded works councils are matched with so called ‘proxy establishments’ with existing works councils. As a result short observation periods are prolonged and information about long-term effects can be given.The effects on productivity, profitability and qualification level of employees show neither in short-term nor in long-term a significant impact on workers’ participation.

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