Biology labs: Managing the data jungle

---

Many biology labs fight with a glut of measurement data. New software aims to make this a thing of the past: it simplifies laboratory experiment evaluation and unifies how data is saved. It even identifies measurement errors on the spot.

During laboratory testing, countless measurement results accrue. To completely and systematically archive this body of data is extremely time consuming. In fact, researchers in the life sciences spend a quarter of their time managing data, according to an online survey of 70 people working in biology laboratories conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT in Sankt Augustin. Many of those surveyed reported that they have no centralized or structured approach to data collection in their workplace. And when a PhD student or assistant with years of experience leaves the institute and the successor tries to find and make sense of previous results, the search often begins with cryptic Excel tables and stacks of paper.

The FIT has taken steps to alleviate this problem. With its step-by-step operation, its "MPlexAnalyzer" software makes it considerably easier to manage data. Initially, the FIT experts concentrated on cytometric devices, which enable the simultaneous determination of a variety of proteins in a test batch. This approach, also called a cytometric multiplex assay, is a standard method in every biology lab. However, assays such as these are very complex and produce huge amounts of data, so it is no wonder that personnel without access to any supporting software often lose the upper hand with data collection. The FIT software's wizard assistant guides users through the entire measurement process, starting with the selection of the microtiter plates, the choice of samples, and the assignment of standard samples, and provides a clearly arranged PDF report for print out; the process is transparent and easy for beginners to grasp quickly.

A cytometric multiplex assay uses polystyrene beads with a diameter of only six micrometers. These are infused with a dye mixture that glows when subjected to two laser beams. The glowing pattern is like a fingerprint; up to a hundred different types of beads can be differentiated in this way. During the measurement, the beads flow through a thin glass cannula like pearls strung on a necklace. Cameras measure the color patterns, counting and sorting them as they go past. But biologists are primarily interested in the beads' second cargo: color-coded antibodies on the surface of each bead that are stimulated by one of the two lasers. This dye emits light at another wavelength -- but only if specific substances have bound with the antibodies, such as blood components, cell excretions or cancer cell signal proteins. A multiplex assay examines up to 100 of these substances simultaneously.

The result is a huge data set that records the number of registered beads together with the identified substance. Measurements are highly automated -- every minute, up to 96 different samples are tested, each in a little well on a glass plate. One portion of each plate is covered with samples, and another portion with reference substances used to calibrate the readings. Until now, the process of documenting where each sample is located and which measurement is recorded was a time-consuming manual task. "Our software wizard simplifies the process. With just a few mouse clicks, you can mark on the screen which wells contain reference substances or which ones are empty. If the corresponding field is red, then the specification and the measurement don't match. This means the lab assistant will see immediately if a mistake has been made or if the quality of the measurement is insufficient to reach a statistically reliable conclusion," explains Dr. Andreas Pippow, a scientist at the FIT.

For the FIT, the software is a way in to the data management market for biological labs. The idea will now be carried over to other applications, such as microscopes. At the biology lab of Fraunhofer FIT's Life Science Informatics department in Sankt Augustin, scientists are building special microscopes that can automatically shuttle large samples back and forth under the objective and scan them. There are plans for a database of all lab-performed measurements, such as those from multiplex assays, microscope images or other measuring equipment. The appeal of this common data management approach lies in the built-in ability to perform cross checks. For instance, when body cells emit certain chemical messengers as a result of a disease, often these will have consequences for the tissue structure. But the only way to spot this is by using the software to match the signal substance tested in the multiplex assay against microscope images.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Angewandte Informationstechnik (FIT). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Scientists discover how 'plastic' solar panels work

---

Three laser beams are needed to record the excited vibrational modes of PCDTBT with the method called femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy. First, the green pulse is absorbed by the polymer, just as sunlight would be in a solar cell, which creates the excited state. Then, a pair of infra-red and white pulses probe this excited vibrational mode. Very short pulses of light and precise timing enable an impressive time resolution of less than 300 femtoseconds.

Scientists don't fully understand how 'plastic' solar panels work, which complicates the improvement of their cost efficiency, thereby blocking the wider use of the technology. However, researchers at the University of Montreal, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Imperial College London and the University of Cyprus have determined how light beams excite the chemicals in solar panels, enabling them to produce charge. "Our findings are of key importance for a fundamental mechanistic understanding, with molecular detail, of all solar conversion systems -- we have made great progress towards reaching a 'holy grail' that has been actively sought for several decades," said the study's first author, Françoise Provencher of the University of Montreal.

The findings were published today in Nature Communications.

The researchers have been investigating the fundamental beginnings of the reactions that take place that underpin solar energy conversion devices, studying the new brand of photovoltaic diodes that are based on blends of polymeric semiconductors and fullerene derivatives. Polymers are large molecules made up of many smaller molecules of the same kind -- consisting of so-called 'organic' building blocks because they are composed of atoms that also compose molecules for life (carbon, nitrogen, sulphur). A fullerene is a molecule in the shape of a football, made of carbon. "In these and other devices, the absorption of light fuels the formation of an electron and a positive charged species. To ultimately provide electricity, these two attractive species must separate and the electron must move away. If the electron is not able to move away fast enough then the positive and negative charges simple recombine and effectively nothing changes. The overall efficiency of solar devices compares how much recombines and how much separates," explained Sophia Hayes of the University of Cyprus, last author of the study.

Two major findings resulted from the team's work. "We used femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy," explained Tony Parker of the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Central Laser Facility. "Femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy is an advanced ultrafast laser technique that provides details on how chemical bonds change during extremely fast chemical reactions. The laser provides information on the vibration of the molecules as they interact with the pulses of laser light." Extremely complicated calculations on these vibrations enabled the scientists to ascertain how the molecules were evolving. Firstly, they found that after the electron moves away from the positive centre, the rapid molecular rearrangement must be prompt and resemble the final products within around 300 femtoseconds (0.0000000000003 s). A femtosecond is a quadrillionth of a second -- a femtosecond is to a second as a second is to 3.7 million years. This promptness and speed enhances and helps maintain charge separation.

Secondly, the researchers noted that any ongoing relaxation and molecular reorganisation processes following this initial charge separation, as visualised using the FSRS method, should be extremely small. "Our findings open avenues for future research into understanding the differences between material systems that actually produce efficient solar cells and systems that should as efficient but in fact do not perform as well. A greater understanding of what works and what doesn't will obviously enable better solar panels to be designed in the future," said the University of Montreal's Carlos Silva, who was senior author of the study.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Montreal. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Françoise Provencher, Nicolas Bérubé, Anthony W. Parker, Gregory M. Greetham, Michael Towrie, Christoph Hellmann, Michel Côté, Natalie Stingelin, Carlos Silva, Sophia C. Hayes. Direct observation of ultrafast long-range charge separation at polymer–fullerene heterojunctions. Nature Communications, 2014; 5 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5288

Weave a cell phone into your shirt? Engineers envision an electronic switch just three atoms thick

 

July 1, 2014

Stanford School of Engineering

Researchers believe they've discovered a crystal that can form a monolayer three atoms thick. Computer simulations show that this crystal, molybdenum ditelluride, can act like a switch: its crystal lattice can be mechanically pulled and pushed, back and forth, between two different atomic structures -- one that conducts electricity well, the other that does not. The team hopes experimental scientists will make this semiconductor crystal and use it to fashion flexible electronics.

---

In the top panel, this three-atom thick crystal is shown as semiconductor that is non-conductive. An outward tug on the material (shown in the middle panel) clicks the crystal into a metallic, or conductive state. The third panel shows the crystal back in a non-conductive state.

Computer simulation shows how to make a crystal that would toggle like a light switch between conductive and non-conductive structures; this could lead to flexible electronic materials and enable a cell phone to be woven into a shirt.

Do not fold, spindle or mutilate. Those instructions were once printed on punch cards that fed data to mainframe computers. Today's smart phones process more data, but they still weren't built for being shoved into back pockets.

In the quest to build gadgets that can survive such abuse, engineers have been testing electronic systems based on a new materials that are both flexible and switchable -- that is, capable of toggling between two electrical states, on-off, one-zero, the binary commands that can program all things digital.

Now three Stanford researchers believe that they've discovered just such a flexible, switchable material. It is a crystal that can form a paper-like sheet just three atoms thick. Computer simulations show that this crystalline lattice has the remarkable ability to behave like a switch: it can be mechanically pulled and pushed, back and forth, between two different atomic structures -- one that conducts electricity well, the other that does not.

"Think of it like flicking a light switch on and off," says Karel-Alexander Duerloo, a Stanford Engineering graduate student and first author of an article in Nature Communications.

So far this discovery only exists as a simulation. But co-author and team leader Evan Reed, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, hopes this work will inspire experimental scientists to fabricate this super-thin crystal and use it to create electronic and other devices that would be as light and flexible as fibers.

Theoretically, such electronic materials have potential to reduce battery-draining power consumption in existing devices such as smart phones. This new, power-efficient material could also make it possible to create 'smart' clothing -- imagine an ultralight cell phone or a GPS system integrated into your shirt.

Duerloo said this switchable material is formed when one atomic layer of molybdenum atoms gets sandwiched between two atomic layers of tellurium atoms.

Molybdenum and tellurium are elements that are currently used as additives for making alloys, such as steel. Tellurium is also an important component of many modern solar cells.

In his simulation, Duerloo relied on the fact that molybdenum and tellurium form a sheet-like crystal lattice that is just three-atoms thick. Notably, this atomic sandwich can form different crystalline structures that have useful properties: in one structure this lattice easily conducts electricity; in the other configuration it does not.

Duerloo's simulations show that it takes just a tiny effort to toggle the atomic structure of this three-layer amalgam from a non-conductive state into a conductive state. A gentle push switches the material back to the off state.

These simulations, as yet unsupported by experimental confirmation, are at the leading edge of a new branch of materials science that delves into the behavior of monolayer substances.

The first and most famous monolayer is graphene, which was first observed in 2004. Graphene is a layer of carbon atoms that form a lattice that resembles chicken wire. Although it is just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly strong. A sheet of graphene could bear the weight of a cat without breaking this atomically thin lattice.

Graphene is also electrically conductive. That makes it potentially useful as a light, low power electronic component.

The discoverers of graphene shared a Nobel Prize in 2010, but even before this their work was so honored that other scientists had started looking for other monolayer materials with this interesting confluence of properties: strong, stable, crystalline structures that could conduct electricity.

To help find the most promising materials from a vast universe of molecular structures, a new discipline is rising: computational materials science.

"We're like the advance scouts that survey the terrain and look for the best materials," Reed said.

Now that they have simulated the potential of this molybdenum-tellurium crystal the Stanford researchers -- the third team member is graduate student Yao Li -- hope experimental scientists will explore possible uses of this three-atom thick switch.

"No would have known this was possible before because they didn't know where to look," Duerloo said.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Stanford School of Engineering. The original article was written by Tom Abate. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Karel-Alexander N. Duerloo, Yao Li, Evan J. Reed. Structural phase transitions in two-dimensional Mo- and W-dichalcogenide monolayers. Nature Communications, 2014; 5 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5214

The less older adults sleep, the faster their brains age, new study suggests

---

Researchers at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) have found evidence that the less older adults sleep, the faster their brains age. These findings, relevant in the context of Singapore's rapidly ageing society, pave the way for future work on sleep loss and its contribution to cognitive decline, including dementia.

Past research has examined the impact of sleep duration on cognitive functions in older adults. Though faster brain ventricle enlargement is a marker for cognitive decline and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, the effects of sleep on this marker have never been measured.

The Duke-NUS study examined the data of 66 older Chinese adults, from the Singapore-Longitudinal Aging Brain Study(1). Participants underwent structural MRI brain scans measuring brain volume and neuropsychological assessments testing cognitive function every two years. Additionally, their sleep duration was recorded through a questionnaire. Those who slept fewer hours showed evidence of faster ventricle enlargement and decline in cognitive performance.

"Our findings relate short sleep to a marker of brain aging," said Dr June Lo, the lead author and a Duke-NUS Research Fellow. "Work done elsewhere suggests that seven hours a day(2) for adults seems to be the sweet spot for optimal performance on computer based cognitive tests. In coming years we hope to determine what's good for cardio-metabolic and long term brain health too," added Professor Michael Chee, senior author and Director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke-NUS.

Notes:

1) The Singapore-Longitudinal Aging Brain Study (started in 2005) follows a cohort of healthy adults of Chinese ethnicity aged 55 years and above. This study is one of the few in Asia that tracks the brain structures and cognitive functions of older adults so closely.

2) Data collected by Lumosity, an online brain-training program, suggests that self-reported sleep duration of seven hours is associated with the best cognitive test scores in over 150,000 adults. As of now it is unknown if this amount of sleep is optimum for cardio metabolic and long-term brain health.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. June C. Lo, Kep Kee Loh, Hui Zheng, Sam K.Y. Sim, Michael W.L. Chee. Sleep Duration and Age-Related Changes in Brain Structure and Cognitive Performance. SLEEP, 2014; DOI: 10.5665/sleep.3832

Orgasms and alcohol influence pillow talk

---

Orgasms aren't just good for your sexual relationship; they may also promote good communication.

Orgasms aren't just good for your sexual relationship; they may also promote good communication. Results of a new study published in the latest edition of Communication Monographs reveal that in the aftermath of having experienced an orgasm, people are more likely to share important information with their partners. And, that communication is likely to be positive.

"Post-coital communication is likely linked to sexual and relationship satisfaction," said Amanda Denes, Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut, and lead author of the study. "For this reason, pillow talk may play a pivotal role in maintaining intimacy."

Oxytocin, a "pro-social" hormone, floods a person's brain immediately after orgasm. Elevated levels of oxytocin are linked with a greater sense of trust and reduced perceptions of threat, in addition to lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. This combination may create an environment in which people feel safe disclosing information to their partner.

Conversely, and contrary to popular belief, mixing alcohol with sex is unlikely to lead individuals to divulge more of their important secrets. Immediately following sex, people who have been drinking are likely to say things to their partner that they hadn't intended to disclose, but their pillow talk consists of less important information and is less positive than that of people who drink less on average.

"Oxytocin is an 'upper' and alcohol is a 'downer,' so it's not surprising that they have opposite effects on behavior," said Tamara Afifi, Professor at the University of Iowa, and co-author of the study. "People who drink more alcohol on average perceive fewer benefits to disclosing information to their partners."

Alcohol combined with failing to have an orgasm results in even more negativity. The study suggests both that orgasm may counteract the negative effects of alcohol consumption on communication after sexual activity and that people who regularly drink greater amounts of alcohol before having sex may have developed communication patterns that interfere with positive post-sex communication.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by National Communication Association. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Amanda Denes, Tamara D. Afifi. Pillow Talk and Cognitive Decision-making Processes: Exploring the Influence of Orgasm and Alcohol on Communication after Sexual Activity. Communication Monographs, 2014; 1 DOI: 10.1080/03637751.2014.926377

Drink walkers do it because their friends think it's OK

---

Friends may be the key to stopping their mates drink walking, a risky behaviour that kills on average two Australians every week, a QUT study has found.

Researcher Dr Ioni Lewis, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety -- Queensland (CARRS-Q), said in a survey of young people aged 17 to 25, friends were the strongest influence on their intentions to drink walk.

"Drink walking, or walking while intoxicated in a public place, is linked to increased risk of injury and fatality," Dr Lewis said.

In a survey, published in Transportation Research, more than 50 per cent of participants said they had walked while intoxicated in the previous six months together with evidence that some young people intended to drink walk in the future.

"The study found that the risks associated with drink walking were seen to be less dangerous than drink driving, however, research shows that in Australia on average 100 alcohol-affected pedestrians are killed each year," Dr Lewis said.

"That equates to more than 5 per cent of all road crash fatalities."

Dr Lewis said the study looked at friends, parents and peers and found friends could significantly influence a young person's decision to drink walk.

"Drink walking may occur, for instance, when young people start drinking at home before heading out to pubs or clubs, or when they're walking between licensed venues," she said.

"We now know that when young people who perceive their friends approve of drink walking and believe their friends engage in drink walking, that these young people are more likely to drink walk in the next six months."

She said the study also identified young males as being most at risk, because they considered drink walking to be a low-risk activity.

"If we can turn around the perception of young people that drink walking is not a low-risk activity and it is dangerous, then we may be able to reduce the injuries and fatalities."

Dr Lewis said the next step, which was currently under way in another study, was to design and test safety messages aimed at discouraging drink walking among young people.

The study is looking for 18-25 year olds willing to provide their responses to some anti-drink walking advertising concepts via an online survey.

Survey: http://survey.qut.edu.au/f/180604/3f20/

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Queensland University of Technology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Billy Gannon, Lisa Rosta, Maria Reeve, Melissa K. Hyde, Ioni Lewis. Does it matter whether friends, parents, or peers drink walk? Identifying which normative influences predict young pedestrian’s decisions to walk while intoxicated. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2014; 22: 12 DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2013.10.007

Ticiane - II

 
Eu já postei uma declaração de amor à Ticiane.
Hoje prestando mais atenção, é inacreditável como ela sincroniza tudo ao falar: Meiguice, expressão corpórea angelical que se destaca plenamente quando está fazendo o papel de apresentadora do tempo, e tomara que não apareça outra, porque éla é ainda mais sublime nessa tarefa.  Expressão vocal e facial de acordo com cada detalhe da notícia, uma tonalidade de voz de extrema candura, (Meus Deus, fazei com eu não salte para a minha TV, estou na última prestação).  Meus amigos da Bandeirantes, vocês tem um filão de diamantes na figura extasiante, fulgurante, plenamente dominante no cenário de apresentadores noticiariaristas, da minha amada virtual, a insuperável (espero que por muito tempo) , TICIANE. 

Uma outra letra de música, desta vez em português, que eu gostaria muito que tivesse acontecido entre eu e esta pantera maravilhosa. Eu teria que voltar 40/50 anos no tempo, mas mentalmente isso é possível.

Olha, não importa a idade, mas de vez em quando, nós homens solteirões nos apaixonamos por alguma figura feminina. Antes dela, Grace Kelly,  ( e continua como uma das favoritas, embora não esteja mais entre nós, mas era muito linda, embora não tivesse todas os predicados de Ticiane.) . Marilyn Monroe, quem não se apaixonou por ela?  Mas finalmente encontrei uma brazuca para amar. Bem tem muitas outras brazucas amáveis, mas não creio que se aproximem da Ticiane tal como a vejo e admiro.

Ah, o marido dela? Sugiro umas férias de 10 anos no Caribe.

Vagamente

Só me lembro muito vagamente
Correndo você vinha quando de repente
Teu sorriso que era muito branco
Me encontrou

Só me lembro que depois andamos
Mil estrelas, só nós dois contamos
E o vento soprou de manhã
Mil canções

Só me lembro muito vagamente
Da tarde que morria quando de repente
Eu sozinho fiquei te esperando
E chorei

Só me lembro muito vagamente
O quanto a gente amou
E foi tão de repente, que nem lembro
Se foi com você que eu perdi meu amor.

 

You Tube :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCML9MhWf70

Unsuspected aspect of immune regulation revealed: Role of 'B cells'

---

B cells (stained green) and regulatory T cells (stained red) in the thymus.

A discovery by Australian immunologists, uncovering an additional role for antibody-making 'B cells', is considered important enough by the American Association of Immunologists to rank it among the top 10% of articles in the latest issue of The Journal of Immunology, off the press today.

The finding by Senior Research Assistant Stacey Walters and Associate Professor Shane Grey, from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, shows that B cells also participate in the development of 'regulatory T cells'.

T cells develop in the thymus gland, a soft triangular organ in the chest cavity. From a 'naïve', or undifferentiated, state they are gradually 'educated' to become helpers, or warriors, or regulators.

Until now, the only non-thymic cells known to educate the regulators were dendritic cells, which travel to the thymus to deliver 'antigen', samples of substances toxic to the body. We now know that B cells can do the same thing.

B cells have been thought to specialise only in the production of antibodies. As newfound educators of T cells as well, B cells become much more interesting and complex characters, potentially useful in helping to prevent organ rejection, or control inflammatory bowel disease, or quell autoimmune conditions.

That is because regulatory T cells control how killer T cells behave -- and can effectively prevent the warriors from attacking 'self' tissue, or tissue perceived as foreign. In the case of organ transplantation, several studies have shown that high levels of regulatory T cells can prevent organ rejection.

"Regulatory T cells are critical in the outcome of an immune response -- so anything that in turn regulates them becomes very interesting to immunologists," said Associate Professor Grey.

"Right now there are clinical trials around the world looking to expand populations of these cells in patients. Researchers are also working on ways to grow regulatory cells in the laboratory -- to infuse into patients as therapy."

"Everyone is interested in finding ways to treat autoimmunity and prevent transplant rejection. Expansion of regulatory T cells should help in both cases."

"Our finding suggests it should be possible to set up systems that harness B cells to expand regulatory cells."

The Garvan lab members worked with mice genetically modified to express high levels of 'BAFF', a substance that increases survival of B cells. The higher number of B cells overall allowed researchers to track the activity of B cells in the thymus.

"It has been known for years that some B cells travel to the thymus, but no-one has understood why," said Stacey Walters.

"Our experiments showed clearly that B cells participated in the creation of regulatory T cells -- the more B cells that were in the thymus, the higher the number of regulatory cells generated. That direct correlation raises interesting possibilities."

"One possibility is using BAFF, a non-toxic substance, to ramp up the B cell count of patients before transplant procedures. It will be very interesting to test whether or not that would prevent rejection."

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Garvan Institute of Medical Research. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. S. N. Walters, K. E. Webster, S. Daley, S. T. Grey. A Role for Intrathymic B Cells in the Generation of Natural Regulatory T Cells. The Journal of Immunology, 2014; 193 (1): 170 DOI: 10.4049/%u200Bjimmunol.1302519

Ankle replacement becomes more common to relieve severe arthritis pain

---

Dr. Jonathan Deland of Hospital for Special Surgery with ankle replacement model.

Arthritis can cause terrible pain, making activities of daily living difficult, if not impossible. While most people are familiar with knee and hip replacement surgery for debilitating arthritis in these joints, ankle replacement is another procedure that's on the rise for people suffering from severe ankle pain.

Although ankle fusion traditionally has been the standard treatment, improvements in implant design have prompted more orthopedic surgeons and their patients to consider ankle replacement to relieve pain and restore function, according to Jonathan Deland, MD, co-chief of the Foot and Ankle Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

"In ankle replacement, we replace the damaged surfaces of the ankle joint with an artificial implant," explained Dr. Deland. "One of main the advantages of ankle replacement is that it provides patients with better movement and mobility compared to ankle fusion, in which bones in the ankle are fused together using metal screws."

In addition, ankle stiffness resulting from fusion puts stress on other joints in the foot, leaving an individual more susceptible to arthritis in those joints.

The newest implant used in ankle replacement, which Dr. Deland helped design with other doctors, is considered by many to be an advance over previous models. "It is designed to better reproduce the ankle's natural motion. It is also designed to be longer lasting. It has the proper curvatures like a normal ankle, " he explains.

The new implant was good news for 61 year-old David Sander, who suffered a broken ankle 30 years ago and later developed severe arthritis. The Asbury Park, New Jersey resident said he put up with the pain for years because he wanted to avoid ankle fusion and was not convinced the ankle implants available at the time would allow him to return to activities he had abandoned because of the arthritis.

When Dr. Deland told him about the new implant, which was approved by the FDA in 2012, Mr. Sander opted for ankle replacement surgery with the new prosthesis. "Before the surgery, I could barely walk. I was in constant pain," he said. "After ankle replacement, I got my life back. The pain is gone. I go bike riding, walk on the Boardwalk, I go camping and hiking in the woods. Everything that had been taken away from me has been given back."

Mr. Sander says his ankle now feels normal and he even forgets he has an implant. Components of the prosthesis work together to restore the natural movement of the ankle joint, according to Dr. Deland.

The surgical technique used with the new prosthesis entails an incision on the side of the ankle, as opposed to one in the front used for traditional implants. "The side incision will generally cause less disruption to the soft tissues surrounding the ankle joint and allows for the replication of curved bone surfaces like those in a normal ankle," he says.

Candidates for ankle replacement are people with severe pain for whom conservative treatments, such as rest, pain medication and bracing fail to provide relief. Eligible patients are at least 50 years old, they must have good bone quality and foot alignment, and they cannot have any underlying health problems that would impede healing, according to Dr. Deland.

When considering ankle replacement, Dr. Deland stresses the importance of choosing an orthopedic surgeon with significant experience. "No surgeon should do only one or two of these procedures per year -- they'll get into trouble mighty fast," he says. "You have to know about foot alignment, and you have to know the implant. Studies show a steep learning curve when performing total ankle replacements."

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Hospital for Special Surgery. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Early life stress can leave lasting impacts on the brain

 

June 27, 2014

University of Wisconsin-Madison

For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts. A team of researchers recently showed these kinds of stressors, experienced in early life, might be changing the parts of developing children’s brains responsible for learning, memory and the processing of stress and emotion.

---

Different forms of early life stress, such as child maltreatment or poverty, impacted the size of two important brain regions: the hippocampus (shown in red) and amygdala (shown in green), according to new University of Wisconsin-Madison research. Children who experienced such stress had small amygdalae and hippocampai, which was related to behavioral problems in these same individuals.

For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts.

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers recently showed these kinds of stressors, experienced in early life, might be changing the parts of developing children’s brains responsible for learning, memory and the processing of stress and emotion. These changes may be tied to negative impacts on behavior, health, employment and even the choice of romantic partners later in life.

The study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, could be important for public policy leaders, economists and epidemiologists, among others, says study lead author and recent UW Ph.D. graduate Jamie Hanson.

“We haven’t really understood why things that happen when you’re 2, 3, 4 years old stay with you and have a lasting impact,” says Seth Pollak, co-leader of the study and UW-Madison professor of psychology.

Yet, early life stress has been tied before to depression, anxiety, heart disease, cancer, and a lack of educational and employment success, says Pollak, who is also director of the UW Waisman Center’s Child Emotion Research Laboratory.

“Given how costly these early stressful experiences are for society … unless we understand what part of the brain is affected, we won’t be able to tailor something to do about it,” he says.

For the study, the team recruited 128 children around age 12 who had experienced either physical abuse, neglect early in life or came from low socioeconomic status households.

Researchers conducted extensive interviews with the children and their caregivers, documenting behavioral problems and their cumulative life stress. They also took images of the children’s brains, focusing on the hippocampus and amygdala, which are involved in emotion and stress processing. They were compared to similar children from middle-class households who had not been maltreated.

Hanson and the team outlined by hand each child’s hippocampus and amygdala and calculated their volumes. Both structures are very small, especially in children (the word amygdala is Greek for almond, reflecting its size and shape in adults), and Hanson and Pollak say the automated software measurements from other studies may be prone to error.

Indeed, their hand measurements found that children who experienced any of the three types of early life stress had smaller amygdalas than children who had not. Children from low socioeconomic status households and children who had been physically abused also had smaller hippocampal volumes. Putting the same images through automated software showed no effects.

Behavioral problems and increased cumulative life stress were also linked to smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes.

Why early life stress may lead to smaller brain structures is unknown, says Hanson, now a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University’s Laboratory for NeuroGenetics, but a smaller hippocampus is a demonstrated risk factor for negative outcomes. The amygdala is much less understood and future work will focus on the significance of these volume changes.

“For me, it’s an important reminder that as a society we need to attend to the types of experiences children are having,” Pollak says. “We are shaping the people these individuals will become.”

But the findings, Hanson and Pollak say, are just markers for neurobiological change; a display of the robustness of the human brain, the flexibility of human biology. They aren’t a crystal ball to be used to see the future.

“Just because it’s in the brain doesn’t mean it’s destiny,” says Hanson.

---

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original article was written by Kelly April Tyrrell. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.