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Objective: To compare long‐term health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) after Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach (TOETVA) and transcervical approach (TCA) thyroidectomy. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Methods: A web‐based survey was distributed to patients at our institution who met the criteria for TOETVA and underwent thyroidectomy by TOETVA or TCA between August 2017 and October 2021. All survey participants were at least 6 months postsurgery. Minors, non‐English speakers, and patients who received concomitant neck dissection or reoperative thyroidectomy were excluded from the study. The survey assessed quality of life through 4 standardized instruments: the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT‐10), the Voice Handicap Index (VHI‐10), and the Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36). Results: A total of 108 TOETVA and 129 TCA patients were included in the study. The median age of respondents was 44 (36, 54; 25th, 75th percentile) years and median time from surgery to survey was 35 (22, 45; 25th, 75th percentile) months. TOETVA group DLQI (0.63 vs 0.99; P =.17), VHI‐10 (1.94 vs 1.67; P =.35), EAT‐10 (2.14 vs 2.32; P =.29), SF‐36 physical component (52.25 vs 51.00; P =.25), and SF‐36 mental component (47.74 vs 47.29; P =.87) scores were all similar to those of the TCA group. Scrutinizing specific DLQI questions, individuals in the TOETVA group were less self‐conscious of their skin as compared to the TCA group (Q2; 0.08 vs 0.26, P =.03). Conclusion: Long‐term HRQOL after TOETVA is similar to TCA, with significantly lower skin‐related self‐consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As drug overdose deaths across the United States continue to rise, there is increasing interest in field testing of illicit substances. This work discusses a paper‐based analytical device (idPAD) that can run a library of 12 colorimetric tests at the same time, each detecting different chemical functional groups and materials found in illicit drugs, distractor substances, and cutting agents. The idPAD requires no electricity, costs less than $2 USD, and requires minimal training to operate. The results of the 12 tests form a color barcode which is "read" by comparison to standard images. The accuracy of the idPAD was assessed using samples of heroin, cocaine HCl, crack, and methamphetamine at concentrations of 25%–100% in a lactose matrix, as well as pure lactose. Based on 840 "reads" by three different users, the idPAD showed 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting these drugs; the most common error was mistaking cocaine HCl for crack or crack for cocaine HCl. In a second step, samples of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine (n = 30) and distractor substances (pharmaceuticals, cutting agents, and other illicit drugs, n = 64) were tested by two readers, yielding a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97%. Targeted substances were detected reliably at 55–180 μg/lane, and the idPAD was found to be stable for at least 3 months when stored at room temperature. The library approach used in the idPAD may provide the accuracy and robustness necessary for a presumptive field drug test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information pertaining to the single crystal rutile (TiO2) resonator with the use of the whispering gallery modes. What have been determined with the use of the whispering gallery mode technique; Reference to the study of the single crystal rutile.

Objective: To develop a method to measure intraoperative surgical instrument motion. This model will be applicable to the study of surgical instrument kinematics including surgical training, skill verification, and the development of surgical warning systems that detect aberrant instrument motion that may result in patient injury.Design: We developed an algorithm to automate derivation of surgical instrument kinematics in an endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery model. Surgical instrument motion was recorded during a cadaveric endoscopic transnasal approach to the pituitary using a navigation system modified to record intraoperative time-stamped Euclidian coordinates and Euler angles. Microdebrider tip coordinates and angles were referenced to the cadaver's preoperative computed tomography scan allowing us to assess surgical instrument kinematics over time. A representative cadaveric endoscopic endonasal approach to the pituitary was performed to demonstrate feasibility of our algorithm for deriving surgical instrument kinematics.Conclusions: Technical feasibility of automatically measuring intraoperative surgical instrument motion and deriving kinematics measurements was demonstrated using standard navigation equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]