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Objective: Along the Aleutian Islands, Light Dusky Rockfish Sebastes variabilis and Harlequin Rockfish S. variegatus are two of the more abundant species within the "Other Rockfish" management complex of this region. Many Sebastes spp. are assessed in multispecies complexes due to a lack of basic biological information to inform management. In an effort to address data gaps, we investigated age, growth, and natural mortality for both species. The larger abundance of Light Dusky Rockfish allowed for an examination of distribution across different areas of the Aleutian Islands. Methods: Otoliths from Light Dusky Rockfish and Harlequin Rockfish were used for age determination to describe growth parameters and subsequent maximum ages used for calculating rates of natural mortality from a mean of updated age‐based estimators. Generalized linear models were developed to describe the depth distribution of Light Dusky Rockfish. Result: Ages ranged from 3 to 79 years for Harlequin Rockfish and 3 to 70 years for Light Dusky Rockfish. Maximum ages were corroborated by multiple analyses providing estimates for natural mortality (Light Dusky Rockfish = 0.084; Harlequin Rockfish = 0.075). The von Bertalanffy growth model for Harlequin Rockfish indicated sex‐specific differences, with females attaining larger maximum sizes and a lower growth coefficient. Light Dusky Rockfish showed no differences in growth by area or sex. Length distributions among areas for each species were different. Light Dusky Rockfish tended to occur in deeper water in the central and western areas of the Aleutian Islands. The presence of Light Dusky Rockfish in deeper water is influenced, through the effect in terms of odd ratios, by maturity status and area and is variable by year. Conclusion: These results contribute to our understanding of the management and biology of Sebastes spp. within their complex, but additional investigations are needed, especially with how traits may differ within and between regions. Impact statementAge and growth data was analyzed from otoliths to develop initial growth parameters and rates of natural mortality for Dusky Rockfish and Harlequin Rockfish in the Aleutian Islands. In addition, an analysis of the depth distribution of Dusky Rockfish was conducted to further understand its management and biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a leading comorbidity in psoriatic disease, including both psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and is associated with adverse metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Anthropometric parameters, such as weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio, have been extensively reported in psoriatic disease. However, the associations of body composition and fat distribution with psoriasis have not yet been fully defined. Objectives: To identify whether patients with psoriatic disease, including psoriatic arthritis, have altered body composition compared with the general population, and to review existing modalities for the assessment of body composition. Methods: Electronic searches of the literature were conducted in PubMed, Medline (Ovid®), Embase (Ovid®), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Google Scholar. Titles and abstracts were reviewed by two authors independently against a set of prespecified inclusion/exclusion criteria. The research question was answered with a systematic literature review and results were summarized narratively. Results: Twenty-five full text articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final narrative analysis. The studies were of heterogeneous design and used a range of objective measures to assess body composition, including simple anthropometric measures, bioimpedance analysis (BIA), dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT). Few studies met all the quality assessment criteria. Clinical heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. Conclusions: Patients with psoriatic disease reveal defined body composition changes that are independent of obesity and the customary metabolic syndrome, including higher overall body fat, visceral fat and sarcopenia. These findings emphasize that patients with psoriatic disease should be screened for abnormal adipose effects beyond their weight and body mass index (BMI). Our findings show that the last decade has seen an exciting expansion of research interest in the development and validation of new modalities for the assessment of body composition. There is no consensus on the optimal assessment method of body composition for this diverse group; hence there is a need for validation of existing modalities and standardization of assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Meniscal tears are a common knee injury with an incidence of 60 per 100 000. Management of meniscal tears can include either non-operative measures or operative procedures such as arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM). Despite substantial research evaluating the effectiveness of APM in the recent past, little is known about the clinical course or the experiences of patients with a meniscal tear. Aim To summarise the short to long-term patterns of variability in outcome in patients with a meniscal tear. To summarise the evidence on patient experiences of meniscal tears. In particular, we will focus on patient experiences of treatment options, treatment pathways and their views of the outcomes used in meniscal tear research. Methods and analysis Two search strategies will be developed to identify citations from EMBASE, MEDLINE, AMED, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Sociofile. The date of our planned search is 14 August 2020. For the quantitative review we will identify studies reporting patient-reported outcome measures in patients after a meniscal tear. The standardised mean change will be used to assess the variation in size of response and summarise the overall response to each treatment option. All studies will undergo quality assessment using either the Cochrane risk of bias or the Newcastle-Ottawa tool. A qualitative systematic review will be used to identify studies reporting views and experiences of patients with a meniscal tear. All studies will be assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and if sufficient data are present a meta-synthesis will be performed to identify first, second and third-order constructs. Ethics and dissemination Given the nature of this study, no formal ethical approval will be sought. Results from the review will be disseminated at national conferences and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. Lay summaries will be freely available via the study Twitter page. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction This study is designed to explore the baseline characteristics of patients under 55 years of age with a meniscal tear, and to describe the relationship between the baseline characteristics and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) over 12 months. Research has highlighted the need for a trial to investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic meniscectomy in younger patients. Before this trial, we need to understand the patient population in greater detail. Methods and analysis This is a multicentre prospective cohort study. Participants aged between 18 and 55 years with an MRI confirmed meniscal tear are eligible for inclusion. Baseline characteristics including age, body mass index, gender, PROMs duration of symptoms and MRI will be collected. The primary outcome measure is the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool at 12 months. Secondary outcome measures will include PROMs such as EQ5D, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and patient global impression of change score at 3, 6 and 12 months. Ethics and dissemination The study obtained approval from the National Research Ethics Committee West Midlands—Black Country research ethics committee (19/ WM/0079) on 12 April 2019. The study is sponsored by the University of Warwick. The results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents recommendations concerning the curriculum of undergraduate engineering. Discusses a diverse approach, general education with engineering superimposed, and financial resources. (YP)

Introduction Neurogenic claudication due to spinal stenosis is common in older adults. The effectiveness of conservative interventions is not known. The aim of the study is to estimate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a physiotherapist-delivered, combined physical and psychological intervention. Methods and analysis This is a pragmatic, multicentred, randomised controlled trial. Participants are randomised to a combined physical and psychological intervention (Better Outcomes for Older people with Spinal Trouble (BOOST) programme) or best practice advice (control). Community-dwelling adults, 65 years and over, with neurogenic claudication are identified from community and secondary care services. Recruitment is supplemented using a primary care-based cohort. Participants are registered prospectively and randomised in a 2:1 ratio (intervention:control) using a web-based service to ensure allocation concealment. The target sample size is a minimum of 402. The BOOST programme consists of an individual assessment and twelve 90 min classes, including education and discussion underpinned by cognitive behavioural techniques, exercises and walking circuit. During and after the classes, participants undertake home exercises and there are two support telephone calls to promote adherence with the exercises. Best practice advice is delivered in one to three individual sessions with a physiotherapist. The primary outcome is the Oswestry Disability Index at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include the 6 Minute Walk Test, Short Physical Performance Battery, Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and Gait Self-Efficacy Scale. Outcomes are measured at 6 and 12 months by researchers who are masked to treatment allocation. The primary statistical analysis will be by 'intention to treat'. There is a parallel health economic evaluation and qualitative study. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was given on 3 March 2016 (National Research Ethics Committee number: 16/LO/0349). This protocol adheres to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials checklist. The results will be reported at conferences and in peerreviewed publications using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines. A plain English summary will be published on the BOOST website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction This study is designed to determine whether a full randomised controlled trial (RCT) examining the clinical effectiveness and safety of total knee replacement surgery with or without a tourniquet is warranted and feasible. Method and analysis Single centre, patient-blinded and assessor-blinded RCT. A computer-generated randomisation service will allocate 50 participants into one of two trial treatments, surgery with or without a tourniquet. The primary objective is to estimate recruitment, crossovers and follow-up of patients. All patients will have an MRI scan of their brain preoperatively and day 1 or 2 postoperatively to identify ischaemic cerebral emboli (primary clinical outcome). Oxford Cognitive Screen, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination will be evaluated as outcome tools for measuring cognitive impairment at days 1, 2 and 7 postoperatively. Thigh pain, blood transfusion requirements, venous thromboembolism, revision surgery, surgical complications, mortality and Oxford knee and fivelevel EuroQol-5D scores will be collected over 12 months. Integrated qualitative research study: 30 trial patients and 20 knee surgeons will take part in semistructured interviews. Interviews will capture views regarding the pilot trial and explore barriers and potential solutions to a full trial. Multicentre cohort study: UK National Joint Registry data will be linked to Hospital Episode Statistics to estimate the relationship between tourniquet use and venous thromboembolic event, length of hospital stay, risk of revision surgery and death. The study will conclude with a multidisciplinary workshop to reach a consensus on whether a full trial is warranted and feasible. Ethics and dissemination National Research Ethics Committee (West Midlands-Edgbaston) approved this study on 27 January 2016 (15/WM/0455). The study is sponsored by University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. The results will be disseminated via high-impact peer-reviewed publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish stocks can be defined by differences in their distribution, life history, and genetics. Managing fish based on stock structure is integral to successful management of a species because fishing may affect stocks disproportionately. Genetic and environmental differences can affect the shape and growth of otoliths and these differences may be indicative of stock structure. To investigate the potential for speciation or stock structure in giant grenadier, Albatrossia pectoralis, we quantified the shape of female giant grenadier otoliths and compared body growth rates for fish with three otolith shapes; shape types were classified visually by an experienced giant grenadier age reader, and were not defined by known distribution or life history differences. We found extreme variation in otolith shape among individuals; however, the shapes were a gradation and not clearly defined into three groups. The two more extreme shapes, visually defined as “hatchet” and “comb”, were discernable based on principal component analyses of elliptical Fourier descriptors, and the “mixed” shape overlapped both of the extreme shapes. Fish with hatchet-shaped otoliths grew faster than fish with comb-shaped otoliths. A genetic test (cytochrome c oxidase 1 used by the Fish Barcode of Life Initiative) showed almost no variability among samples, indicating that the samples were all from one species. The lack of young specimens makes it difficult to link otolith shape and growth difference to life history. In addition, shape could not be correlated with adult movement patterns because giant grenadiers experience 100% mortality after capture and, therefore, cannot be tagged and released. Despite these limitations, the link between body growth and otolith shape indicates measurable differences that deserve more study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Synovitis occurring frequently in osteoarthritis (OA) may be a targeted outcome. There are no data examining whether synovitis changes following intra-articular intervention.Methods: Persons aged 40 years and older with painful knee OA participated in an open label trial of intra-articular steroid therapy. At all time points they completed the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire. They had a contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI immediately prior to an intra-articular steroid injection with a repeat scan within 20 days. Response status was assessed using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) response criteria. OARSI responders were followed until their pain relapsed either within 20% of baseline or 6 months, shortly after which a third MRI was performed. Synovial tissue volume (STV) was measured on postcontrast knee images. We looked at changes in the STV and in pain, and their association.Results: 120 subjects with preinjection and postinjection CE MRI were followed. Their mean age was 62.3 years (SD=10.3) and 62 (52%) were women. The median time between injection and follow-up scan was 8 days (IQR 7-14 days). 85/120 (71%) were OARSI responders. Pain decreased (mean change in KOOS=+23.9; 95% CI 20.1 to 27.8, p<0.001) following steroid injection, as did mean STV (mean change=-1071 mm(3); 95% CI -1839 mm(3) to -303 mm(3), p=0.01). Of the 80 who returned for a third MRI, pain relapsed in 57, and in the 48 of those with MRI data, STV increased between follow-up and final visit (+1220 mm(3); 95% CI 25 mm(3) to 2414 mm(3), p=0.05). 23 were persistent responders at 6 months and, in these, STV did not increase (mean change=-202 mm(3); 95% CI -2008 mm(3) to 1604 mm(3), p=0.83). Controlling for variation over time, there was a significant association between synovitis volume and KOOS pain (b coefficient-change in KOOS pain score per 1000 mm(3) change in STV=-1.13; 95% CI -1.87 to -0.39, p=0.003), although STV accounted for only a small proportion of the variance in change in pain.Conclusions: Synovial tissue volume in knee OA shrinks following steroid therapy, and rebounds in those whose pain relapses. It can be considered a treatment target in symptomatic knee OA.Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN07329370. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yellow Irish lordHemilepidotus jordaniis an abundant, large sculpin found in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, where it is one of the most commonly caught sculpins. Interest in ecosystem-based fisheries management has increased, prompting the need to collect life history information from nontarget or incidental bycatch species. Sagittal otoliths were used to age 776 yellow Irish lords sampled during 2005 and 2006 in summer bottom trawl surveys conducted by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands regions. Annuli viewed on otolith surfaces and thin sections were enumerated to arrive at estimates of age. Specimens ranged from age 1 to a maximum of age 28, more than doubling the previously published estimate of longevity for this species. Age estimates from both regions were used to calculate separate sex-specific total mortality rates for yellow Irish lords based on catch-curve analysis. These new age estimates have resulted in potential changes in yellow Irish lord harvest recommendations, demonstrating the importance of age and growth information to fisheries managers. Received January 18, 2011; accepted August 4, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as the method of choice for measuring cartilage loss in osteoarthritis (OA), but current methods of analysis are imperfect for therapeutic clinical trials. In this paper, we present and evaluate, in two multicenter multivendor studies, a new method for anatomically corresponded regional analysis of cartilage (ACRAC) that allows analysis of knee cartilage morphology in anatomically corresponding focal regions defined on the bone surface. In our first study, 3-D knee MR Images were obtained from 19 asymptomatic female volunteers, followed by segmentations of the bone and cartilage. Minimum description length (MDL) statistical shape models (SSMs) were constructed from the segmented bone surfaces, providing mean bone shapes and a dense set of anatomically corresponding positions on each individual bone, the accuracy of which were measured using repeat images from a subset of the volunteers. Cartilage thicknesses were measured at these locations along 3-D normals to the bone surfaces, yielding corresponded cartilage thickness maps. Functional subregions of the joint were defined on the mean bone shapes, and propagated, using the correspondences, to each individual. ACRAC improved reproducibility, particularly in the central, load bearing subregions of the joint, compared with measures of volume obtained directly from the segmented cartilage surfaces. In our second study, MR Images were obtained from 31 female patient-volunteers with knee OA at baseline and six months. We obtained manual segmentations of the cartilage, and automatic segmentations of the bone using active appearance models (AAMs) built from the bone SSMs of the first study. ACRAC enabled the detection of significant thickness loss in the central, load-bearing regions of the whole femur (-5.57% p = 0.01, annualized) and the medial condyle (-13.08%, p = 0.024 Bonferroni corrected, annualized). We conclude that statistical shape modelling of bone surfaces defines correspondences invariant to individual joint size or shape, providing focal measures of cartilage with improved reproducibility compared to whole compartment measures. It permits the identification of anatomically equivalent regions, and provides the ability to identify the main load-bearing regions of the joint, based on the imputed premorbid state. The method permitted detection of tiny morphological change in cartilage thickness over six months in a small study, and may be useful for OA disease analysis and treatment monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To evaluate microvascular and relaxation parameters of prostate and nearby muscle in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and to examine measurement reproducibility. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, 13 patients with BPH were imaged twice prior to surgery. The imaging protocol included a three-dimensional (3D) inversion-recovery turbo field-echo measurement of T1, a multiecho measurement of T2, and a high temporal resolution (1.5 seconds per volume) dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) acquisition. The DCE data were analyzed using a distributed parameter tracer kinetics model to provide estimates of perfusion (Fb), extraction fraction (E), mean transit time (Tc), and extravascular-extracellular volume (ve) in both the central gland (CG) and the peripheral zone (PZ) of the prostate, and in nearby muscle. Precision of these estimates was calculated using a bootstrap technique and the reproducibility was evaluated using the within-patient coefficient of variation (wCV). Results The microvascular parameters were estimated in the prostate with high precision; in particular, E, Fb, and ve had median CVs of ≤6%, ≤4 %, and ≤5%, respectively. Reproducibilities of the T1 and T2 measurements were excellent (wCV ≤ 4%), and reproducibility of the other parameters reflected values seen in previous studies. Conclusion Microvascular and relaxation properties of BPH can be measured precisely with reproducibilities for a distributed parameter tracer kinetics model that are comparable to those for a simpler model. Measurements of T1 and T2 were highly reproducible. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:641-648. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Contrast-enhanced MRI is of value in assessing rheumatoid pannus in the hand, but the images are not always easy to quantitate. Objective: To develop and evaluate an improved measurement of volume of enhancing pannus (VEP) in the hand in human rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: MR images of the hand and wrist were obtained for 14 patients with RA at 0, 1 and 13 weeks. Volume of enhancing pannus was measured on images created by subtracting precontrast T1-weighted images from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images using a shuffle transformation technique. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) and 3D volume rendering of the images were used as a guide to identify the pannus and any contrast-enhanced veins. Result: Visualisation of pannus was much improved following the shuffle transform. Between 0 weeks and 1 week, the mean value of the within-subject coefficient of variation (CoV) was 0.13 and the estimated total CoV was 0.15. There was no evidence of significant increased variability within the 13-week interval for the complete sample of patients. Conclusion: Volume of enhancing pannus can be measured reproducibly in the rheumatoid hand using 3D contrast-enhanced MRI and shuffle transform. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]