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We describe a striking new species of Grallaria antpitta from wet, upper subtropical forest in the upper Rio Chinchipe drainage, provincia Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador. Notes on its natural history and molecular systematics are presented along with spectrograms of its voice. The species is readily diagnosed by its large size, unique white facial markings, and voice. Initial results from DNA sequence analyses place the new species in a well-supported clade that includes Grallaria nuchalis (which is syntopic with the new species), G. hypoleuca, G. watkinsi, and G. ruficapilla.

Recently there is an increased interest in developing magnetic semiconductors due to their promising applications in spintronics. The semiconductors can be made ferromagnetic by doping with transition-metal ions. In this paper, the results of our studies using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and IR and Raman spectroscopic techniques on the effect of Fe doping on the structural properties of SnO2 are presented. The XRD results showed that the doping affects the structure and the lattice constants decrease as doping concentration increases, reaches a minimum, and again increases. The doped samples are under compressive strain and the strain is maximum for the sample doped with 3% (at. %) Fe. The grain size of the nanoparticles decreases from 42 nm in undoped SnO2 to 26 nm in Sn0.90Fe0.10O2. It was observed that the preferred orientation is along the (101) direction and both texture coefficient and preferential orientation show a dependence on doping level. The Raman spectra showed clear evidences of the change in grain size and incorporation of Fe into the crystal lattice. The Raman bands observed in the 700 cm-1 region are assigned to the vibrational local modes of the Fe3+ ions which are occupying the sites of Sn4+ ions. The intensities of the Raman bands showed a strong dependence on the doping concentration. The decrease in intensity of the Sn–O symmetric stretching band at 630 cm-1 for higher doping concentrations is explained to be due to the decrease in grain size. A striking correlation is found between the Fe Raman mode intensities and the ferromagnetic magnetization of Sn1-xFexO2, suggesting that the ferromagnetic behavior results from Fe3+ ions incorporated in the host SnO2 lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation proposes, the evaluation of the clean and organic technological components, with and without Tríchoderma for the management of the Moravian culture of Castile (Rubus Glaucus Benth) in the cantons Cevallos and Tisaleo belonging to the province of Tungurahua-Ecuador. The experimental design of randomized complete blocks (BCA) was used in factorial arrangement 2*2+1 with three, observing the clean management with 3 eyeles of Trichoderma (T3), presented the best results when evaluating numbers of buds per branch, fertilized flowers, fruits per branch and yield reaching the latter 19036.35 kg/ha for Cevallos and 24973.09 kg/ha for Tisaleo, Both the incidence and severity of Oídium, Botrytis and Peronospora were recorded in the organic management (A2), from the economic point of view in the town of Cevallos the treatment that presented lower costs that vary, the management of the producer without Tríchoderma spp (T7) with 634.99 USD, while the treatment Organic management with 3 cycles of Tríchoderma spp (T6) presented higher costs that vary with 1039.89 USD. According to the net benefit, it was determined that the Clean Management treatment plus 3 cycles of Tríchoderma spp (T3) presented a higher net benefit with USD 24764.26, while for the Producer Management without Tríchoderma spp. (T7) presented the lowest net profit with 6623.908 USD; evidencing treatment 3 as a new clean production alternative that reduces the use of agrochemicals and improves the production of arrears in the Andean zone of Ecuador.

Fe doped TiO samples were synthesized using sol-gel technique and its incorporation was studied using different experimental tools such as XRD, HRTEM, and XPS. It was observed that the TiO maintains the anatase phase when the Fe doping concentration is below 3 % or below. A structural transformation from anatase to rutile was observed when the doping concentration reaches 4 %. Fe doping inhibits the crystalline growth and the crystal size of 3 % Fe doped TiO was half of the undoped TiO. The Fe segregation in TiO was identified by studying HAADF images. The Fe doping caused an apparent red shift in the absorption edge of TiO. Photocatalytic experiments show that Fe doping has considerably improved the decomposition of the organic component. With 0.5 % Fe doped TiO in 120 min, 88 % of the dye was degraded compared to 44 % degradation achieved by pure TiO. The slight decrease in the photocatalytic activity for the 4 % Fe: TiO can be attributed to the change in structural phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University at Albany Prevention Research Center, guided by a needs assessment in two underserved communities (one urban, one rural), initiated a pilot project that opened a public school for community walking in a rural setting. This study examined a 9-week program for potential barriers, benefits, influential factors, and the physical activity levels of program participants. Evaluation was based on daily logs, pedometer diaries, participant surveys, and focus groups. Results indicated that rural schools provide a useful resource for residents and increase participants' physical activity levels. A more comprehensive rural community walking program has been implemented as a result of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin sulfide thin films, typically 350 nm thick, were deposited on SnO2:F-coated transparent conductive oxide glass substrates by pulse electrodeposition. The applied potentials were Von = -0.9 V and Voff = 0.1 V vs saturated calomel electrode with pulse on/off durations of 10 s. The films crystallized in the orthorhombic structure corresponding to SnS (herzenbergite), with grain size varying in the range from a few nanometers to more than 100 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis shows an average size of 12 nm; however, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show the presence of large crystallites with well-developed facets along with agglomerations of smaller crystallites. Estimation of.the bandgap from the optical spectra of these films showed absorption due to direct transition occurring at 1.3 eV. Elemental compositions of these SnS samples deter- mined using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were 51.4 and 48.5%, respectively, for Sn and S. Raman spectra suggested the presence of traces of Sn2S3 and SnS2. The surface analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the presence of traces of metallic Sn. The films are photosensitive with a dark resistivity 106 Ω cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system-level exploration method called architectural probing is proposed. It embodies the widely accepted concepts of behaviour/architecture codesign, and allows one to selectively gather functional information from a functional diagram and feed it into an architectural diagram, thus enabling a reduction in the amount of details that are simulated at the architectural level. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated in a case study that involves the exploration of data queuing management schemes for a packet switch system. As shown in the experimental results, the method enables the evaluation of the impact of different data management algorithms and different system parameters such as DMA size and packet payload size, in terms of power and performance tradeoff by estimating the average energy-per-bit-transferred, on each architectural component, such as memories, buses and bus arbiters, involved in the implementation of the queuing management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Evaluation of the heterogeneous treatment effect (HTE) allows for the assessment of the causal effect of a therapy or intervention while considering heterogeneity in individual factors within a population. Machine learning (ML) methods have previously been employed for HTE evaluation, addressing the limitations associated with modelling complex systems. In this work, three tree-based ML algorithms, causal random forest (CRF), causal Bayesian additive regression trees (CBART), and causal rule ensemble (CRE), are used to analyze the potential causation of benzene exposure to cause childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Data for this analysis is generated by drawing samples from a previously developed model that estimates AML probability given as input demographic information and benzene exposure. Comparison is drawn between the three tree-based algorithms in terms of the predicted average treatment effect (ATE), the regression coefficient of determination, and the computational time of each algorithm. Minimal difference is reported between the three tree-based algorithms in terms of the ATE, as well as the regression coefficient of determination. However, CRF outperforms CBART in terms of algorithm computational time. Moreover, CRF allows for both continuous and binary treatment variables, as opposed to CBART and CRE, making it better suited to environmental health studies, where exposure levels of pollutants shall be considered continuous. Following the comparison of all three algorithms, the influence of adding Gaussian noise to the treatment and outcome variables, as well as outliers, is investigated using CRF. A set of considerations is drawn to guide researchers in using these algorithms. These considerations detail the simulation settings, applications, and results interpretation and aim to provide prompt information in decision-making surrounding the establishment of pollutant exposure thresholds in environmental risk assessments., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Gangliogliomas (GG) are rare primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. These CNS tumors are more commonly located at the supratentorial level. The treatment of choice for these tumors is surgical resection, and the role of radiotherapy remains controversial. A 61-year-old woman who presented with seizures underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which showed a left-side thalamic lesion with one solid and two cystic components. A neuronavigation-guided brain biopsy of the lesion established the diagnosis of GG, with expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for glial cells and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and synaptophysin for ganglion cells. Due to the location of the lesion, the patient underwent radical radiotherapy. Post-treatment MRIs revealed a reduction in tumor dimensions. In conclusion, we emphasize the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of cerebral GG., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Health Ethics Committee (CES) of the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto issued approval CES.174/024. It is the opinion of this CES that there is no ethical impediment to the development of this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Samarão et al.)

A 42-year-old woman underwent a total colonoscopy due to haematochezia and weight loss. A rectal lateral spreading lesion with 2 5mm in diameter was identified and biopsies revealed villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. After referral to our centre, sigmoidoscopy confirmed the presence of a 25 mm lesion (NICE 3) with non-lifting sign and EUS showed a hypoechoic lesion with at least submucosal invasion and suspicious images of muscularis propria invasion - uT1/2N0. New biopsies shown the presence of adenocarcinoma. The patient was submitted to surgical anterior resection of the rectum. Intraoperative extemporaneous examination of the specimen did not identify the lesion and an intraoperative colonoscopy was performed not showing any lesion in the rectal stump. Pathological examination, after total inclusion of the specimen, showed a 7mm scar with fibrosis of the submucosa, chronic inflammatory infiltrate, vascular ectasia and congestion and mucosal erosion, without identification of residual neoplasia.To date (20 months of follow-up) there is no evidence of disease persistence or recurrence with a sigmoidoscopy performed 3 months after surgery.

This case report describes a 31-year-old male patient with psychosis presumably related to methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP). Our patient was experiencing persistent symptoms of visual, tactile, and auditory hallucinations after cessation of methamphetamine. He has a medical history of a substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, nicotine dependence and major depressive disorder. Previously, he received a wide range of antipsychotic drug treatment regimens at other psychiatric facilities, all with some degree of effect, but never with complete symptom relief. At the time of admission to our inpatient clinic, he was started on cariprazine and reported a significant decrease in visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations with complete cessation for a period of two weeks. There appears to be a unique ability of cariprazine's mechanism of action to reverse symptoms of the presumable diagnosis of MAP that is unable to be achieved with other antipsychotic medications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Moran et al.)

Meningiomas are relatively common primary adult brain tumors. They are slow-growing, highly vascular, and graded according to histology, phenotypic and genotypic features. We present a case of a 66-year-old male with a history of tongue squamous cell carcinoma, which presented multiple risk factors for cardiovascular and thromboembolic events. A brain lesion was initially detected on a computed tomography (CT) scan and later characterized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The multidisciplinary team decided to maintain surveillance due to the lack of associated symptoms. Upon expansion in size and acute intralesional hemorrhage seen on follow-up imaging, the patient was submitted to surgical excision. The histopathological testing determined it to be an atypical meningioma. Two months later, the patient received stereotactic radiotherapy, and a post-surgical MRI showed no evidence of tumor recurrence. This case report describes a rare occurrence of intratumoral hemorrhage in a meningioma during surveillance, highlighting the importance of vigilant monitoring and consideration of potential risk factors for hemorrhagic events., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Matias et al.)

Objective: Worldwide research trends on the prevalence of hearing loss within young rural populations are scarce. Current evidence suggests extended high-frequency audiometry could be a sensitive predictor to detect subclinical hearing loss. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hearing loss through conventional pure tone (0.25-8 kHz) and extended high-frequency (9-20 kHz) audiometry tests in a group of adolescents aged 13 to 19 years old from two rural areas of Colombia. A sociodemographic and associated factor for hearing loss questionnaire was applied., Design: Cross-sectional study., Study Sample: Three hundred sixty-six adolescents aged 13 to 19 years old from two rural municipalities in Colombia: Soracá, and Palmas del Socorro., Results: Hearing loss prevalence assessed through pure tone audiometry was 3.28% in right ears and 3.83% in left ears while through extended high-frequency audiometry was 14.21% and 13.11%, respectively. Associated factors found by the logistic regression were age (OR: 1.36; CI 95% 1.13-1.64) and obesity (OR: 3.74; CI 95% 1.07-13.11)., Conclusions: Using 15 dB as the normal hearing threshold parameter for audiometric frequencies, our results suggest that extended high-frequency hearing loss is already widespread among rural adolescents. This highlights the need for research on extended high-frequency audiometry in rural school-aged children.

Wine production has increased in recent years, especially in developing countries such as Mexico. This increase is followed by an increase of winery effluents that must be treated to avoid environmental risks. However, little information is available about the characteristics of these effluents and the possible treatments. This paper aimed to characterize the effluents and by-products generated by the Mexican winery industry and to evaluate the performance and stability of the anaerobic treatment using a single-stage and a two-stage process. Results showed that the winery effluents had a high content of biodegradable organic matter, with chemical oxygen demand (COD) values ranging from 221 to 436 g COD/L. The single-stage anaerobic process was able to treat an organic loading rate of 9.6 kg COD/(m 3 d); however, it was unstable and highly dependent on the addition of bicarbonate alkalinity (0.31 g NaHCO 3 /g COD removed). The two-stage process was more stable working at a higher organic load (12.1 kg COD/(m 3 d)) and was less dependent on the addition of bicarbonate (0.17 g NaHCO 3 /g COD removed). The results highlight the potential of the winery effluents to produce methane through anaerobic digestion in a two-stage process, making wine production more sustainable.

In recent decades, new artificial insemination (AI) methods, such as post-cervical AI (PCAI), have been developed in pig. PCAI involves crossing the cervix to deposit the sperm in the uterine body. Although PCAI application in sows is frequent, its application in nulliparous (gilts) females it is still limited due to the difficulty of passing through the cranial part of the cervical lumen. We hypothesized that ageing and parity would modify the cervical canal, facilitating the introduction of AI devices through the cervix. The aim was to compare the morphology of the uterus at different levels between multiparous and nulliparous females. Morphological analysis of the uterus pointed to a longer cervix (25.9 ± 4.6 vs. 21.6 ± 3.3 cm, p < 0.001) and greater length of the part of the reproductive tract involved in PCAI (from rima vulvae to the last cervical cushion) (56.2 ± 6.0 vs. 50.3 ± 5.2 cm, p < 0.001) in multiparous sows compared with nulliparous animals. As regards the structure of the vaginal and uterine parts of the cervix (the part in contact with the vagina and uterine body, respectively), the cross-sectional area, perimeter and total thickness were greater in the uterine part of multiparous than of nulliparous animals (area: 4.07 ± 1.46 vs. 2.46 ± 0.56 cm 2 , p < 0.01; perimeter: 8.50 ± 1.44 cm vs. 6.28 ± 0.92 cm, p < 0.001; thickness: 10.79 ± 0.96 vs. 8.35 ± 0.62 mm, p < 0.05), but not in the vaginal part. The tissue content analysed in histological cross-sections also showed differences between female groups, a greater content of connective tissue (58.86 ± 10.78 vs. 67.60 ± 13.38%, p < 0.001) and a lower amount of muscle fibres (39.79 ± 10.24 vs. 30.66 ± 13.69%, p < 0.001) being observed in multiparous sows. Finally, silicone casts of the cervical lumen revealed differences between the two groups in the size and shape of the ridges in the lumen trajectory. Parity, which is also influenced by ageing, determines important changes in the size, structure and tissue content of the cervix wall, as well as in the morphology of the cervical canal, which may be responsible for the different levels of performance of PCAI in the female populations. Therefore, the future design of AI strategies and catheters should take into consideration the morphological variations of the cervix lumen, which will depend on age and parity of the females., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The intestine is involved in whole-body lipid and cholesterol homeostasis and secretes lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein (Apo)B48 and discrete ApoA-I into the mesenteric lymph. The lymphatic system has been proposed to have a significant role in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway associated with HDL-ApoA-I. In conditions of insulin resistance (IR), there is intestinal overproduction of chylomicrons containing ApoB48; however, there is limited data on the intestinal synthesis and secretion of HDL-ApoA-I. microRNA (miR)-223 has been shown to regulate peripheral HDL metabolism and may impact intestinal-derived HDL. Niacin (nicotinic acid; vitamin B3) is known to regulate lipid metabolism, but the role of niacin in modulating intestinal lipid and lipoprotein (ApoB48 and ApoA-I) metabolism is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the secretion of intestinal lymphatic HDL-ApoA-I and the effect of dietary intervention with niacin on these pathways in a rodent model of IR. HDL was isolated from intestinal mesenteric lymph by density ultracentrifugation, and subsequent HDL miR analysis was developed in collaboration with Exiqon Services. Insulin-resistant rodents were fed chow or chow with niacin (1% w/w) for 6 wk. Intestinal lymph HDL-ApoA-I and miR-223 expression were lower by at least 45 and 60%, respectively, and lymph HDL was associated with 85% higher triglyceride (TG) content in IR compared to non-IR control group. Niacin was found to increase secretion of lymph HDL and miR-223 by at least 50-60% and to deplete the TGs associated with HDL compared with the nontreated IR group. Niacin significantly increased peroxisome proliferator-activating nuclear receptor α and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I α mRNA and annulled Tnf-α mRNA expression in intestinal (jejunal) explants. Altered intestinal lymphatic HDL-ApoA-I and miR-223 metabolism in IR and modulation by niacin may provide insight into the intestinal-mediated regulation of the reverse cholesterol transport pathway.-Mangat, R., Borthwick, F., Haase, T., Jacome, M., Nelson, R., Kontush, A., Vine, D. F., Proctor, S. D. Intestinal lymphatic HDL miR-223 and ApoA-I are reduced during insulin resistance and restored with niacin.

In this study, a microrespirometric method was used, i.e., pulse respirometry in microreactors, to characterize mass transfer and biodegradation kinetics in aerobic granules. The experimental model was an aerobic granular sludge in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) degrading synthetic wastewater containing 4-chlorophenol as the sole carbon source. After 15 days of acclimation, the SBR process degraded 4-chlorophenol at a removal rate of up to 0.9kg CODm(-3)d(-1), and the degradation kinetics were well described by the Haldane model. The microrespirometric method consisted of injecting pulses of 4-chlorophenol into the 24 wells of a microreactor system containing the SBR samples. From the respirograms obtained, the following five kinetic parameters were successfully determined during reactor operation: (i) Maximum specific oxygen uptake rate, (ii) substrate affinity constant, (iii) substrate inhibition constant, (iv) maximum specific growth rate, and (v) cell growth yield. Microrespirometry tests using granules and disaggregated granules allowed for the determination of apparent and intrinsic parameters, which in turn enabled the determination of the effectiveness factor of the granular sludge. It was concluded that this new high-throughput method has the potential to elucidate the complex biological and physicochemical processes of aerobic granular biosystems., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Nuclear imaging plays a crucial role in lymphatic mapping of oral cancer. This evaluation represents a subanalysis of the original multicenter SENT trial data set, involving 434 patients with T1-T2, N0, and M0 oral squamous cell carcinoma. The impact of acquisition techniques, tracer injection timing relative to surgery, and causes of false-negative rate were assessed., Methods: Three to 24 hours before surgery, all patients received a dose of Tc-nanocolloid (10-175 MBq), followed by lymphoscintigraphy. According to institutional protocols, all patients underwent preoperative dynamic/static scan and/or SPECT/CT., Results: Lymphoscintigraphy identified 723 lymphatic basins. 1398 sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) were biopsied (3.2 SN per patient; range, 1-10). Dynamic scan allowed the differentiation of sentinel nodes from second tier lymph nodes. SPECT/CT allowed more accurate anatomical localization and estimated SN depth more efficiently. After pathological examination, 9.9% of the SN excised (138 of 1398 SNs) showed metastases. The first neck level (NL) containing SN+ was NL I in 28.6%, NL IIa in 44.8%, NL IIb in 2.8%, NL III in 17.1%, and NL IV in 6.7% of positive patients. Approximately 96% of positive SNs were localized in the first and second lymphatic basin visualized using lymphoscintigraphy. After neck dissection, the SN+ was the only lymph node containing metastasis in approximately 80% of patients., Conclusions: Best results were observed using a dynamic scan in combination with SPECT/CT. A shorter interval between tracer injection, imaging, and surgery resulted in a lower false-negative rate. At least 2 NLs have to be harvested, as this may increase the detection of lymphatic metastases.

Objective: Early diagnosis of gastric cancer may be achieved through surveillance of patients with extensive gastric intestinal metaplasia (eGIM). However, diagnosis of eGIM generally implies histology. We aimed at determining the accuracy of high-resolution endoscopy with light-narrow band imaging (NBI) to assess the presence of eGIM on a per-patient basis., Material and Methods: Prospective cohort of 60 patients divided into two groups: derivation cohort (n = 25) to evaluate the reliability and validity, and a real-time validation group (n = 35). In the derivation group, six endoscopists with two levels of expertise were asked to estimate the grade of GIM based in endoscopic images (white light endoscopy, light-NBI and amplification/near focus). In the real-time validation set, experienced endoscopists were asked to similarly record their real-time optical diagnosis. Histology was then considered as the gold standard., Results: In the derivation group diagnosis accuracy was 60% with WLE (non-expert 59% vs. 61% experts), increasing to 73% after NBI magnification (non-expert 63% vs. 83% expert, p < 0.05). Moreover, proportion of agreement with histology was 83%, with a correct diagnosis of eGIM in 87% for experienced observers. In the real-time group experts obtained 89% global diagnostic accuracy correctly identifying 91% of the eGIM. The sensitivity, specificity, LR + and LR- of real-time endoscopic diagnosis of eGIM was 0.92 (CI95%:0.67-0.99), 0.96 (0.79-0.99), 21.1 (3.08-144) and 0.09 (0.013-0.57)., Conclusion: For the first time the reliability of high-resolution endoscopy with light-NBI for extension of GIM is described. Our results suggest that more than 90% of individuals at risk could be identified without the need for biopsies, simplifying the current recommendations.

Purpose: Optimum management of the N0 neck is unresolved in oral cancer. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) can reliably detect microscopic lymph node metastasis. The object of this study was to establish whether the technique was both reliable in staging the N0 neck and a safe oncological procedure in patients with early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma., Methods: An European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-approved prospective, observational study commenced in 2005. Fourteen European centres recruited 415 patients with radiologically staged T1-T2N0 squamous cell carcinoma. SNB was undertaken with an average of 3.2 nodes removed per patient. Patients were excluded if the sentinel node (SN) could not be identified. A positive SN led to a neck dissection within 3 weeks. Analysis was performed at 3-year follow-up., Results: An SN was found in 99.5% of cases. Positive SNs were found in 23% (94 in 415). A false-negative result occurred in 14% (15 in 109) of patients, of whom eight were subsequently rescued by salvage therapy. Recurrence after a positive SNB and subsequent neck dissection occurred in 22 patients, of which 16 (73%) were in the neck and just six patients were rescued. Only minor complications (3%) were reported following SNB. Disease-specific survival was 94%. The sensitivity of SNB was 86% and the negative predictive value 95%., Conclusion: These data show that SNB is a reliable and safe oncological technique for staging the clinically N0 neck in patients with T1 and T2 oral cancer. EORTC Protocol 24021: Sentinel Node Biopsy in the Management of Oral and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The assessment of microbial processes is often done in Microbioreactor systems (MBRs), which allow for parallel cultivation in multiple independent wells. MBRs often include dissolved oxygen sensors, which are convenient for process characterization through oxygen uptake rate and other respirometric determinations. In order to assess respirometric potential of MBRs, a complete assessment of the DO fluorescent quenching sensors was done, showing that they presented a typical error of 0.56%, a signal to noise ratio of 189, a response time from 5.7 to 7.2 s and no drift over a period of 24 h. Then, KLa in the MBR was measured with different cassette and cap designs, liquid volumes, agitation rates, gas flow rates, temperatures and ionic strengths. KLa ranged from 8 to 90 h(-1), with a standard deviation between replicates from 2.8 to 17.5%. From these results and a numerical simulation, it was shown that the MBR tested allow the determination of oxygen uptake rates in a range from 0.038 to 3390 mg L(-1) h(-1), with a determination error less than 15%. Besides OUR determination, it was concluded that the MBR tested is also a convenient tool for dynamic pulse respirometry methods, based on experimental confirmation with four different cultures., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The New York • New Jersey Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (NY•NJ PERLC) is one of 14 Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designed to address the preparedness and response training and education needs of the public health workforce. One of the important niches, or focus areas for the Center, is training to improve the capacity of public health workers to respond with competence to the needs of vulnerable populations., Background: During every phase of a disaster, racial and ethnic minorities, including Latinos, suffer worse outcomes than the general population. Communities with diverse cultural origins and limited English speakers often present more complex issues during public health emergencies. Training that incorporates cultural concepts into the Preparedness Core Competencies may improve the ability of public health workers to engage the Latino community in preparedness activities and ultimately improve outcomes during disasters., Methods: This article describes initiatives undertaken by the NY•NJ PERLC to improve the capacity of the public health workforce to respond competently to the needs of Latino populations. In 2012, the Center collaborated with national, state, and local partners to develop a nationwide broadcast founded on the Preparedness Core Competencies, Latinos During Emergencies: Cultural Considerations Impacting Disaster Preparedness. The widely viewed broadcast (497 sites in 47 states and 13 nations) highlighted the commonalities and differences within Latino culture that can impact emergency preparedness and response and outlined practical strategies to enhance participation., Outcomes: The success of the broadcast spurred a number of partner requests for training and technical assistance. Lessons learned from these experiences, including our "undercover" work at local Points of Dispensing, are incorporated into subsequent interactive trainings to improve the competency of public health workers., Next Steps: Participants recommended developing similar training addressing cultural differences, especially for other ethnic groups.

Little is known about the relationship between objectively measured walkability and walking for exercise among adults with diabetes. Information regarding walking behavior of adults with diabetes residing in 3 Upstate New York counties was collected through an interview survey. Walkability measures were collected through an environmental audit of a sample of street segments. Overall walkability and 4 subgroup measures of walkability were aggregated at the ZIP level. Multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis. Study participants (n = 208) were 61.0% female, 56.7% non-Hispanic White, and 35.1% African-American, with a mean age of 62.0 years. 108 participants (51.9%) walked for exercise on community streets, and 62 (29.8%) met the expert-recommended level of walking for ≥150 minutes/week. After adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, BMI, physical impairment, and social support for exercise, walking any minutes/week was associated with traffic safety (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.15-1.65). Walking ≥150 minutes/week was associated with overall walkability of the community (2.65, 1.22, and 5.74), as well as sidewalks (1.73, 1.12-2.67), street amenity (2.04, 1.12-3.71), and traffic safety (1.92, 1.02-3.72). This study suggests that walkability of the community should be an integral part of the socioecologic approach to increase physical activity among adults with diabetes.

Hematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients are at increased risk of developing invasive fungal infections. This is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We report a case of a 17-year-old male patient diagnosed with severe idiopathic acquired aplastic anemia who developed fungal pneumonitis due to Rhizomucor sp. and rhinoencephalitis due to Scedosporium apiospermum 6 and 8 months after undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant from an HLA-matched unrelated donor. Discussion highlights risk factors for invasive fungal infections (i.e., mucormycosis and scedosporiosis), its clinical features, and the factors that must be taken into account to successfully treat them (early diagnosis, correction of predisposing factors, aggressive surgical debridement, and antifungal and adjunctive therapies).

The ability of adults with diabetes to manage their illness properly and prevent complications is, in part, a function of support provided by the people and institutions surrounding them. Using data from over 200 adults with diabetes in two medically underserved communities--one urban and one rural--this study examines the self-care specific support provided by four key sources: family and friends, community organizations, one's neighbors and neighborhood, and resources in the wider community. More specifically, this study aims to assess the support needs of adults with diabetes in these communities by estimating their rates of various self-care behaviors, the amount of support provided by key sources, and the associations between support from these sources and adherence to recommended diabetes self-care behaviors. Descriptive findings indicate that close to 40% of the sample failed to report at least moderate levels of adherence, and that physical activity in the rural community, and smoking in the urban community represent particular problem areas. Individuals from the urban sub-sample reported receiving more support from all of the sources assessed. Logistic regression models indicated that one's neighbors and neighborhood resources appear to have a broad influence on adherence to diabetes self-care behaviors. Support from family and friends, as well as from community organizations, also seems to be important. These results have implications for the design of interventions aimed at bolstering support for diabetes self-care, and point to the need for an enhanced focus on strengthening the social environmental resources of adults with diabetes.