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We present the GAMA Panchromatic Data Release (PDR) constituting over 230deg$^2$ of imaging with photometry in 21 bands extending from the far-UV to the far-IR. These data complement our spectroscopic campaign of over 300k galaxies, and are compiled from observations with a variety of facilities including: GALEX, SDSS, VISTA, WISE, and Herschel, with the GAMA regions currently being surveyed by VST and scheduled for observations by ASKAP. These data are processed to a common astrometric solution, from which photometry is derived for 221,373 galaxies with r, 31 pages and 30 figures. Accepted in MNRAS. High-resolution copy available from our release site: http://gama-psi.icrar.org/ or directly via http://www.simondriver.org/mwavev05.pdf

We report on a search for new low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data within the GAMA equatorial fields. The search method consisted of masking objects detected with SDSS photo, combining gri images weighted to maximise the expected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and smoothing the images. The processed images were then run through a detection algorithm that finds all pixels above a set threshold and groups them based on their proximity to one another. The list of detections was cleaned of contaminants such as diffraction spikes and the faint wings of masked objects. From these, selecting potentially the brightest in terms of total flux, a list of 343 LSBGs was produced having been confirmed using VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy Survey (VIKING) imaging. The photometry of this sample was refined using the deeper VIKING Z band as the aperture-defining band. Measuring their $g-i$ and $J-K$ colours shows that most are consistent with being at redshifts less than 0.2. The photometry is carried out using an AUTO aperture for each detection giving surface brightnesses of $��_{r} \ge 25 \, \mathrm{mag} \, \mathrm{arcsec}^{-2}$ and magnitudes of $r > 19.8$ mag. None of these galaxies are bright enough to be within the GAMA main survey limit but could be part of future deeper surveys to measure the low-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function., 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted by MNRAS

OBJECT A chordoma is an indolent primary spinal tumor that has devastating effects on the patient's life. These lesions are chemoresistant, resistant to conventional radiotherapy, and moderately sensitive to proton therapy; however, en bloc resection remains the preferred treatment for optimizing patient outcomes. While multiple small and largely retrospective studies have investigated the outcomes following en bloc resection of chordomas in the sacrum, there have been few large-scale studies on patients with chordomas of the mobile spine. The goal of this study was to review the outcomes of surgically treated patients with mobile spine chordomas at multiple international centers with respect to local recurrence and survival. This multiinstitutional retrospective study collected data between 1988 and 2012 about prognosis-predicting factors, including various clinical characteristics and surgical techniques for mobile spine chordoma. Tumors were classified according to the Enneking principles and analyzed in 2 treatment cohorts: Enneking-appropriate (EA) and Enneking-inappropriate (EI) cohorts. Patients were categorized as EA when the final pathological assessment of the margin matched the Enneking recommendation; otherwise, they were categorized as EI. METHODS Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data (Student t-test, chi-square, and Fisher exact tests). Recurrence and survival data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, log-rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard modeling. RESULTS A total of 166 patients (55 female and 111 male patients) with mobile spine chordoma were included. The median patient follow-up was 2.6 years (range 1 day to 22.5 years). Fifty-eight (41%) patients were EA and 84 (59%) patients were EI. The type of biopsy (p < 0.001), spinal location (p = 0.018), and if the patient received adjuvant therapy (p < 0.001) were significantly different between the 2 cohorts. Overall, 58 (35%) patients developed local recurrence and 57 (34%) patients died. Median survival was 7.0 years postoperative: 8.4 years postoperative for EA patients and 6.4 years postoperative for EI patients (p = 0.023). The multivariate analysis showed that the EI cohort was significantly associated with an increased risk of local recurrence in comparison with the EA cohort (HR 7.02; 95% CI 2.96–16.6; p < 0.001), although no significant difference in survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS EA resection plays a major role in decreasing the risk for local recurrence in patients with chordoma of the mobile spine.

Study Type Retrospective cohort. Introduction The treatment of rare neoplastic conditions is challenging, especially because studies providing high levels of evidence are often lacking. Such is the case with primary tumors of the spine (PTS), which have a low incidence, are pathologically heterogeneous, and have diverse treatment approaches. 1 Despite these difficulties, appropriate evidence-based care of these complex patients is imperative. Failure to follow validated oncologic principles may lead to unnecessary mortality and profound morbidity. Objective With the aim of offering patients the most appropriate treatment based on the best available evidence, a novel scientific model was developed and employed. This article outlines this model, which has not only provided significant evidence guiding treatment of this rare condition, but we believe is readily transferrable to other similarly rare conditions. Methods A four-stage approach was employed. (1) Planning: Data from large volume centers were reviewed together with results from a feasibility questionnaire to provide insight into epidemiology, patient volumes, tumor pathology, treatment modalities, and outcomes. (2) Recruitment: Centers with sufficient volume and valid data were enrolled and provided with the necessary infrastructure. This included study coordinators and a secure, Web-based database (REDCap, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States) to capture international data from six modules comprising: demographic, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, local recurrence, perioperative morbidity fields, and a cross-sectional survey to update survival information. The AOSpine Knowledge Forum Tumor designed these modules and provided funding. Each center received institutional ethics approval. (3) Retrospective stage: Prospectively collected data from all recruited centers were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. (4) Prospective stage: Following interim analysis, prospective data collection has been implemented. In addition, a PTS bio-bank network has been created to link clinical data with tumor pathology and molecular analysis. Results It took 18 months to implement stages 1 to 3 of this model and stage 4 is ongoing. A total of 1,495 tumor cases were captured and diagnosed as one of the 18 primary spine tumor subtypes listed ( Fig. 1 ). The most prevalent diagnosis was chordoma (n = 344, 23%). There were 674 females and 821 males with a mean age of 43 ± 19 years at the time of surgery. Surgical treatment was performed between 1981 and 2012. The survival at 5 and 10 years postsurgery was 71.9 and 53.3%, respectively, with a median survival of 13 years postsurgery ( Fig. 2 ). Conclusions To date, this is the largest international collection of PTS. This novel scientific model has not only aggregated a large amount of PTS data, but has also established an international collaborative network of spine oncology centers. The access to large volumes of clinical and bio-bank data will generate further research to guide and enhance the clinical management of PTS. This novel scientific model could be of similar tremendous value if applied to other rare neoplastic conditions.

Background Chordomas are rare, locally aggressive bony tumors associated with poor outcomes. Recently, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2305089 in the T (brachyury) gene was strongly associated with sporadic chordoma development, but its clinical utility is undetermined. Methods In 333 patients with spinal chordomas, we identified prognostic factors for local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival and assessed the prognostic significance of the rs2305089 SNP. Results The median LRFS was 5.2 years from the time of surgery (95% CI: 3.8-6.0); greater tumor volume (≥100cm3) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.26-3.15, P = .003) and Enneking inappropriate resections (HR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.37-4.03, P = .002) were independent predictors of LRFS. The median overall survival was 7.0 years (95% CI: 5.8-8.4), and was associated with older age at surgery (HR = 1.11 per 5-year increase, 95% CI: 1.02-1.21, P = .012) and previous surgical resection (HR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.03-2.89, P = .038). One hundred two of 109 patients (93.6%) with available pathologic specimens harbored the A variant at rs2305089; these patients had significantly improved survival compared with those lacking the variant (P = .001), but there was no association between SNP status and LRFS (P = .876). Conclusions The ability to achieve a wide en bloc resection at the time of the primary surgery is a critical preoperative consideration, as subtotal resections likely complicate later management. This is the first time the rs2305089 SNP has been implicated in the prognosis of individuals with chordoma, suggesting that screening all patients may be instructive for risk stratification.

Despite promising advances in basic spinal cord repair research, no effective therapy resulting in major neurological or functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is available to date. The neurological examination according to the International Standards for Neurological and Functional Classification of Spinal Cord Injury Patients (International Standards) has become the cornerstone in the assessment of the severity and level of the injury. Based on parameters from the International Standards, physicians are able to inform patients about the predicted long-term outcomes, including the ability to walk, with high accuracy. In those patients who cannot participate in a reliable physical neurological examination, magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological examinations may provide useful diagnostic and prognostic information. As clinical research on this topic continues, the prognostic value of the reviewed diagnostic assessments will become more accurate in the near future. These advances will provide useful information for physicians to counsel tSCI patients and their families during the catastrophic initial phase after the injury.

Introduction Spinal hemangiomas are the most common tumor of the spine, being identified in 2 to 27% of patients at autopsy and on radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging studies. The majority of spinal hemangiomas are identified incidentally with only 1% presenting with symptoms, including pain, pathologic fracture, or neurologic compromise. Because of the rarity of symptomatic presentation, optimal surgical treatment of, and risk factors for local recurrence and mortality associated with, symptomatic spinal hemangiomas remain unclear. This multicenter cohort study aims to quantify rates of local recurrence and mortality following surgical treatment of symptomatic spinal hemangiomas and to identify prognostic variables for local disease control and death. Patient and Methods: AOSpine knowledge forum tumor investigators created an ambispective database of surgically treated patients with symptomatic spinal hemangiomas. Patient data pertaining to demographics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, cross-sectional survival, local recurrence, and perioperative morbidity were collected. Tumors were classified according to Enneking and Weinstein–Boriani–Biagini. Descriptive statistics were summarized and Kaplan–Meier curves illustrated mortality and recurrence. Fisher exact and log-rank tests identified prognostic variables for recurrence and mortality. Results Between 1996 and 2012, 68 patients (mean age = 51 years, SD = 16), 43 females and 25 males, underwent surgical treatment for a spinal hemangioma with 23% ( n = 13) classified as benign aggressive. Epidural tumor extension was present in 55% of patients ( n = 33). Pain was a presenting symptom in 82% ( n = 54), 31% ( n = 20) had a pathologic fracture, and 37% ( n = 24) were neurologically compromised. Overall, 23 patients (35%) underwent preoperative embolization. Enneking appropriate surgery was performed in 79% of patients ( n = 44). Adjuvant radiotherapy was employed in 10% of patients ( n = 7). The local recurrence rate was 3% ( n = 2) with no recurrences in patients undergoing marginal or wide resection. Mortality because of the spinal hemangioma was not observed during the study period (mean follow-up = 3.9 years, SD = 3.8). Prior subtotal intralesional resection was performed in one of the two patients who had a local recurrence. Conclusion This is the largest multicenter surgical cohort of spinal hemangiomas. Although symptomatic spinal hemangiomas frequently present with epidural disease and neurologic compromise, they remain a benign tumor. Thus, formal en bloc resection, with an associated risk and increased morbidity, is not required, and excellent rates of local control and long-term survival can be obtained when strict oncologic treatment principles are followed during the index surgery.

The overall hypersensitivity reaction rate among 14,249 U.S. Marine Corps personnel who received 36,850 doses of an investigational Japanese encephalitis vaccine was 10.3 per 10,000 doses; reaction rates were 16.1 and 10.3 per 10,000 doses for the first two doses, and 2.0 per 10,000 doses for the third. The reaction rate was 26.7 per 10,000 vaccinees. Of 38 reactors, 26 had urticaria and/or angioedema, and 11 had pruritus. Vaccine reaction intervals clustered within 48 hours for dose 1, but the median reaction interval for dose 2 was 96 hours. A history of urticaria or allergic rhinitis was associated with an increased probability of a vaccine reaction.

Reading is a process in which the reader brings meaning to the printed page in order to reorganize the structure of his thinking to increase comprehension. Preston (1964) presented comprehension items (but not the reading passages) of the Cooperative English Test to college freshmen and 77 per cent of the subjects achieved scores better than chance. Imus, Rothney, and Bear (1938) reported that Opthalm-O-Graph reading comprehension scores of college students were almost as high when the comprehension test on a given passage was taken before the passage was read as after it was read. J. Harlan Shores (1968) writes: Most important of all to both reading comprehension and speed are those factors that relate the reader to the material he is reading — the background of experience he has for this material, his purpose for reading it, his interest in the field and especially in the part of it about which he is reading, his mental set with respect to this job and to this material, his familiarity with the peculiarities of style and phraseology of this author and his field, whether these new concepts are compatible with or contrary to those he already holds. Smith (1959) described how students respond to multiplechoice items. As presently prepared, one choice is usually too broad, one is too narrow, one is irrelevant and one is correct.