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Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, medical staff and academic department workers reported increasing levels of stress and burnout because of strain on the health care system. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this strain and introduced several novel stressors, which included transitioning to remote work. Safe and scalable strategies are needed to help health care workers cope with these stressors. Aromatherapy may help address this need. Objectives: To assess the effect of 2 aromatherapy interventions (essential oil blends termed STILL and FOCUS) on perceived mental/psychological health parameters for academic department workers working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were advised to use STILL for 5 days (Monday through Friday). After a 2-day washout period (Saturday and Sunday), participants were instructed to use FOCUS for 5 days (Monday through Friday). Participants completed a visual analog scale survey evaluating restlessness, fatigue, anxiety, stress, happiness, energy, relaxation, calmness, and well-being before and after each of the 2 intervention periods. Results: Twenty academic department remote workers participated in the study. Mental/psychological health surveys were completed by 6 participants before and after using STILL and by 10 before and after using FOCUS. Five participants answered all survey questions before and after both interventions. Although mean (SD) perceived stress scores improved after both the STILL (4.3 [2.3] vs 1.8 [1.7], P =.03) and FOCUS (2.9 [2.3] vs 1.5 [1.4], P =.02) interventions, this improvement was not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (adjusted α =.006). Most participants (73.3%) reported that participating in the study was worthwhile, and 81.3% indicated that they would recommend aromatherapy to others. Conclusions: The STILL and FOCUS aromatherapy interventions did not significantly improve mental/psychological health parameters for remote academic department workers, although perceived stress was marginally improved and participants reported a perceived benefit from using aromatherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory studies of atmospheric chemistry characterize the nature of atmospherically relevant processes down to the molecular level, providing fundamental information used to assess how human activities drive environmental phenomena such as climate change, urban air pollution, ecosystem health, indoor air quality, and stratospheric ozone depletion. Laboratory studies have a central role in addressing the incomplete fundamental knowledge of atmospheric chemistry. This article highlights the evolving science needs for this community and emphasizes how our knowledge is far from complete, hindering our ability to predict the future state of our atmosphere and to respond to emerging global environmental change issues. Laboratory studies provide rich opportunities to expand our understanding of the atmosphere via collaborative research with the modeling and field measurement communities, and with neighboring disciplines.

PURPOSE: The multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 2 NCI-9944 study (NCT02595892) demonstrated that addition of ATR inhibitor (ATRi) berzosertib to gemcitabine increased progression-free survival (PFS) compared to gemcitabine alone (hazard ratio [HR]=0.57, one-sided log-rank P =.044, which met the one-sided significance level of 0.1 used for sample size calculation). METHODS: We report here the final overall survival (OS) analysis and biomarker correlations (ATM expression by immunohistochemistry, mutational signature 3 and a genomic biomarker of replication stress) along with post-hoc exploratory analyses to adjust for crossover from gemcitabine to gemcitabine/berzosertib. RESULTS: At the data cutoff of January 27, 2023 (>30 months of additional follow-up from the primary analysis), median OS was 59.4 weeks with gemcitabine/berzosertib versus 43.0 weeks with gemcitabine alone (HR 0.79, 90% CI 0.52 to 1.2, one-sided log-rank P =.18). An OS benefit with addition of berzosertib to gemcitabine was suggested in patients stratified into the platinum-free interval ≤3 months (N = 26) subgroup (HR, 0.48, 90% CI 0.22 to 1.01, one-sided log-rank P =.04) and in patients with ATM-negative/low (N = 24) tumors (HR, 0.50, 90% CI 0.23 to 1.08, one-sided log-rank P =.06). CONCLUSION: The results of this follow-up analysis continue to support the promise of combined gemcitabine/ATRi therapy in platinum resistant ovarian cancer, an active area of investigation with several ongoing clinical trials. Final OS and biomarker analysis support the promise of gemcitabine with ATR inhibitor therapy in platinum resistant ovarian cancer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper reports the efficacy of the poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib alone and in combination with the antiangiogenesis agent cediranib compared with cediranib alone in patients with advanced endometrial cancer. Methods: This was open‐label, randomized, phase 2 trial (NCT03660826). Eligible patients had recurrent endometrial cancer, received at least one (<3) prior lines of chemotherapy, and were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1), stratified by histology (serous vs. other) to receive cediranib alone (reference arm), olaparib, or olaparib and cediranib for 28‐day cycles until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was progression‐free survival in the intention‐to‐treat population. Homologous repair deficiency was explored using the BROCA‐GO sequencing panel. Results: A total of 120 patients were enrolled and all were included in the intention‐to‐treat analysis. Median age was 66 (range, 41–86) years and 47 (39.2%) had serous histology. Median progression‐free survival for cediranib was 3.8 months compared with 2.0 months for olaparib (hazard ratio, 1.45 [95% CI, 0.91‐2.3] p =.935) and 5.5 months for olaparib/cediranib (hazard ratio, 0.7 [95% CI, 0.43–1.14] p =.064). Four patients receiving the combination had a durable response lasting more than 20 months. The most common grade 3/4 toxicities were hypertension in the cediranib (36%) and olaparib/cediranib (33%) arms, fatigue (20.5% olaparib/cediranib), and diarrhea (17.9% cediranib). The BROCA‐GO panel results were not associated with response. Conclusion: The combination of cediranib and olaparib demonstrated modest clinical efficacy; however, the primary end point of the study was not met. The combination was safe without unexpected toxicity. Randomized study of cediranib compared with olaparib and the combination for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer demonstrated progression‐free survival of 3.8, 2.0, and 5.5 months respectively. The treatment toxicities were manageable but the study did not meet its primary end point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs) from the atmospheric oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds are important contributors to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Organic peroxy radicals (RO 2) and hydroperoxy radicals (HO 2) are key species influencing the HOM product distribution. In laboratory studies, experimental requirements often result in overemphasis on RO 2 cross-reactions compared to reactions of RO 2 with HO 2. We analyzed the photochemical formation of HOMs from α -pinene and their potential to contribute to SOA formation under high (≈1 /1) and low (≈1 /100) HO2/RO2 conditions. As HO2/RO2 > 1 is prevalent in the daytime atmosphere, sufficiently high HO2/RO2 is crucial to mimic atmospheric conditions and to prevent biases by low HO2/RO2 on the HOM product distribution and thus SOA yield. Experiments were performed under steady-state conditions in the new, continuously stirred tank reactor SAPHIR-STAR at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The HO2/RO2 ratio was increased by adding CO while keeping the OH concentration constant. We determined the HOM's SOA formation potential, considering its fraction remaining in the gas phase after seeding with (NH 4)2 SO 4 aerosol. An increase in HO2/RO2 led to a reduction in SOA formation potential, with the main driver being a ∼ 60 % reduction in HOM-accretion products. We also observed a shift in HOM-monomer functionalization from carbonyl to hydroperoxide groups. We determined a reduction of the HOM's SOA formation potential by ∼ 30 % at HO2/RO2 ≈1 /1 compared to HO2/RO2 ≈ 1/100. Particle-phase observations measured a similar decrease in SOA mass and yield. Our study shows that too low HO2/RO2 ratios compared to the atmosphere can lead to an overestimation of SOA yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mental health problems among children and adolescents are increasingly observed during the outbreak of COVID-19, leading to significant healthcare concerns. Survey studies provide unique opportunities for research during this pandemic, while there are no existing systematic reviews in this setting. The objective was to summarize existing survey studies addressing the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. Methods: For this systematic review, we performed an electronic search in multiple databases from December 2019 to December 2020. The quality appraisal of the included studies was performed with the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. Because of the high methodological heterogeneity between studies, a narrative synthesis of the qualitative data was used. Results: In total, 35 survey studies with 65,508 participants, ranging from 4 to 19 years of age, are included in this review. Anxiety (28%), depression (23%), loneliness (5%), stress (5%), fear (5%), tension (3%), anger (3%), fatigue (3%), confusion (3%), and worry (3%) were the most common mental health issues reported. Children and adolescents with psychiatric and/or developmental disorders, such as severe obesity, chronic lung disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cystic fibrosis, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, were especially vulnerable to the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Age, gender, psychological quality, and negative coping strategies were identified as risk factors for the development of mental health problems. Social and family support, along with a positive coping style, was associated with better outcomes. Conclusion: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of children and adolescents is multifaceted and substantial. Survey studies regarding child and adolescent mental health amid COVID-19 indicated that anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, and tension are the most observed symptoms. Positive coping strategies with family and social support may be important to achieving better outcomes. Due to limited available evidence, more well-designed studies in this area are urgently needed.

Vertical profiles of atmospheric pollutants, acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, known as drones), represent a new type of observation that can help to fill the existing observation gap in the planetary boundary layer. In this article, the first study of assimilating air pollutant observations from drones is presented to evaluate the impact on local air quality analysis. The study uses the high-resolution air quality model EURAD-IM (EURopean Air pollution Dispersion – Inverse Model), including the four-dimensional variational data assimilation system (4D-var), to perform the assimilation of ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxide (NO) vertical profiles. 4D-var takes advantage of the inverse technique and allows for simultaneous adjustments of initial values and emissions rates. The drone data was collected during the MesSBAR (Automatisierte luftgestützte Mes sung der S chadstoff B elastung in der erdnahen A tmosphäre in urbanen R äumen / Automated airborne measurement of air pollution levels in the near earth atmosphere in urban areas) field campaign, which was conducted on 22–23 September 2021 in Wesseling, Germany. The two-day analyses reveal that the 4D-var assimilation of high-resolution drone measurements has a beneficial impact on the representation of regional air quality in the model. On both days, a significant improvement in the vertical distribution of O3 and NO is noticed in the analysis compared to the reference simulation without data assimilation. Moreover, the validation against independent observations shows an overall improvement in the bias, root-mean-square error, and correlation for O3, NO, and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) ground concentrations at the measurement site as well as in the surrounding region. Furthermore, the assimilation allows for the deduction of emission correction factors in the grid cells surrounding the measurement site, which significantly contribute to the observed improvement in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of peroxynitrates (RO2NO2) from the reaction of peroxy radicals (RO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and their subsequent redissociation are typically not included in chemical mechanisms. This is often done to save computational time as the assumption is that the equilibrium is strongly towards the RO2 + NO2 reaction for most conditions. Exceptions are the reactions of the methyl peroxy radical due to its abundance in the atmosphere and of acyl-RO2 radicals due to the long lifetime of peroxyacyl nitrates RO2NO2 (PANs). In this study, the nighttime oxidation of cis-2-butene and trans-2-hexene in the presence of NO2 is investigated in the atmospheric simulation chamber SAPHIR, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, at atmospherically-relevant conditions at different temperatures (≈276 K, ≈293 K, ≈305 K). Measured concentrations of peroxy and hydroperoxy radicals as well as other trace gases (ozone, NO2, volatile organic compounds) are compared to state-of-the-art zero-dimensional box model calculations. Good model-measurement agreement can only be achieved when reversible RO2 + NO2 reactions are included for all RO2 species using literature values available from the latest SAR by [Jenkin et al., Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2019, 19, 7691]. The good agreement observed gives confidence that the SAR, derived originally for aliphatic RO2, can be applied to a large range of substituted RO2 radicals, simplifying generalised implementation in chemical models. RO2NO2 concentrations from non-acyl RO2 radicals of up to 2 × 10 cm−3 are predicted at 276 K, impacting effectively the kinetics of RO2 radicals. Under these conditions, peroxy radicals are slowly regenerated downwind of the pollution source and may be lost in the atmosphere through deposition of RO2NO2. Based on this study, 60% of RO2 radicals would be stored as RO2NO2 at a temperature of 10 °C and in the presence of a few ppbv of NO2. The fraction increases further at colder temperatures and/or higher NO2 mixing ratios. This does not only affect the expected concentrations of RO2 radicals but, as the peroxynitrates can react with OH radicals or photolyse, they could comprise a net sink for RO2 radicals as well as increase the production of NOx (= NO + NO2) in different locations depending on their lifetime. Omitting this chemistry from the kinetic model can lead to misinterpreted product formation and may prevent reconciling observations and model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal calyceal rupture (RCR) is a rare phenomenon most commonly caused by increased renal pelvic pressure from ureteral obstruction. This can occur in the setting of acute obstruction such as with kidney stones and is not commonly seen as a consequence of malignancy due to the chronic nature of obstruction. In this case, we describe a patient with newly diagnosed cervical cancer presenting with thigh pain who was found to have a urinoma from RCR caused by malignant obstruction. We discuss the workup of a pelvic mass presenting as flank pain, as well as the role of history and physical exam when reviewing imaging. We also review the management of RCR in the setting of malignant obstruction. Lastly we highlight the alterations to cervical cancer treatment due to the presence of the infected urinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]