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The drivers of immune evasion are not entirely clear, limiting the success of cancer immunotherapies. Here we applied single-cell spatial and perturbational transcriptomics to delineate immune evasion in high-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer. To this end, we first mapped the spatial organization of high-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer by profiling more than 2.5 million cells in situ in 130 tumors from 94 patients. This revealed a malignant cell state that reflects tumor genetics and is predictive of T cell and natural killer cell infiltration levels and response to immune checkpoint blockade. We then performed Perturb-seq screens and identified genetic perturbations-including knockout of PTPN1 and ACTR8-that trigger this malignant cell state. Finally, we show that these perturbations, as well as a PTPN1/PTPN2 inhibitor, sensitize ovarian cancer cells to T cell and natural killer cell cytotoxicity, as predicted. This study thus identifies ways to study and target immune evasion by linking genetic variation, cell-state regulators and spatial biology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We report a rare case of vocal cord injury from an electrical burn, managed successfully with conservative, non-invasive treatment. This unique case illustrates potential complications of electrical trauma and underscores the need for vigilance and consideration of conservative management approaches., Competing Interests: The authors do not have any conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Introduction: Increasing age is known to be associated with increased risk for postoperative morbidity and mortality, however, the goal of this study was to determine if an increase in age correlates to differences in surgical outcomes for elective ventral hernia repair., Methods: Retrospective cohort study using American College of Surgeons NSQIP database from 2016 to 2020. Included diagnosis codes were laparoscopic or open incisional or ventral hernia repairs, categorized into three age groups: 18-64y, 65-74y, and ≥75y. Thirty-day perioperative outcomes analyzed using bivariate χ 2 test and multivariate logistic regression., Results: We identified 116,643 people who had elective ventral or incisional hernia repair. Compared to 18-64y and 65-74y age groups, patients ≥75y were significantly more likely to develop any post-operative complication, be re-admitted post-operatively for any reason, have an extended hospital stay, and require a reoperation., Conclusions: Patients ≥75y have significantly higher rates of perioperative complications after elective hernia repair compared to younger patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a clinical syndrome that affects more than 200,000 people in the United States annually. It is a common cause of chronic insidious low back pain, especially in older patient populations (mean age = 64 years). Lumbar spinal stenosis is a degenerative condition of the spine leading to narrowing in the spaces around the neurovascular bundles and the classic symptom of low back pain that radiates to the buttocks and lower extremities bilaterally. It is typically a progressive waxing and waning process that may deteriorate over years. The pain is typically burning or cramping, which worsens with standing and walking and improves with bending forward or sitting. Magnetic resonance imaging is the recommended diagnostic test because it allows cross-sectional measurement of the spinal canal. Options for nonsurgical management include physical therapy, exercise programs, spinal injections with and without corticosteroids, chiropractic treatment, osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, and lifestyle modifications; however, few of these treatments have high-quality randomized trials demonstrating effectiveness. Surgery may be considered if nonsurgical management is ineffective.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant cause of oncologic mortality worldwide. Liver transplantation represents a curative option for patients with significant liver dysfunction and absence of metastases. However, this therapeutic option is associated with significant blood loss and frequently requires various transfusions and intraoperative blood salvage for autotransfusion (IBS-AT) with or without a leukocyte reduction filter. This study aimed to analyze available evidence on long-term oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing liver transplantation for HCC with and without IBS-AT., Methods: Per PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of keywords "Blood Salvage," "Auto-transfusion," "Hepatocellular carcinoma," and "Liver-transplant" was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS. Studies comparing operative and postoperative outcomes were screened and analyzed for review., Results: Twelve studies totaling 1704 participants were included for analysis. Length of stay, recurrence rates, and overall survival were not different between IBS-AT group and non IBS-AT group., Conclusion: IBS-AT use is not associated with increased risk of recurrence in liver transplant for HCC even without leukocyte filtration. Both operative and postoperative outcomes are similar between groups. Comparison of analyzed studies suggest that IBS-AT is safe for use during liver transplant for HCC., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of the tear meniscus osmolarity measurement for dry eye disease (DED) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using a portable osmometer based on electrical impedance and an integrated circuit technology (TearLab ® (Escondido, CA, USA))., Methods: We included 101 RA patients, 81 patients with DED and 20 without DED (controls). We measured tear osmolarity and assessed other clinical diagnostic tests as suggested by the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard diagnostic criteria for DED using Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Five-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5), fluorescein tear break-up time (F-TUBT), ocular surface staining (SICCA score), and other clinical parameters to classify DED subtypes. We analyzed the agreement between osmolarity and the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard for DED diagnosis. We conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses using the DED variable and its subtypes as dependent variables and the continuous variable for osmolarity or the inter-eye difference in osmolarity as independent variable. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for all potential cut-off points were obtained and reported from ROC curves., Results: We found that tear meniscus osmolarity had a low diagnostic capacity for DED (AUC = 0.57). Tear meniscus osmolarity measurement had a sensitivity of 35% and a specificity of 80% with a kappa level of agreement of 0.08 compared to the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard. The low diagnostic capacity of the tear meniscus osmolarity was similar for aqueous-deficient DED and for evaporative DED, being only fair for severe DED with a 57% sensitivity and 80% specificity and a kappa level of agreement of 0.36., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that in patients with RA, tear meniscus osmolarity measured by the TearLab ® showed low sensitivity, low specificity, and limited agreement with the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard for DED diagnosis.

Cenotes are spectacular karst formations in Yucatan, Mexico, often used for recreation. However, their impact on water quality has yet to be explored in detail. Therefore, during Easter, water samples were collected from four cenotes to identify variations in water quality associated with the presence of tourists. PCO of water quality, before (PH) and during Holy Week (HW) in 2019, explained 49.02% of the total variation. The indicators contributing to the first principal coordinate's variation were Sr, K, sulfate, and chloride (0.89). Whereas, alkalinity, temperature, conductivity, nitrate, and ORP contributed to the second PC. PERMANOVA indicated a significant interaction between "cenote" and "condition" factors, and post hoc paired comparisons indicated significant differences between PH and HW conditions. Significant correlations varied among the four cenotes as the result of hydrogeological differences. Whereas, numbers of visitors were correlated with at least one fecal-matter indicator, demonstrating anthropogenic influence on the cenotes' water quality., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling is localized to multiple spatially distinct microdomains, but the role of cAMP microdomains in cancer cell biology is poorly understood. Here, we present a tunable genetic system that allows us to activate cAMP signaling in specific microdomains. We uncover a nuclear cAMP microdomain that activates a tumor-suppressive pathway in a broad range of cancers by inhibiting YAP, a key effector protein of the Hippo pathway, inside the nucleus. We show that nuclear cAMP induces a LATS-dependent pathway leading to phosphorylation of nuclear YAP solely at serine 397 and export of YAP from the nucleus with no change in YAP protein stability. Thus, nuclear cAMP inhibition of nuclear YAP is distinct from other known mechanisms of Hippo regulation. Pharmacologic targeting of specific cAMP microdomains remains an untapped therapeutic approach for cancer; thus, drugs directed at the nuclear cAMP microdomain may provide avenues for the treatment of cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests J.H.Z. is a paid consultant and is on the medical advisory board of Hoth Therapeutics, is on the medical advisory board of SHADE, Inc., and is an inventor on US patent 8859213 on the use of antibodies directed against sACs for the diagnosis of melanocytic proliferations. O.E. is a cofounder and equity holder in Volastra Therapeutics and OneThree Biotech, an equity holder and SAB member in Owkin, Freenome, Genetic Intelligence, and Acuamark DX, and receives funding from Eli Lilly, Janssen, and Sanofi. T.M. is consultant for Leap Therapeutics, Immunos Therapeutics, and Pfizer, is a cofounder of Imvaq Therapeutics, has equity in Imvaq Therapeutics, reports grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Surface Oncology, Kyn Therapeutics, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Peregrine Pharmeceuticals, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Leap Therapeutics, and Aprea, and is an inventor on patent applications related to work on oncolytic viral therapy, alphavirus-based vaccines, neo-antigen modeling, CD40, GITR, OX40, PD-1, and CTLA-4., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The impact of patient frailty on post-hepatectomy outcomes is not well studied. We hypothesized that patient frailty is a strong predictor of 30-day post-hepatectomy complications., Methods: The liver-targeted National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for 2014-2019 was reviewed. A validated modified frailty index (mFI) was used., Results: A total of 24,150 hepatectomies were reviewed. Worsening frailty was associated with increased incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications (mFI 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 was 3.9%, 6.3%, 10%, 8.1%, 50% respectively; p < 0.001). Minimally invasive hepatectomies had a lower rate of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications for non-frail (Laparoscopic: 1%, Robotic: 2.6%, Open: 4.6%; p < 0.001) and frail patients (Laparoscopic: 3%, Robotic: 2.3%, Open: 7.7%; p < 0.001). Frail patients experienced higher incidence of post-hepatectomy liver failure (5.4% vs 4.1% for non-frail; p < 0.001) and grade C liver failure (28% vs 21.1% for non-frail; p = 0.03). Incorporating mFI to Albumin-Bilirubin score (ALBI) improved its ability to predict Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications (AUC improved from 0.609 to 0.647; p < 0.001) and 30-day mortality (AUC improved from 0.663 to 0.72; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Worsening frailty correlates with increased incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications post-hepatectomy, whereas minimally invasive approaches decrease this risk. Incorporating frailty assessment to ALBI improves its ability to predict major postoperative complications and 30-day mortality., (Copyright © 2022 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We identified and characterized microplastics (MPs) in the gastrointestinal tract (GT), gills (GI), and exoskeleton (EX) of Litopenaeus vannamei in a coastal lagoon from the SE Gulf of California. The most common MPs were fibers and fragments with an average size of 403 ± 296 μm, in which the transparent and blue colors predominated. The abundance (items/g as wet weight (ww)) in the GT, GI, and EX was 114.7 ± 33.2, 13.7 ± 5.3 and 3.0 ± 0.5, respectively. The abundance of MPs per shrimp was 13.3 ± 1.1, while the abundance per individual (ww) was 0.9 ± 0.2 MPs/g. Considering the consumption of shrimp in Mexico, MP abundance, and shrimp consumption (discarding GI and EX), we estimated MP ingestion as 280 items/person/year. The results from this study can be used as background information for future MP biomonitoring in shrimp species of ecological and commercial importance., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The economic cost of breast cancer (BC) treatment and the increase in incidence and prevalence challenges the financial stability of any healthcare system., Objective: To determine direct medical costs (DMC) of BC treatment and factors associated with DMC., Material and Methods: Partial economic evaluation in a retrospective cohort of 160 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of BC. DMC was considered from the IMSS perspective. Bootstrapping analysis was used to deal with uncertainty and generalized linear model to identify factors associated with DCM., Results: The total average annual cost of BC treatment was $251,018 mexican pesos. In clinical stage I was $116,123, stage II $242,132, stage III $287,946, and stage IV $358,792 pesos. In progression disease, DMC were more elevate ($380,117) vs. without progression ($172,897), (p < 0.0001). In patients who died, DMC were $357,579 mexican pesos compared to those who survived ($218,699) (p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: The average annual cost of CM treatment was $251,018 pesos. DMCs increase significantly as patients present more advanced stages of the disease. Factors associated with costs were age, stages II, III and the progression of BC., (© 2022 Revista Medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.)

Due to karstic bedrock geology and poor wastewater management practices, anthropogenic activities are impacting water quality in Yucatan's aquatic systems. Specifically, raw wastewater inputs to the aquifer subsequently flow to coastal lagoons through groundwater fluxes. This study establishes the presence of anthropogenic wastewater by measuring caffeine and its metabolite, paraxanthine, in four of Yucatan's major coastal lagoons: Celestun, Chelem, Dzilam de Bravo, and Ria Lagartos. Concentrations of caffeine ranged from non-detected (ND) to 2390 ng L -1 and paraxanthine from ND to 212 ng L -1 , which correspond with pollution threats from anthropogenic wastewater inputs. The potential sources are: (1) direct in situ discharges from nearby urban settlements; and (2) contribution from submerged groundwater discharges. Overall, results indicate the potential of caffeine as an environmental tracer of anthropogenic wastewater contamination for the region., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Remote rural riverine villages account for most of the reported malaria cases in the Peruvian Amazon. As transmission decreases due to intensive standard control efforts, malaria strategies in these villages will need to be more focused and adapted to local epidemiology., Methods: By integrating parasitological, entomological, and environmental observations between January 2016 and June 2017, we provided an in-depth characterization of malaria transmission dynamics in 4 riverine villages of the Mazan district, Loreto department., Results: Despite variation across villages, malaria prevalence by polymerase chain reaction in March 2016 was high (>25% in 3 villages), caused by Plasmodium vivax mainly and composed of mostly submicroscopic infections. Housing without complete walls was the main malaria risk factor, while households close to forest edges were more commonly identified as spatial clusters of malaria prevalence. Villages in the basin of the Mazan River had a higher density of adult Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes, and retained higher prevalence and incidence rates compared to villages in the basin of the Napo River despite test-and-treat interventions., Conclusions: High heterogeneity in malaria transmission was found across and within riverine villages, resulting from interactions between the microgeographic landscape driving diverse conditions for vector development, housing structure, and human behavior., (© World Health Organization, 2021. All rights reserved. The World Health Organization has granted the Publisher permission for the reproduction of this article.)

Objective : Concussion is associated with dysautonomia, altered blood pressure (BP) control, and may cause Orthostatic Hypotension (OH). We measured prevalence of OH using the 1-minute supine-to-standing OH Test in adolescents with concussion and controls. Participants : Adolescents within 10 days of injury (Concussion Group, n = 297, 15.0 ± 1.7 years, 59% male) were compared with controls (Control Group, n = 214, 15.0 ± 1.5 years, 58% male). Methods : BP, heart rate (HR), and complaints of lightheadedness/dizziness were measured after 2-minute supine and 1-minute standing. Control Group was assessed once. Concussion Group was assessed twice; (1) initial visit (mean 6.0 ± 3 days-since-injury) and (2) after clinical recovery (mean 46.3 ± 42 days-since-injury). Results : Initial visit; Concussion Group reported feeling lightheaded/dizzy on postural change more often than the Control Group (37% vs 4%, p  < .001) but did not differ in meeting standard OH criteria (3% vs 5%,  p  = .32). Experiencing symptoms did not correlate with meeting OH criteria, but correlated with abnormal vestibulo-ocular reflex. After clinical recovery; Concussion Group did not differ in experiencing lightheaded/dizziness on postural change than controls (4%,  p  = .65). Conclusion : Adolescents commonly experience orthostatic intolerance after concussion without meeting the standard criteria for OH.

Introduction: Dyspepsia comprises a group of symptoms that can have organic or functional origin. The purpose of this study was to describe the main causes of dyspepsia and its clinical evolution in children cared for in a tertiary care hospital., Material and Methods: Retrospective study in children with dyspepsia. Patients underwent endoscopy with biopsy and rapid urease test to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori. In case of normal endoscopy and biopsy, hydrogen breath test was performed. In all cases, follow-up was provided in order to evaluate symptom improvement., Results: One hundred children were included, out of whom 52 were girls; mean age was 8.59 years. Esophagitis or erosive gastropathy were found in 54% of the cases (n = 54), H. pylori infection in 12% (n = 12), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in 12% (n = 12), and functional dyspepsia in 20% (n = 20)., Conclusion: In children with dyspepsia, organic causes should first be ruled out before dyspepsia being characterized as functional. In general terms, we consider that a stepped approach that includes endoscopy with biopsy, search for H. pylori and hydrogen breath test is necessary., (Copyright: © 2021 Permanyer.)

Introduction: The American College of Surgeons tracks 30-day outcomes using the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality Initiative Program (MBSAQIP) database. We examined the short-term outcomes of patients that undergo bariatric surgery concomitantly with other operations such as hernia repairs and cholecystectomy to determine the safety of this practice., Methods: The MBSAQIP Participant Use Data File for 2015-2017 was examined for differences in primary bariatric operations vs concomitant procedures (CP). We looked for concurrent CPT codes for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and hernia repairs (ventral, epigastric, incisional, and inguinal). p was significant at < 0.05., Results: There were 464,674 cases, of which 15,614 had CP. For both LRYGB+LC and SG+LC, there were increased operative times and length of stay. There were statistically significant higher rates of readmission, reintervention, and reoperation for SG+LC vs SG alone, as well as for LRYGB+hernia and SG+hernia. There was a higher risk of death (p < 0.001) in LRYGB+hernia patients. Also, LRYGB+hernia patients had statistically significant increases in unplanned admission to the intensive care unit and pulmonary embolus. SG+hernia patients had a higher rate of ventilation > 48 h, unplanned admission to the ICU, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and readmission, reintervention, and reoperation., Conclusions: There is a statistically higher rate of complications with concomitant procedures in the MBSAQIP database. Length of stay and operative times are increased in concomitant operations as are readmissions, reinterventions, and reoperations. These findings would indicate that additional procedures at the time of bariatric surgery should be deferred if possible.

Background : The sleeve gastrectomy (SG) can be associated with postoperative gastroesophageal reflux and when a hiatal hernia (HH) is present, it should be fixed. Earlier studies have shown that 20% of SG have a concomitant hiatal hernia repair (SG+HHR). The aim of this project is to determine the rate of SG+HHR in a large state administrative database. Methods: The Texas Inpatient Public Use Data File (IPUDF) and Outpatient Public Use Data File (OPUDF) for the years 2013-2017 were examined for patients that underwent SG+HHR at the same time. Patient demographics, diagnosis, and charge data were also examined. A t-test was performed between groups and P was considered significant at < 0.05. Results: In the OPUDF, there were 6,193 (33.7%) patients who underwent SG+HHR out of 18,403 patients who underwent SG. Mean charges were $94,741 [standard deviation (SD) = $87,284]. Length of stay (LOS) was 2.1 (SD = 3.5) vs 2.3 days (SD = 3.3) with a shorter stay for SG+HHR vs SG alone (P < 0.001). In the IPUDF, there were 11,536 (21.1%) patients who underwent SG+HHR out of 54,545 patients who underwent SG. Mean charges were $69,006 (SD = $46,365). LOS was 1.59 days (SD = 3.7) for SG+HHR vs 1.63 days (SD = 1.6) for SG (P = .043). The rate of SG+HHR increased over the study period. Conclusions: SG+HHR is common in both the outpatient and inpatient setting. There is a yearly trend of increasing rates of SG+HHR., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 by JSLS, Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons.)

APOBEC3A is a cytidine deaminase driving mutagenesis, DNA replication stress and DNA damage in cancer cells. While the APOBEC3A-induced vulnerability of cancers offers an opportunity for therapy, APOBEC3A protein and mRNA are difficult to quantify in tumors due to their low abundance. Here, we describe a quantitative and sensitive assay to measure the ongoing activity of APOBEC3A in tumors. Using hotspot RNA mutations identified from APOBEC3A-positive tumors and droplet digital PCR, we develop an assay to quantify the RNA-editing activity of APOBEC3A. This assay is superior to APOBEC3A protein- and mRNA-based assays in predicting the activity of APOBEC3A on DNA. Importantly, we demonstrate that the RNA mutation-based APOBEC3A assay is applicable to clinical samples from cancer patients. Our study presents a strategy to follow the dysregulation of APOBEC3A in tumors, providing opportunities to investigate the role of APOBEC3A in tumor evolution and to target the APOBEC3A-induced vulnerability in therapy.

Background: Case management is one of the principal strategies for malaria control. This study aimed to estimate the economic costs of uncomplicated malaria case management and explore the influence of health-seeking behaviours on those costs., Methods: A knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey was applied to 680 households of fifteen communities in Mazan-Loreto in March 2017, then a socio-economic survey was conducted in September 2017 among 161 individuals with confirmed uncomplicated malaria in the past 3 months. Total costs per episode were estimated from both provider (Ministry of Health, MoH) and patient perspectives. Direct costs were estimated using a standard costing estimation procedure, while the indirect costs considered the loss of incomes among patients, substitute labourers and companions due to illness in terms of the monthly minimum wage. Sensitivity analysis evaluated the uncertainty of the average cost per episode., Results: The KAP survey showed that most individuals (79.3%) that had malaria went to a health facility for a diagnosis and treatment, 2.7% received those services from community health workers, and 8% went to a drugstore or were self-treated at home. The average total cost per episode in the Mazan district was US$ 161. The cost from the provider's perspective was US$ 30.85 per episode while from the patient's perspective the estimated cost was US$ 131 per episode. The average costs per Plasmodium falciparum episode (US$ 180) were higher than those per Plasmodium vivax episode (US$ 156) due to longer time lost from work by patients with P. falciparum infections (22.2 days) than by patients with P. vivax infections (17.0 days). The delayed malaria diagnosis (after 48 h of the onset of symptoms) was associated with the time lost from work due to illness (adjusted mean ratio 1.8; 95% CI 1.3, 2.6). The average cost per malaria episode was most sensitive to the uncertainty around the lost productivity cost due to malaria., Conclusions: Despite the provision of free malaria case management by MoH, there is delay in seeking care and the costs of uncomplicated malaria are mainly borne by the families. These costs are not well perceived by the society and the substantial financial impact of the disease can be frequently undervalued in public policy planning.

A growing concern exists over water contamination by veterinary pharmaceuticals from small pig farms in Yucatan, Mexico, where the anaerobic digesters installed as the wastewater treatment system are not operated properly. Therefore, considerable interest exists to develop analytical methods to detect these compounds and characterize their fate in the environment. In this study, the detection of three antibiotics (enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline and sulfamethoxazole) and a β-agonist (ractopamine) was carried out using fluorescence spectrophotometry, with a semi-quantitative approach and a low environmental impact. Wastewater samples from 10 pig farms were analyzed, detecting concentrations of approximately 0.043 μg mL -1 for enrofloxacin, 1.427 μg mL -1 for oxytetracycline, and 9.748 μg mL -1 for sulfamethoxazole. The detection of these pharmaceuticals in the effluents of treated wastewater from the biodigesters of the pig farms suggests the need to optimize the system and prevent the entry of these compounds into the environment.

We offer a framework and exemplify how to integrate multiple community perspectives in research to develop breast cancer screening interventions among Latinas non-adherent to national guidelines. We leverage members of an academic institution's community consultative service [community engagement advisory board (CEAB) members]; study team members [community health workers (CHWs)] and study-eligible individuals (non-adherent Latinas). First, we asked what was needed from CEAB members (N=17), CHWs (N=14) and non-adherent Latinas (N=20) in one-time semi-structured group consultations and focus groups. Second, we drafted materials. Third, we conducted group consultations and focus groups with a new set of CEAB members (N=13), CHWs (N=17) and non-adherent Latinas (N=16) to reflect on our initial analysis and draft materials. Fourth, we finalized interventions. Certain recommendations were shared across stakeholders and simple to integrate (e.g. costs → access to free services). Some recommendations varied, but complementary integration was possible (e.g. location versus recruitment → multiple recruitment in multiple community areas). Others were distinct across stakeholders and resulted in strategies to recognize participants' agency and inform their choices about breast cancer screening (e.g. differences in preferred information about screening → personalized information and evidence about all screening options)., (� The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

There are no behavioral models for testing anxiety in amphibians, a group of animals widely used for developmental, ecotoxicological, and genetic research. We aimed to validate two common rodent paradigms, the plus maze and the scototaxis test, for use in the aquatic African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). We predicted: (a) that frogs would prefer the dark, vs. light, portions of the testing arenas (face validity), (b) that this behavior could be altered with acute administration of anxio-selective drugs (construct validity), and (c) that time spent in the dark portions of the arenas would be positively correlated (predictive validity). Prior to testing, frogs were treated with fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI]), desipramine (serotonin- and norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitor), caffeine (methylxanthine, adenosine receptor antagonist, phosphodiesterase inhibitor), saline, or were left unmanipulated. Each drug was administered acutely (1 h prior to testing; caffeine) or subacutely (24, 3, and 1 h prior to testing; fluoxetine, desipramine) at one of three doses. Plus maze and scototaxis testing were separated by 1 week; each frog completed both behavioral tasks and was treated with the same drug regimen prior to testing. Overall, both tests showed face validity, however, data suggest these paradigms lack both construct and predictive validity.

Animal location technologies have evolved considerably in the last 60 years. Nowadays, animal tracking solutions based on global positioning systems (GPS) are commercially available. However, existing devices have several constraints, mostly related to wireless data transmission and financial cost, which make impractical the monitorization of all the animals in a herd. The main objective of this work is to develop a low-cost solution to enable the monitorization of a whole herd. An IoT-based system, which requires some animals of the herd being fitted with GPS collars connected to a Sigfox network and the rest with low-cost Bluetooth tags, has been developed. Its performance has been tested in two commercial farms, raising sheep and beef cattle, through the monitorization of 50 females in each case. Several collar/tag ratios, which define the cost per animal of the solution, have been simulated. Results demonstrate that a low collar/tag ratio enable the monitorization of a whole sheep herd. A larger ratio is needed for beef cows because of their grazing behavior. Nevertheless, the optimal ratio depends on the purpose of location data. Large variability has been observed for the number of hourly and daily messages from collars and tags. The system effectiveness for the monitorization of all the animals in a herd has been certainly proved.