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ObjectiveTo review the literature on integrative care of the patient with head and neck cancer.MethodsA review of the English language literature for articles relating to integrative care of patients with head and neck cancer, focusing on treatment of sequelae of surgery and chemoradiation.ResultsMany studies show a significant utilization of nontraditional (complementary/integrative) treatments by patients in dealing with head and neck cancer. Treatment of head and neck cancer entails potentially debilitating consequences of surgery and/or chemoradiation on cosmesis, speech, swallowing, breathing, and quality of life. While complementary/integrative treatments for head and neck cancer are not established as effective therapies, their use for relieving sequelae of treatment, improving quality of life, and providing potential chemoprevention is well documented.ConclusionGiven the landscape of increasing use of nontraditional methodologies by patients with head and neck cancer and the complexity of care, the head and neck cancer surgeon should be aware of the uses and abuses of complementary/integrative medicine by patients as they navigate their care.Level of evidence5.

The stability of anode electrode has been a primary obstacle for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid media. We design Ir-oxygen of hydroxyl-rich blue TiO2 through covalent bonds (Ir–O2–2Ti) and investigate the outcome of favored exposure of different amounts of covalent Ir–oxygen linked to the conductive blue TiO2 in the acidic OER. The Ir-oxygen-blue TiO2 nanoclusters show a strong synergy in terms of improved conductivity and tiny amount usage of Ir by using blue TiO2 supporter, and enhanced stability using covalent Ir-oxygen-linking (i.e., Ir oxide) in acid media, leading to high acidic OER performance with a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 342 mV, which is much higher than that of IrO2 at 438 mV in 0.1 M HClO4 electrolyte. Notably, the Ir–O2–2Ti has a great mass activity of 1.38 A/mgIr at an overpotential 350 mV, which is almost 27 times higher than the mass activity of IrO2 at the same overpotential. Therefore, our work provides some insight into non-costly, highly enhanced, and stable electrocatalysts for the OER in acid media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean stock markets have been largely ignored by scholars, partly due to the conventional view of a weak and inefficient system, and low integration to the world financial system. This paper examines the major announcements related to COVID-19 as exogenous shocks and their impacts on stock market returns in the two most developed stock markets in the Caribbean region. Using the standard event methodology and a dynamic difference in differences model, we confirm a significant decline in stock returns in response to negative announcements of COVID-19-related news. Other positive news such as the announcements of re-opening of the economy and vaccine had a positive impact on stock returns. The Jamaica stock markets are likely to be weakly efficient and exhibit low responsiveness to major COVID-19-related events and news. Most sectors in the Caribbean economy experienced significant losses to stock returns resulting from these shocks. The banking, conglomerates, and property sectors continued to be subdued in the face of continued uncertainty and unpredictability of the overall impact of COVID-19. The energy and communication sectors seemed to be either the most resilient or most asymmetrically informed sectors as they are found not to be affected by COVID-19-related announcements. The manufacturing, property, and non-banking sectors are found to recover quickly from the shocks. Our analysis provides further insight in terms of portfolio investment strategies in the Caribbean region., Competing Interests: The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: recently, there has been a debate regarding total thyroidectomy vs hemithyroidectomy for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC)., Objective: to determine whether there were significant differences in the treatment of PTMC depending on a physician's experience, age, training, and location., Methods: a 10-question survey was distributed to otolaryngologists, general surgeons, and endocrine surgeons. It included 4 clinical scenarios, 2 questions querying clinical reasoning, and 4 demographic questions (training, surgical volume, location, and age). The demographic variables were used to analyze responses to the 4 clinical scenarios with bivariate and multivariate statistics., Results: a total of 438 responders completed the survey. Given a single subcentimeter PTMC, 70.3% of surgeons recommended no further surgery after a hemithyroidectomy, yet 29.7% believed that completion thyroidectomy was necessary. Otolaryngologists chose total thyroidectomy more frequently, as did surgeons from the South and West. Given PTMC with lymphatic invasion, 392 (89.5%) responders recommended completion thyroidectomy, with otolaryngologists again more inclined toward completion surgery. Given multifocal PTMC, 85.4% chose completion thyroidectomy, with surgeons in the South and West recommending total thyroidectomy more frequently compared with those in the Northeast. Improved survival, surgeon preference, and need for thyroid suppression were rated relatively insignificant. Ease of patient follow-up and multifocality of disease were judged very significant. Influence from national guidelines and current literature was rated as only somewhat or minimally significant., Conclusions: in this survey, most surgeons seemed to follow national guidelines regarding the surgical treatment of PTMC. However, significant differences in the treatment and perception of PTMC exist based on surgical training and location.