Continuous Flow Approach for Benzylic Photo-oxidations Using Compressed Air.

A continuous flow approach for the aerobic photo-oxidation of benzylic substrates to ketone and aldehyde products is presented. The resulting process exploits UV-A LEDs (375 nm) in combination with a Corning AFR reactor that ensures effective gas-liquid mixing and leads to short residence times of 1 min. A variety of benzylic substrates are converted to their corresponding carbonyl products, and scalability is demonstrated to produce multigram quantities of products within a few hours.

Tau propagation is dependent on the genetic background of mouse strains.

Progressive cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease correlates closely with the spread of tau protein aggregation across neural networks of the cortical mantle. We tested the hypothesis that heritable factors may influence the rate of propagation of tau pathology across brain regions in a model system, taking advantage of well-defined genetically diverse background strains in mice. We virally expressed human tau locally in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex neurons and monitored the cell-to-cell tau protein spread by immunolabelling.

Breaking the barriers to remyelination in multiple sclerosis.

Chronically demyelinated axons are rendered susceptible to degeneration through loss of trophic support from oligodendrocytes and myelin, and this process underlies disability progression in multiple sclerosis. Promoting remyelination is a promising neuroprotective therapeutic strategy, but to date, has not been achieved through simply promoting oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation, and it is clear that a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying failed remyelination is required to guide future therapeutic approaches. In multiple sclerosis, remyelination is impaired by extrinsic inhibitory cues in the lesion microenvironment including secreted effector molecules released from compartmentalized immune cells and reactive glia, as well as by intrinsic defects in oligodendrocyte lineage cells, most notably increased metabolic demands causing oxidative stress and accelerated cellular senescence.

Non-technical skills in oral and maxillofacial and head and neck surgery: systematic review.

The importance of teams' and individuals' non-technical skills in reducing adverse events is well-recognised. We undertook a systematic review of the published literature to assess the research undertaken to date on non-technical skills and behaviours within oral and maxillofacial, and head and neck (OMFS-H&N) surgery. The aim was to assess the applicability of published studies to current practice, to look at how these studies could guide future research, and look for areas that could be developed further.

Acute reduction triggers increased microglial phagocytosis, slowing amyloid deposition in mice.

Heterozygous genetic variants within the gene show a strong association with increased Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Amyloid beta-depositing mouse models haploinsufficient or null for have identified important relationships among TREM2, microglia, and AD pathology; however, results are challenging to interpret in the context of varying microglial phenotypes and disease progression. We hypothesized that acute reduction may alter amyloid pathology and microglial responses independent of genetic deletion in mouse models.

Persistent repression of tau in the brain using engineered zinc finger protein transcription factors.

Neuronal tau reduction confers resilience against β-amyloid and tau-related neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Here, we introduce a novel translational approach to lower expression of the tau gene at the transcriptional level using gene-silencing zinc finger protein transcription factors (ZFP-TFs). Following a single administration of adeno-associated virus (AAV), either locally into the hippocampus or intravenously to enable whole-brain transduction, we selectively reduced tau messenger RNA and protein by 50 to 80% out to 11 months, the longest time point studied.

Benign parotid mass and facial palsy: systematic review.

Introduction: Parotid masses causing facial palsy are highly indicative of malignancy. A significant number of cases describing benign parotid disease causing facial palsy have been reported.

Materials And Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature to establish the aetiology, clinical features, investigations and management undertaken during these presentations to assess how these factors differed from malignant presentations and to establish an evidence-based algorithm for their management.

Intractable chronic otitis media, rhinosinusitis and facial palsy: a case of active granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare systemic disease of unknown aetiology, characterised by necrotising granuloma formation and diffuse vasculitis. It typically affects the upper and lower respiratory tract in addition to the kidneys. Without treatment, the 2-year mortality rate exceeds 90%.

Non-technical skills and otolaryngology: systematic review.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the published literature on non-technical skills in otolaryngology surgery and examine the applicability of any research to others' practice, and to explore how the published literature can identify areas for further development and guide future research.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the following key words: 'otolaryngology', 'otorhinolaryngology', 'ENT', 'ENT surgery', 'ear, nose and throat surgery', 'head and neck surgery', 'thyroid surgery', 'parathyroid surgery', 'otology', 'rhinology', 'laryngology' 'skull base surgery', 'airway surgery', 'non-technical skills', 'non technical skills for surgeons', 'NOTSS', 'behavioural markers' and 'behavioural assessment tool'.

Results: Three publications were included in the review - 1 randomised, controlled trial and 2 cohort studies - involving 78 participants.

Synaptic Tau Seeding Precedes Tau Pathology in Human Alzheimer's Disease Brain.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined by the presence of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates as well as extracellular amyloid-beta plaques. The presence and spread of tau pathology through the brain is classified by Braak stages and thought to correlate with the progression of AD. Several and studies have examined the ability of tau pathology to move from one neuron to the next, suggesting a "prion-like" spread of tau aggregates may be an underlying cause of Braak tau staging in AD.

Tau reduction in the presence of amyloid-β prevents tau pathology and neuronal death in vivo.

Several studies have now supported the use of a tau lowering agent as a possible therapy in the treatment of tauopathy disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. In human Alzheimer's disease, however, concurrent amyloid-β deposition appears to synergize and accelerate tau pathological changes. Thus far, tau reduction strategies that have been tested in vivo have been examined in the setting of tau pathology without confounding amyloid-β deposition.

3D printing the pterygopalatine fossa: a negative space model of a complex structure.

Purpose: The pterygopalatine fossa is one of the most complex anatomical regions to understand. It is poorly visualized in cadaveric dissection and most textbooks rely on schematic depictions. We describe our approach to creating a low-cost, 3D model of the pterygopalatine fossa, including its associated canals and foramina, using an affordable "desktop" 3D printer.

Laparoscopic instrument use in laryngeal surgery: transoral resection of a supraglottic haemangioma.

Background: Adult laryngeal haemangiomas are rare vascular tumours that have been managed by a variety of surgical techniques.

Methods: This paper describes a case of near-fatal acute airway obstruction secondary to such a lesion, followed by our approach to surgical resection using a laparoscopic bipolar tissue-sealing device.

Results: This technique resulted in successful excision of the lesion, with no evidence of recurrence at one year of follow up.

The Bystander Approach to Sexual Assault Risk Reduction: Effects on Risk Recognition, Perceived Self-Efficacy, and Protective Behavior.

Several characteristics of sexual assault awareness programs for women are associated with meeting the goals of risk reduction. To date, the literature lacks an exploration of how single-sex programs affect women, particularly when they take a bystander intervention focus using women's risk recognition and avoidance as outcome measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of The Women's Program (Foubert, 2011), a sexual assault awareness program geared toward women.

Cervical dysplasia among women over 35 years of age.

Objective: The objective of the study was to review the cytologic and histopathologic features among women 35 years of age or older with cervical dysplasia.

Study Design: Patients presenting between 2001 and 2005 were included. Patients were labeled as pre- (PRE) or postmenopausal (POST) based on age younger than or 50 years old or older.

Using stable isotopes to monitor anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to estuaries.

Use of stable nitrogen isotope ratios is one method that has been proposed to indicate anthropogenic nutrient enrichment in estuarine systems. However, the role of stable isotopes as a tool in long-term ecosystem monitoring has not been fully developed. Resident producer and consumer species were collected from marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora and subject to a range of anthropogenic impacts in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and in Great South Bay and Jamaica Bay, New York.

Touch imprint cytology of core needle biopsy specimens: a useful method for immediate reporting of symptomatic breast lesions.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value and accuracy of touch imprint cytology (TIC) of core needle biopsy (CNB) specimens in predicting the final benign or malignant histology in patients presenting with symptomatic breast lesions.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight patients underwent CNB under ultrasonographic guidance with subsequent TIC preparation. TIC results were correlated with the histology of the core or the surgical resection specimen.

Computed tomography of the post-operative lumbar spine: the need for, and optimal dose of, intravenous contrast medium.

Forty-five patients who had undergone previous lumbar spine surgery with symptoms and signs warranting further investigation were examined by computed tomography (CT). The findings in three separate subgroups of 15 patients were compared. The first randomly selected group underwent CT without the use of intravenous contrast medium; the second and third groups were examined both before and after the administration of contrast medium, using 16.

Clinical aspects of the SR-IV Programmed Subjective Refractor.

Five studies were performed on 682 eyes of currently working and retired factory workers and some of their children. The magnitude of the refractive error and the visual acuity obtained were essentially equivalent for the two methods (SR-IV, Phoroptor). SR-IV testing required less time than conventional techniques.

A new automated subjective optometer.

A new optometer that utilizes optically simulated distance line and letter targets, focusable by patient or operator, is described. Refractive findings for 376 eyes tested on the new optometer were compared with the findings obtained by conventional clinical methods. Most differences were within the limits of repeatability reported for conventional refraction tests.