Chlorine and hydrogen cyanide gas interactions with human skin: in vitro studies to inform skin permeation and decontamination in HAZMAT incidents.

Accidental or intentional toxic gas releases may result in significant public health and psychological consequences. Management of exposed individuals during HAZMAT incidents should be risk-based and supported by a suitable scientific evidence base. There appear to be large evidence gaps in relation to dermal absorption of gases, as well as management advice for potentially exposed individuals.

An 18-month follow-up investigation of motor coordination and working memory in primary school children.

The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between motor coordination and visual working memory in children aged 5-11 years. Participants were 18 children with movement difficulty and 41 control children, assessed at baseline and following an 18-month time period. The McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development provided a measure of motor skills and the CogState One-Back task was used to assess visual working memory.

Site-specific determinants of cutaneous melanoma: a case-case comparison of patients with tumors arising on the head or trunk.

Background: Cutaneous melanomas have been hypothesized to arise through different pathways according to phenotype, body site, and sun exposure. To further test this hypothesis, we explored associations between phenotype and melanoma at different sites using a case-case comparative approach.

Methods: Melanoma patients (n = 762) aged 18 to 79 years and diagnosed from 2007 to 2010 were ascertained from pathology laboratories in Brisbane, Australia.

Veterinary dentistry: a clinician's viewpoint.

Unlabelled: This is a clinician's view of the current state of veterinary dentistry at the level of the general practitioner across the different species. An indication of the work done and the hazards commonly encountered are covered.

Clinical Relevance: To increase awareness within the dental profession of the current state of veterinary dentistry.

Lethal neonatal coagulopathy after maternal ingestion of a superwarfarin.

Background: Brodifacoum, a superwarfarin, is a common household agent used for rodenticides. We present a case of maternal brodifacoum ingestion that resulted in neonatal death.

Case: A 19-year-old primigravid woman presented at 32 weeks of gestation with spontaneous mucosal bleeding.

Safety of coitally administered tenofovir 1% gel, a vaginal microbicide, in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers: results from the CAPRISA 004 trial.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, a licensed oral treatment for both HIV and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, has been associated with severe rebound hepatic flares when treatment is interrupted. A gel formulation of tenofovir is currently being assessed as a microbicide against HIV. If licensed, it is possible that tenofovir gel could be used either intentionally or unintentionally by HBV carriers.

Topical microbicides--what's new?

Topical microbicides are an important, promising but complex HIV prevention technology under development. After 11 disappointing effectiveness trial outcomes of 6 candidate products (some tested as multiple doses and formulations) over the past 20 years, there is renewed optimism that a safe and effective microbicide will soon be available if the recent success of coitally linked use of the antiretroviral-based microbicide, 1% tenofovir gel, is confirmed. Studies of new antiviral agents, novel delivery mechanisms, and combination/multipurpose products that address challenges of adherence, enhance the effectiveness of tenofovir gel, and address sexual and reproductive health needs of men and women, including preventing HIV infection, are already underway.

Novel immunologic classification of aspergillosis in adult cystic fibrosis.

Background: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) demonstrate a wide range of hypersensitivity responses to Aspergillus, beyond allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, which require classification.

Objective: This study integrated 2 new methods of Aspergillus detection-sputum galactomannan (GM) and real-time PCR-alongside established serologic markers, to reclassify aspergillosis in CF.

Methods: A total of 146 adult patients with CF had serologic tests (ImmunoCap total IgE, specific Aspergillus fumigatus IgE, and specific A fumigatus IgG), sputum real-time Aspergillus PCR, and sputum GM.

Microbicides for prevention of HIV infection: clinical efficacy trials.

Microbicides are an important HIV prevention technology under development, but the clinical testing of candidate products for efficacy faces many design and ethical challenges. Nevertheless, several microbicide candidates have been tested or are under development. Eight candidate products have entered late stage microbicide effectiveness trials.

Application of skin contamination studies of ammonia gas for management of hazardous material incidents.

In an atmospheric HAZMAT release unprotected public dermal exposure is often of short duration, but with potential secondary exposure if not decontaminated promptly. Mass decontamination is resource intensive and needs to be justified. For many HAZMAT agents there is no evidence-base on which to provide guidance on decontamination, particularly for non-symptomatic worried well.

Intravenous antibiotics reduce the presence of Aspergillus in adult cystic fibrosis sputum.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus fumigatus frequently co-colonise the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study aimed to assess the impact of short-term administration of intravenous antipseudomonal antibiotics during CF exacerbations on the presence of Aspergillus.

Methods: Pre- and post-antibiotic sputum samples from 26 adult patients with CF and chronic Pseudomonas colonisation were analysed for the presence of Aspergillus by fungal culture, real-time PCR and galactomannan antigen (GM).

The floodplain food web mosaic: a study of its importance to salmon and steelhead with implications for their recovery.

Although numerous studies have attempted to place species of interest within the context of food webs, such efforts have generally occurred at small scales or disregard potentially important spatial heterogeneity. If food web approaches are to be employed to manage species, studies are needed that evaluate the multiple habitats and associated webs of interactions in which these species participate. Here, we quantify the food webs that sustain rearing salmon and steelhead within a floodplain landscape of the Methow River, Washington, USA, a location where restoration has been proposed to restore side channels in an attempt to recover anadromous fishes.

A new custom moldable external neck brace (ENB 2.0) to improve hands-free speech in laryngectomized patients.

Objectives/hypothesis: The majority of laryngectomy patients fail to use a hands-free valve on a daily basis, mainly due to fixation problems of the adhesive baseplate housing. To support adhesive housings during hands-free speech a new external neck brace (ENB 2.0) was developed.

Microbicides for the prevention of sexually transmitted HIV infection.

The impetus for, and efforts in the past 20 years toward a women-initiated method for preventing sexual transmission of HIV has been previously well described. To date, four classes of topical agents categorized by mechanism of action as: surfactants, buffers, cell entry blockers and antiretroviral agents have undergone advanced clinical testing. Thus far, only coitally linked use of 1% tenofovir gel has demonstrated moderate effectiveness in preventing HIV and HSV-2 infection and has generated renewed hope for microbicide development.

Performance of two Aspergillus IgG EIA assays compared with the precipitin test in chronic and allergic aspergillosis.

Detection of Aspergillus IgG antibodies is important in the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Immunoprecipitation techniques to detect these antibodies appear to lack sensitivity and accurate quantitation compared with enzyme immunoassays (EIA). This study assessed the performance of two commercial EIAs compared with counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE).

Network inference analysis identifies an APRR2-like gene linked to pigment accumulation in tomato and pepper fruits.

Carotenoids represent some of the most important secondary metabolites in the human diet, and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a rich source of these health-promoting compounds. In this work, a novel and fruit-related regulator of pigment accumulation in tomato has been identified by artificial neural network inference analysis and its function validated in transgenic plants. A tomato fruit gene regulatory network was generated using artificial neural network inference analysis and transcription factor gene expression profiles derived from fruits sampled at various points during development and ripening.

Aspergillus bronchitis without significant immunocompromise.

Aspergillus bronchitis is poorly understood and described. We extracted clinical data from more than 400 referred patients with persistent chest symptoms who did not fulfill criteria for allergic, chronic, or invasive aspergillosis. Symptomatic patients with a positive culture or real-time PCR for Aspergillus spp.

When to start antiretroviral therapy during tuberculosis treatment?

Purpose Of Review: Effective treatment exists for tuberculosis (TB) and for HIV, but treating both diseases simultaneously presents several challenges. This review assesses the evidence for the timing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in patients coinfected with TB.

Recent Findings: Published evidence clearly demonstrates that TB-HIV integration is essential for improved survival, but the question of when to start ART during TB treatment is more complex.

The role of envelope shape in the localization of multiple sound sources and echoes in the barn owl.

Echoes and sounds of independent origin often obscure sounds of interest, but echoes can go undetected under natural listening conditions, a perception called the precedence effect. How does the auditory system distinguish between echoes and independent sources? To investigate, we presented two broadband noises to barn owls (Tyto alba) while varying the similarity of the sounds' envelopes. The carriers of the noises were identical except for a 2- or 3-ms delay.

Metabolic engineering of tomato fruit organic acid content guided by biochemical analysis of an introgression line.

Organic acid content is regarded as one of the most important quality traits of fresh tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the complexity of carboxylic acid metabolism and storage means that it is difficult to predict the best way to engineer altered carboxylic acid levels. Here, we used a biochemical analysis of a tomato introgression line with increased levels of fruit citrate and malate at breaker stage to identify a metabolic engineering target that was subsequently tested in transgenic plants.

IgE-mediated immune responses and airway detection of Aspergillus and Candida in adult cystic fibrosis.

Background: The recovery of Aspergillus and Candida from the respiratory secretions of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is common. Their relationship to the development of allergic sensitization and effect on lung function has not been established. Improved techniques to detect these organisms are needed to increase knowledge of these effects.

Safety of tenofovir gel, a vaginal microbicide, in South African women: results of the CAPRISA 004 Trial.

Background: Tenofovir gel, used vaginally before and after coitus, reduced women's acquisition of HIV by 39%. This is a safety assessment of tenofovir gel, including renal, bone, gastrointestinal, genital and haematological parameters.

Methods: In the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) 004, a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial, 445 of the 889 eligibly enrolled women were assigned to tenofovir gel.

Hypomethylation of dual specificity phosphatase 22 promoter correlates with duration of service in firefighters and is inducible by low-dose benzo[a]pyrene.

Objective: Firefighters (FFs) are chronically exposed to smoke and products of incomplete combustion, which frequently contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study examined the possibility of an association between PAH-induced epigenetic alterations and occupational firefighting exposure.

Methods: Promoter methylation was analyzed in four genes in blood DNA from 18 FFs and 20 non-FFs (controls).

Contributions of John Henry Poynting to the understanding of radiation pressure.

The name of Poynting is universally recognized for his development of the well-known expression for the flow of electromagnetic energy. Not so well known is Poynting's series of papers on radiation pressure, with 2011 marking the centenary of the last of his 15 publications on this topic. This paper reviews and assesses his radiation-pressure work, with a level of coverage aimed at the reader familiar with the Maxwell electromagnetic theory and interested in the current understanding of radiation pressure.

Telephone-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy for African American dementia caregivers with depression: initial findings.

Objectives: Discuss initial findings of a randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of telephone-based and face-to-face (f-to-f) cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on changes in caregiver (CG) burden, assistance support, depression, and health status for African American (AA) CGs with depression.

Design: Pilot study using a prepost, two-group design with 14 enrolled and randomized participants.

Measures: Subjective Burden subscale of the Caregiver Appraisal Inventory, Assistance Support subscale of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Physical Symptoms subscale of the Caregiver Health and Health Behavior Inventory and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.