The behaviour of the nematode, Steinernema feltiae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) in sand contaminated with the industrial pollutant chromium VI.

This study set out to determine the suitability of the nematode Steinernema feltiae as a bioindicator for heavy metal pollution, specifically chromium VI. Nematodes were introduced into sand contaminated with concentrations of Cr VI, in a range between 10 and 100 ppm, in increments of 10. Reproductive potential, development times and infectivity vs exposure times to Cr VI were employed as endpoints.

A red cell preservation strategy reduces postoperative transfusions in pediatric heart surgery patients.

Background: Blood transfusion has well-documented adverse effects. As part of a blood conservation initiative at our center, we began routine use of cell saver for all congenital heart surgery performed on cardiopulmonary bypass since 2014.

Aims: This study aimed to compare transfusion rates prior to, and in the first and second year after this initiative.

Development of performance indicators for systems of urgent and emergency care in the Republic of Ireland: Systematic review and consensus development exercise.

To develop a set of performance indicators to monitor the performance of emergency and urgent care systems in the Republic of Ireland. : This study comprised of an update of a previously performed systematic review and a formal consensus development exercise. Initial literature searches yielded 2339 article titles.

Acute compressive stress activates RHO/ROCK-mediated cellular processes.

The ability to rapidly respond to applied force underpins cell/tissue homeostasis. This response is mediated by mechanotransduction pathways that regulate remodeling and tension of the actomyosin cytoskeleton to counterbalance external forces. Enhanced extracellular matrix tension hyper-activates mechanotransduction and characterizes diseased states such as cancer, but is also required for normal epidermal regeneration.

In pursuit of a self-sustaining college alcohol intervention: Deploying gamified PNF in the real world.

Our recent work (Boyle, Earle, LaBrie, & Smith, 2017) showed that the efficacy of personalized normative feedback-based (PNF) college alcohol interventions can be improved through the addition of gamified elements including points, chance, competition, and personal avatars. However, participants in that study were compensated with subject pool credit. In the current study, we piloted an upgraded, smartphone-based version of the game, which was designed to be truly self-sustaining (i.

What "likes" have got to do with it: Exposure to peers' alcohol-related posts and perceptions of injunctive drinking norms.

Objective: Examine 1) whether observed social reinforcements (i.e., "likes") received by peers' alcohol-related social media posts are related to first-year college students' perceptions of peer approval for risky drinking behaviors; and 2) whether associations are moderated by students' alcohol use status.

Ipsilateral renal function preservation following minimally invasive partial nephrectomy: The effect of tumour characteristics and warm ischemic time.

Introduction: The relative impact of preoperative and perioperative variables on renal function following partial nephrectomy (PN) is controversial. To further investigate, we assess the effects of tumour complexity, warm ischemic time (WIT), and volume of resected renal parenchyma on ipsilateral renal function (IRF) outcomes following minimally invasive PN.

Methods: Of patients who underwent laparoscopic or robotic-assisted PN between 2002 and 2011 at our institution, 99 met our inclusion criteria.

Related to Anxiety: Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding and Experimental Psychopathology Research on Fear and Avoidance.

Humans have an unparalleled ability to engage in arbitrarily applicable relational responding (AARR). One of the consequences of this ability to spontaneously combine and relate events from the past, present, and future may, in fact, be a propensity to suffer. For instance, maladaptive fear and avoidance of remote or derived threats may actually perpetuate anxiety.

Glucocorticoid Receptor Binding Induces Rapid and Prolonged Large-Scale Chromatin Decompaction at Multiple Target Loci.

Glucocorticoids act by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which binds to specific motifs within enhancers of target genes to activate transcription. Previous studies have suggested that GRs can promote interactions between gene promoters and distal elements within target loci. In contrast, we demonstrate here that glucocorticoid addition to mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophages produces very rapid chromatin unfolding detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) at loci associated with GR binding.

The influence of early research experience in medical school on the decision to intercalate and future career in clinical academia: a questionnaire study.

Background: Currently, only one in three UK medical students undertake an intercalated degree. This has often been implicated as a result of financial obstacles or a lack of interest in research due to inadequate exposure to academic medicine. The aims of this study were to determine whether exposure to research early in medical school, through the initiation of an early years clinical academic training programme has a positive influence on the decision-making related to intercalating and a career long interest in research.

How much do cancer specialists earn? A comparison of physician fees and remuneration in oncology and radiology in high-income countries.

The main driver of higher spending on health care in the US is believed to be substantially higher fees paid to US physicians in comparison with other countries. We aim to compare physician incomes in radiology and oncology considering differences in relation to fees paid, physician capacity and volume of services provided in five countries: the United States, Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. The fee for a consultation with a specialist in oncology varies threefold across countries, and more than fourfold for chemotherapy.

Sport Sampling Is Associated With Improved Landing Technique in Youth Athletes.

Background: Sport sampling is recommended to promote fundamental movement skill acquisition and physical activity. In contrast, sport specialization is associated with musculoskeletal injury risk, burnout, and attrition from sport. There is limited evidence to support the influence of sport sampling on neuromuscular control, which is associated with injury risk, in youth athletes.

Assessing Time of Full Renal Recovery Following Minimally Invasive Partial Nephrectomy.

Objective: To assess renal function in the operated kidney at different time points post partial nephrectomy (PN) and establish the time in which optimal recovery occurs. Recovery of renal function post-PN has received significant attention. However, the optimal time to determine full recovery has not been clearly established.

The development and evaluation of peer-facilitated dementia workshops in general practice.

Background: Rising dementia prevalence rates, combined with the policy objectives of integrated care in the community, means that general practitioners (GPs) are playing an increasing and pivotal role in dementia care. However, GPs are challenged by dementia care and have identified it as an area of learning need. We describe the development, roll-out and evaluation of peer-facilitated workshops for GPs, as part of a national programme to support GPs in their delivery of dementia care.

Neural correlates of multisensory reliability and perceptual weights emerge at early latencies during audio-visual integration.

To make accurate perceptual estimates, observers must take the reliability of sensory information into account. Despite many behavioural studies showing that subjects weight individual sensory cues in proportion to their reliabilities, it is still unclear when during a trial neuronal responses are modulated by the reliability of sensory information or when they reflect the perceptual weights attributed to each sensory input. We investigated these questions using a combination of psychophysics, EEG-based neuroimaging and single-trial decoding.

Aseptic and Bacterial Meningitis: Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention.

The etiologies of meningitis range in severity from benign and self-limited to life-threatening with potentially severe morbidity. Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency that requires prompt recognition and treatment. Mortality remains high despite the introduction of vaccinations for common pathogens that have reduced the incidence of meningitis worldwide.

Barriers to listing for HIV-infected patients being evaluated for kidney transplantation.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients have excellent outcomes following kidney transplantation (KT) but still might face barriers in the evaluation and listing process. The aim of this study was to characterize the patient population, referral patterns, and outcomes of HIV-infected patients who present for KT evaluation. We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study of HIV-infected patients who were evaluated for KT.

Usefulness of Myocardial Annular Velocity Change During Mental Stress to Predict Cardiovascular Outcome in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease (From the Responses of Mental Stress-Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment Trial).

Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia is common and a prognostic factor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study aimed at examining associations between mental stress-induced myocardial annular velocity (MAV) and cardiovascular outcome in patients with CAD. MAV, specifically, diastolic early (e'), diastolic late (a'), and systolic (s') velocities were obtained at rest and during mental stress testing in 224 patients with clinically stable CAD.

Donor-Derived Metastatic Melanoma and Checkpoint Inhibition.

Donor-derived malignancy, particularly melanoma, is a rare but known complication of organ transplantation. Here we describe a case of metastatic melanoma in a deceased-donor kidney transplant recipient. After diagnosis, the patient was successfully treated with cessation of immunosuppression, explantation of the renal allograft, and novel melanoma therapies, including the mutation-targeted agents dabrafenib and trametinib and the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab.

A cluster randomised control trial of a multi-component weight management programme for adults with intellectual disabilities and obesity.

There have been few published controlled studies of multi-component weight management programmes that include an energy deficit diet (EDD), for adults with intellectual disabilities and obesity. The objective of this study was to conduct a single-blind, cluster randomised controlled trial comparing a multi-component weight management programme to a health education programme. Participants were randomised to either TAKE 5, which included an EDD or Waist Winners Too (WWToo), based on health education principles.