British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) National Audit on Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Excision 2016 in collaboration with the Royal College of Pathologists.

Background: We conducted a re-audit of the surgical practice of UK dermatologists for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer and examined changes with reference to our previous audit in 2014. The audit was supplemented by a detailed assessment of completeness of the histopathology reports for each tumour.

Methods: UK dermatologists collected data on 10 consecutive nonmicrographic excisions for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 5 for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Disruption of leptin signalling in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Disruption of leptin signalling has been implicated as playing a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Leptin has previously been shown to be affected by amyloid-beta (Aβ)-related signalling; however, pathways that link leptin to the disease pathogenesis have not been determined. To characterize the association between increasing age-dependent Aβ levels with leptin signalling and the vulnerable brain regions in AD, we assessed the mRNA and protein expression profile of leptin and leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) at 9 and 18-month-age in APP/PS1 mice.

Compliance with national guidelines on isotretinoin: where are we 2 years since the last audit? Results of the National Isotretinoin Re-Audit 2014.

Background: In 2010, the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) published clinical guidelines for the safe introduction and continued use of isotretinoin in patients with acne in the UK. The BAD provides UK dermatologists with a facility for national audit, and it undertook an audit on compliance with these guidelines in 2012.

Aim: To determine current clinical practices relating to use of isotretinoin among dermatologists in the UK (including geographical variations) as measured against BAD standards, and to ascertain any improvement since the 2012 audit.

British Association of Dermatologists' national audit on nonmelanoma skin cancer excision, 2014.

Background: Diagnosis and management of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) represents a large part of the dermatology workload, and complete excision is a required surgical standard for treatment.

Aim: To conduct an audit of the surgical practice for the treatment of NMSC by dermatologists in the UK.

Methods: Data on 10 consecutive nonmicrographic excisions of nonmelanoma skin cancer by UK dermatologists.

[Training psychiatrists: considerations about the beginning, the transit through basic formation, the strong and the weak points of the formation system].

In the present article we will show the results of the workshop known as The First Training Psychiatrists Latin-American Meeting (2012). We will explore as well, the impact of the psychiatric practice on young physicians who look to the specialty. In this article we intend to update existing bibliography on the subject, and share the results of two research studies done by this team: a questionnaire conducted to first year medical residents working in Metropolitan Buenos Aires (2008/9) and a workshop carried out with the participants of the Latin- American meeting mentioned above.

Comparing disease activity indices in ulcerative colitis.

Background: Comparisons between disease activity indices for ulcerative colitis (UC) are few. This study evaluates three indices, to determine the potential impact of inter-observer variation on clinical trial recruitment or outcome as well as their clinical relevance.

Methods: One hundred patients with UC were prospectively evaluated, each by four specialists, followed by videosigmoidoscopy, which was later scored by each specialist.

Light-harvesting antenna composition controls the macrostructure and dynamics of thylakoid membranes in Arabidopsis.

We characterized a set of Arabidopsis mutants deficient in specific light-harvesting proteins, using freeze-fracture electron microscopy to probe the organization of complexes in the membrane and confocal fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to probe the dynamics of thylakoid membranes within intact chloroplasts. The same methods were used to characterize mutants lacking or over-expressing PsbS, a protein related to light-harvesting complexes that appears to play a role in regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting. We found that changes in the complement of light-harvesting complexes and PsbS have striking effects on the photosystem II macrostructure, and that these effects correlate with changes in the mobility of chlorophyll proteins within the thylakoid membrane.

Changes in thylakoid membrane thickness associated with the reorganization of photosystem II light harvesting complexes during photoprotective energy dissipation.

Using freeze-fracture electron microscopy we have recently shown that non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), a mechanism of photoprotective energy dissipation in higher plant chloroplasts, involves a reorganization of the pigment-protein complexes within the stacked grana thylakoids. Photosystem II light harvesting complexes (LHCII) are reorganized in response to the amplitude of the light driven transmembrane proton gradient (ΔpH) leading to their dissociation from photosystem II reaction centers and their aggregation within the membrane1. This reorganization of the PSII-LHCII macrostructure was found to be enhanced by the formation of zeaxanthin and was associated with changes in the mobility of the pigment-protein complexes therein1.

Neonatal plasma TSH--estimated upper reference intervals for diagnosis and follow up of congenital hypothyroidism.

Age- and method-dependent plasma TSH reference intervals are essential for the diagnosis and management of congenital hypothyroidism. However, accurate reference intervals for plasma TSH have not been adequately defined due to the difficulties in obtaining samples from a healthy paediatric population. To overcome the difficulties in generating such intervals we estimated method-dependent plasma TSH upper-reference intervals by determining the blood spot TSH upper-reference interval from newborn blood spot TSH screening data (N = 10,697) and then derived method-dependent conversion factors for blood spot TSH to plasma TSH concentration from paired-blood spot and plasma TSH measurements.

The relationship between different spectral forms of the protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase complex and the structural organisation of prolamellar bodies isolated from Zea mays.

Incubation of prolamellar bodies (PLB) in high-salt media leads to changes in PLB structure and properties of their protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase-protochlorophyllide (POR-PChlide) complex. The paracrystalline organisation typical of PLB is disrupted and NADPH dissociates from photoconvertible POR-PChlide, with absorption maxima at 640 and 650 nm (POR-PChlide (640/650)), and a non-photoconvertible form, with absorption maxima at 635 nm (POR-PChlide (635)), is formed. These effects are strongly dependent on the valence of the cation of the perturbing salt, indicating that they involve surface double layers effects.

Photoprotective energy dissipation involves the reorganization of photosystem II light-harvesting complexes in the grana membranes of spinach chloroplasts.

Plants must regulate their use of absorbed light energy on a minute-by-minute basis to maximize the efficiency of photosynthesis and to protect photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers from photooxidative damage. The regulation of light harvesting involves the photoprotective dissipation of excess absorbed light energy in the light-harvesting antenna complexes (LHCs) as heat. Here, we report an investigation into the structural basis of light-harvesting regulation in intact spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts using freeze-fracture electron microscopy, combined with laser confocal microscopy employing the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique.

Structure of vesicles formed from non-ionic dialkylglycerol poly(oxyethylene) ether surfactants: effect of electrolyte and cholesterol.

Five non-ionic dialkylglycerol poly(oxyethylene) ether surfactants, designated 2C(m)E(n) (where m, the number of carbons in each alkyl chain=16 or 18, and n, the number of oxyethylene units=12, 16 or 17) have been examined for their ability to form vesicles when dispersed in water or in an aqueous solution of 154 mM NaCl, alone or in the presence of 50 mol% cholesterol. Freeze fracture electron microscopy and light scattering showed that regardless of the hydrating fluid, all the non-ionic surfactants, with the exception of 2C(16)E(17) and 2C(18)E(17), formed vesicles in the absence of cholesterol - 2C(16)E(17) and 2C(18)E(17) instead formed micellar aggregates. All surfactants, however, formed vesicles in the presence of 50 mol% cholesterol.

Magnetic conjugated polymer nanoparticles as bimodal imaging agents.

Hybrid nanoparticles which incorporate multiple functionalities, such as fluorescence and magnetism, can exhibit enhanced efficiency and versatility by performing several tasks in parallel. In this study, magnetic-fluorescent semiconductor polymer nanospheres (MF-SPNs) have been synthesized by encapsulation of hydrophobic conjugated polymers and iron oxide nanoparticles in phospholipid micelles. Four fluorescent conjugated polymers were used, yielding aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles which emit across the visible spectrum.

Visualizing the mobility and distribution of chlorophyll proteins in higher plant thylakoid membranes: effects of photoinhibition and protein phosphorylation.

The diffusion of proteins in chloroplast thylakoid membranes is believed to be important for processes including the photosystem-II repair cycle and the regulation of light harvesting. However, to date there is very little direct information on the mobility of thylakoid proteins. We have used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching in a laser-scanning confocal microscope to visualize in real time the exchange of chlorophyll proteins between grana in intact spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.

Uptake of risk-reducing surgery in unaffected women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer is risk, age, and time dependent.

Purpose: The uptake of risk-reducing surgery in women at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer is highly variable between countries and centers within countries. We have investigated the rate, timing, and age of uptake of surgery in the northwest of England to report the results after up to 7 years in a Regional Genetics center.

Methods: Uptake was documented in 211 known unaffected BRCA1/2 mutation carriers from 509 families and in 3,515 women at >25% lifetime risk of breast cancer without known mutations.

Psychological impact upon London Ambulance Service of the 2005 bombings.

Background: This study was conducted following the London bombings of 7 July 2005.

Aims: To assess the psychological impact of the 2005 London bombings on London Ambulance Service (LAS) personnel, risk factors for the development of psychological ill-health and employee awareness of post incident support.

Methods: A total of 525 LAS personnel involved in the bombings, and a control group of uninvolved staff, were sent a questionnaire 2 months after the bombings.

Stabilized integrin-targeting ternary LPD (lipopolyplex) vectors for gene delivery designed to disassemble within the target cell.

Recent research in the field of nonviral gene delivery vectors has focused on preparing nanoparticles that are stabilized by the incorporation of a PEG coating and where one of the vector components is also cleavable. Here,we describe the synthesis, formulation, transfection properties, and biophysical studies of a PEG-stabilized ternary lipopolyplex vector in which, for the first time, both the lipid and peptide components are designed to be cleaved once the vector has been internalized. A series of cationic lipids, bearing short tri- or hexaethylene glycol groups, attached to the headgroup via an ester linkage, has been prepared.

Risk reducing mastectomy: outcomes in 10 European centres.

Background: Increasingly women at high risk of breast cancer are opting for risk reducing surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this approach in women at high risk in both carriers and non-carriers of BRCA1/2.

Methods: Data from 10 European centres that offer a genetic counselling and screening service to women at risk were obtained prospectively from 1995.