Habitability Models for Astrobiology.

Habitability has been generally defined as the capability of an environment to support life. Ecologists have been using Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) for more than four decades to study the habitability of Earth from local to global scales. Astrobiologists have been proposing different habitability models for some time, with little integration and consistency among them, being different in function to those used by ecologists.

Perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine: network meta-analysis of adjunctive effects on supraclavicular brachial plexus block.

Both perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine are used as local anaesthetic adjuncts to enhance peripheral nerve block characteristics. However, the effects of dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine based on their administration routes have not been directly compared, and the relative extent to which each adjunct prolongs sensory blockade remains unclear. This network meta-analysis sought to compare and rank the effects of perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine as supraclavicular block adjuncts.

Plant-Derived Substances in the Fight Against Infections Caused by Species.

Yeast-like fungi from the genus are predominantly harmless commensals that colonize human skin and mucosal surfaces, but under conditions of impaired host immune system change into dangerous pathogens. The pathogenicity of these fungi is typically accompanied by increased adhesion and formation of complex biofilms, making candidal infections challenging to treat. Although a variety of antifungal drugs have been developed that preferably attack the fungal cell wall and plasma membrane, these pathogens have acquired novel defense mechanisms that make them resistant to standard treatment.

The activity of IKCa and BKCa channels contributes to insulin-mediated NO synthesis and vascular tone regulation in human umbilical vein.

Insulin regulates the l-arginine/nitric oxide (NO) pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), increasing the plasma membrane expression of the l-arginine transporter hCAT-1 and inducing vasodilation in umbilical and placental veins. Placental vascular relaxation induced by insulin is dependent of large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BKCa), but the role of KCa channels on l-arginine transport and NO synthesis is still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of KCa channels in both insulin-induced l-arginine transport and NO synthesis, and its relationship with placental vascular relaxation.

Disease detection at the 48-month exit round of the HPV FOCAL cervical cancer screening trial in women per-protocol eligible for routine screening.

HPV FOCAL is a randomized control trial of cervical cancer screening. The intervention arm received baseline screening for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and the control arm received liquid-based cytology (LBC) at baseline and 24 months. Both arms received 48-month exit HPV and LBC cotesting.

Comparative performance of human papillomavirus messenger RNA versus DNA screening tests at baseline and 48 months in the HPV FOCAL trial.

Background: HPV FOCAL is a randomized trial comparing high-risk HPV [Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2)] vs. liquid-based cytology (LBC) for primary cervical screening.

Objective: The present study objective was to compare Aptima HPV (AHPV) and HC2 assay performance at the intervention arm baseline and 48 mo.

Effect of Screening With Primary Cervical HPV Testing vs Cytology Testing on High-grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia at 48 Months: The HPV FOCAL Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: There is limited information about the relative effectiveness of cervical cancer screening with primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing alone compared with cytology in North American populations.

Objective: To evaluate histologically confirmed cumulative incident cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) detected up to and including 48 months by primary HPV testing alone (intervention) or liquid-based cytology (control).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial conducted in an organized Cervical Cancer Screening Program in Canada.

Post-Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Testing as a Test of Cure: The British Columbia Experience.

Objectives: To determine whether Hybrid Capture 2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test (HC2) can be used as a test of cure in women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN 2+) and allow discharge from colposcopy follow-up with a return to a cytology-based screening program for HC2-negative women.

Materials And Methods: Data were analyzed for all women who underwent a loop electrosurgical excision procedure between August 1, 2008, and June 30, 2011, and had a valid HC2 result after loop electrosurgical excision procedure and follow-up histopathology result, to determine risk of persistent or recurrent CIN 2+ in HC2-positive and HC2-negative women.

Results: Two thousand three hundred forty women had adequate biopsies and valid HC2 results.

Aptima HPV Assay versus Hybrid Capture 2 HPV test for primary cervical cancer screening in the HPV FOCAL trial.

Background: Cervical cancer screening programs are switching from Pap screening to high-risk HPV testing.

Objectives: To compare the Aptima HPV Assay (AHPV) with the Hybrid Capture 2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test (HC2) for primary cervical screening.

Study Design: HPV FOCAL is a randomized trial comparing HC2 to liquid-based cytology (LBC) for screening women aged 25-65.

Disease detection and resource use in the safety and control arms of the HPV FOCAL cervical cancer screening trial.

Background: The HPV FOCAL Trial is a RCT comparing human papilloma virus (HPV) with Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) screening for cervical cancer. Results are presented for the comparison of the Safety and Control arms after two rounds.

Methods: HPV FOCAL included randomisation of women aged 25-65 into the Safety arm, where they were initially screened with HPV and the Control arm, where they received entry screening with LBC, with both arms screened again with LBC at 24 months.

HPV for cervical cancer screening (HPV FOCAL): Complete Round 1 results of a randomized trial comparing HPV-based primary screening to liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer.

Unlabelled: Complete Round 1 data (baseline and 12-month follow-up) for HPV FOCAL, a randomized trial establishing the efficacy of HPV DNA testing with cytology triage as a primary screen for cervical cancer are presented. Women were randomized to one of three arms: Control arm - Baseline liquid-based cytology (LBC) with ASCUS results triaged with HPV testing; Intervention and Safety arms - Baseline HPV with LBC triage for HPV positives. Results are presented for 15,744 women allocated to the HPV (intervention and safety combined) and 9,408 to the control arms.

Mentoring Clinical Nurses to Write for Publication: Strategies for Success.

: Clinical nurses often find writing a challenge, but it's important to disseminate clinical practice initiatives that result in notable patient outcomes. Nurses have a responsibility to share what they do to improve patient care. The increased emphasis on the development and evaluation of evidence-based practice has made it necessary for nurses to share best practices that are associated with improved patient outcomes.

BAF250a Expression in Atypical Endometriosis and Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer.

Background And Objective: Atypical endometriosis (AE) is thought to be a precursor lesion to the ovarian cancer subtypes associated with endometriosis, namely, endometrioid and clear cell carcinomas. ARID1A encodes a nuclear protein (BAF250a) governing chromatin remodeling, and mutations in ARID1A have been found in 30% to 50% of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian cancers. As BAF250a expression loss by immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been documented in the endometriosis precursor lesions closely associated with these ovarian cancers subtypes, our goal was to further study the association between BAF250a expression in cases of AE with and without an associated cancer.

Comparison of the Roche cobas® 4800 and Digene Hybrid Capture® 2 HPV tests for primary cervical cancer screening in the HPV FOCAL trial.

Background: HPV FOCAL is a randomized trial (ISRCTN79347302, registered 20 Apr 2007) comparing high-risk (hr) HPV testing vs. liquid-based cytology (LBC) for cervical cancer screening of women aged 25-65. We compared the Digene Hybrid Capture® 2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test® (HC2) and the Roche cobas® 4800 HPV Test (COBAS) for primary screening.

Interobserver agreement for assessing invasion in stage 1A vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.

Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva with ≤1 mm stromal invasion is classified as stage 1A. Cancer staging systems state that the depth of invasion should be measured from the epithelial-stromal junction of the adjacent most superficial dermal papilla to the deepest point of the invasive tumor. Measurement of the depth of invasion guides patient management.

Nurse-driven quality improvement interventions to reduce hospital-acquired infection in the NICU.

Hospital-acquired infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units. Central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are costly, preventable infections targeted for eradication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After evaluation of current practice and areas for improvement, neonatal-specific CLABSI and VAP bundles were developed and implemented on the basis of available best evidence.

Primary cervical cancer screening with HPV testing compared with liquid-based cytology: results of round 1 of a randomised controlled trial -- the HPV FOCAL Study.

Background: Round 1 data of human papillomavirus (HPV) FOCAL, a three-arm, randomised trial, which aims to establish the efficacy of HPV DNA testing as a primary screen for cervical cancer, are presented.

Methods: The three arms are: Control arm - liquid based cytology with atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASC-US) triage with hrHPV testing; Intervention Arm - hrHPV at entry with liquid-based cytology (LBC) triage of hrHPV positives, with exit screen at 4 years; Safety check arm - hrHPV at entry with LBC triage of hrHPV positives with exit screen at 2 years.

Results: A total of 6154 women were randomised to the control arm and 12 494 to the HPV arms (intervention and safety check).

Tissue microarray for routine clinical breast biomarker analysis. The British Columbia Cancer Agency 2008 experience.

Clinical use of tissue microarrays for immunohistochemical analysis of breast biomarkers, namely estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2, was instituted in our laboratory in 2008. The method has proved reliable and cost-effective. We report the results of the initial year of testing with this method.

A randomized controlled trial of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical cancer screening: trial design and preliminary results (HPV FOCAL Trial).

Background: In the HPV FOCAL trial, we will establish the efficacy of hr-HPV DNA testing as a stand-alone screening test followed by liquid based cytology (LBC) triage of hr-HPV-positive women compared to LBC followed by hr-HPV triage with > or = CIN3 as the outcome.

Methods/design: HPV-FOCAL is a randomized, controlled, three-armed study over a four year period conducted in British Columbia. It will recruit 33,000 women aged 25-65 through the province's population based cervical cancer screening program.

Intraepithelial T cells and prognosis in ovarian carcinoma: novel associations with stage, tumor type, and BRCA1 loss.

Intraepithelial tumor-infiltrating T cells have been correlated with improved outcomes in ovarian carcinoma, however, it is not known whether there is an association with disease stage, histological subtype, or BRCA mutation/expression. Two case series of ovarian carcinomas were included in the study; a retrospective series of 500 patients, and 40 prospectively collected cases fully characterized for BRCA1 mutation status and expression. Intraepithelial immune cells were assessed as present or absent by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays.

Facilitated "fast track" referral reduces time from abnormal screening mammogram to diagnosis.

Background: The Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia (SMPBC) implemented voluntary, facilitated referral to diagnostic imaging ("Fast Track") after testing 5 interventions to reduce time from an abnormal screening mammogram to diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to compare time intervals for patients evaluated through the Fast Track process with patients who were not.

Methods: Data were extracted from the SMPBC database for women with abnormal screens conducted from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2005 (N = 40,292).

Reproducibility of the histological diagnosis of cervical dysplasia among pathologists from 4 continents.

The reliable histological diagnosis of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs), especially low-grade SIL, is known to be problematic. Poor diagnostic reproducibility can complicate studies addressing its appropriate management. As part of an international study comparing expectant management of histologically proven low-grade SIL with immediate loop electrocautery excisional procedure, this study was carried out to assess interobserver agreement on the histological diagnosis of SILs among a group of 22 pathologists from 5 countries and the intraobserver reliability among a subset of 7 Canadian pathologists.

Lipomembranous panniculitis: report of a case.

Lipomembranous panniculitis is a peculiar type of fat necrosis and has been reported with several clinical conditions, commonly with peripheral vascular diseases. We are reporting a case of a 68-year-old woman with known liver cirrhosis and diabetes who presented with painful erythematous swelling of the right leg. Histological examination revealed microcystic changes within the subcutaneous fat.