Evaluation of a COVID-19 convalescent plasma program at a U.S. academic medical center.

Amidst the therapeutic void at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical mass of scientific and clinical interest coalesced around COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). To date, the CCP literature has focused largely on safety and efficacy outcomes, but little on implementation outcomes or experience. Expert opinion suggests that if CCP has a role in COVID-19 treatment, it is early in the disease course, and it must deliver a sufficiently high titer of neutralizing antibodies (nAb).

Effect of Aerobic or Resistance Exercise, or Both, on Intermuscular and Visceral Fat and Physical and Metabolic Function in Older Adults With Obesity While Dieting.

Background: Obesity exacerbates age-related effects on body composition and physical and metabolic function. Which exercise mode is most effective in mitigating these deleterious changes in dieting older adults with obesity is unknown.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, we performed a head-to-head comparison of aerobic (AEX), resistance (REX), or combination (COMB) exercise during matched ~10% weight loss in 160 obese older adults.

Process mapping and Lean principles applied to orthognathic surgery.

Process mapping in industry is a well-established tool to improve efficiency. It is defined as a quality improvement technique that breaks down a process, or task, into its individual components, or steps, then analyses it. Lean principles are used to reduce waste and produce consistently good outcomes.

Operative time, length of stay and reoperation rates for orthognathic surgery.

Orthognathic surgery improves quality of life in terms of oral function and facial aesthetics. Our aim was to establish and compare operative time and length of inpatient stay for orthognathic procedures, and to assess the reoperation rate. Departmental electronic data base was used to identify all patients undergoing orthognathic surgery in a single unit between the 01/01/2016 and the 01/08/2018.

Management of regional metastatic disease in cutaneous malignancy of the head and neck. 3. Merkel cell carcinoma.

This is the third of three articles that give an overview of the current evidence for management of the neck and parotid in patients with cutaneous cancers of the head and neck. In this paper we discuss Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and review the latest evidence for management of the regional nodes.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma of the head and neck: a multicentre study to examine safety, efficacy, and prognostic value.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an accurate staging procedure for malignant melanoma but its use in patients with melanoma of the head and neck has been questioned in the past because of a perceived record of poor safety and accuracy. Technical improvements have sought to redress this. Vital structures and variable lymphatic pathways can make its use in the head and neck challenging.

Comparing Two Models of Integrated Behavioral Health Programs in Pediatric Primary Care.

This study examined how to design, staff, and evaluate the feasibility of 2 different models of integrated behavioral health programs in pediatric primary care across primary care sites in the Bronx, NY. Results suggest that the Behavioral Health Integration Program model of pediatric integrated care is feasible and that hiring behavioral health staff with specific training in pediatric, evidence-informed behavioral health treatments may be a critical variable in increasing outcomes such as referral rates, self-reported competency, and satisfaction.

Current concepts in midface fracture management.

Purpose Of Review: Management of midface trauma is complex and challenging and requires a clear understanding of the facial buttress system, subunit anatomy and inter-relationships. Too often clinicians attempt surgical repair without adequate knowledge of the common complications associated with poor reduction and improper sequencing of fracture repair. This review outlines a working approach to the identification and management of such injuries, and the definitive management of common injury patterns.

Template-Assisted Direct Growth of 1 Td/in(2) Bit Patterned Media.

We present a method for growing bit patterned magnetic recording media using directed growth of sputtered granular perpendicular magnetic recording media. The grain nucleation is templated using an epitaxial seed layer, which contains Pt pillars separated by amorphous metal oxide. The scheme enables the creation of both templated data and servo regions suitable for high density hard disk drive operation.

Sentinel Node in Oral Cancer: The Nuclear Medicine Aspects. A Survey from the Sentinel European Node Trial.

Purpose: Nuclear imaging plays a crucial role in lymphatic mapping of oral cancer. This evaluation represents a subanalysis of the original multicenter SENT trial data set, involving 434 patients with T1-T2, N0, and M0 oral squamous cell carcinoma. The impact of acquisition techniques, tracer injection timing relative to surgery, and causes of false-negative rate were assessed.

Sentinel European Node Trial (SENT): 3-year results of sentinel node biopsy in oral cancer.

Purpose: Optimum management of the N0 neck is unresolved in oral cancer. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) can reliably detect microscopic lymph node metastasis. The object of this study was to establish whether the technique was both reliable in staging the N0 neck and a safe oncological procedure in patients with early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Current evidence demonstrates similar effects of kilohertz-frequency and low-frequency current on quadriceps evoked torque and discomfort in healthy individuals: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is widely utilized to enhance muscle performance. However, the optimal NMES waveform with respect to treatment effect has not been established.

Objective: To investigate the effects of kilohertz-frequency alternating current (KFAC) and low-frequency pulsed current (PC) on quadriceps evoked torque and self-reported discomfort.

High-Velocity Quadriceps Exercises Compared to Slow-Velocity Quadriceps Exercises Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Clinical Study.

Background And Purpose: Despite improvement in pain and perceived function in older adults following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), objective outcome measures of muscular impairment and ambulatory function demonstrate significant deficits. Evidence suggests that quadriceps power may play a greater role in ambulatory function than measures of strength alone following TKA. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of high-velocity (HV) quadriceps exercises with that of slow-velocity (SV) quadriceps exercises on functional outcomes and quadriceps power following TKA.

Silicone wafers at the Royal Surrey County Hospital: 3-year review.

Accurate orthognathic wafers manufactured in the laboratory are essential for the transfer of preoperative prescribed movements to theatre, and most are made of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). At the Royal Surrey County Hospital we used 416 silicone wafers in 292 patients from January 2011 to December 2013. We report how a revised design has improved self-retention and intraoperative visualisation.

Relative Importance of Four Muscle Groups for Indoor Rock Climbing Performance.

Little research is available to guide training programs for rock climbers. To help meet this need, we sought to determine the relative importance of 4 muscle groups for rock climbing performance. Eleven male climbers were familiarized with an indoor climbing route before 5 separate days of testing.

Management of regional metastatic disease in head and neck cutaneous malignancy. 2. Cutaneous malignant melanoma.

This is the second of 2 articles giving an overview of the current evidence for management of the neck and parotid in cutaneous cancers of the head and neck. We discuss cutaneous malignant melanoma and review the latest evidence for management of the regional nodes.

Management of regional metastatic disease in head and neck cutaneous malignancy. 1. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

This overview is the first of 2 articles on the current evidence for management of the neck and parotid in cutaneous cancers of the head and neck. In this paper we discuss cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and review the latest evidence for management of the regional nodes.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for T1/T2 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma--a prospective case series.

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an established technique in breast and melanoma surgery and is gaining acceptance in the management of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. We report a single institution's experience of SLNB between 2006 and 2010.

Methods: Prospective consecutive cohort study of 59 patients recruited between 2006 and 2010.

Aerobic capacity testing with inactive individuals: the role of subjective experience.

Background: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), an assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness, is regularly used as the primary outcome in exercise interventions. Many criteria have been suggested for validating such tests-most commonly, a plateau in oxygen consumption. The current study investigated the proportion of inactive individuals who reached a plateau in oxygen uptake and who achieved a valid test as assessed by secondary criteria (RERmax ≥ 1.

Implications of a positive sentinel node in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The role of sentinel node biopsy in head and neck cancer is currently being explored. Patients with positive sentinel nodes were investigated to establish if additional metastases were present in the neck, their distribution, and their impact on outcome.

Methods: In all, 109 patients (n = 109) from 15 European centers, with cT1/2,N0 tumors, and a positive sentinel lymph node were identified.

The detection of palladium particles in proton exchange membrane fuel-cell water by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using conditional data analysis was applied to aqueous suspensions of palladium particles in the reformate water of palladium-based proton exchange membrane fuel cells. A significant amount of palladium was found in the water, indicating degradation of the fuel-cell cathode catalytic layers. The palladium particle-size detection limit was found to be about 400 nm.

Nanoscale magnetic field detection using a spin torque oscillator.

Magnetic field detection with extremely high spatial resolution is crucial to applications in magnetic storage, biosensing, and magnetic imaging. Here, we present the concept of using a spin torque oscillator (STO) to detect magnetic fields by measuring the frequency of the oscillator. This sensor's performance relies predominantly on STO properties such as spectral linewidth and frequency dispersion with magnetic field, rather than signal amplitude as in conventional magnetoresistive sensors, and is shown in measured devices to achieve large signal to noise ratios.

Palm cooling delays fatigue during high-intensity bench press exercise.

Unlabelled: Local cooling can induce an ergogenic effect during a short-term intense exercise. One proposed method of personal cooling involves heat extraction from the palm.

Purpose: In this study, we hypothesized that local palm cooling (PC) during rest intervals between progressive weight training sets will increase total repetitions and exercise volume in resistance-trained subjects exercising in a thermoneutral (TN) environment.

Tunable nanoscale graphene magnetometers.

The detection of magnetic fields with nanoscale resolution is a fundamental challenge for scanning probe magnetometry, biosensing, and magnetic storage. Current technologies based on giant magnetoresistance and tunneling magnetoresistance are limited at small sizes by thermal magnetic noise and spin-torque instability. These limitations do not affect Hall sensors consisting of high mobility semiconductors or metal thin films, but the loss of magnetic flux throughout the sensor's thickness greatly limits spatial resolution and sensitivity.

Near-surface nanoscale InAs Hall cross sensitivity to localized magnetic and electric fields.

We have measured the room temperature response of nanoscale semiconductor Hall crosses to local applied magnetic fields under various local electric gate conditions using scanning probe microscopy. Near-surface quantum wells of AlSb/InAs/AlSb, located just 5 nm from the heterostructure surface, allow very high sensitivity to localized electric and magnetic fields applied near the device surfaces. The Hall crosses have critical dimensions of 400 and 100 nm, while the mean free path of the carriers is about 160 nm; hence the devices nominally span the transition from diffusive to quasi-ballistic transport.