Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of the temporal bone with initial presentation of otalgia.

Primary angiosarcoma of the bone is exceedingly rare. Here, we report a case of epithelioid angiosarcoma arising from the right temporal bone in a 57-year-old woman who presented with otalgia that was refractory to conventional treatment.

An Atlas of Anionic Antimicrobial Peptides from Amphibians.

Anionic antimicrobial peptides (AAMPs) with net charges ranging from -1 to -8 have been identified in frogs, toads, newts and salamanders across Africa, South America and China. Most of these peptides show antibacterial activity and a number of them are multifunctional, variously showing antifungal activity, anticancer action, neuropeptide function and the ability to potentiate conventional antibiotics. Antimicrobial mechanisms proposed for these AAMPs, include toroidal pore formation and the Shai-Huang-Matsazuki model of membrane interaction along with pH dependent amyloidogenesis and membranolysis via tilted peptide formation.

Current Management of Intracranial Germ Cell Tumours.

Intracranial germ cell tumours (icGCTs) are uncommon tumours occurring in children and young adults. They are usually segregated into germinomas and non-germinomatous tumours (NGGCTs) in most classifications. Germinomas are highly curable tumours with multimodality treatment, but NGGCTs are associated with poorer survival outcomes.

SVAtools for junction detection of genome-wide chromosomal rearrangements by mate-pair sequencing (MPseq).

Mate-pair sequencing (MPseq), using long-insert, paired-end genomic libraries, is a powerful next-generation sequencing-based approach for the detection of genomic structural variants. SVAtools is a set of algorithms to detect both chromosomal rearrangements and large (>10 kb) copy number variants (CNVs) in genome-wide MPseq data. SVAtools can also predict gene disruptions and gene fusions, and characterize the genomic structure of complex rearrangements.

Childhood developmental vulnerabilities associated with early life exposure to infectious and noninfectious diseases and maternal mental illness.

Background: Fetal exposure to infectious and noninfectious diseases may influence early childhood developmental functioning, on the path to later mental illness. Here, we investigated the effects of in utero exposure to maternal infection and noninfectious diseases during pregnancy on offspring developmental vulnerabilities at age 5 years, in the context of estimated effects for early childhood exposures to infectious and noninfectious diseases and maternal mental illness.

Methods: We used population data for 66,045 children from an intergenerational record linkage study (the New South Wales Child Development Study), for whom a cross-sectional assessment of five developmental competencies (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and communication) was obtained at school entry, using the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

Local alkylating chemotherapy applied immediately after 5-ALA guided resection of glioblastoma does not provide additional benefit.

Grade IV glioma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumour. Gross total resection with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) guided surgery combined with local chemotherapy (carmustine wafers) is an attractive treatment strategy in these patients. No previous studies have examined the benefit carmustine wafers in a treatment programme of 5-ALA guided resection followed by a temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy protocol.

Latent profiles of early developmental vulnerabilities in a New South Wales child population at age 5 years.

Objective: Detecting the early emergence of childhood risk for adult mental disorders may lead to interventions for reducing subsequent burden of these disorders. We set out to determine classes of children who may be at risk for later mental disorder on the basis of early patterns of development in a population cohort, and associated exposures gleaned from linked administrative records obtained within the New South Wales Child Development Study.

Methods: Intergenerational records from government departments of health, education, justice and child protection were linked with the Australian Early Development Census for a state population cohort of 67,353 children approximately 5 years of age.

Determination of the Spin and Parity of the Z_{c}(3900).

The spin and parity of the Z_{c}(3900)^{±} state are determined to be J^{P}=1^{+} with a statistical significance larger than 7σ over other quantum numbers in a partial wave analysis of the process e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ. We use a data sample of 1.92  fb^{-1} accumulated at sqrt[s]=4.

Electronic Band Structure of Helical Polyisocyanides.

Restricted Hartree-Fock computations are reported for a methyl isocyanide polymer (repeating unit -C═N-CH), whose most stable conformation is expected to be a helical chain. The computations used a standard contracted Gaussian orbital set at the computational levels STO-3G, 3-21G, 6-31G, and 6-31G**, and studies were made for two line-group configurations motivated by earlier work and by studies of space-filling molecular models: (1) A structure of line-group symmetry L9, containing a 9-fold screw axis with atoms displaced in the axial direction by 5/9 times the lattice constant, and (2) a structure of symmetry L4 that had been proposed, containing a 4-fold screw axis with translation by 1/4 of the lattice constant. Full use of the line-group symmetry was employed to cause most of the computational complexity to depend only on the size of the asymmetric repeating unit.

The influence of contextual factors on healthcare quality improvement initiatives: what works, for whom and in what setting? Protocol for a realist review.

Background: Context shapes the effectiveness of knowledge implementation and influences health improvement. Successful healthcare quality improvement (QI) initiatives frequently fail to transfer to different settings, with local contextual factors often cited as the cause. Understanding and overcoming contextual barriers is therefore crucial to implementing effective improvement; yet context is still poorly understood.

Spleno-renal artery transposition in a solitary functioning kidney for treatment-resistant hypertension and acute kidney injury.

Renal Artery Stenosis (RAS) is an important cause of treatment-resistant hypertension. Uncontrolled hypertension with RAS can cause progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to end-stage kidney disease. Therapeutic revascularisation can be helpful in appropriate circumstances where pharmaceutical intervention has failed and significant renovascular disease contributes to resistant hypertension.

Childhood Maltreatment and Early Developmental Vulnerabilities at Age 5 Years.

This study examined associations between maltreatment and early developmental vulnerabilities in a population sample of 68,459 children (M  = 5.62 years, SD = .37) drawn from the Australian state of New South Wales, using linked administrative data for the children and their parents (collected 2001-2009).

The 2015 Middle Childhood Survey (MCS) of mental health and well-being at age 11 years in an Australian population cohort.

Purpose: The Middle Childhood Survey (MCS) was designed as a computerised self-report assessment of children's mental health and well-being at approximately 11 years of age, conducted with a population cohort of 87 026 children being studied longitudinally within the New South Wales (NSW) Child Development Study.

Participants: School Principals provided written consent for teachers to administer the MCS in class to year 6 students at 829 NSW schools (35.0% of eligible schools).

Observation of ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ} and χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ.

Using 4.479×10^{8}  ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we search for the decays ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ} and χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ, where J=0, 1, 2. The decays ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ} and χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ are observed for the first time.

The Potential in Preparing Community Health Workers to Address Hearing Loss.

Background: In underserved areas, it is crucial to investigate ways of increasing access to hearing health care. The community health worker (CHW) is a model that has been applied to increase access in various health arenas. This article proposes further investigation into the application of this model to audiology.

An evaluation of approaches used to teach quality improvement to pre-registration healthcare professionals: An integrative review.

Background: Improving the quality of healthcare remains central to UK and international policy, practice and research. In 2003, The Institute of Medicine's 'Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality', advocated quality improvement as a core competency for all healthcare professionals. As a result, developing capacity and capability of those applying improvement methodologies in the pre-registration population has risen, yet, little is known about the teaching approaches employed for this purpose.

Barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation in a cancer context: A qualitative study of patient, family and professional views.

Background: Continued smoking after cancer adversely affects quality of life and survival, but one fifth of cancer survivors still smoke. Despite its demands, cancer presents an opportunity for positive behaviour change. Smoking often occurs in social groups, therefore interventions which target families and individuals may be more successful.

Interventional Audiology to Address Hearing Health Care Disparities: Pilot Study.

Interventional audiology, specifically community-based outreach, can connect people with the hearing health care system. Community-based participatory research methods were applied in two phases of research to: (1) investigate the needs of families affected by hearing loss in a rural Arizona community on the U.S.

Projected health effects of realistic dietary changes to address freshwater constraints in India: a modelling study.

Background: The availability of freshwater for irrigation in the Indian agricultural sector is expected to decline over the coming decades. This might have implications for food production in India, with subsequent effects on diets and health. We identify realistic and healthy dietary changes that could enhance the resilience of the Indian food system to future decreases in water availability.

Observation of Λ_{c}^{+}→nK_{S}^{0}π^{+}.

We report the first direct measurement of decays of the Λ_{c}^{+} baryon involving the neutron. The analysis is performed using 567  pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected at sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider.

Abdominal massage for neurogenic bowel dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis (AMBER - Abdominal Massage for Bowel Dysfunction Effectiveness Research): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-long condition primarily affecting younger adults. Neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) occurs in 50-80% of these patients and is the term used to describe constipation and faecal incontinence, which often co-exist. Data from a pilot study suggested feasibility of using abdominal massage for the relief of constipation, but the effectiveness remains uncertain.

Cochlear implants in the management of hearing loss in Neurofibromatosis Type 2.

Objective: Review of cochlear implant (CI) outcomes in patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), implanted in the presence of an ipsilateral vestibular schwannoma (VS). Hearing restoration was combined in some cases with a Bevacizumab regime.

Method: Retrospective review of 12 patients, managed over the period 2009-2016, at a tertiary referral multidisciplinary NF2 clinic.