Follow-up outcomes after benign concordant MRI-guided breast biopsy.

Objective: To evaluate outcomes of benign concordant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided breast biopsy.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 611 consecutive MRI-guided breast core biopsies at our institution from 2005 to 2012. Benign concordant cases with MRI follow-up constituted the study group.

Letters of condolence: assessing attitudes and variability in practice amongst oncologists and palliative care doctors in Yorkshire.

Background: Following a patient's death, some doctors routinely write a letter of condolence to the bereaved family. Practice appears to vary widely but this is poorly documented, particularly in the UK setting. We wished to explore the attitudes of oncologists and palliative care consultants towards writing letters of condolence to patient's families.

"How long does it take?" A mixed methods evaluation of computer-related work in GP consultations.

Background: Systematic reviews have suggested that time spent on computer-related tasks increases consultation length. However, these reviews pre-date the current ubiquitous use of computers in U.K.

Complex disease and phenotype mapping in the domestic dog.

The domestic dog is becoming an increasingly valuable model species in medical genetics, showing particular promise to advance our understanding of cancer and orthopaedic disease. Here we undertake the largest canine genome-wide association study to date, with a panel of over 4,200 dogs genotyped at 180,000 markers, to accelerate mapping efforts. For complex diseases, we identify loci significantly associated with hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, idiopathic epilepsy, lymphoma, mast cell tumour and granulomatous colitis; for morphological traits, we report three novel quantitative trait loci that influence body size and one that influences fur length and shedding.

The influence of smoking on radiation-induced bystander signal production in esophageal cancer patients.

The relevance of radiation-induced bystander effects in humans is unclear. Much of the existing data relate to cell lines but the effect of bystander signals in complex human tissues is unclear. A phase II clinical study was untaken, where blood sera from 60 patients along with 15 cancer-free volunteers were used to detect whether measurable bystander factor(s) could be found in the blood following high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

Experimental recovery of intrinsic fluorescence and fluorophore concentration in the presence of hemoglobin: spectral effect of scattering and absorption on fluorescence.

The ability to recover the intrinsic fluorescence of biological fluorophores is crucial to accurately identify the fluorophores and quantify their concentrations in the media. Although some studies have successfully retrieved the fluorescence spectral shape of known fluorophores, the techniques usually came with heavy computation costs and did not apply for strongly absorptive media, and the intrinsic fluorescence intensity and fluorophore concentration were not recovered. In this communication, an experimental approach was presented to recover intrinsic fluorescence and concentration of fluorescein in the presence of hemoglobin (Hb).

Intrapartum epidural fixation methods: a randomised controlled trial of three different epidural catheter securement devices.

This randomised controlled trial investigated the efficacy of Epi-Fix(™) , LockIt Plus(®) and Tegaderm(™) as fixation devices for intrapartum epidural catheters. One hundred and sixty-five women requesting intrapartum epidural analgesia were randomised to receive different fixation devices to secure their epidural catheter. The amount of epidural catheter migration (measured to the nearest 0.

Genetic Mapping of Novel Loci Affecting Canine Blood Phenotypes.

Since the publication of the dog genome and the construction of high-quality genome-wide SNP arrays, thousands of dogs have been genotyped for disease studies. For many of these dogs, additional clinical phenotypes are available, such as hematological and clinical chemistry results collected during routine veterinary care. Little is known about the genetic basis of variation in blood phenotypes, but this variation may play an important role in the etiology and progression of many diseases.

The risk of fall and fracture with the initiation of a prostate-selective α antagonist: a population based cohort study.

Study Question: Do men starting treatment with prostate-specific α antagonists have increased risk of fall and fracture?

Methods: Administrative datasets from the province of Ontario, Canada, that contain patient level data were used to generate a cohort of 147,084 men aged ≥ 66 years who filled their first outpatient prescription for prostate-specific α antagonists tamsulosin, alfuzosin, or silodosin between June 2003 and December 2013 (exposed men) plus an equal sized cohort matched 1:1 (using a propensity score model) who did not initiate α antagonist therapy. The primary outcome was a hospital emergency room visit or inpatient admission for a fall or fracture in the 90 days after exposure.

Study Answer And Limitations: The men exposed to prostate-specific α antagonist had significantly increased risks of falling (odds ratio 1.

Genetic structure in village dogs reveals a Central Asian domestication origin.

Dogs were the first domesticated species, originating at least 15,000 y ago from Eurasian gray wolves. Dogs today consist primarily of two specialized groups--a diverse set of nearly 400 pure breeds and a far more populous group of free-ranging animals adapted to a human commensal lifestyle (village dogs). Village dogs are more genetically diverse and geographically widespread than purebred dogs making them vital for unraveling dog population history.

Phosphine control of the oxidative addition chemistry of tetrathiocins to palladium(0): characterization of mono-, di-, and hexanuclear palladium(II) dithiolate complexes.

The outcome of the oxidative addition reactions of bis(4',5'-dimethoxybenzo)-1,2,5,6-tetrathiocin to Pd2dba3 under microwave conditions is sensitive to the nature of the phosphine coreagent; the bidentate phosphines dppm, dppe, and dppf afford the mononuclear dithiolates (dmobdt)Pd(dppm) (4), (dmobdt)Pd(dppe) (2), and (dmobdt)Pd(dppf) (5), whereas more labile monodentate phosphines lead to aggregation; Ph3P afforded the dinuclear dithiolate (dmobdt)2Pd2(PPh3)2 (6), whereas (t)Bu3P generated the phosphine-free hexanuclear edge-capped octahedral complex Pd6(dmobdt)6 (7) [dmobdt = 4,5-dimethoxybenzenedithiolate, (MeO)2C6H2S2(2-)].

Germline Mutations in the BRIP1, BARD1, PALB2, and NBN Genes in Women With Ovarian Cancer.

Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, responsible for 13 000 deaths per year in the United States. Risk prediction based on identifying germline mutations in ovarian cancer susceptibility genes could have a clinically significant impact on reducing disease mortality.

Methods: Next generation sequencing was used to identify germline mutations in the coding regions of four candidate susceptibility genes-BRIP1, BARD1, PALB2 and NBN-in 3236 invasive EOC case patients and 3431 control patients of European origin, and in 2000 unaffected high-risk women from a clinical screening trial of ovarian cancer (UKFOCSS).

Contribution of Germline Mutations in the RAD51B, RAD51C, and RAD51D Genes to Ovarian Cancer in the Population.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the contribution of deleterious mutations in the RAD51B, RAD51C, and RAD51D genes to invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the population and in a screening trial of individuals at high risk of ovarian cancer.

Patients And Methods: The coding sequence and splice site boundaries of the three RAD51 genes were sequenced and analyzed in germline DNA from a case-control study of 3,429 patients with invasive EOC and 2,772 controls as well as in 2,000 unaffected women who were BRCA1/BRCA2 negative from the United Kingdom Familial Ovarian Cancer Screening Study (UK_FOCSS) after quality-control analysis.

Results: In the case-control study, we identified predicted deleterious mutations in 28 EOC cases (0.

A single ectomycorrhizal fungal species can enable a Pinus invasion.

Like all obligately ectomycorrhizal plants, pines require ectomycorrhizal fungal symbionts to complete their life cycle. Pines introduced into regions far from their native range are typically incompatible with local ectomycorrhizal fungi, and, when they invade, coinvade with fungi from their native range. While the identities and distributions of coinvasive fungal symbionts of pine invasions are poorly known, communities that have been studied are notably depauperate.

Early fetal echocardiography: Experience of a tertiary diagnostic service.

Background: There is a growing body of evidence that most of the major cardiac abnormalities can be diagnosed at 14-15 weeks of gestation. We present our experience of early fetal echocardiography.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of women referred for early fetal echocardiography at 13-16 weeks of gestation at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Sydney Ultrasound for Women between August 2011 and March 2014.

Assessing patient characteristics and radiation-induced non-targeted effects in vivo for high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

Purpose: To test whether blood, urine, and tissue based colony-forming assays are a useful clinical detection tool for assessing fractionated treatment responses and non-targeted radiation effects in bystander cells.

Materials And Methods: To assess patients' responses to radiation treatments, blood serum, urine, and an esophagus explant-based in vivo colony-forming assay were used from oesophageal carcinoma patients. These patients underwent three fractions of high dose rate (HDR) intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT).

Childhood and Adolescent nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma - A review of clinical outcome based on the histological variants.

Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (nLPHL) comprises approximately 10-12% of all childhood Hodgkin lymphoma. As the majority have low stage disease recent years have seen a de-escalation of treatment intensity to avoid treatment-related morbidity. This report evaluates treatment outcome in children with histopathological variants of nLPHL after therapy de-escalation.

Management of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and pacemakers who require radiation therapy.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) may pose acute and long-term risks for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, the frequency of these problems has not been accurately defined.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of CIEDs among patients requiring RT and report the common CIED-related problems when patients are managed according to a standard clinical care path.

A faculty development program integrating cross-cultural care into a gastrointestinal pathophysiology tutorial benefits students, tutors, and the course.

A specific faculty development program for tutors to teach cross-cultural care in a preclinical gastrointestinal pathophysiology course with weekly longitudinal followup sessions was designed in 2007 and conducted in the same manner over a 6-yr period. Anonymous student evaluations of how "frequently" the course and the tutor were actively teaching cross-cultural care were performed. The statements "This tutor actively teaches culturally competent care" and "Issues of culture and ethnicity were addressed" were significantly improved over baseline 2004 data.

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities coinvading with Pinaceae host plants in Argentina: Gringos bajo el bosque.

Coinvasive ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi allow Pinaceae species to invade regions otherwise lacking compatible symbionts, but ECM fungal communities permitting Pinaceae invasions are poorly understood. In the context of Pinaceae invasions on Isla Victoria, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Argentina, we asked: what ECM fungi are coinvading with Pinaceae hosts on Isla Victoria; are some ECM fungal species or genera more prone to invade than others; and are all ECM fungal species that associate with Northern Hemisphere hosts also nonnative, or are some native fungi compatible with nonnative plants? We sampled ECMs from 226 Pinaceae host plant individuals, both planted individuals and recruits, growing inside and invading from plantations. We used molecular techniques to examine ECM fungal communities associating with these trees.

Human islet function following 20 years of cryogenic biobanking.

Aims/hypothesis: There are potential advantages to the low-temperature (-196 °C) banking of isolated islets, including the maintenance of viable islets for future research. We therefore assessed the in vitro and in vivo function of islets cryopreserved for nearly 20 years.

Methods: Human islets were cryopreserved from 1991 to 2001 and thawed between 2012 and 2014.

Modeling changes in the hemoglobin concentration of skin with total diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

The ability to monitor changes in the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood of the skin in real time is a key component to personalized patient care. Since hemoglobin has a unique absorption spectrum in the visible light range, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is the most common approach. Although the collection of the diffuse reflectance spectrum with an integrating sphere (IS) has several calibration challenges, this collection method is sufficiently user-friendly that it may be worth overcoming the initial difficulty.