Minimizing Ionizing Radiation in Evaluating Suspected Appendicitis in Children Before and After the Release of the ACEP Clinical Policy.

Study Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) clinical policy regarding diagnosis of suspected appendicitis on changing practice in the pediatric emergency department (ED) in the absence of a formal departmental protocol.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review in a pediatric ED in which patients aged 2 to 18 years were evaluated for appendicitis via ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or both, over a 7-year study period. We compared rates of CT utilization in the period before the release of the ACEP clinical policy regarding diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis (2008-2009) and the period after (2010-2014).

Host attraction and biting behaviour of Anopheles mosquitoes in South Halmahera, Indonesia.

Background: Indonesia is home to a variety of malaria vectors whose specific bionomic traits remain largely uncharacterized. Species-specific behaviours, such as host feeding preferences, impact the dynamics of malaria transmission and the effectiveness of vector control interventions.

Methods: To examine species-specific host attraction and feeding behaviours, a Latin square design was used to compare Anopheles mosquitoes attracted to human, cow, and goat-baited tents.

MicroRNAs associated with small bowel neuroendocrine tumours and their metastases.

Novel molecular analytes are needed in small bowel neuroendocrine tumours (SBNETs) to better determine disease aggressiveness and predict treatment response. In this study, we aimed to profile the global miRNome of SBNETs, and identify microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in tumour progression for use as potential biomarkers. Two independent miRNA profiling experiments were performed (n=90), including primary SBNETs (n=28), adjacent normal small bowel (NSB; n=14), matched lymph node (LN) metastases (n=24), normal LNs (n=7), normal liver (n=2) and liver metastases (n=15).

Behaviour and molecular identification of Anopheles malaria vectors in Jayapura district, Papua province, Indonesia.

Background: Members of the Anopheles punctulatus group dominate Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), with a geographic range that extends south through Vanuatu. An. farauti and An.

Psychosocial and Sexual Well-Being Following Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Reconstruction.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is considered an oncologically safe option for select patients. As many patients are candidates for nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM), reliable patient-reported outcome data are crucial for decision-making. The objective of this study was to determine whether patient satisfaction and/or health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were improved by preservation of the nipple with NSM compared to SSM and nipple reconstruction.

Glucagon receptor gene mutations with hyperglucagonemia but without the glucagonoma syndrome.

Pancreatic neoplasms producing exclusively glucagon associated with glucagon cell hyperplasia of the islets and not related to hereditary endocrine syndromes have been recently described. They represent a novel entity within the panel of non-syndromic disorders associated with hyperglucagonemia. This case report describes a 36-year-old female with a 10 years history of non-specific abdominal pain.

Does the use of biopatch devices at drain sites reduce perioperative infectious complications in patients undergoing immediate tissue expander breast reconstruction?

Background: To decrease the rate of infectious complications, surgeons have begun to use Biopatch (Ethicon, Somerville, N.J.) disks at drain exit sites.

CCL11 blocks IL-4 and GM-CSF signaling in hematopoietic cells and hinders dendritic cell differentiation via suppressor of cytokine signaling expression.

The chemokine eotaxin/CCL11 is an important mediator of leukocyte migration, but its effect on inflammatory cytokine signaling has not been explored. In this study, we find that CCL11 induces suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 expression in murine macrophages, human monocytes, and dendritic cells (DCs). We also discover that CCL11 inhibits GM-CSF-mediated STAT5 activation and IL-4-induced STAT6 activation in a range of hematopoietic cells.

Medical treatment at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after hurricane Katrina: the experience of disaster medical assistance teams WA-1 and OR-2.

In the week following Hurricane Katrina, over 3000 patients were evacuated by air from a triage and medical treatment station at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. This represents the largest air evacuation in history. Over 24,000 additional evacuees were transported from the airport to shelters.