Don't bring COVID home for Christmas - analysing emerging themes during COVID-19 through lenses of care homes and universities in Finland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Sweden.

Background: In autumn of 2020, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care pleaded with young people to 'not kill your gran' when returning home, after he confirmed the surge in coronavirus cases at that time was associated with students away from home for the first time. Meanwhile residents continued to die in care homes across the NPA Region.

Aims: To examine the impact of COVID-19 on communities through the twin lenses of University Campuses and Care Homes from November 2020 to March 2021.

Evaluation design of the patient-centred pathways of early palliative care, supportive ecosystems and appraisal standard (InAdvance): a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Palliative care aims to contribute to pain relief, improvement with regard to symptoms and enhancement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with chronic conditions. Most of the palliative care protocols, programmes and units are predominantly focused on patients with cancer and their specific needs. Patients with non-cancer chronic conditions may also have significantly impaired HRQoL and poor survival, but do not yet receive appropriate and holistic care.

The safety and regulation of natural products used as foods and food ingredients.

The use of botanicals and dietary supplements derived from natural substances as an adjunct to an improved quality of life or for their purported medical benefits has become increasingly common in the United States. This review addresses the safety assessment and regulation of food products containing these substances by the U.S.

Age differences in identifying words in synthetic speech.

Objectives: We investigated whether context or different speech rates could improve older adult performance on identification of synthetically generated words.

Background: Synthetic speech systems can potentially improve the daily functioning of older adults. However, research must determine whether older adults can effectively implement current text-to-speech technologies, which few studies have examined.

Age-related identification of emotions at different image sizes.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine whether older adults are placed at a unique disadvantage in identifying emotions at small image sizes.

Background: Technologies relevant to older adults often display small images, though no studies have examined whether these systems are usable for this population. Given the importance of successful emotional processing, we draw on research showing age-related difficulties in processing negative emotions to examine older adults' performance on images with reduced sizes.

Effects of deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin) on in utero development in rats.

Deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin), is one of the most common contaminants of cereal grains world-wide. The effects of DON on fetal development were assessed in Charles River Sprague-Dawley rats. Pregnant female rats were gavaged once daily with DON at doses of 0, 0.

Phase II study of primary temozolomide chemotherapy in patients with WHO grade II gliomas.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of temozolomide in patients with World Health Organisation (WHO) grade II gliomas treated with surgery alone using imaging and clinical criteria.

Patients And Methods: Thirty patients with histologically verified WHO grade II gliomas (17 astrocytoma, 11 oligodendroglioma, two mixed oligoastrocytoma) following surgery 2-104 months (median 23 months) after initial diagnosis received temozolomide 200 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days, on a 28-day cycle, for a maximum of 12 cycles or until tumour progression. Median age was 40 years (range 25-68 years).

Hypofractionated radiotherapy for poor prognosis malignant glioma: matched pair survival analysis with MRC controls.

Purpose: To assess the survival benefit of palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy in patients with poor prognosis high grade glioma by a matched comparison to conventionally treated controls.

Method: Ninety-two elderly and/or disabled patients with high grade glioma with poor prognostic features received palliative partial brain radiotherapy to a dose of 30Gy in six fractions over 2 weeks. Patients were matched for WHO histological grade, performance status and age from a cohort of patients treated with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy to a dose of 60Gy in 30 fractions in an Medical Research Council (MRC) BR05 trial.

Evaluation of a Grief Group for Women in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment.

Most women in substance abuse treatment have experienced significant losses. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of a therapy group addressing grief and loss among women enrolled in a gender-specific residential substance abuse treatment program. The intervention group consisted of 24 grief group participants and the comparison group consisted of 31 nonparticipants.

Temozolomide as second-line chemotherapy for relapsed gliomas.

Background: Temozolomide, an imidazotetrazine prodrug has shown activity in phase II studies in patients with high-grade glioma at first recurrence. We assessed the efficacy of temozolomide as second-line therapy following failure of PCV chemotherapy in patients with recurrent/progressive gliomas.

Patients And Methods: Between September 1994 and November 2000, 32 patients with high-grade gliomas at second recurrence/progression received temozolomide as salvage therapy and results were reviewed retrospectively.

Pathological evaluation, clinical chemistry and plasma cholecystokinin in neonatal and young miniature swine fed soy trypsin inhibitor from 1 to 39 weeks of age.

The potential toxicity of dietary soy trypsin inhibitor (TI) was evaluated in neonatal miniature swine. From 1 to 6 weeks of age, two groups of male piglets were artificially reared in an Autosow and automatically fed either TI or control liquid diet. From 6 to 39 weeks of age, these two groups were fed either TI or control chow diet.

Stereotactic radiotherapy for solitary brain metastases.

Purpose: Surgery is considered to be the treatment of choice for patients with solitary brain metastases. We report a single-centre experience of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT)/radiosurgery as an alternative to surgery and define prognostic parameters that provide for a more rational selection of patients for appropriate treatment.

Patients And Methods: Between 1990 and 1997, 96 patients with 106 brain metastases received SRT to a dose of 20 Gy in two fractions (range 20-30 Gy in 24 fractions) either alone or in combination with whole brain radiotherapy.

Thalidomide as an anti-angiogenic agent in relapsed gliomas.

Background: Thalidomide (alpha-phthalimidoglutarimide), a synthetic sedative drug, has anti-angiogenic properties due to inhibition of growth-factor mediated neovascularisation and has been shown to inhibit tumour growth in experimental solid tumour models.

Aim: To assess response of recurrent malignant gliomas to thalidomide.

Methods: Eighteen patients with recurrent gliomas were enrolled to an open, non-randomised phase II trial between October 1997 and December 1999.

Advice on hair and scalp care during cranial radiotherapy: a prospective randomized trial.

Background: The advice on hair washing during brain irradiation is aimed at minimizing radiation induced skin toxicity. We performed a prospective randomized trial to assess the effect of advice on scalp care on the local skin reaction in patients undergoing cranial radiotherapy.

Methods: One hundred and nine patients undergoing cranial radiotherapy were randomized into two groups.

Modifying radical radiotherapy in high grade gliomas; shortening the treatment time through acceleration.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of accelerated radiotherapy in patients with primary high grade glioma, where acceleration is used as a means of delivering a shortened course of radical radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Two-hundred and eleven patients with primary high grade glioma were treated at the Royal Marsden NHS Trust between 1987 and 1997 with accelerated radiotherapy (55 Gy in 34 fractions twice daily), to planning target volume (PTV) defined as enhancing tumour and a 3 cm margin. All had histologically confirmed high grade glioma (53 anaplastic astrocytoma, 137 glioblastoma multiforme, 4 gliosarcoma, 5 gemistocytic astrocytoma, 12 high grade astrocytoma not otherwise specified).

Short intensive primary chemotherapy and radiotherapy in sporadic primary CNS lymphoma (PCL).

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of combined modality therapy with short intensive primary chemotherapy in the treatment of primary CNS lymphoma (PCL).

Methods And Materials: Prospective study of 31 nonimmunodeficient patients with PCL treated with initial chemotherapy (13 shortened MACOP-B; and 18 modified MACOP with high dose methotrexate) followed by radiotherapy (whole brain and a boost). Patients were aged 18-72 years (median 51 years).

Verbally administered Barthel Index as functional assessment in brain tumour patients.

Objective: To investigate verbally administered Barthel Index as a measure of functional status in patients with high grade gliomas.

Background: Barthel Index (BI) is a performance score of activities of daily living which has been validated in patients with neurological disability. While any assessment of quality of life in brain tumour patients should include all the aspects of CNS function we concentrated on measurement of physical performance status and evaluated the role of BI as a measure of palliative effect of treatment in patients with high grade glioma undergoing radiotherapy.

Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy in the management of recurrent glioma.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and toxicity of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in the management of patients with recurrent glioma.

Methods And Materials: From January 1989 to July 1994, 36 patients with glioma were treated at the time of recurrence. Twenty-nine had recurrent high-grade astrocytoma, 3 high-grade oligodendroglioma, 1 high-grade ependymoma, and 3 pilocytic astrocytoma.

Food and Drug Administration risk assessment--process and toxicologic pathology.

A general outline of the risk assessment process at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the Food and Drug Administration based on the toxicologic evaluation of data is described. Examples of recent pathology evaluations are presented to illustrate primarily the pathology review process at the CFSAN. These examples include the review of data from rodent studies from proposed indirect food additives and data from dog studies submitted in support of an investigational new drug, a short-acting opioid, proposed as an anesthetic in humans.

Histopathological evaluation of liver, pancreas, spleen, and heart from iron-overloaded Sprague-Dawley rats.

The effects of increasing dietary levels of Fe on the histopathology of liver, pancreas, spleen, and heart were examined in a rat model for iron overload. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 35, 350, 3,500, or 20,000 micrograms Fe/g, and, after 12 wk, there was a direct correlation between increased liver nonheme Fe and lipid peroxidation measured by the lipid-conjugated diene assay. Histopathological examination of tissues revealed the following: (a) hepatocellular hemosiderosis in all groups of rats, with a dose-related accumulation of cytoplasmic Fe-positive material predominantly in hepatocytes located in the periportal region (Zone 1), (b) myocardial degeneration and necrosis (cardiomyopathy) with hemosiderin in interstitial macrophages or in myocardial fibers of animals with heart damage, (c) splenic lymphoid atrophy affecting the marginal zone of the white pulp and hemosiderin deposition in the sinusoidal macrophages, and (d) pancreatic atrophy with loss of both the endocrine and exocrine pancreatic tissue in those animals receiving 3,500 and 20,000 micrograms Fe/g of diet.

Problems in consideration of rodent hepatocarcinogenesis for regulatory purposes.

Hepatoproliferative lesions of rodents are frequently reported in petitions containing pathology data from chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies submitted to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the Food and Drug Administration. The Pathology Branch of the Office of Scientific Analysis and Support evaluates these data, which are submitted in support of the safe use of food additives, color additives, and other regulated products. Data are reviewed for the adequacy of the information provided, the terminology used to describe the reported lesions, and the overall scientific rationale used in interpreting the biological significance of the observed lesions.