Changes in legal referrals to specialty substance use disorder treatment from 2015-2019.

Background: The policy landscape around substance use has changed dramatically in the past decade, which may have affected the number and characteristics of treatment episodes for substance use disorder (SUD). In this study, we examine changes in the volume of SUD treatment referrals from the legal system and compare changes in the composition of substances used by referral source. We used publicly available discharge data on specialty SUD treatment episodes in the U.

AGREE II Evaluation of Clinical Practice Guidelines on Generalized Cancer Pain Management.

Purpose: While several clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) exist to guide clinical decision-making in patients with generalized cancer pain, to date there has been no comprehensive review of their quality. Our aim was to address this deficiency via the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool.

Design: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline-based systematic literature search followed by AGREE II appraisal of identified CPGs.

Extragustatory bitter taste receptors in head and neck health and disease.

Taste receptors, first described for their gustatory functions within the oral cavity and oropharynx, are now known to be expressed in many organ systems. Even intraoral taste receptors regulate non-sensory pathways, and recent literature has connected bitter taste receptors to various states of health and disease. These extragustatory pathways involve previously unexplored, clinically relevant roles for taste signaling in areas including susceptibility to infection, antibiotic efficacy, and cancer outcomes.

Beyond the here and now: hunter-gatherer socio-spatial complexity and the evolution of language.

Human evolutionary ecology stands to benefit by integrating theory and methods developed in movement ecology, and in turn, to make contributions to the broader field of movement ecology by leveraging our species' distinct attributes. In this paper, we review data and evolutionary models suggesting that major changes in socio-spatial behaviour accompanied the evolution of language. To illustrate and explore these issues, we present a comparison of GPS measures of the socio-spatial behaviour of Hadza hunter-gatherers of northern Tanzania to those of olive baboons (), a comparatively small-brained primate that is also savanna-adapted.

Hadza Landscape Burning.

We present the first published ethnographic description of landscape burning by Hadza hunter-gatherers of northern Tanzania and identify environmental, social, and cultural influences on Hadza landscape burning, thereby broadening the ethnographic record of anthropogenic burning practices described for hunter-gatherer communities. We report interview data collected in 2022 and 2023, describing their practices and attitudes regarding the causes and consequences of burning. We provide context by comparing our observations with those recorded for hunting and gathering populations in Africa, Australia, and North America.

Systematic evaluation of Merkel cell carcinoma clinical practice guidelines using the AGREE II instrument.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare type of skin cancer that requires a multidisciplinary approach with a variety of specialists for management and treatment. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have recently been established to standardize management algorithms. The objective of this study was to appraise such CPGs via the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument.

Endoscopic Repair of Anterior Skull Base Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks is Successful in Frail Patients.

Objective: Surgical frailty estimates a patient's ability to withstand the physiologic stress of an intervention. There is limited data regarding the impact of frailty on endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair.

Methods: Patients undergoing CSF leak repair at two tertiary academic skull base programs were retrospectively reviewed.

The efficacy of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program surgical risk calculator in head and neck surgery: A meta-analysis.

Background: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program surgical risk calculator (SRC) estimates the risk for postoperative complications. This meta-analysis assesses the efficacy of the SRC in the field of head and neck surgery.

Methods: A systematic review identified studies comparing the SRC's predictions to observed outcomes following head and neck surgeries.

Managing vestibular schwannomas with radiosurgery and radiotherapy: AGREE II appraisal of clinical practice guidelines.

Introduction: Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are rare, benign intracranial tumours that have prompted clinical practice guideline (CPG) creation given their complex management. Our aim was to utilize the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument to assess if such CPGs on the management of VSs with radiosurgery and radiotherapy are of acceptable quality.

Methods: Relevant CPGs were identified following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocols.

The fragility index: how robust are the outcomes of head and neck cancer randomised, controlled trials?

Background: The fragility index represents the minimum number of patients required to convert an outcome from statistically significant to insignificant. This report assesses the fragility index of head and neck cancer randomised, controlled trials.

Methods: Studies were extracted from PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane databases.

Impact of Frailty on Postoperative Outcomes in Extended Endonasal Skull Base Surgery for Suprasellar Pathologies.

Objective: Frailty metrics estimate a patient's ability to tolerate physiologic stress and there are limited frailty data in patients undergoing expanded endonasal approaches (EEA) for suprasellar pathologies. Elevated frailty metrics have been associated with increased perioperative complications in patients undergoing craniotomies. We sought to examine this potential relationship in EEA.

Radioactive Iodine in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic AGREE II Clinical Practice Guideline Appraisal.

Objective: Identify and appraise clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for radioactive iodine (RAI) indications in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), and the treatment for radioactive iodine refractory (RAI-R) DTC using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool.

Data Sources: MEDLINE (Pubmed), Ovid (EMBASE), and Scopus.

Review Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify CPGs addressing RAI in DTC.

Extension of Methane Emission Rate Distribution for Permian Basin Oil and Gas Production Infrastructure by Aerial LiDAR.

Aerial LiDAR measurements at 7474 oil and gas production facilities in the Permian Basin yield a measured methane emission rate distribution extending to the detection sensitivity of the method, 2 kg/h at 90% probability of detection (POD). Emissions are found at 38.3% of facilities scanned, a significantly higher proportion than reported in lower-sensitivity campaigns.

Frailty does not worsen postoperative outcomes in sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an aggressive malignancy frequently requiring surgical resection and adjuvant treatment. Frailty is a metric that attempts to estimate a patient's ability to tolerate the physiologic stress of treatment. There is limited work describing frailty in patients with sinonasal cancer.

Carcinosarcoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: Review of the national cancer database.

Background: Carcinosarcomas are rare, aggressive malignancies that can arise in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. There are limited outcome data available. Accordingly, we sought to use the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to characterize patient demographics and outcomes.

Pediatric Custom Tracheostomies: A Ten-Year Experience.

Objectives: To describe the use of customized and custom tracheostomies at our institution, and to identify trends in patient presentation and tracheostomy design.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for patients at our institution for whom a customized or custom tracheostomy tube was ordered between January 2011 and July 2021. Customized tracheostomy tubes allow for a small selection of alterations to trach design, such as cuff length and flange type.

Dual-pharmacophore artezomibs hijack the Plasmodium ubiquitin-proteasome system to kill malaria parasites while overcoming drug resistance.

Artemisinins (ART) are critical anti-malarials and despite their use in combination therapy, ART-resistant Plasmodium falciparum is spreading globally. To counter ART resistance, we designed artezomibs (ATZs), molecules that link an ART with a proteasome inhibitor (PI) via a non-labile amide bond and hijack parasite's own ubiquitin-proteasome system to create novel anti-malarials in situ. Upon activation of the ART moiety, ATZs covalently attach to and damage multiple parasite proteins, marking them for proteasomal degradation.

Clinical practice guidelines for management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary: an AGREE II appraisal.

Importance: Squamous cell carcinoma without a known primary is an uncommon form of head and neck cancer that requires multidisciplinary collaboration for effective management.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument.

Design: A systematic literature search was performed to identify CPGs pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (HNSCCUP).

Women want male partner engagement in antenatal care services: A qualitative study of pregnant women from rural South Africa.

Introduction: Evidence strongly shows that a supportive, involved male partner facilitates maternal HIV testing during pregnancy, increases maternal antiretroviral (ART) adherence and increases HIV-free infant survival. Partner engagement in antenatal care (ANC) is influential; however, the most effective strategy to engage male partners is currently unknown. Engaging pregnant women to understand whether male partner involvement is welcome in ANC, what this involvement entails and how best to invite their partner is an important first step in determining how best to engage male partners.

Epidemiology of Anterior and Lateral Basilar Skull Fractures With CSF Leak: A National Trauma Data Bank Analysis.

Objective: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are a complication from dural violations that can occur in the setting of skull base fractures. No prior study provides a nationwide epidemiological analysis of traumatic CSF leaks. The objective of this report is to characterize patient demographics, injury-related variables, and operative management.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Topical Intranasal Fluorescein for Localizing CSF Rhinorrhea: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To assess existing literature on topical intranasal fluorescein (TINF) for the diagnosis and localization of nasal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Study Design: Systematic review.

Methods: A 6-database literature search was conducted to identify articles providing insight into TINF for the diagnosis and treatment of sinonasal CSF leak.

Temperature Change of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices in a Bi-Chamber Set-Up at a Flow of 0 and 20mL/min.

Purpose: To understand the role of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) in corneal incision contracture (CIC). Specifically, the aim was to evaluate with the tip of the phacoemulsification needle free of OVD, how various OVDs near the tip and sleeve may transmit thermal energy to the incision site.

Methods: A small chamber was filled with balanced saline solution (BSS), and a thin membrane was placed on the surface.

Interhemispheric gravity-assisted approach for microsurgical resection of a splenium arteriovenous malformation.

The parietal interhemispheric approach employing gravity retraction with skeletonization of bridging veins provides an excellent operative window for safe, curative resection of splenial arteriovenous malformations.