Publications by authors named "Keir J"

Article Synopsis
  • Firefighters are exposed to harmful substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and flame retardants (FRs) during fires, and this study used silicone wristbands (SWBs) to measure these exposures in various settings related to fire stations and firefighters.
  • The findings revealed that fire station areas generally had higher concentrations of low molecular weight PAHs and specific organophosphate flame retardants compared to office areas, with truck interiors showing particularly high levels.
  • Exposure to these harmful substances was lower when firefighters did not respond to fires, but significantly increased in conditions involving heavy smoke, indicating the influence of both work environments and fire conditions on exposure levels.
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Firefighters experience exposures to carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Silicone wristbands (SWBs) have been used as passive samplers to assess firefighters' exposures over the course of a shift but their utility in measuring short term exposures, source of exposure, and correlations with other measurements of exposure have not yet been investigated. In this study, SWBs were used to measure the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs inside and outside of firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE) while firefighting.

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Background And Objective: Knowledge of accuracy for melanoma diagnosis and melanoma discovering-individual in primary care is limited. We describe general practitioner (GP) characteristics and analyse defined diagnostic accuracy metrics for GPs in the current study comparing this with a previous study for GPs common to both, and we analyse the individual first discovering each melanoma as a lesion of concern.

Methods: The characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of 27 Australasian GPs documenting 637 melanomas on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database (SCARD) in 2013 were described and analysed.

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Firefighters are exposed to carcinogenic and mutagenic combustion emissions, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fire service and firefighter cancer advocacy groups recommend skin cleaning using wipes or washing with detergent and water after exposure to smoke, although these strategies have not been proven to reduce exposures to harmful combustion products such as PAHs. This study assessed dermal decontamination methods to reduce PAH exposures by firefighters participating in live fire training scenarios.

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Background And Objective: General practitioners manage more melanomas than dermatologists or surgeons in Australia. Previously undescribed, the management and outcomes of melanoma patients treated by multiple Australasian general practitioners are examined.

Methods: The characteristics, management and outcomes of 589 melanoma patients, managed by 27 Australasian general practitioners and documented on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database (SCARD), were analysed.

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Background And Objective: Most melanomas (including melanomas in situ), in Australasia, are treated by general practitioners (GPs). Previously undescribed, the characteristics of a series of melanomas treated by multiple GPs are examined.

Patients And Methods: Six hundred and thirty-seven melanomas treated by 27 Australasian GPs during 2013 and documented on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database (SCARD) were analysed by anatomical site, subtype, Breslow thickness, diameter, associated naevi and linked adverse outcomes.

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Wave Propagation on Microstate Geometries.

Ann Henri Poincare

December 2019

Supersymmetric microstate geometries were recently conjectured (Eperon et al. in JHEP 10:031, 2016. 10.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of compounds formed during the incomplete combustion of organic matter. Several are mutagenic carcinogens; the magnitude of exposure can be assessed by examining urinary levels of PAH metabolites. Data from biomonitoring studies that record urinary PAH metabolite levels, as well as demographic and lifestyle information, can be used to investigate relationships between PAH exposure and variables, such as smoking status, workplace smoking restrictions, age, sex, household income, home age, and occupation.

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This study examined occupational exposures of Ottawa firefighters to combustion by-products and selected metals. We measured exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), antimony, cadmium, and lead using (1) personal air samplers worn by firefighters during emergency fire suppression; (2) wipe samples from skin, personal clothing, and personal protective equipment (PPE) collected before and after emergency firefighting (n = 29); and (3) air samples collected in three fire stations vehicle bays, truck cabs, and one administration office. We assessed OFS PPE decontamination procedures using wipe samples collected before and after laundering (n = 12).

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The Canadian Domestic Substances List (DSL) contains chemicals that have not been tested for genotoxicity as their use pre-dates regulatory requirements. In the present study, (quantitative) structure-activity relationships ((Q)SAR) model predictions and in vitro tests were conducted for genotoxicity assessment of 13 data-poor chemicals from the DSL (i.e.

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Background: The design of an experiment influences both what a researcher can measure, as well as how much confidence can be placed in the results. As such, it is vitally important that experimental design decisions do not systematically bias research outcomes. At the same time, making optimal design decisions can produce results leading to statistically stronger conclusions.

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This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. This study explores tutors' experience of teaching diagnostic reasoning (DR) - a key component of clinical reasoning - to build understanding into the use of explicit strategies in facilitating development of DR skills in preclinical medical students.

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Occupational exposures to combustion emissions were examined in Ottawa Fire Service (OFS) firefighters. Paired urine and dermal wipe samples (i.e.

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Background: Melanomas on chronically sun-damaged skin (CSDS) can be difficult to identify and often manifest morphologic features that overlap with benign lesions.

Objective: We describe and analyze the clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of melanomas on nonfacial CSDS.

Methods: Melanoma cases on nonfacial CSDS were retrospectively identified from the biopsy specimen logs of 6 melanoma clinics.

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A protection-deprotection strategy for strained alkynes used for bioorthogonal chemistry is reported. A strained alkyne can be protected with dicobalt-octacarbonyl and we demonstrate for the first time that a strained alkyne can be re-formed and isolated under mild reaction conditions for further bioorthogonal reactivity. The protection-deprotection strategy herein reported will expand the versatility of strained alkynes for the preparation of substrates in chemical biology and materials applications.

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Mexican-style soft cheese known as queso fresco (QF), which is often unpasteurized, has been implicated in outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States. The U.S.

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Although the toxic metal Cd is an established human nephrotoxin, little is known about the role that interactions with plasma constitutents play in determining its mammalian target organs. To gain insight, a Cd-human serum albumin (HSA) complex was analyzed on a system consisting of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled on-line to a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). Using phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.

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Background: The dermatoscopic features of facial lentigo maligna (LM), facial lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) and acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) have been well described. This is the first description of the dermatoscopic appearance of a clinical series of cutaneous non-facial non-acral lentiginous growth pattern melanomas.

Objective: To describe the dermatoscopic features of a series of cutaneous non-facial non-acral lentiginous growth pattern melanomas in an Australian skin cancer practice.

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Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous malignancy with a high mortality rate. Diagnosis is often delayed.

Objectives: To characterize the dermoscopic features of MCC.

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Objective: We present the first report of a case of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses treated successfully with radiotherapy alone.

Method: A case report and literature review are presented.

Results: Fewer than 50 cases of paranasal sinus neuroendocrine carcinoma have been reported.

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In October 2007, wildfires burned nearly 300,000 acres in San Diego County, California. Emergency risk communication messages were broadcast to reduce community exposure to air pollution caused by the fires. The objective of this investigation was to determine residents' exposure to, understanding of, and compliance with these messages.

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Background: Deciding whether a skin lesion requires biopsy to exclude skin cancer is often challenging for primary care clinicians in Australia. There are several published algorithms designed to assist with the diagnosis of skin cancer but apart from the clinical ABCD rule, these algorithms only evaluate the dermatoscopic features of a lesion.

Objectives: The BLINCK algorithm explores the effect of combining clinical history and examination with fundamental dermatoscopic assessment in primary care skin cancer practice.

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Background: Dermatoscopy improves accuracy of melanoma diagnosis, but the impact of subspecialization in skin cancer practice among general practitioners on melanoma diagnostic accuracy is not known.

Objective: To assess the impact of dermatoscopy use and subspecialization on the accuracy of melanoma diagnosis by general practitioners.

Methods: We did a prospective study on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database and measured melanoma 'number needed to treat' (NNT), with 21,900 lesions excised to diagnose 2367 melanomas.

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Background: Little is known about the dermoscopic features of keratinocyte skin cancer.

Objective: We sought to determine the dermoscopic features of facial actinic keratosis (AK), intraepidermal carcinoma (IEC), moderately to poorly differentiated invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and well-differentiated SCC of the keratoacanthoma type.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of dermoscopic images of histopathologically diagnosed keratinocyte skin cancer.

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Background: Little is known about the dermoscopic features of scalp tumours. Objective  To determine the dermoscopic features of scalp tumours.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of dermoscopic images of histopathologically diagnosed scalp tumours from International Dermoscopy Society members.

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