Patient-reported lower limb edema after primary radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Background: Secondary lymphedema is a known side effect to radiotherapy (RT), but limited information regarding prevalence and risk factors for lower limb edema (LLE) after curative radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) is available. This study provides a descriptive analysis of patient-reported LLE with analysis of risk factors in a cohort of patients with PCa treated with curative RT.

Material And Methods: A total of 302 patients with PCa with prospective registration of patient-reported LLE (EORTC QLQ-PR25 (Question 46)) were included.

The Effect of Conflicting Public Health Guidance on Smokers' and Vapers' E-cigarette Harm Perceptions.

Background: E-cigarettes are increasingly being viewed, incorrectly, as more harmful than cigarettes. This may discourage smokers from switching to e-cigarettes. One potential explanation for these increasingly harmful attitudes is conflicting information presented in the media and online, and from public health bodies.

Analysis of host-pathogen gene association networks reveals patient-specific response to streptococcal and polymicrobial necrotising soft tissue infections.

Background: Necrotising soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are rapidly progressing bacterial infections usually caused by either several pathogens in unison (polymicrobial infections) or Streptococcus pyogenes (mono-microbial infection). These infections are rare and are associated with high mortality rates. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms in this heterogeneous group remain elusive.

Tackling Smoker Misperceptions About E-cigarettes Using Expert Videos.

Background: The pervasive misperception that e-cigarettes are equally or more harmful than combustible cigarettes is a barrier to current smokers switching to e-cigarettes. To tackle misperceptions, public health bodies are using informational videos, although their efficacy is unknown.

Methods: In our online study, current UK smokers who do not vape (n = 382) were randomized to view either: (1) a Cancer Research UK (CRUK) text-only video; (2) a video featuring leading e-cigarette experts (expert); or (3) a no video control condition, and then completed questions regarding e-cigarette harm perceptions.

Accessing Forbidden Glass Regimes through High-Pressure Sub-T Annealing.

Density and hardness of glasses are known to increase upon both compression at the glass transition temperature (T) and ambient pressure sub-T annealing. However, a serial combination of the two methods does not result in higher density and hardness, since the effect of compression is countered by subsequent annealing and vice versa. In this study, we circumvent this by introducing a novel treatment protocol that enables the preparation of high-density, high-hardness bulk aluminosilicate glasses.