Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Ectopic Malignancy versus Metastatic Disease.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma frequently metastasizes to regional lymph nodes. However, cervical lymph node metastasis as a sole manifestation of occult papillary thyroid carcinoma is rarely observed. Ectopic thyroid is an uncommon condition defined as the presence of thyroid tissue at a site other than pretracheal area.

Reproducibility discrepancies following reanalysis of raw data for a previously published study on diisononyl phthalate (DINP) in rats.

A 2011 publication by Boberg et al. entitled "Reproductive and behavioral effects of diisononyl phthalate (DINP) in perinatally exposed rats" [1] reported statistically significant changes in sperm parameters, testicular histopathology, anogenital distance and retained nipples in developing males. Using the statistical methods as reported by Boberg et al.

Attributes of the complete dental record: a Delphi approach to standards.

Background: Adherence to the Dental Board of Australia Guidelines on dental records is not universal and remediation of deficient practise requires clarity in the practical application of standards. The aim of this research is to clarify practical requirements of dental record keeping in New South Wales.

Methods: Seventeen experts were invited to participate in an electronically administered series of Delphi questionnaires.

Influences on Dietary Choices during Day versus Night Shift in Shift Workers: A Mixed Methods Study.

Shift work is associated with diet-related chronic conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to explore factors influencing food choice and dietary intake in shift workers. A fixed mixed method study design was undertaken on a convenience sample of firefighters who continually work a rotating roster.

Quantitative weight of evidence to assess confidence in potential modes of action.

The evolved World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety mode of action (MOA) framework provides a structure for evaluating evidence in pathways of causally linked key events (KE) leading to adverse health effects. Although employed globally, variability in use of the MOA framework has led to different interpretations of the sufficiency of evidence in support of hypothesized MOAs. A proof of concept extension of the MOA framework is proposed for scoring confidence in the supporting data to improve scientific justification for MOA use in characterizing hazards and selecting dose-response extrapolation methods for specific chemicals.

Core-Shell in Liquid Chromatography: Application for Determining Sulphonamides in Feed and Meat Using Conventional Chromatographic Systems.

A C18 column packed with core-shell particles was used for the chromatographic separation of sulphonamides in feed and meat by a conventional high performance liquid chromatography system coupled with a diode array detector. Two analytical methods, already used in our laboratory, have been modified without any changes in the extraction and clean-up steps and in the liquid chromatography instrumentation. Chromatographic conditions applied on a traditional 5-µm column have been optimized on a column packed with 2.

Sleep disorders in spinal muscular atrophy.

Objective: To estimate the frequency of sleep disorders in young persons with type 2 and type 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and to evaluate the relationship between sleep disorders and different variables such as motor impairment, age, use of ventilation, and use of night orthoses.

Methods: A total of 85 young persons (6-25 years of age) with type 2 and type 3 SMA were assessed using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), a scale assessing different sleep factors, and the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE), a scale evaluating motor impairment.

Results: An abnormal total sleep score was found in 16.

Combined use of peptide ion and normalized delta scores to evaluate milk authenticity by ion-trap based proteomics coupled with error tolerant searching.

A fundamental issue in proteomics is the peptide identification by database searching and the assessment of the goodness of fit between experimental and theoretical data. Despite the different number of ways to measure the quality of search results, the definition of a scoring criterion is still highly desirable in ion-trap based proteomics. Indeed, in order to fully take advantage of a low resolution MS/MS dataset, it is essential to strike a balance between greater information capture and reduced number of incorrect peptide assignments.

Are low-to-middle-income households experiencing food insecurity in Victoria, Australia? An examination of the Victorian Population Health Survey, 2006-2009.

Food insecurity affects health and wellbeing. Little is known about the relationship between food insecurity across income levels. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and frequency of food insecurity in low-to-middle-income Victorian households over time and identify factors associated with food insecurity in these households.

The role of a food policy coalition in influencing a local food environment: an Australian case study.

Objective: To explore how an Australian rural food policy coalition acts to influence a local food environment, focusing specifically on its composition, functions and processes as well as its food-related strategies and policy outputs.

Design: A qualitative case study approach was undertaken. Three sources were used to triangulate data: eleven semi-structured in-depth interviews with coalition members, analysis of thirty-seven documents relating to the coalition and observation at one coalition meeting.

Culturally Tailored Diabetes Education for Chinese Patients: A Qualitative Case Study.

Purpose: To explore the range of teaching approaches and cultural-tailoring elements used in diabetes educations directed at Chinese patients and to determine the strategies that appeared to best address Chinese patients' needs.

Design: A case study approach in three countries was employed, using multiple ethnographic data collection methods including participant observations and qualitative interviews.

Findings: Data were collected from 39 participant observations and 22 interviews across seven cases.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Multi-Strategy Nutrition Education Programs on Health and Nutrition of Adolescents.

Objective: To update evidence on the impact of multi-strategy nutrition education interventions on adolescents' health and nutrition outcomes and behaviors.

Design: Systematic review of randomized controlled studies of multi-strategy interventions encompassing nutrition education published from 2000 to 2014 guided by the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement.

Setting: Secondary schools in developed countries.

Modified Policy-Delphi study for exploring obesity prevention priorities.

Introduction: Until now, industry and government stakeholders have dominated public discourse about policy options for obesity. While consumer involvement in health service delivery and research has been embraced, methods which engage consumers in health policy development are lacking. Conflicting priorities have generated ethical concern around obesity policy.

Elasticity mapping of murine abdominal organs in vivo using harmonic motion imaging (HMI).

Recently, ultrasonic imaging of soft tissue mechanics has been increasingly studied to image otherwise undetectable pathologies. However, many underlying mechanisms of tissue stiffening remain unknown, requiring small animal studies and adapted elasticity mapping techniques. Harmonic motion imaging (HMI) assesses tissue viscoelasticity by inducing localized oscillation from a periodic acoustic radiation force.

Anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning in animals of Apulia and Basilicata, Italy.

This study evaluates the presence of anticoagulant rodenticides in animals with a diagnosis of suspected poisoning and in bait samples. The survey was carried out from 2010 to 2012, in 2 regions of South Italy (Puglia and Basilicata) on 300 organs of animals and 90 suspected bait samples. The qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted using an analytical method based on high‑performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection (FLD) for the simultaneous determination of 8 anticoagulant rodenticides (bromadiolone, brodifacoum, coumachlor, coumafuryl, coumatetralyl, difenacoum, flocoumafen, and warfarin).

Diabetes education for Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect on glycemic control.

Aims: The purpose of this study is to systematically review evidence in English and Chinese publications to determine the size of glycemic effect of different diabetes education approaches for Chinese patients.

Methods: CINAHL Plus, Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database were searched. Studies were included if they were randomised controlled trials with a detailed description of education approach, with more than 50 Chinese-adult participants, reporting actual glycemic outcome and with at least 3-month follow-up.

Guidance on the selection of cohorts for the extended one-generation reproduction toxicity study (OECD test guideline 443).

The extended one-generation reproduction toxicity study (EOGRTS; OECD test guideline 433) is a new and technically complex design to evaluate the putative effects of chemicals on fertility and development, including effects upon the developing nervous and immune systems. In addition to offering a more comprehensive assessment of developmental toxicity, the EOGRTS offers important improvements in animal welfare through reduction and refinement in a modular study design. The challenge to the practitioner is to know how the modular aspects of the study should be triggered on the basis of prior knowledge of a particular chemical, or on earlier findings in the EOGRTS itself, requirements of specific regulatory frameworks notwithstanding.

Monitored Anesthesia Care Versus General Anesthesia: Experience With the Medtronic CoreValve.

Objective: To compare monitored anesthesia care (MAC) and general anesthesia (GA) for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Design: Retrospective, case-control study.

Setting: A large university-affiliated hospital system.

Measurement of the dimensions of food insecurity in developed countries: a systematic literature review.

Objective: Food insecurity is a salient health issue comprised of four dimensions - food access, availability, utilization and stability over time. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify all multi-item tools that measure food insecurity and explore which of the dimensions they assess.

Design: Five databases were searched (CENTRAL, CINAHL plus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, TRIP) for studies published in English since 1999.

A mixed-methods impact evaluation of the feasibility of an initiative in small rural stores to improve access to fruit and vegetables.

Retail stores are a promising setting for improving access to nutritious food. This study opportunistically evaluated an initiative that supported stores in small rural Victorian towns to sell fresh fruit and vegetables. It aimed to measure whether the initiative showed a trend towards improved access to fruit and vegetables in these rural communities.