Managing food waste in the inpatient population.

Introduction: For medical students, food is rarely discussed from the clinical perspective. Yet, in hospitals reduced food intake poses the risk of malnutrition, along with increased morbidity and mortality. The issue of food waste, a cause of inadequate dietary intake and a common issue within the National Health Service, is rarely addressed.

Greener Operations: a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership to define research priorities in environmentally sustainable perioperative practice through a structured consensus approach.

Objectives: To agree on the 'top 10' research priorities for environmentally sustainable perioperative practice.

Design: Surveys and literature review; final consensus workshop using a nominal group technique.

Setting: UK-based setting.

Generating bispecific human IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies from any antibody pair.

Bispecific antibodies and antibody fragments are a new class of therapeutics increasingly utilized in the clinic for T cell recruitment (catumaxomab anti-EpCAM/CD3 and blinatumomab anti-CD19/CD3), increase in the selectivity of targeting, or simultaneous modulation of multiple cellular pathways. While the clinical potential for certain bispecific antibody formats is clear, progress has been hindered because they are often difficult to manufacture, may suffer from suboptimal pharmacokinetic properties, and may be limited due to potential immunogenicity issues. Current state-of-the-art human IgG-like bispecific technologies require co-expression of two heavy chains with a single light chain, use crossover domains to segregate light chains, or utilize scFv (single-chain fragment variable)-Fc fusion.

An array-based analysis of microRNA expression comparing matched frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human tissue samples.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that suppress gene expression at the posttranscriptional level via an antisense RNA-RNA interaction. miRNAs used for array-based profiling are generally purified from either snap-frozen or fresh samples. Because tissues found in most pathology departments are available only in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) states, we sought to evaluate miRNA derived from FFPE samples for microarray analysis.

Measurement of day and night neutrino energy spectra at SNO and constraints on neutrino mixing parameters.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has measured day and night solar neutrino energy spectra and rates. For charged current events, assuming an undistorted 8B spectrum, the night minus day rate is 14.0%+/-6.

Direct evidence for neutrino flavor transformation from neutral-current interactions in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.

Observations of neutral-current nu interactions on deuterium in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are reported. Using the neutral current (NC), elastic scattering, and charged current reactions and assuming the standard 8B shape, the nu(e) component of the 8B solar flux is phis(e) = 1.76(+0.

Measurement of the rate of nu(e) + d --> p + p + e(-) interactions produced by (8)B solar neutrinos at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.

Solar neutrinos from (8)B decay have been detected at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory via the charged current (CC) reaction on deuterium and the elastic scattering (ES) of electrons. The flux of nu(e)'s is measured by the CC reaction rate to be straight phi(CC)(nu(e)) = 1.75 +/- 0.

Pseudocorrelation: a fast, robust, absolute, grey-level image alignment algorithm.

A new image alignment algorithm--pseudocorrelation--has been developed based on the application of Monte Carlo techniques to the calculation of a cross-correlation integral for grey-scale images. It has many advantages over cross-correlation: it is at least a factor of 10 faster than fast-Fourier-transform-based cross-correlation, and requires 8 times less memory. Its high speed allows for the search space of geometric transformations between images to include magnification and rotation as well as translations without the search time becoming too long.

Optimization of metal/phosphor screens for on-line portal imaging.

Studies were conducted to determine the optimal metal/phosphor screen for on-line video verification of radiation treatment portals. Screens were evaluated for luminance and spatial resolution as a function of composition and thickness at 6- and 23-MV x-ray energies. A new video technique was used to determine modulation transfer functions.

Grooved phosphor screens for on-line portal imaging.

Video-based systems for on-line portal imaging utilize a metal plate coated with Gd2O2S phosphor at a typical thickness of 500 mg/cm2. A new screen design is proposed wherein the conventional flat phosphor coating is replaced by a much thicker phosphor layer (1000-2000 mg/cm2) penetrated by either lineal grooves or pyramidal holes comparable to the system pixel size. By increasing the surface area of the phosphor, the grooves or holes allow light from deep layers of the phosphor to escape by a process of internal reflection.

Monte Carlo optimization of metal/phosphor screens at megavoltage energies.

The physics of imaging with metal/phosphor (Gd2O2S:Tb on brass) screens at megavoltage energies has been investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. It has been found that pair production is a significant contributor to energy deposition for Bremsstrahlung beams with energies greater than 6 MV. The effects of different thicknesses of phosphor and metal have been studied, and it is shown that the metal plays a significant role in establishing electronic equilibrium in the phosphor.

Burnout among primary care physicians and mental health professionals in a managed health care setting.

This study assessed burnout within a large Health Maintenance Organization. Primary care physicians and one psychiatric clinic staff were studied. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to develop frequency data in the areas of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement.

Intraoesophageal rupture of a thoracic aortic aneurysm.

The intraoesophageal rupture of a large thoracic aortic aneurysm is reported in a 49 year old man. He had been hypertensive for some years while the aneurysm increased in size. Although a graft was successfully inserted to repair the leak, infection from the oesophagus with candida albicans, subsequently led to secondary haemorrhage and death 17 days later.