Diversity of Microbial Mats in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are the remnants of a mega paleo-lake system in the central Kalahari, Botswana. Today, the Makgadikgadi Basin is an arid to semi-arid area receiving water of meteoric origin during the short, wet season. Large microbial mats, which support primary production, are formed due to desiccation during the dry season.

Neonatal organ donation: Retrospective audit into potential donation in a single neonatal unit.

Background: Research has shown that many babies who die in neonatal units could have been potential tissue and/or organ donors. Despite the existence of guidelines supporting its implementation, the incidence of neonatal donation remains rare in the United Kingdom.

Aim: The aim of this audit was to retrospectively determine potential eligibility for neonatal tissue and/or organ donation referral in infants who died in a single UK tertiary-level neonatal unit between 2012 and 2021.

Lanreotide Depot to Treat Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors in a US Community Oncology Setting: A Prospective, Observational Study.

Introduction: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) can result in symptoms such as diarrhea, flushing, abdominal pain, and fatigue and are often associated with a significant disease burden and poor prognosis. This non-interventional, prospective, observational study evaluated the real-world safety and effectiveness of lanreotide depot, a somatostatin analog (SSA) used to treat GEP-NETs, in a community setting.

Methods: In this prospective, non-interventional study (NCT02730104), adult patients with locally advanced (inoperable), metastatic GEP-NETs treated with lanreotide depot were evaluated by their physician every 6 months from enrollment for 24 months.

Using healthy community design data to monitor and inform planning and public policy.

Setting: In Ontario, Public Health is mandated to work with municipal partners to inform and collaborate on built environment initiatives. For the Healthy Community Design (HCD) Baseline project, Public Health partnered with three communities (approximately 132,000, 29,000 and 22,000 residents, respectively).

Intervention: The HCD Baseline Project created a baseline of HCD indicators containing spatial data and self-reported behaviour and perception data.

Efficacy and Safety of Weekly Paclitaxel With or Without Oral Alisertib in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Elevated expression of AURKA adversely affects prognosis in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ERBB2 (formerly HER2)-negative and triple-negative breast cancer and is associated with resistance to taxanes.

Objective: To compare paclitaxel alone vs paclitaxel plus alisertib in patients with ER-positive and ERBB2-negative or triple-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this randomized clinical trial conducted with the US Oncology Network, participants were randomized to intravenous (IV) paclitaxel 90 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 on a 28-day cycle or IV paclitaxel 60 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 plus oral alisertib 40 mg twice daily on days 1 to 3, 8 to 10, and 15 to 17 on a 28-day cycle.

Improving Geropsychology Competencies of Veterans Affairs Psychologists.

Older adults are more likely to seek mental health care through integrated care settings such as primary care. Currently, there exists a significant shortage of mental health providers trained in geropsychology and integrated care competencies. To address this need within the Veterans Health Administration, a national workforce development program was extended to include psychologists, which is called the Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Track (GSP-P).

Fifteen-minute consultation: Paediatric organ and tissue donation.

This article explores ways in which paediatricians can help increase awareness and embed organ and tissue donation in the end-of-life care process. This can save patient lives on the organ transplant waiting list, many of whom currently die prematurely. The information benefits multidisciplinary staff including doctors, nurses and allied professionals to (1) recognise triggers for making referral to the specialist nurse for organ donation in order to make timely assessment for suitability for organ and/or tissue donation, (2) plan a multidisciplinary approach for families to make decisions for the gift of life and (3) help provide on-going support to families and staff.

Pediatric donor management to optimize donor heart utilization.

Optimal management of pediatric cardiac donors is essential in order to maximize donor heart utilization and minimize the rate of discarded organs. This review was performed after a systematic literature review and gives a detailed overview on current practices and guidelines. The review focuses on optimal monitoring of pediatric donors, donor workup, hormonal replacement, and obliterating the adverse effects of brain death.

ISHLT consensus statement on donor organ acceptability and management in pediatric heart transplantation.

The number of potential pediatric heart transplant recipients continues to exceed the number of donors, and consequently the waitlist mortality remains significant. Despite this, around 40% of all donated organs are not used and are discarded. This document (62 authors from 53 institutions in 17 countries) evaluates factors responsible for discarding donor hearts and makes recommendations regarding donor heart acceptance.

An unusual presentation of cutaneous metastatic lobular breast carcinoma.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy to metastasize to the skin in women. Cutaneous breast carcinoma may arise as cutaneous metastasis or secondary to direct tumor extension to the skin. This report describes an unusual presentation of cutaneous metastatic lobular breast carcinoma that involved diffuse cutaneous lesions and rapid progression from onset of breast mass to development of clinically apparent metastatic skin lesions.

Development of Salmonellosis as Affected by Bioactive Food Compounds.

Infections caused by serovars are the leading cause of foodborne hospitalizations and deaths in Americans, extensively prevalent worldwide, and pose a considerable financial burden on public health infrastructure and private manufacturing. While a comprehensive review is lacking for delineating the role of dietary components on prevention of Salmonellosis, evidence for the role of diet for preventing the infection and management of Salmonellosis symptoms is increasing. The current study is an evaluation of preclinical and clinical studies and their underlying mechanisms to elaborate the efficacy of bioactive dietary components for augmenting the prevention of infection.

Quantifying and Trending the Thermal Signal as an Index of Perfusion in Patients Sedated with Propofol.

We examined the feasibility of a thermal imager smart phone attachment as a potential proxy of skin perfusion by assessing shifts in skin temperature following administration of the vasodilatory anesthetic propofol. Four limb distal extremity thermal images were taken before propofol administration and at 5-min intervals thereafter during monitored anesthesia. The study enrolled 60 patients with ages ranging from 1.

Harmonic Vibrational Frequencies: Approximate Global Scaling Factors for TPSS, M06, and M11 Functional Families Using Several Common Basis Sets.

We propose new approximate global multiplicative scaling factors for the DFT calculation of ground state harmonic vibrational frequencies using functionals from the TPSS, M06, and M11 functional families with standard correlation consistent cc-pVxZ and aug-cc-pVxZ (x = D, T, and Q), 6-311G split valence family, Sadlej and Sapporo polarized triple-ζ basis sets. Results for B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, B3PW91, PBE, and PBE0 functionals with these basis sets are also reported. A total of 99 harmonic frequencies were calculated for 26 gas-phase organic and nonorganic molecules typically found in detonated solid propellant residue.

Utility of feeding jejunostomy tubes in pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Routine placement of jejunostomy tubes (JT) during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is controversial.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients undergoing PD from 1/1/08 through 12/31/14 was performed. The patients were divided into groups by placement of JT.

Elective ventilation to facilitate organ donation in infants with anencephaly: perinatal professionals' views and an ethical analysis.

Aim: Following the elective ventilation and referral for organ donation of an infant with anencephaly, we sought local perinatal professionals' views of this practice.

Methods: Anonymous online survey: demographics, ethical viewpoints and potential public/maternal perceptions (standard 5-part Likert scale and free text).

Demographics: 49 replies (38 female): 4 obstetricians, 14 neonatologists, 6 foetal clinicians, 23 nurses, 1 anaesthetist and 1 reproductive specialist.

The potential for neonatal organ donation in a children's hospital.

Objective: Neonatal organ donation does not occur in the UK. Unlike in other European countries, Australasia and the USA death verification/certification standards effectively prohibit use of neurological criteria for diagnosing death in infants between 37 weeks' gestation and 2 months of age and therefore donation after neurological determination of death. Neonatal donation after circulatory definition of death is also possible but is not currently undertaken.

Phase III trial of cetuximab, bevacizumab, and 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin vs. FOLFOX-bevacizumab in colorectal cancer.

Background: Cetuximab (C), alone or with irinotecan, demonstrates activity in irinotecan-refractory colorectal cancer (CRC). Activity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (L), and bevacizumab (B), and preliminary data of cetuximab + bevacizumab, and toxicity profiles suggests that FOLF-CB (5-FU, L, C+B) may have activity with a favorable toxicity profile as first-line therapy.

Methods: Eligible patients were randomized at registration to either arm A (mFOLFOX6-B) (modified, 5-FU.

Prospective parental consent for autopsy research following sudden unexpected childhood deaths: a successful model.

Background: Organ retention issues, recent changes in the Coroners' (Amendment) Rules 2005 and the Human Tissue Act have resulted in pessimism regarding prospective consent for paediatric autopsy research in the UK.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a prospective telephone consenting model for post-mortem magnetic resonance (MR) imaging research in HM Coroners' cases.

Design: Following each autopsy referral from the HM Coroner, permission to contact the family for research was requested.

Trust management creates suspicion.

At a time when nothing seems to be sacred, the article 'The human factor' in the Right to Nurse campaign section was an eye-opener.