Comment on "Critical wind speed at which trees break".

Virot et al. [E. Virot et al.

Did the 'Be Clear on Bowel Cancer' public awareness campaign pilot result in a higher rate of cancer detection?

Objectives: To assess the impact of a 7-week public bowel cancer awareness campaign pilot by reviewing the number of 2-week referrals from general practitioners (GPs) to hospital, endoscopic procedures and new cancers diagnosed throughout the five acute hospitals in The Peninsular Cancer Network, UK.

Design: A retrospective before and after study.

Setting: The Peninsula Cancer Network in the South West of England, UK.

Enhanced recovery in major colorectal surgery: safety and efficacy in an unselected surgical population at a UK district general hospital.

Background: Enhanced Recovery Programmes (ERPs) have been shown to benefit recovery following major surgery in selected centres and patient groups, but their wider applicability requires continued evaluation. The aims of this study were to assess the outcomes of the first 400 consecutive, non-selected patients, undergoing major elective colorectal surgery within an Enhanced Recovery programme at a UK District General hospital and to examine the effects of patient risk factors and operative approach on outcomes.

Methods: Since September 2005 all patients undergoing major elective colon and rectal surgery at our hospital have been treated within an ERP and their data recorded prospectively on a database.

Locus-specific microemulsion catalysts for sulfur mustard (HD) chemical warfare agent decontamination.

The rates of catalytic oxidative decontamination of the chemical warfare agent (CWA) sulfur mustard (HD, bis(2-chlororethyl) sulfide) and a range (chloroethyl) sulfide simulants of variable lipophilicity have been examined using a hydrogen peroxide-based microemulsion system. SANS (small-angle neutron scattering), SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering), PGSE-NMR (pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR), fluorescence quenching, and electrospray mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) were implemented to examine the distribution of HD, its simulants, and their oxidation/hydrolysis products in a model oil-in-water microemulsion. These measurements not only present a means of interpreting decontamination rates but also a rationale for the design of oxidation catalysts for these toxic materials.