Local anaesthetics and chemotherapeutic agents: a systematic review of preclinical evidence of interactions and cancer biology.

Background: Local anaesthetics are widely used for their analgesic and anaesthetic properties in the perioperative setting, including surgical procedures to excise malignant tumours. Simultaneously, chemotherapeutic agents remain a cornerstone of cancer treatment, targeting rapidly dividing cancer cells to inhibit tumour growth. The potential interactions between these two drug classes have drawn increasing attention and there are oncological surgical contexts where their combined use could be considered.

Virtual multi-institutional tumor board: a strategy for personalized diagnoses and management of rare CNS tumors.

Purpose: Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) integrate clinical, molecular, and radiological information and facilitate coordination of neuro-oncology care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our MTB transitioned to a virtual and multi-institutional format. We hypothesized that this expansion would allow expert review of challenging neuro-oncology cases and contribute to the care of patients with limited access to specialized centers.

A near-infrared laser dispersion spectrometer with phase modulation for open-path methane sensing.

A laser-based open-path dispersion spectrometer for measuring atmospheric methane has been developed with the goal of achieving a very simple architecture, yet enabling molecular dispersion measurements immune to optical power variation. Well-mature, near-infrared photonics components were retained to demonstrate a compact, cost-effective, and low-power consumption dispersion spectrometer. In particular, measurements immune to received optical power variations are demonstrated despite the use of only phase modulation and are supported by the development of the corresponding physical model.

Preoperative initiation of peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for a complex case of cardiac tamponade.

In this case report, we present an alternative approach to the anaesthetic management of patients presenting with delayed postoperative cardiac tamponade physiology. Given that pericardiocentesis was deemed unsafe, and a protracted surgical dissection was anticipated, peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support was established prior to induction of anaesthesia to prevent catastrophic circulatory failure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of planned preoperative commencement of peripheral VA-ECMO in a complex case of cardiac tamponade.

Anaesthesia and cancer recurrence: the influence of perioperative anaesthetic technique on cancer recurrence after surgery.

Purpose Of Review: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and incidence is increasing. Excisional surgery is essential in approximately 70% of solid organ tumours. Emerging research in onco-anaesthesiology suggests that perioperative anaesthetic and analgesic techniques might influence long-term oncologic outcomes.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia specialty training: a single-centre quantitative analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare services worldwide, with a consequent impact on the delivery of medical education and training in all acute care specialties. Anaesthesia training has been challenged by a combination of reduced elective theatre activity, redeployment of trainees to critical care units, and changes in standard anaesthetic practices.

Methods: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on specialist anaesthesia training at a tertiary level teaching hospital in Ireland via a retrospective analysis of data captured by electronic anaesthesia records.

Fast custom wavelet analysis technique for single molecule detection and identification.

Many sensors operate by detecting and identifying individual events in a time-dependent signal which is challenging if signals are weak and background noise is present. We introduce a powerful, fast, and robust signal analysis technique based on a massively parallel continuous wavelet transform (CWT) algorithm. The superiority of this approach is demonstrated with fluorescence signals from a chip-based, optofluidic single particle sensor.

Perioperative Intravenous Lidocaine and Metastatic Cancer Recurrence - A Narrative Review.

Cancer is a major global health problem and the second leading cause of death worldwide. When detected early, surgery provides a potentially curative intervention for many solid organ tumours. Unfortunately, cancer frequently recurs postoperatively.

The Effect of Lidocaine and Bosutinib on 4T1 Murine Breast Cancer Cell Behaviour .

Background/aim: Systemic lidocaine has recently emerged as a promising agent possessing numerous potentially anti-neoplastic effects. In vitro studies suggest that lidocaine may prevent metastasis by acting on the tyrosine kinase enzyme Src. Intravenous lidocaine has been reported to reduce pulmonary metastasis in vivo in a murine breast cancer model, however the beneficial effect is abolished by the Src inhibitor bosutinib.

Effects of Lidocaine and Src Inhibition on Metastasis in a Murine Model of Breast Cancer Surgery.

Breast cancer recurs in 20% of patients following intended curative resection. In vitro data indicates that amide local anaesthetics, including lidocaine, inhibit cancer cell metastasis by inhibiting the tyrosine kinase enzyme Src. In a murine breast cancer surgery model, systemic lidocaine reduces postoperative pulmonary metastases.

Hypnosis: A Psychodynamic Perspective.

The relationship between hypnosis and psychoanalysis has always been complex, and often acrimonious. When Freud abandoned hypnosis as both the foundation of his theory building and his clinical intervention of choice, the two approaches and the theories associated with them have often seemed separated by enormous rifts, theoretical, clinical, and political. Yet throughout their considerable estrangement for over more than a century, each has much to offer to the other.

Optofluidic Lab-on-a-Chip Fluorescence Sensor Using Integrated Buried ARROW (bARROW) Waveguides.

Optofluidic, lab-on-a-chip fluorescence sensors were fabricated using buried anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (bARROWs). The bARROWs are impervious to the negative water absorption effects that typically occur in waveguides made using hygroscopic, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) oxides. These sensors were used to detect fluorescent microbeads and had an average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that was 81.

Mitigating Water Absorption in Waveguides Made From Unannealed PECVD SiO.

Water absorption was studied in two types of waveguides made from unannealed plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiO. Standard rib anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs) were fabricated with thin films of different intrinsic stress and indices of refraction. Buried ARROWs (bARROWs) with low and high refractive index differences between the core and cladding regions were also fabricated from the same types of PECVD films.

Improved environmental stability for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiO waveguides using buried channel designs.

Ridge and buried channel waveguides (BCWs) made using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiO were fabricated and tested after being subjected to long 85°C water baths. The water bath was used to investigate the effects of any water absorption in the ridge and BCWs. Optical mode spreading and power throughput were measured over a period of three weeks.

Molecular Fountain.

The resolution of any spectroscopic or interferometric experiment is ultimately limited by the total time a particle is interrogated. Here we demonstrate the first molecular fountain, a development which permits hitherto unattainably long interrogation times with molecules. In our experiments, ammonia molecules are decelerated and cooled using electric fields, launched upwards with a velocity between 1.

Signal-to-noise Enhancement in Optical Detection of Single Viruses with Multi-spot Excitation.

We present fluorescence detection of single H1N1 viruses with enhanced signal to noise ratio () achieved by multi-spot excitation in liquid-core anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs). Solid-core Y-splitting ARROW waveguides are fabricated orthogonal to the liquid-core section of the chip, creating multiple excitation spots for the analyte. We derive expressions for the increase after signal processing, and analyze its dependence on signal levels and spot number.

Removing asthma triggers and improving children's health: The Asthma Partnership Demonstration project.

Background: Studies have revealed the efficacy of home-based environmental interventions on reduction of asthma symptoms as a strategy for managing asthma in children. A focus on education and behavior change alone is generally too limited to reduce exposure to asthma triggers that exist because of adverse housing conditions.

Objective: To demonstrate that housing conditions as a focus of a health intervention should be considered more widely as an effective means of addressing serious health problems such as asthma.

Simple indicators for projecting short-term dental market fluctuations.

Background: There have been fluctuations over time in dental care expenditures in the United States. This project aims to develop simple indicators that are easily available to people and that can be useful to predict short-term market fluctuations.

Methods: The authors analyzed data concerning 30 variables for the period of 1980 through 2012 for correlations with dental care expenditures during that period, looking for factors that historically moved in a highly correlated manner, either positively or negatively, with dental care expenditures.

Optofluidic wavelength division multiplexing for single-virus detection.

Optical waveguides simultaneously transport light at different colors, forming the basis of fiber-optic telecommunication networks that shuttle data in dozens of spectrally separated channels. Here, we reimagine this wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) paradigm in a novel context--the differentiated detection and identification of single influenza viruses on a chip. We use a single multimode interference (MMI) waveguide to create wavelength-dependent spot patterns across the entire visible spectrum and enable multiplexed single biomolecule detection on an optofluidic chip.

Electro-optical detection of single λ-DNA.

Single λ-DNA molecules are detected on a nanopore-gated optofluidic chip electrically and optically. Statistical variations in the single particle trajectories are used to predict the intensity distribution of the fluorescence signals.

Paramagnetism of aqueous actinide cations. Part I: Perchloric acid media.

A comprehensive study of actinide cation paramagnetism in acidic aqueous solution has been completed in perchlorate media. Employing the Evans method, all the readily accessible actinide cations have been studied using our specially outfitted NMR spectrometer equipped for use with radioactive samples. The effective magnetic moments observed, ranging from 0 to 13 μB, differ from the isoelectronic lanthanides, previous solid actinide studies, and older solution studies.

Static trapping of polar molecules in a traveling wave decelerator.

We present experiments on decelerating and trapping ammonia molecules using a combination of a Stark decelerator and a traveling wave decelerator. In the traveling wave decelerator, a moving potential is created by a series of ring-shaped electrodes to which oscillating high voltages (HV) are applied. By lowering the frequency of the applied voltages, the molecules confined in the moving trap are decelerated and brought to a standstill.

Evolving trends in size and structure of group dental practices in the United States.

In this study, the authors examined recent trends in the growth of dental establishments and dental firms, including geographic location. In this article, they also present information about the demographic characteristics of dentists who work in a dental practice that is part of a larger company that delivers dental care in multiple locations. The number of dental establishments (single locations) and the average size of these establishments grew from 1992 to 2007.

Recent trends in the utilization of dental care in the United States.

The authors examined trends in the utilization of oral health services in the United States from 1997 to 2010, including breakdowns by age and poverty level. They examined trends in one major driver of utilization: insurance coverage. The results suggest that the recent economic downturn did not result in an overall decrease in the utilization of dental services.

An analysis of dentists' incomes, 1996-2009.

Background: The U.S. economy is beginning to recover from the most significant contraction since the Great Depression.