Changes in audiovestibular handicap following treatment of vestibular schwannomas.

Objective: This study aimed to assess degree of audiovestibular handicap in patients with vestibular schwannoma.

Methods: Audiovestibular handicap was assessed using the Hearing Handicap Inventory, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Patients completed questionnaires at presentation and at least one year following treatment with microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery or observation.

COVID-19 nightmare response and stress: A new Mexico sample based survey.

Studies conducted during the COVID-19 Pandemic have reported increased rates of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [1]. A common symptom of mental illness is change in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the phase of sleep associated with dreaming and nightmares. The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of systemic stress on nightmares.

Testing Emphasis Message Frames and Metaphors on Social Media to Engage Boaters to Learn about Preventing the Spread of Zebra Mussels.

Message frames are often used to communicate about invasive species due to the additional meaning they provide. They appear in calls to action like "join the battle against invasive species," "unwelcome exotics," or "Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers." However, little is known about how stakeholders respond to these message frames.

Unusually sited lower third molar.

We present the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented to our unit with left-sided facial swelling, pain and trismus. Initially managed as a parotitis by a different specialty, an ultrasound subsequently showed a collection deep to the parotid associated with an ectopic wisdom tooth within the mandibular posterior ramus/condyle and the patient was referred to our department. After treating the acute infection, the wisdom tooth was surgically removed.

Scale-up and operation of a pilot-scale ammonia fiber expansion reactor.

Pretreatment and densification of agricultural residues at regional depots can simplify feedstock supply logistics for the production of biofuels in commercial biorefineries. We have previously reported the performance of a laboratory-scale (5 L) packed-bed ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) reactor system, which showed significant promise for biomass pretreatment at distributed depots. In this paper, we describe the performance of a 90-fold larger pilot-scale packed-bed AFEX-reactor system, used to produce over 1,500 batches (~36 tons) of pretreated crop residues over a 5-year period.

Exposure Assessment of Acetamide in Milk, Beef, and Coffee Using Xanthydrol Derivatization and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.

Acetamide has been classified as a possible human carcinogen, but uncertainties exist about its levels in foods. This report presents evidence that thermal decomposition of N-acetylated sugars and amino acids in heated gas chromatograph injectors contributes to artifactual acetamide in milk and beef. An alternative gas chromatography/mass spectrometry protocol based on derivatization of acetamide with 9-xanthydrol was optimized and shown to be free of artifactual acetamide formation.

Animalism and the varieties of conjoined twinning.

We defend the view that we are not identical to organisms against the objection that it implies that there are two subjects of every conscious state one experiences: oneself and one's organism. We then criticize animalism--the view that each of us is identical to a human organism--by showing that it has unacceptable implications for a range of actual and hypothetical cases of conjoined twinning: dicephalus, craniopagus parasiticus, and cephalopagus.

Emerging disease burdens and the poor in cities of the developing world.

Patterns of future urban growth, combined with advances in the treatment of traditional scourges of communicable diseases, will cause a shift in the burden of disease toward category 2 (noncommunicable) and 3 (injury) conditions over the next 30 years. Communicable diseases, particularly HIV/AIDs, will continue to be the most important killers among the poor. However, new risks will emerge for several reasons.