US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report

This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference

The Australasian Students' Surgical Association: organizational growth amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

[Extract] Student surgical societies play an important role in complementing university medical curricula in the delivery of surgical education, fostering interest in surgery and facilitating networking and career opportunities.1 The Australasian Students' Surgical Association (ASSA) was established in 2015 as a not-for-profit student-run organization aiming to unite the 26 student surgical societies across Australia and New Zealand.2 Through in-person conferences, Sydney-based leadership seminars and surgical workshops, the ASSA has successfully achieved its vision to support surgical education, foster student interest in surgery, and create a culture of collaboration amongst surgical societies. As the COVID-19 pandemic presented a variety of unforeseen challenges to the medical profession, student organizations across the world were required to adapt to the content and delivery of activities.3 The pandemic posed significant challenges for the ASSA to continue promoting a pre-vocational interest in surgery for Australian and New Zealand medical students and required innovative strategies to continue delivering educational opportunities. This need to adopt alternative approaches provided an opportunity for innovation and embracing technology to overcome COVID-19 related restrictions to continue achieving the goals for ASSA

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Australasian Students' Surgical Association: Leadership, Perseverance and Progress through SARS-CoV-2

The Australasian Students' Surgical Association (ASSA) is a not-for-profit, student-run organization supporting the 26 student surgical societies across Australia and New Zealand. It fosters interest in surgery through positive surgical experiences, insight into surgical careers and by developing technical and non-technical skills. Further background about the history and activities of ASSA are detailed elsewhere.1 The year 2020 has seen many societal challenges, notably the COVID-19 crisis, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020.2 There have been significant downstream ramifications for medical students as learning opportunities in the operating theatre, at the bedside and in formal institutional settings become limited.3 In addition, travel restrictions and social distancing recommendations have led to the cancellation or postponement of many face-to-face courses and conferences.3 ASSA has responded to these changes to provide surgically inclined students with opportunities to learn about surgery, in turn serving as models of organizational adaptability in rapidly evolving times.No Full Tex

Effects of dietary nitrate on inflammation and immune function, and implications for cardiovascular health

Abstract Inorganic dietary nitrate, found abundantly in green leafy and some root vegetables, elicits several beneficial physiological effects, including a reduction in blood pressure and improvements in blood flow through nitrate–nitrite–nitric oxide signaling. Recent animal and human studies have shown that dietary nitrate and nitrite also modulate inflammatory processes and immune cell function and phenotypes. Chronic low-grade inflammation and immune dysfunction play a critical role in cardiovascular disease. This review outlines the current evidence on the efficacy of nitrate-rich plant foods and other sources of dietary nitrate and nitrite to counteract inflammation and promote homeostasis of the immune and vascular systems. The data from these studies suggest that immune cells and immune–vasculature interactions are important targets for dietary interventions aimed at improving, preserving, or restoring cardiovascular health.</jats:p

Incidence, Management, and Hospital Costs of Orthopaedic Injuries of E-Scooter Riders in Western Australia

The use of electric scooters (e-scooters) is increasing in Australia and internationally. The increasing availability of e-scooters has led to a rise in the number of injuries, with most patients sustaining orthopaedic injuries. This retrospective case series describes the incidence, management, and hospital costs of the orthopaedic injuries, which presented to the emergency department (ED) of the major trauma center in Western Australia. Data on demographics, ED dispatch destination, management, follow-up clinics, and hospital costs were collected between 2017 and 2022. Since June 2020, there have been 61 e-scooter crashes, which resulted in orthopaedic injuries, with more than half of the crashes occurring after the introduction of regional e-scooter sharing schemes. Thirty-two patients (52%) were admitted to the hospital. The most common orthopaedic fracture was to the upper limb (44%), followed by the lower limb (41%) and the axial skeleton (15%). Fourteen (23%) patients sustained more than one fracture. Twenty-two patients (36%) required operative management. The median number of outpatient clinic attendances per patient was 3 (interquartile range (IQR): 1&ndash;5), with inpatients requiring twice the number of clinics as compared to those discharged from the ED. The median cost per presentation was AU$5880.60 (IQR: AU$1283.10&ndash;AU$21,150.90) with inpatient costs exceeding those discharged from the ED. The range of the total costs was AU$413.80 to AU$100,239.80. The rise in the accessibility of e-scooters in Western Australia has led to a rise in ED presentations with orthopaedic injuries. Considering the recent implementation of e-scooter sharing schemes in metropolitan areas, ongoing surveillance of e-scooter injuries by clinicians and policy makers is warranted to inform harm minimization strategies