3D Monte Carlo radiation transfer modelling of photodynamic therapy

We acknowledge the support of the UK Engineering and Physics Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding through a studentship for C L Campbell as well as the Alfred Stewart Trust.The effects of ageing and skin type on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for different treatment methods have been theoretically investigated. A multilayered Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer model is presented where both daylight activated PDT and conventional PDT are compared. It was found that light penetrates deeper through older skin with a lighter complexion, which translates into a deeper effective treatment depth. The effect of ageing was found to be larger for darker skin types. The investigation further strengthens the usage of daylight as a potential light source for PDT where effective treatment depths of about 2 mm can be achieved.Publisher PD

Shifting patterns of genomic variation in the somatic evolution of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Shows Single Nucleotide Substitutions in the MAPK Pathway. (XLSX 43 kb

Testing for the occurrence of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in South African sardine Sardinops sagax

Catches of South African sardine Sardinops sagax have declined in recent years from about 200 000 t harvested annually during the period 2002–2006 to less than 100 000 t. Consequently, some companies are now importing sardine from sources elsewhere in the world to meet local demand for canned sardine and bait. This importation has the potential for the introduction of sardine pathogens, in particular the pilchard herpesvirus (PHV), which could have a negative impact on the currently small South African sardine population. The aims of the current study were to determine whether PHV is present in the local sardine population and to assess the extent to which sardine is being imported into the country and whether imported fish are from countries where the virus is known to be endemic. Fish sampled from South Africa’s western (n = 150), southern (n = 182) and eastern (n = 96) putative stocks of S. sagax were analysed for the presence of PHV using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The origin and amount of potentially infected material imported into South Africa during the period 2010–2014 was also assessed. None of the South African sardine collected during this study tested positive for PHV, suggesting that active PHV was not prevalent in the local population of S. sagax at the time of this study. Between 56 000 and 71 000 t of frozen sardine was imported annually into South Africa from countries where S. sagax occurs, including some from areas (Australia and New Zealand) where sardine infection by PHV is known to be endemic. Hence, it is plausible that the PHV pathogen, capable of perpetuating infections in local sardine populations, could be imported into South Africa along with the importation of frozen sardine. Should local sardine be naïve to the virus, as suggested by this study, then the population is at risk of infection and precautions against such must be taken.DHE

Cosmopolitan distribution of Endozoicomonas-like organisms and other intracellular microcolonies of bacteria causing infection in marine molluscs

Intracellular microcolonies of bacteria, in some cases developing large extracellular cysts, have been historically reported infecting a wide diversity of economically important mollusc species worldwide, sometimes associated with severe lesions and mass mortality events. As an effort to characterise those organisms, traditionally named as Rickettsia or Chlamydia -like organisms (RLO/CLO), via international collaboration, 98 samples comprising 20 mollusc species were collected over 10 countries and examined using histology and phylogenetic analysis. A 16S rRNA gene amplicon library-based sequencing showed the presence of different species of Endozoicomonas-like organisms (ELO) in all the mollusc species analysed, infecting primarily gill and digestive glands. Co-infections of ELOs with other intracellular bacteria were also observed. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) revealed a novel microbial diversity associated with molluscan RLO/CLOs infection distributed along different taxa, including Spirochaetes phyla, Rickettsiales order, Simkaniaceae family, Mycoplasma and Francisella genera, and sulfur-oxidizing endosymbionts. Sequences like Francisella halioticida/philomiragia and Candidatus Brownia rhizoecola were also obtained. The presence of ELO sequences in the RLO/CLO infection was confirmed by standard PCR, Sanger sequencing, and by in situ hybridisation in a selection of samples. The phylogenetic analysis conducted in this study will allow for further characterization of the microbial community associated with Rickettsia and Chlamydia-like infection in marine molluscs and their correlation with severity of the lesions in order to reveal their role as endosymbionts, commensals or true pathogens.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Defining and averting syndemic pathways in aquaculture: a major global food sector

Aquaculture now provides half of all aquatic protein consumed globally—with most current and future production occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns over the availability and application of effective policies to deliver safe and sustainable future supply have the potential to hamper further development of the sector. Creating healthy systems must extend beyond the simple exclusion of disease agents to tackle the host, environmental, and human drivers of poor outcomes and build new policies that incorporate these broader drivers. Syndemic theory provides a potential framework for operationalizing this One Health approach.</jats:p

A systematic review of tests of empathy in medicine

Abstract Background Empathy is frequently cited as an important attribute in physicians and some groups have expressed a desire to measure empathy either at selection for medical school or during medical (or postgraduate) training. In order to do this, a reliable and valid test of empathy is required. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the reliability and validity of existing tests for the assessment of medical empathy. Methods A systematic review of research papers relating to the reliability and validity of tests of empathy in medical students and doctors. Journal databases (Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) were searched for English-language articles relating to the assessment of empathy and related constructs in applicants to medical school, medical students, and doctors. Results From 1147 citations, we identified 50 relevant papers describing 36 different instruments of empathy measurement. As some papers assessed more than one instrument, there were 59 instrument assessments. 20 of these involved only medical students, 30 involved only practising clinicians, and three involved only medical school applicants. Four assessments involved both medical students and practising clinicians, and two studies involved both medical school applicants and students. Eight instruments demonstrated evidence of reliability, internal consistency, and validity. Of these, six were self-rated measures, one was a patient-rated measure, and one was an observer-rated measure. Conclusion A number of empathy measures available have been psychometrically assessed for research use among medical students and practising medical doctors. No empathy measures were found with sufficient evidence of predictive validity for use as selection measures for medical school. However, measures with a sufficient evidential base to support their use as tools for investigating the role of empathy in medical training and clinical care are available.</p

Defining and averting syndemic pathways in aquaculture: a major global food sector

Aquaculture now provides half of all aquatic protein consumed globally—with most current and future production occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns over the availability and application of effective policies to deliver safe and sustainable future supply have the potential to hamper further development of the sector. Creating healthy systems must extend beyond the simple exclusion of disease agents to tackle the host, environmental, and human drivers of poor outcomes and build new policies that incorporate these broader drivers. Syndemic theory provides a potential framework for operationalizing this One Health approach

A systematic review of interactive multimedia interventions to promote children's communication with health professionals: implications for communicating with overweight children

Background: Interactive multimedia is an emerging technology that is being used to facilitate interactions between patients and health professionals. The purpose of this review was to identify and evaluate the impact of multimedia interventions (MIs), delivered in the context of paediatric healthcare, in order to inform the development of a MI to promote the communication of dietetic messages with overweight preadolescent children. Of particular interest were the effects of these MIs on child engagement and participation in treatment, and the subsequent effect on health-related treatment outcomes. Methods: An extensive search of 12 bibliographic databases was conducted in April 2012. Studies were included if: one or more child-participant was 7 to 11 years-of-age; a MI was used to improve health-related behaviour; child-participants were diagnosed with a health condition and were receiving treatment for that condition at the time of the study. Data describing study characteristics and intervention effects on communication, satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, changes in self-efficacy, healthcare utilisation, and health outcomes were extracted and summarised using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results: A total of 14 controlled trials, published between 1997 and 2006 met the selection criteria. Several MIs had the capacity to facilitate engagement between the child and a clinician, but only one sought to utilise the MI to improve communication between the child and health professional. In spite of concerns over the quality of some studies and small study populations, MIs were found useful in educating children about their health, and they demonstrated potential to improve children’s health- related self-efficacy, which could make them more able partners in face-to-face communications with health professionals. Conclusions: The findings of this review suggest that MIs have the capacity to support preadolescent child-clinician communication, but further research in this field is needed. Particular attention should be given to designing appropriate MIs that are clinically relevant

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children &lt;18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p&lt;0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p&lt;0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p&lt;0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer