Use of a modified GreenScreen tool to conduct a screening-level comparative hazard assessment of conventional silver and two forms of nanosilver.

BACKGROUND: Increased concern for potential health and environmental impacts of chemicals, including nanomaterials, in consumer products is driving demand for greater transparency regarding potential risks. Chemical hazard assessment is a powerful tool to inform product design, development and procurement and has been integrated into alternative assessment frameworks. The extent to which assessment methods originally designed for conventionally-sized materials can be used for nanomaterials, which have size-dependent physical and chemical properties, have not been well established. We contracted with a certified GreenScreen profiler to conduct three GreenScreen hazard assessments, for conventional silver and two forms of nanosilver. The contractor summarized publicly available literature, and used defined GreenScreen hazard criteria and expert judgment to assign and report hazard classification levels, along with indications of confidence in those assignments. Where data were not available, a data gap (DG) was assigned. Using the individual endpoint scores, an aggregated benchmark score (BM) was applied. RESULTS: Conventional silver and low-soluble nanosilver were assigned the highest possible hazard score and a silica-silver nanocomposite called AGS-20 could not be scored due to data gaps. AGS-20 is approved for use as antimicrobials by the US Environmental Protection Agency. CONCLUSIONS: An existing method for chemical hazard assessment and communication can be used - with minor adaptations- to compare hazards across conventional and nano forms of a substance. The differences in data gaps and in hazard profiles support the argument that each silver form should be considered unique and subjected to hazard assessment to inform regulatory decisions and decisions about product design and development. A critical limitation of hazard assessments for nanomaterials is the lack of nano-specific hazard data - where data are available, we demonstrate that existing hazard assessment systems can work. The work is relevant for risk assessors and regulators. We recommend that regulatory agencies and others require more robust data sets on each novel nanomaterial before granting market approval

Body and Disease 2008: An Integrated Course Teaching Pathology, Pharmacology, Immunology and Microbiology

The Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) Body and Disease course is a 20-week, integrated course occurring at the end of the first year. The course covers four basic science topics: Pathology, Pharmacology, Immunology, and Microbiology and is modelled after the same course from the Duke University School of Medicine (DSOM) in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The structure of the course, as delivered by DSOM, was adapted to meet the needs and structure of the Duke-NUS programme. In addition, the course was adapted significantly to incorporate the Team-Based Learning methodology. In this paper, we detail how we approached these unique challenges. This paper presents an overview of the course structure, preliminary evaluation, and implications for future implementation

Probing the unusual anion mobility of LiBH_4 confined in highly ordered nanoporous carbon frameworks via solid state NMR and quasielastic neutron scattering

Particle size and particle–framework interactions have profound effects on the kinetics, reaction pathways, and even thermodynamics of complex hydrides incorporated in frameworks possessing nanoscale features. Tuning these properties may hold the key to the utilization of complex hydrides in practical applications for hydrogen storage. Using carefully synthesized, highly-ordered, nanoporous carbons (NPCs), we have previously shown quantitative differences in the kinetics and reaction pathways of LiBH_4 when incorporated into the frameworks. In this paper, we probe the anion mobility of LiBH_4 confined in NPC frameworks by a combination of solid state NMR and quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) and present some new insights into the nanoconfinement effect. NMR and QENS spectra of LiBH_4 confined in a 4 nm pore NPC suggest that the BH_4− anions nearer the LiBH_4–carbon pore interface exhibit much more rapid translational and reorientational motions compared to those in the LiBH_4 interior. Moreover, an overly broadened BH_4− torsional vibration band reveals a disorder-induced array of BH_4− rotational potentials. XRD results are consistent with a lack of LiBH_4 long-range order in the pores. Consistent with differential scanning calorimetry measurements, neither NMR nor QENS detects a clear solid–solid phase transition as observed in the bulk, indicating that borohydride–framework interactions and/or nanosize effects have large roles in confined LiBH_4

Population Health Solutions for Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients.

In December 2017, the National Academy of Neuropsychology convened an interorganizational Summit on Population Health Solutions for Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients in Denver, Colorado. The Summit brought together representatives of a broad range of stakeholders invested in the care of older adults to focus on the topic of cognitive health and aging. Summit participants specifically examined questions of who should be screened for cognitive impairment and how they should be screened in medical settings. This is important in the context of an acute illness given that the presence of cognitive impairment can have significant implications for care and for the management of concomitant diseases as well as pose a major risk factor for dementia. Participants arrived at general principles to guide future screening approaches in medical populations and identified knowledge gaps to direct future research. Key learning points of the summit included: recognizing the importance of educating patients and healthcare providers about the value of assessing current and baseline cognition;emphasizing that any screening tool must be appropriately normalized and validated in the population in which it is used to obtain accurate information, including considerations of language, cultural factors, and education; andrecognizing the great potential, with appropriate caveats, of electronic health records to augment cognitive screening and tracking of changes in cognitive health over time

Inter-Laboratory Evaluation and Successful Implementation of MS2 Coliphage as a Surrogate to Establish Proficiency Using a BSL-3 Procedure

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Laboratory Alliance relies on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ultrafiltration-based Water Processing Procedure (WPP) for concentration of biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) agents from 10 L to 100 L of drinking water. The WPP requires comprehensive training and practice to maintain proficiency, resulting in a critical need for quality control (QC) criteria. The aim of this study was to develop criteria using male-specific (MS2) coliphage (BSL-2 agent) to minimize safety hazards associated with BSL-3 agents and to use the criteria to evaluate analytical proficiency during a demonstration exercise. EPA Method 1602 with EasyPhage was used during the study to develop QC criteria for 100-mL, and 40-100 L samples. The demonstration exercise indicated that the MS2 criteria would allow laboratories to demonstrate proficiency using the WPP with 40-100 L samples. In addition, the QC criteria developed for 100-mL samples has broad applicability at laboratories that are using MS2 for other types of analyses, such as assessment of water treatment devices. The development of MS2 QC criteria allows laboratories to develop and confirm ongoing proficiency using the WPP

PCR Targeting Plasmodium Mitochondrial Genome of DNA Extracted from Dried Blood on Filter Paper Compared to Whole Blood.

Monitoring mortality and morbidity attributable to malaria is paramount to achieve elimination of malaria. Diagnosis of malaria is challenging and PCR is a reliable method for identifying malaria with high sensitivity. However, blood specimen collection and transport can be challenging and obtaining dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper by finger-prick may have advantages over collecting whole blood by venepuncture. DBS and whole blood were collected from febrile children admitted at the general paediatric wards at a referral hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. DNA extracted from whole blood and from DBS was tested with a genus-specific PCR targeting the mitochondrial Plasmodium genome. Positive samples by PCR of DNA from whole blood were tested with species-specific PCR targeting the 18S rRNA locus, or sequencing if species-specific PCR was negative. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and thin blood smear microscopy was carried out on all patients where remnant whole blood and a blood slide, respectively, were available. Positivity of PCR was 24.5 (78/319) and 11.2% (52/442) by whole blood and DBS, respectively. All samples positive on DBS were also positive on Plasmodium falciparum species-specific PCR. All RDT positive cases were also positive by DBS PCR. All but three cases with positive blood slides were also positive by DBS. In this study, PCR for malaria mitochondrial DNA extracted from whole blood was more sensitive than from DBS. However, DBS are a practical alternative to whole blood and detected approximately the same number of cases as RDTs and, therefore, remain relevant for research purposes

The potential role of lycopene for the prevention and therapy of prostate cancer: From molecular mechanisms to clinical evidence

Lycopene is a phytochemical that belongs to a group of pigments known as carotenoids. It is red, lipophilic and naturally occurring in many fruits and vegetables, with tomatoes and tomato-based products containing the highest concentrations of bioavailable lycopene. Several epidemiological studies have linked increased lycopene consumption with decreased prostate cancer risk. These findings are supported by in vitro and in vivo experiments showing that lycopene not only enhances the antioxidant response of prostate cells, but that it is even able to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis and decrease the metastatic capacity of prostate cancer cells. However, there is still no clearly proven clinical evidence supporting the use of lycopene in the prevention or treatment of prostate cancer, due to the only limited number of published randomized clinical trials and the varying quality of existing studies. The scope of this article is to discuss the potential impact of lycopene on prostate cancer by giving an overview about its molecular mechanisms and clinical effects. © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland