Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsies in Cutaneous Melanoma: A systematic review of the literature

Cutaneous melanoma has become a growing health problem in the United States, affecting all age groups, ethnic groups, including both genders. The incidence rate of melanoma is rising faster than any other malignancy, with the American Cancer Society projecting nearly 60,000 new cases and over 8,000 deaths due to melanoma for the year 2007. One of the main components of diagnosis and management of cutaneous melanoma is staging of the patient. Given that the metastasis status of the lymph nodes is of great prognostic significance for melanoma, a new minimally invasive procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy has become the preferred method of care for patients diagnosed with melanoma. However, to date, there has been no cumulative research looking at the evidence of sentinel lymph node biopsies in terms of overall survival and disease free survival. In addition, the theory that sentinel lymph node biopsies might increase the risk of in-transit metastases has been postulated. A systematic review was done evaluating the role of the routine use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in staging of melanoma to see if there is an overall benefit to patients diagnosed with melanoma in performing SLN biopsies. The results of the comprehensive search revealed that there is fair evidence that the use of SLN biopsy in patients diagnosed with Stage I or II melanoma does not increase the risk of in-transit metastases compared to either WLE only, ELND, or delayed lymph node dissection of patients with clinically palpable nodes. Furthermore, the results in this paper demonstrates fair evidence that SLN provides a significantly better disease free survival but perhaps not an overall survival benefit. Given that there is no good treatment for advanced stage melanoma and sentinel lymph node biopsies do not provide an overall longer survival, the decision to undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy should be one of shared decision making.Master of Public Healt

Assessing the Suitability of Black Soldier Fly Castings Produced from Piggery Waste as a Fertilizer

Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) farming provides an alternative waste management solution on piggeries by utilising manure to produce a high protein insect meal, whilst the fly castings (frass) are a valuable fertiliser

Black soldier fly technology can convert manure into valuable fertiliser

Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) farming provides an alternative low-cost waste management solution for converting agricultural waste into high quality insect meal (BSF larvae as animal feed) and a valuable fertiliser (BSF casting residue or frass). The aim of this study was to investigate the slow-releasing effect of N after coating the BSF frass with three different fatty acids (lauric, myristic and stearic acid)

Nutrient Recovery Via Anaerobic Digestion Of Supermarket Food Waste And Re-Use As Fertiliser In Potting Media For The Urban Retail Market; A Proof Of Concept Using Digestate And Biochar

Food waste can be diverted from landfill and utilised via anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas. The liquid by-product of AD is commonly referred to as digestate, and this can be an organic certifiable biofertilizer. Digestate in Europe is frequently used in agriculture, though is not commonly used in the urban retail market. Biochar is another organic matter which can adsorb and retain the nutrients, and also could decrease the adverse effects of high nitrogen content of soil

Bacterial processes associated with soil C and N following application of compost and manure to dairy pasture at the beginning and end of the growing season

This study investigated the impact of dairy manure and compost on bacterial community composition and functional diversity in a dairy pasture in south-western Australia

TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN ARCTIC FOXES (VULPES LAGOPUS): A LONG-TERM MARK-RECAPTURE SEROLOGIC STUDY AT KARRAK LAKE, NUNAVUT, CANADA

Transmission dynamics of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite of importance for wildlife and human health, are enigmatic in the Arctic tundra, where free-ranging wild and domestic felid definitive hosts are absent and rarely observed, respectively. Through a multiyear mark-recapture study (2011– 17), serosurveillance was conducted to investigate transmission of T. gondii in Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the Karrak Lake region, Nunavut, Canada. Sera from adult foxes and fox pups were tested for antibodies to T. gondii by using serologic methods, including the indirect fluorescent antibody test, direct agglutination test, and modified agglutination test. The overall seroprevalence was 39% in adults and 17% in pups. Mature foxes were more likely to be exposed (seroconvert) than young foxes (less than 1 yr old), with the highest level of seroprevalence in midaged foxes (2–4 yr old). Pups in two different litters were seropositive on emergence from the den, around 5 wk old, which could have been due to passive transfer of maternal antibody or vertical transmission of T. gondii from mother to offspring. The seropositive pups were born of seropositive mothers that were also seropositive the year before they gave birth, suggesting that vertical transmission might not be limited to litters from mothers exposed to T. gondii for the first time in pregnancy. All recaptured seropositive foxes remained seropositive on subsequent captures, suggesting that antibodies persist or foxes are constantly reexposed or a combination of both. The results of this study provided insights into how foxes were likely exposed to T. gondii, the dynamics of antibody persistence and immune response, and how the parasite was maintained in a terrestrial Arctic ecosystem in the absence of felid definitive hosts

EXPORTS Measurements and Protocols for the NE Pacific Campaign

EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) is a large-scale NASA-led and NSF co-funded field campaign that will provide critical information for quantifying the export and fate of upper ocean net primary production (NPP) using satellite information and state of the art technology