Ecological status of macrobenthic communities in the Saudi waters of the western Arabian Gulf

In view of the unique oceanographic conditions combined with human pressure, we assessed the ecological status of macrobenthos from the entire Saudi waters (including open waters and inner bays) of the Gulf in 2013. A total of 328 macrobenthic species (228 polychaete species, 47 crustacean species, 46 mollusc species, and seven species belonging to other taxa) was recorded from the study area. Species richness, species diversity, and density had an overall average +/- SE of 34 +/- 2.0, 4.02 +/- 0.1 and 1,373 +/- 160 ind. m-2, respectively. As per the results of AZTI's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), in open waters, 10\% of stations belonged to undisturbed and the remaining 90\% belonged to slightly disturbed categories, while in sheltered inner bays, 95\% of the stations belonged to slightly disturbed and the remaining 5\% belonged to moderately disturbed categories. According to Multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), 4\% of the stations showed high status, 74\% good status, 23\% moderate status and 1\% poor status in open waters. In inner bays, 2\% of the stations showed high status, 73\% good status, 14\% moderate status and 4\% poor status. The open waters, where extensive industrial activities take place, are not under major stress, which might be due to the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures during the construction and operation of the offshore facilities and the natural dispersal of potential pollutants. The stressed conditions on benthos in inner bays might be due to coastal discharges besides extreme oceanographic conditions, including the poor water flushing rates, which increase the exposure to pollutants. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Radar reflectors for marking of target lymph nodes in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer - a subgroup analysis of the prospective AXSANA (EUBREAST-03) trial

Abstract Background: Surgical staging procedures of the axilla in breast cancer patients converting from a clinically positive (cN+) to a clinically negative (ycN0) lymph node status during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) vary across countries and within individual countries. The international prospective AXSANA (EUBREAST-03) study aims at comparatively evaluating long-term outcomes of different staging procedures such as axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), target lymph node biopsy (TLNB) and targeted axillary dissection (TAD). The comparison of marking techniques for the target lymph node (TLN) is a secondary endpoint. In this subgroup analysis, we report on the largest yet prospective cohort of patients receiving a radar reflector for marking of the TLN prior to NACT. Methods: The AXSANA study is an international prospective cohort study including cN+ patients converting to ycN0 status and treated with different axillary staging techniques according to the standard at their treating institution. The study was initiated by the EUBREAST network and started enrollment in August 2020. Eligible patients have cT1-4c tumors, initially present with axillary lymph node metastasis and receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients converting to ycN0 status are followed up for 5 years irrespectively of the ypN status. In the present subgroup analysis, only patients with a TLN marked by a radar reflector were included. We prospectively examined the retrieval rate of radar reflectors and the identification rate of the TLN (defined as unequivocal removal of the lymph node, i.e., the presence of lymphatic tissue in the TLN specimen and/or pathological confirmation of post-NACT changes typical for metastatic lymph nodes responding to treatment). Results: A TLN was marked using a radar reflector in 74 patients prior to NACT. The median age was 52 years (range: 32-77). The most common subtype was no special type in 68 (92%) patients and invasive lobular cancer in 7 (7%) patients. Most patients (n = 44, 59%) had one suspicious node at time of diagnosis, followed by two (n = 15, 20%), three (n = 10, 14%) or ≥ four suspicious nodes (n = 5, 5%). Only one TLN was marked in 73 (99%) patients and two nodes were marked in one patient (1%). Fifteen patients (20%) had a MRI between marker placement and surgery. In 4 out of 15 cases (27%), MRI artifacts were described. However, the assessment of MRI was limited due to artifacts only in one out of these four patients (25%). Out of the 74 patients with radar reflector marked TLN, 45 (61%) had undergone final surgery at the time of analysis and 29 (39%) are still under NACT. 36 out of 45 patients (80%) who received final surgery converted to ycN0. Most patients had undergone a TAD (n = 41, 91%), followed by TLNB in 7% (n = 3) and upfront ALND in 2% of cases (n = 1). All radar reflectors were successfully removed. In 44 out of 45 patients (98%) the TLN was unequivocally identified and removed. In one patient the tissue specimen containing radar reflector consisted of fat tissue and no lymphatic tissue was identifiable, so it remains unclear whether the TLN was excised, or the reflector might have dislocated. 29 patients (65%) had converted to ypN0 status. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this is the largest prospective series of patients receiving a radar reflector for the marking of TLN prior to NACT for breast cancer. The removal rate of the marker and the detection rate of the target node were very high. Our data demonstrate that radar reflectors are a reliable tool for marking of target lymph nodes before neoadjuvant treatment. Citation Format: Maggie Banys-Paluchowski, Steffi Hartmann, Jana de Boniface, Oreste Davide Gentilini, Timo Basali, Elmar Stickeler, Michael Untch, Franziska Ruf, Sarah Fröhlich, Marc Thill, Michael P. Lux, Florentia Peintinger, Guldeniz Karadeniz Cakmak, Isabel Rubio, Michalis Kontos, Rosa Di Micco, Dawid Murawa, Ellen Schlichting, Bilge Aktas Sezen, Achim Rody, Dagmar Langanke, Nana Bündgen, Jose Ignacio Sanchez-Mendez, Renu Buss-Steidle, Christine Mau, Nana Buchmann, Sabine Riemer, Marit Helene Hansen, Nina Ditsch, Thorsten Kühn. Radar reflectors for marking of target lymph nodes in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer – a subgroup analysis of the prospective AXSANA (EUBREAST-03) trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-23-03.</jats:p

Learning-Based Project Reviews: Observations and Lessons Learned from the Kennedy Space Center

This research focuses on understanding and developing best practices for effective “learning-based program/project reviews” (LBPRs). LBPRs are defined as program/project reviews that provide an opportunity to learn while sharing status for project control. These LBPRs aim to be an evolution from the traditional status and control reviews to an improvement conversation that drives both learning and improvement within the project environment. LBPRs are important because they provide the real-time, routine opportunity to create, capture, share, and apply both tacit and explicit knowledge throughout a project life-cycle—not just during “lessons learned” at project closeout. Some organizations do complete lessons learned throughout the life cycle of the project. To accomplish this research, an action research approach was implemented using NASA programs and organizations associated with the Kennedy Space Center. © 2005 by the American Society for Engineering Management