Academic Perspectives on Agribusiness: An International Survey

The IFAMR is published by (IFAMA) the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. www.ifama.orgpromotion and tenure, agribusiness, teaching, grantsmanship, research, Agribusiness, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Productivity Analysis, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, Q130,

The Effects of Increased Provision of Thoracic Surgical Specialists on the Variation in Lung Cancer Resection Rate in England

Introduction:There is a wide variation in the lung cancer resection rate in England. We assessed the effect of the regional provision of thoracic surgery service on the variation in lung cancer resection rate.Methods:A retrospective observational study correlating National Lung Cancer Audit data with thoracic surgery workforce data was performed to review the lung cancer resection rate in England in 2008 and 2009.Results:In 2008, there was a sixfold variation in resection rate, with a higher resection rate in hospitals where surgeons were based (base hospitals) than in peripheral hospitals (20.0% versus 11.6%, p < 0.001). The resection rate was also higher in cancer networks, which were served by two or more specialist thoracic surgeons (14.6% versus 12.7%, p = 0.028), and where surgeons were present in more than two-thirds of the lung cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (14.4% versus 12.0%, p = 0.046). In 2009, the overall resection rate increased from 14.5% to 18.4%. Four units increased their number of specialist thoracic surgeons and had a significantly higher increase in resection rate than units without expansion (relative rise 66.3% versus 19.2%; p = 0.022).Conclusions:The large variation in the resection rate seems, in part, to be related to the local availability of specialist thoracic surgeons. The greatest improvement in the resection rate was in units with expansion of specialist thoracic surgeons. We suggest the expansion of specialist thoracic surgeons will improve the resection rate and thereby the overall survival of lung cancer in England. This has significant implications for the future of training in cardiothoracic surgery and organization of cancer services

Changing from face-to-face to virtual meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Protocol for a mixed-methods study exploring the impact on cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings

INTRODUCTION: In the UK, the National Cancer Plan (2000) requires every cancer patient’s care to be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Since the introduction of these guidelines, MDTs have faced escalating demands with increasing numbers and complexity of cases. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented MDTs with the challenge of running MDT meetings virtually rather than face-to-face. This study aims to explore how the change from face-to-face to virtual MDT meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the effectiveness of decision-making in cancer MDT meetings and to make recommendations to improve future cancer MDT working based on the findings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A mixed-methods study with three parallel phases: Semistructured remote qualitative interviews with ≤40 cancer MDT members. A national cross-sectional online survey of cancer MDT members in England, using a validated questionnaire with both multiple-choice and free-text questions. Live observations of ≥6 virtual/hybrid cancer MDT meetings at four NHS Trusts. Participants will be recruited from Cancer Alliances in England. Data collection tools have been developed in consultation with stakeholders, based on a conceptual framework devised from decision-making models and MDT guidelines. Quantitative data will be summarised descriptively, and χ2 tests run to explore associations. Qualitative data will be analysed using applied thematic analysis. Using a convergent design, mixed-methods data will be triangulated guided by the conceptual framework. The study has been approved by NHS Research Ethics Committee (London—Hampstead) (22/HRA/0177). The results will be shared through peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences. A report summarising key findings will be used to develop a resource pack for MDTs to translate learnings from this study into improved effectiveness of virtual MDT meetings. The study has been registered on the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/D2NHW)

A study of the social and physical environment in catering kitchens and the role of the chef in promoting positive health and safety behaviour

This is the account of a mixed method study of chefs and their kitchens in order to identify the nature of their workplace and how this affects their ability to manage health and safety in the kitchen. It included extended periods of observation, monitoring of physical parameters, analysis of records of reported accidents, and a series of reflexive interviews. The findings were integrated and then fed back in a smaller number of second interviews in order to test whether the findings fitted in with the chefs' understanding of their world. Major factors identified included survival in a market environment, the status of the chef (and the kitchen) within organisations, marked autocracy of chefs, and an increasing tempo building up to service time with commensurate heat, noise, and activity. In particular during the crescendo, a threshold shift in risk tolerance was identified. The factors, their interplay, and their implications for health and safety in the catering kitchen are discussed

Identification of Novel Cetacean Poxviruses in Cetaceans Stranded in South West England

Poxvirus infections in marine mammals have been mainly reported through their clinical lesions and electron microscopy (EM). Poxvirus particles in association with such lesions have been demonstrated by EM and were previously classified as two new viruses, cetacean poxvirus 1 (CePV-1) and cetacean poxvirus 2 (CePV-2). In this study, epidermal pox lesions in cetaceans stranded in South West England (Cornwall) between 2008 and 2012 were investigated by electron microscopy and molecular analysis. PCR and sequencing of a highly conserved region within the viral DNA polymerase gene ruled out both parapoxand orthopoxviruses. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of the PCR product clustered the sequences with those previously described as cetacean poxviruses. However, taking the close genetic distance of this gene fragment across the family of poxviridae into account, it is reasonable to postulate further, novel cetacean poxvirus species. The nucleotide similarity within each cluster (tentative species) detected ranged from 98.6% to 100%, whilst the similarity between the clusters was no more than 95%. The detection of several species of poxvirus in different cetacean species confirms the likelihood of a heterogeneous cetacean poxvirus genus, comparable to the heterogeneity observed in other poxvirus genera

Communications Biophysics

Contains a summary of research publications and reports on four research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant GP-2495)National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-04)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Potentially Curable Malignancies: A National Registry Dataset Analysis

Background: Although a common challenge for patients and clinicians, there is little population-level evidence on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals diagnosed with potentially curable cancer. Objectives: We investigated CVD rates in patients with common potentially curable malignancies and evaluated the associations between patient and disease characteristics and CVD prevalence. Methods: The study included cancer registry patients diagnosed in England with stage I to III breast cancer, stage I to III colon or rectal cancer, stage I to III prostate cancer, stage I to IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer, stage I to IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and stage I to IV Hodgkin lymphoma from 2013 to 2018. Linked hospital records and national CVD databases were used to identify CVD. The rates of CVD were investigated according to tumor type, and associations between patient and disease characteristics and CVD prevalence were determined. Results: Among the 634,240 patients included, 102,834 (16.2%) had prior CVD. Men, older patients, and those living in deprived areas had higher CVD rates. Prevalence was highest for non-small-cell lung cancer (36.1%) and lowest for breast cancer (7.7%). After adjustment for age, sex, the income domain of the Index of Multiple Deprivation, and Charlson comorbidity index, CVD remained higher in other tumor types compared to breast cancer patients. Conclusions: There is a significant overlap between cancer and CVD burden. It is essential to consider CVD when evaluating national and international treatment patterns and cancer outcomes

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Potentially Curable Malignancies: A National Registry Dataset Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although a common challenge for patients and clinicians, there is little population-level evidence on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals diagnosed with potentially curable cancer. OBJECTIVES: We investigated CVD rates in patients with common potentially curable malignancies and evaluated the associations between patient and disease characteristics and CVD prevalence. METHODS: The study included cancer registry patients diagnosed in England with stage I to III breast cancer, stage I to III colon or rectal cancer, stage I to III prostate cancer, stage I to IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer, stage I to IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and stage I to IV Hodgkin lymphoma from 2013 to 2018. Linked hospital records and national CVD databases were used to identify CVD. The rates of CVD were investigated according to tumor type, and associations between patient and disease characteristics and CVD prevalence were determined. RESULTS: Among the 634,240 patients included, 102,834 (16.2%) had prior CVD. Men, older patients, and those living in deprived areas had higher CVD rates. Prevalence was highest for non-small-cell lung cancer (36.1%) and lowest for breast cancer (7.7%). After adjustment for age, sex, the income domain of the Index of Multiple Deprivation, and Charlson comorbidity index, CVD remained higher in other tumor types compared to breast cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant overlap between cancer and CVD burden. It is essential to consider CVD when evaluating national and international treatment patterns and cancer outcomes

The NuA4 acetyltransferase and histone H4 acetylation promote replication recovery after topoisomerase I-poisoning

BACKGROUND: Histone acetylation plays an important role in DNA replication and repair because replicating chromatin is subject to dynamic changes in its structures. However, its precise mechanism remains elusive. In this report, we describe roles of the NuA4 acetyltransferase and histone H4 acetylation in replication fork protection in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. RESULTS: Downregulation of NuA4 subunits renders cells highly sensitive to camptothecin, a compound that induces replication fork breakage. Defects in NuA4 function or mutations in histone H4 acetylation sites lead to impaired recovery of collapsed replication forks and elevated levels of Rad52 DNA repair foci, indicating the role of histone H4 acetylation in DNA replication and fork repair. We also show that Vid21 interacts with the Swi1-Swi3 replication fork protection complex and that Swi1 stabilizes Vid21 and promotes efficient histone H4 acetylation. Furthermore, our genetic analysis demonstrates that loss of Swi1 further sensitizes NuA4 and histone H4 mutant cells to replication fork breakage. CONCLUSION: Considering that Swi1 plays a critical role in replication fork protection, our results indicate that NuA4 and histone H4 acetylation promote repair of broken DNA replication forks