A New Spin on Research Translation: The Boston Consensus Conference on Human Biomonitoring

BACKGROUND. Translating research to make it more understandable and effective (research translation) has been declared a priority in environmental health but does not always include communication to the public or residents of communities affected by environmental hazards. Their unique perspectives are also commonly missing from discussions about science and technology policy. The consensus conference process, developed in Denmark, offers a way to address this gap. OBJECTIVES. The Boston Consensus Conference on Human Biomonitoring, held in Boston, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2006, was designed to educate and elicit input from 15 Boston-area residents on the scientifically complex topic of human biomonitoring for environmental chemicals. This lay panel considered the many ethical, legal, and scientific issues surrounding biomonitoring and prepared a report expressing their views. DISCUSSION. The lay panel's findings provide a distinct and important voice on the expanding use of biomonitoring. In some cases, such as a call for opt-in reporting of biomonitoring results to study participants, they mirror recommendations raised elsewhere. Other conclusions have not been heard previously, including the recommendation that an individual's results should be statutorily exempted from the medical record unless permission is granted, and the opportunity to use biomonitoring data to stimulate green chemistry. CONCLUSION. The consensus conference model addresses both aspects of a broader conception of research translation: engaging the public in scientific questions, and bringing their unique perspectives to bear on public health research, practice, and policy. In this specific application, a lay panel's recommendations on biomonitoring surveillance, communication, and ethics have practical implications for the conduct of biomonitoring studies and surveillance programs.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R25 ES12084, P42ES007381

Development of a Coherent Doppler Lidar for Precision Maneuvering and Landing of Space Vehicles

A coherent Doppler lidar has been developed to address NASAs need for a high-performance, compact, and cost-effective velocity and altitude sensor onboard its landing vehicles. Future robotic and manned missions to planetary bodies require precise ground-relative velocity vector and altitude data to execute complex descent maneuvers and safe, soft landing at a pre-designated site. This lidar sensor, referred to as a Navigation Doppler Lidar, meets the required performance of landing missions while complying with vehicle size, mass, and power constraints. Operating from over five kilometers altitude, the lidar obtains velocity and range precision measurements with 2 cm/sec and 2 meters, respectively, dominated by the vehicle motion. After a series of flight tests onboard helicopters and rocket-powered free-flyer vehicles, the Navigation Doppler Lidar is now being ruggedized for future missions to various destinations in the solar system

Intra-articular Injection Administration in UK Ex-professional Footballers During Their Playing Careers and the Association with Post-career Knee Osteoarthritis

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: The long-term risk from knee intra-articular (KIA) injections in professional athletes such as ex-footballers remains unknown. The use of KIA injections is controversial and remains anecdotally prolific as it is perceived as being safe/beneficial. The aim of this study was to determine the number, type and frequency KIA injections administered to retired professional footballers during their playing careers and the associations with post-career knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving a postal questionnaire (n = 1207) and subsequent knee radiographs in a random sample of questionnaire responders (n = 470). Footballers self-reported in the questionnaire whether they had received KIA injections and the estimated total number over the course of their playing career. Participant characteristics and football career-related details were also recorded. KOA was measured as self-reported knee pain (KP), total knee replacement (TKR) and radiographic KOA (RKOA). Results: 44.5% of footballers had received at least one KIA injection (mean: 7.5; SD ± 11.2) during their professional career. 71% of knee injections were cortisone/corticosteroid based. Multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI) and significant knee injury identified that footballers with injections weretwo times more likely to have KP (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.40–2.34) and TKR (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.43–3.42) than those without injections. However, there was no association with RKOA (OR 1.30, 95% CI 0.85–2.01). Given, the association with KP and TKR, we found a significant dose–response relationship as the more injections a player received (by dose–response groups), the greater the risk of KP and TKR outcomes after adjustment for knee injury and other confounders (p for trend < 0.01). Conclusion: On average, 8 KIA injections were given to the ex-footballers during their professional career. The most commonly administered injections were cortisone based. These injections associated with KP and TKR after they retired. The associations are independent of knee injuries and are dose dependent. The study suggests that there may have been excessive use of KIA injections to expedite return to play and this contributed to detrimental long-term outcomes such as KP and TKR post-retirement from professional football

Bose-Einstein condensation of deconfined spinons in two dimensions

The transition between the Néel antiferromagnet and the valence-bond solid state in two dimensions has become a paradigmatic example of deconfined quantum criticality, a non-Landau transition characterized by fractionalized excitations (spinons). We consider an extension of this scenario whereby the deconfined spinons are subject to a magnetic field. The primary purpose is to identify the exotic scenario of a Bose-Einstein condensate of spinons. We employ quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the J−Q model with a magnetic field, and we perform a quantum field theoretic analysis of the magnetic field and temperature dependence of thermodynamic quantities. The combined analysis provides evidence for Bose-Einstein condensation of spinons and also demonstrates an extended temperature regime in which the system is best described as a gas of spinons interacting with an emergent gauge field.Accepted manuscrip

Functional outcome and complications following surgery for Dupuytren’s disease: a multi-centre cross-sectional study

Variables associated with recurrent Dupuytren’s disease, or a ‘diathesis’, have been investigated, but those associated with functional outcome and complications are less well studied. Outcomes 1 or 5 years after an aponeurotomy, fasciectomy or dermofasciectomy were assessed by patient interview and examination at five UK centres. A total of 432 procedures were studied. The reoperation rate did not differ at 1 year (p = 0.396, Chi-square test with Monte Carlo simulation), but was higher after aponeurotomy in the 5-year group (30%, versus 6% after fasciectomy and 0% after dermofasciectomy, p = 0.003, Chi square test with Monte Carlo simulation). Loss of function (DASH>15) did not differ between procedures at 5 years, even when reoperation and other variables were controlled. Diabetes, female gender and previous ipsilateral surgery were associated with poorer function in logistic regression analysis. The variables associated with poor function after treatments differ from diathesis variables. Aponeurotomy had lower complication rates than fasciectomy and dermofasciectomy. This may counterbalance the former’s higher recurrence rate and explain why aponeurotomy demonstrated similar long-term functional outcome compared with excisional surgery in this study

Prevalence of knee pain, radiographic osteoarthritis and arthroplasty in retired professional footballers compared with men in the general population: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of knee pain, radiographic knee osteoarthritis (RKOA), total knee replacement (TKR) and associated risk factors in male ex-professional footballers compared with men in the general population (comparison group). METHODS: 1207 male ex-footballers and 4085 men in the general population in the UK were assessed by postal questionnaire. Current knee pain was defined as pain in or around the knees on most days of the previous month. Presence and severity of RKOA were assessed on standardised radiographs using the Nottingham Line Drawing Atlas (NLDA) in a subsample of 470 ex-footballers and 491 men in the comparison group. The adjusted risk ratio (aRR) and adjusted risk difference (aRD) with 95% CI in ex-footballers compared with the general population were calculated using the marginal model in Stata. RESULTS: Ex-footballers were more likely than the comparison group to have current knee pain (aRR 1.91, 95% CI 1.77 to 2.06), RKOA (aRR 2.21, 95% CI 1.92 to 2.54) and TKR (aRR 3.61, 95% CI 2.90 to 4.50). Ex-footballers were also more likely to present with chondrocalcinosis (aRR 3.41, 95% CI 2.44 to 4.77). Prevalence of knee pain and RKOA were higher in ex-footballers at all ages. However, even after adjustment for significant knee injury and other risk factors, there was more than a doubling of risk of these outcomes in footballers. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of all knee osteoarthritis outcomes (knee pain, RKOA and TKR) were two to three times higher in male ex-footballers compared with men in the general population group. Knee injury is the main attributable risk factor. Even after adjustment for recognised risk factors, knee osteoarthritis appear to be an occupational hazard of professional football

Supporting people with aphasia to ‘settle into a new way to be’: speech and language therapists’ views on providing psychosocial support

Background: People with aphasia are at risk of becoming depressed and isolated. On-line surveys have found that the majority of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) lack confidence in addressing the psychological needs of people with aphasia. Aims: To explore how SLTs conceptualise the scope of their role; barriers and facilitators to SLTs addressing psychosocial needs; and SLTs’ experiences of specialist training and support, and working with mental health professionals (MHPs). Methods and procedures: Focus groups conducted in stroke healthcare settings. Purposive sampling was used in selecting sites so as to capture a range of experiences. Results were analysed using Framework Analysis. Outcomes and Results: Twenty-three SLTs took part in six focus groups. Participants’ psychosocial work included counselling-type interactions, psychoeducation, working with families, facilitating peer support, and training other healthcare professionals. There was a lack of consensus on the scope of the SLT role. Many expressed a sense of conflict, both perceiving it as valuable to spend time addressing psychological well-being, while simultaneously feeling uneasy if they deviated from ‘direct SLT’ work. Barriers to addressing psychosocial wellbeing were: emotionally challenging nature of this work, particularly for those who felt unsupported; caseload and time pressures; attitude of senior managers and commissioners; difficulties measuring and documenting more ‘fluid’ psychosocial work; and the complexity of needs and backgrounds of some patients. Enabling factors were: specialist on-going support; peer support from colleagues; experience; support of management; and personal belief. Specialist training was valued. It changed how participants viewed the therapist-client relationship (more client-led); the assessment and goal setting process; and gave them more confidence to acknowledge client emotions. However, many felt that there was a need for on-going specialist advice, and to be able to see approaches modelled for this client group. In terms of mental health professionals (MHPs), a subset of stroke specialist clinical psychologists worked directly with people with marked aphasia and families, as well as supporting the multidisciplinary team to provide holistic care. However, a main theme was that participants perceived many MHPs did not consider people with aphasia as ‘appropriate candidates’ for psychological input. Conclusions and Implications: All participants cared about the emotional well-being of their clients; however, they identified a number of barriers to people with aphasia receiving appropriate psychological support. A cultural shift, whereby psychological care for people with aphasia is seen as valuable, feasible and necessary, delivered collaboratively by SLTs, MHPs and the wider team, may improve services