Can high-frequency ultrasound predict metastatic lymph nodes in patients with invasive breast cancer?

Aim To determine whether high-frequency ultrasound can predict the presence of metastatic axillary lymph nodes, with a high specificity and positive predictive value, in patients with invasive breast cancer. The clinical aim is to identify patients with axillary disease requiring surgery who would not normally, on clinical grounds, have an axillary dissection, so potentially improving outcome and survival rates. Materials and methods The ipsilateral and contralateral axillae of 42 consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer were scanned prior to treatment using a B-mode frequency of 13 MHz and a Power Doppler frequency of 7 MHz. The presence or absence of an echogenic centre for each lymph node detected was recorded, and measurements were also taken to determine the L/S ratio and the widest and narrowest part of the cortex. Power Doppler was also used to determine vascularity. The contralateral axilla was used as a control for each patient. Results In this study of patients with invasive breast cancer, ipsilateral lymph nodes with a cortical bulge ≥3 mm and/or at least two lymph nodes with absent echogenic centres indicated the presence of metastatic axillary lymph nodes (10 patients). The sensitivity and specificity were 52.6% and 100%, respectively, positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 71.9%, respectively, the P value was 0.001 and the Kappa score was 0.55.\ud Conclusion This would indicate that high-frequency ultrasound can be used to accurately predict metastatic lymph nodes in a proportion of patients with invasive breast cancer, which may alter patient management

Efficient loading of a He* magneto-optic trap using a liquid He cooled source

We report loading large numbers (up to 3×10⁹) of metastable triplet helium atoms into a magneto-optical trap using an atomic beam derived from a liquid He (LHe) cooled dc discharge source. Moreover, we compare the effect of liquidN₂ cooling to LHe cooling the source and demonstrate that LHe cooling offers a significant increase in performance

Bone cross-sectional geometry in male runners, gymnasts, swimmers and non-athletic controls: a hip-structural analysis study.

Loading of the skeleton is important for the development of a functionally and mechanically appropriate bone structure, and can be achieved through impact exercise. Proximal femur cross-sectional geometry was assessed in the male athletes (n = 55) representing gymnastics, endurance running and swimming, and non-athletic controls (n = 22). Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (iDXA, GE Healthcare, UK) measurements of the total body (for body composition) and the left proximal femur were obtained. Advanced hip structural analysis (AHA) was utilised to determine the areal bone mineral density (aBMD), hip axis length (HAL), cross-sectional area (CSA), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI) and the femoral strength index (FSI). Gymnasts and runners had greater age, height and weight adjusted aBMD than in swimmers and controls (p < 0.05). Gymnasts and runners had greater resistance to axial loads (CSA) and the runners had increased resistance against bending forces (CSMI) compared to swimmers and controls (p < 0.01). Controls had a lower FSI compared to gymnasts and runners (1.4 vs. 1.8 and 2.1, respectively, p < 0.005). Lean mass correlated with aBMD, CSA and FSI (r = 0.365-0.457, p < 0.01), particularly in controls (r = 0.657-0.759, p < 0.005). Skeletal loading through the gymnastics and running appears to confer a superior bone geometrical advantage in the young adult men. The importance of lean body mass appears to be of particular significance for non-athletes. Further characterisation of the bone structural advantages associated with different sports would be of value to inform the strategies directed at maximising bone strength and thus, preventing fracture

Surface activation of Concorde by Be-7

Activation analysis of two airframe components from the Concorde aircraft has identified the presence of Be-7, a nuclide found by other investigators that was deposited on the forward edge of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) structure. The results of the Concorde analysis indicate that this phenomenon is very much a surface effect, and that the areal densities of the Be-7 are comparable to those found for LDEF. The collection of Be-7 by the aircraft must be greater than in the case of LDEF (since duration for which Concorde is accumulating the nuclide is shorter) and is of the order of 1.2 to 41 nuclei/sq cm(-)s(exp -1) depending upon assumptions made regarding the altitude at which collection becomes appreciable, and the efficiency of the process which removes the radionuclide

Developing Interventions for Children's Exercise (DICE): a pilot evaluation of school-based exercise interventions for primary school children aged 7 to 8 years.

BACKGROUND: Developing Interventions for Children's Exercise (DICE) is an initiative aimed at determining effective school-based exercise programs. To assess feasibility, we conducted a pilot study of exercise sessions which varied in duration and frequency. METHODS: Exercise interventions were delivered to Year 3 pupils (age 7-8 years; n = 73) in primary schools within Yorkshire, UK. Evaluations were conducted using focus group sessions, questionnaires and observations. RESULTS: The study revealed positive aspects of all interventions, including favorable effects on children's concentration during lessons and identified the value of incorporation of the DICE concept into curriculum lessons. Children appeared enthused and reported well-being and enjoyment. Areas requiring attention were the need for appropriate timetabling of sessions and ensuring the availability of space. CONCLUSION: The concept and sessions were well-accepted by teachers who confirmed their full support of any future implementation There appears to be potential for the encouragement and empowerment of teachers to support physical activity and healthy school environments, and to take an interest in the health of their pupils. Ultimately, these findings should assist in the design of successful exercise interventions in the school setting

Observation of transverse interference fringes on an atom laser beam

Using the unique detection properties offered by metastable helium atoms we have produced high resolution images of the transverse spatial profiles of an atom laser beam. We observe fringes on the beam, resulting from quantum mechanical interference between atoms that start from rest at different transverse locations within the outcoupling surface and end up at a later time with different velocities at the same transverse position. Numerical simulations in the low output-coupling limit give good quantitative agreement with our experimental data

The coverage and frequency of mass drug administration required to eliminate persistent transmission of soil-transmitted helminths

A combination of methods, including mathematical model construction, demographic plus epidemiological data analysis and parameter estimation, are used to examine whether mass drug administration (MDA) alone can eliminate the transmission of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). Numerical analyses suggest that in all but low transmission settings (as defined by the magnitude of the basic reproductive number, R0), the treatment of pre-school-aged children (pre-SAC) and school-aged children (SAC) is unlikely to drive transmission to a level where the parasites cannot persist. High levels of coverage (defined as the fraction of an age group effectively treated) are required in pre-SAC, SAC and adults, if MDA is to drive the parasite below the breakpoint under which transmission is eliminated. Long-term solutions to controlling helminth infections lie in concomitantly improving the quality of the water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). MDA, however, is a very cost-effective tool in long-term control given that most drugs are donated free by the pharmaceutical industry for poor regions of the world. WASH interventions, by lowering the basic reproductive number, can facilitate the ability of MDA to interrupt transmission

Nurturing mathematical literacy at lower primary level: impacts on student understanding of formal mathematical concepts

This study investigates to what extent mathematical literacy in lower primary students (aged 6 to 8) in England was developed by a sequence of three lessons. The lessons focused on understanding of two mathematical concepts, tessellation and self-similarity, and their links with lattices and crystals. 117 students completed a pencil-and-paper based open-ended questionnaire six months after the lessons were implemented. The results show that students could articulate the meanings of these concepts. Follow-up interviews with 15 of the students illustrate that visual representations have an important role to play in making students aware of these mathematical concepts, and in developing their capabilities to reason and communicate through use of these concepts

How effective is school-based deworming for the community-wide control of soil-transmitted helminths?

Background: The London Declaration on neglected tropical diseases was based in part on a new World Health Organization roadmap to “sustain, expand and extend drug access programmes to ensure the necessary supply of drugs and other interventions to help control by 2020”. Large drug donations from the pharmaceutical industry form the backbone to this aim, especially for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) raising the question of how best to use these resources. Deworming for STHs is often targeted at school children because they are at greatest risk of morbidity and because it is remarkably cost-effective. However, the impact of school-based deworming on transmission in the wider community remains unclear. Methods: We first estimate the proportion of parasites targeted by school-based deworming using demography, school enrolment, and data from a small number of example settings where age-specific intensity of infection (either worms or eggs) has been measured for all ages. We also use transmission models to investigate the potential impact of this coverage on transmission for different mixing scenarios. Principal Findings: In the example settings <30% of the population are 5 to <15 years old. Combining this demography with the infection age-intensity profile we estimate that in one setting school children output as little as 15% of hookworm eggs, whereas in another setting they harbour up to 50% of Ascaris lumbricoides worms (the highest proportion of parasites for our examples). In addition, it is estimated that from 40–70% of these children are enrolled at school. Conclusions: These estimates suggest that, whilst school-based programmes have many important benefits, the proportion of infective stages targeted by school-based deworming may be limited, particularly where hookworm predominates. We discuss the consequences for transmission for a range of scenarios, including when infective stages deposited by children are more likely to contribute to transmission than those from adults

Feedback control of an atom laser

We report the first real-time feedback control of an atom laser. The unique feature of metastable helium atoms, the production of ions in the atom laser outcoupling process, is exploited to actively control the spatial location inside the Bose-Einstein condensate where outcoupling occurs. Unlike alkali atom lasers, this provides almost instantaneous feedback which reduces frequency, amplitude and spatial mode fluctuations in the atom laser beam