Effect of Pore Formation on Redox-Driven Phase Transformation.

When solid-state redox-driven phase transformations are associated with mass loss, vacancies are produced that develop into pores. These pores can influence the kinetics of certain redox and phase transformation steps. We investigated the structural and chemical mechanisms in and at pores in a combined experimental-theoretical study, using the reduction of iron oxide by hydrogen as a model system. The redox product (water) accumulates inside the pores and shifts the local equilibrium at the already reduced material back toward reoxidation into cubic Fe_{1-x}O (where x refers to Fe deficiency, space group Fm3[over ¯]m). This effect helps us to understand the sluggish reduction of cubic Fe_{1-x}O by hydrogen, a key process for future sustainable steelmaking.

Perception, intention and attempts to quit smoking among Jordanian adolescents from the Irbid Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe important tobacco cessation indicators among adolescent smokers from Irbid, Jordan. METHODS: Participants for this study were selected from the Irbid Longitudinal Study of Smoking Behaviour (20082011). A total of 1781 students were enrolled at baseline from 19 of 60 randomly selected schools (participation rate 95%). Only students who reported current smoking at baseline were included in the study (n = 605). RESULTS: Among the study participants, 74.3% wanted to quit smoking, 64.2% tried to quit and 68% believed it was easy to quit at any time. Attempts to quit smoking were significantly more frequent among boys than among girls for cigarettes (boys 72% vs. girls 45.2%) and waterpipes (boys 71.7% vs. girls 53.5%). More girls (55.2%) than boys (28.6%) wanted to quit waterpipe smoking because they believed that it was harmful to health (P 0.001) and because smoking among children was unacceptable to their families (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the students in this cohort wanted and tried to quit smoking. They believed it was easy to quit smoking whenever they wanted. Health concerns in boys and girls, and family opposition to smoking among girls were barriers to continued smoking.

One-Stage Laparoscopic Orchiopexy for the Treatment of Intraabdominal Testis.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy has gradually become the gold standard for the treatment of non-palpable testicles (NPT), with different success and complication rates. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate outcomes of the one-stage laparoscopic orchiopexy for NPT in our department. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the medical files of patients who underwent laparoscopic orchidopexy with the identical technique. Only patients with at least one year follow-up were included. At follow-up we assessed the age (at surgery), follow-up time, laterality of testes, postoperative complications, testicular size and testicular localization. RESULTS: Thirty-six consecutive patients, median age 16 months, underwent one-stage laparoscopic orchiopexy. Sixteen patients (44.4%) had peeping testis type, in 13 patients (36.1%) the testicle was located within 2 cm from the internal ring and in the remaining 7 patients (19.4%) it was detected > 2 cm from the internal ring. In six children (16.7%) dividing the spermatic vessels was performed in one stage with laparoscopic orchiopexy. In the remaining 30 patients (83.7%) a laparoscopic one-stage procedure was performed with preservation of the spermatic vessels. Testicular atrophy was observed in 2 cases (5.6%), and 6 patients (16%) had a relatively small testicle compared to the contralateral normal testicle at follow-up. Two patients (5.6%) presented with testicle positioning at the entrance area into the scrotum. None of the patients demonstrated hernia recurrence at follow-up. There was no difference in surgical outcome in children who had surgery with preservation of the spermatic vessels versus those who underwent orchiopexy with division of the spermatic vessels in one stage. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic transection of the testicular vessels appeared to be safe in boys with high abdominal testes that did not reach the scrotum after laparoscopic high retroperitoneal dissection.

Measuring depression and stigma towards depression and mental health treatment among adolescents in an Arab-American community.

There has been limited research that has examined the prevalence of depression and attitudes towards depression and mental health treatment in Arab-American adolescents; we sought to assess these in a predominantly Arab-American community in metro Detroit. A health survey of adolescents aged 12-17 years was conducted (n=98). Participants were recruited from two local community organizations in Dearborn, MI. Depression was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) Depression Scale, and attitude towards depression and willingness to seek help for mental health conditions were assessed by the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale (SSDS). To assess whether attitudes might be affected by information about mental health treatment, adolescents were randomized to view either an educational video about mental health, or a control video before responding to questions about their willingness to seek help for mental health conditions. Overall, 14% of Arab-American adolescents in this study endorsed moderate or moderately severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 11), suggesting a need to increase awareness of and access to mental health services and screening for Arab-American youth.

Waterpipe a gateway to cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents in Irbid, Jordan: a longitudinal study.

SETTING: According to anecdotal evidence, waterpipe smoking may lead to the initiation of cigarette smoking among young people. This hypothesis is yet to be examined using an appropriate study design and a theoretical model for behavioral change. OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk of cigarette smoking initiation among waterpipe-only smokers and never smokers in a school-based sample of adolescents from Irbid, Jordan. METHODS: A total of 1454 cigarette-naïve participants were drawn from a longitudinal study on smoking behavior conducted in Irbid among 1781 seventh graders who were enrolled at baseline (2008) and completed the study questionnaire on smoking behavior annually until 2011. Grouped time-survival analysis was used to compare the risk of subsequent initiation of cigarette smoking between waterpipe smokers (n = 298) and never smokers (n = 1156) using adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: Risk of initiation of cigarette smoking among waterpipe smokers was significantly higher than among never smokers after adjusting for potential confounders (aHR 1.67, 95%CI 1.46-1.92). The association between waterpipe and cigarette smoking initiation was dose-dependent. The risk of initiating cigarette smoking increased with increase in the frequency of waterpipe smoking (P for linear trend < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Waterpipe smoking led to the initiation of cigarette smoking among this cohort of Jordanian adolescents; the effect was dose-dependent.

Experience with early TEVAR treatment of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection.

The current paradigm for the treatment of chronic type B aortic dissection involves primarily medical treatment. The patients are then followed for sequelae like progressive dissection or aneurysmal degeneration, selecting this subgroup for further intervention. The European Collaborator Registry, the Talent Thoracic Retrospective Registry, and several meta-analysis showed that the uncomplicated type B dissection patients who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) outperformed their counterpart in the complicated group. The INSTEAD trial, the first randomized trial to examine whether TEVAR is better than medical management in the chronic stable dissection patients, showed no benefit early on although mid-term data might show some benefit. Clearly more randomized controlled trials are necessary to create a paradigm shift. In the United States, the FDA approved TEVAR devices are for the descending thoracic aortic aneurysm and transection only. The use of these devices for dissection is off-label or for investigation only. As future study might broaden the use of TEVAR for the chronic dissection patients, the use of TEVAR in hybrid surgery and in the ascending aorta is also broadening the indication for this technology. With two decades of innovation behind, TEVAR will continue to evolve and innovate in the years ahead.

Magnetic resonance imaging and cross sectional anatomy of the normal equine sinuses and nasal passages.

The purpose of this investigation was to define the magnetic resonance imaging anatomy of the rostral part of the equine head. 10 mm-thick, T1-weighted images of two isolated equine cadaver heads were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla magnet and a body coil. MR images were compared to corresponding frozen cross-sections of the cadaver head. Relevant anatomic structures were identified and labeled at each level. The resulting images provided excellent anatomic detail of the oral and nasal cavities, paranasal sinuses and associated structures. Annotated MR images from this study are intended as a reference for clinical MR imaging studies of the equine head.

Detection of and screening for endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer occurs more than twice as frequently as cervical cancer. The main risk factors are age, estrogen use, and obesity. Increasing life expectancy and more liberal use of estrogen to prevent postmenopausal bone loss will probably increase the magnitude of the problem. Endometrial cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Good prognosis is associated with obesity and estrogen use and with carcinomas preceded by precancerous hyperplasia. A bad prognosis may be found in women without major risk factors and is associated with a normal or atrophic endometrium. Because of a high prevalence of asymptomatic disease (6.9 per 1,000) and because the group with a poor prognosis is usually asymptomatic, all postmenopausal women should be screened at least one time. For screening, the use of one of the cytologic instruments is recommended; these instruments are safe, easy to handle, and can be used in the office setting without anesthesia. Yields are comparable to dilation and curettage. Family physicians are encouraged to familiarize themselves with cytologic instruments and to use them for screening postmenopausal women in their office.