Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Using a Single Transcartilage Needle Electrode During Thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Application of transcartilage needle electrode for intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) during thyroidectomy has been considered an alternative method of electromyography (EMG) tube recording. However, needle electrodes must be inserted into both sides of the thyroid cartilage with exposure of the cartilage lamina. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of applying a single ipsilateral transcartilage needle electrode for IONM during unilateral hemithyroidectomy. METHODS: Thirty-four patients underwent IONM during unilateral thyroidectomy. A dual disposable needle electrode was inserted obliquely into the inferior lower third of the ipsilateral lamina of the thyroid cartilage. Patients were classified as deep (≥ 5 mm) or superficial (< 5 mm) by the depth of the needle electrode inserted into the thyroid cartilage. Without using an EMG tube, IONM was done according to the standardized procedure using a single needle electrode only. RESULTS: IONM was successful in all nerves at risk. Amplitude of the EMG signal was stable during the surgery, with no cases presenting loss of signal. Amplitude of the signal from vagal and recurrent laryngeal nerve stimulation was significantly lower when needle insertion was superficial (< 5 mm). None of the patients showed postoperative vocal cord paralysis, and complications related to needle electrode were not identified. CONCLUSION: IONM using a single ipsilateral transcartilage needle electrode during unilateral hemithyroidectomy was feasible with no significant complications. It may serve as an alternative method of IONM with the advantage of minimal exposure of the thyroid cartilage lamina. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:448-452, 2021.

Literature compilation of volatile N-nitrosamines in processed meat and poultry products - an update.

A compilation of volatile N-nitrosamine levels in processed (e.g., cured, canned, smoked) meat and poultry products is presented. Over 1800 samples of processed meat products including bacon, ham, salami, sausage, and various other processed meat and poultry products have been examined for the presence of eight volatile N-nitrosamines. The database compiled from the literature is based on 25 references published for the period of 1985 to 2018 from 14 countries. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), and N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), are the most frequently identified volatile N-nitrosamines occurring in processed meat and poultry products. N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), and N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA) are also frequently observed to a lesser extent. The processed meat and poultry products with the highest levels of volatile N-nitrosamines were pork (fried, fat only eaten), poultry (fried), poultry (spiced, grilled), and bacon (fried).

A U.S. population dietary exposure assessment for 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) from foods containing caramel colour and from formation of 4-MEI through the thermal treatment of food.

4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI) is formed in caramel colours produced using ammonium compounds (Class III and Class IV caramel colours). 4-MEI can also form in food through Maillard reactions between reducing sugars and amino acids during cooking, roasting or dry-heating. The USFDA has analysed over 700 food and beverage samples collected from 2013 to 2015 for the presence of 4-MEI. These samples include foods containing added caramel colour and foods that are not labelled as containing added caramel colour, but which may contain 4-MEI resulting from thermal treatment. The 4-MEI levels in all food samples were quantified using LC-MS/MS. These data were used to develop a comprehensive dietary exposure assessment for 4-MEI for the U.S. population aged 2 years or more and several sub-populations, using two non-consecutive days of food consumption data from the combined 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and 10-14-day food consumption survey data for 2009-2012 from the NPD Group, Inc. National Eating Trends-Nutrient Intake Database. Dietary exposure estimates were prepared for each category of foods labelled as containing added caramel colour and of foods not labelled as containing added caramel colour, but which may contain 4-MEI from thermal treatment. Exposure to 4-MEI from consumption of foods containing added caramel colour was higher than that from foods that contain 4-MEI from thermal treatment for all population groups. Cola-type carbonated beverages were the highest contributors for most populations from foods containing added caramel colour. Coffee was the highest contributor for most populations from foods in which 4-MEI could be formed from thermal treatment. An overall combined exposure to 4-MEI was also estimated that included all foods identified as containing added caramel colour and foods in which 4-MEI could be formed by thermal treatment.

Exposure estimates of nitrite and nitrate from consumption of cured meat products by the U.S. population.

The dietary exposures of nitrite and nitrate from consumption of cured meat products were estimated for the U.S. population aged 2 years and older, and children aged 2 to 5 years, using both 2-day food consumption data from the publicly available combined 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and 10-14-day food consumption data from the 2009 and 2012 NPD Group, Inc. National Eating Trends-Nutrient Intake database (NPD NET-NID), and residual nitrite and nitrate levels in cured meat products available from the recent American Meat Institute Foundation/National Pork Board (AMIF/NPB) national market survey of the nitrite and nitrate levels in cured meat products in the U.S.A. The dietary exposure for consumers of cured meat products (eaters-only) was estimated at the mean and 90th percentile for three exposure scenarios: low exposure, average exposure, and high exposure, to account for the range in the amount of nitrite and nitrate in a given cured meat product category. In addition, a cumulative exposure that takes into account all cured meat product categories containing nitrite and nitrate was determined, and the relative percent contribution of each cured meat product category to the cumulative exposure was estimated. Cured, cooked sausages and whole-muscle brine-cured products were the two major contributing categories to dietary exposure of nitrite and nitrate for both U.S. population aged 2 years and older and children aged 2-5 years.

Executive function fails to predict smoking outcomes in a clinical trial to motivate smokers to quit.

BACKGROUND: Executive function (EF) is considered an important mediator of health outcomes. It is hypothesized that those with better EF are more likely to succeed in turning their intentions into actual health behaviors. Prior studies indicate EF is associated with smoking cessation. Experimental and longitudinal studies, however, have yielded mixed results. Few studies have examined whether EF predicts post-treatment smoking behavior. Fewer still have done so prospectively in a large trial. We sought to determine if EF predicts quit attempts and cessation among community smokers in a large randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of motivational interventions for encouraging cessation. METHODS: Participants (N=255) completed a baseline assessment that included a cognitive battery to assess EF (Oral Trail Making Test B, Stroop, Controlled Oral Word Association Test). Participants were then randomized to 4 sessions of Motivational Interviewing or Health Education or one session of Brief Advice to quit. Quit attempts and cessation were assessed at weeks 12 and 26. RESULTS: In regression analyses, none of the EF measures were statistically significant predictors of quit attempts or cessation (all ps>0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Our data did not support models of health behavior that emphasize EF as a mediator of health outcomes. Methodological shortcomings weaken the existing support for an association between EF and smoking behavior. We suggest methodological improvements that could help move this potentially important area of research forward.

Implicit Attitudes and Smoking Behavior in a Smoking Cessation Induction Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Although studies have suggested that implicit attitudes may predict smoking-related decisions, evidence that changes in implicit attitudes toward smoking are related to changes in smoking behavior is lacking. Using data from a trial comparing interventions to induce quit attempts among unmotivated smokers, this study examined whether changes in implicit attitudes were associated with quit attempts and cessation after controlling for explicit motivation. METHODS: Daily smokers recruited from the community completed measures of implicit attitudes (Implicit Association Test) and explicit measure of motivation to smoke at baseline, mid-intervention (week 12 [W12]) and follow-up (week 26 [W26]). Quit attempts and cessation were assessed at follow-up, and cessation was biochemically verified. RESULTS: As hypothesized, Implicit Association Test scores became more negative from baseline to W12, a change that was sustained at follow-up. Logistic regression analyses in which implicit attitudes were used to predict smoking outcomes revealed that negative changes in implicit attitudes from baseline to W12 and from baseline to W26 were significantly related to quit attempts (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.52, 0.97], p < .05 for both) independent of explicit motivation. Negative changes in implicit attitudes from baseline to W26 were significantly related to cessation (OR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.25, 1.00], p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Negative changes in implicit attitudes were associated with positive changes in smoking behavior independent of explicit motivation. This result indicates that smoking cessation interventions may be enhanced by incorporating strategies to change implicit attitudes, and that changes in implicit attitudes are also potentially important intervention outcomes. IMPLICATIONS: Smoking cessation interventions may be improved by going beyond the current focus on explicit psychological constructs and targeting automatic cognitive processes such as implicit attitudes. The results are encouragement to examine how best to manipulate smokers' implicit attitudes as well as to determine the effect on their smoking behavior.

Exposure estimate for FD&C colour additives for the US population.

Dietary exposures to the seven food, drug, and cosmetic (FD&C) colour additives that are approved for general use in food in the United States were estimated for the US population (aged 2 years and older), children (aged 2-5 years) and teenage boys (aged 13-18 years) based on analytical levels of the FD&C colour additives in foods. Approximately 600 foods were chosen for analysis, based on a survey of product labels, for the levels of FD&C colour additives. Dietary exposure was estimated using both 2-day food consumption data from the combined 2007-10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and 10-14-day food consumption data from the 2007-10 NPD Group, Inc. National Eating Trends - Nutrient Intake Database (NPD NET-NID). Dietary exposure was estimated at the mean and 90th percentile using three different exposure scenarios: low exposure, average exposure and high exposure, to account for the range in the amount of each FD&C colour additive for a given food. For all populations and all exposure scenarios, the highest cumulative eaters-only exposures in food were determined for FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and FD&C Yellow No. 6. In addition, the eaters-only exposure was estimated for individual food categories in order to determine which food categories contributed the most to the exposure for each FD&C colour additive. Breakfast Cereal, Juice Drinks, Soft Drinks, and Frozen Dairy Desserts/Sherbet (also referred to as Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Sherbet (including Bars, Sticks, Sandwiches)) were the major contributing food categories to exposure for multiple FD&C colour additives for all three populations.

Recruiting unmotivated smokers into a smoking induction trial.

Little is known about effective methods to recruit unmotivated smokers into cessation induction trials, the reasons unmotivated smokers agree to participate, and the impact of those reasons on study outcomes. A mixed-method approach was used to examine recruitment data from a randomized controlled cessation induction trial that enrolled 255 adult smokers with low motivation to quit. Over 15 months, 33% of smokers who inquired about the study were enrolled. Common recruitment methods included word-of-mouth, print advertisements and clinic referrals. Frequently mentioned reasons for participating included to: gain financial incentives (44.7%), learn about research or help others quit (43%), learn about smoking and risks (40%) and help with future quits (i.e. Quit Assistance, 23.9%). Separate regression models predicting study outcomes at 26 weeks indicated that smokers who said they participated for Quit Assistance reported higher motivation to quit (B 1.26) and were more likely to have made a quit attempt (OR 2.03) compared to those not mentioning this reason, when baseline characteristics were controlled. Understanding reasons for unmotivated smokers' interest in treatment can help practitioners and researchers design effective strategies to engage this population.

A Randomized Trial of Motivational Interviewing: Cessation Induction Among Smokers With Low Desire to Quit.

INTRODUCTION: Despite limitations in evidence, the current Clinical Practice Guideline advocates Motivational Interviewing for smokers not ready to quit. This study evaluated the efficacy of Motivational Interviewing for inducing cessation-related behaviors among smokers with low motivation to quit. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Two-hundred fifty-five daily smokers reporting low desire to quit smoking were recruited from an urban community during 2010-2011 and randomly assigned to Motivational Interviewing, health education, or brief advice using a 2:2:1 allocation. Data were analyzed from 2012 to 2014. INTERVENTION: Four sessions of Motivational Interviewing utilized a patient-centered communication style that explored patients' own reasons for change. Four sessions of health education provided education related to smoking cessation while excluding elements characteristic of Motivational Interviewing. A single session of brief advice consisted of brief, personalized advice to quit. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Self-reported quit attempts; smoking abstinence (biochemically verified); use of cessation pharmacotherapies; motivation; and confidence to quit were assessed at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Unexpectedly, no significant differences emerged between groups in the proportion who made a quit attempt by 6-month follow-up (Motivational Interviewing, 52.0%; health education, 60.8%; brief advice, 45.1%; p=0.157). Health education had significantly higher biochemically verified abstinence rates at 6 months (7.8%) than brief advice (0.0%) (8% risk difference, 95% CI=3%, 13%, p=0.003), with the Motivational Interviewing group falling in between (2.9% abstinent, 3% risk difference, 95% CI=0%, 6%, p=0.079). Both Motivational Interviewing and health education groups showed greater increases in cessation medication use, motivation, and confidence to quit relative to brief advice (all p<0.05), and health education showed greater increases in motivation relative to Motivational Interviewing (Cohen's d=0.36, 95% CI=0.12, 0.60). CONCLUSIONS: Although Motivational Interviewing was generally more efficacious than brief advice in inducing cessation behaviors, health education appeared the most efficacious. These results highlight the need to identify the contexts in which Motivational Interviewing may be most efficacious and question recommendations to use Motivational Interviewing rather than other less complex cessation induction interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01188018.

The relationship between ART adherence and smoking status among HIV+ individuals.

Smoking is highly prevalent among HIV+ individuals and studies indicate that it may be associated with poor ART adherence, though the relationship is poorly understood. In addition little is known about interest in quitting among HIV+ smokers who are having adherence difficulties. We examined smoking and ART adherence among 203 HIV+ individuals enrolled in a randomized trial of interventions to increase ART adherence. Prior analyses indicated there were no overall treatment group effects. Smoking status and motivation to quit was assessed at baseline and ART adherence was assessed at week 12, 24, 36, and 48. Longitudinal generalized estimating equation analysis that controlled for treatment group revealed that smoking status was not significantly related to adherence over time. Motivation to quit was high with 58 % intending to quit in the next 6 months and 25 % intending to quit in the next 30 days. Findings suggest that smoking is not associated with adherence among those with adherence difficulties. However it does not diminish importance of addressing both behaviors especially given HIV+ smokers substantial interest in changing smoking behavior.

Health risk perceptions predict smoking-related outcomes in Greek college students.

Health risk perception in smoking behavior was prospectively evaluated in a cluster-randomized trial for smoking cessation in Greek college students. Perceived Vulnerability (PV), Precaution Effectiveness, Optimistic Bias, and smoking behavior measures (quit attempts and cessation) were assessed in college-aged Greek student smokers at baseline, end of treatment (3 months), and follow-up (6 months). Using generalized estimating equations, baseline risk perception variables and change in risk perception variables between baseline and end of treatment were examined as predictors of the dichotomous smoking outcome variables. Results revealed that higher baseline PV [OR = 1.42 (1.21, 1.68)] predicted a greater likelihood of a quit attempt (n = 267). An increased likelihood of cessation [OR = 1.41 (1.15, 1.72)] was also predicted by an increase in PV from baseline to end of treatment (n = 243). Overall results suggested that PV was the strongest predictor of smoking behavior change, supporting further examination of health risk perceptions in promoting smoking cessation among Greek college smokers.

Improving understanding of the quitting process: psychological predictors of quit attempts versus smoking cessation maintenance among college students.

This study examined motivation, positive and negative outcome expectations of quitting, and self-efficacy as predictors of quit attempts and cessation maintenance in a smoking cessation intervention for college students (N = 303). Psychological measures assessed at baseline were used to predict smoking behavior outcomes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression analysis revealed that motivation and self-efficacy were strong, differential predictors of quit attempts and cessation maintenance, respectively. This study extends the previous findings regarding psychological predictors of quitting processes to college students, and suggests the need for interventions tailored according to phases of quitting processes.

A comparison of autonomous regulation and negative self-evaluative emotions as predictors of smoking behavior change among college students.

This study compared autonomous self-regulation and negative self-evaluative emotions as predictors of smoking behavior change in college student smokers (N = 303) in a smoking cessation intervention study. Although the two constructs were moderately correlated, latent growth curve modeling revealed that only autonomous regulation, but not negative self-evaluative emotions, was negatively related to the number of days smoked. Results suggest that the two variables tap different aspects of motivation to change smoking behaviors, and that autonomous regulation predicts smoking behavior change better than negative self-evaluative emotions.

Characterization of color fade during frozen storage of red grapefruit juice concentrates.

Color changes in red grapefruit juice concentrates during storage at -23 degrees C for 12 months were studied. Concentrate (38 degrees Brix) was packed in both plastic (16 oz) and metal (6 oz) cans. Decrease in red intensity (CIE a) in juice color and slight increases in CIE L*, b*, and hue values from analysis of reconstituted juices were the characteristic color changes in concentrate during frozen storage. With respect to fresh concentrate, juice color in stored concentrate shifted toward the direction between negative DeltaC* and positive DeltaL*, indicating the color became slightly paler. A color difference seems to exist between the two containers, especially for the magnitude of DeltaE*; color changes were more pronounced in concentrates packed in plastic. There are significant changes (P < 0.05) in major carotenoid pigments (beta-carotene and lycopene) in the concentrates. More than 20% loss of lycopene and about 7% loss of beta-carotene occurred with plastic containers after a 12-month period. Regression analysis showed that the rate of decline was about 0.291 ppm per month (r = 0.990) for lycopene compared to 0.045 ppm (r = 0.817) for beta-carotene in concentrate stored in plastic. In the metal can, the same trends were observed but pigment losses were slightly smaller than those with plastic. An estimated shelf life for lycopene was 26.1 months in the metal can compared to 18 months in plastic. Shelf life for beta-carotene was more than 39 months, more than twice that of lycopene in plastic container.

Characterization of major anthocyanins and the color of red-fleshed Budd Blood orange (Citrus sinensis).

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode array detection was applied for the characterization of anthocyanins in red-fleshed Budd Blood (Citrus sinensis) orange. More than seven anthocyanin pigments were separated within 30 min by using a binary gradient (0.1% H(3)P0(4) in water and 0.1% H(3)PO(4) in acetonitrile) elution on a Prodigy ODS column. Separations by reversed-phase HPLC and semipreparative HPLC on a Prodigy 10-microm ODS Prep column, and acid and alkali hydrolyses were used for identification of anthocyanins. The primary anthocyanins in Budd Blood orange grown in Florida were cyanidin-3-(6"-malonylglucoside) (44.8%) followed by cyanidin-3-glucoside (33.6%). Two other minor pigments were also acylated with malonic acid. Malonated anthocyanins represented the major proportion (>51%) of anthocyanins in Budd Blood orange. Total anthocyanin contents and juice color parameters (CIE L,a,b) were compared with six other Florida-grown blood oranges.