A 12-item short form of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS-12): tests of reliability, validity and responsiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate reliability, validity and responsiveness of KOOS-12, a 12-item short form of the 42-item Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) that provides Pain, Function and Quality of Life (QOL) scale scores and a summary knee impact score. DESIGN: Data from 1,392 knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients from the FORCE-TJR research cohort who completed KOOS before and 6 and 12 months after total knee replacement (TKR) were analyzed. KOOS-12 includes a pain frequency item and three items measuring pain during increasingly difficult (sitting/lying, walking, stairs) activities; function items about standing, rising from sitting, getting in/out of a car, and twisting/pivoting; and the 4-item KOOS QOL scale. Percent computable scale scores, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency reliability, validity (scale correlations, tests of known groups validity using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)) and responsiveness (effect sizes, standardized response means) were compared for the KOOS-12, full-length KOOS, KOOS-PS and KOOS, JR. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability was above 0.70 for all KOOS-12 scales and ≥0.90 for the KOOS-12 Summary score. Validity and responsiveness of KOOS-12 Pain, Function and QOL scales was satisfactory and reached similar conclusions as comparable full-length KOOS scales. The KOOS-12 Summary score was most responsive in discriminating between groups who differed in global ratings of post-TKR change in physical capabilities and had the highest effect sizes and standardized response means. CONCLUSIONS: KOOS-12 was a reliable and valid alternative to KOOS in TKR patients with moderate to severe OA and provided three domain-specific and summary knee impact scores with substantially reduced respondent burden.

Item selection for 12-item short forms of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS-12) and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-12).

OBJECTIVE: To develop 12-item short forms (KOOS-12, HOOS-12) of the 42-item Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and 40-item Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) that represent the full-length instruments sufficiently to provide joint-specific pain, function and quality of life (QOL) domain and summary joint impact scores. This paper describes KOOS-12 and HOOS-12 item selection. Subsequent papers will examine KOOS-12 and HOOS-12 reliability, validity and responsiveness. DESIGN: Items were selected based on qualitative information from patients, clinicians and KOOS/HOOS translators and analysis of data from 1,395 knee osteoarthritis (OA) and 1,281 hip OA patients from the FORCE-TJR cohort who completed KOOS or HOOS before and after total joint replacement (TJR). Item response theory models and computerized adaptive test (CAT) simulations were used to identify items that best measured patients' levels of pain and function pre- and post-TJR. KOOS-12/HOOS-12 items were selected based on content, coverage of a wide measurement range, high item information, item usage in CAT simulations, scale-level properties (reliability, validity, responsiveness), and qualitative information. RESULTS: KOOS-12 and HOOS-12 each included a pain frequency item and three items measuring pain during increasingly difficult activities (sitting/lying, walking, up/down stairs); function items about standing, rising from sitting, getting in/out of a car, and twisting/pivoting (KOOS-12) or walking on an uneven surface (HOOS-12); and the original 4-item QOL scale. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the benefits of examining patient-reported outcome measures using modern psychometric methods, to create short forms with diverse content that provide domain-specific and summary joint impact scores.

A 12-item short form of the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-12): tests of reliability, validity and responsiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate reliability, validity and responsiveness of HOOS-12, a 12-item short form of the 40-item Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS). HOOS-12 provides Pain, Function and Quality of Life (QOL) scale scores and a summary hip impact score. DESIGN: Data from 1,273 FORCE-TJR hip osteoarthritis (OA) patients who completed HOOS before and six and 12 months after total hip replacement (THR) were analyzed. HOOS-12 includes a pain frequency item and three items measuring pain during increasingly difficult (sitting/lying, walking, stairs) activities; function items about standing, rising from sitting, getting in/out of a car, and walking on an uneven surface; and the 4-item HOOS QOL scale. Percent computable scale scores, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency reliability, validity (scale correlations, tests of known groups validity using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)), and responsiveness (effect sizes (ES), standardized response means (SRM)) were compared for HOOS-12, full-length HOOS, HOOS-PS and HOOS, JR. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability was above 0.70 for all HOOS-12 scales and above 0.90 for the HOOS-12 Summary score. Validity and responsiveness of HOOS-12 Pain, Function and QOL scales were satisfactory and reached similar conclusions as comparable full-length HOOS scales. The HOOS-12 Summary score was highly responsive in discriminating between groups who differed in global ratings of post-THR change in physical capabilities and had high ES and SRM standardized response means. CONCLUSIONS: HOOS-12 was a reliable and valid alternative to HOOS in THR patients with moderate to severe OA and provided three domain-specific and summary hip impact scores with substantially reduced respondent burden.

Patterns of prescription opioid use before total hip and knee replacement among US Medicare enrollees.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patterns of prescription opioid use before total joint replacement (TJR) and factors associated with continuous use of opioids before TJR. DESIGN: We conducted an observational cohort study among Medicare enrollees aged ≥65 years who underwent TJR between 2010 and 2014. Preoperative opioid use was defined as having any opioid prescription in the 12-month period before TJR. Patients who had an opioid prescription every month for a 12-month period were defined as continuous users. We examined patients' demographics, pain-related conditions, medication use, other comorbidities, healthcare utilization and their association with use of opioids before TJR. RESULTS: A total of 473,781 patients underwent TJR:,155,516 THR and 318,265 TKR. Among the total cohort, 60.2% patients had any use of opioids and of those, 12.4% used opioids at least once a month continuously over the 12-month baseline period. Correlates of continuous opioid use included African American race (OR = 2.14, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 2.01-2.28, compared to White patients), history of drug abuse (OR = 5.18, 95% CI = 3.95-6.79) and back pain (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 2.24-2.39). CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of patients undergoing TJR, over 60% ever used opioids and 12.4% of them continuously used opioids in the 12-month prior to surgery. Utilization of opioids became more frequent and high-dosed near the surgery. History of drug abuse, back pain, and African American race were strongly associated with continuous use of opioids preoperatively. Further research is needed to determine short-term and long-term risks of preoperative use of opioids in TJR patients and to optimize pre- and post-TJR pain management of patients with arthritis.

Assessing the perceived impact of post Minamata amalgam phase down on oral health inequalities: a mixed-methods investigation.

BACKGROUND: Data from countries that have implemented a complete phase out of dental amalgam following the Minamata agreement suggest increased costs and time related to the placement of alternatives with consumers absorbing the additional costs. This aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a complete phase out of dental amalgam on oral health inequalities in particular for countries dependent on state run oral health services. METHODS: A mixed methods component design quantitative and qualitative study in the United Kingdom. The quantitative study involved acquisition and analysis of datasets from NHS Scotland to compare trends in placement of dental amalgam and a survey of GDPs in Yorkshire, UK. The qualitative study involved analysis of the free text of the survey and a supplementary secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with GDPs (private and NHS), dental school teaching leads and NHS dental commissioners to understand the impact of amalgam phase down on oral health inequalities. RESULTS: Time-trends for amalgam placement showed that there was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in amalgam use compared with composites and glass ionomers. However dental amalgam still represented a large proportion (42%) of the restorations (circa 1.8 million) placed in the 2016-2017 financial year. Survey respondents suggest that direct impacts of a phase down were related to increased costs and time to place alternative restorations and reduced quality of care. This in turn would lead to increased tooth extractions, reduced access to care and privatisation of dental services with the greatest impact on deprived populations. CONCLUSION: Amalgam is still a widely placed material in state run oral health services. The complete phase down of dental amalgam poses a threat to such services and threatens to widen oral health inequalities. Our data suggest that a complete phase out is not currently feasible unless appropriate measures are in place to ensure cheaper, long-lasting and easy to use alternatives are available and can be readily adopted by primary care oral health providers.

Human Error as an Emergent Property of Action Selection and Task Place-Holding.

OBJECTIVE: A computational process model could explain how the dynamic interaction of human cognitive mechanisms produces each of multiple error types. BACKGROUND: With increasing capability and complexity of technological systems, the potential severity of consequences of human error is magnified. Interruption greatly increases people's error rates, as does the presence of other information to maintain in an active state. METHOD: The model executed as a software-instantiated Monte Carlo simulation. It drew on theoretical constructs such as associative spreading activation for prospective memory, explicit rehearsal strategies as a deliberate cognitive operation to aid retrospective memory, and decay. RESULTS: The model replicated the 30% effect of interruptions on postcompletion error in Ratwani and Trafton's Stock Trader task, the 45% interaction effect on postcompletion error of working memory capacity and working memory load from Byrne and Bovair's Phaser Task, as well as the 5% perseveration and 3% omission effects of interruption from the UNRAVEL Task. CONCLUSION: Error classes including perseveration, omission, and postcompletion error fall naturally out of the theory. APPLICATION: The model explains post-interruption error in terms of task state representation and priming for recall of subsequent steps. Its performance suggests that task environments providing more cues to current task state will mitigate error caused by interruption. For example, interfaces could provide labeled progress indicators or facilities for operators to quickly write notes about their task states when interrupted.

Asbestos exposure and histological subtype of malignant mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) has distinct histological subtypes (epithelioid, sarcomatoid and biphasic) with variable behaviour and prognoses. It is well recognised that survival time varies with the histological subtype of MM. It is not known, however, if asbestos exposure characteristics (type of asbestos, degree of exposure) are associated with different histological subtypes. AIM: To determine if the pathological MM subtype is associated with the type of asbestos or the attributes of asbestos exposure. METHODS: Cases of MM for the period 1962 until 2012, their main histological subtype and their most significant source of asbestos exposure were collected from the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry. Exposure characteristics included, degree of asbestos exposure (including total days exposed, years since first exposure and, for crocidolite only, calculated cumulative exposure), source of exposure (occupational or environmental), form of asbestos handled (raw or processed) and type of asbestos (crocidolite only or mixed fibres). RESULTS: Patients with the biphasic subtype were more likely to have occupational exposure (OR 1.83, 1.12 to 2.85) and exposure to raw fibres (OR 1.58, 1.19 to 2.10). However, differences between subtypes in the proportions with these different exposure characteristics were small and unlikely to be biologically relevant. Other indicators of asbestos exposure were not associated with the histological subtype of mesothelioma. CONCLUSIONS: There was no strong evidence of a consistent role of asbestos exposure indicators in determining the histological subtype of MM.

Midlatitude atmospheric OH response to the most recent 11-y solar cycle.

The hydroxyl radical (OH) plays an important role in middle atmospheric photochemistry, particularly in ozone (O(3)) chemistry. Because it is mainly produced through photolysis and has a short chemical lifetime, OH is expected to show rapid responses to solar forcing [e.g., the 11-y solar cycle (SC)], resulting in variabilities in related middle atmospheric O(3) chemistry. Here, we present an effort to investigate such OH variability using long-term observations (from space and the surface) and model simulations. Ground-based measurements and data from the Microwave Limb Sounder on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aura satellite suggest an ∼7-10% decrease in OH column abundance from solar maximum to solar minimum that is highly correlated with changes in total solar irradiance, solar Mg-II index, and Lyman-α index during SC 23. However, model simulations using a commonly accepted solar UV variability parameterization give much smaller OH variability (∼3%). Although this discrepancy could result partially from the limitations in our current understanding of middle atmospheric chemistry, recently published solar spectral irradiance data from the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment suggest a solar UV variability that is much larger than previously believed. With a solar forcing derived from the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment data, modeled OH variability (∼6-7%) agrees much better with observations. Model simulations reveal the detailed chemical mechanisms, suggesting that such OH variability and the corresponding catalytic chemistry may dominate the O(3) SC signal in the upper stratosphere. Continuing measurements through SC 24 are required to understand this OH variability and its impacts on O(3) further.

Public health within the EU policy space: a qualitative study of Organized Civil Society (OCS) and the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach.

OBJECTIVES: This article reviews how Organized Civil Society (OCS) groups in the field of public health work across the boundaries between European institutions and policy areas. In particular, it explores 1) how the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach is conducted by these groups informally within the formal governance structures, and 2) how this advocacy work creates space for public health within the broader political determinants of health. STUDY DESIGN: A qualitative mixed-methods framework. METHODS: Political ethnography, including 20 semi-structured interviews conducted with EU health strategy stakeholders and participant observations in public health events (n = 22) in Brussels over a three-year period (2012-2015), as well as four interviews with EU Member State representatives. Three additional semi-structured interviews were conducted with World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe staff members who had been involved in the drafting of the Health 2020 framework and strategy and the accompanying main implementation pillar, European Action Plan for Strengthening Public Health Capacities and Services (EAP-PHS). RESULTS: The findings provide an insight into OCS work in the field of European public health, offering an account of the experiences of HiAP work conducted by the research participants. The OCS groups perceive themselves as communicators between policy areas within European institutions and between local and supranational levels. CONCLUSIONS: The structures and political determinants of health that impose limitations on a public institution can at points be transcended by stakeholders, who conduct HiAP work at supranational level, thus negotiating space for public health within the competitive, globalized policy space.

A cross-sectional survey of environmental health in remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.

INTRODUCTION: The Australian Aboriginal population experiences significantly poorer health than the non-Aboriginal population. The contribution of environmental risk factors in remote communities to this health disparity is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To describe and quantify major environmental risk factors and associated health outcomes in remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. METHODS: The association between environmental health indicators, community infrastructure and reported health outcomes was analysed using linear and logistic regression of survey data. RESULTS: Housing/overcrowding was significantly associated with increased reports of hearing/eyesight (OR 3.01 95 % CI 1.58-5.73), skin (OR 2.71 95 % CI 1.31-5.60), gastrointestinal (OR 3.51 95 % CI 1.49-8.26) and flu/colds (OR 2.47 95 % CI 1.27-4.78) as health concerns. Dust was significantly associated with hearing/eyesight (OR 3.16 95 % CI 1.82-5.48), asthma/respiratory (OR 2.48 95 % CI 1.43-4.29) and flu/colds (OR 3.31 95 % CI 1.88-5.86) as health concerns. CONCLUSION: Poor environmental health is prevalent in remote Aboriginal communities and requires further delineation to inform environmental health policy.

Review of brucellosis cases from laboratory exposures in the United States in 2008 to 2011 and improved strategies for disease prevention.

Five laboratory-acquired brucellosis (LAB) cases that occurred in the United States between 2008 and 2011 are presented. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed the recommendations published in 2008 and the published literature to identify strategies to further prevent LAB. The improved prevention strategies are described.

Bioanalytical method development, validation and quantification of dorsomorphin in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS.

The present investigation describes the development and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the estimation of dorsomorphin in rat plasma. A sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed using multiple reaction monitoring mode, with the transition of m/z (Q1/Q3) 400.2/289.3 for dorsomorphin and m/z (Q1/Q3) 306.2/236.3 for zaleplon. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reverse phase Agilent XDB C18 column (100 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 5 mm ammonium acetate buffer (pH 6.0) 90:10 v/v, at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The effluence was ionized in positive ion mode by electrospray ionization (ESI) and quantitated by mass spectrometry. The retention times of dorsomorphin and internal standard were found to be 2.13 and 1.13 min, respectively. Mean extraction recovery of dorsomorphin and internal standard in rat plasma was above 80%. Dorsomorphin calibration curve in rat plasma was linear (r(2) ≥ 0.99) ranging from 0.005 to 10 µg/mL. Inter-day and intra-day precision and accuracy were found to be within 85-115% (coefficient of variation). This method was successfully applied for evaluation of the oral pharmacokinetic profile of dorsomorphin in male Wistar rats.

Malignant mesotheliomas in former miners and millers of crocidolite at Wittenoom (Western Australia) after more than 50 years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: To report the number of malignant pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas that have occurred in former Wittenoom crocidolite workers to the end of 2008, to compare this with earlier predictions, and to relate the mesothelioma rate to amount of exposure. METHODS: A group of 6489 men and 419 women who had worked for the company operating the former Wittenoom crocidolite mine and mill at some time between 1943 and 1966 have been followed up throughout Australia and Italy to the end of 2008. RESULTS: The cumulative number of mesotheliomas up to 2008 was 316 in men (268 pleural, 48 peritoneal) and 13 (all pleural) in women. There had been 302 deaths with mesothelioma in men and 13 in women, which was almost 10% of all known deaths. Mesothelioma rate, both pleural and peritoneal, increased with time since first exposure and appeared to reach a plateau after about 40 to 50 years. The mesothelioma rate increased with amount of exposure and the peritoneal mesotheliomas occurred preferentially in the highest exposure group, 37% compared with 15% overall. CONCLUSION: By the end of 2008, the number of mesothelioma deaths had reached 4.7% for all the male workers and 3.1% for the females. Over the past 8 years the numbers were higher than expected. It is predicted that about another 60 to 70 deaths with mesothelioma may occur in men by 2020.

Unflued gas heaters and respiratory symptoms in older people with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Unflued gas heaters (UFGHs) and cookers are a major contributor to air pollution in homes. Gas appliances have been associated with adverse respiratory outcomes in children and, less consistently, adults. There have been very few studies on the effects of gas appliances on the respiratory health of older people. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the daily lung function and respiratory symptoms of older people (>55 years of age) who did and did not use an UFGH as a primary source of heating. METHODS: 71 patients with asthma were recruited for the study. Each patient participated for one 12-week winter period. All patients recorded daytime and night-time symptoms in a diary and completed morning and evening peak flow and forced expiratory volume in 1 s for the study period. General estimating equations were used to measure the associations between symptoms and lung function outcomes and same and previous day (lag 1) UFGH exposure. RESULTS: Same and previous day (lag 1) UFGH exposure was associated with significantly increased ORs for wheeze and dyspnoea compared with days on which no heating was used. Furthermore, there were significant increases in the average odds of reported wheeze and dyspnoea per hour of UFGH heater use. Small but significant reductions in morning to evening peak flow and forced expiratory volume in 1 s were observed on the days an UFGH was used compared with days when other heating was used or there was no heating. CONCLUSION: Exposure to UFGHs may have a detrimental effect on symptoms and lung function in older people with mild to moderate asthma.

Skin carcinoma of the head and neck with perineural invasion.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to update the experience treating cutaneous squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas of the head and neck with incidental or clinical perineural invasion (PNI) with radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1965 to 2007, 216 patients received RT alone or with surgery and/or chemotherapy. RESULTS: The 5-year overall, cause-specific, and disease-free survivals for incidental and clinical PNIs were 55% vs 54%, 73% vs 64%, and 67% vs 51%. The 5-year local control, local-regional control, and freedom from distant metastases for incidental and clinical PNIs were 80% vs 54%, 70% vs 51%, and 90% vs 94%. On univariate and multivariate (P = .0038 and .0047) analyses, clinical PNI was a poor prognostic factor for local control. The rates of grade 3 or higher complication in the incidental and clinical PNI groups were 16% and 36%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy plays a critical role in the treatment of this disease. Clinical PNI should be adequately irradiated to include the involved nerves to the skull base.

Predicting survival in malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) of the pleura or peritoneum is a universally fatal disease attracting an increasing range of medical interventions and escalating healthcare costs. Changes in survival and the factors affecting survival of all patients ever diagnosed with MM in Western Australia over the past five decades and confirmed by the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry to December 2005 were examined. Sex, age, date and method of diagnosis, site of disease and histological type were recorded. Date of onset of symptoms and performance status were obtained from clinical notes for a sample of cases. Cox regression was used to examine the association of the clinical variables and the 10-yr periods of disease onset with survival after diagnosis. Survival was inversely related to age, being worse for males (hazard ratio (HR) 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.6), and those with peritoneal mesothelioma (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7). Patients with sarcomatoid histology had worse prognosis than patients with epithelioid and biphasic histological subtypes. Survival improved after the 1970s and has made incremental improvements since then. Median (interquartile range) survival by decade, from 1960 until 2005, was 64 (0-198), 177 (48-350), 221 (97-504), 238 (108-502) and 301 (134-611) days; ~4 weeks of this apparent improvement can be attributed to earlier diagnosis. With increasing resources and treatment costs for MM over the past 40 yrs, there have been modest improvements in survival but no complete remissions.

First Report of Fusarium Wilt Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. canariensis on Canary Island Date Palm in Texas and South Carolina.

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) is native to the Canary Islands and widely grown throughout the world as an ornamental. At a home site in Austin, TX in May 2008 and a commercial site near Charleston, SC in December 2009, declining Canary Island date palms were observed. Symptoms included individual leaves with chlorotic or necrotic leaflets on one side of the leaf blade (one-sided wilt or death) and a distinct reddish brown stripe along the petiole and rachis. Cross-sections through the petiole or rachis exhibited discoloration of internal tissue. Fusarium oxysporum was isolated from the internal petiole or rachis tissue of each palm sample onto one-quarter-strength potato dextrose agar (PDA). Typical macroconidia in pale orange sporodochia, microconidia in false heads on short monophialides, and chlamydospores were observed (2). Macroconidia were mostly 3-septate, slightly curved, and ranged from 3.8 to 4.2 × 42.9 to 46.5 µm. Microconidia were single cell, oval to reniform, and ranged from 2.5 to 2.9 × 7.2 to 7.8 µm. Single-spore isolates grown on full-strength PDA (12-h light and 26°C) produced abundant white-to-pale lavender mycelia with a purple pigment in the agar. One isolate from each location (PLM-385B from Texas and PLM-511A from South Carolina) was selected for pathogenicity tests and molecular characterization. The translation elongation factor 1-α gene (EF-1α) was amplified in each isolate by PCR using the ef1 and ef2 primers (1). Products were sequenced and queried for similarity against the NCBI database and the FUSARIUM-ID database ( http://isolate.fusariumdb.org/index.php ) (1) using the BLAST search tool. In both databases, both isolates matched F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis strain NRRL 26035 (GenBank Accession No. AF008485; FD_01211) at 100% sequence similarity. Sequences for PLM-385B and PLM-511A have been deposited in the NCBI database (GenBank Accession Nos. HM591537 and HM591538, respectively). Pathogenicity of these two isolates was tested on three-leaf Canary Island date palm seedlings. There were five replicate palms per isolate and control treatment. All potting mix was shaken from the roots and three groups of five seedlings were placed in small buckets. Twenty-five milliliters of a 106 conidia ml-1 suspension was pipetted down among the leaf bases and the excess drained onto the roots. Control palms received sterile water. Seedlings were covered with plastic for 48 h and then transplanted into separate growing containers. Ten weeks after inoculation, initial symptoms of a leaf wilt (off-color and folded over) were observed on some of the inoculated palms. After 4 months, all palms inoculated with PLM-511A were dead and three of the five palms inoculated with PLM-385B were dead. The pathogen was reisolated from diseased palms. All five control palms remained healthy. While the symptomatic palm in Texas had been in the home site approximately 2 years, which implied the palm could have been already infected when transplanted, the palm in South Carolina had been planted in 1990. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Fusarium wilt of Canary Island date palm in Texas and South Carolina. Previously in the United States, the disease had only been noted in California, Florida, and Nevada. References: (1) D. M. Geiser et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 110:473, 2004. (2) J. F. Leslie and B. A. Summerell. The Fusarium Laboratory Manual. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, IA, 2006.

Sulfur monoxide dimer chemistry as a possible source of polysulfur in the upper atmosphere of Venus.

The abundance of SO dimers (SO)2 in the upper atmosphere of Venus and their implications for the enigmatic ultraviolet absorption has been investigated in several studies over the past few years. However, the photochemistry of sulfur species in the upper atmosphere of Venus is still not well understood and the identity of the missing ultraviolet absorber(s) remains unknown. Here we update an existing photochemical model of Venus' upper atmosphere by including the photochemistry of SO dimers. Although the spectral absorption profile of SO dimers fits the unknown absorber, their abundance is found to be too low for them to contribute significantly to the absorption. It is more likely that their photolysis and/or reaction products could contribute more substantively. Reactions of SO dimers are found to be important sources of S2O, and possibly higher order SnO species and polysulfur, Sn. All of these species absorb in the critical ultraviolet region and are expected to be found in both the aerosol and gas phase. indicating that in-situ high resolution aerosol mass spectrometry might be a useful technique for identifying the ultraviolet absorber on Venus.

Lu AE58054, a 5-HT6 antagonist, reverses cognitive impairment induced by subchronic phencyclidine in a novel object recognition test in rats.

The in-vitro potency and selectivity, in-vivo binding affinity and effect of the 5-HT(6)R antagonist Lu AE58054 ([2-(6-fluoro-1H-indol-3-yl)-ethyl]-[3-(2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropoxy)-benzyl]-amine) on impaired cognition were evaluated. Lu AE58054 displayed high affinity to the human 5-HT(6) receptor (5-HT(6)R) with a Ki of 0.83 nm. In a 5-HT(6) GTPgammaS efficacy assay Lu AE58054 showed no agonist activity, but demonstrated potent inhibition of 5-HT-mediated activation. Besides medium affinity to adrenergic alpha(1A)- and alpha(1B)-adrenoreceptors, Lu AE58054 demonstrated >50-fold selectivity for more than 70 targets examined. Orally administered Lu AE58054 potently inhibited striatal in-vivo binding of the 5-HT(6) antagonist radioligand [(3)H]Lu AE60157 ([(3)H]8-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-3-phenylsulfonylquinoline), with an ED(50) of 2.7 mg/kg. Steady-state modelling of an acute pharmacokinetic/5-HT(6)R occupancy time-course experiment indicated a plasma EC(50) value of 20 ng/ml. Administration of Lu AE58054 in a dose range (5-20 mg/kg p.o.) leading to above 65% striatal 5-HT(6)R binding occupancy in vivo, reversed cognitive impairment in a rat novel object recognition task induced after subchronic treatment for 7 d with phencyclidine (PCP 2 mg/kg b.i.d., i.p. for 7 d, followed by 7 d drug free). The results indicate that Lu AE58054 is a selective antagonist of 5-HT(6)Rs with good oral bioavailability and robust efficacy in a rat model of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Lu AE58054 may be useful for the pharmacotherapy of cognitive dysfunction in disease states such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.

Asbestos-related diseases.

Knowledge of asbestos-related diseases has been accumulating for over one hundred years as the industrial value of asbestos was recognised for the strength of its fibres and their resistance to destruction, resulting in increasing production and use until the multiple health effects have become apparent. Deposition in the lung parenchyma results in an inflammatory/progressively fibrotic response, with impaired gas exchange and reduced lung compliance ('asbestosis'), causing progressive dyspnoea and respiratory failure for which only palliation is indicated, although anti-fibrotic agents used for idiopathic usual interstitial pneumonitis remain to be evaluated. Benign pleural effusion, diffuse pleural fibrosis (occasionally with associated rolled atelectasis) and pleural plaques are the non-malignant pleural diseases that result from fibres reaching the pleura. But the main issues that led to the ban on asbestos in industry are those of malignancy: lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma (MM) of the pleura and MM of the peritoneum. Bronchogenic carcinoma risk from asbestos exposure is dose-dependent and multiplies the risk attributable to tobacco smoking. The principles of treatment are as for all cases of lung cancer. Low-dose computed tomography screening of exposed people can detect early-stage, non-small cell cancers, with improved survival. The amphibole varieties of asbestos are much more potent causes of MM than chrysotile, and the risk increases exponentially for 40-50 years following first exposure. As MM is non-resectable and poorly responsive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, curative treatment is not possible and screening not justified.