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Employees in nail salons, largely Vietnamese immigrant women in Boston, are exposed to a range of volatile organic chemicals from the products used in salons, including solvents, glues and polishes. Some of these chemicals have the potential to cause short and long-term adverse health effects. Only limited research has been performed on assessing occupational exposures. This project aimed to characterize total volatile organic compound (TVOC) and PM2.5 concentrations in nail salons as a function of ventilation, building characteristics, customer and employee occupancy, and type of services being performed. Students conducted sampling in 21 salons in Boston, MA from September to December, 2011. Study visits included: indoor environmental quality measurements (TVOCs, PM2.5 and carbon dioxide), site observations, and an interview. CO₂ levels in 15 of 21 salons exceeded 800 ppm, suggesting that these salons may have insufficient ventilation. Higher TVOC and PM2.5 levels were found in salons with less ventilation (as estimated using CO₂ concentrations). Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, average levels of TVOCs, CO₂ and PM2.5 were consistent throughout salons, indicating that exposures may not be restricted to areas in the salon where work is being performed (e.g., at the manicure table). Higher TVOC concentrations were observed when tasks were being performed, yet were not dependent upon the number of tasks being performed. Improving ventilation conditions in salons to meet minimum outdoor air delivery requirements can reduce exposures to TVOCs.

Background: Systemic treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have significantly expanded in recent years. However, patients refractory to tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors still have limited treatment options and patient-individualized approaches are largely missing. Patients and Methods: In vitro drug screening of tumor-derived short-term cultures obtained from seven patients with clear cell RCC was performed. For one patient, a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model was established for in vivo validation experiments. Drug effects were further investigated in established RCC cell lines. Results: The proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib was among the top hits identified in three of four patients in which an in vitro drug screening could be performed successfully. Carfilzomib also showed significant acute and long-term cytotoxicity in established RCC cell lines. The in vivo antitumoral activity of carfilzomib was confirmed in a same-patient PDX model. The cytotoxicity of carfilzomib was found to correlate with the level of accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins. Conclusions: In this proof-of-concept study, we show that patient-individualized in vitro drug screening and preclinical validation is feasible. However, the fact that carfilzomib failed to deliver a clinical benefit in RCC patients in a recent phase II trial unrelated to the present study underscores the complexities and limitations of this strategy.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an immunologically vulnerable tumor entity, and immune checkpoint inhibitors are now widely used to treat patients with advanced disease. Whether and to what extent immune responses in ccRCC are shaped by genetic alterations, however, is only beginning to emerge. In this proof-of-concept study, we performed a detailed correlative analysis of the mutational and immunological landscapes in a series of 23 consecutive kidney cancer patients. We discovered that a high infiltration with CD8 + T cells was not dependent on the number of driver mutations but rather on the presence of specific mutational events, namely pathogenic mutations in PTEN or BAP1. This observation encouraged us to compare mechanisms of T cell suppression in the context of four different genetic patterns, i.e., the presence of multiple drivers, a PTEN or BAP1 mutation, or the absence of detectable driver mutations. We found that ccRCCs harboring a PTEN or BAP1 mutation showed the lowest level of Granzyme B positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). A multiplex immunofluorescence analysis revealed a significant number of CD8 + TILs in the vicinity of CD68 + macrophages/monocytes in the context of a BAP1 mutation but not in the context of a PTEN mutation. In line with this finding, direct interactions between CD8 + TILs and CD163 + M2-polarized macrophages were found in BAP1-mutated ccRCC but not in tumors with other mutational patterns. While an absence of driver mutations was associated with more CD8 + TILs in the vicinity of FOXP3 + Tregs and CD68 + monocytes/macrophages, the presence of multiple driver mutations was, to our surprise, not found to be strongly associated with immunosuppressive mechanisms. Our results highlight the role of genetic alterations in shaping the immunological landscape of ccRCC. We discovered a remarkable heterogeneity of mechanisms that can lead to T cell suppression, which supports the need for personalized immune oncological approaches.

The discovery of seven manuscript fragments of the Old French Suite Vulgate du Merlin in a set of early printed books in the Bristol Central Library hit global headlines in 2019. This book contains a comprehensive study of these fascinating Arthurian fragments. Beginning with an extensive contextual history, the authors reveal details of the fragments' origin, their importation to England, and their subsequent journey to a waste pile in a bookbinder's workshop, where they would be incorporated into the bindings of a four-volume edition of the works of Jean Gerson in the early sixteenth century. A full enquiry into the provenance of these host volumes sets out the possible routes from the bookbinder's workshop to their final home in Bristol Central Library. Using multi-spectral imaging to read the damaged sections of text, the authors also provide a full edition and translation of the narrative contained in the fragments.

BackgroundThe patient-reported outcomes (PRO) version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) and the computerized adaptive testing (CAT) version of the EORTC quality-of-life questionnaire QLQ-C30 have been proposed as new PRO measures in oncology; however, their implementation in patients undergoing cancer surgery has not yet been evaluated.MethodsPatients undergoing elective abdominal cancer surgery were enrolled in a prospective multicenter study, and postoperative complications were recorded according to the Dindo–Clavien classification. Patients reported PRO data using the CAT EORTC QLQ-C30 and the PRO-CTCAE to measure 12 core cancer symptoms. Patients were followed-up for 6 months postoperatively. The study was carried out by medical students of the CHIR-Net SIGMA study network.ResultsData of 303 patients were obtained and analyzed across 15 sites. PRO-CTCAE symptoms ‘poor appetite’, ‘fatigue’, ‘exhaustion’ and ‘sleeping problems’ increased after surgery and climaxed 10–30 days postoperatively. At 3–6 months postoperatively, no PRO-CTCAE symptom differed significantly to baseline. Patients reported higher ‘social functioning’ (p = 0.021) and overall quality-of-life scores (p < 0.05) 6 months after cancer surgery compared with the baseline level. There was a lack of correlation between postoperative complications or death and any of the PRO items evaluated. Feasibility endpoints for student-led research were met.ConclusionThe two novel PRO questionnaires were successfully applied in surgical oncology. Postoperative complications do not affect health-reported quality-of-life or common cancer symptoms following major cancer surgery. The feasibility of student-led multicenter clinical research was demonstrated, but might be enhanced by improved student training.

BackgroundHoney bee (Apis mellifera) is a very important species for human beings, animals, environmental biodiversity, crop production and economic sustainability in Europe and worldwide. This study investigates whether future veterinarians are trained to deal with the particular needs of the only traditional food-producing insect in Europe.MethodsThis study analyses data collected from 77 European veterinary education establishments in EU and the European Free Trade Area.ResultsThe results show that 75 per cent of those establishments (58 out of 77) teach honeybee veterinary medicine. There is a clear geographical differentiation. In north-western countries only about half of the establishments include honeybee health, production and product inspection in their undergraduate curricula, while in eastern, central and southern countries, which are also important beekeeping countries, the great majority of the establishments incorporate honeybee veterinary medicine in their undergraduate curriculum. Eighty-six per cent of all the establishments teaching honeybee veterinary medicine (50 of the 58) incorporate it in their core curriculum either as separate subject or as part of other subjects. Twenty-five per cent of all the establishments (19 out of 77) organise postgraduate training courses in this field.ConclusionsVeterinarians have an important role in ensuring the health, sustainability and productivity of managed honeybee colonies as they do for other animal species. It seems however that teaching of honeybee veterinary medicine receives less attention in undergraduate veterinary curricula in EU compared with other fields of veterinary medicine. Seeing the increasing importance of honey bees for crop protection, environmental protection and economic sustainability, it would be beneficial to further strengthen the education of honeybee veterinary medicine in the future. Establishments should encourage and prepare veterinarians for practising science-based veterinary medicine in honey bees by incorporating such teaching in undergraduate curricula and by providing postgraduate opportunities to qualified veterinarians wishing to enhance their basic skills in this field.

Aquatic animal production is the fastest growing food sector globally. Aquaculture and fisheries are very dynamic sectors in the EU and the number of ornamental aquarium pets is increasing. Veterinarians have a fundamental role to play by ensuring health and welfare of aquatic species, productivity and profitability of fish farming, public health and ecosystem conservation. This study investigates how the undergraduate curriculum prepares future veterinarians for such roles by analysing data from the 77 European veterinary education establishments based in EU and the European Free Trade Area. Over 95 per cent of these establishments incorporate teaching in aquatic animal veterinary medicine in their curriculum, while the great majority do so within the core curriculum. Almost half of the establishments provide teaching in aquatic animal veterinary medicine as separate subjects. Many establishments (>40 per cent) provide such training as elective option in their undergraduate curricula or as postgraduate opportunities to enhance Day One Competences. The veterinary education establishments integrating adequately aquatic animal veterinary medicine in their curriculum are evenly distributed in all regions of Europe. Veterinarians are trained and empowered by legislation to assess health of aquatic animals, to diagnose, to prescribe medicines, to notify for diseases and to ensure safe food for the consumers. Veterinary education establishments should encourage training of veterinarians to follow a career in aquatic animal veterinary medicine.

After months of recuperation and rehabilitation, [Chet Nath] can walk again with a bit of pain in his right knee. The medical expense strained his family's finances but he has returned to his under-the-table job teaching accounting and office management at a local college. Since the Mechi Bridge incident, one of Chet Nath's sisters has decided to join her Bhutanese refugee husband in the Netherlands, where he unexpectedly sought asylum during a business trip. In a recent e-mail, Chet Nath wrote he is still waiting for signs that Bhutan will repatriate refugees. \"Otherwise, as my wife tells, 'We have to look for the future of the son,' we might decide for resettlement as well.\"

Ms. [Catherine Ussery], a 21-year-old junior at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., could be one of the first college students in North America to graduate with a bachelor's degree in e-commerce. Her story is familiar: She's owned and run the Web site design firm WebFeet since she was 16, has job offers from several small Internet companies and dreams of being a chief information officer, preferably for a company like Walt Disney Co., the entertainment titan. There's already been a boom in her business since she switched her major to e- commerce from accounting. So it's no surprise that colleges and universities want to arm their students for the revolution. A slew of American universities offer master's degrees in e-commerce, but the undergraduate arena is much smaller. Besides the University of South Alabama, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., University of Scranton in Scranton, Penn., and Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, Tex., also expect to officially launch e-commerce or e-business majors by the fall semester. TCU started its e-business major in January. At South Alabama, Old Dominion and TCU, the degree combines traditional computer and business courses with an e-commerce twist. Just a few of the issues addressed in Old Dominion's program: Can a company classify and subdivide consumers and still make money? Do consumers really end up paying lower prices when they buy over the Internet? How widespread is price discrimination? What are the steps to take when developing an e-business? How can you grab someone's attention and increase the click rate?