Contemporary options and future perspectives: three examples highlighting the challenges in testicular cancer imaging

Purpose One of the main issues in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) management is to reduce the necessary amount of treatment to achieve cure. Excess treatment burden may arise from late diagnosis of the primary as well as from false positive or negative staging results. Correct imaging is of paramount importance for successful management of TGCT. The aim of this review is to point out the current state of the art as well as innovative developments in TGCT imaging on the basis of three common challenging clinical situations. Methods A selective literature search was performed in PubMed, Medline as well as in recent conference proceedings. Results Regarding small testicular lesions, recent studies using elastography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed promising data for differentiation between benign and malignant histology. For borderline enlarged lymph nodes FDG-PET-CT performance is unsatisfactory, promising new techniques as lymphotropic nanoparticle-enhanced MRI is the subject of research in this field. Regarding the assessment of postchemotherapeutic residual masses, the use of conventional computerized tomography (CT) together with serum tumor markers is still the standard of care. To avoid overtreatment in this setting, new imaging modalities like diffusion-weighted MRI and radiomics are currently under investigation. For follow-up of clinical stage I TGCTs, the use of MRI is non-inferior to CT while omitting radiation exposure. Conclusion Further efforts should be made to refine imaging for TGCT patients, which is of high relevance for the guidance of treatment decisions as well as the associated treatment burdens and oncological outcomes.

Financial Stability: Risks, Resilience, and Policy

As the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout continue, policymakers keep a watchful eye on the stability of the financial system. Having learned many lessons from the financial crisis of 2007–2009, they may again turn to that crisis for insights into potential vulnerabilities emerging in the financial sector and ways to make financial markets and institutions more resilient to shocks. At a recent conference on financial stability, 12 papers and two keynotes explored this ground. This Commentary summarizes the papers’ findings and the keynotes.

Oral Health Effects of Combusted and Smokeless Tobacco Products

The oral cavity is usually the first part of a consumer’s body exposed to the constituents of tobacco products or their emissions. Consequently, the oral cavity is a frequent site for carcinogenic, microbial, immunologic, and clinical effects of tobacco use. This article summarizes 5 presentations on various aspects of oral health affected by combusted or noncombusted tobacco products from a recent conference, “Oral Health Effects of Tobacco Products: Science and Regulatory Policy,” sponsored by the American Association for Dental Research and the Food and Drug Administration.

MOST NOTABLE PAPERS IN THE 2018 BIANNUAL METALS IN MEDICINE GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE

All accounts mentioned in this paper are for and from published data only and are referenced at the end of the report. Metals in Medicine Gordon Research Conference (GRC) started in 2002 with the effort of Professor Michael J. Clark and his collaborators and it has been held biannually since then. The most recent conference was held in Proctor Academy in Andover, NH USA. We are writing this Conference Report about its most recent and vibrant activities that occurred between June 24th, and June 29th, 2018. After an immensely productive week and with a prolific number of presentations in different subfields of metals and their involvement in medicinal diagnostics and treatments, the conference met all of its objectives, one of which was that very valuable agreements for future collaborations with at least two international researchers with knowledge of Molecular Dynamics, Density Function Theory, and Molecular Mechanics Calculations have been gained. The conference had its highest number of participants and attendees since its inception. There were 50 talks and 120 poster presentations. This report is being submitted in celebration of the 85th birth year of Professor Mostafa A. El-Sayed of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Riflessioni sulle economie dei secoli X e XI

Chris Wickham has recently turned his attention to the economic and social transformations of the central Middle Ages. In the same period relations between the Christian and Muslim worlds have been presented primarily in terms of holy war or raids, and hardly ever framed in economic terms. Archaeology can help to answer questions about exchange routes, systems of production and settlement patterns, and pottery provides a key element in reconstructing the complexity of pre-modern economic networks. In this paper I want to compare two case studies. I will first examine the role of Palermo in the internal economy of Sicily and beyond. Recent excavations have provided much new information on the Muslim and Christian periods in its history, and particularly on the city’s planned growth and development as a centre of pottery production and export in the tenth century. I will then turn to the archaeological evidence for Rome, which Chris has described as the most complex city between the tenth and twelfth centuries, both economically and socially, in the whole Italian peninsula. In fact, based on the material evidence, Rome was far less complex than Palermo, and unlike Milan, it failed to take off economically in the thirteenth century. Chris has suggested that the success of the latter city was due to its specialized products, local exchange system and connections with a hierarchy of smaller settlements in the locality. Whilst the archaeological evidence for Milan is much scarcer, these features can usefully be tested as a model against which to compare other cities. Comparing Rome and Palermo it is the Sicilian city that can be said to have had the more vibrant economy, with its exports to multiple rural centres some distance away. Whilst a recent conference has underlined the existence of specialized artisans serving Rome’s elite and its numerous pilgrims, unlike Palermo it did not base its economy on production and mercantile activities.

6 Compassionate neighbours – an innovative model building caring communities

IntroductionIn 2014 St Joseph’s Hospice set up compassionate neighbours (CN) to address social isolation for those experiencing a chronic or terminal illness. Built on foundations of community development principles the neighbours provide emotional and social support to community members. With significant funding from Nesta we are upscaling the project with seven other hospices.AimOur aim is to build a wider network of CN who are supporting people in their local communities; we will test and learn how the project can be replicated in other areas. Our ultimate aim is to create a social movement establishing a network of CNs across the country.MethodWe are training and mentoring other hospice adopters to replicate the project in their own areas whilst testing which ingredients are key to the success of the project. Our review of the programme including formal evaluation will form the basis for a potential national roll out across the country.ResultsReview of our progress including a recent conference for CN feedback from hospice CEOs and project leads describes ongoing interest in the CN programme. There is additional interest from other hospices and other organisations outside of the Nesta programme. That said challenges exist around local implementation of a model shaped elsewhere translation of particular principles underpinning the CN programme and concerns around long-term sustainability and ownership of the network.ConclusionFurther thought is required about how to build the social movement and whether this effort should sit within the hospice sector or within a community development context in the future.

Are your spectroscopic data FAIR?

FAIR, which stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable, is an essential framework for the future of analytical data. Tony has taken the opportunity of a recent conference in Amsterdam to update readers on FAIR and how it affects spectroscopic data.

Inter-Professional Collaboration as the Main Cooperation Trend in the International Forensic Community

The paper reflects on the outcomes of the most recent conference of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS) held in Toronto, Canada. The meeting of delegates from all continents was organized around the theme «Inter-Professional Collaboration in Forensic Science», with the aim of exploring forensic scientists' responses to the challenges of the modern world. The meeting outcomes are analyzed in terms of valuable insights for the development of forensic practicesin Russia through the strengthening of multidisciplinary methodological approaches

The opportunities and challenges for employability-related support in STEM degrees

This research explores the opportunities and challenges for incorporating employability-related support into STEM (Sciences; Technology; Engineering; Mathematics) degree programmes, based in part on recent research (O’Leary, 2016a) outlining that significant variations in employability-related support exist across the STEM disciplines. These issues were highlighted at a recent conference on STEM pedagogy (O’Leary, 2016b) and this paper explores them in more depth. While O’Leary (2016a) finds that Engineering and Sciences are performing relatively well on employability-support matters, in comparison with Social Sciences and Humanities, there is still room for improvement across STEM programmes. The research suggest that students’ employability can be enhanced through a combination of the content of the curriculum and the development of key student capabilities and characteristics. To achieve this, it is necessary to address several issues; the development of academic staff, the use of external speakers, the provision of business and management expertise, cross-disciplinary approaches and the integration of professional services into the curriculum. In addition, the most effective gains from a cross-Faculty viewpoint may exist in what may seem unlikely liaisons; for effective employability-related support, the Sciences and Humanities think along the same lines; while Social Sciences & Engineering think along another line. Therefore, improvements to the provision of such support may be better achieved by such non-traditional cross-Faculty partnerships. An approach based on the “3E’s” is suggested: Enhanced Learning & Teaching; Employer-engagement; and Embedding into the Curriculum.

Nonuniformity of Temperatures in Microwave Steam Heating of Lobster Tail

ABSTRACT The biennial Conference for Food Protection provides a formal process for all interested parties to influence food safety guidance. At a recent conference, an issue was raised culminating in a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change its Food Code recommendation for safe cooking of seafood using microwave energy when steaming was also employed. The request was to treat microwave steam cooked seafood as a conventionally cooked raw animal product rather than a microwave cooked product, for which the safe cooking recommendation is more extensive owing to the complex temperature distributions in microwave heating. The request was motivated by a literature study that revealed a more uniform temperature distribution in microwave steam cooked whole lobster. In that study, single-point temperatures were recorded in various sections of the whole lobster, but only one temperature was recorded in the tail, although the large size of the tail could translate to multiple hot and cold points. The present study was conducted to examine lobster tail specifically, measuring temperatures at multiple points during microwave steam cooking. Large temperature differences, greater than 60°C at times, were found throughout the heating period. To compensate for such differences, the Food Code recommends a more extensive level of cooking when microwave energy, rather than conventional heat sources, is used. Therefore, a change in the Food Code regarding microwave steam heating cannot be recommended.