Frequencies and risk factors for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer patients: A matched case-control study

Bisphosphonates represent a unique class of drugs that effectively treat and prevent a variety of bone-related disorders including metastatic bone disease and osteoporosis. High tolerance and high efficacy rates quickly ranked bisphosphonates as the standard of care for bone-related diseases. However, in the early 2000s, case reports began to surface that linked bisphosphonates with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Since that time, studies conducted have corroborated the linkage. However, as with most disease states, many factors can contribute to the onset of disease. The aim of this study was to determine which comorbid factors presented an increased risk for developing ONJ in cancer patients.^ Using a case-control study design, investigators used a combination of ICD-9 codes and chart review to identify confirmed cases of ONJ at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). Each case was then matched to five controls based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, and primary cancer diagnosis. Data querying and chart review provided information on variables of interest. These variables included bisphosphonate exposure, glucocorticoids exposure, smoking history, obesity, and diabetes. Statistical analysis was conducted using PASW (Predictive Analytics Software) Statistics, Version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois).^ One hundred twelve (112) cases were identified as confirmed cases of ONJ. Variables were run using univariate logistic regression to determine significance (p < .05); significant variables were included in the final conditional logistic regression model. Concurrent use of bisphosphonates and glucocorticoids (OR, 18.60; CI, 8.85 to 39.12; p < .001), current smokers (OR, 2.52; CI, 1.21 to 5.25; p = .014), and presence of diabetes (OR, 1.84; CI, 1.06 to 3.20; p = .030) were found to increase the risk for developing ONJ. Obesity was not associated significantly with ONJ development.^ In this study, cancer patients that received bisphosphonates as part of their therapeutic regimen were found to have an 18-fold increase in their risk of developing ONJ. Other factors included smoking and diabetes. More studies examining the concurrent use of glucocorticoids and bisphosphonates may be able to strengthen any correlations.^

(Table T1) Geochemical composition of tochilinite and related minerals of ODP Hole 173-1068A

Tochilinite (approximately FeS(Mg,Fe)(OH)2) is locally abundant in Hole 1068A serpentinites from Cores 173-1068A-21R and 22R. It occurs in veins, as fillings in void space, and in intergrowths with serpentine and andradite. An apparently related mineral, but with Ca and Al largely replacing Mg, occurs in association with, and possibly as a replacement of, pyrrhotite in serpentinite breccias from the bottom of Core 173-1068A-20R. The transition from Mg-Fe-rich brucite tochilinites to Ca- and S-rich carbonate tochilinites is consistent with increasing sulfur and oxygen activity upsection. Tochilinite has been reported at other sites on the Iberia Abyssal Plain and is abundant to the point of being a rock-forming mineral in several samples from Site 1068. Rather than being a mineralogical curiosity, tochilinite appears to be common and a major sink for sulfur in the upper serpentinites of the Iberia Abyssal Plain.

Petrological parameters of sands and sandstones from DSDP and ODP holes in arc-related areas

Detrital modes for 524 deep-marine sand and sandstone samples recovered on circum-Pacific, Caribbean, and Mediterranean legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project and the Ocean Drilling Program form the basis for an actualistic model for arc-related provenance. This model refines the Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and Dickinson and others (1983) models and can be used to interpret the provenance/tectonic history of ancient arc-related sedimentary sequences. Four provenance groups are defined using QFL, QmKP, LmLvLs, and LvfLvmiLvl ternary plots of site means: (1) intraoceanic arc and remnant arc, (2) continental arc, (3) triple junction, and (4) strike-slip-continental arc. Intraoceanic- and remnant-arc sands are poor in quartz (mean QFL%Q < 5) and rich in lithics (QFL%L > 75); they are predominantly composed of plagioclase feldspar and volcanic lithic fragments. Continental-arc sand can be more quartzofeldspathic than the intraoceanic- and remnant-arc sand (mean QFL%Q values as much as 10, mean QFL%F values as much as 65, and mean QmKP%Qm as much as 20) and has more variable lithic populations, with minor metamorphic and sedimentary components. The triple-junction and strike-slip-continental groups compositionally overlap; both are more quartzofeldspathic than the other groups and show highly variable lithic proportions, but the strike-slip-continental group is more quartzose. Modal compositions of the triple junction group roughly correlate with the QFL transitional-arc field of Dickinson and others (1983), whereas the strike-slip-continental group approximately correlates with their dissected-arc field.

Robust trends of landscape dynamics in the Arctic Lena Delta with temporally dense Landsat time-series stacks, with links to GeoTIFFs

Arctic permafrost landscapes are among the most vulnerable and dynamic landscapes globally, but due to their extent and remoteness most of the landscape changes remain unnoticed. In order to detect disturbances in these areas we developed an automated processing chain for the calculation and analysis of robust trends of key land surface indicators based on the full record of available Landsat TM, ETM +, and OLI data. The methodology was applied to the ~ 29,000 km**2 Lena Delta in Northeast Siberia, where robust trend parameters (slope, confidence intervals of the slope, and intercept) were calculated for Tasseled Cap Greenness, Wetness and Brightness, NDVI, and NDWI, and NDMI based on 204 Landsat scenes for the observation period between 1999 and 2014. The resulting datasets revealed regional greening trends within the Lena Delta with several localized hot-spots of change, particularly in the vicinity of the main river channels. With a 30-m spatial resolution various permafrost-thaw related processes and disturbances, such as thermokarst lake expansion and drainage, fluvial erosion, and coastal changes were detected within the Lena Delta region, many of which have not been noticed or described before. Such hotspots of permafrost change exhibit significantly different trend parameters compared to non-disturbed areas. The processed dataset, which is made freely available through the data archive PANGAEA, will be a useful resource for further process specific analysis by researchers and land managers. With the high level of automation and the use of the freely available Landsat archive data, the workflow is scalable and transferrable to other regions, which should enable the comparison of land surface changes in different permafrost affected regions and help to understand and quantify permafrost landscape dynamics.

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

Size-related stable isotope changes in Late Cretaceous and Recent planktic foraminifera from the western tropical Atlantic

The paleoecology of Cretaceous planktic foraminifera during the Late Cenomanian to Coniacian period (~95-86 Ma) remains controversial since much of the tropical marine record is preserved as chalk and limestone with uncertain geochemical overprints. Here we present delta13C and delta18O data from sieve size fractions of monospecific samples of exceptionally well preserved planktic foraminifera recovered during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 207 (Demerara Rise, western tropical Atlantic). Our results suggest that all species studied (Hedbergella delrioensis, Heterohelix globulosa, Marginotruncana sinuosa, Whiteinella baltica) grew primarily in surface waters and did not change their depth habitat substantially during their life cycle. Comparison of size-related ontogenetic trends in delta13C in Cretaceous and modern foraminifera further suggests that detection of dinoflagellate photosymbiosis using delta13C is confounded by physiological effects during the early stages of foraminifer growth, raising doubts about previous interpretations of photosymbiosis in small foraminifera species. We propose that obligate photosymbiosis involving dinoflagellates may not have evolved until the Campanian or Maastrichtian since our survey of Cenomanian-Coniacian species does not find the delta18O and delta13C size-related trends observed in modern foraminifer-dinoflagellate symbioses.

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

Age model for the time between 3.45 and 2.45 Ma of ODP Site 189-1172

Calcareous nannoplankton assemblages and benthic d18O isotopes of Pliocene deep-sea sediments of ODP site 1172 (East of Tasmania) have been studied to improve our knowledge of the Southern Ocean paleoceanography. Our study site is located just north of the Subtropical Front (STF), an ideal setting to monitor migrations of the STF during our study period, between 3.45 and 2.45 Ma. The assemblage identified at ODP site 1172 has been interpreted as characteristic for the transitional zone water mass, located south of the STF, based on: (i) the low abundances (< 1%) of subtropical taxa, (ii) relatively high percentages of Coccolithus pelagicus, a subpolar type species, (iii) abundances from 2-10% of Calcidiscus leptoporus, a species that frequently inhabits the zone south of the STF and (iv) the high abundances of small Noelaerhabdaceae which at present dominates the zone south of the STF. Across our interval the calcareous nannoplankton manifests glacial-interglacial variability. We have identified cold events, characterized by high abundances of C. pelagicus which coincide with glacial periods, except during G7. After 3.1 Ma cold events are more frequent, in concordance with global cooling trends. Around 2.75 Ma, the interglacial stage G7 is characterized by anomalous low temperatures which most likely are linked to definite closure of the Central American Seaway (CAS), an event that is believed to have had global consequences. A gradual increase of very small Reticulofenestra across our section marks a significant trend in the small Noelaerhabdaceae species group and has been linked to a general enhanced mixing of the water column in agreement with previous studies. It is suggested that a rapid decline of small Gephyrocapsa after isotopic stage G7 might be related to the cooling observed in our study site after the closure of the CAS.

Carbonate properties and oxygen concentrations at time series station DYFAMED

Monthly measurements of pH, alkalinity and oxygen over two years (February 1998-February 2000) at the Dyfamed site in the central zone of the Ligurian-Provençal Basin of the Mediterranean made it possible to assess the vertical distributions (5-2000 m) and the seasonal variations of these properties. Alkalinity varies linearly with salinity between surface water and the Levantine Intermediate Water (marked by a maximum of temperature and salinity). In deep water, total alkalinity is also correlated linearly to salinity, but the slope of the regression line is 15% less. In surface water, the pH at 25°C varies between 7.91 and 8.06 on the total proton scale depending upon the season. The lowest values are observed in winter, the highest in spring and in summer. These variations are primarily due to biological production. The pH goes through a minimum around 150-200 m and a small maximum below the intermediate water. The total dissolved inorganic carbon content (deduced from pH and alkalinity) is variable in surface water (2205-2310 ?mol/kg) and has a maximum in intermediate water, which is related to the salinity maximum. Normalized total inorganic carbon at a constant salinity is strongly negatively correlated with pH at 25°C. The fugacity of CO2, (fCO2) varies between 320 and 430 ?atm in surface water, according to the season. Below the seasonal thermocline, the maximum fCO2 (about 410 ?atm) is located around 150-200 m. The presence of a minimum of oxygen in the intermediate water of this area has been observed for several years, but our measurements made it possible to specify the relationship between oxygen and salinity in deep water. Data from the intense vertical mixing during the winters of 1999 and 2000 were used to calculate the oxygen quantity exchanged with the atmosphere during these periods. The estimated quantity of oxygen entering the Mediterranean Sea exceeds that deduced from exchange coefficients calculated with the formula of Wanninkhof and McGillis. During the vertical mixing in the 1999 winter, fCO2 in surface water was on average below equilibrium with atmospheric fCO2, thus implying that CO2 was entering the sea. However, on this time scale, even with high exchange coefficients, the estimated CO2 uptake had no significant influence on the inorganic carbon content in the water column.