XLVII Annual Meeting of the Association for Chemoreception SciencesProgram Chair: Dan Wesson, PhDBonita Springs, Florida | April 23-26, 2025

Editorial

The value of social media for professionals, including physicians, is now well established.1 Particularly for pathologists, medical specialists relatively few in number, it can serve as a force multiplier in educating patients and families, colleagues, and policymakers about the pathologists' central and critical role in disease diagnosis and patient safety.2As a result of both individual and group efforts, including the College of American Pathologists' promotion of social media in its annual meetings and its educational endeavors, many pathologists have enjoyed social media as a tool for sharing professional insights, educating about disease, and influencing policy. Many other pathologists have enrolled in social media, perhaps out of curiosity or at the prompting of colleagues, but have not fully engaged, or they initially engaged but did not see enough value to follow up. They ask “that's it? So what now?”One reason pathologists have provided for enrolling but not engaging in social media has been the concern about the time commitment involved; however, many pathologists who have similarly tight schedules, responsibilities, and time commitments do actually engage fully. Leaders in other professions and areas of public endeavor are using social media effectively to share their ideas.3–6 How then can those enrolled but not engaged pathologists become engaged in a manner that is more satisfying to them and valuable to patients and families, colleagues, and policymakers? A satisfactory answer has been elusive.Matthew Katz, a physician and social media thought leader,7 has perhaps provided, if not an answer for all areas of social media engagement, certainly a clue for pathologists who are enrolled in Twitter. In a recent JAMA Oncology letter,8 he and his colleagues discuss the maturation of the use of Twitter hashtags. “Hashtags are user-generated tags that can organize and aggregate content on social networks.” 8 Structured hashtags, organizing disease-specific information, have moved from ad hoc development and use to more structured development and use, with their more widespread adoption by stakeholders.8There are more than 8000 diseases,9 and pathologists are directly involved in the differential diagnosis, identification, prognostication, and treatment of most of them. The opportunity to engage, educate, advocate, and influence patients, clinicians, and policymakers is extraordinarily great. The reward is invaluable, moving the reach of pathology beyond the laboratory to a national and international audience. Were pathologists, using structured hashtags, to use Twitter (along with other social media platforms) to further establish their value and knowledge among patients and their families, along with colleagues and policymakers, it is unlikely pathologists would need to again ask “so now what?”

e23001 Background: Anemia is an extremely common and robustly deleterious complication experienced by patients with cancer, with impacts ranging from patient-reported quality-of-life metrics, to functional capacity, to morbidity and mortality implications. Cancer-related anemia (CRA) and chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) arise from a complex pathogenesis and are often associated with multifactorial etiology, but iron deficiency (ID) is an especially prominent genesis in these patients and is a preeminent clinical focus for hematology/oncology clinicians, not only because of its frequency, but also because it is directly treatable and reversible. Recent positive data readouts examining intravenous iron as a mechanism to improve anemia outcomes in comorbid oncologic states illustrates a compelling and exigent need to educate the hematology/oncology clinicians managing patients with cancer. These clinicians are optimally positioned to ensure improved CRA/CIA patient outcomes. That was the formative objective of this educational initiative. Methods: We conducted a 180-minute symposium at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, with a panel of 5 hematology/oncology experts. The activity was delivered live, in-person in Atlanta, and was also live streamed to a national and international audience on a virtual basis; the session was then provided as an online on-demand offering for those couldn’t attend the live meeting. Clinician knowledge metrics were evaluated from pre-activity to post-activity via audience response software (in-person) and Zoom polling (virtual); all test questions were directly correlated with activity learning objectives. Results: Across all 3 delivery modalities, the educational initiative reached a vast audience of nearly 8,000 learners. Meaningful knowledge advancements were achieved across each of the following clinical topics of emphasis (statistics reflect differential between pre-test and post-test performance): Diagnosis of CRA/CIA using clinical signs, symptoms, and laboratory diagnoses (+17%). Differentiation of functional vs. absolute iron deficiency (+33%). Identifying how elevated hepcidin levels impact iron supplementation strategies (+37%). Knowledge of improved safety profiles of next-generation IV iron products (+75%). Correctly evaluating the benefits of IV iron given a real-world CIA patient case (+33%). Conclusions: Our outcomes illustrate both the relatively low baseline knowledge of hematology/oncology clinicians related to CRA/CIA management and the transformative impact of timely educational programming. Ongoing educational efforts focused on this clinical topic and target audience are warranted.

Editorial

XXXIV international congress of physiological sciences: It's for anatomists, Too!

International audience

International audience

The clinical neurosciences were blessed in the past century by the life and works of Dr. Charles Drake. The senior author (HHB) was honored to deliver the 2006 Charles Drake Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Numerous colleagues in attendance requested that we prepare a written document reflecting the content of that presentation. In this article, we attempt to convey some of the primary teachings of Dr. Drake as he communicated them to his residents and fellows and to the international neuroscience audience through his hundreds of presentations and publications. We do our best to portray the unique style and humanism of this pioneer as he approached difficult diseases, critically ill patients, grieving families, and his trainees. Drake made major contributions to the knowledge of giant intracranial aneurysms, posterior circulation aneurysms, and intracranial arteriovenous malformations; we will focus on these topics. We dissect the principles he articulated and how they applied to his practice, look at how those ideas have influenced our contemporary thinking, and look to where we--as a discipline--may be going, having been leveraged by his enormous contributions. We attempt to articulate the unique perspectives "Charlie" provided with respect to how we learn our craft, integrity of reporting, and how we must progress into the future. It is our hope that this presentation brings to life for young neurosurgeons the unique character of Dr. Drake and his unprecedented blend of genius, creativity, technical skill, introspection, and ever-present humility.

What's New in Orthopaedic Trauma.

What's New in Orthopaedic Trauma.

The Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology (SSCT) has arranged annual scientific meetings since 1983. These workshops were the forum for the Multicentre Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity (MEIC) programme. Along with the MEIC programme, which was completed in 1998, a wide range of topics relating to cytotoxicity have been discussed. The meetings have also given an opportunity for graduate students and young scientists to present their work to an international audience. At the same time, experts in the fields of in vitro toxicity have been invited as speakers. The 19th SSCT scientific meeting, which was held at Sørup Manor in Ringsted, Denmark, was no exception. The meeting consisted of four sessions: mechanisms of toxicity; environmental toxicological testing; alternatives to animal experiments; and validation of in vitro tests.

In our last IUPS editorial ([1][1]), we promised to report on the outcome of the IUPS Council and International Scientific Program Committee (ISPC) meetings held in December 2007 in Kyoto. Here we shall first describe the progress with regard to the generation of the scientific program for the 2009

Harry Ferguson developed his theory of valley stress release in flat-lying sedimentary rocks by observing rock characteristics, behavior, and discontinuities in foundation excavations for navigation locks and dams and flood control dams in the Upper Ohio River Basin in the late 1950s and 1960s. He first presented his theory at the AEG Annual Meeting in 1966, then published it in the AEG Bulletin in 1967. Over the past five decades, this theory has provided a unifying framework for world-wide geologic observations and geotechnical interpretations in flat-lying sedimentary rocks. It is appropriate here to review this theory for an international audience and a new generation of engineering geologists. Essential elements of the theory are: 1. Flat-lying sedimentary rocks near the earth’s surface typically have horizontal stresses greater than vertical stresses corresponding to existing overburden. 2. River (or stream) erosion removes horizontal support from valley walls and vertical support from valley floors. 3. Valley walls deform inward and valley floors deform upward in response to this loss of support. 4. These deformations relieve stresses in rocks of the valley walls and floors. 5. Deformations and stress release produce characteristic patterns and types of fractures and other discontinuities in rocks of valley walls and floors. This theory of valley stress release has both geologic and engineering implications. Geologic implications include a mechanism for on-going valley development independent of tectonic processes; groundwater flow through stress release fractures with associated processes of weathering and alteration plus solution in soluble rocks; mass-wasting processes, e.g., rock slides, rock falls, rock block creep, colluvium development, on valley walls. Engineering implications include layout and interpretation of subsurface exploration programs; foundation depths and treatments; slope and foundation stability; rock excavation and support, both surface and underground; excavation dewatering; dam foundation and abutment grouting.

Globally applicable best practices guidelines for managing large-scale collaborative genomics projects have been established using lessons learned from the successes and challenges of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). As the cost of genomic sequencing is decreasing, more and more researchers are leveraging genomic data to inform the biology of disease. The amount of genomic data generated is growing exponentially, and protocols need to be established for the long-term storage, dissemination, and regulation of these data for research. The authors aim to create a comprehensive guide to managing research projects involving genomic data, as learned through the evolution of the TCGA program over the last decade. This project was primarily carried out in the US, but the impact and lessons learned can be applied to an international audience. The guide will serve to: • Establish a framework for managing large-scale genomic research projects involving multiple collaborators •Describe lessons learned through TCGA to prepare for potential roadblocks •Evaluate policy considerations that are needed to avoid pitfalls •Recommend strategies to make project management more efficient • Educate readers on practical considerations and stakeholder applications regarding each step of the project The guide will cover operational procedures, policy considerations, and lessons learned through TCGA on topics such as: •Sample acquisition •Data generation • Data storage and dissemination •Data analysis efforts •Quality control, auditing and reporting •Formation of analysis working groups for consortium publications Analysis of TCGA's programmatic and policy decisions since 2006 provides insight into successful practices. Collaborative spirit, vital to its success, was maintained through incentivizing participation in analysis working groups, publishing with a single network author, and allowing participants to gain early access to project data. TCGA was managed centrally by NIH offices, which streamlined project management activities overall. Sample and clinical data quality was maintained by evaluation of tissue provider practices through a review board, use of a central repository for sample receipt and distribution, and the use of multi-stage payment plan per sample enrolled. Streamlined data analysis, storage, and dissemination occurred through a tightly controlled data coordination center, which among other activities, provided to the public precise datasets used for each analysis publication. Analysis of large-scale genomic information is a complex undertaking with many pitfalls. Best practices guidelines based upon experience in genomics, industrial psychology, data management, and project management will provide a foundation for successful implementation of these projects. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Margi Sheth, Jiashan Zhang, Jean C. Zenklusen. A comprehensive guide for managing large-scale collaborative genomics research projects. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1634. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1634

During the past decade research into the German Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic has experienced an important revival. One clear sign of this renewed interest in the periods are the annual meetings of the “Arbeitsgruppe Mesolithikum” (Mesolithic Working Group) which have taken place every spring since 1992. At these meetings, which take place at changing venues, topical themes of Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic interest are presented by informal lectures and it is also possible to study regional collections (artifacts, raw materials) at first hand. Numerous contributions were subsequently published together in one volume (Conard and Kind (1998) Aktuelle Forschungen zum Mesolithikum/Current Mesolithic Research, Mo Vince, Tubingen). The present paper intends to complement that collection of papers with a synthesis of developments and perspectives and to present recent research highlights in the German Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic, together with a comprehensive bibliography, to a wider international audience.