bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detailed assessment of the reported economic costs of invasive species in Australia
Authors: Bradshaw Corey J. A. , Hoskins Andrew J. , Haubrock Phillip J. , Cuthbert Ross N. , Diagne Christophe , Leroy Boris , Andrews Lindell , Page Brad , Cassey Phill , Sheppard Andy W. , Courchamp Franck
Published: July 2021

The legacy of deliberate and accidental introductions of invasive alien species to Australia has had a hefty economic toll, yet quantifying the magnitude of the costs associated with direct loss and damage, as well as for management interventions, remains elusive. This is because the reliability of cost estimates and under-sampling have not been determined. We provide the first detailed analysis of the reported costs associated with invasive species to the Australian economy since the 1960s, based on the recently published InvaCost database and supplementary information, for a total of 2078 unique cost entries. Since the 1960s, Australia has spent or incurred losses totalling at least US$298.58 billion (2017 value) or AU$389.59 billion (2017 average exchange rate) from invasive species. However, this is an underestimate given that costs rise as the number of estimates increases following a power law. There was an average 1.8–6.3-fold increase in the total costs per decade since the 1970s to the present, producing estimated costs of US$6.09–57.91 billion year-1 (all costs combined) or US$225.31 million–6.84 billion year-1 (observed, highly reliable costs only). Costs arising from plant species were the highest among kingdoms (US$151.68 billion), although most of the costs were not attributable to single species. Of the identified weedy species, the costliest were annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum), parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus) and ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). The four costliest classes were mammals (US$48.63 billion), insects (US$11.95 billion), eudicots (US$4.10 billion) and monocots (US$1.92 billion). The three costliest species were all animals – cats (Felis catus), rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). Each State/Territory had a different suite of major costs by species, but with most (3–62%) costs derived from one to three species per political unit. Most (61%) of the reported costs applied to multiple environments and 73% of the total pertained to direct damage or loss compared to management costs only, with both of these findings reflecting the availability of data. Rising incursions of invasive species will continue to have substantial costs for the Australian economy, but with better investment, standardised assessments and reporting and coordinated interventions (including eradications), some of these costs could be substantially reduced.
Economic impact of invasive alien species in Argentina: a first national synthesis
Authors: Duboscq-Carra Virginia G. , Fernandez Romina D. , Haubrock Phillip J. , Dimarco Romina D. , Angulo Elena , Ballesteros-Mejia Liliana , Diagne Christophe , Courchamp Franck , Nuñez Martin A.
Published: July 2021

Invasive alien species (IAS) affect natural ecosystems and services fundamental to human well-being, human health and economies. However, the economic costs associated with IAS have been less studied than other impacts. This information can be particularly important for developing countries such as Argentina, where monetary resources for invasion management are scarce and economic costs are more impactful. The present study provides the first analysis of the economic cost of IAS in Argentina at the national level, using the InvaCost database (expanded with new data sources in Spanish), the first global compilation of the reported economic costs of invasions. We analyzed the temporal development of invasions costs, distinguishing costs according to the method reliability (i.e. reproducibility of the estimation methodology) and describing the economic costs of invasions by invaded environment, cost type, activity sector affected and taxonomic group of IAS. The total economic cost of IAS in Argentina between 1995 and 2019 was estimated at US$ 6,908 million. All costs were incurred and 93% were highly reliable. The recorded costs were mainly related to terrestrial environments and the agricultural sector, with lack of costs in other sectors, making it difficult to discuss the actual distribution of invasion costs in Argentina. Nevertheless, the reported costs of IAS in this country are very high and yet likely much underestimated due to important data gaps and biases in the literature. Considering that Argentina has an underdeveloped economy, costs associated with biological invasions should be taken into consideration for preventing invasions, and to achieve a more effective use of available resources.
The economic costs of biological invasions around the world
Authors: Zenni Rafael Dudeque , Essl Franz , García-Berthou Emili , McDermott Shana M.
Published: July 2021

Not applicable
'Modulated Perfectly': Scotland's Neoliberal Culture of Moderated Alcohol Dependency
Authors: Jackson Joe
Published: July 2021

The popular, especially British, imaginary casts Scotland as a drunken nation, just as Thatcherite political discourse presents Scotland as welfare-addicted at an individual and national level, apparently drunk on English money. In this article, I argue that Scottish literary culture
has written back through a 'moderated' alcohol dependency, wherein alcohol provides emergency psychotherapy for a neoliberal professional class. I examine four novels featuring alcohol-dependent focalisers which date from the mid-1980s through to peak British alcohol consumption in 2004, namely
Alasdair Gray's 1982, Janine (1984), Ron Butlin's The Sound of My Voice (1987), Janice Galloway's The Trick is to Keep Breathing (1989) and A. L. Kennedy's Paradise (2004). All of these texts look past the stereotypical immiseration of unemployed men in urban peripheral
housing estates and towards a different constituency of alcohol addicts: qualified, productive, responsibilised, and self-modulating. In so doing, the works renegotiate physical, economic and constitutional dependency in Britain. But in a larger frame, they establish alcohol toxicomania in
the context: of the psychopathological economy – in which productivity can only be sustained through the palliation of neoliberalism's mental health crises – and in late capitalism's reordering of social relations, or what Bernard Stiegler calls a 'liquidation of relations of fidelity'.
A critical evaluation of the factors affecting the survival and persistence of beneficial bacteria in healthy adults
Authors: Morelli L. , Pellegrino P.
Published: July 2021

The efficacy of a probiotic depends on its ability to survive and persist in the digestive tract. Regulatory agencies around the world recommend minimum dosages in order for a product to be termed a probiotic. However, the effect of dosage on the survival of the bacteria in the gut – the primary objective of probiotic administration – has not been critically evaluated. We performed a systematic literature review to assess the available data on the survival rate, during gastrointestinal transit, of probiotic bacteria that were orally administered to healthy adults. We also evaluated the persistence of the administered strain(s) after discontinuation of treatment and the potential role played by the food matrix in which probiotics have been administered. From a regulatory perspective, the profile of the target population is key to establishing the efficacy of probiotics. Therefore, we focussed on subjects without disease conditions. We evaluated 17 studies of single strains and 13 studies of multi-strain products, which reported survival and persistence outcomes. Persistence in the gut and recovery from stool were strain dependent. When the administered dose was higher than 1010 cfu/day, the probiotic could be recovered from stool regardless of the strain used. Treatment duration did not affect faecal recovery. Thus, dosage recommendations for probiotics by regulatory agencies are lower than that required for a strain to survive, persist and be efficacious in the gut.
Dietary black soldier fly pulp affects growth, antioxidant and immune capacity of Micropterus salmoides
Authors: Peng K. , Mo W. , Xiao H. , Hu J. , Zhu X. , Huang Y. , Wang G.
Published: July 2021

Dried or defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal has been shown an important ingredient in aquafeed, but little information is available about the effects of black soldier fly pulp (BSFP) on growth and health of fish. A 62-day feeding trial was conducted to assess the effects of dietary BSFP on growth performance, whole body composition, serum metabolites, antioxidant and immune response of Micropterus salmoides. Four isoproteic and isolipidic diets were formulated by adding BSFP (original substance) to the basal diet at the rate of 0% (BSFP0), 1% (BSFP1), 2% (BSFP2) and 4% (BSFP4), corresponding to inclusion of 0, 4.5, 9.0 and 18.0 g/kg DM in diets. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 35 fish per tank. Fish were fed twice daily to apparent satiation. Blood samples were collected at the terminal trial to analyse serum metabolites, antioxidant and immune enzyme activities. Results indicated that fish fed BSFP2 had higher (P<0.05) weight gain rate, specific growth rate and intraperitoneal fat ratio than those of fish fed other diets. Crude lipid, ash and calcium contents were higher (P<0.05) in BSFP2 than those in BSFP0. Fish fed BSFP2 and BSFP4 had lower (P<0.05) serum malonaldehyde but higher (P<0.05) acid phosphatase than other diets. It was concluded that dietary inclusion of BSFP improved growth performance of M. salmoides might be attributed to increased lipid and ash deposition. BSFP improved antioxidant and immune capacity but also increased intraperitoneal fat deposition of fish, suggesting BSFP should be careful to be used in M. salmoides diets.
Best of the 2021 ANCC PTAP Symposium: Create, Cultivate, Celebrate
Authors: Cosme Sheri , Cartwright-Stroupe Lya M. , Shinners Jean
Published: July 2021

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) sponsors an annual symposium for participants to share in best practices across the globe. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 symposium was held virtually. With close to 700 participants, the ANCC PTAP team was challenged to provide an engaging virtual conference. This column speaks to the success of the symposium based on creating, cultivating, and celebrating best practices.

[
J Contin Educ Nurs
. 2021;52(8):352–354.]
Light protection performance of wrapping films to prevent the photo-oxidation of extra virgin olive oil during storage in glass bottles
Authors: Kishimoto Norihito ,   Central Institute of Olive and Health Sciences, Shodoshima Healthyland Co., Ltd., 267-6 Kou, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa, 761-4101, Japan
Published: July 2021

Packaging material plays an important role in minimizing food waste in the supply chain. This study evaluated the light-protective effects of wrapping films as a secondary packaging material on the deterioration of extra virgin olive oil after exposure to sunlight for 5 weeks. Milky white polyethylene terephthalate (MW-PET) and aluminum oxide vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate (AV-PET) were used on bottles of different transparency (clear or amber glass) as the primary packaging material. Wrapping the bottles with either PET film resulted in protection against fatty acid release and secondary oxidation of the oils upon exposure to sunlight, but no protection against the primary oxidation of the oils. Although sunlight exposure induced the degradation of minor components, including chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments, in oils stored in clear glass bottles with no film, in oils stored in clear and amber glass bottles with either type of PET film, these compounds were partially protected from degradation during storage. In addition, sunlight exposure induced a decrease in E2-hexenal, which has a positive olive aroma in oils stored in clear glass bottles with no film, but this decrease was not observed to the same extent in oils stored in clear and amber glass bottles with either PET film. The light-protective effects of the AV-PET film were significantly higher than those of the MW-PET film. These results showed that secondary packaging with these PET films provided more effective protection against sunlight-induced oxidative deterioration of extra virgin olive oil during storage in primary materials, such as glass bottles, compared with storage in glass bottles with no secondary packaging.
CKV-type $ B $-matrices and error bounds for linear complementarity problems
Authors: Song Xinnian ,   School of Mathematics and Information Science, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, Shaanxi, 721013, China, Gao Lei
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we introduce a new subclass of $ P $-matrices called Cvetković-Kostić-Varga type $ B $-matrices (CKV-type $ B $-matrices), which contains DZ-type-$ B $-matrices as a special case, and present an infinity norm bound for the inverse of CKV-type $ B $-matrices. Based on this bound, we also give an error bound for linear complementarity problems of CKV-type $ B $-matrices. It is proved that the new error bound is better than that provided by Li et al. [24] for DZ-type-$ B $-matrices, and than that provided by M. García-Esnaola and J.M. Peña [10] for $ B $-matrices in some cases. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Concise high precision approximation for the complete elliptic integral of the first kind
Authors: Zhu Ling ,   Department of Mathematics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018, China
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we obtain a concise high-precision approximation for $ \mathcal{K}(r) $:

   \begin{document}$ \begin{equation*} \frac{2}{\pi }\mathcal{K}(r){\rm{ }}>{\rm{ }}\frac{22\left( r^{\prime }\right) ^{2}+84r^{\prime }+22}{7\left( r^{\prime }\right) ^{3}+57\left( r^{\prime }\right) ^{2}+57r^{\prime }+7}, \end{equation*} $\end{document}

which holds for all $ r\in (0, 1) $, where $ \mathcal{K}(r) $ is complete elliptic integral of the first kind and $ r^{\prime } = \sqrt{1-r^{2}} $.
Blow-up of energy solutions for the semilinear generalized Tricomi equation with nonlinear memory term
Authors: Shi Jincheng ,   Department of Applied Mathematics, Guangzhou Huashang College, Guangzhou, China, Xia Jianye , Zhi Wenjing ,   Department of Applied Mathematics, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China,   Department of Statistics, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we investigate blow-up conditions for the semilinear generalized Tricomi equation with a general nonlinear memory term in $ \mathbb{R}^n $ by using suitable functionals and employing iteration procedures. Particularly, a new combined effect from the relaxation function and the time-dependent coefficient is found.
Drivers of harmful algal blooms in coastal areas of Eastern Mediterranean: a machine learning methodological approach
Authors: Tamvakis Androniki ,   Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, GR81100, Mytilene, Greece, Tsirtsis George , Karydis Michael , Patsidis Kleanthis , Kokkoris Giorgos D.
Published: July 2021

Harmful algal species are present in the Mediterranean Sea and are often associated with toxic events affecting the nearby coastal zones. The presence of 18 marine microalgae, at genus level, associated with potentially harmful characteristics was predicted using a number of machine learning techniques based exclusively on a small set of abiotic variables, already identified as drivers of blooms. Random Forest (RF) algorithm achieved the best predictive performance by correctly identifying the presence of most genera with a mean of 89.2% of total samples. Although, RF has shown lower predictive performance for genera present in a low number of samples, its predictive power remains at least "fair' in these cases. The main tree-based advantage of RF was thereafter used to assess the importance of the input variables in predicting the presence of the algal genera. Temperature had the most powerful effect on genera's presences, although this effect varies among genera. Finally, the genera were clustered based on their response to the considered abiotic variables and common trends in an ecological context were identified.
Uso tradicional de especies de plantas en trece provincias de Ecuador
Authors: Rivero-Guerra Aixa Ofelia
Published: July 2021

Se valida la hipótesis que el uso tradicional de plantas introducidas y nativas es análogo en Ecuador. Ciento veinticuatro entrevistas se desarrollan en 13 provincias de Ecuador, a 99 mujeres y 25 hombres, 107 del total son mestizos y 17 son indígenas, mayoritariamente comerciantes con estudios primarios y constan de 1 a 60 años de experiencia, que adquirieron el conocimiento del uso tradicional de las plantas de sus padres o madres principalmente. Se registra el uso de 274 especies, 138 (50,36%) del total son introducidas y 136 (49,63%) son nativas, 3 de las cuales son endémicas (1,09%); pertenecientes a 224 géneros incluidos en 88 familias botánicas, originarias de América (61,85%), Asia (15,68%), Europa (10,45%), África (9,58%) y Oceanía (2,44%). Se presentan 28 usos generales, particularmente como medicinal (71 usos terapéuticos), destacando el uso como antiinflamatorio, analgésico, antibiótico, antiespasmódico, diurético, sedante y antigripal. El conocimiento tradicional de las plantas no varía significativamente entre etnias y género; lo opuesto ocurre a nivel de edad y entre especies nativas e introducidas. Existe gran concordancia entre los informantes sobre los usos etnomedicinales de las plantas con un valor del Factor de Consenso de los Informantes (FIC) de 0,98.
An Approach to Prevent Air Pollution and Generate Electricity Using Nanostructured Carbon Materials
Authors: Mondal Samrat , Bhadra Avishek , Chakraborty Souvik , Prasad Suraj , Chakraborty Shouvik
Published: July 2021

Pollution is one of the major threats for the environment as well as society. It causes severe problems for the living organisms and can gives birth of various unknown issues. Different sources like cars, industrial belts, fossil fuels etc. are the major causes of air pollution. Different researchers are working to develop new methods to combat air pollution. In this work, a new solution is proposed to fight against air pollution. The proposed solution is based on nanotechnology which not only fight against the air pollution but, it can generate electricity using the nanostructured carbon materials. The proposed solution can be deployed in real life scenario to reduce the air pollution and produce electricity in a large scale to provide an alternate energy resource to the society.
Managing Algorithms for Public Value
Authors: Selten Friso , Meijer Albert
Published: July 2021

Public organisations increasingly rely on machine learning algorithms in performing many of their core activities. It is therefore important to consider how algorithms are transforming the public sector. This article aims to clarify this by assessing algorithms from a public value perspective. Based on a discussion of the literature, it is demonstrated that algorithms are generally expected to strengthen organisational performance on a first cluster of values related to the ability to be effective and efficient (sigma values). At the same time, the use of algorithms is linked to negatively affect a second cluster of values that involves fairness and transparency (theta values). In the current academic debate little attention is given to an important third cluster of values; the ability of organisations to be adaptive and robust (lambda values). This discussion highlights that algorithms invoke public value opportunities, but also public value risks and trade-offs. This article therefore presents five principles for managing algorithms from a public value perspective.
Explaining and Predicting Helpfulness and Funniness of Online Reviews on the Steam Platform
Authors: Wang Zhi , Chang Victor , Horvath Gergely
Published: July 2021

Online review is a crucial display content of many online shopping platforms and an essential source of product information for consumers. Low-quality reviews often cause inconvenience to the platform and review readers. This article aims to help Steam, one of the largest digital distribution platforms, predict the review helpfulness and funniness. Via Python, 480,000 game reviews related data for 20 games were captured for analysis. This article analyzed the impact of three categories of influencing factors on the usefulness and funniness of game reviews, which are characteristics of review, reviewer and game. Additionally, by using the Random Forest-based classifier, the usefulness of reviews could be accurately predicted, while for funniness, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree was the better choice. This article applied research on the usefulness of reviews to game products and proposed research on the funniness of reviews.
Research on the Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on the Global Trade Economy Based on Big Data Analysis
Authors: Li Jianfei , Li Juxing , Ji Jin , Meng Shengjun
Published: July 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic that began in early 2020 quickly formed a global trend, bringing unprecedented shocks to many countries’ and even the global trade economy. Big data is the main feature of the Internet era, which has transformed the industrial development pattern of modern society and has now flourished in the field of trade economy; therefore, it is of great significance to apply the big data analysis technology to study the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the global trade economy. On the basis of summarizing and analyzing previous research works, this paper, expounded the research status and significance of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the global trade economy, elaborated the development background, The study results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the impact of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the global trade economy based on big data analysis.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on International Trade
Authors: Tay Christina
Published: July 2021

This paper investigates the impact of artificial intelligence on international trade. We use data on neural machine translation & search engines dominating domestic markets from 2016 to 2019, comprising 196 countries to test for their impact on international trade. Three variations of international trade are used: (1) manufacturing trade (sum of manufacturing exports & imports), (2) manufacturing export, and (3) manufacturing import. We cross-breed artificial intelligence theories with that of international economics. We find that artificial intelligence shows significant results at the 1% level for manufacturing trade, at the 10% level for manufacturing export, and at the 1% level for manufacturing import. We also find that as increasing number of languages are introduced through neural machine learning, there is a decreased need to comprehend the language of another country, which in turn, have significant impact on all three variations of international trade. We also find that domestic search engines are increasingly dominating domestic and global market shares.
The Use of the Health Belief Model to Assess U.S. College Students’ Perceptions of Covid-19 and Adherence to Preventive Measures
Authors: Alsulaiman Saud A. , Rentner Terry L.
Published: July 2021

Background

This study utilized the Health Belief Model to examine college students’ perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examined the extent to which the Health Belief Model and perceived threat are associated with the adoption of COVID-19 preventive measures among college students.

Design and methods

An online questionnaire was utilized and sent to a simple random sample of college students at a large Midwestern university in the United States between May and July of 2020. The number of undergraduate and graduate students who participated in this study was 1,723.

Results

The study found that the Health Belief Model and perceived threat are significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive measures. College students with higher Health Belief Model scores were more likely to adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures than those with lower scores. College students also reported high cues to action and low perceived barriers to most of the COVID-19 preventive measures.

Conclusion

Applying the Health Belief Model is crucial for health professionals and university administrators for developing effective communication messages for COVID-19 prevention and future health outbreaks.
Unexpected upper limb compartment syndrome due to venous thrombosis in frontal glioma surgery
Authors: Dalvi Amit Mahadev , Shetty Anita Narendra , Gangakhedkar Gauri Raman , Waghalkar Pallavi
Published: July 2021

Although it is well known that 49% cases of upper limb deep-vein thrombosis are due to malignancies and the likelihood of venous thromboembolism is increased in patients with high grade gliomas due to the heightened prothrombotic milieu, requisite preoperative laboratory coagulation studies are not performed routinely in these patients to decide whether appropriate antithrombotic medications are required preoperatively. In addition, it is controversial whether antithrombotic therapy should be initiated before neurosurgery in view of the risk of intraoperative bleeding. Here, we have described the case of a 29-year-old female with high grade frontal malignant astrocytoma who developed the extremely rare complication of upper limb compartment syndrome postoperatively. The patient had no history of thrombotic events, and her basic laboratory parameters were not deranged in the pre-operative period. This rare case, supported with a literature review, suggested that the risk of thrombosis is increased in high grade and large gliomas, making us rethink the overall battery of investigations and perioperative medical management of such cases. We strongly recommend peri-operative coagulation studies and appropriate antithrombotic measures along with vigilant perioperative monitoring to avoid thrombotic complication in this subset of patients.
Vascular tangle in the inter-atrial septum – Is it the source of cardiac myxoma?
Authors: Vaideeswar Pradeep , Yadav Subhash
Published: July 2021

Background:

Cardiac myxomas (CMs) are the most common primary tumors of the heart, said to be derived from pluripotent cardiac stem cells. They are most often attached to the left side of the inter-atrial septum (IAS) and a feature noted at the site of attachment is a conglomeration of thick-walled vessels that has been noted to precede the development of myxomas.

Aims:

The present study was conducted to compare histology of the normal inter-atrial septa to the septal flap excised with the myxomas and to evaluate the significance of this 'vascular tangle' in the histogenesis of these tumors.

Materials and Methods:

In a 10-year retrospective analysis of all surgically excised CMs, tumors with attached septal sleeves were selected. This histology was compared to the serial sections of 25 normal age-matched septa obtained from normal hearts at autopsy.

Results:

Of the 56 myxomas seen in 10 years, 38 tumors (all left atrial in location) were received with a flap of the IAS. All of these cases, irrespective of the sizes of the tumor, showed the presence of conglomeration of thick-walled blood vessels, many of which showed abrupt myxoid change in their walls. Another noteworthy feature in many vessels in all flaps was migration of the myxoid tissue through the vascular walls and the endocardium to mushroom out into the atrial lumen. Such vascular channels were not seen in any of the normal IAS.

Conclusions:

Based on these findings, we propose a two-step hypothesis: an initial step that stimulates the pluripotent cells toward vasculogenesis with endothelial and smooth muscle differentiation, and a subsequent step leads to production of abundant mucopolysaccharides that splay apart the smooth muscle cells, which would explain rings, cords or nests of myxoma cells around endothelial lined spaces.
Recent updates in the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors
Authors: Rekhi Bharat
Published: July 2021

During the last two decades, there have been significant strides in the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, including identification of various tumor entities, newer immunohistochemical markers, and an increasing number of molecular signatures, defining certain tumors. Lately, there are certain emerging tumor entities, defined by their molecular features with an impact on treatment. At the same time, there is a certain degree of overlap in the expression of certain immunohistochemical antibody markers, as well as genetic markers, with certain gene rearrangements and chimeric fusions observed among completely different tumors. Moreover, a certain amount of clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular proximity has been unraveled among certain tumor types. Over the years, the World Health Organization (WHO) fascicles on tumors of soft tissue have succinctly brought out these aspects. The present review describes recent updates in the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, including certain newly described tumor entities; emphasizing upon newer, specific immunohistochemical and molecular markers, along with concepts, regarding “intertumor relationships”.
Intravascular large B cell lymphoma of prostate, a rare entity
Authors: Rallabandi Hima Bindu , Thirukovela Jagadeeshwar , Swain Meenakshi , Meeramira Divya , Gowrishankar Swarnalata
Published: July 2021

Intravascular large B cell lymphoma is a rare type of extranodal lymphoma characterized by selective growth of neoplastic cells in small vessels, especially capillaries, sparing larger arteries, veins and surrounding tissue. The absence of intravascular lymphoma in the traditional sites and difference in mode of presentation with no mass forming lesion as compared to other lymphomas, makes it unique and difficult to diagnose early. It is extremely heterogeneous in its clinical presentation depending on the organ involved. Primary intravascular large B cell lymphoma of the prostate is extremely rare and only 8 cases have been reported in English literature till date, limited to single case reports. This is a rare case of a 76 year old male patient, who came with complaints of urinary obstruction and fever of unknown origin since 15 days. Routine investigations were within normal limits including the complete urine examination, complete blood picture and PSA levels. Mild prostatomegaly was noted on radiology. Patient was catheterized and transurethral resection was done. On histopathological examination, prostatic acini and stroma were normal but the vessels in the stroma which were dilated and thin walled lacking a muscular coat, showed sheets of loosely cohesive cells with moderate eosinophilic to clear cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei, with 1 to 3 prominent nucleoli and mitoses, averaging 4-6/hpf. On immunohistochemistry, the tumor cells were positive for CD 20 and MUM 1 with high MIB1 index of about 90% and were negative for CD3, CD10, Bcl6, PSA, P63, CK7, CK20, HMWCK, and Pancytokeratin. CD31 stained and highlighted the endothelial cells of the vessels. Final diagnosis made after correlating light microscopy and immunohistochemistry was a Primary Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma of the prostate.
MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma in an elderly male
Authors: Prachi  , Aiyer Hema Mailini
Published: July 2021

Translocation-associated renal cell carcinoma (t-RCC) is a relatively uncommon subtype of renal cell carcinoma characterized by recurrent gene rearrangements involving the TFE3 or TFEB loci. TFE3 and TFEB are members of the microphthalmia transcription factor (MiT) family, which regulate differentiation in melanocytes and osteoclasts. Renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) associated with Xp11 translocations have gene fusions involving TFE3, which has multiple gene partners; RCCs with t(6:11) translocations have MALAT1-TFEB gene fusions. These tumors are histologically diverse, often have papillary, alveolar, and nested growth pattern with clear and eosinophilic cells and psammoma bodies and are seen commonly in children and young adults, accounting to 40% of pediatric RCCs and 1.6%–4% of adult RCCs. The mean and median patient age is 31 years. Thus, distinguishing t-RCC from its morphologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular mimics has important clinical implications. Directed ancillary testing is an essential aspect to t-RCC cases and may include a panel of immunohistochemical stains, such as PAX8, pancytokeratins, AMACR, CD10, and TFE-3. We, hereby report a case of TFE3 positiveXp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma in a 52-year-old male which is unusual.
Evolution of pathology teaching for MBBS students during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Sramana , Joshi Deepti , Goel Garima , Singhai Abhishek , Kapoor Neelkamal
Published: July 2021

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has forced university hospitals to forego traditional classes and embrace online teaching platforms as the sole modality of medical education. Herein, we describe our experience of shifting from the arena of a real to a virtual classroom during the lockdown phase. Materials and

Methods:

The institutional subscription of G-suite was used for creating a virtual Google classroom. Google Calendar, Google Meet, and Google Forms were used for notification of schedules, conducting theory and practical classes, and conducting assessments, respectively. The learner-centric SNAPPS model was adapted for an interactive case-based learning (CBL) program using multimedia tools. Students' perspective on online education was assessed based on their responses to a validated questionnaire.

Results:

The conduction of online classes, particularly the live practical classes and the CBL program got the maximum affirmative (up to 85%) responses. Students of the same batch also performed better in a test following the online CBL (77.03% vs 73.3%, P = 0.03, paired t-test statistically significant) compared to a test before it. However, access to laptops and poor Internet connectivity were significant causes of concern for nearly 40% of students.

Conclusion:

The use of virtual classroom has proved to be an efficient method for continuing teaching of Pathology to MBBS students in times of lockdown when face-to-face conventional teaching was not possible. The experience indicated that in the future a judicious mixture of traditional and online classes may be a more effective educational design for teaching Pathology to MBBS students.
Evaluation of role of HPLC (Merits & Pitfalls), in the diagnosis of various hemoglobinopathies & thalassemic syndromes
Authors: Baig Mirza A. , Swamy KB , Baksh Ameen D. , Bahashwan Ahmed , Moshrif Yasser , Al Sawat Abdullah , Al Mutairi Nabeel , Alharbi Nader
Published: July 2021

Background:

HPLC is one of the most important tools for accurate diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias. The advantage of the HPLC system is the excellent resolution, reproducibility &quantification of several normal and abnormal hemoglobin.

Results:

BIO RAD Variant II analyzer was used. Sickle cell syndromes including double heterozygous states accounted for 56.13% of total cases. HbSS, HbS/β0-th, HbS/β+–th β-thal trait comprises 29%, 6.5%, 5.1%& 10% of total cases respectively with mean MCV (fl) = 84, 68,71,64 respectively. The Mean HbA2 for β-thal trait, HbE trait &HbE-β thal showed 5.1 ± 1.1, 19 ± 9 & 24 ± 8 respectively. HbF is increased in 8.6% case (excluding SC syndromes & β-thal disorders), of these 5.5% were infants & 12 cases of Aplastic Anemias. Peak P2 >7% (2.4% cases) was seen in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus which on quantification showed HbA1C = 8 ± 2.1 mmol/L.

Discussion:

HPLC in correlation with CBC parameters & family studies can aid in the diagnosis of majority of Hemoglobinopathies and thalassemic syndrome. The CBC & HPLC parameters of the present study are in good correlation with the research conducted by Tejinder Sing, RiouJ & Alla Joutovsky. Present study showed HPLC comprehensively characterizing HbS, A, A2, F, S, C, D from each other & was also applicable for the quantification of HbA1c for the monitoring of Diabetes Mellitus.

Conclusion:

The merits of HPLC are small quantity of sample required, economical, less TAT, accurate categorization of HbS, HbA2 & F. But one has to be aware of the limitations and problems associated with this method due to variant hemoglobin within the same retention windows. The present findings show HPLC as an excellent & powerful diagnostic tool for the direct identification of hemoglobin variants with a high degree of precision in the quantification of normal and abnormal hemoglobin fractions.
Cutaneous mastocytosis—Conglomerate of diagnostic tools
Authors: Santosh Tummidi , Sharma Tanya , Patra Suman , Asati Dinesh P. , Chaurasia Jai K. , Joshi Deepti , Kapoor Neelkamal
Published: July 2021

Mast cells are naturally distributed in the dermis, respiratory, gastrointestinal/genitourinary mucosa, adjacent to blood vessels, lymphatics, and peripheral nerves. The most common site for the abnormal accumulation of mast cells is the skin, which is known as cutaneous mastocytosis. We report four cases of cutaneous mastocytosis with erythematous maculopapular to bullous lesion along with a positive Darier sign. Skin biopsy, with special stains like Toluidine blue, Giemsa stain, immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD117, and serum tryptase level correlations were done. Mastocytosis can affect only the cutaneous sites or involve multiple organs. It is most common in infancy with varied clinical presentations, thus requiring a high index of suspicion with histopathological correlation. Although the prognosis is good, there remains a risk of sudden mast cell degranulation due to triggering agents and subsequent collapse.
Acute Diarrhoeal Disease in Children Aged 6 Months to 24 Months
Authors: Mathew Mathews Marian , Kaimal Resmi S. , Goodwill Jose
Published: July 2021

Introduction:

Diarrheal disease comes second among the causes of death in children under 5 years of old. We are well aware that this common disease is preventable and treatable. But the practice of preventive strategies is not as efficient as it should be.

Aims and Objectives:

1. To determine the frequency of acute diarrheal disease in children aged 6 months to 24 months attending the immunization clinic of Lourdes Hospital, Kochi, Kerala. 2. To assess the associated factors and practices involved with acute diarrheal disease in the study group.

Material and Methods:

A cross-sectional study was done in children above 6 months attending immunization clinic in Lourdes hospital during the period from 1st October 2017 to 31st March 2019. After receiving their informed consent, a pretested, semistructured, and validated questionnaire was given to the mothers/caregivers to gather data on socio-demographic characteristics and practices. In order to assess the prevalence of diarrhea, details of the diarrheal episode after the 6 months of age were included in the questionnaire. To eliminate repeats, caution was taken not to include previously recorded data on the diarrheal episode.

Discussion and Conclusion:

The proportion of children with diarrhea in the study population was 38.7% which was high compared with other studies in the same age group. Many of the practices associated were found faulty and needing rectification which is a Family Physician's area of expertise. The study concludes that there is a need for identifying novel risk factors for diarrhea and educating the caregivers regarding the prevention of diarrhea. Primary Care Physicians/Family Physicians can play an effective role in educating the caregivers.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes in extra hepatic portal vein obstruction
Authors: Jacob Smitha Elizabeth , Shankar Ravi , John Anoop , Eapen C.E. , Yadav Bijesh , Rathore Swati
Published: July 2021

Background:

Women with Extra hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) are mostly young and belong to Asian countries. In the Indian subcontinent, 20–30% variceal bleeds are caused by EHPVO. Hence pregnancy is a concern in such patients. The objective of this study is to observe the maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with EHPVO.

Materials and Method:

Extra hepatic portal vein obstruction was studied retrospectively in 28 pregnancies in 20 women from Jan 2011 to July 2018 at a tertiary hospital in South India and the pregnancy outcomes were observed during this period. Institutional Review Board approval obtained.

Results:

The mean age of the women was 24.3 years and the mean age of diagnosis was 18.5 years. Splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia and anaemia were seen in 22 (78.5%), 17 (60.7%) and 8 (28.5%) of pregnancies, respectively. Rate of abortions and preterm deliveries were 2 (7.1%, n =28) and 10 (35.7%, n =28). There was one stillbirth (3.6%) in the study group. EHPVO was diagnosed in 25 (89.3%) women prenatally in our series. During pregnancy only one woman had variceal bleed, which was managed conservatively. Blood and blood product transfusion was required in 7(25%) of women and there was no maternal mortality.

Conclusion:

Pregnancies in EHPVO have good maternal and neonatal outcomes, provided they are taken care of by a multidisciplinary approach in a tertiary care centre.
A comprehensive insight on the COVID-19 vaccine candidates
Authors: Sharma Anu , Sharma Ravi Prakash , Kaur Rimplejeet , Sharma Ria , Singh Surjit
Published: July 2021

The world is currently facing a pandemic triggered by the novel corona virus (SARS – CoV2), which causes a highly infectious infection that predominantly affects the lungs, resulting in a variety of clinical symptoms some cases may be asymptomatic while others may result in to severe respiratory disorder, if the infection is left unattended it may result in multi-organ failure and eventually death of the patient. The transmission of infection is by droplet and fomites of the infected person. The incubation period of virus is from 2 to 14 days. Most common symptoms resemble flu-like but later progress to pneumonia along with dyspnoea and worsening of oxygen saturation, thus requiring ventilator support. The diagnostic modalities include Reverse transcriptase real time PCR (Quantitative Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) which is recommended method used for diagnosis of the COVID-19 infection using oro-pharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swabs of the patients. Recently serological tests for antigen and antibody detection has been approved by ICMR. Till now, nine COVID-19 vaccines are granted emergency approval for prevention and for the management of infection symptomatic and supportive measures are being adopted. Globally major pharmaceutical firms are engrossed for development of a potent vaccine candidate. This review highlights on various vaccine candidates under clinical trials.
Diagnostic value of intravenous oxygen saturation compared with arterial and venous base excess to predict hemorrhagic shock in multiple trauma patients
Authors: Taherinia Ali , Saba Ghazal , Ebrahimi Mohsen , Ahmadi Koorosh , Taleshi Zabihollah , Khademhosseini Peyman , Soltanian Ali , Safaee Atie , Bahramian Mehran , Gharakhani Shahin , Nodoshan Mohammad Ali Jafari
Published: July 2021

Introduction:

In this study, with the help of peripheral vein sampling, Spvo2, and peripheral artery and vein sampling, we examined base excess (BE) in trauma patients and determined its diagnostic value for hemorrhagic shock.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, from 64 patients with abdominal, pelvic and chest Blunt trauma who have a score of 2 or higher trauma during treatment, blood samples were taken from peripheral vein to measure oxygen saturation and peripheral vein and artery for BE measurements and were compared in order to assess their diagnostic value in predicting the occurrence of hemorrhagic shock.

Results:

Out of 60 examined patients, 43 (71.67%) patients were diagnosed with hemorrhagic shock. The correlation for the percentage of oxygen saturation of the peripheral blood and the rate of arterial and venous BE for these r
2
patients were 17.0 and 09.0, respectively, with a P value greater than 0.005. In the case of the percentage of oxygen saturation of the peripheral blood, the sensitivity and specificity were 93.03 and 11.76%, respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.05 and 0.59, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 72.73 and 40%, respectively.

Conclusion:

In general, the results of this study showed that arterial and venous excess base levels had a proper correlation, specificity and sensitivity for diagnosing and predicting hemorrhagic shock, while the percentage of oxygen saturation of peripheral blood and BE arterial and venous levels had not proper correlation to detect and predict hemorrhagic shock.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents’ clinical training and psychosocial well-being in Saudi Arabia's Western region
Authors: Alshareef Reem , Al Zahrani Abdullah , Alzhrani Meshari , Suwaidi Abdulaziz , Alamry Bander
Published: July 2021

Background:

The novel COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a significant burden on healthcare systems. Similarly, it has also affected the performance and well-being of the medical staff working during the pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on medical training and psychological well-being of resident doctors practicing in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

This is a quantitative cross-sectional study that included a survey distributed to resident physicians working in the western region in Saudi Arabia. The survey included questions on demographic data and factors influencing the academic training, attitude, and daily habits of the residents during the pandemic. Psychological impact was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Data analysis was executed using IBM SPSS version 26.

Results:

A total of 121 residents responded to this survey. Of all respondents, 71.1% were junior residents, 66.9% had a medical specialty; and 33% were family medicine physicians, followed by 17% from general surgery. In regard to work amid the pandemic, 36.1% were in contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, and 35.5% had to work overtime during the pandemic. There was a non-significant difference detected between the residents regarding the factors negatively affecting their psychological well-being.

Conclusion:

Residents working during the pandemic in the Western area of Saudi Arabia were significantly affected by the pandemic from both professional and psychological perspectives. Further research on how the pandemic is affecting physicians in other areas in Saudi Arabia is needed.
Prevalence and associated factors of stress among primary health care nurses in Saudi Arabia, a multi-center study
Authors: Abdoh Duoaa Seddiq , Shahin Mohammed Adeeb , Ali Ahmed Khalid , Alhejaili Shumukh Mohammed , Kiram Osama Madani , Al-Dubai Sami Abdo Radman
Published: July 2021

Background:

Nursing practice has been identified as one of the most stressful professions within the healthcare systems. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of stress and its associated factors among primary healthcare nurses.

Materials and Methods:

This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 Saudi nurses in the government primary health care centers in Medina city, Saudi Arabia. Stress was measured by the stress subscale of the 21-Item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Sources of stress were assessed by 15 items.

Results:

The majority were females (68.0%) and aged less than 40 years (72.5%). Thirty percent had severe or very severe stress. Stress was associated significantly with the presence of chronic diseases (P= 0.037) and with working in night shifts (P= 0.042). All sources of stress in the workplace were associated significantly and positively with stress (P< 0.01).

Conclusion:

About one-third of the participants had stress. Improving work conditions and minimizing stress in the workplace should be a priority in the primary health care setting.