bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of partners in promoting self-care for misoprostol and subcutaneous DMPA in Pakistan
Authors: Uzma Qudsia , Hamid Nausheen , Chaudhri Rizwana , Mehmood Nadeem , Aabroo Atiya , Thom Ellen , Gholbzouri Karima , Mahaini Ramez , Hemachandra Nilmini
Published: April 2021

Background

Pakistan is among a number of countries facing protracted challenges in addressing maternal mortality with a concomitant weak healthcare system complexed with inequities. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) self-care interventions offer the best solution for improving access to quality healthcare services with efficiency and economy. This manuscript documents country experience in introducing and scaling up two selected SRHR self-care interventions. A prospective qualitative study design was used and a semi-structured questionnaire was shared with identified SRHR private sector partners selected through convenience and purposive sampling. The two interventions include the use of misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage and the use of subcutaneous depomedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) as injectable contraceptive method. Data collection was done through emails and telephone follow-up calls.

Results

Nine of the 13 partners consulted for the study responded. The two selected self-care interventions are mainly supported by private sector partners (national and international nongovernmental organizations) having national or subnational existence. Their mandates include all relevant areas, such as policy advocacy, field implementation, trainings, supervision and monitoring. A majority of partners reported experience related to the use of misoprostol; it was introduced more than a decade ago, is registered and is procured by both public and private sectors. Subcutaneous DMPA is a new intervention, having been introduced only recently, and commodity availability remains a challenge. It is being delivered through health workers/providers and is not promoted as a self-administered contraceptive. Community engagement and awareness raising is reported as an essential element of successful field implementation; however, no beneficiary data was collected for the study. Training approaches differ considerably, are standalone or integrated with SRHR topics and their duration varies between 1 and 5 days, covering a range of cadres.

Conclusion

Pubic sector ownership and patronage is essential for introducing and scaling up self-care interventions as a measure to support the healthcare system in delivering quality sexual and reproductive health services. Supervision, monitoring and reporting are areas requiring further support, as well as the leadership and governance role of the public sector. Standardization of trainings, community awareness, supervision, monitoring and reporting are required together with integration of self-care in routine capacity building activities (pre- and in-service) on sexual and reproductive health in the country.
Novel agents and regimens for hematological malignancies: recent updates from 2020 ASH annual meeting
Authors: Hou Jing-Zhou , Ye Jing Christine , Pu Jeffrey J. , Liu Hongtao , Ding Wei , Zheng Hong , Liu Delong
Published: April 2021

Antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells (CAR-T) are increasingly used for cancer immunotherapy. Small molecule inhibitors targeting cellular oncoproteins and enzymes such as BCR-ABL, JAK2, Bruton tyrosine kinase, FLT3, BCL-2, IDH1, IDH2, are biomarker-driven chemotherapy-free agents approved for several major hematological malignancies. LOXO-305, asciminib, “off-the-shelf” universal CAR-T cells and BCMA-directed immunotherapeutics as well as data from clinical trials on many novel agents and regimens were updated at the 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. Major developments and updates for the therapy of hematological malignancies were delineated at the recent Winter Symposium and New York Oncology Forum from the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON.org). This study summarized the latest updates on novel agents and regimens for hematological malignancies from the 2020 ASH annual meeting.
Establishment of functional epithelial organoids from human lacrimal glands
Authors: Jeong Sang Yun , Choi Woo Hee , Jeon Seong Gyeong , Lee Sookon , Park Jong-Moon , Park Mira , Lee Hookeun , Lew Helen , Yoo Jongman
Published: April 2021

Background

Tear deficiency due to lacrimal gland (LG) dysfunction is one of the major causes of dry eye disease (DED). Therefore, LG stem cell-based therapies have been extensively reported to regenerate injured lacrimal tissue; however, the number of stem cells in the LG tissue is low, and 2D long-term cultivation reduces the differentiation capacity of stem cells. Nevertheless, 3D LG organoids could be an alternative for a DED therapy because it is capable of prolonged growth while maintaining the characteristics of the LG tissue. Here, we report the development of LG organoids and their application as cell therapeutics.

Methods

Digested cells from human LG tissue were mixed with Matrigel and cultured in five different media modified from human prostate/salivary organoid culture media. After organoid formation, the growth, specific marker expression, and histological characteristics were analyzed to authenticate the formation of LG organoids. The secretory function of LG organoids was confirmed  through calcium influx or proteomics analysis after pilocarpine treatment. To explore the curability of the developed organoids, mouse-derived LG organoids were fabricated and transplanted into the lacrimal tissue of a mouse model of DED.

Results

The histological features and specific marker expression of LG organoids were similar to those of normal LG tissue. In the pilocarpine-treated LG organoid, levels of internal Ca2+ions and β-hexosaminidase, a lysosomal protein in tear fluid, were increased. In addition, the secreted proteins from pilocarpine-treated lacrimal organoids were identified through proteomics. More than 70% of the identified proteins were proven to exosome through gene ontology analysis. These results indicate that our developed organoid was pilocarpine reactive, demonstrating the function of LG. Additionally, we developed LG organoids from patients with Sjogren’s syndrome patients (SS) and confirmed that their histological features were similar to those of SS-derived LG tissue. Finally, we confirmed that the mouse LG organoids were well engrafted in the lacrimal tissue two weeks after transplantation.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the established LG organoids resemble the characteristics of normal LG tissue and may be used as a therapy for patients with DED.
Stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership: a qualitative study
Authors: Rosewarne Emalie , Chislett Wai-Kwan , McKenzie Briar , Reimers Jenny , Jolly Kellie-Ann , Corben Kirstan , Trieu Kathy , Webster Jacqui
Published: April 2021

Background

Interventions to reduce population salt intake are feasible and cost-effective. The Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership implemented a complex, multi-faceted salt reduction intervention between 2014 and 2020 in the Australian state of Victoria. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Partnership and food industry stakeholders. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was adapted for the Partnership intervention and used to guide the qualitative analysis.

Results

Fourteen Partnership and seven food industry stakeholders were interviewed. The Partnership was viewed as essential for intervention planning and decision-making and an enabler for intervention delivery. The goals of capacity building and collaborative action were perceived to have been achieved. The implementation team executed intended intervention activities and outputs, with some adaptations to strategy. Barriers and enablers to implementation were identified by interviewees, such as compatibility of individual, organisational and Partnership values and building positive relationships between the Partnership and food industry, respectively. Legal, political, social, environmental, technological and economic factors affecting intervention design, delivery and outcomes were identified.

Conclusions

Establishing a Partnership with diverse skills and experience facilitated collaborative action, capacity building and execution of the intervention. Monitoring and evaluating implementation informed strategy adaptations, which allowed optimisation of Partnership strategy. The importance of developing strong communication networks between strategic and implementation-levels was a key lesson.
Sympathetic Blockade for the Management of Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia: A Case Report
Authors: Bains Kavin , Janfaza David , Flaherty Devon , Zeballos Jose , Halawa Ahmad , Tedrow Usha , Vlassakov Kamen
Published: April 2021

A 64-year-old man with a history of nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) presented with electrical storm (ES). Episodes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) persisted despite endocardial catheter ablations and exhaustive pharmacotherapy. We used alternating regional anesthesia techniques, left stellate ganglion block, and proximal intercostal block to reduce sympathetic input to the heart, resulting in a significant decrease in VT burden. By using alternating catheter locations, we were able to maintain continuous sympathetic blockade for 31 days and bridge the patient to a successful orthotopic heart transplant.
BCECF in Single Cultured Cells: Inhomogeneous Distribution but Homogeneous Response
Authors: Weinlich Michael , Theiß Christiane , Lin Chiann-Tso , Kinne Rolf K. H.
Published: April 2021

Using confocal laser scanning microscopy with a dual-wavelength laser system, the behaviour of BCECF [(2′,7′-bis-2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)carboxyfluorescein] was investigated in a variety of cell lines. Selection of a small area for monitoring allowed discrimination between various intracellular organelles, whose identity was established by vital staining. It was found that, after loading the cells with BCECF, both the nucleus and the mitochondria showed a higher level of fluorescence than the cytoplasm. Calibration of the pH-sensitivity of these fluorescence signals using the nigericin method yielded identical curves, as did exposure of the cells to NH4Cl. These studies suggest that BCECF, despite its inhomogeneous intracellular distribution, reports the pH of only one cellular compartment, the cytosol.
Artificial intelligence-based cephalometric landmark annotation and measurements according to Arnett’s analysis: can we trust a bot to do that?
Authors: Silva Thaísa Pinheiro , Hughes Mariana Mendonça , Menezes Liciane dos Santos , de Melo Maria de Fátima Batista , Freitas Paulo Henrique Luiz de , Takeshita Wilton Mitsunari
Published: April 2021

Objective:

To assess the reliability of CEFBOT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based cephalometry software, for cephalometric landmark annotation and linear and angular measurements according to Arnett’s analysis.

Methods:

Thirty lateral cephalometric radiographs acquired with a Carestream CS 9000 3D unit (Carestream Health Inc., Rochester/NY) were used in this study. The 66 landmarks and the 10 selected linear and angular measurements of Arnett’s analysis were identified on each radiograph by a trained human examiner (control) and by CEFBOT (RadioMemory Ltd., Belo Horizonte, Brazil). For both methods, landmark annotations and measurements were duplicated with an interval of 15 days between measurements and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine reliability. The numerical values obtained with the two methods were compared by a t-test for independent variables.

Results:

CEFBOT was able to perform all but one of the 10 measurements. ICC values > 0.94 were found for the remaining eight measurements, while the Frankfurt horizontal plane - true horizontal line (THL) angular measurement showed the lowest reproducibility (human, ICC = 0.876; CEFBOT, ICC = 0.768). Measurements performed by the human examiner and by CEFBOT were not statistically different.

Conclusion:

Within the limitations of our methodology, we concluded that the AI contained in the CEFBOT software can be considered a promising tool for enhancing the capacities of human radiologists.
Determining the Risk of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitisdue to increase use of Proton Pump Inhibitors among cirrhotic patients with ascites
Authors: Shaikh Bashir Ahmed , Shaikh Zahid Ali , Shah Aftab Hussain , Kumar Aneel
Published: April 2021

Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP) risk due to increased use of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) among cirrhotic patients with ascites.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted at Chandka Medical College & Hospital, Larkana from March 2013 to February 2014, involving 215 cirrhotic patients with ascites. Paracentesis was performed to distinguish cirrhotic patients with SBP and Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil (PMN) count ≥ 250 neutrophils/mm3 (cases) and non-SBP with PMN count < 250 neutrophils/mm3 (controls). The demographic details, history of PPIs use before admission and duration of Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) were inquired and statistical analysis was carried through SPSS Version 23.0.

Results: Increased pre-hospital PPI intake was observed among cirrhotic patients with SBP (69.8%) as compared to those without SBP (48.8%; p = 0.014). The mean duration of PPI use was 19.16 ± 4.772 days, and it was more significant among older cirrhotic patients (p < 0.05). Increased duration of CLD was observed among PPI users, i.e. 20.47 ± 6.305 months vs. 18.95 ± 5.527 months among non-PPI users (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our results show that cirrhotic patients with ascites consuming PPIs are more likely to develop SBP as compared to non-PPI users.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3476

How to cite this:Shaikh BA, Shaikh ZA, Shah AH, Kumar A. Determining the Risk of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis due to increase use of Proton Pump Inhibitors among cirrhotic patients with ascites. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):1075-1079.   doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3476

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Neurotic symptoms profile in a day hospital patients with an anamnesis of head injury in the past
Authors: Konop Magdalena , Sobański Jerzy , Klasa Katarzyna , Dembińska Edyta , Mielimąka Michał , Citkowska-Kisielewska Anna , Rutkowski Krzysztof
Published: April 2021

Cel pracy

Ocena powiązania występowania uszkodzeń mózgu z objawami zaburzeń nerwicowych, zgłaszanych przez pacjentów psychoterapeutycznego dziennego oddziału leczenia nerwic i zaburzeń osobowości przed podjęciem leczenia.

Metoda

Analiza współwystępowania objawów nerwicowych z przebytym uszkodzeniem głowy lub tkanki mózgowej. Uraz ten zgłaszany był w wywiadzie ustrukturowanym (Ankieta Życiorysowa), wypełnianym przed leczeniem w dziennym oddziale leczenia nerwic. Przeprowadzone analizy regresji wykazały istotne statystycznie powiązania między uszkodzeniami mózgu (spowodowanymi urazami, udarem itp.), a objawami z kwestionariusza objawowego KO„0”.

Wyniki

W grupie 2582 kobiet i 1347 mężczyzn, część badanych zgłosiła (w samodzielnie wypełnianej Ankiecie Życiorysowej) przebyty uraz głowy lub mózgu. Badani mężczyźni przebyty uraz zgłaszali znacznie częściej niż kobiety (20,2% vs 12,2%, p<0,0005). Pacjenci, którzy mieli historię urazu głowy uzyskali istotnie wyższą wartość globalnego nasilenia dolegliwości nerwicowych (OWK) w kwestionariuszu objawowym KO „0”, niż pacjenci bez urazów głowy. Dotyczyło to zarówno grupy mężczyzn, jak i kobiet. Analizy regresji wykazały istotny związek między urazami głowy, a grupą objawów lękowych i somatoformicznych. W obu grupach (mężczyzn i kobiet) częściej występowały objawy „paraneurologiczne”, dysocjacyjne, derealizacyjne, lękowe. Mężczyźni częściej zgłaszali trudności w zakresie kontroli ekspresji emocji, skurcze i napięcie mięśni, objawy obsesyjno-kompulsywne, dolegliwości skórne i alergiczne, objawy zaburzeń depresyjnych. Kobiety częściej zgłaszały wymioty w sytuacjach zdenerwowania.

Wnioski

Pacjenci z historią urazów głowy mają wyższe globalne nasilenie zaburzeń nerwicowych, niż osoby bez takiej historii. Mężczyźni częściej, niż kobiety doznają urazów głowy, a ryzyko wystąpienia u nich symptomów zaburzeń nerwicowych jest wyższe. Wydaje się, iż pacjenci z urazami głowy są szczególną grupą jeśli chodzi o zgłaszanie niektórych objawów psychopatologicznych, zwłaszcza w grupie mężczyzn.
Management of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in neurocognitive disorders
Authors: Barrett Joel , Sarangi Ashish , Nelson Jessica
Published: April 2021

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) has important implications in afflicted patients’ overall management from critical care units to outpatient clinics. This clinical review addresses up-to-date recommendations from professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and puts management in context of patients with comorbid neurocognitive disorders (such as vascular or Alzheimer’s dementia). For example, recent studies have found a potential bidirectional relationship between the disease process OSAHS and neurocognitive disorders or other psychiatric disorders found in older people. It is important to consider possible general medical and psychiatric contributors to severity of OSAHS, particularly in geriatric patients.
Keywords: Sleep apnea, obstructive; neurocognitive disorders; Alzheimer disease; depressive disorder, major
Enhancing Regulatory Decision Making for Postmarket Drug Safety
Authors: Ahuja Vishal , A. Alvarez Carlos , Birge John R. , Syverson Chad
Published: April 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the approval and safe public use of pharmaceutical products in the United States. The FDA uses postmarket surveillance systems to monitor drugs already on the market; a drug found to be associated with an increased risk of adverse events (ADEs) is subject to a recall or a warning. A flawed postmarket decision-making process can have unintended consequences for patients, create uncertainty among providers and affect their prescribing practices, and subject the FDA to unfavorable public scrutiny. The FDA’s current pharmacovigilance process suffers from several shortcomings (e.g., a high underreporting rate), often resulting in incorrect or untimely decisions. Thus, there is a need for robust, data-driven approaches to support and enhance regulatory decision making in the context of postmarket pharmacovigilance. We propose such an approach that has several appealing features—it employs large, reliable, and relevant longitudinal databases; it uses methods firmly established in literature; and it addresses selection bias and endogeneity concerns. Our approach can be used to both (i) independently validate existing safety concerns relating to a drug, such as those emanating from existing surveillance systems, and (ii) perform a holistic safety assessment by evaluating a drug’s association with other ADEs to which the users may be susceptible. We illustrate the utility of our approach by applying it retrospectively to a highly publicized FDA black box warning (BBW) for rosiglitazone, a diabetes drug. Using comprehensive data from the Veterans Health Administration on more than 320,000 diabetes patients over an eight-year period, we find that the drug was not associated with the two ADEs that led to the BBW, a conclusion that the FDA evidently reached, as it retracted the warning six years after issuing it. We demonstrate the generalizability of our approach by retroactively evaluating two additional warnings, those related to statins and atenolol, which we found to be valid.

This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.
Breaking the Cycle of Overwork and Recuperation: Altering Somatic Engagement Across Boundaries
Authors: Creary Stephanie J. , Locke Karen
Published: April 2021

Past research often relegates the management of the ideal worker’s overworking body to the nonwork environment. Reflecting a segmentation approach to managing the boundary between work and nonwork, the nonwork setting is treated as a context for recuperation. Yet, segmentation may, ironically, support the ideal worker image and reinforce the persistence of overwork. Drawing on two-year-long ethnographic studies of yoga teacher training, this paper considers how individuals shift how they manage the boundaries around their bodies. In doing so, we challenge the notion that segmentation of nonwork from work is an ideal boundary management strategy for addressing the negative impacts of overwork. Rather, we suggest that an integration strategy developed in a nonwork community may be productive for breaking the cycle of overwork and recuperation promoted by the ideal worker image and creating a virtuous cycle of activation and release. We bring forward the bodily basis to overwork and conceptualize somatic engagement as a form of engagement through which actors come to connect reflexively with their bodily experience across domains. Relatedly, in revealing how individuals come to connect reflexively with their bodily experience, we elaborate our understanding of the relational phenomena that enhance individuals’ somatic experiences across boundaries.
Necrotising fasciitis: a narrative review of the literature
Authors: Damisa Josiah , Ahmed Sohail , Harrison Sanjay
Published: April 2021

Necrotising fasciitis is a severe, life-threatening and rapidly progressive soft tissue infection that often requires aggressive surgical management, with an estimated incidence of about 0.24–0.40 per 100 000 in the UK. Necrotising fasciitis can be classified based on its microbiology or the anatomy or body region affected.

Initial signs of necrotising fasciitis can be minimal and non-specific but a patient often presents with pain out of proportion to clinical signs on examination, as well as erythema and oedema, in addition to systemic symptoms associated with sepsis.

Diagnosis is often based on high clinical suspicion with biochemical and clinical imaging used as adjuncts. To aid with early diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis, a scoring system known as the Laboratory Risk Indicator for necrotising fasciitis was developed which has a positive predictive value of 92%. Once diagnosed, appropriate resuscitation and antibiotics, along with prompt and aggressive surgical debridement, is the mainstay of treatment.
Anomalous contrast in broadband THz near-field imaging of gold microstructures
Authors: Pizzuto Angela , Chen Xinzhong , Hu Hai , Dai Qing , Liu Mengkun , Mittleman Daniel M.
Published: April 2021

THz scattering-type scanning near-field microscopy (s-SNOM) has become a powerful technique for measuring carrier dynamics in nanoscale materials and structures. Changes in a material’s local THz reflection or transmission can be correlated to changes in electrical conductivity. Here, we perform tip-based THz nano-imaging of subwavelength gold nanostructures and demonstrate image contrast unrelated to any spatially varying material properties. We show that the specific physical configuration of the gold structures can have a strong influence on local excitations which can obscure the sample’s true dielectric response, even in cases where the relevant structures are far outside of the spatial region probed by the AFM tip.
Analysis of misaligned optical rotational Doppler effect by modal decomposition
Authors: Ding You , Ren Yuan , Liu Tong , Qiu Song , Wang Chen , Li Zhimeng , Liu Zhengliang
Published: April 2021

The optical rotational Doppler effect (RDE) is closely related to the unique orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by optical vortex, whose topological charge means the mode of OAM. Compared with the coaxial incidence, the rotational Doppler frequency shift spectrum of a misaligned optical vortex (misaligned RDE) widens according to a certain law. In this paper, an OAM modal decomposition method of the misaligned optical RDE is proposed and the relative intensity of different OAM modes, namely the OAM spectrum, is derived based on an inner product computation. Analyses show that lateral displacements and angular deflections change the distribution of OAM modes relative to the rotation axis of the object. A misaligned Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) vortex can be represented as a specific combination of coaxial LG modes, and the difference between the topological charge of two adjacent modes is 1 or 2 with lateral displacements or angular deflections respectively. An experiment of misaligned optical RDE using a superimposed LG vortex is executed, and the obtained frequency shift spectrum with misaligned incidence expands into a set of discrete signals, which agrees well with the theoretical results. Moreover, we can get the rotation frequency of the object from an expanded frequency spectrum more quickly and accurately based on the difference between two adjacent signal peaks. The proposed method contributes to analyze the misaligned optical RDE comprehensively, which is significant in remote sensing and optical metrology.
Spatial clustering of CD68+ tumor associated macrophages with tumor cells is associated with worse overall survival in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Chakiryan Nicholas H. , Kimmel Gregory J. , Kim Youngchul , Hajiran Ali , Aydin Ahmet M. , Zemp Logan , Katende Esther , Nguyen Jonathan , Lopez-Blanco Neale , Chahoud Jad , Spiess Philippe E. , Fournier Michelle , Dhillon Jasreman , Wang Liang , Moran-Segura Carlos , El-Kenawi Asmaa , Mulé James , Altrock Philipp M. , Manley Brandon J.
Published: April 2021

Immune infiltration is typically quantified using cellular density, not accounting for cellular clustering. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) activate oncogenic signaling through paracrine interactions with tumor cells, which may be better reflected by local cellular clustering than global density metrics. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry and digital pathologic analysis we quantified cellular density and cellular clustering for myeloid cell markers in 129 regions of interest from 55 samples from 35 patients with metastatic ccRCC. CD68+ cells were found to be clustered with tumor cells and dispersed from stromal cells, while CD163+ and CD206+ cells were found to be clustered with stromal cells and dispersed from tumor cells. CD68+ density was not associated with OS, while high tumor/CD68+ cell clustering was associated with significantly worse OS. These novel findings would not have been identified if immune infiltrate was assessed using cellular density alone, highlighting the importance of including spatial analysis in studies of immune cell infiltration of tumors.

Significance: Increased clustering of CD68+ TAMs and tumor cells was associated with worse overall survival for patients with metastatic ccRCC. This effect would not have been identified if immune infiltrate was assessed using cell density alone, highlighting the importance of including spatial analysis in studies of immune cell infiltration of tumors.
Obesity, insulin resistance and their interaction on liver enzymes
Authors: Liu Chenbing , Shao Min , Lu Ling , Zhao Chenzhao , Qiu Lihong , Liu Zhong
Published: April 2021

Introduction

To investigate weight status, insulin resistance assessed by HOMA-IR, and their interaction on liver function in non-diabetic Chinese adults.

Methods and results

A total of 7066 subjects were included, and divided into normal weight (n = 3447), overweight (n = 2801), and obese (n = 818) groups. Data including weight, height, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, y-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were acquired. In multi-linear regression analysis for liver enzymes as dependent variables, insulin resistance emerged as a determinant of ALT (β = 0.165, P<0.001), AST (β = 0.040, P<0.001) and GGT (β = 0.170, P<0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, triglyceride, and cholesterol. Interactions between insulin resistance and weight status by body mass index were observed in ALT (P<0.001), AST (P<0.001) and GGT (P = 0.0418).

Conclusion

Insulin resistance had significant associations with greater risk of elevated ALT, AST and GGT level in non-diabetic Chinese adults, especially among those who were overweight/ obese.
Predictors of prolonged hospital stay in HIV-positive patients presenting to the emergency department
Authors: Laher Abdullah E. , Paruk Fathima , Richards Guy A. , Venter Willem D. F.
Published: April 2021

Background

Prolonged hospitalization places a significant burden on healthcare resources. Compared to the general population, hospital length of stay (LOS) is generally longer in HIV-positive patients. We identified predictors of prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) in HIV-positive patients presenting to an emergency department (ED).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, HIV-positive patients presenting to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital adult ED were prospectively enrolled between 07 July 2017 and 18 October 2018. Data was subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine parameters associated with a higher likelihood of prolonged hospital LOS, defined as ≥7 days.

Results

Among the 1224 participants that were enrolled, the median (IQR) LOS was 4.6 (2.6–8.2) days, while the mean (SD) LOS was 6.9 (8.2) days. On multivariate analysis of the data, hemoglobin <11 g/dL (OR 1.37, p = 0.032), Glasgow coma scale (GCS) <15 (OR 1.80, p = 0.001), creatinine >120 μmol/L (OR 1.85, p = 0.000), cryptococcal meningitis (OR 2.45, p = 0.015) and bacterial meningitis (OR 4.83, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of LOS ≥7 days, while bacterial pneumonia (OR 0.35, p = 0.000) and acute gastroenteritis (OR 0.40, p = 0.025) were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of LOS ≥7 days.

Conclusion

Various clinical and laboratory parameters are useful in predicting prolonged hospitalization among HIV-positive patients presenting to the ED. These parameters may be useful in guiding clinical decision making and directing the allocation of resources.
Is birth out-of-hospital associated with mortality and morbidity by seven years of age?
Authors: Ovaskainen Katja , Ojala Riitta , Gissler Mika , Luukkaala Tiina , Tammela Outi
Published: April 2021

Background and aims

Compared to in-hospital births, the long-term outcome of children born out-of-hospital, planned or unplanned, is poorly studied. This study aimed to examine mortality and morbidity by seven years of age in children born out-of-hospital compared to those born in-hospital.

Methods

This study was registered retrospectively and included 790 136 children born in Finland between 1996 and 2013. The study population was divided into three groups according to birth site: in-hospital (n = 788 622), planned out-of-hospital (n = 176), and unplanned out-of-hospital (n = 1338). Data regarding deaths, hospital visits, reimbursement of medical expenses, and disability allowances was collected up to seven years of age or by the year-end of 2018. The association between birth site and childhood morbidity was determined using multivariable-adjusted Cox hazard regression analysis.

Results

No deaths were reported during the first seven years after birth in the children born out-of-hospital. The percentage of children with hospital visits due to infection by seven years of age was lower in those born planned out-of-hospital and in the combined planned out-of-hospital and unplanned out-of-hospital group compared to those born in-hospital. Furthermore, the percentage of children with hospital visits and who received disability allowances due to neurological or mental disorders was higher among those born unplanned out-of-hospital and out-of-hospital in total when compared to those born in-hospital. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, the hazard ratio for hospital visits due to asthma and/or allergic diseases (HR 0.84; 95% CI 0.72–0.98) was lower in children born out-of-hospital when compared to those born in-hospital. A similar decreased risk was found due to infections (HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.68–0.84). However, the risk for neurological or mental health disorders was similar between the children born in-hospital and out-of-hospital.

Conclusions

Morbidity related to asthma or allergic diseases and infections by seven years of age appeared to be lower in children born out-of-hospital. Birth out-of-hospital seemed to not be associated with increased risk for neurological morbidity nor early childhood mortality. Our study groups were small and heterogeneous and because of this the results need to be interpreted with caution.
A comparison of the performance on extrinsic and intrinsic cartographic visualizations through correctness, response time and cognitive processing
Authors: Šašinka Čeněk , Stachoň Zdeněk , Čeněk Jiří , Šašinková Alžběta , Popelka Stanislav , Ugwitz Pavel , Lacko David
Published: April 2021

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of two bivariate visualizations by measuring response correctness (error rate) and response time, and to identify the differences in cognitive processes involved in map-reading tasks by using eye-tracking methods. The present study is based on our previous research and the hypothesis that the use of different visualization methods may lead to significant cognitive-processing differences. We applied extrinsic and intrinsic visualizations in the study. Participants in the experiment were presented maps which depicted two variables (soil moisture and soil depth) and asked to identify the areas which displayed either a single condition (e.g., “find an area with low soil depth”) or both conditions (e.g., “find an area with high soil moistureandlow soil depth”). The research sample was composed of 31 social sciences and humanities university students. The experiment was performed under laboratory conditions, and Hypothesis software was used for data collection. Eye-tracking data were collected for 23 of the participants. An SMI RED-m eye-tracker was used to determine whether either of the two visualization methods was more efficient for solving the given map-reading tasks. Our results showed that with the intrinsic visualization method, the participants spent significantly more time with the map legend. This result suggests that extrinsic and intrinsic visualizations induce different cognitive processes. The intrinsic method was observed to generally require more time and led to higher error rates. In summary, the extrinsic method was found to be more efficient than the intrinsic method, although the difference was less pronounced in the tasks which contained two variables, which proved to be better suited to intrinsic visualization.
Companioning the work: Living the legacy of Dr Warren Lett
Authors: Allen Jan , Morrish Andrew , Rumbold Jean
Published: April 2021

This article pays tribute to Warren Lett’s contribution as a leader and companion who engaged the creative arts in the search for meaning. The three authors worked with Warren in the group inquiry that led to The MIECAT Institute and its forms of inquiry. We explore memories of Warren’s own arts-based companioning through some of the methods he developed with us. And we also offer these image-led exchanges as an example of the kind of arts-based companioning Warren’s legacy gives us as a resource in present crises.
Qualitative indicators of milk of Simmental and Holstein cows in different seasons of lactation
Authors: Khastayeva Aigerim Zhanuzakovna , Zhamurova Venera Serikbayevna , Mamayeva Laura Asilbekovna , Kozhabergenov Akylzhan Turalievish , Karimov Nurlybek Zhanybekovich , Muratbekova Karlygash Muratbekkyzy
Published: April 2021

Background and Aim: Milk producers need to ensure that their cows are producing high-quality, nutritional milk, which is influenced by the breed, age, nutrition, and health status of lactating animals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of animal breed, season, and milk production on the physicochemical characteristics of milk and predicting the effect of these changes on the composition and quality of milk products.

Materials and Methods: In total, 80 milk samples (40 Simmental and 40 Holstein) were analyzed from LLP "Kirova" of Pavlodar region (Simmental breed) and JSC "Astana-Onim" of Akmola region (Holstein breed) in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The physicochemical parameters, including fatty acid (FA) content, were studied.

Results: The Simmental cows had the lowest mass fraction of fat in the spring at 3.94% and the highest fat content in the winter at 4.09%, which was the overall highest fat content measured in both breeds (?<0.001). The lowest protein in the Simmentals was also measured in the spring. The Holstein cows had the highest fat content at 3.8% and the highest protein content at 3.3% in autumn.

Conclusion: It was found that the season and breed significantly affected the physicochemical parameters and the FA contents in cow milk. The superiority of the Simmental cows over the Holstein cows throughout the year was statistically significant.
Socio-economic Implications of Imported Frozen Tilapia on the Local fish Production and Value Chain Linkages: Case of Kisumu County, Kenya
Authors: Ogello Erick , Outa Nicholas , Ouma Kizito
Published: April 2021

The amount of frozen tilapia import from China has increased over the past five years to the current 20,000 tons per year. The imports have assisted in bridging the fish production deficit in the country. This study was conducted to determine the socio-economic effects of imported tilapia on the local fish market and value chain in Kisumu County. Primary data was collected using questionnaires, direct interviews and observations from 120 randomly selected fishermen and fish farmers, 100 fish traders and 96 households. Results revealed that 57 % of the fish traders sold imported fish, 27% sold fish from capture fisheries while 16% sold fish from aquaculture facilities. Imported tilapia was sold at Ksh. 200 per kg while local tilapia fish were sold at Ksh. 320 per kilo for aquaculture and Ksh. 300 for captured fish respectively. Due to the cheap cost of imported fish, up to 62% of the households consumed imported tilapia regularly. About 46 % of the respondents have gained direct employment and improved socio-economic status due to the imported fish, of which 90 % of them are women and young girls who are directly engaged in fish value addition and marketing. However, 51 % of the respondents reported job losses and degraded socio-economic status due to declining aquaculture and fishing activities, attributed to imported fish. Fish market in Kisumu County is dominated by imported tilapia which is cheaper than locally produced fish. The fish importation has negatively affected local aquaculture and artisanal wild fish capture in the nearby beaches.
Grassland restoration reveals the importance of ecotypic variation on community assembly along a longitudinal aridity gradient
Authors: Ren Zhe , Gibson David , Baer Sara , Johnson Loretta , Wilson Laurel
Published: April 2021

Two dominant species,
Andropogon gerardii and
Sorghastrum nutans, have a wide distribution across the Great Plains (USA) and are widely used in restorations. We ask: Do dominant species' ecotypes influence community diversity and structure evenly across a longitudinal aridity gradient? We established reciprocal common gardens at four sites across the gradient. Ecotypes of the two dominant species were seeded along with a prairie seed mix according to a randomized complete block design. Species composition was measured after 3 and 10 years. We used linear mixed models to analyze the effect of the ecotype and year on community diversity. NMDS and PERMANOVA were applied to examine the contribution of ecotype to community structure. Results showed that ecotype significantly affected species richness and shaped taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity. Accordingly, restorations should consider ecotypic variation as a critical biological filter to community assembly in grassland ecosystems.
Wino i technologia produkcji win w Gallii Narbonensis w II w. p.n.e. – II w. n.e.
Authors: Góralczyk Agnieszka
Published: April 2021

The article describes the process of making wine in antiquity and tools used for it. It presents wine production in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis based on historical and archaeological sources.
Wpływ wojennych wydarzeń dziejowych (res gestae) i relacji o nich (historie rerum gestarum) na kondycję materialnych pozostałości po tych wydarzeniach. Studium przypadku na temat dziedzictwa konfliktów zbrojnych jako wyzwania poznawczego i społecznego
Authors: Zalewska Anna Izabella , Cyngot Dorota
Published: April 2021

In the article we consider the relationship between the poor condition of material remains of the Great War on one of the former Eastern Front’s battlefield’s in the Rawka and Bzura region with the long term attitudes of the local population towards the soldiers of Russian and German armies, fighting and killed there. For this purpose, we have analyzed written sources and witnesses accounts, as well asartifacts from archaeological research. We assume that recognizing situation of the local population during the events of 1914–1915 and after the war may bring us closer to answering the questions posed herein. Thus, we suppose, that loss of property, extremely difficult conditions of everyday life, illnesses and suffering, fear of military authorities and soldiers, of epidemic factors and infectious diseases, death of lovedones also those enlisted in the armies of the occupiers – these types of traumatic experiences – conditioned the attitude of the local population towards soldiers of the Great War. Some lasting consequences of this can be observed till today – in the form of fading traces of the material heritage of the Great War. Focusing on the material and discursive dimensions, we analyze the relationships between the primary (res gestae) and consequential/secondary processes (rerum gestarum histories and narrations) and observe a kind of causative “breaking the continuity” between them. Using the methods of historical archaeology, archaeology of recent past, memory studies, history etc., creates interesting, but so far poorly used, research possibilities. Most importantly, it can contribute to shaping attitudes characterized by historical and archaeological sensitivity and the will to understand the value of a difficult heritage (including resting places of fallen soldiers) and to prompt active care for it.
Children’s Positive Attitudes in the New Testament Epistles
Authors: Wronka Stanisław
Published: April 2021

The subject of the article is the attitudes and characteristics of children, which the authors of the New Testament epistles evaluate directly or indirectly as positive and recommend to their addressees in their relation to God, Christ, the Gospel, other people and values. Such attitudes include: service (Phil 2:22), obedience (Eph 6:1–3; Col 3:20; 1 Pet 1:14–16), modesty and innocence (1 Thess 2:7), receiving discipline (Heb 12:4–11), the desire for healthy mother’s milk (1 Pet 2:1–3). Besides, Semitic expressions such as ‘children of Abraham’ or ‘children of obedience’ emphasize the child’s origin and dependence on parents and participation in their goods. While in familiar phrases such as ‘my children’ or ‘my babies’ the cordiality, trust and devotion characteristic for children come to the fore. By recommending children’s attitudes to adult Christians, the authors of the letters do not want to lead them to infantilism, but to preserve the child’s soul. Although they do not refer to the positive statements of the Lord Jesus about children, their view of children is similar. They only pay more often attention to the negative attitudes of small persons.
Presence and Formation of Adults in the Sodality of Our Lady: Contribution to the Native History.
Authors: Sprutta Justyna
Published: April 2021

The Christian Life Community is the successor of the Sodality of Our Lady. The Christian Life Community today is mostly made up of adults. They are formed spiritually and morally. This formation had already existed since the beginning in the Sodality of Our Lady, that is since the foundation of the first Sodality of Our Lady by the Jesuit John Leunis in 1563 at the Collegium Romanum. The adults who co-created the Sodality of Our Lady until the 18th century were kings, aristocrats, bishops, nobles, townsmen, craftsmen, servants, but the presence of adults most fully developed after the reactivation of the Society of Jesus (1814). The indications presented in the Guide by the Jesuit Jan Rostworowski have shaped the characters and attitudes of the adult members of the Marian Sodalities for centuries.
Flow Cell with High-Resolution Spatial and Temporal Degree of Saturation Measurements for Two-Dimensional Near-Surface Phenomena Using Unsaturated Transparent Soil
Authors: Siemens Greg , Oldroyd Chris , Beddoe Ryley
Published: April 2021

Laboratory and field studies examining climate-ground-infrastructure interactions are often limited by spatial or temporal resolution, or both, of subsurface moisture content measurements. Laboratory control and field measurement of surficial and basal boundary conditions is performed rather straightforwardly; however, the interpretation of laboratory results may be limited by a lack of instrumentation or mislocated instrumentation. Computational modeling provides numerical results to compare with the physical data, but model calibration can be limited by the few instrumentation points. This article presents a new intermediate-scale apparatus to apply digital image analysis to unsaturated transparent soil experiments, which provides spatial resolution that is six orders of magnitude greater than traditional instrumentation and allows statistical quantification of saturation variability. The capabilities for saturation measurements in unsaturated transparent soil in two-dimensions are displayed using open and closed infiltration experiments. The two-dimensional (2D) experiments agree with column infiltration results showing air confinement decreases infiltration rate and wetting front mobility by more than one half. The 2D saturation measurements allow direct visualization and quantification of an unstable wetting front as well as dynamic moisture migration within the transmission zone. The 2D apparatus allows for development of behavior that is not possible in column apparatuses. Rather than the average, one-dimensional results are representative of the leading infiltration fingers in the 2D case. High spatial resolution saturation measurements show detectable influence of thin heterogeneities on wetting front migration. The influence of flow direction on saturation distribution is statistically quantified. High-resolution saturation measurements in an intermediate-scale apparatus allow new insight into near-surface flow processes.