bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supply chain sustainability trajectories: learning through sustainability initiatives
Authors: Silvestre Bruno S. , Silva Minelle E. , Cormack Allan , Thome Antônio Márcio Tavares
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper explores how organizational capabilities and path dependence affect the implementation of supply chain (SC) sustainability initiatives. Through the lenses of contingency and evolutionary theory, the paper addresses the underexplored supply chain dynamics that enhance or inhibit sustainability trajectories.

Design/methodology/approach

Using in-depth multi-case studies for theory elaboration, five supply chains were studied through open-ended interviews with SC members, secondary data collection and site visit observation. The design consists of a combination of deductive and inductive approaches to elaborate theory on supply chain dynamics and enhanced sustainability trajectories.

Findings

The empirical study shows that learning is a fundamental condition for supply chains as they implement sustainability initiatives, and that exploitation capabilities are more frequently used than exploration capabilities. Path dependence plays a role in the outcomes of supply chain sustainability initiatives, which are influenced by both path dependence and contingencies of the contexts in which these systems operate.

Research limitations/implications

This paper puts forward five propositions that emerge from the literature and from the field study results. Although this is an exploratory research bounded by geographical limitations and the limited number of SC cases, the goal of elaborating theory may open up several promising avenues for future large-scale and longitudinal research studies.

Practical implications

By enhancing our understanding of the dynamics of supply chain sustainability trajectories, decision-makers, scholars and policy-makers can better understand how supply chains learn, how they employ SC member capabilities and how they deal with stakeholder resistance.

Originality/value

This paper extends supply chain sustainability theory by addressing the knowledge gap that exists with regard to understanding the dynamics of evolving supply chain sustainability trajectories. This paper sheds additional light on this important topic and contributes in multiple ways to the sustainable supply chain management literature.
A social capital design for delivering online asynchronous professional development in a MOOC course for science teachers
Authors: Yoon Susan A. , Miller Katherine , Richman Thomas , Wendel Daniel , Schoenfeld Ilana , Anderson Emma , Shim Jooeun , Marei Amin
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The overarching goal of the research is to understand strategies that can support utility and access to high-quality teacher professional development (PD). This study aims to examine the design and delivery of an online asynchronous course for science teachers using the edX massively online open course (MOOC) platform. The conceptual framework considers three areas of research: high-quality PD characteristics for K12 teachers, the development of social capital and known challenges in MOOC and computer-supported collaborative learning and participation.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an empirical mixed-methods study that details the design of the PD course and implementation strategies that instantiate the conceptual framework. The authors collected three data sources from 41 teachers who completed the course. These included post course satisfaction surveys, teacher semi structured interviews and discussion board contributions.

Findings

Survey findings revealed high satisfaction among teachers in the areas of overall course design, module construction and delivery and usability of materials in teaching. Interview findings showed positive perceptions of the social capital framing in developing tie quality, trust, depth of interactions and access to expertise. Analyses of discussion board contributions also demonstrated high degrees of information exchange resulting from prompts intentionally constructed to foster collaboration.

Practical implications

This study offers a set of strategies to build networked teacher PD communities in asynchronous online PD platforms and shows promising evidence of addressing quality and access issues.

Social implications

Designing experiences to build teachers’ social capital shows promising potential to support high quality PD that may, in turn, raise the quality of science education for students and classrooms both locally in the US and globally.

Originality/value

The conceptual framework provides a novel approach to theorizing and operationalizing best practices for teacher PD and online participation.
Reading and connecting: using social annotation in online classes
Authors: Zhu Xinran , Chen Bodong , Avadhanam Rukmini Manasa , Shui Hong , Zhang Raymond Zhuo
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many instructors to rapidly shift to online/distance teaching. With a narrow preparation window, many instructors are at a loss of strategies that are both effective in responding to the crisis and compatible with their professional practices. One urgent need in classrooms at all levels is to support social reading of course materials. To fulfill this need, this paper aims to present a systematic literature review on using Web annotation in K-12 and higher education to provide practical and evidence-based recommendations for educators to incorporate social annotation in online teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the use of Web annotation in formal education. The authors reviewed 39 articles that met the inclusion criteria and extracted the following information from each article: level of education, subject area, learning theory, learning activity design, Web annotation technology, research methods and learning outcomes. Studies were further analyzed and synthesized by the genre of learning activity design.

Findings

The authors identified five types of social annotation activity design: processing domain-specific knowledge, supporting argumentation and inquiry, improving literacy skills, supporting instructor and peer assessment and connecting online learning spaces. In addition, the authors developed practical recommendations on setting pedagogical goals, selecting annotation tools, deciding instructor involvement and developing evaluation strategies.

Originality/value

This study provides a timely response to online/distance teaching under the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a hope that these identified application areas, in combination with four practical recommendations, would provide pragmatic and evidence-based support for educators to engage learners in reading, learning and connecting.
Do stressors stifle or facilitate employees' innovative use of enterprise systems: the moderating role of IT mindfulness
Authors: Wei Shaobo , Zhu Fenfen , Chen Xiayu
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Innovative use of enterprise systems (ES) by employees is essential for organisations to benefit from huge investments in such systems. Drawing on job demands-resources (JDR) theory, this study explores how stressors (i.e. challenge and hindrance stressors) influence employees' innovative use of ES, as well as considering the moderating effects of IT mindfulness.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a longitudinal survey of 152 employees in a large financial service company in China. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the research model.

Findings

Results showed that challenge stressors exerted a positive effect and hindrance stressors had no significant effect on innovative use of ES. Furthermore, we found that IT mindfulness weakened the positive effect of challenge stressors and the negative effect of hindrance stressors on innovative use of ES.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to extend the research of innovative use of ES by considering two types of stressors based on the JDR theory. Besides, new insights are provided on how to promote employees' innovative use of ES in the post-acceptance stage according to the different levels of IT mindfulness of employees.
Implications for pure profit, environmental impact and social welfare in a socially responsible supply chain
Authors: Zhang Zhichao , Xu Haiyan , Liu Zhi , Fang Yinhai
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Members in a supply chain account for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in different ways. This paper considers a socially responsible supply chain in which the manufacturer innovates in a sustainable product while the retailer exhibits CSR concerns. This paper aims to investigate how socially responsible behavior, namely, sustainable innovations or CSR concerns, affects the pure profit, environmental impact and social welfare, in such a socially responsible supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first constructs an integrated case as a benchmark and then develops a Manufacturer-Stackelberg game in a decentralized scenario. The pure profit, environmental impact and social welfare are confirmed and analyzed in centralized and decentralized cases. Moreover, two unique coordinating contracts, i.e. wholesale price discount contract and revenue-sharing contract, are used in this socially responsible supply chain.

Findings

Analytical analysis shows that, under certain conditions, the optimal CSR strategies hold for maximizing pure channel profit, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing social welfare. Whether the performance in a centralized case outnumbers that in a decentralized case depends on the CSR concerns level and environment-friendly degree of the product. In addition, it is found that a wholesale price discount contract is better for the retailer whereas a revenue-sharing contract is better for the manufacturer in pure profit to improve coordinating efficiency.

Practical implications

These results can offer managerial implications to the socially responsible supply chain in terms of pricing decisions, CSR strategies and sustainability innovations. Specifically, under certain conditions, placing more CSR concerns level increases pure channel profit and the social welfare. A balance between the pure profit and the social welfare is hereby achieved for the two socially responsible individuals by designing a proper contract.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is among the first studies so far to combine the CSR concerns strategy and sustainability innovation into a socially responsible supply chain.
Monitoring the online antiquarian book trade: the public good and textual heritage in South Korea
Authors: de Fremery Wayne , Kim Seonghun , Do Seulki , Han Sangeun , Oh Sam G.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper describes a model for integrating publicly available private information concerning textual heritage on the websites of South Korean antiquarian booksellers into the information management systems of the National Library of South Korea (NLK).

Design/methodology/approach

A method for formalizing the coproduction of heritage knowledge is presented, using the NLK and textual heritage as a case study.

Findings

An investigation of the systems and services of the NLK, interviews with South Korean antiquarian booksellers and the researchers' ability to design a system (including an application profile) that will facilitate the integration of data curated by antiquarian booksellers into the systems of the NLK suggest that it is possible to formalize the coproduction of heritage knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

Although this case study is limited to describing the information management procedures of a small number of online South Korean antiquarian booksellers and a single national library, its findings have broad implications. Through discussion of a specific case, the paper identifies a large class of resources that, if acquired, circulated and conserved by public libraries, is likely to enhance the public good provided by public libraries. It also provides an example of how public libraries can better meet their obligations as service and memory institutions by building systems that enable the coproduction of heritage resources by documenting and conserving records related to heritage transactions.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates that it is possible to create a formal system for coproducing heritage information.

Social implications

The ability of public libraries to coproduce heritage information is likely to increase the public good provided by public libraries and to make heritage resources more accessible.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel model enabling the curation of publicly available private information about antiquarian texts by a national library to aid cultural understanding and the preservation of documents describing historical texts.
Financial distress and non‐executive director compensation: Evidence from state‐owned enterprises in South Africa post King III
Authors: Emuron Abraham Simon Otim , Yixiang Tian
Published: June 2020

Using a sample of South African state‐owned enterprises (SOEs), we examine the pre‐ and post‐period impact of King III on non‐executive director (NED) compensation with emphasis on financially distressed SOEs. This paper adopts a difference‐in‐differences analysis technique with repeated measures as the basis for testing the hypotheses. The revised Altman Z‐score model which incorporates features unique to emerging markets is used to measure financial distress. Our findings indicate that SOEs that adopted King III will increase NED compensation when the firm has a positive performance and will severely penalize NED when the firm faces financial distress. This study highlights the importance of well‐crafted corporate governance policies. It further sheds light on the importance of King III and how its implementation may prove vital for the success of an enterprise.
Spillover effects in public healthcare expenditure in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A spatial panel analysis
Authors: Jeetoo Jamiil
Published: June 2020

While previous studies have neglected the spatial interaction effects in modelling healthcare expenditure across countries, this study provides the first thorough spatial analysis of public healthcare expenditures between countries so far. It investigates the determinants of public healthcare expenditure in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) using a balanced panel of 43 SSA countries over the period 2000 to 2015. Both spatial interdependence and individual heterogeneity are accounted for through the application of the spatial autoregressive model so as to avoid potential bias and inefficiencies in parameter estimates. In addition to statistically significant effects of income, population density, official development assistance, and political stability, the results indicate the existence of positive spatial dependence in public healthcare expenditure in SSA. This suggests that governments in SSA countries tend to base their decision to allocate healthcare expenditure on that of nearby countries. Moreover, the results reveal significant impacts of population density and official development assistance of neighbouring countries on a country's level of public healthcare expenditure.
‘My relationships have changed because I’ve changed’: biographical disruption, personal relationships and the formation of an early menopausal subjectivity
Authors: Johnston‐Ataata Kate , Flore Jacinthe , Kokanović Renata , Hickey Martha , Teede Helena , Boyle Jacqueline A , Vincent Amanda
Published: June 2020

Early menopause (EM) or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) can disrupt gendered and age‐related expectations associated with perceived ‘normative’ biographies for young adult women, with implications for subjectivity and relationships. While previous qualitative research has concentrated on the impacts of EM/POI on biography and sense of self, in this article, we examine the enmeshment of personal relationships with the formation of early menopausal subjectivities. Drawing on research exploring concepts of ‘biographical disruption’ and personal relationships, and theoretical work on social norms and subject formation, we present findings from a narrative thematic analysis of 25 interviews with women diagnosed with spontaneous or medically induced EM/POI. We identify three main narrative ‘types’ of subjective and relational experience in response to the ‘disruption’ of EM/POI: interlude and continuity; disruption and adaptation; and disruption and ambivalence. Women’s accounts of their experience of EM/POI indicate that the formation of early menopausal selves is mediated by the extent to which women and those around them identify with gendered norms related to reproduction and age. Consistent with theoretical perspectives that consider the self as relationally produced, we argue that the subjective and relational dimensions of EM/POI are intertwined and must be understood in tandem.
The Use of a Sequential Extraction Technique to Characterize Soil Trace Evidence Recovered from a Spade in a Murder Case in Brazil*
Authors: Testoni Samara Alves , Melo Vander Freitas , Anne Dawson Lorna , Malakoski Joice , Cunico Edimar , Junqueira Neto Jorge Andrade
Published: June 2020

Soil trace evidence can be useful in criminal investigations. A homicide which had occurred in South Brazil been concluded through the courts with a guilty conviction. A spade with soil traces adhering to it was seized from the confessed killer's house, it having been established that it had been used to bury parts of the victim's body. In the context of this confession, it provided an opportunity to test a protocol of analysis and verify the potential of discriminate soil sample analysis in such case works. This allowed us to test the practice of sequential analysis which had been developed for forensic case works in Brazil, with three sequential extractions: (i) 0.2 mol/L pH 3.0 ammonium oxalate; (ii) dithionite–citrate–bicarbonate; and (iii) 0.5 mol/L NaOH. It was possible to predict the sequence of events related to the homicide by using the sequential extraction technique and to conclude that: (i) the A horizon soil from the burial location of the torso was found to be very similar to the soil samples which had been recovered from the spade, which was able to be established despite there only being a small amount of soil adhering to the spade; (ii) the location where the legs were buried contributed a low amount of soil adhering to the spade. Therefore, it is suggested that, where possible, sequential extractions should be prioritized from a questioned sample to best provide information about the likely sequence of contact places and this test likely scenarios and criminal events.
Complicated umbilical hernia in children: An experience in a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Nigeria
Authors: Chukwubuike Kevin Emeka
Published: June 2020

Objective

To evaluate the demographic characteristics, presentation, treatment and management outcome of patients that presented with complicated umbilical hernia.

Methodology

This was a retrospective study of children that had complicated umbilical hernia and were managed at the paediatric surgery unit of Enugu State University Hospital (ESUTH) Enugu, Nigeria, over a 10‐year period.

Results

There were 21 cases of complicated umbilical hernia recorded over the study period. These complications were in the form of incarceration, obstruction or strangulation. There were 15 males (71.4%) and 6 females (28.6%), with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1. The median age of the patients was 48 months (range: 12‐168). The median duration of symptoms prior to presentation to the hospital was 2 days (range: 1‐3) and the median duration of hospital stay was 5 days (range: 3‐10 days). Abdominal pain was the predominant presenting symptom in the patients (81%) and omentum was the most common content of the hernia sac (57.2%). Post‐operative complications included surgical site infection (9.5%), wound dehiscence (4.8%) and hypertrophied scar (9.5%). There was no mortality.

Conclusion

Complications arising from umbilical hernias are rare events. However, there is need for early treatment when complications occur.
A Mixed‐Methods Study: Sex Differences in Experiences of Stigma Associated With Alcoholism and Alcohol Use Disorders Among Injury Patients in Tanzania
Authors: Griffin S. Michelle , Karia Francis P. , Zimmerman Armand , Minnig Mary Catherine C. , Swahn Monica , Makelarski Jennifer , T. Mmbaga Blandina , Vissoci João Ricardo Nickenig , A. Staton Catherine
Published: June 2020

Background

Each year, alcohol use causes 3.3 million deaths globally and accounts for nearly 30% of injuries treated at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania. Prior research found significant stigma toward patients reporting alcohol use in general and among healthcare providers for this population.

Methods

This mixed‐methods study aimed to identify sex‐based perspectives of stigma among injury patients, family members, and local community advisory board (CAB) members. Injury patients from the emergency room at KCMC were asked to complete surveys capturing consumption of alcohol, perceived stigma, and consequences of drinking. Patients who completed the survey, their family members, and members of a CAB were also recruited to take part in focus groups led by a trained bilingual research nurse. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and Wilcoxon rank sum tests with alpha level set at 0.05.

Results

Results showed that sex was a significant predictor of perceived discrimination (p = 0.037, Standard Error (SE) = 1.71 (0.81)) but not for perceived devaluation (p = 0.667, SE = −0.38 (0.89)). Focus groups revealed there were global negative perceptions of the amount of alcohol consumed as well as negative perceptions toward disclosure of alcohol use to healthcare providers. Sex differences in stigma emerged when participants were specifically asked about women and their alcohol consumption.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest there is an underlying sex difference, further stigmatizing women for alcohol use among the injury patient population at KCMC. Tanzanian women suffer from unequal access to health care, and the stigmatization of alcohol use likely increases this disparity.
Treatment with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or entecavir in chronic hepatitis B virus‐infected patients with renal impairment: results from a 7‐year, multicentre retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lampertico Pietro , Berg Thomas , Buti Maria , Pathil Anita , Petersen Joerg , Ryder Stephen D. , Zoulim Fabien , Botros Irina , Flaherty John F. , Jump Belinda , Op den Brouw Marjoleine L. , van Troostenburg Anna , Ramroth Heribert ,   the ReCoRd (Retrospective, Cohort, Renal, Viread) Investigators' Group
Published: June 2020

Background

Limited data exist regarding tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) safety and effectiveness in chronic hepatitis B virus–infected (CHB) patients with renal impairment (RI).

Aims

To compare real‐world data on renal safety and effectiveness of TDF vs entecavir (ETV) in CHB patients with moderate‐to‐severe RI.

Methods

Retrospective, non‐interventional, cohort study analysing medical records for TDF/ETV‐treated CHB patients (54 European centres). Included patients experienced moderate‐to‐severe RI (creatinine clearance 20‐60 mL/min [Cockcroft‐Gault]) either before TDF/ETV initiation (‘before’ subgroup [baseline = treatment initiation]) or after TDF/ETV initiation (‘after’ subgroup [baseline = first RI occurrence]). The primary objective was TDF safety, particularly renal‐related adverse events of special interest (AESI). TDF and ETV safety and effectiveness were compared and multivariate analyses were performed using inverse probability treatment weighting.

Results

‘Before’ subgroup included 107 TDF‐ and 91 ETV‐treated patients; ‘after’ subgroup included 212 TDF‐ and 77 ETV‐treated patients. Mean baseline creatinine clearance was higher for TDF‐ vs ETV‐treated patients (both subgroups). Median follow‐up was 3.1 years (both treatments). AESI were more frequent with TDF vs ETV (‘before’: 18.7% vs 8.8%; ‘after’: 9.9% vs 3.9%); however, differences were not significant by multivariate analysis. Only TDF‐treated patients experienced renal tubular dysfunction (6.5% ‘before’; 1.9% ‘after’) as well as renal adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation (8.4% ‘before’; 7.1% ‘after’). Effectiveness was similar between treatments.

Conclusions

Overall safety was similar for TDF vs ETV (both subgroups). Given that renal tubular dysfunction occurred with TDF and not with ETV, renal safety concerns may be greater with TDF in CHB patients with RI.
Tacit domains: The transference of practitioner know‐how in contemporary English planning practice
Authors: Muldoon‐Smith Kevin , McGuinness David
Published: June 2020

This paper reflects on ideas of tacit knowledge in order to examine the nature of planners' expertise. It investigates the shifting knowledge and power dynamics between and within the public and private sectors, as a means of determining how tacit expertise is transferred and re‐appropriated in new domains and geographies of practice. Tacit understanding of what facilitates successful permissions and what impedes the approval process helps planners navigate the plan‐led system and avoid inertia. Findings are two‐fold. First, public sector planners transfer their own expert tacit knowledge to influence and direct local development planning. Second, the findings illustrate that public sector planners feel their tacit expertise is increasingly undervalued and traditional networks of knowledge transference have been dismantled due to the erosion of networks of peer support. This results in a disruptive counter narrative based in private planning practice where public sector experts are re‐emerging in commercial practice due to a range of factors, including: budgets cuts; demoralisation; and seeking greater job security in the private sector. This leads to new geographies of tacit knowledge, as local government planners transfer their knowledge into new professional environments. This can result in reconfigurations of locally embedded knowledge as expertise is repurposed and used to bolster the likelihood of development applications succeeding, often for profit motives rather than the broader public good. Furthermore, it can also lead to local knowledge being uprooted and spatially diffused across wider geographies as private sector planners frequently work across broader domains of practice than public sector counterparts. In conclusion, we outline gaps in our current understanding of the evolution of planning practice and outline future research opportunities.
Latent class analysis of bipolar disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation and behaviors
Authors: Au Josephine S. , Martinez de Andino Ana , Mekawi Yara , Silverstein Madison W. , Lamis Dorian A.
Published: June 2020

Individuals with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of dying by suicide compared to healthy controls and those with unipolar depression. Previous studies show that depressive symptoms and mixed episodes of mania and depression are related to suicide. However, most of these studies adopt a variable‐centered approach to understanding how specific symptoms relate to suicidal ideation, without addressing how these symptoms and symptom profiles relate to suicidal behaviors.

Objectives

Using latent class analysis, this study adopts a person‐centered approach to examine whether subtypes of patients with bipolar disorder differ in their levels of suicidal ideation and behaviors.

Methods

A total of 150 patients from a behavioral health outpatient clinic were recruited. Latent classes were generated based on self reports of their depressive and manic symptoms.

Results

Five classes of patients with bipolar disorder were identified, namely, a minimal symptom, mania, moderately depressed, severely depressed, and mixed depression‐mania subtypes. Those in the severely depressed and mixed depression‐mania groups reported significantly higher levels of suicidal ideation and behaviors compared to the other groups.

Conclusions

Our findings provide further support for the strong relationship between depressive symptoms and suicidality. These findings are significant as they shed light on the different suicide risk profiles among a heterogenous group of patients with bipolar disorder.

Name of clinical trial: Suicidal Behavior in Patients Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder: The Roles of Biological and Childhood and Adult Environmental Risk Factors.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02604277.
Tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoint inhibitors in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Baba Yoshifumi , Nomoto Daichi , Okadome Kazuo , Ishimoto Takatsugu , Iwatsuki Masaaki , Miyamoto Yuji , Yoshida Naoya , Baba Hideo
Published: June 2020

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the main prevalent histological type of esophageal cancer, predominantly constituting 90% of cases worldwide. Despite the development of multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches, its prognosis remains unfavorable. Recently, the development of monoclonal antibodies inhibiting programmed death 1 (PD‐1) or programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) has led to marked therapeutic responses among multiple malignancies including ESCC. However, only a few patients achieved clinical benefits due to resistance. Therefore, precise and accurate predictive biomarkers should be identified for personalized immunotherapy in clinical settings. Because the tumor immune microenvironment can potentially influence the patient's response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor immunity, such as PD‐L1 expression on tumors, tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor‐associated macrophages, and myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, in ESCC should be further investigated. In this review, accumulated evidence regarding the tumor immune microenvironment and immune checkpoint inhibitors in ESCC are summarized.
TO LEAN OR NOT TO LEAN AGAINST AN ASSET PRICE BUBBLE? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
Authors: Evgenidis Anastasios , Malliaris Anastasios G.
Published: June 2020

Since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009, economists are reconsidering the appropriate role of monetary policy towards equity bubbles. This paper contributes to these deliberations by estimating the response of the stock market to monetary policy tightening by using a Bayesian time‐varying VAR model. By introducing the cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratio, we propose a method that estimates its fundamental and bubble components. We find that asset prices will initially fall and eventually rise again but without the risk of feeding the bubble. Counterfactual policy experiments provide additional evidence that monetary policy can lean against equity and housing prices.(JELE50, E52, E58)
The possible role of CREB‐BDNF signaling pathway in neuroprotective effects of minocycline against alcohol‐induced neurodegeneration: molecular and behavioral evidences
Authors: Motaghinejad Majid , Mashayekh Roya , Motevalian Manijeh , Safari Sepideh
Published: June 2020

Abuse of alcohol triggers neurodegeneration in human brain. Minocycline has characteristics conferring neuroprotection. Current study evaluates the role of the CREB‐BDNF signaling pathway in mediating minocycline's neuroprotective effects against alcohol‐induced neurodegeneration. Seventy adult male rats were randomly split into groups 1 and 2 that received saline and alcohol (2 g/kg/day by gavage, once daily), respectively, and groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 were treated simultaneously with alcohol and minocycline (10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg I.P, respectively) for 21 days. Group 7 received minocycline alone (40 mg/kg, i.p) for 21 days. Morris water maze (MWM) has been used to assess cognitive activity. Hippocampal neurodegenerative and histological parameters as well as cyclic AMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were assessed. Alcohol impaired cognition, and concurrent therapy with various minocycline doses attenuated alcohol‐induced cognition disturbances. Additionally, alcohol administration boosted lipid peroxidation and levels of glutathione in oxidized form (GSSG), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin 1 beta (IL‐1β), and Bax protein, while decreased reducing type of glutathione (GSH), Bcl‐2 protein, phosphorylated CREB, and BDNF levels in rat hippocampus. Alcohol also decreased the activity in the hippocampus of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR). In comparison, minocycline attenuated alcohol‐induced neurodegeneration; elevating expression levels of P‐CREB and BDNF and inhibited alcohol induced histopathological changes in both dentate gyrus (DG) and CA1 of hippocampus. Thus, minocycline is likely to provide neuroprotection against alcohol‐induced neurodegeneration through mediation of the P‐CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.
Development and characterisation of a novel krill oil nanostructured lipid carrier based on 1,3‐glycerol distearate
Authors: Lin Yunwei , Yin Wenting , Liu Guoqin
Published: June 2020

A novel nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) loaded with Antarctic krill oil while using 1,3‐glycerol distearate (GDS) as the solid lipid was prepared through ultrasonication. The NLCs were optimised for ingredient formulation by single‐factor experiment on the basis of their effects on the particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of the NLCs. 2% (w/w) lecithin and 10% lipid phase of which krill oil accounted for 50% (w/w) were applied to develop the optimised NLC dispersion. The particle size, PDI and zeta potential of this NLC were 112 nm, 0.270 and −30.8 mV, respectively, indicating good dispersion uniformity and stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the optimised NLC particles were spherical and uniformly dispersed without apparent aggregation. Differential calorimetry scanning (DSC) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the optimised NLC had less‐ordered crystalline structure contributing to the high entrapment efficiency (> 99%) of EPA and DHA.
Anti‐proliferative activities, phytochemical levels and fruit quality of pepper (Capsicum spp.) following prolonged storage
Authors: Garra Ausaid , Alkalai‐Tuvia Sharon , Telerman Alona , Paran Ilan , Fallik Elazar , Elmann Anat
Published: June 2020

Peppers are rich in health‐promoting phytochemicals, which are involved in the defence mechanisms against cancer. To select a lead variety of pepper with anti‐proliferative activity against colon cancer cells and liver cancer cells, high antioxidant activity, and high concentrations of capsaicin, flavonoids and phenolics, we compared these attributes in nine different pepper accessions belonging to Capsicum annuum and C. chinense. Quality parameters such as weight loss and total soluble solids content were tested as well. The different parameters were determined immediately after harvest and after prolonged storage and marketing simulation. A significant variation of these traits was detected among the accessions. C. chinense line 1745 had the highest antioxidant activity, the highest levels of capsaicin and flavonoids, a high and specific anti‐cancer activity, and the lowest weight loss level during postharvest storage. It is proposed that line 1745 has potential for use as a source for health‐promoting traits and should be further evaluated for use as a nutraceutical for the prevention and treatment of colon and liver cancers.
Combination of freeze drying and molecular inclusion techniques improves the bioaccessibility of microencapsulated anthocyanins from black rice (Oryza sativa L.) and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.) essential oils in a model food system
Authors: Milea Ştefania Adelina , Dima Cristian Vasile , Enachi Elena , Dumitraşcu Loredana , Barbu Vasilica , Bahrim Gabriela Elena , Alexe Petru , Stănciuc Nicoleta
Published: June 2020

Black rice and lavender are promising sources of bioactives, in terms of anthocyanins and essential oils. Their bioaccessibility were improved by microencapsulation, followed by mixing in order to benefit both from colour and flavour, along with radical scavenging and biological properties. The mixed powder showed a satisfactory anthocyanins of 2.55 mg g−1 DW, leading to a radical scavenging activity of 65.14 mmol g−1 DW. The powder displayed an inhibitory effect against α‐glucosidase (~49%) and α‐amylase (39%), respectively, with a controlled release in intestinal environment. To further examine the functional properties, the powder was added to a food model system. During storage, a release in anthocyanins and flavonoids were found, leading to an increase in radical scavenging activity. The sensorial analysis showed that supplemented biscuits were appreciated for colour and lavender aroma. The obtained results were promising in tailoring the health benefits of secondary metabolites, underutilised in human’s nutrition due to their low stability and bioavailability.
Nursing in the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: protecting, saving, supporting and honouring nurses
Authors: Catton Howard
Published: June 2020

As the world tackles the largest public health event in more than a century, the COVID‐19 pandemic, the true value of nursing is being seen by politicians and the public. But while nurses are being praised for the vital work they do, many are being put into high‐risk situations, and some have died, because of a shortage of appropriate, high‐quality personal protective equipment. The International Council of Nurses has called for governments to make the provision of such equipment their number one priority to prevent further loss of life among the nurses caring for the world’s most vulnerable patients.
Clinical nursing and midwifery education in the pandemic age
Authors: Lazenby M. , Chambers S. , Chyun D. , Davidson P. , Dithole K. , Norman I. , Tlou S.
Published: June 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted clinical nursing and midwifery education. This disruption has long‐term implications for the nursing and midwifery workforce and for future healthcare responses to pandemics. Solutions may include enhanced partnerships between schools of nursing and midwifery and health service providers and including schools of nursing and midwifery in preparedness planning. These suggestions notwithstanding, we call upon national and international nursing and midwifery bodies to study how to further the clinical education of nurses and midwives during pandemics and other times of crisis.
Relation of geriatric nutritional risk index with clinical risks in elderly‐onset ulcerative colitis
Authors: Higashiyama Masaaki , Komoto Shunsuke , Suzuki Yasuo , Watanabe Mamoru , Hibi Toshifumi , Miura Soichiro , Hokari Ryota
Published: June 2020

Background and Aim

Worldwide increasing aging societies have many elderlies with intractable diseases including ulcerative colitis (UC). Reportedly, each patients' frailty as well as chronological age is a clinical risk factor of elderly‐onset UC (EOUC). Because malnutrition is one of the major manifestations of frailty, we aimed to investigate the effect of malnutrition on the prognosis of EOUC with geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a prognostic tool for several diseases in the elderly to estimate malnutrition, and to evaluate clinical risks among EOUC patients in Japan, the world‐leading aging society.

Methods

The EOUC patients (≥ 65 years at diagnosis, n = 2778) in the previous nationwide survey were classified by age and GNRI, and odds ratios (ORs) of hospitalization and UC‐related surgery were determined to evaluate the effects of malnutrition on the EOUC patients as well as aging.

Results

The risks of hospitalization and surgery were elevated as age advanced. The value of GNRI, negatively correlated with disease activity (r = −0.53), could distinguish severe activity (cutoff ≤ 86.82, sensitivity = 0.79, and specificity = 0.77) and discriminate the EOUC patients suffering from surgery and hospitalization. In a multivariate analysis, GNRI ≤ 86.82 was a higher risk of hospitalization (OR: 4.0, 95% CI, 2.5–6.5) and surgery (OR: 2.7, 95% CI, 0.98–7.4) than cutoff age ≥ 75 years old (OR of hospitalization and surgery were 1.4 [95% CI, 0.99–2.0] and 2.3 [95% CI, 0.8–6.3], respectively).

Conclusion

Malnutrition estimated by GNRI was significantly related with poor clinical courses of the EOUC patients, suggesting that evaluation of nutritional status at the onset might be useful for predicting risks of clinical courses.
Risks and characteristics of pancreatic cancer and pancreatic relapse in autoimmune pancreatitis patients
Authors: Ishikawa Takuya , Kawashima Hiroki , Ohno Eizaburo , Iida Tadashi , Suzuki Hirotaka , Uetsuki Kota , Yamada Kenta , Yashika Jun , Yoshikawa Masakatsu , Gibo Noriaki , Aoki Toshinori , Kataoka Kunio , Mori Hiroshi , Fujishiro Mitsuhiro
Published: June 2020

Background and Aim

We examined the differences in the risks and characteristics of pancreatic relapse (PR) and pancreatic cancer (PC) in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 123 type 1 AIP patients with a median follow‐up of 55 months (interquartile range, 27–98). The following items were evaluated: (i) cumulative relapse rates and risk factors, (ii) the incidence of PC, (iii) PR versus PC, and (iv) outcomes after the appearance of morphological changes in the pancreas (focal enlargement, apparent mass lesions, or main pancreatic duct dilation).

Results

(i) The cumulative PR rates were 1.7% within 1 year, 11.5% within 3 years, and 22.6% within 5 years. Lack of maintenance therapy, IgG4‐related sclerosing cholangitis, and IgG4‐related kidney disease were identified as independent predictors of relapse. (ii) Two patients (1.6%) were diagnosed with PC at 17 and 22 months after initial AIP diagnosis. (iii) Thirteen (59.1%) and four (18.2%) patients with PR had focal enlargement and main pancreatic duct dilation, respectively. The median CA19‐9 level at initial diagnosis was significantly higher in PC patients (21 vs 220.5 U/mL, P = 0.014). (iv) Eight PR patients underwent endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration, none of whom had malignant findings. PC was diagnosed by ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration in both cancer patients.

Conclusions

Although the incidence of PC is low, it may mimic PR in AIP patients. Surveillance is important, and when morphological changes occur, biopsy and evaluation of serum IgG4 and CA19‐9 levels (particularly if the levels were high before) should be considered.
Brunner’s gland hyperplasia in a geriatric chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), an infrequently reported lesion
Authors: Walker David , Arends Mark J. , Morrison Linda R.
Published: June 2020

Benign duodenal tumours have very rarely been reported in captive non‐human primates and are also rare in human beings. Brunner's gland hyperplasia has not been fully described in a non‐human primate. Here, we report Brunner's gland hyperplasia in a geriatric chimpanzee, which was an incidental finding during post‐mortem examination.
From yellow to silver: Transforming cranial morphology in European eel (Anguilla anguilla)
Authors: Baan Jochem , De Meyer Jens , De Kegel Barbara , Adriaens Dominique
Published: June 2020

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has been extensively studied, especially because of its highly specialized migratory behaviour associated with substantial phenotypic transformations. During this migration, one of those transformations the eel undergoes is from yellow to silver eel, a process known as silvering. Although the cranial morphology during the earlier glass, elver and yellow eel stages are well studied, little is known about actual morphological changes during the transformation process from the yellow to the silver eel stage. Yet, literature suggests drastic changes in musculoskeletal anatomy. Here, we investigated the cranial musculoskeletal morphology of 11 male European eels at different stages during silvering, resulting both from natural and artificial maturation. Using 3D‐reconstructed µCT data of the head, the skull and cranial muscles associated with jaw closing and respiration were studied. Eye size was used as a proxy for the silvering stage. Size‐adjusted jaw muscle volumes increased during silvering, although insignificantly. Accordingly, a near‐significant increase in bite force was observed. Respiratory muscles size did increase significantly during silvering, however. Considering the eel's long migration, which often includes deep and thus potentially oxygen‐poor environments, having a better performing respiratory system may facilitate efficient migration. Both overall skull dimensions and specifically orbit size increased with eye index, suggesting they play a role in accommodating the enlarging eyes during silvering. Finally, artificially matured eels had a wider and taller skull, as well as larger jaw muscles than wild silver eels. This could be caused (a) by different conditions experienced during the yellow eel stage, which are maintained in the silver eel stage, (b) by side effects of hormonal injections or (c) be part of the maturation process as artificially induced silver eels had a higher eye index than the wild silver eels.
Cosmeceutical awareness among community pharmacists in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The case of sunscreens and moisturizers
Authors: Kurban Nouf A. , Altwaim Shada A. , Altayeb Ghazal A. , Somali Njood A. , Almehmady Alshaimaa M. , Alharbi Waleed S.
Published: June 2020

Background

Although cosmetic products such as sunscreens and moisturizers are generally considered safe, they can be less effective or harmful if used improperly. Thus, pharmacist's awareness about cosmeceuticals is pivotal in counseling about the ingredients and the proper use of such products.

Objective

To evaluate the awareness level of community pharmacists regarding cosmetic products particularly sunscreens and moisturizers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This is a cross‐sectional study conducted on 310 community pharmacists in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the duration (June‐November 2019).

Results

With respect to the level of awareness toward sunscreen products, 74% of the participants demonstrated a clear understanding of Sun Protection Factor (SPF). In terms of sunscreen counseling and the impact of these products on drug‐induced photosensitivity, the average awareness of participants was 62% and 55%, respectively. However, only 16% of participants were aware of the expiry date. The average pharmacist's knowledge of the expiration date of the moisturizers and the proper use/ingredients was 86% and 58%, respectively, while only 42% of participants responded correctly to the instructions for application of moisturizers. Cross‐tabulation between the level of education and the need to acquire knowledge about cosmetics has shown that the majority of pharmacists has indicated that they need more knowledge about cosmetics.

Conclusion

Around 53% of community pharmacists are aware about the sunscreen part, while 62% have the knowledge about moisturizers. Hence, more cosmetic courses and workshops are recommended to raise level of awareness.