bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accidental cannulation of amoebic liver abscess during pericardiocentesis: a case report
Authors: Verma Somil , Agrawal Chirag , Gupta Puneet , Gupta Anunay
Published: September 2024

Background

Amoebiasis is a prevalent infection in the tropics and can sometimes present as liver abscess. Cardiac tamponade is an uncommon complication of ruptured amoebic liver abscess requiring urgent pericardiocentesis, which has a high success rate, but procedural complications can include injury to cardiac chambers, abdominal viscera, and even death. This case underscores the approach to diagnose and manage an unintended visceral puncture during pericardiocentesis, which is a rare but life-threatening complication.

Case summary

A 41-year-old male presented with intermittent fever over 2 months and chest pain for 15 days. Echocardiography revealed a significant pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. In an emergency setting, percutaneous pericardiocentesis was attempted to drain the effusion. However, the pigtail inadvertently punctured a sizable liver abscess. Consequently, another pigtail was inserted into the pericardial cavity to successfully drain the effusion. Patient was discharged on Day 12 and is doing well at 6 months follow-up.

Discussion

A previously undiagnosed case of a ruptured amoebic liver abscess presented with the uncommon complication of cardiac tamponade, necessitating emergency pericardiocentesis, which inadvertently led to the cannulation of the liver abscess. This case underscores the significance of image-guided pericardiocentesis in minimizing procedural complications. This case also highlights the intricacies of addressing accidental visceral puncture during pericardiocentesis, specially involving the liver. It also underscores the need to consider the possibility of a ruptured amoebic liver abscess when anchovy sauce-like pus is drained from pericardial cavity, especially in high epidemiologically prevalent country like India.
Staged strategy of combined rotational atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy for severely calcified lesions: an evaluation using multimodality intracoronary imaging—a case report
Authors: Miura Yusuke , Koyama Kohei , Izumi Keiichi , Yamazaki Hiroyuki , Soejima Kyoko
Published: September 2024

Background

Severely calcified lesions are the most significant challenge for percutaneous coronary intervention, exhibiting poor clinical outcomes. Some severely calcified lesions remain untreatable with conventional balloons or even atherectomy devices. Intravascular lithotripsy is a new option for treating severe calcification.

Case summary

Herein, we describe a case of ischaemic cardiomyopathy with a thick, circumferential calcified lesion in the proximal and mid-segments of the left anterior descending coronary artery. In the first session, high-pressure balloons, cutting balloons, and rotational atherectomy failed to disrupt the calcification. In the staged additional treatment that was subsequently planned, eight cycles of intravascular lithotripsy created multiple fractures in the deep calcification, resulting in successful stent deployment. The effect of intravascular lithotripsy was observed mainly in calcified areas with lipid components detected using near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound.

Discussion

Our report suggests the efficacy of employing a combined strategy of rotational atherectomy with small burrs and intravascular lithotripsy in the treatment of severe calcification with a minimal risk of complications. Our study introduces a novel aspect by utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound to evaluate calcified lesions before performing intravascular lithotripsy. To our knowledge, there have been no similar reports to date. The effect of intravascular lithotripsy on calcified lesions may be related to the distribution of lipid components and/or heterogeneity within the calcification.
Transient hypoxia drives soil microbial community dynamics and biogeochemistry during human decomposition
Authors: Taylor Lois S , Mason Allison R , Noel Hannah L , Essington Michael E , Davis Mary C , Brown Veronica A , Steadman Dawnie W , DeBruyn Jennifer M
Published: September 2024

Human decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems is a dynamic process creating localized hot spots of soil microbial activity. Longer-term (beyond a few months) impacts on decomposer microbial communities are poorly characterized and do not typically connect microbial communities to biogeochemistry, limiting our understanding of decomposer communities and their functions. We performed separate year-long human decomposition trials, one starting in spring, another in winter, integrating bacterial and fungal community structure and abundances with soil physicochemistry and biogeochemistry to identify key drivers of microbial community change. In both trials, soil acidification, elevated microbial respiration, and reduced soil oxygen concentrations occurred. Changes in soil oxygen concentrations were the primary driver of microbial succession and nitrogen transformation patterns, while fungal community diversity and abundance was related to soil pH. Relative abundance of facultative anaerobic taxa (Firmicutes and Saccharomycetes) increased during the period of reduced soil oxygen. The magnitude and timing of the decomposition responses were amplified during the spring trial relative to the winter, even when corrected for thermal inputs (accumulated degree days). Further, soil chemical parameters, microbial community structure, and fungal gene abundances remained altered at the end of 1 year, suggesting longer-term impacts on soil ecosystems beyond the initial pulse of decomposition products.
Deep neural Helmholtz operators for 3-D elastic wave propagation and inversion
Authors: Zou Caifeng , Azizzadenesheli Kamyar , Ross Zachary E , Clayton Robert W
Published: September 2024

Numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in heterogeneous 3-D media are central to investigating subsurface structures and understanding earthquake processes, yet are computationally expensive for large problems. This is particularly problematic for full-waveform inversion (FWI), which typically involves numerous runs of the forward process. In machine learning there has been considerable recent work in the area of operator learning, with a new class of models called neural operators allowing for data-driven solutions to partial differential equations. Recent work in seismology has shown that when neural operators are adequately trained, they can significantly shorten the compute time for wave propagation. However, the memory required for the 3-D time domain equations may be prohibitive. In this study, we show that these limitations can be overcome by solving the wave equations in the frequency domain, also known as the Helmholtz equations, since the solutions for a set of frequencies can be determined in parallel. The 3-D Helmholtz neural operator is 40 times more memory-efficient than an equivalent time-domain version. We use a Helmholtz neural operator for 2-D and 3-D elastic wave modelling, achieving two orders of magnitude acceleration compared to a baseline spectral element method. The neural operator accurately generalizes to variable velocity structures and can be evaluated on denser input meshes than used in the training simulations. We also show that when solving for wavefields strictly at the free surface, the accuracy can be significantly improved via a graph neural operator layer. In leveraging automatic differentiation, the proposed method can serve as an alternative to the adjoint-state approach for 3-D FWI, reducing the computation time by a factor of 350.
Immunity to Non-Dengue Flaviviruses Impacts Dengue Virus Immunoglobulin G Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Specificity in Cambodia
Authors: Odio Camila D , Yek Christina , Hasund Chloe M , Man Somnang , Ly Piseth , Nhek Sreynik , Chea Sophana , Lon Chanthap , Voirin Charlie , Huy Rekol , Leang Rithea , Huch Chea , Lamirande Elaine W , Whitehead Stephen S , Oliveira Fabiano , Manning Jessica E , Katzelnick Leah C
Published: September 2024

Background

Seroprevalence studies are the standard for disease surveillance, and serology determined eligibility for the first dengue vaccine. Expanding flavivirus co-circulation and vaccination complicate testing. We evaluate the accuracy of a common dengue virus serological assay, examine immunity to non-dengue flaviviruses as a contributor to decreased performance, and assess whether alternative cut points may improve assay performance.

Methods

Children (n = 770) aged 2–9 years in Kampong Speu, Cambodia were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study, and PanBio indirect dengue virus immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed. Plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) using dengue viruses were performed on a subset to assess the accuracy of the IgG ELISA, and PRNTs with Zika, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses evaluated immunity to non-dengue flaviviruses. Receiver operating curve analysis identified an alternative cut point to improve IgG ELISA accuracy.

Results

The dengue IgG ELISA had a lower specificity than previously reported (58% vs 93%–100%). Of those with false-positive IgG results, 46% had detectable neutralizing antibodies against other flaviviruses including 14% against West Nile virus. A higher IgG cut point improved the test accuracy in this population.

Conclusions

Physicians and public health authorities should be alert for West Nile in Cambodia. Immunity to non-dengue flaviviruses can impact dengue surveillance.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT03534245.
Getting rapid diagnostic test data into the appropriate hands by leveraging pharmacy staff and a clinical surveillance platform: a case study from a US community hospital
Authors: Frens Jeremy , Baumeister Tyler , Sinclair Emily , Zeigler Dustin , Hurst John , Hill Brandon , McElmeel Sonya , Le Page Stéphanie
Published: September 2024

Objectives

To outline the procedural implementation and optimization of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results for bloodstream infections (BSIs) and to evaluate the combination of RDTs with real-time antimicrobial stewardship team (AST) support plus clinical surveillance platform (CSP) software on time to appropriate therapy in BSIs at a single health system.

Methods

Blood culture reporting and communication were reported for four time periods: (i) a pre-BCID [BioFire® FilmArray® Blood Culture Identification (BCID) Panel] implementation period that consisted of literature review and blood culture notification procedure revision; (ii) a BCID implementation period that consisted of BCID implementation, real-time results notification via CSP, and creation of a treatment algorithm; (iii) a post-BCID implementation period; and (iv) a BCID2 implementation period. Time to appropriate therapy metrics was reported for the BCID2 time period.

Results

The mean time from BCID2 result to administration of effective antibiotics was 1.2 h (range 0–7.9 h) and time to optimal therapy was 7.6 h (range 0–113.8 h) during the BCID2 Panel implementation period. When comparing time to optimal antibiotic administration among patients growing ceftriaxone-resistant Enterobacterales, the BCID2 Panel group (mean 2.8 h) was significantly faster than the post-BCID Panel group (17.7 h; P = 0.0041).

Conclusions

Challenges exist in communicating results to the appropriate personnel on the healthcare team who have the knowledge to act on these data and prescribe targeted therapy against the pathogen(s) identified. In this report, we outline the procedures for telephonic communication and CSP support that were implemented at our health system to distribute RDT data to individuals capable of assessing results, enabling timely optimization of antimicrobial therapy.
Atypical bacteria in pediatric sickle cell patients with acute chest syndrome
Authors: Oberholtzer Kelsey , Van Tassell Benjamin , El-Amin Nadirah , Noda Cady
Published: September 2024

The purpose of this study was to quantify the frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Chlamydia pneumoniae in a large contemporary real-world data set. This was a retrospective database analysis utilizing data collected from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network, which provided access to electronic medical records for patients from 78 different healthcare organizations. Data were collected using ICD-10 codes and laboratory test order codes from TriNetX. Inclusion criteria are patients less than or equal to 18 years old with SCD with an ICD-10 code for ACS or pneumonia. Patients were included in the primary outcome analysis if they had a laboratory code for a rapid diagnostic test for M. pneumoniae and/or C. pneumoniae performed by either nasal swab or respiratory culture. There were 6762 pediatric sickle cell patients with an ICD-10 code for ACS or pneumonia identified. Of these patients, only 16.3% were tested for M. pneumoniae and 17.1% were tested for C. pneumoniae. The patients who were tested for these atypical organisms were further investigated for positivity on rapid diagnostic testing, and the positivity rate in these patients was 1.1% for M. pneumoniae and less than or equal to 0.87% for C. pneumoniae. Pediatric patients with ACS who were tested for M. pnuemoniae and C. pnuemoniae had low rates of positivity for these organisms. Most of these patients did not have recorded microbiologic testing, showing evidence of a large underutilization of diagnostic tools available that could assist with de-escalation of antibiotics.
The 4D Camera: An 87 kHz Direct Electron Detector for Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Ercius Peter , Johnson Ian J , Pelz Philipp , Savitzky Benjamin H , Hughes Lauren , Brown Hamish G , Zeltmann Steven E , Hsu Shang-Lin , Pedroso Cassio C S , Cohen Bruce E , Ramesh Ramamoorthy , Paul David , Joseph John M , Stezelberger Thorsten , Czarnik Cory , Lent Matthew , Fong Erin , Ciston Jim , Scott Mary C , Ophus Colin , Minor Andrew M , Denes Peter
Published: September 2024

We describe the development, operation, and application of the 4D Camera—a 576 by 576 pixel active pixel sensor for scanning/transmission electron microscopy which operates at 87,000 Hz. The detector generates data at ∼480 Gbit/s which is captured by dedicated receiver computers with a parallelized software infrastructure that has been implemented to process the resulting 10–700 Gigabyte-sized raw datasets. The back illuminated detector provides the ability to detect single electron events at accelerating voltages from 30 to 300 kV. Through electron counting, the resulting sparse data sets are reduced in size by 10--300× compared to the raw data, and open-source sparsity-based processing algorithms offer rapid data analysis. The high frame rate allows for large and complex scanning diffraction experiments to be accomplished with typical scanning transmission electron microscopy scanning parameters.
Nuclear expansion and chromatin structure remodeling in mouse aging neurons
Authors: Kriukov Dmitrii , Eremenko Ekaterina , Smirnov Dmitrii , Stein Daniel , Tsitrina Alexandra , Golova Anastasia , Einav Monica , Khrameeva Ekaterina , Toiber Debra
Published: September 2024

Aging, particularly in the brain, involves impairments in multiple cellular functions, many regulated at the nucleus. Chromatin structure plays a critical role in regulating gene expression and the maintenance of genomic stability. During differentiation, each cell type acquire their unique topology, this should be kept for a lifetime, but may deteriorate as we age. However, the effects of aging on the chromatin 3D structure of neurons remain largely unknown and much has been inferred from senescent cells. By combining chromosome conformation capture and microscopy techniques, we investigated cortical neurons of young and aged mice and discovered signs of neuronal nuclear expansion during neuronal aging, leading to increased distances between chromosomes. This expansion alters the topology of compartments, topologically associating domains (TADs) and chromatin loops. While larger TADs tend to dissociate, smaller TADs and loops exhibit strengthened interactions of chromatin in aged neurons. These topological changes impact the borders of TADs, resulting in weakening, this is parallel to Lamin-B weakening and nuclear envelope alterations. We attribute these alterations to changes in physical forces of an expanding nucleus, driving the distancing of chromosomes filling a growing nuclear area, affecting gene expression and topology, contributing to the functional declines observed during aging.
Making sense of feelings
Authors: Key Brian , Brown Deborah J
Published: September 2024

Internal feeling states such as pain, hunger, and thirst are widely assumed to be drivers of behaviours essential for homeostasis and animal survival. Call this the ‘causal assumption’. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the causal assumption is incompatible with the standard view of motor action in neuroscience. While there is a well-known explanatory gap between neural activity and feelings, there is also a disjuncture in the reverse direction—what role, if any, do feelings play in animals if not to cause behaviour? To deny that feelings cause behaviours might thus seem to presage epiphenomenalism—the idea that subjective experiences, including feelings, are inert, emergent and, on some views, non-physical properties of brain processes. Since epiphenomenalism is antagonistic to fundamental commitments of evolutionary biology, the view developed here challenges the standard view about the function of feelings without denying that feelings have a function. Instead, we introduce the ‘sense making sense’ hypothesis—the idea that the function of subjective experience is not to cause behaviour, but to explain, in a restricted but still useful sense of ‘explanation’. A plausible framework is derived that integrates commonly accepted neural computations to blend motor control, feelings, and explanatory processes to make sense of the way feelings are integrated into our sense of how and why we do and what we do.
Association Between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Impaired Bone Density Among Adolescents With Perinatally Acquired HIV Infection
Authors: Dzavakwa Nyasha V , Simms Victoria , Gregson Celia L , Chisenga Molly , Filteau Suzanne , Kasonka Lackson , Kranzer Katharina , Banda-Mabuda Hildah , Mujuru Hilda , Redzo Nicol , Mukwasi-Kahari Cynthia , Rowland-Jones Sarah L , Schaible Ulrich E , Ferrand Rashida A ,   VITALITY team, Carr Emily , Hauptmann Matthias , McHugh Grace , Gea-Mallorqui Ester , Leschczyk Christoph , Madanhire Tafadzwa , Manyanga Tadious , Mudzingwa Tsitsi S , Mutasa Kudakwashe , Namukonda Cassandra , Sichibalo N R Karen , Tembo Mizinga
Published: September 2024

Background

Stunting and pubertal delay are common among children growing up with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and are associated with bone and muscle impairments. We investigated factors associated with bone density and muscle function in adolescents living with HIV (ALWH).

Methods

The VITALITY trial (PACTR202009897660297) investigated whether vitamin D and calcium supplementation improves musculoskeletal health among ALWH. A total of 842 ALWH aged 11–19 years, established on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for ≥6 months, were enrolled from HIV clinics in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Clinical history and examination were undertaken, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) was measured. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured total-body-less-head bone mineral density adjusted for height (TBLH-BMDHT), and lumbar spine bone mineral apparent density (LS-BMAD) z scores. The association between a priori–defined covariates and musculoskeletal outcomes were investigated using baseline enrollment data and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

TBLH-BMDHT  z scores were impaired (mean, −1.42 for male and −0.63 female participants), as were LS-BMAD z scores (mean −1.15 for male and −0.47 for female participants). In bivariate analysis, early pubertal stage, less physical activity, and older age at ART initiation were associated with lower TBLH-BMDHT  z scores. Younger age, early pubertal stage, and low socioeconomic status were associated with lower LS-BMAD z scores. Grip-strength-for-height and jump-power-for-height z scores were associated with lower TBLH-BMDHT and LS-BMAD z scores. Low dietary vitamin D and calcium were associated with lower adjusted TBLH-BMDHT  z scores. Lower 25(OH)D3 was associated with lower adjusted TBLH-BMDHT and LS-BMAD z scores.

Conclusions

Deficits in bone density are common in ALWH. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation and promotion of exercise may improve musculoskeletal health among perinatally infected ALWH.
Conclusion
Authors: Barber Charles
Published: September 2024

A brief comparison to English late sixteenth-century literature returns the reader to the theme of eccentricity. The conclusion reiterates the originality of the art produced by El Greco, Michaēl Damaskēnos, and Geōrgios Klontzas, setting this achievement within the context of a changing and crisis-ridden world.
Dietary Restraint and Food Addiction
Authors: Wiss David A. , Tomiyama A. Janet
Published: September 2024

The goal of this chapter is to describe the interconnections between dietary restraint and food addiction. While vulnerability to food addiction through dietary restraint has not been established, there is merit in carefully examining the bidirectional connections between the two. Our conceptual model highlights important additional connections between obesity and body dissatisfaction, as well as moderating roles of various eating disorders. Two clinical vignettes illustrate intricacies among these relationships, highlighting important and exciting future directions. Recommendations for case conceptualization for professionals working with eating disorders and food addiction include consideration of the temporal sequence of symptom onset, the presence of comorbidities, and individualized treatment, which can discern as well as combine divergent food philosophies. Misguided treatments may lead to clinically significant eating disorders or worsen food addiction symptoms over the long run. A nuanced examination of the bidirectional relationship between dietary restraint and food addiction is timely and warranted.
Orexins in Food and Addiction
Authors: James Morgan H. , Aston-Jones Gary
Published: September 2024

This chapter introduces the hypothalamic orexin (hypocretin) neuropeptide system as a common brain system underlying seeking and craving of foods and drugs of abuse. The orexin system is readily engaged by both palatable foods and drugs of abuse, as well as by stimuli that predict their availability. Orexin release, in turn, engages downstream reward structures to promote motivated food- or drug-directed behaviors. Chronic exposure to food or drugs results in increased numbers and excitability of orexin-expressing neurons, and compounds that block orexin signaling (particularly at the orexin-1 receptor) are effective at reducing food and drug behaviors. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of this evidence, which together points to the potential utility of orexin-based compounds for the management of “addiction” to both drugs of abuse and certain foods.
The Neuroscience of Food ‘Wanting’ and ‘Liking’
Authors: Warlow Shelley M.
Published: September 2024

Reward can be parsed into separate psychological features mediated by distinct neurobiological mechanisms. Motivation to pursue and consume rewards (‘wanting’) is largely mediated by brain dopamine and other neuropeptides among several reward-related areas within mesocorticolimbic circuitry. Pleasure derived from reward (‘liking’) is generated more independently of dopamine, and instead by transmission of opioids and other peptides in more localized regions within the brain’s reward circuitry (i.e., hedonic hotspots). The incentive sensitization theory of addiction proposes that neural adaptations caused by exposure to drugs of abuse increase ‘wanting’ over time, while ‘liking’ stays relatively the same. Highly palatable foods may cause similar neural and behavioral sensitization of brain ‘wanting’ systems, providing a potential framework with which to study the neuroscience of food addiction.
Sign-Tracking to Food and Drug Cues
Authors: Westbrook Sara R. , Flagel Shelly B.
Published: September 2024

Individuals vary in how they respond to cues in the environment, and this individual variability may confer vulnerability to problematic eating and patterns of drug-taking and drug-seeking characteristic of addiction. Some individuals attribute reward-associated cues with incentive salience, and thereby sign-track to such cues. For these individuals, reward-associated cues may become motivational magnets, attractive and desirable in their own right, with the ability to seize attention and exert excessive control over behavior. The presence of these cues can exacerbate the already heightened impulsivity of individuals who sign-track, leading to difficulties in adapting behavior appropriately. Sign-tracking behavior arises from the combination of hyperactivity in a bottom-up subcortical system and reduced top-down cortical control. In this chapter, we describe the neurobehavioral endophenotype of sign-tracking and its relevance to problematic eating and addiction.
Industry Practices in the Development of Potentially Addictive Foods
Authors: Moss Michael
Published: September 2024

Michael Moss provides a review of lessons he has learned based on his investigative journalism into food industry products. Michael makes it clear that sugar, fat, and salt are not the only tools in the industry’s tool belt, and explains how they use our evolutionary wiring for calories, convenience, and pleasure against us to create compelling and addictive food products. Michael also compares the addictive nature of these industrially created foods to the conceptualization of addiction provided by the tobacco industry. He suggests some practices that might help us bring our eating back under our control, including intentionally considering what food products we bring into our home, techniques to address cravings, and the role of cooking in slowing down our drive for food.
Food Addiction and Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Neff Kirstie M. Herb , Launius Kellsey N. , Saules Karen K.
Published: September 2024

This chapter provides an overview of the literature on food addiction within the context of bariatric surgery. The prevalence of food addiction among bariatric surgery candidates and postoperative patients, both in the short and long term after surgery, is explored. Associations of food addiction with other forms of disordered eating, psychosocial factors, medical conditions, and postoperative outcomes are also reviewed. In general, the literature suggests food addiction is highly prevalent in bariatric populations, particularly before surgery, with a reemergence over time after surgery. Food addiction is associated with a host of comorbid conditions that may complicate treatment outcomes; however, evidence regarding the relationship between food addiction and postoperative weight outcomes is mixed. Results must be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations such as small sample sizes and a lack of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. As a result, food addiction’s prognostic significance and associations with postoperative outcomes remain somewhat unclear.
Psychosocial Interventions for Food Addiction
Authors: Cassin Stephanie E. , Montemarano Vanessa , Santiago Vincent A.
Published: September 2024

The literature on psychosocial interventions for food addiction is smaller in comparison to similar issues such as eating disorders and substance-related disorders, but it has grown recently in response to greater awareness of the addictive properties of hyper-palatable processed foods. This chapter provides a brief overview of studies that examine psychosocial interventions specifically targeting food addiction (n = 3), and psychosocial interventions targeting excess weight or bulimia nervosa that examine food addiction as a secondary outcome (n = 8). There are currently no established, evidence-based psychosocial interventions for food addiction; however, preliminary evidence suggests that motivational interviewing may help reduce consumption of processed foods, and mindfulness-based and cognitive and behavioral interventions may help improve food addiction symptoms. However, methodological issues—including short follow-up periods, small sample sizes, lack of control groups, and limited participant diversity—limit the extent to which they can inform clinical practice guidelines for food addiction.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Obesity
Authors: Kim Brittany Hope , Seilheimer Robert L. , Halpern Casey H.
Published: September 2024

In the past decade, advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and the neural circuits mediating behaviors related to reward have facilitated the expansion of its therapeutic use for obesity and related loss of control (LOC) eating, a pervasive feature of disordered eating. Current DBS targets for obesity include the hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens (NAc). The NAc is believed to play a role in reward processing by modulating the reinforcing value of food, and there is growing interest in understanding how NAc-DBS affects these reward pathways. Recent studies employing animal models and optogenetics have led to the development and use of responsive deep brain stimulation (rDBS) to target nucleus accumbens–mediated binge eating and restore inhibitory control. The use of this technology reflects a promising shift in the way that we approach treatment-refractory obesity and related conditions and holds potential in the treatment of disorders that involve dysregulated eating including binge eating disorder and Prader-Willi Syndrome. As the field of neuromodulation continues to evolve, researchers must also take care to ensure ethical guidelines are followed in a manner that balances therapeutic potential with patient risk, to protect patient autonomy and uphold principles of justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
Pharmacotherapy for Addiction that Targets Obesity Mechanisms
Authors: Qadeer Areej , Brezing Christina
Published: September 2024

Animal models, neuroimaging studies, and clinical trials have demonstrated that substance use disorders and obesity share several properties. In addition to overlapping vulnerability factors, human and animal studies have found that the addictive properties of food activate the same neurobiological pathways and brain regions as substances of abuse. This neurobiological overlap, specifically in the mesolimbic dopamine system, has been of pharmaceutical interest. Many studies have sought to identify novel treatments for addiction that target obesity mechanisms. Pharmacological applications of this relatedness in neural circuitry have been seen in dopamine agonists, opioid antagonists, dual norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors, serotonin 2c receptors, cannabinoid-1 receptors, and GABA transmitters. This chapter will review the pharmacotherapies that are currently under study for efficacy in treating both SUD and obesity.
Neurocircuitry Underlying the Addictive Dimension of Overeating and Obesity
Authors: Dennis Evan , Johnson Allison , Sotelo Diana , Vines Leah , Manza Peter , Wang Gene-Jack , Volkow Nora D.
Published: September 2024

Food naturally stimulates the brain’s reward neurocircuitry, a phenomenon that once conferred an evolutionary advantage in environments where energy sources were limited. Now, a relative abundance of high-calorie food options allows for overindulgence and excessive stimulation of the brain’s reward system. Indeed, neuroimaging studies have shown that disruptions in reward and executive control pathways are associated with compulsive overeating and obesity. These neurobiological deficits resemble those observed in individuals with substance use disorders, and it has been suggested that these alterations contribute to an addictive component of aberrant feeding behavior and obesity. A popular model describes addiction manifesting in three stages: the binge/intoxication stage, the withdrawal/negative affect stage, and the preoccupation/anticipation stage, which are mediated by disruptions of the basal ganglia, extended amygdala, and prefrontal cortex respectively. Here, we use this framework to organize evidence from recent neuroimaging studies demonstrating dysregulation of neural circuits associated with overeating and obesity.
Parrhesia of the Powerless
Authors: Bargu Banu
Published: September 2024

This chapter examines hunger- and thirst-striking and lip-sewing practices through the protests of migrants and asylum seekers in the border zones of the Global North. It examines these practices as enacting the gesture of a double withdrawal—from nutrition and from speech—and explores how the confluence of these forms of disembodiment in a violent and embodied silence can be interpreted as a form of what Michel Foucault calls “parrhesiastic practice.” The chapter traces how disruptions in bodily composure through irruptive gestures and willful counter-conduct offer a mode of corporeal critique, which brings forth an expanded conception of agency that is expressive. The chapter reconstructs the meaning of bodily agency for the oppressed not simply as a form of violent de-subjectivation, but also as a form of counter-subjectivation that reconfigures the relationship between the self and the body, and between the self and others.
Conclusion
Authors: Bargu Banu
Published: September 2024

This chapter recapitulates the book’s argument that forms of corporeal critique are not only expressions of suffering but also radical refusals of that suffering, of the conditions that create suffering, and the injustices and indignities experienced and perceived in great acuity in moments of crisis. This refusal emanates from the living body, its anteriority to power and ultimate uncapturability. As such, it enacts an assertion of dignity, which is not merely the sanctity of human life in the abstract, but should also include the material conditions of a dignified life. The chapter makes a case for how forms of corporeal critique may be considered to coalesce into a modern and modular repertoire of contention performed by the oppressed. It outlines the predominant features of this corporeal repertoire located in that liminal realm of the sub-political, beneath and beyond the contours of the conventional political sphere and of instrumental agency.
The Public Image
Authors: Rees Nathan
Published: September 2024

This chapter focuses on two types of visual works, cartoons and monuments, to situate how the Latter-day Saint church came to fashion a public image against and at times in cahoots with outside interests. Treating anti-Mormon portrayals in print to monumental visual displays sponsored by the church, the chapter unearths the early setting and stakes for a legacy of contested representations of Mormonism in America. Within this battleground Latter-day Saints sought to transform their image from radical outliers to quintessential American settlers. Rather than viewing these works as simply pro- or anti-Mormon, the chapter teases out their intertwined and contested meanings with an illuminating sophistication.
Overstatement as Style
Authors: Gabrillo James
Published: September 2024

This chapter chronicles the rise of birit, a musical performance style popularized during the late 1990s by the Philippine pop group Aegis. Birit features a local power-ballad template characterized by melismatic vocal technique, amplified rock instrumentation, and melodramatic performance gestures. Through musical analysis and ethnographic interviews, the author conceptualizes birit as complex convergence of indigenous, colonial, and Western musical aesthetics, content, and performance traditions. As such, it epitomizes a distinctive pop music style and Philippine tradition. Analyzing Aegis’s songs and performances, the chapter also illustrates how birit’s gendered musical identities are enacted, recognized, and familiarized within larger discursive fields of power and commercial interest in the local pop music industry. The chapter further theorizes birit as knowing parody and loving hyperbolization. Building on the concept of parodic escapism, the analysis assesses birit’s appeal to both the melodramatic and comedic sensibilities of the audience.
Nuanced Religious Accommodation
Authors: Ecklund Elaine Howard , Daniels Denise , Scheitle Christopher P
Published: September 2024

Organizations are often more accommodating of religious expression and practice by those in the religious majority and those in positions of power. In contrast, those in the religious minority often have difficulty asking for religious accommodations at work. Leaders who are attuned to these differences are more likely to help their employees—particularly those from underrepresented groups—understand and interpret policies related to religion in the workplace. When this is done effectively, people from various religions, including the nonreligious, feel comfortable asking for accommodations, and a workplace culture that supports religious diversity is developed.
The Rise of Retail Stockholder Litigation and the Creation of the Plaintiff’s Bar in American Business Law, 1930–1950
Authors: Dennis Donna
Published: September 2024

This chapter challenges the familiar narrative of the political economy of lawyering, where attorney work evolves from profit-making activities into the public-spirited ideas of civil and human rights that would dominate the second half of the twentieth century. Its vehicle is the emergence of the retail shareholder suit in the 1930s and 1940s, through which small holders of corporate stock began to challenge the actions of elite corporate managers. Such suits have long been criticized by the corporate bar and in legal literature as purely an instrument for profit-making by self-interested, unscrupulous plaintiffs’ lawyers. In contrast to this dominant, pejorative view of stockholder litigation and stockholders’ lawyers—a perspective that persists to this day—this chapter argues that the pioneers of the field (a tight network whose leaders included David Podell and Abraham Pomerantz) were innovative, conscientious attorneys, who built profitable legal practices by combining formidable trial skills with sophistication in corporate finance, accounting, and governance. In addition to achieving financial success, the individuals who invented modern shareholder litigation traversed multiple boundaries, working to imbue their new field of law with a sense of ethics and social purpose while also actively engaging in the complicated politics of the New Deal, socialism, labor rights, and other far-reaching causes of their day.
The Chain and the Rope
Authors: Glass Maeve
Published: September 2024

This chapter revisits some of the core stories of American constitutional history—slavery to freedom, noncitizenship to full inclusion, from the First Reconstruction to the Second, and state-based citizenship to national rights. It argues that one can see all this in the case of a putatively enslaved woman named Jane Johnson who, in Philadelphia in 1855, with the help of several Black porters and a white abolitionist, walked away from the man who claimed her as property. In the subsequent contests involving the man who wanted to reclaim her as his property, there was little talk of freedom, equal citizenship, or national rights. Instead, the arguments in court gradually focused on something that was asserted to predate the American colonies, that had traveled across the Atlantic to the New World—republican citizenship for the white men whose lives were involved in her case. In that world, the chapter argues, there was little room for a Black woman’s claim to equal citizenship and belonging to be heard—although her voice does briefly break through. The chapter poses a difficult question about constitutional history. Is the main story one of change over time in which the unrighted acquire rights and citizenship in an expanding nation, or is it story of deep-seated continuity where local hierarchies persist even through revolutionary changes in the formal constitutional order? Glass is suggesting that it is easier to see change, but that the stories of persistence are also there in the archive if we are discerning enough to see them.
Creating Music With Games
Authors: Lesser Andrew
Published: September 2024

Chapters 3–6 feature over 40 online and downloadable games that are available on desktop computers, laptops, Chromebooks, iOS, and other portable devices. The games presented in Chapter 3 are designed to promote student creativity by allowing the player to create music using interactivity without the risk of failure. The thematic elements focus on the National Core Arts Standard of Creating, such as the generation, development, and evaluation of artistic work. The games are organized into individual lesson templates that include learning objectives, detailed game descriptions, procedures for multiple classroom environments, differentiated instruction, assessments, and extensions. Instructional tutorial videos of each game will also be available on the Oxford University Press website.
Responding to Music With Games
Authors: Lesser Andrew
Published: September 2024

Chapter 5 focuses on games that promote Responding, including the perception, interpretation, and evaluation of musical works. This entails aural perception, note identification, knowledge of instruments, and recognition of chords and other tonal patterns. The games are organized into individual lesson templates that include learning objectives, detailed game descriptions, procedures for multiple classroom environments, differentiated instruction, assessments, and extensions. Instructional tutorial videos of each game will also be available on the OUP website.
Future Directions
Authors: Lesser Andrew
Published: September 2024

The final chapter envisions what new advances are predicted to affect digital game-based learning and how this learning can be applied to music education. These advances include innovations such as eLearning, massive multiplayer online games, and social media designed with education in mind. Emerging technologies such as adaptive learning machines, asynchronous learning, modding and coding, and augmented and virtual reality are placed into the context of practical application to promote greater student engagement, collaboration, and immersion. The book contains a comprehensive list of references and games cited. Additional materials, including video tutorials and instructions for individual games and classroom materials presented in the main text, are posted on the OUP website as supplementary resources.
Online Data and the Insurrection
Authors: Brown Megan A.
Published: September 2024

Online data is key to understanding the leadup to the January 6 insurrection, including how and why election fraud conspiracies spread online, how conspiracy groups organized online to participate in the insurrection, and other factors of online life that led to the insurrection. However, there are significant challenges in accessing data for this research. First, platforms restrict which researchers get access to data, as well as what researchers can do with the data they access. Second, this data is ephemeral; that is, once users or the platform remove the data, researchers can no longer access it. These factors affect what research questions can ever be asked and answered.
Rethinking Right-Wing Media in the Wake of an Attempted Coup
Authors: Yang Yunkang
Published: September 2024

This chapter sets a new research agenda for studying U.S. right-wing media going forward. Based on an analysis of the Federal Election Commission filings, it shows that many major right-wing media outlets actively coordinated with Republican super PACs to fundraise for Republicans who contested the 2020 election results. This finding challenges the conventional framing of right-wing media as forms of partisan journalism on the political right and raises new questions about right-wing media’s role in American democracy. Do political organizing activities such as fundraising count as journalism? Were right-wing media fulfilling their fourth-estate function when they helped overturn a democratically elected government? This chapter calls on scholars to move beyond the partisan media paradigm and consider right-wing media as political organizations that trade in symbols and narratives and engage in actions designed to advance strategic political objectives.
Respecting the UN Charter
Authors: Albanai Tareq
Published: September 2024

This chapter seeks to reinforce the existing requirements and obligations set out in Articles 23, 24, and 25 of the UN Charter concerning the composition of the Security Council (UNSC); the contribution of the nonpermanent members; the UNSC’s primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security; its obligation to carry out its duties in accordance with the UN’s purposes and principles; and the UN member states’ agreement to accept and carry out the UNSC’s decisions. The chapter elucidates the intricacies of the UNSC’s decision-making processes and the respective roles of the permanent and nonpermanent members. It provides insights into the complexities of international diplomacy and the procedural and other dynamics which influence the UNSC’s actions in addressing global challenges. Ultimately, the chapter offers several options that can be explored for a reformed UNSC—one that is better able to fulfill its role and responsibilities under the UN Charter.
Improving the UN Response to Aggression and Mass Atrocities
Authors: Marschik Axel
Published: September 2024

The chapter seeks a more efficient and effective response to the most serious violations of international law including aggression and mass atrocity crimes. While the UN Charter contains its own enforcement mechanism, it relies on the Security Council to act promptly and effectively to prevent and respond to threats to international peace and security. When the Council is unable or unwilling to act—due to a veto by one or more permanent members—this compromises the rule of law, and those states who commit violations continue to act with impunity, thereby contributing to a vicious cycle further eroding the rule of law. Member states have taken several initiatives to restrain the use of the veto in order to improve the UN’s response to aggression and mass atrocity crimes. The chapter proposes additional measures including a preauthorized sanctions mechanism to achieve greater automaticity and to ensure efficient response and effective accountability.
Restraining the Use of the Veto
Authors: Gómez-Robledo Juan Manuel , Olabuenaga Pablo Arrocha
Published: September 2024

This chapter addresses the legal limits to the veto found in the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and jus cogens norms. The Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. The UN Charter entrusts it with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in doing so, it acts on behalf of all UN member states. Its decisions are legally binding for the entire membership. However, Article 27(3) of the Charter allows the five permanent members to veto decisions other than decisions on disputes to which they are a party. This has led to paralysis in the Security Council impeding its ability to fulfill its mandate, including in situations involving mass atrocities. This chapter focuses on the various initiatives to restrain the use of the veto in such situations to bring more transparency and accountability to the work of the Security Council.