bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Registerdaten zur zementierten Endoprothetik
Authors: Humez Martina , Kötter Katharina , Skripitz Ralf , Kühn Klaus-Dieter
Published: October 2023

Hintergrund

In der Endoprothetik gibt es Hüft- und Knieimplantate, die zementfrei, „press-fit“ oder mit Knochenzement verankert werden. Real-World-Evidenz aus Endoprothesenregistern sowie Studien bieten eine breite Datenbasis zur Diskussion von zementierten im Vergleich zu zementfreien Endoprothesen.

Fragestellung

Wie lautet die Empfehlung zur zementierten oder zementfreien Verankerung von Hüft- und Knieimplantaten, basierend auf der aktuellen Evidenzlage internationaler Endoprothesenregister und Metaanalysen?

Material und Methode

Mittels des direkten Vergleichs von Daten aus den Endoprothesenregistern acht verschiedener Länder (USA, Deutschland, Australien, UK, Schweden, Norwegen, Neuseeland, Niederlande), dem Vergleich von 22 Review-Studien und Metaanalysen basierend auf Registerdaten, sowie der Auswertung der Empfehlung von Gesundheitssystemen unterschiedlicher Nationen wird eine Empfehlung generiert. Dazu wurden Reviews und Metaanalysen ausgewählt, deren Ergebnisse statistisch signifikant sind, ebenso wie die zum Zeitpunkt der Erstellung des Artikels aktuellen Jahresberichte der Endoprothesenregister.

Ergebnisse

Für Knieendoprothesen kann eine lange Überlebensdauer sowie ein geringeres Revisionsrisiko mithilfe einer zementierten Verankerung mit antibiotikabeladenem Knochenzement erreicht werden. Bei Patienten ab einem Alter von 70 Jahren reduziert eine zementierte Verankerung des Hüftschaftimplantats das Risiko einer intra- oder postoperativen periprothetischen Fraktur um das Vierfache, dies gilt sowohl für elektive Hüfttotalendoprothesen (Hüft-TEP), als auch für Hemiendoprothesen nach Schenkelhalsfrakturen. Ein antibiotikabeladener Knochenzement reduziert signifikant (p = 0,041) das Risiko für das Auftreten einer periprothetischen Infektion, insbesondere bei Patienten mit Schenkelhalsfrakturen.

Schlussfolgerungen

Die mit antibiotikabeladenem Knochenzement versorgte Knieendoprothese ist in Deutschland etabliert und wird durch die Evidenzlage bestätigt. Registerdaten und Metaanalysen empfehlen eine zementierte Verankerung des Hüftschaftimplantats beim älteren Patienten – hier sollte die Praxis in Deutschland der aktuellen Evidenz folgen.
Buckling optimization of additively manufactured cellular structures using numerical homogenization based on beam models
Authors: Hübner Daniel , Herrnböck Ludwig , Wein Fabian , Mergheim Julia , Steinmann Paul , Stingl Michael
Published: October 2023

Interest in components with detailed structures increased with the progress in advanced manufacturing techniques. Parts with lattice elements can provide improved global buckling stability compared to solid structures of the same weight. However, thin features are prone to local buckling. We present a two-scale optimization approach that simultaneously improves the local and global stability of parametrized graded lattice structures. Elastic properties and local buckling behavior are upscaled via homogenization based on geometric exact beam theory. To reduce computational effort, we construct a worst-case model for the homogenized buckling load factor, which acts as a safeguard against local buckling. We briefly discuss advantages and limitations by means of numerical examples.
Parental physical disease severity and severe documented physical child abuse: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Græsholt-Knudsen Troels , Rask Charlotte Ulrikka , Lucas Steven , Obel Carsten , Bech Bodil Hammer
Published: October 2023

Successful prevention of physical child abuse is dependent on improvements in risk assessment. The risk of abuse is assumed to increase when family stressors overcome resources. Severe physical disease can increase stress, and parental physical disease has been studied as a risk factor for physical child abuse, but with heterogeneous definitions. This study evaluated the relation between parental physical disease severity and severe documented physical child abuse. Models were based on data on children aged 0–17 years in Denmark between 1997 and 2018, and their parents. Severe documented physical child abuse was modeled as violence against a child registered by either health authorities in treatment or mortality registries, or police authorities in cases confirmed by the courts. Parental physical disease severity was modeled as the sum of Charlson Comorbidity Index scores for the child’s parents. The causal connection was examined in two model types: a survival model comparing exposed with non-exposed children, adjusted for covariates at baseline, and a G-model, taking time-varying covariates, including income and parental psychiatric disease into account. Neither model showed an association between parental physical disease severity and severe documented physical child abuse, with RR 0.99 and 95% CI (0.93–1.05) for the survival model and RR 1.08 for the G-model (CI not calculated).

  Conclusion: In the model studied, parental physical disease severity was not a risk factor for severe documented physical child abuse. Individual categories of physical disease remain to be examined.

  Trial registration: The study was pre-registered on Open Science Framework, https://osf.io/fh2sr.

What is Known:• Parental physical disease severity has been studied previously as a risk indicator of physical child abuse, but based on heterogeneous definitions.• Previous studies have not studied parental physical disease severity preceding physical child abuse.

What is New:• Parental severe physical disease was not prospectively associated with severe documented physical child abuse in a survival model, a G-model and a number of sensitivity analyses, respectively.• Results should be replicated in samples from populations without universal health care, and using different categories of disease.
Physical exercise in patients with testicular cancer treated with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin chemotherapy: pulmonary and vascular endothelial function—an exploratory analysis
Authors: van der Schoot Gabriela G. F. , Ormel Harm L. , Westerink Nico-Derk L. , Wempe Johan B. , Lefrandt Joop D. , May Anne M. , Vrieling Aline H. , Meijer Coby , Gietema Jourik A. , Walenkamp Annemiek M. E.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin combination chemotherapy (BEP) improves the survival of patients with testicular cancer, but is associated with potentially life-threatening toxicities like pneumonitis and thromboembolic events. This study explored the effects of physical exercise in patients with testicular cancer during or after BEP-chemotherapy on pulmonary and vascular endothelial toxicity.

Methods

In this post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical trial (NCT01642680), patients with metastatic testicular cancer scheduled to receive BEP-chemotherapy were randomized to a 24-week exercise intervention, initiated during (group A) or after BEP-chemotherapy (group B). Endpoints were pulmonary function (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), lung transfer-coefficient and transfer factor for carbon monoxide (KCO, DLCO) and markers of vascular endothelial dysfunction (von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIII).

Results

Thirty patients were included. Post-chemotherapy, patients declined less in FVC, FEV1 and DLCO in group A compared to group B. Post-chemotherapy, vWF and factor VIII were significantly lower in group A compared to group B. After completion of exercise, started either during BEP-chemotherapy or thereafter, no between-group differences were found. At 1-year post-intervention, significant between-group differences were found in favour of group A in DLCO and KCO.

Conclusions

Patients who exercised during BEP-chemotherapy better preserved FVC, FEV1 and DLCO, measured directly post-chemotherapy and 1-year post-intervention (DLCO, KCO). This coincided with less increase in vWF and factor VIII measured directly post-chemotherapy. These data support a beneficial role of a physical exercise intervention during BEP-chemotherapy on pulmonary and vascular damage in patients with testicular cancer.

Trial registry

Optimal Timing of Physical Activity in Cancer Treatment (ACT) Registry URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01642680. Trial registration number: NCT01642680.
Interior Operators and Their Relationship to Autocatalytic Networks
Authors: Steel Mike
Published: October 2023

The emergence of an autocatalytic network from an available set of elements is a fundamental step in early evolutionary processes, such as the origin of metabolism. Given the set of elements, the reactions between them (chemical or otherwise), and with various elements catalysing certain reactions, a Reflexively Autocatalytic F-generated (RAF) set is a subset R$$'$$

′

of reactions that is self-generating from a given food set, and with each reaction in R$$'$$

′

being catalysed from within R$$'$$

′

. RAF theory has been applied to various phenomena in theoretical biology, and a key feature of the approach is that it is possible to efficiently identify and classify RAFs within large systems. This is possible because RAFs can be described as the (nonempty) subsets of the reactions that are the fixed points of an (efficiently computable) interior map that operates on subsets of reactions. Although the main generic results concerning RAFs can be derived using just this property, we show that for systems with at least 12 reactions there are generic results concerning RAFs that cannot be proven using the interior operator property alone.
Ecosystem services in coffee agroforestry: their potential to improve labour efficiency amongst smallholder coffee producers
Authors: Tilden Geraldine Mary , Aranka Jonah Nugu , Curry George Nicolas
Published: October 2023

This paper investigates the potential labour efficiencies and socio-cultural benefits of agroforestry for coffee smallholders practising low input production strategies. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, our case study of coffee smallholders in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, shows that despite managing very small holdings of coffee trees (< 500 trees), productivity is challenged by labour shortages and by very low levels of farm inputs. Constraints on labour supply include barriers to mobilising women’s labour; competition for labour from alternative livelihoods; the absence of a market in hired labour; and the time, labour and income demands of the indigenous socio-economy. The indigenous social economy draws heavily on smallholders’ time, labour and coffee income, to the extent that there is little labour for coffee garden maintenance and little coffee income invested in other farm inputs. To address these input shortfalls we explore the potential of ecosystem services from shade-grown coffee to generate labour efficiencies to partly fill some of the unmet maintenance requirements of coffee gardens and to partly fill the role of other farm inputs. Coffee extension must become more holistic and consider smallholder families’ diverse livelihoods and recognise the enduring nature of the low input production strategy, its socio-cultural value, its role in determining life quality, and thus its resistance to change. Extension must align with, rather than challenge, the low input production strategy to promote the potential labour efficiencies and benefits of agroforestry to create more resilient, sustainable and culturally-enriching coffee-based farming systems.
Effects of Hydrogen Enrichment on Thermoacoustic and Helical Instabilities in Swirl Stabilised Partially Premixed Flames
Authors: Kumar Ankit D. , Massey James C. , Boxx Isaac , Swaminathan Nedunchezhian
Published: October 2023

The effects of hydrogen enrichment on flame and flow dynamics of a swirl-stabilised partially premixed methane-air flame are studied using large eddy simulation. The sub-grid reaction rate is modelled using unstrained premixed flamelets and a presumed joint probability density function approach. Two cases undergoing thermoacoustic oscillations at ambient conditions are studied. The addition of hydrogen modifies both thermoacoustic and fluid dynamical characteristics. The amplitude of the fundamental thermoacoustic mode increases with the addition of 20% hydrogen by volume. A second pressure mode associated with the chamber mode is also excited with the hydrogen addition. Intermittent single, double and triple helical instabilities are observed in the pure methane case, but are suppressed substantially with hydrogen addition. The results are analysed in detail to shed light on these observations. The feedback loop responsible for the thermoacoustic instability is driven by mixture fraction perturbations resulting from the unequal impedances of the fuel and air channels. It is shown that hydrogen addition increases the flame’s sensitivity to these perturbations, resulting in an increase in amplitude. This higher amplitude thermoacoustic oscillation, along with a higher local heat release rate in the presence of hydrogen, is shown to considerably modify the flow structures, leading to a suppression of the helical instabilities.
Attributing historical streamflow changes in the Jhelum River basin to climate change
Authors: Javed Mustafa , Didovets Iulii , Böhner Jürgen , Hasson Shabeh ul
Published: October 2023

Amid a heated debate on what are possible and what are plausible climate futures, ascertaining evident changes that are attributable to historical climate change can provide a clear understanding of how warmer climates will shape our future habitability. Hence, we detect changes in the streamflow simulated using three different datasets for the historical period (1901–2019) and analyze whether these changes can be attributed to observed climate change. For this, we first calibrate and validate the Soil and Water Integrated Model and then force it with factual (observed) and counterfactual (baseline) climates presented in the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3a protocol. We assessed the differences in simulated streamflow driven by the factual and counterfactual climates by comparing their trend changes ascertained using the Modified Mann–Kendall test on monthly, seasonal, and annual timescales. In contrast to no trend for counterfactual climate, our results suggest that mean annual streamflow under factual climate features statistically significant decreasing trends, which are − 5.6, − 3.9, and − 1.9 m3s−1 for the 20CRv3-w5e5, 20CRv3, and GSWP3-w5e5 datasets, respectively. Such trends, which are more pronounced after the 1960s, for summer, and for high flows can be attributed to the weakening of the monsoonal precipitation regime in the factual climate. Further, discharge volumes in the recent factual climate dropped compared to the early twentieth-century climate, especially prominently during summer and mainly for high flows whereas earlier shifts found in the center of volume timings are due to early shifts in the nival regime. These findings clearly suggest a critical role of monsoonal precipitation in disrupting the hydrological regime of the Jhelum River basin in the future.
Construction of a novel kinetic model for the production process of a CVA6 VLP vaccine in CHO cells
Authors: Xing Zhou , Nguyen Thao Bich , Kanai-Bai Guirong , Yamano-Adachi Noriko , Omasa Takeshi
Published: October 2023

Bioprocess development benefits from kinetic models in many aspects, including scale-up, optimization, and process understanding. However, current models are unable to simulate the production process of a coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine using Chinese hamster ovary cell culture. In this study, a novel kinetic model was constructed, correlating (1) cell growth, death, and lysis kinetics, (2) metabolism of major metabolites, and (3) CVA6 VLP production. To construct the model, two batches of a laboratory-scale 2 L bioreactor cell culture were prepared and various pH shift strategies were applied to examine the effect of pH shift. The proposed model described the experimental data under various conditions with high accuracy and quantified the effect of pH shift. Next, cell culture performance with various pH shift timings was predicted by the calibrated model. A trade-off relationship was found between product yield and quality. Consequently, multiple objective optimization was performed by integrating desirability methodology with model simulation. Finally, the optimal operating conditions that balanced product yield and quality were predicted. In general, the proposed model improved the process understanding and enabled in silico process development of a CVA6 VLP vaccine.
The Theory of Immersive Collaborative Learning (TICOL)
Authors: Makransky Guido , Petersen Gustav Bøg
Published: October 2023

The need to virtually collaborate across distributed locations has drastically increased. Developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and new IT platforms like the metaverse have spurred a host of new immersive social applications that are accessed through head-mounted displays. This is expected to stimulate a surge in research on extended reality–supported collaborative learning (XRCL) which refers to distributed collaboration situations where immersive technology such as head-mounted displays are used as a medium for collaborative learning. The primary aim of this article is to critically examine the potential pedagogical benefits and limitations of using XRCL with the objective of developing a theoretical framework that describes the fundamental factors that make immersive collaborative learning unique: the theory of immersive collaborative learning (TICOL). In TICOL, we propose that technological features, social affordances, and pedagogical techniques can foster four psychological factors that we define as fundamentally different in XRCL compared to collaboration that occurs through traditional systems (e.g., laptops): social presence, physical presence, body ownership, and agency. These are central factors that we hypothesize can transform the processes and contexts of collaboration through their influence on the quality of cognitive and socio-emotional social interaction, the social space, and ultimately learning outcomes. Since XRCL research is in its infancy, we hope that TICOL can provide a theoretical basis for developing the field by motivating researchers to empirically challenge and build on our hypotheses and ultimately develop a deeper understanding of if and how immersive media influences collaborative learning.
Phonetic correlates to Khalkha Mongolian vowel contrasts: duration, formants and voice quality
Authors: Kenstowicz Michael J.
Published: October 2023

The paper reports the results of an analysis of acoustic correlates to phonological contrasts in vowel length, quality and pharyngeal width with data from five native speakers of the Khalkh dialect. The study replicates Svantesson’s (1985) discovery of a chain-shift rotation of the round vowels in their presumed evolution from Classical Mongolian. Analysis with VoiceSauce (Shue et al. in: Proceedings of the ICPhS XVII, 1846–1849, 2009) finds that in addition to the first formant, the harmonics-to-noise ratio is a reliable indicator of the ATR versus RTR contrast that has been hypothesized to be the basis of the language’s vowel harmony.
Studying a mathematics teacher’s documentational and identity trajectories over time
Authors: Psycharis Giorgos , Skott Charlotte Krog
Published: October 2023

We study the interactions over 22 years between one mathematics teacher and his resources for teaching, especially digital ones, with a dual focus on the teacher’s documentational and identity trajectories and professional development. We combined a theoretical framework on teachers’ work with resources—documentational approach to didactics (DAD)—with a framework based on social practice theory—patterns of participation (PoP). The DAD analysis provided rich descriptions of which digital resources the teacher interacted with and of the transformative evolution of these interactions over time. The PoP analysis offered explanations of how and why the teacher transformed his interactions with the resources through foregrounding affective and contextual factors as significant for the teacher’s formation of identity. We conclude that the combination of the two frameworks provided deeper and complementary insights into the teacher’s long-term professional development with digital resources, and that such networking is needed to develop balanced understandings of teachers’ long-term interactions with digital resources.
Flexible Bayesian Inference for Diffusion Processes using Splines
Authors: Jenkins Paul A. , Pollock Murray , Roberts Gareth O.
Published: October 2023

We introduce a flexible method to simultaneously infer both the drift and volatility functions of a discretely observed scalar diffusion. We introduce spline bases to represent these functions and develop a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to infer, a posteriori, the coefficients of these functions in the spline basis. A key innovation is that we use spline bases to model transformed versions of the drift and volatility functions rather than the functions themselves. The output of the algorithm is a posterior sample of plausible drift and volatility functions that are not constrained to any particular parametric family. The flexibility of this approach provides practitioners a powerful investigative tool, allowing them to posit a variety of parametric models to better capture the underlying dynamics of their processes of interest. We illustrate the versatility of our method by applying it to challenging datasets from finance, paleoclimatology, and astrophysics. In view of the parametric diffusion models widely employed in the literature for those examples, some of our results are surprising since they call into question some aspects of these models.
Space-time rigid multibody dynamics
Authors: Hesch C. , Glas S. , Schuß S.
Published: October 2023

In this contribution, we apply space-time formulation on constrained rigid body dynamics. In particular, we discretize directly Hamilton’s principle using appropriate space-time approximation spaces for the variational problem. Moreover, we make use of a rotationless formulation for the rigid bodies, and thus we have to define appropriate approximation spaces for the Lagrange multipliers as well. Moreover, we make use of Livens’ principle, introducing independent quantities for the position, velocity, and momentum, where the latter can be considered as Lagrange multipliers, and we apply this concept to the space-time rigid body formulation. Finally, we demonstrate the convergence of the different approaches and the superiority in terms of computational effort, and thus total energy consumption of dynamical simulations.
Flood resilience assessment from the perspective of urban (in)formality in Surat, India: Implications for sustainable development
Authors: Jamshed Ali , Patel Chirag , Puriya Anshul , Iqbal Nimra , Rana Irfan Ahmad , McMillan Joanna M. , Pandey Rajiv , Altaf Shahbaz , Mehmood Rana Tahir , Saad Umair bin
Published: October 2023

Urbanization has resulted in increasing the pace of informality, specifically in developing countries like India. Informality is taking place at locations that are exposed to various hazards, and therefore, resilience building of both informal and formal settlements is needed to achieve sustainable development. Resilience assessment is key in defining appropriate area-specific resilience measures. Given that, this research assesses the resilience of formal and informal settlements of Surat city in India and presents implications for sustainable development. To assess resilience, an indicator-based approach was taken, using a household survey to collect the data. Analysis suggests that the resilience of formal and informal settlements is significantly different. Key differences were found in physical and institutional resilience, where informal settlements were found to be significantly less resilient than formal settlements. Several measures, such as gender-sensitive education and livelihood programs, as well as mobile water and sanitation, have positive implications for sustainable development. Overall, the study can guide disaster managers and policy makers to adopt a strategic and more targeted approach to strengthen resilience and achieve sustainable development.
Motion planning and stabilization of nonholonomic systems using gradient flow approximations
Authors: Grushkovskaya Victoria , Zuyev Alexander
Published: October 2023

Nonlinear control-affine systems described by ordinary differential equations with time-varying vector fields are considered in the paper. We propose a unified control design scheme with oscillating inputs for solving the trajectory tracking and stabilization problems under the bracket-generating condition. This methodology is based on the approximation of a gradient-like dynamics by trajectories of the designed closed-loop system. As an intermediate outcome, we characterize the asymptotic behavior of solutions of the considered class of nonlinear control systems with oscillating inputs under rather general assumptions on the generating potential function. These results are applied to examples of nonholonomic trajectory tracking and obstacle avoidance.
CO2 Dissociation in Barrier Corona Discharges: Effect of Elevated Pressures in CO2/Ar Mixtures
Authors: Mahdikia Hamed , Brüser Volker , Schiorlin Milko , Brandenburg Ronny
Published: October 2023

The formation of carbon monoxide, oxygen and ozone in a barrier corona discharge (BCD) operating in pure carbon dioxide (CO2) and binary mixtures of CO2 and argon is studied. The asymmetric electrode configuration of the BCDs allows plasma operation at pressures exceeding 1 atm, up to 6 bar, at moderate high-voltage amplitudes below 15 kV. Charge–voltage plots and an equivalent circuit model are employed to characterize the electrical parameters at different pressures and gas compositions. Depending on these conditions and the voltage amplitude, full or partial coverage of the electrodes with plasma is obtained. The existence of an optimum pressure for power dissipation for each given operation voltage amplitude and gas composition can be confirmed and explained by the equivalent circuit model. Increasing the CO2 concentration in the working gas increases the mean reduced electric field strength E/N while pressure reduces it in the BCD. The CO2 conversion shows a maximum efficiency of about 4% at 1.5 bar for the gas mixture Ar/CO2 = 1:1 and a voltage amplitude of about 10 kV. The calculation of thermodynamic equilibrium parameters reveals that a relatively small increase in pressure can affect both, the equilibrium parameters and the reaction rates. As a result, the specific required energy for the reaction ($$\Delta \mathrm{H}/\mathrm{SEI}$$

Δ
H
/
SEI

) shows an optimum, but only 8% of the electrical input energy is spent for CO2 dissociation at these optimum conditions.
A concept elicitation study to understand the relationship between sleep and pain in rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Raymond Kimberly , Chen Wen-Hung , Bracher Marguerite , Foster April , Lovley Andrew , Saucier Cory , Jackson Kristi , McDermott Eleanor J.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This qualitative study (GSK study: 213635) was designed to better understand sleep disturbance as experienced by individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), and the relationship between sleep disturbance and pain and other aspects of the disease and disease activity.

Methods

Sixty-minute, one-on-one, concept elicitation interviews were conducted with 30 participants (15 with RA and 15 with axSpA) from the US. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed to explore themes related to pain and sleep disturbance, and relationships among those themes.

Results

Pain was a prominent driver of sleep disturbance; 12 participants with RA (80%) and 14 with axSpA (93%) reported that pain impacted their ability to fall asleep, while all 15 with RA (100%) and 14 with axSpA (93%) reported that pain impacted their ability to stay asleep. Two-thirds of participants with RA (67%) or axSpA (60%) described a bi-directional relationship, whereby pain worsened sleep disturbance and sleep disturbance further aggravated pain. Factors other than pain, such as fatigue and emotional health, were also reported as important contributors to sleep disturbance (RA: n = 12/15, 80%; axSpA: n = 14/15, 93%). Participants with RA or axSpA described complex interconnections between fatigue, emotional health, pain, and sleep, often labeling these relationships as “vicious cycles”. Notably, half of all participants reported sleep disturbance occurring without pain or other understood causes.

Conclusion

These perspectives collected from people with RA or axSpA suggest that reducing sleep disruption directly may offer clinically relevant benefits.
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after different axillary treatments in women with breast cancer: a 1-year longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Vrancken Peeters N. J. M. C. , Kaplan Z. L. R. , Clarijs M. E. , Mureau M. A. M. , Verhoef C. , van Dalen T. , Husson O. , Koppert L. B.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

As life expectancy continues to rise, post-treatment health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of breast cancer patients becomes increasingly important. This study examined the one-year longitudinal relation between axillary treatments and physical, psychosocial, and sexual wellbeing and arm symptoms.

Methods

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who received different axillary treatments being axilla preserving surgery (APS) with or without axillary radiotherapy or full axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) with or without axillary radiotherapy were included. HRQoL was assessed at baseline, 6- and 12-months postoperatively using the BREAST-Q and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire Breast Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Mixed regression models were constructed to assess the impact of axillary treatment on HRQoL. HRQoL at baseline was compared to HRQoL at 6- and at 12-months postoperatively.

Results

In total, 552 patients were included in the mixed regressions models. Except for ALND with axillary radiotherapy, no significant differences in physical and psychosocial wellbeing were found. Physical wellbeing decreased significantly between baseline and 6- and 12-months postoperatively (p < 0.001, p = 0.035) and psychosocial wellbeing decreased significantly between baseline and 12 months postoperatively (p = 0.028) for ALND with axillary radiotherapy compared to APS alone. Arm symptoms increased significantly between baseline and 6 months and between baseline and 12 months postoperatively for APS with radiotherapy (12.71, 13.73) and for ALND with radiotherapy (13.93, 16.14), with the lowest increase in arm symptoms for ALND without radiotherapy (6.85, 7.66), compared to APS alone (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Physical and psychosocial wellbeing decreased significantly for ALND with radiotherapy compared to APS alone. Shared decision making and expectation management pre-treatment could be strengthened by discussing arm symptoms per axillary treatment with the patient.
Exposure to Feminist Humor and the Proclivity to Collective Action for Gender Equality: The Role of Message Format and Feminist Identification
Authors: Vizcaíno-Cuenca Rocío , Riquelme Andrés R. , Romero-Sánchez Mónica , Megías Jesús L. , Carretero-Dios Hugo
Published: October 2023

Previous research has pointed out that feminist humor or subversive humor against sexism is an important precursor to collective action for gender equality. This effect has been found contrasting subversive humor with neutral humor, however, to date, no study has explored the impact of the message format. Thus, we conducted two experiments to analyze the effect of exposure to a subversive humorous vignette against sexism (vs. subversive serious information against sexism and neutral humorous vignette) on involvement in collective action for gender equality, considering participants’ feminist identification. In Study 1 (n = 135 men and n = 198 women), participants with lower feminist identification reported a greater proclivity toward collective action after being exposure to both a subversive humorous vignette and subversive serious vignette (vs. neutral humorous vignette). In Study 2 (n = 157 men and 188 women), we replaced the subversive serious vignette with a subversive serious discourse. The results revealed that exposure to a subversive humorous vignette (vs. subversive serious discourse and neutral humorous vignette) increased participants’ collective action proclivity, but only in participants with weaker feminist identification. Both studies highlight a new pathway to motivate collective action for gender equality, as well as the potential effect of humor to promote a change in attitudes.
Hybrid elicitation and quantile-parametrized likelihood
Authors: Perepolkin Dmytro , Goodrich Benjamin , Sahlin Ullrika
Published: October 2023

This paper extends the application of quantile-based Bayesian inference to probability distributions defined in terms of quantiles of observable quantities. Quantile-parameterized distributions are characterized by high shape flexibility and parameter interpretability, making them useful for eliciting information about observables. To encode uncertainty in the quantiles elicited from experts, we propose a Bayesian model based on the metalog distribution and a variant of the Dirichlet prior. We discuss the resulting hybrid expert elicitation protocol, which aims to characterize uncertainty in parameters by asking questions about observable quantities. We also compare and contrast this approach with parametric and predictive elicitation methods.
Thought experiments, sentience, and animalism
Authors: Hermida Margarida
Published: October 2023

Animalism is prima facie the most plausible view about what we are; it aligns better with science and common sense, and is metaphysically more parsimonious. Thought experiments involving the brain, however, tend to elicit intuitions contrary to animalism. In this paper, I examine two classical thought experiments from the literature, brain transplant and cerebrum transplant, and a new one, cerebrum regeneration. I argue that they are theoretically possible, but that a scientifically informed account of what would actually happen shows that in none of the cases would the person be separated from the animal. Our intuitions in these cases, when adequately informed by neuroscience, do not conflict with animalism – rather, they suggest a correction of the animalist position: the persisting animal should be at least minimally sentient. Sentience animalism is a new formulation of the animalist account of personal identity that allows us to reconcile facts about our biological persistence conditions with the intuition that human persistence should involve some kind of psychological continuity.
Gallibacterium anatis infection in poultry: a comprehensive review
Authors: Abd El-Ghany Wafaa A. , Algammal Abdelazeem M. , Hetta Helal F. , Elbestawy Ahmed R.
Published: October 2023

Gallibacterium anatis (G. anatis), a member of the Pasteurellaceae family, normally inhabits the upper respiratory and lower genital tracts of poultry. However, under certain circumstances of immunosuppression, co-infection (especially with Escherichia coli or Mycoplasma), or various stressors, G. anatis caused respiratory, reproductive, and systemic diseases. Infection with G. anatis has emerged in different countries worldwide. The bacterium affects mainly chickens; however, other species of domestic and wild birds may get infected. Horizontal, vertical, and venereal routes of G. anatis infection have been reported. The pathogenicity of G. anatis is principally related to the presence of some essential virulence factors such as Gallibacterium toxin A, fimbriae, haemagglutinin, outer membrane vesicles, capsule, biofilms, and protease. The clinical picture of G. anatis infection is mainly represented as tracheitis, oophoritis, salpingitis, and peritonitis, while other lesions may be noted in cases of concomitant infection. Control of such infection depends mainly on applying biosecurity measures and vaccination. The antimicrobial sensitivity test is necessary for the correct treatment of G. anatis. However, the development of multiple drug resistance is common. This review article sheds light on G. anatis regarding history, susceptibility, dissemination, virulence factors, pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnosis, and control measures.
SegViT v2: Exploring Efficient and Continual Semantic Segmentation with Plain Vision Transformers
Authors: Zhang Bowen , Liu Liyang , Phan Minh Hieu , Tian Zhi , Shen Chunhua , Liu Yifan
Published: October 2023

This paper investigates the capability of plain Vision Transformers (ViTs) for semantic segmentation using the encoder–decoder framework and introduce SegViTv2. In this study, we introduce a novel Attention-to-Mask (ATM) module to design a lightweight decoder effective for plain ViT. The proposed ATM converts the global attention map into semantic masks for high-quality segmentation results. Our decoder outperforms popular decoder UPerNet using various ViT backbones while consuming only about $$5\%$$

5
%

of the computational cost. For the encoder, we address the concern of the relatively high computational cost in the ViT-based encoders and propose a Shrunk++ structure that incorporates edge-aware query-based down-sampling (EQD) and query-based up-sampling (QU) modules. The Shrunk++ structure reduces the computational cost of the encoder by up to $$50\%$$

50
%

while maintaining competitive performance. Furthermore, we propose to adapt SegViT for continual semantic segmentation, demonstrating nearly zero forgetting of previously learned knowledge. Experiments show that our proposed SegViTv2 surpasses recent segmentation methods on three popular benchmarks including ADE20k, COCO-Stuff-10k and PASCAL-Context datasets. The code is available through the following link: https://github.com/zbwxp/SegVit.
Polysomnographic characteristics of sleep in adults with and without physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis: results from the Study of Health in Pomerania
Authors: Piontek Katharina , Arnold Andreas , Ewert Ralf , Stubbe Beate , Bremert Thomas , Krüger Markus , Fietze Ingo , Völzke Henry , Apfelbacher Christian
Published: October 2023

Purpose

To analyze sleep characteristics as measured with polysomnography (PSG) in adults from the general population with and without physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD).

Methods

We analyzed data from participants from the German population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) TREND-0. AD was diagnosed in a standardized skin examination. The following polysomnographic parameters were measured: total sleep duration (min), sleep latency (min), wake after sleep onset (WASO; min), rapid eye movement (REM) latency (min), sleep efficiency (%), total number of wakefulness and movement episodes, stages of sleep (%), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Additionally, the subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). We compared sleep characteristics of participants with and without AD.

Results

Among 1187 participants, 47 (4.0%) had AD. We found no differences between participants with and without AD in any of the analyzed PSG parameters except for the total number of wakefulness and movement episodes and the percentage of REM sleep. Participants with AD had a higher number of wakefulness and movement episodes, and a lower proportion of REM sleep compared to those without AD. Regarding subjective sleep parameters, no significant differences were found between participants with and without AD.

Conclusion

Our data do not provide evidence for poor sleep quality in individuals with AD. Major limitations of the study include the unavailability of data on AD severity and the small number of participants with AD. Larger-scaled longitudinal studies considering disease severity and specific AD symptoms with an effect on sleep are required.
Influenza vaccination for elderly, vulnerable and high-risk subjects: a narrative review and expert opinion
Authors: Antonelli Incalzi Raffaele , Consoli Agostino , Lopalco Pierluigi , Maggi Stefania , Sesti Giorgio , Veronese Nicola , Volpe Massimo
Published: October 2023

Influenza is associated with a substantial health burden, especially in high-risk subjects such as older adults, frail individuals and those with underlying chronic diseases. In this review, we summarized clinical findings regarding the impact of influenza in vulnerable populations, highlighted the benefits of influenza vaccination in preventing severe illness and complications and reviewed the main evidence on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of the vaccines that are best suited to older adults among those available in Italy. The adverse outcomes associated with influenza infection in elderly and frail subjects and those with underlying chronic diseases are well documented in the literature, as are the benefits of vaccination (mostly in older adults and in patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lung disease). High-dose and adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccines were specifically developed to provide enhanced immune responses in older adults, who generally have low responses mainly due to immunosenescence, comorbidities and frailty. These vaccines have been evaluated in clinical studies and systematic reviews by international immunization advisory boards, including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The high-dose vaccine is the only licensed influenza vaccine to have demonstrated greater efficacy versus a standard-dose vaccine in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza in a randomized controlled trial. Despite global recommendations, the vaccination coverage in high-risk populations is still suboptimal. All healthcare professionals (including specialists) have an important role in increasing vaccination rates.
Next Steps: Studying Diabetic Foot Infections with Next-Generation Molecular Assays
Authors: Sande Caitlin , Boston Zoë J. , Kalan Lindsay R. , Brennan Meghan B.
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

In 2019, the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot voiced six concerns regarding the use of molecular microbiology techniques for routine diagnosis of infection complicating diabetic foot ulcers. The purpose of this review is to evaluate contemporary evidence addressing each of these concerns and describe promising avenues for continued development of molecular microbiology assays.

Recent Findings

Since 2019, the feasibility of conducting metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies on diabetic foot ulcer samples has been shown. However, these preliminary studies used small samples with concerns for selection bias. We await larger-scale, longitudinal studies, potentially using the recently formed Diabetic Foot Consortium, to identify microbiome profiles associated with infection and patient outcomes. How these results would translate into a clinical diagnostic requires further clarification.

High-throughput molecular microbiology techniques are not yet ready for clinical adoption as first-line diagnostics. However, moving from amplicon sequencing to metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies has the potential to significantly accelerate development of assays that might meaningfully impact patient care.
Does Tension Headache Have a Central or Peripheral Origin? Current State of Affairs
Authors: Repiso-Guardeño Ángela , Moreno-Morales Noelia , Labajos-Manzanares María Teresa , Rodríguez-Martínez María Carmen , Armenta-Peinado Juan Antonio
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

The aim of this narrative review is to analyze the evidence about a peripheral or central origin of a tension headache attack in order to provide a further clarification for an appropriate approach.

Recent Findings

Tension headache is a complex and multifactorial pathology, in which both peripheral and central factors could play an important role in the initiation of an attack. Although the exact origin of a tension headache attack has not been conclusively established, correlations have been identified between certain structural parameters of the craniomandibular region and craniocervical muscle activity. Future research should focus on improving our understanding of the pathology with the ultimate goal of improving diagnosis.

The pathogenesis of tension-type headache involves both central and peripheral mechanisms, being the perpetuation over time of the headache attacks what would favor the evolution of an episodic tension-type headache to a chronic tension-type headache. The unresolved question is what factors would be involved in the initial activation in a tension headache attack. The evidence that favors a peripheral origin of the tension headache attacks, that is, the initial events occur outside the brain barrier, which suggests the action of vascular and musculoskeletal factors at the beginning of a tension headache attack, factors that would favor the sensitization of the peripheral nervous system as a result of sustained sensory input.
A Model of Trust Processes in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors: Preti Emanuele , Richetin Juliette , Poggi Anita , Fertuck Eric
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

Unstable relationships are a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Impairments in trust processes (i.e., appraisal and learning regarding others’ trustworthiness) can subserve interpersonal problems associated with BPD, but the determinants, mechanisms, consequences, and variations in trust impairments among individuals with BPD remain poorly characterized. Thus, a better understanding of such impairments could help target interventions that address the interpersonal problems of individuals with BPD beyond emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and aggression.

Recent Findings

We conducted a pre-registered systematic review of empirical studies on trust processes and BPD features (k = 29). Results are organized around a heuristic model of trust processes in BPD comprising the following stages: developmental factors, prior beliefs and dispositions, situation perception, emotional states, trust appraisal, behavioral manifestations, and trust learning.

Based on the synthesis of the findings, we recommended directions for future research and clinical assessment and intervention, such as managing trust during the early stages of therapy and considering improvements in trust processes as a central mechanism of change in treating individuals with BPD.
Manifestations and etiology of cutaneous findings in cases of morbid obesity
Authors: Byard Roger W.
Published: October 2023

Morbid obesity is associated with a wide range of metabolic, infective, and organic disorders related to adipose tissue overload. While careful documentation of internal autopsy findings is usual, skin manifestations may be overlooked. Skin manifestations are quite diverse and include striae distensae, skin tags, plantar hyperkeratosis, acanthosis nigricans, the sequelae of hyperandrogenism, lymphedema, panniculus morbidus, chronic venous insufficiency, stasis dermatitis, leg ulceration, intertrigo, cellulitis, pressure ulcers and ‘buried penis’. Obesity has also been associated with hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, systemic lupus erythematosus, lichen planus and acne vulgaris. Evaluating these findings at the time of autopsy may give a more complete assessment of a particular case and may also identify conditions that may have contributed to, or caused, death.