bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term Outcome of Lupus Nephritis Class II in Argentine Patients
Authors: Collado Maria Victoria , Dorado Enrique , Rausch Silvia , Gomez Graciela , Khoury Marina , Zazzetti Federico , Gargiulo María , Suarez Lorena , Chaparro Rafael , Paira Sergio , Galvan Laura , Juarez Vicente , Pisoni Cecilia , Garcia Mercedes , Martinez Liliana , Alvarez Analia , Alvarez Clarisa , Barreira Juan , Sarano Judith
Published: May 2016

Background

There is controversy in medical literature over the outcome of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) class II. The aim of this study was to explore the risk of histological transformation (HT) and possible factors related to negative response to treatment in patients with mesangial LN class II.

Methods

A retrospective and multicenter study was carried out that includes patients who had received a diagnosis of LN class II on their first renal biopsy. Creatinine, urine sediment, and proteinuria were recorded at the time of the first biopsy, 6 months, and 1, 2, and 5 years after the first biopsy. Response to treatment, HT, and long-term outcome were evaluated.

Results

Forty-one patients were included. The manifestation at first biopsy was proteinuria greater than 0.5 g/d in 28 patients (68.29%; 8 [28.57%] of 28 patients had nephrotic syndrome), hematuria in 18 patients (43.90%), and deterioration of renal function in 3 patients (7.31%). During the follow-up (median, 8 years; range, 1–35 years), a new biopsy was performed in 18 patients (43.90%), and in 17 patients (17/18 [94.44%]), there was HT. Median time at rebiopsy was 32 months (range, 11–305 months). Of the 18 patients who had a second biopsy, 10 (55.55%) were on hydroxychloroquine versus 100% (19/19) of patients who did not undergo the procedure (P= 0.001). A year after the first renal biopsy, there are data available from 34 patients; of them, 24 patients (70.58%) had achieved response, and 10 patients (29.41%) had no response (NR) (missing data in 7). A higher 24-hour urinary protein at 6 months was predictor of worse outcome at 1 year, with statistical significance difference for the nonresponder group (median proteinuria, 2.3 g/d [range, 0–4.7 g/d]) compared with responders (median proteinuria, 0.28 g/d [range, 0–1.7 g/d]) (P= 0.0133).

In the long-term follow-up (5 years), HT was the main cause of unfavorable outcome and was measured in 78.57% of patients (11/14 patients).

Conclusions

This series shows a high rate of HT in long-term follow-up. Proteinuria at 6 months made it possible to set aside patients who will have an unfavorable outcome in the long term and who will thus benefit from a more aggressive treatment. The results suggest that hydroxychloroquine had a nephroprotective effect.
Cardiothoracic Applications of 3-dimensional Printing
Authors: Giannopoulos Andreas A. , Steigner Michael L. , George Elizabeth , Barile Maria , Hunsaker Andetta R. , Rybicki Frank J. , Mitsouras Dimitris
Published: May 2016

Medical 3-dimensional (3D) printing is emerging as a clinically relevant imaging tool in directing preoperative and intraoperative planning in many surgical specialties and will therefore likely lead to interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, radiologists, and surgeons. Data from standard imaging modalities such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and rotational angiography can be used to fabricate life-sized models of human anatomy and pathology, as well as patient-specific implants and surgical guides. Cardiovascular 3D-printed models can improve diagnosis and allow for advanced preoperative planning. The majority of applications reported involve congenital heart diseases and valvular and great vessels pathologies. Printed models are suitable for planning both surgical and minimally invasive procedures. Added value has been reported toward improving outcomes, minimizing perioperative risk, and developing new procedures such as transcatheter mitral valve replacements. Similarly, thoracic surgeons are using 3D printing to assess invasion of vital structures by tumors and to assist in diagnosis and treatment of upper and lower airway diseases. Anatomic models enable surgeons to assimilate information more quickly than image review, choose the optimal surgical approach, and achieve surgery in a shorter time. Patient-specific 3D-printed implants are beginning to appear and may have significant impact on cosmetic and life-saving procedures in the future. In summary, cardiothoracic 3D printing is rapidly evolving and may be a potential game-changer for surgeons. The imager who is equipped with the tools to apply this new imaging science to cardiothoracic care is thus ideally positioned to innovate in this new emerging imaging modality.
Incidence of Occult Uterine Pathology in Women Undergoing Hysterectomy With Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair
Authors: Ackenbom Mary F. , Giugale Lauren E. , Wang Yanting , Shepherd Jonathan P.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to determine the incidence of and associated risk factors for occult uterine pathology in patients undergoing hysterectomy with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair.

Methods

Medical records were reviewed from all cases of hysterectomy with POP surgery at a tertiary medical center from January 2007 through July 2014. Exclusion criteria included known endometrial hyperplasia or malignancy. A power calculation determined that 1000 subjects would demonstrate a lower rate of leiomyosarcoma in a urogynecology population compared to the rate of 1:352 reported by the Food and Drug Administration.

Results

There were 1196 cases identified with a mean age of 62.3 ± 11.3 years and body mass index of 27.8 ± 5.7. Most patients were white (95.5%) and postmenopausal (81.6%). Malignancy was present in 3 (0.3%) specimens. Seven (0.6%) specimens had endometrial hyperplasia. This overall abnormal pathology incidence of 0.8%, with 95% confidence interval of 0% to 1.4% is significantly lower than published rates of 2.6% (P < 0.001). There were no specimens with sarcoma (rate of 0%; 95% confidence interval, 0%–0.2%). There were no associations between demographic or clinical variables with the presence of hyperplasia and/or malignancy.

Conclusions

The incidence of uterine hyperplasia/malignancy and sarcoma in women undergoing hysterectomy with POP were both significantly lower than previously published values in other populations. The use of power morcellation in urogynecologic populations should be revisited as the incidence of occult pathology is lower than the general population, and a condition-specific risk profile should be considered in the informed consent process.
Blind tests of RNA nearest neighbor energy prediction
Authors: Chou Fang-Chieh , Kladwang Wipapat , Kappel Kalli , Das Rhiju
Published: May 2016

The predictive modeling and design of biologically active RNA molecules requires understanding the energetic balance amongst their basic components. Rapid developments in computer simulation promise increasingly accurate recovery of RNA’s nearest neighbor (NN) free energy parameters, but these methods have not been tested in predictive trials or on non-standard nucleotides. Here, we present the first such tests through a RECCES-Rosetta (Reweighting ofEnergy-functionCollection withConformationalEnsembleSampling in Rosetta) framework that rigorously models conformational entropy, predicts previously unmeasured NN parameters, and estimates these values’ systematic uncertainties. RECCES-Rosetta recovers the ten NN parameters for Watson-Crick stacked base pairs and thirty-two single-nucleotide dangling-end parameters with unprecedented accuracies – root-mean-square deviations (RMSD) of 0.28 kcal/mol and 0.41 kcal/mol, respectively. For set-aside test sets, RECCES-Rosetta gives an RMSD of 0.32 kcal/mol on eight stacked pairs involving G-U wobble pairs and an RMSD of 0.99 kcal/mol on seven stacked pairs involving non-standard isocytidine-isoguanosine pairs. To more rigorously assess RECCES-Rosetta, we carried out four blind predictions for stacked pairs involving 2,6-diaminopurine-U pairs, which achieved 0.64 kcal/mol RMSD accuracy when tested by subsequent experiments. Overall, these results establish that computational methods can now blindly predict energetics of basic RNA motifs, including chemically modified variants, with consistently better than 1 kcal/mol accuracy. Systematic tests indicate that resolving the remaining discrepancies will require energy function improvements beyond simply reweighting component terms, and we propose further blind trials to test such efforts.

Significance

Understanding RNA machines and how their behavior can be modulated by chemical modification is increasingly recognized as an important biological and bioengineering problem, with continuing discoveries of riboswitches, mRNA regulons, CRISPR-guided editing complexes, and RNA enzymes. Computational strategies to understanding RNA energetics are being proposed, but have not yet faced rigorous tests. We describe a modeling strategy called ‘RECCES-Rosetta’ that models the full ensemble of motions of RNA in single-stranded form and in helices, including non-standard nucleotides such as 2,6-diaminopurine, a variant of adenosine. When compared to experiments, including blind tests, the energetic accuracies of RECCES-Rosetta calculations are at levels close to experimental error, suggesting that computation can now be used to predict and design basic RNA energetics.
Meta-analysis of 2,104 trios provides support for 10 novel candidate genes for intellectual disability
Authors: Lelieveld Stefan H. , Reijnders Margot R.F. , Pfundt Rolph , Yntema Helger G. , Kamsteeg Erik-Jan , de Vries Petra , de Vries Bert B.A. , Willemsen Marjolein H. , Kleefstra Tjitske , Löhner Katharina , Vreeburg Maaike , Stevens Servi , van der Burgt Ineke , Bongers Ernie M.H.F. , Stegmann Alexander P.A. , Rump Patrick , Rinne Tuula , Nelen Marcel R. , Veltman Joris A. , Vissers Lisenka E.L.M. , Brunner Han G. , Gilissen Christian
Published: May 2016

To identify novel candidate intellectual disability genes, we performed a meta-analysis on 2,637de novomutations, identified from the exomes of 2,104 ID trios. Statistical analyses identified 10 novel candidate ID genes, includingDLG4, PPM1D, RAC1, SMAD6, SON, SOX5, SYNCRIP, TCF20, TLK2andTRIP12. In addition, we show that these genes are intolerant to non-synonymous variation, and that mutations in these genes are associated with specific clinical ID phenotypes.
Whole organism lineage tracing by combinatorial and cumulative genome editing
Authors: McKenna Aaron , Findlay Gregory M. , Gagnon James A. , Horwitz Marshall S. , Schier Alexander F. , Shendure Jay
Published: May 2016

Multicellular systems develop from single cells through a lineage, but current lineage tracing approaches scale poorly to whole organisms. Here we use genome editing to progressively introduce and accumulate diverse mutations in a DNA barcode over multiple rounds of cell division. The barcode, an array of CRISPR/Cas9 target sites, records lineage relationships in the patterns of mutations shared between cells. In cell culture and zebrafish, we show that rates and patterns of editing are tunable, and that thousands of lineage-informative barcode alleles can be generated. We find that most cells in adult zebrafish organs derive from relatively few embryonic progenitors. Genome editing of synthetic target arrays for lineage tracing (GESTALT) will help generate large-scale maps of cell lineage in multicellular systems.
Spatial mnemonic encoding: Theta power decreases co-occur with medial temporal lobe BOLD increases during the usage of the Method of Loci
Authors: Fellner M.-C. , Volberg G. , Wimber M. , Goldhacker M. , Greenlee M. W. , Hanslmayr S.
Published: May 2016

The Method of Loci is one, if not the most, efficient mnemonic encoding strategy. This strategy combines the core cognitive processes commonly linked to medial temporal lobe (MTL) activity: spatial processing and associative memory processes. During such tasks fMRI studies consistently demonstrate increases in medial temporal lobe (MTL) activity, while electrophysiological studies have emphasized the important role of theta oscillations (3-8 Hz) in the MTL. How MTL activity is linked to theta oscillatory EEG power, however, is unknown. Specifically, it is not known whether increases or decreases in MTL theta power are associated with increased BOLD signal. To investigate this question we recorded EEG and fMRI while participants used the spatial Method of Loci contrasted to the Pegword Method, a similarly associative but non spatial mnemonic. Surprisingly, the more effective spatial mnemonic induced a pronounced theta power decrease in the left MTL compared to the non-spatial associative mnemonic strategy. This effect was mirrored by BOLD signal increases in the MTL. This pattern of results suggests that theta oscillations in the MTL are negatively related to BOLD signal increases. These findings extend the well-known negative relation of alpha/beta oscillations and BOLD signals in the cortex to theta oscillations in the MTL. The results also demonstrate that decreases in theta power can index MTL involvement during encoding.

Significance Statement

Studies investigating the oscillatory correlates of memory encoding largely focus on activity in the theta frequency and often implicitly assume that increases in theta activity reflect similar processes as typically reported increases MTL activity changes in fMRI studies. The presented study found decreases in theta power, not increases, closely mapping to MTL BOLD signal increases during the same paradigm. This finding is in line with studies showing a negative relationship between low frequency power and BOLD changes in the cortex, but challenges the assumption that theta power increases reflect MTL activity. The reported findings importantly contribute to answer the question of how and which oscillatory activity indexes MTL memory processes.
Nicotine affects protein complex rearrangement inCaenorhabditis eleganscells
Authors: Sobkowiak Robert , Zielezinski Andrzej , Karlowski Wojciech M. , Lesicki Andrzej
Published: May 2016

Nicotine may affect cell function by rearranging protein complexes. We aimed to determine nicotine-induced alterations of protein complexes inCaenorhabditis eleganscells, thereby revealing links between nicotine exposure and protein complex modulation. We compared the proteomic alterations induced by low and high nicotine concentrations (0.01 mM and 1 mM) with the control (no nicotine)in vivoby using mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques, specifically the CTAB discontinuous gel electrophoresis coupled with liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS and spectral counting. As a result, we identified dozens ofC. elegansproteins that are present exclusively or in higher abundance in either nicotine-treated or untreated worms. Based on these results, we report a network that captures the key protein components of nicotine-induced protein complexes and speculate how the different protein modules relate to their distinct physiological roles. Using functional annotation of detected proteins, we hypothesize that the identified complexes can modulate the energy metabolism and level of oxidative stress. These proteins can also be involved in modulation of gene expression and may be crucial in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings reported in our study reveal intracellular interactions of many proteins with cytoskeleton and may contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) signaling and trafficking in cells.

Significance of the study

Most of us are affected by nicotine, not only because of the common use of tobacco products. Nicotine is also included in many popular vegetables of the family Solanaceae, such as tomatoes and peppers. However, these two sources provide the body with radically different doses of nicotine.

Strong biological effects of nicotine rely on binding to the nicotinic receptor, which partially mimics the action of the natural hormone acetylcholine. In our study we used the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegansas a model organism. General principles of functioning of human cells andC. eleganscells are similar. The worm is, however, a compromise between simplicity and complexity, which may facilitate understanding of the more complex systems, like the human body. Our study revealed in the presence of a low nicotine concentration a different composition of polypeptides in the organism than in the presence of a high nicotine concentration. The rearrangements of protein complexes concern proteins involved e.g. in the course of Alzheimer’s disease, which seems interesting in the context of our aging societies. From the perspective of the development of biological research, the ability to identify the components of large protein complexes can contribute to a better understanding of the functioning of cells.
Splice Variants of the SWR1-type Nucleosome Remodeling Factor Domino Have Distinct Functions duringDrosophila melanogasterOogenesis
Authors: Boerner Kenneth , Becker Peter B.
Published: May 2016

SWR1-type nucleosome remodeling factors replace histone H2A by variants to endow chromatin locally with specialized functionality. InDrosophila melanogastera single H2A variant, H2A.V, combines functions of mammalian H2A.Z and H2A.X in transcription regulation and DNA damage response. A major role in H2A.V incorporation for the only SWR1-like enzyme in flies, Domino, is assumed, but not well documentedin vivo. It is also unclear, whether the two alternatively spliced isoforms,dom-Aanddom-B, have redundant or specialized functions. Loss of both DOM isoforms compromises oogenesis causing female sterility. Therefore, we systematically explored roles of the two DOM isoforms during oogenesis using a cell type-specific knockdown approach. Despite their ubiquitous expression, DOM-A and DOM-B have non-redundant functions in germline and soma for egg chamber formation. We show that chromatin incorporation of H2A.V in germline and somatic cells depends on DOM-B, while incorporation in endoreplicating germline nurse cells is independent of DOM. In contrast, DOM-A promotes the removal of H2A.V from stage 5 nurse cells. Remarkably, the two DOM isoforms have distinct functions in cell type-specific development and H2A.V exchange.

Summary Statement

Isoforms of nucleosome remodeling factor Domino change chromatin structure by histone variant exchange to direct essential cellular processes in oocyte development.
Suitability of different mapping algorithms for genome-wide polymorphism scans with Pool-Seq data
Authors: Kofler Robert , Langmüller Anna Maria , Nouhaud Pierre , Otte Kathrin Anna , Schlöetterer Christian
Published: May 2016

The cost-effectiveness of sequencing pools of individuals (Pool-Seq) provides the basis for the popularity and wide-spread use of this method for many research questions, ranging from unravelling the genetic basis of complex traits to the clonal evolution of cancer cells. Because the accuracy of Pool-Seq could be affected by many potential sources of error, several studies determined, for example, the influence of the sequencing technology, the library preparation protocol, and mapping parameters. Nevertheless, the impact of the mapping tools has not yet been evaluated. Using simulated and real Pool-Seq data, we demonstrate a substantial impact of the mapping tools leading to characteristic false positives in genome-wide scans. The problem of false positives was particularly pronounced when data with different read lengths and insert sizes were compared. Out of 14 evaluated algorithms novoalign, bwa mem and clc4 are most suitable for mapping Pool-Seq data. Nevertheless, no single algorithm is sufficient for avoiding all false positives. We show that the intersection of the results of two mapping algorithms provides a simple, yet effective strategy to eliminate false positives. We propose that the implementation of a consistent Pool-seq bioinformatics pipeline building on the recommendations of this study can substantially increase the reliability of Pool-Seq results, in particular when libraries generated with different protocols are being compared.
Do financial blogs serve an infomediary role in capital markets?
Authors: Rickett Laura K.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– Financial blogs provide an online platform whereby retail investors effortlessly gain access to an abundant array of investment guidance. Prior studies find that the market reacts to financial blogs and similar online venues but results are inconsistent and financial blogs, a growing area in new media and distinct from other online venues, have received little attention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the particular conditions in which financial blogs serve an infomediary role in capital markets; when information asymmetry is high, earnings quality is low, and during economic uncertainty. These are conditions in which retail investors may seek easily accessible advice for their investment decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Abnormal returns for firms mentioned in blog posts on the SeekingAlpha.com financial blog are examined using a multivariate regression to determine whether or not the market reaction associated with these posts is related to information asymmetry, earnings quality, and economic uncertainty.

Findings

– Results indicate that abnormal returns are associated with the SeekingAlpha.com financial blog when information asymmetry is high and during bearish market conditions, and in particular when buy recommendations are posted on the blog for firms with high information asymmetry. This association is strengthened for firms with low institutional ownership, a proxy for unsophisticated or retail investors.

Research limitations/implications

– Results are based on a sample collected during a specific time period in order to detect whether financial blogs serve an infomediary role during uncertain market conditions.

Practical implications

– Results of this study can be useful to company executives who may want to monitor investment advice posted about their firm on financial blogs. Financial blogs and other forms of social media such as Twitter and Facebook are becoming the “new normal” in the investor information environment, a trend that is likely to continue.

Originality/value

– Financial blogs provide an abundance of supplemental information demanded by investors. Financial blogs represent a form of “new media,” now considered a key component of firms’ information environment (Saxton, 2012). In contrast to prior studies which primarily investigate only whether the market reacts to financial blogs or similar online platforms such as stock message boards, this study attempts to understand the specific conditions in which the market reacts to financial blogs. The results provide a rationale as to when and why investors rely on financial blogs and whether financial blogs serve an infomediary role in capital markets.
The role of polychronicity and intrinsic motivation as personality traits on frontline employees’ job outcomes
Authors: Daskin Mustafa , Surucu Ozlem Altunoz
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of polychronicity and intrinsic motivation on frontline employees (FLEs)’ work-family conflict, and service recovery performance (SRP) in a service setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this survey, a total number of 312 usable questionnaires were personally retrieved from FLEs in the research location. The hypothesized relationships were tested using hierarchical regression analysis. This paper presented an integrative model to test the aforementioned effects and relationships.

Findings

– Polychronicity and intrinsic motivation had negative impact on work-family conflict and positive impact on SRP. Significantly, while gender was found to be positively related to work-family conflict, on the other hand, job tenure was found to be negatively related to work-family conflict.

Practical implications

– This paper provides implications for managers in terms of minimizing the negative effects of work-family conflict and maximizing the FLEs’ SRP. Also, this study provides useful guidelines to implement effective management practices and improve organizational outcomes within the service setting of Peninsular Malaysia.

Originality/value

– Theoretically, the current study by examining the untried effects and relationships such as the effect of intrinsic motivation on work-family conflict, the effect of polychronicity on FLEs’ work-family conflict and SRP lends further contribution to the related literature.
Sustainability service in-store
Authors: Fuentes Christian , Fredriksson Cecilia
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore, illustrate, and conceptualize how sustainability service is performed and the role it plays in the promotion of sustainable consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

– Theoretically, this paper takes a practice theory approach, conceptualizing the provision of sustainability service as a set of complex, socio-material, and performative practices. Methodologically, this paper draws on an ethnographic study of a retail chain – W-Store – and its sustainability service. Interviews with management and focus group interviews with shop assistants and consumers, as well as observations made in-store, make up the material analysed.

Findings

– The provision of sustainability service is accomplished in this case via three service practices; arranging green shopping trails, answering sustainability questions, and promoting sustainability to green consumers in-store. The analysis shows that the retailing of sustainable products is not simply a matter of including sustainability products in the range and instructing shop assistants to promote them. Sustainability service – as enacted at W-Store – was dependent on the successful combination and configuration of human competence (service staff) and IT and organizational artefacts. There also needed to be congruence between consumers and their images and between retailers and the version of sustainability they were enacting. Finally, the provision of sustainability service required an investigative and adaptive organization capable of keeping up as well as developing vis-á-vis changing sustainability discourses and issues. However, once the necessary conditions had been met, sustainability service worked towards promoting sustainable consumption by making green shopping possible, educating consumers on sustainability issues, and motivating them via positive feedback and dialogue.

Originality/value

– Underscores the importance of investigating sustainability service and offers both a conceptual approach to and an analysis of this particular type of retail service work.
An integrated model of self-service technology (SST) usage in a retail context
Authors: Demoulin Nathalie T. M. , Djelassi Souad
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a comprehensive model that captures individual, system and situational drivers of customers’ intention to use and actual use of self-service technologies (SSTs).

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is based on a survey conducted among 143 users and 150 non-users of SSTs at the exit of a grocery store. The proposed model was analysed using structural equation modelling and a logistic regression.

Findings

– The results demonstrate that: first, in addition to previous usage behaviour (i.e. usage frequency), situational factors (time pressure, basket size, coupons and queue length at the SSTs and staffed checkouts) influence customers’ decisions to use SSTs during a specific shopping trip; and second, perceived behavioural control is the most important determinant of behavioural intention, followed by perceived usefulness, need for interaction and perceived ease of use and enjoyment.

Originality/value

– Although an abundance of research has investigated the adoption of SSTs, little is known about what drives real usage. This study considers the actual usage of SSTs in a specific context, as well as the situational factors that influence the choice of SSTs over traditional checkouts. In addition, this paper provides an integrative model including actual usage, use frequency and behavioral intention and its antecedents by extending the Technology Acceptance Model 3.
Teaching sustainable development in higher education
Authors: Howlett Cathy , Ferreira Jo-Anne , Blomfield Jessica
Published: May 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to argue that substantive changes are required in both curricula and pedagogical practice in higher education institutions to challenge dominant epistemologies and discourses and to unsettle current ways of thinking about, and acting in relation to, the environment. Central to such a shift, it is argued, is the need for higher education curricula to be interdisciplinary and for pedagogical practices to work to build capacities in students for critical and reflective thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a case study of our reflections is offered on a subject designed to promote capacities in students for critical and reflective thinking via an interdisciplinary approach. The paper uses data from student reflective essays and student course evaluations to make an argument for the success of this approach.

Findings

Genuine transformative learning can occur within a constructivist informed pedagogical approach to teaching for sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

Research implications are that genuine transformation can occur in students’ thinking processes (which the paper argues is critical for effective education in sustainability) with appropriately designed courses in higher education.

Practical implications

More effective environmental actors and thinkers, who can critically engage with the complexity of environmental problems.

Social implications

Social implications include a more effective and socially just higher education for sustainability

Originality/value

The authors know of no other narrative that addresses attempts to educate for sustainability using this approach.
Cooperative grey games and an application on economic order quantity model
Authors: Olgun Mehmet Onur , Alparslan Gök Sırma Zeynep , Özdemir Gültekin
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to extend the results of Meca et al. (2004) depending on the grey information revealed by the individual firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors introduce cooperative grey games and focus on sharing ordering cost rule (SOC-rule) to distribute the joint cost.

Findings

– In this study, the authors introduce a model, where inventory costs are assumed as grey numbers instead of crisp or stochastic ones studied in literature. At first, grey numbers and classical cooperative inventory games are recalled. Then, cooperative grey games are introduced and related results are given. Finally, an application is performed for three shotgun companies in Turkey.

Originality/value

– It is an effective approach for theoretical analysis of systems with imprecise information and incomplete samples. Therefore, grey system theory, rather than the traditional probability theory and fuzzy set theory, is better suited to model the inventory problems by using cooperative game theory. To the best of the knowledge no study exists modeling inventory situations by using cooperative grey games. From this point of view this study is a pioneering work on a promising topic.
Ontology-based representation of meteorological disaster system and its application in emergency management
Authors: Zhang Fushen , Zhong Shaobo , Yao Simin , Wang Chaolin , Huang Quanyi
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to make research on causing mechanism of meteorological disaster as well as the components of meteorological disaster system and their semantic relationships. It has important practical significance due to the urgent need of further providing support for pre-assessment of influences of disastrous weather/climate events and promoting the level of emergency management.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper analyses the occurrence regulations and components of meteorological disasters and proposes the concept of meta-action. Ontology modelling method is adopted to describe the components and relationships among different parts comprising meteorological disaster system, and semantic web rule language is selected to identify the implicit relationships among the domain knowledge explicitly defined in ontology model. Besides, a case is studied to elaborate how to provide logic and semantic information support for comprehensive risk assessment of disastrous weather/climate events based on rule-based ontology reasoning method. It proves that ontology modelling and reasoning method is effective in providing decision makings.

Findings

– This paper provides deep analyses about causing mechanisms of meteorological disasters, and implements information fusion of the components of meteorological disaster system and acquisition of potential semantic relations among ontology components and their individuals.

Originality/value

– In this paper, on the basis of analysing the disaster-causing mechanisms, the meteorological disaster ontology (MDO) model is proposed by using the ontology modelling and reasoning method. MDO can be applied to provide decision makings for meteorological departments.
Organizational citizenship behaviors and employee depressed mood, burnout, and satisfaction with health and life
Authors: Baranik Lisa E. , Eby Lillian
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– Using mood regulation theories and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviors aimed at individuals (OCB-Is) and depressed mood, burnout, and satisfaction with life and health would be mediated by positive affect.

Design/methodology/approach

– Lagged data were collected from employee-supervisor dyads.

Findings

– OCB-Is were related to positive affect, and positive affect was positively related to subsequent reports of life satisfaction and general health satisfaction, and negatively related to burnout and depressed mood. Positive affect mediated the relationship between OCB-Is and life satisfaction, general health satisfaction, and depressed mood but not burnout. An alternative reverse causality mediation model ruled out the possibility that OCB-Is mediated the relationship between positive affect and the employee outcomes.

Originality/value

– These findings lend support for OCBs being an antecedent of mood, rather than vice versa.
Diagnostic accuracy of cancer antigen 125 for endometriosis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hirsch M , Duffy JMN , Davis CJ , Nieves Plana M , Khan KS ,   on behalf of the International Collaboration to Harmonise Outcomes and Measures for Endometriosis
Published: May 2016

Background

The development of a non‐invasive and accurate diagnostic biomarker for endometriosis is urgently needed.

Objective

Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serum cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) for endometriosis.

Search strategy

We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science from inception to January 2016.

Selection criteria

Diagnostic accuracy studies of serum CA 125 (index test) for histologically confirmed endometriosis (reference standard) were included.

Data collection and analysis

Two authors independently selected trials, extracted study characteristics and data. Methodological quality was assessed using Quality Assessment of Comparative Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS‐2) checklist.

Main results

Twenty‐two studies (16 cohort, six case‐control), 3626 participants, were identified. Bivariate hierarchical models were used to pool accuracy data of 14 studies (2920 participants) using CA 125 ≥ 30 units/ml. Pooled specificity was 93% (95% CI 89–95%) and sensitivity 52% (95% CI 38–66%). CA 125 was significantly more sensitive for the diagnosis of moderate or severe endometriosis compared with minimal disease (63%, 95% CI 47–77% versus 24%, 95%CI 19–32%, P‐value = 0.001).

Conclusions

CA 125 performs well as a rule‐in test facilitating expedited diagnosis and ensuring investigation and treatment can be confidently tailored for the management of endometriosis. Unfortunately, a negative test, CA 125 < 30 units/ml, is unable to rule out endometriosis.

Tweetable abstract

Blood test CA 125: a rule‐in test for the diagnosis of women presenting with symptoms of endometriosis
Small activating ribonucleic acid reverses tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in epidermal growth factor receptor‐mutant lung cancer by increasing the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog
Authors: Li Meng , Peng Zhongmin , Ren Wangang , Wang Zhou
Published: May 2016

Background

Epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI‐EGFRs) present a new prospect for the treatment of lung cancer. However, in clinical application, the majority of patients become TKI resistant within a year. More and more studies have shown that a loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression is associated with TKI resistance. An alternative method of upregulating PTEN expression may reverse TKI resistance.

Methods

We designed five candidate small activating ribonucleic acids (saRNAs) to target PTEN, and transfected them into H‐157 cells to screen out functional saRNA. We used reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and Western blot to evaluate the effect of saRNA to PTEN expression. We then analyzed the growth and apoptosis of cells transfected with saRNA under the treatment of TKI to investigate whether saRNAs can reverse TKI resistance by upregulating PTEN expression.

Results

The functional saRNA we designed could upregulate PTEN expression. The H‐157 cells transfected with saRNA grew slower in the presence of TKI drugs than the cells that were not transfected with saRNA. The apoptosis rate was also obviously higher.

Conclusions

Our study proves that loss of PTEN expression is an important mechanism of TKI resistance. It is possible to control TKI resistance by upregulating PTEN expression using RNA activation technology.
Skin disease of penis and male genitalia is linked to atopy and circumcision: caseload in a male genital dermatology clinic
Authors: Elakis Joshua Angelo , Hall Anthony P.
Published: May 2016

Background/Objectives

Male genital dermatoses are a common and underappreciated cause of morbidity. Its prevalence and the characteristics of patients presenting with these conditions are poorly understood. The aim of the study was to ascertain which dermatoses were referred to the Male Genital Dermatology Clinic in Melbourne, Australia and to determine whether circumcision and atopy are associated with male genital skin disease.

Method

This was a retrospective review of 331 new patients who attended the clinic from 2004 to 2012. Descriptive statistics were obtained to determine the frequency of diagnoses made in the clinic and to record the proportions of circumcised and atopic patients.

Results

The most common primary diagnoses were irritant contact dermatitis (n = 67), dysaesthesia (n = 60), psoriasis (n = 31), lichen sclerosus (n = 28), unknown (n = 19), genital warts (n = 18), normal anatomic variant (n = 17), other infection (n = 17), eczema (n = 16) and lichen planus (n = 16). For the 10 most commonly observed conditions, more than 70% of patients were uncircumcised and more than 69% of these patients had a history of atopy.

Conclusions

The diagnoses made were described, including their associations with non‐circumcision and atopy. Several of these observations have not been recognised before in the literature. We discuss lessons learned in the management of male genital disease and its psychosocial impact.
Late presentation of generalised bullous pemphigoid‐like reaction in a patient treated with pembrolizumab for metastatic melanoma
Authors: Parakh Sagun , Nguyen Rebecca , Opie Jacinta M , Andrews Miles C
Published: May 2016

Dermatological toxicity is one of the most commonly reported immune‐related adverse events in patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. We report the gradual development of a widespread bullous pemphigoid‐like reaction in a metastatic melanoma patient 8 months after commencing treatment with the programmed‐death‐1 (PD‐1) inhibitor pembrolizumab, requiring prolonged corticosteroid therapy. This case highlights the potential for insidious and late development of severe cutaneous toxicity following PD‐1 inhibitor therapy and suggests that even prolonged immunosuppression may not necessarily compromise the efficacy of PD‐1 inhibition in advanced melanoma.
Perspectives on avian stem cells for poultry breeding
Authors: Kagami Hiroshi
Published: May 2016

Stem cells have prulipotency to differentiate into many types of cell lineages. Recent progress of avian biotechnology enabled us to analyze the developmental fate of the stem cells: embryonic stem cells / primordial germ cells (PGCs). The stem cells were identified in the central area of the area pellucida of the stage X blastoderms. These cells could be applied for production of germline chimeras and organ regeneration. Generation of medical substrate in transgenic chickens has considerable interests in pharmaceuticals. Sex alteration of the offspring should be enormously beneficial to the poultry industry. Fertilization of the sex‐reversed sperm could lead to sexual alteration of the offspring. These strategies using stem cells / PGCs should be one of the most powerful tools for future poultry breeding.
Microtubule assembly crucial to bovine embryonic development in assisted reproductive technologies
Authors: Hochi Shinichi
Published: May 2016

Centrosome integrity and microtubule network are crucial to the events around fertilization, including pronuclear development, migration and fusion, and the first mitotic division. The present review highlights the importance of bull spermatozoal centrosomes to function as a microtubule‐organizing center for successful fertilization and the subsequent embryonic development. Spermatozoal centrosomes need to be blended with ooplasmic pericentriolar materials accurately to nucleate and organize the sperm aster. Dysfunction of the spermatozoal centrosomes is associated with fertilization failure, which has been overcome with supplemental stimuli for oocyte activation following intracytoplasmic sperm injection in humans. Even though the spermatozoal centrosomes are functionally intact, abnormal sperm aster formation was frequently observed in vitrified‐warmed bovine oocytes, with delayed pronuclear development and migration. Treatment of the post‐warm oocytes with Rho‐associated coiled‐coil kinase inhibitor or α‐tocopherol inhibited the incidence of the abnormal aster formation, resulting in higher blastocyst yields following in vitro fertilization and culture. Thus, understanding of centrosomal function made it possible to improve the performance of advanced reproductive technologies.
Piroxicam and doxycycline treatment for an oral squamous cell carcinoma in an inshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)
Authors: March DT , Blyde DJ , Bossart GD , Begg AP , Taylor DP , McClure V
Published: May 2016

Background

The virus family Papillomaviridae has been documented in a wide range of animal species and can cause benign and malignant proliferative lesions. The presence of concurrent lingual papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) in cetaceans has also been documented in both wild and captive populations, suggesting malignant transformation of benign papilloma to SCC may occur in this species.

Case report

In 2008, a 38‐year‐old captive male inshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) was diagnosed with papillomatous lesions on the intermandibular frenulum rostral to the tongue and an infiltrative SCC of the soft palate following biopsy and histological analysis. A treatment regimen of piroxicam and doxycycline was initiated with misoprostol as a gastroprotectant. The treatment resulted in a marked reduction in tumour size and reversible hepatotoxicosis. Subsequent biopsies revealed the presence of SCC in the oral cavity; however, the disease remains stable at the time of writing.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first report of piroxicam and doxycycline used to treat SCC in a bottlenose dolphin. The treatment was successful in reducing the clinical presentation of the disease.
Redo buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty: success rate, oral morbidity and functional outcomes
Authors: Rosenbaum Clemens M. , Schmid Marianne , Ludwig Tim A. , Kluth Luis A. , Dahlem Roland , Fisch Margit , Ahyai Sascha
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To determine the success rate, oral morbidity and functional outcomes of redo buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty (BMGU) for treatment of stricture recurrence after previous BMGU.

Patients and Methods

We included 50 patients who underwent redo BMGU between February 2009 and September 2014. Patients' charts and non‐validated questionnaires were reviewed. The primary endpoint was success rate, defined as stricture‐free survival. Stricture recurrence was defined as any postoperative claims of catheterization, dilatation, urethrotomy or repeat urethroplasty, or a maximum urinary flow rate <15 mL/s, and a stricture was consecutively verified in a combined cysto‐urethrogram or cystoscopy at annual follow‐up visit. The secondary endpoint was oral morbidity. Additional endpoints were erectile function, urinary continence and patients' satisfaction.

Results

Redo BMGU was performed for bulbar (71.4%) or penile (28.6%) recurrent strictures. The mean (median; range) follow‐up was 25.6 (15.5; 3–70) months. Stricture recurrence occurred in 18.0% of patients within a mean (median; range) of 13.8 (9.0; 3–36) months. Stricture‐free survival at 12, 24 and 36 months was 91.2, 86.2 and 80.8%, respectively. The majority of the patients (97.0%) reported no or only mildly changed salivation or problems in opening of the mouth. Severe or very severe oral numbness occurred in 13.5% of patients. Oral problems in daily life were a moderate or severe burden to 13.6 and 2.7% of the patients, respectively, while 75.0% of the patients reported improved quality of life compared with preoperative status.

Conclusions

The success rate and oral morbidity of redo BMGU are almost the same as outcomes of primary BMGU. Oral numbness was the most frequently reported oral disorder.