bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Unusual “Collision Tumour” of the Prostate Gland and Rectum
Authors: Healy C. F. , Ferguson D. , Mohammed M. F. , Waterhouse J. , Harris A. C.
Published: April 2016

Collision tumours of two different histopathological processes are rare. We describe a case of a patient with known low grade prostate adenocarcinoma developing a rectal GIST, which was diagnosed with combined imaging modalities of MR and ultrasound and confirmed by transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy.
Pore Size Distribution Influence on Suction Properties of Calcareous Stones in Cultural Heritage: Experimental Data and Model Predictions
Authors: Pia Giorgio , Casnedi Ludovica , Sanna Ulrico
Published: April 2016

Water sorptivity symbolises an important property associated with the preservation of porous construction materials. The water movement into the microstructure is responsible for deterioration of different types of materials and consequently for the indoor comfort worsening. In this context, experimental sorptivity tests are incompatible, because they require large quantities of materials in order to statistically validate the results. Owing to these reasons, the development of analytical procedure for indirect sorptivity valuation from MIP data would be highly beneficial. In this work, an Intermingled Fractal Units’ model has been proposed to evaluate sorptivity coefficient of calcareous stones, mostly used in historical buildings of Cagliari, Sardinia. The results are compared with experimental data as well as with other two models found in the literature. IFU model better fits experimental data than the other two models, and it represents an important tool for estimating service life of porous building materials.
Hepatitis C Virus NS5A Protein Triggers Oxidative Stress by Inducing NADPH Oxidases 1 and 4 and Cytochrome P450 2E1
Authors: Smirnova Olga A. , Ivanova Olga N. , Bartosch Birke , Valuev-Elliston Vladimir T. , Mukhtarov Furkat , Kochetkov Sergey N. , Ivanov Alexander V.
Published: April 2016

Replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with the induction of oxidative stress, which is thought to play a major role in various liver pathologies associated with chronic hepatitis C. NS5A protein of the virus is one of the two key viral proteins that are known to trigger production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). To date it has been considered that NS5A induces oxidative stress by altering calcium homeostasis. Herein we show that NS5A‐induced oxidative stress was only moderately inhibited by the intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA‐AM and not at all inhibited by the drug that blocks the Ca2+ flux from ER to mitochondria. Furthermore, ROS production was not accompanied by induction of ER oxidoreductins (Ero1), H2O2‐producing enzymes that are implicated in the regulation of calcium fluxes. Instead, we found that NS5A contributes to ROS production by activating expression of NADPH oxidases 1 and 4 as well as cytochrome P450 2E1. These effects were mediated by domain I of NS5A protein. NOX1 and NOX4 induction was mediated by enhanced production of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). Thus, our data show that NS5A protein induces oxidative stress by several multistep mechanisms.
Damage to the Blood-Aqueous Barrier in Ocular Blunt Trauma and Its Association with Intraocular Pressure Elevation
Authors: Mao Zhen , Chen Xiao-bei , Zhong Yi-min , Guo Xin-xing , Liu Xing
Published: April 2016

Background: The aim of this study is to provide a quantitative evaluation of the blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) in patients with ocular blunt trauma and evaluate its association with intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. Methods: This is a prospective case-control study, and the following 3 groups were included: elevated IOP (45 patients with an elevated IOP secondary to ocular blunt trauma), normal IOP (27 patients with a normal IOP after ocular blunt trauma), and healthy controls. The main outcome measures were IOP and BAB function evaluated using a laser flare-cell meter (LFCM). Results: Patients had significantly higher flare intensities and cell counts than the normal controls (both p < 0.001), and the elevated-IOP group displayed even higher LFCM readings than the normal-IOP group. Aqueous flare and cell readings were positively correlated with IOP (r = 0.529 and 0.590, respectively, p < 0.001). LFCM readings in the elevated-IOP group were still significantly high even on postraumatic day 120 following anti-inflammatory treatment. Conclusion: BAB dysfunction occurred following ocular blunt trauma. Eyes with an elevated IOP displayed a more seriously disturbed BAB and a longer recovery course. Examination with a LFCM provides insight into the pathophysiology of IOP elevation and assists in making decisions concerning anti-inflammatory treatment during follow-up.
Dissecting Aortic Aneurysm 55 Years after Diagnosis of Iris Flocculi
Authors: Shields Jerry A. , Magrath George N. , Shields Carol , Mackool Richard , Eagle Jr. Ralph C. , Grossniklaus Hans E.
Published: April 2016

Purpose: The aim of this study is to report the clinical features, imaging studies, surgical removal, and pathology of congenital iris flocculi in a patient who developed a life-threatening dissecting aortic aneurysm after 55 years of follow-up. Methods: Documentation with iris photography was performed from age 18 to 55 years, at which time anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed. At the time of subsequent cataract surgery, the iris flocculi were removed in each eye and submitted for light and electron microscopy. Results: The size and shape of the iris flocculi waxed and waned over the years but caused no visual disturbance. Anterior segment OCT demonstrated clear, round cysts with thin lining and no solid component. At the age of 55, congestive heart failure from a dissecting aortic aneurysm was discovered and surgically repaired. Subsequent bilateral cataract surgery and cyst removal were performed, and the iris flocculi were studied with light and electron microscopy. Conclusions: Congenital iris flocculi cause little, if any, visual impairment in most cases. However, they are occasionally associated with dissecting aortic aneurysm due to a shared mutation in smooth muscle that affects both the iris and the aorta. Patients with iris flocculi should be monitored periodically for aortic abnormalities.
Optimized Outcomes Using a Standardized Approach for the Treatment of Patients with Carcinoid Heart Disease
Authors: Silaschi Miriam , Barr James , Chaubey Sanjay , Nicou Niki , Srirajaskanthan Raj , Byrne Jonathan , Ramage John , MacCarthy Philip , Wendler Olaf
Published: April 2016

Background: Carcinoid heart disease (CHD) is common in patients with carcinoid syndrome (CS). Surgical treatment improves the poor prognosis of CHD, although the reported peri-operative mortality is high (∼17%). We attempted to improve outcomes by implementation of a protocol for the management of patients with CHD at a UK Neuroendocrine Centre of Excellence and report our experience. Methods: All patients treated for CHD between 2008 and 2015 were included. Peri-operative treatment included surgical features such as invasive pulmonary valve (PV) inspection and preservation of the tricuspid subvalvular apparatus. Results: A total of 11 patients were treated; the median age was 63 years (IQR: 56-70). Ten patients underwent both pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) and tricuspid valve replacement (TVR); 1 patient underwent isolated TVR. One patient had additional aortic valve replacement (AVR), another one coronary artery bypass grafting. Bioprostheses (BP) were used in all patients, stented for TVR and AVR, stentless for PVR. Invasive PV inspection caused unplanned PVR in 3 cases (27.3%). All patients were discharged home. One patient (9.1%), who had had previous TVR by another surgeon, had right heart failure (RHF) during follow-up. One death occurred due to progression of CS (day 346). The carcinoids' primary was resected in 5 patients (45.5%) 10 months (4.5-19.5) after cardiac surgery. Conclusion: Excellent results were achieved in patients with CHD. PV stenosis can be underestimated by echocardiography; therefore, intraoperative inspection is recommended. Right ventricular geometry should be respected to prevent RHF. BP should be used, as these patients are likely to undergo future non-cardiac surgeries.
Reading Job as a Kierkegaardian Text: The Incarnation of Indirect Communication
Authors: Breed Brennan
Published: April 2016

Søren Kierkegaard offers two different readings of the book of Job, one in his book Repetition and the other in one of his “upbuilding discourses” published during the same year. This essay contextualizes Kierkegaard’s authorship and argues that he presents Job as a maieutic text designed not to teach certain content, but rather to force the reading subject to wrestle with contradiction and criticize a number of viewpoints, including the reader’s own presuppositions. In the end, the maueitic text does not offer any answers: It merely encourages the birth of the critical subject. Exegetical examples focusing on the prologue and Job’s speeches in Job 9 explore the potential for more thoroughgoing maieutic readings of the book of Job.
Zacchaeus as the Rich Host of Classical Satire
Authors: Sick David H.
Published: April 2016

This piece builds upon the work of Dennis Hamm and Mikeal Parsons to compare the character Zacchaeus of Luke 19:1–10 to the rich host of a banquet from classical satire and related genres. In this category the diminutive tax collector joins a rogues’ gallery, including Nasidienus from Horace’s Satire 2.8 and Trimalchio from Petronius’ Satyricon. Those who grumble (γογγύζειν) about Jesus’ table fellowship should be understood as his fellow dining companions. The moralizing voice of the satirist is represented by these grumbling guests, whose harping is similar to that of the Pharisees. According to recent literary theory, the voice of the satirist, in this case a Pharisaic one, is undermined by its own harshness. By weakening the criticism of the satiric voice, Luke encourages identification with the sinner Zacchaeus and thus fosters the Gospel’s general objective of salvation of the lost.
“Beholding the Man”: Viewing (or is it Marking?) John’s Trial Scene alongside Kitsch Art
Authors: Wilson Andrew P.
Published: April 2016

One of the grand scenes of the Passion narratives can be found in John’s Gospel where Pilate, presenting Jesus to the people, proclaims “Behold the man”: “Ecce Homo.” But what exactly does Pilate mean when he asks the reader to “Behold”? This paper takes as its point of departure a roughly drawn picture of Jesus in the “Ecce Homo” tradition and explores the relationship of this picture to its referent in John’s Gospel, via its capacity as kitsch devotional art. Contemporary scholarship on kitsch focuses on what kitsch does, or how it functions, rather than assessing what it is. From this perspective, when “beholding” is understood not for what it reveals but for what it does, John’s scene takes on a very different significance. It becomes a scene that breaks down traditional divisions between big and small stories, subject and object as well as text and context. A kitsch perspective opens up possibilities for locating John’s narrative in unexpected places and experiences. Rather than being a two-dimensional departure from the grandeur of John’s trial scene, kitsch “art” actually provides a lens through which the themes and dynamics of the narrative can be re-viewed with an expansiveness somewhat lacking from more traditional commentary.
Characterisation of amphimictic and parthenogenetic populations of Pratylenchus bolivianus Corbett, 1983 (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae) and their phylogenetic relationships with closely related species
Authors: Troccoli Alberto , Subbotin Sergei A. , Chitambar John J. , Janssen Toon , Waeyenberge Lieven , Stanley Jason D. , Duncan Larry W. , Agudelo Paula , Múnera Uribe Gladis E. , Franco Javier , Inserra Renato N.
Published: April 2016

Amphimictic populations of root-lesion nematodes with numerous males and females having three lip annuli, a functional spermatheca and non-areolated lateral field occur on sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) in Florida. Identified for decades asPratylenchus penetrans, they appeared to be a morphologically separated species on the basis of a longer stylet (17.8-18.3 μm) thanP. penetrans(15-17 μm) and different lip pattern inen faceview (rectangularvsdumb-bell inP. penetrans). Morphologically similar amphimictic root-lesion nematodes have also been detected on flax lily in Costa Rica. Subsequent morphological observations indicated that these amphimictic root-lesion nematodes from fern and flax lily are closely related to the parthenogenetic speciesP. bolivianus, which has areolated lateral fields. In spite of the reproductive and morphological dissimilarities between these populations, their separation into different species was not supported by the results of molecular analyses of their DNA sequences. The populations used in these analyses included those that are amphimictic from Florida and Costa Rica and others that are parthenogenetic from the type locality in Bolivia, and geographically distant localities in Chile, China, Colombia and Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and D2-D3 expansion segments of the 28S rRNA gene indicated that they belong to the same species,P. bolivianus, which consists of two morphotypes,P. bolivianus(am) amphimictic andP. bolivianus(pm) parthenogenetic, herein described and illustrated. Contradictory results were obtained by the analyses using a portion of thehsp90gene. The phylogenetic study, which included sequences of other root-lesion nematodes, a topotype and geographical distant populations ofP. zeae, revealed thatP. bolivianusandP. zeaeformed highly supported clades in the majority consensus trees. PCR with species-specific primers for rapid diagnostics ofP. bolivianusandP. zeaewere developed and tested.
No Longer Just a Victim: The Impact of Victim Participation on Trial Proceedings at the International Criminal Court
Authors: Wheeler Caleb H.
Published: April 2016

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (icc) adopted an innovative participatory role for victims hailed as a major step towards recognising the rights of victims in international criminal proceedings. However, it is unclear whether direct participation has resulted in a more productive role for victims. This article discusses the goals of trial, focusing on the victims’ interests and the interests of the icc; the statutory and jurisprudential rules pertaining to victims’ participation at the Court; and the testimony of witnesses questioned by the victims’ representatives in the Lubanga and Katanga trials. The article concludes that the victims’ representatives in Lubanga and Katanga achieved some of the goals of trial but had a more limited impact on others. It also warns that the icc needs to continue to protect the rights of the victims and ensure that it does not improperly limit their participation.
The Right to respect for Family Life of Children of imprisoned Parents
Authors: Lagoutte Stéphanie
Published: April 2016

The article builds on a case study of the right to respect for family life of children of imprisoned parents; it analyses the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to their situation. It argues that the situation of children must be considered independently from that of their parents in cases which concern decisions regarding their parents (e.g. restricting visits in prison). The article contends that there is a necessity of both increasing the use of soft law standards and, more generally, establishing children-friendly remedies in order to ensure that there is better protection of the best interests of children of imprisoned parents.
Do Children still need to Escape Childhood?
Authors: Byrne Bronagh
Published: April 2016

The work of children’s liberationists have been long been critiqued for pushing the parameters of rights discourse too far; specifically, by suggesting that there are no significant differences between children and adults, including their ability for self-determination. John Holt’s 1974 text, Escape from Childhood, is one such work which was deemed highly controversial for its time. This article uses Holt’s Escape from Childhood as an overarching framework against which to examine the current state of play on children’s rights as explicated through the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It suggests that whilst Holt has often been critiqued for being too radical, in the context of current children’s rights discourse, Holt’s visioning is not as radical as it might first appear.
Aristotelian Phronêsis, the Discourse of Human Rights, and Contemporary Global Practice
Authors: Salkever Stephen
Published: April 2016

This essay outlines some fundamental differences between the evaluative and explanatory language of Aristotelian practical reason based on his empirical psychological theory of human development, on the one hand, and the late 20th and 21st century discourse of human rights based on a NeoKantian transcendent principle of universal human dignity on the other. To what extent are these two types of political discourse compatible in today’s globalizing world? To the extent that they are not compatible, which should be preferred? My answer is that they are compatible and even complementary, but only if the Aristotelian framework is treated as more fundamental, and the rights-and-dignity perspective is understood as a potentially good political solution, for the time being, in the contemporary context of global politics.
Democratic Theory and the Athenian Public Sphere
Authors: Landauer Matthew
Published: April 2016

Classical Athens has left to political theorists a dual legacy: a crucial historical case of democratic practice, and a rich tradition of political reflection. A growing number of scholars have placed the relationship between these two legacies at the center of their research. I argue that these scholars collectively offer us a model of a broad, engaged, Athenian public sphere. Yet I also caution that we should avoid overly harmonizing pictures of what that public sphere was like. I focus in particular on two prominent claims in the literature: that Socratic philosophy can be read as an expansion of Athenian accountability practices, and that ancient dramatists, philosophers, and historians were alike engaged in a project to educate citizen judgment. I argue that both claims threaten to obscure arguments over the appropriate role of the judgment of the demos in democratic politics.
Greek Political Thought in Ancient History
Authors: Mitchell Lynette
Published: April 2016

Greek historians of the fifth and fourth centuries bce also intended their works to be political commentaries. This paper concentrates on the work of Thucydides, and his interest in fifth-century ideas of constitutionalism. Honing in on the political ‘opposites’, democracy and oligarchy, this paper argues that Thucydides collapses these categories, to show not only that they are unstable, but that, built upon the same political vocabulary, they naturally lead towards his new idea of the measured blending of the few and the many in a mixed constitution, which creates political stability and a positive political experience for the community. In this sense, Thucydides’ text, which uses historical narrative as a vehicle for political commentary, needs to be understood within the framework of historical contextualism, but also as a ‘possession for all time’.
Recollecting Athens
Authors: Balot Ryan K.
Published: April 2016

Beginning with an analysis of the problematic relation of ‘the particular’ to ‘the universal’ in canonical political texts, this paper explores a variety of frameworks for the study of classical Greek political thought. Specifically, after investigating the influence of Quentin Skinner’s contextualism, the paper examines the ideas, approaches, and methods of Bernard Williams, Leo Strauss, and Josiah Ober. I draw attention to each figure’s distinctive motivations for returning to ancient Greece and to the influence of particular political ideals on those motivations. I also assess their strengths and weaknesses and offer a critical commentary on their chief ideas. Toward the end of the paper, I outline a novel dialectical framework for the study of classical Athens – one that emphasizes the remoteness of the ancient past and the contribution that our studies might make to self-knowledge. In sketching this framework, I focus on what I call ‘ethical Athens’, ‘philosophical Athens’, and ‘critical Athens’.
Poetry, Philosophy, and Esotericism: A Straussian Legacy
Authors: Howland Jacob
Published: April 2016

This article concerns the ‘ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry’ (Plato, Rep. 607b). With the guidance of Leo Strauss, and with reference to French cultural anthropology and the Hebrew Bible, I offer close readings of the origin myths told by the characters of Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium and Socrates in book 2 of the Republic. I contrast Aristophanes’ prudential and political esotericism with Socrates’ pedagogical esotericism, connecting the former with poetry’s affirmation of the primacy of chaos and the latter with philosophy’s openness to the measures of nature or phusis. Aristophanes regards the political poetry of Olympianism as a necessary corrective of original human disorder, while Socrates traces the sickness of souls and cities to an excess of poiēsis, ‘poetry’ or ‘production’ in all of its cultural and material senses. The quarrel between Socrates and Aristophanes illuminates fundamental questions that were of central concern to Strauss: What is the status of nature? Must we orient ourselves by the forceful impressions of culture, or can we make out natural standards of how to live? Is war the primary human condition, or peace? Are human beings essentially erotic, or thumotic? Is philosophy an expression of reckless boldness, or of saving moderation?
Flexible scheduling, degradation of job quality and barriers to collective voice
Authors: Wood Alex J
Published: April 2016

This article examines the operation of flexible scheduling in practice through a case study of a large retail firm in the United Kingdom. It includes analysis of 39 semi-structured interviews, participant observation of shop floor work and non-participant observation of union organizing as well as analysis of key documents. The findings highlight the high level of generalized temporal flexibility across employment statuses. This temporal flexibility enables firm flexibility without necessitating a reliance upon contingent workers. Temporal flexibility is found to entail manager-control of flexible scheduling and is shown to be damaging to perceptions of job quality as it acts as a barrier to work-life balance. Union presence and collective bargaining at the firm are found to be ineffective at influencing flexible scheduling so as to improve job quality. This ineffectiveness can be explained by the union operating in an employer-dominated industrial relations environment in which its associational power is unable to compensate for a lack of institutional and structural economic power.
British Subversive Politics towards Austria and Partisan Resistance in the Austrian-Slovene Borderland, 1938–45
Authors: Pirker Peter
Published: April 2016

In 1943, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) launched one of the Allied intelligence services' biggest efforts to foster resistance within Nazi Germany in cooperation with Slovene partisans in the Carinthian borderland. The so-called Clowder Mission systematically supplied weapons and other military assistance to the partisans who, in summer and autumn 1944, offered the strongest – albeit often neglected by scholars – militant resistance within the borders of Nazi Germany. Although SOE's operational aim of externally fomenting Austrian separatist, patriotic resistance deeper inside the country failed, its strategic aim of assisting the separation of Austria from Germany and re-establishing an independent Austrian nation-state proved to be sound. At the same time, the Carinthian Slovene partisans fell short of attaining their political objectives. This article analyses the paradoxical results of British subversive politics towards Austria and Slovenia. It traces the impact of the SOE's agenda and the origins of the Moscow Declaration on the reestablishment of Austria, and elaborates on the character of British-Slovene cooperation, its success and its breakdown in the context of British subversive politics, inter-Allied rivalries and competition, and the geopolitics of resistance.
Employer and employer association matters in Australia in 2015
Authors: Barry Michael
Published: April 2016

Employers and their associations were enthusiastic participants in a year of public discussion about the future of industrial relations (IR). Employer associations put forward a set of carefully considered views about their preferred IR policy and regulatory settings in detailed submissions to the major IR Inquiry of the Productivity Commission. They also engaged in an ongoing public relations campaign to support those employers seeking changes to employee entitlements, in particular through penalty rates reforms. As was the case last year however, the realisation of the employers’ IR agenda, many aspects of which are supported by the Coalition Government and the Productivity Commission, remains either stalled in a divided Federal Parliament, or otherwise are reforms that must await the outcome of the forthcoming federal election.
Industrial legislation in Australia in 2015
Authors: Forsyth Anthony
Published: April 2016

This review article examines the impact of another year of tumult in federal politics on the Coalition Government’s workplace reform agenda. The article outlines the fortunes of the industrial relations bills the Government had introduced into Parliament in 2013–2014, and a number of others introduced in 2015. These include a bill to implement former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s proposed dilution of the federally-funded paid parental leave scheme. In addition, the Productivity Commission’s proposals for changes to the federal workplace relations framework are examined and assessed, along with the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption Final Report, as these are shaping the reform debate in the lead-up to the forthcoming federal election. The article then examines significant legislative developments at state level. The article concludes by assessing the likely direction of labour law change under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Australian industrial relations in 2015
Authors: Wright Chris F
Published: April 2016

For Australian industrial relations, no major legislation was passed and few significant judgements were handed down in 2015, but several inquiries held over the course of the year and the consequences arising from political leadership changes might ultimately be seen as ‘critical junctures’ from which important developments subsequently unfolded. In particular, the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into the Workplace Relations Framework and the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption recommended several major changes that may eventually come to fruition. This article analyses the implications of these inquiries and emerging issues in the low-wage sector, and provides an overview of the articles in the 2016 Journal of Industrial Relations Annual Review issue.
Teaching Inequalities
Authors: Grauerholz Liz , Settembrino Marc
Published: April 2016

In this article, we describe an adaptation of Nichols, Berry, and Kalogrides’s “Hop on the Bus” exercise. In addition to riding the bus, we incorporated a visual component similar to that developed by Whitley by having students conduct a sociological, photographic exercise after they disembarked. Qualitative and quantitative assessment data show that taken together, these exercises enhance students’ awareness and sociological understanding of social inequalities, especially income inequalities. Specifically, the activities make abstract concepts real to students, make more obvious inequalities that often go unnoticed, help students better understand how structural barriers affect individuals’ daily lives and contribute to broader social inequalities, and to some degree, dispel stereotypes of marginalized groups.
Biomarker and Pathologic Predictors of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Aggressiveness
Authors: Khandelwal Alok R. , Ma Xiaohui , Egan Paige , Kaskas Nadine M. , Moore‐Medlin Tara , Caldito Gloria , Abreo Fleurette , Gu Xin , Aubrey Lurie , Milligan Edward , Nathan Cherie‐Ann O.
Published: April 2016

Objective

Aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) patients are at increased risk of metastasis. Currently, there are no accepted criteria or biomarkers for reliably predicting individuals at risk for recurrence and metastasis. Our objective is to determine if pS6 and pERK can predict cSCC aggressiveness and to identify primary tumor characteristics that may predict parotid metastasis.

Study Design

Retrospective case series.

Settings

Tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

An Institutional Review Board–approved retrospective review was performed for patients with facial cSCC, with and without metastasis to the parotids. Subjects for the study were identified through the Louisiana Tumor Registry, Veterans Medical Records, and LSU Health‐Shreveport pathology database. Tumor specimens from patients with cSCC and cSCC with parotid metastasis were analyzed for pERK and pS6 expression through immunohistochemistry. To identify risk factors for tumor aggressiveness, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate patients with cSCC that was metastatic to the parotid and managed surgically.

Results

cSCC with parotid metastasis specimens exhibited significantly higher average pS6 but not pERK positivity than those from cSCC without metastasis (P <. 05). Primary lesion–positive margins (P <. 01), size of the skin tumor (P <. 01) and degree of tumor differentiation (P <. 01) were significantly associated with parotid metastasis.

Conclusion

Surgical history of cSCC, primary lesion–positive margins, degree of differentiation, and lesion size together with pS6 positivity appear to be predictors of cSCC aggressiveness and should prompt increased monitoring or elective parotidectomy.
The Persistence of Tinnitus after Acoustic Neuroma Surgery
Authors: Bell Jason R. , Anderson‐Kim Sara J. , Low Christopher , Leonetti John P.
Published: April 2016

Objective

Examine possible prognostic factors for the persistence of tinnitus after acoustic neuroma resection.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary academic medical center.

Subjects and Methods

The records of 166 patients who underwent acoustic neuroma resection from 2009 to 2014 were reviewed. Patients were asked to complete a survey, including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, 1 to 6 years postoperatively.

Results

Of the 53 patients who completed the survey, 17% reported that their tinnitus resolved; 9% reported improvement; 23% reported no change; 43% reported that their tinnitus worsened; and 8% were unsure. Respondents ≥50 years old and those with nonserviceable hearing preoperatively were more likely to report that their tinnitus resolved or improved (P <. 01 and P =. 02, respectively). Respondents <50 years old and those with serviceable hearing preoperatively were more likely to report that their tinnitus was the same or worse (P <. 001 and P =. 036, respectively). Respondents with age <50 years, serviceable hearing preoperatively, and residual tumor had a higher average Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score (P =. 016, P =. 048, and P =. 047, respectively). Sex, tumor size, surgical approach, hearing preservation, and cochlear nerve status did not correlate with the prognosis of tinnitus postoperatively. Respondents whose tinnitus resolved postoperatively were more likely to report being “very satisfied” with their care (P =. 012).

Conclusion

In this study, 83% of respondents had persistent tinnitus after acoustic neuroma resection. The prognosis of tinnitus was worse for younger respondents, those with serviceable hearing preoperatively, and those with residual tumor postoperatively. Respondents’ satisfaction was higher if their tinnitus resolved.
Height Assessment in the Dutch‐Origin Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Population
Authors: Woestenenk Janna W. , Gulmans Vincent A. M. , van der Ent Cornelis K. , Houwen Roderick H. J.
Published: April 2016

Background: Height evaluation is an integral part of cystic fibrosis (CF) care. Height is compared with reference values by converting it to height‐for‐age (HFA) z scores. However, HFA z scores do not adjust for genetic potential (ie, target height [TH]), which could result in an incorrect estimation of the height. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the magnitude of this potential problem, we assessed the agreement between HFA and HFA‐adjusted‐for‐TH (HFA/TH) z scores in 474 Dutch children with CF. Results: In this study sample, HFA z scores were −0.07 (95% confidence interval, −0.02 to −0.12) lower than HFA/TH z scores. When HFA and HFA/TH z scores were subdivided into 4 categories (≥0, <0 and ≥–1, <−1 and ≥−2, and ≤−2), a moderate agreement was found. HFA z scores were classified lower than HFA/TH z scores in 21% of the measurements and higher in 15% of the measurements. Conclusion: In clinical routine, height evaluation based on HFA may result in underestimation or overestimation of height growth, which may induce inappropriate nutrition interventions.
Rapid prototyping for patient-specific surgical orthopaedics guides: A systematic literature review
Authors: Popescu Diana , Laptoiu Dan
Published: April 2016

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the advantages to be gained from rapid prototyping processes in a number of fields, including medicine. Our literature review aims objectively to assess how effective patient-specific surgical guides manufactured using rapid prototyping are in a number of orthopaedic surgical applications. To this end, we carried out a systematic review to identify and analyse clinical and experimental literature studies in which rapid prototyping patient-specific surgical guides are used, focusing especially on those that entail quantifiable outcomes and, at the same time, providing details on the guides’ design and type of manufacturing process. Here, it should be mentioned that in this field there are not yet medium- or long-term data, and no information on revisions. In the reviewed studies, the reported positive opinions on the use of rapid prototyping patient-specific surgical guides relate to the following main advantages: reduction in operating times, low costs and improvements in the accuracy of surgical interventions thanks to guides’ personalisation. However, disadvantages and sources of errors which can cause patient-specific surgical guide failures are as well discussed by authors. Stereolithography is the main rapid prototyping process employed in these applications although fused deposition modelling or selective laser sintering processes can also satisfy the requirements of these applications in terms of material properties, manufacturing accuracy and construction time. Another of our findings was that individualised drill guides for spinal surgery are currently the favourite candidates for manufacture using rapid prototyping. Other emerging applications relate to complex orthopaedic surgery of the extremities: the forearm and foot. Several procedures such as osteotomies for radius malunions or tarsal coalition could become standard, thanks to the significant assistance provided by rapid prototyping patient-specific surgical guides in planning and performing such operations.
“Some People Are Born Strange”
Authors: Frimberger Katja
Published: April 2016

The article explores the role of a Brechtian theater pedagogy as “philosophical ethnography” in four investigative drama-based workshops, which took international students’ intercultural “strangeness” experiences as the starting point for aesthetic experimentation. It is argued that a Brechtian theater pedagogy allows for a productive rather than representational orientation in research, which is underpinned by a love for the aesthetic “re-entanglement” of (dis-embodied) language and ethical concerns about mimetic representational acts. To show how a Brechtian research pedagogy functioned as philosophical ethnography, the article maps the aesthetic transformation of participant Jamal’s verbatim account in the drama workshops—from (a) its emergence in a post-creative-writing discussion in Workshop 2, to (b) its enactment as a body sculpture in Workshop 3, and (c) to its translation into a rehearsal piece in Workshop 4.
Perinatal Risk Factors and ADHD in Children and Adolescents: A Hierarchical Structure of Disorder Predictors
Authors: Hanć Tomasz , Szwed Anita , Słopień Agnieszka , Wolańczyk Tomasz , Dmitrzak-Węglarz Monika , Ratajczak Joanna
Published: April 2016

Objective: The aim of the study was to hierarchically assess the predictive power of low and high birth weight, pre-term and post-term birth, and low Apgar score as the risk factors for ADHD. Method: The data of 132 boys diagnosed with ADHD and 146 boys from control group, aged 6 to 18 years, have been analyzed. The boys were categorized according to term of birth, birth weight, and Apgar score. CART method (Classification and Regression Trees) was used for assessment of the relationship between perinatal factors and the risk of ADHD. Results: Low Apgar score (21.97% vs. 13.01%) and post-term birth (12.12% vs. 0.68%) were more frequent in the sample than in the control group. CART method additionally indicated low birth weight as associated with the risk of ADHD. Among analyzed risk factors, Apgar score had the highest predictive value. Conclusion: The decreased Apgar score is the most important perinatal risk factor of ADHD. Research results also indicated a high significance of post-term birth in predicting the disorder.
Exploring ethical issues and conditions for institutionalizing evaluation in the public sector
Authors: Leone Liliana , Stame Nicoletta , Tagle Laura
Published: April 2016

When addressing evaluation ethics, both the literature and existing ethics codes focus on evaluators’ conduct. This risks undermining the evaluator’s position vis-à-vis programme managers and evaluation commissioners, without addressing major ethical issues. This study indicates that the factors influencing ethical choices include institutional settings and organizational arrangements. Evidence was collected from an institutionalization of evaluation process in Italy where internal Evaluation Units were created across regions and ministries to support the implementation of EU Cohesion policy. The article investigates the institutional factors influencing observed conflicts and associated ethical dilemmas. The article discusses how to limit opportunities for unethical behaviour and suggests devoting more attention to institutional issues and organizational dimensions when drafting ethics codes. It is argued that this analysis has broader implications for efforts to strengthen ethical behaviour in public sector evaluation.
National Behaviour in Multilateral Military Operations
Authors: Haesebrouck Tim
Published: April 2016

What accounts for the diverging contributions to multinational military operations? Over two decades ago, Bennett, Lepgold and Unger published a seminal study that aimed to explain the division of the burdens of the Desert Storm Coalition. This article reviews four recent monographs on national behaviour in multinational operations against the backdrop of their conclusions. While the four reviewed titles suggest that the bulk of the conclusions of Bennett, Lepgold and Unger’s study hold beyond the scope of the Desert Storm Coalition, each of them also makes a distinct contribution to the literature. Baltrusaitis offers three excellent case studies on burden sharing in the 2003 Iraq War, Davidson provides essential insights on the impact of alliance value and threat and the studies of Auerswald and Saideman and Mello invoke important domestic variables that were not structurally examined by Bennett, Lepgold and Unger. Altogether, the reviewed titles provide convincing explanations for the behaviour of democratic states in US-led operations. Consequently, the article concludes by arguing that the most promising avenue for future research would be to focus on military operations in which the United States has a more limited role and on the contributions of non-democratic states to multinational operations.

Auerswald DP and Saideman SM (2014) NATO in Afghanistan: Fighting Together, Fighting Alone. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Baltrusaitis DF (2010) Coalition Politics and the Iraq War: Determinants of Choice. Boulder, CO: First Forum Press.

Davidson J (2011) America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mello P (2014) Democratic Participation in Armed Conflict Military Involvement in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Integrating the Science of Habit
Authors: Fritz Heather , Cutchin Malcolm P.
Published: April 2016

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in the United States. Because personal behaviors are the primary risk factors for developing chronic diseases, developing effective strategies to modify personal behaviors remains a national imperative. Occupational therapy can help address this problematic situation through interventions based on an understanding of habit and principles of habit modification. The objective of this paper is to provide an evidence-based argument for occupational therapy research and practice targeting health-promoting lifestyle behaviors as habits. We discuss empirical research conducted over the previous decade with a focus on the role of habit in daily behavior, key evidence-based strategies for changing existing habits and developing new habits, and recent advances in habit measurement in relation to issues of intervention design. Understanding habit development, function, and change offers a novel orientation for occupational therapy toward practice and research on many complex health problems.
Epigenetic regulation of spinal cord gene expression contributes to enhanced postoperative pain and analgesic tolerance subsequent to continuous opioid exposure
Authors: Sahbaie Peyman , Liang De-Yong , Shi Xiao-You , Sun Yuan , Clark J David
Published: April 2016

Background

Opioids have become the mainstay for treatment of moderate to severe pain and are commonly used to treat surgical pain. While opioid administration has been shown to cause opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance, interactions between opioid administration and surgery with respect to these problematic adaptations have scarcely been addressed. Accumulating evidence suggests opioids and nociceptive signaling may converge on epigenetic mechanisms in spinal cord to enhance or prolong neuroplastic changes. Epigenetic regulation of Bdnf (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and Pdyn (prodynorphin) genes may be involved.

Results

Four days of ascending doses of morphine treatment caused opioid-induced hyperalgesia and reduced opioid analgesic efficacy in mice. Both opioid-induced hyperalgesia and the reduced opioid analgesic efficacy were enhanced in mice that received hindpaw incisions. The expression of Bdnf and Pdyn (qPCR) was increased after morphine treatment and incision. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the Pdyn and Bdnf promoters were more strongly associated with acetylated H3K9 after morphine plus incision than in the morphine or incision alone groups. Selective tropomyosin-related kinase B (ANA-12) and κ-opioid receptor (nor-binaltorphimine) antagonists were administered intrathecally, both reduced hyperalgesia one or three days after surgery. Administration of ANA-12 or nor-binaltorphimine attenuated the decreased morphine analgesic efficacy on day 1, but only nor-binaltorphimine was effective on day 3 after incision in opioid-exposed group. Coadministration of histone acetyltransferase inhibitor anacardic acid daily with morphine blocked the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and attenuated incision-enhanced hyperalgesia in morphine-treated mice. Anacardic acid had similar effects on analgesic tolerance, showing the involvement of histone acetylation in the interactions detected.

Conclusions

Spinal epigenetic changes involving Bdnf and Pdyn may contribute to the enhanced postoperative nociceptive sensitization and analgesic tolerance observed after continuous opioid exposure. Treatments blocking the epigenetically mediated up-regulation of these genes or administration of TrkB or κ-opioid receptor antagonists may improve the clinical utility of opioids, particularly after surgery.
A Review of occupation-based social classifications for social survey research
Authors: Connelly Roxanne , Gayle Vernon , Lambert Paul S.
Published: April 2016

This article is a review of issues associated with measuring occupations and using occupation-based socio-economic classifications in social science research. The review is orientated towards researchers who undertake secondary analysis of large-scale micro-level social science datasets. This article begins with an outline of how to handle raw occupational information. This is followed by an introduction to the two main approaches to measuring occupations and a third lesser known but intellectually innovative approach. The three approaches are social class schemes, social stratification scales and the microclass approach. International comparisons are briefly described and a discussion of intersectionality with other key variables such as age and gender is provided. We are careful to emphasise that this article does not advocate the uncritical adoption of any one particular occupation-based socio-economic measure over and above other alternatives. Rather, we are advocating that researchers should choose from the portfolio of existing socio-economic measures in an informed and empirically defensible way, and we strongly advocate undertaking sensitivity analyses. We conclude that researchers should always use existing socio-economic measures that have agreed on and well-documented standards. We strongly advise researchers not to develop their own measures without strong justification nor to use existing measures in an un-prescribed or ad hoc manner.
Severe Arterial Tortuosity
Authors: Cubero Alain , Ayala Javier , Hamzeh Gadah , Cortes Andrés , Udaondo June , Aramendi José Ignacio
Published: April 2016

Arterial tortuosity syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disease characterized by elongation, tortuosity, and aneurysmal formation of the large and middle-sized arteries sometimes associated with stenosis of the pulmonary arteries and/or aorta. We present three cases of severe arterial tortuosity with different manifestations. In two cases, the aortic arch was involved. Angiography showed a very tortuous aortic arch, with many loops and twists and a normal descending aorta. One required operation. The third case presented multiple severe stenoses of both pulmonary arteries with many tortuous segments. Surgical repair consisted of pulmonary artery augmentation utilizing a bovine pericardial patch from hilum to hilum.
BCR signaling inhibitors differ in their ability to overcome Mcl-1–mediated resistance of CLL B cells to ABT-199
Authors: Bojarczuk Kamil , Sasi Binu K. , Gobessi Stefania , Innocenti Idanna , Pozzato Gabriele , Laurenti Luca , Efremov Dimitar G.
Published: April 2016

Key Points

BCR signals induce ABT-199 resistance in CLL cells by upregulating Mcl-1. SYK inhibitors prevent BCR-mediated Mcl-1 induction more effectively than BTK or PI3Kδ inhibitors.