bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing coverage of essential maternal and child health interventions using health-facility data in Uganda
Authors: Simmons Elizabeth M. , Singh Kavita , Mpiima Jamiru , Kumar Manish , Weiss William
Published: October 2020

Background

Nationally representative household surveys are the gold standard for tracking progress in coverage of life-saving maternal and child interventions, but often do not provide timely information on coverage at the local and health facility level. Electronic routine health information system (RHIS) data could help provide this information, but there are currently concerns about data quality. This analysis seeks to improve the usability of and confidence in electronic RHIS data by using adjustments to calculate more accurate numerators and denominators for essential interventions.

Methods

Data from three sources (Ugandan Demographic and Health (UDHS) survey, electronic RHIS, and census) were used to provide estimates of essential maternal (> 4 antenatal care visits (ANC), skilled delivery, and postnatal care visit (PNC)) and child health interventions (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b and polio vaccination series, measles vaccination, and vitamin A). Electronic RHIS data was checked for quality and both numerators and denominators were adjusted to improve accuracy. Estimates were compared between the three sources.

Results

Estimates of maternal health interventions from adjusted electronic RHIS data were lower than those of the UDHS, while child intervention estimates were typically higher. Adjustment of electronic RHIS data generally improved accuracy compared with no adjustment. There was considerable agreement between estimates from adjusted, electronic RHIS data, and UDHS for skilled delivery and first dose of childhood vaccination series, but lesser agreement for ANC visits and second and third doses of childhood vaccinations.

Conclusions

Nationally representative household surveys will likely continue being the gold standard of coverage estimates of maternal and child health interventions, but this analysis shows that current approaches to adjusting health facility estimate works better for some indications than others. Further efforts to improve accuracy of estimates from RHIS sources are needed.
Associations of early adulthood life transitions with changes in fast food intake: a latent trajectory analysis
Authors: Winpenny Eleanor M. , Winkler Megan R. , Stochl Jan , van Sluijs Esther M. F. , Larson Nicole , Neumark-Sztainer Dianne
Published: October 2020

Background

Early adulthood is a period of rapid personal development when individuals experience major life transitions (e.g. leaving the parental home, leaving education, beginning employment, cohabitation and parenthood). Changes in social and physical environments associated with these transitions may influence development of health-related behaviours. Consumption of fast food is one behaviour associated with poor diet and long-term health outcomes. In this study we assess how frequency of fast food consumption changes across early adulthood, and how major life transitions are associated with changes in fast food intake.

Methods

Data were collected across four waves of the Project EAT study, from mean age 14.9 (SD = 1.6) to mean age 31.1 (SD = 1.6) years. Participants reporting data at two or more waves were included (n = 2902). Participants reported past week frequency of eating food from a fast food restaurant and responded to questions on living arrangements, education and employment participation, and having children. To assess changes in fast food we developed a latent growth model incorporating an underlying trajectory of fast food intake, five life transitions, and time-invariant covariates.

Results

Mean fast food intake followed an underlying quadratic trajectory, increasing through adolescence to a maximum of 1.88 (SE 0.94) times/week and then decreasing again through early adulthood to 0.76 (SE 2.06) times/week at wave 4. Beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent both contributed to increases in fast food intake, each resulting in an average increase in weekly fast food intake of 0.16 (p < 0.01) times/week. Analysis of changes between pairs of waves revealed stronger associations for these two transitions between waves 1–2 (mean age 14.9–19.4 years) than seen in later waves. Leaving the parental home and beginning cohabitation were associated with decreases in fast food intake of − 0.17 (p = 0.004) and − 0.16 (p = 0.007) times/week respectively, while leaving full-time education was not associated with any change.

Conclusions

The transitions of beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent were associated with increases in fast food intake. Public health policy or interventions designed to reduce fast food intake in young adults may benefit from particular focus on populations experiencing these transitions, to ameliorate their impact.
Chronic alcohol-induced neuroinflammation involves CCR2/5-dependent peripheral macrophage infiltration and microglia alterations
Authors: Lowe Patrick P. , Morel Caroline , Ambade Aditya , Iracheta-Vellve Arvin , Kwiatkowski Erica , Satishchandran Abhishek , Furi Istvan , Cho Yeonhee , Gyongyosi Benedek , Catalano Donna , Lefebvre Eric , Fischer Laurent , Seyedkazemi Star , Schafer Dorothy P. , Szabo Gyongyi
Published: October 2020

Background

Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with neuroinflammation, neuronal damage, and behavioral alterations including addiction. Alcohol-induced neuroinflammation is characterized by increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines (including TNFα, IL-1β, and CCL2) and microglial activation. We hypothesized chronic alcohol consumption results in peripheral immune cell infiltration to the CNS. Since chemotaxis through the CCL2-CCR2 signaling axis is critical for macrophage recruitment peripherally and centrally, we further hypothesized that blockade of CCL2 signaling using the dual CCR2/5 inhibitor cenicriviroc (CVC) would prevent alcohol-induced CNS infiltration of peripheral macrophages and alter the neuroinflammatory state in the brain after chronic alcohol consumption.

Methods

C57BL/6J female mice were fed an isocaloric or 5% (v/v) ethanol Lieber DeCarli diet for 6 weeks. Some mice received daily injections of CVC. Microglia and infiltrating macrophages were characterized and quantified by flow cytometry and visualized using CX3CR1eGFP/+ CCR2RFP/+ reporter mice. The effect of ethanol and CVC treatment on the expression of inflammatory genes was evaluated in various regions of the brain, using a Nanostring nCounter inflammation panel. Microglia activation was analyzed by immunofluorescence. CVC-treated and untreated mice were presented with the two-bottle choice test.

Results

Chronic alcohol consumption induced microglia activation and peripheral macrophage infiltration in the CNS, particularly in the hippocampus. Treatment with CVC abrogated ethanol-induced recruitment of peripheral macrophages and partially reversed microglia activation. Furthermore, the expression of proinflammatory markers was upregulated by chronic alcohol consumption in various regions of the brain, including the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Inhibition of CCR2/5 decreased alcohol-mediated expression of inflammatory markers. Finally, microglia function was impaired by chronic alcohol consumption and restored by CVC treatment. CVC treatment did not change the ethanol consumption or preference of mice in the two-bottle choice test.

Conclusions

Together, our data establish that chronic alcohol consumption promotes the recruitment of peripheral macrophages into the CNS and microglia alterations through the CCR2/5 axis. Therefore, further exploration of the CCR2/5 axis as a modulator of neuroinflammation may offer a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of alcohol-associated neuroinflammation.
Inhibiting HMGB1-RAGE axis prevents pro-inflammatory macrophages/microglia polarization and affords neuroprotection after spinal cord injury
Authors: Fan Hong , Tang Hai-Bin , Chen Zhe , Wang Hu-Qing , Zhang Lei , Jiang Yu , Li Tao , Yang Cai-Feng , Wang Xiao-Ya , Li Xia , Wu Sheng-Xi , Zhang Gui-Lian
Published: October 2020

Background

Spinal cord injury (SCI) favors a persistent pro-inflammatory macrophages/microglia-mediated response with only a transient appearance of anti-inflammatory phenotype of immune cells. However, the mechanisms controlling this special sterile inflammation after SCI are still not fully elucidated. It is known that damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from necrotic cells after injury can trigger severe inflammation. High mobility group box 1(HMGB1), a ubiquitously expressed DNA binding protein, is an identified DAMP, and our previous study demonstrated that reactive astrocytes could undergo necroptosis and release HMGB1 after SCI in mice. The present study aimed to explore the effects and the possible mechanism of HMGB1on macrophages/microglia polarization, as well as the neuroprotective effects by HMGB1 inhibition after SCI.

Methods

In this study, the expression and the concentration of HMGB1 was determined by qRT-PCR, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. Glycyrrhizin was applied to inhibit HMGB1, while FPS-ZM1 to suppress receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). The polarization of macrophages/microglia in vitro and in vivo was detected by qRT-PCR, immunostaining, and western blot. The lesion area was detected by GFAP staining, while neuronal survival was examined by Nissl staining. Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining, DAB staining, and western blot were adopted to evaluate the myelin loss. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scoring and rump-height Index (RHI) assay was applied to evaluate locomotor functional recovery.

Results

Our data showed that HMGB1 can be elevated and released from necroptotic astrocytes and HMGB1 could induce pro-inflammatory microglia through the RAGE-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. We further demonstrated that inhibiting HMGB1 or RAGE effectively decreased the numbers of detrimental pro-inflammatory macrophages/microglia while increased anti-inflammatory cells after SCI. Furthermore, our data showed that inhibiting HMGB1 or RAGE significantly decreased neuronal loss and demyelination, and improved functional recovery after SCI.

Conclusions

The data implicated that HMGB1-RAGE axis contributed to the dominant pro-inflammatory macrophages/microglia-mediated pro-inflammatory response, and inhibiting this pathway afforded neuroprotection for SCI. Thus, therapies designed to modulate immune microenvironment based on this cascade might be a prospective treatment for SCI.
Recommendations for early diagnosis of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH): working group intersociety consensus document
Authors: Agostiniani Rino , Atti Giuseppe , Bonforte Salvatore , Casini Carolina , Cirillo Marco , De Pellegrin Maurizio , Di Bello Daniela , Esposito Francesco , Galla Ambra , Marrè Brunenghi Giorgio , Romeo Nicola , Tomà Paolo , Vezzali Norberto
Published: October 2020

This consensus document has been prepared by a multidisciplinary group of experts (Paediatricians, Radiologists, Paediatric Orthopaedics) and it is mainly aimed at paediatricians, hospitals and primary care providers. We provide recommendations for the early diagnosis and treatment of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) and indications on its management.
Differences between men and women with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis: clinical characteristics and treatment effectiveness in a real-life prospective cohort
Authors: Neuenschwander Regula , Hebeisen Monika , Micheroli Raphael , Bürki Kristina , Exer Pascale , Niedermann Karin , Nissen Michael J. , Scherer Almut , Ciurea Adrian
Published: October 2020

Background

Sex differences with regard to clinical manifestations and response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) have been delineated for the radiographic form of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). More limited evidence for a differential effectiveness of treatment in genders exists for the nonradiographic disease state (nr-axSpA). The aim of the study was to compare demographics, clinical parameters, and response to TNFi in women versus men with nr-axSpA.

Methods

We compared disease characteristics of 264 women and 231 men with nr-axSpA at inclusion in the prospective Swiss Clinical Quality Management Cohort. Response to a first TNFi was assessed in 85 women and 78 men without diagnosed co-morbid fibromyalgia. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving the 40% improvement in the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society criteria (ASAS40) at 1 year. Additional response outcomes were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Patients having discontinued TNFi were considered non-responders. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for baseline differences, which might potentially mediate the effect of sex on treatment response.

Results

Compared to men, women had a longer diagnostic delay, a higher level of perceived disease activity, and more enthesitis and were in a lower percentage HLA-B27 positive. An ASAS40 response was achieved by 17% of women and 38% of men (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.12, 0.93; p = 0.02). A significantly lower response rate in women was confirmed in the adjusted analysis (OR 0.19; 95% CI 0.05, 0.62; p = 0.009) as well as for the other outcomes assessed.

Conclusion

Despite only few sex differences in patient characteristics in nr-axSpA, response rates to TNFi are significantly lower in women than in men.
Chromosome segregation in B. subtilis is highly heterogeneous
Authors: El Najjar Nina , Graumann Peter L.
Published: October 2020

Objective

The bacterial cell cycle comprises initiation of replication and ensuing elongation, concomitant chromosome segregation (in some organisms with a delay termed cohesion), and finally cell division. By quantifying the number of origin and terminus regions in exponentially growing Bacillus subtilis cells, and after induction of DNA damage, we aimed at determining cell cycle parameters at different growth rates at a single cell level.

Results

B. subtilis cells are mostly mero-oligoploid during fast growth and diploid during slow growth. However, we found that the number of replication origins and of termini is highly heterogeneous within the cell population at two different growth rates, and that even at slow growth, a majority of cells attempts to maintain more than a single chromosome at all times of the cell cycle. Heterogeneity of chromosome copy numbers may reflect different subpopulations having diverging growth rates even during exponential growth conditions. Cells continued to initiate replication and segregate chromosomes after induction of DNA damage, as judged by an increase in origin numbers per cell, showing that replication and segregation are relatively robust against cell cycle perturbation.
Radiological staging of rectal cancer in a resource limited setting
Authors: Lokuhetty Naradha , Seneviratne Suranjith L. , Rahman Fathima Asma , Marapana Thanushka , Niloofa Roshan , De Zoysa Ishan
Published: October 2020

Objective

Current guidelines on rectal cancer (RC) management recommend pre-operative MRI for loco-regional staging and CT for staging of metastases. This allows appropriate selection of patients for chemo-radiotherapy (CRT). However, MRI is not freely available in many low-income countries. We assessed the status of pre-operative imaging for RC in Sri Lanka and evaluated the performance of CT in RC staging.

Results

A pre-tested interview-administered questionnaire was used to assess the pre-operative use of MRI and CT in RC. CT findings from 37 RC patients were then compared with histopathology findings. Of the 64 surgeons interviewed, 57 (89.1%) did not request an MRI for their RC patients. Reasons cited included limited availability and long waiting times due to competing health needs. A CT was requested by all. In RC, the overall accuracy of CT for T staging was 43.2% and 29.7% of T1–T2 tumours were over-staged as T3. The overall accuracy of CT for regional lymph node staging was 70.3%. In summary, CT alone is not suitable for RC staging in any setting. It leads to over-staging and patients may thus receive unnecessary CRT. Steps must be taken to improve access to pre-operative MRI among Sri Lankan RC patients.
Pro-myogenic small molecules revealed by a chemical screen on primary muscle stem cells
Authors: Buchanan Sean M. , Price Feodor D. , Castiglioni Alessandra , Gee Amanda Wagner , Schneider Joel , Matyas Mark N. , Hayhurst Monica , Tabebordbar Mohammadsharif , Wagers Amy J. , Rubin Lee L.
Published: October 2020

Satellite cells are the canonical muscle stem cells that regenerate damaged skeletal muscle. Loss of function of these cells has been linked to reduced muscle repair capacity and compromised muscle health in acute muscle injury and congenital neuromuscular diseases. To identify new pathways that can prevent loss of skeletal muscle function or enhance regenerative potential, we established an imaging-based screen capable of identifying small molecules that promote the expansion of freshly isolated satellite cells. We found several classes of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors that increased freshly isolated satellite cell numbers in vitro. Further exploration of one of these compounds, the RTK inhibitor CEP-701 (also known as lestaurtinib), revealed potent activity on mouse satellite cells both in vitro and in vivo. This expansion potential was not seen upon exposure of proliferating committed myoblasts or non-myogenic fibroblasts to CEP-701. When delivered subcutaneously to acutely injured animals, CEP-701 increased both the total number of satellite cells and the rate of muscle repair, as revealed by an increased cross-sectional area of regenerating fibers. Moreover, freshly isolated satellite cells expanded ex vivo in the presence of CEP-701 displayed enhanced muscle engraftment potential upon in vivo transplantation. We provide compelling evidence that certain RTKs, and in particular RET, regulate satellite cell expansion during muscle regeneration. This study demonstrates the power of small molecule screens of even rare adult stem cell populations for identifying stem cell-targeting compounds with therapeutic potential.
Age based evaluation of nut aspiration risk
Authors: D'Souza Jill N. , Valika Taher S. , Bhushan Bharat , Ida Jonathan B.
Published: October 2020

Objective

To identify an age at which initiation of whole nut into the pediatric diet could be considered safe, by evaluating the age distribution of children undergoing bronchoscopy with removal of nut or seed material from the airway.

Method

A retrospective chart review over a ten-year period identifying children age 0–18 that have undergone bronchoscopy with retrieval of airway foreign bodies. A statistical analysis of demographic data was carried out to identify age distribution of aspiration events.

Results

Sixty-four cases of foreign body aspiration were identified, of which 43 (67%) were of organic origin, specifically nuts. A Fisher's exact test was carried out on the cumulative percentage of organic foreign body aspirations to identify the age distribution of nut aspiration events. A statistically significant decrease in organic foreign body aspirations occurred at approximately 36 months of age ( p = 0.004).

Conclusion

Foreign body aspiration is a leading cause of accidental injury or death in children. Nut and other small organic foreign bodies account for a significant portion of accidental aspiration events, however, no guidelines exist regarding appropriate age of whole nut introduction into the diet. Our study suggests that 90% of pediatric nut aspiration events occur under the age of 36 months. We suggest supervised introduction of whole nuts between the ages of 3 and 4 years. Official guidelines regarding this should be considered by professional pediatric societies.

Level of evidence

4
Seasonal and transient surface displacements in the Kumamoto area, Japan, associated with the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake: implications for seismic-induced groundwater level change
Authors: Ishitsuka Kazuya , Tsuji Takeshi , Lin Weiren , Kagabu Makoto , Shimada Jun
Published: October 2020

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence on April 14 (Mw 6.2) and April 16 (Mw 7.0) altered the regional groundwater level. To better understand the relationship between groundwater level change and surface displacement, we estimated surface displacement in the Kumamoto area (Japan) using persistent scatterer interferometry from 19 ALOS/PALSAR images acquired between January 7, 2007 and March 5, 2011, 28 ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 images acquired between April 17, 2016 and December 10, 2018, and 113 Sentinel-1 images acquired between May 26, 2016 and December 30, 2018. Our estimation shows that transient surface displacement occurred following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence, together with seasonal surface displacement that was not detected from the 2007–2011 images. We suggest that a portion of the transient displacement occurred via groundwater drawdown through new ruptures that formed owing to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence and sediment compaction. Seasonal surface displacements detected after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence are linked to groundwater level variations.
The role of social relatedness and self-beliefs in social functioning in first-episode psychosis: Are we overestimating the contribution of illness-related factors?
Authors: González-Blanch César , Medrano Leonardo A. , Bendall Sarah , D’Alfonso Simon , Cagliarini Daniela , McEnery Carla , O’Sullivan Shaunagh , Valentine Lee , Gleeson John F. , Alvarez-Jimenez Mario
Published: October 2020

Objective

Numerous research studies have demonstrated an association between higher symptom severity and cognitive impairment with poorer social functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP). By contrast, the influence of subjective experiences, such as social relatedness and self-beliefs, has received less attention. Consequently, a cohesive understanding of how these variables interact to influence social functioning is lacking.

Method

We used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships among neurocognition (processing speed) and social cognition, symptoms, and social relatedness (perceived social support and loneliness) and self-beliefs (self-efficacy and self-esteem) in 170 individuals with FEP.

Results

The final model yielded an acceptable model fit (χ2 = 45.48, comparative fit index = 0.96; goodness of fit index = 0.94; Tucker–Lewis index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.06) and explained 45% of social functioning. Negative symptoms, social relatedness, and self-beliefs exerted a direct effect on social functioning. Social relatedness partially mediated the impact of social cognition and negative symptoms on social functioning. Self-beliefs also mediated the relationship between social relatedness and social functioning.

Conclusions

The observed associations highlight the potential value of targeting social relatedness and self-beliefs to improve functional outcomes in FEP. Explanatory models of social functioning in FEP not accounting for social relatedness and self-beliefs might be overestimating the effect of the illness-related factors.
Approach to the Patient with MODY-Monogenic Diabetes
Authors: Broome David T , Pantalone Kevin M , Kashyap Sangeeta R , Philipson Louis H
Published: October 2020

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young, or MODY-monogenic diabetes, is a not-so-rare collection of inherited disorders of non-autoimmune diabetes mellitus that remains insufficiently diagnosed despite increasing awareness. These cases are important to efficiently and accurately diagnose, given the clinical implications of syndromic features, cost-effective treatment regimen, and the potential impact on multiple family members. Proper recognition of the clinical manifestations, family history, and cost-effective lab and genetic testing provide the diagnosis. All patients must undergo a thorough history, physical examination, multigenerational family history, lab evaluation (glycated hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies [GADA], islet antigen 2 antibodies [IA-2A], and zinc transporter 8 [ZnT8] antibodies). The presence of clinical features with 3 (or more) negative antibodies may be indicative of MODY-monogenic diabetes, and is followed by genetic testing. Molecular genetic testing should be performed before attempting specific treatments in most cases. Additional testing that is helpful in determining the risk of MODY-monogenic diabetes is the MODY clinical risk calculator (>25% post-test probability in patients not treated with insulin within 6 months of diagnosis should trigger genetic testing) and 2-hour postprandial (after largest meal of day) urinary C-peptide to creatinine ratio (with a ≥0.2 nmol/mmol to distinguish HNF1A- or 4A-MODY from type 1 diabetes). Treatment, as well as monitoring for microvascular and macrovascular complications, is determined by the specific variant that is identified. In addition to the diagnostic approach, this article will highlight recent therapeutic advancements when patients no longer respond to first-line therapy (historically sulfonylurea treatment in many variants).

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

Target Audience

This continuing medical education activity should be of substantial interest to endocrinologists and all health care professionals who care for people with diabetes mellitus.
“Split by the Moonlight”: Beethoven and the Racial Sublime in African American Literature
Authors: Avery Tamlyn
Published: October 2020

As Nathan Waddell has recently argued of the literary modernists whose aesthetic incorporation of the Beethovenian legend complicates the dominant view of modernism as an antitraditionalist enterprise, Ludwig van Beethoven’s music has in fact left a more significant and complicated mark on African American literature relating to the sublime properties of his musical aesthetic than has previously been recognized. As a point of departure, I apply Michael J. Shapiro’s definition of the racial sublime as a confrontation with the “still vast oppressive structure that imperils black lives” to the setting of twentieth-century African American literature, where Beethoven’s Romantic sublime often stands in for the racial sublime. This transference, I argue, is not an expression of the artist’s repressed instinctual conflict, the mere sublimation of their devotion to “white” culture and the cult of genius, as Amiri Baraka once suggested. Rather, Beethoven’s music formed a persistent and powerful political allegory of the racial sublime for many prominent twentieth-century authors in their literary works, where the sublime constitutes a sublimation of direct forms of power into a range of aesthetic experiences. This can be observed in the Beethovenian ekphrasis featured in prose works by James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison—four writers whose works have also been considered indebted to blues and jazz musical influences and who approach the racial sublime not through language but by appealing to music’s nonsignifying suggestiveness, in order to capture the intensities that radiate out of these encounters. As this article reveals, their allegorical uses for Beethoven are not unitary. The forcefield of the racial sublime is registered allegorically through the performative sublime of Sonata “Pathétique” in Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912); the sublime melancholy of the “Moonlight” Sonata in Hughes’s tragic short story “Home” (1934); the spiritual sublime of Beethoven’s piano concerti and the Ninth Symphony in Baldwin’s short story “Previous Condition” (1948); and the heroic sublime of the Fifth Symphony in Ellison’s bildungsroman Invisible Man (1952).
Makandal and Pandemic Knowledge: Literature, Fetish, and Health in the Plantationocene
Authors: Dillon Elizabeth Maddock , Simpkins Kate
Published: October 2020

Key aspects of the plantation economy, centered in the early Caribbean, include the theft of Indigenous land, agricultural monocropping, and racial capitalism as well as an epistemological effort to separate out humans, animals, and plants into discrete species. This essay identifies the current pandemic as a crisis in knowledge—one in which assumptions such as Linnaean categories and species boundaries need re-examining—and explores historical and disciplinary means of challenging the limited and often deadly knowledge regime of the Plantationocene. Turning to the historical revolutionary figure of François Makandal, the essay explores alternative knowledge systems that help us to understand modes of human-environmental connection, semiotics of relation, and text networks of literature and oral history. These alternative ways of knowing the world are fugitive from, and revolutionary with respect to, racial capitalism and the plantation project and are traceable within a line of literary Makandal texts.
The Chronopolitics of COVID-19
Authors: Peckham Robert
Published: October 2020

This paper examines the temporal politics of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that despite the emphasis on digital real-time coverage and epidemiological forecasting, the pandemic has been understood as a historical event, even as it has been unfolding. The paper considers the implications of this ambiguous temporality, suggesting that COVID-19 has made visible a new heterotemporality, wherein real time, history, and the future intermesh. The paper concludes by focusing on Hong Kong, a former British colony and Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since 1997, showing how the pandemic has become an uncanny rendering of the city’s uncertain future.
Molecular determinants that govern scaRNA processing by Drosha/DGCR8
Authors: McLaurin Douglas M. , Logan Madelyn K. , Lett Katheryn E. , Hebert Michael D.
Published: October 2020

The Cajal body (CB) is a subnuclear domain that participates in the biogenesis of many different types of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), including small nuclear RNPs (snRNPs), small Cajal body-specific RNPs (scaRNPs) and telomerase. Most scaRNAs, the RNA component of scaRNPs, accumulate in CBs. However, there are three scaRNAs (scaRNA 2, 9, and 17) that are known to be processed into small, nucleolar-enriched fragments. Evidence suggests that these fragments are packaged into a new class of RNPs, called regulatory RNPs (regRNPs), and may modify small nucleolar RNP (snoRNP) activity, thus playing a role in rRNA modification. However, the mechanism by which these fragments are produced is unknown. Previous work has reported the involvement of Drosha and DGCR8 in the cleavage of primary-scaRNA9. Here, we expand on that knowledge by identifying sequence elements necessary for the efficient production of these RNA fragments and demonstrate that primary scaRNA 2 and 17 are also processed by the Drosha-DGCR8 complex. Collectively, our work establishes new factors in the scaRNP biogenesis pathway and adds to the ever-expanding list of noncanonical functions for the microprocessor complex.
Brain metastases from primary colorectal cancer: is radiosurgery an effective treatment approach? Results of a multicenter study of the radiation and clinical oncology Italian association (AIRO)
Authors: Navarria Pierina , Minniti Giuseppe , Clerici Elena , Comito Tiziana , Cozzi Salvatore , Pinzi Valentina , Fariselli Laura , Ciammella Patrizia , Scoccianti Silvia , Borzillo Valentina , Anselmo Paola , Maranzano Ernesto , Dell'acqua Veronica , Jereczek-Fossa Barbara , Giaj Levra Niccolò , Podlesko Anna Maria , Giudice Emilia , Buglione di Monale e Bastia Michela , Pedretti Sara , Bruni Alessio , Bossi Zanetti Isa , Borghesi Simona , Busato Fabio , Pasqualetti Francesco , Paiar Fabiola , Scorsetti Marta
Published: October 2020

Objectives:

The prognosis of brain metastatic colorectal cancer patients (BMCRC) is poor. Several local treatments have been used, but the optimal treatment choice remains an unresolved issue. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of a large series of BMCRC patients treated in several Italian centers using stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

Methods:

185 BMCRC patients for a total of 262 lesions treated were evaluated. Treatments included surgery followed by post-operative SRS to the resection cavity, and SRS, either single-fraction, then hypofractionated SRS (HSRS). Outcomes was measured in terms of local control (LC), toxicities, brain distant failure (BDF), and overall survival (OS). Prognostic factors influencing survival were assed too.

Results:

The median follow-up time was 33 months (range 3–183 months). Surgery plus SRS have been performed in 28 (10.7%) cases, SRS in 141 (53.8%), and HSRS in 93 (35.5%). 77 (41.6%) patients received systemic therapy. The main total dose and fractionation used were 24 Gy in single fraction or 24 Gy in three daily fractions. Local recurrence occurred in 32 (17.3%) patients. Median, 6 months,1-year-LC were 86 months (95%CI 36-86), 87.2% ± 2.8, 77.8% ± 4.1. Median,6 months,1-year-BDF were 23 months (95%CI 9-44), 66.4% ± 3.9, 55.3% ± 4.5. Median,6 months,1-year-OS were 7 months (95% CI 6–9), 52.7% ± 3.6, 33% ± 3.5. No severe neurological toxicity occurred. Stage at diagnosis, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), presence and number of extracranial metastases, and disease-specific-graded-prognostic-assessment (DS-GPA) score were observed as conditioning survival.

Conclusion:

SRS/HSRS have proven to be an effective local treatment for BMCRC. A careful evaluation of prognostic factors as well as a multidisciplinary evaluation is a valid aid to manage the optimal therapeutic strategy for CTC patients with BMs.

Advances in knowledge:

The prognosis of BMCRC is poor. Several local treatments was used, but optimal treatment choice remains undefined. Radiosurgery has proven to be an effective local treatment for BMCRC. A careful evaluation of prognostic factors and a multidisciplinary evaluation needed.
COVID-19: a espiritualidade harmonizando saúde mental e física
Authors: Hott Márden Cardoso Miranda
Published: October 2020

Introdução: perante o COVID-19, que limita os contornos do existir humano, a espiritualidade, ao compor diferentes extensões do cuidar em saúde, torna-se elemento imprescindível para nutrir o ensejo de lutar pela sobrevivência. Método: comunicação breve, atentando para questões emocionais que envolvem a pandemia. Resultado e conclusão: embora espiritualizar seja processo personalizado, exercício permanente e não haja senda específica para desenvolvê-la, é possível principiar pelo autoconhecimento. Este pode potencializar o ser humano com a capacidade de se ver, proporcionando o desenvolvimento de ações estoicas diante de situações difíceis, dotando-o de força interior para atingir o equilíbrio entre mente, corpo e alma.
Mexico’s “Fourth Transformation” after the pandemic: Windows of opportunity for adaptative policies
Authors: Morales Oyarvide César , Villalpando Acuña Antonio
Published: October 2020

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the infectious agent that caused COVID-19, has put a level of pressure on governments and their structures only seen in times of war. The governments of the world face a health challenge that will have profound economic consequences, which requires an effective response to contain the contagions of the disease and, at the same time, an unprecedented economic effort to preserve jobs, value chains and lifestyles. This reality has reached Mexico during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who, since the beginning of his presidential term on December 1, 2018, has launched an ambitious set of austerity measures aimed at releasing resources for cash transfer programs and infrastructure projects. The struggle between a model that bets on reducing the size of the State and that of public spending and an economic reality that will demand more public investment and state intervention will define the course of Mexico's future public policies. The authors discuss a new world full of windows of opportunity to promote a more ambitious social, fiscal and security policy agenda, on which depends the Mexican government ability to avoid the worst social consequences of the pandemic and the economic crisis. Abstract (in Spanish)La propagación del virus SARS-CoV-2, el agente causante de COVID-19, ha ejercido un nivel de presión sobre los gobiernos y sus estructuras como solamente se había visto en tiempos de guerra. Los gobiernos del mundo enfrentan un desafío sanitario que tendrá profundas consecuencias económicas, lo que demanda una respuesta eficaz para contener los contagios de la enfermedad y, al mismo tiempo, un esfuerzo económico sin precedentes para preservar empleos, cadenas de valor y estilos de vida. Esta realidad ha llegado a México durante la administración de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, quien, desde el comienzo de su mandato presidencial el 1 de diciembre de 2018, ha puesto en marcha un ambicioso conjunto de medidas de austeridad a fin de liberar recursos para programas de transferencias y obras de infraestructura. La pugna entre un modelo que apuesta por reducir el gasto del Estado mexicano y una realidad económica que demandará mayor inversión e intervención estatal definirá el rumbo de la política pública de México. Los autores discuten sobre un mundo nuevo lleno de ventanas de oportunidad para impulsar una agenda de política social, fiscal y de seguridad más ambiciosa, de cuyo aprovechamiento depende el poder evitar las peores consecuencias sociales del binomio pandemia-crisis económica.
India on foot: Internal migrants during COVID-19 in India
Authors: Godara Leelashree , Kumar Sourav
Published: October 2020

India, home to a population of 1.2 billion, is the country fourth worst hit by COVID-19 in terms of the total number of cases. Within this humongous population is the category of internal migrant workers who have been hit to the extent that their survival is at stake. Introducing this catastrophic hit, this policy brief purposefully elaborates on the challenges faced by India in dealing with this pandemic. The number of internal migrants in India is greater than the total population of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany put together. This unmasks the need for deliberation on the issue of social security of these migrant workers and the role of the state in providing it. Despite measures like the ‘Inter-state workmen act, 1979’, ‘Unorganised Sector Workers Social Security Act, 2008’, and findings of multiple committees, the migrant workers have not been able to integrate into their destination regions to a satisfactory level. Through this paper, the loopholes in these provisions have been highlighted and it has been explained how these provisions failed miserably when put to test by a global pandemic. The authors point out that given the diversity in India’s states, a one-size-fits approach is bound to fail and thus they endorse the demand for greater decentralisation in decision making when it comes to managing a health crisis. The authors recommend a tailor-made and feasible data collection and maintenance strategy as the base on which new provisions for migrant workers could be formulated.
Covid-19 has brought back the necessity of the welfare state: The Greek case
Authors: Tzagkarakis Stylianos-Ioannis , Pappas Ilias , Kritas Dimitrios
Published: October 2020

In Europe, despite systemic, functional and structural differences, the welfare state has been a key component of the state after World War II. In recent decades, the former has been accused for inflating government spending and turning people into passive recipients of benefits and services. For this reason, and for several more, such as globalization, the transforming nature of employment and the changing family patterns, the welfare state has undergone the necessary reforms in order to combine the effectiveness and efficiency of its services and benefits. The outbreak of 2009 economic crisis has created tremendous problems to the welfare state, especially in the hardest hit countries, such as Greece. Although these structural problems and inefficiencies existed, the Greek state in general and the National Health System (NHS) in particular have handled the coronavirus successfully, making the country an example for the others but also stressing the necessity to consolidate the welfare state and specifically the NHS. This paper aims to analyze the way the Greek state handled the coronavirus crisis while underlie the importance of the welfare state especially in times of crisis and the challenges that coronavirus has created.
Shared-knowledge, Transparency, and Accountability: In Enabling State-Society Relations Governance on COVID-19 Resilience Building Societies
Authors: Esien Eddy Bruno
Published: October 2020

This policy brief examines shared-knowledge, transparency and accountability to improve enabling state-society relations on COVID-19 resilient building governance and takes into account the impact on third-country nationals (TCNs) in Austria, Finland, Czechia, and Lithuania. Existing research pointed to state-society relations as decentralised multi-stakeholder governance in public service reform for sustainable resilience building societies. However, the governance faced budgetary constraints and low public sector performance management. Although the relational governance shows certain public authorities have failed and/or ineffective to administer and achieve a range of public policy goals, there is still little policy study research in Nordic, Baltic, Central Eastern European- CEE and Central Western European countries explaining the improvement of state-society relations model on COVID-19 resilient building societies and its impacts to TCNs’ in the selected entities.  Based on a qualitative cross-country oriented research approach with fewer country com­parisons, primary data from the authors of this policy paper research, documents, published and unpublished scholarly texts are collected and analyzed with document and content analysis techniques. The findings indicates insufficient shared-knowledge for responsive decision to local concerns, lack of diverse interests groups’ consultations, and quality service delivery often not transparent that infringe the core values of trust, public accountability, mutual responsibilities, and citizens’ participation in effective public service relational governance implementation and impact TCNs and ethnic minorities peoples’ COVID-19 crisis-related resilient in the selected entities. This policy brief recommends shared-knowledge for open access to relevant information, mutual corporate responsibilities between government, public and private organization policy for public interest, diversify migrants communities involvement in policy consultation for open democracy, rebuilding of bureaucrats’ professional capacity to ensure commitment and increase public service staff, and legislation to set specific working ethics and values compatible with public interest that combine honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, and fair equal treatment of citizens (especially from heterogeneous minorities subgroups) in the formulation, implementation, and delivery of public care to sustain COVID-19 resilient building societies. Not meeting these marginal policy adjustments and recommendations may intensify the reinforcement of public service distrust and corruption, deepen political and /or social inequalities, jeopardize open democracy, and impair sustainable COVID-19 resilient building societies.
Συρία: το διπλό μέτωπο στην εποχή του κορωνοϊού
Authors: Karaleka Antonia-Nefeli
Published: October 2020

Για πολλές χώρες η υγειονομική κρίση του κορωνοϊού αποτέλεσε τη μεγαλύτερη πρόκληση των τελευταίων δεκαετιών. Για τη Συρία όμως ήρθε να προστεθεί σε μία ήδη μακριά λίστα προκλήσεων. Πώς διαχειρίστηκε η Συρία το πρώτο κύμα της πανδημίας και ποια ήταν τα αποτελέσματα; Είναι πλέον έμπειρη και έτοιμη να αντιμετωπίσει ένα πιθανό δεύτερο κύμα κορωνοϊού; Πώς θα μπορούσε να είχε λειτουργήσει αποτελεσματικότερα τους τρεις τελευταίους μήνες και πώς θα αξιοποιήσει την εμπειρία της αυτή για να εφοδιαστεί για το άμεσο μέλλον και ό,τι φέρνει αυτό μαζί του; Και κυρίως, ποια η ανάμειξη και με ποια αποτελέσματα τρίτων δυνάμεων; Σε αυτή τη μελέτη θα γίνει προσπάθεια να απαντηθούν αυτά και άλλα ερωτήματα για τη Συρία, μία χώρα η οποία εδώ και 9 χρόνια βρίσκεται στο προσκήνιο των πολιτικών εξελίξεων.
Diasporas engaging during the pandemic: international global exchanges in response to the Covid-19 crisis
Authors: Lara-Guerrero Larisa
Published: October 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented phenomenon that has challenged governments, international organisations, academics, and members of the civil society worldwide. In an effort to contribute to the alleviation of the pandemic and enhance the dialogue among diaspora experts, the International Organisation of Migration and iDiaspora organised three global exchanges. This policy brief argues that these platforms are particularly useful in times of crisis and restricted mobility because diasporas around the world have been able to share crucial information, give advice and create an open dialogue to inspire other migrants to develop their own initiatives against the pandemic.
The European Union Obligation: Member States must not Neglect the Consequences of Covid 19 to the Disadvantaged Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Authors: Kelly Sibusisiwe Bulala
Published: October 2020

In early March 2020 the health crisis warnings of corona virus also known as Covid 19 emerged in the European Union (EU). It dominated political dialogues prompting a sense of urgency, fear, and disruption among people. Suddenly there was a halt to the continuous controversial discussions on migration, asylum seekers and refugee challenges across the EU Member States and beyond. The message from the health experts and governments among the EU Member States was clear. Stay home, wash your hands constantly, maintain physical distance, and keep the children away from vulnerable grandparents. However, these seemingly extreme health guidelines engendered great anxiety for the disadvantaged people living in crowded refugee camps across the EU and beyond. It became very clear that the requirement of physical distancing has become a privilege only available for the populations that have the capacity.Research shows that overcrowding and lack of sanitation in refugee camps continue to be problematic across the EU Member States. Somehow, it seemed unfair for the Member States governments to emphasise on the importance of constant wash of hands and social distance among its citizens, whilst ignoring the horrific living conditions of those displaced and stranded in the internal and external borders of the EU. Additionally, there are claims that Covid 19 has not fully manifested in the EU refugee camps, however with lack of information on corona virus testing in the camps it is difficult to legitimately evaluate the situation. This brief assesses the EU Covid 19 response in relation to the area of Asylum. Also serves as a reminder for the EU policy makers not to forget the migration discourse during coronavirus crisis. Particularly, for the asylum seekers and refugees as their presence will continue to impact major dimensions of the EU communities such as political, economy, and social, well beyond Covid 19.