bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early-Life Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Metabolic Health Disparities
Authors: Hostinar Camelia E. , Ross Kharah M. , Chen Edith , Miller Gregory E.
Published: February 2017

Objective

A quarter of the world's population have metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS prevalence is stratified by socioeconomic status (SES), such that low SES is associated with higher MetS risk. The present study examined the relative roles of early-life SES and current SES in explaining MetS risk.

Methods

Participants (N = 354; ages = 15–55 years, M [SD] = 36.5 [10.7] years; 55% female; 72.9% white, 16.9% Asian, 10.2% others) were evaluated for SES and MetS. All were in good health, defined as free of chronic medical illness and acute infectious disease. Using occupational status as a proxy for SES, we recruited roughly equal numbers of participants with low-low, low-high, high-low, and high-high combinations of early-life and current SES. We used the International Diabetes Federation definition for MetS using race- and sex-specific cutoffs for waist circumference, triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

Results

Analyses revealed a main effect of low early-life SES on increased MetS risk according to the three separate definitions. They included the traditional MetS diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53, confidence interval [CI] = 1.01–2.33, p = .044), the number of MetS components for which diagnostic thresholds were met (OR = 1.61, CI = 1.10–2.38, p = .015), and a continuous indicator of metabolic risk based on factor analysis (F(1,350) = 6.71, p = .010, partial η2 = .019). There was also a significant interaction of early-life SES and current SES in predicting MetS diagnosis (OR = 1.54, CI = 1.02–2.34). The main effects of current SES were nonsignificant in all analyses.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that MetS health disparities originate in childhood, which may be an opportune period for interventions.
Brief Report: HIV Prevalence and the Prevalence of Unsuppressed HIV in New York City, 2010–2014
Authors: Xia Qiang , Sun Xuming , Wiewel Ellen W. , Torian Lucia V.
Published: February 2017

Background:

The widespread use of antiretroviral treatment made HIV prevalence no longer a good measure of population-level transmission risk. The objective of this analysis was to use the prevalence of unsuppressed HIV to describe population-level HIV transmission risk.

Methods:

Using New York City (NYC) HIV surveillance data, we reported HIV prevalence and the prevalence of unsuppressed HIV, defined as the number of persons living with HIV with an unsuppressed viral load divided by population size.

Results:

The estimated number of persons living with HIV in NYC increased from 79,100 [95% confidence interval (CI): 78,200 to 80,000] in 2010 to 81,700 (95% CI: 80,500 to 82,900) in 2014. HIV prevalence (≥18 years old) remained unchanged at 1.22% (95% CI: 1.21% to 1.24%) in 2010 and 1.22% (95% CI: 1.20% to 1.24%) in 2014. The prevalence of unsuppressed HIV (≥18 years old) steadily decreased from 0.49% (95% CI: 0.48% to 0.51%) in 2010 to 0.34% (95% CI: 0.32% to 0.36%) in 2014. Men had both higher HIV prevalence (1.86% vs. 0.65% in 2014) and higher prevalence of unsuppressed HIV (0.51% vs. 0.18% in 2014) than women. In 2014, the black–white ratio of prevalence of unsuppressed HIV was 5.8 among men and 26.3 among women, and the Hispanic–white ratio was 2.7 among men and 10.0 among women.

Conclusions:

The prevalence of unsuppressed HIV has been steadily decreasing in NYC. As antiretroviral treatment continues to expand, programs should consider using the prevalence of unsuppressed HIV to measure population-level transmission risk.
Innate immune response to Burkholderia mallei
Authors: Saikh Kamal U. , Mott Tiffany M.
Published: February 2017

Purpose of review

Burkholderia mallei is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes the highly contagious and often the fatal disease, glanders. With its high rate of infectivity via aerosol and recalcitrance toward antibiotics, this pathogen is considered a potential biological threat agent. This review focuses on the most recent literature highlighting host innate immune response to B. mallei.

Recent findings

Recent studies focused on elucidating host innate immune responses to the novel mechanisms and virulence factors employed by B. mallei for survival. Studies suggest that pathogen proteins manipulate various cellular processes, including host ubiquitination pathways, phagosomal escape, and actin–cytoskeleton rearrangement. Immune-signaling molecules such as Toll-like receptors, nucleotode-binding oligomerization domain, myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88, and proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-α, play key roles in the induction of innate immune responses. Modifications in B. mallei lipopolysaccharide, in particular, the lipid A acyl groups, stimulate immune responses via Toll-like receptor4 activation that may contribute to persistent infection.

Mortality is high because of septicemia and immune pathogenesis with B. mallei exposure. An effective innate immune response is critical to controlling the acute phase of the infection. Both vaccination and therapeutic approaches are necessary for complete protection against B. mallei.
Outcomes in Surgical Treatment of Mucocele in Frontal Sinus
Authors: Santos Priscila Luiza dos , Chihara Letícia Liana , Alcalde Luis Fernando Azambuja , Masalskas Bárbara Furtado , Sant’Ana Eduardo , Faria Paulo Esteves Pinto
Published: February 2017

The aim of the study was to correlate several studies dating from 1997 to 2015 to identify the most effective treatments for mucocele in the frontal sinus (with/without other paranasal sinuses), considering successful outcomes and recurrence. We aimed to conduct a literature review for articles published between 1997 and 2015. For this, we accessed articles in the SciELO database, as well as LILACS, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Were identified 32 work-related injuries in the paranasal sinuses; 2 of these were not related to mucoceles or mucopyocele, 4 had no relation to the frontal sinus, 9 were related to the frontal sinus and other paranasal sinuses, 4 were related to mucocele associated with other sinuses, and 13 involved only the frontal sinus. Endoscopic techniques decrease intra- and postoperative morbidity, reducing the operative time, allow a larger view of the lesion and surrounding anatomical structures, and decrease chances of recurrence. Thus, the successful outcomes have been beneficial to both the surgeon and the patient.
Laparoscopic Approach in Colonic Diverticulitis: Dispelling Myths and Misperceptions
Authors: Gralista Panagiota , Moris Demetrios , Vailas Michail , Angelou Anastasios , Petrou Athanasios , Felekouras Evangelos , Papalampros Alexandros
Published: February 2017

Background/Aim:

Diverticular disease is a first-class health care problem and one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in western industrialized countries, causing significant morbidity and mortality. In this review of the literature, we aim to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the laparoscopic approach in both elective and emergency setting of diverticular disease.

Materials and Methods:

A bibliographic search of articles was performed using the electronic database Medline from PubMed. Of 341 articles identified, 279 were excluded, resulting in 62 full-text articles for review. Our final review included 16 articles.

Results:

The 16 articles included in the final review consisted of 6 retrospective studies, 5 prospective studies, 2 randomized controlled trials, 1 systematic review and meta-analysis, and 2 systematic reviews. Seven articles considered elective laparoscopic sigmoid resection, 7 articles evaluated laparoscopic peritoneal lavage, and 2 articles considered emergency laparoscopic sigmoid resection for perforated diverticulitis. The elective laparoscopic approach is feasible and safe. Laparoscopic peritoneal lavage has emerged as a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of perforated diverticulitis. Furthermore, in selected patients, emergency laparoscopic sigmoidectomy could also be feasible for perforated diverticulitis with generalized peritonitis.

Conclusions:

Laparoscopic approach can be a safe and effective option in both elective and emergency setting of diverticular disease. Large, prospective, randomized studies should be conducted to confirm these findings.
Functional visual loss
Authors: Dhanji Shanil , Lawlor Mitchell
Published: February 2017

Purpose of review

Functional visual loss (FVL) is a syndrome in which subjective visual parameters are inconsistent with objective measures. Recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology and management of functional disorders and FVL will be explored.

Recent findings

FVL requires a positive diagnosis of normal function through clinical examination or visual electrophysiology. A substantial proportion of patients have an underlying organic illness that needs to be identified and treated. Recent updates in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 reflect the observation that many patients with FVL do not have a recognizable psychological association. A small number of functional neuroimaging studies suggest that there may be a stress-mediated prefrontal suppression of visual awareness. There is limited evidence to guide the treatment of FVL; education and reassurance remain first line, followed by cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy for psychiatric comorbidities.

FVL remains a poorly studied and understood condition. Recent advances in the understanding and management of functional symptoms more generally may aid in advancing the understanding of this condition.
New insights into the mechanisms of the ketogenic diet
Authors: Boison Detlev
Published: February 2017

Purpose of review

High-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have been used for almost a century for the treatment of epilepsy. Used traditionally for the treatment of refractory pediatric epilepsies, in recent years the use of ketogenic diets has experienced a revival to include the treatment of adulthood epilepsies as well as conditions ranging from autism to chronic pain and cancer. Despite the ability of ketogenic diet therapy to suppress seizures refractory to antiepileptic drugs and reports of lasting seizure freedom, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review explores new insights into mechanisms mobilized by ketogenic diet therapies.

Recent findings

Ketogenic diets act through a combination of mechanisms, which are linked to the effects of ketones and glucose restriction, and to interactions with receptors, channels, and metabolic enzymes. Decanoic acid, a component of medium-chain triclycerides, contributes to seizure control through direct α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor inhibition, whereas drugs targeting lactate dehydrogenase reduce seizures through inhibition of a metabolic pathway. Ketogenic diet therapy also affects DNA methylation, a novel epigenetic mechanism of the diet.

Ketogenic diet therapy combines several beneficial mechanisms that provide broad benefits for the treatment of epilepsy with the potential to not only suppress seizures but also to modify the course of the epilepsy.
Advances in epilepsy gene discovery and implications for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Symonds Joseph D. , Zuberi Sameer M. , Johnson Michael R.
Published: February 2017

Purpose of review

Epilepsy genetics is shifting from the academic pursuit of gene discovery to a clinical discipline based on molecular diagnosis and stratified medicine. We consider the latest developments in epilepsy genetics and review how gene discovery in epilepsy is influencing the clinical classification of epilepsy and informing new therapeutic approaches and drug discovery.

Recent findings

Recent studies highlighting the importance of mutation in GABA receptors, NMDA receptors, potassium channels, G-protein coupled receptors, mammalian target of rapamycin pathway and chromatin remodeling are discussed. Examples of precision medicine in epilepsy targeting gain-of-function mutations in KCNT1, GRIN2A, GRIN2D and SCN8A are presented. Potential reasons for the paucity of examples of precision medicine for loss-of-function mutations or in non-ion channel epilepsy genes are explored. We highlight how systems genetics and gene network analyses have suggested that pathways disrupted in epilepsy overlap with those of other neurodevelopmental traits including human cognition. We review how network-based computational approaches are now being applied to epilepsy drug discovery.

We are living in an unparalleled era of epilepsy gene discovery. Advances in clinical care from this progress are already materializing through improved clinical diagnosis and stratified medicine. The application of targeted drug repurposing based on single gene defects has shown promise for epilepsy arising from gain-of-function mutations in ion-channel subunit genes, but important barriers remain to translating these approaches to non-ion channel epilepsy genes and loss-of-function mutations. Gene network analysis offers opportunities to discover new pathways for epilepsy, to decipher epilepsy's relationship to other neurodevelopmental traits and to frame a new approach to epilepsy drug discovery.
On the heritability of criminal justice processing
Authors: Boutwell Brian B. , Connolly Eric
Published: February 2017

An impressive number of researchers have devoted a great amount of effort toward examining various predictors of criminal justice processing outcomes. Indeed, a vast amount of research has examined various individual- and aggregate-level predictors of arrests, incarceration, and sentencing decisions. To this point, less attention has been devoted toward uncovering the relative contribution of genetic and environmental effects on variation in risk for criminal justice processing. As a result, the current study employs a behavioral genetic design in order to help fill this void in the existing literature. Using twin data from a national sample of youth, the current study produced evidence suggesting that genetic factors accounted for at least a portion of variance in risk for incarceration among female twins and probation among male twins. Shared and nonshared environmental influences accounted for the variance in risk for arrest among both female and male twins, probation among female twins, and incarceration among male twins. Ultimately, it appears that risk for contact with the criminal justice system and criminal justice processing is structured by a combination of factors beyond shared cultural and neighborhood environments, and appear to also include genetic factors as well. Moving forward, continuing to not use genetically sensitive research designs capable of estimating the role of genetic and nonshared environmental influences on criminal justice outcomes may result in misleading results.
Infants’ neural oscillatory processing of theta-rate speech patterns exceeds adults’
Authors: Leong Victoria , Byrne Elizabeth , Clackson Kaili , Harte Naomi , Lam Sarah , Barbaro Kaya de , Wass Sam
Published: February 2017

During their early years, infants use the temporal statistics of the speech signal to boot-strap language learning, but the neural mechanisms that facilitate this temporal analysis are poorly understood. In adults, neural oscillatory entrainment to the speech amplitude envelope has been proposed to be a mechanism for multi-time resolution analysis of adult-directed speech, with a focus on Theta (syllable) and low Gamma (phoneme) rates. However, it is not known whether developing infants perform multi-time oscillatory analysis ofinfant-directed speech with the same temporal focus. Here, we examined infants’ processing of the temporal structure of sung nursery rhymes, and compared their neural entrainment across multiple timescales with that of well-matched adults (their mothers). Typical infants and their mothers (N=58, median age 8.3 months) viewed videos of sung nursery rhymes while their neural activity at C3 and C4 was concurrently monitored using dual-electroencephalography (dual-EEG). The accuracy of infants’ and adults’ neural oscillatory entrainment to speech was compared by calculating their phase-locking values (PLVs) across the EEG-speech frequency spectrum. Infants showed better phase-locking than adults at Theta (~4.5 Hz)and Alpha (~9.3 Hz) rates, corresponding to rhyme and phoneme patterns in our stimuli. Infant entrainment levels matched adults’ for syllables and prosodic stress patterns (Delta,~1-2 Hz). By contrast, infants were less accurate than adults at tracking slow (~0.5 Hz) phrasal patterns. Therefore, compared to adults, language-learning infants’ temporal parsing of the speech signal shows highest relative acuity at Theta-Alpha rates. This temporal focus could support the accurate encoding of syllable and rhyme patterns during infants’ sensitive period for phonetic and phonotactic learning. Therefore, oscillatory entrainment could be one neural mechanism that supports early bootstrapping of language learning from infant-directed speech (such as nursery rhymes).
An encoding model of temporal processing in human visual cortex
Authors: Stigliani Anthony , Jeska Brianna , Grill-Spector Kalanit
Published: February 2017

How is temporal information processed in human visual cortex? There is intense debate as to how sustained and transient temporal channels contribute to visual processing beyond V1. Using fMRI, we measured cortical responses to time-varying stimuli, then implemented a novel 2 temporal-channel encoding model to estimate the contributions of each channel. The model predicts cortical responses to time-varying stimuli from milliseconds to seconds and reveals that (i) lateral occipito-temporal regions and peripheral early visual cortex are dominated by transient responses, and (ii) ventral occipito-temporal regions and central early visual cortex are not only driven by both channels, but that transient responses exceed the sustained. These findings resolve an outstanding debate and elucidate temporal processing in human visual cortex. Importantly, this approach has vast implications because it can be applied with fMRI to decipher neural computations in millisecond resolution in any part of the brain.
Impacts of Bisphenol A and Ethinyl Estradiol on Male and Female CD-1 Mouse Spleen
Authors: Gear Robin B. , Belcher Scott M.
Published: February 2017

The endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) and the pharmaceutical 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE) are synthetic chemicals with estrogen-like activities. Despite ubiquitous human exposure to BPA, and the wide-spread clinical use of EE as oral contraceptive adjuvant, the impact of these estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on the immune system is unclear. Here we report results ofin vivodose response studies that analyzed the histology and microstructural changes in the spleen of adult male and female CD-1 mice exposed to 4 to 40,000 μg/kg/day BPA or 0.02 to 2 μg/kg/day EE from conception until 12-14 weeks of age. Results of that analysis indicate that both BPA and EE have dose- and sex-specific impacts on the cellular and microanatomical structures of the spleens that reveal minor alterations in immunomodulatory and hematopoietic functions. These findings support previous studies demonstrating the murine immune system as a sensitive target for estrogens, and that oral exposures to BPA and EE can have estrogen-like immunomodulatory affects in both sexes.
Ecological implications of hypoxia‐triggered shifts in secondary metabolism
Authors: Gallagher Kelley A. , Wanger Greg , Henderson Jane , Llorente Mark , Hughes Chambers C. , Jensen Paul R.
Published: February 2017

Members of the actinomycete genus Streptomyces are non‐motile, filamentous bacteria that are well‐known for the production of biomedically relevant secondary metabolites. While considered obligate aerobes, little is known about how these bacteria respond to periods of reduced oxygen availability in their natural habitats, which include soils and ocean sediments. Here, we provide evidence that the marine streptomycete strain CNQ‐525 can reduce MnO2 via a diffusible mechanism. We investigated the effects of hypoxia on secondary metabolite production and observed a shift away from the antibiotic napyradiomycin towards 8‐amino‐flaviolin, an intermediate in the napyradiomycin biosynthetic pathway. We purified 8‐amino‐flaviolin and demonstrated that it is reversibly redox‐active (midpoint potential −474.5 mV), indicating that it has the potential to function as an endogenous extracellular electron shuttle. This study provides evidence that environmentally triggered changes in secondary metabolite production may provide clues to the ecological functions of specific compounds, and that Gram‐positive bacteria considered to be obligate aerobes may play previously unrecognized roles in biogeochemical cycling through mechanisms that include extracellular electron shuttling.
Organizing The Ordinary City: How Labor Reform Strategies Travel to the US Heartland
Authors: Doussard Marc
Published: February 2017

In New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, formal alliances between labor unions and community organizations have spurred successful workplace and policy organizing campaigns. As a result, the institutional form of the community–labor coalition is travelling to smaller, less unionized and more politically conservative cities, where the replication of established organizing strategies must contend with political, economic and institutional differences that often go unnoted. Comparing community–labor alliances in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago, this article identifies heretofore unobserved conditions of possibility for successful urban labor organizing in the US. Compared to smaller cities, Chicago and the large urban areas from which ideal practices are abstracted feature higher levels of union membership, significantly more funding of basic social and neighborhood services, and larger immigrant communities. Operating with minimal human services and limited recourse to the social and institutional networks of immigrant workers, labor coalitions in St. Louis and Indianapolis face recurrent barriers to identifying workplace problems, mobilizing low‐wage workers and sustaining citywide reform campaigns. This indicates geographical limits to the current organizing model and highlights the limitations of urban scholarship derived from large cities unrepresentative of urbanity as a whole.
Identification of Mobile Phone and Analysis of Original Version of Videos through a Delay Time Analysis of Sound Signals from Mobile Phone Videos
Authors: Hwang Min gu , Har Dong hwan
Published: February 2017

This study designs a method of identifying the camera model used to take videos that are distributed through mobile phones and determines the original version of the mobile phone video for use as legal evidence. For this analysis, an experiment was conducted to find the unique characteristics of each mobile phone. The videos recorded by mobile phones were analyzed to establish the delay time of sound signals, and the differences between the delay times of sound signals for different mobile phones were traced by classifying their characteristics. Furthermore, the sound input signals for mobile phone videos used as legal evidence were analyzed to ascertain whether they have the unique characteristics of the original version. The objective of this study was to find a method for validating the use of mobile phone videos as legal evidence using mobile phones through differences in the delay times of sound input signals.
The probability of probability and research truths
Authors: Fatovich Daniel M , Phillips Michael
Published: February 2017

The foundation of much medical research rests on the statistical significance of the P‐value, but we have fallen prey to the seductive certainty of significance. Other scientific disciplines work to a different standard. This may partly explain why medical reversal is an increasing phenomenon, whereby new studies (based on the 0.05 standard) overturn previous significant findings. This has generated a crisis in the rigour of evidence‐based medicine, as many people erroneously believe that a P < 0.05 means the treatment effect is clinically important. However, statistics are not facts about the world. Nor should they be based on an arbitrary threshold that arose for historical reasons. This arbitrary threshold encourages an unthinking automatic response that contributes to industry's influence on medical research. Examples from emergency medicine practice illustrate these themes. Study replication needs to be valued as much as discovery. Careful and thoughtful unbiased thinking about the results we do have is undervalued.
Flexible working arrangements in residential aged care: applying a person–environment fit model
Authors: Weale Victoria P , Wells Yvonne D , Oakman Jodi
Published: February 2017

Ensuring sufficient staff numbers to accommodate an increasing need for aged‐care services is one challenge facing the residential aged‐care sector. Human resources management (HRM) policy and practice need to explore ways flexible working arrangements can be utilised to improve recruitment and retention. This study applied a person–environment (P–E) fit model to understanding the role of flexible working arrangements in contributing to the successful operation of residential aged‐care facilities in Victoria, Australia. A sample of 108 residential aged‐care workers participated in semi‐structured interviews to discuss flexible working arrangements, facilitators and barriers affecting their use and uptake, and individual and organisation outcomes resulting from their use. HRM should encourage the development and implementation of policies and practices related to flexible working arrangements in residential aged care, and their uptake by staff, to enhance P–E fit, thus supporting people to remain in their jobs.
A new argument using embeddedness and sensemaking to explain small firms' responses to employment regulation
Authors: Mayson Susan , Barrett Rowena
Published: February 2017

In this essay, we develop a new argument about how the concept of embeddedness and a sensemaking approach can be used to theorise small firms' regulatory responses, especially to employment regulation. We want to move beyond the simplistic and narrow conceptualisations of resistant action in small firms in response to regulation. We contribute to theorising on small firms' regulatory responses by developing an embedded account of social action that takes us beyond the dichotomy of individualised (micro) and institutional accounts (macro) explanations of firm behaviour. Our argument emphasises the situatedness of small firm behaviour shaped by, and in turn shaping, the contexts in which they are embedded. We go beyond stereotypes to give a nuanced account of situated action. In conclusion, we briefly outline how our ideas can be operationalised to explain small firms' diverse responses to regulation.
Perceptions of Doppler ultrasound for rheumatoid arthritis disease activity assessment and education
Authors: Joshua Fredrick , Bailey Christine , Marabani Mona , Romas Evange , White Raymond , Wong Peter
Published: February 2017

Aim

The aim of this qualitative study was to report the findings of the Defining rheumatoid arthritis progression using Doppler Ultrasound in Clinical practice (DEDUCE) Medical Practice Activity, which was developed to facilitate the utilization of Doppler ultrasound (DUS) by Australian rheumatologists in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

Twenty‐one rheumatologists recruited a total of 80 patients with RA in Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS28) remission for DUS assessment and completed a pre‐ and post‐activity questionnaire assessing their experience with DUS, as well as a 6‐month follow‐up questionnaire. Rheumatologists discussed DUS results with patients using visual aids. Patients completed a pre‐ and post‐DUS assessment questionnaire. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results

Following completion of the activity, 95% of rheumatologists (20/21) believed DUS was a useful assessment tool for patients with RA. The majority found the DUS results useful and more than half thought the DUS assessment fit well into their consultation. A majority of rheumatologists indicated they would use DUS imaging in patients with low disease activity and remission, and for disease activity assessment to inform in therapeutic decision‐making. All patients who responded found the visual aids useful and most felt that discussing DUS results improved understanding of their disease and would help with medication adherence.

Conclusion

Incorporation of DUS imaging into routine clinical practice is feasible, encourages rheumatologists to utilize and expand their clinical application of DUS imaging in patients with RA, and may improve patient understanding of their disease and adherence to medication.
Circulating adiponectin and visfatin levels in rheumatoid arthritis and their correlation with disease activity: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Lee Young Ho , Bae Sang‐Cheol
Published: February 2017

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between circulating adiponectin and visfatin levels and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to establish a correlation between serum adipokine levels and RA activity.

Methods

We conducted meta‐analyses on serum/plasma adiponectin or visfatin levels in patients with RA and controls and correlation coefficients between circulating adiponectin and visfatin levels and Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS28) in RA patients.

Results

Eleven studies comprising 813 RA patients and 684 controls were included in this meta‐analysis. The meta‐analysis revealed that adiponectin levels were significantly higher in the RA group than in the control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.529, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.354−2.704, P = 0.011). Circulating adiponectin level was not associated with RA activity based on DAS28 and C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels. Visfatin levels were significantly higher in the RA group than in the control group (SMD = 2.575, 95% CI: = 0.963–4.189, P = 0.002). A trend of positive correlation among circulating visfatin levels and DAS28 and CRP levels was found (correlation coefficient = 0.416, 95% CI: = −0.917 to 0.795, P = 0.177; correlation coefficient = 0.366, 95% CI: = −0.074 to 0.687, P = 0.101, respectively).

Conclusions

Our meta‐analysis demonstrated that circulating adiponectin levels were significantly higher in patients with RA than in controls. Circulating visfatin levels were significantly higher in patients with RA than in controls and a positive correlation between circulating visfatin level and RA activity is suggested.
Allergic respiratory disease: Different allergens, different symptoms
Authors: Valero A. , Quirce S. , Dávila I. , Delgado J. , Domínguez‐Ortega J.
Published: February 2017

Background

Spanish population is rather homogeneous in its genetic and sociocultural characteristics, but allergen sensitization shows wide geographical variations. We aimed at assessing whether sensitization to different allergens in the diverse geographical areas induced different clinical and quality‐of‐life characteristics in adult patients with a first‐time diagnosis of rhinitis and/or asthma.

Methods

Two sequential, identically designed studies were carried out to evaluate such associations (PERFILAR I and II). PERFILAR II was an extension of PERFILAR I with additional allergens being included. Both phases were epidemiological, descriptive, cross‐sectional, nonintervention multicenter studies. Participants were required to have lived for at least the last 2 years in the geographical zone. Asthma control assessment was based on ACQ‐5. Health‐related quality of life was evaluated with validated scales for rhinitis (ESPRINT‐15) and asthma (Mini‐AQLQ). Skin prick tests were used to identify sensitization to involved allergens.

Results

A total of 301 physicians recruited 2711 patients for PERFILAR I+II. Sensitization to allergens was significantly different in patients with rhinitis with/without asthma. Seasonal allergens were associated with rhinitis, a longer time to asthma development, and more severe and commonly intermittent rhinitis. HDM were associated with more common rhinitis, and Alternaria was associated with asthma. The study confirms an association of geographical areas with relevant allergens and allergic clinical picture.

Conclusion

Different types of aeroallergens and specific sensitization profiles are associated with different allergic clinical pictures (rhinitis with/without asthma), different clinical symptoms, and different levels of severity. This could have implications to predict later clinical course and to select appropriate management approaches.
Haemodynamic changes to a midazolam–fentanyl–rocuronium protocol for pre‐hospital anaesthesia following return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest
Authors: Miller M. , Groombridge C. J. , Lyon R.
Published: February 2017

Following the return of spontaneous circulation after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest, neurological dysfunction, airway or ventilatory compromise can impede transport to early percutaneous coronary intervention, necessitating pre‐hospital or emergency department anaesthesia to facilitate this procedure. There are no published reports of the ideal induction agents in these patients. We sought to describe haemodynamic changes associated with induction of anaesthesia using a midazolam (0.1 mg.kg−1), fentanyl (2 μg.kg−1) and rocuronium (1 mg.kg−1) regimen developed using expert opinion, and adherence to the protocol by our pre‐hospital teams. We performed a retrospective review of haemodynamic data recorded during induction of anaesthesia in patients following return of spontaneous circulation, over a 30‐month period. We analysed the changes in systolic blood pressure and heart rate using a repeated‐measures design, as well as the rate of new hypotension or hypertension. Sixty‐four patients had four consecutive measurements for analysis (one pre‐induction and three post‐induction). Systolic blood pressure at all three post‐induction measurements was significantly lower than the pre‐induction value. Heart rate did not differ between any time‐points. New episodes of hypotension (systolic pressure < 90 mmHg) occurred in four (6%) patients at the first measurement post‐induction (95%CI 2–15%) and 10 (16%) at the third measurement (95%CI 8–27%). Three patients (5%; 95%CI 1–13%) had a hypertensive response. The median (IQR[range]) dose of midazolam given at induction was 0.04 (0.03‐0.05 [0.01 to 0.10]) mg.kg−1. Adherence to recommended fentanyl and rocuronium doses was high. Overall, systolic blood pressure was reduced following induction of anaesthesia, and systolic pressures < 90 mmHg occurred more often at measurements made later (up to 9 min) after induction. Changes in heart rate, and new hypertension were uncommon.
Positive T wave in lead aVR as an independent predictor for 1‐year major adverse cardiac events in patients with first anterior wall ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Kobayashi Akihiro , Misumida Naoki , Aoi Shunsuke , Kanei Yumiko
Published: February 2017

Background

Positive T wave in lead aVR has been shown to predict an adverse in‐hospital outcome in patients with anterior wall ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the prognostic value of positive T wave in lead aVR on a long‐term outcome has not been fully explored.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 190 consecutive patients with first anterior wall STEMI who underwent an emergent coronary angiogram. Patients were divided into those with positive T wave > 0 mV and those with negative T wave ≦ 0 mV in lead aVR. Baseline and angiographic characteristics, and in‐hospital revascularization procedures were recorded. In addition, in‐hospital and 1‐year major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including death, recurrent myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization were recorded.

Results

Among 190 patients, 37 patients (19%) had positive T wave and 153 patients (81%) had negative T wave in lead aVR. Patients with positive T wave had higher rate of left main disease defined as stenosis ≥50% (11% vs. 2%, p = .028) than those with negative T wave. Patients with positive T wave had higher rate of 1‐year MACE (38% vs. 13%, p < .001) driven by higher all‐cause mortality (27% vs. 5%, p < .001). Positive T wave was an independent predictor for 1‐year MACE (OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.04–7.15; p = .04).

Conclusion

Positive T wave in lead aVR was an independent predictor for 1‐year MACE in patients with first anterior wall STEMI.
Performing ‘Chinese‐ness’ in Singkawang: Diasporic moorings, festivals and tourism
Authors: Ong Chin Ee , Ormond Meghann , Sulianti Dian
Published: February 2017

Through an examination of two festivals – Qing Ming and Cap Go Meh – in the town of Singkawang in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), we show how Singkawang‐bound Chinese Indonesian tourists and their Singkawang‐based relatives produce a diasporic heritage network through ‘moorings’ generated by both transnational and internal migration. Instead of returning to a singular ‘homeland’ in distant China, these tourists return to Chinese‐majority Singkawang as a result of their personal genealogical roots and of their broader cultural allegiance with a kind of Chinese‐ness that Singkawang has come to represent within a post‐Suharto Indonesia. Through these two festivals, we demonstrate how personal heritage practices like ‘roots tourism’ and visiting friends and relatives are intimately bound up with identity and developmental politics at local, national and international scales. In so doing, we identify a range of ways in which migratory and tourism flows by Chinese Indonesian internal migrants shape relations to their ancestral hometowns and cultural ‘homelands’ in Indonesia within the context of membership to and participation in a broader transnational diaspora.
Clinical Pharmacist‐Provided Services In Iron‐Overloaded Beta‐Thalassaemia Major Children: A New Insight Into Patient Care
Authors: Bahnasawy Salma M. , El Wakeel Lamia M. , Beblawy Nagham El , El‐Hamamsy Manal
Published: February 2017

Iron‐overloaded β‐thalassaemia major (BTM) children have high risk of delayed sexual/physical maturation, liver/heart diseases and reduced life expectancy. The lifelong need to use iron chelators, their unpleasant administration, side effects and lack of awareness regarding iron overload risks all hamper BTM patient compliance to iron chelators. This study evaluated the impact of clinical pharmacist‐provided services on the outcome of iron‐overloaded BTM children. Forty‐eight BTM children were randomly assigned to either control group, who received standard medical care, or intervention group, who received standard medical care plus clinical pharmacist‐provided services. Services included detection of drug‐related problems (DRPs) and their management, patient education regarding disease nature and iron chelators, as well as providing patient‐tailored medication charts. After six months of study implementation, there was a highly significant difference between the control and intervention groups in serum ferritin (SF) (mean: 3871 versus 2362, μg/l, p = 0.0042), patient healthcare satisfaction (median: 24.47 versus 90.29, p < 0.0001) and quality of life (QoL) (median: 49.84 versus 63.51, p = 0.0049). The intervention group showed a decline from baseline to the end of study in DRPs (64–4), the number of non‐compliant patients (24–3) and mean SF levels (3949–2362 μg/l, p < 0.0001). Clinical pharmacist‐provided services can positively impact the outcome of BTM children.
Mesenchymal stem cell‐derived CCN2 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells
Authors: Wu Yu‐Ling , Li Hong‐Yu , Zhao Xiao‐Peng , Jiao Jiu‐Yang , Tang Dong‐Xiao , Yan Ling‐Jian , Wan Quan , Pan Chao‐Bin
Published: February 2017

Recent studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) exhibit a tropism to tumors and form the tumor stroma. In addition, we found that MSC can secrete different types of factors. However, the involvement of MSC‐derived factors in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) growth has not been clearly addressed. The CCN family includes multifunctional signaling molecules that affect the initiation and development events of various tumors. In our study, we report that CCN2/connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was the most highly induced among the CCN family members in MSC that were co‐cultured with TSCC cells. To evaluate the relationship between CCN2 and TSCC growth, we downregulated MSC‐derived CCN2 expression with shRNA targeting CCN2 and found that MSC‐secreted CCN2 promotes TSCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. We also confirmed that MSC‐derived CCN2 partially accelerated tumor growth in vitro. Taken together, these results suggest that MSC‐derived CCN2 contributes to the promotion of proliferation, migration and invasion of TSCC cells and may be a possible therapy target in the future.
Macrocyclic triamine derived glucose analogues for 99mTc(CO)3 labeling: synthesis and biological evaluation as potential tumor‐imaging agents
Authors: Liu Teli , Gan Qianqian , Zhang Junbo
Published: February 2017

[99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ has attracted great attention among 99mTc‐labeling techniques, due to its ease of preparation, readily substituted water molecules of the precursor fac‐[99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ by a variety of functional groups, small size and inertness. Bifunctional chelator based on a macrocyclic polyamine framework shows easy complexation with [99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ to produce stable complex. In this study, two novel 1, 5, 9‐triazacyclododecane derivatives containing a glucose group (6 and 7) were successfully synthesized by reacting different glucose‐azides with alkyne‐[12]aneN3 via the so‐called click chemistry and radiolabeled with [99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ to form 99mTc(CO)3‐6 (C‐1‐substituted complex) and 99mTc(CO)3‐7 (C‐2‐substituted complex) in high yields. The complexes were stable in vitro over 6 h when incubated in saline at room temperature and in mouse serum at 37 °C. The partition coefficient results showed that they were hydrophilic. The biodistribution studies in Kunming mice bearing S 180 tumor showed both complexes showed accumulation in the tumor. Between them, 99mTc(CO)3‐7 had the advantages of much higher tumor uptake and tumor/muscle ratio. Compared with other reported 99mTc‐radiolabeled glucose derivatives, 99mTc(CO)3‐7 also showed a higher tumor uptake and tumor/muscle ratio, suggesting it would be a potential candidate for further development as a tumor‐imaging agent.
Are service‐delivery NGOs building state capacity in the Global South? Experiences from HIV/AIDS programmes in rural Uganda
Authors: Bukenya Badru
Published: February 2017

Service‐delivery NGOs are often attacked for abandoning the pursuit of ‘alternative development’ in favour of ‘technocratic’ forms of development. Yet some commentators argue that these organizations can have progressive impacts on political forms and processes. We investigate this debate through the lens of state building. Research into The AIDS Support Organisation's (TASO) work with the Ugandan government reveals that its state capacity building effects were both uneven and temporary. Although TASO played important roles in strengthening the bureaucratic ability of targeted hospitals to deliver HIV/AIDS services and increased the state's embeddedness in society in the targeted districts, it was less successful in expanding the infrastructural reach of the state in rural Uganda. We conclude that NGOs need longer time‐frames to achieve state building goals.
Distance, services, and citizen perceptions of the state in rural Africa
Authors: Brinkerhoff Derick W. , Wetterberg Anna , Wibbels Erik
Published: February 2017

In most poor countries, basic services in rural areas are less accessible and of lower quality than those in urban settings. In this article, we investigate the subnational geography of service delivery and its relationship with citizens' perceptions of their government by analyzing the relationship between service access, satisfaction with services and government, and the distance to urban centers for more than 21,000 survey respondents across 17 African countries. We confirm that access to services and service satisfaction suffer from a spatial gradient. However, distant citizens are less likely than their urban peers to translate service dissatisfaction into discontent with their government; distant citizens have more trust in government and more positive evaluations of both local and national officials. Our findings suggest that increasing responsiveness and accountability to citizens as a means of improving remote rural services may face more limits than promoters of democratic governance and citizen‐centered accountability presume.
Essential roles of Tbx3 in embryonic skin development during epidermal stratification
Authors: Ichijo Ryo , Iizuka Yui , Kubo Hirokazu , Toyoshima Fumiko
Published: February 2017

Stepwise differentiation of epidermal cells is essential for development of stratified epithelium, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that Tbx3, a member of the T‐box family of transcription factors, plays a pivotal role in this mechanism. Tbx3 is expressed in both basal and suprabasal cells in the interfollicular epidermis of mouse embryos. Epidermis‐specific Tbx3 conditional knockout (cKO) embryos are small in size and display a thinner epidermis with an impaired barrier function. In the Tbx3 cKO epidermis, keratin 5‐positive undifferentiated cells, which reside in both basal and suprabasal layers of wild‐type embryos, are localized exclusively in the basal layer. In addition, mRNA expression levels of granular cell markers are increased in the Tbx3 cKO epidermis, suggesting that Tbx3 prevents premature differentiation of spinous cells. We further show that Tbx3 maintains the proliferative potential of basal cells and ensures their planar‐oriented cell division. Moreover, Tbx3 is shown to be required for the expression of Hes1, a well‐known Notch signaling target protein that is essential for epidermal development. We therefore propose that Tbx3 functions upstream of Hes1 to regulate proliferation and differentiation of basal and suprabasal cells during epidermal development.
Association of chloride intracellular channel 4 and Indian hedgehog proteins with survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zou Qiong , Yang Zhulin , Li Daiqiang , Liu Ziru , yuan Yuan
Published: February 2017

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer‐related mortality. Novel molecular biomarkers need to be identified for personalized medicine and to improve survival. The aim of this study was to examine chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4) and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh) expression in benign and malignant lesions of the pancreas and to examine the eventual association between CLIC4 and Ihh expression, with clinicopathological features and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. A retrospective study of specimens collected from January 2000 to December 2011 at the Department of Pathology of the Second and Third Xiangya Hospitals, Central South University was undertaken to explore this question. Immunohistochemistry of CLIC4 and Ihh was performed with EnVision™ in 106 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma specimens, 35 paracancer samples (2 cm away from the tumour, when possible or available), 55 benign lesions and 13 normal tissue samples. CLIC4 and Ihh expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than in paracancer tissue and benign lesions (CLIC4: P = 0.009 and Ihh: P < 0.0001; CLIC4: P = 0.0004 and Ihh: P = 0.0001 respectively). CLIC4 and Ihh expression was negative in normal pancreatic tissues. The expression of CLIC4 and Ihh was associated significantly with tumour grade, lymph node metastasis, tumour invasion and poor overall survival. Thus CLIC4 and Ihh could serve as biological markers for the progression, metastasis and/or invasiveness of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.