bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Private military and security companies’ logos: Between camouflaging and corporate socialization
Authors: Cusumano Eugenio
Published: June 2020

International relations scholarship has paid insufficient attention to security providers’ tendency to emulate the visual attributes of other actors in an attempt to (re)construct their identities and increase their legitimacy by signalling adherence to prevailing norms. Research on the discourses deployed by private military and security companies (PMSCs), for instance, has relied almost exclusively on the analysis of written documents. This article argues that even basic visual units like logos serve as windows into the genealogy and evolution of the international market for force. By combining insights from Peircean semiotics and institutionalist theory, I show that PMSCs’ logos are not only marketing tools, but also symbolic acts that shed light upon the shifting identities and legitimization strategies of the international private security industry. Specifically, I argue that PMSCs’ logos can be conceptualized as forms of camouflaging, blame-shifting, mirroring and socialization into corporate identities. These overlapping processes have reshaped the international private security industry brandscape, informing a shift away from the use of logos displaying symbols and colours borrowed from military visual identity systems.
First generation immigrant and native nurses enacting good care in a nursing home
Authors: Ham Anita
Published: June 2020

Background:

Several studies have investigated the experiences of first-generation immigrant nurses in new workplaces. Yet, little is known about how native nurses and newcomers collaborate in their care for aging residents in European nursing homes.

Objective:

To gain a deeper understanding of interactions between first-generation immigrant nurses and native nurses in their care for aging residents in a Dutch nursing home.

Methods:

Ethnography, including 105 h of shadowing immigrant and native nurses, 8 semi-structured interviews with 4 immigrant and 4 established nurses, and 2 focus group discussions with 8 immigrant and 6 established nurses in a Dutch nursing home. Data were analyzed by a post-positivist grounded theory coding approach.

Ethical consideration:

The Medical Ethical Review Committee of the Leiden University Medical Center approved this study.

Results:

The interactions between established staff and newcomers were influenced by norms, rules and regulations, policies and protocols. In daily practice and institutional structure, we observed both opportunities and challenges. The strict time schedules and the requisite standards of care were opportunities related to nurses’ expectations. Residents’ needs were sometimes challenging and inhibited newcomers’ active participation. However, sometimes new practices were developed where nurses created common ground, tinkered, and formed an inclusive playing field to enact good care.

Conclusion/ discussion:

This study shows that despite obstacles, there was room to make small changes in the rules of the game of nursing. These moments of tinkering may be sufficient to establish a stable, inclusive workforce for first-generation immigrants and give room to the evolvement of hybrid professional identities.

Implications:

The findings of this Dutch study are relevant for nursing ethics related to “good care” and nurses in other cultural contexts on how the integration of immigrant nurses in European countries in general could be facilitated.
The COVID cyborg: Protecting data status
Authors: Galloway Kate
Published: June 2020

This article examines the increasing tendency towards governance of people through their representation via data. In its most contemporary iteration, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the release of contact tracing apps – in Australia, COVIDSafe. While public discourse about the apps has focused principally on the important issue of data privacy, there are other possible effects whereby participation in such schemes might become a prerequisite to accessing services or basic rights – either from government or from corporations. The pathway to acceptability of applying our data in this way is already paved, through fitness monitors and other technologies by which we represent ourselves. This article sets out the foundation of such technologies and their application, before outlining their effect on the recognised boundaries of governance and the conception of the holder of rights and the substance of those rights.
At What Point Do Wages Make Ends Meet? Investigating the Relationship Between Wages and Material Hardship in New York City
Authors: Collyer Sophie
Published: June 2020

Several states and local areas have increased the minimum wage in recent years, and we anticipate that many policymakers and advocates will be interested in evaluating the impacts that these increases have had on material hardships such as not having enough money for rent, food, and utilities. The relationship between wages and material hardship absent policy changes has not been thoroughly documented in the literature, however. An understanding of how material hardships relate to wages is critical when trying to determine whether minimum wage policy changes have impacted material hardship. This article asks, is there a linear relationship between wages and material hardship at the bottom of the wage distribution, or do wages have to hit a certain point before we observe significant declines in material hardship? Results come from the New York City Longitudinal Study of Wellbeing (NYC-LSW), also referred to as the “Poverty Tracker,” and are specific to New York City in 2016. The results show that among workers in New York City in 2016, rates of material hardship are relatively constant at the bottom of the wage distribution, if not increasing. However, rates of hardship begin to decline more rapidly in the wage distribution around US$15 per hour.
Critical spinal cord lesions associate with secondary progressive motor impairment in long-standing MS: A population-based case-control study
Authors: Sechi Elia , Messina Steven , Keegan B Mark , Buciuc Marina , Pittock Sean J , Kantarci Orhun H , Weinshenker Brian G , Flanagan Eoin P
Published: June 2020

Background:

Progressive motor impairment anatomically attributable to prominent, focally atrophic lateral column spinal cord lesions (“critical lesions”) can be seen in multiple sclerosis (MS), for example, progressive hemiparetic MS.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate whether similar spinal cord lesions are more frequent in long-standing MS patients with secondary progressive motor impairment (secondary progressive MS (SPMS)) versus those maintaining a relapsing-remitting course (relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)).

Methods:

We retrospectively identified Olmsted County (MN, USA) residents on 31 December 2011 with (1) RRMS or SPMS for ⩾25 years, and (2) available brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A blinded neuroradiologist determined demyelinating lesion burden and presence of potential critical lesions (prominent focally atrophic spinal cord lateral column lesions).

Results:

In total, 32 patients were included: RRMS, 18; SPMS, 14. Median (range) disease duration (34 (27–53) vs. 39 (29–47) years) and relapse number (4 (1–10) vs. 3 (1–15)) were similar. In comparison to RRMS, SPMS patients more commonly showed potential critical spinal cord lesions (8/18 (44%) vs. 14/14 (100%)), higher spinal cord (median (range) 4 (1–7) vs. 7.5 (3–12)), and brain infratentorial (median (range) 1 (0–12) vs. 2.5 (1–13)) lesion number; p < 0.05. By multivariate analysis, only the presence of potential critical lesions independently associated with motor progression ( p = 0.02).

Conclusion:

Critical spinal cord lesions may be important contributors to motor progression in MS.
Language teachers’ interpersonal learner-directed emotion-regulation strategies
Authors: Bielak Jakub , Mystkowska-Wiertelak Anna
Published: June 2020

The regulation of language learners’ emotions by affective, or emotion-regulation strategies has received limited research attention. This gap is being filled among others by researchers who have developed and are applying a new research tool called Managing Your Emotions for Language Learning (MYE). It is based on the vignette methodology to investigate both positive and negative language learner emotions, emotion-regulation strategies that language learners employ, and language teachers’ interpersonal learner-directed emotion-regulation strategies used in a range of familiar language learning situations. In this study teachers’ interpersonal emotion-regulation strategies and their learner- and teacher-perceived effectiveness were investigated by means of MYE ( n = 64: English-major learners) and semi-structured interviews with learners ( n = 16) and teachers ( n = 9). The results revealed a rich context- and participant-dependent list of language teachers’ interpersonal emotion-regulation strategies, the frequency of which was perceived differently by language learners and teachers, who, however, agreed on their good effectiveness. The strategies belonging to the categories of ‘cognitive change’, ‘situation modification’ and ‘competence enhancement’ were used the most often, but some gaps in teachers’ strategic repertoires were also identified. Pedagogy-wise, MYE seemed to be suitable for closing the gap between learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on teachers’ learner-directed emotion-regulation strategy use. Teachers and their pedagogical practice would benefit from training in the area of emotion-regulation strategies and support of educational authorities.
Platforms for populism? The affective issue crowd and its disconnections
Authors: Hoyng Rolien
Published: June 2020

Focused on the case of Turkey, this article interrogates the relation between populist politics and affective mediations by social media platforms, or, more precisely, the disjunctions between them that result in weaknesses and reconfigurations of populism. It explores the uncertain interplay between the capillary micropolitics of affect mediated by online platforms and the macropolitics of populism as a political project of managing the body politic. Studying two Twitter campaigns, I look at what I call issue crowds that are assembled by hashtags and propagate through memetic, connective logics, but that also feature homophilic disconnections. It is such disconnections rather than the (over)connectedness of the affective crowd, as the liberal critique of populism has it, that endanger democratic possibility. By analysing connectedness and disconnection, this article captures the political possibilities and dangers of affective communication and the transindividual crowd, meanwhile rethinking the liberal critique of populism.
Values and attitudes towards cultural diversity: Exploring alternative moderators of the value–attitude link
Authors: Grigoryan Lusine , Schwartz Shalom H.
Published: June 2020

We study relations of two value dimensions—self-enhancement versus self-transcendence and conservation versus openness to change—with attitudes to cultural diversity. We examine two potential moderators of the value–attitude link, the meaning and the level of cultural diversity. We operationalize the meaning as the perceived consequences of cultural diversity for attaining value-relevant goals. We hypothesize that the perceived consequences depend on a group’s status: majority versus minority and high versus low. We test these hypotheses on representative samples from 25 regions of Russia ( N = 1,934). As hypothesized, the self-enhancement/self-transcendence link to attitude, though negative in all groups, was most negative in the low-status group. The conservation/openness link to attitude was negative for majority Russians, as in past research, but it was positive among minorities. Level of cultural diversity had no moderating effect. This study highlights the importance of group differences in the meaning of attitude objects for understanding attitude predictors.
Rising from the ordinary: Virtue, the justice motif and moral change
Authors: Brandtstädter Susanne
Published: June 2020

Justice understood as a practical principle and virtue has remained an understudied subject in the anthropology of morality. Moral anthropology has explored the moral or ethical as a space of freedom and creativity, whereas justice has often been associated with rule-following or even the law. In contrast, my paper explores justice as a virtue whose social dynamic can initiate moral change in ordinary life. This virtue, as I understand it, comprises not only a disposition to conform to established norms but also a capacity to reformulate these in the pursuit of social justice. My ethnography of Chinese peasant lawyers’ moral agency suggests that their understanding of justice as an essentially social, rule-governed and outcome-oriented virtue can grant new insights into the dynamics of moral innovation that arise in ordinary life. The peasant lawyers of rural northern China pursue moral change through combining moral reasoning about justice with principled action for justice and the provision of benefits for victims of injustice. It is the concern with the consequences of principled action that distinguishes justice as a social virtue from the other virtues, and the justice motif from alternative drivers of social change.
Topology and fibre orientation simultaneous optimisation: A design methodology for fibre-reinforced composite components
Authors: Caivano R , Tridello A , Paolino D , Chiandussi G
Published: June 2020

Additive manufacturing for fibre-reinforced composite structures is rapidly diffusing, since it enables the production of lightweight structural parts characterized by complex geometries and tailored fibre orientations. Therefore, the development of design methodologies capable to simultaneously optimize the shape of the fibre-reinforced composite part and the fibre orientation in the additive manufacturing process is, at present, of utmost interest among industries and research centres. In this paper, a novel simultaneous optimisation method capable to optimise the topology and the local fibre orientation is proposed. The method is computationally cheap, fast convergent and permits to avoid stress peaks, working efficiently on 2D and on 3D models. The analytical formulation of the problem and the optimisation algorithm are at first described. The optimisation criteria are based on the uniform strain energy density distribution and the fibre alignement along the principal stress direction. The proposed method is then verified with several benchmarks from the literature and with a 3D illustrative example, confirming that it can be effectively and efficiently employed for the optimisation of composite components to be produced through additive manufacturing.
Topology optimization of jack-up offshore platform leg structure
Authors: Deng Wei , Tian Xiaojie , Han Xiangyu , Liu Guijie , Xie Yingchun , Li Zhixiong
Published: June 2020

Jack-up platforms are commonly found in the costal or offshore environment for offshore oil and gas recovering. Pile legs are the main component of jack-up platform, which support the whole platform and suffer from the ocean environment load. Topology optimization method is proposed in this article to find an optimized shape for the leg by maximizing its structural stiffness, with the purpose of providing enough resistance for extreme environment load. The whole design space is chosen as design variables, and the maximum stiffness is selected as the optimum objective, with the volume and displacement constrained. An innovative leg structure is generated with lighter weight. Finally, the static and transient dynamic characteristics of the optimized structure leg are analyzed, compared with the original one. It is found that the optimization results not only produce better material distribution with less mass, but also enhance the stiffness and strength requirements of leg structure under the extreme environment load.
Factors affecting moral distress in nurses working in intensive care units: A systematic review
Authors: Atashzadeh-Shoorideh Foroozan , Tayyar-Iravanlou Faraz , Chashmi Zeynab Ahmadian , Abdi Fatemeh , Cisic Rosana Svetic
Published: June 2020

Background

Moral distress is a major issue in intensive care units that requires immediate attention since it can cause nurses to burnout. Given the special conditions of patients in intensive care units and the importance of the mental health of nurses, the present study was designed to systematically review the factors affecting moral distress in nurses working in intensive care units.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct were systematically searched for papers published between 2009 and 2019. Original articles from quantitative and qualitative studies were reviewed. The CONSORT and STROBE checklists were used to assess the quality of the quantitative papers. The JBI checklist was applied for qualitative studies.

Results

Factors affecting moral distress in nurses include lack of nursing staff, nurses with inadequate experience, lack of support from organizations and colleagues, inadequate education and lack of knowledge of nurses, poor collaboration of physicians with nurses, ethical insensitivity and lack of teamwork, heavy workload, poor quality of care and moral violence and they are considered as risk factors for moral distress.

Conclusion

Many of the related causes are due to the nature of nurses’ work and it is necessary to manage the underlying conditions of this phenomenon so that it can be effectively prevented from spreading. Levels of moral distress require more attention of authorities in the use of prevention strategies and the reduction of effective factors in distress.
Numerical investigations of solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system for hot and humid climate
Authors: Hussain Shafqat , Kalendar Abdulrahim , Rafique Muhammad Zeeshan , Oosthuizen Patrick
Published: June 2020

This article presents numerical investigations of the solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system integrated with standard air collectors for applications under the hot and humid climatic conditions of Kuwait city. The objective is to introduce the energy-efficient and carbon-free solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system to alleviate the principal problems of electricity consumption and carbon emissions resulting from the use of the conventional vapor-compression cooling systems. In the normal building, during cooling load operation, the solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling system can cope with the cooling load particularly sensible by evaporative cooling and latent through desiccant dehumidification. The outcomes of this work indicate that solar-assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling device integrated with air collectors is capable of providing average coefficient of performance of 0.85 and has the potential to provide cooling with energy saving when compared with conventional vapor-compression refrigeration systems. It was concluded that under the intense outdoor environmental conditions (ambient air at greater than 45°C and 60% relative humidity), the delivered supply air from the evaporative cooling was nearly at 27°C and 65% relative humidity. To solve this problem, the system was assisted with conventional cooling coil (evaporator of heat pump) to supply air at comfortable conditions in the conditioned space.
Ideological disempowerment as an effect of neoliberalism on teachers
Authors: Tsang Kwok Kuen , Qin Qingyan
Published: June 2020

In works based on deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory, teachers are described by researchers as technically disempowered because of the entry of neoliberalism into the institutional environment of education. Technically disempowered teachers suffer not only from work stress but also from other kinds of negative emotional experiences. This article contributes to deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory by introducing the concept of ideological disempowerment to explain why teachers complain that they are overloaded by ‘non-instructional work’ that is instructional in nature. It shows that the inability of teachers to identify the instructional meanings of ‘non-instructional work’ stems from neoliberalism’s tendency to ideologically value the managerial purposes of teachers’ work over its instructional purposes. This leads teachers to break away from ‘non-instructional work’ and devote themselves only to work that appears to be directly related to teaching. Accordingly, ideologically disempowered teachers may have a narrowed concept of teaching, resulting in them being discouraged from performing various tasks that are likely to be conducive to the whole-person growth of students. By explaining neoliberalism in both technical and ideological terms, this article advances deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory and contributes to a better understanding of the process of teacher disempowerment that results from neoliberalism.
Expression of Podoplanin in Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Clinical Significance
Authors: Wang Huan , Hu Chunyan , Song Xiaole , Hu Li , Li Wanpeng , Yu Hongmeng , Sun Xicai , Wang Dehui
Published: June 2020

Background

It was recently suggested that the upregulation of podoplanin (PDPN) in cancer cells plays a significant role in tumor invasion and metastasis and that it is significantly associated with poor prognosis in oral, cutaneous, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of PDPN in sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) and to evaluate its role as a prognostic factor for survival outcome.

Patients and methods

This study included 59 subjects with SNSCC. We retrospectively collected the clinical features of these patients from medical records and retrieved the associated formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues for PDPN immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, PDPN expression was analyzed in relation to the patients’ clinicopathological features and prognosis.

Results

We observed positive staining for PDPN in both cancer cells and stromal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Positive expression of PDPN in cancer cells of patients with SNSCC was significantly correlated with the primary tumor site (p = 0.009) and local recurrence (p = 0.024). In addition, patients with PDPN-positive cancer cells had significantly lower overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates than did patients with PDPN-negative cancer cells (both p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that PDPN expression in cancer cells was an independent prognostic factor for both OS (p = 0.038) and DFS (p = 0.039).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrated that PDPN overexpression may be both an independent prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target in SNSCC.
Do Animals’ Minds Matter Less, When Meat Gets Personal? Replications of Piazza and Loughnan (2016) in China
Authors: Tian Qirui , Liu Xiao-xiao , Zhou Jiayu , Sun Tianwen
Published: June 2020

Piazza and Loughnan found that the high intelligence information about animals leads to higher moral standing judgment except for self-relevant animals. We replicated the original three studies in China. Study 1 finds that the intelligence information about a fictional animal does not affect moral standing judgment or hunting decisions, inconsistent with the original study. By manipulating the intelligence of animals in one’s culture (pig) versus in other cultures (tapir or trablan), Study 2 consistently finds that intelligence information does not influence moral standing judgment only for pigs. Study 3 reveals that participants have higher moral standing judgment for pigs from another’s perspective but not from one’s own perspective, regardless of the intelligence information. These findings partly replicate the original findings, indicating inconsistency in how people apply mind information in judging the moral standing of animals. When animals become self-relevant, intelligence information no longer increases the moral standing of animals.
Symptomatic lateral ventricular cystic lesion in a young cat
Authors: Debreuque Maud , Ducerveau Marie-Noelle , Valin Isabelle , de Fornel Pauline , Manassero Mathieu , Thibaud Jean-Laurent
Published: June 2020

Case summary

A 1.5-year-old male neutered Persian cat was referred for acute deterioration of chronic left head tilt and ataxia. A lateral intraventricular cystic lesion, closely associated with the left choroid plexus, was identified on MRI. The intralesional signal intensity and cytological analysis of the fluid revealed a liquid similar to cerebrospinal fluid. After trepanation, an endoscopic-assisted fenestration and aspiration of the cyst were performed to temporally relieve the high intracranial pressure while waiting for surgical cystoperitoneal shunt placement. Three weeks after surgery, clinical relapse and recurrence of the lesion were noted on the pre-cystoperitoneal shunting MRI. During anaesthesia, the cat arrested. Cardiac resuscitation was successfully performed and cystoperitoneal shunting was postponed. Global brain ischaemia was then suspected, based on major forebrain clinical signs and MRI abnormalities. During a 6-month recovery period, a further three fine-needle CT-guided aspirations of the lesion were required, owing to clinical recurrence and increased cyst size. Cystoperitoneal shunting was eventually performed, allowing persistent reduction of the lesion and long-term improvement of the cat’s neurological status.

Relevance and novel information

This is the first report of a symptomatic lateral intraventricular cystic lesion in a cat. A left lateral intraventricular choroid plexus cyst was suspected based on the MRI features. Our case suggests that endoscopic fenestration and CT-guided aspiration are not adequate treatments for long-term management. Cystoperitoneal shunting may be a safe procedure, allowing significant and stable reduction of the cystic lesion, associated with improvement in the cat’s neurological status by preventing high intracranial pressure.
Emotional Expression of #body on Instagram
Authors: Malighetti Clelia , Sciara Simona , Chirico Alice , Riva Giuseppe
Published: June 2020

Our aim was to explore emotions in Instagram images marked with hashtags referring to body image–related components using an artificial intelligence–based discrete emotional analysis. A total of 500 Instagram photos marked by specific hashtags related to body image components were analyzed and specific discrete emotions expressed in each picture were detected using the Emotion application program interface API from Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service. Results showed that happiness and neutrality were the most intense and recognizable emotions expressed in all images. Happiness intensity was significantly higher in images with #bodyimage and #bodyconfidence and higher levels of neutral emotion were found in images tagged with #body, #bodyfitness, and #thininspirational. This study integrated a discrete emotional model with the conventional dimensional one, and offered a higher degree of granularity in the analysis of emotions–body link on Instagram through an artificial intelligence technology. Future research should deepen the use of discrete emotions on Instagram and the role of neutrality in body image representation.
Analyzing the Effects of Institutional- and Ecosystem-Level Variables on University Spin-Off Performance
Authors: Vega-Gómez F. I. , Miranda González F. J. , Pérez-Mayo J.
Published: June 2020

Academic entrepreneurship has been one of the main research fields over the past 20 years, specifically due to the interest of policy makers in this topic. Initially, this interest focused on the creation of university spin-off (USO) firms; although given the new circumstances of the university and its context, there is a need to steer the research topic toward survival. This is because the simple creation of USOs, without their being able to survive or create value, is useless. This article focuses on one of the determining factors of the success of USOs, as measured by employment and sales growth: the influence of institutional- and ecosystem-level variables. Through a backward sequential process, our results show that the business size and the public support in the field of training and bureaucracy are the main elements that affect success.
Fractured Pasts: The Structure of the Life Story in Sexual-Trauma Survivors With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Clifford Georgina , Hitchcock Caitlin , Dalgleish Tim
Published: June 2020

We examined the organization of past and future affective autobiographical knowledge in sexual-trauma survivors compared with control participants. Participants ( N = 113) divided their past (and future) life into chapters (e.g., “college,” “marriage”), then characterized each chapter using positive or negative attributes. Sexual-trauma survivors ( n = 27) endorsed a greater proportion of negative attributes, demonstrated greater affective compartmentalization (separation of positive and negative attributes into different chapters), and showed reduced redundancy (consistent endorsement across chapters) of positive attributes relative to control participants ( n = 23). Groups did not differ on negative redundancy for past life structure or any metrics for future life structure. In a secondary analysis, we compared life structures for the sexual-trauma group and for individuals with chronic depression but no sexual-trauma history ( n = 30) and matched control participants ( n = 56), which revealed significantly greater negative redundancy in the depressed group. The distinct life structure presented by sexual-trauma survivors may reflect efforts to constrain the impact of trauma on an individual’s self-identity.
Low interest rates and executive risk-taking incentives: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Castro Paula , Tascon Maria T , Castaño Francisco J , Amor-Tapia Borja
Published: June 2020

This article contributes to the literature by indicating how certain monetary policies impact the compensation incentives of US managers to adopt riskier business policies. Specifically, based on the agency problems between shareholders and managers and between shareholders and creditors, a research framework is developed to identify the influence of low interest rates on managers’ risk-taking incentives proxied by the sensitivity of executive compensation to stock return volatility (Vega). We examine 1,293 firms in the United States between 2000 and 2016, and the results indicate that low interest rates increase the managers’ short-term risk-taking incentives and that those incentives contribute to the risk effectively taken by the firm. Our results are robust to the use of alternative monetary proxies and to the presence of passive versus active institutional shareholders.

JEL CLASSIFICATION E41; E43; E51; M12; M52
Changes in respiratory symptoms during 48-week treatment with ARD-3150 (inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin) in bronchiectasis: results from the ORBIT-3 and -4 studies
Authors: Chalmers James D. , Cipolla David , Thompson Bruce , Davis Angela M. , O'Donnell Anne , Tino Gregory , Gonda Igor , Haworth Charles , Froehlich Juergen
Published: June 2020

It is not known if inhaled antibiotics improve respiratory symptoms in patients with bronchiectasis. In the recent phase-3 ORBIT trials, 48 weeks' treatment with ARD-3150 (inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin) did not significantly improve symptoms using the prespecified method of analysis comparing baseline symptoms to those after 48 weeks, when patients had been off treatment for 28 days. This method of analysis does not take account of possible improvements in symptoms while on active treatment.

Apost hocanalysis of two identical randomised trials of ARD-3150 (ORBIT-3 and -4) administered 28 days on and 28 days off in patients with bronchiectasis and chronicPseudomonas aeruginosainfection. The quality-of-life bronchiectasis respiratory symptom scale (QOL-B-RSS), which has a one-week recall period, was administered every 28 days. We examined whether respiratory symptoms improved during on-treatment periods and the relationship of changes in QOL-B-RSS to changes in bacterial load using a mixed-model repeated measures approach.

ARD-3150 treatment resulted in a significant improvement in respiratory symptoms during the on-treatment periods with concordant results between ORBIT-3 (estimate 1.4 points,se0.49; p=0.004) and ORBIT-4 (estimate 1.1 point,se0.41; p=0.006). The proportion of patients achieving a symptom improvement above the minimum clinically important difference was higher with ARD-3150 compared with placebo during on-treatment cycles (p=0.024). Changes in respiratory symptoms were correlated with changes in bacterial load in the treatment group (r=−0.89, p<0.0001). Individual estimates for decrements in the QOL-B RSS during exacerbation were −9.4 points (se0.91) in ORBIT-3 and −10.8 points (0.74) in ORBIT-4 (both p<0.0001).

Inhaled ARD-3150 resulted in significant improvements in respiratory symptoms during the on-treatment periods which were lost during off-treatment periods. These results supports the concept that reducing bacterial load can improve respiratory symptoms in patients with bronchiectasis.
Characterization and anti-uterine tumor effect of extract from Prunella vulgaris L.
Authors: Lin Yan , Yang Chao , Tang Jie , Li Chun , Zhang Zhi-min , Xia Bo-hou , Li Ya-mei , He Qing-zhi , Lin Li-mei , Liao Duan-fang
Published: June 2020

Background

The flowers and dried fruit spikes of Prunella vulgaris L. (P. vulgaris L.) have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and food. P. vulgaris L. is regarded as a good option for treating uterine myoma (UM). However, scientific evidence of anti-UM activity of the extract of P. vulgaris L. (PVE) is lacking. The present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of PVE and evaluate the pharmacodynamics and mechanism of PVE against UM.

Methods

The chemical composition of PVE was analyzed by GC-MS. MTT was used to screen and evaluate cell proliferation and toxicity. Double fluorescence flow cytometry method were used to determine the apoptosis and cell cycle progression of UM cells under PVE treatment. The anti-UM activity of PVE was investigated by using a specific-pathogen-free (SPF) rat model of UM. TUNEL staining was used to detect the apoptosis of UM cells. The concentrations of estrogen and progesterone in the serum of SPF rats were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of PCNA, estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, progesterone receptor, survivin, caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 in the uterus of SPF rats was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Results

The extraction rate of PVE was 8.1%. The main components were squalene (28.3%), linoleic acid (9.96%), linolenic acid (9.95%), stearic acid (6.26%) and oleic acid (5.51%). In vitro, PVE had significant anti-human UM cell activity, exhibited no drug toxicity, promoted the apoptosis of human UM cells, and inhibited the transition of UM cells from the G0/G1 stage into the G2 stage, in which DNA replication occurs. In vivo, PVE had significant anti-UM activity. PVE decreased the concentrations of estrogen and progesterone and downregulated the expression levels of the estrogen and progesterone receptors through the estrogen signaling pathway. PVE also promoted the apoptosis of UM cells by downregulating the expression levels of the survivin and Bcl-2 proteins and upregulating the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax through the mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway.

Conclusion

PVE has marked anti-UM activity. PVE can be used as an ideal candidate drug to treat UM.
Study of the immunogenicity of the VP2 protein of canine parvovirus produced using an improved Baculovirus expression system
Authors: Chang Dao , Liu Yangkun , Chen Yangyang , Hu Xiaomin , Burov Andrey , Puzyr Alexey , Bondar Vladimir , Yao Lunguang
Published: June 2020

Background

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is now recognized as a serious threat to the dog breeding industry worldwide. Currently used CPV vaccines all have their specific drawbacks, prompting a search for alternative safe and effective vaccination strategies such as subunit vaccine. VP2 protein is the major antigen targeted for developing CPV subunit vaccine, however, its production in baculovirus expression system remains challenging due to the insufficient yield. Therefore, our study aims to increase the VP2 protein production by using an improved baculovirus expression system and to evaluate the immunogenicity of the purified VP2 protein in mice.

Results

The results showed that high-level expression of the full length VP2 protein was achieved using our modified baculovirus expression system. The recombinant virus carrying two copies of VP2 gene showed the highest expression level, with a productivity of 186 mg/L, which is about 1.4–1.6 fold that of the recombinant viruses carrying only one copy. The purified protein reacted with Mouse anti-His tag monoclonal antibody and Rabbit anti-VP2 polyclonal antibody. BALB/c mice were intramuscularly immunized with purified VP2 protein twice at 2 week intervals. After vaccination, VP2 protein could induce the mice produce high level of hemagglutination inhibition antibodies.

Conclusions

Full length CPV VP2 protein was expressed at high level and purified efficiently. Moreover, it stimulated mice to produce high level of antibodies with hemmaglutination inhibition properties. The VP2 protein expressed in this study could be used as a putative economic and efficient subunit vaccine against CPV infection.
Comparisons of quality of life between patients underwent peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Chuasuwan Anan , Pooripussarakul Siriporn , Thakkinstian Ammarin , Ingsathit Atiporn , Pattanaprateep Oraluck
Published: June 2020

Objective

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) leads to renal replacement therapy and certainly has an impact on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to review and compare the HRQoL between peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), EuroQoL-5-dimension (EQ-5D) and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument (KDQOL).

Methodology

Systematic review was conducted by identify relevant studies through MEDLINE and SCOPUS up to April 2017. Studies were eligible with following criteria: studied in ESRD patients, compare any pair of renal replacement modalities, and reported HRQoL. The unstandardized mean differences (USMD) of HRQoL among modalities were calculated and pooled using a random-effect models if heterogeneity was present, otherwise a fixed-effect model was applied.

Results

A total of twenty-one studies were included with 29,000 participants. Of them, mean age and percent male were 48.1 years and 45.1, respectively. The pooled USMD (95% CI) of SF-36 between PD and HD (base) were 1.86 (0.47, 3.24) and 0.42 (− 1.99, 2.82) for mental component and physical component summary scores, respectively. For EQ-5D, the pooled USMD of utility and visual analogue scale (VAS) score were 0.02 (− 0.06, 0.10) and 3.56 (1.73, 5.39), respectively. The pooled USMD of KDQOL were 9.67 (5.67, 13.68), 6.71 (− 5.92, 19.32) 6.30 (− 0.41, 12.18), 2.35 (− 4.35, 9.04), 2.10 (0.07, 4.13), and 1.21 (− 2.98, 5.40) for burden of kidney disease, work status, effects of kidney disease, quality of social interaction, symptoms, and cognitive function.

Conclusion

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 or ESRD treated with PD had better generic HRQoL measured by SF-36 and EQ-5D than HD patients. In addition, PD had higher specific HRQoL by KDQOL than HD patients in subdomain of physical functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, effects and burden of kidney disease.
Gastrin-releasing peptide induces fibrotic response in MRC5s and proliferation in A549s
Authors: Kayalar Ozgecan , Oztay Fusun , Ongen Hurrem Gul
Published: June 2020

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a complex lung disease, whose build-up scar tissue is induced by several molecules. Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is released from pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, alveolar macrophages, and some nerve endings in the lung. A possible role of GRP in IPF is unclear. We aimed to investigate the fibrotic response to GRP, at the cellular level in MRC5 and A549 cell lines. The proliferative and fibrotic effects of GRP on these cells were evaluated by using BrdU, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR for molecules associated with myofibroblast differentiation, TGF-β and Wnt signalling. All doses of GRP increased the amount of BrdU incorporation in A549 cells. In contrast, the amount of BrdU increased in MRC5 cells in the first 24 h, though progressively decreased by 72 h. GRP did not stimulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in A549 cells, rather, it stimulated the differentiation of MRC5 cells into myofibroblasts. Furthermore, GRP induced gene and protein expressions of p-Smad2/3 and Smad4, and reduced the levels of Smad7 in MRC5 cells. In addition, GRP decreased Wnt5a protein levels and stimulated β-catenin activation by increasing Wnt4, Wnt7a and β-catenin protein levels. GRP caused myofibroblast differentiation by inducing TGF-βand Wnt pathways via paracrine and autocrine signalling in MRC5 cells. In conclusion, GRP may lead to pulmonary fibrosis due to its proliferative and fibrotic effects on lung fibroblasts. The abrogation of GRP-mediated signal activation might be considered as a treatment modality for fibrotic lung diseases.

Graphical abstract
The ReWalk ReStore™ soft robotic exosuit: a multi-site clinical trial of the safety, reliability, and feasibility of exosuit-augmented post-stroke gait rehabilitation
Authors: Awad Louis N. , Esquenazi Alberto , Francisco Gerard E. , Nolan Karen J. , Jayaraman Arun
Published: June 2020

Background

Atypical walking in the months and years after stroke constrain community reintegration and reduce mobility, health, and quality of life. The ReWalk ReStore™ is a soft robotic exosuit designed to assist the propulsion and ground clearance subtasks of post-stroke walking by actively assisting paretic ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion. Previous proof-of-concept evaluations of the technology demonstrated improved gait mechanics and energetics and faster and farther walking in users with post-stroke hemiparesis. We sought to determine the safety, reliability, and feasibility of using the ReStore™ during post-stroke rehabilitation.

Methods

A multi-site clinical trial (NCT03499210) was conducted in preparation for an application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study included 44 users with post-stroke hemiparesis who completed up to 5 days of training with the ReStore™ on the treadmill and over ground. In addition to primary and secondary endpoints of safety and device reliability across all training activities, an exploratory evaluation of the effect of multiple exposures to using the device on users’ maximum walking speeds with and without the device was conducted prior to and following the five training visits.

Results

All 44 study participants completed safety and reliability evaluations. Thirty-six study participants completed all five training days. No device-related falls or serious adverse events were reported. A low rate of device malfunctions was reported by clinician-operators. Regardless of their reliance on ancillary assistive devices, after only 5 days of walking practice with the device, study participants increased both their device-assisted (Δ: 0.10 ± 0.03 m/s) and unassisted (Δ: 0.07 ± 0.03 m/s) maximum walking speeds (P’s < 0.05).

Conclusions

When used under the direction of a licensed physical therapist, the ReStore™ soft exosuit is safe and reliable for use during post-stroke gait rehabilitation to provide targeted assistance of both paretic ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion during treadmill and overground walking.

Trial registration

NCT03499210. Prospectively registered on March 28, 2018.
Management of patients with prior lumbar fusion: a cross-sectional survey of Veterans Affairs chiropractors’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices
Authors: Daniels Clinton J. , Gliedt Jordan A. , Suri Pradeep , Bednarz Edward M. , Lisi Anthony J.
Published: June 2020

Background

Little is known about the preferred treatment strategies of chiropractors in managing low back pain patients with prior lumbar fusions. There are several case reports which describe chiropractic care following surgical intervention, but there are no cohort or experimental studies published. Therefore, we sought to examine self-reported management approaches and practice patterns related to the management of patients with prior surgical lumbar fusion, among United States Veterans Affairs (VA) chiropractors.

Methods

An electronic survey was administered nationwide to all chiropractors providing clinical care within VA. Questions were informed by a prior survey and piloted on a sample of chiropractors external to VA. Statistical analysis included respondent background information, and quantitative analysis of chiropractic referral patterns and practices. This survey collect information on 1) provider demographics, 2) VA referral patterns, and 3) attitudes, beliefs, practices and interventions utilized by VA chiropractors to manage patients with a history of surgical lumbar fusion.

Results

The survey response rate was 46.3% (62/134). The respondents were broadly representative of VA chiropractic providers in age, gender, and years in practice. The majority of respondents (90.3%) reported seeing at least 1 post-fusion patient in the past month. The most common therapeutic approaches utilized by VA chiropractors were healthy lifestyle advice (94.9%), pain education (89.8%), exercise prescription (88.1%), stretching (66.1%) and soft tissue manual therapies (62.7%). A relatively smaller proportion described always or frequently incorporating lumbar (16.9%), thoracic (57.6%) or pelvic (39.0%) spinal manipulation.

Conclusion

This survey provides preliminary data on VA chiropractic services in the management of patients with prior lumbar fusion. These patients are often seen by VA chiropractors, and our findings support the need for further study to advance understanding of interventions utilized by chiropractors in this patient population.
Mitral prosthetic size predictor in minimally invasive mitral valve replacement
Authors: Vo Anh T. , Nguyen Nguyen T. H. , Le Khoi M. , Vuong Nguyen L. , Nguyen Trang T. T. , Vu Thanh T. , Hoang Sy V. , Nguyen Dinh H.
Published: June 2020

Background

Minimally invasive mitral valve replacement has become popular across the world. However, annular rupture and patient – prosthetic mismatch (PPM) are still problematic, particularly in the Asian population. To avoid this, a predictor model could be beneficial. Our study aimed to assess the value of mitral valve diameters measured on TTE and CT scan on predicting the actual mitral prostheses.

Methods

From January 2018 to December 2019, a total number of 96 patients underwent minimally invasive mitral valve replacement. The association between imaging measurements and the outcome was checked by scatter plot and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Univariable linear regression was used to build the prediction model.

Results

The three strongest correlations for the whole population are the following features: Mean TTE diameter (0.702), mean diameter on CT lowest plane through the mitral annulus (0.679), and area-derived diameter on CT highest plane through the mitral annulus (0.665). The prosthetic size of the tissue valve group was more correlated to the calculated annulus diameters than that of the mechanical valve group. Tissue valve size predictor models based on these calculated diameters were 16.19 + 0.27 × d (r = 0.744), 12.74 + 0.44 × d (r = 0.756) and 12.79 + 0.38 × d (r = 0.730), respectively.

Conclusion

Mitral prosthetic size could be predicted based on the mitral diameters measured on TTE and CT scan. The overall correlation coefficient varied from 0.665 (CT Scan) to 0.702 (TTE). These models performed better when applied to bioprosthesis.