bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Successful Endoscopic Treatment of Bouveret Syndrome in a Patient with Choledochoduodenal Fistula Complicating Duodenal Ulcer
Authors: Hasan Syed , Khan Zubair , Darr Umar , Javaid Toseef , Siddiqui Nauman , Saleh Jamal , Kobeissy Abdallah , Nawras Ali
Published: June 2017

Introduction. Cholecystoduodenal fistulas represent the most common type of bilioenteric fistulas while choledochoduodenal fistulas account for only 1–25% of cases. Bilioenteric fistula cases are associated with cholelithiasis and are rarely associated with duodenal peptic ulcers. Here we present the first case of Bouveret syndrome secondary to choledochoduodenal fistula complicating peptic duodenal ulcer managed successfully via endoscopic mechanical lithotripsy.Case. 86-year-old male with a medical history significant for coronary artery disease and stage 3 colorectal cancer status after resection and chemoradiation presented with intractable sharp abdominal pain worse postprandially for one week in duration, associated with early satiety, anorexia, and 5 lbs weight loss in one week. CT abdomen showed possible choledochoduodenal fistula and a distended stomach. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed revealing a large 2.5–3 cm stone lodged in the duodenal bulb at the base of duodenal ulcer with a fistula opening beneath it. The stone was extracted in 2 pieces via mechanical lithotripsy. Endoscopic ultrasound of the CBD revealed Rigler’s triad.Conclusion. Bouveret syndrome is mostly associated with cholecystoduodenal fistula and has high mortality and morbidity due to underlying comorbid conditions and elderly age. Patients are not always fit for surgical management, and endoscopic management is not always successful.
Application of Response Surface Methodology to Study the Effects of Brisket Fat, Soy Protein Isolate, and Cornstarch on Nutritional and Textural Properties of Rabbit Sausages
Authors: Wambui Joseph M. , Karuri Edward G. , Wanyoike Margaret M. M.
Published: June 2017

The effects of brisket fat, soy protein isolate, and cornstarch on chemical and textural properties of rabbit sausages were studied using surface response methodology. Sausage samples were prepared using a five-level three-variable Central Composite Rotatable Design with 16 combinations, including two replicates of the center point, carried out in random order. The level of brisket fat (BF), soy protein isolate (SPI), and cornstarch (CS) in the sausage formulation ranged within 8.3–16.7%, 0.7–2.3%, and 1.3–4.7%, respectively. Increasing BF decreased moisture and ash contents but increased protein and fat contents of the sausages (p<0.05). Increasing SPI increased moisture content but decreased ash and carbohydrate contents of the sausages (p<0.05). Increasing CS increased carbohydrate content (p<0.05). Increasing BF increased hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and chewiness but decreased springiness (p<0.05). SPI addition increased springiness but decreased adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and chewiness (p<0.05). In conclusion, varying the levels of BF and SPI had a more significant effect on chemical and textural properties of rabbit sausages than CS.
When Is the Optimal Timing of Surgical Intervention for Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation?
Authors: Nakanishi Nobuhiro , Ishii Masanobu , Kaikita Koichi , Okamoto Ken , Izumiya Yasuhiro , Yamamoto Eiichiro , Takashio Seiji , Hokimoto Seiji , Fukui Toshihiro , Tsujita Kenichi
Published: June 2017

Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a serious pathology to be noted for severe right heart failure (HF) and poor prognosis; however, the conventional assessment of TR has some limitations and the optimal timing of surgical intervention remains unclear. A 79-year-old Japanese female was admitted to our hospital to undergo cardiac surgery, because edema gradually got worse despite the increase in diuretics. She had a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic HF due to severe TR and had been treated with a furosemide for leg edema 4 years ago. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), transesophageal echocardiogram, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac pool scintigraphy demonstrated severe functional TR with tricuspid annular dilation, insufficient tricuspid valve coaptation, and reduced right ventricular ejection fraction (EF) but preserved left ventricular EF. In addition, Swan-Ganz catheter study showed normal pulmonary arterial wedge pressure and mean pulmonary arterial pressure. Tricuspid ring annuloplasty was performed with MC3 ring. Postoperative TTE showed trivial TR, and she had no edema with normal sinus rhythm two months later. Annuloplasty to severe functional TR caused by tricuspid annular dilation due to AF dramatically improved right HF. Cardiologist should pay strict attention to the optimal timing of surgical intervention for TR.
Systemic Treatment Options for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients with Brain Metastases beyond Trastuzumab: A Literature Review
Authors: Laakmann Elena , Müller Volkmar , Schmidt Marcus , Witzel Isabell
Published: June 2017

Background: The incidence of brain metastases (BM) in breast cancer patients has increased. Many retrospective analyses have shown that first-line treatment with trastuzumab prolongs survival in patients with HER2-positive BM. In contrast, the evidence for other therapies targeting HER2 for patients with BM is rare. Methods: The aim of this review is to update the reader about current systemic treatment options in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with BM who had already received trastuzumab. A literature search was performed in the PubMed database in June 2016. 30 relevant reports concerning the efficacy of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), lapatinib and its combination with other cytotoxic agents, pertuzumab and novel HER2-targeting substances were identified. Results: There is limited but promising evidence for the use of T-DM1 and pertuzumab in the treatment of BM. Up to now, most reported studies used lapatinib as treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer with BM, a treatment with only a modest effect and a high toxicity profile. The combination of lapatinib with cytotoxic agents seems to result in better response rates. Conclusion: Further prospective investigations are needed to investigate the efficacy of the established and novel HER2-targeting agents on BM in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.
ВПЛИВ ПРОБІОТИКІВ НА ПОКАЗНИКИ ЕНДОГЕННОЇ ІНТОКСИКАЦІЇ, ІМУНОРЕАКТИВНОСТІ ТА МІКРОБІОЦЕНОЗ КИШЕЧНИКУ ХВОРИХ НА САЛЬМОНЕЛЬОЗ
Authors: Chemych O. M. , Moroz L. V.
Published: June 2017

Мета. Для встановлення ефекту пробіотиків у хворих на сальмонельоз вивчили зміни показників ендогенної інтоксмикації, імунореактивності та складу кишкової мікробіоти пацієнтів.Пацієнти і методи. Обстежено 189 хворих на сальмонельоз. Їх середній вік становив (43,23±1,22) роки. Здійснювали загальний аналіз крові з підрахунком показників ендогенної інтоксикації, бактеріологічне дослідження калу та встановлення показників імунореактивності. Мікробіоценоз товстої кишки досліджували до лікування і на (5,76±0,16) добу після госпіталізації.Результати. У всіх пацієнтів з сальмонельозом у гострому періоді відбувалось значне збільшення інтегративних показників ендогенної інтоксикації. Це супроводжувалось порушенням імунологічної реактивності і активною адаптивною реакцією організму. Також відбувалось зменшення на два-три порядки кількості біфідобактерій, лактобацил і кишкової палички, при збільшенні на три-шість порядків рівнів інших представників УПМ, гемолізуючої кишкової палички та грибів роду Candida (р<0,05-0,001). У реконвалесцентів, які отримували базисну терапію і комбінований пробіотик, показники ендогенної інтоксикації прийшли до норми (p<0,001).Під впливом комбінованого пробіотика зменшується дисбактеріоз кишечнику. Найшвидше нормалізується мікробіоценоз у пацієнтів, які отримували досліджуваний пробіотик (живі ліофілізовані Saccharomyces boulardii 0,325×109; спори Lactobacillus sporogenes (Bacillus coagulans) 0,325×109; живі ліофілізовані Lactobacillus rhamnosus 0,325×109; живі ліофілізовані Bifidobacterium longum 0,325×109) (р<0,05-0,001).
НАУКОВО-ПРАКТИЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦІЯ З МІЖНАРОДНОЮ УЧАСТЮ «АКТУАЛЬНІ ІНФЕКЦІЙНІ ЗАХВОРЮВАННЯ. ОСОБЛИВОСТІ КЛІНІКИ, ДІАГНОСТИКИ, ЛІКУВАННЯ ТА ПРОФІЛАКТИКИ В СУЧАСНИХ УМОВАХ»
Authors: Trykhlib V. I.
Published: June 2017

Розкрита коротка біографічна інформація про видатного українського вченого, дійсного члена НАМН України, професора, багаторічного керівника кафедри інфекційних хвороб Національного медичного університету імені О.О. Богомольця, Заслуженого діяча науки і техніки України, Заслуженого лікаря України, лауреата Державної премії в галузі науки і техніки Жанну Іванівну Возіанову.
Унифицированный подход к лечению больных с проникающими колото-резаными ранениями брюшной полости
Authors: Ganji V. V. , Kubrak M. A. , Rylov A. I. , Danyluk M. B. , Glazkov A. I.
Published: June 2017

За період з 2010 до 2015 р., за даними МОЗ України, загальний показник смертності в Україні перебуває на рівні 14,5–16,3 ‰. При цьому, в 6 % всіх випадків смерті причиною були травми. Відкрита проникаюча травма живота залишається однією з основних причин летальних випадків. Втім, ножові поранення зустрічаються майже в три рази частіше, ніж вогнепальні [3]. В останні роки в світі переглянули підходи до ведення хворих із проникаючими пораненнями, схилившись у бік вибіркового застосування операційного і неопераційного методів лікування [2].          Значного поширення набув метод селективного неопераційного лікування хворих з проникаючими пораненнями черевної порожнини [4, 10, 14]. Суть даного методу полягає в тому, що, застосовуючи сучасні діагностичні методи, а також клінічний моніторинг стану хворого, в певних випадках можна обійтися без застосування лапаротомії. Дана методика дозволяє в 55 % випадків ножових поранень вести хворих, не вдаючись до операційного втручання, скоротити кількість непотрібних лапаротомій до 9–19 %, зменшити тривалість перебування хворих у стаціонарі до 3,9 дня порівняно з 6 при лапаротомії, а також знизити матеріальні витрати на лікування пацієнтів.При відборі хворих для неопераційного ведення краще орієнтуватися на дані загальноклінічних досліджень (загальна чутливість і специфічність серійного клінічного обстеження черевної порожнини становить 87,3 і 93,5 % відповідно) [10]. Доброю допомогою є дані комп’ютерної томографії, однак чутливість і специфічність даного методу коливається у різних авторів від 60 до 90 % [4, 9, 11, 13]. Діагностична цінність ультразвукового дослідження в перші години після отриманої травми становить всього 46 % [12], а оглядової рентгенографії – 2,6 % [7]. Застосування лапароскопії в діагностиці і лікуванні колото-різаних поранень черевної стінки є пріоритетним методом у разі стабільної гемодинаміки у хворих [8].
Дерматоліпектомія у пацієнтів із післяопераційною вентральною грижею за умов морбідного ожиріння
Authors: Piatnochka V. I.
Published: June 2017

Мета роботи: розпрацювати тактичні передумови виконання реконструктивної абдомінопластики та герніопластики з імовірними варіантами корекції м’язово-апоневротичного шару передньої черевної стінки та адекватним вибором сітчастого імпланта та з урахуванням анатомічних і функціональних змін у ділянці операційного втручання.Матеріали і методи.  Проаналізовано результати хірургічного  лікування 46 пацієнтів із післяопераційною вентральною грижею (ПОВГ) із супутнім морбідним ожирінням за умов одночасного виконання алогерніопластики та дерматоліпектомії, з урахуванням результатів проведеного дослідження особливостей кровопостачання підшкірно жирового шару передньої черевної стінки у хворих із різним ІМТ. Вивчення гемодинаміки передньої черевної стінки у хворих із різним ІМТ дозволило нам визначити ділянки з інтенсивним та менш інтенсивним кровопостачанням, дослідити  судини з різним діаметром та швидкістю кровотоку.  Це стало  доказовою базою  вибору площі щадної мобілізації підшкірно-жирової клітковини під час виконання дерматоліпектомії.Результати досліджень та їх обговорення. В осіб з наявним III  та IV ст. ожиріння з ІМТ=30–40 та >40 відмічено високий рівень кровотоку  в мезо-гіпогастральній ділянці, особливо в ділянці грижових воріт, у надлобковій та пахових ділянках, із достовірно низьким рівнем кровопостачання  та значним послабленням трофіки тканин на рівні вище пупка аж до реберних дуг. Водночас у хворих на ожиріння III ст.  та морбідне ожиріння IV ст. найбільш активна візуалізація судин визначалась у нижніх відділах передньої черевної стінки, діаметр судин значно збільшувався, як і кількість судин із венозним типом кровотоку. Етап дерматоліпектомії виконували в основному за методиками Küster 10 (21,8 %) пацієнтам із вертикальним висіченням шкіри з підшкірно-жировою клітковиною, Jolly, Thorek – 32 (69,6 %) пацієнтам з видаленням тканин гіпогастральної ділянки горизонтальним доступом; у хворих із вираженим надлишком шкіри  передньої черевної стінки  виконували дерматоліпектомію комбінованим Т-подібним  доступом за Castansres–Goethel – 4 (8,7 %). Вважаємо перспективним виконання симультанної дерматоліпектомії  при алогерніопластиці з приводу ПОВГ при морбідному ожирінні з урахуванням особливостей кровопостачання підшкірно-жирової клітковини передньої черевної стінки та за умов зменшення площі скелетування  підшкірно-жирового шару та виконання  менш травматичної вертикальної, нижньої горизонтальної, в рідких випадках  комбінованої дерматоліпектомії, що, в свою чергу, мінімізує ризики виникнення післяопераційних ускладнень.
Особливості кисень-залежних процесів у щурів з гострим поширеним перитонітом на тлі мерказоліл-індукованого гіпотиреозу
Authors: Verba R. I. , Klishch I. M.
Published: June 2017

Мета роботи: дослідження впливу зниженої продукції тиреоїдних гормонів на стан кисень-залежних процесів.Матеріали і методи. У роботі використовували білих щурів лінії Вістар. Гіпотиреоз моделювали уведенням мерказолілу  в дозі 25 мг/кг протягом 21-ї доби. Гострий поширений перитоніт моделювали уведенням 0,5 мл 10 % профільтрованої калової суспензії в черевну порожнину досліджуваних тварин. Визначали співвідношення фагоцитуючих клітин у місці ураження, продукування активних форм кисню системою фагоцитуючих мононуклеарів, спонтанний та індукований тест із нітросинім тетразолієм (НСТ-тест).Результати досліджень та їх обговорення. Проведеними дослідженнями встановлено, що наявність гіпотиреозу в експериментальних тварин, яким моделювали гострий поширений каловий перитоніт, супроводжувалась порушенням співвідношення кількості фагоцитуючих клітин у місці ушкодження, менш вираженим, ніж в еутиреоїдних щурів, зростанням активних форм кисню, а також показників спонтанного та індукованого НСТ-тесту і, як наслідок, зменшенням інтенсивності продукування ними активних форм кисню. За умов гіпотиреозу знижується кисень-залежна  біоцидність нейтрофілів та зменшуються функціональні резерви фагоцитуючих клітин.
Homebound: The Art of Public Space in Contemporary Cuba
Authors: Duong Paloma
Published: June 2017

Despite the home's long history as a locus of cultural and political action in Cuba, serious studies of its informal residential culture are only now beginning to emerge. This article explores how the exhibition of art in private homes intervenes in debates about public space in Havana. It situates these exhibition practices historically with respect to the spatial politics of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, while mapping the reorganization of official and unofficial cultures after the demise of the Soviet bloc. Bringing into relief how these home exhibits problematize state and market alliances in the postsocialist context, I argue that these practices are doubly embedded in local as much as global polemics regarding the place—literally and metaphorically—of art today.
Detection of the Freshness State of Cooked Beef During Storage Using Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Yang Dong , He Dandan , Lu Anxiang , Ren Dong , Wang Jihua
Published: June 2017

The freshness of meat products during storage has received unprecedented attention. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique to determine the freshness state of cooked beef during storage and identify the contaminated areas on the surface of spoiled samples. Hyperspectral images of cooked beef were acquired in the wavelength range of 400–1000 nm and the freshness state of all samples was divided into three classes (freshness, medium freshness, and spoilage) using the measured total viable count (TVC) of bacteria. Fifteen feature spectra variables were extracted by random frog (RF); based on this, six optimal wavelength variables were further selected by correlation analysis (CA). Partial least squares (PLS) and least squares–support vector machine (LS-SVM) classification models were established using different spectral variables. The results indicated that the performance of the RF-CA-LS-SVM classification model with a high overall classification accuracy of 97.14%, the results of sensitivity and specificity in the range of 0.92–1, and the κ coefficient of 0.9575 in the prediction set were obviously superior to other models. Spoiled samples were further obtained using a RF-CA-LS-SVM model, and then six feature images were extracted and further fused by principal component analysis (PCA). A PC3 image was used to segment successfully the contaminated areas from normal areas of cooked beef images using the Otsu threshold algorithm. The results demonstrated that HSI has great potential in classifying the freshness of cooked beef and identifying the contaminated areas. This current study provides a foundational basis for the classification and grading of meat production in further online detection.
“What Am I Gonna Be Losing?” School Culture and the Family-Based College-Going Dilemmas of Black and Latino Adolescent Boys
Authors: Carey Roderick L.
Published: June 2017

As educators and service providers in urban schools encourage student college going at higher rates than ever, policy and practice on school improvement discourses would benefit from incorporating students’ perspectives underlying family-based, college-going dilemmas that frame their college preparation. This qualitative article features the voiced experiences of 11th-grade adolescent boys, one Black and one Latino, from one school, as they grapple with both internal dilemmas (e.g., fear of changing and being distanced from their family) and external dilemmas (e.g., their expected familial commitments) inherent in their college access, success, and graduation. Using a conceptual framework that considers the social, cognitive, and institutional factors influencing their college preparation, this article focuses on social factors and advocates for institutional practices that better meet student needs.
Toward Canada in the World: Thoughts on the future of Canadian Foreign Policy History
Authors: McKercher Asa
Published: June 2017

As a field of study, Canadian Foreign Policy history has been on life support for the better part of three decades. While its resiliency speaks to the commitment of its practitioners, the fact that Canadian international history has largely been sidelined is troubling given both the field’s importance generally and its appeal to undergraduate students and the wider public. Yet, at the same time as Canadian Foreign Policy history has been in stasis, a new field examining Canadian interactions with the world through transnational and cultural lenses has arisen. As the apocryphal Chinese proverb puts it, this situation presents both danger and opportunity for Canadian international history. In this article I explore how Canadian international historians might seize the initiative by crafting a new, expansive field of study—Canada in the World—which preserves the study of Canadian Foreign Policy while incorporating other analytical approaches.
Canada’s functional principle: 75 years on
Authors: Chapnick Adam
Published: June 2017

On 29 March 2016, in a speech at the University of Ottawa, Stéphane Dion outlined “the guiding principle” that he intended to follow as the Trudeau government’s first minister of global affairs. He called it “responsible conviction”: an approach to policymaking that combined the need to balance his personal sense of right and wrong with a pragmatic understanding of the consequences of Ottawa’s policy choices. The decision to announce Canada’s new global posture so publicly recalls the conduct of the Canadian foreign policy establishment during the Second World War, when Ottawa first proclaimed its allegiance to another decision-making framework: the functional principle. This brief essay reviews the history and utility of the Canadian version of functionalism with an eye to drawing lessons for Minister Dion’s successor, Chrystia Freeland, and her contemporaries. Understanding the ultimate plight of the functional principle might make the new minister less adamant about placing responsible conviction at the centre of her foreign policy platform.
Mothering Babies: Issues and Experiences of Women From a Traditional, Collectivist Society in a Modern, Individualistic One
Authors: Baum Nehami , Nisan Ravit
Published: June 2017

This study examines the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of first- and second-generation Ethiopian immigrant mothers in Israel. This subject is important in and of itself and also because it serves as an example of what happens to immigrant mothers from traditional, collectivist societies in modern, individualistic ones. Face-to-face interviews with 30 mothers of babies reveal generational similarities and differences. Both first- and second-generation immigrants identified motherhood as the “essence” of life for women, defined a “good mother” as one who was there to meet all of her children’s needs at all times, and expressed a strong desire to combine the ways of Ethiopia and Israel. With this, the first generation emphasized the need to give the baby space to grow, whereas the second generation regarded the baby as a being to be molded. In addition, the second generation considered it important to play with their babies and express their love for them explicitly, which the first generation did not.
Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression
Authors: Watts Rosalind , Day Camilla , Krzanowski Jacob , Nutt David , Carhart-Harris Robin
Published: June 2017

Objective: To identify patients’ perceptions of the value of psilocybin as a treatment for depression. Method: Twenty patients enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression participated in a semistructured interview at 6-month follow-up. Thematic analysis was used to identify patients’ experiences of the treatment and how it compared with previous treatments. Results: Two main change processes were identified in relation to the treatment. The first concerned change from disconnection (from self, others, and world) to connection, and the second concerned change from avoidance (of emotion) to acceptance. A third theme concerned comparison between psilocybin and conventional treatments. Patients reported that medications and some short-term talking therapies tended to reinforce their sense of disconnection and avoidance, whereas treatment with psilocybin encouraged connection and acceptance. Conclusions: These results suggest that psilocybin treatment for depression may work via paradigmatically novel means, antithetical to antidepressant medications, and some short-term talking therapies.
Urban preservation and the queerying spaces of (un)remembering: Memorial landscapes of the Miami Beach art deco historic district
Authors: Zebracki Martin
Published: June 2017

Based on a case study on Miami Beach’s acclaimed iconic art deco architectural district, this article critically dovetails intersecting hegemonic spaces of preservation, memorial practices and social and sexual identities. It argues how commemorative narratives are selectively encrypted in the local urban environment and its artefacts deemed of historical significance. It especially reveals the tensions arising between art deco (i.e. architectural) preservation and gay (i.e. social) urban preservation, as well as its under-studied largely entrepreneurial nature and attraction for a mainstream, cosmopolitan class under neoliberalism. Drawing from extensive archival, policy, observational, participatory and interview data over 2013–2015, the article revisits in historical perspective how the art deco area, incarnated in the 1920s, developed across class-, ethnicity-, religion- and age-inflected social fragmentations and how this legacy, from the late-1970s onward, segued into the local gay-led preservation movement and select commemorations of the art deco scene. To this background, the study employs the tenet of ‘queerying’ to address the under-researched coalescing frictions in preservation between perceived authentic and engineered trajectories of (gay) place (re)makings alongside reminiscences selected over others. The findings uncover and challenge (un)intentional ‘(un)rememberings’ of the local early history and the recent past, where socially fragmented fault lines and the more recent gay-led preservation track remain overly homogeneously imprinted in dominant preservation communications and performance.
Methodological challenges involved in compiling the Nahua pharmacopeia
Authors: De Vos Paula
Published: June 2017

Recent work in the history of science has questioned the Eurocentric nature of the field and sought to include a more global approach that would serve to displace center–periphery models in favor of approaches that take seriously local knowledge production. Historians of Iberian colonial science have taken up this approach, which involves reliance on indigenous knowledge traditions of the Americas. These traditions present a number of challenges to modern researchers, including availability and reliability of source material, issues of translation and identification, and lack of systematization. This essay explores the challenges that emerged in the author’s attempt to compile a pre-contact Nahua pharmacopeia, the reasons for these challenges, and the ways they may – or may not – be overcome.
The Development of Political Interest Among Adolescents: A Communication Mediation Approach Using Five Waves of Panel Data
Authors: Shehata Adam , Amnå Erik
Published: June 2017

Political interest is one of the most important individual-level predictors of news media use, public opinion formation, and engagement. When, how, and why some citizens develop a strong interest in politics is, however, less clear. This study analyzes the development of political interest during the formative years of adolescence, using a five-wave panel study among Swedish adolescents, covering a period of 4 years. Based on the citizen communication mediation model, we analyze how interest in political and current affairs news among family and friends influence adolescents’ political interest. Taken together, while the findings lend support for several of the hypotheses, mechanisms, and processes derived from the communication mediation model, parents appear more important than peers when it comes to shaping adolescents’ political interest.
External Trigger Factors for Violent Offending: Findings From the U.K. Prisoner Cohort Study
Authors: Freestone Mark C. , Ullrich Simone , Coid Jeremy W.
Published: June 2017

The role of “triggers” for violence is seldom considered when assessing risk of violence in prisoners and forensic patients. A sample of 494 cases from a two-phase study of violent prisoners in England and Wales were rated for presence of acute risk factors and “triggers” occurring before the index offense. Logistic regression was performed to test prediction of acute factors and triggers by preoffense static and stable dynamic factors. Regression models were then built to investigate associations between triggers and violent reoffending post release. Although stable dynamic risk factors were accurately predicted by static actuarial risk, neither were associated with specific violence triggers. An argument with a stranger resulting in violence was associated with future violent reoffending. Violence triggers are highly context-specific but cannot be predicted using existing risk factors. They have a complex relationship with preexisting dynamic factors resulting in future violence.
Acculturation and Linguistic Tensions as Predictors of Quebec Francophone and Anglophone Desire for Internal Migration in Canada
Authors: Sioufi Rana , Bourhis Richard Y.
Published: June 2017

Using the acculturation and ethnolinguistic vitality frameworks, this study examined economic prospects and linguistic tensions as factors accounting for willingness to stay in Quebec or leave to the rest of Canada. Questionnaires were completed by Quebec Francophone (QF; n = 234) and Quebec Anglophone (QA; n = 205) undergraduates attending French- and English-medium universities in Montreal, respectively. Results showed that, compared with QFs, QA minority students were more willing to leave Quebec. For QFs, willingness to move to the rest of Canada was predicted mainly by pull factors including better economic prospects and joining a partner. Though QFs and QAs identified similar pull factors, the following push factors were more important for QAs: avoiding linguistic tensions, being victim of collective discrimination, perceiving English–French relations as zero-sum, and endorsing the separation acculturation orientation. Results show the importance of linguistic tensions as a factor predicting QAs’ willingness to leave their province of origin.
Heritability and genome-wide associations studies of cerebral blood flow in the general population
Authors: Ikram M Arfan , Zonneveld Hazel I , Roshchupkin Gennady , Smith Albert V , Franco Oscar H , Sigurdsson Sigurdur , van Duijn Cornelia , Uitterlinden André G , Launer Lenore J , Vernooij Meike W , Gudnason Vilmundur , Adams Hieab HH
Published: June 2017

Cerebral blood flow is an important process for brain functioning and its dysregulation is implicated in multiple neurological disorders. While environmental risk factors have been identified, it remains unclear to what extent the flow is regulated by genetics. Here we performed heritability and genome-wide association analyses of cerebral blood flow in a population-based cohort study. We included 4472 persons free of cortical infarcts who underwent genotyping and phase-contrast magnetic resonance flow imaging (mean age 64.8 ± 10.8 years). The flow rate, cross-sectional area of the vessel, and flow velocity through the vessel were measured in the basilar artery and bilateral carotids. We found that the flow rate of the basilar artery is most heritable (h2 (SE) = 24.1 (9.8), p-value = 0.0056), and this increased over age. The association studies revealed two significant loci for the right carotid artery area (rs12546630, p-value = 2.0 × 10−8) and velocity (rs2971609, p-value = 1.4 × 10−8), with the latter showing a concordant effect in an independent sample (N = 1350, p-value = 0.057, meta-analyzed p-value = 2.5 × 10−9). These loci were also associated with other cerebral blood flow parameters below genome-wide significance, and rs2971609 lies in a known migraine locus. These findings establish that cerebral blood flow is under genetic control with potential relevance for neurological diseases.
A Bayesian Simulation Model for Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, Treatment, and Mortality
Authors: Huang Xuelin , Li Yisheng , Song Juhee , Berry Donald A.
Published: June 2017

Background. The important but complicated research questions regarding the optimization of mammography screening for the detection of breast cancer are unable to be answered through any single trial or a simple meta-analysis of related trials. The Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Network (CISNET) breast groups provide answers using complex statistical models to simulate population dynamics. Among them, the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Model M) takes a unique approach by not making any assumptions on the natural history of breast cancer, such as the distribution of the indolent time before detection, but simulating only the observable part of a woman’s disease and life. Methods. The simulations start with 4 million women in the age distribution found in the year 1975, and follow them over several years. Input parameters are used to describe their breast cancer incidence rates, treatment eﬃcacy, and survival. With these parameters, each woman’s history of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival are generated and recorded each year. Research questions can then be answered by comparing the outcomes of interest, such as mortality rates, quality-adjusted life years, number of false positives, differences between hypothetical scenarios, such as diﬀerent combinations of screening and treatment strategies. We use our model to estimate the relative contributions of screening and treatments on the mortality reduction in the United States, for both overall and diﬀerent molecular (ER, HER2) subtypes of breast cancer. Results. We estimate and compare the benefits (life-years gained) and harm (false-positives, over-diagnoses) of mammography screening strategies with diﬀerent frequencies (annual, biennial, triennial, mixed) and diﬀerent starting (40 and 50 years) and end ages (70 and 80 years). Conclusions. We will extend our model in future studies to account for local, regional, and distant disease recurrences.
Long-term follow-up of a hospital-based, multi-intervention programme in type 2 diabetes mellitus: impact on cardiovascular events and death
Authors: Ofstad Anne Pernille , Ulimoen Geir Reinvik , Orvik Elsa , Birkeland Kåre Inge , Gullestad Lars L , Fagerland Morten Wang , Johansen Odd Erik
Published: June 2017

Objective

To report the long-term impact on cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and mortality of a 2-year hospital-based multi-interventional care programme as compared with general practitioner (GP)-provided standard care.

Methods

Patients with type 2 diabetes with ≥ 1 additional CV risk factor were randomized to 2 years of specialist-based, multi-intervention comprising lifestyle modification and specific pharmacological treatment, or GP-based standard care. After the 2-year intervention period, all participants returned to pre-study care, but were followed up for CV outcomes and mortality. The primary outcome was time to any first severe CV event or death.

Results

A total of 120 patients (31 women) were enrolled in the study. During the mean ± SD observational period of 8.7 ± 2.0 years, 27 patients (16 and 11 in the multi-intervention and standard care groups, respectively) experienced at least one primary outcome event, with a hazard ratio (HR) if allocated to the multi-intervention group of 1.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80, 3.75). The HR for total mortality was 1.82 (95% CI 0.66, 5.01).

Conclusions

Hospital-based multi-intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus improved long-term glycaemic control, but failed to reduce CV outcomes and deaths. Clinical trials.gov id: NCT00133718.
Administration of rocuronium based on real body weight versus fat-free mass in patients with lymphedema
Authors: Jing Zhang , Muheremu Aikeremujiang , Liu Pengfei , Hu Xiaoyun , Binjiang Zhao
Published: June 2017

Objective

To compare the clinical pharmacokinetics of rocuronium when applied according to fat-free mass versus real body weight during anesthetic induction of patients with lymphedema.

Methods

Sixty patients with lymphedema (age, 18–60 years; American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, I–II) undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups. Rocuronium was administered based on the fat-free mass in 30 patients and real body weight in 30 patients. General anesthesia was induced with propofol and remifentanil by target-controlled infusion. Intubation was attempted when the onset time (T1) (time from end of bolus injection to 100% twitch depression) reached maximal inhibition, and respiratory support with mechanical ventilation was then applied. The T1, clinical duration (time from end of bolus injection to recovery of twitch tension to 25% of control), recovery index (time from 25% to 75% of recovery of T1), and dosage were recorded.

Results

Complete data were recorded for 59 patients, and there were no significant differences in the general condition, intubation condition, or median duration of action of rocuronium between the two groups. However, the median T1, recovery index, and dosage of rocuronium were significantly different.

Conclusion

Good intubation conditions and a shortened clinical duration can be obtained for patients with lymphedema when induction with rocuronium is based on the fat-free mass.
The Relation Between Aggression and the Living Group Climate in a Forensic Treatment Unit for Adolescents: A Pilot Study
Authors: de Decker An , Lemmens Lisa , van der Helm Peer , Bruckers Liesbeth , Molenberghs Geert , Tremmery Sabine
Published: June 2017

In the current study, the associations between inpatient aggression and the living group climate as perceived by the adolescents admitted to a forensic psychiatric treatment unit, are investigated based on carefully registered longitudinal data. Multilevel regression analyses revealed a significant inverse relation between the number and severity of aggressive incidents and the amount of support, as well as with the possibilities of growth perceived by the adolescents. No significant associations of aggression and the perception of repression or atmosphere are found. Our study reveals preliminary evidence for the relation between the prevalence of aggressive incidents and how the adolescents perceive social contextual factors in daily forensic treatment practices. Moreover, preliminary evidence that evidence-based treatment programs and psychiatric care have an important influence on experienced possibilities for growth and support and as such prevent institutional aggression, is found.
Effect of Early vs Late Start of Oral Intake on Anastomotic Leakage Following Elective Lower Intestinal Surgery: A Systematic Review
Authors: Smeets Boudewijn J. J. , Peters Emmeline G. , Horsten Eelco C. J. , Weijs Teus J. , Rutten Harm J. T. , Buurman Willem A. , de Jonge Wouter J. , Luyer Misha D. P.
Published: June 2017

Background

Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of early enteral nutrition (EN) on anastomotic leakage following colorectal surgery. Early oral intake is a common form of early EN with various clinical benefits, but the effect on anastomotic leakage is unclear. This systematic review investigates the effect of early vs late start of oral intake on anastomotic leakage following lower intestinal surgery.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases. Randomized controlled trials were included that compared early (within 24 hours) vs late start of oral intake following elective surgery of the small bowel, colon, or rectum. Meta‐analysis was performed for anastomotic leakage, overall complications, length of stay, and mortality. Sensitivity analysis was performed in which studies of inferior methodological quality were excluded.

Results

Nine studies including 879 patients met eligibility criteria. Early start of oral intake significantly reduced overall complications (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46–0.93; P = .02), length of stay (mean difference, −0.89; 95% CI, −1.22 to −0.57; P < .001), and anastomotic leakage (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17–0.95; P = .04) compared with late start of oral intake. However, in the sensitivity analysis only the overall reduction of length of stay remained significant.

Conclusion

The effect of early oral intake on anastomotic leakage is unclear as existing studies are heterogeneous and at risk of bias. High‐quality studies are needed to study the potential benefit of EN on anastomotic healing.
The impact of market coupling on Hungarian and Romanian electricity markets: Evidence from the regime-switching model
Authors: Koban Vika
Published: June 2017

This paper investigates the impact of market coupling on (1) electricity prices of Hungarian and Romanian markets and (2) the influence of renewable generation on price regimes by employing the Markov regime-switching model with time-varying transition probabilities. The study provides the evidence of the changes in regimes since market coupling. The results show that the persistence and occurrences of Hungarian price drops are significantly increased. Meanwhile, Romanian prices exhibit less and shorter living price jumps. Considering time-varying transition probabilities as functions of wind power production in Romania, the study also reveals that market coupling changed the influence of wind power production on the regime-switching mechanism of electricity prices.
Articulations of Aboriginal Title, Indigenous Rights, and Living Customary Law in South Africa
Authors: Huizenga Daniel
Published: June 2017

Contemporary postcolonial scholarship often argues that common law Aboriginal title and the rights of indigenous peoples are regulated by colonial legal regimes that determine the limits of recognition and subjects indigenous peoples to oppressive forms of government. In this article, I challenge this view by focusing on the application of Aboriginal title in the South African land restitution program. I use theories of articulation and assemblage to illustrate how, in conditions of neoliberalism, Aboriginal title, indigenous rights, and living customary law are co-constituted through litigation and social activism involving both self-identified indigenous peoples and rural peoples who live by customary law. By tracking how Aboriginal title is brought into the efforts of indigenous and rural peoples to assert natural resource rights, we begin to see that this area of international common law is used much more creatively and expansively than is often acknowledged.
STEG and the occupation of Germany: Demilitarization as reconstruction 1945–1953
Authors: Bell Douglas I.
Published: June 2017

This paper examines the relationship between demilitarization and reconstruction during the American occupation of Germany by focusing on the significance of captured enemy material. In the devastation of the post-war years, the US Military Government initially used this material to meet the needs of the Displaced Persons and German populations, but this changed as the US Military Government started concentrating on German reconstruction. This led to the formation of the STEG corporation ( Staatliche Erfassungsgesellschaft für öffentliches Gut m.b.H.) whose responsibilities included demilitarizing military depots scattered across the German landscape, recycling these materials, and making them available to the German economy.
Transactive Memory in Small, Intimate Groups: More Than the Sum of Their Parts
Authors: Barnier Amanda J. , Klein Louis , Harris Celia B.
Published: June 2017

Thirty years after social psychologist, Daniel Wegner, pitched a new approach to the study of individual and group behavior, his theory of transactive memory has inspired rich literatures on the cognitive and social lives of small groups, especially in social and organizational domains. We revisit Wegner’s original conceptualization of transactive memory as a feature of long-standing intimate groups, such as romantic couples and other family and friendship groups. We sketch the spread and success of Wegner’s theory across social, organizational, cognitive, and educational domains, noting particular spaces where a renewed focus on intimate groups could add to our vision of transactive memory systems. We review recent interdisciplinary research on couples as socially distributed cognitive systems, which combines influential philosophical views of distributed cognition and the burgeoning experimental memory literature on collaborative recall. We then discuss two core conceptual and methodological challenges of Wegner’s theorizing revealed by intimate and other groups: navigating between memory units, or levels of analysis, and measuring genuine emergence in transactive memory systems. Finally, we suggest an interdisciplinary framework and recommendations for future research on transactive memory in small groups.
Conflicts of Interest as Corrupting the Checks and Balances in the Postpublication Oversight of Academic Business Journals
Authors: Arend Richard J.
Published: June 2017

In this case-based essay, we explore how conflicts of interest can corrupt the postpublication oversight process in academic business journals. We build on Carson’s comprehensive definition of the conflict of interest construct by arguing that it is, in a practical sense, not isolated and dyadic but instead is multirelational to the point of being viral. Specifically, we argue that conflicts of interest produce further conflicts of interest; this occurs at any oversight level that is tasked with investigating and addressing any allegations of conflict of interest violations at lower levels. A real recent case illustrates that this complexity is not understood in our social sciences—five different levels of “checks and balances” in our postpublishing oversight failed to address an obvious initial conflict of interest. A discussion covering the harms of the violations, the causes, and the possible solutions fleshes out our arguments about this core ethical construct.
Epidemiological investigation of euthanasia in an Ontario animal shelter
Authors: Mozes Rachael , Pearl David L , Niel Lee , Weese J Scott
Published: June 2017

Objectives

The objective was to evaluate factors associated with euthanasia in an animal shelter in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Methods

Data from 3737 cats admitted to the shelter between January and December 2011 were evaluated.

Results

Overall, 1989/3737 (53%) of admitted cats were euthanized. Male cats had greater odds of being euthanized than females (odds ratio [OR] 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–2.05; P <0.001) and surrendered cats were more likely to be euthanized than strays (OR 38.0, 95% CI 14.8–97.69; P <0.001). Black cats were more likely to be euthanized than cats of another color (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.16–1.80; P <0.001). Cats that spent >5 days in the shelter were more likely to be euthanized than those that spent <5 days in the shelter (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.25–1.97; P <0.001). Cats that spent >20 days in the shelter were less likely to be euthanized than those that spent <5 days in the shelter (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.19–0.34; P <0.001). Age, an age quadratic term, neuter status and interactions among these variables were statistically significant; the odds of unneutered animals being euthanized was high and relatively stable across age groups, but in neutered animals the odds of being euthanized increased with age before plateauing in older cats.

Conclusions and relevance

With >50% of the cats admitted to the shelter in 2011 euthanized, it is important to understand the contributing risk factors that predispose shelter cats to euthanasia and what changes can be made to the shelter system and in owner education to lower the incidence of euthanasia.