bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prominent Levels of the Profibrotic Chemokine CCL18 during Peritonitis:In VitroDownregulation by Vitamin D Receptor Agonists
Authors: Ossorio Marta , Martínez Virginia , Bajo Maria-Auxiliadora , Del Peso Gloria , Castro Maria-José , Romero Sara , Selgas Rafael , Bellón Teresa
Published: April 2018

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is used as a renal replacement therapy, which can be limited by peritoneal membrane ultrafiltration failure (UFF) secondary to fibrotic processes. Peritonitis, a frequent complication of PD, is a major risk factor for peritoneal membrane fibrosis and UFF. Low peritoneal levels of the chemokine CCL18 are associated with preservation of peritoneal membrane function in PD. Given that CCL18 is involved in fibrotic processes and recurrent peritonitis, it is a risk factor for peritoneal membrane failure; thus, we evaluated CCL18 concentrations in peritoneal effluents from patients undergoing peritonitis episodes. Pharmacological interventions aimed at diminishing the production of CCL18 were also explored. Fivefold higher CCL18 peritoneal concentrations were found during acute bacterial peritonitis, in parallel with the increased infiltration of macrophages. Unexpectedly, CCL18 was also highly (50-fold) increased during sterile eosinophilic peritonitis, and peritoneal eosinophils were found to express CCL18.In vitrotreatment of peritoneal macrophages with the vitamin D receptor agonist paricalcitol was able to reduce the secretion and the expression of CCL18 in isolated peritoneal macrophages. In conclusion, our study suggests that the chemokine CCL18 can be a mediator of peritoneal membrane failure associated with peritonitis episodes as well as providing a new potential therapeutic target.
A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study of Workplace Violence against Prehospital Emergency Medical Technicians
Authors: Hosseinikia Seyed Hamid , Zarei Shekufeh , Najafi Kalyani Majid , Tahamtan Sepideh
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose. Workplace violence is a global phenomenon and violation of human rights affects the people’s self-esteem and quality of work and causes inequality, discrimination, disorder, and conflict at work. The present study was carried out aiming at determining the workplace violence against the prehospital emergency medical technicians (PEMTs) in three provinces of Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Bushehr, Iran. Materials and Methods. This was a cross-sectional multicenter study in which 206 PEMTs from Fars, Bushehr, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces participated. Simple random sampling was used in this study. In order to collect data, a researcher-made tool was used. Descriptive statistics and SPSS® software version 22 were used to analyze the data. Results. Among various types of workplace violence, the most frequent ones were verbal violence (78.1%), physical violence (60.3%), and cultural violence (31.7%), respectively. The most important factor in the occurrence of workplace violence was the lack of the awareness of people about the duties of the PEMTs. With regard to the handling of the violent situations, the results indicated that 61.6% of the personnel asked the attacker to calm down. 48.5% of PEMTs believed that violence was normal in their work. Conclusion. Due to the high rate of workplace violence against PEMTs, it is suggested that methods such as formal training and retraining programs for the employees, general education with regard to the duties of the PEMTs, and socially supporting them should be used to reduce and control violence.
Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, and TNF-α in Aqueous Humour of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Feng Songfu , Yu Honghua , Yu Ying , Geng Yu , Li Dongli , Yang Chun , Lv Qingjun , Lu Li , Liu Ting , Li Guodong , Yuan Ling
Published: April 2018

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working age individuals in developed countries. However, the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of DR is not completely understood. This is an observational clinical research enrolling 80 type II diabetic patients who had undergone cataract surgeries either with DR or without DR. All cases were further categorized by the proliferative stages of retinal neovascularization and by the lengths of diabetic history. The levels of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α in aqueous humour were tested. Results in this study indicated that these cytokine levels were increased in DR patients and might have a synergistic effect on the pathogenesis of this disease. They were also elevated along with the progression of neovascularization, reflecting the severity of DR. The results also suggested that for diabetic patients, the higher these levels are, the sooner retinal complications might appear. In conclusion, the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, and TNF-α in aqueous humour may be associated with the pathogenesis, severity, and prognosis of DR.
Reliability and Lifetime Distribution Analysis of Belt Drive Systems considering Time‐Dependent Stiffness of Belts
Authors: Gao Peng , Xie Liyang
Published: April 2018

Time‐dependent reliability models, failure rate models, and lifetime distribution models of belt drive systems are developed in this paper, which take geometric parameters, material parameters, and motion parameters as the input and consider the dynamic properties of the belt drive systems. Most of the reliability models of belt drive systems are static models. The proposed models can take into account the time‐dependent statistical properties of dynamic stress process. Moreover, the stiffness degradation is considered in the established models, whose influences on reliability indices are analyzed in case study. The results show that stiffness degradation has significant impacts on reliability, failure rate, and lifetime distribution. In addition, sensitivity models of reliability with respect to input parameters are constructed, which can be used for the guidance of safe design of belt drive systems.
Cephalometric Floating Norms for the β Angle and MMBP-Wits
Authors: Perinetti Giuseppe , Ceschi Michele , Scalia Alessandro , Contardo Luca
Published: April 2018

The importance of an accurate measurement of sagittal jaw relationship, that is, skeletal class, is critical to orthodontic treatment planning. The ANB angle, β angle, and MMBP-Wits are among indices of sagittal jaw relationship. All of these indices are subjected to geometrical distortion, especially from facial divergence, making the use of floating (individualized) norms necessary. This study thus provides floating norms for the ANB angle and for the first time for the β angle and MMBP-Wits. Lateral head films were obtained from 119 subjects (74 females and 45 males; mean age, 11.2±1.5 years; range, 8.2–14.0 years) with well-balanced and pleasant profile and a near-ideal occlusion. Multiple regression models were employed to quantify the association of the ANB angle, β angle, and MMBP-Wits each with other four angular cephalometric parameters including SNA, SN/PP, SN/MP, and NSBa angles. The β angle and MMBP-Wits were associated with the SNA and SN/MP angles; the ANB angle was associated with all the four other cephalometric variables. Floating norms for the β angle and MMBP-Wits (but not ANB angle) have been cross-tabulated according to the SNA angle (from 74° to 90°) and SN/MP angle (from 24° to 44°). While the ANB angle is subjected to significantly more geometrical distortion as compared to the β angle and MMBP-Wits, floating norms may be used to individualize the reference values for both the β angle and MMBP-Wits.
On the Performance of Security‐Based Nonorthogonal Multiple Access in Coordinated Multipoint Networks
Authors: Tian Yue , Wang Xianling , Wang Zhanwei
Published: April 2018

The conventional nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) strategy has secrecy challenge in coordinated multipoint (CoMP) networks. Under the secrecy considerations, this paper focuses on the security‐based NOMA system, which aims to improve the physical layer security issues of conventional NOMA in the coordinated multipoint (NOMA‐CoMP) networks. The secrecy performance of S‐NOMA in CoMP, that is, the secrecy sum‐rate and the secrecy outage probability, is analysed. In contrast to the conventional NOMA (C‐NOMA), the results show that the proposed S‐NOMA outperforms C‐NOMA in terms of the secrecy outage probability and security‐based effective sum‐rate.
Outcome of Primary Nonpenetrating Deep Sclerectomy in Patients with Steroid-Induced Glaucoma
Authors: Elhofi Abdelhamid , Helaly Hany Ahmed
Published: April 2018

Purpose. To evaluate the outcome of primary nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) in patients with steroid-induced glaucoma.Methods. This was a retrospective interventional clinical study that included 60 eyes of 60 steroid-induced glaucoma patients that had undergone NPDS. Patients were followed up for 4 years. Data from the records was retrieved as regards corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), visual field mean defect (dB), and number of antiglaucoma medications needed if any. Complete success of the surgical outcome was considered an IOP ≤ 21 mmHg with no antiglaucoma medications. Qualified success was considered an IOP ≤ 21 mmHg using antiglaucoma medications.Results. The mean age was 21.2 ± 8.5 years (ranged from 12 to 35 years). At 48 months, mean IOP was 13.6 ± 2.8 mmHg (range 11–23 mmHg). This represented 60% reduction of mean IOP from preoperative levels. One case had YAG laser goniopuncture. Three cases required needling followed by ab interno revision. Using ANOVA test, there was a statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative mean IOP values (P=0.032). Twelve, 16, and 20 patients required topical antiglaucoma medications at 24, 26, and 48 months postoperative, respectively.Conclusion. Primary nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy is a safe and an effective method of treating eyes with steroid-induced glaucoma. No major complications were encountered. After 4 years of follow-up, complete success rate was 56.7% and qualified success rate was 70%.
Influence of Al2O3 Content on the Melting and Fluidity of Blast Furnace Type Slag with Low TiO2 Content
Authors: Liu Hao , Qin Yuelin , Yang Yanhua , Zhang Qianying , Deng Nengyun
Published: April 2018

The increasing usage of iron ores with high Al2O3 content significantly increases the amount of Al2O3 in blast furnace slag and consequently affects its performance. This work uses slag sampled on site to study the effects of changes in Al2O3 content on the fluidity of the CaO–SiO2–Al2O3–MgO–TiO2 slag system that is characterized by high Al2O3 and low TiO2 contents, as well as on the phase transition law during the cooling process. Slag viscosity exhibits a rising trend with an increase in Al2O3 content, and Al2O3 in the tested slag is alkaline. The viscous flow activation energy of molten slag rises from 157 kJ/mol to 172 kJ/mol with an increase in Al2O3 content, and the viscous flow units in the slag become large and complicated. When slag is cooled, the main precipitated phase is melilitite. Spinel, perovskite, and olivine are also observed. The crystallization amount of the melilitite phase decreases constantly with an increase in Al2O3 content.
Glycine Protects H9C2 Cardiomyocytes from High Glucose- and Hypoxia/Reoxygenation-Induced Injury via Inhibiting PKCβ2 Activation and Improving Mitochondrial Quality
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Su Wating , Zhang Qiongxia , Xu Jinjin , Liu Huimin , Luo Jun , Zhan Liying , Xia Zhongyuan , Lei Shaoqing
Published: April 2018

Background. Patients with diabetes are more vulnerable to myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), which is involved in PKCβ2 activation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Glycine has been documented as a cytoprotective agent to attenuate diabetes-related abnormalities and reduce myocardial IRI, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We determined whether glycine could attenuate high glucose- (HG-) and hypoxia/reoxygenation- (H/R-) induced injury by inhibiting PKCβ2 activation and improving mitochondrial quality in cultured H9C2 cells. Methods. H9C2 cells were either exposed to low glucose (LG) or HG conditions with or without treatment of glycine or CGP53353 (a selective inhibitor of PKCβ2) for 48 h, then subjected to 4 h of hypoxia followed by 2 h of reoxygenation (H/R). Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration were detected using corresponding commercial kits. Mitochondrial quality control-related proteins (LC-3II, Mfn-2, and Cyt-C) and PKCβ2 activation were detected by Western blot. Results. HG stimulation significantly decreased cell viability and SOD activity and increased LDH release, MDA production, and PKCβ2 activation as compared to LG group, all of which changes were further increased by H/R insult. Glycine or CGP53353 treatment significantly reduced the increase of LDH release, MDA production, PKCβ2 activation, and Cyt-C expression and the decrease of cell viability, SOD activity, MMP, Mfn-2 expression, and LC-3II/LC-3I ratio induced by HG and H/R stimulation. Conclusions. Supplementary glycine protects H9C2 cells from HG- and H/R-induced cellular injury by suppressing PKCβ2 activation and improving mitochondria quality.
Development of Nanoemulsions to Enhance the Antileishmanial Activity ofCopaifera pauperaOleoresins
Authors: Rodrigues Igor A. , Ramos Aline de S. , Falcão Deborah Q. , Ferreira José Luiz P. , Basso Silvia L. , Silva Jefferson Rocha de A. , Amaral Ana Claudia F.
Published: April 2018

Based on the ethnopharmacological evidences about the antileishmanial activity ofCopaiferaspp. oleoresins, the effects of crude extracts and fractions of oleoresin of two specimens fromCopaifera pauperawere evaluated onLeishmania amazonensisandLeishmania infantumstrains. The oleoresin rich inα-copaene (38.8%) exhibited the best activity againstL. amazonensis(IC50= 62.5 μg/mL) and againstL. infantum(IC50= 65.9 μg/mL). The sesquiterpeneα-copaene isolated was tested alone and exhibited high antileishmanial activityin vitrowith IC50values forL. amazonensisandL. infantumof 17.2 and 11.4 μg/mL, respectively. In order to increase antileishmanial activity, nanoemulsions containing copaiba oleoresin andα-copaene were developed and assayed againstL. amazonensisandL. infantumpromastigotes. The nanoemulsion containingα-copaene (NANOCOPAEN) showed the best activity against both species, with IC50of 2.5 and 2.2 μg/mL, respectively. This is the first report about the antileishmanial activity ofα-copaene.
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Protects Salivary Glands against Structural Injury and Secretory Dysfunction via IL-17A and AQP5 Regulation in a Model of Sjögren Syndrome
Authors: Li Chengyin , Zhu Fenglin , Wu Bin , Wang Yue
Published: April 2018

Objective: Sjögren syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease involving exocrine glands. Currently, drugs that can improve both abnormal immunity and exocrine gland function are needed. The study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on the immune response and exocrine gland function in SS. Methods: We investigated the effects of VIP on the immune response and secretory function of submandibular glands using NOD mice, and analyzed the expression of IL-17A and AQP5 (aquaporin 5). The submandibular gland cells from healthy 8-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used to observe the influence of VIP on AQP5 expression. Results: Our study shows that treatment with VIP in an SS mouse model could not only reduce the immune injury to exocrine glands but also improve the secretory function of these glands. Furthermore, VIP was shown to improve the abnormal immune status by downregulating IL-17A expression in the exocrine glands. It also enhanced the secretory function of exocrine glands by upregulating AQP5 expression. Conclusions: Using a model of SS, we found that VIP could not only modulate the immune response but also affect exocrine gland function, and that these therapeutic effects were associated with IL-17A and AQP5 regulation.
Trend Analysis of Studies on Water Fluoridation Related to Dental Caries in PubMed
Authors: Oh Hyo-Jung , Choi Hyeon-Mi , Kim Chonghyuck , Jeon Jae-Gyu
Published: April 2018

Water fluoridation has been cited as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century. Herein, we analyzed water fluoridation articles related to dental caries published in PubMed between 1950 and 2016 using informetrics and linguistic methods to investigate trends in the studies. To this aim, queries such as “dental caries and (water fluoridation or fluoridated water),” “dental caries and (fluoride or fluoridation),” and “dental caries” were submitted to PubMed to retrieve information about articles on water fluoridation within the area of dental caries and fluoride – their titles, abstracts, publication dates, author affiliations, and publication journals. This article information was then collected by an automatic web crawler and examined through informetrics and linguistic analyses. It was found that the number of articles concerned with water fluoridation and dental caries was 3,381 and declined over time after 1970. The articles were published by 750 journals – most notably, Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology and Caries Research. With regard to the geographic distribution of the authors, Europe and North America, especially the USA and UK, accounted for 59.9% of the articles published during the years 1987 to 2015, though there was a sharp increase in the number of authors in Oceania and Asia in recent years. In the titles and abstracts of the articles, “community” and “fluorosis” were mentioned more frequently than the other key terms selected in this study, regardless of the period examined. Our findings may allow one to assess how the research on water fluoridation has evolved over the past several decades.
Effect of a Residential Integrated Yoga Program on Blood Glucose Levels, Physiological Variables, and Anti-Diabetic Medication Score of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Singh Amit , Tekur Padmini , Metri Kashinath , Bhargav Hemant , Raghuram Nagarathna , Hongasandra Ramarao Nagendra
Published: April 2018

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Yoga is a form of mind-body intervention shown to have a positive impact on several health conditions in both healthy and diseased patients. The present study is intended to assess the effects of the Residential Integrated Yoga Program (RIYP) on blood glucose levels in patients with T2DM. Material and Methods: Data of 598 (186 females) T2DM patients from a holistic health center in Bengaluru, India, who attended a 15-day RIYP between January 2013 and December 2015 was obtained retrospectively. Average age of the participants was 56.45 ± 11.02 years. All subjects underwent a 15-day RIYP which involved yoga-based lifestyle changes with components of regulated sleep, balanced diet, asanas, pranayama, relaxation techniques, meditations, yogic cleaning procedures, and tuning to the nature. Fasting and post-prandial blood sugar, medication score, symptom score, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate were assessed before and after intervention. Result: There was a significant decrease in fasting (p < 0.001) and post-prandial blood sugar levels (p < 0.001) along with a significant reduction in medication and symptom scores after 15 days of RIYP compared to baseline. Conclusion: The present study indicates that 2 weeks of a yoga-based residential program improves blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and medication score in patients with T2DM. However, further randomized controlled studies need to be performed in order to confirm the present findings.
The mTOR Kinase Inhibitor CZ415 Inhibits Human Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cell Growth
Authors: Li Xiaobin , Li Zongze , Song Yimin , Liu Wenjing , Liu Ziwen
Published: April 2018

Background/Aim: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays an important role in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cell progression. CZ415 is a novel, highly-efficient and specific mTOR kinase inhibitor. The current study tested the potential anti-tumor activity of CZ415 in human PTC cells. Methods: The established (TPC-1 cell line) and primary human PTC cells were treated with CZ415. Cell survival and growth were tested by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and BrdU ELISA assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was tested by caspase-3/-9 activity assay, Hoechst-33342 staining assay and single-stranded DNA ELISA assay. Cell cycle progression was tested by propidium iodide-FACS assay. The mTOR signaling was tested by Western blotting assay and co-immunoprecipitation assay. The mouse xenograft tumor model was applied to study the effect of CZ415 in vivo. Results: In cultured human PTC cells, treatment with CZ415 at nM concentrations significantly inhibited cell survival and growth. CZ415 induced apoptosis activation and cell cycle arrest in human PTC cells. CZ415 disrupted assembling of mTORC1 (mTOR-Raptor association) and mTORC2 (mTOR-Rictor-GβL association) in TPC-1 cells, which led to de-phosphorylation of the mTORC1 substrates (S6K1 and 4E-BP1) and the mTORC2 substrate AKT (Ser-473). Further studies show that the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or Beclin-1 shRNA aggravated CZ415-induced cytotoxicity against PTC cells. In vivo, CZ415 oral administration inhibited TPC-1 xenograft tumor growth in mice. Conclusion: Our results show that mTOR blockage by CZ415 inhibits PTC cell growth in vitro and in vivo.
Prognostic Significance of LncRNA PVT1 and Its Potential Target Gene Network in Human Cancers: a Comprehensive Inquiry Based Upon 21 Cancer Types and 9972 Cases
Authors: He Rong-quan , Qin Mei-jiao , Lin Peng , Luo Yi-Huan , Ma Jie , Yang Hong , Hu Xiao-hua , Chen Gang
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims: Whether the level of long noncoding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene (lncRNA PVT1) expression influences the clinical development and outcome of human cancers has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. Inconsistencies still exist regarding the associations between PVT1 and the clinicopathological features, including patient survival data. Additionally, the regulatory mechanism of PVT1 among human cancers remains unclear. Methods: we conducted a comprehensive inquiry to verify the implication of PVT1 expression in cancer patients by conducting a meta-analysis of 19 selected studies and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to examine the relationship between PVT1 expression and both the prognosis and clinicopathological features of cancer patients using STATA 12.0. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the potential mRNA target genes of PVT1 gathered from TANRIC and Multi Experiment Matrix (MEM) were performed. Results: The level of PVT1 expression in tumor tissues was higher than in paired non-cancer tissues and was significantly associated with a poorer prognosis in cancer patients. Additionally, overexpression of PVT1 was significantly correlated with histological differentiation, tumor (T) classification, lymph node (N) classification and TNM stages. Furthermore, a total of 462 validated target genes were identified, and the GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the validated targets of PVT1 were significantly enriched in several pathways, including the GnRH signaling pathway, the Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway, the Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels pathway, and the Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. Conclusion: PVT1 may serve as a potential biomarker associated with the progression and prognosis of human cancers.
Wildlife population control – reproductive physiology under the influence of contraceptive methods in mammalian wildlife, with emphasis on immunocontraception: the best choice? A literature review
Authors: Rosenfield Derek Andrew , Pizzutto Cristiane Schilbach
Published: April 2018

Human-wildlife conflicts, a growing and sad reality worldwide, makes population control of wildlife and feral animals one of the biggest challenges in wildlife management, especially due to the rapidly expanding human population, and consequently the ever-diminishing natural habitats of animals. Human activities and the destruction of nature forcing wildlife to move inevitably into urban and agricultural areas, causing “conflicts”, such as the risk of zoonosis and traffic accidents, as well as damage to crops in the search for food, whose losses reach millions of dollars. For decades, science has been engaged in extensive efforts to develop methods of “humane” population control methods, and many techniques are being employed in order to control wildlife population. In this article, we present an overview of applied contraceptive methods with simplified graphic demonstrations of their interactions with reproductive physiology, furthermore relating pro and contra of utilized antifertility agents. These are being compared to a set of desired characteristics for free-ranging wildlife for in-field applications, with emphasis on reversible immunocontraception – concluding, therefore, the reasons why this concept is becoming the most appropriate and promising for free-ranging wildlife.
Estimativa de custo da asma em tratamento ambulatorial: estudo com dados de mundo real
Authors: Costa Eduardo , Caetano Rosangela , Werneck Guilherme Loureiro , Bregman Maurício , Araújo Denizar Vianna , Rufino Rogério
Published: April 2018

OBJETIVO: Estimar o custo do diagnóstico e tratamento da asma. MÉTODOS: Foi utilizada a perspectiva da sociedade. Foram incluídos por 12 meses em 2011–2012, sequencialmente, 117 indivíduos maiores de cinco anos de idade, em tratamento por asma nos Serviços de Pneumologia e Alergia-Imunologia da Policlínica Piquet Carneiro, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Todos realizaram duas entrevistas com seis meses de intervalo para coleta de dados, cobrindo 12 meses. As unidades de custos foram identificadas e valoradas de acordo com métodos definidos. Foi feita análise de sensibilidade e foram aplicados métodos estatísticos com nível de significância de 5% para comparações de custos entre subgrupos. RESULTADOS: Cento e oito pacientes completaram o estudo, 73,8% eram mulheres. Mediana de idade foi de 49,5 anos. Rinite esteve presente em 83,3%, e mais da metade tinha sobrepeso ou obesidade. A renda familiar média foi de R$1.566,19/mês (DP = 1.503,30). A maioria dos trabalhadores e dos estudantes teve absenteísmo relacionado à asma. O custo médio anual total foi de R$2.207,99/paciente (DP = 2.220,55). O custo relacionado à asma isolada foi de R$1.984,17/paciente-ano (DP = 2.232,55). Asmáticos obesos, graves ou não controlados tiveram maiores custos em comparação aos não obesos (p = 0,001), não graves e controlados (p = 0,000). O custo direto correspondeu a 82,3% do custo total estimado. O custo com medicamentos para asma correspondeu a 62,2% dos custos diretos da asma. CONCLUSÕES: Medicamentos para asma, medidas de controle ambiental e licenças de saúde prolongadas tiveram maior impacto potencial na variação do custo total. Os resultados são uma estimativa do custo do tratamento da asma em nível secundário no Sistema Único de Saúde, assumindo-se que o tratamento utilizado represente a abordagem ideal da doença.
Were policies in Brazil effective to reducing trans fat from industrial origin in foods?
Authors: Dias Flávia da Silva Lima , Lima Mário Ferreira , Velasco Patricia Coelho de , Salles-Costa Rosana , Sardinha Fátima Lúcia de Carvalho , Carmo Maria das Graças Tavares do
Published: April 2018

OBJECTIVE: To determine the trans fatty acids content of processed foods frequently consumed by adults living in a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after the enactment of a mandatory trans fatty acids labelling policy. METHODS: Between February 2014 and January 2015, a specifically dietary questionnaire was completed by 107 adults to assess the frequency of processed foods consumption. The most commonly consumed products from the survey, including vegetable oils, margarine, biscuits, snacks, cheese bread (pão de queijo), french fries, cheeseburger and ice cream, were then analyzed for their trans fatty acids content using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. RESULTS: Differences in the levels of trans fatty acids were observed among 22 products analyzed, considering that trans fatty acids content ranged between 0.0 g/100 g in samples of cream cracker biscuit 1 and olive oil to 0.83 g/100 g in samples of cheeseburger ( fast food), 0.51 g/100 g in samples of frozen pão de queijo and 12.92 g/100 g in samples of chocolate sandwich cookies with cream filling 2. The overall trans fatty acids content of the different samples of margarine brands was 0.20 g/100 g for brand 1 and 0.0 g/100 g for brand 2. These data are significantly lower than those observed in a survey conducted in 2003, when the regulation had been enacted. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that Brazilian regulation is very likely implicated in the observed drop in trans fatty acids of the most processed foods but has yet to eliminate them, which reinforces the urgent need to revise the legislation, since a minimum amount of trans fat does not mean that the food product does not contain this type of fat.
Curative procedures of oral health and structural characteristics of primary dental care
Authors: Baumgarten Alexandre , Hugo Fernando Neves , Bulgarelli Alexandre Fávero , Hilgert Juliana Balbinot
Published: April 2018

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the provision of clinical dental care, by means of the main curative procedures recommended in Primary Health Care, is associated with team structural characteristics, considering the presence of a minimum set of equipment, instrument, and supplies in Brazil’s primary health care services. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study based on data collected from 18,114 primary healthcare services with dental health teams in Brazil, in 2014. The outcome was created from the confirmation of five clinical procedures performed by the dentist, accounting for the presence of minimum equipment, instrument, and supplies to carry them out. Covariables were related to structural characteristics. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: A total of 1,190 (6.5%) dental health teams did not present the minimum equipment to provide clinical dental care and only 2,498 (14.8%) had all the instrument and supplies needed and provided the five curative procedures assessed. There was a positive association between the outcome and the composition of dental health teams, higher workload, performing analysis of health condition, and monitoring of oral health indicators. Additionally, the dental health teams that planned and programmed oral health actions with the primary care team monthly provided the procedures more frequently. Dentists with better employment status, career plans, graduation in public health or those who underwent permanent education activities provided the procedures more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: A relevant number of Primary Health Care services did not have the infrastructure to provide clinical dental care. However, better results were found in dental health teams with oral health technicians, with higher workload and that plan their activities, as well as in those that employed dentists with better working relationships, who had dentists with degrees in public health and who underwent permanent education activities.
Stroke Among Young West Africans
Authors: Sarfo Fred Stephen , Ovbiagele Bruce , Gebregziabher Mulugeta , Wahab Kolawole , Akinyemi Rufus , Akpalu Albert , Akpa Onoja , Obiako Reginald , Owolabi Lukman , Jenkins Carolyn , Owolabi Mayowa
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose—

Stroke in lower and middle-income countries affects a young and productive age group. Data on factors associated with stroke in the young are sorely lacking from lower and middle-income countries. Our objective is to characterize the nature of stroke and its risk factors among young West Africans aged <50 years old.

Methods—

The SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a multicenter, case–control study involving 15 sites in Nigeria and Ghana. Cases included adults aged ≥18 years with computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed stroke. Controls were age-and gender-matched stroke-free adults recruited from the communities in catchment areas of cases. Comprehensive evaluation for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors was performed. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and population attributable risks with 95% confidence intervals.

Results—

Five hundred fifteen (24.3%) out of 2118 cases enrolled were <50 years old. Among subjects <50 years old, hemorrhagic stroke proportion was 270 (52.5%) versus 245 (47.5%) for ischemic strokes. Etiologic subtypes of ischemic strokes included large artery atherosclerosis (40.0%), small vessel disease (28.6%), cardioembolism (11.0%), and undetermined (20.4%). Hypertension (91.7%), structural lesions (3.4%), and others (4.9%) were causally associated with hemorrhagic stroke. Six topmost modifiable factors associated with stroke in descending order of population attributable risk (95% confidence interval) were hypertension: 88.7% (82.5%–94.8%), dyslipidemia: 48.2% (30.6%–65.9%), diabetes mellitus: 22.6% (18.7%–26.5%), low green vegetable consumption: 18.2% (−6.8%–43.2%), stress: 14.5% (4.9%–24.1%), and cardiac disease: 8.4% (5.8%–11.1%).

Conclusions—

The high and rising burden of stroke among young Africans should be curtailed via aggressive, population-wide vascular risk factor control.
A Dependency Perspective on RST Discourse Parsing and Evaluation
Authors: Morey Mathieu , Muller Philippe , Asher Nicholas
Published: April 2018

Computational text-level discourse analysis mostly happens within Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), whose structures have classically been presented as constituency trees, and relies on data from the RST Discourse Treebank (RST-DT); as a result, the RST discourse parsing community has largely borrowed from the syntactic constituency parsing community. The standard evaluation procedure for RST discourse parsers is thus a simplified variant of PARSEVAL, and most RST discourse parsers use techniques that originated in syntactic constituency parsing. In this article, we isolate a number of conceptual and computational problems with the constituency hypothesis.

We then examine the consequences, for the implementation and evaluation of RST discourse parsers, of adopting a dependency perspective on RST structures, a view advocated so far only by a few approaches to discourse parsing. While doing that, we show the importance of the notion of headedness of RST structures. We analyze RST discourse parsing as dependency parsing by adapting to RST a recent proposal in syntactic parsing that relies on head-ordered dependency trees, a representation isomorphic to headed constituency trees. We show how to convert the original trees from the RST corpus, RST-DT, and their binarized versions used by all existing RST parsers to head-ordered dependency trees. We also propose a way to convert existing simple dependency parser output to constituent trees. This allows us to evaluate and to compare approaches from both constituent-based and dependency-based perspectives in a unified framework, using constituency and dependency metrics.

We thus propose an evaluation framework to compare extant approaches easily and uniformly, something the RST parsing community has lacked up to now. We can also compare parsers’ predictions to each other across frameworks. This allows us to characterize families of parsing strategies across the different frameworks, in particular with respect to the notion of headedness. Our experiments provide evidence for the conceptual similarities between dependency parsers and shift-reduce constituency parsers, and confirm that dependency parsing constitutes a viable approach to RST discourse parsing.
Tree Structured Dirichlet Processes for Hierarchical Morphological Segmentation
Authors: Can Burcu , Manandhar Suresh
Published: April 2018

This article presents a probabilistic hierarchical clustering model for morphological segmentation. In contrast to existing approaches to morphology learning, our method allows learning hierarchical organization of word morphology as a collection of tree structured paradigms. The model is fully unsupervised and based on the hierarchical Dirichlet process. Tree hierarchies are learned along with the corresponding morphological paradigms simultaneously. Our model is evaluated on Morpho Challenge and shows competitive performance when compared to state-of-the-art unsupervised morphological segmentation systems. Although we apply this model for morphological segmentation, the model itself can also be used for hierarchical clustering of other types of data.
The Global Environmental Politics and Political Economy of Seafood Systems
Authors: Campling Liam , Havice Elizabeth
Published: April 2018

This article situates seafood in the larger intersection between global environmental governance and the food system. Drawing inspiration from the food regimes approach, we trace the historical unfolding of the seafood system and its management between the 1930s and the 2010s. In doing so, we bridge global environmental politics research that has studied either the politics of fisheries management or seafood sustainability governance, and we bring seafood and the fisheries crisis into food regimes scholarship. Our findings reveal that the seafood system has remained firmly dependent on the historical institutions of national seafood production systems and, particularly, on the state-based regulatory regimes that they promulgated in support of national economic and geopolitical interests. As such, seafood systems contribute to a broader, historicized understanding of the hybrid global environmental governance of food systems in which nonstate actors depend heavily upon, and in fact call for the strengthening of, state-based institutions. Our findings reveal that the contemporary private ordering of seafood governance solidifies the centrality of state-based institutions in the struggle for “sustainable” seafood and enables the continued expansionary, volume-driven extractivist logics that produced the fisheries crisis in the first place.
Beekeepers Versus Biotech: Commodity Characteristics and Regulatory Interdependence in the Global Environmental Politics of Food
Authors: Starobin Shana M.
Published: April 2018

This article examines the unexpected outcomes in a puzzling new empirical case—the success of a coalition of small-scale beekeepers, indigenous peasant social movements, and NGOs in thwarting a multinational biotechnology firm’s efforts to commercialize genetically modified (GM) soy in Mexico. Sparked by news of pending EU rules for honey imports “contaminated” with GM pollen grains, beekeepers and their allies leveraged a transnational regulatory focusing event to downscale the forums for contestation of Mexican transgenic policy to subnational levels—where actors vested in regionally valuable honey production became pitted against actors promoting the national commercialization of GM soy across Mexico. The coalition’s success not only depended on an effective political and legal strategy, as might be expected, but hinged crucially on the unique characteristics of the traded commodities themselves—honey and soy. The case reveals the complex socioecological, market, and regulatory dynamics at play in the cultivation of crops and commodities for consumption and sale into local and global markets. Going beyond the actors and interests involved, the case shows how the physical characteristics of commodities act as constraints to the set of possible institutional alternatives to effectively redress policy problems. Regulations contrived with focal commodities in mind, like soy, can have significant spillover effects to more peripheral commodities, like honey, and the interactions and interdependencies shared among commodities in natural and human systems may in fact foster new windows of opportunity for producers to pursue policy change and innovation at multiple levels of governance.
Neoliberalism Facing Its Subjects: A Metastructural Approach
Authors: Bidet Jacques
Published: April 2018

This paper deals with modern history and the contemporary subject. Marx’stheory of modern societymust be corrected and completed. The dominant class includes two social forces: the capitalists on the market and the ‘competent’ in the organisation, facing the fundamental or popular class. A ‘régime of hegemony’ is a mode of arrangement between these three forces. Under neoliberalism, when a World-State is emerging, the capitalists occupy an overwhelming position.

The ‘neoliberal subject’ can be described as subjected to a universal commodification. But a realistic understanding supposes to confront this subject with the contradictory plurality of this régime of hegemony. The subject is ‘interpellated’ (see Althusser) from all sides of this social triangle, across all the scales of social life. Only in this local and universal context can the potential of the ordinary human being appear.
Latitudinal variation in body size in Fejervarya limnocharis supports the inverse of Bergmann’s rule
Authors: Liu Qiao , Feng Hao , Jin Long , Mi Zhi Ping , Zhou Zhao Min , Bo Liao Wen
Published: April 2018

Bergmann’s rule states that within a species of endotherms smaller individuals are found in warmer conditions, which is consistent for nearly all endotherms, while in ectotherms body size patterns are less consistent. As ectothermic vertebrates, the morphology of amphibians is likely impacted by climatic conditions. Here, we examined latitudinal variation in body size in the ranid frog, Fejervarya limnocharis, based on literature and our own data on mean body size of 3637 individuals from 50 populations and average age of 2873 individuals from 40 populations in China. The results showed that body size was positively correlated with environmental temperature, but not with precipitation. Body size was negatively correlated with latitude among populations in this species, which supported the inverse of Bergmann’s rule. Our findings suggest that a larger body size in low-latitude populations is associated with a longer growing season related to the higher environmental temperature.
The Temple Tabernacle in M28/I/: An Anti-Judeo-Christian Polemic Strophe
Authors: Leurini Claudia
Published: April 2018

The strophe M28/I/R/i/24-27/, part of a Middle Persian Manichaean abecedarian hymn published in 1995 by P. O. Skjærvø has long represented a riddle: specially the meaning of šmbyd. The proposal by Durkin-Meisterernst to understand it as ‘curtain’ allows to propose a new translation of the whole strophe, which is evidently a polemic text alluding to passages of Exodus 25 and 26, where the Tabernacle of the Temple is described.
Dalmatosomatidae, a new monotypic family, and Dalmatosoma agaricum gen. et sp. nov. (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Craspedosomatidea) from Croatia, Balkan Peninsula
Authors: ANTIĆ DRAGAN Ž. , RAĐA TONĆI , MAKAROV SLOBODAN E.
Published: April 2018

A new millipede species, Dalmatosoma agaricum gen. et sp. nov., is described from a cave in Dalmatia (Croatia). The new taxon is clearly unique among chordeumatidans in both anterior and posterior gonopod structure and shows some noteworthy habitus features. We therefore here establish a new monotypic family, viz., Dalmatosomatidae, for the given taxon and place it within the suborder Craspedosomatidea. The new family is briefly discussed and compared with all other chordeumatidans.
The Spectrum of the Universe
Authors: Hill Ryley , Masui Kiyoshi W. , Scott Douglas
Published: April 2018

Cosmic background (CB) radiation, encompassing the sum of emission from all sources outside our own Milky Way galaxy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, is a fundamental phenomenon in observational cosmology. Many experiments have been conceived to measure it (or its constituents) since the extragalactic Universe was first discovered; in addition to estimating the bulk (cosmic monopole) spectrum, directional variations have also been detected over a wide range of wavelengths. Here we gather the most recent of these measurements and discuss the current status of our understanding of the CB from radio to γ-ray energies. Using available data in the literature, we piece together the sky-averaged intensity spectrum and discuss the emission processes responsible for what is observed. We examine the effect of perturbations to the continuum spectrum from atomic and molecular line processes and comment on the detectability of these signals. We also discuss how one could, in principle, obtain a complete census of the CB by measuring the full spectrum of each spherical harmonic expansion coefficient. This set of spectra of multipole moments effectively encodes the entire statistical history of nuclear, atomic, and molecular processes in the Universe.
African American Female Trajectories of Offending From Youth to Young Adulthood
Authors: Evans Sara Z. , Abderhalden Frances P. , Simons Leslie G. , Simons Ronald L.
Published: April 2018

Using data from the Family and Community Health Survey, the current study explores developmental pathways from age 11 to 24 of African American males and females. This study describes the number and type of trajectories of offending for male and female African Americans, as much research in the past on trajectories has focused on White and/or male samples. We also investigate predictors of offending for the females both between and within trajectory groups. Results indicated that females who experienced higher levels of racial discrimination and greater parental hostility were more likely to be in a late bloomer group, compared with the low-level group. In addition, higher levels of racial discrimination and deviant peer affiliation were predictive of more offending.
Engaging African engineering students with problem-based learning by using the disassembly–assembly technique
Authors: Swart Arthur J
Published: April 2018

Problem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. These three aspects are core to disassembly–assembly techniques used in higher education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning within a laboratory environment. The purpose of this article is to describe a disassembly–assembly technique used in a compulsory engineering module and identify how many African engineering students can successfully create a problem (disassemble a two-stroke motor) and then correctly solve the problem (assemble the two-stroke motor back to a working condition). A longitudinal study involving quantitative data is used with descriptive statistics. Results indicate, that on average, 85.5% of African engineering students can successfully engage with the disassembly–assembly technique. A possible recommendation is to encourage more academics to make use of the disassembly-assembly technique with regard to engineering systems, equipment or machinery.