bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Venous Thromboembolism on Survival of Cancer Patients and its Relationship with Serum Levels of Factor VIII and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor: A Prospective Matched-Paired Study
Authors: Dogan M. , Demirkazik A. , Konuk N. , Yalcin B. , Buyukcelik A. , Utkan G. , Tek I. , Akbulut H. , Sencan O. , Icli F.
Published: January 2018

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VT) increases mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of VT on the survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and plasma factor VIII levels.

Patients and methods

Eighty-two patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer were included in this study between September 2001 and March 2004, and 31 of them had VT. Fifty-one matched-paired cancer patients without VT were prospectively selected as a control group in the same period. Criteria for the selection of control group patients were having the same malignancy, stage, metastatic site, performance status and age (±5 years) as patients in the VT group.

Results

Plasma factor VIII and serum D-dimer levels in the VT group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.030 and p=0.016, respectively). However, mean serum VEGF levels were similar in both groups (p=0.199). In the VT group, the median survival of patients who had higher serum VEGF levels (>150 pg/mL) was significantly shorter than that of patients in the same group with lower serum VEGF levels (p=0.005). The median survival of the VT group was 14 months, whereas it was 25 months in the control group (p=0.199).

Conclusion

There was a worse prognostic trend for cancer patients with VT. Nevertheless, the difference in survival was not statistically significant between the groups. Plasma factor VIII and serum D-dimer levels might have prognostic value in cancer patients with VT. Cancer patients with VT and higher serum VEGF levels had a significantly poorer prognosis.
Evidence for Cell Adhesion-Mediated Drug Resistance of Multiple Myeloma Cells in Vivo
Authors: Schmidmaier R. , Mörsdorf K. , Baumann P. , Emmerich B. , Meinhardt G.
Published: January 2018

Background/Aims

Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease and patients eventually die of disease progression due to drug resistance. VLA-4 (very late antigen 4), VCAM (vascular adhesion molecule), LFA-1 (leukocyte function-associated antigen 1), and ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1)-mediated adhesion of myeloma cells to bone marrow stromal cells induces primary multidrug resistance in vitro. Based on these preclinical data we hypothesized that myeloma cells with strong adhesion - due to strong expression of adhesion molecules on the cell surface - are selected by chemotherapy in patients. To prove this hypothesis we determined the expression levels of adhesion molecules in 31 multiple myeloma patients by flow cytometry.

Methods

A 3-color stain with CD38, CD138 and antibodies against VLA-4, ICAM-1, LFA-1, and VCAM was performed. The patients were either at diagnosis (chemo-naive; n=17) or at relapse (pre-treated; n=15). Furthermore, the response to the next chemotherapy of chemo-naive patients was correlated with the expression levels of adhesion molecules.

Results

ICAM-1, VLA-4, and VCAM expression was higher in pre-treated patients than in chemo-naive patients and the expression levels increased with the number of chemotherapy regimens. Primarily multidrug-resistant patients had significantly higher expression levels of VLA-4 and ICAM-1 than responders.

Conclusion

This study suggests that multiple myeloma cells expressing high levels of VLA-4 and ICAM-1 are drug resistant and that such a subpopulation of cells is selected by chemotherapy.
Prognostic Value of Circulating KRAS2 Gene Mutations in Colorectal Cancer with Distant Metastases
Authors: Trevisiol C. , Di Fabio F. , Nascimbeni R. , Peloso L. , Salbe C. , Ferruzzi E. , Salerni B. , Gion M.
Published: January 2018

While tissue KRAS2 mutations have been extensively investigated, the role of circulating mutant KRAS2 gene in patients with colorectal carcinoma remains obscure. The aim of the present study was to explore the prognostic significance of circulating KRAS2 gene mutational status in subjects undergoing primary treatment for colorectal cancer. Codon 12 KRAS2 mutations were examined in DNA samples extracted from the serum of 86 patients with colorectal cancer and were compared with the KRAS2 status of their primary tumors. Tissue and serum KRAS2 status was compared with other clinicopathological variables (including CEA and CA 19-9 levels) and with cancer-related survival. KRAS2 mutations were found in tissue samples of 28 patients (33%); serum KRAS2 mutations were detected in 10 of them (36%). Serum KRAS2 status was significantly associated with Dukes' stage D (p=0.001) and with preoperative CA 19-9 levels (p=0.01).

At multivariate analysis, cancer-related survival was associated with Dukes' stage (p<0.0001), CEA level (p=0.02), and mutant circulating KRAS2 (p=0.01). All 7 stage D patients with serum KRAS2 mutations died of the disease within 24 months of primary treatment; cancer-related survival was significantly better in 9 stage D patients without serum KRAS2 mutations, with 5 patients (56%) alive after 24 months and 1 patient (13%) alive after 44 months. Residual disease after surgery was evident in all 7 stage D patients with mutant circulating KRAS2, and in 5 out of 9 stage D patients without serum mutations.

Serum KRAS2 status may impact substantially on the management of stage D colorectal carcinoma, since it appears to correlate with prognosis in this patient subgroup.
The Possible Role of Chromogranin A as a Prognostic Factor in Organ-Confined Prostate Cancer
Authors: Grimaldi F. , Valotto C. , Barbina G. , Visentini D. , Trianni A. , Cerruto M.A. , Zattoni F.
Published: January 2018

The clinical significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in patients who have undergone surgery for localized prostate cancer is still unclear. The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between serum neuroendocrine markers and well-known prognostic factors in prostate cancer (pathological staging, definitive Gleason score and serum PSA) and to search for correlations between serum chromogranin A (CgA) levels and pathological findings.

Forty-one consecutive patients who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer were evaluated. Serum PSA, CgA and neuron-specific enolase were measured immediately before surgery. Twenty-six surgical specimens were phenotypically and immunohistochemically evaluated using an antibody against CgA.

Significant correlations were found between serum CgA, pathological staging and Gleason score (p=0.049 and p=0.038, respectively). Serum CgA did not correlate with PSA, patient age, or immunohistochemical findings. There was a significant correlation between positive immunohistochemical CgA staining and Gleason score (p=0.014).

An increase in serum CgA levels, independent of PSA values, might be the expression of pathologically more advanced tumor stage and higher Gleason score; this could help to identify a high-risk patient group eligible for adjuvant therapy.
Reliability of Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin as a Biomarker in Breast Cancer
Authors: Barba M. , Cavalleri A. , Schünemann H.J. , Krogh V. , Evangelista A. , Secreto G. , Micheli A. , Zhou Q. , Fuhrman B. , Teter B. , Berrino F. , Muti P.
Published: January 2018

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation at different storage temperatures on urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) concentration. Overnight urine from 28 postmenopausal women participating in the ORDET cohort study was filtered and separated into 6 mL aliquots. Urine samples were stored at –80°C and at –30°C for an average of 14 years. Urinary aMT6s concentration was assessed using a competitive immunoassay. Mean aMT6s values of samples stored at –30°C were systematically lower than those of samples stored at –80°C (10.7 ng/mL versus 15.8 ng/mL, p<0.001). Bland Altman plots showed disagreement between determinations at different storage temperatures at the highest levels of the metabolite concentration. The degree of agreement evaluated in terms of intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.68 (95% CI 0.41–0.84, p<0.0001). Pearson's correlation coefficient between aMT6s values of the two differently stored samples was 0.93 (p<0.001), while the Kendal tau coefficient for rank distribution was 0.73 (p<0.001). Our data suggest that storage temperatures might affect degradation of aMT6s during storage. However, individual characterization by melatonin levels does not seem to be affected by cryopreservation conditions.
One wouldn’t expect an expert bowler to hit only two pins: Hierarchical predictive processing of agent-caused events
Authors: Heil Lieke , Kwisthout Johan , van Pelt Stan , van Rooij Iris , Bekkering Harold
Published: January 2018

Evidence is accumulating that our brains process incoming information using top-down predictions. If lower level representations are correctly predicted by higher level representations, this enhances processing. However, if they are incorrectly predicted, additional processing is required at higher levels to “explain away” prediction errors. Here, we explored the potential nature of the models generating such predictions. More specifically, we investigated whether a predictive processing model with a hierarchical structure and causal relations between its levels is able to account for the processing of agent-caused events. In Experiment 1, participants watched animated movies of “experienced” and “novice” bowlers. The results are in line with the idea that prediction errors at a lower level of the hierarchy (i.e., the outcome of how many pins fell down) slow down reporting of information at a higher level (i.e., which agent was throwing the ball). Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that this effect is specific to situations in which the predictor is causally related to the outcome. Overall, the study supports the idea that a hierarchical predictive processing model can account for the processing of observed action outcomes and that the predictions involved are specific to cases where action outcomes can be predicted based on causal knowledge.
A letter on a hand: Rotating together or separately?
Authors: Chen Jialing , Hu Qingfen , Shao Yi
Published: January 2018

The motor system plays a role in some object mental rotation tasks, and researchers have reported that people may use a strategy of motor simulation to mentally rotate objects. In this study, we used images of a hand with a letter printed on the palm to directly determine whether a hand image can be automatically rotated during the deliberate mental rotation of an object and whether the hand and object are rotated in the same trajectory. A total of 41 participants were shown the stimuli and asked to decide whether the letters, which were upright or tilted at specific degrees, were normal or mirrored. The hand images in the background showed either a left or a right hand in the palm view, with fingers pointing upwards, medial, downwards, or lateral. Reaction times and error rates were measured to determine the speed and accuracy of mental rotation. A complex interaction between the hand posture and letter orientation revealed that the hand image was mentally rotated automatically, together with the deliberate mental rotation of the letter. The biomechanical constraints of the hand also influenced reaction times, suggesting the involvement of the motor system in the concomitant mental rotation of the hand image. Consistent with the motor simulation theory, the participants seemed to imagine the hand carrying the object in its movement. These behavioural data support the motor simulation theory and elucidate specific processes of mental rotation that have not been addressed by neuroimaging studies.
Positivity bias in past and future episodic thinking: Relationship with anxiety, depression, and retrieval-induced forgetting
Authors: Marsh L , Edginton T , Conway MA , Loveday C
Published: January 2018

Positivity biases in autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking are considered important in mental wellbeing and are reduced in anxiety and depression. The inhibitory processes underlying retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) have been proposed to contribute to these biases. This investigation found reduced positivity in past and future thinking to be associated with reduced memory specificity alongside greater levels of anxiety, depression, and rumination. Most notably, however, RIF was found to significantly predict memory valence. This indicates that RIF may be important in maintaining such biases, facilitating the forgetting of negative memories when a positive item is actively retrieved.
Optimal mission abort policy with multiple shock number thresholds
Authors: Levitin Gregory , Finkelstein Maxim
Published: January 2018

At many instances, it is important to keep a system from being destroyed or “lost” at a cost of not completing its mission. Therefore, to enhance survivability of many real-world critical systems (e.g. aircrafts and human space flight systems), mission abort procedures are often utilized in practice. In this article, in order to suggest an optimal abort policy, we first develop a methodology for obtaining the mission success probability and survivability of system experiencing both internal failures and external shocks. Each shock increases degradation in a system, and therefore, the number of experienced shocks can be considered as a decision parameter. We divide the mission time into a number of adjacent intervals and suggest a policy when a mission is aborted (and a rescue procedure is activated) if the number of shocks exceeds the value predetermined for each interval. We demonstrate the trade-off between system survivability and mission success probability that should be balanced by the proper choice of the mission abort policy. An illustrative example of a mission performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle is presented.
Journalist–source relations and the deliberative system: A network performance approach to investigating journalism’s contribution to facilitating public deliberation in a globalized world
Authors: Lück Julia , Wessler Hartmut , Maia Rousiley , Wozniak Antal
Published: January 2018

Journalist–source relationships and interactions are interpreted in this study as crucial mechanisms for linking different arenas in a deliberative system. To unravel these source networks, 106 semi-standardized interviews with journalists as well as public relations (PR) professionals from government delegations and non-governmental organizations were conducted on-site three United Nations (UN) climate change conferences between 2010 and 2013, and an online survey was administered during the conference in 2015. The analysis shows that most journalists maintain close relationships with their home country delegation. However, journalists experienced in climate conference coverage also maintain more direct and informal relations to delegations from other countries and to non-governmental organizations while less experienced journalists exhibit loose and more formally mediated relationship to these actors. Moreover, journalists focusing on commentary rather than on event-related reporting have the most variegated and informal networks, thus opening the deliberative system to diverse perspectives and unknown voices more than others. Government delegations vary strongly in their tendency to approach journalists while environmental non-governmental organizations interact with journalists primarily to attract media attention in order to indirectly influence decision makers in national delegations.
Non-medical prescribing
Authors: Crawley Helen
Published: January 2018

Historically, doctors and dentists were the only ‘independent prescribers’ able to assess patients, make a diagnosis and prescribe medication. Doctors are able to prescribe any legally allowable medications, appliances, devices or chemical reagents. Dentists are limited to prescribing items in the ‘Dental Practitioners’ Formulary’, listed in the back of the British National Formulary. More recently, legislation has allowed allied health professionals to write prescriptions under certain circumstances, once they have completed appropriate training. Once obtained, qualifications in prescribing are registered with the practitioners’ professional body. Health professionals who do not have prescribing rights can only supply or administer prescription-only medicines under ‘patient specific directions’ or ‘patient group directions’. This article summarises the current mechanisms by which patients can legally receive any prescription-only medicines that they need. It also looks at how using these mechanisms can improve patient safety and patient access to clinical services.
Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care: Reflections on three systematic reviews for the Cochrane Collaboration 2007–2017
Authors: Gould Dinah , Moralejo Donna , Drey Nicholas , Chudleigh Jane , Taljaard Monica
Published: January 2018

This article presents highlights from a recently updated systematic Cochrane review evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care. It is an advance on the two earlier reviews we undertook on the same topic as it has, for the first time, provided very rigorous synthesis of evidence that such interventions can improve practice. In this article, we provide highlights from a recently updated Cochrane systematic review. We identify omissions in the information reported and point out important aspects of hand hygiene intervention studies that were beyond the scope of the review. A full report of the review is available free of charge on the Cochrane website.
Foot osteoarthritis: latest evidence and developments
Authors: Roddy Edward , Menz Hylton B.
Published: January 2018

Foot osteoarthritis (OA) is a common problem in older adults yet is under-researched compared to knee or hand OA. Most existing studies focus on the first metatarsophalangeal joint, with evidence relating to midfoot OA being particularly sparse. Symptomatic radiographic foot OA affects 17% of adults aged 50 years and over. The first metatarsophalangeal joint is most commonly affected, followed by the second cuneometatarsal and talonavicular joints. Epidemiological studies suggest the existence of distinct first metatarsophalangeal joint and polyarticular phenotypes, which have differing clinical and risk factor profiles. There are few randomized controlled trials in foot OA. Existing trials provide some evidence of the effectiveness for pain relief of physical therapy, rocker-sole shoes, foot orthoses and surgical interventions in first metatarsophalangeal joint OA and prefabricated orthoses in midfoot OA. Prospective epidemiological studies and randomized trials are needed to establish the incidence, progression and prognosis of foot OA and determine the effectiveness of both commonly used and more novel interventions.
Successful treatment of Providencia rettgeri cholecystitis and neutrophilic cholangitis in a cat
Authors: Newton Patricia L , Fry Darren R
Published: January 2018

Case summary

A 15-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented with a recent history of seizures, diarrhoea, lethargy, fever and jaundice. Marked elevation of liver enzyme activity was present and ultrasound examination was suggestive of cholecystitis and hepatitis. Neutrophilic cholangitis was confirmed on histopathology of liver biopsies. Bile culture identified a monomicrobial infection with Providencia rettgeri, which was resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents. The cat was treated with oral pradofloxacin for 4 weeks and remained well 4 months later.

Relevance and novel information

Providencia species are rarely reported in the veterinary literature and are an uncommon cause of disease in humans. The significance of this species in humans relates to the high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. This is the first report of P rettgeri causing clinical illness in a cat and highlights the importance of bile cultures in hepatic disease.
Art or Confession?: Evaluating Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Cases
Authors: Dunbar Adam
Published: January 2018

For decades, scholars have studied mechanisms that might explain racial disparities in the criminal justice system. One novel example of a practice that may contribute to continuing disparities is the introduction of defendant-authored rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials. Across the United States, prosecutors are introducing rap lyrics as confession evidence to establish guilt. Concerns about this practice have been articulated by scholars and others but rarely empirically examined. This study begins to address this lacuna. In particular, this study examines how lyrics are evaluated when presented in a trial context and determines how individuals change their evaluations of the lyrics to support their verdict. Participants were tasked with evaluating evidence, including rap lyrics, independently and in the context of a trial and then rendering a verdict. Results indicate that rap lyrics are viewed as interdependent with other evidence when presented at trial. Furthermore, although evaluations of lyrics did not predict determinations of guilt, verdict affected whether the lyrics were evaluated as a confession, and this effect was stronger for participants who believed the defendant was guilty. These findings highlight how introducing rap lyrics might disproportionately advantage prosecutors and contribute to our understanding of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Interventions Supporting Development of Young Children With Disabilities at Environmental Risk in Indonesia: A Scoping Review
Authors: Kiling Indra Yohanes , Due Clemence , Li Dominggus Elcid , Turnbull Deborah
Published: January 2018

The purpose of this article is to examine the current literature addressing interventions to support the developmental process of children of early age with disabilities in Indonesia, who are threatened with significant environmental risk. To achieve that, a scoping review was conducted. The following databases were searched: PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, Social Services Abstracts, and Scopus, as well as the reference lists of all included studies. We searched 46 open access Indonesian journals and conducted hand-searches at the four main Indonesian universities. Searches were conducted of Google Scholar and the websites of Indonesian government and nongovernmental agencies to identify gray literature. These agencies were also personally contacted to identify relevant reports. Eight studies met our inclusion criteria. The existing research investigates on various interventions including two studies utilizing strategies indigenous to Indonesian. Environmental risk factors were not addressed directly by all the interventions. The eight studies targeted all areas of early childhood development. Several limitations were found in these studies’ methodology, and they also used similar research designs. This review highlights the need of more rigorous and culturally relevant research to fulfill the developmental needs of young children with disabilities in Indonesia.
Chronic Hepatitis C Screening, Evaluation, and Treatment Update in the Age of Direct-Acting Antivirals
Authors: Surjadi Miranda
Published: January 2018

Globally, hepatitis C virus (HCV), the cause of one of the most common infectious diseases, infects approximately 4 million to 5 million Americans with approximately half of infected individuals undiagnosed. Some workplaces screen employees for HCV exposure and other bloodborne pathogens (BBP) after needlestick injuries, but it is not well known whether employers screen employees for HCV without an occupational exposure. New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all individuals born between 1945 and 1965 should be screened for HCV regardless of risk; this provides an opportunity at the worksite for HCV outreach to employees, dependents, and retirees. To understand this recommendation, the management of HCV in the age of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) should be reviewed. Now that new DAA treatment can cure HCV, occupational health nurses should identify potential HCV-positive individuals at the worksite via HCV education, screening, testing, and, if positive, linking to specialists for treatment.
A Crisis in Career Development: Life Designing and Implications for Transition
Authors: Wehmeyer Michael L. , Nota Laura , Soresi Salvatore , Shogren Karrie A. , Morningstar Mary E. , Ferrari Lea , Sgaramella Teresa Maria , DiMaggio Ilaria
Published: January 2018

The field of transition—and the Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT)—was built upon a foundation established by theories of career development that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s and paved the way for the work/study movement of the 1960s and the vocational and career education for students with disabilities movement that dominated the 1970s and, eventually, the transition services movement. Today’s leaders in vocational psychology and career guidance suggest that market and global economic forces associated with a postmodern world have created a crisis in career development models and methods. This article discusses the evolution of how career development has been understood, and the potential importance of a life design framework and its emphasis on career construction, rather than career development, for the future of transition services.
Solving a Mystery . . . 8 Years Later
Authors: Jouni Hayan , Kuzo Ronald S. , Anavekar Nandan S.
Published: January 2018

Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis with multisystem involvement and insidious symptoms. In this article, we describe an interesting case of Erdheim-Chester disease that was eventually diagnosed 8 years after symptoms initially started.
Collaborative dynamics in street level work: Working in and with communities to improve relationships and reduce deprivation
Authors: Bartels Koen PR
Published: January 2018

Joint service delivery is a well-established aspect of urban governance but does not necessarily improve interagency collaboration or reduce socio-spatial deprivation. What happens in interactions between street level workers has a large influence on collaborative processes and outcomes but is remarkably underexplored. This article develops an understanding of the nature and impact of the relational practices enacted in street level collaboration. I argue that community-centred working can foster effective and authentic collaborative processes and, as a result, generate better societal outcomes. Based on a participatory evaluation conducted in Amsterdam, I critically appraise how working in and with communities moved collaborative dynamics in street level work away from habitual routines and power relations that sustained exclusion and inequality of local disadvantaged youngsters towards better internal relationships and less socio-spatial deprivation.
Improving the Replicability of Psychological Science Through Pedagogy
Authors: Hawkins Robert X. D. , Smith Eric N. , Au Carolyn , Arias Juan Miguel , Catapano Rhia , Hermann Eric , Keil Martin , Lampinen Andrew , Raposo Sarah , Reynolds Jesse , Salehi Shima , Salloum Justin , Tan Jed , Frank Michael C.
Published: January 2018

Replications are important to science, but who will do them? One proposal is that students can conduct replications as part of their training. As a proof of concept for this idea, here we report a series of 11 preregistered replications of findings from the 2015 volume of Psychological Science, all conducted as part of a graduate-level course. As was expected given larger, more systematic prior efforts, the replications typically yielded effects that were smaller than the original ones: The modal outcome was partial support for the original claim. This work documents the challenges facing motivated students as they attempt to replicate previously published results on a first attempt. We describe the workflow and pedagogical methods that were used in the class and discuss implications both for the adoption of this pedagogical model and for replication research more broadly.
Remodeling of the malaria parasite and host human red cell by vesicle amplification that induces artemisinin resistance
Authors: Bhattacharjee Souvik , Coppens Isabelle , Mbengue Alassane , Suresh Niraja , Ghorbal Mehdi , Slouka Zdenek , Safeukui Innocent , Tang Hsin-Yao , Speicher David W. , Stahelin Robert V. , Mohandas Narla , Haldar Kasturi
Published: January 2018

Key Points

Vesicular system causing artemisinin resistance modifies malaria parasites and host red cells.
Volumetric aberrancy to map subtle faults and flexures
Authors: Qi Xuan , Marfurt Kurt
Published: January 2018

One of the key tasks of a seismic interpreter is to map lateral changes in surfaces, not only including faults, folds, and flexures, but also incisements, diapirism, and dissolution features. Volumetrically, coherence provides rapid visualization of faults and curvature provides rapid visualization of folds and flexures. Aberrancy measures the lateral change (or gradient) of curvature along a picked or inferred surface. Aberrancy complements curvature and coherence. In normally faulted terrains, the aberrancy anomaly will track the coherence anomaly and fall between the most positive curvature anomaly defining the footwall and the most negative curvature anomaly defining the hanging wall. Aberrancy can delineate faults whose throw falls below the seismic resolution or is distributed across a suite of smaller conjugate faults that do not exhibit a coherence anomaly. Previously limited to horizon computations, we extend aberrancy to uninterpreted seismic data volumes. We apply our volumetric aberrancy calculation to a data volume acquired over the Barnett Shale gas reservoir of the Fort Worth Basin, Texas. In this area, the Barnett Shale is bound on the top by the Marble Falls Limestone and on the bottom by the Ellenburger Dolomite. Basement faulting controls karstification in the Ellenburger, resulting in the well-known “string of pearls” pattern seen on coherence images. Aberrancy delineates small karst features, which are, in many places, too smoothly varying to be detected by coherence. Equally important, aberrancy provides the azimuthal orientation of the fault and flexure anomalies.
American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Quality Initiative Joint Consensus Statement on Nutrition Screening and Therapy Within a Surgical Enhanced Recovery Pathway
Authors: Wischmeyer Paul E. , Carli Franco , Evans David C. , Guilbert Sarah , Kozar Rosemary , Pryor Aurora , Thiele Robert H. , Everett Sotiria , Grocott Mike , Gan Tong J. , Shaw Andrew D. , Thacker Julie K. M. , Miller Timothy E.
Published: January 2018

Perioperative malnutrition has proven to be challenging to define, diagnose, and treat. Despite these challenges, it is well known that suboptimal nutritional status is a strong independent predictor of poor postoperative outcomes. Although perioperative caregivers consistently express recognition of the importance of nutrition screening and optimization in the perioperative period, implementation of evidence-based perioperative nutrition guidelines and pathways in the United States has been quite limited and needs to be addressed in surgery-focused recommendations. The second Perioperative Quality Initiative brought together a group of international experts with the objective of providing consensus recommendations on this important topic with the goal of (1) developing guidelines for screening of nutritional status to identify patients at risk for adverse outcomes due to malnutrition; (2) address optimal methods of providing nutritional support and optimizing nutrition status preoperatively; and (3) identifying when and how to optimize nutrition delivery in the postoperative period. Discussion led to strong recommendations for implementation of routine preoperative nutrition screening to identify patients in need of preoperative nutrition optimization. Postoperatively, nutrition delivery should be restarted immediately after surgery. The key role of oral nutrition supplements, enteral nutrition, and parenteral nutrition (implemented in that order) in most perioperative patients was advocated for with protein delivery being more important than total calorie delivery. Finally, the role of often-inadequate nutrition intake in the posthospital setting was discussed, and the role of postdischarge oral nutrition supplements was emphasized.
Age Does Not Affect Metoprolol’s Effect on Perioperative Outcomes (From the POISE Database)
Authors: Jacka Michael J. , Guyatt Gordon , Mizera Richard , Van Vlymen Janet , Ponce de Leon Dario , Schricker Thomas , Bahari Mohd Yani , Lv Bonan , Afzal Lalitha , Plou García Maria Pilar , Wu Xinmin , Nigro Maia Lília , Arrieta Maribel , Rao-Melacini Purnima , Devereaux Philip J.
Published: January 2018

BACKGROUND:

Perioperative β-blockade reduces the incidence of myocardial infarction but increases that of death, stroke, and hypotension. The elderly may experience few benefits but more harms associated with β-blockade due to a normal effect of aging, that of a reduced resting heart rate. The tested hypothesis was that the effect of perioperative β-blockade is more significant with increasing age.

METHODS:

To determine whether the effect of perioperative β-blockade on the primary composite event, clinically significant hypotension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and death varies with age, we interrogated data from the perioperative ischemia evaluation (POISE) study. The POISE study randomly assigned 8351 patients, aged ≥45 years, in 23 countries, undergoing major noncardiac surgery to either 200 mg metoprolol CR daily or placebo for 30 days. Odds ratios or hazard ratios for time to events, when available, for each of the adverse effects were measured according to decile of age, and interaction term between age and treatment was calculated. No adjustment was made for multiple outcomes.

RESULTS:

Age was associated with higher incidences of the major outcomes of clinically significant hypotension, myocardial infarction, and death. Age was associated with a minimal reduction in resting heart rate from 84.2 (standard error, 0.63; ages 45–54 years) to 80.9 (standard error, 0.70; ages >85 years; P < .0001). We found no evidence of any interaction between age and study group regarding any of the major outcomes, although the limited sample size does not exclude any but large interactions.

CONCLUSIONS:

The effect of perioperative β-blockade on the major outcomes studied did not vary with age. Resting heart rate decreases slightly with age. Our data do not support a recommendation for the use of perioperative β-blockade in any age subgroup to achieve benefits but avoid harms. Therefore, current recommendations against the use of β-blockers in high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac surgery apply across all age groups.
Electroencephalography and Brain Oxygenation Monitoring in the Perioperative Period
Authors: Scheeren Thomas W. L. , Kuizenga Merel H. , Maurer Holger , Struys Michel M. R. F. , Heringlake Matthias
Published: January 2018

Maintaining brain function and integrity is a pivotal part of anesthesiological practice. The present overview aims to describe the current role of the 2 most frequently used monitoring methods for evaluation brain function in the perioperative period, ie, electroencephalography (EEG) and brain oxygenation monitoring. Available evidence suggests that EEG-derived parameters give additional information about depth of anesthesia for optimizing anesthetic titration. The effects on reduction of drug consumption or recovery time are heterogeneous, but most studies show a reduction of recovery times if anesthesia is titrated along processed EEG. It has been hypothesized that future EEG-derived indices will allow a better understanding of the neurophysiological principles of anesthetic-induced alteration of consciousness instead of the probabilistic approach most often used nowadays.

Brain oxygenation can be either measured directly in brain parenchyma via a surgical burr hole, estimated from the venous outflow of the brain via a catheter in the jugular bulb, or assessed noninvasively by near-infrared spectroscopy. The latter method has increasingly been accepted clinically due to its ease of use and increasing evidence that near-infrared spectroscopy–derived cerebral oxygen saturation levels are associated with neurological and/or general perioperative complications and increased mortality. Furthermore, a goal-directed strategy aiming to avoid cerebral desaturations might help to reduce these complications. Recent evidence points out that this technology may additionally be used to assess autoregulation of cerebral blood flow and thereby help to titrate arterial blood pressure to the individual needs and for bedside diagnosis of disturbed autoregulation.
Conservation, evolution, and regulation of splicing during prefrontal cortex development in humans, chimpanzees, and macaques
Authors: Mazin Pavel V. , Jiang Xi , Fu Ning , Han Dingding , Guo Meng , Gelfand Mikhail S. , Khaitovich Philipp
Published: January 2018

Changes in splicing are known to affect the function and regulation of genes. We analyzed splicing events that take place during the postnatal development of the prefrontal cortex in humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques based on data obtained from 168 individuals. Our study revealed that among the 38,822 quantified alternative exons, 15% are differentially spliced among species, and more than 6% splice differently at different ages. Mutations in splicing acceptor and/or donor sites might explain more than 14% of all splicing differences among species and up to 64% of high-amplitude differences. A reconstructed trans-regulatory network containing 21 RNA-binding proteins explains a further 4% of splicing variations within species. While most age-dependent splicing patterns are conserved among the three species, developmental changes in intron retention are substantially more pronounced in humans.
Conflito entre o Valor Econômico e o Valor Cultural: uma comparação entre o mercado cinematográfico no Brasil e na França
Authors: Aceti Pedro Bughay , Valiati Leandro
Published: January 2018

Muitos produtores misturam dois tipos de valores, o “Valor Econômico” e o “Valor Cultural” nas suas obras cinematográficas. O presente estudo, baseado no Dr. David Throsby faz uma distinção destes valores e como cada um trabalha, sendo o primeiro (valor econômico) essencialmente composto por elementos numéricos e financeiros, o que torna difícil medir os valores estéticos, dramatúrgicos e autorais de um projeto cinematográfico, ou seja, “Valores Culturais”. A soma destes dois valores vem acompanhado da carência de conhecimento específico dos investidores sobre estes conhecimentos culturais que resulta na escolha de determinadas obras cinematográficas que lhe darão mais retorno financeiro ao investidor.Baseando-se nestes valores o Estado brasileiro renuncia ao investimento e sugere a iniciativa privada que o faça, acaba o mercado interferindo no interesse público sobre bens culturais. Em contraposição a isso, o papel do Estado Francês na política pública do audiovisual do seu país.
A Diáspora Negra e a presença de africanos escravizados em Itapemirim-ES (1860-1870)
Authors: Machado Laryssa da Silva
Published: January 2018

Este trabalho pretende relacionar a Diáspora Negra a presença de africanos escravizados em Itapemirim-ES, entendendo que estes estudos contribuem para os novos trabalhos da historiografia brasileira e para o movimento que estuda a Diáspora Africana, uma vez que procura revelar a existência de africanos escravizados em Itapemirim. De fato, muitas questões continuaram obscuras, mas é certo que havia africanos nas escravarias capixabas e itapemerinenses que, como será demonstrado, era uma das principais regiões econômicas capixabas no século XIX. Estes dados podem ser observados através da análise de registros de óbitos e batismos de escravos de Itapemirim, que apresentam um número significativo de africanos, revelando que esta região era ponto de chegada de muitos dos que vieram da África.
Digressões sobre o gênero enciclopédico – A Enciclopédia Brasileira em meio às transformações do campo científico da década de 1950
Authors: Tavares Mariana Rodrigues
Published: January 2018

O presente artigo tem por objetivo abordar questões a respeito do projeto editorial da Enciclopédia Brasileira do Instituto Nacional do Livro no decorrer dos anos 1950. Neste sentido, tem por intuito detalhar e ponderar aspectos que se dedicam a observar os membros da comissão de ciências sociais e históricas, composta pelos mais célebres intelectuais do período, ocupantes dos principais cargos em Instituições públicas brasileiras. Por fim e no bojo desses aspectos considera-se que a partir da década de 1950-60 evidenciava-se no Brasil um processo de reconfiguração do campo historiográfico ocorrido graças a circulação dos primeiros trabalhos oriundos de pesquisas das Universidades brasileiras surgidas ainda na década de 1930. Por essas razões, defende-se a tese de que o projeto da Enciclopédia Brasileira no decorrer da década de 1950 adquiriu um caráter puramente universitário.
O maior acervo digital sobre os Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016 do mundo: uma experiência de gestão e divulgação do conhecimento científico na Casa de Rui Barbosa
Authors: Magalhães Firmino Leonardo
Published: January 2018

O presente trabalho descreve a experiência de construção do acervo digital no DSpace sobre os Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016, empreendido pelo Setor de Políticas Culturais da Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa. Se tratou de um trabalho colaborativo e multidisciplinar de curadoria digital no que se refere à política de gestão, definição de critérios, direitos autorais, acesso e acessibilidade, competência em informação, formatos, padrões, organização, compartilhamento, divulgação e preservação dos conteúdos digitais, envolvendo, inclusive, atores de diversas instituições. Entre as fontes que integram o acervo estão uma série de entrevistas de história oral a personagens chave realizadas pelo CPDOC-FGV, uma linha do tempo sobre processo de construção dos jogos Olímpicos, e cerca de dois mil documentos.
OEA, evoluir ou perecer: a luta permanente por relevância e eficiência na proteção e promoção da democracia nas Américas
Authors: France Guilherme
Published: January 2018

O objetivo do presente estudo é traçar o histórico do papel da Organização dos Estados Americanos na proteção e promoção da democracia no continente, com objetivo de compreender o momento atual e as possibilidades futuras da organização. Para tanto, será utilizada a abordagem teórica de Ernst Haas sobre mudança institucional. A hipótese com que se trabalha é que a OEA teria passado por um processo de aprendizado a partir do qual foram questionados seus valores originais e teorias implícitas. Como resultado, seu propósito final foi redefinido e novos mecanismos foram desenvolvidos para que tal propósito fosse alcançado. Não só o fim da Guerra Fria representou um evento transformativo para a organização, como também as experiências pelas quais ela passou informaram um processo de instrução constante o qual continua em curso até hoje.
Legado de bens e funcionamento jurisdicional no Pacífico Espanhol: os autos de bens de defuntos nas audiências ístmicas e do Pacífico no século XVI
Authors: Mouco Julio do Carmo
Published: January 2018

A presente nota de pesquisa trata de uma análise da documentação de bens de defuntos produzida nas audiências no Pacífico espanhol no século XVI. Buscando informações sobre a composição humana e funcionamento jurisdicional e de legação de bens naquelas regiões através da análise da documentação de bens de defuntos produzidas nas mesmas.
BRCA1 novel variation V1736D and in silico analysis of SNP Q356R in Sudanese patients with breast cancer
Authors: Aabdein Mohamed Elmogtba Mouaweia Mohamed , Elimam Alsmawal Awad Mohammed , Altayb Hisham N. , Eldeen Mohamed El-Fatih Mohy , Gasemelseed Mosab Mohamed , FadlAlla Afra AbdElhamid , Osman Marwa Mohamed , Osman Soada Ahmed , Saeed Hajir Ali , Ali Mona ShamsAldeen , Siddig Tomador , Osman Reem Abdelrahman , Elhadi Rehab Ahmed , Hamid Muzamil Mahdi Abdel , Salih Mohamed Ahmed
Published: January 2018

Background: Breast cancer (BC) remains one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide. The BRCA1 deleterious mutation has a significant role in developing BC, and the risk has been estimated to be 46–87%. Many studies emphasize the need for mining BRCA1 gene mutations that might have a role in BC pathogenesis and could affect early disease onset. This study was conducted to screen for possible pathogenic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BRCA1, targeting three regions: two in exon 11 and the third in exon 20.

Methods: 45 blood samples were collected from patients diagnosed with BC. DNA was extracted and selected regions were amplified by PCR using three sets of primers - two within exon 11 and one within exon 20 of BRCA1. Subsets of 10 samples were selected for each primer set (30 PCR products) and sequenced. Sequences were analyzed using various bioinformatics tools.

Results: Two missense variations were found, Q356R (rs1799950) in one patient (27 years old) and a novel SNP, V1736D, in three premenopausal patients (≤45 years), which were located within exons 11 and 20, respectively. Both detected variants were heterozygous, a status found in all patients detected with such monoallelic variation. Both missense variants underwent in silico analysis. The well-known variation, rs1799950, was predicted to alter the protein activity, conferred by a mutant residue (R-Arg), owing to the position with a bigger size and positive charge. The novel SNP, V1736D, was predicted to play a role in the pathogenesis of BC.

Conclusion: Both variants require further investigation, firstly to assess their contribution to BC and secondly to determine their potential diagnostic value when assessed in a larger population.
APROXIMAÇÃO ENTRE CRIANÇA E LEITURA: O USO DE HISTÓRIAS EM QUADRINHOS COMO RECURSO DIDÁTICO PARA O ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL
Authors: Aguiar Ruth Braga , Prazeres Alan De Souza
Published: January 2018

Objetiva-se com este trabalho apresentar uma metodologia do uso de HQ aplicada no ensino fundamental, sendo este um atraente gênero textual que o professor dispõe para incentivar o hábito e o prazer pela leitura. Para isso, baseou-se, principalmente, em: Campos e Lomblogia (1984), PCN (1998), PROFORMAR (2003), e Freire (1996) que colocam os pontos positivos no uso de HQ como recurso de ensino e o incentivo à leitura. Constata-se que: a) o uso desse gênero textual em sala de aula requer do professor formação sólida; b) as HQ possuem características únicas que atraem e conquistam seus leitores; e c) sua utilização na escola e no processo de incentivo à leitura requer do professor: compromisso com as práticas pedagógicas, domínio desse gênero, planejamento e criatividade.
Lambing clinics
Authors: Hopkins James P
Published: January 2018

The paper provides a practical approach to running a lambing clinic for veterinary practitioners. The health and welfare of sheep is important at lambing time and the paper discusses improving this through education of the shepherd. It reviews common diseases and conditions seen around lambing time with practical suggestions for veterinary surgeons.