bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Publication Numbers are Increasing at American Research Universities
Authors: Kaari Jennifer
Published: December 2019

A Review of:

Budd, J. (2017). Faculty publications and citations: a longitudinal examination. College & Research Libraries, 78(1), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.1.80

Abstract

Objective – To study the publishing output and citation activity of faculty at research universities.

Design – Bibliometric and citation analysis.

Setting – Academic citation databases.

Subjects – Institutions in the United States that are members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

Methods – This study builds on three previous studies conducted by the author looking at faculty publication productivity, which were conducted for three different time periods beginning in 1991. For the present study, the author searched Scopus by institution to collect the total number of publications and citations for the faculty of more than 100 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member universities, covering the years 2011 to 2013. The author acquired the total number of faculty at each institution from the ARL website. The faculty number from the ARL website and publication and citation data from Scopus were used to calculate the per capita publication and citation numbers for each institution. The author calculated the total mean number of publications and the mean number of per capita publications per university. Chi tests were used to compare the means for statistical significance. 

Main Results – The number of both total and per capita publications for each institution went up over the course of all three studies. The mean number of total publications per university for 1991 to 1993, the first time period studied, was 4,595.8; for the time period of the current study, 2011 to 2013, the mean was 9,662.0. For per capita publications, the mean for 1991 to 1993 was 3.56 and the mean for the present study was 5.96. Based on chi-square tests, the results were found to be statistically significant.

Conclusions – The study found that the number of total publications increased significantly over time, exceeding the author’s statistical expectations based on previous work.
Doutorado profissional e os novos desafios na produção e transferência de conhecimento na área de Enfermagem
Authors: Erdmann Alacoque Lorenzine
Published: December 2019

Editorial
MODELAGEM DA RELAÇÃO HIPSOMÉTRICA PARA UM POVOAMENTO URBANO DE Swietenia macrophylla King NO MUNICÍPIO DE MARABÁ, PARÁ, BRASIL
Authors: Da Silva Renildo Medeiros , Mendes Fernanda Da Silva , Souza Deivison Venício , Da Silva Jaquelyne Rosa , De Oliveira Alana Letícia Pereira
Published: December 2019

As relações hipsométricas têm utilidade na mensuração florestal, pois em várias situações torna-se proeminente a estimativa da altura de uma árvore a partir de funções matemáticas acuradas, diminuindo-se o tempo de execução e os custos de inventários florestais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo ajustar modelos hipsométricos tradicionais e selecionar aquele mais acurado para a predição da altura dos indivíduos de S. macrophylla. Foram selecionados 36 indivíduos de S. macrophylla situados na Praça do Mogno, Marabá, Pará. Foram testados cinco modelos hipsométricos tradicionais, em função da variável diâmetro a 1,30 m do solo (DAP) e suas transformações. Os critérios estatísticos para seleção do melhor modelo foram: i) significância da estatística F-Snedecor da Análise de Variância; ii) coeficiente de determinação ajustado (R²aj); iii) erro padrão da estimativa em porcentagem (Syx%); iv) desvio médio percentual (DMP%); v) análise gráfica de resíduos; vi) significância do teste t-Student dos coeficientes da regressão. O modelo que apresentou mais acurácia na estimativa da altura total foi o Modelo 1 ?H = (DAP) / (-16,6089 + 8,1577. DAP), por ter apresentado os melhores coeficientes (R²aj = 99,95%; Syx% = 0,1840%; DMP% = -0,0010) e excelente comportamento sob análise gráfica residual, sendo, portanto, o modelo indicado.Núcleo de Meio AmbienteUniversidade Federal do ParáRua Augusto Corrêa, 01, GuamáBelém, Pará, Brasilhttps://periodicos.ufpa.br/index.php/agroecossistemas                                                                             PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Mogno, Modelos hipsométricos tradicionais, Regressão linear.
ANÁLISE CONJUNTURAL DO ABATE DE BOVINOS EM RORAIMA DE 2008 A 2013
Authors: Trajano Luara Bruce , Lopes Jalison , Melo Denise Ribeiro de , Cirne Luís Gabriel Alves , Pereira Maressa Fideles , Neves Kedson Alessandri Lobo , Vieira Andresa De Jesus
Published: December 2019

Objetivou-se realizar uma análise do abate de bovinos em Roraima de 2008 a 2013, devido a necessidade de informações sobre esse setor no estado. O estudo foi conduzido em Boa Vista, no mês de abril de 2014, a partir de dados de bovinos abatidos em um matadouro frigorífico sob inspeção estadual e de preços praticados por uma cooperativa de carnes. Os dados foram processados em planilhas do programa Microsoft Office Excel 2010 e submetidos a análise descritiva. Do período avaliado, foram abatidos 328.872 bovinos (n= 231.587 machos; n= 97.285 fêmeas) procedentes, principalmente, dos municípios de Mucajaí (29,22%), Cantá (19,02%), Iracema (12,37%) e Alto Alegre (11,19%). Durante os anos de 2008 a 2010, o percentual de fêmeas manteve-se estável, com aumentos mensais a partir de 2011. O abate total resultou na produção de 75.137,810 toneladas (t) de carcaça quente (n= 57.636,231 (t) machos; n= 17.501,579 (t) fêmeas). Foram condenadas 89 carcaças, sendo tuberculose (52%), lesões supuradas e abcessos (34%), carnes repugnantes (11%), além de morte no curral (2%) e brucelose (1%) as principais causas. Quase a metade (49,44%) destas foram em carcaças inteiras, seguido aos quartos traseiros (30,34%) e dianteiros (15,73%), e a meias carcaças (4,49%), resultando perda de 12.525 kg que gerariam remunerações próximas a 50.000 reais. Os animais abatidos pertenciam, principalmente, de municípios próximo à capital Boa Vista, produzindo ao todo mais de 75 mil toneladas de carcaça, e as maiores perdas em condenações foram, principalmente, por tuberculose e lesões em carcaças inteiras e em quartos traseiros. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Produção animal, Carne bovina, Carcaças, Patologias, Perdas econômicas.
EVALUATION OF THE TOXICITY OF 4-CHLOROBENZOIC ACID AS THE BASIS OF ITS HYGIENIC RATING
Authors: Gorokhova Larisa G. , Mikhailova N. N.
Published: December 2019

Introduction. One of the effective ways to ensure the chemical safety of workers is the hygienic rating of chemicals in the air of the working area. Materials and methods. In order to ration, the toxicity indices of 4-chlorobenzoic acid (CBA) were studied. Experimental hygienic studies were conducted on outbred white rats and mice, rabbits and guinea pigs. The functional state of the organs of white rats was assessed on the base of a number of biochemical, physiological, hematological, and morphological indices. The indices of acute inhalation CBA toxicity were determined during the experiment in the seed chambers, the concentration of the substance was adjusted using the spectrophotometric method. Statistical processing of the data obtained was made by using the program “Statistics 10.0”. Results. The average lethal dose of 4-chlorobenzoic acid when administered orally for mice of both sexes and female rats acconted for of 1.450, 1.100, and 4.300 mg/kg respectively. Mice were more sensitive to CBA, the coefficient of species differences is of 3.9. 4-Chlorobenzoic acid does not have a local irritant effect on the skin and does not have a skin-resorptive effect. Irritant effect on the mucous membranes of the eyes is poor. The ability to material accumulation in the body of CBA is moderate: the cumulation coefficient amounts to 4.7. The ability of a substance to cause allergic responses in the study was not detected. In the subacute experiment, it has a toxic effect mainly on the hepatorenal system. The threshold of acute inhalation action accounts for 50 mg/m3. Conclusion. 4-Chlorobenzoic acid in terms of average lethal doses belongs to the group of moderately hazardous substances (III class of danger). A tentative safe level of exposure to CBA in the air of the working area is recommended at 1 mg/m3. Compliance with this standard will minimize the risk to the health of workers.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF UFA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND HUMAN ECOLOGY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND THE SOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HYGIENIC PROBLEMS
Authors: Bakirov A. B. , Suleymanov Rafail A. , Valeev T. K. , Baktybaeva Z. B. , Rakhmatullin N. R.
Published: December 2019

Federal Budgetary Institution of Science “Ufa Research Institute of Occupational Health and Human Ecology” was organized on September 15, 1955. From the first days of its existence, the Institute was focused on solving hygienic problems associated with the influence of fuel and energy enterprises on the environment and public health. One of the leading departments of the Institute is the Department of medical ecology (formerly the Department of environmental hygiene). The article presents the stages of development and the results of scientific research for the 60-years period of activity on municipal hygiene, conducted by specialists of the Department of medical ecology of the Institute. Research is carried out in the following areas: the study of Toxicological properties of new chemicals and drugs with the justification of hygienic regulations in the environment; hygienic assessment of the state of the environment in the territories of oil production and refining, mining and ore processing industries, large agrochemical complexes, etc.; risk assessment for public health due to the impact of environmental factors; development of regulatory and methodological documents to ensure the sanitary and environmental well-being of the population. The article provides information about the stages of the Department, its leaders, the first scientific developments. sanitary surveys are shown to be comprehensive. The objects of research of the Department are atmospheric air, surface, and underground water sources, soil cover, agricultural products. This material reflects the main results on the levels of pollution of the environment and the existing risks to the health of the population of certain territories of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The most significant scientific works of the staff of the Department on the problem of medical ecology are listed, the main achievements, scientific priorities, and prospects for the development of hygienic research in solving environmental problems in the territories of large industrial centers are reflected.
IMMUNOLOGICAL INDICES IN WORKERS OF VARIOUS LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIONS
Authors: Masyagutova Lyaylya M. , Bakirov A. B.
Published: December 2019

Introduction. The working conditions of livestock workers do not exclude the negative impact of the harmful biological factor of the work environment. Against the background of impaired immune homeostasis, the presence of saprophytic microorganisms in the working area air can contribute to the development of inflammatory pathology. The dynamic monitoring of the state of the immune system is needed due to the choice of tests in the conditions of health examinations of livestock workers. Material and methods. Working conditions, the state of health and the immune system of various livestock workers have been studied; analysis of the microbiological contamination of the work environment air has been conducted; patient groups according to the level of microbiological risk have been formed. Results. The hygienic studies conducted indicate industrial noise; aerosols in the form of a dust of plant and animal origin on the basis of grain; certain hazardous chemicals; the microclimate of production facilities, as well as the burden of labor to predominate in the livestock enterprises. In the work environment air, increased content of opportunistic microorganisms (pathogens of opportunistic infections) has been detected. Different modal abnormalities of immune status indices in response to microbial load have been revealed. The relationship between the quantitative characteristic of the total microbial load and the state of the immune system among workers in various livestock production has been established. Conclusion. The biological factor is a risk factor for the formation of different levels of both systemic and local disorders of the immune regulation. The potential risk for failure of compensatory-adaptive and adaptive mechanisms increases in proportion to the degree of total microbiological stress. Under conditions of increased microbiological risk, the dynamic control of workers’ immune system becomes important, which requires substantiation and development of adequate methodological approaches to the choice and use of diagnostic procedures and tests for mass health check-ups of livestock workers.
CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT AMONG PETROCHEMICAL WORKERS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
Authors: Karimova Lilia K. , Gimaeva Z. F. , Galimova R. R. , Muldasheva N. A. , Kalimullina D. Kh. , Mavrina L. N. , Abdrakhmanova E. R.
Published: December 2019

Introduction. The high prevalence of circulatory diseases among workers exposed to hazardous occupational factors is an important medical and social problem. Material and methods. The study of working conditions and the state of the cardiovascular system in petrochemical workers has been carried out by using hygienic, clinical, laboratory and statistical research methods. Occupational and non-occupational factors of cardiovascular risks for workers have been studied. Results. As a result of complex clinical and hygienic studies, the contribution of occupational, non-occupational, and psycho-emotional factors to the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases in chemical workers has been established. The level of cardiovascular risk has been shown to be determined by the spectrum and intensity of the impact of occupational stress factors, the age and work-experience-related characteristics of workers Conclusion. The impact of occupational, non-occupational, psychosocial risk factors on the state of the cardiovascular system has been identified. The development and implementation of the multiple factor prevention system are imperative.
ELEMENT STATUS OF THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION OF TECHNOGENIC GEOCHEMICAL AREAS
Authors: Yakhina Margarita R. , Larionova T. K. , Daukaev R. A. , Allayarova G. R. , Adieva G. F. , Zelenkovskaya E. E. , Afonkina S. R. , Mansurova E. V. , Astakhova M. I.
Published: December 2019

Introduction. The Ural part of the Republic of Bashkortostan is distinguished by a variety of geomorphological, geological and geographical factors, economic specialization and level of economic development. However, the degree of impact of the total anthropogenic load on the environmental state of the entire territory is classified as “strong”. The influence of living environment features on the elemental status of the population, including children, negative trends in morbidity rates necessitate biomonitoring, based on the study of the composition of the human biological media. Material and methods. Using the atomic absorption method 491 samples of children’s hair have been analyzed. Quantitative assessment of the levels of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Ni, As, Pb, Cd accumulation in the hair in children aged 0 - 7 years old, born and lived in the industrial, industrial-agricultural and predominantly agricultural areas of the eastern part of Bashkiria has been done. Results. In the body of children, the accumulation of toxic metals originates from food and inhaled polluted air coming from industrial plants. Proof of inhalation exposure is the relationship between the decrease in the level of toxic elements in the emissions of town-forming enterprises and children’s bio-media over a ten-year observation period. The adaptability of children’s body to the macro-and trace elements presented in the residential zone has been revealed. Conclusions. The metal concentration in the hair of children is characterized by a very large variability, at which an inverse relationship between the accumulation of biochemically necessary and potentially dangerous elements is noted. Toxic elements penetrate through the intrauterine barrier; as a result, the child is born with elevated concentrations of heavy metals, a significant decrease of which occurs by the end of the first year of life.
Historical experience: teaching at the Tambov Seminary in the 1870–1880s
Authors: (Vasnev) Theodosius
Published: December 2019

The streamlining history of the educational process in the Tambov Governorate should be attributed to the end of the 18th century, according to the decree of 1798. However, this did not lead to the religious schools improvement. In this connection, at the beginning of the 19th century, reforms of the spiritual and educational system of seminaries were carried out. As a result of the reform, the Tambov Seminary, which preserved the best traditions of the pre-reform school, re-ceived a qualitative update. However, there were still unresolved issues in the educational process. The methods of teaching suffered, there was a shortage of trained personnel, material provision and home appliance of the seminary. All these issues were to be resolved in the second half of the 19th century. Therefore, we reveal the life period of the seminary of 1870–1880. Foundations of a new educational system in the Tambov Seminary were laid during this period. Education was still specifically theological; the range of theological subjects increased. At the same time, the study of general subjects, classical languages, and church singing was deepened. All this developed the mental capacity of students, expanded their spiritual needs, guaranteed the training of highly educated and responsible clergy and other workers on the field of spiritual enlightenment and public education. However, by bringing its educational system in line with the general standard, the Tambov Seminary lost its missionary focus, ceasing studying the languages of other peoples living in the Tambov Governorate.
Development of handicraft industry in the period of the new economic policy according to the governorate newspaper “Tambovskaya Pravda”
Authors: Makhrachev Georgiy
Published: December 2019

We give the historiographic criticism of the governorate party newspaper “Tambovskaya Pravda”. We analyze the reflected in its pages relation of the party management to handicraft industry. We provide examples of a newspaper’s propaganda role in engaging handicraftsmen for country needs. We consider the publications devoted to government measures of handicraft industry stimulation at the state and local levels. Among the main areas of state activities we highlight cooperation, holding handicraft exhibitions, the allocation of loans to industrial cooperatives through the bank for consumer cooperation, the involvement of small producers in the political life of the country, as well as the increase of their professional and general cultural level. We pay special attention to the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition in 1923 and its accompanying events. We give characteristic of the changes in policy that followed the 14th All-Union Conference of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the 3rd All-Union Congress of Soviets. Based on the articles in the 1927 issues, we conclude that many party under-takings did not have adequate success. We also analyze data on the peculiarities of the handicraft industry restoration in the governorate. We consider the specificity of the county distribution of crafts, as well as their ratio in urban and rural environments.
Worldview constants in the culture of people’s language
Authors: Dubrovina Svetlana J.
Published: December 2019

The purpose of this article is to identify and to analyze semantics of the specific terminological system of people’s Orthodoxy from the standpoint of Russian dialectology and ethnic linguistics. The study substantiates and proves the hypothesis of G.P. Fedotov that Russian spiritual poems reaction at the categories of Christian theology is not outdated; they can be fixed not only in different types of folklore and everyday text, but also developed on the lexical material of Rus-sian folk dialects. The novelty of the approach to the allocation of ideological constants in the na-tional language is due to the following material of the study: dialect lexical units associated with the belief of the traditional peasant population of Russia. At the same time, not only the data of dictionaries are presented, but also unique data of the regional dictionary of national Orthodoxy collected by the author in the territory of the modern Tambov region. We trace the peculiar folk philosophy of word-making: reveal the semantic categories of mental spirituality that determined the individuality and sections of the vocabulary of the religious sphere; prove their influence on the formation of dialect data and their generalization into a single system of folk Church vocabu-lary. As a result, we reveal the possibilities of using ethno-linguistic semiotics to describe the vo-cabulary of faith and Church. The proposed categorical approach can become a universal scenario of description, covering the dialect lexical corpus of the terminological system of Orthodoxy.
Desafios da sociedade da informação na recuperação e uso de informações em ambientes digitais
Authors: Delfino Samyr Santos , Pinho Neto Júlio Afonso Sá de , Sousa Marckson Roberto Ferreira de
Published: December 2019

Para a sociedade contemporânea, também conhecida como sociedade da informação, a informação é considerada como sendo o seu bem de maior valor. Porém, mesmo sendo o cerne dessa nova sociedade, o grande volume de informação desencadeia uma série problemas. A liberdade na comunicação, possível através do uso da internet e das redes sociais, associadas à ausência de hierarquia na produção e disseminação na internet potencializa o surgimento de uma inundação de informações que dificultam a capacidade de análise e crítica por parte dos seus usuários. Problemas como pós-verdade, fake-news e  desinformação se tornam cada vez mais comuns e despertam questionamentos referentes à qualidade dos integrantes dessa sociedade, uma vez que a formação de opinião sofre influência direta da qualidade das informações disponíveis na internet e nas redes sociais. Pensando nisso, se vê como oportuno a realização de uma pesquisa bibliográfica com a finalidade de mapear ações visando a identificação das fake-news no contexto da pós-verdade, bem como, combater a  sua produção e disseminação, pois no atual momento em que a sociedade da informação se encontra, percebe-se o surgimento de potenciais problemas relacionados ao grande volume de informações disponíveis.
A Necrópole da Boca do Rio: vivências da morte de uma população costeira no Baixo Império Romano
Authors: BERNARDES JOÃO PEDRO , AMORIM ALEXANDRA , VERÍSSIMO HUMBERTO , MARTINS ANA
Published: December 2019

Boca do Rio é uma villa marítima situada no extremo sudoeste peninsular com uma ocupação entre meados do século I a meados do século V, tendo sido um dos sítios mais importantes no fabrico de preparados de peixe do sul da província da Lusitânia. Em 2016 escavaram-se nove sepulturas, datando do século III e IV, da sua necrópole que se encontravam ameaçadas pela erosão. Apresentam-se os resultados do mundo funerário detectado, bem como algumas das patologias que afectavam estas populações costeiras.
Identificadores de cota de malla califales. Un nuevo ejemplar
Authors: LABARTA ANA
Published: December 2019

El trabajo está dedicado a una nueva pequeña chapa circular de metal con inscripción incisa en árabe. Aporta la lectura y traducción de su texto y sitúa el objeto en un grupo especial dentro de la metalística medieval islámica. Es el quinto ejemplo que se conoce. Eran piezas que iban sujetas a cotas de malla del ejército cordobés con la función de identificarlas para reintegrarlas al arsenal después de que fueran usadas. Es de la época del califato de Hiša–m II.
Il poeta del mito. Ovidio e il suo tempo
Authors: Vaquerizo Gil Desiderio
Published: December 2019

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Antibacterial Activity of Rhamnus prinoides extracts against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli
Authors: geta kindu , Kibret Mulugeta
Published: December 2019

Medicinal plants offer a major and accessible source of health care to people living in developing countries. Increasing in resistant microbial infections intensified the search for new, safer, and more efficacious agents to combat serious microbial infections. Acanthus sennii is one of the medicinal plants used traditionally for treatment of different infectious diseases in Ethiopian. Therefore, this research was carried out to evaluate antibacterial activity of Acanthus sennii against pathogenic bacteria. The antimicrobial activity tests of the plant extracts against pathogenic bacteria were carried out by the agar well diffusion method. Broth dilution and streak plate method were used to determine MIC and MBC of extracts respectively. The results revealed that ethanol extracts of leaves showed the highest antibacterial activity against standard strains of S.aureus with inhibition zone of 14±0.58mm and 17±0.67mm at 50mg/ml and at 25mg/ml respectively. Ethanol extracts of buds showed the highest antibacterial activity against standard strains of S.aureus with inhibition zone of 25.67±0.67mm at 100mg/ml. The lowest mean MIC value (2.6±0.52 mg/ml) was recorded with ethanol extract of leaves against standard strains and clinical isolates of S. aureus. The lowest mean MBC value (4.2±1.04 mg/ml) was recorded with ethanol extract of leaves against standard strains of S. aureu. Acanthus sennii could be a good candidate in the search for new antibacterial agents from natural products against bacterial pathogens. Therefore, further studies are needed to study their toxicology and isolate the bio- active components from this plant.
Key words: Acanthus sennii, Antibacterial activity, MIC, MBC, pathogenic bacteria
Comparison of Serum Exosome Isolation Methods on Co-precipitated Free MicroRNAs
Authors: Cheng Yirui , Qu Xiangyun , Dong Zhaonan , Zeng Qingyu , Ma Xueqing , Jia Yunli , Li Ruochen , Jiang Xiaoxu , Williams Cecilia , Wang Tao , Xia Weiliang
Published: December 2019

BackgroundExosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles containing different biomolecules such as proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) that mediate intercellular communication. Recently, numerous studies have reported the important functions of exosomal miRNAs in disease development and the potential clinical application as diagnostic biomarkers. Up to now, the most commonly used methods to extract exosomes are ultracentrifugation (UC) and precipitation-based commercial kit (e.g., ExoQuick). Generally, both UC and ExoQuick method could co-isolate contaminating proteins along with exosomes, with the UC method yielding even purer exosomes than ExoQuick. However, the comparison of these two methods on co-precipitated free miRNAs is still unknown.ResultsIn this study, we isolated exosomes from the human serum with exogenously added cel-miR-39 by UC and ExoQuick and compared the proportion of cel-miR-39 co-precipitated with exosomes extracted by these two methods. Using exogenous cel-miR-39 as free miRNAs in serum, we concluded that ExoQuick co-isolates a small proportion of free miRNAs while UC hardly precipitates any free miRNAs. We also found that incubation at 37℃ for 1 h could decrease the proportion of free miRNAs, and exosomal miRNAs like miR-126 and miR-152 also decreased when RNase A was used.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our findings provide essential information about the details of serum exosome isolation methods for further research on exosomal miRNAs.
Open Globe Injury related to Road Traffic Accident: a Retrospective Study
Authors: Upaphong Phit , Supreeyathitikul Pongsant , Choovuthayakorn Janejit
Published: December 2019

BackgroundTo evaluate epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who sustained road traffic-related open globe injury (OGI)MethodsMedical records of all road traffic-related OGI patients who were admitted to the hospital from January 2006 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Data including age, gender, vehicle type, initial ocular presentation, and final visual outcome were extracted.ResultsAmong the overall causes of OGI, road traffic-related accidents comprised 92/978 (9%) of cases. Of these, ten (11%) patients acquired bilateral eye injuries and 72 (78%) were male. Nearly half of the injuries (51%) occurred in the 20-39 years old age group and the majority of cases (59%) involved automobile transportation. Globe rupture, 48 (47%) eyes, occurred in a similar proportion of penetration, 46 (45%) eyes. Following treatments, LogMAR visual acuity (VA) significantly improved from a median (interquartile range) of 2.3 (1.9 - 2.3) to 1.7 (0.3 - 3.0), at the final follow-up appointment. Presence of relative afferent pupillary defect and presence of retinal detachment were predictors for poor final visual outcomes.ConclusionsThis study provides information regarding road traffic-related OGI that had a high prevalence in young. The risky transportation mode were motorcycles in teenager and automobiles in young adult. A considerable proportion of impaired final VA might have a significant impact on the socio-economic system. Establishing effective safety education and encouraging regular adherence to road safety behaviors are challenging issues that need more action.
Saudi Women’s Health Beliefs about Cardiovascular Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Alshaikh Mashael K , Baldove Juren P. , Rawaf Salman
Published: December 2019

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a major worldwide public health issue, is of significant concern as several studies confirm the high prevalence of CVD risk in Saudi women. However, limited has focused on how these risks are affected by health beliefs and socioeconomic variables. The Health Belief Model was used to compare Saudi women’s perceived health beliefs with their calculated Framingham Risk Score (FRS) to determine their risk for a future CVD event and the influence of socio-economic variables on the prevalence of CVD risk.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on women attending the primary care clinics in a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A non-random convenience sample was selected of adult women without pre-existing CVD. Health belief and sociodemographic data were collected, and FRS calculated.Results A total of 503 Saudi females participated, the majority of whom significantly underestimated their actual risk of CVD as measured by their individual FRS. 43.4% had a high CVD risk but a low perception of susceptibility. 63.5% understood the severity of CVD, while 75.2% had a low to moderate perception of the benefits of healthy behaviours. 86.7% did not know how to perform CVD risk-reducing exercises, and 65.9 % stated that they did not have access to exercise facilities. Pearson correlations suggest a weak linear relationship between the FRS and the subscales of each health belief. However, there was a significant relationship between the Framingham scores across income, marital status, education and occupational status categories (p<= 0.001) in Chi-Square tests. Significant differences were found when comparing perceived benefits of healthy behaviours with marital status; perceived severity and benefits with the level of education; perceived severity and benefits with occupation; and perceived severity and benefits with financial income. Conclusions This study is the first in Saudi Arabia to examine the correlation between health beliefs, calculated CVD risk, and socioeconomic variables among Saudi women. Education and income were vital elements affecting their CVD risk and health beliefs, and these have implications for public health policy-making.
Enhanced methods for needle biopsy and cryopreservation of skeletal muscle in older adults
Authors: Lee Cathy C. , Hoang Austin , Segovia David , Herbst Allen , Barthelemy Florian , Gibbs Elizabeth , Crosbie Rachelle , Nelson Stanley F. , Miceli M. Carrie , Wanagat Jonathan
Published: December 2019

Background Human muscle biopsies are increasingly important for diagnosis, research, and to monitor therapeutic trials. We examined the use of a self-contained, vacuum-assisted biopsy system and a novel muscle freezing technique to improve, simplify, and standardize human muscle biopsy collection and cryopreservation in older adults. Methods The Vacora vacuum-assisted biopsy system was deployed in muscle biopsies of 12 individuals ranging in age from 57 to 80 years. This office-based approach was well tolerated as it is minimally invasive, uses only local anesthetic, and has a quick recovery. To maximize biopsy sample quality and reproducibility, we developed a novel muscle sample freezing protocol. Fresh human and mouse muscle biopsy samples were placed into readily available tissue cassettes followed by direct freezing in liquid nitrogen. After this modified snap freezing protocol, frozen muscle samples were enrobed in OCT for cryosectioning. We examined the effect of this freezing approach in histological sections of rodent and human muscle samples. ResultsThe Vacora Biopsy System provided as many as four skeletal muscle core samples from a single biopsy site. Biopsy samples from 12 older adults weighed an average of 147.5 ± 11 mg each and had a consistent size and shape. There were no complications, and the residual scar is less than 1cm. The freezing method using standard tissue cassettes with direct freezing in liquid nitrogen yielded high quality cryopreserved muscle tissue suitable for histological analysis without the need for isopentane and with little to no freeze-thaw damage. Conclusions These enhancements have streamlined and improved the consistency of our muscle biopsy protocol and provide sufficient high-quality sample for multi-dimensional downstream studies of human muscle in aging and disease.
Pregnancy outcomes, early separation and psychiatric relapse experienced by South African women with peripartum psychosis: A descriptive exploration
Authors: Voges Juané , Berg Astrid , Niehaus Dana JH
Published: December 2019

Background: The peripartum period is associated with increased incidence of severe mental illness (SMI), with a greater occurrence of psychotic symptoms and psychiatric admissions. There has been little research on South African mothers with peripartum psychosis to examine what factors contribute to their experiences of pregnancy and the postpartum period. This study aimed to explore the relevant socio-demographic factors and pregnancy outcomes in order to determine focus areas for intervention. Methods: Using a prospective, descriptive design, we conducted a detailed interview and supplementary information was collected by review of clinical records. The study examined the accounts of thirty-two mothers who experienced peripartum psychosis between 6 and 18 months postpartum. Areas of focus included participants’ current circumstances, their pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences. Results: The majority of mothers were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and all but one have had one psychiatric admission. Pregnancies were predominantly unplanned (87.5%) and half of participants reported substance use during pregnancy. Medical or psychiatric problems during pregnancy occurred in 68.8% of pregnancy and 71.9% of mothers reported complications with delivery. Common psychosocial stressors included trauma, lack of partner support and financial hardship. Early separation occurred in 56.3% of dyads, mostly due to psychiatric admission. Conclusion: Our study describes psychiatric, medical and psycho-social risk factors affecting mothers who experienced peripartum psychosis. We discuss the implications of the findings for a developing country where there exists a lack of integrated maternal and infant mental health services. The results highlight the need for close obstetric and psychiatric follow-up for women with serious mental illness, with particular attention to screening for substance use and psychosocial stressors.
Subgroup Identification for Time-to-event Data Based on AFT Model
Authors: An Sheng-li , Kang Pei , Liu Ying-xin , Huang Fu-qiang
Published: December 2019

Considering the problem of identifying subgroup in a randomized clinical trial with respect to survival time, we present an analysis strategy to find subgroup of enhanced treatment effect. We fit univariate accelerated failure time (AFT) models with covariate-treatment interactions to identify predictive covariates. The false discovery rate is controlled by Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. Then a composite score conversion is employed to transform the set of identified covariates for each patient into a univariate score. To classify patient subgroups, a change-point algorithm is applied to searching for the threshold cutoff instead of using the median. Moreover, we adopted a biomarker adaptive design to check whether the treatment effect exists within certain subgroup. The simulation results show that the change-point method is remarkably superior to the median cutoff particularly when the subgroup sizes vary considerably. Furthermore, the 2-stage adaptive design has good power properties in detecting treatment effect while the type I error is generally controlled. As an illustration, we apply the proposed methods to an AIDS study. In conclusion, when the sample size is sufficient and the censoring rate is mild, the AFT model combined with change-point algorithm performs well in identifying subgroup.
Keywords: accelerated failure time model; adaptive design; change-point algorithm; false discovery rate; precision medicine; subgroup identification
Dermatoses Of Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study In Spain
Authors: Ferreira M. Gomes , Diaz D. Bancalari , Velázquez Á. De Dios , Cañueto J.
Published: December 2019

Background: Dermatoses of pregnancy (DP) is a heterogeneous group of pruritic inflammatory dermatoses that occur exclusively during pregnancy and/or puerperium. The objective of this study was to assess the specific DP and non-specific dermatoses in a Mediterranean population living in Spain. Methods: This five-year retrospective study included 79 pregnant women with dermatologic disease from a total of 10533 pregnancies. Obstetric and clinical variables were assessed. Physiological skin changes of pregnancy were excluded. Those dermatoses that may also be observed beyond pregnancy and puerperium were also excluded. Results: The mean age was 32 years. The most common DP were: Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (PEP) – 36%, Atopic eruption of pregnancy (AEP) – 26%, Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) – 8% and Pemphigoid gestationis (PG) – 6%. The other 24% presented non-specific dermatoses. Only in one case of PG the newborn showed comorbidity. Discussion: Multiple gestations were observed in 10,3% of PEP, in association with a rapid abdominal distention. In AEP, there was a predominance of nulliparous women in the second trimester of pregnancy, an atopic dermatitis background and female newborns. In PG, there was a majority of nulliparous in the second and third trimesters. PG was the only dermatoses associated to comorbidity of the newborn. In ICP, all patients had pruritus in the palms along with excoriations, with predominance of nulliparous and multiple gestations.
Functional role of increased acetylated tubulin in porcine oocyte microtubule structure, meiotic maturation and embryogenesis
Authors: Sun Junming , Cui Kuiqing , Li Zhipeng , Gao Bangjun , Jiang Jianrong , Liu Qingyou , Huang Ben , Shi Denshun
Published: December 2019

Acetylated microtubule improves porcine oocyte microtubule structure, meiotic maturation and subsequent embryonic development. HDAC6 can specifically deacetylate α-tubulin in assembled microtubules, increased acetylated microtubule treatment with tubacin, a HDAC6-selective inhibitor, is beneficial for porcine oocytes maturation and early embryogenesis. Here it is shown that α-tubulin acetylation gradually decreased from MI to IVF pronuclear stage. The increased acetylation of α-tubulin significantly reduced the abnormal rate of microtubules, furthermore, the proportion of mitochondria in the vicinity of IVF nucleus was significantly enhanced in MI and MII stages. The expression levels of microtubule assembly genes ( TUBA1A , α TAT1 and MAP2 ) significantly up-regulated in MI and MII stages. In addition, the oocytes with high acetylation level of α-tubulin significantly improved maturation, syngamy and IVF blastocyst formation compared with the control oocytes. In present study, these indicate functional role of increased acetylated α-tubulin advances normal spindle formation and mitochondrial concentration, moreover, improves porcine maturation, syngamy and preimplantation embryo development.
Entomological surveillance with community engagement at Chagas Platform Centers for comprehensive care in the mesothermal valleys of three regions of the endemic area of Triatoma infestans in Bolivia
Authors: Cortez Mirko Rojas , Pinazo Maria-Jesus , Pinto Jimy , Anzoleaga Helmut Magne , Caballero Yurly Escobar , Urioste Gloria Sandy , Sanchez Jareth , Castellon Mario , Garcia Wilson , Daza Lourdes Ortiz , Mur Isabel Gonzales , Lozano Daniel , Gascon Joaquim , Torrico Faustino
Published: December 2019

Background The detection of residual foci inside the houses, or the reinfestation of triatomines is one of the main entomological surveillance challenges. Actions aimed at increasing the probability of vector detection and to detect re-infestation when the density of vector populations is low, is a priority objective for Chagas control programs. MethodsFamilies belonging to local communities were responsible of triatomine specimens capture, following a strategic methodology based on entomological surveillance with community participation developed by the National Chagas Programme of the Ministry of Health of Bolivia. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the entomological surveillance strategy with community engagement implemented in Chagas Platform Centers for comprehensive care (CPs). The degree of intradomicillary residual vector infestation, the main seasonal period of triatomines capture, and natural infection by trypanosomatids rates were evaluated. Results In rural and peri-urban Punata, in the Department of Cochabamba, the houses infestation rate by triatomines exceeds the national average and is above the recommendations of PAHO / WHO. The observations during the seasons of the year showed that Spring season (September to December) was the period where there was a higher average of T. infestans positive houses detected by the families participating in the study in the three departments of Bolivia. The presence of infected triatomines with Trypanosomatideos in positive houses was 6% in the study area, still finding active domestic cycles in rural and peri-urban areas and not in urban areas where triatomines with parasites were not reported during the seven years of monitoring. Conclusions Reporting infestation foci by the inhabitants is the simplest and most direct way of participation of the community in entomological surveillance. These strategies should be included in the health policies of the countries, as well as extending and deepening the dialogue between technicians, communities and their local authorities.
Health care provided to asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking paediatric patients at a Swiss tertiary hospital
Authors: Brandenberger Julia Regina , Pohl Christian , Vogt Florian , Tylleskär Thorkild , Ritz Nicole
Published: December 2019

Background & Methods To compare health care provided to asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking children, we performed a cross-sectional study in a paediatric tertiary care hospital in Switzerland. Patients were identified using administrative and medical electronic health records from January 2016 - December 2017. Results A total of 202’316 visits by 55’789 patients were included, of which asylum-seeking patients accounted for 1674 (1%) visits by 439 (1%) patients. The emergency department had the highest number of visits in both groups with a lower proportion in asylum-seeking compared to non-asylum-seeking children: 19% (317/1674) and 32% (64’315/200’642) respectively. Hospital admissions were more common in asylum-seeking patients 11% (184/1674) and 7% (14’692/200’642). Frequent visits accounted for 48% (807/1674) of total visits in asylum-seeking and 25% (49’886/200’642) of total visits in non-asylum-seeking patients. Conclusions Hospital visits by asylum-seeking children represented a small proportion of all visits. The emergency department had the highest number of visits in all patients and was less frequently used in asylum-seeking children. Higher admission rates and a larger proportion of visits from frequently visiting patients suggest that asylum-seeking patients may present with more complex diseases.
Prognostic value of preoperative inflammatory markers in patients with different molecular subgroups of WHO grade II and III diffuse gliomas
Authors: Qi Zengxin , Cai Jiajun , Meng Xiangda , Cai Shengyong , Tang Chao , Lang Liqin
Published: December 2019

Background: To determine the prognostic implications of these immune indices in WHO Grade II & III gliomas and different molecular subgroups. Methods: Clinical data from 214 newly diagnosed WHO grade II and III diffuse glioma patients were studied retrospectively. Cut-off values were determined by X-tile software. IDH and TERT promotor mutations were detected by gene sequencing, and 1p19q codeletion was estimated via fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results: NLR was verified to be an independent prognostic marker for OS in WHO grade II and III diffuse gliomas. NLR level was also associated with OS of IDH mutant subgroup, TERT promotor mutant subgroup, 1p19q intact subgroup and with PFS of 1p19q intact subgroup. LMR level was associated with OS of WHO grade II and III diffuse gliomas and TERT promotor mutant subgroup. dNLR was verified to be an independent prognostic marker for OS in TERT promotor wild-type subgroup, 1p19q intact subgroup, IDH mutant TERT promotor wild-type 1p19q intact subgroup and for PFS of 1p19q intact subgroup. dNLR was associated with OS of WHO grade II and III diffuse gliomas and IDH mutant subgroup. 1p19q codeletion was correlated with low NLR.Conclusion: Preoperative NLR, LMR and dNLR levels were helpful to forecast prognosis in patients with WHO grade II and III gliomas and different genetic phenotypes.