bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of time-variant color-coded multiphase CT angiography (mCTA) regarding clinical outcome of acute ischemic stroke: in comparison with conventional mCTA and CT perfusion
Authors: Lin Yu , Kang Nannan , Kang Jianghe , Lv Shaomao , Wang Jinan
Published: December 2020

Background

Color-coded multiphase computed tomography angiography (mCTA) can provide time-variant blood flow information of collateral circulation for acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Purpose

To compare the predictive values of color-coded mCTA, conventional mCTA, and CT perfusion (CTP) for the clinical outcomes of patients with AIS.

Material and Methods

Consecutive patients with anterior circulation AIS were retrospectively reviewed at our center. Baseline collateral scores of color-coded mCTA and conventional mCTA were assessed by a 6-point scale. The reliabilities between junior and senior observers were assessed by weighted Kappa coefficients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and multivariate logistic regression model were applied to evaluate the predictive capabilities of color-coded mCTA and conventional mCTA scores, and CTP parameters (hypoperfusion and infarct core volume) for a favorable outcome of AIS.

Results

A total of 138 patients (including 70 cases of good outcomes) were included in our study. Patients with favorable prognoses were correlated with better collateral circulations on both color-coded and conventional mCTA, and smaller hypoperfusion and infarct core volume (all P < 0.05) on CTP. ROC curves revealed no significant difference between the predictive capability of color-coded and conventional mCTA ( P = 0.427). The predictive value of CTP parameters tended to be inferior to that of color-coded mCTA score (all P < 0.001). Both junior and senior observers had consistently excellent performances (κ = 0.89) when analyzing color-coded mCTA maps.

Conclusion

Color-coded mCTA provides prognostic information of patients with AIS equivalent to or better than that of conventional mCTA and CTP. Junior radiologists can reach high diagnostic accuracy when interpreting color-coded mCTA images.
Immunomodulatory cytokine interleukin-35 and immune thrombocytopaenia
Authors: Zhu Jing-Jing , Shan Ning-Ning
Published: December 2020

Considerable attention has been paid to interleukin (IL)-35 because of its immunosuppressive effects in a variety of autoimmune diseases. IL-35, a recently identified cytokine of the IL-12 family, is a negative regulatory factor secreted by IL-35-inducible regulatory T cells (iTr35 cells) and the recently reported regulatory B cells (Breg cells). Four biological effects of IL-35 have been discovered in vitro and in vivo: (i) suppression of T cell proliferation; (ii) conversion of naive T cells into iTr35 cells; (iii) downregulation of type 17 helper T (Th17) cells; and (iv) conversion of Breg cells into a Breg subset that produces IL-35 and IL-10. IL-35 plays an important role in a variety of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, allergic asthma and systemic lupus erythematosus. Primary immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP), which is characterized by isolated thrombocytopaenia and mild mucocutaneous to life-threatening bleeding, is an autoimmune disease with complex dysregulation of the immune system. Both antibody-mediated and/or T cell-mediated platelet destruction are key processes. In addition, impairment of T cells and cytokine imbalances have now been recognized to be important. This review summarizes the immunomodulatory effects of IL-35 and its role in the pathogenesis of ITP as mediated by T and B cells.
Clinical characteristics and treatment of mixed-pesticide poisoning in a patient: reflections on a particular case
Authors: Tao Yiming , Liu Tingting , Han Jie , Jian Xiangdong , Kan Baotian
Published: December 2020

Patients who commit suicide often deliberately hide their medical history. Given that taking pesticides is one of the most common methods of suicide, other forms of poisoning may be neglected in clinical practice. We report here a case of mixed-pesticide poisoning. The patient was poisoned by oral administration of a coumarin rodenticide in combination with an intramuscular injection of organophosphorus (OP) pesticide. The patient was treated with vitamin K1, cholinesterase reactivators, atropine, ventilator-assisted ventilation, and bedside debridement. Her condition gradually stabilized and she eventually recovered and was discharged. Assessment of the causes of delayed diagnosis and treatment suggests that we need to improve early detection and treatment of acute poisoning. It is especially important to ask about the patient’s medical history, conduct a careful physical examination, and track the clinical symptoms and differential diagnosis of common poisoning. In addition to the three common routes of poisoning—oral, inhalation, and cutaneous mucosal contact—intramuscular injection of OP can also lead to severe poisoning, which manifests as respiratory failure.
Shear wave elastography of the submandibular gland in healthy individuals
Authors: Bedewi Mohamed A , Elsifey Ayman A. , Nassir Elbagir Mohammed , Elgazzar Hala Mohamed , Alfawaz Abdullah Fahad , Hussein Ramadan S , Moawad Karim , Bediwy Abdelmohsen Mohamed , Swify Sherine Mohamed
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Shear wave elastography is a rapidly evolving new technique. The purpose of the present study was to determine the sonoelastographic features of the submandibular glands in healthy individuals.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 45 healthy individuals, whose submandibular glands were studied using shear wave elastography. The stiffness of both submandibular glands was measured and its relationships with the age, sex, body mass, body mass index (BMI), and height of the participants were assessed.

Results

The participants had a mean age of 31.82 ± 5.53 years, a mean height of 158.30 ± 7.16 cm, a mean body mass of 57.83 ± 8.84 kg, and a mean BMI of 22.99 ± 2.72 kg/m2. The mean shear elastic modulus of the right and left submandibular glands were 18.02 kPa and 19.09 kPa, respectively. Positive correlations were found between the elasticity of the right submandibular gland and the anthropometric parameters.

Conclusion

The elastic modulus of the submandibular glands has been determined in healthy individuals and the data generated can serve as a reference for future studies of pathological conditions of these structures.
Bioinformatics analysis identifies potential diagnostic signatures for coronary artery disease
Authors: Zhang Dong , Guan Liying , Li Xiaoming
Published: December 2020

Background

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. We aimed to screen out potential gene signatures and construct a diagnostic model for CAD.

Method

We downloaded two mRNA profiles, GSE66360 and GSE60993, and performed analyses of differential expression, gene ontology terms, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. The STRING database was used to identify protein–protein interactions (PPI). PPI network visualization and screening out of key genes were performed using Cytoscape software. Finally, a diagnostic model was constructed.

Results

A total of 2127 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in GSE66360, and 527 DEGs in GSE60993. Of the 153 DEGs from both datasets that showed differential expression between CAD patients and controls, 471 biological process terms, 35 cellular component terms, 17 molecular function terms, and 49 KEGG pathways were significantly enriched. The top 20 key genes in the PPI network were identified, and a diagnostic model constructed from five optimal genes that could efficiently separate CAD patients from controls.

Conclusion

We identified several potential biomarkers for CAD and built a logistic regression model that will provide a valuable reference for future clinical diagnoses and guide therapeutic strategies.
CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells regulate immune balance in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion via the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB pathway
Authors: Qin Shuang , Li Li , Liu Jia , Zhang Jinrui , Xiao Qing , Fan Yujuan , Wei Xiangcai
Published: December 2020

Objective

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of cluster of differentiation (CD)4+CD25+ forkhead box p3 (Foxp3)+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) on unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) and the associated mechanisms.

Methods

The proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs and inflammatory cytokine concentrations in the peripheral blood of women with URSA were measured by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. CBA/JxDBA/2J mating was used to establish an abortion-prone mouse model and the model mice were treated with the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonist E5564 and the TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide.

Results

The proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs was decreased and the inflammatory response was increased in women with URSA. In the abortion-prone mouse model, E5564 significantly increased the proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs, decreased the inflammatory response, and increased Foxp3 mRNA and protein expression. Lipopolysaccharide had adverse effects on the abortion-prone model.

Conclusions

These data suggest that CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs regulate immune homeostasis in URSA via the TLR4/nuclear factor-κB pathway, and that the TLR4 antagonist E5564 may be a novel and potential drug for treating URSA.
Food Safety Implications of Transitions Toward Sustainable Healthy Diets
Authors: Pires Sara M. , Thomsen Sofie T. , Nauta Maarten , Poulsen Morten , Jakobsen Lea S.
Published: December 2020

Despite increased political attention, foodborne diseases still cause a substantial public health, economic, and social burden worldwide. Children younger than 5 years, people living in developing regions, and in the poorest areas of the world are disproportionally affected, bearing a large proportion of the global burden of foodborne disease. Yet, food safety is a prerequisite to ensuring food security globally: Foods that are responsible for important food safety problems are also crucial to ensure food security in some regions and are essential sources of nutrition. Moreover, together with calls for action to meeting international sustainable development goals, global efforts to promote food security and healthy diets have now highlighted the need to modify food systems globally. This article therefore explores the food safety dimensions of transitions toward food systems that promote sustainable healthy diets. The current body of evidence points to the combined health and environmental benefits of shifting toward a more plant-based diet, including vegetables and fruits, nuts, pulses, and whole grains. As a shift toward more plant-based diets may also lead to higher exposures to chemicals or pathogens present in these foods, an evaluation of food safety implications of such transitions is now imperative. We conclude that several synergies between public health, environmental, and food safety strategies can be identified to support dietary transitions.
The Role of Healthy Diets in Environmentally Sustainable Food Systems
Authors: Clark Michael , Macdiarmid Jennie , Jones Andrew D. , Ranganathan Janet , Herrero Mario , Fanzo Jessica
Published: December 2020

Background:

The global food system is directly linked to international health and sustainability targets, such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement climate change targets, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. These targets are already threatened by current dietary patterns and will be further threatened by 2050 because of a growing population and transitions toward diets with more calories, animal-source foods, and ultra-processed foods. While dietary changes to healthier and predominantly plant-based diets will be integral to meeting environmental targets, economic, social, and cultural barriers make such dietary transitions difficult.

Objective:

To discuss the role of healthy diets in sustainable food systems and to highlight potential difficulties and solutions of transitioning toward healthier dietary patterns. To do so, we synthesize global knowledge and conduct a series of case studies on 4 countries that differ in their social, economic, political, and dietary contexts: Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya, and Sweden.

Conclusions:

No single “silver bullet” policy solution exists to shift food choices toward sustainable healthy diets. Instead, simultaneous action by the public sector, private sector, and governments will be needed.
Food Insecurity in US Military Veterans
Authors: Cypel Yasmin S. , Katon Jodie G. , Schure Mark B. , Smith Shanna
Published: December 2020

Background:

Food insecurity (FI) is an important public health issue for US veterans. For many veterans, civilian life is fraught with service-incurred health issues and socioeconomic challenges, each risk factors for FI. The FI literature on veterans is limited due to insufficient coverage of the topic’s complexity and the methods used to study it in this population. No published analysis has evaluated how FI has been examined in US veterans.

Objectives:

We assessed how FI has been examined in US military veterans by identifying (1) the major content areas, or domains, studied in association with FI and (2) the existing research gaps.

Methods:

A scoping literature review was conducted to map the main research domains of the FI literature and identify knowledge gaps. Electronic database and hand searches identified potentially relevant studies (n = 61). Data extraction, utilizing a standardized set of design parameters, was completed. Duplicate removal and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in the studies (n = 21) selected for critical review.

Results:

Eight research domains were determined: FI prevalence, health status, dietary practices, health care utilization, economic instability, homelessness/housing instability, food program participation, and community/emergency preparedness—the most dominant was health status and the least dominant were social determinants (ie, homelessness/housing instability, food program participation). Research on validity and usability of FI assessment methods in veterans was virtually absent. Military service factors, longitudinal effects, FI among women, intervention effectiveness, and other areas lacked sufficient inquiry.

Conclusion:

Research is required on lesser examined content areas and methodology to optimize surveillance and policy for veteran FI.
Sociocultural Influences on Food Choices and Implications for Sustainable Healthy Diets
Authors: Monterrosa Eva C. , Frongillo Edward A. , Drewnowski Adam , de Pee Saskia , Vandevijvere Stefanie
Published: December 2020

Background:

The global policy discourse on sustainability and health has called for dietary transformations that require diverse, concerted actions from governments and institutions. In this article, we highlight the need to examine sociocultural influences on food practices as precursors to food policy decisions.

Discussion:

Sociocultural food practices relate to ideas and materials that give rise to food choices and food patterns of a group. We begin with a discussion of how individuals experience, interpret, negotiate, and symbolize the food world around them. We examine primarily the ideational pathways, such as identity, gender, religion, and cultural prohibitions, and their influence on food practices. We then provide guiding questions, frameworks, and a brief overview of food choice values to support policy planning and design. Lastly, we explore how sociocultural change for sustainable or healthy diets is already happening through food movements, food lifestyles, and traditional diets.
Beyond Regressive Nationalism and the Neoliberal Model of Development
Authors: Neilson David
Published: December 2020

This paper contends that forms of nationalism, from progressive to regressive, link closely with the form of the prevailing “model of development.” Specifically, first, this paper makes the case that the present political struggle between an ascending alt-right “regressive nationalism” and a declining “neoliberal cosmopolitanism” is inscribed in the contradictory but interacting logics of the national and global dimensions of the “neoliberal model of development.” In this conjuncture, the anti-neoliberal democratic socialist Left is also growing. However, while without an interlocking ideological imaginary and regulatory blueprint of a nationally progressive model of global development, it struggles to take center stage. Therefore, second, this paper aspires to contribute to moving beyond the present “morbid interregnum” by outlining elements of such a model of development.
Making Sense of Misdemeanors: Fine Only Offenses in Convivial Court Rooms
Authors: Needham Taylor , Mackall Abena Subira , Pettit Becky
Published: December 2020

This paper investigates how the complexity of and everyday interactions within the criminal legal system sow confusion about the causes and consequences of low-level misdemeanor, or fine only, legal entanglements. Drawing on data from 62 interviews with people assessed legal debt and 240 hours of ethnographic observation in courtrooms, we describe inconsistencies between the design of the criminal legal system and the organization of defendants’ lives that undermine the ability of defendants to satisfactorily or summarily resolve their legal cases. We also consider how interpersonal interactions within courts undermine the power of defendants to challenge legal authority, court norms, and established criminal legal processes. These findings illustrate a mismatch between expectations about and experiences with misdemeanor charges that place undue burden on disadvantaged defendants and highlight the scale and impact of fine only misdemeanors as a central inequality generating feature of the contemporary criminal legal system.
Restitution without Restoration? Exploring the Gap between the Perception and Implementation of Restitution
Authors: Martin Karin D. , Fowle Matthew Z.
Published: December 2020

Restitution as a social practice can simultaneously have a punitive effect and add to a person’s criminal justice debt load, while maintaining a reparative and therefore restorative component. We use principles of restorative justice to assess restitution as a concept and a practice, drawing on data from a survey experiment administered to a nationally representative sample ( n = 433). We find that the common and strongly preferred conception of restitution is “direct,” entailing a convicted person compensating a victim for quantifiable loss. Evidence from Victim Compensation Funds (VCFs) in all 50 states demonstrate the widespread use of “indirect” restitution, through which funds from various sources are distributed to qualifying victims. Broader trends in criminal justice policy related to the centering of the victim and a managerial approach to punishment help explain our findings. We conclude that the divergence between common conception and widespread practice indicates a need for a revised notion of restitution.
Transitional Temporality
Authors: Hirschman Daniel
Published: December 2020

Sewell (1996b) identified three temporalities that underlie many social scientific accounts. This article identifies a fourth: transitional temporality. This approach is inspired by Polanyi’s ([1944] 2001) comparative analysis of the rate of change of economic transformation surrounding the commodification of land and labor. Following Polanyi, transitional temporality focuses not on the endpoints of social transformation (as in teleological approaches) nor on moments of transformation (as in eventful approaches) but on the potentially lengthy transitions between structures. Whereas eventful temporality equates agency with the choices made by individuals during relatively rare events, transitional temporality identifies the capacity for agents to alter the rate of change and, in so doing, to prevent or bring about events. This approach recovers Polanyi’s oft-ignored analysis of the state’s role in modulating the rate of change and foregrounds the social costs of disruption and dislocation resulting from abrupt transitions.
Disparities in Patterns of Conventional Versus Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Spine Metastasis in the United States
Authors: Kim Ellen , McClelland Shearwood , Jaboin Jerry J. , Attia Albert
Published: December 2020

Introduction:

The improved survival of patients even with metastatic cancer has led to an increase in the incidence of spine metastases, suggesting the need for a more aggressive palliative treatment than conventional external beam radiation therapy (cEBRT). Consequently, spinal stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has increased in popularity over the past decade. However, there has been no comparison of patterns of usage of cEBRT versus SBRT in the treatment of spinal metastases in the US.

Methods:

The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) from 2004-2013 was used for analysis. cEBRT was defined as 30 Gy in 10 fractions, 20 Gy in 5 fractions, or 8 Gy in 1 fraction. SBRT was defined as 25-32 Gy infive5 fractions, 24-32 Gy in 4 fractions, 20-32 Gy in three fractions, 14-32 Gy in 2 fractions, or 14-24 Gy in 1 fraction. Single and multivariable associations between patient demographic and cancer characteristics and type of radiation were performed.

Results:

From 2004-2013, 23,181 patients with spinal metastases in the United States received cEBRT, while 1,030 received SBRT as part of their first course of treatment. Most patients (88%) received 10 fractions of radiation. Multivariable analysis suggested that non-Medicare or private insurance (adjusted OR 0.4-0.7), African-American race (adjusted OR = 0.8, 95%CI = 0.7-1.0), age 65+ (adjusted OR = 0.8), living in a region with lower population (adjusted OR 0.7), earlier year of diagnosis (OR = 0.9), and receiving treatment in a non-academic/research facility (adjusted OR 0.6) were associated with cEBRT. After controlling for other variables, regional education level was no longer significantly associated with cEBRT.

Conclusions:

Most patients with spine metastases were treated with cEBRT, usually with 10 fractions. Receipt of SBRT was significantly associated with race, insurance, geography, population, type of treatment facility, and year of diagnosis, even after controlling for other factors. These findings raise questions about disparities in access to and delivery of care that deserve further investigation.
Male and Female Perceptions and Experiences of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in South Kivu, Eastern DRC
Authors: Thulin Elyse J. , Lustig Andrew , Perrotte Violette , Lwabanya Marx , Evans Tyler
Published: December 2020

Conflict settings are often the context of some of the highest rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Although women are disproportionately the victims of SGBV, they are not the only victims. Indirect impacts of SGBV also impact men, families, and communities. Examining SGBV as only a woman’s concern reinforces the hegemonic gender-binary view that SGBV somehow does not include men, who can be direct victims of SGBV, family members of female victims of SGBV, and/or perpetrators of SGBV. This qualitative study seeks to fill a gap by exploring the impact of SGBV on individuals, families, and communities, and potential options to ameliorate those issues. Data were collected in 2019 from community-based discussions in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Women described being direct victims of SGBV, as well as the burden of being at constant alert to the possible threat of violence. Men talked more about SGBV being perpetrated against women, and the indirect effect on men’s perception of their social husband and/or father role to protect and provide for their family. Taken together, women and men describe three types of violence: sexual violence by an unknown assailant who is often associated the rebel groups or the military; sexual violence from a known assailant within one’s community; and sexual or physical violence within intimate partnerships (i.e., intimate partner violence). Women focused more on community-based solutions to reduce their exposure to violence, while men discussed the government’s responsibility to end the long-standing conflict that has severely disrupted lives. Practically, these findings support the need to specify different types of SGBV, and the opportunity to tailor interventions by type.
Childhood Maltreatment and Narcissism: The Mediating Role of Dissociation
Authors: Bertele Nina , Talmon Anat , Gross James J.
Published: December 2020

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be linked to adult narcissistic traits. However, it remains unclear how CM is associated with each type of narcissism, vulnerable and grandiose, and what mechanism mediates these links. One potential candidate is dissociation. This study examines the relations among CM, dissociation, vulnerable narcissism, and grandiose narcissism. A total of 322 women completed self-reported questionnaires assessing CM, dissociation, vulnerable narcissism, and grandiose narcissism. To examine the relations among CM, dissociation, and each type of narcissism, we performed Pearson’s correlations and mediation analyses. In secondary analyses, we conducted latent class analyses to classify different types of CM and to assess their relations with the study variables. We found small to moderate correlations between CM and vulnerable narcissism, ( r = .35, p < .001) and CM and grandiose narcissism ( r = .2, p < .001), with the former association being greater than the latter ( z = –3.25, p < .001). Dissociation was found to mediate the link between CM and each type of narcissism ( p < .001). Results suggest that CM may play a role in the etiology of vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, and that dissociation links CM to each type of narcissism. Findings highlight that CM may lead to different responses in terms of narcissism—through the same mediation process.
Balancing rationalism with creativity: an architectural studio’s experience of responsive design solutions
Authors: Jabeen Huraera , Kabir Khondaker Hasibul , Aziz Tasfin
Published: December 2020

The global discourse around architecture education emphasizes rethinking curricula for engaging more with social issues. The shift from creating star architects to socially responsive professionals necessitates examining different approaches to build skills, especially in the design studio, for encouraging a comprehensive system of inquiry for developing design solutions. In Jhenaidah, a secondary city in Bangladesh, fourth-year students participated in a design studio that tried to address critical urban issues and to generate design ideas using field research and community participation. This paper shares the experience of facilitating the design studio. The learning process and studio structure included exploration, examination, consultations, mapping, vision development and strategic planning for arriving at specific design proposals. The experience of working with a local government institution was an added learning of the studio. Pedagogical exploration from the studio reiterates the arguments for balancing rationalism and social responsiveness with creativity in architecture design studios.
Empirical Evidence of Dynamic Interactions Among Price Level, Interest Rate, Money Supply and Real Income: The Case of the Indian Economy
Authors: Rasool Haroon , Adil Masudul Hasan , Tarique Md.
Published: December 2020

Monetary policy approaches in India have changed from the simple monetary targeting frameworks in the mid-1980s to the multiple-indicator approach in the late 1990s and to the current flexible inflation targeting framework. The study aims to investigate the relationships among the macroeconomic variables money supply, real income, price level and interest rate for the period 1998–2014 in the case of India, a period when India adopted the multiple-indicator approach as its monetary policy strategy. The study uses the vector autoregression (VAR) model to examine the dynamic relationships among the variables. The Granger causality test via the VAR framework suggests that four pairs of causality exist; in particular, bidirectional causality exists between money supply and price level. Interest rate Granger-causes both real income and price level, and money supply Granger-causes the rate of interest. However, the study could not find any causal relationship between real income and money supply in either direction. The findings that money supply causes the interest rate and the interest rate causes real output are in line with the Keynesian theory, which argues that money supply affects output through the nominal interest rate. Finally, the results also support the arguments made in favour of a policy move from the multiple-indicator approach to the inflation targeting framework in India.
Book review: Nicholas Rush Smith, Contradictions of Democracy: Vigilantism and Rights in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Singh Santosh Kumar
Published: December 2020

Nicholas Rush Smith, Contradictions of Democracy: Vigilantism and Rights in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Oxford University Press, New York, 2019, p. 264. ISBN-10: 0190847190; ISBN-13: 978-0190847197.
Book review: Mario J. Azevedo (Ed.), Africana Studies: A Survey of Africa and the African Diaspora
Authors: Oshewolo Segun
Published: December 2020

Mario J. Azevedo (Ed.), Africana Studies: A Survey of Africa and the African Diaspora (4th Ed). Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC, 2019, pp. 743, $56.70 (Hardcover), $52.24 (eBook). ISBN: 159460732X
Mapping the Malaysian Smoking Cessation Clinics: A Geographic Information System–Based Study
Authors: Md Bohari Nor Faezah , Sabri Nur Fariza , Wan Rasdi Wan Nur Diyana , Mohd Radzi Nawwal Alwani , Bakri Noor Nazahiah
Published: December 2020

Although geographic information system–based studies are particularly increasing in other sectors, few have embraced their full potential in health services allocation in Malaysia. This study aimed to produce a visual map on the distribution of smoking cessation clinics (SCCs) in Malaysia and analyze its pattern against the national population of smokers. SCC addresses were obtained from the government website and mapped using geographic information system tools. A total of 199 and 449 private and public SCCs was mapped throughout the country, respectively. The lowest SCC to smoker population ratio was in the state of Negeri Sembilan with 1:3000. The highest SCC to smoker population ratio was in Sabah with 1 SCC for 15 000 smokers. Almost 70% of SCCs were primary health clinics. Smoking cessation clinics were distributed throughout all the states in Malaysia except the state of Sabah.
Implementation of next-generation sequencing for virus identification in veterinary diagnostic laboratories
Authors: Kubacki Jakub , Fraefel Cornel , Bachofen Claudia
Published: December 2020

The value of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based applications for testing purposes in human medicine is widely recognized. Although NGS-based metagenomic screening may be of interest in veterinary medicine, in particular for intensively farmed livestock species such as pigs, there is a lack of protocols tailored to veterinary requirements, likely because of the high diversity of species and samples. Therefore, we developed an NGS-based protocol for use in veterinary virology and present here different applications in porcine medicine. To develop the protocol, each step of sample preparation was optimized using porcine samples spiked with various RNA and DNA viruses. The resulting protocol was tested with clinical samples previously confirmed to be positive for specific viruses by a diagnostic laboratory. Additionally, we validated the protocol in an NGS viral metagenomics ring trial and tested the protocol on viral multiplex reference material (NIBSC, U.K.). We applied our ViroScreen protocol successfully for 1) virus identification, 2) virus characterization, and 3) herd screening. We identified torque teno sus virus and atypical porcine pestivirus in a neurologic case, determined the full-length genome sequence of swine influenza A virus in field samples, and screened pigs using pen floor fecal samples and chewing rope liquid.
Sodium distribution in the bovine brain
Authors: Romano Megan C. , Higgs Grace E. , Helm Michelle N. , Stefanovski Darko , Gaskill Cynthia L.
Published: December 2020

Fatal sodium intoxication can occur in many species, including cattle, and postmortem confirmation often includes brain sodium concentration determination. Published information regarding brain sodium distribution in cattle was not found in a literature review. Our study was designed to determine whether sodium is uniformly distributed throughout the bovine brain. Eight whole bovine brains were collected from adult cattle with no neurologic signs or history suggestive of sodium intoxication, and with a non-neurologic cause of death diagnosed on gross examination. Brains were divided mid-sagittally. One hemisphere of each brain was homogenized. Subsamples were obtained from the remaining hemisphere (rostral, caudal, and dorsal cerebral cortices; brainstem, thalamus, and cerebellum). Sodium concentrations of regions and homogenates were measured by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with a pairwise post-test to compare mean sodium concentration of each region to mean homogenate sodium concentration. Brain sodium was not uniformly distributed; sodium concentrations in different regions of the same brain varied somewhat unpredictably. Homogenization of an entire brain hemisphere appears to be the ideal method of sample preparation to ensure accurate brain sodium concentration measurement in adult cattle.
We Are the Champions? Performing whiteness in ASCENSION: DAWN OF CHAMPIONS
Authors: Harrer Sabine
Published: December 2020

Background.

Building on previous studies on racism and whiteness in video games, this article investigates how deck building games provide platforms for identity tourism, the symbolic appropriation of marginalised experiences, through their coupling of mechanics and racial stereotypes.

Aims.

The aim is to contribute to our understanding how dominant ideologies are expressed through simulation and gaming in a deck building context and how games similar to ASCENSION: DAWN OF CHAMPIONS (henceforth A: DOC) perpetuate racism and coloniality through gameplay design. This is part of an ongoing game studies effort to critique white supremacist and imperial structures in games.

Method.

In this article, I conduct a first-person close reading of A: DOC as an emblematic case study for contemporary deck building design. Using critical whiteness theory, I pay special attention to the gameplay design of the four Champion characters Nairi, Kor, Sadranis, and Dhartha in order to demonstrate the interplay of ludic, racial, and social performative elements in the construction of playful identities.

Analysis.

The deck building principles of A: DOC provides a racial pedagogical arena which creates affective links between gameplay and white supremacist values. In coupling digital deck building mechanics with stereotypical fantasy characters, the game invites players to take the roles of fantasy tourists and thereby become implicit in white supremacist play. Even though the characters Nairi, Kor, Sadranis and Dhartha are leaders of different genders and races, their “diversity” is established via popular racial cybertypes like the white female diversity advocate, the technologically advanced white male emperor, the aggressive Black male, and the Asian male exotic Oriental.
Making-Do on the Margins: Organizing Resource Seeking and Rhetorical Agency in Communities During Grassroots Entrepreneurship
Authors: Rajan Prashant
Published: December 2020

Innovation and entrepreneurship are important yet understudied pathways in the technical and professional communication (TPC) literature for studying how underresourced people enact agency given weak or absent access to institutions. Despite TPC’s social justice turn and continued internationalization of research and practice, little is known about how economically underresourced entrepreneurs work in the majority world. Drawing on multisited, ethnographic research in communities of such grassroots entrepreneurs in India, the author inquires into the processes by which innovation and entrepreneurship are practiced in extrainstitutional settings of the majority world. Popular and scholarly reports paint a simplistic picture when they claim that grassroots entrepreneurs are resourceful, resilient bricoleurs who possess deep, contextual knowledge of complex problems for which they improvise affordable solutions. Challenging this homogenizing view, the author shares rich accounts of how such individuals navigate the complex sociocultural contexts that constrain and enable bricolage on institutional margins.
Computational Analysis of Olfactory Airspace in Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip Nasal Deformity
Authors: Shah Reanna , Marcus Jeffrey R. , Frank-Ito Dennis O.
Published: December 2020

Objectives:

To evaluate the magnitude of olfactory recess opacity in patients with unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity (uCLND).

Design:

Subject-specific 3-dimensional reconstruction of the nasal airway anatomy was created from computed tomography images in 11 (4 males and 7 females) subjects with uCLND and 7 (3 males, and 4 females) normal subjects. The volume and surface area of each subject’s unilateral and bilateral olfactory airspace was quantified to assess the impact of opacification. Qualitatively speaking, patients with 75% to 100% olfactory recess opacification were classified as extreme, 50% to 75% as severe, 25% to 50% as moderate, and 0% to 25% as mild.

Results:

Of the 11 subjects with uCLND, 5 (45%) were classified as having extreme olfactory recess opacification, 3 (27%) subjects had severe opacification, and 3 (27%) subjects had moderate opacification. Mean (±SD) bilateral olfactory recess volume was significantly greater in normal subjects than in subjects with uCLND (0.9668 cm3 ± 0.4061 cm3 vs 0.3426 cm3 ± 0.1316 cm3; P < .001). Furthermore, unilateral olfactory airspace volumes for the cleft and non-cleft sides in subjects with uCLND were considerably less than unilateral olfactory volume in subjects with normal anatomy (uCLND cleft side = 0.1623 cm3 ± 0.0933 cm3; uCLND non-cleft side = 0.1803 cm3 ± 0.0938 cm3; normal = 0.4834 cm3 ± 0.2328 cm3; P < .001).

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate a high prevalence of olfactory recess opacification among subjects with uCLND when compared to subjects with normal anatomy. The majority of subjects with uCLND had extreme olfactory recess opacity, which will likely influence their sense of smell.
Novice and Experienced Elementary General Music Teachers’ Classroom Management Self-Efficacy
Authors: Potter Jennifer L.
Published: December 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary general music teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy. Targeted participants were novice and experienced elementary general music teachers teaching in urban, suburban, and rural/small town settings who received a survey disseminated through the National Association for Music Education. Survey participant data were analyzed using analysis of variance and analytic induction. Teaching experience had a significant effect on classroom management efficacy, while school setting did not. Themes that emerged from the analysis of responses to open-ended questions included adapting and implementing classroom management strategies, consistency, parental involvement, students’ home environments, and teacher expectations. Implications are also presented that relate to general music teachers’ self-efficacy.
The Role of Future Orientation and Negative Career Feedback in Career Agency and Career Success in Australian Adults
Authors: Praskova Anna , Johnston Lena
Published: December 2020

Future orientation is crucial for young people to achieve career-developmental milestones, yet little research has examined the role of future orientation in attaining career outcomes in adult samples. Using the future orientation framework, we tested direct effects of future orientation on career agency (proactive career behaviors and work effort) and career success (perceived employability and career adaptability), indirect effects via career agency variables, and conditional effects of negative career feedback in the future orientation-career agency-career success relationships. We surveyed 285 adults ( M = 38.38 years) and conducted structural equation and moderated mediation analyses. Future orientation was associated positively with work effort, proactive career behaviors, career adaptability, and perceptions of employability. Work effort and proactive career behaviors mediated the future orientation-career success relationship. The mediation via career behaviors (but not work effort) was dependent on the level of received negative career feedback. The results have theoretical and practical implications.
Emotional Efficacy Beliefs at Work and Turnover Intentions: The Mediational Role of Organizational Socialization and Identification
Authors: Cepale Gianluca , Alessandri Guido , Borgogni Laura , Perinelli Enrico , Avanzi Lorenzo , Livi Stefano , Coscarelli Alessandra
Published: December 2020

In this study we investigated whether regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs (RESE) indirectly predict turnover intentions (TI) through organizational socialization (OS) and organizational identification (OI). Three waves of data (1-year lag) were collected on a representative sample of 890 military newcomers belonging to two different cohorts. We tested our hypotheses using a multigroup autoregressive cross-lagged panel model (MG-ACLP) and results fully confirmed the posited theoretical model. Regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs reduced intentions to quit indirectly, via organizational socialization and identification. The present study contributes to fill several literature gaps by offering a complete picture of the socialization process. Moreover, it offers insights about how to support the military newcomers’ work adjustment and retention by fostering and developing their regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs. Limitations as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Beyond-the-Self Callings: The Role of a Transcendent Summons for Undergraduates and Working Adults
Authors: Marsh Dylan R. , Dik Bryan J.
Published: December 2020

Most scholars consider the “calling” construct to be multidimensional, yet very little research has examined the dimensions. Of the proposed dimensions, the most unique—and controversial—is a “transcendent summons” toward a particular career. In two studies, we investigated if a transcendent summons uniquely predicts individuals’ endorsement of having a calling, as well as their career-related and general well-being, beyond calling’s other dimensions. Participants were undergraduate students in the U.S. ( n = 492) and working adults drawn from a nationally representative, stratified U.S. panel study ( n = 767). Results suggested transcendent summons accounted for robust portions of unique variance in perceptions of calling for undergraduates and working adults. Results were mixed for other criterion variables, as a transcendent summons explained variance beyond calling’s other dimensions for three of the five career-related and general well-being variables for undergraduates, and two of five for working adults. Research and practice implications are discussed.
Alterations in TP53 Are a Potential Biomarker of Bladder Cancer Patients Who Benefit From Immune Checkpoint Inhibition
Authors: Lyu Qiong , Lin Anqi , Cao Manming , Xu Abai , Luo Peng , Zhang Jian
Published: December 2020

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting CTLA-4 or PD1/PDL1 have achieved remarkable success in the treatment of bladder cancer (BLCA), but only a few patients have shown durable clinical benefits. The prognostic role of a mutant form of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 (TP53-MT) in predicting the efficacy of ICIs is highly controversial; therefore, in this study, we obtained data for 210 patients from an immunotherapy cohort, 412 patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-BLCA cohort and 18 BLCA cell lines from Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC), and we performed integrated bioinformatic analysis to explore the relationships between TP53-MT and clinical benefits derived from ICI treatment and the underlying mechanisms. We conclude that TP53-MT is a potential indicator of a relatively good response to ICIs and associated with prolonged overall survival (OS) (log-rank test, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.99], p = 0.041). Through integrated analysis with several platforms, we found that TP53-MT patients were more likely to benefit from ICIs than wild-type P53 (TP53-WT) patients, which may be the result of 2 major mechanisms. First, the patients with TP53-MT showed stronger tumor antigenicity and tumor antigen presentation, as indicated by a higher tumor mutational load, a higher neoantigen load and increased expression of MHC; second, the antitumor immunity preexisting in tumors was stronger in samples with TP53-MT than in those with TP53-WT, including enrichment of interferon-gamma, positive regulation of TNF secretion pathways and increased expression of some immunostimulatory molecules, such as CXCL9 and CXCL10. This study provided some clues for identifying patients who would potentially benefit from ICIs at the somatic genomic level, developing new indications for targeted second-generation sequencing and promoting the development of precision medicine.
Intensity of Care, Expenditure, and Place of Death in French Women in the Year Before Their Death From Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Tanguy-Melac Audrey , Denis Pierre , Fagot-Campagna Anne , Gastaldi-Ménager Christelle , Laurent Marie , Tuppin Philippe
Published: December 2020

Health care utilization of women with breast cancer (BC) during the last year of life, together with the causes and place of death and associated expenditure have been poorly described. Women treated for BC (2014-2015) with BC as a cause of death in 2015 and covered by the national health insurance general scheme (77% of the population) were identified in the French health data system (n = 6,696, mean age: 68.7 years, SD ± 15). Almost 70% died in short-stay hospitals (SSH), 4% in hospital-at-home (HaH), 9% in Rehab, 5% in skilled nursing homes (SNH) and 12% at home. One-third presented cardiovascular comorbidity. During the last year, 90% were hospitalized at least once in SSH, 25% in Rehab, 13% in HaH and 71% received hospital palliative care (HPC), but only 5% prior to their end-of-life stay. During the last month, 85% of women were admitted at least once to a SSH, 42% via the emergency department, 10% to an ICU, 24% received inpatient chemotherapy and 18% received outpatient chemotherapy. Among the 83% of women who died in hospital, independent factors for HPC use were cardiovascular comorbidity (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 0.83; 95%CI: 0.72–0.95) and, in the 30 days before death, at least one SNH stay (aOR: 0.52; 95%CI: 0.36-0.76), ICU stay (aOR: 0.36; 95%CI: 0.30-0.43), inpatient chemotherapy (aOR: 0.55; 95%CI: 0.48-0.63), outpatient chemotherapy (aOR: 0.60; 95%CI: 0.51-0.70), death in Rehab (aOR: 1.4; 95%CI: 1.05-1.86) or HAH (aOR: 4.5; 95%CI: 2.47-8.1) vs SSH. Overall mean expenditure reimbursed per woman was €38,734 and €42,209 for those with PC. Women with inpatient or outpatient chemotherapy during the last month had lower rates of HPC, suggesting declining use of HPC before death. This study also indicates SSH-centered management with increased use of HPC in HaH and Rehab units and decreased access to HPC in SNH.