bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translational control ofgurkenmRNA inDrosophiladevelopment
Authors: Derrick Christopher J. , Weil Timothy T.
Published: September 2016

Localised mRNA translation is a widespread mechanism for targeting protein synthesis, important for cell fate, motility and pathogenesis. InDrosophila,the spatiotemporal control ofgurken/TGF-αmRNA translation is required for establishing the embryonic body axes. A number of recent studies have highlighted key aspects of the mechanism ofgurkenmRNA translational control at the dorsoanterior corner of the mid-stage oocyte. Orb/CPEB and Wispy/GLD-2 are required for polyadenylation ofgurkenmRNA, but mis-localisedgurkenmRNA in the oocyte is not fully polyadenylated1. At the dorsoanterior corner, Orb andgurkenmRNA have been shown to be enriched at the edge of Processing bodies, where translation occurs2. Over-expression of Orb in the adjacent nurse cells, wheregurkenmRNA is transcribed, is sufficient to cause mis-expression of Gurken protein3. Inorbmutant egg chambers, reducing the activity of CK2, a Serine/Threonine protein kinase, enhances polarity defects, consistent with a phenotype relating to a mutation of a factor involved ingurkentranslation4. Here we show that sites phosphorylated by CK2 overlap with active Orb and with Gurken protein expression. We also consolidate the current literature into a working model forgurkenmRNA translational control and review the role of kinases, cell cycle factors and polyadenylation machinery highlighting a multitude of conserved factors and mechanisms in theDrosophilaegg chamber.
Deep-time parallel evolution of myrmecoid syndrome in rove beetle symbionts of army ants
Authors: Maruyama Munetoshi , Parker Joseph
Published: September 2016

Recent adaptive radiations provide striking examples of convergence, but the predictability of evolution over much deeper timescales is controversial, due to a scarcity of ancient clades exhibiting repetitive patterns of phenotypic evolution. Army ants are ecologically dominant arthropod predators of the world's tropics, with large nomadic colonies housing diverse communities of socially parasitic myrmecophiles. Remarkable among these are many species of rove beetle (Staphylinidae) that exhibit ant-mimicking “myrmecoid” body forms and are behaviorally accepted into their aggressive hosts' societies: emigrating with colonies and inhabiting temporary nest bivouacs, grooming and feeding with workers, but also consuming the brood. Here we demonstrate that myrmecoid rove beetles are strongly polyphyletic, with this novel adaptive morphological and behavioral syndrome having evolved at least twelve times during the evolution of a single staphylinid subfamily, Aleocharinae. Each independent myrmecoid clade is restricted to one zoogeographic region and highly host-specific on a single army ant genus. Dating estimates reveal that myrmecoid clades are separated by substantial phylogenetic distances—as much as 105 million years (My). All such groups arose in parallel during the Cenozoic, as army ants are proposed to have risen to ecological dominance. This work uncovers a rare example of an ancient system of complex morphological and behavioral convergence, with replicate beetle lineages following a predictable phenotypic trajectory during their parasitic coevolution with army ants.
Flexible identities and cross-border knowledge networking
Authors: Moore Fiona
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore and discuss the use of the flexible, discursive nature of ethnic identity as a means of facilitating the construction and use of transnational knowledge networks.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the influence of “intangibles” on international business (IB), using a case study examining how Taiwanese people in London construct and use their professional networks for knowledge management. The methodology is ethnographic, including participant-observation, interviews and archival research.

Findings

Taiwanese businesspeople in London used their ethnic identity for networking, not only within the Taiwanese community, but also combined different identities to network through different groups. The findings suggest that the flexible nature of identity provides a means by which knowledge networks can be constructed across borders, providing insight into the actual processes through which knowledge is transferred in IB.

Research limitations/implications

An identity approach can add a more nuanced analysis of real-life situations to the more traditional culture-focused approach. Greater methodological variety is needed if IB studies are to incorporate more complex perspectives on cross-cultural management, and to develop this study’s conclusions.

Practical implications

Managers who are aware of the complexities of ethnic identity can exploit these among themselves and their employees to seek out new sources of knowledge.

Originality/value

This paper provides insight into the means and processes through which transnational networks are constructed and knowledge shared across borders, and the seldom-analysed role of identity, in this case ethnic identity, in these phenomena.
Corporate social responsibility, governance and stakeholders: a bank in the upbeat of the crisis
Authors: de Graaf Frank Jan
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Using the global financial crisis as a critical event and based on institutional theory and stakeholder theory, this paper aims to explore the relationship between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The question is how stakeholders can influence corporate responses to societal change by using their position in the governance structure.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a historical analysis of data collected mainly between 2002 and 2004. The historical perspective enables an understanding of the response of the company to environmental changes.

Findings

The approach enables researchers to relate the normative component of CSR to specific governance mechanisms. These governance mechanisms are specified in direct and indirect influence pathways. Historical data shed light on how, in the upbeat of the crisis, stakeholders have influenced the principles and policies of the ING Group, a Dutch financial company.

Research limitations/implications

The paper suggests that stakeholders influence principles – normative assumptions that guide corporate decisions – mainly in dialogue-based meetings (direct influence pathways). Companies are made accountable in indirect influence pathways such as regulations. The author also demonstrates that a historical approach enables an understanding of long-term historical developments and the linking of corporate policies to the normative assumptions of stakeholders.

Practical implications

If stakeholders wish to assess the social responsibility of a company, then they should assess the governance structure in relation to the principles and policies. The power structure within a company and that within the institutional framework in which the company operates (the governance system) strongly influences how a company executes its social responsibilities.

Social implications

The paper demonstrates how stakeholders can use the governance structure to influence a bank. If society – or a specific group in society – wants banks to play a different role, this paper points to what could be the levers of change in the governance system and the governance structure.

Originality/value

Insights into the complex relationship between corporate governance and the processes in which the social responsibilities of a company are developed.
Nonexperimental research: strengths, weaknesses and issues of precision
Authors: Reio Thomas G.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Nonexperimental research, defined as any kind of quantitative or qualitative research that is not an experiment, is the predominate kind of research design used in the social sciences. How to unambiguously and correctly present the results of nonexperimental research, however, remains decidedly unclear and possibly detrimental to applied disciplines such as human resource development. To clarify issues about the accurate reporting and generalization of nonexperimental research results, this paper aims to present information about the relative strength of research designs, followed by the strengths and weaknesses of nonexperimental research. Further, some possible ways to more precisely report nonexperimental findings without using causal language are explored. Next, the researcher takes the position that the results of nonexperimental research can be used cautiously, yet appropriately, for making practice recommendations. Finally, some closing thoughts about nonexperimental research and the appropriate use of causal language are presented.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the extant social science literature was consulted to inform this paper.

Findings

Nonexperimental research, when reported accurately, makes a tremendous contribution because it can be used for conducting research when experimentation is not feasible or desired. It can be used also to make tentative recommendations for practice.

Originality/value

This article presents useful means to more accurately report nonexperimental findings through avoiding causal language. Ways to link nonexperimental results to making practice recommendations are explored.
HR practice, organisational commitment & citizenship behaviour
Authors: Chang Kirk , Nguyen Bang , Cheng Kuo-Tai , Kuo Chien-Chih , Lee Iling
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between HR practice (four aspects), organisational commitment and citizenship behaviour at primary schools in Taiwan. The four human resource (HR) aspects include: recruitment and placement (RP), teaching, education and career (TEC) development, support, communication and retention (SCR), and performance and appraisal (PA).

Design/methodology/approach

With the assistance from the school HR managers and using an anti-common method variance strategy, research data from 568 incumbent teachers in Taiwan are collected, analysed and evaluated.

Findings

Different from prior studies, highlighting the merits of HR practice, the study discovers that HR practice may not necessarily contribute to citizenship behaviour. Teachers with positive perceptions of RP and TEC are more likely to demonstrate citizenship behaviour, whereas teachers with positive perceptions of SCR and PA are not. In addition, the study finds three moderators: affective organisational commitment (AOC), rank of positions, and campus size. The analysis shows that teachers with more AOC, higher positions and from smaller campus are more likely to demonstrate organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB).

Originality/value

The study provides a closer look at the HR-OCB relationship in Taiwan. It reveals that a positive perception of HR practice may not necessarily contribute to OCB occurrence. In addition, the results indicate that teachers have different views about varying HR aspects. Specifically, aspects of RP and TEC development receive relatively higher levels of positive perception, whereas aspects of SCR and PA receive relatively lower levels of positive perception. Questions arise as to whether HR practice may lead to more OCB at primary schools. If this statement is true, school managers shall think further of how to promote OCB using other policies, rather than relying on the HR practice investigated here.
Mental health predicted by coping, social support, and resilience among young unwed pregnant Malaysian women and mothers living in shelter homes
Authors: Nor Jana Saim , Ghazinour Mehdi , Richter Jörg
Published: September 2016

Purpose

There is a dearth of research on unwed young pregnant Malaysian women and mothers’ coping strategy and resilience in the context of limited social support they received. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the prediction of mental health by coping, social support, and resilience among unwed young Malaysian pregnant women and mothers.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative data of two assessments from respondents aged 11 to 32 years during their stay in shelter homes have been analyzed.

Findings

The result from the longitudinal study found that the variability in mental health scores could be explained between 14 percent for depressive-behavioral symptoms and 36 percent for general health. The mental health scores from the first assessment were part of the regression equation with the highest standardizedβscores. Cross-sectional, the variance in the three independent variable sets explained between 6 percent (general health) and 23 percent (cognitive depressive symptoms) of the variance in the various mental health scores with different variables of significant standardizedβscores in the regression equation. The study also found there were no significant changes in social support, resilience and coping between the first and second assessments even if the respondents had been in the shelter homes for a period of time.

Originality/value

The study highlighted the issue of mental health among Malaysian unwed mothers during residential periods in shelter homes. As the subject of unwed mothers is considered taboo, their rights are often deprived or overlooked.
Hotel maintenance management in Sanya, China
Authors: Pitt Michael , Cannavina Dominique , Sulaiman Raha , Mahyuddin Norhayati , Wu Cenlang
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To optimize hotel maintenance works, planned and reactive techniques are required which efficiently and effectively engage with the commercial and regulatory requirements of hotel operators and maintenance managers. The purposes of this study are to identify the constraints and challenges of hotel maintenance from the viewpoints of key stakeholders and to determine the strategies and processes employed in maintenance to overcome them.

Design/methodology/approach

The study focuses on five and four star hotels in Sanya of the Hainan Province. Eight face-to-face interviews were conducted in conjunction with 50 questionnaires, which were distributed to senior hotel operators and maintenance managers.

Findings

Maintenance management strategies are collaborative, with input from multiple stakeholders. Partial outsourcing is extremely common, being employed as a way of lowering operating costs and saving time while also meeting governmental statutory and regulatory requirements for some mechanical and electrical services. Availability of skilled workers, types of systems being serviced and the availability of specialist materials and tools were all found to influence the viability and effectiveness of in-house maintenance as discrete from outsourced maintenance. In reality, the challenges can include a lack of labor training and relatively lower quality of materials or energy efficiency requirements, especially in Sanya’s hotel industry.

Originality/value

The aim of this research was primarily focused on identifying the present maintenance statuses and strategies in hotels while determining the factors which result in a favorable bias toward a successful hotel maintenance management. Factors that affect hotel operators’ and maintenance managers’ decisions were identified and their influences quantified. The difficulties faced by hotels in implementing maintenance strategies were ratiocinated and stated to investigate those issues more deeply.
Bend it like FIFA: corruption on and off the pitch
Authors: Boudreaux Christopher John , Karahan Gokhan , Coats Morris
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the institutional background and the incentive for FIFA executives to engage in corrupt activities. The authors also highlight recent FIFA scandals and discuss approaches that may affect FIFA’s corruption in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors approach this subject through a historical narrative. The authors review the literature on corruption and apply these findings to the FIFA organization. Due to many similarities, the authors are able to juxtapose the successes and failures of the Olympics, and apply these findings to FIFA.

Findings

Based on the examination, the authors find that FIFA’s corruption can be mitigated, but it is a very difficult task to accomplish. The US Department of Justice has helped to jump start a corruption reform in FIFA. This has also facilitated the activities of the FIFA ethics committee. However, only time will tell whether these changes will be meaningful and last.

Originality/value

The contribution is that the authors closely link the sports management and economics literature on corruption using FIFA as the subject of analysis. Because of the recent FIFA scandal, the authors are able to update the corruption literature as it applies to this organization and, more generally, in sports.
Inelastic sports ticket pricing, marginal win revenue, and firm pricing strategy
Authors: Chang Yang-Ming , Potter Joel M. , Sanders Shane
Published: September 2016

Purpose

A standard result of firm theory is that a monopoly maximizes profit somewhere along the elastic portion of its demand curve. However, empirical studies of sports ticket pricing routinely find that (home) teams price along the inelastic portion of demand. Despite compelling theoretical explanations of this finding, at least one important factor remains unconsidered. A profit-maximizing team considers not only direct marginal revenue and direct marginal cost when setting a ticket price but also deferred, strategic benefit (revenue) from present game success. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Prior literature finds that a given win is valued in that it generates additional future revenue and likelihood of home victory rises, ceteris paribus, in crowd density. The authors construct a firm profit maximization problem in which a sports team considers both present and future revenue when pricing home games in the present period.

Findings

If the deferred benefit is sufficiently large, a forward-looking, profit-maximizing team prices along the inelastic portion of its static demand curve. Importantly, this same price falls along the elastic portion of the firm’s (empirically unobserved) dynamic demand curve.

Originality/value

This is the first model of sports ticket pricing to recognize the intertemporal nature of demand for a sports match.
Reducing reputational risk
Authors: Benn Shaun , Abratt Russell , Kleyn Nicola
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish how executive managers in a South African organisation prioritise and manage reputational risks arising from stakeholder claims. The authors establish how corporate reputation and reputational risk fits into their decision making when considering stakeholder claims.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted in-depth interviews with the top management of a South African paint manufacture. They identified eight stakeholder claims and discussed how they assessed and addressed each one.

Findings

Respondents identified highly, moderate, and low salient claims. They reported on how they dealt with these different claims in terms of the attributes of power, legitimacy, and urgency.

Originality/value

This is an empirical theory-testing study of how managers deal with stakeholder claims. The authors establish how corporate reputation and reputational risk fits into their decision making when considering stakeholder claims. The authors suggest that managers must not only understand who their stakeholders are, but need to evaluate the impact of stakeholder claims in order to manage reputational risk.
Clinical significance of serum soluble T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 levels in systemic sclerosis: Association with disease severity
Authors: Chiba Miki , Yanaba Koichi , Hayashi Mitsuha , Yoshihara Yuki , Nakagawa Hidemi
Published: September 2016

T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM‐3) has been thought to play a crucial role in the negative regulation of immune responses. Here, we examined the levels of serum soluble TIM‐3 (sTIM‐3) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and evaluated the results with respect to the clinical features of the disease. Patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) had higher levels of sTIM‐3 than those with limited cutaneous SSc and healthy individuals. Serum sTIM‐3 levels were positively correlated with the severity of skin sclerosis in early phase dcSSc. Moreover, serum sTIM‐3 levels were increased more often in patients with renal crisis and cardiac involvement than in those with normal sTIM‐3 levels. These results suggest that serum sTIM‐3 levels may be increased in patients with early phase dcSSc and associated with cardiac involvement and renal crisis. Measurement of serum sTIM‐3 may be useful for risk stratification in the early stage of the disease.
Mating opportunities and energetic constraints drive variation in age‐dependent sexual signalling
Authors: Houslay Thomas M. , Houslay Kirsty F. , Rapkin James , Hunt John , Bussière Luc F.
Published: September 2016

When males repeatedly produce energetically expensive sexual signals, trade‐offs between current and future investment can cause plasticity in age‐dependent signalling. Such variation is often interpreted as alternate adaptive strategies: live fast and die young vs. slow and steady.

An alternative (yet rarely tested) explanation is that condition‐dependent constraints on allocation cause variation in signalling with age (‘late bloomers’ do not have early investment options). Testing this hypothesis is challenging because resource acquisition and allocation are difficult to measure, and energetic reserves both affect and are affected by reproductive effort.

We simultaneously manipulated acquisition (through dietary nutrition) and access to potential mates (as a proxy for manipulating sexual trait allocation) in male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus), while measuring age‐ and signalling effort‐mediated changes in energy storage components.

Increased diet quality caused increased signalling effort and energy storage, while access to females increased both the likelihood of and time spent signalling. Males with lower resource budgets signalled less, but still suffered energetic storage loss and viability costs.

Our results suggest that energetic constraints, rather than strategic resource accumulation, reduced signalling levels in males with lower resource acquisition ability. Our findings imply a non‐adaptive explanation for age‐dependent variation in sexual signalling, and an important role for energetic constraints in maintaining the honesty of costly behavioural displays.
Development and Validation of a Technique for Casting Anatomical Features and Toolmarks
Authors: Aland Rachel Claire , Piper Alan , Gosden Edward
Published: September 2016

Time may elapse between examination of marks inflicted on the body and comparison with a potential weapon. Two‐dimensional photographs may be inadequate for effective comparison of a three‐dimensional mark with a putative instrument. Taking a cast and producing a positive image results in a lasting three‐dimensional record. This project aimed to develop and demonstrate the accuracy of an easy technique for production of long‐lasting positive images (using plaster of Paris and dental alginate). Casts of facial features of embalmed cadavers were used to produce a positive image of the face (death mask). Measurements of distances between facial anatomical landmarks were compared with measurements of distances between the same landmarks on the death masks to assess accuracy of reproduction. There were no significant differences between cadaver and death mask in 6 of 9 measurements, indicating this technique has high accuracy with less mobile facial features, but produces deformation of pliable features.
Remote Wiping and Secure Deletion on Mobile Devices: A Review
Authors: Leom Ming Di , Choo Kim‐Kwang Raymond , Hunt Ray
Published: September 2016

Mobile devices have become ubiquitous in almost every sector of both private and commercial endeavors. As a result of such widespread use in everyday life, many users knowingly and unknowingly save significant amounts of personal and/or commercial data on these mobile devices. Thus, loss of mobile devices through accident or theft can expose users—and their businesses—to significant personal and corporate cost. To mitigate this data leakage issue, remote wiping features have been introduced to modern mobile devices. Given the destructive nature of such a feature, however, it may be subject to criminal exploitation (e.g., a criminal exploiting one or more vulnerabilities to issue a remote wiping command to the victim's device). To obtain a better understanding of remote wiping, we survey the literature, focusing on existing approaches to secure flash storage deletion and provide a critical analysis and comparison of a variety of published research in this area. In support of our analysis, we further provide prototype experimental results for three Android devices, thus providing both a theoretical and applied focus to this article as well as providing directions for further research.
Challenges in Radiofrequency Pasteurization of Shell Eggs: Coagulation Rings
Authors: Lau Soon Kiat , Thippareddi Harshavardhan , Jones David , Negahban Mehrdad , Subbiah Jeyamkondan
Published: September 2016

A total of 50 different configurations of simple radiofrequency (RF) heating at 27.12 MHz of a shell egg were simulated using a finite element model with the purpose of pasteurizing the egg. Temperature‐dependent thermal and dielectric properties of the yolk, albumen, and shell were measured, fitted, and introduced into the model. A regression equation that relates the top electrode voltage to the gap between the electrodes and vertical position of the egg was developed. Simulation and experimental results had good agreement in terms of temperature deviation (root mean squared error ranged from 0.35 °C to 0.48 °C) and both results demonstrated the development of a “coagulation ring” around the air cell. The focused heating near the air cell of the egg prevented pasteurization of the egg due to its impact on quality (coagulation). Analysis of the electric field patterns offered a perspective on how nonuniform RF heating could occur in heterogeneous food products. The results can be used to guide development of RF heating for heterogeneous food products and further development of RF pasteurization of eggs.
The Difficulty of Selecting the NANDA‐I Nursing Diagnosis (2015–2017) of “Death Anxiety” in Japan
Authors: Shimomai Kimiyo , Furukawa Hidetoshi , Kuroda Yuko , Fukuda Kazuaki , Masuda Mitsumi , Koizumi Junko
Published: September 2016

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to clarify any difficulties or problems that exist in Japanese healthcare sites regarding the selection of death anxiety as a nursing diagnosis.

METHODS

This study was a qualitative, inductive research design. The semistructured interviews were conducted on the participants who were nurses and had 3 or more years of clinical experience in Japan.

RESULTS

Results showed four categories: “The Japanese have a culture of avoiding death,” “It is extremely difficult to match diagnostic indicators and related factors with specific patient cases,” “Other diagnoses exist that are effective and enable proactive intervention,” and “The definition of death anxiety and the meaning of its diagnostic indicators are unintelligible.”

DISCUSSION

It is thought that nursing diagnoses that reflect specific cultural backgrounds require definitions appropriate to each country and appropriate revisions to diagnostic indicators.
Interactive Effects of Ethanol and HIV‐1 Proteins on Novelty‐Seeking Behaviors and Addiction‐Related Gene Expression
Authors: Wingo Taylor , Nesil Tanseli , Chang Sulie L. , Li Ming D.
Published: September 2016

Background

Novelty‐seeking behavior is related to the reward system in the brain and can predict the potential for addiction. Alcohol use is prevalent in HIV‐1‐infected patients and adversely affects antiretroviral medication. The difference in vulnerability to alcohol addiction between HIV‐1‐infected and noninfected populations has not been fully investigated. This study was designed to determine whether HIV‐1 proteins alter the effects of ethanol (EtOH) on novelty‐seeking behavior using the HIV‐1 transgenic (HIV‐1Tg) rat as the study model and to examine the molecular mechanisms responsible for this behavior.

Methods

Both HIV‐1Tg and F344 control rats were tested for baseline novelty‐seeking behavior, then received either EtOH (1 g/kg) at a concentration of 20% v/v or saline treatment for 13 days, and then were retested for novelty seeking. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was conducted to examine the differences in expression of 65 genes implicated in novelty seeking and alcohol addiction between strains and treatment groups.

Results

The HIV‐1 proteins significantly enhanced baseline novelty‐seeking behaviors in both the hole‐board and open‐field tests. Chronic EtOH treatment significantly increased baseline novelty‐seeking behavior in both strains, but the effects of EtOH appeared to be more robust and prominent in HIV‐1Tg rats. Strain‐specific patterns of altered gene expression were observed for dopaminergic, cholinergic, and glutamatergic signaling in the nucleus accumbens, suggesting the effects of HIV‐1 proteins on the brain's reward system. Chronic EtOH treatment was shown to greatly modulate the effects of HIV‐1 proteins in these neurotransmitter systems.

Conclusions

Taken together, our findings indicate that HIV‐1 proteins could modify novelty‐seeking behavior at the gene expression level, and EtOH treatment may enhance this behavior in both strains but to a greater extent in HIV‐1Tg rats.
Morphostructure of Immune System Organs in Cattle of Different Age
Authors: Gasisova A. I. , Atkenova A. B. , Ahmetzhanova N. B. , Murzabekova L. M. , Bekenova A. C.
Published: September 2016

This article provides comprehensive consideration of the age‐dependent morphofunctional state of organs and tissues of the immune system (thymus, spleen, superficial and deep lymph nodes) in cattle. The morphofunctional maturity of organs and tissues of the immune system in cattle will be taken into account in various experimental studies, preventive and therapeutic measures. Performed analysis provides description of the spleen formation as well as the thymus and lymph nodes in post‐natal ontogenesis and the macro‐ and microscopic structure of lymphoid cells and macrophages. The obtained results can be used to study immune responses of the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes in the pathological immunogenesis and may serve as a basis for development of recommendations related to diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cattle immune system. The morphofunctional state of organs and tissues of the immune system in cattle was first studied with regard to the age dynamics. Based on the immunohistological studies, this article described the distribution and topography of immunocompetent cells (T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and macrophages) and proliferative activity of lymphoid cells in the lymphoid organs and tissues in cattle.
Systematic review: second‐generation vs. conventional corticosteroids for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis
Authors: D'Haens G.
Published: September 2016

Background

Oral corticosteroids are the mainstay treatment for induction of ulcerative colitis remission in patients failing or intolerant to aminosalicylate therapy, but the poor tolerability profile of these drugs limits their usefulness. Second‐generation, gut‐selective corticosteroids may offer a safe alternative to systemic agents.

Aim

To review the efficacy and safety of systemic and second‐generation oral corticosteroids for the induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.

Methods

The PubMed database was searched for randomised, controlled, and open‐label trials of orally administered corticosteroids published between January 1950 and September 2015. Additional trials were identified from review of citation lists. Trials that compared oral corticosteroids with non‐oral agents or in combination with agents other than aminosalicylates were excluded.

Results

Of the 240 studies identified, 21 were eligible for inclusion. Few trials directly compared oral systemic and second‐generation corticosteroids (n = 4). Some second‐generation corticosteroids had questionable efficacy vs. placebo or mesalazine (mesalamine), but beclomethasone dipropionate and budesonide MMX demonstrated a comparative benefit. Only beclomethasone dipropionate was similar to conventional corticosteroids for induction of remission and other clinical endpoints. Direct comparative trials for budesonide MMX were unavailable. Second‐generation corticosteroids had an overall favourable safety profile, with minimal adverse effects on cardiovascular and metabolic parameters and a low incidence of adverse events.

Conclusions

Beclomethasone dipropionate and budesonide MMX provide greater induction of remission in ulcerative colitis than placebo or mesalazine but additional active‐comparator trials are needed to firmly establish the efficacy profile vs. systemic corticosteroids. Second‐generation corticosteroids have a more favourable safety and tolerability profile than systemic corticosteroids.
Bidirectional Approach of Video‐Assisted Neck Surgery (BAVANS): Endoscopic complete central node dissection with craniocaudal view for treatment of thyroid cancer
Authors: Nakajo Akihiro , Arima Hideo , Hirata Munetsugu , Yamashita Yoshie , Shinden Yoshiaki , Hayashi Naoki , Kawasaki Yota , Arigami Takaaki , Uchikado Yasuto , Mori Shinichiro , Mataki Yuko , Sakoda Masahiko , Kijima Yuko , Uenosono Yoshikazu , Maemura Kosei , Natsugoe Shoji
Published: September 2016

Introduction

Endoscopic thyroidectomy is a well‐established surgical technique that is mainly performed for benign thyroid disease. We considered that endoscopic surgery could also be widely indicated for the treatment of thyroid cancer. We herein describe our new bidirectional approach of video‐assisted neck surgery (BAVANS) for complete central node dissection in endoscopic thyroid cancer surgery.

Methods

BAVANS involves two different directional pathways to the cervical lesion. Before lymph node dissection, we perform endoscopic thyroidectomy via a conventional gasless precordial or axillary approach. After thyroidectomy, the surgeon repositions by the head of the patient and inserts three ports in front of the upper neck lesion in the submandibular area to approach the paratracheal lesion from an overhead‐to‐caudal direction.

Results

BAVANS allows for an excellent craniocaudal view and easy access to the peritracheal lymph nodes. Sixteen patients with papillary thyroid cancer underwent BAVANS and progressed satisfactorily after surgery. Of those patients, eight underwent total or near total thyroidectomy, and five patients underwent bilateral central node dissection. The average number of retrieved lymph nodes with unilateral central node dissection was nine, which was higher than that achieved with conventional open surgery. All patients began oral intake within 5 h after surgery. Postoperative Horner syndrome occurred in one patient. No other complications were noted.

Conclusions

BAVANS is a very effective surgical procedure that many endoscopic surgeons can perform safely and easily. It has both a cosmetic advantage and excellent curability in endoscopic thyroid cancer surgery.
The Effects of l‐Carnitine Against Cyclophosphamide‐Induced Injuries in Mouse Testis
Authors: Cao Yuanchao , Wang Xinsheng , Li Shenqian , Wang Hongqiang , Yu Lei , Wang Peitao
Published: September 2016

In order to explore the possibility of l‐carnitine (LC) as a protector of male fertility in chemotherapy, we observed the damage of cyclophosphamide (CTX) to Sertoli cells and the protective effect of LC on the testis Sertoli cells from such damage in this study. Healthy adult male mice were divided into three groups: chemotherapy group were injected intraperitoneally with the CTX; protective agent group were injected both LC and CTX; control group mice were injected only with isochoric physiological saline; all once a day for 5 days. After 5 days, the mice were, respectively, killed at 24 hr after the last injection. The testis and epididymis were removed. Epididymis was for sperm analysis immediately, and immunohistochemistry, RT‐PCR and Western blot for the assessments of occludin, glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and TGF‐β3 mRNA and protein expression. The sperm analysis of epididymis showed that CTX can significantly decrease sperm count and motility; and administration of LC resulted in significant recovery of the sperm count and sperm motility. Compared with control group, the expressions of occludin and GDNF decreased and the expression of TGF‐β3 increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the CTX group. In the LC + CTX group, the expressions of occludin and GDNF were higher than those of the CTX group and similar to those of the control group; the TGF‐β3 expression was lower (p < 0.05) than that of the CTX group and similar to that of the control group. The results of this study showed that CTX could damage the spermatogenesis and reduce the expression of occludin and GDNF, and increase the expression of TGF‐β3 in testis of mouse, which indicates CTX's damage or efficacy to testis Sertoli cells. LC could protect the Sertoli cells of testis from these damages caused by CTX, and promote or protect the spermatogenesis. In conclusion, this study provides meaningful information about the possible damage to male fertility by chemotherapeutics and potential of LC in the protection of male fertility during chemotherapy.
Victimization and its associations with peer rejection and fear of victimization: Moderating effects of individual‐level and classroom‐level characteristics
Authors: Kollerová Lenka , Smolík Filip
Published: September 2016

Background

Past research has shown that peer victimization by bullying is associated with peer rejection and fear of victimization, but little is known about the interplay between victimization and other characteristics in the prediction of these experiences. We assume that the associations between victimization and peer rejection/fear of victimization are moderated by multiple characteristics, including aspects of peer ecology.

Aims

The study tested whether the links between victimization and peer rejection/fear of victimization are moderated by gender, peer support, and two features of classroom peer ecology: classroom victimization rate and classroom hierarchy (the variability of popularity among students).

Sample

The sample included 512 early adolescents attending sixth grade retrieved from 25 elementary school classrooms.

Methods

Participants completed a set of self‐report and peer nomination instruments in classroom settings.

Results

Multilevel linear modelling showed that higher levels of peer rejection were associated with higher victimization, male gender, and lower peer support. The association between victimization and peer rejection was attenuated for females and when the classroom victimization rate was higher. A higher fear of victimization was related to higher victimization, female gender, lower peer support, and a higher classroom victimization rate. The link between victimization and fear of victimization was strengthened by female gender and higher levels of classroom hierarchy.

Conclusions

The results indicate the relevance of the interplay between victimization and gender and between victimization and classroom peer ecology in understanding peer rejection and fear of victimization.
Transgenic animal model for studying the mechanism of obesity‐associated stress urinary incontinence
Authors: Wang Lin , Lin Guiting , Lee Yung‐Chin , Reed‐Maldonado Amanda B. , Sanford Melissa T. , Wang Guifang , Li Huixi , Banie Lia , Xin Zhengcheng , Lue Tom F.
Published: September 2016

Objective

To study and compare the function and structure of the urethral sphincter in female Zucker lean (ZL) and Zucker fatty (ZF) rats and to assess the viability of ZF fats as a model for female obesity‐associated stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Materials and Methods

Two study arms were created: a ZL arm including 16‐week‐old female ZL rats (ZUC‐Leprfa 186; n = 12) and a ZF arm including 16‐week‐old female ZF rats (ZUC‐Leprfa 185; n = 12). I.p. insulin tolerance testing was carried out before functional study. Metabolic cages, conscious cystometry and leak point pressure (LPP) assessments were conducted. Urethral tissues were harvested for immunofluorescence staining to check intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and sphincter muscle (smooth muscle and striated muscle) composition.

Results

The ZF rats had insulin resistance, a greater voiding frequency and lower LPP compared with ZL rats (P < 0.05), with more IMCL deposition localized in the urethral striated muscle fibres of the ZF rats (P < 0.05). The thickness of the striated muscle layer and the ratio of striated muscle to smooth muscle were lower in ZF than in ZL rats.

Conclusion

Obesity impairs urethral sphincter function via IMCL deposition and leads to atrophy and distortion of urethral striated muscle. The ZF rats could be a consistent and reliable animal model in which to study obesity‐associated SUI.
Long‐term results of cabergoline therapy for macroprolactinomas and analyses of factors associated with remission after withdrawal
Authors: Watanabe Shinya , Akutsu Hiroyoshi , Takano Shingo , Yamamoto Tetsuya , Ishikawa Eiichi , Suzuki Hiroaki , Matsumura Akira
Published: September 2016

Objective

Withdrawal of cabergoline is generally challenging, especially in patients with large or invasive macroprolactinomas. Therefore, we aimed to assess long‐term results of cabergoline therapy for macroprolactinomas and remission achievement results after withdrawal in patients with macroprolactinomas. We also investigated clinical characteristics and factors related to remission after withdrawal.

Methods

This was an institutional review board‐approved retrospective analysis. We studied 46 macroprolactinoma patients who had taken cabergoline during the period from 2003 through 2013. Administration of cabergoline was maintained for 5 years before withdrawal.

Results

Median follow‐up after the initiation of cabergoline therapy was 54·3 (range 5·3 to 137·2) months. Recurrences of hyperprolactinaemia were observed in 3 of 11 (27%) postwithdrawal patients at a median time of 3·0 (range; 2·9–11·2) months, indicating that a high percentage (73%) maintained remission for at least 12 months after cabergoline cessation. Factors significantly associated with remission were analysed in 21 patients receiving long‐term cabergoline administration. On multivariate analysis, the absence of cavernous sinus invasion on pretreatment MRI (≥3/4 tumour encasement of the intracavernous internal carotid artery) (HR; 21·94, 95% CI; 2·06–1071·0, P = 0·006), initial PRL <132·7 ng/ml (HR; 8·28, 95% CI; 1·24–199·6, P = 0·03) and nadir PRL <1·9 ng/ml during cabergoline therapy (HR; 5·14, 95% CI; 1·10–39·02, P = 0·04) showed statistically significant correlations with remission after withdrawal.

Conclusions

Cabergoline therapy can achieve a high percentage (73% in this series) of remission maintenance for at least 12 months after cessation of a 5‐year course of therapy, even in patients with macroprolactinomas. The absence of cavernous sinus invasion, serum PRL level lower than 132·7 ng/ml before cabergoline therapy or nadir serum PRL below 1·9 ng/ml were related to more frequent remission after withdrawal of cabergoline in patients receiving this medication for 5 years.
An ecological systems approach to understanding social support in foster family resilience
Authors: Piel Megan Hayes , Geiger Jennifer M. , Julien‐Chinn Francie J. , Lietz Cynthia A.
Published: September 2016

Families who care for children in the foster care system often experience challenges related to the system, accessing services and supports, and managing relationships. Despite these challenges, many families thrive because of unique attributes and strengths that contribute to experiences of resilience. Using an ecological framework, this study examined social support among resilient foster families to better understand how foster caregivers experienced positive reciprocal transactions across systems. As part of a larger study, in‐depth narrative interviews were conducted to examine the process of resilience for families who foster. Findings revealed that families accessed and benefited from social support on micro‐level, meso‐level and macro‐level. Understanding how families cultivated social support across multiple levels offers implications for practice and policy when considering how best to retain and support families who care for vulnerable children.
Myocardial injury in patients with hemodynamic derangements during and/or after liver transplantation
Authors: Huang Shun , Apinyachon Worapot , Agopian Vatche G. , Wray Christopher L. , Busuttil Ronald W. , Steadman Randolph H. , Xia Victor W.
Published: September 2016

Myocardial injury, defined as an elevation of cardiac troponin (cTn) resulting from ischemia, is associated with substantial mortality in surgical patients, and its incidence, risk factors, and impact on patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) are poorly understood. In this study, adult patients who experienced perioperative hemodynamic derangements and had cTn measurements within 30 days after LT between 2006 and 2013 were studied. Of 502 patients, 203 (40.4%) met the diagnostic criteria (cTn I ≥0.1 ng/mL) of myocardial injury. The majority of myocardial injury occurred within the first three postoperative days and presented without clinical signs or symptoms of myocardial infarction. Thirty‐day mortality in patients with myocardial injury was 11.4%, significantly higher compared with that in patients without myocardial injury (3.4%, P<.01). Cox analysis indicated the peak cTn was significantly associated with 30‐day mortality. Multivariable logistic analysis identified three independent risk factors: requirement of ventilation before transplant (odds ratios (OR) 1.6, P=.006), RBC≥15 units (OR 1.7, P=.006), and the presence of PRS (OR 2.0, P=.028). We concluded that post‐LT myocardial injury in this high‐risk population was common and associated with mortality. Our findings may be used in pretransplant stratification. Further studies to investigate this postoperative cardiac complication in all LT patients are warranted.