bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Business management in the football industry from a supply chain management perspective
Authors: Memari Zhaleh , Rezaei Pandari Abbas , Ehsani Mohammad , Mahmudi Shokufeh
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To understand the football industry in its entirety, a supply chain management (SCM) approach is necessary. This includes the study of suppliers, consumers and their collaborations. The purpose of this study was to present a business management model based on supply chain management.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 academic and executive football experts. After three steps of open, axial and selective coding based on grounded theory with a paradigmatic approach, the data were analysed, and a football supply chain management (FSCM) was developed. The proposed model includes three managerial components: upstream suppliers, the manufacturing firm, and downstream customers.

Findings

The football industry sector has three parts: upstream suppliers, manufacturing firm/football clubs and downstream customers. We proposed seven parts for the managerial processes of football supply chain management: event/match management, club management, resource and infrastructure management, customer relationship management, supplier relationship management, cash flow management and knowledge and information flow management. This model can be used for configuration, coordination and redesign of business operations as well as the development of models for evaluation of the football supply chain's performance.

Originality/value

The proposed model of a football supply chain management, with the existing literature and theoretical review, created a synergistic outcome. This synergy is presented in the linkage of the players in this chain and interactions between them. This view can improve the management of industry productivity and improve the products quality.
Understanding travellers’ reactions to robotic services: a multiple case study approach of robotic hotels
Authors: Çakar Kadir , Aykol Şehmus
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate travellers’ behaviour and examine their reactions to high-tech hotels offering robotic services to customers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from user-generated content within the context of a qualitative research method by analysing the online narratives of travellers at TripAdvisor who visited robotic hotels. Data analysis was realised through content analysis, which revealed various themes and categories of traveller behaviour and reactions to technology.

Findings

Results show that robotic services significantly improve the quality of service offered to travellers, while positively affecting travellers’ intention to revisit robotic hotels within the context of customer engagement behaviours.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the present research reveal that the introduction of new technologies in the service industry, such as the robotic butler, can have considerable effects on guest behaviour and attitudes. This field has emerged as a new sub-dimension of customer engagement.

Practical implications

The use of robots will most likely enhance experiences through interaction between customers and robots. Additionally, in cases where social distancing is required, the use of robots in the hospitality and tourism industry may increase the mobility of people wishing to travel by applying social distancing through use of robots in services.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the extant literature by identifying the concept of adoption as a sub-dimension deriving from human–robot interaction, thus generating the novelty of the research.
An overview of quantitative instruments and measures for impact in coproduction
Authors: MacGregor Stephen
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the quantitative measurement tools used in fields of study related to coproduction, as an approach to mobilizing knowledge, in order to inform the measurement of impact.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview methodology was used to synthesize the findings from prior instrument reviews, focusing on the contexts in which measurement tools have been used, the main constructs and content themes of the tools, and the extent to which the tools display promising psychometric and pragmatic qualities.

Findings

Eight identified reviews described 441 instruments and measures designed to capture various aspects of knowledge being mobilized among diverse research stakeholders, with 291 (66%) exhibiting relevance for impact measurement.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies that measure aspects of coproduction need to engage more openly and critically with psychometric and pragmatic considerations when designing, implementing and reporting on measurement tools.

Practical implications

Twenty-seven tools with strong measurement properties for evidencing impact in coproduction were identified, offering a starting point for scholars and practitioners engaging in partnered approaches to research, such as in professional learning networks.

Originality/value

Current quantitative approaches to measuring the impacts of coproduction are failing to do so in ways that are meaningful, consistent, rigorous, reproducible and equitable. This paper provides a first step to addressing this issue by exploring promising measurement tools from fields of study with theoretical similarities to coproduction.
The dual effect of foreign competition on emerging market firms' internationalization
Authors: Chen Hongquan , Zeng Saixing , Wu Chongfeng , Fu Haiping
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The authors develop a theoretical framework of how foreign competition in a firm's home country jointly interacts with other environmental factors to influence the internationalization pace. This study moves beyond the debate on whether foreign competition promotes or inhibits the internationalization pace by unpacking the nature of pace across strategic and operational dimensions. By differentiating the internationalization paces of market scope and international commitment, the study results show that foreign competition has a positive effect on the former and a negative effect on the latter. This indicates that the determinants of different paces are conditional upon the different knowledge types among foreign competitors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a panel data set of Chinese construction corporations over the period from 2009 to 2015, the authors extend previous research on the effect of home country environment on internationalization behavior in an emerging economy by examining the effects of the interplay between foreign competition in home country and industrial contexts. The authors also explore the moderating effect of subnational institutions on the relationship between foreign competition and internationalization pace. They use a Poisson model and a GEE model to examine the main effects and moderating effects involved.

Findings

The results indicate that industry dynamism strengthens the positive effect of foreign competition and the pace of market scope, while industry munificence weakens the negative effect of foreign competition and the pace of international commitment. The authors’ findings support the coexistence of “pushing” and “pulling” effects of environmental factors from a firm's home country. The authors extend the argument of “institutional escapism” by focusing on subnational institutions. They show that firms located in a region with a low level of marketization are more likely to respond by accelerating the pace of their international expansion to escape from their home country.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings have implications for practitioners and policymakers working with emerging market firms (EMFs). The authors suggest that local governments should consider building high-quality institutions that can reduce the possibility of investment opportunities escaping EMFs. The authors’ findings indicate that international knowledge from foreign competitors may also assist EMFs in understanding more about the cultural environment before entering host countries, although it cannot help them to resolve cultural uncertainty when operating in host countries. Hence, managers should carefully evaluate their competitiveness before they decide to engage in global competition at an accelerated rate.
International market selection: an application of hybrid multi-criteria decision-making technique in the textile sector
Authors: Vanegas-López Juan Gabriel , Baena-Rojas Jose Jaime , López-Cadavid Diego Alejandro , Mathew Manoj
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The selection of an international market (IMS) is a prime factor in the success and growth of a company. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to consolidate and apply a systematic methodology that contributes toward the evaluation of international markets and promotes entry into the export market of Antioquia’s textile companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a systematic literature review, the criteria and sub-criteria involved in the IMS process are identified and a total of 5 general criteria and 23 sub-criteria are selected. A hybrid approach is used to address the gap. In total, a multiple case study of 11 companies from different range of export values are selected. Data analysis is conducted using two multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) models, namely, the analytic hierarchy process for weighting the factors and the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution for the country selection ranking.

Findings

The results demonstrate the applicability of the hybrid MCDM technique to improve IMS decision-making in the textile sector and other sectors. It is found that Canada, Belgium and the UK are the best destinations for textile exports with a selection score of 0.7716, 0.7488 and 0.7337, respectively. The sub-criteria belonging to the dimensions of trade barriers, economic factors and costs are the main factors affecting the export of a textile-clothing product.

Research limitations/implications

The possibility of achieving a generalized result through this case study is not possible, but the methodological application carried out is a novel for the selection of markets in the Colombian case and within the literature available in the domain.

Practical implications

From the managerial point of view, firms associated with trade have a broader vision when looking for new markets. Emerging entrepreneurs can equip themselves to enter the international market. Practitioners and policymakers can also use this methodology, which will allow them to evaluate new markets to outline promotional strategies for positioning products abroad.

Social implications

To facilitate the selection of international markets for enterprises.

Originality/value

The contribution of the study is twofold. First, the combination of techniques will allow wider support for the selection of markets and act as a decision support system. On the other hand, this is the first time that such a methodology is used for IMS in the exporting sector not only in Colombia but also in Latin America. Finally, the detailed methodological process described in the study allows both academicians and decision-makers to replicate the study in other contexts and scenarios.
The role of internationalization in entrepreneurial orientation-performance link: empirical study of SMEs in a developing nation perspective
Authors: Dadzie Zaynab , Agyapong Ahmed , Suglo Abdulai
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the mediating role of internationalization in the relationship between the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance, empirical study of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in a developing nation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a sample of 158 exporting SMEs based in the sub-Saharan developing economy, Ghana. The use of hierarchical regression (ordinary least square analysis) was used by the researcher to assess the suggested model of the study.

Findings

Largely supporting the conjectural predictions, the study indicates that EO positively and significantly influences performance; internationalization fully mediates the relationship between innovativeness and performance of export firms; internationalization fully mediates the relationship between risk-taking and performance of export firms; and finally, internationalization partially mediates the relationship between competitive aggressiveness and performance of export firms. Managers are, therefore, encouraged to strategically develop both their EO and internationalization, as the study has confirmed that EO has both a direct and indirect relationship with performance.

Originality/value

This study integrated a resource-based view of the firm and international entrepreneurship theory as a theoretical foundation. Theoretically, internationalization’s mediating role reveals the relevance of this construct in the linkage between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. Furthermore, the study extends the entrepreneurial orientation concept to the international business literature by estimating and testing models of the mediating link between entrepreneurial orientation and performance. Moreover, the study seeks to broaden the knowledge of entrepreneurial orientation and its relationship with performance in small and medium businesses. The study further extends the limited studies on performance, driven by entrepreneurial orientation and internationalization in a developing nation (Ghanaian) context. This paper besides seeks to highlight the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on performance when channeled through internationalization. The study also reveals the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to be important antecedents of internationalization, in attempts at unearthing the critical predictors of firm performance, especially those of international characteristics.
The impact of macroeconomic variables on the budget deficit in Bangladesh: an econometric analysis
Authors: Alam Md. Mahbub , Sadekin Md. Nazmus , Saha Sanjoy Kumar
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of selected macro-economic variables like real effective exchange rate (REER), GDP, inflation (INF), the volume of trade (TR) and money supply (M2) on-budget deficit (BD) in Bangladesh over the period of 1980–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

By using secondary data, the paper uses the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Granger Causality test. Johansen’s cointegration test is used to examine the long-run relationship among the variables under study.

Findings

Johansen’s cointegration test result shows that there exists a positive long-run relationship of selected macroeconomic variables (real effective exchange rate, inflation, the volume of trade and money supply) with the budget deficit, whereas GDP has a negative one. The short-run results from the VECM show that GDP, inflation and money supply have a negative relationship with the budget deficit. The Granger Causality test results reveal unidirectional causal relationships running from BD to REER; TR to BD; M2 to BD; GDP to REER; M2 to REER; INF to GDP; GDP to TR; M2 to GDP and bidirectional causal relationship between GDP and BD; TR and REER; M2 and TR.

Originality/value

Bangladesh has been experiencing a budget deficit since 1972 due to a decline in sources of revenue. This study contributes to the empirical debate on the causal nexus between macroeconomic variables and budget deficits by employing VECM and Granger Causality approaches.
Coaches' views on how to develop shared leadership
Authors: van Dalfsen Gerrit , Van Hoecke Jo , Westerbeek Hans , Bosscher Veerle De
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate coaches' views on developing leadership and shared leadership capacity in particular in competitive youth football.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative examination focusses on the leadership philosophy of ten male coaches at the sub-elite competitive level in youth football in The Netherlands and applies the theory of shared leadership to examine coaches' views on developing leadership capacity.

Findings

Only few coaches have a clear philosophy on the development of leadership in general and/or shared leadership in particular. Most coaches do not have a distinct view on how to involve players in the team processes. Shared leadership development in youth teams occurs occasionally but can be implemented more intentionally.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study lacks generalizability, coaches' views are required in understanding how shared leadership is to be developed in youth sport.

Practical implications

For implementing shared leadership in football purposefully, a clear view on the development of youth is required, whereas coaches need to be taught, how to involve the individual players in team processes such as decision-making. In addition, leadership development in sport may have the potential of transfer of skills to other domains.

Social implications

Learning shared leadership at a young age by athletes can have a positive influence on relationships in teams on micro-level and might have an impact on meso-level within a football club because of its social constructionist approach.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to apply shared leadership at the micro-level of competitive youth football making use of football coaches' view.
Psychological burden of psoriatic patients in a German university hospital dermatology department
Authors: Sondermann Wiebke , Fiege Oliver , Körber Andreas , Scherbaum Norbert
Published: December 2020

Psoriasis has a strong impact on patients’ lives and is closely linked to psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and substance‐related disorders, especially dependence on alcohol and nicotine. The aim of our study was to systematically assess the psychiatric comorbidity and possible associations between psychological factors, disease severity and dermatology‐related quality of life in psoriatic patients from a high‐need university hospital dermatology department. Consecutive psoriatic patients (new and permanent patients) at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, Germany, were asked to fill out a paper‐based questionnaire. In the first part of the questionnaire, baseline demographics, pre‐existing mental disorders and data on substance abuse were collected. In the second part of the questionnaire, mental and physical health was explored using different validated self‐rating tests. The current Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was documented by a dermatologist. Patients with signs of mental disorders were offered an appointment with a board‐certified psychiatrist. Between August 2016 and February 2019, 228 consecutive psoriatic patients (138 men [60.5%], 90 women [39.5%]; mean age, 48.3 years [standard deviation, 13.6; range, 18–80]) participated in the study. Approximately 50% of the patients had evidence of suffering from mental health problems, mostly depression and anxiety, as well as alcohol dependence. Patients with a PASI of 3 or more showed a statistically significant reduced Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and a significantly impaired psychological as well as physical quality of life. DLQI correlated with all psychological test results. The data indicate a significant psychological burden in a tertiary psoriatic population. Our findings underscore the importance of screening psoriatic patients for psychiatric disorders, with a focus on depression, anxiety as well as alcohol and nicotine dependence, in a multidimensional approach involving psychiatrists and psychologists.
A graphical null model for scaling biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships
Authors: Barry Kathryn E. , Pinter Gabriella A. , Strini Joseph W. , Yang Karrisa , Lauko Istvan G. , Schnitzer Stefan A. , Clark Adam T. , Cowles Jane , Mori Akira S. , Williams Laura , Reich Peter B. , Wright Alexandra J.
Published: December 2020

Global biodiversity is declining at rates faster than at any other point in human history. Experimental manipulations at small spatial scales have demonstrated that communities with fewer species consistently produce less biomass than higher diversity communities. Understanding the consequences of the global extinction crisis for ecosystem functioning requires understanding how local experimental results are likely to change with increasing spatial and temporal scales and from experiments to naturally assembled systems.

Scaling across time and space in a changing world requires baseline predictions. Here, we provide a graphical null model for area scaling of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships using observed macroecological patterns: the species–area curve and the biomass–area curve. We use species–area and biomass–area curves to predict how species richness–biomass relationships are likely to change with increasing sampling extent. We then validate these predictions with data from two naturally assembled ecosystems: a Minnesota savanna and a Panamanian tropical dry forest.

Our graphical null model predicts that biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships are scale‐dependent. However, we note two important caveats. First, our results indicate an apparent contradiction between predictions based on measurements in biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiments and from scaling theory. When ecosystem functioning is measured as per unit area (e.g. biomass per m2), as is common in biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiments, the slope of the biodiversity ecosystem functioning relationship should decrease with increasing scale. Alternatively, when ecosystem functioning is not measured per unit area (e.g. summed total biomass), as is common in scaling studies, the slope of the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship should increase with increasing spatial scale. Second, the underlying macroecological patterns of biodiversity experiments are predictably different from some naturally assembled systems. These differences between the underlying patterns of experiments and naturally assembled systems may enable us to better understand when patterns from biodiversity–ecosystem functioning experiments will be valid in naturally assembled systems.

Synthesis. This paper provides a simple graphical null model that can be extended to any relationship between biodiversity and any ecosystem functioning across space or time. Furthermore, these predictions provide crucial insights into how and when we may be able to extend results from small‐scale biodiversity experiments to naturally assembled regional and global ecosystems where biodiversity is changing.
Quantitative evaluation of species composition dissimilarity within a community and among communities
Authors: Chen Jun , Shiyomi Masae , Huang Daming , Yu Houlin
Published: December 2020

It is often necessary to perform quantitative comparisons and assessments of species composition among plant communities under various land use conditions and landscapes, as well as among plant communities at different stages of restoration or degradation in arid grasslands. In landscapes composed of a number of plant communities, in which many quadrats for a survey are set in each community, the species composition in each quadrat is measured using community variables, such as the presence/absence data (i.e., binary variable), biomass, cover, the number of individuals, or the frequency of occurrences (i.e., quantitative variables) of each species per quadrat. In this study, we defined two types of species composition dissimilarity in vegetation surveys: between different communities and within each community which were calculated based on the species composition of each quadrat, using the Bray–Curtis index. The second type dissimilarity occurs incidentally among quadrats (or micro‐sites) even in a community with a relatively uniform structure. Both dissimilarity measures take values from 0 to 1, where larger values indicate larger dissimilarities, and the quadrat‐to‐quadrat variation in dissimilarity also indicates the degree of heterogeneity in the spatial pattern of species composition. Quantifying dissimilarity between and within communities remains a challenge in ecological applications. We proposed a new model to quantify community dissimilarity and applied this model to a grassland vegetation survey dataset. Quantitative variables resulted in more precise measures of community structure than binary variable. The advantages of our model relative to other broadly used community structure metrics based on the Jaccard and Sørensen indices were discussed.
Encountering Everyday Racist Practices: Sociospatial Negotiations of Immigrant Settlement in Athens, Greece
Authors: Papatzani Eva (Evangelia)
Published: December 2020

This article delineates the ways in which the context of institutional and non‐institutional racist practices, legitimated by the rise of extreme right‐wing populism and racism, affects immigrants’ everyday lives in Athens, Greece. In this research, I explored the transformations of immigrants’ settlement trajectories, coping strategies and tactics, and their bodily interactions when encountering racist violence at the local level, through extensive fieldwork in two case study areas in metropolitan Athens—Omonia and Nikaia. The article is based on previous work on encounters with difference and everyday racism, with the aim of contributing to existing scholarship by examining urban encounters with manifestations of racism in the form of violent practices, which are on a rise not only as exceptional but also as everyday lived events. I demonstrate how immigrants’ encounters with police raids and patrols, and with racist violence perpetrated by neo‐Nazi militias, transform immigrants’ daily lives in the city at the micro‐scale. These encounters have an impact not only on immigrants’ social relationships, strategies and tactics of settlement, but also on the reconstruction of urban space. My argument is that urban encounter remains an open and dynamic field for negotiation of interethnic cohabitation, as it produces both violent confrontations and sociospatial embodied opportunities for coexistence.
The effects of natural and artificial edges on phenology: A case study of Ctenitis submarginalis
Authors: Müller Andressa , Correa Marina Zimmer , Führ Camila Storck , Padoin Thábia Ottília Hofstetter , de Quevedo Daniela Müller , Schmitt Jairo Lizandro
Published: December 2020

Habitat fragmentation increases forest edges, which in turn influence the microclimate to which ferns are exposed. Ferns do not depend on pollinators or dispersers, which make abiotic variables responsible for triggering the manifestation of their phenophases. Phenology has been an important tool in understanding the effects of habitat fragmentation on plant behaviour. Our aims were to compare the phenology of populations of the fern Ctenitis submarginalis at a natural edge, an artificial edge and in the forest interior and determine whether the edge effect has an influence. Populations of C. submarginalis were monitored in these three subareas of an Araucaria forest for 2 years. Relative air humidity, air temperature, precipitation, photosynthetically active radiation, photoperiod and soil moisture were monitored concomitantly with the collection of phenological data in each subarea. Among the populations, that of the artificial edge had the greatest number of individuals and the highest intensity of sporangium formation and leaf senescence. Only the reproductive event (sporangium formation) of populations of all subareas was seasonal. The forest interior populations had the highest seasonality of sporangium formation. Ferns at forest edges (natural and artificial) were more affected by the edge effect than those of the forest interior. Abiotic variables that are more sensitive to alterations by the edge effect, such as relative air humidity, soil moisture and temperature, influenced vegetative events at edges. On the other hand, photoperiod, which is constant from year to year, overlapped the influence of the other environmental factors in the forest interior. Thus, we evidenced heterogeneity in the phenological responses of ferns at forest edges.
Agreement between rebound (Icare ic200) and applanation tonometry (Perkins) in patients with primary congenital glaucoma
Authors: Morales‐Fernandez Laura , Pérez‐García Pilar , Saenz‐Frances Federico , Molero‐Senosiain Mercedes , Garcia‐Saenz Sofia , Dora Mendez Carmen , Santos Bueso Enrique , Garcia‐Feijoo Julian , Martinez‐de‐la‐Casa Jose M.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To examine agreement between intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements made using the rebound tonometer Icare ic200 (RT200) and the Perkins handheld applanation tonometer (PAT) in patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG). The impacts of several covariables on measurements using the two devices were also assessed.

Materials and Methods

Intraocular pressure measurements were made in a single session in 86 eyes of 86 patients with PCG (46 under anaesthesia, 40 in the office). The order was RT200 then PAT. The variables age, central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal state and anaesthesia were recorded in each patient. Data were compared by determining interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for each tonometer and representing the differences detected as Bland–Altman plots. Effects of covariables were assessed through univariate and multivariate regression.

Results

Mean IOP difference between tonometers (RT200 minus PAT) was 1.26 mmHg (95%: 0.22–2.31). Absolute agreement (ICC) was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62–0.82). Lower and upper limits of agreement (95%) were −8.06 mmHg (95% CI: −9.87 to −6.25) and 10.59 mmHg (95% CI: 8.77–12.40), respectively. The tonometers showed systematic differences (a = −4.63 mmHg; 95% CI: −9.11 to −1.44) and proportional differences; for each mmHg increase in PAT‐IOP, the RT200 reading increased by 1.28 mmHg (b = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.12–1.53). None of the variables tested as predictors were able to explain differences between the tonometers.

Conclusions

Despite the good overall agreement between both tonometers, caution should be taken in high values of IOP, considering the interchangeability of its readings as systematic and proportional differences appear to exist between both methods.
Real‐world treatment outcomes of neovascular Age‐related Macular Degeneration in the Netherlands
Authors: Verbraak Frank D. , Ponsioen Dirk L. , Tigchelaar‐Besling Odette A.M. , Nguyen Vuong , Gillies Mark C. , Barthelmes Daniel , Klaver Caroline C.W.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To compare treatment outcomes of treatment‐naïve eyes with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD) with bevacizumab as the first‐line treatment, according to the guidelines of the Dutch Ophthalmological Society, with those treated first with either ranibizumab or aflibercept, as used in many other countries, all treated using a treat‐and‐extend strategy.

Methods

Data were obtained from the prospectively designed Fight Retinal Blindness! outcomes registry. The primary outcome was the mean change from baseline in visual acuity of all treated eyes, after 12, 24 and 36 months of treatment. Secondary outcomes were the number of injections, the number of visits and the rate of switching to a second anti‐VEGF drug.

Results

The study included 703 treatment‐naïve eyes with nAMD with 12 months follow‐up, 373 eyes with 24 months follow‐up, and 171 eyes with 36 months follow‐up in the Netherlands, and 1131, 652, and 303 treatment‐naïve eyes with respectively 12, 24, and 36 months of follow‐up in all other countries. The change in visual acuity from baseline did not differ between the Netherlands and the other countries at any follow‐up time. The median number of injections, visits and the proportion of eyes switching treatment was significantly higher in the Netherlands than in the other countries.

Conclusion

Starting anti‐VEGF treatment for nAMD with bevacizumab, as is mandatory in the Netherlands, delivers outcomes similar to those starting treatment with either ranibizumab or aflibercept, but at a cost of more frequent injections, and visits, and more frequent switching treatment to a second drug.
Oxidative and antioxidative stress markers in keratoconus: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Navel Valentin , Malecaze Jean , Pereira Bruno , Baker Julien S. , Malecaze François , Sapin Vincent , Chiambaretta Frédéric , Dutheil Frédéric
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis on the levels of oxidative stress markers and antioxidants in keratoconus compared to healthy subject.

Method

The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases were searched on 1st June 2020 for studies reporting oxidative and antioxidative stress markers in keratoconus and healthy controls. Main meta‐analysis was stratified by type of biomarkers, type of samples (tears, cornea, aqueous humour and blood) and type of corneal samples (stromal cells, epithelium and endothelium).

Results

We included 36 articles, for a total of 1328 keratoconus patients and 1208 healthy controls. There is an overall increase in oxidative stress markers in keratoconus compared with healthy controls (standard mean deviation (SMD) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.55–1.33), with a significant increase in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (1.09, 0.41–1.78) and malondialdehyde (1.78, 0.83–2.73). There is an overall decrease in antioxidants in keratoconus compared with healthy controls (−0.63, −0.89 to −0.36), with a significant decrease in total antioxidant capacity/status (−1.65, −2.88 to −0.43), aldehyde/NADPH dehydrogenase (−0.77, −1.38 to −0.17), lactoferrin/transferrin/albumin (−1.92, −2.96 to −0.89) and selenium/zinc (−1.42, −2.23 to −0.61). Oxidative stress markers were higher in tears and in cornea of keratoconus than in aqueous humour, and antioxidants were decreased in tears, aqueous humour and blood without difference between sample type. Oxidative stress markers increased in stromal cells and antioxidants decreased in endothelium.

Conclusion

Oxidative stress markers and antioxidants were dysregulated in keratoconus, involving an imbalance of redox homeostasis in tears, cornea, aqueous humour and blood.
Adverse outcomes of proton pump inhibitors in patients with chronic kidney disease: The CKD‐REIN cohort study
Authors: Liabeuf Sophie , Lambert Oriane , Metzger Marie , Hamroun Aghiles , Laville Maurice , Laville Solène M. , Frimat Luc , Pecoits‐Filho Roberto , Fouque Denis , Massy Ziad A. , Jacquelinet Christian , Stengel Bénédicte ,   Chronic Kidney Disease‐Renal Epidemiology and Information Network (CKD REIN) Study Group
Published: December 2020

Aims

Long‐term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been associated with adverse kidney events in the general population, but their impact among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is unclear. We studied the prevalence and incidence (new users) of PPI prescriptions and their relation to kidney outcomes and mortality in CKD patients.

Methods

We collected drug prescriptions prospectively in a cohort of 3023 nephrology outpatients with CKD stages 2–5 at inclusion. Hazard ratios (HR, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI]) for acute kidney injury (AKI), end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD), and mortality associated with new PPI prescriptions as a time‐dependent variable were estimated with cause‐specific Cox models in 1940 non‐users with eGFR ≥ 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 at baseline, adjusted for comorbidities, laboratory data and drugs.

Results

There were 981/3023 (32%) prevalent users (67 ± 13 years, 65% men) at baseline, and 366/3023 (12%) were prescribed PPI (new users) over a median follow‐up of 3.9 years (interquartile range, 3–4.2). Among these new users, their median cumulative duration of prescription was 1 year (interquartile range: 0.4–2.3). During follow‐up, 354 patients developed ESKD and 216 died before ESKD. The adjusted HRs associated with PPI prescription were 1.74 (95% CI, 1.26–2.40) for ESKD and 2.42 (95% CI, 1.73–3.39) for all‐cause mortality. Over the first 3 years of follow‐up, 211 AKI events had occurred. The adjusted HR for AKI associated with PPI prescription was 2.89 (95% CI, 1.91–4.38).

Conclusions

Long‐term PPI prescription was common in CKD patients. Our results call attention to its potential risks of both acute and chronic kidney failure.
Alleviation of extensive visual pathway dysfunction by a remyelinating drug in a chronic mouse model of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Sekyi Maria T. , Lauderdale Kelli , Atkinson Kelley C. , Golestany Batis , Karim Hawra , Feri Micah , Soto Joselyn S. , Diaz Cobi , Kim Sung Hoon , Cilluffo Marianne , Nusinowitz Steven , Katzenellenbogen John A. , Tiwari‐Woodruff Seema K.
Published: December 2020

Visual deficits are among the most prevalent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). To understand deficits in the visual pathway during MS and potential treatment effects, we used experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most commonly used animal model of MS. The afferent visual pathway was assessed in vivo using optical coherence tomography (OCT), electroretinography (ERG), and visually evoked cortical potentials (VEPs). Inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration were examined by immunohistochemistry ex vivo. In addition, an immunomodulatory, remyelinating agent, the estrogen receptor β ligand chloroindazole (IndCl), was tested for its therapeutic potential in the visual pathway. EAE produced functional deficits in visual system electrophysiology, including suppression of ERG and VEP waveform amplitudes and increased signal latencies. Therapeutic IndCl rescued overall visual system latency by VEP but had little impact on amplitude or ERG findings relative to vehicle. Faster VEP conduction in IndCl‐treated mice was associated with enhanced myelin basic protein signal in all visual system structures examined. IndCl preserved retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and oligodendrocyte density in the prechiasmatic white matter, but similar retinal nerve fiber layer thinning by OCT was noted in vehicle and IndCl‐treated mice. Although IndCl differentially attenuated leukocyte and astrocyte staining signal throughout the structures analyzed, axolemmal varicosities were observed in all visual fiber tracts of mice with EAE irrespective of treatment, suggesting impaired axonal energy homeostasis. These data support incomplete functional recovery of VEP amplitude with IndCl, as fiber tracts displayed persistent axon pathology despite remyelination‐induced decreases in latencies, evidenced by reduced optic nerve g‐ratio in IndCl‐treated mice. Although additional studies are required, these findings demonstrate the dynamics of visual pathway dysfunction and disability during EAE, along with the importance of early treatment to mitigate EAE‐induced axon damage.
The tandem stenosis mouse model: Towards understanding, imaging, and preventing atherosclerotic plaque instability and rupture
Authors: Noonan Jonathan , Bobik Alex , Peter Karlheinz
Published: December 2020

The rupture of unstable atherosclerotic plaques is the major cause of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Despite significant limitations in our understanding and ability to identify unstable plaque pathology and prevent plaque rupture, most atherosclerosis research utilises preclinical animal models exhibiting stable atherosclerosis. Here, we introduce the tandem stenosis (TS) mouse model that reflects plaque instability and rupture, as seen in patients. The TS model involves dual ligation of the right carotid artery, leading to locally predefined unstable atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolaemic mice. It exhibits key characteristics of human unstable plaques, including plaque rupture, luminal thrombosis, intraplaque haemorrhage, large necrotic cores, thin or ruptured fibrous caps and extensive immune cell accumulation. Altogether, the TS model represents an ideal preclinical tool for improving our understanding of human plaque instability and rupture, for the development of imaging technologies to identify unstable plaques, and for the development and testing of plaque‐stabilising treatments for the prevention of atherosclerotic plaque rupture.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed issue on Preclinical Models for Cardiovascular disease research (BJP 75th Anniversary). To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.5/issuetoc
Antarctic ecosystems in transition – life between stresses and opportunities
Authors: Gutt Julian , Isla Enrique , Xavier José C. , Adams Byron J. , Ahn In‐Young , Cheng C.‐H. Christina , Colesie Claudia , Cummings Vonda J. , di Prisco Guido , Griffiths Huw , Hawes Ian , Hogg Ian , McIntyre Trevor , Meiners Klaus M. , Pearce David A. , Peck Lloyd , Piepenburg Dieter , Reisinger Ryan R. , Saba Grace K. , Schloss Irene R. , Signori Camila N. , Smith Craig R. , Vacchi Marino , Verde Cinzia , Wall Diana H.
Published: December 2020

Important findings from the second decade of the 21st century on the impact of environmental change on biological processes in the Antarctic were synthesised by 26 international experts. Ten key messages emerged that have stakeholder‐relevance and/or a high impact for the scientific community. They address (i) altered biogeochemical cycles, (ii) ocean acidification, (iii) climate change hotspots, (iv) unexpected dynamism in seabed‐dwelling populations, (v) spatial range shifts, (vi) adaptation and thermal resilience, (vii) sea ice related biological fluctuations, (viii) pollution, (ix) endangered terrestrial endemism and (x) the discovery of unknown habitats. Most Antarctic biotas are exposed to multiple stresses and considered vulnerable to environmental change due to narrow tolerance ranges, rapid change, projected circumpolar impacts, low potential for timely genetic adaptation, and migration barriers. Important ecosystem functions, such as primary production and energy transfer between trophic levels, have already changed, and biodiversity patterns have shifted. A confidence assessment of the degree of ‘scientific understanding’ revealed an intermediate level for most of the more detailed sub‐messages, indicating that process‐oriented research has been successful in the past decade. Additional efforts are necessary, however, to achieve the level of robustness in scientific knowledge that is required to inform protection measures of the unique Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and their contributions to global biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Long‐term drivers of persistence and colonization dynamics in spatially structured amphibian populations
Authors: Falaschi Mattia , Giachello Simone , Lo Parrino Elia , Muraro Martina , Manenti Raoul , Ficetola Gentile Francesco
Published: December 2020

Many organisms live in networks of local populations connected by dispersing individuals, called spatially structured populations (SSPs), where the long‐term persistence of the entire network is determined by the balance between 2 processes acting at the scale of local populations: extinction and colonization. When multiple threats act on an SSP, a comparison of the different factors determining local extinctions and colonizations is essential to plan sound conservation actions. We assessed the drivers of long‐term population dynamics of multiple amphibian species at the regional scale. We used dynamic occupancy models within a Bayesian framework to identify the factors determining persistence and colonization of local populations. Because connectivity among patches is fundamental to SSPs dynamics, we considered 2 measures of connectivity acting on each focal patch: incidence of the focal species and incidence of invasive crayfish. We used meta‐analysis to summarize the effect of different drivers at the community level. Persistence and colonization of local populations were jointly determined by factors acting at different scales. Persistence probability was positively related to the area and the permanence of wetlands, whereas it was negatively related to occurrence of fish. Colonization probability was highest in semipermanent wetlands and in sites with a high incidence of the focal species in nearby sites, whereas it showed a negative relationship with the incidence of invasive crayfish in the landscape. By analyzing long‐term data on amphibian population dynamics, we found a strong effect of some classic features commonly used in SSP studies, such as patch area and focal species incidence. The presence of an invasive non‐native species at the landscape scale emerged as one of the strongest drivers of colonization dynamics, suggesting that studies on SSPs should consider different connectivity measures more frequently, such as the incidence of predators, especially when dealing with biological invasions.
Adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma clinically confused with viral/drug skin eruptions and pathologically misinterpreted as mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome
Authors: AbdullGaffar Badr , Abdulrahman Suad
Published: December 2020

Adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder of mature CD4‐positive T‐cell lymphoid cells associated with retrovirus human T‐lymphotropic virus type‐1 (HTLV‐1) with a wide clinical and pathologic spectrum. We report a case of a 53‐year‐old African man who presented with fever and skin eruptions on the trunk composed of non‐itchy erythematous reticulated macules and papules initially suspected for viral exanthem or drug rash. Skin punch biopsy showed a dermal T‐cell lymphoid infiltrate with epidermotropism. The patient developed generalized lymphadenopathy and his peripheral blood showed lymphocytosis with atypical lymphocytes with convoluted nuclei. Our initial diagnosis was mycosis fungoides with Sézary syndrome. However, some clinical and histopathologic features were unusual. The acute onset, lack of previous skin lesions, the histomorphologic features of the dermal, nodal and peripheral blood lymphocytes and the geographic origin of the patient raised the suspicion of other T‐cell lymphomas, particularly ATLL. This was confirmed by a positive anti‐HTLV‐1 serology. Our final diagnosis was acute variant ATLL. Different T‐cell lymphomas can involve the skin with overlapping clinical, histomorphologic and immunohistochemical features. Some clinical and pathologic features should alarm dermatologists and pathologists to the possibility of ATLL particularly in patients from HTLV‐1 endemic geographic areas.
Self‐care agency and self‐care practice in youth workers reduces burnout risk and improves compassion satisfaction
Authors: Hallam Karen T. , Leigh Danielle , Davis Cassandra , Castle Nathan , Sharples Jenny , Collett James D.
Published: December 2020

Introduction and Aims

Youth work specialises in helping vulnerable young people face life challenges during critical stages of their development. It is a complex and demanding role and factors influencing occupational stress in youth workers are rarely investigated. This study examined whether youth alcohol and other drug workers with greater compassion satisfaction, self‐care practice and self‐care agency experienced different rates of occupational stress including burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Design and Methods

A convenience sample of 258 Australian youth alcohol and other drug workers completed an online questionnaire battery. A four‐stage data analysis was conducted utilising multivariate analysis of variance, bivariate correlations, linear multiple regression models and mediation modelling.

Results

Burnout and secondary traumatic stress exhibited moderate negative correlations with compassion satisfaction, self‐care practice and the different forms of self‐care agency. Further, a decrease in lacking power for self‐care, a form of self‐care agency, was the strongest contributor to both burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Support was found for a mediation pathway whereby self‐care agency led to greater self‐care practice, which in turn increased compassion satisfaction, lowering burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Discussion and Conclusions

The findings suggest that it would be beneficial for self‐care agency to be a key focus of youth worker training and professional development programs.