bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reducing Facial Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries Related to Prone Positioning in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Hughes Pamela J.
Published: November 2023

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to evaluate the effects of a repositioning intervention bundle on the occurrences and severity of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) of the face in patients with COVID-19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) managed by ventilation and placed in a prone position.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:

Eighteen critically ill, ventilated patients were placed in a prone position for extended periods (range, 1-13 days). The study setting was critical care units in a 504-bed nonprofit teaching hospital located in the Northeastern United States.

APPROACH:

Standard of care for the prevention of pressure injury (PI) in ventilated patients placed in a prone position at our facility included use of foam dressings over bony prominences on the face and the application of tape to secure the endotracheal (ET) tube as compared to commercial ET tube securement devices. We also placed a fluidized pillow with pillowcase wrapped with an absorbent pad under the head to absorb secretions. We added 2 interventions to our facility's existing HAPI prevention bundle. The first was a repositioning strategy; ventilated and prone patients were lifted by their shoulders by critical care RNs while their ET tube was stabilized by a respiratory therapist every 6 hours. The RNs then repositioned the patient's head and arms to the opposite side into a swimmer's position (head lying to the side with one cheek in contact with the fluidized pillow). The second intervention was micromovement of the head performed by an RN every 4 hours.

OUTCOMES:

Prior to implementation of the QI initiative, data collected during the early pandemic demonstrated that multiple patients developed facial PIs secondary to prone positioning; a majority were full-thickness or unstageable PIs, whereas a minority were partial-thickness PIs (stage 2). Following implementation of the QI initiative, data indicated that 5 of 18 (28%) patients placed in a prone position had HAPIs of the face; 4 (22%) of the HAPIs were stage 1 or 2 and 1 was unstageable. Patients were placed in a prone position from 1 to 13 days. All facial HAPIs developed within the first 2 days of placement in a prone position.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:

The addition of an RN and a respiratory therapist repositioning intervention and micromovements of the head every 4 hours by the RN to an existing pressure prevention bundle during prone positioning led to a clinically relevant reduction in the severity of facial HAPIs. As a result, care for these patients has been changed to incorporate the repositioning interventions implemented during this QI project.
Complications and Healthcare Costs Associated With the First Year Following Colostomy and Ileostomy Formation
Authors: Brady Richard R. W. , Scott Julia , Grieveson Stephanie , Aibibula Miriayi , Cawson Matthew , Marks Tatjana , Page Jennifer , Artignan Audrey , Boisen Esben Bo
Published: November 2023

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical and economic outcomes during the first year following ostomy formation.

DESIGN:

Single-center retrospective audit.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING:

The sample comprised 200 patients who underwent surgery leading to ileostomy or colostomy at a large English National Health Service (NHS) Trust.

METHODS:

Clinical complications, medicine prescriptions, and interactions with healthcare services were reported over 12 months postsurgery, and interactions with the NHS were matched to the closest NHS unit cost to determine mean patient cost.

RESULTS:

The most common ostomy-related surgical site complications were high output (35.0%; n = 70), followed by moderate/severe peristomal skin complications (24.5%; n = 49) and bleeding (23.5%; n = 47). Ostomy management–related complications included general difficulties with ostomy management (50.0%; n = 100) and leakage-related mild peristomal skin issues (48.5%; n = 97). Clinical complication rates were highest in the first quarter following ostomy formation, except parastomal hernia, which increased in incidence over time. Ileostomy patients more frequently experienced high output, acute renal failure, and ostomy management–related complications and had increased length of inpatient admission. However, healthcare resource use was high in both groups, with a median of 13 inpatient admission days and 12 outpatient contacts overall within the first year. Mean cost per patient was £20,444.60 (US $26,018.41); 90.5% of these costs were attributed to ostomy-related factors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients are likely to experience at least one clinical complication following intestinal ostomy formation and have multiple interactions with the NHS. While a number of complications are more frequent in patients with ileostomies, both groups experienced considerable costs within the first year following surgery associated with ostomy management and recovery.
The Effects of Incontinence Pad Application on Loaded Skin With Reference to Biophysical and Biochemical Parameters
Authors: Abiakam Nkemjika S. , Jayabal Hemalatha , Abbas Shabira , Filingeri Davide , Bader Dan L. , Worsley Peter R.
Published: November 2023

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate temporal changes in skin responses following exposure to moisture alone or moisture in combination with mechanical loading.

DESIGN:

Comparison cohort with a repeated-measures design.

SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS:

The sample comprised 12 healthy volunteers. Participants were purposely sampled from 2 different age groups; half were 32 to 39 years old and half were 50 to 62 years old. Participants identified as White, Black, or mixed; 83% (n = 10) identified as White; 8 (67%) were female.

METHODS:

Four sites at the sacrum were challenged with the application of specimens taken from 2 absorbent products; the pad specimens were applied dry or saturated with synthetic urine (SU; pH = 8); a further site from the sacral skin was also selected and used as a control. Skin assessments were performed at different points in time: (1) 60 minutes after exposure to dry or SU-saturated pad specimens; (2) 60 minutes after exposure to pads and mechanical loading (application of pressure in the form of 45°C high sitting); and (3) 30 minutes after removal of all pads (recovery period). Outcome measures were transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum (SC) hydration, erythema, pH, and skin inflammatory biomarkers measured at each of the time points described earlier.

RESULTS:

The control site and those exposed to dry pads showed minimal time-dependent changes irrespective of the parameter investigated. In contrast, significant increases in TEWL (P = .0000007) and SC hydration responses (P = .0000007) were detected at the sites under absorbent pad specimens after saturation with SU (exposure to moisture). In some participants, TEWL and SC hydration parameters were significantly higher during pressure application. Skin pH remained in the mildly acidic range throughout the test session, and no consistent trends were observed with erythema. Skin inflammatory biomarkers also exhibited considerable variability across participants; none changed significantly over time. Significant differences (P = .02) were also detected following the exposure of moisture in combination with pressure.

CONCLUSION:

We evaluated an array of parameters to identify changes following skin exposure to 2 absorbent pads in the presence and absence of SU and mechanical loading. Analysis revealed changes in skin barrier properties in the presence of moisture and/or pressure. This observation suggests a need for frequent pad changing as well as periods of skin off-loading to protect the skin health of individuals with incontinence.
The impact of mild behavioral impairment on the prognosis of geriatric depression: preliminary results
Authors: Elefante Camilla , Brancati Giulio Emilio , Pistolesi Gabriele , Amadori Salvatore , Torrigiani Samuele , Baldacci Filippo , Ceravolo Roberto , Ismail Zahinoor , Lattanzi Lorenzo , Perugi Giulio
Published: November 2023

Our study aimed to examine how the presence of Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI) symptoms influenced the outcome of late-life depression (LLD). Twenty-nine elderly (≥ 60 years) depressive patients, including eleven (37.9%) with MBI, were recruited and followed-up on average for 33.41 ± 8.24 weeks. Psychiatric symptoms severity and global functioning were assessed, respectively, using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. BPRS total score significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up (P < 0.001, d = 1.33). The presence of MBI had no significant effect on mood and cognitive symptoms improvement. On the contrary, while a significant increase in GAF score was observed in patients without MBI (P = 0.001, d = 1.01), no significant improvement of global functioning was detected in those with MBI (P = 0.154, d = 0.34) after 6-month follow-up. The presence of MBI in patients with LLD may negatively affect long-term outcome, slowing or preventing functional improvement.
Use of multiplex PCR in pleural effusion: is it necessary to change the paradigm of culture-based methods?
Authors: Londono-Ruiz Juan Pablo , Vargas-Garcia Andrea , Cardenas-Muller Adriana , Bejarano-Quintero Ana Maria , Mantilla Maria Ximena , Gutierrez-Tobar Ivan Felipe
Published: November 2023

The microbiological diagnosis of pleural effusion is based largely on classical microbiology methods, but these methods have a high rate of false negative results. Some previous studies have shown improved diagnostic performance for pathogens such as

Streptococcus pneumoniae

using molecular biology methods. We present the use of a multiplex PCR platform (BIOFIRE FILMARRAY Pneumonia Panel) for the aetiological diagnosis of pleural effusion in paediatric pneumonia. We present a case series of 17 pleural fluid samples that were processed by culture-based microbiology and molecular biology methods. Microbiological isolation was successful in four cases (25 %) through traditional culture methods. In contrast, the molecular biology panels allowed for detection in 16 out of 17 cases (94 %). The results from these panels led to a change in management for nine out of the 17 cases (52 %). This study found an increase in aetiological diagnosis in complicated pneumonia in children by using molecular biology methods, which led to a significant change in patient management.
Virulence and Antibiotics Susceptibility Genes in Bacillus species Isolated from Freshly Expressed Breast Milk
Authors: Arowolo Margaret Toluwalayo , Adelowotan Aminat Oluwatoyin , Sanusi Morohunranti Sekinat
Published: November 2023

Breast milk can sometimes spread acute infections from bacterial and viral agents to babies. There are several recognised instances of infections caused by several microorganisms contracted through breast milk. Bacilli are Gram-positive, aerophilic, spore-producing bacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment. They are found not only in the ground, dirt, and water but also in vegetation, animals, and people. The genus Bacillus encompasses a very significant number of species as it has experienced a massive taxonomic growth with the application of 16SrRNA sequencing. This research work was focused on determining the presence of virulence genes (hblA, hblD, nheA, nheB and cesB), antibiotics resistance genes (blaVIM, vanA and vanB), endospore production, motility, biofilm formation and antimicrobial susceptibility of eighteen Bacillus species isolates (seven B. cereus, six B. subtilis, three B. licheniformis, one B. circulans and one B. brevis) obtained from freshly expressed breast milk (these isolates were predominantly isolated from mothers within the first 6 weeks of lactation).  The result obtained indicated that all the Bacillus isolates were motile, spore formers and lacked the ability to form biofilm. They were all susceptible to ciprofloxacin (100%) and resistant to ceftazidime and lincomycin (100%). All the isolates showed a distinctive band of suitable size of around 300bp for the molecular identification except isolate 12. The antibiotics resistant genes (blaVIM, vanA and vanB) were absent. Bacillus cereus possessed most of the virulence genes. nheB gene had the highest occurrence 50.0 % followed by hblA gene 33.3 %, hblD gene 16.6 %, cesB gene 5.56% while none of the isolates screened had the nheA gene.  Based on these findings, we conclude that breast milk, when not properly handled or when there is little or no observation of strict hygiene practices by the breast-feeding mother, can harbor pathogenic microorganisms such as Bacillus species which possess virulence genes as well as increase the rate of spread of antibiotics resistance from mothers to infants.
Robiginitalea aestuariiviva sp. nov. isolated from sediment of tidal flat located in Zhejiang, PR China
Authors: Cao Ke , Gao Jia-Wei , Zhang Wen-Wu , Wang Yu-Ruo , Su Yue , Ying Jun-Jie , Xu Lin , Bai Yan , Sun Cong
Published: November 2023

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic and rod- to coccoid-shaped bacterium, designated as strain M366T, was isolated from coastal sediment of Jiaoshanjiao, Zhejiang Province, PR China (121°54′ E 29 °38′ N). The draft genome of strain M366T was 3 225 479 bp long (with 55.6 mol% G+C content) and assembled into four contigs. The N50 value was 563 270 bp and the genomic completeness and contamination were estimated to be 99.34 and 0.05 %, respectively. Colonies of strain M366T were yellow-orange, 1 mm in diameter, round, opaque, smooth and convex after incubation on marine agar at 30 °C for 3 days. Cells were catalase-positive but oxidase-negative. Strain M366T was observed to grow at 20–40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5.5–9.0 (optimum, pH 6.5–7.0) and with 0.5–8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.5 %). Strain M366T shown highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98.1 % to

Robiginitalea sediminis

O458T, 95.6–95.9 % to other type strains of the genus

Robiginitalea

and below 93 % to other genera. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain M366T and its closely related

Robiginitalea

species were 71.1–75.9 % and 17.5–19.0 %. Menaquinone-6 was the only respiratory quinone. The major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 1 (iso-C15 : 1 h and/or C13 : 0 3-OH). The main polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipid, two unidentified aminophospholipid, one unidentified glycolipid and five unidentified lipids. According to the above results, Robiginitalea aestuariiviva sp. nov. is proposed and the type strain is M366T (=KCTC 92866T=MCCC 1K04524T=CGMCC 1.61708T).
Introduction and benchmarking of pyMLST: open-source software for assessing bacterial clonality using core genome MLST
Authors: Biguenet Adrien , Bordy Augustin , Atchon Alban , Hocquet Didier , Valot Benoit
Published: November 2023

Core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) has gained in popularity for bacterial typing since whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has become affordable. We introduce here pyMLST, a new complete, stand-alone, free and open source pipeline for cgMLST analysis. pyMLST can create or import a core genome database. For each gene, the first allele is aligned against the bacterial genome of interest using BLAT. Incomplete genes are aligned using MAFT. All data are stored in a SQLite database. pyMLST accepts assembly genomes or raw data (with the option pyMLST-KMA) as input. To evaluate our new tool, we selected three genome collections of major bacterial pathogens (

Escherichia coli

,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

and

Staphylococcus aureus

) and compared them with pyMLST, pyMLST-KMA, ChewBBACA, SeqSphere and the variant calling approach. We compared the sensitivity, precision and false-positive rate for each method with those of the variant calling approach. Minimal spanning trees were generated with each type of software to evaluate their interest in the context of a bacterial outbreak. We found that pyMLST-KMA is a convenient screening method to avoid assembling large bacterial collections. Our data showed that pyMLST (free, open source, available in Galaxy and pipeline ready) performed similarly to the commercial SeqSphere and performed better than ChewBBACA and pyMLST-KMA.
Quick and effective approximation ofin silicosaturation mutagenesis experiments with first-order Taylor expansion
Authors: Sasse Alexander , Chikina Maria , Mostafavi Sara
Published: November 2023

To understand the decision process of genomic sequence-to-function models, various explainable AI algorithms have been proposed. These methods determine the importance of each nucleotide in a given input sequence to the model’s predictions, and enable discovery ofcisregulatory motif grammar for gene regulation. The most commonly applied method isin silicosaturation mutagenesis (ISM) because its per-nucleotide importance scores can be intuitively understood as the computational counterpart toin vivosaturation mutagenesis experiments. While ISM is highly interpretable, it is computationally challenging to perform, because it requires computing three forward passes for every nucleotide in the given input sequence; these computations add up when analyzing a large number of sequences, and become prohibitive as the length of the input sequences and size of the model grows. Here, we show how to use the first-order Taylor approximation to compute ISM, which reduces its computation cost to a single forward pass for an input sequence. We use our theoretical derivation to connect ISM with the gradient of the model and show how this approximation is related to a recently suggested correction of the model’s gradients for genomic sequence analysis. We show that the Taylor ISM (TISM) approximation is robust across different model ablations, random initializations, training parameters, and data set sizes.
Fermented polyherbal formulation ameliorates the severity of acute multiple - antibiotics - resistantPseudomonas aeruginosainfected burn wound in rat burn model
Authors: Chakraborty Subhanil , Sen Subhajit , Chakraborty Ranadhir
Published: November 2023

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium has emerged as a cause of life-threatening infections in topical burn wounds. Current therapeutic approaches thru wound dressings and systemic medicines are far from satisfactory; multiple-antibiotic-resistance shown by pathogens contribute to failures of therapy causing mortality. This animal study was conducted to check efficacy of one Ayurveda based fermented polyherbal preparation (AP 01) against multiple antibiotic resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa HW01infected rat burn wounds. AP-01 was applied on artificially inflected burn wound on rat model infected with Multiple Antibiotics ResistantPseudomonas aeruginosato register the healing effects in terms of reduction in residual wound area percentage, presence of C-reactive protein in blood, presence of viable bacteria colony while keeping conventional antibiotics as positive control. The polyherbal preparation had reduced the infected residual burn wound area at 40.63% ± 0.69 from the initial burn wound area within two weeks after a single intervention; whereas residual burn wound area remained much higher in case of animals left untreated and in case of the animals treated with control drug. Restoration to normalcy of serum C-reactive protein level were also achieved earlier in case of polyherbal AP-01 treated groups than other groups. Fermented formulation using components of AP-01 singly or in different combinations were never been tested earlier for topical application in infected burn-wound. The formulation AP-01 was found superior in terms of rate of healing and control of infection by multiple-antibiotic-resistantP. aeruginosastrains in burn wounds in rat model.
Institutional theory and institutional racism: barriers to business success faced by POC entrepreneurs and the family firm advantage
Authors: Kushins Eric R. , Quispe-Agnoli Myriam
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Compared to Whites, People of Color (POC) in the USA face substantial cultural, structural and institutional challenges on their paths to entrepreneurial success. Many of these challenges have their roots in institutional racism—pervasive discriminatory practices and policies found within institutions. Institutional theory suggests that organizations gain access to institutions and resources when they conform to “appropriate” business practices. How does the reality of institutional racism square with institutional theory when many of those institutions, like banks, are fundamentally afflicted by racist practices and norms? Can another institution, the family, act as a resource substitute to provide POC business owners the necessary resources for success?

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on White-, Black- and Asian-American business owners, the authors analyze data from the USA. Census's Annual Business Survey.

Findings

Despite vast performance differences between POC- and White-owned businesses, family firms of every racial group outperform their same-race nonfamily counterparts. Idiosyncratic resources families bring into family firms, known as familiness, appear to help mitigate the challenges to entrepreneurial success that POC face.

Practical implications

Policy makers should consider specific types of support different entrepreneurs require given the kinds of hurdles racial minorities continue to face in the USA.

Social implications

Despite scholarly attention on family firm heterogeneity, there is scant research on race.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to explore the implications of institutional racism on institutional theory and the first to employ this concept within the context of family firms.
BPMN-VSM-based knowledge-work process analysis and improvement in police services: a case study
Authors: Santhiapillai Felix Preshanth , Ratnayake R.M. Chandima
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the integrated application of business process modeling and notation (BPMN) and value stream mapping (VSM) to improve knowledge work performance and productivity in police services. In order to explore the application of the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach in police services, this study uses the department of digital crime investigation (DCI) in one Norwegian police district as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

Service process identification was the next step after selecting an appropriate organizational unit for the case study. BPMN-VSM-based current state mapping, including time and waste analyses, was used to determine cycle and lead time and identify value-adding and nonvalue-adding activities. Subsequently, improvement opportunities were identified, and the current state process was re-designed and constructed through future state mapping.

Findings

The study results indicate a 44.4% and 83.0% reduction in process cycle and lead time, respectively. This promising result suggests that the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach can support the visualization of bottlenecks and possible causes of increased lead times, followed by the systematic identification and proposals of avenues for future improvement and innovation to remedy the discovered inefficiencies in a complex knowledge-work environment.

Research limitations/implications

This study focused on one department in a Norwegian police district. However, the experience gained can support researchers and practitioners in understanding lean implementation through an integrated BPMN and VSM model, offering a unique insight into the ability to investigate complex systems.

Originality/value

Complex knowledge work processes generally characterize police services due to a high number of activities, resources and stakeholder involvement. Implementing lean thinking in this context is significantly challenging, and the literature on this topic is limited. This study addresses the applicability of the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach in police services with an original public sector case study in Norway.
A system psychodynamic perspective on collaborative leadership in multiparty systems: learnings from a behavioral simulation
Authors: Schruijer Sandra G.L. , Curseu Petru Lucian
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of what collaborative leadership in interorganizational systems entails.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical basis consists of the dynamics observed during two behavioral simulations involving seven stakeholders with managers and professionals as participants, dealing with a complex regional development issue.

Findings

The authors describe what functions collaborative leadership in multiparty collaboration serve by discussing relevant literature and introducing a system psychodynamic perspective on leadership that focuses on the emerging dynamics between a leading party and other stakeholders. The relational dynamics between the leading party on the one hand and the other stakeholders on the other, are described and interpreted, taking the larger systemic context into account.

Practical implications

The authors discuss some important group dynamics aspects that emerge in a multiparty context that can be used by participants in and facilitators of such complex systems in order to foster effective collaboration.

Social implications

Multiparty systems are set up to deal with some important societal challenges that require the integration of insights, resources and interests across several organizations and societal actors, therefore this study provides important insights into the complexity of collaborative leadership emergent in such contexts in which position power is lacking.

Originality/value

The study provides a qualitative, in depth analysis of the collaborative leadership as it emerges in a multiparty context simulated by an experiential learning context.
Typology of the transition path to fintech: multi-level comparative analysis
Authors: Ghazinoory Sepehr , Shirkhodaie Meysam , Pahlavanian Mercedeh
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Fintechs are expected to develop rapidly as technologies that help improve the efficiency of the traditional financial system, but an examination of fintech subbranches shows different behaviors. In some sub-branches, the transition has been accompanied by a higher speed and more success, but in some other sub-branches, the opposite has been observed. The difference in the development of fintech sub-branches and its reasons have been paid less attention. Therefore, this article aims to identify the factors affecting the transition.

Design/methodology/approach

The use of new technologies in financial services at the international level has led to the provision of fast, customized and economical services, and the fact that these services are welcomed by the users has created opportunities for fintech's transition. This qualitative research follows the socio-technical phenomenon of fintech transition through narrative research. For its formulation, the transition process of fintech sub-branches was analyzed based on the multi-level analytical framework and Geels et al.’s transition path theory.

Findings

Transition is a change from one socio-technical regime to another. The findings of the research showed that these changes are influenced by the following factors: provision of infrastructure, the support of industry incumbents from innovative financial services, policy-making, citizen's welcoming, improving the knowledge and expertise of actors, legal adjustments as well as provision of innovative services.

Originality/value

The fintech transition has a special nature because the speed of developments in fintech is high and there is a series of innovations that are continuously replaced by subsequent innovations. Existing models have often focused on the long-term transition of a technology. This article presents a new approach for the analysis of changes in the short term in such a way that, based on the position of the actors in favor of or against the technological changes and institutional changes of the transition, it has analyzed and identified the factors affecting the transition. By focusing on these factors, policymakers can direct the way of fintech transition and help accelerate and facilitate fintech transition.
Tax planning and financial default: role of corporate life cycle
Authors: Gabrielli Alessandro , Greco Giulio
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), this study investigates how tax planning affects the likelihood of financial default in different stages of the corporate life cycle.

Design/methodology/approach

Collecting a large sample of US firms between 1989 and 2016, hypotheses are tested using a hazard model. Several robustness and endogeneity checks corroborate the main findings.

Findings

The results show that tax-planning firms are less likely to default in the introduction and decline stages, while they are more likely to default in the growth and maturity stages. The findings suggest that introductory and declining firms use cash resources obtained from tax planning efficiently to meet their needs and acquire other useful resources. In growing and mature firms, tax aggressiveness generates unnecessary slack resources, weakens managerial discipline and increases reputational risks.

Practical implications

The results shed light on the benefits and costs associated with tax planning throughout firms' life cycle, holding great significance for managers, investors, lenders and other stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature that examines resource management at different life cycle stages by showing that cash resources from tax planning are managed in distinctive ways in each life cycle stage, having a varied impact on the likelihood of default. The authors shed light on underexplored cash resources. Furthermore, this study shows the potential linkages between the agency theory and RBV.
Modulatory effects of supplementation of Lentinula edodes mycelia extract and l‐arginine on the therapeutic efficacy of immunogenic chemotherapy in colon cancer‐bearing mice
Authors: Taniura Takahito , Ishitobi Kazunari , Hidaka Masaaki , Harada Mamoru
Published: November 2023

Some chemotherapeutic drugs can induce cancer cell death and enhance antitumor T‐cell immunity in cancer‐bearing hosts. Immunomodulatory reagents could augment such chemotherapy‐induced effects. We previously reported that oral digestion of Lentinula edodes mycelia (L.E.M.) extract or 
l‐arginine supplementation can augment antitumor T‐cell responses in cancer‐bearing mice. In this study, the effects of L.E.M. extract with or without 
l‐arginine on the therapeutic efficacy of immunogenic chemotherapy by 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)/oxaliplatin (L‐OHP) and/or cyclophosphamide (CP) are examined using two mouse colon cancer models. In MC38 and CT26 cancer models, therapy with 5‐FU/L‐OHP/CP significantly suppressed tumor growth, and supplementation with L.E.M. extract halved the tumor volumes. However, the modulatory effect of L.E.M. extract was not significant. In the CT26 cancer model, supplementation with L.E.M. extract and 
l‐arginine had no clear effect on tumor growth. In contrast, their addition to chemotherapy halved the tumor volumes, although the effect was not significant. There was no difference in the cytotoxicity of tumor‐specific cytotoxic T cells generated from CT26‐cured mice treated by chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy combined with L.E.M. extract/
l‐arginine. These results indicate that the antitumor effects of immunogenic chemotherapy were too strong to ascertain the effects of supplementation of L.E.M. extract and 
l‐arginine, but these reagents nonetheless have immunomodulatory effects on the therapeutic efficacy of immunogenic chemotherapy in colon cancer‐bearing mice.
Do plant traits influence primary succession patterns for bryophytes and vascular plants? Evidence from a 33‐year chronosequence on bare chalk
Authors: Ridding Lucy E. , Hawes Peter , Walls Robin , Pilkington Sharon L. , Pywell Richard F. , Pescott Oliver L.
Published: November 2023

During primary succession, the abundance of different species and their associated plant traits change over time. Understanding how plant traits linked to colonising and competitive abilities change through succession is important for determining whether community assembly can be predicted. Examining this across more than one taxon group can reveal if these patterns are generalisable.

Here, we investigated primary succession on bare chalk for a chronosequence spanning 33 years for two different taxa, vascular plants and bryophytes. We examined how abundance changed through succession, and how this related to species' colonising and competitive abilities, using relevant plant traits for each taxa. A zero‐inflated beta regression model was used to investigate the effects of traits on both presence/absence and abundance‐when‐present of vascular plants and bryophytes.

Vascular plants with a larger specific leaf area were more likely to occur later in succession. Vascular plants, which were hemicryptophytes, wind dispersing and had a lower canopy height, were more likely to increase in abundance‐when‐present during succession.

Bryophytes with a larger spore diameter were more likely to occur later in succession. Shorter bryophytes with a greater frequency of sporophyte production had a higher abundance early in succession, representing their high colonising abilities. Whereas later in succession larger bryophytes, with a mat or weft life form and low sporophyte frequency were more abundant, indicating a shift towards greater competitive abilities.

Synthesis. This study has revealed different patterns for vascular plants and bryophytes regarding colonisation and changes in abundance through succession, and the associated traits linked to colonising and competitive abilities. Although some traits were found to influence abundance through succession for vascular plants, these were often contrary to the expected pattern representing the change from colonising to competitive abilities, whereas for bryophytes, there was more evidence for this shift with successional age. This suggests that general theories on succession‐linked plant traits should not be relied upon in isolation for the prediction of community assembly. Context, particularly successional age in relation to the available species pool is also key.
Recommendations of good practice to prevent aspiration pneumonia in older adults at risk of oropharyngeal dysphagia living in nursing homes: A modified e‐Delphi study protocol
Authors: Santos Joana M. L. G. , Ribeiro Oscar , Jesus Luis M. T. , Sa‐Couto Pedro , Matos Maria Assunção C.
Published: November 2023

Background

Aspiration pneumonia (AP) is a subset of pneumonia caused by the aspiration of food and fluids to the lungs and is highly prevalent in the older population. Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is one of the risk factors for AP and it is also associated with malnutrition, dehydration and poor functional outcomes. As pneumonia is the second most common infection in nursing homes (NHs) and OD represents a major concern to NH staff, good practices for the prevention of AP in older adults at risk of OD are needed.

Purpose

The aim of this modified e‐Delphi study is to build consensus among a panel of experts regarding a set of recommendations for NH staff on good practices to prevent AP in older adults at risk of OD living in NHs. The objective of this paper is to establish the methodology inherent to the Delphi study.

Methods

An online modified Delphi study will be developed in three rounds. Criteria for the Delphi panel participants include holding a master's or doctoral degree in OD or speech and language therapy; or having 10 or more years of experience in OD; or having at least one scientific publication related to OD. A previously described modified Delphi methodology will be used to achieve consensus (75% agreement). An additional round will be performed to collect the experts’ perspectives regarding the priority for application of each recommendation previously validated.

Discussion

This protocol aimed to describe the methodology of a future Delphi study on the prevention of AP, seeking to fulfil the gap in the literature regarding this topic. The modified Delphi technique is a widely used method for collecting experts’ opinion in health sciences, but the absence of standardised guidelines allows some heterogeneity between studies with the same aim.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on the subject

Aspiration pneumonia (AP) is related to three main risk factors: impaired safety of swallow, impaired nutritional status and poor oral health. It is known that being dependent for feeding is one of the main risk factors for AP and around 50% of nursing home (NH) residents need feeding assistance. Thus, it is important to promote specialised intervention and care by the NH staff for preventing AP.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge

It is hypothesised that increasing the knowledge of NH staff regarding the best practices for preventing AP in older adults at risk of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) will improve outcomes such as quality of life, incidence of AP and mortality.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?

The recommendations resulting from this study will address a current gap in healthcare practice of NH staff regarding older adults at increased risk for OD and, consequently, for AP.
A metagenomic view of novel microbial and metabolic diversity found within the deep terrestrial biosphere at DeMMO: A microbial observatory in South Dakota, USA
Authors: Momper Lily , Casar Caitlin P. , Osburn Magdalena R.
Published: November 2023

The deep terrestrial subsurface is a large and diverse microbial habitat and vast repository of biomass. However, in relation to its size and physical heterogeneity we have limited understanding of taxonomic and metabolic diversity in this realm. Here we present a detailed metagenomic analysis of samples from the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO) spanning depths from the surface to 1.5 km into the crust. From eight geochemically and spatially distinct fluid samples we reconstructed ~600 partial to near‐complete metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs), representing 50 distinct phyla and including 18 candidate phyla. These novel clades include members of the candidate phyla radiation, two new MAGs from OLB16, a phylum originally identified in DeMMO fluids and for which only one other MAG is currently available, and new MAGs from the Eisenbacteria, Omnitrophota, and Edwardsbacteria. We find that microbes spanning this expansive phylogenetic diversity and physical subsurface space gain a competitive edge by maintaining a wide variety of functional pathways, are often capable of numerous dissimilatory energy metabolisms and poised to take advantage of nutrients as they become available in isolated fracture fluids. Our results support and expand on emerging themes of tight nutrient cycling and genomic plasticity in deep subsurface biosphere taxa.
Morphosyntactic Contact in Translation: Greek ídios and Latin proprius in the Bible
Authors: Benedetti Marina , Gianollo Chiara
Published: November 2023

We investigate the possibility that contact with Greek through the translation of biblical texts may have played a role in the development of Latin proprius ‘personal’, ‘peculiar’ into a reflexive possessive adjective. A few centuries earlier, post‐Classical Greek witnesses a similar development with the adjective ídios ‘private’, ‘personal’: we determine that in the New Testament this adjective has innovative uses as a reflexive possessive, and we argue that this is a system‐internal development triggered by the loss of the reflexive possessive forms of Classical Greek. The comparison between the Greek original and the Latin Vulgata translation of the New Testament furthermore shows that Latin proprius was used, with just one exception, as a translation equivalent of Greek ídios. We conclude that contact through translation acts as a catalyst for a change that, also in Latin, responds to the system‐internal pressure created by the loss of an unambiguous 3rd person reflexive possessive.
The Contribution of Germanic to the Expansion of Partitive‐Related Phenomena in the Prehistoric Circum‐Baltic Area1
Authors: Bucci Giacomo
Published: November 2023

The primary objective of this article is to expand the discussion on partitive‐related phenomena diffusion in the prehistoric Circum‐Baltic area by considering the role of early Germanic languages. The central message is that early Germanic languages have been historically overlooked in the study of partitive phenomena in the Circum‐Baltic area, and this paper aims to address this oversight. After briefly discussing the main hypotheses related to the development and spread of partitive functions, the focus will shift to two understudied phenomena in early Germanic languages, namely the ‘genitive of quantification’ and the ‘genitive of negation’. It will be shown that these two phenomena were present in early Germanic languages, suggesting that they should be included in further studies concerned with contact in the prehistoric Circum‐Baltic area.
‘Edited and Approved by Women for Maximum Benefit of all Readers’: Newsprint Journalism, the International Women's Year and the Remaking of a Gendered National Public in 1970s Ghana
Authors: Skinner Kate , Salifu Jovia , Ampofo Akosua Adomako
Published: November 2023

During the International Women's Year (IWY) of 1975, United Nations bodies made concerted efforts to ensure global awareness and understanding of the IWY aims of equality, peace and development, via the mass media. In this article, we engage with these strategies of global information distribution from the vantage point of Ghana, West Africa. Drawing from interviews with women journalists and examples from the women's pages of the national state‐owned Daily Graphic newspaper, we argue that the onset of the IWY presented an important opportunity for women living under the constraints of military rule. A small but determined group of journalists capitalised on a longer history of readers writing into newspapers, and on lower levels of government surveillance of women's pages. Working with and through multi‐layered forms of address, they adapted the homey, gossipy women's pages and turned them into spaces of engagement between men and women as co‐citizens. During the IWY, connections were forged between international events and agendas and ‘domestic issues’. By hosting older debates about widowhood, inheritance and polygyny, and newer debates about family planning, formal education and employment, the women's pages positioned Ghanaian women as a key constituency in national development, but also enabled more assertive critiques of men's privileges.
Characterisation of meropenem‐resistant Bacillus sp. FW 1 isolated from biogas digestate
Authors: Sun He , Levenfors Jolanta J. , Brandt Christian , Schnürer Anna
Published: November 2023

Recently a Bacillus sp. strain FW 1 was isolated from biogas digestate and shown to have novel resistance to meropenem (MEM), of critical importance in human medicine. MEM‐resistance has so far only been described for one species within the genus Bacillus, that is, Bacillus cereus. Bacillus is an abundant representative of the microbial community in biogas digesters and consequently, the finding indicates a risk of spreading such resistance when using the digestate as fertiliser. In this study, the Bacillus strain was characterised and classified as Heyndrickxia oleronia (previous Bacillus oleronius), previously not described to harbour MEM‐resistance. The mechanism of resistance was explored by metallo‐β‐lactamase (MBL) production, mapping of carbapenemase genes and genome analysis. The transferability of MEM‐resistance in strain FW 1 was investigated by plasmid transformation/conjugation, combined with genome analysis. The results confirmed MBL production for both strain FW 1 and the type strain H. oleronia DSM 9356T. However, elevated MEM resistance was found for strain FW 1, which was suggested to be caused by the production of unclassified carbapenemase, or overexpression of MBL. Moreover, the results suggest that the MEM‐resistance of strain FW 1 is not transferable, thus representing a limited risk of MEM‐resistance spread to the environment when using digestate on arable land.
Perioperative hypersensitivity in children: A prospective multidisciplinary study
Authors: Aydemir Sezin , Gemici Karaaslan Hatice Betul , Mustu Ulviye , Tin Oguzhan , Hakalmaz Ali Ekber , Ozcan Rahsan , Emre Senol , Kendigelen Pinar , Tutuncu Ayse Cigdem , Kiykim Ayca , Cokugras Haluk
Published: November 2023

Background

There are few studies of perioperative hypersensitivity reactions in children. The diagnosis of perioperative hypersensitivity reactions may be under estimated because it is difficult to recognize the reactions. Anaphylaxis may go unnoticed because of patient unconsciousness. Urticaria may be missed due to sterile drapes. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate perioperative hypersensitivity reactions.

Methods

In this prospective study, patients with suspected perioperative hypersensitivity reactions aged 0–18 years who underwent surgery at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, between 2019 and 2021 were investigated. Suspected reactions in the perioperative period were graded according to the Ring and Messmer scale. Patients with suspected reactions were examined 4–6 weeks after the reaction. If necessary, specific IgE and basophil activation tests were performed. Reactions of grades III–IV were considered anaphylaxis. If one test modality was strongly positive and there was a relevant time point or repeated allergic reactions, or at least two test modalities were positive, hypersensitivity was confirmed. In all patients, serum tryptase levels were analyzed at the time of the reaction, 2 h after the reaction, and 4–6 weeks after the reaction as part of the allergic evaluation.

Results

A total of 29 patients (8 female, 21 male) suspected of having an intraoperative reaction during the study were included in the analysis. Perioperative hypersensitivity reactions were noted in 1 patient. The incidence of perioperative hypersensitivity reactions was reported to be 0.03% (n = 1/2861). While anaphylaxis was confirmed in 1 patient, 5 patients were considered possible anaphylaxis cases.

Conclusion

Perioperative hypersensitivity reactions can be life‐threatening and may recur with further administration. Collaboration between pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, and allergists can prevent further reactions. All suspected cases should be evaluated by an experienced allergist soon after the initial reaction.