bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment outcomes and lessons learned from 5134 cases of outpatient office-based endovascular procedures in a vascular surgical practice
Authors: Lin Peter H , Yang Keun-Ho , Kollmeyer Kenneth R , Uceda Pablo V , Ferrara Craig A , Feldtman Robert W , Caruso Joseph , Mcquade Karen , Richmond Jasmine L , Kliner Cameron E , Egan Kaitlyn E , Kim Walter , Saines Marius , Leichter Rhoda , Ahn Samuel S
Published: July 2016

Introduction

The office-based endovascular facility has increased in number recently due in part to expedient patient experience. This study analyzed treatment outcomes of procedures performed in our office-based endovascular suite.

Methods

Treatment outcomes of 5134 consecutive procedures performed in our office-based endovascular suites from 2006 to 2013 were analyzed. Five sequential groups (group I–V) of 1000 consecutive interventions were compared with regard to technical success and treatment outcomes.

Results

Our patients included 2856 (56%) females and 2267 (44%) males. Procedures performed included diagnostic arteriogram, arterial interventions, venous interventions, dialysis access interventions, and venous catheter management, which were 1024 (19.9%), 1568 (30.6%), and 3073 (60.0%), 621(12.1%), and 354 (6.9%), respectively. The complication rates for group I, II, III, IV, and V were 3%, 1.5%, 1%, 1.1%, and 0.7%, respectively. The complication rate was higher in group I when compared to each of the remaining four groups ( p < 0.05). Nine patients (0.18%) died within the 30-day period following their procedures, and none were procedure related.

Conclusions

Endovascular procedure can be performed safely in an office-based facility with excellent outcomes. Lessons learned in establishing office-based endovascular suites with efforts to reduce procedural complications and optimize quality patient care are discussed.
Documentary criminology:Girl Modelas a case study
Authors: Redmon David
Published: July 2016

Visual and cultural criminology are integrated with documentary filmmaking to develop a theoretically grounded, practice-based approach called ‘documentary criminology’. The first section establishes the need for documentary filmmaking in criminology and outlines methodological opportunities. The second section examines theoretically the aesthetics and substance of documentary criminology. The third section takes the film Girl Model (Redmon and Sabin, 2011) as a case study to demonstrate how documentary criminology embedded in lived experience (in this case, the experience of scouts that recruit young Russian girls, purportedly for the modelling industry) can depict sensuous immediacy. The final section contrasts the aesthetic and ethical consequences of documentary criminology within Carrabine’s (2012, 2014) concept of ‘just’ images to a documentary filmmaking approach that remains interpretively open-ended. Readers can access Girl Model at https://vimeo.com/29694894 with the password industry.
Association of noninvasive quantitative decline in liver fat content on MRI with histologic response in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Patel Janki , Bettencourt Ricki , Cui Jeffrey , Salotti Joanie , Hooker Jonathan , Bhatt Archana , Hernandez Carolyn , Nguyen Phirum , Aryafar Hamed , Valasek Mark , Haufe William , Hooker Catherine , Richards Lisa , Sirlin Claude B. , Loomba Rohit
Published: July 2016

Background:

Magnetic resonance imaging-estimated proton-density-fat-fraction (MRI-PDFF) has been shown to be a noninvasive, accurate and reproducible imaging-based biomarker for assessing steatosis and treatment response in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) clinical trials. However, there are no data on the magnitude of MRI-PDFF reduction corresponding to histologic response in the setting of a NASH clinical trial. The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare the magnitude of MRI-PDFF reduction between histologic responders versus histologic nonresponders in NASH patients.

Methods:

This study is a secondary analysis of the MOZART trial, which included 50 patients with biopsy-proven NASH randomized to ezetimibe 10 mg/day orally or placebo for 24 weeks. The primary aim was to perform a head-to-head comparative analysis of histologic responders [defined as a ⩾2-point reduction in the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Activity Score (NAS) without worsening fibrosis] versus nonresponders, and the corresponding quantitative change in liver fat content measured via MRI-PDFF.

Results:

Of the 35 patients who underwent paired liver biopsy and MRI-PDFF assessment at the beginning and end of treatment, 10 demonstrated a histologic response. Compared with histologic nonresponders, histologic responders had a statistically significant reduction in MRI-PDFF of −4.1% ± 4.9 versus −0.6 ± 4.1 ( p < 0.04) with a mean relative percent change of −29.3% ± 33.0 versus +2.0% ± 24.0 ( p < 0.004), respectively.

Conclusions:

Utilizing paired MRI-PDFF and liver histology data, we demonstrate that a relative reduction of 29% in liver fat on MRI-PDFF is associated with a histologic response in NASH. After external validation by independent research groups, these results can be incorporated into designing future NASH clinical trials, especially those utilizing change in hepatic fat quantified by MRI-PDFF, as a treatment endpoint.
Safety of long-term exposure to abiraterone acetate in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and concomitant cardiovascular risk factors
Authors: Verzoni Elena , Grassi Paolo , Ratta Raffaele , Niger Monica , De Braud Filippo , Valdagni Riccardo , Procopio Giuseppe
Published: July 2016

Background:

We aimed to evaluate the long-term safety profile of abiraterone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with controlled cardiovascular comorbidities or risk factors.

Methods:

We retrospectively analysed the clinical charts of consecutive mCRPC patients with cardiac disorders/risk factors who had been treated with abiraterone 1000 mg once daily plus prednisone 5 mg twice daily for a median duration of 16 months at an oncology referral centre between April 2011 and July 2015. Patients underwent an electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiographic assessments, including measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at baseline and at the end of treatment. Blood pressure (BP) was measured daily at home. During follow up (median 24 months), all adverse events were recorded. Cardiac events (CEs) were defined, according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0, as the appearance of a symptomatic CE that required medical intervention.

Results:

A total of 51 patients (median age 71 years) were evaluated. Pre-existing cardiovascular conditions included hypertension (41%), cardiac ischaemia (12%), stroke (9%), dyslipidaemia (18%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (12%). No CEs were recorded and no changes in LVEF were observed. The most frequently reported adverse events were Grade 1–2 fluid retention (18%), hypertension (16%) and asthenia (16%). No patients permanently discontinued abiraterone due to cardiac events.

Conclusions:

Long-term abiraterone treatment was well tolerated in mCRPC patients with controlled cardiovascular comorbidities/risk factors, with no apparent worsening of cardiovascular conditions from baseline over an extended observation period.
Supporting Common Core Instruction With Literacy Design Collaborative
Authors: Herman Joan , Epstein Scott , Leon Seth
Published: July 2016

The article examines the results of two quasi-experimental studies of the implementation and impact of the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC), an intervention designed to support secondary teachers’ transition to Common Core State Standards in English language arts. The first study examines LDC implementation by eighth-grade social studies and science teachers in districts across Kentucky; the second study is set in sixth-grade advanced reading classes in a large urban district in Florida. Based on teacher surveys, logs, and analysis of classroom artifacts, the LDC was implemented with reasonable fidelity across both studies. Based on available assessment scores, results show statistically significant positive effects in Kentucky for reading but no corollary effect in Florida. There were no significant differences in writing scores in either site. The conclusion shares hypotheses that may explain the differences in results and reflects on implications for evidence-based practice.
Global Rankings, World-class Universities and Dilemma in Higher Education Policy in India
Authors: Tilak Jandhyala B. G.
Published: July 2016

Global university rankings and world-class universities have become buzzwords almost in every country. Both exercise positive and not-so-positive impact on higher education systems. Universities everywhere are trying hard to improve their status and global rankings. The article reviews some of the important issues related to these two strongly emerging phenomena, and their influence on development of higher education in developing countries. A positive development is the increasing concern of the educational policymakers to improve the standards and quality in higher education institutions, and accordingly their launching of quite a few important ‘excellence initiatives’. But the exclusive pursuit of status and ranks can have disastrous implications for the development of universities. Besides reviewing these two phenomena, the article critically reviews the approach of the Government of India in this regard.
Long noncoding RNAs in B-cell development and activation
Authors: Brazão Tiago F. , Johnson Jethro S. , Müller Jennifer , Heger Andreas , Ponting Chris P. , Tybulewicz Victor L. J.
Published: July 2016

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potentially important regulators of cell differentiation and development, but little is known about their roles in B lymphocytes. Using RNA-seq and de novo transcript assembly, we identified 4516 lncRNAs expressed in 11 stages of B-cell development and activation. Most of these lncRNAs have not been previously detected, even in the closely related T-cell lineage. Comparison with lncRNAs previously described in human B cells identified 185 mouse lncRNAs that have human orthologs. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation-seq, we classified 20% of the lncRNAs as either enhancer-associated (eRNA) or promoter-associated RNAs. We identified 126 eRNAs whose expression closely correlated with the nearest coding gene, thereby indicating the likely location of numerous enhancers active in the B-cell lineage. Furthermore, using this catalog of newly discovered lncRNAs, we show that PAX5, a transcription factor required to specify the B-cell lineage, bound to and regulated the expression of 109 lncRNAs in pro-B and mature B cells and 184 lncRNAs in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
VIP impairs acquisition of the macrophage proinflammatory polarization profile
Authors: Carrión Mar , Pérez-García Selene , Martínez Carmen , Juarranz Yasmina , Estrada-Capetillo Lizbeth , Puig-Kröger Amaya , Gomariz Rosa P , Gutiérrez-Cañas Irene
Published: July 2016

This study tested the hypothesis that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is able to modify the macrophage inflammatory profile, thus supporting its therapeutic role in autoimmune diseases. Macrophages are innate immune cells that display a variety of functions and inflammatory profiles in response to the environment that critically controls their polarization. Deregulation between the pro- and anti-inflammatory phenotypes has been involved in different pathologies. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, in which macrophages are considered central effectors of synovial inflammation, displaying a proinflammatory profile. VIP is a pleiotropic neuropeptide with proven anti-inflammatory actions. As modulation of the macrophage phenotype has been implicated in the resolution of inflammatory diseases, we evaluated whether VIP is able to modulate human macrophage polarization. In vitro-polarized macrophages by GM-CSF (GM-MØ), with a proinflammatory profile, expressed higher levels of VIP receptors, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptors 1 and 2 (VPAC1 and VPAC2, respectively), than macrophages polarized by M-CSF (M-MØ) with anti-inflammatory activities. RA synovial macrophages, according to their GM-CSF-like polarization state, expressed both VPAC1 and VPAC2. In vitro-generated GM-MØ exposed to VIP exhibited an up-regulation of M-MØ gene marker expression, whereas their proinflammatory cytokine profile was reduced in favor of an anti-inflammatory function. Likewise, in GM-MØ, generated in the presence of VIP, VIP somehow changes the macrophages physiology profile to a less-damaging phenotype. Therefore, these results add new value to VIP as an immunomodulatory agent on inflammatory diseases.
How Eye-Preserving Therapy Affects Long-Term Overall Survival in Heritable Retinoblastoma Survivors
Authors: Temming Petra , Arendt Marina , Viehmann Anja , Eisele Lewin , Le Guin Claudia H.D. , Schündeln Michael M. , Biewald Eva , Mäusert Jennifer , Wieland Regina , Bornfeld Norbert , Sauerwein Wolfgang , Eggert Angelika , Lohmann Dietmar R. , Jöckel Karl-Heinz
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Intraocular retinoblastoma is curable, but survivors with a heritable predisposition are at high risk for second malignancies. Because second malignancies are associated with high mortality, prognostic factors for second malignancy influence long-term overall survival. This study investigates the impact of all types of eye-preserving therapies on long-term survival in the complete German cohort of patients with heritable retinoblastoma.

Patients and Methods

Overall survival, disease staging using international scales, time period of diagnosis, and treatment type were analyzed in the 633 German children treated at the national reference center for heritable retinoblastoma.

Results

The 5-year overall survival of children diagnosed in Germany with heritable retinoblastoma between 1940 and 2008 was 93.2% (95% CI, 91.2% to 95.1%), but long-term mortality was increased compared with patients with nonheritable disease. Overall survival correlated with tumor staging, and 92% of patients were diagnosed with a favorable tumor stage (International Retinoblastoma Staging System stage 0 or I). Despite a 5-year overall survival of 97.4% (95% CI, 96.0% to 98.8%) in patients with stage 0 or I, only 79.5% (95% CI, 74.2% to 84.8%) of these patients survived 40 years after diagnosis. Long-term overall survival was reduced in children treated with eye-preserving radiotherapy compared with enucleation alone, and adding chemotherapy aggravated this effect.

Conclusion

The benefits of preserving vision must be balanced with the impact of eye-preserving treatments on long-term survival in heritable retinoblastoma, and the genetic background of the patient influences choice of eye-preserving treatment. Germline RB1 genetic analysis is important to identify heritable retinoblastoma among unilateral retinoblastoma cases. Eye-preserving radiotherapy should be carefully considered in patients with germline RB1 mutations. Life-long oncologic follow-up is crucial for all retinoblastoma survivors, and less detrimental eye-preserving therapies must be developed.
CALGB 80403 (Alliance)/E1206: A Randomized Phase II Study of Three Chemotherapy Regimens Plus Cetuximab in Metastatic Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancers
Authors: Enzinger Peter C. , Burtness Barbara Ann , Niedzwiecki Donna , Ye Xing , Douglas Kathe , Ilson David H. , Villaflor Victoria Meucci , Cohen Steven J. , Mayer Robert J. , Venook Alan , Benson Al Bowen , Goldberg Richard M.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

To determine the optimal chemotherapy backbone for testing in future US cooperative group studies for metastatic esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers. Cetuximab was added to each treatment arm based on promising preclinical data.

Patients and Methods

Patients with previously untreated metastatic esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer were randomly assigned at a one-to-one-to-one ratio to epirubicin, cisplatin, and continuous-infusion fluorouracil (ECF), irinotecan plus cisplatin (IC), or FOLFOX (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and bolus and infusional fluorouracil). All treatment programs included cetuximab once per week. The primary end point was response rate. Secondary outcomes included overall survival, progression-free survival, time to treatment failure, and safety. As prespecified, primary and secondary analyses were conducted only among patients with adenocarcinoma.

Results

This study randomly assigned 245 patients, including 222 with adenocarcinoma. Among patients with adenocarcinoma, response rate was 60.9% (95% CI, 47.9 to 72.8) for ECF plus cetuximab, 45.0% (95% CI, 33.0 to 57.0) for IC plus cetuximab, and 54.3% (95% CI, 42.0 to 66.2) for FOLFOX plus cetuximab. Median overall survival was 11.6, 8.6, and 11.8 months; median progression-free survival was 7.1, 4.9, and 6.8 months; and median time to treatment failure was 5.6, 4.3, and 6.7 months for each of these arms, respectively. FOLFOX plus cetuximab required fewer treatment modifications compared with ECF plus cetuximab and IC plus cetuximab (P = .013), and fewer patients were removed from treatment because of an adverse event or experienced treatment-related death.

Conclusion

In combination with cetuximab, ECF and FOLFOX had similar efficacy, but FOLFOX was better tolerated. Although differences were nonsignificant, IC plus cetuximab seemed to be the least effective and most toxic of the three regimens tested.
Considering Bone Marrow Blasts From Nonerythroid Cellularity Improves the Prognostic Evaluation of Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Authors: Arenillas Leonor , Calvo Xavier , Luño Elisa , Senent Leonor , Alonso Esther , Ramos Fernando , Ardanaz María Teresa , Pedro Carme , Tormo Mar , Marco Víctor , Montoro Julia , Díez-Campelo María , Brunet Salut , Arrizabalaga Beatriz , Xicoy Blanca , Andreu Rafael , Bonanad Santiago , Jerez Andrés , Nomdedeu Benet , Ferrer Ana , Sanz Guillermo F. , Florensa Lourdes
Published: July 2016

Purpose

WHO classification of myeloid malignancies is based mainly on the percentage of bone marrow (BM) blasts. This is considered from total nucleated cells (TNCs), unless there is erythroid-hyperplasia (erythroblasts ≥ 50%), calculated from nonerythroid cells (NECs). In these instances, when BM blasts are ≥ 20%, the disorder is classified as erythroleukemia, and when BM blasts are < 20%, as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In the latter, the percentage of blasts is considered from TNCs.

Patients and Methods

We assessed the percentage of BM blasts from TNCs and NECs in 3,692 patients with MDS from the Grupo Español de Síndromes Mielodisplásicos, 465 patients with erythroid hyperplasia (MDS-E) and 3,227 patients without erythroid hyperplasia. We evaluated the relevance of both quantifications on classification and prognostication.

Results

By enumerating blasts systematically from NECs, 22% of patients with MDS-E and 12% with MDS from the whole series diagnosed within WHO categories with < 5% BM blasts, were reclassified into higher-risk categories and showed a poorer overall survival than did those who remained in initial categories (P = .006 and P = .001, respectively). Following WHO recommendations, refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB)-2 diagnosis is not possible in MDS-E, as patients with 10% to < 20% BM blasts from TNCs fulfill erythroleukemia criteria; however, by considering blasts from NECs, 72 patients were recoded as RAEB-2 and showed an inferior overall survival than did patients with RAEB-1 without erythroid hyperplasia. Recalculating the International Prognostic Scoring System by enumerating blasts from NECs in MDS-E and in the overall MDS population reclassified approximately 9% of lower-risk patients into higher-risk categories, which indicated the survival expected for higher-risk patients.

Conclusion

Regardless of the presence of erythroid hyperplasia, calculating the percentage of BM blasts from NECs improves prognostic assessment of MDS. This fact should be considered in future WHO classification reviews.
Innovations in American Society of Clinical Oncology Practice Guideline Development
Authors: Somerfield Mark R. , Bohlke Kari , Browman George P. , Denduluri Neelima , Einhaus Kaitlin , Hayes Daniel F. , Khorana Alok A. , Miller Robert S. , Mohile Supriya G. , Oliver Thomas K. , Ortiz Eduardo , Lyman Gary H.
Published: July 2016

Since the beginning of its guidelines program in 1993, ASCO has continually sought ways to produce a greater number of guidelines while maintaining its commitment to using the rigorous development methods that minimize the biases that threaten the validity of practice recommendations. ASCO is implementing a range of guideline development and implementation innovations. In this article, we describe innovations that are designed to (1) integrate consideration of multiple chronic conditions into practice guidelines; (2) keep more of its guidelines current by applying evolving signals or (more) rapid, for-cause updating approaches; (3) increase the number of high-quality guidelines available to its membership through endorsement and adaptation of other groups’ products; (4) improve coverage of its members’ guideline needs through a new topic nomination process; and (5) enhance dissemination and promote implementation of ASCO guidelines in the oncology practice community through a network of volunteer ambassadors. We close with a summary of ASCO’s plans to facilitate the integration of data from its rapid learning system, CancerLinQ, into ASCO guidelines and to develop tactics through which guideline recommendations can be embedded in clinicians’ workflow in digital form. We highlight the challenges inherent in reconciling the need to provide clinicians with more interactive, point-of-care guidance with ASCO’s abiding commitment to methodologic rigor in guideline development.
Non-Lethal Type VIII Osteogenesis Imperfecta Has Elevated Bone Matrix Mineralization
Authors: Fratzl-Zelman Nadja , Barnes Aileen M. , Weis MaryAnn , Carter Erin , Hefferan Theresa E. , Perino Giorgio , Chang Weizhong , Smith Peter A. , Roschger Paul , Klaushofer Klaus , Glorieux Francis H. , Eyre David R. , Raggio Cathleen , Rauch Frank , Marini Joan C.
Published: July 2016

Context:

Type VIII osteogenesis imperfecta (OI; OMIM 601915) is a recessive form of lethal or severe OI caused by null mutations in P3H1, which encodes prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1.

Objectives:

Clinical and bone material description of non-lethal type VIII OI.

Design:

Natural history study of type VIII OI.

Setting:

Pediatric academic research centers.

Patients:

Five patients with non-lethal type VIII OI, and one patient with lethal type VIII OI.

Interventions:

None.

Main Outcome Measures:

Clinical examinations included bone mineral density, radiographs, and serum and urinary metabolites. Bone biopsy samples were analyzed for histomorphometry and bone mineral density distribution by quantitative backscattered electron imaging microscopy. Collagen biochemistry was examined by mass spectrometry, and collagen fibrils were examined by transmission electron microscopy.

Results:

Type VIII OI patients have extreme growth deficiency, an L1–L4 areal bone mineral density Z-score of −5 to −6, and normal bone formation markers. Collagen from bone and skin tissue and cultured osteoblasts and fibroblasts have nearly absent 3-hydroxylation (1–4%). Collagen fibrils showed abnormal diameters and irregular borders. Bone histomorphometry revealed decreased cortical width and very thin trabeculae with patches of increased osteoid, although the overall osteoid surface was normal. Quantitative backscattered electron imaging showed increased matrix mineralization of cortical and trabecular bone, typical of other OI types. However, the proportion of bone with low mineralization was increased in type VIII OI bone, compared to type VII OI.

Conclusions:

P3H1 is the unique enzyme responsible for collagen 3-hydroxylation in skin and bone. Bone from non-lethal type VIII OI children is similar to type VII, especially bone matrix hypermineralization, but it has distinctive features including extremely thin trabeculae, focal osteoid accumulation, and an increased proportion of low mineralized bone.
A Tale of Two Bounties: The Impact of Competing Fees on Physician Behavior
Authors: Rice Thomas , Stearns Sally C. , Pathman Donald E. , DesHarnais Susan , Brasure Michelle , Tai-Seale Ming
Published: July 2016

This study examines how the volume of privately insured services provided in hospital inpatient and outpatient departments changes in response to reductions in Medicare physician payments. We hypothesize that physicians consider relative payment rates when choosing which patients to treat in their practices. When Medicare reduces its payments for surgical procedures, as it did in the late 1980s, physicians are predicted to treat more privately insured patients because they become more lucrative. We use data from 182 hospitals for seventeen major procedures groups, covering a forty-five-month period between 1988 and 1991 that encompasses a twenty-four-month period before the reduction in Medicare fees and twenty-one months after the reduction. Our findings are consistent with the predictions for a number of procedure groups, but not for all of them. One implication of the findings is that societal savings from Medicare fee reductions are overstated if one does not also consider spillover effects in the private insurance market.
Barriers to Achieving a Cost-Effective Workforce Mix: Lessons from Anesthesiology
Authors: Cromwell Jerry
Published: July 2016

As pressures to control health care costs increase, competition among physicians, advanced practice nurses, and other allied health providers has also intensified. Anesthesia care is one of the most highly contested terrains, where the growth in anesthesiologist supply has far outstripped total demand. This article explains why the supply has grown so fast despite evidence that nurse anesthetists provide equally good care at a fraction of the cost. Emphasis is given to payment incentives in the private sector and Medicare. Laudable attempts by the government to make Medicare payments more efficient and equitable by lowering the economic return to physicians specializing in anesthesia have created a hostile work environment. Nurse anesthetists are being dismissed from hospitals in favor of anesthesiologists who do not appear “on the payroll” but cost society more, nonetheless. Claims of antitrust violations by nurse anesthetists against anesthesiologists have not found much support in the courts for several reasons outlined in this essay. HMO penetration and other market forces have begun signaling new domestic physician graduates to eschew anesthesia, but, again, Medicare payment incentives encourage teaching hospitals to recruit international medical graduates to maintain graduate medical education payments. After suggesting desirable but likely ineffective reforms involving licensure laws and hospital organizational restructuring, the article discusses several alternative payment methods that would encourage hospitals and medical staffs to adopt a more cost-effective anesthesia workforce mix. Lessons for other nonphysician personnel conclude the article.
Rationing Care in the Community: Engaging Citizens in Health Care Decision Making
Authors: Redden Candace Johnson
Published: July 2016

This article examines the theoretical and practical logics of community engagement exercises in health care rationing. To evaluate such exercises in Canada, it is necessary to compare suspected rationing exercises (such as those in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan) with clear examples of rationing. The Oregon Medicaid reform process is considered an important example of transparent and community-level rationing from which Canadian executive-driven governments can learn a few valuable lessons. While the Oregon experiment seems to have been a (qualified) success, in the Canadian context, formal citizen participation in decision making might be incompatible with social rights and present an incongruous and antagonistic pairing of executive and popular sources of authority.
Mouse model of pulmonary cavitary tuberculosis and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9
Authors: Ordonez Alvaro A. , Tasneen Rokeya , Pokkali Supriya , Xu Ziyue , Converse Paul J. , Klunk Mariah H. , Mollura Daniel J. , Nuermberger Eric L. , Jain Sanjay K.
Published: July 2016

Cavitation is a key pathological feature of human tuberculosis (TB) and a well-recognized risk factor for transmission of infection, relapse, and emergence of drug resistance after treatment. Despite intense interest in the mechanisms underlying cavitation and its negative impact on treatment outcomes, there has been limited study of this phenomenon due in large part to the limitations of existing animal models. Although cavitation does not occur in conventional mouse strains after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cavitary lung lesions have occasionally been observed in C3HeB/FeJ mice. However, to date, there has been no demonstration that cavitation can be produced consistently enough to support C3HeB/FeJ mice as a new and useful model of cavitary TB. We utilized serial computed tomography (CT) imaging to detect pulmonary cavitation in C3HeB/FeJ mice after aerosol infection with M. tuberculosis. Post-mortem analyses were performed to characterize lung lesions and to localize matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) previously implicated in cavitary TB in situ. 47-61% of infected mice developed cavities during primary disease or relapse after non-curative treatments. Key pathological features of human TB, including simultaneous presence of multiple different pathologies were noted in lung tissues. Optical imaging demonstrated increased MMP activity in TB lesions and MMP-9 was significantly expressed in cavitary lesions. Tissue MMP-9 activity could be abrogated by specific inhibitors. In situ, three-dimensional analyses of cavitary lesions demonstrated that 22.06% of CD11b+ signal co-localized with MMP-9. C3HeB/FeJ mice represent a reliable, economical and tractable model of cavitary TB, with key similarities to human TB. This model should provide an excellent tool to better understand the pathogenesis of cavitation and its effects on TB treatments.
The temperature dependence of electrical excitability in fish hearts
Authors: Vornanen Matti
Published: July 2016

Environmental temperature has pervasive effects on the rate of life processes in ectothermic animals. Animal performance is affected by temperature, but there are finite thermal limits for vital body functions, including contraction of the heart. This Review discusses the electrical excitation that initiates and controls the rate and rhythm of fish cardiac contraction and is therefore a central factor in the temperature-dependent modulation of fish cardiac function. The control of cardiac electrical excitability should be sensitive enough to respond to temperature changes but simultaneously robust enough to protect against cardiac arrhythmia; therefore, the thermal resilience and plasticity of electrical excitation are physiological qualities that may affect the ability of fishes to adjust to climate change. Acute changes in temperature alter the frequency of the heartbeat and the duration of atrial and ventricular action potentials (APs). Prolonged exposure to new thermal conditions induces compensatory changes in ion channel expression and function, which usually partially alleviate the direct effects of temperature on cardiac APs and heart rate. The most heat-sensitive molecular components contributing to the electrical excitation of the fish heart seem to be Na+ channels, which may set the upper thermal limit for the cardiac excitability by compromising the initiation of the cardiac AP at high temperatures. In cardiac and other excitable cells, the different temperature dependencies of the outward K+ current and inward Na+ current may compromise electrical excitability at temperature extremes, a hypothesis termed the temperature-dependent depression of electrical excitation.
Lubricating the swordfish head
Authors: Videler John J. , Haydar Deniz , Snoek Roelant , Hoving Henk-Jan T. , Szabo Ben G.
Published: July 2016

The swordfish is reputedly the fastest swimmer on Earth. The concave head and iconic sword are unique characteristics, but how they contribute to its speed is still unknown. Recent computed tomography scans revealed a poorly mineralised area near the base of the rostrum. Here we report, using magnetic resonance imaging and electron microscopy scanning, the discovery of a complex organ consisting of an oil-producing gland connected to capillaries that communicate with oil-excreting pores in the skin of the head. The capillary vessels transport oil to abundant tiny circular pores that are surrounded by denticles. The oil is distributed from the pores over the front part of the head. The oil inside the gland is identical to that found on the skin and is a mixture of methyl esters. We hypothesize that the oil layer, in combination with the denticles, creates a super-hydrophobic layer that reduces streamwise friction drag and increases swimming efficiency.
Jumping mechanisms and performance in beetles. I. Flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticini)
Authors: Nadein Konstantin , Betz Oliver
Published: July 2016

The present study analyses the anatomy, mechanics and functional morphology of the jumping apparatus, the performance and the kinematics of the natural jump of flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini). The kinematic parameters of the initial phase of the jump were calculated for five species from five genera (average values from minimum to maximum): acceleration 0.91–2.25 (×103) m s−2, velocity 1.48–2.80 m s−1, time to take-off 1.35–2.25 ms, kinetic energy 2.43–16.5 µJ, g-force 93–230. The jumping apparatus is localized in the hind legs and formed by the femur, tibia, femoro-tibial joint, modified metafemoral extensor tendon, extensor ligament, tibial flexor sclerite, and extensor and flexor muscles. The primary role of the metafemoral extensor tendon is seen in the formation of an increased attachment site for the extensor muscles. The rubber-like protein resilin was detected in the extensor ligament, i.e. a short, elastic element connecting the extensor tendon with the tibial base. The calculated specific joint power (max. 0.714 W g−1) of the femoro-tibial joint during the jumping movement and the fast full extension of the hind tibia (1–3 ms) suggest that jumping is performed via a catapult mechanism releasing energy that has beforehand been stored in the extensor ligament during its stretching by the extensor muscles. In addition, the morphology of the femoro-tibial joint suggests that the co-contraction of the flexor and the extensor muscles in the femur of the jumping leg is involved in this process.
School Subjects Work Program Requirements and Assessment Criterion Development
Authors: ��������  , Kuznetsov A.
Published: July 2016

The article considers the development of structure and contents of program components requirements for school subjects in accordance with the new

Federal State Education Standard, connection between the requirements and assessment criteria of the programs, improvement of program structure,

development of the educational results requirements, levels of acquisition of learning material, requirements to the explanatory notes to the program,

development of the intersubject communications and content-related course lines.
Readiness Criteria of Medical Students for Professionally Oriented Oral Communication in Foreign Language
Authors: �������  , Petrova E. , ������  , Ilina Nina
Published: July 2016

In the article approaches to determination of students� readiness to professionally oriented oral communication in foreign language are considered. The

formation of students� readiness to professionally oriented oral communication in foreign language depends on the level of mastering by them theoretical

components of psychology, linguistics and practical skills, including special sciences. Students� readiness to professionally oriented oral communication

in foreign language is a professionally signifi cant quality and is considered, as unity of personal, theoretical and practical readiness. According

to structural components of readiness the criteria refl ecting specifi cs of readiness to professionally oriented oral communication in foreign language

are developed as means and conditions of preparation for it: motivation and profession, activity and speech, interpersonal communication, result and

competitiveness. When developing criteria the main parameters are determined and levels of students� readiness to professionally oriented oral communication

in foreign language are characterized.
Quantifying Cross and Direct Network Effects in Online Consumer-to-Consumer Platforms
Authors: Chu Junhong , Manchanda Puneet
Published: July 2016

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) platforms have become a major engine of growth in Internet commerce. This is especially true in countries such as China, which are experiencing a big rush toward e-commerce. The emergence of such platforms gives researchers the unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of such platforms by focusing on the growth of both buyers and sellers. In this research, we build a utility-based model to quantify both cross and direct network effects on Alibaba Group’s Taobao.com, the world’s largest online C2C platform (based in China). Specifically, we investigate the relative contributions of different factors that affect the growth of buyers and sellers on the platform. Our results suggest that the direct network effects do not play a big role in the platform’s growth (we detect a small positive direct network effect on buyer growth and no direct network effect on seller growth). More importantly, we find a significant, large and positive cross-network effect on both sides of the platform. In other words, the installed base of either side of the platform has propelled the growth of the other side (and thus the overall growth). Interestingly, this cross-network effect is asymmetric with the installed base of sellers having a much larger effect on the growth of buyers than vice versa. The growth in the number of buyers is driven primarily by the seller’s installed base and product variety with increasing importance of product variety. The growth in the number of sellers is driven by buyer’s installed base, buyer quality, and product price with increasing importance of buyer quality. We also investigate the nature of these cross-network effects over time. We find that the cross-network effect of sellers on buyers increases and then decreases to reach a stable level. By contrast, the cross-network effect of buyers on sellers is relatively stable. We discuss the policy implications of these findings for C2C platforms in general and Taobao in particular.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2016.0976 .
El índice de afinidad como medida de la calidad en los informativos de televisión. Estudio empírico de Antena 3 y Telecinco
Authors: López Sanz Mª Eugenia , Medina Laverón Mercedes
Published: July 2016

En la sociedad actual se recibe tanta información que puede darse la paradoja de que el ciudadano no esté bien informado. En este trabajo, tras una breve revisión de la literatura más reciente sobre la calidad del producto informativo, se propone un indicador de calidad para los programas informativos de televisión, el índice de afinidad (IA). Este índice se define como la medida de la adecuación del programa informativo a los intereses del espectador, considerando como tales las preocupaciones de los ciudadanos que el Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) recoge en su barómetro mensual. En síntesis, se procederá a medir un aspecto de la calidad de los informativos, teniendo en cuenta la adecuación a los intereses del público. Para el estudio, se ha escogido una muestra de programas informativos emitidos en Antena 3 y Telecinco, en el momento de máxima audiencia - 21:00 horas- en el año 2011. Se han seleccionado estos dos canales por ser los de mayor audiencia dentro de las compañías privadas en España. Se obtiene como resultado que el IA de Antena 3 es normalmente superior al de Telecinco, aunque en ambas cadenas el valor del índice disminuye considerablemente en los programas del fin de semana.
Las reglas del juego cambian a mitad de la partida
Authors: Tur-Viñes Victoria
Published: July 2016

Hace siete años, cuando Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación comenzó su andadura junto con el resto de revistas colegas de Plataforma Latina de Revistas de Comunicación, la estrategia a seguir para hacer los proyectos editoriales viables y consolidados en el medio o largo plazo consistía en procurar publicar el mismo número de artículos que de citas recibidas. En sí mismo era un reto muy ambicioso. El cálculo del índice de impacto, con matices distintos en cada sistema de indexación, obligaba a ello. Ese mismo año, 2010, fue el último analizado por INRECS, del grupo EC3 de la Universidad de Granada publicaba su último ranking y el índice de impacto más alto era de 0,6 (Revista Latina de Comunicación Social), ninguna revista sobrepasaba el 1. Por ello, determinar el número máximo de artículos era un aspecto importante. Como proyectos editoriales emergentes, varios de nosotros optamos por ser prudentes, trabajar a largo plazo y escogimos una cifra entre 10 y 12 artículos por año. Ello también nos permitió seleccionar y elegir los mejores textos, aspecto que también favorecía el reconocimiento de la revista pues la tasa de rechazo era tenida en cuenta por los sistemas de clasificación como criterio de buena calidad.
Estudio de caso de los sMOOC y su pedagogía en el contexto online
Authors: Mañero Contreras Julia
Published: July 2016

En un contexto dominado por las nuevas tecnologías, los MOOCs parecen posicionarse como una alternativa o complemento a la formación tradicional. Se observa sin embargo, que la metodología empleada por este tipo de cursos masivos, no difiere de la comúnmente utilizada en el aula. Este artículo evalúa y describe una nueva tipología de MOOC, denominada Social MOOC, la cual se presenta como disruptiva en cuanto a pedagogía se refiere. A través de la plataforma ECO Learning, se analiza de forma exhaustiva mediante un estudio de caso, la pedagogía empleada y el rol que asume el estudiante en el primer sMOOC llevado a cabo que tuvo lugar durante los meses de marzo y abril de 2015. Se concluye, que la pedagogía empleada en esta nueva versión social de los ya citados MOOC, es innovadora tanto dentro como fuera del contexto digital. Los estudiantes asumen un papel muy activo y la comunicación se torna de un carácter bidireccional entre el facilitador y los mismos.
O CORRUPTO COMO INIMIGO NO DIREITO PENAL BRASILEIRO
Authors: Do Monte Silva Lucas
Published: July 2016

Em função da Sociedade de Riscos e da desmaterialização do bem jurídico, o Direito Penal, hodiernamente, se expande, por meio da administrativização do fenômeno delitivo, buscando tutelar tanto os crimes já cometidos, como prevenir os riscos possíveis de futuros delitos que possam afetar bens jurídicos regidos por esse ramo, sobretudo, bens transindividuais de difícil limitação, como crimes praticados contra a ordem econômica e contra a ordem ambiental. Ocorre que, além dessas consequências, também se verificam mudanças processuais, notadamente, a visão do sujeito que praticou um ato de corrupção como um inimigo da sociedade brasileira e, consequentemente, do Direito Penal. De acordo com este discurso do senso comum midiático, abre-se azo para que seja possível mitigar direitos e garantias fundamentais do réu em prol da sociedade. O objetivo do artigo, portanto, é verificar o processo de construção da imagem do inimigo no corrupto, de forma a constatar sua existência no cenário brasileiro ou se seria apenas uma falácia. Dessa forma, por meio da metodologia bibliográfica e do método hipotético-dedutivo, o texto busca analisar os fundamentos por trás da criação da imagem do corrupto como inimigo, bem como se os fundamentos dessa nova visão na sociedade brasileira.
DIREITO AMBIENTAL COMPARADO: ARGENTINA, BRASIL E O ESTUDO NORMATIVO-JURÍDICO DE SUAS ÁGUAS
Authors: Teixeira Alessandra Vanessa , Serraggio Girelli Camile
Published: July 2016

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo comparado referente à proteção jurídica das águas nos países Argentina e Brasil. Para realizar o estudo foi utilizado o método comparado, restringindo-se à análise dos dispositivos constitucionais de ambos os países, bem como suas respectivas legislações infraconstitucionais. Pode-se perceber que a legislação brasileira, tanto na seara constitucional como na infraconstitucional, está mais avançada do que a legislação argentina. Isto porque a Constituição brasileira, além de ter sido promulgada em data mais recente, traz expressamente previsões de proteção às águas. Além disso, o Brasil conta com legislações específicas, como o Código de Águas e a Lei da Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos. Enquanto que a Constituição argentina, só os prevê de forma indireta, sendo que não existe uma legislação tão específica como no Brasil. Observa-se que no país vizinho, são as províncias que tem a competência legislativa para tal atribuição.
LIXÃO DO AURÁ EM BELÉM-PA E A POLÍTICA NACIONAL DE RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS: TRATAMENTO JURÍDICO DADO AOS CATADORES
Authors: De Souza Dantas Glauber , Magalhães Lopes Syglea Rejane , Nascimento Pontes Altem
Published: July 2016

A Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS), normatizada pela Lei nº 12.305/2010 e regulamentada pelo Decreto nº 7.404/2010, instituiu diversas incumbências aos gestores públicos dentre elas a de inserir os catadores de resíduos sólidos nesse processo. Assim, foi realizado um estudo objetivando analisar o tratamento jurídico dado aos catadores em áreas de lixões conforme postula a PNRS, fazendo uma ponte de estudo ao Lixão do Aurá, localizado em Belém-PA. Os resultados demonstraram que o Poder Público Municipal ainda não se adequou à referida legislação, apesar de ter assinado um Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta junto ao Ministério Público Estadual (MPE) em 2013, que prevê a elaboração do Plano Intermunicipal de Gestão Integrada de Resíduos Sólidos e a eliminação do atual lixão, além da inclusão dos catadores no sistema formal de trabalho. Na PNRS os catadores são sujeitos indispensáveis para a estrutura do ciclo de vida dos produtos. Portanto, deve haver uma construção conjunta entre Poder Público, ser humano e natureza.
PRECEDENTES E JURISPURDÊNCIA: UMA DISTINÇÃO NECESSÁRIA NO SISTEMA JURÍDICO BRASILEIRO
Authors: Fasolo Pilati Scheleder Adriana
Published: July 2016

O novo modelo processual previsto no CPC/2015 trouxe consigo a previsão do sistema de precedentes. Por conseguinte, surgiu a necessidade de redefinição de termos usualmente tratados no Brasil, objetivo da presente pesquisa. Através da abordagem dedutiva e da técnica bibliográfica, infere-se que os precedentes consistem em uma regra universalizável que pode ser aplicada como critério de decisão em caso sucessivos em função da identidade. No sentido técnico-processual, significam a decisão individualizada de um caso concreto, extraindo-se desta uma tese jurídica que constitui o cerne do respectivo provimento. Jurisprudência, por sua vez, significa extrair regras a partir de repetidas decisões proferidas em casos similares, pelas quais poderão surgir enunciados. A jurisprudência, portanto, decorre da posição majoritária, ou seja, surge de uma quantidade razoável de decisões que refletirá a posição de um determinado tribunal, ao contrário dos precedentes que surgem a partir de uma decisão que formará uma tese paradigma.