bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pilot Mobile Phone Intervention in Promoting Type 2 Diabetes Management in an Urban Area in Ghana: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Asante Ernest , Bam Victoria , Diji Abigail Kusi-Amponsah , Lomotey Alberta Yemotsoo , Owusu Boateng Agnes , Sarfo-Kantanka Osei , Oparebea Ansah Eunice , Adjei Dennis
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a nurse-led mobile phone call intervention on glycemic management and adherence to self-management practices among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Ghana.

Methods

This was a pilot randomized controlled trial to compare diabetes care as usual to a mobile phone call intervention delivered by nurses in addition to care as usual over a 12-week period in a tertiary referral hospital in Ghana. Sixty patients with T2DM were randomized to either the intervention or the control arm. The intervention group received up to 16 mobile phone calls (mean duration = 12 minutes) from a diabetes specialist nurse in addition to their care as usual. The control group received only care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in A1C over the 12-week period. The secondary outcomes were changes in self-reported adherence to medication and diabetes self-management measures over the 12-week period.

Results

Mean baseline A1C was comparable between the intervention and control groups (9.54%, SD = 2.00% vs 9.07%, SD = 1.72%, P = .334). After 12 weeks, A1C was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group. The difference in mean A1C in the control group rose by +0.26 ± 1.30% ( P = .282; 95% CI, −0.23 to 0.75), whereas that of the intervention group reduced by −1.51 ± 2.67% ( P = .004; 95% CI, −2.51 to −0.51). No improvements in self-management were recorded in the control group. In the intervention group, however, the only significant improvement was recorded in the area of foot care practices. Participant recruitment and retention were 100% without any attrition. About 87% (n = 26) of the intervention group completed at least 70% (≥11) of the calls. At the end of the trial, participants who received the intervention rated their satisfaction as 89.3% on average.

Conclusion

A mobile phone follow-up call by nurses emphasizing adherence to self-management practices is feasible and can improve short- to medium-term glycemic management among patients with T2DM.
The Clay Hand Illusion and the Embodiment of Unfeasible Objects
Authors: Hall Antony , Poliakoff Ellen
Published: October 2020

In an artistic exploration, clay hands and nonhand-like, unfeasible clay objects were created by the participant and used to perform an alternative version of the rubber hand illusion. Most participants felt ownership even over these unfeasible objects, raising questions about the embodied experience of objects that we make.
Hidden Reading Difficulties: Identifying Children Who Are Poor Comprehenders
Authors: Kelso Katrina , Whitworth Anne , Parsons Richard , Leitão Suze
Published: October 2020

Poor comprehenders are a significant subgroup of poor readers who, due to their ability to read aloud accurately, are often difficult to identify. This study aimed to determine whether assessment using two oral language tasks, mapped onto the two components of the Simple View of Reading, would provide an efficient approach to identification. Children ( N = 218) from School Years 3 to 6 (ages 7; 8–12; 1) attending two schools in Australia were assessed, and 45 identified as potential poor comprehenders, based on a profile of average phonological awareness but poor listening comprehension. Subsequent assessment of decoding and text reading comprehension confirmed 24 of these children to be poor comprehenders, consistent with reported prevalence rates. Five of these children were judged to be weak readers by their classroom teacher. The oral tasks alone overidentified this group; however, the findings suggest that using the tasks as an initial phase, followed up with a reading assessment, could be effective in identifying poor comprehenders, and reduce time spent in testing as this would only involve at-risk children.
Life Course Prevalence of Bullying among University Students in Mainland China: A Multi-university Study
Authors: Su Pu-Yu , Wang Geng-Fu , Xie Guo-Die , Chen Li-Ru , Chen Shan-Shan , He Yang
Published: October 2020

Little is known about the life course prevalence of bullying among university students. The current study examined the prevalence of bullying in different life periods among multi-university students. Our study included 4,034 university students from four types of universities. Participants self-reported four types of bullying (i.e., physical, verbal, relational, and cyber) with bullies and victims, and four periods (i.e., primary school or earlier, middle school, high school, and postsecondary education). Overall, the percentage of university students experiencing at least one type of bullying victimization (BV) and bullying perpetration (BP) during their lifetime was 59.7% and 31.6%, respectively; the percentage of the university students experiencing more than two types of BV and BP was 16.3% and 7.4%, respectively. The prevalence rates of each type of BV and BP were the highest in elementary school or earlier, and these rates decreased from elementary school or earlier to postsecondary education period. Four latent classes were identified for BV: low BV (73.8%), moderate BV (18.6%), secondary school BV (4.4%), and persistent BV (3.2%). Similarly, four classes for BP were identified: low BP (86.6%), primary school BP (8.1%), high school BP (1.5%), and persistent BP (3.8%). These findings may inform school health practice of bullying prevention by taking prevention programs, especially during elementary school or earlier period.
Holy land and diaspora in The Book of Wisdom
Authors: Horbury William
Published: October 2020

Wisdom is considered against the background of the incidence of these themes in the Israelite sapiential corpus and usage of “diaspora” and related vocabulary. In writings which, like Wisdom, developed biblical tradition in the Greek and early Roman periods it seems that far-reaching modification of the negative Pentateuchal overtones of diaspora did not exclude them, but scattering could be treated as an experience of all Israel, and old views of Jerusalem as the center of Israelite settlement could displace thoughts of diaspora separation. In Wisdom likewise “diaspora” seems absent from the chapters on Solomon, where Jerusalem is the sacred center of an empire; the treatment of the exodus notes Egyptian sojourn, but emphasis lies not on separation from home but on the one people of God found everywhere.
Co-infection between genotypes of the human papillomavirus and Chlamydia trachomatis in Mexican women
Authors: Escarcega-Tame Marco A , López-Hurtado Marcela , Escobedo-Guerra Marcos R , Reyes-Maldonado Elba , Castro-Escarpulli Graciela , Guerra-Infante Fernando M
Published: October 2020

Not all human papillomavirus (HPV) infections develop into cervical cancer (CC), so it is proposed that other factors may influence this, such as co-infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). To identify the prevalence of co-infection, we included 189 women with suspicion of HPV. Viral typing was performed by carrying out the Roche HP Linear Array test, while CT detection was performed with the COBAS® TaqMan® 48 kit from Roche. Of the 189 women only 184 had an infection with HPV, CT or both: 56.6% were positive for one or several HPV genotypes, and 67.7% for CT. Clinical data showed an association between HPV and CIN I (n = 22; RR = 2.43; 95% CI 1.72–3.43, p < 0.05). CT infection was only associated with cervicitis (n = 40; RR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.34–2.23, p < 0.05). The CT-HPV co-infection rate was 28%. Co-infection revealed an association with CIN I (n = 31, RR= 3.33; 95% CI 2.08–5.34 p < 0.05), CIN III (n = 7; RR = 2.57; 95% CI 1.53–4.31, p < 0.05); and a significant risk of 2.3 (95% CI 1.08–4.90) times higher to develop CC; nevertheless, this risk was not statistically significant. CT/HPV co-infection was associated with the development of a high-grade lesion (CIN III) as well as an important risk for developing CC.
Who ‘let all this happen’? Shifts of responsibilities in representing the Cultural Revolution in Jung Chang’s Wild Swans
Authors: Li Long , Li Xi
Published: October 2020

A number of Chinese migrant writers have achieved success in writing in English, one of the most significant being Jung Chang, with her politically controversial Wild Swans. A key site for controversy is its attribution of historical responsibilities in describing China’s catastrophic Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). However, to date, little scholarly attention has been paid to the Chinese translation of this book, an unusual situation where the source text author partially contributed to the translation decision-making. This article seeks to examine the shifts of responsibilities in this translation with a focus on the linguistic representation of three participants in the event: Mao, Red Guards and general students. It adopts a functional translational stylistics approach to explore the combinational foregrounding patterns in transitivity and clause status. Based on both quantitative and qualitative results, this study has found latent but considerable grammatical patterns in shifting responsibilities from Mao to the youth in the Chinese translation. This implies a weakened influence of an anti-Maoist ideology in translating the book into Chinese.
Unmet care needs of older people: A scoping review
Authors: Kalánková Dominika , Stolt Minna , Scott P Anne , Papastavrou Evridiki , Suhonen Riitta ,   On behalf of the RANCARE COST Action CA15208
Published: October 2020

The aim was to synthesize the findings of empirical research about the unmet nursing care needs of older people, mainly from their point of view, from all settings, focusing on (1) methodological approaches, (2) relevant concepts and terminology and (3) type, nature and ethical issues raised in the investigations. A scoping review after Arksey and O’Malley. Two electronic databases, MEDLINE/PubMed and CINAHL (from earliest to December 2019) were used. Systematic search protocol was developed using several terms for unmet care needs and missed care. Using a three-step retrieval process, peer-reviewed, empirical studies concerning the unmet care needs of older people in care settings, published in English were included. An inductive content analysis was used to analyse the results of the included studies (n = 53). The most frequently used investigation method was the questionnaire survey seeking the opinions of older people, informal caregivers or healthcare professionals. The unmet care needs identified using the World Health Organization classification were categorized as physical, psychosocial and spiritual, and mostly described individuals’ experiences, though some discussed unmet care needs at an organizational level. The ethical issues raised related to the clinical prioritization of tasks associated with failing to carry out nursing care activities needed. The unmet care needs highlighted in this review are related to poor patient outcomes. The needs of institutionalized older patients remain under-diagnosed and thus, untreated. Negative care outcomes generate a range of serious practical issues for older people in care institutions, which, in turn, raises ethical issues that need to be addressed. Unmet care needs may lead to marginalization, discrimination and inequality in care and service delivery. Further studies are required about patients’ expectations when they are admitted to hospital settings, or training of nurses in terms of understanding the complex needs of older persons.
Psychological aspects of women’s career growth constraints and outcomes: A longitudinal study from India
Authors: Lathabhavan Remya
Published: October 2020

This longitudinal study explores the relationships between glass ceiling beliefs (i.e. denial, resilience, resignation, and acceptance) and the outcomes of work commitment and work turnover intention, mediated via work engagement, across two time waves. Using data collected from 400 women employees (mean age = 36.67 years) from the banking sector in India, the study found support for the mediating role of work engagement between glass ceiling beliefs and both work commitment and work turnover intention over time. Glass ceiling beliefs of denial and resilience were related positively to work engagement and commitment and related negatively to turnover intention over time. Resignation and acceptance were related negatively to work engagement and work commitment and related positively to work turnover intention over time. Apart from theoretical implications to the career literature, the organizational implications of this study include framing policies that focus on development of optimistic beliefs and transformation of pessimistic beliefs.
Nimble Scholarship by Necessity
Authors: Dykes Bernadine J.
Published: October 2020

The COVID-19 crisis revealed that business scholars are painfully and perhaps unnecessarily slow at producing academic content. Rather than make excuses, let’s move towards more nimble scholarship.
Aggressive confrontation shapes perceptions and attitudes toward racist content online
Authors: Meyers Chanel , Leon Angelica , Williams Amanda
Published: October 2020

With more people using social media on a daily basis and the prevalence of racial discrimination online, it becomes imperative to understand what factors impact minority individuals’ perceptions of these transgressions in an online context. Confrontation to discrimination in the form of comments on social media may meaningfully shape perceptions of racism online. Across three studies, we examine how confrontation type (aggressive vs. passive) and confronter group membership (ingroup vs. outgroup) influence Asian Americans’ perceptions of online prejudice and attitudes towards the confronters. In Study 1, we find that aggressive confrontations alter perceptions of a racist online post to be more offensive as compared to passive confrontations. In Study 2, these findings extend to participants’ likelihood to report the content as offensive. Lastly, in Study 3, we find that aggressive confronters are evaluated more positively than passive confronters. These findings have important implications for understanding racial discrimination in an online context by demonstrating the impact of confrontation type on minority individuals’ perceptions and behaviors.
The microdynamics of social regulation: Comparing the navigation of disagreements in text-based online and face-to-face discussions
Authors: Roos Carla A. , Postmes Tom , Koudenburg Namkje
Published: October 2020

This study explores how people navigate the field of tension between expressing disagreement and maintaining social relationships in text-based online as compared to face-to-face discussions. In face-to-face discussions, differences of opinion are socially regulated by introducing ambiguity in message content coupled with instant responding on a relational level. We hypothesized that online messages are less ambiguous and less responsive, both of which may hinder social regulation. Thirty-six groups of three unacquainted students discussed politically controversial statements via chat, video-chat (nonanonymous), and face-to-face, in a multilevel repeated measures Graeco-Latin square design. Content coding revealed that online discussions were relatively clear and unresponsive. This related to participants experiencing reduced conversational flow, less shared cognition, and less solidarity online. These results suggest that ambiguity and responsiveness enable people to maintain social relationships in the face of disagreement. This emphasizes the key role that subtle microdynamics in interpersonal interaction play in social regulation.
“If they don’t listen to us, they deserve it”: The effect of external efficacy and anger on the perceived legitimacy of hacking
Authors: Heering Maria S. , Travaglino Giovanni A. , Abrams Dominic , Goldsack Emily
Published: October 2020

We conducted two studies examining the factors underlying individuals’ legitimization of hackers (digital actors operating on the internet). Drawing on the social banditry framework, and research on political action, we focused on the mediating role of anger in the association between external political efficacy and perceived legitimization of hackers’ actions. Specifically, we manipulated whether the system was responsive to participants’ demands following unfair treatment in a university (Study 1) and in an online work platform (Study 2) context. In Study 1 ( N = 259) British undergraduate students read about unfair “grading” practices. They were then informed that the management was either willing (high external political efficacy) or unwilling (low external political efficacy) to investigate the matter. In Study 2 ( N = 222), British participants were recruited via Prolific Academic and were presented with a scenario describing an unfair rejection of their work. They were then informed that the platform admin was either willing or not willing to investigate their case. Across studies, participants were informed that hackers had attacked the website. Supporting the social banditry framework, results indicated that individuals who perceive the system as unresponsive to their demands tended to legitimize hackers’ actions via stronger perceived anger against the system. Implications of the results, and future directions are discussed.
In(cel)doctrination: How technologically facilitated misogyny moves violence off screens and on to streets
Authors: Regehr Kaitlyn
Published: October 2020

This qualitative study explores how technological affordances of the digital space, facilitate the anti-feminist discourses which characterise the digital community Incel (Involuntarily Celibates). The data in this article are drawn from a variety of sources, including video ethnography and an analysis of long-form interviews drawn from a year-long documentary project, to examine the experience of young men in Incel communities, and the process of indoctrination into misogynistic extremism. Results reveal that contrary to the ‘lone wolf’ narrative that surrounds Incels, there is a sophisticated community that contributes to a 5-step pattern of behaviour, converting the lonely, into the angry and potentially violent. A rich toxic cultural tapestry, the Internet echo-chamber and the celebration of Incel mass murderers (Incelebrities), create a continuous loop that transforms digital hate speech into physical violence. These patterns of indoctrination can, and should, be monitored, and intercepted for the purposes of personal and public safety.
Auctioning out education: On exogenous privatisation through public procurement
Authors: Holmqvist Diana , Fejes Andreas , Nylander Erik
Published: October 2020

Privatisation of public education is becoming more and more common across the world. As much current research presupposes causal links between the degree of privatisation and issues of competition and student’s free choice, we see a need for research on other ways of organising the presence of private providers in public education. In this article, we study how two Swedish municipalities use public procurement to contract private providers and organise adult education. Interestingly, we find that competition is more heavily at play in the municipality that outsources half of its adult education, than in the municipality that outsources all adult education. We view these findings as vital for understanding how education is being outsourced to private providers and for furthering the discussion on the consequences of the ongoing privatisation of education.
The practice of choice-making: applying Bourdieu to the field of international schooling
Authors: Khalil Lina , Kelly Anthony
Published: October 2020

This paper presents findings from a recent study on choice-making among teachers, school leaders and parents in a for-profit British international school in Kuwait. Using a Bourdieusian field analysis, the choice-making of the various stakeholders is investigated to reveal their positionality within the school’s social space, to examine the resources they hold and the capitals in which they are willing to invest. We find that choices made by, and within, an international school reveal symbolic violence, and a ‘taken-for-granted understanding’ that this form of schooling (British- rather than American-style international schooling) is superior. Participants in the study included teachers, parents, graduating class students and school leaders. Teachers and parents were a representative mix of local (both Arab and non-Arab) and expatriate. The study makes an important contribution to the body of knowledge relating to international schools, in its theoretical framework and its inclusion of the wider stakeholder population, which together generate a deeper understanding of professional practice in the international school context.
The communicative constitution of institutional change in expression games
Authors: Krautzberger Marc , Fohim Emamdeen , Cooren François , Schumacher Thomas
Published: October 2020

Neo-institutional theory has recently advanced our understanding of the early phase of institutional change but presupposes contexts in which verbally and nonverbally expressing the intended institutional change within a group is already possible. We develop a process model that explains how change agents conceal and reveal their intentional work on institutional change over time to avoid painful sanctions and counteractions. The model describes how change agents proceed from the first moment of forming the intention to promote institutional change until change is sedimented through diffused taken-for-granted behavior. It advances the understanding of how individual and collective actors communicatively influence the macro-pathways of institutional change. The model offers new insights into the very first moments of institutional change processes, the ability to change institutions, the role of ambiguity in change processes, and how change agents slowly and fundamentally change institutions.
Human rights oversight of correctional institutions in Australia
Authors: Naylor Bronwyn
Published: October 2020

Australia has recently ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in order to improve the oversight of Australia’s prisons and detention centres, following major human rights violations exposed in them in 2016. Ratification offers an opportunity to appraise the effectiveness of monitoring and oversight in Australia, and the limitations of human rights protections in the Australian context. Australia’s prisons and youth detention centres are to be monitored by a network of independent inspecting bodies, which are likely to include existing Ombudsman and human rights bodies. The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman has the task of coordinating the new inspection bodies. This article reviews the existing protections of rights in Australia and considers the implications of ratification of OPCAT. The article concludes that implementation will require consideration of the effectiveness of the current bodies monitoring prisons and youth detention and their capacity to take on the role of preventing human rights violations, including their independence from government, as the states and territories decide on the establishment of their National Preventive Mechanisms. Implementation will also require an understanding of Australia’s historical ambivalence towards international human rights engagement and the impact of its federated system.
Navigating Intersecting Forms of Oppression in the Search for Employment
Authors: Huot Suzanne , Elliott Perdita , Fells Leanne
Published: October 2020

Opportunities for refugees to engage in occupations within host countries can be constrained by factors such as governmental policies or language barriers (Smith). Female refugees with physical disabilities may experience compounding barriers to participation related to their identity markers. The main aim of this study is to understand the experiences of female refugees with physical disabilities in seeking, preparing for, and obtaining employment. This study used an instrumental case study using semistructured interviews with five primary participants and four caregivers. Thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun) identified five key barriers to securing employment: (a) stigma and discrimination, (b) restrictive traditional labor market, (c) inaccessible and inadequate housing, (d) lack of cohesion and information across services, and (e) English language predominance. Findings highlight complex challenges experienced by the women who faced intersecting systems of oppression and can enable occupational therapists to address barriers associated with occupational injustice by improving services to better meet their needs.
Effect of Different Intensities of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Postural Response to External Perturbation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Beretta Victor Spiandor , Vitório Rodrigo , Nóbrega-Sousa Priscila , Conceição Núbia Ribeiro , Orcioli-Silva Diego , Pereira Marcelo Pinto , Gobbi Lilian Teresa Bucken
Published: October 2020

Background

Habituation of postural response to perturbations is impaired in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) due to deficits in cortico-basal pathways. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulate cortico-basal networks, it remains unclear if it can benefit postural control in PD.

Objective

To analyze the effect of different intensities of anodal tDCS on postural responses and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity during the habituation to the external perturbation in patients with PD (n = 24).

Methods

Anodal tDCS was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) with 1 mA, 2 mA, and sham stimulation in 3 different sessions (~2 weeks apart) during 20 minutes immediately before the postural assessment. External perturbation (7 trials) was applied by a support base posterior translation (20 cm/s and 5 cm). Primary outcome measures included lower limb electromyography and center of pressure parameters. Measures of PFC activity are reported as exploratory outcomes. Analyses of variance (Stimulation Condition × Trial) were performed.

Results

Habituation of perturbation was evidenced independent of the stimulation conditions. Both active stimulation intensities had shorter recovery time and a trend for lower cortical activity in the stimulated hemisphere when compared to sham condition. Shorter onset latency of the medial gastrocnemius as well as lower cortical activity in the nonstimulated hemisphere were only observed after 2 mA concerning the sham condition.

Conclusions

tDCS over M1 improved the postural response to external perturbation in PD, with better response observed for 2 mA compared with 1 mA. However, tDCS seems to be inefficient in modifying the habituation of perturbation.
The effectiveness of a multisensory traditional storytelling programme on target vocabulary development in children with disabilities accessing English as a second language: A preliminary study
Authors: Hettiarachchi Shyamani , Walisundara Dilini C , Ranaweera Mahishi
Published: October 2020

The current deliberations on increasing access to English and the democratization of English in post-war Sri Lanka must extend to students with disabilities. Research evidence from speech and language therapy promotes the use of multi-sensory stimuli to advance the development of communication and language skills in children with intellectual disabilities. In this preliminary study, 3 local children’s stories, together with relevant story-making activities, were offered to 7 children with intellectual disabilities in one special school across 12 lessons. Vocabulary measures of word naming of target vocabulary were undertaken pre- and post-intervention using picture-based tasks presented via PowerPoint. A positive difference was found post-intervention on the target vocabulary naming test. The findings of this small preliminary study should be interpreted with caution. However, the findings are suggestive of the potential benefit of using culturally relevant familiar local traditional stories with a range of multi-sensory stimuli and storytelling activities to aid learning of new vocabulary in children with disabilities accessing English as an additional language. Further research using a large sample together with a control group will be required to substantiate the positive trend of vocabulary gains observed within this preliminary study.
Better Safe Than Sorry: A Common Signature of General Vulnerability for Psychopathology
Authors: Van den Bergh Omer , Brosschot Jos , Critchley Hugo , Thayer Julian F. , Ottaviani Cristina
Published: October 2020

Several labels, such as neuroticism, negative emotionality, and dispositional negativity, indicate a broad dimension of psychopathology. However, largely separate, often disorder-specific research lines have developed that focus on different cognitive and affective characteristics that are associated with this dimension, such as perseverative cognition (worry, rumination), reduced autobiographical memory specificity, compromised fear learning, and enhanced somatic-symptom reporting. In this article, we present a theoretical perspective within a predictive-processing framework in which we trace these phenotypically different characteristics back to a common underlying “better-safe-than-sorry” processing strategy. This implies information processing that tends to be low in sensory-perceptual detail, which allows threat-related categorical priors to dominate conscious experience and for chronic uncertainty/surprise because of a stagnated error-reduction process. This common information-processing strategy has beneficial effects in the short term but important costs in the long term. From this perspective, we suggest that the phenomenally distinct cognitive and affective psychopathological characteristics mentioned above represent the same basic processing heuristic of the brain and are only different in relation to the particular type of information involved (e.g., in working memory, in autobiographical memory, in the external and internal world). Clinical implications of this view are discussed.
Using critically reflexive ethics in practice to address issues of representation in children’s rights-based research
Authors: Gaches Sonya
Published: October 2020

Since the advent of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), concerns have been raised regarding tokenistic engagement with children’s participation rights as well as ethical considerations that must be addressed in research with children. This article explores how one particular ethical dilemma regarding representation and who can speak for whom in children’s rights-based research was confronted through critically reflexive ethics in practice. While publication of Ethical Research Involving Children and the ‘International Charter for Ethical Research Involving Children’ provide guidance for researchers, further illustration of how ethical dilemmas have been confronted and addressed within a particular research context could provide further guidance and insight regarding how critically reflexive ethics in practice can be utilised as a further contextual-based tool towards ethical research. Thus it is the intention that this illustrative example can encourage others who are engaged in research with children to continually undertake critically reflexive ethics in practice with their own ongoing research, consultation and engagements with young children.
The cross-sectional relationship between pain and awareness of age-related changes
Authors: Sabatini Serena , Ukoumunne Obioha C , Ballard Clive , Collins Rachel , Corbett Anne , Brooker Helen , Clare Linda
Published: October 2020

Background:

Awareness of positive and negative age-related changes (AARC gains and losses) captures the perceived changes that older individuals experience in several domains of their lives including physical, cognitive and social functioning; interpersonal relationships; and lifestyle. Exploring antecedents of AARC is important to identify those individuals that could benefit the most from interventions promoting positive experiences of ageing and/or adaptation to age-related changes. This study investigates the experience of pain as a predictor of lower AARC gains and higher AARC losses.

Methods:

Analyses are based on cross-sectional data from the PROTECT cohort (2019); 1013 UK residents (mean (SD; range) age: 65.3 (7.1; 51.4–92) years, 84.4% women) completed measures of AARC and pain and provided demographic information. Linear regression models were fitted to examine pain as a predictor of AARC gains and AARC losses.

Results:

Higher levels of pain predicted more AARC losses both before (regression coefficient, B = 0.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29 to 0.42, p-value < 0.001; R2 = 0.11) and after adjusting for demographic covariates ( B = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.40; p-value < 0.001; Partial R2 = 0.11). Pain was not significantly associated with AARC gains (unadjusted B = 0.05; 95% CI: −0.03 to 0.12, p-value = 0.21; Partial R2 = 0.01).

Conclusion:

Individuals experiencing pain may perceive more AARC losses. Interventions aiming to decrease levels of pain could include a component targeting self-perceptions of ageing and/or promoting acceptance of the negative changes that can happen with ageing.

Statement of significance:

The predictive role of greater levels of pain for more negative perceptions of age-related changes extends the literature on the negative psychological outcomes of pain and on predictors of perceived awareness of age-related changes (AARC). As individuals experiencing pain may be more at risk of perceiving their own ageing in a more negative way, they may benefit from interventions that combine strategies to reduce levels of pain and the interference that pain exerts on their daily activities with an educational component enhancing positive self-perceptions of ageing and promoting acceptance of negative age-related changes.
Treat Sexual Stigma to Heal Health Disparities: Improving Sexual Minorities’ Health Outcomes
Authors: Matsick Jes L. , Wardecker Britney M. , Oswald Flora
Published: October 2020

Despite recent strides toward equality in the United States, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people continue to report experiences of sexual stigma and psychological and physical health problems. This article reviews empirical evidence of sexual stigma and sexual orientation-based health disparities. The current framework proposes that sexual orientation does not cause health disparities; homophobic individuals and societies do. Social psychology, recognizing the power of the situation, suggests that changing the stigmatizing environments for LGBTQ people can effectively reduce health disparities. The science has policy implications—notably, for audiences at three levels (intraindividual, interpersonal, and institutional)—and provides recommendations for mitigating sexual stigma and improving health.
Monogamy as Public Policy for STD Prevention: In Theory and in Practice
Authors: Conley Terri D. , Piemonte Jennifer L.
Published: October 2020

Monogamy is current public policy for preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). To evaluate whether monogamy is serving its intended purposes, the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) definition of monogamy is considered. This definition does not convey to the public the fact that monogamy must be practiced very strictly to be effective and implies that serial monogamy is a safe practice. Benefits and drawbacks of employing (different versions of) monogamy to reduce STD transmission are considered. Although certain forms of monogamy are efficacious in reducing STDs, these versions of monogamy have not been adopted by the public and widely practiced forms of monogamy are not effective in practice. Finally, this review considers whether the public policy of monogamy helps society achieve its sexual health goals, explicating strengths and weaknesses of monogamy advice versus other tactics that might be utilized to curb STDs.
Measuring and Resolving LGBTQ Disparities in STEM
Authors: Freeman Jonathan B.
Published: October 2020

LGBTQ people have pioneered major scientific advances, but they face challenges in STEM that ultimately waste human talent and hinder scientific progress. Growing evidence suggests that LGBTQ people in STEM are statistically underrepresented, encounter non-supportive environments, and leave STEM at an alarming rate. Potential factors driving LGBTQ disparities in STEM include bias and discrimination, misalignments of occupational interests with STEM stereotypes, and STEM norms of impersonality that isolate LGBTQ people. LGBTQ retention shares common psychological processes with female and racial minority retention such as STEM identification and belonging. The key barrier to better understanding and addressing LGBTQ challenges in STEM is the lack of sexual orientation or gender identity (SO/GI) demographic data on the U.S. STEM workforce. Policy recommendations include (a) adding SO/GI measures to federal STEM-census surveys; (b) broadening agencies’ definition of underrepresented groups to include LGBTQ people; and (c) incorporating LGBTQ identity into accountability systems and diversity programs at STEM institutions.
Earthworms and rice straw enhanced soil bacterial diversity and promoted the degradation of phenanthrene
Authors: Elyamine Ali Mohamed , Hu Chengxiao
Published: October 2020

Background

Since the industrial revolution, the contamination of agricultural soils by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increasingly become of serious global environmental concern and poses a huge threat to human beings and natural ecosystems. Microbial degradation is a proved technology mostly used to depollute polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in the environment. However, very limited information is available regarding the interaction of earthworms with rice straw on the soil microbial community and the degradation of phenanthrene. This study was performed to enlighten the rice straw and earthworms’ interaction on soil bacterial abundance and structure and phenanthrene removal.

Results

Result about functional gene information revealed that both rice straw and earthworm enhanced phenanthrene degradation. Subsequently, both Shannon diversity index (r2 = − 0.8807, p < 0.001) and bacterial 16S rRNA genes (r2 = − 0.7795, p < 0.001) negatively correlated with the remaining phenanthrene concentration in soil. The application of both rice straw and earthworms in soil had the lowest ratio of soil remaining phenanthrene concentration (0.16 ± 0.02), the highest Shannon diversity index (6.45 ± 0.2) and the highest bacterial 16S rRNA genes. This implied that both earthworms and rice straw might improve the phenanthrene metabolism by increasing soil bacteria diversity. The abundance of genera Pseudomonas, Luteimonas, Rhodanobacter, Sphingomonas, Gemmatimonas, Flavobacterium, and Leifsonia was significantly increased in the presence of both earthworms and rice straw and was found to negatively correlate with the remaining phenanthrene concentration in soil.

Conclusion

Based on these results, this study offers clear and strong evidences that the positive interaction between earthworms and rice straw could promote phenanthrene degradation in soil. These finding will improve our understanding on the importance of the natural resources forsaken and how they can interact with the soil macro- and microorganisms to change soil structure and enhance PAH degradation in soil.
Reunion Island, a sentinel territory for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria surveillance in the South-Western Indian Ocean: a retrospective survey using hospitalized patient screening, 2015–2017
Authors: Gay Noellie , Lugagne Nathalie , Miltgen Guillaume , Belmonte Olivier , Cardinale Eric
Published: October 2020

Background

In 2015, antimicrobial resistance was identified as a public health priority for the South-Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) (i.e. Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte (France), Reunion Island (France), and Seychelles). However, in 2020, colonization rates of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) in human populations on most islands in SWIO were still not known and neither hospital nor community colonization rates had been estimated. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of colonization of six ARB groups in hospitalized patients residing in the SWIO territories. The six groups comprise extended-spectrum betalactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and both ceftazidime and/or imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (ACB), and ceftazidime and/or imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas spp. (PSA)).

Methods

Based on comprehensive hospital laboratory ARB screening data, we provide the first estimation of ARB colonization rates in hospitalized patients residing in SWIO (2015–2017). Using ARB colonization rates in Reunion Island (France) as the reference for estimating odds ratio, we identified at risk patients based on their territory of residence.

Results

The survey pointed to significantly higher overall ARB colonization rates in patients from Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles compared to Reunion Island as the reference. Extended-spectrum betalactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae was found to be the most common ARB group colonizing patients from SWIO territories. The highest MRSA colonization rates were observed in patients from Mayotte and Seychelles. Colonization by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) was highest in patients from Mauritius.

Conclusion

These results identify high ARB colonization rates in hospitalized patients from SWIO territories that require further investigation, particularly CRE in Mauritius and MRSA in Seychelles and Mayotte. This study is the first step toward the implementation of a broader regional ARB surveillance system.
No change in the consumption of thyroid hormones after starting low dose naltrexone (LDN): a quasi-experimental before-after study
Authors: Raknes Guttorm , Småbrekke Lars
Published: October 2020

Background

Low dose naltrexone (LDN) is reported to have beneficial effects in several autoimmune diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine whether starting LDN was followed by changes in the dispensing of thyroid hormones to patients with hypothyroidism.

Methods

We performed a quasi-experimental before-after study based on the Norwegian Prescription Database. Study participants were identified by using reimbursement codes for hypothyroidism. Cumulative dispensed Defined Daily Doses and the number of users of triiodothyronine (T3) and levothyroxine (LT4) 1 year before and after the first LDN prescription was compared in three groups based on LDN exposure.

Results

We identified 898 patients that met the inclusion criteria. There was no association between starting LDN and the subsequent dispensing of thyroid hormones. If anything, there was a tendency towards increasing LT4 consumption with increasing LDN exposure.

Conclusion

The results of this study do not support claims of efficacy of LDN in hypothyroidism.
Dnmt3b regulates DUX4 expression in a tissue-dependent manner in transgenic D4Z4 mice
Authors: Bouwman Linde F. , den Hamer Bianca , Verveer Elwin P. , Lerink Lente J. S. , Krom Yvonne D. , van der Maarel Silvère M. , de Greef Jessica C.
Published: October 2020

Background

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a skeletal muscle disorder that is caused by derepression of the transcription factor DUX4 in skeletal muscle cells. Apart from SMCHD1, DNMT3B was recently identified as a disease gene and disease modifier in FSHD. However, the exact role of DNMT3B at the D4Z4 repeat array remains unknown.

Methods

To determine the role of Dnmt3b on DUX4 repression, hemizygous mice with a FSHD-sized D4Z4 repeat array (D4Z4-2.5 mice) were cross-bred with mice carrying an in-frame exon skipping mutation in Dnmt3b (Dnmt3bMommeD14 mice). Additionally, siRNA knockdowns of Dnmt3b were performed in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) derived from the D4Z4-2.5 mouse model.

Results

In mESCs derived from D4Z4-2.5 mice, Dnmt3b was enriched at the D4Z4 repeat array and DUX4 transcript levels were upregulated after a knockdown of Dnmt3b. In D4Z4-2.5/Dnmt3bMommeD14 mice, Dnmt3b protein levels were reduced; however, DUX4 RNA levels in skeletal muscles were not enhanced and no pathology was observed. Interestingly, D4Z4-2.5/Dnmt3bMommeD14 mice showed a loss of DNA methylation at the D4Z4 repeat array and significantly higher DUX4 transcript levels in secondary lymphoid organs. As these lymphoid organs seem to be more sensitive to epigenetic modifiers of the D4Z4 repeat array, different immune cell populations were quantified in the spleen and inguinal lymph nodes of D4Z4-2.5 mice crossed with Dnmt3bMommeD14 mice or Smchd1MommeD1 mice. Only in D4Z4-2.5/Smchd1MommeD1 mice the immune cell populations were disturbed.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrates that loss of Dnmt3b results in derepression of DUX4 in lymphoid tissues and mESCs but not in myogenic cells of D4Z4-2.5/Dnmt3bMommeD14 mice. In addition, the Smchd1MommeD1 variant seems to have a more potent role in DUX4 derepression. Our studies suggest that the immune system is particularly but differentially sensitive to D4Z4 chromatin modifiers which may provide a molecular basis for the yet underexplored immune involvement in FSHD.