bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geology and paleontology at the California Academy of Sciences, 1895–2016: A brief overview
Authors: Leviton Alan E. , Aldrich Michele L.
Published: June 2019

Too often we view museums as display centers, not places where basic research takes place. But that is unfortunate. Museums bridge the gap between scientists and public outreach and, on balance, manage well. This is true for many of the world’s major museums, including the California Academy of Sciences, where geology plays a significant role in both basic research and outreach programs.

In 1889, the Academy began construction of its building on Market Street in downtown San Francisco to replace the ramshackle church that had been its home for some years. It would now have space for public exhibits and its core research activities. For some of its exhibits, spectacular materials were purchased from Ward’s Natural Science Establishment, but for others, it drew upon its own collections, notably rocks and minerals. The new Academy opened its doors to the public in early 1892, but not long afterward both buildings and contents were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The Academy rebounded and undertook construction of new facilities in Golden Gate Park where, for many years, its exhibits, apart from the magnificent Steinhart Aquarium and its displays of living fishes, consisted mostly of habitat dioramas but also included a mineralogy hall and, in time, a fossil hall, Life through Time. The mineral hall played to the human urge to collect and classify, embodied in the “rock-hound” approach of youngsters who fill their rooms with natural materials. And basic research by curators, e.g., F.M. Anderson, GD. Hanna, L.G. Hertlein, A.G. Smith, and, more recently, P.D. Roopnarine, R. Mooi, and G.C. Williams, resulted in many publications on stratigraphy, paleontology, paleocommunities, and evolution and extinctions.

In the late 1980s, confronted by seismic concerns, the Academy replaced all but one of its buildings. And, because of exciting developments, the new geology exhibits, introduced by an eye-catching globe and text about the Earth’s crust, panels on earthquakes (California’s “bugaboo”) and on continental drift and plate tectonics and their impact on Earth history, reinforce the educational aspects of the Academy’s public outreach. Also given Kociolek and Fourtanier’s studies of diatoms, and more recently paleobiodiversity and biogeography by Mooi, Roopnarine, and students, and with fossil and mineral collections, managed by Jean DeMouthe, now numbering in the millions of specimens, outreach and basic research continue unabated.
Museums at the intersection of science and citizen: An example from a Silurian reef
Authors: Burke Patricia Coorough , Sheehan Peter M.
Published: June 2019

Milwaukee Public Museum has been presenting scientific concepts to audiences for 134 years. The exhibit methods have moved beyond specimen display and beyond the museum walls. Today, museums bring science to the public and scientific community through searchable collections databases, contextual websites, and social media. The “Silurian Reef” exhibit, with associated collections, website, and online database are examples of the ways science, public audiences, and museums interact and how these interactions have evolved over the past 130 years.

The Schoonmaker Reef in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was the first fossil reef recognized in North America and attracted geologists such as James Hall (1811–1898), T.C. Chamberlin (1843–1928), and I.A. Lapham (1811–1875) to recognize its importance. Fossils from this locality and others in SE Wisconsin form the large Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) collection. The MPM Silurian diorama, reconstructing one of these reef ecosystems, was created in 1985 as part of the “Third Planet” exhibit. This was one of the earliest museum exhibits to present plate tectonics and the evolution of life as one story. MPM’s Silurian collections were central to published research on the biodiversity and ecology of Silurian communities (Watkins, 1993). The collections, research, and exhibit were the foundation for an innovative website; The Virtual Silurian Reef (VSR) was developed in 1997. The VSR is an educational outreach website that explores the significance of Silurian reefs and concepts of evolution, plate tectonics, and biodiversity. More recently, MPM, in partnership with the Field Museum, digitized our Silurian collections and created a searchable online database housed on a redesigned VSR.

The collections, website, and searchable database have given academic researchers better access to specimens in both MPM and Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) in Chicago collections. A larger impact has been the broad audiences reached. The website and exhibit have been used in National Science Foundation–funded educational outreach, by educators, artists, and fossil-hunting kids. Images and text from the website and database are found on interpretive signs in local and state parks and on trails that overlook historic collecting localities. The fossil specimens have even been used to model bronze fossil play sculptures for a city park.
Digitization reveals and remediates challenges to research on dispersed museum collections from Florissant fossil beds, Colorado
Authors: Antell* Gawain T.
Published: June 2019

Florissant fossil beds ranks among the best documented Cenozoic fossil deposits in the world in number of scientific publications and named species. The history of geoscience research on the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation spans nearly one and a half centuries. New excavations and transfers of historic collections have spread Florissant fossils to nearly 30 natural history museums during that period. The history of acquisition, conservation, and taxonomic study of each museum’s collection is unique, so Florissant collections provide examples of how taxonomic diversity, physical conservation, and public exhibition of collections vary with provenance.

Dispersal of fossils among museums, including separation of type specimen parts and counterparts, has led to a variety of challenges for research on Florissant fossils. First, an exploratory, quantitative analysis of taxonomic diversity in four collections of fossil insects from Florissant uncovers a pattern of identification bias. Some taxonomists preferentially identify common taxa or consistently misidentify rare taxa, for instance. In light of this result, it is recommended that researchers vet any set of identifications made by multiple researchers or, ideally, identify specimens anew. Second, observations of Florissant specimens at different museums show that a large number of fossils have been lost, damaged, or destroyed due to actions such as travel on loan, display in exhibits, or application of non-archival conservation techniques. Through the digitization process, including cataloging and imaging specimens, curatorial staffs have discovered the extent of uncatalogued or missing material.

Digitization has mitigated some of the challenges associated with dispersion of specimens. Collaborative projects across museums have led to rediscovery of lost specimens or discovery for the first time of parts and counterparts that correspond to the same fossil but are housed at different institutions. Online databases that serve specimen images allow researchers to assign new taxonomic determinations, controlling for bias from earlier researchers, or to examine fossils remotely from photographs, reducing the need to handle and ship fragile material for loans. Moreover, providing public access to museum specimen records through collaborative digitization projects expands the opportunities to exhibit and develop specimen-based educational curricula.
Museums, paleontology, and a biodiversity science–based approach
Authors: Lieberman Bruce S. , Kimmig Julien
Published: June 2019

Museum collections provide a tremendous wealth of data bearing on biogeography, the field that focuses on the study of the distribution of organisms in space and time. Biogeography is a discipline that played a fundamental role in the development of ideas on evolution in the nineteenth century, and it still is a vibrant research area today. One way that biogeography has remained vibrant is through the burgeoning area of biodiversity science. There are many aspects of biodiversity science relevant to paleontology, running the gamut from conservation paleobiology to ecosystem observations, etc. Our especial focus here is on biodiversity science approaches involving the analysis of museum specimen records using mapping and analytical approaches, such as the geographic information system (GIS) and ecological niche modeling (ENM), to quantify how climate change has caused (and will continue to cause) species to move across the face of the globe through time. Initial efforts considered extant taxa, but now analyses of extinct taxa are becoming more commonplace. These analyses of fossil taxa offer extensive opportunities to gain increased insight into biogeography and also macroevolution. This contribution focuses specifically on approaches using fossil taxa and their associated museum specimen data. Such approaches have shown how invasive species have contributed to ancient biodiversity crises, how species niches largely remain stable over geological time scales, how it is predominately abiotic factors, as opposed to competition, that influence species distributions and determine species survival in the long term, and finally how extant species that have been present in marine ecosystems for millions of years are now in grave peril due to impending climate changes projected to occur in the near term. Each of these discoveries will be highlighted in order to help show the value that museum collections of fossils continue to have in the twenty-first century.
Compressional origin of the Naxos metamorphic core complex, Greece: Structure, petrography, and thermobarometry
Authors: Lamont Thomas N. , Searle Michael P. , Waters David J. , Roberts Nick M.W. , Palin Richard M. , Smye Andrew , Dyck Brendan , Gopon Phillip , Weller Owen M. , St-Onge Marc R.
Published: June 2019

The island of Naxos, Greece, has been previously considered to represent a Cordilleran-style metamorphic core complex that formed during Cenozoic extension of the Aegean Sea. Although lithospheric extension has undoubtedly occurred in the region since 10 Ma, the geodynamic history of older, regional-scale, kyanite- and sillimanite-grade metamorphic rocks exposed within the core of the Naxos dome is controversial. Specifically, little is known about the pre-extensional prograde evolution and the relative timing of peak metamorphism in relation to the onset of extension. In this work, new structural mapping is presented and integrated with petrographic analyses and phase equilibrium modeling of blueschists, kyanite gneisses, and anatectic sillimanite migmatites. The kyanite-sillimanite–grade rocks within the core complex record a complex history of burial and compression and did not form under crustal extension. Deformation and metamorphism were diachronous and advanced down the structural section, resulting in the juxtaposition of several distinct tectono-stratigraphic nappes that experienced contrasting metamorphic histories. The Cycladic Blueschists attained ∼14.5 kbar and 470 °C during attempted northeast-directed subduction of the continental margin. These were subsequently thrusted onto the more proximal continental margin, resulting in crustal thickening and regional metamorphism associated with kyanite-grade conditions of ∼10 kbar and 600–670 °C. With continued shortening, the deepest structural levels underwent kyanite-grade hydrous melting at ∼8–10 kbar and 680–750 °C, followed by isothermal decompression through the muscovite dehydration melting reaction to sillimanite-grade conditions of ∼5–6 kbar and 730 °C. This decompression process was associated with top-to-the-NNE shearing along passive-roof faults that formed because of SW-directed extrusion. These shear zones predated crustal extension, because they are folded around the migmatite dome and are crosscut by leucogranites and low-angle normal faults. The migmatite dome formed at lower-pressure conditions under horizontal constriction that caused vertical boudinage and upright isoclinal folds. The switch from compression to extension occurred immediately following doming and was associated with NNE-SSW horizontal boudinage and top-to-the-NNE brittle-ductile normal faults that truncate the internal shear zones and earlier collisional features. The Naxos metamorphic core complex is interpreted to have formed via crustal thickening, regional metamorphism, and partial melting in a compressional setting, here termed the Aegean orogeny, and it was exhumed from the midcrust due to the switch from compression to extension at ca. 15 Ma.
Atypical presentation of cystic fibrosis at 70 years of age
Authors: Saleem Muhammad Adnan , Phillips Aled , Ganaie Muhammad Badar
Published: June 2019

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive condition, mostly diagnosed in infancy. It is uncommon for adults to be diagnosed with CF, especially after the age of 65. Individuals, who are diagnosed later in life, usually have milder disease and single organ involvement which can be challenging for clinicians to diagnose. Adult CF patients are more likely to be pancreatic sufficient. They have predominantly upper lobe bronchiectasis, lower incidence ofPseudomonas aeruginosacompared withStaphylococcus aureusand are more likely to have mutations other than ΔF508.
Idiopathic myelofibrosis causing inflammatory central retinal vein occlusion mimicking frosted branch angiitis
Authors: Raval Vishal , Sudana Priyanka , Das Taraprasad
Published: June 2019

Primary idiopathic myelofibrosis is a clonal disorder arising from the neoplastic transformation of early haematopoietic stem cells leading to abnormal fibrous tissue within bone marrow. We present a 51-year-old man complaining of sudden loss of vision in the right eye along with multiple superficial retinal haemorrhages and perivascular infiltration. Fundus fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography confirmed the diagnosis of inflammatory central retinal vein occlusion with macular oedema which mimicked frosted branch angiitis. Laboratory tests and bone marrow biopsy confirmed underlying systemic disease to be Janus kinase 2 mutation positive primary idiopathic myelofibrosis. He received one intravitreal injection of antivascular endothelial growth factor along with dexamethasone for his ocular condition. In view of his systemic disease, he was started on systemic chemotherapy and oral corticosteroid which helped in stabilising the eye condition.
Psychosocial and quality of life impact of scars in the surgical, traumatic and burn populations: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Ziolkowski Natalia , Kitto Simon C , Jeong Dahn , Zuccaro Jennifer , Adams-Webber Thomasin , Miroshnychenko Anna , Fish Joel S
Published: June 2019

Introduction

Despite the fact that millions of scars affect individuals annually, little is known about their psychosocial impact and overall quality of life (QOL) on individuals. Scars from multiple aetiologies may cause psychiatric and emotional disturbances, can limit physical functioning and increase costs to the healthcare system. The purpose of this protocol is to describe the methodological considerations that will guide the completion of a scoping review that will summarise the extent, range and nature of psychosocial health outcomes and QOL of scars of all aetiologies.

Methods and analysis

A modified Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework will be completed, namely having ongoing consultation between experts from the beginning of the process, then (1) identifying the research question/s, (2) identifying the relevant studies from electronic databases and grey literature, with (3) study selection and (4) charting of data by two independent coders, and (5) collating, summarising and reporting data. Experts will include a health information specialist (TAW), scar expert (JSF), scoping review consultant (SCK), as well as at least two independent coders (NZ, AM).

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval will not be sought for this scoping review. We plan to disseminate this research through publications, presentations and meetings with relevant stakeholders.
Exploring non-retention in clinical trials: a meta-ethnographic synthesis of studies reporting participant reasons for drop out
Authors: Skea Zoë C , Newlands Rumana , Gillies Katie
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To undertake a meta-ethnographic synthesis of findings from primary studies reporting qualitative data that have explored participant-reported factors influencing non-retention within a clinical trial context.

Design

A systematic search and meta-ethnography was conducted for published papers (from 1946 to July 2018) that contained qualitative data from trial non-retainers.

Participants

We identified 11 studies reporting qualitative data from 13 trials. The studies were undertaken between 2008 and 2018. Each study included between 3 and 40 people who had dropped out from a trial, with findings from 168 people in total reported across the papers.

Results

Emergent from our synthesis was the significance of trial non-retainers’ perceptions around the personal ‘fit’ of key aspects of the trial with their personal beliefs, preferences, capabilities or life circumstances. These related to their own health state; preferences for receiving trial ‘care’; individual capabilities; beliefs about or experiences of trial medication and considerations whether trial participation could be accommodated into their broader lives. All these factors raise important issues around the extent to which initial decisions to participate were fully informed.

Conclusions

To improve retention in clinical trials, researchers should work to reduce the burden on trial participants both through the design of the intervention itself as well as through simplified data collection processes. Providing more detail on the nature of the trial interventions and what can be expected by ‘participation’ at the consenting stage may prove helpful in order to manage expectations.
Barriers and facilitators of loaded self-managed exercises and physical activity in people with patellofemoral pain: understanding the feasibility of delivering a multicentred randomised controlled trial, a UK qualitative study
Authors: Smith Benjamin E , Moffatt Fiona , Hendrick Paul , Bateman Marcus , Selfe James , Rathleff Michael Skovdal , Smith Toby O , Logan Phillipa
Published: June 2019

Objectives

There is an emergent body of evidence supporting exercise therapy and physical activity in the management of musculoskeletal pain. The purpose of this study was to explore potential barriers and facilitators with patients and physiotherapists with patellofemoral pain involved in a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) study. The trial investigated a loaded self-managed exercise intervention, which included education and advice on physical activity versus usual physiotherapy as the control.

Design

Qualitative study, embedded within a mixed-methods design, using semi-structured interviews.

Setting

A UK National Health Service physiotherapy clinic in a large teaching hospital.

Participants

Purposively sampled 20 participants within a feasibility RCT study; 10 patients with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain, aged between 18 and 40 years, and 10 physiotherapists delivering the interventions.

Results

In respect to barriers and facilitators, the five overlapping themes that emerged from the data were: (1) locus of control; (2) belief and attitude to pain; (3) treatment expectations and preference; (4) participants’ engagement with the loaded self-managed exercises and (5) physiotherapists’ clinical development. Locus of control was one overarching theme that was evident throughout. Contrary to popular concerns relating to painful exercises, all participants in the intervention group reported positive engagement. Both physiotherapists and patients, in the intervention group, viewed the single exercise approach in a positive manner. Participants within the intervention group described narratives demonstrating self-efficacy, with greater internal locus of control compared with those who received usual physiotherapy, particularly in relation to physical activity.

Conclusions

Implementation, delivery and evaluation of the intervention in clinical settings may be challenging, but feasible with the appropriate training for physiotherapists. Participants’ improvements in pain and function may have been mediated, in some part, by greater self-efficacy and locus of control.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN35272486; Pre-results.
Infectious complications of endoarterial interventional radiology: protocol for an observational study of a longitudinal national cohort of patients assessed in the French hospital discharge database (MOEVA study)
Authors: Aid Mellouk Kaoutar , Soulaymani Abdelmajid , Gao Fei , Astagneau Pascal , Misset Benoit
Published: June 2019

Around seven million patients undergo endoarterial interventional radiology procedures (EAIRP) annually worldwide. These procedures have become part of the standard repertoire of vascular surgery. However, the healthcare-associated infections related to these procedures are relatively unknown. Prevalence and adverse outcome of infectious complication (IC) post-EAIRP may be underestimated. We aim to provide national trend estimation of EAIRP incidence and outcome in France.

Methods and analysis

From the French Common Classification of Medical Acts, we will define four categories of EAIRP. We will collect procedures via the French nationwide hospital discharge database, called Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d’Information (PMSI) and derived from the Diagnosis Related Group system. Various combinations to identify the numerator will be employed according to a pre-established algorithm. Technical data wrangling tools facilitating the use of PMSI will be developed to obtain a clean and well-structured database ready for statistical analysis. This protocol will require competences in medicine, epidemiology, statistics, data processing and techniques through various stages of the study. The cohort will contain the denominator (the first act of the first stay of each patient) and the corresponding numerator (the IC which will occur during the first stay).

Ethics and dissemination

No nominative, sensitive or personal data on patients have been collected. The study of the MOrtality and infectious complications of therapeutic EndoVAscular interventional radiology (MOEVA) study does not involve humans, and falls within the scope of the French Reference Methodology MR-004 according to 2016–41 law dated 26 January 2016 on the modernisation of the French health system. Our study involves the reuse of already recorded data, which require neither information or non-opposition of the included individuals. Access to linked ANOnymous (ANO) file in the PMSI databases was approved by the French National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties (CNIL number 1564135). The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication.
Can goal-setting for patients with multimorbidity improve outcomes in primary care? Cluster randomised feasibility trial
Authors: Ford John A , Lenaghan Elizabeth , Salter Charlotte , Turner David , Shiner Alice , Clark Allan B , Murdoch Jamie , Green Carole , James Sarah , Koopmans Imogen , Lipp Alistair , Moseley Annie , Wade Tom , Winterburn Sandra , Steel Nicholas
Published: June 2019

Introduction

Goal-setting is recommended for patients with multimorbidity, but there is little evidence to support its use in general practice.

Objective

To assess the feasibility of goal-setting for patients with multimorbidity, before undertaking a definitive trial.

Design and setting

Cluster-randomised controlled feasibility trial of goal-setting compared with control in six general practices.

Participants

Adults with two or more long term health conditions and at risk of unplanned hospital admission.

Interventions

General practitioners (GPs) underwent training and patients were asked to consider goals before an initial goal-setting consultation and a follow-up consultation 6 months later. The control group received usual care planning.

Outcome measures

Health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), capability (ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people), Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care and healthcare use. All consultations were video-recorded or audio-recorded, and focus groups were held with participating GPs and patients.

Results

Fifty-two participants were recruited with a response rate of 12%. Full follow-up data were available for 41. In the goal-setting group, mean age was 80.4 years, 54% were female and the median number of prescribed medications was 13, compared with 77.2 years, 39% female and 11.5 medications in the control group. The mean initial consultation time was 23.0 min in the goal-setting group and 19.2 in the control group. Overall 28% of patient participants had no cognitive impairment. Participants set between one and three goals on a wide range of subjects, such as chronic disease management, walking, maintaining social and leisure interests, and weight management. Patient participants found goal-setting acceptable and would have liked more frequent follow-up. GPs unanimously liked goal-setting and felt it delivered more patient-centred care, and they highlighted the importance of training.

Conclusions

This goal-setting intervention was feasible to deliver in general practice. A larger, definitive study is needed to test its effectiveness.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN13248305; Post-results.
Role of lean leadership in the lean maturity—second-order problem-solving relationship: a mixed methods study
Authors: Bijl Arie , Ahaus Kees , Ruël Gwenny , Gemmel Paul , Meijboom Bert
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To investigate the relationship between lean adoption and problem-solving behaviour in nursing teams, and to explore the practices of lean leaders on nursing wards to reveal how they can stimulate second-order problem-solving within their teams.

Design

A mixed-methods retrospective multiple case study using semistructured interviews. Interview data were used to assess the level of lean maturity (based on a customised validated instrument) and the level of second-order problem-solving (based on scenarios). Within-case and cross-case analyses were employed to identify lean leadership practices.

Setting

14 nursing teams, with different levels of lean maturity, in a Dutch hospital.

Participants

Three members of each nursing team were interviewed: the team leader, one nurse from the ward’s core team for the lean-based quality improvement programme and one nurse outside the core team.

Interventions

The nursing teams were in various phases of a lean-based quality improvement programme: ‘The Productive Ward – Releasing Time to Care’.

Results

A strongly significant positive relationship between lean maturity and second-order problem-solving was found: β=0.68, R2=0.46, p<0.001. Further, the results indicated a potential strengthening effect of lean leadership on this relationship. Seven lean leadership practices emerged from the data collected in a nursing ward setting: (1) convincing and setting an example; (2) unlocking individual and team potential; (3) solving problems systematically; (4) enthusing, actively participating and visualising; (5) developing self-managing teams; (6) sensing, as orchestrator, what is needed for change; and (7) listening, sharing information and appreciating. These practices have a strong link with transformational leadership.

Conclusions

As lean matures, nursing teams reach a higher level of second-order problem-solving. In later stages, lean leaders increasingly relinquish responsibility by developing self-managing teams.
A prospective study of mifepristone and unlimited dosing of sublingual misoprostol for termination of second-trimester pregnancy in Uzbekistan and Ukraine
Authors: Platais Ingrida , Tsereteli Tamar , Maystruk Galyna , Kurbanbekova Dilfuza , Winikoff Beverly
Published: June 2019

Introduction

We aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a second-trimester medical abortion regimen using mifepristone and sublingual misoprostol with no maximum number of misoprostol doses in Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Methods

This prospective open-label study enrolled 306 women with pregnancies of 13–22 weeks in Uzbekistan (n=134) and Ukraine (n=172). Women took 200 mg mifepristone at a place of their choosing, and 24–48 hours later received 400 μg sublingual misoprostol every 3 hours until the expulsion of both fetus and placenta. Study staff interviewed women about the intensity of pain, side effects, and satisfaction with the procedure. The primary outcome was the rate of complete uterine evacuation without surgical intervention or oxytocin at 15 hours after the first dose of misoprostol.

Results

The median gestational age was 18.1 weeks, and half of the women (n=149, 48.9%) chose to take mifepristone at home. The majority of women (n=266, 86.9%, 95% CI 82.6% to 90.5%) expelled by 15 hours after the start of misoprostol treatment, and by 48 hours complete uterine evacuation was achieved in 296 (96.7%) women. Most women found pain (76.1%) and side effects (89.0%) to be acceptable or very acceptable, and reported high satisfaction (89.8%) with the procedure.

Conclusion

Medical abortion in pregnancies of 13–22 weeks with 200 mg mifepristone followed 24–48 hours later by 400 μg sublingual misoprostol administered every 3 hours until complete expulsion is effective, safe and acceptable to women. Women can be given the option to take mifepristone at home and return to the hospital.

Clinical trials registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov,NCT02415894,NCT02235155.
Evolving patterns in the presentation of coeliac disease over the last 25 years
Authors: Stroud Callan , Almilaji Orouba , Nicholas David , Kirkham Silvia , Surgenor Susan L , Williams Imogen , Snook Jonathon
Published: June 2019

Objective

To document changes in the clinical features of coeliac disease (CD) at presentation over the last 25 years.

Design

Observational study.

Patients

802 subjects diagnosed between 1993 and 2017 at a single general hospital.

Outcome measures

Date of diagnosis, age, sex, postcode, symptoms, haematinic deficiency, smoking status, serology, family history and autoimmune phenomena.

Results

The incidence of diagnosed CD rose threefold during the course of the study, with a rising prevalence of positive coeliac serology and positive family history of CD, and a falling prevalence of symptoms and haematinic deficiencies. There was little change in the female predominance, age at diagnosis or high prevalence of other autoimmune conditions over the 25 years, and a paucity throughout of cigarette smokers, particularly heavy smokers. A cohort of patients with seronegative CD was identified who shared many of the characteristics of seropositive CD, but with a significantly older age at diagnosis and a higher prevalence of cigarette smokers.

Conclusion

There have been major changes in the epidemiology of CD over the last 25 years, of relevance to both our understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of CD and the requirement for service provision. The implications are discussed.
Clinicopathological characteristics of ypT0N0 urothelial carcinoma following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and cystectomy
Authors: Magers Martin J , Kaimakliotis Hristos Z , Barboza Marcelo P , Bandali Elhaam , Adra Nabil , Koch Michael O , Cheng Liang
Published: June 2019

Aims

To describe a large tertiary care academic centre’s experience with patients who achieve a complete pathological response (ie, ypT0N0) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and radical cystectomy (RC) with emphasis on morphological features present in the RC and clinical outcome.

Methods

41 patients with ypT0N0 disease following transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT), NAC and RC with available clinical follow-up information were analysed. Slides from all RCs were reviewed to confirm pathological stage and assess for morphological parameters (eg, foreign body giant cell reaction, dystrophic calcification, scar and fat necrosis).

Results

With median follow-up of 32.8 months, the recurrence-free survival at 1 and 5 years was 97.4% and 93.5%, while the overall survival at 3 and 5 years was 94.2% and 88.6%, respectively. No patients died of urothelial carcinoma. Stage assigned at TURBT was 1 pTa (2%), 1 pT1 (2%), 38 pT2 (93%) and 1 pT3a (2%). 17 TURBTs demonstrated variant histology, with the majority of these being squamous (65%). The most common morphological features present at RC were scar (100%), foreign body giant cell reaction (80%), chronic inflammation within lamina propria (68%) and dystrophic calcifications (39%). Other morphological features were less common or absent.

Conclusion

ypT0N0 disease at RC portends an excellent prognosis, regardless of stage or variant histology in the TURBT; scar, foreign body giant cell reaction, chronic inflammation and dystrophic calcifications are often present.
Creating a‘FatherConfessor’: the origins of research ethics committees in UK military medical research, 1950–1970. Part I, context and causes
Authors: Schmidt Ulf
Published: June 2019

Part I provides the historiographical context and examines the causes which led to the creation of the first independent research ethics committee (REC) at Porton Down, Britain’s biological and chemical warfare establishment, in operation since the First World War. The papers in part I and part II argue that the introduction of RECs in the UK stemmed from concerns about legal liability and research ethics among scientists responsible for human experiments, and from the desire of the UK military medical establishment to create an external organisation which would function both as an‘internalspace’for ethical debate and as an‘externalbody’to share moral and legal responsibility. The paper asks: What factors were responsible for causing military scientists and government officials to contemplate the introduction of formalised structures for ethical review within the UK military? It argues that Porton may have been exempt from public scrutiny, but it was not above the law of the land. By the mid-1960s evidence of serious ill effects among staff members and service personnel involved in tests could no longer be ignored. Whereas the security of the British realm had previously trumped almost any other argument in contentious debates about chemical warfare, the role of medical ethics suddenly moved to the forefront of Porton’s deliberations, so much so that tests with incapacitants were temporarily suspended in 1965. It was this crisis, examined in detail in part II, which functioned as a catalyst for the creation of the Applied Biology Committee as the responsible body, and first point of call, for authorising human experiments at Porton Down.
Creating a‘FatherConfessor’: the origins of research ethics committees in UK military medical research, 1950–1970. Part II, origins and organisation
Authors: Schmidt Ulf
Published: June 2019

Using a major ethics crisis as a methodological approach to study secret science environments, part II examines the origins and organisation of the Applied Biology Committee (ABC), the first independent research ethics committee (REC) at Porton Down, Britain’s biological and chemical warfare establishment since the First World War. Although working in great secrecy, the UK military, and Porton in particular, did not operate in a social, political and legal vacuum. Paradigm shifts in civilian medical ethics, or public controversy about atomic, chemical and biological weapons, could thus influence Porton’s self-perception and the conduct of its research. The paper argues that the creation of the first REC at Porton in 1965, that is, the ABC, as the‘fatherconfessor’inside the UK’s military research establishment reflected a broader paradigm shift in the field of human research ethics in the mid-1960s.
Measuring plasma C4D to monitor immune complexes in lupus nephritis
Authors: Kraaij Tineke , Nilsson Sara C. , van Kooten Cees , Okrój Marcin , Blom Anna M , Teng YK Onno
Published: June 2019

Objective

Because currently available assays that measure circulating immune complexes (ICx) are suboptimal, a novel assay was recently developed measuring C4d, a stable product of activation of the classical complement pathway. The present study aimed to establish the value of measuring plasma C4d levels in a longitudinal cohort of patients with severe refractory SLE who were treated with a combination therapy of rituximab with belimumab (RTX+BLM).

Methods

Fifteen patients with SLE who were treated with RTX+BLM in a phase 2A, open label study were included to sequentially measure plasma C4d levels and correlated to well-established markers of ICx-formation, that is, autoantibodies against double-stranded (ds) DNA, autoantibodies against C1q and proteinuria. The performance of plasma C4d measurements, C4 measurements and the ratio of C4d over C4 (C4d:C4) was evaluated.

Results

After establishing that on RTX+BLM treatment kinetics of C4d levels was distinct from traditional C3 and C4 levels, we found strong correlation of C4d:C4 with anti-dsDNA (R=0.76, p<0.001) and anti-C1q (R=0.65, p<0.001) autoantibody levels, which outperformed both stand-alone C4 and C4d levels. Additionally, changes in C4d:C4 over time correlated strongly with changes in proteinuria (R=0.59, p<0.001) as well as anti-dsDNA (R=0.46, p=0.003) and anti-C1q (R=0.47, p=0.002).

Conclusion

In patients with severe SLE, plasma C4d levels in relation to C4 levels is useful for longitudinal monitoring after RTX+BLM treatment to reflect amelioration of classical complement activation by ICx as well as proteinuria.
Arthropathy of Down syndrome: an under-diagnosed inflammatory joint disease that warrants a name change
Authors: Foley Charlene M , Deely Derek A , MacDermott Emma Jane , Killeen Orla G
Published: June 2019

There is an increased incidence and prevalence of arthropathy in children with Down syndrome. However, it is rarely reported or recognised at onset, and remains under-diagnosed. Children with arthropathy of Down syndrome (A-DS) are presenting with significant joint damage and disability at diagnosis.

Objective

To identify undiagnosed cases of A-DS and document time to diagnosis. Also to describe clinical, laboratory and radiological features of A-DS at diagnosis.

Methodology

Children with Down syndrome (DS) (0–21 years) were invited to attend a musculoskeletal screening clinic. A second physician at a further clinic confirmed suspected cases of A-DS. Investigations and treatment were instigated as per normal clinical practice for Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data on a convenience sample of 21 newly diagnosed children with JIA was collected to create a comparison group.

Results

Over an 18-month period, 503 children with DS were screened for arthritis and 18 new cases diagnosed. In total, 33 children were identified with A-DS (combining cases attending pre-dating commencement of the study and those referred to our centre during the study period). This suggests prevalence of A-DS is 20/1000. A significant delay in diagnosis of A-DS was observed. The majority of children presented with polyarticular-rheumatoid factor-negative arthritis, with predominance in the small joints of the hands and wrists. Erosive changes were reported on X-ray in a significantly greater proportion (42%) of children with A-DS than JIA (14%). MRI was used to confirm diagnosis in four cases.

Conclusion

Children with DS are at increased risk of arthritis. Future research to accurately define disease pathogenesis and identify a biomarker of disease would be of benefit.
Evolving IQOS packaging designs change perceptions of product appeal, uniqueness, quality and safety: a randomised experiment, 2018, USA
Authors: Lee Joseph G L , Blanchflower Tiffany M , O'Brien Kevin F , Averett Paige E , Cofie Leslie E , Gregory Kyle R
Published: June 2019

Background

Globally, the tobacco industry is promoting heated tobacco products. These products may represent a strategy to promote dual use of tobacco products. One product, IQOS from Philip Morris International, is being proposed in the USA for marketing as a less harmful product. The visual design of tobacco products can influence consumers by implying product characteristics. Thus, we sought to test the impact of IQOS packaging designs on cognitive, affective and behavioural intention responses.

Methods

From existing IQOS packages used globally, we developed three IQOS packages that decreasingly linked the product to the Marlboro brand. In September to October 2018, we assigned participants randomly to one package in an online experiment. All participants (n=954) were US adults reporting current smoking and no colour blindness. The experiment used quota sampling to ensure diversity by gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and education. Measures were informed by the Context of Consumption Framework. To assess differences in ratings, we conducted non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis tests with post hoc comparisons using Dunn’s test.

Results

We found significant differences in cognitive indicators including appeal (H=6.87, p=0.03), uniqueness (H=15.68, p<0.01), brand equity–quality (H=122.35, p<0.01) and perceived safety compared with other tobacco products (H=14.27, p<0.01). Participants rated packages similarly on affective and behavioural intention measures. All were rated low for talking to others about the product and high for interest in trying with a coupon.

Conclusion

Linking or separating IQOS products with a well-established cigarette brand changes how adult smokers respond to the product. Regulators should consider the visual design of packaging.
Survey of cattle and pasture management practices on focal pastures in Alberta
Authors: Bao Tan , Carlyle Cameron N. , Bork Edward W. , Becker Marcus , Alexander Mike J. , DeMaere Craig , de Souza Danielle Maia , Farr Dan , McAllister Tim A. , Selin Carrie , Weber Marian , Cahill James F.
Published: June 2019

A survey of Alberta beef producers was conducted at sites overlapping with a province-wide network of permanent biodiversity monitoring plots to characterize focal pastures and their management, including estimates of stocking rates. Overall, greater stocking rates were reported in the boreal compared with the parkland and grassland natural regions, coinciding with an increased reliance on tame forage on relatively small land areas of largely deeded land. Higher stocking rates were also associated with earlier starting dates of grazing in the season, higher mean annual precipitation, and lower mean annual temperature.
Genomic characterization of three Vietnamese indigenous chicken varieties using mitochondrial D-loop sequences
Authors: Do Son Quang , Nguyen Lan Thi Phuong , Nguyen Thinh Hoang , Nguyen Trung Quoc
Published: June 2019

In this study, partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences of three Vietnamese indigenous chicken varieties, including Mong Tien Phong, To, and Sau Ngon, were analyzed to access genetic diversity and the maternal lineages of origin. A 525 bp fragment of the mtDNA D-loop region was sequenced from a total of 61 chickens of the three varieties. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was assembled from the haplotypes obtained and reference sequences of mtDNA D-loop sequences of Red Junglefowl and domestic chickens from National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Genetic diversity indices and analysis of molecular variance were performed. Evaluation of genetic relationships between the three varieties was carried out with pairwise fixation index (FST). In total, 16 haplotypes were identified in the chickens studied. These haplotypes were classified in three haplogroups (A, B, and E) with the majority grouped in haplogroup B and haplogroup E. All three chicken varieties studied were distributed into 2–3 haplogroups and all three haplogroups found in this study are also represented by Red Junglefowl. In conclusion, all three Vietnamese indigenous chicken varieties have likely originated from multiple maternal lineages and potentially descended from the Red Junglefowl.
Sedimentological signatures and identification of Paleocene sedimentary facies in the Lishui Sag, East China Sea Shelf Basin
Authors: Sun Zhongqiang , Zhang Jinliang , Liu Yang , Shen Wenlong , Li Yang , Li Lianjie
Published: June 2019

The Lishui Sag is on the southwest margin of the East China Sea Shelf Basin (ECSSB), which is located on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The analysis of sedimentological signatures is based on 217 m (712 ft) of Paleocene cores showing a wide variety of lithofacies, sedimentary structures, ichnological data, seismic data, and log data. Eight lithofacies, nine typical ichnofabrics, and four ichnofacies combined with petrological, geophysical, and bioturbation information were identified as the key sedimentary facies characteristics for identifying three sedimentary systems in the study area. Eleven sedimentological facies are present in the three sedimentary systems: foreshore, upper shoreface, lower to middle shoreface, offshore transition, proximal fan delta front, distal fan delta front, wave-dominated delta front sand bar, wave-dominated delta front sand sheet, interbar, tide-influenced distributary channel, and tide-influenced interdistributary bay facies. The three sedimentary systems that were identified are fan delta, wave-influenced delta, and tide facies. Fan delta deposits are present in the southwest and northeast of the sag, with subaqueous fan delta front deposits dominating, whereas farther seaward successions are characterized by distal fan delta front deposits that are intensely bioturbated. Wave-dominated deltaic deposits occur mostly in the western and middle parts, where fluvial discharge in the delta front and prodelta have been repeatedly reworked by waves and formed some isolated bars distributed perpendicular to the source; these deposits are sparsely to intensely bioturbated. Tide facies develop locally and have been identified as distributary channels and interdistributary bay facies.
High responsiveness of wood anatomy to water availability and drought near the equatorial rear edge of Douglas-fir
Authors: González-Cásares Marcos , Camarero J. Julio , Colangelo Michele , Rita Angelo , Pompa-García Marín
Published: June 2019

In trees, wood anatomy is a more precise and informative measure of hydraulic responses to drought than radial growth. Tree populations located near the equatorial-range edge of their distribution (rear edge) are used to monitor responses to changes in hydroclimate; however, few studies have assessed the wood anatomy of these populations. We measured tracheid lumen diameter (LD) and cell wall thickness (CWT) in a rear-edge Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) population. We also evaluated the formation of intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs), characterized by earlywood (EW) tracheids with narrow lumens. We expected that EW LD would be particularly sensitive to hydroclimate variability. We found that EW LD was directly related to precipitation during the previous year’s late winter and the current year’s spring. Wet conditions were associated with wider EW tracheids and improved growth. These correlations peaked when considering cumulative precipitation from January to May. EW IADFs were formed in response to dry conditions during March and April, suggesting that dry spring conditions limit tracheid expansion. The described associations in a rear-edge Douglas-fir population confirm that wood anatomy is highly responsive to drought. We conclude that EW LD is a valuable proxy for hydroclimate reconstruction in Douglas-fir.