bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE IMPACT OF REMITTANCES ON REGIONAL CONSUMPTION AND INVESTMENT
Authors: Manic Marian
Published: June 2016

This paper examines the effects of international remittances on regional economic development using spatial data from an original household survey carried out in the Republic of Moldova. I analyze remittance flows with a model that estimates regional (urban and rural) budget shares of consumption and investment expenditure categories for rural and urban households. An important contribution of the paper is that it analyzes the effect of remittances in the regions where spending takes place, which is not necessarily the same as the region where the households originating this spending reside. Using the multinomial logit approach, I control for potential selectivity and endogeneity biases of remittances. The results show that remittances lead to significantly increasing marginal productive investments in urban regions at the expense of rural regions. The fundamental finding of the study is that remittances influence the flight of productive capital out of rural areas into urban regions (a pattern similar to the crowding‐out effect of the Dutch Disease). The analysis carried out in this paper can be applied to other temporary income transfers and exogenous spending injected in the region that affect households' regional expenditure patterns.
Medical clowns reduce pre‐operative anxiety, post‐operative pain and medical costs in children undergoing outpatient penile surgery: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Kocherov Stanislav , Hen Yaniv , Jaworowski Sol , Ostrovsky Israel , Eidelman Arthur I , Gozal Yakov , Chertin Boris
Published: June 2016

Aim

The aim of this paper is to investigate prospectively the potential benefits of the participation of the medical clowns in the outpatient paediatric penile surgery programme.

Methods

Eighty children undergoing meatotomy, age 2 to 16 years, were randomised into two groups (40 each). In the first group, the medical clown was an integral part of the medical team, and in the second group, the treatment was given without participation of the medical clown. The following parameters were measured: the level of pre‐operative anxiety, the level of the post‐operative pain, the amount of pain medication use in the first 24 h after surgery and the time needed to return to normal activities. The operating room time and hospital costs were calculated.

Results

The patients from the first group demonstrated a lower pre‐operative anxiety index upon (P = 0.0319) and after surgery (P = 0.0042), required less induction time for anaesthesia (P < 0.001), spent overall less time in the operating room (P < 0.0001) and required less time to recover from the surgery and to be discharged (P = 0.0172). The overall OR time and post‐operative unit care savings of 20 and 155 min, respectively, led to the cost savings of $467.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrated that the use of the medical clown functioning as an integral part of the operating team reduces children pre‐operative anxiety and leads to a shortening of the overall time in the hospital thereby reducing the overall medical cost justifying the participation of medical clown as an integral part of the health team in a paediatric urology outpatient surgical unit.
Impact of macronutrient composition and palatability in wet diets on food selection in cats
Authors: Salaun F. , Blanchard G. , Le Paih L. , Roberti F. , Niceron C.
Published: June 2016

Cats are obligate carnivores adapted to high‐protein diets, but are commonly fed diets rich in carbohydrate. The aim of this study was to examine the food intake choices of cats when diets with different protein and carbohydrate contents were offered. Thirty‐nine cats participated in voluntary dietary intake studies. Four foods were formulated to provide between 24% and 53% of metabolizable energy as protein, between 43% and 11% as carbohydrate and holding dietary fat constant with a contribution of approximately 36%. Foods were offered either singly to evaluate voluntary food intake or in pairs to compare food intake between pairs of diets. Cats regulated their macronutrient intake to attain an overall diet composition that provided 53% of metabolizable energy as protein, 11% as carbohydrate and 36% as fat. The protein contribution corresponded to approximately 6 g of protein/kg body weight/day. High‐protein/low‐carbohydrate diets were always eaten preferentially over low‐protein/high‐carbohydrate foods. When low‐protein/high‐carbohydrate diets were offered, cats limited their food intake to limit daily carbohydrate intake to less than 3 g of carbohydrate/kg body weight. This carbohydrate ceiling may limit protein and even energy intake when only low‐protein/high‐carbohydrate diets were offered. The inclusion of palatability enhancer in the diets increased food intake but did not change protein or carbohydrate intake patterns, indicating that macronutrient intake can be regulated regardless of the use of palatability enhancers in cats. We conclude that cats can discriminate between diets based on macronutrient composition and regulate their intake to maintain maximal protein intake but limit carbohydrate intake.
Insulin resistance increases loss of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen in nondiabetic healthy adults
Authors: Joo E.‐J. , Yeom J.‐S. , Kwon M.‐J. , Chang Y. , Ryu S.
Published: June 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of insulin resistance on the persistence of a protective level of anti‐HBs (hepatitis B surface antigen) in a nondiabetic general population. A cohort study was designed comprising of 38 473 Korean men and women with anti‐HBs at concentrations ≥10 mIU/mL, who underwent a health examination. Insulin resistance was assessed with a homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR). A decline in anti‐HBs to <10 mIU/L during the follow‐up was considered to be a loss of protective anti‐HBs. Cox‐proportional hazard models were used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for anti‐HBs loss across quintiles of HOMA‐IR and insulin. We identified 20 826 incidents of loss of anti‐HBs antibody during 180 522 person‐years of follow‐up (incident rate 11.5 per 100 person‐years). Increasing HOMA‐IR was positively associated with incident loss of anti‐HBs. The multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incident loss of anti‐HBs comparing quintiles 2–5 vs quintile 1 of HOMA‐IR were 1.09 (1.04–1.14), 1.14 (1.09–1.19), 1.14 (1.09–1.19) and 1.21 (1.16–1.27), respectively. These associations were stronger in younger individuals under the age of 35 than in people 35 years of age or older (P for interaction = 0.004). The association was also more evident in subjects with higher titres (≥100 mIU/mL) of anti‐HBs than in those with low titres (P for interaction < 0.001). Insulin resistance was associated with an increased risk for loss of vaccine‐acquired anti‐HBs in a large sample of a nondiabetic, general population, indicating a possible role of insulin resistance in vaccine‐induced immunity.
Clinicopathological Phenotype of Autosomal Recessive Cholesterol Deficiency in Holstein Cattle
Authors: Mock T. , Mehinagic K. , Menzi F. , Studer E. , Oevermann A. , Stoffel M.H. , Drögemüller C. , Meylan M. , Regenscheit N.
Published: June 2016

Background

Cholesterol deficiency (CD), a newly identified autosomal recessive genetic defect in Holstein cattle, is associated with clinical signs of diarrhea, failure to thrive, and hypocholesterolemia.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The objective is to describe the clinicopathological phenotype of affected Holstein cattle homozygous for the causative apolipoprotein B gene (APOB) mutation.

Animals

Six Holstein cattle, 5 calves with a clinical history of chronic diarrhea, and 1 heifer with erosions in the buccal cavity and neurologic symptoms were admitted to the Clinic for Ruminants.

Methods

This case review included a full clinical examination, a complete blood count, blood chemistry, and measurements of cholesterol and triglycerides. The animals were euthanized and necropsied. A PCR‐based direct gene test was applied to determine the APOB genotype.

Results

All 6 animals were inbred, could be traced back to the sire Maughlin Storm, and were confirmed homozygous for the APOB mutation. The clinical phenotype included poor development, underweight, and intermittent diarrhea in the calves, and neurologic signs in the heifer included hypermetria and pacing. Hypocholesterolemia and low triglycerides concentrations were present in all animals. The pathological phenotype of all animals was steatorrhea with enterocytes of the small intestine containing intracytoplasmic lipid vacuoles. The peripheral nervous system of the heifer displayed degenerative changes.

Conclusions and clinical importance

Suspicion of CD in Holstein cattle is based on the presence of chronic diarrhea with no evidence of primary infections. Confirmation of the associated APOB gene mutation is needed. Additionally, the heifer demonstrated primarily signs of neurologic disease providing an unexpected phenotype of CD.
Enhanced cytotoxicity of bleomycin, cisplatin, and carboplatin on equine sarcoid cells following electroporation‐mediated delivery in vitro
Authors: Souza C. , Villarino N. F. , Farnsworth K. , Black M. E.
Published: June 2016

Electroporation is a method used to deliver poorly permeant chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor cells, potentiating the cytotoxic effects of drugs and overall clinical response. Despite existing evidence of the potential benefits of electroporation to enhance the antitumoral effects of drugs, there is a lack of understanding about the effects of electroporation on equine tumor cells. This study investigated the combined effects of electroporation and bleomycin, cisplatin, and carboplatin on an equine sarcoid cell line (EqS04b). The use of electroporation increases the cytotoxic effects of bleomycin, cisplatin, and carboplatin on the equine sarcoid cell line by 5‐fold, 4‐fold, and 3‐fold, respectively. These very promising findings demonstrate proof of principle for future preclinical studies on different tumor cells to investigate the in vivo effects of electroporation in sarcoid tumors.
Growth rates and ecology of coralline rhodoliths from the Ras Ghamila back reef lagoon, Red Sea
Authors: Caragnano Annalisa , Basso Daniela , Rodondi Graziella
Published: June 2016

Rhodoliths are important marine carbonate producers that provide habitat for several marine organisms, and are threatened by ongoing global climate change. Meter‐sized sedimentary patches rich in living rhodoliths, interspersed among corals, were discovered in the back reef of Ras Ghamila lagoon, Southern Sinai, at less than 1 m water depth. In this shallow and relatively sheltered subtropical environment, rhodoliths were found to be monospecific or oligospecific, spheroidal, 3.5 to 9.4 cm in maximum diameter, with warty/lumpy or fruticose (protuberance degree IV) growth forms, and corresponded to the unattached branches or praline type. They grew in bright light under seasonal, moderate, wind‐driven water motion. The dominant rhodolith‐forming species recorded were: Lithophyllum kotschyanum, Porolithon onkodes, Hydrolithon sp. and three species of Neogoniolithon: Neogoniolithon fosliei, Neogoniolithon brassica‐florida, and an undescribed species noted in the text as Neogoniolithon sp. A total of 38 Alizarin‐stained rhodoliths was released in the field and collected after 1 year. They showed different banding patterns (alternating long and short cells) that revealed seasonal growth, with the lowest rates occurring in winter for all species, and an additional summer growth slackening in Neogoniolithon fosliei. Lithophyllum kotschyanum presented evidence of occasional growth cessation, possibly due to temporary burial. The observed annual growth rate of rhodoliths was unrelated to their size. The mean accretion rates were 1.08 mm · year−1 in L. kotschyanum, 0.75 mm · year−1 in P. onkodes, 0.49 mm · year−1 in Hydrolithon sp., 0.85 mm mm · year−1 in N. fosliei, 0.63 mm · year−1 in N. brassica‐florida and 0.57 mm · year−1 in Neogoniolithon sp. The annual mean marginal elongation rate for these taxa was respectively 8.74, 13.92, 3.59, 9.40 and 9.25 mm · year−1, with the exception of Neogoniolithon sp., for which this parameter was not recorded. Maximum marginal elongation occurred in P. onkodes pointing out its greater ability as a space competitor in comparison with the other rhodolith species. The highest accretion rate and common presence of L. kotschyanum indicate its importance as carbonate producer in tropical reef.
Northern glacial refugia and altitudinal niche divergence shape genome‐wide differentiation in the emerging plant model Arabidopsis arenosa
Authors: Kolář Filip , Fuxová Gabriela , Záveská Eliška , Nagano Atsushi J. , Hyklová Lucie , Lučanová Magdalena , Kudoh Hiroshi , Marhold Karol
Published: June 2016

Quaternary climatic oscillations profoundly impacted temperate biodiversity. For many diverse yet undersampled areas, however, the consequences of this impact are still poorly known. In Europe, particular uncertainty surrounds the role of Balkans, a major hotspot of European diversity, in postglacial recolonization of more northerly areas, and the Carpathians, a debatable candidate for a northern ‘cryptic’ glacial refugium. Using genome‐wide SNPs and microsatellites, we examined how the interplay of historical processes and niche shifts structured genetic diversity of diploid Arabidopsis arenosa, a little‐known member of the plant model genus that occupies a wide niche range from sea level to alpine peaks across eastern temperate Europe. While the northern Balkans hosted one isolated endemic lineage, most of the genetic diversity was concentrated further north in the Pannonian Basin and the Carpathians, where it likely survived the last glaciation in northern refugia. Finally, a distinct postglacial environment in northern Europe was colonized by populations of admixed origin from the two Carpathian lineages. Niche differentiation along altitude‐related bioclimatic gradients was the main trend in the phylogeny of A. arenosa. The most prominent niche shifts, however, characterized genetically only slightly divergent populations that expanded into narrowly defined alpine and northern coastal postglacial environments. Our study highlights the role of eastern central European mountains not only as refugia for unique temperate diversity but also sources for postglacial expansion into novel high‐altitude and high‐latitude niches. Knowledge of distinct genetic substructure of diploid A. arenosa also opens new opportunities for follow‐up studies of this emerging model of evolutionary biology.
Genomewide scan for adaptive differentiation along altitudinal gradient in the Andrew's toadBufo andrewsi
Authors: Guo Baocheng , Lu Di , Liao Wen Bo , Merilä Juha
Published: June 2016

Recent studies of humans, dogs and rodents have started to discover the genetic underpinnings of high altitude adaptations, yet amphibians have received little attention in this respect. To identify possible signatures of adaptation to altitude, we performed a genome scan of 15 557 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained with restriction site‐associatedDNAsequencing of pooled samples from 11 populations of Andrew's toad (Bufo andrewsi) from the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, spanning an altitudinal gradient from 1690 to 2768 m.a.s.l. We discovered significant geographic differentiation among all sites, with an averageFST = 0.023 across allSNPs. Apart from clear patterns of isolation by distance, we discovered numerous outlierSNPs showing strong associations with variation in altitude (1394SNPs), average annual temperature (1859SNPs) or both (1051SNPs). Levels and patterns of genetic differentiation in theseSNPs were consistent with the hypothesis that they have been subject to directional selection and reflect adaptation to altitudinal variation among the study sites. Genes with footprints of selection were significantly enriched in binding and metabolic processes. Several genes potentially related to high altitude adaptation were identified, although the identity and functional significance of most genomic targets of selection remain unknown. In general, the results provide genomic support for results of earlier common garden and low coverage genetic studies that have uncovered substantial adaptive differentiation along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in amphibians.
Human‐mediated extirpation of the unique Chatham Islands sea lion and implications for the conservation management of remaining New Zealand sea lion populations
Authors: Rawlence Nicolas J. , Collins Catherine J. , Anderson Christian N. K. , Maxwell Justin J. , Smith Ian W. G. , Robertson Bruce C. , Knapp Michael , Horsburgh Katherine Ann , Stanton Jo‐Ann L. , Scofield R. Paul , Tennyson Alan J. D. , Matisoo‐Smith Elizabeth A. , Waters Jonathan M.
Published: June 2016

While terrestrial megafaunal extinctions have been well characterized worldwide, our understanding of declines in marine megafauna remains limited. Here, we use ancient DNA analyses of prehistoric (<1450–1650 AD) sea lion specimens from New Zealand's isolated Chatham Islands to assess the demographic impacts of human settlement. These data suggest there was a large population of sea lions, unique to the Chatham Islands, at the time of Polynesian settlement. This distinct mitochondrial lineage became rapidly extinct within 200 years due to overhunting, paralleling the extirpation of a similarly large endemic mainland population. Whole mitogenomic analyses confirm substantial intraspecific diversity among prehistoric lineages. Demographic models suggest that even low harvest rates would likely have driven rapid extinction of these lineages. This study indicates that surviving Phocarctos populations are remnants of a once diverse and widespread sea lion assemblage, highlighting dramatic human impacts on endemic marine biodiversity. Our findings also suggest that Phocarctos bycatch in commercial fisheries may contribute to the ongoing population decline.
Biased Technical Change in Agriculture and Industrial Growth
Authors: de Souza Joao Paulo A.
Published: June 2016

This paper presents a two‐sector growth model in which industrial accumulation is sensitive to the factor‐saving bias of technical change in agriculture. Agriculture features low factor substitutability and hidden unemployment and, in the baseline scenario, industrial growth is constrained by aggregate demand. Land‐saving innovations are then shown to raise rural employment, enlarge the domestic market for manufactures, and bolster industrial accumulation, in contrast to labor‐saving innovations. The baseline model and its extensions illuminate recent empirical studies which established that higher land yields boost industrial growth in developing countries, as well as accounts of the role of agricultural innovations in the industrialization of Japan, East Asia, and Latin America.
Molecular detection of Wolbachia pipientis in natural populations of mosquito vectors of Dirofilaria immitis from continental Portugal: first detection in Culex theileri
Authors: DE PINHO MIXÃO V. , MENDES A. M. , MAURÍCIO I. L. , CALADO M. M. , NOVO M. T. , BELO S. , ALMEIDA A. P. G.
Published: June 2016

Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) protects mosquitoes from infections with arboviruses and parasites. However, the effect of its co‐infection on vector competence for Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in the wild has not been investigated. This study aimed to screen vectors of D. immitis for wPip, to characterize these, and to investigate a possible association between the occurrence of W. pipientis and that of the nematode. The presence of W. pipientis was assessed in the five mosquito potential vectors of D. immitis in Portugal. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were sequenced, and wPip haplotypes were determined by PCR–restricted fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results showed that wPip was detected in 61.5% of Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) pools and 6.3% of Culex theileri pools. wPip 16s rRNA sequences found in Cx. theileri exactly match those from Cx. pipiens, confirming a mosquito origin, rather than a nematode origin, as some specimens were infected with D. immitis. Only wPip haplotype I was found. No association was found between the presence of wPip and D. immitis in mosquitoes and hence a role for this endosymbiont in influencing vectorial competence is yet to be identified. This study contributes to understanding of wPip distribution in mosquito populations and, to the best of the authors' knowledge, is the first report of natural infections by wPip in Cx. theileri.
Safety and effectiveness of response‐guided therapy using pegylated interferon and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus infection in patients on maintenance dialysis
Authors: Goel Amit , Bhadauria Dharmendra Singh , Kaul Anupma , Prasad Narayan , Gupta Amit , Sharma Raj Kumar , Rai Praveer , Aggarwal Rakesh
Published: June 2016

Aim

Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) is difficult. Addition of ribavirin to pegylated‐interferon (Peg‐IFN) may help to improve the treatment response. Further, treatment duration could be shortened using a response‐guided treatment (RGT) approach.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed records of treatment‐naïve adult patients with ESRD and chronic HCV infection who had been treated with Peg‐IFN and low‐dose ribavirin using a RGT approach. Rapid responders (undetectable HCV‐RNA at 4 weeks) received treatment for 12 weeks, and slow responders (HCV‐RNA detectable at 4 weeks, but undetectable or with >2.0 log10 reduction at week 12) for 24 (genotype 3; GT3) or 48 (genotype 1; GT1) weeks. In those without such reduction (null responders), treatment was discontinued.

Results

Of 26 non‐cirrhotic patients (GT1 15, GT3 11) treated, four (15%; GT1 3, GT3 1) were null responders. Twenty‐two (85%) patients had either rapid (n = 14 (54%); GT1 10, GT3 4) or slow response (n = 8 (31%); GT1 2, GT3 6). Of them, 21 patients had undetectable RNA at the end of treatment; one could not complete the treatment and was lost thereafter. There were no deaths during treatment. Three patients relapsed and three others died in 6 months after stopping treatment. Overall, 15/26 (58%) patients attained SVR24. Fourteen patients underwent transplantation beginning one month after treatment completion, and all were relapse‐free after 17 (14–24) months of follow‐up.

Conclusion

RGT using Peg‐IFN and ribavirin was effective in ESRD patients on maintenance dialysis. Renal transplant was safely done within one month of completing such treatment.
Haemodialysis patients with diabetes eat less than those without: A plea for a permissive diet
Authors: Bataille Stanislas , Landrier Jean‐François , Astier Julien , Cado Sylvie , Sallette Jérôme , Giaime Philippe , Sampol Jérôme , Sichez Hélène , Ollier Jacques , Gugliotta Jean , Serveaux Marianne , Cohen Julien , Darmon Patrice
Published: June 2016

Aim

The main cause of malnutrition in haemodialysis patients is a spontaneous decline in energy and protein intakes. This study aims to report the dietary energy intake (DEI), dietary protein intake (DPI), and dietary micronutrient intake in a French HD population, to report factors associated with a low DPI and DEI, and to analyze if nutritional intake was correlated with nutritional status.

Methods

We conducted an observational cross‐sectional study in a haemodialysis population of 87 adult patients in July 2014. Daily nutritional oral intake, handgrip strength, body composition measured by bioimpedancemetry, and biological and dialysis parameters were obtained from medical records. Statistical analyses of parameters associated with DEI and DPI were performed.

Results

The median age (interquartile range) of the population was 77.3 [71.1; 84.8] years, 57.5% were men, and 52.9% had diabetes mellitus. Median weight‐adjusted DEI was 18.4 [15.7;22.3] kcal/kg per day (1308 [1078; 1569] kcal/day), and median weight‐adjusted DPI was 0.80 [0.66; 0.96] g/kg per day (57.5 [47.1; 66.8] g/day). In multivariate analysis, weight‐adjusted DEI was statistically lower in patients with diabetes (coefficient [95%CI] –3.81[−5.21;‐2.41] kcal/kg per day; P = 0.01) but was not associated with the others parameters. When DEI was not adjusted for weight, diabetes was no longer associated with DEI, but female gender (−178[−259;–961] kcal/day; P = 0.03) and a higher Charlson comorbidity index (−30[−44;–15]; P = 0.04) were associated with a lower calorie intake. Results for DPI were similar except that the Charlson comorbidity index did not reach significance.

Conclusions

Diabetes is an important factor associated with low dietary intake in haemodialysis patients. Restrictive regimens should be prescribed cautiously in haemodialysis patients, especially in those with diabetes.
Male‐specific colon motility dysfunction in the TashT mouse line
Authors: Touré A. M. , Charrier B. , Pilon N.
Published: June 2016

Background

In Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), the absence of myenteric neural ganglia in the distal bowel prevents motility and thereby causes functional intestinal obstruction. Although surgical resection of the aganglionic segment allows HSCR children to survive this condition, a number of patients still suffer from impaired motility despite having myenteric ganglia in their postoperative distal bowel. Such phenomenon is also observed in patients suffering from other enteric neuropathies and, in both cases, colonic dysmotility is believed to result from abnormalities of myenteric ganglia and/or associated interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). To better understand this, we used a recently described HSCR mouse model called TashT.

Methods

Intestinal motility parameters were assessed and correlated with extent of aganglionosis and with neuronal density in ganglionated regions. The neural composition of the myenteric plexus and the status of ICC networks was also evaluated using immunofluorescence.

Key Results

TashTTg/Tg mice display a strong male bias in the severity of both colonic aganglionosis and hypoganglionosis, which are associated with male‐specific reduced colonic motility. TashTTg/Tg male mice also exhibit a specific increase in nNos+ neurons that is restricted to the most distal ganglionated regions. In contrast, Calretinin+ myenteric neurons, Sox10+ myenteric glial cells, and cKit+ ICC are not affected in TashTTg/Tg mice.

Conclusions and Inferences

Male‐specific impairment of colonic motility in TashTTg/Tg mice is associated with both severe hypoganglionosis and myenteric neuronal imbalance. Considering these parameters in the clinic might be important for the management of postoperative HSCR patients.
Patient‐reported outcome measures for allergy and asthma in children
Authors: Soyiri Ireneous N. , Nwaru Bright I. , Sheikh Aziz
Published: June 2016

There is increasing recognition of the importance of patient's perceptions of disease and their assessments of heathcare processes. Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) are therefore now regarded as at least as important as the traditional objective measures of disease. For minors, parental and, except in the very young and severally cognitively impaired, the child's perspectives are important because they provide unique and complementary information. In this review, we summarize the evidence on PROMs for allergy and asthma for use in children. Overall, there are fewer PROMs available for use in children than in adults. We were able to identify some validated pediatric PROMs that have been developed for use in atopic eczema/dermatitis, food allergy, allergic rhinitis/rhinoconjunctivitis, and asthma. There is very limited evidence on deploying these instruments out with research settings. There is therefore a pressing need to report on the experiences of using PROMs for allergy and asthma in routine clinical care. In particular, there is a need to understand how acceptable these are to children/carers, whether they can be incorporated into routine clinical assessments and if they are responsive to changes in treatment made in routine clinical practice.
An institutional approach to the management of the ‘Can't Intubate, Can't Oxygenate’ emergency in children
Authors: Sabato Stefano C. , Long Elliot
Published: June 2016

The ‘Can't Intubate Can't Oxygenate’ emergency is rare in children. Nevertheless, airway clinicians involved in pediatric airway management must be able to rescue the airway percutaneously through the front of the neck should this situation be encountered. Little evidence exists in children to guide rescue techniques, and extrapolation of adult evidence may be problematic due to anatomical differences. This document reviews the currently available evidence, and presents a practical approach to standardizing equipment, techniques, and training for managing the ‘Can't Intubate Can't Oxygenate’ emergency in children.
Development of the Japanese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Transplant Module
Authors: Kikuchi Ryota , Mizuta Koichi , Urahashi Taizen , Sanada Yukihiro , Yamada Naoya , Onuma Erika , Ono Minoru , Endo Miyoko , Sato Iori , Kamibeppu Kiyoko
Published: June 2016

Background

Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important outcome in pediatric solid organ transplantation. Considering the emerging problems after transplantation, an evaluation of transplant‐specific aspects of HRQOL is essential, but no validated HRQOL measure is available in Japan. The aim of this study was therefore to develop the Japanese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL) Transplant Module Child Self‐Report and to investigate its feasibility, reliability, and validity.

Methods

Based on the PedsQL linguistic validation process, the Japanese version of the PedsQL Transplant Module was developed through translation and cognitive interviews (patient testing). The scale's reliability and validity were investigated, using statistical analyses of field tests of the target population.

Results

Eighty‐seven pairs of pediatric liver‐transplant recipients and their parents participated in the field test. The pediatric patients completed the measure in 3–7 min, and the rate of missing items was low (0.27%). Excellent internal consistency and test–retest reliability were confirmed. Known‐groups validity, concurrent validity, and convergent and discriminant validity also were confirmed.

Conclusions

Excellent feasibility, reliability, and validity of this Japanese self‐report version of the PedsQL Transplant Module Child Self‐Report were verified. As a measure of transplant‐specific aspects of HRQOL in Japanese pediatric patients who have undergone organ transplants, the Japanese version of the PedsQL Transplant Module is appropriate for use in clinical and research settings.
Comparison of Intrauterine Antibiotics versus Ozone Medical Use in Sheep with Retained Placenta and Following Obstetric Assistance
Authors: Đuričić D , Valpotić H , Žura Žaja I , Samardžija M
Published: June 2016

Contents

This study outlines a new approach to reproductive tract treatment using ozone foam spray for certain ovine obstetrical problems, such as retained foetal membranes and possible uterine infections following obstetric assistance (OA), in comparison with classical antibiotics treatments. The study was conducted on 256 ewes from 11 sheep farms in north‐western Croatia. A total of 139 ewes were diagnosed with dystocia (DT) and 49 with retention of placenta (RP). Ewes with RP were treated either with ozone foam spray (Riger spray G; Novagen®) applied into the body of the uterus for 2–3 s (first or RPO group; n = 24) or with two foaming, intrauterine tablets of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (Geomycin® F) (second or RPA group; n = 25). The third and fourth groups consisted of ewes that received OA for dystocia (including ringwomb, foetal oversize and assistance of abnormal position and posture). The third group (DTO; n = 70) was treated with ozone foam spray, while ewes in fourth group (DTA; n = 69) were treated with antibiotics. The ewes in the control group (CTL) with physiological puerperium were randomly selected (n = 70) from all herds. Transrectal ultrasonography (transversal diameter of uterine horns) was used for the control of uterus regression on days 2 and 25 after parturition. There was a difference in transversal uterine horn diameter in the RP groups, that is RPO and RPA (5.40 ± 0.53 cm vs. 5.43 ± 0.40 cm), ewes with dystocia, that is DTO and DTA (5.37 ± 0.49 cm vs. 5.54 ± 0.60 cm) and ewes from the CTL group (4.98 ± 0.35 cm) one day after parturition. Average transversal uterine diameter of all groups at day 25 post‐partum was 1.80 ± 0.15 cm. The intrauterine ozone treatment in ewes with RP and after manual obstetrics attained similar results to spontaneously delivered ewes (CTL group), showed as the physiological regression of the uterus with a similar transversal diameter without the presence of lochia in the uterine lumen, indicating that this could be a novel potential alternative therapy.
Evolution and Use of Dynamic Transmission Models for Measles and Rubella Risk and Policy Analysis
Authors: Thompson Kimberly M.
Published: June 2016

The devastation caused by periodic measles outbreaks motivated efforts over more than a century to mathematically model measles disease and transmission. Following the identification of rubella, which similarly presents with fever and rash and causes congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in infants born to women first infected with rubella early in pregnancy, modelers also began to characterize rubella disease and transmission. Despite the relatively large literature, no comprehensive review to date provides an overview of dynamic transmission models for measles and rubella developed to support risk and policy analysis. This systematic review of the literature identifies quantitative measles and/or rubella dynamic transmission models and characterizes key insights relevant for prospective modeling efforts. Overall, measles and rubella represent some of the relatively simplest viruses to model due to their ability to impact only humans and the apparent life‐long immunity that follows survival of infection and/or protection by vaccination, although complexities arise due to maternal antibodies and heterogeneity in mixing and some models considered potential waning immunity and reinfection. This review finds significant underreporting of measles and rubella infections and widespread recognition of the importance of achieving and maintaining high population immunity to stop and prevent measles and rubella transmission. The significantly lower transmissibility of rubella compared to measles implies that all countries could eliminate rubella and CRS by using combination of measles‐ and rubella‐containing vaccines (MRCVs) as they strive to meet regional measles elimination goals, which leads to the recommendation of changing the formulation of national measles‐containing vaccines from measles only to MRCV as the standard of care.
Simultaneous Inference for Multilevel Linear Mixed Models—With an Application to a Large-Scale School Meal Study
Authors: Ritz Christian , Pilmann Laursen Rikke , Trab Damsgaard Camilla
Published: June 2016

In large multilevel studies effects of interest are often evaluated for a number of more or less related outcomes. For instance, the present work was motivated by the multiplicity issues that arose in the analysis of a cluster-randomized, crossover intervention study evaluating the health benefits of a school meal programme. We propose a novel and versatile framework for simultaneous inference on parameters estimated from linear mixed models that were fitted separately for several outcomes from the same study, but did not necessarily contain the same fixed or random effects. By combining asymptotic representations of parameter estimates from separate model fits we could derive the joint asymptotic normal distribution for all parameter estimates of interest for all outcomes considered. This result enabled the construction of simultaneous confidence intervals and calculation of adjusted p-values. For sample sizes of practical relevance we studied simultaneous coverage through simulation, which showed that the approach achieved acceptable coverage probabilities even for small sample sizes (10 clusters) and for 2–16 outcomes. The approach also compared favourably with a joint modelling approach. We also analysed data with 17 outcomes from the motivating study, resulting in adjusted p-values that were appreciably less conservative than Bonferroni adjustment.
Parametric Dose Standardization for Optimizing Two-Agent Combinations in a Phase I–II Trial with Ordinal Outcomes
Authors: Thall Peter F. , Nguyen Hoang Q. , Zinner Ralph G.
Published: June 2016

A Bayesian model and design are described for a phase I–II trial to optimize jointly the doses of a targeted agent and a chemotherapy agent for solid tumours. A challenge in designing the trial was that both the efficacy and the toxicity outcomes were defined as four-level ordinal variables. To reflect possibly complex joint effects of the two doses on each of the two outcomes, for each marginal distribution a generalized continuation ratio model was assumed, with each agent's dose parametrically standardized in the linear term. A copula was assumed to obtain a bivariate distribution. Elicited outcome probabilities were used to construct a prior, with variances calibrated to obtain small prior effective sample size. Elicited numerical utilities of the 16 elementary outcomes were used to compute posterior mean utilities as criteria for selecting dose pairs, with adaptive randomization to reduce the risk of becoming stuck at a suboptimal pair. A simulation study showed that parametric dose standardization with additive dose effects provides a robust reliable model for dose pair optimization in this setting, and it compares favourably with designs based on alternative models that include dose–dose interaction terms. The model and method proposed are applicable generally to other clinical trial settings with similar dose and outcome structures.
African Americans in Soviet Socialist Realism: The Case of Aleksandr Deineka
Authors: KIAER CHRISTINA
Published: June 2016

Aleksandr Deineka's paintings of African Americans made during his visit to the United States in 1935 have never been studied in detail, and certainly not as part of the broader history of representations of African Americans in early Soviet visual culture. Analyzing examples of Soviet anti‐racist imagery from the later 1920s through 1936, the essay establishes a context for understanding Deineka's works as self‐conscious interventions into a visual rhetoric of anti‐racism that had a particular set of stakes in 1935, as Socialist Realism was being elaborated across media. It examines closely the extensive critical response to Deineka's African‐American works when they were exhibited in Moscow in late 1935, because this response reveals the contradictions within the Soviet desire for an aesthetic of anti‐racism: some critics praised Deineka's works for being appropriately anti‐racist, while others detected an incorrect exoticism and essentialism. The essay argues that these contradictions emerge from the way that Deineka's images of the Harlem cabaret bear evidence of his aesthetic exploration of the new pictorial conventions of pan‐Africanism in the Harlem Renaissance, even while staying within his brief as a Soviet visual artist reporting critically on the life of American Negroes. The essay concludes by placing Deineka's paintings in relation to more widely known and distributed Socialist Realist images of African‐Americans in the film Circus (Tsirk, 1936) and the published photographs accompanying Il'f and Petrov's articles in Ogonek from their American road trip (1936), in order to argue that as objects of fine art that were subject to less intrusive censorship than films or published writings, Deineka's paintings demonstrate more immediately both the conflicted and productive ways in which the imperative to see anti‐racism helped to shape the Socialist Realist aesthetic.
Americans’ Approval of the 2010 Affordable Care Act: Self‐interest and Symbolic Politics*
Authors: Legerski Elizabeth Miklya , Berg Justin Allen
Published: June 2016

Public opinion data show substantial variation in attitudes toward the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Utilizing a 2013 Gallup survey of U.S. adults, we examine the effects of self‐interest and symbolic politics measures on several dimensions of ACA approval. Supporting symbolic politics, we find liberal political ideology, democratic party affiliation, and positive evaluations of President Obama are consistently associated with greater approval of the ACA generally, as well as the belief that the ACA will improve the healthcare situation of the United States and one's family specifically. In contrast, self‐interest variables produce less consistent results. Self‐reported familiarity with the law and being uninsured due to one's employer not offering health insurance are associated with greater belief the ACA will improve the healthcare situation of one's family specifically, but not the U.S. healthcare situation generally. Together these findings suggest that political values and symbols—in particular perceptions of President Obama—may be more important in shaping attitudes toward the ACA than self‐interest variables, especially in contexts assessing more generalized support for the legislation.
Obamacare and the Politics of Universal Health Insurance Coverage in the United States
Authors: Béland Daniel , Rocco Philip , Waddan Alex
Published: June 2016

In the USA, universal coverage has long been a key objective of liberal reformers. Yet, despite the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (commonly known as ‘Obamacare’) in 2010, the USA is not set to provide health care coverage to all, even if and when that reform is fully implemented. This article explores this issue by asking the following question: Why was a clear commitment to universal coverage, the norm in other industrialized countries, excluded as a core objective of the PPACA and how has post‐enactment politics at both the federal and the state level further shaped coverage issues? The analysis traces the issue of universal coverage prior to the debate over the PPACA, during the 2008 presidential race, and during consideration of the bill. The article then looks at the post‐enactment politics of coverage, with a particular focus on how states have responded to the planned use of the Medicaid programme to expand access to care. The article concludes by discussing how an explanation of the limits of the PPACA, in terms of both its commitment to universal coverage and, more importantly, the failure to provide comprehensive health insurance to all, requires an understanding of complex institutional and policy dynamics.
An Analysis of Taiwanese Immigrants' Health Care Choice – Obamacare or Taiwan National Health Care
Authors: Liu Su‐Chiu
Published: June 2016

Due to recent policy changes in the USA and Taiwan, Taiwanese immigrants residing in the USA face a choice of continuing to receive health care in the USA or returning to Taiwan for treatment care. This study uses a quantitative survey to explore the association between recent health policy changes and the health care choice of Taiwanese immigrants residing in the USA.

These findings indicate that there are statistically significant associations between a variety of factors and the Taiwanese immigrants' desire to return to Taiwan for health care under the new national health insurance plan (2nd NHIA). The variables positively associated with a desire to return to Taiwan for health care include the length of domicile and residence required to receive benefits, a nostalgic desire to return to Taiwan, the lower cost of health care in Taiwan, and if the respondents had come to the USA before 1996. The negatively associated variables include having a job in the USA, having a desire to return to Taiwan to live after retirement, the language preference in communications with a doctor, and a preference about the best place to receive dental treatment. The study reveals the dynamics behind the health care decision‐making of Taiwanese immigrants and particularly their choice of whether to seek care in the USA or in Taiwan.
Identification of the novel HLA‐DRB1*11:192 allele by sequence‐based typing in Greece
Authors: Sarri C. A. , Markantoni M. , Hadjichristidoulou C. , Mamuris Z. ,   the MALWEST Project
Published: June 2016

The new allele DRB1*11:192 exon 2 differs from the DRB1*11:01:01:01 by three substitutions.
Ectopic activation of the rice NLR heteropair RGA4/RGA5 confers resistance to bacterial blight and bacterial leaf streak diseases
Authors: Hutin Mathilde , Césari Stella , Chalvon Véronique , Michel Corinne , Tran Tuan Tu , Boch Jens , Koebnik Ralf , Szurek Boris , Kroj Thomas
Published: June 2016

Bacterial blight (BB) and bacterial leaf streak (BLS) are important diseases in Oryza sativa caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), respectively. In both bacteria, transcription activator‐like (TAL) effectors are major virulence determinants that act by transactivating host genes downstream of effector‐binding elements (EBEs) bound in a sequence‐specific manner. Resistance to Xoo is mostly related to the action of TAL effectors, either by polymorphisms that prevent the induction of susceptibility (S) genes or by executor (R) genes with EBEs embedded in their promoter, and that induce cell death and resistance. For Xoc, no resistance sources are known in rice. Here, we investigated whether the recognition of effectors by nucleotide binding and leucine‐rich repeat domain immune receptors (NLRs), the most widespread resistance mechanism in plants, is also able to stop BB and BLS. In one instance, transgenic rice lines harboring the AVR1‐CO39 effector gene from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, under the control of an inducible promoter, were challenged with transgenic Xoo and Xoc strains carrying a TAL effector designed to transactivate the inducible promoter. This induced AVR1‐CO39 expression and triggered BB and BLS resistance when the corresponding Pi‐CO39 resistance locus was present. In a second example, the transactivation of an auto‐active NLR by Xoo‐delivered designer TAL effectors resulted in BB resistance, demonstrating that NLR‐triggered immune responses efficiently control Xoo. This forms the foundation for future BB and BLS disease control strategies, whereupon endogenous TAL effectors will target synthetic promoter regions of Avr or NLR executor genes.