bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between peer victimisation, self-esteem, and internalizing symptoms in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Mullan Victoria M. R. , Golm Dennis , Juhl Jacob , Sajid Sana , Brandt Valerie
Published: March 2023

Background

Peer victimisation is common and predicts increased internalizing symptoms. Low self-esteem, which is associated with both greater peer victimisation and higher internalizing problems, may help explain why victimised adolescents experience greater internalizing symptoms. Objectives of the present research were to establish the relationships between peer victimisation, internalizing problems, and self-esteem, and to test whether self-esteem mediates the effect of victimisation on internalizing symptoms.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search in Psychinfo, ERIC, Web of science, and Pubmed, following PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were: age 10–18 years; empirical studies that measured a) internalizing symptoms, b) self-esteem, and c) peer victimisation or bullying; design was either longitudinal or cross-sectional with a comparison group. Quality assessment were conducted using the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. We conducted random effects models and a meta-mediation analysis, with self-esteem acting as a mediator between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms.

Results

Sixteen papers with a total of N = 35,032 (53% female) participants met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated an association between peer victimisation and both high internalizing problems (r = .31, CI 95 = .26 to.36) and low self-esteem (r = -.25, CI 95 = -.29; to -.22), and between low self-esteem and high internalizing problems ((r = -.38, CI 95 = -.42 to -.33), as well as an indirect effect of peer victimization on internalizing symptoms via self-esteem (ß = .10, CI lower = .07, CI upper = .13).

Conclusions

Peer victimization, high internalizing symptoms and low self-esteem are all mutually related. Peer victimization partially mediates internalizing symptoms via self-esteem. Anti-bullying programmes may consider incorporating self-esteem building exercises in bully-victims. Limitations include high heterogeneity of results.
Nonsmoking after simultaneous alcohol abstinence and smoking cessation program was associated with better drinking status outcome in Japanese alcohol-dependent men: A prospective follow-up study
Authors: Yokoyama Akira , Kimura Mitsuru , Yoshimura Atsushi , Matsushita Sachio , Yoneda Junichi , Maesato Hitoshi , Komoto Yasunobu , Nakayama Hideki , Sakuma Hiroshi , Yumoto Yosuke , Takimura Tsuyoshi , Toyama Tomomi , Iwahara Chie , Mizukami Takeshi , Yokoyama Tetsuji , Higuchi Susumu
Published: March 2023

Background

Growing evidence suggests that intervention for smoking cessation enhances alcohol abstinence in treatment settings for alcohol dependence. However, research in this field is rare in Asians.

Method

We prospectively investigated the association of smoking status with drinking status using 9 surveys mailed during a 12-month period in 198 Japanese alcohol-dependent men (70 never/ex-smokers and 128 smokers) who admitted for the first time and completed a 3-month inpatient program for simultaneous alcohol abstinence and smoking cessation.

Results

Nonsmoking during the first month after discharge and at the end of follow-up was reported in 28.9% and 25.0% of the baseline smokers, respectively. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that a 12-month alcohol abstinence and heavy-drinking-free status were more frequent among never/ex-smokers (45.1% and 59.8%, respectively) and baseline smokers who quit smoking during the first month after discharge (59.0% and 60.8%, respectively), compared with sustained smokers (30.0% and 41.2%, respectively). Among the baseline smokers, the multivariate odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for smoking cessation during the first month were 2.77 (1.01–7.61) for alcohol abstinence during the period and 2.50 (1.00–6.25) for use of varenicline, a smoking cessation agent, during the inpatient program. After adjusting for age, drinking profile, lifestyle, family history of heavy or problem drinking, lifetime episodes of other major psychiatric disorders, and medications at discharge, the multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) for drinking lapse were 0.57 (0.37–0.89) for the never/ex-smoking and 0.41 (0.23–0.75) for new smoking cessation groups, respectively, compared with sustained smoking, while the corresponding HRs for heavy-drinking lapse were 0.55 (0.33–0.90) and 0.47 (0.25–0.88), respectively. The HR for drinking lapse was 0.63 (0.42–0.95) for the nonsmoking group (vs. smoking) during the observation period, while the HR for heavy-drinking lapse was 0.58 (0.37–0.91) for the nonsmoking group (vs. smoking) during the observation period. Other significant variables that worsened drinking outcomes were higher daily alcohol intake prior to hospitalization, family history of heavy or problem drinking and psychiatric medications at discharge.

Conclusion

Nonsmoking was associated with better outcomes on the drinking status of Japanese alcohol-dependent men, and a smoking cessation program may be recommended to be integrated into alcohol abstinence programs.
Comparison of whole transcriptome sequencing of fresh, frozen, and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cardiac tissue
Authors: Jacobsen Stine Bøttcher , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob , Smerup Morten Holdgaard , Andersen Jeppe Dyrberg , Morling Niels
Published: March 2023

The use of fresh tissue for molecular studies is preferred but often impossible. Instead, frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are widely used and constitute valuable resources for retrospective studies. We assessed the utility of cardiac tissue stored in different ways for gene expression analyses by whole transcriptome sequencing of paired fresh, frozen, and FFPE tissues. RNA extracted from FFPE was highly degraded. Sequencing of RNA from FFPE tissues yielded higher proportions of intronic and intergenic reads compared to RNA from fresh and frozen tissues. The global gene expression profiles varied with the storage conditions, particularly mitochondrial and long non-coding RNAs. However, we observed high correlations among protein-coding transcripts (ρ > 0.94) with the various storage conditions. We did not observe any significant storage effect on the allele-specific gene expression. However, FFPE had statistically significantly (p < 0.05) more discordant variant calls compared to fresh and frozen tissue. In conclusion, we found that frozen and FFPE tissues can be used for reliable gene expression analyses, provided that proper quality control is performed and caution regarding the technical variability is withheld.
Serum anti-erythropoietin antibodies among pregnant women with Plasmodium falciparum malaria and anaemia: A case-control study in northern Ghana
Authors: Nkansah Charles , Bannison Bani Simon , Mensah Kofi , Appiah Samuel Kwasi , Osei-Boakye Felix , Abbam Gabriel , Daud Samira , Agyare Eugene Mensah , Agbadza Peace Esenam , Derigubah Charles Angnataa , Serwaa Dorcas , Apodola Francis Atoroba , Quansah Yeduah , Issah Rahama , Dindiok Samuel Yennuloom , Chukwurah Felix Ejike
Published: March 2023

Background

Anaemia in pregnancy is common in underdeveloped countries, and malaria remains the predominant cause of the condition in Ghana. Anti-erythropoietin (anti-EPO) antibody production may be implicated in the pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria-related anaemia in pregnancy. This study ascertained the prevalence of anti-EPO antibody production and evaluated the antibodies’ relationship with Plasmodium falciparum malaria and malaria-related anaemia in pregnancy.

Methods

This hospital-based case-control study recruited a total of 85 pregnant women (55 with Plasmodium falciparum malaria and 30 controls without malaria). Venous blood was taken from participants for thick and thin blood films for malaria parasite microscopy. Complete blood count (CBC) analyses were done using an automated haematology analyzer. Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels and anti-EPO antibodies. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22.0.

Results

Haemoglobin (p<0.001), RBC (p<0.001), HCT (p = 0.006) and platelet (p<0.001) were significantly lower among pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum. Of the 85 participants, five (5.9%) had anti-EPO antibodies in their sera, and the prevalence of anti-EPO antibody production among the Plasmodium falciparum-infected pregnant women was 9.1%. Plasmodium falciparum-infected pregnant women with anti-EPO antibodies had lower Hb (p<0.001), RBC (p<0.001), and HCT (p<0.001), but higher EPO levels (p<0.001). Younger age (p = 0.013) and high parasite density (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with Plasmodium falciparum-related anti-EPO antibodies production in pregnancy. Also, younger age (p = 0.039) and anti-EPO antibody production (p = 0.012) related to the development of Plasmodium falciparum malaria anaemia in pregnancy.

Conclusion

The prevalence of anti-EPO antibodies among pregnant women with Plasmodium falciparum malaria was high. Plasmodium falciparum parasite density and younger age could stimulate the production of anti-EPO antibodies, and the antibodies may contribute to the development of malarial anaemia in pregnancy. Screening for anti-EPO antibodies should be considered in pregnant women with P. falciparum malaria.
Retrospective analysis of dissemination of the 2.MED1 phylogenetic branch of Yersinia pestis in the Caucasus
Authors: Eroshenko Galina A. , Balykova Alina N. , Nikiforov Konstantin A. , Krasnov Yaroslav M. , Kukleva Lyubov M. , Naryshkina Ekaterina A. , Kuznetsov Alexander A. , Popov Nikolay V. , Kutyrev Vladimir V.
Published: March 2023

The 2.MED1 phylogenetic branch of Yersinia pestis of the medieval biovar became widespread in the Caspian Sea region, the Caucasus, and the Northern Aral Sea region in the 20th century, causing outbreaks and epizootics of plague there. Some of the formed natural foci of 2.MED1 still show epizootic activity and retain their epidemic potential. In this work, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis of 46 Y. pestis strains of the medieval biovar isolated in the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea, and the Northern Aral Sea regions during epidemic outbreaks and epizootics from 1922–2014. The obtained phylogenetic data, together with epidemiological and epizootological data accumulated over a period of about a hundred years, indicate the presence of two waves of penetration of the 2.MED1 branch into the Caucasus. The first occurred, apparently, in the first half of the 20th century as a result of the penetration of 2.MED1 from the foci of the Northern and North-Western Caspian Sea. The second wave was caused by the spread of 2.MED1 from the Northern Aral to the foci of the North-Western, Northern and Eastern Caspian Sea regions at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, followed by introduction into the Pre-Caucasus and Transcaucasia. The rapid spread of 2.MED1 could be associated with the transfer of the pathogen by land and sea transport in the process of economic activity of the population.
Chronic immune activation and gut barrier dysfunction is associated with neuroinflammation in ART-suppressed SIV+ rhesus macaques
Authors: Byrnes Sarah J. , Busman-Sahay Kathleen , Angelovich Thomas A. , Younger Skyler , Taylor-Brill Sol , Nekorchuk Michael , Bondoc Stephen , Dannay Rachel , Terry Margaret , Cochrane Catherine R. , Jenkins Trisha A. , Roche Michael , Deleage Claire , Bosinger Steven E. , Paiardini Mirko , Brew Bruce J. , Estes Jacob D. , Churchill Melissa J.
Published: March 2023

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) affect ~40% of virally suppressed people with HIV (PWH), however, the precise viral dependent and independent changes to the brain are unclear. Here we characterized the CNS reservoir and immune environment of SIV-infected (SIV+) rhesus macaques during acute (n = 4), chronic (n = 12) or ART-suppressed SIV infection (n = 11). Multiplex immunofluorescence for markers of SIV infection (vRNA/vDNA) and immune activation was performed on frontal cortex and matched colon tissue. SIV+ animals contained detectable viral DNA+ cells that were not reduced in the frontal cortex or the gut by ART, supporting the presence of a stable viral reservoir in these compartments. SIV+ animals had impaired blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity and heightened levels of astrocytes or myeloid cells expressing antiviral, anti-inflammatory or oxidative stress markers which were not abrogated by ART. Neuroinflammation and BBB dysfunction correlated with measures of viremia and immune activation in the gut. Furthermore, SIV-uninfected animals with experimentally induced gut damage and colitis showed a similar immune activation profile in the frontal cortex to those of SIV-infected animals, supporting the role of chronic gut damage as an independent source of neuroinflammation. Together, these findings implicate gut-associated immune activation/damage as a significant contributor to neuroinflammation in ART-suppressed HIV/SIV infection which may drive HAND pathogenesis.
In the Name of the Public: The Middle Classes and the State in Liberalizing India
Authors: Fernandes Leela
Published: March 2023

This article analyzes the political dynamics of middle class claims of representativeness of the public interest in contemporary India. Drawing on research in the post-liberalization period, the article examines the ways in which the “publicness” of the middle classes produces a distinctive relationship between this social group and state power. In the process, the middle classes both become a vehicle for the exercise of state power and are able to benefit from this relationship. Middle class claims on the public interest allow this social group to shape governmental responses and policies. This allows this social group to gain indirect access to state power and access to material resources. An analysis of the publicness of the middle classes is critical for an understanding of the nature of socioeconomic inequality. The article draws on a case study of urban governance and water resources in contemporary India and is based on qualitative research and fieldwork.
Discursos expertos sobre el cambio climático en España: comunicar las incertidumbres o no, esa es la cuestión
Authors: Francescutti Pablo
Published: March 2023

En las disposiciones sociales ante el cambio climático influyen notablemente las incertidumbres que lo envuelven. Su conocimiento, a su vez, depende de los expertos: los actores legitimados para producir un saber válido sobre el clima. Como en España sus puntos de vista apenas han sido estudiados, este artículo los aborda mediante un análisis del discurso generado en entrevistas en profundidad a especialistas en la materia. Los discursos examinados a través de la óptica de la «sociología de la ignorancia» revelan una aguda conciencia de las incertezas científicas, unida al temor a que sean utilizadas para justificar el negacionismo y la inacción. La visión del futuro común amenazado por el calentamiento global es sombría, en contraste con el horizonte individual, menos pesimista. Se reafirma la división epistemológica entre expertos y legos, aunque para algunos son posiciones intercambiables. Hay acuerdo en que los especialistas deben asesorar e informar a las instituciones y la sociedad, aunque les cuesta comunicar las incertidumbres; y discrepan en cuanto a la conveniencia de exponerlas a los legos. El análisis concluye que el cambio climático —sumado a las dudas suscitadas por el COVID-19— aboca a los expertos españoles a afrontar las incertidumbres científicas y a sopesar los pros y contras de su comunicación pública.
Recent middle class studies. Historical and ethnographic contributions for a renewed research agenda
Authors: Visacovsky Sergio Eduardo
Published: March 2023

This text presents the dossier Middle classes: recent historical and ethnographic contributions. The aim of this dossier is to present the renewed path taken by studies on the middle class carried out in the last twenty-five years. A significant part of this research is mainly (but not exclusively) historical and ethnographic and differs from pre-existing studies in its focus on the middle class and the questions it raises. What has characterized this field of studies is less the unified character of its theoretical-analytic perspective and more an agenda based on problems that the usual approaches have not been able to solve or even formulated. Basically, several aspects that had been taken for granted until then were problematized: the “given” character of the middle class; its universalism; the supposed correlation between objective conditions and ways of thinking and acting; and underestimation of internal heterogeneity. Instead, these studies addressed the processes of historical formation of the middle classes, the specificities of national contexts, and the diverse practices of identification and delimitation in everyday life. After the texts by David S. Parker and Mark Liechty in the Fundamentals section, the issue features contributions by Moises Kopper, Leela Fernandes, and Anna Jefferson and Charlotte Perez. The number also includes contributions by Marco Maureira-Velásquez y Diego González-García, Kristina Grünenberg and Anja Simonsen, and Pablo Francescutti in the research articles section, and by Luis Enrique Alonso and Carlos J. Fernández Rodríguez, and Ana Grondona in the Inherited Identity section. The issue also gathers, in the critical papers section, three contributions regarding middle classes (by Lucía Gandolfi Ottavianelli, Markus Shall Enk and María Florencia Blanco Esmoris) and two additionals by Ramón Ramos Torre, and María Martínez.
Obras de Ernesto da Silva, o apóstolo do socialismo - Tomo III: Escritos políticos, conferências e discursos (1893-1903)
Authors: García Beatriz Peralta
Published: March 2023

A obra de Ernesto da Silva está organizada em três volumes.
Tomo I. Textos literários. Páginas de crítica teatral e teoria estética (1893-1903). Contém a produção literária do autor: contos, textos dramáticos e peças de teatro que foram encenadas nos teatros de Lisboa nos fins do século XIX, junto com os artigos de crítica teatral e literária, e a tradução de um conto. O volume é complerado com os poemas escritos em honra do autor.
Tomo II. Artigos jornalísticos (1893-1903). Contém a produção jornalística do autor na imprensa socialista e republicana coeva. Oferece uma visão das preocupações e interesses dos socialistas nos fins do século XIX.
Tomo III. Escritos políticos, conferências e discursos (1893-1903). Contém a produção doutrinária de Ernesto da Silva, publicada na imprensa da época ou de forma avulsa em forma de opúsculos e panfletos. Completa-se com os discursos e as diversas intervenções nos órgãos partidários e nas associações de classe.
Egy 1944-es jelentés a magyar olajiparról
Authors: Cseh Valentin
Published: March 2023

On 19 March 1944, the Wehrmacht invaded Hungary. The country’s fall
under foreign military rule carried the threat that Nazi Germany would take
control of the oil fields of Southern Zala. Since maintaining control over
the Hungarian oil industry was also a key issue for Hungary, the opinion of
German oil expert Alfred Bentz at the request of German military circles,
who suspected significant oil reserves, could not be ignored. As always in
such situations, the situation was not clear-cut, and the personal
relationship between the two geologists made a difference in this
situation, which enabled Hungarian interests to be asserted to some extent.
Equality in the creation of carbon dioxide equivalent
Authors: Čatić Igor , Havstad Maja Rujnić , Jović Ivan , Mihajlović Alexandra
Published: March 2023

The article presents issues related to equality in the creation of carbon dioxide equivalent. The impact of the increase in the number of residents and roommates, waste generation systems, information and material waste, material waste generation, the age of plastics and digitization are discussed.
Prediction of air permeability and effective thermal conductivity of multifilament polyester yarn by finite element analysis
Authors: Siddiqui Muhammad Owais Raza , Farooq Salma , Husain Muhammad Dawood , Faisal Saira
Published: March 2023

The effective thermal conductivity and air permeability of a multifilament polyester yarn used in sports T-shirts was investigated by computer modeling using finite element analysis. It has been shown that the number of fibers, the porosity of the yarn and the proportion of fibers in the volume fraction of the yarn have a direct effect on the effective thermal conductivity and air permeability of the multifilament yarn. It was found that with the increase in the number of fibers, the porosity of the yarn decreases linearly, while the volume fraction of the fibers increases, and thus the effective thermal conductivity increases. In addition, air permeability decreases exponentially.
The use of PLA filled with fibrillar nanocellulose from wastepaper as an expansion joint material
Authors: Szafraniec Małgorzata , Grabias-Blicharz Ewelina , Droździel-Jurkiewicz Magda , Tor-Świątek Aneta
Published: March 2023

The effect of nanocellulose (3 or 5 wt%) on the PLA properties was investigated. Moreover, the possibility of using such composites as an expansion joint material was considered. Nanocellulose was obtained from wastepaper by mechano-chemical treatment. The structure, impact strength, tensile strength of the composites and the adhesion to the cement were studied. It was observed that with the increasing nanocellulose content, the impact strength and tensile strength decreased because of weak interactions at the interface and formation of agglomerates.
Herramientas de análisis para la estabilidad estática postural. Caso de aplicación: personas con amputación transtibial
Authors: Toloza Cano Daissy Carola , Luengas Contreras Lely Adriana , Torres Pérez Yolanda
Published: March 2023

En este libro se realiza una presentación de un marco conceptual sobre la estabilidad postural estática de los seres humanos, un tema que involucra diferentes disciplinas y que tiene distintos nichos de estudio. Contiene un compendio de herramientas para el análisis de la estabilidad postural y reúne los métodos clásicos de exploración lineal en tiempo y frecuencia, así como los últimos avances en el área con métodos no lineales (entropía, teoría de la información y clustering), lo que permite a los investigadores e interesados en este campo conocer en un solo escrito todas las técnicas y los conceptos que requieran a la hora de estudiar la estabilidad postural. Con el fin de mostrar una aplicación concreta de los conceptos y las técnicas de análisis de la estabilidad postural y ampliar el entendimiento en este tema, se presenta un caso de aplicación para un grupo poblacional de personas con amputación unilateral transtibial, se indica la forma de obtener los datos (descripción del experimento), un análisis de los mismos con cada uno de los métodos recopilados y una descripción de los principales hallazgos encontrados; este análisis hace posible entender la estabilidad postural y las medidas precisas y fiables ligadas a la estabilidad, fundamentales en la detección y prevención de enfermedades. Se espera, por tanto, que los resultados compilados en este libro puedan ser utilizados por investigadores y personal médico en el estudio y la evaluación del control postural, así como en el desarrollo de programas de rehabilitación para diversos grupos de personas, por ejemplo, aquellas con amputaciones en sus extremidades inferiores.
Capital humano en la universidad pública como marca: el marcaje de confianza y sus relaciones en los estudiantes de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas
Authors: Castiblanco Roldán Andrés , Díaz Gamba Wilson
Published: March 2023

La universidad pública es un escenario de crecimiento y generación de conocimientos y bienestar, un espacio donde la formación, la creación-investigación y la extensión impactan comunidades que, en su mayoría, carecen de medios para acceder a un derecho fundamental como la educación de calidad. Esta es la garantía que ofrece la universidad pública como marca social. No obstante, cada día es mayor la crítica a la educación superior pública, como una búsqueda de excusas para debilitarla y darle juego al mercado con la oferta educativa privada, que prioriza el costo-beneficio y que ve lo social como un valor añadido o una responsabilidad corporativa, más que como parte de su misión. Esta investigación, resultado del proyecto “Entre capital social y capital cultural” —liderado por la Maestría en Investigación Social Interdisciplinaria y apoyado por el Instituto para la Pedagogía, la Paz y el Conflicto Urbano (IPAZUD) y el Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Científico (CIDC)— indaga y caracteriza a la comunidad estudiantil como el capital humano de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. El resultado es una fotografía de diferentes elementos de la comunidad estudiantil de la universidad que termina develando una identidad que se caracteriza por la desconfianza, un valor que actúa como el detonante de fisuras en el tejido social de la institución y que consolida un modelo institucional incomunicado de “archipiélago” —con islotes sin mayor contacto entre sí— donde la fragmentación predomina sobre lo común.
Circulating microRNA-126 in patients with ischemic heart disease with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relationship with glucometabolic disorders
Authors: Serik S. A. , Mavrycheva N. R. , Bondar T. M.
Published: March 2023

The aim of the study was to investigate circulating microRNA-126-3p levels and its relationships with glucometabolic indices in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (Т2DM).
Materials and methods. The study included 68 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and T2DM, 25 CAD patients without diabetes and 18 healthy individuals as a control. MiRNA126-3p was determined in blood plasma by real time polymerase chain reaction. Small nuclear RNA U6 was used as an endogenous control.
Results. Circulating miRNA-126-3p levels in CAD patients both with T2DM (50.32 [19.54; 93.82]) and without diabetes (109.46 [49.52; 211.11]) were higher than in the controls (17.95 [13.74; 35.01]) (P = 0.018 and P < 0.001). But in patients with T2DM, miRNA126-3p level was decreased in comparison with patients without diabetes (P < 0.001).
In patients with T2DM, miRNA-126-3p displayed a significant negative correlation with blood glucose level (R = -0.259, P = 0.037) and was correlated negatively with glycosylated hemoglobin (R = -0.246, Р = 0.056) and insulin resistance index HOMA-IR (R = -0.229, P = 0.082) reaching boundary level of statistical significance. In diabetic patients, lower miRNA-126-3p level (the 1st tertile) was associated with a significant increase in blood glucose level and HOMA-IR in comparison with the 3rd tertile (P = 0.011 and P = 0.041).
According to the ROC-analysis, the decrease in miRNA-126-3p levels was significantly associated with the presence of T2DM in patients with САD: AUC was 0.734 (95 % CI: 0.631–0.822, P < 0.001).
Conclusions. Circulating miRNA-126-3p levels in CAD patients both with and without T2DM were increased compared to the controls, possibly due to compensatory mechanisms. However, in patients with T2DM, miRNA-126-3p expression was significantly lower than in patients without T2DM.
The lowest miRNA-126-3p level in CAD patients with T2DM was associated with the significant elevation of blood glucose level and the increase in insulin resistance. MiRNA-126-3p may serve as potential biomarker for predicting and early diagnosis of T2DM in patients with CAD.
Comparative characteristics of different methods of radiofrequency catheter ablation in atrial flutter
Authors: Yakushev A. V. , Paratsii O. Z.
Published: March 2023

Catheter ablation occupies the first place in the treatment of atrial macro reentry arrhythmias. The main controllable parameters in ablations are energy, duration of exposure and use of catheter tip cooling. With traditional ablation techniques, there is a high risk of insufficient tissue damage due to electrode instability. Regarding the issue of stability, a new technique was proposed – reducing the application time with increasing the energy.
The aim of this work was to compare the results of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) using an 8 mm uncooled electrode to a 4 mm cooled electrode and a 4 mm cooled electrode with increased energy.
Materials and methods. The work is based on a retrospective analysis of the results of catheter ablations in patients with atrial flutter. Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the parameters of the used radio frequency energy and the type of ablation electrode.
Results. It was found that in the group with increased energy, there were the shortest time from the start of RFA to the achievement of success criteria and the lowest radiation exposure. The obtained differences were statistically significant in comparison with two groups of patients who underwent traditional methods. Such differences were associated both with a reduction in the time of the application itself due to the use of high energy as well as the need to apply a smaller number of applications owing to a lower probability of the electrode displacement from the target area.
Conclusions. The use of a high-energy protocol allows to success criteria for cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation more quickly compared to traditional techniques (by 30 % and 22 %, respectively) with less radiation exposure (by 27 % and 24 %, respectively). The use of the high-energy protocol does not lead to an increase in the frequency of complications and can be considered safe for clinical use.
A case of terminal ileitis that was not Crohn’s disease
Authors: Dmytriakova H. M. , Boiarska L. M. , Podlianova O. I. , Levchuk-Vorontsova T. O. , Hrebeniuk L. V.
Published: March 2023

Currently, there is an increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in children, including Crohn’s disease. Detection of typical endoscopic signs is the gold endoscopic standard for this disease diagnosis. When such endoscopic picture is accompanied by chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and laboratory changes in the form of increased levels of faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein, the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease becomes apparent and the diagnostic search is stopped. But there are other diseases, including of infectious type, that may have similar clinical, laboratory and endoscopic symptoms, which should be included in the scope of diagnostic search.
Aim. To acquaint physicians with the features of diagnosis and monitoring of a patient with Yersinia infection on the background of lactase deficiency, clinically reminiscent of Crohn’s disease.
Clinical case. A boy, 14 years old, complained of abdominal pain, recurrent diarrhea, weakness, lack of weight gain. A mother considered the child sick for 9 months, when periodic abdominal pain, diarrhea up to 10–12 times a day, sometimes nausea and vomiting occurred. Over time, episodes of diarrhea became more frequent, mainly after drinking milk. Four months after the disease onset, the child lost appetite, developed weakness, abdominal pain, recurrent diarrhea, no weight gain with increasing body length. Eight months after presenting complaints, the child was admitted to a hospital with acute disease manifestations (fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea for 10 days). The boy was examined by a surgeon and a pediatric gastroenterologist. During colonoscopy, terminal ileitis was detected. The boy received non-specific treatment (mesalazine 3 g/day, etc.), there was a rapid improvement: abdominal pain disappeared, asthenic syndrome regressed, diarrhea reduced. Although amnestic, clinical, laboratory and instrumental data were very characteristic of Crohn’s disease, the diagnosis was questionable due to the lack of inflammatory changes in the general blood test and the fact that spontaneous remission of such severe exacerbation, for which mesalazine was usually ineffective. It was necessary to exclude other causes of inflammation of the small intestine (intestinal infections, tuberculosis). RNGA with pseudotuberculosis diagnosticum gave a positive result (intestinal yersiniosis diagnosticum O3).
Conclusions. In children with suspected inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal infections, namely yersinia infection, should be ruled out as the cause of symptoms. Even with clear manifestations of terminal ileitis, which is characteristic of Crohn’s disease, the results of intestinal endoscopy may be relatively nonspecific, so the disease history, a correspondence with laboratory results, serological markers of some infectious diseases should also be taken into account in the diagnostic process for the ileitis etiology.
Integral neuroimaging criteria for predicting the outcome of the acute period of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage on the background of conservative therapy
Authors: Kozolkin O. А. , Kuznietsov A. A.
Published: March 2023

The aim of the study was to develop criteria for predicting the outcome of the acute period of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (SSICH) on the background of conservative therapy, taking into consideration the lesion localization in conjunction with neuroimaging parameters of the quantitative severity assessment of the damage to cerebral structures.
Materials and methods. Prospective cohort examination of 314 patients in acute period of SSICH on the ground of conservative treatment. Clinical and neurological examination consisted of using the Full Outline of Unresponsiveness coma scale and NIHHS, neuroimaging with the help of computed tomography with detection of SSICH localization, volume of intracranial hemorrhage, secondary intraventricular hemorrhage and midline shift. Disease acute period outcome was evaluated on the 21st day by the Rankin scale.
Results. It was detected that integrated neuroimaging SSICH’s type considering its localization and quantitative severity estimation of cerebral structure injury was closely associated with the disease acute period outcome on the ground of conservative therapy (χ2 Pearson = 308.6, Р < 0.0001). Thus, mortality rate was the highest in patients with posteromedial type of thalamic hemorrhage (50.0 %), global type of thalamic hemorrhage (91.7 %) and massive type of striatocapsular hemorrhage (89.8 %). Unfavorable functional outcome as the modified Rankin scale score 4–5 on 21st disease day predominated among patients with posterolateral types of thalamic hemorrhage (76.5 %) and striacapsular hemorrhage (64.3 %). Whereas the frequency of favorable outcome was the highest among patients with anterior/dorsal type of thalamic hemorrhage (100.0 %), posteromedial (88.0 %), middle (95.0 %), lateral types of striatocapsular hemorrhage (61.9 %) and lobar (74.5 %) hemorrhage.
Conclusions. Posteromedial type of thalamic hemorrhage, global type of thalamic hemorrhage and massive type of striatocapsular hemorrhage are the predictors of lethal outcome of the acute period of SSIСH on the background of conservative therapy. Criteria for unfavorable short-term functional outcome are posterolateral types of thalamic and striatocapsular hemorrhage, while anterior/dorsal type of thalamic hemorrhage, posteromedial/middle type of striatocapsular hemorrhage and lobar hemorrhage are associated with favorable outcome of the acute period of the disease.
Key astroglial markers in human liver cirrhosis of different degree: immunohistochemical study
Authors: Shulyatnikova T. V. , Tumanskyi V. O.
Published: March 2023

The aim of the study – determining the immunohistochemical levels of the GFAP, GS and AQP4 in different regions of the human brain in the conditions of liver cirrhosis of different degree.
Materials and methods. The study was performed on sectional material of 90 patients who suffered during lifetime from liver non-alcoholic cirrhosis of classes A (n = 30, group “A”), B (n = 30, group “B”) and C (n = 30, group “C”) according to Child–Pugh classification, including 59 (65.55 %) cases with clinical symptoms of I–IV grade hepatic encephalopathy. Cortex, white matter, hippocampus, thalamus, striopallidum, cerebellum, were examined using immunohistochemical method for evaluation of GFAP, GS and AQP4 levels.
Results. GFAP expression gradually decreased from classes A to C of cirrhosis. The most expressed GFAP decline was found in class C in the cortex and thalamus (6.74- and 6.23-fold decrease). Contrary to GFAP, GS expression gradually increased along with aggravation of cirrhosis. The most prominent augmentation of GS was related in the cortex and thalamus in “C” group, respectively 4.34- and 4.26-fold increase. AQP4 levels also showed growing mode correlated with cirrhosis aggravation. The highest increase was found in the cortex and thalamus in “C” group (4.25- and 4.34-fold increase, respectively). Starting from class B, altered GFAP, GS, and AQP4 levels showed region-dependent relationships. GS and AQP4 were positively correlated in all 6 studied regions, while the inverse relationships were found between GFAP vs. GS and GFAP vs. AQP4 proteins.
Conclusions. As early as in class A of cirrhosis, dynamic molecular alterations are occurred in the brain astrocytes, indicating the progressive development of astroglial remodeling with a violation of its cytoskeleton and redistribution of molecular domains within cells. This phenomenon is region- and time-specific; its signs get stronger with time from class to class, becoming most pronounced in class C. Among studied brain regions, cortex and thalamus are characterized by the most pronounced protein changes. Starting from class B, the remarkable relationship is seen between molecular changes of both direct and inverse type. Simultaneously emerging links might indicate synergistic involvement of these molecules in astroglial remodeling in chronic hepatic encephalopathy. Alterations in the mentioned astroglial molecular complex can serve both as a diagnostic marker of reactive astrogliosis during liver cirrhosis and represent a target for novel therapeutic approaches regarding encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients.
The use of endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery in the treatment of nephrolithiasis
Authors: Postol Yа. M. , Sahalevych A. I. , Serhiichuk R. V. , Korytskyi A. V. , Ozhohin V. V. , Dubovyi Ya. O. , Khrapchuk A. Yu.
Published: March 2023

Urolithiasis is one of the most common urological conditions (30–45 %), peaking in the 4th–6th decades of life. About 50 % of patients have one recurrent episode of nephrolithiasis during their lifetime, and among the operated patients, more than 10–15 % of individuals report recurrences with the need for repeated surgical treatment.
Increasing the incidence of nephrolithiasis in the world requires the development of new and improvement of existing methods of surgical treatment, which would be characterized by a high level of efficiency and low invasiveness with minimal complications and postoperative rehabilitation. The use of a combination of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy and flexible ureteronephrolithotripsy, especially in complex cases of urolithiasis, can increase the safety and improve the treatment of nephrolithiasis by combining the positive qualities of both methods.
Aim. To summarize the data of the world scientific literature on the treatment of nephrolithiasis by studying a combination of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy and retrograde or antegrade flexible intrarenal surgery based on the evaluation of their effectiveness and safety.
Materials and methods. The literature review was conducted using the databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus for the period 2015–2022. The following keywords were used for the search: surgical treatment of nephrolithiasis, endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS), percutaneous nephrolithotomy, retrograde intrarenal surgery, simultaneous use of flexible ureterorenoscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy, simultaneous use of flexible ureterorenoscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotripsy.
Conclusions. The use of ECIRS increases the effectiveness of one-stage treatment of nephrolithiasis with minimal complications and reduces the number of re-operations required. Treatment of complex forms of nephrolithiasis may be a priority for ECIRS. The main disadvantages of ECIRS are the need for simultaneous operation of two operating surgeons and the availability of two sets of endoscopic equipment, which make this procedure expensive.
Modern aspects of treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (a literature review)
Authors: Shershnyova O. V. , Stetsiuk I. O. , Lisova O. O. , Hawker T. О.
Published: March 2023

The aim of the work is to analyze and summarize the data of the scientific literature which highlight modern approaches to the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
In the article, on the basis of the modern literature analysis, the basic therapeutic directions and methods of surgical correction of AF are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the need to treat AF patients in accordance with the ABC strategy, which includes the prevention of thromboembolic complications (A), control of symptoms (B), as well as treatment of comorbidities and elimination of risk factors (C). The main risk factors for AF, its relationship with other cardiovascular events (including mortality, stroke rate and acute coronary syndrome) are analyzed, the main scales used to objectively assess the risks of AF are determined, and detailed analysis of different strategies for anticoagulant therapy is conducted. The main approaches to the control of symptoms by regulating the frequency of ventricular rhythm, restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm with the use of cardioversion, the administration of antiarrhythmic peptide and catheter ablation are considered. In addition, attention is paid to the need to identify and treat comorbidities, cardiometabolic risk factors and lifestyle, which complement stroke prevention and reduce the severity of AF and symptoms.
Conclusions. A large number of clinical studies is focused on AF, the main idea of which is the integrated management of AF to improve the prognosis and quality of patients’ life. According to current recommendations, treatment of a patient with AF should be consistent and in accordance with the ABC strategy. Taking into account etiological factors, cardiometabolic risk factors, lifestyle, comorbid conditions will allow physicians to timely individualize complex treatment of patients with AF.
Current diagnostic algorithms for chronic heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction
Authors: Kolesnyk M. Yu. , Maistrovych Ya. Yu.
Published: March 2023

Chronic heart failure remains one of the main causes of mortality and reduced life quality both in Ukraine and around the world. More than 50 % of all patients with chronic heart failure are those with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.
In current guidelines, the criteria for evaluating heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction are described properly, but the issue of timely diagnosing chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction still remains unsolved.
This review presents four diagnostic algorithms for this condition, which were presented by international scientific societies in recent years: 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure; H2FPEF Score for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (Mayo, 2018); HFA-PEFF diagnostic algorithm: a consensus recommendation from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) (2019); Multimodality imaging in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction: an expert consensus document of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (2021). The main advantages, limitations and disadvantages of each one are analyzed. All steps of diagnostic evaluation are described in detail.
The review is illustrated with patterns of the latest diagnostic approaches.
Revolutions as disasters of misconceived political projects of social mutations
Authors: Mamali Cătălin
Published: March 2023

The study reviews the book You say you want a revolution? Radical idealism and its tragic consequences by D. Chirot (Prince­ton, Princeton University Press, 2020) and, at the same time, ad­vances a viewpoint on social revolutions based on Thoreau’s im­perative of the separation from evil. Why most social revolutions have dangerous and painful consequences while their promoters claim that the revolution will alleviate human suffering and will bring happiness? The study identifies more sources of the tragic consequences of revolutions than the radical idealism as suggest­ed by Chirot. In contrast with the ideological, structural and in­dividual violence of communist revolutions shaped by Marxist conception the study explores the value of Thoreauvian’s heuristic for the achievement of peaceful, non‑violent revolutionary changes. Self‑reliance i is assumed to be a vital engine of peaceful revolution­ary changes.
Between ‘minjung’ and ‘literature’: Korean labor poetry and reportage literature in the 1980s
Authors: Kim Nahyun
Published: March 2023

This paper reviews three books which symbolically represent a new direction in ‘minjung literature’ in the 1980s. Labor poet Park No-hae (박노해)’s collection of poems, Dawn of Labor (노동의 새벽), was popular when it was published because it was literature in the form of poetry written by a real member of the minjung who kept his identity as a worker secret by becoming a faceless poet. Song Hyo-soon (송효순)’s memoir, Road to Seoul (서울로 가는 길) records the miserable reality of factories as the subaltern writing. Park Tae-soon (박태순)’s The Land and the Minjung (국토와 민중) was reportage (reporting) literature that records his travels around the country. He shows that the history of ‘minjung’ physically exists within the country and testifies that the land was owned by the ‘minjung’. These three books reflect how ‘minjung literature’ in the 1980s testified to the ‘minjung’. Concern about how to describe and represent the ‘minjung’ shows thoughts about both the ‘minjung’ and literature. The ‘minjung’ testimonies written in a variety of literary styles cause readers to ask themselves what literature is. ‘Minjung’ poetry poetry and reportage in the 1980s can help answer this question.
Teaching ESP online during the pandemic – a teachers’ perspective
Authors: Kic-Drgas Joanna , Mureșan Oana
Published: March 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and educators have been forced to introduce digital solutions within a very short time, which influenced the educational perspective significantly, and required adapting to the new conditions, not only in what concerns teaching methods but also in terms of teaching content. Contrary to the commonly held opinion that teaching at tertiary level has not changed considerably, since it concerns adults who are already autonomous, the new teaching challenges have had an impact on tertiary education as well. Moreover, university teachers needed to face this new reality without prior preparation. The aim of this paper is to present the current pandemic-driven situation from the perspective of ESP teachers from various European countries by revealing not only some of the challenges posed by the pandemic, but also certain good practices which may become a guide for other ESP teachers. The methodology applied to inquiring this research question was a qualitative-quantitative online survey distributed among ESP teachers in European countries. The results show that online teaching during the pandemic was challenging for most respondents, at the same time offering them the opportunity to develop professionally by improving their technical skills and learning how to use online platforms, apps and tools.