bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of a β‐Arrestin 2 Mutation Related to Autism by Whole‐Exome Sequencing
Authors: Tang Yunfei , Liu Yamei , Tong Lei , Feng Shini , Du Dongshu , Chen Fuxue
Published: November 2020

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological disease characterized by impaired social communication and interaction skills, rigid behavior, decreased interest, and repetitive activities. The disease has a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, and the genetic cause of ASD in many autistic individuals is currently unclear. In this study, we report a patient with ASD whose clinical features included social interaction disorder, communication disorder, and repetitive behavior. We examined the patient’s genetic variation using whole‐exome sequencing technology and found new de novo mutations. After analysis and evaluation, ARRB2 was identified as a candidate gene. To study the potential contribution of the ARRB2 gene to the human brain development and function, we first evaluated the expression profile of this gene in different brain regions and developmental stages. Then, we used weighted gene coexpression network analysis to analyze the associations between ARRB2 and ASD risk genes. Additionally, the spatial conformation and stability of the ARRB2 wild type and mutant proteins were examined by simulations. Then, we further established a mouse model of ASD. The results showed abnormal ARRB2 expression in the mouse ASD model. Our study showed that ARRB2 may be a risk gene for ASD, but the contribution of de novo ARRB2 mutations to ASD is unclear. This information will provide references for the etiology of ASD and aid in the mechanism‐based drug development and treatment.
Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines in the Postvaccination Era: Review of the Literature
Authors: Liverani Carlo A. , Di Giuseppe Jacopo , Giannella Luca , Delli Carpini Giovanni , Ciavattini Andrea
Published: November 2020

Cervical cancer is relatively rare in high-income countries, where organized screening programs are in place, as well as opportunistic ones. As the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates increase, the prevalence of cervical precancers and cancers is going to decrease rapidly very soon, even if, in the most optimistic scenario, it is unlikely that optimal vaccination coverage will be achieved. Then, the optimal screening paradigm for cervical cancer prevention in the postvaccination era is still debated. Screening guidelines are being developed with the aim of reducing the number of tests a woman needs during her lifetime, in order to receive the maximum benefit from screening, while decreasing potential harms that may result with the use of a screening strategy (overdiagnosis, overtreatment, anxiety, and costs). With this purpose in mind, new management guidelines for cervical cancer screening abnormalities are recommendations based on risks, not on results. This review aims to summarize the process that led to the introduction of the HPV DNA test in screening programs and the different screening strategies. Moreover, it aims to introduce the new risk-based guidelines for the future, where full HPV genotyping can resize the risk on the basis of specific high-risk genotypes. In the same way, the data regarding HPV vaccination could be introduced as soon as women vaccinated with the nonavalent vaccine reach the screening age, with the recommendation of a prolonged screening interval.
Identifying the Potential Causes, Consequences, and Prevention of Communicable Diseases (Including COVID‐19)
Authors: Anser Muhammad Khalid , Islam Talat , Khan Muhammad Azhar , Zaman Khalid , Nassani Abdelmohsen A. , Askar Sameh E. , Abro Muhammad Moinuddin Qazi , Kabbani Ahmad
Published: November 2020

Communicable and noncommunicable diseases cause millions of deaths every year, increased billions of healthcare expenditures, and consequently increase trillions of economic losses at a global scale. This study more focused on the prevalence of communicable diseases, including COVID‐19 that is an emerging pandemic, which affects the global economy. The objective of the study is to examine the impact of population density, lack of sanitation facilities, chemical concentration, fossil fuel combustions, poverty incidence, and healthcare expenditures on communicable diseases including COVID‐19. The study covered a large panel of heterogenous countries to assess the relationships between the stated factors by using the robust least square regression, Granger causality test, and innovation accounting matrix. The study used a time series data from 2010 to 2019 for assessing the determinants of communicable diseases, while it is further extended with the current data of 2019‐2020 for the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results of the study show that high population density, lack of primary handwashing facilities, chemicals used in manufacturing value‐added fossil fuel combustion, and poverty headcount substantially increase communicable diseases. In contrast, population diffusion, low carbon concentration in air, renewable fuels, and healthcare expenditures decrease infectious diseases in a panel of 78 countries. The causal inferences found the bidirectional relationship between communicable diseases and primary handwashing facility, and carbon emissions and poverty headcount, whereas the unidirectional relationship is running from lack of sanitation to infectious diseases, economic growth to carbon emissions, and communicable diseases to fossil fuel combustion across countries. Communicable diseases increase healthcare expenditures and decrease the country’s economic growth which is a vital concern of the global economy to confront the outbreak of novel coronavirus through increasing the healthcare budget in national bills and stabilize financial activities at a worldwide scale.
RNA Sequencing Reveals Diverse Functions of Amniotic Fluid Neutrophils and Monocytes/Macrophages in Intra-Amniotic Infection
Authors: Gomez-Lopez Nardhy , Romero Roberto , Varrey Aneesha , Leng Yaozhu , Miller Derek , Done Bogdan , Xu Yi , Bhatti Gaurav , Motomura Kenichiro , Gershater Meyer , Pique-Regi Roger , Tarca Adi L.
Published: November 2020

Intra-amniotic infection, the invasion of microbes into the amniotic cavity resulting in inflammation, is a clinical condition that can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes for the mother and fetus as well as severe long-term neonatal morbidities. Despite much research focused on the consequences of intra-amniotic infection, there remains little knowledge about the innate immune cells that respond to invading microbes. We performed RNA-seq of sorted amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from women with intra-amniotic infection to determine the transcriptomic differences between these innate immune cells. Further, we sought to identify specific transcriptomic pathways that were significantly altered by the maternal or fetal origin of amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, the presence of a severe fetal inflammatory response, and pregnancy outcome (i.e., preterm or term delivery). We show that significant transcriptomic differences exist between amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from women with intra-amniotic infection, indicating the distinct roles these cells play. The transcriptome of amniotic fluid immune cells varies based on their maternal or fetal origin, and the significant transcriptomic differences between fetal and maternal monocytes/macrophages imply that those of fetal origin exhibit impaired functions. Notably, transcriptomic changes in amniotic fluid monocytes/macrophages suggest that these immune cells collaborate with neutrophils in the trafficking of fetal leukocytes throughout the umbilical cord (i.e., funisitis). Finally, amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from preterm deliveries display enhanced transcriptional activity compared to those from term deliveries, highlighting the protective role of these cells during this vulnerable period. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the underlying complexity of local innate immune responses in women with intra-amniotic infection and provide new insights into the functions of neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages in the amniotic cavity.
Posttransplantation Hypomagnesemia as a Predictor of Better Graft Function after Transplantation
Authors: Hod Tammy , Isakov Ofer , Patibandla Bhanu K. , Christopher Kenneth B. , Hershkoviz Rami , Schwartz Idit F. , Chandraker Anil
Published: November 2020

Background: Hypomagnesemia is frequently seen after transplantation and is particularly associated with the use of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). Methods: We conducted a retrospective, single-center analysis (2000–2013, N = 726) to explore the relationship between hypomagnesemia and long-term allograft outcome in kidney transplant recipients. For this study, a median serum magnesium (Mg) level of all measured Mg levels from 1 month to 1 year after renal transplantation was calculated. Results: For every increase in Mg by 0.1 mg/dL, the GFR decreased by 1.1 mL/min at 3 years posttransplant (p < 0.01) and by 1.5 mL/min at 5 years posttransplant. A median blood Mg level of ≥1.7 was found to be an independent predictor of a GFR <60 mL/min at 3 years posttransplant. The odds of having a GFR <60 mL/min 3 years posttransplant was almost 2-fold higher in the high Mg group than in the low Mg group. Conclusions: Hypomagnesemia from 1 to 12 months after renal transplantation is associated with a better allograft function up to 5 years posttransplant. This relationship was found to hold true after accounting for baseline allograft function and the presence of slow graft function.
Microbiome and Graves’ Orbitopathy
Authors: Masetti Giulia , Ludgate Marian
Published: November 2020

Background: Studies from animal models of autoimmunity have highlighted the potential importance of microorganisms and their metabolic products in shaping the immune system. Summary: This review provides an introduction to the current state-of-the-art in microbiome research both from the perspective of “what is known” and of methodologies for its investigation. It then summarises the evidence for a role for the microbiome in the pathogenesis of Graves’ disease and Graves’ orbitopathy with reference to animal models and studies in human cohorts, from both published and ongoing sources. Key Message: Microbiome research is in its infancy but has already provided novel insights into disease pathogenesis across the spectrum from cancer to mental health and autoimmunity.
Novel PCSK9 (Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin Type 9) Variants in Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia From Cape Town
Authors: Huijgen Roeland , Blom Dirk J. , Hartgers Merel L. , Chemello Kévin , Benito-Vicente Asier , Uribe Kepa B. , Behardien Zorena , Blackhurst Dee M. , Brice Brigitte C. , Defesche Joep C. , de Jong Annemiek G. , Jooste Rosemary J. , Solomon Gabriele A.E. , Wolmarans Karen H. , Hovingh G. Kees , Martin Cesar , Lambert Gilles , Marais A. David
Published: November 2020

Objective:

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and markedly increased cardiovascular risk. In patients with a genetic diagnosis, low-density lipoprotein receptor (
LDLR
) mutations account for >90% of cases, apolipoprotein B (
APOB
) mutations for ≈5% of cases, while proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (
PCSK9
) gain of function mutations are rare (<1% of cases). We aimed to evaluate the functional impact of several novel
PCSK9
variants in a cohort of patients with FH by genetic cascade screening and in vitro functionality assays.

Approach and Results:

Patients with clinically diagnosed FH underwent genetic analysis of
LDLR
, and if negative, sequential testing of
APOB
and
PCSK9
. We analyzed cosegregation of hypercholesterolemia with novel
PCSK9
variants. Gain of function status was determined by in silico analyses and validated by in vitro functionality assays. Among 1055 persons with clinical FH, we identified nonsynonymous
PCSK9
variants in 27 (2.6%) patients and 7 of these carried one of the 4 previously reported gain of function variants. In the remaining 20 patients with FH, we identified 7 novel
PCSK9
variants. The G516V variant (c.1547G>T) was found in 5 index patients and cascade screening identified 15 additional carriers. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were higher in these 15 carriers compared with the 27 noncarriers (236±73 versus 124±35 mg/dL;
P
<0.001). In vitro studies demonstrated the pathogenicity of the G516V variant.

Conclusions:

In our study, 1.14% of cases with clinical FH were clearly attributable to pathogenic variants in
PCSK9
. Pathogenicity is established beyond doubt for the G516V variant.
Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Platelets in Severe Obesity Uncovers Platelet Reactivity and Signaling Pathways Alterations
Authors: Barrachina María N. , Hermida-Nogueira Lidia , Moran Luis A. , Casas Vanessa , Hicks Sarah M. , Sueiro Aurelio M. , Di Ying , Andrews Robert K. , Watson Steve P. , Gardiner Elizabeth E. , Abian Joaquin , Carrascal Montserrat , Pardo María , García Ángel
Published: November 2020

Objective:

Obesity is associated with a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state that supports atherosclerosis progression. The goal of this study was to gain insights into the phosphorylation events related to platelet reactivity in obesity and identify platelet biomarkers and altered activation pathways in this clinical condition.

Approach and Results:

We performed a comparative phosphoproteomic analysis of resting platelets from obese patients and their age- and gender-matched lean controls. The phosphoproteomic data were validated by mechanistic, functional, and biochemical assays. We identified 220 differentially regulated phosphopeptides, from at least 175 proteins; interestingly, all were up-regulated in obesity. Most of the altered phosphoproteins are involved in SFKs (Src-family kinases)-related signaling pathways, cytoskeleton reorganization, and vesicle transport, some of them validated by targeted mass spectrometry. To confirm platelet dysfunction, flow cytometry assays were performed in whole blood indicating higher surface levels of GP (glycoprotein) VI and CLEC (C-type lectin-like receptor) 2 in platelets from obese patients correlating positively with body mass index. Receiver operator characteristics curves analysis suggested a much higher sensitivity for GPVI to discriminate between obese and lean individuals. Indeed, we also found that obese platelets displayed more adhesion to collagen-coated plates. In line with the above data, soluble GPVI levels—indicative of higher GPVI signaling activation—were almost double in plasma from obese patients.

Conclusions:

Our results provide novel information on platelet phosphorylation changes related to obesity, revealing the impact of this chronic pathology on platelet reactivity and pointing towards the main signaling pathways dysregulated.
Personal-Level Protective Actions Against Particulate Matter Air Pollution Exposure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Authors: Rajagopalan Sanjay , Brauer Michael , Bhatnagar Aruni , Bhatt Deepak L. , Brook Jeffrey R. , Huang Wei , Münzel Thomas , Newby David , Siegel Jeffrey , Brook Robert D. ,   On behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; and Stroke Council
Published: November 2020

Since the publication of the last American Heart Association scientific statement on air pollution and cardiovascular disease in 2010, unequivocal evidence of the causal role of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM
2.5
, or particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter) in cardiovascular disease has emerged. There is a compelling case to provide the public with practical personalized approaches to reduce the health effects of PM
2.5
. Such interventions would be applicable not only to individuals in heavily polluted countries, high-risk or susceptible individuals living in cleaner environments, and microenvironments with higher pollution exposures, but also to those traveling to locations with high levels of PM
2.5
. The overarching motivation for this document is to summarize the current evidence supporting personal-level strategies to prevent the adverse cardiovascular effects of PM
2.5
, guide the use of the most proven/viable approaches, obviate the use of ineffective measures, and avoid unwarranted interventions. The significance of this statement relates not only to the global importance of PM
2.5
, but also to its focus on the most tested interventions and viable approaches directed at particulate matter air pollution. The writing group sought to provide expert consensus opinions on personal-level measures recognizing the current uncertainty and limited evidence base for many interventions. In doing so, the writing group acknowledges that its intent is to assist other agencies charged with protecting public health, without minimizing the personal choice considerations of an individual who may decide to use these interventions in the face of ongoing air pollution exposure.
Clinical Profile of Cardiac Involvement in Danon Disease
Authors: Lotan Dor , Salazar-Mendiguchía Joel , Mogensen Jens , Rathore Faizan , Anastasakis Aris , Kaski Juan , Garcia-Pavia Pablo , Olivotto Iacopo , Charron Philippe , Biagini Elena , Baban Anwar , Limongelli Giuseppe , Ashram Waddah , Wasserstrum Yishay , Galvin Joseph , Zorio Esther , Iacovoni Attilio , Monserrat Lorenzo , Spirito Paolo , Iascone Maria , Arad Michael , Mandel Chana , Morillas Herminio , Gonzalez-Lopez Esther , Dominguez Fernando , Marchetti Daniela , Pezzoli Laura , Anne Walsh Katie , McGorrian Catherine , Ditaranto Raffaello , Vitale Giovanni , Villard Eric , Richard Pascale , Monda Emanuele , Caiazza Martina , Passantino Silvia , Girolami Francesca , Drago Fabrizio , Adorisio Rachele , Field Ella , Freimark Dov , Baandrup Ulrik
Published: November 2020

Background:

The X-linked Danon disease manifests by severe cardiomyopathy, myopathy, and neuropsychiatric problems. We designed this registry to generate a comprehensive picture of clinical presentations and outcome of patients with Danon disease in cardiomyopathy centers throughout Europe.

Methods:

Clinical and genetic data were collected in 16 cardiology centers from 8 European countries.

Results:

The cohort comprised 30 male and 27 female patients. The age at diagnosis was birth to 42 years in men and 2 to 65 in women. Cardiac involvement was observed in 96%. Extracardiac manifestations were prominent in men but not in women. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was reported in 73% of male and 74% of female patients. LV systolic dysfunction was reported in 40% of men (who had LV ejection fraction, 34±11%) and 59% of women (LV ejection fraction, 28±13%). The risk of arrhythmia and heart failure was comparable among sexes. The age of first heart failure hospitalization was lower in men (18±6 versus 28±17 years;
P
<0.003). Heart failure was the leading cause of death (10 of 17; 59%), and LV systolic dysfunction predicted an adverse outcome. Eight men and 8 women (28%) underwent heart transplantation or received an LV assist device. Our cohort suggests better prognosis of female compared with male heart transplant recipients.

Conclusions:

Danon disease presents earlier in men than in women and runs a malignant course in both sexes, due to cardiac complications. Cardiomyopathy features, heart failure and arrhythmia, are similar among the sexes. Clinical diagnosis and management is extremely challenging in women due to phenotypic diversity and the absence of extracardiac manifestations.
Relationship Between Step Counts and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Japanese Men
Authors: Moniruzzaman Mohammad , Kadota Aya , Segawa Hiroyoshi , Kondo Keiko , Torii Sayuki , Miyagawa Naoko , Fujiyoshi Akira , Hisamatsu Takashi , Watanabe Yoshiyuki , Shiino Akihiko , Nozaki Kazuhiko , Ueshima Hirotsugu , Miura Katsuyuki ,   on behalf of the SESSA Research Group
Published: November 2020

Background and Purpose:

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common subclinical feature of the aging brain. Steps per day may contribute to its prevention. We herein investigated the association between step counts and CSVD in a healthy Japanese male population.

Methods:

We analyzed data from 680 men who were free of stroke and participated in this observational study. Seven-day step counts were assessed at baseline (2006–2008) using a pedometer. CSVD was assessed at follow-ups (2012–2015) based on deep and subcortical white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), periventricular hyperintensities, lacunar infarcts, and cerebral microbleeds on magnetic resonance imaging. Using a logistic regression analysis, we computed the adjusted odds ratios, with 95% CIs, of prevalent CSVD according to quartiles of step counts (reference: Q1). We also investigated the association between step counts and WMH volumes using a quantile regression.

Results:

Steps per day were significantly associated with lower odds ratios, with the lowest at Q3 (8175–10 614 steps/day), of higher (versus low or no burden) deep and subcortical WMHs (odds ratio, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.30–0.89]), periventricular hyperintensities (0.50 [95% CI, 0.29–0.86]), and lacunar infarcts (0.52 [95% CI, 0.30–0.91]) compared with Q1 (≤6060 steps/day) but not cerebral microbleeds. An inverse linear association was observed between step counts and WMH volumes. These associations were independent of age and smoking and drinking status and remained consistent when adjusted for vascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

We found a J-shaped relationship between step counts and prevalent CSVD in healthy Japanese men, with the lowest risk being observed among participants with ≈8000 to 10 000 steps/day. Higher steps were also associated with lower WMH volumes.
Male and Female Judges in Morocco Dealing with Minor Marriages
Authors: Sonneveld Nadia
Published: November 2020

Rather than being an exception, judicial permission for minor marriage has become a rule in Morocco. Based on legal analysis and anthropological fieldwork in 2015, I show that the gender of the judge does not significantly contribute to the way the provision on minor marriage is implemented in Moroccan courthouses. Instead, I argue in favour of an approach that is grounded in a relational understanding of law. Both male and female judges were manoeuvring the internal incompatibilities contained within and between state laws, which are the result of external recognition—in other words, the recognition of other normative orders, notably customary law practices. This relational understanding of law, and the ambiguities it naturally results in, amounts to a better understanding of law in action than the distinction between an “ethic of justice” and an “ethic of care,” which highlights gender-specific ways of legal decision-making, which are not supported by the Moroccan case.
Institutional Legal Reform in Kuwait after 2011
Authors: Maktabi Rania
Published: November 2020

In 2015, Law 12 legislated for the establishment of family courts for the first time in the modern history of Kuwait. The reflections and experiences of stakeholders—judges, lawyers, and administrators—surrounding this law are here contextualized from three perspectives: (1) as an institutional means of strengthening Kuwaiti women’s civil rights in marriage and divorce after women were given political rights in 2005; (2) as part of wide-ranging juridical reforms, including the passing of the Law on the Child in 2015, the expansion of the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies’ powers, and the certification of graduates from the Faculty of Sharīʿa as legal advisors in the state apparatus after 2012; and (3) as an avenue for managing religious pluralism in a state where one-third of the citizenry are Shiʿa Muslim.

The sum of these different reforms in the legal sphere are acts of governance that reflect establishing rule-of-law guidelines as a means of centralizing political authority and, by extension, the ruling Āl Ṣubāḥ regime’s grip on power following the 2011 Arab uprisings.
Trafficked Refugees: The Jordanian Efforts to Address this Issue
Authors: Al-Zoubi Muath
Published: November 2020

Recently, the world has been hit by a massive wave of refugees, precipitating the global refugee crisis, which is a pressing issue of global concern. Consequently, addressing this crisis needs innovative approaches. The aim of this article is to establish a relatively new initiative through combining two topics: the global refugee crisis and the crime of trafficking in persons. Accordingly, by combining these two topics, this article will try to find a new initiative that addresses a certain category of trafficked victims, namely trafficked refugees. By analysing the existing primary and secondary sources on relevant issues in relation to the crime of trafficking in persons and the issue of refugees, this article concludes that, despite the difficulties of addressing these issues and the current attempts in Jordan, it is still significant to identify trafficked victims among refugees as this might result in them receiving particular attention.
Examining Longitudinal Patterns of Special Education Service Receipt
Authors: Woods Adrienne D.
Published: November 2020

It is important to understand how longitudinal patterns of special education placement differ from cross-sectional incidence estimates in order to improve measurement precision and better target assistance to students with disabilities. This study used latent class growth analysis in a national-level data set to classify four trajectories of special education service receipt from kindergarten to eighth grade (Never, Persistent, Delayed, and Discontinued) and to predict which kindergarteners follow these trajectories of service receipt ( N = 3,970). This study is among the first to identify which kindergarteners with disabilities may experience persistent special education services, which may exit special education, and what patterns of sociodemographic, achievement, and behavior covariates distinguish these groups. Results both align with prior work and offer a fresh perspective for researchers and policymakers as to how placement changes across schooling and for whom.
Parental psychological distress associated with COVID-19 outbreak: A large-scale multicenter survey from Turkey
Authors: Bıkmazer Alperen , Kadak Muhammed Tayyib , Görmez Vahdet , Doğan Uğur , Aslankaya Zeynep Dilara , Bakır Fulya , Tarakçıoğlu Mahmut Cem , Kaya İlyas , Gümüş Yusuf Yasin , Esin İbrahim Selçuk , Karayağmurlu Ali , Adak İbrahim , Yaylacı Ferhat , Güller Barış , Tanır Yaşar , Koyuncu Zehra , Serdengeçti Nihal , Ermiş Çağatay , Kaçmaz Gül Bilgin , Gülşen Hatice , Doğru Hicran , Bayati Mohammed Al , Üstündağ Büşra , Gökler Enes , Özyurt Gonca , Baykara Burak , Ekinci Özalp , Başgül Şaziye Senem , Görmez Aynur , Emiroğlu Neslihan İnal , Türkçapar Hakan , Öztürk Mücahit
Published: November 2020

Aims

Pandemics can cause substantial psychological distress; however, we do not know the impact of the COVID-19 related lockdown and mental health burden on the parents of school age children. We aimed to comparatively examine the COVID-19 related the stress and psychological burden of the parents with different occupational, locational, and mental health status related backgrounds.

Methods

A large-scale multicenter online survey was completed by the parents ( n = 3,278) of children aged 6 to 18 years, parents with different occupational (health care workers—HCW [18.2%] vs. others), geographical (İstanbul [38.2%] vs. others), and psychiatric (child with a mental disorder [37.8%]) backgrounds.

Results

Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that being a HCW parent (odds ratio 1.79, p < .001), a mother (odds ratio 1.67, p < .001), and a younger parent (odds ratio 0.98, p = .012); living with an adult with a chronic physical illness (odds ratio 1.38, p < .001), having an acquaintance diagnosed with COVID-19 (odds ratio 1.22, p = .043), positive psychiatric history (odds ratio 1.29, p < .001), and living with a child with moderate or high emotional distress (odds ratio 1.29, p < .001; vs. odds ratio 2.61, p < .001) were independently associated with significant parental distress.

Conclusions

Parents report significant psychological distress associated with COVID-19 pandemic and further research is needed to investigate its wider impact including on the whole family unit.
Students’ Perception of Teachers’ Humor Predicts Their Mental Health
Authors: Tsukawaki Ryota , Imura Tomoya
Published: November 2020

The aim of the present study was to determine whether two types of teacher humor (Aggressive Humor and Affinity Humor) are predictors of students’ mental health. A self-report scale was administered to 500 elementary and junior high school students in grades 4 to 9 (mean age 12.04, SD = 1.76) asking questions about perceived teacher humor, stress response, emotional well-being, and self-esteem. Aggressive humor was a significant positive predictor of stress response and a significant negative predictor of emotional well-being. Affinity humor was a significant positive predictor of emotional well-being and self-esteem. These results suggest that the teacher’s humor is related to students’ mental health. We conclude that teachers should refrain from using aggressive humor as much as possible in favor of affinity humor.
Optimizing favorable outcomes when counseling the gifted: A best practices approach
Authors: Pfeiffer Steven I
Published: November 2020

This article provides an integration of the empirical research literature on child psychotherapy and what the author has gleaned, first hand, in counseling work with gifted children and youth, and their families, over his 40-year career as a clinical psychologist. The article focuses on best practices in counseling gifted students in a way that optimizes favorable outcomes. The article has application for preventive and early intervention work, as well as for individual and group counseling efforts. Four principles of evidence-based counseling are emphasized, including the pre-eminence of a common factors’ perspective in work with gifted clients. The article highlights the value of progress monitoring and incorporating a strength-based focus, and provides a clinical case to illustrate counseling work with a troubled gifted adolescent guided by evidence-based practice.
Modulation of premotor cortex response to sequence motor learning during escitalopram intake
Authors: Molloy Eóin N , Mueller Karsten , Beinhölzl Nathalie , Blöchl Maria , Piecha Fabian A , Pampel André , Steele Christopher J , Scharrer Ulrike , Zheleva Gergana , Regenthal Ralf , Sehm Bernhard , Nikulin Vadim V , Möller Harald E , Villringer Arno , Sacher Julia
Published: November 2020

The contribution of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to motor learning by inducing motor cortical plasticity remains controversial given diverse findings from positive preclinical data to negative findings in recent clinical trials. To empirically address this translational disparity, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging in a double-blind, randomized controlled study to assess whether 20 mg escitalopram improves sequence-specific motor performance and modulates cortical motor response in 64 healthy female participants. We found decreased left premotor cortex responses during sequence-specific learning performance comparing single dose and steady escitalopram state. Escitalopram plasma levels negatively correlated with the premotor cortex response. We did not find evidence in support of improved motor performance after a week of escitalopram intake. These findings do not support the conclusion that one week escitalopram intake increases motor performance but could reflect early adaptive plasticity with improved neural processing underlying similar task performance when steady peripheral escitalopram levels are reached.
Clinical manifestations and imaging features of white matter demyelination in older patients
Authors: Li Jian , Zhao Yi-Ming
Published: November 2020

Objective

To investigate the clinical manifestations and imaging features of older patients with white matter demyelination diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

Ninety-six patients with leukoaraiosis diagnosed by MRI were divided by their clinical diagnoses into a demyelinating group (40 cases) and a non-demyelinating group (56 cases). The imaging and clinical features of the patients in the two groups were analyzed.

Results

Compared with the non-demyelinating group, there were significantly more women in the demyelinating group than men. There was no significant difference in age between the two groups. Of the 37 cases who had an imaging report of “white matter demyelination and multiple sclerosis,” 36 cases had a clinical diagnosis in accordance with white matter demyelination (97.3%). Of the 59 cases who had an imaging report of “white matter demyelination”, only four cases had a clinical diagnosis in accordance with demyelination (6.8%).

Conclusion

In older patients with headaches, vertigo, other head symptoms, and unilateral numbness as the chief complaints, a clinical diagnosis of demyelinating disease is very unlikely when the imaging report states white matter demyelination only.
Deregulatory science: Chemical risk analysis in Trump’s EPA
Authors: Mansfield Becky
Published: November 2020

While critics cast the Trump administration as anti-science, requiring in response vigorous defense of science, analysis of the Trump EPA reveals instead a strategy to develop deregulatory science. In its first 3 years, the Trump EPA introduced and started to implement a variety of new frameworks to remake scientific risk analysis, changing how it assesses exposures, hazards and costs of chemical harms. The article focuses on EPA frameworks associated with the Clean Air Act, Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science rule and Toxic Substances Control Act. The new approaches compel the agency to ignore many pathways of exposure and pivotal studies of hazards, include dose-response models that treat pollution as healthful and change how costs and benefits are calculated. Yet it justifies these frameworks in terms of evidence-based decision-making, transparency and the separation of science from politics. According to its political appointees, the Trump EPA stands for scientific integrity, because it is promulgating evidence-based approaches in risk analysis that show regulation to be neither necessary nor appropriate. This is not just rhetoric but represents an effort to engage science to delegitimize environmental regulation. There is continuity between the Trump EPA and past efforts to use science to justify regulatory rollbacks: defending science by demarcating it from non-science is just as much a strategy for deregulation as it is for regulation. A key lesson is that contesting deregulation by declaring it anti-science reflects an impasse, as deregulatory approaches then also seek to take the mantle of science. The alternative to engaging in debate over demarcation is to make explicit the values and interests shaping practices of regulatory science.
Unstructured Socializing with Peers, Low Self-Control, and Substance Use
Authors: Leimberg Anna , Lehmann Peter S.
Published: November 2020

Research consistently finds that unstructured socializing with peers and low self-control are both positively associated with substance use among adolescents. However, largely absent from the literature is a consideration of whether unstructured socializing with peers and low self-control have differential and interactive effects when predicting usage of different classifications of drugs. The current study addresses these issues using data collected on a statewide sample of middle school and high school students who participated in the 2017 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Results indicate that (1) unstructured socializing with peers is a stronger predictor of soft drug use than low self-control, (2) low self-control is a stronger predictor of hard drug use than unstructured socializing with peers, and (3) the effect of unstructured socializing on both soft and hard drug use is diminished among adolescents who are lower in self-control.
Case costing in spine surgery: Can surgeons assist with accurate capture of operating room costs?
Authors: Glennie R. Andrew , Oxner William M. , Alant Jacob , Barry Sean P. , Christie Sean
Published: November 2020

Surgical case costing is critical for health leaders to make decisions about resource utilization. Synoptic reporting offers the potential for surgeons to capture these costs and work with other leaders to make evidence-based decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether surgeons documented intra-operative cost drivers as part of their operative report. This article outlines a synoptic reporting system at a quaternary spine care centre. Data were captured from 2015 to 2020. Surgeon rates of documentation for specific devices, bone graft, and surgical adjuncts were evaluated. It is hoped that the results of this survey will help to guide programs to capture costs in other settings.
Shock and Myocardial Injury in Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: What We Know. Case Series and Review of the Literature
Authors: Caro-Patón Gema de Lama , de Azagra-Garde Amelia Martínez , García-Salido Alberto , Cabrero-Hernández Marta , Tamariz Amalia , Nieto-Moro Montserrat
Published: November 2020

Background:

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to myocardial injury and shock in children, likely the result of a severe inflammatory state, and can mimic Kawasaki disease.

Objective:

To describe the characteristics of shock and myocardial injury in children with confirmed or suspeted COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain, including clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging findings, treatment, disease course, and outcome. An extensive literature review is provided.

Methods:

Retrospective case series including all children (age 1 month–18 years) admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit in Madrid, Spain, between March 15 and April 30, 2020 with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and shock.

Results:

Twelve previously healthy patients with shock, age 5 to 14 years, were included. All required volume resuscitation and 75% required vasoactive/inotropic support. Distributive shock was present on admission in 67% (n = 8), and 4 patients (33%) showed features of cardiogenic shock. Myocardial injury was diagnosed in 67% (n = 8) and ventricular dysfunction in 33% (n = 4). The most common symptoms on presentation were fever (100%), anorexia (100%), diarrhea (75%), and vomiting (75%). Five patients showed signs of Kawasaki disease but none met the criteria for the classic form. Laboratory findings revealed lymphopenia (83%), thrombocytopenia (83%), and increased inflammatory markers (100%). Respiratory status was not significantly impacted. Chest X-ray showed bilateral alveolar infiltrates in 7 (58%) and bilateral pneumonia in 3 (25%). COVID-19 was confirmed in 11 cases (92%). All received empirical therapy against COVID-19, thromboprophylaxis and immunomodulation. Median stay in the PICU and inpatient ward was 4.5 and 10 days, respectively. No patients died.

Conclusion:

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children with COVID-19 can mimic Kawasaki disease and lead to a combination of distributive and cardiogenic shock, probably secondary to a hyperinflammatory state that remains to be precisely defined. Treatment strategies include hemodynamic support, empirical therapies against COVID-19, thromboprophylaxis, and immunomodulation.
“So Why Should I Call Them?”: Survivor Support Service Characteristics as Drivers of Help-Seeking in India
Authors: Newberry Jennifer A. , Kaur Japsimran , Gurrapu Shravya , Behl Rasika , Darmstadt Gary L. , Halpern-Felsher Bonnie , Rao G.V. Ramana , Mahadevan Swaminatha V. , Strehlow Matthew C.
Published: November 2020

Women in South Asia face the highest lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence in the world, which is just one form of violence against women (VAW). In India, few women seek help after experiencing violence, particularly from formal resources, such as physicians or the police. While many studies have investigated the impact of survivor characteristics and patterns of violence on help-seeking behaviors, there is scant research on support service characteristics and their impact on help-seeking. The introduction of a novel crisis helpline in Gujarat, India provided an opportunity to better understand how successful help-seeking can be driven by the perceived and experienced characteristics of the helpline. We conducted in-depth interviews with helpline users to identify factors and pathways that promoted or discouraged help-seeking in general, help-seeking from a formal source, and help-seeking from this particular helpline. We analyzed 32 interviews of women who used the helpline. Participants were from eight districts across the state, representing a diverse range of sociodemographic backgrounds. After conducting a thematic analysis, we found that action-oriented service, timeliness, and women-focused staff influenced (positively and negatively) participants’ feelings of safety, empowerment, and trust in the helpline, which ultimately impacted their decision to seek help from the helpline or even to seek help at all. This study illuminates how service characteristics, in and of themselves, can influence the likelihood that survivors will seek help, emphasizing the need for survivors to have a voice in the growth and refinement of VAW support services. Consequently, these areas must be a focus of future research and initiatives to improve help-seeking by VAW survivors.
Socialism with an Occult Face: Aesthetics, Spirituality, and Utopia in Late Socialist Bulgaria
Authors: Ivanova Veneta T.
Published: November 2020

This article explores the unlikely infusion of state-sponsored spiritualism into the materialist ideology of Bulgarian late communism. In the 1970s, Minister of Culture and daughter of party leader Lyudmila Zhivkova initiated grandiose state programs to inject the “occult” into Bulgaria’s national culture, art, science, and even political philosophy. Inspired by her Eastern religious beliefs, she sought to “breed” a nation of “all-round and harmoniously developed individuals,” devoted to spiritual self-perfection, who would ultimately “work, live and create according to the laws of beauty.” How are we to explain such a paradoxical lapse into state-sponsored spiritualism in a milieu dominated by materialism as a philosophy and way of life? How did Zhivkova’s occultism inform and transform Bulgarian late socialism? In pursuit of these questions, the article opens with Zhivkova’s intellectual and political trajectories, especially her spiritual formation, as I see her religiosity as the cornerstone of her cultural theory and praxis. The second part reconstructs Zhivkova’s theoretical apparatus, while the third demonstrates how it was translated into a large-scale aesthetic-spiritual utopia, which posited art, culture, aesthetics, and spirituality as a way to revamp the entire communist project. I contend that as quixotic as Zhivkova’s vision was, her policies contributed to the liberalization of art and culture in a period that has long been associated exclusively with stagnation and decay. In so doing, I demonstrate that impulses to attach “a human face” to the communist project endured even after the Prague Spring of 1968.
Bracketing Democracy: A Comparison of Frames Used to Demarcate Democracy and Its Application to Developments in Poland
Authors: de Vries Michiel S. , Sobis Iwona
Published: November 2020

This paper proposes a framework to analyze the varying understanding of democratic developments. Based on the theory of frame-analysis, it distinguishes six brackets within which democratic developments can be interpreted. This framework is applied to identify the nature of international rankings of domestic democracy and to compare the framing of developments in Polish democracy in reports on democratic developments from international organizations. The conclusion is that sense-making of democratic developments in general varies enormously, and that this is also visible in the international rankings of democracy. Democratic developments in Poland are also assessed in different ways, resulting in varying claims about the nature of the developments in Poland.
Leading edge redesign of dual-peak type variable inlet guide vane and its effect on aerodynamic performance
Authors: Shi Hengtao , Ji Lucheng
Published: November 2020

Recently, a new type airfoil for variable inlet guide vane (VIGV), featuring “dual-peak” surface velocity pattern at high incidence, is proposed and shows wide low-loss operation range. To further improve its performance, this paper researches the influence of leading edge (LE) thickness and shape on the loss level and surface velocity features of the “dual-peak” type airfoil. Firstly, a polynomial-based continuous-curvature leading edge design method was briefly introduced and used in the LE redesign of sample airfoils. Then, steady simulations based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes method (RANS), carried out by commercial software CFX after grid independent study, were used to determine the aerodynamic performance, surface velocity distribution and boundary-layer behaviors of all research airfoils. Simulation results indicate that there exists an optimized range of LE relative thickness that can achieve lower airfoil loss level at high incidence condition. For Case 1 ([Formula: see text]) and Case 2 ([Formula: see text]), the optimized LE relative thickness range is [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The LE shape optimization can further reduce the maximum incidence condition loss coefficient with proportion up to 18% for airfoils with optimal LE thickness. Analysis of flow mechanism indicates that the optimized LE thickness and shape can reduce the suction spike height and subsequent adverse pressure gradient, therefore, decrease the LE separation scale and result in a lower loss coefficient. As an application, a dual peak VIGV with circular LE, presented in previous paper as the optimized VIGV, is redesigned in the LE portion according to the research findings and achieved 0.6 percent improvement in passage-averaged total pressure recovery coefficient [Formula: see text] at extreme high stagger angle point and the low-loss operation range extends with about 5°, which confirms the effectiveness of the research findings in three-dimensional environment.