bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cerebral venous thrombosis associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and iron-deficiency anemia induced by autoimmune gastritis: A case report and literature review
Authors: Mochizuki Tatsuki , Ryu Bikei , Kushi Kazuki , Shima Shogo , Sato Shinsuke , Inoue Tatsuya , Okada Yoshikazu , Niimi Yasunari
Published: December 2022

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare disease, occurring in 0.5%–1% of all patients with strokes. Systemic and hereditary diseases and traumas are potential causes of CVT. We report a case of CVT and systemic thromboembolism complicated with hyperhomocysteinemia and iron-deficiency anemia caused by autoimmune gastritis. A 47-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department due to difficulty in movement, impaired consciousness, and urinary incontinence. Brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral thalamic edema associated with venous sinus thrombosis and embolic cerebral infarction in the deep white matter of the bilateral cerebral hemispheres. In addition, contrast enhanced whole-trunk CT scan showed deep femoral thrombosis and pulmonary artery embolism. She had no medical history of diseases or drug use that may cause thrombosis. Blood test results revealed iron-deficiency anemia and hyperhomocysteinemia, which were determined to be the cause of systemic thromboembolism. The patient tested positive for intrinsic factor antibodies. Moreover, the patient was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis by gastrointestinal endoscopy. Therapies including anticoagulant and replacement with iron and vitamin B12 were administered. The patient was discharged from the hospital without neurological deficits. A favorable clinical course was achieved with anticoagulant administration and replacement therapy with iron and vitamin B12 for cerebral arteriovenous embolism that developed due to autoimmune gastritis.
Internal Quality Assurance of Academic Programs: A Case Study in Vietnamese Higher Education
Authors: Pham Nhung Thi Tuyet , Nguyen Cuong Huu , Pham Huong Thi , Ta Hien Thi Thu
Published: December 2022

Quality assurance of higher education has been carried out across the world in the past few decades. Therefore, setting up an effective internal quality assurance (IQA) system that fosters improvement in teaching and learning is of great significance. This research examined whether the IQA system was associated with the continuous improvement in the quality of academic programs in Vietnamese higher education institutions (HEIs). The study looked into the IQA system’s infrastructure, its instruments and its efforts at program improvement across different types of HEIs including infrastructure, instruments, and continuous quality improvement efforts in academic programs that are implemented across the different types of institutions. A total of 715 responses from the survey and 46 interviews were analyzed for this paper. The findings demonstrated that the IQA of academic programs in Vietnamese higher education built the fundamental infrastructure and used indirect instruments but did not frequently use the IQA results to continuously improve educational quality. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are made to improve the IQA system of academic programs.
XCVATR: detection and characterization of variant impact on the Embeddings of single -cell and bulk RNA-sequencing samples
Authors: Harmanci Arif , Harmanci Akdes Serin , Klisch Tiemo J. , Patel Akash J.
Published: December 2022

Background

RNA-sequencing has become a standard tool for analyzing gene activity in bulk samples and at the single-cell level. By increasing sample sizes and cell counts, this technique can uncover substantial information about cellular transcriptional states. Beyond quantification of gene expression, RNA-seq can be used for detecting variants, including single nucleotide polymorphisms, small insertions/deletions, and larger variants, such as copy number variants. Notably, joint analysis of variants with cellular transcriptional states may provide insights into the impact of mutations, especially for complex and heterogeneous samples. However, this analysis is often challenging due to a prohibitively high number of variants and cells, which are difficult to summarize and visualize. Further, there is a dearth of methods that assess and summarize the association between detected variants and cellular transcriptional states.

Results

Here, we introduce XCVATR (eXpressed Clusters of Variant Alleles in Transcriptome pRofiles), a method that identifies variants and detects local enrichment of expressed variants within embedding of samples and cells in single-cell and bulk RNA-seq datasets. XCVATR visualizes local “clumps” of small and large-scale variants and searches for patterns of association between each variant and cellular states, as described by the coordinates of cell embedding, which can be computed independently using any type of distance metrics, such as principal component analysis or t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding. Through simulations and analysis of real datasets, we demonstrate that XCVATR can detect enrichment of expressed variants and provide insight into the transcriptional states of cells and samples. We next sequenced 2 new single cell RNA-seq tumor samples and applied XCVATR. XCVATR revealed subtle differences in CNV impact on tumors.

Conclusions

XCVATR is publicly available to download from https://github.com/harmancilab/XCVATR.
Identification of a major facilitator superfamily protein that is beneficial to L-lactic acid production by Bacillus coagulans at low pH
Authors: Tian Wenzhe , Qin Jiayang , Lian Congcong , Yao Qingshou , Wang Xiuwen
Published: December 2022

Background

Product inhibition is one of the major problems in lactic acid (LA) fermentation. Our previous study revealed that Bacillus coagulans 2–6 was an efficient producer of high-optical-purity L-LA. Its mutant strain B. coagulans Na-2 has better resistance to sodium lactate stress but the resistance mechanism has not been understood.

Results

In this study, the whole-genome sequencing of B. coagulans Na-2 was performed and one mutant gene mfs coding for the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) protein was revealed by comparative genome analysis. Ten mutation sites were identified between the wild (MFS-2-6) and mutant (MFS-Na-2) proteins, among which T127A and N154T were predicted locating in the center of the transmembrane transport channel. The MFS-2-6 and MFS-Na-2 were expressed separately in a genetically operable strain, B. coagulans DSM1, using the genes’ native promoter. The expression of the two MFS proteins had no effect and a negative effect on L-LA production when the pH was controlled at 6.0 and 7.0 by sodium hydroxide, respectively. However, 4.2 and 4.6-fold of L-LA concentrations were obtained at pH 5.0 by the strains expressing MFS-2-6 and MFS-Na-2 than that by the control strain, respectively. The intracellular pH values of the strains expressing MFS-2-6 and MFS-Na-2 were approximately 0.69 and 0.45 higher than that of the control strain during pH-controlled fermentation at 5.0. Results suggest that the expression of MFS-2-6 and MFS-Na-2 were both conducive to L-LA production at low pH, while the better performance of the latter was probably due to the more appropriate intracellular pH during the whole fermentation process.

Conclusions

The MFS protein identified here can improve the ability of B. coagulans to resist acidic environments and produce more L-LA at low pH. The MFS protein has an application potential in environment-friendly L-LA production.
Medical teachers' affective domain teaching dilemma and path exploration: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Zhang Ziyan , Hu Qiongyin , Xu Chunyan , Zhou Jianmin , Li Junhong
Published: December 2022

Background

In the student-centered modern teaching environment of higher education, the affective domain was of great value to the overall development of medical students and the sustainable development of medical education. However, in the teaching practice of the medical specialty in Our country, there are still a lot of phenomena that pay attention to knowledge teaching but neglect affective education. Compared with affective domain, teachers tended to focus on the learning of specialized knowledge and skills. This paper investigated the attitudes and evaluations of teachers and students of medical school on affective education, analyzed the current situation and problems of teaching in the affective educauion of medical professions, and explored the path of combining the affective field and medical profession from the perspective of medical teachers.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was conducted among medical teachers and students across the country. Using the self-appointed teacher scale and the student scale to obtain their ratings of all dimensions of teaching in the affective field through a free online tool called "WenJuanXing". Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis methods were used to analyze the data to explore the obstacles in affective education and the factors affecting the outcome of affective education.

Results

A total of 523 medical teachers and 3268 medical students were surveyed, according to the results of questionnaire data analysis, there are differences in the needs of senior and lower grade students in various dimensions of affective education, and the current Chinese medical teachers carrying out affective education are facing unclear positioning and interpretation of affective education goals, lack of affective experience in teaching methods, lack of affective education evaluation norms, lack of continuity and progressivity of affective cultivation, and school organizational mechanisms need to be improved.

Conclusions

This paper had some suggestions aimed at the above problem. Firstly, It is necessary to strengthen the construction of the organizational mechanism of medical universities, provide them with guarantees and training according to the characteristics of teachers of different teaching ages, and comprehensively improve teachers' affective literacy from the inside out. Secondly, teachers should design clear progressive goals and content systems of affective education, constructing an evaluation system of affective education in the experiential teaching method.
Investigating PSMA differential expression in canine uroepithelial carcinomas to aid disease-based stratification and guide therapeutic selection
Authors: Berry Matthew R. , Fadl-Alla Bahaa A. , Samuelson Jonathan , Rosol Thomas J. , Fan Timothy M.
Published: December 2022

Background

In male dogs, uroepithelial cancers include invasive urothelial carcinoma (iUC) and prostate carcinoma (PCA). The inability to distinguish iUC involving the prostate from PCA results in indiscriminate clinical management strategies that could be suboptimal as first-line chemotherapy for iUC (cisplatin) and PCA (docetaxel) differ in people. Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane protein, and its overexpression has been identified in human prostate carcinoma and neovasculature associated with solid tumor growth. This study investigates whether differential PSMA expression exists between presumptive canine iUC and PCA among cell lines and archived patient samples, which might allow for improved accuracy in disease-based stratification and optimal chemotherapy selection. Additionally, in vitro sensitivities of reported canine iUC and PCA cell lines to uroepithelial directed chemotherapeutic agents were characterized.

Results

Normalized PSMA gene and protein expressions were not significantly different between 5 iUC and 4 PCA cell lines. PSMA protein expression was uniformly observed in uroepithelial cancers regardless of anatomic origin from archived patient samples, further confirming that PSMA cannot differentiate iUC from PCA. In vitro sensitivity of cell lines to uroepithelial directed chemotherapeutics revealed that vinblastine exerted the broadest cytotoxic activity.

Conclusions

Differential expression of PSMA was not identified between canine iUC and PCA cell lines or archived patient samples, and PSMA alone cannot be used for disease stratification. Nonetheless given its conserved overexpression, PSMA may be a targetable surface marker for both canine iUC and PCA. Lastly, in uroepithelial carcinomas, vinblastine might exert the broadest anticancer activity regardless of cellular origin.
Automatic lesion detection and segmentation in 18F-flutemetamol positron emission tomography images using deep learning
Authors: Ryu Chan Ju
Published: December 2022

Background

Beta amyloid in the brain, which was originally confirmed by post-mortem examinations, can now be confirmed in living patients using amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) tracers, and the accuracy of diagnosis can be improved by beta amyloid plaque confirmation in patients. Amyloid deposition in the brain is often associated with the expression of dementia. Hence, it is important to identify the anatomically and functionally meaningful areas of the human brain cortex surface using PET to diagnose the possibility of developing dementia. In this study, we demonstrated the validity of automated 18F-flutemetamol PET lesion detection and segmentation based on a complete 2D U-Net convolutional neural network via masking treatment strategies.

Methods

PET data were first normalized by volume and divided into five amyloid accumulation zones through axial, coronary, and thalamic slices. A single U-Net was trained using a divided dataset for one of these zones. Ground truth segmentations were obtained by manual delineation and thresholding (1.5 × background).

Results

The following intersection over union values were obtained for the various slices in the verification dataset: frontal lobe axial/sagittal: 0.733/0.804; posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus coronal/sagittal: 0.661/0.726; lateral temporal lobe axial/coronal: 0.864/0.892; parietal lobe axial/coronal: 0.542/0.759; and striatum axial/sagittal: 0.679/0.752. The U-Net convolutional neural network architecture allowed fully automated 2D division of the 18F-flutemetamol PET brain images of Alzheimer's patients.

Conclusions

As dementia should be tested and evaluated in various ways, there is a need for artificial intelligence programs. This study can serve as a reference for future studies using auxiliary roles and research in Alzheimer's diagnosis.
The value of Xpert MTB/RIF assay of urine samples in the early diagnosis of smear-negative urinary tuberculosis
Authors: Wang Yachun , Tan Jiao , Lei Lei , Yuan Yingying , Li Wenbo , Zhao Yue , Wang Yali , Niu Xiaodong , Li Zheng , Wei Lukuan , Han Yungang , Cheng Meijing , Guo Xu , Han Xue , Wang Wei
Published: December 2022

Background

According to reports, between 30 and 40 percent of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) cases are caused by urinary tract tuberculosis (UTB). It is critical to identify UTB quickly since it frequently precedes delayed medical attention, which can have detrimental effects. This study examined the use of Xpert MTB/RIF, a PCR test that can detect MTB as well as resistance to an important drug, rifampicin (RIF), in UTB particularly, for the early identification of UTB.

Methods

180 participants with clinically presumptive UTB whose urine samples were chosen for urine sediment smear, culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, and TB-DNA testing at Henan Chest Hospital between January 2019 and July 2022. Evaluation of test performance using Composite Reference Standards (CRSs). We studied and compared the positivity rate for various tests using the t-test. The effectiveness of smear, culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, and TB-DNA was assessed using McNemar test.

Results

In this subject, a total of 108 participants were diagnosed with UTB, and the positivity rate was 67.1%. Compared with CRS, the positivity rate of Xpert MTB/RIF, smear, culture, and TB-DNA was 29.69% (19/64, P < 0.001), 7.56% (9/119, P < 0.1), 12.12% (4/33, P > 0.05), and 18.75% (6/32, P < 0.1), respectively. The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF assay was significantly better than that of smear and culture tests (78.9% vs. 77.8%, P < 0.05; 78.9% vs. 75%, P < 0.05). Under CRS, the positivity rate for Xpert, culture, and TB-DNA was 31.6% (6/19, P < 0.1), 6.2% (1/16, P > 0.05), and 26.7% (4/15, P > 0.05) for TB-DNA, respectively, compared to smear negative. Xpert MTB/RIF assay specificity was significant for culture and TB-DNA (53.6% vs. 25%, P < 0.01; 53.6% vs. 38.9%, P < 0.05), and Xpert MTB/RIF assay FPV was significant for culture and TB-DNA (53.6% vs. 0%, P < 0.001; 53.6% vs. 0%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Xpert MTB/RIF outperforms smear, cultures, and TB-DNA in detecting UTB, plus Xpert MTB/RIF is better suited for early diagnosis in smear-negative UTB.
COVID-19 related familial economic disruptions and eating disorder patients’ mental health concerns and motivation to recover
Authors: Santoso Monique , Milliren Carly E. , Woods Elizabeth R. , Forman Sara F. , Richmond Tracy K.
Published: December 2022

Background

Family support has been shown to be important for adolescents and young adults (AYA) in eating disorder (ED) treatment. Many families were impacted by the pandemic, potentially altering their ability to support individuals in ED treatment. This study examined the association of COVID-19 related familial economic change with self-reported mental health (MH) and ED concerns in AYA seeking treatment for ED.

Methods

AYA patients with EDs aged 10–27 years enrolled in the Registry of Eating Disorders and their Co-morbidities OVER time in Youth (RECOVERY) completed an additional COVID-19-specific survey (n = 89) that assessed their perception of the effects of the pandemic on their lives and their ED. Participants self-reported on familial economic disruptions, measured through a composite score of four markers: (1) family member’s work hours cut, (2) family member was required to stop working, (3) family member lost job permanently, and (4) family lost health insurance/benefits. In bivariate analyses, we examined the association between self-reporting any familial economic disruption and self-reported changes in intrusive ED thoughts, feelings of anxiety, feelings of depression, feelings of isolation, and motivation to recover from their ED. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between familial economic disruptions on self-reported changes in ED/MH affect and motivation to recover adjusting for age and ED diagnosis.

Results

Forty-six percent of participants self-reported that the pandemic had resulted in at least one economic familial disruption. Of patients reporting any familial economic disruption, 29% reported decreased motivation for ED recovery, and over 75% reported worsening feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and/or intrusive eating disorder thoughts. Reporting any COVID-19 familial economic disruption was marginally associated with feelings of isolation (p = 0.05). Though the findings were only marginally significant, the odds of reporting worsening feelings of depression, anxiety, intrusive ED thoughts or motivation to recover were nearly twice in those who reported a COVID-19-related familial economic disruption compared to those who did not report such a disruption.

Conclusions

Family-related economic disruptions are associated with ED/MH-related concerns and motivation to recover from an ED during the COVID-19 pandemic in AYA patients.
The Anatomy of Habit
Authors: Sequeira Rovel
Published: December 2022

This article examines the early twentieth-century Indian prison as a colonial sexological laboratory, arguing that it grounded a spatial form of sexual science tied to the science of confinement. Uncovering a crucial and previously unstudied Indian prison scandal, it shows how the would-be prison sexologist John Mulvany's experiments on subaltern Indian sexual “deviants” developed alongside and helped reconstitute the architecture of the prisons he administered, from Calcutta's Presidency Jail to Alipore's New Central Jail. It also demonstrates how he mobilized racist criminological theories about Indian prisoners’ desire for sociability over privacy to isolate sex offenders in graded patterns of cellular confinement and to prevent prison sex. It further explores how Mulvany's interception of the intimate letters of such sequestered prisoners led him to conceptualize pederasty as a mass site of habitual Indian racial excess. Finally, it documents how the state prevented the circulation of Mulvany's studies, anticipating outcry about having exposed Indian political or revolutionary prisoners to sexual abuse. While scholars have predominantly studied the circulation of sexology among imperial bourgeois publics through the Foucauldian framework of a sexological will to knowledge, this essay theorizes how the colonial state's dominance over penology amplifies our understanding of subaltern sexual life and of sexological epistemologies subtended by a will to ignorance.
Consent
Authors: Moreno María , Núñez Paco Brito
Published: December 2022

María Moreno begins by examining the limits of our common legal and psychological understandings of consent. She examines how the self who gives consent fluctuates in a way occluded by the liberal notion of the contract and proceeds to consider consent in the broadest sociopolitical context, as a minor part or element of a greater instrument of control: rape itself. Through a consideration of a series of violations committed in Argentina, some by civilians, others by agents of the state during the country's last civico-military dictatorship, Moreno illustrates how the contradictions inherent in the current legal category of consent obscure how rape functions, not only as a major crime on par with murder but also as a weapon in the preservation of the patriarchal symbolic economy and as a key element in the arsenal of war. The author asks whether it's time to seek to think rape politically, and not just morally. She concludes with a powerful reflection on nonconsent and the kind of sovereignty it can afford to victims and their victimizers who are both oppressed by a system that subsumes them.
Semana de Educación Artística en Chile (SEA). Del aula a la transformación socio-cultural.
Authors: González Fulle Beatriz
Published: December 2022

Desde el año 2013, Chile celebra la Semana de Educación Artística (SEA) que impulsa UNESCO: https://semanaeducacionartistica.cultura.gob.cl/. Si bien durante los primeros años, la programación tenía el propósito de visibilizar y darle protagonismo al arte en la escuela, se fue transitando hacia un diálogo con las problemáticas socio-culturales que se viven en el país y el mundo, invitando a las comunidades escolares a desarrollar acciones que los involucren activa y críticamente en los procesos de transformación. A diez años, nos atrevemos a afirmar que Semana de la Educación Artística se ha constituido en una plataforma desde la cual el arte moviliza espacio de criticidad y creatividad, asumiendo la transversalidad de los procesos culturales, sociales y políticos.
Wood Pellet Production with the Inclusion of Rice Hull Derived Bio-oil
Authors: Lowe Tyler , Lowe Tyler , Street Jason , Smith Brian , Wooten James , Mitchell Brian , Hassan El Barbary , Elsayed Islam , Street Jason , Smith Brian , Wooten James , Mitchell Brian , Hassan El Barbary , Elsayed Islam
Published: December 2022

Highlights

Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (0.5%) improved pellet PDI by 0.4 percentage points when compared to the control.

Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (0.5%) improved the HHV by 0.4 MJ kg-1 when compared to the control.

Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (at 0.3% and 0.5% levels) improved the NPV over the control by $279K and $959K, respectively.

Abstract.Rice hulls or husks have the potential to aid in wood pelletization as they possess high calorific values. However, this material also has a high ash content and is therefore not viable to be of use in the pelletization process without modification. This study focuses on using rice hull-derived bio-oil from pyrolysis, which decreases the overall ash content when compared to the original rice hulls and was postulated as a means to improve wood pellet characteristics (e.g., pellet durability index and the calorific value). Two groups of rice hull-derived bio-oil were used as an additive in wood fiber pelletization: Group 1 consisted of heavy bio-oil (products with a distillation vapor temperature only above 100°C) at a 0.2% (H2) and 0.5% (H5) additive inclusion rate (dry basis) with a matched control group (C1), and Group 2 consisted of bio-oil with light keys (products with a distillation vapor temperature of 20°C to 95°C and above 100°C) added from distillation process at a 0.2% (L2) and 0.5% (L5) concentration (dry basis) with a matched control group (C2). The C1, H2, H5, C2, L2 and L5 treatments had a mean pellet durability index (PDI) of 97.6%, 97.7%, 98.0%, 98.2%, 98.2%, and 98.3%, respectively. The C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments had average bulk density values of 683.2, 678.4, 678.4, 673.6, 687.2, and 681.6 kg m-3, respectively. The mean higher heating values (HHV) for the C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments were 24.6, 24.8, 25.0, 24.0, 24.0, and 24.0, MJ kg-1, respectively. The normalized energy requirements for production for the C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments were 105.7, 96.3, 96.7, 97.9, 97.4, and 93.2 kWh Mg-1, respectively. An economic feasibility analysis showed that the discounted net present value (NPV) at a rate of 12% could be improved when using the H2 and H5 additives when compared to the control. Keywords: Biomass, Bio-oil, Hull, Husk, Pelletization, Pellets, Rice, Wood.
Competencias docentes en el uso de simulaciones virtuales STEM: diseño y validación de un instrumento de medida (CDUSV)
Authors: Gómez del Amo Rosa , Palacios Ortega Alicia , Moreno Mediavilla Daniel , Barreras Peral Álvaro
Published: December 2022

INTRODUCCIÓN. La importancia del uso de las simulaciones virtuales como recurso didáctico para desarrollar una enseñanza de las ciencias contextualizada, aplicada y centrada en el desarrollo de las competencias científicas ha creado la necesidad de evaluar cuáles son las competencias del profesorado de educación secundaria en el uso de estas herramientas. El objetivo de este trabajo es construir y validar un cuestionario para evaluar las competencias del profesorado de educación secundaria de áreas STEM en el uso de las simulaciones virtuales. MÉTODO. A partir de una revisión teórica exhaustiva se desarrolló un cuestionario inicial que fue sometido a un proceso de validación por expertos. A continuación, se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto con 30 profesores que ayudó a construir el instrumento definitivo. El cuestionario final fue aplicado a 332 profesores de educación secundaria de áreas STEM en España y, posteriormente, se llevó a cabo su validación a través de un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE). RESULTADOS. Los resultados obtenidos muestran una elevada validez de contenido y fiabilidad (α de Cronbach = .92). A su vez, el análisis factorial exploratorio desarrollado mediante el método de extracción de máxima verosimilitud y rotación Equamax muestra una estructura de 4 factores denominados: “Desarrollo de la práctica docente”, “Planificación didáctica”, “Autorreflexión sobre la práctica docente” y “Dificultades asociadas al uso de las simulaciones virtuales”. Se obtiene una fiabilidad alta para todos los factores extraídos. DISCUSIÓN. Finalmente, se discute el valor del instrumento y su interés para el diseño de programas de formación de profesorado construidos a partir del conocimiento y las dificultades reales del profesorado ante el uso de las simulaciones virtuales STEM en el aula de educación secundaria.
The Implementation of Ocular Health Service System Using Android Platform
Authors: Kim Woongsik
Published: December 2022

As the life expectancy of human increases, having a long and healthy life, Well-Aging, Wellness, and Anti-Aging become more important. There is a paradigm shift from diagnosis and treatment in the healthcare field to prognosis and prevention in daily life. The human part with the most capillary blood vessels is the inside of human eyes or the fundus oculi. These capillary blood vessels show characteristic changes prior to chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. In this study, a system is being developed to regularly collect data from the user, convert them into a database, and analyze to inform and warn any characteristic changes to users as they occur, such that users can proactively take care of their own eyes.
Help-seeking behaviours of those experiencing technology-facilitated GBV in Asia: implications for policy and programming
Authors: Bansal Vaiddehi , Leasure Erin , Roth Connor , Rezwan Mayumi , Iyer Mithila , Pal Poulomi , Hinson Laura
Published: December 2022

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (GBV) has become an increasing issue in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic which prompted a significant rise in online activity. In addition to amplifying traditional forms of abusive behaviours such as stalking, bullying and sexual harassment, information and communication technologies have facilitated new manifestations of violence such as image-based abuse, doxing, gendertrolling, impersonation and hacking, among others. Women, children, sexual, religious and ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable groups are particularly vulnerable to elevated risks of experiencing violence. Based on findings from a scoping review, this article discusses how certain key stakeholders – identified as technology companies, government and legal systems, and social support systems – are used in the help-seeking process by those who have experienced technology-facilitated GBV. We seek to highlight particular nuances which key actors must consider when addressing technology-facilitated GBV and summarise gaps and propose recommendations to inform policy and programming efforts in low- and middle-income countries across Asia.
Leader instigated task conflict and its effects on employee job crafting; the mediating role of employee attributions
Authors: Zakariya Ramsha , Muhammad Mehdi Raza Naqvi Sayyed
Published: December 2022

The role of leaders in conflict management remains the favorite area of researchers. This study aims to introduce a unique role of leaders in conflict named as leader instigated task conflict. We proposed that leader instigated task conflict promotes job crafting behaviors of employees by considering attributions regarding leader instigated conflict as mechanism for this relationship. Data were collected from 247 employees working in teams in marketing departments of different organizations across Pakistan. Data analyses was conducted through multilevel structural equation modeling. Findings revealed that leader instigated task conflict is positively related to promotion-focused job crafting and negatively related to prevention-focused job crafting via the mediating role of constructive conflict instigation attribution and destructive conflict instigation attribution respectively. The current study contributes to the literature on conflict by suggesting that leaders can be a source of task based conflict to achieve its positive outcomes. However, employee attributions play a vital role in achieving the positive outcomes of leader instigated task conflict, hence leaders must be careful about shaping constructive attributions of followers regarding their conflict instigation behavior in order to promote constructive behavioral responses of employees.
Pharmacogenomic markers of glucocorticoid response in congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Authors: Botelho Barra Cristina , Villela Thais Ramos , Soares Nedstâni de Freitas , Colosimo Enrico Antônio , Belisário André Rolim , e Silva Ana Cristina Simões , Silva Ivani Novato
Published: December 2022

Glucocorticoids (GC) replacement are the mainstay treatment for 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD), the most common cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), in its classical form. There are novel insights into the genetic basis of the GC action diversity that point to an important role for GC receptor (GR) gene polymorphisms, suggesting a possible modulation in occurrence of metabolic disorders, what may be relevant to clinical management of 21-OHD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the five GR gene polymorphisms Tth111I, ER22, 23EK, BclI, 9β (rs10052957, rs6189, rs6190, rs41423247, rs6198) and their combination into haplotypes are associated to different GC response in a cohort of classic 21-OHD subjects. GR genotype-phenotype associations were explored after a dexamethasone suppression test using very low-doses (VLD-DST), 20 and 40 μg/m². The final sample (n = 28) was selected based on the 102 individuals’ previous genotypes classification, according to literature data of GC sensitivity or resistance. Thus, only patients with GC increased resistance (n = 18) or increased sensitivity (n = 10) profiles were selected. Out of 28 subjects aged 12 (2–34) years enrolled in this study, 75% were females, 75% presented the salt-wasting form (SW) and 25% the simple virilizing form (SV). Subjects who carried Tth111I and 9β, associated or not to the ER22/23EK variants, showed an impaired DST response. Results did not differ significantly according to gender or body mass index. SV subjects with GC hypersensitivity-genotypes showed decreased average cortisol levels compared to those with GC resistance-genotypes (p = 0.0023). The Tth111I + 9β/ Wild or Tth111I + ER22/23EK + 9β/ Wild genotypes were associated to GC resistance in this population. This finding may be relevant given the challenges posed by therapeutic management with GC in CAH.
miR-20a is upregulated in serum from domestic feline with PKD1 mutation
Authors: Scalon Marcela Correa , Martins Christine Souza , Ferreira Gabriel Ginani , Schlemmer Franciele , Titze de Almeida Ricardo , Paludo Giane Regina
Published: December 2022

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), also known as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a genetically heterogeneous condition characterized by cysts in renal parenchyma. It is the most prevalent inherited disease of domestic cats. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or ncRNA) are short, noncoding, single-stranded RNAs that may induce PKD cytogenesis by affecting numerous targets genes as well as by directly regulating PKD gene expression. We compared the relative expression profile of miR-20a, -192, -365, -15b-5p, and -16-5p from plasma and serum samples of nine domestic cats with PKD1 mutation, detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a control group (n = 10). Blood samples from cats with PKD1 mutation provide similar concentrations of microRNAs either from plasma or serum. Serum miR-20a is upregulated in PKD group with p < 0.005; Roc curve analysis showed an AUC of 90,1% with a cut-off value sensitivity of 77.8% and specificity of 100%. This data provides important information regarding renal miRNA expression in peripheral blood sampling.
The quest for a generic bird target to detect the presence of bird in food products and considerations for paleoprotein analysis
Authors: Kleinnijenhuis Anne J. , van Holthoon Frédérique L.
Published: December 2022

It can be important for consumers to know whether food products contain animal material and, if so, of which species. Food products with animal material as an ingredient often contain collagen type 1. LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography–tandem Mass Spectrometry) was applied as technique to generically detect bird. Unlike for example fish, that have experienced longer divergence times, it is still possible to find generic LC-MS targets for avian type 1 collagen. After theoretical target selection using 83 collagen 1α2 bird sequences of 33 orders and construction of a common ancestor sequence of birds, experimental evidence was provided by analyzing extracts from 10 extant bird species. Two suitable options have been identified. The combination of VGPIGPAGNR and VGPIGAAGNR (pheasant only) covers all investigated birds and was not found in other species. The peptide EGPVGFpGADGR covers all investigated birds, but also occurs in several species of crocodiles and turtles. The presence of the generic peptide (combination) was confirmed in food products, proving the principle, and can therefore be used to detect the presence of bird. Furthermore, it is shown how the use of constructed ancestor sequences could benefit the field of paleoproteomics, in the interpretation of collagen MS/MS spectra of ancient species. Our theoretical analysis and assessment of reported Brachylophosaurus canadensis collagen 1α2 MS/MS data provided support for several previous peptide sequence assignments, but we also propose that our constructed ancestral bird sequence GPpGESGAVGPAGPIGSR may fit the MS/MS data better than the original assignment GLPGESGAVGPAGPpGSR.
DEVELOPMENT REVEALED: THE REAL ECONOMIC FACE AND THE SUSTAINABLE MASK
Authors: Truccolo Reato Talissa , Calgaro Cleide , Pilau Sobrinho Liton Lanes
Published: December 2022

The context: The discourse about sustainable development gradually loses its expressiveness, mainly because it is a normative concept that gives scope for the construction of several definitions and innumerable interpretations. Despite the conciliation of economy and environment, sustainable development can be seen as a mask of economic development.

Objectives: The primary goal of the research is to verify sustainable development as a disagreement discourse in relation to social reality, which contributes to the minimization of the space destined to other strategies of environmental preservation and that hides a secret goal (the economic character that does not deviate from development).

Methodology: The methodology was developed through reading by the hypothetical-deductive method. This is basic, exploratory and bibliographical research, structured in three fragments.

Result: The initial part identifies economic development and differentiates economic development from economic growth. The following fragment broach sustainable development, giving emphasis to the difficulties of interpretation. Finally, the sustainable disguise of economic development is examined, and the suggestion of a progressive abandonment of the term sustainable development is presented, presenting alternatives to harmonize the economy and the environment.
Clinical and immunohistochemical characteristics of pheochromocytomas
Authors: Morozova A. M. , Tsygankova O. G. , Yurova E. V. , Torokhtiy N. A. , Stegniy K. V. , Kulakova T. A. , Goncharuk R. A. , Dmitriev M. O.
Published: December 2022

BACKGROUND. Currently, pheochromocytomas are classified as malignant tumors (WHO 2017), which means that special postoperative tactics are required for patients with different risks of pheochromocytoma aggressiveness.

AIM. Assess the predictors of malignant potential of pheochromocytomas using the GAPP and PASS scales.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. From 2016 to 2021, 24 patients diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, age from 18 to 81 years (median 50.4+-3.3), were hospitalized at the Primorsky Regional Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Diseases, 21 of them were women and 3 were men. Hormone producing adenoma in the right adrenal gland was found in 13 patients (54.2%), on the left in 8 (33.3%) cases, bilateral pheochromocytoma — in 3 (12.5%) cases. Clinical manifestation: a sharp increase in systolic blood pressure of more than 200 mmHg accompanied by crises, tachycardia was detected in 14 patients, the rest of the clinical symptoms were nonspecific: persistent arterial hypertension, as well as general weakness. The sizes of the revealed formations varied from — 1.1x1.6x1.6 cm to — 7.7x10.6x8.5 cm. (median 37+-1.2). The diagnosis was confirmed by standard examinations. All patients underwent unilateral adrenalectomy at the Surgery Center of the FEFU Medical Center, using two main methods: retroperitoneoscopy and laparoscopy. After the operation, histological and immunohistochemical studies were performed. The analysis of immunohistochemical studies was carried out. The expression of Ki67, Chromogranin A, Synaptophysin was determined. Since it is currently impossible to absolutely accurately determine the malignant potential of pheochromocytomas, the PASS and GAPP scores have been introduced into clinical practice. A retrospective analysis of the cytological material of patients operated on in 2020 and 2021 was carried out.

RESULTS. According to the PASS scale, more than 4 points were detected in 7 out of 10 patients. GAPP scores ranged from 0 to 2 in 3 out of 10 people; 3-6 points for 5; more than 7 points in 2 patients. At the same time, the results of the calculation on both scales in 100% of cases correspond to each other, which makes it possible to identify patients with moderate and high malignant potential.

CONCLUSION. The results obtained confirm the need to use additional tools in clinical practice to determine the prognosis in a particular patient, which means it will allow developing an algorithm for dispensary observation, the timing of the follow-up examination.
Clinical case: large cystic mass of the left adrenal gland
Authors: Garayeva A. I. , Nikolaev E. V. , Khabibullina L. T. , Styazhkina S. N.
Published: December 2022

Aim. A clinical case of a non-functioning tumor of the adrenal gland, its diagnosis and treatment.

Materials and Methods. Histological preparations were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, photographed at 200 magnification.

Results. Adrenal cysts are benign neoplasms that are hormonally inactive and can be asymptomatic for a long time. They are often discovered incidentally during an ultrasound or CT scan. Prior to the improvement of diagnostic methods, formations such as adrenal cysts were extremely rare. To date, there is a trend towards a steady increase in the frequency of adrenal tumors detected incidentally and is about 6–10%. Hormonally inactive adrenal tumors usually do not require surgery, but there are clinical situations in which surgery is necessary. As an example of a disease, a clinical case is given below.

Patient P., 39 years old, was hospitalized in the urology department from 12/13/2021 to 12/24/2021 with a diagnosis: D35.0 Benign neoplasm of the adrenal gland (cyst of the left adrenal gland). Upon admission, there were complaints of aching pain in the left lumbar region.

He considers himself ill for several years, was treated for another disease, an ultrasound in 2018 accidentally revealed a neoplasm of the adrenal gland on the left. At the last ultrasound control, an active growth of the neoplasm was detected, for this reason he was sent for surgical treatment to the urological department of RCH 1.

Surgery was performed in the hospital by laparoscopic excision of a cyst of the left adrenal gland under endotracheal anesthesia. The adrenal gland was sent for post-mortem examination, the results are presented below.

The wall of the cystic formation is represented by cells of the cortical layer of the adrenal gland, corresponding to the cells of the glomerular zone. The cells are large with abundant light cytoplasm and a monomorphic nucleus. In the wall of cyst there are foci of hemorrhages and accumulations of hemosiderin pigment. Outside, the cystic formation is surrounded by a fibrous capsule.

Conclusion. This paper presents an analysis of a large adrenal cyst. It is important to pay attention to the fact that this incidentaloma was asymptomatic, without any clinical signs and hormonal activity. Incidentalomas are often «silent», so it is extremely difficult to identify them, but the likelihood of degeneration into a malignant tumor is high.
Laser technologies in the treatment of patients with purulent-necrotic forms of diabetic foot
Authors: Lutsenko Yu. G. , Akhrameev V. B. , Matiytsiv A. B.
Published: December 2022

Retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes of 65 patients with purulent-necrotic forms of diabetic foot: group I (35 patients), who received integrated treatment using laser therapy, group II (30 patients), who received traditional treatment. It was established that the use of laser therapy in these patients compared to traditional therapy allows reducing the duration of the inflammatory reaction in tissues (from 6-8 days to 4-5 days), and subsequently to the appearance of granulations on day 7-8 and marginal epithelization by the end of 10 days, which leads to a reduction in the length of treatment.
Cytology as a reliable method of verifying the diagnosis at the preoperative stage
Authors: Aizetullova G. R. , Osipov V. F.
Published: December 2022

The case histories of 414 patients who were operated on for mild diseases of the thyroid gland (DTH) were retrospectively studied. The study is aimed at studying the cytological material in the preoperative period and the comparative assessment of the postoperative histological material of patients operated on for the thyroid gland. As a result of the study, it was found that the share of nodular goiter with euthyroid function (UEZ) and multinodular euthyroid goiter (MUEZ) accounts for 269 patients, which is 65%. In 87 patients (21%), diffuse-toxic goiter (DTG) and nodular toxic goiter with the formation of functional autonomy (FA) were revealed; autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) in 58 cases (14%). All 414 patients with tonic aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland showed good changes in the cytological material. After the diagnosis, preoperative preparation, 294 patients (71%) out of 414 underwent thyroidectmia with DTZ, FA, with MUEZ and a significant increase in thyroid gland volume. Hemityroidectomy was performed in 178 patients (29%) with one-sided nodular lesion of the thyroid gland with preserved normal hormonal background. In 94% of cases, there is a coincidence of cytological and histological studies, a benign result of a biopsy material was confirmed in 389 patients. In 6% of cases (25 patients), there is a discrepancy between cytological and histological studies.
Do Pontal do Paranapanema a Ribeirão Preto: uma viagem geográfica e paradigmática para melhor compreender os modelos de desenvolvimento da agricultura
Authors: Fernandes Bernardo Mançano , Feliciano Carlos Alberto , Welch Clifford Andrew
Published: December 2022

Este texto foi elaborado para subsidiar o trabalho de campo da reunião do Grupo de Trabalho Desenvolvimento Rural do Conselho Latino Americano de Ciências Sociais (CLACSO), realizada em Presidente Prudente, Mirante do Paranapanema, Teodoro Sampaio, Ribeirão Preto e São Paulo, no período de 28 de agosto a 4 de setembro de 2005
Os estudos de Geografia Rural no Brasil: revisão e tendências
Authors: Gusmão Rivaldo Pinto de
Published: December 2022

Texto publicado conforme o original, extraído dos Anais do 3º Encontro Nacional de Geógrafos, AGB/UFC, Fortaleza, 1978, como documento básico para a Sessão Dirigida sobre Estudos Rurais. p. 57-62. Agradecemos a Rivaldo Pinto de Gusmão a autorização para publicar o referido texto.
A expansão da cana-de-açúcar no espaço alagoano e suas conseqüências sobre o meio ambiente e a identidade cultural
Authors: Santos André Luiz da Silva , Pereira Eugênia Cristina Gonçalves , Andrade Laise de Holanda Cavalcanti
Published: December 2022

A expansão da cana-de-açúcar no estado de Alagoas se deu mediante a uma adaptação aos condicionantes naturais. O seu cultivo só deixou as terras da planície costeira em direção aos tabuleiros devido a dois estímulos externos: a demanda internacional e o alto preço alcançado pelo açúcar. Esta condição despertou no governo brasileiro a necessidade de aumentar as áreas de cultivo. Os incentivos públicos concedidos através dos programas - IAA, PLANALSUCAR e PROÁLCOOL -, criaram as condições técnicas para o avanço do plantio em áreas de fertilidade baixa e declividade acentuada, até então impróprias ao cultivo. As sucessivas crises do setor pela diminuição da demanda do açúcar e o aumento da concorrência internacional obrigaram o setor sucro-alcooleiro a passar por uma reestruturação. Os ciclos de expansão da monocultura, sobretudo, devido aos incentivos federais, foram responsáveis pelo desmatamento de grande parte da cobertura original do território alagoano. Além deste impacto principal, seguiram-se outros ligados ao processamento da cana para a fabricação de açúcar e álcool anidro. Por fim, se constatou que a expansão do setor sucro-alcooleiro e, a consequente diminuição dos recursos naturais, também repercutiam na identidade cultural.