bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale
Authors: de Castro Marcela R. , Morgado Fabiane Frota da Rocha , Junior Ismael Forte Freitas
Published: November 2016

This study reports on the development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument for obtaining respondents’ body image perception, the Brazilian Photographic Figure Rating Scale (BPFRS). This instrument consists of eight photographic images (seven distorted and one accurate) of respondents themselves in standardized poses, taken just prior to requesting respondents to make self-ratings on the instrument. Participants involved in developing and evaluating this instrument were 142 Brazilian women (age 21.8 ± 3.0 years). Ten experts assessed content validity and showed high agreement (defined by ratings of 4–5 on a 5-point scale) with items measuring underlying constructs and high (>70%) interrater agreement. A Pearson correlation demonstrated convergence between the BPFRS and other related scales; a positive correlation was also evident between actual and respondent-perceived body mass index. Both test–retest and Kappa confirmed temporal stability. These findings indicate that the BPFRS can accurately and reliably assess body image dissatisfaction and body perception in young women by deploying realistic, personalized images as stimuli for self-ratings. Implications for further research and treatment of body image problems are discussed.
Patient Health Goals Elicited During Home Care Admission: A Categorization
Authors: Sockolow Paulina , Radhakrishnan Kavita , Chou Edgar Y. , Wojciechowicz Christine
Published: November 2016

Home care agencies are initiating “patient health goal elicitation” activities as part of home care admission planning. We categorized elicited goals and identified “clinically informative” goals at a home care agency. We examined patient goals that admitting clinicians documented in the point-of-care electronic health record; conducted content analysis on patient goal data to develop a coding scheme; grouped goal themes into codes; assigned codes to each goal; and identified goals that were in the patient voice. Of the 1,763 patient records, 16% lacked a goal; only 15 goals were in a patient’s voice. Nurse and physician experts identified 12 of the 20 codes as clinically important accounting for 82% of goal occurrences. The most frequent goal documented was safety/falls (23%). Training and consistent communication of the intent and operationalization of patient goal elicitation may address the absence of patient voice and the less than universal recording of home care patients’ goals.
Trust, power or money: What governs business relationships?
Authors: Bachmann Reinhard , Kroeger Frens
Published: November 2016

This article suggests conceptualising trust as a generalised symbolic medium of communication. It is argued that in business relationships trust appears intertwined with other media, such as power or money. Furthermore, it is shown that typical combinations of trust, power and money are dominant in different business systems (liberal vs coordinated market economies). The overarching aim of this article is to demonstrate that trust is a fundamental concept of social theory and that the theory of generalised symbolic media of communication provides a useful conceptual perspective to integrate trust into social theory.
Global corporate responsibility disclosure: A comparative analysis of field, national, and global influences
Authors: Lim Alwyn
Published: November 2016

In the domain of global corporate responsibility (GCR), international organizations have promoted disclosure as a means to address global concerns with corporations’ social and environmental practices. Business disclosure practices, however, remain uneven across organizations and countries. This article examines various field, national, and global factors that facilitate or mitigate GCR disclosure among corporations worldwide. Analyzing unique quantitative data on more than 1800 disclosure reports by corporations in more than 50 countries, this article presents two main findings. First, field-level factors are prominent but they influence disclosure levels in different ways. Third-party verification encourages greater disclosure, while peer organizations mitigate disclosure. Second, national and global factors influence disclosure differently in developed and developing countries. Business disclosure in developed countries is impacted by national factors while, in developing countries, disclosure is significantly influenced by global factors. The article concludes by discussing the implications of GCR disclosure for wider global corporate governance concerns.
World polity or world society? Delineating the statist and societal dimensions of the global institutional system
Authors: Cole Wade M
Published: November 2016

The world society/polity perspective developed by John Meyer, his collaborators, and his students has grown tremendously over the past three decades. It is, however, theoretically and conceptually imprecise in one crucial respect: the very terms by which the perspective is called – ‘world polity’ and ‘world society’ – are used interchangeably and indiscriminately. This article proposes the utility of developing an implicit conceptual distinction between these terms. The world polity and world society describe, respectively, the state-centric and civil society dimensions of the global institutional order. After explicating key differences between the world polity and world society, the author offers suggestions for operationalizing these concepts in empirical research and considers possible avenues of inquiry.
Hyperoxia results in increased aerobic metabolism following acute brain injury
Authors: Ghosh Arnab , Highton David , Kolyva Christina , Tachtsidis Ilias , Elwell Clare E , Smith Martin
Published: November 2016

Acute brain injury is associated with depressed aerobic metabolism. Below a critical mitochondrial pO2 cytochrome c oxidase, the terminal electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, fails to sustain oxidative phosphorylation. After acute brain injury, this ischaemic threshold might be shifted into apparently normal levels of tissue oxygenation. We investigated the oxygen dependency of aerobic metabolism in 16 acutely brain-injured patients using a 120-min normobaric hyperoxia challenge in the acute phase (24–72 h) post-injury and multimodal neuromonitoring, including transcranial Doppler ultrasound-measured cerebral blood flow velocity, cerebral microdialysis-derived lactate-pyruvate ratio (LPR), brain tissue pO2 (pbrO2), and tissue oxygenation index and cytochrome c oxidase oxidation state (oxCCO) measured using broadband spectroscopy. Increased inspired oxygen resulted in increased pbrO2 [ΔpbrO2 30.9 mmHg p < 0.001], reduced LPR [ΔLPR −3.07 p = 0.015], and increased cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) oxidation (Δ[oxCCO] + 0.32 µM p < 0.001) which persisted on return-to-baseline (Δ[oxCCO] + 0.22 µM, p < 0.01), accompanied by a 7.5% increase in estimated cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen ( p = 0.038). Our results are consistent with an improvement in cellular redox state, suggesting oxygen-limited metabolism above recognised ischaemic pbrO2 thresholds. Diffusion limitation or mitochondrial inhibition might explain these findings. Further investigation is warranted to establish optimal oxygenation to sustain aerobic metabolism after acute brain injury.
Age-associated physiological and pathological changes at the blood–brain barrier: A review
Authors: Erdő Franciska , Denes László , de Lange Elizabeth
Published: November 2016

The age-associated decline of the neurological and cognitive functions becomes more and more serious challenge for the developed countries with the increasing number of aged populations. The morphological and biochemical changes in the aging brain are the subjects of many extended research projects worldwide for a long time. However, the crucial role of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) impairment and disruption in the pathological processes in age-associated neurodegenerative disorders received special attention just for a few years. This article gives an overview on the major elements of the blood–brain barrier and its supporting mechanisms and also on their alterations during development, physiological aging process and age-associated neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, pharmacoresistant epilepsy). Besides the morphological alterations of the cellular elements (endothelial cells, astrocytes, pericytes, microglia, neuronal elements) of the BBB and neurovascular unit, the changes of the barrier at molecular level (tight junction proteins, adheres junction proteins, membrane transporters, basal lamina, extracellular matrix) are also summarized. The recognition of new players and initiators of the process of neurodegeneration at the level of the BBB may offer new avenues for novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of numerous chronic neurodegenerative disorders currently without effective medication.
Social Media in the Workplace: Information Exchange, Productivity, or Waste?
Authors: Fusi Federica , Feeney Mary K.
Published: November 2016

Public managers play a central role in the adoption and smooth implementation of social media tools in the workplace, with local governments increasingly expecting managers to utilize these tools. Nevertheless, we know little about how public managers perceive social media use for work activities and what factors shape such perceptions. Preliminary research has shown that social media use in government may enhance task efficiency, but it may also increase management complexity and workload. In this study, we draw from current literature on e-government adoption and use to investigate the role of personal and organizational use of social media, organizational culture, digital threats, and technological capacity in shaping public managers’ perceptions of social media use. Combining data from a national survey of 2,500 public managers in 500 U.S. local governments, Census data, and data collected from city websites, we find that perceptions of social media tools in the workplace are influenced by the interplay of personal and organization use of social media, an organizational culture of innovation, and formal guidance on social media use. Technological capacity and perceptions of digital threats are not significantly related to perceptions of social media. We conclude with a discussion of what these findings mean for research and practice.
The Nexus of State and Local Capacity in Vertical Policy Diffusion
Authors: Kim Junghack , McDonald Bruce D. , Lee Jooho
Published: November 2016

This article examines the vertical diffusion of a policy between a state and its local governments. Although policy diffusion typically relies upon multiple mechanisms, diffusion between a state and its local governments relies primarily on coercion. Using a case study of state-mandated adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we show that the coercion mechanism is dependent upon the capacity of the state and local governments to adopt and implement a policy, as well as the discretion available to a local government. Utilizing data from all 50 states as of 2008, our findings show that the vertical diffusion of a policy is reliant on a state’s fiscal capacity and the personnel capacity of the local government. We also found that strong institutional autonomy at the local level leads a state to adopt a GAAP mandate.
Persistence and switching patterns of oral migraine prophylactic medications among patients with chronic migraine: A retrospective claims analysis
Authors: Hepp Zsolt , Dodick David W , Varon Sepideh F , Chia Jenny , Matthew Nitya , Gillard Patrick , Hansen Ryan N , Devine Emily Beth
Published: November 2016

Background

Migraine prevention guidelines recommend oral prophylactic medications for patients with frequent headache. This study examined oral migraine preventive medication (OMPM) treatment patterns by evaluating medication persistence, switching, and re-initiation in patients with chronic migraine (CM).

Methods

A retrospective US claims analysis (Truven Health MarketScan® Databases) evaluated patients ≥18 years old diagnosed with CM who had initiated an OMPM between 1 January, 2008 and 30 September, 2012. Treatment persistence was measured at six and 12 months’ follow-up. Time-to-discontinuation was assessed for each OMPM and compared using Cox regression models. Among those who discontinued, the proportion that switched OMPMs within 60 days or re-initiated treatment between 61 to 365 days, and their associated persistence rates, were also assessed.

Results

A total of 8707 patients met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Persistence to the initial OMPM was 25% at six months and 14% at 12 months. Based on Kaplan-Meier curves, a sharp decline of patients discontinuing was observed by 30 days, and approximately half discontinued by 60 days. Similar trends in time-to-discontinuation were seen following the second or third OMPM. Amitriptyline, gabapentin, and nortriptyline had significantly higher likelihood of non-persistence compared with topiramate. Among patients who discontinued, 23% switched to another prophylactic and 41% re-initiated therapy within one year. Among patients who switched, persistence was between 10 to 13% and among re-initiated patients, persistence was between 4 to 8% at 12 months.

Conclusions

Persistence to OMPMs is poor at six months and declines further by 12 months. Switching between OMPMs is common, but results indicate that persistence worsens as patients cycle through various OMPMs.
Comprehensive Arthroscopic Management of Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis: Preoperative Factors Predictive of Treatment Failure
Authors: Mitchell Justin J. , Warner Brent T. , Horan Marilee P. , Raynor M. Brett , Menge Travis J. , Greenspoon Joshua A. , Millett Peter J.
Published: November 2016

Background:

Patient selection is critical when choosing between arthroscopic joint preservation and total shoulder arthroplasty in young patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA).

Purpose:

To identify prognostic factors predictive of early failure in patients undergoing comprehensive arthroscopic management (CAM) for GHOA.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 107 shoulders in 98 patients with minimum 2-year follow-up who underwent CAM were identified and evaluated. All shoulders met clinical and radiographic criteria for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), but the patients opted for joint preservation with arthroscopic management. Radiographic and preoperative factors were analyzed to determine predictors of early failure, defined as progression to TSA within the study period.

Results:

There were 72 men and 26 women with a mean age of 52 years (range, 29-77 years). Seventeen (15.8%) of 107 shoulders progressed to TSA at a mean of 2 years (range, 0.46-8.2 years). Shoulder status for the rest had a mean follow-up of 3.9 years (range, 2-9.4 years). There were a number of radiographic features that were correlated with early failure. Patients who failed had significantly less preoperative joint space than did those who succeeded (1.3 vs 2.6 mm; P = .004). Higher Kellgren-Lawrence grades for osteoarthritis and age older than 50 were also associated with failure. Shoulders with Walch type B2 and C glenoid were significantly more likely to fail than were Walch types A1, A2, and B1 ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

The CAM procedure has been shown to reliably improve pain and function in active patients with advanced GHOA; however, it is important to inform patients about the limitations of the procedure. Patients with less joint space and abnormal posterior glenoid shape were significantly more likely to progress to early failure.
Electrophysiological Study of Femoral Nerve Function After a Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Randomized, Controlled Single-Blind Trial
Authors: Stebler Kevin , Martin Robin , Kirkham Kyle Robert , Küntzer Thierry , Bathory Istvan , Albrecht Eric
Published: November 2016

Background:

A continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) is an effective analgesic treatment after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction but may result in transient femoral nerve injuries and quadriceps muscle weakness, which in turn contribute to worsened functional outcomes.

Purpose:

To compare electrophysiological criteria of a femoral nerve injury as well as functional and pain-related outcomes after ACL reconstruction when analgesia was provided by a CFNB or intravenous patient-controlled analgesic of morphine (IV PCA).

Study Design:

Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A total of 74 patients scheduled for ACL reconstruction were randomized to receive a CFNB before surgery, followed by a ropivacaine infusion for 2 days and oxycodone, or IV PCA. The primary outcome was the rate of femoral nerve injuries at 4 weeks postoperatively, defined as a reduction of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) area from the vastus medialis muscle after supramaximal femoral nerve stimulation at the groin, associated with an absent H-reflex of the femoral nerve and signs of vastus medialis muscle denervation. Secondary functional outcomes were quadriceps muscle strength, active flexion range, and distance walked, as measured on postoperative days 1 and 2. Secondary pain-related outcomes were IV morphine consumption and pain scores at rest and on movement in phase 1 recovery and on postoperative days 1 and 2.

Results:

No patients met the electrophysiological criteria of a femoral nerve injury. The mean CMAP area at 4 weeks was equivalent in both the CFNB and IV PCA groups (47 ± 16 mV·ms and 51 ± 13 mV·ms, respectively; P = .50). While no differences were detected in functional outcomes or pain scores, the consumption of an IV morphine equivalent was reduced by the administration of a CFNB in phase 1 recovery (6 ± 5 mg and 13 ± 7 mg, respectively; P = .0003), on postoperative day 1 (6 ± 7 mg and 19 ± 17 mg, respectively; P = .0005), and on postoperative day 2 (11 ± 10 mg and 19 ± 17 mg, respectively; P = .03) compared with an IV PCA.

Conclusion:

Despite prior contrary reports, a CFNB did not result in femoral nerve injuries or worsened functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction. The improvement of analgesia with a CFNB was only marginal and not clinically relevant beyond 24 hours.

Registration:

NCT01321138 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on the Choice of Treatment for Patients With Cruciate Ligament Injuries in the Knee: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Nordenvall Richard , Marcano Alejandro I. , Adami Johanna , Palme Mårten , Mattila Ville M. , Bahmanyar Shahram , Felländer-Tsai Li
Published: November 2016

Background:

The socioeconomic status (SES) of patients has been widely recognized as playing an important role in many health-related conditions, including orthopaedic conditions, in which a higher SES has been associated with a higher utilization of more advanced medical treatments such as drugs, diagnostics, and surgery. However, the association between SES and cruciate ligament surgery has not been thoroughly investigated.

Purpose:

To evaluate the association between SES and choice of treatment in patients with a cruciate ligament injury.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All Swedish patients with a diagnosed cruciate ligament injury between 1987 and 2010 were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register (N = 98,349). The Longitudinal Integration Database for Health Insurance and Labor Market Studies (LISA) provided information on household income and highest achieved educational level, which were used as socioeconomic indices. The exposure was the SES of patients as determined by the household income and educational level, and the main outcome measure was treatment choice (surgical reconstruction vs nonoperative treatment). Poisson regression models estimated the association.

Results:

A total of 52,566 patients were included in the study; of these, 20,660 (39%) were treated operatively. Patients in the highest quartile of household income had a significantly higher likelihood of undergoing surgery than those in the lowest quartile (relative risk [RR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.11-1.20). Patients classified as highly educated had a significantly increased likelihood of being treated operatively compared with those with a low education (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.19-1.39).

Conclusion:

This study provides a population-based validation that having a higher SES as determined by the household income and/or level of education increases the likelihood of undergoing operative treatment after a cruciate ligament injury.

Clinical Relevance:

All Swedish citizens are entitled by law to the same quality of health care; therefore, unmotivated differences in treatment between different socioeconomic groups are to be seen as a challenge. It is important to evaluate the specific mechanisms by which the patient’s SES influences the decision of whether to treat a cruciate ligament injury operatively.
Combining Home Garden, Poultry, and Nutrition Education Program Targeted to Families With Young Children Improved Anemia Among Children and Anemia and Underweight Among Nonpregnant Women in Nepal
Authors: Osei Akoto , Pandey Pooja , Nielsen Jennifer , Pries Alissa , Spiro David , Davis Dale , Quinn Victoria , Haselow Nancy
Published: November 2016

Background:

The impact of food-based interventions on child and maternal anthropometry and anemia has not been adequately studied.

Objective:

This study tested the effect of an enhanced homestead food production (EHFP) program consisting of home garden, poultry raising, and nutrition education implemented over 2.5 years versus control (no intervention) on anthropometry and anemia among children (12-48 months) and their mothers.

Methods:

An unblinded cluster-randomized controlled trial involving pre- and post-surveys with independent samples was conducted in rural areas of Baitadi District, Nepal. Data (including weight, height/length, and hemoglobin) were obtained from 2106 and 2614 mother–child pairs at baseline and follow-up, respectively. Changes in outcome variables (stunting, underweight, wasting, and anemia among children and underweight and anemia among mothers) were compared between the study groups using mixed-effects logistic regression models.

Results:

At follow-up, anemia was significantly lower among children (odds ratio, OR [95% confidence interval, CI]: 0.76 [0.59-0.98]) and mothers (OR [95% CI]: 0.62 [0.48-0.82]) in the treatment group compared to the control. Underweight was lower among mothers in the treatment group compared to the control (OR [95% CI]: 0.61 [0.46-0.82]). There was no impact on child anthropometry.

Conclusion:

The EHFP intervention improved anemia among children aged 12 to 48 months and their mothers in Baitadi District of Nepal. The intervention also reduced underweight among these women, but had no impact on child growth, in this district.
Mental Health Status, Health Care Utilisation, and Service Satisfaction among Immigrants in Montreal: An Epidemiological Comparison
Authors: Whitley Rob , Wang JiaWei , Fleury Marie-Josee , Liu Aihua , Caron Jean
Published: November 2016

Objective:

To examine variations between immigrants and nonimmigrants in 1) prevalence of common mental disorders and other mental health variables; 2) health service utilisation for emotional problems, mental disorders, and addictions, and 3) health service satisfaction.

Methods:

This article is based on a longitudinal cohort study conducted from May 2007 to the present: the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study of Montreal South-West (ZEPSOM). Participants were followed up at 4 time points (T1, n = 2433; T4, n = 1095). Core exposure variables include immigrant status (immigrant vs. nonimmigrant), duration of residence, and region of origin. Key outcome variables included mental health status, health service utilisation, and health service satisfaction. Data were analysed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Results:

Immigrants had been in Canada for 20 years on average. Immigrants had significantly lower rates of high psychological distress (32.6% vs. 39.1%, P = 0.016), alcohol dependence (1.4% vs. 3.9%, P =0.010), depression (5.2% vs. 9.2%, P = 0.008), and various other mental disorders. They had significantly higher scores of mental well-being (48.9 vs. 47.1 score, P = 0.014) and satisfaction with social (34.0 vs. 33.4 score, P = 0.021) and personal relationships (16.7 vs. 15.6 score, P < 0.001). Immigrants had significantly lower rates of health service utilisation for emotional problems, mental disorders, and addictions and significantly higher rates of health service satisfaction at all time points. Asian and African immigrants had particularly low rates of utilisation and high rates of satisfaction.

Conclusions:

Immigrants had better overall mental health than nonimmigrants.
In-situ pyrolysis: A novel technique for the dispersion of carbon particles in thermoplastics
Authors: Akram Mohamad , Taha Iman , Ghobashy Mohamed M
Published: November 2016

An adequate dispersion of fine particles is essential for improved properties in particle-reinforced composites. State-of-the-art methods mainly rely on mechanical (shearing) dispersion methods that do not yield the requested homogeneity within the final composite. This leads to a deterioration and inhomogeneity of mechanical properties. Other non-conventional methods such as in-situ polymerisation or solution compounding are not yet applicable on an industrial scale. This study tackles these problems and provides a novel method for the fabrication of well-dispersed particle-reinforced polymer composites while making use of conventional machinery on the one hand and allowing industrial applicability on the other hand. The presented technique makes use of the pyrolysis of a low thermally stable polymer within a conventional melt compounding process to produce well dispersed carbon particles throughout a thermoplastic matrix in an in-situ process. For this purpose, Carboxymethylcellulose particles are used. The selection of decomposition parameters around the processing temperature of polypropylene yields well-dispersed carbon particles, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. This further interprets the resulting promising mechanical properties.
Calculating the pre-consumer waste footprint: A screening study of 10 selected products
Authors: Laurenti Rafael , Moberg Åsa , Stenmarck Åsa
Published: November 2016

Knowledge about the total waste generated by the production of consumer goods can help raise awareness among policy-makers, producers and consumers of the benefits of closing loops in a future circular economy, avoiding unnecessary production and production steps and associated generation of large amounts of waste. In strict life cycle assessment practice, information on waste outputs from intermediate industrial processes of material and energy transformation is translated into and declared as potential environmental impacts, which are often not reported in the final results. In this study, a procedure to extract available intermediate data and perform a systematic pre-consumer waste footprint analysis was developed. The pre-consumer waste footprint concept was tested to analyse 10 generic products, which provided some novel and interesting results for the different product categories and identified a number of challenges that need to be resolved in development of the waste footprint concept. These challenges include standardised data declaration on waste in life cycle assessment, with a separation into waste categories illustrating the implicit environmental and scale of significance of waste types and quantities (e.g. hazardous waste, inert waste, waste for recycling/incineration) and establishment of a common definition of waste throughout sectors and nations.
Pharmacologic Stress Gastropathy Prophylaxis May Not Be Necessary in At-Risk Surgical Trauma ICU Patients Tolerating Enteral Nutrition
Authors: Palm Nicole M. , McKinzie Brian , Ferguson Pamela L. , Chapman Emily , Dorlon Margaret , Eriksson Evert A. , Jewett Brent , Leon Stuart M. , Privette Alicia R. , Fakhry Samir M.
Published: November 2016

Objective:

Stress gastropathy is a rare complication of the intensive care unit stay with high morbidity and mortality. There are data that support the concept that patients tolerating enteral nutrition have sufficient gut blood flow to obviate the need for prophylaxis; however, no robust studies exist. This study assesses the incidence of clinically significant gastrointestinal bleeding in surgical trauma intensive care unit (STICU) patients at risk of stress gastropathy secondary to mechanical ventilation receiving enteral nutrition without pharmacologic prophylaxis.

Design:

A retrospective cohort study of records from 2008 to 2013.

Setting:

Adult patients in a single-center STICU were included.

Patients:

Patients were included if they received full enteral nutrition while on mechanical ventilation. Exclusion criteria were coagulopathy, glucocorticoid use, prior-to-admission acid-suppressive therapy use, direct trauma or surgery to the stomach, failure to tolerate goal enteral nutrition, orders to allow natural death, and deviation from the intervention.

Intervention:

Pharmacologic stress ulcer prophylaxis was discontinued once enteral nutrition was providing full caloric requirements for patients requiring mechanical ventilation.

Measurements and Main Results:

A total of 200 patients were included. The median age was 42 years, 83.0% were male, and 96.0% were trauma patients. The incidence of clinically significant gastrointestinal bleeding was 0.50%, with a subset analysis of traumatic brain injury patients yielding an incidence of 0.68%. Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia and Clostridium difficile infection were low at 1.0 case/1000 ventilator days and 0.2 events/1000 patient days, respectively. Hospital all-cause mortality was 2.0%. Cost savings of US$121/patient stay were realized.

Conclusion:

Stress gastropathy is rare in this population. Surgical and trauma patients at risk for stress gastropathy did not benefit from continued pharmacologic prophylaxis once they tolerated enteral nutrition. Pharmacologic prophylaxis may safely be discontinued in this patient population. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether continued prophylaxis after attaining enteral feeding goals is detrimental.
Problem Gambling in a Sample of Older Adult Casino Gamblers
Authors: van der Maas Mark , Mann Robert E. , McCready John , Matheson Flora I. , Turner Nigel E. , Hamilton Hayley A. , Schrans Tracy , Ialomiteanu Anca
Published: November 2016

As older adults continue to make up a greater proportion of the Canadian population, it becomes more important to understand the implications that their leisure activities have for their physical and mental health. Gambling, in particular, is a form of leisure that is becoming more widely available and has important implications for the mental health and financial well-being of older adults. This study examines a large sample (2103) of casino-going Ontarian adults over the age of 55 and identifies those features of their gambling participation that are associated with problem gambling. Logistic regression analysis is used to analyze the data. Focusing on types of gambling participated in and motivations for visiting the casino, this study finds that several forms of gambling and motivations to gamble are associated with greater risk of problem gambling. It also finds that some motivations are associated with lower risk of problem gambling. The findings of this study have implications related to gambling availability within an aging population.
C1 Esterase Inhibitor (Berinert) for ACE Inhibitor-Induced Angioedema: Two Case Reports
Authors: Leibfried Maria , Kovary Alexandra
Published: November 2016

Objective:

To describe 2 cases of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)-induced angioedema treated with C1 esterase inhibitor (human) [Berinert].

Case 1 is a 60-year-old Caucasian male with angioedema from lisinopril. He was initially treated with a conventional regimen of an antihistamine, methylprednisolone, epinephrine, and fresh frozen plasma. When symptoms did not resolve, intravenous C1 peptide esterase inhibitor (C1INH) was administered, with clinical improvement. Four hours later, symptoms returned and the patient underwent emergency tracheostomy. Case 2 is a 64-year-old Caucasian male who presented with angioedema due to enalapril. In the emergency department, he received conventional treatment. Endotracheal tube placement was unsuccessful. While the patient was undergoing intubation in the operating room, intravenous C1INH was administered resulting in quick improvement of symptoms.

Discussion:

Angioedema from ACEI occurs at an incidence of 0.7%. Conventional treatment may be of limited benefit due to the mechanism of the reaction. C1INHs, which are indicated for hereditary angioedema, have been utilized in treating ACEI-induced angioedema. According to the Naranjo algorithm scale, the patient in case 1 experienced angioedema that is probably related to lisinopril. C1INH was administered intravenously when symptoms progressed, despite conventional treatment. In case 2, the patient experienced angioedema, which is possibly related to enalapril, and was treated with C1INH.

Conclusion:

C1INH (human) was a successful addition to the traditional management of 2 patients with angioedema due to ACEI.
Introducing Essential Oils into Pediatric and Other Practices at an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Conlon Patricia M. , Haack Kristen M. , Rodgers Nancy J. , Dion Liza J. , Cambern Kari L. , Rohlik Gina M. , Nelson Dawn E. , Barry Tracy A. , Ayres Sara J. , Cutshall Susanne M.
Published: November 2016

Aromatherapy is an integrative intervention that uses essential oils to address symptom management, potentially as a first-line intervention or as a complement to other medical treatments. Aromatherapy is gaining widespread acceptance and increased scientific evidence of efficacy. Integrative and holistic nursing care uses integrative therapies such as aromatherapy and the principle of moving from a less invasive intervention to a more invasive intervention according to patient needs, symptoms, and preferences. Aromatherapy is often provided as a minimally invasive, independent, and integrative nursing intervention. This article describes the process used to introduce essential oils into practices at a large Midwestern academic medical center.
Links Between Chronic Illness and Late-Life Cognition: Evidence From Four Latin American Countries
Authors: Socal Mariana P. , Trujillo Antonio J.
Published: November 2016

Objectives: We explored the links between chronic diseases and cognitive ability using datasets of community-dwelling older adults from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay from the SABE (Health, Well-Being, and Aging) survey. Methods: Ordinary least squares (OLS), Tobit and linear probability models, adjusting for extensive health and socio-demographic factors, were implemented separately for men and women and complemented by a series of robustness checks. Results: We find a negative association between the number of chronic conditions and cognitive decline that has the following characteristics: (a) differs across gender, (b) increases with the number of chronic conditions, (c) is larger among those individuals in the bottom of the cognitive distribution, (d) and is different across types of chronic conditions. Discussion: These results suggest that returns from preventive policies to reduce cognitive decline would increase if they were targeted to seniors with chronic conditions and implemented before the impact from multiple comorbidities makes the cognitive decline too steep to be reversed.
Optically transparent and organosoluble poly(ether imide)s based on a bis(ether anhydride) with bulky 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbiphenyl moiety and various fluorinated bis(ether amine)s
Authors: Chen Yung-Chung , Hsiao Sheng-Huei
Published: November 2016

Novel optically transparent and organosoluble poly(ether imide)s (PEIs) were prepared from 4,4′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)-3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbiphenyl dianhydride and various fluorinated bis(ether amine)s via chemical or thermal imidization. The effects of fluorinated groups and the imidization method on the properties of PEIs were investigated. Fluorinated PEIs prepared by the chemical imidization method exhibited essentially colorless characteristic with cutoff wavelengths lower than 380 nm, and yellowness index (b* values) ranging from 5.2 to 7.3, which are close to that of transparent polyarylate polymer (b* = 3.3). In addition, all fluorinated PEIs showed excellent solubility in common organic solvents. The thermal decomposition temperature at 10% weight loss is higher than 490°C, and the glass transition temperatures are in the range of 245–315°C. The fluorinated PEI series also exhibited low dielectric constants of 2.95–3.29 (1 MHz) and low moisture absorption in the range of 0.17–0.86 wt%, which are lower than the analogous nonfluorinated series.
Effects of cutting speed on phase changes in ultra-precision raster milling of Zn–Al alloy
Authors: Zhang SJ , To S , Rao XX
Published: November 2016

Ultra-precision raster milling induces external stress to cause phase changes of Zn–Al alloy at a thin surface layer, which further degrade surface integrity of high-precision components. This study focuses on discussing phase changes at the surfaces of the alloy after ultra-precision raster milling under the high cutting speeds of 680 m/min, 1120 m/min, and 1360 m/min. Along with the penetration depth at the machined surfaces, phase changes and surface hardening rapidly declined to vanish with crystal orientation shift back to its standard Bragg angle. As the cutting speeds increased, phase changes, crystal orientation shift, and surface hardening obviously decreased with phase change thicknesses from 323 nm, 241 nm to 87 nm. It is worth noticing that at a high cutting speed phase changes at the machined surface can be greatly reduced to a significant degree.
Finite-time attitude controller design via dual-loop control strategy
Authors: Yin Chun W , Hou Ming S , Li Ming X
Published: November 2016

In this paper, a finite-time attitude control scheme based on the dual-loop framework is proposed for rigid spacecraft in the presence of inertia uncertainties, external disturbances, bounded angular velocity, and control input saturation. The control law was designed based on a dual-loop structure. First, a hyperbolic tangent function was used to design the virtual angular velocity command, which serves as the control input of the outer loop system to stabilize the attitude under angular velocity constraints. Second, a smooth function was used to approximate the saturation and an auxiliary system was constructed to compensate for the effects of actuator saturations. A finite-time control law was designed to track the limited command of the outer loop under the disturbance and control input constraints in the inner loop. The stability of the closed-loop system during saturation is thus guaranteed, and the tracking error converges to zero after controller parameters are selected appropriately. A numerical example illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed attitude controller.
Protective effects of curcumin against mercury-induced hepatic injuries in rats, involvement of oxidative stress antagonism, and Nrf2-ARE pathway activation
Authors: Liu W , Xu Z , Li H , Guo M , Yang T , Feng S , Xu B , Deng Yu
Published: November 2016

Mercury (Hg) represents a ubiquitous environmental heavy metal that could lead to severe toxic effects in a variety of organs usually at a low level. The present study focused on the liver oxidative stress, one of the most important roles playing in Hg hepatotoxicity, by evaluation of different concentrations of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) administration. Moreover, the protective potential of curcumin against Hg hepatotoxic effects was also investigated. Eighty-four rats were randomly divided into six groups for a three-days experiment: control, dimethyl sulfoxide control, HgCl2 treatment (0.6, 1.2, and 2.4 mg kg−1 day−1), and curcumin pretreatment (100 mg kg−1 day−1) groups. Exposure of HgCl2 resulted in acute dose-dependent hepatotoxic effects. Administration of 2.4 mg kg−1 HgCl2 significantly elevated total Hg, nonprotein sulfhydryl, reactive oxygen species formation, malondialdehyde, apoptosis levels, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and alanine transaminase activities, with an impairment of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the liver. Moreover, HgCl2 treatment activated nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2-antioxidant response element (Nrf2-ARE) signaling pathway in further investigation, with a significant upregulation of Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1, and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase heavy subunit expression, relative to control. Pretreatment with curcumin obviously prevented HgCl2-induced liver oxidative stress, which may be due to its free radical scavenging or Nrf2-ARE pathway-inducing properties. Taking together these data suggest that curcumin counteracts HgCl2 hepatotoxicity through antagonizing liver oxidative stress.
Chondrocyte proliferation, viability and differentiation is declined following administration of methylphenidate utilized for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Gumustas F , Yilmaz I , Sirin DY , Gumustas SA , Batmaz AG , Isyar M , Akkaya S , Mahirogullari M
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

Methylphenidate (MPH) derivative drugs are used because of psychostimulants effects on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adults. As far as we know, toxic or anti-proliferative effects of MPH against cartilage tissue were not studied in the literature. The present study was carried out to investigate the possible effects of MPH on the proliferation, viability and differentiation of primary human chondrocytes, in vitro.

Methods:

Monolayer primary chondrocyte cultures were prepared using osteochondral tissue obtained from patients who underwent a total knee prosthesis operation. Stock solution of MPH was prepared and aliquots having 1–1000 µM concentrations of the drug was composed. These solutions were applied to the wells containing cultured chondrocyte samples within the well plates. Control groups were composed of pure chondrocyte culture and no solution was added into them. All groups were evaluated at 24, 48 and 72 h in order to determine the possible negative effects of the drug on the chondrocytes. The data were evaluated by Tukey’s honestly significantly different test following analysis of variance.

Results:

In the group where MPH was applied, it was found that viability, proliferation and stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 protein expression were decreased in comparison to the control group.

Conclusions:

It was emphasized that clinicians should not disregard the fact that this drug might suppress chondrocyte cell proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation.
Global research production in glyphosate intoxication from 1978 to 2015: A bibliometric analysis
Authors: Zyoud SH , Waring WS , Al-Jabi SW , Sweileh WM
Published: November 2016

Background:

Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) has been used as a broad-spectrum herbicide that has been widely used in the agricultural industry and also available for home use. The main aim of this study is to present a general overview of glyphosate intoxication-related publications from its introducing since the early 1970s using bibliometric technique.

Methods:

On June 23, 2016, a literature search of the Scopus database was performed. We then extracted and analyzed the data using well-established qualitative and quantitative bibliometric indices: Publication year, affiliation, document type, country name, subject category, journal name, publishing language, and collaboration and citation patterns.

Results:

We recognized a total of 3735 publications on glyphosate published between 1973 and 2015. There were 875 publications related to glyphosate intoxication in the Scopus database published between 1978 and 2015. Articles (757) comprised 86.5% of the total publications, followed by reviews (41; 4.7%). Most publications were published in English (87.9%), followed by Portuguese (6.6%). The number of publications related to glyphosate intoxication increased from 44 in 1978–1987 up to 152 in 1996–2005 and then quadrupled in 2006–2015. The United States was the leading country with 180 documents representing 20.6%, followed by Brazil (120; 13.7%), Canada (78; 8.9%), Argentina (61; 7.0%), and France (57; 6.5%). The 85.6% of the publications was cited, and the average of citation per document was 17.13 with h-index of 55. Furthermore, the United States achieved the highest h-index of 33. Most of the global international collaborations are made with researchers from the United States, who collaborated with 23 countries/territories in 44 publications.

Conclusions:

The trends in global glyphosate-related research between 1978 and 2015 were evaluated by a bibliometric technique. Results showed that English was the leading publishing language, and the major publication type was original article. Findings showed that number of research publications related to glyphosate intoxication increased significantly in the last decade. The United States and Brazil are the two most productive countries in research on glyphosate intoxication. This study will be beneficial to policy makers by identifying areas that need greater investment and research funding to target appropriate agriculture sectors so as to improve glyphosate safety in a global setting.
Comparison of ultrasonographic joint and tendon findings in hands between early, treatment-naïve patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Ogura T , Hirata A , Hayashi N , Takenaka S , Ito H , Mizushina K , Fujisawa Y , Imamura M , Yamashita N , Nakahashi S , Kujime R , Kameda H
Published: November 2016

Although both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may lead to joint deformity, SLE arthritis is typically non-erosive and often accompanied by Jaccoud’s deformity. Therefore, we examined characteristics of joint and tendon lesions in patients with SLE and RA by ultrasonography. Fifteen treatment-naïve SLE patients and 40 treatment-naïve RA patients with joint symptoms were included in this study. The hand joints and related tendons were ultrasonographically examined using grey-scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD). Joint involvement was comparably observed in patients with SLE and RA (80% versus 95%, p = 0.119). However, tendon involvement was more frequent in SLE than in RA (93% versus 65%, p = 0.045), especially in the wrist joints (73% versus 40%, p = 0.037). When we investigated the intensity of US findings, the joint synovitis score (GS + PD) per affected joint was lower in SLE than RA (2.0 versus 2.6, p = 0.019), while tendon inflammation score was not significantly different (2.1 versus 2.2, p = 0.738). Finally, the examination of concordance between joint and tendon involvement in the same finger revealed that joint lesion appeared in only 49% of fingers having tendon involvement in the SLE group, which was significantly less than 74% in the RA group ( p = 0.010). Thus, as compared with RA, SLE arthropathy is characterized by the predominance of tenosynovitis/periextensor tendon inflammation, which is likely to develop independently from joint synovitis.