bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Exercise on Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema: What the Lymphatic Surgeon Needs to Know
Authors: Panchik Daniel , Zinnikas Patrice , Hillriegel Brooke , Lauder Tori , Suttmann Erica , Chinchilli Vernon , McBeth Maureen , Hermann William , Masco Sarah
Published: June 2018

Background Breast cancer–related lymphedema (BCRL) affects many areas of daily living. Individuals with lymphedema may experience chronic and progressive swelling, recurrent skin infections, and decreased self-image and quality of life. For many years, it was considered best practice for this population to avoid exercise; however, in recent years, research has begun to challenge this belief. This systematic review and meta-analyses examined the recent literature on the effects of exercise for patients with, or at risk for, BCRL to inform best practice.

Methods A total of 807 articles were retrieved from CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Medline, and PubMed. Results were systematically filtered to 26 articles through inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, and the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. Data were pooled from studies containing relative and absolute volume measurements of limb volume, as well as upper extremity function measured by the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire; meta-analyses were conducted using SAS software.

Results The literature was reviewed and statistically analyzed. Results have indicated aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, stretching, yoga, qigong, and pilates can be safe and effective in the management of symptoms for those with, or at risk for, BCRL.

Conclusion Several forms of exercise appear to be safe interventions for clinicians to use when treating this population and offer benefits such as improved quality of life, strength, body mass index, and mental health and decreased pain and lymphatic swelling. Additional research should be conducted to further examine the efficacy and safety of nontraditional forms of exercise in the treatment of BCRL.
Unilateral Complete Ptosis after Scalp Block for Awake Craniotomy: A Rare Complication
Authors: Hassan Mohamad Hasyizan , Hassan Wan Mohd Nazaruddin Wan , Kandasamy Regunath , Chong Soon Eu
Published: June 2018

A combination of scalp block and monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is one of the options among anesthetic techniques that can be used during an awake craniotomy for epilepsy surgery. Even though a scalp block is useful as locoregional analgesia during the surgery, it also has the potential to cause some complications. Trigeminocardiac reflex and transient facial nerve palsies have previously been reported following scalp block. The toxicity of local anesthetic agents and nerve injuries present other potential complications. However, complete unilateral ptosis is a rare complication after scalp block. We report a case of unilateral complete mechanical ptosis after a scalp block using ropivacaine 0.75% for an awake craniotomy for epilepsy surgery.
Adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition enhances the glucoregulatory properties of exercise in type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Hansen Dominique , Verboven Kenneth , van Dijk Jan‐Willem , Zorenc Antoine , Minten Lennert , Smeets Kevin , Verdijk Lex B. , van Loon Luc J. C.
Published: June 2018

Aims: Exercise combined with adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition augments intramuscular lipid and glycogen use in type 2 diabetes patients. The present study investigates the impact of adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition during exercise on subsequent postprandial glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients.

Methods: Fourteen male type 2 diabetes patients (age 65 ± 2 years, HbA1c 6.7 ± 0.1% (50 ± 2 mmol/mol)) participated in a double‐blind placebo‐controlled randomized cross‐over study in which subjects performed endurance‐type exercise after being administered 250 mg of a nicotinic acid analogue (acipimox; ACP) or a placebo (PLA). A control experiment was included in which no exercise was performed (CON).

Results: Sixty minutes of endurance‐type exercise (at 45% Wpeak) did not significantly lower circulating plasma glucose and insulin excursions in PLA when compared with CON (P = .300). Acipimox administration strongly reduced circulating plasma FFA concentrations during exercise (P < .001). Circulating plasma glucose and insulin excursions were substantially lower during 7.5 h of recovery from exercise (i.e. postprandial) in ACP when compared with either CON (P = .041 and P = .002, respectively) or PLA (P = .009 and P = .001, respectively).

Conclusions: Collectively, exercise with adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition reduces postprandial blood glucose and insulin excursions and, as such, further improves glycemic control in male type 2 diabetes patients.
Hot hands, cold feet? Investigating effects of interacting constraints on place kicking performance at the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup
Authors: Pocock Chris , Bezodis Neil E. , Davids Keith , North Jamie S.
Published: June 2018

Place kicks in Rugby Union present valuable opportunities to score points outside the spatiotemporal dynamics of open play but are executed under varying performance constraints. We analysed effects of specific task constraints and relevant contextual factors on place kick performance in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Data were collected from television broadcasts for each place kick. In addition to kick outcomes, contextual factors, including time of the kick in the match, score margin at the time of the kick, and outcome of the kicker's previous kick, were recorded. Effects of spatial task constraints were analysed for each kick, using distance (m) and angle (°) of the kick to the goalposts. A binomial logistic regression model revealed that distance from, and angle to, the goalposts were significant predictors of place kick outcome. Furthermore, the success percentage of kickers who missed their previous kick was 7% lower than those who scored their previous kick. Place kick success percentage in the 10 minutes before half‐time was 8% lower than the mean tournament success percentage, which was 75% (95% CI 71–78%). The highest kick success percentage was recorded when scores were level (83%; 95% CI 72–91%). Our data highlighted how subtle changes in task constraints and contextual factors can influence performance outcomes in elite performers in international competition. Fluctuations in place kick success suggested that individual constraints, such as thoughts, emotions and fatigue, induced during competition, could interact with perceptions to influence emergent performance behaviours.
Temporal transcriptomic analysis of metabolic genes in maternal organs and placenta during murine pregnancy†
Authors: Paquette Alison , Baloni Priyanka , Holloman Anisa B , Nigam Sanjay , Bammler Theo , Mao Qingcheng , Price Nathan D
Published: June 2018

Maternal pregnancy adaptation is crucial for fetal development and long-term health. Complex interactions occur between maternal digestive and excretory systems as they interface with the developing fetus through the placenta, and transcriptomic regulation in these organs throughout pregnancy is poorly understood. Our objective is to characterize transcriptomic changes across gestation in maternal organs and placenta. Gene expression was quantified in the kidney, liver, and small intestine harvested from nonpregnant and pregnant FVB mice at four time points and placenta at three time points (N = 5/time point) using Affymetrix Mouse Gene 1.0 ST arrays. In maternal organs, we identified 476 genes in the liver, 207 genes in the kidney, and 27 genes in the small intestine that were differentially expressed across gestation (False Discovery Rate [FDR] adjusted q < 0.05). The placenta had a total of 1576 differentially expressed genes between the placenta at either/gd15 or gd19 compared to gd10. We identified a number of pathways enriched for genes differentially expressed across gestation, including 5 pathways in the placenta, 9 pathways in the kidney, and 28 pathways in the liver, including the citrate cycle, retinol metabolism, bile acid synthesis, and steroid bile synthesis, which play functional roles in fetal development and pregnancy maintenance. Characterization of normal longitudinal changes that occur in pregnancy provides context to understand how perturbations in these biochemical pathways and perturbations in nutrient signaling may impact pregnancy.
Pioneering into the past: Regional literacy developments in Italy before Italy†
Authors: Ciccarelli Carlo , Weisdorf Jacob
Published: June 2018

Blindfolded by a lack of earlier systematic data, comparative studies of regional developments in historical Italy begin with the formation of the Italian state, in 1861. We use literacy rates reported in post-1861 population censuses combined with the fact that literacy skills were usually achieved during youth to predict regional literacy developments all the way back to 1821. Our analysis informs ongoing debates about the origins and long-run evolution of Italy’s north–south divide. By lifting the veil into Italy’s pre-unification past, we establish that the north–south literacy gap was substantial already in 1821, grew markedly wider in the first half of the nineteenth century, only to revert back in 1911 to the 1821 level. Gender gaps in literacy essentially close in the north during 1821–1911, while in the south they registered a secular stagnation. This opens an avenue for investigating a new dimension of the north–south gap largely overlooked in the existing literature.
Targeted Pregnancy and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Risk-Reduction Counseling for Young Women: Lessons Learned from Biomedical Prevention Trials
Authors: Ramjee Gita , Dassaye Reshmi , Reddy Tarylee , Wand Handan
Published: June 2018

Background

Women enrolled in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention efficacy trials receive counseling on prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy during every visit. Incident pregnancy has an impact on efficacy outcomes. Incidence rates of pregnancy and HIV/STIs among women who became pregnant and associated risk factors were assessed.

Methods

Data from 9165 women participating in HIV prevention trials in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from 2002–2012 were combined. Demographic and behavioral predictors of incidence pregnancy and incidence HIV and STIs were determined using Cox regression models.

Results

Overall pregnancy incidence was 9.6 per 100 person-year (py) (95% confidence interval [Cl], 9.1–10.3). Human immunodeficiency virus incidence among pregnant women was 5.93 per 100 py (95% Cl, 4.73–7.44). Incidence of STIs among pregnant women for Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Treponema pallidum (syphilis) were 10.87, 7.42, 3.92, and 1.43 per 100 py, respectively. In the adjusted analyses, we observed overlapping risk factors for HIV acquisition during pregnancy, ie, young age, not married/not cohabitating, and low parity. The risk of pregnancy and HIV acquisition is more than 3 times higher among young women (<20 years of age).

Conclusions

We identified overlapping risk factors for pregnancy and HIV incidence, suggesting an urgent need for appropriate, targeted, individual-centred counseling for women participating in HIV prevention trials.
Caffeine consumption and mortality in chronic kidney disease: a nationally representative analysis
Authors: Bigotte Vieira Miguel , Magriço Rita , Viegas Dias Catarina , Leitão Lia , Neves João Sérgio
Published: June 2018

Background

An inverse relationship between coffee consumption and mortality has been reported in the general population. However, the association between caffeine consumption and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain.

Methods

We analysed 4863 non-institutionalized USA adults with CKD [defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 15–60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or a urinary albumin:creatinine ratio >30 mg/g] in a nationwide study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2010. Caffeine consumption was evaluated by 24-h dietary recalls at baseline and all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality were evaluated until 31 December 2011. We also performed an analysis of caffeine consumption according to its source (coffee, tea and soft drinks). Quartiles of caffeine consumption were <28.2 mg/day (Q1), 28.2–103.0 (Q2), 103.01–213.5 (Q3) and >213.5 (Q4).

Results

During a median follow-up of 60 months, 1283 participants died. Comparing with Q1 of caffeine consumption, the adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60–0.91] for Q2, 0.74 (95% CI 0.62–0.89) for Q3 and 0.78 (95% CI 0.62–0.98) for Q4 (P = 0.02 for trend across quartiles). There were no significant interactions between caffeine consumption quartiles and CKD stages or urinary albumin:creatinine ratio categories regarding all-cause mortality.

Conclusions

We detected an inverse association between caffeine consumption and all-cause mortality among participants with CKD.
Globalization and support for unemployment spending in Asia: do Asian citizens want to embed liberalism?
Authors: Lim Sijeong , Burgoon Brian
Published: June 2018

Scholars have long debated whether economic globalization increases citizen support for welfare policies to compensate for or insure against the new economic risks. The vast majority of what we know about such issues is gleaned from study of Western polities. We know little of such dynamics in Asia, the continent harboring much of the world’s population and having experienced the most extensive development in economic globalization. This article remedies such silence by focusing on public opinion in Asian countries to substantially rethink whether and under what conditions globalization exposure generates support for welfare spending. We argue that two such conditions are crucial: (a) levels of economic development influencing who wins and loses under globalization and (b) existing institutions for social protection that influence whether globalization’s losers look to public forms of compensation. We find support for our rethinking of embedded liberalism using five rounds of the Asiabarometer survey covering 28 Asian countries.
A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study of Tinnitus Awareness and Impact in a Population of Adult Cochlear Implant Users
Authors: Gomersall Philip A. , Baguley David M. , Carlyon Robert P.
Published: June 2018

Objectives:

The primary aim was to identify the proportion of individuals within the adult cochlear implant population who are aware of tinnitus and those who report a negative impact from this perception, using a bespoke questionnaire designed to limit bias. A secondary aim was to use qualitative analysis of open-text responses to identify themes linked to tinnitus perception in this population.

Design:

A cross-sectional questionnaire study of a large clinical population who received an implant from Cambridge University Hospitals, United Kingdom.

Results:

Seventy-five percent of respondents reported tinnitus awareness. When impact scores for six areas of difficulty were ranked, 13% of individuals ranked tinnitus their primary concern and nearly a third ranked tinnitus in the top two positions. Tinnitus impact was not found to reduce with duration since implantation. The most common open-text responses were linked to a general improvement postimplantation and acute tinnitus alleviation specific to times when the device was in use.

Conclusions:

Tinnitus is a problem for a significant proportion of individuals with a cochlear implant. Clinicians, scientists, and cochlear implant manufacturers should be aware that management of tinnitus may be a greater priority for an implantee than difficulties linked to speech perception. Where a positive effect of implantation was reported, there was greater evidence for masking of tinnitus via the implant rather than reversal of maladaptive plasticity.
Auditory Streaming and Prediction in Tinnitus Sufferers
Authors: Durai Mithila , Sanders Michael , Kobayashi Kei , Searchfield Grant D.
Published: June 2018

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to determine whether auditory streaming (segregation of incoming sounds into separate sound sources) and the ability to anticipate future auditory events are affected in tinnitus sufferers compared with nontinnitus controls with matched levels of hearing. It was hypothesized that tinnitus would result in abnormal electroencephalography responses to tone deviants and tone omissions compared to controls for frequencies near the pitch of tinnitus, and this should correspond with increased levels of cortical γ and θ oscillatory rhythms.

Design:

Sixteen individuals with tinnitus (10 men and 6 women; age, 53.44; SD, 12.92 years) and 14 control participants (8 men and 6 women; age, 50.25; SD, 18.54 years) took part in the study. A modified version of the ABA streaming paradigm, with repeating triplet pattern of two frequencies (A and B) presented as A-B-A, was used to examine deviant-related prediction error. Omission-related prediction errors were examined using a modified version of a tone-omission paradigm. Regions of interest were frontocentral, left frontal, right frontal, and temporal lobes.

Results:

A larger N1c waveform was elicited in the absence of any tone deviation within the left primary auditory cortex of tinnitus participants. No differences were present between groups for omissions. The only difference in oscillatory band activity between the two groups in this study was in response to tones 7 semitones different from tinnitus pitch, with significantly lower β-2 band activity present for the tinnitus group, correlating most with activity within the right inferior occipital gyrus.

Conclusions:

The findings from this study imply that cortical-level auditory stream segregation is altered among individuals with tinnitus.
Amputation Outcomes in Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia
Authors: Westberry David E. , Carpenter Ashley M. , Tisch Jocelyn , Wack Linda I.
Published: June 2018

Background:

Successful radiographic union in the treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) may be complicated by persistent pain, recurrent fracture, and poor function necessitating further intervention, including amputation. The long-term functional, radiographic, and clinical outcomes of patients who have undergone amputation as treatment for CPT are unknown.

Methods:

A retrospective study of patients with a diagnosis of CPT secondary to neurofibromatosis and eventual treatment with amputation were included. Clinical and radiographic data, including initial Crawford classification, type of amputation, subsequent operative procedures, and evidence of radiographic healing were collected.

Results:

A total of 17 patients with a mean age of 4.5 years (range, 0.7 to 9.2 y) at the time of amputation met inclusion criteria. Clinical follow-up averaged 11.1 years (range, 2.1 to 18.4 y), with radiographic follow-up averaging 9.1 years (range, 2.1 to 16.4 y). The mean number of surgeries before amputation was 2.2 procedures. Four patients underwent amputation as the primary procedure (3 Boyd, 1 below knee amputation (BKA)). At the time of amputation, a Boyd amputation was performed in 13 patients with stabilization of the pseudoarthrosis achieved with retrograde Rush rodding of the tibia and local autograft. A transtibial amputation (BKA) was performed in 4.

After the Boyd procedure, 4 of the 13 patients (31%) demonstrated persistent nonunion of the pseudoarthrosis and required secondary procedures to gain union. At the most recent follow-up, 12 of 13 patients demonstrated successful radiographic healing of the pseudoarthrosis. Two patients, one for persistent pain and the other for refracture, were later converted to a BKA during the late teen years. All patients functioned well with the use of prosthetic devices.

Conclusions:

Union of the pseudoarthrosis occurred in >90% of cases following amputation. However, secondary procedures were required in 13 of the 17 patients (76%). Early amputation in the treatment of CPT provides a stable extremity and potential for a high level of function with the use of an adequate prosthesis.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV—case series.
We Matter Too! Addressing the Wellness of Program Coordinators in Graduate Medical Education
Authors: Ewen Alana M. , Gardiner Paula M. , Palma Sandra , Whitley Kathryn , Schneider Jeffrey I.
Published: June 2018

Introduction:

Burnout and stress in medical settings have been associated with despondent staff and decreased productivity. Although Program Coordinators (PCs) play an integral role in residency training programs, there exist few, if any, interventions aimed at addressing their burnout.

Methods:

A longitudinal study design was used to evaluate data from residency/fellowship training PCs who participated in a wellness retreat held at a single institution in August 2016. Subjects completed anonymous, pre- and post-retreat questionnaires in addition to a 3-month follow-up questionnaire, which included questions used to assess aspects of job demand, resiliency, and well-being. The seven-item Physician Well-Being Index and a logistic regression model were used to assess well-being. Mean values and SDs were reported to examine changes in mental health scores and participants' job satisfaction over the course of the intervention.

Results:

Nineteen of the 45 (43%) invited residency/fellowship training PCs completed data collection. Coordinators ranged in age from 25 to 64 years; all were female. Well-being, sleep, resiliency, and employee satisfaction scores improved over the assessment period. Well-being scores initially decreased by 0.37 at the postassessment, but increased at follow-up (mean: 2.0; SD 1.7). Stress scores increased from baseline to post, but decreased from baseline to follow-up: 0.2 and −0.2, respectively.

Discussion:

Residency PCs experienced improvements in mental quality of life, resiliency, stress, and sleep scores on attending the wellness program. Attention to such findings may have important implications, as we address the burnout crisis in the medical education community.
Measuring the Depth of Perineural Invasion in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Implications for Biopsy Technique
Authors: Tang Jennifer C. , Kim Seung-David L. , Stratman Erik J.
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a high-risk feature of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Depths at which PNI occurs are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the most superficial depth at which PNI occurs in CSCC and stratify by tumor clinical diameter and body location.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Single-institution retrospective review of CSCC specimens reporting PNI on pathology reports between January 2004 and August 2014. Depth was defined as distance from top of granular layer to middle of nerve invaded by CSCC or distance from erosion to middle of nerve affected by CSCC.

RESULTS

Of 66 specimens identified with PNI, 45 specimens were included. Mean histopathologic depth to PNI was 2.7 mm (SD = 1.8 mm, median depth = 2.2 mm, range 0.5–12 mm). Perineural invasion depth varied by anatomic location, with the head associated with most superficial average PNI depth (2.2 mm) and trunk with greatest average PNI depth (4.3 mm). Perineural invasion depth correlated with clinical tumor diameter. The largest percentage of specimens with PNI were of clinical diameter of at least 2 cm (20/45 = 44%).

CONCLUSION

Clinicians encountering lesions suspicious for CSCC have the greatest chance of detecting PNI using biopsy techniques that reach at least 3 to 4 mm deep.
Preliminary Experience With More Stable Polidocanol Foam in Sclerotherapy of Head and Neck Venous Malformations
Authors: Chen An-Wei , Liu Shao-Hua , Huang Ying-Ying , Wang Tao
Published: June 2018

BACKGROUND

Foam sclerotherapy is an effective treatment strategy for venous malformations (VMs). Stability is one of the characteristics of sclerosant foams that determine the sclerosing power.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of sclerotherapy with prolonged half-life of hyaluronic acid (HA)–polidocanol (POL) foam for treating head and neck VMs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy patients with head and neck VMs were enrolled between October 2013 and January 2015 in Qilu Hospital Shandong University. Sclerotherapy was performed with prolonged half-life POL foam by addition of 0.05% HA. All patients were followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months. Reviews on the site and size of the lesion, times and duration of treatments, therapeutic response, and complications were performed to evaluate the end result.

RESULTS

Sites of lesions included face, bucca, parotid region, neck, tongue, floor of mouth, lip, forehead, palate, and nose. An overall average of 2.5 treatments was required. Total response rate was 100%. “Resolution” was achieved in 21 cases (30%) and a significant response in 49 patients (70%). Immediate swelling was the most common complication. Epidermal extravasation was seen in 1 patient. Mucosal ulcer was observed in 1 patient. No generalized complications occurred.

CONCLUSION

The prolonged half-life of HA–POL foam sclerotherapy of VMs in the head and neck is safe and effective.
Convex Probe EBUS-guided Fiducial Placement for Malignant Central Lung Lesions
Authors: Majid Adnan , Palkar Atul , Kheir Fayez , Alape Daniel , Fernandez-Bussy Sebastian , Aronovitz Joseph , Guerrero Jorge , Gangadharan Sidhu , Kent Michael , Whyte Richard , Folch Erik
Published: June 2018

Background:

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) had become a therapeutic modality in patients with primary tumors, locally recurrent as well as oligometastasis involving the lung. Some modalities of SBRT require fiducial marker (FM) for dynamic tumor tracking. Previous studies have focused on evaluating bronchoscopic-guided FM placement for peripheral lung nodules. We describe the safety and feasibility of placing FM using real-time convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS) for SBRT in patients with centrally located hilar/mediastinal masses or lymph nodes.

Methods:

This is a retrospective review of patients who were referred to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s multidisciplinary thoracic oncology program for FM placement to pursue SBRT.

Results:

Thirty-seven patients who underwent real-time CP-EBUS were included. Patients had a median age of 71 years [interquartile range (IQR), 59.5 to 80.5]. The median size of the lesion was 2.2 cm (IQR, 1.4 to 3.3 cm). The median distance from the central airway was 2.4 cm (IQR, 0 to 3.4 cm). A total of 51 FMs (median of 1 per patient) were deployed in 37 patients. At the time of SBRT planning, 46 (90.2%) were confirmed radiologically in 32 patients. Patients with unsuccessful fiducial deployment (n=5) underwent a second procedure using the same technique. Of those, 3 patients had a successful fiducial placement via bronchoscopy, 1 patient required FM placement by percutaneous computed tomography-guided approach and 1 patient required FM placement through EUS by gastroenterology.

Conclusion:

CP-EBUS-guided FM placement for patients with malignant lymph nodes and central parenchymal lung lesions appears to be safe and feasible.
Demonstration of Treatment Response to Trans-arterial Radio-embolization (TARE) on 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT in a Patient With Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumor
Authors: Vadi Shelvin Kumar , Mittal Bhagwant Rai , Kumar Rajender , Parihar Ashwin Singh , Shukla Jaya , Kalra Navin
Published: June 2018

Here we report a 31-year-old man with a peri-ampullary neuroendocrine tumor (NET), who underwent 68Ga DOTANOC-PET/CT for recurrence evaluation, which revealed isolated metastatic lesion in liver segment V. He underwent trans-arterial radio-embolization (TARE) of the isolated hepatic metastasis with 188Rhenium-microspheres in a lipiodol matrix. The second 68Ga DOTANOC-PET/CT was performed one month after the TARE therapy revealed resolution of the tracer uptake with good retention of the lipiodol complex replacing the metastasis suggesting a complete response.
Intramuscular Follicular Lymphoma
Authors: Martins Filipe , Stalder Gregoire , Van Der Gucht Axel , Grandoni Francesco , Cairoli Anne
Published: June 2018

We present an interesting image of a painless growing mass of the right arm in a 76-year-old man. A musculoskeletal MRI of the right arm showed a 7.5 × 3-cm homogeneous, well-defined mass, elongated along the course of muscle fascias and independent of the adjacent bone. A core-needle biopsy was performed, and the diagnosis of low-grade follicular lymphoma was established. Intramuscular lymphoma should be integrated into the differential diagnosis of tumors surrounding neurovascular structures, alongside peripheral nerve tumors and soft tissue sarcoma. MRI and whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT features provided useful information to refine differential diagnosis in this case.
Demographic inference in a spatially-explicit ecological model from genomic data: a proof of concept for the Mojave Desert Tortoise
Authors: Ashander Jaime , Ralph Peter , McCartney-Melstad Evan , Shaffer H. Bradley
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we study the general problem of extracting information from spatially explicit genomic data to inform inference of ecologically and geographically realistic population models. We describe methods and apply them to simulations motivated by the demography of the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). The tortoise is an example of a long-lived, threatened species for which we have an excellent understanding of range, habitat preference, and certain aspects of demography, but inadequate information on other life history components that are important for conservation management. We use an individual-based model on a discretized geographic landscape with overlapping generations and age and sex-specific dispersal, fecundity, and mortality to develop and test a method that uses genomic data to infer demographic parameters. We do this by seeking parameters that best match a set of spatial statistics of genomes, which we introduce and discuss. We find that for inferring only overall population density and mean migration distance, a simple statistical learning method performs well using simulated training data, inferring parameters to within 10% accuracy. In the process, we introduce spatial analogues of common population genetics statistics, and discuss how and why they are expected to contain signal about the geography of population dynamics that are key for ecological modeling generally and conservation of endangered taxa.
Development of reduced gluten wheat enabled by determination of the genetic basis of thelys3alow hordein barley mutant
Authors: Moehs Charles P. , Austill William J. , Holm Aaron , Large Tao A. G. , Loeffler Dayna , Mullenberg Jessica , Schnable Patrick S. , Skinner Wayne , Boxtel Jos van , Wu Liying , McGuire Cate
Published: June 2018

Celiac disease is the most common food-induced enteropathy in humans with a prevalence of approximately 1% world-wide [1]. It is induced by digestion-resistant, proline- and glutamine-rich seed storage proteins, collectively referred to as “gluten,” found in wheat. Related prolamins are present in barley and rye. Both celiac disease and a related condition called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) are increasing in incidence [2] [3]. This has prompted efforts to identify methods of lowering gluten in wheat, one of the most important cereal crops. Here we used BSR-seq (Bulked Segregant RNA-seq) and map-based cloning to identify the genetic lesion underlying a recessive, low prolamin mutation (lys3a) in diploid barley. We confirmed the mutant identity by complementing thelys3amutant with a transgenic copy of the wild type barley gene and then used TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) [4] to identify induced SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) in the three homoeologs of the corresponding wheat gene. Combining inactivating mutations in the three sub-genomes of hexaploid bread wheat in a single wheat line lowered gliadin and low molecular weight glutenin accumulation by 50-60% and increased free and protein-bound lysine by 33%. This is the first report of the combination of mutations in homoeologs of a single gene that reduces gluten in wheat.
Parameterising continuum models of heat transfer in heterogeneous living skin using experimental data
Authors: McInerney Sean , Carr Elliot J , Simpson Matthew J
Published: June 2018

In this work we consider a recent experimental data set describing heat conduction in living porcine tissues. Understanding this novel data set is important because porcine skin is similar to human skin. Improving our understanding of heat conduction in living skin is relevant to understanding burn injuries, which are common, painful and can require prolonged and expensive treatment. A key feature of skin is that it is layered, with different thermal properties in different layers. Since the experimental data set involves heat conduction in thin living tissues of anesthetised animals, an important experimental constraint is that the temperature within the living tissue is measured at one spatial location within the layered structure. Our aim is to determine whether this data is sufficient to reliably infer the heat conduction parameters in layered skin, and we use a simplified two-layer mathematical model of heat conduction to mimic the generation of experimental data. Using synthetic data generated at one location in the two-layer mathematical model, we explore whether it is possible to infer values of the thermal diffusivity in both layers. After this initial exploration, we then examine how our ability to infer the thermal diffusivities changes when we vary the location at which the experimental data is recorded, as well as considering the situation where we are able to monitor the temperature at two locations within the layered structure. Overall, we find that our ability to parameterise a model of heterogeneous heat conduction with limited experimental data is very sensitive to the location where data is collected. Our modelling results provide guidance about optimal experimental design that could be used to guide future experimental studies.

Nomenclature

A brief description of all variables used in the document are given in Table 1.

Table 1:

Variable nomenclature and description.
Constrained mutational sampling of amino acids in HIV-1 protease evolution
Authors: Boucher Jeffrey I. , Whitfield Troy W. , Dauphin Ann , Nachum Gily , Hollins Carl , Zeldovich Konstantin B. , Swanstrom Ronald , Schiffer Celia A. , Luban Jeremy , Bolon Daniel N. A.
Published: June 2018

The evolution of HIV-1 protein sequences should be governed by a combination of factors including nucleotide mutational probabilities, the genetic code, and fitness. The impact of these factors on protein sequence evolution are interdependent, making it challenging to infer the individual contribution of each factor from phylogenetic analyses alone. We investigated the protein sequence evolution of HIV-1 by determining an experimental fitness landscape of all individual amino acid changes in protease. We compared our experimental results to the frequency of protease variants in a publicly available dataset of 32,163 sequenced isolates from drug-naïve individuals. The most common amino acids in sequenced isolates supported robust experimental fitness, indicating that the experimental fitness landscape captured key features of selection acting on protease during viral infections of hosts. Amino acid changes requiring multiple mutations from the likely ancestor were slightly less likely to support robust experimental fitness than single mutations, consistent with the genetic code favoring chemically conservative amino acid changes. Amino acids that were common in sequenced isolates were predominantly accessible by single mutations from the likely protease ancestor. Multiple mutations commonly observed in isolates were accessible by mutational walks with highly fit single mutation intermediates. Our results indicate that the prevalence of multiple base mutations in HIV-1 protease is strongly influenced by mutational sampling.
Verification of the phenylpropanoid pinoresinol biosynthetic pathway and its glycosides in Phomopsis sp. XP-8 using 13C stable isotope labeling and liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Zhang Yan , Shi Junling , Ni Yongqing , Liu Yanlin , Zhao Zhixia , Zhao Qianqian , Gao Zhenhong
Published: June 2018

Phomopsis sp. XP-8, an endophytic fungus from the bark of Tu-Chung (EucommiaulmoidesOliv), revealed the pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG) biosynthetic pathway after precursor feeding measurements and genomic annotation. To verify the pathway more accurately, [13C6]-labeled glucose and [13C6]-labeled phenylalanine were separately fed to the strain as sole substrates and [13C6]-labeled products were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quantitative time of flight mass spectrometry. As results, [13C6]-labeled phenylalanine was found as [13C6]-cinnamylic acid and p-coumaric acid, and [13C12]-labeled pinoresinol revealed that the pinoresinol benzene ring came from phenylalanine via the phenylpropane pathway. [13C6]-Labeled cinnamylic acid and p-coumaric acid, [13C12]-labeled pinoresinol, [13C18]-labeled pinoresinol monoglucoside (PMG), and [13C18]-labeled PDG products were found when [13C6]-labeled glucose was used, demonstrating that the benzene ring and glucoside of PDG originated from glucose. It was also determined that PMG was not the direct precursor of PDG in the biosynthetic pathway. The study verified the occurrence of the plant-like phenylalanine and lignan biosynthetic pathway in fungi.

Importance

Verify the phenylpropanoid-pinoresinol biosynthetic pathway and its glycosides in an endophytic fungi.
Finding spaces for transformational learning in a neo-liberal world
Authors: Atkinson Michael
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which enhance transformational learning in adult learning spaces for people experiencing cultural marginalisation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports on a study which compared the transformational experiences of long-term unemployed migrants within two very different programs in Melbourne, Australia. One was an adult refugee mentoring programme run by a non-government organisation, the other was set in the social space of the contemporary adult learning classroom. A theoretical framework constructed around understandings of social and dialogical learning informed the method of data collection, based on one-to-one interviews, observation and personal reflection.

Findings

Findings revealed similarities across the two case study sites in terms of the cultural, social as well as functional challenges facing learners and the desire of teachers and mentors to act on these challenges. A recourse to human values of caring and sensitivity supported meaningful learning spaces. Transformation was limited, however, within an institutional agenda which highlighted individual values of competency above the aspirations of learners and their sense of identity.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on only two of the many approaches to adult learning. Nevertheless, as the author contends, they collectively reveal the limitations of focusing on employability skills and a competency-based curriculum in the lives of marginalised learners.

Originality/value

The paper draws attention to the concept of transformation and how it may be supported even in the adult education classroom framed by the neo-liberal agenda of economic rationalism.
The “special experiment” in languages
Authors: Bryant Catherine , Mascitelli Bruno
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The Victorian School of Languages began on the margins of the Victorian education system in 1935 as a “special experiment” supported by the Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools, J.A Seitz. The purpose of this paper is to present a historical analysis of the first 15 years of the “special experiment” and it reports on the school’s fragile beginnings.

Design/methodology/approach

The historical analysis draws on archival materials, oral sources and other primary documents from the first 15 years of the Saturday language classes, to explore its fragile role and status within the Victorian education system.

Findings

The Saturday language classes were experimental in nature and were initially intended to pilot niche subjects in the languages curriculum. Despite support from influential stakeholders, widespread interest and a promising response from teachers and students, the student enrolments dwindled, especially in the war years. As fate would have it, the two languages initially established (Japanese and Italian) faced a hostile war environment and only just survived. Questions about the continuing viability of the classes were raised, but they were championed by Seitz.

Originality/value

To date, this is one of few scholarly explorations of the origins of the Victorian School of Languages, a school which became a model for Australia’s other State Specialist Language Schools. This paper contributes to the literature about the VSL, a school that existed on the margins but played a pioneering role in the expansion of the language curriculum in Victoria.
Imperial values, national identity
Authors: Dermer Anthony
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of national identity, as imparted to students by the Western Australia Education Department, in the early part of the twentieth century. By specifically examining The School Paper, as a part of a broader investigation into the teaching of English, this paper interrogates the role “school papers” played in the formation of the citizen subject.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on all available editions of Western Australia’s Education Department school reader, The School Paper, between 1909 and 1911, and on the Department’s Education Circular publication between the years 1899 and 1911. These are read within the context of the prevailing education philosophy, internationally and domestically, and the extent to which it was shaped by Australia’s cultural heritage and the desire to establish a national identity in the years post-federation.

Findings

The School Paper featured stories, poems, songs and articles that complimented the goals of the new education. Used in supplement to a revised curriculum weighted towards English classics, The School Paper, provided an important site for citizenship training. This publication pursued dual projects of constructing a specific Australian identity while defining a British imperial identity from which it is informed.

Originality/value

This research builds on scholarship on the role of school readers in other states in the construction of national identity and the formation of the citizen subject. It is the first research conducted into Western Australia’s school paper, the school reader, and provides a new lens through which to view how the processes of national/imperial identities are carried out and influenced by state-sanctioned study of English.
Learning the rules: writing and researching school stories in history of education
Authors: Spencer Stephanie
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to set out three dilemmas that challenge historians of education who write for both professional and academic audiences. It focuses on the example of using fiction as a source for understanding the informal education of girls in the twentieth century. It contributes to the debate over the purpose of history of education and the possibilities that intersecting and contested analytical frameworks might contribute to the development of the discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the rules of engagement and the duties of a historian of education. It reforms current concerns into three dilemmas: audience, method and writing. It gives examples drawn from research into girls’ school stories between 1910 and 1960. It highlights three authors and stories set in Australia, England and an international school in order to explore what fiction offers in getting “inside” the classroom.

Findings

Developed from a conference keynote that explored intersecting and contested histories of education, the paper sets up as many questions as it provides answers but re-frames them to include the use of a genre that has been explored by historians of childhood and literature but less so by historians of education.

Research limitations/implications

The vast quantity of stories set in girls’ schools between 1910 and 1960 necessarily demands a selective reading. Authors may specialise in the genre or be general young people’s fiction authors. Reading such stories must necessarily be set against changing social, cultural and political contexts. This paper uses examples from the genre in order to explore ways forward but cannot include an exhaustive methodology for reasons of space.

Practical implications

This paper suggests fiction as a way of broadening the remit of history of education and acting as a bridge between related sub-disciplines such as history of childhood and youth, history and education. It raises practical implications for historians of education as they seek new approaches and understanding of the process of informal education outside the classroom.

Social implications

This paper suggests that the authors should take more seriously the impact of children’s reading for pleasure. Reception studies offer an insight into recognising the interaction that children have with their chosen reading. While the authors cannot research how children interacted historically with these stories in the mid-twentieth century, the authors can draw implications from the popularity of the genre and the significance of the legacy of the closed school community that has made series such as Harry Potter so successful with the current generation.

Originality/value

The marginal place of history of education within the disciplines of history and education is both challenging and full of possibilities. The paper draws on existing international debates and discusses future directions as well as the potential that girls’ school stories offer for research into gender and education.
The place of Arabic language teaching in Australian universities
Authors: Baldwin Jennifer
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the teaching of Arabic language has had a distinctive and important history in Australian universities from the middle of the twentieth century through to the twenty-first century.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the author draws on a range of sources, government reports and surveys (both general and specific to Arabic), newspaper articles and published literature to give a comprehensive picture of the teaching of Arabic language in Australian universities over the last 60 or so years.

Findings

This paper has demonstrated that Arabic language teaching has moved through a number of phases as a scholarly, migrant and trade language. However, although the Middle East has become strategically important for Australia in defence and foreign affairs, and many people from the Middle East have migrated to Australia, Arabic (the major language of the Middle East) has never been given high priority by governments in Australia.

Originality/value

This paper, in taking an historical perspective, has demonstrated how Arabic has never commanded the attention of governments for funding to the same extent as Asian languages have.