bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Staff perceptions of palliative care in a public Australian, metropolitan emergency department
Authors: Russ Andrew , Mountain David , Rogers Ian R , Shearer Freya , Monterosso Leanne , Ross‐Adjie Gail , Rogers Jeremy R
Published: June 2015

Objective

The primary aim was to investigate staff experiences and attitudes towards palliative care provision in a public metropolitan ED.

Methods

Using a previously validated survey tool, data were collected from ED clinical staff using Likert‐type, open‐ended and dichotomous items asking about perceptions of palliative care and education needs. Comparisons were made between nursing and medical staff.

Results

Medical staff and nurses' perceptions of palliative care were similar, differing on only 10 of 37 (Likert) items. All staff reported confidence with symptom management, whereas medical staff felt more confident with decision‐oriented communication and nurses were more supportive of nasogastric feeding. Staff were moderately accurate in determining the five most common causes of death. Four out of five conditions selected as appropriate for palliative care were cancer diagnoses. End‐of‐life communication and ethical issues were the two most frequently requested areas for further education.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that overall ED staff were confident regarding symptom management in palliative care. Cancer diagnoses were overrepresented in both the top five causes of death and conditions most appropriate for a palliative approach, suggesting that staff might underestimate the role of a palliative approach in non‐cancer diagnoses. Areas suggested for further education include communication and ethical issues surrounding end‐of‐life care.
Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia secondary to allergic contact dermatitis to Grevillea Robyn Gordon
Authors: Meani Rowena E , Nixon Rosemary L , O'Keefe Rodney , Chong Alvin H
Published: June 2015

We report a case of pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) in a 55‐year‐old woman following allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) to Grevillea Robyn Gordon. We believe this to be the first reported case of PEH secondary to ACD, and postulate that this was an exaggerated response to severe ACD as a result of a lack of topical treatment.
Ownership Structure and the Survival of Listed Firms: Evidence from Korean Reverse Mergers
Authors: Han Seung Hun , Kwon Yonghyun
Published: June 2015

We examine the impact of ownership structure on the post‐performance of Korean firms that go public as the result of a reverse merger. Although a reverse‐merger announcement has positive cumulative abnormal returns (CARs), we find that 24.8% of reverse‐merged firms become delisted because of poor post‐performance, seemingly due to the agency problem. We also find that expected changes in management after a reverse merger positively affect the CARs of public target firms around the time of the reverse‐merger announcement. However, the post‐performance of reverse‐merged firms is relatively poor compared to firms that undertake regular initial public offerings. Further, we find that ownership concentration alleviates poor performance following a reverse merger.
Changes in cooperative behaviour and belief in finitely repeated social dilemmas
Authors: Liu Chang‐Jiang , Hao Fang
Published: June 2015

Economic and psychological studies have determined the tendency to improve cooperation in initial interactions in which people are required to contribute in public good games. The current study examined the behavioural changes of individuals during finite interaction times. Participants were invited to make decisions twice in a step‐level public good game, and their belief in achieving the collective interest was measured. Participants were divided into three groups based on their first decisions. Results showed that high contributors demonstrated high levels of contribution in their subsequent interactions, whereas low and equal contributors increased their levels of contribution after the initial interaction. Additionally, the cooperative level of low contributors increased along with their cooperative belief. The theoretical and practical implications of changes of behaviour and belief in repeated social dilemmas were identified.
Anaesthetic and pharmacological techniques to decrease blood loss in liver surgery: a systematic review
Authors: Pathak Samir , Hakeem Abdul , Pike Thomas , Toogood Giles J. , Simpson Matthew , Prasad K. Raj , Miskovic Danilo
Published: June 2015

Background

There is increasing evidence that perioperative blood loss and blood transfusions are associated with poorer short‐ and long‐term outcomes in patients undergoing hepatectomy. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature for non‐surgical measures to decrease intraoperative blood loss during liver surgery.

Methods

The literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and Google Scholar databases. The primary outcome measures were perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirements. A secondary outcome measure was development of ischaemia–reperfusion injury.

Results

Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria and included 1573 patients. All were randomized controlled studies. In eight studies (n = 894), pharmacological methods, and in another nine studies (n = 679), anaesthetic methods to decrease blood loss were investigated. Anti‐fibrinolytic drugs, acute normovolaemic haemodilution, autologous blood donation and use of inhalational anaesthetic agent may affect blood loss and post‐operative hepatic function.

Conclusions

There is potential for use of non‐surgical techniques to decrease perioperative bleeding. However, on the basis of this review alone, due to heterogeneity of randomized trials conducted, no particular strategy can be recommended. Future studies should be conducted looking at pathways to decrease bleeding in liver surgery.
Hepatic resection for malignant liver tumours in the elderly: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Phan Kevin , An Vincent Vinh Gia , Ha Hakeem , Phan Steven , Lam Vincent , Pleass Henry
Published: June 2015

Background

The number of elderly patients undergoing hepatic resection for surgical treatment of benign and malignant cancers is increasing. However, there is limited clinical data on the complications and long‐term survival rates associated with liver surgery in the elderly patients (≥70 years) versus younger patients for malignant liver conditions.

Methods

Six electronic databases were searched for original published studies comparing elderly (≥70) versus younger (<70) cohorts for malignant liver tumours. Data were extracted and analysed according to predefined clinical endpoints.

Results

Twenty‐seven comparative studies were identified, including 4769 elderly patients versus 15 855 younger patients (n = 20 624). There was significantly higher 30‐day mortality in the elderly colorectal liver metastasis group (P < 0.00002) and significant difference between elderly and young in terms of overall survival (hazard ration (HR), 1.10; P = 0.02). However, there was no difference in disease‐free survival (HR, 1.05; P = 0.27). Post‐operative pneumonia, renal failure and infection were more frequent in the elderly group.

Conclusions

Liver resection for malignant hepatic tumours in the elderly is associated with a greater 30‐day mortality and overall mortality when compared with younger cohorts, but similar disease‐free survival. Length of stay and transfusions were not significantly different while pneumonia, renal failure and infections were more frequent in the elderly group.
The Activist Polis: Topologies of Conflict in Indigenous Solidarity Activism
Authors: Mott Carrie
Published: June 2015

Interpersonal conflict poses a serious threat to social justice activism. In the context of indigenous solidarity activism in southern Arizona, conflicts are often born of the challenges accompanying differentials in social privilege due to differences in race and ethnicity relative to white supremacist settler colonialism. This paper examines activist collaboration between Tohono O'odham and non‐Native anarchist activists in southern Arizona, arguing that a topological activist polis is a useful lens through which we can better understand the roots of conflict in social justice activism. Non‐Native activists are often aware of the ways white supremacist settler colonial society privileges particular identities while marginalizing others. Nonetheless, settler and white privilege give rise to tensions which can be seen topologically through the very different relationships non‐Native and indigenous activists have to ongoing processes of white supremacy and to histories of the genocide of indigenous peoples.
What is underneath the cesarean request?
Authors: Dweik Diána , Sluijs Anne‐Marie
Published: June 2015

In the Nordic countries, where there is a real pursuit to keep cesarean section rates at a relatively low level, the efforts to align maternity care to the needs of women reflect a unique approach among high‐income countries. Electively performed cesarean section due to fear of childbirth is one example of this increased attention. The antenatal counseling services’ primary aim is the promotion of a positive childbirth experience, regardless of mode of delivery. It is very likely, however, that even a fulfilled request for cesarean section is not enough to ensure a positive birth experience. Therefore, a maternal request for cesarean delivery should first be interpreted as a sign of increased maternal vulnerability rather than a need that should be met unconditionally.
Systematic review: factors associated with relapse of inflammatory bowel disease after discontinuation of anti‐TNF therapy
Authors: Gisbert J. P. , Marín A. C. , Chaparro M.
Published: June 2015

Background

The discontinuation of anti‐tumour necrosis factor (anti‐TNF) treatment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in remission could be considered.

Aim

To evaluate the factors associated with relapse of IBD after discontinuation of anti‐TNF therapy.

Methods

Electronic (PubMed/Embase) and manual search up to January 2015.

Results

The overall risk of relapse after discontinuation of anti‐TNFs (27 studies) was 44% for Crohn's disease (CD; follow‐up range: 6–125 months) and 38% for ulcerative colitis (follow‐up range: 6–24 months). Several factors were investigated to identify patients who are more likely to achieve long‐lasting remission after anti‐TNF discontinuation. The factors associated with a higher risk of relapse are younger age, smoking, longer disease duration, and fistulising perianal CD. Laboratory markers such as low haemoglobin levels, high C‐reactive protein levels and high faecal calprotectin seem to increase the risk of relapse. On the other hand, low serum anti‐TNF levels seem to be associated with a lower risk of flare‐up. Mucosal healing seems to decrease the risk of relapse after anti‐TNF discontinuation (overall, this risk is 26% at 1 year with mucosal healing and 42% without), although this observation has not been confirmed by some authors. In patients receiving escalated anti‐TNF doses or receiving anti‐TNFs for the prevention of post‐operative CD recurrence, the risk of relapse after discontinuation is high (>75%). Re‐administration of the drug in those who relapsed after stopping treatment is effective and safe.

Conclusions

A high proportion of patients with IBD relapse after discontinuation of anti‐TNF treatment. As available data are insufficient to make strong recommendations on when anti‐TNF therapy could be stopped, decisions should be taken on an individual basis.
High Helicobacter pylori cure rate with sitafloxacin‐based triple therapy
Authors: Sugimoto M. , Sahara S. , Ichikawa H. , Kagami T. , Uotani T. , Furuta T.
Published: June 2015

Background

Bacterial resistance of Helicobacter pylori to antibiotics is increasing and it often leads to failure of antibiotic treatment. A new sitafloxacin‐based triple therapy was developed to counter this situation; the fluoroquinolone sitafloxacin has a low minimum inhibitory concentration for H. pylori.

Aim

To investigate the efficacy in Japanese patients of sitafloxacin‐based triple therapy and document its efficacy in relation to anti‐microbial susceptibility.

Methods

We investigated the efficacy of a 1‐week sitafloxicin‐based regimen of rabeprazole 10 mg four times daily (q.d.s.), metronidazole 250 mg twice daily (b.d.) and sitafloxacin 100 mg b.d. in 180 H. pylori‐positive Japanese patients (first‐line treatment: n = 45, second‐line; n = 41, third‐line: n = 94). At 8 weeks, patients were given the 13C‐urea breath test to assess eradication status.

Results

Eradication rate was 92.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 87.3–95.7%, 166/180] in intention‐to‐treat analysis. Although the eradication rate was higher in patients treated with first‐line therapy [45/45 (100%, 95% CI: 83.4–100%)] than in those with second‐ [38/41 (92.7%, 80.1–98.5%)] or third‐line therapy [83/94 (88.3%, 80.0–94.0%)], no significant differences were noted with respect to the number of previous therapy attempts (P = 0.054). Eradication rates in patients infected with sensitive‐ and resistant strains to metronidazole were 96.6% (28/29) and 96.3% (77/80) (P = 0.941), respectively, while rates were 98.4% (60/61) in sitafloxacin‐sensitive and 50.0% (1/2) in sitafloxacin resistant strains (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Sitofloxacin‐based triple therapy with metronidazole b.d. and rabeprazole q.d.s. achieved an eradication rate exceeding 88%, irrespective of eradication history, CYP2C19 genotype, or metronidazole resistance status.
Gaddum Memorial Lecture 2014: receptors as an evolving concept: from switches to biased microprocessors
Authors: Kenakin Terry
Published: June 2015

This review is based on the JR Vane Medal Lecture presented at the BPS Winter Meeting in December 2014 by T. Kenakin. A recording of the lecture is included as supporting information and can also be viewed online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrP81AQ8l‐8. Pharmacological models used to describe drug agonism and antagonism have evolved over the past 20 years from a parsimonious model describing single active and inactive receptor states to models of multiconformational receptor systems modified by ligand conformational selection. These latter models describe the observed, presently underexploited, pharmacological mechanism of ligand‐directed biased signalling. Biased signals can be quantified with transduction coefficients (ΔΔLog(τ/KA) values), a scale grounded in the Black/Leff operational model; this enables the optimization of biased profiles through medicinal chemistry. The past decades have also brought the availability of new technologies to measure multiple functional effects mediated by seven transmembrane receptors. These have confirmed that drugs can have many efficacies, which may be collaterally linked, that is there is no linear sequence of activities required. In addition, new functional screening assays have introduced increasing numbers of allosteric ligands into drug discovery. These molecules are permissive (they do not necessarily preclude endogenous signalling in vivo); therefore, they may allow better fine tuning of pathological physiology. The permissive quality of allosteric ligands can also change the quality of endogenous signalling efficacy (‘induced bias’) as well as the quantity of signal; in this regard, indices related to ΔΔLog(τ/KA) values (namely ΔLog(αβ) values) can be used to quantify these effects for optimization in the drug discovery process. All of these added scales of drug activity will, hopefully, allow better targeting of candidate molecules towards therapies.
Inter‐study variability of preclinical in vivo safety studies and translational exposure–QTc relationships – a PKPD meta‐analysis
Authors: Gotta V , Cools F , van Ammel K , Gallacher D J , Visser S A G , Sannajust F , Morissette P , Danhof M , van der Graaf P H
Published: June 2015

Background and Purpose

Preclinical cardiovascular safety studies (CVS) have been compared between facilities with respect to their sensitivity to detect drug‐induced QTc prolongation (ΔQTc). Little is known about the consistency of quantitative ΔQTc predictions that are relevant for translation to humans.

Experimental Approach

We derived typical ΔQTc predictions at therapeutic exposure (ΔQTcTHER) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for 3 Kv11.1 (hERG) channel blockers (moxifloxacin, dofetilide and sotalol) from a total of 14 CVS with variable designs in the conscious dog. Population pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic (PKPD) analysis of each study was followed by a meta‐analysis (pooling 2–6 studies including 10–32 dogs per compound) to derive meta‐predictions of typical ΔQTcTHER. Meta‐predictions were used as a reference to evaluate the consistency of study predictions and to relate results to those found in the clinical literature.

Key Results

The 95%CIs of study‐predicted ΔQTcTHER comprised in 13 out of 14 cases the meta‐prediction. Overall inter‐study variability (mean deviation from meta‐prediction at upper level of therapeutic exposure) was 30% (range: 1–69%). Meta‐ΔQTcTHER predictions for moxifloxacin, dofetilide and sotalol overlapped with reported clinical QTc prolongation when expressed as %‐prolongation from baseline.

Conclusions and Implications

Consistent exposure‐ΔQTc predictions were obtained from single preclinical dog studies of highly variable designs by systematic PKPD analysis, which is suitable for translational purposes. The good preclinical–clinical pharmacodynamic correlations obtained suggest that such an analysis should be more routinely applied to increase the informative and predictive value of results obtained from animal experiments.
Pleiotropic, heart rate‐independent cardioprotection by ivabradine
Authors: Kleinbongard P , Gedik N , Witting P , Freedman B , Klöcker N , Heusch G
Published: June 2015

Background and Purpose

In pigs, ivabradine reduces infarct size even when given only at reperfusion and in the absence of heart rate reduction. The mechanism of this non‐heart rate‐related cardioprotection is unknown. Hence, in the present study we assessed the pleiotropic action of ivabradine in more detail.

Experimental Approach

Anaesthetized mice were pretreated with ivabradine (1.7 mg·kg−1 i.v.) or placebo (control) before a cycle of coronary occlusion/reperfusion (30/120 min ± left atrial pacing). Infarct size was determined. Isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes were exposed to simulated ischaemia/reperfusion (60/5 min) in the absence and presence of ivabradine, viability was then quantified and intra‐ and extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was detected. Mitochondria were isolated from mouse hearts and exposed to simulated ischaemia/reperfusion (6/3 min) in glutamate/malate‐ and ADP‐containing buffer in the absence and presence of ivabradine respectively. Mitochondrial respiration, extramitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial ATP production and calcium retention capacity (CRC) were assessed.

Key Results

Ivabradine decreased infarct size even with atrial pacing. Cardiomyocyte viability after simulated ischaemia/reperfusion was better preserved with ivabradin, the accumulation of intra‐ and extracellular ROS decreased in parallel. Mitochondrial complex I respiration was not different without/with ivabradine, but ivabradine significantly inhibited the accumulation of extramitochondrial ROS, increased mitochondrial ATP production and increased CRC.

Conclusion and Implications

Ivabradine reduces infarct size independently of a reduction in heart rate and improves ventricular cardiomyocyte viability, possibly by reducing mitochondrial ROS formation, increasing ATP production and CRC.
Ketamine and phencyclidine: the good, the bad and the unexpected
Authors: Lodge D , Mercier M S
Published: June 2015

The history of ketamine and phencyclidine from their development as potential clinical anaesthetics through drugs of abuse and animal models of schizophrenia to potential rapidly acting antidepressants is reviewed. The discovery in 1983 of the NMDA receptor antagonist property of ketamine and phencyclidine was a key step to understanding their pharmacology, including their psychotomimetic effects in man. This review describes the historical context and the course of that discovery and its expansion into other hallucinatory drugs. The relevance of these findings to modern hypotheses of schizophrenia and the implications for drug discovery are reviewed. The findings of the rapidly acting antidepressant effects of ketamine in man are discussed in relation to other glutamatergic mechanisms.
La fonction publique canadienne a perdu ses repères
Authors: Savoie Donald J.
Published: June 2015

Sommaire

Il y a une trentaine d'années, dans les démocraties anglo‐américaines, les politiciens ont adopté une série de mesures conçues pour leur assurer une position dominante dans l'élaboration des politiques publiques et pousser les hauts fonctionnaires à devenir de meilleurs gestionnaires. Le gouvernement du Canada n'y a pas fait exception. Essentiellement, les politiciens ont décidé de se tourner vers le secteur privé pour améliorer la gestion du secteur public. Ces efforts ont échoué, ont coûté cher aux contribuables et ont rompu les amarres de la fonction publique fédérale. Cet article soutient que la fonction publique a besoin de redécouvrir ses racines, et qu'elle doit abandonner les hypothèses simples liées aux intérêts personnels et aux modèles déductifs et le mantra voulant que les réformes inspirées du secteur privé puissent engendrer des changements productifs dans le secteur public.
Refocusing the lens: Drinking water success in First Nations in Ontario
Authors: McCullough Jason , Farahbakhsh Khosrow
Published: June 2015

This article examines the definition of success in First Nations drinking water service as voiced by the First Nations technical community of practice. The research explores success stories to identify success themes and factors to formulate a workable definition for policy‐makers. Researchers interviewed sixteen technical practitioners in Ontario using a semi‐structured approach. Data analysis revealed a definition of success that extends beyond the technical boundary to include professional growth, employment, local action and a facilitating policy environment. This comprehensive definition provides a basis for policy and program considerations to increase First Nations buy‐in and foster a constructive environment for drinking water improvements.
Are non‐government policy actors being heard? Assessing New Public Governance in three Canadian provinces
Authors: Evans Bryan , Sapeha Halina
Published: June 2015

This article is based on select results taken from a survey of NGO and provincial government policy workers. The purpose is to provide an empirically based assessment of how government and non‐government policy workers engage with one another in the policy process. The data suggest that policy co‐construction and co‐production are a significant feature of the process but there is some need for nuance. The data presented here indicate that the extent of policy engagement may not be as broadly inclusive as the proponents of New Governance suggest.
Comparative Analysis of Pharmacophore Features and Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships for CD38 Covalent and Non‐covalent Inhibitors
Authors: Zhang Shuang , Xue Xiwen , Zhang Liangren , Zhang Lihe , Liu Zhenming
Published: June 2015

In the past decade, the discovery, synthesis, and evaluation for hundreds of CD38 covalent and non‐covalent inhibitors has been reported sequentially by our group and partners; however, a systematic structure‐based guidance is still lacking for rational design of CD38 inhibitor. Here, we carried out a comparative analysis of pharmacophore features and quantitative structure–activity relationships for CD38 inhibitors. The results uncover that the essential interactions between key residues and covalent/non‐covalent CD38 inhibitors include (i) hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions with residues Glu226 and Trp125, (ii) electrostatic or hydrogen bond interaction with the positively charged residue Arg127 region, and (iii) the hydrophobic interaction with residue Trp189. For covalent inhibitors, besides the covalent effect with residue Glu226, the electrostatic interaction with residue Arg127 is also necessary, while another hydrogen/non‐bonded interaction with residues Trp125 and Trp189 can also be detected. By means of the SYBYL multifit alignment function, the best CoMFA and CoMSIA with CD38 covalent inhibitors presented cross‐validated correlation coefficient values (q2) of 0.564 and 0.571, and non‐cross‐validated values (r2) of 0.967 and 0.971, respectively. The CD38 non‐covalent inhibitors can be classified into five groups according to their chemical scaffolds, and the residues Glu226, Trp189, and Trp125 are indispensable for those non‐covalent inhibitors binding to CD38, while the residues Ser126, Arg127, Asp155, Thr221, and Phe222 are also important. The best CoMFA and CoMSIA with the F12 analogues presented cross‐validated correlation coefficient values (q2) of 0.469 and 0.454, and non‐cross‐validated values (r2) of 0.814 and 0.819, respectively.
Prioritizing vulnerable children: strategies to address inequity
Authors: Zwi K. , Joshua P. , Moran P. , White L.
Published: June 2015

Background

While current strategies to address the needs of vulnerable child populations in Australia aim to reduce inequities, they are isolated, group specific and disparate.

Aim

The aim of this study was to address health inequities by generating tools that are useful in clinical service settings to assist with the identification, prioritization and monitoring of all vulnerable populations.

Methodology

Current local and national initiatives to address inequities were reviewed. Shared strategies in delivering health services to vulnerable populations were highlighted, and existing tools used for identification and prioritization were adapted.

Findings

Analysis of at‐risk populations resulted in the formulation of four key questions to identify vulnerable children at presentation to services and strategies for prioritizing children within services. An existing refugee child health service delivery framework was adapted as a proposal for use in the development and evaluation of services for all vulnerable child populations.

Conclusion

A systemic approach across all vulnerable populations, supplemented by group‐specific measures, is likely to add value to health service delivery as well as be more efficient and sustainable than multiple group‐specific interventions. Given the limited outcome evidence available, there is also a need to collect data on vulnerable children and to track the effectiveness of interventions designed to address their health needs.
Something old, something new: TBK1, a novel gene in known amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathways
Authors: Farhan S.M.K.
Published: June 2015

Exome sequencing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identified risk genes and pathways

Cirulli et al. (2015)

Science 347(6229):1436–1441
Complex sleep apnea at auto‐titrating CPAP initiation: prevalence, significance and predictive factors
Authors: Neu Daniel , Balkissou Adamou Dodo , Mairesse Olivier , Pefura‐Yone Eric Walter , Noseda André
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients may develop central respiratory events under continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), referred to as complex sleep apnea (CompSA).

Objective

We aimed to assess prevalence and predictive factors of complex apnea and to evaluate treatment response to CPAP.

Methods

Within a retrospective cohort study, we assessed clinical data of OSA patients, attending the sleep lab during a 15‐months period. Included participants underwent two consecutive polysomnographies; baseline diagnosis and treatment trial. Complex apnea patients, defined by a central apnea index ≥ 5 per hour during pressure auto‐titration, were compared to remainders.

Results

Among 263 included patients, the prevalence of complex apnea was 9.1%. The mean apnea hypopnea index only dropped from 52.7 to 39.9 per hour in CompSA patients, while it improved from 40.9 to 7.3 in patients without CompSA. Although a decreased sleep‐fragmentation under CPAP was observable in both groups, the enhancement of Non‐REM sleep was superior in patients without CompSA. The CompSA patients showed higher median apnea‐hypopnea, mixed apnea and central apnea indices at baseline and displayed higher rates of comorbid heart failure and obstructive pulmonary disease, but no higher severity of associated daytime fatigue and sleepiness symptoms.

Conclusion

Despite evidenced partial improvement of obstructive events, nocturnal hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation, the occurrence of complex apnea presented here as a clear therapeutic failure of auto‐titrating CPAP and was associated with heart failure, COPD and higher central and mixed apnea indices at baseline.
Asthma phenotypes in Turkey: a multicenter cross‐sectional study in adult asthmatics; PHENOTURK study
Authors: Yildiz Fusun , Mungan Dilsad , Gemicioglu Bilun , Yorgancioglu Arzu , Dursun Berna , Oner Erkekol Ferda , Ogus Candan , Turktas Haluk , Bogatekin Gunhan , Topcu Fusun , Deveci Figen , Bayram Hasan , Tor Meltem , Kalyoncu A. Fuat
Published: June 2015

Background and Aims

To evaluate asthma phenotypes in patients with asthma from different regions of Turkey.

Methods

A total of 1400 adult asthmatic patients (mean (SD) age: 44.0 (13.9) years, 75% females) from 14 centers across Turkey were included in this study and a standard questionnaire was applied between the time period of February 2011–January 2012.

Results

The disease onset ≥ 40 years of age was higher percentage in obese vs. normal/overweight patients and nonallergic vs. allergic patients (P < 0.01). The percentage of patients who had FEV1 values over 80% was higher in allergic than nonallergic and normal/overweight than obese patients (P < 0.01). Uncontrolled asthmatics have more severe disease (P < 0.01). There were more frequent hospital admissions in nonallergic and uncontrolled asthmatics (P < 0.01). Chronic rhino‐sinusitis was the leading comorbid disorder in normal/overweight and allergic asthma, while gastroesophageal reflux disorder was more frequent in nonallergic and uncontrolled asthma (P < 0.01). Asthma control rate was the highest (39.0%) in patients from Marmara region among all geographical regions (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

In conclusion, our findings revealed existence of clinical/trigger related phenotypes based on BMI, allergic status, control level and geographical region with more frequent respiratory dysfunction and/or adverse health outcomes in uncontrolled, obese and nonallergic phenotypes.
A 50‐year‐old woman with haemoptysis, cough and tachypnea: cholesterol pneumonia accompanying with pulmonary artery hypertension
Authors: Li Mengxi , Zhang Nuofu , Zhou Ying , Li Jinhui , Gu Yingying , Wang Jian , Liu Chunli
Published: June 2015

Lipoid pneumonia is an uncommon disease caused by the presence of lipid in the alveoli. Here we described a case of a 50‐year‐old woman with haemoptysis, cough and tachypnea, who was diagnosed with cholesterol pneumonia accompanying with pulmonary artery hypertension. The extremely high pulmonary artery pressure achieved, in this case, is alarming and should alert the physicians that the cholesterol pneumonia may be one of the underlying causes of pulmonary artery hypertension. After a treatment of methylprednisolone, her clinical symptoms were significantly improved, which suggested that steroid might be a promising therapeutic for patients with cholesterol pneumonia.
Cathelicidin (LL‐37) and human β2‐defensin levels of children with post‐infectious bronchiolitis obliterans
Authors: Gedik Ahmet Hakan , Cakir Erkan , Gokdemir Yasemin , Uyan Zeynep Seda , Kocyigit Abdurrahim , Torun Emel , Karadag Bulent , Ersu Refika , Karakoc Fazilet
Published: June 2015

Introduction

The antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) human β‐defensins and cathelicidin (LL‐37) are key factors in innate and adaptive immune responses of the respiratory tract and play an important role in many respiratory diseases. No data are available in the literature about the levels of these AMPs in paediatric patients with post‐infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). This study aimed to determine human β‐defensin 2 (hBD2) and LL‐37 levels and compare between post‐infectious BO patients and the control group.

Method

The patients diagnosed with post‐infectious BO between September 2012 and 2013 and age‐ and‐gender matched healthy controls were enrolled in this multi‐center study. Serum hBD2 and LL37 levels were determined with the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method.

Results

Sixty‐three post‐infectious BO patients and 65 healthy children (median age 73 ± 55 and 78.74 ± 36.32 months, respectively) were enrolled in the study. The mean of hBD2 levels in patients and the control group were 1.06 ± 0.24 and 0.67 ± 0.72 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean of LL‐37 levels in patients and the control group were 72.13 ± 29.06 and 50.10 ± 21.98 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). No correlation was found between these AMPs levels and chronological age, age at the time of diagnosis, gender, Z‐scores of weight and length, hospitalization numbers, the disease history before diagnosis and 25‐OH D vitamin levels.

Conclusion

This is the first study to demonstrate the higher levels of serum hBD2 and LL‐37 levels in paediatric post‐infectious BO patients. These AMPs may have important roles in the immune systems and pathogenesis of these patients.
Locally Delivered Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug: A Potential Option for Heterotopic Ossification Prevention
Authors: Rivera Jessica C. , Hsu Joseph R. , Noel Scott P. , Wenke Joseph C. , Rathbone Christopher R.
Published: June 2015

Oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed for heterotopic ossification prophylaxis following at‐risk injuries and procedures. We hypothesized that NSAIDs may be delivered locally in a wound for heterotopic ossification prophylaxis. In in vitro work, we cultured osteoblasts with three commercially available NSAIDs and then measured cell viability and DNA content. Indomethacin caused a 50% decrease in DNA at the lowest dose (0.0001 mM) and the most potent decrease in cell viability (<10% of control at 0.0005 mM). Ketorolac and ibuprofen required 10 times the dose to achieve a comparable decrease (<20% of control at 0.005 mM). In an animal study, 20 rats per treatment group received a full‐thickness wound dressed with either saline‐moistened gauze, saline‐moistened chitosan sponge, or chitosan sponge loaded with indomethacin. After 28 days, we examined the tissue for healing. Wounds exposed to indomethacin loaded sponges demonstrated fewer inflammatory cells. All 20 rats in the indomethacin group had complete epithelial coverage at 28 days. Eighteen (90%) wounds in the saline‐chitosan group and 11 (55%) wounds in the saline‐gauze group were healed. Locally delivered NSAIDs may be useful for heterotopic ossification prophylaxis due to effects on osteoblast viability and lack of negative effects on wound healing.
Lost without translation: Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity (SCALE) in German
Authors: Fowler Eileen
Published: June 2015

This commentary is on the original article by Balzer et al. on pages 167–172 of this issue.
Adaptation to Global Warming as an Optimal Transition Process to A Greenhouse World
Authors: Seo S. Niggol
Published: June 2015

This article develops the economics of adaptation to global warming as an optimal transition process to future climates. Three policy approaches that encompass the existing theories and policy options are initially outlined: measures based on individuals' social responsibility, government regulations, and carbon pricing. Evidence suggests that each of these options has little chance of being agreed upon and implemented at a global level. The economics of adaptation begins with climate signals which force individuals to adapt. Private adaptations are simultaneously tapped into for carbon dioxide removal and abatement. With increasingly severe damage over time, public sectors will be compelled to work in partnership with individuals and communities. Responding to amplifying climate signals, adaptation strategies evolve in such a way as to accelerate carbon dioxide reductions through low‐carbon energy sources and technological solutions. Adaptations in a centuries‐long timescale would effectively fend off dangerous global warming, but in a manner that is unbearably slow for the world's communities. The optimality of the transition process is based on micro efficiency, coordination, and the public goods nature and unique characteristics of specific adaptation strategies.
Marketing by Controlling Social Discourse: The Fairtrade Case
Authors: Griffiths Peter
Published: June 2015

A non‐conventional marketing strategy is used by the owners of a not‐for‐profit code of practice,Fairtrade. People buyFairtrade‐branded goods because of the social discourse around it – what friends, newspapers, teachers and others tell them about what it guarantees, what it achieves and what is its social acceptability – rather than because of the advertising. The social discourse is favourable toFairtrade but bears little relation to observable fact. Methods used by the brand owners and others to control and manipulate the social discourse are identified.
Individual‐level differences in generalist caterpillar responses to a plant–plant cue
Authors: HUGHES KATHY M. , PEARSE IAN S. , GROF‐TISZA PATRICK , KARBAN RICHARD
Published: June 2015

1. Plant–plant communication has been found to affect interactions between herbivores and plants in several model systems. In these systems, herbivore‐induced volatile chemical cues are emitted and perceived by other plants (receivers), which subsequently change their defensive phenotypes. Most studies have focused on how the effects of volatile cues affect plant damage, whereas herbivore performance has rarely been examined.

2. In this study, it is shown that plant–plant communication between willows reduced the growth rate, feeding rate, and conversion efficiency of some individuals but not others of a generalist caterpillar, Orgyia vetusta.

3. Using a paired, no‐choice trial design, there was substantial variation between caterpillar individuals in their response to willows that had been induced with a volatile plant–plant cue. This variation was explained by feeding parameters of the individual herbivores. Individuals behaved similarly when fed induced and non‐induced willow leaves. Specifically, growth rates of caterpillars that grew rapidly on non‐induced willow leaves were negatively affected by plant–plant cues, but growth rates of caterpillars that grew slowly on non‐induced willow leaves were not affected by the responses to volatiles from neighbouring willows.

4. Induction by volatile plant–plant cues reduced the growth rates of those individual herbivores that caused the greatest damage to willow, but had little effect on weak growers.
A review of Pinaceae resistance mechanisms against needle and shoot pathogens with a focus on the Dothistroma–Pinus interaction
Authors: Fraser S. , Martín‐García J. , Perry A. , Kabir M. S. , Owen T. , Solla A. , Brown A. V. , Bulman L. S. , Barnes I. , Hale M. D. , Vasconcelos M. W. , Lewis K. J. , Doğmuş‐Lehtijarvi H. T. , Markovskaja S. , Woodward S. , Bradshaw R. E.
Published: June 2015

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by Dothistroma septosporum and Dothistroma pini, is a highly damaging disease of pine. DNB was originally considered a problem on exotic Pinus radiata plantations in the Southern Hemisphere and on both exotic and native pines in parts of North America in the 1960s. Since the mid‐1990s, however, DNB has increased in importance in various parts of the world, including Europe. On susceptible species, DNB causes premature needle drop, a loss of yield and, in some circumstances, mortality. In some areas, DNB is controlled by the application of copper‐based fungicides and silvicultural techniques, such as thinning and pruning. In New Zealand, there has also been a long history of selection of more resistant P. radiata for use in breeding programmes. A richer understanding of the resistance mechanisms involved in the Dothistroma–Pinus interaction will play a critical role in helping the development of sustainable integrated DNB management strategies. This review therefore summarizes current knowledge of defence mechanisms involved in the defence of Pinaceae against needle and shoot pathogens and identifies research gaps. Collaborative research efforts from countries directly or indirectly affected by DNB are rapidly generating new knowledge to address these gaps.
GENDER AND AGENCY BETWEEN ‘SEXUALWISSENSCHAFT’ AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY: THE CASE OF N.O. BODY'S AUS EINES MANNES MÄDCHENJAHREN
Authors: Linge Ina
Published: June 2015

This article analyses the relationship between the German discourse of ‘Sexualwissenschaft’ and the autobiography of N.O. Body (1907), which gives an account of the girlhood years of the male protagonist. The ideas and methods of sexology in Wilhelmine Germany, as expressed in particular in the works of Magnus Hirschfeld, will be rethought as prosthetic support for the construction of autobiographical writing of gender and sexual ‘deviants’ in the case of Aus eines Mannes Mädchenjahren and, as such, seen to open up a possibility to reconsider the relation between gender and agency. I suggest that N.O. Body's memoirs process and incorporate sexology's methodological and ideological impact through literary and linguistic craftsmanship that highlights the creative and idiosyncratic agency of the writing self.

Der folgende Aufsatz untersucht die diskursive Wechselbeziehung zwischen der deutschen Sexualwissenschaft und der Autobiographie N.O. Bodys (1907), in denen der männliche Protagonist von seinen Kinder‐ und Jugendjahren als Mädchen berichtet. Die Ideen und methodischen Zugänge der Sexualwissenschaft zur Zeit des Deutschen Kaiserreichs, insbesondere die Schriften Magnus Hirschfelds, werden hier als diskursive Prothese für das autobiographische Schreiben über sexuelle und Gender‐‘Devianz’ neu positioniert und anhand der Fallstudie Aus eines Mannes Mädchenjahren exemplarisch aufgezeigt. Dadurch wird es möglich, einen Zusammenhang von Geschlecht und Handlungsmöglichkeit (agency) herauszuarbeiten. Dieser Aufsatz stellt fest, dass N.O. Bodys Memoiren die methodischen und ideologischen Einflüsse der Sexualwissenschaft mithilfe einer literarischen und sprachlichen Kunstfertigkeit ein‐ und verarbeiten, die die kreative und idiosynkratische Handlungsmöglichkeit des schreibenden Selbst zum Ausdruck bringt.
FROM PICTURESQUE TO POLITICAL: TRANSCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON GERMANY IN VICTORIAN POPULAR PERIODICALS, 1850 TO 1875
Authors: Korte Barbara
Published: June 2015

General‐audience periodicals are an underused source for the study of transcultural perceptions and relations in the nineteenth century. With their pieces on travel and topography, multi‐authored magazines created a multi‐faceted image of the world. This kaleidoscopic mode directs our attention to the complexity of the period's popular imagination of foreign countries and transcultural relations. The article focuses on Germany as a case study and embarks on a cross‐title analysis of some widely‐read magazines for the Victorian family: The Leisure Hour, Household Words, All the Year Round and Chambers's Journal. It looks at the quarter‐century between 1850 and 1875, i.e. a period following the 1848 revolution but preceding the period when Germany became fully ‘Wilhelmine’. These years seem less decisive than the final quarter of the century for transnational relations, but they were a period of intense cultural perception when more and more Britons of the middle classes were able to visit Germany, and when Germany's situation as a country on its way to a nation state began to attract the interest of the Victorian common reader.

Publikumszeitschriften sind eine bislang vernachlässigte Quelle für die Unter‐suchung transkultureller Wahrnehmungen und Beziehungen im 19. Jahrhundert. Mit Reise‐ und topographischen Beiträgen diverser Autoren vermittelten Zeit‐schriften ein multiperspektivisches Bild der Welt. Gerade diese kaleidoskopische Sicht lässt die Komplexität der populären Wahrnehmung fremder Länder und transkultureller Beziehungen hervortreten. Der Artikel behandelt Deutschland als Fallstudie und analysiert seine Darstellung in vier führenden Familienzeitschriften des viktorianischen England (The Leisure Hour, Household Words, All the Year Round und Chambers's Journal). Er konzentriert sich auf den Zeitraum 1850–75, der der 1848‐Revolution folgte, aber dem Aufstieg des Wilhelminischen Deutschland vorausging. Auch wenn diese Phase für transnationale Beziehungen zwischen Britannien und Deutschland weniger entscheidend war als das letzte Viertel des Jahrhunderts, handelt es sich um eine Zeit der intensivierten kulturellen Wahrnehmung: immer mehr Briten aus den mittleren Schichten konnten nach Deutschland reisen, und die deutsche Situation eines Landes auf dem Weg zum Nationalstaat weckte zunehmend das Interesse des allgemeinen Lesepublikums.
THE MEMORIAL AS A MAGNIFYING GLASS: INTERPRETING THE STALIN PLAQUE IN VIENNA1
Authors: Kriza Elisa
Published: June 2015

In 1949 the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) dedicated a memorial plaque to Stalin in Vienna. It commemorates his visit to the city while he wrote on the National Question in 1913. This plaque remains there until today. Because the memorial has lost its function in the communist cult of personality, this article offers an analysis of present‐day memory culture surrounding the plaque in order to understand its current function as place of memory. My point of departure is journalistic texts discussing the Stalin plaque written in Austria in the twenty‐first century. These repeat certain topoi and metaphors from transnational fictional and non‐fictional works about Stalin's life and about radicals in Vienna in 1913. I discuss the intertextuality of these texts and interpret their function. Although the plaque has its roots in Stalin's personality cult of the 1940s, most recent texts ignore this aspect. Instead, they recreate the episode of Stalin's life the memorial alludes to. The memorial thus functions as a magnifying glass, exposing details about the year 1913 when Stalin visited Vienna. Present‐day writing about the Stalin plaque often leads to discussions about who else lived in Vienna that year and about the fatefulness of the year before World War I.

1949 errichtete die Kommunistische Partei Österreichs (KPÖ) eine Gedenktafel, die an den Wienbesuch Stalins im Jahr 1913 erinnert, bei dem Stalin an seinem Werk zur Nationalen Frage schrieb. Die Gedenktafel ist heute noch in Wien. Da sie heute nicht mehr dem Zweck des kommunistischen Personenkultes dient, analysiert dieser Aufsatz die aktuelle Erinnerungskultur um die Gedenktafel, um ihre zeitgenössische Funktion als Erinnerungsort zu verstehen. Den Ausgangspunkt bilden neuere österreichische publizistische Artikel über die Stalin‐Tafel. Diese wiederholen gewisse Topoi und Metaphern aus transnationaler Literatur (Belletristik und Sachwerke) über Stalins Leben und über die Radikalen im Wien des Jahres 1913. Ich erörtere die Intertextualität dieser Texte und interpretiere ihre Funktion. Obwohl die Gedenktafel ihre Ursprünge in Stalins Personenkult hat, ignorieren jüngere Texte diesen Aspekt. Stattdessen rekonstruieren sie den Lebensabschnitt Stalins, auf den sich die Tafel bezieht. Die Gedenktafel fungiert wie eine Lupe, die Details zu dem Jahr 1913 offenbart. Heutige Schriften zur Stalin‐Tafel diskutieren häufig die Schicksalhaftigkeit des letzten Jahres vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg und die Frage, wer sonst damals in Wien lebte.