bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Archaeology displays in universities
Authors: Eyifa-Dzidzienyo Gertrude A. M.
Published: September 2022

Archaeology collections and displays have been central to universities around the world. This chapter examines archaeology displays in museums in Ghana, placing emphasis on the Museum of Archaeology, a teaching museum situated in the Archaeology and Heritage Studies Department at the University of Ghana, Legon. The chapter presents an overview of archaeological displays in Ghana, the challenges of the Archaeology Museum in managing and displaying archaeological collections, and university students’ perspectives on archaeology displays. It is argued that archaeology displays are significant not just for archaeology students but for many university disciplines through object-based learning, and that students benefit from having agency in their creation. The chapter concludes that cultural awareness, identity creation, as well as an understanding of the past among Ghanaian students are greatly influenced by the cultural materials that are excavated and displayed in museums. There is therefore the need for more archaeology displays in Ghanaian museums.
Engaging contemporary social issues in the museum through archaeological collections
Authors: Del Vesco Paolo
Published: September 2022

Starting from the analysis of the historical development of the official definition of museum, in search of the nature of its engagement with contemporary social issues, it is argued that museums are transforming in order to preserve their relevance and respond to the demands of an ever-changing society. After briefly considering how museums are addressing their role in society, the ‘social inclusion’ practices tested by the Museo Egizio in Turin between 2015 and 2020 serve as a case study to analyse benefits and drawbacks of approaches addressing social justice issues such as immigration, health and wellbeing, and climate change. Although museums can and should have a strong and beneficial impact on society, it is also argued that their role should not be equated and limited to that.
Conservation and the care of human remains in museums
Authors: Wills Barbara
Published: September 2022

In this chapter, the breadth, value, and distinctiveness of human remains in collections are explored. To place the conservation discussion in context, the various preservation methods of human remains along with the history of such collections, the development of relevant protocols, and the analytical possibilities are all briefly described. Conservation techniques are considered, and a case is made for minimal intervention so as to maximize the inherent information available for study and analysis. General advice is given on the conservation care of human remains. A practical conservation case study describes the stabilization of a fragmentary naturally mummified human while avoiding the use of conservation adhesives and solvents: the parts being held in register using tailored passive supports to keep the body whole.
Contested heritage and absent objects
Authors: Engmann Rachel Ama Asaa
Published: September 2022

This chapter examines archaeological representation at Ghana’s coastal forts and castles. During the transatlantic slave trade, such sites were places of captive Africans’ incarceration, as well as the final point of deportation from Africa, prior to the Middle Passage and enslavement in the Americas. Today, African descendants in the diaspora, as heritage tourists and/or pilgrims, journey to visit them, but as contested heritage sites they embody complex and nuanced politics of inclusion, exclusion, representation, remembrance, and commemoration of the transatlantic slave trade. It explores the tensions of interpretation and commercialization of heritage associated with the transatlantic slave trade and the role of autoarchaeology in addressing these. It also turns to the matter of absence, more specifically, what happens when there are few or no objects to exhibit or display. In so doing, it encourages us to rethink the role of materialities in telling stories of the transatlantic slave trade, transgenerational trauma, dislocation, and reclamation.
Unlocking the potential of archaeological archives
Authors: Boyle Gail
Published: September 2022

This chapter discusses factors that impact upon the potential of archaeological archives to be fully realized and suggests ways in which museum archaeologists and others might play an active role in affecting positive change. It takes the situation in the UK as its focus but covers issues faced by archaeologists internationally, including the curation crisis. It explains what archaeological archives are, how their make-up and significance may vary, and sets these within a summarized chronological and developmental context. Challenges and opportunities brought about by changes to professional practice, standardization, and the introduction of digital technologies are explored across themes relating to access and use. It is illustrated with recent case studies and data collated via sector-wide intelligence gathering programmes and offers insights and provocations relative to past, present, and future archaeological archive activity within museums.
Social Psychology and Political Participation
Authors: Klandermans Bert , van Stekelenburg Jacquelien
Published: September 2022

This chapter presents a social-psychological account of political participation. The framework connects the micro-, meso-, and macro-level and separates demand, supply, and mobilization as factors influencing the dynamics of protest participation. Understanding political participation requires research that focuses on the individual citizens—what are their fears, hopes, and concerns? What are the issues they care for? What are the motives they have? What opportunities do they perceive? Research of protest participation tends to neglect that even in identical circumstances individuals diverge widely in the ways they act politically. A proper understanding of that variation requires a framework that integrates the micro-, meso-, and macro-level of analysis. Such integration is frequently asked for but sparsely done.
Life Histories Interviews for the Study of Political Participation
Authors: Bosi Lorenzo
Published: September 2022

Abstract: Life history interviews allow to investigate political participation diachronically, as a long-lasting social activity articulated through the different phases of a life trajectory and forms of engagement. What characterizes the study of political participation through this qualitative methodological tool is, above all, an emphasis on agency, contextualization, and transformation. This chapter introduces the epistemological assumptions of the life history interviews (social–constructionist and symbolic–interpretative), how they have been applied to investigate political participation, in particular from scholars studying unconventional forms of political participation, and identifies the steps for conducting these with activists (planning interviews, selection, preparing a guideline and conducting the interview, transcribing and analyzing). It concludes by highlighting a possible way forwards for the study of political participation by adopting life history interviews.
Civic Engagement
Authors: Ekman Joakim , Amnå Erik
Published: September 2022

Abstract: The chapter focuses specifically on civic engagement as a distinct mode of political activity among citizens in contemporary democracies. In the first section, we review existing definitions of “civic engagement” in the literature, noting in particular the lack of common notions of what it entails, as well as the critique against too wide or all-encompassing definitions. In the second section, we develop a conceptual discussion about civic engagement and political participation, and suggest a thin notion of civic engagement that may be measured in a straightforward way in empirical studies. In the third section, we turn to an overview of recent empirical works on civic engagement and democracy, highlighting key findings and suggesting avenues for further research.
Bridging Electoral and Nonelectoral Political Participation
Authors: Borbáth Endre , Hutter Swen
Published: September 2022

The chapter examines political participation by citizens who bridge electoral and nonelectoral action forms. While often studied separately, we argue for integrating our understanding of political participation across the two main arenas of mass politics: the electoral and protest arena. We review the scholarly literature, focusing on individual-level drivers and the mobilization context of political participation. We argue that individual-level characteristics do not sufficiently explain variation in the extent of arena bridging. Analyzing voting and attending demonstrations on the individual level in Europe shows that nonelectoral, protest participation complements electoral participation. However, on the macro level, their co-evolution depends on political context conditions and strategies of political parties and social movements. Importantly, the link tends to be closer in moments of crisis and profound cleavage transformation. We back up the literature review with illustrative empirical results about the interplay between electoral and nonelectoral participation based on mass surveys and protest-event analysis.
Political Participation and the Economy
Authors: King Brayden G. , Carberry Edward J.
Published: September 2022

Economic conditions are both the object and the cause of political participation. This chapter explores how changes in the economy—especially worsening economic conditions and growing income inequality —shape both the propensity for individuals to mobilize around political issues as well as the forms of political participation, such as anti-corporate campaigns. We draw on research from three perspectives (institutional embeddedness, strain and breakdown theory, and threat and competition theories) to discuss the intertwining of economic conditions and individuals’ participation in politics. We also highlight research demonstrating that political participation extends beyond the boundaries of institutional politics to include economic targets as well, as people seek to redress economic and environmental grievances.
Class and Educational Inequality in Electoral Participation
Authors: Evans Geoffrey , Hepplewhite Matthew
Published: September 2022

This chapter considers the role of class and education in political participation. It focuses on one particular form of participation, namely voting. It describes how recent decades have witnessed growing class-based and education-based differentials in turnout in the West. It examines the dominant theoretical perspective for turnout—resource theory—before moving from such individual-based explanations to the supply side, that is, what political parties offer and whether their policies and personnel match what voters want. As well as considering cross-national evidence, it incorporates a case study of British non-voting patterns and party developments. It shows that Labour, the traditional party of the working class and the least educated, no longer adequately represents this section of society, in terms of policy, appeals, or personnel, with an accompanying pronounced decline in working-class participation. It is likely similar trends and consequences can be observed elsewhere. The chapter ends with a call to rebalance the study of social inequalities in participation to emphasize supply as well as demand.
Bridging Cognitive and Affective Explanations of Political Participation
Authors: Nai Alessandro
Published: September 2022

This chapter investigates two sets of individual drivers of political participation: cognitive attitudes (knowledge, interest, efficacy) and emotions. Bringing together separate strands of research in cognitive and political psychology literature, the chapter first discusses the importance of cognition and emotion as drivers of participation and voting. Special attention is granted to their interplay—most notably, the fact that emotions should be expected to have a more fundamental role in participation at higher levels of cognitive attitudes. On top of this direct effect, the chapter then discusses the importance of cognition and emotions to mediate the effects of (exposure to) political information. Most notably, focusing on the example of dark political communication (negativity, incivility), the chapter discusses recent evidence illustrating that exposure to such information shapes emotions and cognition, which then in turn drive participation.
Sociology and Political Participation
Authors: Mayer Nonna
Published: September 2022

This chapter explores the specific contribution of sociology to the understanding of institutional and extra-institutional forms of political participation. Sociology assumes that all human actions have a social logic, even the most personal, and that political socialization starts in non-political settings—family, workplace, church, associations. The chapter shows how resources linked to social position on the one hand, social interactions and networks on the other, shape the level and modes of political action. It replaces the individuals in the various groups they belong to, that forge their identity and sense of belonging. It uncovers the social roots of political inequality. The first two sections briefly present the sociological paradigms explaining voting and protest. A third section outlines the shifting patterns of political participation in the turbulent twenty-first century, leading to a need to reconsider the classical explanatory models. The conclusion explores avenues for future research.
Micro-Level Effects of Political Participation
Authors: Roth Silke , Saunders Clare
Published: September 2022

Varieties of political participation have different micro-effects or biographical consequences for those engaging in political action. Gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other markers of difference matter for involvement in political participation and thus also for its consequences. This means that an intersectional perspective is needed to understand the micro-effects or biographical consequences of political participation. In addition, it is important to be mindful to distinguish effects from correlations. We begin this chapter by discussing the concept of “biographical consequences.” We then apply it to different forms of political participation such as voting, protesting and online activism. Subsequently we discuss the impact of political participation on activists’ lives, including employment and family. Our chapter considers burnout as well as professionalization and the sustainability of political participation in the life-course. We close with identifying gaps and needs for further research.
Costly Abstention
Authors: Aytaç S. Erdem , Stokes Susan C.
Published: September 2022

This chapter introduces the concept of costly abstention as a driver of mass political participation. The key idea behind costly abstention is the recognition that just as participation in politics is costly, abstention can be costly as well. The costs of abstention are incurred when an individual suffers an intrinsic and psychic tension, or dissonance, upon failing (or anticipating failing) to take part in collective action. It is the interplay between the costs of participation and costs of abstention that determines an individual’s likelihood to participate in collective political action, such as voting and protesting. Costly abstention helps explain real-world patterns in electoral turnout and protest participation that are difficult to make sense of from the perspective of prevailing theoretical approaches.
Dialogic Talk During Collaborative Learning
Authors: Gillies Robyn M.
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the role of dialogic talk in classrooms and its capacity to promote students’ engagement, problem-solving, and learning. Understanding the role of dialogic talk in promoting student thinking and learning is critically important if teachers are to use this information to create environments where students feel supported, able to contest others’ ideas, consider alternative proposals, and integrate experiences with new knowledge and understandings. Collaborative learning experiences need to be intellectually challenging, provide opportunities for students to cooperate and constructively discuss challenging topics, integrate past experiences with new knowledge and understandings, and help students to learn how to monitor and regulate their own learning. The teacher’s role during these exchanges is to mediate the rules of discourse by steering, encouraging, and refereeing students’ discussions to help them understand the relationship between the language they use in different situations and the behaviors expected. This may include challenging children’s reasons and explanations, or paraphrasing students’ attempts to articulate their thoughts as they guide them to think more deeply about issues under discussion. Ensuring that students have access to the linguistic tools or ways of talking that are needed to enable them to participate in these dialogic exchanges is critically important if they are to reap the benefits widely attributed to this approach to learning and teaching. This chapter discusses three different types of linguistic tools that teachers can utilize to promote dialogic exchanges, understanding, and learning.
Quantizing a multi-pronged open string junction
Authors: Asano Masako , Kato Mitsuhiro
Published: September 2022

Covariant quantization of a multi-pronged open bosonic string junction is studied beyond static analysis. Its excited states are described by a set of ordinary bosons as well as some sets of twisted bosons on the worldsheet. The system is characterized by a certain large algebra of twisted type that includes a single Virasoro algebra as a subalgebra. By properly defining the physical states, one can show that there are no ghosts in the Hilbert space.
An Instrumental Variable Approach to Dynamic Models
Authors: Berry Steven T , Compiani Giovanni
Published: September 2022

We present a new class of methods for identification and inference in dynamic models with serially correlated unobservables, which typically imply that state variables are econometrically endogenous. In the context of Industrial Organization, these state variables often reflect econometrically endogenous market structure. We propose the use of Generalized Instrument Variables methods to identify those dynamic policy functions that are consistent with instrumental variable (IV) restrictions. Extending popular “two-step” methods, these policy functions then identify a set of structural parameters that are consistent with the dynamic model, the IV restrictions and the data. We provide computed illustrations to both single-agent and oligopoly examples. We also present a simple empirical analysis that, among other things, supports the counterfactual study of an environmental policy entailing an increase in sunk costs.
Are Self-disorders in Schizophrenia Expressive of a Unifying Disturbance of Subjectivity: A Factor Analytic Approach
Authors: Nordgaard Julie , Berge Jonas , Rasmussen Andreas Rosén , Sandsten Karl Erik , Zandersen Maja , Parnas Josef
Published: September 2022

Background and Hypothesis

The idea that a disorder of the basic self is a central feature in schizophrenia has recently been corroborated in a meta-analysis and a systematic review. Manifestations of the self-disorder can be systematically explored with the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE). In this study, we examined the factorial structure of EASE, and diagnostic efficacy of EASE. We hypothesized that EASE will have a monofactorial structure as an instability of the basic self will result in multiple deformations of self-experience which would be meaningfully interrelated as aspects of a unifying Gestalt.

Design

EASE data for 226 patients suffering from various mental disorders were analyzed under a confirmatory factor analysis framework (CFA). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated for the total EASE sums, and sensitivity and specificity values for prediction of schizophrenia spectrum disorders based on different cut-offs were obtained.

Results

Fit indices for the CFA model: RMSEA = 0.036, SRMR = 0.100, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.981. The AUC value was 0.946 (95% confidence interval: 0.919–0.974). Sensitivity as well as specificity for schizophrenia spectrum disorders were high.

Conclusion

Our results lend support for EASE exhibiting a monofactorial structure and the notion of self-disorders as a central phenotypic feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Impact of fruit and vegetable benefits on pregnancy outcomes among WIC participants: a natural experiment
Authors: Wang Guangyi , Seligman Hilary , Levi Ronli , Hamad Rita
Published: September 2022

Proper nutrition is critical for maternal and neonatal health. In January 2017, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in San Francisco, California, began providing an additional $40 per month in fruit and vegetable (F&V) benefits to pregnant clients with the goal of improving food security and nutrition-related outcomes. We evaluated whether pregnant women on WIC who received this additional F&V benefit exhibited better perinatal and birth outcomes compared with those who received standard WIC benefits. We used 2010–2019 birth certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The intervention group consisted of WIC participants living in San Francisco (SF) County (intervention county) and whose first trimester started after January 2017. We used a quasi-experimental synthetic control method to compare trends between the intervention and control groups (a weighted sample of other California counties that did not distribute additional F&V benefits). Outcomes included low birth weight, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age, gestational diabetes, and gestational weight gain. No significant differences in maternal and neonatal outcomes among WIC recipients in SF and synthetic control group were observed after the F&V benefits were distributed. Prior studies have shown that additional F&V benefits have positive effects on maternal and infant outcomes, indicating that F&V vouchers are a promising strategy for supporting equitable health outcomes. Our null results suggest that more rigorous research is needed to determine their optimal dose and duration, especially in high-cost-of-living areas, and to examine more upstream and structural interventions.
The Effect of a Patient Education Multimodal Digital Platform on Knowledge Acquisition, Self-efficacy, and Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Zhitomirsky Yakov , Aharony Noa
Published: September 2022

This study examined the impact of digital training instrument based on multimodal learning approach on surgical ward hospitalized patient education–related variables. The study was conducted as a multisite study in a large medical center as a two-arm, controlled trial with randomized cluster sampling. All patients meeting the inclusion criteria were offered the opportunity to participate. The control group (n = 40) received nurse explanation on home self-injection of enoxaparin sodium, whereas the intervention group (n = 40) received a tablet for multimodal learning specifically developed for this study. All participants completed before-and-after questionnaires evaluating knowledge acquisition, change in self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction. Results showed that the intervention group gained significantly more knowledge than the control group (P < .01). There was no significant difference in the level of self-efficacy change between the groups, and it was found that the control group patients were more satisfied with the training process (P = .01). This study shows that the use of a digital application for the benefit of patients' self-injection learning is effective in achieving educational goals such as knowledge acquisition and therefore can be a helpful resource for caregivers. Yet, these applications are not a substitute for attention provided by professionals, which is highly valued by patients.
Synchronous occurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumor, pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Case report
Authors: Hou Qiaoru , Zhang Wenjun , Niu Jiazeng , Tian Minghua , Liu Jie , Cui Linyang , Li Yingming
Published: September 2022

Rationale:

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common primary mesenchymal tumors in gastrointestinal tract. Synchronous occurrence of GIST and tumors in other organs is rare. We first report an exceedingly rare case of synchronous occurrence of gastric GIST, pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Patient concerns:

A 70-year-old male presented to our hospital because of abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Tumor markers and liver function were abnormal. Abdomen computed tomography showed concurrent tumors in stomach, pancreas, and liver.

Diagnosis:

Pathology confirmed synchronous occurrence of gastric GIST, pancreatic IPMN and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Interventions:

Mass excision, partly gastrectomy, wedge resection of VIII liver segments, and pancreatic-oduodenectomy were performed.

Outcomes:

During the 18-month follow-up, both laboratory tests and computed tomography examination revealed no sign of recurrence or metastasis. Currently, the patient is free of clinical symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, jaundice, and fever.

Conclusion:

As yet, no cases simultaneously with gastric GIST, pancreatic IPMN and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma have been described in literatures. This report increases the knowledge to avoid misdiagnosis and delayed therapy for coexistence of the described 3 types of neoplasm.
Assessment of health-related quality of life in patients with adult onset Still disease: Results from a multicentre cross-sectional study
Authors: Ruscitti Piero , Rozza Gelsomina , Di Muzio Claudia , Biaggi Alice , Iacono Daniela , Pantano Ilenia , Iagnocco Annamaria , Giacomelli Roberto , Cipriani Paola , Ciccia Francesco
Published: September 2022

We aimed to investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Adult onset Still disease (AOSD) patients, a rare systemic auto-inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology usually affecting young adults.

In this multicentre cross-sectional study, AOSD patients and age and gender matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. All patients had a low or absent clinical expressiveness, they were categorized as having a monocyclic pattern or a chronic disease course. The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EUROQoL), 36-Items Short-Form Healthy Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue subscale (FACIT-F), 100 mm-visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, fatigue, and global health assessment, were used to evaluate HRQoL. The results were compared between patients and HCs, analyzed according to clinical course, and correlated with clinical features at the time of diagnosis.

HRQoL resulted to be altered in 53 AOSD patients compared to 53 age and gender matched HCs. Many SF-36 domains differed between the 2 groups, mainly those of physical functioning which were reduced in AOSD respect to HCs. Furthermore, HAQ, FACIT-F, EuroQoL, VAS state of health, VAS pain, and VAS fatigue significantly differed between AOSD and HCs. No substantial differences were found comparing monocyclic pattern with chronic disease course.

AOSD patients showed an impairment of many SF-36 domains, HAQ, FACIT-F, EuroQoL, VAS state of health, VAS pain, and VAS fatigue when compared to matched HCs, despite a low or absent clinical expressiveness; these findings were similarly retrieved in both monocyclic pattern and chronic disease course.
A ferroptosis-associated lncRNAs signature predicts the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wang Dengchuan , Zhang Limei , Zhang YingJie , Zhang Yonggang , Xu Shi
Published: September 2022

Background:

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mounting evidence shows that lncRNAs can be used as prognostic biomarkers of HCC. Here, we developed a multi-lncRNA prognostic signature comprising ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in HCC.

Methods:

Gene expression data and clinical information of HCC were obtained from the TCGA dataset. Differentially expressed genes of ferroptosis (DE-Ferrs) were screened. Correlation analysis was carried between lncRNAs and DE-Ferrs to identify ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. lncRNAs associated with prognosis and ferroptosis were identified using Univariate Cox analysis. Data from a TCGA dataset were randomly grouped into training and verification sets. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method analysis was carried out to identify lncRNAs with prognostic value. These lncRNAs were used to construct a prognostic signature using the training set. The signature was validated in the verification set.

Results:

A total of 90 DE-Ferrs-related lncRNAs were identified which were significantly correlated with HCC prognosis. Seven lncRNAs were used to construct a 7-lncRNA signature. The area under the curves for 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) were 0.748, 0.681, and 0.659 in the training set, and 0.791, 0.731, and 0.815 in the validation set, respectively. The results demonstrated that a high-risk score was significantly associated with a high tumor grade, high infiltration of macrophages and fibroblasts in the tumor, and high expression of m6A methylation regulatory factors. A nomogram was constructed using the risk score and clinical features for predicting the prognosis of HCC. The nomogram showed high prediction accuracy.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the established 7 ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature can accurately predict HCC prognosis.
Communication, information, and knowledge in the pandemic by COVID-19 in Brazil
Authors: Campolino Luana Moura , Bernardes João Marcos , Alonso Melissa Spröesser , Gómez-Salgado Juan , Ruiz-Frutos Carlos , Domínguez-Salas Sara , Días Adriano
Published: September 2022

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is asserting itself as a health crisis, it is necessary to assess the knowledge and perceptions of people about the disease. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of the general population about COVID-19 and how the media influence this knowledge.

This is a cross-sectional study with 5066 participants who answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models.

Over 75% have obtained a high degree of knowledge regarding signs, symptoms, and transmission, 95% stated to check the veracity of the information received, and also showed that the total knowledge about COVID-19 was associated with the level of instruction, with the perception of the quality of information disseminated by the media, and with the risk perception.

Despite the high level of knowledge of participants, the results pointed to the need to reinforce information for individuals with less education and the importance of avoiding denialism that reduces the risk perception about COVID-19.
Methylation of PCDH17 and NEFH as prognostic biomarker for nonmetastatic RCC: A cohort study
Authors: Koudonas Antonios , Papaioannou Maria , Kampantais Spyridon , Anastasiadis Anastasios , Hatzimouratidis Konstantinos , Dimitriadis Georgios
Published: September 2022

DNA methylation makes up a main part of the molecular mechanism of cancer evolution and has shown promising results in the prognosis of renal cell cancer (RCC). In this study, we investigated the possible association of promoter methylation of PCDH17, NEFH, RASSF1A, and FHIT, genes with the prognosis of nonmetastatic RCC patients.

Cancerous and normal adjacent tissues from surgical specimens of 41 patients with long follow-up were treated for DNA isolation and bisulfite conversion. The gene promoter methylation was determined with quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP). Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for paired methylation comparisons, while univariate linear regression and Mann-Whitney test were applied for associating methylation status with clinical and disease characteristics. Cox regression proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier plots were used for survival analyses in reference to methylation status.

Paired comparisons showed tissue-specific hypermethylation for PCDH17 (P < .001), NEFH (P < .001), RASSF1A (P = .032), while a positive association of methylation in normal tissues with age was demonstrated for PCDH17 (P < .001), RASSF1A (P < .001), FHIT (P < .001). PCDH17 was more methylated in cases with clear cell RCC (P = .015) and high-grade tumor (P = .013), while NEFH methylation was higher in locally advanced cases (P = .032). PCDH17 hypermethylation in cancerous and normal tissues was linked to shorter disease-specific survival (DSS, P = .026, P = .004), disease-free survival (DFS, P = .004, P = .019) while NEFH hypermethylation in cancerous tissues was related to shorter DSS (P = .032). Increased methylation difference of NEFH was also associated with shorter DSS (P = .041) and DFS (P = .020), while the corresponding parameter for PCDH17 was associated with poor DFS (P = .014). Kaplan-Meier curves for hypermethylation in cancer tissues demonstrated different clinical courses for PCDH17 (P = .017), NEFH (P = .023) regarding DSS, and PCDH17 (P = .001) regarding DFS.

Our study not only highlights the prognostic value of promoter methylation of PCDH17 and NEFH in cancer tissues but also is the first report of the prognostic value of methylation alterations in normal tissues. Our findings are the first report of the prognostic value of methylation alterations in normal tissues, which can contribute to improved assessment of recurrence risk.
Analysis of treatment effect with teriparatide on device-related vertebral osteopenia after lumbar spinal interbody fusion using Hounsfield unit values: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Miyazaki Masashi , Ishihara Toshinobu , Abe Tetsutaro , Kanezaki Shozo , Hirakawa Masashi , Iwasaki Tatsuya , Tsumura Hiroshi
Published: September 2022

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of teriparatide on device-related vertebral osteopenia after single lumbar spinal interbody fusion and compare osteopenia in fused and nonfused spinal segments using Hounsfield unit (HU) values.

The present study was a retrospective cohort study. We reviewed 68 consecutive patients (28 men and 40 women) who underwent single-segment (L4–5) transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with cage and pedicle screw fixation. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether they were treated with teriparatide (teriparatide and nonmedication groups). The primary outcome measure was HU values measured on computed tomography images from each L1 to S1 vertebral body12-month postoperatively. Secondary outcome measures were femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), T-score, osseous union, and clinical outcomes using the Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system 12-month postoperatively.

There were significant decreases in HU values of lumbar vertebral bodies at all levels and BMD and T-score values obtained using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the femur between preoperative and postoperative 12-month computed tomography in the nonmedication group (P < .05). On the other hand, there were no significant differences between properative and postoperative 12-month HU values of each lumbar vertebral body and BMD values of the femur in the teriparatide group. Osseous fusion scores in the teriparatide group were significantly better than those in the nonmedication group. There were no significant differences in postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association scores between the 2 groups.

Administration of teriparatide during the perioperative period may prevent bone loss associated with spinal fusion surgery.
Cross-sectional comparison of age- and gender-related comorbidities in people living with HIV in Canada
Authors: Brunetta Jason M. , Baril Jean-Guy , de Wet Joseph J. , Fraser Chris , Rubin Gary , Thomas Réjean , Loemba Hugues , Logue Ken , Silverman Michael , Palmart Jean , Jiang Haiyan , Lorgeoux René-Pierre , Tossonian Harout , Kim Connie J. , Wong Alexander
Published: September 2022

Because antiretroviral therapy (ART) is allowing people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) to survive longer, they are developing more age-related comorbidities. We evaluated the effects of age and gender on the burden of age-related comorbidities among PLWH.

In this retrospective real-world study, de-identified data were extracted from the medical charts of 2000 HIV-positive adults on ART across 10 sites in Canada. The prevalence of age-related comorbidities was determined in 6 age subgroups (<30, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and ≥70 years). The effects of gender on these comorbidities were also examined. Risks of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) were calculated using the Framingham and D:A:D equations.

Most persons were White (68%), male (87%), and virologically suppressed (94%). The mean age was 50.3 years (57% aged ≥50 years), and mean CD4+ T-cell count was 616 cells/mm3. The most common comorbidities were neuropsychiatric symptoms (61%), overweight/obesity (43%), liver disease (37%), and dyslipidemia (37%). The mean number of comorbidities increased across age subgroups (P < .001). Across all age subgroups, the prevalence of hypertension (P = .04), dyslipidemia (P = .04), CKD (P = .03), bone fragility (P = .03), and depression (P = .02) differed between males and females. Both age (P < .001) and gender (P < .001) impacted cardiovascular disease and CKD risk.

Age and gender influenced the burden, types, and risks of age-related comorbidities in PLWH in this Canadian cohort. These comorbidities should be diagnosed and treated in routine clinical practice.
Association between ATP binding cassette gene member 1 polymorphism and glucocorticoid response in children with immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Zakaria Marwa , Hassan Tamer , Fawzy Amal , Fathy Manar , Abdelazeem Mahmoud , Magdy Abdelnour Hanim , Abdelstar Eman , Nafea Alaa , Ali Ahmed A.
Published: September 2022

ATP binding Cassette gene member 1 (ABCB1) polymorphism has been incriminated in susceptibility to many malignant, infectious and autoimmune diseases. Recently, it was reported that ABCB1 polymorphisms might have a link to disease progression as well as response to therapy.

We aimed to study the association between ABCB1 gene polymorphism and glucocorticoid response in children with newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

A case control study was conducted on 90 newly diagnosed children with ITP and 90 healthy controls over a period of 1 year. ABCB1 (C3435T) polymorphism was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) in patients and controls.

There was no significant difference between patients and controls as regards to frequency of different ABCB1 genotypes (CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 44.4%, 36.7%, and 18.9% respectively in patients and 48.9%, 38.9%, and 12.2% respectively in controls, P value = 0.18). 80% of patients who received steroids alone or steroids in combination with intravenous immunoglobulin showed complete recovery. There was highly significant relationship between ABCB1 genotypes and response to steroids where 55 % of responders had CC (wild) genotype while 40 % of nonresponders had TT (mutant) genotype.

We concluded that ABCB1 gene polymorphism may contribute to the response to steroids in Egyptian children with ITP where patients with homozygous CC genotype responded better to steroids than patients with homozygous TT genotype. These results may help us choose the appropriate initial treatment in these children.
Global remapping in granule cells and mossy cells of the mouse dentate gyrus
Authors: Kim Sang Hoon , GoodSmith Douglas , Temme Stephanie J. , Moriya Fumika , Ming Guo-li , Christian Kimberly M. , Song Hongjun , Knierim James J.
Published: September 2022

Hippocampal place cells exhibit spatially modulated firing, or place fields, which can remap to encode changes in the environment or other variables. Unique among hippocampal subregions, the dentate gyrus (DG) has two excitatory populations of place cells, granule cells and mossy cells, which are among the least and most active spatially modulated cells in the hippocampus, respectively. Previous studies of remapping in the DG have drawn different conclusions about whether granule cells exhibit global remapping and contribute to the encoding of context specificity. By recording granule cells and mossy cells as mice foraged in different environments, we found that by most measures, both granule cells and mossy cells remapped robustly but through different mechanisms that are consistent with firing properties of each cell type. Our results resolve the ambiguity surrounding remapping in the DG and suggest that most spatially modulated granule cells contribute to orthogonal representations of distinct spatial contexts.
Low forces push the maturation of neural precursors into neurons
Authors: De Vincentiis Sara , Baggiani Matteo , Merighi Francesca , Cappello Valentina , Lopane Jakub , Di Caprio Mariachiara , Costa Mario , Mainardi Marco , Onorati Marco , Raffa Vittoria
Published: September 2022

Mechanical stimulation modulates neural development and neuronal activity. In a previous study, we proposed magnetic “nano-pulling” as a tool to generate active forces. By loading neural cells with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), a precise force vector is remotely generated through static magnetic fields. In the present study, human neural stem cells (NSCs) were subjected to a standard differentiation protocol, in the presence or absence of nano-pulling. Under mechanical stimulation, we found an increase in the length of the neural processes which showed an enrichment in microtubules, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. A stimulation lasting up to 52 days induced a strong remodelling at the level of synapse density and a re-organization of the neuronal network, halving the time required for the maturation of neural precursors into neurons. We then injected the MNP-loaded NSCs into mouse spinal cord slices, demonstrating that nano-pulling stimulates the elongation of the NPC processes and modulates their orientation even in an ex vivo model system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence showing that active mechanical stimuli can guide the outgrowth of NSCs transplanted into the spinal cord tissue. Our findings suggest that MNPs play an important role in neuronal maturation which could be applied in regenerative medicine.
The potential of dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations for distinguishing between salts and cocrystals
Authors: Hušák Michal , Šajbanová Simona , Klimeš Jiří , Jegorov Alexandr
Published: September 2022

Validation of a method for distinguishing between salts and cocrystals based on dispersion-corrected density functional theory is presented. Existing related works (van de Streek & Neumann, 2010; LeBlanc et al., 2018) indicate that this approach is problematic and leads to incorrect results in multiple situations. The method suggested here is based on the geometry optimization of an artificially constructed wrong structure (hydrogen atom placed in salt position near the potential acceptor for cocrystals and vice versa cocrystal position with hydrogen atom placed near the potential donor of the salts). The verification of the method is based on comparison of the results with an experimentally confirmed correct hydrogen position. Calculations were performed on 173 selected structures of salts and 96 cocrystals with ΔpKa
in the critical 〈−1, 4〉 range. The range was chosen to test the method on the most problematic structures. When the artificial wrong model did not converge to the correct one (salt to cocrystal and vice versa), it was tested whether the correct model converged to the correct one in addition. The results confirmed that the most widely used functional (PBE) tends to generate false salt results. All salts converged to the salt from cocrystal initial models. Sixteen cocrystals showed local energy minima for both the salt and cocrystal states. Eighteen cocrystals always converged to salt. Rules were identified under which the results can be considered reliable: when a cocrystal starting model converges to cocrystal, the structure is certainly cocrystal. When both the cocrystal and salt models converge to salt for a long hydrogen-bond (longer than 2.613 Å) the structure is most likely salt. For short hydrogen bonds it is not possible to distinguished reliably between salt and cocrystal using the dispersion-corrected PBE functional. Additional calculations were performed with more advanced functionals for 18 problematic structures detected in the screening as well as for four more mentioned in the literature. The results show that the rSCAN functional (Bartók & Yates, 2019) improves the agreement with the experiment. Further improvement was observed by using hybrid functionals (PBE0, PBE50), which were tested on structures that gave incorrect results with rSCAN. The described method for distinguishing salts from cocrystals can be useful for enhancing the information given by structure solutions from powder, the verification of structure solutions from single crystals and studies related to crystal structure prediction.
Economic issue and technological resilience of pre- and post-COVID-19
Authors: Abdelkafi Ines , Ben Romdhane Youssra , Mefteh Haifa
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the changing relationship between technology and economic activity in MENA countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The generalized method of moments (GMM) was applied to explore the presence of dynamic causality between technology, inflation, unemployment, foreign direct investment, trade opening, gross fixed capital formation and economic growth for 14 MENA countries before and after COVID-19.

Findings

Empirical evidence shows that the economic predictor variables change signs and impact negatively the economic growth as a result of the adverse consequences of the MENA health crisis. More interestingly, there is a unique, positive, meaningful relationship between ICT and economic growth.

Originality/value

The results show that economic resilience in MENA is significantly affected by digital infrastructure during the epidemic crisis. The authors conclude that macroeconomic adjustment and innovation improve the predictive performance of the health news model. Countries could take strong measures to support new strategies to strengthen their innovation competitiveness.