bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STUCK IN PLACE? NORMALIZATION AND THE CHANGING VOTER PROFILE OF INDONESIA'S ISLAMIST PROSPEROUS JUSTICE PARTY
Authors: Park Jung Hoon
Published: October 2021

Using the case of the Indonesian Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), I seek to measure the actual impact of Islamist parties’ moderation on their electoral performances and voter bases. Statistical analyses find that although PKS has experienced an influx of diverse voters since the early 2000s, the influx was offset by a gradual withdrawal of educated Islamist voters, who had been loyal to the party since its establishment. I further claim that this change in PKS's voter profile was attributable not to moderation per se but to normalization, manifesting in an adaptation of the party elites’ behaviors to the existing patterns in Indonesian politics. The party's recent policy shift with a conservative tone was insufficient to regain votes from its original supporters, who already saw PKS as a run-of-the-mill party. PKS's case implies that it is necessary for Islamist parties to maintain their distinctiveness as an alternative voice in the party system.
INFORMAL POLITICAL COALITIONS AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN CHINA
Authors: Liu Jingnan
Published: October 2021

This article attempts to estimate the effects of informal political coalitions on China's private investment. Theoretically, the party-state clients of China's supreme leaders are expected to have stronger incentives to foster economic growth. One way of doing so is to encourage private investment by reducing its political risks. Analysis of provincial-level panel data from 1993 to 2017 shows that personal connections—based on shared experience in the same work unit—between provincial leaders and the Chinese Communist Party's incumbent supreme leader significantly increase the growth rate of private investment. This suggests that informal institutional relations may assist the development of China's private economy by partially compensating for the weaknesses of formal rule-of-law institutions.
Ectoparasite borings, mesoparasite borings, and scavenging traces in early Miocene turtle and tortoise shell: Moghra Formation, Wadi Moghra, Egypt
Authors: Zonneveld John-Paul , AbdelGawad Mohamed K. , Miller Ellen R.
Published: October 2021

Borings and bite marks on fossil turtle carapaces and plastra from the Miocene Moghra Formation, northern Egypt, are herein described. All fossil turtle material from Moghra exhibits ichnofossils. The positions of invertebrate borings on external surfaces of tortoise and turtle shell material at Moghra are consistent with the activities of ectoparasites or mesoparasites.

A single invertebrate ichnotaxon, Karethraichnus lakkos Zonneveld et al., 2016, occurs on Moghra tortoise fossils. This trace fossil was likely emplaced by ixodid arthropods (ticks). Bite marks assigned to Nihilichnus occur on a carapace peripheral and are interpreted to reflect postmortem scavenging. An abundant and moderately diverse assemblage of invertebrate borings characterizes Moghra aquatic turtle shells. Karethraichnus lakkos and Thatchtelithichnus holmani Zonneveld et al., 2016 traces on aquatic turtles are interpreted to reflect leech and/or trematode parasitism. Gunnellichnus moghraensis (new ichnogenus new ichnospecies) and G. akolouthiste (n. isp.) likely reflect bacterial and/or fungal infections on aquatic turtle shells that rarely dried out.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/f0a3977d-deff-4954-b196-536adc405854
MEDIEVAL ROYAL AND EPISCOPAL BURIALS IN WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Authors: Crook John
Published: October 2021

The Chapter of Winchester Cathedral, in conjunction with biological anthropologists and other specialists, are currently studying the contents of the cathedral’s well-known ‘mortuary chests’. It is clear that they contain the jumbled remains of many more people than the eleven kings and bishops named on the surviving chests, which date fromc1525 and the 1660s. In this paper the archaeological and documentary evidence for earlier arrangements for housing the cathedral’s royal and episcopal bones is examined, identifying up to twenty-five possible occupants of the chests. This will establish the context for the continuing analysis and identification of the skeletal material.
Mobile meditation for improving quality of life, anxiety and depression among surgical residents and faculty
Authors: Hicks M D , Braden L A , Walsh E M , Greene B J , Grayson J W
Published: October 2021

Background

Burnout, anxiety and depression are commonly reported among surgical residents and faculty members. Resident training programmes are encouraged to implement structured wellness initiatives, to address emotional stress.

Methods

Thirty otolaryngology residents and faculty members were invited to participate in this prospective pilot trial. Participants were randomised to either the intervention group, which involved completing 10 mobile meditation sessions, or the control group. Outcomes were measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7, Patient Health Questionnaire and Professional Quality of Life scale.

Results

Nineteen participants completed the study. Participants in the intervention group had a significantly greater mean change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 score (−2.7 ± 3.335 vs 0.33 ± 1.225; p = 0.04). There was no significant difference in average change in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores or Professional Quality of Life scale sub-scores between the intervention and control groups.

Conclusion

Short meditation sessions can significantly improve anxiety in surgical residents and faculty members, and they offer a simple, attainable and effective wellness intervention.
Stability of the Magnetotail Current Sheet With Normal Magnetic Field and Field‐Aligned Plasma Flows
Authors: Shi Chen , Artemyev Anton , Velli Marco , Tenerani Anna
Published: October 2021

One of the most important problems of magnetotail dynamics is the substorm onset and the related instability of the magneotail current sheet. Since the simplest 2D current sheet configuration with monotonic was proven to be stable to the tearing mode, the focus of the instability investigation moved to more specific configurations, for example, kinetic current sheets with strong transient ion currents and current sheets with non‐monotonic (local minima or/and peaks). The stability of the latter current sheet configuration has been studied both within kinetic and fluid approaches, whereas the investigation of the transient ion effects was limited to kinetic models only. This paper aims to provide a detailed analysis of the stability of a multi‐fluid current sheet configuration that mimics current sheets with transient ions. Using the system with two field‐aligned ion flows that mimic the effect of pressure non‐gyrotropy, we construct a 1D current sheet with a finite . This model describes well recent findings of very thin intense magnetotail current sheets. The stability analysis of this two‐ion model confirms the stabilizing effect of finite and shows that the most stable current sheet is the one with exactly counter‐streaming ion flows and zero net flow. Such field‐aligned flows may substitute the contribution of the pressure tensor nongyrotropy to the stress balance but cannot overtake the stabilizing effect of . Obtained results are discussed in the context of magnetotail dynamical models and spacecraft observations.
Integrating Topic Model and Network Embedding for Thread Recommendation
Authors: Wei Wei , Wang Rui
Published: October 2021

Objectives A thread is the most common information aggregation unit in a health forum, so effective thread recommendation is critical for improving the user experience in an online health community (OHC). This paper proposes an OHC thread recommendation method based on topic model and network embedding, which recommends threads to users by training a classifier and predicting user reply behavior.

Methods The proposed model uses the network structure to describe valid information in OHCs and treats a recommendation as the task of predicting links between users and threads in the network. Topic nodes are added to the information network to better represent the features of users and threads. The results of the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model describe thread topics and user interests from the perspectives of consumer health vocabulary in OHCs and social support types. The large-scale information network embedding technology LINE is used to mine the node's contextual information from the network structure to obtain the low-dimensional vectors of nodes. We optimize the representation method and similarity calculation of network nodes and enrich the network structure information contained in the recommended features to improve the recommendation effect.

Results To verify the proposed model, we collected data from the diabetes forum “Sweet Home.” The experimental results show that the proposed model can effectively extract user interests in threads from the information network and optimize thread recommendation in OHCs.
Liquiditätsprobleme bekämpfen: Zahlungsziele steuern und damit das Working Capital managen
Authors: Schlüchtermann Jörg , Köhler Mathias
Published: October 2021

Schon vor der Coronakrise befanden sich nicht wenige Krankenhäuser in Liquiditätsschwierigkeiten, der deutliche Rückgang elektiver Fälle seit März 2020 hat die Probleme weiter verschärft. Dennoch gibt es in vielen Häusern nach wie vor Handlungsbedarf beim sogenannten Working-Capital-Management, also der Gestaltung des Umlaufvermögens und der kurzfristigen Verbindlichkeiten. Auch der Einkauf sollte hierzu seinen Beitrag leisten.
Transformation: Digitalisierung und Automation in der Pflegelogistik
Authors: Hummer Christian , Kriegel Johannes
Published: October 2021

In der Pflege nehmen Leistungsverdichtung, professionsfremde Tätigkeiten und Dokumentationsaufwand immer mehr zu. Gleichzeitig wird vielfach der Verlust an persönlicher Zuwendung zwischen Pflegekräften und Patienten attestiert. Die verbesserte Patientenlogistik sowie Technologie-Einsatz und eine Robotic-Process-Automation können dabei einen mehrwertstiftenden Beitrag zur Patientenversorgung leisten.
A novel 3D anisotropic Voronoi microstructure generator with an advanced spatial discretization scheme
Authors: van Nuland T F W , Palmeira Belotti L , van Dommelen J A W , Geers M G D
Published: October 2021

At the microstructural scale, Voronoi tessellations are commonly used to represent a polycrystalline morphology. However, due to spherical growth of nuclei, an anisotropic tessellation with spatially varying elongated grain directions, which is present in many applications, cannot be obtained. In this work, a novel 3D anisotropic Voronoi algorithm is presented, together with its implementation and two application cases. The proposed algorithm takes into account preferred grain growth directions, aspect ratios and sizes in the definition of an ellipsoidal growth velocity field defined per grain. For applications in which a predetermined mesh is used, e.g. voxel-mesh based simulations, the grains are extracted in a straight-forward manner. In cases where a fully grain conforming discretization is desired, e.g. finite element simulations, a hexahedral mesh generator is incorporated to arrive at a discretization which can be directly used in microstructural modeling simulations. Two application cases are studied (a wire + arc additively manufactured and a magnesium alloy microstructure) in which the algorithm’s capability for curved, non-convex, periodic domains is shown. Furthermore, the resulting grain morphology is compared to experimental data in terms of grain size, grain aspect ratio and grain columnar direction distribution. In both cases, the algorithm adequately produces a representative volume element with convincing representativeness of the experimental data. The 3D anisotropic Voronoi algorithm is highly versatile in a wide range of application cases, specifically suitable for the generation of polycrystalline microstructures that include grains with spatially varying elongated directions.
Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus After COVID-19 Vaccination: Chance Occurrence or More?
Authors: Rehman Obaidur , Arya Sudesh Kumar , Jha Ujjwal Prakash , Nayyar Shifali , Goel Itisha
Published: October 2021

As the understanding of COVID-19 infection becomes better, it is being recognized as a complex multisystem pathology rather than just affecting the lungs. Several ocular findings have been documented by researchers in individuals infected with COVID-19, and ocular symptoms may even be the first presenting feature of COVID-19 infection in 2.26% individuals. Several countries have started vaccination with inactivated or live vaccines to combat this pandemic, and varied side effects have been reported after vaccination. Few cases of herpes zoster have previously been reported in elderly patients with comorbidities after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. In this article, the authors described 2 interesting cases of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) after receiving a live COVID-19 vaccine. The first case was a 35-year-old immunocompetent man who developed HZO 3 days postvaccine. The second case was a 40-year-old immunocompetent man who developed HZO 28 days postvaccine. To the best of our knowledge, no literature to date has described HZO after live vaccine.
Corneal Sensation and Nerve Fiber Changes in Patients With Interstitial Cystitis
Authors: Aykut Veysel , Ucar Ipek Cigdem , Akkaya Turhan Semra , Ucar Taha , Durmus Ebubekir , Oguz Halit , Esen Fehim , Erol Bulent
Published: October 2021

Purpose:

Central sensitization syndromes are associated with ocular surface discomfort and certain changes in corneal sensation. The aim of this study was to evaluate corneal changes in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC).

Methods:

Thirty patients with IC and 32 healthy control subjects were included in this study. All patients had a detailed ophthalmological examination including measurement of corneal sensation with Cochet–Bonnet esthesiometer, tear breakup time, Schirmer I test, and Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire. After these examinations, corneal subbasal nerve plexus of the patients was evaluated with in vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM) and the images were analyzed using fully automated software (ACC Metrics Corneal Nerve Fiber Analyzer V.2).

Results:

There was no significant difference between the groups regarding age and gender distribution. Corneal sensation was significantly higher in patients with IC (P = 0.03), whereas tear breakup time, Schirmer I test, and Ocular Surface Disease Index scores were similar between the patients and controls. IVCM demonstrated nerve fiber loss in patients with IC. Corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve branch density, and corneal nerve fiber length were significantly reduced in patients with IC compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001, P = 0.04, and P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions:

Patients with IC had increased corneal sensation and decreased nerve fiber density in IVCM analysis. Corneal nerve fiber loss might decrease the induction threshold of the remaining fibers to induce peripheral sensitization, which may also trigger central sensitization in long term.
MRI versus CT for the detection of pulmonary nodules
Authors: Liu Hui , Chen Rihui , Tong Chao , Liang Xian-Wen
Published: October 2021

Background:

Computed tomography (CT) is the current gold standard for the detection of pulmonary nodules but has high radiation burden. In contrast, many radiologists tried to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to replace CT because MRI has no radiation burden associated. Due to the lack of high-level evidence of comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of MRI versus CT for detecting pulmonary nodules, it is unknown whether CT can be replaced successfully by MRI. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of MRI versus CT for detecting pulmonary nodules.

Methods:

Electronic databases PubMed, EmBase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched from their inception to September 2017 to identify studies in which CT/MRI was used to diagnose pulmonary nodules. According to true positive, true negative, false negative, and false positive extracted from the included studies, we calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and area under the curve (AUC) using Stata version 14.0 software (STATA Corp, TX).

Results:

A total of 8 studies involving a total of 653 individuals were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80–0.96), 0.76 (95%CI: 0.58–0.87), 3.72 (95%CI: 2.05–6.76), 0.12 (95%CI: 0.06–0.27), and 0.91 (95%CI: 0.88–0.93) for MRI respectively, while the pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC for CT were 1.00 (95%CI: 0.95–1.00), 0.99 (95%CI: 0.78–1.00), 79.35 (95%CI: 3.68–1711.06), 0.00 (95%CI: 0.00–0.06), and 1.00 (95%CI: 0.99–1.00), respectively. Further, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of CT versus MRI and found that compared with MRI, CT shows statistically higher sensitivity (odds ratio [OR] for MRI vs CT: 0.91; 95%CI: 0.85–0.98; P value .010), specificity (OR: 0.82; 95%CI: 0.69–0.97; P value .019), PLR (OR: 0.29; 95%CI: 0.10–0.83; P value 0.02), AUC (OR: 0.91; 95%CI: 0.89–0.94; P value < .001), and lower NLR (OR: 8.72; 95%CI: 1.57–48.56; P value .013).

Conclusion:

Our study suggested both CT and MRI have a high diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing pulmonary nodules, while CT was superior to MRI in sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC, indicating that in terms of the currently available evidence, MRI could not replace CT in diagnosing pulmonary nodules.
A case series of medical disputes related to chronic pain management in South Korea between 2009 and 2019
Authors: Kim Duk-Kyung , Kim Jeayoun , Lee Sooyeon , Choi Ji Won
Published: October 2021

As interventional pain management has been growing rapidly worldwide and chronic pain management is provided by a diverse range of practitioners, malpractice litigation has increased. Therefore, we examined the characteristics of medical disputes related to chronic pain management from 2009 to 2019 in South Korea.

In this retrospective study, we analyzed the Korean Society of Anesthesiologists database covering case files from July 2009 to June 2019. We compared characteristics of patients, treatment details, mechanisms of injury, specific complications, clinical manifestations of injury, and outcomes between the first half (2009–2014, n = 33) and the second half (2014–2019, n = 65) of the study period using the Korean Society of Anesthesiologists Legislation Committee database.

During the 10-year study period, the proportion of cases for chronic pain management in cases referred for surgical anesthesia or chronic pain management increased annually by 2.9% (R2 = 0.489, 95% confidence interval: 0.5%–5.2%, P = .024). While invasive procedure-related cases decreased from 63.6% in the first half to 38.5% in the second half (P = .019), complex regional pain syndrome-associated cases increased from 30.3% (10/33) to 55.4% (36/65) during this period (P = .019). The proportion of cases involving non-anesthesiologists in invasive procedure-related cases increased from 14.3% in the first half to 64.0% in the second half (P = .002). The majority of invasive procedure-related cases (82.6%, 38/46) were determined as ‘directly related to the procedure’. Of these, the 3 most common damaging events were bleeding, intrathecal injection of local anesthetics, and infectious complications (each n = 6).

During a recent decade, there were several typical changes in the characteristics of medical dispute cases related to chronic pain management, including an increasing trend of cases for chronic pain management relative to surgical anesthesia-related cases, a higher severity of complications in cervical procedures, an increase in complex regional pain syndrome-related cases, and an increase in cases involving non-anesthesiologists.
Smoking is a risk factor for postoperative ileus after radical resection in male patients
Authors: Wang Jiangling , Guo Wenjing , Cui Xiaoying , Shen Yajian , Guo Ye , Cai Yunfang , Liu Xinyi , Fang Man , Gu Bin , Yuan Junbo , Xie Yuyizi , Xie Kangjie , Zhou Huidan , Chen Xinzhong
Published: October 2021

Most smokers are males, and smoking has been indicated as a risk factor for many cancers as well as postoperative complications after cancer surgery. However, little is known about whether smoking is a risk factor for postoperative ileus (POI) after radical rectal cancer resection in males. The aim of this study was to assess whether smoking is a risk factor for POI after radical resection in male rectal cancer patients.

Data of 1486 patients who underwent radical resection for rectal cancer were extracted from the clinical medical system in our hospital and were statistically analyzed. POI was defined as nausea, vomiting or pain, failure to have bowel function for more than 4 days postoperatively, and absence of a mechanical bowel obstruction.

The rate of POI was 12.79%. Univariate analysis showed that patients in the POI group were more likely to have a history of smoking and drinking and receive intraperitoneal chemotherapy and had a larger intraperitoneal chemotherapy dosage. In the multivariable analysis, smoking remained significantly associated with a higher incidence of POI (OR 2.238, 95% CI [1.545–3.240], P = .000). The results also showed that patients who received postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia had a lower incidence of POI.

Male patients with a history of smoking who undergo elective radical resection for rectal cancer have an increased risk for POI complications.
Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications among elderly patients in the geriatric department at a single-center in China
Authors: Tao Lina , Qu Xiaoyu , Gao Huan , Zhai Jinghui , Zhang Yueming , Song Yanqing
Published: October 2021

The aging of the population has become a worldwide concern, especially in China. Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are prominent issues in elderly patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of polypharmacy and PIMs in older inpatients and further to explore the factors associated with PIM use.

A retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1200 inpatients aged 65 years or older admitted from January 2015 to December 2015 were included. The prevalence of polypharmacy (5–9 medications) and hyperpolypharmacy (10 or more medications) was calculated. The 2019 American Geriatric Society Beers criteria were applied to assess PIMs use. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent factors of PIM use, while zero-inflated negative binomial regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between polypharmacy and PIM use.

The median age of the study population was 76 years (interquartile range = 71–81). The median number of medications was 9 (interquartile range = 7–12). 91.58% of the patients took 5 or more medications simultaneously, and 30.08% of the patients were subjected to one or more PIMs. Spironolactone, furosemide, and zopiclone were the top 3 most frequently encountered PIMs. Hyperpolypharmacy and older age were identified as independent factors associated with PIM use. The risk of PIMs rises with the number of medications prescribed.

Polypharmacy and PIM use were common in our study, and the risk of PIM use correlated with an increase in the number of medications already prescribed.
Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with response to lenvatinib after atezolizumab plus bevacizumab
Authors: Yano Shigeki , Kawaoka Tomokazu , Johira Yusuke , Miura Ryoichi , Kosaka Masanari , Shirane Yuki , Murakami Serami , Amioka Kei , Naruto Kensuke , Ando Yuwa , Kosaka Yumi , Yamaoka Kenji , Kodama Kenichiro , Uchikawa Shinsuke , Fujino Hatsue , Ohno Atsushi , Nakahara Takashi , Murakami Eisuke , Okamoto Wataru , Yamauchi Masami , Imamura Michio , Mori Keiichi , Arihiro Kouji , Kuroda Shintaro , Kobayashi Tsuyoshi , Ohdan Hideki , Aikata Hiroshi
Published: October 2021

Rationale:

Various treatments are available for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The immune checkpoint inhibitor combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab was recently approved for the treatment of unresectable HCC, but there are few reports on the failure of the combination treatment. Here, we present a case of unresectable HCC with adrenal metastasis that was eventually operated on after lenvatinib (LEN) treatment that followed failed treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

Patient concerns:

A 68-year-old man was diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-based HCC with adrenal metastasis.

Diagnosis:

Cirrhosis was classified as Child-Pugh score of 5. HCC was diagnosed as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C.

Interventions:

We initiated treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. Liver dysfunction appeared 2 days after the first administration but was improved by intravenous rehydration and did not appear after the second course. The HCC shrank, but the adrenal metastasis grew bigger after the fourth course, so we changed the therapy to LEN. After HCC and adrenal metastasis were necrotic by LEN, conversion surgery was performed.

Outcomes:

After successful conversion therapy, the general condition of the patient was good, and has been carefully followed for 4 months to date without any evidence of further recurrences.

Lessons:

This case showed that even if atezolizumab plus bevacizumab is not effective, multidisciplinary treatment such as LEN and conversion surgery is possible. Given the efficacy of LEN after atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, it is important to consider that there is a possibility of cure even when first-line treatment is not effective for a patient with unresectable HCC.
Amelioration of hypercalcemia by cinacalcet treatment in a subject with relapsing acquired hypocalciuric hypercalcemia
Authors: Sanada Junpei , Kamei Shinji , Shimoda Masashi , Tatsumi Fuminori , Kimura Tomohiko , Obata Atsushi , Kohara Kenji , Nakanishi Shuhei , Kaku Kohei , Mune Tomoatsu , Kaneto Hideaki
Published: October 2021

Rationale:

Hypocalciuric hypercalcemia is classified as acquired hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (AHH) and familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH). While FHH is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, AHH is one of the rare acquired diseases and is usually treated with prednisolone. Here, we report a case with relapsing AHH which was well controlled with cinacalcet therapy.

Patient concern:

A 68-year-old Japanese man was referred to our institution because of hypercalcemia. Despite such hypercalcemia, he was almost asymptomatic.

Diagnostics:

We diagnosed him as AHH due to the following reason. First, the ratio of calcium (Ca)/creatinine clearance was very low which met the criteria. Second, there was no overt family history of hypercalcemia. Third, his serum Ca level was within the normal range 3 years before. Fourth, despite hypercalcemia, he was almost asymptomatic and had no evidence of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Interventions:

Although it is known that steroid therapy is useful for AHH, optimal treatment remains unknown and cinacalcet therapy is very much limited for the treatment of AHH. In this subject, we introduced cinacalcet therapy for the treatment of relapsing AHH.

Outcomes:

Serum Ca and parathyroid hormone levels were normalized after such therapy with cinacalcet.

Conclusions:

We should bear in mind that cinacalcet treatment is effective for the treatment of relapsing AHH.
The combination therapy of subtenon triamcinolone acetonide injection and intravitreal brolucizumab for brolucizumab-related intraocular inflammation
Authors: Shigemoto Yumi , Sakurada Yoichi , Fukuda Yoshiko , Matsubara Mio , Parikh Ravi , Kashiwagi Kenji
Published: October 2021

Rationale:

Brolucizumab is a novel anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent with clinical trials demonstrating excellent efficacy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in both visual and anatomic outcomes. However, there is concern of intraocular inflammation (IOI), and we propose concurrent subtenon triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) to prevent IOI.

Patient concern:

A 73-year-old man was treated with aflibercept for neovascular AMD in his right eye. Despite 11 months of monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections, optical coherence tomography demonstrated persistent exudation. Ten days following his second brolucizumab injection, the patient presented with decreased vision due to vitritis in his right eye

Diagnosis:

Brolucizumab-related IOI in neovascular AMD refractory to aflibercept.

Interventions:

A combination therapy involving of intravitreal brolucizumab and STTA

Outcomes:

The anti-vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor was changed back to aflibercept; however, exudation persisted. Therefore, a combination therapy involving STTA (5 mg/0.5 mL) and intravitreal injection of brolucizumab (6.0 mg/0.05 mL) was performed to treat the exudation and as prophylaxis to recurrent IOI. Combination therapy achieved no recurrent IOI and resolution of exudation with 8-week treatment intervals.

Lessons:

This case might indicate that STTA is not only an optimal treatment option for brolucizumab-related IOI but also a preventive agent for this condition.
Effects of Shenfu injection on inflammatory factors and immune function in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Pei Honglian , Ma Youfeng , Wang Lin , Wang Liping , Xu Li , Wang Rong
Published: October 2021

Background:

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a common infectious respiratory disease in pediatrics, and macrolide antibiotics are the optimal treatment option. In recent years, there is a significant increase in the resistance of this pathogen to macrolide antibiotics, which makes the clinical treatment of this disease increasingly complex. Shenfu injection (SFI), a herbal extract injection, has advantages of improving immune function, reducing inflammatory reaction, improving curative effect and shortening the course of disease in the treatment of pediatric MP. However, there is a lack of rigorous clinical studies to evaluate the effects of SFI on inflammatory factors and immune function in children with MP.

Methods:

This study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial protocol. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of SFI on inflammatory factors and immune function in children with MP. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to either the treatment group (azithromycin + 100 mL 5% glucose injection + 50 mL SFI) or the control group (azithromycin + 150 mL 5% glucose injection). Patients in both groups received the standard treatment for 7 days. The levels of inflammatory factor indexes (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-α) and immune function indexes (immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin M) in both groups were measured at the beginning of treatment, on the 3rd day of treatment and at the end of treatment. Besides, the time of improvement in clinical symptoms (duration of cough, time of disappearance of lung rales, time of fever reduction, and time of disappearance of lung X-ray infiltrative shadow) and adverse effects in both groups were recorded. Finally, the data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 20.0 software.

Discussion:

In this study, an evaluation was conducted on the effects of SFI on inflammatory factors and immune function in pediatric MP. The results of this experiment will provide a clinical basis for the adjuvant treatment of pediatric MP with SFI.

Trial registration:

OSF Registration number:
The Effect of Intravitreal Ocriplasmin on Hue Discrimination
Authors: Neffendorf James E. , Kirthi Varo , Soare Cristina , Jackson Timothy L.
Published: October 2021

SIGNIFICANCE

We report 13 patients who received ocriplasmin for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion. Farnsworth-Munsell 100 (FM 100) hue test total error score (TES) increased from baseline to month 1, before recovering at year 1. Ocriplasmin may alter hue discrimination.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine whether intravitreal ocriplasmin affects hue discrimination.

METHODS

Thirteen patients with symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion received intravitreal ocriplasmin 125 μg. Patients underwent full ocular examination, optical coherence tomography, and FM 100 hue test at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year.

RESULTS

Mean age was 74.8 years. The median baseline FM 100 TES was similar in the injected and fellow eyes (272 vs. 252, respectively). Median TES in the injected eye increased from 272 to 348 at 1 week (median difference compared with baseline, +52.0; 98.8% confidence interval of difference, −64.0 to 184.0; P = .29), decreased to 324 at 1 month (median difference compared with baseline, −4.0; 98.8% confidence interval of difference, −44.0 to 256.0; P = .40), and decreased to 268 at 1 year (median difference compared with baseline, −108.0; 93.8% confidence interval of difference, −200.0 to 52.0; P = .19). Two patients (15.4%) had anatomic release of vitreomacular adhesion, occurring within 1 month of injection.

CONCLUSIONS

Ocriplasmin may alter hue discrimination, but larger studies are required to provide sufficient power to detect or exclude a statistically significant effect. Longer follow-up is needed to determine the duration of any effect.
Regional excess mortality during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: a study of five European countries
Authors: Konstantinoudis Garyfallos , Cameletti Michela , Gómez-Rubio Virgilio , León Gómez Inmaculada , Pirani Monica , Baio Gianluca , Larrauri Amparo , Riou Julien , Egger Matthias , Vineis Paolo , Blangiardo Marta
Published: October 2021

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess mortality from all causes in 2020 varied across and within European countries. Using data for 2015-2019, we applied Bayesian spatio-temporal models to quantify the expected weekly deaths at the regional level had the pandemic not occurred in England, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. With around 30%, Madrid, Castile-La Mancha, Castile-Leon (Spain) and Lombardia (Italy) were the regions with the highest excess mortality. In England, Greece and Switzerland, the regions most affected were Outer London and the West Midlands (England), Eastern, Western and Central Macedonia (Greece), and Ticino (Switzerland), with 15-20% excess mortality in 2020. Our study highlights the importance of the large transportation hubs for establishing community transmission in the first stages of the pandemic. Acting promptly to limit transmission around these hubs is essential to prevent spread to other regions and countries.
In-person schooling and associated COVID-19 risk in the United States over Spring Semester 2021
Authors: Wiens Kirsten E. , Smith Claire P. , Badillo-Goicoechea Elena , Grantz Kyra H. , Grabowski M. Kate , Azman Andrew S. , Stuart Elizabeth A. , Lessler Justin
Published: October 2021

Because of the importance of schools to childhood development, the relationship between in-person schooling and COVID-19 risk has been one of the most important questions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous work using data from the United States in winter 2020-21 showed that in-person schooling carried some risk for household members, and that mitigation measures reduced this risk. However, in-person schooling behavior and the COVID-19 landscape changed radically over the 2021 spring semester. Here we use data from a massive online survey to characterize changes in in-person schooling behavior and associated risks over that period. We find a significant increase in the frequency of in-person schooling and a reduction in mitigation, and that in-person schooling is associated with increased reporting of COVID-19 outcomes, even among vaccinated individuals (though the absolute risk among the vaccinated is greatly reduced). Moreover, vaccinated teachers working outside the home were less likely to report COVID-19-related outcomes than unvaccinated teachers reporting no work outside the home. Adequate mitigation measures appear to eliminate the excess risk associated with in person schooling.
The Rpd3-complex regulates expression of multiple cell surface recycling factors in yeast
Authors: Amoiradaki Konstantina , Bunting Kate R , Paine Katherine M , Ayre Josephine E. , Hogg Karen , Laidlaw Kamilla ME , MacDonald Chris
Published: October 2021

Intracellular trafficking pathways control residency and bioactivity of integral membrane proteins at the cell surface. Upon internalisation, surface cargo proteins can be delivered back to the plasma membrane via endosomal recycling pathways. Recycling is thought to be controlled at the metabolic and transcriptional level, but such mechanisms are not fully understood. In yeast, recycling of surface proteins can be triggered by cargo deubiquitination and a series of molecular factors have been implicated in this trafficking. In this study, we follow up on the observation that many subunits of the Rpd3 lysine deacetylase complex are required for recycling. We validate ten Rpd3-complex subunits in recycling using two distinct assays and developed tools to quantify both. Fluorescently labelled Rpd3 localises to the nucleus and complements recycling defects, which we hypothesised were mediated by modulated expression of Rpd3 target gene(s). Bioinformatics implicated 32 candidates that function downstream of Rpd3, which were over-expressed and assessed for capacity to suppress recycling defects of rpd3Δ cells. This effort yielded 3 hits: Sit4, Dit1 and Ldb7, which were validated with a lipid dye recycling assay. Additionally, the essential phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase Pik1 was shown to have a role in recycling. We propose recycling is governed by Rpd3 at the transcriptional level via multiple downstream target genes.
Theoretical analysis and experiment on gas film stiffness with slip flow in a spiral-grooved dry gas seal
Authors: Lu Junjie
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to study the gas film stiffness of the spiral groove dry gas seal.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study represents the first attempt to calculate gas film stiffness in consideration of the slipping effect by using the new test technology for dry gas seals. First, a theoretical model of modified generalized Reynolds equation is derived with slipping effect of a micro gap for spiral groove gas seal. Second, the test technology examines micro-scale gas film vibration and stationary ring vibration to determine gas film stiffness by establishing a dynamic test system.

Findings

An optimum value of the spiral angle and groove depth for improved gas film stiffness is clearly seen: the spiral angle is 1.34 rad (76.8º) and the groove depth is 1 × 10–5 m. Moreover, it can be observed that optimal structural parameters can obtain higher gas film stiffness in the experiment. The average error between experiment and theory is less than 20%.

Originality/value

The present study represents the first attempt to calculate gas film stiffness in consideration of the slipping effect by using the new test technology for dry gas seals.
Design and performance evaluation of selective energy optimization of PV/T system
Authors: Aminou Moussavou Anges Akim , Ayeleso Ayokunle Oluwaseun , Adonis Marco , Raji Atanda
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a selective energy optimisation of the photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) system performance. The PV cell inside the PV/T system could be periodically manipulated to produce domestic hot water without applying an external power supply.

Design/methodology/approach

A numerical simulation model of the proposed PV/T model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink to analyse the selective energy optimisation of the model. The extrinsic cell resistance (Rse) is adjusted to control the ratio of thermal to the electrical energy, generated from the PV cell inside the PV/T system. Therefore, the internal heat of the PV cell inside the PV/T system is periodically used as a thermal element to produce electrical power and hot water.

Findings

The optimisation of PV/T energy shows that the electrical power efficiency can increase by 11.6% when Rse was 0 Ω, and the 200 L water tank temperature increased by 22ºC when Rse was 50 Ω.

Originality/value

This study showed that the use of the PV cell could be extended to domestic hot water and space heating, and not only for electricity.
Hot off the press: SGEM#343: Weight bias in medicine
Authors: Heitz Corey , Challen Kirsty , Milne William K.
Published: October 2021

Various forms of bias exist in medicine, including race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and weight bias. Weight bias has not received as much attention in the literature as other forms of bias. More often when discussing weight bias, the discussion is with regard to physician to patient bias, or patient to physician. In this article, we summarize the study performed by McLean et al. as well as the podcast and discussion, and social media commentary, in which the investigators evaluate the presence of physician to physician weight bias.
Advantages of nanofibrous membranes for culturing of primary RPE cells compared to commercial scaffolds
Authors: Tichotová Lucie , Studenovska Hana , Petrovski Goran , Popelka Štěpán , Nemesh Yaroslav , Sedláčková Miroslava , Drutovič Saskia , Rohiwal Sonali , Jendelová Pavla , Erceg Slaven , Brymová Anna , Artero‐Castro Ana , Lytvynchuk Lyubomyr , Straňák Zbyněk , Ellederová Zdeňka , Motlík Jan , Ardan Taras
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) causes numerous forms of retinal degeneration. RPE replacement is a modern option to save vision. We aimed to test the results of transplanting cultured RPEs on biocompatible membranes.

Methods

We cultivated porcine primary RPE cells isolated from cadaver eyes from the slaughterhouse on two types of membranes: commercial polyester scaffolds Transwell (Corning Inc., Kenneburg, ME, USA) with 0.4 µm pore size and prepared Poly (L‐lactide‐co‐DL‐lactide) (PDLLA) nanofibrous membranes with an average pore size of 0.4 µm.

Results

Five types of assays were used for the analysis: immunocytochemistry (ICC), phagocytosis assay, Western blotting, real‐time qPCR (RT‐qPCR) and electron microscopy. RT‐qPCR demonstrated that RPEs cultured on nanofibrous membranes have higher expressions of BEST1 (bestrophin 1), RLBP1 (retinaldehyde‐binding protein 1), RPE65 (retinal pigment epithelium‐specific 65 kDa protein), PAX6 (transcription factor PAX6), SOX9 (transcription factor SOX9), DCT (dopachrome tautomerase) and MITF (microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor). ICC of the RPEs cultured on nanofibrous membranes showed more intensive staining of markers such as BEST1, MCT1 (monocarboxylate transporter 1), Na+/K+ATPase, RPE65 and acetylated tubulin in comparison with commercial ones. Additionally, the absence of α‐SMA proved the stability of the RPE polarization state and the absence of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition. RPE possessed high phagocytic activity. Electron microscopy of both membranes confirmed a confluent layer of RPE cells and their genuine morphological structure, which was comparable to native RPEs.

Conclusions

Retinal pigment epitheliums cultured on polylactide nanofibrous membranes improved the final quality of the cell product by having better maturation and long‐term survival of the RPE monolayer compared to those cultured on commercial polyester scaffolds. PDLLA‐cultured RPEs are a plausible source for the replacement of non‐functioning RPEs during cell therapy.
The Fisher information function and scoring in binary ideal point item response models: a cautionary tale
Authors: Verkuilen Jay
Published: October 2021

This article examines the Fisher information functions, , and explores implications for scoring of binary ideal point item response models. These models typically appear to have that are bimodal and identically equal to 0 at the ideal point. The article shows that this is an inherent property of ideal point IRT models, which either have this property or are indeterminate and thus violate the likelihood regularity conditions. For some models, the indeterminacy can be resolved, generating an effectively unimodal , albeit with violated regularity conditions. In other cases, diverges. All reasonable ideal point IRT models exhibit this behaviour. Users should exercise caution when relying on asymptotics, particularly for shorter assessments. Use of simulated plausible values or prediction from a fully Bayesian estimation is recommended for scoring.
Toward a reflexive anthropology
Authors: Han Maythe S.‐W.
Published: October 2021

This partly personal, partly polemical, and partly speculative essay is my thinking‐out‐loud about how anthropologists might decentre existing ways of producing, teaching, and sharing ethnographic knowledge and strive toward a more accountable, more responsible, and more ethical way of working in the discipline. Imagining a genuinely ethical and intellectually critical anthropology, I reflect on my experiences as a racialised woman trained in the “Western” academy in the subject of anthropology. I think about at what—and whose—cost anthropology stagnates in its whiteness, and how this stagnation affects the emergence of new forms of anthropological knowledge and work as well as how neoliberalisation of academia further encourages and perpetuates whiteness as the norm. Then, I ruminate on what anthropology could look like if anthropologists made serious efforts to dismantle white academic privilege, if we let go of our obsession with Theory, if we took ethics seriously: what I imagine to be a critical epistemic multiplicity in a reflexive anthropology.
Cross‐cultural adaptation of Turkish version of Parental‐Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P‐CPQ)
Authors: Mergen Gultekin Irem , Ozsin Ozler Cansu , Serdar Eymirli Pınar , Unal Ferhat , Atac Atilla S.
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Parental‐Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P‐CPQ) is one of the scales used for evaluating the quality of life of children. Dental caries is an important factor affecting oral health–related quality of life. It was aimed to translate into Turkish and evaluate the psychometric properties of the P‐CPQ with the evaluation of dental caries status of 6‐ to 14‐year‐old children.

Methods

Children‐parent pairs attending to paediatric dental clinic were involved. After the translation and adaptation of the scale, the data were collected from the parents with the Turkish version of the P‐CPQ and a short questionnaire, and then, the intra‐oral examination of the children was performed by a paediatric dentist. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS version 22.0 and SPSS AMOS 22. The significance level was 0.05. Confirmatory factor analysis for construct validity; and item analysis, item discrimination index and the Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient for reliability measurement were calculated. Discriminant validity was tested by comparing the median P‐CPQ scores between children with caries experience and those without.

Results

Totally, 312 children‐parent pair (52.9% female) participants were involved. The mean age of participated children was 9.00 ± 1.89. P‐CPQ score was calculated by summing the scores of all 31 items; the mean score of the parents was 18.8 ± 12.8. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was 0.87 and ranged from 0.680–0.795 for four subscales. The relationship between total and subscales was found to be statistically significant. Confirmatory factor analysis, item analysis and item discriminant index were approved. Model fit values were admissible.

Conclusions

Turkish version of P‐CPQ was created, and it had good internal consistency reliability of subscales and found to be valid in 6‐ to 14‐year‐old children.