bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical laboratory test-wide association scan of polygenic scores identifies biomarkers of complex disease
Authors: Dennis Jessica K. , Sealock Julia M. , Straub Peter , Lee Younga H. , Hucks Donald , Actkins Ky’Era , Faucon Annika , Feng Yen-Chen Anne , Ge Tian , Goleva Slavina B. , Niarchou Maria , Singh Kritika , Morley Theodore , Smoller Jordan W. , Ruderfer Douglas M. , Mosley Jonathan D. , Chen Guanhua , Davis Lea K.
Published: January 2021

Background

Clinical laboratory (lab) tests are used in clinical practice to diagnose, treat, and monitor disease conditions. Test results are stored in electronic health records (EHRs), and a growing number of EHRs are linked to patient DNA, offering unprecedented opportunities to query relationships between genetic risk for complex disease and quantitative physiological measurements collected on large populations.

Methods

A total of 3075 quantitative lab tests were extracted from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) EHR system and cleaned for population-level analysis according to our QualityLab protocol. Lab values extracted from BioVU were compared with previous population studies using heritability and genetic correlation analyses. We then tested the hypothesis that polygenic risk scores for biomarkers and complex disease are associated with biomarkers of disease extracted from the EHR. In a proof of concept analyses, we focused on lipids and coronary artery disease (CAD). We cleaned lab traits extracted from the EHR performed lab-wide association scans (LabWAS) of the lipids and CAD polygenic risk scores across 315 heritable lab tests then replicated the pipeline and analyses in the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank.

Results

Heritability estimates of lipid values (after cleaning with QualityLab) were comparable to previous reports and polygenic scores for lipids were strongly associated with their referent lipid in a LabWAS. LabWAS of the polygenic score for CAD recapitulated canonical heart disease biomarker profiles including decreased HDL, increased pre-medication LDL, triglycerides, blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HgbA1C) in European and African descent populations. Notably, many of these associations remained even after adjusting for the presence of cardiovascular disease and were replicated in the MGBB.

Conclusions

Polygenic risk scores can be used to identify biomarkers of complex disease in large-scale EHR-based genomic analyses, providing new avenues for discovery of novel biomarkers and deeper understanding of disease trajectories in pre-symptomatic individuals. We present two methods and associated software, QualityLab and LabWAS, to clean and analyze EHR labs at scale and perform a Lab-Wide Association Scan.
Donor heart preservation with hypoxic-conditioned medium-derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells improves cardiac function in a heart transplantation model
Authors: Zhou Pengyu , Liu Hao , Liu Ximao , Ling Xiao , Xiao Zezhou , Zhu Peng , Zhu Yufeng , Lu Jun , Zheng Shaoyi
Published: January 2021

Background

In heart transplantation, donor hearts inevitably suffer from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which leads to primary graft dysfunction and affects patients’ survival rate. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been reported to attenuate myocardial I/R injury via their paracrine effects, which can be enhanced by hypoxic preconditioning. We hypothesized that the donor heart preservation with hypoxic conditioned medium (CdM) derived from BMSCs would improve post-transplant graft function.

Methods

Normoxic or hypoxic CdM were isolated from rat BMSCs cultured under normoxic (20% O2) or hypoxic (1% O2) condition. Donor hearts were explanted; stored in cardioplegic solution supplemented with either a medium (vehicle), normoxic CdM (N-CdM), or hypoxic CdM (H-CdM); and then heterotopically transplanted. Antibody arrays were performed to compare the differences between hypoxic and normoxic CdM.

Results

After heart transplantation, the donor heart preservation with normoxic CdM was associated with a shorter time to return of spontaneous contraction and left ventricular systolic diameter, lower histopathological scores, higher ejection fraction, and fractional shortening of the transplanted hearts. The cardioprotective effects may be associated with the inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation, as reflected by less TUNEL-positive cells and lower levels of plasma proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α) and cardiac troponin I in the N-CdM group compared with the vehicle group. These therapeutic effects can be further enhanced by hypoxic preconditioning. Antibody arrays revealed that nine proteins were significantly increased in hypoxic CdM compared with normoxic CdM. Furthermore, compared with vehicle and N-CdM groups, the protein levels of PI3K and p-Akt/Akt ratio in the transplanted hearts significantly increased in the H-CdM group. However, no significant difference was found in the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 for the donor hearts among the three groups.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that the cardioplegic solution-enriched with hypoxic CdM can be a novel and promising preservation solution for donor hearts.
Subconjunctival injection of mesenchymal stem cells for corneal failure due to limbal stem cell deficiency: state of the art
Authors: Galindo Sara , de la Mata Ana , López-Paniagua Marina , Herreras Jose M. , Pérez Inmaculada , Calonge Margarita , Nieto-Miguel Teresa
Published: January 2021

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have unique and beneficial properties and are currently used to treat a broad variety of diseases. These properties include the potential for differentiation into other cell types, secretion of different trophic factors that promote a regenerative microenvironment, anti-inflammatory actions, selective migration to damaged tissues, and non-immunogenicity. MSCs are effective for the treatment of ocular surface diseases such as dry eye, corneal burns, and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), both in experimental models and in humans. LSCD is a pathological condition in which damage occurs to the limbal epithelial stem cells, or their niche, that are responsible for the continuous regeneration of the corneal epithelium. If LSCD is extensive and/or severe, it usually causes corneal epithelial defects, ulceration, and conjunctival overgrowth of the cornea. These changes can result in neovascularization and corneal opacity, severe inflammation, pain, and visual loss. The effectiveness of MSCs to reduce corneal opacity, neovascularization, and inflammation has been widely studied in different experimental models of LSCD and in some clinical trials; however, the methodological disparity used in the different studies makes it hard to compare outcomes among them. In this regard, the MSC route of administration used to treat LSCD and other ocular surface diseases is an important factor. It should be efficient, minimally invasive, and safe. So far, intravenous and intraperitoneal injections, topical administration, and MSC transplantation using carrier substrata like amniotic membrane (AM), fibrin, or synthetic biopolymers have been the most commonly used administration routes in experimental models. However, systemic administration carries the risk of potential side effects and transplantation requires surgical procedures that could complicate the process. Alternatively, subconjunctival injection is a minimally invasive and straightforward technique frequently used in ophthalmology. It enables performance of local treatments using high cell doses. In this review, we provide an overview of the current status of MSC administration by subconjunctival injection, analyzing the convenience, safety, and efficacy for treatment of corneal failure due to LSCD in different experimental models. We also provide a summary of the clinical trials that have been completed, are in progress, or being planned.
The underestimated role of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MiTF) in normal and pathological haematopoiesis
Authors: Oppezzo Alessia , Rosselli Filippo
Published: January 2021

Haematopoiesis, the process by which a restrained population of stem cells terminally differentiates into specific types of blood cells, depends on the tightly regulated temporospatial activity of several transcription factors (TFs). The deregulation of their activity or expression is a main cause of pathological haematopoiesis, leading to bone marrow failure (BMF), anaemia and leukaemia. TFs can be induced and/or activated by different stimuli, to which they respond by regulating the expression of genes and gene networks. Most TFs are highly pleiotropic; i.e., they are capable of influencing two or more apparently unrelated phenotypic traits, and the action of a single TF in a specific setting often depends on its interaction with other TFs and signalling pathway components. The microphthalmia-associated TF (MiTF) is a prototype TF in multiple situations. MiTF has been described extensively as a key regulator of melanocyte and melanoma development because it acts mainly as an oncogene.Mitf-mutated mice show a plethora of pleiotropic phenotypes, such as microphthalmia, deafness, abnormal pigmentation, retinal degeneration, reduced mast cell numbers and osteopetrosis, revealing a greater requirement for MiTF activity in cells and tissue. A growing amount of evidence has led to the delineation of key roles for MiTF in haematopoiesis and/or in cells of haematopoietic origin, including haematopoietic stem cells, mast cells, NK cells, basophiles, B cells and osteoclasts. This review summarizes several roles of MiTF in cells of the haematopoietic system and how MiTFs can impact BM development.
Cytokines in the colon, central nervous system and serum of irritable bowel syndrome rats
Authors: Chao Guanqun , Wang Zhaojun , Chen Xinli , Zhang Shuo
Published: January 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to detect the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in the colonic tissue and serum of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) rats, as well as the distribution and expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the spinal cord and brain of the visceral hypersensitivity rats, thus to ascertain the mechanism of visceral hypersensitivity signal conduction pathway.

Methods

The expression of IL-1β and TGF-β1 in the colonic tissue and serum of IBS rats was screened by the liquid chip technology and verified by RT-PCR technology. Then the quantitative analysis of CRF in the spinal cord and brain was achieved by the immunohistochemical method and computerized image system.

Result

The rat model with visceral hypersensitivity was successfully established. Among the screened indicators of IL-1β and TGF-β1 in colon tissue and serum, only the expression of IL-1β in the model group was up-regulated (P < 0.05). The immunohistochemical method showed that CRF was expressed in the spinal cord, hypothalamus, and the third ventricle. The positive index number of the model groups was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

From the research, it can be inferred that IL-1β may participate in the pathogenesis mechanism of IBS via regulating the colon function. The increasing expression of CRF linked to stress in the spinal cord, hypothalamus and the third ventricle indicated that it might play an important role in the mechanisms of visceral hypersensitivity signal conduction pathway.
Indocyanine green fluorescence navigation for hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus: a case report
Authors: Matsumura Masaru , Seyama Yasuji , Ishida Hiroyuki , Nemoto Satoshi , Tani Keigo , Imamura Jun
Published: January 2021

Background

Bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) is one of the features of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the resection of HCC with BDTT, it is important to detect the BDTT tip to decide the appropriate point of bile duct division. In this regard, the efficacy of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence navigation has been confirmed for the detection of HCC, whereas its utility for BDTT has not yet been reported. Herein, we describe our experience with right hepatectomy for HCC with BDTT using ICG fluorescence navigation.

Case presentation

A 72-year-old woman had experienced local recurrences of HCC after radiofrequency ablation, with BDTT reaching the confluence of the right anterior branch and posterior branch. Right hepatectomy was planned, and 2.5 mg of ICG was injected one day before surgery. After transection of the liver parenchyma, the right liver was connected with only the right hepatic duct. ICG fluorescence imaging visualized the tip of BDTT in the bile duct with clear contrast; the proximal side (hepatic side) of the right hepatic duct showed stronger fluorescence than the distal side (duodenal side). The bile duct was divided at the distal side of the BDTT border, and the tip of BDTT was recognized into the resected right hepatic duct without laceration. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and currently lives without recurrences for 6 months.

Conclusions

ICG fluorescence navigation assisted in the precise resection of the bile duct in HCC with BDTT.
Feasibility and acceptability of a preoperative exercise program for patients undergoing major cancer surgery: results from a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Steffens Daniel , Young Jane , Beckenkamp Paula R. , Ratcliffe James , Rubie Freya , Ansari Nabila , Pillinger Neil , Koh Cherry , Munoz Phillip A. , Solomon Michael
Published: January 2021

Objective

To establish the feasibility and acceptability of a preoperative exercise program, and to obtain pilot data on the likely difference in key surgical outcomes to inform the sample size calculation for a full-scale trial.

Design

Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Setting

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Subjects

We included patients undergoing elective pelvic exenteration or cytoreductive surgery aged 18 to 80 years, who presented to the participating gastrointestinal surgeon at least 2 weeks prior to surgery. Patients presenting cognitive impairment, co-morbidity preventing participation in exercise, inadequate English language, currently participating in an exercise program or unable to attend the exercise program sessions were excluded.

Methods

Participants were randomized to a 2–6 weeks preoperative, face-to-face, individualised exercise program or to usual care. Feasibility was assessed with consent rates to the study, and for the intervention group, retention and adherence rates to the preoperative exercise program. Acceptability of the exercise program was assessed with a semi-structured questionnaire exploring the advice received and the amount, duration and intensity of the exercise program. In addition, postoperative complication rates (Clavien-Dindo), length of hospital stay and self-reported measures of health-related quality of life (SF-36v2) were collected at baseline, day before surgery and in-hospital up to discharge from hospital.

Results

Of 122 patients screened, 26 (21%) were eligible and 22 (85%) accepted to participate in the trial and were randomized to the intervention (11; 50%) or control group (11; 50%). The median age of the include participants was 63 years. Adherence to the preoperative exercise sessions was 92.7%, with all participants either satisfied (33%) or extremely satisfied (67%) with the overall design of the preoperative exercise program. No significant differences in outcomes were found between groups.

Conclusions

The results of our pilot trial demonstrate that a preoperative exercise program is feasible and acceptable to patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery. There is an urgent need for a definite trial investigating the effectiveness of a preoperative exercise program on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery. This could potentially reduce postoperative complication rates, length of hospital stay and subsequently overall health care costs.

Trial registration

ACTRN12617001129370. Registered on August 1, 2017, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=373396&showOriginal=true&isReview=true
Perspectives of pharmaceutical stakeholders on determinants of medicines accessibility at the primary care level
Authors: Rizk Hoda Ibrahim , Elkholy Monira Mahmoud , Barakat Abeer Abdou , Elsayed Raghda Mostafa Mostafa , Abd El Fatah Shaimaa A. M.
Published: January 2021

Background

Equitable access to essential medicines of maintained efficacy, safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness must be ensured by a well-functioning health system. This study aims to identify the determinants of patients’ access to medicines at the primary health care (PHC) level from the perspectives of various (internal and external) stakeholders of the pharmaceutical system.

Methods

The study employed both quantitative and qualitative components. Quantitative component applied a descriptive a cross-sectional design and qualitative component applied an in-depth interview design. It was a health system research conducted at two (PHC) facilities (one urban and the other rural) in Egypt. It inquired upon political, economic, and managerial aspects of the pharmaceutical system utilizing the “Health System Assessment Approach: a How-To Manual” and the “WHO operational package for assessing, monitoring and evaluating country pharmaceutical situations.”

Results

Analysis of the quantitative data extracted from the cross-sectional component with external stakeholders (patients) revealed that about one-third of patients in both facilities were unable to pay for the medicine. Patients in both settings took less than an hour to reach the PHC facility. The Percent of patients who believe that the private pharmacies’ medicine is better than the PHC one was significantly higher in rural than urban group (24% and 10% respectively) and the percent of medicines dispensed was 50% and 66.7% in rural and urban groups respectively. Analysis of the qualitative data extracted from in-depth interviews with internal stakeholders (key informants from regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical industry, academia, pharmacists, and physicians) were summarized utilizing Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Challenges (SWOC) analysis approach. Various viewpoints toward the determinants of patients’ access to medicines were disclosed.

Conclusions

The Percent of medicines dispensed was insufficient in both rural and urban facilities. There is a need to invest in building trust in generic medicine quality in the government health facilities focusing on improving medicine availability and ensuring enough amounts of high-quality drugs. Although there are drug committees in the two studied PHC facilities for demonstrating the prescribing and dispensing policies, yet the system required to enforce these policies is still deficient.
Tail suspension is useful as a sarcopenia model in rats
Authors: Nemoto Akira , Goyagi Toru
Published: January 2021

Background

Sarcopenia promotes skeletal muscle atrophy and exhibits a high mortality rate. Its elucidation is of the highest clinical importance, but an animal experimental model remains controversial. In this study, we investigated a simple method for studying sarcopenia in rats.

Results

Muscle atrophy was investigated in 24-week-old, male, tail-suspended (TS), Sprague Dawley and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Age-matched SD rats were used as a control group. The skeletal muscle mass weight, muscle contraction, whole body tension (WBT), cross-sectional area (CSA), and Muscle RING finger-1 (MuRF-1) were assessed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate the MuRF-1 levels. Two muscles, the extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles, were selected for representing fast and slow muscles, respectively. All data, except CSA, were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance, whereas CSA was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Muscle mass weight, muscle contraction, WBT, and CSA were significantly lower in the SHR (n = 7) and TS (n = 7) groups than in the control group, whereas MuRF-1 expression was dominant.

Conclusions

TS and SHR presented sarcopenic phenotypes in terms of muscle mass, muscle contraction and CSA. TS is a useful technique for providing muscle mass atrophy and weakness in an experimental model of sarcopenia in rats.
Value of diffusion tensor imaging and tractography in unilateral lumbar disc prolapse
Authors: El Basset Ahmed Sayed Abd , Saeed Ahmed Hesham Mohamed , Tawfik Mona Hussein , El Hady Marwa Shehata Abd
Published: January 2021

Background

Conventional MR imaging is not enough for evaluation of symptomatic foraminal stenosis, because there is high incidence of false-positive results in asymptomatic elderly patients. Conventional MR cannot quantitatively assess the severity of the nerve lesion. DTI is a non-invasive way to effectively trace the nerve fiber bundle and quantitatively evaluate the nerve injury. DTI with fiber tracking may describe abnormalities beyond the resolution of conventional MR techniques. The aim of this work was to compare between the mean values of diffusion parameters such as fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient of the compressed lumbar spinal nerve roots and of the contralateral normal nerve roots. Correlate these parameters with the severity of neurological symptoms. This is a prospective study that was conducted on 50 patients with symptomatic unilateral posterolateral lumbar disc prolapse at a university hospital. They were investigated with diffusion tensor imaging with tractography on a 1.5-T MR. The changes in the mean fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values of the compressed nerves and the relationship between these changes and the severity of the neurological side effects using Japanese Orthopedic Association score and visual analogue scale were investigated.

Results

The mean fractional anisotropy values were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.001), and mean apparent diffusion coefficient values were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) in compressed nerves than in contralateral intact nerves. There were strong correlations between the DTI parameters and the severity of the neurological symptoms as assessed using the Japanese Orthopedic Association score and the visual analogue scale.

Conclusion

In patients with lumbar disc prolapse, radicular diffusion parameters are affected in the compressed roots in comparison to the healthy roots and this affection is correlated with the degree of prolapse and with the severity of neurological symptoms. DTI with fiber tracking provide clinically relevant information and describe abnormalities beyond the resolution of conventional MR techniques.
Early Outcomes of a National Cancer Center's Strategy Against COVID-19 Executed Through a Disease Outbreak Response Taskforce
Authors: Kwek Jin Wei , Chan Jack J. , Kanesvaran Ravindran , Wang Michael L. C. , Neo Patricia S. H. , Chia Claramae S. , Tham Chee Kian , Chew Lita S. T. , Tan Hiang Khoon , Yap Swee Peng , Dent Rebecca A. , Hwang William Y. K. , Lim Soon Thye
Published: January 2021

PURPOSE:

We present the strategy of a comprehensive cancer center organized to make operations pandemic proof and achieve continuity of cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS:

Disease Outbreak Response (DORS) measures implemented at our center and its satellite clinics included strict infection prevention, manpower preservation, prudent resource allocation, and adaptation of standard-of-care treatments. Critical day-to-day clinical operations, number of persons screened before entry, staff temperature monitoring, and personal protection equipment stockpile were reviewed as a dashboard at daily DORS taskforce huddles. Polymerase chain reaction swab tests performed for patients and staff who met defined criteria for testing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were tracked. Descriptive statistics of outpatient attendances and treatment caseloads from February 3 to May 23, 2020, were compared with the corresponding period in 2019.

RESULTS:

We performed COVID-19 swabs for 80 patients and 93 staff, detecting three cancer patients with community-acquired COVID-19 infections with no nosocomial transmission. Patients who required chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery and patients who are on maintenance treatment continued to receive timely treatment without disruption. The number of intravenous chemotherapy treatments was maintained at 97.8% compared with 2019, whereas that of weekly radiotherapy treatments remained stable since December 2019. All cancer-related surgeries proceeded without delay, with a 0.3% increase in workload. Surveillance follow-ups were conducted via teleconsultation, accounting for a 30.7% decrease in total face-to-face clinic consultations.

CONCLUSION:

Through the coordinated efforts of a DORS taskforce, it is possible to avoid nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmissions among patients and staff without compromising on care delivery at a national cancer center.
Do It Often, Do It Better: Association Between Pairs of Experienced Subspecialty Anesthesia Caregivers and Postoperative Outcomes. A Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Saager Leif , Ruetzler Kurt , Turan Alparslan , Maheshwari Kamal , Cohen Barak , You Jing , Mascha Edward J. , Qiu Yuwei , Ince Ilker , Sessler Daniel I.
Published: January 2021

BACKGROUND:

Anesthesiologists typically care for patients having a broad range of procedures. Outcomes might be improved when care is provided by caregivers experienced in particular types of surgery. We tested the hypothesis that intraoperative care provided by pairs of anesthesia caregivers having significant experience with a particular type of surgery reduces a composite of in-hospital death and 6 serious complications, including bleeding, cardiac, gastrointestinal, infectious, respiratory, and urinary complications, compared to care provided by pairs of anesthesia caregivers with less experience.

METHODS:

We included patients having surgery lasting at least 30 minutes. Using cluster analysis, attending anesthesiologists, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) were identified as experienced or inexperienced caregivers for each type of surgery at the case level. We then compared surgeries for which anesthesia was provided by a pair of experienced caregivers versus a pair of inexperienced caregivers on our composite outcome. We estimated the average relative effect (ie, the exponentiated average log odds ratio) of receiving anesthesia from an experienced versus inexperienced caregiver pair across the 7 components of the composite outcome using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model to adjust for between-component correlation and with inverse propensity score weighing to adjust for potential confounding from a host of variables.

RESULTS:

A total of 8968 patients who received anesthesia care by an experienced pair were compared with 25,361 patients who received care from an inexperienced pair, adjusting for potential confounding. The incidence of composite complications (ie, any component event) was 7.6% (677/8968) for experienced pairs and 12% (2976/25,361) for inexperienced pairs (P < .001). Care by experienced pairs of caregivers was associated with lower odds of the composite outcome with an estimated average relative effect odds ratio across the individual components of 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.71), P < .001. Among the 7 components of the primary outcome, experienced pairs of providers had significantly lower estimated odds of bleeding, infection, and mortality.

CONCLUSIONS:

Anesthesia care by experienced pairs was associated with fewer bleeding complications, fewer infections, shorter hospitalization, and reduced in-hospital mortality.
The use of virtual reality simulation to facilitate surgical ward-based learning in medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Carty Isabelle , Shah Rupali
Published: January 2021

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.4118

How to cite this: Carty I, Shah R. The use of virtual reality simulation to facilitate surgical ward-based learning in medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(2):609.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.4118
Characterization of genetic diversity of an invasive Lessepsian Migrant, Nemipterus randalli Russell, 1986 from its native and non-native regions using mitochondrial DNA marker
Authors: SRIHARI MURUGESAN , SILPA SUSANTHI , PAVAN-KUMAR ANNAM , TIKOCHINSKI YARON , GOLANI DANIEL , NAYAK BINAYA BUSHAN , BUSHAN SHASHI , ABIDI ZEBA JAFFER
Published: January 2021

This study assessed and compared the genetic diversity of Nemipterus randalli across its native and non-native regions analysing the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region. Including all the geographical population samples, 68 haplotypes were observed with an average haplotype diversity value of 0.92±0.04. Relatively, a smaller number of haplotypes was observed in the invasive range of the Mediterranean Sea. All other native geographical samples showed high haplotype and nucleotide diversity values. A significant high genetic differentiation value was observed between the native population samples of India and the invasive samples of the Mediterranean Sea. In the median-joining network tree, N. randalli from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea formed a single haplogroup while other samples from India are clustered into two haplogroups.
Exclusive human milk diet for very preterm babies in England: protocol for a cost-effectiveness and budget impact analysis
Authors: Sampson Chris , Zhang Kyann , Parkin David , Hampson Grace
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Babies born before 30 weeks’ gestation are at increased risk of major clinical complications and have greater nutritional requirements. Where nutritional requirements cannot be sufficiently provided for by the mother’s own milk (MOM), routine care in England uses cow milk-derived fortifiers and formulas. However, the use of cow milk in the diets of preterm babies has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Clinical trials have shown that an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) – where MOM is supplemented by donor human milk-derived formulas and fortifiers – has the potential to be clinically beneficial and reduce the risk of complications.

Objectives: This study has two key objectives: 1) estimate the cost-effectiveness of an EHMD for babies born before 30 weeks’ gestation, relative to routine care; 2) estimate the budget impact of adopting EHMDs in practice in England.

Methods: The analysis will use a modelling approach based on the most relevant data available. The population will consist of babies born in England before 30 weeks’ gestation. Babies in the intervention arm will be simulated to represent outcomes associated with babies fed an EHMD, and those in the comparator arm to receive routine care. Model parameters will be drawn from three sources: i) a recently completed randomised clinical trial, ii) the National Neonatal Research Database, and iii) published literature. The model will adopt a time horizon of two years following initial admission to a neonatal unit. The primary outcome for the cost-effectiveness analysis will be the incremental cost per life-year gained (if observed) associated with the intervention, relative to the comparator. We will also present disaggregated outcomes in a cost-consequence analysis. The primary outcome for the budget impact analysis will be the total cost associated with EHMD compared with current practice from the perspective of the English National Health Service (NHS).
Insulin Receptors and Intracellular Ca2+ Form a Double-Negative Regulatory Feedback Loop Controlling Insulin Sensitivity
Authors: Pomytkin Igor , Pinelis Vsevolod
Published: January 2021

Since the discovery of insulin and insulin receptors (IR) in the brain in 1978, numerous studies have revealed a fundamental role of IR in the central nervous system and its implication in regulating synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and depression, neuroprotection, learning and memory, and energy balance. Central insulin resistance has been found in diverse brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Impaired insulin signaling in AD is evident in the activation states of IR and downstream signaling molecules. This is mediated by Aβ oligomer-evoked Ca2+ influx by activating N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) with Aβ oligomers directly, or indirectly through Aβ-induced release of glutamate, an endogenous NMDAR ligand. In the present opinion article, we highlight evidence that IR activity and free intracellular Ca2+ concentration [Ca2+]i form a double-negative regulatory feedback loop controlling insulin sensitivity, in which mitochondria play a key role, being involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis and IR activation. We found recently that the glutamate-evoked rise in [Ca2+]i inhibits activation of IR and, vice versa, insulin-induced activation of IR inhibits the glutamate-evoked rise in [Ca2+]i. In theory, such a double-negative regulatory feedback loop predicts that any condition leading to an increase of [Ca2+]i may trigger central insulin resistance and explains why central insulin resistance is implicated in the pathogenesis of AD, with which glutamate excitotoxicity is a comorbid condition. This model also predicts that any intervention aiming to maintain low [Ca2+]i may be useful for treating central insulin resistance.
La traducción especializada Alemán-Español. Propuesta de actividades con empleo de nuevas tecnologías.
Authors: Álvarez García Carmen
Published: January 2021

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo presentar una propuesta de actividades para el aula de traducción especializada con la combinación lingüística alemánespañol, donde se integra de manera transversal la práctica de la posedición. Las actividades han sido diseñadas para potenciar competencias instrumentales, de trabajo cooperativo y de posedición en la formación en traducción especializada alemán-español a través de textos enmarcados en el lenguaje técnico. Las actividades propuestas se han elaborado partiendo de diversos postulados teóricos de profesores e investigadores y siguen el denominado enfoque por tareas, acercando igualmente al discente al entorno profesional real. El resultado en el aula ha sido positivo, pues los estudiantes aprecian el trabajo cooperativo y el aprendizaje de nuevas tecnologías demandadas en la industria de la traducción.
Presentación monográfico: Mediaciones políticas y culturas mediáticas en el ámbito hispánico (siglos XIX-XXI).
Authors: Fuentes Garzón Sara , Cabal Tejada Rubén
Published: January 2021

From Butterfly’s Tongue (1999) to While at War (2019), a growing number of cinematographic fictions and documentaries depicted Franco's repression in a context of recovery of historical memory. Thus, at least forty movies from this beginning of the century allude to the maquis, prisoners and victims as a whole to denounce the violence of the dictatorship in the media. The cinema mediates memory in the public scene and tries to modify, through a plural construction, the reception of this repressive period in the collective memory. We propose to explore the evolution of the message about Franco's violence in the cinema of these last two decades, with a typology of the victims, the representations of repression and the ideological narratives that are faced in them: through cinematographic techniques and characters, as well as the use and alteration of the symbols of this violence, which place it in a moving reception area. Keywords: Spanish movies, violence, Francoism, mediations.
Mujeres Gladiadoras. Prensa republicana femenina y movilización política en los inicios de la cultura mediática en España (1896-1922).
Authors: Ramos Palomo María Dolores , Ortega Muñoz Víctor José
Published: January 2021

: The enormous potential of the Spanish republican female press at the junction of the 19th-20th centuries acquires historical interest due to the renewal of the journalistic market aimed at women, which, transcending the framework of beauty, fashion, home and domestic economy magazines welcomes a political, doctrinaire, militant and radical journalism, directed and written by women, although it had male collaborations. This press - El Progreso, La Conciencia Libre, El Gladiador, El Gladiador del Librepensamiento and Redención, among other publications- conferred recognition and intellectual authority on its promoters, by giving them the possibility of spreading their ideals, create opinion, influencing the public sphere and articulating a political tradition and culture that has been largely neglected in the history of the press. Keywords: Republican press, women, media culture, Spain, 19th - 20th centuries.
Representaciones de lo alternativo en el Madrid de tránsito a la democracia. El caso de la (contra)cultura mediática de las radios libres (1976-1989).
Authors: Pérez Martínez José Emilio
Published: January 2021

In the 1980s, a multitude of small radio stations proliferated in the Spanish ether, posing a new way of doing and understanding communication, and constituting a new social movement: that of free radios. A movement that was born and grew within an alternative subculture, close to the radical left, for which it played the role of an instance of ideological production and reproduction. In these pages we will see how the media counterculture that surrounded these stations generated a subcultural style based on the transformation and resignification of language that helped to build an identity and a representation of the alternative in Madrid during the Transition to democracy. Keywords: free radios, alternative communication, subculture, Spanish Transition
Identification and Estimation of Endogenous Peer Effects Using Partial Network Data from Multiple Reference Groups
Authors: Reza Sadat , Manchanda Puneet , Chong Juin-Kuan
Published: January 2021

There has been a considerable amount of interest in the empirical investigation of social influence in the marketing and economics literature in the last decade or so. Among the many different empirical models applied for such investigations, the most common class of model is the linear-in-means model. These models can be used to examine whether social influence is truly a result of agents affecting each other through their choices simultaneously (endogenous effect) or of having similar taste and characteristics (homophily). However, the two effects are not separately identified in general in the standard linear-in-means model unless data on all members of an individual’s network are available. With data on a sample of individuals from a network, these effects are not identified. In this research, we leverage a very natural aspect of social settings, namely that consumers are usually part of multiple—as opposed to single—networks. We discuss the sufficient conditions for identification when the standard linear-in-means model is extended to allow for multiple sources of social influence. We also show how the additional variation generated by more than one source of social influence actually allows estimation of endogenous effects with sample data. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach via simulation and on the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health data, which has been used in a number of studies examining social influence. Our approach is, therefore, likely to be useful in typical marketing settings.

This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing.
Manufacturer’s Entry in the Product-Sharing Market
Authors: Tian Lin , Jiang Baojun , Xu Yifan
Published: January 2021

Problem definition : Mobile communications technologies and online platforms have enabled large-scale consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sharing of their underutilized products. This paper studies a manufacturer’s optimal entry strategy in the product-sharing market and the economic implications of its entry. Academic/practical relevance : Sharing of products or services among consumers has experienced dramatic growth in recent years. The impact of C2C sharing on traditional firms can be very significant. In response to C2C product sharing, many manufacturers (e.g., General Motors and BMW) have entered the product-sharing market to provide business-to-consumer (B2C) rental services in addition to outright sales to consumers. Methodology : We employ a game-theoretic analytical model for our analysis. Results : Our analysis shows that when C2C sharing has a low transaction cost and the manufacturer’s marginal cost of production is not very high, the manufacturer will find it not optimal to offer its own rental services to consumers. In contrast, when the C2C sharing transaction cost is high or the manufacturer’s marginal cost of production is high, the manufacturer should offer enough units of the products for rental to squeeze out C2C sharing (in expectation). When the C2C-sharing transaction cost and the manufacturer’s marginal cost are both in the middle ranges, the manufacturer’s rental services and the C2C sharing will coexist, in which case the manufacturer’s entry in the sharing market may reduce the total number of units of the product in the whole market, but increase the consumer surplus and the social welfare. This reduced number of products due to the manufacturer’s B2C rental service also suggests less environmental impact from production. Managerial implications : The production cost and the C2C sharing transaction cost play critical roles in determining the manufacturer’s optimal quantity to use for its B2C rental services and the equilibrium outcome. In some situations, the manufacturer’s entry in the sharing market provides not only economic benefits to the firm and consumers, but also environmental benefits to the society as a whole.
Changes in Online Distance Learning Behaviour of University Students during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak, and development of the Model of Forced Distance Online Learning Preferences
Authors: Ploj-Virtič Mateja , Dolenc Kosta , Šorgo Andrej
Published: January 2021

Because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, most universities were forced to choose Online Distance Learning (ODL). The study aimed to examine the response of university students to the new situation. A questionnaire was sent to the entire university student population. Based on responses from 606 students, it was revealed that use of all applications in ODL increased. However, only the use of MS Teams increased significantly, while the use of the other applications (email, Moodle, e-textbooks) increased in a range of low to medium in terms of effect sizes, and even nonsignificant for applications such as Padlet and Kahoot. Based on the replies of 414 respondents, a Model of Forced Distance Online Learning Preferences (MoFDOLP) based on Structural Equation Modeling was developed. With a chosen combination of predictors, we succeeded in predicting 95% of variance for Satisfaction, more than 50% for Continuance Preferences variance in MS Teams applications, and nearly 20% in the case of e-materials. Among hypothesized constructs, only Attitudes are a strong predictor of Satisfaction, while Organizational Support, Perceived Ease of Use and Learner Attitude toward Online Learning are not. Satisfaction is a good predictor of Continuance Preferences to use Information Technology after the lockdown ended.
Introduction. A mixed model of hospital services: Catalonia, 1870s-2010s
Authors: Fernández Pérez Paloma , Zarzoso Alfons
Published: January 2021

This special issue aims to contribute to current knowledge held on mixed hospital systems from a historical perspective, as there is nowadays much debate on the sustainability and efficiency of public and private healthcare systems in the world in the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing on the evolution of mixed hospital systems through the case study of the history of such systems in Catalonia in the last century, the authors of this special issue show that mixed hospital systems take a long period of time to be used, and trusted, by the population. It is also considered how public healthcare regulators can create a diversity of mechanisms that facilitate access by the population to healthcare services in times of external shocks such as pandemics. This introductory text begins with a section about the international context which explains the relevance of mixed hospital systems, which is followed by a summary of the main historical points regarding the Catalan model of mixed hospital provision since the 19th century. It also highlights the most significant contributions of the seven articles of this special issue, which consider how the Catalan society confronted social, economic, and political changes and how those actions led to configure a distinctive mixed model of hospital system. Finally, this text also sheds light on areas of research regarding the rich history of hospital healthcare that still need to be addressed.
Historical roots of hospital centrism in Catalonia (1917-1980)
Authors: Barceló-Prats Josep , Bekele Deborah
Published: January 2021

The aim of this article is to analyse the roots of the Catalonia health reform, whose first projects on reform have been documented since 1917. This historical process set-up, in Catalonia, a hospital-centric model involving three sets of regenerating and mutually reinforcing institutions: financial resources were being disproportionally distributed to hospitals, high-quality medical professionals were largely concentrated in hospitals and large outpatient departments were incorporated in hospitals, which functioned as a first point of care for many patients. Based on these premises, the intention is to contribute to the understanding of the initiatives that, during much of the 20th century, took place in Catalonia with the aim of bringing access to hospital services to the population. These same organising principles also had decisive influence on hospital planning in the rest of Spain. As such, we develop an historical approach to public policies that have been shaping the current imbalance between hospitals and primary care providers in Catalonia by combining two methodologies. On the one hand, an overview of the existing literature on this topic. On the other, an accumulation of case studies –which does not claim to be exhaustive– the result of this very research and that of other specialists in the object of study.As Catalonia still has a hospital-centric health system seeded throughout the 20th century, these findings can inform the framing of contemporary options for primary care strengthening. Without addressing these deep regenerating causes using a whole-system approach, Catalonia is unlikely to achieve a primary care orientation for health system development.
Deleuze y Spinoza hacia una concepción etológica de la ética
Authors: León Eduardo Alberto
Published: January 2021

Este trabajo es una reconstrucción de la ontología materialista de Spinoza utilizando la filosofía de Gilles Deleuze, para enfocarse en una ética revolucionaria del deseo. Es por eso que, en primer lugar, se comparará la naturaleza de la ética radical de Spinoza junto con la ética inmanente de Deleuze. Al mismo tiempo, se analizará la filosofía etológica de Spinoza y la noción de agencia (conatus). En la última parte de este artículo, se verá cómo estos conceptos han influido en la formulación de Deleuze y Guattari de una política inmanente del deseo, minortariana y colectiva. Y por último se explicará cómo esta teoría radical de la ética puede engendrar la diagramación de una política nómada o una revolución Porvenir.
A política de reconhecimento e a teoria da justiça de Axel Honneth
Authors: Vitorino Fontes Paulo
Published: January 2021

A partir do conceito de reconhecimento de Axel Honneth, considerado como uma necessidade fundamental do ser-humano, apresenta-se o núcleo de uma teoria da justiça que procura especificar as condições intersubjetivas de autorrealização individual. Pretende-se articular uma conceção normativa da justiça com a análise sociológica das sociedades modernas, através da reconstrução normativa e ao colocar a ênfase na liberdade social, baseada na dimensão intersubjetiva das instituições de reconhecimento. A liberdade social supõe o acesso às instituições de reconhecimento. Apresenta-se uma teoria da justiça que analisa as instituições num sentido amplo, através da reconstrução das práticas e condições de reconhecimento já institucionalizadas.