bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of implementation for group medical visits for patients with chronic pain: a systematic review
Authors: Roth Isabel , Tiedt Malik , Brintz Carrie , Thompson-Lastad Ariana , Ferguson Gayla , Agha Erum , Holcomb Jennifer , Gardiner Paula , Leeman Jennifer
Published: May 2024

Background

Despite the critical need for comprehensive and effective chronic pain care, delivery of such care remains challenging. Group medical visits (GMVs) offer an innovative and efficient model for providing comprehensive care for patients with chronic pain. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify barriers and facilitators (determinants) to implementing GMVs for adult patients with chronic pain.

Methods

The review included peer-reviewed studies reporting findings on implementation of GMVs for chronic pain, inclusive of all study designs. Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched. Studies of individual appointments or group therapy were excluded. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to determine risk of bias. Data related to implementation determinants were extracted independently by two reviewers. Data synthesis was guided by the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Results

Thirty-three articles reporting on 25 studies met criteria for inclusion and included qualitative observational (n = 8), randomized controlled trial (n = 6), quantitative non-randomized (n = 9), quantitative descriptive (n = 3), and mixed methods designs (n = 7). The studies included in this review included a total of 2364 participants. Quality ratings were mixed, with qualitative articles receiving the highest quality ratings. Common multi-level determinants included the relative advantage of GMVs for chronic pain over other available models, the capability and motivation of clinicians, the cost of GMVs to patients and the health system, the need and opportunity of patients, the availability of resources and relational connections supporting recruitment and referral to GMVs within the clinic setting, and financing and policies within the outer setting.

Conclusions

Multi-level factors determine the implementation of GMVs for chronic pain. Future research is needed to investigate these determinants more thoroughly and to develop and test implementation strategies addressing these determinants to promote the scale-up of GMVs for patients with chronic pain.

Trial registration

This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO 2021CRD42021231310.
Exploring the antimicrobial activity of Origanum majorana L. against the highly virulent multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii AB5075: UPLC-HRMS profiling with in vitro and in silico studies
Authors: Mahdally Norhan H. , Salih Abdalla E. M. , El-Shiekh Riham A. , Sayed Ahmed M. , Elhosseiny Noha M. , Kashef Mona T. , Yaseen Mohammed , Mackay William , El Halawany Ali M. , Rateb Mostafa E. , Attia Ahmed S.
Published: May 2024

Background

The infamous multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is becoming a nightmare in intensive care units across the globe. Since there are now very few effective antimicrobial agents, it is necessary to explore unconventional resources for novel antimicrobials. This study investigated the potential antimicrobial activity of Origanum majorana L. against A. baumannii employing multiple approaches including antimicrobial susceptibility, fractionation, ultra-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) dereplication, and in silico analysis for target/ligand identification.

Results

On the extremely pathogenic MDR strain A. baumannii AB5075, O. majorana L. has shown a significant growth inhibitory effect (MIC = 0.675 mg/mL). The polar 50% methanol fraction was the most active (MIC = 0.5 mg/mL). The UPLC-HRMS dereplication of the bioactive fraction detected 29 metabolites belonging to different chemical classes. Justicidin B, one of the identified metabolites, was projected by preliminary in silico analysis to be the most highly scoring metabolite for binding with molecular targets in A. baumannii with a Fit score = 8.56 for enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) (PDB ID: 6AHE), suggesting it to be its potential target. Additionally, docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and bioinformatics analysis suggested that this interaction is similar to a well-known FabI inhibitor. The amino acids involved in the interaction are conserved among different MDR A. baumannii strains and the effectiveness could extend to Gram-negative pathogens within the ESKAPE group.

Conclusions

Origanum majorana L. extract exhibits antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii using one or more metabolites in its 50% methanol fraction. The characterized active metabolite is hypothesized to be justicidin B which inhibits the growth of A. baumannii AB5075 via targeting its fatty acid synthesis.
Evaluating the efficacy of a novel periosteal flap in cochlear implantation: a retrospective surgical audit at a tertiary teaching hospital
Authors: Kothandaraman Kirubakaran , Panda Naresh K. , Patro Sourabha K.
Published: May 2024

Background

This research aimed to critically evaluate the safety and reliability of a new periosteal flap technique in cochlear implantation through a comprehensive surgical audit. A surgical audit was conducted on a cohort of 39 patients who underwent cochlear implantation at a tertiary teaching hospital from July 2020 to September 2021. The novel periosteal flap technique was utilized in all cases. Patients were followed up for a period ranging from 2 to 12 months. For comparison, outcomes were assessed by comparing 51 children who had undergone cochlear implant surgery between July 2017 and June 2019, utilizing the anteriorly based palva flap. A scoring system was employed to evaluate various aspects, including ease of surgical exposure, flap maneuverability, ease of closure after device fixation, immediate postoperative complications (up to 24 h), and delayed complications (up to 30 days). Scores ranging from 1 (fair assessment) to 4 (excellent assessment) were assigned, with a maximum score of 18 indicating optimal outcomes.

Results

The comparison between the two groups revealed a reduced incidence of emissary vein injury and easier wound closure after device fixation in the novel periosteal flap group (p = 0.000). The mean total scores were significantly higher in the novel periosteal flap group, indicating superior outcomes. Only 2 out of 39 children with the novel flap experienced minor skin color changes during the initial postoperative period, which resolved within approximately 7 days. Major complications such as wound infection, hematoma, or device migration were not observed with the new periosteal flap. Furthermore, no flap revisions were required.

Conclusions

The novel and innovative periosteal flap demonstrated both safety and reliability in cochlear implantation procedures. This well-vascularized and robust flap offered effective device coverage with minimal flap-related complications. Its time-saving nature further enhances its clinical utility. Additional validation from different medical centers would further corroborate the advantages of this easily implemented periosteal flap technique.

Level of evidence

Level 3.
Climate change and mental health: Position paper of the European Psychiatric Association
Authors: Brandt Lasse , Adorjan Kristina , Catthoor Kirsten , Chkonia Eka , Falkai Peter , Fiorillo Andrea , Gondek Tomasz M. , Le Vay Jessica Newberry , Rojnic Martina , Meyer-Lindenberg Andreas , Heinz Andreas , Dom Geert , Luykx Jurjen J.
Published: May 2024

Background

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to health that societies face and can adversely affect mental health. Given the current lack of a European consensus paper on the interplay between climate change and mental health, we signal a need for a pan-European position paper about this topic, written by stakeholders working in mental health care.

Methods

On behalf of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), we give recommendations to make mental health care, research, and education more sustainable based on a narrative review of the literature.

Results

Examples of sustainable mental healthcare comprise preventive strategies, interdisciplinary collaborations, evidence-based patient care, addressing social determinants of mental health, maintaining health services during extreme weather events, optimising use of resources, and sustainable facility management. In mental health research, sustainable strategies include investigating the impact of climate change on mental health, promoting research on climate change interventions, strengthening the evidence base for mental health-care recommendations, evaluating the allocation of research funding, and establishing evidence-based definitions and clinical approaches for emerging issues such as ‘eco-distress’. Regarding mental health education, planetary health, which refers to human health and how it is intertwined with ecosystems, may be integrated into educational courses.

Conclusions

The EPA is committed to combat climate change as the latter poses a threat to the future of mental health care. The current EPA position paper on climate change and mental health may be of interest to a diverse readership of stakeholders, including clinicians, researchers, educators, patients, and policymakers.
Global Landscape of the Attack of Predatory Journals in Oncology
Authors: El Bairi Khalid , Trapani Dario , Nidhamalddin Sara Jamil , Khan Shah Zeb , Chowdhury Arman Reza , Lengyel Csongor György , Hussain Sadaqat , Habeeb Baker Shalal , Petrillo Angelica , Omar Nabil Elhadi , Altuna Sara , Seid Fahmi Usman , Elfaham Essam , Seeber Andreas , Roitberg Felipe , Burguete-Torres Alan , El Kefi Safa , Hammad Nazik , Mutebi Miriam , Al Jarroudi Ouissam , El Kadmiri Nadia , Curigliano Giuseppe , Afqir Said
Published: May 2024

PURPOSE

Open-access publishing expanded opportunities to give visibility to research results but was accompanied by the proliferation of predatory journals (PJos) that offer expedited publishing but potentially compromise the integrity of research and peer review. To our knowledge, to date, there is no comprehensive global study on the impact of PJos in the field of oncology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 29 question-based cross-sectional survey was developed to explore knowledge and practices of predatory publishing and analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

Four hundred and twenty-six complete responses to the survey were reported. Almost half of the responders reported feeling pressure to publish from supervisors, institutions, and funding and regulatory agencies. The majority of authors were contacted by PJos through email solicitations (67.8%), with fewer using social networks (31%). In total, 13.4% of the responders confirmed past publications on PJo, convinced by fast editorial decision time, low article-processing charges, limited peer review, and for the promise of academic boost in short time. Over half of the participants were not aware of PJo detection tools. We developed a multivariable model to understand the determinants to publish in PJos, showing a significant correlation of practicing oncology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and predatory publishing (odds ratio [OR], 2.02 [95% CI, 1.01 to 4.03]; P = .04). Having previous experience in academic publishing was not protective (OR, 3.81 [95% CI, 1.06 to 13.62]; P = .03). Suggestions for interventions included educational workshops, increasing awareness through social networks, enhanced research funding in LMICs, surveillance by supervisors, and implementation of institutional actions against responsible parties.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of predatory publishing poses an alarming problem in the field of oncology, globally. Our survey identified actionable risk factors that may contribute to vulnerability to PJos and inform guidance to enhance research capacity broadly.
Interference With VIP to Distinguish Between Real and False VIPoma: National Study From the French Endocrine Tumors Group
Authors: Chevalier Benjamin , Bonnet Delphine , Lepage Come , Perrier Marine , Borson-Chazot Françoise , Abeillon Juliette , Delobel Jean Bernard , Jannin Arnaud , Hadoux Julien , Haissaguere Magalie , Lombard-Bohas Catherine , Walter Thomas , Chardon Laurence
Published: May 2024

Background

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-secreting tumors (VIPomas) are digestive neuroendocrine tumors in which the hormonal secretion is life-threatening. Biological confirmation is obtained by demonstrating an elevation in plasma VIP, usually using radioimmunoassay (RIA). In some cases, analytical interference is suspected. We developed 3 different techniques to detect interference in VIP RIA.

Methods

Three techniques were used: RIA after Sephadex column chromatography separation, RIA after polyethylene glycol precipitation, and 125I-labeled VIP binding test. We included patients with suspicion of false positive VIP (FPV) elevation. We then compared results with those of a group of “real,” proven VIPoma (RV).

Results

A total of 15 patients with FPV elevation and 9 RV patients were included. Interference was detected in all FPV patients vs none in RV. Clinical and biochemical parameters did not differ between FPV and RV patients, but VIP concentration in RIA was significantly higher in FPV patients than in RV patients (228 pmol/L vs 66 pmol/L, P = .038). Using a 125I-labeled VIP binding test, median proportion of radioactivity in the pellet was significantly higher in FPV than in RV patients (53% vs 13%, P < .0001). A 20.5% threshold presented excellent performances (sensitivity 100% [79.6-100], specificity 100% [70.1-100]).

Conclusion

We developed 3 different laboratory techniques to reveal interference in RIA VIP assays. The diagnostic performance of all 3 was excellent. These techniques must be employed in cases of discordance between VIP elevation and clinical presentation.
Trends in Maternal Mortality From Obstetric Hemorrhage in France: 15 Years of Confidential Enquiry Into Maternal Deaths
Authors: Bonnet Marie-Pierre , de Vries Pauline L.M. , Levet Solène , Saucedo Monica , Morau Estelle , Dreyfus Michel , Goffinet François , Deneux-Tharaux Catherine ,   on behalf of the ENCMM Study Group
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND:

The aim of this study was to assess temporal trends in incidence and underlying causes of maternal deaths from obstetric hemorrhage in France and to describe clinical care before and after implementation of the first national guidelines published in 2004 and updated in 2014.

METHODS:

Data from all hemorrhage-related maternal deaths between 2001 and 2015 were extracted from the French Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths. We compared the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), cause of obstetric hemorrhage, and death preventability by triennium. Critical care, transfusion, and obstetric management among women who died were described for 2001 to 2003 and 2013 to 2015.

RESULTS:

The MMR from obstetric hemorrhage significantly decreased over time from 2.3 of 100,000 livebirths (54 of 2,391,551) in 2001 to 2003 to 0.8 of 100,000 livebirths (19 of 2,412,720) in 2013 to 2015. In 2001 to 2003, uterine atony accounted for 50% (27 of 54) of maternal deaths vs 21% (4 of 19) in 2013 to 2015. As compared to 2001 to 2003, an increased proportion of women had hemodynamic continuous monitoring in 2013 to 2015 (30%, 9 of 30, vs 47%, 8 of 18) and received vasopressor infusion therapy (57%, 17 of 30, vs 72%, 13 of 18), and a smaller proportion was extubated during active hemorrhage (17%, 5 of 30, vs 0 of 18). Transfusion therapy was initiated more frequently and earlier in 2013 to 2015 (71 vs 58 minutes). In 2013 to 2015, 88% of maternal deaths due to hemorrhage remained preventable. The main identified improvable care factors were related to delays in diagnosis and surgical management, particularly after cesarean delivery.

CONCLUSIONS:

Maternal mortality by obstetric hemorrhage decreased dramatically in France between 2001 and 2015, particularly mortality due to uterine atony. Among women who died, we detected fewer instances of substandard transfusion management or critical care. Nevertheless, opportunities for improvement were observed in most of the recent cases.
Editors’ Introduction
Authors: Schreiber Rachel , Walkowitz Judith R.
Published: May 2024

“Troubling Terms and the Sex Trades” assembles writings from scholars, sex workers, and activists, each of whom interrogates a troubled term and its place in the history of prostitution. This introduction discusses the “keyword” tradition of historical genealogies advanced by Raymond Williams and its utility for assessing critical categories that inform historical studies and current political debates on prostitution. The essay reviews the historiography of prostitution as it has focused on troubling terms, mostly centered specifically on the categories of sex work and trafficking. The essay goes on to introduce the components of this special issue: the first section, Reflections, presents short first-person accounts by sex worker activists, advocates, and scholars regarding a critical keyword they have worked with or resisted. The second section, Features, presents longer essays that interrogate the terms sex work, demand, white slavery, red-light district, restricted area, and decriminalization. Finally, Curated Spaces explores the history of the red umbrella as a visual term that has developed as a global symbol for sex worker rights.
Naming the Zones of Sexual Commerce
Authors: Hemphill Katie M.
Published: May 2024

This article examines the historical origins of the term red-light district. It argues that red lights became associated with prostitution in the United States not only because of red’s popularity in the decor of nighttime businesses but also because of color symbolism popularized by the transportation revolution. As red signal lights on railroads came to indicate “stop—danger,” people accustomed to viewing prostitution as a moral and physical threat read that symbolism onto nighttime businesses’ existing practices of display. Meanwhile, places of prostitution that were located near railroad tracks in the American West embraced the red light as a form of advertising. The red light’s simultaneous status as a lure and warning captured ambivalent responses to prostitution. As a result, it became a potent symbol of late nineteenth-century efforts to keep the sex trade at arm’s length while also treating it as ineradicable. When city officials tried to control the harms of prostitution by segregating it, the products of their efforts came to be known as “red-light districts.” Although the term has in some ways transcended its roots, scholars should be conscientious about their use of it given its implicit moralization of both the sex trade and urban space.
I Am Become Data: Lytle Shaw's Narrowcast and the Era of Machine Listening
Authors: Mustazza Chris
Published: May 2024

Engaging with Lytle Shaw's Narrowcast: Poetry Audio Research as a point of departure and persistent interlocutor, this essay argues that new digital methods of studying recordings of poets as speech share common ground with the speech science used in insidious practices of state-sponsored surveillance. It extends Shaw's argument, which focuses on poetry audio in the 1960s, into the current moment to highlight how the work of digital humanists working with sound is liable to misappropriation. Machine listening, a practice used to parse thousands of hours of audio in condensed periods of time, is increasingly being used to study poetry recordings, and it fundamentally reorders traditional modes of reading/listening. Such practices also move the line between signal and noise, changing the threshold between audiotext and paratext. Poetry scholars interested in sound need to attune their ears to ways of listening that leverage machinic prostheses and to be aware of the dangers that come with such newfound abilities.
Auerbach's Hunger: Mimesis as an Anthropology of Violence
Authors: Figlerowicz Marta
Published: May 2024

This article argues that Erich Auerbach's Mimesis depicts figural thinking as inextricable from ritual violence perpetuated against vulnerable, minority populations. To an extent that has been underappreciated, Mimesis also reflects on Auerbach's own complicity with anti-Semitic Western ethnocentrism. The article uncovers an unexpected intertext for the book's second chapter, “Fortunata,” which narrates the birth of figural thinking. It reads this chapter in conjunction with earlier versions of the ending of Mimesis preserved in Auerbach's Istanbul lectures. The unexpected intertext of “Fortunata” is a then-recent bestseller about Nero's persecution of the Christian, Quo Vadis? (1896), by the Nobel Prize winner Henryk Sienkiewicz, in which Peter and Petronius feature as major characters and as each other's doubles. Reading Mimesis through this lens helps one see that it constructs, around such spectacles of violence, a Viconian account of Western culture's foundational, recurrent brutality.
Passports, Prisons, and Every Space Between
Authors: Falek Joshua
Published: May 2024

In 2016 long-standing activism culminated in the implementation of Bill C-16, which added “gender and gender expression” to the protected classes of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Despite a commitment to consistency across federal policy, wide discrepancies occurred between the changes to the passport and those to the prison. On the one hand, Citizenship Canada announced that “people who do not identify as female (‘F’) or male (‘M’)” could change their passport sex to be an X. On the other hand, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) begrudgingly introduced Interim Policy Bulletin 584, which provides accommodation based “on gender identity or expression” within the binary system. Through a comparative analysis, this article queries the enactment of nonbinary recognition between two foundational sites of Canadian federal control: a site of mobility (the passport) and a site of immobility through mass incarceration (the prison). Arguing against expanding prisons or the creation of nonbinary correctional institutions, this article traces the racial geographies that X is both embedded within and enacts, exposing the violence that ushers forth new forms of trans citizenship reliant on anti-Blackness, captivity, and fungibility. Building from these case studies, this article mobilizes the state deployment of gendered expression and determination to nuance theories of gender self-determination. Specifically, this article considers how the theoretical application of the term may dissimulate distinctions in (in)violability, vulnerability, and capacity between and within Blackness and transness.
A Model of Harmful Yet Engaging Content on Social Media
Authors: Beknazar-Yuzbashev George , Jiménez-Durán Rafael , Stalinski Mateusz
Published: May 2024

Why do social media users spend so much time consuming content that seemingly harms them? We build a simple model to argue that advertising-driven platforms can find it profitable to display content that harms users when it is complementary to their time spent on the platform. These incentives disappear, absent network effects, in the case of a subscription-based business model because harmful content reduces the willingness to pay for the platform. Our results warn against interpreting increases in engagement on social media as welfare increases.
Is the World Running Out of Fresh Water?
Authors: Carleton Tamma , Crews Levi , Nath Ishan
Published: May 2024

The quantity of water within Earth and its atmosphere is fixed over time, but water available for human consumption evolves dynamically. We use globally comprehensive geospatial data to establish stylized facts about recent changes in global water resources and potential implications for human welfare. We show that the net change in water volume on arable lands—which account for 90 percent of human water consumption—is almost exactly zero. Rapid water loss is concentrated in regions with large populations, low existing water resources, and low agronomic potential. Incorporating trade data shows that water-scarce regions are net importers of water-intensive goods.
Long-Term Effects of Preschool Subsidies and Cash Transfers on Child Development: Evidence from Uganda
Authors: Bjorvatn Kjetil , Ferris Denise , Gulesci Selim , Nasgowitz Arne , Somville Vincent , Vandewalle Lore
Published: May 2024

Shortly before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, three-to-five-year-old children in Uganda were randomly offered a subsidy to attend full-day preschool for one year. A second treatment group received cash transfers that were at least as large as the cost of the preschool subsidy provided, while a third group received both. Children who attended preschool prior to the pandemic have better anthropometric outcomes three years later. We do not find persistent effects on their learning outcomes. Effects of cash transfers on child development are similar to those of the preschool subsidy.
Residential versus Online? Experimental Evidence on Diversifying the STEM Pipeline
Authors: Cohodes Sarah R. , Ho Helen , Huffaker Elizabeth , Robles Silvia C.
Published: May 2024

Prior research has shown that most educational interventions boost student outcomes to a greater extent when delivered in person as opposed to online. However, we know little about whether this is true for enrichment programs targeted to highly motivated populations. By using a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs intended to increase diversity in the STEM pipeline, we reveal that all experiences increase college six-year graduation, especially from competitive universities, but increases in STEM degree production come only from in-person experiences.
Reparative Ripple Effects? Exploring the Impacts of Sibling Exposure to School-Based Restorative Justice
Authors: Adukia Anjali , Feigenberg Benjamin , Momeni Fatemeh
Published: May 2024

This study leverages the rollout of restorative practices (RP) within Chicago Public Schools to investigate whether younger siblings in elementary school who are not directly exposed to RP are affected by their older siblings' RP exposure in high school. We find suggestive evidence that younger siblings' absent days decline in response to indirect RP exposure. In contrast, we do not find any evidence that indirect exposure affects perceived behavior or academic outcomes. Our analysis is intended to provide a useful data point for future work that more comprehensively assesses the scope of spillover effects associated with noncognitive skill development.
Thinking about Parents: Gender and Field of Study
Authors: Carlana Michela , Corno Lucia
Published: May 2024

Globally, women remain underrepresented in STEM. Our lab-in-the-field study delves into parental influence on adolescents' perceptions of scientific versus humanistic aptitude. We find that thinking about parental recommendation affects students' beliefs on their comparative advantage in a gender-stereotypical way. Girls are 23 percent less likely to choose math when they think about their mothers' recommendation before selecting their field. The paper underscores the critical role that parents play in shaping gender-specific beliefs about academic strengths, highlighting potential avenues for fostering diversity in STEM.
The NY Fed DSGE Model: A Post-COVID Assessment
Authors: Del Negro Marco , Dogra Keshav , Gleich Aidan , Gundam Pranay , Lee Donggyu , Nallamotu Ramya , Pacula Brian
Published: May 2024

We document the real-time forecasting performance for output and inflation of the New York Fed dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model since 2011. We find the DSGE's accuracy to be comparable to that of private forecasters before COVID but somewhat worse thereafter.
Diversity Balance in Centralized Public School Admissions
Authors: Abdulkadiroğlu Atila , Grigoryan Aram
Published: May 2024

Parental choice over public schools has become a major educational reform throughout the United States and the world. Most district policies are implemented via admission priorities. Diversity in admissions is a common policy goal. However, it necessitates the violation of some priorities. We develop an axiomatic theory for meeting diversity objectives with a reserves system. We axiomatize the trade-off between diversity and priorities. We characterize the solution that uniquely and optimally achieves the diversity objectives via reserves by minimizing priority violations. The choice rule corresponds to a simple and natural implementation of application orders in a reserves system.
Exorbitant Privilege and the Sustainability of US Public Debt
Authors: Choi Jason , Dang Duong , Kirpalani Rishabh , Perez Diego J.
Published: May 2024

We study the extent to which the perceived cost of losing the exorbitant privilege the United States holds in global safe asset markets sustains its public debt safety. Our findings indicate that losing this special status in the event of a default significantly augments the debt capacity for the United States. Debt levels would be up to 30 percent lower if the United States did not have this special status. Most of this extra debt capacity arises from the loss of convenience yields on Treasuries, which makes debt more expensive following its loss, providing strong incentives to repay debt.
Go Vegan? Prejudice, (Blind) Experimentation, and Food Choices
Authors: Belot Michèle , Teh Adelson
Published: May 2024

We examine the role of prejudice and experimentation in the evaluation of a nonmainstream product. We conduct a randomized controlled experiment where participants evaluate a plant-based product. We vary (i) whether they can taste the product, (ii) whether the tasting is blind, and (iii) the timing of when they are informed that the product is plant-based. We find that blind and nonblind tasting significantly raise taste evaluations. However, blind experimentation is associated with the lowest willingness to pay. In short, blinding does not help overcome prejudice in contrast to findings in labor economics in the context of hiring decisions.
Sleep Norms
Authors: Giuntella Osea , Kiss Andrea , Wang Stephanie W.
Published: May 2024

This study documents sleep norms and studies the effect of norm information on anticipated behavioral change. Participants were shown either a small or large gap between others' ideal sleep duration (injunctive norm) and actual sleep patterns (descriptive norm). While we find limited effects of injunctive norm information alone, alignment between perceived behavior and societal expectations led to greater intention for longer sleep and earlier bedtimes. Conversely, a large gap between norms and actual behavior heightened interest in advice for improving sleep. These results suggest that understanding and communicating social norms can be crucial in promoting healthy sleep practices.
Who Benefits from State Corporate Tax Cuts? A Local Labor Market Approach with Heterogeneous Firms: Further Results
Authors: Serrato Juan Carlos Suárez , Zidar Owen
Published: May 2024

This paper estimates state corporate tax incidence using new data and methods for estimating the effects on profits. Extending Suarez Serrato and Zidar (2016), we develop two identification approaches that use the effects on incumbent firm labor demand and local productivity. We estimate these effects using data from census, show how they identify parameters, and provide incidence estimates using reduced-form and structural approaches. Across these approaches, we find that owners bear a substantial portion of incidence. Our central estimate is that firm owners bear half of the incidence, while workers and landowners bear 25-40 percent and 10-15 percent, respectively.
What Drives US Import Price Inflation?
Authors: Amiti Mary , Itskhoki Oleg , Weinstein David E.
Published: May 2024

Inflation has risen sharply in many countries since the COVID-19 outbreak, and economists have debated the underlying causes. In this paper, we examine the drivers of the global import price inflation, which peaked at approximately 11 percent a year. We find that a common global component closely tracks movements in aggregate US import prices until late 2022. Afterward, idiosyncratic US demand shocks started to dominate.
What's in a Name? Can Name-Blind Evaluation Reduce Bias in AP Course Recommendation?
Authors: Francis Dania V. , de Oliveira Angela C. M. , Dimmitt Carey
Published: May 2024

Using a variation of a correspondence audit study, we show that even after controlling for how prepared a candidate seems, White males are more likely to be recommended for AP Calculus. In this setting, name-blind review does not improve the likelihood of recommendation for any race/gender group and can actually be harmful rather than simply bias reducing.
Half Empty and Half Full? Women in Economics and the Rise in Gender-Related Research
Authors: Antman Francisca M. , Doran Kirk B. , Qian Xuechao , Weinberg Bruce A.
Published: May 2024

Using the EconLit dissertation database and large-scale algorithmic methods that identify author demographics from names, we investigate the connection between the gender of economics dissertators and dissertation topics. Despite stagnation in the share of women among economics PhDs in recent years, there has been a remarkable rise in gender-related dissertations in economics over time and in many subfields. Women economists are significantly more likely to write gender-related dissertations and bring gender-related topics into a wide range of fields within economics. Men in economics have also substantially increased their interest in gender-related topics.
Transgender Transitioning and Responsiveness to Policy: Evidence from the Netherlands
Authors: de Weerd Elisa , Cawley John , Kippersluis Hans van
Published: May 2024

This study examines a 2014 policy change in the Netherlands that simplified the process to legally transition gender. Administrative data for 2006-2022 indicate that there was a 725 percent increase in transitions after the policy change, suggesting that legal gender transitions are elastic to costs and barriers. The policy change was followed by a ten-year reduction in the average age at transition and a reduction in the use of gender-affirming care in the three years prior to transitioning. This research sheds light on how policy changes can influence decisions related to gender transitioning and the use of gender-affirming care.
Shocking Offers: Gender, Wage Inequality, and Recessions in Online Labor Markets
Authors: Archibong Belinda , Henry Peter Blair
Published: May 2024

Using data from the largest online job portal in Nigeria, we document (i) gender differences in salary offers for jobs and (ii) the response of (i) to recessions. Jobs in industries where the number of job applicants skews female offer lower starting salaries than jobs in industries where applicants skews male. During Nigeria's 2016 recession, applications to jobs in industries that skew female fell, and salary offers rose. In contrast, applications to jobs in industries that skew male rose, and salary offers fell. In accordance with this relative shift in applications, in 2016 the salary-offer gap almost disappears.
Student Debt Relief and Racial Wealth Gaps
Authors: Daniels Gerald E. , Galloway Jeffrey , Kakar Venoo
Published: May 2024

The Biden-Harris Administration released a plan to cancel federal student loans for 43 million borrowers on August 24, 2022. While the Supreme Court struck down the Biden-Harris student debt relief plan on June 30, 2023, the White House is now planning to use the Higher Education Act of 1965, a federal law that governs the student loan program, to bring about relief for student borrowers. This article estimates the potential impact of broad-based student debt relief on racial and ethnic wealth gaps. On average, federal student debt potentially eligible for relief explains 3 percent of the White-Black wealth gaps, suggesting that broad-based student debt relief could significantly mitigate racial wealth inequities.
The effects of lumbar stabilization exercises with and without jaw movements in non-specific low back pain (A randomized controlled trial)
Authors: Khan Muhammad , Hamayun zafar  , Syed Amir Gilani  , Waqas Ahmed Farooqui  , Ashfaq Ahmad
Published: May 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the added effect of jaw clenching on the efficacy of lumbar stabilization exercises to manage chronic non-specific low back pain. 
Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (SIPM&R) Karachi from April 2021 to April 2023. Eighty patients with chronic non-specific low back pain participated in this study. Forty patients each were randomly allocated to the lumbar stability exercise (LSE) group’ and the lumbar stability exercise with teeth clenching (LSETC) group. Patients in both groups performed respective exercises twice weekly for 12 weeks. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and Pressure Biofeedback Unit (PBU) were used to assess pain, disability, and muscle endurance respectively. Data were collected at the baseline, after six weeks and 12 weeks of intervention. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in pain, disability, and muscle endurance. Upon further stratification, participants aged 20-30 years in the LSETC group showed significantly higher scores than the LSE group for NPRS, RMDQ, and PBU after 12 weeks. Overall, the LSETC group showed relatively higher improvement in mean scores for NPRS, RMDQ, and PBU than the LSE group.
Conclusion: Lumbar stabilization exercises with and without jaw movement are effective for the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. The addition of teeth clenching enhanced the effectiveness of lumbar stability exercises, especially in young adults.
Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04801212), Prospectively registered on March 16, 2021.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9208
How to cite this: Khan M, Zafar H, Gilani SA, Farooqui WA, Ahmad A. The effects of lumbar stabilization exercises with and without jaw movements in non-specific low back pain (A randomized controlled trial). Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1116-1121. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9208
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The effect of Bushenhuoxue nutritional decoction in the treatment of overweight patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome
Authors: Fu Jiaowen , Chen Yingqi , Huang Zongwen , Wang Xiaojing
Published: May 2024

Objective: To assess the effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nutrition treatment (Bushenhuoxue nutritional decoction) in overweight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Methods: Retrospective analysis of 96 overweight patients with PCOS who received treatment in our hospital from October 2020 to June 2022 was done. Among them, 46 patients received routine drug treatment and daily dietary intervention (control group), while 50 patients received additional TCM nutrition support in addition to routine treatment (observation group). Glucose and lipid metabolism indicators and hormone levels were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment. Ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and adverse reactions were compared between both groups one year after the treatment.
Results: After treatment, the improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism indicators and hormone levels in the observation group was significantly better than in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores of the two groups were lower than that before treatment (P < 0.001), and the TCM syndrome scores of the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.001).Ovulation and pregnancy rates were significantly higher in the observation group compared to the control group at 1-year follow up (P<0.05), and the incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Combined with conventional drug treatment, TCM nutrition treatment can significantly improve glucose and lipid metabolism, hormone levels, and TCM syndrome of overweight PCOS patients, increase the ovulation and pregnancy rates, and reduce potential adverse reactions.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9304
How to cite this: Fu J, Chen Y, Huang Z, Wang X. The effect of Bushenhuoxue nutritional decoction in the treatment of overweight patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1105-1110. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9304
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement process in undergraduate medical education programs: A scoping review
Authors: Arja Sateesh B , White Bobbie Ann , Fayyaz Jabeen , Thompson Anne
Published: May 2024

Background Accreditation in medical education has existed for more than 100 years, yet the impact of accreditation remains inconclusive. Some studies have shown the effects of accreditation on student outcomes and educational processes at medical schools. However, evidence showing the impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement of undergraduate medical education programs is still in its infancy. This scoping review explores the impact of accreditation on continuous quality improvement (CQI). Methods This scoping review followed the methodology of the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and the Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist outlined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Databases, including PubMed, Medline, ERIC, CINHAL, and Google Scholar, were searched to find articles from 2000 to 2022 related to the accreditation of undergraduate medical education programs and continuous quality improvement. Results A total of 35 full-text articles were reviewed, and ten articles met our inclusion criteria. The review of the full-text articles yielded four themes: Accreditation and its standards in general, Accreditation and its impact on student outcomes, Accreditation and its impact on medical school's educational processes, Accreditation and CQI. However, the literature evidence suggesting the impact of accreditation on CQI is minimal. The quality assurance approach is based on meeting the standards of accreditation. The quality improvement approach is based on striving for excellence. Literature suggests a requirement to move from student outcomes to CQI measures. CQI requires everyone in the organization to take responsibility and accountability, considering quality as the result of every single step or process and leaders supporting improvements in data collection and data analysis for quality improvement. Conclusions The literature on accreditation and CQI are limited in number. More research studies are required to enhance undergraduate medical education accreditation practices' value to medical students, educators, academic leaders, programs, and the public. It was recommended that medical schools embrace the culture and vision perpetuated by the CQI process.
The interpenetration of Politics and Culture in Education on the Holocaust.
Authors: Krawiec Adriana
Published: May 2024

A monument - metal chairs from Plac Bohaterów Getta in Kraków, Poland, symbolize the absence of millions of Jews in Poland due to the Holocaust. But in Poland, there is a more horrifying symbol of the Holocaust, and that is Auschwitz. Knowledge of the uniqueness of Nazi genocide against the Jews in Auschwitz has been obvious since 1945, but the People’s Republic of Poland’s historical policy has blurred it and presented it in the context of the extermination of millions of people from different countries.[1] The fact that Auschwitz is the symbol of the Holocaust is attributable to the USA, and the President's [Carter] Commission, which gave rise to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.[2] The article aims to compare Polish
 
[1]J. Huener, Auschwitz, Poland, and the politics of commemoration, 1945-1979 (Ohio 2003), pp. 123-127.
[2] Report to the President. President’s Commission on the Holocaust, September 1979., The USHMM Institutional Archives, accession no. 2001.165.
Breast milk – a living superfood. Review of current knowledge
Authors: Figurowska Patrycja , Małek Natalia , Emerla Sara , Brożyna Aleksandra , Kwiatkowska Anita , Bydliński Arkadiusz , Karłowicz Konrad , Hermanowska Maria , Lubomirska Julia , Ciulkiewicz Łukasz , Pluta Patryk
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Breastfeeding is considered the best nutrition for infants, including born preterm due to containing optimal ingredients for development and growth. Breast milk is a rich source of nutrients, it also contains diverse types of bacteria, which play a role in infant’s gastrointestinal tract colonization and preserving mammary health. Composition of human milk varies depending on numerous maternal and infant factors.
Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to summarize the current knowledge about the content of nutrients, bioactive factors and microbiota diversity in human milk depending on various factors.
Materials and methods: The work is a review of 26 mainly English-language scientific publications from 1989-2024 posted on the PubMed platform.
Results: Milk composition changes in addition to several factors. Depending on postnatal age: preterm milk has higher content of protein, fat and immunological factors and lower concentration of lactose than term milk. Depending on milk maturity: Colostrum is higher in protein but lower in lactose, fat and energy than mature milk. Human milk is also a source of viable bacteria important for developing infant’s gut microbiota, but the diversity of bacterial strains in milk may vary. Depending on mode of delivery: milk of mothers after spontaneous labour contents more probiotic vaginal- and enteric-associated bacteria, while milk of mothers after C-section has more skin-associated microbiota. Depending on mother’s weight: milk of overweight mothers is lower in probiotic- and higher in pathogenic bacteria. Alcohol, nicotine, and some medications also have negative impact on produced milk.
Conclusions: Human milk varies from woman to woman and its composition depends on several factors. Postnatal and gestational stage, delivery mode, mother's weight and certain substances have been found to be important factors influencing the constitution of breast milk, including nutrients, microbiota and volume of milk.