bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An exploratory study of decision makers for choosing wedding banquet venues: push and pull motivations
Authors: Guan Ling , Luo Yi , Tang Liang Rebecca
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify push and pull factors that motivate decision makers to choose wedding banquet venues, and to explore the relationships between the motivational factors and demographic information.

Design/methodology/approach

– The initial questionnaire was pre-tested involving a sample of six graduate students in a hospitality management program of a major university in the Midwestern USA. The wordings were changed based on their feedback. The final survey was consisted of three sections: push motivations, pull motivations, and demographic information. In the first section, 13 push motivation statements were employed to investigate decision makers' reasons for selecting a wedding banquet venue.

Findings

– The four push factors identified included “seeking relaxation and knowledge,” “fulfilling prestige,” “escaping from daily routine,” and “social networking.” The six pull factors were composed of “budget,” “atmosphere,” “facilities,” “wedding services,” “transportation,” and “service and quality.”

Originality/value

– The study helps event industry practitioners understand consumers’ motivations of choosing wedding venues and predict consumers’ behavior. It further suggests marketing strategies to effectively communicate with existing and potential consumers.
“We’ve got a better situation”: the life and afterlife of virtual communities in Google Lively
Authors: Huvila Isto
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of unsustainable community platforms from community and information sharing perspectives using Google Lively as an example. The aim is to analyse what happens when a community platform is not sustainable and explore the reasons why Lively failed or succeeded as an arena of participation and information sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on an ethnographically informed analysis of texts on Google Lively mined from the web and gathered using two small qualitative surveys.

Findings

– The findings show that Lively fostered the emergence of several virtual communities that outlived the platform. Shared experience, experience of crisis and a distinct identity appeared to be significant factors that seemed to contribute to the success of analysed Livelian communities.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is based on a convenience sample and an analysis of one virtual community platform.

Practical implications

– The results inform the development of community strategies for situations when a platform is closing and plans are being made for the sustained existence of the virtual community in new contexts.

Originality/value

– This is the first comprehensive study on Google Lively. The findings can be expected to have relevance also in the context of comparable virtual community platforms.
Mastering social foresight – introduction to the special issue
Authors: Poli Roberto
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is a presentation of the guiding ideas underlining the master degree course in social foresight recently launched by the University of Trento (Italy).

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is a reconstruction of the guiding ideas that have been used for designing the social foresight master degree.

Findings

– Students are exposed to a mix of contributions from futures studies, the human and social sciences (including psychology of decisions, social change, values and secondary analysis techniques) and mathematics (not only statistics, but also system theory and simulation).

Originality/value

– A unique look at the ideas behind the master degree course in social foresight at the University of Trento (Italy).
Synthesis of MDI-based WPU wet-rubbing fastness improver
Authors: Cui Shuling
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to synthesise a novel wet-rubbing fastness improver with diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), polyethylene glycol (PEG), dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA), diethylenetriamine and epichlorohydrin.

Design/methodology/approach

– The synthetic reaction was carried out through three steps: pre-polymerising, chain-extending and chemically modifying. The influence of monomers dosage and ratio, temperature and time on reaction system and wet-rubbing fastness of reactive dye is studied. The target product was characterised by transform infrared spectroscopy analysis.

Findings

– The optimum synthetic process condition of the improver is as follows: reaction temperature 100°C; pre-polymering time 2.5 hours with R value [n(NCO): n(OH)] 1.35 and DMPA 7 per cent (on percentage of total moles of MDI and PEG); chain-extending time 30 minutes with diethylenetriamine 1.5 per cent (on percentage of total moles of MDI and PEG); modifying time 2 hours with diethylenetriamine : epichlorohydrin = 1:2 (mole ratio).

Practical implications

– The synthetic product is a three-functions-in-one (filming, salt-forming and cross-linking) wet-rubbing fastness improver which can obviously improve the wet-rubbing fastness of reactive dyes from Grade 2-3 to Grade 4.

Originality/value

– The wet-rubbing fastness improver is novel and could find numerous applications in dyeing and finishing.
Transforming the news value chain in the social era: a community perspective
Authors: Hernandez Serrano Maria Jose , Greenhill Anita , Graham Gary
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to understand the influence that the social era is having on the value chain of the local news industry. The authors theoretically advance value chain theory by, firstly, considering the influence of community type and age on consumption and, secondly, exploring the role that consumers can play in value-adding activities. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in moving from a transactional approach towards consumer relationships in the value chain towards managing consumers as a source of relational value (e.g. co-creation and integrated perspectives).

Design/methodology/approach

– The conceptual framework is theoretically positioned in relation to community and digital community practices in the social era. A series of research questions are presented, then these questions are explored drawing on empirical data from the Pew database. The authors then advance the framework further to consider news firm strategy towards its consumers. Fifteen in-depth executive interviews were conducted with local news organizations in the Manchester area of the UK.

Findings

– The authors illustrate that different types of communities (merging cohorts and locations) are influencing levels of technological and social connectivity within the value chain. The authors also found that the news industry is experimenting with reconfiguring its consumer relations from a purely transactional to a co-created and participatory value-added activity in the social era. In terms of its policy impact, the findings in this paper show that the whole strategic value chain ideology of the news industry needs to change radically; away from its largely transactional (and lack of trust) approach in the ability of consumers to create value in the supply chain (other than to buy a product) and, move towards much greater consumer involvement and participation in value chain processes (creation, production and distribution of news products and services).

Originality/value

– The change associated with social media and connectivity is changing the way that different community types and consumer groups are now consuming and participating in news content creation. Unlike previous studies, the authors show that there is variance and complexity in the levels of consumer participation by community type/age group. Using the Pew data, the authors contribute to knowledge on the value creation strategy of news firms in the social era, by identifying how communicative, social and communicative logics influence value and co-creation activities in the local news supply chain. Through interviews, the authors advance value co-creation theory from its strategic and marketing origins to operational and supply chain implementation.
Effects of electroacupuncture on endothelial function and circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with cerebral infarction
Authors: Lee Sanghoon , Kim Weon , Park Jimin , Jang Hyun Hee , Lee Seung Min , Woo Jong Shin , Kim Hyun Soo , Lee Kyung Hye , Kwon You‐Jung , Lee Ungin , Kim Jin Bae , Kim Woo Shik , Kim Kwon Sam
Published: April 2015

This study evaluated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on endothelial function and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in patients with cerebral infarction. In a randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover study, 20 patients with cerebral infarction were randomized into two treatment groups: EA or placebo. Before and after each intervention, pulse amplitude tonometry (PAT) was used to assess endothelial function and peripheral blood was analyzed for the number of EPCs. Circulating EPCs were quantified by flow cytometry as CD45lowCD34+KDR2+ cells. Plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin (IL)‐10 levels were measured. Seven days later, crossover was performed on each group, with each group receiving the other treatment using the same protocol. The PAT hyperemia ratio ranged from 1.57 ± 0.41 to 2.04 ± 0.51 after EA, representing a significant improvement (P = 0.002); however, there was no improvement in the placebo group (P = 0.48). Circulating EPCs, as measured by flow cytometry, increased to 110.6 ± 74.3/100 μL in the EA group (P = 0.001) but did not change in the placebo group (45.9 ± 35.3/100 μL, P = 0.08). The increases in the number of EPCs and the PAT ratio after treatment were correlated (r = 0.78, P < 0.001). Plasma VEGF levels increased with EA compared to baseline (261.2 ± 34.0 vs 334.9 ± 80.5 pg/mL, P = 0.003). The number of circulating EPCs was positively correlated with plasma levels of VEGF (r = 0.50, P = 0.02). In conclusion, EA induced improvement of EPC levels and the PAT ratio in patients with cerebral infarction.
Direct inhibition, but indirect sensitization of pacemaker activity to sympathetic tone by the interaction of endotoxin with HCN‐channels
Authors: Ebelt Henning , Geißler Isabel , Ruccius Sara , Otto Volker , Hoffmann Sophie , Korth Heinrich , Klöckner Udo , Zhang Ying , Li Yi , Grossmann Claudia , Rueckschloss Uwe , Gekle Michael , Stieber Juliane , Frantz Stefan , Werdan Karl , Müller‐Werdan Ursula , Loppnow Harald
Published: April 2015

In critically ill patients regulation of heart‐rate is often severely disturbed. Interaction of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) with hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated cation‐(HCN)‐channels may interfere with heart‐rate regulation. This study analyzes the effect of LPS, the HCN‐channel blocker ivabradine or Ca2+‐channel blockers (nifedipine, verapamil) on pacemaking in spontaneously beating neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (CM) in vitro. In vivo, the effect of LPS on the heart‐rate of adult CD1‐mice with and without autonomic blockade is analyzed telemetrically. LPS (100 ng/mL) and ivabradine (5 μg/mL) reduced the beating‐rate of CM by 20.1% and 24.6%, respectively. Coincubation of CM with both, LPS and ivabradine, did not further reduce the beating‐rate, indicating interaction of both compounds with HCN‐channels, while coincubation with Ca2+‐channel blockers and LPS caused additive beating‐rate reduction. In CD1‐mice (containing an active autonomic‐nervous‐system), injection of LPS (0.4 mg/kg) expectedly resulted in increased heart‐rate. However, if the autonomic nervous system was blocked by propranolol and atropine, in line with the in vitro data, LPS induced a significant reduction of heart‐rate, which was not additive to ivabradine. The in vivo and in vitro results indicate that LPS interacts with HCN‐channels of cardiomyocytes. Thus, LPS indirectly sensitizes HCN‐channels for sympathetic activation (tachycardic‐effect), and in parallel directly inhibits channel activity (bradycardic‐effect). Both effects may contribute to the detrimental effects of septic cardiomyopathy and septic autonomic dysfunction.
Modeling Bone Surface Morphology: A Fully Quantitative Method for Age‐at‐Death Estimation Using the Pubic Symphysis
Authors: Slice Dennis E. , Algee‐Hewitt Bridget F. B.
Published: April 2015

The pubic symphysis is widely used in age estimation for the adult skeleton. Standard practice requires the visual comparison of surface morphology against criteria representing predefined phases and the estimation of case‐specific age from an age range associated with the chosen phase. Known problems of method and observer error necessitate alternative tools to quantify age‐related change in pubic morphology. This paper presents an objective, fully quantitative method for estimating age‐at‐death from the skeleton, which exploits a variance‐based score of surface complexity computed from vertices obtained from a scanner sampling the pubic symphysis. For laser scans from 41 modern American male skeletons, this method produces results that are significantly associated with known age‐at‐death (RMSE = 17.15 years). Chronological age is predicted, therefore, equally well, if not, better, with this robust, objective, and fully quantitative method than with prevailing phase‐aging systems. This method contributes to forensic casework by responding to medico‐legal expectations for evidence standards.
Risk of overall mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes on dual drug therapy including metformin: A large database study from the Cleveland Clinic
Authors: Kannan Subramanian , Pantalone Kevin M. , Matsuda Simone , Wells Brian J. , Karafa Matthew , Zimmerman Robert S.
Published: April 2015

Background

The aim of the present study was to assess the risk of overall mortality, coronary artery disease (CAD), and congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with metformin (MF) and an additional antidiabetic agent.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using an academic health center enterprise‐wide electronic health record (EHR) system to identify 13 185 adult patients (>18 years) with T2DM from January 2008 to June 2013 and received a prescription for MF in combination with a sulfonylurea (SU; n = 9419), thiazolidinedione (TZD; n = 1846), dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor (DPP‐4i; n = 1487), or a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist (GLP‐1a; n = 433). Multivariate Cox models with propensity analysis were used to compare cohorts, with MF+SU serving as the comparator group.

Results

The mean (±SD) age was 60.6 ± 12.6 years, with 54.6% male and 75.8% Caucasians. The median follow‐up was 4 years. There were 1077 deaths, 1733 CAD events, and 528 CHF events in 55 100 person‐years of follow‐up. A higher risk of CHF was observed with MF+DPP‐4i use (hazard ratio [HR] 1.104; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.17; P = 0.001). A trend towards improved overall survival for users of MF+TZD (HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.74–1.0; P = 0.05) and MF+GLP‐1a (HR 0.569; 95% CI 0.30–1.07; P = 0.08) was observed. No significant differences in the risk of CAD were identified.

Conclusions

Consistent with recent studies, our results raise concern for an increased risk of CHF with use of DPP‐4i.
Association of smoking and concomitant metformin use with cardiovascular events and mortality in people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Paul Sanjoy K. , Klein Kerenaftali , Majeed Azeem , Khunti Kamlesh
Published: April 2015

Background

The cardiovascular and mortality risk in patients with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) in relation to smoking status and concurrent use of metformin is not well known.

Methods

A cohort study was performed in 82 205 incident T2D patients from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. In the present study, the risks of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and mortality in incident T2D patients were evaluated in relation to their smoking status with and without concurrent use of metformin.

Results

Over a median 5.4 years of follow‐up, of patients without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) before a diagnosis of diabetes (n = 63 166), current smokers with and without metformin had an 8% (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81, 1.45) and 32% (HR 1.32; 95% CI 1.07, 1.65) increased risk of MI or stroke, respectively, compared with non‐smokers without metformin treatment. The respective HRs (95% CI) for mortality in these patients were 0.96 (0.83, 1.11) and 1.86 (1.68, 2.07). The HR for mortality among ex‐smokers with and without concurrent metformin treatment was 0.92 (95% CI 0.83, 1.11) and 1.19 (95% CI 1.10, 1.30), respectively. Similar beneficial modifiable effects of metformin among ex‐ and current smokers were observed in patients with CVD before diagnosis of diabetes (n = 19 039).

Conclusions

In T2D patients, concurrent treatment with metformin attenuates the observed higher cardiovascular and mortality risk in ex‐ and current smokers. In addition to smoking cessation support, treatment with metformin, particularly in ex‐ and current smokers, should be encouraged.
Diamond Discovered in High‐Al Chromitites of the Sartohay Ophiolite, Xinjiang Province, China
Authors: Yazhou TIAN , Jingsui YANG , ROBINSON Paul T. , Fahui XIONG , Yuan LI , Zhongming ZHANG , Zhao LIU , Fei LIU , Xiaolu NIU
Published: April 2015

In recent years diamonds and other exotic minerals have been recovered from mantle peridotites and high‐Cr chromitites of a number of ophiolites of different age and different tectonic environments. Here we report a similar collection of minerals from the Sartohay ophiolite of Xinjiang Province, western China, which is characterized by having high‐Al chromitites. Several samples of massive podiform chromitite with an aggregate weight of nearly 900 kg yielded diamonds, moissanite and other highly reduced minerals, as well as common crustal minerals. Thus far, more than 20 grains each of diamond and moissanite have been recovered from heavy mineral separates of the chromitites. The diamonds are all 100–200 μm in size and range in color from pale yellow to reddish‐orange to colorless. Most of the grains are anhedral to subhedral octahedra, commonly with elongate forms exhibiting well‐developed striations. They all display characteristic Raman spectra with shifts between 1325 cm−1 and 1333 cm−1, mostly 1331.51 cm−1 or 1326.96 cm−1. The moissanite grains are light blue to dark blue, broken crystals, 50–150 μm across, commonly occurring as small flakes or fragments. Their typical Raman spectra have shifts at 762 cm−1, 785 cm−1, and 966 cm−1. This investigation extends the occurrence of diamonds and moissanite to a Paleozoic ophiolite in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and demonstrates that these minerals can also occur in high‐Al chromitites. We conclude that diamonds and moissanite are likely to be ubiquitous in ophiolitic mantle peridotites and chromitites.
Deep Seismogenic Environment in the Southern Section of the Longmenshan Fault Zone on the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and Lushan Ms 7.0 Earthquake
Authors: Dahu LI , Zhifeng DING , Yan ZHAN , Pingping WU , Qingdong YE
Published: April 2015

The 2,026 earthquake events registered by the Sichuan regional digital seismic network and mobile seismic array after the April 20th, 2013 Lushan earthquake and 28,188 pieces of data were selected to determine direct P waves arrival times. We applied the tomographic method to inverse the characteristics of the velocity structure for the three–dimensional (3D) P wave in the mid‐upper crust of the seismic source region of the Lushan earthquake. The imaging results were combined with the apparent magnetization inversion and magnetotelluric (MT) sounding retest data to comprehensively study the causes of the deep seismogenic environment in the southern section of the Longmenshan fault zone and explore the formation of the Lushan earthquake. Research has shown that there are obvious differences in velocity structure and magnetic distribution between the southern and northern sections of the Longmenshan fault zone. The epicenter of the Lushan earthquake is located near the boundary of the high and low‐velocity anomalies and favorable for a high‐velocity section. Moreover, at the epicenter of the Lushan earthquake located on the magnetic dome boundary of Ya'an, the development of high velocity and magnetic solid medium favors the accumulation and release of strain energy. Low‐velocity anomalies are distributed underneath the are of seismogenic origin, The inversion results of the MT retest data after the April 20th Lushan earthquake also indicate that there a high‐conductor anomaly occurs under the area of seismogenic origin of the Lushan earthquake, Therefore, we speculated that the presence of a high‐conductivity anomaly and low‐velocity anomaly underneath the seismogenic body of the Lushan earthquake could be related to the existence of fluids. The role of fluids caused the weakening of the seismogenic layer inside the mid‐upper crust and resulted in a seismogenic fault that was prone to rupture and played a triggering role in the Lushan earthquake.
The Metallogenetic Regularities of Lithium Deposits in China
Authors: Jiankang LI , Tianren ZOU , Xifang LIU , Denghong WANG , Xin DING
Published: April 2015

Lithium resources support the development of high‐technology industries. China has abundant lithium resources which are mainly distributed in Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Jiangxi. Salt lakes in China have significant lithium reserves, but lithium is mainly produced from hard rock lithium deposits because the extraction from salt lakes requires further improvements. The hard rock lithium deposits mainly occur in granitic pegmatite in the Altay region of Xinjiang and the Jiajika deposit in western Sichuan Province; they mainly formed in the Mesozoic and occurred in a relatively stable stage during orogenic processes. On the basis of the information from 151 lithium deposits or spots, 14 lithium metallogenic series were identified, and granitic pegmatite, granite, and sedimentary types were considered to be the main prediction types of lithium resources. Twelve lithium mineralization belts were divided and a series of maps showing the lithium metallogenetic regularity in China were drawn. We conclude that the hard rock and brine type of lithium resources possibly have a similar lithium source related to magmatism. The metallogenic features of the lithium in China were related with the distinct history of tectonic‐magmatic activity in China. This study benefits the assessment of, and prospecting for, lithium resources in China.
Ureteric vasculitis, an unusual presentation of polyarteritis nodosa: a case report
Authors: Jois Ramesh , Gupta Anant , Krishnamurthy Santosh
Published: April 2015

A 22 year old female presented with vasculitic skin rash. She was incidentally found to be hypertensive and had proteinuria. Skin biopsy showed leuco‐cytoclastic vasculitis. On Imaging, there was left hydronephrosis, hydroureter with bilateral multiple foci of ureteric stenosis and micro‐aneurysms in relation to interlobar arteries of kidney. A diagnosis of classical Polyarteritis Nodosa (cPAN) with multi‐level ureteric stenosis was made. She was treated with Glucocorticoids, Cyclophosphamide, following which Azathioprine was given.
Does low bone density influence symptoms and functional status in patients with fibromyalgia? Observations from rural South India
Authors: Babu Abraham Samuel , Ikbal Faizal M. , Noone Manjula Sukumari , Joseph Anupama Naomi , Danda Debashish
Published: April 2015

Introduction

The presence of more than one musculoskeletal disease has been found to impair quality of life (QoL). The influence of low bone mineral density (BMD) on symptoms and function in those with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is unknown.

Methodology

A cross sectional study was carried out on 158 patients attending camps in rural South India. BMD was determined using quantitative ultrasound of the distal radius. Symptoms and function were assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Results

Low BMD was seen in 81.6% (129/158) of the persons screened. FMS was seen in 37/158 persons, of which 31/37 (83.7%) had low BMD.

Conclusion

FMS with low bone density leads to higher levels of pain and a poorer QoL compared to those without FMS. Coexisting musculoskeletal problems could also contribute to this. Therefore, medical practitioners and rehabilitation specialists should consider screening for bone density among those with FMS and should use this information to decide appropriate therapies to reduce pain and improve QoL.
Reduced interhemispheric resting‐state functional connectivity in unmedicated bipolar II disorder
Authors: Wang Y. , Zhong S. , Jia Y. , Zhou Z. , Zhou Q. , Huang L.
Published: April 2015

Objective

Abnormalities in structural and functional brain connectivity have been increasingly reported in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) by recent neuroimaging studies. However, relatively little is known about the changes in functional interaction between the cerebral hemispheres in BD. The present study aimed to examine the interhemispheric functional connectivity of the whole brain in patients with BD II during resting state.

Method

Twenty‐six patients with unmedicated BD II depression and 40 normal controls underwent the resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The functional connectivity between any pair of symmetrical interhemispheric voxels (i.e., functional homotopy) was measured by voxel‐mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC).

Results

The patients with BD II showed lower VMHC than normal controls in the medial prefrontal cortex and inferior temporal gyrus. No regions of increased VMHC were detected in patients. There were no significant correlations between the VMHC values in these regions and clinical severity of BD symptoms.

Conclusion

These findings suggest substantial impairment of interhemispheric coordination in BD II.
Early clinical experience of cell‐free DNA‐based aneuploidy screening: A survey of obstetric sonologists in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Hui Lisa , Teoh Mark , Piessens Sofie , Walker Susan P.
Published: April 2015

Background

Cell‐free DNA‐based non‐invasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy (NIPT) is now established as the most accurate screening test for trisomy 21. This test became clinically available on a patient‐funded basis in Australia and New Zealand in 2013.

Aim

To investigate the clinical implementation of NIPT use by members of the Australian Association of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Ultrasonologists (AAOGU) during its first year of local availability.

Method

Email invitations with an embedded link to an anonymous online survey were sent to all 140 members of the AAOGU in December 2013.

Results

We received 54 responses to the survey (39% response rate). Two thirds of respondents were subspecialists in obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound or maternal fetal medicine. The majority of respondents had already used NIPT in their practice (94%). There was no significant difference in the proportion of respondents offering NIPT to high‐risk women in private versus public practice (95 versus 82%, P = 0.14). However, inequity of access due to cost was the most common ethical issue encountered. The vast majority continued to offer an 11–13 week ultrasound in addition to NIPT. Almost all respondents (96%) were also willing to offer NIPT to low‐risk women in December 2013 after appropriate genetic counselling.

Conclusions

Non‐invasive prenatal testing was introduced into clinical care by obstetric sonologists with confidence and in accordance with the current recommended guidelines. These results may help inform future prenatal screening policy and cost‐effectiveness analyses.
Why birthplace still matters for infants born before 32 weeks: Infant mortality associated with birth at 22–31 weeks’ gestation in non‐tertiary hospitals in Victoria over two decades
Authors: Boland Rosemarie Anne , Dawson Jennifer Anne , Davis Peter Graham , Doyle Lex William
Published: April 2015

Background

Very preterm infants born in non‐tertiary hospitals (‘outborn’) are known to have higher mortality rates compared with infants ‘inborn’ in tertiary centres.

Aim

The aim of this study was to report changes over time in the incidence of outborn livebirths, 22–31 weeks and infant mortality rates for outborn compared with inborn births.

Methods

We conducted a population‐based cohort study of consecutive livebirths, 22–31 weeks’ gestation in Victoria from 1990 to 2009. The relationship between birthplace, gestational age, birthweight, sex and infant mortality were analysed by logistic regression.

Results

There were 13,760 livebirths, 22–31 weeks: 14% were outborn. The proportion of outborn livebirths fell from 19% in 1991 to a nadir of 9% in 1997, but climbed to 17% by 2009. At all times, outborns had higher mortality rates compared with inborns. The overall infant mortality rate was 250.6 per 1000 outborn compared with 113.3 per 1000 inborn livebirths (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.76 (95% CI 2.32, 3.27, P < 0.001). There were no differences between outborn and inborn mortality risks for 22‐week livebirths (OR 7.04, 95% CI 0.87, 56.8, P = 0.067), but there were at 23–27 weeks (aOR 3.16, 95% CI 2.52, 3.96, P < 0.001) and at 28–31 weeks (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.19, 2.31, P = 0.003). Over time, mortality rates fell for inborn 23–27 week infants. Mortality rates fell for outborn 23–27 week infants in 1990–2005, but rose in 2006–2009.

Conclusions

Outborn livebirths at 22–31 weeks’ gestation occur too frequently and are associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality. Strategies to reduce outborn livebirths are required.
The ethics of a formula: Calculating a financial–humanitarian price for water
Authors: BALLESTERO ANDREA
Published: April 2015

When Costa Rican regulators set water rates, they effectively transform the human right to water into a price. I propose the notion of a “calculation grammar” to grasp the inventive patterns and vibrant social engagements that fuse the ethical investments, ontological assumptions, and quantified expressions involved in this process. This grammar governs the relative weights and proportions of the elements in numeric propositions, giving them distinct meanings and political valences. The liveliness of these propositions derives from the power of numeric techniques in their inevitably place‐specific expressions as well as from the legal principles of sociality that enable them. I follow the mathematical formula regulators use to set water prices to reveal the inconspicuous financialization of human rights and the humanitarization of finance as they currently unfold across technocratic centers of calculation. I also argue for an ethnographic approach that remains committed to the ontological indivisibility of the technical and the cultural in any quantification effort. [human rights, prices, water, calculation, regulation, finance, Costa Rica]
Does meat come from animals? A multispecies approach to classification and belonging in highland Guatemala
Authors: YATES‐DOERR EMILY
Published: April 2015

In the Guatemalan highlands, distinctions between human and animal are often irrelevant to the treatment of an object as meat. I draw from my ethnographic fieldwork on eating practices in that region to suggest that if the recent social science turn to species is to be a departure from the limitations of Euro‐American humanism, it must take species not as a genealogically mappable identity but as a coherence situated amid ever‐transforming divisions and connections. Stable distinctions between human and other species are precisely what deserve to be called into question. The power of multispecies scholarship thus lies not in how it “centers the animal” but in its challenge to conventional taxonomic formulations of classification and belonging. That meat takes various, situated forms has implications for multicultural politics as well as anthropological method and inquiry.
Technology‐enhanced learning in college mathematics remediation
Authors: Foshee Cecile M. , Elliott Stephen N. , Atkinson Robert K.
Published: April 2015

US colleges presently face an academic plight; thousands of high school graduates are performing below the expected ability for college‐level mathematics. This paper describes an innovative approach intended to improve the mathematics performance of first‐year college students, at a large US university. The innovation involved the integration of faculty‐led instruction with technology‐enhanced learning (TEL). In this case, TEL refers to a sophisticated software program that delivers mathematics education using an adaptive, self‐paced, individualized, mastery‐based approach. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the extent to which TEL met the educational requirements of college students in need of remediation and to explore the effects of TEL on students' beliefs about their academic ability and academic behaviors (academic competence). The sample of 2880 included all the students enrolled in a single semester of remedial mathematics. Results suggested successful remediation, as indicated by the end‐of‐semester course completion rate, with 75% of students eligible to enroll in a first‐year sequence mathematics course and an additional 18% on track for eligibility by the following semester. TEL also appeared to have a positive, statistically significant effect on students' learning and academic competence. For these findings, we discuss study limitations and implications for future research.
Particulate Matter in Mangrove Forests and Seagrass Beds as a Nitrogen Source in Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
Authors: Gillis Lucy G. , Bouma Tjeerd J. , Cathalot Cecile , Ziegler Alan D. , Herman Peter M.
Published: April 2015

We show in laboratory and field investigations that in the short‐term seagrasses obtain most of their required nitrogen from the degradation of seagrass leaves, rather than degradation of leaves exported from adjacent mangroves. Mangrove forests at our Thailand site retain the majority of their nutrients, and therefore potentially buffer seagrasses from nutrients.
Amyloid‐β hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease and neurotoxicity of oligomeric amyloid through glial cells
Authors: Asakura Kunihiko
Published: April 2015

Amyloid hypothesis is considered to be the most feasible hypothesis for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on this hypothesis, various therapeutic approaches were examined for AD. In this issue, Horiuchi et al. showed oligomeric amyloid‐β causes glia‐mediated excitotoxicity in vitro, which might introduce another approach for the treatment of AD.
Glycoarray: A savior in an arduous sea?
Authors: Koga Michiaki
Published: April 2015

Glycoarray is a dot‐blot assay for screening up to 300 antibodies against glycolipids. This powerful technique can identify anti‐glycolipid antibodies as biomarkers from candidate pools, and help discover new ones. In this issue of the journal, Delmont et al. compare glycoarrays with enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for routine neuroimmunological diagnostic testing.
Multibranched acquired periungual fibrokeratomas with confounding histopathologic findings resembling papillomavirus infection: a report of two cases
Authors: Göktay Fatih , Altan Zeynep Müeyyen , Haras Zeynep Büşra , Güneş Pembegül , Yaşar Şirin , Aytekin Sema , Haneke Eckart
Published: April 2015

Acquired periungual fibrokeratomas are benign fibrous tissue tumors and are considered as the topographical variant of acquired digital fibrokeratoma. They usually present as solitary tumors. In some instance, the entity may appear in multibranched fashion. The main histopathologic features consist of acanthosis, thick collagen bundles mainly oriented in a vertical axis forming a central core, and numerous proliferating fibroblasts. In this article, we present two cases of acquired multibranched periungual fibrokeratoma and depict their varying clinical features over time. Binucleation and perinuclear halos of keratinocytes mimicking human papillomavirus (HPV) infection were detected microscopically, but there was no reactivity with HPV immunostaining. In context, anti‐HPV immunostaining may be helpful in the differentiation of fibrokeratomas from HPV infection. On the other hand, it should be kept in mind that these histopathologic findings may be found in acral biopsies independent of viral effects.
Duration of symptoms does not correlate with results of T‐cell gene rearrangement studies in patients evaluated for cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Larson Allison R. , Rodig Scott , Granter Scott R.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

We aimed to determine if clonality on T‐cell gene rearrangement studies correlated with duration of cutaneous symptoms in patients with skin disease who are being evaluated for cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL). Specifically, our goal was to determine if symptom duration could help better optimize sample selection for T‐cell gene rearrangement studies.

Methods

Biopsies were reviewed from patients within both general dermatology clinic and CTCL specialty clinic for clonality results in relation to disease duration.

Results

We did not find an association between duration and clonality in any group.

Conclusions

The yield of T‐cell gene rearrangement studies is similar between shorter and longer duration of disease implying that there is not an optimal duration range in which T‐cell gene rearrangement studies are more likely to give a positive result.
Stellenwert der Basistherapie bei Psoriasis
Authors: Thaçi Diamant , Augustin Matthias , Krutmann Jean , Luger Thomas
Published: April 2015

Die Basistherapie spielt bei Psoriasis vulgaris eine wichtige Rolle. Dies gilt unabhängig vom Schweregrad der Erkrankung oder dem angewendeten Therapiekonzept. Sie trägt dazu bei, Symptome wie Juckreiz und Schuppenbildung zu vermindern, Exazerbationen zu reduzieren und somit die Remission nach einer erfolgreichen Therapie zu verlängern. Entsprechend kann durch eine adäquate Basistherapie auch die stark beeinträchtigte Lebensqualität von Psoriasis‐Patienten positiv beeinflusst werden. Bedauerlicherweise wird jedoch der Stellenwert einer Basistherapie bei Psoriasis noch immer unterschätzt. Im folgenden Review wird anhand von Studiendaten die Effizienz und das Potenzial der Basistherapie aufgezeigt und auf neue Daten und Entwicklungen in diesem Bereich eingegangen.
Chronische spontane Urtikaria – Ein Behandlungspfad für die Diagnosestellung und Therapie in der Praxis
Authors: Termeer Christian , Staubach Petra , Kurzen Hjalmar , Strömer Klaus , Ostendorf Rolf , Maurer Marcus
Published: April 2015

Die chronische spontane Urtikaria (CSU) stellt in der vertragsärztlichen dermatologischen Versorgung eine häufige und herausfordernde Erkrankung dar. Ist beispielsweise ein Antihistaminikum der 2. Generation nicht erfolgreich, empfiehlt die aktuelle Leitlinie weitere therapeutische Optionen, jedoch sind die meisten außerhalb der Zulassung. Diese erhebliche Diskrepanz zwischen leitliniengerechter Behandlung und der Verordnungsfähigkeit von Arzneimitteln verunsichert den behandelnden Arzt. Zudem fragen sich Behandler, wie der Behandlungserfolg zu messen und dokumentieren ist. Messinstrumente sind in der täglichen Praxis bisher nicht etabliert. Eine Arbeitsgruppe aus niedergelassenen Dermatologen und spezialisierten Urtikaria‐Zentren hat im Konsensverfahren die Therapieempfehlungen der aktuellen Urtikaria‐Leitlinie für die Praxis umsetzbar definiert. Ein diagnostischer und therapeutischer CSU‐Behandlungspfad werden vorgestellt. Die Verordnung inklusive Aufdosierung von Antihistaminika in der täglichen Praxis entsprechend Wirtschaftlichkeitsgebot und Zulassungsstatus wird anhand der Studienlage und aktuellen Rechtsprechung erläutert. In der höchsten Therapiestufe werden der Einsatz von Ciclosporin A, Montelukast und die neu verfügbare Option Omalizumab besprochen. Als Dokumentationshilfe wird der Urtikariakontrolltest (UCT) vorgestellt. Der entwickelte Behandlungspfad soll niedergelassenen Ärzten als leitlinienadaptierte Entscheidungshilfe dienen. Er berücksichtigt die Anforderungen kassenärztlicher Tätigkeit. Es werden hiermit die individualisierte Anamneseerhebung oder Therapie der CSU nicht ersetzt, sondern vielmehr Orientierungspunkte und Hilfestellungen für Diagnostik und Behandlung gegeben.
Mykologie – ein Update Teil 3: Dermatomykosen: Topische und systemische Behandlung
Authors: Nenoff Pietro , Krüger Constanze , Paasch Uwe , Ginter‐Hanselmayer Gabriele
Published: April 2015

Die Behandlung der Dermatophytosen basiert auf dem klinischen Bild und dem mykologischen Erregernachweis. Die Onychomykose kann bei richtiger Indikationsstellung topisch mit antimykotischem Nagellack behandelt werden. Die atraumatische Nagelabrasion mit 40 % Harnstoff‐Salbe hat einen günstigen Einfluss auf die Heilung. Die kontinuierliche Behandlung der Onychomykose mit Terbinafin ist die wirksamste systemische Therapieform. Terbinafin oder Itraconazol sind die sichersten und wirksamsten Antimykotika zur Behandlung der Onychomykose im Kindesalter. Zur Lasertherapie der Onychomykose liegen bislang wenige Studien zur klinischen Wirksamkeit vor. Für die Tinea capitis wird heute eine gezielte „Spezies‐spezifische“ Therapie der Dermatophytosen des Kapillitiums empfohlen. Terbinafin, jedoch auch Itraconazol und Fluconazol sind wirksam bei Tinea capitis durch Trichophyton‐Arten. Microsporum‐Infektionen der Kopfhaut lassen sich am besten mit Griseofulvin behandeln, alternativ mit Itraconazol oder Fluconazol, Terbinafin ist weniger wirksam.

Kutane intertriginöse Candidosen werden mit Nystatin, aber auch mit Azolen oder Ciclopirox topisch antimykotisch behandelt. Die systemische Therapie erfolgt mit Fluconazol oder Itraconazol. Topische und systemisch applizierbare Antimykotika sind ebenbürtige Therapieformen bei akuten Formen der vulvovaginalen Mykose. Mittel der Wahl zur Therapie der chronisch‐rezidivierenden Vulvovaginalmykosen durch Candida albicans ist Fluconazol. Ketoconazol hat eine sehr gute Wirkung bei Pityriasis versicolor. Für die systemische Behandlung bei ausgeprägter großflächiger Pityriasis versicolor ist Itraconazol das Mittel der Wahl.
Direct insertion of an ultra‐slim upper endoscope for cholangioscopy in patients undergoing choledochoduodenostomy
Authors: Choi Hyun Jong , Moon Jong Ho , Lee Yun Nah , Kim Hyun Su , Ha Ji Su , Lee Tae Hoon , Cha Sang‐Woo , Cho Young Deok , Park Sang‐Heum
Published: April 2015

Direct peroral cholangioscopy (POC) using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope is one modality of POC for intraductal endoscopic evaluation and treatment of the bile duct. Choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) is one modality of biliary bypass surgery that provides a new route to the bile duct. We carried out direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the use of accessories in 10 patients (four sump syndromes, three bile duct strictures and three intrahepatic duct stones) previously undergoing surgical CDS. Direct POC was successful in all patients. The use of an intraductal balloon catheter was required in one patient for advancement of the endoscope into the bile duct. Distal bile ducts with sump syndromes were cleared using baskets and water irrigation under direct POC. Cholangiocarcinoma was diagnosed in one patient with hilar bile duct stricture after cholangioscopic evaluation and a targeting forceps biopsy under direct POC. Intrahepatic duct stones were successfully extracted after intraductal fragmentation under direct POC. Oozing bleeding occurred during intraductal lithotripsy but stopped spontaneously. Direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the assistance of accessories can easily be carried out in patients undergoing CDS.
Patient‐level meta‐analysis of the EDITION 1, 2 and 3 studies: glycaemic control and hypoglycaemia with new insulin glargine 300 U/ml versus glargine 100 U/ml in people with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Ritzel R. , Roussel R. , Bolli G. B. , Vinet L. , Brulle‐Wohlhueter C. , Glezer S. , Yki‐Järvinen H.
Published: April 2015

Aims

To conduct a patient‐level meta‐analysis of the EDITION 1, 2 and 3 studies, which compared the efficacy and safety of new insulin glargine 300 U/ml (Gla‐300) with insulin glargine 100 U/ml (Gla‐100) in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on basal and mealtime insulin, basal insulin and oral antihyperglycaemic drugs, or no prior insulin, respectively.

Methods

The EDITION studies were multicentre, randomized, open‐label, parallel‐group, phase IIIa studies, with similar designs and endpoints. A patient‐level meta‐analysis of the studies enabled these endpoints to be examined over 6 months in a large population with T2DM (Gla‐300, n = 1247; Gla‐100, n = 1249).

Results

No significant study‐by‐treatment interactions across studies were found, enabling them to be pooled. The mean change in glycated haemoglobin was comparable for Gla‐300 and Gla‐100 [each −1.02 (standard error 0.03)%; least squares (LS) mean difference 0.00 (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.08 to 0.07)%]. Annualized rates of confirmed (≤3.9 mmol/l) or severe hypoglycaemia were lower with Gla‐300 than with Gla‐100 during the night (31% difference in rate ratio over 6 months) and at any time (24 h, 14% difference). Consistent reductions were observed in percentage of participants with ≥1 hypoglycaemic event. Severe hypoglycaemia at any time (24 h) was rare (Gla‐300: 2.3%; Gla‐100: 2.6%). Weight gain was low (<1 kg) in both groups, with less gain with Gla‐300 [LS mean difference −0.28 kg (95% CI −0.55 to −0.01); p = 0.039]. Both treatments were well tolerated, with similar rates of adverse events.

Conclusion

Gla‐300 provides comparable glycaemic control to Gla‐100 in a large population with a broad clinical spectrum of T2DM, with consistently less hypoglycaemia at any time of day and less nocturnal hypoglycaemia.
An NCME Instructional Module on Item‐Fit Statistics for Item Response Theory Models
Authors: Ames Allison J. , Penfield Randall D.
Published: April 2015

Drawing valid inferences from item response theory (IRT) models is contingent upon a good fit of the data to the model. Violations of model‐data fit have numerous consequences, limiting the usefulness and applicability of the model. This instructional module provides an overview of methods used for evaluating the fit of IRT models. Upon completing this module, the reader will have an understanding of traditional and Bayesian approaches for evaluating model‐data fit of IRT models, the relative advantages of each approach, and the software available to implement each method.