bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of sucrose and plant growth regulators on callogenesis and preliminary secondary metabolic of different explant Myrmecodia tuberosa
Authors: SARI YANTI PUSPITA , KUSUMAWATI EKO , SALEH CHAIRUL , KUSTIAWAN WAWAN , SUKARTINGSIH SUKARTINGSIH
Published: August 2018

Sari YP, Kusumawati E, Saleh C, Kustiawan W, Sukartingsih. 2018. Effect of sucrose on callogenesis and preliminary secondary metabolic of different explant (Myrmecodia tuberosa). Nusantara Bioscience 10: 183-192. Myrmecodia tuberosa Jack is a medicinal plant that contains bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, tocopherols, phenols, and an abundance of minerals, that are useful as antioxidants. With the constant increases in popularity of the medicinal plant, the M. tuberosa is threatened by extinction if over-exploitation continues. Thus, the effort to conserve this plant is vital. Tissue culture is an alternative method to conserve and produce active compounds that are similar to those of the native ant nest plant with callus. The addition of certain compounds such as sucrose can affect the secondary metabolite content through in vitro plant or callus. The aim of this research was to find the explant sources (cotyledon, stem, tuber, and root), determine the best growth regulator to produce the callus, and evaluate the optimum sucrose concentration to enhance secondary metabolite production of the callus. The results showed that callus was obtained from all explant sources and all growth regulators. The best callus that was marked by a friable green and yellowish green callus was provided by cotyledon with the growth regulator of 2 mg⋅L-1 of 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.4-D) and 2 mg⋅L-1 of kinetin. Calli treated with 30 g of sucrose resulted in the best secondary metabolites, containing alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, and steroids.
Performance of the 4Kscore Test in Plasma and Serum and Stability of the Component Analytes in Clinical Samples
Authors: Higgins Christina E , Neybold Patricia , Holdridge Marcella B , Barnes Catherine R , Dong Yan , Reeve Michael , Mathur Vinita , Weisberger James , Linder Vincent
Published: August 2018

Background

The 4Kscore Test determines a personalized risk score for aggressive prostate cancer by combining the blood sample measurements of total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), intact PSA (iPSA), and human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) with patient clinical information to generate the patient risk's score; thus, accuracy and precision of the 4Kscore depend on the reliability of these measurements. Although tPSA and fPSA are measured on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved platform, the performance of the iPSA and hK2 assays in the clinical setting has not previously been reported.

Methods

Analytical performance was determined for the iPSA and hK2 assays in both serum and EDTA plasma, according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Equivalence of the 4Kscore in both sample matrices was demonstrated in a 353-patient clinical cohort, and the stability of endogenous iPSA and hK2 for at least 3 days was demonstrated in a smaller subset.

Results

Intralaboratory and interlaboratory precision of the iPSA and hK2 assays in both matrices was comparable with that of FDA-approved tPSA and fPSA assays (<18% for iPSA; <8% for hK2). The picogram per milliliter sensitivity and wide dynamic range of the iPSA and hK2 assays allowed for accurate measurements in the target population. The 4Kscore generated in either matrix up to 3 days after collection is equivalent to that measured within 24 h of collection (Passing–Bablok slope 95% CI: plasma, 0.999–1.034; serum, 0.997–1.040).

Conclusions

The robust performance of component assays and reliable stability of the endogenous analytes in clinical samples proven here ensures an accurate 4Kscore Test result.
Elevated Serum Megakaryocyte Potentiating Factor as a Predictor of Poor Survival in Patients with Mesothelioma and Primary Lung Cancer
Authors: Yu Yunkai , Ryan Bríd M , Thomas Anish , Morrow Betsy , Zhang Jingli , Kang Zhigang , Zingone Adriana , Onda Masanori , Hassan Raffit , Pastan Ira , Cao Liang
Published: August 2018

Background

There is an urgent need for a companion assay to work with mesothelin-targeted therapeutic agents and for noninvasive and accurate prognostication of malignant mesothelioma (MM) patients. We report the development and validation of a blood-based assay for megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF) and the evaluation of its effectiveness for prognosis in MM and lung cancer patients.

Methods

Using electrochemiluminescence technology, we developed a sensitive MPF assay and performed both analytical and clinical validations. Further, the effectiveness of the MPF assay in predicting prognosis was evaluated for 95 MM and 272 lung cancer patients.

Results

We performed comprehensive analytical and clinical validation, including precision and accuracy, interference, preanalytical variables, sensitivity, and specificity for mesothelioma. In MM patients, increased serum MPF is a predictor of poor survival with a hazard ratio (HR) = 2.46 (log-rank P = 0.003; n = 95). In refractory MM patients, increased MPF is a strong predictor of poor outcome with an HR = 6.12 (log-rank P = 0.0007; n = 57). In a lung cancer patient cohort, increased MPF is a predictor of poor survival, with an HR = 1.57 (log-rank P = 0.003; n = 272).

Conclusions

The MPF assay has robust technical characteristics, with strong analytic and clinical validation. Clinical studies indicate that increased serum MPF is a predictor of poor survival for MM patients, throughout the course of the disease. Increased MPF is also associated with poor overall survival for patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer.
Reference Intervals Generated by Electronic Medical Record Data Mining with Clinical Exclusions: Age-Specific Intervals for Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone from 33038 Euthyroid Patients
Authors: Drees Julia C , Huang Karl , Petrie Matthew S , Lorey Thomas S , Dlott Richard S
Published: August 2018

Background

Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) reference intervals are dependent on population characteristics, including prevalent thyroid disease and iodine status. Studies in the US have demonstrated increasing TSH levels with age, and the American Thyroid Association recommends higher TSH goals for older patients taking thyroid supplementation, but few laboratories offer age-specific reference intervals for TSH. Our objective was to establish TSH reference ranges in our racially diverse population in northern California.

Methods

Data mining of electronic medical records was used with the a posteriori approach to select a euthyroid reference population for TSH reference intervals. A report gathered all TSH results from 2 weeks from >1 year in the past, excluding results from patients with thyroid-related disease or medication use at any time before or after the TSH test.

Results

The reference population numbered 33038 and consisted of approximately 44% of the total TSH results reported in the selected time periods. The population identified as 46.5% white, 18.3% Asian, 17.0% Hispanic/Latino, 8.0% black/African American, and 10.3% other or unknown. These data demonstrate an increase in the median and 97.5 percentile of TSH levels with increasing age in adults. No clinically significant difference was seen between female and male individuals or between the self-identified races, except for lower TSH levels in the black/African American population.

Conclusions

The a posteriori approach using data mining for disease-specific criteria proved to be an efficient method for obtaining a large healthy reference population. Age-specific TSH reference ranges could prevent inappropriate diagnoses of subclinical hypothyroidism in older patients.
Galactose-1-Phosphate Uridyltransferase Activities in Different Genotypes: A Retrospective Analysis of 927 Samples
Authors: Yuzyuk Tatiana , Wilson Andrew R , Mao Rong , Pasquali Marzia
Published: August 2018

Background

Classic galactosemia is an inherited disorder of galactose metabolism caused by the impaired activity of galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT). Untreated galactosemia is life-threatening; however, early dietary intervention prevents mortality and reduces morbidity associated with this disease. The diagnosis of galactosemia includes the measurement of GALT activity in red blood cells (RBC) and GALT gene analysis. In this study, we evaluate GALT activity in different genotypes using the results of combined biochemical and molecular testing in 927 samples.

Methods

GALT activity in RBC was measured by LC-MS/MS. The analysis of the GALT gene was performed by targeted gene analysis and/or full gene sequencing. Samples were assigned based on the presence of pathogenic (G) or Duarte 2 (D) variants, or their absence (Neg), to G/G, D/G, G/Neg, D/D, D/Neg, and Neg/Neg genotypes. Finite mixture models were applied to investigate distributions of GALT activities in these genotypes. The reference ranges were determined using the central 95% of values of GALT activities.

Results

The ranges of GALT activity in G/G, D/G, G/Neg, D/D, D/Neg, and Neg/Neg genotypes are 0.0 to 0.7 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, 3.1 to 7.8 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, 6.5 to 16.2 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, 6.4 to 16.5 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, 12.0 to 24.0 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, and 19.4 to 33.4 μmol·h−1 gHb−1, respectively.

Conclusions

The GALT activity ranges established in this study are in agreement with the expected impact of the genotype on the enzymatic activity. Molecular findings should be interpreted in view of biochemical results to confirm genotype–phenotype correlation.
Analytical Characterization of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Measurement of Transforming Growth Factor β1 in Human Plasma
Authors: Giles Brendan M , Underwood Timothy T , Benhadji Karim A , Nelson Diana K S , Grobeck Lisa M , Lin Boris , Wang Shuaicheng , Fill Jeffrey A , Man Michael , Pitts Kelly R , Bamberg Alison
Published: August 2018

Background

The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)–signaling pathway has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for many disease states including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because of the pleiotropic effects of this pathway, patient selection and monitoring may be important. TGF-β1 is the most prevalent isoform, and an assay to measure plasma levels of TGF-β1 would provide a rational biomarker to assist with patient selection. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analytically validate a colorimetric ELISA for the quantification of TGF-β1 in human plasma.

Methods

A colorimetric sandwich ELISA for TGF-β1 was analytically validated per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocols by assessment of precision, linearity, interfering substances, and stability. A reference range for plasma TGF-β1 was established for apparently healthy individuals and potential applicability was demonstrated in HCC patients.

Results

Precision was assessed for samples ranging from 633 to 10822 pg/mL, with total variance ranging from 28.4% to 7.2%. The assay was linear across the entire measuring range, and no interference of common blood components or similar molecules was observed. For apparently healthy individuals, the average TGF-β1 level was 1985 ± 1488 pg/mL compared to 4243 ± 2003 pg/mL for HCC patients. Additionally, the TGF-β1 level in plasma samples was demonstrated to be stable across all conditions tested, including multiple freeze–thaw cycles.

Conclusions

The ELISA described in this report is suitable for the quantification of TGF-β1 in human plasma and for investigational use in an approved clinical study.
Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Anemia on Admission Are Associated with Poor Outcomes in Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
Authors: Lieberman Joshua A , Stansbury Lynn G , Kufera Joseph A , Chiu William C , Punch Laurie J , Hess John R , Scalea Thomas M , Henry Sharon M
Published: August 2018

Background

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are highly morbid infections often requiring critical care and transfusion support. We explored a large 2-year experience from a regional trauma center with a dedicated soft tissue service (STS) in an attempt to identify factors in current care with potential for improving outcomes for these critically ill patients.

Methods

New adult (>17 years) STS admissions, 2008–2009, were identified from the Trauma Registry. Patient records were extracted and assessed via descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, and multivariable logistic regression models.

Results

Mortality among 253 eligible primary admissions was 8.3% overall and 10.3% for those with an admission diagnosis of NSTI. No significant differences in wound characteristics, use of VAC (vacuum-assisted closure) dressing or hyperbaric oxygen, or wound microbiology emerged between survivors and nonsurvivors. Median time to first debridement was 5 h (interquartile range, 2–21 h). Multivariable modeling indicated association of worse outcome (death or discharge to chronic/rehab care) with age >60 years [odds ratio (OR), 3.82; P < 0.001], anemia (OR, 0.98; P = 0.03), increasing number of transfusions (OR, 1.09; P < 0.001), NSTI diagnosis (OR, 2.47; P = 0.005), preexisting diabetes mellitus (OR, 3.20; P = 0.001), and low admission hemoglobin (OR, 0.80; P = 0.004).

Conclusions

Mortality was less than previously reported. Number of transfusions and anemia at admission emerged as risk factors for poor outcomes. Future research should focus on the effects of transfusion on NSTI outcomes, on potentially confounding factors, and on whether a restrictive transfusion strategy reduces mortality.
Study Design Considerations for Cancer Biomarker Discoveries
Authors: Zheng Yingye
Published: August 2018

Background

Biomarker discovery studies have generated an array of omic data; however, few novel biomarkers have reached clinical use. Guidelines for rigorous study designs are needed.

Content

Biases frequently occur during sample selection, outcome ascertainment, or unblinded sample handling and the assaying process. The principles of a prospective specimen collection and retrospective blinded evaluation design can be adapted to mitigate various sources of biases in discovery. We recommend establishing quality biospecimen repositories using matched 2-phase designs to minimize biases and maximize efficiency. We also highlight the importance of taking the clinical context into consideration in both sample selection and power calculation for discovery studies.

Biomarker discovery research should follow rigorous design principles in sample selection to avoid biases. Consideration of clinical application and the corresponding biomarker performance characteristics in study designs will lead to a more fruitful discovery study.
Algorithms Used in Ovarian Cancer Detection: A Minireview on Current and Future Applications
Authors: Gupta Vishaal , Bernardini Marcus Q
Published: August 2018

Background

Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer death among women in the US. Currently, there is no screening algorithm for asymptomatic women that has been shown to lower mortality rates. Screening is currently not recommended and has been shown to increase harm. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) detection is reviewed, with a focus on high-grade serous, clear-cell, and endometrioid histotypes.

Content

A review of current literature surrounding tools used in detection of ovarian cancer will be presented. CA 125, HE4, risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA), risk of malignancy algorithm (ROMA), risk of malignancy (RMI), OVA1, and future potential biomarkers are reviewed.

Screening and early identification of EOC is currently managed as a single disease entity. However, recent evidence has shown ovarian cancer varies with relation to cellular origin, pathogenesis, molecular alterations, and prognosis, depending on histotype. There is a clear need for future studies identifying histotype-specific preclinical tumor markers to aid in detection and improvement of survival rates.
Longitudinal Analysis of Erythrocyte and Plasma Protoporphyrin Levels in Patients with Protoporphyria
Authors: Gou Eric , Weng Cindy , Greene Tom , Anderson Karl E , Phillips John D
Published: August 2018

Background

Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria (XLP) are inherited cutaneous porphyrias resulting from decreased activity of ferrochelatase and gain-of-function mutations of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthase-2, respectively. Both of these protoporphyrias cause increased protoporphyrin levels that cause photosensitivity and may lead to hepatopathy and further increases in erythrocyte and plasma porphyrin levels.

Methods

We evaluated erythrocyte protoporphyrin and plasma porphyrin levels in all subjects with EPP (83 subjects) or XLP (9 subjects) without evidence of liver disease tested repeatedly at a single laboratory over 25 years.

Results

Intersubject variation contributed more than intrasubject variation (78.86% vs 21.14%) to overall variability, and longitudinal variability, estimated by CV, averaged 26%. Erythrocyte total protoporphyrin levels were similar in males and females with EPP (ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.82–1.21; P = 0.96) but were higher in males than females with XLP, although this difference was not statistically significant (ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.43–1.36; P = 0.35). Analysis of 20 subjects from 9 separate families showed significant effects of family compared with effects of individual variation on total variance (50% vs 25%; P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Variation of erythrocyte total protoporphyrin up to 25% is expected in patients with protoporphyria, whereas greater increases might raise concern for protoporphyric hepatopathy.
Analytical Validation of qPCR-Based Multivariate Index Assays in a Clinical Laboratory: Practical Challenges and Limitations
Authors: Sesler Cheryl L , Grigorenko Elena V
Published: August 2018

Background

Multivariate index assays (MIAs) to evaluate disease status and/or therapeutic efficacy are increasingly being used in clinical laboratories as laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). Before clinical use, diagnostic and analytical performance specifications of LDTs must be established. Several regulatory guidelines have been published that address specific components of validation procedures, but the interpretation for the analytical validation of MIAs is ambiguous and creates confusion when implementing a novel MIA in the clinical laboratory.

Content

CLSI guidelines and published methods were evaluated to develop a validation strategy to establish analytical sensitivity, precision, specificity, and stability for qPCR-based MIAs. Limitations and challenges identified while evaluating guidelines and literature and implementing this strategy are discussed in this review, including sample sourcing and integrity, laboratory contamination, and sample throughput. Due to the diversity of qPCR-based MIAs, we discuss additional considerations for researchers intending to transfer MIAs to a clinical laboratory.

A practical strategy to assess the analytical performance characteristics for validation of qPCR-based MIAs was developed and tested before diagnostic clinical use. Several important limitations, challenges, and considerations were identified during development of the analytical validation procedures that are not addressed in regulatory guidelines or published literature. The described strategy can provide insight for future developers of MIAs and clinical laboratories implementing MIAs as LDTs.
Reengineering Critical Laboratory Testing for Timely Chemotherapeutic Management
Authors: Yi Xin , Leung Edward Ki Yun , Mika Diane , Wolsky Rebecca J , Van Slambrouck Charles , Leanse Julie , Nabhan Chadi , Yeo Kiang-Teck J
Published: August 2018

Background

Delivery of cytotoxic therapy is a complex multifaceted process that involves harmonized collaboration between all systems involved. Optimizing laboratory turnaround time (TAT) ensures timely delivery of chemotherapy, which potentially translates into improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. In this study, we aimed to reduce the laboratory TAT for key laboratory tests to optimize the timely administration of chemotherapy.

Methods

TAT data for complete blood count (CBC) and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) included specimen collection to receipt (Col-Rcv), specimen receipt to result release (Rcv-Res), and the overall TAT from specimen collection to result release (Col-Res). Work flows were reconfigured to transport CBC specimens directly to the hematology laboratory after collection and to treat all CMP samples from chemotherapy clinics as urgent [i.e., shortest turnaround time (STAT)]. From the CMP, total bilirubin and creatinine—the 2 key analytes for liver and renal toxicity assessment before chemotherapy drug administration—were analyzed on ABL 800 whole blood analyzers to further improve the laboratory TAT.

Results

CBC showed a significant reduction in the median (Col-Res) TAT to 16 min (P < 0.0001). For CMP, by processing all specimens as STAT samples, the median (Col-Res) TAT was reduced from 74 min to 54 min (P < 0.0001), and it was further reduced to 9 min (P < 0.0001) for total bilirubin and creatinine.

Conclusion

Careful work flow analysis and reengineering of preanalytical and analytical process for key laboratory tests significantly reduced median overall TAT to <20 min, which helped facilitate more timely delivery of chemotherapy, without necessitating the construction of a satellite laboratory.
Laboratory Performance on Reporting Monoclonal Gammopathy During Cerebrospinal Fluid Oligoclonal Banding Analysis from External Quality Assessment Surveys
Authors: Chen Yu
Published: August 2018

Objective

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oligoclonal banding (OCB) analysis is a sensitive test used to mainly aid multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. Monoclonal gammopathy is usually an incidental finding during CSF OCB analysis. The aim of this study was to assess laboratory performance on reporting monoclonal gammopathy pattern during CSF OCB analysis based on external quality assessment surveys.

Methods

The CSF OCB surveys from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) from 2010 to 2015 were reviewed. The UK National External Quality Assessment Service (NEQAS) CSF OCB surveys from 2014 to 2017 were also reviewed. All monoclonal gammopathy patterns were confirmed by serum protein electrophoresis followed by immunofixation on a Sebia Hydrasys analyzer.

Results

There were 11 monoclonal gammopathy cases identified in the CAP OCB survey from 2010 to 2015. The average rate of CAP participants that correctly reported the pattern was 25.1% (range, 2.4%–66.7%). The most common pattern incorrectly reported was the systemic inflammation pattern, followed by the oligoclonal bands present/positive pattern. The NEQAS OCB survey from 2014 to 2017 had 4 monoclonal gammopathy cases and indicated a much higher number (average, 88.5%; range, 84.1%–90.8%) of participating laboratories to successfully detect monoclonal gammopathy.

Conclusion

Monoclonal gammopathy is still an underrecognized pattern in the CSF OCB analysis by the CAP participating laboratories and warrants further education.
Rapid Somatic Mutation Testing in Colorectal Cancer by Use of a Fully Automated System and Single-Use Cartridge: A Comparison with Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Al-Turkmani M Rabie , Godwin Kelley N , Peterson Jason D , Tsongalis Gregory J
Published: August 2018

Background

Molecular tests have been increasingly used in the management of various cancers as more targeted therapies are becoming available as treatment options. The Idylla™ system is a fully integrated, cartridge-based platform that provides automated sample processing (deparaffinization, tissue digestion, and DNA extraction) and real-time PCR-based mutation detection with all reagents included in a single-use cartridge. This retrospective study aimed at evaluating both the Idylla KRAS and NRAS-BRAF-EGFR492 Mutation Assay cartridges (research use only) against next-generation sequencing (NGS) by using colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples.

Methods

Forty-four archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) CRC tissue samples previously analyzed by targeted NGS were tested on the Idylla system. Among these samples, 17 had a mutation in KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (KRAS), 5 in NRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (NRAS), and 12 in B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) as determined using the Ion AmpliSeq 50-gene Cancer Hotspot Panel v2. The remaining 10 samples were wild-type for KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF. Two 10-μm FFPE tissue sections were used for each Idylla run, 1 for the KRAS cartridge, and 1 for the NRAS-BRAF-EGFR492 cartridge. All cases met the Idylla minimum tumor content requirement for KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF (≥10%). Assay reproducibility was evaluated by testing commercial controls derived from human cell lines, which had an allelic frequency of 50% and were run in triplicate.

Results

The Idylla system successfully detected all mutations previously identified by NGS in KRAS (G12C, G12D, G12V, G13D, Q61K, Q61R, A146T), NRAS (G12V, G13R, Q61H), and BRAF (V600E). Compared with NGS, Idylla had a sensitivity of 100%. Analysis of the mutated commercial controls demonstrated agreement with the expected result for all samples and 100% reproducibility. The Idylla system produced results quickly with a turnaround time of approximately 2 h.

Conclusion

The Idylla system offers reliable and sensitive testing of clinically actionable mutations in KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF directly from FFPE tissue sections.
Circulating Tumor DNA for Early Cancer Detection
Authors: Fiala Clare , Kulasingam Vathany , Diamandis Eleftherios P
Published: August 2018

Background

Cancer cells release circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream, which can now be quantified and examined using novel high-throughput sequencing technologies. This has led to the emergence of the “liquid biopsy,” which proposes to analyze this genetic material and extract information on a patient's cancer using a simple blood draw.

Content

ctDNA has been detected in many advanced cancers. It has also been proven to be a highly sensitive indicator of relapse and prognosis. Sequencing the genetic material has also led to the discovery of mutations targetable by existing therapies. Although ctDNA screening is more expensive, it is showing promise against circulating tumor cells and traditional cancer biomarkers. ctDNA has also been detected in other bodily fluids, including cerebrospinal fluid, urine, saliva, and stool.

 The utility of ctDNA for early cancer detection is being studied. However, a blood test for cancer faces heavy obstacles, such as extremely low ctDNA concentrations in early-stage disease and benign mutations caused by clonal hematopoiesis, causing both sensitivity and specificity concerns. Nonetheless, companies and academic laboratories are highly active in developing such a test.

Conclusion

Currently, ctDNA is unlikely to perform at the high level of sensitivity and specificity required for early diagnosis and population screening. However, ctDNA in blood and other fluids has important clinical applications for cancer monitoring, prognosis, and selection of therapy that require further investigation.
The Iraqi Communist Party 1934–79
Authors: Sluglett Peter
Published: August 2018

A survey of the history of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), from it formation to the rise of Saddam Hussein, is presented. The heydays of the party were in the two decades following the end of World War II when communist activities played a central role in the political, economic and cultural transformations of Iraq. The ICP’s influence has declined sharply in recent times and today it appears on the verge ceasing to exist as an effective political force.
The Communist Party’s activities among the peasantry
Authors: Sbahi Aziz
Published: August 2018

Although the activities of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) were primarily centred in the major cities, the party did not neglect the countryside. During the 1940s and 1950s, the ICP’s cadres played a central role in forming peasant associations in several regions of the country particularly in Kurdistan and the Middle Euphrates. Communist-led peasant movements tended to focus on legal rights and economic demands, scoring some impressive gains for Iraq’s most destitute classes. These activities also helped spread general notions of social and political justice, democracy, citizenship, class-consciousness and socialism. This form of activist education would play a significant role in the success of the anti-Monarchic revolution of 1958 and the subsequent agrarian reform programmes.
The 1948 Wathba revisited: Comrade Fahd and the mass appeal of Iraqi communism
Authors: Thompson Elizabeth F.
Published: August 2018

The 1948 Wathba protests in Iraq crystallized the communist party’s success in mobilizing ordinary citizens around democratic ideals, against the neo-feudal politics of the British-controlled monarchy. This mobilization bore fruit in the 1958 revolution, but is often overlooked by historians who focus on the failure of a communist revolution. The inclusive, cross-sectarian democratic movement is remembered, but not revived in post-Ba`thist Iraq today.
From regional politics to street demonstrations: Changes in the Iraqi Communist Party’s political strategies in the post-war era
Authors: Yamao Dai
Published: August 2018

This article analyses how the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) altered its political strategies in post-war Iraq. After the decline of the political presence, the ICP formed large alliances with small parties in the third round of local and national elections, opting to support candidates on a national scale; in doing so, the ICP achieved significant breakthrough. The party’s election strategy not only led to the ICP’s success but also to the overall stabilization of Iraqi party politics. After the rise of ISIS, the ICP overcame its ideological differences with Sadrist factions that similarly stood alongside the masses; pursuing large-scale demonstrations, the ICP found further opportunities to carry out its political activities. The ICP has thus been adroit in adapting its political strategies according to political and social circumstances. As Islamist groups have seized political power and religious sentiment has spread, the ICP might be seen as pursuing the best of strategies that remain available to it.
Theatres of blood: Performative violence in Iraq
Authors: Tripp Charles
Published: August 2018

This article examines much of the violence of the past two decades in Iraq through the prism of performative politics. This draws attention to its spectacular nature, its repertoires and aesthetics, where blood becomes the common referent in a theatre of state power and resistance. Beyond the spectacle, however, violence is performative in that it possesses causal power. Violence has shaped the ways in which conflicts have been understood and organized, reproducing and reinforcing particular identities, institutions and attitudes in Iraq. Performative violence became a spectacle of horror and, through that horror a technology for the demarcation of whole categories of Iraqi citizen whose blood Islamic State and others licensed themselves to shed. Both nascent state forces and those resisting them, as well the foreign powers active in the Iraqi theatre, had every interest in making manifest their competence and their potential in the use of violence. Regardless of the identity of the parties involved, or the ends they were pursuing, violence has thus become a key technology of power. To perform it has been to assert the right to power in the political landscape of Iraq.
Diaries of Iraqi soldiers: Views from inside Saddam’s army
Authors: Sassoon Joseph , Walter Alissa
Published: August 2018

This article presents rarely seen glimpses into life in the barracks of the Iraqi Army during the Gulf War (1990–91). We analyse fifteen diaries of Iraqi soldiers found in the Kuwait Dataset of the Iraqi Ba’th Party Archives, which was first opened to researchers in July 2015. These diaries shed new light on the mind-sets, ideological frameworks, morale and daily lives of Iraqi rank-and-file soldiers. We ask the following questions: did Iraqi soldiers support the invasion and occupation of Kuwait and accept Saddam Hussein’s rationales for the war? How did Iraqi soldiers view the United States and its coalition partners? These diaries also provide clues about why so many retreating soldiers rose up against Saddam in country-wide protests one week after Iraq’s defeat in the war. Although diaries from the US Civil War and the First and Second World Wars have been thoroughly examined by historians and literary scholars, few diaries of soldiers from the modern Arab world have been studied. This article fills an important gap in knowledge about the experiences of soldiers in modern authoritarian regimes and about the Gulf War.
Difficult variations: Saadi Youssef’s impossible returns
Authors: Antoon Sinan
Published: August 2018

This article traces the dialectics of exile and return in some of the late poems Saadi Youssef, the most important Iraqi poet in the last half century and one of the pioneers of modern Arabic poetry. It pays particular attention to the effects the Anglo-American invasion of 2003 and the disintegration and dismemberment of Iraq on Youssef’s poetic discourse and the ways in which he attempts to reconstruct and represent a vanishing homeland and articulate his relationship to its landscape. It addresses Youssef’s poetic conversations with Muḥammad Mahdīal-Jawāhirī (1899–1997), another great Iraqi poet who, like Youssef, lived much of his life exiled from Iraq.
Book Reviews
Authors: Walter Alissa , Abboud Samer , Farhan Sara , Maggiolini Paolo , Noorbaksh Mehdi
Published: August 2018

The Ba‘thification of Iraq: Saddam Hussein’s Totalitarianism, Aaron M. Faust (2015) Austin: University of Texas Press, 320 pp., ISBN: 9781447305577, h/bk, $55.00, p/bk, $29.95

Islamic Traditions of Refuge in the Crises of Iraq and Syria, Tahir Zaman (2016) London: Palgrave, Series: Religion and Global Migrations, 225 pp., ISBN: 9781137550057, h/bk, $59.99

Iraq: A History, John Robertson (2016) London: One World Publishers, 400 pp., ISBN: 978-1780749495, p/bk, $24.99

The Glubb Reports: Glubb Pasha and Britain’s Empire Project in the Middle East. 1920–1956, Tancred Bradshaw (2016) Britain and the World, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 208 pp., ISBN: 9781137380104, h/bk, $100.00

The Emergence of Modern Shi’ism: Islamic Reform in Iraq and Iran, Zackery M. Heern (2015) London: One World Publication, 220 pp., ISBN: 9781780744964, p/bk, $30.00
Tsukemono – crunchy pickled foods from Japan: A case study of food design by gastrophysics and nature
Authors: Mouritsen Ole G.
Published: August 2018

Tsukemono is a Japanese word for pickled foods. They are as central to Japanese food culture as are cooked rice, dashi and soy sauce, and an integral part of the traditional Japanese cuisine in the daily fare as well as in formal meals. Tsukemono preparation covers a wide range of preservation and conservation techniques, including fermentation, and it is applied to vegetables and fruits as well as flowers. This article describes what tsukemono are, their history, the different kinds of tsukemono and the associated preparation techniques, as well as traditional and modern uses. A particular focus is on how the sensory design of the flavour and texture of tsukemono is based on the gastrophysics behind the culinary techniques used and the natural appearance of vegetables and fruits. Some nutritional and health aspects are discussed as well as aesthetic appearance.
Rome, Open City: Before and after Neorealism
Authors: Forgacs David
Published: August 2018

The article reconstructs how Roberto Rossellini’s Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (1945) film looked to its earliest reviewers and critics in 1945–47, before it became identified as the founding film of Neorealism, and how it has come to look since the 1970s, since the critical paradigm centred on the concept of Neorealism started to come apart. By focusing attention on how the film was received before the rise and after the fall of that paradigm, we can see how the category of Neorealism served to isolate and privilege one particular set of aesthetic properties and interpretive-evaluative categories (raw, authentic, quasi-documentary) while deflecting attention from others (melodrama, spectacle of violence). It also directed attention away from the film’s political functions, notably that of rehabilitating Italy and Italians after two decades of fascism. These functions were perceived in some (not all) of the early reviews, both American and Italian, but they have become more visible to recent viewers and critics.
The reception of Rome, Open City in France (1946–68): Realism for the elites, revolution for the people
Authors: Coladonato Valerio
Published: August 2018

In the years between the end of the Second World War and 1968, Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (Rossellini, 1945) became a key point of reference in a number of French cultural, aesthetic and political debates. This article analyses the film’s reception across popular audiences and cultured elites, making use of historical sources beyond specialist film journals (such as articles from the generalist press, promotional booklets, educational sheets, box office records) that help to contextualize the film’s shifting cultural significance. Three moments in particular are taken into account: Rome, Open City’s presentation at the Cannes Film Festival and its theatrical release (1946–47), during which its perceived ‘truth’ was indicated as its foremost quality; the diminished visibility of the film in the 1950s within the framework of the institutionalization of the politique des auteurs; and the reactivation of the memory of the Resistance in the period leading up to the events of May 1968.
Death and the gaze in Rome, Open City
Authors: Parigi Stefania
Published: August 2018

The article aims to confront the representation of death in Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (Rossellini, 1945). Leaving aside the relationship between real death and fictional death, by which is meant the direct link between the film and historical events (already widely analysed by scholars), the essay employs the epic and heroic dimensions in relation to the narration of death; analyses the representation of the foreigner as a bearer of death; focuses, therefore, on the gaze with which Roberto Rossellini observes death, on the spaces and times of the killings; highlights the symbolic and mythological dimension of the film; and, finally, confronts the figure of the scapegoat and the processes of elaboration of memory and mourning.
Re-reading Marina: Sexuality, materialism and the construction of Italy
Authors: Holdaway Dom , Missero Dalila
Published: August 2018

In this article, we propose a reading of the historical relevance of Roberto Rossellini’s Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (Rossellini, 1945) in relation to one of the lesser-studied characters: Marina Mari (played by Maria Michi). The character of Marina has been subjected to critical negative responses centred on her narrative function, the betrayal of the Resistance movement or the ‘corrupt’ persona of the actress. We argue that Marina, in fact, embodies the convergence of a series of gender, genre, social and historic dynamics that have exceptional symbolic relevance for Italian cinematic and social history. We begin with an overview of the connection between Rome, Open City and the antifascist, re-foundational rhetoric that emerged after the Second World War, which ‘preserved’ Italian national identity by assigning culpability to the Germans alone. Following this, through a careful re-reading of her narrative function and visual representation, we demonstrate the radicalness of Marina’s sexual and social identity.
Notes on the end of Rome, Open City
Authors: Leavitt IV Charles L.
Published: August 2018

Among the most iconic images in world cinema, the final shot of Roberto Rossellini’s Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (1945) has inspired an effusion of critical commentary but little critical consensus, instead giving rise to opposing interpretations. I argue that the shot, in which the camera pans to follow a band of children as they march on a hillside overlooking the city of Rome, was shaped by a post-war dispute over the fate of Italian children after Fascism. Re-educating and re-claiming these children was felt to be one of the most pressing tasks facing Italy after the war, and I argue that it was this task that Rossellini and his collaborators sought to represent and even to undertake in their film. Thanks to their efforts, the final shot of Rome, Open City facilitated both a compelling confrontation with Italy’s Fascist past and a convincing – if far from straightforward – vision of its post-war future.
Popular culture, performance, persona: Anna Magnani between Rome, Open City and The Rose Tattoo
Authors: Pitassio Francesco
Published: August 2018

The article explores the work of Anna Magnani in her most productive period, between Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (Rossellini, 1945) and The Rose Tattoo (Mann, 1955). The article tackles Magnani’s work from three perspectives: in terms of performance, that is, her acting style; in terms of representation, that is, the relationship between a spatial setting and a pattern organizing both narrative and performative components; and in terms of star persona, the way in which media discourse conveyed and construed her personality as both an authentic artist and as an individual. The article posits that Rome, Open City was a turning point in Magnani’s career, and encompassed all the features that marked her following work. By closely reading her films and scrutinizing the media discourse about the actress, as expressed in neglected sources such as newsreels and popular press, the article attempts to shed light on the way in which Magnani’s alleged authenticity was designed.
(Un)dressing authenticity: Neorealist stardom and Anna Magnani in the postwar era (1945–48)
Authors: Rigoletto Sergio
Published: August 2018

This article focusses on the making of Magnani’s star image during the immediate postwar years (1945–1948). It appraises Magnani’s place within the institutional discourse of Neorealism and unpacks some of the meanings behind a notion that has been frequently associated with Magnani: authenticity. By examining Magnani’s costumes in Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City) (Rossellini, 1945) and in a number of popular comedies of the immediate postwar period alongside some of the clothes worn by the actress in her off-screen appearances, the article traces the distinctive unfolding of a ‘star narrative’ that seems especially concerned with points of origins and essences. The article demonstrates that this unfolding manifests itself through the opening of a space of absence in which, counter-intuitively, the ‘inauthentic’ appears repeatedly confronted.
Film Reviews
Authors: Urban Maria Bonaria , Nerenberg Ellen
Published: August 2018

Libere, Rossella Schillaci (2017), National Film Archive of the Resistance, with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo; City of Turin; and Piemonte Doc Film Fund in association with Azulfilm

Student films from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinema, class of 2017
Book Reviews
Authors: Marcus Millicent , Anatrone Sole , Rushing Robert A. , Hipkins Danielle , Ravesi Giacomo , Trentin Filippo , Audissino Emilio , Bondavalli Simona
Published: August 2018

A History of Italian Cinema, 2nd ed., Peter Bondanella and Federico Pacchioni (2017) New York and London: Bloomsbury, 739 pp., ISBN: 9781501307638, p/bk, $39.95

Marvelous Bodies: Italy’s New Migrant Cinema, Vetri Nathan (2017) West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 253 pp., ISBN: 9781557537737, p/bk, $45.00

Muscoli e frac: Il divismo maschile nel cinema muto italiano, 1910–1929, Denis Lotti (2016) Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino, 228 pp., ISBN: 9788849849042, p/bk, €14.00

Peplum: Il cinema italiano alle prese col mondo antico, Francesco Di Chiara (2016) Rome: Donzelli-Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, 198 pp., ISBN: 9788868434359, p/bk, €21.00

Italian Style: Fashion and Film from Early Cinema to the Digital Age, Eugenia Paulicelli (2016) New York and London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 272 pp., ISBN: 9781441189158, p/bk, £31.99

Imagining: Serialità, narrazioni cinematografiche e fotografia nella pubblicità contemporanea, Stefania Antonioni (2016) Milano: Franco Angeli, 123 pp., ISBN: 9788891743411, p/bk, €16.50

Pasolini Requiem, 2nd ed., Barth David Schwartz (2016) Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 720 pp., ISBN: 9780226335025, p/bk, £24.00

La musica alla radio 1924–1954: Storia, effetti, contesti in prospettiva europea, Angela Ida De Benedictis and Franco Monteleone (eds) (2015) Rome: Bulzoni, 418 pp., ISBN: 9788878709713, p/bk, €30.00

Pasolini: Cinema e antropologia, Donatella Maraschin (2014) Bern: Peter Lang AG and Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, 296 pp., ISBN: 9783034302555, p/bk, $64.95
OBSERVATIONS ON THE INDO-WEST PACIFIC PALICIDAE (CRUSTACEA : DECAPODA) WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SUBFAMILIES, FOUR NEW GENERA AND SIX NEW SPECIES
Authors: Moosa M. Kasim , Serene Raoul
Published: August 2018

Twelve species of Crustacea of the family Palicidae were collected from Indonesian waters. Together with two species from the Philippines and type specimens of Crossotonotus compressipes A. Milne Edwards, 18 73, are studied and Manella spinipes is used for comparison. Two new subfamilies, four new genera, and six new species are described and the type of Crossotonotus compressipes has been designated.
Recorridos en la formación de un saber penitenciario argentino. Entre derecho, cultura científica y pragmatismo (1850-1946)
Authors: González Alvo Luis
Published: August 2018

El objeto de este escrito es trazar una mirada panorámica de la formación de un saber penitenciario argentino desde sus orígenes hasta mediados del siglo XX. La década de 1850 se impone como primer hito divisor ya que, con la sanción de la Constitución Nacional y la inauguración de la Cátedra de Derecho Penal de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, se dio inicio al proceso de normalización legal de un saber penal liberal. A partir de entonces, comenzaron a articularse los discursos que fundamentarían teóricamente los ensayos reformistas de las décadas de 1860 y 1870. Se concluye el análisis en 1946 dado que, luego de la llegada del peronismo al poder, se impulsó desde la Dirección General de Institutos Penales una serie de transformaciones sustanciales que produjeron una inflexión en los discursos y en las prácticas penitenciarias.
Los modelos de análisis fenomenológico del joven Heidegger. Una discusión sobre el lugar político de la filosofía
Authors: Lara Francisco de
Published: August 2018

El presente trabajo pretende ser un aporte a la discusión actual sobre las implicaciones políticas de la filosofía de Heidegger. A tal efecto, se remonta a la filosofía del joven Heidegger y presenta los dos grandes modelos de análisis fenomenológico que éste pone en marcha en sus primeros cursos de Friburgo. Gracias a ello se vuelve posible hacer explícitas sus convicciones acerca del objeto y el sentido de la filosofía, así como sobre la relación de ésta con lo que el mismo Heidegger considera lo originariamente histórico. Por este camino se hacen visibles ciertos gestos políticos de signo jerárquico y elitista operando ya desde el inicio de su pensamiento.