bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic policy uncertainty, geopolitical risk and cash holdings: evidence from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Guizani Moncef , Talbi Dorra , Abdalkrim Gaafar
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and geopolitical risk (GPR) on corporate cash holding level and speed of adjustment (SOA) in one of the most important emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi Arabia. It also investigates whether Shariah-compliance as well as financial constraints affect the relationship between both EPU and GPR and corporate cash holdings.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs GMM regression considering a sample of 140 nonfinancial firms drawn from the Saudi stock market over the period 2002 to 2019.

Findings

The authors find evidence in support of the precautionary motive hypothesis. Facing costly external financing induced by economic policy-related uncertainty and geopolitical tension, Saudi firms tend to accumulate cash as a buffer against negative shocks to their cash flows. The results also show that the positive impact of EPU and GPR on the level of cash holding is less pronounced in Shariah-compliant firms, whereas it is more pronounced in more financially constrained firms. Evidence also reveals that the estimated adjustment coefficients show that Saudi firms adjust more quickly toward their target cash ratio in periods of high economic instability and geopolitical risks.

Practical implications

This study has important implications for managers, policymakers and regulators. For managers, the study is an important reference to understand and design cash management policies by considering factors measured at the country level. More specifically, managers should pay more attention to periods of heightened uncertainties and geopolitical tensions in which the availability of funds is reduced. For policymakers and regulators, this study may be useful in assessing the effect of economic instability on firm’s cash holding decision. Therefore, in an effort to increase the supply of external financing available to firms, policymakers may devise investment friendly environment by controlling country-specific factors.

Originality/value

This paper shows how EPU and GPR as institutional environment factors affect cash holding decision in an oil-rich country.
Digital content marketing consumption motives in the age of social media: an investigation of relational and monetary outcomes
Authors: Izogo Ernest Emeka , Mpinganjira Mercy
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Although digital content marketing (DCM) research and industry-wide expenditure is growing very rapidly owing to the positive outcomes associated with this new pull marketing strategy, research has not completely mapped how DCM activities can be optimized in the social media brand community context. This paper seeks to understand how social media DCM activities can be optimized to achieve greater relational and monetary outcomes for different products.

Design/methodology/approach

A structural equation modeling procedure was used to analyze 416 survey responses obtained from members of Facebook brand communities in South Africa.

Findings

The results reveal that social media DCM consumption motives exert significant differential effects on both relational and monetary marketing outcomes in search and experience product contexts while also demonstrating the mechanism through which social media DCM consumption motives lead to contributing social media engagement behaviors.

Practical implications

The study findings call for the need for firms to understand the motives that drive the consumption of DCM in social media brand communities. Specifically, marketers of search products should deploy more of hedonic contents such as images while simultaneously keeping highly textual DCM to a minimum in Facebook brand communities as this works better for experience products. Finally, more authentic SM-DCM activities that effectively address the authenticity SM-DCM consumption motive can result from the DCM activities of social media opinion leaders and genuine consumer–brand interactions in the context of Facebook brand communities.

Originality/value

This paper broke new grounds in three unique directions in terms of: (1) the relative salience of SM-DCM consumption motives in enhancing WTP and different aspects of SMBE; (2) the contextual influence of product type on SM-DCM activities optimization and (3) the mechanisms that underlie the effects of SM-DCM consumption motives on contributing SMBE in the Facebook brand community context.
Examining the determinants of consumer support for corporate social advocacy
Authors: Kim Joon Kyoung , Overton Holly , Alharbi Khalid , Carter Jackson , Bhalla Nandini
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this study investigates individual level psychological determinants of individuals word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions as a way to support corporate social advocacy (CSA).

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey (N = 505) using a Qualtrics panel was conducted.

Findings

Individuals' attitudes towards WOM, subjective norms, and self-efficacy was positively associated with their positive WOM intention, whereas perceived controllability over WOM behaviors was not associated with WOM intention. Age was negatively associated with WOM intention.

Originality/value

This study is one of the early attempts to test individual level factors in shaping individuals' WOM intention in response to CSA. This study also employed recent TPB argument and tested the role of self-efficacy and perceived controllability on behavioral intentions in the context of corporate communication. The findings of this study offer theoretical and practical insights to corporations when developing CSA campaigns and designing CSA messages.
Chinese sentiment analysis model by integrating multi-granularity semantic features
Authors: Liu Zhongbao , Zhao Wenjuan
Published: January 2023

Purpose

In recent years, Chinese sentiment analysis has made great progress, but the characteristics of the language itself and downstream task requirements were not explored thoroughly. It is not practical to directly migrate achievements obtained in English sentiment analysis to the analysis of Chinese because of the huge difference between the two languages.

Design/methodology/approach

In view of the particularity of Chinese text and the requirement of sentiment analysis, a Chinese sentiment analysis model integrating multi-granularity semantic features is proposed in this paper. This model introduces the radical and part-of-speech features based on the character and word features, with the application of bidirectional long short-term memory, attention mechanism and recurrent convolutional neural network.

Findings

The comparative experiments showed that the F1 values of this model reaches 88.28 and 84.80 per cent on the man-made dataset and the NLPECC dataset, respectively. Meanwhile, an ablation experiment was conducted to verify the effectiveness of attention mechanism, part of speech, radical, character and word factors in Chinese sentiment analysis. The performance of the proposed model exceeds that of existing models to some extent.

Originality/value

The academic contribution of this paper is as follows: first, in view of the particularity of Chinese texts and the requirement of sentiment analysis, this paper focuses on solving the deficiency problem of Chinese sentiment analysis under the big data context. Second, this paper borrows ideas from multiple interdisciplinary frontier theories and methods, such as information science, linguistics and artificial intelligence, which makes it innovative and comprehensive. Finally, this paper deeply integrates multi-granularity semantic features such as character, word, radical and part of speech, which further complements the theoretical framework and method system of Chinese sentiment analysis.
Social media insights for non-luxury fashion SMEs in emerging markets: evidence from young consumers
Authors: Senanu Bright , Anning-Dorson Thomas , Tackie Nii Nookwei
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The study investigates the factors that influence young consumers (Gen Zs and Ys)in emerging markets to engage fashion ads of non-luxury fashion retail small- to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) on social media. Through a desk assessment of practice and the phenomenon's available evidence in the extant literature, four main drivers were delineated, reviewed and subsequently tested to influence young consumers' behavioural engagements of emerging markets' fashion SMEs' social media contents.

Design/methodology/approach

A non-probability sample of 1,150 respondents(Gen Y and Z combined)in Ghana, an emerging market, formed the sample for the study. The respondents assessed four empirically identified antecedents (sales campaigns, relevant sales-related information, catchy and inspiring product/brand photo/video and consumer-generated contents)that are likely to influence their behavioural engagement on social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter). SmartPLS (version 3.3.3) was employed to perform partial least square structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results showed that to engage fashion-related ads, particularly from non-luxury fashion SMEs, young consumers consider sales campaigns, cues from consumer-generated contents, as well as quality and inspiring videos and photos. Less attention is given to relevant sales-related information.

Practical implications

The three significant drivers of engagement found in the current study provide managerial knowledge for non-luxury fashion SMEs in emerging markets. Videos and still pictures must be of high definition and quality. Short and long promotional campaigns may drive positive behavioural engagements. Interactivity between fashion SMEs and young consumers is encouraged as it precipitates the positive engagement behaviours enabled by social media. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for the non-luxury fashion SME sector in emerging economies.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its kind to ascertain what drives young consumers' engagement with non-luxury fashion SMEs on social media. It provides managerial insights and guidance to SMEs in emerging markets on effective social media fashion retailing targeted mainly at digital natives, the dominant generational cohorts on social media in most emerging economies.
Evaluation of the aminosilane and colloidal silica treated red iron oxide pigment effects in styrene acrylic and polyurethane dispersion
Authors: Ozdemir Mehmet , Mert Serap , Aytac Ayse
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to perform the surface treatment of synthetic α-Fe2O3 red iron oxide pigment with hydrolysate 3-aminopropyl silane (A) and colloidal silica (CS) and investigate the effects of surface-treated pigment on the styrene acrylic (SA) emulsion and polyurethane (PU) dispersion.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, firstly red iron oxide particles were modified with A and CS separately in an aqueous medium. After isolation of the modified iron oxide were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Moreover, the degree of the dispersion stability of the modified pigment in coatings with SA emulsion and PU dispersion was investigated by using an oscillation rheometer. Loss (G''), storage (G') modulus, loss factor [tan(δ)] and yield stress (τ0) values were determined by performing amplitude and frequency sweep tests.

Findings

The τ0 in SA coatings decreases with the amount of used A and increases with the amount of used CS. The τ0 decreases as the amount of used A and CS in PU coatings increases. The use of CS on red iron oxide pigments causes storage modulus to increase in SA coatings at low angular frequencies, while it causes a decrease in PU coatings.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the suspended state of the iron oxide hybrid pigment formed with CS in the coating was investigated rheologically in this study.
How can brands become central in the consumers’ life?
Authors: Japutra Arnold , Loureiro Sandra Maria Correia , Wang Shasha , Primanti Haryani
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Brand centrality is a religion-like brand–customer relationship, which refers to the extent to which a brand is in the center or heart of a consumer’s life. While its role in the fast fashion industry is prominent, its drivers and effects have not been comprehensively studied. This study aims to investigate the relationships between three psychological drivers (i.e. fashion-conscious, chronic shopping orientation and self-esteem), one behavioral driver (i.e. the average frequency of shopping), brand centrality and relationship quality in the fast fashion industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 250 fast fashion consumers was conducted and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The study shows that fashion consciousness and chronic shopping orientation are positively related to brand centrality, whereas self-esteem is negatively related to brand centrality. The findings also show that shopping frequency moderates the relationship between fashion consciousness and brand centrality, and between chronic shopping orientation and brand centrality.Post hocanalysis indicates that brand centrality fully mediates the relationship between chronic shopping orientation and relationship quality.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first studies to investigate the psychological and behavioral drivers of brand centrality.
Exploring valuation practices in diagnosis‐as‐category: The rising dominance of clinical practice in the categorisation of Sepsis, 1991–2016
Authors: Carmel Simon , Jacobi Erik
Published: January 2023

This article contributes to the sociology of diagnosis by exploring how an acute medical condition, sepsis, was categorised over a 25‐year period. We focus on publications reporting the outcomes of three consensus conferences that were convened to stabilise definitions of sepsis and on the failure of a controversial drug. We also focus on the category ofsevere sepsisby exploring why it was considered useful when introduced in 1991 but redundant by 2016. Drawing on insights from the sociology of valuation, our analysis of pivotal events within this period involving actors from clinical practice, biomedical science, regulation and industry identifies numerous and often contesting evaluative frameworks that came to bear on the categorisation of sepsis. Our analysis further reveals that the evaluative framework of clinical practice, mobilised by the professional specialty of intensive and critical care, became dominant in this categorisation, and that this did not reflect a dominance of biomedicine despite concerning an acute medical condition. Our contributions are to posit the ontological purpose of diagnostic categories and the role of valuation practices and strategic agency in diagnosis‐as‐category.
Sampling and recovery of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) from fire debris using capillary microextraction of volatiles (CMV) for on‐site analysis
Authors: Valdes Nicole B. , Almirall José R.
Published: January 2023

A new, fast, and ultra‐sensitive headspace sampling method using the Capillary Microextraction of Volatiles (CMV) device is demonstrated for the analysis of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) in fire debris. This headspace sampling method involves the use of a heated can (60°C) to aid in the recovery of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from medium and heavy petroleum distillates. Our group has previously reported the utility of CMV to extract gasoline at ambient temperature in less than 5 min in the field. This work evaluates the recovery and analysis of low mass loadings (tens of ng) of VOCs from charcoal lighter fluid, kerosene, and diesel fuel. Nonane, decane, undecane, tridecane, tetradecane, and pentadecane were selected for evaluation of recovery to represent these ILR classes. The face‐down heated can headspace sampling technique was compared to the previously reported, non‐heated, paper cup headspace sampling technique. Mass recovery improvements of 50%–200% for five of the six target compounds in diesel fuel were achieved compared to the non‐heated sampling method. The average relative standard deviation (reported as % RSD) between the replicate trials decreased from an average of 28% to 6% when using the heated can method. Ignitable liquids were spiked onto burned debris in a live burn exercise and sampled using the heated can and paper cup headspace sampling techniques. The heated sampling technique reported here, for the first time, demonstrates an effective extraction method that when coupled to a portable GC–MS instrument allows for a sampling and analysis protocol in the field in less than 30 min.
Next‐generation sequencing clarified why first‐line treatment with osimertinib was ineffective in an autopsied case of EGFR‐mutated lung squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Nishimura Tadashi , Fujiwara Takumi , Fujimoto Hajime , Tarumi Hirotoshi , Tsuji Chikashi , Iwanaka Soichi , Sakakura Yasumasa , Naito Masahiro , Okugawa Yoshinaga , Yasuma Taro , Gabazza Esteban Cesar , Oomoto Yasuhiro , Kobayashi Tetsu , Ibata Hidenori
Published: January 2023

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐mutated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is less common than adenocarcinoma. The third‐generation EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor, osimertinib, is effective in EGFR‐mutated lung adenocarcinoma, but its efficacy in EGFR‐mutated lung SCC is unclear. The patient was an 83‐year‐old male. He was diagnosed with SCC of the lung, and molecular analysis revealed that the tumor was positive for EGFR exon19 deletion. He was treated with osimertinib 80 mg/day. No adverse events were observed, but after 18 days of therapy, he complained of dyspnea, and a computed tomography scan showed enlarged lung cancer. The case was categorized as a progressive disease. The patient died 3 weeks later. The autopsy findings confirmed the diagnosis of lung SCC, with morphology and immunohistochemical staining identical to the tumor obtained by bronchoscopy. Next‐generation sequencing showed the presence of TP53 R158L, CDK6, and KRAS amplifications. The current case report shows that next‐generation sequencing can explain why osimertinib is ineffective in EGFR‐mutated SCC.
voluModel: Modelling species distributions in three‐dimensional space
Authors: Owens Hannah L. , Rahbek Carsten
Published: January 2023

Ecological niche modelling (ENM), species distribution modelling and related spatial analytical methods were first developed in two‐dimensional (2‐D) terrestrial systems; many common ENM workflows organize and analyse geographically structured occurrence and environmental data based on 2‐D latitude and longitude coordinates. This may be suitable for most terrestrial organisms, but pelagic marine species are distributed not only horizontally but also vertically. Extracting environmental data for marine species based only on latitude and longitude coordinates may result in poorly trained ENMs and inaccurate prediction of species' geographical distributions, as water conditions may vary strikingly with depth.

We developed the voluModel R package to efficiently extract three‐dimensional (3‐D) environmental data for training ENMs (i.e. presences and absences/pseudoabsences/background). voluModel also provides tools for 3‐D ENM projection visualization and estimation of model extrapolation risk.

We present the main features of the voluModel R package and provide a simple modelling workflow for Luminous Hake, Steindachneria argentea, as an example. We also compare results from 2‐D and 3‐D spatial models to demonstrate differences in how the modelling methods perform.

The use of 3‐D environmental data generates more precise estimates of environmental conditions for training ENMs. This method also improves inference of species' suitable abiotic ecological niches and potential geographic ranges. 3‐D niche modelling is important step forward for marine macroecology and biogeography, as it will yield more accurate estimates of ocean species richness and potential past and future changes in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of species' geographic ranges. The latter is particularly relevant considering ongoing climate change that may cause redistribution of species in environmental space (both in latitude and depth) over time.
ENphylo: A new method to model the distribution of extremely rare species
Authors: Mondanaro Alessandro , Di Febbraro Mirko , Castiglione Silvia , Melchionna Marina , Serio Carmela , Girardi Giorgia , Belfiore Arianna Morena , Raia Pasquale
Published: January 2023

Species distribution models (SDMs) are a useful mean to understand how environmental variation influences species geographical distribution. SDMs are implemented by several different algorithms. Unfortunately, these algorithms consistently lose accuracy exactly when they are needed the most, that is with rare species, originating the so‐called rare‐species modelling paradox. Although approaches exist to tackle this problem, most notably by performing and then averaging a number of bivariate models, they are usually computationally intensive and were never shown to apply successfully to the rarest species (i.e. with less than 20 geographical occurrences).

Here, we present a new algorithm, ENphylo, embedded in the readily‐available R package RRdtn, which couples Environmental Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) and phylogenetic imputation to model the distribution of rare species.

Using the fossil record of 31 species of large mammals that lived during the late Pleistocene as the source data to sample from, we demonstrate ENphylo provides good SDM evaluation scores, with area under the curve and Sørensen Index both consistently above 0.75, True Skills Statistics above 0.4 and Boyce Index above 0.5 in most cases, when just 10 fossil occurrences are randomly drawn from their respective fossil records. ENphylo proved significantly more accurate than ENFA and the ensemble of bivariate models using Maxent, Generalized Linear Model and Random Forest algorithms. Intriguingly, we found that randomly drawing as little as 10 occurrence data points per species allows ENphylo to perform equally well as Maxent run using the entire fossil record of these same species and data.

ENphylo provides a fast and accurate solution to perform species distribution modelling with rare species, which will help predicting their distribution in the light of climate change, and to delineate how rare extinct species reacted to past climatic variation.
Reflectance confocal microscopy‐assisted diagnosis of lichen planus pigmentosus distributed along multiple unilateral Blaschko's lines in a child: A case report
Authors: Wang Ying , Chen Lixin , Wang Ji , Bian Yawei , Li Qinfeng
Published: January 2023

A boy with a 2‐year history of asymptomatic, linear pigmented macules involving the right side of the trunk and right upper limb. RCM revealed the dermal papillary rings were destroyed, and numerous irregular particulate structures with high refractive values were distributed in the superficial dermis. The RCM features implied the possibility of interface dermatitis. RCM was a complementary diagnostic tool for linear pigmented macules.
MHA, an interactive website for scRNA‐seq data of male genitourinary development and disease
Authors: Zhao LiangYu , Zhao YiFan , Yao ChenCheng , Dai YingBo , Li Zheng , Tang YuXin
Published: January 2023

Background

The development of single‐cell sequencing technology has expanded the understanding of cell heterogeneity and disease progression in the male genitourinary system. However, complex processing and unprofessional analytical annotations limit the daily use and widely sharing of published datasets.

Objectives

Single‐cell sequencing data of male‐specific tissues and organs.

Materials and methods

The data were downloaded from published studies and were processed based on the Seurat R package, including quality control, cell clustering, reduction and graph generation, and cell type annotation were differentiated by referring to the related paper or recognized cell markers. Input and visual results output through the Shiny package, which was loaded into the remote server.

Results

The current version of the Male Health Atlas database includes two species (human and mouse), five male‐specific tissues and organs (testis, epididymis, vas deferens, corpus cavernosum, and prostate), and eight major cell types, with a total of 57 samples and 258,428 single‐cell profiles. The results were divided into two main parts: Cell Clustering and Gene Display. In Cell Clustering section, visitors are free to change cell dimensionality reduction (t‐distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, or uniform manifold approximation and projection), color palette, and annotation (cell type or sample type). The Gene Display section includes a reduced dimension scatter plot, violin plot, and bubble plot. Visitors can easily view the expression characteristics of single or multiple genes, and compare the expression differences between different cell types or groups.

Discussion and conclusion

Male Health Atlas is the first single‐cell database website in the field of andrology and male reproduction, providing researchers with single‐cell sequencing resources and an accessible tool. Male Health Atlas is freely available at http://malehealthatlas.cn/.
Dr Google – assessing the reliability and readability of information on general surgical procedures found via search engines
Authors: Ramli Raziqah , Jambor Maxwell Andrew , Kong Chia Yew
Published: January 2023

Background

The most common general surgical emergency operations are laparoscopic appendicectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, hernia repair, hemorrhoidectomy and colectomy. Patients commonly perform an internet search for more information prior to undergoing surgery, which can lead to an inappropriate understanding of their procedure. The aim is to assess the quality of information available on three of the most used search engines.

Methods

A search was conducted onGoogle.com,Bing.comandYahoo.comusing the terms related to laparoscopic appendicectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, hemorrhoidectomy, hernia repair and colectomy. First 20 results from each search engine were collected for evaluation. Results were excluded if they were sponsored, duplicates, academic publications, advertisements, forums, audiovisual tools, social media or any non‐English information. Included results were assessed for reliability using DISCERN and JAMA benchmark score. Readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) Score and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG).

Results

Hundred and ninety‐seven websites were analysed, 44.7% were published by institutions, 34.5% by health websites and 20.8% by independent surgeons. Mean DISCERN scores for Institutions was 54.6 ± 11.3, independent surgeons 45.9 ± 11.4 and health websites 58.7 ± 10.3. Mean JAMA score for Institutions was 1.0 ± 1.0, independent surgeons 0.1 ± 0.4 and health websites 1.7 ± 1.1. FRE scores for institutions was 51.6 ± 10.3, independent surgeons 40.9 ± 10.2, and health websites 45.7 ± 12.3. SMOG scores were 9.8 ± 1.5 for institutions, 11.4 ± 1.6 for independent surgeons and 10.6 ± 1.7 for health websites.

Conclusion

Health information on common general surgical procedures found on search engines are generally fair to good quality but still above the suggested reading level of the population. Information on surgical procedures should be written at recommended reading level of 13–14 years old.
Genomic characterization of beta‐haemolytic streptococci isolated from prosthetic joint infections
Authors: Löwbeer Niklas , Stegger Marc , Söderquist Bo
Published: January 2023

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is an increasing concern for the medical profession, as higher numbers of arthroplasty surgeries lead to rising PJI‐related costs. Streptococcal PJIs constitute approximately 10% of PJIs, but their genetic features and characteristics remain largely unexplored. Little is known about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates, whether some sequence types (ST) dominate, and whether certain virulence‐associated genes are overrepresented. We used whole‐genome sequencing of Streptococcus dysgalactiae (n = 22), Streptococcus agalactiae (n = 10) and S. pyogenes (n = 1) to elicit genomic data on 33 beta‐haemolytic streptococci isolated from PJIs in Region Örebro county, Sweden. Relatedness was inferred based on single nucleotide polymorphisms in S. dysgalactiae and S. agalactiae. The genomic data were screened for virulence‐associated genes available in the Virulence Factor Database. All isolates were screened for both phenotypic and genotypic resistance. The S. dysgalactiae and S. agalactiae isolates were genetically diverse, although 32% of S. dysgalactiae isolates (n = 7) were ST20. The speS and PI‐2A genes were less represented in these isolates among virulence‐associated genes, and AMR was more frequently observed in S. agalactiae. We conclude that PJIs caused by beta‐haemolytic streptococci are not dominated by genetically similar beta‐haemolytic streptococci. There were distinct inter‐species differences in AMR between S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae.
Letter: ductular reaction is a risk factor for prognosis of chronic hepatitis B complicated with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Tan Youwen , Wang Jiaming
Published: January 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Kim et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16706
Immunolocalization of CD3, CD5 and MHCII in amputated tail and limb of the lizard Podarcis muralis marks a scarring healing program
Authors: Alibardi Lorenzo
Published: January 2023

The effect of inflammation on tail and limb amputation in lizards is believed to inhibit regeneration. In support of previous studies, the present experimental and immunohistochemical analysis has detected some markers (CD3, CD5, MHCII) of mammalian T‐lymphocytes and macrophages of inflammatory type in three different conditions where inflammation is activated. Bioinformatics comparisons indicate that the employed antibodies cross‐react with lizard cells. While in regenerating tails few or no immune cells are seen, in microbial‐infected and non‐regenerating tails, a massive infiltration of mast cells, sparse macrophages and T‐lymphocytes is present. In healing limbs, immunolabelled cells likely represented by macrophages and lymphocytes remain in healing tissues of the stump for 2–3 weeks. In the regenerating blastema after heat cauterization of the apical region, a massive infiltration of mast cells and granulocytes occurs at 1–3 days post‐injury and a scarring outgrowth is later formed. Although the three markers appear not discriminate the types of immune‐cells in lizard, they confirms that immunolabelled cells expressing markers of inflammation are produced in large number in the tail or limbs with strong inflammatory condition. Coupled with previous studies, the present observations support the idea that a high inflammation attracting numerous mast‐cells, inflammatory macrophages and T‐lymphocyte inhibits regeneration.
Social identity enactment in a pandemic: Scottish Muslims' experiences of restricted access to communal spaces
Authors: Hopkins Nick , Ryan Caoimhe , Portice Jennie , Straßburger Vera Maren , Ahluwalia‐McMeddes Amrita , Dobai Anna , Pehrson Sam , Reicher Steve
Published: January 2023

The comprehensive analysis of social identity cannot simply focus on individuals' cognitive self‐definition. Rather it should also theorize the social conditions that affect individuals' opportunities to act in terms of those self‐definitions. We argue that the social distancing interventions associated with Covid‐19 provide an opportunity to explore the significance of otherwise taken‐for‐granted social factors which routinely support and sustain individuals' identity enactments. Using qualitative data gathered with 20 members of the Scottish Muslim community (19 diary entries and 20 post‐diary interviews), we explore their experiences of restricted access to community‐relevant social spaces (e.g., mosques and prayer rooms). Our analysis shows that while these regulations could result in new opportunities for Muslims' religious identity enactments, they also impeded their abilities to act in terms of their religious identification. Addressing such impediments, we develop our understanding of the contextual factors that shape individuals' abilities to enact identity‐defining norms and values.
Evaluation of cefuroxime concentration in the intrathecal and extrathecal compartments of the lumbar spine—an experimental study in pigs
Authors: Kaspersen Alexander Emil , Hanberg Pelle , Hvistendahl Magnus A. , Bue Mats , Schmedes Anne Vibeke , Høy Kristian , Stilling Maiken
Published: January 2023

Background and Purpose

Optimal antibiotic prophylaxis is crucial to prevent postoperative infection in spinal surgery. Sufficient time above the minimal inhibitory concentration (fT > MIC) for relevant bacteria in target tissues is required for cefuroxime. We assessed cefuroxime concentrations and fT > MIC of 4 μg·ml−1 for Staphylococcus aureus in the intrathecal (spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid, CSF) and extrathecal (epidural space) compartments of the lumbar spine.

Experimental Approach

Eight female pigs were anaesthetized and laminectomized at L3–L4. Microdialysis catheters were placed for sampling in the spinal cord, CSF, and epidural space. A single dose of 1500 mg cefuroxime was administered intravenously over 10 min. Microdialysates and plasma were obtained continuously during 8 h. Cefuroxime concentrations were determined by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography.

Key Results

Mean fT > MIC (4 μg·ml−1) was 58 min in the spinal cord, 0 min in the CSF, 115 min in the epidural space, and 123 min in plasma. Tissue penetration was 32% in the spinal cord, 7% in the CSF, and 63% in the epidural space.

Conclusion and Implications

fT > MIC (4 μg·ml−1) and tissue penetration for cefuroxime were lower in the intrathecal compartments (spinal cord and CSF) than in the extrathecal compartment (epidural space) and plasma, suggesting a significant effect of the blood–brain barrier. In terms of fT > MIC, a single dose of 1500 mg cefuroxime seems inadequate to prevent intrathecal infections related to spinal surgery for bacteria presenting with a MIC target of 4 μg· ml−1 or above.
Climate and microhabitat shape the prevalence of endozoochory in the seed rain of tropical montane forests
Authors: Acosta‐Rojas Diana C. , Barczyk Maciej , Espinosa Carlos I. , Tinoco Boris A. , Neuschulz Eike L. , Schleuning Matthias
Published: January 2023

Endozoochory, the dispersal of seeds by animal ingestion, is the most dominant mode of seed dispersal in tropical forests and is a key process shaping current and future forest dynamics. However, it remains largely unknown how endozoochory is associated with environmental conditions at regional and local scales. Here, we investigated the effects of elevation, climate, and microhabitat conditions on the proportion of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of the tropical Andes of southern Ecuador. Over 1 year, we measured seed rain in 162 seed traps on nine 1‐ha forest plots located at 1000, 2000, and 3000 m a.s.l. We recorded climatic conditions (mean annual temperature and rainfall) in each plot and microhabitat conditions (leaf area index and soil moisture) adjacent to each seed trap. In total, we recorded 331,838 seeds belonging to 323 morphospecies. Overall, the proportion of endozoochorous species in the seed rain decreased with elevation. The relative biomass of endozoochorous species decreased with increasing rainfall, whereas the relative seed richness of endozoochorous species increased with increasing temperature and leaf area index. These findings suggest an interplay between climate factors and microhabitat conditions in shaping the importance of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of tropical montane forests. We conclude that changing climatic and microhabitat conditions are likely to cause changes in the dominant dispersal modes of plant communities which may trigger changes in the current and future dynamics of tropical forests.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Clinical value of molecular markers as diagnostic and prognostic tools to guide treatment of thyroid cancer
Authors: Valderrabano Pablo , Eszlinger Markus , Stewardson Paul , Paschke Ralf
Published: January 2023

Objective

Advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of thyroid tumours is being rapidly translated into their clinical management. This review summarizes the current use of molecular testing in thyroid tumours, focusing on their usefulness as diagnostic and prognostic tools to guide treatment with consideration of present limitations.

Design

Considerations about molecular testing applications for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid tumours are divided into four sections/roles: (1) evaluating cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules; (2) guiding extent of surgery in indeterminate thyroid nodules; (3) completing histological characterization of thyroid tumours and (4) identifying actionable mutations in advanced progressive thyroid cancers.

Results

Genomic testing can improve the presurgical malignancy risk assessment in indeterminate thyroid nodules. However, a prior in‐depth analysis of institutional quality and outcomes of sonographical, cytological and histological characterization of thyroid tumours is necessary. Presently, it remains uncertain whether knowing the molecular profile of a cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodule might be advantageous to modify the extent of initial surgery. Molecular characterization of thyroid tumours can be a valuable adjunct to morphological diagnosis in some challenging cases, such as in low‐risk follicular cell‐derived neoplasms, or rare tumours. Finally, as selective kinase inhibitors are available, molecular testing in locally advanced/metastatic progressive thyroid cancers should also be integrated into the institutional clinical management pathway to improve outcomes and limit toxicity.

Conclusions

Molecular testing needs to be implemented into the local evidence‐based clinical management thyroid nodule/cancer pathways to improve its diagnostic and prognostic value and to optimize cost‐effectiveness.
Height benefit of GnRH agonists after age 8 in a Portuguese cohort of central precocious puberty
Authors: Castro Carolina , Espada Filipa , Leite Ana Luísa , Antunes Ana , Robalo Brígida , Amaral Daniela , Galo Elisa , Castro Sofia , Ferreira Sofia , Limbert Catarina
Published: January 2023

Objective

Idiopathic central precocious puberty (iCPP) is common in paediatric endocrinology. Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) are safe, but the effect on final height and the ideal timing for treatment remains controversial. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of GnRHa on growth outcomes in girls with iCPP treated before and after the age of 8 years old.

Design and Patients

This retrospective longitudinal study evaluated data from Portuguese girls with iCPP who completed treatment between 2010 and 2021.

Measurements

Auxological and clinical characteristics were compared according to age at treatment onset.

Results

A cohort of 134 girls with iCPP, was divided into early treatment (ET) (<8 years, n = 48) and later treatment (LT) groups (≥8 years, n = 86). In both groups, most children presented with Tanner II and III. Tanner IV was more frequent in LT group (p = .003). At the end of treatment, predicted adult height increased in both groups (ET p = .032; LT p = .04) and bone age significantly slowed down in all participants (p = .008, p = .034). The height gain was greater in the ET group, but without significant differences (p = .065).

Conclusions

Treatment with GnRHa improved final height in all girls with iCPP, even when initiated after 8 years. To achieve better outcomes, treatment should be provided promptly after diagnosis.
The impact of a respite volunteer ‘buddy’ programme on behavioural and psychological well‐being in young carers
Authors: Laursen Sisse Heiden , Nissen Karina Brix , Udsen Flemming Witt , Haslund‐Thomsen Helle
Published: January 2023

Young carers often face a great amount of emotional burden and have high practical and social responsibilities. The role of being a young carer is associated with behavioural, developmental, physical and psychosocial problems that may not only affect the individual in childhood but also in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a Danish respite volunteer programme called The Buddies for Children and Youngsters Programme on young carers' (n = 49; aged 6–16) social–emotional functioning. A pre–post‐design was applied, and data were collected through the parent version of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), here with an impact supplement at baseline and at the end of the programme (after 4 months). The programme showed a positive impact on emotional symptoms, hyperactivity symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems, prosocial aspects and impact aspects, with mean differences values of −2.50 (p = .000), −0.62 (p = .271), −1.18 (p = .000), −0.74 (p = .008), 0.62 (p = .004) and −0.88 (p = .007), respectively. Furthermore, a large effect was found for the total difficulties score: −5.03 (p = .000). In conclusion, the programme seems promising considering its effect on young carers' social–emotional functioning. However, future research should include comparative studies with a longer duration.
Personalizing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced colon cancer: protocols for the international phase III FOxTROT2 and FOxTROT3 randomized controlled trials
Authors: Platt James R. , Williams Christopher J. M. , Craig Zoe , Cairns David A. , Glasbey James C. , Morton Dion , Seligmann Jenny
Published: January 2023

Aim

FOxTROT1 established a new standard of care for managing locally advanced colon cancer (CC) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Six weeks of neoadjuvant oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine (OxFp) chemotherapy was associated with greater 2‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) when compared with proceeding straight to surgery (STS). There is now a need to refine the use of NAC and identify those most likely to benefit. FOxTROT2 will aim to investigate NAC in older adults and those with frailty. FOxTROT3 will aim to assess whether intensified triplet NAC provides additional benefits over OxFp.

Method

FOxTROT2 and FOxTROT3 are international, open‐label, phase III randomized controlled trials. Eligible patients will be identified by the multidisciplinary team. Patient age, frailty and comorbidities will be considered to guide trial entry. Participants will be randomized 2:1 to the intervention or control arm: 6 weeks of dose‐adapted neoadjuvant OxFp versus STS in FOxTROT2 and 6 weeks of neoadjuvant modified oxaliplatin, 5‐fluorouracil and irinotecan versus OxFp in FOxTROT3. The primary endpoint in FOxTROT2 is 3‐year DFS. In FOxTROT3, tumour regression grade and 3‐year DFS are co‐primary endpoints.

Discussion

FOxTROT2 and FOxTROT3 will establish the FOxTROT platform, a key part of our long‐term strategy to develop neoadjuvant treatments for CC. FOxTROT2 will investigate NAC in a population under‐represented in FOxTROT1 and wider research. FOxTROT3 will assess whether it is possible to induce greater early tumour responses and whether this translates to superior long‐term outcomes. Looking ahead, the FOxTROT platform will facilitate further trial comparisons and extensive translational research to optimize the use of NAC in CC.
The use of time‐of‐flight camera to assess respiratory rates and thoracoabdominal depths in patients with chronic respiratory disease
Authors: Van Hove Olivier , Andrianopoulos Vasileios , Dabach Ali , Debeir Olivier , Van Muylem Alain , Leduc Dimitri , Legrand Alexandre , Ercek Rudy , Feipel Véronique , Bonnechère Bruno
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Over the last 5 years, the analysis of respiratory patterns presents a growing usage in clinical and research purposes, but there is still currently a lack of easy‐to‐use and affordable devices to perform such kind of evaluation.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to validate a new specifically developed method, based on Kinect sensor, to assess respiratory patterns against spirometry under various conditions.

Methods

One hundred and one participants took parts in one of the three validations studies. Twenty‐five chronic respiratory disease patients (14 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [65 ± 10 years old, FEV1 = 37 (15% predicted value), VC = 62 (20% predicted value)], and 11 with lung fibrosis (LF) [64 ± 14 years old, FEV1 = 55 (19% predicted value), VC = 62 (20% predicted value)]) and 76 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The correlations between the signal of the Kinect (depth and respiratory rate) and the spirometer (tidal volume and respiratory rate) were computed in part 1. We then included 66 HC to test the ability of the system to detect modifications of respiratory patterns induced by various conditions known to modify respiratory pattern (cognitive load, inspiratory load and combination) in parts 2 and 3.

Results

There is a strong correlation between the depth recorded by the Kinect and the tidal volume recorded by the spirometer: r = 0.973 for COPD patients, r = 0.989 for LF patients and r = 0.984 for HC. The Kinect is able to detect changes in breathing patterns induced by different respiratory disturbance conditions, gender and oral task.

Conclusions

Measurements performed with the Kinect sensors are highly correlated with the spirometer in HC and patients with COPD and LF. Kinect is also able to assess respiratory patterns under various loads and disturbances. This method is affordable, easy to use, fully automated and could be used in the current clinical context.

Respiratory patterns are important to assess in daily clinics. However, there is currently no affordable and easy‐to‐use tool to evaluate these parameters in clinics. We validated a new system to assess respiratory patterns using the Kinect sensor in patients with chronic respiratory diseases.
Aspergillus infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
Authors: Guo Liang , Wu Xiulin , Wu Xueling
Published: January 2023

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic airway non‐specific inflammatory disease characterised by airway obstruction and alveolar destruction. In recent years, due to the extensive use of antibiotics, glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants and other drugs, pulmonary fungal infection in patients with AECOPD, especially aspergillus infection, has gradually increased. The forms of aspergillus infection present in COPD patients include sensitisation, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). This review will summarise diagnostic and treatment of aspergillus in COPD patients.