bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organizational context and the learning and change readiness climate for implementing an evidence-based shared decision-making aid in US rheumatology clinics
Authors: Hearld Larry , Hall Allyson , Kelly Reena Joseph , Karabukayeva Aizhan , Singh Jasvinder
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational context that may support learning and change readiness climates that previous research has found to be conducive to implementing evidence-based interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory, mixed method evaluation that included 15 rheumatology clinics throughout the United States was performed. Quantitative data were collected using a web-based survey completed by 135 clinic members. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 88 clinic members.

Findings

In general, clinics reported strong, positive learning and change readiness climates. More complex organizations (e.g. multispecialty, academic medical centers) with rational/hierarchical cultures and members with longer tenure were associated with less supportive learning and change readiness climates. The authors’ findings highlight opportunities for organizational leaders and evidence-based intervention sponsors to focus their attention and allocate resources to settings that may be most susceptible to implementation challenges.

Originality/value

First, the authors address a deficit in previous research by describing both the level and strength of the learning and change readiness climates for implementing an evidence-based shared decision-making aid (SDMA) and examine how these vary as a function of the organizational context. Second, the study examines a broader set of factors to assess the organizational context (e.g. organizational culture, organizational structure, ownership) than previous research, which may be especially salient for shaping the climate in smaller specialty clinics like those we study. Third, the authors utilize a mixed methods analysis to provide greater insights into questions of how and why organizational factors such as size and structure may influence the learning and change readiness climate.
Social media use for supporting mental health (SMILE)
Authors: Brown Gill , Rathbone Amy Leigh , Prescott Julie
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The SMILE study (social media as informal support for people with mental illness: an exploratory study) aimed to explore how people with mental health issues use and value social media as a support mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic search of Facebook and Twitter identified groups and pages relating to mental health issues. In total, 203 users over the age of 18 were recruited via Facebook and Twitter. Any user who considered themselves to experience mental health problems could opt to participate and no exclusion criteria were applied. A mixed-methods online survey retrieved demographic and qualitative data by asking users to describe their personal experiences when using social media for mental health support.

Findings

Users perceive Facebook and Twitter as useful online resources to gain informational and emotional support and to share experiences. The benefits were; ease of access, anonymity and personal control over engagement levels. Users had subjective experiences of engagement, however, overall these were deemed positive. Using Facebook and Twitter for mental health provided users with a sense of connectedness and reduced feelings of isolation.

Originality/value

The qualitative methodology allowed participants to share their experiences and views, with positive implications for services. Social media was discussed as a prospective tool for raising awareness and reducing stigma. The study highlights the scope for mental health service providers to tap into the social media consumer market and provide quality online support provision.
Community forest enterprises and social enterprises: the confluence of two streams of literatures for sustainable natural resource management
Authors: Siegner Meike , Panwar Rajat , Kozak Robert
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Community forest enterprises (CFEs) represent a unique business model in the forest sector which has significant potential to foster community development through sustainable utilization of forest resources. However, CFEs are mired in numerous management challenges which restrict their ability to harness this potential. This paper identifies those challenges and, by drawing on the field of social enterprises, offers specific solutions to address them. The paper also enriches the social enterprise literature by highlighting the role of decentralized decision-making and community empowerment in achieving sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative meta-synthesis, the paper first identifies key challenges from the CFE literature. It then draws on the social enterprise literature to distill actionable insights for overcoming those challenges.

Findings

The study reveals how the social enterprise literature can guide CFEs managers in making decisions related to human resource management, marketing, fundraising, developing conducive organizational cultures and deploying performance measures.

Originality/value

The paper provides novel and actionable insights into managing and scaling CFEs. It also identifies opportunities for future inter-disciplinary research at the intersection of decentralized management of natural resources and social enterprises that could facilitate progress toward achieving sustainable development.
Role of pro-environmental post-purchase behaviour in green consumer behaviour
Authors: Nittala Rajyalakshmi , Moturu Venkata Rajasekhar
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purchase of green products is not the finale of green consumer behaviour but the environmental concern is crucial in post-purchase behaviour. Studies on pro-environmental purchase behaviour are abundant and but studies on environmental concern in use, evaluation and disposal are scarce. This paper aims to examine the pro-environmental factors influencing post-purchase behaviour and their impact on green consumer behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study was collected from the respondents with the help of a structured questionnaire. Data is analysed using factor analysis to examine the important factors influencing post-purchase variables and green consumer behaviour and the multiple regression to understand the contribution of post-purchase variables to green consumer behaviour.

Findings

Eco-conscious, risk and comfort in user behaviour, satisfaction and eco-appraisal in evaluation behaviour and eco-conscience, disposal challenges and eco-responsible in disposal behaviour are the vital factors. Eco-conscious and comfort in use, satisfaction in evaluation and eco-conscience, disposal challenges and eco-responsible behaviour in disposal are positively related to green consumer behaviour and risk in use and eco-appraisals in the evaluation are insignificant.

Originality/value

Considering the very limited studies on green post-purchase behaviour, this study provides insights into the pro-environmental post-purchase behaviour and its contribution to green consumer behaviour.
George Floyd’s death and COVID‐19: inflection points in the Anthropocene Era?
Authors: Merritt Dennis
Published: July 2021

George Floyd’s death, the COVID‐19 pandemic and climate change are on a continuum from the immediate shock of viewing a video‐recorded murder, to millions dying worldwide from disease, to deaths related to climate change accumulating over a millennium. They participate in the powerful archetypes of death and inequality. ‘Increase’, Hexagram 42 in the I Ching, archetypically addresses inequalities at all levels – racial, economic, political and the profound imbalance between humans and the environment. Floyd’s death highlights the consequences of systemic racism and income inequalities. The pandemic as ‘nature’s revenge’ hits minority populations harder due to underlying health conditions resulting from poverty and greater exposure to the virus in the workplace. President Trump as Trickster showed Americans their shadow and his response to the pandemic amplified its severity. The pandemic has shocked our social, political and economic systems and paused our species rush into environmental disasters at many levels. The disruptions present opportunities for reflection, experimentation and developing new systems as old forms are challenged. The ecological dimensions of Jung’s concepts emphasize interconnectedness at all levels and the paradigm shift he called a ‘new age’ provides a framework for altering the course of the Anthropocene Era.
Archetypes of the pandemic
Authors: Sacco German Betty
Published: July 2021

This paper attempts to read the psychological and emotional impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic through the archetypal images contained in patients’ dreams. In these dreams, symbols related to the power of nature and to extreme danger are paired with feelings of detachment that seem to point to a traumatic dissociation, due to the archetypal experience that erupts in familiar surroundings. Through the humanization of the ineffable experience, dissociation, which in the beginning of the pandemic showed in high levels of anxiety, panic attacks and depersonalization, can be transformed into the overview needed for the search for meaning. The container for this process of transformation is the analyst, the real, virtual or imagined one, and his or her ability to relate and feel.
Together – apart: in touch in a time of separation
Authors: Mathew Marilyn A.F.
Published: July 2021

This paper explores the experience of working as a Jungian analyst through the various phases of the global COVID‐19 pandemic, examining the importance of the physical containing space alongside the analyst’s internal mind and how technology can both help and hinder understanding. A number of clinical vignettes illustrate the challenge of communicating over a distance, paying particular attention to the way countertransference phenomena can become re‐attuned. Reference is made to mythology and symbols of hope, and consideration given to the meaning and purpose of the pandemic.
A fundamental change in vision: where black lives matter
Authors: Leader Carol
Published: July 2021

Using the lens of clinical work, the author, a white supervisor, plots her concerns about unconscious racism in the training of a black supervisee. Years later this supervisee brings a distressed black trainee nurse to supervision who is struggling with relational difficulties while suffering from unconscious racism in her hospital. Supervisor and supervisee grapple to offer the patient treatment on both fronts. The author explores the underlying presence of ‘white privilege’ and ‘unconscious racism’ which finds a global audience as a result of the killing of George Floyd – an event which also had implications for the long‐term supervisory partnership. Links to Jessica Benjamin’s concept of ‘doer and done to’ are made, as well as discussion of a gradual change of vision in the supervisor herself. The author also makes use of insights gained from consultancy work in a multi‐racial company and two Channel 4 UK television programmes that feature workshops on unconscious racism in a mixed secondary school in the London Borough of Sutton.
Is this a good time? Political activism and other in the temenos
Authors: Brewster Fanny
Published: July 2021

This paper discusses raciality and Africanist culture as elements of the analytical clinical experience. The history of American Jungian psychology, and its relationship with the African diaspora, is reviewed with a perspective that seeks to deepen understanding of racism as an aspect of psychoanalytical institutional life. An attempt to separate political activism from the clinical setting is explored with consideration of the necessary intertwining relationship between socialization, racial identity and racism. Diversity and inclusion are becoming cultural signature markers of clinical work with individuals who have oftentimes, within the psychoanalytical clinical setting, been described due to ethnicity, as other. Political activism such as the Black Lives Matter movement stretches consciousness towards an insistence that blackness matters, skin colour matters and the lives of Africanist individuals matter. This paper reflects on cultural racial identity, the influence of politics on the individual, and the effects of these on the analytical relationship.
A core outcome set for the treatment of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes: an international consensus study
Authors: Kgosidialwa O , Bogdanet D , Egan AM , O'Shea PM , Newman C , Griffin TP , McDonagh C , O'Shea C , Carmody L , Cooray SD , Anastasiou E , Wender‐Ozegowska E , Clarson C , Spadola A , Alvarado F , Noctor E , Dempsey E , Napoli A , Crowther C , Galjaard S , Loeken MR , Maresh MJA , Gillespie P , de Valk H , Agostini A , Biesty L , Devane D , Dunne F ,   For the INSPIRED Research Group
Published: July 2021

Objective

To develop a core outcome set (COS) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM).

Design

A consensus developmental study.

Setting

International.

Population

Two hundred and five stakeholders completed the first round.

Methods

The study consisted of three components. (1) A systematic review of the literature to produce a list of outcomes reported in RCTs assessing the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of pregnant women with PGDM. (2) A three‐round, online eDelphi survey to prioritise these outcomes by international stakeholders (including healthcare professionals, researchers and women with PGDM). (3) A consensus meeting where stakeholders from each group decided on the final COS.

Main outcome measures

All outcomes were extracted from the literature.

Results

We extracted 131 unique outcomes from 67 records meeting the full inclusion criteria. Of the 205 stakeholders who completed the first round, 174/205 (85%) and 165/174 (95%) completed rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Participants at the subsequent consensus meeting chose 19 outcomes for inclusion into the COS: trimester‐specific haemoglobin A1c, maternal weight gain during pregnancy, severe maternal hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, miscarriage, pregnancy‐induced hypertension, pre‐eclampsia, maternal death, birthweight, large for gestational age, small for gestational age, gestational age at birth, preterm birth, mode of birth, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycaemia, congenital malformations, stillbirth and neonatal death.

Conclusions

This COS will enable better comparison between RCTs to produce robust evidence synthesis, improve trial reporting and optimise research efficiency in studies assessing treatment of pregnant women with PGDM.

Tweetable abstract

165 key stakeholders have developed #Treatment #CoreOutcomes in pregnant women with #diabetes existing before pregnancy.
Disentangling soil microbiome functions by perturbation
Authors: Ossowicki Adam , Raaijmakers Jos M. , Garbeva Paolina
Published: July 2021

Soil biota contribute to diverse soil ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas mitigation, carbon sequestration, pollutant degradation, plant disease suppression and nutrient acquisition for plant growth. Here, we provide detailed insight into different perturbation approaches to disentangle soil microbiome functions and to reveal the underlying mechanisms. By applying perturbation, one can generate compositional and functional shifts of complex microbial communities in a controlled way. Perturbations can reduce microbial diversity, diminish the abundance of specific microbial taxa and thereby disturb the interactions within the microbial consortia and with their eukaryotic hosts. Four different microbiome perturbation approaches, namely selective heat, specific biocides, dilution‐to‐extinction and genome editing are the focus of this mini‐review. We also discuss the potential of perturbation approaches to reveal the tipping point at which specific soil functions are lost and to link this change to key microbial taxa involved in specific microbiome‐associated phenotypes.
Taxane‐based versus platinum‐based chemotherapy in early recurrent gastric cancer after radical surgery with S‐1 adjuvant chemotherapy: A multi‐institutional retrospective analysis
Authors: Nagaoka Sakae , Yamashita Hiroharu , Seto Yasuyuki , Fujisaki Muneharu , Mitsumori Norio , Oshima Yoko , Yajima Satoshi , Kikuchi Yoshinori , Otsuka Koji , Murakami Masahiko , Fujita Shohei , Futawatari Nobue , Shimada Hideaki
Published: July 2021

Aim

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of taxane‐based and platinum‐based regimens in patients with early recurrent gastric cancer after radical surgery with S‐1 adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

The medical records of 118 patients from six institutes with early recurrent stage II/III gastric cancer, who developed recurrence during adjuvant S‐1 or within 6 months after completion of adjuvant therapy between January 2006 and December 2017, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients treated with second line chemotherapy were enrolled and followed to the end of December 2019. The impact of two regimens, taxane‐based (n = 46) versus platinum‐based (n = 31), on treatment outcome were evaluated using multivariate analysis.

Results

Median overall survival was 9.0 months and median progression‐free survival was 4.1 months. No difference was observed in overall survival between taxane‐based and platinum‐based regimens (P = 0.64). Although not significant, the response rate of platinum‐based regimens was better than that of taxane‐based regimens (16% vs. 6.5%, P = 0.26). Multivariate analysis identified performance status (P = 0.040), multiorgan metastases (P = 0.029), and undifferentiated histological type (P = 0.018) as independent poor prognostic factors. In undifferentiated histological type, multiorgan metastases (P = 0.013) and taxane‐based regimens (P = 0.018) were independent prognosis factors characterized by multivariate analysis. Conversion rate to third‐line chemotherapy or more was 51% in undifferentiated histological type and 65% in differentiated histological type (P = 0.26).

Conclusion

Platinum‐based regimens may be recommended for undifferentiated early recurrent gastric cancer after S‐1 adjuvant chemotherapy.
Effects of a family dyadic partnership program for people with hypertension in a rural community: A pilot randomised controlled trial
Authors: Zeng Dejian , Yang Chen , Chien Wai Tong
Published: July 2021

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a theory‐based patient‐family carer partnership intervention for people with hypertension in a Chinese rural community.

Design

A pilot randomised controlled trial using pretest and post‐test design.

Setting

Rural China

Participants

Forty‐four hypertensive patients and their family carers (family dyads) were randomly recruited from a village clinic located in China between November 2019 and January 2020.

Interventions

Participants were randomised to either an intervention group receiving a five‐session patient‐family carer partnership intervention over 10 weeks or a control group receiving usual care.

Main outcome measures

The feasibility and acceptability of patient‐family carer partnership intervention and the changes in patients' systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and percentage of normal controlled blood pressure.

Results

The patient‐family carer partnership intervention was a feasible and acceptable program with high recruitment (81.5%) and completion rates (95.5%) and positive feedback from participants. Greater improvement in the percentage of normal controlled blood pressure was identified in the intervention group tested by theχ2tests, withP = .03. Two‐way ANOVA results indicated its interaction (Group × Time) effects on patients' systolic blood pressure (P < .001), diastolic blood pressure (P < .001), dyadic partnership quality (P = .002), self‐care (P < .001), self‐efficacy (P = .02), antihypertensive drug treatment rate (P = .02), prescription adjustment (P = .03), perceived anxiety (P < .001) and health‐related quality of life (EuroQol five‐dimensional five‐level:P = .02; EuroQol visual analogue scale:P < .001); family carers' dyadic partnership quality (P = .002), perceived depression (P = .04) and health‐related quality of life (P = .02) were significant.

Conclusion

Our findings support the feasibility and acceptability of the patient‐family carer partnership intervention and indicate benefits in improving patients' blood pressure control, dyadic relationship and psychological well‐being of family dyads in rural area. Further research to test the longer‐term effect in a large‐sized population is recommended.
Medical comorbidities and orbital implant exposure
Authors: Habib Larissa A. , North Victoria S. , Freitag Suzanne K. , Yoon Michael K. , Lefebvre Daniel R. , Grace Lee Nahyoung
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To investigate medical conditions and systemic therapies associated with orbital implant exposure in patients with anophthalmic sockets.

Methods

Retrospective review of patients who underwent enucleation or evisceration at a single centre between January 1, 2008 and March 1, 2018. Medical comorbidities, including peripheral or coronary artery disease, rheumatologic conditions, diabetes, malignancy and history of smoking were recorded. Use of immunomodulatory and anticoagulation therapy at the time of eye removal was noted. Patients were divided into two groups—those with implant exposure and those without. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to compare groups.

Results

Two hundred and twenty‐nine patients underwent eye removal surgery over a ten‐year period. Implant exposure was seen in 20 (8.7%) patients. Univariate analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between groups in rates of smoking, malignancy, and immunomodulatory therapy at the time of surgery. A history of smoking (HR = 11.72; 95% CI: 2.95, 46.53; p = 0.0001) and immunomodulatory therapy (HR = 8.02; 95% CI: 1.96, 32.87; p = 0.004) were independent predictors of exposure. The probability of exposure was 81.2% when all three risk factors were present versus 4.4% when none were present (c‐index = 0.737, 95% CI: 0.608, 0.865; p < 0.001). The model was a good fit to the data (Hosmer‐Lemeshow goodness‐of‐fit test p = 0.475).

Conclusions

Smoking and immunomodulatory therapy were associated with orbital implant exposure in patients with anophthalmic sockets. This is the first report examining medical comorbidities in patients with orbital implant exposure. Understanding the pathophysiology of implant exposure is crucial to preoperative planning and postoperative care.
Vitrification of mouse two‐cell and blastocyst stage embryos in simplified closed system using either a hemi‐straw or a hollow fiber device
Authors: Suttirojpattana Tayita , Juanpanich Theesit , Parnpai Rangsun , Vutyavanich Teraporn
Published: July 2021

Two‐cell stage and blastocyst stage mouse embryos were equilibrated in a medium containing 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 8–15 min. Vitrification was performed in a medium containing 0.5 M sucrose and either 15% EG + 15% DMSO, 17.5% EG + 17.5% DMSO, or 20% EG + 20% DMSO for 30 s. They were then placed either on a hemi‐straw (HS) or a hollow fiber vitrification (HFV) device and vitrified by cooled air inside a 0.5‐ml straw. In two‐cell embryos, a 100% survival rate was obtained from all groups except the 20% HS group (P > .05). All vitrified two‐cell groups showed similar rates of blastocyst development to that of fresh control group (P > .05), except 17.5% and 20% HFV groups, which were significantly lower than the other groups (P < .05). In the blastocyst embryos, the HFV groups were divided into two subgroups (non‐collapsed; HFV‐NC and collapsed; HFV‐C blastocyst). Re‐expansion rate in 15% HFV‐NC, 17.5% HFV‐NC, and 15% HFV‐C groups was reduced (P < .05), whereas the rest were similar to control. In conclusion, we established a simplified, reliable, and closed system for HFV vitrification applying hemi‐straw, which does not require skilled practitioners.
Reinforcement‐based cognitive biases as vulnerability factors in alcohol addiction: From humans to animal models
Authors: Noworyta Karolina , Cieslik Agata , Rygula Rafal
Published: July 2021

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common, but still poorly treated, psychiatric conditions. Developing new treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in preclinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the reinforcement‐based cognitive biases (RBCBs) that contribute to the development of AUD and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and preclinical research. In this review, we first briefly describe psychological and cognitive theories that involve various aspects of reinforcement sensitivity in the development, maintenance, and recurrence of alcohol addiction. Furthermore, in separate sections, we describe studies investigating RBCBs and their neural, neurochemical, and pharmacological correlates, and we discuss possible interactions between RBCBs and trajectories of AUD. Finally, we describe how recent translational studies using state‐of‐the‐art animal models can facilitate our understanding of the role of reinforcement sensitivity and RBCBs in various aspects of AUD.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed issue on New discoveries and perspectives in mental and pain disorders. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.17/issuetoc
Translating climate strategies into action: An analysis of the sustainable, green, and resilient city action plans of the multilateral development banks
Authors: Bazbauers Adrian Robert
Published: July 2021

Motivation

Climate change is exposing significant urban vulnerabilities. The multilateral development banks (MDBs) have responded by devising a suite of sustainable, green, and resilient (SGR) city advisory services and lending products to prepare cities for future climate change impacts.

Purpose

The article comparatively analyses SGR city action plans and companion projects drafted by the MDBs. It thus evaluates the translation of analytical work into investments, reviewing what the MDBs are prioritizing and what this means for development and climate change.

Methods and approach

The article qualitatively analyses 124 SGR city action plans and 65 companion lending operations approved by four MDBs between 2014 and 2021, evaluating action plan documents and project appraisal, implementation, and results reports.

Findings

The article finds that while the SGR city action plans propose comprehensive recommendations, the companion projects narrowly focus on infrastructural upgrades that are uncertain to adequately prepare cities for future climate change impacts.

Policy implications

Multilateral interventions targeting climate change expanded considerably during the 2010s. The MDBs, however, continue to prioritize project‐based infrastructural investments financing climate mitigation and resilience actions over more substantive climate adaptation initiatives. This article thus shows that SGR city action plans hold great potential to enact robust and inclusive climate responses but have so far been stymied by the conservatism of project‐based investment lending.
Multigenerational consequences of aphid size on offspring phenotype and reproduction
Authors: Hayden Meghan T. , Holmes Katherine D. , Arcila Hernández Lina M.
Published: July 2021

In many organisms, phenotype and fitness are strongly influenced by both current environmental factors and maternal effects. The low genetic variation, high phenotypic plasticity, and telescoping generations seen in aphids permit us to investigate the relative importance and potential interaction of maternal and current environments on phenotype. Although past studies have identified an influence of maternal host plant on offspring phenotype and reproduction in aphids, few have demonstrated the potential for these maternal effects to also interact with the aphid's current environment. By rearing multiple generations ofAphis nerii(Fonscolombe) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on their host common milkweed,Asclepias syriaca(L.) (Apocynaceae), we tested the relative influence and interaction of both maternal and current environmental effects of crowding and plant quality on aphid body size and reproduction. Our results indicate that aphid body size increased with current plant quality and decreased with aphid density in both generations, with an additional direct, positive relationship between body size and fecundity. We did not find evidence for adaptive maternal effects, e.g., production of fewer, larger, offspring by stressed mothers. Instead, poor maternal environments constrained aphid body size and reproduction. Importantly, these adverse maternal effects were only seen in offspring where subsequent nymph population growth was allowed to increase unchecked, likely reducing available resources. Our study thus demonstrates that the significance of maternal effects in aphid development and reproduction can depend on current resource availability, shaping the phenotype and fecundity of offspring under stressful conditions. Incorporating this framework for how aphid body size and reproduction respond to current and maternal environments may improve predictions for how aphid population growth is impacted by resource limitation across generations.
Histatin‐1 is an endogenous ligand of the sigma‐2 receptor
Authors: Son Kyung‐No , Lee Hyun , Shah Dhara , Kalmodia Sushma , Miller Ryan Cree , Ali Marwan , Balasubramaniam Arun , Cologna Stephanie M. , Kong Hyunjoon , Shukla Deepak , Aakalu Vinay Kumar
Published: July 2021

The Sigma‐2 receptor (S2R) (a.k.a TMEM97) is an important endoplasmic reticular protein involved in cancer, cholesterol processing, cell migration, and neurodegenerative diseases, including Niemann–Pick Type C. While several S2R pharmacologic agents have been discovered, its recent (2017) cloning has limited biological investigation, and no endogenous ligands of the S2R are known. Histatins are a family of endogenous antimicrobial peptides that have numerous important effects in multiple biological systems, including antifungal, antibacterial, cancer pathogenesis, immunomodulation, and wound healing. Histatin‐1 (Hst1) has important roles in epithelial wound healing and cell migration, and is the primary wound healing agent in saliva. Little is understood about the downstream machinery that underpins the effects of histatins, and no mammalian receptor is known to date. In this study, we show, using biophysical methods and functional assays, that Hst1 is an endogenous ligand for S2R and that S2R is a mammalian receptor for Hst1.
Interactions between local and global drivers determine long‐term trends in boreal forest understorey vegetation
Authors: Hedwall Per‐Ola , Uria‐Diez Jaime , Brunet Jörg , Gustafsson Lena , Axelsson Anna‐Lena , Strengbom Joachim
Published: July 2021

Aim

Global change effects on forest ecosystems are increasingly claimed to be context dependent, indicated by interactions between global and local environmental drivers. Most examples of such context dependencies originate from temperate systems, while limited research comes from the boreal biome. Here we set out to test if interactions between climate warming, nitrogen deposition, land‐use change resulting in increasing forest density, and soil pH drive long‐term changes in understorey vegetation in boreal forests.

Location

Sweden.

Time period

1953–2012.

Major taxa studied

Vascular plants.

Methods

We used long‐term (50 years) National Forest Inventory data on forest understorey vegetation in Sweden to model the combined effects of climate warming, nitrogen deposition, increase in forest density (tree basal area), and soil pH.

Results

Our results identify increasing temperature, nitrogen deposition and denser, shadier forest conditions as the main drivers of understorey vegetation changes during this time period. More importantly, we found that these effects varied with local conditions, that is, that the change towards a more nitrophilic understorey vegetation was more pronounced at low than high soil pH. Forest density was an important modulator of nitrogen deposition and temperature increase, with effects generally decreasing with density. Decreased cover of ericaceous dwarf shrubs was driven by both forest density and nitrogen deposition, with a stronger effect at low than at high pH.

Main conclusions

Our results highlight that to understand forest ecosystems’ response to global change, and to make adequate management decisions to mitigate the effects of global change, we need to understand how changes in local environmental factors (forest density and soil pH) interact with global‐scale drivers (nitrogen deposition and climate warming). Neglecting such interactions will lead to incorrect estimations of effects. In our case, we would for example, have underestimated the eutrophication effects on acid soils, which constitute a considerable part of the boreal biome.
Solidarity for whom? Interrogating solidarity in geographic research methodologies
Authors: Gagliano Jamie C.
Published: July 2021

Calls for researchers to be in solidarity with research participants in hopes of reducing the exploitative research practices inherited through centuries of extractive methods have become the norm in Geography. Participatory research models, diversity in publication forums and types, and redirecting material university resources toward participants have all emerged as ways of altering research methods to practice solidarity with participants. While these are important endeavors, they do not consider solidarity as something which alters the field of research itself. When considering the complexities and limitations of the coalitional possibilities brought forth by solidarity, it becomes apparent that solidarity does not resolve the ethical dilemmas of fieldwork and knowledge production. Experience from field research in Paraguay has demonstrated that practicing solidarity as part of research raises new ethical challenges that alter the multiple encounters that constitute the research process and beyond.
The effectiveness of care manager training in a multidisciplinary plan‐do‐check‐adjust cycle on prevention of undesirable events among residents of geriatric care facilities
Authors: Ikeda‐Sonoda Shino , Okochi Jiro , Ichihara Nao , Miyata Hiroaki
Published: July 2021

Aim

Undesirable events, such as falls, aspiration, and pressure ulcers, are associated with functional decline and lower quality of life among older adults. This study describes the frequency of such events among residents of geriatric care facilities and assesses the effect of training care managers in a multidisciplinary plan‐do‐check‐adjust cycle on preventing such events.

Methods

This was a Japan‐based, non‐randomized cluster intervention study. The intervention group comprised geriatric care facilities from which care managers had attended a training course, while the control group comprised facilities with care managers who did not receive this training. Six‐month pre‐admission and 3‐month post‐admission incidences of undesirable events were collected from both groups, and the two groups were compared.

Results

Valid data were collected from 862 residents (416 and 446 from the intervention and control groups, respectively) from 130 facilities (60 and 70, respectively). Three‐month post‐admission incidences were 27.8%, 20.0%, and 11.3% for falls, fever, and pressure ulcers, respectively. There was no difference between the groups regarding post‐admission incidence for any event type. Training care managers reduced the post‐admission incidence of pressure ulcers among residents with a history of such ulcers.

Conclusions

The training of care managers in a multidisciplinary risk‐management cycle was not effective for preventing falls, fever, or pressure ulcers. Results underscore the difficulty of preventing risk events in geriatric care facility residents even with organizational training efforts. The authors believe it is important to share such risks with residents and their families. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 842–848.
Is democracy pro‐poor? An empirical test of the Sen Hypothesis based on global evidence
Authors: Gao Yanyan , Zang Leizhen
Published: July 2021

It has long been hypothesized that democracy benefits the poor, yet solid empirical evidence for this assertion is scarce. This article provides new global evidence regarding the poverty‐reduction effect of democracy, which we refer to as the Sen Hypothesis. A difference‐in‐differences estimation using cross‐national panel data of over 100 countries from 1995 to 2015 shows that democracy reduces poverty, although the size of the effect varies by the poverty line chosen. The results also show that the effects are channeled by entitling more political rights, increasing freedom of speech and the size of middle classes, and improving governmental quality, and are heterogeneous over time and democratization types.
Multiple single cannulation technique of arteriovenous fistula: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Peralta Ricardo , Fazendeiro Matos João , Pinto Bruno , Gonçalves Pedro , Sousa Rui , Felix Carla , Carvalho Helena , Vinhas José , Ponce Pedro
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Despite the impact needling has had on vascular access survival and patient outcome, there is no universal or standardized method proposed for proper cannulation. Rigorous studies are needed, examining cannulation practices, and challenges to achieving complication‐free cannulation.

Methods

This randomized, open‐label trial was conducted at 18 dialysis units owned by a large private dialysis provider operating in Portugal. Eligible patients were adults on chronic hemodialysis, with a new arteriovenous fistula (AVF); cannulated for at least 4 weeks complication‐free. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of three cannulation techniques (CT): Multiple Single cannulation Technique (MuST), rope‐ladder (RLC), and buttonhole (BHC). The primary endpoint was AVF primary patency at 1 year.

Findings

One hundred seventy‐two patients were enrolled between March 2014 and March 2017. Fifty‐nine patients were allocated to MuST, 56 to RLC, and 57 to BHC.

MuST and RLC were associated with a better AVF primary patency than BHC. Primary patency at 12 months was 76.3% in MuST, 59.6% in BHC, and 76.8% in RLC group. Mean AVF survival times were 10.5 months (95% CI = 9.6, 11.3) in the MuST group, 10.4 months (95% CI = 9.5, 11.2) in RLC, and 9.5 months (95% CI = 8.6, 10.4) in BHC. BHC was a significant risk predictor for AVF survival with 2.13 times more events than the other two CT (HR 2.13; 95% CI = 1.07, 4.21; p = 0.03).

Discussion

MuST was easy to implement without a diagram and there is no need to use blunt needles. This study showed MuST was efficacious and safe in maintaining the longevity of AVF in dialysis patients.
One‐year persistence of neutralizing anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies in dialysis patients recovered from COVID‐19
Authors: Alfano Gaetano , Fontana Francesco , Morisi Niccolò , Giaroni Francesco , Mori Giacomo , Guaraldi Giovanni , Magistroni Riccardo , Cappelli Gianni ,   Modena Covid‐19 Working Group (MoCo19)
Published: July 2021

The immunological mechanisms that modulate immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection remain elusive. Little is known on the magnitude and the durability of antibody response against COVID‐19. There is consensus that patients with immune dysfunction, such as dialysis patients, may be unable to mount a robust and durable humoral immunity after infections. Recent studies showed that dialysis patients seroconverted after COVID‐19, but data on the durability of the immune response are missing. We reported the data of a durable anti‐spike protein seroconversion after natural SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in three patients on hemodialysis with a mean age of 67.2 ± 13.8 years. A mean antibody titer of 212.6 ± 174.9 UA/ml (Liaison®, DiaSorin) was found after one year (range, 366–374 days) from the diagnosis of COVID‐19. In conclusion, this case series provided evidence that patients receiving hemodialysis who recovered from severe COVID‐19 were able to mount a long‐lasting immune response against SARS‐CoV‐2. Although the protective capacity of this long‐term immunity remains to be determined, these patients did not report signs of reinfection after recovery from COVID‐19.
Elevated serum thyrotropin levels and endothelial dysfunction in a prospective hemodialysis cohort
Authors: You Amy S. , Budoff Matthew , Zeb Irfan , Ahmadi Naser , Novoa Alejandra , Flores Ferdinand , Hamal Sajad , Kinninger April , Dailing Christopher , Nakata Tracy , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Nguyen Danh V. , Brent Gregory A. , Kalantar‐Zadeh Kamyar , Rhee Connie M.
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Thyroid dysfunction is a highly prevalent yet under‐recognized complication in hemodialysis patients. In the general population, hypothyroidism has been associated with endothelial dysfunction due to impaired vasodilator synthesis and activity. Little is known about the association of serum thyrotropin (TSH), the most sensitive and specific single biochemical metric of thyroid function, with endothelial function in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

In a secondary analysis of 99 patients from the Anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative nutrition in hypoalbuminemic dialysis patients (AIONID) trial, we examined measurements of serum TSH and endothelial function ascertained by fingertip digital thermal monitoring (DTM), a novel method used to measure micro‐vascular reactivity, collected within a 90‐day period. DTM was used to measure changes in fingertip temperature during and after an ischemic stimulus (blood pressure cuff occlusion) as an indicator of changes in blood flow, and two DTM indices were assessed, namely adjusted (a) Temperature Rebound (TR), defined as the maximum temperature rebound post‐cuff deflation, and adjusted (b) Area Under the Temperature Curve (TMP‐AUC), defined as area under the curve between the maximum and minimum temperatures. We examined the relationship between serum TSH with impaired TR (separately) and TMP‐AUC (both defined as less than the median level of observed values) using multivariable logistic regression.

Findings

In unadjusted and case‐mix analyses, higher serum TSH levels (defined as the three highest quartiles) were associated with lower (worse) TR (ref: lowest TSH quartile): ORs (95% CI) 2.64 (1.01–6.88) and 2.85 (1.08–7.57), respectively. In unadjusted and case‐mix analyses, higher TSH levels were associated with lower (worse) TMP‐AUC: ORs (95% CI) 2.64 (1.01–6.88) and 2.79 (1.06–7.38), respectively.

Discussion

In HD patients, higher serum TSH levels were associated with worse micro‐vascular reactivity measured by DTM. Further studies are needed to determine if thyroid hormone supplementation improves endothelial function in hemodialysis patients with lower levels of thyroid function.
Analysis on the microstructure and magnetic properties of MgGaFeO4 spinel compound
Authors: Hu Jiyu , Liu Chaocheng , Wang Min , Wang Meiling , Kan Xucai , Zheng Ganhong , Ma Yongqing
Published: July 2021

The single phase of the spinel ferrite MgGaFeO4 is successfully prepared by the high‐temperature solid‐state reaction. The crystal structure, cation distribution, valence state, and magnetic properties are systematically investigated through various techniques in this work. From the analysis of X‐ray diffraction, the face‐centered cubic structure with the space group Fd3m for the single‐phase sample is obtained. The magnetic hysteresis loops M(H) shows a typical magnetic hysteresis behavior at 5 K, while an obvious paramagnetic behavior can be observed at room temperature. The characteristics of magnetic properties suggest that the intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) interaction and magnetic frustration are cooperated in the system. The specific divergence and irreversibility in the temperature‐dependent magnetization curves M(T) indicate a typical spin‐glass (SG) behavior, which occurring around the freezing temperature Tf = 40 K. Further analysis of the isothermal remanent magnetization (MIRM) suggests the existence of an intensive magnetic frustration state, which leads to stable residual magnetization without decaying under a long time span. More than that, based on the corresponding fitting parameters (τ0 = 8 × 10−12 s, zv = 6.32 and T0 = 56.2 K), the SG state in the sample is further confirmed. The following detailed analyses reveal that the competitions between antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) interactions definitely exist in MgGaFeO4, which should be the response to motivate the SG behavior.
Verbal working memory and processing speed: Correlations with the severity of attention deficit and emotional dysregulation in adult ADHD
Authors: Anker Espen , Ogrim Geir , Heir Trond
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM‐5), emphasizes symptoms severity with regard to the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many clinicians use neuropsychological test results as objective measures of cognitive functions as part of the diagnostic work‐up. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the psychometric test results regarding verbal working memory and processing speed are useful as indicators of the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation in adults with ADHD.

Methods

This observational cross‐sectional clinical study included 418 adults diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM‐5. Attention deficit severity was defined based on the inattentive subscale of the Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale. Emotional dysregulation was assessed with the Deficient Emotional Self‐Regulation scale. Verbal working memory was measured with the Working Memory Index (WMI), and processing speed was measured with the Processing Speed Index (PSI) from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition.

Results

The full‐scale intelligence quotients of the participants were in the normal range, with expected reductions in verbal working memory and processing speed. Only processing speed was associated with attention deficits (β = −.056, p = .003). The association between the psychometric test result for verbal working memory and processing speed and that between the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation were weak (R2 < .1) and mostly non‐significant.

Conclusion

The psychometric index scores for verbal working memory (WMI) and processing speed (PSI) seem to have limited utility as indicators of the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation in adult ADHD patients.