bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: a single-institute study with over 25-year follow-up
Authors: Ishida Eiichi , Ogawa Takenori , Rokugo Masahiro , Ishikawa Tomohiko , Wakamori Shun , Ohkoshi Akira , Usubuchi Hajime , Higashi Kenjiro , Ishii Ryo , Nakanome Ayako , Katori Yukio
Published: July 2020

Background

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from exocrine glands such as the major and minor salivary glands of the paranasal sinuses or the external auditory canal. Although multiple retrospective clinical studies of ACC have been reported to date, clinical questions, such as 1) long-term prognosis beyond 20 years, 2) usefulness and suitability for treatment of therapeutic interventions, 3) therapeutic goal to aim for, and 4) prognosis by recurrence sites, are still unclear.

Methods

To improve understanding and management of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACC), a retrospective study with 58 new ACC cases between 1991 and 2016 was performed. The median observation period was 66.8 months (range 3–316 months). The overall clinical stages were as follows: I, 6.9%; II, 25.9%; III, 19.0%; and IV, 48.2%. Histology was cribriform/tubular type (C-T type) in 62.0% and solid type in 27.5%. The main treatment strategy was definitive surgery, which was performed in 75.2% of cases.

Results

Overall 10-year, 20-year, and 25-year survivals were 63.7, 27.3, and 20.0%, respectively. Similarly, disease-specific survival (DSSs) was 65.7, 51.2, and 38.4%, respectively, and disease-free survival was 25.2, 9.4, and 9.4%, respectively. Conducting surgery (HR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.06–0.61, p = 0.005) and C-T type (HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11–0.93, p = 0.036) were independent prognostic predictors of DSS. DSS was significantly prolonged after salvage surgery for both locoregional recurrence (p = 0.004) and lung metastatic recurrence (p = 0.012, vs best supportive care).

Conclusions

In ACC cases, both initial surgical treatment and repetitive surgical resection of resectable recurrent lesions, including both locoregional and lung metastases, resulted in longer survival. The major goal of treatment for ACC may be long-term survival including cancer-bearing survival, resulting in either natural death or intercurrent-disease death, since judging cure of ACC is almost impossible.

Trial registration

Retrospectively registered.
Histopathological findings in a COVID-19 patient affected by ischemic gangrenous cholecystitis
Authors: Bruni Andrea , Garofalo Eugenio , Zuccalà Valeria , Currò Giuseppe , Torti Carlo , Navarra Giuseppe , De Sarro Giovambattista , Navalesi Paolo , Longhini Federico , Ammendola Michele
Published: July 2020

Background

Since its first documentation, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection has emerged worldwide, with the consequent declaration of a pandemic disease (COVID-19). Severe forms of acute respiratory failure can develop. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 may affect organs other than the lung, such as the liver, with frequent onset of late cholestasis. We here report the histological findings of a COVID-19 patient, affected by a tardive complication of acute ischemic and gangrenous cholecystitis with a perforated and relaxed gallbladder needing urgent surgery.

Case presentation

A 59-year-old Caucasian male, affected by acute respiratory failure secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection was admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU). Due to the severity of the disease, invasive mechanical ventilation was instituted and SARS-CoV-2 treatment (azithromycin 250 mg once-daily and hydroxychloroquine 200 mg trice-daily) started. Enoxaparin 8000 IU twice-daily was also administered subcutaneously. At day 8 of ICU admission, the clinical condition improved and patient was extubated. At day 32, patient revealed abdominal pain without signs of peritonism at examination, with increased inflammatory and cholestasis indexes at blood tests. At a first abdominal CT scan, perihepatic effusion and a relaxed gallbladder with dense content were detected. The surgeon decided to wait and see the evolution of clinical conditions. The day after, conditions further worsened and a laparotomic cholecystectomy was performed. A relaxed and perforated ischemic gangrenous gallbladder, with a local tissue inflammation and perihepatic fluid, was intraoperatively met. The gallbladder and a sample of omentum, adherent to the gallbladder, were also sent for histological examination.

Hematoxylin-eosin-stained slides display inflammatory infiltration and endoluminal obliteration of vessels, with wall breakthrough, hemorrhagic infarction, and nerve hypertrophy of the gallbladder.

The mucosa of the gallbladder appears also atrophic. Omentum vessels also appear largely thrombosed. Immunohistochemistry demonstrates an endothelial overexpression of medium-size vessels (anti-CD31), while not in micro-vessels, with a remarkable activity of macrophages (anti-CD68) and T helper lymphocytes (anti-CD4) against gallbladder vessels. All these findings define a histological diagnosis of vasculitis of the gallbladder.

Conclusions

Ischemic gangrenous cholecystitis can be a tardive complication of COVID-19, and it is characterized by a dysregulated host inflammatory response and thrombosis of medium-size vessels.
Characteristics of persistent hotspots of Schistosoma mansoni in western Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Assaré Rufin K. , N’Tamon Roméo N. , Bellai Louise G. , Koffi Judicaelle A. , Mathieu Tra-Bi I. , Ouattara Mamadou , Hürlimann Eveline , Coulibaly Jean T. , Diabaté Salia , N’Goran Eliézer K. , Utzinger Jürg
Published: July 2020

Background

Preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel is the cornerstone of schistosomiasis control. However, in some social-ecological settings, the prevalence and/or intensity of Schistosoma infection does not lower meaningfully despite multiple rounds of preventive chemotherapy, a phenomenon termed persistent hotspot (PHS). We assessed the characteristics of PHS in a Schistosoma mansoni-endemic area of Côte d’Ivoire.

Methods

In October 2016, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 14 schools in the western part of Côte d’Ivoire, one year after multiple rounds of preventive chemotherapy. In each school, 50 children aged 9–12 years provided two stool samples and one urine sample. Stool samples were subjected to triplicate Kato-Katz thick smears for S. mansoni diagnosis. Urine samples were examined by a filtration method for S. haematobium eggs. PHS was defined as failure to achieve a reduction in the prevalence of S. mansoni infection of at least 35% and/or a reduction of infection intensity of at least 50%. Six schools underwent more detailed investigations, including a questionnaire survey for demographic characteristics and a malacological survey.

Results

In the six schools subjected to detailed investigations, the overall prevalence of S. mansoni and S. haematobium was 9.5% and 2.6%, respectively. Four schools were classified as PHS. The S. mansoni prevalence in the four PHS was 10.9% compared to 6.6% in the remaining two schools. The S. mansoni infection intensity, expressed as arithmetic mean eggs per gram of stool (EPG) among infected children, was 123.8 EPG in PHS and 18.7 EPG in the other two schools. Children bathing in open freshwater bodies were at higher odds of S. mansoni infection (odds ratio: 4.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.6–12.6). A total of 76 human-water contact sites (53 in PHS and 23 in the other schools) were examined and 688 snails were collected, including potential intermediate host snails of Schistosoma (Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus forskalii, Bu. globosus and Bu. truncatus).

Conclusion

Children in PHS schools bathed more frequently in open freshwater bodies, and hence, they are more exposed to Schistosoma transmission. Our findings call for an integrated control approach, complementing preventive chemotherapy with other interventions, particularly in PHS settings.
Association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients without a related family history
Authors: Wang Jin-Rui , Chen Zhongli , Yang Ke , Yang Hui-Jun , Tao Wen-Yu , Li Yi-Ping , Jiang Ze-Jia , Bai Chao-Fang , Yin Yue-Chuan , Duan Jian-Mei , Zhou Yuan-Yuan , Geng Xin-Qian , Yang Ying
Published: July 2020

Background

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a specific neurovascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Clinically, family history is a widely recognized risk factor for DR, assisting diagnosis and risk strata. However, among a great amount of DR patients without hereditary history like hypertension and diabetes, direct and simple risk factors to assist clinical decisions are still required. Herein, we intend to investigate the associated risk factors for these DR patients based on systemic inflammatory response indexes, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR).

Methods

We consecutively enrolled 1030 patients with a definite diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the endocrinology department of the Second hospital of People in Yun Nan. Based on funduscopy and family history checking, we excluded patients with a family history of hypertension and diabetes and finally enrolled 264 patients with DR and 206 patients with non-diabetic retinopathy (NDR). Through correlation analysis, univariate and multivariate regression, we further explore the association between NLR, PLR, and DR. On top of that, we investigate the effect of NLR and PLR on risk reclassification of DR.

Results

Compared with NDR patients, NLR and PLR levels are significantly higher among DR patients (NLR: 2.36 ± 1.16 in DR group versus 1.97 ± 1.06 in NDR group, p < 0.001; PLR: 11.62 ± 4.55 in DR group versus10.56 ± 4.45 in NDR group, p = 0.012). According to univariate analysis, NLR and PLR add risks to DR. After fully adjusting co-founders, NLR, as both continuous and categorical variate, remains an independent risk factor for DR (OR (95%CI): 1.37 (1.06, 1.78) P = 0.018). And though PLR was not independently associated with DR as a continuous variable (OR (95%CI) 1.05 (0.99, 1.11) p = 0.135), the highest quantile of PLR add two-fold increased risk (OR (95%CI) 2.20 (1.05, 4.59) p = 0.037) in the fully adjusted model for DR. In addition, addition of PLR and NLR to the established factor hemoglobin (Hb) improved the discriminability of the model and assisted the reclassification of DR. After combining PLR and NLR the Area under curve (AUC) of Hb based model raised from 0.76 to 0.78, with a category-free net reclassification improvement (NRI) of 0.532 (p < 0.001) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) of 0.029 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Systemic inflammatory response indexes NLR and PLR were associated with the presence of DR among patients without associated family history and contributed to improvements in reclassification of DR in addition to Hb.
Analysis of medico-social factors for return to work among patients presenting with haematological malignancy (adamantine): results of a ‘pilot study’
Authors: Clin Bénédicte , Heutte Natacha , Boulanger Mathilde , Troussard Xavier , Cornet Edouard , Damaj Ghandi Laurent , Bouvier Véronique , Guizard Anne-Valérie , Launoy Guy , Licaj Idlir
Published: July 2020

Objective

The aim of this study was to describe return to work determinants in patients with haematological malignancy.

Results

This medico-social pilot study included patients with haematological malignancy in the département of Calvados, aged 18 to 55 years, diagnosed between 1st January and 31st December 2010 and alive at 1st January 2015. Patients were identified via consultation of the Lower Normandy haematological malignancy Registry. They completed a specially developed self-questionnaire, in addition to validated questionnaires for anxiety-depression, quality of life and fatigue. Of the patients contacted, 50% accepted to participate. The mean age at diagnosis was 49.8 years, and the majority of patients (79.2%) was professionally active at the time of diagnosis. Only 64.9% of subjects had stopped work due to illness. The psychological impact (demonstrated anxiety) was significantly greater in men (p = 0.01). The majority of subjects returned to work after treatment (80.7%) and among them, the mean duration of absence from work was 16.1 months. Only 52.6% of subjects had informed their occupational physician and 56.7% had benefited from a pre-return visit. The satisfactory response rate obtained is promising for the extension of the present project as a prospective multicentric study.
Moderate rate of transmitted resistance mutations to antiretrovirals and genetic diversity in newly HIV-1 patients diagnosed in Benin
Authors: Tchiakpe Edmond , Keke Rene K. , Vidal Nicole , Ahoussinou Clément , Sekpe Olga , Dagba Hermione G. , Gbaguidi Eric , Tonoukouen Conrad , Afangnihoun Aldric , Bachabi Moussa , Gangbo Flore A. , Diop-Ndiaye Halimatou , Toure-Kane Coumba
Published: July 2020

Objective

Seventeen years after the start of the IBAARV (Beninese initiative for access to antiretrovirals), transmitted drug resistance mutations in ARV-naïve patients and HIV-1 genetic diversity were investigated in Benin.

Results

Drug resistance mutations were detected in (27/248; 10.9%) according to the WHO SDRM 2009 list, with a predominance of mutations directed against NNRTIs drugs (24/248; 10%). Phylogenetic and recombination analyses showed a predominance of CRF02_AG strains (165/248; 66.5%) and a high genetic diversity with five other variants and 39 URFs (15.7%) which contained portions of strains that co-circulate in Benin. Eight recent transmission chains revealed active ongoing transmission of HIV-1 strains among ARV-naïve patients. Our study showed a moderate primary drug resistance mutations rate and also provided recent data on the HIV-1 variants that circulate in Benin. Regular monitoring of primary drug resistance is required to adapt HIV-1 treatment strategies and adoption of new WHO recommendations in Benin.
Detecting bracoviral orthologs distribution in five tsetse fly species and the housefly genomes
Authors: Kimenyi Kelvin M. , Abry Muna F. , Okeyo Winnie , Matovu Enock , Masiga Daniel , Kulohoma Benard W.
Published: July 2020

Objective

Mutualism between endogenous viruses and eukaryotes is still poorly understood. Several endogenous double-stranded polydnaviruses, bracoviruses, homologous to those present in parasitic braconid wasp genomes were detected in the tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans). This is peculiar since tsetse flies do not share a reproductive lifestyle similar to wasps, but deliver fully developed larvae that pupate within minutes of exiting their mothers. The objective of this study is to investigate genomic distribution of bracoviral sequences in five tsetse fly species and the housefly, and examine its value as a potential vector control strategy target point. We use comparative genomics to determine the presence, distribution across Glossina species genomes, and evolutionary relationships of bracoviruses of five tsetse fly species and the housefly.

Results

We report on homologous bracoviruses in multiple Dipteran genomes. Phylogenetic reconstruction using within-species concatenated bracoviral orthologs shows great congruence with previously reconstructed insect species phylogenies. Our findings suggest that bracoviruses present in Diptera originate from a single integration event of the viral genome that occurred in an ancestor insect before the evolutionary radiation of different insect orders.
Correction to: DNA mismatch repair in the context of chromatin
Authors: Huang Yaping , Li Guo-Min
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Functional dissociation of hippocampal subregions corresponding to memory types and stages
Authors: Seok Ji-Woo , Cheong Chaejoon
Published: July 2020

Background

The hippocampus reportedly plays a crucial role in memory. However, examining individual human hippocampal-subfield function remains challenging because of their small sizes and convoluted structures. Here, we identified hippocampal subregions involved in memory types (implicit and explicit memory) and stages (encoding and retrieval).

Methods

We modified the serial reaction time task to examine four memory types, i.e. implicit encoding, explicit encoding, implicit retrieval, and explicit retrieval. During this task, 7-T functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare brain activity evoked by these memory types.

Results

We found hippocampal activation according to all memory types and stages and identified that the hippocampus subserves both implicit and explicit memory processing. Moreover, we confirmed that cornu ammonis (CA) regions 1–3 were implicated in both memory encoding and retrieval, whereas the subiculum was implicated only in memory retrieval. We also found that CA 1–3 was activated more for explicit than implicit memory.

Conclusions

These results elucidate human hippocampal-subfield functioning underlying memory and may support future investigations into hippocampal-subfield functioning in health and neurodegenerative disease.
Sow performance in response to natural betaine fed during lactation and post-weaning during summer and non-summer months
Authors: Mendoza S. M. , Boyd R. D. , Remus J. , Wilcock P. , Martinez G. E. , van Heugten E.
Published: July 2020

Background

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary natural betaine on sow reproductive performance during summer (Exp. 1) and non-summer months (Exp. 2). Treatments were designed as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with factors including dietary betaine (0 or 0.2%) and period of supplementation (lactation or post-weaning until 35 days post-insemination). In Exp. 1, 322 and 327 sows and in Exp. 2, 300 and 327 sows representing young (parity 1 and 2) and mature (parity 3 to 6) sows, respectively, were used.

Results

In Exp. 1, supplementation of betaine during lactation increased sow body weight losses (− 11.95 vs. −14.63 kg;P = 0.024), reduced feed intake (4.12 vs. 4.28 kg/d;P = 0.052), and tended to reduce percentage of no-value pigs (P = 0.071). Betaine fed post-weaning reduced weaning-to-estrus interval (5.75 vs. 6.68 days;P = 0.054) and farrowing rate (86.74% vs. 91.36%;P = 0.060), regardless of parity group. Post-hoc analysis with sows clustered into 3 parity groups (1, 2 and 3, and 4+) indicated that betaine fed in lactation to parity 4+ sows (P = 0.026) and betaine fed post-weaning to parity 1 sows increased the number of pigs born in the subsequent cycle (P ≤ 0.05). In Exp. 2, betaine fed during lactation tended to reduce the weaning-to-estrus interval (6.64 vs. 7.50 days;P = 0.077) and farrowing rate (88.23% vs. 83.54%;P = 0.089), regardless of parity group. Feeding betaine post-weaning reduced number of pigs born (13.00 vs. 13.64;P = 0.04) and pigs born alive (12.30 vs. 12.82;P = 0.075), regardless of parity group.

Conclusions

Using 0.2% betaine during the non-summer months did not benefit sow performance. During the summer, betaine supplementation in lactation increased subsequent litter size in parity 4+ sows. Betaine fed during the post-weaning period reduced the wean-to-estrus interval and farrowing rate, increased total number of pigs born for parity 1 sows and reduced total number of pigs born to parity 4+ sows. Further research is needed to determine if the detrimental effects on feed intake and farrowing rate may be correlated and depend on dietary betaine level.
Validation of the age-adjusted shock index for pediatric casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan
Authors: Cuenca Camaren M. , Borgman Matthew A. , April Michael D. , Fisher Andrew D. , Schauer Steven G.
Published: July 2020

Background

Pediatric casualties account for a notable proportion of encounters in the deployed setting based on the humanitarian medical care mission. Previously published data demonstrates that an age-adjust shock index may be a useful tool in predicting massive transfusion and death in children. We seek to determine if those previous findings are applicable to the deployed, combat trauma setting.

Methods

We queried the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DODTR) for all pediatric subjects admitted to US and Coalition fixed-facility hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan from January 2007 to January 2016. This is a secondary analysis of casualties seeking to validate previously published data using the shock index, pediatric age-adjusted. We then used previously published thresholds to determine patients outcome for validation by age grouping, 1–3 years (1.2), 4–6 years (1.2), 7–12 years (1.0), 13–17 years (0.9).

Results

From January 2007 through January 2016 there were 3439 pediatric casualties of which 3145 had a documented heart rate and systolic pressure. Of those 502 (16.0%) underwent massive transfusion and 226 (7.2%) died prior to hospital discharge. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) thresholds were inconsistent across age groups ranging from 1.0 to 1.9 with generally limited area under the curve (AUC) values for both massive transfusion and death prediction characteristics. Using the previously defined thresholds for validation, we report sensitivity and specificity for the massive transfusion by age-group: 1–3 (0.73, 0.35), 4–6 (0.63, 0.60), 7–12 (0.80, 0.57), 13–17 (0.77, 0.62). For death, 1–3 (0.75, 0.34), 4–6 (0.66–0.59), 7–12 (0.64, 0.52), 13–17 (0.70, 0.57). However, negative predictive values (NPV) were generally high with all greater than 0.87.

Conclusions

Within the combat setting, the age-adjusted pediatric shock index had moderate sensitivity and relatively poor specificity for predicting massive transfusion and death. Better scoring systems are needed to predict resource needs prior to arrival, that perhaps include other physiologic metrics. We were unable to validate the previously published findings within the combat trauma population.
Pseudo-labelling-aided semantic segmentation on sparsely annotated 3D point clouds
Authors: Yao Yasuhiro , Xu Katie , Murasaki Kazuhiko , Ando Shingo , Sagata Atsushi
Published: July 2020

Manually labelling point cloud scenes for use as training data in machine learning applications is a time- and labour-intensive task. In this paper, we aim to reduce the effort associated with learning semantic segmentation tasks by introducing a semi-supervised method that operates on scenes with only a small number of labelled points. For this task, we advocate the use of pseudo-labelling in combination with PointNet, a neural network architecture for point cloud classification and segmentation. We also introduce a method for incorporating information derived from spatial relationships to aid in the pseudo-labelling process. This approach has practical advantages over current methods by working directly on point clouds and not being reliant on predefined features. Moreover, we demonstrate competitive performance on scenes from three publicly available datasets and provide studies on parameter sensitivity.
A randomized trial comparing deep and moderate neuromuscular blockade in patients undergoing ambulatory gynecologic laparoscopy
Authors: Bakhet Wahba Z.
Published: July 2020

Background and aims

Deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) is known to improve surgical conditions, compared to moderate neuromuscular blockade (NMB), which is expected to improve postoperative quality of recovery (QOR). However, it is unknown whether deep NMB improves postoperative QOR in ambulatory gynecologic laparoscopy. Therefore, we compared the effects of deep and moderate NMB on postoperative QOR in ambulatory gynecologic laparoscopy.

Methodology

We included 80 female in this study. They were randomized into 2 equal groups: deep NMB (dNMB) and moderate NMB (mNMB) at constant pneumoperitoneum pressure of 12 mmHg. The primary outcome was QOR-40 at 24 h, and the secondary outcomes were duration of surgery, surgical rating scale (SRS) score, time to home discharge readiness, pain scores, and tramadol consumption.

Results

The SRS scores were significantly higher in dNMB group, compared with mNMB. Mean (95% CI) SRS scores in deep NMB were 4.55 (4.52-4.58) versus 4.15 (4.11-4.19) in moderate NMB, p = 0.03. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the QoR-40 scores, and other secondary outcomes.

Conclusion

We found no difference between deep and moderate NMB on postoperative QOR after ambulatory gynecologic laparoscopy. Therefore, deep NMB during ambulatory gynecologic laparoscopy may be unnecessary, at least in non-obese patients.

Trial registration

This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04105764).
Efficacy of nano-formulated certain essential oils on the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum and confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) under laboratory and storage conditions
Authors: Sabbour Magda Mahmoud Amin
Published: July 2020

Abtract

Background

The confused flour beetles Tribolium confusum (Jacquelin) and red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) are widespread insects found in the stores and homes that attack many stored foods in several commodities. They are controlled by synthetic chemical insecticides. The natural oils give good results in controlling these pests and decreasing its infestations. The natural essential oils have a low effect on the human, non-target insects, and do not pollute the environments. This research is an alternative approach to naturally control these two stored product pests.

Methods

Nano-formulations of four essential oils, namely, coriander, black seed, caraway oil, and Janesville were tested against T. confusum and T. castaneum in the laboratory and stored conditions. Encapsulation method by the technology of polymerization was followed. The nano-oils were tested at the concentrations of 0.5% against the 3rd larval instars. Cumulative percentages of mortality was determined after 7 days of the first applications. The effect of nano-oils on oviposition was carried out by spraying 2 g of foams of the tested oils and their nano-formulations mixed with 100 g of wheat.

Results

The results obtained showed that the percentage of larval mortality of T. confusum and T. castaneum increased with an increase in the treatment concentrations. Larvae of T. confusum were more susceptible to the treatments than T. castaneum larvae. Nano Janesville oil was more effective than that of coriander or black seed oil. Fecundity and adult emergence percentage are highly suppressed by nano-formulations of coriander, black seed, or Janesville oils under storage conditions, compared to those of the controls or non-nano-oils.

The results suggested that nano Janesville can be used as a valuable tool in pest management programs of T. confusum and T. castaneum

Conclusion

The results of this work indicate that some essential oils might be helpful management of pests in the stores because of their fumigant and odor action. Essential oils of plant origin contain active ingredients that are effective against many insects. Nano-formulations of essential oils, through controlled release, prevent rapid vaporization and degradation and increase the stability of the oils. Treated foam, using coriander, Janesville, caraway, and black seed (habat al Baraka) oils, gave protection against the red flour beetles Tribolium castaneum and confused flour beetle Tribolium confusum.
Retrograde mastoidectomy with canal wall reconstruction with bone graft in acquired cholesteatoma
Authors: Shewel Yasser , Abougabal Ahmed
Published: July 2020

Background

This study aimed to report the surgical outcomes of retrograde mastoidectomy with canal wall reconstruction using a bone graft that secured in place using glass ionomer cement (GIC) in adult patients with acquired cholesteatoma.

Results

This study was conducted on 50 adult patients with acquired cholesteatoma who underwent retrograde mastoidectomy with a reconstruction of canal wall using a bone graft from the mastoid cortex. The preoperative and postoperative audiological evaluation was done; in addition, non-echoplanar (EPI) diffusion-weighted MRI was obtained at least 1 year postoperatively to detect recidivism of cholesteatoma.

Recidivism of cholesteatoma was observed in 4/50 ears (8%) using diffusion-weighted MRI and confirmed during revision mastoidectomy. The audiological assessment showed a marked and statistically significant improvement of preoperative ABG from 30 to 21 dB in addition to the improvement of preoperative AC from 42 to 33 dB. ABG of 20 dB or less was achieved in 50% of the ears. No reaction occurred to GIC in all the ears.

Conclusions

Retrograde mastoidectomy with canal wall reconstruction with bone graft was associated with a low rate of recidivism and significant improvement of the hearing. GIC is safe and effective in stabilization of bone graft in canal wall reconstruction.
Frequent 4D monitoring with DAS 3D VSP in deep water to reveal injected water-sweep dynamics
Authors: Kiyashchenko Denis , Mateeva Albena , Duan Yuting , Johnson Duane , Pugh Jonathan , Geisslinger Axel , Lopez Jorge
Published: July 2020

Time-lapse monitoring using 3D distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profiles (DAS VSPs) is rapidly maturing as a nonintrusive low-cost solution for target-oriented monitoring in deep water. In a Gulf of Mexico field, DAS fibers deployed in active wells enable detailed tracking of the water flood in two deep reservoirs. Multiple tests in adverse well conditions let us understand the impact of source size and other factors on the spatially dependent quality of time-lapse DAS data and prove that excellent image repeatability is achievable under typical field conditions. Frequent repeat surveys allowed us to predict the timing of water arrival in a producer and to observe new water injection patterns that are important for understanding water-flood performance. Going forward, DAS 4D monitoring is envisioned as a tool that can assist with proactive wells and reservoir management, new well planning, and reservoir model updates.
Making the Best Use of Resources in Global Cancer Care
Authors: Gago Juan , Pendharkar Dinesh , Tripathi Chandramauli , Ginsburg Ophira
Published: July 2020

Inequitable access to high-quality cancer control and care remains one of the greatest public health challenges in countries at all resource levels. Core issues include the limited oncology health care workforce and equitable access to affordable (essential) cancer diagnostics, medicines, surgery, systemic therapies, and radiotherapy, compounded by existing social inequalities. To reduce cancer health disparities globally and subnationally, countries can enhance their capabilities to deliver high-quality, affordable care closer to where most people live. Decentralization and integration of health services can be part of the solution, offloading the strained capacity of tertiary facilities where possible and expanding cadres of trained providers to support some aspects of cancer prevention and control that require a lesser degree of specialization. The strategy to eliminate cervical cancer provides a salient example of a data-driven effort that optimizes resources to dramatically reduce one of the greatest cancer health disparities globally. Here, we highlight two responses to meet the challenge through greater engagement of the primary care workforce and by adoption of universal health care coverage to ensure access to cancer prevention.
Historical Perspectives on Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Human Participants Research: Implications for Oncology Clinical Trials in Africa
Authors: Salhia Bodour , Olaiya Victoria
Published: July 2020

Clinical trials research involving human participants has led to numerous medical advances. Historically, however, clinical trials research was the source of major concerns for the safety and welfare of the human participants taking part in these studies. The ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice came about in response to medical atrocities, and regulations were ultimately put in place to protect the rights and welfare of human participants and to maintain the public trust in the research enterprise. Today, clinical trials are one of the most heavily regulated practices in the world, and yet still not all people are provided the same oversights and protections, with improprieties disproportionately affecting poor-resource nations and vulnerable populations. As Africa approaches the post–communicable disease era, cancer is set to take the lead as the most burdensome disease, making the need for oncology clinical trials in Africa greater than ever before. Africa represents a heterogeneous market with 55 countries, most with their own National Regulatory Agency (NRA) and each with varying levels of regulatory maturity. This diversity creates a highly complex regulatory environment and causes challenges when bringing drugs to market. There is a large need for harmonization and increased collaboration between the African nations’ NRAs. In addition, many African countries need to be better equipped to handle research ethics committees and/or learn how to rely on neighboring countries with more established ethics committees. Well-run clinical trials offer solutions to national health care problems, and all people deserve equal access to their benefits.
Corrupt and Honorable, Gangster and Nobleman
Authors: Østbø Jardar
Published: July 2020

The Russian authoritarian regime is not necessarily immoral, but its morality shares characteristics with that of street gangsters—and aristocrats. As argued in this article, there are two competing moral orders in Russia—the culture of honor and the culture of dignity. The article presents the readers with a case study of General Viktor Zolotov’s challenge of the leader of the liberal opposition Aleksei Naval′nyi to a duel in September 2018. Seen through an analytical lens, this seemingly absurd speech act and its reception reveal the extremes in the spectrum spanning from the ideal-typical culture of honor to the ideal-typical culture of dignity, both of which are present in Russia today. The study points to the hidden reasons behind the failure of the rivals and their respective supporters to engage in a real mutual debate—each side employs moral arguments that make sense only within its respective moral order. The Russian public is divided, not only by political views, interests, class, or even values but also by morality. If we are to understand the Russian regime’s behavior internationally and domestically, it is important to recognize this rupture. After all, even the military and security service officials in the ruling elite, the author argues, to a degree share the moral culture of criminal groups but are strangers to the law-based moral culture of the liberal urban middle class—and vice versa.
The Aesthetics of Exodus
Authors: Ford Derek R.
Published: July 2020

While the general intellect continues to provide a rich resource for understanding post-Fordism and for theorizing resistance, there remains a neglected aesthetic dimension to the general intellect and the role that art can play in resistance based on it. This article develops the general intellect along these lines by drawing on two theorists who are rarely thought together: Paolo Virno and Jean-François Lyotard. The article begins by introducing the general intellect and Virno’s reconceptualization of it as the general or generic intellect. It then introduces a relationship between art and the general intellect by reading Virno’s theory of language, speech, and communication. From here, it goes to his theory of exodus, which is then read back through his linguistic theory to draw out the key role that subjective defection plays in the project. Although Virno doesn’t spend much time discussing art, his brief remarks are used as an entry point to move to Lyotard’s writings on music and art, where the author fleshes out an aesthetic dimension to the general intellect and the project of exodus. The argument focuses on the artistic gesture (the “art” in/of the artwork) and especially timbre as witnesses and eruptions of the potentiality of the general intellect that can never be properly actualized. By analyzing timbre as a fugitive force that desubjectifies those gathered around music, the author argues that it provides an example of the opening necessary for the subjective defection that inaugurates exodus. In this way, the aesthetic dimension added to the general intellect is the generic capacity to be affected and disindividuated.
Updating hosts and distribution range of the pea crab Pinnotheres bicristatus (Brachyura: Pinnotheridae)
Authors: MARCO-HERRERO ELENA , GALIMANY EVE , ABELLÓ PERE , CUESTA JOSE A. , DRAKE PILAR , RAMÓN MONTSERRAT
Published: July 2020

Small crabs belonging to the family Pinnotheridae are characterized by living inside mainly bivalves. In European waters the recently-described pea crab Pinnotheres bicristatus increased to five the known number of pinnotherid species. The know distribution of the recently-described pea crab Pinnotheres bicristatus encompassed the area between the Gulf of Cádiz (NE Atlantic) and the western Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean). The species was so far reported to occur in the pallial cavity of the common saddle oyster, Anomia ephippium, between 11 and 52 m depth. During two years, a total of 43 specimens of Pinnotheres bicristatus were collected in two different projects/surveys along the Mediterranean coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, thus enlarging its known occurrence to the eastern Alboran Sea and the NW Mediterranean, at depths between 37 and 71 m. We also report a new bivalve host for the species, the flat oyster Ostrea edulis, and population structure information of these new records. As a conclusion, this study considerably extends both in latitude and longitude, as well as in depth, the known geographical distribution of P. bicristatus.
Analysis of GABRB3 gene mRNA expression and motor coordination after administration of valerian extracts (Valeriana officinalis) in BALB/c mice
Authors: Mulyawan Erwin , Ahmad Muhammad Ramli , Islam Andi Asadul , Massi Muh. Nasrum , Hatta Mochammad , Arif Syafri Kamsul
Published: July 2020

Background: Valeriana officinalis has often been used to treat sleep disorders as a traditional medicine for 2000 years. The sedative effect of valerian extract is facilitated by the GABAA receptor β3 subunit. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of valerian extract on GABRB3 gene mRNA expression and sedative effect in BALB/c mice.

Methods: This is an experimental preclinical study using a posttest-only control group design. A total of 20 BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into four groups consisting of five mice each. Group I was given 5 ml of Aqua Dest (distilled water), group II was given 0.025 mg/10 g of diazepam, group III was given 2.5 mg/10 g of valerian extract, and group IV was given 5 mg/10 g of valerian extract. The drugs were administrated for seven days through a gastric gavage. The rotarod test was performed on the seventh day. A blood sample was taken on the first day before drug administration and after the rotarod test on the seventh day to be analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: GABRB3 gene mRNA expression showed a significant increase in groups II, III, and IV (p <0.0001). There was significant difference between group III and IV. The examination of motor coordination (rotarod test) showed a significant difference (p <0.05) between group I and group II, between group I and group III, and between group I and group IV. There was no significant difference between group II and both groups III and IV.

Conclusions: GABRB3 gene mRNA expression was significantly increased after the administration of valerian extract. Based on the rotarod test, valerian extract and diazepam had a clinically similar sedation effect. A higher dose of valerian extract does not yield a higher level of GABRB3 gene mRNA expression nor sedative effects.
Case Report: A rare case of a vanishing unilateral effusion
Authors: Hoodless Emily , Arumainathan Arvind , Wat Dennis
Published: July 2020

Pleural effusions rarely spontaneously resolve, and we document an instance where this phenomenon occurred. Here, we report a case of a 95-year old female who presented with a unilateral pleural effusion, diagnosed as secondary to a haematological malignancy [diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)] which resolved spontaneously. This is the first case to describe spontaneous remission in a primary cavitary DLBCL complicated by pleural effusion.
Case Report: Cutaneous chilblains-like lesions (CCLL) versus COVID-19 toes during the pandemic. Confocal findings and proposal for new acronym, CCLL – is there a diagnostic window?
Authors: Ludzik Joanna , Witkowski Alexander , Hansel Donna E. , Raess Philipp W. , White Kevin , Leachman Sancy
Published: July 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, typically presents with symptoms including fever, cough, headache, myalgia, asthenia, anosmia, diarrhea, and sometimes pneumonia, which can be fatal.  Recently, new dermatologic findings have been described in association with the disease that can potentially be a distinguishing feature of infection. One such feature resembles chilblains and this case report represents a unique presentation of this feature.
Quelle littérature pour l’évaluation des professeurs de français dans la Roumanie communiste ? Canon scolaire, savoirs disciplinaires et interactions institutionnelles
Authors: Jipa Dragos
Published: July 2020

Abstract. Literature in the Assessment of Teachers of French in Communist Romania: School Canon, Disciplinary Knowledge, and Institutional Interactions. Drawing on a series of original sources (the tenure exam syllabi for the teachers in the Romanian system of secondary education), the article aims to analyze the ways in which literature was employed in the assessment and ranking of teachers who wanted to become tenured in this discipline. The development of the syllabi in question represents an instance of codifying and standardizing knowledge about literature (authors, works, and critical metadiscourses), a process whereby a literary canon made up of inclusions and exclusions becomes the mandatory reference point for the teachers working in this field. The first part describes the evolution of the canon of French literature by comparing the syllabi from 1960 and 1983, tracing a shift from an understanding of French literature through a Marxist lens (as illustrated by the choice of authors, bibliography, and critical commentary) to a discursive perspective on literature aiming to depart from the instrumentalization of the previous decade via references to French literary theory. The second part focuses on the “construction” of the 1989 syllabus, showing the various stages of its development and the institutions involved in it (the University of Bucharest, other Romanian universities, etc.). As such, it shows that what might have seemed, in the eyes of the teachers taking the tenure exam, a universally valid discourse on French literature (authors, works, concepts) was in fact the result of previous negotiations among various decision-making factors. The article thus captures the interactions among the producers of meta-discourse who try to assert their own perspectives in defining a canon of French literature in accordance with their respective positions in the national academic field. The University of Bucharest seems to have monopolized the legitimate discourse on literature, as it emerges from the process of accepting and especially refusing the suggestions made by the other universities. If, during the communist regime, French literature – as constructed in Bucharest – occupied an important place in the training and assessment of teachers of French, thus continuing an inter-war tradition, in the post-communist age, the teaching of French evolved towards a communicative approach, thus losing the patrimonial and normative dimension in which literature held an essential place.
Metamorphoses of Oedipus in Modern French Literature. From an Intellectual Drama to a Psychoanalytical Reflection on Ideal Love
Authors: Klik Marcin
Published: July 2020

Oedipus Rex, a tragedy created twenty-five centuries ago, is still a source of inspiration for many writers. However, the overall message of modern interpretations of the Oedipus myth differs considerably from the message of Sophocles’ play; these works are no longer the stories of a man punished by gods for his haughtiness (hybris). André Gide modernizes Sophocles’ tragedy, transforming it into a lesson in secular humanism. The play by Jean Cocteau focuses on the transition from ignorance to awareness. Alain Robbe-Grillet creates an anti-story about the contemporary version of Oedipus, whose lot is determined, not by gods, but by chance and unconscious desires. As for the psychoanalytical interpretation of the myth by Jacqueline Harpman, it is first of all the reflection on ideal love, fully realized in an incestuous relationship between the son and his mother.
First as Creon, then as Chorus: Slavoj Žižek’s Antigone
Authors: Kocijančič Matic
Published: July 2020

The article critically evaluates The Three Lives of Antigone, Slavoj Žižek’s first dramatic work. Žižek’s polemical rewriting of Sophocles’ tragedy is examined in the broader perspective of Žižek’s philosophy and other Antigones: those of Sophocles, Jean Anouilh, Bertolt Brecht and Dominik Smole. Slavoj Žižek has interpreted Sophocles’ Antigone in numerous philosophical works. In his earlier treatises, he mainly gave a cautious summary of Hegel’s, Heidegger’s and Lacan’s theses on Antigone; lately, however, Žižek’s attitude to Sophocles’ Antigone has grown decidedly negative. The main point in Žižek’s critique of Sophocles’ tragedy is that his Antigone is not an appropriate symbol of genuine social revolt. Based on this conviction, Žižek contrived his own version of Antigone with an alternative ending in which the choir carries out a revolution and condemns Antigone to death. It is argued in the article that Žižek’s dramatic project fails to convince. It is essentially a superficial apology for political violence, which can ultimately only be understood as a veiled defence of the political status quo.
Deictic Close Reading
Authors: Merilai Arne
Published: July 2020

Inspired by practical didactics, this article suggests using pragmapoetic deictic analysis as a method to enrich close reading of poetry. When applying the pragmalinguistic theory of deixis and the analytic philosophical theory of indexicals to poetic texts, it soon becomes apparent that, in addition to traditional spatial, temporal, and personal deixis, it is also necessary to speak about emotional, or modal, deixis. The latter functions on a scale of positive and negative connotations, or, of subjective distance, which is the mental counterpart to spatial relations. In addition, poetry amplifies the intuitive deictic and egocentric quality of ostensive words of natural kind. On a formal level, however, we notice a congenital enhancement of discourse (or text) deixis, which manifests itself via self-reference using linguistic equivalence. This theory is exemplified by a deictic analysis of a short poem by Ene Mihkelson, which reveals the poem’s orientational reference system as a deictic network onto which an imaginary plot of the poem is projected. It should be noted that a deictic plot is wider than a lyrical/poetic plot, the latter being a concretization of the deictic potential created in the author’s or reader’s consciousness through the course of reading. Accordingly, we pass through three levels of analysis: (1) deictic network as the orientational frame of reference in the analyzed text, (2) deictic plot as the possible spatial and temporal dynamics of poetic thought within that frame of reference, and (3) lyrical plot as the concretization of a potential deictic plot in the conscious mind of the author or reader.