bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stock returns and the US dollar: the importance of monetary policy
Authors: Hughen J. Christopher , Beyer Scott
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– In the increasingly globalized economy, foreign exchange fluctuations have multiple, conflicting effects on domestic stock prices. The purpose of this paper is to examine return data to determine the relation between the dollar’s value and stock prices as it relates to monetary policy.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors examine US stock returns over a 40-year period, which is classified according to monetary policy and dollar trend. To better understand the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the authors estimate a model of stock returns using the three Fama-French factors and a momentum factor. Then the authors explore the underlying economic fundamentals that drive the sharp difference in annual returns between periods when the dollar is in an uptrend trend with loose monetary policy and periods when the dollar is in a downtrend with tight monetary policy.

Findings

– Over the last 40 years, US stock returns were 2.5 times higher when the dollar was trending up vs down. The factor model of returns shows that equity returns are positively associated with periods when the dollar appreciated. Returns were particularly high when the dollar was in an uptrend during accommodative monetary policy. During these periods, stocks in the consumer goods and services industries provided relatively high returns. This occurred with strong economic growth due to consumer spending. Stocks exhibited the lowest returns when the dollar was depreciating and the Federal Reserve was tightening.

Originality/value

– The key contribution of the research is that currency trends should be analyzed in the light of monetary policy. During periods of accommodative monetary policy and dollar appreciation, the US stock market provided average returns of 18.7 percent compared to −3.29 percent during a period of restrictive monetary policy and dollar depreciation. This result is driven by stronger economic growth, which is composed of consumer spending that more than offsets the dollar’s impact on net exports.
What do European stock markets prefer? Left or right governments?
Authors: Stoian Andreea , Tatu-Cornea Delia
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the political partisanship of government in charges of returns on the European stock markets. The authors found a large body of research investigating this issue for the case of US stock market but less evidence for the European stock markets.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employ a panel data model with fixed-effects and an additional dynamic panel model using the bias-corrected LSDV estimator on a data set consisting of monthly and quarterly data. The data range from 2000 to 2010 and cover 20 European Union (EU) countries. The authors test several hypotheses, and run distinct regressions using political, financial, and economic variables. The authors also divide the data set into two sub-samples in order to reveal the distinctions between advanced and emerging economies in the EU.

Findings

– The authors find that stock markets perform better under right-wing administrations. The result is consistent for the advanced EU economies, but the authors found no robust evidence in that sense for emerging countries. Additionally, the authors show that European stock market preferences for right/left-wing administrations is not necessarily related to the beliefs about the size of unemployment, inflation, deficit, and/or debt, which opens the field for further research in this area.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to existing knowledge. It examines if Wall Street folklore, asserting for many decades that stock markets perform better under right-wing governments, also holds for European stock markets given the distinctions in the political and financial systems between USA and Europe. Moreover, the authors underline the introduction in the analysis of the Central and Eastern European countries.
Intracoronary electrocardiogram during alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy predicts myocardial injury size
Authors: Meng Jing , Qu Xiaolong , Huang Haiyun , Zhang Shanwen , Zhao Weibo , He Guoxiang , Song Zhiyuan , Hu Houyuan
Published: October 2015

Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) has been used widely to treat patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). During the routine ASA procedure, it is difficult to detect the septal injury in real‐time. The aim of the present study is to assess myocardial injury during ASA by recording intracoronary electrocardiogram (IC‐ECG). From 2012 to 2015, 31 HOCM patients were treated with ASA, and IC‐ECG was recorded in 21 patients successfully before and after ethanol injection. The elevation of ST‐segment on IC‐ECG after ethanol injection was expressed as its ratio to the level before injection or the absolute increasing value. Blood samples were collected before and after ASA for measuring changes in cardiac biomarkers. The ratio value of ST‐segment elevation was positively correlated with both the amount of ethanol injected (r = 0.645, P = 0.001) and the myocardial injury size (creatine kinase‐MB area under the curve (AUC) of CK‐MB) (r = 0.466, P = 0.017). The absolute increment of ST‐segment was also positively associated with both the amount of ethanol (r = 0.665, P = 0.001) and AUC of CK‐MB (0.685, P = 0.001). However, there was no statistical correlation between the reduction of left ventricular outflow tract gradient and ST‐segment elevation. Additionally no severe ASA procedure‐related complications were observed in our patients. In conclusion, myocardial injury induced by ethanol injection can be assessed immediately by ST‐segment elevation on IC‐ECG. This study is the first to show that IC‐ECG is a useful method for predicting myocardial injury during ASA in real‐time.
Analysis of metagenomic data reveals common features of halophilic viral communities across continents
Authors: Roux Simon , Enault Francois , Ravet Viviane , Colombet Jonathan , Bettarel Yvan , Auguet Jean‐Christophe , Bouvier Thierry , Lucas‐Staat Soizick , Vellet Agnès , Prangishvili David , Forterre Patrick , Debroas Didier , Sime‐Ngando Telesphore
Published: October 2015

Microbial communities from hypersaline ponds, dominated by halophilic archaea, are considered specific of such extreme conditions. The associated viral communities have accordingly been shown to display specific features, such as similar morphologies among different sites. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of these halophilic viral communities across the Earth. Here, we studied viral communities in hypersaline ponds sampled on the coast of Senegal (8–36% of salinity) using metagenomics approach, and compared them with hypersaline viromes from Australia and Spain. The specificity of hyperhalophilic viruses could first be demonstrated at a community scale, salinity being a strong discriminating factor between communities. For the major viral group detected in all samples (Caudovirales), only a limited number of halophilic Caudovirales clades were highlighted. These clades gather viruses from different continents and display consistent genetic composition, indicating that they represent related lineages with a worldwide distribution. Non‐tailed hyperhalophilic viruses display a greater rate of gene transfer and recombination, with uncharacterized genes conserved across different kind of viruses and plasmids. Thus, hypersaline viral communities around the world appear to form a genetically consistent community that are likely to harbour new genes coding for enzymes specifically adapted to these environments.
Crafting fidelity: pedagogical creativity in kathak dance
Authors: Dalidowicz Monica
Published: October 2015

Through a phenomenological account of apprenticeship in the North Indian dance form of kathak, I show how skills are adapted and changed through the ingenuity and innovation required in teaching to new generations of students. The traditional pedagogical model for learning in the Indian arts, the guru‐shishya parampara (master‐disciple relationship), has historically been based on imitative and repetitive pedagogies. Yet close examination reveals less conspicuous forms of creativity at work in the process of reproducing the tradition with fidelity; this improvisational work is further heightened in the demands of teaching in the diaspora. As teachers create opportunities for experiential learning, a spectrum of pedagogical tactics, scaffolding strategies, and coaching competencies are developed and accumulate as this tradition is passed on from one generation to the next. The pedagogical work in crafting fidelity can, in fact, produce its own kind of knowledge, which, ironically, can add new elements to the tradition in unexpected ways. In one unique case – the example of ‘kathak yoga’ – the pedagogical adaptations of kathak artist Pandit Chitresh Das elicited a creative response, a new scaffolding technique that would eventually be incorporated into the repertoire as a skill in itself. Pedagogical process, in this sense, was creative process.
The impasse of modernity: personal agency, divine destiny, and the unpredictability of intimate relationships in Morocco
Authors: Menin Laura
Published: October 2015

Following the romantic vicissitudes of Ghizlan, a professional woman in her thirties, this article explores the expectations and unexpected outcomes of love in a rapidly changing Moroccan town. Imagined as a pure and elective union between two individuals, love manifests itself in Ghizlan's lived experience as a dangerous adventure along the thin line between human agency and divine destiny, personal desires and social constraints. In the wake of the Islamic revival, a purified idea of ‘Islamic modernity’ provides the religious imagination and vocabulary with which Ghizlan recomposes the unfulfilled promises of love and discusses recent developments in Morocco. Interweaving love and destiny, Ghizlan's reflections reveal a perspective on agency and (inter)subjectivity that exceeds intentionality, desire, and rational understanding. Highlighting the fundamental roles of human passions and transcendental powers in people's ethical and existential journeys, this article hopes to contribute to an emerging ‘anthropology of ethics and freedom’. It broadens current anthropological debates by interrogating the very meanings of choice, freedom, and responsibility in a world where personal agency meets human powers, divinely preordained futures, and material contingencies.
Associations of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders With Presenting Problems and Outcomes in Older Adults’ Emergency Department Visits
Authors: Choi Namkee G. , DiNitto Diana M. , Marti C. Nathan , Choi Bryan Y.
Published: October 2015

Objectives

The increasing prevalence of mental health and/or substance use disorders in older adults is a significant public health issue affecting their health, health care use, and health care outcomes. These disorders are especially prevalent in emergency department (ED) visits. This study examined the effect of mental health and substance use disorders on older adults’ ED presenting problems and outcomes.

Methods

Data were from the publicly available 2012 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample data set (unweighted n = 5,344,743 visits by the 65+ years age group). We used binary logistic regression analysis to test relationships between mental health and substance use disorders and suicide attempts, falls, and other injuries and multinomial logistic regression analysis to test relationships between the disorders and ED outcomes of death, hospital admission, transfer to institutional care, home health care, leaving against medical advice (AMA), or other or unknown destinations, as opposed to routine care.

Results

Of ED visits by older adults, 5.1% involved anxiety disorders, 7.1% involved mood disorders, 10.45% involved delirium/dementia, 1.4% involved alcohol use disorders, and 0.6% involved drug use disorders; 0.2% were suicide‐related, 12.0% involved falls, and 10.2% involved other injuries. Mental health and substance use disorders had large‐to‐medium effects on suicide attempts. Both dementia and delirium and alcohol use disorders had a small effect on falls. Drug use disorders had a small effect on other injuries. Anxiety disorder had a small effect on the risk of death in the ED or in the hospital, relative to routine care. Suicide attempts and drug use disorders had a medium effect on hospital admission. Suicide attempts had a large effect, delirium and dementia and other mental disorders had medium effects, and mood disorder had a small effect on the risk of transfer to another facility. Delirium and dementia, suicide attempts, and drug use disorders had small effects on the risk of discharge with home health care. Alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders had a small effect on the risk of leaving AMA. Finally, suicide attempts had a medium effect on the risk of other outcomes and unknown destinations.

Conclusions

Late‐life mental health and substance use disorders are significant risk factors for both intentional self‐harm and unintentional injuries that bring older adults to the ED and contribute to ED dispositions and outcomes that involve more intensive and longer‐term health care services. The findings underscore the importance of detection and treatment of these disorders among older adults before they end up in the ED.
How Do Emergency Medicine Residency Programs Structure Their Clinical Competency Committees? A Survey
Authors: Doty Christopher I. , Roppolo Lynn P. , Asher Shellie , Seamon Jason P. , Bhat Rahul , Taft Stephanie , Graham Autumn , Willis James
Published: October 2015

Background

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recently has mandated the formation of a clinical competency committee (CCC) to evaluate residents across the newly defined milestone continuum. The ACGME has been nonproscriptive of how these CCCs are to be structured in order to provide flexibility to the programs.

Objectives

No best practices for the formation of CCCs currently exist. We seek to determine common structures of CCCs recently formed in the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) member programs and identify unique structures that have been developed.

Methods

In this descriptive study, an 18‐question survey was distributed via the CORD listserv in the late fall of 2013. Each member program was asked questions about the structure of its CCC. These responses were analyzed with simple descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 116 of the 160 programs responded, giving a 73% response rate. Of responders, most (71.6%) CCCs are chaired by the associate or assistant program director, while a small number (14.7%) are chaired by a core faculty member. Program directors (PDs) chair 12.1% of CCCs. Most CCCs are attended by the PD (85.3%) and selected core faculty members (78.5%), leaving the remaining committees attended by any core faculty. Voting members of the CCC consist of the residency leadership either with the PD (53.9%) or without the PD (36.5%) as a voting member. CCCs have an average attendance of 7.4 members with a range of three to 15 members. Of respondents, 53.1% of CCCs meet quarterly while 37% meet monthly. The majority of programs (76.4%) report a system to match residents with a faculty mentor or advisor. Of respondents, 36% include the resident's faculty mentor or advisor to discuss a particular resident. Milestone summaries (determination of level for each milestone) are the primary focus of discussion (93.8%), utilizing multiple sources of information.

Conclusions

The substantial variability and diversity found in our CORD survey of CCC structure and function suggest that there are myriad strategies that residency programs can use to match individual program needs and resources to requirements of the ACGME. Identifying a single protocol for CCC structure and development may prove challenging.
The effect of geographic indication in advertising background pictures on product evaluation: The moderating role of familiarity
Authors: Kim Yeung‐Jo , Song Sie‐Yeoun , Yeo Junsang
Published: October 2015

This study investigates whether geographic indications in the backgrounds of advertising pictures might affect the viewer's evaluation of a product. The findings reveal that participants in the proximal geographic indication evaluated the product more favourably than those in the distal geographic indication when they were exposed to feasibility‐related information. By contrast, participants in the distal geographic indication evaluated the product more favourably than those in the proximal geographic indication when they were exposed to desirability‐related information. However, familiarity with geographic indications eliminated this effect.
Multi‐Electrode Array for Transcutaneous Lumbar Posterior Root Stimulation
Authors: Krenn Matthias , Hofstoetter Ursula S. , Danner Simon M. , Minassian Karen , Mayr Winfried
Published: October 2015

Interest in transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord is increasing in human electrophysiological and clinical studies. The stimulation effects on lower limb muscles depend on the depolarization of segmentally organized posterior root afferents and, thus, the rostro‐caudal stimulation site. In previous studies, selective stimulation was achieved by varying the positions of single self‐adhesive electrodes over the thoracolumbar spine. Here, we developed a multi‐electrode surface array consisting of 3 × 8 electrode pads and tested its stimulation‐site specificity. The array was placed longitudinally over the spine covering the T10–L2 vertebrae. Two different hydrogel layer configurations were utilized: a single layer adhered to all electrode pads of the array and a configuration comprised of eight separate strips attached to the three transverse electrode pads of each level. Voltage measurements demonstrated that an effectively focused field distribution along the longitudinal extent of the array was not accomplished when using the single continuous hydrogel layer, and segmental selective stimulation of the posterior root afferents was not possible. The separate strips produced a focused electric field distribution at the rostro‐caudal level of the electrode pads selected for stimulation. This configuration allowed for the preferential elicitation of posterior root‐muscle reflexes in either the L2–L4 innervated quadriceps or the L5–S2 innervated triceps surae muscle groups. Such multi‐electrode array for transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation shall allow for improved control of stimulation conditions in electrophysiological studies and time‐dependent and site‐specific stimulation patterns for neuromodulation applications.
The distributions of Chinese yak breeds in response to climate change over the past 50 years
Authors: Wu Jianguo
Published: October 2015

The effects of prior climate change on yak breed distributions are uncertain. Here, we measured changes in the distributions of 12 yak breeds over the past 50 years in China and examined whether the changes could be attributed to climate change. Long‐term records of yak breed distribution, grey relational analysis, fuzzy sets classification techniques and attribution methods were used. Over the past 50 years, the distributions of several yak breeds have changed in multiple directions, mainly shifting northward or westward, and most of these changes are related to the thermal index. Driven by climate change over the past years, the suitable range and the distribution centers of certain yak breeds have changed with fluctuation and have mainly shifted northward, eastward or southward. The consistency of observed versus predicted changes in distribution boundaries or distribution centers is higher for certain yak breeds. Changes in the eastern distribution boundary of two yak breeds over the past 50 years can be attributed to climate change.
Review of applications of fluorescence excitation spectroscopy to dermatology
Authors: Franco W. , Gutierrez-Herrera E. , Kollias N. , Doukas A.
Published: October 2015

Endogenous molecules that exhibit fluorescence hold the potential to serve as reporters of tissue structure, activity and physiology. Fluorescence excitation spectroscopy is one means to measure and express tissue's innate fluorescence. This review focuses on the application of endogenous fluorescence ultraviolet excitation spectroscopy to dermatology.
Working Towards A UK Randomized Controlled Trial of Psychodynamic Therapy for Psychosis
Authors: Summers Alison
Published: October 2015

This paper outlines the efforts of a small group of practitioners to work towards a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of psychodynamic therapy for psychosis. It presents arguments for such a trial and briefly reviews the existing evidence, concluding that although there are no well‐designed RCTs of a contemporary approach to psychodynamic therapy for psychosis, the non‐RCT evidence supports the view that for some individuals who experience psychotic states, psychodynamic therapy can be a worthwhile treatment. The latter part of the paper discusses some of the issues that need to be considered in designing an RCT of psychodynamic therapy for psychosis, including the views of people with personal experience, feasibility issues, and the likely impact of the exact nature of the therapy provided, the population studied and the outcome measures selected
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Persons in States of Psychosis: Some Research Perspectives
Authors: Rosenbaum Bent
Published: October 2015

This paper describes some basic problems and assumptions in supportive psychodynamic psychotherapy with persons in states of psychosis. It starts out by addressing changes in the views of science – from the case study method to the evidence‐based medicine paradigm – and continues with a discussion of the necessity for psychotherapy integration and conceptual clarification in delineating psychodynamic psychotherapy in the field of psychosis. Over a period of decades a small number of comparative studies have been conducted in which psychodynamic psychotherapy of patients with schizophrenia has been compared with treatment as usual. The latest of these, a Danish prospective multicentre study, is described. Some basic arguments for calling this study ‘psychodynamic’ and ‘supportive’ are outlined, and a few overall aims are described, including the desired abilities of the therapists in this particular field. Even though the use of randomized controlled trials, scientifically, is a difficult paradigm for psychodynamic psychotherapy, studies like the Danish one support the use of psychodynamic treatment in the National Health Service.
Prediction of disease severity in neuromyelitis optica by the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 produced during remission phase
Authors: Barros P O , Cassano T , Hygino J , Ferreira T B , Centurião N , Kasahara T M , Andrade R M , Linhares U C , Andrade A F B , Vasconcelos C C F , Alvarenga R , Marignier R , Bento C A M
Published: October 2015

T helper type 17 (Th17) cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO). As humanized anti-interleukin (IL)-6R (tocilizumab) immunoglobulin (Ig)G has been used as disease-modifying therapy for NMO, the objective of our study was to investigate the role of endogenous IL-6 on NMO-derived CD4+ T cell behaviour. High production of IL-6, IL-17 and IL-21 by CD4+ T-cells was detected in NMO patients. Further, IL-21 and IL-6 levels were related directly to the level of neurological disabilities. The addition of anti-IL-6R IgG not only reduced directly the production of these cytokines, but also almost abolished the ability of activated autologous monocytes in enhancing IL-6, IL-17 and IL-21 release by CD4+ T cells. In contrast, the production of IL-10 was amplified in those cell cultures. Further, anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibodies (mAb) also potentiated the ability of glucocorticoid in reducing Th17 cytokines. Finally, the in-vivo and in-vitro IL-6 levels were significantly higher among those patients who experienced clinical relapse during 2-year follow-up. In summary, our results suggest a deleterious role of IL-6 in NMO by favouring, at least in part, the expansion of corticoid-resistant Th17 cells.
WOULD AUSTRALIA–NEW ZEALAND BE A VIABLE CURRENCY UNION? EVIDENCE FROM INTERSTATE RISK‐SHARING PERFORMANCES
Authors: Rana Faisal , Balli Faruk
Published: October 2015

In this article, we first measure the potential welfare gains from perfect risk sharing among Australian states and New Zealand regions under possible unification. We show that New Zealand regions reap moderate gains from perfect risk sharing when they form a union with Australia, whereas for Australian states, the gains are somewhat similar to what they have attained at the intranational level. Second, we measure the extent of interstate risk sharing and intertemporal smoothing between the two countries. We are able to observe a substantial degree of intertemporal smoothing among Australian states and New Zealand regions, either alone or jointly, thus confirming the permanent income hypothesis. Further, unique to the risk‐sharing literature, we decompose the aggregate (nondiversifiable) output shocks into positive and negative components, in order to assess the strength of risk‐sharing mechanisms across business cycles. The study finds a virtual absence of risk sharing when Australia and New Zealand face negative aggregate fluctuations, raising doubts about the feasibility of the union, particularly during economic downturns. (JEL F41, F36)
WILLINGNESS‐TO‐PAY FOR SPORTING SUCCESS OF FOOTBALL BUNDESLIGA TEAMS
Authors: Wicker Pamela , Whitehead John C. , Johnson Bruce K. , Mason Daniel S.
Published: October 2015

This study shows that fans and people living in the region of 28 Football Bundesliga teams from all three divisions are willing to support their team financially. Survey respondents were asked for their willingness‐to‐pay to avoid a negative outcome (e.g., relegation) and to achieve a positive outcome (e.g., promotion). Fan bonds are applied as an alternative payment vehicle within the contingent valuation method. The results show that different factors affect the decision to support the team and the actual amount of willingness‐to‐pay—for attendees and nonattendees. Public goods are particularly relevant for reporting a positive willingness‐to‐pay. (JELZ23, L83, H41)
CRYPTOCURRENCIES, NETWORK EFFECTS, AND SWITCHING COSTS
Authors: Luther William J.
Published: October 2015

Cryptocurrencies are digital alternatives to traditional government‐issued paper monies. Given the current state of technology and skepticism regarding the future purchasing power of existing monies, why have cryptocurrencies failed to gain widespread acceptance? I offer an explanation based on network effects and switching costs. In order to articulate the problem that agents considering cryptocurrencies face, I employ a simple model developed by Dowd and Greenaway (1993) (Dowd, K., and D. Greenaway. “Currency Competition, Network Externalities, and Switching Costs: Towards an Alternative View of Optimum Currency Areas.” The Economic Journal, 103(420), 1993, 1180–89). The model demonstrates that agents may fail to adopt an alternative currency when network effects and switching costs are present, even if all agents agree that the prevailing currency is inferior. The limited success of bitcoin—almost certainly the most popular cryptocurrency to date—serves to illustrate. After briefly surveying episodes of successful monetary transition, I conclude that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are unlikely to generate widespread acceptance in the absence of either significant monetary instability or government support. (JEL E40, E41, E42, E49)
Leaping to Conclusions: Why Premise Relevance Affects Argument Strength
Authors: Ransom Keith J. , Perfors Andrew , Navarro Daniel J.
Published: October 2015

Everyday reasoning requires more evidence than raw data alone can provide. We explore the idea that people can go beyond this data by reasoning about how the data was sampled. This idea is investigated through an examination of premise non‐monotonicity, in which adding premises to a category‐based argument weakens rather than strengthens it. Relevance theories explain this phenomenon in terms of people's sensitivity to the relationships among premise items. We show that a Bayesian model of category‐based induction taking premise sampling assumptions and category similarity into account complements such theories and yields two important predictions: First, that sensitivity to premise relationships can be violated by inducing a weak sampling assumption; and second, that premise monotonicity should be restored as a result. We test these predictions with an experiment that manipulates people's assumptions in this regard, showing that people draw qualitatively different conclusions in each case.
The prognostic relevance of oxygen uptake in inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Richter Manuel Jonas , Pader Philip , Gall Henning , Reichenberger Frank , Seeger Werner , Mayer Eckhard , Guth Stefan , Kramm Thorsten , Grimminger Friedrich , Ghofrani Hossein A. , Voswinckel Robert
Published: October 2015

Background

Patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) present with a decreased oxygen uptake, however, the prognostic relevance of oxygen uptake (VO2) in inoperable CTEPH is unknown.

Methods

Patients with inoperable CTEPH were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were assessed by means of right heart catheterisation and cardio pulmonary exercise testing in semisupine position with a 30 Watt increment step‐protocol.

Results

One‐hundred and fifty‐one patients (82 female (54.3%), mean age 61 ± 12.4 years) presented with a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 40.2 ± 14.2 mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of 641.9 ± 374.8 dyne∗s/cm5. The peak VO2 (mean 13.1 ± 4.5 mL∗kg−1∗min−1) was measured at initial referral. Over a follow‐up of up to 10 years (mean 4.41 ± 2.57 years), 31 patients had died. Patients with a baseline peak VO2 ≥ 10.7 mL∗kg−1∗min−1 [area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.728, P = 0.001] had better survival than those with a peak VO2 ≤ 10.7 mL∗kg−1∗min−1 using Kaplan–Meier analysis (88.8% vs 60.1%; log rank P = 0.001). Adjusting for age, gender and PVR, multivariate analysis identified peak VO2 as a predictor of mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 2.78, 95% CI 1.01–7.63, P = 0.047]. In addition, peak VO2 failed as an independent prognostic factor in a stepwise multivariate model including all variables significant in the univariate analysis.

Conclusions

In patients with inoperable CTEPH the peak VO2 is a significant predictor of survival, when adjusting for age, gender and PVR. However, peak VO2 failed as an independent prognostic factor when correcting for all significant baseline variables, which is limiting the clinical usability.
A new compound heterozygous CFTR mutation in a Chinese family with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Xie Yingjun , Huang Xueqiong , Liang Yujian , Xu Lingling , Pei Yuxin , Cheng Yucai , Zhang Lidan , Tang Wen
Published: October 2015

Introduction

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease among Caucasians but is rarer in the Chinese population, because mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

Objectives

To elucidate the causative role of a novel compound heterozygous mutation of CF.

Materials and Methods

In this study, clinical samples were obtained from two siblings with recurrent airway infections, clubbed fingers, salt‐sweat and failure to gain weight in a non‐consanguineous Chinese family. Next‐generation sequencing was performed on the 27 coding exons of CFTR in both children, with confirmation by Sanger sequencing.

Results

Next‐generation sequencing showed the same compound heterozygous CFTR mutation (c.865A>T p.Arg289X and c.3651_3652insAAAT p.Tyr1219X) in both children.

Conclusions

As this mutation is consistent with the clinical manifestations of CF and no other mutations were detected after scanning the gene sequence, we suggest that the CF phenotype is caused by compound heterozygosity for c.865A>T and c.3651_3652insAAAT. As c865A>T is not currently listed in the “Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Database”, this information about CF in a Chinese population is of interest.
An analysis of the quality indicators of the organ donation process in São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Moura Luciana Carvalho , de Oliveira Priscilla Caroliny , dos Santos Juliana Guareschi , Paglione Heloisa Barboza , do Nascimento Neto Jose Maria , dos Santos Roberta Cristina Cardoso , de Oliveira Marcos Marli Cristina , Carneiro André Ramos , Moreira Felipe Alves , Correa Calado Dayana Aparecida Martins , Leite Renata Fabiana , de Aguiar Roza Bartira , de Oliveira Salvalaggio Paolo Rogerio , de Matos Ana Cristina Carvalho
Published: October 2015

Background

Few studies have investigated whether quality initiatives in the process of organ donation yield better results of the organ donation process.

Objective

To analyze whether the indicators of the organ donation process in Brazilian hospitals meet the standards established by the Organ Donation European Quality System (ODEQUS).

Design

We evaluated the quality of the organ donation in a selected group of Brazilian hospitals served by the Nucleus of Organ Procurement (NOP) using standards of the ODEQUS.

Results

Structural and process indicators had 100% conformity. Indicators of results showed a family consent rate of 61% (29% lower than ODEQUS goal); a conversion rate of potential donors to effective donors of 47% (28% below the goal); and a 12% rate of sudden cardiac arrest (higher than the quality limit).

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance for the development of quality initiatives in identifying gaps and weaknesses in the process that should be corrected or even restructured, therefore maximizing the number of donors and organs transplanted. Hospitals that participate in the NOP process met 61% of the quality indicators proposed by ODEQUS. Identification of potential donors, family consent, conversion, and sudden cardiac arrest rates are areas that did not conform to ODEQUS standard and revealed a great opportunity for improvement.
Sex of the baby and future maternal risk of Type 2 diabetes in women who had gestational diabetes
Authors: Retnakaran R. , Shah B. R.
Published: October 2015

Aims

Women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus have a chronic defect in the secretion of insulin by the pancreatic β cells that underlies both their diagnostic hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and their elevated lifetime risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future. It has recently emerged that carrying a male fetus is associated with poorer maternal β‐cell function and an increased risk of gestational diabetes, whereas the development of gestational diabetes when carrying a girl (as compared with a boy) predicts a comparatively higher risk of early progression to Type 2 diabetes before any subsequent pregnancy. In this context, we sought to determine the impact of fetal sex on the long‐term risk of Type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes.

Methods

Using population‐based administrative databases, we identified all women in Ontario, Canada, with a singleton live‐birth first pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes between April 2000 and March 2010 (n = 23 363). We compared the risk of subsequent Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy in those who carried a girl (n = 11 229) vs. those who carried a boy (n = 12 134).

Results

Over median 5.5 years follow‐up, 5483 women (23.5%) were diagnosed with diabetes. Compared with those who carried a boy, women who had a girl had an elevated risk of subsequently developing diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.12).

Conclusions

Among women with gestational diabetes, those who are carrying a girl have a slightly higher overall future risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor treatment results in recovery of motor function after white matter damage in mice
Authors: Theoret Jennifer K. , Jadavji Nafisa M. , Zhang Min , Smith Patrice D.
Published: October 2015

Clinical stroke usually results from a cerebral ischaemic event, and is frequently a debilitating condition with limited treatment options. A significant proportion of clinical strokes result from specific damage to the subcortical white matter (SWM), but currently there are few animal models available to investigate the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies to promote recovery. Granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) is a cytokine that has been previously shown to promote neuroprotective effects after brain damage; however, the mechanisms mediating this effect are not known. Here, it is reported that GM‐CSF treatment results in dramatic functional improvement in a white matter model of stroke in mice. SWM stroke was induced in mice by unilateral injections of the vasoconstrictor, endothelin‐1 (ET‐1). The results reveal that ET‐1‐induced stroke impairs skilled motor function on the single pellet‐reaching task and results in forelimb asymmetry, in adult mice. Treatment with GM‐CSF, after stroke, restores motor function and abolishes forelimb asymmetry. The results also indicate that GM‐CSF promotes its effects by activating mammalian target of rapamycin signalling mechanisms in the brain following stroke injury. Additionally, a significant increase in GM‐CSF receptor expression was found in the ipsilateral hemisphere of the ET‐1‐injected brain. Taken together, the present study highlights the use of an under‐utilized mouse model of stroke (using ET‐1) and suggests that GM‐CSF treatment can attenuate ET‐1‐induced functional deficits.
The role of the substantia nigra pars reticulata in kindling resistance in rats with genetic absence epilepsy
Authors: Akman Ozlem , Gulcebi Medine I. , Carcak Nihan , Ketenci Ozatman Sema , Eryigit Tugba , Moshé Solomon L. , Galanopoulou Aristea S. , Onat Filiz Yilmaz
Published: October 2015

Objective

Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) show a resistance to secondary generalization of focal limbic seizures evoked by kindling. The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) is involved in the propagation and modulation of seizures in kindling. We first examined the role of the SNRanterior and SNRposterior subregions in the resistance to the development of kindling in GAERS. Subsequently, to determine whether kindling resistance relates to differential sensitivity of γ‐aminobutyric acid γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic or dopaminergic SNR neurons to kindling, we studied the effects of kindling‐inducing stimulations on parvalbumin (PRV; GABAergic neuron marker) or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; dopaminergic neuron marker) immunoreactivity (ir), respectively, in GAERS and in nonepileptic control (NEC) Wistar rats that lack kindling resistance.

Methods

Adult male GAERS were implanted with a stimulation electrode in the amygdala, and bilateral injection cannulas for lidocaine or saline injection (30 min before each kindling stimulation until the animals reached three stage 5 seizures or the 22 stimulations) into the SNRanterior or SNRposterior. In another experiment, PRV‐ir in SNRanterior and SNRposterior and TH‐ir in SNRposterior only were densitometrically compared in GAERS‐SHAM, NEC‐SHAM GAERS‐STIM, and NEC‐STIM animals (6 kindling stimulations).

Results

Bilateral SNRposterior infusions of lidocaine eliminated the kindling resistance and resulted in stage 5 generalized motor seizures in all kindled rats. Bilateral lidocaine infusions in the SNRanterior failed to alter the kindling resistance in GAERS. PRV‐ir in the SNRposterior was unaltered in GAERS‐STIM but increased in NEC‐STIM group. Cellular TH‐ir in the SNRposterior significantly increased by kindling stimulations in both NEC‐STIM and GAERS‐STIM groups.

Significance

The kindling resistance in GAERS is mediated by the SNRposterior in a lidocaine‐sensitive manner. The insensitivity to kindling stimulation of PRV‐ir in SNRposterior of GAERS but not NEC rats, implicate GABAergic SNRposterior neurons in kindling resistance. In contrast, the observed stimulation‐specific increase in TH‐ir in the SNRposterior is unrelated to kindling resistance.
Headache Rounds: Sudden, Transient Neurologic Symptoms in a Woman With Migraine
Authors: Sharon Roni , Rayhill Melissa L. , Kurth Tobias , Loder Elizabeth
Published: October 2015

The following article is a Graham Headache Center headache rounds presentation at the Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital by fellows Roni Sharon and Melissa Rayhill with special guest Tobias Kurth. It summarizes the case of a 36‐year‐old female with no history of migraine in the past, presenting with several transient neurological episodes associated with headache. Her history, symptoms, imaging workup is reviewed. Following the case is a discussion of the differential diagnosis for the patient's symptoms along with a review of the association of migraine with and without aura with vascular neurological insult such as stroke. The article also discusses the clinical implications of migraine as a risk factor for stroke along with possible treatment recommendations.
Triggering Events and New Daily Persistent Headache: Age and Gender Differences and Insights on Pathogenesis–A Clinic‐Based Study
Authors: Rozen Todd D.
Published: October 2015

Objective

To define what are the age and gender differences for new daily persistent headache (NDPH) triggering events and how this may relate to the pathogenesis of NDPH. To describe several new triggering events for NDPH.

Methods

All patients were diagnosed with primary NDPH at a headache specialty clinic during the time period of 01/2009 through 01/2013. This was a retrospective analysis of patient medical records utilizing an electronic medical record system.

Results

Ninety‐seven patients were diagnosed with primary NDPH (65 women and 32 men). The mean average age of onset was younger in women than men 32.4 years vs 35.8 years. Fifty one of ninety seven NDPH patients (53%) did not recognize a triggering event while an infection or flu‐like illness triggered NDPH in 22%, a stressful life event in 9%, a procedure (surgical) in 9%, and some “other” recognized trigger in 7%. All of the NDPH patients who developed new onset headache after an invasive surgical procedure were intubated. There was no significant difference in frequency for any of the triggering events between genders. The youngest age of onset was for a post stressful life event trigger while the oldest age of onset was in the post‐surgical subgroup. Women developed NDPH at a younger age of onset for all recognized triggers, but there was no significant difference in ages of onset between the genders. There was no significant difference in the number of NDPH patients who had a history of migraine or no history and if they developed NDPH after any triggered event vs no triggering event. However, the majority of patients who developed NDPH after a stressful life event did have a precedent migraine history (67%). Newly noted triggers include: hormonal manipulation with progesterone, medication exposure, chemical/pesticide exposure, massage treatment, and immediately post a syncopal event.

Conclusion

More than 50% of NDPH sufferers do not recognize a triggering event to their headaches. A key finding from the present study is the recognition that of those patients who developed NDPH after an invasive surgical procedure all required intubation and we speculate a cervicogenic origin to their headaches. The fact that both genders had an almost equal rate of occurrence for most NDPH triggers and almost the same age of onset suggests a common underlying pathogenesis for similar triggering events. A precedent history of migraine did not enhance the frequency of triggered vs nontriggered NDPH except possibly for a stressful life event.
We are not all coping: a cross‐sectional investigation of resilience in the dementia care workforce
Authors: Elliott Kate‐Ellen J. , Stirling Christine M. , Martin Angela J. , Robinson Andrew L. , Scott Jennifer L.
Published: October 2015

Background

Research on workforce development for high‐quality dementia care more often focuses on enhancing employee knowledge and skill and less on managing employee stress and coping at work.

Objective

To review employee stress and coping in response to high job demands in community‐based dementia care organizations in Tasmania, Australia.

Methods

Stress and coping in response to job roles of 25 community‐based dementia care workers were reviewed using self‐report questionnaire data. Data were analysed for descriptive results and at an individual case level. Individual participant scores were reviewed for clinically significant stress and coping factors to create worker profiles of adjustment.

Results

Two adjustment profiles were found. The ‘global resilience’ profile, where workers showed positive adjustment and resilience indicating they found their jobs highly rewarding, were very confident in their abilities at work and had a strong match between their personal and organizational values. The second ‘isolated distress’ profile was only found in a minority and included poor opportunities for job advancement, a missmatch in personal and work values or clinically high levels of psychological distress.

Conclusion

Aged care workplaces that advocate employee well‐being and support employees to cope with their work roles may be more likely to retain motivated and committed staff. Future research should consider employee stress and coping at the workforce level, and how this can influence high‐quality care delivery by applying the measures identified for this study. Comparative research across different care settings using meta‐analytic studies may then be possible.
Preparation of Giant Dielectric CaCu3Ti4O12 Ceramics via the Molten Salt Method from NaCl Flux
Authors: Wan Wei , Yang Jian , Yuan Wen‐Xiang , Zhao Xiaojin , Liu Changkun , Qiu Tai
Published: October 2015

CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) powders have been synthesized by the molten salt method using NaCl as the flux. The effects of the synthesis temperature on their crystal structures and micromorphologies were investigated in this study. A new secondary phase, Na2Ti6O13, was found in the as‐synthesized powders when the temperature exceeds 800°C. Na2Ti6O13 and CuO secondary phases result in a significant increase in the dielectric constant and a certain increase in the dielectric loss. 800°C is a suitable synthesis temperature to prepare CCTO ceramics with relatively good dielectric performance using NaCl as the molten salt.