bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Altered Notch signalling in Dowling-Degos disease: a transcriptomic insight into disease pathogenesis
Authors: Kumar Sheetal , Hausen Jonas , Sivalingam Sugirthan , Humbatova Aytaj , Buness Andreas , Frank Jorge , Ralser Damian J , Betz Regina C
Published: August 2023

Dowling-Degos disease (DDD) is a rare autosomal-dominant hyperpigmentation disorder caused by mutations in KRT5, POFUT1, POGLUT1 and PSENEN. Our results suggest that dysfunctional Notch signalling in melanocytes plays a key role in DDD pathogenesis, and that altered biogenesis and intracellular trafficking of melanosomes, receptor tyrosine kinase signalling and oestrogen signalling receptor-mediated signalling may represent downstream molecular mechanisms through which decreased Notch signalling leads to hyperpigmentation in DDD. Furthermore, a common downstream pathomechanism for both POGLUT1 and PSENEN mutation carriers can be assumed.
Post-herpes simplex virus encephalitis autoimmunity: more the rule than the exception
Authors: Leypoldt Frank , Wandinger Klaus-Peter
Published: August 2023

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Neurologic complications in herpes simplex encephalitis: clinical, immunological and genetic studies’ by Armangué et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad238).
An Analytical Method for Determining N-Nitrosodimethylamine and N-Nitrosodiethylamine Contamination in Irbesartan, Olmesartan and Metformin by UPLC-APCI-MS/MS in Tablet Dosage Form
Authors: Deeb Ahmad A , Hailat Mohammad , Aldoqum Hani M , Abuothman Mohammad , Abuyaman Omar , Abu Dayyih Wael
Published: August 2023

N-nitrosamine pollutants are probable carcinogens. Regulatory agencies declared their presence in the drugs unsafe for human consumption and demanded their recall. Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-APCI-MS/MS) in tablet dosage form based on International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) tripartite guideline criteria, we aim to develop and test a new approach for identifying and validating nitrosamine-contaminants, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) in irbesartan, olmesartan and metformin. The column was Phenomenex Luna-C18, 100 × 3.0 mm and 3.0 μm. A mobile gradient phase of formic acid in either water or methanol separated the impurities. NDMA and NDEA had retention times of 0.85 and 2.55 min, respectively. The detector’s linearity was established at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 100 ng/mL. R2 for NDMA and NDEA were 0.9996 and 0.9998, respectively, with a linear response function established at 0.6–100 ng/mL. Limit of detection and limit of quantification for NDMA and NDEA were 0.35, 0.29 and 0.55, 0.37 ng/mL, respectively. On average, recovery rates for NDMA and NDEA ranged from 96.0 to 98.4 and 96.2 to 98.0%, respectively. The relative standard deviation for NDMA and NDEA was 3.46 and 2.69, respectively. According to the ICH guidelines, the developed method was quick, sensitive and valid. The pharmaceutical formulations of irbesartan, olmesartan and metformin may be regularly examined using the approach provided here.
Are the effects of catch-and-release angling evident in changes to mRNA abundances related to metabolism, acid–base regulation and stress in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) gills?
Authors: DePasquale Simon W , Howell Bradley E , Navarroli Giulio , Jeffries Kenneth M , Cooke Steven J , Wijenayake Sanoji , Jeffrey Jennifer D , Hasler Caleb T
Published: August 2023

Catch-and-release (C&R) angling is a conservation-oriented practice intended to reduce the impact recreational angling has on fish populations. Even though most recreationally angled fish are released, little is known about how C&R angling impacts fish at the cellular or tissue level. As the first to explore the impacts of C&R angling on mRNA abundances, our study aimed to identify how the stress of angling influenced metabolism, acid–base regulation and cellular stress in the gills of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Because gills are responsible for metabolic gas exchange, are crucial sites of acid–base homeostasis and respond to stressors quickly, we hypothesized that the relative mRNA abundance of genes related to these three physiological processes would be altered after angling. We took gill samples of live lake trout at 0, 2 or 48 h after fish were angled by rod and reel, and then used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure the relative abundance of nine candidate mRNA transcripts. Heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) mRNA levels significantly increased over 5-fold 2 h after angling, indicating a potential activation of a cytoprotective response. However, contrary to our hypothesis, we observed no change in the relative mRNA abundance of genes related to metabolism or acid–base regulation in response to C&R angling within a 48-h period. As C&R angling can negatively impact fish populations, further use of transcript-level studies will allow us to understand the impact C&R has on specific tissues and improve our knowledge of how C&R influences overall fish health.
‘So Manly and Ornamental’: Shoe Buckles and Britain’s Eighteenth Century
Authors: McCormack Matthew
Published: August 2023

The shoe buckle of the eighteenth century is an alien object today. At the time, shoes were manufactured without fastenings and the buckle was purchased separately. This offered opportunities for decoration, particularly for men, whose shoes were otherwise plain and unchanging. Over the course of the century, buckles grew larger and more elaborate, reaching their apogee in the ‘Artois’ style of the 1780s. In the wake of the French Revolution, buckles came to be associated with effeminacy and the excesses of the aristocracy, so fell from fashion. This article explores the roles of gender and class in this story, and will challenge the usual association of the buckle with foppery, demonstrating that they were consistent with mainstream masculinities until the 1790s. In order to understand the shoe buckle’s significance, the article engages with it as a material artefact. With their intricate mechanisms, complex processes of fastening, and roles in meaningful rituals, shoe buckles give us an insight into haptic practices and the embodiment of gender. The article therefore makes the case that shoe buckles were characteristic of masculinities, material practices and social identities in eighteenth-century Britain.
What Is Islamic History? Muslims, Non-Muslims and the History of Everyone Else
Authors: Sahner Christian C
Published: August 2023

This is a work of historical criticism, not a research article or a book review. It re-examines what we mean by ‘Islamic’ when we speak about the discipline of ‘Islamic history’, the standard term for the history of the lands where Muslims were politically and, in some senses, culturally dominant, especially during the Middle Ages. It investigates the consequences of this implicitly religious label for who is included in the grand narrative (Muslims, chiefly Sunnīs) and who is not (non-Muslims and Muslim minorities). It then proposes an alternative approach that favours geography and political periodisation as ways of organising how we think about the past in a more neutral fashion.
Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in a patient with a de novoPOGZmutation
Authors: Eskici Nazli , Madhusudan Shrinidhi , Vaaralahti Kirsi , Yellapragada Venkatram , Gomez-Sanchez Celia , Kärkinen Juho , Almusa Henrikki , Brandstack Nina , Miettinen Päivi J , Wang Yafei , Raivio Taneli
Published: August 2023

Objective

Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous reproductive disorder caused by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency. Approximately half of CHH patients also have decreased or absent sense of smell, that is, Kallmann syndrome (KS). We describe a patient with White–Sutton syndrome (developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder) and KS due to a heterozygous de novo mutation in POGZ (c.2857C>T, p.(Gln953*)), a gene encoding pogo transposable element derived with zinc finger domain, which acts as a transcriptomic regulator of neuronal networks.

Design and Methods

We modeled the role of POGZ in CHH by generating 2 clonal human pluripotent stem cell lines with CRISPR/Cas9, carrying either the heterozygous patient mutation (H11 line) or a homozygous mutation (c.2803-2906del; p.E935Kfs*7 encoding a truncated POGZ protein; F6del line).

Results

During the differentiation to GnRH neurons, neural progenitors derived from F6del line displayed severe proliferation defect, delayed wound-healing capacity, downregulation of intermediate progenitor neuron genes TBR1 and TBR2, and immature neuron markers PAX6 and TUBB3 and gave rise to fewer neurons with shorter neurites and less neurite branch points compared to the WT and H11 lines (P < .005). Both lines, however, could be successfully differentiated to GnRH neurons.

Conclusions

In conclusion, this is the first report on the overlap between White–Sutton syndrome and CHH. POGZ mutations do not hinder GnRH neuron formation but may cause CHH/KS by affecting the size and motility of the anterior neural progenitor pool and neurite outgrowth.
Judicial Independence and Impartiality: Tenure Changes at the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Molbæk-Steensig Helga , Quemy Alexandre
Published: August 2023

Judges should be impartial and independent, judging based solely on the law. Current constitutional literature suggests an important factor in securing this may be the length of tenure. The assumption is that judges with non-renewable terms are more independent than judges with renewable terms since they do not have to worry about reappointment, but proving this assumption empirically is not straightforward. Obstacles include difficulties in comparing different courts and the fact that there is often no obvious case outcome that proves independence. This article aims to overcome these obstacles with a mixed-methods study on the European Court of Human Rights during a time when the tenure rules changed. The study goes beyond the counting of votes and analyses the arguments used in separate opinions as indicators of independence. Our main findings are that, after the introduction of non-renewable terms, judges write more opinions overall, and more of them criticize the judges’ appointing states, while fewer defend it. We also find that judges on non-renewable terms are on average more likely to write opinions addressing violations as systemic problems and to use their opinions to provide guidance for their appointing states on implementing judgments and improving human rights protection.
Renal function and decongestion with acetazolamide in acute decompensated heart failure: the ADVOR trial
Authors: Meekers Evelyne , Dauw Jeroen , Martens Pieter , Dhont Sebastiaan , Verbrugge Frederik H , Nijst Petra , ter Maaten Jozine M , Damman Kevin , Mebazaa Alexandre , Filippatos Gerasimos , Ruschitzka Frank , Tang Wai Hong Wilson , Dupont Matthias , Mullens Wilfried
Published: August 2023

Background and Aims

In the ADVOR trial, acetazolamide improved decongestion in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Whether the beneficial effects of acetazolamide are consistent across the entire range of renal function remains unclear.

Methods

This is a pre-specified analysis of the ADVOR trial that randomized 519 patients with ADHF to intravenous acetazolamide or matching placebo on top of intravenous loop diuretics. The main endpoints of decongestion, diuresis, natriuresis, and clinical outcomes are assessed according to baseline renal function. Changes in renal function are evaluated between treatment arms.

Results

On admission, median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 40 (30–52) mL/min/1.73 m². Acetazolamide consistently increased the likelihood of decongestion across the entire spectrum of eGFR (P-interaction = .977). Overall, natriuresis and diuresis were higher with acetazolamide, with a higher treatment effect for patients with low eGFR (both P-interaction < .007). Acetazolamide was associated with a higher incidence of worsening renal function (WRF; rise in creatinine ≥ 0.3 mg/dL) during the treatment period (40.5% vs. 18.9%; P < .001), but there was no difference in creatinine after 3 months (P = .565). This was not associated with a higher incidence of heart failure hospitalizations and mortality (P-interaction = .467). However, decongestion at discharge was associated with a lower incidence of adverse clinical outcomes irrespective of the onset of WRF (P-interaction = .805).

Conclusions

Acetazolamide is associated with a higher rate of successful decongestion across the entire range of renal function with more pronounced effects regarding natriuresis and diuresis in patients with a lower eGFR. While WRF occurred more frequently with acetazolamide, this was not associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT03505788.
Vulnerability to environmental and climatic health provocations among women and men hospitalized with chronic heart disease: insights from the RESILIENCE TRIAL cohort
Authors: Stewart Simon , Patel Sheila K , Lancefield Terase F , Rodrigues Thalys S , Doumtsis Nicholas , Jess Ashleigh , Vaughan-Fowler Emily-Rose , Chan Yih-Kai , Ramchand Jay , Yates Paul A , Kwong Jason C , McDonald Christine F , Burrell Louise M
Published: August 2023

Aims

We aimed to recruit a representative cohort of women and men with multi-morbid chronic heart disease as part of a trial testing an innovative, nurse-co-ordinated, multi-faceted intervention to lower rehospitalization and death by addressing areas of vulnerability to external challenges to their health.

Methods and results

The prospective, randomized open, blinded end-point RESILIENCE Trial recruited 203 hospital inpatients (mean age 75.7 ± 10.2 years) of whom 51% were women and 94% had combined coronary artery disease, heart failure, and/or atrial fibrillation. Levels of concurrent multi-morbidity were high (mean Charlson Index of Comorbidity Score 6.5 ± 2.7), and 8.9% had at least mild frailty according to the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale. Including the index admission, 19–20% of women and men had a pre-existing pattern of seasonally linked hospitalization (seasonality). Detailed phenotyping revealed that 48% of women and 40% of men had ≥3 physiological factors, and 15% of women and 16% of men had ≥3 behavioural factors likely to increase their vulnerability to external provocations to their health. Overall, 61–62% of women and men had ≥4 combined factors indicative of such vulnerability. Additional factors such as reliance on the public health system (63 vs. 49%), lower education (30 vs. 14%), and living alone (48 vs. 29%) were more prevalent in women.

Conclusion

We successfully recruited women and men with multi-morbid chronic heart disease and bio-behavioural indicators of vulnerability to external provocations to their health. Once completed, the RESILIENCE TRIAL will provide important insights on the impact of addressing such vulnerability (promoting resilience) on subsequent health outcomes.

Registration

ClinicalTrials.org: NCT04614428.
Whole genome sequence of the deep-sea sponge Geodia barretti (Metazoa, Porifera, Demospongiae)
Authors: Steffen Karin , Proux-Wéra Estelle , Soler Lucile , Churcher Allison , Sundh John , Cárdenas Paco
Published: August 2023

Sponges are among the earliest branching extant animals. As such, genetic data from this group are valuable for understanding the evolution of various traits and processes in other animals. However, like many marine organisms, they are notoriously difficult to sequence, and hence, genomic data are scarce. Here, we present the draft genome assembly for the North Atlantic deep-sea high microbial abundance species Geodia barretti Bowerbank 1858, from a single individual collected on the West Coast of Sweden. The nuclear genome assembly has 4,535 scaffolds, an N50 of 48,447 bp and a total length of 144 Mb; the mitochondrial genome is 17,996 bp long. BUSCO completeness was 71.5%. The genome was annotated using a combination of ab initio and evidence-based methods finding 31,884 protein-coding genes.
Comparison of genomic-enabled cross selection criteria for the improvement of inbred line breeding populations
Authors: Danguy des Déserts Alice , Durand Nicolas , Servin Bertrand , Goudemand-Dugué Ellen , Alliot Jean-Marc , Ruiz Daniel , Charmet Gilles , Elsen Jean-Michel , Bouchet Sophie
Published: August 2023

A crucial step in inbred plant breeding is the choice of mating design to derive high-performing inbred varieties while also maintaining a competitive breeding population to secure sufficient genetic gain in future generations. In practice, the mating design usually relies on crosses involving the best parental inbred lines to ensure high mean progeny performance. This excludes crosses involving lower performing but more complementary parents in terms of favorable alleles. We predicted the ability of crosses to produce putative outstanding progenies (high mean and high variance progeny distribution) using genomic prediction models. This study compared the benefits and drawbacks of 7 genomic cross selection criteria (CSC) in terms of genetic gain for 1 trait and genetic diversity in the next generation. Six CSC were already published, and we propose an improved CSC that can estimate the proportion of progeny above a threshold defined for the whole mating plan. We simulated mating designs optimized using different CSC. The 835 elite parents came from a real breeding program and were evaluated between 2000 and 2016. We applied constraints on parental contributions and genetic similarities between selected parents according to usual breeder practices. Our results showed that CSC based on progeny variance estimation increased the genetic value of superior progenies by up to 5% in the next generation compared to CSC based on the progeny mean estimation (i.e. parental genetic values) alone. It also increased the genetic gain (up to 4%) and/or maintained more genetic diversity at QTLs (up to 4% more genic variance when the marker effects were perfectly estimated).
Container Profiler: Profiling resource utilization of containerized big data pipelines
Authors: Hoang Varik , Hung Ling-Hong , Perez David , Deng Huazeng , Schooley Raymond , Arumilli Niharika , Yeung Ka Yee , Lloyd Wes
Published: August 2023

Background

This article presents the Container Profiler, a software tool that measures and records the resource usage of any containerized task. Our tool profiles the CPU, memory, disk, and network utilization of containerized tasks collecting over 60 Linux operating system metrics at the virtual machine, container, and process levels. The Container Profiler supports performing time-series profiling at a configurable sampling interval to enable continuous monitoring of the resources consumed by containerized tasks and pipelines.

Results

To investigate the utility of the Container Profiler, we profile the resource utilization requirements of a multistage bioinformatics analytical pipeline (RNA sequencing using unique molecular identifiers). We examine profiling metrics to assess patterns of CPU, disk, and network resource utilization across the different stages of the pipeline. We also quantify the profiling overhead of our Container Profiler tool to assess the impact of profiling a running pipeline with different levels of profiling granularity, verifying that impacts are negligible.

Conclusions

The Container Profiler provides a useful tool that can be used to continuously monitor the resource consumption of long and complex containerized applications that run locally or on the cloud. This can help identify bottlenecks where more resources are needed to improve performance.
Critiquing the Canon: International Relations Theory
Authors: Blaney David L. , Chowdhury Arjun , Epstein Charlotte , Hurrell Andrew , MacKay Joseph
Published: August 2023

Critiquing the Canon: International Relations Theory considers canonical ideas and thinkers within International Relations and locates them within their historical and geopolitical contexts. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular thinker, and encourages students to explore the limitations of the canon, supporting the decolonizing of our understanding. Pedagogical features include author tutorial videos and end-of-chapter questions to prompt students to develop their own voice and perspective on international relations.
1. Critiquing the Canon in International Relations
Authors: Sabaratnam Meera
Published: August 2023

Critiquing the Canon: International Relations Theory considers canonical ideas and thinkers within International Relations and locates them within their historical and geopolitical contexts. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular thinker, and encourages students to explore the limitations of the canon, supporting the decolonizing of our understanding. Pedagogical features include author tutorial videos and end-of-chapter questions to prompt students to develop their own voice and perspective on international relations.
6. Alexander Wendt
Authors: Epstein Charlotte
Published: August 2023

Critiquing the Canon: International Relations Theory considers canonical ideas and thinkers within International Relations and locates them within their historical and geopolitical contexts. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular thinker, and encourages students to explore the limitations of the canon, supporting the decolonizing of our understanding. Pedagogical features include author tutorial videos and end-of-chapter questions to prompt students to develop their own voice and perspective on international relations.
8. Mary Astell
Authors: Forbes Allauren
Published: August 2023

This chapter investigates how English philosopher, feminist, and political theorist Mary Astell offered a thoroughgoing and sustained critique of social contract theory in Some Reflections Upon Marriage (1700) and A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694). Like many other philosophers and political theorists marginalized on the basis of their identities, Astell was keenly attuned to the views, institutions, and systems of power that were used to perpetuate oppression. The chapter then looks at Astell’s criticisms of central features of social contract theory, particularly in the context of the socio-political institution of marriage as an analogue for the social contract. It assesses whether the analogue holds or whether it was simply a rhetorical device and what this means for how Astell understands marriage. Finally, the chapter suggests that Astell’s critique of social contract theory, especially its application to marriage, was an attempt to reshape the socio-political terrain of her time.
9. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Authors: Hallward Peter
Published: August 2023

This chapter evaluates some of the central tensions that characterize Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s egalitarian account of sovereignty. He formulates this account as the basis for a participatory ‘social contract’, meaning a voluntary form of association that aims to be both general enough to include the people as a whole, yet concentrated enough to command their government and to over-power the divisive influence of a wealthy elite. As he argued in his main political works, if it is sufficiently forceful, such a collective will can counteract the forms of inequality and servitude that have accompanied the historical rise of propertied and exploitative classes. Rousseau’s radical conception of mass power would soon inspire the most uncompromising sequences of the French Revolution. However, its emancipatory promise was also limited by its author’s sexism, his anachronism, and his failure to engage with some emerging forms of inequality and power, notably those associated with the rise of commerce, capitalism, and the transatlantic slave trade.
12. John Stuart Mill
Authors: Marwah Inder S.
Published: August 2023

This chapter assesses John Stuart Mill’s political philosophy, focusing on two particular features of his thought. First is Mill’s relation to the liberal political tradition. Second are his writings on race, gender, and empire, which have in recent years come into greater prominence. The chapter begins by highlighting Mill’s contributions to liberal political theory and utilitarian ethics, the two traditions of thought with which he’s most commonly associated. It then examines his views on government and democracy. The chapter also considers Mill’s views on human diversity and difference, showing how his treatments of race, empire, and gender intersect with his liberalism. Finally, it reflects on what we might think about his political philosophy in light of his imperialist entanglements.
19. Hannah Arendt
Authors: Hiruta Kei
Published: August 2023

This chapter covers the life and work of political theorist Hannah Arendt. It explains Arendt’s theory of totalitarianism alongside her central arguments and idiosyncratic methodology. The chapter then examines her theory of revolution which distinguished liberation as the overthrow of an old oppressive regime and revolution as the establishment of a new order of freedom. The chapter also examines Arendt’s attempt to offer a new political theory attuned to the post-totalitarian present, exploring the key concepts of action, speech, natality, plurality, freedom, and politics. It discusses criticisms of Arendt’s theories related to her cultural biases and racial prejudices and considers the ambivalence of her legacy of feminist theory.
22. Iris Marion Young
Authors: Torbisco-Casals Neus
Published: August 2023

This chapter explores American philosopher Iris Marion Young’s central contributions to contemporary political theory. Young remains well known as a leading socialist, feminist political theorist, whose ground-breaking work on oppression, equality, and democratic theory has had an enduring impact, despite her premature death. After introducing Young’s multifaceted engagements with issues of justice and equality against the backdrop of her personal and political contexts, the chapter examines her influential account of oppression. This analysis is essential to understanding Young’s conception of equality as inclusion. The chapter then analyses her critique of the universal model of citizenship as delineated in her celebrated 1990 book Justice and the Politics of Difference.
23. Bhikhu Parekh
Authors: Uberoi Varun
Published: August 2023

This chapter evaluates Bhikhu Parekh’s texts on multiculturalism, as they are his best-known works and have had a significant impact on political philosophers, scholars in other disciplines, and policy-makers. After introducing Parekh, the chapter examines his ideas about culture and cultural diversity. It then considers why he values intercultural dialogue and examines his approach to legitimizing cultural diversity in a polity. The chapter also discusses Parekh’s approach to fostering unity among the culturally diverse citizens of a polity and looks at how his practical political interventions relate to his ideas about what political philosophy is. Finally, the chapter considers the reception of Parekh’s work on multiculturalism and how best to interpret it.
33. Michel Foucault
Authors: Patton Paul
Published: August 2023

This chapter examines Michel Foucault’s work on sexuality, power, and prisons. It also explores Foucault’s lectures on biopower, race, and government. This chapter discusses his analysis of discourses and truth before considering the concept of power that informed his approach to sexuality and prisons. Critical questions about this concept raised in his 1975–1976 lectures ‘Society Must Be Defended’ led to its eventual abandonment in favour of a concept of power as government. The chapter then discusses the ideas of biopower and race raised in the final chapter of The History of Sexuality before taking up his approach to liberal and neoliberal government in Security, Territory, Population (2007) and Birth of Biopolitics (2008) and the concept of power outlined in the light of this approach. The conclusion summarizes Foucault’s impact on thought and politics around sexuality and the wider impact of his work on power, biopower, and government.
All-or-Nothing Behavior and Catastrophic Thinking Predict Fatigue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Moulton Calum D , Jordan Cheryl , Hayee Bu’Hussain , Chalder Trudie
Published: August 2023

Lay Summary

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often report fatigue. However, the reasons for this are poorly understood. In this study of people with IBD, we demonstrate that all-or-nothing behavior (being very active then needing to resting a while) and catastrophic thinking (making very negative assumptions about outcomes) both predict worsening in fatigue over time.
‘Most of our termes now vsed in warres are deriued from straungers’: Robert Barret’s Glossary of Military Terms inThe Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres (1598)
Authors: Rodríguez-Álvarez Alicia
Published: August 2023

The first English dictionary of military terms was published anonymously in 1702 under the title AMilitary Dictionary. However, one glossary of this nature had already been attached to Robert Barret’s (Anon. 1702)The Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres in 1598: ‘A Table, shewing the signification of sundry forraine words, vsed in these discourses’. Barret had fought in many battles in Europe, where English soldiers came into contact with comrades-in-arms from other countries. Hence, Barret’s glossary constitutes a first-hand source of information on the loanwords used in English to refer to technological and strategic novelties on the field of military science at the time. This article (i) provides a first analysis of Barret’s glossary; (ii) confirms that Barret’s professional expertise as a soldier contributed to more complete and informative definitions than the ones in contemporary general dictionaries; (iii) compares the source languages Barret assigned to the entries in his glossary with the source languages specified in contemporary lexicographical works and in the Oxford English Dictionary; and (iv) confirms the relevance of Barret’s glossary as a testimony to the military jargon incorporated into English from different languages during the sixteenth century. Finally, a close comparison of the definitions of the same entries in Barret’s glossary and Florio’s A Worlde of Wordes (1598) has revealed Florio’s indebtedness to Barret’s military glossary.
Impact of a community pharmacy led antibiotic amnesty in the Midlands region of England
Authors: Ercolani Marco G , Aggarwal Rakhi , Barker Angela , Cooper Donna , Jamieson Conor
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Antimicrobial resistance is a recognised threat to human health and may be driven by the unsafe disposal of antibiotics via domestic waste streams, contaminating the environment. A community pharmacy based antibiotic amnesty could address this.

Methods

We evaluated the impact of an antibiotic amnesty promoting the return of unused antibiotics to community pharmacies in the Midlands region of England during World Antibiotic Awareness Week in November 2021.

Results

Two hundred and thirty nine pharmacies participated voluntarily and held amnesty conversations with 7399 people, 369 part used and 126 full packs of antibiotics were returned.

Conclusions

This is an important public health initiative that could be replicated more widely.
A method for the sensitive targeted screening of synthetic cannabinoids and opioids in whole blood by LC–QTOF-MS with simultaneous suspect screening using HighResNPS.com
Authors: Trobbiani Stephen , Stockham Peter , Kostakis Chris
Published: August 2023

A sensitive method for the qualitative screening of synthetic cannabinoids and opioids in whole blood was developed and validated using alkaline liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF-MS). Estimated limits of detection for validated compounds ranged from 0.03 to 0.29 µg/L (median, 0.04 µg/L) for the 27 opioids and from 0.04 to 0.5 µg/L (median, 0.07 µg/L) for the 23 synthetic cannabinoids. Data processing occurred in two stages; first, a targeted screen was performed using an in-house database containing retention times, accurate masses and MS-MS spectra for 79 cannabinoids and 53 opioids. Suspect screening was then performed using a database downloaded from the crowd sourced NPS data website HighResNPS.com which contains mass, consensus MS-MS data and laboratory-specific predicted retention times for a far greater number of compounds. The method was applied to 61 forensic cases where synthetic cannabinoid or opioid screening was requested by the client or their use was suspected due to case information. CUMYL-PEGACLONE was detected in two cases and etodesnitazine, 5 F-MDMB-PICA, 4-cyano-CUMYL-BUTINACA and carfentanil were detected in one case each. These compounds were within the targeted scope of the method but were also detected through the suspect screening workflow. The method forms a solid base for expansion as more compounds emerge onto the illicit drug market.
A multicenter propensity score-matched analysis of lymphadenectomy in N1-positve lung cancer
Authors: Handa Yoshinori , Tsutani Yasuhiro , Mimae Takahiro , Miyata Yoshihiro , Ito Hiroyuki , Shimada Yoshihisa , Nakayama Haruhiko , Ikeda Norihiko , Okada Morihito
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Selective mediastinal lymph node dissection based on lobe-specific metastases is widely recognized in daily practice. However, the significance of mediastinal lymph node dissection for N1-positive tumors has not been elucidated.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 359 patients with N1-positive lung cancer who underwent lobectomy with systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection (systematic lymph node dissection) (n = 150) and lobe-specific mediastinal lymph node dissection (lobe-specific lymph node dissection) (n = 209). The operative and postoperative results and their propensity score-matched pairs were compared. The factors affecting survival were assessed using competing risk and multivariable analyses.

Results

The cumulative incidence of recurrence and the cumulative incidence of cancer-specific death were not significantly different between systematic and lobe-specific lymph node dissection in entire cohort. In the propensity score-matched cohort (83 pairs), systematic lymph node dissection tended to detect N2 lymph node metastasis more frequently (55.4 vs. 41%, P = 0.087). Eleven patients (13.2%) in the systematic lymph node dissection group had a metastatic N2 lymph node ‘in the systematic lymph node dissection field’ that lobe-specific lymph node dissection did not dissect. The oncological outcomes between patients undergoing systematic lymph node dissection (5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence, 62.1%; 5-year cumulative incidence of cancer-specific death, 27.9%) and lobe-specific lymph node dissection (5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence, 60.1%; 5-year cumulative incidence of cancer-specific death, 23.3%) were similar. The propensity score-adjusted multivariable analysis for cumulative incidence of recurrence revealed that the prognosis associated with systematic lymph node dissection was comparable with the prognosis with lobe-specific lymph node dissection (hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–1.67; P = 0.37).

Conclusions

The extent of lymph node dissection can affect accurate pathological staging; however, it was not associated with survival outcome in the treatment of N1-positive lung cancer.
High Physical Exposure During Female Recruits’ Basic Military Training in Sweden—A Descriptive Study
Authors: Kierkegaard Marie , Tegern Matthias , Halvarsson Alexandra , Broman Lisbet , Larsson Helena
Published: August 2023

Introduction

There is a knowledge gap concerning the occurrence of physical complaints/injuries, i.e., musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), among Swedish women who undergo basic military training (BMT). The aims were to describe prevalence and factors related to MSD and explore physical exposure and performance in Swedish female recruits during BMT.

Materials and Methods

A total of 144 females (mean age 22 years) who underwent BMT in 2016 participated in this cross-sectional study. Data regarding self-reported MSD, physical performance, physical activity and exercise, motivation and mental and physical preparation, and physical exposure during BMT and perceived health were collected at the end of BMT through the Musculoskeletal Screening Protocol questionnaire. Additional data on muscle strength were retrieved from IsoKai isokinetic lift tests. Descriptive and analytic (paired samples t-test and logistic binary regression) statistics were used.

Results

The prevalence of MSD was high, with 33% (n = 48) reporting MSD before BMT, 78% (n = 113) during, and 50% (n = 72) at the end of BMT. Knee and upper back were the most frequently reported MSD locations. Forty-four (30%) participants felt insufficiently physically prepared for BMT. The physical exposure was high with loaded marches/runs and carrying heavy loads as the most demanding tasks. The longest walking distance was reportedly 55 km, and the reported maximum load was 50 kg. Forty-five participants (31%) had carried a load representing over 50% of their body weight. Most participants reported good to excellent health at the end of BMT. There was a small (8 N) but significant (P = 0.045) increase in mean force over time. Two variables, MSD before BMT (odds ratio 2.24, P = 0.03) and being physically unprepared (odds ratio 3.03, P < 0.01), were associated with MSD at the end of BMT.

Conclusion

This study showed that the prevalence of MSD in Swedish female recruits was high before, during, and at the end of BMT, with knee and upper back as the most frequent locations. Although the physical exposure during BMT was occasionally high, self-rated health was mainly perceived as good to excellent at the end of BMT. Previous MSD and being physically unprepared were related to MSD at the end of BMT. These important and relevant findings indicate the necessity for implementing interventions to increase physical fitness and treat MSD at the beginning of BMT.
Adversarial inference: predictive minds in the attention economy
Authors: Bruineberg Jelle
Published: August 2023

What is it about our current digital technologies that seemingly makes it difficult for users to attend to what matters to them? According to the dominant narrative in the literature on the “attention economy,” a user’s lack of attention is due to the large amounts of information available in their everyday environments. I will argue that information-abundance fails to account for some of the central manifestations of distraction, such as sudden urges to check a particular information-source in the absence of perceptual information. I will use active inference, and in particular models of action selection based on the minimization of expected free energy, to develop an alternative answer to the question about what makes it difficult to attend. Besides obvious adversarial forms of inference, in which algorithms build up models of users in order to keep them scrolling, I will show that active inference provides the tools to identify a number of problematic structural features of current digital technologies: they contain limitless sources of novelty, they can be navigated by very simple and effortless motor movements, and they offer their action possibilities everywhere and anytime independent of place or context. Moreover, recent models of motivated control show an intricate interplay between motivation and control that can explain sudden transitions in motivational state and the consequent alteration of the salience of actions. I conclude, therefore, that the challenges users encounter when engaging with digital technologies are less about information overload or inviting content, but more about the continuous availability of easily available possibilities for action.
Primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina not associated with diethylstilbestrol metastasizing to the lung: a case report
Authors: Benlghazi Abdelhamid , Belouad Moad , Messaoudi Hamza , Benali Saad , Aitbouhou Rachid , Fatima El Mangoub , Elhassani Mly Mehdi , Kouach Jaouad
Published: August 2023

Primary clear cell carcinoma of the vagina (PCCAV) is a rare form of vaginal cancer that typically affects young women with a history of prenatal exposure to DES. However, data on non-DES PCCAV cases are limited. This report describes a case of PCCAV in a 47-year-old patient who presented with post-coital bleeding and was diagnosed with clear cell adenocarcinoma via biopsy and MRI. The patient had no history of DES exposure and further testing showed no signs of metastasis, leading to surgery and chemotherapy. Four years later, the patient presented with dyspnea, and a chest CT scan revealed a lung nodule, later confirmed to be a metastasis of clear cell adenocarcinoma from the vaginal cancer. The patient passed away a month later due to complications from COVID-19.
Late distant recurrence of endometrial cancer in the lung after 5 years of radical surgery: a case report
Authors: Charii Hajar , Boudouh Asmae , Hayoune Amine , Thouil Afaf , Kouismi Hatim
Published: August 2023

Most endometrial cancer recurrences are seen within 3 years of radical treatment and are associated with various prognostic factors (tumor size, stage, grading, histotype…). Late relapses are considered rare. In this report, we present a case of a patient who was treated for endometrial adenocarcinoma. She underwent total resection and received four cycles of first-line adjuvant chemoradiation therapy using a combination of platinum salts and taxane. A total of 58 months later, the patient presented with chronic cough, and hemoptysis. A computed tomography scan revealed the presence of lung nodules suggestive of metastases. Biopsies were performed, showed infiltration of the bronchial mucosa by a poorly differentiated carcinoma of an endometrial origin. Our patient received two cycles of palliative chemotherapy but was lost to follow-up and eventually died. Imaging after hemoptysis revealed disease progression. Endometrial carcinoma patients treated with radical surgery (R0) can relapse after years of free disease. Thus, recommended: closer follow-up, clinical examination, symptom-based imaging.
The Indian Muslim Salariat and the Moral and Political Economies of Usury Laws in Colonial India, 1855–1914
Authors: O’Sullivan Michael
Published: August 2023

This article examines the long-term response of the Indian Muslim salariat to the lifting of usury laws in British India in 1855. The salariat were a group of urban professionals and landed gentry in north India who emerged after the uprising of 1857. They espoused a self-conscious brand of Islamic modernism, a central feature of which was a reinterpretation of Islamic traditions pertaining to ‘rent on money’ (interest/usury). Hitherto, Islamic legal rules authorizing interest/usury transactions had been context-dependent, but, motivated by the colonial state’s abrogation of usury caps and a critique of prevailing Islamic legal norms, the salariat articulated a context-free interpretation of interest/usury in which the two were made distinct. Henceforth, interest transactions among Muslims were acceptable, but ‘usurious’ moneylending, conflated with ‘Hindu’ moneylending, was condemned. This pro-interest, anti-usury programme frequently fused Islamic exegesis with readings from European political economy. In turn, the salariat crafted a vernacular political-cum-moral economy that they sought to propagate among the Muslim masses. Nevertheless, by 1914 the salariat had largely disavowed this programme, convinced that the colonial state’s revocation of usury laws had produced a Hindu–Muslim wealth gap. Now a new conception of an ‘Islamic’ economy, in which all interest was anathema, materialized.
Rational quality and cost of critical care systems are more important than individual considerations: a view from India
Authors: Dasgupta Sugata , Chandra Atanu
Published: August 2023

Critical or Intensive Care Units (CCU/ICUs) play a crucial role in treating critically ill patients, but they contribute significantly to healthcare costs. In India and many other resource-limited countries, private ICU treatment is largely unaffordable for the poor and even a section of the middle class, who are not substantially insured. It is essential for all stakeholders involved in critical care to prioritize quality and cost-effectiveness. To ensure quality assurance, legally binding quality standards must be developed collaboratively by the government, professional bodies, hospital administrators, and domain experts. Regulatory benchmarks relevant to different types of ICUs can enforce adherence and transparency. Telemedicine, referral systems, and interhospital transport need improvement. Addressing attrition rates among staff and greater empowerment of formally qualified registered intensivists in the private hospitals can enhance outcomes and cost control. Long-term post-ICU recovery care is often unaffordable or unavailable in many parts of the world. Engaging families in home care and providing training in basic caregiving tasks can improve outcomes and reduce costs. In areas with limited access to qualified professionals, training of lay community caregivers and practitioners can be beneficial. Multidisciplinary post-ICU clinics and necessary telephonic handholding can support home-based patients and their families. Standardizing prices of essential necessities and promoting rational practices are crucial. System-wide efforts and novel approaches like decentralization of critical care services are necessary to ensure holistic quality and cost-effectiveness, particularly in densely populated countries with resource limitations. These innovations will not only improve care but also enhance preparedness for future pandemics.