bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute reperfusion without recanalization: Serial assessment of collaterals within 6 h of using perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Makris Nikolaos , Chamard Leila , Mikkelsen Irene K , Hermier Marc , Derex Laurent , Pedraza Salvador , Thomalla Götz , Østergaard Leif , Baron Jean-Claude , Nighoghossian Norbert , Berthezène Yves , Cho Tae-Hee
Published: January 2018

Acute reperfusion despite persistent arterial occlusion may occur in up to 30% of ischemic stroke patients. Recruitment of leptomeningeal collaterals may explain this phenomenon. Using dynamic susceptibility-contrast perfusion imaging (DSC-PI), we assessed acute changes in collateral flow among patients without recanalization. From a multicenter prospective database (I-KNOW), 46 patients with magnetic resonance angiography visible occlusion in whom both reperfusion and recanalization were assessed within 6 h of onset were identified. Maps of collateral flow at arterial, capillary and late venous phases were generated from DSC-PI through inter-frame registration, baseline signal subtraction and temporal summation, and graded blind to all other relevant clinical and radiological data using the Higashida scale. Flow direction and the acute evolution of collaterals were evaluated against the reperfusion status. Among patients without recanalization ( n = 33), flow direction remained retrograde. Collateral grades significantly improved between admission and acute follow-up in patients who reperfused (OR: 4.57; 95% CI: 1.1–22.7; p = 0.048), but not in those without reperfusion (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 0.4–4.5; p = 0.623). Our study confirmed that acute reperfusion without recanalization is associated with a significant improvement of retrograde collateral flow. DSC-PI can detect acute changes in collateral flow, and may help evaluate novel treatments targeting leptomeningeal collaterals.
Harm reduction in Finnish drug policy: conceptual problems and contradictions
Authors: Hurme Toivo
Published: January 2018

The article discusses the use of the term “harm reduction” in Finland's contemporary drug policy. The focus is not on the meaning of the term, but rather on its actual use, on how “harm reduction” has been put into play in the governing of the drug question and what is done and has been claimed in the name of “harm reduction”. This brings to light the problems and contradictions that arise if “harm reduction” is taken as a standpoint for policy making or as an analytical tool for drug policy research.

The paper reviews different connections and situations where “harm reduction” has been defined or used as an argument for general or specific goals and interventions. Harm reduction is often seen as a general strategy for national drug policy, as opposed to the traditional repressive and punitive strategy. On the other hand, it is also represented as pragmatic, reactive and situational work without general ideals or principles challenging repressive politics.

Two main perspectives can be distinguished in the discussion on harm reduction: the human rights perspective and the public health perspective. From a human rights perspective harm reduction is advocated by stressing the rights and equality of drug users. The focus is on the harms that the strict policy of control is causing to abusers. Harm reduction from a public health perspective stresses the harms that drug abuse causes to the nation's population, such as HIV, accidents etc. On the side of these main trends, there are however a wide range of practices which are represented in the name of “harm reduction”, among these tighter police control and surveillance to efface the nuisance problems.

The article concludes that in Finland, “harm reduction” is neither a coherent political approach to the drug question nor an exact concept for analytical social research. It is rather a slogan that is used in very different occasions by various political agents as an argument for different interventions, aiming for ideals and goals that might easily contradict each other.
Border trade and tax-free import of alcohol to Norway
Authors: Nordlund Sturla
Published: January 2018

Due to the high prices of alcoholic beverages in their home country, Norwegians usually bring alcohol with them when they return from trips abroad. This can be either tax-free alcohol bought at airports or on ferries, or alcohol bought in ordinary shops in foreign countries. The Norwegians quotas for duty-free import are 1 litre of spirits, 1 litre of wine (2 litres if no spirits) and 2 litres of beer. For the Swedes and Finns the quotas have gradually been increased, since they became members of the EU in 1995, and from 1 January 2004 they can import nearly unlimited amounts of alcohol for personal use. As a result the prices have decreased and made it increasingly profitable for Norwegians to buy alcohol in these countries, especially in Sweden, which is nearest to Norway. In this article the development of the total private alcohol import by Norwegian travellers, and especially the border trade from Sweden, is estimated from a series of survey data spanning the years from 1962 to 2002.

The total private import of alcohol (spirits, wine and beer) has increased by a factor of 13 during the last 40 years. In 2002 it was estimated at 90 centilitres of pure alcohol per inhabitant 15 years and older. This corresponds to nearly 16% of the officially recorded domestic sale of alcohol. During the whole period the predominant part of private import, in terms of pure alcohol, has been spirits, but the import of wine has increased even more, relatively speaking, and corresponded to about two thirds of the private import of spirits in 2002.

The border trade in alcohol from Sweden has increased strongly since 1994, from about 6 centilitres per inhabitant 15 years and older to about 32 centilitres in 2002. In 1994 it represented about 11% of the total private import by travellers, and in 2002 it represented more than a third. Compared to recorded total domestic alcohol sales it represented about 5.5%. The increase was relatively moderate from 1994 to 1999, but from 1999 to 2002 the total border trade from Sweden, in terms of pure alcohol, increased by about 275%.

This development has been caused by several concurrent factors. Firstly, the prices in Sweden have been reduced due to the increased availability of cheaper alcohol from Denmark. Secondly, the exchange rate between the Swedish and Norwegian currencies has been profitable for Norwegians, especially after year 2000. Thirdly, the opening hours of the Swedish alcohol monopoly shops were expanded to include Saturdays starting 1 July 2001, after having been closed on Saturdays for nearly 20 years. And fourthly, a strong focus in Norwegian media on the price levels in Sweden has probably also contributed to the strong increase in the border trade in both alcohol and other goods.
Illegal spirits in Norway – on attitudes and willingness to buy
Authors: Rossow Ingeborg
Published: January 2018

Consumption of illegal spirits constitutes a significant proportion of the total consumption of alcohol in Norway. In the public discourse on alcohol control policy the demand for illegal spirits is frequently referred to as an argument to lower the taxes and increase the availability of alcohol, yet little is known about the demand side of the illegal spirits market. The present study aimed at assessing attitudes to sales of illegal spirits in terms of diversity, consistency and willingness to buy illegal spirits. The analyses are based on a national survey among 1052 respondents in the age group 16 to 79 years. The results demonstrated that attitudes to sales of illegal spirits were multi-dimensional. People tended to a large extent to express agreement with statements arguing acceptance due to high prices and limited availability of liquor, yet at the same time expressing agreement with statements on moral condemnation and concern with social consequences. Almost half of the respondents stated that they were willing to buy illegal spirits if offered. This statement was more common among those who agreed that buying illicit alcohol was a crime of minor importance, who agreed with acceptance of this due to high prices and limited availability and who disagreed with attitudes on moral condemnation.
Alcohol, tobacco and local control: A comparison of several community-based prevention trials
Authors: Giesbrecht Norman
Published: January 2018

In North America there are significant similarities and differences in attitudes with regard to alcohol and tobacco on several dimensions, including the view taken of producers, suppliers and retailers, the products, and in the patterns of use. There are also contrasting as well as overlapping tendencies with regard to perceived problems associated with alcohol versus tobacco consumption, intervention initiatives and the resources available. These secular developments and forces provide a context for examining 10 community-based prevention trials which have sought to reduce harm from alcohol or tobacco using a range of strategies. The strategies have included education and information campaigns, media advocacy, counter-advertising and health promotion, controls on selling and consumption venues and other regulations reduced access to alcohol or tobacco, enhanced law enforcement and surveillance, and community organizing and coalition development. The paper outlines the challenges of undertaking community-based trials and interpreting their findings. It notes that interventions which show promise are those that pay particular attention to controls on access, include the environmental contexts of where the products are sold and distributed, and involve enforcement of public health polices. Controlling tobacco use may be made somewhat easier, than is the case for alcohol, with the vilification of the tobacco industry and marginalization and victimization of smokers. Nevertheless, the community trial provides opportunities for reducing harm related to alcohol and tobacco, particularly if resources are oriented in a coordinated way to those control measures and policies with the widest scope and greatest effectiveness.
Issues surrounding the institutionalization of local action programmes to prevent alcohol problems: Results from a community trial in the United States
Authors: Moore Roland S. , Holder Harold D.
Published: January 2018

If a prevention effort to reduce community-level alcohol problems is effective, an important consideration is whether that prevention effort continues after the emphasis on the issue or the special funding or the unique attention is past. In other words, is the project in-stitutionalized into the community and thus sustained naturally by the community itself? This question has been often overlooked in community research. This paper discusses elements which contribute to or impede efforts to institutionalize a community prevention programme. The data from which these conclusions are drawn are derived from key informant interviews and archival and media data collection from a six-community national community prevention trial to reduce alcohol-involved injuries and death in the United States.
Alcohol & drug use among employees in the private business sector in Norway
Authors: Nesvåg Sverre , Lie Terje
Published: January 2018

Aims

The aims of this study were to map the amounts and patterns of alcohol & drug (a&d) use among employees, to analyze the relationships between a&d use and the experienced negative and positive effects of such use, and to analyze how conditions of work and structural and cultural factors in the workplace affect the a&d use of employees.

Method

A total of 1 245 employees from 74 companies took part in the survey, giving a response rate of 34%. Given this low response rate, the sample was still considered representative, controlling for sex, age, industry, company size and geography.

Results

2.6% of the employees had used illegal drugs and 18% had used prescribed drugs the last year. 3% had used prescribed drugs each week. There were strong connections between illegal drug use and negative consequences for the workplace (absenteeism, accidents and intoxication at work), but it seemed that none of the workplace factors affected the use of illegal drugs. Extensive use of prescribed drugs was strongly connected to experiencing bad working conditions and high absenteeism. 95% of the employees had used alcohol the last year. Based on the answers about the amounts of alcohol consumed the last two weeks, 4% of the women and 5% of the men in the sample could be characterized as heavy drinkers (according to WHO gender-specific limit values). High alcohol consumption is shown to be correlated to negative effects such as absenteeism (only short-term), accidents and intoxication at work. Demographic factors such as sex, age, marital status and caring responsibilities played a lesser role in explaining the variation in drinking among employees in this sample, and especially the variation in work-related drinking. Neither did the conditions of work explain the variation in drinking. Instead, such factors as number of work journeys abroad, hours working outside the permanent worksite, norms and beliefs (especially beliefs about alcohol as a strategy for coping with work strain), offer explanations for the variation in drinking among employees.

Conclusions

Alcohol and drugs use among employees is a twofold challenge to the working life. First, it is a challenge to prevent the negative effects of a&d use on the workplaces and the employees. Second, it is a challenge to prevent the many occasions for drinking in relation to work, and the structural and cultural factors in the workplace, from having a major negative impact on the alcohol and drug use of employees.
Artikel
Authors: Lilja John , Giota Joanna , Larsson Sam
Published: January 2018

Information-based school programs aimed at reducing alcohol and drug use tend to have limited effects. It is claimed that this is because the aims of such programs are to influence the students' behavior and social life outside the school system.

The aim of this article is to describe different views on how to evaluate substance prevention school programs. The analysis is based on publications in the philosophy of science, sociology, psychology, social-psychology and prevention science.

There is an ongoing debate about how prevention programs ought to be evaluated. One group of researchers argues that experiments involving control groups is the only reliable way to assess prevention programs. Others maintain that this kind of experimental data to determine the outcomes has to be complemented by process data. This is because we need to know how programs interact with the local environment to optimize their effects. Knowledge about the processes will enable us to develop more effective programs in the future.

Based on the analysis presented we conclude that both outcome and process studies are necessary to form a basis for the development of more efficient programs. Such programs must bring about positive interactions among the students and between the students and the instructors, which in turn will affect the outcomes of the prevention programs.
Artikel
Authors: Törrönen Jukka , Maunu Antti
Published: January 2018

■ Aim

Pubs are focal stages of sociability. This article investigates the identifications and distinctions between us and them, made by Finnish people talking about their own behaviour in pubs, and the pubs they like and dislike. The data consists of 117 interviews with 23 to 35-year-old young adults who work in business or administration.

■ Method

The method applies classification analysis and is influenced by the structuralist, semiotic, and rhetoric traditions.

■ Results

The analysis shows that many of the interviewees' classifications involve distancing themselves from those people that go to ‘superficial' pubs. The interviewees distinguish themselves from those frequenting superficial places by classifying the interactions there as false and stiff, and contrary to a genuine and relaxed sociability. With these distinctions the interviewees do not aim to distinguish themselves as ‘above' others. Instead, they define themselves as ordinary people by separating themselves from people who are fake, pretentious, or too faddish.

■ Conclusions

This opposition to superficiality and the emphasis on authenticity is reminiscent of Rousseau's criticism of artificial needs. The Finnish interviewees seem to define sociability in pubs in a way that valorises the virtues of ordinariness and modesty. The results of the study speak for the persistence of the norm of equality, inherited from the peasant culture, rather than for the strength of the middle class culture which emphasises taste hierarchies.
Risk, pleasure and information: notes concerning the discursive space of alcohol prevention
Authors: Bergmark Anders
Published: January 2018

In this paper the notions of risk, pleasure and information are discussed with reference both to their utilization within the prevention discourse and to their relation to a process of de-traditionalization. It is suggested that the current lack of options for moral discourse directed towards the individual's freedom of choice, restricts the vocabulary of prevention to deal only with the harm produced by alcohol consumption. Prevention discourses cannot address the motivational structure connected to the individual's pursuit for pleasure and self-fulfilling experiences.

This constraint can be seen as a contributing factor to the centrality of risk in alcohol prevention discourses. Although risk-information is produced within the scientific community by a logic of its own, it is also related to the individuals expanding menu of choices that follows with subject-centered individualism with little or no room for moral discourse concerning the individual's construction of lifestyle and identity. When morality is no longer present, it is only risk that can fill its traditional role, that of being a reason for renouncing. It is not by chance that the most important actors on the alcohol policy scene in traditional temperance societies now are professionals and bureaucrats and not voluntary temperance organizations and that the latter have increasingly adopted their arguments from the former.
Article Commentary: Alcohol policy research and the grey literature
Authors: Babor Thomas F. , Xuan Ziming
Published: January 2018

This commentary is a tale of two international surveys dealing with alcohol policy. One was conducted by an international public health agency, the World Health Organization, the other by a “social aspect organization,” the International Center for Alcohol Policies, which is funded by the alcohol industry. Although the two studies share a similar survey methodology and common policy aims, the findings and conclusions are very different. Prevalence estimates for a variety of alcohol policies were significantly lower in the ICAP survey, suggesting possible sampling bias or poor survey design. We found the WHO report appropriately cautious in the conclusions drawn, with no instances where the interpretation did not conform reasonably well to the data reported. In contrast, the ICAP survey was faulted in the areas of transparency of the data analyses, the accuracy of the statistical reporting and interpretation of the data. In particular, the ICAP report claims that public education on alcohol was identified by 70% of respondents in “emerging” market countries, when this item was endorsed by only 38% of the sample. If there is any lesson to be learned from this “tale of two surveys,” it is that users of the grey literature need to discriminate between frivolous survey research and more serious attempts to provide accurate and useful information.
The danger lies in the drink. Early campaigns against alcohol abuse in Sweden
Authors: Björkman Jenny
Published: January 2018

Between the 1850's and the 1920's the propaganda against alcohol changed in Sweden. At first the state was passive, but as time passed by the state took a great responsibility. In the 1920's almost all information about alcohol was sanctioned by the state. At the same time the strong temperance movement was involved in the propaganda. The message therefore was not only temperance but total sobriety. This connection to the temperance argument was however not debated.

The school was early recognised as an ideal place to inform the young citizens about a good behaviour. The pupils should not only learn not to drink alcohol, they should also learn that abstention was the behaviour of a good citizen. In the school it was also easy to reach the children of the working classes. The working class was often regarded as the main problem. They drank more and the problem with a heavy drinking was greater among them.

The gradually more intense information and propaganda can be connected to Nikolas Roses ideas about the advanced liberal state, where greater freedom is connected to more restrictions. In order to deserve democratic and liberal rights the citizens must know how to behave, which they learned in the temperence-education.
Diagnostic performances of two rapid tests for detection of feline leukemia virus antigen in sera of experimentally feline leukemia virus-infected cats
Authors: Krecic Matthew R , Velineni Sridhar , Meeus Patrick , Fan Huihao , Loenser Michael
Published: January 2018

Objectives

The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of WITNESS FeLV-FIV (Zoetis) and SNAP FIV/FeLV Combo Test (IDEXX) for the detection of FeLV p27 antigen in the sera of experimentally feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-infected cats.

Methods

Diagnostic sensitivities of WITNESS and SNAP were determined through testing of 47 serum samples collected from cats day 56 post-experimental infection with a virulent FeLV Rickard strain. Successful experimental infection was confirmed based on observation of FeLV antigen and proviral DNA in anti-coagulated (EDTA) whole-blood samples by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test and PCR, respectively. Diagnostic specificities of both tests were determined through testing of sera of 92 laboratory-housed, non-FeLV-exposed specific pathogen-free (SPF) cats.

Results

Forty-one of 47 blood samples were IFA positive, whereas all 47 samples were PCR positive. All 92 non-FeLV-infected SPF cats were IFA and PCR negative. In comparison to IFA as the reference method, both WITNESS and SNAP tests yielded equivalent sensitivities and specificities of 100% and 97.8%, respectively. In comparison to PCR as the reference method, both WITNESS and SNAP tests likewise performed equivalently, with sensitivities and specificities of 91.5% and 100%, respectively.

Conclusions and relevance

Sensitivity and specificity of WITNESS FeLV-FIV for identifying FeLV p27 antigen in the sera of these experimentally FeLV-infected and non-FeLV-exposed SPF cats equaled those of the SNAP FIV/FeLV Combo Test. However, all positive results, regardless of the point-of-care test used, should be confirmed before making clinical decisions such as segregation from other cats or euthanasia.
ADCT-402, a PBD dimer–containing antibody drug conjugate targeting CD19-expressing malignancies
Authors: Zammarchi Francesca , Corbett Simon , Adams Lauren , Tyrer Peter C. , Kiakos Konstantinos , Janghra Narinder , Marafioti Teresa , Britten Charles E. , Havenith Carin E. G. , Chivers Simon , D’Hooge Francois , Williams David G. , Tiberghien Arnaud , Howard Philip W. , Hartley John A. , van Berkel Patrick H.
Published: January 2018

Key Points

ADCT-402 is a CD19-targeted ADC delivering SG3199, a cytotoxic DNA minor groove interstrand crosslinking PDB dimer warhead. ADCT-402 has potent and selective antitumor activity against CD19-expressing hematological malignancies warranting clinical development.
Factor XIII in plasma, but not in platelets, mediates red blood cell retention in clots and venous thrombus size in mice
Authors: Kattula Sravya , Byrnes James R. , Martin Sara M. , Holle Lori A. , Cooley Brian C. , Flick Matthew J. , Wolberg Alisa S.
Published: January 2018

Key Points

FXIIIplasma, but not FXIIIplt, promotes RBC retention in thrombi and increases thrombus weight. Partial FXIII reduction may reduce venous thrombosis.
Effects of incretin treatment on cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic STEMI-patients with culprit obstructive and multivessel non obstructive-coronary-stenosis
Authors: Marfella Raffaele , Sardu Celestino , Balestrieri Maria Luisa , Siniscalchi Mario , Minicucci Fabio , Signoriello Giuseppe , Calabrò Paolo , Mauro Ciro , Pieretti Gorizio , Coppola Antonino , Nicoletti Gianfranco , Rizzo Maria Rosaria , Paolisso Giuseppe , Barbieri Michelangela
Published: January 2018

Background

No proper data on prognosis and management of type-2 diabetic ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with culprit obstructive lesion and multivessel non obstructive coronary stenosis (Mv-NOCS) exist. We evaluated the 12-months prognosis of Mv-NOCS-diabetics with first STEMI vs.to non-diabetics, and then Mv-NOCS-diabetics previously treated with incretin based therapy vs. a matched cohort of STEMI-Mv-NOCS never treated with such therapy.

Methods

1088 Patients with first STEMI and Mv-NOCS were scheduled for the study. Patients included in the study were categorized in type 2 diabetics (n 292) and non-diabetics (n 796). Finally, we categorized diabetics in current-incretin-users (n 76), and never-incretin-users (n 180). The primary end point was all cause deaths, cardiac deaths, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months of follow up.

Results

The study results evidenced higher percentage of all cause deaths (2.2% vs. 1.1%, p value 0.05), cardiac deaths (1.6% vs. 0.5%, p value 0.045), and MACE (12.9% vs. n 5.9%), p value 0.001) in diabetic vs. no diabetic patients at 12 months follow up. Among diabetic patients, the current vs never-incretin-users, did not present a significant difference about all cause of deaths, and cardiac deaths through 12-months. The MACE rate at 1 year was 7.4% in diabetic incretin-users STEMI Mv-NOCS patients vs. 12.9% in diabetic never-incretin-users STEMI-Mv-NOCS patients (p value 0.04). In a risk-adjusted hazard analysis, MACE through 12 months were lower in diabetic STEMI-Mv NOCS incretin-users vs never-incretin-users patients (HR 0.513, CI [0.292–0.899], p 0.021). Consequently, lower levels of glucagon-like peptide 1(GLP-1) were predictive of MACE at follow up (HR 1.528, CI [1.059–2.204], p 0.024).

Conclusion

In type 2 diabetic patients with STEMI-Mv-NOCS, we observed higher incidence of 1-year mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, as compared to non-diabetic STEMI-Mv-NOCS patients. In diabetic patients, never-incretin-users have worse prognosis as compared to current-incretin-users.

Trail registration Clinical trial number: NCT03312179, name of registry: clinicaltrialgov, URL: clinicalltrialgov.com, date of registration: September 2017, date of enrollment first participant: September 2009
Association of Cell-Free DNA Tumor Fraction and Somatic Copy Number Alterations With Survival in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Stover Daniel G. , Parsons Heather A. , Ha Gavin , Freeman Samuel S. , Barry William T. , Guo Hao , Choudhury Atish D. , Gydush Gregory , Reed Sarah C. , Rhoades Justin , Rotem Denisse , Hughes Melissa E. , Dillon Deborah A. , Partridge Ann H. , Wagle Nikhil , Krop Ian E. , Getz Gad , Golub Todd R. , Love J. Christopher , Winer Eric P. , Tolaney Sara M. , Lin Nancy U. , Adalsteinsson Viktor A.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) offers the potential for minimally invasive genome-wide profiling of tumor alterations without tumor biopsy and may be associated with patient prognosis. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by few mutations but extensive somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs), yet little is known regarding SCNAs in metastatic TNBC. We sought to evaluate SCNAs in metastatic TNBC exclusively via cfDNA and determine if cfDNA tumor fraction is associated with overall survival in metastatic TNBC.

Patients and Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 164 patients with biopsy-proven metastatic TNBC at a single tertiary care institution who received prior chemotherapy in the (neo)adjuvant or metastatic setting. We performed low-coverage genome-wide sequencing of cfDNA from plasma.

Results

Without prior knowledge of tumor mutations, we determined tumor fraction of cfDNA for 96.3% of patients and SCNAs for 63.9% of patients. Copy number profiles and percent genome altered were remarkably similar between metastatic and primary TNBCs. Certain SCNAs were more frequent in metastatic TNBCs relative to paired primary tumors and primary TNBCs in publicly available data sets The Cancer Genome Atlas and METABRIC, including chromosomal gains in drivers NOTCH2, AKT2, and AKT3. Prespecified cfDNA tumor fraction threshold of ≥ 10% was associated with significantly worse metastatic survival (median, 6.4 v 15.9 months) and remained significant independent of clinicopathologic factors (hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.4 to 3.8; P < .001).

Conclusion

We present the largest genomic characterization of metastatic TNBC to our knowledge, exclusively from cfDNA. Evaluation of cfDNA tumor fraction was feasible for nearly all patients, and tumor fraction ≥ 10% is associated with significantly worse survival in this large metastatic TNBC cohort. Specific SCNAs are enriched and prognostic in metastatic TNBC, with implications for metastasis, resistance, and novel therapeutic approaches.
Anti–Ma-1 and Anti–Ma-2 Antibodies in Isolated Fatal Hypothalamitis
Authors: Bustos Mario , Berger Hara , Hannoush Zeina Carolina , Ayala Alejandro , Freire Rochelle , Kargi Atil Yilmaz
Published: January 2018

Lymphocytic hypothalamitis (LHT) is a rare disease characterized by pituitary dysfunction, autonomic instability, metabolic disturbances, and neuropsychiatric disorders. We report the case of a 30-year-old man found to have LHT that progressed despite treatment with methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). A literature review was conducted to identify prior studies pertaining to LHT. Our patient presented with several weeks of fatigue, cold intolerance, weight loss, confusion, and headache. Laboratory tests were consistent with panhypopituitarism. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed an infiltrative enhancing mass in the area of the hypothalamus, and stereotactic biopsy findings showed reactive inflammatory changes. A course of hormone replacement (levothyroxine), methylprednisolone, and IVIG was initiated. The patient’s course was complicated by a fatal tonsillar herniation. Autopsy revealed LHT. The diagnosis and management of autoimmune LHT are challenging. The entity should be considered in the setting of panhypopituitarism with a hypothalamic mass. Differentiating paraneoplastic and nonparaneoplastic hypothalamitis should be established for management and prognosis. Definitive treatment remains unclear; treatment with corticosteroids should be attempted, followed by consideration of other immunosuppressive agents, such as rituximab. If a paraneoplastic syndrome is suspected, management should also be directed toward the primary tumor.
Declining Physical Activity and Motivation from Middle School to High School
Authors: DISHMAN ROD K. , MCIVER KERRY L. , DOWDA MARSHA , PATE RUSSELL R.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine whether naturally occurring changes in intrinsic motivation, behavioral regulation, and goals mitigate declining physical activity among adolescents.

Methods

Latent growth modeling was applied in tests of change in intrinsic motivation, facets of behavioral regulation, and their interactions with goals on change in physical activity measured by accelerometer in a cohort of 260 boys and girls evaluated longitudinally from sixth through ninth grades.

Results

Physical activity declined less in youths who maintained higher intrinsic motivation or integrated regulation, but only when they maintained higher enjoyment goal compared with other students. Physical activity also declined less in students who maintained higher intrinsic motivation or integrated motivation and had bigger declines in appearance goal (or social and competence goals with intrinsic motivation) compared with students who maintained higher levels of those goals. The interactions correspond to 1 to 2 min·h−1 less decrease in physical activity.

Conclusions

Consistent with Self-Determination Theory, the findings encourage interventions that target autonomous motivation among youths. The results extend prior evidence in three ways. First, the cohort was tracked for 3 yr using an objective measure of physical activity. Second, influences of intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation on changing physical activity were not direct. They interacted with changing goals, indicating that interventions should also focus on specific goals for physical activity as effect modifiers. Third, interventions focused on autonomous motivation should consider that controlled, introjected motivation may also interact with goals to influence physical activity during the transition between middle school and high school.
Together We Will: Experimental Evidence on Female Voting Behavior in Pakistan
Authors: Giné Xavier , Mansuri Ghazala
Published: January 2018

In many emerging democracies women are less likely to vote than men and, when they do vote, are likely to follow the wishes of male household and clan heads. We assess the impact of a voter awareness campaign on female turnout, candidate choice and party vote shares. Geographic clusters within villages were randomly assigned to treatment or control, and within treated clusters, some households were not targeted. Compared to women in control clusters, both targeted and untargeted women in treated clusters are 11 percentage points more likely to vote, and are also more likely to exercise independence in candidate choice, indicating large spillovers. Data from polling stations suggests that treating 10 women increased female turnout by about seven votes, resulting in a cost per vote of US$3.1. Finally, a 10 percent increase in the share of treated women at the polling station led to a 7 percent decrease in the share of votes of the winning party. (JEL D72, J12, J16, O12, O17, Z13)
The Price of Prejudice
Authors: Hedegaard Morten Størling , Tyran Jean-Robert
Published: January 2018

We present a new type of field experiment to investigate ethnic prejudice in the workplace. Our design allows us to study how potential discriminators respond to changes in the cost of discrimination. We find that ethnic discrimination is common but highly responsive to the “price of prejudice,” i.e., to the opportunity cost of choosing a less productive worker on ethnic grounds. Discriminators are on average willing to forego 8 percent of their earnings to avoid a coworker of the other ethnic type. The evidence suggests that animus rather than statistical discrimination explains observed behavior. (JEL C93, J15, J24, J31, J71)
A peptidylic inhibitor for neutralizing expandedCAGRNA-induced nucleolar stress in polyglutamine diseases
Authors: Zhang Qian , Chen Zhefan Stephen , An Ying , Liu Haizhen , Hou Yonghui , Li Wen , Lau Kwok-Fai , Koon Alex Chun , Ngo Jacky Chi Ki , Chan Ho Yin Edwin
Published: January 2018

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a class of progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the expression of both expandedCAGRNA and misfolded polyQ protein. We previously reported that the direct interaction between expandedCAGRNA and nucleolar protein nucleolin (NCL) impedespreribosomalRNA (pre-rRNA) transcription, and eventually triggers nucleolar stress-induced apoptosis in polyQ diseases. Here, we report that a 21-amino acid peptide, named “beta-structured inhibitor for neurodegenerative diseases” (BIND), effectively suppresses toxicity induced by expandedCAGRNA. When administered to a cell model, BIND potently inhibited cell death induced by expandedCAGRNA with an IC50value of ∼0.7 µM. We showed that the function of BIND is dependent on Glu2, Lys13, Gly14, Ile18, Glu19, and Phe20. BIND treatment restored the subcellular localization of nucleolar marker protein and the expression level ofpre-45s rRNA. Through isothermal titration calorimetry analysis, we demonstrated that BIND suppresses nucleolar stress via a direct interaction withCAGRNA in a length-dependent manner. The mean binding constants (KD) of BIND toSCA2CAG22,SCA2CAG42,SCA2CAG55, andSCA2CAG72RNA are 17.28, 5.60, 4.83, and 0.66 µM, respectively. In vivo, BIND ameliorates retinal degeneration and climbing defects, and extends the lifespan ofDrosophilaexpressing expandedCAGRNA. These effects suggested that BIND can suppress neurodegeneration in diverse polyQ disease models in vivo and in vitro without exerting observable cytotoxic effect. Our results collectively demonstrated that BIND is an effective inhibitor of expandedCAGRNA-induced toxicity in polyQ diseases.
Regulation of transferrin receptor-1 mRNA by the interplay between IRE-binding proteins and miR-7/miR-141 in the 3′-IRE stem–loops
Authors: Miyazawa Masaki , Bogdan Alexander R. , Hashimoto Kazunori , Tsuji Yoshiaki
Published: January 2018

Intracellular iron is tightly regulated by coordinated expression of iron transport and storage genes, such as transferrin receptor-1 (TfR1) and ferritin. They are primarily regulated by iron through iron-induced dissociation of iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs) from iron-responsive elements (IREs) in the 3′-UTR (untranslated region) of TfR1 or 5′-UTR of ferritin mRNA, resulting in destabilization of TfR1 mRNA and release of ferritin translation block. Thus high iron decreases iron transport via TfR1 mRNA degradation and increases iron storage via ferritin translational up-regulation. However, the molecular mechanism of TfR1 mRNA destabilization in response to iron remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that miR-7-5p and miR-141-3p target 3′-TfR1 IREs and down-regulate TfR1 mRNA and protein expression. Conversely, miR-7-5p and miR-141-3p antagomiRs partially but significantly blocked iron- or IRP knockdown-induced down-regulation of TfR1 mRNA, suggesting the interplay between these microRNAs and IRPs along with involvement of another uncharacterized mechanism in TfR1 mRNA degradation. Luciferase reporter assays using 3′-UTR TfR1 IRE mutants suggested that the IREs C and E are targets of miR-7-5p and miR-141-3p, respectively. Furthermore, miR-7 expression was inversely correlated with TfR1 mRNA in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma patient samples. These results suggest a role of microRNAs in the TfR1 regulation in the IRP–IRE system.
Management of eight labor and delivery patients dependent on buprenorphine (Subutex™): A retrospective chart review
Authors: Tith Solina , Bining Garinder , Bollag Laurent A.
Published: January 2018

Background: Opioid use during pregnancy is a growing concern in the United States. Buprenorphine has been recommended by “The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology” as an alternative to methadone to decrease risks associated with the use of illicit opioids during pregnancy. The partial μ-opioid agonists’ unique pharmacology, including its long half time and high affinity to the μ-opioid receptor, complicates patient management in a highly kinetic, and often urgent field like obstetric anesthesia. We reviewed our management and outcomes in this medically complex population.

Methods: An Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved retrospective chart review was conducted of women admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center Labor and Delivery unit from July 2012 to November 2013 using buprenorphine. All deliveries, including intrauterine fetal demise, were included.

Results: Eight women were admitted during this period to our L&D floor on buprenorphine. All required peri-partum anesthetic management either for labor and/or cesarean delivery management. Analgesic management included dilaudid or fentanyl PCA and/or continued epidural infusion, and in one instance ketamine infusion, while the pre-admission buprenorphine regimen was continued. Five babies were viable, two women experienced intrauterine fetal death at 22 and 36 weeks gestational age (GSA), respectively, and one neonate died shortly after delivery due to a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Conclusions: This case series illuminates the medical complexity of parturients using buprenorphine. Different treatment modalities in the absence of evidence-based guidelines included additional opioid administration and continued epidural analgesia. The management of post-cesarean pain in patients on partial μ-opioid agonists remains complex and variable, and evidence-based guidelines could be useful for clinicians to direct care.
A Simple O(log log(rank))-Competitive Algorithm for the Matroid Secretary Problem
Authors: Feldman Moran , Svensson Ola , Zenklusen Rico
Published: January 2018

Only recently, progress has been made in obtaining o(log(rank))-competitive algorithms for the matroid secretary problem. More precisely, Chakraborty and Lachish (2012) presented a O((log(rank))1/2)-competitive procedure, and Lachish (2014) later presented a O(log log(rank))-competitive algorithm. Both these algorithms and their analyses are very involved, which is also reflected in the extremely high constants in their competitive ratios. Using different tools, we present a considerably simpler O(log log(rank))-competitive algorithm for the matroid secretary problem. Our algorithm can be interpreted as a distribution over a simple type of matroid secretary algorithms that are easy to analyze. Because of the simplicity of our procedure, we are also able to vastly improve on the hidden constant in the competitive ratio.
The Development Process of a Mathematic Teacher’s Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Authors: Yildiz Hilal , Gokcek Tuba
Published: January 2018

Technology is an indispensable part of the educational curriculum, and large budgets have been allocated to provide technological infrastructure in secondary education institutions in Turkey. It is important that teachers have the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) to successfully integrate technology into their courses. The aim of this study is to examine the development of the TPCK of a mathematics teacher who participated in in-service training course organized for the use of Geogebra software in geometry teaching. The in-service training is designed in accordance with the Technology Integration Model stages, and Geogebra software is used taking into account the learning outcomes of 9th and 10th grade secondary school geometry. The case study method has been employed, and data was collected through interviews, observation, self-assessment forms, and field notes. The findings show that the in-service training helped the maths teacher integrate technology in the teaching and developed the knowledge of curriculum, students’ understandings and learnings, and instructional strategies and methods. With regard to research recommendations and results, professional development programs that will provide TPCK development can be organized so that teachers can use the ever-evolving technologies in their classes along with the appropriate pedagogical approaches.
HIGHLY ACCURATE CALCULATION OF THE REAL AND COMPLEX EIGENVALUES OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL ANHARMONIC OSCILLATORS
Authors: Fernández Francisco Marcelo , Garcia Javier
Published: January 2018

We draw attention on the fact that the Riccati-Padé method developed some time ago enables the accurate calculation of bound-state eigenvalues as well as of resonances embedded either in the continuum or in the discrete spectrum. We apply the approach to several one-dimensional models that exhibit different kind of spectra. In particular we test a WKB formula for the imaginary part of the resonance in the discrete spectrum of a three-well potential.
NEW SPECTRAL STATISTICS FOR ENSEMBLES OF 2 × 2 REAL SYMMETRIC RANDOM MATRICES
Authors: Kumar Sachin , Ahmed Zafar
Published: January 2018

We investigate spacing statistics for ensembles of various real random matrices where the matrix-elements have various Probability Distribution Function (PDF: f(x)) including Gaussian. For two modifications of 2 × 2 matrices with various PDFs, we derive the spacing distributions p(s) of adjacent energy eigenvalues. Nevertheless, they show the linear level repulsion near s = 0 as αs where α depends on the choice of the PDF. More interestingly when f(x) = xe−x2 (f(0) = 0), we get cubic level repulsion near s = 0: p(s) ~ s3e−s2.We also derive the distribution of eigenvalues D(ε) for these matrices.
ON SELF-SIMILARITIES OF CUT-AND-PROJECT SETS
Authors: Masáková Zuzana , Mazáč Jan
Published: January 2018

Among the commonly used mathematical models of quasicrystals are Delone sets constructed using a cut-and-project scheme, the so-called cut-and-project sets. A cut-and-project scheme (L,π1, π2) is given by a lattice L in Rs and projections π1, π2 to suitable subspaces V1, V2. In this paper we derive several statements describing the connection between self-similarity transformations of the lattice L and transformations of its projections π1(L), π2(L). For a self-similarity of a set Σ we take any linear mapping A such that AΣ ⊂ Σ, which generalizes the notion of self-similarity usually restricted to scaled rotations. We describe a method of construction of cut-and-project scheme such that π1(L) ⊂ R2 is invariant under an isometry of order 5. We describe all linear self-similarities of the scheme thus constructed and show that they form an 8-dimensional associative algebra over the ring Z. We perform an example of a cut-and-project set with linear self-similarity which is not a scaled rotation.
ALGEBRAIC DESCRIPTION OF SHAPE INVARIANCE REVISITED
Authors: Ohya Satoshi
Published: January 2018

We revisit the algebraic description of shape invariance method in one-dimensional quantum mechanics. In this note we focus on four particular examples: the Kepler problem in flat space, the Kepler problem in spherical space, the Kepler problem in hyperbolic space, and the Rosen-Morse potential problem. Following the prescription given by Gangopadhyaya et al., we introduce new nonlinear algebraic systems and solve the bound-state problems by means of representation theory.