bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional outcome measures for infantile Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease: a systematic review
Authors: Mandarakas Melissa R. , Rose Kristy J. , Sanmaneechai Oranee , Menezes Manoj P. , Refshauge Kathryn M. , Burns Joshua
Published: March 2018

A functional outcome measure for infants (aged 0–3 years) with Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth (CMT) disease is needed for upcoming disease‐modifying trials. A systematic review of outcome measures for infants with neuromuscular disorders was completed to determine if validated measures were available for the CMT infant population. We assessed 20,375 papers and identified seven functional outcome measures for infants with neuromuscular disorders. Six were developed and validated for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). There were no CMT‐specific outcome measures identified; however, one (motor function measure) assessed a range of neuromuscular disorders including 13 infants and children with CMT. The included studies exhibited “good” face, discriminant, convergent and concurrent validity, and reported excellent intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability. No outcome measure was subjected to item response theory. Studies reported outcome measures comprising of 51 different items assessing six domains of function: reflexive movement, axial movement, limb movement, positioning, gross motor, and fine‐motor skills. Scoring of items ranged from 2‐ to 7‐point rating scales; and none were scaled to normative reference values to account for changes in growth and development. The SMA focus of most items is likely to produce ceiling effects and lack sensitivity and responsiveness for within and between types of CMT in infants. Nevertheless, several items across scales assessing distal strength, gross‐ and fine‐motor function, could be included in the development of a composite functional outcome measure for infants with CMT to assess disease‐modifying interventions.
The genetic heterogeneity of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in a sample of the Brazilian population
Authors: Lavigne‐Moreira Carolina , Marques Vanessa D. , Gonçalves Marcus V. M. , de Oliveira Mauricio F. , Tomaselli Pedro J. , Nunez José C. , do Nascimento Osvaldo J. M. , Barreira Amilton A. , Marques Wilson
Published: March 2018

To present the genetic heterogeneity of a sample of the Brazilian population with transthyretin (TTR) mutations. This cohort study was descriptive and retrospective, and enrolled patients with peripheral neuropathy of unknown cause that were found to have a mutation in the TTR gene during the process of etiological investigation, between July 1997 to January 2016. Over the study period, 129 point mutations were identified in 448 tested patients, of whom 128 were of Brazilian origin. The TTR Val30Met mutation was identified in 116 patients (90.6%); while 7 (4.7%) patients had a pathogenic non‐TTR mutation and 7 (4.7%) carried non‐pathogenic mutations (4.7%). The four non‐TTRMet30 pathogenic mutations were TTR Aps38Tyr; TTR Ile107Val; TTR Val71Ala; and TTR Val122Ile. In the non‐pathogenic group, we only found two mutations, including TTR Gly6Ser and TTR Thr119Thr. Our study depicts a scenario of greater genetic heterogeneity among Brazilian hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). We expect that this number will grow fast over a short period of time, due to increasing availability of genetic tests, increasing knowledge of the disease and the multivariate origin of our population.
Counterfeit esthetic devices and patient safety in dermatology
Authors: Wang Jordan V , Zachary Christopher B , Saedi Nazanin
Published: March 2018

This study addresses the dilemma concerned with meeting patients who may have encountered counterfeit esthetic devices in the marketplace. Over the past several years, we have witnessed a rise in counterfeit injectables and medical devices in our field. Often times, the procedures are marketed to patients at significantly reduced prices compared to competitors. Patients may be unaware that counterfeit devices exist and may unknowingly have procedures completed using untested and uncertified devices. It is important for clinicians to recognize when their patients may be encountering counterfeit devices, know what to do in this situation, and offer the best recommendations.
The anticancer activity of antisense microRNA (fRNA) in combination with the lectin from Bacillus subtilis B-7025
Authors: Martynov Artur , Didenko Gennady , Farber Boris , Farber Sophya , Cruts Olena
Published: March 2018

Objectives

Many adenocarcinomas have the ability to capture from an extracellular matrix the oligonucleotides and nanoparticles by pinocytosis, when the non-cancerous cells are not capable to capture the oligonucleotides and small liposomes. This provides selective accumulation of proposed protected oligonucleotides (fRNA) in cancer cells and also provides the absence toxicity in the fRNA.

Methods

For the immunotherapy, we used immunotropic 70 kDa lectin Bacillus subtilis B-7025. In vivo experiments were carried out in C57BL line mice in Lewis lung carcinoma. The cytotoxic activity, lymphocytes and macrophages were determined in vitro using the MTT assay.

Key findings

Animal survival rate in groups receiving either the fRNA or lectine was 70 and 40%, respectively.

Conclusions

Combined use of fRNA and lectine has the advantage compared with the use of these drugs in monotherapy, as the anticancer efficacy of the scheme is much higher, which is manifested in the primary tumour node and metastasis inhibition.
Rheum palmatum root extract inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma in rats treated with diethylnitrosamine
Authors: El-Saied Mahmoud A , Sobeh Mansour , Abdo Walied , Badr Osama M , Youssif Lamiaa T , Elsayed Ibrahim H , Osman Samir M , Wink Michael
Published: March 2018

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anticancer properties of a methanol extract of Rheum palmatum roots against diethylnitrosamine (DENA)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats and to characterize its phytoconstituents.

Methods

HPLC-PDA-MS/MS was used to profile the secondary metabolites in R. palmatum root extract. HCC was induced using diethylnitrosamine (DENA). The activity of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), total proteins, serum albumin and serum globulin was determined. DNA fragmentation and histopathological examination and GST-P immunostaining were also studied.

Key findings

LC-MS/MS analysis identified 16 compounds belonging to anthraquinones, flavonoids and tannins. The root extract significantly reduced the elevated liver enzymes ALT and AST and increased total proteins, albumin and globulin in HCC-rats. Also, the tumour markers AFP and GGT levels were significantly reduced in HCC-rats treated with the extract. In addition, the extract significantly reduced elevated DNA fragmentation and decreased the numbers and areas of GST-P positive putative foci in HCC-rats.

Conclusions

Rheum palmatum is a potential candidate to be explored for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Secondary craters and ejecta across the solar system: Populations and effects on impact‐crater–based chronologies
Authors: Bierhaus E. B. , McEwen A. S. , Robbins S. J. , Singer K. N. , Dones L. , Kirchoff M. R. , Williams J.‐P.
Published: March 2018

We review the secondary‐crater research over the past decade, and provide new analyses and simulations that are the first to model an accumulation of a combined primary‐plus‐secondary crater population as discrete cratering events. We develop the secondary populations by using scaling laws to generate ejecta fragments, integrating the trajectories of individual ejecta fragments, noting the location and velocity at impact, and using scaling laws to estimate secondary‐crater diameters given the impact conditions. We also explore the relationship between the impactor size–frequency distribution (SFD) and the resulting secondary‐crater SFD. Our results from these analyses indicate that the “secondary effect” varies from surface to surface and that no single conclusion applies across the solar system nor at any given moment in time—rather, there is a spectrum of outcomes both spatially and temporally, dependent upon target parameters and the impacting population. Surface gravity and escape speed define the spatial distribution of secondaries. A shallow‐sloped impactor SFD will cause proportionally more secondaries than a steeper‐sloped SFD. Accounting for the driving factors that define the magnitude and spatial distribution of secondaries is essential to determine the relative population of secondary craters, and their effect on derived surface ages.
Comparative study among Spanish students of health sciences degrees: Facing death
Authors: Pérez‐ de la Cruz Sagrario , García‐ Luengo Amelia Victoria
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and attitudes of students of health sciences faculties (medicine, nursing, and physiotherapy) regarding specific issues related to death and end of life in both professional and personal realms. A descriptive, cross‐sectional, and multi‐center approach was used. The modified Bugen Scale for facing death was used. The study population (411 students) encompassed three distinct groups: students from the degrees of medicine, nursing, and physiotherapy. In total, 12 items showed significant differences between the three groups. The sample presented a moderate level of perceived competency in the ability to face death. We found significant differences in the scores obtained by the three groups regarding their ability to face the death of people who are emotionally close. Furthermore, the sample demonstrated a good level of self‐efficacy when facing death, with nursing students displaying the greatest emotional involvement when compared to their colleagues studying medicine and physiotherapy. It is therefore recommended that study curricula of future health professionals contain specific training in end‐of‐life care.
Multiple choice: hemiparasite performance in multi‐species mixtures
Authors: Sandner Tobias Michael , Matthies Diethart
Published: March 2018

Hemiparasitic plants have green leaves, but extract water and solutes from neighbouring plants. It is still poorly understood how different host plants in communities contribute to parasite performance, as species that are good hosts in single‐host experiments may not necessarily be preferred hosts in mixtures. We grew the root hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus (Orobanchaceae) together with each of 13 host species (experiment 1) and with 15 different four‐species mixtures of these hosts (experiment 2) that differed in the number of legumes and of host functional groups. Parasites profited from mixtures including more legumes and from mixtures including different host functional groups. Some host species and mixtures were very tolerant of parasitism and supported large parasites without being strongly suppressed in their own growth, but the suppression of a species in the single‐host experiment did not explain the suppression of a species in a host mixture. We thus calculated for each host species an index of the difference in suppression between the two experiments which may be related to host use in a mixture. Host quality (mean parasite biomass with a host species) in the single‐host experiment could explain 64% of the variation in parasite biomass with a host mixture when it was weighted by the proportion of the host species in the mixture without the parasite and by the suppression difference index. Our results suggest that plant species which are the best hosts in single‐host experiments are not always those used most strongly by a parasite growing with a mixture. Together with the finding that hemiparasites benefit from a mixed diet based on hosts from different functional groups this suggests that parasites prefer certain host species to obtain a mixed diet.
Returning Heroes: Greek and Native Interaction in (Pre‐)Colonial South Italy and Beyond
Authors: Guggisberg Martin A.
Published: March 2018

The cultural interaction between the native population of south Italy and the first immigrants from Greece and the Levant in the early first millennium BC has been exhaustively discussed in recent years. In most cases the debate has been focused on the native side of the encounter, on imports and imitations of Greek and Levantine products found in Italy and on the effects that these foreign goods and the ideologies attached to them had on the local population. Only rarely, however, has the question been asked of how the encounter affected the Greek and Levantine participants. New evidence from the necropolis of Francavilla Marittima, a pivotal point in the early trade and exchange network across the Mediterranean, reveals the adoption of Greek drinking and dining customs based on the notion of ritualized guest‐friendship by the local elite as early as the third quarter of the eighth century BC. As Greek xenia functions on the basis of equal rank of the participants involved, it follows from this discovery that Greek aristocrats must have been present in the pre‐colonial world from a very early time. In the second part of the paper the question is raised of the material evidence in Greece and the Aegean world for these early contacts with the native Italic population, focusing in particular on the evidence from Eretria, one of the leading powers in the early Greek exploration of the West.
Circadian clock components control daily growth activities by modulating cytokinin levels and cell division‐associated gene expression in Populus trees
Authors: Edwards Kieron D. , Takata Naoki , Johansson Mikael , Jurca Manuela , Novák Ondřej , Hényková Eva , Liverani Silvia , Kozarewa Iwanka , Strnad Miroslav , Millar Andrew J. , Ljung Karin , Eriksson Maria E.
Published: March 2018

Trees are carbon dioxide sinks and major producers of terrestrial biomass with distinct seasonal growth patterns. Circadian clocks enable the coordination of physiological and biochemical temporal activities, optimally regulating multiple traits including growth. To dissect the clock's role in growth, we analysed Populus tremula × P. tremuloides trees with impaired clock function due to down‐regulation of central clock components. late elongated hypocotyl (lhy‐10) trees, in which expression of LHY1 and LHY2 is reduced by RNAi, have a short free‐running period and show disrupted temporal regulation of gene expression and reduced growth, producing 30–40% less biomass than wild‐type trees. Genes important in growth regulation were expressed with an earlier phase in lhy‐10, and CYCLIN D3 expression was misaligned and arrhythmic. Levels of cytokinins were lower in lhy‐10 trees, which also showed a change in the time of peak expression of genes associated with cell division and growth. However, auxin levels were not altered in lhy‐10 trees, and the size of the lignification zone in the stem showed a relative increase. The reduced growth rate and anatomical features of lhy‐10 trees were mainly caused by misregulation of cell division, which may have resulted from impaired clock function.
Changes in iron availability in Arabidopsis are rapidly sensed in the leaf vasculature and impaired sensing leads to opposite transcriptional programs in leaves and roots
Authors: Khan Mather A. , Castro‐Guerrero Norma A. , McInturf Samuel A. , Nguyen Nga T. , Dame Ashley N. , Wang Jiaojiao , Bindbeutel Rebecca K. , Joshi Trupti , Jurisson Silvia S. , Nusinow Dmitri A. , Mendoza‐Cozatl David G.
Published: March 2018

The OLIGOPEPTIDE TRANSPORTER 3 (OPT3) has recently been identified as a component of the systemic network mediating iron (Fe) deficiency responses in Arabidopsis. Reduced expression of OPT3 induces an over accumulation of Fe in roots and leaves, due in part by an elevated expression of the IRON‐REGULATED TRANSPORTER 1. Here we show however, that opt3 leaves display a transcriptional program consistent with an Fe overload, suggesting that Fe excess is properly sensed in opt3 leaves and that the OPT3‐mediated shoot‐to‐root signaling is critical to prevent a systemic Fe overload. We also took advantage of the tissue‐specific localization of OPT3, together with other Fe‐responsive genes, to determine the timing and location of early transcriptional events during Fe limitation and resupply. Our results show that the leaf vasculature responds more rapidly than roots to both Fe deprivation and resupply, suggesting that the leaf vasculature is within the first tissues that sense and respond to changes in Fe availability. Our data highlight the importance of the leaf vasculature in Fe homeostasis by sensing changes in apoplastic levels of Fe coming through the xylem and relaying this information back to roots via the phloem to regulate Fe uptake at the root level.
An Eleventh‐Century Poetic Divination from St. Sophia's, Novgorod
Authors: GIPPIUS ALEKSEI A.
Published: March 2018

This article publishes for the first time a graffito inscription in St Sophia’s Cathedral, Novgorod. The graffito has been preserved in a plaster impression and dates to the third quarter of the eleventh century. It is unique in content and form: a divination made by one Iakov Noga, who refers to himself as “the ravens’ priest.” There are many examples of the worship of ravens as prophetic birds in Old Russian and Scandinavian culture, and there is a close parallel for the expression “ravens’ priest” (hrafnblóts goða “priest of raven sacrifice”) in one of the verse passages in the “Saga of Hallfred the Troublesome Poet.” The text of the Novgorod graffito is poetic in nature, making use of assonance and alliteration as well as of elements of rhyme. It is of considerable interest as an example of the secular poetry of Rus′ and as striking evidence of the syncretism of medieval East Slavic religious culture.
Shaping Up the Stubborn: School Building and “Discipline” in Early Modern Russia
Authors: FEDYUKIN IGOR
Published: March 2018

This article uses the genealogy of school building in Russian school as a lens to explores the articulation of “disciplinary” sensibilities and practices in the empire in the first half of the eighteenth century. While in pre‐Petrine and Petrine Russia school building as an instrument of control over students remained unarticulated and “invisible” to policymakers, by the time of Catherine II’s accession it was perceived as a tool of power central for organizing surveillance over students and manipulating their space and time in order to achieve internalization of prescribed models of behavior and thought. By exploring the shifting meanings of school building in educational projects, regulations, and official correspondence across the decades the article highlights the role of “administrative entrepreneurs” in promoting the new, “disciplinary” understanding of special arrangements. On the other hand, it illustrates the ways in which these religiously‐inspired techniques were domesticated and “secularized” in the Russian context by actors who reinterpreted the school building and ascribed a variety of different meanings to it.
The Distorted Images and Realities of Andrei Bitov's Literary Photographs
Authors: VERGARA JOSÉ
Published: March 2018

Although Andrei Bitov’s best‐known exploration of photography remains “Pushkin’s Photograph (1799–2099),” in which a young Pushkinist travels into the past to capture the poet’s image on film, this motif in fact appears throughout many of the author’s major works. This study addresses the two conflicting stances regarding photography that Bitov develops across a variety of genres. On the one hand, the manner in which a photo attempts to freeze or distort reality according to a particular worldview deeply disturbs his narrators, both fictional and semi‐autobiographical. It becomes a tool for manipulation in texts such as “View of the Trojan Sky” from The Symmetry Teacher, Pushkin House, A Georgian Album, and Armenia Lessons. On the other hand, photography can preserve personal and cultural memory, as seen in works including Pushkin House and A Georgian Album, and offer alternative viewpoints that expand one’s knowledge (Birds, Man in the Landscape). An analysis of the understudied tensions between these two perspectives will better reveal how Bitov deploys his photographic trope in order to probe key themes such as identity, man’s relationship to history and other individuals, epistemological uncertainty, and the fluid connection between reality and simulation.
On the Margins and Beyond: Girl Protagonists in Novels by Svetlana Vasilenko, Dina Rubina, and Elena Chizhova
Authors: SORVARI MARJA
Published: March 2018

This article addresses fictional characters who can be characterized as vulnerable, boundary, or liminal figures in novels by Svetlana Vasilenko, Dina Rubina, and Elena Chizhova. It will be suggested that these heroines represent liminal subjectivities; subjects‐in‐process, subjects in the process of becoming. The concept of liminality has attained much attention in contemporary literary scholarship, especially in the context of postcolonial literary studies. Writers, readers and researchers alike are interested in phenomena and personae that are hybrid, in‐between borders or boundaries, or on the margins. The main characters of Vasilenko’s, Rubina’s and Chizhova’s novels are situated on the margins of society: they appear “abnormal”: physically or mentally disabled, or socially disadvantaged, and they are on the border in relation to the norms and practices considered “normal” in society. The narratives, however, render these vulnerable subjects their own voice and show how their position as liminal, boundary subjects opens an opportunity and the potential for the creation of new possible narratives of the past and the future. It will be suggested, that the novels offer us powerful fictions of liminal subjectivities; subjectivities of becoming (woman, self, other); in the context of shifting values and cultural processes in contemporary Russia.
Suicidality Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Taiwan: Its Relationships with Sexuality and Gender Role Characteristics, Homophobic Bullying Victimization, and Social Support
Authors: Wang Peng‐Wei , Ko Nai‐Ying , Hsiao Ray C. , Chen Mu‐Hong , Lin Huang‐Chi , Yen Cheng‐Fang
Published: March 2018

This study aimed to examine the associations of suicidality in emerging adulthood with time of coming out, gender role nonconformity, sexual orientation, traditional and cyber homophobic bullying victimization, and family and peer support during childhood in gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. The frequency of “experiencing suicide ideation” and “attempting suicide” in the past year among 500 gay or bisexual men was examined. The participants’ time of coming out, level of subjective masculinity, sexual orientation, experiences of traditional and cyber homophobic bullying victimization, and levels of family and peer support during childhood were also evaluated. In total, 31% (n = 155) of participants reported experiencing suicide ideation (n = 82) or attempting suicide (n = 73). Early coming out, traditional homophobic bullying victimization, and low family support during childhood increased the risk of suicidality in emerging adulthood; by contrast, family support did not moderate the association of early coming out or traditional bullying victimization with current suicidality. A high proportion of participants reported experiencing suicide ideation and attempt in emerging adulthood. Hence, effective suicide prevention is required for gay and bisexual men. Suicide prevention programs should consider time of coming out, traditional homophobic bullying victimization, and level of family support.
Challenging the Dominant Frame: The Moderating Impact of Exposure and Knowledge on Perceptions of Sex Trafficking Victimization*
Authors: Bouché Vanessa , Farrell Amy , Wittmer‐Wolfe Dana E.
Published: March 2018

Objective

Human trafficking problems have largely been framed by political elites and the media as a sexual crime involving innocent victims who are largely women and children. It is unclear how this framing impacts the public's attitudes about the issue. Here, we ask what types of sex trafficking victim frames produce the strongest response among the American public and how does increased exposure and accurate knowledge about the issue moderate the impact of the victim frames?

Methods

To answer these questions, we utilize data from a unique nationally representative survey experiment fielded to 2,000 Americans in which we designed a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment manipulating the gender, age, and nationality of sex trafficking victims.

Results

We find the age of the victim has the greatest impact on affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to human trafficking, but that these victim frames are conditional on the amount of exposure a subject has had to the issue of human trafficking and the level of correct knowledge he or she possesses about human trafficking.

Conclusion

Victim framing in public discourse on sex trafficking does make a difference, and the reasons these frames elicit different responses are complex and moderated by respondents’ exposure to information and knowledge about the issue.
Mitogenome organization and evolutionary history of the subfamily Cephinae (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)
Authors: KORKMAZ ERTAN MAHİR , DOǦAN ÖZGÜL , DUREL BERŞAN SEÇİL , TEMEL ALTUN BURCU , BUDAK MAHİR , BAŞIBÜYÜK HASAN HÜSEYİN
Published: March 2018

Cephinae represents one of the exclusively endophytophagous sawfly lineages with diverse host plant utilizations, in which most species have great economic importance. However, the evolutionary history of the subfamily has not been thoroughly investigated to date. Here, we characterized the mitogenomes of six species representing five genera of Cephinae. Rearrangements of the tRNA genes were found to be notably common. The rearrangements involve the IQM and TP gene clusters, and the former is a synapomorphy of the subfamily. In spite of the seldom occurrence of gene duplication in arthropods, three tRNA duplication events not known elsewhere in Symphyta were detected in Cephinae. The phylogeny of Cephinae was reconstructed using different datasets generated from mitochondrial genes and two nuclear fragments, EF‐1α and ITS2, under Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) approaches by adding the data of previously reported seven species. Five different tree topologies were recovered in which the tree produced from the nP12RNAexc4genes dataset under the BI and ML approaches was highly resolved with high support values. The phylogeny did not support the traditional tribal concept but it suggested two strongly supported clades. Diversification of the subfamily appears to correspond to a great extent to host plant availability and colonization in the Late Cretaceous, Early Eocene and Oligocene, suggesting speciation via host shift. The nonsynonymous substitutions and the most radical changes observed in mitochondrial protein‐coding genes were proposed as evidence for speciation driven by divergent adaptive selection.
Frequent source plasma donors are not at risk of iron depletion: the Ferritin Levels in Plasma Donor (FLIPD) study
Authors: Schreiber George B. , Brinser Roger , Rosa‐Bray Marilyn , Yu Zi‐Fan , Simon Toby
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

Whole blood and red blood cell (RBC) donors are at risk of iron deficiency. Since Source plasma (SP) donors have RBCs returned during apheresis, risk of iron depletion appears low. However, SP donors can donate frequently and assessment of frequent donor iron status is needed.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 1254 SP donors were enrolled in four frequency groups determined by donations in the prior 12 months: no donations and 1 to 24, 25 to 69, and 70 or more donations. Ferritin was determined for each donor. Donors with ferritin levels of less than 12 ng/mL were classified as having absent iron stores (AIS).

RESULTS

Compared to new donors, ferritin for females was higher in each successive frequency group. For 70 or more donations, ferritin was 13 ng/mL higher than in new donors (p = 0.02). For males, 1 to 24 donations had the highest ferritin levels. Compared to new donors, highest‐frequency donors had lower ferritin levels, 114 ng/mL versus 100 ng/mL (p = 0.14). Age for females and males increased with each successive frequency group. Age adjustment resulted in smaller ferritin differences for females and larger differences for males in the high‐frequency groups; AIS for females was highest in new donors (7%) and lowest in the highest‐frequency group (1%). In aggregate, AIS occurred in less than 1% of all male donors. Male new and highest‐frequency donors had 1% AIS with none in the other groups.

CONCLUSION

Few SP donors have iron depletion and it is not higher in frequent donors. Frequent SP donation does not adversely impact iron stores. Thus, monitoring donor iron status or iron supplementation is not necessary.
Critical developments of 2017: a review of the literature from selected topics in transfusion. A committee report from the AABB Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee
Authors: Cushing Melissa M. , Kelley James , Klapper Ellen , Friedman David F. , Goel Ruchika , Heddle Nancy M. , Hopkins Courtney K. , Karp Julie Katz , Pagano Monica B. , Perumbeti Ajay , Ramsey Glenn , Roback John D. , Schwartz Joseph , Shaz Beth H. , Spinella Philip C. , Cohn Claudia S. , Cohn Claudia S. , Cushing Melissa M. , Kelley James , Klapper Ellen
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

The AABB compiles an annual synopsis of the published literature covering important developments in the field of Transfusion Medicine. For the first time, an abridged version of this work is being made available in TRANSFUSION, with the full‐length report available as an Appendix S1 (available as supporting information in the online version of this paper).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Papers published in 2016 and early 2017 are included, as well as earlier papers cited for background. Although this synopsis is comprehensive, it is not exhaustive, and some papers may have been excluded or missed.

RESULTS

The following topics are covered: duration of red blood cell storage and clinical outcomes, blood donor characteristics and patient outcomes, reversal of bleeding in hemophilia and for patients on direct oral anticoagulants, transfusion approach to hemorrhagic shock, pathogen inactivation, pediatric transfusion medicine, therapeutic apheresis, and extracorporeal support.

CONCLUSION

This synopsis may be a useful educational tool.
Disparities in detection of antibodies against hepatitis E virus in US blood donor samples using commercial assays
Authors: Zafrullah Mohammad , Zhang Xiugen , Tran Coleen , Nguyen Megan , Kamili Saleem , Purdy Michael A. , Stramer Susan L.
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

Reported hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibody assay performance characteristics are variable. Using a subset of surplus US blood donation samples, we compared assays for detecting anti‐HEV immunoglobulin M (Ig)M and IgG or total anti‐HEV antibodies.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Samples from 5040 random blood donations, all HEV‐RNA negative, collected primarily in the midwestern United States in 2015 were tested for anti‐HEV IgM and IgG or total anti‐HEV using assays manufactured by Diagnostic Systems, Wantai, and MP Biomedicals.

RESULTS

Overall, the percentage of detection for anti‐HEV IgG and total anti‐HEV was 11.4%, and for anti‐HEV IgM was 1.8%. Nine samples were reactive for anti‐HEV IgM by all assays, giving a recent infection rate of 0.18%. Anti‐HEV IgG/total anti‐HEV detection rates increased with age. Interassay agreement was higher among the IgG anti‐HEV/total anti‐HEV assays (84%) than the IgM assays (22%). Regression analyses of signal‐to‐cutoff ratios from IgG/total antibody assay were heteroskedastic, indicating no constant variance among these assays, suggesting they may detect different epitopes or were affected by waning or less avid antibodies in the US donor population.

CONCLUSIONS

Although similar percentages of IgG anti‐HEV/total anti‐HEV detection were observed across the three commercial assays, each assay detected a unique sample subpopulation and was heteroskedastic when compared pairwise. Discordance was higher among anti‐HEV IgM assays, but a recent HEV infection rate of at least 0.18% was estimated based on assay concordance.
Anti‐dumping use and its effect on trade liberalisation. Evidence for the European Union
Authors: Ketterer Tobias D.
Published: March 2018

In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that anti‐dumping actions may contribute to trade liberalisation by serving as a “safety valve” for protection‐seeking pressures. Using microlevel trade and tariff data at theHS8‐digit level for the European Union, we investigate whether the use of anti‐dumping measures has acted as a catalyst in subsequent multilateral tariff negotiations. Our findings suggest that anti‐dumping policies may have reduced the resistance of domestic protectionist forces towards major tariff reforms, as they show significantly larger tariff cuts for products previously involved in an anti‐dumping investigation.
Consensus recommendations on standardized magnetic resonance imaging protocols for multicenter canine brain tumor clinical trials
Authors: Packer Rebecca A. , Rossmeisl John H. , Kent Michael S. , Griffin John F. , Mazcko Christina , LeBlanc Amy K.
Published: March 2018

The National Cancer Institute Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium, Patient Outcomes Working Group, propose a consensus document in support of standardized magnetic resonance imaging protocols for canine brain tumor clinical trials. The intent of this manuscript is to address the widely acknowledged need to ensure canine brain tumor imaging protocols are relevant and have sufficient equivalency to translate to human studies such that: (1) multi‐institutional studies can be performed with minimal inter‐institutional variation, and (2) imaging protocols are consistent with human consensus recommendations to permit reliable translation of imaging data to human clinical trials. Consensus recommendations include pre‐ and postcontrast three‐dimensional T1‐weighted images, T2‐weighted turbo spin echo in all three planes, T2*‐weighted gradient recalled echo, T2‐weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion weighted imaging/diffusion tensor imaging in transverse plane; field of view of ≤150 mm; slice thickness of ≤2 mm, matrix ≥ 256 for two‐dimensional images, and 150 or 256 for three‐dimensional images.
The role of phase synchronisation between low frequency amplitude modulations in child phonology and morphology speech tasks
Authors: Flanagan Sheila , Goswami Usha
Published: March 2018

Recent models of the neural encoding of speech suggest a core role for amplitude modulation (AM) structure, particularly regarding AM phase alignment. Accordingly, speech tasks that measure linguistic development in children may exhibit systematic properties regarding AM structure. Here, the acoustic structure of spoken items in child phonological and morphological tasks, phoneme deletion and plural elicitation, was investigated. The phase synchronisation index (PSI), reflecting the degree of phase alignment between pairs of AMs, was computed for 3 AM bands (delta, theta, beta/low gamma; 0.9–2.5 Hz, 2.5–12 Hz, 12–40 Hz, respectively), for five spectral bands covering 100–7250 Hz. For phoneme deletion, data from 94 child participants with and without dyslexia was used to relate AM structure to behavioural performance. Results revealed that a significant change in magnitude of the phase synchronisation index (ΔPSI) of slower AMs (delta-theta) systematically accompanied both phoneme deletion and plural elicitation. Further, children with dyslexia made more linguistic errors as the delta-theta ΔPSI increased. Accordingly, ΔPSI between slower temporal modulations in the speech signal systematically distinguished test items from accurate responses and predicted task performance. This may suggest that sensitivity to slower AM information in speech is a core aspect of phonological and morphological development.
Constitutive Activation of MexT by Amino Acid Substitutions Results in MexEF-OprN Overproduction in Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Juarez Paulo , Broutin Isabelle , Bordi Christophe , Plésiat Patrick , Llanes Catherine
Published: March 2018

When overproduced, the multidrug efflux system MexEF-OprN increases the resistance of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
to fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim. In this work, we demonstrate that gain-of-function mutations in the regulatory gene
mexT
result in oligomerization of the LysR regulator MexT, constitutive upregulation of the efflux pump, and increased resistance in clinical isolates.
Effects of Electroacupuncture Combined with Stem Cell Transplantation on Anal Sphincter Injury-Induced Faecal Incontinence in a Rat Model
Authors: Li Xiaojia , Guo Xiutian , Jin Weiqi , Lu Jingen
Published: March 2018

Background

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and acupuncture are known to mitigate tissue damage. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of combined electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation and BMSC injection in a rat model of anal sphincter injury-induced faecal incontinence (FI).

Methods

60 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham-operated control, FI, FI+EA, FI+BMSC, and FI+BMSC+EA. The anorectal tissues were collected on days 1, 3, 7 and 14. Repair of the injured anal sphincter was compared using haematoxylin and eosin (HE) and immunocytochemiscal analyses with sarcomeric α actinin. The expression of stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-3 (MCP-3) was detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR to evaluate the effects of EA on the homing of BMSCs.

Results

The therapeutic effect of combined EA+BMSCs on damaged tissue was the strongest among all the groups as indicated by HE and immunohistochemical staining. The expression of SDF-1 and MCP-3 was significantly increased by combined EA and BMSC treatment when compared with the other groups (P=0.01 to P<0.05), suggesting promotive effects of EA on the homing of BMSCs.

Conclusion

The combination of EA and BMSC transplantation effectively repaired the impaired anal sphincters. The underlying mechanism might be associated with apparent promotive effects of EA on the homing of BMSCs. Our study provides a theoretical basis for the development of a non-surgical treatment method for FI secondary to muscle impairment.
Perspectives of healthcare providers on the nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis in Australia: an interview study
Authors: Stevenson Jessica , Tong Allison , Campbell Katrina L , Craig Jonathan C , Lee Vincent W
Published: March 2018

Objective

To describe the perspectives of healthcare providers on the nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis, which may inform strategies for improving patient-centred nutritional care.

Design

Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation, and thematic analysis based on principles of grounded theory.

Setting

21 haemodialysis centres across Australia.

Participants

42 haemodialysis clinicians (nephrologists and nephrology trainees (15), nurses (12) and dietitians (15)) were purposively sampled to obtain a range of demographic characteristics and clinical experiences.

Results

Six themes were identified: responding to changing clinical status (individualising strategies to patient needs, prioritising acute events, adapting guidelines), integrating patient circumstances (assimilating life priorities, access and affordability), delineating specialty roles in collaborative structures (shared and cohesive care, pivotal role of dietary expertise, facilitating access to nutritional care, perpetuating conflicting advice and patient confusion, devaluing nutritional specialty), empowerment for behaviour change (enabling comprehension of complexities, building autonomy and ownership, developing self-efficacy through engagement, tailoring self-management strategies), initiating and sustaining motivation (encountering motivational hurdles, empathy for confronting life changes, fostering non-judgemental relationships, emphasising symptomatic and tangible benefits, harnessing support networks), and organisational and staffing barriers (staffing shortfalls, readdressing system inefficiencies).

Conclusions

Organisational support with collaborative multidisciplinary teams and individualised patient care were seen as necessary for developing positive patient–clinician relationships, delivering consistent nutrition advice, and building and sustaining patient motivation to enable change in dietary behaviour. Improving service delivery and developing and delivering targeted, multifaceted self-management interventions may enhance current nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis.
Identifying priority policy issues and health system research questions associated with recovery outcomes for burns survivors in India: a qualitative inquiry
Authors: Jagnoor Jagnoor , Bekker Sheree , Chamania Shobha , Potokar Tom , Ivers Rebecca
Published: March 2018

Objectives

This study aimed to identify priority policy issues and health system research questions associated with recovery outcomes for burns survivors in India.

Design

Qualitative inquiry; data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.

Setting

Nine sites in urban and rural settings across India, through primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities.

Participants

Healthcare providers, key informants, burns survivors and/or their carers.

Results

Participants acknowledged the challenges of burns care and recovery, and identified the need for prolonged rehabilitation. Challenges identified included poor communication between healthcare providers and survivors, limited rehabilitation services, difficulties with transportation to health facility and high cost associated with burns care. Burns survivors and healthcare providers identified the stigma attached with burns as the biggest challenge within the healthcare system, as well as in the community. Systems barriers (eg, limited infrastructure and human resources), lack of economic and social support, and poor understanding of recovery and rehabilitation were identified as major barriers to recovery.

Conclusions

Though further research is needed for addressing gaps in data, strengthening of health systems can enable providers to address issues such as developing/providing, protocols, capacity building, effective coordination between key organisations and referral networks.
How do orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation professionals interpret and assess ‘toe touch’ weight bearing and ‘partial’ weight bearing status in the rehabilitation setting?
Authors: Thompson Stephen G , Phillip Rhodri D , Roberts Andrew
Published: March 2018

Aim

To compare the interpretation of toe touch weight bearing (TTWB) and partial weight bearing (PWB) among orthopaedic surgeons, rehabilitation professionals and patients.

Methodology

78 consultant and middle-grade orthopaedic surgeons in the UK completed a questionnaire. 64 rehabilitation professionals (including physiotherapists) at Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court were also recruited. Both groups provided their interpretation of TTWB and PWB as a percentage of total body weight (%TBW). Each rehabilitation professional, then applied what they interpreted to be TTWB and PWB using a Lasar Posture weighing device. The predicted values were compared with the actual values demonstrated.

Results

There was no significant difference between orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation professionals in their interpretation of TTWB and PWB, however there was a wide range of responses. There was a significant difference between the predicted %TBW and the actual values demonstrated by the ‘educated patient’ (mean difference 4.8 (TTWB) and 22.9 (PWB)).

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals vary greatly in their interpretation of the terms TTWB and PWB. Therefore, for a consistency in rehabilitation delivery the terms should not be used in isolation without a further descriptor. Static measures of weight application are lower than people think they are applying. We encourage the use of loading practice with a scale to reassure and educate patients.
Principles for designing and delivering psychosocial and mental healthcare
Authors: Williams Richard , Kemp V
Published: March 2018

The development of the UK’s military policy includes the potential for military organisations to deploy in support of humanitarian aid operations. This paper offers an overview of the risks to people’s mental health of their exposure to emergencies, major incidents, disasters, terrorism, displacement, postconflict environments in which humanitarian aid is delivered, and deployments to conflict zones. It summarises the psychosocial approach recommended by many contemporary researchers and practitioners. It differentiates the extremely common experience of distress from the mental disorders that people who are affected may develop and introduces the construct of psychosocial resilience. The authors recognise the importance of trajectories of response in separating people who are distressed and require psychosocial care from those who require mental healthcare. Finally, this paper summarises a strategic approach to designing, planning and providing psychosocial and mental healthcare, provides a model of care and outlines the principles for early psychosocial interventions that do not require training in mental healthcare to deliver them.
Self-perceived risk of STIs in a population-based study of Scandinavian women
Authors: Guleria Sonia , Faber Mette Tuxen , Hansen Bo T , Arnheim-Dahlström Lisen , Liaw Kai-Li , Munk Christian , Nygård Mari , Kjær Susanne Krüger
Published: March 2018

Objective

This study examined the associations between current behaviours/characteristics and self-perceived risk for STIs, among randomly selected women aged 18–45 years from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Method

A population-based, cross-sectional, questionnaire study (paper based, web based and telephone based) was conducted during 2011–2012. We compared medium–high STI risk perception with no/low risk perception. The associations were explored for women who had ever had sexual intercourse and for women with a new partner in the last 6 months using multivariable logistic regression.

Result

The overall prevalence of medium–high STI risk perception was 7.4%. It was highest among women aged 18–24 years (16.2%) and among the Danish women (8.8%). Number of new sexual partners in the last 6 months (≥3vs 0 partners, OR 14.94, 95% CI 13.20 to 16.94) was strongly associated with medium–high STI risk perception. Among women with a new partner in the last 6 months, lack of condom use increased medium–high STI risk perception (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.52 to 1.96). Genital warts in the last year, binge drinking and being single were associated with increased risk perception and remained statistically significant after additional adjustments were made for number of new partners and condom use with new partners in the last 6 months.

Conclusion

Subjective perception of risk for STI was associated with women’s current risk-taking behaviours, indicating women generally are able to assess their risks for STIs. However, a considerable proportion of women with multiple new partners in the last 6 months and no condom use still considered themselves at no/low risk for STI.
Substantial numerical decline in South Australian rabbit populations following the detection of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2
Authors: Mutze Greg , De Preu Nicki , Mooney Trish , Koerner Dylan , McKenzie Darren , Sinclair Ron , Kovaliskli John , Peacock David
Published: March 2018

Lagovirus europaeus GI.2, also commonly known as rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2, was first detected at two long‐term monitoring sites for European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in South Australia, in mid‐2016. Numbers of rabbits in the following 12–18 months were reduced to approximately 20 per cent of average numbers in the preceding 10 years. The impact recorded at the two South Australian sites, if widespread in Australia and persistent for several years, is likely to be of enormous economic and environmental benefit.