bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonmetastatic Osteosarcoma of the Extremity: Results of a Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Protocol (IOR/OS-3) with High-dose Methotrexate, Intraarterial or Intravenous Cisplatin, Doxorubicin, and Salvage Chemotherapy Based on Histologic Tumor Response
Authors: Ferrari Stefano , Mercuri Mario , Picci Piero , Bertoni Franco , Del Prever Adalberto Brach , Tienghi Amelia , Mancini Antonia , Longhi Alessandra , Rimondini Simonetta , Donati Davide , Manfrini Marco , Ruggieri Pietro , Biagini Roberto , Bacci Gaetano
Published: April 2018

Aims and Background

From 1986 to 1989, a study for the treatment of nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity (IOR/OS-2) was carried out at the Rizzoli Institute. The cumulative dose of doxorubicin delivered was 480 mg/m2, and severe heart failure developed in 5 (3%) of the 164 treated patients. The specific aim of the subsequent study was to assess the efficacy of a protocol, similar to IOR/OS-2, but with a reduced cumulative dose of doxorubicin (390 mg/m2). Additional aims were to assess the role of the route of infusion (intraarterial or intravenous) of cisplatin on histologic response of the primary tumor and the use of ifosfamide as salvage chemotherapy in poor responders.

Methods

The new chemotherapy regimen (IOR/OS-3) was comprised of a preoperative phase with methotrexate (10 g/m2), cisplatin (120 mg/m2 intraarterially or intravenously), and doxorubicin (60 mg/m2). After surgery, the same drugs were administered, with the addition of ifosfamide (10 g/m2) in patients who had a poor histologic response to primary chemotherapy.

Results

Ninety-five patients entered the study. The rate of good histologic response was 64% with intraarterial cisplatin and 43% with intravenous cisplatin (P = 0.05). The 8-year event-free survival and overall survival were 54% and 61%, respectively, with no significant difference according to the histologic response. No cases of clinical doxorubicin-induced cardiopathy were recorded. Event-free and overall survival did not significantly differ from those achieved with IOR/OS-2 (8-year disease-free and overall survival, respectively 63% and 72%).

Conclusions

The reduction in the doxorubicin cumulative dose avoided episodes of cardiotoxicity, without consequences on the efficacy of treatment. The addition of ifosfamide was an effective “salvage” therapy for poor responders. A better histologic response with intraarterial cisplatin was observed, but owing to the availability of an effective salvage therapy for poor responders, the advantages in terms of histologic response did not compensate for the cost and discomfort for the patients of this modality of infusion of cisplatin.
Concurrent Modulation of 5-Fluorouracil with Methotrexate and L-leucovorin: An Effective and Moderately Toxic Regimen for the Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma a Multicenter Phase II Study of the Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group
Authors: Cornelia Pasquale , Lorusso Vito , Casaretti Rossana , De Lucia Luigi , Cartenì Giacomo , Menzione Luigi , Mancarella Sergio , De Lena Mario , Cornelia Giuseppe
Published: April 2018

Aims and Background

Methotrexate (MTX) and leucovorin (LV) can enhance the cytotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) by modifying its metabolic pathway inside target cells. Some preclinical studies and clinical trials have suggested that the concurrent or sequential double modulation of 5FU by means of MTX and LV may give a higher activity than single biochemical modulations. The purpose of our phase II study was to assess the activity and toxicity of a biweekly regimen including MTX, levo-LV and 5FU in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods

From July 1994 to May 1997, 100 consecutive patients affected by advanced or metastatic colorectal carcinoma were given MTX, 750 mg/m2 iv (2-h infusion) on day 1, and levo-LV, 250 mg/m2 iv (2-h infusion) followed by 5FU, 800 mg/m2 iv bolus on day 2, every two weeks. Patients were treated until complete response or progressive disease was documented, or for a maximum of 16 courses.

Results

Among 97 eligible patients, 5 complete and 25 partial responses were obtained, giving an overall response rate of 31% (95% exact confidence limits, 22-41%). Response rate was significantly higher in patients with a good (ECOG scale 0) than with a poor (ECOG scale 1 or 2) performance status (40% versus 17%, P <0.02). Median time to treatment failure was 27 weeks, median survival time was 63 (95% confidence limits, 54-71) weeks, and 2- and 3-year probability of survival were 34% and 12%, respectively. Performance status was the only pretreatment characteristic significantly affecting the outcome of patients. Indeed, median survival time was 94 weeks for patients with a performance status = 0 and 37 weeks for patients with a performance status ≥ 1 (P < 0.05). Toxicity of the treatment was low and manageable; grade 3 to 4 leukopenia affected 8% of patients, whereas grade 3 diarrhea and mucositis occurred in 5% and 4%, respectively.

Conclusions

The double biochemical modulation of 5FU by MTX and levo-LV is at least as effective as, and probably more effective than, the single modulation by MTX or by LV. It may therefore represent a therapeutic option for the palliative treatment of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.
Amplification of the C-MYC Oncogene in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Özkara H. Asuman , Özkara Şeref , Topçu Salih , Criss Wayne E.
Published: April 2018

Fresh non-small cell lung carcinoma surgical specimens were taken from 17 patients and 3 controls and screened for genetic abnormalities of the c-myc oncogene. Southern blot hybridization analysis demonstrated two- to fivefold amplification of the c-myc gene in 10 cases, i.e., 7 of 13 epidermoid lung carcinomas, 2 of 3 adenocarcinomas and 1 of 1 osteogenic sarcoma metastatic to the lung. Two- to fivefold amplification was observed in tissues from stage III and IV epidermoid carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung. A correlation between cancer stage and c-myc gene amplification was found.
Concurrent Chemoimmunotherapy in Metastatic Clear Cell Sarcoma: A Case Report
Authors: Lauro Salvatore , Bordin Francesca , Trasatti Luciana , Lanzetta Gaetano , Rocca Carlo Della , Frati Luigi
Published: April 2018

Clear cell sarcoma is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. The therapeutic approach in the metastatic disease stage is controversial: to the authors’ knowledge the use of concurrent chemoimmunotherapy has not been previously reported. We present a case of a 57-year-old male with metastatic clear cell sarcoma treated simultaneously with subcutaneous interferon-a 2b and six courses of chemotherapy according to the CyVEDIC regimen. Disease stabilization lasting 17 months was achieved.
A Spindle Cell Tumor of Unknown Origin and Diffuse Bone Marrow Involvement in a Patient with Hypercalcemia
Authors: Yim Jae-Joon , Kang Gyeong Hoon , Heo Dae Seog , Kim Noe Kyeong
Published: April 2018

Background

Metastasis of unknown origin in bone marrow is infrequent, although, when it occurs, adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic type. Involvement of bone marrow by a spindle cell tumor and presentation with hypercalcemia are very rare.

Method

This report describes a 21-year-old man with diffuse bone marrow involvement from a spindle cell tumor.

Results

The patient presented with low back pain, anemia, thrombocytopenia, azotemia, and hypercalcemia. Bone marrow biopsy revealed a spindle cell tumor that was positive for vimentin staining but whose primary site could not be identified. A bone marrow scan revealed absence of uptake, which suggested systemic disease. We treated this case as a type of sarcoma by giving combined chemotherapy consisting of vincristine, actinomycin-D and cyclophosphamide. The patient showed a clinical response for seven months, but the disease progressed despite chemotherapy and he died one year after diagnosis.

Conclusions

We have documented a rare case of spindle cell tumor involving bone marrow without evidence of the tumor's primary site.
Combined Fatal Systemic Chlamydia sp. and Aeromonas sobria Infection in Juvenile Siamese Crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis)
Authors: Thongkamkoon Pacharee , Tohmee Nopporn , Morris Erin K. , Inamnuay Laksanee , Lombardini Eric D.
Published: April 2018

Chlamydial infections in crocodiles have been described in several countries and in several different species. These are typically associated with severe pharyngitis and conjunctivitis, with death occurring secondary to compromise of the upper respiratory tract due to obstruction of the trachea. A population of ranched Siamese crocodiles in central Thailand experienced an epizootic of sudden death in juvenile animals. The affected animals had fulminant systemic disease primarily involving the liver and spleen but also affecting the kidneys, heart, and the whole of the respiratory tract. Chlamydia sp. were noted in liver and spleen during histopathological examination and confirmed with transmission electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The sequence of the PCR product suggested a novel Chlamydia sp. of Siamese crocodiles. Crocodile farming represents an important economy in several parts of the world. Epizootics, such as the one described in this manuscript in association with Chlamydia sp., can have devastating impact on the industry and represent a potential zoonosis of significant public health concern. This is the first report of Chlamydia sp. and Aeromonas sobria causing systemic disease in crocodiles as well as the first histopathological and ultrastructural description of Chlamydia infection in Siamese crocodiles.
Older Adults’ Internet Use for Health Information: Digital Divide by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status
Authors: Yoon Hyunwoo , Jang Yuri , Vaughan Phillip W. , Garcia Michael
Published: April 2018

Building upon literature suggesting low Internet use among racial/ethnic minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, this study examined how race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) influence the Internet use for health information, addressing both independent and interactive effects. Using data from 17,704 older adults in the California Health Interview Survey, logistic regression models were estimated with race/ethnicity (Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asians), SES index, and the interaction between race/ethnicity and SES index. Overall, approximately 40% of participants were Internet-users for health information. Direct effects of race/ethnicity and SES—and their interactions—were all found to be significant. Minority status combined with the lowest levels of SES substantially reduced the odds of using Internet for health information. Findings suggest the combination of racial/ethnic minority status and low SES as a source of digital divide, and provide implications for Internet technology training for the target population.
Polyvictimization and Sexual Risk Behaviors in College-Aged Women
Authors: Alexander Apryl A. , Amerigo Laura Serrano , Harrelson Megan E.
Published: April 2018

Current research suggests a link between childhood sexual abuse and risky sexual behaviors (RSBs) in emerging adults. However, previous studies neglect evaluating the influence of high levels of cumulative childhood victimization. The present study examined the relationships among polyvictimization, six aggregate categories of childhood victimization, and RSB in college women. This study first examined the relative contributions of polyvictimization and individual categories of childhood victimization in predicting RSB and then tested whether polyvictimization contributes any unique variance, beyond that accounted for by the combination of all six aggregate categories in a sample of 321 college women in a Southern state. Regression analyses reveal that (a) polyvictimization accounts for a significant proportion of variability in scores for RSB, beyond that accounted for by any of the six categories of childhood victimization alone; (b) the categories of childhood victimization contribute little to no variability beyond that accounted for by polyvictimization; and (c) polyvictimization accounts for a significant proportion of variability in RSB, beyond that already accounted for by the simultaneous entry of all six categories as predictor variables. Results suggest treatment providers working with college students should assess polyvictimization in relation to RSB and inform their prevention efforts given this link.
Women’s Experience of Drug Abuse Treatment in a Mixed-Gender Therapeutic Community
Authors: Possick Chaya , Itzick Michal
Published: April 2018

This qualitative study explores the experience of treatment in a mixed-gender therapeutic community (TC) by Israeli women coping with drug addiction. The vast majority of studies reveal that the techniques used in TCs are designed based on men’s needs. This study focuses on the meanings assigned by women to their experiences within the TC in light of the intersectionality theory and the social construction of gender. The study is based on an interpretative phenomenological approach. Seventeen middle-aged women answered open-ended questionnaires or participated in in-depth interviews. Textual analysis yielded three themes: (1) there’s no place like home—searching for family in the TC; (2) fulfillment and difficulty in intimate relationships in the TC; (3) overall evaluation: mixed-gender TCs are a mixed bag. The discussion focuses on the sociocultural context of women’s treatment in the TC, the male power paradigm, and the individualistic focus that serves as the foundation of the TC approach. The question of how TCs can create safe space for rehabilitating relationships for women is addressed. Finally, implications for policy practice are presented based on the gender-responsive approach.
Ecological Influences on Employees’ Workplace Sedentary Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Wilkerson Amanda H. , Usdan Stuart L. , Knowlden Adam P. , Leeper James L. , Birch David A. , Hibberd Elizabeth E.
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between ecological factors and occupational sedentary behavior (SB).

Design:

Cross-sectional online survey.

Setting:

Participants were employees recruited from a large, public university in the Southeastern United States from August to November 2016.

Participants:

The final sample included 527 (56% response rate) employees.

Measures:

Data were collected through an 87-item survey using previously validated scales that assessed occupational SB, perceived behavioral control, barrier self-efficacy, self-regulation strategies, organizational social norms, office environment, and worksite climate.

Analysis:

One-way analysis of variance analyses were used to determine differences in occupational SB by demographic factors. A multivariate regression model was used to determine significant ecological determinants of occupational SB.

Results:

Mean SB was 342.45 (standard deviation = 133.25) minutes. Significant differences in SB were found by gender, education, and employment classification. Barrier self-efficacy and workplace connectivity, which evaluates the spatial layout of the office setting that may impact mobility within the workplace, were significant predictors of SB in the multivariate model.

Conclusion:

Results from this study provide new information regarding the potential impact of workplace barriers and connectivity on occupational SB. The findings from this study support the inclusion of intervention modalities to minimize workplace barriers and increase workplace connectivity to increase workplace mobility and decrease SB.
Hygiene in a Landlord State: Health, Cleanliness and Chewing Gum in Late Twentieth Century Singapore
Authors: Clancey Gregory
Published: April 2018

This article provides historical context for Singapore’s fabled preoccupation with cleanliness. Beyond the legacy of British colonialism and post-colonial concerns with international branding, the city-state was globally unique in shifting nearly all its citizens into a new urban infrastructure in one sustained campaign. Public health bureaucracies came to play an important supporting role in the creation of this ‘landlord state’, in which health became imbricated with cleanliness and habitation, all three becoming realms of state responsibility. The ban on the importation of chewing gum in the early 1990s can also be set within this context, that substance having emerged for infrastructure builders as not just a nuisance, but a tool of low-level sabotage.
Drugs’ Life: Accessibility and Use of Biomedical Drugs in Myanmar
Authors: Coderey Celine
Published: April 2018

Based on the ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Rakhine State (Western Myanmar), this article aims to define the local accessibility of biomedical drugs and the use people make of them. Following the ‘biographical’ approach developed by Van der Geest and his colleagues (1989, 1996, 2002), the article shows how the appropriation by local people of biomedical drugs is very much determined by the social, cultural and economic reality in which people live, their personal biographies, their past experiences, as well as the relation they have with the medicines deliverers and the degree of trust, familiarity, socio-cultural affinity and geographical proximity characterizing relations. This analysis intends to fill a gap in the anthropological literature on contemporary Myanmar where the topic of biomedical drugs remains largely unexplored.
A Tale of Two Genome Institutes: Qualitative Networks, Charismatic Voice, and R&D Strategies—Juxtaposing GIS Biopolis and BGI
Authors: Fischer Michael M. J.
Published: April 2018

The journalistic stereotypes of BGI (the world’s largest sequencing centre) as a Chinese state venture, and of Singapore’s Genome Institute of Science (GIS) as a neoliberal platform, are inverted. Methodologically, by looking at qualitative networks, charismatic leaders and research strategies, this essay proposes a finer grained, meso-level, ethnographic analysis that allows for multi-scalar tracking and juxtaposition as generators of comparative insights. It deploys a social hieroglyphic analysis of the leaders of BGI and an updated account of the post-2010 ‘industrial re-alignment’ of GIS to highlight the role of cross-national networks in the construction of what are usually seen as national science projects, as well as the roles of mixed state and market strategies, and mixed clinical, basic science, biotech and big pharma protocols and platforms of the contemporary life sciences. It pays particular attention to the small worlds of the scientific republic and the charismatic voices of leaders forging new institutional arrangements.
Next of Kin’s Notification of Patient’s Death: A Qualitative and Quantitative Preliminary Analysis
Authors: Menahem Sasson , Samson Tali , Shvartzman Pesach
Published: April 2018

Background:

There are no published studies on notification of death by a next of kin to the treating medical staff.

Aim:

To explore the content and circumstances of death notifications by next of kin to the treating medical staff in a palliative home care unit.

Design:

A cross-sectional study that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Setting:

Assessment of 153 telephone death notifications by a next of kin to the treating medical staff.

Results:

The qualitative analysis of death notifications revealed 2 themes: direct and indirect death notifications. In direct notifications, death was portrayed by the notifier in direct and specific words such as death, the patient has died, or the patient is not alive. Indirect notifications included nonspecific or general descriptions of death such as breath cessation, it ended, or it’s over or finished. Direct notifications tended to include specific requests from the medical staff and expressed acceptance and closure, while indirect notifications tended to include more general requests and expressed more panic, distress, or doubt in death. Although spouses were more likely to serve as the primary caregiver, the children or other family members were more likely to notify the treating staff. In 30% of the notifications, there was an element of doubt or uncertainty. Emotions were expressed in 20% of the notifications. Cessation of breathing was the most common physical sign mentioned.

Conclusion:

Medical staff members who receive notifications of death should expect and be prepared for the expression of varied emotions and doubts as an integral part of the notification.
DMEK versus DSAEK for Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy: A meta-analysis
Authors: Marques Raquel Esteves , Guerra Paulo Silva , Sousa David Cordeiro , Gonçalves Ana Inês , Quintas Ana Miguel , Rodrigues Walter
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

To compare the safety and efficacy profiles of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in adult patients with Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy.

Methods:

Electronic database search on MEDLINE and CENTRAL from inception to August 2017. We included all comparative studies of DMEK versus DSAEK in patients with diagnosed Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy. Studies assessing rescue procedures were excluded to minimize bias. Primary outcome: mean difference in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Secondary outcomes: rates of graft primary failure, rejection, and rebubbling; other graft-related issues; mean difference in endothelial cell density; subjective visual outcomes; and patient satisfaction.

Results:

A total of 10 retrospective studies of moderate methodological quality were included (n = 947 eyes, 646 DMEK). BCVA was better with DMEK at all evaluated time points (0.16 logMAR at 12 months) comparing to DSAEK (0.30 logMAR; p < 0.001). DMEK had a 60% lower rate of rejection (risk ratio (RR) 0.4, 95% CI (0.24, 0.67), p = 0.0005), but required more rebubblings (RR = 2.48, 95% CI (1.32, 4.64), p = 0.005). DMEK had more primary graft failures and less endothelial cell density loss, but statistical difference was not reached. More patients were satisfied after DMEK (odds ratio = 10.29, 95% CI (3.55, 29.80), p < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

DMEK showed better postoperative results regarding BCVA, patient satisfaction, and graft-related issues. However, the small number of studies with short follow-up times and other methodological issues prompt us to interpret these results carefully.
Dementia buddying as a vehicle for person-centred care? The performance of a volunteer-led pilot on two hospital wards
Authors: Preston Claire , Burch Sarah
Published: April 2018

Objectives

To understand and explain whether a dementia buddies pilot introduced into two adjacent mental health hospital wards in England was achieving its aim of enhancing person-centred care.

Methods

The research used a cultural lens to evaluate the dementia buddies pilot. It comprised 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with staff, volunteers and carers in the two wards where the pilot was introduced.

Results

The pilot’s ability to deliver positive outcomes depended on its compatibility with the culture of the ward and it performed better in the ward where a person-centred culture of care already existed. In this ward, the pilot became a catalyst for improved experience among patients, carers and staff, whereas in the second ward, the pilot faced resistance from staff and achieved less.

Conclusions

This finding underlines the benefit of focusing on workplace culture to understand the performance of volunteer-led initiatives. It also shows that existing ward culture is a determining factor in the capacity for dementia buddy schemes to act as vehicles for culture change.
Qualitative evaluation of how a virtual dementia experience impacts medical and pharmacy students’ self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards people with dementia
Authors: Gilmartin-Thomas Julia F-M , McNeil John , Powell Anne , Malone Daniel T , Larson Ian C , O’Reilly Claire L , Kirkpatrick Carl M , Kipen Eva , Petrovich Tanya , Ryan-Atwood Taliesin E , Bell J Simon
Published: April 2018

Objectives

It is important for healthcare professional students to understand the experience of people with dementia, their family, and their carers. Despite person-centred educational policies, current curriculums may not adequately prepare students to meet the needs of people with dementia. This study qualitatively evaluated the impact of a virtual dementia experience on medical and pharmacy students’ self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards people with dementia.

Methods

Ten focus groups were conducted with 29 medical and 24 pharmacy students in September and October 2016. All students had undertaken a multisensory virtual dementia experience designed to simulate the cognitive and perceptual difficulties faced by people with dementia. Focus groups were used to evaluate the virtual dementia experience in terms of perceived usefulness, suggestions for improvement, and ability to inform students’ understanding of dementia-friendly environments. Focus groups were audio-recorded and analysed via a thematic approach.

Results

The virtual dementia experience was described as useful and impactful, and students suggested how it could be more tailored towards their learning needs, such as via incorporating hospital, medical, and pharmacy-specific scenarios and opportunities for role play. Additionally, students explained how dementia-friendly communication techniques could be used in their future practice and provided strategies to optimise dementia-friendly characteristics of current work environments.

Conclusion

A virtual dementia experience improved student self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards people with dementia.
Impact of body mass index on mortality and hospitalisation of patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Ball Jocasta , Løchen Maja-Lisa , Carrington Melinda J , Wiley Joshua F , Stewart Simon
Published: April 2018

Background:

Atrial fibrillation represents a substantial clinical and public health issue. The definitive impact of body mass index on prognosis of patients with chronic (persistent or permanent) atrial fibrillation remains undetermined.

Aim:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of body mass index with health outcomes (mortality and re-hospitalisation) of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.

Methods:

Using data from the Standard versus Atrial Fibrillation spEcific managemenT strategY (SAFETY) trial (a randomised controlled trial of home-based, atrial fibrillation-specific disease management), we performed post-hoc analyses of mortality and re-hospitalisation outcomes during minimum 24-month follow-up according to baseline body mass index profile.

Results:

Of 297 participants (mean age 71±11 years, 47% female, mean body mass index 29.6±6.7 kg/m2), 35.0% of participants were overweight (body mass index 25.0–29.9 kg/m2) and 43.1% were obese (body mass index≥30 kg/m2). During follow-up, n=42 died including 16/65 (24.6%) classified as normal body mass index, 16/104 (15.4%) classified as overweight and 10/128 (7.8%) classified as obese. Increasing body mass index was not associated with increased mortality but was associated with re-hospitalisation due to cardiovascular disease with greater length-of-stay (odds ratio 1.05; 95% confidence interval 1.00–1.09, p=0.032). Obese individuals experienced increased unplanned admissions compared to overweight individuals (incidence rate ratio 0.71; 95% confidence interval 0.53–0.96, p=0.028), and increased cardiovascular-related (incidence rate ratio 0.58; 95% confidence interval 0.39–0.86, p=0.007) and all-cause admissions (incidence rate ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval 0.45–0.89, p=0.008) compared to those classified as normal body mass index.

Conclusion:

Overweight and obesity were not associated with survival in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation but were associated with more frequent hospital care and prolonged stay.
Examining the Feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment Using Short Message Service Surveying with Homeless Youth
Authors: Tyler Kimberly A. , Olson Kristen
Published: April 2018

We assessed the feasibility of ecological momentary assessment using short message service (SMS) surveying with 150 homeless youth. We found that on average, participants completed 18.8 days of texts, but 30% of youth ( N = 44) had texting data on 28 or more days. The average number of texts answered per day was 8.49 (of a possible 11). Forty-three percent of days had answers to all 11 texts sent that day, and 69.4% of days had answers to eight or more texts. We found significant differences in response rates by phone type. Seventy-three percent of youth reported that responding to our texts was very easy or somewhat easy and 69% endorsed the response option “just enough,” regarding the number of texts sent per day. The 30-day texting period was deemed “about right” by 74% of youth. Details of using SMS with homeless youth are provided, and results indicate that this data collection technique is feasible with this population.
The Effect of Survey Mode on Socially Undesirable Responses to Open-ended Questions
Authors: Wallace Danielle , Cesar Gabriel , Hedberg E. C.
Published: April 2018

We estimate the difference in the chance of giving a socially undesirable response, one that violates social norms, by administration mode (online or in person) for a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). We do this by evaluating open-ended responses to a photographic stimulus designed to generate undesirable responses. We test five variables: socially undesirable responses generally, blatant stereotyping, distaste, inappropriate descriptors, and the number of words in the response. The results show that, contrary to expectations, online SAQs are not more likely to produce socially undesirable responses generally, but online responses are less likely to contain blatant stereotyping. Responses from the online SAQs were longer, suggesting that respondents from the paper-and-pencil SAQs may have used stereotypes to bypass writing lengthy responses. The longer responses of online respondents enabled them to avoid stereotyping, thereby biasing their responses in an alternate way.
Interviewer-driven Variability in Social Network Reporting
Authors: Harling Guy , Perkins Jessica M. , Gómez-Olivé Francesc Xavier , Morris Katherine , Wagner Ryan G. , Montana Livia , Kabudula Chodziwadziwa W. , Bärnighausen Till , Kahn Kathleen , Berkman Lisa
Published: April 2018

Social network analysis depends on how social ties to others are elicited during interviews, a process easily affected by respondent and interviewer behaviors. We investigate how the number of self-reported important social contacts varied within a single data collection round. Our data come from Health and Aging in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH community (HAALSI), a comprehensive population-based survey of individuals aged 40 years and older conducted over 13 months at the Agincourt health and demographic surveillance site in rural South Africa. As part of HAALSI, interviewers elicited detailed egocentric network data. The average number of contacts reported by the 5,059 respondents both varied significantly across interviewers and fell over time as the data collection progressed, even after adjusting for respondent, interviewer, and respondent–interviewer dyad characteristics. Contact numbers rose substantially after a targeted interviewer intervention. We conclude that checking (and adjusting) for interviewer effects, even within one data collection round, is critical to valid and reliable social network analysis.
Results From a Pilot Study of Handheld Vibration: Exercise Intervention Reduces Upper-Limb Dysfunction and Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: VibBRa Study
Authors: Kneis Sarah , Wehrle Anja , Ilaender Anne , Volegova-Neher Natalja , Gollhofer Albert , Bertz Hartmut
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

Although there is evidence that breast cancer patients benefit from exercising during treatment, exercising during radiotherapy and especially the effects on upper-limb dysfunctions have been infrequently assessed. Therefore, we primarily aimed to confirm our interventions’ feasibility and secondarily aimed to affect upper-limb dysfunctions and fatigue.

Methods:

Twenty-two breast cancer patients scheduled for radiotherapy were allocated to an intervention (IG) or a passive control group (CG) as they preferred. IG exercised 3×/week during 6 weeks of radiotherapy: cycling endurance, handheld vibration, and balance training. We documented adverse events and training compliance (feasibility) and assessed the range of shoulder motion (ROM), isometric hand grip strength, vibration sense on the first metacarpophalangeal joint of the affected upper limb, and fatigue.

Results:

We observed no adverse events and a training compliance of 98 %. IG’s ROM improved significantly (abduction: 11°; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5 to 20; external rotation: 5°, 95% CI 0 to 10), as did the hand grip strength (1.6 kg, 95% CI −0.6 to 3.1), while CG’s ROM did not change. CG’s vibration sense worsened (−1.0 points, 95% CI −1.5 to −0.5), while IG’s remained stable. Changes in general fatigue levels between IG (−2.0 points, 95% CI −3.0 to −1.0) and CG (0.5 points, 95% CI −1.0 to 4.5) revealed significant differences ( P = .008)

Conclusions:

Our intervention proved to be feasible and provides novel findings: it reduced fatigue levels and interestingly, handheld vibration exercises improved upper-limb function due to shoulder ROM, hand grip strength, and vibration sense.
Spacing leadership as an embodied and performative process
Authors: Ropo Arja , Salovaara Perttu
Published: April 2018

Aligned with the recent stream of research on the materiality of organizing, in this article, we develop a conceptualization of leadership as a sociomaterial relationship between human and space. We join the emerging discussions on the ‘thing-ness’ of leadership and extend these by addressing how an aesthetic, sense-based and embodied knowledge constitutes the sociomateriality of leadership and organizing. With the help of a Lefebvre-inspired framework, we introduce the concept of ‘spacing leadership’ that explicates leadership as being produced in an embodied and performative process between people and space. To specify this, we thematise three aesthetically embodied categories of knowledge development – senses, feelings and memories – to depict a sociomaterial understanding of leadership and space.
Step-transient method for measurement of the heat transfer coefficient at surfaces exposed to simulated building outdoor environments using the sol-air thermometer
Authors: Ohlsson KE Anders , Östin Ronny , Olofsson Thomas
Published: April 2018

The environmental boundary conditions of the building exterior surface could be expressed in terms of the sol-air temperature To and the heat transfer coefficient ho. This has previously been derived by applying Thevenin’s theorem to the linear thermal network model of the convective and radiative environment. Here, the sol-air thermometer, previously used only for measurement of To, was applied for accurate measurement of ho. The step-transient method was used, where the temperature of the sol-air thermometer was initially raised to above To and then monitored during its transient return to thermal equilibrium. This method was validated by (1) comparison of ho results against values obtained with a steady-state method and (2) comparison of predicted heat flux against the electrical heater power, supplied for validation purpose. Accurate results were obtained, with 7.3% measurement uncertainty. The present sol-air thermometer time constant τ was around 1 h. Based on predictions from dynamic modelling, the τ could be reduced 10-fold, with only small effects on the accuracy from heat loss through the insulation layer.
Stroke care in Africa: A systematic review of the literature
Authors: Urimubenshi Gerard , Cadilhac Dominique A , Kagwiza Jeanne N , Wu Olivia , Langhorne Peter
Published: April 2018

Background

Appropriate systems of stroke care are important to manage the increasing death and disability associated with stroke in Africa. Information on existing stroke services in African countries is limited.

Aim

To describe the status of stroke care in Africa.

Summary of review

We undertook a systematic search of the published literature to identify recent (1 January 2006–20 June 2017) publications that described stroke care in any African country. Our initial search yielded 838 potential papers, of which 38 publications were eligible representing 14/54 African countries. Across the publications included for our review, the proportion of stroke patients reported to arrive at hospital within 3 h from stroke onset varied between 10% and 43%. The median time interval between stroke onset and hospital admission was 31 h. Poor awareness of stroke signs and symptoms, shortages of medical transportation, health care personnel, and stroke units, and the high cost of brain imaging, thrombolysis, and outpatient physiotherapy rehabilitation services were reported as major barriers to providing best-practice stroke care in Africa.

Conclusions

This review provides an overview of stroke care in Africa, and highlights the paucity of available data. Stroke care in Africa usually fell below the recommended standards with variations across countries and settings. Combined efforts from policy makers and health care professionals in Africa are needed to improve, and ensure access, to organized stroke care in as many settings as possible. Mechanisms to routinely monitor usual care (i.e., registries or audits) are also needed to inform policy and practice.
Effects of a golf swing intervention on senior golfers’ ball striking and motivation to play golf
Authors: Kanwar Kiran D , Mann Mark D
Published: April 2018

Several golf swing movements have been correlated with the production of club speed in skilled golfers. However, less skilled golfers, such as senior golfers, may not be capable of many of those movements. One golf swing—Minimalist Golf Swing—reduces the downswing range of motion through which a golfer’s body must move to reach the impact positions seen in skilled golfers. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the MGS could improve senior golfers’ ball flight and consistency, and increase their motivation to play golf. Twenty-two seniors (16 males, 6 females), aged 54–81, participated in an 11-session study comprising pretest, intervention, and posttest sessions. During the test sessions, participants hit 20 shots with each of their own 6-iron and driver clubs. Ball movement immediately after impact was measured using a camera-based ball launch monitor. Participants’ motivation to play golf before and after the intervention was assessed using the Sports Motivation Scale II. A mixed effects model was used for the statistical analysis of this repeated measures study, in which participants served as their own controls. Statistically significant per-session results were an increase in the ball’s speed (6-iron and driver) and trajectory (6-iron), and a change in direction (both clubs) from left to slightly right (for right handed golfers). Consistency of ball flight, total motivation and intrinsic motivation increased slightly post-intervention, while amotivation decreased, none significantly. Therefore, some senior golfers can improve ball flight, consistency, and motivation to play golf after six MGS training sessions.
Socioeconomic status predicts second cardiovascular event in 29,226 survivors of a first myocardial infarction
Authors: Ohm Joel , Skoglund Per H , Discacciati Andrea , Sundström Johan , Hambraeus Kristina , Jernberg Tomas , Svensson Per
Published: April 2018

Background

Risk assessment post-myocardial infarction needs improvement, and risk factors derived from general populations apply differently in secondary prevention. The prediction of subsequent cardiovascular events post-myocardial infarction by socioeconomic status has previously been poorly studied.

Design

Swedish nationwide cohort study.

Methods

A total of 29,226 men and women (27%), 40–76 years of age, registered at the standardised one year revisit after a first myocardial infarction in the secondary prevention quality registry of SWEDEHEART 2006–2014. Personal-level data on socioeconomic status measured by disposable income and educational level, marital status, and the primary endpoint, first recurrent event of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, defined as non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease death or fatal or non-fatal stroke were obtained from linked national registries.

Results

During the mean 4.1-year follow-up, 2284 (7.8%) first recurrent manifestations of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease occurred. Both socioeconomic status indicators and marital status were associated with the primary endpoint in multivariable Cox regression models. In a comprehensively adjusted model, including secondary preventive treatment, the hazard ratio for the highest versus lowest quintile of disposable income was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.62–0.83). The association between disposable income and first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was stronger in men as was the risk associated with being unmarried (tests for interaction P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Among one year survivors of a first myocardial infarction, first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was predicted by disposable income, level of education and marital status. The association between disposable income and first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was independent of secondary preventive treatment but further study on causal pathways is needed.
Signaling Effect of Shifts in Dividend Policy: Evidence from Indian Capital Markets
Authors: Gupta Mohit , Aggarwal Navdeep
Published: April 2018

Empirical evidence suggests that a large number of studies support the signaling impact of dividends, but the results are more pronounced in developed markets as compared to emerging markets, where because of the weak form of market efficiency, signaling impact is not well-established. This study tests this hypothesis in Indian capital markets, in terms of signaling impact due to shifts in dividend policy. The study has defined the shift in dividend policy as an increase or a decrease of dividend by 20 percent from the previous dividend payout rate. Standard event study methodology was applied on 129 such events in the selected time period and these events were further classified according to market capitalization. Large-cap stocks displayed the presence of significant abnormal returns in the pre-event period, whereas the mid-cap stocks displayed the same in the post-event period. The results of the small-cap stocks mirrored that of large-cap stocks but they are the only ones in which cumulative average abnormal returns were found to be significantly displaying the lagged response toward the event. The decrease in dividend rate by 20 percent or more did not result in average abnormal returns in either pre-event or post-event window.
Agrani Doer Banking: Agent Banking Business in Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed Jashim Uddin , Ahmed Asma
Published: April 2018

Agent banking involves the provision of banking services through non-conventional means such as retail outlets with the use of technology. In developing countries, such as Bangladesh, agent banking acts as a medium between the rural unbanked majorities and banking services that they would otherwise not have access to. The case analyzes how innovation in the banking sector can aid poor people to gain access to financial institutions through the Agrani Doer banking business model. It elaborates on the rules and regulations of agent banking and how the first state bank of Bangladesh, Agrani Bank, establishes coverage to places not deemed possible before. The concept of agent banking, in an illustrative case, is linked to Ansoff’s Growth Matrix as Agrani Bank uses technology and innovation in its business strategies to achieve its desired growth goals.
Increased erythrophagocytosis induces ferroptosis in red pulp macrophages in a mouse model of transfusion
Authors: Youssef Lyla A. , Rebbaa Abdelhadi , Pampou Sergey , Weisberg Stuart P. , Stockwell Brent R. , Hod Eldad A. , Spitalnik Steven L.
Published: April 2018

Key Points

Transfusions of storage-damaged RBCs induce an RPM-dependent inflammatory response by splenic Ly6Chi monocytes. Macrophages undergo ferroptosis following increased erythrophagocytosis and are replaced by circulating monocytes and local cell division.
Zmiany we współczesnym polskim systemie fleksyjnym (na materiale rzeczownikowym i przymiotnikowym)
Authors: Stefańczyk Wiesław T.
Published: April 2018

Changes in the inflectional system of Polish (an analysis of nouns and adjectives)

The article deals with current tendencies and changes in the Polish inflectional system. The largest number of changes can be observed in three most frequently encountered cases: Nominative, Genitive and Accusative. Changes in the remaning cases are limited to several isolated lexemes. An important characteristic of the current inflectional system of Polish is an increase in the number of indeclinable nouns, as well as the slow disappearance of groups of rare and irregular nouns.
Dyferencjacja stylowa w tekście Mateusza Cygańskiego Myślistwo ptasze, w którym się opisuje sposób dostawania wszelakiego ptaka
Authors: Waśkowski Krzysztof
Published: April 2018

Stylistic differentiation in Mateusz Cygański’s Myślistwo ptasze, w którym się opisuje sposób dostawania wszelakiego ptaka

The paper discusses stylistic differentiation of a 16th century hunting guide Myślistwo ptasze, w którym się opisuje sposób dostawania wszelakiego ptaka (‘Bird hunting, describing the method to catch any bird’, published 1584) by Mateusz Cygański. An analysis of the text has shown that it is possible to indicate in it examples of mutual entanglement of two stylistic registers. Due to a secondary recording of the text (owing to the author’s illiteracy), the language of this monument is characterized by multiple indicators of the colloquial style, while elements of specialist style that can be found in it, are the result of capturing colloquiality in a certain intellectual rigor enforced by the contemporary editorial and genre convention.
Wydanie Wielkopolskich rot sądowych w świetle najnowszych ustaleń badawczych
Authors: Kuźmicki Marcin
Published: April 2018

Editing Wielkopolskie roty sądowe in the light of the newest findings

The goal of this paper is to draw attention to the problems connected with the editing of old sources. The author shows through various analyses, to what significant extent a mere presentation of the material becomes its interpretation and imposes one or another understanding – and that it is the historical moment that determines how the source is researched. The author presents the newest studies, where the genetic multilayeredness of the text was taken into account and resulted in a different approach and a more attentive reading.
Słowa klucze kultury w sytuacji bliskiego sąsiedztwa kultur i powinowactwa językowego (dusza – serce)
Authors: Niewiara Aleksandra
Published: April 2018

The culture’s key words in the case of a close proximity of cultures and affinity of languages (dusza ‘soul’ – serce ‘heart’)

The article refers to Anna Wierzbicka’s diagnosis about the existence of culture’s key words, and in particular – her opinion that the word душа ‘soul’ is the key of the Russian culture which explains the specificity of the Russian ethnopsychological model of the human being. Through a semantic and pragmatic analysis of contemporary and former Polish and Ruthenian lexis, idioms, and forms of the linguistic etiquette, the author discusses the possibility of treating the Polish word dusza ‘soul’ or the Polish word serce ‘heart’ as the key to understanding the Polish culture and ethnopsychological model of man. Former contacts with Ruthenian languages and cultures probably strengthened the significance of the concept of dusza in the Polish culture, which remains important even today. However, it is the concept of heart (serce) that can be successfully used to explain the vision of man and the Polish hierarchy of values.