bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postoperative Feeding in Cleft Surgery: A Systematic Review
Authors: Fuentes Patricia , Farsi Soroush , Garcia Jose A. , Najjar Wassim , Johnson Adam , Hamdan Usama
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Postoperative feeding is crucial for the recovery of children after cleft surgery. The literature outlines diverse feeding methods with varying recommendations on the duration of non-nipple feeding postsurgery. This study aims to explore reported postoperative feeding modalities for infants undergoing primary cleft lip/palate repair, concentrating on their influence on feeding improvement and complication reduction.

Methods

PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were queried for original English articles without any date restrictions. This review was conducted in accordance with the 2020 PRISMA. The MINORS criteria was used to assess quality of studies.

Results

Of 696 abstracts, 9 full-text articles were included, consisting of 459 children with cleft lip (n = 221) & cleft lip/palate (n = 238). Feeding modalities included bottle, breastfeeding, spoon, syringe, and nasogastric tube. Two studies found a significant increase in weight with breastfeeding compared to spoon or cup. Two studies found partial wound dehiscence using spoons, and two studies reported dehiscence using bottles. Post-palatoplasty, two studies showed a decrease in hospital stay in infants breastfed (2.1 & 5.8 days) vs spoon-fed (6 days). Analgesia was reduced in the breastfed group vs spoon/nasogastric tube.

Conclusion

This review highlights the importance of postoperative feeding in the recovery of infants with cleft lip/palate. Evidence suggests that breastfeeding may offer advantages in terms of weight gain and reduced hospital stay, while potentially minimizing the need for postoperative analgesia. The limited number of studies and variability in their outcomes underscore the need for further research to establish evidence-based guidelines for postoperative feeding.
Shiftwork and Burnout Among Trauma Surgeons: A Preliminary Analysis of Trauma Surgeons’ Fatigue and Stress Related to Overnight Shifts
Authors: Kim Joseph Y. , Norasi Hamid , Navarro Sergio M. , Park Myung S. , Hallbeck Susan
Published: September 2024

Burnout is a challenging issue among surgeons. Many factors have been linked to burnout, such as an inadequate work-life balance, high stress levels, and the frequency of on-call, overnight shifts. There is a lack of research on factors in surgeons’ daily lives associated with burnout. This study observed trauma surgeons with daily surveys assessing stress and fatigue over 9 days (6 day shifts, three night shifts). This study analyzes surgeons’ stress and fatigue levels. The study population was compared to the population of US critical care surgeons to ensure representativeness based on age, sex, and rates of burnout. Overnight shifts showed high stress and fatigue levels relative to off days, day shifts, the 3 days before, and the 3 days after overnight shifts. Days performing surgery were also more stressful and fatiguing than non-surgery work days and off days. Fatigue and stress levels were minimized during off days.
Interior sound quality evaluation and forecasting of passenger vehicles based on hybrid optimization neural networks
Authors: Qian Kun , Tan Jing , Shen Zhenghua , Liu Ke , Wang Yanfu , Duan Jiying , Du Xikang , Zhao Jian
Published: September 2024

The interior noise of vehicles directly affects the comfort of the occupants, necessitating precise evaluation and control. Existing research has focused on constructing mappings between objective parameters and subjective perceptions of noise, where back propagation neural networks (BPNNs) are widely used due to their strong nonlinear mapping capabilities. However, the selection of initial weights and thresholds can affect the predictive accuracy of BPNN. This study developed a BPNN model optimized by an intelligent algorithm for predicting the level of subjective annoyance of passengers during the movement. Initially, objective parameters of interior noise were obtained through acoustic signal processing techniques, and five parameters were selected for studying subjective annoyance through correlation analysis and two-tailed tests. Meanwhile, the actual subjective ratings of passengers on interior noise were captured for subsequent training of the model and testing of the results. Finally, the established sparrow search algorithm (SSA) and genetic algorithm (GA) optimized BPNN were used to predict subjective evaluations. The predictive accuracy and efficiency of the model were significantly improved upon validation, providing a viable alternative to traditional passenger vehicle noise assessment experiments and valuable references for future noise control and optimization efforts. The experimental results are consistent with the view that the neural network model optimized with a mixture of intelligent algorithms is closer to the passenger’s subjective annoyance level having higher accuracy and efficiency.
Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Ventricle: A Pathophysiological Insight
Authors: Namazi Mehrshad , Eftekhar Seyed Parsa , Mosaed Reza , Shiralizadeh Dini Saeed , Hazrati Ebrahim
Published: September 2024

Background:

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a pulmonary vascular disease characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular pressure. Long-term PH, irrespective of its etiology, leads to increased right ventricular (RV) pressure, RV hypertrophy, and ultimately, RV failure.

Main body:

Research indicates that RV failure secondary to hypertrophy remains the primary cause of mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the impact of PH on RV structure and function under increased overload remains incompletely understood. Several mechanisms have been proposed, including extracellular remodeling, RV hypertrophy, metabolic disturbances, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, neurohormonal dysregulation, capillary rarefaction, and ischemia.

Conclusions:

Studies have demonstrated the significant role of oxidative stress in the development of RV failure. Understanding the interplay among these mechanisms is crucial for the prevention and management of RV failure in patients with PH.
Perceived vulnerability to disease and children’s COVID behavioral response: The role of health consciousness and family financial status
Authors: Lu Hui Jing , Li Hongduo , Zhou Qiushi
Published: September 2024

This study investigated the impact of family financial status on Chinese children’s health-related traits and their behavior in controlling COVID-19. When the children were 7 years old, their guardians provided information on family financial status. When the children reached 10 years old, they completed questionnaires concerning their own health consciousness and health status. At age 11, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they filled out questionnaires on perceived vulnerability to disease and disease control behavior. The findings revealed that higher health consciousness is associated with better health, particularly among children from financially challenged families. Additionally, a greater perception of vulnerability to disease is linked to increased COVID-19 control behaviors, particularly in children with high health consciousness in affluent families. These results contribute to our understanding of how children’s personal health-related traits and family financial status interact to shape their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Psychological profiles in patients receiving maintenance dialysis: Classification, correlates, and behavioral health outcomes
Authors: Zhang Ni , Chen Yanru , Yin Jinmei , Liu Jiaxin , Liu Jinjie , Chen Jieling
Published: September 2024

This study identified psychological profiles based on depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, positive affect, and posttraumatic growth in 298 patients receiving maintenance dialysis, and examined their relationships with self-management at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Five psychological response profiles were identified: well-being (42.95%), resilient (26.17%), moderate-distress-with-growth (17.79%), distressed (11.07%), and high-distress-with-growth (2.01%). Patients were more likely to be in the distressed profile if they were younger, had less social support, received peritoneal dialysis, and suffered from a greater symptom burden of kidney disease. The well-being profile showed better self-management behavior at baseline and 1-year follow-up. The distressed profile was associated with worse self-management at baseline and the resilient profile was associated with worse self-management at follow-up. The findings highlighted the beneficial role of positive psychological constructs in promoting self-management behavior, which implied that beyond eliminating psychological distress, it is important to facilitate positive psychological well-being.
Dewey’s Peircean aesthetics: An exegesis and its upshot for sociology
Authors: Ritz Bridget
Published: September 2024

Pragmatist-informed work in sociological theory ritualistically references John Dewey (1859–1952), among others, as a foundational pragmatist theorist. Yet sociological theorists have barely scratched the surface of what philosophers who specialize in Dewey’s work such as Thomas Alexander and Richard Shusterman see as central to his thought, namely, his aesthetics. While in recent years some have drawn attention to Dewey’s aesthetics, this area of his work remains little known within sociology. Even less known is the extent to which Dewey’s aesthetics bears significant resemblances to the thought of Charles S. Peirce (1839–1914). I offer an exegesis of Dewey’s aesthetics, underscoring the roles of quality, emotion, and continuity in it and in Peircean thought alike. Understanding Dewey’s aesthetics in a Peircean key, I argue, calls for shifting theoretical attention from how people “problem solve” to get what they want or engage in “creative action” to transcend their situational constraints, to when, why, and how people, including sociologists ourselves, might engage problematic situations as mediums for transformation, as aesthetic experiences in potential. Further, it brings into focus the importance of potentiality for sociological research.
Reading comfort in relation to monitor and ambient luminance levels: A study using continuous rating scale and paired comparison methodology
Authors: Daneels R , Van de Perre L , Meuret Y , Ryckaert WR
Published: September 2024

In this work, it is investigated how reading comfort is influenced by monitor and ambient luminance levels, when employing high-luminance monitors. High-luminance monitors can be used to get more light on the eye and elicit non-image-forming effects. However, this might lead to reduced reading comfort. Two psychophysical methods, a continuous rating scale and paired comparison, were employed to investigate reading comfort in relation to the luminance of the monitor and the ambient environment. The results of 18 observers for the continuous rating scale experiment (aged 20 y to 30 y) and 20 observers for the paired comparison experiment (aged 20 y to 37 y) indicate that reading comfort is significantly influenced by both monitor and ambient luminance levels The paired comparison methodology provided more distinctive capabilities and thus offered a deeper insight. In contrast to prior work suggesting a linear relation between monitor luminance and preferred ambient luminance, the current results indicate that the reading comfort level reaches a tipping or saturation point. A monitor luminance level of 260 cd m−2 combined with an ambient luminance level of 68 cd m−2 provided the highest reading comfort. This reading comfort could not be matched when employing a higher monitor luminance level of 700 cd m−2.
Associations of prognostic nutritional index with risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortalities in persons with gestational diabetes mellitus: A NHANES-based analysis
Authors: Cao Jianfang , Bu Xiao , Chen Juping , Zhang Xia
Published: September 2024

Objective

To investigate relationships between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) during pregnancy and risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in persons with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using NHANES data from 2007 to 2018, and weighted Cox regression models were established. Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to unveil associations of PNI with risk of ACM and CVD mortalities in individuals with GDM. Receiver operating characteristic curve was employed for determination of threshold value for association of PNI with mortality. Sensitivity analysis was performed to verify the stability of the results.

Results

734 GDM individuals and 7987 non-GDM individuals were included in this study. In GDM population, after adjusting for different categorical variables, PNI was significantly negatively correlated with ACM risk. Subgroup analysis showed that among GDM populations with no physical activity, moderate physical activity, parity of 1 or 2, negative correlation between PNI and risk of ACM was stronger than other subgroups. Sensitivity analysis results showed stable negative correlations between PNI and ACM and CVD mortality of total population, and between PNI and ACM of GDM.

Conclusion

In individuals with GDM, PNI was negatively correlated with ACM risk, especially in populations with no physical activity, moderate physical activity, and parity of 1 or 2. PNI = 50.75 may be an effective threshold affecting ACM risk in GDM, which may help in risk assessment and timely intervention for individuals with GDM.
Rhetoric as resistance leadership in the ‘buen vivir’ global movement: Framing on social media collective utopias inspired by nature to challenge the status quo
Authors: Jimenez-Luque Antonio
Published: September 2024

Environmental activists and social movements worldwide have directed different forms of resistance toward an unsustainable and unfair model of development based on limitless growth and continuous exploitation of natural resources and people. For these processes of resistance, using the Internet has been key in creating a global discourse and consciousness of environmental activism and collective action. Drawing from the resistance leadership and the social movement literature, this paper offers an overview of the environmental movement for the global ‘Buen Vivir’ that originates in Latin America and their struggle against environmental degradation and climate change. Implementing a content analysis of the movement’s social media, this study focuses on the role of rhetoric and framing as tools for resistance. Three main findings emerged after analyzing the data: (1) Framing injustices for enhancing global environmental consciousness; (2) Framing solutions for imagining possibilities inspired by nature; and (3) Framing a rationale for unfolding collective action and building networks. This paper contributes to the resistance leadership literature, bringing new insights and further knowledge of how people can effectively resist and challenge the status quo using rhetoric and framing through social media platforms.
Menstrual hygiene management practice and associated factors among secondary school girls in eastern Ethiopia: The influence of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities
Authors: Girma Roza , Cheru Abera , Adare Mengistu Dechasa , Bayu Kefelegn , Dirirsa Gebisa , Temesgen Sina , Baraki Negga , Tamire Aklilu , Dereje Jerman
Published: September 2024

Background:

Inadequate water supply, poor sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools, insufficient puberty education and a lack of hygienic menstrual hygiene management (MHM) items (absorbents) cause girls in developing countries like Ethiopia to view menstruation as shameful and uncomfortable. However, there was little evidence of female MHM practice and associated factors among secondary school girls in eastern Ethiopia.

Objective:

To assess MHM practice and associated factors among secondary school girls in eastern Ethiopia.

Design:

Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted.

Methods:

A total of 473 secondary schoolgirls were selected using a stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire, double-entered to Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was computed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviations. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to assess the association of the school water, sanitation and hygiene facilities with MHM. Adjusted odd ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval was computed to show the strength of the association between dependent and independent variables. The goodness of fit of the model was tested by the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit test.

Results:

Out of 473 study participants, 72.93% of them (95% CI: 68.74–76.76) reported good MHM practices. The study also found that availability of continuous water supply (AOR = 2.40, 95% CI: (1.42–4.01)); types of toilet (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI: (1.20–3.40)), confined space (AOR = 3.02, 95% CI: (1.49–4.76)) and having females’ toilets alone inside in the school (AOR = 2.70, 95% CI: (1.20–4.40)) were significantly associated with female students’ good MHM practice.

Conclusion:

The survey revealed that some of the secondary schoolgirls practiced poor menstrual hygiene management (MHM), which needs further improvement. The study also found that the availability of continuous water supply in the school, types of toilet facility in the school, availability of private space to manage periods at school, learning about MHM in schools and availability of female toilets kept locked inside were factors significantly associated with MHM practice of students, which require integration of Zonal Health and education bureau to jointly work towards the improvement of school WASH facilities.
Temporal trends and practice variation in early repair of the ruptured aneurysm among patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the United States, 2012–2019
Authors: Chen Wei , Chen Jing , Li Dong
Published: September 2024

Background:

Early repair of the ruptured cerebral aneurysm (RRCA), preferably within 24 h of onset, is endorsed by clinical guideline as the preferred management strategy for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). However, a comprehensive picture of this guideline-recommended usage in contemporary clinical practice is not available.

Aims:

This study aimed to characterize trends over time and practice variation in the implementation of an early RRCA strategy among patients with aSAH in a large, national representative data.

Methods:

Using data from the 2012–2019 National Inpatient Sample, we measured trends in the proportion of early RRCA, defined as within day 1 of admission, overall, and by demographic and geographical subgroups. In addition, we created multilevel regression models to quantify hospital-level variation in the early RRCA rates.

Results:

We identified 82,615 aSAH hospitalizations (mean age = 56.1 years; 68.9% women) undergoing RRCA and, among these, 84.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 83.4–84.7%) receiving early RRCA. The proportion of early RRCA increased steadily from 82.5% in 2012 to 85.8% in 2019 ( p for trend <0.001). The proportion of patients receiving early RRCA across geographic regions ranged from 78.7% to 87.9%, with a median (interquartile range (IQR)) of 84.2% (83.0–86.1%). In contrast, the delivery of early RRCA varied widely among hospitals, with a median (IQR) rate of 86.1% (75.0–100.0%) and a range from 0% to 100.0%. The median odds ratio for the early use of RRCA treatment was 1.24 (95% CI = 1.21–1.27) in 2019, indicating 24% increased odds of implementing early RRCA if moving from a lower-use to a higher-use hospital.

Conclusions:

Most patients in the United States with aSAH received early RRCA treatment and exhibited an upward trend over the recent 8-year period. However, substantial variation in access to early RRCA was observed across population subgroups, particularly at the hospital level. Future efforts are necessary to identify further sources of this variation and to develop initiatives that could represent an opportunity to optimize guideline-based quality of care in aSAH management.

Data access statement:

The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request following completion of onboarding and verification procedures as specified by the HCUP.
Turn over the new leaf of the treatment in peptic ulcer bleeding: a review of the literature
Authors: Lu Meng-Hsuan , Chiang Hsueh-Chien
Published: September 2024

Peptic ulcer bleeding is the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, which has a high mortality risk. The standard therapy for acute peptic ulcer bleeding combines medication administration and endoscopic therapies. Both pharmacologic and endoscopic therapies have developed continuously in the past few decades. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) already reached a high efficacy in ulcer healing and have been widely used in the past few decades. Endoscopic hemostasis, which includes local epinephrine injection, heater probe coagulation, use of hemostatic clips, and/or band ligation, is highly effective with an overall hemostatic success rate of 85%–90%. However, 10%–20% of patients could not be cured by the current standard combination treatment. Recurrent ulcer bleeding, despite an initial successful hemostasis, is also a big problem for longer hospitalization stays, higher mortality, and higher complication rates, especially for malignant ulcer bleeding. How to manage all types of peptic ulcer bleeding and how to prevent early recurrent peptic ulcer bleeding remain unresolved clinical problems. Recently, several novel medications and endoscopic methods have been developed. Potassium competitive acid blockers have shown a stronger and longer acid suppression than PPI. Hemostatic powder spray and hemostatic gel emulsion are novel hemostatic weapons with emerging evidence, which are potential missing pieces of the puzzle. This literature review will go through the development of endoscopic hemostasis to the prospects of novel endoscopic treatments.
Protective Effect of Corilagin on Alcoholic Liver Injury
Authors: Li Xudan , Li Xuan , Deng Yuan , Chen Lianghua , Zheng Zhizhong , Ming Yanlin
Published: September 2024

Objectives

The herbal product corilagin is renowned for its liver-protecting benefits and antioxidant properties. However, the protective role of corilagin in alcoholic liver injury remains unexplored. The objective of this study is to delve into the protective effects of corilagin on alcoholic liver injury, both in HepG2 cells and a mouse model.

Methods

To assess the antioxidant capacity of corilagin in vitro, DPPH and ABTS assays were conducted. HepG2 cells were pretreated with 800 mM ethanol for 24 hours, followed by corilagin treatment for another 24 hours, to evaluate its liver-protecting activity. For in vivo studies, ICR mice, with and without corilagin treatment, were given ethanol for 4 weeks to induce alcoholic liver injury. At the end of the study, serum and liver tissue samples were collected to analyze liver function, enzymatic antioxidants, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, alcohol dehydrogenase, and liver tissue histology.

Results

The findings reveal that corilagin exhibits remarkable free radical scavenging ability and alleviates alcohol-induced cell damage in vitro. In vivo, corilagin significantly reduced liver index and serum levels of aminotransferase aspartate, alanine transaminase, total cholesterol, and triglyceride in mice with alcoholic liver injury. Additionally, corilagin decreased ROS levels in liver tissue and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD, and GSH-Px. GSH content increased, while lipid peroxide MDA decreased in liver tissue.

Conclusion

Our data strongly suggests that corilagin possesses protective effects on alcoholic liver injury, both in vitro and in vivo, which is likely attributed to its exceptional antioxidant capacity. In summary, corilagin holds promise as a potential preventive or therapeutic agent for alcoholic liver injury.
Prevalence and factors associated with hyperglycemia among persons living with HIV/AIDS on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy in Uganda
Authors: Byereta Lillian Happy , Olum Ronald , Mutebi Edrisa Ibrahim , Kalyesubula Robert , Kagimu Majid , Meya David B. , Andia-Biraro Irene
Published: September 2024

Background:

Dolutegravir-based (DTG) regimens are rapidly becoming the preferred first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low and middle-income countries. However, there are rising concerns over the development of hyperglycemia and, in some cases, diabetes mellitus in patients switched to DTG.

Objectives:

To determine the prevalence and factors associated with hyperglycemia among PLHIV receiving DTG-based ART at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital (KNRH), Uganda.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Methods:

The study was conducted in the inpatient wards and the infectious disease outpatient clinic of KNRH from May to July 2022. Participants aged ⩾18 years on a DTG-based ART regimen for at least 3 months were consecutively enrolled and interviewed using a research assistant administered questionnaire for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. HbA1c was measured using whole blood Architect Ci4100® (Abbott, Illinois, USA), with hyperglycemia defined using a cut-off of ⩾5.7% as per the Uganda Diabetes Association guidelines. Factors associated with hyperglycemia were examined through logistic regression, adjusting for pertinent confounders, in STATA 17. A significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results:

A total of 398 PLHIV with a median age of 40.5 years (IQR: 32–49) were enrolled. More than half were females (58.3%, n = 232) and the majority (90%) had a CD4 count above 200 cells/µL. About 16% had a family history of diabetes, 11.73% ( n = 46) showed elevated blood pressure levels, and 16.7% ( n = 64) had obesity. Hyperglycemia was present in 12.8% ( n = 51), with 10.3% having pre-diabetes ( n = 41) and 2.5% with diabetes mellitus ( n = 10). At bivariate analysis, hyperglycemia was significantly associated with age >40 years ( p < 0.001), herbal medicine use ( p = 0.03), being widowed ( p < 0.001), obesity ( p = 0.042), hypertension ( p = 0.002) and >3 since diagnosis with HIV ( p = 0.030). At multivariable regression, only age >40 (AOR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.05–6.23, p = 0.039) and hypertension (AOR 2.93, 95% CI: 1.07–8.02, p = 0.036) remained significantly associated with hyperglycemia.

Conclusion:

More than 1 in 10 patients on DTG-based ART in our study had hyperglycemia. We recommend regular monitoring of plasma glucose, especially for patients >40 years old and those with other comorbidities, before starting/switching to DTG regimens. Longitudinal studies are recommended to determine the underlying mechanisms of hyperglycemia in this population.
Spectrum of bacterial pathogens in inflammatory and noninflammatory cutaneous ulcers of American tegumentary leishmaniasis
Authors: Kariyawasam Ruwandi , Gascon Bryan , Challa Priyanka , Mah Jordan , Lau Rachel , Valencia Braulio M. , Llanos-Cuentas Alejandro , Boggild Andrea K.
Published: September 2024

Background:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) ulcers exhibiting an inflammatory phenotype, characterized by purulent exudate, erythema, pain, and/or lymphatic involvement, are empirically treated with antibiotics.

Objective:

The spectrum of bacteria present in localized versus inflammatory phenotypes of CL is elucidated herein.

Methods:

Filter paper lesion impressions (FPLIs) from 39 patients with CL (19 inflammatory and 20 noninflammatory ulcers) were evaluated via real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and end-point PCR targeting: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus spp., Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 16S rDNA. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on six specimens.

Results:

In total, 30/39 (77%) patients’ ulcers had ⩾1 bacterium detected, which included the following species: S. aureus ( n = 16, 41%), C. freundii ( n = 13, 33%), P. aeruginosa ( n = 12, 31%), E. cloacae ( n = 12, 31%), K. pneumoniae ( n = 11, 28%), Enterococcus spp. ( n = 7, 18%), E. coli ( n = 6, 15%), and S. pyogenes ( n = 4, 10). Prevalence of bacterial species did not differ by CL phenotype ( p = 0.63). However, patients with inflammatory phenotypes were, on average, over a decade older than patients with noninflammatory phenotypes (42 years vs 27 years) ( p = 0.01). The inflammatory phenotype was more prevalent among ulcers of Leishmania Viannia braziliensis (58%) and L. V. panamensis (83%) compared to those of L. V. guyanensis (20%) ( p = 0.0369).

Conclusion:

The distribution of flora did not differ between inflammatory and noninflammatory CL phenotypes. Further prospective analysis, including additional WGS studies of all CL ulcers for nonbacterial organisms, is necessary to determine the role of empiric antibiotic therapy in inflammatory and purulent CL.
The effectiveness of telemedicine in the management of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review
Authors: Dat Truong Van , Binh Van , Hoang Thai Minh , Tu Vo Linh , Luyen Pham Dinh , Anh Le Thi Kim
Published: September 2024

Background:

Type 2 diabetes, a lifestyle-related disease demanding daily self-management, is a significant health concern. In this context, the use of telemedicine as a management tool is a relatively new and promising approach. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge by identifying the effectiveness of telemedicine in managing type 2 diabetes through a systematic review approach.

Methods:

Four databases were searched including PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Global Health Library, and Google Scholar on 27 July 2022. Additionally, a manual search was performed to identify any relevant articles that may have been missed. The quality of the included articles was rigorously assessed using the Study Quality Assessment Tools of the National Institute of Health.

Results:

We analyzed data from 134 articles. All 134 studies were published between 2002 and 2022, including 103 controlled intervention trials, 13 cohort studies, 7 before–after (pre–post) studies with no control group, 1 initial trial, 1 case study, 1 pilot study, and 8 two-arm studies that did not report the study design. Accordingly, most studies show positive changes in glycemic index in every group using telemedicine. Overall, although the BMI and weight indices in the studies improved at the end of the course, the improvement values were considered insignificant.

Conclusion:

Telemedicine may be a valuable solution for blood sugar management in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the effectiveness of telemedicine in improving BMI and quality of life is unclear.
A state-space relational event modeling approach for learning dynamic social interaction behavior
Authors: Vieira Fabio , Leenders Roger , Mulder Joris
Published: September 2024

Relational event models (REMs) are the primary choice for the analysis of relational-event network data. However, the standard REM assumes static parameters, which hinders the modeling of time-varying dynamics. This assumption might be too restrictive in real-life scenarios, making a model that allows for time-varying parameters more valuable. We introduce a state-space extension of the relational event model as a way to tackle this problem. The model has three main attributes. First, it provides a statistical framework of the temporal change of the parameters. Second, it enables the forecasting of future parameter values (which can be utilized to simulate new networks that can account for temporal dynamics in out-of-sample predictions). Third, it requires smaller data structures to be loaded into computer memory compared to the standard REM; this makes the model easily scalable to large networks. We conduct empirical analyses on bike-sharing data, corporate communications, and interactions among socio-political actors to illustrate model usage and applicability.
The Impact of International Talent Inflow on Technological Innovation: The Moderating Role of Guanxi Culture and Social Trust
Authors: Li Chunhao , Wang Chengsi , Wu Lei , Zhang Rui , Niu Xiongying
Published: September 2024

This paper studies the effect of international talent inflow on technological innovation and the influence of the Chinese cultural environment on their relationship. Based on provincial-level data from 2000 to 2012, we construct a static panel data model to explore the effects of international talents on technological innovation and the moderating role of Guanxi culture and social trust in the above relationship. We find that international talent inflow positively impacts technological innovation. Guanxi culture significantly negatively impacts technological innovation and negatively moderates the relationship between international talent inflow and technological innovation. Social trust significantly positively impacts technological innovation and positively moderates the relationship between international talent inflow and technological innovation. The interaction between social trust and Guanxi culture has a significant positive effect on technological innovation. The study shows that different cultural environments have an essential impact on developing international talent’s innovation ability. This paper provides evidence for the need to improve China’s cultural environment and provides important implications for the formulation of talent policies. Based on this, we suggest improving the talent introduction system, optimizing the relationship culture, and building a good social trust system to promote regional innovation.
Using Psychological Reactance and Bandwagon Cues to Explain High School Sports Coaches’ Resistance to Concussion Communication Policies
Authors: Hartman Daniel E. , Cranmer Gregory
Published: September 2024

Sport-related concussions (SRC) are a significant health risk for athletes amalgamated by issues with underreporting. Coaches play a pivotal role in promoting safety and health, but coach-player SRC communication efforts have been insufficient at improving players’ reporting behaviors. This study considers coaches’ responses to a proposed mandate to engage in SRC communication with athletes via psychological reactance theory (PRT), with bandwagoning cues positioned as a form of social proof that heightens or mitigates persuasion. Two hundred five coaches from 20 distinct sports were exposed to one of four messages addressing a proposed SRC management policy mandating biweekly coach-player communication about SRCs. The message variations incorporated different bandwagon cues (positive, negative, absent, mixed), manipulated through user comments and emoji reactions on a simulated social media environment. Results demonstrate direct and mediated relationships between exposure to negative bandwagon cues, bandwagon perceptions, freedom threat, reactance, and opposition intentions. Our findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of coaches’ attitudes towards SRC communication in a social media context, bridging gaps in the literature and introducing PRT to the SRC domain.
Protecting Our Innocence: Addressing Child Pornography in India
Authors: Teron Nayana
Published: September 2024

The internet has revolutionised educational methodologies and facilitated day-to-day learning experiences. It has also unveiled its darker facets, including the proliferation of child abuse in various forms, such as trafficking, prostitution and kidnapping. Amidst these atrocities, child pornography emerges as one of the most abhorrent manifestations of exploitation, inflicting severe physical and psychological harm upon its victims. In India, where the protection of children is paramount, stringent legal measures have been enacted to address this issue. This paper provides an analysis of the critical landscape of child pornography in the digital age, examining the multifaceted challenges it presents and the proactive measures undertaken by governmental and non-governmental entities. Through an exploration of the legal framework, landmark cases regarding child abuse in India, and initiatives aimed at child protection, the paper investigates the role of internet service providers in combating the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Furthermore, the importance of international cooperation in addressing this grave issue is emphasised. It is crucial to protect our children from this harmful practice; it is necessary to ban the practice of child pornography and protect their fundamental rights.
Communities of exposure, community as exposure: Thinking collective life in the police abolitionist movement
Authors: Calhoun Liz
Published: September 2024

The growing police abolitionist movement in the United States invokes the figure of community to bind various political claims, from shifting the arena of justice to fiscal restructuring. Geographic scholarship on community has yet to conceptualize its usage in this movement, and existing literature tends to critique conceptualizations of community-as-political-resistance by demonstrating a given community’s exclusionary practices and reasserting a liberal politics of inclusion. This article combines analysis of activist literatures from the liberatory harm reduction and transformative justice movements with elements of Jean-Luc Nancy’s philosophy to offer an understanding of community as a shifting and provisional spectrum of relations at once structural and intimate, thus challenging its prevailing figuration as a form of enclosure mediated by the terms of inclusion and exclusion. Drawing on archival work into informally circulated, praxis-based ephemera from movements under the umbrella of police abolition, I conceptualize an abolitionist understanding of community at the juncture of ‘communities of exposure,’ formed along a structurally-produced spectrum of exposure to the harms of white supremacy, settler colonialism, and cis-heteropatriarchy, and ‘community as exposure,’ the condition of relationality that resists enclosure and, in understanding our essential vulnerability to one another as a resource for care, refuses the notion that police could sanitize community of its risks.
Exploring commoning in the anthropocene. Introducing the concept of the election commons as a response to socio-ecological crisis. The case of Skouries, Greece
Authors: Rigkos-Zitthen Ioannis , Kapitsinis Nikolaos
Published: September 2024

The Anthropocene epoch challenges our planet’s ecological sustainability and its relationship with democratic processes. The prioritization of economic growth and capital accumulation within most democratic organizations and institutions encourages limitless economic expansion while ignoring or disregarding the earth’s ecological vulnerability in multiple crises (economic, social, ecological). Commoning presents an alternative political strategy to respond to these crises, particularly when it is based on transformative practices of collective care. In this paper, we investigate how an anti-mining community in Skouries, Greece, opposes the imposition of a large-scale mining project by forming a commons initiative. We introduce the concept of election commons, which was designed to allow the anti-mining community to claim institutional power at a local level. This concept is argued to provide valuable insights into how collective care sets the foundations for the renewal of democracy, allowing an alternative relation to the environment and playing a strategic role in connecting different geographical scales of politics. We claim that commoning can enable a more fitting political strategy for the Anthropocene while highlighting the case of decision-making at a national and international level benefiting from local politics.
Reversing Sovereignty: Deconstructing State ‘Rights’ and ‘Welfare’ in Jacinta Kerketta’s Poetry
Authors: Bhattacharjee Subhayu , Lama Sinor
Published: September 2024

In the prefatory remarks to her translation of Mahashweta Devi’s Draupadi, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak writes that the self-fulfilling premise of knowledge regarding the objects of critical discourse colours Western observations on the Other, although the text of Draupadi is potent enough in showing its blatant inadequacies and thus rendering the character of Dopdi Mejhen as neither completely understandable nor ‘translatable’. Translation, in critical discourse, therefore transcends the literal definition of the term as change of diction or language and encapsulates the idea of discursive readjustment as well. Jacinta Kerketta’s poems highlight the politics of ‘translation’ adopted by the modern welfare state in postcolonial India vis-à-vis the plight of Adivasis. While constitutional guarantees and safeguards constitute the benevolently sovereign nature of the postcolonial state, the complexities involved in the execution of these guarantees render them fallible in co-opting the demands and rights of the Adivasi in the narrative of national progress and other statist goals and objectives. On the other hand, Kerketta’s poems serve to offer a literary resistance to the complaisant presumptions of politico-legal discourse and create unprecedented fissures in concepts that are held to be self-explanatory and integral features of the modern welfare state.
Social Work Field Practicum in the Time of Social Distancing: A Case of Bangladesh
Authors: Jalil Md Abdul , Oakkas Mohammad Ali
Published: September 2024

Field practicum is an integral part of social work education. Social work students are typically placed with social service organisations to put into practice what they have learned in the classroom and to acquire new skills in the practice setting. However, the COVID-19 pandemic limited face-to-face communications, which affected on-site internships. The purpose of this article is to examine the difficulties in conducting social work field practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Based on the in-depth interviews with purposively selected three social work academics, five field practicum students, and three field placement agency supervisors, this article identified the challenges of conducting field practicum during the pandemic. The implications of analysis include creation of a regulatory body and the development and adoption of innovative strategies by social work educators and schools.
The Role of Complicated Grief in Health Inequities in American Indian Communities
Authors: Gameon Julie A. , McNamee Alex , FireMoon Paula , Skewes Monica C.
Published: September 2024

Complicated grief is both a cause and a consequence of health inequities in Native (American Indian/Alaska Native [AI/AN]) communities. Given disproportionately high rates of physical (e.g., cancer, diabetes, and heart disease) and mental health problems (e.g., substance use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder) in Native communities, it is common for AI/AN people to suffer many losses each year. Experiences of traumatic or repeated losses may lead to the development of maladaptive grief, often known as complicated grief. The aim of the current study was to understand the perspectives of community members on grief and its connection with health inequities among AI people who have experienced the loss of a person with whom they were close. Using a community-based participatory research framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 AI adults from a rural reservation community. The ages of the participants ranged from 32 to 80 years ( M = 54.33, SD = 14.46) and women ( n = 7, 58.3%) and men ( n = 5, 41.7%) were included. The participants reported many barriers to healthy grieving and linked chronic, complicated grief with the development of multifaceted health problems, which were seen as exacerbating health disparities and leading to additional losses and grief. While coping with loss was difficult, many people were able to heal from extraordinary losses through community support and cultural practices. Future research with AI/AN communities is needed to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally responsive therapeutic grief treatments. There is also a pressing need to address current physical and mental health inequities to reduce the mortality rate and, thus, complicated grief in AI/AN communities.
Premchand, the playwright and the drama critic: Evaluating Hindi theatrescape in colonial India
Authors: Qadeer Haris
Published: September 2024

Besides writing some of the greatest novels and short stories in Urdu and Hindi, Premchand, the doyen of Indian fiction, also engaged with the genre of drama: he translated several European plays into Hindi and Urdu, authored three original plays, and reviewed contemporary plays and commented on different performative traditions in his articles. Drawing upon the paratexts of Premchand’s plays—especially the prefaces to Sangram (1923) and Karbala (1924), his articles such as “Hindi Rangmanch” and “Bhartendu Babu Harishchandra”, and his reviews of contemporary plays—the essay studies Premchand’s attempt to institutionalize Hindi drama and theatre as a distinct tradition: it explores how he outlined dramaturgy and aesthetics of playwriting and performance, mapped the history and modernity of Hindi drama, diagnosed the ills that ailed Hindi theatre and suggested remedies. Furthermore, it explores how he hailed the advent of Naya Drama (New drama) in Hindi and scrutinized modernity in theatrescapes in colonial India.
HiCMC: High-Efficiency Contact Matrix Compressor
Authors: Adhisantoso Yeremia Gunawan , Körner Tim , Müntefering Fabian , Ostermann Jörn , Voges Jan
Published: September 2024

Background

Chromosome organization plays an important role in biological processes such as replication, regulation, and transcription. One way to study the relationship between chromosome structure and its biological functions is through Hi-C studies, a genome-wide method for capturing chromosome conformation. Such studies generate vast amounts of data. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that chromosome organization is dynamic, requiring snapshots at different points in time, further increasing the amount of data to be stored. We present a novel approach called the High-Efficiency Contact Matrix Compressor (HiCMC) for efficient compression of Hi-C data.

Results

By modeling the underlying structures found in the contact matrix, such as compartments and domains, HiCMC outperforms the state-of-the-art method CMC by approximately 8% and the other state-of-the-art methods cooler, LZMA, and bzip2 by over 50% across multiple cell lines and contact matrix resolutions. In addition, HiCMC integrates domain-specific information into the compressed bitstreams that it generates, and this information can be used to speed up downstream analyses.

Conclusion

HiCMC is a novel compression approach that utilizes intrinsic properties of contact matrix, such as compartments and domains. It allows for a better compression in comparison to the state-of-the-art methods. HiCMC is available at https://github.com/sXperfect/hicmc.