bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between the serum level of vitamin D and systemic sclerosis in a Chinese population: a case control study
Authors: Zhang Li , Duan Yu , Zhang Tian‐Ping , Huang Xiao‐Lei , Li Bao‐Zhu , Ye Dong‐Qing , Wang Jing
Published: December 2015

Aim

Several autoimmune diseases have been associated with reduced vitamin D levels. However, the serum level of vitamin D in Chinese systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients have not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of vitamin D in Chinese SSc patients and analyze the association between vitamin D and SSc.

Methods

25‐hydroxy vitamin D 125I RIA kit was applied to evaluate the serum levels of vitamin D in 60 SSc patients and 60 healthy controls from Anhui Provincial Hospital, China. The data of epidemiological and clinical characteristics of SSc patients were also collected.

Results

The serum levels of vitamin D were significantly lower in SSc patients than that in healthy controls (26.51 ± 6.27 vs. 36.29 ± 14.24 ng/mL, P < 0.001). The ratio of pulmonary involvement in vitamin D insufficiency patients was higher than that in normal vitamin D patients, but the difference missed statistical significance. The differences in other aspects were not statistically significant in the two groups.

Conclusion

Serum levels of vitamin D in patients with SSc were lower than that in healthy controls. Further studies are needed to determine whether vitamin D supplement could provide some positive effects.
D14 repeat polymorphism of the asporin gene is associated with primary osteoarthritis of the knee in a Mexican Mestizo population
Authors: González‐Huerta Norma Celia , Borgonio‐Cuadra Verónica Marusa , Zenteno Juan Carlos , Cortés‐González Socorro , Duarte‐Salazar Carolina , Miranda‐Duarte Antonio
Published: December 2015

Background

Asporin is a novel extracellular matrix protein (ECM) with an important role in the development of osteoarthritis (OA), because it has been reported that functional polymorphisms in the aspartic acid repeat (D) of the asporin gene (ASPN) are associated with susceptibility to OA.

Aim

This study was planned to investigate the association of the ASPN polymorphism with primary OA of the knee in a Mexican population, including several countryside regions.

Methods

We conducted a case‐control study in which 93 cases with primary OA of the knee and 118 controls were included. Cases included patients > 40 years of age, with a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 27 and a radiologic score for OA of the knee of ≥ 2. Controls were subjects > 40 years of age with a radiologic score of < 2. The D repeat polymorphism was genotyped and logistic regression was developed to evaluate risk magnitude.

Results

The D14 allele was more common in our cases and was associated with an increased risk for developing OA, while the frequencies of the remaining alleles did not exhibit differences.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that the D14 allele of the ASPN polymorphism could exert an influence on primary OA of the knee etiology in a Mexican Mestizo population.
Simultaneously increased expression of microRNA‐155 and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) gene in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Chen Ji‐Qing , Zilahi Erika , Papp Gábor , Sipka Sándor , Zeher Margit
Published: December 2015

Aim

The microRNA‐155 (miR‐155) is regarded as a central modulator of T‐cell responses and could be a potential therapeutic target for certain inflammatory diseases. In our present study we analyzed the expression rate of miR‐155 and its functionally linked gene, the suppressor gene of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Method

We enrolled 23 pSS patients and 10 healthy individuals in the study. The expression of miR‐155 and SOCS1 gene were measured by real‐time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

We observed the over‐expression of miR‐155 in the peripheral mononuclear cells of patients with pSS. Surprisingly, SOCS1 gene was also over‐expressed in pSS patients.

Conclusion

This unanticipated phenomenon might be a laboratory characteristic of Sjögren's syndrome, and presumably a consequence of the noteworthy difference in the pSS immune system reacting with Epstein–Barr virus.
Overlooked hematological markers of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Tekeoğlu İbrahim , Gürol Gönül , Harman Halil , Karakeçe Engin , Çiftçi İhsan Hakkı
Published: December 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hematological markers and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

The study was designed and performed in the Department of Rheumatology of the Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine. In total, 102 patients with RA were retrospectively enrolled. We used the Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS28) instrument to evaluate disease activity. Laboratory assessments included complete blood cell counts, measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and assessment of C‐reactive protein (CRP) level. Exclusion criteria included active infection and/or the presence of any hematological, cardiovascular or metabolic disorder.

Results

We found that the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) varied by disease activity status. NLR values correlated positively with the DAS28 scores of RA patients. Especially, higher NLR values (3.92 ± 0.31) were evident in the group exhibiting high‐level disease activity, whereas the MPV values were lowest (7.11 ± 0.91 fL) in this group. Additionally, no significant difference was evident between DAS28 scores and platelet distribution width (PDW) values in patients with RA (r = −0.055, P = 0.124).

Conclusions

We found that the MPV value may serve as a marker of the absence of acute‐phase disease, and the NLR level as a marker of the presence of such disease, in patients with RA. More detailed analysis of disease activity is required to further explain the associations of the markers described above with disease activity.
The role of siderophores in metal homeostasis of members of the genus Burkholderia
Authors: Mathew Anugraha , Jenul Christian , Carlier Aurelien L. , Eberl Leo
Published: December 2015

Although members of the genus Burkholderia can utilize a high‐affinity iron uptake system to sustain growth under iron‐limiting conditions, many strains also produce siderophores, suggesting that they may serve alternative functions. Here we demonstrate that the two Burkholderia siderophores pyochelin and ornibactin can protect the cells from metal toxicity and thus play an alternative role in metal homeostasis. We also demonstrate that metals such as copper and zinc induce the production of ornibactin.
Peri‐operative cognitive dysfunction and protection
Authors: Steinmetz J. , Rasmussen L. S.
Published: December 2015

Cognition may decline after surgery. Postoperative delirium, especially when hyperactive, may be easily recognised, whereas cognitive dysfunction is subtle and can only be detected using neuropsychological tests. The causes for these two conditions are largely unknown, although they share risk factors, the predominant one being age. Ignorance of the causes for postoperative cognitive dysfunction contributes to the difficulty of conducting interventional studies. Postoperative cognitive disorders are associated with increased mortality and permanent disability. Peri‐operative interventions can reduce the rate of delirium in the elderly, but in spite of promising findings in animal experiments, no intervention reduces postoperative cognitive dysfunction in humans.
The New Washington Consensus: Millennial Philanthropy and the Making of Global Market Subjects
Authors: Mitchell Katharyne , Sparke Matthew
Published: December 2015

This paper outlines the emergence of a New Washington Consensus associated with leading philanthropies of the new millennium. This emergent development paradigm by no means represents a historic break with the market rationalities of neoliberalism, nor does it represent a radical departure from older models of early 20th century philanthropy. Rather, it is new in its global ambition to foster resilient market subjects for a globalized world; and new in its employment of micro‐market transformations to compensate for macro‐market failures. Focusing on reforms pioneered by the new philanthropic partnerships in education and global health, the paper indicates how the targets of intervention are identified as communities that have been failed by both governments and markets. The resulting interventions are commonly justified in terms of “return on investment”. But the problems they target keep returning because the underlying causes of failure are left unaddressed.
A Pilot Study of Antithrombin Replacement Prior to Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Neonates
Authors: Niebler Robert A. , Woods Katherine J. , Murkowski Kathleen , Ghanayem Nancy S. , Hoffman George , Mitchell Michael E. , Punzalan Rowena C. , Scott J. Paul , Simpson Pippa , Tweddell James S.
Published: December 2015

Neonates have low levels of antithrombin. Inadequate anticoagulation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) due to low antithrombin activity may result in a poor preservation of the coagulation system during bypass. We hypothesize that antithrombin replacement to neonates prior to CPB will preserve the hemostatic system and result in less postoperative bleeding. A randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled pilot study of antithrombin replacement to neonates prior to CPB was conducted. Preoperative antithrombin levels determined the dose of recombinant antithrombin or placebo to be given. Antithrombin levels were measured following the dosing of the antithrombin/placebo, after initiation of bypass, near the completion of bypass, and upon intensive care unit admission. Eight subjects were enrolled. No subject had safety concerns. Mediastinal exploration occurred in two antithrombin subjects and one placebo subject. Antithrombin activity levels were significantly higher in the treated group following drug administration; levels continued to be higher than preoperatively but not different from the placebo group at all other time points. Total heparin administration was less in the antithrombin group; measurements of blood loss were similar in both groups. A single dose of recombinant antithrombin did not maintain 100% activity levels throughout the entire operation. Although no safety concerns were identified in this pilot study, a larger trial is necessary to determine clinical efficacy.
Hepatitis E virus infection and acute‐on‐chronic liver failure in West Africa: a case–control study from The Gambia
Authors: Shimakawa Y. , Njai H. F. , Takahashi K. , Berg L. , Ndow G. , Jeng‐Barry A. , Ceesay A. , Tamba S. , Opoku E. , Taal M. , Akbar S. M. F. , Arai M. , D'Alessandro U. , Taylor‐Robinson S. D. , Njie R. , Mishiro S. , Thursz M. R. , Lemoine M.
Published: December 2015

Background

In sub‐Saharan Africa, it is unknown whether hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a common precipitating event of acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Aims

To estimate the prevalence of HEV infection in general population and assess whether HEV is a common trigger of ACLF in cirrhotic patients in The Gambia, West Africa.

Methods

We first conducted an HEV sero‐survey in healthy volunteers. We then tested cirrhotic patients with ACLF (cases) and compensated cirrhosis (controls) for anti‐HEV IgG as a marker of exposure to HEV, and anti‐HEV IgA and HEV RNA as a marker of recent infection. We also described the characteristics and survival of the ACLF cases and controls.

Results

In the healthy volunteers (n = 204), 13.7% (95% CI: 9.6–19.2) were positive for anti‐HEV IgG, and none had positive HEV viraemia. After adjusting for age and sex, the following were associated with positive anti‐HEV IgG: being a Christian, a farmer, drinking water from wells, handling pigs and eating pork. In 40 cases (median age: 45 years, 72.5% male) and 71 controls (39 years, 74.6% male), ≥70% were infected with hepatitis B virus. Although hepatitis B flare and sepsis were important precipitating events of ACLF, none had marker of acute HEV. ACLF cases had high (70.0%) 28‐day mortality.

Conclusions

Hepatitis E virus infection is endemic in The Gambia, where both faecal‐oral route (contaminated water) and zoonotic transmission (pigs/pork meat) may be important. However, acute HEV was not a common cause of acute‐on‐chronic liver failure in The Gambia.
Statin therapy and plasma free fatty acids: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled clinical trials
Authors: Sahebkar Amirhossein , Simental‐Mendía Luis E. , Pedone Claudio , Ferretti Gianna , Nachtigal Petr , Bo Simona , Derosa Giuseppe , Maffioli Pamela , Watts Gerald F.
Published: December 2015

AIM

The aim of this meta‐analysis was to evaluate the effect of statin therapy on plasma FFA concentrations in a systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled clinical trials.

Methods

PubMed‐Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched (from inception to February 16 2015) to identify controlled trials evaluating the impact of statins on plasma FFA concentrations. A systematic assessment of bias in the included studies was performed using the Cochrane criteria. A random effects model and generic inverse variance method were used for quantitative data synthesis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the leave‐one‐out method. Random effects meta‐regression was performed using unrestricted maximum likelihood method to evaluate the impact of potential moderators.

Results

Meta‐analysis of data from 14 treatment arms indicated a significant reduction in plasma FFA concentrations following treatment with statins (weighted mean difference (WMD) –19.42%, 95% CI –23.19, −–15.64, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis confirmed the significance of the effect with both atorvastatin (WMD –20.56%, 95% CI –24.51, –16.61, P < 0.01) and simvastatin (WMD –18.05%, 95% CI –28.12, –7.99, P < 0.001). Changes in plasma FFA concentrations were independent of treatment duration (slope –0.10, 95% CI –0.30, 0.11, P = 0.354) and magnitude of reduction in plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (slope 0.55, 95% CI –0.17, 1.27, P = 0.133) by statins.

Conclusions

The results of the present study suggest that statin therapy may lower plasma FFA concentrations. The cardiovascular and metabolic significance of this finding requires further investigation.
The role of gut microbiota and diet in experimental autoimmune encephalitis and multiple sclerosis
Authors: Okuno Tatsusada , Nakatsuji Yuji , Kinoshita Makoto , Takata Kazushiro , Koda Toru , Yamashita Kazuya , Nanba Akiko , Mochizuki Hideki
Published: December 2015

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis has been increasing over the last few decades, especially in certain areas such as the Mediterranean regions and Japan. This increase may be attributed to a modified microbiota in accordance with the changes in food habits, although the precise cause remains unknown. To investigate the association between the microbiota and central nervous system inflammation, mice under germ‐free conditions and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been widely used. For example, Th17 cells are induced by intestinal segmented filamentous bacteria and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including EAE. Certain groups of commensal bacteria and their metabolites, including short‐chain fatty acids, play significant roles in the induction of regulatory T cells in the intestine, which suppress autoimmune reaction. In this review, we introduce the current advances in this field, including our data on Pediococcus acidilactici and Candida kefyr in EAE, and discuss the potential of probiotics in terms of prophylactic or therapeutic treatment options for multiple sclerosis.
The role of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica: A white or black knight?
Authors: Masuda Hiroki , Uzawa Akiyuki , Mori Masahiro , Kuwabara Satoshi
Published: December 2015

Granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) not only induces the differentiation of hematopoietic cells into granulocytes and macrophages but also exerts immunomodulatory functions. GM‐CSF promotes experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Conversely, GM‐CSF ameliorates some type 2 helper T cell‐dominant diseases, including experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis, experimental autoimmune thyroiditis, Crohn's disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune neutropenia, and juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus. However, the contribution of GM‐CSF to the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) has not been studied. In this article, we review GM‐CSF roles in the central nervous system and report evidence that GM‐CSF may positively affect the pathogenesis of NMO. We have previously reported (i) that patients with NMO expressing antinuclear antibodies (ANA‐positive) have less severe disease activity and a better prognosis than ANA‐negative patients and (ii) an analysis of the cytokine/chemokine profiles of 24 patients with NMO. We investigated associations between cytokine expression, ANA‐positivity, and disease severity. Among the 24 patients, the six who were ANA positive had significantly elevated serum GM‐CSF concentrations than the ANA‐negative patients (medians: 7.0 vs 0.27 pg/mL, respectively; P = 0.001) and higher cerebrospinal fluid GM‐CSF concentrations (medians: 53.7 vs 47.0 pg/mL, respectively; P = 0.068). Although no other cytokine/chemokine profiles were different based on ANA status, cerebrospinal fluid GM‐CSF concentrations at relapse were negatively correlated with Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (R2 = 0.26, P = 0.009). Therefore, GM‐CSF may play a protective role in the pathogenesis of NMO.
Feasibility of Neoadjuvant Ad‐REIC Gene Therapy in Patients with High‐Risk Localized Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Kumon Hiromi , Sasaki Katsumi , Ariyoshi Yuichi , Sadahira Takuya , Araki Motoo , Ebara Shin , Yanai Hiroyuki , Watanabe Masami , Nasu Yasutomo
Published: December 2015

In a phase I/IIa study of in situ gene therapy using an adenovirus vector carrying the human REIC/Dkk‐3 gene (Ad‐REIC), we assessed the inhibitory effects of cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP), in patients with high risk localized prostate cancer (PCa). After completing the therapeutic interventions with initially planned three escalating doses of 1.0 × 1010, 1.0 × 1011, and 1.0 × 1012 viral particles (VP) in 1.0–1.2 mL (n = 3, 3, and 6), an additional higher dose of 3.0 × 1012 VP in 3.6 mL (n = 6) was further studied. Patients with recurrence probability of 35% or more within 5 years after RP as calculated by Kattan's nomogram, were enrolled. They received two ultrasound‐guided intratumoral injections at 2‐week intervals, followed by RP 6 weeks after the second injection. Based on the findings of MRI and biopsy mapping, as a rule, one track injection to the most prominent cancer area was given to initial 12 patients and 3 track injections to multiple cancer areas in additional 6 patients. As compared to the former group, biochemical recurrence‐free survival of the latter showed a significantly favorable outcome. Neoadjuvant Ad‐REIC, mediating simultaneous induction of cancer selective apoptosis and augmentation of antitumor immunity, is a feasible approach in preventing cancer recurrence after RP. (199)
Public and Private Responses to Food Insecurity: Complementarity in Burkina Faso
Authors: West Colin Thor
Published: December 2015

This article explores the contemporary context of food insecurity in Mossi communities of the northern Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative ethnographic field data from three time periods, the research illustrates how public and private responses to seasonal food insecurity are improving and becoming more appropriate to local contexts. The Government of Burkina Faso and NGOs have invested in improved agricultural technologies that farmers have rapidly adopted. They have also assisted in the development of local institutions such as village cereal banks that help farmers self‐insure against crop failure. Whereas other scholars have described tensions between private and public responses to agroclimatic shocks that ultimately make rural producers more vulnerable, this case study illustrates how the two are complementary and reinforce one another. Overall, seasonal household food insecurity is declining in the northern Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso.
Muddying the Waters: Protection, Public Participation, and Ambiguity in the Language of Pollution in the Great Lakes
Authors: Harvey T. S.
Published: December 2015

Based on the case of theGreatLakes, which is theUnitedStates' largest supply of fresh water and is contaminated by nonpoint source pollution from agricultural runoff, this paper examines the role that language plays in providing definitions for environmental protection and regulation. The interdisciplinary research presented here identifies “agriculturalese” as a specialized and highly technical language of agribusiness and environmental projection, and it considers some of the underinvestigated challenges that its ambiguity and complexity present to lay stakeholders' public participation in environmental decision making, protection, and enforcement.
Freshwater fishes of China: species richness, endemism, threatened species and conservation
Authors: Xing Yingchun , Zhang Chunguang , Fan Enyuan , Zhao Yahui
Published: December 2015

Aim

To compile an inventory of freshwater fish species in China, and to investigate these data to determine spatial patterns in species richness, endemism and threatened species for the purpose of facilitating conservation.

Location

China

Methods

Literature, databases and fish collections were examined to create an inventory database of freshwater fishes of China. This list was analysed to determine species richness, endemism and threatened species.spssandoriginsoftware were used to determine relationships between these three parameters across the area and length of river basins. Coefficients of fish diversity for each major river were calculated using the Gleason Index.

Results

Chinese freshwater fish fauna is comprised of 1323 species; the majority of species belong to Cypriniformes and Cyprinidae. Of 877 species endemic to China, 161 of 199 threatened species are endemic, with most classified as ‘endangered’ (85 species) or ‘vulnerable’ (70). Species endemism and the number of threatened species correlate positively with species richness. River basin area and length have no direct bearing on either species richness or endemism. The Pearl River was identified as the most species‐rich system. It also has the most endemic and threatened fish species.

Main conclusions

China's vast size, variable geography and climate influence patterns in species diversity and endemism. Its freshwater fish fauna is rich and largely endemic and a significant number of these endemic species are threatened. Dam construction, water pollution, overfishing and invasive species pose threats to native biodiversity. National assessment of threatened species is urgently needed. The Yangtze, Yellow and Pearl rivers require prioritized national protection. Environmental effects of development require serious consideration and, potentially, proactive conservation efforts and mitigation. Development on international rivers needs to consider environmental policies of all countries owning spans of the systems, particularly the wishes and concerns of nations with lower spans of a system.
Endoscopic features associated with development of metachronous gastric cancer in patients who underwent endoscopic resection followed by Helicobacter pylori eradication
Authors: Moribata Kosaku , Kato Jun , Iguchi Mikitaka , Nakachi Kenichiro , Maeda Yoshimasa , Shingaki Naoki , Niwa Toru , Deguchi Hisanobu , Inoue Izumi , Maekita Takao , Tamai Hideyuki , Ichinose Masao
Published: December 2015

Background and Aim

The preventive effect of Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication on metachronous gastric cancer development after endoscopic resection remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to identify specific endoscopic features that correlated with the risk of metachronous gastric cancer development after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) using both endoscopic findings before ESD and changes of findings after HP eradication.

Methods

This retrospective study investigated 122 consecutive patients who underwent ESD for early gastric cancer and successful HP eradication after ESD. Endoscopic findings linked with HP before ESD and changes after HP eradication were evaluated according to the development of metachronous cancer.

Results

Most patients showed severe atrophy and intestinal metaplasia (IM) before ESD (97% and 83%, respectively). Improvement of spotty redness, improvement of diffuse redness, emergence of patchy redness, and emergence of map‐like redness were frequent findings after HP eradication (52%, 50%, 54%, and 32%, respectively). Kaplan–Meier curves indicated that patients without IM before ESD never developed metachronous cancer, whereas patients with emergence of map‐like redness after HP eradication were significantly more likely to develop metachronous cancer (log–rank test, P = 0.031 and P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that emergence of map‐like redness after HP eradication was the only predictive factor for development of metachronous cancer (hazard ratio, 3.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.41–9.21; P = 0.007).

Conclusion

Absence of IM before ESD and emergence of map‐like redness after HP eradication were useful endoscopic findings in the negative and positive predictions, respectively, of metachronous gastric cancer developing after ESD.
Post‐Secularism, Secular Theology, and the Names of the Real
Authors: Crockett Clayton
Published: December 2015

This article disputes the common view of religious and secular as oppositional terms. Our contemporary world is post‐secularist, because secularism is a modern ideology that imagines a strict separation of the religious and the political, where religion becomes a purely private affair. This situation is compromised by the “return” of religion in political terms. Constructively, following Jacques Lacan, we can say that secular theology concerns the Real; and with François Laruelle, we can think about a non‐theology that complements what he calls non‐philosophy. Finally, I speculate on three names of the Real: energy, capital, and nomos.
Outside the Box: (Post) Secular Projects of Transcendence
Authors: Cady Linell
Published: December 2015

Secular theology builds upon the growing recognition and critique of the limitations of the confining box of religion built in and through the modern secularist dispensation. A bipolar model of religion and the secular, and the classificatory web within which it is nestled, have limited theology's field of vision and engagement. This article explores several examples of projects of transcendence that resist easy identification with either the religious or the secular, illuminating the limitations of the religion‐secular classification and the diffuse cultural trends that are reconfiguring it, even leading beyond it.
Residues in the Secular: Whale Bones and Other Theological Relics1
Authors: Marovich Beatrice
Published: December 2015

This article develops the concept of the “theological relic”: a facet of secular life and culture that maintains traces of (and so remains bound in some way to) its genealogy in the theological. The theological relic, then, is something that fails to be either robustly religious or properly secular. It is, instead, a product of the relations between these social spaces. The article illustrates this concept by examining a cultural history of the whale, highlighting this creature's complex bonds with the theological. The whale, in other words, is figured as a theological relic: a creature of the secular that remains shrouded enough by traces of the theological that these vestiges of divinity are implicated in the whale's powerful late‐twentieth‐century cultural reconfiguration.
Nathan Söderblom and Our Own Time1
Authors: Jackelén Antje , Wirén Jakob
Published: December 2015

In 1914 Professor Nathan Söderblom was elected archbishop of the Church of Sweden. His consecration took place in Uppsala Cathedral just months after the beginning of World War I. In 1925, he convened an ecumenical meeting in Stockholm that came to shape the ecumenical movement for decades to come. The peace question remained at the heart of his episcopate as long as it lasted. In this article, Antje Jackelén and Jakob Wirén explore some of the additional challenges that lay before Nathan Söderblom. Even today, there are lessons to be learned from the way Söderblom responded to issues such as questioning the relevance of the church, the need for dialogue between science and theology, the urgency of ecumenical cooperation, and the risks of nationalism.
A Comparison of Five Different Treatment Regimens as the First‐Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori in Turkey
Authors: Unler Gulhan Kanat , Teke Ozgur Gulsum , Gokturk Huseyin Savas , Karakoca Aydın , Erinanc Ozgur Hilal
Published: December 2015

Background

The H. pylori eradication success is low in countries with high antibiotic resistance to H. pylori.

Objective

We retrospectively assessed the eradication rates achieved by five different regimens and aimed to compare the efficiency of bismuth enhanced sequential therapy and other treatments in a gastroenterology outpatient clinic a university‐affiliated hospital.

Design

Our study was carried out with a retrospective cohort design.

Setting

This study assessed the gastroscopy examinations of patients.

Patients

A total of 621 patients were included in the study. There were 122 patients in the quadruple treatment group, 168 patients in the classical sequential treatment group, 130 patients in the bismuth enhanced sequential therapy, 113 patients in the sequential treatment with levofloxacin, and 88 patients in the hybrid treatment.

Measurements

Eradication rates of different regimens was analyzed by performing Chi‐square and Tukey's honest significant difference test.

Results

Eradication rates by ITT and PP analysis achieved by treatment groups were 74.6 and 75.6% in the quadruple treatment; 70.2 and 70.4% in the sequential treatment with clarithromycin, 88.5 and 90.3% in the bismuth enhanced sequential therapy, 77.9 and 78.5% in the sequential treatment with levofloxacin, and 76.1 and 76.2% in the hybrid treatment.

Limitations

The main limitation of our study was its retrospective nature. Different proton pump inhibitors were used in the treatment arms.

Conclusions

Bismuth‐enhanced sequential therapy can be recommended to overcome resistance.
Public involvement in research within care homes: benefits and challenges in the APPROACH study
Authors: Froggatt Katherine , Goodman Claire , Morbey Hazel , Davies Sue L. , Masey Helen , Dickinson Angela , Martin Wendy , Victor Christina
Published: December 2015

Background

Public involvement in research (PIR) can improve research design and recruitment. Less is known about how PIR enhances the experience of participation and enriches the data collection process. In a study to evaluate how UK care homes and primary health‐care services achieve integrated working to promote older people's health, PIR was integrated throughout the research processes.

Objectives

This paper aims to present one way in which PIR has been integrated into the design and delivery of a multisite research study based in care homes.

Design

A prospective case study design, with an embedded qualitative evaluation of PIR activity.

Setting and participants

Data collection was undertaken in six care homes in three sites in England. Six PIR members participated: all had prior personal or work experience in care homes.

Data collection

Qualitative data collection involved discussion groups, and site‐specific meetings to review experiences of participation, benefits and challenges, and completion of structured fieldwork notes after each care home visit.

Results

PIR members supported recruitment, resident and staff interviews and participated in data interpretation. Benefits of PIR work were resident engagement that minimized distress and made best use of limited research resources. Challenges concerned communication and scheduling. Researcher support for PIR involvement was resource intensive.

Discussion and conclusions

Clearly defined roles with identified training and support facilitated involvement in different aspects of the data collection process. This can also ensure that vulnerable older people who participate in research have a positive experience that reinforces the value of their views.
Microstructural Properties of Air Plasma Sprayed Coating Consisting of Tungsten Carbide and Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia
Authors: Abuali Galedari Sahar , Salimi Jazi Mehdi , Azarmi Fardad , Tangpong Xiangqing , Huang Ying
Published: December 2015

Thermal Spraying technologies are proven to be capable of producing composite materials and structures. In the present work, an innovative composite coating was produced to achieve high wear and thermal resistant properties in a single‐step process using air plasma spraying (APS) technique. Tungsten carbide has shown high wear resistance and zirconia coatings exhibited excellent tribological and insulation properties. It is speculated that a composite material consisting of zirconia and tungsten carbide exhibits excellent thermomechanical properties. A powder mixture of 50wt% WC‐10wt% Ni (WC‐Ni) and 50wt% ZrO2‐8wt% Y2O3 (YPSZ) was deposited on a low carbon steel substrate using APS technique. Important microstructural properties of WC‐Ni/YPSZ coating such as splat boundaries, pore and grain morphology, microcracks, phase composition, elemental distribution of coatings, and lattice parameters of the crystals were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDS), and X‐ray diffractometry (XRD). A good adhesion was observed between different phases in tungsten carbide mixed with zirconia coatings. Decarburization process which occurred during APS process resulted in formation of tungsten hemi‐carbide (W2C) phase in plasma sprayed samples. The calculated crystal size for APS‐deposited coating was smaller than those of feedstock powder.
The Negative Effects of Social Capital in Organizations: A Review and Extension
Authors: Pillai Kishore Gopalakrishna , Hodgkinson Gerard P. , Kalyanaram Gurumurthy , Nair Smitha R.
Published: December 2015

Numerous studies have examined the positive effects of social capital in organizations, whereas the possible negative effects have attracted considerably less scholarly attention. To rectify this imbalance, this paper first undertakes a rigorous review of the published scholarly empirical evidence pertaining to the negative effects of social capital in organizations through a search of Web of Knowledge and Scopus, and then enumerates six potentially negative effects arising from increased levels of social capital. The review focuses on negative effects arising from bonding social capital and those arising from dense networks and closure, advancing new theory to elucidate the generative mechanisms that give rise to the proposed negative effects. Finally, the authors identify potential moderators of the negative effects thus theorized. Using the lens of social identification theory, the authors argue that dysfunctional identification processes restrict the processing of information and stimulate over‐commitment to established relationships, diluting in turn the dialectical process, and inhibiting individual learning within organizations, culminating in groupthink, the postponement of structural adjustments, the non‐rational escalation of commitment, and the blurring of firms’ boundaries. This review thus furthers the agenda of a more balanced inquiry into the effects of social capital in organizations.
In Search of ‘Managerial Work’: Past, Present and Future of an Analytical Category
Authors: Korica Maja , Nicolini Davide , Johnson Bart
Published: December 2015

Based on a comprehensive review of literature, the paper examines how ‘managerial work’ as a fluid analytical category has been approached methodologically, theoretically and empirically for more than 60 years. In particular, it highlights the existence of competing scholarly understandings regarding its nature, performance, meaning and politics. The authors suggest that subsequent empirical investigations have too often worked, methodologically and theoretically, to slot in, and thus effectively reduce, the term to a particular pre‐existing box, rather than exploring open‐endedly the what and how, but also the why of ‘managerial work’ as a distinct mode of situated ordering. Having represented the concept's past and present by identifying four distinct research approaches reflected in representative publications, the authors suggest that more attention should be devoted to a mode of analytical departure that promises to address directly the suggested shortcomings in the literature. Specifically, it is argued that much could be gained if contemporary notions of practice were brought into the study of managerial work. To this end, the authors outline the contours of a practice‐based approach as a sensitizing framework for understanding managerial work by highlighting the situated, relational, sociomaterial, meaning‐making and consequence‐oriented analytical foci the approach suggests, and suggesting a number of conjoint research questions, as well as acknowledging subsequent limitations.
Challenging Parenting Behavior from Infancy to Toddlerhood: Etiology, Measurement, and Differences between Fathers and Mothers
Authors: Majdandžić Mirjana , de Vente Wieke , Bögels Susan M.
Published: December 2015

Based on evidence that fathers show more challenging and physical play than mothers, it has been theorized that fathers have a different parenting role, more focused at stimulating exploration and taking chances. Challenging parenting behavior (CPB) may foster confidence and buffer against anxiety development in children. In this study, CPB was assessed in fathers and mothers at child ages of 4 months, 1 year, and 2.5 years, using newly developed questionnaires and observational tasks. Reliability of the questionnaire and observational measures was good, and fathers' and mothers' self‐rated CPB showed a similar factor structure. Modest and significant convergence between questionnaires and observations provided support for validity of CPB, whereas negative correlations with overprotection supported divergent validity. CPB correlated positively with warmth. We further found moderate to high stability of CPB from early infancy to toddlerhood, and interparental correspondence in CPB. Fathers and mothers did not differ in observed CPB, but fathers rated themselves higher than mothers in toddlerhood. It is concluded that the development of the instruments to assess CPB was successful. Overall, the results reveal similarities rather than differences between fathers' and mothers' CPB in early childhood. The potential relevance of CPB in child development and psychopathology is discussed.
Comparative Drought Response in Eleven Diverse Alfalfa Accessions
Authors: Anower M. R. , Boe A. , Auger D. , Mott I. W. , Peel M. D. , Xu L. , Kanchupati P. , Wu Y.
Published: December 2015

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production is negatively affected by drought stress. This is particularly true for alfalfa grown on non‐irrigated rangelands. Thus, the development of drought‐tolerant alfalfa cultivars is of great significance. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate 11 alfalfa accessions including several that are adapted to rangeland conditions and two commercial accessions, for their performance under drought condition. Water supply was adjusted based on the transpiration rate of individual plants to compensate for 100, 75, 50 or 25 % of transpirational water loss. We found that RS, a naturalized alfalfa collected from the Grand River National Grassland in South Dakota, showed the best resistance to drought condition. It showed the smallest reduction in stem elongation (36 %), relative growth rate (14 %), and shoot dry mass (40 %) production under the severest drought tested in this study relative to the non‐drought treatment. While RS showed less biomass production under well‐watered conditions, it produced similar or more shoot biomass under drought conditions compared to other accessions. Associated with the drought resistance or less sensitivity to drought, RS showed greater capability to maintain root growth, shoot relative water content, and leaf chlorophyll content compared to other accessions. Different from other accessions, RS showed increasing water use efficiency (WUE) as water deficit became severe, reaching the greatest WUE among 11 accessions. Our results suggest that RS is a valuable genetic resource that can be used to elucidate physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine drought resistance in alfalfa and to develop alfalfa with improved WUE.
Modal Personhood and Moral Status: A Reply to Kagan's Proposal
Authors: DeGrazia David
Published: December 2015

Kagan argues that human beings who are neither persons nor even potential persons — if their impairment is independent of genetic constitution — are modal persons: individuals who might have been persons. Moreover, he proposes a view according to which both (actual) personhood and modal personhood are sufficient for counting more, morally, than nonhuman animals. In response to this proposal, I raise one relatively minor concern about Kagan's reasoning — that he judges too quickly that insentient beings can have interests — before engaging the appeal to modal personhood. I challenge the thesis that modal personhood is relevant to one's moral status, first, by way of analogy to a kicker who misses a field goal though he might have made it; second, by casting doubt on implications for two impaired infants (only one of whom might have been a person); and, finally, by examining implications for dogs who would count as modal persons when genetic enhancements are capable of transforming them into persons.
Successes and Challenges of Interprofessional Physiologic Birth and Obstetric Emergency Simulations in a Nurse‐Midwifery Education Program
Authors: Shaw‐Battista Jenna , Belew Cynthia , Anderson Deborah , van Schaik Sandrijn
Published: December 2015

This article describes childbirth simulation design and implementation within the nurse‐midwifery education program at the University of California, San Francisco. Nurse‐midwife and obstetrician faculty coordinators were supported by faculty from multiple professions and specialties in curriculum review and simulation development and implementation. The primary goal of the resulting technology‐enhanced simulations of normal physiologic birth and obstetric emergencies was to assist learners’ development of interprofessional competencies related to communication, teamwork, and patient‐centered care. Trainees included nurse‐midwifery students; residents in obstetrics, pediatrics, and family medicine; medical students; and advanced practice nursing students in pediatrics. The diversity of participant types and learning levels provided benefits and presented challenges to effective scenario‐based simulation design among numerous other theoretical and logistical considerations. This project revealed practical solutions informed by emerging health sciences and education research literature, faculty experience, and formal course evaluations by learners. Best practices in simulation development and implementation were incorporated, including curriculum revision grounded in needs assessment, case‐ and event‐based clinical scenarios, optimization of fidelity, and ample time for participant debriefing. Adequate preparation and attention to detail increased the immersive experience and benefits of simulation. Suggestions for fidelity enhancement are provided with examples of simulation scenarios, a timeline for preparations, and discussion topics to facilitate meaningful learning by maternity and newborn care providers and trainees in clinical and academic settings. Pre‐ and postsimulation measurements of knowledge, skills, and attitudes are ongoing and not reported. This article is part of a special series of articles that address midwifery innovations in clinical practice, education, interprofessional collaboration, health policy, and global health.
Patients’ daily life experiences five years after gastric bypass surgery – a qualitative study
Authors: Lier Haldis Økland , Aastrom Sture , Rørtveit Kristine
Published: December 2015

Aim and objective

The objective was to explore and describe patients’ daily life experiences five years after gastric bypass surgery.

Background

Bariatric surgery markedly decreases body weight. Previous studies describe positive consequences, as well as physical, social and emotional challenges during the first few years after surgery. An understanding of how patients adjust to and cope with postsurgical changes in the long term is crucial to help them obtain a successful outcome after bariatric surgery.

Method

A qualitative method was employed. In‐depth interviews with 10 men and women were conducted five years after bariatric surgery in a Norwegian hospital.

Results

One overarching theme – a multitude of daily life changes following bariatric surgery – was developed based on three main themes: relational aspects related to weight loss, the new body and changes in self‐esteem. Six sub‐themes are described.

Conclusion

Those who undergo gastric bypass surgery experience enormous changes in their daily lives. Their social lives, their relationship to their body and their self‐esteem may be altered by the weight loss.

Relevance to clinical practice

The results of this study suggest directions for patient education, health staff education and peer education. A patient education programme focusing on changes in daily life experiences when undergoing gastric bypass surgery is suggested due to the changes experienced by the patients involved in this study.