bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Refractory Myopic Retinal Detachment and Macular Hole Closure with Autologous Neurosensory Retinal Free Flap
Authors: Sousa Neves Filipe , Braga Joana , Sepúlveda Paula , Bilhoto Miguel
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this case report is to describe a modified technique involving the use of an autologous neurosensory retinal free flap for closure of a macular hole (MH) during retinal detachment (RD) surgery. A 50-year-old female presented with sudden vision loss (light perception only) and a recurrent myopic RD associated with an MH. An autologous neurosensory retinal free flap was obtained and moved toward the MH. Silicone oil was used as an endotamponade and removed after 6 months. Two months after oil removal visual acuity improved to 20/400 and remained stable thereafter; however, the patient developed central retinal atrophy. One year after surgery the MH was closed and the retina attached. This modified technique with the use of an autologous neurosensory retinal flap provides an alternative approach for recurrent MH in RD procedures.
Postinfectious Glomerulonephritis with Crescents in an Elderly Diabetic Patient after Acute Gastroenteritis: Case Report
Authors: Sathi Satyanand , Garg Anil Kumar , Singh Ajay Kumar , Singh Manoj Kumar , Saini Virendra Singh
Published: May 2019

Postinfectious glomerulonephritis (PIGN) is primarily a disease of childhood. It occurs after upper respiratory tract infection or skin infections. Streptococcus is the most common causative agent, but in the elderly, staphylococcus is the main culprit. In adults, PIGN is more common in immunocompromised patients, particularly diabetics and alcoholics. Here, we report the case of an elderly diabetic male who presented with severe acute kidney injury with active urinary sediment after acute gastroenteritis. Additional analyses revealed a very low serum C3 level and a normal serum C4 level. Renal biopsy showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis with crescents. Direct immunofluorescence showed mesangial and capillary wall staining for C3 and IgG (2+, mesangial and segmental capillary wall, granular). Renal electron microscopy showed subepithelial hump-like electron-dense deposits. The role of steroid in the treatment of PIGN is controversial and there is no standard protocol, but our patient responded very well to steroid as he did not require hemodialysis after 2 weeks of initiation of steroid therapy. We should be aware of an atypical presentation of PIGN in elderly to ensure correct diagnosis.
Real-Life Data on Mirabegron in Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction
Authors: Soebadi Mohammad Ayodhia , Hakim Lukman , Van der Aa Frank , De Ridder Dirk
Published: May 2019

Aims: To determine factors for treatment persistence in a real-life cohort of adult neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. Methods: We reviewed records of patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction and mirabegron prescriptions. Exclusion criteria were indwelling urethral or suprapubic catheters and implanted neurostimulators. We extracted demographic data, indication for prescription, concomitant use of other agents with possible anticholinergic effect, beta blockers, duration of treatment and reason of discontinuation. Results: We included 110 subjects in this study. Neurologic diagnoses included multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other diagnoses (dementia, paraplegia, and tetraplegia). Previous usage of antimuscarinics was found in 78 patients (71%). Mirabegron was combined with antimuscarinics in 15 patients (14%). Drugs with any anticholinergic activity were taken by 94 subjects (86%). Mirabegron was taken for a median of 497 days and 60 patients discontinued the medication within the study period. Main reasons of discontinuation were lack of effect (44/110), side effects (10/110), and non-reimbursement (6/110). There were no differences in mirabegron discontinuation by neurological disease, beta blocker usage, or anticholinergic burden. Conclusions: Mirabegron is continued in more than half of patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction for more than 6 months. Further research is needed to identify eventual predictive factors.
Muir-Torre Syndrome: The Importance of a Detailed Family History
Authors: Burris Christopher K.H. , Rodriguez Maria E. , Raven Meisha L. , Reddy Devasis N. , Xu Yaohui G. , Wiggs Janey L. , Potter Heather D. , Albert Daniel M.
Published: May 2019

Muir-Torre syndrome, a variant of Lynch syndrome or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by skin neoplasms (sebaceous or keratoacanthomas) and visceral malignancies. Due to the rarity of the syndrome there are no firm guidelines on how and when to test patients with its typical skin lesions. We describe a case that highlights the importance of a detailed family history.
Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion for Secondary Stroke Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Long-Term Results
Authors: Litwinowicz Radoslaw , Bartus Magdalena , Malec-Litwinowicz Michalina , Michalski Michal , Banaszkiewicz Krzysztof , Kapelak Boguslaw , Lakkireddy Dhanunjaya , Bartus Krzysztof
Published: May 2019

Background: Patients surviving an initial stroke present a significantly increased risk for further strokes. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) became an alternative treatment to pharmacological therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of LAAC in primary and secondary stroke prevention in patients with AF. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 139 patients following LAAC who were divided into 2 groups: 37 patients with prior stroke (Stroke Group) and 102 patients without stroke (Control Group). Overall, cumulative follow-up was 530.1 patient-years. Results: Mean CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc scores, and HAS-BLED score were higher in patients with prior stroke compared to patients without stroke (3.0 vs. 1.4, p < 0.0001 and 4.6 vs. 2.3, p < 0.0001, 4.0 vs. 2.8, p < 0.0001, respectively). There were no significant differences between other patient factors (sex, heart failure, hypertension, previous stroke/transient ischemic attack, peripheral vascular disease), which may increase the risk of thromboembolism based on the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Average follow-up was 51.3 months in patients with previous stroke and 50 months in patients without previous stroke. Thromboembolic event rate was 0.8 vs. 0.5 (p = 0.72), bleeding event rate was 0 years vs. 1.4 (p = 0.25), and mortality rates were 0.8 vs. 2.1 (p = 0.38) between the Stroke Group and the Control Group. The estimated reductions in thromboembolic and bleeding risks were 89 and 100%, respectively, in Stroke Group, and 91 and 81%, respectively, in Control Group. Conclusion: Patients with prior stroke may be the preferred group for LAAC regardless of the presence or absence of contraindications for anticoagulant therapy.
Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Therapy in Heart Failure
Authors: Hussein Ayman A. , Wilkoff Bruce L.
Published: May 2019

The population of patients with heart failure continues to grow, which introduced significant challenges in clinical practice related to the management of cardiac arrhythmia and advanced heart failure syndromes. Device therapy has increasingly become essential in the management of life-threatening arrhythmia and clinical heart failure in this population. This review will discuss the use of cardiac implantable electronic devices in heart failure with primary focus on sudden cardiac death prevention and cardiac resynchronization, including published evidence and evolving technologies.
Oral Bacterial Signatures in Cerebral Thrombi of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated With Thrombectomy
Authors: Patrakka Olli , Pienimäki Juha‐Pekka , Tuomisto Sari , Ollikainen Jyrki , Lehtimäki Terho , Karhunen Pekka J. , Martiskainen Mika
Published: May 2019

Background

Chronic infections have been reported to be risk factors for both coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke.
DNA
of oral bacteria, mainly from the viridans streptococci group, has been detected in coronary thrombus aspirates of myocardial infarction and cerebral aneurysms. Viridans streptococci are known to cause infective endocarditis and possess thrombogenic properties. We studied the presence of oral bacterial
DNA
in thrombus aspirates of patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

Methods and Results

Thrombus aspirates and arterial blood were taken from 75 patients (69% men; mean age, 67 years) with acute ischemic stroke. The presence of
Streptococcus
species, mainly the
Streptococcus mitis
group, belonging to viridans streptococci as well as
Porphyromonas gingivalis
and
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
in samples were determined using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction with specific primers and probes. The relative amount of bacterial
DNA
in a sample was determined with the comparative threshold cycle method. Bacterial
DNA
was detected in 84% (n=63) of aspired thrombi, and 16% (n=12) of samples were considered bacterial
DNA
negative.
DNA
of
Streptococcus
species, mainly the
S mitis
group, was found in 79% (n=59) of samples. The median relative amount of
Streptococcus
species
DNA
was 5.10‐fold higher compared with the control blood samples from the same patients. All thrombi were negative for both
P gingivalis
and
A actinomycetemcomitans
.

Conclusions

This is the first study showing the common presence of bacterial
DNA
from viridans streptococci in aspired thrombi of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Streptococcal bacteria, mostly of oral origin, may contribute to the progression and thrombotic events of cerebrovascular diseases.
Words and Numbers: A New Approach to Writing Ancient History
Authors: Temin Peter
Published: May 2019

The various forms of disciplinary training that historians receive can lead to different epistemologies and thus complicate attempts to advance interdisciplinary history. For example, the epistemologies of ancient and economic historians affect both their mode of research and their style of presenting results. The testing of hypotheses through the use of simple, small-sample regressions has distinct advantages, but this approach, as well as other tools, creates not only opportunities for progress in ancient history but also obstacles for interdisciplinary history.
Morphological and molecular identification of a new species of Eichleriella (Auriculariales, Basidiomycota) in China
Authors: LIU XIANG-FU , SHEN SHAN , ZHAO CHANG-LIN
Published: May 2019

A new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Eichleriella xinpingensis, is described based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. The species is characterized by an annual, resupinate basidiocarps with soft leathery to ceraceous hymenial surface covered by blunt-pointed spines, a dimitic hyphal system with clamp generative hyphae, two-celled, narrowly ovoid to obconical basidia and broadly cylindrical, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, basidiospores measuring as 6.5–10 ×3.5–4.5 µm. Sequences of ITS and LSU nrDNA regions of the studied samples were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. The phylogenetic analyses showed that E. xinpingensis belonged to the Auriculariaceae and was closely related to E. tenuicula.
Prosoglypta, a new remarkable genus from Vietnam (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Omaliini)
Authors: SHAVRIN ALEXEY V. , SMETANA ALEŠ
Published: May 2019

A new omaliine genus and species from northern Vietnam, Prosoglypta alesenkae Shavrin & Smetana gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated. The main morphological features of the new genus and its taxonomic relations with other genera of the tribe Omaliini MacLeay, 1825 are briefly discussed.
Okubasca Dworakowska (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) elevated to separate genus status with description of two new species from China
Authors: YU XIAOFEI , YANG MAOFA
Published: May 2019

Okubasca Dworakowska, 1982, formerly treated as a subgenus of Empoasca Walsh, 1862, is elevated to status as a separate genus. Two new species of Okubasca from China are described and illustrated: Okubasca convoluta Yu & Yang sp. nov.; Okubasca paracalvata Yu & Yang sp. nov. Okubasca convoluta is similar to O. okubella in having the aedeagal shaft about as long as the preatrium but differs in having the aedeagus of uniform thickness in lateral view, the anal tube process straight and the face mostly black. Okubasca paracalvata resembles Okubasca calvata in aedeagal shape, but differs in having a lamellar swelling and a small tooth on the dorsal side of the aedeagus, and the vertex anterior margin rounded.
A new sand frog from Namaqualand, South Africa (Pyxicephalidae: Tomopterna)
Authors: WILSON LYLE , CHANNING ALAN
Published: May 2019

Tomopterna branchi sp. nov. is described from Namaqualand, South Africa. It differs from all other Tomopterna species by advertisement call, 16S rRNA sequence and consistent differences in adult morphology. The tadpole is similar to that of Tomopterna cryptotis. Haplotype networks of 16S and the nuclear tyr gene show that it is distinct from T. delalandii, with which it has been confused. A phylogeny of the genus, excluding the little-known T. monticola, shows that the new species is basal to a clade that includes T. delalandii and six other species. We extend the known range of T. damarensis to southern Namibia, and correct the identification of some GenBank material.
A new species of Amolops (Anura: Ranidae) from China, with taxonomic comments on A. liangshanensis and Chinese populations of A. marmoratus
Authors: LYU ZHI-TONG , ZENG ZHAO-CHI , WAN HAN , YANG JIAN-HUAN , LI YU-LONG , PANG HONG , WANG YING-YONG
Published: May 2019

Amolops shuichengicus sp. nov., a new species of the A. mantzorum group is described from Guizhou, southwest China, on the basis of significant molecular divergences in 16S + CO1 genes and the combination of morphological characteristics: small body size, SVL 34.6–39.6 mm in adult males and 48.5–55.5 mm in adult females; dorsal skin relatively smooth; presence of vomerine teeth; presence of cream maxillary gland from lower edge of eye to the anterior of supratympanic fold; presence of supratympanic folds and glandular dorsolateral folds; tympanum indistinct; absence of a circummarginal groove on the disk of the first finger; presence of supernumerary tubercles below the base of fingers III and IV; absence of outer metatarsal tubercle and tarsal glands; males without vocal sacs. In addition, evidenced by the phylogenetic analyses in this study and literature data, we suggest that A. liangshanensis should be synonymized with A. loloensis and the records of A. marmoratus in Yunnan, China should be referred to A. afghanus. Following our proposal, the genus Amolops contains 57 species, with 32 recorded from China.
Five new species of Acanthobothrium (Cestoda: Onchoproteocephalidea) from the long-tailed butterfly ray, Gymnura cf. poecilura (Elasmobranchii: Gymnuridae), from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman
Authors: MALEKI LOGHMAN , MALEK MASOUMEH , PALM HARRY W.
Published: May 2019

Five new species of Acanthobothrium Blanchard, 1848 are described from Gymnura cf. poecilura from the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf. They all belong to the Category 1 and can be differentiated from all congeners by a combination of characters, including marginal lappets on the bothridial rim, the lack of spinitrich microtriches on the proximal bothridial surfaces, the position of the genital pore in the posterior one fifth of the proglottid, the direction of the cirrus sac parallel and clinging to the ovarian lobe, the lack of post-vaginal testes, and the interruption of the vitelline follicles by the ovary. The five new species are morphologically similar to each other but differ among each other in their cephalic peduncle length, proglottid and testes number, and the apolysis status. The most similar species to this new group is Acanthobothrium fogeli Gloldstein, 1964 from the Gulf of Mexico. The new species differ from A. fogeli by the muscular pad size, cephalic peduncle length and having marginal lappets on the bothridial rim. the species of Acanthobothrium occurs in three families of elasmobranchs in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf (Dasyatidae, Rhynchobatidae and Gymnuridae). The true identity of many hosts in the region is ambiguous. Therefore, we designated the sampled elasmobranch as G cf. poecilura in accordance to the previously molecular study on a few individuals from the region.
Description of Walkeriella miraculosa, gen. n. et sp. n. from South-East Peru (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae)
Authors: MIELKE CARLOS G. C. , GREHAN JOHN R. , GRADOS A. JUAN
Published: May 2019

Walkeriella miraculosa gen. n. et sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae) is based on two specimens collected from rainforest southwest of Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata, Madre de Dios department, southeastern Peru. The distinct genitalia and wing venation separate this taxon from other genera of Hepialidae although four derived characters states are shared in common with the cibyrine clade. The holotype male is deposited in the collection of the Museo de Historia Natural, Lima, Peru.
Satellite Estimation of Falling Snow: A Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory Perspective
Authors: Skofronick-Jackson Gail , Kulie Mark , Milani Lisa , Munchak Stephen J. , Wood Norman B. , Levizzani Vincenzo
Published: May 2019

Retrievals of falling snow from space-based observations represent key inputs for understanding and linking Earth’s atmospheric, hydrological, and energy cycles. This work quantifies and investigates causes of differences among the first stable falling snow retrieval products from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite and CloudSat’s Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) falling snow product. An important part of this analysis details the challenges associated with comparing the various GPM and CloudSat snow estimates arising from different snow–rain classification methods, orbits, resolutions, sampling, instrument specifications, and algorithm assumptions. After equalizing snow–rain classification methodologies and limiting latitudinal extent, CPR observes nearly 10 (3) times the occurrence (accumulation) of falling snow as GPM’s Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). The occurrence disparity is substantially reduced if CloudSat pixels are averaged to simulate DPR radar pixels and CPR observations are truncated below the 8-dBZ reflectivity threshold. However, even though the truncated CPR- and DPR-based data have similar falling snow occurrences, average snowfall rate from the truncated CPR record remains significantly higher (43%) than the DPR, indicating that retrieval assumptions (microphysics and snow scattering properties) are quite different. Diagnostic reflectivity (Z)–snow rate (S) relationships were therefore developed at Ku and W band using the same snow scattering properties and particle size distributions in a final effort to minimize algorithm differences. CPR–DPR snowfall amount differences were reduced to ~16% after adopting this diagnostic Z–S approach.
Interdecadal Variations in the Frequency of Persistent Hot Events in Boreal Summer over Midlatitude Eurasia
Authors: Shi Ning , Wang Yicheng , Wang Xiaoqiong , Tian Pinyu
Published: May 2019

Based on the daily Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55) dataset, this study reveals that southern Europe/western Asia (SEWA) and northern China are two large-scale regions that have exhibited consistent interdecadal variations in the frequency of persistent hot events (PHEs). Over the past 58 summers, the period approximately from 1973 to 1996 represents an inactive period for the occurrence of PHEs over the two regions, whereas the antecedent and subsequent periods are active periods. At the subseasonal time scale, the regional PHEs over SEWA are characterized by quasi-stationary wave train anomalies aloft from the northwest Atlantic to Europe, while the regional PHEs over northern China are characterized by quasi-stationary wave train anomalies over the Eurasian continent. The persistence of the quasi-stationary anomalies is associated with the Rossby wave propagation. Moreover, the energy extraction from the basic flow is also favorable for their persistence. Our study reveals that the above typical circulation anomalies for the PHEs over both SEWA and northern China are in phase with the background circulation changes during the two active periods. Thus, the interdecadal changes in background circulation can modulate the frequency of PHEs over the two regions simultaneously. Further analysis reveals that the background circulation changes are closely related to the interdecadal variation in the Silk Road pattern based on their similarities in both spatial pattern and temporal variation. The sea surface temperature over four particular regions seems to facilitate the phase shifts in the Silk Road pattern on the interdecadal time scale.
Historiography, fieldwork and popular Sufi shrines in the Indian Punjab
Authors: Snehi Yogesh
Published: May 2019

Based on three case-studies of popular Sufi shrines that have been in continuous existence in post-Partition Indian Punjab, this article examines the prevalent discourse of ‘secular’ historiography in India that privileges the archive and situates the narrative strategy of the popular as marginal or outside of historical discourse. Instead, I argue that a fuller understanding of social processes, outside of prescribed imaginary binaries of secularity and/or conflict, can take place only through attention to lived experience and communitarian formation. It is these registers of religious practice that suggests non-statist histories which demand the evolution of critical theories and methods to account for lived experiences that persist outside of nationalising discourses.
Theology, Evolution, and the Figural Imagination: Teilhard de Chardin and His Theological Critics
Authors: Curran Ian
Published: May 2019

Teilhard de Chardin has been criticized by both Roman Catholic (Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, and Dietrich von Hildebrand) and Protestant (David Lane and Jurgen Moltmann) theologians for allegedly promulgating a heterodox, modernist version of Gnosticism that substitutes a naturalistic account of evolution for the supernatural Christian story of redemption in Christ, departs from scriptural and classical theological norms, gives primacy to scientific over theological reasoning, and articulates a vision of pure immanence. Teilhard’s theological integration of salvation and evolution in The Human Phenomenon and other works is, however, grounded in an implicitly figural interpretation of history that is both scriptural and classical in inspiration. Reading Teilhard’s early essay, ‘Cosmic Life,’ through the studies of Erich Auerbach, Leonard Goppelt, and Tibor Fabiny on figural interpretation demonstrates that Teilhard describes evolutionary history as a typological anticipation for the coming Christ, thus refuting misconstruals of his theology as gnostic, heterodox, naturalistic, and immanentalist.
Game theoretic-based optimal load frequency control of power systems with network-induced delays
Authors: Yang Mingjin , Wang Yu-Long , Zeng Deliang , Zhang Tengfei , Li Jicai
Published: May 2019

This paper presents a game theoretic-based load frequency control (LFC) scheme for power systems with network-induced delays. First, a dynamic model of two-area LFC systems is developed under consideration of bounded network-induced delays. Second, the optimal control problem of power systems with network-induced delays is formulated as a stochastic linear quadratic game. Then, by using differential games and Lyapunov theories, the game theoretic-based optimal load frequency controllers are designed for the system under consideration, and an algorithm is presented to make the desired optimal LFC gains solvable. Finally, a case study is carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Data-driven fixed-order H∞ controller synthesis in frequency domain: Closed-loop system approach
Authors: Daş Ersin , Çağlar Başlamışlı Selahattin
Published: May 2019

Control performance degradation is inevitable due to unmodeled dynamics and the requirement of using small set of parameters in parametric models. In this study, a frequency domain data-driven fixed-order [Formula: see text] controller synthesis approach is introduced to solve above mentioned problem for linear systems. In our approach, the generalized plant is identified by using experimental data obtained from closed-loop tests. The transfer function of the structured [Formula: see text] controller is synthesized by using only the frequency response of the plant without the need of a parametric model. The presented approach is verified experimentally for position control of an electromechanical control actuation system with proportional-derivative (PD) type controller.
The perceived role of null results in school psychology research and publication
Authors: Iwachiw Jessica S. , Button Amy Lynn , Atlas Jana
Published: May 2019

Researchers appear to assume that published research is limited to significant findings. If that is the case, it may be related to perceived or actual publication bias (i.e., journals publishing only significant findings) and/or the file-drawer problem (i.e., researchers not pursuing publication of null results). The lack of published null results can result in faulty decision-making based upon incomplete evidence. Thus, it is important to know the prevalence of, and the contributing factors to, researchers' failure to submit null results. Few studies have addressed this issue in psychology and none have targeted school psychology. Consequently, this study examined the file drawer problem and perception of publication bias among school psychologists. Survey data from 95 school psychology faculty indicated that participants published about half of the studies that they had conducted, suggesting that the file drawer problem is experienced by this population. While lack of time appeared to impact publication pursuit, participants' responses also suggested they believed in publication bias. Obtaining null results substantially impacted the decision to write up studies in pursuit of publication. Therefore, it seems that a sizeable percentage of school psychology research is not available for review by researchers or practitioners.
Atrial anti-tachycardia pacing resulting in termination of atrial flutter: intracardiac electrograms providing insight into the mechanism of arrhythmia termination
Authors: Maeda Shingo , Goya Masahiko , Yagishita Atsuhiko , Takahashi Yoshihide , Kawabata Mihoko , Casado Arroyo Ruben , Hirao Kenzo
Published: May 2019

The “MINimizE Right Ventricular pacing to prevent Atrial fibrillation and heart failure” (MINERVA) multicenter randomized study demonstrated that atrial anti-tachycardia pacing (A-ATP) can effectively decrease the burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with bradycardia and atrial tachyarrhythmias. We herein describe the unique electrophysiological results of AF ablation in a patient for whom atrial flutter (AFL) was terminated by A-ATP from a Medtronic dual-chamber pacemaker. In this case, the atrial activation sequence indicated that the tachycardia was a right atrial typical flutter and that A-ATP from the right atrial appendage would thus be more likely to terminate the tachycardia. This is a novel case involving documented intracardiac electrograms captured during an AF ablation study in a patient in whom AFL was successfully terminated by A-ATP. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms by which A-ATP can terminate atrial arrhythmias.
Predictive value of the serum RASSF10 promoter methylation status in gastric cancer
Authors: Hu Yilin , Ma Peng , Feng Ying , Li Peng , Wang Hua , Guo Yibing , Mao Qinsheng , Xue Wanjiang
Published: May 2019

Background

This study aimed to investigate whether the detection of methylation in the promoter of the Ras association domain family 10 gene ( RASSF10) in the serum of patients with gastric cancer (GC) by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator of GC.

Methods

We used MSP to examine RASSF10 methylation levels in the serum and/or tumor samples from 100 GC patients, 50 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), and 45 healthy controls (HC). We also analyzed clinicopathological and follow-up data.

Results

Our results showed that the rate of serum RASFF10 promoter methylation among patients with GC (49/100) was higher than in those with CAG (1/50) or HC (0/45). Moreover, the RASSF10 methylation status was consistent between serum and tumor tissues. GC patients with serum RASSF10 promoter methylation had significantly shorter overall survival and disease-free survival times than GC patients without serum RASSF10 promoter methylation. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that serum RASSF10 promoter methylation and lymph node metastasis both correlated with reduced survival in GC patients.

Conclusions

Detection of the serum RASSF10 methylation status by MSP is feasible as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator of GC.
MicroRNA-486-5p improves nonsmall-cell lung cancer chemotherapy sensitivity and inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition by targeting twinfilin actin binding protein 1
Authors: Jin Xiaoyan , Pang Wenyang , Zhang Qiang , Huang Haitao
Published: May 2019

Objective

To investigate the role of microRNA-486-5p (miR-486-5p) in nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resistance to cisplatin.

Methods

This retrospective study examined tumours and normal lung tissues from patients with NSCLC. The levels of miR-486-5p in NSCLC and normal tissues were determined using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The binding site of miR-486-5p on twinfilin actin binding protein 1 (TWF1) mRNA was predicted using TargetScan and investigated using a luciferase reporter gene assay. Cytotoxicity assays were used to measure the sensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin. Western blotting was used to measure the levels of specific proteins. The role of miR-486-5p in the resistance of A549 to cisplatin was verified in vivo using a nude mouse tumorigenicity assay.

Results

MiR-486-5p levels were downregulated in NSCLC tissues compared with normal lung tissues. Lower levels of miR-486-5p were associated with reduced overall survival of patients with NSCLC. The cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell line, A549/DDP, had lower miR-486-5p levels compared with A549 cells. Luciferase reporter gene assays confirmed that miR-486-5p bound to the 3ʹ untranslated region of TWF1 mRNA. In vivo experiments demonstrated the inhibitory effect of miR-486-5p on chemotherapy resistance.

Conclusion

MiR-486-5p appears to play an important role in improving chemotherapy sensitivity to cisplatin.
Neoliberalism and the weaponising of language and education
Authors: Giroux Henry A.
Published: May 2019

This forceful piece by a leading educational theorist, examines the ways in which democracy is under attack in the US by a combination of neoliberalism and white supremacist Trumpism. What we are witnessing is a mode of governing fuelled by fantasies of exclusion accompanied by a full-scale attack on morality, thoughtful reasoning and collective resistance rooted in democratic forms of struggles. As more people revolt against this dystopian project, neoliberal ideology and elements of a fascist politics merge to contain, distract and misdirect the anger that has materialised out of legitimate grievances against the government, controlling privileged elites and the hardships caused by neoliberal capitalism. The current crisis of agency, representation, values and language demands a discursive shift that can call into question and defeat the formative culture and ideological scaffolding through which a savage neoliberal capitalism reproduces itself.
Characterization of bacterial nanocellulose produced by isolates from Philippine nata starter and its biocompatibility
Authors: Gabriel Franco Rose Ann , Padalhin Andrew R , Patrick Cuenca John , Ventura Reiza , Montecillo Andrew , Fernando Lilia , Lee Byong-Taek
Published: May 2019

Two nanocellulose-producing bacteria were isolated from separate local nata starter cultures and were characterized to determine their putative identity. The nanocellulose produced by the two bacterial isolates were compared to determine if differences between material properties and in vitro biocompatibility were species-dependent. Nanocellulose membranes were produced by inoculating the bacterial isolates to Hestrin–Schramm media using different carbon sources (glucose, mannitol and sucrose). The material properties of nanocellulose membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray dispersive spectroscopy, Calcofluor staining and water retention. The biocompatibility of the nanocellulose membranes was evaluated using MC3T3 pre-osteoblast cells and was analyzed using CCK-8 cell viability assay. Adhering cells were stained and viewed under confocal laser scanning microscope. A selected sample was implanted subcutaneously in Sprague Dawley rats for one week and four weeks to determine its in vivo biocompatibility. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of the subcutaneous tissue sections with implant was examined to visualize host cell behavior to the implant.
Rapid identification of Lactobacillus species using near infrared spectral features of bacterial colonies
Authors: Shi Jiyong , Hu Xuetao , Zou Xiaobo , Guo Zhiming , Holmes Mel , Tahir Haroon Elrasheid , Huang Xiaowei , Li Zhihua
Published: May 2019

The feasibility of rapid identification of Lactobacillus species using near-infrared spectral features coupled with chemometrics was investigated. First, bacterial colonies of 11 Lactobacillus strains covering four species ( Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus fermentum) were cultured using the spread-plate technique. Near-infrared spectra data of the Lactobacillus species were collected directly from the bacterial colonies. Second, 10 wavenumbers were selected from the near-infrared spectra data using uninformative variables elimination and genetic algorithm, and calibration models based on the 10 selected wavenumbers were built using least squares support vector machine. The identification rates for the prediction set and validation set were 89.04 and 85%, respectively. Third, chemical groups of the Lactobacillus cells contributing to the identification of the Lactobacillus strains were identified using mid infrared. The results of mid infrared data analysis indicated that 9 chemical groups could be considered characteristics for categorizing the 11 Lactobacillus strains. The relationship between the 10 selected wavenumbers and identified chemical groups was identified, which supported the satisfactory performance of the least squares support vector machine calibration model. This study demonstrated that near-infrared spectral features of bacterial colonies could be used for Lactobacillus typing at the strain level.
Life Story Themes: A Qualitative Analysis of Recordings From Patients Approaching the End of Life
Authors: Skinner Shannon , Bonnet Kemberlee , Schlundt David , Karlekar Mohana
Published: May 2019

Objective:

To identify common themes and topics that patients nearing the end of life want to discuss when sharing their life stories.

Methods:

Twenty audio-recorded transcripts of open-ended interviews of patients cared for by a palliative care team when approaching the end of life were analyzed using a qualitative analysis.

Results:

Qualitative analysis revealed that the primary contextual factors that patients drew upon to generate his or her life story are life events (including upbringing, job, education, travel, trauma, hardships, special events, military history, and hobbies), family and support system, and values and beliefs. Participants used their current medical condition, which included mortality, morbidity, and prognosis, to frame their life story.

Conclusion:

Patients facing serious illness incorporate four major themes when reflecting upon their lives to create their personal life story: life events, family and support system, values and beliefs, and current medical condition.
The developments in ethnographic studies of organising: Towards objects of ignorance and objects of concern
Authors: O’Doherty Damian , Neyland Daniel
Published: May 2019

In this introduction to the Special Issue, we review the rich tradition of ethnographic studies in organisation studies and critically examine the place of ethnography in organisation studies as practised in schools of business and management. Drawing on the findings of the articles published here, we reflect on the need for a significant extension of the content and syllabus of our discipline to include what we call objects of concern and objects of ignorance. The articles we publish show that decision makers in organizations are not always humans, and nor can we assume the human and its groups monopolise the capacity for agency in organisation. Where we still labour in organisation theory with dualisms such as structure or agent, or subject and object, these articles trace objects and their relations which point to new forms of non-human co-ordination and agency. The organisational realities to which these objects give rise demand careful methodological enquiry, and we show that recent experiments in a genre we call ‘post-reflexive ethnography’ are likely to prove helpful for developing ethnographic enquiry in contemporary organisation.
Negotiating exercise as medicine: Narratives from people with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Stuij Mirjam , Elling Agnes , Abma Tineke
Published: May 2019

The dominant notion that exercise is medicine puts a strong normative emphasis on individual responsibility for participation in sport and physical activity. The aim of this article was to explore how people with type 2 diabetes, a condition strongly linked to lifestyle behaviour both in origin and in management, translate this notion into their daily life. Based on a critical narrative analysis of stories of 18 Dutch people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes collected between 2012 and 2016, we found a range of meanings given to sport and physical activity. In addition, almost all respondents seemed to subscribe to the notion of exercise as medicine on a general level, either quite explicitly or in more subtle ways, for example, elicited by the interview setting. However, they employed different strategies to negotiate with the translation of this notion into their daily life, ranging from (almost) total acceptance to resistance. In addition, nearly all stories revealed mostly negative experiences with care and professional support regarding the uptake or continuation of sport or physical activity participation after diagnosis.
An egalitarian politics of care: young female carers and the intersectional inequalities of gender, class and age
Authors: Akkan Başak
Published: May 2019

Feminist literature on care has extensively addressed inequalities that cut across the social categories of gender, class and ethnicity in relation to care work. One category that has received less attention in theories of caregiving so far is age. Built on the feminist literature of care and taking young (female) carers as its subject matter, this article tackles age as a third social category of intersectional inequalities along with class and gender. Firstly, through dealing with Nancy Fraser’s justice framework of participatory parity, it is argued that addressing the intersectional inequalities that young (female) carers face necessitates a justice framework that contemplates both the distributional and recognitional aspects of care. In this respect a dual conceptualisation of care is presented – both as a social good and a social process. Secondly, a critical analysis will be presented of the elements of the justice framework of Fraser, where the notion of subordinated status will be related to the identities of young carers. Lastly, the normative framework participatory parity will be discussed in relation to the politics of need, as care practices define the needs of young carers that are contextualised in the care processes, but also in a childhood space.
Photojournalism as political encounter: western news photography in the 2015 migration ‘crisis’
Authors: Chouliaraki Lilie , Stolić Tijana
Published: May 2019

In this article, the authors analyse the news photojournalism of the 2015 European migration ‘crisis’ as a political encounter between western publics and arriving migrants, where the latter are not simply ‘the represented’ but people who act within the photographic space. Inspired by Azoulay’s view of photography as ‘civic duty’, where ‘those represented continue to be present there at the time they are being watched in the photograph’ and, in so doing, actively call for a response from their publics, the authors ask the question of who acts and how as well as what bonds of civic duty such action puts forward for those publics. At the heart of these questions on agency lies a conception of arriving migrants as specifically vulnerable actors – people whose very precarity becomes a resource for meaningful action. This visual analysis of front-page news images across nine western countries, (84 images in June–November 2015) demonstrates that their photojournalism of migration enables two types of political encounters with arriving migrants: ‘action on migrants’, where migrants are mainly acted upon within the procedural encounters of border institutions, and ‘action by migrants’, where migrants act upon and affect others within existential encounters that can potentially touch upon people’s emotional and activist sensibilities. While, in line with the canons of photography and migration studies, both types of political encounters restrict precarious agency within the binary positions of victimhood and threat, it is the latter, ‘action by migrants’ that has the potential to break with such binaries and cast vulnerability as resistance – as deliberate exposures of the body to the power of the border, which present migrants as political actors in activist practices of transnational solidarity.
Human Microglia Seize the Chance to be Different
Authors: Brewster Amy L.
Published: May 2019

[Box: see text]
A classification and recognition model for the severity of road traffic accident
Authors: Jianfeng Xi , Hongyu Guo , Jian Tian , Liu Lisa , Haizhu Liu
Published: May 2019

A classification and recognition method for the severity of road traffic accident based on rough set theory and support vector machine was proposed in this article. Rough set theory was used to calculate the importance of attributes in human, vehicle, road, environment, and accident. On the basis of importance ranking, the factors affecting the severity of accident were extracted. Then, with the general accident and major accident as two classification labels, the classification and recognition model of the severity of road traffic accident was established by using support vector machine. The results show that the model could improve the recognition accuracy and reduce the computational workload. Moreover, it has the good ability in classification and recognition as well as generalization compared with the model using support vector machine alone.
Formation control for autonomous robots with collision and obstacle avoidance using a rotational and repulsive force–based approach
Authors: Dang Anh Duc , La Hung Manh , Nguyen Thang , Horn Joachim
Published: May 2019

In this article, we address a formation control problem for a group of autonomous robots to track a moving target in the presence of obstacles. In the proposed method, desired formations, which consist of virtual nodes arranged in specific shapes, are first generated. Then, autonomous robots are driven toward these virtual nodes without collisions with each other using a novel control scheme, which is based on artificial force fields. The convergence analysis is shown based on Lyapunov’s stability. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in a new combination of rotational force field and repulsive force field to design a mechanism so that robots can avoid and escape complex obstacle shapes. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated with numerical examples using V-shape and circular shape formations.
“Everyone’s Child”: The Challenge of Judging Israeli Soldiers in the Shadow of the Conflict
Authors: Keydar Renana
Published: May 2019

This article addresses one of the most important and high-profile legal dramas in Israel in recent years: the trial of the soldier Elor Azaria, who shot and killed an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in the West Bank city of Hebron. It seeks to explain why the trial, which was compared to the O.J. Simpson trial in the USA, generated such unprecedented public controversy. I argue that rather than the ostensible central question of the soldier’s mens rea, the trial’s significance is in revealing competing images of the Israeli soldier upon his encounter with the law. Against the soldier’s legal categorization as a perpetrator (first accused, then convicted), the soldier’s supporters propagate an alternative image of the soldier as an innocent, victimized son, invoking the contested metaphor “everyone’s child.” The article argues that this polarized view of the son-soldier nexus, foundational to the republican ethos of Jewish-Israeli society, affects the legal accountability of soldiers as official duty holders. I first consider David Grossman’s novel To the End of the Land (2008) as a text that imagines anew the hierarchies between the filial son and the national soldier, identifying two distinct yet intertwined processes of filialization and infantilization underlying this change. Based on the insights derived from the literary discourse, I move to offer a close reading of the court proceedings in the Azaria case, analyzing the law’s response to these conflicting images of the son-soldier.
New Quercetin Triglycoside from the Leaves of Soybean Cultivar ‘Clark’
Authors: Murai Yoshinori , Takahashi Ryoji , Kitajima Junichi , Iwashina Tsukasa
Published: May 2019

A new flavonol triglycoside, Quercetin 3- O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-[α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-galactopyranoside], was isolated from the leaves of soybean ( Glycine max) cultivar “Clark” and identified by UV spectra, LC-ESI-MS, acid hydrolysis, and 1H and 13C NMR. The compound was found together with 7 known flavonol glycosides, quercetin 3- O-robinobioside, quercetin 3- O-rutinoside, kaempferol 3- O-rhamnosyl-(1→4)-[rhamnosyl-(1→6)-galactoside], kaempferol 3- O-robinobioside, kaempferol 3- O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3- O-robinobioside, and isorhamnetin 3- O-rutinoside.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of the Phlorotannin Trifuhalol A Using LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Cells Through NF-κB and MAPK Main Signaling Pathways
Authors: Phasanasophon Kasira , Kim Sang Moo
Published: May 2019

Trifuhalol A, a phlorotannin, was extracted from Agarum cribrosum with ethyl acetate and fractionated using Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography (SF1-SF6). The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and SF5-containing trifuhalol A exhibited strong inhibitory activity against hyaluronidase. The anti-inflammatory activity of the phlorotannin, EAF, and SF5 was determined through the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the inhibition of NO production was validated by confirming the appreciable downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. Agarum cribrosum phlorotannin also markedly suppressed the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. In addition, the anti-inflammatory action was verified by examining its effects on proinflammatory signaling pathways. The activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was attenuated via the inhibition of NF-κB p-65, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Therefore, trifuhalol A is a potential source for either the prevention or the treatment of inflammation.