bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing functioning for individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions: Current clinical practice in Australia
Authors: D'Arcy Emily , Evans Kiah , Afsharnejad Bahareh , Milbourn Benjamin , Bölte Sven , Girdler Sonya
Published: August 2022

Background

In the disability sector globally, and specifically in Australia, assessments of functioning have become key to diagnostic processes, and accessing therapy and funding. Over half of all individuals accessing support through Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme have a neurodevelopmental condition diagnosis. Little is known about assessments of functioning for this population.

Methods

A mixed methods online survey was designed to understand the current assessment of functioning practices (including clinical contexts, concepts being assessed, and assessment methods) and barriers and facilitators to clinicians using best practice. Results were analysed descriptively, and differences between professions calculated where possible. Content analysis was used to explore qualitative comments.

Results

Clinicians from various medical and allied health backgrounds completed the survey (n = 93), with varying ranges of age, experience, and education. Clinicians reported that they assessed functioning across age, setting, sector, funding body, and individuals with a wide variety of diagnoses. Missing from current practice is a clear transdisciplinary conceptualisation of functioning. The largest barriers to best practice were limited time, large caseloads, availability of appropriate tools, and lack of clarity from funding bodies.

Conclusions

Missing from current practice is a clear transdisciplinary conceptualisation of functioning.These results will help inform steps forward to improve assessment of functioning practices to ensure that all individuals receive appropriate and sufficient support.
Plot size and sustainable input intensification in smallholder irrigated agriculture: Evidence from Egypt
Authors: Abay Kibrom A. , Abdelfattah Lina , El‐Enbaby Hoda , Mahmoud Mai , Breisinger Clemens
Published: August 2022

Increasing population pressure and population density in many African countries are inducing land scarcity and land constraints. Tightening land constraints are expected to trigger various responses, including agricultural intensification, as postulated by the Boserup hypothesis. The relevance of the Boserup hypothesis in irrigated agriculture, and in contexts where application of improved inputs is high, remains largely unexplored. Furthermore, while much of the debate on the topic in Africa has focused on how to boost agricultural intensification, there is scant evidence on whether evolving agricultural intensification practices in some parts of Africa are sustainable. In this article, we investigate the implication of land size (at the plot and farm level) on agricultural intensification. Our analysis sheds light on the relevance of the Boserup hypothesis in the context of Egypt, where irrigation dominates agriculture and input application rates are high relative to global standards. We also examine whether evolving agricultural intensification practices induced by land scarcity are agronomically appropriate. Our findings show that smaller plot and farm sizes are associated with higher application of agricultural inputs, mainly nitrogen fertilizers. Importantly, small plot size is associated with overapplication of nitrogen fertilizer relative to crop‐specific agronomic recommendations. In addition, smaller plots are associated with higher rates of labor application and lower rates of mechanization.
Input subsidies, credit constraints, and expectations of future transfers: Evidence from Haiti
Authors: Gignoux Jérémie , Macours Karen , Stein Daniel , Wright Kelsey
Published: August 2022

We examine the effects of a subsidy program in Haiti that provided smallholders subsidies for inputs (rice seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, and specific labor tasks) using a randomized control trial. The program led to lower input use and lower yields in the year subsidies were received, and the decline in input use and yields persisted through the following year. Using data from a complementary information intervention in which randomly selected farmers were provided clarification regarding their future receipt of vouchers, we find evidence suggesting that incorrect expectations of future transfers partially explain the disappointing outcomes. In addition, instead of increasing input use, the subsidies seem to have led farmers to pay off their loans and take fewer new ones. In complex post‐emergency environments such as the one in which this program took place, input subsidies may need to be avoided, as they require considerable information to optimally design and careful coordination by many actors to achieve the expected gains.
Resolution of severe cardiomyopathy after catheter ablation of an anteroseptal accessory pathway: A case report
Authors: Baqal Omar J. , Ladia Vatsal M. , El Masry Hicham
Published: August 2022

In patients with non‐sustained tachyarrhythmias, left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is uncommon. The role of catheter ablation (CA) in asymptomatic patients with tachyarrhythmia remains unclear. We report a 20‐year‐old patient without sustained tachyarrhythmia with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 20% who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of anteroseptal accessory pathway. She achieved normalization of left ventricular systolic function noted on echocardiography performed at 4 weeks post‐ablation. Our case highlights significant improvement in LV systolic function after catheter ablation of an “asymptomatic” ventricular pre‐excitation. Current guidelines do not endorse ablating asymptomatic patients, but careful follow‐up with serial echocardiograms might be warranted. Prophylactic ablation of those patients with clear evidence of LV dyssynchrony or wide left bundle branch pattern and persistent pre‐excitation is worth further consideration.
The influence of socioeconomic status on access to cancer care and survival in resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Petric Josipa , Handshin Samuel , Jonnada Pavan Kumar , Karunakaran Monish , Barreto Savio George
Published: August 2022

Background

Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important factor affecting access to cancer care and survival. Its role in pancreatic cancer warrants scrutiny.

Methods

A systematic review of major reference databases was undertaken. Categorization of the study population into low SES (LSES) and high SES (HSES) was based on the criteria employed in the individual studies. The outcome measures studied were stage of cancer presentation, access to care and overall survival. Meta‐analysis was performed using random‐effects models and trial sequential analysis (TSA) was used to assess the precision and conclusiveness of the results.

Results

Thirteen studies meeting inclusion criteria were included in the meta‐analysis, which demonstrated that LSES was associated with significantly lower rates of presentation at a non‐metastatic stage and poorer access to cancer care, viz. surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Despite heterogeneity, TSA supported the findings, displaying minimal type I error.

Conclusion

As LSES is associated with delayed presentation, poorer access to care and poorer survival, SES should be considered a modifiable risk factor for poor outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
Assessing the impact of the 2018 National Health and Medical Research Council polyp surveillance guidelines on compliance with surveillance intervals at two public hospitals
Authors: Fitzsimmons Tracy , Jayasena Warunika , Holden Carol A. , Dono Joanne , Hewett Peter , Moore James , Sammour Tarik
Published: August 2022

Background

Several studies have highlighted poor compliance with surveillance colonoscopy guidelines. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines were revised in 2018 and were more complex than the previous iteration (2011). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of 2018 NHMRC polyp surveillance guidelines on compliance with colonoscopy surveillance intervals.

Methods

A multicentre retrospective clinical audit was conducted between January 2020 and February 2021. Patients awaiting a colonoscopy for polyp surveillance at two public tertiary care hospitals in South Australia were included. Compliance rates of recommended polyp surveillance colonoscopy intervals after implementation of 2018 NHMRC guidelines were compared with 2011 NHMRC guidelines. The projected impact on colonoscopy bookings of the change in guideline intervals was modelled to 5 and 10 years, factoring in differences in compliance.

Results

Of 3996 patients awaiting colonoscopy services at two public hospitals in South Australia, 1984 patients (60% male, median age 61 years) were waitlisted for polyp surveillance. Overall compliance with surveillance guidelines was >60%. Implementation of the 2018 NHMRC guidelines significantly reduced compliance from 65.8% (2011 guidelines) to 50.8% (2018) (χ2 <0.001, OR 0.5). Modelling projections to 5 and 10 years demonstrated that application of the 2018 guidelines significantly increases the projected number of colonoscopy bookings per year.

Conclusion

The revised 2018 NHMRC guidelines have resulted in significantly poorer compliance post‐implementation, possibly due to their increased complexity. This has potential to increase the surveillance colonoscopy waiting list burden.
Pinpoint accuracy: guided core biopsy diagnostic accuracy in musculoskeletal lesions
Authors: Killick Luca , D'Arcy Matt , Coates Mark , Beadel Gordon
Published: August 2022

Background

Core biopsy is integral in the work‐up of diagnosis for musculoskeletal lesions. Prior to referral through Christchurch hospital—a tertiary referral centre for sarcomas/musculoskeletal lesions, many patients undertake guided core biopsy in peripheral hospitals. We wished to assess the accuracy of these biopsies undertaken in the peripheral centres and compare to those done in the tertiary setting.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of image‐guided core biopsies done in the South Island of New Zealand over a 5 year period was performed. An electronic database enquiry was made, and electronic notes were then screened for core biopsy results including subsequent biopsies done of the same lesion. Results from guided core biopsy were then recorded as diagnostic if the pathologist was able to reach or a definitive diagnosis, or guide management sufficiently.

Results

223 patients with 229 biopsies were analysed. Overall accuracy of core biopsies were 83% across all centres. There were similar results between CT and ultrasound as well as soft tissue and bone lesions. Between the regions, the peripheral centres showed high accuracy compared with the tertiary centres.

Conclusion

The regional centres demonstrated high diagnostic yield, and the current practice of providing core biopsy locally where possible prior to referral to a tertiary sarcoma, remains valid.
Ophthalmology research in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto—hunger disease and the story of Szymon Fajgenblat, MD
Authors: Zegers Richard H. C. , Ciesielska Maria , Grzybowski Andrzej
Published: August 2022

Purpose

During World War II, scientific studies were conducted in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw (Poland). This research, focusing on hunger‐induced disease, was embedded in circumstances of omnipresent hunger and starvation. Ophthalmologist Szymon Fajgenblat (1900–1944) was one of the involved physicians and wrote a manuscript about ophthalmological changes during starvation. The background and the findings of his research are discussed in this article.

Methods

Literature and archival research.

Results

The Warsaw ghetto existed from 1941 to 1943 until it was destroyed, just like most of its inhabitants. Before destruction took place, the Nazis tried to kill the residents—almost half a million Jews—by means of starvation. Led by dermatologist Israel Milejkowski, a group of Jewish physicians decided to study the physical effects of hunger on human beings. Twenty‐eight physicians would participate in the Hunger Disease Studies, including Fajgenblat. He linked cataracts to serious undernourishment and observed scleral thinning as another sign in hunger disease; the latter likely responsible for the low intraocular pressure found in the study population. Surprisingly, no complaints of night blindness or ophthalmological findings, characteristic of vitamin A deficiency, were observed in the study population.

Conclusion

The Hunger Disease Studies are a unique written medical and historical monument of the Jewish physicians of the Warsaw ghetto. Ophthalmologist Szymon Fajgenblat was one of them and left behind an ophthalmological study as his legacy.
Editorial: changes in renal function and bone mineral density after switching from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate to tenofovir alafenamide in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Tseng Tzu‐Ning , Chen Chien‐Hung
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Papatheodoridis et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17093 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17146
Editorial: rectal hyposensitivity in patients with hypermobile Ehlers‐Danlos syndrome and constipation
Authors: Törnblom Hans
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Choudhary et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17104 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17163
Editorial: serum triiodothyronine‐to‐thyroxine (T3/T4) ratio as biomarker of response in IBD ‐ an open issue
Authors: Bertani Lorenzo , Tricò Domenico
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Lin et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17089
Editorial: progress towards more comprehensively understanding the sources of corticosteroids for patients with inflammatory bowel disease—authors' reply
Authors: Rosiou Konstantina , Selinger Christian P.
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Rosiou et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17039 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17137
Editorial: percutaneous placement of a permanent tunnelled catheter for patients with non‐malignant ascites ‐ is it safe? Authors' reply
Authors: Tergast Tammo L. , Maasoumy Benjamin
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Tergast et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17066 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17099
Editorial: rectal hyposensitivity in patients with hypermobile Ehlers‐Danlos syndrome and constipation—authors' reply
Authors: Fikree Asma , Vollebregt Paul F. , Choudhary Anisa , Aziz Qasim , Scott S. Mark
Published: August 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Choudhary et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17104 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17134
Renal impairment and DPD testing: Watch out for false‐positive results!
Authors: Carriat Laure , Quaranta Sylvie , Solas Caroline , Rony Maelle , Ciccolini Joseph
Published: August 2022

Measuring uracil (U) levels in plasma is a convenient surrogate to establish dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) status in patients scheduled with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) or capecitabine. To what extent renal impairment could impact on U levels and thus be a confounding factor is a rising concern. Here, we report the case of a cancer patient with severe renal impairment scheduled for 5‐FU‐based regimen. Determination of his DPD status was complicated because of his condition and the influence of intermittent haemodialysis when monitoring U levels. The patient was initially identified as markedly DPD‐deficient upon U measurement (i.e., U = 40 ng/mL), but further monitoring between and immediately after dialysis showed mild deficiency only (i.e., U = 34 and U = 19 ng/mL, respectively). Despite this discrepancy, a starting dose of 5‐FU was cut by 50% upon treatment initiation. Tolerance was good and 5‐FU dosing was next shifted to 25% reduction, then further shifted to normal dosing at the 5th course, with still no sign for drug‐related toxicities. Further DPYD genotyping showed none of the four allelic variants usually associated with loss of DPD activity. Of note, the excellent tolerance upon standard dosing strongly suggests that this patient was actually not DPD‐deficient, despite U values always above normal concentrations. This case report highlights how critical is the information regarding the renal function of patients with cancer when phenotyping DPD using U plasma as a surrogate, and that U accumulation in patients with such condition is likely to yield false‐positive results.
Asset integration and risk‐taking in the laboratory
Authors: Morrison William G. , Oxoby Robert J.
Published: August 2022

We report on a laboratory experiment designed to assess risk preferences in a decision environment where real losses can occur. Specifically, we utilize an asset integration protocol designed to ensure that cash provided to treatment group participants by the experimenter is fully integrated into each individual's wealth. This cash is placed at stake in an incentivized risk‐preference elicitation task based on the well‐known Holt and Laury (2002, 2005) methodology. Our experimental design allows us to distinguish between the predictions of expected utility and prospect theory. We find that features consistent with expected utility theory, constant relative risk aversion and rank dependent expected utility functions, are insufficient to explain our experimental results. However, preference functions based on prospect theory, accounting specifically for loss aversion, capture the observed behaviour of participants in the experiment.
Overheard evaluative comments: Implications for beliefs about effort and ability
Authors: Zhao Li , Li Yingying , Qin Wen , Amemiya Jamie , Fang Fang , Compton Brian J. , Heyman Gail D.
Published: August 2022

This research examined the effects of overhearing an adult praise an unseen child for not needing to work hard on an academic task. Five‐year‐old Han Chinese children (total N = 270 across three studies; 135 boys, collected 2020–2021) who heard this low effort praise tended to devalue effort relative to a baseline condition in which the overheard conversation lacked evaluative content. In Study 3, low effort praise increased children's endorsement of essentialist beliefs about ability and their interest in becoming the kind of person who does not need to work hard to succeed. The findings show that overhearing evaluative comments about other people, a pervasive feature of daily life, can have a systematic effect on young children's beliefs about achievement.
Connectivity of corticostriatal circuits in nonmanifesting LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P carriers
Authors: Zhang Dongling , Yao Junye , Ma Jinghong , Gao Linlin , Sun Junyan , Fang Jiliang , He Hongjian , Wu Tao
Published: August 2022

Background

Neuroimaging studies have shown that the functional connectivity (FC) of corticostriatal circuits in nonmanifesting leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) G2019S mutation carriers mirrors neural changes in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). In contrast, neural network changes in LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P mutations are unclear. We aimed to investigate the FC of corticostriatal circuits in nonmanifesting LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P mutation carriers (NMCs).

Methods

Twenty‐three NMCs, 28 PD patients, and 29 nonmanifesting noncarriers (NMNCs) were recruited. LRRK2 mutation analysis was performed on all participants. Clinical evaluation included MDS‐UPDRS.

Results

When compared to NMNCs, NMCs showed significantly reduced FC between the caudate nucleus and superior frontal gyrus and cerebellum, and between the nucleus accumbens and parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, and insula. We also found increased striatum‐cortical FC in NMCs.

Conclusions

Although the corticostriatal circuits have characteristic changes similar to PD, the relatively intact function of the sensorimotor striatum‐cortical loop may result in less possibility of developing parkinsonian motor symptoms for the NMCs. This study helps explain why LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P mutations are risk factors rather than pathogenic mutations for PD and suggests that various LRRK2 mutations have distinct effects on neural networks.
Everyday Parameters for Episode‐to‐Episode Dynamics in the Daily Music of Infancy
Authors: Mendoza Jennifer K. , Fausey Caitlin M.
Published: August 2022

Experience‐dependent change pervades early human development. Though trajectories of developmental change have been well charted in many domains, the episode‐to‐episode schedules of experiences on which they are hypothesized to depend have not. Here, we took up this issue in a domain known to be governed in part by early experiences: music. Using a corpus of longform audio recordings, we parameterized the daily schedules of music encountered by 35 infants ages 6–12 months. We discovered that everyday music episodes, as well as the interstices between episodes, typically persisted less than a minute, with most daily schedules also including some very extended episodes and interstices. We also discovered that infants encountered music episodes in a bursty rhythm, rather than a periodic or random rhythm, over the day. These findings join a suite of recent discoveries from everyday vision, motor, and language that expand our imaginations beyond artificial learning schedules and enable theorists to model the history‐dependence of developmental process in ways that respect everyday sensory histories. Future theories about how infants build knowledge across multiple episodes can now be parameterized using these insights from infants’ everyday lives.
The risks and rewards of community science for threatened species monitoring
Authors: Soroye Peter , Edwards Brandon P. M. , Buxton Rachel T. , Ethier Jeffrey P. , Frempong‐Manso Acacia , Keefe Hannah E. , Berberi Albana , Roach‐Krajewski Maisy , Binley Allison D. , Vincent Jaimie G. , Lin Hsien‐Yung , Cooke Steven J. , Bennett Joseph R.
Published: August 2022

Finding ways of efficiently monitoring threatened species can be critical to effective conservation. The global proliferation of community science (also called citizen science) programs, like iNaturalist, presents a potential alternative or complement to conventional threatened species monitoring. Using a case study of ~700,000 observations of >10,000 IUCN Red List Threatened species within iNaturalist observations, we illustrate the potential risks and rewards of using community science to monitor threatened species. Poor data quality and risks of sending untrained volunteers to sample species that are sensitive to disturbance or harvesting are key barriers to overcome. Yet community science can expand the breadth of monitoring at little extra cost, while indirectly benefiting conservation through outreach and education. We conclude with a list of actionable recommendations to further mitigate the risks and capitalize on the rewards of community science as a threatened species monitoring tool.
Black Economic Empowerment and Quota Allocations in South Africa's Industrial Fisheries
Authors: Vilakazi Thando , Ponte Stefano
Published: August 2022

Power asymmetries in the governance of value chains mean that inequalities in access to resources and share of value added are skewed against smaller players. Policies enforcing market rules and ensuring fairness are ineffective when power is deeply entrenched, necessitating different rules to address such inequalities. South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies and competition laws target economic redress and inclusion of historically disadvantaged people in business ownership and control of economic activities. BEE criteria have been embedded in many industry charters and implementation codes, and competition law is well established and effectively implemented. Yet, the impacts of these instruments have been limited and slow, especially in sectors where a few companies dominate. This article examines the interactions between value chain dynamics and industrial fishery quota allocations, BEE policy and competition dynamics in the hake deep‐sea trawl fishery sector. It shows that, even in one of the most regulated sectors of South Africa's economy, large incumbents retain a disproportionate amount of power vis‐à‐vis smaller players. The article concludes that if rules protect incumbency, inequality will be sustained. Quota allocations, transformation and competition regulation should go hand in hand to facilitate the effective participation of black‐owned businesses as competitors in value chains.
Greed and fear: Competitive and charitable priming in a threshold volunteer's dilemma
Authors: Mago Shakun D. , Pate Jennifer
Published: August 2022

In the “k‐volunteer's dilemma” benefit accrues to all members if at least k members volunteer, and receive nothing otherwise. We use experiments to examine (a) volunteering behavior when threshold k increases from 1 to 2, and (b) whether volunteering behavior shifts toward norms associated with one of two primed identities—charitable or competitive. We find that increasing the threshold increases an individual's probability of volunteering, but the likelihood of good provision is lower. Neither priming affects volunteering behavior when k = 1, but competitive priming effectively increases volunteering when k = 2. Both greed and fear of non‐provision appear to affect volunteering.
Obituary: J.W.R. Whitehand (1938–2021)
Authors: Conzen Michael P. , Larkham Peter J.
Published: August 2022

This Obituary discusses the geographical contributions of Professor J.W.R. Whitehand.
Presidential Address1 and record of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) AGM 2022
Authors: Clifford Nigel
Published: August 2022

In the Society's 191st Annual General M, the President of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Nigel Clifford offered some thoughts on the value of geography today and presented his ambitions for his presidency of the society. In particular, he reflected on the skills that geography provides for all industries and workplaces, and the need to make the Society both more representative of the wider community, and more agile so that it can respond to, and remain relevant within, the changing world that surrounds us.
Long‐term changes in aberrant DNA methylation and gastritis after Helicobacter pylori eradication focused on metachronous gastric cancer
Authors: Tanaka Ikko , Ono Shoko , Watanabe Yoshiyuki , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Oikawa Ritsuko , Matsumoto Shogo , Kubo Marina , Nishimura Yusuke , Shimoda Yoshihiko , Ono Masayoshi , Yamamoto Keiko , Sakamoto Naoya
Published: August 2022

Background

A persistently high methylation level in gastric mucosa after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication is presumed to be a risk for metachronous gastric cancer (MGC); however, long‐term changes in aberrant DNA methylation and histological gastritis have been unclear. Our aim was to examine changes in DNA methylation and histological gastritis according to the occurrence of MGC.

Methods

Subjects were classified into three groups: 25 patients in whom MGCs occurred after the initial endoscopic resection (ER) for early gastric cancer and H. pylori eradication (MGC group), 17 patients in whom MGC did not occur for more than 5 years after the initial ER and H. pylori eradication (non‐MGC group) and 29 patients without a history of gastric cancer who succeeded in eradication more than 5 years ago (HP group). Aberrance of DNA methylation in three genes (miR‐124a‐3, EMX1, NKX6‐1) and histological score of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia (IM) were evaluated using biopsy samples before and more than a mean of 5 years after H. pylori eradication. Also, the mean Z‐score was calculated using Z‐score values of the three genes.

Results

The methylation level of miR‐124a‐3 in the HP group and non‐MGC group and that of EMX1 in the HP group significantly decreased in the long term after eradication. In the MGC group, H. pylori eradication did not improve aberrant methylation, and the mean Z‐score significantly increased. There were significant positive correlations between methylation levels in miR‐124a‐3 and EMX1 and histological findings after eradication.

Conclusions

A persistently high methylation level after H. pylori eradication reflected precancerous mucosal conditions and led to long‐term MGC.
Serum angiopoietin‐2 levels predict regression of Mac‐2 binding protein glycosylation isomer‐based liver fibrosis after hepatitis C virus eradication by direct‐acting antiviral agents
Authors: Suzuki Takanori , Matsuura Kentaro , Nagura Yoshihito , Ogawa Shintaro , Fujiwara Kei , Nojiri Shunsuke , Watanabe Takehisa , Kataoka Hiromi , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: August 2022

Aim

It is desirable to identify predictors of regression of liver fibrosis after achieving a sustained virologic response (SVR) by direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs) to antihepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy. Here, we retrospectively investigated the serum angiopoietin‐2 (Ang‐2) level as a predictive indicator of regression of liver fibrosis after successful HCV eradication by DAA therapy.

Methods

The study subjects were recruited from a historical cohort of 109 chronically HCV‐infected patients who had achieved SVR by DAA therapy and whose serum Mac‐2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) levels at baseline (before DAA therapy) were ≥2.0 the cut‐off index (COI). We defined patients with M2BPGi levels <1.76 and ≥1.76 COI at 2 years after the end of treatment (EOT) as the regression (R, n = 69) and nonregression (NR, n = 40) groups, respectively.

Results

Multivariate analyses revealed that the Ang‐2 level at baseline and the Ang‐2 level, albumin–bilirubin score, and FIB‐4 index at 24 weeks after the EOT were significantly associated with regression of M2BPGi‐based liver fibrosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that the Ang‐2 level at 24 weeks after the EOT had the largest area under the curve values (0.859). The same results were obtained even when the serum M2BPGi levels were aligned by propensity score matching and in patients with advanced M2BPGi‐based liver fibrosis: M2BPGi levels ≥3.3 COI at baseline.

Conclusions

The serum Ang‐2 level at 24 weeks after the EOT is a feasible predictor of regression of M2BPGi‐based liver fibrosis after achieving SVR by DAA therapy.
Serum levels of immunoglobulin M‐free inhibitors of macrophage/CD5L as a predictive and early diagnostic marker for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Okanoue Takeshi , Yamaguchi Kanji , Shima Toshihide , Mitsumoto Yasuhide , Mizuno Masayuki , Katayama Takayuki , Seko Yuya , Moriguchi Michihisa , Umemura Atsushi , Itoh Yoshito , Miyazaki Toru
Published: August 2022

Background

The apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) is usually associated with the immunoglobulin M (IgM) pentamer in the blood and is dissociated from IgM in various diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We aimed to elucidate whether IgM‐free AIM (fAIM) is useful for detecting latent HCC in NASH.

Methods

This research consisted of two cohort studies. The levels of serum fAIM, alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), and des‐gamma carboxy prothrombin (DCP) of 18 NASH patients who developed HCC were measured during the follow‐up period before HCC diagnosis (median, 4.7 years). In total, 199 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were included in the HCC survey. The serum fAIM levels were analyzed using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays.

Results

In the cohort of 18 patients with HCC, 12 had high fAIM at the time of the initial blood sample, three had normal fAIM levels throughout the follow‐up period, and three had fAIM elevated from normal to positive. The positive ratio of fAIM prior to HCC diagnosis remained significantly higher than that of AFP and DCP, and the fAIM ratio gradually increased. In a survey of 199 non‐HCC NAFLD patients, a Cox regression analysis using independent variables, such as AFP, fAIM, age, albumin, bilirubin, and fibrosis stage, revealed that fAIM and AFP were significantly associated with the incidence of HCC.

Conclusions

During the development of NASH‐HCC, AIM activation in blood appears to start even before HCC is diagnostically detectable. Thus, the serum IgM‐free AIM levels could be a new, sensitive biomarker for latent NASH‐HCC.
UNTHEORIZING DISCOURSE
Authors: Feldman Karen S.
Published: August 2022

A New Philosophy of Discourse: Language Unbound, by Joshua Kates, examines a range of philosophical, literary, and literary‐theoretical approaches in attempting to formulate a view of language sheerly as individual events. Kates considers works from philosophers including Martin Heidegger and Hans‐Georg Gadamer in the Continental tradition; Donald Davidson and W. V. O. Quine in the analytic tradition of philosophy of language; and such “crossovers” (an arguable categorization) as Ludwig Wittgenstein, Stanley Cavell, Cora Diamond, and Martha Nussbaum. The book also investigates the work of literary scholars including Mary Poovey, Charles Altieri, Paul de Man, Walter Benn Michaels, and Steven Knapp, among others. In each instance, the thinkers under scrutiny offer some support for the new philosophy of discourse that Kates proposes but fall short of the radicality of his anti‐foundational, anti‐structural approach. Kates coins the term “talk!” as a way to refer to language in an anti‐foundational vein. The new philosophy of “talk!” proposed here emphasizes the shortcomings of the wide range of authors with respect to thinking of language as only its instances, begging the question of what avenues of thought the new philosophy opens.
HAYDEN WHITE'S ENTHUSIASM FOR HEGEL
Authors: CHEN HSIN‐CHIH
Published: August 2022

This article traces the formation of Hayden White's chapter on Hegel in Metahistory by comparing it with his earlier essay titled “Hegel: Historicism as Tragic Realism.” It also analyzes White's review of George Armstrong Kelly's Idealism, Politics and History and White's well‐known essay titled “The Burden of History.” This article argues that White's main concerns in his review essay and in Metahistory were (1) to respond to the existentialist challenge, posed especially by Camus, that history does not matter and (2) to use Hegel to articulate an answer regarding how historical consciousness and action can be combined. White created his version of Hegel early in “Hegel: Historicism as Tragic Realism” by absorbing (probably) Josiah Royce's interpretation of the Absolute and (more certainly) Erich Auerbach's idea of tragic realism. However, White's idea of tragedy, which focuses on the consequences of action, is not the same as Auerbach's idea, which concerns treating the psychological depth of characters seriously. In his review of Idealism, Politics and History and in Metahistory, White further injected the Kantian philosophy of history—as interpreted by Lucien Goldmann and Lewis White Beck—into Hegel's idea of tragedy and comedy. In doing so, White affirmed the philosophical activist's ability not only to recognize the tragic circumstance of the past and the present but also to hold on to the hope for a better, comic future.
Gender‐Based Differences in Academic Achievement in a University Design Program
Authors: Crowther Philip , Briant Sarah
Published: August 2022

There is a significant amount of research into gender differences in academic performance in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields. This has identified important differences between the academic achievement of men and women as measured through grade point averages and time to completion. However, the specific STEM fields of design have not been thoroughly explored. This research investigates the long‐term academic performance of a large group of architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture students at a major Australian university. The study followed the progress of 472 students over an 11‐year period. In most fields the academic achievement of students follows expected patterns; the difference in academic grades for male and female students reduces over time. However, in interior design, there are significant differences that increase with time, to the favour of women. A range of social, cultural and contextual influences are discussed including the signature pedagogy of the design studio and the hidden curriculum of design education.
Optimal cut‐off value for endocardial bipolar voltage mapping using a multipoint mapping catheter to characterize the scar regions described in cardio—CT with myocardial thinning
Authors: Ene Elena , Halbfaß Philipp , Nentwich Karin , Sonne Kai , Berkovitz Artur , Cochet Hubert , Jais Pierre , Lehmkuhl Lukas , Foldyna Borek , Deneke Thomas
Published: August 2022

Introduction

To investigate whether the current standard voltage cut‐off of <0.5 for dense scar definition on endocardial bipolar voltage mapping (EBVM), using a high‐resolution multipoint mapping catheter with microelectrodes (HRMMC), correctly identifies the actual scar area described on CT with myocardial thinning (CT MT).

Methods

Forty patients (39 men; 67.0 ± 9.0 y/o) with a history of transmural myocardial infarction (mean time interval since MI 15.0 ± 7.9 years) and sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) were consecutively enrolled. A CT MT was performed in each patient before VT ablation. The CT MT 3D anatomical model, including MT layers, was merged with the 3D electroanatomical and EBVM. Different predefined cut‐off settings for scar definition on EBVM were used to identify the optimal ones, which showed the best overlap in terms of scar area with the different MT layers.

Results

A cut‐off value of <0.2 mV demonstrated the best correlation in terms of scar area with the 2 mm thinning on CT MT (p = .04) and a cut‐off of <1 mV best overlapped with the 5 mm thinning (p = .003). The currently used <0.5 mV cut‐off for scar definition on EBVM proved to be the best area correlation with 3 mm thinning (p = .0002).

Conclusion

In order to better identify the real extent of scar areas after transmural MI as described on preprocedural CT MT, higher cut‐off values for scar definition should be applied if the EBVM is performed using a HRMMC.
The influence of viral infection on cell line characteristics: Lessons learned from working with new cell lines from common carp
Authors: Felten Martin , Adamek Mikolaj , Gebert Marina , Rakers Sebastian , Steinhagen Dieter
Published: August 2022

Several factors influence the susceptibility of cell lines to infection by different viruses. These can be related to tissue specificity of the viruses, physiological status of the cells, their differentiation level and their capacity to mount immune responses to combat viral infection. To study the influence of cell characteristics and immune responses on their susceptibility on virus infection, newly developed cell lines from common carp brain (CCAbre), fins (CCApin), gills (CCAgill), and heart (CCAcar) and the established common carp brain (CCB) cells were exposed to the carp infecting viruses cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV‐3), carp oedema virus (CEV), and the yet not fully characterized common carp paramyxovirus (CCPV). The susceptibility of these cells to viral infection was measured by formation of a cytopathic effect (CPE), estimation of viral particles produced by the cells and presence of viral mRNA in the cells. Viral susceptibility of the cells was compared to cell characteristics, measured by mRNA expression of the epithelial cell markers cadherin 1, occludin, and cytokeratin 15 and the mesenchymal cell marker vimentin, as well as to the level of type I interferon (IFN) responses. All cell lines were susceptible to CyHV‐3 and CCPV but not to CEV infection. The cell lines had different levels of type I IFN responses towards the viruses. Typically, CyHV‐3 did not induce high type I IFN responses, while CCPV induced high responses in CCAbre, CCAcar, CCApin cells but no response in CCAgill cells. Consequently, the type I IFN response modulated cell susceptibility to CCPV but not to CyHV‐3. Interestingly, when the three different passage levels of CCB cells were examined, the susceptibility of one passage was significantly lower for CyHV‐3 and higher for CCPV infection. This coincided with a loss of epithelial markers and lower type I IFN responses. This study confirms an influence of cell characteristics and immune responses on the susceptibility of carp cell lines for virus infection. Depending on the vulnerability of the virus to type I IFN responses, cells with a lower IFN‐response can be superior for replication of some viruses. Batches of CCB cells can differentiate and thus may have significantly different levels of susceptibility to certain viruses.
Severe neighborhood deprivation and nursing home staffing in the United States
Authors: Falvey Jason R. , Hade Erinn M. , Friedman Steven , Deng Rebecca , Jabbour Joelle , Stone Robyn I. , Travers Jasmine L.
Published: August 2022

Background

Low nursing home staffing in the United States is a growing safety concern. Socioeconomic deprivation in the local areas surrounding a nursing home may be a barrier to improving staffing rates but has been poorly studied. Thus, the objective of this paper was to assess the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and nursing home staffing in the United States.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study used 2018 daily payroll‐based staffing records and address data for 12,609 nursing homes in the United States linked with resident assessment data. Our primary exposure of interest was severe economic deprivation at the census block group (neighborhood) level, defined as an area deprivation index score ≥85/100. The primary outcome was hours worked per resident‐day among nursing home employees providing direct resident care. Marginal linear regression models and generalized estimating equations with robust sandwich‐type standard errors were used to estimate associations between severe neighborhood deprivation and staffing rates.

Results

Compared to less deprived neighborhoods, unadjusted staffing rates in facilities located within severely deprived neighborhoods were 38% lower for physical and occupational therapists, 30% lower for registered nurses (RNs), and 5% lower for certified nursing assistants. No disparities in licensed practical nurse (LPN) staffing were observed. In models with state‐level and rurality fixed effects and clustered on the county, a similar pattern of disparities was observed. Specifically, RN staffing per 100 resident‐days was significantly lower in facilities located within severely deprived neighborhoods as compared to those in less deprived areas (mean difference: 5.6 fewer hours, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2–6.9). Disparities of lower magnitude were observed for other clinical disciplines except for LPNs.

Conclusions

Significant staffing disparities were observed within facilities located in severely deprived neighborhoods. Targeted interventions, including workforce recruitment and retention efforts, may be needed to improve staffing levels for nursing homes in deprived neighborhoods.
Vision characteristics of Special Olympics athletes seen at the United States National Games 2010–2018
Authors: Yuen J. , Block S. S.
Published: August 2022

Background

Special Olympics International (SOI) has provided eye assessments at no cost to athletes participating in competitions through the Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Foundation Opening Eyes (OE) programme. Access to vision services is crucial given the high rates of eye abnormalities found in studies collected at OE programmes in other countries. As of 2022, no studies covering vision data have been published on SOI athletes specifically from the USA. Therefore, this multiple cross‐sectional study hopes to investigate the vision profile of US athletes over three national games, detecting any changes in vision and ocular health outcomes over an 8‐year period.

Methods

Vision assessments were conducted in the US national games of 2010, 2014 and 2018. Demographic and clinical data from 1427 vision assessments were used in this study. Prevalence of vision and ocular health abnormalities were compared across national games.

Results

In our cohort of 1427 assessments with athletes' mean age ± SD of 29.8 ± 11.5 years, 85.3% (n = 1170) had an abnormal vision result with at least one of the following findings: decreased visual acuity of 20/40 or worse (31.0%, n = 442), refractive error including myopia (52.8%, n = 754), hypermetropia (15.7%, n = 224), and astigmatism (35.0%, n = 499), ocular misalignment distant (16.2%, n = 224) or near (17.2%, n = 239), or ocular abnormality (19.1%, n = 273).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the burden of vision defects and ocular disease in US SOI athletes over the past decade. While continued effort must be made to train eye providers in caring for patients with ID to increase eyecare accessibility outside of SOI, vision assessments at national games can continue providing opportunities for improved ocular health in children and adults with ID.
Anti‐Haitianism and Statelessness in the Caribbean
Authors: Joseph Daniel , Louis Bertin M.
Published: August 2022

Statelessness affects an estimated 15 million people worldwide (Kosinski 2009, 377). Without citizenship in the countries of their birth, stateless people lack access to basic political and social rights, such as the right to vote, marry, travel, and own property; in some cases, stateless people are also denied access to employment, educational services, and health care (UNCHR 2021). In this article, we look at the growing global problem of statelessness through the lens of anti‐Haitianism and ethnographic analysis of people of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, Anse‐à‐Pitres, Haïti, and New Providence, Bahamas. [The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Caribbean, anti‐Haitianism, statelessness]
Association between diabetes complicated with comorbidities and frailty in older adults: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wang Yi , Li Rao , Yuan Li , Yang Xiaoling , Lv Jing , Ye Ziwei , Huang Fengmei , He Ting
Published: August 2022

Aims and Objectives

This study investigated the relationship between frailty and diabetes complicated with comorbidities.

Background

Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome, and older adults with diabetes are prone to frailty. Patients with diabetes and comorbidities might be at increased risk of developing frailty.

Design

A multicenter cross‐sectional study.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted to identify older patients with diabetes and comorbidities in the internal medicine departments of five tertiary general hospitals in Sichuan Province, China, from March 2020 to June 2021. We used the FRAIL scale to identify frailty, and multinomial logistic regression was used to compare sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities of frail or pre‐frail participants with robust participants. The STROBE checklist was used for this cross‐sectional study.

Results

A total of 1652 patients (883 males, 53.5%) were included, and the prevalence of frailty was 26.5%. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with robust patients, diabetic patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic cardiac failure, COPD, cerebrovascular diseases, osteoarticular diseases, chronic renal diseases, chronic gastrointestinal diseases and cancer were more likely to be frail. In addition, patients who engaged in less exercise, presented more comorbidities, were older and had lower education levels, were more prone to frailty.

Conclusion

There was a clear correlation between diabetes complicated with comorbidities and the development of frailty. Appropriate personalised care levels for patients with diabetes and comorbidities, and early screening for frailty might reduce the prevalence of frailty in these patients.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study provided information for healthcare providers to identify circumstances that increase the risk of frailty and more effectively support patients with diabetes and comorbidities.