bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A model of perceptions of politics: antecedents and outcomes
Authors: Al Jisr Sakina Abbad , Beydoun Abdul Rahman , Mostapha Nehale
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of one personal variable (locus of control) and two relationship variables (leader-member exchange and co-worker cooperation) on perceptions of organizational politics in Lebanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data was collected from 300 Lebanese employees from different SMEs located between Tripoli and Beirut.

Findings

Results of regression analysis indicated that all the three variables were significant predictors of perceptions of politics, and that perceptions of politics affected employee outcomes. More specifically, higher levels of politics are associated with higher turnover intention and lower job satisfaction.

Practical implications

Results of this study raise several implications for companies and employers. Perceptions of politics were found to have a negative impact on employee attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, employers must examine the factors that affect employee perceptions of politics in the workplace. Since leader-member exchange and co-worker cooperation were found to predict politics, management's efforts should focalize on improving the relationships between employees and their supervisor as well as their relationships with each other. Management should develop strategies to create an atmosphere of cooperation and support in the organization.

Originality/value

There is paucity of studies on organizational politics in Arabic cultures. This study extends the organizational politics literature by investigating antecedents and outcomes of politics in Lebanon, a country that differs in its culture from US and European contexts.
The role of perceived high-performance HR practices and transformational leadership on employee engagement and citizenship behaviors
Authors: Hai Shenyang , Wu Kai , Park In-Jo , Li Yongxin , Chang Quan , Tang Yating
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of high-performance (HP) human resource (HR) practices on employee job engagement and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and the moderating effects of transformational leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 268 employees from the US and a sample of 288 employees from South Korea (SK) were used for examining the hypotheses.

Findings

The results illustrated that high-performance HR practices (HPHRP) significantly predicted employee job engagement and OCB in SK. Transformational leadership was found to moderate the associations of HPHRP with employee job engagement and OCB in SK, while in the US, transformational leadership only moderated the relationship between HPHRP and OCB.

Practical implications

Transformational leaders reinforce the quality of the employee–organization relationship and strengthen the impact of HPHRP on employees' positive work-related behaviors.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of employees' organizational behavior as exploring the relationships of HPHRP, transformational leadership, job engagement and OCB.
Aspergillus spp. eliminate Sclerotinia sclerotiorum by imbalancing the ambient oxalic acid concentration and parasitizing its sclerotia
Authors: Atallah Osama , Yassin Sherene
Published: August 2020

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a pathogen of more than 600 host plants, secretes oxalic acid to regulate the ambient acidity and provide conducive environment for pathogenicity and reproduction. Few Aspergillus spp. were previously proposed as potential biocontrol agents for S. sclerotiorum as they deteriorate sclerotia and prevent pathogen's overwintering and initial infections. We studied the nature of physical and biochemical interactions between Aspergillus and Sclerotinia. Aspergillus species inhibited sclerotial germination as they colonized its rind layer. However, Aspergillus‐infested sclerotia remain solid and viable for vegetative and carpogenic germination, indicating that Aspergillus infestation is superficial. Aspergillus spp. of section Nigri (Aspergillus japonicus and Aspergillus niger) were also capable of suppressing sclerotial formation by S. sclerotiorum on agar plates. Their culture filtrate contained high levels of oxalic, citric and glutaric acids comparing to the other Aspergillus spp. tested. Exogenous supplementation of oxalic acid altered growth and reproduction of S. sclerotiorum at low concentrations. Inhibitory concentrations of oxalic acid displayed lower pH values comparing to their parallel concentrations of other organic acids. Thus, S. sclerotiorum growth and reproduction are sensitive to the ambient oxalic acid fluctuations and the environmental acidity. Together, Aspergillus species parasitize colonies of Sclerotinia and prevent sclerotial formation through their acidic secretions.
Variability in cesarean delivery rates among individual labor and delivery nurses compared to physicians at three attribution time points
Authors: Edmonds Joyce K. , Weiseth Amber , Neal Brandon J. , Woodbury Samuel R. , Miller Kate , Souter Vivenne , Shah Neel T.
Published: August 2020

Objective

To examine the variability in the cesarean delivery (CD) rates of individual labor and delivery nurses compared with physicians at three attribution time points.

Data Sources

Medical record data from nine hospitals in Washington State from January 2016 through September 2018.

Study Design

Retrospective, observational cohort design using an aggregated database of birth records.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Chart‐abstracted clinical data from a subset of nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex births attributed at admission, labor management, and delivery to nurses and physicians. Two classification methods were used to categorize nurse‐ and physician‐level CD rates at three attribution time points and the reliability of these methods compared.

Principal Findings

The sample included 12 556 births, 319 nurses, and 126 physicians. Overall, variation in nurse‐level CD rates did not differ significantly across the three attribution time points, and the extent of variation was similar to that observed in physicians. However, agreement between attribution time points varied between 35 percent and 65 percent when classifying individual nurses into the top and bottom deciles. The average reliability of nurse‐level CD rates was 32 percent at admission (IQR 22.0 percent to 38.7 percent), 32.6 percent at labor (IQR 23.1 percent to 40.9 percent), and 29.3 percent (IQR 20.9 percent to 35.8 percent) at delivery. The average reliability of physician‐level CD rates was higher: 54.2 percent (IQR 38.7 percent to 71.4 percent) at admission, 62.5 percent (IQR 49.0 percent to 79.6 percent) at labor management, and 66.1 percent (IQR 53.7 percent to 81.2 percent) at delivery.

Conclusion

Feedback on nurse‐level CD rates as part of routine clinical quality audits can provide insight into nurse performance in the context of other individual‐level and unit‐level information. To reliably distinguish individual nurse performance, larger sample sizes are needed.
Risk of malignancy in Korean patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Kang Juyeon , Kim Hyoungyoung , Kim Jinwook , Choi Seongmi , Jung Sun‐Young , Jang Eun Jin , Cho Soo‐Kyung , Sung Yoon‐Kyoung
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To evaluate the risks of overall and site‐specific malignancies in Korean patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods

Using the Korean nationwide healthcare claims database, we constructed a retrospective cohort for prevalent pSS aged over 50 years. After enrollment between January 2012 and December 2014, patients were followed until the development of any malignancy, or until December 2015. Crude incidence rates of malignancies of pSS patients were calculated, and their standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for malignancies were calculated compared to those in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Results

A total of 6,359 pSS and 5,476,302 knee OA patients were included in this study. During follow‐up (19,474 person‐years [PYs]), 310 cases of solid malignancy (158.8/10,000 PYs) and 47 cases of hematologic malignancies (23.5/10,000 PYs) were observed in pSS patients. The risks of overall (SIR 1.30, 95% CI 1.16‐1.43), solid (SIR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03‐1.29), and hematologic malignancies (SIR 4.80, 95% CI 3.43‐6.17) were increased in pSS patients. There was an elevated risk of site‐specific malignancy in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL, SIR 6.45, 95% CI 4.05‐8.83), multiple myeloma (SIR 4.88, 95% CI 2.00‐7.76), and oropharynx (SIR 4.16, 95% CI 1.90‐6.42). The risk of lung cancer was increased only in male pSS patients (2.50, 95% CI 1.02‐3.99), while the risk of thyroid cancer was increased in female patients (1.44, 95% CI 1.04, 1.84).

Conclusion

In patients with pSS over age 50, the risk of solid cancers such as oropharynx, thyroid, and lung cancers is also increased in addition to NHL.
Retracted: Long non‐coding RNA TP73‐AS1 facilitates progression and radioresistance in lung cancer cells by the miR‐216a‐5p/CUL4B axis with exosome involvement
Authors: Qiu Huibing , Zhang Lingyun , Yi Tienan , Yang Kai , Gong Yan , Xie Conghua
Published: August 2020

Retraction: Qiu, H., Zhang, L., Yi, T., Yang, K., Gong, Y. and Xie, C. (2020), Long non‐coding RNA TP73‐AS1 facilitates progression and radioresistance in lung cancer cells by the miR‐216a‐5p/CUL4B axis with exosome involvement. Thorac Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1111/1759-7714.13602

The above article, published online on 25 August 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement among the authors, the journal Editor in Chief Qinghua Zhou, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed after the results reported in Figures 3B, 3C, 3I, and 3J were found to be not repeatable in authors' further study.
Environmental factors, human presence and prey interact to explain patterns of tiger presence in Eastern Thailand
Authors: Ash E. , Kaszta Ż. , Noochdumrong A. , Redford T. , Macdonald D. W.
Published: August 2020

Thailand is one of the last strongholds for tigers Panthera tigris in mainland Southeast Asia. Evidence suggests heterogeneity in tiger presence in a globally important landscape in Eastern Thailand is potentially influenced by a complex interaction of prey, human presence and environmental conditions. Understanding these dynamics is of considerable importance for the conservation of tigers both in this landscape and elsewhere in their range. In this study, we examine which factors, among prey, human presence and environmental characteristics, best explain tiger presence in the Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex (DPKY). We collated survey data from 56,214 camera trap nights and evaluated the relationship between tiger presence and a suite of five prey, 11 human presence and eight environmental variables. We then used variance partitioning to discern the degree of variance in tiger presence explained by these factors. We documented strong, positive associations with wild boar Sus scrofa presence and prey richness, and strong, negative associations with human settlement density, public roads and presence of poachers. Environmental characteristics explained a greater relative proportion of variance (19.6%) in tiger presence than prey covariates alone (3.1%), particularly confounded with human presence (31.1%). This suggests that environmental variables, especially when accompanied by anthropogenic factors, could be used to model potential tiger occurrence where other data may be lacking. Our approach may be helpful in providing guidance for prioritizing habitat, evaluating the effect of human presence and identifying key prey to provide a foundation for tiger protection and recovery.
Automated conservation assessment of the orchid family with deep learning
Authors: Zizka Alexander , Silvestro Daniele , Vitt Pati , Knight Tiffany M.
Published: August 2020

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments are essential for prioritizing conservation needs but are resource intensive and therefore available only for a fraction of global species richness. Automated conservation assessments based on digitally available geographic occurrence records can be a rapid alternative, but it is unclear how reliable these assessments are. We conducted automated conservation assessments for 13,910 species (47.3% of the known species in the family) of the diverse and globally distributed orchid family (Orchidaceae), for which most species (13,049) were previously unassessed by IUCN. We used a novel method based on a deep neural network (IUC‐NN). We identified 4,342 orchid species (31.2% of the evaluated species) as possibly threatened with extinction (equivalent to IUCN categories critically endangered [CR], endangered [EN], or vulnerable [VU]) and Madagascar, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and several oceanic islands as priority areas for orchid conservation. Orchidaceae provided a model with which to test the sensitivity of automated assessment methods to problems with data availability, data quality, and geographic sampling bias. The IUC‐NN identified possibly threatened species with an accuracy of 84.3%, with significantly lower geographic evaluation bias relative to the IUCN Red List and was robust even when data availability was low and there were geographic errors in the input data. Overall, our results demonstrate that automated assessments have an important role to play in identifying species at the greatest risk of extinction.
To dispense or not to dispense: Lessons to be learnt from ethical challenges faced by pharmacists in the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Cox Shereen
Published: August 2020

The year 2020 is facing one of the worst public health situations in decades. The world is experiencing a pandemic that has triggered significant challenges to healthcare systems in both high and low‐middle income countries (LMICs). Government policymakers and healthcare personnel are experiencing real‐life ethical dilemmas and are pressed to respond to these situations. Many possible treatments are being investigated, one of which is the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine. These drugs are approved for use by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, and malaria. The demand for these products has increased, and the stocks are depleting for the patient population for whom the drugs are intended initially. Although both innovator and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers are making plans for increased production, there are challenges with global supply chains disruption and the retention of supplies for local markets. This may cause countries that rely on the importation of pharmaceuticals to be out of stock of supplies for an extended period. There are allegations of off‐label prescribing and hoarding. Pharmacists are the custodians and dispensers of medications and are faced with the task of assessing prescriptions and making decisions about the allocation of these products. This paper seeks to 1) highlight some of the ethical challenges of dispensing hydroxychloroquine by pharmacists during the COVID‐19 pandemic, 2) identify some of the responses to these issues from various regulatory authorities in the USA, and 3) recommend approaches to assist pharmacists in their decision‐making process, especially in LMICs.
Evidence summary of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) coordination in humanitarian response
Authors: Yates Travis , Zannat Hur , Khandaker Nabila , Porteaud Dominique , Bouvet Franck , Lantagne Daniele
Published: August 2020

Providing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to emergency‐affected populations is necessary for reasons of dignity and disease control. Such a (humanitarian) response is coordinated via the ‘cluster approach'. This study utilises a literature review, an appraisal of and analysis of Global WASH Cluster (GWC) documentation, and key informant interviews to summarise the outcomes and impacts of GWC coordination. Across these three datasets, consistent themes were identified, including: the cluster approach evolving into a cost‐effective ‘best‐fit’ model; cluster staff requiring technical and coordination skills; and cluster members facing participation‐related trade‐offs. Consistent intractable difficulties were pinpointed, too, such as: accountability to beneficiaries; cross‐cluster and subnational cluster coordination; and working with national governments. Previous research was found to be largely subjective and not to address future cluster challenges. An analysis of cluster outcomes and impacts, including member and beneficiary perspectives, is needed. To facilitate this work, a theory of change for cluster coordination was also developed.
Dietary fibre intake in childhood or adolescence and subsequent health outcomes: A systematic review of prospective observational studies
Authors: Reynolds Andrew N. , Diep Pham Huyen Tran , Montez Jason , Mann Jim
Published: August 2020

Aim

To determine whether higher fibre intakes during childhood or adolescence effect a broad range of intermediate markers of cardiometabolic risk or other health related issues.

Materials and Methods

We used online searches up to January 2020 and manual searches to identify prospective observational studies reporting on childhood or adolescent intakes of dietary fibre, vegetables, fruit and refined or whole grains. Outcomes measured later in life were body weight, blood lipids, blood pressure, glycaemia, bone health, cognition, growth and bowel habits. Potential age‐specific ranges for dietary fibre were extrapolated from published adult data.

Results

We identified 45 publications reporting on 44 354 participants from 30 cohort studies. Mean age at dietary assessment varied from 1 to 19.3 years. Follow‐up duration varied from 4 months to 27 years. Although well‐conducted studies reported improvements in body weight, blood lipids and glycaemia, the diverse nature of studies precluded meta analysis. The quality of evidence was very low to low given the limited data available per outcome and the inability to synthesize results from multiple studies. Potential dietary fibre intake begins at 13‐16 g a day for 2‐year‐olds and increases until the age of 10 years, when values are comparable with an adult range of 25‐30 g a day.

Conclusions

Given the inconsistency in findings from cohort studies other than an absence of detrimental effects, it seems appropriate that recommendations regarding childhood fibre intake are extrapolated from relevant adult data.
Embodied Refusals: Conceptualizing Dissent in Students Labeled with Significant Disabilities
Authors: Taylor Ashley
Published: August 2020

Dissent is conceptualized as a largely able‐minded political expression. Ashley Taylor argues in this essay that educational philosophers, therefore, lack an understanding of dissent that can capture the politically relevant expressions of students labeled with significant disabilities. While traditional frameworks of dissent may capture many of the ways disabled activists and their nondisabled allies have challenged oppressive social structures, these models nevertheless rely on a conceptualization of dissent that fails to make sense of the political agency of people understood as having significant intellectual disabilities. Taylor reframes the embodied and localized refusals and transgressions of labeled students as forms of politically relevant dissent, drawing on her own observational data from the classroom as well as the ethnographic work of researchers in the field of disability studies in education. By developing a richer and experientially‐based understanding of dissent, Taylor offers an alternative conceptual orientation toward dissent that has normative implications for theorists and practitioners alike.
The Democratic Potential of Parental Dissent: Keeping Public Schools Public, Legitimate, and Educational
Authors: Stitzlein Sarah M.
Published: August 2020

In this essay, Sarah Stitzlein describes the democratic potential of parents choosing to opt out of school testing, explaining how they ought to engage in political dissent to best fulfill their responsibilities as citizens and to practice democracy on behalf of children and schools. Parents' decisions to opt out are often based on rights claims about their oversight as parents; moral claims regarding the potential undue pressure testing places on children and the misuse of students' scores; political and economic concerns with the role of corporations in testing; and educational claims about the validity of scores, the narrowing of curriculum, and the deprofessionalization of teachers who feel they must teach to the test. By building publics around these rationales and shared concerns, parents may increase the political legitimacy of public schools and create public schools that are more deeply public; in some cases, they may also provide an educational model of democratic life for budding citizens in schools to observe and learn from.
Teacher Dissent in Neoliberal Times: Counter‐Publics and Alternative‐Publics in Teacher Activism
Authors: White Terrenda C.
Published: August 2020

Abstract

In this essay, Terrenda White examines distinct forms of activism by two influential organizations: the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Teach for America (TFA). Despite differences between these groups, both have created new discourses and alliances among teachers in the public sphere — what White calls “teacher publics.” These new alliances, White argues, can be conceptualized as counter‐publics and alternative‐publics. CTU is a counter‐public because its activities counter the tradition of top‐down insular unionism and embrace “social movement unionism” where teachers are part of an expansive coalition for social transformation, including contesting city and state bureaucracies for adequate resources and equitable practices on behalf of minoritized communities. TFA has also created expansive coalitions for change, embracing a “new professionalism” that rejects public contestations with state leaders for resources. As an alternative‐public, TFA engages a network of private philanthropists and business leaders to generate change in public education through market‐based initiatives that challenge bureaucratic control of teachers and schools and that incentivize competition, audit culture, and data‐driven decision‐making. These two cases, because their approaches to educational change are so different, provide fertile ground for White's evaluation of what new forms of activism mean for the democratic goals of public schools.
Methods matter: Your measures of explicit and implicit processes in visuomotor adaptation affect your results
Authors: Maresch Jana , Werner Susen , Donchin Opher
Published: August 2020

Visuomotor rotations are frequently used to study the different processes underlying motor adaptation. Explicit aiming strategies and implicit recalibration are two of these processes. Various methods, which differ in their underlying assumptions, have been used to dissociate the two processes. Direct methods, such as verbal reports, assume explicit knowledge to be verbalizable, where indirect methods, such as the exclusion, assume that explicit knowledge is controllable. The goal of this study was thus to directly compare verbal reporting with exclusion in two different conditions: during consistent reporting and during intermittent reporting. Our results show that our two conditions lead to a dissociation between the measures. In the consistent reporting group, all measures showed similar results. However, in the intermittent reporting group, verbal reporting showed more explicit re‐aiming and less implicit adaptation than exclusion. Curiously, when exclusion was measured again, after the end of learning, the differences were no longer apparent. We suspect this may reflect selective decay in implicit adaptation, as has been reported previously. All told, our results clearly indicate that methods of measurement can affect the amount of explicit re‐aiming and implicit adaptation that is measured. Since it has been previously shown that both explicit re‐aiming and implicit adaptation have multiple components, discrepancies between these different methods may arise because different measures reflect different components.
Standardized Testing in College Admissions: Observations and Reflections
Authors: Cai Li
Published: August 2020

Reflecting upon the experience serving on the University of California's Standardized Testing Task Force, and drawing lessons learned, I argue that the COVID‐19 pandemic has merely served to accelerate the trend of US higher education institutions moving away from current standardized tests. New educational assessments will continue to be produced. There will be strong calls for the making of completely different assessments than currently available. Educational measurement as field has much to offer and to learn.
The impact of home hemodialysis in children with severe cardiac failure
Authors: Hothi Daljit K. , Fenton Matthew
Published: August 2020

When faced with patients with deteriorating cardiac disease, nephrologists tend to accept that heart disease is unmodifiable, accepting mediocrity and opting for stabilization. Likewise cardiac patients with persistent renal failure are presented with a poor renal prognosis and prepared for renal transplantation. We present three dialysis dependent children with moderate‐to‐severe cardiac failure in whom home hemodialysis normalized the cardiac function and restored renal function. These cases highlight the medical benefits of home hemodialysis in severe cardio‐renal cases but not without acknowledgement of the resource, commitment, and safety challenges that accompanies them.
Surgical pericardial adhesions do not preclude minimally invasive epicardial pacemaker lead placement in an infant porcine model
Authors: Kumthekar Rohan N. , Sinha Lok , Opfermann Justin D. , Mass Paige , Clark Bradley C. , Yerebakan Can , Berul Charles I.
Published: August 2020

Background

Pericardial adhesions in infants and small children following cardiac surgery can impede access to the epicardium. We previously described minimally invasive epicardial lead placement under direct visualization in an infant porcine model using a single subxiphoid incision. The objective of this study was to assess the acute feasibility of this approach in the presence of postoperative pericardial adhesions.

Methods

Adhesion group piglets underwent left thoracotomy with pericardiotomy followed by a recovery period to develop pericardial adhesions. Control group piglets did not undergo surgery. Both groups underwent minimally invasive epicardial lead placement using a 2‐channel access port (PeriPath) inserted through a 1 cm subxiphoid incision. Under direct thoracoscopic visualization, pericardial access was obtained with a 7‐French sheath, and a pacing lead was affixed against the ventricular epicardium. Sensed R‐wave amplitudes, lead impedances and capture thresholds were measured.

Results

Eight piglets underwent successful pericardiectomy and developed adhesions after a median recovery time of 45 days. Epicardial lead placement was successful in adhesion (9.5 ± 2.7 kg, n = 8) and control (5.6 ± 1.5 kg, n = 7) piglets. There were no acute complications. There were no significant differences in capture thresholds or sensing between groups. Procedure times in the adhesion group were longer than in controls, and while lead impedances were significantly higher in the adhesion group, all were within normal range.

Conclusions

Pericardial adhesions do not preclude minimally invasive placement of epicardial leads in an infant porcine model. This minimally invasive approach could potentially be applied to pediatric patients with prior cardiac surgery.
Practitioner Review: Pharmacological treatment of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children and youth with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Rodrigues Rebecca , Lai Meng‐Chuan , Beswick Adam , Gorman Daniel A. , Anagnostou Evdokia , Szatmari Peter , Anderson Kelly K. , Ameis Stephanie H.
Published: August 2020

Background

Clinically significant attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are common and impairing in children and youth with autism spectrum disorder(ASD). The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to (a) evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of ADHD symptoms in ASD and (b) distil findings for clinical translation.

Methods

We searched electronic databases and clinical trial registries (1992 onwards). We selected randomized controlled trials conducted in participants <25 years of age, diagnosed with ASD that evaluated ADHD outcomes (hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention) following treatment with stimulants (methylphenidate or amphetamines), atomoxetine, alpha‐2 adrenergic receptor agonists, antipsychotics, tricyclic antidepressants, bupropion, modafinil, venlafaxine, or a combination, in comparison with placebo, any of the listed medications, or behavioral therapies. Data were pooled using a random‐effects model.

Results

Twenty‐five studies (4 methylphenidate, 4 atomoxetine, 1 guanfacine, 14 antipsychotic, 1 venlafaxine, and 1 tianeptine) were included. Methylphenidate reduced hyperactivity (parent‐rated: standardized mean difference [SMD] = −.63, 95%CI = −.95,−.30; teacher‐rated: SMD = −.81, 95%CI = −1.43,−.19) and inattention (parent‐rated: SMD = −.36, 95%CI = −.64,−.07; teacher‐rated: SMD = −.30, 95%CI = −.49,−.11). Atomoxetine reduced inattention (parent‐rated: SMD = −.54, 95%CI = −.98,−.09; teacher/investigator‐rated: SMD = −0.38, 95%CI = −0.75, −0.01) and parent‐rated hyperactivity (parent‐rated: SMD = −.49, 95%CI = −.76,−.23; teacher‐rated: SMD = −.43, 95%CI = −.92, .06). Indirect evidence for significant reductions in hyperactivity with second‐generation antipsychotics was also found. Quality of evidence for all interventions was low/very low. Methylphenidate was associated with a nonsignificant elevated risk of dropout due to adverse events.

Conclusions

Direct pooled evidence supports the efficacy and tolerability of methylphenidate or atomoxetine for treatment of ADHD symptoms in children and youth with ASD. The current review highlights the efficacy of standard ADHD pharmacotherapy for treatment of ADHD symptoms in children and youth with ASD. Consideration of the benefits weighed against the limitations of safety/efficacy data and lack of data evaluating long‐term continuation is undertaken to help guide clinical decision‐making regarding treatment of co‐occurring ADHD symptoms in children and youth with ASD.
Asthma in urban Aboriginal children: A cross‐sectional study of socio‐demographic patterns and associations with pre‐natal and current carer smoking
Authors: Skinner Adam , Falster Kathleen , Gunasekera Hasantha , Burgess Leonie , Sherriff Simone , Deuis Margot , Thorn Allison , Banks Emily
Published: August 2020

Aim

To describe socio‐demographic patterns of asthma prevalence in urban Aboriginal children and quantify associations between asthma prevalence and pre‐natal maternal and current carer smoking.

Methods

Analyses used carer‐reported survey data for 1290 urban Aboriginal children aged 2–17 years from the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health. Multilevel log‐binomial regression was used to estimate asthma prevalence ratios (PRs) for child‐ and family‐level socio‐demographic factors, pre‐natal maternal smoking and current carer smoking. Smoking‐related PRs were compared with general‐population estimates derived from meta‐analyses of published cross‐sectional data.

Results

Overall, 33.9% of children had ever had asthma, and 12.9% had received treatment for asthma in the past month. Prevalence estimates declined with increasing household income and increasing household size (posterior probabilities of decreasing trend >0.98), while children exposed to pre‐natal maternal smoking had a higher risk of asthma ever than unexposed children (PR 1.18 (95% credible interval 1.00–1.40)). Recently treated asthma prevalence was not significantly associated with pre‐natal maternal (0.98 (0.71–1.41)) or current carer smoking (0.97 (0.68–1.37)); however, there was substantial uncertainty in our PR estimates, and 95% credible intervals contained general‐population estimates derived from the meta‐analyses (1.37 (1.17–1.65) for pre‐natal smoking, 1.28 (1.15–1.44) for current parental or household smoking).

Conclusion

Among urban Aboriginal children in the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health cohort, asthma prevalence declines as household income and household size increase, while children exposed to pre‐natal maternal smoking are at increased risk of ever having asthma. Our results emphasise the importance of reducing smoking in Aboriginal communities, particularly among pregnant women.
Comparison of non‐burn‐specific systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and burn‐specific American Burn Association systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria in paediatric burned patients
Authors: Dalgic Nazan , Sahin Ayse , Karadag Cetin A , Sancar Mesut
Published: August 2020

Aim

We aim to investigate the diagnostic value of newly defined criteria for the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) for paediatric burn patients by the American Burn Association (ABA) by comparing the non‐burn‐specific SIRS criteria for children.

Methods

A total of 147 paediatric burn patients were included in this study. Patients diagnosed with sepsis were included in the sepsis group. Clinical parameters were obtained from the electronic medical records at the time of preliminary sepsis diagnosis. Both the non‐burn‐specific SIRS criteria and the burn‐specific ABA SIRS criteria were applied to both the sepsis group and the non‐sepsis group.

Results

Of 147 patients, 50 had sepsis according to the non‐burn‐specific sepsis criteria. When the 50‐patient sepsis group was compared to the 97‐patient non‐sepsis group, the sepsis group had a significantly higher duration of hospitalisation, burn percentage, burn state and abbreviated burn scoring index (ABSI) (P < 0.05). The specificity of the two scales was 29.9% for the non‐burn‐specific SIRS and 74.2% for the burn‐specific ABA SIRS. The sensitivity for the burn‐specific ABA SIRS was calculated as 58%, the sensitivity for the non‐burn‐specific SIRS was 100%. While positive predictive value was calculated as 42.4% for the non‐burn‐specific SIRS, this value was found as 53.7% for the burn‐specific ABA SIRS criteria. The correlation coefficient between the non‐burn‐specific SIRS and the burn‐specific ABA SIRS was 0.378 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our study underlines the need for widespread use of more specific and sensitive burn‐specific clinical criteria to early diagnosis of infection in burn patients to prevent unnecessary antibiotic usage.
Dual targeting of hepatic fibrosis and atherogenesis by icosabutate, an engineered eicosapentaenoic acid derivative
Authors: Stokman Geurt , van den Hoek Anita M. , Denker Thorbekk Ditte , Pieterman Elsbet J. , Skovgård Veidal Sanne , Basta Brittany , Iruarrizaga‐Lejarreta Marta , van der Hoorn José W. , Verschuren Lars , Berbée Jimmy F. P. , Rensen Patrick C. N. , Skjæret Tore , Alonso Cristina , Feigh Michael , Kastelein John J. P. , Friedman Scott L. , Princen Hans M. G. , Fraser David A.
Published: August 2020

Background & Aims

While fibrosis stage predicts liver‐associated mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the major overall cause of mortality in patients with NASH. Novel NASH drugs should thus ideally reduce both liver fibrosis and CVD. Icosabutate is a semi‐synthetic, liver‐targeted eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) derivative in clinical development for NASH. The primary aims of the current studies were to establish both the anti‐fibrotic and anti‐atherogenic efficacy of icosabutate in conjunction with changes in lipotoxic and atherogenic lipids in liver and plasma respectively.

Methods

The effects of icosabutate on fibrosis progression and lipotoxicity were investigated in amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet (high fat, cholesterol and fructose) fed ob/ob mice with biopsy‐confirmed steatohepatitis and fibrosis and compared with the activity of obeticholic acid. APOE*3Leiden.CETP mice, a translational model for hyperlipidaemia and atherosclerosis, were used to evaluate the mechanisms underlying the lipid‐lowering effect of icosabutate and its effect on atherosclerosis.

Results

In AMLN ob/ob mice, icosabutate significantly reduced hepatic fibrosis and myofibroblast content in association with downregulation of the arachidonic acid cascade and a reduction in both hepatic oxidised phospholipids and apoptosis. In APOE*3Leiden.CETP mice, icosabutate reduced plasma cholesterol and TAG levels via increased hepatic uptake, upregulated hepatic lipid metabolism and downregulated inflammation pathways, and effectively decreased atherosclerosis development.

Conclusions

Icosabutate, a structurally engineered EPA derivative, effectively attenuates both hepatic fibrosis and atherogenesis and offers an attractive therapeutic approach to both liver‐ and CV‐related morbidity and mortality in NASH patients.
The Simple Cholestatic Complaints Score is a valid and quick patient‐reported outcome measure in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: van Munster Kim N. , Dijkgraaf Marcel G. W. , van Gennep Sara , Beuers Ulrich , Ponsioen Cyriel Y.
Published: August 2020

Background

Measuring symptoms and disease burden in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is increasingly important for daily practice and clinical trials. The Simple Cholestatic Complaints Score (SCCS) is a four‐item questionnaire, that measures cholestatic symptoms (pruritus, fatigue, RUQ abdominal pain and fever) in PSC patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate reliability and validity of SCCS in a Dutch population.

Methods

The study population consisted of 212 patients from the Dutch prospective PSC registry. Data were collected via digital surveys. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and reproducibility. Construct‐, criterion‐ and discriminant validity were determined. The ability to detect clinical change with SCCS was evaluated in patients who underwent endoscopic intervention. Simple Cholestatic Complaints Score collected by email and by a mobile application were compared.

Results

A total of 153 patients completed the questionnaire. Internal consistency was moderate and increased to 0.71 after removal of the fever item. Test‐re‐test reproducibility was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96). Criterion validity was good (all > 0.82). Construct validity was in line with a priori hypothesized correlations in 80%. SCCS was able to differentiate between clinically different groups. There was no difference between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and non‐IBD patients. Simple Cholestatic Complaints Score was responsive to change after endoscopic intervention in successfully treated patients. Simple Cholestatic Complaints Score measurement by digital questionnaire and a mobile application was comparable.

Conclusion

The SCCS is a valid instrument to measure cholestatic symptoms in PSC patients. Because of its quick and easy to use properties it is suitable for frequent monitoring of symptoms in clinical trials and daily practice.
Learning modals: A grammatical perspective
Authors: Cournane Ailís
Published: August 2020

In this study, we address the mapping problem for modal words: how do children learn the form‐to‐ meaning mappings for words likecouldorhave toin their input languages? Learning modal words poses considerable challenges as their meanings are conceptually complex and the way these meanings are mapped to grammatical forms and structures is likewise complex and cross‐linguistically variable. Against a backdrop of how cross‐linguistic modal systems can vary, we focus on new work highlighting the developmental roles of the following: (a) syntactic categories of modal words, (b) interrelationships between modal ‘force’ (possibility and necessity) and ‘flavour’ (root and epistemic), (c) semantic representations for modal forms and (d) children's own emerging modal systems, as a whole, which show that the way they map forms to the ‘modal meaning space’ (considering both force and flavour dimensions) diverges from how adults do, even if the same forms are present. Modality provides a rich natural laboratory for exploring the interrelationships between our conceptual world of possibilities, how concepts get packaged by the syntax–semantics of grammatical systems, and how child learners surmount these form‐meaning mapping challenges.
Restoring ancestral phenotypes is a general pattern in gene expression evolution during adaptation to new environments in Tribolium castaneum
Authors: Koch Eva L. , Guillaume Frédéric
Published: August 2020

Plasticity and evolution are two processes allowing populations to respond to environmental changes, but how both are related and impact each other remains controversial. We studied plastic and evolutionary responses in gene expression of Tribolium castaneum after exposure of the beetles to new environments that differed from ancestral conditions in temperature, humidity or both. Using experimental evolution with 10 replicated lines per condition, we were able to demonstrate adaptation after 20 generations. We measured whole‐transcriptome gene expression with RNA‐sequencing to infer evolutionary and plastic changes. We found more evidence for changes in mean expression (shift in the intercept of reaction norms) in adapted lines than for changes in plasticity (shifts in slopes). Plasticity was mainly preserved in selected lines and was responsible for a large part of the phenotypic divergence in expression between ancestral and new conditions. However, we found that genes with the largest evolutionary changes in expression also evolved reduced plasticity and often showed expression levels closer to the ancestral stage. Results obtained in the three different conditions were similar, suggesting that restoration of ancestral expression levels during adaptation is a general evolutionary pattern. With a larger sample in the most stressful condition, we were able to detect a positive correlation between the proportion of genes with reversion of the ancestral plastic response and mean fitness per selection line.
Morphophysiological analysis of the salivary glands of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Acari: Ixodidae) exposed to ozonated water: A control strategy
Authors: Abreu M. R. , Delalibera I. , Pereira N. R. C. , Camargo‐Mathias M. I.
Published: August 2020

The tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato has great medical and veterinary importance, mainly because the ability to transmit many diseases, causing harm to pets but also risks to public health. The blood spoliation and transmission of pathogens occur because of the immunosuppressive action of these ticks' saliva, a potent mixture of bioactive substances that is secreted by the salivary glands, one of the organs responsible for their biological success, and hence the target of studies for their control. Ozone has promise for use as an alternative acaricide, due to its proven efficiency in controlling agricultural and food pests, besides posing no risk of environmental contamination or to animal and human health. Therefore, this study evaluated the acaricidal potential of exposure of females of R. sanguineus s.l. to ozonated water at many concentrations and analysed the morphophysiological alterations of the salivary glands, employing histological and light microscopic techniques. The results demonstrated that the ozonated water at the concentrations investigated caused severe alterations in the salivary glands, bringing a new perspective for control of R. sanguineus s.l., through an ecologically correct method due to the absence of harm to non‐target organisms and the environment.
Genome‐wide association study reveals a novel locus for asthma with severe exacerbations in diverse populations
Authors: Herrera‐Luis Esther , Espuela‐Ortiz Antonio , Lorenzo‐Diaz Fabian , Keys Kevin L. , Mak Angel C. Y. , Eng Celeste , Huntsman Scott , Villar Jesús , Rodriguez‐Santana Jose R. , Burchard Esteban G. , Pino‐Yanes Maria
Published: August 2020

Background

Severe asthma exacerbations are a major cause of asthma morbidity and increased healthcare costs. Several studies have shown racial and ethnic differences in asthma exacerbation rates. We aimed to identify genetic variants associated with severe exacerbations in two high‐risk populations for asthma.

Methods

A genome‐wide association study of asthma in children and youth with severe exacerbations was performed in 1283 exacerbators and 2027 controls without asthma of Latino ancestry. Independent suggestive variants (P ≤ 5 × 10−6) were selected for replication in 448 African Americans exacerbators and 595 controls. Case‐only analyses were performed comparing the exacerbators with additional 898 Latinos and 524 African Americans asthma patients without exacerbations, while adjusting by treatment category as a proxy of asthma severity. We analyzed the functionality of associated variants with in silico methods and by correlating genotypes with methylation levels in whole blood in a subset of 473 Latinos.

Results

We identified two genome‐wide significant associations for susceptibility to asthma with severe exacerbations, including a novel locus located at chromosome 2p21 (rs4952375, odds ratio = 1.39, P = 3.8 × 10−8), which was also associated with asthma exacerbations in a case‐only analysis (odds ratio = 1.25, P = 1.95 × 10−3). This polymorphism is an expression quantitative trait locus of the long intergenic non‐protein coding RNA 1913 (LINC01913) in lung tissues (P = 1.3 × 10−7) and influences methylation levels of the protein kinase domain‐containing cytoplasmic (PKDCC) gene in whole‐blood cells (P = 9.8 × 10−5).

Conclusion

We identified a novel susceptibility locus for severe asthma exacerbations in Hispanic/Latino and African American youths with functional effects in gene expression and methylation status of neighboring genes.