bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gualou Xiebai Banxia decoction ameliorates Poloxamer 407-induced hyperlipidemia
Authors: Luo Mingzhu , Fan Rong , Wang Xiaoming , Lu Junyu , Li Ping , Chu Wenbin , Hu Yonghe , Chen Xuewei
Published: May 2021

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Gualou Xiebai Banxia (GLXBBX) decoction is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal formula that was first discussed in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber by Zhang Zhongjing in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In traditional Chinese medicine, GLXBBX is commonly prescribed to treat cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine GLXBBX’s preventative capacity and elucidate the potential molecular mechanism of Poloxamer 407 (P407)-induced hyperlipidemia in rats.

Materials and methods: Both the control and model groups received pure water, and the test group also received a GLXBBX decoction. For each administration, 3 ml of the solution was administered orally. To establish hyperlipidemia, a solution mixed with 0.25 g/kg P407 dissolved in 0.9% normal saline was injected slowly into the abdominal cavity. At the end of the study, the rats’ plasma lipid levels were calculated using an automatic biochemical analyzer to evaluate the preventative capability of the GLXBBX decoction, and the serum and liver of the rats were collected.

Results: The GLXBBX decoction significantly improved P407-induced hyperlipidemia, including increased plasma triglycerides (TGs), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation, and lipid accumulation. Moreover, GLXBBX decoction treatment increased lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity and mRNA expression of LPL. Furthermore, GLXBBX significantly suppressed the mRNA expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1).

Conclusion: GLXBBX significantly improved P407-induced hyperlipidemia, which may have been related to enhanced LPL activity, increased LPL mRNA expression, and decreased mRNA expression of SCD1.
Solar Orbiter’s first Venus flyby
Authors: Volwerk M. , Horbury T. S. , Woodham L. D. , Bale S. D. , Simon Wedlund C. , Schmid D. , Allen R. C. , Angelini V. , Baumjohann W. , Berger L. , Edberg N. J. T. , Evans V. , Hadid L. Z. , Ho G. C. , Khotyaintsev Yu. V. , Magnes W. , Maksimovic M. , O’Brien H. , Steller M. B. , Rodriguez-Pacheco J. , Wimmer-Scheingruber R. F.
Published: May 2021

Context. The induced magnetosphere of Venus is caused by the interaction of the solar wind and embedded interplanetary magnetic field with the exosphere and ionosphere of Venus. Solar Orbiter entered Venus’s magnetotail far downstream, > 70 Venus radii, of the planet and exited the magnetosphere over the north pole. This offered a unique view of the system over distances that had only been flown through before by three other missions, Mariner 10, Galileo, and BepiColombo.

Aims. In this study, we study the large-scale structure and activity of the induced magnetosphere as well as the high-frequency plasma waves both in the magnetosphere and in a limited region upstream of the planet where interaction with Venus’s exosphere is expected.

Methods. The large-scale structure of the magnetosphere was studied with low-pass filtered data and identified events are investigated with a minimum variance analysis as well as combined with plasma data. The high-frequency plasma waves were studied with spectral analysis.

Results. We find that Venus’s magnetotail is very active during the Solar Orbiter flyby. Structures such as flux ropes and reconnection sites were encountered, in addition to a strong overdraping of the magnetic field downstream of the bow shock and planet. High-frequency plasma waves (up to six times the local proton cyclotron frequency) are observed in the magnetotail, which are identified as Doppler-shifted proton cyclotron waves, whereas in the upstream solar wind, these waves appear just below the proton cyclotron frequency (as expected) but are very patchy. The bow shock is quasi-perpendicular, however, expected mirror mode activity is not found directly behind it; instead, there is strong cyclotron wave power. This is most likely caused by the relatively low plasma-β behind the bow shock. Much further downstream, magnetic hole or mirror mode structures are identified in the magnetosheath.
Vitamin C – neue Therapiemöglichkeit bei Sepsis?
Authors: Müller Stefan , Wiesmann Thomas , Wulf Hinnerk , Arndt Christian
Published: May 2021

Die Sepsis ist eine häufige und schwere Erkrankung mit vielfältigen pathophysiologischen Veränderungen. Wiederholt wurde versucht, mit neuen Therapieansätzen den Verlauf der Sepsis positiv zu beeinflussen. Als neue Therapieoption rückte in den letzten Jahren Vitamin C in den Fokus der Sepsisforschung. Ob Vitamin C diese Hoffnungen erfüllen kann, soll in diesem Beitrag erläutert werden.
Intraoperative Strategien für die Ein-Lungen-Ventilation
Authors: Bergmann Astrid , Schilling Thomas
Published: May 2021

Das Management der Ein-Lungen-Ventilation (ELV) beinhaltet mehrere Herausforderungen. Diese umfassen die adäquate Oxygenierung und Ventilation und den Schutz der Lunge vor pathophysiologischen Noxen zur Vermeidung postoperativer pulmonaler Komplikationen. Während der ELV wird die Belüftung des zu operierenden Lungenflügels durch verschiedene Techniken unterbrochen, während die Perfusion in vermindertem Umfang erhalten bleibt. Das entsprechende Tidalvolumen (VT) wird somit lediglich einer Lunge zugeführt.

Die derzeitigen Empfehlungen zur Aufrechterhaltung des Gasaustausches und die lungenprotektiven Maßnahmen können sich diametral widersprechen, wie z. B. die Applikation einer hohen vs. niedrigen inspiratorischen Sauerstofffraktion (FiO2) oder die eines hohen vs. niedrigen Atemzugvolumens. Angesichts der limitierten Evidenz beleuchtet diese Arbeit aktuelle intraoperative Strategien für die ELV, welche die Reduktion der FiO2, ein niedriges VT, die Applikation eines positiven endexspiratorischen Druckes (PEEP) in der ventilierten Lunge und eines kontinuierlichen positiven Atemwegsdruckes (CPAP) in der nicht ventilierten Lunge sowie alveoläre Rekrutierungsmanöver umfassen. Weitere Ansätze, wie die Wahl des Anästhesieverfahrens, die ischämische Präkonditionierung, das hämodynamische Management und die Volumentherapie sowie die postoperative Schmerztherapie können die lungenprotektiven Strategien unterstützen und das klinische Ergebnis
verbessern.
Beatmung in der Kinderanästhesie
Authors: Mertz Selinde
Published: May 2021

Kindernarkosen haben ein deutlich höheres Risiko für Komplikationen im Vergleich zu Anästhesien bei Erwachsenen. 9% aller Narkosen pro Jahr werden bei Kindern durchgeführt. Die intraoperative Beatmung von Neugeborenen, Säuglingen und Kleinkindern verlangt vom Anästhesisten eine adäquate Erfahrung, sorgfältige Ausführung und Expertise beim Management der möglichen Komplikationen. Dieser Beitrag bietet einen Überblick.
Photovoltaic power generation can be improved by keeping the electrons hot
Authors: Yiu Yuen
Published: May 2021

Researchers develop a method to suppress photogenerated electrons and holes from losing their energy through phonon-mediated relaxation.
A translatological and forensic-linguistic study of the English translation of the German Civil Code
Authors: Wang Qiang
Published: May 2021

Since its promulgation in 1896, the German Civil Code, one of the most influential civil codes in the world, has been translated into English several times. Thanks to the Code’s jurisprudential quality, both its English translation and the translating process are of high value and offer various starting points for profound research. However, so far, there have been hardly any substantial studies of the Code’s English translation, neither from the comparative legal or forensic linguistic perspective nor from other angles. This paper attempts to make a substantive, interdisciplinary – i.e., forensic linguistic – content-related, and jurisprudential study of the Code’s English translation to address this research lacuna. To that end, it focuses on two aspects of the statute law’s provisions, i.e., respectively from the lexical and syntactic perspective.
Examining the transference of humorous expressions based on extralinguistic cultural references (ECRs) in comedy animations from English into Persian dubbed and subtitled versions
Authors: Sadeghpour Hamid Reza
Published: May 2021

This study examines the degree of the adequate transference of humorous ECRs expressions in comedy animations from English into Persian dubbed and subtitled versions. It also identifies the most effective translation strategies for transferring humorous ECRs expressions in the Persian dubbed and subtitled versions. First, ECR-related humorous expressions were identified in the source texts, and later they were classified based on the classification of Nedergaard Larsen (1993, 211) for ECRs. Subsequently, the identified humorous ECRs expressions were compared with their equivalent Persian dubbed and subtitled versions to determine whether they were transferred adequately. To examine the employed translation strategies in transferring humorous ECRs expressions, the study opted for Pedersen’s (2011, 77–97) translation strategies for ECRs. The results showed that translators employed a target-oriented approach in the dubbed versions and a source-oriented approach in subtitled versions. However, both techniques could not retain the humorous criteria of the source texts. At the same time, the findings revealed that humorous ECRs expressions were transferred more adequately in the dubbed versions than the subtitled versions. Situational substitution and cultural substitution (by target culture ECR) strategies were the most effective translation strategies for dubbed versions. Similarly, situational substitution and generalization strategies were the most effective translation strategies for subtitled versions.
The discovery of dendritic cells
Authors: Moberg Carol L.
Published: May 2021

An excerpt from Ralph Steinman’s Harvey Lecture describing the discovery of dendritic cells.
Calculation and benchmark of fluence-to-local skin equivalent dose coefficients for neutrons with FLUKA, MCNP, and GEANT4 Monte-Carlo codes
Authors: Frosio Thomas , Bertreix Philippe , Menaa Nabil , Thomas Samuel
Published: May 2021

Dose equivalent limits for single organs are recommended by the ICRP (International Commission for the Radiological Protection publication 103). These limits do not lend themselves to be measured. They are assessed by convoluting conversion factors with particle fluences. The Fluence-to-Dose conversion factors are tabulated in the ICRP literature. They allow assessing the organ dose of interest using numerical simulations. In particular, the literature lacks the knowledge of local skin equivalent dose (LSD) coefficients for neutrons. In this article, we compute such values for neutron energies ranging from 1 meV to 15 MeV. We use FLUKA, MCNP and GEANT4 Radiation transport Monte-Carlo simulation codes to perform the calculations. A comparison between these three codes is performed. These calculated values are important for radiation protection studies and radiotherapy applications.
Quantitative evaluation of conservatism in the concept of committed dose from internal exposure for radiation workers
Authors: Sasaki Michiya , Ogino Haruyuki , Hattori Takatoshi
Published: May 2021

For compliance with dose limits, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends that the committed dose be assigned to the year in which radionuclide intake occurred in the case of internal exposure. For radiation workers, the committed dose is evaluated over the 50 year period following the intake, which is a rounded value for the working-life expectancy of a young person entering the workforce. In this study, we develop an approach to the quantitative evaluation of the conservatism in the concept of the committed dose from internal exposure for radiation workers from the viewpoint of radiological risk. Actual annual doses due to an intake of radionuclides for strontium-90 (90Sr), caesium-137 (137Cs), and plutonium-239 (239Pu) were simulated. Risks of fatal cancer, i.e. unconditional death probability rates, were calculated in accordance with the risk estimation method in ICRP Publication 60. It was found that the conservatism ranged from 1.1 to 1.6 for 90Sr, 1.0 to 1.6 for 137Cs, and 1.6 to 2.2 for 239Pu. The importance of understanding the extent of this conservatism and the uncertainty for practical radiological protection are also discussed.
Direct observation of swap cooling in atom–ion collisions
Authors: Mahdian Amir , Krükow Artjom , Denschlag Johannes Hecker
Published: May 2021

Collisions with cold particles can dissipate a hot particle’s energy and therefore can be exploited as a cooling mechanism. Kinetics teach us that cooling a particle down by several orders of magnitude typically takes many elastic collisions as each one only carries away a fraction of the collision energy. Recently, for a system comprising hot ions and cold atoms, a very fast cooling process has been suggested (Ravi et al 2012 Nat. Commun.
3 1126) where cooling over several orders of magnitude can occur in a single step. Namely, in a homo-nuclear atom–ion collision, an electron can resonantly hop from an ultracold atom onto the hot ion, converting the cold atom into a cold ion. Here, we demonstrate such swap cooling in a direct way as we experimentally observe how a single energetic ion loses energy in a cold atom cloud. In order to contrast swap cooling with sympathetic cooling, we perform the same measurements with a hetero-nuclear atom–ion system, for which swap cooling cannot take place, and indeed observe very different cooling dynamics. Ab initio numerical model calculations agree well with our measured data and corroborate our interpretations.
Scattering through a flexural trifurcated waveguide by varying the material properties
Authors: Afsar Haleem , Nawaz Rab , Yaseen Aqsa
Published: May 2021

This article presents a dispersion analysis of flexural trifurcated dominants acoustic wave mode propagating out of the mouth of a semi-rigid waveguide. The problem mainly concerns the study of the scattering characteristics of the structure subject to different material properties. The governing non Sturm-Liouville problem is approached through eigenfunction expansions while equating the orthogonal and non-orthogonal duct modes across the interface. Due to the multiple non-planar surfaces, the essential difficulty of root findings versus the respective scattering relationships is accomplished by proper justification. The uniqueness of the solution is assured while considering connections clamped and pinned on bending surfaces. In addition, the energy fluxes for each region of the duct are formulated in terms of scattered fields to analyze the energy distribution subject to different properties of the waveguide material. The results are well supported for different mathematical and physical reasons.
Alpha particle driven Alfvénic instabilities in ITER post-disruption plasmas
Authors: Lier A. , Papp G. , Lauber Ph. W. , Embreus O. , Wilkie G.J. , Braun S.
Published: May 2021

Fusion-born alpha particles in ITER disruption simulations are investigated as a possible drive of Alfvénic instabilities. The ability of these waves to expel runaway electron (RE) seed particles is explored in the pursuit of a passive, inherent RE mitigation scenario. The spatiotemporal evolution of the alpha particle distribution during the disruption is calculated using the linearized Fokker–Planck solver CODION coupled to a fluid disruption simulation. These simulations are done in the limit of no alpha particle transport during the thermal quench, which can be seen as a most pessimistic situation where there is also no RE seed transport. Under these assumptions, the radial anisotropy of the resulting alpha population provides free energy to drive Alfvénic modes during the quench phase of the disruption. We use the linear gyrokinetic magnetohydrodynamic code LIGKA to calculate the Alfvén spectrum and find that the equilibrium is capable of sustaining a wide range of modes. The self-consistent evolution of the mode amplitudes and the alpha distribution is calculated utilizing the wave-particle interaction tool HAGIS. Intermediate mode number (n = 7–15, 22–26) toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes are shown to saturate at an amplitude of up to δB/B ≈ 0.1% in the spatial regimes crucial for RE seed formation. We find that the mode amplitudes are predicted to be sufficiently large to permit the possibility of significant radial transport of REs.
Super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging—fundamental estimation theory perspective
Authors: Kurdziałek Stanisław , Demkowicz-Dobrzański Rafał
Published: May 2021

We provide a quantitative analysis of super-resolution imaging techniques which exploit temporal fluctuations of luminosity of the sources in order to beat the Rayleigh limit. We define an operationally justified resolution gain figure of merit, that allows us to connect the estimation theory concepts with the ones typically used in the imaging community, and derive fundamental resolution limits that scale at most as the fourth-root of the mean luminosity of the sources. We fine-tune and benchmark the performance of state-of-the-art methods, focusing on the cumulant-based image processing techniques (known under the common acronym stochastic optical fluctuation imaging), taking into account the impact of limited photon number and sampling time.
Computation of a 30750-bit binary field discrete logarithm
Authors: Granger Robert , Kleinjung Thorsten , Lenstra Arjen , Wesolowski Benjamin , Zumbrägel Jens
Published: May 2021

This paper reports on the computation of a discrete logarithm in the finite field

F

2

30750

\mathbb {F}_{2^{30750}}

, breaking by a large margin the previous record, which was set in January 2014 by a computation in 

F

2

9234

\mathbb {F}_{2^{9234}}

. The present computation made essential use of the elimination step of the quasi-polynomial algorithm due to Granger, Kleinjung and Zumbrägel, and is the first large-scale experiment to truly test and successfully demonstrate its potential when applied recursively, which is when it leads to the stated complexity. It required the equivalent of about

2900
2900

core years on a single core of an Intel Xeon Ivy Bridge processor running at 2.6 GHz, which is comparable to the approximately

3100
3100

core years expended for the discrete logarithm record for prime fields, set in a field of bit-length

795
795

, and demonstrates just how much easier the problem is for this level of computational effort. In order to make the computation feasible we introduced several innovative techniques for the elimination of small degree irreducible elements, which meant that we avoided performing any costly Gröbner basis computations, in contrast to all previous records since early 2013. While such computations are crucial to the

L
(

1
4

+
o
(
1
)
)

L(\frac 1 4 + o(1))

complexity algorithms, they were simply too slow for our purposes. Finally, this computation should serve as a serious deterrent to cryptographers who are still proposing to rely on the discrete logarithm security of such finite fields in applications, despite the existence of two quasi-polynomial algorithms and the prospect of even faster algorithms being developed.
Substratum stiffness signals through integrin-linked kinase and β1-integrin to regulate midbody proteins and abscission during EMT
Authors: Rabie Emann M. , Zhang Sherry X. , Dunn Connor E. , Nelson Celeste M.
Published: May 2021

Signaling through β1-integrin and integrin-linked kinase enhances the expression of midbody proteins in mammary epithelial cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) on stiff microenvironments, leading to abscission failure and multinucleation. Soft microenvironments decrease focal adhesion formation, EMT-associated signaling, and multinucleation, thus protecting cells from aneuploidy.
Huntingtin silencing delays onset and slows progression of Huntington’s disease: a biomarker study
Authors: Liu Hongshuai , Zhang Chuangchuang , Xu Jiadi , Jin Jing , Cheng Liam , Miao Xinyuan , Wu Qian , Wei Zhiliang , Liu Peiying , Lu Hanzhang , van Zijl Peter C M , Ross Christopher A , Hua Jun , Duan Wenzhen
Published: May 2021

Huntington’s disease is a dominantly inherited, fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, coding for pathological mutant HTT protein (mHTT). Because of its gain-of-function mechanism and monogenic aetiology, strategies to lower HTT are being actively investigated as disease-modifying therapies. Most approaches are currently targeted at the manifest stage, where clinical outcomes are used to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy. However, as almost 50% of striatal volume has been lost at the time of onset of clinical manifest, it would be preferable to begin therapy in the premanifest period.

An unmet challenge is how to evaluate therapeutic efficacy before the presence of clinical symptoms as outcome measures. To address this, we aim to develop non-invasive sensitive biomarkers that provide insight into therapeutic efficacy in the premanifest stage of Huntington’s disease. In this study, we mapped the temporal trajectories of arteriolar cerebral blood volumes (CBVa) using inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy (iVASO) MRI in the heterozygous zQ175 mice, a full-length mHTT expressing and slowly progressing model with a premanifest period as in human Huntington’s disease.

Significantly elevated CBVa was evident in premanifest zQ175 mice prior to motor deficits and striatal atrophy, recapitulating altered CBVa in human premanifest Huntington’s disease. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated non-allele-specific HTT silencing in striatal neurons restored altered CBVa in premanifest zQ175 mice, delayed onset of striatal atrophy, and slowed the progression of motor phenotype and brain pathology.

This study—for the first time—shows that a non-invasive functional MRI measure detects therapeutic efficacy in the premanifest stage and demonstrates long-term benefits of a non-allele-selective HTT silencing treatment introduced in the premanifest Huntington’s disease.
Probability and arguments: Keynes’s legacy
Authors: Peden William
Published: May 2021

John Maynard Keynes’s A Treatise on Probability is the seminal text for the logical interpretation of probability. According to his analysis, probabilities are evidential relations between a hypothesis and some evidence, just like the relations of deductive logic. While some philosophers had suggested similar ideas prior to Keynes, it was not until his Treatise that the logical interpretation of probability was advocated in a clear, systematic and rigorous way. I trace Keynes’s influence in the philosophy of probability through a heterogeneous sample of thinkers who adopted his interpretation. This sample consists of Frederick C. Benenson, Roy Harrod, Donald C. Williams, Henry E. Kyburg and David Stove. The ideas of Keynes prove to be adaptable to their diverse theories of probability. My discussion indicates both the robustness of Keynes’s probability theory and the importance of its influence on the philosophers whom I describe. I also discuss the Problem of the Priors. I argue that none of those I discuss have obviously improved on Keynes’s theory with respect to this issue.
Fluorometric coupled enzyme assay for N-sulfotransferase activity of N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase (NDST)
Authors: Atienza Joshua , Tkachyova Ilona , Tropak Michael , Fan Xiaolian , Schulze Andreas
Published: May 2021

N-Deacetylase/N-sulfotransferases (NDSTs) are critical enzymes in heparan sulfate (HS) biosynthesis. Radioactive labeling assays are the preferred methods to determine the N-sulfotransferase activity of NDST. In this study, we developed a fluorometric coupled enzyme assay that is suitable for the study of enzyme kinetics and inhibitory properties of drug candidates derived from a large-scale in silico screening targeting the sulfotransferase moiety of NDST1. The assay measures recombinant mouse NDST1 (mNDST1) sulfotransferase activity by employing its natural substrate adenosine 3′-phophoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS), a bacterial analog of desulphated human HS, Escherichia coli K5 capsular polysaccharide (K5), the fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferylsulfate and a double mutant of rat phenol sulfotransferase SULT1A1 K56ER68G. Enzyme kinetic analysis of mNDST1 performed with the coupled assay under steady state conditions at pH 6.8 and 37°C revealed Km (K5) 34.8 μM, Km (PAPS) 10.7 μM, Vmax (K5) 0.53 ± 0.13 nmol/min/μg enzyme, Vmax (PAPS) 0.69 ± 0.05 nmol/min/μg enzyme and the specific enzyme activity of 394 pmol/min/μg enzyme. The pH optimum of mNDST1 is pH 8.2. Our data indicate that mNDST1 is specific for K5 substrate. Finally, we showed that the mNDST1 coupled assay can be utilized to assess potential enzyme inhibitors for drug development.
‘A seamless transition’: how to sustain a community health worker scheme within the health system of Gombe state, northeast Nigeria
Authors: Wickremasinghe Deepthi , Alkali Hamza Yashua , Umar Nasir , Willey Barbara , Okolo Magdalene , Gana Ahmed , Shuaibu Abdulrahman , Anyanti Jennifer , Marchant Tanya , Spicer Neil
Published: May 2021

Health interventions introduced as part of donor-funded projects need careful planning if they are to survive when donor funding ends. In northeast Nigeria, the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency and implementing partners recognized this when introducing a Village Health Worker (VHW) Scheme in 2016. VHWs are a new cadre of community health worker, providing maternal, newborn and child health-related messages, basic healthcare and making referrals to health facilities. This paper presents a qualitative study focussing on the VHW Scheme’s sustainability and, hence, contributes to the body of literature on sustaining donor-funded interventions as well as presenting lessons aimed at decision-makers seeking to introduce similar schemes in other Nigerian states and in other low- and middle-income settings. In 2017 and 2018, we conducted 37 semi-structured interviews and 23 focus group discussions with intervention stakeholders and community members. Based on respondents’ accounts, six key actions emerged as essential in promoting the VHW Scheme’s sustainability: government ownership and transition of responsibilities, adapting the scheme for sustainability, motivating VHWs, institutionalizing the scheme within the health system, managing financial uncertainties and fostering community ownership and acceptance. Our study suggests that for a community health worker intervention to be sustainable, reflection and adaption, government and community ownership and a phased transition of responsibilities are crucial.
Multilevel governance framework on grievance redressal for patient rights violations in India
Authors: Putturaj Meena , Van Belle Sara , Engel Nora , Criel Bart , Krumeich Anja , Nagendrappa Prakash B , Srinivas Prashanth N
Published: May 2021

The notion of patient rights encompasses the obligations of the state and healthcare providers to respect the dignity, autonomy and equality of care-seeking individuals in healthcare processes. Functional patient grievance redressal systems are key to ensuring that the rights of individuals seeking healthcare are protected. We critically examined the published literature from high-income and upper-middle-income countries to establish an analytical framework on grievance redressal for patient rights violations in health facilities. We then used lawsuits on patient rights violations from the Supreme Court of India to analyse the relevance of the developed framework to the Indian context. With market perspectives pervading the health sector, there is an increasing trend of adopting a consumerist approach to protecting patient rights. In this line, avenues for grievance redressal for patient rights violations are gaining traction. Some of the methods and instruments for patient rights implementation include charters, ombudsmen, tribunals, health professional councils, separating rules for redressal and professional liability in patient rights violations, blame-free reporting systems, direct community monitoring and the court system. The grievance redressal mechanisms for patient rights violations in health facilities showcase multilevel governance arrangements with overlapping decision-making units at the national and subnational levels. The privileged position of medical professionals in multilevel governance arrangements for grievance redressal puts care-seeking individuals at a disadvantaged position during dispute resolution processes. Inclusion of external structures in health services and the healthcare profession and laypersons in the grievance redressal processes is heavily contested. Normatively speaking, a patient grievance redressal system should be accessible, impartial and independent in its function, possess the required competence, have adequate authority, seek continuous quality improvement, offer feedback to the health system and be comprehensive and integrated within the larger healthcare regulatory architecture.
Pleural metastasis of atypical meningioma: a novel therapeutic approach
Authors: Drevet Gabrielle , de la Roche Eric , Jouanneau Emmanuel , Tronc François
Published: May 2021

Meningiomas are the most common intracranial tumours in adults and they are infrequently associated with a metastasis clinical course. Pleural metastases are extremely rare and no guidelines on a specific treatment have been established. When localized, surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, but there is a high risk of pleural recurrence. We aimed to describe a novel surgical approach in pleural metastasis of meningiomas. We report the case of a 41-year-old man with the medical history of surgically resected intracranial atypical meningioma. Nine years after diagnosis of atypical meningioma, a CT scan of the chest disclosed 10 pleural implants gathered in the fissure, in the paramediastinal pleura and at the base of the left hemithorax. Surgical resection was decided. Parietal and mediastinal pleura resection with visceral pleural lesions removal were performed. Cytoreductive surgery was associated with intrathoracic hyperthermic chemotherapy. Postoperative course was uneventful and no adjuvant therapy was undertaken. The patient is free of pleural recurrence 12 months post operatively. The present case report suggests that cytoreductive surgery with intrathoracic hyperthermic chemotherapy is feasible and safe in pleural metastasis from meningioma. Prolonged follow-up and prospective studies are mandatory to assess its oncological benefit.
Knowing What I Know Now: Youth Experiences of Dictatorship and Transitional Justice in the Gambia
Authors: Ndow Aminata
Published: May 2021

This article contributes to the empirical evidence concerning the reception of transitional justice processes and the experiences of youth in contexts of authoritarian rule. It explores how eight students in the Gambia receive, perceive and experience learning about what happened in the past by watching the testimonies told at the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission. Based on conversational interviews, I argue that for the students in this study, the past enters the present as rememory. By recalling their rememories, an imaginative re-construction of the Jammeh past emerges which uncovers how the biopoliticized state functioned in everyday life, how loyalty and obedience to Jammeh was indoctrinated from a young age and how children remember. By paying attention to youth’s rememories and perceptions of the revelations of truth commissions, and the meanings they attribute to these revelations, transitional justice scholars and practitioners can gain a more holistic understanding of how youth experience and make sense of transitional justice processes.
Technology and Territorial Change in Conflict Settings: Migration Control in the Aegean Sea
Authors: İşleyen Beste
Published: May 2021

How does territorial change occur in conflict settings without a radical transformation of state interests and international norms? Territorial change is understood here as the unfolding of nonconflictual territorial visions, actions, and interactions in the absence of sovereignty transfer and/or transformation of the existing status of a disputed territory. This article addresses the question of territorial change in conflict settings by examining Turkey's coastal radar technology as an evolving border security infrastructure in the Aegean Sea. Entailing remotely controlled unmanned stations, mobile vehicles, and drones, Turkey's radar technology generates territorial change. Rather than merely enabling or constraining territorial engagement, technology actively produces territory by transforming it into a nonconflictual state. The altering of territory is achieved by the realignment of security conditioned by and functionally dependent on technology. Radar technology mediates Aegean security in ways that are different from its conventional external-oriented framework targeting another sovereign state. Yet, far from moving away from militarization, radar technology produces irregular migration as a new referent of militarized border security, while simultaneously bringing civilian actors to the fore. Territorial change materializes as technology alters the directionality of territorial vision, transforms “seeing” into “visualization,” and makes possible new types of sovereign violence.
DnaB helicase dynamics in bacterial DNA replication resolved by single-molecule studies
Authors: Spinks Richard R , Spenkelink Lisanne M , Stratmann Sarah A , Xu Zhi-Qiang , Stamford N Patrick J , Brown Susan E , Dixon Nicholas E , Jergic Slobodan , van Oijen Antoine M
Published: May 2021

In Escherichia coli, the DnaB helicase forms the basis for the assembly of the DNA replication complex. The stability of DnaB at the replication fork is likely important for successful replication initiation and progression. Single-molecule experiments have significantly changed the classical model of highly stable replication machines by showing that components exchange with free molecules from the environment. However, due to technical limitations, accurate assessments of DnaB stability in the context of replication are lacking. Using in vitro fluorescence single-molecule imaging, we visualise DnaB loaded on forked DNA templates. That these helicases are highly stable at replication forks, indicated by their observed dwell time of ∼30 min. Addition of the remaining replication factors results in a single DnaB helicase integrated as part of an active replisome. In contrast to the dynamic behaviour of other replisome components, DnaB is maintained within the replisome for the entirety of the replication process. Interestingly, we observe a transient interaction of additional helicases with the replication fork. This interaction is dependent on the τ subunit of the clamp-loader complex. Collectively, our single-molecule observations solidify the role of the DnaB helicase as the stable anchor of the replisome, but also reveal its capacity for dynamic interactions.
CT findings of congenital neonatal pyriform aperture stenosis
Authors: Sidek Halimah Abu Bakar , Teh Yong Guang , Tangaperumal Anithaa , Zaki Faizah Mohd , Kew Thean Yean
Published: May 2021

Congenital neonatal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare but potentially lethal condition that causes respiratory distress. The characteristic narrowing of the pyriform aperture along with other associated craniofacial dysmorphism is diagnosed using cross-sectional imaging such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging. CT scan is the imaging of choice for confirming and characterizing CNPAS. Infants are obligate nasal breathers in the first 5 months of life. Hence, a high degree of clinical suspicion, prompt imaging diagnosis and adequate respiratory support is critical to help reduce the morbidity of this condition.
The Use of Skin Staples as Fiducial Markers to Confirm Intraoperative Spinal Navigation Registration and Accuracy
Authors: Alvarez-Breckenridge Christopher , Muir Matthew , Rhines Laurence D , Tatsui Claudio E
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND

With the advent of intraoperative computed tomography (CT) for image guidance, numerous examples of accurate navigation being applied to cranial and spinal pathology have come to light. For spinal disorders, the utilization of image guidance for the placement of percutaneous spinal instrumentation, complex osteotomies, and minimally invasive approaches are frequently utilized in trauma, degenerative, and oncological pathologies. The use of intraoperative CT for navigation, however, requires a low target registration error that must be verified throughout the procedure to confirm the accuracy of image guidance.

OBJECTIVE

To present the use of skin staples as a sterile, economical fiducial marker for minimally invasive spinal procedures requiring intraoperative CT navigation.

METHODS

Staples are applied to the skin prior to obtaining the registration CT scan and maintained throughout the remainder of the surgery to facilitate confirmation of image guidance accuracy.

RESULTS

This low-cost, simple, sterile approach provides surface landmarks that allow reliable verification of navigation accuracy during percutaneous spinal procedures using intraoperative CT scan image guidance.

CONCLUSION

The utilization of staples as a fiducial marker represents an economical and easily adaptable technique for ensuring accuracy of image guidance with intraoperative CT navigation.
The Rostral Mucosa: The Door to Open and Close for Targeted Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches to the Clivus
Authors: di Russo Paolo , Fava Arianna , Giammattei Lorenzo , Passeri Thibault , Okano Atsushi , Abbritti Rosaria , Penet Nicolas , Bernat Anne-Laure , Labidi Moujahed , Froelich Sebastien
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND

Extended endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) have progressively widened the armamentarium of skull base surgeons. In order to reduce approach-related morbidity of EEAs and closure techniques, the development of alternative strategies that minimize the resection of normal tissue and alleviate the use of naso-septal flap (NSF) is needed. We report on a novel targeted approach to the clivus, with incision and closure of the mucosa of the rostrum, as the initial and final step of the approach.

OBJECTIVE

To present an alternative minimally invasive approach and reconstruction technique for selected clival chordomas.

METHODS

Three cases of clival chordomas illustrating this technique are provided, together with an operative video.

RESULTS

The mucosa of the rostrum is incised and elevated from the underlying bone, as first step of surgery. Following tumor resection with angled scope and instruments, the mucosa of the sphenoid sinus (SS) is removed and the tumor cavity and SS are filled with abdominal fat. The mucosal incision of the rostrum is then sutured. A hangman knot is prepared outside the nasal cavity and tightened after the first stitch and a running suture is performed.

CONCLUSION

We propose, in this preliminary report, a new targeted approach and reconstruction strategy, applying to EEAs the classic concept of skin incision and closure for transcranial approaches. With further development in the instrumentations and visualization tools, this technique may become a valuable minimally invasive endonasal approach for selected lesions.
Evolution of Archean Sanukitoids from the Otto Stock by Magma Mixing and Na–K Metasomatism: Evidence from Petrological Observations and Lithium Isotope Geochemistry
Authors: Nadeau O , Zelt C , Leybourne M I , Voinot A
Published: May 2021

Petrogenetic models for the genesis of Archean sanukitoids are diverse in the literature but most point to the initiation of plate tectonics and the construction of the first proto-continents during the Late Archean. These rocks include diorites, monzonites, monzodiorites, quartz monzodiorites, trachyandesites, granodiorites and tonalites, and are defined as having SiO2 = 55–60 wt%, Na2O + K2O = 6 wt%, MgO > 6 wt%, Mg# > 60, Ni–Cr > 100 ppm, Sr and Ba = 600–1800 ppm, chondrite-normalized Ce and Yb values of 80–250 and 4–10, respectively, and no Eu anomalies. Petrogenetic models include the partial melting of mantle peridotite previously metasomatized by fluids of crustal or mantle origin, partial melting of subducted slabs and assimilation of peridotite, and partial melting of undepleted peridotite with subsequent mixing with tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) crustal partial melts and addition of carbonatite, all of which may or may not include subsequent differentiation by fractional crystallization. Here, extraordinary textural relations unequivocally show that at the Late Archean Otto stock, Abitibi, Canada, sanukitoids resulted from the assimilation of clinopyroxenite by monzonitic magmas and coeval magmatic–hydrothermal Na–K metasomatism. The metasomatized monzonites (± quartz), melanogranites, granodiorites, and sanukitoidal melanoporphyries were subsequently cut by swarms of lamprophyre dykes hosting a different set of hydrothermal alteration assemblages, including propylitic alteration, biotitization, chloritization, and pyritization, along with associated enrichments in Au. These alterations are shown to be associated with the nearby Cadillac–Larder Lake Fault Zone and the world-class Kirkland Lake gold deposit. The Li isotopic compositions of these rocks correlate with Au concentrations and range from magmatic values of ∼ +4 ‰ up to +10·4 ‰ in Na–K metasomatized and Au-depleted rocks, and from magmatic values of ∼4 ‰ down to 0·6 ‰ in rocks hosting propylitic, chloritic, and biotitic alteration and Au enrichments of up to 2·9 ppm Au.
LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 functions as a key regulator of haustorium development in dodders
Authors: Jhu Min-Yao , Ichihashi Yasunori , Farhi Moran , Wong Caitlin , Sinha Neelima R
Published: May 2021

Parasitic plants reduce crop yield worldwide. Dodder (Cuscuta campestris) is a stem parasite that attaches to its host, using haustoria to extract nutrients and water. We analyzed the transcriptome of six C. campestris tissues and identiﬁed a key gene, LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 (CcLBD25), as highly expressed in prehaustoria and haustoria. Gene coexpression networks from different tissue types and laser-capture microdissection RNA-sequencing data indicated that CcLBD25 could be essential for regulating cell wall loosening and organogenesis. We employed host-induced gene silencing by generating transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hosts that express hairpin RNAs to target and down-regulate CcLBD25 in the parasite. Our results showed that C. campestris growing on CcLBD25 RNAi transgenic tomatoes transited to the flowering stage earlier and had reduced biomass compared with C. campestris growing on wild-type (WT) hosts, suggesting that parasites growing on transgenic plants were stressed due to insufficient nutrient acquisition. We developed an in vitro haustorium system to assay the number of prehaustoria produced on strands from C. campestris. Cuscuta campestris grown on CcLBD25 RNAi tomatoes produced fewer prehaustoria than those grown on WT tomatoes, indicating that down-regulating CcLBD25 may affect haustorium initiation. Cuscuta campestris haustoria growing on CcLBD25 RNAi tomatoes exhibited reduced pectin digestion and lacked searching hyphae, which interfered with haustorium penetration and formation of vascular connections. The results of this study elucidate the role of CcLBD25 in haustorium development and might contribute to developing parasite-resistant crops.
Concessions, Violence, and Indirect Rule: Evidence from the Congo Free State
Authors: Lowes Sara , Montero Eduardo
Published: May 2021

All colonial powers granted concessions to private companies to extract natural resources during the colonial era. In Africa, these concessions were characterized by indirect rule and violence. We use the arbitrarily defined borders of rubber concessions granted in the north of the Congo Free State to examine the causal effects of this form of economic organization on development. We find that historical exposure to the concessions causes significantly worse education, wealth, and health outcomes. To examine mechanisms, we collect survey and experimental data from individuals near a former concession boundary. We find that village chiefs inside the former concessions provide fewer public goods, are less likely to be elected, and are more likely to be hereditary. However, individuals in the concessions are more trusting, more cohesive, and more supportive of sharing income. We interpret our results as reflecting how institutions and culture may act as substitutes in the context of the widespread colonial concession system.
Patient with myopia and high astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty: June consultation #1
Authors: Santhiago Marcony R.
Published: May 2021

A 21-year-old man was referred for refractive surgery evaluation. He had a history of advanced keratoconus that led to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in the right eye 2 years ago. Spectacle dependence and poor visual quality in this right eye is his chief concern. He cannot tolerate contact lenses. The uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were 20/400 and 20/50, respectively. The manifest refraction was −2.75 −8.00 × 165 in the right eye.

He presented frank keratoconus in the left eye with a UDVA of 20/200 and a CDVA of 20/100. The manifest refraction was −6.0 −4.75 × 95.

The intraocular pressure was normal, and the results from a slitlamp examination showed a clear corneal graft in the right eye. The topographic and tomographic maps revealed a high astigmatism (Figures 1 to 3).

This case is about a refractive surgery option for refractive error after PKP in the right eye. What kind of refractive surgery (if any) would you recommend to this patient's right eye? Would you consider any modality of excimer laser? In this case, what are your limits for final? Would you consider intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS)? Would you consider a phakic intraocular lens (pIOL)?
Irritability and Inattention Not Sad Low Mood Predict Impulsiveness in Children and Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder
Authors: Vance Alasdair , Winther Jo
Published: May 2021

The specific relationships between impulsiveness, inattention, sad, low mood, and irritability have not been systematically examined in young people with major depressive disorder with and without persistent depressive disorder. The relationships are important to clarify because these symptom dimensions may increase suicidal risk in children and adolescents with these depressive disorders. A total of 313 medication-naive young people (aged 6–16 years) with active major depressive disorder (MDD) alone, persistent depressive disorder (DD) alone, and comorbid MDD and DD were identified. “Inattention,” “sad/unhappy,” and “irritable” mood were identified by parent standardized questionnaire. Standard multiple regression was used to investigate how well inattention, sad/unhappy, and irritable mood predict impulsiveness. Inattention (32% of the variance, increased) and irritable mood (5% of the variance, increased) both made independent significant contributions to impulsiveness, whereas sad/unhappy mood did not. Decreasing irritability via more targeted and comprehensive management approaches may ameliorate impulsiveness in young people with these depressive disorders.