bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resolution of liver disease in transient abnormal myelopoiesis with fish oil emulsion
Authors: Watanabe Toshihiko , Amari Shoichiro , Tsukamoto Keiko , Ito Yushi , Tomizawa Daisuke , Yoshioka Takako , Kanamori Yutaka
Published: April 2017

Neonates with Down syndrome are at risk of developing transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM), which is characterized by transient clonal myeloproliferation of the blast cells. TAM can resolve spontaneously, but some patients die at an early age due to organ failure. Liver fibrosis in TAM is a life‐threatening condition, but treatment options have not yet been established. Here, we report on the case of an infant with TAM complicated by liver disease, whose hyperbilirubinemia was successfully ameliorated with omega‐3 fatty acid (ω3FA) lipid emulsion. Timely ω3FA lipid emulsion may be a feasible treatment for liver disease in TAM before serious liver damage develops.
Virus myocarditis in a 1‐month‐old boy presenting as two types of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
Authors: Fujita Shuhei , Futatani Takeshi , Kubo Tatsuya , Itamochi Masae , Yachi Yusuke , Iwasaki Hidenori , Shimao Ayako , Ina Shihomi , Higashiyama Hiroyuki , Igarashi Noboru , Hatasaki Kiyoshi
Published: April 2017

Herein we describe the case of a 1‐month‐old boy with acute viral myocarditis, who presented with two kinds of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, and who was cured after medical treatment. He was brought to the emergency room with poor feeding due to fever. On the third day of hospitalization, a narrow QRS tachycardia (180–200 beats/min) was detected. Echocardiography showed a high echoic area at the atrial septum around the atrioventricular node. The patient was clinically diagnosed with acute myocarditis. The narrow QRS tachycardia was diagnosed as incessant junctional ectopic tachycardia. The patient was treated with propranolol and landiolol. The frequency of the tachycardia decreased, but a different narrow QRS tachycardia was detected on the 15th day of hospitalization on electrocardiogram (220 beats/min), which was ascribed to atrioventricular nodal re‐entrant tachycardia. Atenolol was effective for the tachycardia. At 2 years follow up, cardiac function was normal and tachycardia had not recurred.
Cyclic electron flow, NPQ and photorespiration are crucial for the establishment of young plants of Ricinus communis and Jatropha curcas exposed to drought
Authors: Lima Neto M. C. , Cerqueira J. V. A. , da Cunha J. R. , Ribeiro R. V. , Silveira J. A. G.
Published: April 2017

Although plant physiological responses to drought have been widely studied, the interaction between photoprotection, photorespiration and antioxidant metabolism in water‐stressed plants is scarcely addressed.

This study aimed to evaluate the physiological adjustments preserving photosynthesis and growth in two plant species with different tolerance to drought: Jatropha curcas and Ricinus communis. We measured stress indicators, gas exchange, photochemistry of PSII and PSI, antioxidant enzymes, cyclic electron flow and photorespiration.

Physiological stress indicators associated with reduction in growth confirmed R. communis as sensitive and J. curcas as tolerant to drought. Drought induced loss of photosynthesis in R. communis, whereas J. curcas maintained higher leaf gas exchange and photochemistry under drought. In addition, J. curcas showed higher dissipation of excess energy and presented higher cyclic electron flow when exposed to drought. Although none of these mechanisms have been triggered in R. communis, this species showed increases in photorespiration. R. communis displayed loss of Rubisco content while the Rubisco relative abundance did not change in J. curcas under drought. Accordingly, the in vivo maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and the maximum photosynthetic electron transport rate driving RuBP regeneration (Jmax) were less affected in J. curcas. Both species displayed an efficient antioxidant mechanism by increasing activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Overall, we suggest that the modulation of different photoprotective mechanisms is crucial to mitigate the effects caused by excess energy, maintaining photosynthetic apparatus efficiency and promoting the establishment of young plants of these two species under drought.
The Rise of Pan‐Islamic Terrorism in Africa: A Global Security Challenge
Authors: Antwi‐Boateng Osman
Published: April 2017

Although the vast majority of Africans are peaceful moderates, radical Islamic ideology that fuels pan‐Islamic terrorism is on the rise in the continent because of factors that can be categorized under push and pull forces. The push forces are conditions that drive people to embrace the ideology of violent jihad. These involve: local backlash against Americanization/globalization; authoritarian/oppressive political systems; lack of basic human rights; youth bulge/high unemployment; corruption/lack of meritocracy, state collapse; and porous borders. The pull factors are the advantages terrorist/jihadi movements have that attract people to their cause. These include: radical Islamic ideology; humanitarian networks; media propaganda; provision of a “purpose and mission”; the lure of martyrdom and influences of Madrassas. I argue these factors create global security challenges: an existential threat to the Westphalian state system; the creation of terror‐safe havens; displacement and mass global migration; massive global civilian casualties; and a conflict resolution conundrum.

Related Articles

Antwi‐Boateng, Osman. 2015. “.” Politics & Policy 43 (): 754‐784. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12129/abstract

Collins, Stephen D. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 131‐159. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12061/abstract

Kim, Hae S. 2009. “.” Politics & Policy 37 (): 395‐414. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2009.00177.x/abstract

Related Media

. “Terrorism on African Soil.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = eXzyLh3vfU8

2013. “Does the Rise of Terrorist Activity in North Africa Pose a Threat to the West?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = 0WAJ-IQOkCU

2015. “Terrorism in Africa.” http://www.cnbcafrica.com/video/?bctid = 4629001472001
Let Me Tell You a Little Bit about Myself: Biographical Appeals in Congressional General Election Campaign Advertising
Authors: Arbour Brian , McGowen Ernest B.
Published: April 2017

Political campaigns discuss the personal dimensions of their candidates with great frequency, but scholars of campaign message strategy have not addressed why and how campaigns do so. This project focuses on the use of biographical appeals in campaign advertisements. Employing a dataset of candidate‐sponsored campaign advertisements in the 2004 House and Senate general election, we argue that campaigns use these appeals in an effort to develop and enhance the credibility and likeability of their candidate in the face of voter skepticism about politicians and political messages. We find that campaigns employ more appeals on biography than on any substantive issue and highlight certain aspects of their biographies, like family values, more than others. We also find that challenging campaigns are more likely to discuss their candidate's biography, but, surprisingly, that open seat campaigns are not. Our results demonstrate the importance of personal‐based appeals to campaign strategy and that campaigns balance these personal and substantive concerns in developing their appeals to voters.

Related Articles

McKenzie, Mark J.,
Cynthia R. Rugeley, and
Michael A. Unger. 2015. “” Politics & Policy 43 (): 562‐585. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12123/abstract

Craig, Stephen C., and
Paulina S. Rippere. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 693‐743. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12091/abstract

Kaid, Lynda Lee, and
Gary Noggle. 1998. “.” Politics & Policy 26 (): 889‐906. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.1998.tb00514.x/abstract

Related Media

Rollcall.com. 2016. “Best Congressional Campaign Ads of 2016.” http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/best-congressional-campaign-ads-2016

2007. “Beshear/Mongiardo for Kentucky – Fast.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = DCH_bJcAorg
Why Tax Policy Is Not Politics in China: Public Finance and China's Changing State‐Society Relations
Authors: Wang Yingyao
Published: April 2017

Public finance is at the heart of politics. In China, public finance has remained marginal to political contestations. This is puzzling because public revenue as a percentage of gross domestic policy has risen rapidly in the past two decades, indicating enhanced extractive efforts by the state. By examining two components of China's public financial system—tax and nontax revenues—this article considers the specific sources of China's public revenues and the state‐society relationship implicated in the processes of collecting them. I argue that there has been an institutional design by the Chinese central state to depoliticize public finance in the reform era, with both intended and unintended consequences. First, China's evolving tax structure played the role of fending off the formation of politically active social groups that could develop out of a progressive tax profile. Second, fiscal centralization attempted by the central state since the 1990s has severed the fiscal contracts established previously between grassroots governments and local communities. It has turned local governments into upwardly oriented applicants for central fiscal transfers and economic entrepreneurs on the capital market.

Related Articles

Gatchair, Sonia D. 2015. “.” Politics & Policy 43 (): 887‐913. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12139/full

Wise, Carol, and
Cintia Quiliconi. 2007. “.” Politics & Policy 35 (): 410‐438. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2007.00067.x/full

Hu, Shaohua. 2007. “.” Politics & Policy 35 (): 136‐153. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2007.00051.x/full
A secreted chitinase‐like protein (OsCLP) supports root growth through calcium signaling in Oryza sativa
Authors: Wu Jingni , Wang Yiming , Kim Sang Gon , Jung Ki‐Hong , Gupta Ravi , Kim Joonyup , Park Younghoon , Kang Kyu Young , Kim Sun Tae
Published: April 2017

Chitinases belong to a conserved protein family and play multiple roles in defense, development and growth regulation in plants. Here, we identified a secreted chitinase‐like protein, OsCLP, which functions in rice growth. A T‐DNA insertion mutant of OsCLP (osclp) showed significant retardation of root and shoot growth. A comparative proteomic analysis was carried out using root tissue of wild‐type and the osclp mutant to understand the OsCLP‐mediated rice growth retardation. Results obtained revealed that proteins related to glycolysis (phosphoglycerate kinase), stress adaption (chaperonin) and calcium signaling (calreticulin and CDPK1) were differentially regulated in osclp roots. Fura‐2 molecular probe staining, which is an intracellular calcium indicator, and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) analysis suggested that the intracellular calcium content was significantly lower in roots of osclp as compared with the wild‐type. Exogenous application of Ca2+ resulted in successful recovery of both primary and lateral root growth in osclp. Moreover, overexpression of OsCLP resulted in improved growth with modified seed shape and starch structure; however, the overall yield remained unaffected. Taken together, our results highlight the involvement of OsCLP in rice growth by regulating the intracellular calcium concentrations.
Mouse models of severe asthma: Understanding the mechanisms of steroid resistance, tissue remodelling and disease exacerbation
Authors: Maltby Steven , Tay Hock L. , Yang Ming , Foster Paul S.
Published: April 2017

Severe asthma has significant disease burden and results in high healthcare costs. While existing therapies are effective for the majority of asthma patients, treatments for individuals with severe asthma are often ineffective. Mouse models are useful to identify mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and for the preclinical assessment of new therapies. In fact, existing mouse models have contributed significantly to our understanding of allergic/eosinophilic phenotypes of asthma and facilitated the development of novel targeted therapies (e.g. anti‐IL‐5 and anti‐IgE). These therapies are effective in relevant subsets of severe asthma patients. Unfortunately, non‐allergic/non‐eosinophilic asthma, steroid resistance and disease exacerbation remain areas of unmet clinical need. No mouse model encompasses all features of severe asthma. However, mouse models can provide insight into pathogenic pathways that are relevant to severe asthma. In this review, as examples, we highlight models relevant to understanding steroid resistance, chronic tissue remodelling and disease exacerbation. Although these models highlight the complexity of the immune pathways that may underlie severe asthma, they also provide insight into new potential therapeutic approaches.
How to Design Rating Schemes of Risk Matrices: A Sequential Updating Approach
Authors: Li Jianping , Bao Chunbing , Wu Dengsheng
Published: April 2017

Risk matrices have been widely used as a risk evaluation tool in many fields due to their simplicity and intuitive nature. Designing a rating scheme, i.e., determining the number of ratings used in a risk matrix and assigning different ratings to different cells, is an essential part of risk matrix construction. However, most of the related literature has focused on applying a risk matrix to various fields, instead of researching how to design risk matrices. Based on the analysis of several current rules, we propose a new approach, namely, the sequential updating approach (SUA), to design the rating scheme of a risk matrix in a reliable way. In this article, we propose three principles and a rating algorithm based on these principles. The three principles, namely, adjusted weak consistency, consistent internality, and continuous screening, characterize a good rating scheme. The resulting rating scheme has been proven to be unique. A global rating algorithm is then proposed to create the design that satisfies the three principles. We then explore the performance of the SUA. An illustrative application is first given to explain the feasibility of our approach. The sensitivity analysis shows that our method captures a resolution‐reliability tradeoff for decisionmakers in choosing an appropriate rating scheme for a risk matrix. Finally, we compare the designs based on the SUA and Cox's axioms, highlighting the advantages of the SUA.
The Precautionary Principle Has Not Been Shown to Be Incoherent: A Reply to Peterson
Authors: Boyer‐Kassem Thomas
Published: April 2017

In this journal, I have objected to Peterson's 2006 claim that the precautionary principle is an incoherent decision rule. I defend my objections to Peterson's recent replies, and I still claim that the precautionary principle has not been shown to be incoherent.
Does Financial Development Promote Innovation in Developing Economies? An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Aristizabal‐Ramirez Maria , Botero‐Franco Maria Camila , Canavire‐Bacarreza Gustavo
Published: April 2017

Using firm‐level data from 2006 to 2013 for a set of developing countries, we examine the effects of financial development on innovation. Financial development boosts innovation by improving resource allocation and investment in strategic sectors as well as facilitating technology to promote growth. Using binary response models and instrumental variable techniques to correct for endogeneity, we find robust but puzzling results. Contrary to most of the existing literature, financial development has a negative effect on the probability of a firm to innovate in developing countries. This effect is conditional on firm size, and only larger firms benefit from financial development. These results are robust to different measures of financial development and econometric specifications. We argue that this is a result of the design of the financial system in regard to the lack of capital and institutional system. Consequently, developing countries should first generate appropriate institutional conditions if they want financial development to spur growth through innovation.
How Fast are Semiconductor Prices Falling?
Authors: Byrne David M. , Oliner Stephen D. , Sichel Daniel E.
Published: April 2017

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for the U.S. suggests that semiconductor prices have barely been falling in recent years, a dramatic contrast to the rapid declines reported from the mid‐1980s to the early 2000s. This slowdown in the rate of decline is puzzling in light of evidence that the performance of microprocessor units (MPUs) has continued to improve at a rapid pace. Over the course of the 2000s, the MPU prices posted by Intel, the dominant producer of MPUs, became much stickier over the chips' life cycle. As a result of this change, we argue that the matched‐model methodology used in the PPI for MPUs likely started to be biased after the early 2000s and that hedonic indexes can provide a more accurate measure of price change since then. MPU prices fell rapidly through 2004 on every price measure we present, with the PPI declining at an even quicker pace than the hedonic indexes. However, from 2004 to 2009, our preferred hedonic index fell faster than the PPI, and from 2009 to 2013 the gap widened further, with our preferred index falling at an average annual rate of 42 percent, while the PPI declined at only a 6 percent rate. Given that MPUs currently represent about half of U.S. shipments of semiconductors, this difference has important implications for gauging the rate of innovation in the semiconductor sector.
Land Tenure Legacies, Household Life Cycles, and Livelihood Strategies in Upland China
Authors: Zinda John , Zhang Zhiming
Published: April 2017

Land tenure regimes shape how households use labor and other resources to construct livelihoods. Within a given tenure regime, shifting land‐labor relationships over the household life cycle present households with changing trade‐offs. In China, alongside growing market exchange of labor and produce, the legacies of land distribution following decollectivization—in particular, secure access to land and constraints on land transfers—create distinct patterns connecting livelihood strategies to household life cycles. Drawing on a household survey conducted in upland southwest China, we use latent class analysis to identify clusters of households with differing livelihood strategies. With multinomial logistic regression analyses, we evaluate the effects of household demographic composition, household resources, and community human ecological attributes on cluster membership. Households that had recently been established at the time of decollectivization have not divided their holdings. Their large labor and land endowments support diversifying strategies that include relatively large scale farming. Among other households, partitioning has yielded middle‐sized households with diversifying strategies and small households that specialize in on‐farm production or deactivate from agriculture. These clusters vary in labor exchange practices and agricultural input use. Rather than a cyclical pattern, this configuration reflects time‐bound relationships among national tenure institutions, local markets, and household processes.
Case method strategies for teaching sexual ethics to relativists and skeptics
Authors: Vacek Edward
Published: April 2017

Many undergraduates are culturally shaped to avoid making ethical judgments. They spontaneously adopt relativist and skeptical strategies such as “It all depends,” or “Whose morality?” or “Who's to say?” as ways of fending off the challenge of making moral decisions. The current tsunami that is washing away traditional sexual norms is both a result and a cause of this cultural shift. Case studies can mitigate this decline and help students to grow in both confidence and ability to make good ethical judgments. The case method, used with a Socratic pedagogy, engages imagination and counters the deficits in empathy found in many contemporary students. It moves students toward understanding morality itself. Against skepticism, it assists students in exercising practical reason, culminating in decision. Five cases invite students to overcome extreme relativism, to look for and evaluate relevant differences, and to enter into ethical discussion with other students on the sexual issues they face in their college years.
Trigger warnings, covenants of presence, and more: Cultivating safe space for theological discussions about sexual trauma
Authors: Crumpton Stephanie M.
Published: April 2017

Sexual assault is prevalent, but many educators find themselves ill‐prepared to address it in the classroom. This article conceptualizes a trauma sensitive pedagogy that engages the psychological, social, and theological implications of sexual assault for classroom conversations about sex and sexuality. First, the article examines the impact of the classic power disparity between student and teacher as a dynamic that can trigger recall of the abuse of power inherent in sexual violence. Next the article reframes understandings of trigger warnings to consider how they can be used to support educators in taking seriously the vulnerability of those who have experienced sexual assault. The article also presents perspectives on the role of “teacher self‐disclosure” in facilitating conversations that acknowledge sexual assault, followed by a teaching strategy that demonstrates pedagogical sensitivity to trauma. Suggestions on how to support students through and beyond conversations that can trigger traumatic stress conclude the article.
Civic learning and teaching as a resource for sexual justice: An undergraduate religious studies course module
Authors: Vasko Elisabeth T.
Published: April 2017

Civic learning and teaching, a form of critical and democratically engaged pedagogy, is utilized in an upper‐level undergraduate sexual ethics course to leverage public problem solving around the sexual violence on a mid‐size Catholic collegiate campus. Through the course, students, faculty, staff, and community members work together to deepen understanding of the causes and consequences of sexual violence within society and the local community in order to evaluate and design programming for bystander intervention, education, and sexual violence prevention advocacy. After a discussion of the application of civic teaching and learning to sexual violence, the course module describes the learning outcomes and assignments used to assess them. See as well Donna Freitas's response to this essay, “The Risk and Reward of Teaching about Sexual Assault for the Theologian on a Catholic Campus,” published in this issue of the journal.
A response to Elisabeth T. Vasko: The risk and reward of teaching about sexual assault for the theologian on a Catholic campus
Authors: Freitas Donna
Published: April 2017

This article is a response to Elisabeth T. Vasko's essay “Civic Learning and Teaching as a Resource for Sexual Justice: An Undergraduate Religious Studies Course Module” published in this issue of the journal.
Pegylated bovine carboxyhaemoglobin utilisation in a thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura patient
Authors: Sam C. , Desai P. , Laber D. , Patel A. , Visweshwar N. , Jaglal M.
Published: April 2017

Objective

To determine if pegylated bovine carboxyhaemoglobin can be utilised in a thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) patient.

Background

TTP is a condition characterized by thrombotic microangiopathy and has a high mortality rate when left untreated. Therapeutic plasma exchange is well established as the most effective and evidence‐based treatment of TTP.

Methods

The ability to administer plasma exchange therapy is limited in Jehovah's Witnesses who decline blood products due to religious beliefs. Pegylated bovine carboxyhaemoglobin is a novel oxygen transfer agent in development for the management of complications of ischaemia due to acute anaemia.

Results

Treatment was well tolerated, with grade 1 paresthesia of the right face and arm 1 h after the first infusion of Sanguinate, which spontaneously resolved and did not recur, and grade 1 cardiac troponin elevation after receiving the medication (with peak at 0·079 ng mL−1), but further workup with electrocardiogram and echocardiogram was unremarkable. By discharge on day 19, the patient's haemoglobin increased to 8·8 g dL−1 and platelet count to 221 000.

Conclusions

We report the first case of TTP in a Jehovah's Witness that was successfully managed with the use of pegylated bovine carboxyhaemoglobin as an adjunct medication.
Assessment of endogenous 25‐hydroxyvitamin D serum concentrations by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry in various animal species
Authors: Fritz Carol A. , Navetta Kimberly A. , Wolford David P. , Colangelo Jennifer L.
Published: April 2017

Background

Mass spectrometry (MS) has become the preferential method for the analysis of vitamin D in the clinic, yet no single platform is utilized for preclinical species in drug development studies. For vitamin D, the MS platform can provide certain benefits such as applicability of a single assay for multiple species, low cost, and high specificity.

Objectives

A quantitative liquid chromatography‐tandem MS (LC‐MS/MS) assay for 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) and D2 (25OHD2) was validated for rat, dog, mouse, and monkey, and suitability for drug development studies was assessed.

Methods

Standards were used to determine intra‐ and inter‐assay accuracy and precision for LC‐MS/MS. Extraction recovery and carryover due to instrumentation were determined. Repeat analyses of pooled serum samples from rat, dog, mouse, and monkey were assessed for precision, and other serum samples were used to determine the normal range in each species and detect biologically relevant changes.

Results

For both 25OHD3 and 25OHD2, inaccuracy was ≤ 6%, and imprecision was ≤ 13%. Extraction recovery was 75% for 25OHD3 and 72% for 25OHD2, and carryover was ≤ 0.1%. Measurable concentrations of 25OHD3 were recorded in serum samples from all species tested, but no 25OHD2 as diets were only fortified with 25OHD3. This dataset provides preliminary information for the determination of RIs for 25OHD3 in rat, dog, mouse, and monkey with the LC‐MS/MS platform.

Conclusions

The LC‐MS/MS assay was accurate and precise for determination of endogenous concentrations of 25OHD3 in serum samples from drug development studies in rat, dog, mouse, and monkey.
Non‐compliance to infectious disease deferral criteria among Hong Kong's blood donors
Authors: Lee S. S. , Cheung E. K. H. , Leung J. N. S. , Lee C. K.
Published: April 2017

Background and Objectives

Donor screening alone cannot eliminate the risk of transfusion‐transmitted HIV infection. Donor deferral according to established criteria is a supplemental strategy, which has focused largely on men who have sex with men (MSM). A study was conducted to determine the compliance of non‐MSM donors with such criteria and examine its implications on blood safety.

Materials and Methods

Chinese donors who have just donated blood at blood donor centres in Hong Kong were recruited. Based on the contents of the routinely administered predonation Health Screening Questionnaires, participants were requested to complete a survey to assess their practice of deferrable risk behaviours and lifestyle encounters, using tablet computers.

Results

Over an 8‐week period in mid‐2016, 1614 donors (male‐to‐female ratio 1·23) had enrolled in the survey, accounting for 40% of donors giving blood on the survey days. The proportion of respondents who gave blood despite having deferrable HIV risk was 5%: MSM 1·2% (of the male donors); non‐MSM risk behaviours 2·6%; risky lifestyle encounters 2·1%. If inconsistent declaration and suspected risk behaviours were included, the total non‐compliance rate became 10·8%. Male donors had a higher prevalence of deferrable behavioural risk, even after excluding MSM. Unawareness and non‐acceptability were main reasons for non‐compliance.

Conclusion

The non‐compliance rate of donors to deferral was high, although the ultimate infection risk might be small in the presence of universal screening. Simplification of questionnaires, focus on time‐limited deferral and a reduction of deferral items may improve the deferral mechanism without compromising blood safety.
Not an “Extraordinary Event”: NFL Games and Militarized Civic Ritual1
Authors: Schimmel Kimberly S.
Published: April 2017

In this article, which was delivered as the Alan G. Ingham Memorial Lecture to the 37th annual conference of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, I extend Ingham’s ideas regarding sport as civic ritual and combine it with my own work on the relationship between sport and the increasing militarization of US cities in the post 9/11 era. I suggest that militarized civic rituals have now become an ever-present feature of urban life and represent a troubling new conflation between military and civilian discourses and practices employed through sport, specifically the NFL and the Super Bowl. The term “citizen soldier” is used here to provoke thought about the role of “ordinary” citizens in this context where domestic security telescopes down from the highest levels of the US Department of Defense to the micropersonal. Legally equated with a soldier at war, the NFL fan’s call of duty is received through a mobile phone application, everyday citizens recruited to assist, in the name of patriotism, in terrorism prevention. This blurs legal and operational separations between intelligence-gathering and citizenship and further collapses civilian-military boundaries suggesting a changed notion of duty for all of us.

Dans cet article, qui a été présenté en tant que Conférence Commémorative Alan G. Ingham au 37ème Congrès Annuel de la Société Nord-Américaine de Sociologie du Sport, je prolonge les idées d’Ingham sur le sport vu comme un rituel civique et je les combine avec mon propre travail sur la relation entre le sport et l’augmentation de la militarisation des villes américaines dans la période post 11 septembre. Je suggère que des rituels civiques militarisés sont maintenant devenus des composants omniprésents de la vie urbaine et qu’ils représentent un nouvel amalgame troublant entre les discours civils et militaires et les pratiques employées dans le sport, plus spécifiquement dans la NFL et au Super Bowl. Le terme de « soldat citoyen » est utilisé ici pour provoquer une réflexion sur le rôle des citoyens « ordinaires » dans ce contexte où la sécurité intérieure s’interpénètre des plus hauts niveaux du Département Américain de la Défense au niveau micro-individuel. Légalement assimilé à un soldat en guerre, l’appel du devoir du fan de la NFL est reçu sur une application de téléphone portable, les citoyens ordinaires sont recrutés pour aider, au nom du patriotisme, à la prévention du terrorisme. Cela brouille la séparation légale et opérationnelle entre les services de renseignements et la citoyenneté, et, en outre, anéantie les frontières entre le civil et le militaire, suggérant une nouvelle notion du devoir pour nous tous.
Individuals with progranulin haploinsufficiency exhibit features of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
Authors: Ward Michael E. , Chen Robert , Huang Hsin-Yi , Ludwig Connor , Telpoukhovskaia Maria , Taubes Ali , Boudin Helene , Minami Sakura S. , Reichert Meredith , Albrecht Philipp , Gelfand Jeffrey M. , Cruz-Herranz Andres , Cordano Christian , Alavi Marcel V. , Leslie Shannon , Seeley William W. , Miller Bruce L. , Bigio Eileen , Mesulam Marek-Marsel , Bogyo Matthew S. , Mackenzie Ian R. , Staropoli John F. , Cotman Susan L. , Huang Eric J. , Gan Li , Green Ari J.
Published: April 2017

Individuals with heterozygous
GRN
mutations exhibit clinicopathological hallmarks of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.
Longitudinal peripheral blood transcriptional analysis of a patient with severe Ebola virus disease
Authors: Kash John C. , Walters Kathie-Anne , Kindrachuk Jason , Baxter David , Scherler Kelsey , Janosko Krisztina B. , Adams Rick D. , Herbert Andrew S. , James Rebekah M. , Stonier Spencer W. , Memoli Matthew J. , Dye John M. , Davey Richard T. , Chertow Daniel S. , Taubenberger Jeffery K.
Published: April 2017

Transcriptomic analysis of leukocytes from a severe Ebola virus disease patient revealed transitions driven by viral clearance, coagulopathy, and multiorgan dysfunction.
A dose-dependent plasma signature of the safety and immunogenicity of the rVSV-Ebola vaccine in Europe and Africa
Authors: Huttner Angela , Combescure Christophe , Grillet Stéphane , Haks Mariëlle C. , Quinten Edwin , Modoux Christine , Agnandji Selidji Todagbe , Brosnahan Jessica , Dayer Julie-Anne , Harandi Ali M. , Kaiser Laurent , Medaglini Donata , Monath Tom ,   VEBCON and VSV-EBOVAC Consortia, Roux-Lombard Pascale , Kremsner Peter G. , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Siegrist Claire-Anne
Published: April 2017

A specific plasma signature reveals the critical role of monocytes in the VSV-vectored Ebola vaccine immunogenicity and safety.
Combined antiangiogenic and anti–PD-L1 therapy stimulates tumor immunity through HEV formation
Authors: Allen Elizabeth , Jabouille Arnaud , Rivera Lee B. , Lodewijckx Inge , Missiaen Rindert , Steri Veronica , Feyen Kevin , Tawney Jaime , Hanahan Douglas , Michael Iacovos P. , Bergers Gabriele
Published: April 2017

Efficacy of antiangiogenic immunotherapy is associated with intratumoral formation of high endothelial venules.
Engagement of the medical-technology sector with society
Authors: Williams David , Edelman Elazer R. , Radisic Milica , Laurencin Cato , Untereker Darrel
Published: April 2017

The medical-technology sector must educate society in an unbiased rational way about the successes and benefits of biotechnology innovation.
Small spice for big wounds: Can curcumin close the gap?
Authors: Lev-Tov Hadar
Published: April 2017

Nanoformulation of curcumin may be the key to unlocking its wound healing potential.
Fiber to the rescue?
Authors: Michopoulos Vasiliki
Published: April 2017

Fiber supplementation reduces the proinflammatory effects of high-fat, high-calorie meal consumption.
Vitamin C puts the pedal to the metal
Authors: Venere Monica
Published: April 2017

Increased iron in cancer cells drives selective sensitization of tumors to ascorbate treatment to prolong survival.
Manipulation of the Host Cell Membrane during
Plasmodium
Liver Stage Egress
Authors: Burda Paul-Christian , Caldelari Reto , Heussler Volker T.
Published: April 2017

A crucial step in the life cycle of
Plasmodium
parasites is the transition from the liver stage to the blood stage. Hepatocyte-derived merozoites reach the blood vessels of the liver inside host cell-derived vesicles called merosomes. The molecular basis of merosome formation is only partially understood. Here we show that
Plasmodium berghei
liver stage merozoites, upon rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, destabilize the host cell membrane (HCM) and induce separation of the host cell actin cytoskeleton from the HCM. At the same time, the phospholipid and protein composition of the HCM appears to be substantially altered. This includes the loss of a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP
2
) reporter and the PIP
2
-dependent actin-plasma membrane linker ezrin from the HCM. Furthermore, transmembrane domain-containing proteins and palmitoylated and myristoylated proteins, as well as glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, lose their HCM localization. Collectively, these findings provide an explanation of HCM destabilization during
Plasmodium
liver stage egress and thereby contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to merosome formation.

IMPORTANCE
Egress from host cells is an essential process for intracellular pathogens, allowing successful infection of other cells and thereby spreading the infection. Here we describe the molecular details of a novel egress strategy of
Plasmodium
parasites infecting hepatocytes. We show that toward the end of the liver stage, parasites induce a breakdown of the host cell actin cytoskeleton, leading to destabilization of the host cell plasma membrane. This, in turn, results in the formation of membrane vesicles (merosomes), in which parasites can safely migrate from liver tissue to the bloodstream to infect red blood cells and start the pathogenic phase of malaria.
Control of
gdhR
Expression in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
via Autoregulation and a Master Repressor (MtrR) of a Drug Efflux Pump Operon
Authors: Rouquette-Loughlin Corinne E. , Zalucki Yaramah M. , Dhulipala Vijaya L. , Balthazar Jacqueline T. , Doyle Raúl G. , Nicholas Robert A. , Begum Afrin A. , Raterman Erica L. , Jerse Ann E. , Shafer William M.
Published: April 2017

The MtrCDE efflux pump of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
contributes to gonococcal resistance to a number of antibiotics used previously or currently in treatment of gonorrhea, as well as to host-derived antimicrobials that participate in innate defense. Overexpression of the MtrCDE efflux pump increases gonococcal survival and fitness during experimental lower genital tract infection of female mice. Transcription of
mtrCDE
can be repressed by the DNA-binding protein MtrR, which also acts as a global regulator of genes involved in important metabolic, physiologic, or regulatory processes. Here, we investigated whether a gene downstream of
mtrCDE
, previously annotated
gdhR
in
Neisseria meningitidis
, is a target for regulation by MtrR. In meningococci, GdhR serves as a regulator of genes involved in glucose catabolism, amino acid transport, and biosynthesis, including
gdhA
, which encodes an
l
-glutamate dehydrogenase and is located next to
gdhR
but is transcriptionally divergent. We report here that in
N. gonorrhoeae
, expression of
gdhR
is subject to autoregulation by GdhR and direct repression by MtrR. Importantly, loss of GdhR significantly increased gonococcal fitness compared to a complemented mutant strain during experimental murine infection. Interestingly, loss of GdhR did not influence expression of
gdhA
, as reported for meningococci. This variance is most likely due to differences in promoter localization and utilization between gonococci and meningococci. We propose that transcriptional control of gonococcal genes through the action of MtrR and GdhR contributes to fitness of
N. gonorrhoeae
during infection.

IMPORTANCE
The pathogenic
Neisseria
species are strict human pathogens that can cause a sexually transmitted infection (
N. gonorrhoeae
) or meningitis or fulminant septicemia (
N. meningitidis
). Although they share considerable genetic information, little attention has been directed to comparing transcriptional regulatory systems that modulate expression of their conserved genes. We hypothesized that transcriptional regulatory differences exist between these two pathogens, and we used the
gdh
locus as a model to test this idea. For this purpose, we studied two conserved genes (
gdhR
and
gdhA
) within the locus. Despite general conservation of the
gdh
locus in gonococci and meningococci, differences exist in noncoding sequences that correspond to promoter elements or potential sites for interacting with DNA-binding proteins, such as GdhR and MtrR. Our results indicate that implications drawn from studying regulation of conserved genes in one pathogen are not necessarily translatable to a genetically related pathogen.
Phototaxis of Cyanobacteria under Complex Light Environments
Authors: Kim Minsu
Published: April 2017

Photosynthetic bacteria are capable of producing their own food via photosynthesis. Unsurprisingly, they evolved the ability to move toward better light conditions (i.e., phototaxis). In a recent article in
mBio
, Chau et al. tuned the wavelength, flux, direction, and timing of light input and characterized the motility of the unicellular cyanobacterium
Synechocystis
sp. strain PCC6803 (R. M. W. Chau, D. Bhaya, and K. C. Huang, mBio 8:e02330-16, 2017,
https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02330-16
). The results revealed an intricate dependence of the motility on various light inputs, laying the fundamental groundwork toward understanding phototaxis under complex and dynamic light environments.
Haemorrhagic cholecystitis in a newly anticoagulated patient
Authors: Kinnear Ned , Hennessey Derek Barry , Thomas Rebecca
Published: April 2017

A 74-year-old man undergoing rehabilitation after pneumonia developed right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Five days earlier he had been commenced on apixaban for a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. Ultrasound and CT scans revealed an acalculous grossly thickened gallbladder, with high attenuation non-echogenic material both within and surrounding the structure. Active contrast extravasation was seen at the neck. On laparotomy, a perforated internally bleeding gallbladder containing a single calculus was found, with significant free blood within the abdomen. After cholecystectomy, the patient recovered slowly in hospital before nursing home placement.
Pelvic gossypiboma with spontaneous intravesical erosion
Authors: Singh Prabhjot , Panaiyadiyan Sridhar , Nayak Brusabhanu
Published: April 2017

A 23-year-old man presented with chronic lower urinary tract symptoms and right flank pain. He had undergone ureterolithotomy a few years ago. Ultrasonography and CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed a right paravesical mass and proximal hydroureteronephrosis. Cystoscopic examination revealed a part of surgical gauze embedded in the right lateral wall of the bladder. The surgical gauze was completely retrieved with grasping forceps without any additional procedures. The patient experienced prompt relief of his symptoms and at follow-up, imaging studies revealed resolution of the pelvic mass and non-obstructed clearance of right-side collecting system. Pelvic gossypiboma with partial intravesical erosion is an unusual presentation and can be managed successfully by cystoscopic manipulation.
Emergency nurse disaster preparedness during mass gatherings: a cross-sectional survey of emergency nurses' perceptions in hospitals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alzahrani Fuad , Kyratsis Yiannis
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To assess hospital emergency nurses' self-reported knowledge, role awareness and skills in disaster response with respect to the Hajj mass gathering in Mecca.

Design

Cross-sectional online survey with primary data collection and non-probabilistic purposive sample conducted in late 2014.

Setting

All 4 public hospitals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Participants

106 registered nurses in hospital emergency departments.

Main outcome measure

Awareness, knowledge, skills and perceptions of emergency nurses in Mecca with regard to mass gathering disaster preparedness.

Results

Although emergency nurses' clinical role awareness in disaster response was reported to be high, nurses reported limited knowledge and awareness of the wider emergency and disaster preparedness plans, including key elements of their hospital strategies for managing a mass gathering disaster. Over half of the emergency nurses in Mecca's public hospitals had not thoroughly read the plan, and almost 1 in 10 were not even aware of its existence. Emergency nurses reported seeing their main role as providing timely general clinical assessment and care; however, fewer emergency nurses saw their role as providing surveillance, prevention, leadership or psychological care in a mass gathering disaster, despite all these broader roles being described in the hospitals' emergency disaster response plans. Emergency nurses' responses to topics where there are often misconceptions on appropriate disaster management indicated a significant knowledge deficit with only 1 in 3 nurses at best or 1 in 6 at worst giving correct answers. Respondents identified 3 key training initiatives as opportunities to further develop their professional skills in this area: (1) hospital education sessions, (2) the Emergency Management Saudi Course, (3) bespoke short courses in disaster management.

Conclusions

Recommendations are suggested to help enhance clinical and educational efforts in disaster preparedness.
What drives the prescribing of growth hormone preparations in England? Prices versus patient preferences
Authors: Chapman Stephen R , Fitzpatrick Raymond W , Aladul Mohammed I
Published: April 2017

Objective

The patent expiry of a number of biological medicines and the advent of biosimilars raised the expectations of healthcare commissioners that biosimilars would reduce the high cost of these medicines and produce potential savings to the NHS. We aimed to examine the prescribing pattern of different growth hormone preparations (ready to use and reconstitution requiring) in primary and secondary care in England to determine relative rates of decrease or increase and identify the possible factors influencing prescribing following the introduction of biosimilar growth hormone in 2008.

Design

Longitudinal observational study.

Setting and data sources

Primary care prescribing cost and volume data was derived from the NHS business services authority website, and for secondary care from the DEFINE database, between April 2011 and December 2015.

Outcomes

Quarterly prescribing analysis to examine trends and measure the relationship between usage and price.

Results

Expenditure and usage of growth hormone in primary care decreased by 17.91% and 7.29%, respectively, whereas expenditure and usage in secondary care increased by 68.41% and 100%, respectively, between April 2011 and December 2015. The usage of reconstitution requiring products significantly declined in primary care (R²=0.9292) and slightly increased in use in secondary care (R²=0.139). In contrast, the usage of ready-to-use products significantly increased in use in primary (R²=0.7526) and secondary care (R²=0.9633), respectively. Weak or no correlation existed between the usage and price of growth hormone preparations in primary and secondary care.

Conclusions

The price of growth hormone products was not the key factor influencing the prescribing of the biological medicines. The main driver for specific product selection was the ease of use and the number of steps in dose preparation. Prescribers appear to be taking into account patient preferences rather than cost in their prescribing decisions.