bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical Treatment of Diverticular Disease
Authors: Lué Alberto , Laredo Viviana , Lanas Angel
Published: September 2016

Diverticular disease (DD) of the colon represents the most common disease affecting the large bowel in western countries. Its prevalence is increasing. Recent studies suggest that changes in gut microbiota could contribute to development of symptoms and complication. For this reason antibiotics play a key role in the management of both uncomplicated and complicated DD. Rifaximin has demonstrated to be effective in obtaining symptoms relief at 1 year in patients with uncomplicated DD and to improve symptoms and maintain periods of remission following acute colonic diverticulitis (AD). Despite absence of data that supports the routine use of antibiotic in uncomplicated AD, they are recommended in selected patients. In patients with AD that develop an abscess, conservative treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics is successful in up to 70% of cases. In patients on conservative treatment where percutaneous drainage fails or peritonitis develops, surgery is considered the standard therapy. In conclusion antibiotics seem to remain the mainstay of treatment in symptomatic uncomplicated DD and AD. Inpatient management and intravenous antibiotics are necessary in complicated AD, while outpatient management is considered the best strategy in the majority of uncomplicated patients.
The Economic Burden of Diverticular Disease
Authors: Papa Alfredo , Papa Valerio
Published: September 2016

Diverticular disease (DD) of the colon represents a common clinical condition affecting from one-fourth to one-third of the population in developed countries. Several epidemiological studies have clearly shown that in the last decades the rates of clinic visits and hospital admissions for DD and its complications are progressively increased. In addition, complications of DD are associated to a high mortality rate that continues unabated despite advances in surgery and intensive care. As consequence, the burden on health care resources has significantly increased over time, leading DD among the main causes of health spending for gastrointestinal diseases. In this review the most important data regarding health care resources utilization and costs for DD are analyzed and some proposals for reducing the burden on health care systems are hypothesized.
Current Management of Patients With Diverticulosis and Diverticular Disease
Authors: Tursi Antonio , Picchio Marcello , Elisei Walter , Di Mario Francesco , Scarpignato Carmelo , Brandimarte Giovanni
Published: September 2016

Background:

Management of diverticular disease (DD) remains a point of debate.

Goals:

To investigate the current opinion of participants of the 2nd International Symposium on Diverticular Disease, on real-life management of patients with DD of the colon.

Study:

Twelve questions were aimed at the diagnosis, treatment, and management options for diverticulosis and symptomatic DD.

Results:

In total, 115 surveys from 8 European Countries were filled out. High fiber diet was widely prescribed in diverticulosis (59.1%). Probiotics (25%) were the most frequent prescribed drug, whereas 29.8% of participants did not prescribe any treatment in diverticulosis. Colonoscopy was frequently prescribed in symptomatic patients (69.3%), whereas 72.9% of participants did not prescribe any instrumental tool in their follow-up. Rifaximin, probiotics, and mesalazine were the most frequent prescribed drugs both in symptomatic patients (28.1, 14.9%, and 11.4%, respectively) and to prevent recurrence of the disease (42.5%, 12.4%, and 28.2%, respectively). With respect to laboratory exams, 57.9% of participants prescribed them during follow-up. The majority of participants (64.9%) managed suspected acute diverticulitis at home. Rifaximin, probiotics, and mesalazine were the most frequent prescribed drugs to prevent recurrence of the disease (32.2%, 13.2%, and 11.4%, respectively), whereas 25.4% of participants did not prescribe any drugs. Finally, no differences were found among gastroenterologists, surgeons, and general practitioners in managing this disease.

Conclusions:

This surveys shows that current management of DD is similar between different medical specialities, generally in line with current literature.
Prognostic Role of the Endoscopic Classification “DICA”
Authors: Tursi Antonio , Brandimarte Giovanni , Di Mario Francesco , Elisei Walter , Scarpignato Carmelo , Picchio Marcello
Published: September 2016

Diverticular inflammation and complication assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification has been recently developed for patients suffering from diverticulosis and diverticular disease. Its predictive value in those patients was recently retrospectively assessed. For each patient, the following parameters were recorded: age, severity of DICA, presence of abdominal pain, C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin test (if available) at the time of diagnosis, months of follow-up, therapy taken during the follow-up to maintain remission (if any), occurrence/recurrence of diverticulitis, and need of surgery. A total of 1651 patients (793 male, 858 female, mean age 66.6±11.1 y) were enrolled: 939 (56.9%) classified as DICA 1, 501 (30.3%) as DICA 2, and 211 (12.8%) as DICA 3. The median follow-up was 24 (9 to 138) months. Acute diverticulitis (AD) occurred/recurred in 263 (15.9%) patients, and surgery was necessary in 57 (21.7%) cases. DICA was the only factor significantly associated with the occurrence/recurrence of diverticulitis and surgery either at univariate (χ2=405.029; P<0.0001) or multivariate analysis (hazard ratio=4.319; 95% CI, 3.639-5.126; P<0.0001). Only in DICA 2 patients scheduled therapy was effective for prevention of AD occurrence/recurrence with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.598 (0.391-0.914) (P=0.006, log-rank test). Mesalazine-based therapies reduced the risk of AD occurrence/recurrence and need of surgery with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.2103 (0.122-0.364) and 0.459 (0.258-0.818), respectively. DICA classification seems to be a valid parameter to predict the risk of diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence in patients suffering from diverticular disease of the colon.
Mesalazine for the Treatment of Symptomatic Uncomplicated Diverticular Disease of the Colon and for Primary Prevention of Diverticulitis
Authors: Picchio Marcello , Elisei Walter , Brandimarte Giovanni , Di Mario Francesco , Malfertheiner Peter , Scarpignato Carmelo , Tursi Antonio
Published: September 2016

Background:

Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) is a common gastrointestinal disease, because it affects about one fourth of the patient harboring colonic diverticula.

Goal:

To assess the effectiveness of mesalazine in improving symptoms (namely abdominal pain) and in preventing diverticulitis occurrence in patients with SUDD.

Study:

Only randomized clinical trials (irrespective of language, blinding, or publication status) that compared mesalazine with placebo or any other therapy in SUDD were evaluated. The selected endpoints were symptom relief and diverticulitis occurrence at maximal follow-up. Absolute risk reduction (ARR, with 95% confidence interval) and the number needed to treat were used as measures of the therapeutic effect.

Results:

Six randomized clinical trials enrolled 1021 patients: 526 patients were treated with mesalazine and 495 with placebo or other therapies. Symptom relief with mesalazine was always larger than that with placebo and other therapies. However, absolute risk reduction was significant only when mesalazine was compared with placebo, a high-fiber diet, and low-dose rifaximin. The incidence of diverticulitis with mesalazine was lower than that observed with placebo and other treatments, being significant only when compared with placebo.

Conclusions:

Mesalazine is effective in achieving symptom relief and primary prevention of diverticulitis in patients with SUDD.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study: prevalence, risk factors, and long-term follow-up
Authors: Fraga Montserrat , Fournier Nicolas , Safroneeva Ekaterina , Pittet Valérie , Godat Sébastien , Straumann Alex , Nydegger Andreas , Vavricka Stephan R. , Moradpour Darius , Schoepfer Alain M.
Published: September 2016

Background and aim

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) represents the most common hepatobiliary extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to assess the prevalence of PSC in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study, to identify associated risk factors, and to describe the long-term evolution.

Patients and methods

Data of patients enrolled into the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study were analyzed. Logistic regression modeling was performed to identify risk factors for PSC.

Results

Among 2744 patients [1188 ulcerative colitis (UC); 1556 Crohn’s disease (CD)], 57 had PSC (48 UC-PSC, nine CD-PSC). The prevalence of PSC was higher in UC compared with CD (4.04 vs. 0.58%, P<0.001). We identified the following significant independent risk factors for PSC in patients with UC: male sex [odds ratio (OR) 2.771, P=0.022], pancolitis (OR 2.855, P=0.011), nonsmoker at diagnosis (OR 9.253, P=0.030), and a history of appendicectomy (OR 4.114, P=0.019). During a median follow-up time of 74.8 months, four (7.0%) of PSC patients developed cholangiocarcinoma, six (10.5%) underwent liver transplantation, and five (8.8%) died. Survival of IBD-PSC patients was significantly worse compared with IBD patients without PSC (P=0.001). UC-PSC patients developed significantly more frequently colorectal cancer compared with UC patients without PSC (2/48 vs. 9/1440, P=0.017).

Conclusion

Approximately 4% of UC patients and 0.6% of CD patients had PSC. Male sex, pancolitis, nonsmoker status, and a history of appendicectomy were significantly associated with PSC. PSC is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality in the long term.
Iron Deficiency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Akkermans Marjolijn D. , Vreugdenhil Mirjam , Hendriks Daniëlle M. , van den Berg Anemone , Schweizer Joachim J. , van Goudoever Johannes B. , Brus Frank
Published: September 2016

Objectives:

Iron deficiency (ID) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is either an absolute (depleted iron stores) or a functional deficiency (caused by chronic inflammation). Differentiating between these 2 types of ID is important because they require a different therapeutic approach. Zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) are parameters of functional ID. Studies using these parameters to differentiate are nonexistent. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for absolute and functional ID in paediatric IBD patients while using ZPP and RDW.

Methods:

We evaluated the iron status and medical charts of 59 paediatric IBD patients in a secondary hospital in the Netherlands. Absolute ID was defined as serum ferritin <15 μg/L in the absence of infection and/or acute inflammation (C‐reactive protein <10 mg/L). Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was defined as absolute ID in combination with anaemia. Functional ID, in patients without absolute ID, was defined as ZPP >70 μmol/mol haem and/or an RDW >14%. Anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) was defined as functional ID in combination with anaemia.

Results:

Absolute and functional ID were found in 19/59 (32.2%) and 32/40 (80%) patients, respectively. The prevalence of IDA and ACD was 27.1% (16/59) and 20% (8/40), respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that absolute ID and IDA were both associated with a more recent IBD‐diagnosis (both P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Absolute and functional ID are common in paediatric IBD patients, and this differentiation is important because of therapeutic consequences. Furthermore, absolute ID and IDA are associated with a more recent IBD‐diagnosis.
Paediatric Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Authors: Thomson Mike , Tringali Andrea , Dumonceau Jean‐Marc , Tavares Marta , Tabbers Merit M. , Furlano Raoul , Spaander Manon , Hassan Cesare , Tzvinikos Christos , Ijsselstijn Hanneke , Viala Jérôme , Dall'Oglio Luigi , Benninga Marc , Orel Rok , Vandenplas Yvan , Keil Radan , Romano Claudio , Brownstone Eva , Hlava Štěpán , Gerner Patrick , Dolak Werner , Landi Rosario , Huber Wolf D. , Everett Simon , Vecsei Andreas , Aabakken Lars , Amil‐Dias Jorge , Zambelli Alessandro
Published: September 2016

This guideline refers to infants, children, and adolescents ages 0 to 18 years. The areas covered include indications for diagnostic and therapeutic esophagogastroduodenoscopy and ileocolonoscopy; endoscopy for foreign body ingestion; corrosive ingestion and stricture/stenosis endoscopic management; upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding; endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; and endoscopic ultrasonography. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and endoscopy specific to inflammatory bowel disease has been dealt with in other guidelines and are therefore not mentioned in this guideline. Training and ongoing skill maintenance are to be dealt with in an imminent sister publication to this.
What do isogamous organisms teach us about sex and the two sexes?
Authors: Lehtonen Jussi , Kokko Hanna , Parker Geoff A.
Published: September 2016

Isogamy is a reproductive system where all gametes are morphologically similar, especially in terms of size. Its importance goes beyond specific cases: to this day non-anisogamous systems are common outside of multicellular animals and plants, they can be found in all eukaryotic super-groups, and anisogamous organisms appear to have isogamous ancestors. Furthermore, because maleness is synonymous with the production of small gametes, an explanation for the initial origin of males and females is synonymous with understanding the transition from isogamy to anisogamy. As we show here, this transition may also be crucial for understanding why sex itself remains common even in taxa with high costs of male production (the twofold cost of sex). The transition to anisogamy implies the origin of male and female sexes, kickstarts the subsequent evolution of sex roles, and has a major impact on the costliness of sexual reproduction. Finally, we combine some of the consequences of isogamy and anisogamy in a thought experiment on the maintenance of sexual reproduction. We ask what happens if there is a less than twofold benefit to sex (not an unlikely scenario as large short-term benefits have proved difficult to find), and argue that this could lead to a situation where lineages that evolve anisogamy—and thus the highest costs of sex—end up being associated with constraints that make invasion by asexual reproduction unlikely (the ‘anisogamy gateway’ hypothesis).

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction’.
Living together and living apart: the sexual lives of bryophytes
Authors: Haig David
Published: September 2016

Haploid gametophytes of bryophytes spread by clonal growth but mate locally, within an area defined by the range of sperm movement. Rarity of establishment from spores or vegetative competition can result in unisexual populations unable to reproduce sexually. Females typically outcompete males, probably because females expend fewer resources than males on the production of gametes. Extreme sexual dimorphism—tiny males growing as epiphytes on much larger females—has evolved many times. Haploid selfing is common in bryophytes with bisexual gametophytes, and results in completely homozygous sporophytes. Spores from these sporophytes recapitulate the genotype of their single haploid parent. This process can be considered analogous to ‘asexual’ reproduction with ‘sexual’ reproduction occurring after rare outcrossing between haploid parents. Ferns also produce bisexual haploid gametophytes but, unlike bryophytes, haploid outcrossing predominates over haploid selfing. This difference is probably related to clonal growth and vegetative competition occurring in the haploid but not the diploid phase in bryophytes, but the reverse in ferns. Ferns are thereby subject to stronger inbreeding depression than bryophytes.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction’.
Sexual selection in hermaphrodites, sperm and broadcast spawners, plants and fungi
Authors: Beekman Madeleine , Nieuwenhuis Bart , Ortiz-Barrientos Daniel , Evans Jonathan P.
Published: September 2016

Darwin was the first to recognize that sexual selection is a strong evolutionary force. Exaggerated traits allow same-sex individuals to compete over access to mates and provide a mechanism by which mates are selected. It is relatively easy to appreciate how inter- and intrasexual selection work in organisms with the sensory capabilities to perceive physical or behavioural traits that signal mate quality or mate compatibility, and to assess the relative quality of competitors. It is therefore not surprising that most studies of sexual selection have focused on animals with separate sexes and obvious adaptations that function in the context of reproductive competition. Yet, many sexual organisms are both male and female at the same time, often lack sexual dimorphism and never come into direct contact at mating. How does sexual selection act in such species, and what can we learn from them? Here, we address these questions by exploring the potential for sexual selection in simultaneous hermaphrodites, sperm- and broadcast spawners, plants and fungi. Our review reveals a range of mechanisms of sexual selection, operating primarily after gametes have been released, which are common in many of these groups and also quite possibly in more familiar (internally fertilizing and sexually dimorphic) organisms.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction’.
Evolutionary mysteries in meiosis
Authors: Lenormand Thomas , Engelstädter Jan , Johnston Susan E. , Wijnker Erik , Haag Christoph R.
Published: September 2016

Meiosis is a key event of sexual life cycles in eukaryotes. Its mechanistic details have been uncovered in several model organisms, and most of its essential features have received various and often contradictory evolutionary interpretations. In this perspective, we present an overview of these often ‘weird’ features. We discuss the origin of meiosis (origin of ploidy reduction and recombination, two-step meiosis), its secondary modifications (in polyploids or asexuals, inverted meiosis), its importance in punctuating life cycles (meiotic arrests, epigenetic resetting, meiotic asymmetry, meiotic fairness) and features associated with recombination (disjunction constraints, heterochiasmy, crossover interference and hotspots). We present the various evolutionary scenarios and selective pressures that have been proposed to account for these features, and we highlight that their evolutionary significance often remains largely mysterious. Resolving these mysteries will likely provide decisive steps towards understanding why sex and recombination are found in the majority of eukaryotes.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction’.
Quantifying the extent to which index event biases influence large genetic association studies
Authors: Yaghootkar Hanieh , Bancks Michael P. , Jones Sam E. , McDaid Aaron , Beaumont Robin , Donnelly Louise , Wood Andrew R. , Campbell Archie , Tyrrell Jessica , Hocking Lynne J. , Tuke Marcus A. , Ruth Katherine S. , Pearson Ewan R. , Murray Anna , Freathy Rachel M. , Munroe Patricia B. , Hayward Caroline , Palmer Colin , Weedon Michael N. , Pankow James S. , Frayling Timothy M. , Kutalik Zoltán
Published: September 2016

As genetic association studies increase in size to 100,000s of individuals, subtle biases may influence conclusions. One possible bias is “index event bias” (IEB), also called “collider bias”, caused by the stratification by, or enrichment for, disease status when testing associations between gene variants and a disease-associated trait. We first provided a statistical framework for quantifying IEB then identified real examples of IEB in a range of study and analytical designs. We observed evidence of biased associations for some disease alleles and genetic risk scores, even in population-based studies. For example, a genetic risk score consisting of type 2 diabetes variants was associated with lower BMI in 113,203 type 2 diabetes controls from the population based UK Biobank study (−0.010 SDs BMI per allele, P=5E-4), entirely driven by IEB. Three of 11 individual type 2 diabetes risk alleles, and 10 of 25 hypertension alleles were associated with lower BMI at p<0.05 in UK Biobank when analyzing disease free individuals only, of which six hypertension alleles remained associated at p<0.05 after correction for IEB. Our analysis suggested that the associations betweenCCND2andTCF7L2diabetes risk alleles and BMI could (at least partially) be explained by IEB. Variants remaining associated after correction may be pleiotropic and include those inCYP17A1(allele associated with hypertension risk and lower BMI). In conclusion, IEB may result in false positive or negative associations in very large studies stratified or strongly enriched for/against disease cases.
Annotation and differential analysis of alternative splicing usingde novoassembly of RNAseq data
Authors: Benoit-Pilven Clara , Marchet Camille , Chautard Emilie , Lima Leandro , Lambert Marie-Pierre , Sacomoto Gustavo , Rey Amandine , Bourgeois Cyril , Auboeuf Didier , Lacroix Vincent
Published: September 2016

Genome-wide analyses reveal that more than 90% of multi exonic human genes produce at least two transcripts through alternative splicing (AS). Various bioinformatics methods are available to analyze AS from RNAseq data. Most methods start by mapping the reads to an annotated reference genome, but some start by ade novoassembly of the reads. In this paper, we present a systematic comparison of a mapping-first approach (FaRLine) and an assembly-first approach (KisSplice). These two approaches are event-based, as they focus on the regions of the transcripts that vary in their exon content. We applied these methods to an RNAseq dataset from a neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cell line (ENCODE) differentiated or not using retinoic acid. We found that the predictions of the two pipelines overlapped (70% of exon skipping events were common), but with noticeable differences. The assembly-first approach allowed to find more novel variants, including novel unannotated exons and splice sites. It also predicted AS in families of paralog genes. The mapping-first approach allowed to find more lowly expressed splicing variants, and was better in predicting exons overlapping repeated elements. This work demonstrates that annotating AS with a single approach leads to missing a large number of candidates. We further show that these candidates cannot be neglected, since many of them are differentially regulated across conditions, and can be validated experimentally. We therefore advocate for the combine use of both mapping-first and assembly-first approaches for the annotation and differential analysis of AS from RNAseq data.
HDP-Align: Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Clustering for Multiple Peak Alignment of Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Data
Authors: Wandy Joe , Daly Rónán , Rogers Simon
Published: September 2016

Matching peak features across multiple LC-MS runs (alignment) is an integral part of all LC-MS data processing pipelines. Alignment is challenging due to variations in the retention time of peak features across runs and the large number of peak features produced by a single compound in the analyte. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian non-parametric model that aligns peaks via a hierarchical cluster model using both peak mass and retention time. Crucially, this method provides confidence values in the form of posterior probabilities allowing the user to distinguish between aligned peaksets of high and low confidence. The results from our experiments on a diverse set of proteomic, glycomic and metabolomic data show that the proposed model is able to produce alignment results competitive to other widely-used benchmark methods, while at the same time, provide a probabilistic measure of confidence in the alignment results, thus allowing the possibility to trade precision and recall.

Availability

Our method has been implemented as a stand-alone application in Java, available for download athttp://github.com/joewandy/HDP-Align.
Genome-wide repression of eRNA and target gene loci by the ETV6-RUNX1 fusion in acute leukemia
Authors: Teppo Susanna , Laukkanen Saara , Liuksiala Thomas , Nordlund Jessica , Oittinen Mikko , Teittinen Kaisa , Grönroos Toni , St-Onge Pascal , Sinnett Daniel , Syvänen Ann-Christine , Nykter Matti , Viiri Keijo , Heinäniemi Merja , Lohi Olli
Published: September 2016

Approximately 20%–25% of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemias carry theETV6-RUNX1(E/R) fusion gene, a fusion of two central hematopoietic transcription factors, ETV6 (TEL) and RUNX1 (AML1). Despite its prevalence, the exact genomic targets of E/R have remained elusive. We evaluated gene loci and enhancers targeted by E/R genome-wide in precursor B acute leukemia cells using global run-on sequencing (GRO-seq). We show that expression of theE/Rfusion leads to widespread repression of RUNX1 motif–containing enhancers at its target gene loci. Moreover, multiple super-enhancers from the CD19+/CD20+-lineage were repressed, implicating a role in impediment of lineage commitment. In effect, the expression of several genes involved in B cell signaling and adhesion was down-regulated, and the repression depended on the wild-type DNA-binding Runt domain of RUNX1. We also identified a number of E/R-regulated annotated and de novo noncoding genes. The results provide a comprehensive genome-wide mapping between E/R-regulated key regulatory elements and genes in precursor B cell leukemia that disrupt normal B lymphopoiesis.
“Quality does not sell itself”
Authors: Giacalone Davide , Fosgaard Toke Reinholt , Steen Ida , Münchow Morten
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Food quality is a multi-dimensional concept comprising both objective and subjective components. Quality as defined from an industry perspective usually relies on different instrumental assessment and on ratings of “experts” which may not necessarily align with consumers’ perception of quality. The purpose of this paper is to deal with consumers perceptions of intrinsic quality in coffee from a sensory scientific and behavioral economic perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

In a blind taste test (n=205), naïve consumers tasted two cups of coffee and decided which they preferred. The two coffees varied greatly in their “objective” quality (based on expert grading) and retail value. Consumers were then revealed that one of the cups contained a coffee that was much more expensive than the other, and that they could get a free cup of their preferred coffee if they could correctly identify the most expensive one.

Findings

The results showed that preferences were equally distributed among the high- and low-quality samples, and that consumers did not perform better than chance level in the identification task. These results suggest that current grading systems used in the industry may be poorly correlated with the way consumers actually experience coffee, and thus that quality inference in the marketplace is more likely influenced by external cues (e.g. brand, label and price) than to intrinsic product quality. Nevertheless, the results also show that consumers who correctly answered the identification task were also significantly more likely to prefer the high-quality sample. This tentatively suggests that better sensory expertise is correlated with a preference for higher quality, though future studies are needed to confirm the correctedness of this interpretation.

Originality/value

This work highlights the difficulty of objectively defining food quality, and the limited usefulness of experts’ ratings widely used in the industry. Managerial implications of these findings, as well as implications for consumer policy, are discussed.
Prioritization guidelines for green food packaging development
Authors: Molina-Besch Katrin
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Current literature emphasises using a holistic perspective on green packaging development (GPD) as an important strategy for reducing the environmental impact of products’ supply chain (SC). In practice, however, it can be difficult for packaging developers to strike a balance between all the different environmental requirements on packaging, and trade-offs are common. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can provide this type of information, but many food companies lack the time and resources to conduct detailed assessments. The purpose of this paper is to provide prioritization guidelines for food GPD based on a systematic review of food LCAs.

Design/methodology/approach

As basis for the suggested guidelines, 48 food LCAs covering eight types of food were reviewed following a standardized format. The review consisted of a quantitative analysis of the global warming potential results and a qualitative analysis of the LCAs’ conclusions.

Findings

The prioritization guidelines propose three priority areas for food GPD that companies can select from based on product characteristics. They also provide suggestions for improving packaging in the three priority areas.

Originality/value

The proposed guidelines can help food companies develop packaging solutions that contribute to minimising the environmental impact along food SCs. The review focuses on the role of packaging in food SCs, which has not been previously analysed in published LCA reviews.
The influence of experience and deliberate learning on SME export performance
Authors: Evangelista Felicitas , Mac Lancy
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the relative importance of deliberate learning, learning from experience and relevant learning co-variates in pursuing market learning, and to assess the impact of market learning on export performance in smaller firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model was initially developed and subsequently tested using survey data. The standard two step approach of first testing the measurement model and then estimating the structural model was adopted.

Findings

The results provide concrete evidence that among SMEs, deliberate learning has a greater impact on export market learning as compared to experience accumulation, and that market learning has a significant effect on export performance. The results also show that absorptive capacity and commitment to learning are significant co-variates of market learning.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the role of deliberate learningvis-a-vislearning by experience in achieving foreign market learning and export performance in smaller firms. It addresses a major limitation of organisational learning studies which tend to focus mainly on experiential learning and organisational learning in large organisations.
Double layer water-borne heat insulation coatings containing hollow glass microspheres (HGMs)
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Li Haiyang , Qian Hongchang , Wang Luntao , Li Xiaogang
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This study aims to construct a double layer heat insulation coating based on hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) and to investigate the effect of particle size on barrier property and heat insulation performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The waterborne double layer coating was composed of an anticorrosive epoxy ester primer and an HGM-containing silicone acrylic topcoat. With varied HGM sizes (20 μm, 40 μm, 60 μm and a 1:3 w/w mixture of 20 and 60 μm particles), the coating was immersed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 28 days and was then subjected to a salt spray test for 450 h. The barrier properties of the coating were evaluated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Heat insulation performance was examined using a self-made device.

Findings

The addition of HGMs decreased the barrier properties of the coating by creating particle/resin interfaces for water penetration. In the HGMs-containing coatings, the use of larger HGMs showed relatively good barrier properties because of the lower particle density. The coating with smaller particles yielded a higher heat insulating capacity as indicated by lower equilibrium temperatures.

Research limitations/implications

Future work will be focused on improving the barrier properties of the coating. Field exposure tests should also be performed to assess the long-term performance of the coating.

Practical implications

The mechanical properties of the coatings in this study also implied that HGMs can be used to develop scratch-resistant and impact-resistant coatings. Other potential applications for further studies include the uses of HGMs for coatings with improved fire retardancy and electromagnetic interference shielding.

Originality/value

A double layer coating was developed to provide balanced performance on both anticorrosion and heat insulation. The effects of HGM size were particularly highlighted.
Coloration of aluminum pigment using SiO2 and γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane with dichlorotriazine reactive dye
Authors: Tawiah Benjamin , Zhang Liping , Tian Anli , Fu Shai Shao
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to colour aluminium pigment to the highest chroma using SiO2 and organic silane with dichlorotriazine reactive dye and investigate its reaction mechanism, chemical stability and thermal properties to improve its applicability in surface coatings.

Design/methodology/approach

Aluminium pigment was encapsulated by the catalysed sol-gel method using SiO2, followed by modification with γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). Purified reactive dye (1-Amino-4-[3-(4,6-dichlorotriazin-2-ylamino)-4-sulfophenylamino]anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (X-BR)) was covalently immobilized onto modified SiO2 to obtain coloured aluminium pigment. The reaction mechanism, chemical stability and thermophysical properties were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA).

Findings

The results showed that X-BR was covalently attached to modified Al/SiO2 with maximum colour grafting of 95 per cent when the dosage of GPTMS and X-BR per weight of modified Al/SiO2 was 25 and 15 per cent, respectively, at pH 8.5 and a temperature of 40°C. The coloured aluminium pigment had good chemical stability with excellent anti-migration properties in many solvents.

Research limitations/implications

The organic silane used required a careful control of pH to ensure maximum colour grafting efficiency meanwhile other silanes with amine groups could also be used effectively with different kinds of colorants besides reactive dyes.

Practical implications

The method used is less cumbersome and provides a simple route to preparing coloured aluminium pigment.

Originality/value

The use of organic-inorganic SiO2/γ- GPTMS with purified reactive dye to covalently colour aluminium pigment to the highest chroma is novel and will help advance the frontiers of knowledge on coloration of aluminium pigments.
Mathematical modeling of delamination factor on end milling of hybrid GFRP composites through RSM
Authors: Jenarthanan M.P. , Lakshman Prakash A. , Jeyapaul R.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a mathematical model for delamination during end milling by using response surface methodology (RSM) and to determine how the input parameters (cutting speed, depth of cut and feed rate) influence the output response (delamination) in machining of hybrid glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP; abaca and glass) composite using solid carbide end mill cutter.

Design/methodology/approach

Three factors, three levels Box–Behnken design in RSM is used to carry out the experimental investigation. Shop microscope Mitutoyo TM-500 is used to measure the width of maximum damage of the machined hybrid GFRP composites. The “Design Expert 8.0” is used to analyse the data collected graphically. Analysis of variance is carried out to validate the model and for determining the most significant parameter.

Findings

The RSM is used to predict the input factors influencing the delamination on the machined surfaces of hybrid GFRP composite at different cutting conditions with the chosen range of 95 per cent confidence intervals. Analysis on the influences of the entire individual input machining parameters on the delamination has been carried out using RSM.

Originality/value

Effect of milling of hybrid GFRP composite on delamination with solid carbide end mill has not been analysed yet using RSM.
The Mass Production of Redundant, Misleading, and Conflicted Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses
Authors: IOANNIDIS JOHN P.A.
Published: September 2016

Policy Points:

Currently, there is massive production of unnecessary, misleading, and conflicted systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. Instead of promoting evidence‐based medicine and health care, these instruments often serve mostly as easily produced publishable units or marketing tools.

Suboptimal systematic reviews and meta‐analyses can be harmful given the major prestige and influence these types of studies have acquired.

The publication of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses should be realigned to remove biases and vested interests and to integrate them better with the primary production of evidence.

Context

Currently, most systematic reviews and meta‐analyses are done retrospectively with fragmented published information. This article aims to explore the growth of published systematic reviews and meta‐analyses and to estimate how often they are redundant, misleading, or serving conflicted interests.

Methods

Data included information from PubMed surveys and from empirical evaluations of meta‐analyses.

Findings

Publication of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses has increased rapidly. In the period January 1, 1986, to December 4, 2015, PubMed tags 266,782 items as “systematic reviews” and 58,611 as “meta‐analyses.” Annual publications between 1991 and 2014 increased 2,728% for systematic reviews and 2,635% for meta‐analyses versus only 153% for all PubMed‐indexed items. Currently, probably more systematic reviews of trials than new randomized trials are published annually. Most topics addressed by meta‐analyses of randomized trials have overlapping, redundant meta‐analyses; same‐topic meta‐analyses may exceed 20 sometimes. Some fields produce massive numbers of meta‐analyses; for example, 185 meta‐analyses of antidepressants for depression were published between 2007 and 2014. These meta‐analyses are often produced either by industry employees or by authors with industry ties and results are aligned with sponsor interests. China has rapidly become the most prolific producer of English‐language, PubMed‐indexed meta‐analyses. The most massive presence of Chinese meta‐analyses is on genetic associations (63% of global production in 2014), where almost all results are misleading since they combine fragmented information from mostly abandoned era of candidate genes. Furthermore, many contracting companies working on evidence synthesis receive industry contracts to produce meta‐analyses, many of which probably remain unpublished. Many other meta‐analyses have serious flaws. Of the remaining, most have weak or insufficient evidence to inform decision making. Few systematic reviews and meta‐analyses are both non‐misleading and useful.

Conclusions

The production of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses has reached epidemic proportions. Possibly, the large majority of produced systematic reviews and meta‐analyses are unnecessary, misleading, and/or conflicted.
The Exnovation of Chronic Care Management Processes by Physician Organizations
Authors: RODRIGUEZ HECTOR P. , HENKE RACHEL MOSHER , BIBI SALMA , RAMSAY PATRICIA P. , SHORTELL STEPHEN M.
Published: September 2016

Policy Points

The rate of adoption of chronic care management processes (CMPs) by physician organizations has been fairly slow in spite of demonstrated effectiveness of CMPs in improving outcomes of chronic care.

Exnovation (ie, removal of innovations) by physician organizations largely explains the slow population‐level increases in practice use of CMPs over time.

Expanded health information technology functions may aid practices in retaining CMPs. Low provider reimbursement by Medicaid programs, however, may contribute to disinvestment in CMPs by physician organizations.

Context

Exnovation is the process of removal of innovations that are not effective in improving organizational performance, are too disruptive to routine operations, or do not fit well with the existing organizational strategy, incentives, structure, and/or culture. Exnovation may contribute to the low overall adoption of care management processes (CMPs) by US physician organizations over time.

Methods

Three national surveys of US physician organizations, which included common questions about organizational characteristics, use of CMPs, and health information technology (HIT) capabilities for practices of all sizes, and Truven Health Insurance Coverage Estimates were integrated to assess organizational and market influences on the exnovation of CMPs in a longitudinal cohort of 1,048 physician organizations. CMPs included 5 strategies for each of 4 chronic conditions (diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure, and depression): registry use, nurse care management, patient reminders for preventive and care management services to prevent exacerbations of chronic illness, use of nonphysician clinicians to provide patient education, and quality of care feedback to physicians.

Findings

Over one‐third (34.1%) of physician organizations exnovated CMPs on net. Quality of care data feedback to physicians and patient reminders for recommended preventive and chronic care were discontinued by over one‐third of exnovators, while nurse care management and registries were largely retained. Greater proportions of baseline Medicaid practice revenue (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.44, p < 0.001) and increasing proportions of revenue from Medicaid (IRR = 1.02, p < 0.05) were associated with greater CMP exnovation by physician organizations on net. Practices with greater expansion of HIT functionality exnovated fewer CMPs (IRR = 0.91, p < 0.001) compared to practices with less expansion of HIT functionality.

Conclusions

Exnovation of CMPs is an important reason why the population‐level adoption of CMPs by physician organizations has remained low. Expanded HIT functions and changes to Medicaid reimbursement and incentives may aid the retention of CMPs by physician organizations.
Effect of Scavenging Circulating Reactive Carbonyls by Oral Pyridoxamine in Uremic Rats on Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Mori Yoshitaka , Kakuta Takatoshi , Miyakogawa Takayo , Takekoshi Susumu , Yuzawa Hiroko , Kobayashi Hiroyuki , Kawakami Atsushi , Miyata Toshio , Fukagawa Masafumi
Published: September 2016

Pyridoxamine, a reactive carbonyl (RCO) scavenger, can ameliorate peritoneal deterioration in uremic peritoneal dialysis (PD) rats when given via dialysate. We examined the effects of scavenging circulating RCOs by oral pyridoxamine. Rats underwent nephrectomy and 3 weeks of twice daily PD either alone or with once daily oral pyridoxamine. PD solution was supplemented with methylglyoxal, a major glucose‐derived RCO, to quench intraperitoneal pyridoxamine. Oral pyridoxamine achieved comparable blood and dialysate pyridoxamine concentrations, suppressed pentosidine accumulation in the blood but not in the mesenterium or dialysate, and reduced the increases in small solute transport and mesenteric vessel densities, with no effects on submesothelial matrix layer thickening or serum creatinine. Thus, reducing circulating RCOs by giving oral pyridoxamine with PD provides limited peritoneal protection. However, orally given pyridoxamine efficiently reaches the peritoneal cavity and would eliminate intraperitoneal RCOs. Oral pyridoxamine is more clinically favorable and may be as protective as intraperitoneal administration.
Alginate antacid (Gaviscon DA) chewable tablets reduce esophageal acid exposure in Chinese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and heartburn symptoms
Authors: Yuan Yao Zong , Fang Jing Yuan , Zou Duo Wu , Levinson Nigel , Jenner Bartosz , Wilkinson Joanne
Published: September 2016

Objective

To assess the efficacy of Gaviscon Double Action (DA) alginate antacid chewable tablets for reducing esophageal acid exposure in Chinese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods

Altogether 44 patients reporting moderate to severe heartburn symptoms underwent two pH monitoring visits. The treatment sequence was randomized to patients received DA alginate antacid or placebo at one visit and the alternate treatment 7 days later. After a standardized reflux‐provoking meal, patients took four tablets of DA alginate antacid or placebo. Esophageal pH was measured for 4 h post‐dosing using an electrode positioned 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. The primary end‐point was the percentage of 4‐h post‐dosing period with pH <4. Secondary end‐points were number of acid reflux episodes (pH <4), longest reflux time and DeMeester scores.

Results

All 44 patients completed the study and provided data for analysis. With DA alginate antacid, the mean percentage time with pH <4 was 5.1%, significantly less (P = 0.0003) than with placebo (14.8%). DA alginate antacid was statistically significantly superior (P = 0.0290) to placebo (from at least twofold to threefold better) for all other end‐points. Two patients reported two mild adverse events (AEs) that resolved within a month of completing the study. No patients had serious and/or severe AEs and none withdrew due to AEs.

Conclusions

DA alginate antacid was statistically significantly superior to placebo in reducing post‐prandial acid exposure without serious clinically relevant health risks. These findings suggest DA alginate antacid tablets are appropriate for treating acid reflux in Chinese GERD patients with heartburn symptoms.
Short selling, margin buying and stock return in China market
Authors: Li Rui , Li Nan , Li Jiahui , Wu Chongfeng
Published: September 2016

It is well argued that short sellers are informed traders, and short interests predict future stock returns significantly. However, most researches neglect margin buyers, as twin sisters of short sellers, and keep silent about their impact on stock returns. In this article, we demonstrate that margin buyers significantly impact predictive power of conventional short measures. We document that conventional short measures neglecting margin‐buying activities, short interest ratio (SIR) and days to cover (DTC) fail to predict stock return unless our analysis is confined to lightly margin bought stocks. We also show that short‐margin trading ratio (SMTR), revised short measure with consideration of margin buying, predict stock return more sharply. What is more, we can form profitable portfolios by the new short measure.
Macro Implementation: Testing the Causal Paths from U.S. Macro Policy to Federal Incarceration
Authors: Hall Matthew E.K.
Published: September 2016

Policy implementation is usually studied at the micro level by testing the short‐term effects of a specific policy on the behavior of government actors and policy outcomes. This study adopts an alternative approach by examining macro implementation—the cumulative effect of aggregate public policies over time. I employ a variety of methodological techniques to test the influence of macro criminal justice policy on new admissions to federal prison via three mediators: case filings by federal prosecutors, conviction rates in federal district courts, and plea bargaining behavior. I find that cumulative Supreme Court rulings influence the incarceration rate by altering conviction rates in district courts; however, I find only mixed evidence of congressional and presidential influence. The results suggest that U.S. macro policy influences bureaucratic outputs by altering the behavior of subordinate policy implementers; however, the Supreme Court may enjoy an advantage in shaping criminal justice policy.