bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Vivo Graft Elongation After Arthroscopic Dermal Superior Capsular Reconstruction
Authors: LeVasseur Clarissa M. , Kane Gillian , Hughes Jonathan D. , Lin Albert , Anderst William
Published: July 2023

Background:

Superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) is a procedure purported to restore stability of the glenohumeral joint after an irreparable rotator cuff tear, but the in vivo behavior of the graft is unknown. Previous work has not evaluated the relationship between graft deformation, kinematics, and healing.

Purpose:

To (1) determine regional graft elongation after SCR, (2) determine if graft elongation is related to graft healing, and (3) identify associations between graft elongation and changes in kinematics from presurgery to postsurgery.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Ten patients who underwent SCR performed abduction and shoulder rotation with the arm at 90° of humerothoracic abduction before and 1 year after surgery while biplane radiographs were collected at 50 images per second. Kinematics was determined with submillimeter accuracy by matching patient-specific digitally reconstructed radiographs of the humerus and scapula to the biplane radiographs using a validated volumetric tracking technique. Graft elongation was calculated using motion of the graft anchors that were identified on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Differences in elongation between anterior and posterior regions of the graft, as well as associations between graft elongation, graft healing, and kinematics, were analyzed.

Results:

Peak graft elongation ranged from a 3% decrease in the anterior region during rotation to up to a 171% increase in the anterior region during abduction and the posterior region during rotation. Grafts that were healed at both anterior anchors reached the intraoperative length at lower abduction angles (60°) than grafts that were not healed at 1 or both of the anterior anchors (87°) ( P = .005). The posterior anchor graft origin to insertion distances were 2.1 mm farther apart after surgery compared with before surgery during both abduction and rotation.

Conclusion:

SCR dermal allografts are stretched well beyond their intraoperative length in vivo. Graft healing appears to be associated with less graft elongation. The posterior portion of the SCR graft does not appear to improve glenohumeral joint stability 1 year after surgery. Improved clinical outcomes after dermal allograft SCR may be because of the spacer effect of the graft rather than improved glenohumeral joint stability 1 year after surgery.
Social workers’ formal and informal leadership in interprofessional primary care teams in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Ashcroft Rachelle , Feryn Nele , Lam Simon , Hussain Amina , Donnelly Catherine , Mehta Kavita , Rayner Jennifer , Sur Deepy , Adamson Keith , Sheffield Peter , Brown Judith B.
Published: July 2023

The development of interprofessional teams in primary care presents opportunities for social workers to take on new leadership positions. This study seeks to describe how social workers engaged in leadership roles in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional on-line survey was disseminated to primary care social workers across Ontario, Canada, with a total of 159 respondents. Most respondents engaged in informal leadership roles and showcased a range of leadership skills promoting team collaboration and consultations, along with adapting to virtual care transitions. Findings suggest there needs to be intentional cultivation of social work leaders through supportive environments and training. Social workers in primary care have leadership capacity and are providing leadership to their primary care teams through formal and informal means. The leadership potential of social workers in primary care teams, however, is being underutilized and can be further developed.
Age as a Moderator of Health Outcomes and Trust in Physicians
Authors: Katz Emma , Edelstein Barry , Turiano Nicholas A.
Published: July 2023

Objectives: Patient trust in physicians is associated with patient satisfaction with healthcare, patients engaging in follow-up care, and positive health-related outcomes. The current study investigated whether age moderated the relation between trust in physicians and four health outcome variables, including patient satisfaction, doctor visits, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions. Methods: 398 English-speaking, community-dwelling adults completed measures of physician trust and important health outcome variables via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results: Age significantly moderated relations between trust in physicians and hospital admissions, and trust in physicians and patient satisfaction, with both positive relations becoming stronger with increasing age. Discussion: The results highlight the need for a lifespan approach to the study of physician trust and related health outcomes. They offer an avenue for increasing physician trust, engagement with the healthcare system prior to the need for hospitalization, and the reduction of healthcare costs.
Suitable contract instruments and intellectual property valuation methodologies for industry-university collaboration
Authors: Malherbe Cornelia , Schutte Cornelius SL , Verhoef Gerardus , Meyer Petrie , Doubell Theodorus
Published: July 2023

We propose and evaluate contractual- and Intellectual Property (IP) instruments in support of research collaboration partnerships between universities and the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME)-industry, and more specifically in the South African context. Interviews were conducted with executives from 11 South African originated SMME’s in the high-technology industry. The findings of this study and potential solutions were then verified and validated with SMME’s, large multinational industry and universities (in South Africa and international) and can be considered as good practice principles to assist in industry-university collaboration (IUC). One aspect that was reported with high occurrence, is the matter of IP valuation, as it can often create further barriers in IUC. The question regarding how to value the IP and any rights relating thereto (IPR’s), is attended to in this study and shared experiences from industry and universities provide insights in the considerations and principles to be used when entering discussions regarding IP valuation.
Insights into how universal, tax-funded, single payer health systems manage their waiting lists: A review of the literature
Authors: Amigoni Francesco , Lega Federico , Maggioni Elena
Published: July 2023

Background: A conspicuous consequence of gatekeeping arrangements in universal, tax-funded, single-payer health care systems is the long waiting times. Besides limiting equal access to care, long waiting times can have a negative impact on health outcomes. Long waiting times can create obstacles in a patient’s care pathway. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have implemented various strategies to tackle this issue, but there is little evidence for which approach is the most effective. This literature review examined waiting times for ambulatory care. Objective: The aim was to identify the main policies or combinations of policies universal, tax-funded, and single-payer healthcare systems have implemented to improve the governance of outpatient waiting times. Methods: Starting from 1040 potentially eligible articles, a total of 41 studies were identified via a 2-step selection process. Findings: Despite the relevance of the issue, the literature is limited. A set of 15 policies for the governance of ambulatory waiting time was identified and categorized by the type of intervention: generation of supply capacity, control of demand, and mixed interventions. Even if a primary intervention was always identifiable, rarely a policy was implemented solo. The most frequent primary strategies were: guidelines implementation and/or clinical pathways, including triage, guidelines for referral and maxim waiting times (14 studies), task shifting (9 studies), and telemedicine (6 studies). Most studies were observational, with no data on costs of intervention and impact on clinical outcomes.
Validating an Automated System of Evaluation for English Drafting Skill: A Case of Large-scale, High-stakes Selection of Entry-level Managerial Positions
Authors: Konar A. K. , Martin Ayesha , Ningthoujam Sombala
Published: July 2023

The effectiveness of using a constructed response measure for assessing drafting ability is proven and has been used extensively in managerial selection in state-owned organizations. With the advent of online recruitment trends and technology-enhanced assessments, automated scoring has been conceived as a replacement for human scoring with the purpose of emulating the human scoring system. In the context of large-scale writing assessments, automated scoring could provide superior results to human scoring in terms of validity and reliability. In the present study, an attempt has been made to validate an automated essay scoring (AES) algorithm. The study was conducted on a sample of 11,497 randomly selected from a population of 54,392 shortlisted candidates for a national-level examination for the selection of entry-level executives in managerial positions in state-owned banks and a state-owned insurance company. The evaluation of the descriptive (constructed response) component of the examination (English composition) was carried out parallelly by four expert human raters and the AES algorithm. The parameters for evaluation were devised and made available to raters and the algorithm. Data were analysed using mean SD and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results show that the mean scores of human expert raters ( M = 14.648) and automated algorithm method ( M = 15.804) were similar. Further analysis was also undertaken to check the convergent validity of the features used in the algorithm by examining the relation of algorithm scores with sub scores from the objective test of the same construct. Results indicate a significant correlation. It can thus be said that the algorithm scoring method developed can be considered a replacement in that it can complement human expert raters in the evaluation of descriptive papers with consistent scoring and fairness, without inherent biases of inter-rater and intra-rater variation, in addition to practical benefits of speed and cost.
Book review: Paul Polman and Andrew Winston. 2021. Net Positive
Authors: Aithal Rajesh K.
Published: July 2023

Paul Polman and Andrew Winston. 2021. Net Positive, Harvard Business Review Publishing, pp. 324.
Arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure can modify the clinical course of knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Lyu Shaw-Ruey , Hsu Chia-Chen , Hung Jung-Pin , Chou Li-Chan
Published: July 2023

Background

The effectiveness of arthroscopic treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been controversial. This study compares the clinical outcomes of the arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure (ACRFP) and conservative treatment.

Methods

During the year of 2016, 524 patients (882 knees) who were older than 40 years of age and diagnosed with different stages of knee OA were scheduled for ACRFP under the protocol of knee health promotion option (KHPO) for knee OA. Of those, 259 patients (413 knees) eventually received ACRFP (the ACRFP group), and 265 patients (469 knees) didn’t receive ACRFP but received conservative treatment (the non-ACRFP group). A telephone questionnaire was used to evaluate the subjective satisfaction and the incidence of receiving arthroplasty for these patients.

Results

After the mean follow-up period of 61.6 months (SD 4.5), there were 220 patients (374 knees, 90.6%) in the ACRFP group and 246 patients (431 knees, 90.0%) in the non-ACRFP group completed the outcome study. The satisfactory rate was statistically higher for the ACRFP group (90.64%) than for the non-ACRFP group (70.3%) and the difference in subjective satisfaction was more obvious in patients with more advanced knee OA. As for the incidence of patients having subsequently received arthroplasty, it was higher (13.46%) in the non-ACRFP group than in the ACRFP group (4.28%).

Conclusion

Compared with conservative treatment, ACRFP could satisfy more patients with knee OA and modify their natural course by decreasing the incidence of subsequent arthroplasty.
The Impact of COVID-19 and Remote Learning on Education: Perspectives From University Students With Disabilities
Authors: Li Yi-Fan , Zhang Dalun , Dulas Heather M. , Whirley Mary L.
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 and remote learning on education for college students with disabilities. A qualitative research method, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was used to investigate participants’ learning experiences during the pandemic. A total of 10 U.S. participants were divided into three focus groups for data collection. Data were analyzed using the standard IPA process, and four themes were identified. Discussion of and implications for online instruction and related policies are presented.
School Leaders’ Response to Rising Mental Health Concerns: A Collaborative School-Based Social Worker Pilot
Authors: Drabenstott Matt , Smyth Rachael E. , Searle Michelle , Kirkpatrick Lori , Labonté Chantal
Published: July 2023

Mental health challenges among students remain a complex and widespread problem facing school leaders. Though schools are a front-line pathway for providing mental health services, many struggling youth are not receiving the professional help they need (Atkins, Hoagwood, Kutash, & Seidman, 2010; Findlay, 2017). Creative and collaborative solutions are needed to bridge the mental health gap. School leader support is essential to the successful implementation of mental health interventions (Forman, Olin, Hoagwood, Crowe, & Saka, 2009). This paper summarizes the novel approach taken by school and community leaders in one rural Ontario community who jointly piloted a school-based social worker (SBSW) role to support secondary schools in two districts. Interviews with five district leaders (four involved in designing the intervention and the SBSW who piloted the role) reveal conditions necessary for the pilot to take place, as well as leader involvement in setting up, supporting, monitoring the new role. Interviews highlighted multiple ways which the pilot improved student mental well-ness: one-on-one and group counselling sessions, charting fresh pathways networks of support available to students, creating a safe space for student and staff drop-ins, among other benefits to schools and stakeholders involved in the pilot. Results also detail three challenges leaders encountered along the way: stakeholder agreement, role clarity, and the temporary design of the role. Findings underscore how school-based social workers show promise in addressing rising mental health challenges.
Low-Grade Mucinous Neoplasm Arising in an Enteric Duplication Cyst of Pancreas: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Fan Mengjing , Yang Fang
Published: July 2023

Background. Enteric duplication cysts are rare but can occur in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the pancreas. Most enteric duplication cysts are benign; however, neoplastic transformation has been reported in a few cases, with adenocarcinoma being the most common malignant transformation. Case Presentation. We present an adult with a pancreatic enteric duplication cyst and low-grade mucinous neoplasm. The patient did not exhibit any clinically significant symptoms or physical signs. Imaging revealed a cystic mass in the pancreatic head. Upon pathological examination, the cyst was found to have a bilayered muscular wall with an inner surface lined with pseudostratified mucinous columnar epitheliums. High-power microscopy revealed low-grade dysplasia in epithelial cells. The final pathological diagnosis confirmed an enteric duplication cyst with a low-grade mucinous neoplasm. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a low-grade mucinous neoplasm occurring in an enteric duplication cyst in the pancreas. The importance of complete surgical resection and adequate pathological sampling is emphasized to avoid the missed detection of dysplasia or malignancy in these duplication cysts.
Machine Learning-Based Screening of Risk Factors and Prediction of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism After Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Ding Ruifeng , Ding Yu , Zheng Dongyu , Huang Xingshuai , Dai Jingya , Jia Hui , Deng Mengqiu , Yuan Hongbin , Zhang Yijue , Fu Hailong
Published: July 2023

Prophylactic anticoagulation is a standard strategy for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) to prevent deep venous thromboembolism (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Nevertheless, some patients still experience these complications during their hospital stay. Current risk assessment methods like the Caprini and Geneva scores are not specifically designed for THA and may not accurately predict DVT or PE postoperatively. This study used machine learning techniques to establish models for early diagnosis of DVT and PE in patients undergoing THA. Data were collected from 1481 patients who received perioperative prophylactic anticoagulation. Model establishment and parameter tuning were performed using a training set and evaluated using a test set. Among the models, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) performed the best, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.982, sensitivity of 0.913, and specificity of 0.998. The main features used in the XGBoost model were direct and indirect bilirubin, partial activation prothrombin time, prealbumin, creatinine, D-dimer, and C-reactive protein. Shapley Additive Explanations analysis was conducted to further analyze these features. This study presents a model for early diagnosis DVT or PE after THA and demonstrates bilirubin could be a potential predictor in the assessment of DVT or PE. Compared to traditional risk assessment, XGBoost has a high sensitivity and specificity to predict DVT and PE in the clinical setting. Furthermore, the results of this study were converted into a web calculator that can be used in clinical practice.
Reducing Methodological Footprints in Qualitative Research
Authors: Koro Mirka , Wolgemuth Jennifer , Trinh Ethan
Published: July 2023

This conceptual paper proposes that all methodologies create a footprint like the carbon footprint. Design and implementation of new methodologies require limited resources and funding, and these resources are not equitably distributed on a global scale. Thus, we argue for more ecological uses of methodologies, especially in the context of data collection and interdependent relations of knowledge/information creation. Like the excessive use of energy sources, potentially unnecessary productions of new data, information, and evidence should not be regarded as unproblematic, let alone virtuous. Rather, qualitative researchers, funding agencies, and other bodies that evaluate research, should question whether new data, information, evidence are needed and at what cost. We also propose more data recycling, data sharing, open access data, and other ecological ways of supporting shared knowledge and monitoring excessive data production.
In Silico Functional Characterization of a Hypothetical Protein From Pasteurella Multocida Reveals a Novel S-Adenosylmethionine-Dependent Methyltransferase Activity
Authors: Masum Md. Habib Ullah , Rajia Sultana , Bristi Uditi Paul , Akter Mir Salma , Amin Mohammad Ruhul , Shishir Tushar Ahmed , Ferdous Jannatul , Ahmed Firoz , Rahaman Md. Mizanur , Saha Otun
Published: July 2023

Genomes may now be sequenced in a matter of weeks, leading to an influx of “hypothetical” proteins (HP) whose activities remain a mystery in GenBank. The information included inside these genes has quickly grown in prominence. Thus, we selected to look closely at the structure and function of an HP (AFF25514.1; 246 residues) from Pasteurella multocida (PM) subsp. multocida str. HN06. Possible insights into bacterial adaptation to new environments and metabolic changes might be gained by studying the functions of this protein. The PM HN06 2293 gene encodes an alkaline cytoplasmic protein with a molecular weight of 28352.60 Da, an isoelectric point (pI) of 9.18, and an overall average hydropathicity of around −0.565. One of its functional domains, tRNA (adenine (37)-N6)-methyltransferase TrmO, is a S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferase (MTase), suggesting that it belongs to the Class VIII SAM-dependent MTase family. The tertiary structures represented by HHpred and I-TASSER models were found to be flawless. We predicted the model’s active site using the Computed Atlas of Surface Topography of Proteins (CASTp) and FTSite servers, and then displayed it in 3 dimensional (3D) using PyMOL and BIOVIA Discovery Studio. Based on molecular docking (MD) results, we know that HP interacts with SAM and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), 2 crucial metabolites in the tRNA methylation process, with binding affinities of 7.4 and 7.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamic simulations (MDS) of the docked complex, which included only modest structural adjustments, corroborated the strong binding affinity of SAM and SAH to the HP. Evidence for HP’s possible role as an SAM-dependent MTase was therefore given by the findings of Multiple sequence alignment (MSA), MD, and molecular dynamic modeling. These in silico data suggest that the investigated HP might be used as a useful adjunct in the investigation of Pasteurella infections and the development of drugs to treat zoonotic pasteurellosis.
Meeting externalities: The effects of educational training on support for tourism activities
Authors: Tovar Beatriz , Boto-García David , Baños Pino José Francisco
Published: July 2023

This study evaluates whether college students change their beliefs about the social, economic, and environmental effects of tourism activities after receiving educational training. In particular, our goal is to examine if economic instruction affects their views about the impacts of cruise tourism development. We conduct an experiment with students majoring in tourism enrolled in a compulsory course on tourism and transport at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain). We administer a survey before and after the course in three academic years that involve the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. We find that students become more concerned about the negative impacts of cruise tourism, with significant shifts in their agreement with the environmental externalities and price surges associated with cruise tourism. Furthermore, they become more supportive of the setting of a tourism tax per passenger, but agree less with the idea that governments should economically incentivise the arrival of more ships.
Experiences and management of urinary incontinence following treatment for prostate cancer: Disrupted embodied practices and adapting to maintain masculinity
Authors: Green Richard
Published: July 2023

This article explores men’s experiences of and management strategies for urinary incontinence (UI) following treatment for prostate cancer. Qualitative interviews with 29 men, recruited from two prostate cancer support groups, explored their post-treatment experiences. Drawing on a conceptual toolkit connecting theories of masculinities, embodiment, and chronic illness, this paper identifies older men’s experiences and strategies for managing UI and explores how these are shaped by their masculinities. This article identifies interdependence between managing stigma for UI and maintaining masculinity. Men’s embodied practices for engaging in activities in public, crucial to masculine identity, were disrupted. In response, they adopted new reflexive body techniques to manage and resolve their UI, and thereby address the threat to their masculine identities, characterised in three strategies: monitoring, planning, and disciplining. The new embodied practices men described suggest three factors as important components for adopting new reflexive body techniques: routine, desire, and unruliness.
On the extinction of stochastic Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible epidemic with distributed delays
Authors: Elbaz Islam M , Sohaly MA , El-Metwally H
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we study a stochastic SIS epidemic model with distributed delays. The positiveness of the solutions is established. We obtain sufficient conditions for the extinction of the disease through the study of stochastic stability of the disease-free equilibrium and stability of the same equilibrium in the mean. Compared to many works on the deterministic and stochastic SIS models and their stability, the distributed delays involved in the model offer new conditions with much more boundedness on the rate of losing immunity. The disease is extinct for small and large enough values of the intensity of noise and regardless of the initial history functions and the magnitude of the basic reproductive number R0.
Active vibration control using nonlinear auto-regressive neural network to identify secondary channel
Authors: Chun-sheng Song , Xue-chun Xiong , Qi Yang , Bo Jia , Bo-yuan Chen , Ya-ru Liang , Hai-ning Fang
Published: July 2023

The power unit on board the ship generates periodic low-frequency vibration that affects the normal operation of the equipment on board, and the adaptive feedforward control algorithm can effectively suppress such harmful vibration noise. But the adaptive feedforward control algorithm needs to obtain the identification model of the secondary channels, and the frequency domain least squares method based on the linear Extended auto-regressive model (ARX) is difficult to obtain the identification model with nonlinear characteristics. The nonlinear auto-regressive model (NARX) adds nonlinear mapping layers to the topology of the ARX model to enhance the identification capability of the NARX model for complex systems. In this paper, a block diagram of the Fx-LMS feedforward control algorithm based on the NARX model is proposed, then the initial parameters of the NARX neural network are optimized using the Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO) algorithm and the secondary channel is identified, and the identification results show that the accuracy of identifying the secondary channel using the NARX neural network is higher than that of the ARX model. The simulation and experimental results show that the vibration damping effect of the proposed method is better than the traditional Fx-LMS method for both single-line spectrum and multi-line spectrum periodic low-frequency disturbances, which provides a new method for the suppression of periodic low-frequency disturbances.
Hans Kelsen on political Catholicism and Christian Democracy
Authors: Wolkenstein Fabio
Published: July 2023

Hans Kelsen was one of the most important legal thinkers of the 20th century, and he is known for mounting an elaborate defense of liberal party democracy at a time when the latter was hardly the most popular form of regime. This article examines how Kelsen responded to two major political movements he experienced in his intellectual prime: political Catholicism, which he was confronted with in interwar Austria, and Christian Democracy, which became a hegemonic political force in Western Europe after World War II, when Kelsen was already in exile. The article reconstructs Kelsen's complex critique of these two religious movements and ends by reflecting on what we can learn from his arguments about current attempts to revive Christian political thought.
“My Entire Support System for Graduate School”: Black Students’ Experiences in a McNair Scholars Program
Authors: Clayton Ashley B. , Breeden Roshaunda L. , Davis Tiffany J.
Published: July 2023

This qualitative, multi-site case study across three McNair Scholars Programs uses interviews to explore Black students’ aspirations to attend graduate school. While the undergraduate students in this study faced various personal and academic challenges at their predominantly white institutions (PWIs), all the 13 students used community cultural wealth by way of seven forms of capital to join and engage with their institution's McNair Scholars Program. In their own words, the students in this study describe how their campus McNair Program supported their persistence, namely, the program's benefits, how the program helped to boost their confidence, and the significance of their faculty mentors. Lastly, the students describe how they used several forms of capital to overcome systemic barriers and pursue graduate education. The findings identify how institutional agents and programs, like McNair Scholars, can nurture and build upon the assets that Black students already have to support undergraduate retention and graduate persistence.
The Impact of a History of Different Other Cancers on the Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Gallbladder Cancer: A Propensity Score–Adjusted, Population-Based Study
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Chan , Yan Dong
Published: July 2023

Background

As the number of cancer survivors increases, the prevalence of the second type of primary cancer will increase. In clinical trials, patients with a history of malignant tumors in the past are usually excluded. It is unknown whether previous cancers affect survival outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of previous malignant tumors on the long-term prognosis of patients with gallbladder cancer.

Methods

By using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and END Results (SEER) database, we collect patient data and obtain patients who had gallbladder cancer diagnosed in 2004–2015 and had an adaption and contrast 1:1 with cases. We applied the Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression models to assess the influence of prior malignancy on gallbladder cancer survival outcomes.

Results

Among 8338 patients who had mainly gallbladder cancer, 525 (6.3%) suffered prior cancer. Prostate cancer (22.29%), Breast cancer (21.14%), and Genitourinary (14.67%) are the most common types. Before propensity score matching (PSM), two groups of different Kaplan–Meier curves were obtained by classifying previous cancer history, and by comparison, the all-cause difference in the group with previous cancer history was not salience ( P = 0.31), but there is a protective effect on the Cancer-specific fatality rate ( p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained after propensity score matching (PSM). Among the multivariate Cox analysis, previous malignancy had no obvious relation, including all causes (HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.86–1.12, p = 0.70) but a better gallbladder cancer-specific survival (HR =0.64, 95% CI: 0.55–0.75, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Prior cancer may not be an obvious factor impacting the survival of cancers of all-cause including the gallbladder. In clinical trials of gallbladder cancer, exclusion criteria based on cancer history should be assessed.
Impact of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Prognosis of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Yuan Huixin , Niu Qianqian , Shang Xiaofei , Zhang Liang , Li Li , Yang Huasheng , Gou Chunyan , Li Jingying , Li Hongyan , Li Xiuhui
Published: July 2023

Background:

In a previous study, we found that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alleviated the clinical symptoms and improved the quality of life (QoL) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objectives:

A cohort was continuously followed up to determine the impact of the TCM adjuvant therapies on the prognosis of HCC after conventional treatments.

Methods:

We did a retrospective monocentric cohort study including 175 eligible patients. The participants who received TCM adjuvant therapies were termed as TCM group. For the purpose of stratification analysis, the patients who received TCM adjuvant therapies over 3 months per year were further classified into the high frequency group, while the rest of the TCM users were classified into the low frequency group. Non-users were recorded as the control group. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and the secondary outcome was the mean progression-free survival (mPFS) primarily introduced in this study, referring to the time from initial diagnosis to the latest progression over the number of disease progressions. Analyses used Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) methods, adjusted for stratification factors.

Results:

Until June 30, 2021, 56 patients survived, 21 patients were lost to follow-up, and 98 patients died from the disease. Each disease progression of every individual was recorded, and most of the PFS was within 1 year. The baseline data of the allocated groups were balanced, the result revealed that TCM adjuvant therapies might have little influence on OS ( P = .129). However, the 1, 3, and 5-year progression-free survival rates of the patients in TCM and control group were 68.75%, 37.50%; 25.00%, 8.33% and 8.33%, 2.08%, respectively, indicating TCM use significantly extended the mPFS, and decreased the risk of disease progression by a factor of 0.676 ( P = .006). In the patients with BCLC stage B HCC, compared with controls, a 37-month median OS advantage in the high frequency group was noted ( P = .045); and the high frequency of TCM use significantly suppressed disease progression ( P = .001).

Conclusions:

The present study revealed that TCM adjuvant therapies could postpone disease progression in HCC. Furthermore, using TCM over 3 months per year might extend OS in patients with intermediate HCC.
Correction of Tetratorsional Malalignment of the Lower Extremities Improves Patient-Reported Outcomes
Authors: Reif Taylor J. , Khabyeh-Hasbani Nathan , Shin Tom Jonggu , Rozbruch S. Robert , Fragomen Austin T.
Published: July 2023

Background:

Axial malalignment of the bilateral femurs and tibias, previously known as “miserable” malalignment, now renamed tetratorsional malalignment (TTM), presents with hip and/or knee pain refractory to nonoperative treatment.

Purpose:

We sought to investigate whether bilateral rotational osteotomy of the femur and tibia leads to improvement in a deformity-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM).

Methods:

A retrospective review of patients who underwent staged rotational correction of the bilateral femur and tibias was performed. Computed tomography (CT) was used to measure the preoperative rotational profile and plan the surgical correction. Stabilization was predominantly with intramedullary nails. The primary outcome measure was the Limb Deformity-modified Scoliosis Research Society (LDSRS) score. Secondary outcomes included change in mechanical limb alignment and complications of the procedure.

Results:

Sixteen patients (13 female and 3 male) with average age of 23.1 years (range: 15–36 years) underwent 4-segment rotational correction. The averages for femoral and tibial deformity correction were 23.5° (6.2° SD) and 20.9° (5.2° SD), respectively. The total LDSRS score improved from 3.67 (0.3 SD) to 4.39 (0.3 SD) ( P = .001). The LDSRS sub-scores for function, pain, and self-image also significantly improved. In patients not undergoing concurrent coronal deformity correction, the limb mechanical axis was not significantly changed. No additional procedures were performed to obtain bone union. Three patients required peroneal nerve decompression following the index procedure, and all neurologic symptoms resolved.

Conclusion:

This retrospective review suggests that correction of TTM of the lower extremities may lead to improvements in function, pain, and self-image. There were minimal complications and no iatrogenic deformity among 16 patients reviewed. The new diagnosis, TTM, is descriptive of this debilitating condition without communicating a negative patient image.
Radioactive 125I Seed Inhibits Cell Migration and Invasion and Promotes Apoptosis by Inactivating the VEGFR2 Signaling Pathway in Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Luo Jun , Zheng Jiaping , Yao Hongxiang , Wang Binbing , Zhang Zhewei , Shao Guoliang
Published: July 2023

Objectives

To investigate the potential mechanisms of 125I seed implantation therapeutic treatment on inactivating the VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT pathway in cholangiocarcinoma.

Methods

The human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines HCCC-9810 and HuCCT1 were purchased for in vitro studies. The BALB/c nude mice were obtained for in vivo studies. The proliferation of cells was detected by CCK-8, colony formation, and BrdU staining. The migration and invasion of cells were determined by wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was utilized for histological evaluation. Protein expression was determined by western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Compared with the control group, .6 mCi group and .8 mCi group inhibited cholangiocarcinoma cells proliferation, invasion, migration, and promoted apoptosis, the protein expression of p-VEGFR2, VEGFR2, PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, cyclin B1, cyclin A, CDK1, and Bcl-2 was decreased. Similar results were obtained from in vitro experiments. However, when VEGF is overexpressed, the inhibitory effect of .8 mCi was partially significantly reversed on cholangiocarcinoma cells. The in vivo studies further confirmed the inhibitory effects of .6 mCi group and .8 mCi group on cholangiocarcinoma.

Conclusion

125I seed irradiation could inhibit cholangiocarcinoma cells proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote apoptosis through inactivation of the VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Assessing Palestinian public diplomacy: Realities, challenges and opportunities
Authors: Ayoub Haya H
Published: July 2023

In light of the crucial role public diplomacy plays in shaping perspectives around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this research paper assesses the Palestinian public diplomacy practised by both governmental and non-governmental actors. The article firstly showcases public diplomacy in context and its importance for Palestinians. Then, the article sheds light on the most common characteristics of the Palestinian public diplomacy programmes. Finally, the paper discusses the drawbacks and challenges of improving public diplomacy, and suggests practical steps to improve Palestine’s stand in the international realm.
A creativity-focused anniversary: Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations at the heart of a cultural economy of the past
Authors: Valois-Nadeau Fannie
Published: July 2023

In 2017, the City of Montreal commemorated its 375th anniversary. Because it celebrated the city’s “creative” spirit more than its past, this 375th anniversary stands as an opportunity to explore reconfigurations of public anniversaries, which often take the shape of cultural mega-events. This article presents the different logics behind these celebrations, largely shaped by the communications and entertainment industries, and examines how they partake in developing of a cultural economy that benefits from the past. The purpose is thus not only to identify the presence of a commercial relationship but to explore how celebrations develop in light of the paradigm of creativity, which is currently a pillar of cities’ economic development policies. This article draws on interviews with people involved in the event organization, individuals sidelined by the process, and media and archives analysis.
A psalm is always a memory: Nostalgia and sacrality in contemporary ritual-musical appropriations of the psalms
Authors: Vogel Henk , Klomp Mirella , Barnard Marcel
Published: July 2023

This article discusses the role of biographical memory in three contemporary ritual-musical appropriations of the psalms in Dutch and Flemish contexts. We observe that, in performances of psalms, participants (intend to) either forget or recall different biographical memories. Nostalgic narratives of religious, cultural and individual change and continuity inform both the way that they interpret their experiences of these psalm performances, and their motivations for attempting to forget or recall particular memories related to the psalms. By using the notion of sacrality — that which is set apart, non-ordinary — we show that particular non-negotiable desires and non-ordinary experiences recur multiple times in these nostalgic narratives. Analysis of these desires and experiences leads us to conclude that contemplative experiences are desired by many, but experienced by only a few. We suggest the combination of Aleida Assmann’s theory of forgetting and remembering with the notions of nostalgia and sacrality as a way to successfully overcome the unproductive dichotomy between religious and cultural heritage.
Three concepts of power: Foucault, Bourdieu, and Habermas
Authors: Christensen Gerd
Published: July 2023

The article is a discussion of the concept of power in three different social theories that are often applied to educational research: the theories of Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu, and Michel Foucault. In everyday life, the concept of power is used as if it only had a single connotation: power as possessed by someone (“the powerful”) while exercised over someone else (“the powerless”). In this case, power is considered as a (potentially) repressive force and ascribed to a person, a culture, a state, or a society. Though, power can be comprehended otherwise: as non-possessed and productive. In the paper, the three conceptions of power are presented and discussed in relation to each other and to specific philosophical themes like dualism, reductionism, determinism and autonomy, truth, normativity, and relativism. Finally, the paper shows that the applied power-concept has significant consequences for the way the educational researcher analyzes conflicts, and therefore also for our understanding of the world in which we live.
The relationship between Indonesian young people’s knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of MyPlate with sociodemographic, body satisfaction, accessibility, and source of information
Authors: Jeslin  , Astina Junaida
Published: July 2023

MyPlate is a 2017 campaign about Indonesian Balanced Nutrition Guidelines. Nutrition knowledge of young people plays an important role since nutritional status of young people affects offspring’s health. Moreover, they are more likely to be obese later in life, particularly in urban areas. The main objective of this descriptive study was to assess the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of MyPlate with sociodemographic, body satisfaction (BS), accessibility and source of information. Data were collected in a cross-sectional study involving 413 young people in Jakarta. The online questionnaire was modified from previous studies, validated by three experts, pre-tested and proven to be reliable through Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.714. In this study, most participants had poor knowledge (54%), good attitude (80%), fair practice (72%), fair BS (51%) and good accessibility (70%). Chi-square analysis showed significant relationships ( p-value < 0.05) of knowledge with BS, education level, major; attitude with accessibility; practice with BS and accessibility; BS with gender; accessibility with socioeconomic status; source of information with education level and major. Moreover, the biggest source of MyPlate information was this questionnaire (45%), which means they were not familiar with MyPlate before. This study verifies the necessity to intensify its promotion and improve nutritional knowledge and practice in young people.
What does it take to be rich? Asking reasonable survey questions about income inequality
Authors: Trump Kris-Stella
Published: July 2023

Measuring public perceptions of economic inequality is challenging. Even though the concept of unequal resources is intuitive, most mathematical summaries of inequality are not. Additionally, humans are better at thinking in terms of prototypical representations of different groups than in terms of statistical properties of distributions. As a result, asking respondents to estimate numeric indicators of unequal distributions results in high rates of missing and ad hoc responses. To circumvent this problem, this article proposes and characterizes two survey items about income differences that refer primarily to mental representations of social groups but that can still be used to explore respondents’ perceptions of economic inequality. The survey items ask respondents to estimate the income at which a household becomes rich and the income at which a household becomes poor. Three survey samples from two countries show that response patterns are plausible and exhibit expected correlates. These items sacrifice the existence of objectively correct numeric answers but gain insight into respondents’ subjective perceptions of the differences between the rich and the poor. Consequently, these items may improve our ability to study the correlates and determinants of lay perceptions of economic inequality.
Artificial intelligence in healthcare: Complementing, not replacing, doctors and healthcare providers
Authors: Sezgin Emre
Published: July 2023

The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical practice has increased and is evidently contributing to improved diagnostic accuracy, optimized treatment planning, and improved patient outcomes. The rapid evolution of AI, especially generative AI and large language models (LLMs), have reignited the discussions about their potential impact on the healthcare industry, particularly regarding the role of healthcare providers. Concerning questions, “can AI replace doctors?” and “will doctors who are using AI replace those who are not using it?” have been echoed. To shed light on this debate, this article focuses on emphasizing the augmentative role of AI in healthcare, underlining that AI is aimed to complement, rather than replace, doctors and healthcare providers. The fundamental solution emerges with the human–AI collaboration, which combines the cognitive strengths of healthcare providers with the analytical capabilities of AI. A human-in-the-loop (HITL) approach ensures that the AI systems are guided, communicated, and supervised by human expertise, thereby maintaining safety and quality in healthcare services. Finally, the adoption can be forged further by the organizational process informed by the HITL approach to improve multidisciplinary teams in the loop. AI can create a paradigm shift in healthcare by complementing and enhancing the skills of healthcare providers, ultimately leading to improved service quality, patient outcomes, and a more efficient healthcare system.
Attitudes to Risk and Uncertainty: New Insights From an Experiment Using Interval Prospects
Authors: Begho Toritseju , Balcombe Kelvin
Published: July 2023

The predominant way of eliciting risk attitudes is to ask decision-makers to choose between discrete monetary lotteries with known probabilities attached to the payoffs. Yet, arguably, most choices made day-to-day entail continuous outcomes where objective distributions are unknown. This paper investigates responses to continuous “prospects,” employing parametric methods based upon prospect theory under conditions of risk and uncertainty. We find that behavior under uncertainty seemed to mirror that of risk, but there appear to be some differences in how participants dealt with the uncertainty frame compared to risk. Participants appear not to treat “equally likely” outcomes as being “equally likely,” thus demonstrated cumulative probability warping suggested by prospect theory. Participants’ behavior was difficult to fully reconcile with prospect theory, at least to the extent that it is commonly parameterized, perhaps due to endpoints (in particular zero endpoints) being “salient.” Since continuous interval densities have zero mass at zero, this result is curious and has not been reported in experiments using discrete lotteries. We conjecture that although participants on one level understood the nature of the continuous prospects, the format induced a focus on endpoints over and above what would be warranted by the objective distributions given to them.