bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systemic infusion of TLR3-ligand and IFN-α in patients with breast cancer reprograms local tumor microenvironments for selective CTL influx
Authors: Gandhi Shipra , Opyrchal Mateusz , Grimm Melissa J , Slomba Ronald T , Kokolus Kathleen M , Witkiewicz Agnieszka , Attwood Kristopher , Groman Adrienne , Williams Lauren , Tarquini Mary Lynne , Wallace Paul K , Soh Kah Teong , Minderman Hans , Maguire Orla , O’Connor Tracey L , Early Amy P , Levine Ellis G , Kalinski Pawel
Published: November 2023

Background

Presence of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) predicts the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies. The ability of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) ligands, interferons (IFNs) and COX2 inhibitors to synergistically induce CTL-attracting chemokines (but not regulatory T cell (Treg)-attractants) in the TME, but not in healthy tissues, observed in our preclinical studies, suggested that their systemic application can reprogram local TMEs.

Methods

Six evaluable patients (33–69 years) with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer received six doses of systemic chemokine-modulating (CKM) regimen composed of TLR3 ligand (rintatolimod; 200 mg; intravenous), IFN-α2b (20 MU/m2; intravenous) and COX2 inhibitor (celecoxib; 2×200 mg; oral) over 2 weeks. The predetermined primary endpoint was the intratumoral change in the expression of CTL marker, CD8α, in the post-CKM versus pre-CKM tumor biopsies. Patients received follow-up pembrolizumab (200 mg, intravenously, every 3 weeks), starting 3–8 days after completion of CKM.

Results

Post-CKM biopsies showed selectively increased CTL markers CD8α (average 10.2-fold, median 5.5-fold, p=0.034) and granzyme B (GZMB; 6.1-fold, median 5.8-fold, p=0.02), but not FOXP3 (Treg marker) relative to HPRT1 expression, resulting in the increases in average CD8α/FOXP3 ratio and GZMB/FOXP3 ratio. CKM increased intratumoral CTL-attractants CCL5 and CXCL10, but not Treg-attractants CCL22 or CXCL12. In contrast, CD8+T cells and their CXCR3+subset showed transient decreases in blood. One clinical response (breast tumor autoamputation) and three stable diseases were observed. The patient with clinical response remains disease free, with a follow-up of 46 months as of data cut-off.

Conclusions

Short-term systemic CKM selectively increases CTL numbers and CTL/Treg ratios in the TME, while transiently decreasing CTL numbers in the blood. Transient effects of CKM suggest that its simultaneous application with checkpoint blockade and other forms of immunotherapy may be needed for optimal outcomes.
Prognostic value of ECG monitor findings in COVID-19
Authors: Hashimoto Hidenobu , Hiyoshi Yasunaga , Kabuki Takayuki , Sasaki Hideto , Toda Mikihito
Published: November 2023

Aims

COVID-19 can cause severe illness and multiorgan dysfunction. Acute myocardial damage has been detected in a significant portion of patients with COVID-19; therefore, several studies have reported that electrocardiographic findings could be used to evaluate the severalty of COVID-19. However, performing standard ECG for each patient hospitalised with COVID-19 can increase the level of exposure to COVID-19 among medical staff. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of continuous electrocardiographic monitor findings in patients with COVID-19.

Methods

Among 1612 consecutive patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to our hospital between August 2021 and May 2022, we identified 96 (76±4 years) patients who underwent electrocardiographic monitor during hospitalisation. All electrocardiographic monitors were analysed by two independent cardiologists blinded to the clinical data of the patients. The endpoint was defined as the occurrence of all-cause mortality related to COVID-19. The event data were retrospectively gathered from the patients’ medical records. A multivariate Cox model was used to assess whether these electrocardiographic monitor findings and clinical data were associated with in-hospital mortality.

Results

During a mean hospitalisation period of 22.8±3.2 days, in-hospital mortality occurred in 17 (18%) patients. Atrial fibrillation (HR: 3.95, 95% CI: 1.39 to 11.21) and lung disease complications (HR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.06 to 7.98) were significant prognostic factors for death in multivariate analysis. Compared with the non-complicated lung disease and non-atrial fibrillation group, the risk of mortality was significantly higher in the lung disease complication and atrial fibrillation group in the multivariate Cox proportional model (HR: 8.37, 95% CI: 1.69 to 41.30, p=0.009).

Conclusions

The simple method of ECG monitor could adequately detect atrial fibrillation. This study demonstrated that atrial fibrillation complicated with lung disease, could have potential prognostic value among patients with COVID-19.
Pathologic Peri-Implant Proximal Femur Fracture: Takeaways from Our Experience
Authors: Hashimi Mustafa , Shah Jason A. , Gass 4th Henry M. , Webb Alexander R. , Kopriva John M. , Oskouei Shervin V.
Published: November 2023

Pathologic fractures of the distal femur secondary to bone metastases are not as common as those in the proximal femur, and they are rarely reported on in the literature. Even in the absence of current metastatic lesions in the femoral neck, traditional orthopaedic teaching has stressed the importance of protecting the entire femur, while recent studies have shown that it may not be necessary to stabilize the entire femur in the event of future metastases. Thus, there is no consensus regarding optimal surgical treatment, making the choice of fixation often based on the experience of the surgeon. In this paper, we reported on a patient who presented with a pathologic fracture of the distal femur who was stabilized with a retrograde intramedullary nail and then subsequently suffered a pathologic fracture of the proximal femur. To our knowledge, there have been no cases reported on a peri-implant pathologic fracture proximal to a retrograde intramedullary nail in the setting of metastatic bone disease. We would like to share our experience on how to surgically manage this and discuss the literature around management of distal femoral bone metastases.
Effects of Sublethal Concentrations of the Herbicide, Glyphosate, on Embryonic Development of the Indian Major Carp, Labeo rohita
Authors: Panda Swati Sucharita , Das Ipsita Iswari , Biswas Gouranga , Sundaray Jitendra Kumar , Kumar Rajesh , Sahoo Lakshman
Published: November 2023

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide. Currently, 50% of global fish consumption is provided by aquaculture. In India, the major cultivated fishes are Labeo catla, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Cyprinus carpio. Among these, L. rohita is a widely consumed fish. We aimed to study the effect of one of the most widely used herbicides, glyphosate, on the embryonic development of L. rohita. The 96 h LC50 of glyphosate for L. rohita embryos was found to be 20.89 mgL−1. The embryos were exposed to 1/10th, 1/5th,, and 1/3rd concentrations of LC50 for 96 h. The observed deformities included abdominal curvature, kink formation in the tail, yolk sac edema, pericardial edema, and improperly flattened swim bladder. Besides, we could observe a reduction in pigmentation at 96 h and a decrease in heart rate at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. All these deformities led to the mortality of embryos. This study indicated that the herbicide (glyphosate) can adversely affect the natural population of the Indian major carp, L. rohita.
Microbial Profile of Fresh and Semicooked Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Hygienic Practice of Fish Handlers in Hawassa, Ethiopia
Authors: Admasu Fasika , Mikru Abraham , Balkew Kassaye , Adane Million
Published: November 2023

Despite its high nutritional quality, fish is a highly perishable food item. This study aimed at assessing the microbial quality and safety of fresh and semicooked Nile tilapia fish fillets and the food safety practices of fish handlers in Hawassa City. The microbial load of 40 for each of raw and semicooked fillet samples was estimated by the standard plate count method, and the dominant flora as well as common bacterial pathogens were identified following phenotypic procedures. Moreover, a survey was conducted to assess the hygienic conditions and food safety practices of 30 fish handlers. The mean microbial load of the raw fillet samples in log10CFUg−1 was 8.42 for aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMBC), 2.52 for total coliforms (TCC), and 3.41 for a count of staphylococci (CS). On the other hand, the respective parameters for the semicooked fillets in log10CFUg−1 were 6.68 (AMBC), 2.52 (TCC), and 3.17 (CS). The mean AMBC of all the fresh raw fillet samples exceeded the recommended maximum permissible limits. The mean SC of raw fillets from three of the eight vendors and one semicooked fillet were at a potentially hazardous level (>4 log units). Moreover, Salmonella species were isolated from 30% to 25% of raw and semicooked samples, respectively. The mesophilic bacterial flora of both types of samples was dominated by Bacillus species, Salmonella species, E coli, and Staphylococcus species. Most fish handlers did not practice hygienic food handling and lacked basic sanitation amenities like clean water and soap for hand washing. Moreover, nearly all the fish handlers did not have any formal education. These findings call for public health intervention measures like the provision of training in good hygienic practices and certification for fish vendors in the chain.
The Effect of COVID-19 on Type 1 Diabetes Occurrence among Children and Adolescents: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Cohort Study in Israel
Authors: Gruber Noah , Brand Liat , Barhod Ehud , Hemi Rina , Lebenthal Yael , Rachmiel Marianna , Kedar Tal , Shatzman-Steuerman Rachel , Sverdlove Rachael , Lustig Yaniv , Indenbaum Victoria , Pinhas-Hamiel Orit
Published: November 2023

Aim. The effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on the pediatric occurrence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is inconclusive. We aimed to assess associations between seroprevalences of the distinct anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and T1D occurrence in children and adolescents. Methods. This multicenter prospective observational cohort comprised children diagnosed with T1D between October 2020 and July 2022 and unrelated children who performed endocrine tests (control group) in a 1 : 3 ratio. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including anti-S, anti-N, and neutralizing antibodies, were assessed in each group. Results. The cohort included 51 children with T1D and 182 children in the control group. The median (interquartile range) age was 11.4 (8.2, 13.3) years, with 45% being female. Increases were not observed in the seroprevalence of any of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among the children with new-onset T1D compared to the control group. Among the T1D group, anti-S seroprevalence was higher among those without diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) than in those with DKA upon T1D diagnosis (72% vs. 42%,

p
=
0.035

). After adjustment to vaccination status, this difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, anti-N antibodies and neutralizing antibodies did not differ between the DKA and the non-DKA groups. None of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were associated with any of the glycemic parameters. Conclusions. This study is the first to assess several distinct anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in new-onset T1D, and our findings do not support an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the occurrence of T1D in children and adolescents. Since autoimmunity may emerge years after a viral infection, we recommend conducting follow-up epidemiological studies to assess whether there is a change in the incidence of T1D following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Educação patrimonial em São Carlos-SP: identificando referências culturais na universidade e na escola
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Faraco André Frota Contreras , Vizioli Simone Helena Tanoue ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo
Published: November 2023

Esta publicação decorre de experiências de Educação Patrimonial desenvolvidas no Núcleo de Apoio à Pesquisa em Estudos de Linguagem em Arquitetura e Cidade (N.ELAC) do Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo (IAU-USP), especialmente, as que ocorreram durante e após a pesquisa e defesa da dissertação de mestrado do arquiteto e urbanista André Frota Contreras Faraco, “Educação Patrimonial: processo participativo de identificação de referências culturais dos universitários do campus USP São Carlos”, sob orientação da Professora Doutora Simone Helena Tanoue Vizioli. Assim, são apresentadas duas experiências: a primeira, @INVENTARIO.USP.SC, realizada no contexto de uma disciplina optativa de graduação ofertada pelos autores no IAU-USP, denominada “Patrimônio cultural e representação: por uma identificação das referências culturais da vida universitária, em São Carlos”, que foi estruturada em duas ações, uma no segundo semestre de 2021, outra no segundo semestre de 2022; a segunda consistiu em duas ações realizadas no primeiro semestre de 2023 em escolas públicas do município de São Carlos e fazem parte do projeto de cultura e extensão “Reconhecimento e valorização da cultura e da ciência: uma articulação entre a universidade e a sociedade em São Carlos”, financiado pela Pró-Reitoria de Cultura e Extensão Universitária da USP (projeto nº 2526). Sendo assim, o livro está organizado da seguinte forma: primeiro, há uma introdução ao arcabouço teórico-conceitual do campo da Educação Patrimonial que embasou as experiências; depois, são apresentadas as duas experiências, desde a concepção das ações, as metodologias empregadas, até os resultados; por fim, como considerações, são construídas análises sobre as experiências e de que forma elas contribuem não somente aos campos da Educação Patrimonial e do Patrimônio Cultural, mas também para a sociedade do município de São Carlos.
Semelhante cura semelhante: o princípio de cura homeopático fundamentado pela racionalidade médica e científica
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina, Teixeira Marcos Zulian
Published: November 2023

Apesar da bissecular eficácia terapêutica da Homeopatia, fator imprescindível à permanência deste método de tratamento até os dias atuais, o meio acadêmico e científico exige comprovações segundo os parâmetros da pesquisa moderna. Esta sempre foi a tônica das discussões entre homeopatas e alopatas (enantiopatas), pois estes dois métodos de tratamento estão fundamentados em paradigmas opostos, possuindo metodologias distintas e divergindo sobre inúmeros fatores, tais como verificação dos poderes curativos das drogas utilizando a experimentação em indivíduos humanos sadios ou doentes (animais); valorização dos aspectos psíquicos, emocionais e gerais nestas experimentações e na atuação terapêutica; escolha do medicamento segundo os princípios da semelhança ou dos contrários; utilização de doses infinitesimais ou ponderais; administração de medicamentos únicos ou combinados, etc. Esta obra foi idealizada na tentativa de aproximar o modelo homeopático da racionalidade médica contemporânea, buscando nas publicações e pesquisas científicas modernas o substrato para fundamentar os principais conceitos da Homeopatia, em especial, o princípio da similitude terapêutica. Em diversas áreas do conhecimento humano, da Física à Fisiologia, assim como em centenas de medicamentos empregados pela Farmacologia clássica, encontramos a confirmação dos pressupostos homeopáticos, de forma análoga ao citado por Hahnemann há mais de duzentos anos. Buscando a aproximação da medicina homeopática com a medicina convencional, esperamos num futuro próximo poder participar conjuntamente na formação de uma única Medicina, na qual o benefício ao paciente esteja acima de qualquer sentimento individualista ou sectário.
Samba Yaye’s Tata: Archaeology and History of an Endogenous Fortification in Eastern Senegal
Authors: Aymeric-Nsangou Jacques , Loukou Yao Serge Bonaventure
Published: November 2023

In West Africa, research has brought to light the remains of endogenous fortifications, some of which are called tata, built by West African communities during the last centuries of our era. Despite their importance, tata are generally examined only from a historical perspective or approached as components of global facts rather than as an object of study by themselves. As a result, little is known about the structures themselves and their roles in local history. This paper is an archaeological and historical study of a tata in Senegal. We first have a brief knowledge review of tata in the area where the fortifications are known under this name. Then, we present the archaeological and historical study of the tata of Samba Yaye. Finally, we discuss the causes and some technical aspects of the construction of the Samba Yaye tata, while integrating this site into the chrono-cultural sequence of the region.
The Duty of Care of Individuals for ghg Emissions under Dutch Tort Law
Authors: Hoops Björn
Published: November 2023

In 2021 the District Court of The Hague ordered Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% until 2030. The Court emphasised the relevance of each individual reduction to the fight against global warming, raising the question of whether also individuals have a duty of care to reduce their emissions. Applying the considerations of the Court to individuals, this contribution first argues that as human rights not only protect the victims of global warming but also individuals meeting their needs through emissions, individuals do not bear such a duty of care. However, we may soon observe the gradual development of a social norm outlawing excessive emissions for non-basic needs. This contribution goes on to argue that the tort law liability of individuals for their ghg emissions would also not be desirable from a law-and-economics perspective. It would be more effective and less costly to hold big companies liable or to impose emission standards or carbon taxes.
A new bulbil-forming species of Sistotrema (Cantharellales, Hydnaceae) from Brazil
Authors: BARRETO GABRIEL G. , CANTILLO TAIMY , COSTA-REZENDE DIOGO , GUSMÃO LUIS F.P.
Published: November 2023

During mycological surveys in Floresta Edmundo Navarro de Andrade, Rio Claro province, São Paulo state, a bulbil-forming fungal specimen was collected on dead bark of Eucalyptus grandis. Following morphological and phylogenetic analysis, it was confirmed that the specimen belongs to an undescribed taxon. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS-LSU revealed that our strain is related to Sistotrema coronilla s.l., a recognized bulbil-forming lineage within Hydnaceae and other genera that also produce bulbils. This is the first Sistotrema species recorded on Eucalyptus substrates worldwide. A comprehensive morphological and phylogenetic analysis is presented, and Sistotrema bulbilliferum is described and illustrated.
Male flowers reveal the true identity of a new species of Hechtia (Bromeliaceae) from the Mexican state of Jalisco
Authors: RAMÍREZ-MORILLO IVÓN , RAMÍREZ-DÍAZ CLAUDIA J. , BRUNEL JUAN PABLO ORTIZ , ROMERO-SOLER KATYA J.
Published: November 2023

A new species of Hechtia (Bromeliaceae, Hechtioideae) from the Mexican state of Jalisco and from the Pacific Lowlands biogeographical province is proposed as Hechtia carrilloi. Herbarium specimens of this new species were initially assigned to Hechtia santanae but after the study of living plants and fresh male flowers, we concluded that they differ in several features, including leaf surface (sparsely lepidote to glabrous vs. densely lepidote), flower size (4–5 mm long, 1–2 mm in diameter vs. 5–5.5 mm long, 3.8–4.2 mm in diameter), corolla shape (tubular vs. obconical), and anther color (maroon vs. reddish). A complete description based on female and male plants as well as fruits is provided. Likewise, photographs and illustrations showing diagnostic characters and habitat features are included. Additionally, an assessment of the conservation status of the new taxon based on the B criteria of the IUCN is presented.
Morphological and molecular identification of a new species of Fulvoderma (Hymenochaetaceae, Basidiomycota) from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China
Authors: LI JIA-JIN , YAO LU , LIAO JIA-YUN , YANG SHUN-QIANG , ZHAO CHANG-LIN
Published: November 2023

A new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Fulvoderma yunnanense , is proposed based on a combination of morphological features and molecular data . Fulvoderma yunnanense is characterized by annual, laterally stipitate basidiomata with greyish brown pore surface , a monomitic hyphal system with simple septate generative hyphae , tubular cystidia and broad ellipsoid to subglobose , thin-walled, smooth basidiospores measuring as 4.0– 5.4 × 3.3– 4.8 µm . Sequences of ITS and nLSU rRNA gene regions of the specimens were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were carried out with methods of maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. The phylogenetic analyses inferred from ITS+nLSU indicated that F. yunnanense nested in Fulvoderma within Hymenochaetaceae. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS dataset revealed that the new species formed a well-supported monophyletic lineage with F. australe. Full description, photo plates and a phylogenetic tree to show the placement of the new species are given.
Tirpitzia meiguensis (Linaceae), a new species from southwest Sichuan (China)
Authors: XIE DA-JUN , LI JIN-XIAO , PENG SHU-MING , DENG TAN , WEI RUO-XUN , DOU QUAN-LI , ZHANG REN-BO
Published: November 2023

Tirpitzia meiguensis, a new species from Meigu County, Sichuan Province, China, is herein described and illustrated. Although its herb-like semi-shrub habit, toothed leaf margins, and seeds without a membranous wing are not characteristics that are seen in the three formerly-reported Tirpitzia species, other characteristics are morphologically related to T. sinensis; these include white flowers, terminal cymes, a four-loculed ovary with two ovules per locule, and a four-valvate capsule. Furthermore, phylogenetical analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer sequences of nuclear genes confirmed that this new species is clearly a member of Tirpitzia.
Trichoderma orarium (Hypocreales): a new species from Taiwan
Authors: WEI YU-HUI , LIOU GUEY-YUH , TZEAN SHEAN-SHONG , HSIEH SUNG-YUAN
Published: November 2023

Trichoderma spp. are widely distributed worldwide. Members of Trichoderma have been shown to play a significant role in the biocontrol of plant disease, as well as the industrial production of enzymes and antibiotics, and as a mycoparasite of edible fungi. In this study, a new species, Trichoderma orarium, is introduced and illustrated. This new species was isolated from coastal soil in Northeastern Taiwan and identified based on morphological characteristics and multi-gene sequence analyses of three loci (ITS, tef1, and rpb2). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that T. orarium belongs to the Harzianum clade. Distinctions between the new species and its close relatives are discussed in detail.
The role of nanomagnetic beads in diagnosis of early breast cancer by ductoscopy combined with CEA expression of tumor marker
Authors: Li Jin , Su Huyan , Li Xiaofeng
Published: November 2023

In this study, nipple discharge patients were selected as subjects to evaluate the diagnostic value of ductoscopy and the tumor marker CEA expression in early occulted breast cancer. A retrospective analysis was performed on 121 pathological nipple discharge patients who received treatment
in our hospital. Thirty-two parturients who delivered normally in our hospital during the same period were randomly selected to be included in the control group. Samples of the subjects’ milk and nipple discharge were collected. The contents of tumor markers CEA, CA153, and CA125 were
measured in the nipple discharge and milk using nanomagnetic beads combined with chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). The findings from ductoscopy were documented and compared to the pathological results obtained after surgery. Nanomagnetic beads combined with CLIA can enhance the efficiency
and stability of detection. CEA and CA125 levels increased in the group with breast lesions, and reached their highest levels in the group with malignant breast diseases. The positive prediction rates of CA153 and CEA in breast cancer were significantly higher than in the benign lesion group
(P < 0005). Univariate analysis showed that bloody nipple discharge or III ∼ IV breast duct lesions identified as high-risk factors associated with breast cancer. The sensitivity of endoscopy for diagnosing malignant lesions was 90.70%, while the sensitivity of CEA+ endoscopy
was 95.35%. Ductoscopy has high sensitivity in the diagnosis of early occult breast cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis could be significantly improved by combining tumor marker CEA expression with ductoscopy.
Comparative bone healing with induced membrane technique (IMT) versus empty defects in septic and aseptic conditions in a novel rabbit humerus model
Authors: Siverino Claudia , Vanvelk Niels , Nehrbass Dirk , Mischler Dominic , Geoff Richards Robert , Morgenstern Mario , Zeiter Stephan , Arens Daniel , Fintan Moriarty Thomas
Published: November 2023

Background

Long bone defects resulting from primary trauma or secondary to debridement of fracture-related infection (FRI) remain a major clinical challenge. One approach often used is the induced membrane technique (IMT). The effectiveness of the IMT in infected versus non-infected settings remains to be definitively established. In this study we present a new rabbit humerus model and compare the IMT approach between animals with prior infection and non-infected equivalents.

Methods

A 5 mm defect was created in the humerus of New Zealand White rabbits (n = 53) and fixed with a 2.5 mm stainless steel plate. In the non-infected groups, the defect was either left empty (n = 6) or treated using the IMT procedure (PMMA spacer for 3 weeks, n = 6). Additionally, both approaches were applied in animals that were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus 4 weeks prior to defect creation (n = 5 and n = 6, respectively). At the first and second revision surgeries, infected and necrotic tissues were debrided and processed for bacteriological quantification. In the IMT groups, the PMMA spacer was removed 3 weeks post implantation and replaced with a beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and bone healing observed for a further 10 weeks. Infected groups also received systemic antibiotic therapy. The differences in bone healing between the groups were evaluated radiographically using a modification of the radiographic union score for tibial fractures (RUST) and by semiquantitative histopathology on Giemsa-Eosin-stained sections.

Results

The presence of S. aureus infection at revision surgery was required for inclusion to the second stage. At the second revision surgery all collected samples were culture negative confirming successful treatment. In the empty defect group, bone healing was increased in the previously infected animals compared with non-infected controls as revealed by radiography with significantly higher RUST values at 6 weeks (p = 0.0281) and at the end of the study (p = 0.0411) and by histopathology with increased cortical bridging (80% and 100% in cis and trans cortical bridging in infected animals compared to 17% and 67% in the non-infected animals). With the IMT approach, both infected and non-infected animals had positive healing assessments.

Conclusion

We successfully developed an in vivo model of bone defect healing with IMT with and without infection. Bone defects can heal after an infection with even better outcomes compared to the non-infected setting, although in both cases, the IMT achieved better healing.
Comparative evaluation of effect of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine in dental unit waterline on aerosolized bacteria generated during dental treatment
Authors: Patil Rutuja , Hindlekar Ajit , Jadhav Ganesh R. , Mittal Priya , Humnabad Vamshi , Di Blasio Marco , Cicciù Marco , Minervini Giuseppe
Published: November 2023

Background

In dentistry, nosocomial infection poses a great challenge to clinicians. The microbial contamination of water in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) is ubiquitous. Such infected DUWLs can transmit oral microbes in the form of aerosols. Previous studies have suggested treating DUWLs with various disinfectants to reduce cross-contamination. The literature lacks a comparative evaluation of the effect of the use of 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) and 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in DUWLs on aerosolized bacteria generated during dental procedures.

Objective

To compare the effect of NaOCl and CHX in DUWLs on aerosolized bacteria generated during restorative and endodontic procedures.

Materials and methods

A total of 132 patients were equally divided into three groups (n = 44 in each group) according to the content of DUWL as follows.

Group I—0.1% NaOCl

Group II—0.2% CHX

Group III—distilled water (Positive control)

One-way ANOVA was performed and the Kruskal–Wallis test was used for intergroup comparison.

Results

For the restorative procedure, inter-group comparison of mean colony-forming units (CFU) scores showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (p
- .001) with the score of group 3 higher than group 2 followed by group 1. For the endodontics, an inter-group comparison of CFU scores showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (p
- .003) with the mean score in group 1 being the lowest and group 3 being the highest.

Conclusion

The addition of NaOCl or CHX in DUWLs shows an effective reduction in aerosolized bacteria compared to distilled water.
Detection of HHV-6 Virus in specimen of a ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma with comparison in tumor and normal tissue
Authors: Warkentin S. , Braunschweig T. A. , Jonigk D. , Losen I. , Cassataro M. A. , Kleines M.
Published: November 2023

Aims

The association of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) species with pancreatic cancer is controversially discussed. The aim of this study was to further investigate the postulated association and to identify the basis of HHV-6 DNA positivity reported for pancreatic cancer tissue.

Methods

All samples of patients with pancreatic cancer (cancer and surrounding tissue) were analyzed for presence of HHV-6 DNA by PCR and then selected cases by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Sixty eight per cent (68% = 52/77) of all patients were HHV-6 DNA positive in any of the samples, 49% (38/77) were positive in tumor tissue. Specimens of just one patient were HHV-6A DNA positive, all other patients were positive for HHV-6B. Immunohistochemical analysis of HHV-6 DNA positive samples did not reveal any specific HHV-6B protein positive tumor cell. In contrast, supposed immune cells presented intra- and peritumorally expressed HHV-6B-protein. The cause of presence of these cells in the tumor stroma is unknown, as of yet.

Conclusions

HHV-6 DNA-positivity of pancreatic cancer tissue described by us and others is probably not due to the infection of pancreatic cells by HHV-6, but rather due to the migration of HHV-6 positive immune cells into the pancreas. Based on our data, we suppose that there is no direct evidence for HHV-6 as a causative agent of pancreatic cancer, but further in-depth studies (including investigation of immune status of patients) are necessary to make definitive conclusions.
Trajectory of pain threshold and its association with acute pain after thoracic surgery: a prospective observational study
Authors: Wang Fei , Ou Meng-Chan , Zhu Yi-Hao , Zhu Tao , Hao Xue-Chao
Published: November 2023

Background

Postoperative analgesic management is an ongoing challenge. The pain threshold (PT) is an objective index that reflects the body’s sensitivity to pain and can be used for quantitative pain assessment. We hypothesized that the PT is correlated with postoperative pain and can thus be used to guide postoperative pain management.

Methods

This study involved 93 patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery from December 2019 to February 2020. The PT was measured with transcutaneous electrical stimulation before surgery (T0) and at 1 h (T1), 6 h (T6), and 24 h (T24) after surgery. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the severity of postoperative pain at the same time. The PT variation (PTV) after surgery was calculated as the ratio of the postoperative PT to preoperative PT.

Results

The postoperative PT was higher than the preoperative PT and showed a downward trend within 24 h after surgery; the PTV also showed a downward trend within 24 h after surgery. PT-T1 was negatively correlated with VAS-T1 at rest and during motion (rest: VAS-T1r = − 0.274, P = 0.008; motion: VAS-T1r = − 0.298, P = 0.004). PTV-T1 was negatively correlated with VAS-T1 during motion (r = − 0.213, P = 0.04). Lower VAS-T1 scores (< 4) at rest and during motion were associated with higher PT-T1 (rest: t = 2.452, P = 0.016; motion: t = 2.138, P = 0.035). The intraoperative sufentanil dose was associated with a postoperative increase in PTV-T1. Increased rescue analgesic administration was associated with PTV elevation. However, the incidence of dizziness in patients with moderate PTV-T24 was lower than that in patients with high or low PTV-T24 (χ2 = 8.297, P = 0.015).

Conclusions

The postoperative PT was higher than the preoperative PT and showed a downward trend within 24 h after surgery; PTV also showed a downward trend within 24 h after surgery. The PT and PTV were negatively correlated with the pain intensity at rest and during motion and were associated with perioperative analgesic consumption and the incidence of adverse events.
Riemann problem for a $2\times 2$ hyperbolic system with time-gradually-degenerate damping
Authors: Li Shiwei
Published: November 2023

This paper is focused on the Riemann problem for a $2\times 2$
2
×
2
hyperbolic system of conservation laws with a time-gradually-degenerate damping. Two kinds of non-self-similar solutions involving the delta-shocks and vacuum are obtained using the variable substitution method. The generalized Rankine-Hugoniot relation and entropy condition are clarified for the delta-shock. Furthermore, the vanishing viscosity method proves the existence, uniqueness, and stability of non-self-similar solutions.
Social media and partnership jointly alleviate caregivers’ psychological distress: exploring the effects of online and offline connectedness
Authors: Ao Song Harris , Zhang Luxi , Liu Piper Liping , Zhao Xinshu
Published: November 2023

Background

The prevalence of caregiving in the United States has increased from 16.6% to 19.2% during the period between 2015 and 2020. Caregivers play a critical public health role post-pandemic and as the population ages. However, caregiving can be detrimental to the health of caregivers. Many studies have shown that communication and connectedness are effective forms of health intervention for caregivers, but how this can be achieved requires further investigation.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the indirect effect of caregiving on problems of alcohol drinking through psychological distress. Moreover, this study aimed to provide initial evidence of the distinct effects of online and offline communication and connectedness on caregivers' well-being.

Methods

The predictions were evaluated by examining responses to the Health Information National Trends Survey 2020 (n = 3,865). A mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediating effect of psychological distress on the association between caregiving and alcohol drinking. A second-level moderation analysis was performed. The online communication and connectedness, social media use for health, and the offline type, marital or romantic partnership, were tested as moderators to lessen the psychological distress of caregiving.

Results

A competitive mediation was identified. We found a positive indirect effect from caregiving to alcohol drinking mediated by psychological distress (bp = .0017, p < .05) but a negative direct effect from caregiving to alcohol drinking (bp = -.0340, p < .05). Furthermore, the study reported a strongly positive effect of moderated moderation on the linkage from caregiving to psychological distress. The negative impact of caregiving on mental distress was greater among those who used social media less, particularly those without a romantic or marital partner.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that caregivers experience more mental distress, which leads to risky behavior. This study highlights the crucial role of both online and offline connectedness in mitigating the adverse consequences of caregiving.
Knowledge, attitude and practice towards malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency among male and female farmers in Ethiopia
Authors: Gebre Girma Gezimu , Chefebo Derebe Ermias , Kacharo Deribe Kaske
Published: November 2023

Background

Despite a large body of literature on the nexus between knowledge, attitude and practice towards nutrition and gender, this nexus is likely to vary and is not clear in many societies, such as Ethiopia.

Objectives

The study aimed to analyze the level of gender-based knowledge, attitude, and practice towards malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency using primary data collected from two regional states in Ethiopia.

Methods

Qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches were used. Qualitative data were analyzed using a narrative and content approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

Results indicate that female are generally more adept than male at identifying the symptoms of malnutrition. However, concerning vitamin A and iodine food types and its deficiency, male respondents had relatively better knowledge and consumption practice than female. Results show that there is very little awareness about biofortified and fortified foods. When we rate respondents, male had a relatively better understanding about fortified foods than their female counterparts.

Conclusion

Findings can support development agents working to improve nutrition in Ethiopia to focus on improving community knowledge and perception of biofortified and fortified foods to improve diet quality through increased micronutrient intake. The majority of the respondents were aware of the importance of consuming micronutrient rich foods and had a positive attitude towards them. However, there is still a gap in practice. It may therefore require more targeted campaigns to increase the ability of community members to adopt best practices while reducing barriers to consumption of nutritious diet.
Delivering Data-Driven Precision and Equitable Artificial Intelligence Decision Tools in Oncology: Exploring the Informarker Concept
Authors: Lin Frank P.
Published: November 2023

Is it time to rethink the role of data and AI in cancer diagnosis and treatment through #informarkers?
Disturbing the Neighbors
Authors: Watson Tim
Published: November 2023

This essay is a response to Belinda Edmondson’s Creole Noise: Early Caribbean Dialect Literature and Performance (2022), which is an excellent history of literary and performative Creole in the anglophone Caribbean, tracing its roots back to the work songs of enslaved African laborers, to the transcriptions and parodies of White Caribbean elites, and to the increasing use in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries of Creole by Brown and Black Caribbean writers and performers. Slowly, the language shifted from being a marker of cultural inferiority to a medium for signaling cultural authenticity. Edmondson shows how the everyday language of the anglophone Caribbean haltingly, ambivalently, but in the end decisively elbowed its way into the rooms where print culture was produced, consumed, and evaluated.
A Caribbean Coast Feeling: On Black Central American Women’s Landscape Portraiture
Authors: White Melanie
Published: November 2023

This essay explores the visual cultural production of three twentieth-century Black Caribbean Central American women painters: June Beer and Judith Kain, both from the Miskitu Coast, and Iris Abrahams, from San Andrés and Providencia. Specifically, it contextualizes these artists’ landscape portraiture against the historical backdrops of colonialism, territorial dispossession, and autonomous struggle in the isthmus. Understanding the political and the cultural as inextricably intertwined, this essay reads their place-based visual art as a critical form of anticolonial critique and social organizing in a region that remains marginalized in the historiography and scholarship on Latin America and the Caribbean and radical Black diasporic politics.
“The Present as History”: Walter Rodney and the Search for Usable African Pasts
Authors: Getachew Adom
Published: November 2023

Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) was written from the perspective that the history of Africa is necessary to understand the continent’s present and to envision its transformation in the future. This essay tracks Rodney’s positioning of the historian in the conjunction of past, present, and future through the registers of diagnostician and participant in political mobilization. The author argues that Rodney’s analogy of the historian as medical doctor generates a critique of romantic depictions of the African past and draws on the language of Marxism to track the formation of African political power. At the same time, Rodney’s position as a participant in political mobilization compels an approach to history writing that exceeds the terms of diagnosis. Examining the interplay between diagnosis and mobilization, this essay reveals the range of ways Rodney approached the task of historicizing the present and generating usable African pasts.
History, Method, and Myth: Walter Rodney and the Geographies of Black Radicalism
Authors: Hudson Peter James
Published: November 2023

This essay reconsiders Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) via a discussion of Rodney’s pedagogy and his methodology. The essay inquires into the relevance of Rodney’s pedagogy and what it means to teach the book in the contemporary moment. To that end, the author first discusses Rodney’s engagements with the University of California, Los Angeles, as part of a longer history of Black intellectual and political activism and the geographies of Black radicalism on campus. The author then explores the question of methodology in Rodney’s book, especially as that methodology draws on the intellectual and political traditions of Pan-Africanism and Marxism.
Whose Dialectic? Walter Rodney, Marxism, and Africa
Authors: Austin David
Published: November 2023

Drawing on Walter Rodney’s lesser-known texts and speeches alongside his How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972), this essay demonstrates how Rodney applied Marx’s dialectical materialism to the study of slavery and colonialism in relation to labor in Africa and the Americas. It offers a critical response to the Brazilian theorist Denise Ferreira da Silva’s notion of the “racial dialectic,” which suggests that Marxism—and particularly the universal conception of human freedom embedded in Marx’s conception of the labor theory of value, primitive accumulation, and labor-time—is incapable of addressing the socioeconomic realities of slavery and colonialism. Rodney’s oeuvre provides an expansive engagement with Marx’s methodology applied to the realities of slavery and colonialism and contemporary political struggles on the African continent and in the Americas.
Of “Realities and Possibilities”
Authors: Crichlow Michaeline A.
Published: November 2023

This essay addresses Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) in relation to three moments: the time of its writing and publication; that of the next major global political epoch, the neoliberal turn of the 1970s and 1990s; and our current moment, when compounded crises bound up with the afterlives of colonialism—coming to a head in the form of planetary climate catastrophe and its attendant sociopolitical degradations—have rightfully renewed demands for a decolonization of the contemporary world. The three orientations that guide the essay—the conflict between Indigenous spatio-temporalities of life and experience as they underwent forced conformity with a homogeneous, “empty” time and space underpinning Eurocentric ideas of capitalist progress as well as the advancement of communism/socialism; a critique of unilinear Development models; and How Europe Underdeveloped Africa as a predecessor to contemporary decolonial theory—signal an approach to alternative modes of knowing for generating new possibilities for life.
Transcallosal-Transchoroidal Fissure Approach for Midbrain and Thalamic Cavernous Malformations: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Winkler Ethan A. , Lawton Michael T.
Published: November 2023

INDICATIONS: CORRIDOR AND LIMITS OF EXPOSURE:

Cavernous malformations of the third ventricle arise from the medial thalamus and/or periaqueductal midbrain. Microsurgical resection is indicated when the lifetime risk of hemorrhage outweighs the surgical risks.

ANATOMIC ESSENTIALS: NEED FOR PREOPERATIVE PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT:

superior sagittal sinus, callosomarginal and pericallosal arteries, corpus callosum, foramen of Monro, choroidal fissure, fornix, thalamostriate veins, internal cerebral veins (ICVs), velum interpositum, and thalamus.

ESSENTIAL STEPS OF THE PROCEDURE:

The patient consents to the procedure. With the patient supine, the head is turned 90° and laterally flexed 45°. A bifrontal craniotomy positioned two-thirds anterior and one-third posterior to the coronal suture is performed. The interhemispheric fissure is opened, and a 2-cm corpus callosotomy is performed. Choroid plexus cauterization exposes the choroidal fissure. Sharp division of the taenia fornicea opens the velum interpositum, where the thalamostriate vein can be followed around the venous angle to the ICV. The anterior septal vein may be divided to communicate between the foramen of Monro and choroidal fissure. Dissection between the ICVs opens the velum interpositum into the third ventricle.

PITFALLS/AVOIDANCE OF COMPLICATIONS:

Frontal or deep vein occlusion causes venous infarction, and dissection on the nondominant hemisphere is preferred. Other complications include arterial infarction, fornix injury from choroidal fissure dissection or forniceal retraction, and thalamic or midbrain injury during lesion resection.

VARIANTS AND INDICATIONS FOR THEIR USE:

The contralateral choroidal fissure is used for low-lying medial thalamic and midbrain lesions. The ipsilateral choroidal fissure is used for high-lying or large lesions extending laterally. Transchoroidal approaches are not needed for superior (transcallosal only) or anterior (contralateral transcallosal-contralateral transforaminal) thalamic lesions. Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.
Η κρίση του θέματος στο έργο των συνθετών της δεύτερης σχολής της Βιέννης
Authors: Ζερβός Γεώργιος
Published: November 2023

Η κρίση του θέματος στο έργο των συνθετών της Δεύτερης Σχολής της Βιέννης εκδηλώνεται δια μέσου της κατάργησης της θεμελιώδους ιδιότητας του τονικού θέματος σύμφωνα με την οποία, το τελευταίο αποτελείται από μια αδιάσπαστη μελωδικό-ρυθμικό-αρμονική ενότητα μη μεταβαλλόμενη κατά τη διάρκεια την επανειλημμένων επανεμφανίσεων (επανεκθέσεων). Η σταδιακή κατάργηση της ανωτέρω ιδιότητας στα ατονικά έργα, οδηγεί τελικά στον αθεματισμό. Ο δωδεκαφθογγισμός τείνει να επανεισάγει το θέμα δια μέσου της σειράς, χωρίς όμως τελικά να το επιτυγχάνει παρά μόνο μερικά. Η κρίση αυτή μετατρέπεται σε πραγματική ρήξη με το παρελθόν στα τελευταία έργα του Webern, όπου το εμφανιζόμενο θέμα αποτελεί ήδη μεταμόρφωση ενός άλλου θέματος κειμένου εκτός του έργου. Με αυτή την έννοια, η αρχική (γενεσιουργός) ιδέα ουδέποτε πραγματοποιείται η ίδια μέσα στο έργο, παρά μόνο οι μεταμορφώσεις της.