bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding validity issues in international large scale assessments
Authors: Lin Meiko , Bumgarner Erin , Chatterji Madhabi
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This policy brief, the third in the AERI-NEPC eBrief series “Understanding validity issues around the world”, discusses validity issues surrounding International Large Scale Assessment (ILSA) programs. ILSA programs, such as the well-known Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), are rapidly expanding around the world today. In this eBrief, the authors examine what “validity” means when applied to published results and reports of programs like the PISA.

Design/methodology/approach

– This policy brief is based on a synthesis of conference proceedings and review of selected pieces of extant literature. It begins by summarizing perspectives of an invited expert panel on the topic. To that synthesis, the authors add their own analysis of key issues. They conclude by offering recommendations for test developers and test users.

Findings

– ILSA programs and tests, while offering valuable information, should be read and used cautiously and in context. All parties need to be on the same page to maximize valid use of ILSA results, to obtain the greatest educational and social benefits, and to minimize negative consequences. The authors propose several recommendations for test makers and ILSA program leaders, and ILSA users. To ILSA leaders and researchers: provide more cautionary information about how to correctly interpret the ILSA results, particularly country rankings, given contextual differences among nations. Provide continuing psychometric or research resources so as to address or reduce various sources of error in reports. Encourage policy makers in different nations to share the responsibility for ensuring more contextualized (and valid) interpretations of ILSA reports and subsequent policy development. Raise awareness among policy makers to look beyond simple rankings and pay more attention to inter-country differences. For consumers of ILSA results and reports: read the fine print, not just the country rankings, to interpret ILSA results correctly in particular regions/nations. When looking to high-ranking countries as role models, be sure to consider the “whole picture”. Use ILSA data as complements to other national- and state-level educational assessments to better gauge the status of the country's education system and subsequent policy directions.

Originality/value

– By translating complex information on validity issues with all concerned ILSA stakeholders in mind, this policy brief will improve uses and applications of ILSA information in national and regional policy contexts.
Understanding validity issues surrounding test-based accountability measures in the US
Authors: Koh Nancy , Reddy Vikash , Chatterji Madhabi
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This AERI-NEPC eBrief, the fourth in a series titled “Understanding validity issues around the world”, looks closely at issues surrounding the validity of test-based actions in educational accountability and school improvement contexts. The specific discussions here focus testing issues in the US. However, the general principles underlying appropriate and inappropriate test use in school reform and high stakes public accountability settings are applicable in both domestic and international settings. This paper aims to present the issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This policy brief is based on a synthesis of conference proceedings and review of selected pieces of extant literature. It begins by summarizing perspectives of an invited expert panel on the topic. To that synthesis, the authors add their own analysis of key issues. They conclude by offering recommendations for test developers and test users.

Findings

– The authors conclude that recurring validity issues arise with tests used in school reform and public accountability contexts, because the external tests tend to be employed as policy instruments to drive reforms in schools, with unrealistic timelines and inadequate resources. To reconcile the validity issues with respect to educational assessment and forge a coherent understanding of validity among multiple public users with different agendas, the authors offer several recommendations, such as: adopt an integrated approach to develop content and standards of proficiency that represent a range of cognitive processes; support studies to examine validity of assessments and the effects of decisions taken with assessment data before results are fed into high stakes accountability-related actions that affect teachers, leaders or schools; align standards, curricula, instruction, assessment, and professional development efforts in schools to maximize success; increase capacity-building efforts to help teachers, administrators, policy makers, and other groups of test users learn more about assessments, particularly, about appropriate interpretation and use of assessment data and reports.

Originality/value

– Baker points out that in response to growing demands of reformers and policy-makers for more frequent and rigorous testing programs in US public education, results from a single test tend to get used to meet a variety of public education needs today (e.g. school accountability, school improvement, teacher evaluation, and measurement of student performance). While this may simply be a way to make things more cost-efficient and reduce the extent of student testing in schools, a consequence is inappropriate test use that threatens validity in practice settings. This policy brief confronts this recurring validity challenge and offers recommendations to address the issues.
Dual audit, audit firm independence, and auditor conservatism
Authors: Lin Chan-Jane , Lin Hsiao-Lun , Yen Ai-Ru
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to examine whether China's unique dual audit policy affects one specific aspect of audit quality: auditor conservatism. In China, listed companies issuing B/H-shares in addition to A-shares must release two financial reports – one based on Chinese accounting standards and the other based on international accounting standards (ISA). The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) further requires that the financial reports following Chinese accounting standards should be audited by a domestic CPA firm, and the financial reports following ISA should be audited by an approved overseas CPA firm. This study investigates whether the dual audit requirement induces more auditor conservatism.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a sample of 7,046 firm-year observations that issue A-shares from 2001 to 2006, the authors empirically test whether the dual audit requirement induces more auditor conservatism, measured by the level of discretionary accruals.

Findings

– The authors find the dual audit requirement significantly restricts the use of income-increasing discretionary accruals but not income-decreasing discretionary accruals. Moreover, financial reporting becomes most conservative when two auditors are from two un-affiliated audit firms. Nevertheless, the difference-in-difference analysis fails to show a significant decrease in auditor conservatism after the revocation of the dual audit rule for the treatment group with dual audit before but no dual audit after 2007 comparing to the control group that experience no change in 2007.

Originality/value

– First, the previous studies examine issues regarding the effects of supervision pressure through experimental setting. The authors extend the literature by examining empirically the impact of perceived peer pressure on auditor conservatism. Second, the findings from China regarding the effect of the dual audit system on auditor conservatism serve as a reference for other emerging markets that have not yet established sound audit systems.
Financial reporting and economic implications of statements of financial standards No. 132(R) and No. 158
Authors: Komissarov Sergey
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address two questions: did adoption of Statements of Financial Accounting Standards No. 132(R) and No. 158 affect neutrality of the financial reporting with regard to the disclosed expected rate of return (ERR) on pension assets assumptions, and did pension asset allocations change in response to the new recognition and disclosure requirements?

Design/methodology/approach

– The author uses several measures of association between reported expected return and pension assets allocations to assess neutrality of the reported ERR. The series of tests explores changes in correlations between asset allocations and expected rates of return and changes in the implied risk premiums following adoption of Statements No. 132(R) and No. 158. Granger causality analysis is used to explore the second research question: did pension asset allocations change in response to the new recognition and disclosure requirements?

Findings

– The empirical results are consistent with improved neutrality of financial reporting following adoption of Standard No. 132(R). There were no detectable changes in neutrality following adoption of Standard No. 158. While the data are consistent with portfolio allocations changing to a greater degree than did expected rates of return following Statement No. 132(R) adoption, the effect appears short-lived.

Originality/value

– The overall results are consistent with Standard 132(R) having a positive effect on the neutrality of the reported ERR. Also, there is no evidence of persistent and systematic structuring of transactions around preferred financial reporting outcomes.
Banking mergers – an application of matching strategy
Authors: Alam Nafis , Lee Ng Seok
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– ASEAN region has emerged as a major hotspot for banking mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Asia. This paper aims to examine the determinants of acquisitions for 47 acquired banks and 33 acquiring banks in ASEAN from 2003 to 2011 by applying matching strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

– Three binary logistic regressions are estimated in the study to identify the determinants of acquisitions in the ASEAN banking industry. Furthermore, the paper examines the ex ante bank-specific and country-specific characteristics of acquiring and acquired banks which motivate bank acquisitions.

Findings

– The division of the sample into sub-samples reflects significant changes in the determinants of the likelihood of being acquired over different time periods. In the normal period prior to the financial crises, acquired banks are also found to have greater loan activities. Asset quality and liquidity played important roles in determining the likelihood of being acquired in the period after the onset of the 2007 global financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis. Larger banks with higher growth and greater profitability are more likely to engage in acquisitions as acquiring banks rather than as acquired banks. The study indicates that financial crises bring about a change in the determinants of bank acquisitions.

Research limitations/implications

– The results for the bank-specific determinants are consistent with the growth-resource and inefficient management hypotheses. It is obvious that the involvement of ASEAN banks in acquisitions is strongly motivated by the pursuit of growth, consistent with the rapid economic growth in the region.

Originality/value

– The study identifies the bank-specific and country-specific characteristics of acquiring and acquired banks which influence their involvement in M&A. The uniqueness of this paper lies in the applied methodology on matching strategy.
Measurement of sustainability performance in the public sector
Authors: A. Adams Carol , Muir Stephen , Hoque Zahirul
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This article identifies current performance measurement practice within state, territory and federal government departments in Australia with a particular emphasis on the importance of sustainability performance measures. Whilst voluntary sustainability reporting by private sector organisations aligned, for the most part, with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines is growing, there is little sustainability reporting by organisations in the public sector. This raises questions as to the extent to which public sector sustainability performance is managed. This research aims to assess the use of sustainability performance measures for supporting organisational performance improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

– A mail out survey approach has been adopted within government departments.

Findings

– The performance measures utilised by organisations to a great extent were in the areas of cost efficiency and quality measures and those utilised to least extent were for learning and growth measures and to satisfy legislative requirements and manage programs. Sustainability, environmental or social responsibility measures are the least used performance measures, and those utilised are mainly measures of employee diversity and non-financial economic aspects that are identified.

Practical implications

– The public sector is unlikely to adopt comprehensive sustainability performance measures while they remain voluntary and while there is no perceived need to be competitive in these areas. Either mandatory reporting is required or some form of competitive process based on performance measures implemented.

Originality/value

– The findings make a contribution to the academic literature on sustainability performance measures in public sector organisations and point to policy measures that may lead to improvements in practice.
Strengthening private certification systems through public regulation
Authors: D'Hollander David , Marx Axel
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– Private certification systems (PCS) have emerged as governance tools for sustainable development, regulating social and environmental standards through global supply chains. PCS are seen as essentially private and market-driven, but governments have engaged with them in various ways. There are also substantial differences in the institutional design of PCS with regard to the standard-setting process, ex-ante conformity assessment and ex-post verification procedures. Consequently, what determines the institutional design of PCS has attracted growing attention. This article argues that governments, through public regulation, influence the design of PCS, which in turn affects their effectiveness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, a review of academic literature, policy and legal documents presents how PCS have become institutionalized in government policy, focusing on sustainable public procurement (SPP) regulation. Second, the authors explore the link between effectiveness and the institutional design of PCS by empirically assessing the variations between institutional parameters conducive to effectiveness. Data from the Ecolabel Index database were used to assess the presence or absence of four institutional design parameters related to the rule-making and monitoring mechanisms of PCS.

Findings

– Public procurement regulations are important drivers influencing the institutional design of PCS. The buying power and market share of government spending is a potential tool for policy-makers not only to stimulate the adoption of PCS, but also for shaping their design and effectiveness. However, the impact of such policies is highly dependent upon the market-share of public procurement within a given sector. In addition to public procurement frameworks, other factors drive the institutional evolution of PCS.

Originality/value

– The article connects two themes within the study of non-state market regulation; the growing interaction of governments with PCS, and the institutional variety and development of these systems.
Disclosure effects, carbon emissions and corporate value
Authors: Saka Chika , Oshika Tomoki
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of corporate carbon emissions and disclosure on corporate value, especially regarding whether disclosure helps to reduce uncertainty in valuation as predicted by carbon emissions using a unique data set on Japanese companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical analysis of the relations between corporate carbon emissions using compulsory filing data to Japanese Government covering more than 1,000 firms, corporate carbon management disclosure (CDP disclosure), and the market value of equity.

Findings

– The authors find that corporate carbon emissions have a negative relation with the market value of equity, the disclosure of carbon management has a positive relation with the market value of equity, and the positive relation between the disclosure of carbon management and the market value of equity is stronger with a larger volume of carbon emissions.

Practical implications

– The results may be important when considering the inclusion of carbon disclosure as a component of nonfinancial disclosure. In addition, the findings encourage Japanese companies to reduce carbon emissions and to disclose their carbon management activities.

Originality/value

– The authors provide the first empirical evidence of an interactive effect between the volume of carbon emissions and carbon management disclosure on the market value of equity. And, the results concerning the relation between environmental performance, disclosure, and market value are readily generalizable, especially as all companies emit carbon, either directly or indirectly. In addition, the results are arguably free of problems with sampling bias and endogeneity as the authors employ data obtained from the compulsory filing of carbon emissions information.
Bridging the strategy implementation skills gap
Authors: Speculand Robin
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– A precarious skills gap is emerging among leaders around the world – that is, they lack the skills to implement the strategies they create. .

Design/methodology/approach

– Offers a viewpoint based on the author's experience.

Findings

– Organizations that recognize this skills gap are providing the required training. The training addresses how leaders must be able to craft and implement strategy as well as stay constantly committed to its implementation through follow up. They are also responsible for creating the right conditions for the implementation and making adjustments as required

Practical implications

– Offers five practical recommendations for successful strategy implementation.

Originality/value

– This paper argues that the current generation of leaders has been taught how to craft strategy but not how to execute it.
The chief digital officer: bringing a dynamic approach to digital business
Authors: Dumeresque David
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This paper addresses the subject of the chief digital officer: why there is a need for a CDO, the competencies required for the position, and to whom the CDO should report.

Findings

– Until now, it has been the IT department that has controlled and driven the corporate technology agenda. That is changing because the digital revolution is resulting in the users dictating what the software does for them, not the IT department.

Practical implications

– The issues addressed will benefit all senior management by improving their understanding of ways in which to manage their social media and other digital technologies.

Originality/value

– The concept of a digital director is gaining in importance as organizations begin to recognize the full impact of a robust, dynamic flow of data, knowledge and information across business interests and through social activity streams.
Regionalization and Local Hospital Closure in Norwegian Maternity Care—The Effect on Neonatal and Infant Mortality
Authors: Grytten Jostein , Monkerud Lars , Skau Irene , Sørensen Rune
Published: January 2014

Objective

To study whether neonatal and infant mortality, after adjustments for differences in case mix, were independent of the type of hospital in which the delivery was carried out.

Data

The Medical Birth Registry of Norway provided detailed medical information for all births in Norway.

Study Design

Hospitals were classified into two groups: local hospitals/maternity clinics versus central/regional hospitals. Outcomes were neonatal and infant mortality. The data were analyzed using propensity score weighting to make adjustments for differences in case mix between the two groups of hospitals. This analysis was supplemented with analyses of 13 local hospitals that were closed. Using a difference‐in‐difference approach, the effects that these closures had on neonatal and infant mortality were estimated.

Principal Finding

Neonatal and infant mortality were not affected by the type of hospital where the delivery took place.

Conclusion

A regionalized maternity service does not lead to increased neonatal and infant mortality. This is mainly because high‐risk deliveries were identified well in advance of the birth, and referred to a larger hospital with sufficient perinatal resources to deal with these deliveries.
Concurrent and Lagged Effects of Registered Nurse Turnover and Staffing on Unit‐Acquired Pressure Ulcers
Authors: Park Shin Hye , Boyle Diane K. , Bergquist‐Beringer Sandra , Staggs Vincent S. , Dunton Nancy E.
Published: January 2014

Objective

We examined the concurrent and lagged effects of registered nurse (RN) turnover on unit‐acquired pressure ulcer rates and whether RN staffing mediated the effects.

Data Sources/Setting

Quarterly unit‐level data were obtained from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators for 2008 to 2010. A total of 10,935 unit‐quarter observations (2,294 units, 465 hospitals) were analyzed.

Methods

This longitudinal study used multilevel regressions and tested time‐lagged effects of study variables on outcomes.

Findings

The lagged effect of RN turnover on unit‐acquired pressure ulcers was significant, while there was no concurrent effect. For every 10 percentage‐point increase in RN turnover in a quarter, the odds of a patient having a pressure ulcer increased by 4 percent in the next quarter. Higher RN turnover in a quarter was associated with lower RN staffing in the current and subsequent quarters. Higher RN staffing was associated with lower pressure ulcer rates, but it did not mediate the relationship between turnover and pressure ulcers.

Conclusions

We suggest that RN turnover is an important factor that affects pressure ulcer rates and RN staffing needed for high‐quality patient care. Given the high RN turnover rates, hospital and nursing administrators should prepare for its negative effect on patient outcomes.
What DoesGranger Causality Prove? A Critical Examination of the Interpretation ofGranger Causality Results on Price Effects of Index Trading in Agricultural Commodity Markets
Authors: Grosche Stephanie‐Carolin
Published: January 2014

The influence of index trading on price levels, returns, spreads or volatility in agricultural commodity markets is frequently investigated with bivariateGranger Causality (GC) tests. A joint review of existing empirical studies reveals scant and inconsistent evidence ofGCfrom index activity to prices. Some findings of reverseGCfrom prices to index activity are reported. The literature offers three different interpretations ofGCtest results: (i) as prima facie causal evidence; (ii) as a test for informational efficiency of the markets; or (iii) as a test for the ability of one variable to improve the forecast of another variable. A critical examination of these interpretations against an extended theoretical background reveals that none allows direct inferences about the existence or absence of an influence from index trading activity on the price mechanism in the market. This severely limits the usefulness of a stand‐alone application ofGCtests.
Renting Over Troubled Waters: An Urban Political Ecology of Rental Housing
Authors: MEE KATHLEEN J. , INSTONE LESLEY , WILLIAMS MIRIAM , PALMER JANE , VAUGHAN NICOLA
Published: January 2014

In this paper we explore the urban political ecologies (UPEs) of rental housing through the lens of water to draw attention to the different conditions of access to ‘resources for adaptation’ in the material relations of public and private rental housing provision in a world of changing climate. Climate change introduces a profound dimension of uncertainty in the socio‐material relations of urban life. However, the capacity of urban residents to make changes to their housing is uneven, and this uncertainty is amplified by the limited access of many tenants to ‘resources for adaptation’ such as gardens, water efficiency, and alternative energy and is exacerbated by regulatory practices, including leases, insurance, and capital investment, that help shape the socio‐natural relations of tenure. UPE emphasises the hybrid nature of cities and the flows of people and materials that constitute the built environment. We draw on the insights of UPE alongside an appreciation of the dynamics of normal standards of comfort, cleanliness, and convenience in the home to reveal the complexities of attempts to engage more sustainably with water in rental property. This paper draws on a case study of rental property managers and tenants in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, to explore social and cultural processes that are both shaped by and shape rental housing provision. We reveal a suite of practices, materials, and discourses that assemble to make ‘resources for adaptation’ and simultaneously render water useful, troubled, or troublesome.
DNA barcode‐based delineation of putative species: efficient start for taxonomic workflows
Authors: Kekkonen Mari , Hebert Paul D. N.
Published: January 2014

The analysis of DNA barcode sequences with varying techniques for cluster recognition provides an efficient approach for recognizing putative species (operational taxonomic units, OTUs). This approach accelerates and improves taxonomic workflows by exposing cryptic species and decreasing the risk of synonymy. This study tested the congruence of OTUs resulting from the application of three analytical methods (ABGD, BIN, GMYC) to sequence data for Australian hypertrophine moths. OTUs supported by all three approaches were viewed as robust, but 20% of the OTUs were only recognized by one or two of the methods. These OTUs were examined for three criteria to clarify their status. Monophyly and diagnostic nucleotides were both uninformative, but information on ranges was useful as sympatric sister OTUs were viewed as distinct, while allopatric OTUs were merged. This approach revealed 124 OTUs of Hypertrophinae, a more than twofold increase from the currently recognized 51 species. Because this analytical protocol is both fast and repeatable, it provides a valuable tool for establishing a basic understanding of species boundaries that can be validated with subsequent studies.
PCR‐based isolation of multigene families: lessons from the avian MHC class IIB
Authors: Burri R. , Promerová M. , Goebel J. , Fumagalli L.
Published: January 2014

The amount of sequence data available today highly facilitates the access to genes from many gene families. Primers amplifying the desired genes over a range of species are readily obtained by aligning conserved gene regions, and laborious gene isolation procedures can often be replaced by quicker PCR‐based approaches. However, in the case of multigene families, PCR‐based approaches bear the often ignored risk of incomplete isolation of family members. This problem is most prominent in gene families with highly variable and thus unpredictable number of gene copies among species, such as in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In this study, we (i) report new primers for the isolation of the MHC class IIB (MHCIIB) gene family in birds and (ii) share our experience with isolating MHCIIB genes from an unprecedented number of avian species from all over the avian phylogeny. We report important and usually underappreciated problems encountered during PCR‐based multigene family isolation and provide a collection of measures to help significantly improving the chance of successfully isolating complete multigene families using PCR‐based approaches.
VIP Barcoding: composition vector‐based software for rapid species identification based on DNA barcoding
Authors: Fan Long , Hui Jerome H. L. , Yu Zu Guo , Chu Ka Hou
Published: January 2014

Species identification based on short sequences of DNA markers, that is, DNA barcoding, has emerged as an integral part of modern taxonomy. However, software for the analysis of large and multilocus barcoding data sets is scarce. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) is currently the fastest tool capable of handling large databases (e.g. >5000 sequences), but its accuracy is a concern and has been criticized for its local optimization. However, current more accurate software requires sequence alignment or complex calculations, which are time‐consuming when dealing with large data sets during data preprocessing or during the search stage. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a practical program for both accurate and scalable species identification for DNA barcoding. In this context, we present VIP Barcoding: a user‐friendly software in graphical user interface for rapid DNA barcoding. It adopts a hybrid, two‐stage algorithm. First, an alignment‐free composition vector (CV) method is utilized to reduce searching space by screening a reference database. The alignment‐based K2P distance nearest‐neighbour method is then employed to analyse the smaller data set generated in the first stage. In comparison with other software, we demonstrate that VIP Barcoding has (i) higher accuracy than Blastn and several alignment‐free methods and (ii) higher scalability than alignment‐based distance methods and character‐based methods. These results suggest that this platform is able to deal with both large‐scale and multilocus barcoding data with accuracy and can contribute to DNA barcoding for modern taxonomy. VIP Barcoding is free and available at http://msl.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/vipbarcoding/.
Effect of an aspheric intraocular lens on the ocular wave‐front adjusted for pupil size and capsulorhexis size
Authors: Crnej Alja , Buehl Wolf , Greslechner Roman , Hirnschall Nino , Findl Oliver
Published: January 2014

Purpose

To compare the ocular wave‐front of eyes with silicone Intraocular lens (IOLs) with aspheric and spherical optics after cataract surgery, taking into account the patient's pupil size under reading conditions and after pupil dilatation.

Methods

In this institutional prospective, randomized, controlled, patient and examiner masked, bilateral trial with intra‐individual comparison, 60 eyes of 30 patients with bilateral age‐related cataract were included. Each patient received a spherical IOL (CeeOn Edge, 911A, AMO, Santa Ana, CA, USA) in one eye and an aspheric IOL (Tecnis, Z9000, AMO) in the contra‐lateral eye. Exclusion criteria were other ocular pathologies, capsular changes or zonular weakness. The main outcome variable was spherical aberration of the ocular wave‐front under mesopic pupil conditions measured 2 years after surgery. Additional outcome variables were visual acuity and photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity.

Results

There was no significant difference in visual acuity between the two IOL types under physiological pupil conditions and also not after pupil dilation. However, spherical aberrations were significantly lower with the aspheric IOL (SA: spherical 0.38 μm, SD: 0.11 μm; aspheric 0.10 μm, SD: 0.13 μm; p < 0.01), and there was a significant difference in contrast sensitivity at 12 cycles/degree.

Conclusions

This is the first randomized and masked trial on visual function and ocular wave‐front after implantation with this silicone aspheric IOL, taking the patients' own pupil size into account. The effect on visual function was detectable for mesopic contrast sensitivity, but there was no difference in visual acuity. The SA was found to be significantly lower under physiological pupil conditions as well as when recalculated for the rhexis size and under pharmacological dilatation.
Tuberculous uveitis in China
Authors: Mao Yu , Peng Xiao Yan , You Qi Sheng , Wang Hong , Zhao Meng , Jonas Jost B.
Published: January 2014

Purpose

To assess tuberculous uveitis in Chinese patients.

Methods

The hospital‐based observational case series study included patients who attended a third‐referral hospital and presented with chronic and recurrent uveitis without primarily detected aetiology. The patients underwent the tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release test (IGRA). Patients with positive test results received standard antituberculous therapy. Patients who responded to the therapy and did not show recurrence of uveitis in the follow‐up period were diagnosed as tuberculous uveitis and formed the study group. The remaining patients were diagnosed as non‐tuberculous uveitis and formed the control group. The clinical characteristics were compared between both groups.

Results

The study group with tuberculous uveitis included 46 patients and the non‐tuberculous group 38 patients. Multifocal choroiditis [n = 9 (20%) versus n = 1(3%); p = 0.04] and retinal vasculitis [n = 25(54%) versus 8 = (21.1%); p = 0.002] were significantly more common in the study group. Of 25 patients with retinal vasculitis in the study group, 11 patients (44%) additionally showed choroiditis lesions, compared with only one (13%) of eight patients in the control group (p = 0.01). In multivariate regression analysis, multifocal choroiditis [odds ratio (OR): 32.1], choroidal granuloma (OR: 21.4) and retinal vasculitis (OR: 11.2) were independent predictors of tubercular uveitis.

Conclusions

About 50% of a group of 84 patients with primarily unexplained chronic posterior uveitis had tuberculosis and showed multifocal choroiditis, choroidal granuloma and retinal vasculitis. These features had a high predictive value for the diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis. Tuberculosis is an important part in the differential diagnosis of unexplained uveitis.
Prevalence and risk factors of visual impairment and blindness in Korea: the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2008–2010
Authors: Rim Tyler H. T. , Nam Jae S. , Choi Moonjung , Lee Sung C. , Lee Christopher S.
Published: January 2014

Purpose

To describe the age, gender specific prevalence and risk factors of visual impairment and blindness in Korea.

Methods

From 2008 to 2010, a total 14 924 randomly selected national representative participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey underwent additional ophthalmologic examinations by the Korean Ophthalmologic Society. Best Corrected Distance Visual Acuity was measured using an international standard vision chart based on Snellen scale (Jin's vision chart). Independent risk factors for visual impairment were investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

The overall prevalence of visual impairment (≤20/40) of adults 40 years and older was 4.1% (95% CI, 3.6–4.6) based on the better seeing eye. The overall prevalence of blindness (≤20/200) for adults 40 years and older was 0.2% (95% CI, 0.1–0.3). Risk indicators of visual impairment were increasing age, low education status, living in rural area, being unemployed, being without spouse and the absence of private health insurance. The visually impaired were more likely to have eye diseases compared with the normal subjects, and they were less likely to utilize eye care.

Conclusion

The prevalence of visual impairment was demonstrated to be higher while that of blindness was similar to previous population studies in Asia or U.S. Sociodemographic disparities are present in the prevalence of visual impairment and more targeted efforts are needed to promote vision screening in high risk groups.
Comparison of peroperative subconjunctival injection of methylprednisolone and standard postoperative steroid drops after uneventful cataract surgery
Authors: Merkoudis Nikolaos , Wikberg Matsson Anna , Granstam Elisabet
Published: January 2014

Purpose

To compare the safety and efficacy of a single subconjunctival injection of methylprednisolone and a standard postoperative steroid regimen in terms of intraocular inflammation and intraocular pressure (IOP) after uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery.

Methods

Two groups of 25 patients each were included in this prospective randomized controlled trial. Patients in the injection group were given a subconjunctival injection of 20 mg methylprednisolone and the topical group received the conventional postoperative care with steroid eye drops (dexamethasone 1 mg/ml). The patients were examined 1 week and 1 month after surgery. Slit‐lamp evaluation of anterior chamber inflammation and IOP were performed. Changes in IOP of ≥2.4 mmHg were considered clinically relevant.

Results

In the injection group, mean IOP decreased from 15.4 ± 2.2 mmHg (baseline) to 14.1 ± 3.2 mmHg at 1 week (p = 0.03). The topical group had a stable IOP at 1 week (16.3 ± 2.6 mmHg) compared to baseline (16.1 ± 2.7 mmHg; p = 0.74). At 1 month, mean IOP was 14.3 ± 2.6 mmHg (p = 0.03) in the injection group and 15.6 ± 2.3 mmHg (p = 0.2) in the topical group. The intragroup changes were neither statistically significant nor clinically relevant at any postoperative visit. Both groups had the highest values of intraocular inflammation at the 1‐week postoperative visit, followed by a decline to barely traceable levels at 1 month. The difference was not clinically relevant at any postoperative visit.

Conclusions

The subconjunctival injection of methylprednisolone appears to be as safe and effective as the conventional treatment, and it might therefore be considered for treatment of individuals with compliance issues.
Transmission of Clostridium difficile spores in isolation room environments and through hospital beds
Authors: Sjöberg Maria , Eriksson Mats , Andersson Josefin , Norén Torbjörn
Published: January 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the dissemination of Clostridium difficile (CD) spores in a hospital setting where the potassium monopersulfate‐based disinfectant VirkonTM was used for cleaning. In the initial part of the study, we sampled 16 areas of frequent patient contact in 10 patient rooms where a patient with CD infection (CDI) had been accommodated. In the second part of the study, we obtained samples from 10 patient beds after discharge of CDI patients, both before and after the beds were cleaned. In the first part, CDspores were isolated in only 30% of the rooms. In the second part, which focused on transmission to hospital beds, C. difficile was found in four of 10 beds either before or after cleaning. In conclusion, in both parts of the study, we demonstrated a moderate spread of CD spores to the environment despite routine cleaning procedures involving VirkonTM.
Epigenetics and Transcriptomics to Detect Adverse Drug Effects in Model Systems of Human Development
Authors: Balmer Nina V. , Leist Marcel
Published: January 2014

Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals or drugs has been associated with functional or structural deficits and the development of diseases in later life. For example, developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is triggered by lead, and this compound may predispose to neurodegenerative diseases in later life. The molecular memory for such late consequences of early exposure is not known, but epigenetic mechanisms (modification of the chromatin structure) could take this role. Examples and underlying mechanisms have been compiled here for the field of DNT. Moreover, we addressed the question as to what readout is suitable for addressing drug memory effects. We summarize how complex developmental processes can be modelled in vitro by using the differentiation of human stem cells. Although cellular models can never replicate the final human DNT phenotype, they can model the adverse effect that a chemical has on key biological processes essential for organ formation and function. Highly information‐rich transcriptomics data may inform on these changes and form the bridge from in vitro models to human prediction. We compiled data showing that transcriptome analysis can indicate toxicity patterns of drugs. A crucial question to be answered in our systems is when and how transcriptome changes indicate adversity (as opposed to transient adaptive responses), and how drug‐induced changes are perpetuated over time even after washout of the drug. We present evidence for the hypothesis that changes in the histone methylation pattern could represent the persistence detector of an early insult that is transformed to an adverse effect at later time‐points in life.
The Neuronal Cytoskeleton as a Potential Target in the Developmental Neurotoxicity of Organophosphorothionate Insecticides
Authors: Flaskos John
Published: January 2014

Phosphorothionates are toxicologically the most important class of organophosphorus ester (OP) insecticides. Phosphorothionates are metabolically converted in vivo to their oxon analogues. These oxon metabolites can bind and inhibit acetylcholinesterase, thus causing acute cholinergic neurotoxicity. Oxon binding to the same target may also be partly responsible for manifestation of the ‘intermediate syndrome’. More recent evidence suggests that the oxons may be also capable of inducing developmental neurotoxicity. The neuronal cytoskeleton may represent a potential target for the developmental neurotoxicity of the oxons because of its vital importance in many stages of normal neurodevelopment. Data obtained in the last five years and critically reviewed here indicate that the oxon metabolites, at concentrations that can be attained in vivo, exert potent effects on the neuronal cytoskeleton disrupting all three cytoskeletal networks. This disruption is expressed at the level of cytoskeletal protein expression, intracellular distribution, post‐translational modification, cytoskeletal dynamics and function and may involve effects on both neuronal and glial cells. These effects are not secondary to other changes but may constitute primary effects of the oxons, as these compounds have been shown to be capable of covalently binding to and organophosphorylating multiple sites on tubulin and actin. Analogous studies must be extended to include other neurodevelopmentally important cytoskeletal proteins, such as neurofilament heavy chain, and tau, which are known to contain unusually high numbers of phosphorylatable sites and to establish whether organophosphorylation by the oxons takes place at sites where neurodevelopmentally relevant, endogenous, reversible phosphorylation is known to occur.
What is the role of genetic testing in the investigation of patients with suspected platelet function disorders?
Authors: Daly Martina E. , Leo Vincenzo C. , Lowe Gillian C. , Watson Steve P. , Morgan Neil V.
Published: January 2014

Inherited platelet function disorders (PFDs), associated with normal or reduced platelet counts, account for a significant proportion of bleeding diatheses. Identification of the underlying genetic defects is difficult in the majority of cases due to the variable clinical expression of the bleeding symptoms and the redundancy of platelet receptor and signalling pathways, which add to the complexity of diagnosis. The gold standard method for phenotyping platelets, light transmission aggregometry (LTA), has allowed classification of functional defects in the majority of patients referred for investigation of suspected PFDs, while DNA‐based analysis has primarily played a confirmatory role and been restricted mainly to analysis of candidate genes. Recent advances in next generation sequencing have facilitated the identification of gene defects in patients with PFDs where the underlying genetic defect was previously unknown, especially when combined with genome‐wide linkage analysis. These studies have provided new insights into the mechanisms controlling platelet formation and function, and it is likely that, as understanding of the relationships between platelet phenotype and genotype increases and pipelines for the interpretation of genetic variations identified in patients are developed, DNA‐based analysis will play an increasingly important role in the first‐line investigation of patients with PFDs.
Lessons in platelet production from inherited thrombocytopenias
Authors: Pecci Alessandro , Balduini Carlo L.
Published: January 2014

Our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of platelet production has greatly expanded in recent years due to the opportunity to culturein vitromegakaryocytes and to create transgenic animals with specific genetic defects that interfere with platelet biogenesis. However,in vitromodels do not reproduce the complexity of the bone marrow microenvironment where megakaryopoiesis takes place, and experience shows that what is seen in animals does not always happen in humans. So, these experimental models tell us what might happen in humans, but does not assure us that these events really occur. In contrast, inherited thrombocytopenias offer the unique opportunity to verify in humans the actual effects of abnormalities in specific molecules on platelet production. There are currently 20 genes whose defects are known to result in thrombocytopenia and, on this basis, this review tries to outline a model of megakaryopoiesis based on firm evidence. Inherited thrombocytopenias have not yet yielded all the information they can provide, because nearly half of patients have forms that do not fit with any known disorder. So, further investigation of inherited thrombocytopenias will advance not only the knowledge of human illnesses, but also our understanding of human platelet production.