bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patients’ Acceptability of Computer-Based Information on Hypodontia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Ben Gassem A. , Foxton R. , Bister D. , Newton J.T.
Published: May 2018

Objectives:

To compare patients’ acceptability of a hypodontia-specific interactive computer-based education material (ICB-EM) versus a British Orthodontic Society (BOS) hypodontia leaflet.

Trial Design:

Two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, 1:1 allocation ratio.

Methods:

The study was conducted at a specialized secondary care facility in the Greater London area. Ninety-six new hypodontia patients aged 14 y and older were randomly assigned to the control group ( n = 49) receiving the BOS leaflet or the intervention group ( n = 47) receiving the ICB-EM. The main outcome measure was patients’ evaluation of the intervention measured by the treatment evaluation inventory.

Results:

The analyzed sample comprised 76 participants: control group ( n = 38) and intervention group ( n = 38). The mean age of the sample was 19 y (SD = 7.24) and 20.3 y (SD = 6.9) for the control and intervention group, respectively. The intervention group was significantly more satisfied with the ICB-EM than individuals who received the BOS leaflet ( t = −3.53, P = 0.001).

Conclusion:

Patients preferred the computer-based information.

Knowledge Transfer Statement:

Patients attending dental care in the 21st century are adept in the use of computerised facilities for obtaining information. The results of the study will provide valuable evidence for clinicians on the level of acceptability of the patients toward interactive computer based health education as opposed to traditional paper leaflets.
Lineage restriction analyses in CHIP indicate myeloid bias for TET2 and multipotent stem cell origin for DNMT3A
Authors: Buscarlet Manuel , Provost Sylvie , Zada Yassamin Feroz , Bourgoin Vincent , Mollica Luigina , Dubé Marie-Pierre , Busque Lambert
Published: May 2018

Key Points

TET2 mutations confer a myeloid proliferation bias. DNMT3A mutations occur in a multipotent stem cell.
How I diagnose and treat venous thromboembolism in sickle cell disease
Authors: Shet Arun S. , Wun Ted
Published: May 2018

The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is high. However, overlapping features between the clinical presentation of VTE and SCD complications and a low index of suspicion for thrombosis can influence patient management decisions. VTE in SCD can therefore present management challenges to the clinical hematologist. Herein, we present 3 distinct clinical vignettes that are representative of our clinical practice with SCD patients. These vignettes are discussed with specific reference to the hypercoagulable state in SCD patients, recent VTE diagnosis and anticoagulant therapy guidelines from the general population, and evaluation of the risk of bleeding as a result of long-term exposure to anticoagulant therapy. We examine current diagnostic and treatment options, highlight limitations of the existing clinical prognostic models that offer personalized guidance regarding the duration of anticoagulation, and propose a clinical approach to guide the decision to extend anticoagulation beyond 3 months.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: LncMAPK6 drives MAPK6 expression and liver TIC self-renewal
Authors: Huang Guanqun , Jiang Hui , He Yueming , Lin Ye , Xia Wuzheng , Luo Yuanwei , Liang Min , Shi Boyun , Zhou Xinke , Jian Zhixiang
Published: May 2018

Background

Liver tumor initiating cells (TICs) have self-renewal and differentiate capacities, and largely contribute to tumor initiation, metastasis and drug resistance. MAPK signaling is a critical pathway in many biological processes, while its role in liver TICs hasn’t been explored.

Methods

Online-available dataset was used for unbiased screening. Liver TICs were examined CD133 FACS or oncosphere formation. TIC self-renewal was detected by oncosphere formation and tumor initiation assay. LncRNA function was detected by loss of function or gain of function assays. The molecular mechanism of lncRNA was explored by RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation, ChIP, western blot and double FISH.

Results

Here, we examined the expression profiles of MAPK components (MAPKs, MAP2Ks, MAP3Ks, MAP4Ks), and found MAPK6 is most highly expressed in liver cancer samples. Moreover, a divergent lncRNA (long noncoding RNA) of MAPK6, termed lncMAPK6 here, is also overexpressed along with liver tumorigenesis. LncMAPK6 promotes liver tumor propagation and TIC self-renewal through MAPK6. LncMAPK6 interacts with and recruits RNA polymerase II to MAPK6 promoter, and finally activates the transcription of MAPK6. Through MAPK6 transcriptional regulation, lncMAPK6 drives MARK signaling activation. LncMAPK6-MAPK6 pathway can be used for liver TIC targeting. Altogether, lncMAPK6 promotes MARK signaling and the self-renewal of liver TICs through MAPK6 expression.

Conclusion

MAPK6 was the most highly expressed MAPK component in liver cancer and liver TICs and lncMAPK6 participated in the transcriptional regulation of MAPK6in cis. This work revealed the importance role of MAPK signaling in liver TIC self-renewal and added a new layer for liver TIC and MAPK6 expression regulation.
Improved symptomatic, functional, and fluoroscopic outcomes following serial “series of three” double-balloon dilation for cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction
Authors: Randall Derrick R. , Evangelista Lisa M. , Kuhn Maggie A. , Belafsky Peter C.
Published: May 2018

Background

Cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction (CPMD) is a common cause of dysphagia. We employ a progressive series of three double-balloon dilations separated by 4–6 weeks between procedures as a primary treatment option. The purpose of this study was to evaluate subjective, functional and objective improvement in swallowing after three serial dilations for CPMD.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated patients between June 1, 2014, and June 30, 2016, who underwent a series of three double-balloon dilations for CPMD. Pre- and post-dilation Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), pharyngeal constriction ratio, pharyngeal area, and pharyngoesophageal segment (PES) opening were compared.

Results

Seventeen patients with CPMD underwent serial double-balloon dilation procedures separated by one month. Mean age of the cohort was 73.5 (SD ± 13.3) years, and 53% were female. The mean EAT-10 improved from 24.7 (SD ± 7.8) to 15.9 (SD ± 10.2) [ p = 0.0021]. Mean FOIS improved from 5.4 (SD ± 1.4) pre- to 6.3 (SD ± 0.9) post-treatment ( p = 0.017). Mean UES opening increased from 1.05 (SD ± 0.34) cm to 1.48 (SD ± 0.41) cm ( p = 0.0003) in the anteroposterior fluoroscopic view and from 0.58 (SD ± 0.18) to 0.76 (SD ± 0.30) cm ( p = 0.018) in the lateral view. Pharyngeal constriction ratio (PCR), a surrogate measure of pharyngeal strength, improved from 0.49 (SD ± 0.37) to 0.24 (SD ± 0.15) ( p = 0.015), however pharyngeal area (PA) was unchanged.

Conclusions

A progressive series of three double-balloon dilations for cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction resulted in improved patient reported dysphagia symptom scores and objective fluoroscopic swallowing parameters.
A stepped approach for the management of symptomatic internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint
Authors: Efeoglu Candan , Calis Aylin Sipahi , Koca Huseyin , Yuksel Esra
Published: May 2018

Background

Internal derangement is the clinical and pathological condition of disc displacement of the temporomandibular joint. Management of these cases involve conservative and surgical treatment options. Minimally invasive surgical procedures namely arthrocentesis and arthroscopy are promising techniques in the management of internal derangement. However patient selection algorithms, indications for minimally invasive procedures and details of the techniques should be further studied for safe and cost effective management of these cases. This manuscript aims to retrospectively analyze the significance of a stepped surgical treatment approach (arthrocentesis under local anaesthesia as the first line of treatment, followed by arthroscopic lysis and lavage under general anaesthesia in unresolving cases) of internal derangement with or without osteoarthritis.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study. Case notes of 1414 patients that were managed with a standard protocol were reviewed. Appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. Thirty-three patients were eligible for inclusion. Parameters recorded were pain-free inter-incisal opening, spontaneous pain, pain on function, difficulty on chewing, and perceived disability on jaw movements. Pre-operative and post-operative (at the end of the follow up period) pain free maximum interincisal opening values were compared with paired t test and the subjective parameters were evaluated with Chisquare analysis. Treatment outcome and success rate according to American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons were descriptively shown.

Results

Interincisal opening values increased, and the number of patients with severe or medium rated subjective parameters were reduced at discharge. These improvements were found to be statistically significant. Clinical (Wilkes) staging of internal derangement pre-operatively and at discharge remained either unchanged or was lower. Treatment outcome and success according to American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons criteria was 94%.

Conclusion

The stepped approach for the management of symptomatic internal derangement with or without osteoarthritis is a successful treatment strategy with favourable therapeutic outcomes.
A novel nomogram individually predicting disease‐specific survival after D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Wang Wei , Sun Zhe , Deng Jing‐Yu , Qi Xiao‐Long , Feng Xing‐Yu , Fang Cheng , Ma Xing‐Hua , Wang Zhen‐Ning , Liang Han , Xu Hui‐Mian , Zhou Zhi‐Wei
Published: May 2018

Background

Few studies have shown nomograms that may predict disease‐specific survival (DSS) probability after curative D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC), particularly among Chinese patients. This study sought to develop an elaborative nomogram that predicts long‐term DSS for AGC in Chinese patients.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on 6753 AGC patients undergoing D2 gastrectomy between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2012 from three large medical hospitals in China. We assigned patients from Sun Yat‐sen University Cancer Center to the training set, and patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital to two separate external validation sets. A multivariate survival analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression model in a training set, and a nomogram was constructed. Harrell's C‐index was used to evaluate discrimination and calibration plots were used to validate similarities between survival probabilities predicted by the nomogram model and actual survival rates in two validation sets.

Results

The multivariate Cox regression model identified age, tumor size, location, Lauren classification, lymphatic/venous invasion, depth of invasion, and metastatic lymph node ratio as covariates associated with survival. In the training set, the nomogram exhibited superior discrimination power compared with the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM classification (Harrell's C‐index, 0.82 vs. 0.74; P < 0.001). In two validation sets, the nomogram's discrimination power was also excellent relative to TNM classification (C‐index, 0.83 vs. 0.75 and 0.81 vs. 0.74, respectively; P < 0.001 for both). After calibration, the nomogram produced survival predictions that corresponded closely with actual survival rate.

Conclusions

The established nomogram was able to predict 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year DSS probabilities for AGC patients. Validation revealed that this nomogram exhibited excellent discrimination and calibration capacity, suggesting its clinical utility.
Anterior cingulate cortex activity as a candidate biomarker for treatment selection in social anxiety disorder
Authors: Frick Andreas , Engman Jonas , Wahlstedt Kurt , Gingnell Malin , Fredrikson Mats , Furmark Tomas
Published: May 2018

We aimed to identify biomarkers to guide the decision to add selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) to psychological treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Forty-eight patients with SAD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging and collection of clinical and demographic variables before treatment with cognitive–behavioural therapy, combined on a double-blind basis with either escitalopram or placebo for 9 weeks. Pre-treatment neural reactivity to aversive faces in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), but not clinical/demographic variables, moderated clinical outcomes. Cross-validated individual-level predictions accurately identified 81% of responders/non-responders. Dorsal ACC reactivity is thus a potential biomarker for SAD treatment selection.

Declaration of interest

None.
Long-term clinical and cost-effectiveness of collaborative care (versus usual care) for people with mental–physical multimorbidity: cluster-randomised trial
Authors: Camacho Elizabeth M. , Davies Linda M. , Hann Mark , Small Nicola , Bower Peter , Chew-Graham Carolyn , Baguely Clare , Gask Linda , Dickens Chris M. , Lovell Karina , Waheed Waquas , Gibbons Chris J. , Coventry Peter
Published: May 2018

Background

Collaborative care can support the treatment of depression in people with long-term conditions, but long-term benefits and costs are unknown.

Aims

To explore the long-term (24-month) effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of collaborative care in people with mental-physical multimorbidity.

Method

A cluster randomised trial compared collaborative care (integrated physical and mental healthcare) with usual care for depression alongside diabetes and/or coronary heart disease. Depression symptoms were measured by the symptom checklist-depression scale (SCL-D13). The economic evaluation was from the perspective of the English National Health Service.

Results

191 participants were allocated to collaborative care and 196 to usual care. At 24 months, the mean SCL-D13 score was 0.27 (95% CI, −0.48 to −0.06) lower in the collaborative care group alongside a gain of 0.14 (95% CI, 0.06-0.21) quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The cost per QALY gained was £13 069.

Conclusions

In the long term, collaborative care reduces depression and is potentially cost-effective at internationally accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds.

Declaration of interest

None.
Determining the Time of Cancer Recurrence Using Claims or Electronic Medical Record Data
Authors: Uno Hajime , Ritzwoller Debra P. , Cronin Angel M. , Carroll Nikki M. , Hornbrook Mark C. , Hassett Michael J.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Data from claims and electronic medical records (EMRs) are frequently used to identify clinical events (eg, cancer diagnosis, stroke). However, accurately determining the time of clinical events can be challenging, and the methods used to generate time estimates are underdeveloped. We sought to develop an approach to determine the time of a clinical event—cancer recurrence—using high-dimensional longitudinal structured data.

Methods

Manual chart abstraction provided information regarding the actual time of cancer recurrence. These data were linked to claims from Medicare or structured EMR data from the Cancer Research Network, which were used to determine time of recurrence for patients with lung or colorectal cancer. We analyzed the longitudinal profile of codes that could help determine the time of recurrence, adjusted for systematic differences between code dates and recurrence dates, and integrated time estimates from different codes to empirically derive an optimal algorithm.

Results

We identified twelve code groups that could help determine the time of recurrence. Using claims data for patients with lung cancer, the optimal algorithm consisted of three code groups and provided an average prediction error of 4.8 months. Using EMR data or applying this approach to patients with colorectal cancer yielded similar results.

Conclusion

Time estimates were improved by selecting codes not necessarily the same as those used to identify recurrence, combining time estimates from multiple code groups, and adjusting for systematic bias between code dates and recurrence dates. Improving the accuracy of time estimates for clinical events can facilitate research, quality measurement, and process improvement.
Physical Linkage of Estrogen Receptor α and Aromatase in Rat: Oligocrine and Endocrine Actions of CNS-Produced Estrogens
Authors: Storman Emiliya M , Liu Nai-Jiang , Wessendorf Martin W , Gintzler Alan R
Published: May 2018

Rapid-signaling membrane estrogen receptors (mERs) and aromatase (Aro) are present throughout the central nervous system (CNS), enabling acute regulation of CNS estrogenic signaling. We previously reported that spinal membrane Aro (mAro) and mERα oligomerize (1). As their organizational relationship would likely influence functions of locally produced estrogens, we quantified the mAro and mERα that are physically associated and nonassociated in two functionally different regions of rat CNS: the spinal cord, which has predominantly neural functionalities, and the hypothalamus, which has both neural and endocrine capabilities. Quantitative immunoprecipitation (IP), coimmunoprecipitation, and Western blot analysis were used to quantify the associated and nonassociated subpopulations of mAro and mERα. Regardless of estrous-cycle stage, virtually all mAro was oligomerized with mERα in the spinal cord, whereas only ∼15% was oligomerized in the hypothalamus. The predominance of nonassociated mAro in the hypothalamus, in combination with findings that many hypothalamic Aro-immunoreactive neurons could be retrogradely labeled with peripherally injected Fluoro-Gold, suggests that a portion of hypothalamic estrogens is secreted, potentially regulating pituitary function. Moreover, circulating estrogens increased hypothalamic Aro activity (quantified by the tritiated water-release assay) in the absence of increased Aro protein, revealing nongenomic regulation of Aro activity in the mammalian CNS. The demonstrated presence of associated and nonassociated mAro and mERα subpopulations in the CNS suggests that their selective targeting could restore impaired estrogen-dependent CNS functionalities while minimizing unwanted effects. The full physiological ramifications of brain-secreted estrogens remain to be explored.
Busting Out
Authors: Horncastle J.
Published: May 2018

This article approaches transgender surgery from the “side door” and explores the consequences of happenstance surgery for the gender-nonnormative subject. In this happenstance context, the trans chest as a concept is problematic on two counts—being popularly understood only in the cis-surgical context of cancer treatment (mastectomy) or the FTM transitional context (of top surgery). Neither of these contexts readily allows for a nonnormative trans chest. The author utilizes their own experiences of chest surgery to critique delegitimizing, prohibitive clinic practices that efface or misrecognize gender-diverse subjectivity. While this critique is straightforward in that it highlights the need for ongoing change in medical care practices, the author advances a philosophical analysis of genderqueer subjectivity that turns toward a poetics of selfhood. They suggest that understanding the poetics of genderqueerness displaces the “big P” politics of alterity that commonly marks queer activism. They argue that this displacement has epistemological value for what they call trans-peripheral surgical subjects. Building on notions of burdensome self-advocacy and the possibility of being, the article posits that the poetics of nonnormativity acts as a stabilizing or restorative feature of genderqueer and trans-peripheral life. This is especially linked to experiences of surgical transformation in hospitals and surgical clinics that contribute to and shape existential stress. Beginning with a contextualization of genderqueerness and an explanation of the terms trans-peripheral and queer, the article moves from a narrative account of surgical experience to a theory that grounds poetics as a complement to the politics of selfhood.
Temperature-induced physiological stress and reproductive characteristics of the migratory seahorse Hippocampus erectus during a thermal stress simulation
Authors: Qin Geng , Johnson Cara , Zhang Yuan , Zhang Huixian , Yin Jianping , Miller Glen , Turingan Ralph G. , Guisbert Eric , Lin Qiang
Published: May 2018

Inshore-offshore migration occurs frequently in seahorse species either because of prey opportunities or because it is driven by reproduction, and variations in water temperature may dramatically change migratory seahorse behavior and physiology. The present study investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus under thermal stress and evaluated the potential effects of different temperatures on its reproduction. The results showed that the thermal tolerance of the seahorses was time dependent. Acute thermal stress (30°C, 2–10 hours) increased the basal metabolic rate (breathing rate) and the expression of stress response genes (Hsp genes) significantly and further stimulated seahorse appetite. Chronic thermal treatment (30°C, 4 weeks) led to a persistently higher basal metabolic rate, higher stress response gene expression, and higher mortality, indicating that the seahorses could not acclimate to chronic thermal stress and might experience massive mortality due to excessive basal metabolic rates and stress damage. Additionally, no significant negative effects on gonad development or reproductive endocrine regulation genes were observed in response to chronic thermal stress, suggesting that seahorse reproductive behavior could adapt to higher-temperature conditions during migration and within seahorse breeding grounds. In conclusion, this simulation experiment indicated that temperature variations during inshore-offshore migration have no effect on reproduction but promote basal metabolic rates and stress responses significantly. Therefore, we suggest that the high observed tolerance of seahorse reproduction was in line with the inshore-offshore reproductive migration pattern of lined seahorse.
RNAi screening identifies a mechanosensitive ROCK-JAK2-STAT3 network central to myofibroblast activation
Authors: Oh Raymond S. , Haak Andrew J. , Smith Karry M. J. , Ligresti Giovanni , Choi Kyoung Moo , Xie Tiao , Wang Shaohua , Walters Paula R. , Thompson Michael A. , Freeman Michelle R. , Manlove Logan J. , Chu Vivian M. , Feghali-Bostwick Carol , Roden Anja C. , Schymeinsky Jürgen , Pabelick Christina M. , Prakash Y. S. , Vassallo Robert , Tschumperlin Daniel J.
Published: May 2018

Myofibroblasts play key roles in wound healing and pathological fibrosis. Here, we used an RNAi screen to characterize myofibroblast regulatory genes, using a high-content imaging approach to quantify α-smooth muscle actin stress fibers in cultured human fibroblasts. Screen hits were validated on physiological compliance hydrogels, and selected hits tested in primary fibroblasts from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our RNAi screen led to the identification of STAT3 as an essential mediator of myofibroblast activation and function. Strikingly, we found that STAT3 phosphorylation, while responsive to exogenous ligands on both soft and stiff matrices, is innately active on a stiff matrix in a ligand/receptor-independent, but ROCK- and JAK2-dependent fashion. These results demonstrate how a cytokine-inducible signal can become persistently activated by pathological matrix stiffening. Consistent with a pivotal role for this pathway in driving persistent fibrosis, a STAT3 inhibitor attenuated murine pulmonary fibrosis when administered in a therapeutic fashion after bleomycin injury. Our results identify novel genes essential for the myofibroblast phenotype, and point to STAT3 as an important target in pulmonary fibrosis and other fibrotic diseases.
The path to VICTORy – a beginner's guide to success using commercial research antibodies
Authors: Goodman Simon L.
Published: May 2018

Commercial research antibodies are crucial tools in modern cell biology and biochemistry. In the USA some $2 billion a year are spent on them, but many are apparently not fit-for-purpose, and this may contribute to the ‘reproducibility crisis’ in biological sciences. Inadequate antibody validation and characterization, lack of user awareness, and occasional incompetence amongst suppliers have had immense scientific and personal costs. In this Opinion, I suggest some paths to make the use of these vital tools more successful. I have attempted to summarize and extend expert views from the literature to suggest that sustained routine efforts should made in: (1) the validation of antibodies, (2) their identification, (3) communication and controls, (4) the training of potential users, (5) the transparency of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) marketing agreements, and (5) in a more widespread use of recombinant antibodies (together denoted the ‘VICTOR’ approach).
Glucose Tolerance is Linked to Postprandial Fuel Use Independent of Exercise Dose
Authors: GILBERTSON NICOLE M. , EICHNER NATALIE Z. M. , FRANCOIS MONIQUE , GAITÁN JULIAN M. , HEISTON EMILY M. , WELTMAN ARTHUR , MALIN STEVEN K.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The optimal short-term exercise dose to improve glucose tolerance in relation to metabolic flexibility and/or insulin resistance is unknown. Therefore, we tested if short-term, work-matched continuous (CONT) versus interval (INT) exercise training improves glucose tolerance in part by reducing insulin resistance and increasing metabolic flexibility independent of clinically meaningful fat loss in adults with prediabetes.

Methods

Subjects (age = 60.9 ± 1.4 yr, body mass index = 33.5 ± 1.1 kg·m−2) were screened for prediabetes using the American Diabetes Association criteria (75 g oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT] and/or HbA1c) and were randomized to 60 min·d−1 of supervised CONT (n = 17, 70% HRpeak) or work-matched INT (n = 14; 90% HRpeak for 3 min and 50% HRpeak for 3 min) exercise for 12 bouts. Fitness (V˙O2peak) and body composition were assessed pre- and postintervention. A 180-min 75-g OGTT was performed, and glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids were collected to calculate glucose tolerance (tAUC180min) and whole-body as well as adipose tissue insulin resistance pre- and postintervention. RER (indirect calorimetry) was also measured at 0, 60, 120, and 180 min of the OGTT to assess fasting and postprandial metabolic flexibility.

Results

CONT and INT training improved V˙O2peak (L·min−1; P = 0.001) and glucose tolerance (P = 0.01) and reduced fasting RER (P = 0.006), as well as whole-body and adipose insulin resistance (both P = 0.02) with no effect on body fat (P = 0.18). Increased postprandial RER was correlated with reduced glucose tAUC180min (r = −0.38, P = 0.05) and increased 180-min RER related to decreased whole-body insulin resistance (r = −0.42, P = 0.03).

Conclusion

Independent of exercise dose and fat loss, short-term training improves glucose tolerance in relation to enhanced postprandial fuel use.
High-Intensity Interval or Continuous Moderate Exercise: A 24-Week Pilot Trial
Authors: LOCKE SEAN R. , BOURNE JESSICA E. , BEAUCHAMP MARK R. , LITTLE JONATHAN P. , BARRY JULIANNE , SINGER JOEL , JUNG MARY E.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) may lead to superior cardiometabolic improvements when compared with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). However, adherence to HIIT requires examination. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) adherence 24 wk after a brief counseling intervention combined with either HIIT or MICT.

Methods

Individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) were randomized to HIIT (n = 15) or MICT (n = 17) and completed 10 exercise sessions accompanied by a brief 10-min counseling intervention over a 2-wk period. Objectively measured purposeful MVPA (accelerometry) and cardiorespiratory fitness (V˙O2peak) were assessed at baseline and 24 wk postintervention. Self-regulatory efficacy and task self-efficacy were examined at baseline, postintervention, and 24 wk postintervention. Using an intention-to-treat analysis, change scores were calculated for HIIT and MICT and compared between groups.

Results

Individuals assigned to HIIT increased their MVPA by 53 min (Cohen’s d = 1.52) at 24 wk compared with 19 min in MICT. Both HIIT and MICT increased relative V˙O2peak by 2 and 1 mL·kg−1·min−1, respectively. Participants in both groups increased in their self-regulatory and task self-efficacy postintervention, but both groups demonstrated similar decline at 24 wk.

Conclusion

This pilot intervention was successful in increasing, and maintaining, free-living MVPA over a 24-wk period in individuals at high risk of T2D. Speculation that HIIT is inappropriate or unattainable for overweight individuals at high risk of T2D may be unfounded.
Health and economic correlates of autonomy among older people in Peru, Mexico and China: The 10/66 INDEP study
Authors: Prince Martin J. , Guerra Mariella , Huang Yueqin , Lloyd-Sherlock Peter , Sosa Ana Luisa , Uwakwe Richard , Acosta Isaac , Ezeah Peter , Gallardo Sara , Guerchet Maëlenn M. , Liu Zhaorui , Mayston Rosie , Montes de Oca Veronica , Wang Hong
Published: May 2018

Background: While autonomy is highlighted as central to older people’s wellbeing, there has been little empirical research to inform a measurement approach, support construct validity, or establish its determinants. We aimed to study the health and economic correlates of self-perceived autonomy among community-dwelling older people in Peru, Mexico and China, using a hypothesis-driven approach.

Methods: Cross-sectional household surveys in urban and rural catchment areas in each country, comprising household, informant, and older person interviews, to elicit household income and older residents’ autonomy, unmet needs, and quality of life. Households, all with older residents, were selected from previous waves of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group’s comprehensive surveys of ageing and health.

Results: Among 937 older respondents in 754 households, diminished autonomy was associated with older age, marital status, lower education, and lower household income. Physical, cognitive and mental morbidities, functional impairment and dependence were strongly and independently associated with diminished autonomy, explaining the effect of age. Controlling for these variables, an older person’s current total income was inversely associated with diminished autonomy (Count Ratio per fifth of total income 0.86, 95% CI 0.81-0.91). Autonomy was positively correlated with wellbeing and life satisfaction, supporting construct validity. Counter to hypotheses, less autonomy was associated with fewer unmet needs in rural sites.

Conclusions: The effects of income insecurity, disability and dependence upon autonomy should be tested prospectively to confirm causal direction. Social pensions, and measures to support the rights of frail and dependent older people may be effective policy instruments for promoting autonomy. While the negative impact of diminished autonomy upon older people’s welfare is supported, the association in rural sites between more autonomy and more unmet needs should be further investigated; efforts to promote autonomy may need careful cultural nuancing, to support rather than subvert traditional family care systems.
Financing Through Asset Sales
Authors: Edmans Alex , Mann William
Published: May 2018

Most research on firm financing studies debt versus equity issuance. We model an alternative source, non-core asset sales, and identify three new factors that contrast it with equity. First, unlike asset purchasers, equity investors own a claim to the firm’s balance sheet (the “balance sheet effect”). This includes the cash raised, mitigating information asymmetry. Contrary to the intuition of Myers and Majluf [Myers SC, Majluf NS (1984) Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have. J. Financial Econom. 13(2):187–221], even if non-core assets exhibit less information asymmetry, the firm issues equity if the financing need is high. Second, firms can disguise the sale of low-quality assets—but not equity—as motivated by dissynergies (the “camouflage effect”). Third, selling equity implies a “lemons” discount for not only the equity issued but also the rest of the firm, since both are perfectly correlated (the “correlation effect”). A discount on assets need not reduce the stock price, since non-core assets are not a carbon copy of the firm.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2981 .

This paper was accepted by Tomasz Piskorski, finance.
Inverse Optimization with Noisy Data
Authors: Aswani Anil , Shen Zuo-Jun (Max) , Siddiq Auyon
Published: May 2018

Inverse optimization refers to the inference of unknown parameters of an optimization problem based on knowledge of its optimal solutions. This paper considers inverse optimization in the setting where measurements of the optimal solutions of a convex optimization problem are corrupted by noise. We first provide a formulation for inverse optimization and prove it to be NP-hard. In contrast to existing methods, we show that the parameter estimates produced by our formulation are statistically consistent. Our approach involves combining a new duality-based reformulation for bilevel programs with a regularization scheme that smooths discontinuities in the formulation. Using epi-convergence theory, we show the regularization parameter can be adjusted to approximate the original inverse optimization problem to arbitrary accuracy, which we use to prove our consistency results. Next, we propose two solution algorithms based on our duality-based formulation. The first is an enumeration algorithm that is applicable to settings where the dimensionality of the parameter space is modest, and the second is a semiparametric approach that combines nonparametric statistics with a modified version of our formulation. These numerical algorithms are shown to maintain the statistical consistency of the underlying formulation. Finally, using both synthetic and real data, we demonstrate that our approach performs competitively when compared with existing heuristics.
Factors influencing decisions to homebirth among pregnant women in Mpongwe District, Zambia
Authors: Chityaka Francis , Ngoma Catherine Mubita
Published: May 2018

Background:

Homebirths have far-reaching consequences for the expectant mother and her baby as most of these are assisted by unskilled birth attendants. Reducing homebirths could lead to improved maternal and infant health.

Aims:

To determine factors influencing expectant women to have a homebirth.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. A pre-tested, semi structured interview schedule was used to assess factors influencing homebirths among 80 expectant mothers attending an antenatal clinic.

Findings:

Overall, 60% of the respondents had their previous babies at home. Most (92%) of the respondents said that they would give birth to their next child at a health facility, and the majority (68%) preferred to have a female skilled birth attendant. Some 52% of the respondents had low levels of knowledge on the complications of labour and delivery. The study found that homebirths were significantly associated with the educational level of the woman and distance to the health facility.

Conclusions:

The majority of the expectant mothers had given birth at home before but had low knowledge on complications of homebirths. There is need to intensify community sensitisation on the dangers of homebirth to prevent maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.
Mothers' knowledge and practices associated with managing malaria in children under five in Nigeria
Authors: Ayamolowo Sunday J , Olaoye Abolaji S , Ayamolowo Love B
Published: May 2018

Background:

Malaria poses a major health risk for children under 5 in low resource settings. Building healthy practices for malaria management can prevent malaria-related deaths in children.

Aim:

The purpose of this study was to describe mothers' practices associated with malaria management in children under 5 in a suburban community in south-west Nigeria.

Methodology:

A community-based descriptive study was conducted among 160 mothers of children under 5 using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire.

Results:

The majority (96.3%) of mothers had good knowledge of the causes and management of malaria; however, most (83.1%) did not adopt healthy practices in the management of malaria in children under 5. The majority (88.8%) of the mothers cited long waiting times to get treatment in health facilities as a major factor against uptake of hospital treatment for malaria. The use of antimalarial combination therapy for treatment of malaria was low among mothers (28.8%).

Conclusions:

Mothers' did not adopt healthy practices in malaria management for children under 5. It is essential to intensify efforts on health education programmes that can build mothers' capacity for healthy practices for malaria management.
Facilitators and barriers to cervical cancer screening among HIV-positive women in Ghana
Authors: Ebu Nancy Innocentia
Published: May 2018

Background:

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women, especially those with HIV-positive status. Cervical screening is an important intervention in decreasing the prevalence of cervical cancer.

Aim:

To describe the barriers to and facilitators of to cervical cancer screening among HIV-positive women attending a Ghanaian primary health care facility that offered antiretroviral therapy for HIV.

Methodology:

A qualitative multiple case study using purposive sampling was conducted. Transcripts were analysed using the directed approach to content analysis guided by constructs from the health belief model and theory of planned behaviour.

Results:

The study found that HIV-positive women had heard about screening, intended to seek screening, and were confident that screening would prevent them from getting cervical cancer. Financial challenges, low levels of knowledge about cervical cancer, and participants perceiving themselves as not being susceptible emerged as barriers.

Conclusions:

Programmes to intensify cervical cancer education among this vulnerable population are advocated in order to increase screening and improve the health of HIV-positive women.
At full tilt
Authors: Clarke Jenni
Published: May 2018

Challenging play is all about opportunities for extending physical limits and experiencing excitement – along with a little fear and uncertainty. From this children ultimately gain self-esteem and resiliance.
Evil I?: Witchfinders and the magical power of ambiguity at stake in doom metal
Authors: Coggins Owen
Published: May 2018

Themes involving witches and witchcraft have fascinated metal musicians and audiences throughout the history of the genre, perhaps especially so in the broad and long-running subgenre of doom metal. In particular, the idea of witchfinders has occupied the imagination of successive generations of doom musicians. I investigate the enduring appeal in doom metal of this marginal historical figure, showing how representations of witches and wizards complement the construction of the witchfinder. Though witchfinders may represent violent male control over female sexual power, and though cursory analysis of patterns of narrative closure in lyrics may suggest the dominance of this male control, I suggest that the ambiguous power of witchcraft is by no means domesticated, neutralized or resolved in doom metal. I examine four cases of witchfinder songs, from four different decades of the doom metal tradition: Coven’s ‘Coven in Charing Cross’ (1969); Witchfinder General’s self-titled song (1982); Cathedral’s ‘Hopkins, Witchfinder General’ (1995a); and Electric Wizard’s ‘I, the Witchfinder’ (2000). I discuss how identities and categories are disrupted in doom metal’s evocation of witchfinders and witchcraft, through destabilization of subject positions in song narratives, through the shifting relations between voice and sound, and through the consistent undermining of linear narrative through noise, rupture and cyclical returns. While the witchfinder is frequently evoked as a figure of control over witches, I show that witchcraft may yet subvert subjective identity, destabilize narrative, and escape control through its ambiguous relation with power.
Phew – What a blizzard! Black metal and the UK popular press
Authors: Hay Alexander
Published: May 2018

The second wave of black metal, with its most notorious moments emanating from the Oslo-centred scene of the early 1990s, was somewhat inevitably a media phenomenon in its native Norway, as the extensive television and newspaper coverage of the time demonstrates. This article will focus on one particular nation’s coverage, however – that of the United Kingdom, and how it covered and responded to the antics of the Norwegian black metal scene up to and including the trial of ‘Varg’ Vikernes in 1994. An initial study provides a disparate picture. The niche media of the United Kingdom (such as Kerrang!, Terrorizer and other extreme metal publications) could certainly be trusted to provide coverage of this provocative and indeed often dangerous fringe musical movement. How it was covered by the politically influential UK popular press, however, is another matter. If the discourse of early 1990’s black metal with its aggressively transgressive and aesthetically rigid approach made good tabloid fodder, the UK popular press with its own traditions, hobbyhorses, aesthetics and vitriolic right wing politics might at first seem a good combination. What, then, did UK press coverage reveal not just about black metal at this time, but also its own mores and attitudes? Was black metal seized upon by the UK press or ignored, and why? Finally, what does this reveal about UK journalism and black metal itself?
A manifesto for metal studies: Or putting the ‘politics of metal’ in its place
Authors: Brown Andy R.
Published: May 2018

This article proposes that metal studies can benefit from a knowledge of the struggles that have taken place in academia, between scholars and within and between different disciplines, over the issue of the role of the consecrated academic as mediator, critic, interpreter and advocate, in relation to popular cultural formations and the social and cultural groups identified with them. I explore how this dynamic is played-out in a number of periods identified with notable theorists and/or academic schools that give rise to a ‘politics’ that can inform a possible politics of metal studies. These include Gramsci’s account of the ‘traditional’ and the ‘organic’ intellectual; Stuart Hall and the ‘cultural politics’ of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) school; Simon Frith on the ‘political’ pleasures of the ‘fan-intellectual’; Charlotte Brunsdon on the ‘feminist, the housewife and the soap opera’; Richard Middleton on ‘vernacular practice’ and the Low-Other; Matt Hills on the ‘proper place’ (‘un lieu propre’) of theory according to the academic-fan and the fan-academic. Finally, how these conflicts of legitimation can be placed within a revised model of Bourdieu’s ‘cultural field’ as it applies to the academy and the habitus of ‘Homo Academicvs’. I conclude by suggesting that the role of the metallectual and the politics of metal studies needs to be tempered by an increased reflexive awareness of the metal-scholar in relation to their fandom and tested through a more explicit self-analysis of ‘class-habitus’, as both a guide to the limits of political judgments and possible interventions into metal music, metal fandom and the global metal scene.
Liderança religiosa em Portugal entre a ditadura e a democracia. António Ribeiro: um patriarca em tempos de rutura
Authors: Rei Pedro Silva
Published: May 2018

Destrinçando o pensamento de D. António Ribeiro como patriarca de Lisboa entre o marcelismo e o PREC, procurámos compreender os dinamismos políticos que o religioso assume no processo de afirmação do regime democrático português, aquilatando, em simultâneo, a preponderância eclesiástica do cardeal António Ribeiro num contexto de mudança político-eclesial. Este ensaio é feito assumindo o religioso, e em concreto esta liderança religiosa, como bússola na compreensão da rutura política e das suas consequências.
[Recensão a] MARTINS, Miguel Gomes, 1147, a conquista de Lisboa na rota da Segunda Cruzada
Authors: Nisa João
Published: May 2018

https://doi.org/10.14195/2183-8925_36_16
O Chronicon Conimbricense e o arquétipo bíblico de realeza sagrada no Portugal do século XII
Authors: Gouveia Mário de
Published: May 2018

Apresenta-se neste estudo uma breve análise da secção do Chronicon Conimbricense (um manuscrito contendo textos analísticos redigidos no mosteiro de Santa Cruz de Coimbra, nos finais do século XII) alusiva a acontecimentos bíblicos e eclesiásticos. Através do cruzamento desta secção com a parte referente à história de Portugal durante o reinado de D. Afonso Henriques, na qual se procede ao encómio das qualidades guerreiras do rei fundador, constrói-se uma hipótese que sugere que o entendimento das origens do reino pelos cónegos crúzios, à luz dos seus ascendentes bíblicos e eclesiásticos, recupera a teoria das seis idades do mundo proposta por Santo Agostinho e cria uma chave de leitura comum na cultura cristã de matriz europeia.
Liturgic emphasis, dramaturgy, identity of power and episcopal jurisdiction (XVIth-XVIIIth centuries)
Authors: Nestola Paola
Published: May 2018

Based on two biographical records of the archbishop of Braga, Fr. Augustin of Jesus, the study aims to consider an intense moment of manifestation and recognition of the identity of episcopal power and jurisdiction in Portugal. Centered on the inedited solemn ceremony of the imposition of the pallium, the distinctive band attributed to archbishops and primates, this paper is articulated in five paragraphs. The first one deals with the recent historiography of political ceremonies within the framework of the Portuguese Church and its hierarchies, namely episcopal entries. The second contextualizes the different sources written between the XVIth -XVIIth centuries, and their authors. The third part outlines a brief profile of the archbishop, promoted in the early years of Hapsburg dynasty to the main Portuguese Church. The fourth considers the unusual stop at the Convent of Christ, in Tomar, to attend the distinctive vestment awarding ceremony. The latter part aims to indicate the physiological/psychological reactions of the protagonist of powerful liturgy.
A Secularização Política: uma quarta via
Authors: Fernandes António Horta
Published: May 2018

No mundo ocidental da contemporaneidade têm coabitado diversos modelos de secularização com implicação direta na relação das confissões religiosas com o espaço público de natureza política. Todavia, mesmo o mais acolhedor desses modelos para com a esfera religiosa implica, nem que seja implicitamente, uma neutralização da dinâmica religiosa que deve ser interrogada. O texto que aqui se apresenta procura questionar se tais modelos são suficientes para respaldar seja a própria autonomia do homem, seja a especificidade legítima da esfera política, bem como interrogar-se se esses mesmos modelos são eficazes para um diálogo político internacional com atores que não compartem os mesmos racionais.