bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic inequalities in utilizing maternal health care in five South Asian countries: A decomposition analysis
Authors: Rahman Md. Ashfikur , Islam Md. Amirul , Tohan Mortuja Mahamud , Muhibullah S. M. , Rahman Md. Sazedur , Howlader Md. Hasan
Published: February 2024

Background

High maternal mortality rates still today remain a significant public health concern in South Asian countries. The majority of maternal deaths occur during pregnancy, and these deaths may typically be avoided by ensuring that women have access to reliable maternity care such as antenatal care (ANC) and facility delivery. The objectives of this research were to assess socioeconomic disparities in the utilization of health care services by mothers and to determine the factors influencing this utilization among women aged 15 to 49 in five South Asian countries.

Methods

For this study, nationally representative data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) were analyzed. This research included a total of 262,531 women between the ages of 15 and 49. To determine the likely causes of maternal health care utilization, simple bivariate statistics and binary logistic regression were applied, and decomposition analysis and the concentration curve were used to quantify disparity (Lorenz curve).

Results

ANC and institutional delivery were both prevalent in 59.27% and 86.52% of cases, respectively. Among the five nations, Maldives has the greatest ANC (96.83%) and institutional delivery (99.39%), while Bangladesh has the lowest ANC (47.01%) and institutional delivery (49.81%). Women’s and husbands’ education, household wealth status, BMI, and urban residents are the most important factors influencing maternal health service utilization, whereas higher education level, affluent wealth quintiles, and place of residence are the major contributors to socioeconomic inequalities in access to maternal health care that favor the wealthy.

Conclusion

Maternal health care services must be utilized properly in order to promote optimal health and prevent maternal mortality. Several socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables of the individual population, as well as policy issues, all have an impact on maternal mortality. This research recommends for concerted action to enhance how successfully women use maternity care services.
Cardiac interventions in Wales: A comparison of benefits between NHS Wales specialties
Authors: Davies Gareth , Akbari Ashley , Bailey Rowena , Evans Lloyd , Smith Kendal , Goodfellow Jonathan , Thomas Michael , Lutchman Singh Kerryn
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The study aimed to assess if specialised healthcare service interventions in Wales benefit the population equitably in work commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC).

Approach

The study utilised anonymised individual-level, population-scale, routinely collected electronic health record (EHR) data held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank to identify patients resident in Wales receiving specialist cardiac interventions. Measurement was undertaken of associated patient outcomes 2-years before and after the intervention (minus a 6-month clearance period on either side) by measuring events in primary care, hospital attendance, outpatient and emergency department. The analysis controlled for comorbidity (Charlson) and deprivation (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation), stratified by admission type (elective or emergency) and membership of top 5% post-intervention costs. Costs were estimated by multiplying events by mean person cost estimates.

Results

We identified 5,999 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and 1,640 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) between 2014-06-01 to 2020-02-29. The ratio of emergency to elective interventions was 2.85 for PCI and 1.04 for CABG. In multivariate analysis significant associations were identified for comorbidity (OR = 1.52, CI = (1.01–2.27)), deprivation (OR = 1.34, CI = (1.03–1.76)) and rurality (OR = 0.81, CI = (0.70–0.95)) for PCI interventions, and comorbidity (OR = 1.47, CI = (1.10–1.98)) for CABG. Higher costs post-intervention were associated with increased comorbidity for PCI and CABG in the top 5% cost groups, but for PCI this was not seen outside the top 5%. For PCI, moderate cost increase was associated with increased deprivation, but the picture was more mixed following CABG interventions. For both interventions, lower costs post intervention were seen in rural locations.

Conclusion

We identified and compared health outcomes for selected specialist cardiac interventions amongst patients resident in Wales, with these methods and analyses, providing a template for comparing other cardiac interventions.
Metabolomics analysis of the yolk of Zhijin white goose during the embryogenesis based on LC-MS/MS
Authors: Zhao Zhonglong , Yang Hong , Wang Zhiwei , Ai Zhaobi , Yang Runqian , Wang Zhong , Wang Tiansong , Fu Kaibin , Zhang Yong
Published: February 2024

The egg yolk of the goose is rich in lipids, proteins and minerals, which is the main source of nutrition during the goose embryogenesis. Actually, the magnitude and variety of nutrients in yolk are dynamically changed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of different growth and development periods. The yolk sac membrane (YSM) plays a role in metabolizing and absorbing nutrients from the yolk, which are then consumed by the embryo or extra-fetal tissues. Therefore, identification of metabolites in egg yolk can help to reveal nutrient requirement in goose embryo. In this research, to explore the metabolite changes in egg yolk at embryonic day (E) 7, E12, E18, E23, and E28, we performed the assay using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The findings showed that E7 and E12, E23 and E28 were grouped together, while E18 was significantly separated from other groups, indicating the changes of egg yolk development and metabolism. In total, 1472 metabolites were identified in the egg yolk of Zhijin white goose, and 636 differential metabolites (DMs) were screened, among which 264 were upregulated and 372 were downregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that the DMs were enriched in the biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids, digestion and absorption of protein, citrate cycle (TCA cycle), aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, phosphotransferase system (PTS), mineral absorption, cholesterol metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism. Our study may provide new ideas for improving prehatch embryonic health and nutrition.
Production, characterization and therapeutic efficacy of egg yolk antibodies specific to Nosema ceranae
Authors: Açık Mehmet Nuri , Karagülle Burcu , Yakut Seda , Öztürk Yasin , Kutlu Mehmet Ali , Kalın Recep , Çetinkaya Burhan
Published: February 2024

Nosema disease, caused by Nosema ceranae, one of the single-celled fungal microsporidian parasites, is one of the most important and common diseases of adult honey bees. Since fumagillin, which has been used for decades in the control of Nosema disease in honey bees (Apis mellifera), poses a toxic threat and its efficacy against N. ceranae is uncertain, there is an urgent need to develop alternative prophylactic and curative strategies for the treatment of this disease. The main aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of specific egg yolk immunoglobulins (IgY) on Nosema disease. For this purpose, the presence of N. ceranae was determined by microscopic and PCR methods in honey bees collected from Nosema suspicious colonies by conducting a field survey. Layered Ataks chickens, divided into four groups each containing 20 animals, were vaccinated with live and inactivated vaccines prepared from field isolates of N. ceranae. Eggs were collected weekly for 10 weeks following the last vaccination. IgY extraction was performed using the PEG precipitation method from egg yolks collected from each group, and the purity of the antibodies was determined by SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. The presence of N. ceranae-specific IgYs was investigated by Western Blot and indirect ELISA methods. It was determined that specific IgYs showed high therapeutic efficacy on Nosema disease in naturally infected bee colonies. In addition, honey bees collected from infected colonies were brought to the laboratory and placed in cages with 30 bees each, and the effectiveness of IgYs was investigated under controlled conditions. It was detected that specific IgY reduced the Nosema spore load and the number of infected bees significantly in both the field and experimental study groups treated for seven days. It was concluded that chicken IgYs, an innovative and eco-friendly method, had a significant potential for use as an alternative to antifungal drugs.
Acute kidney injury and its predictors among HIV-positive patients in Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Azagew Abere Woretaw , Abate Hailemichael Kindie , Ferede Yohannes Mulu , Mekonnen Chilot Kassa
Published: February 2024

Background

cute kidney injury(AKI) is a rapid loss of the kidney’s excretory function, resulting in an accumulation of end products of nitrogen metabolism. The causes of AKI in HIV-positive patients are not well investigated, but it may be associated with antiretroviral drug side effects and HIV itself. Even though there were studies that reported the prevalence of AKI among HIV-positive patients in Africa, their findings were inconsistent across the studies.

Methods

We searched on PubMed, Embas, Ebsco, OVID, Cochrane Library, and other supplementary search engines, including Google and Google Scholar. Articles published upto July 2023 were included in this review study. The quality of the study was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies. The data were extracted using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and exported to Stata version 14 for analysis. A random effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of AKI among HIV-positive patients. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochrane Q statistics and I squared (I2). Furthermore, the graphic asymmetric test of the funnel plot and/or Egger’s tests were computed to detect publication bias. Sensitivity analysis was computed to see the effect of a single study on the summary effects. To treat the publication bias, a trim and fill analysis was carried out. The protocol of this review has been registered in an international database, the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO),with reference number CRD42023446078.

Results

A total of twenty-four original articles comprising 7913HIV-positive patients were included in the study. The pooled prevalence of AKI among HI-positive patients was found to be 23.35% (95% CI: 18.14–28.56%, I2 = 97.7%, p-value <0.001). Low hemoglobin (Hgb <8mg/dl) was found to be the determinant factor for AKI among HIV-positive patients (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI:1.69–3.4, I2 = 0.0%, p-value = 0.40). In meta-regression analysis, sample size was the possible source of variation among the included studies (AOR = 3.11, 95%CI: 2.399–3.83).

Conclusions

The pooled prevalence of AKI among HIV-positive patients was high. HIV-positive patients with low hemoglobin levels are at risk of developing AKI. Hence, regular monitoring of kidney function tests is needed to prevent or delay the risk of AKI among HIV-positive patients. Healthcare workers should provide an integrated healthcare service to HIV-positive patients on the prevention, treatment, and reduction of the progression of AKI to advanced stages and complications.
Spanish Women in British Literary Annuals (1823-1830)
Authors: Medina Calzada Sara
Published: February 2024

This paper explores the representations of Spain, and particularly Spanish women, in five British literary annuals of the late Romantic period (1823-1830): Forget Me Not, The Literary Souvenir, Friendship’s Offering, The Keepsake and The Amulet. Literary annuals were illustrated anthologies of poems, short stories and travelogues which started to be published in Britain in the 1820s and were sold annually as presents for Christmas and New Year. Mostly aimed at a female audience, these annuals were imbued with a spirit of cosmopolitanism, featuring texts about countries and regions from all over the world. Spanish themes were constantly present in the selected literary annuals, where with a few notable exceptions, most female Spanish characters are countermodels of femininity that deviate from the traditional feminine values fostered by these publications and defy the idealised depictions of (British) women appearing in their texts and engravings. These representations of Spanish women, which underline the ethnic and cultural differences between Spain and Britain, are in tune with the romantic image of the country promoted by British writers at the time.
Narco-Capitalist Macbeths in TV Series: Shakespeare’s Archive in The Wire (David Simon, 2002–2008) and Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan, 2008–2013)
Authors: Huertas Víctor
Published: February 2024

I will tackle serial appropriations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in The Wire (David Simon, 2002–2008) and Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan, 2008–2013). Both complex TV series recast Macbeth in the context of narcocapitalism. Rather than constituting an alternative to mainstream capitalism, narco-capitalism maintains the American and global socioeconomic orders as depicted in both series. Paying attention to what will be defined as Shakespeare’s archive, it will be shown that traces from Macbeth are reactivated in The Wire and Breaking Bad. Shakespeare’s archive is formed by traces of Shakespeare’s dramatic and narrative sources, quartos, folios, later editions and adaptations. This corpus displays verbal and non-verbal features of Shakespeare’s oeuvre. Taken together, traces and reenactments of Shakespeare highlight the multifarious and competing ways in which Shakespearean appropriations sail through the depth and length of complex TV. To illustrate this, I will use archive theory, transmedia theory and narcocapitalism as lenses of analysis. This framework helps explain archival strategies employed for Shakespearean appropriation within the social context of both series. The results reveal that Shakespeare’s archive in both works leads to an ambivalent ethical assessment of the potentialities of narco-capitalism.
Multimodal interpersonal strategies in the new digital genre of clinical pictures: Exploring discourse and pedagogical implications for ESP-EMI team teaching
Authors: Beltrán-Palanques Vicent , Edo-Marzá Nuria
Published: February 2024

Science communication is undergoing a digital shift that results in the remediation and emergence of genres that help bring science to expert and semiexpert audiences (Luzón & Pérez-Llantada, 2019, 2022). One such genre is clinical pictures (CPs), which consist of a written and an audiovisual versión of a brief to-the-point presentation of a medical case/condition. This genre, as detailed in this study, may have a clearly stated pedagogical purpose aimed to promote diagnostic expertise. This study explores the structure of CPs, the variety of strategies authors use throughout these CPs to express stance and promote engagement with the audience, and the multimodal configuration of this genre. For this purpose, we draw on a dataset consisting of 10 CPs samples provided by The Lancet. Methodologically, we first conduct a linguistic análisis centred on rhetorical steps and interpersonal strategies, and subsequently, a multimodal analysis to identify the configuration of CPs. Overall, results show the use of interpersonal strategies throughout the two versions/formats, the added value of adopting a multimodal approach to explore data, and the complementarity of the two versions to disseminate medical knowledge among doctors and doctors in training. Pedagogically, the outcomes of the study support the incorporation of this innovative genre in ESP and EMI classes to enhance students’ multimodal literacy.
Don Quijote con faldas
Authors: Lennox Charlotte , Javier Pardo Pedro , Montero Reguera José
Published: February 2024

Un noble inglés que cae en desgracia, que debe abandonar la corte y se retira a sus posesiones en el campo. Su única hija, huérfana de madre, que crece aislada del mundo en la casa campestre y cuyo único entretenimiento consiste en la lectura de algunos de los volúmenes que atesora la biblioteca familiar, esencialmente las novelas de Mlle. de Scudéry (Clelia, Ciro) y Gauthier de Costes, señor de la Calprenède (Cleopatra, Casandra), publicadas en Francia y traducidas al inglés durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVII. Un tío que, ante la temprana muerte del padre, ha de constituirse en el tutor de esa joven, a la que no entiende porque interpreta la vida en función de aquellas lecturas. Un pretendiente –su primo– que quiere conquistarla, pero que no sabe cómo, pues no es capaz de entender el código amoroso y novelesco de aquella. Otros jóvenes interesados que quieren aprovecharse de una rica heredera que parece una presa fácil si se le sigue la corriente. Damas que introducen a Arabela en una vida social que la expone al ridículo por sus desfasadas ideas literarias; enredos amorosos, engaños, viajes por la Inglaterra del siglo XVIII –caminos con salteadores, el balneario de Bath, los jardines londinenses–; diálogos y digresiones literarias en la más característica tradición cervantina. He aquí los mimbres que conforman el primer Quijote femenino en la historia de la recepción de la novela cervantina, que abre el camino a otras obras de estas características, desde Northanger Abbey de Jane Austen o The Mill on the Floss de George Eliot a La desheredada de Galdós o La Regenta de Clarín, pasando, naturalmente, por Madame Bovary de Flaubert.
Epidemiological distribution of respiratory viral pathogens in marketable vaccinated broiler chickens in five governorates in the Nile Delta, Egypt, from January 2022 to October 2022
Authors: El-Shemy Ahmed Ali , Amer Mohamed Mahrous , Hassan Heba M. , Elaish Mohamed
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim: Respiratory viral infections significantly negatively impact animal welfare and have significant financial implications in the poultry industry. This study aimed to determine the frequency of the most economically relevant respiratory viruses that circulated in Egyptian chicken flocks in 2022.

Materials and Methods: Chickens from 359 broiler flocks in five different Egyptian governorates in the Nile Delta (Beheira, Gharbia, Giza, Monufiya, and Qalyoubia) at marketing time (33–38 days of age) were used in this study. Combined oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs and tissue samples were collected from clinically diseased or freshly dead birds suffering from respiratory disease. Avian influenza (AI)-H5, AI-H9, Newcastle disease (ND), and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Of the 359 flocks examined, 293 tested positive, whereas 66 were completely negative for the four viruses evaluated, with the highest positive results in Beheira. Out of 293 positive flocks, 211 were positive for a single virus, with Beheira having the highest rate, followed by Qalyoubia, Giza, and Monufiya. ND virus (NDV) was found to be the highest across all governorates, followed by IBV, AI-H9, and AI-H5. A double infection was detected in 73 flocks with either H9 or ND, or both H9 and IB could coinfect each other. The most common viral coinfections were H9 + IB, ND + IB, and ND + H9. Giza had the highest prevalence of ND + H9, H9 + IB, and ND + IB coinfection in the governorates, followed by Monufiya and Beheira. Only six out of 359 flocks were tribally infected with ND + H9 + IB in Giza, Monufiya, and Beheira governorates. On the basis of the number of flocks and the month of the year, July had the lowest number of flocks (23), while September and October had the highest number (48 flocks). Positive flock numbers were highest in October and lowest in January.

Conclusion: From January to October 2022, prevalent respiratory viral infections (H5N1, NDV, H9N2, and IBV) were detected in broiler chickens across the Delta area governorate, according to the findings of the present study. In addition, IBV and H9, either alone or in combination, significantly contributed to the respiratory infection observed in broiler chickens. Regardless of the type and origin of the vaccine used, it is not possible to protect broiler chickens from the development of the infection and the subsequent dissemination of the virus into the poultry environment. In the presence of face-infectious field virus mutations, poultry vaccinations must be regularly reviewed and updated, and poultry farms must take further biosecurity measures.

Keywords: avian influenza virus, chicken, Egypt, infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, subtype H5 and H9.
"A kultúrába ágyazott politikai rendszerek tartósan velünk maradnak"
Authors: Jászay Tamás
Published: February 2024

Magyarországon már nemigen lehet elcsípni, de kijelenthetjük, hogy két és fél évvel a bemutatója után az Éneklő fiatalok új életre kelt: Drezda, Bécs, Belgrád után újabb külföldi fellépések is várnak rá, hogy a segítségével a nemzetközi közönség is bevezetést kapjon az 1950-es évek és a 2020-as évek magyarországi politikájának és közbeszédének sok elemében párhuzamos valóságába. Átöröklődő hatalmi struktúrákról, a magyar és a külföldi recepció eltérő hangsúlyairól is beszélgetett az előadás alkotóival, Böröcz Judittal, Pálinkás Bence Györggyel és Szigeti Mátéval Jászay Tamás.
Identitáskérdések megjelenítése a kortárs szerb filmalkotásokban
Authors: Fejős Sándor
Published: February 2024

Az 1990-es években Jugoszlávia széthullása véres polgárháborúba torkollott. A gazdasági recesszió, a társadalmi feszültségek felülírták a jugoszlávizmus eszméjét, amelynek következtében a centralista (szerb) és a szeparatista (horvát, szlovén stb.) nézetek uralkodóvá váltak. A háborús konfliktusok rémképei, a nacionalista törekvések fellángolásai, a társadalmi közöny és a hontalanság érzésének fájó pillanatai, a régi Jugoszlávia iránti deformált nosztalgia illúziói – explicit és implicit módon – megalapozták az elmúlt negyedszázad kortárs szerb filmjeinek a tematikáját. A szerb mozgóképkultúra átmeneti periódusának térnyerése egybeesett az ország demokratizálódásával és kapitalizálódásával. Az információs és kommunikációs technológia fejlődésének kezdete (digitalizáció) is erre az időszakra tehető.
Munkaerő toborzás és megtartás generációs megközelítésben
Authors: Borsos Aranka Viktória
Published: February 2024

A munkaerőpiac folyamatosan változik; nő a munkavállalók munkában töltött éveinek száma, egyre több generáció képviselteti magát egyidejűleg a munkahelyeken, ugyanakkor a csökkenő népességszámunknak köszönhetően egyre alacsonyabb az újonnan belépők száma, nő az idősebb korosztályok aránya, azonban a globalizáció és a digitális változások hatására a kereslet mégis elsősorban a fiatalabb generációkra irányul, főként az újonnan megjelenő szakmákat érinti, így fokozódik a verseny a munkáltatók közt.

Ahhoz, hogy ebben a versenyhelyzetben a szereplők megfelelően reagálni tudjanak a változásokra, fontos tisztában lenniük azzal, hogy milyen eszközökkel motiválhatók az eltérő generációk.

Ezen téma kapcsán 2023-as kutatásom alkalmával a munkaerő-piacon jelenlévő generációk eltérő munkahelyválasztási szempontjait és a munkahelyi elégedettségüket befolyásoló tényezőit vizsgáltam, hiszen az egyes generációk által támasztott elvárások figyelembevételével könnyebbé és hatékonyabbá válhat a szervezetek emberi erőforrásokkal való gazdálkodása.
Multigenerációs munkahelyek a gyakorlatban.
Authors: Csástyu Lilla
Published: February 2024

A generációk közötti különbségek az életkörülmények, a technológiai fejlesztések, a társadalmi változások és az értékrend különbözőségeiből adódnak. Ezek az eltérések hatással lehetnek az emberek gondolkodására, viselkedésére és az élethez való hozzáállásra, ugyanakkor az interperszonális kapcsolatokat is meghatározza, ezért a munkaerőpiac szempontjából vizsgálva alapvető a megértése és a működése. Tanulmányomban a generációk és generációk közötti különbségek nemzetközi és magyar szakirodalomban fellehető történeti vonatkozásait vizsgálom meg és tárom fel. Majd megvizsgálom azokat a kulcsfontosságú tényezőket, amelyek a generációs különbségeket enyhíthetik.
Niveles de vitamina D según el estado nutricional de un grupo de niños y adolescentes entre 2015-2019 en Bogotá.
Authors: Ospina Ramírez Claudia Patricia , Cuello y Bertha Calderón Sandra
Published: February 2024

Introducción: La deficiencia de vitamina D se ha relacionado con alteraciones del estado nutricional. Estudios muestran alta prevalencia en Latinoamérica y en Colombia. Se creía que solo países con poca exposición solar (estacionales) eran propensos a sufrir estas deficiencias, sin embargo, en Bogotá D.C., hay una tendencia a evadir la luz solar (protector solar, ropa abrigada, espacios cerrados), y en conjunto con otras condiciones: sobrepeso, obesidad y estado nutricional deficiente, podrían contribuir a la deficiencia de vitamina D.
Objetivo: Caracterizar los pacientes con insuficiencia y deficiencia de vitamina D en relación con el estado nutricional. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo con 416 pacientes (Edades entre 6 meses a 26 años) con deficiencia de vitamina D, evaluados entre enero de 2015 a julio de 2019 en una consulta privada en la ciudad de Bogotá. Resultados: El 62.5 % tuvieron insuficiencia de vitamina D y 37.5 % deficiencia. 263 pacientes tuvieron estado nutricional normal (63.22 %), seguido de sobrepeso (19.24 %).  Sin embargo, de acuerdo con el estado nutricional, la obesidad tuvo mayor deficiencia 58.33 %, desnutrición aguda 57.14 % y sobrepeso 40 %. Para la insuficiencia los más afectados fueron pacientes en riesgo de desnutrición 72.22 %, normales 62.73 % y sobrepeso 60 %. Conclusiones: El 27.6 % de los pacientes, tienen niveles bajos de vitamina D, en su mayoría insuficientes. Los pacientes con déficit tenían un estado nutricional normal.
Celestial Insights: Unraveling the Role of miR-3682-3p in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Miao Pei-Dong , Li Ying , Jiang Yu-Dong
Published: February 2024

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a formidable oncological challenge, calling for innovative therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in cancer, and miR-3682-3p shows potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HCC. We conducted a comprehensive study to uncover its role in HCC biology, revealing dysregulation and clinical associations. Target gene analysis provided insights into potential molecular mechanisms. Moreover, we explored its impact on the tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, and therapy responses. Our findings highlight miR-3682-3p as a promising candidate for further investigations and potential therapeutic strategies in HCC management.
Genetic Factors Associated with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Chronic Pancreatitis
Authors: Wu Di , Ru Nan , Wang Yuan-Chen , Ma Guo-Xiu , Shi Tian-Yu , Xiong Si-Huai , You Ai-Jun , Wang Lei , Hu Liang-Hao , Li Zhao-Shen , Zou Wen-Bin , Liao Zhuan
Published: February 2024

OBJECTIVES:

The effects of genetic factors on pregnancy outcomes in chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients remain unclear. We evaluated the impacts of clinical features and mutations in main CP-susceptibility genes (SPINK1, PRSS1, CTRC, CFTR) on pregnancy outcomes in Chinese CP patients.

METHODS:

This was a prospective cohort study with 14-year follow-up. The sample comprised female CP patients with documented pregnancy and known genetic backgrounds. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were compared between patients with and without gene mutations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the impact factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS:

Totally, 160 female CP patients with a pregnancy history were enrolled; 59.4% of patients carried pathogenic mutations in CP-susceptibility genes. Adverse pregnancy outcomes occurred in 38 patients (23.8%); the prevalence of adverse outcomes was significantly higher in those harboring gene mutations than those without (30.5% vs 13.8%, P = 0.015). Notably, the rates of preterm delivery (12.6% vs 3.1%, P = 0.036) and abortion (17.9% vs 4.6%, P = 0.013) were remarkably higher in patients with gene mutations (especially SPINK1 mutations) than those without. In multivariate analyses, both CP-susceptibility gene mutations (odds ratio [OR], 2.52; P = 0.033) and SPINK1 mutations (OR, 2.60; P = 0.037) significantly increased the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Acute pain attack during pregnancy was another risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS:

Pathogenic mutations in CP-susceptibility genes, especially SPINK1, were independently related to adverse pregnancy outcomes in CP patients. Significant attention should be paid to pregnant females harboring CP-susceptibility gene mutations. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06055595)
PSI 726: Antheia’s Novel
Authors: López Martínez María Paz , Ruíz–Montero Consuelo
Published: February 2024

Este artículo ofrece un estudio de PSI 726, el cual constituye un fragmento de una novela griega de amor. Tras realizar una revisión del papiro original, proveemos aquí una nueva edición, traducción y comentario del texto, puntualizando en su lenguaje y estilo. Concluimos con el estudio de los personajes del fragmento y proponemos que sea considerado como una novela histórica.
La retórica del mosquito: los τόποι del τόπος de la fábula en Aquiles Tacio
Authors: Chialva Ivana
Published: February 2024

Los τόποι como «lugares» de la argumentación representan una constante de la educación retórica griega, desde las enseñanzas sofísticas en Atenas a las escuelas del Imperio. En la narrativa de ficción, esos τόποι se convierten en estrategias para la experimentación original de los saberes tradicionales de la paideia. En este trabajo, abordaremos un pasaje de la novela de Aquiles Tacio centrado en la competencia verbal entre esclavos en torno al juego onomástico κώνωψ/Κώνωψ, «mosquito/Mosquito» (2.20–22). En dicho pasaje, el ejercicio progymnasmático de la fábula (μῦθος) se organiza en un agón que involucra, no solo géneros literarios diversos, sino también otros ejercicios complejos, como elogio y vituperio, confirmación y refutación, tesis e hipótesis, creando niveles de lecturas superpuestos y novedosos como τόπος único de la cultura letrada.
“Old” stories in “new” clothes – a reading of the novel The children’s crusade by Florina Ilis
Authors: Orian Georgeta
Published: February 2024

Focusing on the success of Florina Ilis’ novel The children’s crusade, this article explores its potential as a literary contribution in a broader global discourse, as it could be considered “literary Romanian capital” in a discussion about world literature. While the book draws on clichéd stereotypes of Romanian society from the early 2000s, including the Ceaușescu era and the challenging transition from communism to democracy, the author uses a universal language of trauma. This allows for a wider audience to engage with the themes presented in the novel. Thus, her story becomes part of a global collection of works exploring the theme of the “children’s crusade” (including George Zabriskie Gray, Marcel Schwob, Lucian Blaga, Jerzy Andrzejewski, Thea Beckman, Gregory J. Rinaldi, Karleen Bradford, Kathleen McDonnell, Bryce Courtenay, Mario Vargas Llosa, Tullio Avoledo, amongst others). Considering the connection between continuity and innovation in Romanian literature, 75 years following Lucian Blaga’s play, with the same title, Florina Ilis employs a plot with medieval roots in her novel, which has fascinated writers worldwide, to deliver a unique perspective, in a new discourse.
Is the flâneuse even possible? The feminine and the space of modernity in O fată se plimbă pe stradă [A girl walks in the street] by Sorana Gurian
Authors: Krupa Tomasz
Published: February 2024

Sorana Gurian’s writing records the impossibility of a discourse of one’s own and unmasks the misogyny inherent in modernity. The Romanian short story O fată se plimbă pe stradă [A girl walks in the street] (1939) offers the author an opportunity to discuss the figure of the flâneuse, who, in its relations to modernity, public space or gender, seems to diagnose the condition of women within a modernising culture. The presence of these women in the text remains closely linked to their corporeality, constantly questioned and constrained by a hostile society. This is all the more visible in the case of a young girl with mobility disabilities: a close reading highlights the narrative function of walking, a physical activity that gives a temporal and rhythmic framework to the text.
Existence and uniqueness of solution for a singular elliptic differential equation
Authors: Gu Shanshan , Yang Bianxia , Shao Wenrui
Published: February 2024

In this article, we are concerned about the existence, uniqueness, and nonexistence of the positive solution for:

−
Δ
u
−

1

2

(

x
⋅

∇

u

)

=
μ
h

(

x

)

u

q
−
1

+
λ
u
−

u

p

,

x
∈

R

N

,

u

(

x

)

→
0
,

as

∣
x
∣
→
+
∞
,

\left\{\begin{array}{l}-\Delta u-\frac{1}{2}\left(x\cdot \nabla u)=\mu h\left(x){u}^{q-1}+\lambda u-{u}^{p},\hspace{1.0em}x\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{N},\\ u\left(x)\to 0,\hspace{1em}\hspace{0.1em}\text{as}\hspace{0.1em}\hspace{0.33em}| x| \to +\infty ,\end{array}\right.

where

N
⩾
3

N\geqslant 3

,

0
<
q
<
1

0\lt q\lt 1

,

λ
>
0

\lambda \gt 0

,

p
>
1

p\gt 1

,

μ
>
0

\mu \gt 0

is a parameter and the function

h

(

x

)

h\left(x)

satisfies certain conditions. To start with, based on the variational argument and perturbation method, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of the positive solution for the aforementioned singular elliptic differential equation as

λ
>

N

2

\lambda \gt \frac{N}{2}

. In addition, there is no solution as

λ
⩽

N

2

\lambda \leqslant \frac{N}{2}

. Later, from an experimental point of view, we give the numerical solution of the aforementioned singular elliptic differential equation by means of a neural network in some special cases, which enrich the theoretical results. Our conclusions partially extend the results corresponding to the nonsingular case.
N-linked glycosylation of the M-protein variable region: glycoproteogenomics reveals a new layer of personalized complexity in multiple myeloma
Authors: Langerhorst Pieter , Baerenfaenger Melissa , Kulkarni Purva , Nadal Simon , Wijnands Charissa , Post Merel A. , Noori Somayya , vanDuijn Martijn M. , Joosten Irma , Dejoie Thomas , van Gool Alain J. , Gloerich Jolein , Lefeber Dirk J. , Wessels Hans J.C.T. , Jacobs Joannes F.M.
Published: February 2024

Objectives

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by a monoclonal expansion of plasma cells that secrete a characteristic M-protein. This M-protein is crucial for diagnosis and monitoring of MM in the blood of patients. Recent evidence has emerged suggesting that N-glycosylation of the M-protein variable (Fab) region contributes to M-protein pathogenicity, and that it is a risk factor for disease progression of plasma cell disorders. Current methodologies lack the specificity to provide a site-specific glycoprofile of the Fab regions of M-proteins. Here, we introduce a novel glycoproteogenomics method that allows detailed M-protein glycoprofiling by integrating patient specific Fab region sequences (genomics) with glycoprofiling by glycoproteomics.

Methods

Glycoproteogenomics was used for the detailed analysis of de novo N-glycosylation sites of M-proteins. First, Genomic analysis of the M-protein variable region was used to identify de novo N-glycosylation sites. Subsequently glycopeptide analysis with LC-MS/MS was used for detailed analysis of the M-protein glycan sites.

Results

Genomic analysis uncovered a more than two-fold increase in the Fab Light Chain N-glycosylation of M-proteins of patients with Multiple Myeloma compared to Fab Light Chain N-glycosylation of polyclonal antibodies from healthy individuals. Subsequent glycoproteogenomics analysis of 41 patients enrolled in the IFM 2009 clinical trial revealed that the majority of the Fab N-glycosylation sites were fully occupied with complex type glycans, distinguishable from Fc region glycans due to high levels of sialylation, fucosylation and bisecting structures.

Conclusions

Together, glycoproteogenomics is a powerful tool to study de novo Fab N-glycosylation in plasma cell dyscrasias.
Identification of the tip mass parameters in a beam-tip mass system using response surface methodology
Authors: Gökdağ Hakan , Doğanay Katı Hilal
Published: February 2024

In this study, a response surface based approach is introduced to determine the physical parameters of the tip mass of a beam – tip mass system, such as mass, mass moment of inertia and coordinates of the centre of gravity with respect to the beam end point. To this end, first, a difference function was formulated based on the differences between the peak frequencies and peak amplitudes of the experimental and analytical frequency response functions. Later, observation points were established in the design space using orthogonal arrays, and a response surface was developed using the difference function values at these points. Next, the tip mass parameters were determined by minimizing the response surface with genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization as well as fmincon, a gradient-based solver of the Matlab program. For comparison purposes, those parameters were obtained by also direct minimization of the difference function with the same algorithms. It was concluded that the tip mass parameters were successfully determined within reasonable error limits by the response surface method with less computational burden. Finally, the effect of design space width on the response surface quality is demonstrated numerically.
Mechanical damage mechanism investigation on CFRP strengthened recycled red brick concrete
Authors: Ji Yongcheng , Li Zheng , Xu Wenyuan , Li Wei
Published: February 2024

Three reinforcement ratios (0, 50, and 100%) of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) were selected to improve the mechanical properties of recycled brick concrete in this study. Utilizing axial compression test, X-ray diffractometer analysis, the evolution of parameters such as compressive strength, peak stress, and elastic modulus of reclaimed concrete were analyzed. The reclaimed brick concrete’ stress distribution and damage mechanism were revealed. The aggregate internal failure and CFRP reinforcement effect mechanism are discussed. The finite element model of red brick concrete reinforced by CFRP under uniaxial compression is established. The constitutive model for CFRP-reinforced recycled brick concrete is proposed.
Infrastructure and Gender Disparity in Information Communication Technology Literacy: A Cross-Country Comparative Study
Authors: Liu Suyu
Published: February 2024

Information Communication Technology (ICT) literacy is essential in the digital age, and an important channel to acquire essential ICT skills is science education. Gender gap in ICT literacy and the associated reasons remain under-explored, especially at macro level. Using country level data from the database of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this article explores the association between infrastructure and gender disparity in ICT literacy, both have direct relationship with science education. SDG Indicator 4.5.1 monitors the female/male ratio of acquiring the ability to use basic arithmetic formula in a spreadsheet (ARSP) at country level, which is selected into this article to measure gender disparity in ICT literacy. SDG Indicator 9.c.1 (the population coverage of 4G mobile network) is used to measure infrastructure development. SDG Indicator 4.4.1, monitors the percentage of population with ARSP skills, which also demonstrates the level of science education, is controlled as an independent variable. Linear regressions and correlations were conducted to explore the relationship between infrastructure and gender gap in ICT literacy in 30 countries, and Mann-Whitney U test was performed to conduce comparisons between high income and middle/low income countries. Infrastructure contributes to reduce gender gap in ICT literacy, because infrastructure can improve a country’s science education which can benefit both men and women’s ICT skills. However such influence may vary across countries. Reasons of the results were discussed with implications for policies.
Handgrip Strength Is Not Associated With High Blood Pressure and Does Not Have Good Discriminatory Power for High Blood Pressure in Adolescents
Authors: de Lima Tiago Rodrigues , Silva Diego Augusto Santos
Published: February 2024

de Lima, TR and Silva, DAS. Handgrip strength is not associated with high blood pressure and does not have good discriminatory power for high blood pressure in adolescents. J Strength Cond Res 37(1): 46–54, 2023—Muscle strength measured by handgrip strength (HGS) was inversely and independently associated with high blood pressure (HBP). In addition, HGS has been used as a valuable indicator for monitoring pediatric health. This study aimed to investigate the association between HGS indexes and HBP, verify the discriminatory capacity of HGS to identify HBP in adolescents, and propose cut-points for HGS to be used in the early identification of HBP if good discriminatory power is identified between the variables. This was a cross-sectional study comprising 811 adolescents (male: 48.9%; age: 16.4 ± 1.3 years) from southern Brazil. Blood pressure was measured by the oscillometric method. Handgrip strength was assessed by a hand dynamometer and 3 different approaches were adopted: (a) HGS in kilogram-force, (b) normalized HGS (HGS/body mass), and (c) allometric HGS (HGS/body mass−0.67). Binary logistic regression was used to verify the association between HGS indexes and HBP, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to determine the possible use of HGS as a diagnostic tool for HBP. Handgrip strength indexes were not associated with HBP (p > 0.05), and ROC analyses showed a nonsignificant discriminating accuracy for most of the HGS indexes analyzed (p > 0.05) in identifying HBP in boys and girls. The area under curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.499 (95% CI [0.403–0.596] for allometric HGS among overweight or obese boys) to 0.595 (95% CI [0.546–0.643] for HGS among boys). Handgrip strength was not associated with HBP, and its use in the screening of HBP in adolescents is not recommended.
Locales Gentium Singularum Miserias
Authors: Hurt Emily Lucille
Published: February 2024

The Seven Books of History against the Pagans by Paulus Orosius was written as a response to the sack of Rome in 410 CE. In contrast to his contemporaries, Orosius responded to the disaster by writing a history that decentered the city of Rome. His work reshaped Roman history through deemphasizing traditional Roman values and by foregrounding a local perspective. This paper examines Orosius’s literary strategies through his description of the destruction of cities in the Republican period. It first surveys the interaction between accounts of the sack of Rome in 410 and the literary archetypes that dominate the descriptions of destroyed cities in Roman sources. Turning to Orosius, it outlines how his Historiae adversus paganos both does and does not adhere to this model, arguing that the encounter between classical sources and the Christian structure of his work allowed Orosius to critique Rome’s history of imperialism. Orosius saw and portrayed the past as a subjective experience, and the examples of Numantia and Carthage demonstrate that Orosius told the destruction of cities from a peripheral point of view. In pursuit of mitigating the effects of Rome’s own recent disaster, Orosius gives a glimpse of an alternate, regional interpretation of Roman history, one of the many that surely existed alongside a historical tradition that our sources often present as empire-wide and monolithic.
Učitelji u inkluziji
Authors: Matić Karla , Kasap Petra
Published: February 2024

U obrazovnom smislu inkluzija se definira kao aktivno uključivanje učenika s teškoćama u redovni nastavni proces (Subotić, 2014). U tom kontekstu učitelji predstavljaju najvažniju sponu između učenika i škole kao institucije, stoga se upravo oni smatraju jednim od ključnih faktora prilagodbe učenika s teškoćama na pohađanje školskog programa (Rajović i Jovanović, 2010). Cilj ovog rada ispitati je kako učitelji iz Zadra percipiraju inkluziju djece s teškoćama, kako procjenjuju vlastite kompetencije za taj oblik rada te s kojim se preprekama susreću. U tu svrhu provedeno je pet polustrukturiranih intervjua s učiteljima iz Zadra (OŠ Stanovi), nakon čega su prikupljeni podatci transkribirani i analizirani. Utvrđeno je da učitelji vide inkluziju kao obrazovnu praksu koja promiče toleranciju i suradničko ponašanje, procjenjuju je profesionalnim izazovom, ali ujedno i naglašavaju potrebu za profesionalnim usavršavanjem i stjecanjem dodatnih kompetencija. Dodatno, učitelji su istaknuli važnost suradnje s asistentima, stručnim suradnicima i roditeljima kako bi inkluzija bila uspješna, dok su nedovoljnu podršku školskog sustava (materijalne i financijske resurse) prepoznali kao značajnu prepreku u kvalitetnom radu.
Assessment of traditional medicinal plant Ethnomedicinal value and its sustainable conservation Status used by indigenous people to treat Different Ailments in Babile District, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Authors: Kindie Bekele , Tamiru Chala
Published: February 2024

Ethno-botanical study of medicinal plant was conducted to study use and management of traditional medicinal plants by indigenous people in Babile woreda. The Semi-structure interviews, observation and questionnaires were employed to obtain data. A total of 12 species of traditional medicinal plants were identified for treating human and animal ailments. The medicinal plants preparation were administered through oral, dermal, and nasal route. Oral application was the highest and followed by dermal application. The most commonly plant part used for medicine preparation were leaf 5(41.7%), seed 1(8.3%) root 1(8.3%), sap 3(25%) and bulb 3(25%), rhizome 1(8.3%). Agricultural expansion, fire wood collection and use of plant for construction were reported as major threats to medicinal plants of the study area. In order to protect the traditional plants the indigenous people of the Babile Wored as are cultivated some plants in home garden, while other cultivated on the farm land.