bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stem Cell-Related Studies and Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Liver Diseases
Authors: Zhou Wei , Nelson Erek D. , Abu Rmilah Anan A. , Amiot Bruce P. , Nyberg Scott L.
Published: June 2019

Owing to the increasing worldwide burden of liver diseases, the crucial need for safe and effective interventions for treating end-stage liver failure has been a very productive line of inquiry in the discipline of hepatology for many years. Liver transplantation is recognized as the most effective treatment for end-stage liver disease; however, the shortage of donor organs, high medical costs, and lifelong use of immunosuppressive agents represent major drawbacks and demand exploration for alternative treatments. Stem cell-based therapies have been widely studied in the field of liver diseases and are considered to be among the most promising therapies. Herein, we review recent advances in the application of stem cell-related therapies in liver disease with the aim of providing readers with relevant knowledge in this field and inspiration to spur further inquiry.
The Psychology of Proenvironmental Support: In Search of Global Solutions for a Global Problem
Authors: Eom Kimin , Papadakis Viki , Sherman David K. , Kim Heejung S.
Published: June 2019

We review research that provides a sociocultural perspective on proenvironmental support. Despite the increasing volume of psychological research on proenvironmental action, there has been a relative dearth of consideration of sociocultural contexts, which poses critical theoretical and practical limitations to understanding and fostering proenvironmental actions across diverse populations. The sociocultural perspective posits that the primary motives driving action are context dependent. Building on this perspective, our research examines significant divergence in key determinants of proenvironmental support, focusing on several sociocultural variables, including national culture (individualism-collectivism), socioeconomic status, and religion. This program of research shows that personal environmental beliefs more directly lead to proenvironmental support in sociocultural contexts that prioritize personal motives over social motives. In contrast, in contexts that prioritize social motives, social influence becomes a more important predictor of proenvironmental support. Solving environmental challenges requires leveraging psychological diversity to motivate people across the globe.
Comparative institutional law and economics: reclaiming economics for socio-legal research
Authors: Gramcheva Lyubomira
Published: June 2019

Law and economics is a controversial method of legal research, increasingly popular among some legal scholars but disliked by many others. The author discusses some of the objections raised by lawyers (as well as some economists) and argues that most of these are caused by the employment of the wrong economics on the respective side of the conjoined field. She contrasts neoclassical economics, made extremely popular by the Chicago school and Professor Richard Posner in particular, with New Institutional Economics and argues that the latter can overcome the difficulties presented by the former. While neoclassical economics seems to introduce additional problems to legal scholarship, New Institutional Economics neatly matches law’s own methodological tenets. However, the analysis will remain incomplete unless a third element is added to the mix: comparative law. Thus, the author calls for the development of Comparative Institutional Law and Economics, which provides an improved explanatory methodology.
Documenting psychiatric risk: more than ticking boxes
Authors: Ng Lillian , Zeng Irene , Kalinowski Coni , Watson Peter
Published: June 2019

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to audit the completion of risk assessment documentation by staff working within an acute adult mental health setting.

Method:

Fifty risk assessment forms in a district health board’s acute adult mental health service were audited for completion. Clinicians provided verbal feedback on the audit results.

Results:

Risk assessment forms were completed in 58.3% of cases. A risk formulation statement was completed in 43.8% of cases. Rates of completion varied between senior medical officers, registrars and nurses.

Conclusion:

Accurate risk formulation and safety planning are more important than ensuring all boxes are ticked on a form. Optimising the design of electronic forms may enhance access to information about historical risk.
The vacant chair: headless psychiatry departments in the Group of Eight universities of Australia
Authors: Looi Jeffrey CL , Velakoulis Dennis
Published: June 2019

Objective:

This paper considers reasons that may be contributing to the unusual synchronicity of five vacancies for Chairs/Heads of Department of Psychiatry in the Group of Eight University Medical Schools in March 2019.

Conclusion:

University psychiatric departmental head vacancies arise from a number of factors: challenges and limitations in public sector psychiatry and universities; structural problems with such appointments; lack of a developmental pipeline for academic psychiatry; and other attractive alternative options, such as private practice.
New Oil Developments in a Remote Area: Environmental Justice and Participation in Turkana, Kenya
Authors: Mkutu Kennedy , Mkutu Tessa , Marani Martin , Ekitela Augustine Lokwang
Published: June 2019

Recent discoveries of oil and gas in eastern Africa often happen in marginalized and underdeveloped areas, such as Turkana, Kenya, an arid county inhabited predominantly by pastoralists. As a result of low political participation and weak governance frameworks for the emerging hydrocarbon industry, the pastoralists face displacement from land, exposure to environmental hazards, and exclusion from decision-making and benefit-sharing arrangements. Their interests are further sidelined by elite capture and a strong national development agenda supported by international actors. Community members have aired their grievances against both the investor and the state through protests, disrupting company operations. This work argues that two of the pillars of environmental justice, participation and recognition, are lacking in the county and that authentic participation should be pursued to avoid destruction of community capabilities and conflict. Because there is historical opposition to the state and its allies, the county government should consider working closely with trusted providers in the county, namely, faith-based organizations and their civil society counterparts, to bring about more authentic participation, community empowerment, and ultimately better governance for just distribution of benefits and harms.
Item Responses in Quantity–Frequency Questionnaires: Implications for Data Generalizability
Authors: Stevens Jordan E. , Shireman Emilie , Steinley Douglas , Piasecki Thomas M. , Vinson Daniel , Sher Kenneth J.
Published: June 2019

Alcohol consumption is an important predictor of a variety of negative outcomes. There is an extensive literature that examines the differences in the estimated level of alcohol consumption between types of assessments (e.g., quantity–frequency [QF] questionnaires, daily diaries). However, it is typically assumed that all QF-based measures are nearly identical in their assessment of the volume of alcohol consumption in a population. Using timeline follow-back data and constructing common QF consumption measures, we examined differences among survey instruments to assess alcohol consumption and heavy drinking. Using three data sets, including clinical to community samples, we demonstrate how scale-specific item characteristics (i.e., number of response options and ranges of consumption assessed by each option) can substantially affect the estimated mean level of consumption and estimated prevalence of binge drinking. Our analyses suggest that problems can be mitigated by employing more resolved measures of quantity and frequency in consumption questionnaires.
Efficacy of second-line targeted agents in kras wild metastatic colorectal cancer patients who received prior targeted agent: First anti-epidermal growth factor receptor or vascular endothelial growth factor in right and left colon?
Authors: Dogan Ender , Firat Sedat T , Cosar Ramazan , Bozkurt Oktay , Inanc Mevlude , Ozkan Metin
Published: June 2019

Introduction

We aimed to investigate the impact of first biological agents on second-line biological agents in kras wild-type metastatic colon patients in right and left colon.

Patients and methods

The patients received anti-EGFR compared with anti-VEGF in right and left colon separately according to progression-free survival and overall survival in second line.

Results

A total of 84 patients were included in the study. In left colon, progression-free survival and overall survival were 9 and 14 months for anti-EGFR and 9 and 16 months for anti-VEGF in the second line. In right colon, progression-free survival and overall survival were 5 and 9 months for anti-EGFR and 4 and 6 months for anti-VEGF in the second line.

Conclusions

Progression-free survival was higher in patients who received bevacizumab first followed by anti-EGFR than reverse sequencing in right colon. Overall survival was similar between two groups.
Experimental investigation on the quasi-static mechanical behavior of autoclaved aerated concrete insulated sandwich panels
Authors: Bayat Amar , Liaghat Gholamhossein , Sabouri Hadi , Ashkezari Ghasem Dehghani , Pedram Ehsan , Taghizadeh Sayed Ahmad , Khan Muhammad Kashif , Razmkhah Omid
Published: June 2019

This research work aims to experimentally study the quasi-static mechanical behavior of a new proposed sandwich insulated panel consisting of autoclaved aerated concrete as the core material and composite laminate as the face reinforcement. Composite insulated sandwich panels were fabricated using woven E/glass fiber plies and metal sheet as face skins stacked to the core. Quasi-static flexural three-point bending and indentation tests were carried out to investigate the mechanical responses of the manufactured sandwich panels. Stress distribution and crack growth of the reinforced beam elements in flexural tests were captured and tracked through a digital image correlation method. The effects of several parameters such as the indenter’s diameter, nose shape geometry and face sheet stacking sequence on the energy absorption behavior of specimens with different boundary conditions based on visual observation of captured microscopic images were explored and compared. Test results indicated that both indenter diameter and boundary conditions affect response and damage mechanisms significantly whereas indenter nose shape has a slight effect on energy absorption. The results illustrate the benefit of incorporation of fiber metal laminate face sheets as a simple and cost-effective in situ technique to strengthening the existing lightweight cementitious materials used in the construction of non-structural components.
Are single plane intraoperative and biplanar postoperative radiographic measurements of acetabular cup position the same?
Authors: Harold Ryan E , Delagrammaticas Dimitri , Keller Tyler , Butler Bennet , Stover Michael D , Manning David W
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

Supine positioning and the use of fluoroscopy during direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty (DAA THA) have been reported to improve acetabular component positioning. This study aims to compare 2-dimensional intraoperative radiographic RadLink measurements of acetabular component position with 3-dimensional postoperative 3D SterEOS measurements.

Methods:

Intraoperative fluoroscopy and RadLink (El Segundo, CA, USA) were used to measure acetabular cup position intraoperatively in 48 consecutive patients undergoing DAA THA. Cup position was measured on 6-week postoperative standing EOS images using 3D SterEOS software (EOS Imaging, SA, Paris, France) and compared to RadLink findings using Student’s t-test. Safe-zone outliers were identified. We evaluated for measurement difference of > +/– 5°.

Results:

RadLink acetabular cup abduction measurement (mean 43.0°) was not significantly different than 3D SterEOS in the anatomic plane (mean 42.6°, p = 0.50) or in the functional plane (mean 42.7°, p = 0.61). RadLink acetabular cup anteversion measurement (mean 17.9°) was significantly different than 3D SterEOS in both the anatomic plane (mean 20.6°, p = 0.022) and the functional plane (mean 21.2°, p = 0.002). RadLink identified 2 cups outside of the safe-zone. However, SterEOS identified 12 (anatomic plane) and 10 (functional plane) outside of the safe-zone. In the functional plane, 58% of anteversion and 92% of abduction RadLink measurements were within +/– 5° of 3D SterEOS.

Conclusions:

Intraoperative fluoroscopic RadLink acetabular anteversion measurements are significantly different than 3D SterEOS measurements, while abduction measurements are similar. Significantly more acetabular cups were noted to be outside of the safe-zone when evaluated with 3D SterEOS versus RadLink.
Identifying Loci Under Positive Selection in Yellow Korean Cattle (Hanwoo)
Authors: Li Yi , Lee Yun-Mi , Kim You-Sam , Park Se-Pil , Kim Jong-Joo
Published: June 2019

Jeju Black cattle is one of the aboriginal Korean cattle breeds that has been isolated in Jeju island for a long time, while Yellow Hanwoo cattle has been extensively selected for beef production traits for the last several decades. Aiming to investigate broader patterns of selection, we genotyped 352 Yellow Hanwoo and 169 Jeju Black cattle using a customized 150 K bovine chip. Our composite selection signals’ analysis to identify selection signatures (cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity [XP-EHH], ΔSAF, and FST) identified recent and strong signature of selection near many loci with mutations affecting the traits under strong selection as outlier in Yellow Hanwoo, including SCP2 ( P = 8.41 × 10−10) that may be involved in the meat quality. We found nine candidate regions with significant clusters of selection signals, and further bioinformatics analyses of the genes located within these regions revealed mainly genes involved in G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway (GO:0007186) or olfactory transduction (bta04740), which may be due to adaptation to natural environments in Jeju island. Based on the stronger correlation of Ne10/Ne100 ratio between Yellow Hanwoo (0.61) and Jeju Black (0.66) cattle, our results suggest that the difference of chromosomal regions of selection signature between the 2 cattle breeds was due to a consequence of selection processes to adapt to environmental differences between Jeju island and the main inland, Korean peninsula.
Epidemiological Determinants of Advanced Prostate Cancer in Elderly Men in the United States
Authors: Jayasekera Jinani , Onukwugha Eberechukwu , Cadham Christopher , Tom Sarah , Harrington Donna , Naslund Michael
Published: June 2019

In this study, we examined the effects of individual-level and area-level characteristics on advanced prostate cancer diagnosis among Medicare eligible older men (ages 70+ years). We analyzed patients from the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database (2000-2007) linked to US Census and County Business Patterns data. Cluster-adjusted logistic regression models were used to quantify the effects of individual preventive health behavior, clinical and demographic characteristics, area-level health services supply, and socioeconomic characteristics on stage at diagnosis. The fully adjusted model was used to estimate county-specific effects and predicted probabilities of advanced prostate cancer. In the adjusted analyses, low intensity of annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and other preventive health behavior, high comorbidity, African American race, and lower county socioeconomic and health services supply characteristics were statistically significantly associated with a higher likelihood of distant prostate cancer diagnosis. The fully adjusted predicted proportions of advanced prostate cancer diagnosis across 158 counties ranged from 3% to 15% (mean: 6%, SD: 7%). County-level socioeconomic and health services supply characteristics, individual-level preventive health behavior, demographic and clinical characteristics are determinants of advanced stage prostate cancer diagnosis among older Medicare beneficiaries; other health care-related factors such as family history, lifestyle choices, and health-seeking behavior should also be considered as explanatory factors.
Affective and effective truths: Rhetoric, normativity and critical management studies
Authors: Parker Simon , Racz Marton
Published: June 2019

In an era of Brexit, Trump and the detritus of post-truth politics, this article calls upon critical management scholars to reflect upon the efficacy of their critique. We examine the post-truth critiques of public relation firms working for tobacco corporations in the 1960s, before discussing contemporary examples of the Flat Earth Society and the growing community of climate change deniers. In doing so, we note similarities to the intellectual tactics and strategies of the critical management community in terms of problematizing truth(s), broader aims to counter mainstream discourses of science and the various attempts to provide alternative perspectives on the world. In learning from these post-truth communities, we argue that the critical community should be wary of falling back onto a rational, logical and potentially elitist platform of Socratic critique and conversely should not refuse dialogue as in cynical critique. Instead, we argue for more agonistic forms of critique that use salient exemplars to develop affective relationships within communities alongside the discussion of facts, ethics and politics.
Churning losses of spiral bevel gears at high rotational speed
Authors: Quiban R , Changenet C , Marchesse Y , Ville F , Belmonte J
Published: June 2019

In the present study, no-load losses of different splash lubricated spiral bevel gears were measured. The authors used a specific test rig, and a set of gears, to investigate churning losses at higher tangential speeds: up to 60 m/s. An uncommon behavior of the drag torque was highlighted: the torque increased with the rotational speed until a local maximum was reached; then the torque decreased and a local minimum was noticed; at higher rotational speed the torque increased. The torque decrease seems to be linked with a windage phenomenon, which becomes non-negligible at such speeds. In this work, efforts were made to characterize this reduction of gear immersion depth in order to be able to predict no-load losses. It was found that the evolution of oil immersion was linked to a Froude number. Finally a new analytical model of no-load losses was developed for churning losses combined with windage effects. This formulation takes into account several parameters such as rotational speed, gear immersion depth, oil properties, and gear geometrical parameters.
The fire this time: Grenfell, racial capitalism and the urbanisation of empire
Authors: Danewid Ida
Published: June 2019

Over the last few years, an emergent body of International Relations scholarship has taken an interest in the rise of global cities and the challenges they bring to existing geographies of power. In this article, I argue that a focus on race and empire should be central to this literature. Using the Grenfell Tower fire in London as a starting point, the article shows that global cities are part of a historical and ongoing imperial terrain. From London to New York, São Paulo to Cape Town, Singapore to Cairo, the ‘making’ of global cities has typically gone hand in hand with racialized forms of displacement, dispossession and police violence. Drawing on the literature on racial capitalism, as well as Aimé Césaire’s image of the ‘boomerang’, I show that these strategies build on practices of urban planning, slum administration and law-and-order policing long experimented with in the (post)colonies. By examining the colonial dimensions of what many assume to be a strictly national problem for the welfare state, the article thus reveals global cities as part of a much wider cartography of imperial and racial violence. This not only calls into question the presentism of scholarship that highlights the ‘newness’ of neoliberal urbanism. In demonstrating how global cities and colonial borderlands are bound together through racial capitalism, it also exposes the positionality of scholars and policymakers that seek to counter the violence of neoliberalism with a nostalgic return to the post-1945 welfare state. As the Grenfell fire revealed, the global city is less a new type of international actor or governance structure than an extension and reconfiguration of the domestic space of empire.
Mechanisms and perceived mental health changes after a livelihood intervention for HIV-positive Kenyans: Longitudinal, qualitative findings
Authors: Hatcher Abigail M. , Lemus Hufstedler Emiliano , Doria Kathryne , Dworkin Shari L. , Weke Elly , Conroy Amy , Bukusi Elizabeth A. , Cohen Craig R. , Weiser Sheri D.
Published: June 2019

While food insecurity and poverty worsen mental health outcomes among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), few intervention studies have targeted poverty and food insecurity as a way to improve mental health. Among HIV-positive patients, addressing such upstream determinants may prove crucial to ensure better mental health and HIV clinical outcomes. We integrated longitudinal, qualitative research into a randomized trial of a livelihood intervention to understand processes and mechanisms for how the intervention may affect mental health among HIV-infected Kenyan adults. In-depth interviews were conducted with intervention participants ( n = 45) and control participants ( n = 9) at two time-points (after intervention start and upon intervention end). Interviews ( n = 85) were translated, double-coded, and analyzed thematically using an inductive-deductive team approach. Participants reported numerous mental health improvements post-intervention including reduced stress, fewer symptoms of anxiety, improved mood, lower depressive symptoms, fewer repetitive and ruminating thoughts, and more hopefulness for the future. Improvements in mental health appear to occur via several mechanisms including: 1) better food security and income; 2) increased physical activity and ability to create fruitful routines around farm work; and, 3) improved sense of self as an active member of the community. Qualitative, longitudinal interviews may help identify intervention mechanisms for improved mental health, but additional research is required to confirm self-reports of mental health changes. These findings suggest that livelihood interventions may improve mental health in multi-faceted ways, and help PLHIV better integrate with their communities.

Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01548599
Experimental validation of a virtual engine-out NOx sensor for diesel emission control
Authors: Mentink Paul , Escobar-Valdivieso Daniel , Forrai Alexandru , Seykens Xander , Willems Frank
Published: June 2019

Motivated by automotive emission legislations, a Virtual [Formula: see text] sensor is developed. This virtual sensor consists of a real-time, phenomenological model that computes engine-out [Formula: see text] by using the measured in-cylinder pressure signal from a single cylinder as its main input. The implementation is made on a Field Programmable Gate Array–Central Processing Unit architecture to ensure the [Formula: see text] computation is ready at the end of the combustion cycle. The Virtual [Formula: see text] sensor is tested and validated on an EURO-VI Heavy-Duty Diesel engine platform. The Virtual [Formula: see text] sensor is proven to meet the accuracy of a production [Formula: see text] sensor for steady-state conditions and has better frequency response compared to the production [Formula: see text] sensor.
Motion instructions in surveys: Compliance, acceleration, and response quality
Authors: Höhne Jan Karem , Revilla Melanie , Schlosser Stephan
Published: June 2019

The increased use of smartphones in web survey responding did not only raise new research questions but also fostered new ways to research survey completion behavior. Smartphones have many built-in sensors, such as accelerometers that measure acceleration (i.e., the rate of change of velocity of an object over time). Sensor data establish new research opportunities by providing information about physical completion conditions that, for instance, can affect response quality. In this study, we explore three research questions: (1) To what extent do respondents accept to comply with motion instructions? (2) What variables affect the acceleration of smartphones? (3) Do different motion levels affect response quality? We conducted a smartphone web survey experiment using the Netquest opt-in panel in Spain and asked respondents to stand at a fix point or walk around while answering five single questions. The results reveal high compliance with motion instructions, with compliance being higher in the standing than in the walking condition. We also discovered that several variables, such as the presence of third parties, increase the acceleration of smartphones. However, the quality of responses to the five single questions did not differ significantly between the motion conditions, a finding that is in line with previous research. Our findings provide new insights into how compliance changes with motion tasks and suggest that the collection of acceleration data is a feasible and fruitful way to explore survey completion behavior. The findings also indicate that refined research on the connection between motion levels and response quality is necessary.
Living in a fly-over world: on moving in a heterogeneous navigational culture
Authors: Wilts Arnold
Published: June 2019

This article explores a question of aeromobility and cultural geography by asking what it means to live in a fly-over world. How are we part of practices of aeromobility at times when we are not travelling ourselves? In reflecting on different aspects of global air travel, the article offers a critical understanding of how aeromobility increases the heterogeneity of our navigational culture. A culture not understood as a single global space encompassing us all but rather as networked combinations of travel and non-travel, of horizontal speed and vertical distance, and of complex patterns of diverse modes of movement. Air travel changes the relative distance between geographies. Based on this observation, the article argues that aeromobility affects the feeling of belonging that we develop to the people and places around us – even when we are not able or willing or allowed to travel across the globe.
“From Boots on ‘til Boots Off”: Collecting Greenland with Explorer Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972)
Authors: Kafarowski Joanna
Published: June 2019

A notable 20th-century female explorer, California-born Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972) was also a world expert on Greenland. As it was in Boyd's time, Greenland remains a remote and little-known area of the world. She was showered with honors and respected by her polar colleagues. As a result of organizing and participating in seven hazardous Arctic expeditions between 1926 and 1955, she amassed a significant collection of maps, photographs, films, and books about this area. The majority of photographs and films were taken by Boyd, while many of the maps were based on information gathered during her Arctic adventures. Meticulous and detail oriented, Louise Arner Boyd was driven by her passion for the north. Boyd traveled to Greenland, photographing geographic landforms and gathering scientific information. Her expertise on Greenland was recognized by the American government during World War II and her collection put at the government's disposal. Contemporary Norwegian glaciologists still use her existing 1930s photographs to track environmental change. Today, the many accomplishments of Louise Arner Boyd have been forgotten, and her magnificent collection, which was an invaluable asset to the Allied effort during World War II, has been dispersed.
The Multiple Lives of Billy Waters: Dangerous Theatricality and Networked Illustrations in Nineteenth-Century Popular Culture
Authors: Shannon Mary L.
Published: June 2019

Billy Waters ( c. 1780–1823), the ‘King of the Beggars’, was a London street-performer and a well-known figure in early nineteenth-century popular culture, yet despite this he has received no sustained critical or cultural attention. Close attention to depictions of Waters offers the potential for developing a new model of 1820s and 1830s popular culture that shows – in more detail than the critical models currently available – how popular theatre connects with print and visual media. The use and reuse of Waters’ image allows us to see how Regency popular culture had a specific kind of matrix in which characters, scenes, and images were used and reused across media: with Waters as a case study we can track the ways in which representations of theatricality as a mode of urban life spread across popular culture in a series of networked illustrations. This article analyses visual and textual representations of Billy Waters to suggest a new approach to ascertaining the relationship between ideological agency and popular cultural forms. Building on Robert Darnton’s more linear ‘communication circuit’ it proposes the model of the ‘communication network’ to give new insight into the ways in which theatre and its visual culture function across Regency popular forms.
Extensor pollicis longus rerouting for thumb-in-palm deformity in cerebral palsy: a biomechanical analysis
Authors: Alewijnse Juul V. , Kreulen Mick , van Loon Jan , Smeulders Mark J. C.
Published: June 2019

Extensor pollicis longus rerouting is a common procedure to improve thumb abduction in thumb-in-palm deformity seen with spastic cerebral palsy. In 1985, Manske redirected the extensor pollicis longus tendon in this procedure through the first extensor compartment. They also proposed an alternative subcutaneous route around the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus tendons proximal to the extensor compartment. In this study, we performed a three-dimensional analysis of thumb motion on 11 cadaver arms with the subcutaneous route and the first extensor compartment route. We found that with the two different routing methods, the mean difference in thumb radial abduction and retropulsion (0° or 6°, respectively) was very small. Such differences are unlikely to have clinical relevance. We were unable to find significant differences in the motion range of the thumb after these rerouting techniques or sites of insertion. Our biomechanical data support the simpler subcutaneous route.
The fate of delayed revascularization for neglected vascular injury of incompletely amputated digits and hands
Authors: Woo Sang Hyun , Lee Young Keun , Chong Seong Woo , Cheon Ho Jun , Kim Young Woo
Published: June 2019

We report the fate of neglected vascular injury in cases of incomplete amputation of the digits and hand after delayed revascularization. Twelve patients underwent primary bone fixation, tendon or skin repair for hand injuries without vessel repair despite ischaemic findings. There was discoloration or necrosis of the fingertips during follow-up examination and the patients were referred to us for treatment. The mean warm ischaemic time was 53 hours (range 17–120). Delayed revascularization was performed with end-to-end anastomosis of the digital arteries in eight and vein graft in four cases. Digital nerves were repaired in four cases and flexor tendons in two cases. Of the 12 cases, eight cases showed complete survival. However, in four patients, complete necrosis of the fingers occurred, with one finger surviving partially. Revision amputation was performed in the four cases where necrosis occurred. We conclude that neglected vascular injury associated with incomplete amputation of digits and hands can be overcome in some patients by delayed revascularization even after prolonged warm ischaemic time.

Level of evidence: IV
Proton pump inhibitors and upper gastrointestinal cancers
Authors: Kumar Monica
Published: June 2019

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were introduced in the 1980s. They are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in general practice. They are cost-effective when used correctly; however, PPIs are often used beyond accepted clinical indications. Recent published studies performed outside the UK have suggested that adverse effects are associated with long-term use of PPIs; in particular, an increased risk of gastric cancer. This article will aim to systematically assess the evidence and discuss its application to our clinical practice.
Essential Oil Composition of Xanthium italicum From Serbia
Authors: Mitić Violeta D. , Ilić Marija D. , Jovanović Olga , Stankov-Jovanović Vesna P. , Marković Marija S. , Stojanović Gordana S.
Published: June 2019

The essential oil isolated from stem, fresh and mature fruits of Xanthium italicum Moretti by hydrodistillation was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In the oil of stem, fresh and mature fruits, 121 components were identified, representing 94.6%, 92.1%, and 91.3% of the total oil, respectively. The most abundant compounds in stem oil were limonene (23.0%), methyl eugenol (5.4%), β-cubebene (5.0%),and δ-cadinene (3.3%). The oil of fresh fruits contained germacrene B (28.7%), shyobunol (16.7%), and α-humulene (8.4%) as major components. There were 4 major constituents in X. italicum oil from mature fruits: germacrene B (31.3%),α-humulene (11.8%), δ-cadinene (3.2%),and γ-muurolene (2.9%). Percentages of sesquiterpenes in oils from fresh and mature fruits were very high, 85.8% and 73.8 %.
Phenolic Compounds as Potent Free Radical Scavenging and Enzyme Inhibitory Components From the Leaves of Guiera senegalensis
Authors: Dirar Amina Ibrahim , Adhikari-Devkota Anjana , Hassan Md. Mahadi , Wada Mikiyo , Watanabe Takashi , Devkota Hari Prasad
Published: June 2019

Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel. (Combretaceae) is commonly used as a traditional medicine in Africa. In our previous study, the hydro-alcoholic extracts of the leaves of G. senegalensis showed potent free radical scavenging and enzyme inhibitory activities. Detailed chemical analysis of the 70% ethanol extract afforded 8 phenolic compounds including myricetin (1), myricitrin (2), quercetin (3), (-)-gallocatechin (4), 1,3,4,5-tetra- O-galloylquinic acid (5), gallic acid (6), methyl gallate (7), and ethyl gallate (8). Structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic data. Among these compounds, 1,3,4,5-tetra- O-galloylquinic acid (5) (IC50= 7.21 ±0.21 µM), quercetin (3) (IC50 = 7.71 ± 0.17 µM), and myricitrin (2) (0.25 ± 0.03 µM) showed the most potent free radical scavenging, α-glucosidase inhibitory and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities, respectively.
Authentication of Shan-Dou-Gen Based on DNA Analysis
Authors: Kitamura Masashi , Muramatsu Naoki , Suzuki Ryuichiro , Shirataki Yoshiaki
Published: June 2019

Shan-Dou-Gen (山豆根) is a crude drug mainly derived from the roots of Leguminosae plants, and it has antipyretic, antidotal, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. In Japan, the root of Euchresta japonica has been used as a material of Shan-Dou-Gen. However, E. japonica is not used for medicinal purposes today, and commercial Shan-Dou-Gen products are imported from China. In China, several plant species have been used as Shan-Dou-Gen materials, but a crude drug derived from the root of Sophora tonkinensis is now officially used as Shan-Dou-Gen. However, it is difficult to morphologically identify the species used in Shan-Dou-Gen. In the present study, we showed that the Shan-Dou-Gen products commercially available in Japan are derived from S. tonkinensis using phylogenetic and sequencing analyses of the chloroplast trnH–psbA region. Furthermore, we performed species-specific polymerase chain reaction using conserved sequences of S. tonkinensis. Amplification was observed with Shan-Dou-Gen, whereas no amplification occurred with other crude drugs derived from the roots of S. flavescens and S. japonica. These results indicated that the genetic approach can be useful to authenticate Shan-Dou-Gen.
Chemo-enzymatic Synthesis of Ester-Linked Docetaxel-Glycoside Conjugate and its Drug Delivery System Using Hybrid-Bio-Nanocapsules Targeted With Trastuzumab and Cetuximab
Authors: Fujitaka Yuya , Hamada Hiroki , Hamada Hatsuyuki , Masuoka Noriyoshi , Shimoda Kei , Uesugi Daisuke , Iwaki Takafumi , Kuboki Atsuhito , Ishihara Kohji , Kiriake Yuya
Published: June 2019

Synthesis of ester-linked glucoside conjugate of docetaxel, 7-propionyldocetaxel 3''- O-α-D-glucopyranoside, was carried out by chemo-enzymatic procedures. The EE and LE values for hybrid-bio-nanocapsules of 7-propionyldocetaxel 3''- O-α-D-glucopyranoside were much improved rather than those of docetaxel. The hybrid-bio-nanocapsules targeted with trastuzumab and cetuximab, which contained 7-propionyldocetaxel 3''- O-α-D-glucopyranoside, showed high in vivo anti-cancer activity, ie, effective suppression of tumor growth, respectively.
A New Benzofuran Derivative From the Stems of Helicteres hirsuta
Authors: Tra Nguyen Thanh , Ha Nguyen Thi Thu , Cham Ba Thi , Anh Le Thi Tu , Yen Le Thi Hai , Giang Bach Long , Anh Dang Thi Tuyet , Tuyen Nguyen Van , Kiem Phan Van
Published: June 2019

A new benzofurane 7-methoxy-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-benzofuran-5-carboxylate (1) and 5 known compounds, such as propacin (2), hisbiscolatone A (3), heliclactone (4), rosmarinic acid (5), and syringaldehyde (6), were isolated from methanol extract of the Helicteres hirsuta stems. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Mass Spectroscopy (MS) Furthermore, compounds 1 to 6 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against 4 human cancer cell lines such as Lu-1, MCF7, HepG2, and KB. The results showed that compound 2 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against Lu-1, MCF7, HepG2, and KB cell lines with IC50 values of 43.97 ± 2.12, 46.53 ± 0.75, 52.63 ± 0.24, and 56.37 ± 1.04 µg/mL, respectively. This is the first report of compounds 2 to 6 from H. hirsuta.
Highly Efficient Lipase Catalyzed Monoaminolysis Reaction of Diesters with Benzylamine
Authors: Valerio-Alfaro Gerardo , Castillo-Carrasco Patricia Harumi , Castellanos Onorio Olaya Pirene , Naranjos Jorge Bautista
Published: June 2019

Preparation of amides by biocatalyzed aminolysis reactions has greatly increased because these processes play an important role in the preparation of some pharmaceutical products and their intermediates. A highly efficient synthesis of malonic (5), succinic (6), and malic (8) monoamide esters by desymmetrization transformations (mono aminolysis reactions) of their diesters is presented. The immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica (CaL-B, Novozym 435) catalyzed the mono aminolysis of bifunctional compounds: diesters such as diethyl malonate (1), diethyl succinate (2), and ( R, S)-malate (3), leading to their corresponding monoamides (5), (6), and (8), respectively, with high conversions after a 24 hour reaction in the presence of an organic solvent. Increasing the solvent polarity from toluene, methyl t-butyl ether to dioxane led to an improved conversion. According to qualitative and quantitative GC-MS analysis, conversions of diesters (1), (2), and (3) into their mono amide esters were in the range 65%-97%. CaL-B was the best biocatalyst of the commercial lipases used, including those from Candida rugosa, Rhizomucor miehei, Carica papaya, and Pseudomonas cepacia. Likewise, a yield of 91% regioisomeric, but virtually racemic ( R,S)-mono amide (8) was obtained as the single product in dioxane.
Microwave-Assisted Subcritical Water Extraction of Steviol Glycosides From Stevia rebaudiana Leaves
Authors: Yang Zheng , Uhler Brandon , Lipkie Tristan
Published: June 2019

A rapid method that combines microwave heating and subcritical water extraction to extract steviol glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) or stevia leaves was developed and compared to conventional thermal solvent extraction methods. Within only 1 minute after subcritical water condition at 140°C being reached, the yields of major steviol glycoside, rebaudioside A and stevioside, and less polar steviol glucoside, rebaudioside C, from stevia leaves were comparable to conventional extraction method that used 70% ethanol under sonication for 45 minutes. This new hybrid extraction technique may provide a cost-effective and green approach for commercial production of high-purity steviol glycoside sweeteners and their “organic” versions without the use of highly expensive “organic” ethanol.
A coronary cameral fistula treated with coil embolization
Authors: Hinds Ethan D , Marin Manuel J , George Joggy , Delgado Reynolds
Published: June 2019

A 56-year-old man who had twice previously undergone orthotopic heart transplantation was admitted with dyspnea and heart failure symptoms. A biopsy excluded rejection. Left heart catheterization revealed a coronary cameral fistula. After the patient was given mild diuretics, his condition improved. No significant fistula flow was detected, and he was discharged. Several months later, the patient was readmitted with worsening chest pain and dyspnea. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and flow through the fistula were increased. To correct the coronary cameral fistula, we performed a coil embolization without complications. Several months later at follow-up, the patient’s symptoms had resolved, and his left ventricular end-diastolic pressure had normalized. We conclude that coronary fistulas may be caused by trauma to the heart during the de-airing process, which may be prevented in the future with the development of safer and more effective de-airing techniques.
Non-islet-cell tumour hypoglycaemia in a cat with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Guillen Alexandra , Ressel Lorenzo , Finotello Riccardo , German Alexander J , Freeman Alistair , Blackwood Laura
Published: June 2019

Case summary

An 11-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat presented with behavioural changes. Physical examination revealed bradycardia and a cranial abdominal mass. The cat was persistently hypoglycaemic (1.2 mmol/l; reference interval [RI] 3.5–5.5 mmol/l) with decreased fructosamine concentration suggesting chronic hypoglycaemia, and decreased insulin concentration excluding insulinoma. Alanine aminotransferase activity was markedly increased (1219.31 U/l; RI 15–60 U/l). On staging CT a large, multilobulated hepatic mass was identified, with no evidence of metastatic disease. After surgical removal serum glucose concentration and heart rate quickly returned to within the RIs. Histopathology was consistent with a solid-to-trabecular, well-differentiated, hepatocellular carcinoma. There was no recurrence of signs or mass during 8 months of follow-up, and the cat was still alive 20 months after surgery.

Relevance and novel information

Non-islet-cell tumour hypoglycaemia (NICTH) is a rare but life-threatening paraneoplastic syndrome. In humans, hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common epithelial tumour causing NICTH, but these are uncommon in cats, and associated paraneoplastic hypoglycaemia has not been reported. Possible mechanisms include aberrant secretion of big insulin growth factor 2; however, this could not be confirmed. NICTH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cats with persistent hypoglycaemia.
Revision Meniscal Repair - Failure rates, clinical outcome and patient satisfaction
Authors: Fuchs Andreas , Kloos Ferdinand , Bode Gerrit , Izadpanah Kaywan , Südkamp Norbert , Feucht Matthias J.
Published: June 2019

Aims and Objectives:

Failure of isolated primary meniscal repair must be expected in 14% - 28%. Patients requiring revision surgery may benefit from revision meniscal repair, however, the results of revision meniscal repair remain unclear. The purpose of this study was therefore to evaluate the clinical outcome and failure rates of revision meniscal repair in patients with re-tears or failed healing after previous isolated meniscal repair in stable knee joints.

Materials and Methods:

A chart review was performed to identify all patients undergoing revision meniscal repair between 08/2010 and 02/2016. Only patients without concomitant procedures, without ligamentous insufficiency, and a minimum follow-up of 24 months were included. The records of all patients were reviewed to collect patient demographics, injury patterns of the meniscus, and details about primary and revision surgery. Follow-up evaluation included failure rates, clinical outcome scores (Lysholm Score, KOOS Score), sporting activity (Tegner scale), and patient satisfaction.

Results:

A total of 12 patients with a mean age of 22 ± 5 years were included. The mean time between primary repair and revision repair was 27 ± 21 months. Reasons for failed primary repairs were traumatic re-tears in 10 patients (83%) and failed healing in two patients (17%). The mean follow-up period after revision meniscal repair was 43 months. Failure of revision meniscal repair occurred in 3 patients (25%). In two of these patients, re-revision repair was performed. At final follow-up, the mean Lysholm Score was 95.2 with a range of 90-100, representing a good to excellent result in all patients. The final assessment of the KOOS subscores also showed good to excellent results. The mean Tegner scale was 6.8 ± 1.8, indicating a relatively high level of sports participation. Ten patients (83%) were either very satisfied or satisfied with the outcome.

Conclusion:

In patients with re-tears or failed healing after previous isolated meniscal repair, revision meniscal repair results in good to excellent knee function, high level of sports participation, and high patient satisfaction. The failure rate is comparable to isolated meniscal repair. Therefore, revision meniscal repair is worthwhile in order to save as much meniscal tissue as possible.
The Reversed Dynamic Patellar Apprehension Test (ReDPAT) mimics anatomical complexity in lateral patellar instability
Authors: Zimmermann Felix , Balcarek Peter
Published: June 2019

Aims and Objectives:

To develop a dynamic physical examination test that functionally simulates actual patellar instability events and that mimics the range of patellar stabilizer insufficiency in an individual patient.

Materials and Methods:

Seventy-four consecutive patients (male/female 33/41; mean age 22±7 years) with recurrent lateral patellar instability and thirty controls (male/female 16/14; mean age 31±14 years) were prospectively evaluated using the reversed dynamic patellar apprehension test (ReDPAT). The examination starts with the knee flexed at 120°. The knee is then extended while the patella is translated laterally. The maneuver is stopped at first onset of a subjective apprehensive reaction, and the ReDPAT result is considered positive according to this knee joint flexion angle. Anatomical predisposition was assessed according to Dejour’s classification of trochlear dysplasia, tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance, tibial tuberosity-posterior cruciate ligament distance, patellar height, and varus/valgus malalignment.

Results:

The study group had an average of 3.4 ± 1.0 (1-6) anatomical risk factors for lateral patellar dislocation. Severe trochlear dysplasia (84%) and patella alta (49%) were the most common. Test sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy reached 97.3%, 90%, and 95.2%, respectively, and test-retest reliability was good (Pearson’s r 0.84; p<0.0001). The ReDPAT results became positive at a mean knee flexion angle of 58°±17° (20°-90°). Knee flexion angle correlated significantly with the severity of trochlear dysplasia (p=0.018), valgus deformity (p=0.011), and the total number of anatomical risk factors (p=0.02).

Conclusion:

This study introduced the reversed dynamic patellar apprehension test as a reliable clinical examination tool in the assessment of lateral patellar instability. The results of this study indicate that the degree of knee joint flexion at which the provocative sense of apprehension becomes positive correlates with severity of trochlear dysplasia, valgus deformity and the total number of anatomical risk factors for patellar instability.