bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of a tissue optical clearing technique for forensic autopsy
Authors: Takahashi Yoichiro , Hayakawa Akira , Sano Rie , Fukuda Haruki , Kubo Rieko , Tokue Hiroyuki , Okawa Takafumi , Kawamura Miki , Kominato Yoshihiko
Published: January 2022

Forensic pathologists are required to investigate lethal trauma or disease at autopsy. In addition to massive contusions of various organs, a number of small features with potentially fatal implications also need to be sought. Since such lesions may need microscopic examinations for detailed evaluation, it is important to select suitable anatomic locations for tissue sampling. For practical screening of small lesions, we have developed a tissue optical clearing (TOC) technique for forensic autopsy. The technique involves clearing with a non‐toxic organic solvent, ethyl cinnamate, which renders excised organs transparent, while hemorrhages or blood‐containing vessels remain opaque. Using this technique, tiny hemorrhages in the spinal cord were able to be identified by gross examination, allowing proper selection of locations for tissue sampling. Subsequent histopathological evaluation was successfully performed with no apparent artifacts related with the TOC procedure. In addition, a combination of TOC and targeted CT angiography allowed feasible examination of the arterial occlusive lesion in the superior mesenteric artery, and when combined with micro‐CT scanning it was useful for evaluating the lumen of the coronary artery with stent implantation. The results obtained so far indicated that TOC could complement routine forensic autopsy procedures when detailed evaluation of small lesions is required.
Maximizing the hatchability of Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) eggs under artificial hatching conditions
Authors: Kwak Kyu‐Won , Kim Sun Young , Lee Kyeong Yong , Kim Yong‐Soon , Yoon Hyung Joo
Published: January 2022

Locusta migratoria is a potential alternative food and animal feed additive in South Korea and has already been registered in the European Union. We investigated the optimal conditions to improve hatchability of L. migratoria eggs under varying hatching conditions for improved artificial rearing. The parameters such as temperature, photoperiod, illuminance, or relative humidity were altered, while the other factors were kept constant. Among the four different temperature treatments (25, 27, 30, and 33°C), the 33°C temperature showed the highest total hatching rate of 85.6% at days 8–12 after oviposition. For photoperiod, hatchability was the highest (81.2%) at 9 L/15D, followed by 80.0% at 12 L/12D, and 72.6% at 15 L/9D. Under illuminance conditions of 600, 1,800, and 3,500 lux, 3,500 lux displayed the highest total hatching rate of 76.1% at days 7–11 after oviposition. Among the relative humidity (RH) levels of 50%, 65%, and 80%, 65% RH provided the highest hatching rate of 86.4% at days 8–13 post‐oviposition. In short, the most effective conditions for hatchability were 33°C, 9 L/15D, 65% RH, and 3,500 lux. Under these conditions, the hatching rate increased significantly to 98.8%. Application of these conditions will contribute to improve hatchability, which will be necessary for industrialization of L. migratoria.
Operative outcomes and long‐term survival of patients undergoing colon interposition after esophagectomy for cancer
Authors: Akutsu Tomohiro , Fujita Takeo , Kajiyama Daisuke , Ozaki Asako , Sato Kazuma , Fujiwara Hisashi , Kojima Takashi , Daiko Hiroyuki
Published: January 2022

Background

The first choice of an esophageal substitute after esophagectomy for cancer is the stomach. However, the colon must be considered for reconstruction in specific situations. The purpose of this study was to clarify the frequency and clinical features of patients who underwent colon interposition in thoracic esophagectomy and to investigate the postoperative complications and survival.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case–control study in the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Japan. Patients who underwent colon interposition after esophagectomy for cancer between 2010 and 2020 were analyzed.

Results

Eighty‐eight patients underwent esophagectomy with colon interposition; 53.2% received preoperative treatment and 52.3% underwent thoracoscopic surgery. Clavien–Dindo grade >III postoperative complications occurred in 42% of the patients; anastomotic leakage was the most common complication, occurring in 26.1% of the cases. Univariate analysis of the factors associated with Clavien–Dindo grade <III complications showed that the period 2015–2020 and totally mechanical Collard anastomosis were significant factors, with odds ratios (OR) of 0.264 and 0.267 (p = 0.00327 and p = 0.00335), respectively. Totally mechanical Collard anastomosis was associated with a lower risk of anastomotic leakage by univariate and multivariate analysis (OR, 0.257, p = 0.00566 and OR, 0.285, p = 0.133, respectively). Three‐year overall survival was 54.2%. Univariate and multivariate analysis of overall survival showed that older age was a risk factor (OR, 1.08) for complications.

Conclusion

In colon reconstruction after esophageal cancer resection, totally mechanical Collard anastomosis for cervical anastomosis may reduce the risk of Clavien–Dindo grade >III complications.
Effects of land use type and seasonal climate on ground nesting wild bees
Authors: Nooten Sabine S. , Rehan Sandra M.
Published: January 2022

Agricultural intensification leads to wide ranging changes in habitats along with reduction in nesting site availability and flower resources for wild pollinators. Yet, little is known about the impact of these changes on functional traits of communal ground‐nesting bees.

This study assesses the abundance and body size of a common and widespread North American ground‐nesting bee, Agapostemon virescens, throughout three consecutive years at three land use types: (i) unmowed meadows, (ii) conventional pesticide use and mowed agricultural and (iii) organic pesticide‐free mowed landscapes.

We found no difference in abundance among the three land use types, but body size of spring bees was smaller at farmlands than meadow sites. Body size also varied among years, and bees were smaller in years that followed warm and dry summer seasons. Spring bees were particularly small at organic farms in years following dry and warm summers.

Our results suggest that the smaller size of overwintering bees at agricultural lands could compromise their long‐term survival. This study indicates that a higher frequency of dry and warm summers as a consequence of climate change can impede bee populations in the future.
Negotiating expendability in crisis
Authors: POUCHET JESSICA
Published: January 2022

What do people rendered expendable through biopolitical categories do to survive them? When governments classify types of work according to ideologies of essentiality and excess, such as in response to crisis, they construct biopolitical categories that render some livelihoods untenable. Such a politics interacts with existing terrains of inequitable citizenship, pushing some to what feels like the precipice of expendability—a place from which they must skillfully negotiate permission to continue to make ends meet. On the borders of a protected forest in Tanzania, many sources of income have been outlawed in the name of biodiversity conservation. To cope, village residents navigate environmental regulations through their conversations with the enforcers of forest laws. In these conversations they co‐construct narratives in ways that manipulate the boundaries of regulatory categories. In doing so, village residents are creative legal and moral actors who can locate their prohibited activities—and themselves—in the realm of permissibility. [biopolitics, conservation, forests, rural, subsistence, enforcement, Tanzania]
Safety and efficacy of anterior intercostal artery perforator flaps in oncoplastic breast reconstruction
Authors: Kollias Victoria , Kollias James
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Partial breast reconstruction based on the anterior intercostal artery perforators (AICAP) has been suggested to avoid the unsightly ‘bird's beak’ deformity for lower pole breast cancers. The aims of this study were to evaluate the initial clinical experience of AICAP flaps in terms of safety and efficacy in oncoplastic breast reconstruction.

Methods

Between October 2013 and April 2020, AICAP flaps were offered to 30 patients with lower pole breast cancers. Hand‐held Acoustic Doppler assessments were undertaken to confirm adequate perforators. Surgical results were evaluated in terms of safety and efficacy. Patients were invited to complete sections of the Breast‐Q questionnaire at least 12 months postoperatively to assess patient satisfaction in terms of cosmetic outcome, physical and psychosocial wellbeing.

Results

Median operating theatre time for AICAP flap harvesting and positioning was 20 min (range 15–28 min). The median weight of resected breast specimens was 41 g (range 10–127 g). Total tumour size ranged from 7 to 35 mm (median 16 mm; three cases exhibited multifocal disease). Clear radial resection margins were achieved in 29 cases (96.7%). The median post‐operative stay was two days (range 2–3 days). There were two postoperative complications comprising delayed wound healing/fat necrosis, which resolved with monitoring and inadine dressings. Based on the Breast‐Q results, patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the physical appearance of their reconstructed breast, psychosocial and physical wellbeing.

Conclusion

AICAP flaps appear to be safe in restoring breast contour after wide excision of lower pole breast cancers, with high levels of patient satisfaction reported postoperatively.
Oncological results in rectal cancer patients with a subcentimetre distal margin after laparoscopic‐assisted sphincter‐preserving surgery
Authors: Zhang Chenghai , Cui Ming , Xing Jiadi , Yang Hong , Su Xiangqian
Published: January 2022

Background

Distal resection margin (DRM) is closely associated with sphincter‐preserving surgery and oncological safety for patients with mid‐low rectal cancers. However, the optimal DRM has not been determined.

Methods

Data of 378 rectal cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic‐assisted sphincter‐preserving surgery from 2009 to 2015 were retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into two groups based on DRM: ≤1 cm (n = 74) and >1 cm (n = 304). To minimize the differences between the two groups, propensity‐score matching on baseline features was performed.

Results

Before propensity‐score matching, no significant differences in 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) (92.8% versus 81.3%, P = 0.128) and 5‐year overall survival (OS) (83.7% versus 82.2%, P = 0.892) were observed in patients with DRMs of ≤1 cm (n = 74) and >1 cm (n = 304), respectively. After propensity‐score matching (1:1), there were also no significant differences in DFS (88.1% versus 78.2%, P = 0.162) and OS (84.5% versus 84.9%, P = 0.420) between the DRM of ≤1 cm group (n = 65) and >1 cm group (n = 65), respectively. A total of 44 patients received preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). In this cohort, the 5‐year local recurrence (LR) rates (P = 0.118) and the 5‐year DFS rates (P = 0.298) were not significantly different between the two groups. A total of 334 patients received surgery without neoadjuvant CRT. There were also no significant differences in the 5‐year LR rates (P = 0.150) and 5‐year DFS rates (P = 0.172) between the two groups.

Conclusions

When aiming to achieve at least a 1–2 cm distal clinical resection margin, a histological resection margin of <1 cm on the DRM gave equivalent clinical outcomes to a DRM of >1 cm.
COVID‐19 pandemic and population‐level pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in general population: A living systematic review and meta‐analysis (Update#2: November 20, 2021)
Authors: Yang Jie , D’Souza Rohan , Kharrat Ashraf , Fell Deshayne B. , Snelgrove John W. , Shah Prakesh S.
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Conflicting reports of increases and decreases in rates of preterm birth (PTB) and stillbirth in the general population during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic have surfaced. The objective of our study was to conduct a living systematic review and meta‐analyses of studies reporting pregnancy and neonatal outcomes by comparing the pandemic and pre‐pandemic periods.

Material and methods

We searched the PubMed and Embase databases and reference lists of articles published up until November 20, 2021, and included English language studies that compared outcomes between the COVID‐19 pandemic time period with pre‐pandemic time periods. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa scale. We conducted random‐effects meta‐analysis using the inverse variance method.

Results

Fifty‐two studies with low‐to‐moderate risk of bias, reporting on 2 372 521 pregnancies during the pandemic period and 28 518 300 pregnancies during the pre‐pandemic period, were included. There was significant reduction in unadjusted estimates of PTB (43 studies, unadjusted odds ratio [uaOR] 0.95, 95% CI 0.93–0.98), but not in adjusted estimates (five studies, adjusted OR [aOR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.74–1.19). This reduction was noted in studies from single centers/health areas (29 studies, uaOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85–0.94) but not in regional/national studies (14 studies, uaOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99–1.01). There was reduction in spontaneous PTB (nine studies, uaOR 0.91, 95% CI 0.88–0.94) but not in induced PTB (eight studies, uaOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.79–1.01). There was no difference in the odds of stillbirth between the pandemic and pre‐pandemic time periods (32 studies, uaOR 1.07, 95% CI 0.97–1.18 and three studies, aOR 1.18, 95% CI 0.86–1.63). There was an increase in mean birthweight during the pandemic period compared with the pre‐pandemic period (nine studies, mean difference 21 g, 95% CI 13–30 g). The odds of maternal mortality were increased (five studies, uaOR 1.15, 95% CI 1.05–1.26); however, only unadjusted estimates were available, and the result was mostly influenced by one study from Mexico. There was significant publication bias for the outcome of PTB.

Conclusions

The COVID‐19 pandemic may be associated with a reduction in PTB; however, referral bias cannot be excluded. There was no statistically significant difference in stillbirths between pandemic and pre‐pandemic periods.
Clinical and imaging features of sympathetic ophthalmia and efficacy of the current therapy
Authors: Zhao Xinyu , Zhao Qing , Meng Lihui , Zhang Wenfei , Chen Youxin
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to clarify the clinical and imaging features of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) and evaluate the efficacy of the current therapy.

Methods

The databases PubMed, EMBASE and Ovid up to January 2021 were searched to identify relevant studies. R software version 3.6.3 was used to perform the statistical analyses.

Results

Thirty‐two studies involving 1067 patients were finally included. Our study found SO was male‐dominated, and more than half of SO patients aged 16 to 60 years old. Ocular trauma, surgical interventions and unknown events were estimated to be inciting events in 63%, 36% and 4% of SO patients. About 35% of the patients underwent baseline enucleation, and 45% took compelled enucleation during follow‐up. The most common symptoms at the first presentation were decreased vision, followed by pain and redness. The most common signs were anterior chamber cells/flare, followed by vitritis, exudative retinal detachment and Dalen–Fuch nodules. Choroidal thickening was detected in 81% of SO patients by ocular ultrasound. The most common fluorescein fundus angiography signs were disc leakage. After corticosteroid therapy became the mainstay for SO, about 76% of SO patients could get inflammation well‐controlled, while 24% of them might have recurrent inflammation. Around 72% of SO patients could achieve visual improvement, and more than half of them might have a best‐corrected visual acuity of 20/50 or better.

Conclusion

SO is a complicated ocular disease with diverse clinical manifestations and imaging features. After proper anti‐inflammation therapy, SO might not necessarily result in a poor prognosis.
Age at diagnosis, anthropometry and birthweight in two ethnically different cohorts of children with type 1 diabetes living in Northwest England or Singapore
Authors: Ng Sze May , Chandrasekaran Surendran , Nesbitt Victoria , Grey Alexandra , Lim Pei Kwee , Hui Yuen Ching , Lek Ngee
Published: January 2022

Aim

To compare children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) living in the Northwest England, United Kingdom (UK) or Singapore, and to correlate age at diagnosis with birthweight and anthropometry at T1D diagnosis.

Methods

We included 166 T1D children of white ethnicity in England (UK‐White) and 185 T1D children of East‐Asian ethnicity origin in Singapore (SG‐Asian) who were born between 2002 and 2020.

Results

The cohorts from UK‐White and SG‐Asian children differed significantly in FH of T1D (p < 0.001), FH of T2D (p < 0.001) and pubertal status at diagnosis (p = 0.01). Median interquartile range (IQR) for age at diagnosis was similar in the two groups. UK‐White children had significantly higher birthweight SDS, height SDS, weight SDS and BMI SDS (all p < 0.001). Among the subgroup of 174 children who were prepubertal and diagnosed after age 5 years, the UK‐White children were 11 months older than the SG‐Asian children (p = 0.02) indicating that SG‐Asian children at the time of T1D diagnosis were more likely to be in puberty compared with UK‐White children (30% vs. 18%).

Conclusion

These two cohorts have substantially different genetic and environmental backgrounds, yet age at the diagnosis of T1D was similar except for the prepubertal children who were diagnosed after 5 years old. Timing of puberty and other factors may influence how early T1D presents during childhood.
The Rise of China's Global Middle Class in an International Context
Authors: Sicular Terry , Yang Xiuna , Gustafsson Björn
Published: January 2022

We estimate the size of the global middle class in China and 33 other countries and analyze China's expanding middle class in an international context. The “global middle class” is defined in terms of being neither poor nor rich in the developed world. China's global middle class has grown rapidly and has been catching up with the middle class in developed countries. By 2018 China's global middle class constituted 25 percent of China's population; in absolute size it was nearly double the size of the global middle class in the US and was similar in size to that of Europe. Cross‐country analysis of the relationship between the middle‐class share of the total population and GDP per capita reveals an inverted‐U pattern. China is not an outlier from the cross‐country pattern but the speed with which its middle‐class has expanded is unusual. The only other countries with similarly large, rapid expansions of the middle class are transition economies.
Growth and Common Prosperity in China
Authors: Kakwani Nanak , Wang Xiaobing , Xue Ning , Zhan Peng
Published: January 2022

This paper introduces a decomposition method that quantifies the contributions to common prosperity of labor market performance and social policies and extends the idea of shared prosperity to a new measure of inequity in opportunities. The resulting common prosperity indices and opportunity equality indices are then applied to five waves of the Chinese Household Income Project data from 1988 to 2018. This paper shows that the labor market performance and social policies have been improving over the last 30 years and have helped China move towards common prosperity for everyone. The indices developed in this paper allow us to quantify the extent of shared prosperity that a country has achieved and to carry out empirical studies on which policy is working and which is not. It can also help us identify the fundamental causes of inequality and aid us in achieving equality in opportunity among all members of society.
Exploring China's Potential Child Poverty
Authors: Shen Yangyang , Alkire Sabina
Published: January 2022

This paper estimates child poverty in China using 2018 data from the China Household Income Project. Applying the Alkire–Foster drawer approach, we constructed a multidimensional poverty indicator system that accounted for multiple factors contributing to a child's development and well‐being, based on which we estimated multidimensional poverty experienced by children. Children's poverty varied by age, gender, rural/urban settings, and geographic region. By extending the Alkire–Foster drawer approach, two important features of child poverty in China were found, which had normally been neglected by per capita poverty measures: poor children in nonpoor families and unequal allocations to different children within the same families. The results showed that more than 40 percent of multidimensionally poor children lived in nonpoor families. Unequal resource allocation within families was observed in half of the families. These two features of child poverty require more policy attention and the Chinese government should prioritize addre ssing multidimensional child poverty.
The impact of clinical nutrition on inflammatory skin diseases
Authors: Gürtler Anne , Laurenz Schmitt
Published: January 2022

The influence of nutrition on the pathophysiology and clinical severity of inflammatory facial dermatoses such as acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, and perioral dermatitis has been controversially discussed for years. As part of a modern treatment approach, clinicians should provide patients with information on how their choice of diet might impact their dermatologic diagnosis and could potentially enhance therapeutic outcome. Recently, the concept of a gut‐skin axis has gained momentum in the understanding of inflammatory dermatoses, with nutrition considered a contributing factor in this context. For example, gastrointestinal symptoms in rosacea patients may indicate a dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, treatment of which may also improve severity of the skin disease. New research efforts were recently made for acne patients addressing the clinical effects of omega‐3 fatty acids and probiotics. In contrast, due to the limited data available, no comparable specific dietary recommendations can yet be made for seborrheic or perioral dermatitis. However, there are promising signs that clinical nutrition and dermatology will be more extensively interlinked in the future, both clinically and scientifically.
Alternative information processing mechanisms in hospital supply chains: Impact on cost, quality, and patient satisfaction
Authors: Peng Xiaosong (David) , Flynn Barbara , Narayanan Arunachalam , Fan Raymond
Published: January 2022

Hospitals are under tremendous pressure to improve multiple performance dimensions that may be at odds, including cost containment, clinical quality, and patient satisfaction. The need to improve performance on multiple fronts is compounded by sources of uncertainty that include upstream diversity of supply chain (SC) partners, internal diversity of clinical specialties provided, and downstream diversity of patient conditions. Information processing theory (IPT) suggests two strategies for dealing with uncertainty: reduce the amount of information elevated to higher levels for processing and accommodate the amount of information by increasing information processing at other levels. We apply IPT to investigate (i) the relationship between the two information processing strategies in a hospital's SC and its cost containment, clinical quality, and patient satisfaction performance, and (ii) how these relationships may be moderated by diversity in the hospital's SC partners, clinical specialties, and patients, the common sources of uncertainty in hospital SCs. These questions were examined using regression analysis of primary data from acute care hospitals matched with secondary data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality measuring hospital operating characteristics and performance. The analysis yielded several important findings: (i) while a slack resources strategy (uncertainty reduction) is effective for improving patient satisfaction performance, it is ineffective for reducing cost, (ii) a lateral relations strategy (uncertainty accommodation) is effective in improving all three performance dimensions, and (iii) these relationships are moderated differentially by the three diversity dimensions only for lateral relations. These findings offer important managerial insights about hospitals’ efforts to improve potentially conflicting performance outcomes and suggest interesting opportunities for future research applying IPT to this important topic.
From forest to forestry: Reassembly of spider communities after native forest replacement by pine monocultures
Authors: Munévar Ana , Cardoso Pedro , Zurita Gustavo Andrés
Published: January 2022

Worldwide, natural ecosystems have been replaced by intensive productive systems. This has led to an extreme simplification of habitat structure and loss of ecosystem heterogeneity but also might reduce the opportunities for species co‐occurrence.

Anthropogenic disturbances offer an opportunity to explore how the functional diversity of spiders within a highly diverse ecosystem such as a subtropical forest change under intensive productive systems such as monoculture tree plantations. It allows to study the mechanisms underlying the community re‐assemblage process.

Using a set of morphological and ecological traits of 259 species, the habitat filtering hypothesis was tested on spider communities inhabiting pine monocultures at different ages, where the stabilisation of habitat conditions such as vegetation complexity, maximum temperature/relative humidity and prey availability along the plantation cycle growth will promote spider colonisation of these productive areas.

The conversion of native forest to pine monocultures decreased species and trait richness of spiders. Moreover, spiders from both communities differed in their identity but exhibited similar functional traits (low trait replacement). Variation in trait composition of spiders was explained by changes in vertical stratification complexity, tree density and relative humidity, rather than prey availability.

The mechanistic processes structuring the spider community were not clear. Spiders from pine plantations might experience frequent changes in composition due to high species replacement levels in space and time. Because pine plantations harbour only a few species and exhibit low functional richness, the pressure for stabilisation of community composition can be low.
Cross‐cultural collaboration leads to greater understanding of the rare Spectacled Hare‐wallaby in the west Kimberley, Western Australia
Authors: Wysong Michael L. , Gregory Pius , Watson Alexander W. T. , Woolley Leigh‐Ann , Parker Christopher W. , Country Managers Yawuru , Rangers Karajarri , Mangala Rangers Nyikina
Published: January 2022

Cross‐cultural collaboration between Yawuru Country Managers (Rangers) and WWF‐Australia ecologists led to new detections of the Spectacled Hare‐wallaby (SHW), (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in the west Kimberley region of Western Australia where it was presumed to be locally extirpated. This collaboration relied on the expertise of the Yawuru Country Managers to select specific locations for targeted field surveys and resulted in the confirmation of SHW on the Yawuru IPA for the first time in a decade. Subsequent remote camera trap surveys over a larger area included collaboration with two additional neighbouring Indigenous ranger groups, Karrajarri and Nyikina Mangala. These surveys investigated the spatial and temporal relationship between SHW and other mammals which may threaten (e.g., feral Cat [Felis catus], Dingo [Canis familiaris dingo]) or compete (e.g., Agile Wallaby [Macropus agilis]; Cattle [Bos taurus]) with them. We found a negative relationship between SHW and cat activity, suggesting that cats may limit the activity or abundance of SHW. Temporal portioning was evident between SHW and both Cattle and Agile Wallaby suggesting that SHW may avoid times when these species are most active. Further, we found a negative relationship between SHW occurrence and distance to fire scar edge burnt in current or previous fire season. This edge habitat is likely important to SHW because they may require recently burnt areas to forage and dense unburnt areas to shelter. This project highlights the benefits of cross‐cultural research and monitoring partnerships with Indigenous rangers as active observers and managers of their traditional lands.
‘Right‐way’ science: reflections on co‐developing Indigenous and Western cross‐cultural knowledge to support Indigenous cultural fire management
Authors: McKemey Michelle B. , Rangers Banbai , Rangers Yugul Mangi , Costello Oliver , Hunter John T. , Ens Emilie J.
Published: January 2022

Contemporary Indigenous cultural fire management facilitates opportunities for Indigenous peoples to connect to and manage their Country, as well as providing scope for research. Right‐way science is defined as collaborative process of bringing Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge and methods together to create ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. Five key requirements of right‐way science emerge from the literature, including: building relationships and trust; formal research approval processes; co‐development of research; acknowledging challenges; and ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. This article explores the question: how can right‐way science enhance Indigenous cultural fire management? By reflecting on research collaborations between Western scientists and Indigenous ranger groups of New South Wales (Banbai) and the Northern Territory (Yugul Mangi), this paper, firstly, describes the methods we used to explore right‐way science around cultural fire management. Secondly, it synthesises key findings of the research projects, including how we addressed the five key requirements of right‐way science elicited from the literature. Thirdly, we provide insight on how right‐way science can be applied more broadly to enhance Indigenous cultural fire management. We found that increasing opportunities for Indigenous peoples to care for their Country, supported by right‐way science, places them in a unique position to contribute to solving some of the ongoing challenges and research questions associated with fire management. Western scientists have an important role to play, as supporters and followers of Indigenous research partners, and advocates of right‐way science.
Applying biocultural research protocols in ecology: Insider and outsider experiences from Australia
Authors: Cooke Patrick , Fahey Monica , Ens Emilie J. , Raven Margaret , Clarke Philip A. , Rossetto Maurizio , Turpin Gerry
Published: January 2022

Collaborations between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous scientific researchers are increasingly mandated by global to local conservation policy and research ethics guidelines. Breakdowns occur due to misunderstandings around expected protocols of engagement and cooperation, which are compounded by lack of broader awareness of differences in cultural values, priorities and knowledge systems. Using first‐hand experiences, we outline eight key protocols and guidelines that researchers should consider when undertaking research with Indigenous peoples, or on Indigenous Country, through exploration of biocultural protocols and guidelines within Australian and Indigenous customary laws. We use the onion as a metaphor to highlight the layers of protocols and guidelines that researchers can peel back to guide their research from international to local scales, with ethics around the research question at the core. This paper draws on the perspectives and experiences of an Indigenous researcher (as ‘insider’/‘outsider’) and non‐Indigenous researcher (‘outsider’), working on a cross‐cultural and multidisciplinary investigation of past Aboriginal dispersal of rainforest trees on the Australian east coast. This paper is part of the special issue ‘Indigenous and cross-cultural ecology - perspectives from Australia’ published in Ecological Management & Restoration.
Postoperative anti‐inflammatory efficacy of 2% saline rinses and a herbal‐ mouthwash after non‐surgical periodontal therapy for the management of periodontal inflammation in young adults with chlorhexidine allergy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Al‐Zawawi Abeer S. , Shaheen Marwa Y. , Divakar Darshan Devang , Aldulaijan Hajer A. , Basudan Amani M.
Published: January 2022

Aim

The present randomized controlled trial assessed the postoperative anti‐inflammatory efficacy of 2% saline rinses (SR) and a herbal‐ mouthwash (HMW) after non‐surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) for the management of periodontal inflammation in patients with chlorhexidine (CHX) allergy.

Materials and Methods

Patients with periodontal inflammation with and without self‐reported CHX allergy were included. All patients underwent non‐surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Patients were randomly divided into three groups. In the SR and HMW groups, 2% SR and a HMW, respectively, were prescribed. In Group 3 (CHX‐group), patients without CHX allergy were included and were prescribed 0.12% CHX. In all groups, plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (AL), and marginal bone loss were measured at baseline. Clinical periodontal parameters were re‐assessed at 6‐weeks’ follow‐up.p < 0.01 were considered statistically significant.

Results

Thirteen, 12, and 12 patients were included in the SR, HMW, and CHX groups, respectively. At baseline, clinical and radiographic periodontal parameters were comparable in all groups. In all groups, PI (p < 0.01), GI (p < 0.01), and PD (p < 0.01) were significantly higher at baseline than their respective values at 6 weeks of follow‐up. There was no significant difference in clinical AL at all time intervals in all groups. There was no significant correlation between periodontal parameters and age, gender, and daily toothbrushing/flossing in all groups.

Conclusion

In young adults with self‐reported CHX allergy, herbal mouthwashes and/or 2% SR are suitable post‐operative prescriptions after NSPT.
Much ado about very little: The dubious connection between ethnic minority business policy and ethnic minority entrepreneurship
Authors: Jones Trevor , Roberts Richard , Ram Monder
Published: January 2022

This article presents a historical reprise of 40 years of policy interest in ethnic minority businesses in the UK. It contrasts the pronouncements of policymakers with the reality of ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Such an exercise is surprisingly rare given the activism of policymakers in this arena and growing scholarly interest in this field. Our historical overview is informed by a novel research method that plots references to ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the British Houses of Parliament. Though the UK has been the site of some interesting policy experiments on ethnic minority entrepreneurship, their impact has been slight when set against the context of broader political‐economic change.
Obesity, waist circumference, and appendicular muscle mass ratio in relation to blood pressure among the community‐dwelling elderly population in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Chun‐Yung , Kuo Chih‐Chun , Lin Ming‐Hsun , Wu Der‐Min , Lu Chieh‐Hua , Chu Nain‐Feng
Published: January 2022

Hypertension is known to be related to obesity and both are the major factors for cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between body composition and blood pressure (BP) are discussed recently. Our study aims to evaluate the association between waist circumference (WC) and appendicular muscle mass (AMM) in relation to BP among the community‐dwelling elderly population.

Total 3739 patients (1600 males and 2139 females) were recruited in a series of community‐based surveys that were conducted among the elderly population in Taiwan from 2017 to 2019. We collected data on anthropometric characteristics, handgrip strength, and BP using standard methods. AMM was calculated with an equation. History of chronic disease and lifestyle profiles were collected using questionnaires.

The group with high AMM to body weight ratio (AMMW) showed lower systolic BP (SBP) (136.8 ± 19.1 to 140.6 ± 17.0 for males; 137.8 ± 18.3 to 142.7 ± 17.5 for females, both P < .001). Among central obese persons those with higher AMMW ratio had lower SBP. In the final model, AMMW in percentage is negatively associated to SBP (β = −0.641 in male, −0.780 in female, both P < .01). In other words, every 10% increase in AMMW is associated with decrease of SBP 6.41 mmHg in male and 7.80 mmHg in female.

Obesity and central obesity were positively associated with BP. The AMMW ratio was negatively associated with HTN and with a protective effect on BP even among the central obese. Health promotion programs to increase physical training may prevent hypertension among the elderly in Taiwan.
MST1/2 inhibitor XMU‐MP‐1 alleviates the injury induced by ionizing radiation in haematopoietic and intestinal system
Authors: Zhou Xiaoliang , Wang Hao , Li Deguan , Song Naling , Yang Fujun , Xu Wenqing
Published: January 2022

The Hippo signalling pathway has been considered as potential therapeutic target in self‐renewal and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells. Thus, mammalian Ste20‐like kinase 1/2 (MST1/2) as the core serine‐threonine kinases in the Hippo signalling pathway has been investigated for its role in immunological disease. However, little information of MST1/2 function in bone marrow suppression induced by ionizing radiation was fully investigated. Here, we reported that MST1/2 inhibitor XMU‐MP‐1 could rescue the impaired haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor cells (HPCs) function under oxidative stress condition. Also, XMU‐MP‐1 pretreatment markedly alleviated the small intestinal system injury caused by the total body irradiation 9 Gy and extended the average survival days of the mice exposed to the lethal dose radiation. Therefore, irradiation exposure causes the serious pathological changes of haematopoietic and intestinal system, and XMU‐MP‐1 could prevent the ROS production, the haematopoietic cells impairment and the intestinal injury. These detrimental effects may be associated with regulating NOX/ROS/P38MARK pathway by MST1/2.
High quality (certainty) evidence changes less often than low‐quality evidence, but the magnitude of effect size does not systematically differ between studies with low versus high‐quality evidence
Authors: Djulbegovic Benjamin , Ahmed Muhammad Muneeb , Hozo Iztok , Koletsi Despina , Hemkens Lars , Price Amy , Riera Rachel , Nadanovsky Paulo , dos Santos Ana Paula Pires , Melo Daniela , Pathak Ranjan , Pacheco Rafael Leite , Fontes Luis Eduardo , Miranda Enderson , Nunan David
Published: January 2022

Rationale, Aims, and Objectives

It is generally believed that evidence from low quality of evidence generate inaccurate estimates about treatment effects more often than evidence from high (certainty) quality evidence (CoE). As a result, we would expect that (a) estimates of effects of health interventions initially based on high CoE change less frequently than the effects estimated by lower CoE (b) the estimates of magnitude of effect size differ between high and low CoE. Empirical assessment of these foundational principles of evidence‐based medicine has been lacking.

Methods

We reviewed the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from January 2016 through May 2021 for pairs of original and updated reviews for change in CoE assessments based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method. We assessed the difference in effect sizes between the original versus updated reviews as a function of change in CoE, which we report as a ratio of odds ratio (ROR). We compared ROR generated in the studies in which CoE changed from very low/low (VL/L) to moderate/high (M/H) versus M/H to VL/L. Heterogeneity and inconsistency were assessed using the tau andI2statistic. We also assessed the change in precision of effect estimates (by calculating the ratio of standard errors) (seR), and the absolute deviation in estimates of treatment effects (aROR).

Results

Four hundred and nineteen pairs of reviews were included of which 414 (207 × 2) informed the CoE appraisal and 384 (192 × 2) the assessment of effect size. We found that CoE originally appraised as VL/L had 2.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–4.12;p = 0.0091] times higher odds to be changed in the future studies than M/H CoE. However, the effect size was not different (p = 1) when CoE changed from VL/L → M/H [ROR = 1.02 (95% CI: 0.74–1.39)] compared with M/H → VL/L (ROR = 1.02 [95% CI: 0.44–2.37]). Similar overlap in aROR between the VL/L → M/H versus M/H → VL/L subgroups was observed [median (IQR): 1.12 (1.07–1.57) vs. 1.21 (1.12–2.43)]. We observed large inconsistency across ROR estimates (I2 = 99%). There was larger imprecision in treatment effects when CoE changed from VL/L → M/H (seR = 1.46) than when it changed from M/H → VL/L (seR = 0.72).

Conclusions

We found that low‐quality evidence changes more often than high CoE. However, the effect size did not systematically differ between the studies with low versus high CoE. The finding that the effect size did not differ between low and high CoE indicate urgent need to refine current EBM critical appraisal methods.
Development and maintenance of surface gloss of dental composites after polishing and brushing: Review of the literature
Authors: Amaya‐Pajares Silvia P. , Koi Kiyono , Watanabe Hidehiko , da Costa Juliana B. , Ferracane Jack L.
Published: January 2022

Objective

To describe the effect of the composites' composition to produce high surface smoothness/gloss using finishers/polishers, and to assess maintained smoothness/gloss under toothbrush abrasion.

Materials and methods

PubMed papers published from January 01, 2000 to September 01, 2021 were included, and keywords used were: filler particle size, shape, amount of dental composites; finishing/polishing, gloss/roughness, and toothbrush abrasion of composites. Seventy‐five in‐vitro studies were included in this literature review. Forty‐six articles assessed filler particle size/composition/shape and distribution to obtain high gloss/smoothness on different formulations; and the finishers/polishers effect on these materials. Twenty‐nine papers assessed toothbrush abrasion of composites.

Results

Suprananofill/nanofill/microfills typically showed the smoothest and glossiest surfaces compared to nanohybrid, microhybrid and hybrid composites. Microfill (0.04–0.07 μm, 71–88 GU); suprananofill (0.001–0.8 μm, 52–92 GU), microhybrids (0.05–0.35 μm, 35–95 GU) and nanohybrids (0.05–0.21 μm, 66–97 GU). Composites with small, spherical particles tend to show smoother, glossier surfaces and more wear resistant compared to resin composites with larger or irregular particles. Several studies showed higher roughness and reduced gloss after toothbrush abrasion.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of this study, suprananofill/nanofill/microfill composites tended to show the smoothest/glossiest surfaces due to smaller particle size. Composites with small, spherical particles tended to show smoother/glossier surfaces. Overall, toothbrush abrasion showed higher surface roughness and reduced gloss.

Clinical Significance

Suprananofills/nanofills/microfills had good polishability and polish retention due to their smaller particle size. The effectiveness of a polishing system is material‐dependent. In general, Enhance‐PoGo, Sof‐Lex discs, and Sof‐Lex Spiral wheels showed similar level of smoothness.
Predictable Financial Crises
Authors: GREENWOOD ROBIN , HANSON SAMUEL G. , SHLEIFER ANDREI , SØRENSEN JAKOB AHM
Published: January 2022

Using historical data on postwar financial crises around the world, we show that the combination of rapid credit and asset price growth over the prior three years, whether in the nonfinancial business or the household sector, is associated with a 40% probability of entering a financial crisis within the next three years. This compares with a roughly 7% probability in normal times, when neither credit nor asset price growth is elevated. Our evidence challenges the view that financial crises are unpredictable “bolts from the sky” and supports the Kindleberger‐Minsky view that crises are the byproduct of predictable, boom‐bust credit cycles. This predictability favors policies that lean against incipient credit‐market booms.
Racism and oral health equity in the United States: Identifying its effects and providing future directions
Authors: Borrell Luisa N. , Williams David R.
Published: January 2022

While racial/ethnic oral health inequities have been documented for many years in the United States, the potential role of racism has not been examined until recently. In fact, the common practice has been to attribute racial/ethnic disparities in oral health to low socioeconomic position and/or the lack of access to care. In contrast, racism is considered a fundamental cause of a broad range of adverse health outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities. Emerging evidence on oral health suggests that racism can affect access to oral health and clinical decision‐making by acting as a social determinant of health (SDoH). Specifically, SDoHs may affect access to quality dental care due to the lack of dental insurance, low dentist‐population ratio in racial/ethnic minority communities and the lack of diversity in the dental profession. We describe potential mechanisms through which racism can affect important SDoHs that are essential to oral health equity, outline recommendations to mitigate its existing negative effects and propose interventions to minimize pathogenic effects of racism on oral health outcomes in the population.