bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Status Association With Sarcopenia in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis Assessed by Nutritional Risk Index
Authors: Kurajoh Masafumi , Mori Katsuhito , Miyabe Mizuki , Matsufuji Shota , Ichii Mitsuru , Morioka Tomoaki , Kizu Akane , Tsujimoto Yoshihiro , Emoto Masanori
Published: May 2022

Background

Malnutrition and sarcopenia are frequently observed in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). To elucidate whether malnutrition is associated with sarcopenia in those cases, the relationship of nutritional status with sarcopenia was investigated.

Methods

Nutritional status was assessed using a nutritional risk index (NRI) developed for patients undergoing MHD. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 315 MHD patients (199 males, 116 females), who were divided into low-risk (score 0–7) and medium-/high-risk (score 8–13) groups. Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia, along with low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and low physical performance were defined using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria.

Results

The median NRI score was 5.0, while the prevalence of medium-/high-risk cases among the patients was 31.1%. Additionally, the rates of those with low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and low physical performance were 55.9, 60.6, and 31.4%, respectively, while those of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were 44.1 and 20.0%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed a significant (P < 0.001) association of NRI score with sarcopenia [odds ratio (OR) 1.255, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.143–1.377] and severe sarcopenia (OR 1.257, 95% CI 1.122–1.407), as well as low muscle mass (OR 1.260, 95% CI 1.157–1.374), low muscle strength (OR 1.310, 95% CI 1.178–1.457), and low physical performance (OR 1.216, 95% CI 1.104–1.339). Furthermore, medium-/high-risk status showed a significant (P < 0.05) association with sarcopenia (OR 2.960, 95% CI 1.623–5.401) and severe sarcopenia (OR 2.241, 95% CI 1.151–4.362), as well as low muscle mass (OR 2.141, 95% CI 1.219–3.760), low muscle strength (OR 7.665, 95% CI 3.438–17.091), and low physical performance (OR 2.570, 95% CI 1.401–4.716).

Conclusions

These results suggest that malnutrition contributes to sarcopenia/severe sarcopenia in MHD patients by reducing muscle mass and strength, and physical performance.
The Value of Radiotherapy for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Oncogene Driver-Mutation
Authors: Cui Jinfeng , Li Li , Yuan Shuanghu
Published: May 2022

Due to the widespread use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which have largely supplanted cytotoxic chemotherapy as the first-line therapeutic choice for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have oncogene driver mutations, advanced NSCLC patients with oncogene driver mutations had much long median survival. However, TKIs’ long-term efficacy is harmed by resistance to them. TKIs proved to have a limited potential to permeate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as well. Only a small percentage of plasma levels could be found in CSF at usual doses. Therefore, TKIs monotherapy may have a limited efficacy in individuals with brain metastases. Radiation has been demonstrated to reduce TKIs resistance and disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Previous trials have shown that local irradiation for bone metastases might improve symptoms, in addition, continuous administration of TKIs combined with radiotherapy was linked with beneficial progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for oligometastasis or bone metastasis NSCLC with oncogene driver mutations. The above implied that radiotherapy combined with targeted therapy may have a synergistic impact in patients with advanced oncogene driver-mutated NSCLC. The objective of this article is to discuss the value of radiotherapy in the treatment of those specific individuals.
Classification of Microcalcification Clusters Using Bilateral Features Based on Graph Convolutional Network
Authors: Zhang Yaqin , Han Jiayue , Chen Binghui , Chang Lin , Song Ting , Cai Guanxiong
Published: May 2022

Breast cancer is one of the diseases with the highest incidence and mortality among women in the world, which has posed a serious threat to women’s health. The appearance of clustered calcifications is one of the important signs of breast cancer, and thus how to classify clustered calcifications comes to be a key breakthrough in controlling breast cancer. In this study, the discriminant model based on image convolution is used to learn the image features related to the classification of clustered microcalcifications, and the graph convolutional network (GCN) based on topological graph is used to learn the spatial distribution characteristics of clustered microcalcifications. These two models are fused to obtain a complementary model of image information and spatial information. The results show that the performance of the fusion model proposed in this paper is obviously superior to that of the two classification models in the classification of clustered microcalcification.
The Impact of Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP) on the Decision-Making Process in the Treatment of ALK-Rearranged Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (aNSCLC) After Failure of 2nd/3rd-Generation ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs)
Authors: Raphael Ari , Onn Amir , Holtzman Liran , Dudnik Julia , Urban Damien , Kian Waleed , Cohen Aharon Y. , Moskovitz Mor , Zer Alona , Bar Jair , Rabinovich Natalie Maimon , Grynberg Shirly , Oedegaard Cecilie , Agbarya Abed , Peled Nir , Shochat Tzippy , Dudnik Elizabeth
Published: May 2022

Background

The use of CGP in guiding treatment decisions in aNSCLC with acquired resistance to ALK TKIs is questionable.

Methods

We prospectively assessed the impact of CGP on the decision-making process in ALK-rearranged aNSCLC patients following progression on 2nd/3rd-generation ALK TKIs. Physician’s choice of the most recommended next-line systemic treatment (NLST) was captured before and after receival of CGP results; the percentage of cases in which the NLST recommendation has changed was assessed along with the CGP turnaround time (TAT). Patients were divided into groups: patients in whom the NLST was initiated after (group 1) and before (group 2) receival of the CGP results. Time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD) and overall survival (OS) with NLST were compared between the groups.

Results

In 20 eligible patients (median [m]age 63 years [range, 40-89], females 75%, adenocarcinoma 100%, failure of alectinib 90%, FoundationOne Liquid CDx 80%), CGP has altered NLST recommendation in 30% of cases. CGP findings were as follows: ALK mutations 30% (l1171X 10%, G1202R, L1196M, G1269A, G1202R+l1171N+E1210K 5% each), CDKN2A/B mutation/loss 10%, c-met amplification 5%. CGP mTAT was 2.9 weeks [IQR, 2.4-4.4]. mTTD was 11.3 months (95% CI, 2.1-not reached [NR]) and 5.4 months (95% CI, 2.0-NR) in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p-0.34). mOS was 13.2 months (95% CI, 2.9-NR) and 13.0 months (95% CI, 6.0-NR) in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p-0.86).

Conclusion

CGP has a significant impact on the decision-making process in ALK-rearranged aNSCLC following progression on 2nd/3rd-generation ALK TKIs.
Anatomical Computerized Exploration to Excise Malignancies in Deep Facial Compartments: An Advanced Virtual Reality Protocol for a Tailored Surgical Approach
Authors: Tel Alessandro , Bagatto Daniele , Costa Fabio , Sembronio Salvatore , Robiony Massimo
Published: May 2022

Objective/Hypothesis

This study describes the design and application of a novel advanced protocol for virtual three-dimensional anatomical reconstruction of the deep facial compartments, aiming to improve the preoperative understanding and the intraoperative assistance in complex resective surgeries performed for malignant diseases which extend in complex spaces, including the pterygomaxillopalatine fossa, the masticator space, and the infratemporal fossa.

Methods

This study is a non-profit, retrospective, and single-institution case series. The authors clearly describe in detail imaging acquisition protocols which are suitable to segment each target, and a multilayer reconstruction technique is presented to simulate anatomical structures, with particular focus on vascular networks. Virtual surgical planning techniques are individually designed for each case to provide the most effective access to the deep facial compartments. Intraoperative guidance systems, including navigation and virtual endoscopy, are presented, and their role is analyzed.

Results

The study included seven patients with malignant disease located in the deep facial compartments requiring radical resection, and all patients underwent successful application of the protocol. All lesions, except one, were subject to macroscopically radical resection. Vascular structures were identified with overall reconstruction rates superior to 90% for major caliber vessels. Prominent landmarks for virtual endoscopy were identified for each case.

Conclusions

Virtual surgical planning and multilayer anatomical reconstruction are valuable methods to implement for surgeries in deep facial compartments, providing the surgeon with improved understanding of the preoperative condition and intraoperative guidance in critical phases for both open and endoscopic phases. Such techniques allow to tailor each surgical access, limiting morbidity to strictly necessary approaches to reach the disease target.
Analysis of Factors Influencing Outcomes in Preterm Infants With Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Authors: Han JinBao , Liu Gang , Yu MengNan , Li Guang , Cao JianYing , Duan Lian , Huang LiuMing
Published: May 2022

Background

To explore the surgical outcomes between patients with perforated and non-perforated neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and identify indications for surgical intervention.

Methods

The surgical outcomes of 271 children with NEC admitted to the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between August 2009 and August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the non-perforated and perforated groups. The preoperative factors, including gestational age, birth weight, intrauterine infection, cholestasis, platelet change, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein level were compared between the two groups, along with postoperative factors including infection status, complications, enteral and parenteral nutrition time, ICU time, ventilator use time, and intestinal necrosis length. Bell staging was performed for the two groups and the mortality of different Bell stages was explored. The risk of death and predisposing factors of patients with NEC were analyzed.

Results

In total, 271 children undergoing surgery were included in this study. A total of 188 children were observed without perforation, including 57 deaths (30.3%), and 83 children with perforation, including 24 deaths (28.9%). Preoperative cholestasis and time from NEC diagnosis to surgery were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Postoperative factors, including parenteral nutrition time (32 [3–94] days vs. 23 [1–53] days), enteral nutrition time (27 [0–86] days vs. 18 [0–81] days), NICU time (44 [5–125] days vs. 29 [1–92] days), and length of intestinal necrosis (15 [0–92] cm vs. 10 [2–70] cm), were significant. The mortality rate of patients with Bell stage IIIA was higher than that of patients with Bell stage IIIB. A total of 81 patients had 30-day postoperative mortality (57 non-perforated cases). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that non-perforation was a poor prognostic factor for survival outcome (hazard ratio 2.288, 95% confidence interval [1.329-3.940], P = 0.003).

Conclusions

Preterm infants in the non-perforated group had more serious complications and had a longer recovery time after surgery. Bell staging is not accurate in diagnosing severe NEC that needs surgical intervention.
Integrated Pharmacology Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Gegen Qinlian Decoction Against Lipopolysaccharide-induced Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Li Wei , Ding Zihe , Chen Ying , Wang Yi , Peng Mingming , Li Chuanqiu , Zhang Han , Zhong Renxing , Xia Tianyi , Zhong Luyang , Zhao Mantong , Yang Mengru , Yue Yimin , Liang Lanyuan , Cao Xia , Shu Zunpeng
Published: May 2022

ALI is a severe inflammatory disease of the lungs. In previous studies, we found that GQD was effective against ALI, but specific molecular mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, this study was to examine effect of GQD on LPS-induced ALI rats and underlying mechanisms using multi-omics and molecular methods. The results showed that GQD significantly improved lung tissue damage, reduced pulmonary edema, inhibited MPO activity, and improved respiratory function in ALI rat. Additionally, GQD significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum and BALF. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis showed that GQD reduced pulmonary inflammation by improving metabolic remodeling. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis showed that GQD inhibited the activation of complement pathway and regulated Th17 and Treg cells balance. Additionally, GQD inhibited the expression of C3, C5a, and IL-17, and promoted the expression of TGF-β and CYP1A1 at the mRNA and protein levels. Gut microbial assay showed that GQD treatment increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and their genera in intestinal microbiota, and increased short-chain fatty acids concentration. Overall, GQD treated ALI by improving metabolic remodeling, affecting immune-related pathways and regulating intestinal microbiota. This study provides a solid scientific basis for promoting the clinical use of GQD in treating ALI.
Mechanism of Cordyceps sinensis and its Extracts in the Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Review
Authors: Liu Wu , Gao Yiwei , Zhou Yi , Yu Fangning , Li Xinyi , Zhang Ning
Published: May 2022

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the major reason of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-caused end-stage renal failure (ESRF), and leads to high mortality worldwide. At present, the treatment of DKD is mainly focused on controlling the hyperglycemia, proteinuria, and hypertension, but is insufficient on the effective delay of DKD progression.Cordyceps sinensisis a kind of wild-used precious Chinese herb. Its extracts have effects of nephroprotection, hepatoprotection, neuroprotection, and protection against ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine,Cordyceps sinensiscan tonify the lung and the kidney. Several Chinese patent medicines produced fromCordyceps sinensisare often used to treat DKD and achieved considerable efficacy. This review summarized the clinical usage ofCordyceps sinensis, as well as its mainly biological activities including anti-hyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, anti-fibrotic activities and regulation of apoptosis.
The Emerging Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Esophageal Cancer: Functions in Tumorigenesis and Clinical Implications
Authors: Han Yali , Zhao Guo , Shi Xinhang , Wang Yushan , Wen Xin , Zhang Lu , Guo Xiangqian
Published: May 2022

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common malignancies of digestive tracts with poor five-year survival rate. Hence, it is very significant to further investigate the occurrence and development mechanism of esophageal cancer, find more effective biomarkers and promote early diagnosis and effective treatment. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are generally defined as non-protein-coding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides in length. Existing researches have shown that lncRNAs could act as sponges, guides, scaffolds, and signal molecules to influence the oncogene or tumor suppressor expressions at transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and protein levels in crucial cellular processes. Currently, the dysregulated lncRNAs are reported to involve in the pathogenesis and progression of EC. Importantly, targeting EC-related lncRNAs through genome editing, RNA interference and molecule drugs may be one of the most potential therapeutic methods for the future EC treatment. In this review, we summarized the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs, including oncogenic lncRNAs and tumor suppressor lncRNAs in EC. In addition, we generalized the excellent potential lncRNA candidates for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy in EC. Finally, we discussed the current challenges and opportunities of lncRNAs for EC.
Recruitment Traits Could Influence Species’ Geographical Range: A Case Study in the Genus Saxifraga L.
Authors: Margreiter Vera , Porro Francesco , Mondoni Andrea , Erschbamer Brigitta
Published: May 2022

The reasons why some species occur widespread, while related species have restricted geographical ranges have been attributed to habitat specialization or ecological niche breadth. For species in the genus Saxifraga, habitat specialization alone cannot explain the distributional differences observed. We hypothesize that recruitment traits (i.e., germination, emergence, and survival) may account for differences in geographical ranges and that early life stages correlate to survival. We studied recruitment responses in 13 widespread and 12 narrow-ranged Saxifraga species in the laboratory and common garden experiments using seeds collected from 79 populations in the European Alps. We found that in the laboratory cold temperature led to higher germination percentages compared with warm temperature for both distribution groups. This represents an exception to the general assumption that alpine species require warm cues for germination. In warm laboratory temperatures, widespread species germinated better than narrow-ranged species, indicating a greater tolerance of warm temperatures for the former. Subsequent to germination, recruitment traits between the two distribution groups were lower or null in the common garden, suggesting that the impact of recruitment on species’ geographical ranges occurs at the earliest life stage. Mean time to emergence of narrow-ranged species showed lower variability than that of widespread species. Consistently, intraspecific variation of mean annual temperatures between seed collection sites was lower for narrow-ranged species, indicating a close relationship between home sites and emergence time. Emergence percentage was a strong predictor of survival only for widespread species, underlining that seed and seedling functional traits differ between distribution groups, which require further research. Our results support the view that early life stages are critical to population dynamics and thus can influence species’ geographical ranges. The wider responses to climatic conditions in widespread species may have facilitated their spread across the Alps. Our results also suggest that all Saxifraga species face a considerable threat from climate warming due to their overall cold-adapted recruitment niche.
Will the “Prosperity of the Population and Son” Affect the Hiring of the “Shopkeeper”?—Research on Succession Decisions of Actual Controllers in Chinese Family Firms
Authors: Shi Xiaofei , Tui Zhangjing , Zhou Xiaoyu
Published: May 2022

“The prosperity of the population and son, the prosperity of the country” means that the more family members and male offspring, the more stable and prosperous the family foundation of future generations. This concept is deeply engraved in China’s traditional culture, and affects the behavior and decision-making of the actual controller as a parent. Chinese family enterprises are facing urgent problems such as power transfer and leader replacement. Although some studies have paid attention to the relationship between children’s characteristics and enterprise inheritance, they have not connected this relationship with the internal mechanism of successor selection. The existing theoretical research lacks in-depth analysis of the influence mechanism of children’s characteristics on professional manager appointment. Therefore, we attempt to make up for this deficiency. Based on this, we take Chinese family listed companies from 2009 to 2019 as a sample to test the impact of the number and the gender structure of actual controllers’ children on family enterprises’ professional management. The study found that the number of children, especially the number of sons, will inhibit the professional operation of enterprises. This conclusion is still true after the robustness test. Further research found that compared with daughters, sons have a more significant impact on professional management. At the same time, the greater the ownership proportion of the actual controller, the stronger the correlation between children’s characteristics and professional management. We not only studied the influencing factors of enterprise succession from the perspective of children’s characteristics, but also enriched the organization theory in the context of family business, which is helpful to promote the benign evolution and healthy and sustainable development of enterprises.
Deficits in Emotion Recognition and Theory of Mind in Parkinson’s Disease Patients With and Without Cognitive Impairments
Authors: Dodich Alessandra , Funghi Giulia , Meli Claudia , Pennacchio Maria , Longo Chiara , Malaguti Maria Chiara , Di Giacopo Raffaella , Zappini Francesca , Turella Luca , Papagno Costanza
Published: May 2022

Background

Emotion recognition and social deficits have been previously reported in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the extent of these impairments is still unclear and social cognition is excluded from the cognitive domains considered in the current criteria for PD mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aims to analyze emotion recognition, affective and cognitive theory of mind in early PD patients classified according to Level II MCI criteria, and to evaluate the prevalence of socio-cognitive deficits in this sample.

Methods

We enrolled 45 participants with PD, classified as cognitively unimpaired (CU; n = 32) or MCI (n = 13) based on a standard neuropsychological assessment. Social cognitive skills were evaluated through validated tests for emotion recognition (i.e., Ekman 60-faces test, Ek60 Test) and mental states attribution (Story-based Empathy Task, SET) and compared to a group of 45 healthy controls (HC). Between-group differences in social tasks were performed, as well as correlation analyses to assess the relationship between social, cognitive, and clinical variables. Finally, the number of patients with social cognitive impairments in both MCI and CU subgroups was computed based on Italian normative data.

Results

Statistical comparison revealed significant differences among groups in the Ek60 test, with MCI obtaining significantly lower scores than HC and CU, especially for negative emotions. Significant differences were detected also in the SET, with lower performance in emotion and intention attribution for both PD groups compared to HC. A significant correlation emerged between the Ek60 test and emotion attribution. Nine patients showed poor performance at social tasks, five of them being classified as PD-CU.

Discussion

Parkinson’s disease cognitive profile was characterized by emotion recognition and attribution deficits. These results, as well as the detection of CU patients with isolated socio-cognitive impairments, underline the importance of assessing social cognition in PD as a possible early marker of cognitive decline.
Development of a Psychometric Test: A Care Risk Scale for Homebound Older People With Dementia
Authors: Dong Xiaoxin , Zhao Lingbo , Kong Xianbo , Xu Ting , Sun Tongda
Published: May 2022

Background

Homebound older people with dementia (OPWD) face a series of care risks due to disease characteristics, care issues, and the family environment. However, China lacks a quantitative assessment tool for care risk. Thus, we attempted to develop a care risk scale for homebound OPWD.

Methods

A care risk scale, with initially 18 items, was designed based on a systematic literature review, expert consultation, and a pilot study with 20 OPWD. The initial scale was validated among 1,045 homebound OPWD in Ningbo, China from November 1, 2020 to July 30, 2021. After removing three items that lacked discrimination power, the reliability and validity of the remaining 15 items was evaluated. Factor extraction was performed via principal axis factoring and Cattell’s scree plot analysis, with the resulting factors then being subjected to a varimax rotation.

Results

The final scale consisted of 15 items assessed on a 5-point Likert scale that loaded on to three different factors, including dementia symptoms (four items), family support (four items), and home environment (seven items). These three factors were found to explain 72.9% of the cumulative variance. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for the final scale was 0.907. The correlation coefficients in the item-to-total analysis ranged from 0.511 to 0.662.

Conclusion

The validation analysis indicated satisfactory reliability and validity of the 15-item scale for assessing care risk of homebound OPWD. This scale can help long-term care professionals and family caregivers identify care risks and help them take targeted measures to enhance safety of care for OPWD.
Motivating Women to Travel in India: Embodying Safety as an Organizational Purpose
Authors: Chhajer Raina , Lal Vedika , Tandon Ankita
Published: May 2022

Safety concerns are a key factor that demotivate women from traveling. Tourism organizations are yet to develop approaches to address this comprehensively. Employing the case study design, this study describes how an Indian tourism organization adopted safe women travel as its purpose to reduce women’s safety risk perceptions and motivated them to travel. Nine qualitative interviews were conducted with key stakeholders including co-founders, employees, customers, and vendors. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis resulting in the identification of purpose as a pull factor. Themes of defining, communicating, embodying purpose, and its resulting influence were identified. Through this process, the organization was able to positively impact perceptions of safety, enhance women’s travel motivation, and develop long-term associations with all stakeholders. An actionable framework for implementing purpose was developed that can be used to align tourism organizations’ practices and activities.
A Moderated Mediation Model Linking Excessive Enterprise Social Media Usage With Job Performance
Authors: Li Haowen , Ali Muhammad , Amin Muhammad Waqas , Liang Haoshen
Published: May 2022

Despite the larger interest of information systems scholars in excessive ESM usage, little is known about how excessive ESM usage is related to employee performance. This study focused on excessive ESM usage and investigated its impact on employee performance. Based on the status quo perspective with the integration of social cognitive theory, this study first proposed that excessive ESM usage has a positive and negative relationship with employee performance through ESM usage regret and ESM usage inertia. Furthermore, COVID-19 threat moderates the direct relationship between excessive ESM usage and ESM usage regret, and ESM usage inertia. Time-lagged, multi-source data collected in China support most of our hypothesis. Results reveal that excessive ESM has a positive and negative indirect effect on employee performance via ESM usage regret and ESM usage inertia. Furthermore, the COVID-19 threat moderates the positive direct effect of excessive ESM usage on ESM usage inertia. In the later section, theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.
Study of CEO Narcissism and Corporate R&D Investment
Authors: Wang Linan , Li Huiying , Mu Yinghan
Published: May 2022

Narcissism is a deep-rooted personality trait that is particularly common in corporate leaders, and narcissistic leaders have a noticeable influence on the R&D investment behavior of enterprises. This paper empirically examines the effect of CEO narcissism on R&D investment and the moderating effects of financing constraints, and the nature of corporate ownership based on the Upper Echelons Theory, using the CEO signature size as a measure of CEO narcissism for the 2007–2020 Chinese A-share listed companies. The results show that CEO narcissism has a significant negative effect on R&D investment; corporate financing constraints play a negative moderating role between CEO narcissism and R&D investment, and the negative effect of CEO narcissism on corporate R&D investment is more significant in non-state-owned firms than in state-owned firms. The study’s findings enrich and expand the theory related to CEO narcissism and have important practical implications for R&D investment decisions and the choice of corporate executives in China.
Does Environmental, Social, and Governance Drive the Sustainability of Multinational Corporation’s Subsidiaries? Evidence From Korea
Authors: Kim Jangsoon , Cho Eunho , Okafor Collins E. , Choi Donseung
Published: May 2022

We examined the relations between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities and the performance of subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs). We further investigated the moderating effect of market-oriented organizational culture on the relationship between ESG and performance. Employing generalized least square regression analysis using survey data, we show that ESG activities of MNC subsidiaries are positively associated with financial and non-financial performance. These results suggest that ESG improves the financial and non-financial performance of subsidiaries. The test for the moderating effect of the market-oriented organizational culture shows that it weakens the positive relationship between ESG activities and financial performance. This could be due to the incongruous nature of the short-term focus of a market-oriented organizational culture versus the long-term orientation of the sustainability of ESG activities.
Eating and Control Styles Axis in Mentalisation-Based Psychotherapy in Eating Disorders: A Randomised Clinical Trial
Authors: Golan Moria
Published: May 2022

Background

Clinicians need an instrument that helps their patients with eating disorders (ED) to explore their agent’s inner intentions and confront negative behaviour and control styles.

Objectives

To assess the feasibility and impact of an eating and control styles axis (ECOSA) during the first 8 months of mentalisation-based psychotherapy with a community-based sample of ED patients.

Methods

Six experienced therapists and their consecutively admitted patients were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. A total of 94 women, Mage = 24 were recruited between June 2020 and October 2021. Ninety completed it. Both groups received mentalisation-based psychotherapy, but only the intervention group used the ECOSA repeatedly. Therapists and participants were blinded to the study aims and hypothesis. Fidelity assessment was applied to ensure that the two groups differed mainly in terms of ECOSA usage.

Results

The use of ECOSA, although less than advised, was reported as feasible. The effect size of the improvement in reflective functioning was larger than that of the control group and correlated significantly only in the intervention group with EDE-Q score (r = 0.46; p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Although the study limitations: selective population, relatively small sample size and the lack of controlled confounder, the combined quantitative and qualitative results lend preliminary evidence for the validity and contribution of ECOSA as a possible instrument that may upgrade the clinician’s toolbox in the treatment of ED. A more rigorous study design is needed to explore the potential usage of ECOSA as a clinical tool to enhance mentalisation among people with ED.
More Jump More Health: Vertical Jumping Learning of Chinese Children and Health Promotion
Authors: Liu Liu , Xi Luo , Yongshun Wang , Ziping Zhu , Chunyin Ma , Peifu Qin
Published: May 2022

Vertical jumping is the most important of the fundamental motor skills and has an important impact on children's health. A systematic study was conducted on the influence of vertical jumping on children's health and motor development patterns. In this study, the training and learning of vertical jumping were found to be effective in promoting children's development, especially in terms of height and muscle growth. Training interventions were used to determine the influence of age on children's learning of the correct vertical jumping motor pattern. Sex was found to have no influence on children's learning of vertical jumping. Although children were found to be able to learn the correct vertical jumping motor pattern, they could not reach a level of proficiency and intuitively apply the acquired skills to task completion. Cognitive ability was found to have a crucial effect on motor learning among children, especially when they faced various task constraints.
Sex Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnostic, Neurobiological, and Behavioral Features
Authors: Napolitano Antonio , Schiavi Sara , La Rosa Piergiorgio , Rossi-Espagnet Maria Camilla , Petrillo Sara , Bottino Francesca , Tagliente Emanuela , Longo Daniela , Lupi Elisabetta , Casula Laura , Valeri Giovanni , Piemonte Fiorella , Trezza Viviana , Vicari Stefano
Published: May 2022

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence of about 1%, characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, repetitive patterns of behaviors, and can be associated with hyper- or hypo-reactivity of sensory stimulation and cognitive disability. ASD comorbid features include internalizing and externalizing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and attention problems. The precise etiology of ASD is still unknown and it is undoubted that the disorder is linked to some extent to both genetic and environmental factors. It is also well-documented and known that one of the most striking and consistent finding in ASD is the higher prevalence in males compared to females, with around 70% of ASD cases described being males. The present review looked into the most significant studies that attempted to investigate differences in ASD males and females thus trying to shade some light on the peculiar characteristics of this prevalence in terms of diagnosis, imaging, major autistic-like behavior and sex-dependent uniqueness. The study also discussed sex differences found in animal models of ASD, to provide a possible explanation of the neurological mechanisms underpinning the different presentation of autistic symptoms in males and females.
New Life Through Disaster: A Thematic Analysis of Women's Experiences of Pregnancy and the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire
Authors: Pike Ashley , Mikolas Cynthia , Tompkins Kathleen , Olson Joanne , Olson David M. , Brémault-Phillips Suzette
Published: May 2022

Background

On May 3, 2016, residents of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta were evacuated due to an uncontrolled wildfire. The short-notice evacuation had destabilizing consequences for residents, including changes in routines, loss of control, and increased uncertainty. These consequences were especially detrimental to women who were pregnant or pre-conception during the evacuation. Pregnant and pre-conception women are particularly susceptible to a vast range of negative consequences during and post natural disasters, including elevated stress and higher incidence of pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy induced hypertension and C-section. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences, perceived stress and resilience of women who were pregnant during the wildfire. As well as to explore potential interventions to promote the health and enhance resilience of pregnant women and to assist in recovery after exposure to a natural disaster or other traumatic events.

Methods

A qualitative thematic analysis of 16 narratives penned by pregnant women and recounted in Ashley Tobin's compilations 93/88,000 and 159 More/ 88,000: Stories of Evacuation, Re-Entry and the In-Between was conducted.

Results

Analysis revealed five key themes: (1) experience of stress responses due to personal and external factors, (2) social connectedness and support as a facilitator of resilience, (3) performance of resilience-enhancing activities, (4) the roles of pregnancy and motherhood in the experiences of loss and resilience, and (5) the importance of home.

Conclusion

Pregnant women have unique barriers that may negatively impact them during a natural disaster or other form of stressful event. They may benefit from assistance with navigating role transition during pregnancy, training in stress management strategies, and writing interventions to build resiliency and begin the process of recovery from trauma.
Serum Lipid Profiles and All-Cause Mortality: A Retrospective Single Center Study on Chinese Inpatient Centenarians
Authors: Zou Xiao , Li Jian-hua , Hu Yi-xin , Wang Hai-jun , Sun Sha-sha , Xu Wei-hao , Deng Xin-li , Sun Ting , Cao Jian , Fan Li , Si Quan-jin
Published: May 2022

Objectives

To analyze the serum lipid profiles and investigate the relationship between the lipoprotein cholesterol levels and all-cause mortality in Chinese inpatient centenarians.

Design

Retrospective study.

Methods

Centenarians aged 100 years and older were admitted from January 2010 to January 2021 in our hospital. All centenarians completed a follow up visit till April 2021 of all-cause mortality and serum lipid profiles, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between lipid profiles and all-cause mortality.

Results

(1) These 121 centenarians on average were 100.85 ± 1.37 years old (100~107 years), including 114 males and 7 females. (2) The rate of treatment with lipid-lowering drugs was 69.4%, and the lipid-lowering drugs were mainly statins (63.6%). (3) The results of serum lipid profiles were as follows: TC 3.90 ± 0.69 mmol/L, TG 1.36 ± 0.55 mmol/L, HDL-C 1.14 ± 0.24 mmol/L, and LDL-C 2.05 ± 0.46 mmol/L. (4) The median follow-up time was 589 days (95% CI: 475, 703), and the all-cause mortality rate was 66.1%. (5) Multivariable analysis showed that higher TC level (HR = 1.968, 95% CI = 1.191–3.253, P = 0.008), lower LDL-C level (HR = 0.379, 95% CI = 0.212–0.677, P = 0.001) was independent factors contributed to all-cause mortality. Sensitivity analysis showed that the above results were stable. The therapy and complication morbidity did not present significant publication bias.

Conclusions

The serum lipid profiles of Chinese inpatient centenarians were lower than those of the previous studies. Low LDL-C level was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, which may indicate that more intensive lowering of LDL-C had a potential adverse effect on all-cause mortality for centenarians.
Cost-Effectiveness of Elbasvir/Grazoprevir for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Systematic Review
Authors: Liu Jinyu , Guo Min , Ke Lei , You Ruxu
Published: May 2022

Objective

This study aims to systematically review recent economic evaluations of elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), to critically appraise the reporting quality and to summarize the results.

Methods

A literature search was undertaken using Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, EconLit, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and Chongqing VIP to identify original articles containing economic evaluations of EBR/GZR for CHC published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards statement was used to assess the quality of reporting of the articles.

Results

Of 93 articles identified, 13 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. These studies were conducted in 4 countries, and 8 active interventions were assessed. The target population was patients infected with CHC genotype 1 infection in all studies. Eight out of 13 studies that compared EBR/GZR vs. other direct antiviral agents suggested that EBR/GZR was generally more cost-effective or dominant than daclatasvir/asunaprevir (DCV/ASV), sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL), ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir + dasabuvir (3D) but not more cost-effective than glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB). Two studies from China and one study from the USA that compared EBR/GZR vs. pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) consistently indicated that EBR/GZR was generally more cost-effective than PegIFN/RBV. One study from Italy compared EBR/GZR with SOF + PegIFN/RBV and suggested that EBR/GZR had a lower cost and higher effectiveness. One study from France and one study from the USA confirmed that compared with non-therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease, EBR/GZR was cost-effective at commonly accepted current standards. All included studies were of good quality of reporting, with an average score of 21.9 (range 19–23).

Conclusion

EBR/GZR for CHC genotype 1 might be cost-effective or dominant compared with PegIFN/RBV and other direct antiviral agents (SOF/VEL, 3D, DCV/ASV, LDF/SOF) or non-therapy. However, under certain assumptions, EBR/GZR was not a cost-effective alternative for CHC patients vs. GLE/PIB.
Prenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Diseases Using Echocardiography: 12-Year Results of an Improving Program With 9782 Cases
Authors: Ou Yanqiu , Bloom Michael S. , Mai Jinzhuang , Francois Melissa , Pan Wei , Xiao Xiaohua , Wang Ximeng , Nie Zhiqiang , Qu Yanji , Gao Xiangmin , Wu Yong , Liu Xiaoqing , Zhuang Jian , Chen Jimei
Published: May 2022

Background

A provincial program combining the effect of a government investment in prenatal screening and a specialized cardiac center was introduced in 2004, to improve prenatal diagnosis by echocardiography for congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in the Guangdong Registry of Congenital Heart Disease, China.

Objectives

To evaluate the effects of this program on the prenatal diagnosis rate (PDR) by echocardiography and termination of pregnancy (TOP).

Methods

A retrospective study from 2004-2015 included 9782 fetuses and infants diagnosed with CHDs. The PDR was calculated for major and minor CHDs during pre-, mid- and post-program time-intervals. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to analyze the associations between program implementation and the timing of CHD diagnosis (prenatal vs. postnatal) by different hospital levels. The rate for TOP were also evaluated.

Results

The PDR increased by 44% for major CHDs in the post-program interval relative to the pre-program interval. The three most frequently diagnosed subtypes prenatally were hypoplastic left heart syndrome (84%), double outlet right ventricle (83%) and severe pulmonary stenosis (82%). Participants with a high school education experienced a greater increase in PDR than those without a high school education. The odds for a prenatal vs. a postnatal diagnosis for major CHD were greater after introduction of the program than before (adjusted odd ratio= 20.95, 95% CI:2.47, 178.06 in secondary hospitals; and adjusted odd ratio=11.65, 95% CI:6.52, 20.81 in tertiary hospitals). The TOP rate decreased from 52.3% pre-program to 19.6% post-program among minor CHD fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis (P for trend =0.041). A lower proportion of TOP were attributed to minor CHDs after the program.

Conclusions

The program combining the advantages of government investment and a specialized cardiac center appeared to increase the PDR by echocardiography for CHDs in an unselected population. The TOP rate among minor cases with prenatal diagnosis declined significantly after implementation of the program.
Transportation Patterns of Adults With Travel-Limiting Disabilities in Rural and Urban America
Authors: Myers Andrew , Ipsen Catherine , Standley Krys
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Lack of transportation is a significant barrier to community participation for many disabled adults. Living in a rural area introduces additional transportation barriers, such as having to travel long distances to access services or socialize, and limited public transit options. While the importance of transportation access is clear, the mix of different transportation options used by people with disabilities to participate in their communities is less understood, particularly among those who do not or cannot drive.

Methods

We used data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey to explore transportation behaviors among disabled adults in rural and urban areas and by four regions across the United States. We explored differences by transportation modalities (e.g., driver, passenger, public transportation, taxi/uber, walk) and trip purposes (e.g., social, independent living, healthcare, work). Our sample included 22,716 adults with travel-limiting disabilities.

Results

Several geographic differences emerged among non-drivers. Rural non-drivers were less likely to take any trip, particularly for social activities, and reported using less public transportation or walking/rolling than urban non-drivers. Further, respondents from the Northeast were more likely to report using public transportation and walking/rolling options, relative to the Midwest, South, and West. Overall, disabled rural adults reported lower odds of giving up driving, even after controlling for socio-demographic and health characteristics.

Discussion

These findings highlight the relative importance of different transportation modalities for participating in activities and the continued reliance upon personal vehicles, either as a driver or passenger, especially among rural disabled residents. Potential policy insights are discussed.
Factor Structure of an ICF-Based Measure of Activity and Participations for Adults in Taiwan's Disability Eligibility Determination System
Authors: Liao Hua-Fang , Yen Chia-Feng , Chiu Tzu-Ying , Chi Wen-Chou , Liou Tsan-Hon , Chang Ben-Sheng , Wu Ting-Fang , Lu Shu-Jen
Published: May 2022

To assess activity and participation for adults in Taiwan's Disability Eligibility Determination System (DEDS), we developed a measure, the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale—Adult version (FUNDES-Adult), based on the 36-item interviewer-administered version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structures of performance and capability dimensions of the FUNDES-Adult. This study followed a methodology research design to investigate the construct validity of the two dimensions of the FUNDES-Adult. Two samples were randomly stratified from the databank of adults with disabilities to examine structural validity by the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 8,730, mean age of 52.9 ± 16.81) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 500, mean age of 54.3 ± 16.81). The results demonstrated that the EFA yielded 5-factor structures for both performance dimension (73.5% variance explained) and capability dimension (75.9% variance explained). The CFA indicated that the second-order factor structures of both dimensions were more parsimonious with adequate fit indices (GFI, NFI, CFI, and TLI ≥ 0.95, RMSEA < 0.09). The results of this study provide evidence that the FUNDES-Adult has acceptable structural validity for use in Taiwan's DEDS. Utility of the FUNDES-Adult in rehabilitation, employment, welfare, and long-term care services needs further study.
How Much Carbon Dioxide Goes From the Air Into the Oceans?
Authors: Esters Leonie , Ward Brian
Published: May 2022

Climate change is occurring today because of a buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. This buildup of CO2 is mostly from burning fossil fuels for our energy needs. The oceans take up and store a lot of CO2 from the atmosphere. To know how much CO2 the oceans take up, we must understand the processes involved. These processes include the mixing of ocean water. Turbulent mixing is a fast and effective way to mix up ocean water, and it happens when for example wind blows over the ocean and creates waves. However, it is difficult to measure turbulent mixing close to the ocean surface. In this article, we describe how we overcame this problem and how we used our measurements to learn about the exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the oceans.