bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An integrative review to identify evidence of nurse practitioner‐led changes to health‐care delivery and the outcomes of such changes
Authors: Ryder Mary , Jacob Elisabeth , Hendricks Joyce
Published: December 2020

Aims

This study aimed to identify evidence of nurse practitioner‐led changes to health‐care delivery and the outcomes of such changes.

Background

Changing health‐care delivery is synonymous with the nurse practitioner role. The literature is critical of the lack of research by nurse practitioners, reporting the effects of a change to health‐care delivery.

Design

This study used a systematic integrative review by using Torraco's approach.

Data sources

Databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, Web of Science and SCOPUS were searched for peer‐reviewed publications from 2000 to 2019.

Review Methods

A systematic approach was used to screen and analyse the literature. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, and quality appraisal was undertaken by two reviewers.

Results

Eighteen articles were selected. The research projects were across the community and acute care settings. Research methodologies varied including preintervention and postintervention studies, evaluation of quality improvement projects, randomized controlled trial and descriptive studies. Multiple data collection tools were used. Two major themes were identified including evidence‐based practice champions and improved patient outcomes.

Conclusion

The nurse practitioner role is pertinent toward improving evidence‐based practice in clinical settings. Positive patient outcomes and praise for clinical leadership are evident in the literature. Research by nurse practitioners to date has focused on individual services.
Infants born full term and preterm increase the height of anti‐gravity leg movements during a kick‐activated mobile task using a scaffolded task environment
Authors: Kim Jeong Ah , Fetters Linda , Kubo Masayoshi , Eckel Sandrah P. , Sargent Barbara
Published: December 2020

Prior research supports that infants born very preterm (PT), compared with full term (FT), have early differences in rate of learning and motor control that may hinder their ability to learn challenging motor tasks. Four‐month‐old infants born FT (n = 18) and PT (n = 18) participated in an infant kick‐activated mobile task that was scaffolded to motivate progressively higher kicks. We found the FT group learned the association between their leg movements and mobile activation on the second day, but the PT group learned the association on the third day. Both groups of infants increased the height of their kicks on the day they learned the task, compared with their spontaneous kicking height. These findings suggest that infants born PT have the ability to learn challenging motor tasks, such as kicking high, when participating in a task environment that uses scaffolding.
The First Modern Financial Crises: The South Sea and Mississippi Bubbles in Historical Perspective
Authors: Bruner Robert F. , Miller Scott C.
Published: December 2020

The twin South Sea and Mississippi bubbles of 1720 inaugurated the new age of modern finance. Both of the then recently launched British and French stock markets experienced manic run‐ups and crashes that shook their societies to their cores. While the historical consensus attributes these market bubbles to, in the words of John Kenneth Galbraith, “insanity born of optimism and self‐serving illusion,” the authors present a more nuanced view. Whatever their role in the bubbles, human folly and greed in this account are not allowed to obscure the powerful influences of institutions, interests, ideologies, and government policies both in giving rise to the crises, and in responding to them.

The authors draw on past work and recent analysis to answer questions like the following: Were the market manias of 1719‐20 in fact irrational “bubbles?” If not just fear and greed, what triggered the crashes in 1720? Did political and financial leaders respond appropriately? And how did the resolutions of these crises affect the future financial and economic development of the two nations?

In viewing the twin crises of 1720 from a broad historical perspective, the authors' aim is to discover and articulate a more general rule about the role of modern financial crises in “bending the arc” of history. Although powerful states and financial authorities have the potential to accelerate valuable innovations that end up increasing national productivity and wealth, such entanglements of politics and commerce are also liable to catastrophic outcomes, both in laying the grounds for crises and then in responding to them with misguided regulation.

The effectiveness and long‐run consequences of such state interventions in commerce are shown to depend on the strength and soundness of a nation's political and social institutions. In unstable and inefficient regimes, which are likely to experience misguided interventions in the first place, the social ramifications can be profoundly destructive. The flawed but effective British reaction to its 1720 crisis—and to the series of banking crises that followed in the 19th century—worked to mollify and win over public opinion, and thus contribute to Britain's continued embrace of financial institutions. By contrast, the outrage of the French populace at the corruption led to the abandonment of modern financial institutions and practices for nearly a century, and to a vilification of banks and bankers that persists to this day, all with major consequences for French productivity and wealth.
Convergence and Reversion: China's Banking System at 70
Authors: Walter Carl
Published: December 2020

During its 70‐year existence, China's modern banking system has typically been ill used by its government. Nevertheless, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese government made effective use of ten years and a lot of capital to restructure its banks. And on the eve of the global financial crisis in 2008, China's principal banks had cleaned up their bad loans and received or raised large amounts of equity, in part by listing their shares internationally. In so doing, such banks may well have positioned themselves to face the crisis with the strongest balance sheets in the world.

But since then, in the wake of the global financial crisis, China's banks have used securitization models—originating for the most part in the U.S.—to create products similar to the mortgage‐backed securities that nearly brought down the global banking system. The collapse of such securities in 2008 compelled China to undertake a massive stimulus program driven by bank lending. This stimulus has lasted nearly a decade, with a second recent and massive injection prompted by the COVID‐19 pandemic. The net effect of such stimulus is that China's total bank assets are now over 3.5 times national GDP—as compared to 1.0 in the U.S.—and more than twice the total level of U.S. banking assets in an economy just two‐thirds the size.

But even with such an increase, reported non‐performing assets have remained at remarkably low levels—though the report itself has been received with near universal skepticism. Fueling this skepticism, the scale and balance sheet quality of these banks do not compute when one takes a closer look at the banks' main borrowers: largely local government entities with limited revenue bases. In China, local governments do not enjoy taxing authority and their budgets consistently exceed their revenue, with the funding gaps filled by ever more bank loans. As a consequence, most local governments are effectively bankrupt.

How, then, given the financial condition of their borrowers, do Chinese banks continue to report superlative earnings and clean balance sheets? The author discusses in detail the two main methods banks have used to meet their accounting requirements while obscuring asset quality: (1) converting bank loans into bonds issued by the same borrowers; and (2) the creation of massive amounts of wealth management products (or WMPs), which are retail deposits backed not just by Treasuries and other liquid securities (as in the U.S.), but in significant part by illiquid assets that create troublingly large maturity mismatches. After pointing out the similarity of such WMPs to the mortgage‐backed securities used by American banks a decade ago, the author emphasizes the irony that, having used American banks as models for restructuring, China's government has forced its banks to continue to follow in their path to what at some point is highly likely to be a painful reckoning.
Apocalypse Averted: The COVID‐Caused Liquidity Trap, Dodd‐Frank, and the Fed
Authors: Pirrong Craig
Published: December 2020

In an article published in this journal in 2012, the author challenged the conventional wisdom that a major feature of Dodd‐Frank—the mandated clearing and required margining of OTC derivatives—could be expected to achieve a material reduction of the risk of another financial crisis. In this article, the author views the dramatic financial fallout from the spread of COVID‐19 in March 2020, when the economic infrastructure of the U.S. was threatened by extreme disruptions in its stock and bond markets, as providing the first major test of this theory.

The author's main conclusion from this episode is that the very mechanism that advocates of Dodd‐Frank claimed would reduce systemic risk—the clearing of and imposition of margin requirements on derivatives—played a major role in this acute market dislocation by amplifying stresses on and dramatically reducing market liquidity.

One major implication of this analysis is that protecting important pieces of the system, such as clearinghouses, is not the same as protecting the entire system; indeed, these two goals are likely to prove to be antithetical under conditions of stress. It was only massive injections of liquidity by the Federal Reserve, and not the autonomous operation of the market infrastructure mandated by Dodd‐Frank, that succeeded in stemming the crisis. And as this case is meant to suggest, despite clearing mandates and other major regulatory changes designed to minimize systemic risk, the net effect has been to substitute possibly greater liquidity risks for credit risk. As a consequence, the soundness of the U.S. financial system continues to depend on the prompt and effective intervention of the Fed as lender of last resort, with all the attendant moral hazard problems.
The Poverty of Monetarism
Authors: Bolton Patrick
Published: December 2020

In this edited transcript of a lecture presented in Beijing in December 2019, the author provides a critique of the theory of monetarism that focuses on the difficulty of reconciling its main tenets with growing evidence, especially since the great financial crisis, of the murky relationship between growth in the money supply and rates of inflation and GDP growth. The central critique of monetarism spelled out in the lecture, which draws on Hyman Minsky's response to Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz's seminal article (both published in the same volume in 1965), is the theory's failure to account for how money enters and spreads throughout the economy.

Drawing a novel analogy between fiat money for nations and equity for corporations, the author brings fundamental concepts from corporate finance, such as the dilution costs associated with equity issuance, to bear on monetary economics. In so doing, he shows how the classical monetarist framework can be expanded to provide a fuller account of how changes in money supply affect the economy. By keeping track of how money enters the economy—through purchases of investment goods and financial assets—and by assessing whether money is used to fund productive activities, the author shows how and why increases in the money supply need not, and often do not, lead to higher inflation. This corporate finance framing of monetary economics is also used to shed a skeptical light on claims associated with both crypto‐currencies and Modern Monetary Theory.
COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL ROUNDTABLE ON: The Fed's Response to the Global Financial Crisis—and Now the Pandemic
Authors: Mishkin Frederic , Mosser Patricia , Davidson Kate , Yared Pierre
Published: December 2020

A former Federal Reserve Governor (from 2006‐2008) and a former Treasury official discuss the Fed's and U.S. government's response both to the global financial crisis a decade ago and to the recent outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Both speakers view the Fed's swift and decisive response to the pandemic in March 2020 as a reflection of lessons learned from the financial crisis, which provided a “dress rehearsal.” After the pandemic was officially declared on March 11, 2020, the Fed accomplished in one week what had taken a year during the 2006‐2008 crisis. At the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on March 15, the federal funds rate was cut to zero and a huge set of credit programs announced. Congress also passed the $2 trillion CARES bill very quickly. Had the Fed and Congress not taken such measures, the U.S. may well have experienced an escalation of bankruptcies and a collapse of the financial system. At the same time, the panelists noted that Fed lending to banks has been much lower because bank balance sheets and the rest of the financial system were much stronger in March than they were at the beginning of the financial crisis.
The Benefits of Buying Distressed Assets
Authors: Meier Jean‐Marie , Servaes Henri
Published: December 2020

Studies of mergers and acquisitions have struggled to identify characteristics of M&A transactions that are consistently associated with positive returns for buyers. The authors report the findings of their study of buyers' gain in fire sales by examining the stock price reaction to corporate announcements of acquisitions of distressed companies or their assets. During the period from 1982 to 2012, buyer returns were approximately two percentage points higher in fire sales than in regular M&A transactions.

The explanation of this result is shown to be the reduction in the sellers' bargaining power. Consistent with that explanation, the authors found no difference in either the operating profitability of the buyers after acquisitions, or in the combined announcement returns of buyers and sellers between fire sales and regular acquisitions, suggesting that the quality of the match is similar in both types of transactions.

For corporate practitioners, one implication of these findings is that corporate acquirers—and not just the private equity firms that focus on distressed companies—should consider the purchase of distressed assets as a value‐adding way of deploying capital. From a public policy perspective, the spillover costs associated with fire sales for the distressed seller's suppliers and customers are roughly comparable to those in regular M&A deals. Moreover, fire sales do not depress the asset values of other companies in the seller's industry. In sum, the welfare losses associated with fire sales are smaller than previously thought, which in turn casts doubt on the $1.8 trillion of federal bailout funds appropriated in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic as the best use of taxpayer money.
The role of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in cardiac remodelling induced by cigarette smoke exposure
Authors: Azevedo Paula Schmidt , Polegato Bertha F. , Paiva Sergio , Costa Nara , Santos Priscila , Bazan Silmeia , Fernandes Ana Angelica Henrique , Fabro Alexandre , Pires Vanessa , Tanni Suzana E. , Leal Pereira Filipe , Lo Angelo , Grassi Leticia , Campos Dijon , Androcioli Vickeline , Zornoff Leonardo , Minicucci Marcos
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the alterations in glucose metabolism and insulin resistance are mechanisms presented in cardiac remodelling induced by the toxicity of cigarette smoke. Male Wistar rats were assigned to the control group (C; n = 12) and the cigarette smoke‐exposed group (exposed to cigarette smoke over 2 months) (CS; n = 12). Transthoracic echocardiography, blood pressure assessment, serum biochemical analyses for catecholamines and cotinine, energy metabolism enzymes activities assay; HOMA index (homeostatic model assessment); immunohistochemistry; and Western blot for proteins involved in energy metabolism were performed. The CS group presented concentric hypertrophy, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and higher oxidative stress. It was observed changes in energy metabolism, characterized by a higher HOMA index, lower concentration of GLUT4 (glucose transporter 4) and lower 3‐hydroxyl‐CoA dehydrogenase activity, suggesting the presence of insulin resistance. Yet, the cardiac glycogen was depleted, phosphofructokinase (PFK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) increased, with normal pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. The activity of citrate synthase, mitochondrial complexes and ATP synthase (adenosine triphosphate synthase) decreased and the expression of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) increased. In conclusion, exposure to cigarette smoke induces cardiac remodelling and dysfunction. The mitochondrial dysfunction and heart damage induced by cigarette smoke exposure are associated with insulin resistance and glucose metabolism changes.
Ubiquitously specific protease 4 inhibitor‐Vialinin A attenuates inflammation and fibrosis in S100‐induced hepatitis mice through Rheb/mTOR signalling
Authors: Xu Jie , Chen Dazhi , Jin Lanling , Chen Zhengkang , Tu Yulu , Huang Xiaozhe , Xue Feiben , Xu Jialu , Chen Mingzhuan , Wang Xiaodong , Chen Yongping
Published: December 2020

Inflammation and fibrosis are major consequences of autoimmune hepatitis, however, the therapeutic mechanism remains to be investigated. USP4 is a deubiquitinating enzyme and plays an important role in tissue fibrosis and immune disease. Vialinin A is an extract from mushroom and is a specific USP4 inhibitor. However, there is lack of evidences that Vialinin A plays a role in autoimmune hepatitis. By employing S100‐induced autoimmune hepatitis in mice and AML12 cell line, therapeutic mechanism of Vialinin A was examined. Inflammation was documented by liver histological staining and inflammatory cytokines. Fibrosis was demonstrated by Masson, Sirius red staining and fibrotic cytokines with western blot and real‐time RT‐PCR. In experimental animal, there were increases in inflammation and fibrosis as well as USP4, and which were reduced after treatment of Vialinin A. Vialinin A also reduced Rheb and phosphorylated mTOR. Moreover, in LPS‐treated AML12 cells, LPS‐induced USP4, inflammatory and fibrotic cytokines, phosphorylated mTOR and Rheb. Specific inhibitory siRNA of USP4 reduced USP4 level and the parameters mentioned above. In conclusion, USP4 was significantly elevated in autoimmune hepatitis mice and Vialinin A reduced USP4 level and attenuate inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. The mechanism may be related to regulation of Rheb/mTOR signalling.
Long noncoding RNA TMPO‐AS1/miR‐126‐5p/BRCC3 axis accelerates gastric cancer progression and angiogenesis via activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway
Authors: Hu Yu , Zhang Ying , Ding Meng , Xu Ruisi
Published: December 2020

Background and Aim

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive tumor featured by uncontrolled cell proliferation and metastasis. In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as crucial regulators and biological markers in multiple cancers. LncRNA TMPO‐AS1 has been revealed to be an oncogene in some cancers. Nevertheless, there is little known about the biological role of TMPO‐AS1 in GC.

Methods

Reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to examine the expression level of TMPO‐AS1 in GC tissues and cells. Cell Counting Kit‐8, colony formation, wound healing assays, and western blot analysis were performed to determine the role of TMPO‐AS1 in GC cells. RNA pull‐down, luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to test the interaction among TMPO‐AS1, miR‐126‐5p, and BRCC3.

Results

TMPO‐AS1 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cells. Upregulated TMPO‐AS1 was closely associated with adverse prognosis of GC patients. Functional assays showed that TMPO‐AS1 promoted GC cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. Furthermore, it was found that TMPO‐AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA for miR‐126‐5p to upregulate BRCC3 expression. Rescue assays revealed that TMPO‐AS1 facilitated cellular progression of GC by sponging miR‐126‐5p and upregulating BRCC3. In addition, we found that the effects of the TMPO‐AS1/miR‐126‐5p/BRCC3 axis on GC cell progression were related to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that the TMPO‐AS1/miR‐126‐5p/BRCC3 axis was involved in GC progression via the regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which might provide a potential therapeutic strategy for GC.
Promoting cardiovascular nursing practice and research: A model for a university joint appointment
Authors: B. Lauck Sandra , E. Thorne Sally , M. Saewyc Elizabeth , Heppell Leanne , Black Agnes T , A. Virani Sean
Published: December 2020

Background

University joint appointments promote continuity of academic leadership and the acceleration of nurses’ impact on improved outcomes and health service delivery. The role of university‐appointed and hospital‐located nurse scientists is of growing interest in the academic and clinical settings, and within the nursing profession. There is a pressing need to describe and study models of appointments, responsibilities and contributions to strengthen the integration of this boundary‐crossing role across the continuum of the nursing profession.

Aims and Objectives

We report on the implementation of the inaugural St. Paul's Hospital and Heart & Stroke Professorship in Cardiovascular Nursing at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Canada.

Discussion

This model was based on recommendations provided by nursing to provincial government policy‐makers, co‐created and co‐funded by academic and practice partners. Appointed by the university, the role is primarily located in the hospital, with the target of contributing 75% of time and focus on clinical research and leadership. The position is facilitated by its academic affiliation and the provision of university research and teaching infrastructure. In clinical practice, the role benefits from integration and visibility in the cardiac programme and leadership team, collaboration with advanced practice and multidisciplinary research groups, and access to office and human resources located on the clinical unit. Deliverables centre on achieving adjusted indicators of university performance to support academic promotion, and delivery of a practice‐close research programme that prioritises improved patient outcomes, multidisciplinary practice and improved outcomes.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

The dual appointment aims to provide tangible benefits to both the university and the hospital that match each organisation's needs; this requires sustained senior leadership engagement and support, and modification of conventional indicators of impact and success. Its ongoing evaluation will elucidate required modifications and future strategies required to strengthen nurses’ academic and clinical leadership.
Amniotic fluid Gram stain and interleukin‐6 can predict early‐onset neonatal sepsis
Authors: Oshima Yuko , Tanaka Satoko , Tsumura Keisuke , Tsuda Satoko , So Kunio , Shinagawa Takaaki , Yamasaki Fumio , Kawaguchi Atsushi , Nomiyama Makoto , Yokoyama Masatoshi
Published: December 2020

Aim

To clarify whether amniotic fluid findings (Gram stain and interleukin [IL]‐6 level) can predict early‐onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) before delivery.

Methods

We compared the sensitivity and specificity and the values of the area under the receiver‐operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of maternal inflammatory responses and amniotic fluid findings using IL‐6 and Gram stain to predict EONS. Patients who underwent amniocentesis for suspected intra‐amniotic infection (IAI) after 22 weeks and 0 days of gestation and delivered on the same day at our hospital between January 2013 and December 2018 were included.

Results

Out of 200 patients, EONS developed in 9 patients. The AUROC curves of maternal white blood cells count, C‐reactive protein and body temperature were low (range, 0.6–0.7), whereas that of amniotic fluid IL‐6 was high (0.90). Sensitivity and specificity for amniotic fluid findings were, respectively, 100% and 67% for IL‐6 (cut‐off value: 17.4 ng/mL) and 100% and 88% for the Gram stain; these values were superior to those of maternal inflammatory responses. When examining the accuracy of the amniotic fluid Gram stain separately before and after 34 gestation weeks, similar results were obtained. Amniotic fluid IL‐6 before 34 gestation weeks showed specificity similar to that of the Gram stain; however, there were large differences in cut‐off values based on gestational age.

Conclusion

Gram stain results of amniotic fluid can predict EONS with high sensitivity and specificity when IAI is suspected. False‐negative amniotic fluid Gram stain results can be prevented by measuring amniotic fluid IL‐6 simultaneously.
Cuing Effects by Biologically and Behaviorally Relevant Symbolic Cues
Authors: Yokoyama Takemasa , Kato Ryousuke , Inoue Kazuya , Takeda Yuji
Published: December 2020

This study investigates whether symbolic cues that are relevant biologically (e.g., eye gaze) and behaviorally (e.g., arrows) have analogous characteristics and function similarly in terms of attentional resource consumption. Both cues induce attentional orienting when they do not indicate a target location, but it remains unclear whether cuing effects by those cues have similar characteristics. We recently found that cuing effects by non‐predictive gaze cues remain intact when a spatial working memory task is concurrently performed. Here, we examined whether non‐predictive arrow cues induce cuing effects when spatial working memory is occupied. To this end, we conducted a dual‐task paradigm consisting of cuing (gaze and arrow) and spatial working memory tasks. In the cuing task, participants judged whether a peripherally presented target was positioned at left or right while ignoring the centrally presented cues. In the spatial working memory task, participants performed a change‐detection task. In the dual‐task condition, participants performed the two tasks on the same trial. In Experiment 1, we observed cuing effects by both gaze and arrows, even when the spatial working memory task was concurrently performed, although reaction times were overall faster in the gaze than arrow conditions. In Experiment 2, we rejected the possibility that automatic visual orienting found in Experiment 1 had been induced by simple motion perception of gaze and arrow cues. The present study suggests that biologically and behaviorally relevant symbolic cues have analogous traits with respect to resource processing.
A global analysis of ecological and evolutionary drivers of the use of wild mammals in traditional medicine
Authors: Alves Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega , Borges Anna Karolina Martins , Barboza Raynner Rilke Duarte , Souto Wedson Medeiros Silva , Gonçalves‐Souza Thiago , Provete Diogo B. , Albuquerque Ulysses Paulino
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Ingredients derived from wild mammals are widely used in traditional remedies. Large datasets of traits, geographic ranges, and phylogeny are also available for mammals. Therefore, mammals are an ideal group in which to explore the ecological (e.g. range size, body mass) and evolutionary (i.e. shared ancestry) correlates of the use of animal‐derived products in traditional medicine.

In a global analysis of correlates of the use of wild mammals in traditional medicine, we tested how life‐history traits relate to the use of mammal products to treat disease. We compiled data from the primary literature about folk remedies based on mammals via a literature search using ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Then, we used modern phylogenetic comparative methods to estimate phylogenetic signals in the diseases that mammal body parts are used to treat and to test whether geographic range size and body mass are related to medicinal use. We tested whether mammalian species that are used more in medicine are also those that are more threatened by extinction.

Our results show that 521 mammalian species are used to source products to treat 371 ailments. We found support for the hypothesis that phylogenetic relatedness correlates with the use of mammal‐derived remedies in traditional medicines. Specifically, we confirm our hypotheses that closely related species are more similar in terms of their perceived medical versatility than distantly related species and are used to treat similar diseases. Furthermore, we demonstrated that large marsupials are more versatile and are used to treat more diseases than smaller marsupials.

In our database, 155 mammalian species are considered threatened (Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered), and a further 46 are Near Threatened, suggesting that overexploitation for medicinal use could be an overlooked source of threat that should be considered in mammal species conservation assessments. We demonstrate that phylogenetic relatedness correlates with the use of mammalian species as remedies in traditional medicine, and urge future researchers to evaluate the negative effects of overexploitation of mammals for medical purposes. Such overexploitation could cause non‐random extinction patterns in the mammalian tree of life.
Scoping reviews in medical education: A scoping review
Authors: Maggio Lauren A. , Larsen Kelsey , Thomas Aliki , Costello Joseph A. , Artino Anthony R.
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Over the last two decades, the number of scoping reviews in core medical education journals has increased by 4200%. Despite this growth, research on scoping reviews provides limited information about their nature, including how they are conducted or why medical educators undertake this knowledge synthesis type. This gap makes it difficult to know where the field stands and may hamper attempts to improve the conduct, reporting and utility of scoping reviews. Thus, this review characterises the nature of medical education scoping reviews to identify areas for improvement and highlight future research opportunities.

Method

The authors searched PubMed for scoping reviews published between 1/1999 and 4/2020 in 14 medical education journals. The authors extracted and summarised key bibliometric data, the rationales given for conducting a scoping review, the research questions and key reporting elements as described in the PRISMA‐ScR. Rationales and research questions were mapped to Arksey and O'Malley's reasons for conducting a scoping review.

Results

One hundred and one scoping reviews were included. On average, 10.1 scoping reviews (SD = 13.1, median = 4) were published annually with the most reviews published in 2019 (n = 42). Authors described multiple reasons for undertaking scoping reviews; the most prevalent being to summarise and disseminate research findings (n = 77). In 11 reviews, the rationales for the scoping review and the research questions aligned. No review addressed all elements of the PRISMA‐ScR, with few authors publishing a protocol (n = 2) or including stakeholders (n = 20). Authors identified shortcomings of scoping reviews, including lack of critical appraisal.

Conclusions

Scoping reviews are increasingly conducted in medical education and published by most core journals. Scoping reviews aim to map the depth and breadth of emerging topics; as such, they have the potential to play a critical role in the practice, policy and research of medical education. However, these results suggest improvements are needed for this role to be fully realised.
Researching the Medieval Past between Catalonia and Romania. Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Nicolae Iorga, and the Transnational Writing of National History (1921‐1935)
Authors: Mallart Lucila
Published: December 2020

This paper analyses knowledge transfers between Catalonia and Romania in the interwar period, in order to cast new light on the nature of national history writing in early‐twentieth‐century Europe. To do so, it discusses the historiographical works of the Catalans Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867–1956) and, to a lesser extent, Antoni Rubió i Lluch (1856–1937) and of the Romanians Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940) and Constantin Marinescu (1891–1970). It pays particular attention to Iorga's and Marinescu's contributions on the history of medieval Catalonia in the Eastern Mediterranean and to Puig's studies on Moldavian painted churches. In doing so, the paper challenges the view that the historiography of foreign scholars regarding one's own national history was often disregarded as incompetent. At the same time, the paper also responds to the debate on the creation and validation of cultural knowledge across borderlands, outside of cultural cores. It builds on recent work on the creativity of cultural peripheries and argues that, while France continued to operate as a reference in the exchanges between Catalans and Romanians, their historiographical exchanges responded to local research and political agendas.
Facilitators and barriers in implementing clinical nursing assessment in mental health care for older people: A multimethod approach
Authors: Berthoud Laurent , Turcotte Mathieu , Dzemaili Shota , Ducraux Daniel , Zumstein‐Shaha Maya , Ortoleva Bucher Claudia
Published: December 2020

With the aging of the population and the growing prevalence of dementia, specialized and collaborative nursing care is paramount in this area. To ensure better quality care, it is necessary to use effective and context‐specific processes to implement evidence‐based practices and more specifically clinical nursing assessment. This study aimed to identify and describe factors that may influence the implementation of clinical nursing assessment in mental health care for older people. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was employed to guide evaluation in the pre‐implementation phase in the specific context of mental health care for older people. Using a multimethod approach, interviews, focus groups, and a quantitative survey were conducted with a non‐probability convenience sample. A total of 39 hospital nurses (registered nurses and head nurses) were interviewed. Analysis yielded five main factors, notably three barriers and two facilitators. Barriers include a lack of general nursing culture, deficiencies in leadership, and difficulties in communication and collaboration. Facilitators comprise team cohesion and the perceived benefits of the study.
Evaluation of the Pain Impact Index for Community‐Dwelling Older Adults Through the Application of Rasch Modelling
Authors: Gilmartin‐Thomas Julia F.‐M. , Forbes Andrew , Liew Danny , McNeil John J. , Cicuttini Flavia M. , Owen Alice J. , Ernst Michael E. , Nelson Mark R. , Lockery Jessica , Ward Stephanie A. , Busija Ljoudmila ,   ASPREE Investigator Group
Published: December 2020

Objective

Evaluate the Pain Impact Index, a simple, brief, easy‐to‐use, and novel tool to assess the impact of chronic pain in community‐dwelling older adults.

Methods

A Rasch modelling analysis was undertaken in Stata using a partial credit model suited to the Likert‐type items that comprised the Index. The Index was evaluated for ordering of category thresholds, unidimensionality, overall fit to the Rasch model, measurement bias (Differential Item Functioning, DIF), targeting, and construct validity.

Results

The four‐item Pain Impact Index was self‐completed by 6454 community‐dwelling Australians who were aged at least 70 years and experienced pain on most days. Two items showed evidence of threshold disordering, and this was resolved by collapsing response categories (from 5 to 3) for all items. The rescored Index conformed to the unidimensionality assumption and had satisfactory fit with the Rasch model (analyses conducted on a reduced sample size to mitigate the potential for overpowering: n = 377, P > 0.0125, power > 77%). When considering uniform DIF, the most frequent sources of measurement bias were age, knee pain, and upper back pain. When considering nonuniform DIF, the most frequent source of measurement bias was knee pain. The Index had good ability to differentiate between respondents with different levels of pain impact and had highest measurement precision for respondents located around the average level of pain impact in the study sample. Both convergent and discriminant validity of the Index were supported.

Conclusion

The Pain Impact Index showed evidence of unidimensionality, was able to successfully differentiate between levels of pain impact, and had good evidence of construct validity.
Dynamic thermal imaging confirms local but not fast systemic ABA responses
Authors: Hõrak Hanna , Fountain Luke , Dunn Jessica A. , Landymore Joanna , Gray Julie E.
Published: December 2020

Abscisic acid (ABA) signals regulating stomatal aperture and water loss are usually studied in detached leaves or isolated epidermal peels and at infrequent timepoints. Measuring stomatal ABA responses in attached leaves across a time course enables the study of stomatal behaviour in the physiological context of the plant. Infrared thermal imaging is often used to characterize steady‐state stomatal conductance via comparisons of leaf surface temperature but is rarely used to capture stomatal responses over time or across different leaf surfaces. We used dynamic thermal imaging as a robust, but sensitive, tool to observe stomatal ABA responses in a whole plant context. We detected stomatal responses to low levels of ABA in both monocots and dicots and identified differences between the responses of different leaves. Using whole plant thermal imaging, stomata did not always behave as described previously for detached samples: in Arabidopsis, we found no evidence for fast systemic ABA‐induced stomatal closure, and in barley, we observed no requirement for exogenous nitrate during ABA‐induced stomatal closure. Thus, we recommend dynamic thermal imaging as a useful approach to complement detached sample assays for the study of local and systemic stomatal responses and molecular mechanisms underlying stomatal responses to ABA in the whole plant context.
Third trimester maternal vitamin D and early childhood socioemotional development
Authors: Francis Ellen C. , Charron Elizabeth , Li Mengying , Chen Liwei , Mayo Rachel , Butler Linda S. , Rennert Lior
Published: December 2020

Background

Whether maternal vitamin D affects offspring socioemotional development in early childhood has been underexplored.

Objectives

This study examined associations between maternal vitamin D during in the 3rd trimester and offspring socioemotional development between 30 and 59 months.

Methods

Data from 87 maternal‐offspring pairs enrolled in the National Children's Study were used. Total plasma maternal vitamin D (25‐hydroxyergocalciferol + 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol) was measured between 28 and 35 gestational weeks and categorised as quartiles (Q). Multivariable regression models, adjusting for maternal race/ethnicity, education, and prepregnancy body mass index (BMI [kg/m2]), were used to estimate the association between vitamin D and offspring scores on the Brief Infant‐Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA).

Results

The mean (standard deviation) vitamin D concentration was 86.5 (27.8) nmol/L. The median (range) BITSEA problem score was 6.0 (0.0‐30.0), and competence score was 19.0 (7.0‐22.0). Maternal vitamin D was inversely related to offspring problem scores. Compared to offspring of women with 25(OH)D in Q1, offspring problem scores were −4.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] −8.29, −1.33) units lower for Q2 vs Q1, −5.64 (95% CI −9.60, −1.68) units lower for Q3 vs Q1, and −4.70 (95% CI −8.59, −0.82) units lower for Q4 vs Q1. Vitamin D was not associated with offspring competence score.

Conclusions

Higher maternal vitamin D was associated with lower offspring behaviour problems and not associated with socioemotional competence. These data indicate the association of maternal vitamin D and offspring development may be dependent on the specific developmental component being investigated.
How have older adults reacted to coronavirus disease 2019?
Authors: Cigiloglu Ahmet , Ozturk Zeynel Abidin , Efendioglu Eyyup Murat
Published: December 2020

Aim

Outbreaks have a wide spectrum of psychosocial impact on individuals. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial effects of measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease on older adults in Turkey.

Methods

A survey was conducted of 104 adults who had to stay at home during the pandemic. Participants’ depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, nutritional status, health‐related quality of life, and sleep quality were assessed.

Results

The frequency of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 37.5% and 29.8%, respectively. The frequency of depressive symptoms was higher in women, individuals age ≥85 years, and those with less education and low monthly income. Anxiety symptom frequency was also higher in women and those with less education and low monthly income. Quality of life and sleep were worse in those with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first published study to investigate the effect of a pandemic on the mood, anxiety symptoms, nutrition status, quality of life, and sleep of older adults during the pandemic period. Our findings indicate the importance of psychosocial support in older individuals during and after the pandemic period.
Association between CRT(D)/ICD and renal insufficiency: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Liu Ying , Sun Jin‐Yu , Zhu Yu‐Shan , Li Zi‐Meng , Li Ku‐Lin , Wang Ru‐Xing
Published: December 2020

Cardiac resynchronization therapy with or without a defibrillator (CRT(D)) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) may reduce the risk of arrhythmia or heart failure‐specific mortality and improves the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or dialysis. The aim of this study was to perform a meta‐analysis investigating the relationship between CRT(D)/ICD and renal insufficiency. Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, and Pubmed were systematically searched from inception to 29 October 2019. We included studies that report all‐cause mortality of patients with renal insufficiency who received CRT(D)/ICD therapy. Twenty‐six studies (n = 119,263) were included, exploring the relationship between CRT(D)/ICD and renal insufficiency from two aspects: (1) Compared with ICD‐only, CRT(D) was associated with lower risk of all‐cause mortality in CKD patients (odds ratios (OR) = 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60 to 0.75). For non‐primary prevention (secondary prevention or both), the analysis revealed a lower risk of all‐cause mortality in the ICD group than in the no‐ICD group (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.55). (2) CKD increased all‐cause mortality in comparison with control group (OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.85 to 2.44), and so did dialysis (OR = 2.53; 95% CI, 2.34 to 2.73). Furthermore, compared with CKD3 (eGFR: 30‐59 ml/min/1.73 m2), CKD4/5 (eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2) was observed to have a significantly higher risk of all‐cause mortality (OR = 2.70; 95% CI, 1.93 to 3.80). This review shows a clear association between CRT(D)/ICD and renal insufficiency in the aspect of all‐cause mortality, and may provide a reference for the clinical application of CRT(D)/ICD.
Human‐horse sensory engagement through horse archery
Authors: Fijn Natasha
Published: December 2020

The Mongol horse stems from ancient stock, similar to the first horses ridden on the Central Asian grassland steppe. Mongol horses subsequently migrated with their human counterparts throughout Eurasia, as far to the east as Japan. During archery festivals in Japan, horses gallop along a narrow runway within a temple complex in the heavily populated city of Kyoto. In Mongolia, with the recent re‐emergence of the ancient practice, horse and rider still gallop across the expansive grassland steppe. The euphoria one feels in riding fast on horseback with the wind against one's face can be symbolised by the concept of khii mor’ in Mongolia, which is connected with the vitality between human and horse in the practice of horse archery. Through sensory ethnography, in combination with multi‐species ethnography, this article explores embodiment between horse and rider in two quite different socio‐ecological contexts.
Screening of at‐risk blood donors for Chagas disease in non‐endemic countries: Lessons from a 2‐year experience in Tuscany, Italy
Authors: Mangano Valentina D. , Prato Marco , Marvelli Antonella , Moscato Giovanna , Bruschi Fabrizio
Published: December 2020

Background

Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and is transmitted by blood‐sucking triatomine insects in endemic areas of Latin America. Transmission can also occur via blood transfusion and is a major cause of CD in non‐endemic areas.

Objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anti‐T. cruzi antibodies in blood donors at risk of infection in Tuscany, Italy, following the introduction of blood safety Italian legislation.

Material and methods

Donors (N = 1985) were tested in 2016 to 2018 for anti‐T. cruzi IgG using an immunochromatographic test (ICT). Chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) was performed on ICT‐positive donors to exclude CD, whereas enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and western blot were performed in case of discordant results. All assays were performed on CD patients (N = 10) for validation.

Results

Ten blood donors had a positive ICT result, with a resulting T. cruzi seroprevalence of 0.5% but demonstrated negative results to CLIA, as well as to the other serological assays. The comparison of serological assays suggested a lower relative sensitivity of ICT.

Conclusion

The results of this study confirm the significance of serological testing in the screening strategy for CD. However, they provide evidence for discontinuing the use of ICT as a screening test and suggest that a sensitive, specific and multi‐sample format assay should be used at the national level for uniformity of results.
Clinical ophthalmological diagnostic description of 10 healthy sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and prevalence of ocular‐related presentations in a larger hospital population
Authors: Fraess Garrett A. , Sadar Miranda J. , Daniels Joshua B. , Sharkey Leslie C. , Henriksen Michala de Linde
Published: December 2020

Objective

To provide reference values for ocular examination and diagnostics in ophthalmologically normal sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps). To retrospectively determine the prevalence of ocular diseases in sugar gliders presenting to a single institution.

Animals

Ten client owned and 106 previously evaluated sugar gliders.

Procedure

A descriptive study evaluated sugar gliders presented to Colorado State University's Avian, Exotics, and Zoological Medicine Service (CSU‐AEZ) from August‐2019 to January‐2020. A complete ophthalmic examination including Schirmer tear test II (STT II), phenol red threat test (PRTT), intraocular pressure (IOP) via rebound tonometry, fluorescein, and rose bengal stain was performed under anesthesia. Conjunctival aerobic culture swabs and cytology were collected prior to ophthalmic evaluation. A retrospective review of medical records of sugar gliders presented to CSU‐AEZ from 2008 to 2018 for ocular disease was performed.

Results

Mean values ± standard deviation for selected diagnostics included the following: STT II: 2.2 ± 6.7 mm/min; PRTT: 0 ± 0 mm/15 s; IOP: 12 ± 2.6 mm Hg. Fluorescein and rose bengal staining highlighted corneal abrasions secondary to tear testing. The three most common conjunctival bacterial isolates cultured were Staphylococcus spp. (3/20, 15%), Coryneform spp. (3/20, 15%), and unidentified Gram‐positive cocci (3/20, 15%). Retrospective analysis revealed ocular diseases to be the third most common abnormality resulting in sugar glider presentations (13/106, 12.3%).

Conclusion

This descriptive study gives reference values for IOP, conjunctival microbiology, and cytology for sugar gliders. STT II and PRTT provide little clinical value in sugar gliders. The retrospective study revealed that ocular abnormalities, often secondary to dental disease, are a common reason for presentation.