bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colonic Adventitial Fibromuscular Dysplasia: A Nonspecific Arteriopathy Associated With Hirschsprung Disease and Other Obstructive Disorders
Authors: Thaker Ameet I , Kapur Raj P
Published: November 2017

Background

Smooth muscle differentiation (“adventitial fibromuscular dysplasia,” AFD) was purported as specific to arteries in the transition zone of Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) patients. We investigated AFD in an HSCR population and controls and consider the pathogenesis and significance of the vascular pathology.

Design

Vascular histology in sections from colonic HSCR resections (n = 55) was compared with age- and site-matched controls with (n = 19) and without (n = 28) non-HSCR obstructive conditions. Vascular pathology was mapped, and correlations were sought between the vascular findings and bowel distension, inflammation, neuromuscular anatomy, preoperative clinical variables, and postsurgical complications.

Results

One of 2 forms of AFD was identified in 42% (23/55) of the HSCR resections: the previously described “mature” form with adventitial bundles of differentiated smooth muscle cells (7/23, all submucosal) and a newly described “immature” AFD characterized by densely packed myofibroblasts in the arterial adventitia (16/23, 3 submucosal, 3 serosal, and 10 both). Adventitial inflammation and/or medial necrosis was present in the immature form (6/16). Mature submucosal AFD was present in 2/28 (7.1%) nonobstructive and 5/19 (26%) obstructive non-HSCR controls ( P = .10). Immature AFD was only found in less than 1-month-olds, and mature AFD only in older patients, including the 7 affected controls. AFD did not correlate with sex, syndromic status, length of the aganglionic segment, or postoperative complications. AFD was present in grossly dilated (17/23) and narrowed (10/23) regions and in the aganglionic (2/23), ganglionic (14/23), or both (7/23) segments. In several cases, AFD existed proximal to the histological transition zone.

Conclusion

AFD occurs in HSCR and other obstructive conditions but is significantly less common in the colons of patients with no history of dysmotility. The pathology likely progresses from a reversible accumulation of myofibroblasts in neonates to a stable population of mature smooth muscle cells. The distribution of vascular lesions does not correlate with neuropathological findings and suggests a nonspecific form of vascular injury, possibly related to bowel distension. AFD in HSCR resections has not been shown to be clinically significant and should not influence management.
A List of Candidate Cancer Biomarkers for Targeted Proteomics
Authors: Polanski Malu , Anderson N. Leigh
Published: November 2017

We have compiled from literature and other sources a list of 1261 proteins believed to be differentially expressed in human cancer. These proteins, only some of which have been detected in plasma to date, represent a population of candidate plasma biomarkers that could be useful in early cancer detection and monitoring given sufficiently sensitive specific assays. We have begun to prioritize these markers for future validation by frequency of literature citations, both total and as a function of time. The candidates include proteins involved in oncogenesis, angiogenesis, development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, hematopoiesis, immune and hormonal responses, cell signaling, nucleotide function, hydrolysis, cellular homing, cell cycle and structure, the acute phase response and hormonal control. Many have been detected in studies of tissue or nuclear components; nevertheless we hypothesize that most if not all should be present in plasma at some level. Of the 1261 candidates only 9 have been approved as “tumor associated antigens” by the FDA. We propose that systematic collection and large-scale validation of candidate biomarkers would fill the gap currently existing between basic research and clinical use of advanced diagnostics.
Alpha-Fetoprotein: From a Diagnostic Biomarker to a Key Role in Female Fertility
Authors: De Mees Christelle , Bakker Julie , Szpirer Josiane , Szpirer Claude
Published: November 2017

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a well-known diagnostic biomarker used in medicine to detect fetal developmental anomalies such as neural tube defects or Down's syndrome, or to follow up the development of tumors such as hepatocellular carcinomas. However, and despite the fact that the protein was discovered almost half a century ago, little was known about its physiological function. The study of Afp knock-out mice uncovered a surprising function of AFP: it is essential for female fertility and for expression of normal female behaviors, and this action is mediated through its estrogen binding capacity. AFP sequestrates estrogens and by so doing protects the female developing brain from deleterious (defeminizing/masculinizing) effects of these hormones.
Study of the Urinary Ratio of 6 β-Hydroxycortisol/Cortisol as a Biomarker of CYP3A4 Activity in Egyptian Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases
Authors: ELDesoky Ehab S. , Kamel Sherif I. , Farghaly Ahlam M. , Bakheet Madiha Y. , Hedaya Mohsen A. , Siest Jean-Pascal
Published: November 2017

The urinary ratio of 6 β-hydroxycortisol/cortisol (6 β-OHC/C) as a biomarker of CYP3A4 metabolizing activity has been studied in Egyptian patients with chronic liver cirrhosis associated with previous hepatic Schistosomiasis infection to determine any possible alteration in enzyme activity. The ratio of 6-β OHC/C was determined in morning urine samples collected from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in healthy adults (n = 36) and patients with liver cirrhosis (n = 57). The median age for control was 27 years (range: 18–50 years) and 50 years (range: 27–75 years) for patients. 6 β-OHC was detected in urine by ELIZA kits (Stabiligen, France). Patients with liver cirrhosis were categorized according to Child Pugh Classification into Child B (n = 28) and Child C (n = 29) classes. Cholestasis was observed in 9/28 of Child B class and 8/29 of Child C class of patients. The control subjects showed gender-related difference in the urinary ratio of 6 β-OHC/C. A significant reduction ( P <0.001) in 6 β-OHC/C ratio was observed only in Child C patients in comparison with control subjects. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation ( P < 0.05) between 6 β-OHC/C ratio and serum albumin. The influence of cholestasis on the urinary ratio of 6-β OHC/C was observed on cirrhotic patients of Child B class. In conclusion, patients with chronic liver cirrhosis might have a reduction of metabolizing activity of CYP3A4 enzymes which could be identified by measuring the urinary ratio of 6 β-OHC/C. This reduction is more apparent in severe liver injury (Child C class). Therefore, it is important to understand the metabolic fate of drugs metabolized by 3A4 enzymes in patients with liver cirrhosis to avoid drug accumulation that might lead to development of drug toxicity.
Gastric Cancer (Biomarkers) Knowledgebase (GCBKB): A Curated and Fully Integrated Knowledgebase of Putative Biomarkers Related to Gastric Cancer
Authors: Lee Bernett T.K. , Song Chun Meng , Yeo Boon Huat , Chung Cheuk Wang , Chan Ying Leong , Lim Teng Ting , Chua Yen Bing , Loh Marie C.S. , Ang Boon Keong , Vijayakumar Praveen , Liew Lailing , Lim Jiahao , Lim Yun Ping , Wong Chee Hong , Chuon Danny , Rajagopal Gunaretnam , Hill Jeffrey
Published: November 2017

The Gastric Cancer (Biomarkers) Knowledgebase (GCBKB) ( http://biomarkers.bii.a-star.edu.sg/background/gastricCancerBiomarkersKb.php ) is a curated and fully integrated knowledgebase that provides data relating to putative biomarkers that may be used in the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer. It is freely available to all users. The data contained in the knowledgebase was derived from a large literature source and the putative biomarkers therein have been annotated with data from the public domain. The knowledgebase is maintained by a curation team who update the data from a defined source. As well as mining data from the literature, the knowledgebase will also be populated with unpublished experimental data from investigators working in the gastric cancer biomarker discovery field. Users can perform searches to identify potential markers defined by experiment type, tissue type and disease state. Search results may be saved, manipulated and retrieved at a later date. As far as the authors are aware this is the first open access database dedicated to the discovery and investigation of gastric cancer biomarkers.
Identification of a Specific Vimentin isoform that Induces an Antibody Response in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Hong Su-Hyung , Misek David E. , Wang Hong , Puravs Eric , Hinderer Robert , Giordano Thomas J. , Greenson Joel K. , Brenner Dean E. , Simeone Diane M. , Logsdon Craig D. , Hanash Samir M.
Published: November 2017

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, in part due to lack of early detection. The identification of circulating tumor antigens or their related autoantibodies provides a means for early cancer diagnosis. We have used a proteomic approach to identify proteins that commonly induce a humoral response in pancreatic cancer. Proteins from a pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line (Panc-1) were subjected to two-dimensional PAGE, followed by Western blot analysis in which individual sera were tested for autoantibodies. Sera from 36 newly diagnosed patients with pancreatic cancer, 18 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 15 healthy subjects were analyzed. Autoantibodies were detected against a protein identified by mass spectrometry as vimentin, in sera from 16/36 patients with pancreatic cancer (44.4%). Only one of 18 chronic pancreatitis patients and none of the healthy controls exhibited reactivity against this vimentin isoform. Interestingly, none of several other isoforms of vimentin detectable in 2-D gels exhibited reactivity with patient sera. Vimentin protein expression levels were investigated by comparing the integrated intensity of spots visualized in 2-D PAGE gels of various cancers. Pancreatic tumor tissues showed greater than a 3-fold higher expression of total vimentin protein than did the lung, colon, and ovarian tumors that were analyzed. The specific antigenic isoform was found at 5–10 fold higher levels. The detection of autoantibodies to this specific isoform of vimentin may have utility for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Acute Coronary Syndromes: From the Laboratory Markers to the Coronary Vessels
Authors: Alberto Palazzuoli , Francesca Iovine , Chiara Scali , Ranuccio Nuti
Published: November 2017

A number of “interesting” risk markers have been proposed as providing prognostic informations in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Elevation in plasma inflammatory and necrosis biomarkers have been related to future cardiovascular events in individuals with or without prior myocardial infarction. Recently BNP and pro-BNP are entered in clinical practice to recognize patients at major risk, providing incremental information respect to the traditional markers. Together with these laboratory indexes, a few of promising laboratory markers once easily available, could become usefull in identification of patients at high risk. Several studies evaluated many markers of platelet aggregation, endothelial dysfunction and vascular thrombosis, but it is not yet clear whether each of the proposed markers may provide incremental predictive information. We describe, following the most studies reported in literature, the laboratory markers with potential clinical and prognostic power that could early help physicians in the identification of patients with impaired coronary disease and more narrowed coronary arteries.
C-reactive Protein in Patients with Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma: An Important Biomarker for Tumor-associated Inflammation
Authors: Reichle Albrecht , Grassinger Jochen , Bross Klaus , Wilke Jochen , Suedhoff Thomas , Walter Bernhard , Wieland Wolf-Ferdinand , Berand Anna , Andreesen Reinhard
Published: November 2017

Two consecutive multi-center phase II trials were designed to prove the hypothesis, whether therapeutic modeling of tumor-associated inflammatory processes could result in improved tumor response.

Therapy in both trials consisted of low-dose capecitabine 1g/m2 twice daily p.o. for 14 days, every 3 weeks, day 1+, and rofecoxib 25 mg daily p.o., day 1+ (from 11/04 etoricoxib 60 mg daily instead) plus pioglitazone 60 mg daily p.o., day 1+. In study II low-dose IFN-α 4.5 MU sc. three times a week, week 1+, was added until disease progression.

Eighteen, and 33 patients, respectively, with clear cell renal carcinoma and progressive disease were enrolled. Objective response (48%) was exclusively observed in study II (PR 35%, CR 13%), and paralleled by a strong CRP response after 4 weeks on treatment, p = 0.0005, in all 29 pts (100%) with elevated CRP levels. Median progression-free survival could be more than doubled from a median of 4.7 months (95% CI, 1.0 to 10.4) to 11.5 months (6.8 to 16.2) in study II, p = 0.00001. Median overall survival of population II was 26 months.

Efficacious negative regulation of tumor-associated inflammation by transcription modulators may result in a steep increase of tumor response and survival.
Comparison of Apoptosis Detection Markers Combined with Macrophage Immunostaining to Study Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells in Situ
Authors: Schrijvers Dorien M. , De Meyer Guido R.Y. , Kockx Mark M. , Herman Arnold G. , Martinet Wim
Published: November 2017

Efficient phagocytosis of cells undergoing apoptosis by macrophages is important to prevent immunological responses and development of chronic inflammatory disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus, cystic fibrosis and atherosclerosis. To study phagocytosis of apoptotic cells (AC) by macrophages in tissue, we validated different apoptosis markers (DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation and cleavage of its substrate poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1) in combination with macrophage immunostaining. Human tonsils were used as a model because they show a high apoptosis frequency under physiological conditions as well as efficient phagocytosis of AC by macrophages. On the other hand, advanced human atherosclerotic plaques were examined since plaques show severely impaired phagocytosis of AC. Our results demonstrate that the presence of non-phagocytized terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase end labelling (TUNEL)-positive AC represents a suitable marker of poor phagocytosis by macrophages in situ. Other markers for apoptosis, such as cleavage of caspase-3 or PARP-1, should not be used to assess phagocytosis efficiency, because activation of the caspase cascade and cleavage of their substrates can occur in AC when they have not yet been phagocytized by macrophages.
Article Commentary: Serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Target for Therapy or Trouble?
Authors: Kraus Virginia B. , Jordan Joanne M.
Published: November 2017

High sensitivity serum C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has come into clinical use as a marker of risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition to a role as a marker of disease, CRP has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of CVD. Specific small-molecule inhibitors of CRP have recently been developed with the intent of mitigating cardiac damage during acute myocardial infarction. However, the use of CRP, both as a risk marker and a disease target are controversial for several reasons. Serum hs-CRP concentrations can be elevated on the basis of genetics, female gender, and non-Caucasian ethnicity. It is not clear, in these contexts, that elevations of hs-CRP have any pathological significance. As a non-specific indicator of inflammation, CRP is also not a specific indicator of a single disease state such as cardiovascular disease but elevated concentrations can be seen in association with other comorbidities including obesity and pulmonary disease. In sharp contrast to the proposed inhibition of CRP for cardiovascular disease treatment, the infusion of CRP has been shown to have profound therapeutic benefits for autoimmune disease and septic shock. The balance between the risks and benefits of these competing views of the role of CRP in disease and disease therapy is reminiscent of the ongoing controversy regarding the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for musculoskeletal disease and their cardiovascular side effects. Soon, NSAIDs may not be the only agents about which Rheumatologists and Cardiologists may spar.
Salvage Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy For Recurrent Prostate Cancer After External Beam Radiotherapy: Results From A Single Institution With Focus On Toxicity And Functional Outcomes
Authors: Barbera F , Triggiani L , Buglione M , Ghirardelli P , Vitali P , Caraffini B , Borghetti P , Greco D , Bardoscia L , Pasinetti N , Costa L , Maddalo M , Ghedi B , La Face B , Magrini SM
Published: November 2017

Background/aim:

Low dose rate brachytherapy has been used as salvage therapy for locally recurrent prostate cancer (PC) after primary external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), along with surgery and cryotherapy. All these techniques, in particular, when applied to the whole gland, involve a relatively high risk of toxicity and may worsen the patient’s quality of life. Our aim is to evaluate the results of whole-gland salvage brachytherapy (SBT) after primary EBRT in terms of toxicity, functional outcomes, and efficacy.

Materials and methods:

We retrospectively reviewed clinical data on 19 patients consecutively treated with SBT at our institution between June 2012 and November 2015. Local recurrences were identified with 11C-choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging after biochemical recurrence according to Phoenix criteria (prostate-specific antigen nadir + 2). Low dose rate brachytherapy was performed by 125I permanent seeds implantation to the whole prostate gland, with a prescription dose of 130 Gy. At the time of SBT, only 2 patients were receiving androgen deprivation therapy. Acute and late toxicities were recorded using the CTCAE 4.0 scoring system. Quality of life was assessed using IPSS (International Prostate Symptoms Score) and IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function) questionnaires at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months after SBT, and the respective mean values were compared using Student t test. Biochemical relapse-free survival (BRFS) was also calculated.

Results:

Median follow-up after SBT was 24 months. Of 19 patients, 2 patients experienced a G3 cystitis (10.2%) and 1 patient experienced a G4 proctitis (5.3%), respectively. Mean pre-SBT IPSS scores and 6, 12, and 24 months after SBT were 5.84, 10.22, 15.72, and 8.10, respectively. Mean pre-SBT IIEF scores and 6, 12, and 24 months after SBT were 8.42, 3.55, 7.89, and 6.40, respectively. At the time of analysis, only 2 patients showed a biochemical relapse (3-year BRFS 85.2%). The Student t test demonstrated a worsening of functional outcome 6 months and 1 year after treatment but a subsequent improvement 2 years after SBT.

Conclusions:

Salvage brachytherapy for recurrent PC after primary EBRT seems to be a feasible treatment for selected patients. Our series revealed a severe toxicity peak 6 months and 1 year after local re-treatment and then they decrease. Early BRFS rates are good. However, these are very preliminary results so further patient accrual, long-term follow-up, and prospective trials are needed in the future.
‘Killing is our business and business is good’: The evolution of ‘war managerialism’ from body counts to counterinsurgency
Authors: McCann Leo
Published: November 2017

Managerialism versus professionalism is a central axis of conflict across many occupations. ‘The profession of arms’ is no exception. This article explores the contested yet symbiotic relationship of management and the military via a discussion of the Vietnam conflict and contemporary debates over restructuring the US military to fight so-called ‘New Wars’. It portrays a complex picture of the organization and measurement of destruction, arguing that managerialism has long been an important ideological element of civilian and military practice. While management systems such as the infamous ‘measurements of progress’ in the Vietnam War were practically dysfunctional, they were effective up to a point in their managerialist goal of portraying civilian and military organizations as effective, evidence-based, progressive and ethical. This logic also pertains to contemporary debates over ‘progress’, and its measurement in the Iraq and Afghanistan counterinsurgencies and the campaign against Isil. Despite its practical limitations, managerialism is highly prevalent as ideology in warfare, fixating on tactical and operational levels, thereby excluding broader strategic, political or ethical discussions. ‘Progress’ and its mismeasurement in Vietnam and the New Wars are therefore best understood not simply as reasons for military and civilian failures in prolonged and inconclusive conflicts but as evidence of the success of managerialism in restricting public scrutiny and accountability of the business of war.
How we fight: A critical exploration of US military doctrine
Authors: Paparone Chris
Published: November 2017

This essay seeks to answer the question, ‘How can we understand and critically examine the role of doctrine by which US military operations are conceptualized and performed?’ I employ Jean-François Lyotard’s theory of the modernist grand narrative and Karl E. Weick’s construct of generic sensemaking to demonstrate and criticize how doctrine’s logic of systematicity has become institutionalized in US military.
The organisation of military violence in the 21st century
Authors: Malešević Siniša
Published: November 2017

In this article, I analyse the sociological foundations of military violence in the 21st century. The first part of the article engages critically with the three dominant contemporary approaches in the study of organised violence: (a) the decline of violence perspective, (b) the new wars theories and (c) the technological displacement approach. I argue that despite their obvious merits, these three perspectives do not provide adequate interpretation of recent social change. In particular, I contest their emphasis on the radical discontinuity in the character of the contemporary military violence when compared to the previous historical periods. Hence, to remedy this – in the second part of the article – I develop an alternative, a longue durée, sociological interpretation centred on the role of organisational, ideological and micro-interactional powers in the transformation of military violence. In contrast to the three dominant perspectives, I argue that the 21st-century organisation of military violence has changed but it still exhibits much more organisational continuity with the last two centuries than usually assumed. More specifically, my argument centres on the long-term impact of the three historical processes that have shaped the dynamics of military violence over long stretches of time: the cumulative bureaucratisation of coercion, centrifugal ideologisation and the envelopment of micro-solidarity.
Ernst Jünger, total mobilisation and the work of war
Authors: Costea Bogdan , Amiridis Kostas
Published: November 2017

This review article explores three interconnected texts written in the 1920s and 1930s by the German intellectual Ernst Jünger: Copse 125, Total Mobilisation and The Worker. Dominion and Form. They contain his original analyses of the relationship between war, destruction, organisation and technology. Jünger argued that entering the realm of total organisation, that is, organisation which claims its ground to be scientific, calculated, planned, rationally-administered and technological, destruction is subtly appropriated into, and thought of, as a process of production. Jünger understood war as an increasingly ‘necessary’ and permanent requirement of the politics of peace and freedom. He anticipated the transformation of destruction into a major field of experimentation with, and through, complex state and private organisational networks (civilian, military and corporate), and into a prime arena of scientific, technological and managerial development. He analysed the emergence of new political discourses and systems whose common ground was to invoke permanent insecurity, risks and dangers and claim the need to manage the peaceful existence of liberal societies.
Death in the details: Finding dead bodies at the Canadian War Museum
Authors: Shah Nisha
Published: November 2017

Of the 13,000 works of art in the Canadian War Museum’s holdings, only 64 display dead bodies. Prevailing explanations of this absence revolve around respect for the dead and ethical responsibility to avoid the glorification of war. And yet death and destruction are pervasive in war. The irony is that one leaves the museum with the sense that war does not produce corpses, or at least not very many of them. Nowhere is this irony more evident than in the Canadian War Museum’s armaments collection, described as ‘the way in which human ingenuity has been applied to the science of war, creating weapons and other devices to attack, protect and kill’, but with only technical information about weapon calibre and capacities provided. This article describes an effort to dig up the dead. Studying the form and function of the labels accompanying weapons, I argue that seemingly mundane technical specifications classify and standardize certain kinds of bodily injury and death, and make the bodies destroyed by war present. Overall, arguing that injury and death are in the (technical) details, I challenge the assumption that a focus on technological devices sanitizes war. Instead, I propose a way to investigate and interrogate how death and injury in war are calibrated and embodied in the standards that make weapons ‘conventional’.
Longitudinal optical coherence tomography study of optic atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: Results from a clinical trial cohort
Authors: Winges Kimberly M , Murchison Charles F , Bourdette Dennis N , Spain Rebecca I
Published: November 2017

Background:

Limited prospective information exists regarding spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

Objective:

Document cross-sectional and longitudinal retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) features of an SPMS clinical trial cohort.

Methods:

Prospective, observational study using a 2-year randomized placebo-controlled SPMS trial cohort with yearly SD-OCT testing. Post hoc analysis determined influences of optic neuritis (ON), disease duration, and baseline SD-OCT on annualized atrophy rates and on correlations between OCT and brain atrophy.

Results:

Mean RNFL and GCIPL values of patients ( n = 47, mean age = 59 years, mean disease duration = 30 years) were significantly lower among eyes with prior ON than those without (no history of ON (NON)). Annualized RNFL (−0.31 µm/year) and GCIPL (−0.29 µm/year) atrophy rates did not differ between ON and NON eyes. Baseline RNFL thickness >75 µm was associated with greater annualized RNFL atrophy (−0.85 µm/year). Neither RNFL nor GCIPL atrophy correlated with whole-brain atrophy.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that eyes with and without ON history may be pooled for atrophy analysis in SPMS clinical trials using SD-OCT. Low baseline RNFL, small retinal atrophy rates, and lack of correlation with whole-brain atrophy in this population are important trial design considerations.
Multiple sclerosis and HLA genotypes: A possible influence on brain atrophy
Authors: Lorefice Lorena , Fenu Giuseppe , Sardu Claudia , Frau Jessica , Coghe Giancarlo , Costa Gianna , Schirru Lucia , Secci Maria Antonietta , Sechi Vincenzo , Barracciu Maria Antonietta , Marrosu Maria Giovanna , Cocco Eleonora
Published: November 2017

Background:

The strongest genetic determinant for multiple sclerosis (MS) is located at the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II DRB1 and DQB1 loci.

Objectives:

To investigate the possible role of predisposing HLA genotypes in determining brain atrophy.

Methods:

HLA genotypes were categorized as high risk (two predisposing haplotypes) or medium/low risk (one or no predisposing haplotypes). Patients underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study and volumes of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and whole brain (WB) were estimated with SIENAX. Longitudinal atrophy was also assessed with SIENA.

Results:

The study included 240 MS patients. In 51/240 (21%) subjects, a high-risk HLA genotype was observed, while medium- and low-risk HLA genotypes were 109/240 (45%) and 80/240 (34%), respectively. Multiple regression analysis found that the high-risk HLA genotype was associated with significant reduction in WB ( p = 0.02) and GM ( p = 0.03) volumes compared with the medium-/low-risk HLA genotypes, independently from MS clinical features. The longitudinal study included 60 patients and showed a brain volume loss of −0.79% in high-risk HLA genotype group versus −0.56% in low-risk HLA genotype.

Conclusion:

Our results suggest an influence of HLA genotype on WB and GM atrophy. Further investigations are necessary to confirm these findings.
Far from paradise: The body, the apparatus and the image of contemporary virtual reality
Authors: Golding Dan
Published: November 2017

The contemporary popularity of virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift has links not just with earlier eras of virtual reality technology, but with recurrent discourse surrounding the moving image and spectatorship. The articulation of the Oculus Rift in public through YouTube ‘reaction’ videos and media moments such as the Oculus Rift Time magazine cover of 2015 links contemporary virtual reality to early cinema discourses of credulous spectatorship, strenuous spectatorship and the cinema of attractions. Through these comparisons, this article argues that the ‘image’ of contemporary virtual reality technology is not that of a simulated exotic paradise enabled by the apparatus, but the apparatus itself, the body of its user and that body’s gender.
Fix my child: The importance of including siblings in clinical assessments
Authors: Farnfield Steve
Published: November 2017

Aims:

This study examined concordance in the attachment strategies of school-aged siblings with reference to environmental risk in terms of poverty and maltreatment. It also investigated the effect of child maltreatment and maternal mental illness on children’s psychosocial functioning in terms of the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM) including unresolved trauma and the DMM Depressed modifier.

Methods:

The attachment strategies of 30 sibling pairs, aged 5–14 years, were assessed using the School-age Assessment of Attachment (SAA). Unlike most previous studies, this study included siblings from large families of two to six children.

Results:

The main finding was that as environmental risk increases, the diversity of sibling attachment strategies decreases with greater recourse to the DMM Type A3-6 and A/C strategies. Unlike previous studies, the highest level of concordance was found in sibling pairs with the opposite gender. Boys whose mothers had a history of mental illness were significantly more likely than girls to be assessed with the DMM-depression modifier.

Conclusion:

As danger increases, children in the same family experience more of the same childhood. Further research should focus on single case, intra-familial studies to build a systemic model of the shared environment. Research should also evaluate the effects of environmental risk compared with size of the sibling group on children’s attachment strategies. The clinical implications point to the importance of assessing all children in the family using a model built around functional formulation rather than diagnosing the symptoms of a particular child.
Formulating autism systemically: Part 2 – A 12-year prospective case study
Authors: Brewerton Nicky , Robson Katrina , Crittenden Patricia M
Published: November 2017

This prospective case study illustrates the ideas on the developmental origins of some cases of autism that were described in Part 1 of this article. We explored and found support for several systemic hypotheses regarding the experience of ‘Graeme’ and his mother. Graeme’s story is told prospectively from the age of 3 until 15. Three independent sources of information are reported: hypotheses from the literature and case review in Part 1 of this article, the school’s experience, and observations from the assessments of attachment when Graeme was turning 6. These three streams of information are integrated here. The review of the literature and clinical cases gives us a wide-angle lens, empirically supporting our focus on danger in relationships. The school’s experience describes working with a child with undiagnosed autism. The assessments of attachment both provide information about family members’ psychological strategies for protection from danger and also include the mother’s childhood history of family threat. Their synthesis permits us to construct a developmental history, from Graeme’s mother’s childhood history of being triangulated into her parents’ hidden marital discord to it’s repetition for Graeme in her own marriage. New observations included mum’s postural/gestural communication to Graeme and her possible ambivalence about males. Strikingly, Graeme was a case study (Attachment & Family Therapy, ch. 6) before he was diagnosed with autism. That presentation focused on Graeme’s feeling of rejection by his father. In the same book, an interpersonal formulation of autism was offered (ch. 3), but it was not connected to Graeme, showing that when one lacks crucial information, the clinical formulation is distorted. The crucial information in this case was the mother’s psychological history. Our case suggests that filling the blind spot in the research on autism with information about family functioning over at least two generations might change the understanding of autism in ways that could help families and their children.
Gifts from Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby
Authors: Crittenden Patricia M
Published: November 2017

Attachment theory has developed over many decades - and continues to develop. Its roots lie in several seminal publications of John Bowlby (the basis of attachment theory) and Mary D. S. Ainsworth (the notion of individual differences in attachment). This paper identifies the prescient contributions of these early publications and two processes (a long-term dialogue and reflection on discrepancy) that underlay emergent theory. Because I was a student of Ainsworth when both attachment theory and individual differences in attachment organization were becoming better known, I offer some of my recollections of that period, suggesting how that period may have affected current work in attachment.
Repeat immigration: A previously unobserved source of heterogeneity?
Authors: Aradhya Siddartha , Scott Kirk , Smith Christopher D.
Published: November 2017

Aims:

Register data allow for nuanced analyses of heterogeneities between sub-groups which are not observable in other data sources. One heterogeneity for which register data is particularly useful is in identifying unique migration histories of immigrant populations, a group of interest across disciplines. Years since migration is a commonly used measure of integration in studies seeking to understand the outcomes of immigrants. This study constructs detailed migration histories to test whether misclassified migrations may mask important heterogeneities. In doing so, we identify a previously understudied group of migrants called repeat immigrants, and show that they differ systematically from permanent immigrants. In addition, we quantify the degree to which migration information is misreported in the registers.

Method:

The analysis is carried out in two steps. First, we estimate income trajectories for repeat immigrants and permanent immigrants to understand the degree to which they differ. Second, we test data validity by cross-referencing migration information with changes in income to determine whether there are inconsistencies indicating misreporting.

Results:

From the first part of the analysis, the results indicate that repeat immigrants systematically differ from permanent immigrants in terms of income trajectories. Furthermore, income trajectories differ based on the way in which years since migration is calculated. The second part of the analysis suggests that misreported migration events, while present, are negligible.

Conclusions:

Repeat immigrants differ in terms of income trajectories, and may differ in terms of other outcomes as well. Furthermore, this study underlines that Swedish registers provide a reliable data source to analyze groups which are unidentifiable in other data sources.
Using register data to estimate causal effects of interventions: An ex post synthetic control-group approach
Authors: Bygren Magnus , Szulkin Ryszard
Published: November 2017

Aims:

It is common in the context of evaluations that participants have not been selected on the basis of transparent participation criteria, and researchers and evaluators many times have to make do with observational data to estimate effects of job training programs and similar interventions. The techniques developed by researchers in such endeavours are useful not only to researchers narrowly focused on evaluations, but also to social and population science more generally, as observational data overwhelmingly are the norm, and the endogeneity challenges encountered in the estimation of causal effects with such data are not trivial. The aim of this article is to illustrate how register data can be used strategically to evaluate programs and interventions and to estimate causal effects of participation in these.

Methods:

We use propensity score matching on pretreatment-period variables to derive a synthetic control group, and we use this group as a comparison to estimate the employment-treatment effect of participation in a large job-training program.

Results:

We find the effect of treatment to be small and positive but transient.

Conclusions:

Our method reveals a strong regression to the mean effect, extremely easy to interpret as a treatment effect had a less advanced design been used (e.g. a within-subjects panel data analysis), and illustrates one of the unique advantages of using population register data for research purposes.
Towards non-conventional methods of designing register-based epidemiological studies: An application to pediatric research
Authors: Gong Tong , Brew Bronwyn , Sjölander Arvid , Almqvist Catarina
Published: November 2017

Aims:

Various epidemiological designs have been applied to investigate the causes and consequences of fetal growth restriction in register-based observational studies. This review seeks to provide an overview of several conventional designs, including cohort, case-control and more recently applied non-conventional designs such as family-based designs. We also discuss some practical points regarding the application and interpretation of family-based designs.

Methods:

Definitions of each design, the study population, the exposure and the outcome measures are briefly summarised. Examples of study designs are taken from the field of low birth-weight research for illustrative purposes. Also examined are relative advantages and disadvantages of each design in terms of assumptions, potential selection and information bias, confounding and generalisability. Kinship data linkage, statistical models and result interpretation are discussed specific to family-based designs.

Results:

When all information is retrieved from registers, there is no evident preference of the case-control design over the cohort design to estimate odds ratios. All conventional designs included in the review are prone to bias, particularly due to residual confounding. Family-based designs are able to reduce such bias and strengthen causal inference. In the field of low birth-weight research, family-based designs have been able to confirm a negative association not confounded by genetic or shared environmental factors between low birth weight and the risk of asthma.

Conclusions:

We conclude that there is a broader need for family-based design in observational research as evidenced by the meaningful contributions to the understanding of the potential causal association between low birth weight and subsequent outcomes.
Impact of ancestry categorisations on residential segregation measures using Swedish register data
Authors: Jarvis Benjamin , Kawalerowicz Juta , Valdez Sarah
Published: November 2017

Aim:

Country-of-birth data contained in registers are often aggregated to create broad ancestry group categories. We examine how measures of residential segregation vary according to levels of aggregation.

Method:

We use Swedish register data to calculate pairwise dissimilarity indices from 1990 to 2012 for ancestry groups defined at four nested levels of aggregation: (1) micro-groups containing 50 categories, (2) meso-groups containing 16 categories, (3) macro-groups containing six categories and (4) a broad Western/non-Western binary.

Results:

We find variation in segregation levels between ancestry groups that is obscured by data aggregation.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrates that the practice of aggregating country-of-birth statistics in register data can hinder the ability to identify highly segregated groups and therefore design effective policy to remedy both intergroup and intergenerational inequalities.
Using register data to deduce patterns of social exchange
Authors: Jansson Fredrik
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a novel method for deducting propensities for social exchange between individuals based on the choices they make, and based on factors such as country of origin, sex, school grades and socioeconomic background. The objective here is to disentangle the effect of social ties from the other factors, in order to find patterns of social exchange. This is done through a control–treatment design on analysing available data, where the ‘treatment’ is similarity of choices between socially connected individuals, and the control is similarity of choices between non-connected individuals. Structural dependencies are controlled for and effects from different classes are pooled through a mix of methods from network and meta-analysis. The method is demonstrated and tested on Swedish register data on students at upper secondary school. The results show that having similar grades is a predictor of social exchange. Also, previous results from Norwegian data are replicated, showing that students cluster based on country of origin.
The neighbourhood context of crime against international students
Authors: Forbes-Mewett Helen , Wickes Rebecca
Published: November 2017

Stark differences exist between the support and accommodation provision for tertiary students across the UK, the US and Australia. Within this framework, this study provides insights into the neighbourhood contexts where offences against Indian international students took place in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Shaped by ideas associated with social disorganisation and resource threat theories, we suggest that the concentration of large numbers of international students without adequate supports in areas characterised by high levels of disadvantage, ethnic diversity and high levels of crime contributed to the victimisation of international students. The study aims to help better understand how the neighbourhood context influences hate crime more broadly and specifically examines the neighbourhood context of international student victimisation. The study is designed to provide a nuanced understanding of the circumstances leading to attacks against international students and contributes to the international student safety and hate crime victimisation literature.
A fuzzy logic–based warning system for patients classification
Authors: Al-Dmour Jumanah A , Sagahyroon Assim , Al-Ali AR , Abusnana Salah
Published: November 2017

Typically acute deterioration in sick people is preceded by subtle changes in the physiological parameters such as pulse and blood pressure. The Modified Early Warning Score is a scoring system developed to assist hospital staff in gauging these physiological changes and identifying patients in need of urgent medical care to avoid catastrophic deterioration. This work discusses the design and implementation of an equivalent warning system that utilizes fuzzy logic techniques to categorize patients’ status. The system is implemented and tested in Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research in UAE. Results are compared with those obtained using the Modified Early Warning System that is currently used in practice. We demonstrate that the implemented system provides reliable results that are in agreement with the current Modified Early Warning Score system, with the added benefit of a scoring scheme that provides a better insight into the status or medical condition of each patient.
Effect of interface non-flatness on the fatigue behavior of adhesively bonded single lap joints
Authors: Razavi N , Ayatollahi MR , Samari M , da Silva LFM
Published: November 2017

This paper addresses numerical and experimental examination of the role of zigzag interface shapes on the load bearing capacity and fatigue life of adhesively bonded single lap joints. Aluminum adherends with non-flat zigzag interfaces were tested under both quasi-static and fatigue loading conditions. The quasi-static test results revealed that the non-flat adhesive joints have higher load bearing capacity compared to the conventional flat single lap joints. Comparative fatigue tests with different loading levels revealed that the non-flat zigzag single lap joint had considerably higher fatigue life than the conventional lap joint.
A sheet metal necking formability diagram for nonlinear strain paths
Authors: Christiansen Peter , Jensen Mikkel RB , Winther Grethe
Published: November 2017

A new procedure for drawing forming limit curves is suggested. The theoretical basis for computing the forming limit curve due to diffuse necking, for nonlinear strain paths, is derived. The theoretically determined forming limit curve is compared with experimentally determined forming limits for both linear and bilinear strain paths. Reasonable agreement is observed. The procedure can also be utilized for nonlinear strain paths in general.
A sensitive question? The effect of an ethnic background question in surveys
Authors: Öhberg Patrik , Medeiros Mike
Published: November 2017

Nearly half of European countries choose not to collect data on their citizens' ethnicity. One of the reasons is related to ethnic background being, potentially, a sensitive issue. We explore this social sensitivity in relation to questions asking about respondents' ethnic background through a survey experiment that compares two multicultural and liberal democracies with different traditions related to the collection of data on residents' ethnic background: Sweden and Canada. The findings demonstrate that, when the ethnicity question produced a significant effect on survey evaluations, it was always positive. Similar results were found in both countries. Thus, we conclude that—in terms of survey methodology and the reaction of individuals to such questions—there does not exist a valid justification to omit questions on ethnic background from surveys or censuses in pluralist societies.
Three poems on flood histories in rural Ireland
Authors: Griffiths Hywel M
Published: November 2017

This article presents three poems inspired by archival research on historical perceptions of flooding and river engineering in Galway city and its rural hinterland. Relationships between people and water, as recorded in early-20th-century minutes of a vice-regal commission on river drainage in rural Ireland and historical newspaper accounts of flooding, are explored and reimagined. The poems focus particularly on the management of flood risk and geomorphological processes (erosion and sedimentation), ‘arterial drainage,’ and individual emotional responses to traumatic floods and their impacts. Reflecting on these poems, I suggest that part of poetry’s contribution to the discipline is to provide a new and exciting way of engaging with the archive.