bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward greater access and impact: Directions for a sociological understanding of Philippine higher education
Authors: Trinidad Jose Eos , Leviste Enrique Niño P.
Published: September 2020

In the Philippines and many other developing countries higher education has a special function, not only with regard to educating students for jobs but also with regard to partnerships for industry growth, research for national development and the formation of critical leaders in society. However, these aims are impeded by issues of access and the unclear impact of higher education and society on each other. In this conceptual study, the authors highlight four directions for a sociological analysis of Philippine higher education: students’ access to higher education, its organization and whether it promotes or impedes access, institutions’ responses to social, economic and technological changes, and their active influence on society. By reviewing and organizing different frameworks and empirical studies, the authors suggest ways of understanding higher education in the Philippines and how a sociological perspective can clarify postsecondary institutions’ role in promoting access for students and having a greater impact on society. Having this sociological consciousness can help administrators, instructors, students and industry leaders to be aware of how higher education in developing contexts can be leveraged for societal development.
Synthesis of ortho-methyltetrahydrophthalimide functional benzoxazine containing phthalonitrile group: Thermally activated polymerization behaviors and properties of its polymer
Authors: Yang Rui , Wang Yuting , Hao Boran , Zhang Kan
Published: September 2020

Two novel benzoxazine monomers, oHMTI-a and oHMTI-pn, have been obtained via the modified Mannich condensation from ortho-4-methyltetrahydrophalimide functional phenol, paraformaldehyde, and aniline/4-aminophthalonitrile, respectively. The chemical structures of both benzoxazine monomers have been studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Their polymerization processes are investigated using in-situ FT-IR and different scanning calorimetry (DSC). Specifically, the phthalonitrile group in oHMTI-pn can react at a relatively lower temperature without adding any catalysts, which suggests the presence of the thermal synergistic polymerization effect in this benzoxazine monomer. In addition, the thermal and fire related properties of the resulting polybenzoxazines are evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and micro-scale combustion calorimetry (MCC). The polybenzoxazine derived from oHMTI-pn shows both high thermal stability and outstanding flame retardancy, with a T g of 350°C, a T d10 value of 417°C, a high char yield value of 65%, and a very low heat release capacity value of 35.2 J/(g·K).
New higher-order shear deformation theory for bending analysis of the two-dimensionally functionally graded nanoplates
Authors: Wang Qikai , Yao Aiqin , Dindarloo Mohammad Hassan
Published: September 2020

In this study, we focus on the bending analysis of the 2 D FG nanoplate based on a new high-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). This kind of HSDT is one of the most accurate HSDT because the shape functions are selected as an accurate combination of exponential, trigonometric and polynomial functions. The mechanical properties of the nanoplate vary along the length and thickness, based on arbitrary functions. The small scale effect of the nanostructure is modeled according to the nonlocal theory of elasticity. The governing equations of the problem are obtained from Hamilton’s principle, whereas the Galerkin method is proposed for a closed-form solution of the structural problem for simply-supported nanostructures. The work provides a unified framework for the mechanical analysis of both thin and thick plates. The effect of several parameters, such as the nonlocal parameter, as well as the mechanical and geometrical properties and FG indexes, are investigated on the bending deflection of the 2 D FG nanoplates. The numerical results from our investigation could be considered as valid benchmarks in the literature for possible further analyses of nanoplates.
Evaluating human responses to ENSO driven climate change during the Holocene in northwest Australia through macrobotanical analyses
Authors: Dilkes-Hall India Ella , Balme Jane , O’Connor Sue , Dotte-Sarout Emilie
Published: September 2020

The Holocene is recognised as a period through which a number of climatic fluctuations and environmental stresses occur—associated with intensifying El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climatic conditions from c. 5000 years—contemporaneous with technological and social changes in Australian Aboriginal lifeways. In the Kimberley region of northwest Western Australia, human responses to ENSO driven climate change are most evident archaeologically in technological transformations observed in lithic records, with little research on changes in plant use during this time. Using nine archaeological sites across the Kimberley, this paper synthesises previously published macrobotanical data (Carpenter’s Gap 1, Moonggaroonggoo, Mount Behn, and Riwi), reports unpublished data (Brooking Gorge 1, Djuru, and Wandjina rockshelter), and presents results of sites reanalysed for this study (Widgingarri Shelters 1 and 2) to develop a picture of localised and regional patterns of plant use during the Holocene. We conclude that food plants associated with monsoon rainforest environments dominate both mid- and late Holocene macrobotanical records and, although monsoon rainforest likely retreated to some extent because of decreased precipitation during the late Holocene, no human responses associated with ENSO driven climate change occurred in relation to human uses of plants.
Book review: A. Narayanamoorthy, R. V. Bhavani and R. Sujatha (Eds.), Wither Rural India? Political Economy of Agrarian Transformation in Contemporary India: A Festschrift for Venkatesh B. Athreya
Authors: Roy Shantanu De
Published: September 2020

A. Narayanamoorthy, R. V. Bhavani and R. Sujatha (Eds.), Wither Rural India? Political Economy of Agrarian Transformation in Contemporary India: A Festschrift for Venkatesh B. Athreya. Tulika Books, 2019, xiv + 241 pp., ₹950 (hardback). ISBN: 978-81-937329-6-0.
An Analysis of Mobile Financial Services and Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh
Authors: Akhter Nahid , Khalily M. A. Baqui
Published: September 2020

In a short span of time, starting in 2011, mobile financial services (MFSs) have burgeoned in Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the developing world. MFSs have brought about major changes in financial products and institutional structures in the financial services market. The study of Bangladesh’s experience with MFS shows that financial inclusion has greatly improved along with efficiency of provision. This article shows that the probability of using MFSs by a household increases by about 43 per cent if the households have temporary domestic migrant members. Female household heads are less likely to use MFS compared to male household head. Out of 1,588 micro merchants in the sample, around 30 per cent have access to MFSs. Individuals engaged in the non-agriculture sector, those from households with the head having higher education, those from non-poor households and those from urban areas have higher probabilities of MFS use. But more research must be done to design appropriate MFS products for the poor, so that they too can also leverage the benefits of MFSs.
Accounting the ‘self’: From diarization to life vlogs
Authors: Ibrahim Yasmin
Published: September 2020

The diarization of the self emerged through historically contingent social and economic relations and the practice of accounting as an integral aspect of industrialization and capitalism. From the journal to new media technologies, the recording of everyday life is about the governance and construction of the self, illuminating the ‘everyday’ as a salient dimension of sense-making in relation to the wider world. Accounting the self today has gained renewed prominence through new media technologies and social media platforms and its increasing incorporation into everyday life, inviting a public interface. The teleology of older forms of accounting the self (i.e. the journal) to new media technologies needs to be seen through a continuum in which sociocultural and economic forces enmesh with the medium of communication as a tool of self-expression to capture the self in its diurnal mode. This article utilizes Raymond Williams’ notion of cultural materialism, in linking the diary as a modern technology of self-expression with vlogs in the post-digital terrain wherein material practices shed light onto our lifeworlds construed through the resources available within material and immaterial infrastructures, offering both agency and abstraction by capital. As such, the manifest cultural form is intimately mediated by cultural technologies.
Role of fibronectin in chronic venous diseases: A review
Authors: Kanta Jiri , Zavadakova Anna
Published: September 2020

Fibronectin (FN) circulating in the blood and produced by cells provides the basis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) formed in healing acute wounds. The time-dependent deposition of FN by macrophages, its synthesis by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, and later degradation in the remodeled granulation tissue are a prerequisite for successful healing of wounds. However, the pattern of FN expression and deposition in skin lesions is disturbed. The degradation of the ECM components including FN in varicose veins prevails over ECM synthesis and deposition. FN is inconspicuous in the fibrotic lesions in lipodermatosclerosis, while tenascin-C containing FN-like peptide sequences are prominent. FN is produced in large amounts by fibroblasts at the edge of venous ulcers but FN deposition at the wound bed is impaired. Both the proteolytic environment in the wounds and the changed function of the ulcer fibroblasts may be responsible for the poor healing of venous ulcers. The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge of FN pathophysiology in chronic venous diseases. In view of the fact that FN plays a crucial role in organizing the ECM, further research focused on FN metabolism in venous diseases may bring results applicable to the treatment of the diseases.
Applications of PET in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Leukemia
Authors: Zhao Zixuan , Hu Yanwen , Li Jihui , Zhou Yeye , Zhang Bin , Deng Shengming
Published: September 2020

As a malignant hematopoietic stem cell disease, leukemia remains life-threatening due to its increasing incidence rate and mortality rate. Therefore, its early diagnosis and treatment play a very important role. In the present work, we systematically reviewed the current applications and future directions of positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with leukemia, especially 18F-FDG PET/CT. As a useful imaging approach, PET significantly contributes to the diagnosis and treatment of different types of leukemia, especially in the evaluation of extramedullary infiltration, monitoring of leukemia relapse, detection of Richter’s transformation (RT), and assessment of the inflammatory activity associated with acute graft versus host disease. Future investigations should be focused on the potential of PET/CT in the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with leukemia and the utility of novel radiotracers.
A Bleeding Uretero-Arterial Fistula: Open Repair After Unsuccessful Endovascular Treatment
Authors: Tijunaitis Karolis , Mosenko Valerija , Baltrūnas Tomas
Published: September 2020

Introduction:

Uretero-arterial fistula (UAF) poses major challenges in management and diagnosis due to the rarity of this condition and associated high morbidity/mortality rates.

Methods:

We describe a case of a UAF associated with previous aorto-biiliac grafting, ureteric stenting and right nephrectomy because of chronic pielonephritis and complicated by surgical site infection. This case illustrates a very complex pathology, with a challenging diagnosis and multiple treatment options.

Results:

A 72 year-old woman was referred to Vilnius Vascular Unit for open UAF repair. The patient had a history of open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using a bifurcated graft 25 years ago. The right ureter was injured during the operation and a rigid indwelling ureteric stent was inserted. Six months prior to referral, she underwent a right nephrectomy due to a chronic pyelonephritis, complicated by surgical site infection, which was still present at the time of admission. Initial CTA demonstrated bilateral iliac aneurysms, but no signs of UAF. A further CTA revealed a UAF between the right ureteral stump and the right common iliac artery (CIA) para-anastomotic aneurysm. After unsuccessful attempts to embolize the UAF using both coils and glue, the patient was referred to Vilnius Vascular Unit for open repair. Left axillo-bifemoral bypass reconstruction was performed followed by UAF repair and bifurcated graft explantation. Follow-up after 2 years showed no recurrence of haematuria, good function of the remaining kidney and patent axillo-bifemoral bypass with no signs of infection around the prosthetic aortic stump.

Conclusions:

Uretero-arterial fistula is a uncommon condition in everyday clinical practice. The rarity of this condition may lead to delayed or missed diagnosis which can result in life-threating consequences. A multidisciplinary approach involving urologists, vascular surgeon and radiologist are crucial to both the diagnosis and managment of this rare entity.
Reel cruelty: Voyeurism and extra-juridical punishment in true-crime documentaries
Authors: Stoneman Ethan , Packer Joseph
Published: September 2020

This paper takes as its point of departure the newly resurgent controversy about whether the possible civic or pedagogical functions of true-crime documentaries outweigh the harm they are occasionally known to inflict. Although supporters of true-crime documentaries tend to downplay their potential to create or exacerbate trauma, their arguments, like those of the subgenre’s critics, presuppose that trauma functions as an unwanted byproduct. This paper maintains that while this assumption buttresses belief in a shared moral universe of what qualifies as the just administration of law or authority it also conceals the dual possibility: (1) that the design of certain true-crime documentaries constitute an exercise of extra-juridical punitive power; and (2) that viewers are capable of deriving pleasure from such an exercise. To that end, the paper examines three recent, critically acclaimed true-crime documentaries— The Thin Blue Line, Tickled, and The Act of Killing—identifying in each a specific form of technologically enabled retribution: interrogation, surveillance, and torture, respectively. It argues that insofar as the films succeed as entertainments and elicit pleasure from audiences, they engender and maintain subjective adherence to extra-juridical practices of retributive justice, at both a cognitive and affective level.
Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury associated with thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Evisect) poisoning
Authors: Suganthan Navaneethakrishnan , Manmathan Rasaiah , Kumanan Thirunavukarasu
Published: September 2020

Thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Brand name: Evisect) is an insecticide with anti-cholinergic and cholinergic properties. Although there are few case reports and a case series of human toxicity of nereistoxin analogue insecticide such as cartap hydrochloride poisoning published in the literature, poisoning with thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Evisect), an another analogue of nereistoxin with its own molecular formula is only heard in animals, such as Nubian goats. Herein, we report a patient presented with rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury without significant symptoms of acute cholinergic syndrome following self-ingestion of thiocyclam hydrogen oxalate (Evisect) and he made an uneventful recovery with prompt supportive care.
Chinese Whispers: A brief history of eponymous orthopaedic examinations
Authors: Humphries Emily L , MacLeod Kirsty , Allen Felix , Grange Simon , Goldberg Andrew , Smitham Peter
Published: September 2020

Eponymous orthopaedic examinations frequently appear in modern clinical examinations, yet their original description and cause for change are often omitted from medical education today. This is important to appreciate in order to understand their diagnostic relevance in modern medicine and subsequent interpretation of results by fellow clinicians. This article reviews the original description of these tests by their namesakes, how they have evolved over time and their relevance in orthopaedics today. An online literature review (PubMed) was conducted of the original descriptions and other published literature detailing their history, evolution, sensitivity and specificity. While elements of these tests have been lost naturally over time to the ‘Chinese Whispers’ effect, most have evolved positively secondary to a deepening anatomical and pathological understanding of their target conditions. They retain some usefulness in clinical medicine, however it is recognized that their diagnostic value is invariably supplanted by improvements in diagnostic imaging.
Centrifuged-Concentrated Intravitreal Slurry Triamcinolone Acetonide: An Inexpensive, Easy, and Viable Alternative to Long-Term Steroid Delivery
Authors: Malinowski Susan M. , Wasserman Jason Adam
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

This work reports the duration, safety, and viability of intravitreal slurry triamcinolone acetonide (TA; 1.0 mL of 40-mg/mL TA centrifuge concentrated into a 0.1-mL pellet) to treat cystoid macular edema (CME).

Methods:

A retrospective, consecutive review was conducted of patients undergoing intravitreal slurry TA injections, July 2009 to December 2018.

Results:

In 143 eyes of 120 patients, slurry TA resolved CME for a mean of 327.15 (SD = 213.11) days, or 10.76 (SD = 7.00) months, per intravitreal injection (n = 466). In 100 eyes requiring multiple injections (n = 423), mean duration was 270.95 (SD = 177.14) days, or 8.91 (SD = 5.82) months, between injections. In 43 single-injection eyes, duration was 749.30 (SD = 483.17) days, or 24.63 (SD = 15.88) months. Mean duration decreased from 337.89 (SD = 210.46) days, or 11.11 (SD = 6.92) months, in nonvitrectomized eyes to 279.74 (SD 179.63) days, or 9.20 (SD = 5.91) months, in vitrectomized eyes (n = 74 injections, t = 2.24, P = .014, 1-tailed). Central foveal thickness as shown on optical coherence tomography decreased by 173.89μ (SD = 147.56μ), from 459.16μ (SD = 47.14μ) to 285.27μ (SD = 77.27μ; t = –25.31, P < .001), within 43.41 days (SD = 36.86). Visual acuity improved from 20/100 (logMAR 0.70, SD = 0.33) to 20/74 (logMAR 0.57, SD = 0.31; SD = 0.21; t = –11.01, P < .001), within 33.98 (SD 24.98) days. Fifteen of 31 phakic eyes (48.39%) underwent cataract extraction. Fifty-seven eyes (39.86%) developed a steroid response (> 10 mm Hg increase from baseline) 94.79 days (SD = 85.52 days), or 3.11 (SD = 2.81) months, following injection.

Conclusions:

A single injection of slurry TA lasted on average 10.76 months with significant improvement of CME and visual acuity. Adverse ocular effects were comparable to currently available, long-term, implantable steroids. Slurry TA appears to be an easily reproducible, safe, and cost-effective alternative to long-term intraocular steroid delivery.
Primary lung neoplasms presenting as multiple synchronous lung nodules
Authors: Ghosh Subha , Mehta Atul C. , Abuqayyas Sami , Raju Shine , Farver Carol
Published: September 2020

Multiple synchronous lung nodules are frequently encountered on computed tomography (CT) scanning of the chest and are most commonly either non-neoplastic or metastases from a known primary malignancy. The finding may initiate a search for primary malignancy elsewhere in the body. An exception to this rule, however, is a class of rare primary lung neoplasms that originate from epithelial (pneumocytes and neuroendocrine), mesenchymal (vascular and meningothelial) and lymphoid tissues of the lung. While these rare neoplasms also present as multiple synchronous unilateral or bilateral lung nodules on chest CT, they are often overlooked in favour of more common causes of multiple lung nodules. The correct diagnosis may be suggested by a multidisciplinary team and established on biopsy, performed either as part of routine diagnostic work-up or staging for malignancy. In this review, we discuss clinical presentations, imaging features, pathology findings and subsequent management of these rare primary neoplasms of the lung.
Competencies to promote collaboration between primary and secondary care doctors: an integrative review
Authors: Janssen Marijn , Sagasser Margaretha H. , Fluit Cornelia R. M. G. , Assendelft Willem J. J. , de Graaf Jacqueline , Scherpbier Nynke D.
Published: September 2020

Background

In a society where ageing of the population and the increasing prevalence of long-term conditions are major issues, collaboration between primary and secondary care is essential to provide continuous, patient-centred care. Doctors play an essential role at the primary-secondary care interface in realising ‘seamless’ care. Therefore, they should possess collaborative competencies. However, knowledge about these collaborative competencies is scarce. In this review we explore what competencies doctors need to promote collaboration between doctors at the primary-secondary care interface.

Methods

We conducted an integrative literature review. After a systematic search 44 articles were included in the review. They were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

Results

We identified six themes regarding collaborative competencies: ‘patient-centred care: a common concern’, ‘roles and responsibilities’, ‘mutual knowledge and understanding’, ‘collaborative attitude and respect’, ‘communication’ and ‘leadership’. In every theme we specified components of knowledge, skills and attitudes as found in the reviewed literature. The results show that doctors play an important role, not only in the way they collaborate in individual patient care, but also in how they help shaping organisational preconditions for collaboration.

Conclusions

This review provides an integrative view on competencies necessary for collaborative practice at the primary-secondary care interface. They are part of several domains, showing the complexity of collaboration. The information gathered in this review can support doctors to enhance and learn collaboration in daily practice and can be used in educational programmes in all stages of medical education.
Effects of probiotic bacterium Weissella cibaria CMU on periodontal health and microbiota: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Kang Mi-Sun , Lee Dong-Suk , Lee Seung-Ah , Kim Myoung-Suk , Nam Seoul-Hee
Published: September 2020

Background

Weissella cibaria CMU (oraCMU) has been commercially available in the market for several years as oral care probiotics. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of oraCMU-containing tablets on periodontal health and oral microbiota.

Methods

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 92 adults without periodontitis (20–39 years of age). All subjects received dental scaling and root planing, and were randomly assigned to either probiotic or placebo groups. The tablets were administered once daily for 8 weeks. Periodontal clinical parameters included bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI). In addition, microbiota in the gingival sulcus were analysed.

Results

BOP improved more in the probiotic group over 8 weeks. There were statistically significant differences in BOP of the maxilla buccal and lingual sites between the groups during the intervention (P < 0.05). No significant inter-group differences in PD, GI, and PI were observed during the intervention. Oral bacteria were observed to be fewer in the probiotic group. There was a significant change in levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum at four and 8 weeks between the two groups. Besides, there were significant differences at 8 weeks in levels of Staphylococcus aureus.

Conclusions

We reported an improvement in BOP and microbial environment and demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of oraCMU against F. nucleatum. Thus, its supplementation may contribute to overall oral health.

Trial registration

Ethical issues approved by the Kangwon National University Institutional Review Board with a number of KWNUIRB-2018-05-003-005 and CRIS code Number of KCT0005078 were retrospectively registered on 06/02/2020. This study was conducted in the period of July to November 2018.
Visit-to-visit fasting plasma glucose variability is associated with left ventricular adverse remodeling in diabetic patients with STEMI
Authors: Yang Chen Die , Shen Ying , Ding Feng Hua , Yang Zhen Kun , Hu Jian , Shen Wei Feng , Zhang Rui Yan , Lu Lin , Wang Xiao Qun
Published: September 2020

Background

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are predisposed to poor cardiovascular outcomes after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Left ventricular adverse remodeling (LVAR) triggered upon myocardial infarction is recognized as the predominant pathological process in the development of heart failure. In the present study, we sought to investigate whether visit-to-visit fasting plasma glucose (FPG) variability is a potential predictor of LVAR in T2DM patients after STEMI.

Methods

From January 2014 to December 2018 in Ruijin Hospital, T2DM patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were consecutively enrolled and followed up for ~ 12 months. The changes in left ventricular geometric and functional parameters between baseline and 12-month follow-up were assessed by echocardiography. The incidence of LVAR, defined as 20% increase in indexed left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and its relationship with visit-to-visit FPG variability were analyzed. Multivariate regression models were constructed to test the predictive value of FPG variability for post-infarction LVAR.

Results

A total of 437 patients with type 2 diabetes and STEMI were included in the final analysis. During a mean follow-up of 12.4 ± 1.1 months, the incidence of LVAR was 20.6% and mean enlargement of indexed LVEDV was 3.31 ± 14.4 mL/m2, which was significantly increased in patients with higher coefficient variance (CV) of FPG (P = 0.002) irrespective of baseline glycemic levels. In multivariate analysis, FPG variability was independently associated with incidence of post-infarction LVAR after adjustment for traditional risk factors, baseline HbA1c as well as mean FPG during follow-up (OR: 3.021 [95% CI 1.081–8.764] for highest vs. lowest tertile of CV of FPG). Assessing FPG variability by other two measures, including standard deviation (SD) and variability independent of the mean (VIM), yielded similar findings.

Conclusions

This study suggests that visit-to-visit FPG variability is an independent predictor of incidence of LVAR in T2DM patients with STEMI.

Trial registration Trials number, NCT02089360; registered on March 17,2014.
SARS-CoV-2 and pulmonary embolism: who stole the platelets?
Authors: Tran Michael , Sheth Chirag , Bhandari Rohan , Cameron Scott J. , Hornacek Deborah
Published: September 2020

Background

Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 often develop venous and arterial thrombosis. The high patient mortality is partly attributed to thrombotic events. An emerging trend is the presence of immunological phenomena including antiphospholipid antibodies which may promote thrombosis. The mechanism for these observations is not clear though many patients with SARS-CoV-2 develop thrombocytopenia.

Case presentation

We describe a patient with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis who presented with intermediate risk pulmonary embolism (PE). Careful attention to his daily platelet count suggested the possibility of immune mediated heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) which was confirmed by laboratory testing and resolved when anticoagulation was switched to a direct thrombin inhibitor.

Conclusions

Since excessive platelet activation and in situ thrombosis occur in HIT, this case underscores the need to consider that thrombocytopenia in patients with SARS-CoV-2—most of whom receive heparinoids—may be unrecognized HIT. A central role for the platelet in the etiology of thrombosis during the COVID-19 pandemic should be explored.
Evaluation of the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group’s systematic review priority-setting project
Authors: Synnot Anneliese , Tong Allison , Ryan Rebecca , Hill Sophie
Published: September 2020

Background

Health researchers and funders are increasingly consulting with stakeholders to set their research agendas but these activities are rarely evaluated. The Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group (CCCG) conducted a priority-setting project for systematic reviews in partnership with stakeholders (consumers/patients, health professionals, policy-makers and others). In this paper, we aim to describe our evaluation of the project’s processes and outcomes.

Methods

We used a 10-element conceptual framework designed to evaluate processes (e.g. stakeholder engagement, use of explicit process) and outcomes (e.g. improved decision-making quality, stakeholder acceptance and understanding) of health priority-setting. Data sources included empirical data (feedback surveys, project documents and CCCG editorial policies) and CCCG staff reflections. Data were analysed using content analysis.

Results

The project met three and partially met two of the process elements, for example, by engaging key stakeholders throughout the project and using pre-determined and transparent methods that offered multiple and meaningful ways to contribute. The project met three and partially met two of the outcome elements. Stakeholders were satisfied with and accepted the process and an additional six Cochrane Review titles aligned with stakeholder priorities are now being conducted in partnership with stakeholders. The project has also directly influenced the editorial work of CCCG, for example, by shifting its organisational focus towards coproduction, and indirectly influenced the work of Cochrane’s prioritisation and coproduction activities. Some areas were identified as having room for improvement, for example, there was low participation by people from diverse backgrounds, stakeholders could contribute to most but not all project stages, and there was no formal way for stakeholders to appeal decisions at project end. In the 3 years since its completion, the Cochrane Reviews are nearing completion but none of the reviews have been published.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that our priority-setting methods were broadly in line with best practice and the project resulted in many positive outcomes beyond just identifying the top priorities for research. Our evaluation framework and recommendations for future evaluations may be of use to priority-setting researchers planning similar activities.
Rising serum CA-125 levels within the normal range is strongly associated recurrence risk and survival of ovarian cancer
Authors: Piatek Szymon , Panek Grzegorz , Lewandowski Zbigniew , Bidzinski Mariusz , Piatek Dominika , Kosinski Przemyslaw , Wielgos Miroslaw
Published: September 2020

Background

In clinical practice alterations in CA-125 concentration within normal range in patients with ovarian cancer after first-line treatment are common. Even minor increase in CA-125 concentration is associated with patients’ anxiety and difficult interpretation and counselling for clinicians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of CA-125 fluctuations within reference level in patients who suffered from ovarian cancer with complete response after first-line treatment.

Results

168 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, who achieved complete remission after first line treatment were enrolled in the study. CA-125 concentration assessment was carried out during follow up visits. The recurrence of the disease was diagnosed on the first appearance of symptoms: clinical, radiological or histopathological/cytological. PFS and 5-year survival rate was calculated with Kaplan-Meier plots. Statistical analysis was performed with SAS / STAT® 9.4 / 14.4, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA, 2017. Median concentration of CA-125 after first-line therapy was 10 U/ml. Increasing CA-125 concentration by > 5 U/ml, 3 and 6 months after the treatment was associated with higher risk of relapse (HR = 7.6, p < 0.0001 and HR = 5.29, p < 0.0001 respectively). 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with increased CA-125 by 5 U/ml, 3 and 6 months after therapy (56.79% vs 0 and 50.62% vs 15.55%).

Conclusions

Increased concentration of CA-125 by > 5 U/ml within normal range, 3 and 6 months after treatment was unfavorable prognostic factor in ovarian cancer patients with complete response to primary therapy.
Improving patient experience and safety at transitions of care through the Your Care Needs You (YCNY) intervention: a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial
Authors: Baxter Ruth , Murray Jenni , O’Hara Jane K. , Hewitt Catherine , Richardson Gerry , Cockayne Sarah , Sheard Laura , Mills Thomas , Lawton Rebecca ,   on behalf of the PACT research team
Published: September 2020

Background

Patients, particularly older people, often experience safety issues when transitioning from hospital to home. Although the evidence is currently equivocal as to how we can improve this transition of care, interventions that support patient involvement may be more effective. The ‘Your Care Needs You’ (YCNY) intervention supports patients to ‘know more’ and ‘do more’ whilst in hospital in order that they better understand their health condition and medications, maintain their daily activities, and can seek help at home if required. The intervention aims to reduce emergency hospital readmissions and improve safety and experience during the transition to home.

Methods

As part of the Partners At Care Transitions (PACT) programme of research, a multi-centred cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) will be conducted to explore the feasibility of the YCNY intervention and trial methodology. Data will be used to refine the intervention and develop a protocol for a definitive cRCT.

Ten acute hospital wards (the clusters) from varying medical specialties including older peoples’ medicine, trauma and orthopaedics, cardiology, intermediate care, and stroke will be randomised to deliver YCNY or usual care on a 3:2 basis. Up to 200 patients aged 75 years and over and discharged to their own homes will be recruited to the study. Patients will complete follow-up questionnaires at 5-, 30-, and 90-days post-discharge and readmission data up to 90-days post-discharge will be extracted from their medical records.

Study outcomes will include measures of feasibility (e.g. screening, recruitment, and retention data) and processes required to collect routine data at a patient and ward level. In addition, interviews and observations involving up to 24 patients/carers and 28 staff will be conducted to qualitatively assess the acceptability, usefulness, and feasibility of the intervention and implementation package to patients and staff. A separate sub-study will be conducted to explore how accurately primary outcome data (30-day emergency hospital readmissions) can be gathered for the definitive cRCT.

Discussion

This study will establish the feasibility of the YCNY intervention which aims to improve safety and experience during transitions of care. It will identify key methodological and implementation issues that need to be addressed prior to assessing the effectiveness of the YCNY intervention in a definitive cluster randomised controlled trial.

Trial registration

UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio: 42191; ISTCRN: ISRCTN51154948. Registered 16/07/2019.
Impact of mucosal biofilm and bony osteitis on chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps
Authors: El Ibiary Hassan , Samir Naglaa , Kamal Ehab , Ashmawy Tarek
Published: September 2020

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disorder whose underlying etiopathogenesis has not yet been completely understood and appears to be multifactorial. Microbial biofilms and bony osteitis are gaining an increased concern as they are considered to be among the possible factors that contribute to the overall local inflammatory load in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study investigated the impact of mucosal biofilm and bony osteitis on the pathophysiology and severity of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Results

Forty-five CRSwNP patients performing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and 10 control patients were involved in this cross-sectional study. Mucosal and bony specimens from ethmoid sinus were obtained for both light and scanning electron (SEM) microscopic examination. The histopathologic bony grade was positive in 40/45 of CRSwNP patients versus 6/10 of the control patients (P = 0.300); histopathologic mucosal grade was 44/45 versus 4/10 (P < 0.001), and tissue eosinophilia was 45/45 versus 6/10 (P < 0.001); biofilm was positive in 37/45 versus 4/10 (P = 0.012). The mean of the sinonasal outcome treatment score (SNOT)-22 is 39.8 versus 50.5 (P = 0.067); Lund-Mackay score (LMS) is 19.6 versus 3.1 (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

(1) Mucosal biofilms and osteitis were detected in patients undergoing FESS for CRSwNP and also in controls without CRS. This suggests that mucosal biofilms and osteitis may not alone be the etiology of CRS without other cofactors. The pathogenesis of biofilms could be related to host factors. (2) The high odds ratio and wide confidence interval in our study suggest that there is a statistically significant association between biofilm formation and CRSwNP. (3) The high grade of mucosal inflammation and tissue eosinophilia suggests the inflammatory load added by osteitis and bacterial biofilm (BBF).
RNA Sequencing and Somatic Mutation Status of Adrenocortical Tumors: Novel Pathogenetic Insights
Authors: Di Dalmazi Guido , Altieri Barbara , Scholz Claus , Sbiera Silviu , Luconi Michaela , Waldman Jens , Kastelan Darko , Ceccato Filippo , Chiodini Iacopo , Arnaldi Giorgio , Riester Anna , Osswald Andrea , Beuschlein Felix , Sauer Sascha , Fassnacht Martin , Appenzeller Silke , Ronchi Cristina L
Published: September 2020

Context

Pathogenesis of autonomous steroid secretion and adrenocortical tumorigenesis remains partially obscure.

Objective

To investigate the relationship between transcriptome profile and genetic background in a large series of adrenocortical tumors and identify new potential pathogenetic mechanisms.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

University Hospitals of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT).

Patients

We collected snap-frozen tissue from patients with adrenocortical tumors (n = 59) with known genetic background: 26 adenomas with Cushing syndrome (CS- cortisol-producing adenoma [CPA]), 17 adenomas with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS-CPAs), 9 endocrine-inactive adenomas (EIAs), and 7 adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs).

Intervention

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing.

Main Outcome Measures

Gene expression, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression, and gene fusions. Correlation with genetic background defined by targeted Sanger sequencing, targeted panel- or whole-exome sequencing.

Results

Transcriptome analysis identified 2 major clusters for adenomas: Cluster 1 (n = 32) mainly consisting of MACS-CPAs with CTNNB1 or without identified driver mutations (46.9% of cases) and 8/9 EIAs; Cluster 2 (n = 18) that comprised CP-CPAs with or without identified driver mutation in 83.3% of cases (including all CS-CPAs with PRKACA mutation). Two CS-CPAs, 1 with CTNNB1 and 1 with GNAS mutation, clustered separately and relatively close to ACC. lncRNA analysis well differentiate adenomas from ACCs. Novel gene fusions were found, including AKAP13-PDE8A in one CS-CPA sample with no driver mutation.

Conclusions

MACS-CPAs and EIAs showed a similar transcriptome profile, independently of the genetic background, whereas most CS-CPAs clustered together. Still unrevealed molecular alterations in the cAMP/PKA or Wnt/beta catenin pathways might be involved in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors.
Introduction
Authors: Boyarin Daniel , Wolf Anne Marie , Acadia Lilith
Published: September 2020

Responding to doubts expressed by contributors to the Common Knowledge symposium on xenophilia, this introduction to the seventh and final installment seeks to explain the critics’ methodological concerns in a case study of strong affect in the Babylonian Talmud. Examining the story of Rav Rehumi and his wife in Ketubot 62b, the author inquires whether differences of culture and the passage of time make it impossible for us to determine whether love is the affect involved. The case is especially difficult to resolve, given that, while there may be two lovers in this narrative, there may be three objects of love: the rabbi, his wife, and the Torah. In the story, Rav Rehumi is so ravished by Torah that he forgets his wife. Since the narrative does not predicate that he chose not to visit her but, rather, that he was swept away, the author proposes that “studying Torah is sex, not like sex, but sex itself.” The story describes not sublimation of libido but its desublimation. If so, the story confronts us with an unnamed affect in ancient Jewish culture that “encompasses both the joy of sex and the joy of text.” It is not that, dourly, the Talmudic Rabbis cannot imagine, or that they ignore, corporeal pleasure; it is rather that the erotic experience of Torah is the same pleasure but, at least for them, even stronger. This piece concludes, therefore, that a term like xenophilia, which incorporates the word love (philia), is not universally applicable across cultures and epistemai. The concept of love is too various.
“Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”?
Authors: Wolf Anne Marie
Published: September 2020

Examining, for a symposium on xenophilia, the views of some of the period’s most open-minded and tolerant thinkers, as well as the historical development of Christian writers’ treatment of Muslims, this article considers whether the term Islamophilia can be applied to any Christian’s attitudes during the Middle Ages. The analysis considers what qualifies as an expression of love for Muslims, the distinction between positive regard for Islam and positive regard for Muslims, and whether Islamophilia essentializes Muslims in the same way that Islamophobia does. The author argues that any search for Christian Islamophilia must be broad enough to encompass evidence found in unexpected places. For instance, due to the Christian belief that Muslims who did not convert to Christianity would suffer eternally, a desire to convert them may well qualify as a stance of love toward them, despite the offense to modern sensibilities that such implies. Paradoxically, indifference toward Muslims’ religion, such as on the part of neighbors or business partners, might also have a place in a discussion of Islamophilia, precisely because it rejects essentialism.
Introduction
Authors: Perl Jeffrey M.
Published: September 2020

In this introduction to Part 1 of “Contextualism—the Next Generation: Symposium on the Future of a Methodology,” the editor of Common Knowledge, a “journal of left-wing Kuhnian opinion,” reports that the new symposium responds to contextualist criticism of the previous CK symposium, which was on xenophilia. The content of the earlier symposium met with objections, from contextualists, on the grounds of methodology, and the new symposium questions the methodology of contextualism for the limits that it places on content as well as on normative aims and degree of focus. Tracing the origins of contextualism to Kuhn and his theory that paradigms of scientific knowledge are incommensurable, this essay then argues that Kuhnian method is formal, with scant concern for content, and that Kuhn’s work was vatic, more than philosophical or historical. Kuhn’s depiction of his sudden, blinding realization that Aristotelian physics is correct in its own context is assessed as an ironic application of biblical scenes of revelation to what is, essentially, a process of scrupulous, piecemeal scholarship. What Kuhn unknowingly wanted, the essay concludes, was a combination of contextualism and phenomenology, as a means of knowing what it was like to believe in Aristotelian, as opposed to modern, concepts of matter, quality, space, void, position, change, and motion. The essay then introduces the first contribution to the new symposium: a monograph retrieving geometrical and taxonomic—Euclidean and Theophrastan—idioms of discourse about fictional characters and inquiring into their changing affective content.
The centriole protein CEP76 negatively regulates PLK1 activity in the cytoplasm for proper mitotic progression
Authors: Takeda Yutaka , Yamazaki Kaho , Hashimoto Kaho , Watanabe Koki , Chinen Takumi , Kitagawa Daiju
Published: September 2020

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) dynamically changes its localization and plays important roles in proper mitotic progression. In particular, strict control of cytoplasmic PLK1 is needed to prevent mitotic defects. However, the regulation of cytoplasmic PLK1 is not fully understood. In this study, we show that CEP76, a centriolar protein, physically interacts with PLK1 and tightly controls the activation of cytoplasmic PLK1 during mitosis in human cells. We found that removal of centrosomes induced ectopic aggregation of PLK1, which is highly phosphorylated, in the cytoplasm during mitosis. Importantly, a targeted RNA interference (RNAi) screen revealed that depletion of CEP76 resulted in a similar phenotype. In addition, depletion of CEP76 caused defective spindle orientation and mitotic delay. Moreover, the formation of ectopic PLK1 aggregates and defective spindle orientation were significantly suppressed by the inhibition of PLK1 kinase activity. Overall, these results demonstrate that CEP76 suppresses the aberrant activation of cytoplasmic PLK1 for proper mitotic progression.
Foreign Competition and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from US Patents
Authors: Autor David , Dorn David , Hanson Gordon H. , Pisano Gary , Shu Pian
Published: September 2020

Manufacturing accounts for more than three-quarters of US corporate patents. The competitive shock to this sector emanating from China’s economic ascent could in theory either augment or stifle US innovation. Using three decades of US patents matched to corporate owners, we quantify how foreign competition affects domestic innovation. Rising import exposure intensifies competitive pressure, reducing sales, profitability, and R&D expenditure at US firms. Accounting for confounding sectoral patenting trends, we find that US patent production declines in sectors facing greater import competition. This adverse effect is larger among initially less profitable and less capital-intensive firms. (JEL F14, L11, L60, O19, O31, O34, P33)
Revisiting the Global Decline of the (Non-housing) Labor Share
Authors: Gutiérrez Germán , Piton Sophie
Published: September 2020

We show that cross-country comparisons of corporate labor shares are affected by differences in the delineation of corporate sectors. While the United States excludes all self-employed and most dwellings from the corporate sector, other countries include large amounts of both—biasing labor shares downward. We propose two methods to control for these differences and obtain “harmonized ” non-housing labor share series. Contrary to common wisdom, the harmonized series remain stable or increase in all major advanced economies except the United States and Canada. These new facts cast doubts on most technological explanations for the decline of the labor share. (JEL E25, E26, J23, O11, O15, P23, P36)